Lost Moms, SPF 80, and RideMax Plans, Oh My! A May 2010 Trip Report-FINAL Update 8/23

[alisonwonderland64]

Great updates! Those shirts are all really cute . And that sundae does look delicious! I got a milkshake from Ghirardelli when I was there and couldn't believe how good that ice cream was...I'm sure the sundaes must be even better! I'm also loving your pictures of Port Orleans--I stayed at Riverside (only it was called Dixie Landings back then) on my very first trip to WDW, and while I don't remember too much from that trip, I remember really liking the resort. It's really pretty.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Loving your report so far! That sundae you got looks good... although a bit melted. It's as if it was so hot out they couldn't keep the ice cream frozen! Great t-shirts. It sounds like you had a great shopping day

Yeah it was really good, and we ate it fast enough that the meltiness didn't bother us. We enjoyed Downtown Disney, but it's probably not something we'd do on every trip.

Great updates! Those shirts are all really cute . And that sundae does look delicious! I got a milkshake from Ghirardelli when I was there and couldn't believe how good that ice cream was...I'm sure the sundaes must be even better! I'm also loving your pictures of Port Orleans--I stayed at Riverside (only it was called Dixie Landings back then) on my very first trip to WDW, and while I don't remember too much from that trip, I remember really liking the resort. It's really pretty.

We love our shirts The sundae was great; definitely get one if you have the chance. We thought Port Orleans as a whole was very pretty as well, we just liked the feeling and layout of FQ better than Riverside.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Today was Epcot: World Showcase. I had made a plan myself using the Times Guide. We wanted to see most of the shows, all of the movies/rides, and meet as many characters as possible. RideMax does make plans that incorporate the shows, but they often have you running from Mexcio to France to China to Japan, etc, even if you make it "slow". We were out at the bus stop probably around 10am. We didn't have too long of a wait for a bus, and when it arrived, we had our first encounter with one of three AWESOME bus drivers on this trip.

Mom got on the bus and saw that his name tag said Dave from Monteleone, Italy. I'm not sure how it came up, but he said when he first started working there it said "Da." And he said "What am I, a little Jewish boy?" So he got it changed to Dave, and said that his mother's maiden name was Monteleone so he wanted that as his hometown. Throughout the ride he told us jokes, including some he had written himself. He also made fun of some of the passengers. He called on a young girl named Haley and told us "If you don't like the bus ride or jokes, Haley is my complaint department." He also made fun of a teen aged boy who was standing near the second set of doors. The conversation went something like this.

Dave: "I'm gonna prove to you that Haley and I are the only ones looking out for you on this bus. I'm gonna make a hard left and you're gonna fall out the doors. See, nobody says anything. Okay, you all have a choice. He can either fall out the doors or push the food cart. Look, not one person including anybody from his family says "Oh no, not him!"

Needless to say he had us in stitches the whole time. In all seriousness though, he said he's one of the highest ranked drivers there in terms of safety and hours driven. I believe he said he's number 7 out of over 400.

When we arrived at Epcot, we stopped to get some photopass pics taken, of course.

We also stopped in at Guest Services to give our glowing recommendation of Dave. After that, it was nearing 11am, so we hurried back to World Showcase. First stop: Norway.

We had to wait a few minutes for them to open the doors to Maelstrom so we could get our FPs. I heard the CMs tell another guest that the ride was not working right then, so the FPs were already for noon. Finally, they opened the doors, we got our FPs, and were on our way to China! As we approached, I could see Mulan. Perfect! My plan was going great so far.

She asked if I'd like to take Mushu along to guide me around World Showcase, and when I said yes she warned me that he likes to stop and eat in every country! We said goodbye, and went to look for Reflections of China. The sign is placed in a weird location. The path that it's on makes it appear as if you have to go towards the shops so that's what we did, but we ended up at the exit. A CM directed us where to go. We really enjoyed the movie, except for the standing part. Next on our list was Germany to meet Snow White. She was supposed to come out at 11:30, but it was a bit later than that when she did appear. We talked to some locals who told us 1)They'd heard she was a bit of a drama queen and 2)This is the hottest/most humid May they've had in a long time. Show White appeared and I was the third or so person to meet her.

