Oh It's A Jolly Holiday With Katie! - Beach Club / Grand Floridian

[TheLittleKatie]

Oh my life, these new boards!!!! Super snazzy. I think they'll take some time to get used to though. Let's see how this works?!

Katie. I was TOTES in wdw during the birthday cake fiasco! Maybe we crossed paths and didn't even know it

Didn't mean to scare you off Mexico - the touristy areas are fine still, like the big resorts and stuff. But regular Mexico is definitely pretty dangerous these days. I'd go to Cabo though! But instead you should come to Texas and hang out with me!

Oh, and you need to teach me some British slang so I can stop confusing you with my American ways I already know some like "bugger" and "bloody" and don't y'all call the bathroom the "loo?" All the British speak I know comes from reading Harry Potter

Ohh the cake fiasco!! So funny! If I spent all that money to go to Disney and they pulled something like that again, I would be writing a strongly worded letter!

Hahah! I would love to come to Texas! Jamie actually has some plans to go out there in June because his best buddy's parents just moved there, so they're going out to see them But I think Texas is like the size of the entire UK! So I'm not going to say something dumb like "maybe you'll run into each other"... (but maybe you will bump into each other..!!!!)

Hahaha girly you make me laugh so much! we do say "loo"! "I'm just going to the loo.." I can't really think what we say differently off the top of my head.. I had to look it up, but all of these were funny! http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml

Yeah we got back on the 5th Jan . I might write one! I have over 5000 photos to sort through though so I'd have to do that first. I have a pre-trip report for this year's trip though!

Aww I know that struggle!! I take sooo many photos too! Oh nice, I'll have to check out your pre-trip report!

Loving your TR so far!

Thank you!!

This is a fantastic TR! Hope it's not too late to join in!!

Thanks so much! Of course it's not too late, we still have a lot to cover, if I can ever get the hang of these new boards Thanks for joining in!

Love the TR so far! Definitely following along.

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it

I just found your report (which was kinda nice in a way because there was LOTS to read)...I love your easy breezy writing style and the way you infuse such fun in every line. Well done!

Subbing in for the rest!

Aw thank you so much! I'll hopefully have some more up soon, these boards are taking some getting used to though

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Following along and enjoying your writing a great deal

Thank you! It's good to have you along

Looks like such a fun trip! I'd love to visit all the Harry Potter stuff in England!!

It was great! And believe it or not, I haven't been to the Harry Potter studios over here yet...! I'm not sure I'd be a little disappointed after visiting Harry Potter at Universal though

Checking in late to the party! I love your trip report so far

Maybe partly because I'm living vicariously through you right now seeing as it looks like you just went on my dream vacation

Looking forward to reading more!

Yay, thanks for coming along! I'm really glad you're enjoying it I know, it was my dream vacation too, I can't believe it really happened!

I will hopefully be updating soon!

 

[saintstickets]

Just found your TR and read it all the way through in one sitting! Great TR, great pics and a great looking couple! I'm looking forward to reading more.

 

[beckyx3]

Just wanted to say hello! I'm really enjoying your TR! I love the Beach Club so looking at your pictures make me so homesick. But fortunately we're heading there around the same time you'll be there in September! I'll be stalking out your pre trip report for months now! Can't wait to read more!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 5
(September 6th 2014)
Two Worlds, One Family!
Part 1 – Africa!


(My Animal Kingdom song!)

Good Morning! Good Morrrning!
​

Today we were out the door by around 9am because we were heading to Animal Kingdom with 9-10am fastpasses at Kilimanjaro Safari, in the hope that the animals would be more active in the morning.

(There’s bound to be many Stacey references from Must Do Disney in here. The Animal Kingdom segment is so quotable. Maybe I'll put them in pink so no one thinks I'm actually saying these weird things..)

“Africa! Asia! Dinosaurs alive and well! You name it, it lives here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park!”

Of course, Animal Kingdom was SUPER hot. Although I actually feel like that’s part of its charm.
One of my favourite sayings is "My face is melting!"
I obviously use this phrase when I'm too hot, but I also like to use it when something is just overwhelmingly incredible..
Like, "That was so amazing, my face just melted!"

So Animal Kingdom? An amazing Disney park AND hotter than the sun?

WELL THIS WAS ME ALL DAY.

I love all of the little details everywhere. I notice new things every time.

Like this stack of rhinos for example..

We had arrived at the park at around 9:40am so we kinda rushed through to Africa to reach our first destination.

“Now I’m ready for safari!”

“We’re four wheelin’ now baby!”

Two of my Disney-life-goals are to get a photo of a hippo with its mouth open, and a good lion photo.

Mission 1: FAILED.

Although, I strongly believe that this croc felt sorry for me, and gave me what I wanted out of pity.

