hipporina
<font color=teal>I keep Kleenex in business</font>
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2001
- Messages
- 968
Day 4 Monday May 19 Hippos and Michael Jackson!
Today was supposed to be the EMH day for Animal Kingdom, but due to the triathlon yesterday, it was switched to Magic Kingdom. Considering how few people were at MK yesterday, we decided to stick with our plan of going to the Animal Kingdom hoping for the same effect. We arrived at the park with perfect timing again, getting to the gates right before the park opened, even though they opened 30 minutes early! Yeah!
Kilimanjaro Safaris and the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Upon entering the park, there were several characters to greet the guests. The kids and I couldnt resist the chance to meet Goofy, and with few people waiting, we decided to stop for a photo and autographs. After getting our Goofy fix, we headed on to Kilimanjaro Safaris. I dont think I ever noticed how far back there it is before, but by the time we speed walked back there with the stroller and all, I was worn out! We waited about 3 minutes for our bus and then we were off!
For some reason, they left out a few things on the safari. When we went over the bridge that is supposed to buckle beneath us, nothing happened. Then as we were chasing the poachers, we didnt see the jeep running through the trees. Plus, the geysers werent running in the geyser part near the end of the ride. When we rode again later in the week, all these things were operating, so I dont know what the problem was.
We had several notable animal encounters along the way. I am a complete hippo fanatic, probably the worst one you will ever meet. I love them and collect all kinds of hippo stuff. There is not a room in our house without some sort of hippo in it. Knowing that, imagine my delight when they told us a baby hippo had been born 3 days earlier! Unfortunately, we didnt see it, so I decided we were going to ride it until I saw it! Lucky for us all, we saw it on just our second ride, later in the week. It was so cute! I was so surprised at the number of hippos they had though, and they were very active and two of them were even playing together in the water!
I know, I know, enough about hippos. Our other big surprise was with the lions. As we drove by, our guide pointed out that the lion was doing something very typical of all cats he was coughing up a hairball! Im not sure why I find it so amusing, but there is just something about the king of the jungle coughing up a hairball that tickles me. I sure would hate to see that hairball!
Our next stop was the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We all enjoyed the unique underwater hippo viewing tank and it really helped the boys to get an idea of how big hippos really are. Another hit was the gorillas. There were several sitting together right by the glass, including the large male. There was quite a crowd gathered, but we were able to get the kids close enough to see within a few minutes. The boys were anxious to get to more rides, so we hurried through most of the trail.
The shows
By the time we finished up the Pangani trail, it was almost time for the first showing of Festival of the Lion King. Since we had missed this on our first trip and heard such great things about it, we hurried over there to see it. We got seats without a problem about 15 minutes before the show started. We were all really enjoying the show, when some sort of technical difficulties arose. They tried unsuccessfully to fix the problem and had to end the show prematurely. We left disappointed and planning to return, but we never made it back for another show. Oh well, Im sure it will still be there next time we go.
Following the Lion King disappointment, we decided to go see Its Tough To Be a Bug, partly because John was very anxious to see it again. We both loved it on the last trip and hoped the boys would too. We reminded them just to close their eyes if they got scared, but they didnt have any problems. There were two kids sitting behind us that were falling apart and crying that they wanted out, and I was thankful they werent mine. We knew to watch Luke at the end when the bugs leave and the look of shock on his face was worth the cost of the whole trip! He jumped and squealed and then started laughing. With Joshua being little, he missed several of the effects because of his seating position, but thought it was great anyway. It probably helps that they like bugs!
Dinosaur!
Luke was itching to ride another ride, so we headed over to Dinosaur. We were really concerned about it scaring him and warned him about it repeatedly, but he insisted that he wanted to go on it. John and Joshua waited while Luke and I rode first. As our time machine was leaving, the CM told us to be sure to hold your breath for 10 seconds when you go underwater. Luke couldnt quite figure that one out. Surprisingly to me, he loved the ride and didnt get scared at all. He was ready to go again and hoped right back on with John. Joshua and I waited in the gift shop / photo area at the exit, and he entertained himself by throwing his hat up in the air and bouncing around in circles. At least we all had fun!
