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 5 or Zebra Domes or Bust!
September 20, 2001
Got up around 8:00 but lazed around for quite some time. I had a great waffle from Mara for breakfast and Chad ventured away from the usual muffin and had a breakfast platter that looked pretty good. We finally wandered out to take the bus to MGM. We went on Star Tours first. I think Chad liked the queue for this attraction better than the attraction itself. Hes a big Star Wars fan. He also liked the gift shop and found a Rebel Alliance beer mug that he liked, but wanted to think about it before buying it.
Next we went to see the Muppets. It was just as funny as ever. Sam the Eagle is hilarious. We walked around New York Street and eventually decided to skip the Backlot Studio Tour. I have done this tour so many times that it just bores me. We found a smoking area near the entrance but it was in full sun and we were already hot. Everyone says Animal Kingdom is the hottest park, but I beg to differ. It just seems like there is no shade at MGM. We walked by the Sci-fi Dine In and Chad asked what it was. I described it to him and he got pretty excited about the sci-fi clips and asked if we could eat there later. I thought this was really cute and said Sure! even though some people have said the food quality is poor. I figured wed just get a snack anyway. More on that later.
Went on Great Movie Ride. This one is getting tired too. The person doing the gangster bit seemed like hed rather be somewhere else. My favorite part of this attraction is the movie clips at the end. We walked over to Little Mermaid to see if there was a show soon and they were letting people in. Somehow in all my past visits I had managed to miss this show every time. I really liked it and Im glad I finally saw it. Chad liked it too, and the show made it to the top of his favorites list.
We were starting to get hungry so we went on to the Sci-fi. This is the first time wed been in a busy restaurant all week, but we were still seated very quickly. We got to be the hitchhikers in someone elses car. Service seemed a little slow, but I think we had just gotten spoiled by instant gratification all week. We ordered the onion rings to share, I had the Marinated Tomato Salad (saving room for a milkshake) and Chad had the Shrimp Penne Pasta. The food was actually quite good. No complaints from us. I had an adult specialty shake with cherry brandy for dessert. We had a great time and thought this restaurant was really fun. The sci-fi clips are hilarious and it was a nice escape from the heat. I was really glad that Chad had suggested this one because I wouldnt have tried it otherwise.
After lunch we caught the next Millionaire show. I should have known better. We are probably the only people in the country (world?) that dont like this TV show. I mean, I really dont like it at all. So, of course we didnt like the attraction either. I wanted to see it at least once though to make sure. So now we know, and dont have to bother with it next time. When we left Millionaire we lucked out and Cast Members were inviting people in to a sneak preview of One Mans Dream. This was very exciting. We enjoyed the attraction. The collection of Walts things and Disney memorabilia was fascinating. I especially liked the models of theme park attractions, but didnt get to spend enough time looking at them. They were herding people into the film at the end. This is one of those that we lingerers are going to have to experience multiple times. The film was very good and even though Ive heard Walts story told numerous times, it was interesting to hear it mostly in his own words.
We had to head back to our resort and meet Chads family. They were coming over to look at the resort and have dinner with us at Boma. I realized that I still hadnt made a PS for dinner and got a little nervous since we were a party of seven. As we were walking away from the bus stop at the lodge we heard people yelling at us. Chads family was early, so its a good thing we had come back when we did. We all went to the room and relaxed. I was able to get a PS at 5:45. We showed Chads family around the lodge and saw some exciting activity on the Sunset Savannah. A Marabou Stork couple had found an egg-shaped stone and decided to build a nest around it. The female (presumably) kept sitting on this stone and the male was going around gathering sticks for their nest. It was interesting to watch.
Upon arrival at Boma, the most excited girl on the planet seated us. I have never seen someone so excited about a buffet. She was training someone new and I would hate to be that person and have to live up to her example. Our server was more subdued but nice. He even went over to Mara to get some BBQ sauce for Chads nephews chicken fingers. Everyone loved the buffet. The most popular items were the soups and the desserts. I could have made a meal out of just those. Im not a prime rib fan, but Chads parents said it was good. There were so many things to try and I think I managed at least a bite of most dishes. The dessert section was impressive and those Zebra Domes sure are popular. Chad came back to the table and said that they were out of them, but a tray full was on the counter in the chefs area. Evidently a group of ladies was gathering and devising a plan to get the Zebra Domes. I think it may have involved a catapult. A chef finally came over and put the fresh ones out, so Chad grabbed one for me before they disappeared. I was glad he did. We ordered another press pot of coffee to go with our desserts and decided that we must get a French coffee press for home (we have by the way and love it).
After dinner we all headed back to MGM together to see Fantasmic. I was worried about the time and afraid we wouldnt be able to get a seat, but we walked in ten minutes before show time and there were still plenty of seats. This was the first time for me to see this show as well, and I was absolutely blown away. I still cant get over how amazing it was. Definitely my favorite experience ever at WDW. Fantasmic made it to the number one spot on both Chads favorites list and mine.
After the long trek to leave the park and the bus ride back we decided we needed a drink to wind down before bed. Went down to the pool bar. I really like the specialty drinks offered at WDW. I had the Victoria Falls Mist from Uzima Springs this night and it was delicious. By the time we finished our drinks we were exhausted. Not having an afternoon break really made a big difference and it was time for some sleep.
