NateNLogansDad + party of 25 + AKL + MNSSHP = a few thousand pictures (Bonus Video!!)

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey, I just realized that there's already over 1,000 views

Even for those who aren't posting, thanks for stopping by and checking this thing out! And remember, the popcorn will always make you feel better about yourself......you know why right?


right?

wait for it......

Because it's complimentary!!!!


Yea, I know. Tina doesn't find me funny either. Be back in a little bit with an update.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Heading home now but I have a good sized update for tonight. After I do a quick proof read, it'll be up!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Day2!!!

So this morning we woke up pretty early but we can just never get out the door right away. There’s usually one or two days during the trip where we do, but today wasn’t going to happen. I made some coffee and we all had a small breakfast and took our time getting everything ready. Of course, there’s just always that one problem and this time, it was the jogging stroller.

Great.

It seems as though I was missing some parts to the front wheel which we tried to rig up but it just wasn’t going to happen. Granted the boys are good about walking throughout the parks, but it’s so much easier keeping an eye on them in a stroller…not to mention all the crap we like to shove in the bottom. After about a half hr of playing around with that thing, we gave up and threw on the backpacks and out the door we went. The bus ride was uneventful and my blood pressure was up a bit because of the slight setback, but we kept going and tried to keep good spirits.

(I think everybody else was fine, I was the only grump. Stupid stroller.)

After our little ordeal, we ended up here around 10:30ish

Yep, Animal Kingdom! As some of you may know, the first time we came here (back in 2007) we weren’t impressed and for the next few trips we skipped it... which wasn’t fair to the park. The first time we went it was just too hot and way too crowded. In May of 2009 we tried it out again and were totally surprised on just how much we loved it and just how much there was to do! I knew that Brian and Sean would want to get in at least one thrill ride, so we had to hook them up! Tina took them over to walk the Exploration Trail (I think) and I split off to get some pictures….I mean fastpasses....

We decided to meet back at the Safari which had no line when I showed up. Of coarse as I was standing there I watched well over 100 people (probably tour groups) pile into the line. *Sigh* I took this opportunity to give my Father In Law a call and gave him a rundown of some parts we would need to rig up the stroller. That man is the ultimate Mr. Fixit and knew exactly what to get. I even found a couple with a similar stroller and asked if I could take a picture of the wheel with my phone and sent it to his cell. Man I love technology!!!

A few minutes later Tina and the rest of the group showed up and we melted into the line. I still don’t think she believed me when I told her that the line was only a 10 minute wait just 5 minutes ago, but whatever.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I guess the line wasn’t too bad, after 20 minutes our ride was here….

I do love this ride. It’s fascinating to see animal from around the world that you just can’t really find anywhere else, like these guys who are almost extinct….

And then a minute later these guys who look like they should be in tutu's (did I spell that right?) dancing around to orchestra music….

One of my favorite guys to see…..

I can’t imagine running into them out in the open. Those things terrify me but at the same time are so cool to watch!

Moving on. Here’s the upside down tree where the branges look like roots…..

And here’s me being quiet for a minute and letting you just enjoy the ride…..

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Real quick, these ostriches kind of snuck up on Tina. She was too busy looking out into the distance to notice them coming up on her side. All the sudden when she looked down she screamed a little when they scared the heck out of her. (I MAY have noticed the whole thing unfold but wanted to get a picture.....and a laugh out of it!)

And just like that, we’re back!

I highly recommend that for anybody who has never tried it out but be warned, it can get a little bumpy!!!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Leaving the safari, we headed out and noticed a group of people leaning on a fence so we walked over to check out what they were checking out.

At first glance, I thought it was just this guy…

I also noticed this little out-of-the-way waterfall….

Logan noticed a place to have a seat…

Upon closer inspection, as I looked down, I found this guy just hanging out…

I’m not going to get too graphic here, but lets just say that the green pile of mush on the ground wasn’t just his lunch.

I’m telling you, the more I stared at these guys, the more I thought that they were actually Cast Members in a costume….

