How Many Times Did I Meet Pluto This Trip? A Dec Solo TR - New TR Link 11/30!

I loved every single one of your Animal Kingdom pictures and I'm glad that you included the blurry on of FOTLK because it really is cool!
 
I can't wait to see what the changes bring to Animal Kingdom! We've never done EMH there but might consider it once our DS 5 is more interested in Everest and Dinosaur! Can't wait to see your pics with Baloo--we love the Jungle Book but for some reason always end up missing him! We've seen Louie without Baloo, Dug without Russell--maybe it's us!?! :rolleyes1
 
Hey Arianna! Guess who decided to return to the DIS?? I'm trying to get caught up with everyone's reports, which is not easy. We all get behind at times, but I've never been this far behind. I'll go read now and get caught up. Just wanted to say a quick hello first.
 


All caught up now. Loving all your pics! You put me right in the Osborne Lights. Thank you! I love being there for those! Bummer about the dessert party being sort of a bust. We enjoyed the FOLK show in September as well. Such a lot of talent! I can ride EE over and over with no problem, but Dan cannot. Once is good for him. I do go on it without him if there's no line, like first thing. Oh, and it's always so cool to get the cowboy in the GMR. Love drawing at the Art of Animation. You did a great Mickey!!

I guess one of the really nice things about doing a solo trip is, when you were so tired after the dessert party you could just decide to go back to your room without consulting anyone. Dan and I are usually pretty much on the same page with that sort of thing, which makes it nice. When you're with a group, it's a little more involved. You seem to be having a wonderful time so far and I am enjoying reading your report. It really puts me right there. And, I have to be honest, I never knew about the Character meets beyond the gates in HS. I have seen people waiting there, but never knew why. Anyway, hope you are doing well and have a great day today!
 
Dinosaur is a favorite of mine. I still remember my first time on it when I was six, I wouldn't open my eyes the entire time.

FOTLK is also my favorite show in all of WDW. I really love the new area the theater is in they did a great job on that.

I didn't get to experience Dinosaur till 2010 and instantly loved it. It was open on our Honeymoon in 1998 but Jim refused to ride because he thought it was a simulator ride and he got really sick on Body Wars that used to be in Epcot. I love the new FOLK area!

Sounds like a great continuation of your morning! YAY for getting to see FOTLK after so long, great pics!

It was a very nice morning and I was so happy to finally get to see FOLK again.

I am really looking forward to the nighttime AK show. I'm just hoping it has some resemblance to World Of Colour in California Adventue. WDW needs something like that.

I am in love with the new FotLK Theatre. Ha, looks like Tumble Monkey posed just for you. :goodvibes

I am excited too to see the new show. I do wonder how they will do it in AK since there is so much foliage. I can't imagine how they will come up with enough viewing areas. I do love that picture of the Tumble Monkey, probably one of my favorites from the trip.

try the nikon coolpix they are great P&S!

love the FOLK show too! you did a great job what no pose on the dino ride??? glad the little boy loved the puppet! good find!

Thanks, I'll take a look at those cameras. I need to find her one that is very simple to use because she is not very good with technology.

As for the ride photos, I did awful on those this trip. I just ran out of ideas and gave up.

I must join in on this report, too!

I look forward to giving FOTLK another shot on my upcoming trip. We saw it back in 2012 and weren't blown over - I think the fact that it was late in the day and we were pretty tired played into that opinion. I am excited to see the new location! :-) (And perhaps I just need to pay more attention to the monkeys - that one monkey, in particular, looks like a hoot! :laughing: )

I'm glad your day at AK improved after your queasy start!

Thanks for hopping over here and joining in! The Monkey's are a blast to watch. I particularly like to watch them during the final as they try to dance with everyone else. You can tell they aren't trained dancers and it's a bit humorous watching them try.

Sounds like a great morning at AK (despite your stomach :sad2:)! I LOVE Dinosaur and am thankful that it also doesn't affect my stomach :thumbsup2 I could just stay on that ride all day!

I'm so excited to get into the new FOTLK theater - your pictures are great!

