Escape from the North - A Week at the Yacht Club - April 2015- Complete* 1/5

[ursalita]

Then stop using it!!!! (the scanner... not the lotion.)

Maybe they could install retinal scans. It probably wouldn't cost too much...

Nice to start the vacation off with good bus karma.

It was nice. I didn't take good notes but I don't think we waited more than 15 minutes the whole frip.

"Ha, ha, ma'am. Very funny.... Now go away."
It's like saying "bomb" in an airport.

Yeah, they don't really have a sense of humor about that stuff.

That's just mean! You just got away from snow and cold!

We have had a lot of practice.

How badly do you want it fixed?

I know I could fix it, I just don't want to have to. I have to admit I'm really lazy with tweaking photos after they're taken. I should invest in photoshop.

Cool yes, but I never really thought of it as creepy.
If Disney wants to use my magicband to track me and use that info to make the park more efficient or better or whatever, then I'm willing to let 'em if it means having the convenience of the band.

Personally I don't mind all that much but I can see why it would have some people questioning it from a privacy standpoint.

Yeah, parking's not a problem. But I do wonder about the pool.

Sorry I can't tell you more.

Makes you want to bend over backwards to see them smile again.

Yup.

Kali River Rapids is terrific if you don't mind getting drenched. It doesn't happen to everyone, but boy when it does it's something else! My daughter @flibberjibit LOVED this ride when she was 10, my son at 5 not so much. I adore it, but it is one of the few that doesn't put strain on my legs, except getting in and out lol. My poor husband lifts me in and back out again, then CM's have my wheelchair ready. It really is an entertaining ride and is quite beautiful! I think there used to be some videos of it up, so maybe you could view one before deciding.

I like the ride but two times is enough I think. It was still early and not that hot yet.

 

[ursalita]

OMG, I'm loving this TR already

That's so nice of you to say, Katie. I'm glad a few people are.

Those excited faces!!! I don't know about you, but I love reading about the journey to WDW!

I do, too. It's like you can feel some of the anticipation through the story.

HUH?! I don't know much about Southwest airlines, what is it that they do?!

Their safety speeches are a version of this:

It's funny but the attitude continues throughout the flight. It borders on rude.

Ahhh you guys!!! I have No Way Jose envy!! I don't know if you remember from my TR, but Jamie doesn't like peanut butter, so we split the fudge mudslide instead.. BOY I wish we had just gotten one each!

I hope you get to have one in September.

Great shot of the four of you! And Colleen you look lovely From your first picture in your PTR I just imagined you looking completely different! But I love the blonde hair on you!

Aww, thank you! I think back then I was trying out the natural thing - curly and brown. I finally gave up. I like it shorter so I can blow it out faster. I got the highlights before we left in anticipation of the sun.

This is such a shame. I like the ones you've posted so far though!

Thank you. I'm probably being unfair. Most of the photos are really good and I'm happy we have them.

This was me as a kid at the nighttime shows, I was a sucker for those light up toys!!!

I don't know what it is but those light up toys are so alluring.

GREAT shots!!! Fireworks and night shots are my downfall in my pictures I think. Did you use your DSLR? Maybe I need to make an investment. Did you find it easy to use / learn?

Thank you. Yes, I used my Nikon D3100. It's an entry-level and a few years old. It's definitely easy to use. I don't even use half the features. If these pictures come out any good it's definitely the camera. I'm too lazy to do much to the photos afterwards either but I think I might invest in Photoshop soon.

Love this lobby it's so fancy shmancy!

That's what the boys said when they saw it. It was the fanciest until we visited GF later in the trip.

You nailed it!!!! You obviously know your kids well

I sure do.

Love this, especially Sammy's face!!

Thank you. There were a couple versions but I like this one the best even though his eyes are close. I love that open mouth smile.

Amazing! You guys are an adorable family

You are so sweet to say that, Katie.

And oh girl, I feel you on the hair front!!! Mine is a DISASTER in Florida! And you went on Kali TWICE already ?! That is two times too many in my opinion!

