And at Last I See the Light...Or at Least the Tangled Bathrooms! **COMPLETED 2/8**

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 16th (Part Seven)-"When you close your eyes, then you realize, any dream is possible!"

First of all,
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF MY WONDERFUL READERS!
May 2014 bring you magic and joy in every aspect of your lives. Really, I adore all of your comments so much. Thank you all for following along with me on this TR; I hope you enjoy the rest of it! Now, on with the report!


Last I left off, our plan was to wander over into Adventureland.
But.
Our path was obstructed.
BY A PARADE!!!!!

I love this parade. So. Much. I know I say this a lot and I probably sound like a broken record, but it really does embody all that Disney stands for: dreams coming true. They encourage children to chase their dreams and tell them that they can do whatever the heck they want. And that's important, because children need to know that. They need to know that even though there will be several obstacles in their way, they can and they will overcome them in order to follow their dreams.

"Fantasies and childhood wishes..."

"Watch them all come true!"

RIP Celebrate a Dream Come True.
I'm quite unhappy that they discontinued it, but I'm sure the new parade will be just as magical, if not more!
I mean, they have a Tangled float. That's all the persuading I needed.

The parade ended and we were really far back in the crowd. It was like every single person in Frontierland just congregated on the bridge in front of Splash Mountain. So, we had to wait a while before we could get through. Once we did, we stopped to buy some water bottles. It was SO hot, so we were definitely trying to keep hydrated.

While waiting in line, I took the time to capture the madness of Disney World in June after a parade.

It almost looks like EPCOT on New Years Eve. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually glad I wasn't at Disney for that, based on all the Instagram pictures I saw. Like, WHOA. SO MANY PEOPLE.
I digress.
ONWARDS!

We followed the legitimate sea of people into Adventureland and eventually meandered over to Pirates!

Yo ho, yo ho. ARGHHH. The language of pirates is a beautiful thing.
It was a swashbuckling fun ride!
Next, we went back to the Hall of Presidents because, again, THE HEAT. And my father is obsessed. That probably contributed to it more.

NAP TIME AGAIN!
It was quite refreshing.
Then someone had to go to the bathroom.
So, where else would we go but the TANGLED BATHROOMS?!

This is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life.

We mainly took this time to just relax a bit. My parents sat on a bench while Nick and I wandered around the area to our heart's content.

I was just loving life and taking in every single detail I could. This place is really a sensory overload. Or maybe that's just me.

Nick and I then made it our goal to find as many of Pascal's friends as we could!

We found four of them!

Then it started to lightly drizzle, so we were like, YAY SWEET RELIEF FROM ALL THE HOTNESS SURROUNDING OUR PERSONS.
But then...it stopped drizzling. Instead, it POURED.
It was so crazy. One second there was a nice light rain and then BAM TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR.
Thanks, nature. I appreciate it. Just kidding.
So we all ran to Mickey's PhilharMagic for cover, since you can usually get on it whenever the next show is and it was indoors in air conditioning. So, no heat and no rain sounded GREAT. PhilharMagic is great no matter what the weather conditions are though; it's one of my favorites without a doubt. It's just one of those attractions that is pure Disney Magic for me.
But before we went in, we grabbed Fastpasses for Winnie the Pooh, since the kiosks are right there.

We went into PhilharMagic then, and the doors were about to close as soon as we got in the Beauty and the Beast-esque room but they let us in and we quickly grabbed our seats.
All was going well and I was excited for the show to start!
But then this family came in and sat in the front row and they were highly irritating throughout the whole show. I hope I don't sound like a bad person, but I couldn't deal with them.
First of all, they had this big, light-up toy stick with them and they didn't turn it off once the lights were turned down. A CM had to ask them to put it away and they took approximately five minutes to do that. Then they started talking obnoxiously loud and one of the women stood up and yelled something to someone in their party halfway across the row. She also pulled out her phone and the screen was startlingly bright.
They were all just ridiculously distracting and sort of ruined the majority of the show for me. I felt really bad for the people who were directly behind and around them because they were being so rude. Obviously, nothing can completely diminish the magic of Disney--even that--but it sort of did dim the magic.

Anyway, once we got out, the rain had mostly stopped, so we trekked it over to Storybook Circus!

Next Post​

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 16th (Part Eight)-"Did you ever see an elephant fly?"

The result of our journey from PhilharMagic to Storybook Circus was a ride on Dumbo!

Only one of the two Dumbo's was working, so we had to wait a while. Good thing this newly remodeled circus tent is so aesthetically pleasing!