Moving right along….

Everybody really wanted to show me where they went to earlier so we headed that way. If anybody wants to chime in here with the actual name, I’d be much obliged. I can’t quite seem to remember it off the top of my head. I do know that we had always overlooked it before but will absolutely go through it again on our next trip….

Loving the lemur life….

They are lemur’s right? Oh well, I guess we’ll have to go back to make sure someday.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Heading out, we ran into this guy….

I’m telling you, we could stand and watch these guys walk around all day. Unfortunately, the one guy may have had enough I think. He kept an eye on us walking back and forth than turned towards us, walked right up to the edge of the cliff there, and sat down with his back to us all.

Everybody laughed but I thought to myself “good for you!” I’ll admit too that I thought it was kind of rude on his behalf, but at the same time we were being kind of rude by standing there staring at him! Good call monkey man, good call.

By this time, that old familiar feeling of hunger started setting in. I swear, next time I need to take a diet pill with me for the parks. I felt like I was either starving or extremely full the whole time we were there, no middle ground. Ever.
So, like the wild animals all around us, we went in search for food. Last year we had eaten at the Yak & Yeti as a Table service credit and loved it. This year we were doing quick service so we decided to try out that side of the restaurant. On our way there, we ran into this magnificent specimen…..

Yes sir! That my friends, is Devine!!! Devine take camouflage to a whole new level. Not only will she blend in amazingly to her surroundings, her eyes will draw you in and not let you go. Well, until your wife gives you a little smack and tells you to move it along! There were many people (mostly guys) who just stopped what they were doing and were amazed by what they were seeing. Brian and Sean were frozen in time. We gave them about 10 minutes before we brought them back to earth. Devine is seriously something you need to witness to get what I’m saying here. She’s just so….

Hmmm.

What?

Oh crap, we’re still doing this trip report.

Ummm. Sorry, I got lost for a minute.

Fastpass, monkey men, lemur….food. Right. We were off to get some food. Sorry.


So, we headed over to the Quick Serve area of the Yak and Yeti and IT WAS MOBBED.
Mobbed as in no tables available anywhere and more people were coming in kind of mobbed. Tina took the kids off to go search for a place to us to eat at and Brian and Sean came with me to grab some grub. My review? I’d personally eat there again I think. I had the orange chicken which was pretty darn good but the beer Sean and I got (Safari Amber) wasn’t something I’d try again. The kids food was limited and basic and Tina's sandwich was nothing she'd write home about. The seating area was way too small for that many guests. We ended up sitting across the way near the water.

Not the best but probably the most peaceful.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

By now our fastpasses for Everest were about to expire but, thanks to a tip from my fellow Dissers, I knew that you can use them AFTER the allotted time…just not BEFORE it. After stuffing our faces it sounded like a great idea to postpone it till later. We headed over towards…

And past…

To wind up in…

Because the boys all wanted to ride…

Normally, I love that ride and would do it in a heartbeat but at that moment I just wanted to chill out for a few and people watch. Tina was blown away when I said I wanted to sit this one out but I assured her that nothing was wrong and away they went.

I wandered around for a few and even had an ice cream sandwich as I watched other kids playing or throwing a temper tantrum and their parents looking desperate for a moment of silence. I laughed and wanted to tell them to sit a while and have some ice cream, but coming from a complete stranger I probably would be a weirdo. I should have taken this time to get some weird and interesting pictures, but all I wanted to do was relax and take it all in. I did get one though that made me chuckle a bit….

At first glance, I thought that it had some nice texture to it and I could probably do some cool things with it. Than I got closer and saw that it cost 28 9/10 cents per gallon! There wasn’t even a spot for if gas went up to $1.00!

How did the oil company execs ever afford to fly their helicopters back then? Poor guys.

A few minutes later, my personal time had expired. Everybody came out from Dinosaur with grins on their faces and looking to do the next thrill ride. I tried so hard to talk Nate and Logan into going on Expedition Everest but that just wasn’t happening. They did it last trip and will not be going on again for a while!

