Day 8
Happy Birthday to me!!
Boma, MGM, and Cirque
Had a horrid experience in the night (!) as our room neighbours woke us up at 2.30 am having a blazing row which carried on until dawn .what a good start to the day! DH was all for banging on their door and telling them to shut up but I said you never know whether theyre armed .well I know I watch too much TV!
Awake properly at 6.30 expecting BIG prezzies form my loved ones HUH!!! Big disappointment there then! Despite all the hints subtle and otherwise I get a card from Dh and DD and thats it .what a disappointment for a girl .it is a special Birthday after all! (All say Ahhhh). Lucky I have a few little gifts my friends gave me to bring with me dont know what happened in Walmart maybe theres a big surprise coming later? (yeah right) Act like a spoilt brat for a while to make the point (well, you have to really) while Becky complains of a sore throat and refuses to get out of bed. Talking of spoilt brats .
Getting seriously stressed as I look at the time and realise we could be late for Bomas if were not careful that is not on my birthday plan!!.. Attempt to de-stress myself by having a nice long bath, giving Becky time to come to come round a bit too. PS is for 8am (not 8.30 as I thought) so get grumpier while I try to placate Becky with drinks and lozenges. Though the family would have rung this morning too but oh well out of sight and all that .do you detect a note of misery here???
Manage to leave hotel at 7.35, not bad considering. To be fair, Becky is looking a bit pale (she has always suffered with sore throats, even more so after having tonsils out .weve had several trips to Centra Care on WDW trips over the years) but I attempt to jolly her along and we reach AKL at just before 8am. The car park and entrance seems to be laid out in very similar fashion to WL so we find it easy to find what we want there. The entrance hall is magnificent, the tree is enormous and beautiful, as youve probably seen in Wendys photos of her trip. It looks really atmospheric. No time now to stop and stare though, DH rushes into shop to buy more throat lozenges just in case and we book in to Bomas.
We are taken to our table by a lovely, smiley African person who adds to the character of the restaurant. Everyone here is very cheerful and friendly. The place looks lovely and you can look out of the windows and imagine you are really in Africa. We are offered a lovely fruit juice with mango and loads of other ingredients I cant remember, but its lovely anyway! Helps Beckys throat too, so thats good. Opt for the special coffee (well it is my birthday) and were off to look at the counters of food .mmmmmmm .those smells ..wonderful! As you would expect there is food of every variety here, as in other places, but a lot had that African feel. There are pastries, muffins, wonderful fresh fruits, the usual hot eggs, pancakes,bacon etc but also the most amazing ham that melts in your mouth. Vince had a sort of corn beef hash which he has to have more of as he declares it beautiful! I eat as much as I can but feel this is woefully inadequate as there is so much I would like to try here. The coffee was excellent but pretty expensive for a cup and a half really! Could have done with more I think! We are very conscious of time ticking away too as we are off to spend the day at MGM and dont want to get there with all the crowds. In the end I dont get to look round the savannahs here, which is a big shame but does mean we will have to come back one day (yea!)
We do have time to take some pics of the entrance hall, and Timon who has arrived while we were having breakfast. Becky manages to perk up a bit in the shop where they have thousands of beads you can make into bracelets for yourself and she makes a few for her friends to take back home.
Lovely breakfast start to the day, but wish we had time to stay longer. Oh well, off to MGM now to get my fill of all my favourite rides. Take time to notice the tree outside the entrance here, lovely as they all are. Hunt for the lockers (why do they hide them away here?) Then its rush off to ToT for a FP before I ride RnRC on my own..yes, its my birthday and I have to do it on my own!! How fair is that? Oh well, who cares, loved it anyway! Afraid to say that by now I am in a very grumpy mood as it appears there will be no special present, no concession to Mums birthday, so lets all be nice to her today. Obviously expecting too much. Anyway I wont moan on about that, suffice to say I was not a happy Angel but gritted my teeth and we all went off to do the Animation Tour, as becky had been waiting to see this, and we are all interested in this side of things.
Saw the drawings for the new animation Lilo and Stitch .what a strange tale!! The girl doing the drawing and talking was lots better than the last time we visited and we really enjoyed our time in here. Into the shop where we saw some beautiful snow globes, animation cells etc if only I had the money! (Hey Hilary, perhaps thatll be Becky and Amy one day
)
Back to RnRC now for another ride, and then on to the Tower Hotel. The Rock nRoller Coaster is my most favourite coaster ever. I dont like upside down rides, but can manage this as its in the dark (see, you dont know youre upside down then!) The music is great, and I love the whole theme of this ride. Luckily so does Vince so we do this one together. The tower is as good as ever, and for some reason I feel extra scared as we wait for that first whoosh! To the top and back, yea! They seem to change this every time we visit, more little drops etc. Great though. DD wont do either of these rides, although she has done TT before. Oh well, shes happy sitting in the sun listening to her CDs!