Eventually, our card group was called and it was our turn to fly with Dumbo!

I went on a field day in this queue, because it's just so colorful and beautiful!

It was such a lovely ride, even though it was drizzling a bit again.

Next, we headed to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to use our Fastpasses!

When Mom was taking them out of her bag and handing each of us one, she realized that we had gotten surprise Fastpasses for PhilharMagic! I didn't think PhilharMagic needed Fastpasses, haha. We never ended up using them, so I kept them as souvenirs! They're actually so nice to have, since the Fastpass system is slowly being replaced altogether by Magic Bands.

It didn't take very long for us to get settled in our hunny pot and we enjoyed the blustery day! The Woozle room is my favorite part!

Afterwards, I bought my friend McKenna a stuffed Eeyore in the gift shop, because Winnie the Pooh is her OBSESSION. She already had Pooh and Piglet, so I got Eeyore to add to her collection!

Then we wandered around the New Fantasyland construction wall and looked inside!

I thought that was the coolest thing! Getting to look at this work in progress, a piece of Disney history before it's even completed.

Then we ended up here.

Can you guess where we were eating dinner tonight?

Next Post​

 

[khertz]

I just got caught up on alll your updates! First, I have to say I love your blue dress. So cute! I have only worn skirts/dresses in the parks a few times, but it really does help keep you cooler when it is so hot outside.

Ugh, rain in the summer is just awful. It cools you off for the moment, but then it is so humid!!

I love the Tangled bathroom area. But I am so mad I forgot about looking for Pascals while we were there!!

It seems like even with the crowds, y'all were still able to get a lot done!

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I just got caught up on alll your updates! First, I have to say I love your blue dress. So cute! I have only worn skirts/dresses in the parks a few times, but it really does help keep you cooler when it is so hot outside.

Ugh, rain in the summer is just awful. It cools you off for the moment, but then it is so humid!!

I love the Tangled bathroom area. But I am so mad I forgot about looking for Pascals while we were there!!

It seems like even with the crowds, y'all were still able to get a lot done!

Haha I'm sorry I threw a whole bunch of updates up at once! My Disney homesickness level has just been soaring recently, so I decided to do a lot of these to help cope.

Thank you for the compliment on the dress! I didn't use to be a big dress fan, but on this trip I actually discovered I LOVED them. They really do keep you cooler and they're so much easier to move in. Plus, they dry faster than shorts when on water rides. They're all flowy and they aren't tight and they're fabulous!

The humidity usually doesn't bother me, but the whole getting soaked and then having your clothes plastered to you all day is not appealing haha. The short relief really is nice, but once it's over, the heat flares back up and it's like it never happened.

Oh no! Next time you go you must find Pascal and his friends! It's so much fun and it'll probably intrigue Paxton!

We're A+ crowd fighters, haha. Since my brother and I can't go during the off season because we have school, we've started becoming pros at handling the summer crowds. Just get as many Fastpasses as possible and while you're waiting to use them, go on the rides with lower wait times. Also, a nice table service meal somewhere in the day can do a lot to rejuvenate you so you can keep going!

Great pics!

Thank you!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 16th (Part Nine)-"The dining room proudly presents: your dinner!"

You see that thing up in the top right corner of the previous picture?
It has a purple tint to it? That six-foot tall castle?
Yeah, that's it!
Well.
That's where we had chosen to eat that night!
BE OUR GUEST.
LIKE WHAT.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WAS HAPPENING.
At first, we couldn't get reservations because we decided to do this trip way later than the 180 day mark. But, my mom kept checking back about once a week in case there was a cancellation and an opening and eventually THERE WAS. So, we obviously took the reservation.
And with that miracle, we ended up here.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
My mom checked us in and we only waited about seven minutes before we were called to our table!

That guy was excited, too. Clearly.

As soon as we walked inside the castle, I was completely in awe; I was just gone. Nothing else existed but this beauty around me and the smell--OH THE SMELL. SO MANY GOOD SCENTS AT ONCE IT WAS HARDLY EVEN REAL. I don't even know how to accurately describe the wondrous, magical feeling this place gives you. It's just complexly incredible. Then we were told which room we'd be eating in.

And that room was...

drumroll...

more drumroll...

infinite drumroll...

THE BALLROOM.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

My mom was EXTREMELY happy about that, because that was the room she wanted to be in the most. HOORAY!
We were at a table RIGHT by the windows and it was absolutely perfect!

LOOK AT HOW INSANELY CUTE THE NAPKINS ARE.