I think she told me Dopey was off in the diamond mines. She asked if I'd mind showing my pretty princess eyes for a picture.

I made a bathroom stop while mom explored Germany and learned some trivia.

We also looked for a gift for grandma but didn't find anything. Next on our list was Morocco, to meet Jasmine, Aladdin, and/or Genie. We were a little early so we looked around.

Now, I saw this next picture on a thread entitled "Weird/Odd/Disturbing Pictures" and made it my mission to find this and get a picture. Sorry if it offends anyone, but I was really entertained by it.

Finally, Jasmine made an appearance! She asked me who else I was looking for that day and told me where to find them.

Next we headed to France. I saw Belle on the path near the lake, so I stopped to meet her. She's my favorite, in case you couldn't tell. She said she was sorry that Beast couldn't be there, but he had just had some chocolate pudding and needed to clean up, because you know how he eats! She said he might be back that afternoon if I'd like to come visit them later.

I saw Aurora over by the gardens, so we stopped to meet her as well. She was obviously wearing contacts, as her eyes were so blue they were almost purple.

I asked her handler (the same one that was handling Ariel & Eric on Tuesday!) if he knew when Marie from the Aristocats would be out. He said she'd be there in about 10 minutes, but we had lunch ADRs at Le Cellier. We decided we'd stop back later to see if she was out and made our way over to Canada for lunch.

"I'm quite familiar with that school"

 

[bellebookworm9]

Our ADR was for 12:55. We arrived right on time, and I was expecting a crowded waiting area and a long wait. We experienced neither of those things: the waiting area was nearly empty and we only waited for at most two minutes. We were seated at a table for four right near the entry way. Our waitress was Dana from Manitoba; she was very friendly and provided excellent service. We chose the prixe fixe menu: the cheddar cheese soup, shaved prime rib sandwich, and maple creme brulee. We found the soup to be strong and a bit salty; however when the breadsticks were dipped in it, it was fine (the breadsticks were great!).

Our sandwich was amazing. It was cut in half for us and it was so very fresh. Mom just kept saying "Mmmmmm". We couldn't finish the whole thing, it was so large. It was served with a side of potato salad and a pickle. Mom liked the potato salad; I didn't really care for it, but I also don't really like red peppers, and they were prominent in the dish.

Our dessert, the maple creme brulee, was very good as well. I always thought this was a dish that was supposed to be warm, but on the two occasions I've had it, it's been cold both times. No matter, it was amazing! The strawberries were very sweet and juicy.

After this awesome lunch, we headed out to see O Canada! We really enjoyed this movie as well. We got very excited to see the Peace Bridge, as this is a sight we see very frequently. Mom sees it 6/7 days a week. We also took some pictures of the beautiful gardens at the pavilion.

We continued on our way to the UK, one of my favorite pavilions. On the last trip, my friend and I had a great time watching the World Showcase players perform "Camelot". However, we wouldn't catch the comedy troupe today. We did, however, stop to take photos in the phone booths!

It was around this time that Mom could no longer deal with the blisters she had developed. It was too painful to walk. Well, that's okay, we'll just head to the International Gateway and rent a wheelchair!
We took some pictures of the topiaries (left over from the Flower & Garden Festival?).

We stopped at France because we wanted to see if Marie was out, but she wasn't. The Serveur de Amusant show was playing, so we tried to watch that but there was no shade and too many people so we headed back towards the UK. Who did we happen upon but Mary Poppins and Alice! I got in line to meet Mary first.

This was one of the coolest encounters I had on the trip. We had the following conversation.

