A Tale of 3 Duffys - a March 2011 TR - update 8/11: Finished!

[ksl5f123]

Bless his heart being scared by Triceratop dinos!! So I take it he did not ride with the girls the 2nd time around!

I was completely shocked by his reaction. Aladdin's magic carpets were his favorite ride in June. So much can change in 9 months when you are dealing with a 2yo. And, no, he sat out the 2nd ride with DH and FIL.

That is awesome that the room was ready and an upgrade!! I requested rooms close together, the Disney reservation has us with connecting rooms requested, so I am expecting our rooms to be on opposite sides of the resort!!

We have had awesome luck having our room ready early in the morning. Since this was a quick trip, I didn't even bother making any requests. I was so excited to be at WL that I don't think I could have had a bad room. I assume that MIL requested the connecting rooms.

 

[ksl5f123]

So funny that he was scared of triceratops spin. My nephew was afraid of the carousel on our last trip. Nothing else, just the carousel. Kids are so unpredictable!

Exactly! I was blindsided by his reaction. I assumed that he would love it. Silly mommy.

 

[TinksThree]

Wow! Excellent return time on Kilimanjaro! And 15 minutes for Kali River...I hope we get so lucky!! Last year we actually spent 1 1/2 hours in line! It was so hot!!!!!!!

 

[pinkxray]

I can't believe the lines were so short! The wait for Kali was maybe 90 minutes when we were there and no fastpasses were left. We have never been on it so I will have to get fastpasses early this time.

It sounds like you had perfect weather that day. I am hoping it won't be too hot in May, but I doubt we'll have any 72 degree days.

 

[lexmas]

I'm glad the lines are so short! It looks like a lot of fun in the boneyard...we went there for the first time last trip and it was neat. I think it's better with siblings...DS kept trying to play with the other kids to dig up dinosaurs and some of those kids were mean! I felt bad for him...

 

[GaRain]

So cute so far!
I wanted to get a Duffy, but he is quite expensive...

 

[ksl5f123]

Wow! Excellent return time on Kilimanjaro! And 15 minutes for Kali River...I hope we get so lucky!! Last year we actually spent 1 1/2 hours in line! It was so hot!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe the return time. I assumed since it was the spring break season our return times would all be much longer. Since we missed rope drop I thought we would be "behind" the crowd all day - didn't happen.

We had a horrible line at Kali in June too. I don't know if it is the season (summer = more people thinking "water ride") or if it was because we got there earlier in the day, but I was thrilled to do Kali with no line.

 

[ksl5f123]

I can't believe the lines were so short! The wait for Kali was maybe 90 minutes when we were there and no fastpasses were left. We have never been on it so I will have to get fastpasses early this time.

It sounds like you had perfect weather that day. I am hoping it won't be too hot in May, but I doubt we'll have any 72 degree days.

I love Kali! It is a must do for me. My girls are just starting to like it. I was so surprised by the lines.

The weather was perfect. We have been to Florida in March before when it was chilly and rainy, but we didn't have any rain this trip and it never got hot.

 

[ksl5f123]

I'm glad the lines are so short! It looks like a lot of fun in the boneyard...we went there for the first time last trip and it was neat. I think it's better with siblings...DS kept trying to play with the other kids to dig up dinosaurs and some of those kids were mean! I felt bad for him...

Awww. I feel bad for your DS too. That is so sad. My girls enjoyed playing together. DS2 does his own thing. He just needed someone to follow him around.

 

[ksl5f123]

So cute so far!
I wanted to get a Duffy, but he is quite expensive...

and thank you.

Duffy is expensive and they have increased the price. I had heard that he was $25 and even checked with a CM who said he was $25, but he rang up $30. I asked the CM at the cash register and he said it had just changed.

 

[GaRain]

and thank you.

Duffy is expensive and they have increased the price. I had heard that he was $25 and even checked with a CM who said he was $25, but he rang up $30. I asked the CM at the cash register and he said it had just changed.

Yes, and I just can't get myself to pay that for a stuffed animal. Oh but my little niece would love it...the temptation....

 

[ksl5f123]

Yes, and I just can't get myself to pay that for a stuffed animal. Oh but my little niece would love it...the temptation....

I can't pay that much either. Unfortunately, my 7yo can.

 

[ksl5f123]

When we last left off, the family was headed to Kali River Rapids to see if the youngest cub was big enough to ride for the first time.

The measuring device at Kali has two different cutoffs. To get onto the ride, you must meet the lower cutoff of 38”. To ride without the lap bar, you must meet the higher cutoff of 42”. First, the princess cub was measured and she made the 42” cutoff so she was just told to go ahead. Then, the youngest cub was measured. He made the 38” cutoff!! Mama bear was excited because she really wanted everyone to get to ride this together. However, to mark that the youngest cub was tall enough, he received a paper bracelet and then had the word KALI stamped onto his arm and across the bracelet. The youngest cub did NOT want that bracelet on his arm and fought with it throughout the queue. On the other hand, the princess cub was disappointed that she didn't get a bracelet or a stamp. There is no pleasing little cubs.