Our waiter came and his name was Ratana. Seriously. BEST WAITER EVER. You don't even know yet...but you will.
We ordered our drinks and appetizers.
I got the all-natural lemonade with wildberry foam. SO GOOD.
Everybody else ordered soda/pomegranate lemonade.
Then the appetizers came! My mom, brother, and I all got French onion soup, and Dad decided not to get anything.

THAT SOUP. IT WAS SO GOOD.

At one point, the Beast came out

I didn't get good pictures of him here, but oh well.

Next we ordered our entrées.
Dad, Nick, and I all got the grilled strip steak with garlic-herb butter and pommes frites.

EVEN MORE DELICIOUSNESS. It was so good. So. Good.
You see the little dish on the top right with that white stuff in it? At first, I thought it was the garlic-herb butter. So Nick decided to spread it all on his steak. Then Ratana came back to our table and Dad asked if it was the butter (because Nick had proclaimed that it really didn't taste like butter) and Ratana said that it was actually some fancy mayonnaise for the pommes frites. GREAT. Nick was a little upset that he had put it all over his steak since he's not a mayonnaise fan, but he still ate it and liked it!

Mom ordered the chicken breast Provençal with seasonal vegetables and roasted fingerling potatoes.

Right away, she fell in love with the sauce! She kept raving about how good it was and still does!
Be Our Guest could do no wrong with our taste buds!

Then it was dessert time.
I had been DYING to have the Grey Stuff since the restaurant first opened, but I knew I wouldn't be able to have it, because I wasn't celebrating a birthday or anniversary.
However, we explained this predicament to Ratana and he thought for a minute and then exclaimed, "Well, TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY."
WHAT.
ARE YOU SERIOUS.
IS THIS REAL LIFE.
WHAT IS HAPPENING.
HE BROUGHT ME THE GREY STUFF.
I DIED.
I WENT TO HEAVEN.
AND I CAME BACK TO EARTH.
AND I DIED AGAIN.
AND THEN I CAME BACK AGAIN SO I COULD ACTUALLY EAT IT.
I COULDN'T BELIEVE THIS STUFF BECAUSE IT WAS JUST SO DELICIOUS AND SPECIAL AND I WAS LEGITIMATELY IN SHOCK BECAUSE I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS TO HAPPEN AT ALL.

All four of us devoured it and ASDFGHJKL;;JLHKGJEVDBJFNKG.
IT WAS JUST PHENOMENAL.
It seriously probably tasted even better than it usually would because it was so unexpected and I was just so happy!

Then we also got our regular desserts, haha. Dad, Nick, and I all got the triple chocolate cupcake and Mom got the strawberry cream cheese cupcake.

IT WAS ALL EXCEPTIONAL. SO MUCH YUM. I love cupcakes. Sigh.
When Ratana brought us these, I asked him if he was going to sing "Be Our Guest" for us. But he said we REALLY didn't want to hear him sing, haha. I understand, Ratana, I understand. So, no singing waiter for us.

After dessert, my mom and I went to the bathroom, while Nick and Dad finished up their food because they had basically spent five minutes just drooling over it.
These signs are just so cute!

Love those Disney details.

We came back to the table and Ratana was talking to another waitress about how he was flattered that I had asked him to sing. She said I didn't want to hear him sing ever. But Ratana told me I had made his night by asking him that and I told him that he in turn had made my night by giving me the Grey Stuff even though it wasn't actually my birthday. Then he asked if I wanted a menu to take home as a souvenir. UMM YES PLEASE. He said that I actually had to ask him for it before he could bring it because that's how that works there, so I did and then he came back with it!

AHHHHHH. BEST WAITER EVER.
He had given me the Grey Stuff AND gave me a souvenir menu. WAS MY LIFE EVEN REAL?! Then he took a nice family picture of us in the BEST RESTAURANT EVER.

It came out a bit blurry but I totally appreciated it, especially since he just volunteered out of the blue to take it; I didn't even ask.

We said goodbye to him and thanked him probably about a million times and I was really really close to crying tears of joy because everything was perfect and then we went and explored the West Wing.