We decided to head over to Triceratops Spin so that everyone could ride. It was unimpressive and the controls in our dino did not work very well, but the boys still thought it was fun. I was anxious to ride Primeval Whirl and got a FP for it, but I ended up not using it. Luke was too small to ride and John didnt care too much about it, so well just catch it next time.
A lot has been said about the themeing in Chester and Hesters Dinorama, so Im going to add my own opinion. The biggest complaint I have heard is that it feels too much like a roadside carnival and not enough like Disney. I just dont understand that. It does feel like a roadside carnival, and that is the beauty of it. Disney, in typical Disney style, took a theme and executed it perfectly. I have never heard anyone say that the safari feels too much like being in Africa or that the France pavilion feels too much like France. I noticed even the ground looks like it was built on a parking lot, just like a road-side carnival, complete with yellow stripes. Okay, off my soap box now.
Our last Animal Kingdom stop for the day was at Tarzan Rocks! John liked it better the first time we saw it, but the boys really enjoyed it. They both thought the rollerblading was very, very cool. As for me, I mainly enjoyed Tarzan. Hehehe!
Afternoon break
We decided to head back to the hotel for lunch and a break, before going to Epcot. We grabbed lunch in the food court and went to the pool. The boys liked the idea of swimming more than actually going because neither one can swim. They were too little for the big pool and too big for the little pool, so they werent having much fun. I remembered the CM telling us about a water playground when we checked in, so I led them over to it. It was a big hit! All four of us had a good time running around in the shooting water and aiming it at each other. We played for a little while and headed back to the room to get dressed and go to Epcot.
Epcot
On the way to Epcot, John got separated from the boys and me on the bus, both on different sides. When we drove up, John saw a big limo with a bunch of people getting out on his side. On my side, I saw a man that looked an awful lot like Michael Jackson. I didnt think anything of it and asked John if he saw the Michael Jackson look alike. He put two and two together and figured out that it was the real Michael Jackson! Sure enough, CMs and fans soon surrounded him. He and his kids were headed into the park right behind us, so he was about 5-10 feet away from us all the way in past the exit. We were so shocked! We didnt want to bother him, so we took a little video as we walked, and headed on our way. It was interesting to watch the way people reacted to him. There was even a huge crowd gathering to wait for him when he went into the restroom!
Future World
Meanwhile, Joshua had fallen asleep on the bus and missed all the excitement, not that he would have cared anyway. Luke was anxious to ride Spaceship Earth, so we picked up Joshua from the stroller and walked right on. We all enjoyed the ride and are still impressed by the novelty of getting to go into the big ball. Joshua slept through the entire ride and we returned him to his stroller without him stirring.
One of Lukes most anticipated attractions was Test Track, so we couldnt resist heading over there next. We considered getting FP, going stand-by, or going in the single-rider line. Luke just wanted to go as quickly as possible, and John didnt mind not riding, so Luke and I headed for the single-rider line. I prepared him several times that we would probably not be in the same car and instructed him on what to do during and after the ride. He still insisted that he didnt mind going alone.
When it was our turn to go, we ended up being in separate cars, like I expected. What I didnt expect was the kindness of one of the other single-riders to offer to trade with me so that Luke and I were in the same car. The thoughtfulness of that woman added an extra touch of magic to our trip. During the ride, we again encountered another kind guest in the lady that was sitting next to Luke. She helped him buckle in, answered all his questions, explained parts of the ride to him, and was overall great to him. Of course, I never expected that, and he would have been fine on his own, but he loves to have someone new to talk to and it really made the ride special for him. He absolutely loved the ride, especially the fast part, and wanted to go again. We decided to pass on it for then, and do something else.
It was getting close to the closing time for Future World, so we decided to grab one quick ride on Body Wars. John and Joshua roamed around the Wonders of Life pavilion, Joshua still asleep, while Luke and I rode. Luke enjoyed it and came off a little dizzy, but was ready to go again with John. I felt that the ride was a little dated and could use an update, but enjoyed it anyway. John decided not to go, so we headed over to the Imagination Pavilion.