Mary: Where do you attend school?
Me: SUNY Geneseo in New York.
Mary: Oh really? I'm quite familiar with that school. Yes, quite familiar. Perhaps I'll see you in the fall. In the townhouses. Number 13.

Wow! It's a small world. I have no idea what prompted her to ask me that. The only thing I can think of is the lanyard I was wearing was from GREAT Day, an annual event at Geneseo. However, the side with the writing on it was flipped over through our whole meeting. Someone on the DIS said she could have gotten in big trouble if her handler had overheard, but the cool part was she kept in character the whole time!

I also wandered over to meet Alice. She was just as dreamy as she is in the movie. She asked me if I'd fed my autograph book a mushroom because it was so big!

We made our way back to the garden areas to catch The British Invasion.

What a great show! It was nice to sit in the shade and listen to good music for awhile.

Next we went back to France. Marie was still not out, and it looked like I would not be meeting her on this trip. We went into Impressions de France, and with the wheelchair sat in the reserved seating in the back row. Another good movie with an awesome score.

I wanted to stop at Japan for a Kaki Gori, so that's where we went next.

Mom thought the honeydew was the most flavorful while I thought it was the strawberry. The tangerine was sort of blah. We sat at the outdoor seating in the back while Mom made a few phone calls.

Where would we eat dinner? What else would we do? Would we accomplish everything we wanted? How long would we wait for IllumiNations?

"This is so relaxing I could fall asleep!" "Or not."

 

[bellebookworm9]

After our refreshing treat, we headed next door to the American Adventure. The Voices of Liberty were performing in the Rotunda. We were preparing to watch them when a CM approached us. Because we had the wheelchair, we were taken in an elevator up to the second level of the theater, where we could finish watching the Voices, then be among the first to enter the show, along with the other wheelchair/ECV parties. I must say, as inconvenient as it was to be pushing the wheelchair around, Disney does try to make your life easier. I just love the American Adventure show. The final montage with the "golden dreams" song always makes me teary, especially the clip of JFK's son saluting the casket. After that emotional moment, we exited the show and mom wanted to look around the store for something for Grandma. I sat in the wheelchair outside, while Mom went in. She didn't find anything.

We headed over to China, stopping at a kiosk on the way for a cheese danish and a bottle of water. The pastry had a hint of cinnamon and banana to it. When we arrived at China, Mom wanted to look in the store there as well, so I again waited in the wheelchair near the Lotus Blossom Cafe. While I waited, there was a CM at a little stand selling toys. She began playing with these sticks, and she gathered a crowd of little boys that just sat and watched her intently for a good 5-10 minutes.

I just love the looks on their faces; they're so enraptured!

The Dragon Legend Acrobats were performing not long after Mom came out of the shops (empty handed). We grabbed a spot for the show. It was amazing! Those kids are soooo talented!

We were getting hungry, so we went next door to Norway to get food from the Kringla Bakeri. We shared a ham, cheese, and apple sandwich, and got a school bread and a Kringla Sweet Pretzel (chocolate) to eat during IllumiNations. The sandwich was really good and different. (I know it doesn't look like much in the picture).

After we ate, we got in line with our FPs for Maelstrom. We found the ride to be very odd, but we also don't know much about Norwegian culture. It was way too short, and there's no way I would ever wait more than 5 minutes for it. We skipped the movie. Besides, after reading the most recent Kingdom Keepers book I don't know if I'll ever go on it again. There's some really freaky stuff that happens in the book!

We had left the wheelchair near the stroller parking while we ate and took our boat ride, so Mom hopped back in and we headed to our last stop: Mexico. Can I just say how out of the way the wheelchair entrance to the pavilion is? It's also uphill. But we made it, and got into the really short line for the Gran Fiesta Tour. We left the wheelchair on the dock. We were drifting along past the volcano and Mom said "This is so relaxing I could fall asleep!" Not two seconds later did Donald & friends appear, yelling and quacking and making all sorts of noise. I looked at Mom and said "Or not." We found this to be another short, bizarre ride. We exited and attempted to look around at the cart shops, but it was near impossible with the wheelchair. It's just too cramped and the aisles are too narrow.

