Get Off The Ship - we are running out of towel animals! Update 10/25 Day 31

[dizneeat]

No, we didn't report it. We probably should have, but we opted to just try and shake it off and move on.

Yes, sometimes it is better to just move on. I am not quick to complain either, but we did go to GS in Paris because of an incident and it really got to me when they didn't care at all.

The magic can't be totally gone, as we are going back 30 days from today!

I'm driving my husband crazy with my questions. "Should I keep this ADR for breakfast at BOG?" "Should we do the water park or Disney Quest?", etc. He likes Disney fine enough, though not the fan I am. He just sort of rolls his eyes, shrugs his shoulders, smiles and tells me to do whatever I think works best. It's maddening!

You know I had to as I am living through the same thing here as well. I am trying to figure out a way to stretch our DVC points so they might cover both March and August next summer and whenever I ask what he thinks about an idea he rolls his eyes and tells me to do what I think is best.

 

[dizneeat]

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Day 28, September 3​

Friends are in town - Part 1


We were up pretty early and after grabbing a bite to eat out of the fridge we were out the door at 8.30.
When we arrived at the Animal Kingdom there was already a lot going on and all the booths at the entrance were open. But we still found a space close to the entrance and instead of waiting for the tram, we walked to the entrance. Didn’t take long and we were entering the park.

But we were stopped right in our trek by Devine, who was just coming out.

We stopped and so did more people and watched for a while, before we headed to Kilimanjaro Safaris.

We pulled a Fastpass for the ride, and since the wait was short, we got in line right away as well. The wait was not too long, around 15 minutes and we finally boarded our safari vehicle. We were pretty lucky as there were so many animals out and about and our driver was super skilled in driving exceptionally slow, so we could experience and watch all of the animals for quite some time.

But even the most exciting safari came to an end and we headed back to Expedition Everest.


To be continued .......​

 

[JKSWonder]

You know I had to as I am living through the same thing here as well. I am trying to figure out a way to stretch our DVC points so they might cover both March and August next summer and whenever I ask what he thinks about an idea he rolls his eyes and tells me to do what I think is best.

I guess that's the price we pay for being the Disney experts in the family!

 

[englishrose47]

Great Safari pix !! I never get good shots !! I always get someones head, hand or other body part in the pix as well.. Or we hit a bump just as I shoot I have however gotten somw good BUTT shots.

 

[jenseib]

It's always great when you get a good driver! We had one one year who drove so great and she had a great personality as well

 

[dizneeat]

I guess that's the price we pay for being the Disney experts in the family!

Great Safari pix !! I never get good shots !! I always get someones head, hand or other body part in the pix as well.. Or we hit a bump just as I shoot I have however gotten somw good BUTT shots.

Rosie, most of them were taken with Tom's DSLR camera. My point and shoot makes decent pics but they turn out blurry when zoomed.
And we got pretty lucky to get the front row where there were only two seats, so we were handing the camera back and forth.

It's always great when you get a good driver! We had one one year who drove so great and she had a great personality as well

We have had some awesome drivers and they can make or break the safari! Some really drive slow when there are lots of animals out and some just keep going. We had a really nice one, who really really slowed down as much as she could.

 

[Leshaface]

I've never thought about getting sandwiches at Sci Fi but this is something my mom and I would love to share! But definitely with some onion rings on the side.

I love seeing Devine in the park! Can't imagine having that job though. I'm so not graceful

In his regular position

 

[englishrose47]

Just checking in and waiting for the next installment!!

 

[dizneeat]

I've never thought about getting sandwiches at Sci Fi but this is something my mom and I would love to share! But definitely with some onion rings on the side.

They were pretty good and hit the spot as we were really looking for something "more down to earth".

I love seeing Devine in the park! Can't imagine having that job though. I'm so not graceful

Same here. We always look out for her, as she is always one of the highlights of our AK days. Her job though? No thanks - you would constantly need an ambulance if you got ME on those stilts.

In his regular position

Just checking in and waiting for the next installment!!

Thank you for sticking with me, Rosie! There should be an update pretty soon (and it is about time for it)!!

 

[dizneeat]

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Day 28, September 3​

Friends are in town - Part 2

But even the most exciting safari came to an end and we headed back to Expedition Everest.
Luckily our Safari Fastpass window was just opening, so we pulled another Fastpass for Expedition Everest before jumping into line.

We actually just walked through the line and only got slowed down in the last room. There was no one in line for front row, so we asked for it and were told to step aside and would be able to ride on the next train.

A few minutes later we were seated on the train and soon were off on the ride.

We love the awesome view over WDW that you have from the front row at the broken tracks and it is so worth to wait for a train or two.

Soon we were getting off and heading back to Kilimanjaro Safaris, where this time we entered through the Fastpass Entrance and soon were at the front of the line and seated in another safari vehicle.

