An Instagrammable and Dole Whippy 4th of July Trip Report!**UPDATED 3/4

[rachel09985]

After the safari we took a walk to Kali River Rapids. We really wanted to ride this this trip because we have never been on it. And since it was mid summer, it was perfect time! Plus we were in our comfy clothes.





We decided we were going to try it out later!

With that decision out of our way we went to watch Finding Nemo the musical before our ADR. We were there early and got a nice seat right in front but not too close.



While waiting for the show to start there was this huge beetle crawling on the step that was grossing us out. We kept watching people walk up and down the steps and narrowly avoiding the beetle, until all of a sudden, CRUNCH!, someone stepped on it and crushed it! However, it was still moving!!! Gross! That was our preshow entertainment, lol.

On with the show! I really love this show because I just love the colors and the music. I think the performers are amazing also.

I love my pictures I got, so here you go!

























I love this one!





















It was a great performance! Plus it felt soooo nice in that theater. It was amazing to cool off and it wasn't even 12 yet!

 

[rachel09985]

Ain't it the truth? AK is easily 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the hottest place on the planet.

Ha, what a cute M&G with the mice. And I think you might have one of the very few M&G photos that's been photo-bombed!!

Lol, I didn't even see that girl photo bombing the pic until right before I posted it! It was the best M&G ever!!

I always plan my AK wardrobe the same way as you do - it is always a million degrees and I always get soaking wet on Kali River Rapids lol

What a fantastic interaction with M&M! I love when you get to experience unique things like that. Poor Minnie though!

Yes it is hot and with all of the outdoor queues it makes it so hot. Our clothes were perfect along with the Kali splash it felt nice there actually.

The character interaction sounded fantastic, it must have been so cool to witness

It was fantastic! We were so happy after we left, especially that we didn't have to wait.

Great update (if I close my eyes and don't see Corey's shirt ). What a great character interaction with Mickey & Minnie; I love when there is interaction like that.

You got some great pictures on the safari...especially the giraffes and the baby elephant.

Haha, oh yeah you guys are Bears fans, right?? I agree about the interaction. It isn't often that there is great M&Gs with adults only so this was very special.

All caught up !! LOL at Mickey and Minnie. We didn't see the zebras on our safari last month. Maybe it is a sometime thing? Anyhoodle your pictures are great !!

Susan

That is weird. Maybe they keep testing them out more only to find out they don't work. I hear last time they were bad so maybe they are bad again. When I was on it there was all of these temporary fences for the new area.

I fell behind, so sorry if my comments seem random.

Your view is amazing considering you didn't have to pay for a savannah view! How stinkin' cute is that baby giraffe?

So funny that guy thought you were his wife. At least he realized it before he put his arm around you or something. That situation could have become awkward to say the least!

Oh my goodness, Minnie is just darling. Your pictures perfectly captured that whole scenario.

Oh thats ok. I understand life gets in the way. Haha, now that would have been awkward! Or put his hand on my leg, lol!! Minnie is darling, she is my favorite!!!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Rachel! Those really are awesome photos of Finding Nemo! Your pre-show entertainment was errrr creepy!

I haven't been on Kali River Rapids since 2006! With the heat of summer you'd think we'd do that more.

Awww the Mickey and Minnie interaction. How awesome!

Go Pack!!

 

[Sundancer UK]

Amaaaaazing Nemo photos! That show is lovely, so different from what I expected, but I was glad to see it as I've never been to one done in that style before.

Thanks for all the updates, I'm following along every day!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have been going to AK ever since it opened and have never seen Nemo. I'll have to drag my DH to it on one of our visits. We are also planning to check out the AK lodge. It looks gorgeous in pictures.

 

[elphie101]

All caught up! AKL is BEAUTIFUL! Every time I visit (for Boma of course!) I want to stay there even more. Congrats on your not-savanna view, looks like you had a great location!

I ADORE Finding Nemo the Musical. It's a must-do for me (usually in place of Dinosaur cause of time, much to DF's disappointment)

 

[MrsDrewsky]

The Finding Nemo show is just incredible, it always blows my mind that it's included with admission. Your pictures are fantastic!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Haha, good thing that beetle wasn't at Bug's Life. It would have been chaos!!

Beautiful photos of Nemo, as always. Really a great show and you're so right, it sure is colorful!!

 

[KatMark]

I'm sorry I was a little behind (we had to put our puppy down on Wednesday night and I've been away from the DIS most of the time since Tuesday).

Your pictures of the Nemo Show are absolutely spectacular.

 

[marDgreen88]

All caught up! Love all your AKL pics! The new Minnie and Mickey meet and greet is adorable, isn't it? Your meet sounds so fun!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[saintstickets]

After the safari we took a walk to Kali River Rapids. We really wanted to ride this this trip because we have never been on it. And since it was mid summer, it was perfect time! Plus we were in our comfy clothes.