I LOVE the colors in there and it's so gloomy and beautiful at the same time. Plus, the rose is GORGEOUS. After we looked around in there, we headed to meet the Beast!
But on the way, we lost Dad and we couldn't take the picture until he was there, so we just waited to the side and let other families go ahead of us. After about five minutes, he still wasn't coming, so I set out to find him. I found him all the way across the restaurant, talking to the manager about how wonderful Ratana was. Apparently this was the third compliment the manager had received about Ratana that week! So, then I got caught up in the conversation! Ratana had worked at Kona Café previously to Be Our Guest. The manager ate there once and had Ratana as his waiter and hired him without question when he applied for Be Our Guest because he was just so good! We also learned that for Be Our Guest, they actually interviewed the applicants. At other restaurants in Disney, the emplyees just get placed there, but Be Our Guest was a special exception! Also, we discovered that the manager was actually from a town very near to ours! In fact, it was the town my dad had grown up in! THAT WAS SO COOL TO FIND OUT. The manager's parents had owned a local pizza restaurant, which we used to go to ALL THE TIME when I was younger. It really is a small world after all. The manager's name was Tom and he did the DCP and eventually got a job as the manager of Pinocchio's Village Hous. Then he was promoted to Be Our Guest manager! I told him I was more than interested in the DCP and he told me that I definitely should do it, especially if I ever wanted to make it higher up in the Disney company. It was SO incredible to talk to him. Such a unique experience! My dad and I said goodbye to him and went back to see the Beast, where my mom and Nick had been waiting for quite a while now.
Oops.
But we took our picture with the Beast!

He didn't really do much, but he was very soft.

Then we spent some more time looking around and eventually left the restaurant.

I went into Be Our Guest with expectations of a wonderful experience--and what actually happened was beyond my wildest dreams! It was DEFINITELY more than I had expected and it was SUCH a special experience. I loved it SO SO much. Reading mixed reviews about it now, I'm so incredibly lucky that we had the experience we did, because it was extra phenomenal. Based on what happened there that night, I would recommend this restaurant to ANYBODY. ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY.
Thank you Disney, for this spectacular dinner.

The Magic Kingdom had extra magic hours until midnight, but my parents still weren't taking to the heat very well, so we decided to head back to the room. We made one stop in the Emporium first, though, so I could get a souvenir for Jacob, besides his Snow White autograph. I chose a soft Mickey glove key chain because I knew he would be getting his own car soon!
Further down Main Street, my mom was asked if she would like to take the time to take a survey of the places we had eaten at today, so she said sure! It took about fifteen minutes--longer than planned--but that was okay. After giving Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, Liberty Tree Tavern, and Be Our Guest exceptional ratings in every aspect, we officially left the Magic Kingdom and got on a bus that took us back to Pop!

Once back in the room, Mom decided she wanted to do some laundry, so we helped her carry down the dirty clothes bags to the laundry room. On our way over there, it suddenly started POURING.
It was very reminiscent of our experience earlier that day, haha.
We got completely drenched to the point of just not caring anymore because we couldn't get any wetter. But then Nick decided he wanted to go to the arcade and since it wasn't any further from where we were than our room, we decided to go there. We kind of made a game out of it by trying to stay under the roof that hangs over the edge above a walkway by the guest rooms and it worked for the most part! At the end, though, we had to walk about thirty feet in the rain to get to Everything Pop. The guys ran but I walked, because I was already as soaked as I could get and Disney rain is the best rain. We then spent about half an hour in the arcade, during which Nick played a bazillion games and Dad watched while I sat on the ground and wrote in my trip journal. Then we went back to the room because the rain had slowed down a bit and we had no clue if it would get worse. So we made a break for it and ran there. MOST RUNNING I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE. Just kidding, I used to be in cross country and track in middle school, so that's not true. But I'm no longer in those sports in high school; I decided to do dance instead. So, I can correct that previous statement to: THE MOST RUNNING I'VE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
Anyway, once we arrived, I showered and then we all watched Stacey for a while. THE QUEEN. Mom eventually came back from doing laundry and after watching Stacey some more (because you can never get enough Stacey, let's be real), and then we went to sleep.
Our last day at a Disney park was coming up tomorrow.

Next Post​

 

[khertz]

What a great dining experience at BoG!! It is an amazing experience in and of itself, but it sounds like y'all got to top it off with a great server. How sweet of him to bring you some of the Gray Stuff and offer you a menu to take home. And it was really great of your dad to seek out a manager to compliment your server.

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

What a great dining experience at BoG!! It is an amazing experience in and of itself, but it sounds like y'all got to top it off with a great server. How sweet of him to bring you some of the Gray Stuff and offer you a menu to take home. And it was really great of your dad to seek out a manager to compliment your server.

Our server was fantastic! He really was so sweet, it totally made my day.
I'm so glad my dad found the manager! We try to give the managers compliments about our servers whenever we have a really great one! Last summer, we ate at Cinderella's Royal Table and had a phenomenal one, as well, so we also found the manager there and complimented him!

