JerseyJanice
A Disboards original...
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
- Messages
- 10,764
Our son, Louis, woke up at 6:00 a.m. raring to go. For breakfast, we munched on some mini-muffins I brought from home and some of the brownies leftover from the Boardwalk visit. We had planned all along to go to the Animal Kingdom this day.
We caught the bus quite early and made it there for rope drop. How exciting! They played the music from the beginning of the Lion King, and I was covered with goosebumps. It started raining so we hung out a little while under these neat cave structures just past the Oasis. Some CMs were there with little cages holding tarantulas and scorpions, and they moved around to show the animals to the guests and talked about them. Interesting.
We waited awhile, but the rain still didn't stop so we moved into a gift shop. I read on the Net that the Animal Kingdom has some unique souvenirs, and I was not disappointed. I bought a beautiful T-shirt for myself with the Tree of Life done in an iridescent paint. I also really wanted to get my son a safari Piglet. He really likes Piglet (he calls him "Piggie" and it's so cute) and he didn't have a stuffed Piglet, so I thought this would be the thing to get. But when we were in the store, he latched onto a safari Pluto and kept saying he wanted this "doggie" so we bought that instead.
The rain cleared up and we headed to Kilimanjaro Safari's, which had no waiting line. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our safari. We saw lots of animals and were amazed at how well themed all the landscaping is. We got a big kick out of the bridge almost caving in beneath us.
Next, we did the Pangani Exploration Trail. Now, I have a phobia about birds attacking me. I enjoy looking at them when they're standing around, doing their own thing (like in the Oasis displays), but I want to faint when one flies at me. Well, part of this Pangani Trail involves walking through an aviary. One huge brown bird spread its wings and flew right over me. I screamed and held onto my husband for protection, hiding my face until we got through there. I wish you could bypass this part of the attraction, but I don't think you can. Anyway, the fright was worth it because we really enjoyed seeing the rest of the exhibits. We, especially Louis, really enjoyed the gorilla exhibit. Also, we really enjoyed seeing the hippo tank and talking to the charming African girl who was there to educate guests on hippo behavior.
We went on to the Lion King show, which we thoroughly enjoyed. I absolutely love the Lion King movie so I really appreciated this. Louis was dancing along at the end, and we walked out of there feeling totally great.
We didn't do anymore attractions here as I was certain both the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" and "Countdown to Extinction" attractions were far more than Louis can handle. We just strolled around and soaked up the atmosphere. What a gorgeous place! I can't over the details, like the leaf and animal track impressions in the concrete walkways. We loved all the little exhibits in the Oasis area. We saw several misty places just like I would imagine you'd find in a rainforest. How do they do this? Do they cultivate the mist somehow or use dry ice? Hard to imagine they'd use chemicals for this effect.
This park reminded us of a theme park that was in West Milford, New Jersey during the 70's called Jungle Habitat, although I do believe the Animal Kingdom is probably better than it was. Craig and I both remember that park, and we were delighted to be somewhere similar.
We left here and brought our souvenir purchases back to our room. From there, we caught a bus to Downtown Disney. We ate lunch at the McDonald's there and then did a totally crazy thing. We walked from there to the Crossroads shopping center so that Craig could buy beer. He was totally freaking that it cost over $30 to buy a case at Panchito's gift shop in the Coronado Springs so he wanted a couple of cases to last us for the week.
Well, the walk was brutal in the heat and humidity that we are not used to this time of year. After all, it was 20 degrees Fahrenheit when we left New Jersey the day before. And although the walk used up precious park time, I am not entirely sorry we took this walk. For one thing, my son fell asleep in his stroller and was able to take a good nap that afternoon-something he would never have done at the hotel room. I also appreciated seeing the area. It wasn't worth walking there for the money we saved on the beer though. It cost $20 a case at Goodings, and so in buying two cases, we saved only $20.
After this, we needed some R&R so we took the bus back to the Coronado. Louis woke up on the way, so we decided to go swimming. The Dig Site is wonderful. We could have spent an entire day or two just hanging out there. They'll loan you foam life vests for your kids so we got one for Louis. The main pool water was kind of cold in his opinion so we went to the kiddie pool, which was almost as warm as the hot tub water. How he loved this! My only complaint was that I had to get in the pool and stay near him since I couldn't see him over the big fish. The kids love these colorful fish that spit water at them, but it's difficult to keep your eyes on your child at all times with the fish in the way.
We took turns watching Louis and trying out the hot tub and the jaguar slide. I loved that slide--what a great thrill plowing down it. Older children must go crazy over it. We then had to drag Louis kicking and screaming away from the pool so we could shower and get ready for our dinner at Chef Mickey's.
I was hoping to get to the Magic Kingdom and catch an attraction or two before dinner, but there is no hurrying my husband up when he is determined to relax. We did get there in time to see the fireworks at 7:00 though. We took the bus to Magic Kingdom and hurried down Main Street to the bridge to Tomorrowland so we could see Tinkerbell. On the way, Louis was acting a little crabby so we bought him a flashlight with Mickey's head on it and fiber optic strands coming out the top. Boy, did he love that thing! His mood completely turned around after that. We caught Tinkerbell (wow, she has guts!) and most of the fireworks. We headed out a bit before they ended so we wouldn't be stuck in a huge herd of people and kept looking over our shoulders at the remaining fireworks. Then we took the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. This place is so much more beautiful than I remembered. I wouldn't mind staying there at all.