The weather is lovely today .this is the first Birthday ever when Ive been able to wear shorts in the sunshine not very usual when your birthday is just before Xmas!
Collect another FP for RnR then off to do the Movie Ride, where theres hardly a queue ..great! Sing along with Ding Dong the Witch is Dead just to annoy DD really This is a nice little rest as well as being a lovely ride through all those famous movies! Star Tours is next, lost count of how many times weve travelled to the moons of Endor over the years!! Do we get Frequent Flyer Miles now??? Must ask next time!!
Grab some enormous hot dogs and wish wed only bought 1 between DD and I doh! Then off to catch the afternoon parade. Find a nice little spot by a concession that sells jewellery, opposite the Drew Carey Theatre. Becky sits and draws and listens to Cds while I just lap up the sun .mmmm lovely! Vince decides hell go back to use the fast pass for RRC but I dont want to take the chance of missing the parade. He actually manages to get back just in time so thats good. I really liked all the Stars and their Cars in this parade. The Geni car was very clever, and it was great seeing Darth Vadar marching past. The funniest bit though was when the Villains all took a shine to Becky (I know Im wicked) probably because she wasnt really paying any attention and looked a typical bored teenager! They all started to talking to her, and patting her on the head .poor girl (tee hee)
After the parade we wanted to try the Soundstage so in we went and what a great experience this was. You all wear headphones to experience the sounds etc and beware the Bees!!!! So clever we loved it!
Back to RnRC again, cant get enough of it, then wandered around the lake a bit and sat and had a coffee. You can just sit here for ages, its very peaceful, and Becky and I did a lot of people watching. Tried to pick out all the UK visitors ..were you there????
The sun was beginning to do down and it was then time for us to head fort he Sci Fi Diner. This is one of my favourite eateries, because I love the theming. The idea of sitting under the stars at a drive in movie theatre, in a convertible, watching old movie clips is so appealing ..yea, I know we know those clips off by heart now, we even shout out the script with the CMs .I dont want to grow any more! It was very busy in here today, but we had our ps and only had to wait 10 minutes or so.
Lovely dinner, the ribs cooked in coca cola are scrummy, and Becky and I shared them. There was plenty to go round, with corn on the cob and corn bread too. Then we shared the kahlua and chocolate mousse gateau YUM!!! All washed down with Dr Pepper now thats what I call a birthday meal!!! And it was cheaper than breakfast ho hum!
Time to head for DD now and the wonderful Cirque du Soleil. I have wanted to see this for ages, but its expensive so it was a birthday treat for me (see did get something I suppose!). Mooched around the shop and bought a tshirt and looked at all those lovely masks I really liked the feathered ones, they were beautiful!
DH was worried as lots of people seemed to be very dressed up, and although wed changed from our shorts for the evening we were still pretty casual, but there were as many people in shorts etc so we were ok. Had to wait a while but eventually we were in. We knew there was no interval so took the chance to use the facilities (how posh) and then we were in let the fun commence!
Great seats, quite central at the front of the upper bit. Becky didnt like the clowns who entertained while people were finding their seats she has a thing about them, and Id promised her thered be no clowns! I thought they were quite funny though and very clever.
However it was the real show that took your breath away. I sat mesmerised for the whole time, it went by so quickly. You really cant describe this show. Its surreal and amazing! The lights, haunting music, breathtaking acrobatics on trapezes, high wires, trampolines even bicycles!! The little Chinese girls with the diablo were incredible and so cute. The strong man was strange and a bit spooky, but the ones that stole the show for me were those who seem to fly through the air tied to swathes of material ..do you know what I mean? Part acrobats, part ballet dancers ..pure magic!!!! My hands were sore with clapping after that. A standing ovation for the show and I looked around to see Dh also grinning from ear to ear ..and Becky?? ..Fast asleep!!! She said (when I woke her up) that she did enjoy it and only fell asleep at the end, and she was a bit under the weather!
Anyway, an amazing show that I recommend to anyone.. I have the CD and am playing that music right now .can you hear it? Thanks to dave SD whos report persuaded me to do it.
Lovely end to my Birthday, which had been a bit unusual if nothing else! And of course back at the hotel I had a Smirnoff Ice, Ritz crackers and the inevitable M&Ms waiting for me no message from the family, no enormous big packages but I did enjoy my day!
Christmas Eve tomorrow and Islands of Adventure .hope Becky feels up to it .Night night
Happy Birthday to me!!