 

[Imbri]

I was disappointed when you mentioned the Grey stuff was for special celebrations, but I just checked the menu and it's listed there. Are they two different things, or has it been added since you went, do you think?

I love your report! It's lots of fun following along!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I was disappointed when you mentioned the Grey stuff was for special celebrations, but I just checked the menu and it's listed there. Are they two different things, or has it been added since you went, do you think? I love your report! It's lots of fun following along!

When I was there, they only had the Grey Stuff for special occasions, but since then I think they've made it available for everyone and even have a Grey Stuff cupcake. I wish they had had that when I was there!

Thank you so much, I'm so glad you're following along and that you like it!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 17th (Part One)-"LET THE PROCESSION BEGIN!"

Today was the day we were going to Animal Kingdom! We only got single-park passes this time because it was cheaper and we decided one park a day would be fine for us since we would only have five days in the parks.

This morning, we slept in until 8:30-ish because my family claimed that I kept making them wake up early and they were tired, haha. Whoops.
HOW CAN YOU SLEEP WHEN YOU HAVE A WHOLE WORLD OF MAGIC TO GO DISCOVER?!
But I suppose it was nice to get a bit more rest.

Once everybody had woken up and gotten prepared for the day, we walked to the parking lot and I documented our journey over there because it was a beautiful morning.

We decided to drive to Animal Kingdom today because it would be easier to get around the resort for our dinner reservation that night. But I was definitely missing my beloved Disney buses. I was very sad the night before after we left Magic Kingdom because it was the last time we would be taking the bus for the rest of the trip.
Fun (actually not really) Fact: In April, we never took any Disney buses because we were staying off property and had our own Coach Bus. So the night our high school band went to Magic Kingdom, I got really sad because my family always leaves with those magical buses and I was just really upset that we weren't riding them. Tears were actually shed and the addition of leaving MK just added to the sadness. Those buses are like a necessity and I just love them so much, no matter how packed they can get.

Anyway, we made our way to Animal Kingdom!

We parked in the Dinosaur section and took the tram the park entrance.

The first time my brother went to Disney World, he was about two years old and we rented a car because my mom's cousin was having her wedding in Florida and we needed a way to get to the church/reception, BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT.
Anyway, we drove to the parks and took the tram and Nick thought that it was the coolest thing ever and never wanted to get off. He was enthralled by it and leaving it was a challenge because he was so reluctant to get off!
We didn't have that problem this time, though, hahaha.

WE ARRIVED AT THE ENTRANCE!

We slowly meandered through The Oasis...

...and arrived in front of the Tree of Life!

Then we spotted this!

AND NICK AND I BECAME WILDERNESS EXPLORERS. OH MY GOD IT WAS SUCH A MONUMENTAL MOMENT. I WAS SO HAPPY. Sorry I'm five.

We were given a booklet to collect all our badges in, which we actually never ended up doing, but it was still fun to acquire it. They had stations all around the park, but we kind of forgot about it.
We were also given badges (stickers) for our shirts!
Here's Nick's:

But before we could receive those, we needed to prove our worthiness by reciting the Wilderness Explorer motto and call:
"A Wilderness Explorer is a friend to all, be it plant or fish or tiny mole."
and
"The wilderness must be explored! CAW CAW! ROAR!" There were hand motions and everything. It was a big deal.
Once we were inducted into the Wilderness Explorers, we made our way to Camp Minnie Mickey!
Oh, how I wish it still existed.
I'm not sure how I feel about Avatar Land taking its place.

I still don't understand the significance of there being a bear holding the Festival of the Lion King showtimes sign. But do what ya want, Disney!

We encountered this bended tree that was directly overhead. We were very thankful it didn't decide to completely break and fall on us.

These things are the cutest:

I really hope they don't completely destroy them for Avatar Land. They should put them somewhere else in the park because they're absolutely adorable and they really don't deserve to be demolished. I mean, if Disney didn't want them anymore, I'd be more than willing to take them off their hands, also.

Then we finally made it into the Festival of the Lion King theatre!

This is Mom's absolute favorite show in the whole world of Disney and beyond. Actually, I'm pretty certain that it's her favorite ANYTHING. She cries every single time she sees it and I don't blame her. So, this was a priority and the reason why we were doing this first! It had been a year since she had last seen it and she couldn't wait another second to be reunited!

We were in the lion section this time! I made sure of that, haha.

This guy is intense:

I am in love with this picture:

The show was utterly beautiful, as always, and so spectacular. Every single one of the performers has sky-high talent and a plethora of energy. They make this show what it is and I couldn't ask for more. It's incredible and amazing.