To be continued .......​

 

[dizneeat]

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Day 28, September 3​

Friends are in town - Part 3

Soon we were getting off and heading back to Kilimanjaro Safaris, where this time we entered through the Fastpass Entrance and soon were at the front of the line and seated in another safari vehicle.
Again we were so lucky as there were tons of animals around and there was a bit of a traffic jam so we had to stop a few times which gave us even more time to enjoy all the animals.

Safari done we stopped for a biological break and then some water before heading back to Expedition Everest.

To be continued .......​

 

[dizneeat]

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Day 28, September 3​

Friends are in town - Part 4

Safari done we stopped for a biological break and then some water before heading back to Expedition Everest.
The standby line was only 10 minutes, so we got into the regular line and were seated front row again in no time.

When we got off, the line had grown a bit and we used our fastpasses to hop in line once again.

When we got to the Castmember who directs you into your space, she just smiled, pulled us aside and before we knew it, we were in front row again.

And when we got off we saw, that the standby line was still pretty short and without giving it another thought we hopped in line again.

You can't beat riding EE three times in a row with very little wait.
By then it was going towards midday and having had just a smallish breakfast, we decided to have some Flame Tree Lunch.

We were going to meet some friends lateron for lunch, so we decided to just share a

Pulled Pork Sandwich, which was served with coleslaw and a side of

onion rings. We shared a Diet Coke with it and it really hit the spot. After we had enjoyed our lunch we were torn between riding another ride or heading right out of the park, but It’s Tough To Be a Bug won and we got in line.
They had just closed the doors when we entered and we had time to look at all the posters that are inside the waiting area.

Soon, it was our turn to take our seats and watch this cute little critter show. There were some first timers sitting in front of us and it was pretty funny seeing them react to some of the effects given, especially all the maggots leaving the theatre before we were to stand up. Once the show was over we strolled through the shops and towards the exit and finally walked towards the tram out to the parking lot.
We were lucky to get on the one that was already waiting as we were moving about a minute after we had boarded the tram. The walk to our car was short and soon we found ourselves leaving the parking area and heading back to our resort, where we chilled for a short time and got all the things we had brought for our friends together. There was still a little time to chill on the balcony before we had to head out again, so we grabbed a beverage and sat outside chatting about the great time we had already had this trip. And then it was time to head back out to the car and drive to Downtown Disney to meet our friends for lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Express.

To be continued .......​

 

[dizneeat]

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Day 28, September 3​

Friends are in town - Part 5

And then it was time to head back out to the car and drive to Downtown Disney to meet our friends for lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Express.
The parking lot was pretty full and we needed to drive around for a bit before we saw someone leaving his space and we got to park our car. We walked over to the restaurant and sat down in front of it and waited for Teresa and Mick, who we had met on our third Disney Wonder Cruise and have been in contact with ever since.
They like WPE as much as we do, so to meet them there was the perfect solution. They had just arrived and were starting their vacation and looking forward to their cruise. We waited for a bit but finally they arrived and after hugging and chatting about their arrival we went to order some food. Tom and I decided to just have a salad each, as we were still full from our Flame Tree Lunch.
Tom ordered the

Chinois Chicken Salad, Napa cabbage, Wontons, Cashews with a Ginger & Sesame Honey Dressing, while I ordered the

Caesar Salad, Parmesan, Tomato Crostini with Caesar Dressing. Both portions were huge and we did our best to make a dent into it. All the while we chatted about their upcoming vacation and our experiences during our cruise on the Fantasy and about their grandchildren Lily and Otto. Once we had finished our meal we headed back to our resort, where we sat out on the balcony chatting away.
We had quite a bit to catch up on and shared a lot of laughs.
Later that day we took them over to their resort, Port Orleans Riverside to finally move into their room, unpack and get a bit of rest.
We went back to our room, cleaned up a bit and chilled for a while before we got ready meet with Teresa and Mick at Boatwright’s Dining Hall for dinner. They were arriving just when we did and after signing in and waiting for about 5 minutes we were led to a great table overlooking the main part of the restaurant and introduced to our server, who was pretty fun.
We all ordered our drinks, then, after being served

some cornbread had a look at the menu. Tom decided on

Boatwright's Jambalaya, a New Orleans Dinnertime favorite! Slow cooked shrimp, Andouille Sausage, and Chicken in a spicy sauce served over rice, while I went with the

Catch of the Day, which was lightly blackened and grilled and served in a light celery and leek broth and served with cornbread.
Both were very tasty and just perfect. We all enjoyed our dinner very much and kept on chatting and laughing. All of us were full when we left the restaurant and in a very happy mood. We had one more thing we wanted to do together before we called it a day. So we all crammed into our convertible, put the top down and off we went to Bay Lake Tower.
We arrived there about half an hour before the fireworks were to go off and we quickly signed in at the front desk and were handed a ticket and sent to the elevator that took us up to the Top of the World. Taking Teresa and Mick to this DVC resort and its lounge was our thank you to our friends, as they had sat through the DVC presentation with us and while they decided it was not for them at that special moment, we had signed up for DVC during that presentation. So taking them up there to the platform was special for all of us.