We left and decided to get seats for IllumiNations; it was around 7:30 at this point. As we were walking/rolling along, we saw a section with a great view right near the little store on the promenade. Turns out it was for wheelchairs. We decided to take advantage of it, which I still feel a little guilty about. Well, now we had an hour and a half to wait with nothing to do. Mom told me to go see if MouseGears had any books or word searches. I went to check, and they didn't. Well, that's not true. They did have some books, but they were for kids or too expensive. We are generally not book purchasers, we prefer the library. So I went back to Mom and she told me a story (quietly) about a couple that had appeared in the seating area. They did not speak good English, and the CM told them the area was reserved. The man pointed at his hip to indicate he had had hip surgery or something of the sort. She said he needed a Guest Assistance Card or a wheelchair to be permitted in this area. He pulled out a card that must have said whatever his condition was. The CM said he needed to get a GAC from Guest Services. He said "No" and refused to leave the area. Not sure where park security was in that instance, because this CM appeared rather timid anyway.

Mom had some of her sweet pretzel while we waited, and I tried some as well. I didn't really care for it so I went to buy a snack for myself. I bought a pretzel with cheese sauce and a frozen lemonade. Mom took some pictures across the lake.

I love the music they play leading up to the show! I was bobbing and dancing on the ground. Anyway, IllumiNations is our favorite show. We have the soundtracks to it, Wishes, Spectro, and Fantasmic. IllumiNations is easily the one we listen to the most. We've basically got it memorized. Such a great show! When it began, I stood up making sure I was NOT in the way of anyone in a wheelchair or ECV, and everyone behind me was accompanying someone in one because I couldn't see from my current position. A few minutes in, someone behind me made me sit down. I was quite angered by this,and when I told Mom about it after the show (she hadn't noticed) even she thought they were rude. These people were perfectly capable of standing up, they just wouldn't. So then I couldn't see anything because I was behind two wheelchairs and the bars along the lake.

After the show, we made our way out, slowly but surely. We returned the wheelchair and headed toward the bus. I love the exit music. We heard "Promise" from the soundtrack (which my chorus sang at 6th grade graduation, and I've decided will be my wedding song when I get married way in the future) and parts of "Tapestry of Dreams" and "Celebrate You." We had a brief wait for a bus. We sat next to a Mom and daughter-dad gave up his seat so we could sit, and he stood next to their son, who was in a wheelchair. Mom will strike up a conversation with anybody, so she started talking to the mom. It turns out the family had moved from England to Canada. They flew out of Buffalo and nearly (or actually?) missed their flight due to the traffic on the bridge they chose to come over on. The son was in a wheelchair because he has been battling leukemia for the past two years. He's only 10 years old. His sister was 7, and she was very friendly. She had on a Pluto hat that all the characters from Garden Grill had signed and she chatted to us about that and school. We arrived back at Kidani not too much later. Mom drained her blisters while I took a shower, and she said she was nauseous because the pain was so excruciating. She also had some of the school bread-the bit that I got later was VERRRRYYY good-I understand the hype now! We fell asleep not too late because we had to be up fairly early the next day.

We were heading to Animal Kingdom next-our only day there. Would I conquer the Yeti? Would we get to see Festival of the Lion King (which we missed on the last trip and I've been kicking myself for ever since)? How long would we last at the park?

"That was it?!"

 

[alisonwonderland64]

First off, that's so crazy that Mary Poppins goes to your college! But really cool--I think I'd freak out a bit if that happened to me. Even though I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it did, given how many aspiring actors/actresses are at my college.

Yay Illuminations! I totally agree about all the music (before, during, and after) in that show, it's so great. That's a shame they made you sit down though. And about your mom's blisters . I get a lot of foot pain walking around Disney, and it's always annoying.