Next Post​

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 17th (Part Two)-"The wilderness must be explored!"

After Festival of the Lion King ended with its glorious finale, we set out to go get Fastpasses for Expedition Everest...but got distracted by Dug and Russell!

YAY MORE CHARACTERS!

Sigh. I love meet & greets too much for my own good.

Nick and I got in line while my mom decided to go shop around Discovery Island a little bit, in places such as Island Mercantile and Beastly Bazaar, and Dad went ahead to get those Fastpasses we originally were on our way to get.

While we were in line a little girl ahead of us who was probably around six years old turned to me and showed me her autograph book. But it wasn't an ordinary autograph book; she had drawn pictures of every single character she had met or planned to meet next to their autograph spot. She specifically showed me her drawings of Dug and Russell and she was just SO proud of her work, it was adorable! The pictures were too cute, just like her! We started talking and she just GUSHED about her love for Disney. I could totally identify with her because I was and still am the same way! At one point, she warned me that I didn't want to see her get mad, because it's not pretty, haha. I'm really not sure how that came up, but it's written in my trip journal, so I'll just go with it! After that she told me that even though her younger brother makes her mad sometimes, she's still nice to him because he's her family and she still loves him. AWWWWWWW MELT MY HEART INTO A PUDDLE. She was seriously the most precious child I've ever met. Then she asked me what Dug and Russell's names were, because she didn't actually know; in her autograph book she had labeled her pictures "Dog" and "Boy." TOO MUCH CUTE TO HANDLE. I informed her on their names and helped her spell out "Russell."
When it was her family's turn to meet the characters, Dug got SO extremely excited when he saw her drawings! He loved them and ran over to the character attendant and showed her and it was just the most adorable scene I've ever witnessed in my whole life. When they were done, the girl looked back at me and waved goodbye and it was SO. PRECIOUS. I'm so so so glad that I got to be a part of her vacation and that she got to be a part of mine. I promised myself I would never ever forget that experience. Later on, Nick told me that she and her brother reminded him of us: the girl would just talk and talk and was so social and her brother barely said a word the entire time. Hahaha I suppose that is almost exactly like our own personalities.

Anyway, after they left, it was Nick and I's turn to meet Dug and Russell!
I tried taking a video of Dug for MaiLei because he's her favorite. But 'tried' is the key word here. My camera actually didn't start recording until mid-hug with him, so it's that and then me handing the camera to my mom (who had joined us once we were up at the front) and her saying, "Alex. Alex. It's recording, I can't take a picture. Come fix it."
Hahahahaha I guess it's a nice way to capture the awkwardness.
Then, after signing my autograph book, Dug licked my pen and Russell was grossed out and didn't want to use it so he just kept Nick's. I also asked Russell where his missing Ellie Badge was and he made some gestures that I couldn't understand at the time and it was just a really awkward situation because I just nodded and pretended I understood. Nick later informed me that he was miming an elderly person with a walker, aka Carl. Oh well. I like face characters better because I'm better at talking to them than trying to understand fur characters' actions when I try to hold a conversation and it just doesn't work.
Then we took pictures and avoided any more awkward misunderstanding situations!

Goodbye fellow Wilderness Explorers!

Everybody was feeling pretty hungry now, so we decided it was time for lunch, and Yak and Yeti was our choice!

I really love this restaurant, we've eaten here on our past three family vacations! But...we never make reservations for it. For those past three trips, we've just spontaneously decided to eat here, so I suppose it's kind of a tradition by now. This year was no different! They can always get us in there without a problem and it's fantastic!
Nick was excited.

We were seated upstairs and our server was Benjamin.

Looking down on the tables below:

Nick and I ordered glacier water to drink and HOLY COW WAS IT GOOD.

From what I remember, I'm pretty sure that it was Sprite with blue raspberry syrup. And the cherry on top was just that--the cherry on top! Delicousness come back to me.

We also got pork pot stickers for an appetizer.

Those are ALWAYS delicious!

For our entrées, Nick and Mom had the crispy honey chicken.

They loved it!

Dad had the sweet and sour chicken.

He also thought his was just fantastic!

And I ordered the Shaoxing steak and shrimp.