You know, I knew my clothes would get wet but they would dry quickly in the sun. I didn't really consider how frizzy my hair would get.

I always come off completely soaked!! Sounds like the boys enjoyed it though, and that's all that matters I guess

Yeah, at that point it was what we could do to keep Sammy happy.

 

[KathyM2]

My DS sounds a lot like yours...he enjoys things...but it always takes some prodding...and he often asks when we are going home from anywhere...sigh. Seems like he did enjoy a lot of stuff though...but yeah it can be a bit frustrating trying to get them to smile when you are already at Disney...that alone should make everyone happy, right?? You got some great animal shots though!!!

 

[pkondz]

This update and several of the posts for the first half of this day are going to be pretty heavy on the animal photos. I hope it's not too boring.

Are you kidding???
I love animal shots!
Especially in TRs. They bring them 'closer to home' that way.
It's like you're saying "Look what I saw! And you can too!"

It was about this time of the day that Sammy started getting really cranky, a state he settled firmly into for most of our day at Animal Kingdom.

Oh, that's too bad.

But this day was tough.

The first animal we came upon was the Komodo Dragon:

One of my faves!
I think because when I was little, I heard the term and thought, "Wow! A real life dragon!"

We had one in our house when Aidan was a baby. At first I thought it was a bird but when Jamie said it was a bat I ran out of the house in terror completely forgetting the baby.

Jamie came out and was like, "Are you forgetting something?"

OMG! Stop!

He's just a few feet away from these:

Nice they keep dinner so close and handy like that.

The CM told us that they installed a - I can't remember what he called it - system to prevent the tiger and antelope from smelling each other. If it wasn't for that, they wouldn't be as relaxed as they are.

Huh! I wonder how they do that? Or what it is?

The birds were pretty but a couple of them dive-bombed my giant freak head.

Candy apple!

they tried to touch him, because of course they did,

What ever happened to "look but don't touch"?

because what I'm fortunate enough to experience a little later in the day completely makes up for it and then some.

Oohhh.... Now you've got me all curious to know!
Thanks for the update!

 

[pkondz]

Maybe they could install retinal scans. It probably wouldn't cost too much...

Oh sure. People already are freaking out about having their fingers scanned.
Retinal scanning should go over really well.

Personally I don't mind all that much but I can see why it would have some people questioning it from a privacy standpoint.

I think you can still do the park without the Magicbands, can't you?
So those who don't like it can do that, I guess.
Track me all you want.
I'm just havin' fun.

 

[deedee2177]

Joining along!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I like your pictures and how you point out things like the torches and boats going in both directions, etc. - you seem to notice a lot of little details which is great!

But the fact that I can be in the picture is priceless and most of the photos are really very good.

that is the main reason I like getting PP - without it I fear I wouldn't be in many pictures. Also, they seem to often capture a lot of good shots from character meets when we are busy getting the kids settled, etc.

. I was happy with our spots but since I'd never seen the show I'm not sure how much better the view was from anywhere else along WS.

We did the Illuminations FP+ last trip for the first time and we liked it. It is a very good (though, not the best) location - very close (as I am sure you realized with how much you felt the flames) and it was just nice having a little breathing room. We only showed up about 10-15 minutes before the show started and still was able to find room and not feel squished

Nice idea to compare your plans to what you actually wound up doing ... likely will point out some great unplanned moments that happen along the way

This would happen again and they told me that sometimes your hand swells or lotions affect it.

well, good thing WDW is located in Florida where swelling from heat, nor the need for sunscreen lotion will never be an issue

The Tree of Life really is spectacular - excited to see the new "roots" that have been added our next trip

That is a really cute magic shot picture with Stitch! ... and you can always photoshop spouses out:


Wow - you got some great animal views on the Trail! When we went the komodo dragon was way in the back and no tigers were visible (apparently there was a new tiger so only she was out and she was hiding .... well, I thought they said it was a "she" but maybe it was the same new tiger you saw )

That is a cool fact about masking the smells so the animals can react more than normal.

