Feb 10th 05
As the kids were still tired from a) the journey, b) the time changes and c) the fun at IOA from the previous day, they were all fast asleep when I tried to wake them around 7am. I wanted an early start to get to Animal Kingdom for opening time and because I had arranged to meet Vernon to give him the brochures that hed requested I bring over. When I explained that we were going to see lions, tigers and elephants today wallop! Straight out of bed and ready for action Sir! We left around 8:15 and the skies were a very dark shade of grey. Looks like the 20% chance of rain forecast for central Florida was heading right at us!
Fortunately, Ruth had packed jackets for all of us and as we arrived at AK around 08:50 the clouds opened up and it poured. Although we got very wet in the queue, we shouldnt complain as this was the only daytime rain we saw in the whole two weeks! Im glad to reveal that Disney is an open-minded and fair organisation in the employment stakes. Our bags were checked by a person called Christine who had hands bigger than mine and an adams apple to rival Pavarotti. I think that Christine my once have been Christopher if you get my meaning!
This was the first day using our 5 Day Hopper passes for Disney and they have introduced a new scanning system to the turnstiles. You have to put your ticket into the machine, then enter your fore & middle fingers into a reader to be scanned, then pick up your park ticket and pass through the turnstile. I dont know why this has been introduced but to be frank, I dont like it. Why does Disney want my scans of my fingers or worse still, my prints? I can understand the security & immigration standpoint but not Disney. Maybe there is a completely legitimate reason for this but I made a point of deliberately not doing it properly and at subsequent visits refused to enter my hand into a machine again.
Ah well, grumpy and wet from the rain (that had almost stopped), we hired a locker and deposited our jackets and the stuff for Vernon. We then moved into the park and headed straight for the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride to get this out of the way before any crowds built up. Surprisingly, we got straight onto the ride no wait at all! As it was cold that morning the animals appeared lethargic with the exception of one of the elephants who was in a state of arousal (Ill leave the rest to your imagination), needless to say once it was spotted everyone had a good giggle! Once we left the ride I called Vernon who had just arrived at the park and we arranged to meet on the bridge into Africa.
We met up with Vernon and his lovely wife Jana and then made our way back to the lockers to give him the stuff he needed. We then arranged to meet back at the Rainforest Café in AK at 12:30 for a bite to eat. As we were still damp from the mornings downpour, we though wed might as well stay wet and went to ride the Kali River Rapids. We had all enjoyed this ride in 03 but now, were disappointed. After riding Popey & Blutos Bilge Rrat Barges at IOA, Kali feels too short and not wet enough! Dont get me wrong, its still a good blast and Id ride it again (in fact we stayed on as no one else was queuing) its just that its not as good as the Popeye ride. To try and dry off a bit we took a leisurely stroll around the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see 4 enormous tigers (Doh!), bats African cows, a komodo dragon and other wonderful creatures.
The kids wanted to go on a ride after this so we started to make our way around the park on what (I think) is a new path to Dinoland USA. From a distance, I thought the huge construction in front of us was a new themed Disney hotel but its not. Its a monster roller coaster unlike any I have ever seen called Expedition Everest and is due to open in 2006. Ive taken some pictures of the ride, see here, here and here for shots of what looks like a very promising ride!
After Ruth managed to drag me away from watching the construction of the mega coaster, we entered Dinloand and Dan & I went on Primeval Whirl whilst Ruth, Emily & Howard rode the more sedate Trceratop Spin. As it turned out, Dan I were lucky to have ridden the right hand version of whirl as the left hand one had broken down when got off. There were cars of people stuck mid ride something had gone wrong and the ride had been shutdown automatically by the safety system. Couldnt of been too bad though as it was up and running again 10 minutes later.
Then the trouble started. We all went to ride Dinosaur, after all, it is one of the kids favourite films. Howard even has dinosaur wallpaper, duvet cover and pillow set! Emily and Daniel (who have ridden this before) refused to go into the building let alone the ride claiming it was too scary. Huh? Theyd ridden Spider-Man yesterday which was a lot scarier than Dinosaur yet they refused point blank to go on. So Ruth and Howard went to go on the ride while I waited with the E&D. 10 minutes later Ruth and Howard came out after theyd got all the way to the car and then H chickened out as well! Ruth & I just dont understand this one. They all love the film. Theyve all ridden the ride before. Its Disney so there is nothing that scary about the ride yet theyve all refused to ride it! So we all ended up missing Dinosaur as we had to get back to the RFC for lunch with Vernon & Jana. Kids eh? Whod have em?!