Here's the thing: I don't normally enjoy any kind of seafood at all, but this meal sounded really good on the menu. I figured I'd just leave the shrimp or give them to my mom (who adores almost anything from the sea) if I didn't like it.
BUT.
I ended up LOVING them! The entrée came with this wonderful chili plum sauce, which I dipped my shrimp in and I think that toned down the fishy-ness flavor. THANK GOD for that heavenly sauce, because otherwise, I'm not quite sure if I would have eaten the shrimp. I've never liked any kind of seafood before (it all tastes like the penguin exhibit at the zoo to me) so YAY DISNEY for making me enjoy their Yak and Yeti shrimp! WOOO TWO THUMBS UP.
The steak and rice and vegetables were also incredible as well!
Yak and Yeti had outdone themselves!

For dessert, I got the fried wontons for THE FIRST TIME EVER because I'd heard great things about them from the Dis.

Okay. Please don't get mad at me because I honestly didn't really like them. The cream cheese was just too much and too dense when paired with the wonton shells for me, I think. Plus, they were a bit soggy and chewy, which I am not a fan of. I ate all of the fruit, because fruit is one of the best things placed on this earth and I loved that! But I gave my wontons to Mom because she goes crazy for those, but didn't want an entire dessert because she was too full. Oh well, it was a learning experience. Next time, I'll stick with the mango pie, because that's what I've gotten in the past and it's SO GOOD. I just really love anything mango-flavored.

Nick got the chocolate cake for dessert, which he loved a LOT. He's a fan of anything chocolate, so it was perfect for him!

Benjamin was a pretty good waiter, but he wasn't very talkative. I remember the food more than I remember our experiences with him.

After Yak and Yeti, it was time to conquer the mountain!

We used our Fastpasses and had no wait at all!

It was so much fun, as usual, and Nick and I quoted Stacey quite a bit. Maybe too much.

Our ride pose was the "not amused" ride pose. We were supposed to look angry and like we weren't having fun at all.

Trust me when I say that was the hardest thing ever and right after the picture was taken, we both bursted out laughing and resumed screaming our lungs out.

After we had scaled Everest, we made our way over to Africa!
But not without having a photo shoot with the backside of the Tree of Life. That was necessary.

Then we arrive in Africa and met up with dad, who had gone to get Kilimanjaro Fastpasses while the rest of us were on Everest.
But they weren't really necessary, considering the safari only had a ten-minute wait time. So Mom, Nick, and I decided to ride it without Fastpasses first! At this point, Dad wasn't feeling well at all because it was so hot out still, so he relaxed on a bench Dave-style (if you've ever seen the 2005 Walt Disney World "The Happiest Celebration on Earth" Vacation Planning DVD, you'll get the reference--if not, I suggest you go to YouTube and watch it right away; here's part one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5cegszEIdU).

Then Mom, Nick, and I embarked on our tour of the African savannah!

Next Post​

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Great update!

Thanks!

 

[khertz]

Awww at the little girl in line. How sweet is that!! I love that she drew pictures of them in her autograph book but didn't even know who they were. Kids are hilarious.

Your mom sounds a lot like mine when it comes to cameras and taking videos. I am having flashbacks of her trying to take photos of Paxton with Buzz & Woody and somehow she got the iPhone on both video and the screen turned around so she was recording herself!

Sorry the dessert was not all it was hyped up to be. That's why I am always so afraid to order outside of my "usuals" when I go out to eat!!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Awww at the little girl in line. How sweet is that!! I love that she drew pictures of them in her autograph book but didn't even know who they were. Kids are hilarious.

Your mom sounds a lot like mine when it comes to cameras and taking videos. I am having flashbacks of her trying to take photos of Paxton with Buzz & Woody and somehow she got the iPhone on both video and the screen turned around so she was recording herself!

Sorry the dessert was not all it was hyped up to be. That's why I am always so afraid to order outside of my "usuals" when I go out to eat!!

The little girl was just so sweet and she totally made my day! Her drawings were so precious and it really was hilarious that she didn't know who they were, lol.

That sounds exactly like something my uncle would do! He got an iPad a while back and tried to take pictures at a family party...and it ended up as a video of himself. Those technology-savvy family members...

I have a hard time ordering things that aren't my usuals too. But then I try to tell myself that I'm on vacation and I should maybe be more adventurous, lol. Mostly it works, but occasionally I regret it.

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

Popping over from my trip report. I have only made it through page 3, but wanted to say that I live in the Franklin, TN area, so I was
probably in the basement hiding from a tornado when you were stuck in traffic! Small world! . Looking forward to catching up more tomorrow!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Popping over from my trip report. I have only made it through page 3, but wanted to say that I live in the Franklin, TN area, so I was probably in the basement hiding from a tornado when you were stuck in traffic! Small world! . Looking forward to catching up more tomorrow!