Boma, MGM, and Cirque
Had a horrid experience in the night (!) as our room neighbours woke us up at 2.30 am having a blazing row which carried on until dawn .what a good start to the day! DH was all for banging on their door and telling them to shut up but I said you never know whether theyre armed .well I know I watch too much TV!
Awake properly at 6.30 expecting BIG prezzies form my loved ones HUH!!! Big disappointment there then! Despite all the hints subtle and otherwise I get a card from Dh and DD and thats it .what a disappointment for a girl .it is a special Birthday after all! (All say Ahhhh). Lucky I have a few little gifts my friends gave me to bring with me dont know what happened in Walmart maybe theres a big surprise coming later? (yeah right) Act like a spoilt brat for a while to make the point (well, you have to really) while Becky complains of a sore throat and refuses to get out of bed. Talking of spoilt brats .
Getting seriously stressed as I look at the time and realise we could be late for Bomas if were not careful that is not on my birthday plan!!.. Attempt to de-stress myself by having a nice long bath, giving Becky time to come to come round a bit too. PS is for 8am (not 8.30 as I thought) so get grumpier while I try to placate Becky with drinks and lozenges. Though the family would have rung this morning too but oh well out of sight and all that .do you detect a note of misery here???
Manage to leave hotel at 7.35, not bad considering. To be fair, Becky is looking a bit pale (she has always suffered with sore throats, even more so after having tonsils out .weve had several trips to Centra Care on WDW trips over the years) but I attempt to jolly her along and we reach AKL at just before 8am. The car park and entrance seems to be laid out in very similar fashion to WL so we find it easy to find what we want there. The entrance hall is magnificent, the tree is enormous and beautiful, as youve probably seen in Wendys photos of her trip. It looks really atmospheric. No time now to stop and stare though, DH rushes into shop to buy more throat lozenges just in case and we book in to Bomas.
We are taken to our table by a lovely, smiley African person who adds to the character of the restaurant. Everyone here is very cheerful and friendly. The place looks lovely and you can look out of the windows and imagine you are really in Africa. We are offered a lovely fruit juice with mango and loads of other ingredients I cant remember, but its lovely anyway! Helps Beckys throat too, so thats good. Opt for the special coffee (well it is my birthday) and were off to look at the counters of food .mmmmmmm .those smells ..wonderful! As you would expect there is food of every variety here, as in other places, but a lot had that African feel. There are pastries, muffins, wonderful fresh fruits, the usual hot eggs, pancakes,bacon etc but also the most amazing ham that melts in your mouth. Vince had a sort of corn beef hash which he has to have more of as he declares it beautiful! I eat as much as I can but feel this is woefully inadequate as there is so much I would like to try here. The coffee was excellent but pretty expensive for a cup and a half really! Could have done with more I think! We are very conscious of time ticking away too as we are off to spend the day at MGM and dont want to get there with all the crowds. In the end I dont get to look round the savannahs here, which is a big shame but does mean we will have to come back one day (yea!)
We do have time to take some pics of the entrance hall, and Timon who has arrived while we were having breakfast. Becky manages to perk up a bit in the shop where they have thousands of beads you can make into bracelets for yourself and she makes a few for her friends to take back home.
Lovely breakfast start to the day, but wish we had time to stay longer. Oh well, off to MGM now to get my fill of all my favourite rides. Take time to notice the tree outside the entrance here, lovely as they all are. Hunt for the lockers (why do they hide them away here?) Then its rush off to ToT for a FP before I ride RnRC on my own..yes, its my birthday and I have to do it on my own!! How fair is that? Oh well, who cares, loved it anyway! Afraid to say that by now I am in a very grumpy mood as it appears there will be no special present, no concession to Mums birthday, so lets all be nice to her today. Obviously expecting too much. Anyway I wont moan on about that, suffice to say I was not a happy Angel but gritted my teeth and we all went off to do the Animation Tour, as becky had been waiting to see this, and we are all interested in this side of things.
Saw the drawings for the new animation Lilo and Stitch .what a strange tale!! The girl doing the drawing and talking was lots better than the last time we visited and we really enjoyed our time in here. Into the shop where we saw some beautiful snow globes, animation cells etc if only I had the money! (Hey Hilary, perhaps thatll be Becky and Amy one day
)Back to RnRC now for another ride, and then on to the Tower Hotel. The Rock nRoller Coaster is my most favourite coaster ever. I dont like upside down rides, but can manage this as its in the dark (see, you dont know youre upside down then!) The music is great, and I love the whole theme of this ride. Luckily so does Vince so we do this one together. The tower is as good as ever, and for some reason I feel extra scared as we wait for that first whoosh! To the top and back, yea! They seem to change this every time we visit, more little drops etc. Great though. DD wont do either of these rides, although she has done TT before. Oh well, shes happy sitting in the sun listening to her CDs!