So, being the nice guy that I am I took out the fastpasses, gave them all to Tina and told her to get on with her brothers twice. She felt bad and wanted me to go but I had other plans in mind! As they walked off I took the boys over to an awesome little hangout of ours…

Nathan and Logan LOVE this place and I love hanging out and taking pictures of them just being kids!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I can’t wait till we really do move down there eventually. Looking at these pictures really make me miss hanging out there in the Bone Yard with the kids. Time really got away from us in there because before we realized it Tina and her brothers were back and exhausted and were in need of some downtime. I offered them an ice cream sandwich but instead we headed out toward the front of the park.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “This must be the end of Day 2 right?”

Nope, sorry, there’s still another 119 pictures I need to show you!!! The other parks are still open after dinner!

Stop back in soon and I’ll be glad to show ‘em to you in the next update!!!

See ya real soon!

 

[wdwnomad]

Another great update. I think I finally found a report that will keep me entertained. I need a fix because my next trip isn't until August.

I liked how you just noticed the gorillas when you get off the safari ride. It took me a couple of years of trips to realize they were back there too. I walked by them probably numerous times.

That reminds me of my first time in AK with my niece. I think she was three at the time. All day we were looking for Potochatas. I finally asked a CM where she was. He said, "Just around the riverbend." It took me about 30 minutes of searching for a river and a train ride to figure out what he meant. I probably watched that movie a million times and it took me that long to figure it out. At the time I was really annoyed because I still couldn't find her but in about two minutes I thought it was the funniest thing. To this day I still get a kick out of it. I bet that CM thought he was hilarious, esp. becuase he got me. He at least did get me on the right track and we did find her.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Another great update. I think I finally found a report that will keep me entertained. I need a fix because my next trip isn't until August.

I liked how you just noticed the gorillas when you get off the safari ride. It took me a couple of years of trips to realize they were back there too. I walked by them probably numerous times.

That reminds me of my first time in AK with my niece. I think she was three at the time. All day we were looking for Potochatas. I finally asked a CM where she was. He said, "Just around the riverbend." It took me about 30 minutes of searching for a river and a train ride to figure out what he meant. I probably watched that movie a million times and it took me that long to figure it out. At the time I was really annoyed because I still couldn't find her but in about two minutes I thought it was the funniest thing. To this day I still get a kick out of it. I bet that CM thought he was hilarious, esp. becuase he got me. He at least did get me on the right track and we did find her.

Thank you very much, but it this TR isn't done by August, I need to stop writing them! If it weren't for the people leaning on the fence, there's no way I ever would have gone over there! Another one of those details that's just so easy to miss if you're in a rush there.

The Pocahontas thing is funny looking back on it. I probably would have been flipping at the time but it's one of those memories now that you'll never forget Hope to have another update up sometime today but we'll see how things go at work first......

 

[Antigua08]

Loving your trip report! I read your last one so very much looking forward to hearing more from this trip.

We're looking to stay onsite for the first time on our next trip, although that is a way off at the moment. AKL is my dh's 1st choice so good to read about that, both positive and negative.

Oh and have to say your pictures are just wonderful!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Loving your trip report! I read your last one so very much looking forward to hearing more from this trip.

We're looking to stay onsite for the first time on our next trip, although that is a way off at the moment. AKL is my dh's 1st choice so good to read about that, both positive and negative.

Oh and have to say your pictures are just wonderful!

Thank you so much for popping in for this one and thank you for the compliment

AKL really is a beautiful resort but it's just so off the beaten path. Maybe we just had a really bad run of luck with the buses, but next time it's got to be the Beach Club if we get to do a deluxe hotel again. There's nothing like being able to walk to 2 parks from out the back door!

