All I Want For Christmas Is an Okapi, a Dinosaur, a Herd of Elephants and ...

MeMom, how cool you got to see the lion up and roaring! We have yet to ever catch him up. He's only awake twice a day, right? I think I recall reading that somewhere...

I got a text from Cara (Momof2TNboys) a little while ago. Most of you know that her dad has been struggling since before she went to WDW in December. He passed away last night. She said she is glad he is not suffering, but she will miss him. She gave me permission to share with all of you. I know many of you will want to keep her family close to your hearts as they go through the sad and difficult days ahead.

I'm so sorry to hear of this Cara. You will be in my thoughts and prayers! So many things happening lately in our DIS community it seems. :hug:

Question on this picture for you. Am I right in thinking there is a bus that goes to HS from AK? Is there also a bus from HS to AK then? I'm just trying to plan our October trip and we're thinking about doing a split HS/AK day. Thanks MeMom!

I can answer this! You are correct! There is a DHS-AK bus. Once I meant to get on the AKL bus, but instead got on the AK bus...:rolleyes1 If I remember correctly it was one of the first stops right outside of DHS too.

Hi friends: I have a family who needs your prayers today.

A young man from my town was horribly injured in Afghanistan yesterday. He went to school with my brother Stephen & his sister is my sisters good friend. We're unsure of the circumstances but he lost both legs, one arm & the hand on his other arm. He's going to Germany & is a medically induced coma.

I don't know if he'll make it but I'm praying like heck anyway. My brother Patrick is in the Army & so it hits home. I know Taylor & his family would appreciate your prayers & good thoughts.

Praying for you Katie, and everyone else involved. :hug:
 
I got a text from Cara (Momof2TNboys) a little while ago. Most of you know that her dad has been struggling since before she went to WDW in December. He passed away last night. She said she is glad he is not suffering, but she will miss him. She gave me permission to share with all of you. I know many of you will want to keep her family close to your hearts as they go through the sad and difficult days ahead.

So sorry to hear this Cara. :hug: Thoughts and prayers being sent your way
 
Great safari pics, especially the lions!!

Glad you liked them. :)



So jealous of the pics of the lion! I still have not seen him up-always sleeping!
Prayers to Cara and family

We've been fortunate to see lions up several times, but we get our share of 'lying down being lazy pictures', as well. ::yes::



AWESOME lion picture!! Super cool!!

I think the safari is for sure in my Disney Top 5. I could do that every day!

Different every time, so that adds to the excitement. :)
It is our #1 ride in Animal Kingdom.



That photo of Jarvis is funny!

It looks like you had a nice safari!


Question on this picture for you. Am I right in thinking there is a bus that goes to HS from AK? Is there also a bus from HS to AK then? I'm just trying to plan our October trip and we're thinking about doing a split HS/AK day. Thanks MeMom!

There is a direct route between those parks. The Transportation Wizard lists it as a 24 minute ride. We have not used it, because if we're transferring to somewhere else, we almost always make a stop at AKL to visit, shop, and/or eat.



In the better late than never department: I have not forgotten that I still owe you a post on our Dollywood adventure. First I lost several photos of attractions and shopping (how?? ). Then I tried to post anyway, but realized later that nothing actually posted here! So here's another try at highjacking us to Dollywood.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonypic/5201148777/

The chapel is one of my favorite things about Dollywood. It looks especially lovely framed with dogwoods in bloom. It's just enough out of the way to make for a quiet refuge -- except on Sunday mornings, when they actually hold services there!

The park is small compared to MK, but has enough shows and rides to fill a good couple of days. I had low expectations for theming, based on trips to other non-Disney parks, but found it impressive over all. Dolly, like Walt, aimed at creating an immersive experience.
Shopping was a shock. Reverse sticker shock set in upon seeing the prices -- very reasonable! Also, there are numerous attractions that do not send you out through a gift shop. Of course, you do exit the park through a giant emporium.
Best. Thrill. Ride. Ever. This is what we all declared about the brand-new 1st-in-the-US wing coaster, the Wild Eagle. We were lucky enough to be there before Tenn schools' spring break, so crowds were pretty low and we could ride multiple times with little to no wait. Also, the ropes course is unique in my experience of theme parks. A fun challenge where DD and I spent over an hour.
The food was unremarkable, just what you'd expect, except for the special offerings of the international festival. Kinda wish I'd braved the kangaroo stew ...
Shows were all over the map, from films to live animals, comedy, dance, & singing. Not always Disney quality, but what we saw was enjoyable nonetheless.
In fact, that pretty much sums up my feelings about Dollywood: Not Disney, but enjoyable. The 2-days-for-1 ticket cost made it definitely worth it.

