But you CAN’T swim in Bay Lake, can you?? (A surprise pic-heavy report) COMPLETE!

[OhMari]

You guys have great smiles.
Sometimes on my first day of any vacation,
I get such bad jet lag, I feel like crying.
It takes me a day and nite to recover.

I'm really looking forward to hearing about the campground.
I rarely see anyone ever post about staying there.
I'm seriously thinking about planning a campground trip to WDW.
I think my dh would enjoy it a whole lot more too.

 

[lklasing]

Thursday, September 3, 2009

As I usually do at home, I woke up too early today, but I sure was excited to realize where I was. I finally got my family up and moving, and we headed off to the Animal Kingdom.

Waiting on the bus:

We had 8:00 reservations at Tusker House, a first time there for us. The food was very good but the restaurant itself was very loud and the characters were extremely slow making it around to all the tables. In fact, at 8:55, we hadn’t gotten a visit by even the first character. I guess it’s because they’re not little girls anymore, but both DDs declared that they’d much rather get to riding rides while the crowds were light than keep waiting on the characters, so we went ahead and left without meeting any. At first I resisted, as I love character meets and character meals are my favorite way of getting them without dealing with any lines, but it was definitely the right decision.

After we left Tusker House, we headed to Safari and got there right as they dropped that rope. Safari was great with lots of animals out and about. (Danielle took lots of pictures of the animals, but I’m a people-picture-girl, so you’ll have to use your imagination.) Then, the girls were aching to ride KRR, so we were delighted when we saw that the standby wait was just 5 minutes. We walked right on, surprised that we saw several rafts go by without anyone on them. I’ve never seen that before. Anyway, when we rode, we got wet, but thankfully not soaked. When we got off, the girls and Ray walked off the ride but then were allowed to turn right around and get back on by just going almost to the bridge near the exit and just going right back – they didn’t have to walk the entrance again. This time Ray (who has always declared that he “doesn’t ever get wet” on those rides, wound up looking like this:

Since they were already soaked to the bone, the girls turned around again and rode it for a third time. I couldn’t believe they were allowed to do it that way, but that’s how the cast members instructed them to be able to ride so quickly since there were so few people in line. After ride #3, here’s what they looked like:

Next, we headed to one of my favorite rides in all the World: Expedition Everest. I was hoping that our luck would hold with short lines. This is what I saw when we arrived:

(to be continued...)

 

[lklasing]

Amazingly, 5 minutes was a little longer than what it took for us to be sitting on our train. We had a blast, of course, so we rode again as soon as we got off. Then, the girls and I rode Primeval Whirl, which was the longest wait of the trip so far by far. By then, even though we had only finished breakfast not even a couple of hours earlier, it was time for an ice cream break.

We’ve been at this Photopass thing pretty heavy for the past five or more trips, so we’re pretty old hand at it by now. That sometimes evidences itself in some silliness when taking the same picture for the fifth time in a row:

Finally, we decided it was time to move on to… DTD!

We had planned to take a bus to DTD, but were dismayed when we determined that there was no such thing as a bus from AK to DTD. We thought for a moment about taking a bus to a resort, and then another to DTD, but decided that we would be much better served to just grab a cab. Sooooo much better than taking 2 buses. It was $20 with tip and worth every dime.

We all ate lunch at Earl of Sandwich, which was great. Then, Ray headed back to the Fort for a good nap , while the girls and I shopped till we dropped. Their favorite stop was Goofy’s Candy Company, of course.

I had read that Goofy’s had cut back on what you could get for snack credits, and that was true. But, we still all managed to find things that made us happy that you definitely can’t get at home.

I then bought some fun plates and coffee mugs at the kitchen store, and Danielle got a Goofy plush for a friend at World of Disney.

Finally, we headed back to the cabin. We made a quick change into swimsuits and headed to the new-and-improved pool with a GREAT slide. Ray and I even tackled the slide bunches of times. (Sorry – I forgot to take my camera. But, suffice it to say that it looks just like the pictures of the new pool that have been posted all over the camping board. It’s really a great improvement to the Fort!)

After our swim, Ray and Danielle decided to head to the MK before dinner, while Jodi and I took it easy in the cabin for a while. Ray and Danielle had a great time and reported short lines again at Splash Mountain, BTMRR and HM.

Meanwhile, back at the Fort, Jodi and I got ready to go exploring. (Those of you who were tuned into my live report from the Fort, please forgive the pictures you’ve already seen.)

First, we hopped a bus

and made our way to the TCD ranch to check out the ponies:

We eventually made our way to the dock, where we found this crazy sign:

(one more continuance to come...)

 

[lklasing]

As scary as that sign was, we were even more frightened by this group of thugs that accosted us on the beach:

I think they were panhandling, as they seemed hungry. They even chased down Jodi, hoping to shake some food out of her:

Happily, she escaped unscathed and was able to play some tetherball – one of her favorite Fort pastimes.