I don't feel too bad about it because what I'm fortunate enough to experience a little later in the day completely makes up for it and then some.

... ooh, nice tease!

 

[ursalita]

Day 2
Animal Kingdom Part 3

When we last left off we were on our way to the Safari. With the FP we were boarding our truck quickly and heading out to the savanna. I took a lot of pictures but I've limited myself to one post so you're only going to see 9. I've included pics that I thought were cute or of animals I don't get to see in my local zoo. So no giraffes or zebras here, folks.

The ride started out a little slow, the guide claimed there were some animals in the road up ahead. I don't know if that's their standard spiel when there are delays because we didn't see any animals really close up. I'm glad I had thought to put the zoom lens on my camera for this.

We drove past an area that was under construction for their night time safari. I guess there are nocturnal animals that they are hoping to feature for nighttime safaris. I'll just reserve judgement on this and some of the other stuff they're planning at AK until it's complete.

I love the markings on this fellow:



We drove past the hippos but I didn't manage to get a good pic. It's not very exotic but I loved this pelican with its baby:



Gators:



I wasn't going to include elephants because I can see them at the zoo down the street. But these guys were playing and wrapping their trunks together. I don't know if you can make it out but it was so cute.




Flamingos which we also have here. But they are standing on a Hidden Mickey. The driver said you could see it well on Google Earth but I didn't have any luck. The canopy of the tree you can see at the right of the picture covers it.



The cheetah was up and around:



The lion was conducting himself like any old house cat:



And the Rhino. The guide talked about how endangered these guys are from poachers. He also talked about the 4 Northern White Rhinos left on the planet who are under armed guard 24 hours a day. It is so sad.



So that's it for pictures. It was a nice long, relaxing ride. I loved seeing the animals and the boys seemed to enjoy it. A least Sammy stopped complaining for a little while. Their favorite part was going over the rickety bridge.

Even though I knew Sam would object I led them over to the Pangani Trail. I was on a mission to see a gorilla and nothing was going to stop me.



Pangani Forest Trail is next.

​

 

[KathyM2]

Those are great animal pics!!! Glad you got a break from the complaining too!

 

[kastoney]

Boo for magic band issues. You'd think they would have those bad boys figured out by now.

Your animal kingdom pictures are great, people and animals alike ; ) especially love the stitch magic shot. So cute.

Fingers crossed for gorillas

 

[irene_dsc]

I have another homebody ds who always asks when we are going home, too, so I completely understand. It helps if he has something to look forward to, as long as then he isn't rushing us through everything else to get to it!

Btw, fo cropping photos, I just use a really simple photo editor. Photoshop is way overkill if you just want to crop!

 

[pkondz]

I took a lot of pictures but I've limited myself to one post so you're only going to see 9.

Awwww....

The ride started out a little slow, the guide claimed there were some animals in the road up ahead. I don't know if that's their standard spiel when there are delays because we didn't see any animals really close up.

I think so. We got the same line.

We drove past an area that was under construction for their night time safari. I guess there are nocturnal animals that they are hoping to feature for nighttime safaris. I'll just reserve judgement on this and some of the other stuff they're planning at AK until it's complete.

Didn't see any of that when I was there.
Must be new.

I love the markings on this fellow:

Meh. It's a cow.
They glued some long sticks on his head and drew some chalk marks on him.

It's not very exotic but I loved this pelican with its baby:

Gators:

Laters.

Flamingos which we also have here. But they are standing on a Hidden Mickey. The driver said you could see it well on Google Earth but I didn't have any luck. The canopy of the tree you can see at the right of the picture covers it.

I don't know. I looked at it on satellite view and it didn't really look like a Mickey head.
Might be stretching the definition a bit.

The cheetah was up and around:

Love cheetahs!
You do know the story about the cheetah and the cop, right?

He also talked about the 4 Northern Rhinos left on the planet who are under armed guard 24 hours a day. It is so sad.

I've seen a picture.
It's just stupid.
Not the guards, but that the rhinos need them.
Stupid poachers. Figure it out! If you kill 'em all, you can't get more!