I did look through a few of the Dollywood pictures. I want to look better later. I love shows, so I feel like I would really enjoy Dollywood. Since we aren't having a WDW Christmas, maybe we can do a Saturday at Dollywood to see Christmasy things.



Great safari shots-especially the lion! I am so happy we will get to meet up in June!

We are looking forward to meeting you guys, as well. :goodvibes



Cara I'm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

It's been a stressful week for her, I know, but I hope she'll be able to check in and see all of her sweet messages soon.



Great lion pics!!! I've never seen him up and about!

And occasionally, he makes very loud noises, too. :eek:



Of course I noticed the bowls. I look at all the details you put into your parties. I did notice the bowls matched the mickey plates.

WOW! Those lion pics are awesome!!! What a great safari!

My DMom may be able to tell you where every flower is in WDW...

I had to show Lexi the bus sign from AK. She was hoping our bus stops would be closer on this trip cause we are staying at POR. No such luck there.
I laughed cause it's only two stops from POP.

I probably won't be making it to AKL on this trip cause it's so short but watch out come August. You will receive lots of pics then.
We already booked a bkfst at Boma.

LookinUp Thank you for sharing your pics of Dollywood. It was so fun to see.
I enjoyed seeing all the decorations, trees and shows.
Dolly's RV was neat to see too.

The bowls matched the Disney colors nicely, so they will be added to all of the things in the extra bedroom for parties in the future. :thumbsup2

If we had to give up one park, we'd give up Hollywood, I imagine. The girls enjoy Playhouse Disney and Little Mermaid, and Brooklynn is into GMR. Neither of them say much about TSMM, so there is not a lot in Hollywood that they do.

We've had Boma dinner, but not breakfast. We will have to do that in the future.



Great lion pictures.

The college here in our city, has two live lion mascots. Anytime I go to see them, they are usually being lazy!

I think they sleep 16-18 hours a day maybe.





How cool that you actually heard the lion roaring! Funny, my mom and I were just talking about how we'd love to see the lion active this summer. These pictures make me want to see it even more!

They are real - not robots and not stuffed animals. ;) Maybe you will get lucky and see them up sometime.



Cara you are in my thoughts & prayers.

Memom I had to show DH a picture of the lion roaring!! He couldn't believe it. We always see him sleeping. Two weeks ago-yup sleeping.

Great safari pics.

It's true - he got up and yelled at us to go away! :laughing:



Thoughts and prayers are with Cara.

How awesome that you got a picture of the lion and he was roaring. I've heard the lion before, but was unable to see him at that time.

I hope you get to see and hear him sometime. It is pretty cool.



SO cool that the lion was up and roaring! We saw him up when we went in January, but not making any noise...that's awesome!

Isn't it weird how seeing something so small can make you want to be back there SO badly? I saw the bus directory and the Pop Century station, and it made me want to be back right now!

If I hear a bus pull away outside Walmart when I run in there before school some mornings, that is enough to remind me of Disney World! :laughing:

I can easily 'jump into' pictures so often, and it does make you want to be there right then. :goodvibes





My thoughts and prayers are with Cara.

:) DIStown is definitely thinking of her family.



Great lion pictures! It almost looks like he is just yawning. LOL!

He was making a bunch of noise! :scared1:
Maybe he wanted us to move on so he could yawn and go to sleep!



Hi friends: I have a family who needs your prayers today.

A young man from my town was horribly injured in Afghanistan yesterday. He went to school with my brother Stephen & his sister is my sisters good friend. We're unsure of the circumstances but he lost both legs, one arm & the hand on his other arm. He's going to Germany & is a medically induced coma.

I don't know if he'll make it but I'm praying like heck anyway. My brother Patrick is in the Army & so it hits home. I know Taylor & his family would appreciate your prayers & good thoughts.

As I told you in text message, it sounds like he has a long, hard road ahead of him. He will need prayers and much support for the rest of his life. I hate that we are losing young people and having them injured like this. :(





MeMom, how cool you got to see the lion up and roaring! We have yet to ever catch him up. He's only awake twice a day, right? I think I recall reading that somewhere...