By the time we arrived, Journey Into Your Imagination was already closed for the day, so we decided to watch Honey I Shrunk the Audience. It looked like it might rain, so we covered the stroller with a pancho and headed in. We decided to wake Joshua up since he enjoyed Its Tough To Be A Bug and thought he would like this one too. Probably not a good idea. He doesnt like to be woken up, and its evidently no different at WDW! He threw a fit and cried to be held until we finally got in the theater. Once in there, he got quiet and watched. I covered his eyes on the part with the snake, and he did okay with the rest. Luke jumped and squealed when the rats ran into the audience and thought it was all fun. Im still impressed by the whole theater bouncing.
When we left the show, it had started raining and we were glad we covered the stroller. We put Joshua in the stroller with the pancho over it and him with his head sticking out. Luke and I took the other pancho together and John insisted that he didnt want one and was okay getting a little wet. Besides, it wasnt raining very much at that point.
World Showcase
As most of Future World was closed, we headed over to the World Showcase. On our previous trip, John and I did not explore this area at all. We got to it on the last day of our trip and were too tired to enjoy it, so we just walked around it. This time, we wanted to slow down and experience it.
We began in Mexico and rode El Rio Del Tiempo. With the way the Mexican pavilion is designed, you could easily miss this attraction if you werent looking for it, and Im not so sure that would be a bad thing. We all found this ride to be the least enjoyable thing we did. In fact, it can be summed up in one word lame. Im usually not one to be critical, but this really stank! The most exciting part of the attraction is going past all the people eating at the restaurant. After riding, the boys enjoyed banging on some drums and looking at the stuff in the stores, so it wasnt a total waste. Plus, it kept us out of the rain.
We continued onto Norway and rode Maelstrom. The wait was about 10 minutes and we were able to spot the hidden Mickey on the mural while waiting. John loved the big eyeball at the beginning of the ride, and everyone was tickled when we started going backwards. To my amusement, John really thought we were going to go over the waterfall! We all ended up enjoying the ride, but didnt find it to be exceptional. On the way out, we were shocked at the prices of the small trolls. Those little buggers are expensive!
As we were walking past China, we saw a CM playing with these sticks where you use two of them to bounce and twirl a third. Luke was intrigued and jumped at the chance to try it himself. The CM got him a set and showed him how to do it. When he couldnt get it started, the CM got behind him and held his hands to help him do it. Luke was thrilled and had a blast with it.
Being huge fans of Chinese food, John and I couldnt resist the urge to stop for supper. We decided to split a meal at the counter service restaurant there, and keep an eye out for something else along the way. The food was really good and we enjoyed the break. We ended up not finding anything else, so we were all a little hungry and planned to eat at the hotel when we returned. By that point though, we were too tired to eat, so that Chinese food sustained us for the rest of the night.
We stopped briefly to look at the trains in Germany and then caught a little of the living statue in Italy. The boys were both mesmerized by it and thought it was really funny. They were just getting ready to go up to it when it started raining again and the statue had to go back inside. Oh well, at least we got to watch other people interacting with it.
We headed over to the American pavilion for shelter and saw that a showing of American Adventure was to start in about 15 minutes. We decided to watch it and we all enjoyed it. I was concerned that the boys would get bored, but they didnt. The funniest thing was at the end when the Statue of Liberty comes up, with the torch first, Joshua declared Look mommy, its Spiderman!
It was 8:50 when the show ended, just 10 minutes before Illuminations was to begin. The rain had thinned what little crowds there were, so we had no problem finding a spot. We walked around to the boat dock in Germany and got a spot on the rail where we could all see perfectly. The rain had stopped and didnt start again that evening, so it was perfect. John and I missed Illuminations on our last trip, so we were all seeing it for the first time. It was absolutely amazing. I liked it even better than Fantasmic. The boys were speechless and I think we all had big grins plastered on our faces. It really was a perfect ending to the day.
After Illuminations was over, we saw the fiber-optic sidewalks by Innoventions. They impressed all of us too. We had no problems getting a bus back to the hotel, which we were really thankful for. We got our hot chocolate and headed to bed. Tomorrow is our day to go to Blizzard Beach and relax!
