Cast Me, DW, DS, DM, Sis1, Sis2
Day 3 23/2/03 Animal Kingdom
We awoke at about 6.20am (DS was sharing a room with DM and apparently he had woken her at 5.30am). Got showered, had breakfast and headed for AK at about 8am. The weather forecast was for low 70s and cloudy, but currently the temp was about 57F. It didnt feel too bad outside so we headed off in our shorts and t-shirts.
It is great to still get that tingle of excitement as you approach Disney property and you see the large Mickey on the gate in the distance. The magic is still there. Despite getting slightly confused by a diversion on the 536, we managed to navigate our way to the AK car park by 8.35am and parked within walking distance of the entrance. It was a little windy here and we were slightly regretting leaving the sweaters behind. Nonetheless, we were anxious to get our first taste of Disney and headed off to the security checkpoints. 10 mins later and we were in the queue at the turnstiles. It was 8.55am and some of the characters were putting on a little show. At this point I was feeling a little apprehensive about our tickets. We had purchased them over the web from Paramount, and despite hearing only good reports about them, I couldnt help but feel a little anxious. My temporary fears were unfounded as we were soon all through the turnstiles.
We tried to coerce DS to get a photo on his own with Goofy, but he insisted on being carried by DW. That done, we headed for the Kilmanjaro Safari. For me and DW, this was our second visit to AK it had just opened the last time we were here for the others, it was a new experience. The safari had a 10 min wait by the time we got there, and this passed swiftly by. There was a good selection of animals on view, including one close encounter with a young rhino which charged towards our jeep, and for a few seconds we all thought he was going to ram into the side of us. Everyone was pleased with their safari, although we still feel it could do without the phony poacher chase.
We disembarked and headed through Pangani Forest Exploration Trail again there were plenty of animals on display and then wandered through the shops in Africa, pausing for more photos with Baloo and King Louie, and picking up some Churros to munch on. DM and 2Sis headed into Its tough to be a Bug while DW, DS and Myself went to see Festival of the Lion King. We thought the show was pretty good, although having recently been to see the Lion King in London, it lacked the Wow factor of the West End show. After the show, we went to retrieve our pushchair from the stroller park. At this point, I was grateful for the tips I picked up on this board regarding the marking of your pushchair. The red tape I had wrapped round the handles meant I could easily identify our chair amongst a sea of a hundred strollers.
We got on our two way radios and located DM and 2Sis. (NOTE: We had purchased some Motorola two-way radios for US use on eBay prior to our trip. They were to prove extremely useful and I highly recommend them if you expect that your group will want to split up from time to time) We headed over to DINOLAND and as it was 11.45am, decided to stop for an early lunch. Burgers and chips all round, except Sis2 who is a vegetarian, and was beginning to discover that her eating options at Disney would be somewhat limited. That said, the regular fare was pretty limited most places Burgers, Pizzas, Chicken Strips. (BTW, what is the obsession with Turkey legs they were selling them everywhere)
We headed over to Dinosaur, a 25 min wait on standby so we grabbed fastpasses and headed over to Primeval Whirl. A 10 min wait in standby and we were on. This was new since our last visit, and I was not overly impressed. It could do with spinning a little more to add to the thrill factor, but as it is, it is pretty tame. Out of 10, I give it a 5.
DS was asleep in his pushchair, so we killed some time at the Dinosaur Derby. Sis1 won a medium sized dinosaur on the third attempt. Between us we had spent $18 on the derby at this point so we probably could have bought the dinosaur anyway .but hey, wheres the fun in that. We headed back to Dinosaur and used our fastpasses to walk straight in. This ride was almost as good as I remembered. I like the fact that the movements are unpredictable it jerks you about all over the place with a few surprises along the way and is a good fun ride. 8/10.
DS was still asleep (a shame as he would have liked Triceratops Spin and The Boneyard) so we headed over to Asia. It was quite warm now, so we decided to get wet on Kali River Rapids. Standby was 15 mins so we got in line. After 25 mins we boarded our raft and then nothing! They were experiencing problems and after 15 mins sat in our raft going nowhere, they closed the ride. We were given fastpasses as we exited but we did not return to use them.
It was getting close to parade time so we wandered off to find our viewing spot just outside the entrance to DinoLand. The Jamming Jungle parade was really lively and fun, with plenty of characters coming up to interact with a bewildered DS. As it turned out, this was to be our favourite parade in all parks. After the parade, 2Sis headed off to Tarzan Rocks, while the rest of us went off to get piccies with Pooh bear and friends probably the highlight of DS day. At about 4.20 we decided to head for the car, quite happy with the days events.
On the way back to the Vistana, I unintentionally found my way onto the 192, so we decided to stop at Pizza Hut just outside Old Town. We then dropped DW and DS at the Vistana while the rest of us headed for the Premium outlets. Sis2 and myself made most of the purchases, and with the aid of a $10 coupon, I found my tracksuit in Reebok for a bargain £22 (I had been looking at a similar one in the UK for £49 before the trip)
We returned to Vistana, with a quick diversion to Dunkin Donuts en route for some iced coffee, and were soon to be drifting off to sleep in readiness for tomorrow and MGM.