Before this trip Id not heard of the Rainforest Café as Im not usually bothered about in-park restaurants. The RFC however, is a different kettle of fish or should that be aquarium?! The place was literally alive, thunderstorms, monkeys and other animals calling, huge fish tanks and other animal displays just going in was an experience in itself. I had chicken fried chicken and Ruth had this huge volcano cobb salad that a usual, I was jealous that I hadnt ordered! We had a very pleasant meal with Vernon & Jana and then lost the kids in the menagerie of animals. If we ever go there again though, I will order a Volcano!. This is some sort of big chocolate pudding that is topped with a sparkly dome and a whole line of waitress/waiters come out screaming Volcano! and then surround your table reciting a poem and clapping. As this is going on the head waiter lights candles around the base of the desert as it leads to the crescendo. Didnt see how much it cost but its something I really want on my next trip!
Jana mentioned that the shop at the entrance of this RFC had some good deals, at least, better than those of Downtown Disney and she wasnt wrong. We bought t-shirts for E & D and a RFC sweater for Howard. After saying our thanks & farewells to Vernon & Jana, we headed off into park again. Unfortunately my camera batteries were about to die
TipAlways make sure you have a spare set of batteries with you bought outside the park. They are $2-$3 more expensive in the park compared to a supermarket. Also, most of the places that sell batteries are the same shops where you view park taken photos. Having to stand in line behind people that want to view photos when all I want is to pay for the batteries in my hand is not amusing!
Camera sorted so we shot off to the Festival of the Lion King show. This wasnt open the last time we went so it was our first view of the spectacle and what a spectacle it turned out to be. The show is well executed, brilliantly performed, the audience participation is fun and the singing / dancing and general atmosphere is top drawer entertainment. If the truth be known, I wouldnt have minded paying extra to see this show, I was that impressed with it. It was a highlight of our holiday and is a must see for our next visit.
As we left the theatre the crowds were building for the AK parade. By this time I was a) too hot and b) we werent interested in fighting for a spot to see the parade so we made for the Tree of Life and the Its tough to be a bug show. This was just as good as we remembered it, especially the stink bug (pooh!) and we all had a very good laugh. When we came out the parade was still going on so we nipped across the road and back into Dinoland USA as the children wanted to play in the bony yard playground. Ruth tried to take Howard on Dinosaur again, this time he said he needed the toilet just as they were about to enter the car! Arrgghh!! So none of us rode Dinosaur this holiday.
The kids all played in the bone yard for a while whilst Ruth and I had an ice cream. Then we called in at a shop and bought Disney Ice Hockey shirts for myself (Grumpy 37), Danny (Mickey 25) and Howard (Buzz 95) the years the films were released and they look great. The kids shirts were $40 and mine was $52 (not fair when you could make about 5 kids shirts from the material in mine!) but when you consider with the exchange rate mine cost < £30 its a bargain! I also laid my hands on a beautiful Disney leather jacket but at $400 it was just too much!
We left the park around 4:30 and headed off towards International Drive. We wanted to go to Festival Bay for a look around the shops, in particular, Steve & Barrys which sells American University / College gear at unbelievably low prices. Whilst we had a great time in S&Bs again buying me a USA hooded top, 2 Florida Gator shirts, Emily a denim jacket and Danny 2 American football shirts all for less than $60 (now thats what I call value!), the rest of the Festival Bay is still pretty deserted. During our last visit in Sept 03, the centre had just opened so it wasnt a surprise to see quite a few shops not yet open. We expected that 18 months on that a majority of shops there would have started but we were wrong. If anything, there are just as many empty units as there were last time! Seems a bit of a waste to build a huge shopping complex and then have most of the retail units empty.
Tip: If you like shopping, you have to visit , Steve & Barrys in Festival Bay. Whilst their main attraction is their University / College wear, the shop is huge and stocks a great range for all ages. When you consider that everything in the store (jeans / coats / shirts / sweaters etc) is less than $10 the value is hard to ignore.
After we left here the sun was going down so we took a slow drive back down International Drive to see the glaring lights and then back to the villa for a home made tea (still full from the food at the RFC!) and then crashed into bed.
So that's Thursday over and I thought Friday was going to be a lazy, quiet day ...
