Hettie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2001
- Messages
- 507
Dates: September 16-22, 2001
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Cast:
Heather (me)25Marketing Support Rep, Graduate student. Former WDW and
Disney Store Cast Member, obsessive vacation-planner.
Chad26Network systems programmer. Made fun of my obsessive vacation-
planning, but acknowledged the importance and appreciated the work.
Day 3, or Ohhh, so THATS what that smell is!
September 18, 2001
We were up at 7:00 but didnt rush to leave for Animal Kingdom. The lack of lines at the parks was allowing us to take a leisurely pace. We went down to Mara to get our coffee and I had a croissant sandwich. As the pizza the day before, it was really big. The portions at Mara are generous. Chad had another blueberry muffin. I think he had one almost every day. They must have been good, huh? We had our breakfast on the pool deck and I didnt even notice the time when we left for the park, but it must have been at least 8:00.
We arrived and made our way through the Oasis. I wanted to stop and look at everything here, but also wanted to get to Kilimanjaro Safaris while it was cool and the animals were active, so we moved on and promised to come back later in the day. The safari was fun and we saw plenty of animals. Of course the lions were sleeping when are they not? We walked the Pangani trail after the safari, stopping for a long time to watch the Timones. What are they called? I cant remember at all. I searched online, I even called Chad at work and he cant remember. Someone please tell me before it drives me crazy! LOL. Anyway, I digress. I checked times and saw that there would be a 10:30 showing of Flights of Wonder. On the way to Asia we found a smoking area for Chad. Some of these areas are really great. Theyre usually secluded and it forces you to stop and take the scenery in. I didnt mind the smoke breaks, except in Epcots Future World. Not much shade to be found.
In Asia we watched the monkeys screech for a long time. Im starting to realize that I havent allowed enough time for this park. Were the types to linger over animals that we like. We walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Tigers were asleep, of course. We really liked the bats.
It was time for Flights of Wonder. Let me just tell you that I loved every second of this show. It was one of my favorite things all week. I didnt realize that I like birds so much, but how often do you get to feel the breeze from a hawk swooping over your head? I really cant say enough about it, but Ill stop before I get gushy and sappy. After the show it was time for treatschocolate-covered banana for me and strawberry bar for Chad. We sat on the terrace on the river facing the Tree of Life. This was a nice vantage point for a break. We identified animals on the tree while we ate our snacks.
We then headed over to Dinoland U.S.A. Passed by The Boneyard and the sight of it made me long to be a kid and play inside. We bypassed Tarzan Rocks! as neither of us were terribly interested. We rode Dinosaur and it was just okay in our opinion. We decided to advise Chads dad who is having back problems to definitely skip this one. My thoughts on Dinosaur are that its too scary for many kids, but not thrilling enough to be an adult ride. I think it might be better if it were less scary so that more kids can enjoy it thats just my opinion though.
After Dinosaur I checked the schedule and saw that we could make the next showing of Festival of the Lion King. Overall the show was great. The lead singers had amazing voices, but our favorites had to be the monkeys. Not only because of their acrobatics, but also because of the way they stayed in character the entire time. They seemed to be having a great time. But we are starving, so when the show is over we head straight for Tusker House. A family having some emotional problems jumped in front of us in line. That was a little frustrating but we eventually ordered. I had the special which was peanut-crusted chicken on-a-stick, or something like that. Chad had the grilled chicken salad in a bread bowl. The chicken was very good, but even better were the green beans that came with it. Now it was Chads turn to be envious. His salad was good as well, even though the bread was a little blah.