Day 6 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 5 or Zebra Domes or Bust!
September 20, 2001
Got up around 8:00 but lazed around for quite some time. I had a great waffle from Mara for breakfast and Chad ventured away from the usual muffin and had a breakfast platter that looked pretty good. We finally wandered out to take the bus to MGM. We went on Star Tours first. I think Chad liked the queue for this attraction better than the attraction itself. Hes a big Star Wars fan. He also liked the gift shop and found a Rebel Alliance beer mug that he liked, but wanted to think about it before buying it.
Next we went to see the Muppets. It was just as funny as ever. Sam the Eagle is hilarious. We walked around New York Street and eventually decided to skip the Backlot Studio Tour. I have done this tour so many times that it just bores me. We found a smoking area near the entrance but it was in full sun and we were already hot. Everyone says Animal Kingdom is the hottest park, but I beg to differ. It just seems like there is no shade at MGM. We walked by the Sci-fi Dine In and Chad asked what it was. I described it to him and he got pretty excited about the sci-fi clips and asked if we could eat there later. I thought this was really cute and said Sure! even though some people have said the food quality is poor. I figured wed just get a snack anyway. More on that later.
Went on Great Movie Ride. This one is getting tired too. The person doing the gangster bit seemed like hed rather be somewhere else. My favorite part of this attraction is the movie clips at the end. We walked over to Little Mermaid to see if there was a show soon and they were letting people in. Somehow in all my past visits I had managed to miss this show every time. I really liked it and Im glad I finally saw it. Chad liked it too, and the show made it to the top of his favorites list.
We were starting to get hungry so we went on to the Sci-fi. This is the first time wed been in a busy restaurant all week, but we were still seated very quickly. We got to be the hitchhikers in someone elses car. Service seemed a little slow, but I think we had just gotten spoiled by instant gratification all week. We ordered the onion rings to share, I had the Marinated Tomato Salad (saving room for a milkshake) and Chad had the Shrimp Penne Pasta. The food was actually quite good. No complaints from us. I had an adult specialty shake with cherry brandy for dessert. We had a great time and thought this restaurant was really fun. The sci-fi clips are hilarious and it was a nice escape from the heat. I was really glad that Chad had suggested this one because I wouldnt have tried it otherwise.
After lunch we caught the next Millionaire show. I should have known better. We are probably the only people in the country (world?) that dont like this TV show. I mean, I really dont like it at all. So, of course we didnt like the attraction either. I wanted to see it at least once though to make sure. So now we know, and dont have to bother with it next time. When we left Millionaire we lucked out and Cast Members were inviting people in to a sneak preview of One Mans Dream. This was very exciting. We enjoyed the attraction. The collection of Walts things and Disney memorabilia was fascinating. I especially liked the models of theme park attractions, but didnt get to spend enough time looking at them. They were herding people into the film at the end. This is one of those that we lingerers are going to have to experience multiple times. The film was very good and even though Ive heard Walts story told numerous times, it was interesting to hear it mostly in his own words.
We had to head back to our resort and meet Chads family. They were coming over to look at the resort and have dinner with us at Boma. I realized that I still hadnt made a PS for dinner and got a little nervous since we were a party of seven. As we were walking away from the bus stop at the lodge we heard people yelling at us. Chads family was early, so its a good thing we had come back when we did. We all went to the room and relaxed. I was able to get a PS at 5:45. We showed Chads family around the lodge and saw some exciting activity on the Sunset Savannah. A Marabou Stork couple had found an egg-shaped stone and decided to build a nest around it. The female (presumably) kept sitting on this stone and the male was going around gathering sticks for their nest. It was interesting to watch.
Upon arrival at Boma, the most excited girl on the planet seated us. I have never seen someone so excited about a buffet. She was training someone new and I would hate to be that person and have to live up to her example. Our server was more subdued but nice. He even went over to Mara to get some BBQ sauce for Chads nephews chicken fingers. Everyone loved the buffet. The most popular items were the soups and the desserts. I could have made a meal out of just those. Im not a prime rib fan, but Chads parents said it was good. There were so many things to try and I think I managed at least a bite of most dishes. The dessert section was impressive and those Zebra Domes sure are popular. Chad came back to the table and said that they were out of them, but a tray full was on the counter in the chefs area. Evidently a group of ladies was gathering and devising a plan to get the Zebra Domes. I think it may have involved a catapult. A chef finally came over and put the fresh ones out, so Chad grabbed one for me before they disappeared. I was glad he did. We ordered another press pot of coffee to go with our desserts and decided that we must get a French coffee press for home (we have by the way and love it).
After dinner we all headed back to MGM together to see Fantasmic. I was worried about the time and afraid we wouldnt be able to get a seat, but we walked in ten minutes before show time and there were still plenty of seats. This was the first time for me to see this show as well, and I was absolutely blown away. I still cant get over how amazing it was. Definitely my favorite experience ever at WDW. Fantasmic made it to the number one spot on both Chads favorites list and mine.
After the long trek to leave the park and the bus ride back we decided we needed a drink to wind down before bed. Went down to the pool bar. I really like the specialty drinks offered at WDW. I had the Victoria Falls Mist from Uzima Springs this night and it was delicious. By the time we finished our drinks we were exhausted. Not having an afternoon break really made a big difference and it was time for some sleep.
Day 6 coming soon!