We decided we were going to try it out later!

I hope you were able to ride KRR. It is one of our favorite rides in all of WDW. My only complaint is that it is too short. Universal's IoA has a similar ride, Popeye & Blutos' Bilge Rat Barges, that is very similar and MUCH longer. I hope with all the recent announced changes to AK that maybe they'll make KRR a longer ride!

Loving your TR. Can't wait to read more before our trip on the 19th!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Oh, the interaction with Mickey and Minnie was too funny! I definitely would've cracked up over that, and I'm glad that you were able to experience it!

I can't wait to hear if y'all decided to do Kali River Rapids or not.

Though I'm not a huge fan of Nemo, those are some pretty awesome shots that you got--but I'm not surprised, you always get such awesome pictures!

 

[jemae21]

great photos of the memo show... looking forward to hearing more.

 

[RachelNinja]

Nothing beats sittings fairly close to the stage for Finding Nemo! I can't believe how different it was with such a fantastic view vs. sitting in the seats at the BACK of the stage. I figured it would still be a good show like how Broadway shows are still good wherever you are, but when it comes to the puppets and facial expressions, it's a must to be closer!

 

[rachel09985]

Hi Rachel! Those really are awesome photos of Finding Nemo! Your pre-show entertainment was errrr creepy!

I haven't been on Kali River Rapids since 2006! With the heat of summer you'd think we'd do that more.

Awww the Mickey and Minnie interaction. How awesome!

Go Pack!!

Yes, Go Pack! It was nice in the heat but that was our first ever time riding it.

Amaaaaazing Nemo photos! That show is lovely, so different from what I expected, but I was glad to see it as I've never been to one done in that style before.

Thanks for all the updates, I'm following along every day!

Thanks! Yes, it is very nice. It is so well done and it is such a treat to be able to see that in a theme park!

We have been going to AK ever since it opened and have never seen Nemo. I'll have to drag my DH to it on one of our visits. We are also planning to check out the AK lodge. It looks gorgeous in pictures.

Yes, you have to see the Nemo show! It is amazing! It really is one of my favorite parts.

All caught up! AKL is BEAUTIFUL! Every time I visit (for Boma of course!) I want to stay there even more. Congrats on your not-savanna view, looks like you had a great location!

I ADORE Finding Nemo the Musical. It's a must-do for me (usually in place of Dinosaur cause of time, much to DF's disappointment)

We did have a great location. I was in love with the hotel. We sadly skipped our Boma reservation.

The Finding Nemo show is just incredible, it always blows my mind that it's included with admission. Your pictures are fantastic!

I agree!! It is such a treat.

Haha, good thing that beetle wasn't at Bug's Life. It would have been chaos!!

Beautiful photos of Nemo, as always. Really a great show and you're so right, it sure is colorful!!

Lol, yeah! It is very colorful, so pretty!!

I'm sorry I was a little behind (we had to put our puppy down on Wednesday night and I've been away from the DIS most of the time since Tuesday).

Your pictures of the Nemo Show are absolutely spectacular.

Awww I am so sorry for your loss Kathy!! That makes me so sad. I am going to be so sad when that time comes for me.

All caught up! Love all your AKL pics! The new Minnie and Mickey meet and greet is adorable, isn't it? Your meet sounds so fun!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Our meet was fun!! They are sooo cute!!

I hope you were able to ride KRR. It is one of our favorite rides in all of WDW. My only complaint is that it is too short. Universal's IoA has a similar ride, Popeye & Blutos' Bilge Rat Barges, that is very similar and MUCH longer. I hope with all the recent announced changes to AK that maybe they'll make KRR a longer ride!

Loving your TR. Can't wait to read more before our trip on the 19th!

Yep, we did ride it!! It is very short!! I was shocked when I rode it because it was so short.

Oh, the interaction with Mickey and Minnie was too funny! I definitely would've cracked up over that, and I'm glad that you were able to experience it!

I can't wait to hear if y'all decided to do Kali River Rapids or not.

Though I'm not a huge fan of Nemo, those are some pretty awesome shots that you got--but I'm not surprised, you always get such awesome pictures!

We definitely did crack up! It kind of made our day.

great photos of the memo show... looking forward to hearing more.

Thanks!!

Nothing beats sittings fairly close to the stage for Finding Nemo! I can't believe how different it was with such a fantastic view vs. sitting in the seats at the BACK of the stage. I figured it would still be a good show like how Broadway shows are still good wherever you are, but when it comes to the puppets and facial expressions, it's a must to be closer!

Yeah it kinda was nice to be close because we could see their facial expressions. Plus with my 50mm lens I had to be close to get good pictures.

 

[rachel09985]

Sorry for the delay folks! I had a busy past month. I went to NYC/PA for the weekend, then I had my family come for the weekend so i haven't been able to update. Plus, I am busy planning my WDW trip in 40 days!