We were getting tired but went on to Rafikis Planet Watch. After the fact, we considered it a waste of time. There just wasnt anything going on in the conservation station and lets not even discuss the Affection Section. I guess if youve never been on a farm this could be fun, but Ive seen plenty of goats and sheep. The most interesting thing I saw on the train ride was the huge dumpster marked Manure Only which aided in identification of the putrid smell around the flowerbeds at Epcot. We did watch the cotton-top tamarins for a long time. How cute are those? They may be cute enough to warrant the trip to old Rafikis Planet Watch
Its around 3:30 and we know that were going to need a break before E-night, so we leave and plan to return and see Its Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids and explore the Oasis. Chad convinces me to nap and we sleep about two hours. Must have been tired. This made us leave later than planned to meet Chads family at Magic Kingdom. Then the bus driver who was new couldnt get the wheelchair lift to go back into the up position. Not a big deal to us, but the family is waiting.
Now youre wondering, where did the family come from? They had arrived Monday. We had actually planned our trips separately and they happened to coincide, but because we were staying at different resorts and had different vacation agendas we only met up a couple of times. It was my idea to meet at E-night, partly for selfish reasons. You see, I am an only child and my family is VERY small. Going around in large groups makes me nervous, so I thought maneuvering around in a group of 7 would work more smoothly in an empty theme park. I was right. We grabbed burgers at Pecos Bills. It was okay for survival food. I liked the fixins bar, but I advise all to be careful when you use the condiment dispenser. I ended up with half a cup of mustard on my bun. That thing must operate on rocket fuel. After dinner we took our time and went on all the rides. Because of the slow pace we only did each one time (well, twice on Space Mountain) but this was just fine. The best part was seeing the castle changing colors and experiencing the park so peaceful and quiet. The E-ticket is worth it for that alone. We also got to hang out with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto in front of the castle. We had them all to ourselves. I even got Chad, the one who refuses to let me take his picture, to be in a photo with Mickey and myself. It was perfect.
We parted ways with the family and went back to the room. We were still tired, even after the two-hour nap. I was glad that I had planned for Wednesday to be a non-theme-park day. We were going to Typhoon Lagoon. I couldnt wait for Chad to see it, because somehow in his 26 years he had never made it to a water park.
Day 4 coming soon!
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Cast:
Heather (me)25Marketing Support Rep, Graduate student. Former WDW and
Disney Store Cast Member, obsessive vacation-planner.
Chad26Network systems programmer. Made fun of my obsessive vacation-
planning, but acknowledged the importance and appreciated the work.
Day 3, or Ohhh, so THATS what that smell is!
September 18, 2001
We were up at 7:00 but didnt rush to leave for Animal Kingdom. The lack of lines at the parks was allowing us to take a leisurely pace. We went down to Mara to get our coffee and I had a croissant sandwich. As the pizza the day before, it was really big. The portions at Mara are generous. Chad had another blueberry muffin. I think he had one almost every day. They must have been good, huh? We had our breakfast on the pool deck and I didnt even notice the time when we left for the park, but it must have been at least 8:00.
We arrived and made our way through the Oasis. I wanted to stop and look at everything here, but also wanted to get to Kilimanjaro Safaris while it was cool and the animals were active, so we moved on and promised to come back later in the day. The safari was fun and we saw plenty of animals. Of course the lions were sleeping when are they not? We walked the Pangani trail after the safari, stopping for a long time to watch the Timones. What are they called? I cant remember at all. I searched online, I even called Chad at work and he cant remember. Someone please tell me before it drives me crazy! LOL. Anyway, I digress. I checked times and saw that there would be a 10:30 showing of Flights of Wonder. On the way to Asia we found a smoking area for Chad. Some of these areas are really great. Theyre usually secluded and it forces you to stop and take the scenery in. I didnt mind the smoke breaks, except in Epcots Future World. Not much shade to be found.
In Asia we watched the monkeys screech for a long time. Im starting to realize that I havent allowed enough time for this park. Were the types to linger over animals that we like. We walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Tigers were asleep, of course. We really liked the bats.