So that's it for pictures.

They were great! Thanks!

Their favorite part was going over the rickety bridge.

Of course! The only fake thing there.

Pangani Forest Trail is next.

Looking forward to it!

 

[ursalita]

Day 2
Animal Kingdom Part 4 - Gorillas!

When we last left off we were leaving the Safari and heading over to the Pangani Trail. This was the sole reason I wanted to go to AK in the first place. During past trips we'd never had a great day at AK. That caused us to skip it last year and we might have skipped it this year if it wasn't for the gorillas. I really wanted to see a gorilla as they are one of my favorite animals. I love them.

Sammy was really not happy. He loudly complained the whole walk over that he didn't want to see the zoo, he wanted to go to Disney. He did not seem to care about the fact that we were actually at Disney. He wanted to go back to the hotel. He was really having a tough time but I needed to see the gorillas so I kept walking. At this point he was loudly stating his wishes for all animals to go extinct. I was mortified but also kind of happy that he used the word in the proper context.

So we raced past the birds, naked mole rats, monkeys, lizards until I finally caught my first glimpse:






And I was like:










And then this happened:













You guys. I can't believe I was lucky enough to see this!!








Here are some pics of him/her playing with a ball:









Papa was there watching:



I didn't stay long because there were a lot of people behind me hoping to catch a glimpse so I moved on.

On the way out I saw this guy. When he looked over at us he scooted back along the wall and crossed his arms like this.



And look at this face:




So that's it. My favorite moment of the day and maybe the week. It certainly made all the crankiness we had to put up with worth it.

Up next we grab a bite to eat and ride DINOSAUR.





​

 

[ursalita]

My DS sounds a lot like yours...he enjoys things...but it always takes some prodding...and he often asks when we are going home from anywhere...sigh. Seems like he did enjoy a lot of stuff though...but yeah it can be a bit frustrating trying to get them to smile when you are already at Disney...that alone should make everyone happy, right?? You got some great animal shots though!!!

Sounds like Sam. He's a really fun kid he just prefers to be home. But he usually has a good time when we do things. He just needed to get used to it, he was better as time went on. Thanks!

Are you kidding???
I love animal shots!
Especially in TRs. They bring them 'closer to home' that way.
It's like you're saying "Look what I saw! And you can too!"

Ok, good. I was afraid I was including too many pictures.

Huh! I wonder how they do that? Or what it is?

I don't know. I tried googling but didn't have any luck.

What ever happened to "look but don't touch"?

They just can't help themselves.

Oohhh.... Now you've got me all curious to know!

Well, the story is out now. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

 

[ashw100]

Wow you're an updating machine! I think k am all caught up though. I'm glad everything went according to plan for your first day . Sounds like a good first park day aside from the complaining. I understand where's your ds is coming from I'm a homebody too except at Disney. I'm glad to hear it got better as the trip progressed. How stinkin adorable are the gorillas? Omg the baby and then the mad one . Definitely something I need to check out one time.n

 

[crepemyrtle]

I'm reading along and really enjoying your trip report. But then you threw in Elaine's giant freak head, and now I LOVE your trip report. Can't wait to read more.

 

[ursalita]

I think you can still do the park without the Magicbands, can't you?
So those who don't like it can do that, I guess.
Track me all you want.
I'm just havin' fun.

Yes, I saw a lot of guests with just the cards.

Joining along!

Thank you for stopping by!! It's great to have you.

I like your pictures and how you point out things like the torches and boats going in both directions, etc. - you seem to notice a lot of little details which is great!

Oh, thank you for the compliment.

Also, they seem to often capture a lot of good shots from character meets when we are busy getting the kids settled, etc.

That is true. There are times during the meet and greets when you're trying to position yourself around the photographer but the initial reactions/hugs/whatever have already happened.

We did the Illuminations FP+ last trip for the first time and we liked it. It is a very good (though, not the best) location - very close (as I am sure you realized with how much you felt the flames) and it was just nice having a little breathing room.