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

Love the AK update! We have still not seen Devine, she looks so cool. Do you know if there's a certain spot she hangs out?
When you were at the Philly airport did you happen to notice an Earl of Sandwich? It's our favorite DTD eatery and I just read they opened one at the airport.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Love the AK update! We have still not seen Devine, she looks so cool. Do you know if there's a certain spot she hangs out?
When you were at the Philly airport did you happen to notice an Earl of Sandwich? It's our favorite DTD eatery and I just read they opened one at the airport.

Devine can be just about anywhere from what I understand. I remember seeing times when she come out on one of the cards that have showtimes and stuff on them. If you ask the guest relations people at the front of the park, I think they can point you in the right direction.
Earl of Sandwich is in Terminal D but we went out of E so didn't get to try it out. I have been in an Airport Earls before (maybe Logan airport in Boston?) and the sandwiches were as good as the one in Downtown Disney, so hopefully Philly will be up to par also.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey there! Anybody looking for any updates? Anybody even still here? Sorry it’s been a few days but things just keep popping up. I was hoping to have an update on Friday for the weekend, but here we are. Sorry about that!

So, getting back to day 2.

We had just left Animal Kingdom and headed back to the hotel. We loved having the windows in the hallway overlooking the savanna because you never knew what you’d see heading back to our room. Today it was this guy……

Crazy giraffe, don’t you know they have room service around here? If you look closer, you can see just how long his tongue is….

That’s just insane!

Through the magic of the trip-report-time-lapse, we can fast forward a bit. After hanging out in our room for a couple hrs of downtime, we headed out for some grub.

Where to you might ask?

Well…

We took the bus to Downtown Disney for dinner but no, not to Goof’s Candy Factory, tonight we dine on some very fine pizza!

Wolfgang Puck Express so far is my top pizza place in all of WDW. Unfortunately, I like it so much that there is no photo evidence to prove that we even went there. We went in and ordered 6 different pizza’s and everybody took a little from each. If you’ve never tried it before, it’s probably one of the BEST places to use a quick service credit. They even bring the food out to your table for you! What more could you possibly ask for??? GREAT food good service and all on the Quick Service Meal Plan!

So, by now we were all pretty stuffed. Probably time to go back and sleep it off right?

NAH!

We hopped on a bus heading to the Contemporary Hotel and walked from there over to….

Yep, that’s right! This party is going all night long tonight!
With the Magic Kingdom having extra magic hours tonight and no plans on waking up early in the morning, we were in it for the long haul. When we first walked onto main street, we noticed that the lights were out down towards the castle which was kind of weird because it wasn’t time for the fireworks. It took a second, but we realized we were at the very end of the Magic, Memories, and You show! I really wish we could have gotten there a few minutes earlier to see the show from the beginning but we only saw a tiny bit from the train station….

Sorry for the image quality. I was just so not prepared for that! I’m going to be honest, When they first announced that show about a year ago, I was dead set against it. I thought it was going to be a disgrace to the castle and Walt’s dream. I will totally 100% admit that I was wrong. The imagineers that dreamt that up really did an amazing job. I heard recently that they have discontinued the show. I’m hoping that I heard that wrong or at least hope that one day they bring it back. It’s definitely something that can bring a tear to your eye and I think everybody should get to see it at least once. If it is gone forever, at least we can always watch it on youtube, but be forewarned…it’s going to make you miss Disney World even more than you probably do already.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

After the show was over I struck up a conversation with a CM selling light up gizmos on Main Street and she pointed me in the direction for a not-so-crowded spot for the Main Street Electrical Parade. This was a parade that for whatever reason I never got to see the whole thing whenever we were here. There’s always something that kept me from either the beginning or the end but this trip Tina wanted to make sure we were there for the whole thing, just for me. Isn’t she the best?

We headed off down Main Street and veered to the left. The kids needed a bathroom break already, and I needed a picture of the castle so this spot worked out well for all of us.

Than we hurried to our little viewing area and actually got there early! We’re never early for anything (even back home) so this was an accomplishment! Our spot was perfect perhaps a bit too perfect. 15 minutes before the show started, we were told that we were in a handicap viewing area!

