Day Five: Animal Kingdom
Breakfast in room: Bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches
TIP- Arrive early parking lot is small
TIP- Before parks opens, cut through Rain Forest Café, go through gift shop and enter park this way. It’s a shortcut to Kilamon Safari
9:30-10:15 Kilamon Safari
10:15-10:45 Pangani Trail
TIP- Keep an eye out for DEVINE!!!
10:45-11:45 Train to Petting Zoo
11:45-12:15 Lunch Flametree
TIP- Go to lower “snake” dining area!
12:15-1:00 Kali River Rapids (unless its cold outside)
1:00-!:45 Maharajah Trail
1:45-2:15 Everest YETI!!! I may be the only one riding this!!
Walk to Dinoland
2:30-3:30 Bone yard This is also for me and DBF to rest we plan on bringing a snack to eat while here
3:30- 4:15 Dinosaur
TIP: Use net bags to store belongings so they don’t fly out of ride!
4:15-5:00 Tough to be a bug
Dinner: Outback, there is one on property, kind of!! I have never had a Bloomin Onion!!! YUMMY!!
2-6
When I went out to the van that morning to check the fluids and tires, it wouldn’t start!!! After I wiggled some wires around (this is what was supposed to be fixed before) it started.
We gratefully left for Animal Kingdom.
We went straight for the gift shop to wait for opening. I had forgotten my digital camera, so I purchused a disposable, but I think we still got some good pictures! There was another family standing around and they asked if I subscribed to Tour Guide Mike. Hey, my kind of people!! We had front row …standing for the opening show which I loved!! It was cool to see Mickey off in the distance by the tree of life.
We boogied straight to Kilimanjaro Safari!!
Our truck driver, Greg I think, was awesome so warm and funny, it was like having my dad as our guide.
WHERE'S THE LION?
Straight to Pangani trail, I love tigers, did I mention that before, yeah well I’m a cat person and I….Love Tigers. Also, I love bats, did I mention that before? I Love Bats….okay lets just say the only animals/insects I DON’T like are mosquitoes, flies, and earwigs. Everything else is wonderful and fascinating!!
When we came out of the trail King Louie and Baloo were signing autographs so I stopped and had them sign my picture frame! While I was waiting in line I noticed DEVINE strolling out of the woods. A lady in line with me said “Wow, what is that?”. I happily explained her name , that this was the only place to find her , and to that you should keep your distance from her. Yay, I got to spread some of my hard earned info. And got a nice picture with her too!!!
I liked the train ride and that all the seats face one side and you got to see some of the “backstage” areas. At Rafiki’s Planet watch I got my second autograph with , the man…monkey himself.
We had lunch at flame tree, I forgot to sit in the lower snake level and suffered with many ducks and seagulls stalking our every move.
So remember, sit in lower eating area. DSS and I shared the ½ BBQ chicken and DBF had the turkey sandwich, all very good.
DSS was not excited about Kali River Rapids but said he would ride and not complain so we got to ride it together!! We got soaked!! It was cold in the shade so we stood on a bridge near the exit and warmed in the sun before moving on.
DSS, however refused to ride Mount Everest and DBF wasn’t in the mood for child swap so they went on ahead to Dinoland while I got in line. Our walkie talkies came in handy here. When I got in line I was given a red card on a neck rope and was told to give it to the CM at the end of the line. I learned that this is how they estimate wait times. The ride was terrifying!!!
I forced myself to keep my eyes open and my breathing steady and walked away unaffected. Afterwards I was able to appreciate it and and defiantly glad I got on the ride!!
After a quick check over the radio, I found my DBF and DSS heading for the bone yard. It turns out that while they were waiting in line for one of the rides in Dinoland, my DBF noticed a girl that looked just like his Bosses daughter. And it was!! What are the chances of seeing your boss and his family on vacation 3,000 miles away, in the middle of thousands of people!!!
It’s a small world after all, it’s a small world…okay sorry.
The Dinosaur ride was cool, not too scary for DSS. We let DSS play in the dino playground area some more and then headed for the exit.
This time my Van wouldn’t start no matter how we wiggled the wires!!
A very nice security man in an SUV gave me a ride up to Customer Service and I called AAA. The tow truck driver had a friend that owned a taxi company so he called the taxi for us. They towed my Van to the local Dodge Dealership, who did a spectacular job of fixing my car and putting up with my hourly , choppy cell phone calls. I should mention the security guy was there the whole time writing down everyone’s names, license numbers and cell phone numbers, he made me feel very safe and protected!! I really appreciated it.
The taxi driver however took us the long way, bringing our 10 mile drive to $50.
I handed over the money with a smile, but without a tip. I called Hertz as soon as we arrived at the hotel and set up a rental for the next day.
So everyone, don’t be afraid to tell your taxi driver to take the expressway and the correct exit, before its too late.
Okay now I know this sounds like a stressful situation, but I was kind of expecting it. In the end AAA paid for the towing, after some discussion (with the dealer I bought the van from) my warranty covered the repairs done!! AND the trip insurance I got refunded the rental car costs!! Not to mention it happened early in the trip so I wasn’t worried about it getting fixed in time. YAY The glass is half FULL baby!!
Up Next the "Force" is strong with this one!!!!
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