Today was supposed to be the EMH day for Animal Kingdom, but due to the triathlon yesterday, it was switched to Magic Kingdom. Considering how few people were at MK yesterday, we decided to stick with our plan of going to the Animal Kingdom hoping for the same effect. We arrived at the park with perfect timing again, getting to the gates right before the park opened, even though they opened 30 minutes early! Yeah!
Kilimanjaro Safaris and the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Upon entering the park, there were several characters to greet the guests. The kids and I couldnt resist the chance to meet Goofy, and with few people waiting, we decided to stop for a photo and autographs. After getting our Goofy fix, we headed on to Kilimanjaro Safaris. I dont think I ever noticed how far back there it is before, but by the time we speed walked back there with the stroller and all, I was worn out! We waited about 3 minutes for our bus and then we were off!
For some reason, they left out a few things on the safari. When we went over the bridge that is supposed to buckle beneath us, nothing happened. Then as we were chasing the poachers, we didnt see the jeep running through the trees. Plus, the geysers werent running in the geyser part near the end of the ride. When we rode again later in the week, all these things were operating, so I dont know what the problem was.
We had several notable animal encounters along the way. I am a complete hippo fanatic, probably the worst one you will ever meet. I love them and collect all kinds of hippo stuff. There is not a room in our house without some sort of hippo in it. Knowing that, imagine my delight when they told us a baby hippo had been born 3 days earlier! Unfortunately, we didnt see it, so I decided we were going to ride it until I saw it! Lucky for us all, we saw it on just our second ride, later in the week. It was so cute! I was so surprised at the number of hippos they had though, and they were very active and two of them were even playing together in the water!
I know, I know, enough about hippos. Our other big surprise was with the lions. As we drove by, our guide pointed out that the lion was doing something very typical of all cats he was coughing up a hairball! Im not sure why I find it so amusing, but there is just something about the king of the jungle coughing up a hairball that tickles me. I sure would hate to see that hairball!
Our next stop was the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We all enjoyed the unique underwater hippo viewing tank and it really helped the boys to get an idea of how big hippos really are. Another hit was the gorillas. There were several sitting together right by the glass, including the large male. There was quite a crowd gathered, but we were able to get the kids close enough to see within a few minutes. The boys were anxious to get to more rides, so we hurried through most of the trail.
The shows
By the time we finished up the Pangani trail, it was almost time for the first showing of Festival of the Lion King. Since we had missed this on our first trip and heard such great things about it, we hurried over there to see it. We got seats without a problem about 15 minutes before the show started. We were all really enjoying the show, when some sort of technical difficulties arose. They tried unsuccessfully to fix the problem and had to end the show prematurely. We left disappointed and planning to return, but we never made it back for another show. Oh well, Im sure it will still be there next time we go.
Following the Lion King disappointment, we decided to go see Its Tough To Be a Bug, partly because John was very anxious to see it again. We both loved it on the last trip and hoped the boys would too. We reminded them just to close their eyes if they got scared, but they didnt have any problems. There were two kids sitting behind us that were falling apart and crying that they wanted out, and I was thankful they werent mine. We knew to watch Luke at the end when the bugs leave and the look of shock on his face was worth the cost of the whole trip! He jumped and squealed and then started laughing. With Joshua being little, he missed several of the effects because of his seating position, but thought it was great anyway. It probably helps that they like bugs!
Dinosaur!
Luke was itching to ride another ride, so we headed over to Dinosaur. We were really concerned about it scaring him and warned him about it repeatedly, but he insisted that he wanted to go on it. John and Joshua waited while Luke and I rode first. As our time machine was leaving, the CM told us to be sure to hold your breath for 10 seconds when you go underwater. Luke couldnt quite figure that one out. Surprisingly to me, he loved the ride and didnt get scared at all. He was ready to go again and hoped right back on with John. Joshua and I waited in the gift shop / photo area at the exit, and he entertained himself by throwing his hat up in the air and bouncing around in circles. At least we all had fun!