And reading your TR is making me miss Disney food haha. Mmm Le Cellier, Kaki Gori, and Schoolbread . That pastry you got from China with the hints of cinnamon and banana sounds really good too!

 

[WiNnIeThEpOoH21]

Hi I'm loving the updates, I have always wanted to try ridemax but I have always wondered if it was worth the money. What are you thoughts? I also love The Dragon Legend Acrobats.

 

[bellebookworm9]

First off, that's so crazy that Mary Poppins goes to your college! But really cool--I think I'd freak out a bit if that happened to me. Even though I wouldn't be entirely surprised if it did, given how many aspiring actors/actresses are at my college.

Yay Illuminations! I totally agree about all the music (before, during, and after) in that show, it's so great. That's a shame they made you sit down though. And about your mom's blisters . I get a lot of foot pain walking around Disney, and it's always annoying.

And reading your TR is making me miss Disney food haha. Mmm Le Cellier, Kaki Gori, and Schoolbread . That pastry you got from China with the hints of cinnamon and banana sounds really good too!

Yeah, it was really cool to meet Mary Poppins. She must have been there on the college program. I'm tempted to go visit her when she gets back to school, but I think that would be weird. Mom says she basically invited me over though. I actually didn't do too bad with blisters this trip. We did buy Moleskin before hand, and mom said it was a life saver. Thanks Unofficial Guide for your whole section on foot care! I loved the food in Disney. One of my friends thanked me for uploading my pictures to Facebook every day, especially the food!

Hi I'm loving the updates, I have always wanted to try ridemax but I have always wondered if it was worth the money. What are you thoughts? I also love The Dragon Legend Acrobats.

Hi! I think RideMax is worth the money in two scenarios. 1)You've never been to Disney before OR you have been, but it was a poorly planned, newbie type trip. 2)You have many things you want to see/do on your trip. I wouldn't get it if you were going for only a few days and you mostly wanted to focus on special events. For example, I'm planning on going back over Columbus Day weekend, and plan to spend most of my time at Food & Wine Festival and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, so RideMax wouldn't be worth it for that trip. However, if you're hesitant, buy the subscription (either 90 days or a full year, depending on the number of trips you have planned) no earlier than 30 days prior to the END of your trip. That way, if you try it and it doesn't work, they will give you a full refund. I say the end of your trip because the refund is only good for up to 30 days after purchase and if you buy it 30 days before your trip, use it and hate it, you can't get the refund. It only takes a brief while to create a plan, but obviously if you want to do some tweaking, it might take longer to get a plan that you love. Also, if you go back a few pages in the TR, I gave somebody the link to the day by day breakdown I posted of our results. Hope that helps!

 

[mermaid764]

Yah for another update!

Your epcot day sounds awesome and your pics of world showcase turned out beautiful

 

[bellebookworm9]

Yah for another update!

Your epcot day sounds awesome and your pics of world showcase turned out beautiful

It was a good day; we got to do a lot of things that we hadn't before. One of my friends on Facebook said this day's pictures were her favorite of all!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Today we were going to Animal Kingdom! I was very excited because on our last trip we were there for only one morning and I only was able to do four things: Dinosaur (NEVER AGAIN), Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris and Primeval Whirl. I purposely schedules us to go there on a day when the park was open from 9-7, so we could maximize our time. We were at the bus stop around 8:15. There was a bit of a wait for a bus, and then when it did come, we got stuck behind another bus at the Jambo House gate because the sensor wouldn't trigger the gate to open. We finally made it to the park around 8:45! We caught the last bit of "The Adventure Begins", the opening show. It seemed as if there wasn't really a rope drop like there is at Magic Kingdom and the Studios, but more like people were just gradually moving forward into the park.