The weather is lovely today .this is the first Birthday ever when Ive been able to wear shorts in the sunshine not very usual when your birthday is just before Xmas!
Collect another FP for RnR then off to do the Movie Ride, where theres hardly a queue ..great! Sing along with Ding Dong the Witch is Dead just to annoy DD really
This is a nice little rest as well as being a lovely ride through all those famous movies! Star Tours is next, lost count of how many times weve travelled to the moons of Endor over the years!! Do we get Frequent Flyer Miles now??? Must ask next time!!Grab some enormous hot dogs and wish wed only bought 1 between DD and I doh! Then off to catch the afternoon parade. Find a nice little spot by a concession that sells jewellery, opposite the Drew Carey Theatre. Becky sits and draws and listens to Cds while I just lap up the sun .mmmm lovely! Vince decides hell go back to use the fast pass for RRC but I dont want to take the chance of missing the parade. He actually manages to get back just in time so thats good. I really liked all the Stars and their Cars in this parade. The Geni car was very clever, and it was great seeing Darth Vadar marching past. The funniest bit though was when the Villains all took a shine to Becky (I know Im wicked) probably because she wasnt really paying any attention and looked a typical bored teenager! They all started to talking to her, and patting her on the head .poor girl (tee hee)
After the parade we wanted to try the Soundstage so in we went and what a great experience this was. You all wear headphones to experience the sounds etc and beware the Bees!!!! So clever we loved it!
Back to RnRC again, cant get enough of it, then wandered around the lake a bit and sat and had a coffee. You can just sit here for ages, its very peaceful, and Becky and I did a lot of people watching. Tried to pick out all the UK visitors ..were you there????
The sun was beginning to do down and it was then time for us to head fort he Sci Fi Diner. This is one of my favourite eateries, because I love the theming. The idea of sitting under the stars at a drive in movie theatre, in a convertible, watching old movie clips is so appealing ..yea, I know we know those clips off by heart now, we even shout out the script with the CMs .I dont want to grow any more! It was very busy in here today, but we had our ps and only had to wait 10 minutes or so.
Lovely dinner, the ribs cooked in coca cola are scrummy, and Becky and I shared them. There was plenty to go round, with corn on the cob and corn bread too. Then we shared the kahlua and chocolate mousse gateau YUM!!! All washed down with Dr Pepper now thats what I call a birthday meal!!! And it was cheaper than breakfast ho hum!
Time to head for DD now and the wonderful Cirque du Soleil. I have wanted to see this for ages, but its expensive so it was a birthday treat for me (see did get something I suppose!). Mooched around the shop and bought a tshirt and looked at all those lovely masks I really liked the feathered ones, they were beautiful!
DH was worried as lots of people seemed to be very dressed up, and although wed changed from our shorts for the evening we were still pretty casual, but there were as many people in shorts etc so we were ok. Had to wait a while but eventually we were in. We knew there was no interval so took the chance to use the facilities (how posh) and then we were in let the fun commence!
Great seats, quite central at the front of the upper bit. Becky didnt like the clowns who entertained while people were finding their seats she has a thing about them, and Id promised her thered be no clowns! I thought they were quite funny though and very clever.
However it was the real show that took your breath away. I sat mesmerised for the whole time, it went by so quickly. You really cant describe this show. Its surreal and amazing! The lights, haunting music, breathtaking acrobatics on trapezes, high wires, trampolines even bicycles!! The little Chinese girls with the diablo were incredible and so cute. The strong man was strange and a bit spooky, but the ones that stole the show for me were those who seem to fly through the air tied to swathes of material ..do you know what I mean? Part acrobats, part ballet dancers ..pure magic!!!! My hands were sore with clapping after that. A standing ovation for the show and I looked around to see Dh also grinning from ear to ear ..and Becky?? ..Fast asleep!!! She said (when I woke her up) that she did enjoy it and only fell asleep at the end, and she was a bit under the weather!
Anyway, an amazing show that I recommend to anyone.. I have the CD and am playing that music right now .can you hear it? Thanks to dave SD whos report persuaded me to do it.
Lovely end to my Birthday, which had been a bit unusual if nothing else! And of course back at the hotel I had a Smirnoff Ice, Ritz crackers and the inevitable M&Ms waiting for me no message from the family, no enormous big packages but I did enjoy my day!
Christmas Eve tomorrow and Islands of Adventure .hope Becky feels up to it .Night night