WHAT? Why couldn’t you tell me that before when the street still had spots open!!!!! The CM who told us to move away later came back over and said we could stay after the parade starts if no one else needed that spot. With little other choice, we hung around and eventually got our spots back. Not too bad of a view I thought!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

This girl cracked me up, as soon as she saw the camera she started posing and flirting like crazy. I told her to call me. She never did.

Moving along….

 

[NateNLogansDad]

I LOVED THAT PARADE!!! It’s funny, but to me the music really brought back more memories of my childhood than anything else. Believe it or not, even though I take way too many pictures of just about everything, I still had fun dancing around to the music as the parade went by. Yea, I was a kid again inside from the time the music started all the way to the end.

Man I really miss Disney right now…..

Sorry, I drifted off for a second.

So after the last float passed by, we checked the wait times on our handy dandy smart phones and discussed what the game plan should be. Did I not mention where our viewing area was? How rude of me! Here ya go….

Wait times still weren’t bad according to WDW Lines. First stop? Pirates! How do I remember this? Because I took this one picture and nothing else.

Is it a good picture? No. But I want you to stay with us so there it is. I generally enjoy getting (at least trying to get) some very elusive pictures on the Pirates Of The Caribbean but Tina and I had a whole bench to ourselves and it was just nice, maybe even a little romantic to just sit there and enjoy the ride with my sweetheart.

Next up was the Jungle Cruise! Even though I wasn’t sitting there holding hands with my wonderful (she really is) wife, I still didn’t try for many photo’s. One day I may try to take a trip without a camera at all. There really is so much to take in and it’s easy to miss when looking through a lens. Then again, I have to take a few pics here and there right?

Since Brian and Sean had never ridden it before, the jokes were all new to them. Even after ridding it as many times as we have, I still consider it a classic and can’t wait to ride it again the next time we go down.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

By now it was starting to get a little late but we weren’t ready to leave for the night just yet. We had heard rumors that an evil emperor was inside the park to we went out in search for him….

Sean and Brian hopped into a car together first followed by Nate and Logan with Tina and I bringing up the rear.

This wasn’t a photo expedition, we were on a mission…and I rocked it!

Yea, it might not be the best anyone has ever gotten, but for me it was a personal high score!

Brian and Sean had a blast

Tina and I made it look good…..

I wanted to take a picture of the boys on the TV but their faces were too low in the shot to recognize them at all. Next time, we’ll bring a phonebook for them to sit on!

We were all just about ready to leave but there was one more ride that we thought Brian and Sean would like…..

Can’t do the Magic Kingdom without riding Space Mountain right?!?!?
Up the ramp we went…..

No line so far, things are looking up!

Oh wait….
Yea, there it is.

I get bored when I stand in lines so I take pictures….

Honestly, I’m not showing off my camera in this picture, I was trying to catch a shot and the rides camera took me by surprise…..

Again, Sean and Brian were loving this ride….

When we left out of there, we noticed the wait time had gone down to just 10 minutes. The kids were getting sleepy and were ready for bed but I told Tina to hop on again with her brothers.

Now, I don’t have anymore pictures of what happened when they went on but I have a funny little story for you. When we all went on together, we were all in the LEFT queue to get on. When Tina, Brian, and Sean all got on for the 2nd time, they went into the RIGHT side of the queue. When they got off they all agreed that the RIGHT side was more intense. When they went to go check out their picture, apparently Sean thought the camera would be on the opposite side since they were on the opposite queue. Picture this. Tina and Brian laughing, smiling, and having fun. Sean, trying to ham it up for the camera, puts his hands up in an excited thrill ride kind of pose but in the opposite direction. Yep, his back was to the camera! Sean is a great guy and so much fun to be around…but sometimes I just shake my head and laugh. We all have our moments, but we try not to let Sean live his down!

So, with smiles on our faces and some rides (and laughs) under our belt, we headed out. It was around 1:30 am and we knew that in about 12 hrs, there was a whole plane full of crazy coming to meet us.

Next update- Day 3 The 6 of us + 19 more on the way!