Day 3 23/2/03 Animal Kingdom
We awoke at about 6.20am (DS was sharing a room with DM and apparently he had woken her at 5.30am). Got showered, had breakfast and headed for AK at about 8am. The weather forecast was for low 70s and cloudy, but currently the temp was about 57F. It didnt feel too bad outside so we headed off in our shorts and t-shirts.
It is great to still get that tingle of excitement as you approach Disney property and you see the large Mickey on the gate in the distance. The magic is still there. Despite getting slightly confused by a diversion on the 536, we managed to navigate our way to the AK car park by 8.35am and parked within walking distance of the entrance. It was a little windy here and we were slightly regretting leaving the sweaters behind. Nonetheless, we were anxious to get our first taste of Disney and headed off to the security checkpoints. 10 mins later and we were in the queue at the turnstiles. It was 8.55am and some of the characters were putting on a little show. At this point I was feeling a little apprehensive about our tickets. We had purchased them over the web from Paramount, and despite hearing only good reports about them, I couldnt help but feel a little anxious. My temporary fears were unfounded as we were soon all through the turnstiles.
We tried to coerce DS to get a photo on his own with Goofy, but he insisted on being carried by DW. That done, we headed for the Kilmanjaro Safari. For me and DW, this was our second visit to AK it had just opened the last time we were here for the others, it was a new experience. The safari had a 10 min wait by the time we got there, and this passed swiftly by. There was a good selection of animals on view, including one close encounter with a young rhino which charged towards our jeep, and for a few seconds we all thought he was going to ram into the side of us. Everyone was pleased with their safari, although we still feel it could do without the phony poacher chase.
We disembarked and headed through Pangani Forest Exploration Trail again there were plenty of animals on display and then wandered through the shops in Africa, pausing for more photos with Baloo and King Louie, and picking up some Churros to munch on. DM and 2Sis headed into Its tough to be a Bug while DW, DS and Myself went to see Festival of the Lion King. We thought the show was pretty good, although having recently been to see the Lion King in London, it lacked the Wow factor of the West End show. After the show, we went to retrieve our pushchair from the stroller park. At this point, I was grateful for the tips I picked up on this board regarding the marking of your pushchair. The red tape I had wrapped round the handles meant I could easily identify our chair amongst a sea of a hundred strollers.
We got on our two way radios and located DM and 2Sis. (NOTE: We had purchased some Motorola two-way radios for US use on eBay prior to our trip. They were to prove extremely useful and I highly recommend them if you expect that your group will want to split up from time to time) We headed over to DINOLAND and as it was 11.45am, decided to stop for an early lunch. Burgers and chips all round, except Sis2 who is a vegetarian, and was beginning to discover that her eating options at Disney would be somewhat limited. That said, the regular fare was pretty limited most places Burgers, Pizzas, Chicken Strips. (BTW, what is the obsession with Turkey legs they were selling them everywhere)
We headed over to Dinosaur, a 25 min wait on standby so we grabbed fastpasses and headed over to Primeval Whirl. A 10 min wait in standby and we were on. This was new since our last visit, and I was not overly impressed. It could do with spinning a little more to add to the thrill factor, but as it is, it is pretty tame. Out of 10, I give it a 5.
DS was asleep in his pushchair, so we killed some time at the Dinosaur Derby. Sis1 won a medium sized dinosaur on the third attempt. Between us we had spent $18 on the derby at this point so we probably could have bought the dinosaur anyway .but hey, wheres the fun in that. We headed back to Dinosaur and used our fastpasses to walk straight in. This ride was almost as good as I remembered. I like the fact that the movements are unpredictable it jerks you about all over the place with a few surprises along the way and is a good fun ride. 8/10.
DS was still asleep (a shame as he would have liked Triceratops Spin and The Boneyard) so we headed over to Asia. It was quite warm now, so we decided to get wet on Kali River Rapids. Standby was 15 mins so we got in line. After 25 mins we boarded our raft and then nothing! They were experiencing problems and after 15 mins sat in our raft going nowhere, they closed the ride. We were given fastpasses as we exited but we did not return to use them.
It was getting close to parade time so we wandered off to find our viewing spot just outside the entrance to DinoLand. The Jamming Jungle parade was really lively and fun, with plenty of characters coming up to interact with a bewildered DS. As it turned out, this was to be our favourite parade in all parks. After the parade, 2Sis headed off to Tarzan Rocks, while the rest of us went off to get piccies with Pooh bear and friends probably the highlight of DS day. At about 4.20 we decided to head for the car, quite happy with the days events.
On the way back to the Vistana, I unintentionally found my way onto the 192, so we decided to stop at Pizza Hut just outside Old Town. We then dropped DW and DS at the Vistana while the rest of us headed for the Premium outlets. Sis2 and myself made most of the purchases, and with the aid of a $10 coupon, I found my tracksuit in Reebok for a bargain £22 (I had been looking at a similar one in the UK for £49 before the trip)
We returned to Vistana, with a quick diversion to Dunkin Donuts en route for some iced coffee, and were soon to be drifting off to sleep in readiness for tomorrow and MGM.