What a sweet lil guy.

Every time I do this safari I am amazed by the Ankole cattle. Those horns!

They’re definitely the Maleficent of the cow world.

I also love giraffes; I think they’re hilarious-looking and so sweet and innocent.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a great picture of them.

I think this one is funny, but it’s sort of blurry.

And this guy full-on NOPED me..!

Oh well.

"Oh hey, Dee."

Mission 2 – decent lion photo:

Potentially achieved?!

I’m not sure this counts as a success, I'd like to get one of him walking around.
But it’s definitely the best I have so far!

We said “Kwaherini” to the safari, and hit up the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail right by the exit.

I can’t express how adorable THIS GUY is.

"Kinda looks like my Uncle Phil!"

He is so cute. I would LOVE to go in there and have a big gorilla cuddle.

Just kidding.

But seriously.

Someone’s thirsty..

SO CUTE!

In 2012 we were watching the Gorillas right before a huge storm. One of the Gorillas was carrying around a big piece of fabric, and the Cast Member told us it was his ‘safety blanket’ and he was likely holding it because he could sense a storm coming..

Again.. SO CUTE!

Sure, they can probably tear you in half with minimal effort, but I think they’re amazing.

Their 'scientific name' was funny! (top left)

We came to the end of the trail and went out to explore Harambe.

Anybody know what these pieces of fabric are all about?

I love the detail of the hotel in Harambe. Check out those chairs on the terrace to the left!

Next stop: Asia!

Click for Day 5, Part 2!​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 5
(September 6th 2014)
Two Worlds, One Family!
Part 2 – Asia!

We were walking towards Asia when we spotted a character meet and greet that was practically empty. There were only three groups of people in line!

I JUST COULDN'T RESIST...

King Louie and Baloo!



Look at King Louie kissing my hand! What a charmer!

And I thought Jamie was tall.. But Baloo is ginormous!

They're adorbs. I was so happy to see them.

We said goodbye and continued on our travels to Asia.

"There's a lot of monkey business going on around here."

It was almost 11am, so we went to use our 10:20 – 11:20am fastpasses at Expedition Everest!

“YETI! GAHH!”

When we got near the front of the line something kind of weird was happening..

This Dad was in front of us in the fastpass line. When we were stopped near the front waiting to load, we realised that his whole family were pushing through the main line (I have no idea why people were actually letting them through..) and they all tried climbing over into the fastpass line when they got to the front….

??!!



Errrm yeah, that’s not how it works..!

That’s not how ANY OF THIS works!!

The Cast Member opened up our fastpass line for us to load, but the Dad just stood there blocking us, and he was shouting and gesturing forcefully for his family to join him.

Of course, the Cast Member was telling them they really couldn’t do that, but these people didn’t appear to speak English, and literally all shoved their way through to load the train with Dad…

The poor Cast Member seemed really exasperated as she gave in to let them through, so we gave her a light laugh to show her that it wasn’t a big deal and we felt her pain!

“There doesn’t seem to be any track..”

PHEW, we made it.

We paid a quick visit to the photopass photographer nearby.

I really like these pictures!

HEY do you feel that..
The ground is rumbling…
Is it an earthquake??

NO!

IT’S STITCH!

Aww, he looks so pleased with himself.

We were stood around deciding what we wanted to do, when a HUGE bug landed on Jamie’s shoulder.
He jumped back and swatted it, but it stung him really fast!!
There was even a little hole in his t-shirt where the giant stinger pierced it!!



Jamie (half-jokingly) convinced himself he was about to undergo a slow and painful death.
I told him we weren’t REALLY around Africa and Asia, and I was fairly certain it wasn’t some kind of Malaria type bite, but if it got worse we should go find first aid.

WELL.

We went to the bathroom and when we met up again outside, the bite had swollen SO much!

I didn’t get any photo evidence of his monster bite, but it was huge and red and blotchy!



I told him we should go and get it checked out, but he said he didn’t need to, because it didn’t hurt or itch at all.

But then he said in a mock-crying voice,

“It’s a silent killer…!!”

We started walking back towards Kali River Rapids.

Jamie stated that if he died due to his bug bite, he would want his tombstone to read:

“He was very brave,
And he won at Toy Story Mania.”

(Which we can all agree is only half true )

Kali River Rapids is the one thing that I DREAD on Animal Kingdom day.

Like I said in my very first introductory post, I do all of the planning for Disney World, so I purposefully didn’t book us any fastpasses for Kali, in the hope that the line would be huuuge and we would avoid it..

Well, of course, there was no line whatsoever.

So I VERY reluctantly agreed to accompany Jamie..

This ride fools me every time, because there is one drop that gets one or two people SOAKED from head to toe.
When we peak at the top of the waterfall I always think the raft is going to stop spinning as we go down..
So, if I’m in a good position, I relax a little.