We decided to head over to Triceratops Spin so that everyone could ride. It was unimpressive and the controls in our dino did not work very well, but the boys still thought it was fun. I was anxious to ride Primeval Whirl and got a FP for it, but I ended up not using it. Luke was too small to ride and John didnt care too much about it, so well just catch it next time.
A lot has been said about the themeing in Chester and Hesters Dinorama, so Im going to add my own opinion. The biggest complaint I have heard is that it feels too much like a roadside carnival and not enough like Disney. I just dont understand that. It does feel like a roadside carnival, and that is the beauty of it. Disney, in typical Disney style, took a theme and executed it perfectly. I have never heard anyone say that the safari feels too much like being in Africa or that the France pavilion feels too much like France. I noticed even the ground looks like it was built on a parking lot, just like a road-side carnival, complete with yellow stripes. Okay, off my soap box now.
Our last Animal Kingdom stop for the day was at Tarzan Rocks! John liked it better the first time we saw it, but the boys really enjoyed it. They both thought the rollerblading was very, very cool. As for me, I mainly enjoyed Tarzan. Hehehe!
Afternoon break
We decided to head back to the hotel for lunch and a break, before going to Epcot. We grabbed lunch in the food court and went to the pool. The boys liked the idea of swimming more than actually going because neither one can swim. They were too little for the big pool and too big for the little pool, so they werent having much fun. I remembered the CM telling us about a water playground when we checked in, so I led them over to it. It was a big hit! All four of us had a good time running around in the shooting water and aiming it at each other. We played for a little while and headed back to the room to get dressed and go to Epcot.
Epcot
On the way to Epcot, John got separated from the boys and me on the bus, both on different sides. When we drove up, John saw a big limo with a bunch of people getting out on his side. On my side, I saw a man that looked an awful lot like Michael Jackson. I didnt think anything of it and asked John if he saw the Michael Jackson look alike. He put two and two together and figured out that it was the real Michael Jackson! Sure enough, CMs and fans soon surrounded him. He and his kids were headed into the park right behind us, so he was about 5-10 feet away from us all the way in past the exit. We were so shocked! We didnt want to bother him, so we took a little video as we walked, and headed on our way. It was interesting to watch the way people reacted to him. There was even a huge crowd gathering to wait for him when he went into the restroom!
Future World
Meanwhile, Joshua had fallen asleep on the bus and missed all the excitement, not that he would have cared anyway. Luke was anxious to ride Spaceship Earth, so we picked up Joshua from the stroller and walked right on. We all enjoyed the ride and are still impressed by the novelty of getting to go into the big ball. Joshua slept through the entire ride and we returned him to his stroller without him stirring.
One of Lukes most anticipated attractions was Test Track, so we couldnt resist heading over there next. We considered getting FP, going stand-by, or going in the single-rider line. Luke just wanted to go as quickly as possible, and John didnt mind not riding, so Luke and I headed for the single-rider line. I prepared him several times that we would probably not be in the same car and instructed him on what to do during and after the ride. He still insisted that he didnt mind going alone.
When it was our turn to go, we ended up being in separate cars, like I expected. What I didnt expect was the kindness of one of the other single-riders to offer to trade with me so that Luke and I were in the same car. The thoughtfulness of that woman added an extra touch of magic to our trip. During the ride, we again encountered another kind guest in the lady that was sitting next to Luke. She helped him buckle in, answered all his questions, explained parts of the ride to him, and was overall great to him. Of course, I never expected that, and he would have been fine on his own, but he loves to have someone new to talk to and it really made the ride special for him. He absolutely loved the ride, especially the fast part, and wanted to go again. We decided to pass on it for then, and do something else.
It was getting close to the closing time for Future World, so we decided to grab one quick ride on Body Wars. John and Joshua roamed around the Wonders of Life pavilion, Joshua still asleep, while Luke and I rode. Luke enjoyed it and came off a little dizzy, but was ready to go again with John. I felt that the ride was a little dated and could use an update, but enjoyed it anyway. John decided not to go, so we headed over to the Imagination Pavilion.
