Back after a fabulous holiday

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Back home this morning after a fabulous holiday. Tired but exhilarated!

Highlights included being the family chosen to 'open the park' at Animal Kingdom on our final day, and talking to a number of animal-keepers who were out in force to view the first day that a 3-month old Otter pup came onto public display. They were like excited parents, with a video camera, clipboards and walkie-talkies so they could relay every move that the pup made to colleagues backstage. Just shows how much they care about the animals in their charge

Regards

Rob

 

[carolfoy]

Welcome back, sounds like you had a fab time, I think a lot of non-disney people still regard animal kingdom as a zoo with all the horrors that go with it, I've never been less than amazed at the amount of detail and care that goes into their animal keeping

 

[Netty]

glad you had a great time Rob, hope to hear more about it when your more awake!! like what were the crowds like in terms of the main parks and what about all the new things in wdw like cinderellacelebration (think thats right??!) any new rides etc!

 

[wilma-bride]

That seems to have gone so quick Rob. Hope our holiday doesn't fly by. Sounds cool getting to open the park at AK.

Welcome back - you haven't missed that much.

 

[squitty]

Welcome Home Rob

 

[Frances999]

Welcome Home! Glad to hear you had a magical trip.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

glad you had a great time Rob, hope to hear more about it when your more awake!! like what were the crowds like in terms of the main parks and what about all the new things in wdw like cinderellacelebration (think thats right??!) any new rides etc!

Crowds were lower than I recall for the first two weeks of August (except for the two Disney waterparks which seemed busier than usual). Making sure that we got to all the parks before opening time, and making full use of FastPass/Universal Express meant we didn't really have any queues to speak of.

Didn't see the new Magic Kingdom show except for in the distance (looked a bit cheesy, but will no doubt delight all little princesses out there!). Soarin' at Epcot is just as good as I remember it from LA, and the Motor stunt show at the Studios seems to have ironed out its pacing problems from the preview we saw at Easter. It's as good as the original in Paris (this means it's utterly brilliant) and the only remaining problem is that it makes the Indy stunt show look very pedestrian by comparision! Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom looks awesome, but that won't be finished for a few months yet so that one will have to wait until next time.

One disappointment for me was the continuing decline of the Kilimanjaro Safari. Disney just aren't spending enough money to keep this major attraction as good as it should be, and it is becoming a pale shadow of the experience that it offered when the park first opened. I can't remember when was the last time I saw the poachers jeep, bits keep disappearing from the script, the quality of the drivers continues to decline in my experience (honourable exception to Kris from Michigan, who was excellent yesterday), the poachers camp is looking so unkempt that no doubt they haven't been there for several months, the Little Red sequence is very lame especially so since they removed the warden with a gun (it now receives laughs rather than cheers), etc, etc. On this trip they had re-routed the safari so we bypassed the cheetahs - is this permanent? This should be a big E-ticket, but it's just scrapping by at the moment. I guess that Joe Rhode is none too happy at the treatment of his park All this compares poorly with the way, for example, that Universal is making sure all the show elements in The JP River Adventure are working well (the doors, the dropping rapture cage, shaking foliage, etc, etc). We had the full complement on this visit, and it was great to see. Just wish Disney would pull their socks up and keep investing in their world class attractions to keep them up to scratch.

Regards

Rob

 

[UKDEB]

When we were there in May, we did see the poachers' jeep for the first time in as long as I can remember, and the bridge rattled (several times when we've been, they haven't bothered). I too lament the passing of the real life warden with the gun. I still join in at all the appropriate moments, though!

On our last safari of the trip, we had a problem, getting held up for about half an hour (and in a place where we had a view of absolutely nothing). We were taken on a different route, which took us closer to the lions, but I'd assumed it was because of the problem - we never did find out what it was, although there was a lot of standing water around, so maybe it had something to do with that. The best part was that the park had closed by the time we exited the ride. As everyone else streamed out across the bridge and down towards the entrance, we strolled through Asia. Other than a few CMs who didn't seemed in the least bit bothered about us being there, we had the whole place to ourselves. We got some great photos.

 

[Hilary]

Glad you had a great trip, Rob

Your observations on KS rang true here (although, like Deb, we too were treated to the rattling bridge last trip after many rides without any rattle at all ), but I sometimes wonder whether new visitors to a park notice that something looks a little tired, or whether it's only apparent to repeat visitors. I'm sure I find certain rides less magical than I did when I first visited them, but I agree there's no excuse for Disney allowing disrepair to taint what should be first-class attractions for all their visitors.

 

[natalielongstaff]

welcome back rob.....gosh your time seemed to fly !

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

welcome back rob.....gosh your time seemed to fly !

It did go quick, but two weeks is about right for us to be away, so we're glad to be home to give the cat a cuddle and catch up with work before it gets too out of hand. Funny old things, holidays. You plan for months, then they're over in the blink of an eye! Only thing to do is start planning another holiday...

Which reminds me: San Francisco flights need to be booked soon as that's our destination next summer, and I need to get my act together on arrangement's for this season's skiing (6 trips planned so far; bliss!).

No trip report from me I'm afraid (my writing is just too dull) but I'll try and post a few more on-ride videos when I edit the footage. Tower of Terror and RocknRoller Coaster are my next two projects.

Regards

Rob

 

[KayleeUK]

A great experience to open the park Rob

 

[Netty]

we have only ever been on the kilamanjaro safari once and that i think that was when the park had first opened. all i can remember was having a numb bum from sitting on those hard seats! we did see some lions asleep. cant remember much else though, but then again it depends on what time of day you go to get the best view of the animals.
that must of been something rob, getting to open animal kingdom! did you just get chosen out of the crowds or do you have to put your names forward for this? any chance of seeing any photos

 

[WDWfan uk]

Your trippies dull Rob? That just isn't so!! I was never good at keeping up with reports but at least four past reports spring immediately to mind because I found them so interesting :- the DL,Ca report, one of your early DLP reports which was when you'd had a trip over Hallowe'en (took some great photos too!), another when you went on a shareholders preview of the new Studios, and a WDW report written when you'd stayed at AKL and taken a tour of AKL !

Just want you to know they were much appreciated !

Anyway!! Welcome home !

The difficulty with the safari perhaps is that being a key AK ride, rehabbing for the length of time it really needs, may be unpopular. I love the ride but soon tired of the Little Red thing. I doubt it'll be any better in October but it will still, as always, be a must do for me.

 

[Verity Chambers]

Sounds like you had a great time Rob.

Opening the park!! WOW!!! How did you manage that?

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Opening the park!! WOW!!! How did you manage that?

It was entirely a matter of luck. We were walking towards the rope drop waiting for the park to open and a Cast Member called us across and asked us if we wanted to do it. We weren't the first in the park by any means, so I guess we were just fortunate that day. I should have rushed out and bought a lottery ticket...

Regards

Rob

 

[UKDEB]

It was entirely a matter of luck. We were walking towards the rope drop waiting for the park to open and a Cast Member called us across and asked us if we wanted to do it. We weren't the first in the park by any means, so I guess we were just fortunate that day. I should have rushed out and bought a lottery ticket...

Now, that is lucky! With AK being your favourite park, I'd assumed you'd had to sell your souls! Or at least go on a 5 year waiting list.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Now, that is lucky! With AK being your favourite park, I'd assumed you'd had to sell your souls! Or at least go on a 5 year waiting list.

And it was the last day of our fabulous holiday! A great way to finish.

 

[Cyrano]

Rob
glad to hear that you had a great time, welcome back.
I can guess that opening AK was just so special

Reid