Anywhere, where I last ended up was our Finding Nemo show.

After the show we headed to Tusker House to meet up with Patty and Emme for lunch.

When I checked us in, they said they weren't accepting Tables In Wonderland. I was like what?? It isn't a holiday and those are the only days it is excluded. I insisted the lady was wrong, but she was kept saying she was right.

Then we got our picture taken! Luckily, they took my camera for a pic.



We set our bags down on a brick wall and when we picked them up we realized there were ants all over!

Daisy came around first.



Then Mickey, my love!



Then our pal Goofy.



Food pics!


Their cornbread is good here, so is their tabbouleh.





That onion and apple salad was good on the bottom, allthough the onion chunks were pretty big.

Best plate ever! The curry chicken stuff on the bottom with rice is soo good here. The salmon on the top is very good too. The meat was a little tough.



Dessert! Yum!!



Their bread pudding is sooo good here because of that vanilla sauce. There is raisins in it but there isn't too many so that is good for me. I also like their lemon bars.

It was a good meal! The characters are fun. We normally do Tusker House every couple of years. I really like the options and am glad they added characters to lunch.

Emme even got used to Corey and they actually had fun!

When we paid they were accepting TIW so I am not sure why the front desk lady insisted they weren't. Oh well!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Can I just say that I Love. Love. LOVE! Corey's shirt! Us Cheeseheads have to stick together!

You will appreciate the fact that I am flying home this weekend, through Minneapolis. (PS, I also Love. Love. LOVE! your airport!) My original connection time was an hour, totally do-able. Well, we got delayed after takeoff, cutting my connection time down to 22 minutes. And I was literally at the back of the plane! I literally RAN from the G concourse to the B Concourse which is like, a mile, in 8 minutes. By the time I got to my gate, with 7 minutes to spare, my flight ended up being delayed for 2 hours! So I am currently writing this post from the great and fabulous MSP, courtesy of their free Wi-Fi!

 

[rachel09985]

Since the fastpass for Kali River Rapids was too close last time we checked, we went there after Tusker House to pick up fastpasses.



I found this fun photo spot and made Corey take my photo.





I think our fastpasses were for around 4-5pm.

Next up we headed to Dinosaur. I took out my hidden mickey book to try to find hidden mickeys.



See if you can see the hidden mickeys!





The line went pretty quick. I believe were were right behind some stinky people though!



Hi Phylicia!







Every single time I ride this ride I always close my eyes!! I hate that dinosaur at the end. I know it won't come out but it always scares me.



Coming back from Dinosaur we must have went on Expedition Everest because that is what the pictures show. My mind is reallly fuzzy right now! I have got to start taking better notes.





Corey is really scared of this ride because of going backward but he likes it anyways.



After this I really wanted to see the parade so we tried to find a good spot to see the parade. I spotted this drink that I have been wanting to try which is a frozen chai.







It was really really good but got a little too sweet after a little while It was delicious and really hit the spot.

We went to go find a good spot for the parade and first were in this bright sunny spot so we needed to find a spot that was covered so we moved a little ways down and squeezed into this tight spot between some mulch and the sidewalk. I couldn't sit down though because someone spilled water.

There was a preshow going on with birds. We were right in front of the Flights of Wonder stage so one of the birds from the show was out. This was neat to see. I recommend this spot due to the extra side show!



They would let it fly from person to person with food.













His beak is like translucent.

Next up: the Jammin Jungle parade!

 

[rachel09985]

Can I just say that I Love. Love. LOVE! Corey's shirt! Us Cheeseheads have to stick together!

You will appreciate the fact that I am flying home this weekend, through Minneapolis. (PS, I also Love. Love. LOVE! your airport!) My original connection time was an hour, totally do-able. Well, we got delayed after takeoff, cutting my connection time down to 22 minutes. And I was literally at the back of the plane! I literally RAN from the G concourse to the B Concourse which is like, a mile, in 8 minutes. By the time I got to my gate, with 7 minutes to spare, my flight ended up being delayed for 2 hours! So I am currently writing this post from the great and fabulous MSP, courtesy of their free Wi-Fi!

OH my gosh!!! What a crazy story!!

That is such a short connection time. Are you living in NYC now? I am glad you didn't miss your flight, although it stinks it was delayed. G to B is a long ways away!! Free Wifi is nice!

Are you living in NYC now? I just had a story like that at JFK. I went there two weekends ago and I saw a Shake Shack and i had like 15 minutes left till my plane boarded so I decided to go to Shake Shack...well I didn't realize how far away it is and didn't even get to my gate until 15 minutes after I boarded so I ran. But I made it because they were a little delayed with boarding.

 

[KatMark]

Well, we are obviously still on the same day because Corey is still wearing THAT shirt.

I'm glad you enjoyed your lunch at Tusker House (we enjoy breakfast).

You got quite a bit done after lunch with Kali, Dinosaur and EE.