Oh, yes. I was surprised at how hot it was. What is the best location out of curiosity?

Nice idea to compare your plans to what you actually wound up doing ... likely will point out some great unplanned moments that happen along the way

Ooh, I hadn't thought of that. I'm looking forward to the comparisons as I go through the days of this trip report. I haven't gone back and looked ahead of time.

well, good thing WDW is located in Florida where swelling from heat, nor the need for sunscreen lotion will never be an issue

I know, right? I wonder how often it happens? Maybe it's certain people more than others. It happened to Jamie once and he doesn't use lotion.

The Tree of Life really is spectacular - excited to see the new "roots" that have been added our next trip

Oh, so those are new? I didn't realize that.

That is a really cute magic shot picture with Stitch! ... and you can always photoshop spouses out:

Thanks! I'm very bad about tweaking my photos afterwards. I usually don't want to take the time.

Wow - you got some great animal views on the Trail! When we went the komodo dragon was way in the back and no tigers were visible

Thank you. It also helped that I brought the zoom lens for the camera. This was the only day I used it and it made many of the animals appear closer than they actually were. The tiger was pretty close, though.

 

[ursalita]

Those are great animal pics!!! Glad you got a break from the complaining too!

Thanks. It was a nice break but short lived.

Boo for magic band issues. You'd think they would have those bad boys figured out by now.

Your animal kingdom pictures are great, people and animals alike ; ) especially love the stitch magic shot. So cute.

Fingers crossed for gorillas

I think the magic bands did ok, it was a problem with my sweaty, swollen finger.

Thanks. OMG, the gorillas were so awesome!!

I have another homebody ds who always asks when we are going home, too, so I completely understand. It helps if he has something to look forward to, as long as then he isn't rushing us through everything else to get to it!

Btw, fo cropping photos, I just use a really simple photo editor. Photoshop is way overkill if you just want to crop!

I'm glad I'm not the only one. It came as such a surprise to me because the older one always wanted to go places and have new experiences. But I've never met another kid that entertains himself so well.

Yeah. I use Picasa to crop but every now and then I want to do a little more than Picasa can do.

 

[pkondz]

He loudly complained the whole walk over that he didn't want to see the zoo, he wanted to go to Disney.

A lot of people feel the same way!

At this point he was loudly stating his wishes for all animals to go extinct.

But... I find that ridiculously funny!

I was mortified but also kind of happy that he used the word in the proper context.

That's hysterical! Bwahhh!!!

Okay here's what I thought.
"Cool! There's the Gor....
You can see his butt...
If you can see that, then why do the characters wear pants?
Wait. Donald doesn't.
So I guess it's okay then."

And I was like:

And then this happened:

No way! Cool!!!

Here are some pics of him/her playing with a ball:

Great shots!

And look at this face:

Constipated.

No wait. That's my border guard face.

Up next we grab a bite to eat and ride DINOSAUR.

Can't wait!

Ok, good. I was afraid I was including too many pictures.

Not even close!

Well, the story is out now. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Nope! It was great!!!

 

[ursalita]

Wow you're an updating machine! I think k am all caught up though. I'm glad everything went according to plan for your first day . Sounds like a good first park day aside from the complaining. I understand where's your ds is coming from I'm a homebody too except at Disney. I'm glad to hear it got better as the trip progressed. How stinkin adorable are the gorillas? Omg the baby and then the mad one . Definitely something I need to check out one time.n

Hey! Aren't you supposed to be packing? I can't stop thinking about Disney so might as well write the report while it's fresh. See I look back and I don't really think about the complaining. I bring it up in the trip report because it was funny (animals going extinct) or it caused me to tweak my plans (you'll see this more in the next update) but it's not something I focus on as a negative. Those gorillas are amazing! I still get giddy just writing about it.

I'm reading along and really enjoying your trip report. But then you threw in Elaine's giant freak head, and now I LOVE your trip report. Can't wait to read more.

Thanks! It's all I could think about when the birds flew at my head like they couldn't avoid it.