As the kids were still tired from a) the journey, b) the time changes and c) the fun at IOA from the previous day, they were all fast asleep when I tried to wake them around 7am. I wanted an early start to get to Animal Kingdom for opening time and because I had arranged to meet Vernon to give him the brochures that hed requested I bring over. When I explained that we were going to see lions, tigers and elephants today wallop! Straight out of bed and ready for action Sir! We left around 8:15 and the skies were a very dark shade of grey. Looks like the 20% chance of rain forecast for central Florida was heading right at us!
Fortunately, Ruth had packed jackets for all of us and as we arrived at AK around 08:50 the clouds opened up and it poured. Although we got very wet in the queue, we shouldnt complain as this was the only daytime rain we saw in the whole two weeks! Im glad to reveal that Disney is an open-minded and fair organisation in the employment stakes. Our bags were checked by a person called Christine who had hands bigger than mine and an adams apple to rival Pavarotti. I think that Christine my once have been Christopher if you get my meaning!
This was the first day using our 5 Day Hopper passes for Disney and they have introduced a new scanning system to the turnstiles. You have to put your ticket into the machine, then enter your fore & middle fingers into a reader to be scanned, then pick up your park ticket and pass through the turnstile. I dont know why this has been introduced but to be frank, I dont like it. Why does Disney want my scans of my fingers or worse still, my prints? I can understand the security & immigration standpoint but not Disney. Maybe there is a completely legitimate reason for this but I made a point of deliberately not doing it properly and at subsequent visits refused to enter my hand into a machine again.
Ah well, grumpy and wet from the rain (that had almost stopped), we hired a locker and deposited our jackets and the stuff for Vernon. We then moved into the park and headed straight for the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride to get this out of the way before any crowds built up. Surprisingly, we got straight onto the ride no wait at all! As it was cold that morning the animals appeared lethargic with the exception of one of the elephants who was in a state of arousal (Ill leave the rest to your imagination), needless to say once it was spotted everyone had a good giggle! Once we left the ride I called Vernon who had just arrived at the park and we arranged to meet on the bridge into Africa.
We met up with Vernon and his lovely wife Jana and then made our way back to the lockers to give him the stuff he needed. We then arranged to meet back at the Rainforest Café in AK at 12:30 for a bite to eat. As we were still damp from the mornings downpour, we though wed might as well stay wet and went to ride the Kali River Rapids. We had all enjoyed this ride in 03 but now, were disappointed. After riding Popey & Blutos Bilge Rrat Barges at IOA, Kali feels too short and not wet enough! Dont get me wrong, its still a good blast and Id ride it again (in fact we stayed on as no one else was queuing) its just that its not as good as the Popeye ride. To try and dry off a bit we took a leisurely stroll around the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see 4 enormous tigers (Doh!), bats African cows, a komodo dragon and other wonderful creatures.
The kids wanted to go on a ride after this so we started to make our way around the park on what (I think) is a new path to Dinoland USA. From a distance, I thought the huge construction in front of us was a new themed Disney hotel but its not. Its a monster roller coaster unlike any I have ever seen called Expedition Everest and is due to open in 2006. Ive taken some pictures of the ride, see here, here and here for shots of what looks like a very promising ride!
After Ruth managed to drag me away from watching the construction of the mega coaster, we entered Dinloand and Dan & I went on Primeval Whirl whilst Ruth, Emily & Howard rode the more sedate Trceratop Spin. As it turned out, Dan I were lucky to have ridden the right hand version of whirl as the left hand one had broken down when got off. There were cars of people stuck mid ride something had gone wrong and the ride had been shutdown automatically by the safety system. Couldnt of been too bad though as it was up and running again 10 minutes later.
Then the trouble started. We all went to ride Dinosaur, after all, it is one of the kids favourite films. Howard even has dinosaur wallpaper, duvet cover and pillow set! Emily and Daniel (who have ridden this before) refused to go into the building let alone the ride claiming it was too scary. Huh? Theyd ridden Spider-Man yesterday which was a lot scarier than Dinosaur yet they refused point blank to go on. So Ruth and Howard went to go on the ride while I waited with the E&D. 10 minutes later Ruth and Howard came out after theyd got all the way to the car and then H chickened out as well! Ruth & I just dont understand this one. They all love the film. Theyve all ridden the ride before. Its Disney so there is nothing that scary about the ride yet theyve all refused to ride it! So we all ended up missing Dinosaur as we had to get back to the RFC for lunch with Vernon & Jana. Kids eh? Whod have em?!