We headed straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris, RideMax plan in hand. I grabbed some FPs for later and then we hopped in line. We waited about 10 minutes and then we were off through the wilds of Africa! We saw many animals including rhinos, giraffes, greater kudu, okapi, lions, elephants, hippos, gazelles, and alligators!

There is a lion in the far left of that last picture, I swear! We saw a male and a female or two, so I was very excited because last time I didn't see any!

Next, we headed toward Asia, stopping for a few photos along the way.

We arrived at Kali River Rapids. Mom was especially excited for this, as we have a similar ride at our local amusement park. Plus, all the planning DVDs make it look super awesome! We walked through the queue (nearly empty) putting our ponchos on as we went. Yes, we are also those people with the ponchos-I should add that this is the only time we wore them on the trip! We saw Leanne (leamom2princesses) exiting with her daughters while we were waiting for our raft. Leanne said to her daughter, "No Josie, we aren't doing that again!" I asked her about it when we got back and she said she was already wet enough from one ride. Now it was our turn to board! Our entire raft, except for us, spoke Spanish (well, I speak a little because I took it for six years in school). This seemed to be the predominant language of the park that day. The grandfather wouldn't put on his seatbelt because he couldn't understand the CM, and even when I held it up to him he didn't do anything. Finally, one of his party told him in Spanish and then he listened. We think the beginning of the ride is good and then it's just really dull. We barely got wet, though the women across from us got soaked-they were the ones who got hit with BOTH big splashes! We thought it was a very wimpy ride and when we got off we said "That was it?" The DVD makes it look so exciting!"

We had a few minutes before our next attraction so we looked at a cart near KRR. Mom bought her friend a shirt that shows Pooh looking at an elephant through a magnifying glass going "Eeyore, is that you?" Her friend is an animal lover and is also very blind without her glasses, so it was perfect! (They also had a similar one for Tigger with a tiger.) Next on our list was Flights of Wonder. Mom saw this last time and really enjoyed it. I've heard great things about it, but I'm not really a fan of birds so we sat in the back on the bleachers. While we were waiting in line, a CM was out with a rescued owl and was talking about him. I thought the show was very cool, and at one point, a hawk flew back to us and landed on the CM's arm. She was standing right next to us! I agree with what others have said: Part of what makes it great is that these behaviors are natural, not tricks that they've been taught.

Mom was thirsty so we stopped for a frozen lemonade from Drinkwallah. This put us a few minutes behind schedule for the Maharajah Jungle Trek. However, there weren't many animals out, so we didn't take too long and caught up to ourselves. We saw a Mandarin Tapir, 3 sleeping tigers, and the birds. We bypassed the bat exhibit, and though we stared at the Kimodo Dragons for quite a few minutes, we never saw any. I think we also saw some deer type things.

After that, I stopped at Everest to get some FPs. The man in front of me put in a ticket and got a pass saying he already had a FP, and couldn't get another one right now. So he put in another ticket, which also didn't work. Then he flipped it around, and it did work. We headed toward Dinoland, and took some pictures of Asia.

Our next attraction was Finding Nemo: The Musical, but we had some free time until it was scheduled to begin, so we sat down on a wall near the exit of the theater to eat the sandwiches we had brought. I wanted a soft serve twist ice cream in a waffle cone, so I went off in search of one. I didn't find one confused3), so I got the next best thing: a hot fudge sundae from DinoBite snacks! We shared it until it was time to line up.

Next: What would we think of the Nemo show? What else would we do? How long would we last in the park?


Please just give me back my Photopass card!!

 

[jenbear123]

Great interaction with Mary Poppins. I love her I honestly could listen to her talk to me all day.

Yay for the Illuminations music! The music before the show is great - it always makes me come to the realization that I'm in Disney World and there's no place I'd rather be than right there at that very moment. Too bad that music isn't on the soundtrack

I'd like to hear what you thought about Nemo the Musical...