Awesome gifts, too! That dinosaur puppet is awesome, as is the t-shirt! :thumbsup2

I could probably ride Dinosaur multiple times too but I always have other things to move on to. It's funny because the theater is exactly like the other one. I talked to one couple who had seen it a few years prior and were very confused as to why they changed how you entered the theater. They had no idea it was a completely different theater!

Great update. I'm glad you got on Dinosaur and the big guy was working this time. Love the puppet you got for the little boy.

So Baloo and Louie are across from Flights of Wonder? That must be why I always miss them because we just speed walk past that area since we dont' do Flights of Wonder.

Great pictures of the Tree of Life. I can't wait until all those walls are down.

And terrific pictures of Festival of the Lion King. I was so happy to be able to see it again in September.

Yep, when I was there, the meet was right across from Flights of Wonder. Who know now though, they keep changing things at that park. I'm not sure how long they had been in that area. I remember that area used to have tables because Mom and I sat there and ate ice cream in 2012.
 
I loved every single one of your Animal Kingdom pictures and I'm glad that you included the blurry on of FOTLK because it really is cool!

Thanks! I really liked that one because of the bright colors.

Lovely update.

Looks like a lot of changes for AK.
Nice pictures of FotLK.

Thanks! Yeah, AK is going through a lot of changes right now. I can't wait to see the finished product.

I can't wait to see what the changes bring to Animal Kingdom! We've never done EMH there but might consider it once our DS 5 is more interested in Everest and Dinosaur! Can't wait to see your pics with Baloo--we love the Jungle Book but for some reason always end up missing him! We've seen Louie without Baloo, Dug without Russell--maybe it's us!?! :rolleyes1

Me too, I can't wait to see the new stuff. EMH worked really well at AK and I didn't feel like it was overly crowded later in the day. Hmm, that's odd with the characters.

Hey Arianna! Guess who decided to return to the DIS?? I'm trying to get caught up with everyone's reports, which is not easy. We all get behind at times, but I've never been this far behind. I'll go read now and get caught up. Just wanted to say a quick hello first.

Hi Lois! Welcome back, I've missed your comments. :hug: How is everything going with your family? How about the condo, did you get it finished?

All caught up now. Loving all your pics! You put me right in the Osborne Lights. Thank you! I love being there for those! Bummer about the dessert party being sort of a bust. We enjoyed the FOLK show in September as well. Such a lot of talent! I can ride EE over and over with no problem, but Dan cannot. Once is good for him. I do go on it without him if there's no line, like first thing. Oh, and it's always so cool to get the cowboy in the GMR. Love drawing at the Art of Animation. You did a great Mickey!!

I guess one of the really nice things about doing a solo trip is, when you were so tired after the dessert party you could just decide to go back to your room without consulting anyone. Dan and I are usually pretty much on the same page with that sort of thing, which makes it nice. When you're with a group, it's a little more involved. You seem to be having a wonderful time so far and I am enjoying reading your report. It really puts me right there. And, I have to be honest, I never knew about the Character meets beyond the gates in HS. I have seen people waiting there, but never knew why. Anyway, hope you are doing well and have a great day today!

So glad you took the time to catch up and enjoyed the updates and pictures. I do love the freedom that solo trips allow for! The Character Paloosas is a pretty well hidden secret. I only knew about it by reading here on the DIS. I found that Kenny the Pirates site is the best place for character info.
 


Where are the Pretty Fish?

I still had some time until my Safari FP+ so I decided to walk the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail to see if either of the baby gorillas I had seen in October were out.




The first part of the trail up to the Hippo enclosure had been closed in October for renovations so I was anxious to see what had been approved. The Okapi area looked the same.





There were some changes to the little building that leads into the Bird Aviary. Some of the displays in the middle of the room were removed which opened it up a bit in there. It must have been crowded that day because the only picture I took was one of the Naked Mole Rats.



I walked out into the Bird Aviary and it was completely empty of birds. Not one in the whole place. I don’t know if it was a permanent change or if the birds were moved back in after I was there.



Sadist part to me though was the absence of the pretty fish that were in that area. I always take a picture of those fish and my picture is nowhere near as interesting this trip.



