Tuesday, 10/2
Shocked DH again by going straight to a park! We chose Animal Kingdom today.
We headed straight back to Expedition Everest. They had a problem with the attraction and it was shut down for almost 20 minutes. I was afraid to go on; I made DH go first to tell me what to expect. It was actually a stranger who convinced me to ride; I don’t trust DH when he says “it’s nothing”. (After all, this is the man who tells me not to hold on on Splash Mountain! I have never been in any of the pictures; I always hide under his arm!) I was glad I went; but I was so scared I don’t remember seeing the Yeti! That going backwards in the dark was the worst part for me, but I will ride this again on the next trip!
Next we went on Dinosaur twice in a row – no waiting. After that Primevel Whirl, which is always good for a giggle; then ran to the Nemo Show, which has replaced Tarzan Rocks. I was very impressed – this is a Broadway quality production! It’s also nice that the theatre is now air conditioned. Have to say we still miss Tarzan, however.
We head off to Asia for the Killamanjaro Safari. We saw a fair amount of animals, but not really that many.
Next was Kali River Rapids – I wore my poncho and didn’t get too wet – we rode this twice. After that we ran all the way to catch the Lion King show - my knees were really starting to hurt by then. I forgot what a long walk it is to Camp Minnie Mickey! We have to see this show at least once on every trip - there is something about that girl who is dressed like a bird; when she flies up into the air it gives me a lump in my throat - so beautiful. I love the ending when all the little kids are walking around with the characters.
We decided to head back to the pool for a couple of hours. The hot tub did wonders for my knees, hips, back, etc. Of course, a cold beer or two didn't hurt either!
Then we ran upstairs, got dressed and headed into Epcot to see the Beach Boys! I think Mike Love was the only original member - but they were great. I knew the words to every song - we danced in our seats and had a great time. The lines for each show stretched all the way back past Germany from America.
We saw two sets of the Beach Boys, stayed for Illuminations, then ran back and got in a 20-minute swim before the pool closed at 10PM. I slept really well that night!
10/3 Wednesday
Happy Anniversary!!

Back to Epcot.
First up was Soarin, rode twice and got a fast pass to come back. We went to the Living Seas, which I haven’t seen in years. They did a fantastic job updating it with Nemo – I really loved it. We saw them feed the fish at 10AM – that was a first for me also.
We rode Test Track twice, no wait because we went on the single rider line. Went back to Soarin, then rode the boat ride in the Land while we were there. Next we did Mission Space (but we did the slow side, as we have never been on before and have heard some scary stories). It was a piece of cake on this side.
We walked back to the Beach Club and went swimming until 5PM. Then we came back to Epcot to see the Beach Boys again. It started pouring rain, we got soaked, so we only stayed for one set and headed back to the hotel.
We got dressed up and went down to the Yachtsman Steak house for our anniversary dinner. They gave us anniversary buttons, very cute! We had Chateau Briand for two, which was delicious. Our waiter was Ricardo, who we have known for many years. He is the sweetest man! It made it even more special to see him again. DH had two schooners of beer and I had two glasses of merlot. We had a window seat and could look at the pool, lit up at night, which was beautiful. We even saw a little bit of the fireworks from Epcot.
It was a wonderful anniversary!
10/4, Thursday
Dh went to the gym. When he came back I said let’s go back to Epcot. (this will turn out to be a very bad decision). It’s hot and sunny, and DH is tired from his workout. We go to Universe of Energy, Soarin, Test Track, Mexico and Norway. The boat ride in Mexico has been updated - Donald Duck - it's very cute. It’s really hot so we go back to the pool. As soon as we get to the pool it starts raining, hard. Dh is ready to cry – the pool is his favorite thing on a sunny day.
We had a reservation at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, so we go upstairs and get dressed. We took the bus to Magic Kingdom and switched for the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The buffet was very good, like a regular buffet, but with different spices. They had prime ribs, loin of pork, 5 different soups, 4 different kinds of hummus – which I love, all kinds of salads and side dishes. The deserts were delicious – whoever recommended the Zebra Domes was not exaggerating how great they are.
We went out back behind the pool and spa and there was a guide who let us look through night vision goggles. It was amazing – they make it look like day. We saw two giraffes and a few other animals eating back there.
The worst part was getting the two buses back to the Beach Club – we should have taken a cab. It was one of the nights for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party – by now it was 11PM and everyone was leaving the park! The buses were crowded with tired children and their parents, although the costumes were cute.
10/5 – Friday
Our last full day already! Rock N Roller coaster was re-opening today. That is the one ride I still haven’t worked up the nerve to try. DH went to MGM for the opening. He said it was so crowded, I guess a lot of people were adding a day to the 3-day weekend. He rode 4 times and was very happy. I took advantage of my time alone to get coffee and browse through the store in the lobby.
When he got back we walked over to Epcot to see the new movie in Canada with Martin Short – it was cute.
Sunny – so we head back to the pool. So of course it started to rain! We waited as long as we could; then got ready and headed back to MGM to see Fantasmic one more time. The skies opened up – thunder, lightning, torrential rain. After a while we were soaked, and as it was still lightning we decided to call it a night and went back to the Beach Club. We don’t know if Fantasmic was ever canceled that night. We didn’t want to go out into the rain again, so we went back to the Cape May Buffet. It was just as delicious the second time around!
10/6 – Saturday
Time to go home. But not before we went swimming til the very last minute! We packed up out wet bathing suits in plastic bags for the ride home. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We took Magic Express back to the airport. Where did the time go????
All I can say is we have been on the phone since we got home; trying to book another trip as fast as we can!! So far, we have 4 nights booked in December for my birthday; we have never seen the Christmas decorations. I can't wait!!!!