Mama bear absolutely loves this queue. The atmosphere in here is so detailed.

After a minute or two of walking (let's admit it, this queue is VERY long!), the family realized that the 15 minute wait time was only a measure of how long it would take them to reach the ride. There was literally nobody else in the queue. Knowing that this attraction was at the top of the priority list, mama bear had the girl cubs were swim tanks and shorts with a t-shirt over them. The line was so non-existent that the girl cubs had to remove their t-shirts while walking.

The family walked directly onto their boat, hurriedly stashed their things in the center, and lowered the lap bar over the youngest cub. Grandma bear sat next to him and once again there was some clutching and concern. Mama bear sat next to the princess cub and papa bear sat next to the oldest cub. Grandpa bear sat alone. With everyone ready, we were off! By far, mama bear and the princess cub got the wettest. This lead to the princess cub giggling and declaring, “Mommy, we won! We're the wettest!”

Mama bear thought about pulling a fastpass to come back and ride again later, but everyone else was headed to the restroom to dry off a little, so she quickly forgot about it. The princess cubs changed out of their swimsuits and into some dresses that mama bear had made for them.

Next, the family was off to see the 11:30 showing of Flights of Wonder. Nobody had seen this show before. First, we enjoyed the CM with an owl who spoke to us outside of the theater.

The family watches:

The owl makes an escape attempt:

While we were waiting, grandma bear bought everyone some Mickey ice cream sandwiches and chocolate covered frozen bananas. Mama bear didn't think it would be a good idea to bring these into the theater, so she made everyone eat them very quickly. Grandma bear thought this was ridiculous, but mama bear had bad images of eagles stealing her cubs' snacks and stood her ground.

When the theater opened, our family entered and sat on the right-hand side about 10 rows back from the stage. All of the cubs enjoyed the show. The youngest cub did a great job and stayed in his seat throughout the show. The girl cubs loved the part about the baby bird. They are still talking about it weeks later.
Next, our family headed into Africa to use the Safari fastpasses. This was the third ride of the day, would we finally find one that wouldn't make the youngest cub nervous? Nope. Despite mama bear's best efforts to distract him, he spent most of the ride with his face buried in her lap. There were lots of animals visible this day except for the lion. However, mama bear who is kind of tired of animal pictures had the camera this day instead of papa bear who would have taken dozens. The only picture mama bear wishes she would have taken was of the ostrich who came within a couple of yards of the vehicle.

Coming off of the Safari, it was time for our family's 1 PM ADR at Tusker House. In June 2010, check- in was upstairs and the waiting area was under the large covered area. On this trip, check-in was downstairs and there were only about 3 tables in the waiting area. Our family probably had to wait about 15 minutes between checking in and getting seated.

In June 2010, our family had the last breakfast seating here last June, and mama bear didn't really care for it. On this trip, the food was being refreshed quickly and was plentiful. Mama bear tried the hummus and tabbouleh, rotisserie chicken, marinated salmon, mashed potatoes, and pearl couscous. All of this was very good. The only real disappointment was the pita bread which was hard and nearly inedible. The pearl couscous was a highlight of the day. The cubs enjoyed the fresh fruit, deli turkey, chicken legs, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. The desserts here weren't very special so the family enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies.

After lunch, the family headed out to the Pangani trail. There are so many great animals in here. The youngest cub loves the fish in the aviary and probably spent 10 minutes watching them. The girl cubs love trying to identify the different birds and watching the colobus monkeys. Mama bear loves watching the gorillas. Most of the gorillas were pretty lazy on this day, but there was a young gorilla who was enjoying climbing around.

By the time our family finished the Pangani trail, it was 2:37 PM. Mama bear gave the cubs the following choices: 1) see the 3:15 Nemo show using our reserved seating from the 1 PM Tusker house ADR, 2) see the 3:45 PM parade, or 3) return to WL to swim. The cubs chose #3!

Up next: Duffy revealed!

 

[pinkxray]

I knew the kids would pick swimming. Who wants to see a parade when there is a pool to be used?

It stinks that Duffy has increased in price. I plan on getting one and $30 sounds a bit steep. Back in 2002 I saw Duffy in EPCOT (was his name Duffy back then) and really wanted to buy it, but it was too much so I bought a little 2 inch one. I always regretted not just getting the big one.This time it will be mine. I have no idea what I am going to do with it though.