By the time we arrived, Journey Into Your Imagination was already closed for the day, so we decided to watch Honey I Shrunk the Audience. It looked like it might rain, so we covered the stroller with a pancho and headed in. We decided to wake Joshua up since he enjoyed Its Tough To Be A Bug and thought he would like this one too. Probably not a good idea. He doesnt like to be woken up, and its evidently no different at WDW! He threw a fit and cried to be held until we finally got in the theater. Once in there, he got quiet and watched. I covered his eyes on the part with the snake, and he did okay with the rest. Luke jumped and squealed when the rats ran into the audience and thought it was all fun. Im still impressed by the whole theater bouncing.
When we left the show, it had started raining and we were glad we covered the stroller. We put Joshua in the stroller with the pancho over it and him with his head sticking out. Luke and I took the other pancho together and John insisted that he didnt want one and was okay getting a little wet. Besides, it wasnt raining very much at that point.
World Showcase
As most of Future World was closed, we headed over to the World Showcase. On our previous trip, John and I did not explore this area at all. We got to it on the last day of our trip and were too tired to enjoy it, so we just walked around it. This time, we wanted to slow down and experience it.
We began in Mexico and rode El Rio Del Tiempo. With the way the Mexican pavilion is designed, you could easily miss this attraction if you werent looking for it, and Im not so sure that would be a bad thing. We all found this ride to be the least enjoyable thing we did. In fact, it can be summed up in one word lame. Im usually not one to be critical, but this really stank! The most exciting part of the attraction is going past all the people eating at the restaurant. After riding, the boys enjoyed banging on some drums and looking at the stuff in the stores, so it wasnt a total waste. Plus, it kept us out of the rain.
We continued onto Norway and rode Maelstrom. The wait was about 10 minutes and we were able to spot the hidden Mickey on the mural while waiting. John loved the big eyeball at the beginning of the ride, and everyone was tickled when we started going backwards. To my amusement, John really thought we were going to go over the waterfall! We all ended up enjoying the ride, but didnt find it to be exceptional. On the way out, we were shocked at the prices of the small trolls. Those little buggers are expensive!
As we were walking past China, we saw a CM playing with these sticks where you use two of them to bounce and twirl a third. Luke was intrigued and jumped at the chance to try it himself. The CM got him a set and showed him how to do it. When he couldnt get it started, the CM got behind him and held his hands to help him do it. Luke was thrilled and had a blast with it.
Being huge fans of Chinese food, John and I couldnt resist the urge to stop for supper. We decided to split a meal at the counter service restaurant there, and keep an eye out for something else along the way. The food was really good and we enjoyed the break. We ended up not finding anything else, so we were all a little hungry and planned to eat at the hotel when we returned. By that point though, we were too tired to eat, so that Chinese food sustained us for the rest of the night.
We stopped briefly to look at the trains in Germany and then caught a little of the living statue in Italy. The boys were both mesmerized by it and thought it was really funny. They were just getting ready to go up to it when it started raining again and the statue had to go back inside. Oh well, at least we got to watch other people interacting with it.
We headed over to the American pavilion for shelter and saw that a showing of American Adventure was to start in about 15 minutes. We decided to watch it and we all enjoyed it. I was concerned that the boys would get bored, but they didnt. The funniest thing was at the end when the Statue of Liberty comes up, with the torch first, Joshua declared Look mommy, its Spiderman!
It was 8:50 when the show ended, just 10 minutes before Illuminations was to begin. The rain had thinned what little crowds there were, so we had no problem finding a spot. We walked around to the boat dock in Germany and got a spot on the rail where we could all see perfectly. The rain had stopped and didnt start again that evening, so it was perfect. John and I missed Illuminations on our last trip, so we were all seeing it for the first time. It was absolutely amazing. I liked it even better than Fantasmic. The boys were speechless and I think we all had big grins plastered on our faces. It really was a perfect ending to the day.
After Illuminations was over, we saw the fiber-optic sidewalks by Innoventions. They impressed all of us too. We had no problems getting a bus back to the hotel, which we were really thankful for. We got our hot chocolate and headed to bed. Tomorrow is our day to go to Blizzard Beach and relax!
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