(Almost) Solo in May - Update 11/17 - Not sure if I'd call that Pixie Dust!

[wdwgirl03]

Wow, OK, how did I not find this earlier?! Time to go back and catch up!

 

[norybell]

It took me way too long to find this!

All caught up and loving it so far.

 

[KatMark]

Great AK update, Brook. You got some great shots on safari; I LOVE the gorillas...I could spend hours there. We've not done Kali River Rapids since probably 2004...the year we took Andy and his then girlfriend for his high school graduation trip...Mark HATES getting wet.

 

[PopArtGal]

I always wanted to try Kali River.. I'll have to... one day

 

[claryche]

I'm shocked that you had never ridden Kali. That is one of my dh's favorite rides. Him and my mom rode it 5 times in a row on one of our trips without getting off. They are great about doing that when there isn't a big line. My ds rode it for the first time at 2 and a half and didn't like it because he got wet. So it's one of those rides that sometimes he will ride and sometimes he won't. But if he does he has to have his poncho on him and he loves the ride when he is on there even if he gets wet. But let me tell you on that ride you can get just barely wet like you guys or soaked, like I have gotten before. I'll have to look for a good picture to post for ya.

Cool bag. What is it with Disney and bags. That is like one of the things I like most to look at while I'm there.

And EE single rider line is awesome.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Another great update. It looks like it was a beautiful day in Animal Kingdom, what a pretty sky.

I'm glad you liked Kali, I'm not a huge fan of rides where I get wet so I generally avoid it though it is fun.

It was a nice day -- very HOT. The line for Kali was forever since everyone wanted to get wet that day! Kali was fun, I'm not a big fan of getting soaked either, unless it's a million degrees out. I know I'll have to suck it up a bit when Henry discovers the joy of water rides though!

If you liked the bag enough to pick it up twice, you HAD to buy it. If you wouldn't have, the bag would have taunted you in your dreams saying "Why didn't you buy me ? I was ment to be your. " Just my personal shopping philosophy

I think Jack was 3 when he rode Kali. Henry should be big enough and he will love it.

I like your personal shopping philosophy! And you are probably right - by how much I use that purse, I'd regret not buying it!

I'm thinkin' next trip I'll convince Henry to give it a try. Splash freaks him out a bit because of the big hill, but I think if he tried it, he'd enjoy it. I'll have to see if I can find a Kali video on YouTube to show him...

Sounds like an awesome trip!!! I was at Disney end of aug and I SO want to go back, but no one to go with. I don't think I could do a solo trip, but you never know. I just don't think I'd enjoy it as much by myself.

I really enjoyed the times I was solo! It was awesome just doing what you wanted, when you wanted to. And you'd be very surprised at how many CMs talk to you - I had a very long conversation with a CM bartender! He was such a nice guy!

And I hear ya - I've got the itch bad lately too. It's been just over a month and I'm already aching to be back!

It always smells soooo good around Flame Tree!

So glad you got to see sweet Lilly. Bella loves Lilly!

Love that picture of the gorilla looking back at you. I always wonder what they are thinking...and what they are saying to each other about the crazy humans staring at them.

I agree - I LOVE that smell. I was so glad to finally try it!! (and since I didn't get any BBQ, we had to try it again in August )

I wonder the same thing about the gorillas! I swear he knew what he was doing...making us wait and wait for the right picture!

Too cheesy? How can something be too cheesy?

You don't care for chocolate, the pretzel is too cheesy - I just don't know about you Brook!

I will agree that they would be even better if they had a bit more kick to them though

I'm so glad that you got to see Baby Lily and I'm also glad to hear that she is doing well

I love that African pottery, it's so pretty!

Yay for a new bag! It's really cute too!

I know! I'm the weird girl who doesn't like cheese or much chocolate...I do like them both, but only in certain instances.

However, fried food? Sign me up! That is my big downfall. Cheeseburgers, onion rings, french fries, corn dogs....ahhhhhh. I love me the Minnesota State Fair!

I think you had a really great AK day! Those shops have some magnetic powers don't they? They always draw me in too....

Very pretty purse, so happy you are enjoying it!
I'll replace your frozen tea with a Lost on Safari in a week or so, and maybe have a jalapeno pretzel to go with it~

They do! I went in quite a few in August that I had never been in too. I love to even just browse and see what is different from trip to trip.