Thanks so much for joining!

Oh no! That was really scary when the radio told us there was a tornado. I'm glad you stayed safe!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 17th (Part Three)-On Safari!

Last I left off, we had gotten Kilimanjaro Safaris Fastpasses, but since they were kind of unnecessary due to the ten-minute wait time, we went on without the Fastpasses. Except for Dad because his stomach was not feeling particularly normal.

We boarded our safari vehicle and were ready for a great adventure!
And then it started raining. Intense rain. Like it was actually going through the tarp over our heads. Not too much, though, so we stayed mostly dry. But the adventure must continue so onwards we went!

Our safari guide was very energetic and in my trip journal I wrote that I thought his name was Mike.

He was really great. At the beginning of the ride, he was talking about how the black rhinos are quite rare and aren't big fans of rain. Then he moved on and we drove for about ten seconds and he tried to explain how the safari works. I have this on video, so this is the exact wording; he said, "Now if this is your first time riding Kilimanjaro Safaris, I'll explain how it--BLACK RHINO." And then he pointed to the black rhino he had just sighted and we were all like, "Ooh, ahh!" and he continued, "All right folks, that is NOT how it goes, but..." and then he continued with his spiel on how the safari works. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that was the funniest thing of my life and I loved it and on the video you can hear me uncontrollably laughing because I'm weird sometimes.

ANYWAY, the hippos were hiding.

CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS ARE MY FAVORITE.

This rather large puddle really showcases the amount of rain that was falling from the sky.

I really really really love the giraffes. They always get so up close and personal with you and it's GREAT.

These two that I photographed are best friends.

The elephants were AMAZING. They loved the rain! So much so, that they had the urge to go into their actual water area and play with each other! TOO MUCH CUTE.

There were like four of them. It was crazy.

Hidden Mickey flamingo island!

I had never noticed these paintings on this rock before, so I was really happy about it. No matter how much you go to Disney, there's always some new detail for you to notice!

Pride Rock that is shaped like Donald's head. In my opinion, they should have modeled this after the actual Pride Rock in the Lion King, because that would be so much more cool and way more authentic but whatevs Disney.

Serabi is surveying her kingdom.

The rain thankfully slowed down to a drizzle after our safari, so we didn't have to walk in a huge flood after we got off. We met up with Dad by this overly-adorable fruit market.

And I found this COMPLETELY obvious hidden Mickey that I'd never seen before. I found it all on my own without the help of my Hidden Mickey book and I was so proud of myself.

I was just kind of staring off into space and zoning out and then my eyes found this and I was like...that stone looks like it's shaped like something. So I walked over to it and it turned out to be a Mickey head! WOOOO!

After that startling discovery, we decided to use our Kilimanjaro Fastpasses. TWO SAFARIS IN A ROW WOOO. It was grand. Dad declined to join us this time too, so he relaxed yet again while we went on an adventure!

Next Post​

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 17th (Part Four)-On Safari! (continued)

This time, our guide was named Maura (I think) and she was also super energetic! The Kilimanjaro Safaris guides were doing great today! She told us that the animals are very active after rain storms, so we'd probably be able to see a lot of them, and we DID!

I LOVE GIRAFFES.

The obsession continues.

Anyway, the elephants were no longer playing in the water, but they were active on land!

Flamingos! When I was like two years old, I used to call these "pink ducks." I was such a frump.

One pink duck and three regular ducks!

HELLO AGAIN SERABI!

She was running the kingdom while Mufasa caught up on his beauty sleep.

It takes work for the King to look good.

This picture is super blurry, but I really like it and I don't know why.

During the safari, the people in the back row kept standing up. Now, that is not allowed and Maura told them to sit down multiple times. I think they spoke a different language, so that's why they kept doing it, but they got so bad and it was really not okay. At one point, when we were by the lions, she said, "Okay. You really need to sit down. Everybody say it with me!" So the whole vehicle basically screamed at them because we were all fed up. Then they grumbled like they didn't do anything wrong, but thankfully they stayed seated for the rest of the journey.

After the safari, we decided we wanted to see Finding Nemo: the Musical, but the next show wasn't until 5:00 and it was about 3:40 at the time. So we slowly trudged over there.

People lining up for the parade against the construction wall!

We stopped in a few gift shops and looked around, but didn't buy anything.

I got a frozen strawberry lemonade and Nick got Dibs at a snack stand near the Finding Nemo theater and then we sat on a bench there.

When we finished our food, we went into the theater!

Next Post​