I'm so sorry to hear of this Cara. You will be in my thoughts and prayers! So many things happening lately in our DIS community it seems.

I can answer this! You are correct! There is a DHS-AK bus. Once I meant to get on the AKL bus, but instead got on the AK bus... If I remember correctly it was one of the first stops right outside of DHS too.

Praying for you Katie, and everyone else involved.

From what Wigd and Shocker learned on their tour, there are two brother/sister pairs, so I guess they alternate them out on some kind of schedule.
 
So sorry to hear this Cara. :hug: Thoughts and prayers being sent your way

I saw your post right when I put mine up, so it reminded me to call you. ;)


******************************************


It was back to the rooms for us for a few hours to rest and freshen up for the evening. We had a date with a whole crew of folks to eat at 'Ohana. I believe there were supposed to be 28 of us in all.

Keep that in mind, because numbers became an issue a little later on. :rolleyes1

This is the meal Jill had been waiting to repeat.
This is the meal John had been waiting to repeat.
This is the meal I had been waiting to repeat.
This is the meal that Trent and Jarvis were convinced was going to be the meal of meals because of what we had told them.

Here we are at the lovely Polynesian Resort.

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We did some shopping while waiting for the group.

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The gang begins to arrive.

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I have just been called off to do something. I'll be back in an hour or so to finish. Sorry.
 

I was reading along, loving seeing the pictures of the Poly, thinking about being there in a few weeks, and then.....BAM! You're gone!

I'll just wait.....popcorn::
 
I was reading along, loving seeing the pictures of the Poly, thinking about being there in a few weeks, and then.....BAM! You're gone!

I'll just wait.....popcorn::

Okay, I am back. Had to run an errand that needed to be done before a place closed.



Back at Poly.

This is Harper.

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Thats all you will see of her, as she was asleep the whole time.

After a lengthy wait - and Poolrat's son can attest to this, because he was starving - we were taken to the dining room where they had kindly set up tables so that everyone could sit together.

Look at the table and see if you can tell where Brooklynn was sitting. ;)

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Some of the entertainment for the evening.

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What about you, Bella, are you sleepy?

Certainly not.

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Oh, okay.

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Now, go back and look at the 'Bella, are you sleepy?' picture again.
This time look at Chris with his 'Dear Lord, please get me some food!' look. :laughing:

Our view.

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This food is so good!

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Wigd shared with Hunter.

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A row of men with ravenous appetites.

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I think Brooklynn was not sleepy, too. :upsidedow

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We possibly made fun of these plates.

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Running off some calories during the coconut race.

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We watched Wishes from our seats.

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The rest of us were secretly stuffing ourselves with bread pudding while Pat was turned around to watch the fireworks. :ssst:

We did leave her a little bit. :goodvibes

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Some of Wigd's people, who were at the other end of the table.

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At the end of the meal, people started leaving little by little, and the people paying stuck around to pay. Pat had a picture of the $1200 bill. What happened, however, is that we were not asked how we were paying before mealtime, and they did not count properly. They only went by the number on the ticket. We ended up not having that many, so we all had to basically point to the seats and say who we were paying for. It was a mixed up mess, and it took forever to get out of there. Jill and I thought we were going to get our overnight stay at Poly without even checking in. After much debate and overriding a cash register with some difficulty, we were allowed to leave.

It was a fun evening, but next time we do this - July 3rd - we will be dividing the bill and counting properly before the meal comes out. :thumbsup2

That was the end of the 29th.

Tomorrow morning, we'll wake up to December 30th.

John does not believe we will finish this report before we leave seven weeks from tomorrow morning. :dance3: :woohoo: :dance3:

He doesn't know the drill, does he?

Silly man.
 
/
I am laughing so hard at your retelling of the Ohana meal. However, you forgot to tell about poor Trent and Megan's MIL.....

I really loved getting her going!!!
Just for his benefit.....:lmao:

Because I really know my stuff....:rolleyes1
 
Ohana... how I love thee! :cloud9::cloud9::cloud9:

What can I say. That meal looked mighty good and I KNOW it was! Looks like a great time with Dis friends too! Great food, good friends, AND Wishes... doesn't get any better than that! :thumbsup2
 
Mmmmmmmm. Love Ohana. It is usually our first night dinner but we are having to switch it around this year since my parents are coming in the middle of our trip.