It was time for Flights of Wonder. Let me just tell you that I loved every second of this show. It was one of my favorite things all week. I didnt realize that I like birds so much, but how often do you get to feel the breeze from a hawk swooping over your head? I really cant say enough about it, but Ill stop before I get gushy and sappy. After the show it was time for treatschocolate-covered banana for me and strawberry bar for Chad. We sat on the terrace on the river facing the Tree of Life. This was a nice vantage point for a break. We identified animals on the tree while we ate our snacks.
We then headed over to Dinoland U.S.A. Passed by The Boneyard and the sight of it made me long to be a kid and play inside. We bypassed Tarzan Rocks! as neither of us were terribly interested. We rode Dinosaur and it was just okay in our opinion. We decided to advise Chads dad who is having back problems to definitely skip this one. My thoughts on Dinosaur are that its too scary for many kids, but not thrilling enough to be an adult ride. I think it might be better if it were less scary so that more kids can enjoy it thats just my opinion though.
After Dinosaur I checked the schedule and saw that we could make the next showing of Festival of the Lion King. Overall the show was great. The lead singers had amazing voices, but our favorites had to be the monkeys. Not only because of their acrobatics, but also because of the way they stayed in character the entire time. They seemed to be having a great time. But we are starving, so when the show is over we head straight for Tusker House. A family having some emotional problems jumped in front of us in line. That was a little frustrating but we eventually ordered. I had the special which was peanut-crusted chicken on-a-stick, or something like that. Chad had the grilled chicken salad in a bread bowl. The chicken was very good, but even better were the green beans that came with it. Now it was Chads turn to be envious. His salad was good as well, even though the bread was a little blah.
We were getting tired but went on to Rafikis Planet Watch. After the fact, we considered it a waste of time. There just wasnt anything going on in the conservation station and lets not even discuss the Affection Section. I guess if youve never been on a farm this could be fun, but Ive seen plenty of goats and sheep. The most interesting thing I saw on the train ride was the huge dumpster marked Manure Only which aided in identification of the putrid smell around the flowerbeds at Epcot. We did watch the cotton-top tamarins for a long time. How cute are those? They may be cute enough to warrant the trip to old Rafikis Planet Watch
Its around 3:30 and we know that were going to need a break before E-night, so we leave and plan to return and see Its Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids and explore the Oasis. Chad convinces me to nap and we sleep about two hours. Must have been tired. This made us leave later than planned to meet Chads family at Magic Kingdom. Then the bus driver who was new couldnt get the wheelchair lift to go back into the up position. Not a big deal to us, but the family is waiting.
Now youre wondering, where did the family come from? They had arrived Monday. We had actually planned our trips separately and they happened to coincide, but because we were staying at different resorts and had different vacation agendas we only met up a couple of times. It was my idea to meet at E-night, partly for selfish reasons. You see, I am an only child and my family is VERY small. Going around in large groups makes me nervous, so I thought maneuvering around in a group of 7 would work more smoothly in an empty theme park. I was right. We grabbed burgers at Pecos Bills. It was okay for survival food. I liked the fixins bar, but I advise all to be careful when you use the condiment dispenser. I ended up with half a cup of mustard on my bun. That thing must operate on rocket fuel. After dinner we took our time and went on all the rides. Because of the slow pace we only did each one time (well, twice on Space Mountain) but this was just fine. The best part was seeing the castle changing colors and experiencing the park so peaceful and quiet. The E-ticket is worth it for that alone. We also got to hang out with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto in front of the castle. We had them all to ourselves. I even got Chad, the one who refuses to let me take his picture, to be in a photo with Mickey and myself. It was perfect.
We parted ways with the family and went back to the room. We were still tired, even after the two-hour nap. I was glad that I had planned for Wednesday to be a non-theme-park day. We were going to Typhoon Lagoon. I couldnt wait for Chad to see it, because somehow in his 26 years he had never made it to a water park.
Day 4 coming soon!
Poor Dh felt the same way about Conservation Station too.... guess if you have been to a petting zoo your trip is short.... 
- but we just rebooked yesterday for December. 