But of course, it doesn’t stop spinning as you slide down towards the plunge pool, so the people who are approximately at a 90-degree angle at the top, are likely the ones going to get soaked.

And of course, we were those people.

I managed to lean forward enough to avoid my hair getting TOO wet, but the rest of me was a lost cause.

You actually can’t even tell how wet we are, because there are no comparable dry patches on us!

Ridiculous.

WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS ATTRACTION THERE AREN’T EVEN ANY ANIMALS IN IT.

Jamie was now worried that he had trench-foot to go with his Malaria..



Next up, we headed over to the Maharajah Jungle Trek!

These guys were quite the exhibitionists.

There weren’t any Tigers to be seen which was kinda sad.

We did notice more of this though, similar to the knotted fabric in Harambe.

Again, I have no idea what this is supposed to be or represent, so if you know, please enlighten me!

I like the birdy area on this trek too.

Prettyyy.

Click for Day 5, Part 3!​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Just found your TR and read it all the way through in one sitting! Great TR, great pics and a great looking couple! I'm looking forward to reading more.

Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying it

Just wanted to say hello! I'm really enjoying your TR! I love the Beach Club so looking at your pictures make me so homesick. But fortunately we're heading there around the same time you'll be there in September! I'll be stalking out your pre trip report for months now! Can't wait to read more!

Hey! Aww I know, I miss the Beach Club! It's such a good resort That's so cool that you're heading out there at the same time as us! I'm so excited, I'm counting down the days already Have you done Food and Wine before?! It'll be my first time ever!!
You should do a trip report / pre-trip report !

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Um, yeah, so... kinda have no issue whatsoever with Stacey quotes. All day, every day!!

Oh Yes, Animal Kingdom is ALWAYS about a billion degrees hotter than anywhere else on the planet. Scientifically proven.

GIRAFFES!!!! Best land animal EVER!!! (and second overall only to dolphins). At least in my world.

OK, SERIOUS Bonus Points for the It's Always Sunny reference.

Awwww, lovely meet wth the Jungle Book crew. Baloo is absolutely huge, but oh so sweet.

I hate to say this because you never really know for sure, but I really believe that many people in Disney have what I'll call "Selective English". Which means they only speak and understand English when it suits them. This whole family in the Everest line seems really shady to me.

But... MY MOUNTAIN!!!!!! How I love thee Everest!!

It has been ages since I rode Kali. You should feel fortunate to be the object of the drenching. Ok, maybe not. It's funny though that when it happens to me, as much as I hate it, I still always feel a sense of accomplishment walking out completely soaked. Like I actually did something.

 

[MarieLightning]

I love hitting up Animal Kingdom early in the day! You can get so much done by the time crowds start to thicken a little.

I do think the safari is probably best in the morning time. The hotter it gets out, the trickier it is to get that many great shots. But I think that lion picture is good! We've had some hard times with that lazy guy, laying up there on his rock.

We did the trail for the first time in May and encountered a really soulful looking gorilla. He seemed like he was contemplating the meaning of life, no kidding.

We have, however, yet to meet King Louie and Baloo. Probably because neither of us was ever particularly attached to the Jungle Book as kids (I don't even remember watching it with how long ago it must have been) but we should probably take the time to stop by at least once. After all, Baloo is a bear, and Disney bears are the best huggers, so obviously we should find out if he measures up!

Ugh, annoying people. I feel so bad for Cast Members that have to deal with so many of them on a daily basis. And although I'm sure in many cases, it is true that they don't speak or understand English, I have a feeling there are also times when they conveniently forget they do know it. Honestly, that would be my motivator to learn another language sometimes!

But, Expedition Everest is the best. After our last trip, I established it's my favorite Disney coaster. Although I'm a chicken and have yet to see the Yeti because maybe, just maybe, my eyes are closed.

I love those AK flags! They're the AK equivalent to MK balloon bouquets.

Yikes, bug bite! That seems pretty bad, too. I mean, it's Florida, of course there's gonna be bugs, but I'd prefer to just have the knowledge without experiencing it first hand.

I'm definitely with you on Kali River Rapids. I don't mind that kind of a ride if I'm in a water park, in a bathing suit. Getting my clothes wet? Nuh huh. I hate it. So the one time we rode it, we did it the easy way and wore ponchos. And we're not particularly inclined to wearing it again, either.

Those bats are such show offs. And those birds have such fancy houses. Of course, some of them are very fancy birds.

 

[beckyx3]

Hey! Aww I know, I miss the Beach Club! It's such a good resort That's so cool that you're heading out there at the same time as us! I'm so excited, I'm counting down the days already Have you done Food and Wine before?! It'll be my first time ever!!
You should do a trip report / pre-trip report !