Looks like a good time was had by all. Great view of Wishes!!!! The picture of Bella is so cute - I would never be able to get Chloe to sleep like that. She is too afraid that she will miss something to fall asleep.

Thanks for sharing your DIS meet :)
 
Oh, I want to try 'Ohana soooo badly! Unfortunately my dad and my brother are both allergic to shrimp (Mike gets hives, but my dad is severely allergic - like anaphylaxis shock, epi-pen carrying allergic), so it's not really a place we can eat. :( That big dinner looks like a blast!
 
I am so jealous of your photos of the lions! I have yet to see them being active and to see a roaring lion!! That would be such a thrill! I would probably share the same expression as Jarvis!:goodvibes What a nice safari!

And it looks like a lovely dinner at Ohana too! Even with the billing mix-up I bet you guys all had a great time:thumbsup2 The little sleepy ones are adorable too! I bet it was a very fun night!
 
Looks like a great meal with good friends :)

We're trying out Ohana for the first time on our trip in August - looking forward to it already ::yes::
 
I finished with the picture list, so I figured I would put it here to let you know about it. It will be in my first post on page one, and I'll try to remember to update it every time I put up new pictures.


Picture pages:
5: Travel/ME/Pop
9: Christmas night at Magic Kingdom
13: Christmas night DIS meet, Emporium shopping, nighttime at Pop Century
15: Baby #3 announcement
18: Brooklynn wishing Baby #3 into existence ;)
21: Everything Pop shopping
23: Opening Hollywood Studios in the dark, Toy Story Midway Mania
25: Hollywood, Tower of Terror, Starring Rolls
28: Toy Story area, Buzz meet
31: Great Movie Ride
32: Hollywood
33 & 34: Playhouse Disney
35: Beauty and the Beast
37: Hollywood shopping
39: Christmas displays in Pop room windows
40: Team Catch Girls wins a prize at Hippy Dippy Pool, AoA pics from Pop
43: Jammin' Jungle Parade, Rafiki's, sad, sad news, WinterSummerLand Golf
45: Animal Kingdom, Lilly Gorilla having fun on the bus, Old Key West
47: Brooklynn's pictures
49: Downtown Disney
51: Pop morning, gift shop, breakfast, mug and price
52: Morning at Magic Kingdom
55: Magic Kingdom, pictures from Dumbo, Castle show
57: Adventureland
59: Liberty Square, Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
61 & 63: Contemporary and Grand Floridian
64: Everything Pop shopping
67: Pin trading, Pop food court food, doing The Hustle
68: Early morning at Pop Century, opening Epcot
71: Girls with Fab Five at Character Spot
72-73: The Seas, Figment, Sunshine Seasons
75: Soarin, Daisy, Stitch, Art of Disney
76: China, Mulan, Tomb Warriors
78: Germany
79: Bella's 3 yr. old birthday party - Little Mermaid theme
81: Morocco, Japan, 'perfect' Belle
82: World Showcase, MouseGear
83: Bella pictures in honor of her 3rd birthday
84: Epcot
85: Beach Club
87: Walking around Yacht Club and then to Boardwalk
88: Lots of Photopass pictures
90-91: Opry Mills re-opens, Disney Store and Rainforest Cafe
92: Walking around Boardwalk
93: Epcot: Christmas displays and Candlelight Processional
94-95: Opening Animal Kingdom
96: Morning at Animal Kingdom, Wigd & Shocker, Pizzafari breakfast
97: Character greetings and lots of cool Christmas trees at Animal Kingdom
98: Animal Kingdom Lodge
99: New Princess reveal
102: Chef Mickey's & Goofy's Garden Golf
104: Animal Kingdom Lodge - Trent and Jarvis arrive
107: Kilimanjaro Safari, lion up and roaring
109: 'Ohana - table for 28
110: Magic Kingdom, Ariel and Eric, Dance Party with Stitch and Pluto



****************************************

I am laughing so hard at your retelling of the Ohana meal. However, you forgot to tell about poor Trent and Megan's MIL.....

I really loved getting her going!!!
Just for his benefit....

Because I really know my stuff....

Well, since Megan's MIL is much like Jill's MIL, he wasn't shocked. We got a few good laughs out of the drama, of course. ;)





Oh I do love that meal!!! Fun!! What a nice group.