Before this trip Id not heard of the Rainforest Café as Im not usually bothered about in-park restaurants. The RFC however, is a different kettle of fish or should that be aquarium?! The place was literally alive, thunderstorms, monkeys and other animals calling, huge fish tanks and other animal displays just going in was an experience in itself. I had chicken fried chicken and Ruth had this huge volcano cobb salad that a usual, I was jealous that I hadnt ordered! We had a very pleasant meal with Vernon & Jana and then lost the kids in the menagerie of animals. If we ever go there again though, I will order a Volcano!. This is some sort of big chocolate pudding that is topped with a sparkly dome and a whole line of waitress/waiters come out screaming Volcano! and then surround your table reciting a poem and clapping. As this is going on the head waiter lights candles around the base of the desert as it leads to the crescendo. Didnt see how much it cost but its something I really want on my next trip!
Jana mentioned that the shop at the entrance of this RFC had some good deals, at least, better than those of Downtown Disney and she wasnt wrong. We bought t-shirts for E & D and a RFC sweater for Howard. After saying our thanks & farewells to Vernon & Jana, we headed off into park again. Unfortunately my camera batteries were about to die
TipAlways make sure you have a spare set of batteries with you bought outside the park. They are $2-$3 more expensive in the park compared to a supermarket. Also, most of the places that sell batteries are the same shops where you view park taken photos. Having to stand in line behind people that want to view photos when all I want is to pay for the batteries in my hand is not amusing!
Camera sorted so we shot off to the Festival of the Lion King show. This wasnt open the last time we went so it was our first view of the spectacle and what a spectacle it turned out to be. The show is well executed, brilliantly performed, the audience participation is fun and the singing / dancing and general atmosphere is top drawer entertainment. If the truth be known, I wouldnt have minded paying extra to see this show, I was that impressed with it. It was a highlight of our holiday and is a must see for our next visit.
As we left the theatre the crowds were building for the AK parade. By this time I was a) too hot and b) we werent interested in fighting for a spot to see the parade so we made for the Tree of Life and the Its tough to be a bug show. This was just as good as we remembered it, especially the stink bug (pooh!) and we all had a very good laugh. When we came out the parade was still going on so we nipped across the road and back into Dinoland USA as the children wanted to play in the bony yard playground. Ruth tried to take Howard on Dinosaur again, this time he said he needed the toilet just as they were about to enter the car! Arrgghh!! So none of us rode Dinosaur this holiday.
The kids all played in the bone yard for a while whilst Ruth and I had an ice cream. Then we called in at a shop and bought Disney Ice Hockey shirts for myself (Grumpy 37), Danny (Mickey 25) and Howard (Buzz 95) the years the films were released and they look great. The kids shirts were $40 and mine was $52 (not fair when you could make about 5 kids shirts from the material in mine!) but when you consider with the exchange rate mine cost < £30 its a bargain! I also laid my hands on a beautiful Disney leather jacket but at $400 it was just too much!We left the park around 4:30 and headed off towards International Drive. We wanted to go to Festival Bay for a look around the shops, in particular, Steve & Barrys which sells American University / College gear at unbelievably low prices. Whilst we had a great time in S&Bs again buying me a USA hooded top, 2 Florida Gator shirts, Emily a denim jacket and Danny 2 American football shirts all for less than $60 (now thats what I call value!), the rest of the Festival Bay is still pretty deserted. During our last visit in Sept 03, the centre had just opened so it wasnt a surprise to see quite a few shops not yet open. We expected that 18 months on that a majority of shops there would have started but we were wrong. If anything, there are just as many empty units as there were last time! Seems a bit of a waste to build a huge shopping complex and then have most of the retail units empty.
Tip: If you like shopping, you have to visit , Steve & Barrys in Festival Bay. Whilst their main attraction is their University / College wear, the shop is huge and stocks a great range for all ages. When you consider that everything in the store (jeans / coats / shirts / sweaters etc) is less than $10 the value is hard to ignore.
After we left here the sun was going down so we took a slow drive back down International Drive to see the glaring lights and then back to the villa for a home made tea (still full from the food at the RFC!) and then crashed into bed.
So that's Thursday over and I thought Friday was going to be a lazy, quiet day ...
Christine and the aroused elephant 
), we've never ate there