I might have to try that Lost on Safari next time I'm at AK, I hear so many good things about it. Relax and people watch at the Dawa Bar...that is sounding like a perfect activity for right now. And you get to do it THIS WEEK!

I am always up for more trekking through Africa especially when it includes giraffes and baby Lily -- how cute is she???

Love the new bag! It looks like the perfect size!

She is SO cute. I'm so happy that she is doing well too!

You are second on my list to read behind Cynthia's TR when I get home today!

I need to catch up on both of yours too!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Really enjoying both of your trip reports!

I am also enjoying your pictures of All Star Movies, that was our first resort and we loved it. But it does need that refurb! The palm tree lined sidewalks at the All Stars are one of the many things I love about those resorts.

Can't wait to read more!

It really does need that refurb! The new rooms are AWESOME. That will be coming later in the TR!

Hey Brook!

Just found your trippie and I am loving it

Love the hidden Mickey and the owl on the tree...never spotted that one before

Sounds like a great trip, looking forward to reading the rest

Hello!!!!! Glad you found me!

I don't believe I saw the hidden Mickey myself... I'll have to go back and check it out.

Caught up and I am almost home. Resting before my flight this afternoon. I tell ya, Disney over Bourbon street any day.

I think I took that same picture of the Owl. I my new camera with the 35 X lens.

I did not see the Larry Dotson prints in AK. I did come home with several others though.

You are doing the Disney - work conference - Disney trip right now, right? NOLA is great though, I hope you enjoy it!

Someday, if I have more wall space, a few Disney prints will be coming home with me too! I have a lithograph that I received as part of my TA training to frame and hang too.

Awww the famouse Christmas in a Cup...oh how I love thee!! Well if Anita is going to get a Lost on the Safari I will have to get me a Frozen Chai!! LOVE IT!!! SO good! And I have missed my chances to get them the last couple of trips but not on this next one!!

Love the bag you bought! I'm starting to think I need to spend more time in the AK Gift shops there is some great stuff in there!!!!

Another fabu update Brook!!

I think I know what you ladies will be doing at AK this trip! I really enjoyed the Christmas Tree in a Cup, and the frozen mocha I had in August too. Very yummy! They really hit the spot on a hot day.

There are some unique things in the AK gift shops - I usually bypass most of them as well, but they are worth a look!

Wow, OK, how did I not find this earlier?! Time to go back and catch up!

I haven't posted the link on my other TR, I keep forgetting!

It took me way too long to find this!

All caught up and loving it so far.

Hi Nory! I keep forgetting to post the link on my other TR! Glad to see you here!

Great AK update, Brook. You got some great shots on safari; I LOVE the gorillas...I could spend hours there. We've not done Kali River Rapids since probably 2004...the year we took Andy and his ten girlfriend for his high school graduation trip...Mark HATES getting wet.

I could too! Unfortunately, Joe can't really see them that well, so he grows bored pretty quickly. But, he lets me get my little fix. They are amazing creatures.

I always wanted to try Kali River.. I'll have to... one day

It's a really fun ride! The themeing is awesome.

I'm shocked that you had never ridden Kali. That is one of my dh's favorite rides. Him and my mom rode it 5 times in a row on one of our trips without getting off. They are great about doing that when there isn't a big line. My ds rode it for the first time at 2 and a half and didn't like it because he got wet. So it's one of those rides that sometimes he will ride and sometimes he won't. But if he does he has to have his poncho on him and he loves the ride when he is on there even if he gets wet. But let me tell you on that ride you can get just barely wet like you guys or soaked, like I have gotten before. I'll have to look for a good picture to post for ya.

Cool bag. What is it with Disney and bags. That is like one of the things I like most to look at while I'm there.

And EE single rider line is awesome.

We have always meant to ride Kali, but it just never happened in all these trips! Henry too is a bit scared with water rides/"thrills" now, so I haven't wanted to push him into it. I think I might next trip though. I really think he'd enjoy it!

And yes, I agree with you about bags! I am always looking at the Disney bags! If I had room, I bet I'd have a zillion of them!

 

[brookelizabeth]

After our time in AK, Sarah and I bused it over the Magic Kingdom.