Great meal - fun friends - all the bread pudding you can eat while others aren't looking....

It was wonderful! :laughing:



Ohana... how I love thee!

What can I say. That meal looked mighty good and I KNOW it was! Looks like a great time with Dis friends too! Great food, good friends, AND Wishes... doesn't get any better than that!

It was an enjoyable evening. :goodvibes



Mmmmmmmm. Love Ohana. It is usually our first night dinner but we are having to switch it around this year since my parents are coming in the middle of our trip.

Looks like a good time was had by all. Great view of Wishes!!!! The picture of Bella is so cute - I would never be able to get Chloe to sleep like that. She is too afraid that she will miss something to fall asleep.

Thanks for sharing your DIS meet

Disney World can wear anyone out. If Chloe can hang in there for the long haul, she's got a lot of stamina!

The problem with having favorite places, like 'Ohana, Crystal Palace, Kona, etc., is that you can't do all of those and try all of the new places you want to, too. Such a problem! ;)



Oh, I want to try 'Ohana soooo badly! Unfortunately my dad and my brother are both allergic to shrimp (Mike gets hives, but my dad is severely allergic - like anaphylaxis shock, epi-pen carrying allergic), so it's not really a place we can eat. That big dinner looks like a blast!

We do not want your guys to get sick, so you will have to do 'Ohana one of these days when they don't make the trip with you. Too bad they don't have a shrimp-free area so that they could experience 'Ohana otherwise, because it is good!



I am so jealous of your photos of the lions! I have yet to see them being active and to see a roaring lion!! That would be such a thrill! I would probably share the same expression as Jarvis! What a nice safari!

And it looks like a lovely dinner at Ohana too! Even with the billing mix-up I bet you guys all had a great time The little sleepy ones are adorable too! I bet it was a very fun night!

The guys had arrived safely, we saw the lions awake, and we had stuffed ourselves silly with much good food. I would say it was one of the better days of 2011!


Looks like a great meal with good friends

We're trying out Ohana for the first time on our trip in August - looking forward to it already

July 3rd for me. I am sorry that Jill and John will already be gone by then, but we are doing some good eating while they are there, too. We are trying several new places this time, so that's fun.
 
After a late night came good, hard Disney sleep, and then the sun woke us up to another beautiful Florida morning.

First, there was breakfast to be had. Some mornings we grab a Pop-tart, muffins, fruit, etc. and go, but today was a sit down and eat day.

Jill and John went for food while I had my favorite job - watching my girls.

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Pop Century breakfast choice of the day.

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Retro Christmas tree in the window near where we usually sit.

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Looks like some people were headed to Hollywood outside that window,


but for us, it was a Magic Kingdom day.

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We got a 'special' bus and were happy to have the comfortable seats.

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Our Pop Century sign.

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It is exciting every time we go through this entrance.

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Good morning Main Street!

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No crowd to buy sweets yet, but they will be here soon.

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Lots of Mickey head apples being prepared for the day.

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You know what this is.

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It's a chocolate lover's delight, I believe!

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Random shopping pictures.

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Crossing the Adventureland bridge.

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I love the entrance to this land. ::yes::

That's it for this morning. Have a good Saturday, everyone!
 
What about you, Bella, are you sleepy?

Certainly not.

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Oh, okay.

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Now, go back and look at the 'Bella, are you sleepy?' picture again.
This time look at Chris with his 'Dear Lord, please get me some food!' look. :laughing:

:lmao::lmao: I noticed Chris' face right away. Yeah I had to sit next to him and watch him just look at me like he was going to die if he did not get food soon.
 
Awesome updates!!!! One of our favorite treats is the giant Mickey head cookies. It can easily be shared by DH, DS and myself. If only the overwhelming sugar smell didn't give me a headache, I'm sure we would hang out in there a lot more!
 
You're going to be in Disney NEXT MONTH!!!:yay::yay::yay::yay:


Silly John- you always time your reports perfectly!!!

Love the large "FAMILY" dinner at Ohana! I love the pot stickers and the bread pudding. I am hopping I can get them at Kona. I hate the price tag at Ohana especially now that my 10 year olds are adults...only dh eats enough to cover the cost, but he can't cover the three of us.


I wish it was a Magic Kingdom day for us. Can't wait to go deeper into the park on your next post!

Our friends arrived yesterday, and it is an Animal Kingdom day for them today.
 

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