I left there pretty quickly since there was nothing to see. The Hippo area was unchanged but there weren’t any out so I moved onto my favorite guys, the Meerkats. There were a few zebras in the back of that area.



And then I saw the baby Meerkats! They were so cute and I spent quite a while watching and photographing them.















So I scored big time with the Meerkats but I would strike out with the gorillas. Neither of the babies were anywhere to be seen. But this big one was hanging out by the glass. He was probably entertaining himself with all the funny looking people walking by.



The CM there did say that one of the babies was way up on the hill laying down with his Mom. This was the best picture I could get and I was zoomed all the way.



Yeah, not much happening there. Moving onto the bachelor area, I just took one picture of this guy.



Since I spent so much time at the Meerkats, my FP+ time was now fast approaching so I headed out.

Sorry that was kind of a short update but I want to include the whole Safari in one update and you know I took a few pictures during that!

Up Next: Safari
 
The Pangani forest trail is one of the things I have never done at AK. I did the other trail for the first time in july, so I think next trip I need to make Pangani a priority.
 
Hmmm, I wonder if a bird aviary with no birds can still be called a bird aviary. Odd that they were all gone.

That is pretty cool that you spotted some zebras on the trail. I do agree though. The Meerkats are mesmerizing to watch.
 
you scared the birds away!!!
aww no pretty fish! so sorry!!! the one big guy pictures of the gorilla is wonderful! i also love the meerkats! the lion king song ALWAYS flashes in my head at this time..
 
Great pictures of the animals.
Shame that there were no birds nor fish; but I guess they need a vacation from time to time?
 
This post just convinces me that I really do need to spend more time at AK... it's the park I easily spend the least amount of time in. But these pictures are convincing me to change that! :thumbsup2
 
I just love the trails in Animal Kingdom. :lovestruc

I love your pictures of the crazy meerkats!
 
Aww, love the baby Meerkats. I used to love Meerkat Manor.

I love the scenery in AK so much. I think I took more than 100 pics when we were there. I'm loving all of your pictures, too!
 
Great update! We love the Pangani Forest, but what a bummer there were no hippos or birds! Great shot of the big gorilla. He looked like he was posing for you. I always love the Meerkats, and those babies were adorable!

As for Dan and I, he continues to be busy at work and I have been busy with my parents. My Dad had a bad fall in January, hitting his head on the tile floor and his legs are getting bad, so we looked into assisted living. We had a miracle that a suite was available at a beautiful place near them. (there is always a waiting list) But 3 days after saying he'd take it, he changed his mind and wanted to wait until summer. What?? Now there's a waiting list to get in and they need to go. Long story, but the latest as of this week is that their condo went on the market on Friday and was under contract by Tuesday. Five days!! So, we've been praying for an opening at the assisted living place, and on Wednesday the girl in charge called to say there was a place for them. She had to do some creative juggling, but they will be moving in a couple of weeks. So, now I can finish getting them packed up and moved and then resume my normal life, whatever that is.

We just got the carpet installed in the condo and hope to get it on the market soon. There may be someone in the neighborhood who wants to buy it. They will come today to look at it. If they don't want it, well put it on the market in a week or so. This has dragged on so long due to Dan's busy schedule and my being with my parents. We kinda knew it would be like this, but thankfully it will be over soon. Next time we do a flip, Dan will be retired and his time will be his own!

Can't wait to see your pics of your safari! I know you took a lot and hopefully got some good shots. It's always hit or miss with the animals and the driver for that matter. We like to go twice just to see if we can find different animals. Hope you're having a good weekend!
 
Hi Ariana, longtime lurker on all your TRs, so I thought I would pop in and say hi. :-) Your AK pictures are amazing! I love the meerkats - so much personality. As always, can't wait to read more!
 
The Pangani forest trail is one of the things I have never done at AK. I did the other trail for the first time in july, so I think next trip I need to make Pangani a priority.

I really enjoy the trails because I love watching animals. You should definitely try to walk it at least once to say you did it!

Hmmm, I wonder if a bird aviary with no birds can still be called a bird aviary. Odd that they were all gone.