 

[alisonwonderland64]

Yeah, it was really cool to meet Mary Poppins. She must have been there on the college program. I'm tempted to go visit her when she gets back to school, but I think that would be weird. Mom says she basically invited me over though. I actually didn't do too bad with blisters this trip. We did buy Moleskin before hand, and mom said it was a life saver. Thanks Unofficial Guide for your whole section on foot care! I loved the food in Disney. One of my friends thanked me for uploading my pictures to Facebook every day, especially the food!

Yeah, I could see how it'd be weird to go visit Mary Poppins at school (although I do agree, by telling you exactly where she lived it does sound like she wanted you to find her...)...maybe you'll see her around school anyway? That would be pretty cool if you ended up becoming friends with her or something after meeting her as a character in Disney, haha. I wish I remembered to bring Moleskin with me on my trip...and I even read the Unofficial Guide cover-to-cover too! Oh well.

Also, I totally agree with you about Kali River Rapids. I didn't go on it this trip (I didn't really feel the need to), but I went on it for the first time when I was there last year with my high school, and after riding it I was just like "Wait....that's all?" I was definitely expecting it to be more intense. Although that being said, I'd rather ride it than Dinosaur I think...

 

[mermaid764]

Another great update!

Looking forward to hearing what you guys thought of the Nemo show

 

[bellebookworm9]

Great interaction with Mary Poppins. I love her I honestly could listen to her talk to me all day.

Yay for the Illuminations music! The music before the show is great - it always makes me come to the realization that I'm in Disney World and there's no place I'd rather be than right there at that very moment. Too bad that music isn't on the soundtrack

I'd like to hear what you thought about Nemo the Musical...

Yeah, I love British accents as well. I'm curious if it was real though, if she goes to Geneseo. Unless she's an international student? I also wish the preshow music was on the soundtrack. There's a listing of the songs on Steve Soares' website. There's one that sounds like a mix of Irish/club music that I loved. It made me think of a rave at Epcot. I believe it was you who said they disliked Finding Nemo, right?

Yeah, I could see how it'd be weird to go visit Mary Poppins at school (although I do agree, by telling you exactly where she lived it does sound like she wanted you to find her...)...maybe you'll see her around school anyway? That would be pretty cool if you ended up becoming friends with her or something after meeting her as a character in Disney, haha. I wish I remembered to bring Moleskin with me on my trip...and I even read the Unofficial Guide cover-to-cover too! Oh well.

Also, I totally agree with you about Kali River Rapids. I didn't go on it this trip (I didn't really feel the need to), but I went on it for the first time when I was there last year with my high school, and after riding it I was just like "Wait....that's all?" I was definitely expecting it to be more intense. Although that being said, I'd rather ride it than Dinosaur I think...

Kali was disappointing. I think the one at my amusement park, which basically is just a concrete ditch, is more intense. I HATED Dinosaur. About 30 seconds into the ride, I closed my eyes, plugged my ears, and hunched down in my seat, and prayed for it to end. I don't do well with loud noises and things jumping out at me, so it was just a bad idea anyway.

Another great update!

Looking forward to hearing what you guys thought of the Nemo show

Thanks Everyone has such differing opinions on the Nemo show, I guess it's one of those things that you either love or hate. I'll tell you that Mom saw it in 2007 and loved it. You'll have to wait to see what I thought about it.

 

[glennbo123]

Gaaa! I missed that you'd started your trip report! I just now noticed the link in your signature. I obviously have a lot of catching up to do!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Gaaa! I missed that you'd started your trip report! I just now noticed the link in your signature. I obviously have a lot of catching up to do!

Oh no! I guess you'll have to read fast.