I'm counting down the days too. It's so far away though so at least we can make reservations until it's time!
I haven't been to food and wine either! We specifically planned the trip for it, and it ended up starting at the end of our trip but I'm not complaining. I'm so excited!
I may end up doing a pre-trip report just to pass the time!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

First, you got so many great pictures of Animal Kingdom! It really is a stunning park.

I love going on the safari early in the morning! Those darn hippos never seem to cooperate, but I really like your lion picture!

Ah, Everest. I hope Fastpass+ doesn't impede my ability to ride it more than once! I adore that ride!

I'm not a big fan of Kali, either - I haven't been on it since our family trip in 2005. Granted, if it's hot enough in May/June, I may consider it!

What a bummer about Jamie and the gigantic bug. I hope that doesn't come back to bite him (ha!) later in the trip!

 

[ach222]

Love your Animal Kingdom day so far! Bummed we couldn't fit it into our trip. The safari pics are great and you got some great photo pass shots as well. Sorry you got soaked!

 

[Scoobymoons]

Loved the Stacey comments! Pink helped!
And wow - those bats really are exhibitionists - they're usually quite discreet and well wrapped up - perhaps they needed an airing....
I discovered a new found love for Expedition Everest on my last trip to WDW, although my daughter wasn't so keen - she was just tall enough to ride but before we'd left the first curve of track she'd decided it was a bad idea....not so much a thrill ride as a therapy session
Kali gets a big thumbs up from me - a soaking is good fun, but laughing at others unexpectedly getting a soaking....now that's funny!

 

[ursalita]

Yay! So happy to see that you updated.

That gorilla is the best thing ever. I can't wait to see the Safari and the trails. I think those are our only must-do's at AK. If we only do that I'll be happy.

The hippos didn't cooperate but I love that photo of the lion.

Thank you for including all the pictures you take of the little details. I'm going to try to make a point of noticing that stuff while I'm there because after all:



See what I did there? Your TR has inspired me to add some appropriate images and gifs along the way. I'm practicing for my TR I'm planning for after we get back. I obviously need more practice.

Your Sunny gif and Jamie going on about Trench foot and malaria had me

I'm sorry he got stung. My DS is like that with bites, they swell like crazy. He got a mosquito bite once near his eye and it made his eye swell so much I took him to the ER. We give him Benadryl right away now if he gets stung. This has me thinking I should make sure I have bug spray for the parks.

 

[Alliedoodah]

Hi Katie!
The flags that are hanging all over Asia are Tibetan Prayer Flags. Tibetan Buddhists hang these flags for happiness, long life and prosperity and so these feelings can be carried to others when the wind blows. They really are beautiful!

 

[Inumom2]

Just stumbled onto your trip report, and I love your writing style, makes me feel like I am there too. Can not wait to read about your adventures!

 

[Leshaface]

Yay for Stacey quotes!

Ankole Cattle - Maleficent of the cow world!..BRILLIANT!

What movie is your gif from with the ostrich?! I can't think of it

Wow, great zoom in shot of the lion! I'd say that's a definite success

Cool, never noticed the hotel!

Oh my goodness, love your shirt!

King Louies hand in your picture looks like he's trying to grab for something other than a bunch of bananas!

Errrm yeah, that’s not how it works..!

That’s not how ANY OF THIS works!!
​

​

Did you quote an esurance commercial?!

What the heck?! I can't believe he got stung by a bug! The only bugs I know you get stung are over at ITTBAB! Poor guy.

That is EXACTLY why I will not ride Kali ever again. Unless it's like ridiculously hot, no line and we're about to go home.

TRENCH FOOT!!! DYING!

​

​

 

[HikingBelle]

Love the most recent updates! The pictures of you two outside Everest are great.

 

[scrpbookr]

But while I was there, TO MY HORROR, I realised my Steamboat Willie pin (ie, MY FAVOURITE PIN) had GONE!!

I had checked my pins as we got off the Great Movie Ride, so it must have JUST fallen off.

I was soooo sad. I had had that pin for over a decade.
We retraced our steps through the crowd back to the Great Movie Ride but he was no where to be found..

'Twas a sad time.

In loving memory.



Needless to say, I removed all the pins from my bag strap.
​

In shops where they are selling pins you can buy locking pin backs for those special pins you plan to keep forever. So sorry you lost a special pin.

I am catching up on your report today and just love your writing style! Thanks for sharing! Especially the Harry Potter stuff! We will be visiting on our next trip and are SO excited!!

 

[saintstickets]

​

Love the expression!! And the only thing wrong with KRR is that it isn't long enough! Maybe it's a guy thing? At least you cooled off so you don't have to worry about your face melting now!