That is pretty cool that you spotted some zebras on the trail. I do agree though. The Meerkats are mesmerizing to watch.

Yep, it was odd. I haven't read anywhere that they have brought them back but it could have just been temporary. I could watch the Meerkats all day if I didn't have other stuff to get to! Oh and the Zebras have been back behind the Meerkats like that the last two trips.

you scared the birds away!!!
aww no pretty fish! so sorry!!! the one big guy pictures of the gorilla is wonderful! i also love the meerkats! the lion king song ALWAYS flashes in my head at this time..

I guess I did scare them! Must have been my Pluto bag. :rotfl: I think I love the Meerkats so much because of Lion King!

Great pictures of the animals.
Shame that there were no birds nor fish; but I guess they need a vacation from time to time?

Maybe they do need a vacation. :rotfl2: I wonder if they have come back now?

This post just convinces me that I really do need to spend more time at AK... it's the park I easily spend the least amount of time in. But these pictures are convincing me to change that! :thumbsup2

There are so many hidden animal spots in AK! Next time you go, grab a map. There are little paw prints all over it and they indicate where the live animals are. You will be really surprised at how many animals there really are in the park.
 
I just love the trails in Animal Kingdom. :lovestruc

I love your pictures of the crazy meerkats!

I love the trails too, I could spend hours there if there wasn't other stuff to do in the park!

Aww, love the baby Meerkats. I used to love Meerkat Manor.

I love the scenery in AK so much. I think I took more than 100 pics when we were there. I'm loving all of your pictures, too!

I have every season of Meerkat Manor on DVD. ::yes:: AK is definitely a very photogenic park, I love taking pictures there.

Great update! We love the Pangani Forest, but what a bummer there were no hippos or birds! Great shot of the big gorilla. He looked like he was posing for you. I always love the Meerkats, and those babies were adorable!

As for Dan and I, he continues to be busy at work and I have been busy with my parents. My Dad had a bad fall in January, hitting his head on the tile floor and his legs are getting bad, so we looked into assisted living. We had a miracle that a suite was available at a beautiful place near them. (there is always a waiting list) But 3 days after saying he'd take it, he changed his mind and wanted to wait until summer. What?? Now there's a waiting list to get in and they need to go. Long story, but the latest as of this week is that their condo went on the market on Friday and was under contract by Tuesday. Five days!! So, we've been praying for an opening at the assisted living place, and on Wednesday the girl in charge called to say there was a place for them. She had to do some creative juggling, but they will be moving in a couple of weeks. So, now I can finish getting them packed up and moved and then resume my normal life, whatever that is.

We just got the carpet installed in the condo and hope to get it on the market soon. There may be someone in the neighborhood who wants to buy it. They will come today to look at it. If they don't want it, well put it on the market in a week or so. This has dragged on so long due to Dan's busy schedule and my being with my parents. We kinda knew it would be like this, but thankfully it will be over soon. Next time we do a flip, Dan will be retired and his time will be his own!

Can't wait to see your pics of your safari! I know you took a lot and hopefully got some good shots. It's always hit or miss with the animals and the driver for that matter. We like to go twice just to see if we can find different animals. Hope you're having a good weekend!

I was bummed that the bird sanctuary was empty, it was very strange. The Hippos always seem to be hit or miss and at least I usually get to see them on the safari.

Sorry to hear about all the troubles with your parents but I'm glad they finally agreed to move to the assisted living. Sounds like you've made some great progress on the condo, I hope it sells quickly!


Ah bummer that the baby gorillas weren't out :( But seeing the meerkats is always fun!!

I was a little sad the baby gorillas were not out but I very much enjoyed the baby Meerkats. All the baby gorillas do is lay there, they are pretty much like human infants so the baby Meerkats were much more interesting to watch.

Hi Ariana, longtime lurker on all your TRs, so I thought I would pop in and say hi. :-) Your AK pictures are amazing! I love the meerkats - so much personality. As always, can't wait to read more!

Hi and :welcome:. Thank you for reading and taking the time to post! I always love to hear peoples opinions of my photos and trips!
 

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