And there she is.

We went to the right and entered into Tomorrowland

Back out into the hub

This is one of my favorite pictures -- ever. I have been wanting a pic like this for YEARS, but our SLR doesn't have a good zoom...and yes I could have edited it back home, but I never do...so I was thankful to have a nice zoom and get this! It has become my "theme" for my TA work. It's on my business cards, postcards, thank you letters and more.

Sarah and I went into

Our first MK ride?

I tried to take pictures, but this is on the only one that turned out halfway decent.

It was dinner time, so we stopped into Pecos Bill.

I love that Taco Salad!

Sarah had been talking of Splash Mountain off and on throughout the day, and though she never said so, I knew she wanted to ride...and so did I! So we made our way there...to find a very, very long line. I believe the wait time said 60 minutes.

But, we are adults. We wanted to ride. We could wait. So in we went!

Well, at some point part of the ride broke down and they could only run one log at a time, so we waited almost 2 hours! Needless to say, our Magic Kingdom evening wasn't quite what I had imagined it to be. But all well. In the Splash line we met two young teenage girls that were in awe that we lived in New York City - they had lots of questions and it was fun to chat with them. Such sweet girls!

And I hadn't been on Splash since our very first trip in 2006! I was way overdue! What a fantastic ride that is!!! I had forgotten how awesome and detailed it is. I've read many reports lately of the autoanimatronics not working properly, and I did notice a few that weren't moving during our ride, but even still - I really enjoyed it!

We are in the 3rd row.

After the ride we shopped! Big surprise, right???

And tried on the ridiculous Dale hat.

Apparently we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad because I have a picture of it.

And now this, I do remember....it was still 1.5 million degrees out, so ice cream was a necessity! We had made our way toward the hub again to find spots for the nightly entertainment, Sleepy Hollow is right there, so it worked out perfectly.

On the left, Sarah's- a mocha float. On the right, mine-a root beer float.

We ate those as the MSEP went by. Sarah voiced that she didn't care to see it - her and her DH had seen pieces of it during their honeymoon while running from ride to ride (literally) and they didn't think much of it. So we just found a table nearby to enjoy our ice cream and the MSEP slowly cruised past with a slightly obstructed view. As we ate Sarah found herself wowed by it, it looked completely different up close and when you were weren't running around!! It was a fun moment to watch her get the Disney magic.

We squished ourselves into the hub for the Magic, the Memories, and You! show - I didn't want to miss this, and didn't want Sarah to either!

Sooooooo AMAZING! I really, really, really hope they keep this-or something like it-for 2012!

And then Wishes!

Again, Sarah was wowed! They had watched Wishes, but from afar, and left it early to go get more rides in! I have discovered that Wishes is a MUST DO for me. A trip doesn't feel the same without it!

The park was open for another hour after Wishes (love that!) so we used up the Space Mountain FPs

Took a tour of Tomorrowland

And got into the very last showing of Mickey's Philharmagic!

Overall, the night didn't hold quite what I had hoped to accomplish due to the 2 hour wait on Splash, but we had a blast anyway!

Bye Magic Kingdom!

When we got back to our resort, I discovered Herbie's lights were on at night! How cute is that?!

And I had received a birthday card from Mickey. Joe is actually the one who called in my birthday for this reservation - so it was as surprised when they had handed me a birthday button at check-in! But it was fun, I'm game to celebrate!

And with that, Sarah and I were soon in bed and asleep MUCH quicker this night than the previous. We were exhausted and had another big day tomorrow...starting with rope drop!

 

[Lady Lallie]

I love that Sarah was surprised by MSEP and Wishes. Very nice to see the Disney magic working!

Those ice cream floats look amazing and I am DETERMINED to try the Taco Salad next time, that looks so yummy and just like the one I had a few years ago at POFQ that they no longer sell.

 

[blessedby3]

What a fun MK afternoon! I know the 2 hr Splash wait was not in the plans, but I love your attitude!
I agree with you about that Taco salad I think I ate 3 of those on our last trip. We had the CS plan for 9 nights....I never get tired of that yummy salad
I also love the Memories show on the castle. My 12 yr old was on the castle show back in June. She was riding the carosel and I talked with the Photopass Photographer for a good while when he was getting pics of random kids. He said he picked the photos for the show, and she would be on. She was...not sure if he really picked them, or if it was a coincidence. It was neat for her to be up there, though.