Tuskerhouse sounds good. It never really crosses my mind to eat there other than breakfast. The Nemo seating sounds like nice perk and the food sounds yummy.

 

[lexmas]

I've never been on Kali, but it sounds like you had a good time!

Are those the same dresses from last year?

I don't blame you about the food and the birds. I don't think that would have been a great idea. I'm surprised they would even let you into the theatre with them.

I don't take pictures of the animals anymore on safari. DH does. Unless they get REALLY close to the vehicle, but mostly, you can see the same pictures from a million other people online if you really care about it. If a person from my family is not in the picture with the animal, I'm just not into it.

Lunch sounds delicious!

Swimming sounds like a good idea, although, I do love that parade.

 

[ksl5f123]

I knew the kids would pick swimming. Who wants to see a parade when there is a pool to be used?

Not a big surprise, huh?

It stinks that Duffy has increased in price. I plan on getting one and $30 sounds a bit steep. Back in 2002 I saw Duffy in EPCOT (was his name Duffy back then) and really wanted to buy it, but it was too much so I bought a little 2 inch one. I always regretted not just getting the big one.This time it will be mine. I have no idea what I am going to do with it though.

I was kind of upset about the price increase because DD7 was buying her own and she only had $35. Duffy used to just be the Disney bear. If you get one, he makes a cute little decoration especially if you change his clothes once in a while.

Tuskerhouse sounds good. It never really crosses my mind to eat there other than breakfast. The Nemo seating sounds like nice perk and the food sounds yummy.

I will admit it - I only booked it for Nemo. I have heard that you need to arrive at least 30 minutes before the show and I hate standing around, so I thought I would take the preferred seating and less waiting. In the end, we didn't see Nemo, but ended up enjoying the food.

 

[ksl5f123]

I've never been on Kali, but it sounds like you had a good time!

We love Kali. I have always enjoyed water rides and the theming on Kali is the best anywhere.

Are those the same dresses from last year?

Yep. They are starting to get a little short, but still worked for this trip.

I don't blame you about the food and the birds. I don't think that would have been a great idea. I'm surprised they would even let you into the theatre with them.

I was kind of hoping that it was written somewhere on the map that food wasn't allowed, but I couldn't find it. I wonder if we would have been stopped if we had tried.

I don't take pictures of the animals anymore on safari. DH does. Unless they get REALLY close to the vehicle, but mostly, you can see the same pictures from a million other people online if you really care about it. If a person from my family is not in the picture with the animal, I'm just not into it.

I'm glad I am not the only one. Yes, it is wonderful to see the animals while on the safari, but if I am not going to pay to print a picture, I don't want to take it. And really, 30 years from now when I am looking through my pictures, will I really want to see a giraffe?

Lunch sounds delicious!

It was much better than I expected. Of course, low expectations can often be a good thing.

Swimming sounds like a good idea, although, I do love that parade.

Me too. I probably would have chosen to stay, but leaving was the right thing to do.

 

[TinksThree]

How awesome that Kali was a walk-on!!!! I love that cue also! There are so many cues that I love so much I could skip the ride if I could simply see the details!!

We hope to try Flights of Wonder this trip so glad to hear you guys enjoyed the show!!

 

[ksl5f123]

How awesome that Kali was a walk-on!!!! I love that cue also! There are so many cues that I love so much I could skip the ride if I could simply see the details!!

We hope to try Flights of Wonder this trip so glad to hear you guys enjoyed the show!!

I agree about the Kali queue. I actually enjoy taking my time in there.

Flights of Wonder was very cute - a little corny, but cute. The kids really liked it.

 

[ksl5f123]

Before leaving AK, our family stopped for their first Photopass pictures of the trip. The princess cub was NOT interested....

… until the photographer asked her to do this:

Of course, the eldest cub wanted to hold Simba too.

Our family then returned to the Wilderness Lodge and headed to their rooms. To get there, they had to walk to the back left side of the lobby, go down a ramp, turn left, go past Roaring Forks, go to the elevators, go up one floor, and then their rooms were the 3rd and 4th rooms on the right. Whew!

Mama bear walked quickly to the room to set up the surprises for the cubs while papa bear walked more slowly with the cubs. This greeted mama bear as she arrived in the room:

Seeing Mickey makes you really feel at home!

Within a minute or two, mama bear was ready for the cubs.

Papa bear brought them in:

Mama bear loves the headboards at WL. They look like carved leather. So gorgeous! Notice the plush jaguar on the bed. Grandma bear told the cubs that they each could spend $50 over the course of the trip. The eldest cub, who spends money the minute she gets it, already got this at AK.

The eldest cub looks at her new trading pins.

Duffy love begins! Here I am!

Notice the jealous eldest cub in the back. Mama bear felt bad, but predicted that this would happen. Luckily, it would soon be rectified.