Our PS was at 7:30 so we were seated within minutes. Later that evening, I noticed that Pluto was hanging out in the waiting area so he must have been on a break when we arrived. As we walked past the buffet to our table, there was Goofy manning his cupcake decorating station. Louis got very shy, clinging to my legs and hiding his face against me. Goofy was trying to be friendly, but Louis was obviously afraid. I picked him up and carried him to our table. I kept reassuring him that it was O.K. to be scared if that's how he wanted to feel, that Craig and I would keep the characters away if they bothered him, and that even though they can be scary looking, the characters are very nice and would do nothing to hurt him or any other child.
We got him settled into his seat, and then Minnie entered the room. Well, for a kid who was so scared just a minute before, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. Then he said, "I'm not scared anymore. Go get Minnie Mouse." I went up to Minnie, explained the situation, and she came right over. Well, he was in love! From that moment on, he found the characters totally delightful. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed seeing our baby so happy.
Mickey came out and started the Celebrate song and napkin twirling. Louis joined right in. Then Mickey got a conga line going of all the little kids and guess who got right behind him? Chip and Dale each visited our table; Louis loved them and their teeth. Craig took Louis to visit with Pluto and scratch his ears. I went with him to make a cupcake with Goofy, and those two compared the size of their feet.
On top of all this fabulous entertainment, we really enjoyed the food. The selection was not as vast as I had expected, but everything was fresh and of high quality. I had the most delicious cream of broccoli soup. The carving station had both prime rib and flank steak, wonderful with horseradish cream sauce. Those parmesan mashed potatoes are unbelievable! I think they were the best mashed potatoes I ever ate. And the desserts! I felt like I was in heaven. I had this wonderful cream cake with fresh berries and then a little chocolate cup filled with chocolate mousse. They also have a child's buffet that is so cute. We got Louis some stuff from it, including a couple of chicken tenders that were so tasty we wound up eating them. He was very happy to eat the mashed potatoes and prime rib though. My boy is already a real meat and potatoes man.
What an exhilarating experience! I think it'd be a terrific idea to eat dinner here on a night that you didn't go to the parks. It's so Disney and very entertaining, but since it's at the Resort, you don't need to spend a park admission to come here.
We took the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom (E-ride night there) and then bus back to Coronado Springs. Can't tell you how much we enjoyed our day.
We caught the bus quite early and made it there for rope drop. How exciting! They played the music from the beginning of the Lion King, and I was covered with goosebumps. It started raining so we hung out a little while under these neat cave structures just past the Oasis. Some CMs were there with little cages holding tarantulas and scorpions, and they moved around to show the animals to the guests and talked about them. Interesting.
We waited awhile, but the rain still didn't stop so we moved into a gift shop. I read on the Net that the Animal Kingdom has some unique souvenirs, and I was not disappointed. I bought a beautiful T-shirt for myself with the Tree of Life done in an iridescent paint. I also really wanted to get my son a safari Piglet. He really likes Piglet (he calls him "Piggie" and it's so cute) and he didn't have a stuffed Piglet, so I thought this would be the thing to get. But when we were in the store, he latched onto a safari Pluto and kept saying he wanted this "doggie" so we bought that instead.
The rain cleared up and we headed to Kilimanjaro Safari's, which had no waiting line. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed our safari. We saw lots of animals and were amazed at how well themed all the landscaping is. We got a big kick out of the bridge almost caving in beneath us.
Next, we did the Pangani Exploration Trail. Now, I have a phobia about birds attacking me. I enjoy looking at them when they're standing around, doing their own thing (like in the Oasis displays), but I want to faint when one flies at me. Well, part of this Pangani Trail involves walking through an aviary. One huge brown bird spread its wings and flew right over me. I screamed and held onto my husband for protection, hiding my face until we got through there. I wish you could bypass this part of the attraction, but I don't think you can. Anyway, the fright was worth it because we really enjoyed seeing the rest of the exhibits. We, especially Louis, really enjoyed the gorilla exhibit. Also, we really enjoyed seeing the hippo tank and talking to the charming African girl who was there to educate guests on hippo behavior.
We went on to the Lion King show, which we thoroughly enjoyed. I absolutely love the Lion King movie so I really appreciated this. Louis was dancing along at the end, and we walked out of there feeling totally great.
We didn't do anymore attractions here as I was certain both the "It's Tough to Be a Bug" and "Countdown to Extinction" attractions were far more than Louis can handle. We just strolled around and soaked up the atmosphere. What a gorgeous place! I can't over the details, like the leaf and animal track impressions in the concrete walkways. We loved all the little exhibits in the Oasis area. We saw several misty places just like I would imagine you'd find in a rainforest. How do they do this? Do they cultivate the mist somehow or use dry ice? Hard to imagine they'd use chemicals for this effect.