 

[jordanyosh]

My favorite picture? the one of your feet on TTA...nothing like kicking your feet up after a long day at the MK.....2 hours waiting for Splash..OY!

Hope all is well.

 

[SoonerGirl]

I so want to see the Memories show, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to, the plans just don't line up well for it. I'm going to do my best though!

Beautiful photo!

 

[Poolrat]

2 hours for Splash? That's what you can do solo or with a girlfriend. You want to do it, you can. Glad you made the best of it and still managed to get some rides in.

 

[tinacaplan]

Wow...amazing day. Love the pictures, as always. I can see why you'd use that Mickey pic for all of your TA stuff; its great. Wishes! is so wonderful, I can't believe how long its been since I've seen it.

 

[Charleston Princess]

That picture of the Mickey statue is awesome!!! Just perfect for your TA work!!!

Two hours for Splash? Wow! You have more patience than I would have had!

Love Sleepy Hollow root beer floats and of course, I love that Sarah enjoyed the MSEP!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

That is a really great shot of Mickey in front of the castle! Sounds like you guys had a great MK day! I'm really hoping "The Magic, The Memories, and You" is still playing in January, it really does look amazing!

 

[petals]

How did I miss this starting.. Joining in!

 

[photographymom517]

It took me awhile after our trip to get caught up, but I'm finally here Brook!!!

I loved the pictures from Animal Kingdom -- you won't believe what I did! I lugged my zoom lens with me in my carry-on bag (and I swear it made it 5 pounds heavier! LOL!) and then I FORGOT to take it with me to AK! I specifically wanted close-ups of the animals during the safari -- but realized as soon as we got off the bus at AK that I didn't have it! I had put it in the safe & just forgot to get it out (and after I start my TR, you'll see this isn't the only time I did this!)

I had no idea they had seating at Flame Tree BBQ! And what an awesome view you had while eating!!! I actually made it a point to stop there & ended up with only onion rings! We then headed over to Restaurantosaurus to sit down. The CM there was soooo funny! She kept telling me to get my smelly onion rings away from her -- far, far away from her! LOL!

I could just sit & stare at the Tree of Life for hours . . .

Love all of your gift shop pics!!! I had read one update before leaving for our trip & it inspired me to just walk around slowly at the AK shops & take it all in! So thank you for that! I even had a very nice conversation with one of the CM's about how the AK shops are so nice because they have different, and very colorful items in them! It's not the same "themed stuff" like at the other parks!

YUM! Your jalapeno pretzel looks delish! I also think the Chai drink you got looked super yummy! I tried to get one while my DH was riding Kali but they were already closed for the day (it was around 4:45pm I think). I was really disappointed because I needed a coffee that day! Disney in-room coffee just doesn't fulfill my coffee cravings!

Woohoo for single-rider lines!!! It makes things so much quicker!

My pics of POTC never turn out either. I've tried all settings but the ones that take great pics at night require no movement -- so its hard to get a good shot in a moving boat!

I was impressed with what all you accomplished at MK! I thought the wait for Splash may put you behind a little -- but you still did so much!

We discovered Pecos Bills this trip by accident -- and I know what you mean -- those taco salads are YUM!!!!

I am really enjoying the pics from All Star Movies! My favorites are the broom & the giant hat!

Now that I'm all caught up, I promise to stay caught up!!!

 

[jenjolt]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Mickey statue picture!! What an awesome pic!!!!!!

Sorry you had to wait 2 hours for splash but it sounds like you still had an amazing evening!

I know I'm looking forward to spending time watching Wishes and MSEP!! Of course I'm looking forward to MNSHHP even more LOL!

 

[claryche]

And then Wishes!

I love these pictures. Great job. And I so love the memories castle show. And like you I so hope they keep it. I keep thinking that they will since I have recently seen new Disney commercials with the memories theme, so maybe they will keep it around for another year.

Can't believe that you waited for 2 hours for Splash wow. And the fact that you spent that time talking to others is one of the many reasons why I love Disney. I find myself talking to more people (random strangers) when I'm at Disney then any other place. I think it's the share of the love of Disney that makes it so easy to talk to others.