We looked around the platform and enjoyed the view, then found a spot from where we watched the fireworks.

We just love to watch fireworks from the BLT deck and Mick and Teresa did too.

After the fireworks we peeked into the Top of the World lounge,

but it was too full to sit down and enjoy a drink and our friends were tired from the long day they had already had. So we went down and out to the car, the top was put down again and we drove to Port Orleans Riverside to drop off our friends and then returned to Old Key West to relax in front of the TV and have a nightcup or two.

To be continued .......​

 

[jedijill]

You guys had a great morning in AK! Your safari looked great with lots of animals and all your rides on EE are awesome!

ETA: You sneaked in another update! Fun lunch and dinner with friends and fireworks from TOWL is a great nightcap!


Jill in CO

 

[dizneeat]

You guys had a great morning in AK! Your safari looked great with lots of animals and all your rides on EE are awesome!

ETA: You sneaked in another update! Fun lunch and dinner with friends and fireworks from TOWL is a great nightcap!


Jill in CO

We love(d) these mornings in the parks in early September. We always used to fit in quite a few rides without using too many FPs.
And I remember that we were super lucky with seeing all those animals during those two Safaries.

Meeting DISfriends is always so special. And Teresa and Mick are some really special friends for us.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Karin! You had a great morning at AK 3 rides on EE and 2 safari's

Nice you got to see your friends again. Those are some great fireworks shots! I didn't know you could go to the TOTW lounge just as DVC nembers. I thought you had to be staying at BLT. I need to remember that one.

 

[franandaj]

What a great day with lots of good food, friends, and relaxing!

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin! You had a great morning at AK 3 rides on EE and 2 safari's

It was an awesome time and so easy to get on quite a few of our favourite rides a few times in a row.

I didn't know you could go to the TOTW lounge just as DVC nembers. I thought you had to be staying at BLT. I need to remember that one.

Yes, you can! We have done it so many times. All that is required if you do not stay at BLT, is that you have to stay on property (either on points or cash) and have to have your DVC card with you. We just love to watch from up there and have a drink in the lounge either before or after.

What a great day with lots of good food, friends, and relaxing!

It was a truly magical day - enjoying the park in the morning and spending time with some extra special friends in the afternoon and evening.

 

[dizneeat]

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Day 29, September 4​

The most magical park of them all … Part 1

We were getting towards the end of our vacation and like always, when the last few days dawned on us we get antsy and want to visit all the parks one more time. Today’s park of choice was the Magic Kingdom. But before we wanted to enjoy the magic and fun, we needed a really good breakfast. So, what better place to go to then The Wave. The Wave has one of the few buffets we really like, so after crawling out of bed and getting ready we headed to the Contemporary for breakfast. Needless to say we both opted for the buffet and after ordering our drinks we headed to the buffet to fill our plates. Tom had picked up an

Egg Benedict, some Hash Browns, a bagel, a bit of an omelet, some kind of a casserole, bacon, sausages, cucumber slices and tomatoes. My plate was filled with an

Egg Benedict, the same kind of casserole, some bacon and sausage, a piece of cures salmon, tomato slices and a whole wheat croissant. There was also a small dish filled with different kinds of spreads.

Second helpings were in order,

so Tom got himself another

bagel, some cream cheese and some fresh cut watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe, while I stuck with

fresh strawberries, blueberries, strawberry yoghurt and a cinnamon roll. Everything was really tasty and fresh and with full bellies we left the restaurant to head over to the Magic Kingdom.
Soon we had made it to bag check and then headed towards the turnstiles. Only a few minutes later we were walking up Main Street. We turned into Adventureland

and went right for the Jungle Cruise, only to find out that it was down.

Well, let’s get on cruise with the pirates instead. But first we headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and picked up a FastPass for later. FastPass in hand, off we went and got in line for Pirates of the Caribbean.

It was more of a walk on and within a few minutes we were seated in one of the boats.

The ride was nice like always and after we had gotten off we went over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The standby line was not long at all and we had not seen the new additions yet, so we got in line and slowly went through the line.

To be continued .......​

 

[jedijill]

I love the Wave buffet.. I'm like you, there aren't many buffets I like but theirs is really good. Love the sweet potato pancakes!

Boo for Jungle Cruise being down but Pirates is always a good choice!

Jill in CO