 

[bellebookworm9]

RideMax was predicting a 30 minute wait for Finding Nemo, so we got in line at 12:30 for the 1pm show. I was dreading waiting in line in the sun for 30 minutes, but RideMax never lies, so we got in line and walked....and walked...and walked....right into the theater!! Imagine my surprise to find that our 30 minutes would be spent sitting in air conditioning! We tried to sit on the side by the exit, but a CM told us they "weren't seating there yet." Well, then why isn't it roped off or something? No problem, we went up near the top of the center section where we had a great view of everything. I thought the show was good; I especially liked Crush's song "Go with the Flow." I think Finding Nemo the movie is long and it feels extremely dragged out to me, but this show was concise and fun. There were only two things I thought were strange: 1)Jenbear once pointed out how odd the puppet scale is, ie Mr. Ray is bigger than Bruce. I agreed with that observation. 2)Nemo was voiced by a female. I understand why, it just seemed weird.

After our under the ocean adventure, next on our list was Festival of the Lion King. We had some extra time, so we stopped in a store on Discovery Island, where we bought a gift for Grandma. It's a silver leaf necklace, with matching earrings. She doesn't have pierced ears, so Mom decided to keep the earrings for herself. We also stopped for more Photopass pictures.

Now, baby Simba gave me quite the trouble. I specifically requested this Magic Shot, and he never showed up in the pictures online, even after I e-mailed and they said it was fixed. Mom decided she wanted an 8x10 of us gazing adoringly/surprised at my empty arms. We were very happy to see he showed up after all!

We finally made our way over to the ampitheater. There was a brief wait before we were admitted. We sat in the giraffe section; we were very relieved that they told us what sound a giraffe makes! This show was awesome! I'm so sad we missed it three years ago. I especially liked the Tumble Monkeys and the girl on the wire/trapeze thing. I took a lot of pictures, some of which turned out better than others.

I have no idea how I managed to get this shot, but I'm so glad I did!

We looked for characters, because I really wanted to meet Thumper (who was on my shirt-did I mention I tried to coordinate my shirts with characters we might meet?) or Miss Bunny, but we didn't see them. Mom decided she wanted to leave, but I wanted to ride Everest! The park was very hot and crowded, and people just seemed exceptionally rude today. So she headed for the exit while I backtracked to Asia. I stopped to take pictures. The obligatory "Yeti Shrine Lines Up with Everest" photo:

I saw a photpass guy, so he took my picture.

He was really bored, apparently. He kept making funny faces and noises, and then when I was done, he just would not give my card back. He kept playing the game where when I went to grab it, he'd pull it back. Now, I don't like that under the best of circumstances, but when I'm hot, tired, and almost ready to leave, it's just not a good combo!

I finally got the card back and made my way to the Fastpass line. It was a very short wait. I was put in the second to last car with a guy from the single riders line. I don't know why, but something about that ride just messes up my equilibrium! The last time I went on it, it triggered a horrible fever/cold that lasted for a week! I got off feeling a bit dizzy, but got back in line: the singles line this time. I was very surprised, because the Fastpass line was faster! Here's a shot of the mountain from the line:

I love that picture, I think it's the best one I took on the whole trip!

This time I was in the last row of the last car with another random guy. When I got off that time, I was definitely not feeling well, so I headed for the exit, stopping for a Sprite and a strawberry bar on the way. I arrived at the bus stop and had to wait about 20 minutes. Mom said the same thing happened to her too. I think I saw a bus for every single other resort in that time. When it did come, I got a seat, but it was standing room only. When I had gotten to the stop, there was only one other family in front of me, so that tells you how many more people showed up in those 20 minutes! I arrived back at Kidani, and we napped for awhile before our evening fun.

I thought this water was heated?!

 

[mermaid764]

Awesome pics of FOTLK, it looks like such an awesome show!

That's too bad there was such a long wait for the bus this time, hopefully that's something you guys didn't have to encounter again

 

[bellebookworm9]

Awesome pics of FOTLK, it looks like such an awesome show!

That's too bad there was such a long wait for the bus this time, hopefully that's something you guys didn't have to encounter again

It was an amazing show, definitely one of the best things we did that day. Overall, our buses weren't too bad, but I have a horror story coming up on my Typhoon Lagoon day!