This park reminded us of a theme park that was in West Milford, New Jersey during the 70's called Jungle Habitat, although I do believe the Animal Kingdom is probably better than it was. Craig and I both remember that park, and we were delighted to be somewhere similar.
We left here and brought our souvenir purchases back to our room. From there, we caught a bus to Downtown Disney. We ate lunch at the McDonald's there and then did a totally crazy thing. We walked from there to the Crossroads shopping center so that Craig could buy beer. He was totally freaking that it cost over $30 to buy a case at Panchito's gift shop in the Coronado Springs so he wanted a couple of cases to last us for the week.
Well, the walk was brutal in the heat and humidity that we are not used to this time of year. After all, it was 20 degrees Fahrenheit when we left New Jersey the day before. And although the walk used up precious park time, I am not entirely sorry we took this walk. For one thing, my son fell asleep in his stroller and was able to take a good nap that afternoon-something he would never have done at the hotel room. I also appreciated seeing the area. It wasn't worth walking there for the money we saved on the beer though. It cost $20 a case at Goodings, and so in buying two cases, we saved only $20.
After this, we needed some R&R so we took the bus back to the Coronado. Louis woke up on the way, so we decided to go swimming. The Dig Site is wonderful. We could have spent an entire day or two just hanging out there. They'll loan you foam life vests for your kids so we got one for Louis. The main pool water was kind of cold in his opinion so we went to the kiddie pool, which was almost as warm as the hot tub water. How he loved this! My only complaint was that I had to get in the pool and stay near him since I couldn't see him over the big fish. The kids love these colorful fish that spit water at them, but it's difficult to keep your eyes on your child at all times with the fish in the way.
We took turns watching Louis and trying out the hot tub and the jaguar slide. I loved that slide--what a great thrill plowing down it. Older children must go crazy over it. We then had to drag Louis kicking and screaming away from the pool so we could shower and get ready for our dinner at Chef Mickey's.
I was hoping to get to the Magic Kingdom and catch an attraction or two before dinner, but there is no hurrying my husband up when he is determined to relax. We did get there in time to see the fireworks at 7:00 though. We took the bus to Magic Kingdom and hurried down Main Street to the bridge to Tomorrowland so we could see Tinkerbell. On the way, Louis was acting a little crabby so we bought him a flashlight with Mickey's head on it and fiber optic strands coming out the top. Boy, did he love that thing! His mood completely turned around after that. We caught Tinkerbell (wow, she has guts!) and most of the fireworks. We headed out a bit before they ended so we wouldn't be stuck in a huge herd of people and kept looking over our shoulders at the remaining fireworks. Then we took the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. This place is so much more beautiful than I remembered. I wouldn't mind staying there at all.
Our PS was at 7:30 so we were seated within minutes. Later that evening, I noticed that Pluto was hanging out in the waiting area so he must have been on a break when we arrived. As we walked past the buffet to our table, there was Goofy manning his cupcake decorating station. Louis got very shy, clinging to my legs and hiding his face against me. Goofy was trying to be friendly, but Louis was obviously afraid. I picked him up and carried him to our table. I kept reassuring him that it was O.K. to be scared if that's how he wanted to feel, that Craig and I would keep the characters away if they bothered him, and that even though they can be scary looking, the characters are very nice and would do nothing to hurt him or any other child.
We got him settled into his seat, and then Minnie entered the room. Well, for a kid who was so scared just a minute before, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. Then he said, "I'm not scared anymore. Go get Minnie Mouse." I went up to Minnie, explained the situation, and she came right over. Well, he was in love! From that moment on, he found the characters totally delightful. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed seeing our baby so happy.
Mickey came out and started the Celebrate song and napkin twirling. Louis joined right in. Then Mickey got a conga line going of all the little kids and guess who got right behind him? Chip and Dale each visited our table; Louis loved them and their teeth. Craig took Louis to visit with Pluto and scratch his ears. I went with him to make a cupcake with Goofy, and those two compared the size of their feet.
On top of all this fabulous entertainment, we really enjoyed the food. The selection was not as vast as I had expected, but everything was fresh and of high quality. I had the most delicious cream of broccoli soup. The carving station had both prime rib and flank steak, wonderful with horseradish cream sauce. Those parmesan mashed potatoes are unbelievable! I think they were the best mashed potatoes I ever ate. And the desserts! I felt like I was in heaven. I had this wonderful cream cake with fresh berries and then a little chocolate cup filled with chocolate mousse. They also have a child's buffet that is so cute. We got Louis some stuff from it, including a couple of chicken tenders that were so tasty we wound up eating them. He was very happy to eat the mashed potatoes and prime rib though. My boy is already a real meat and potatoes man.
What an exhilarating experience! I think it'd be a terrific idea to eat dinner here on a night that you didn't go to the parks. It's so Disney and very entertaining, but since it's at the Resort, you don't need to spend a park admission to come here.
We took the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom (E-ride night there) and then bus back to Coronado Springs. Can't tell you how much we enjoyed our day.