The Fort is such a pretty place in so many ways, but the marina is one of my favorites:

Finally, we made it to dinner at the Wave, where Ray and Danielle were waiting on us. We went to the Wave for lunch on our last day of our Thanksgiving trip last year and absolutely loved it. Happily, this trip there was every bit as good as before. Barbie was our server (yes, that’s really her name), and she was amazingly attentive. Special orders were not only allowed there, but encouraged. Since we were on day 2 of the deluxe dining plan, we were really starting to fill up by this meal, so we got our desserts to go and took them back to the cabin. The Wave is definitely second only to California Grill for us for WDW restaurants, and it’s a close call between the two of them. Granted, it doesn’t have any kind of view that CG has (given that there are no windows), but it’s still that good. (Sorry – off my Wave soapbox now! )

Once we made it back to the cabin, we all poured into bed, ready for another big day tomorrow, this time at HS and the first MNSSHP of the season!

 

[Sarilas]

I'm so glad you like The Wave; we have a ressie there for (if memorey serves) the last night of our trip. It looks amazing!

 

[MeMom]

Looks like you guys picked a great time to go with all those short/walk-on lines.

I would have been the lady covered in the poncho on Kali.

It's cute that the girls have so much fun with the Photopass poses.

Sorry you got no characters at Tusker House. They came one right after the other for us this summer. We ate, took pictures, and were out the door just as the rope dropped. We were on the first safari jeep of the morning! I guess it's good that the girls were old enough to be okay with just going on and getting started, but it's sad that you paid for a character meal and got no characters.

Good pictures. Definitely makes me want to take a walk through Animal Kingdom this morning, but alas, I must go to work.
Four weeks from Friday, though, we're going back, so I think I can hold out until then. Since I just came off knee surgery last week, I wouldn't be able to walk much this morning anyway, so that helps my patience a bit.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Great job on the new posts!

I love your photopass pictures. We generally don't take the time for this, but your photos are a good reminder that you can get some great family shots this way. My DD's like to ham it up on the trick shots, too. I have a great one of them with Baby Simba along the lines of yours.

I am glad that you experienced such short lines at AK. That is such a treat. When we were last at AK, we waited more than 45 minutes to ride KRR in a line that was crawling. We finally cut our losses and left. And, this was just a few weeks before your visit, so you really did luck out.

And, whenever I do ride KRR, I end up looking like Ray did. Only wetter. My DD's are the ones who want to get soaked, but they often don't get a drop, while I usually have a huge wave land right in my lap.

Can't wait to read the rest of your report.

You are doing great!

TCD

 

[Shan-man]

I'm loving your TR, as always. I'm sorry to hear such luke-warm reviews of Narcoossee's... I fear that Disney is letting another PRIME location flounder like Tony's. These should be a couple of premiere restaurants, and reviews are mixed at best. When we went to Narcoossee's last Christmastime two of the three meals were quite good and the third was merely passable. Now it sounds like the four of you had merely passable meals. When is Disney going to wake up and realize that a view, or a theme, or character interactions do not substitute for good food... it's a RESTAURANT by Jimney! Sorry, off my soapbox!

We had the same experience at Kali the last two trips, where we could just turn around and get right back on. What a blast!!

Chompin' at the bit for more!

 

[bluejasmine]

Loving the TR! Very cute pics of your girls! Tomorrow when the kids get off their bus we are doing a scavenger hunt to tell them SUPRISE we leave for WDW early tomorrow! We are so excited we are having a hard time sleeping! Cant wait to read more! Happy to see wait times are so low hope they stay that way for another 10 days!

 

[MouseKTeer]

Love the close-up of you and Jodi at FW! And all the pix are great--both Photopass and yours!

The girls look so funny after their 3 quick trips on KRR

Can you say more about the food at the Wave--do you remember what you ordered?

 

[Echo queen]

I am going to read your report tonight, this my be our time next year.

 

[PrincessPaczki]

Hi! I am really enjoying your trip report. Thank you for sharing your photos with us. Your girls are adorable. I can't wait to read more. Thanks

 

[lklasing]

Hey everyone! Thanks for so many replies and for so many sweet comments about the report and pictures.

To respond to a couple of specific replies, yes, we were definitely disappointed in Narcoossees, but I'm always hesitant to pan something too strongly when it was our first time there. And again, the appetizers were great - Ray even said at first he thought it might replace CG as our favorite. But, the entrees failed to impress.

The Wave, on the other hand, may have now replaced CG as our must-go restaurant. Again, no view at all, but otherwise we absolutely love it. We actually went twice this trip (we went back for lunch on our last day). Between the two trips, we had their chili (great), lettuce wraps (yummy), the soup of the day (chicken and rice, I think, and Jodi loved it), the burger (on the lunch menu, but they let Ray have it for dinner, and it was great), chicken pot pie (unlike any pot pie I've had before, but very good), chicken sandwich (also great), plus lots and lots of desserts (all too good to describe). So, suffice it to say that we are big Wave recommenders!

Thanks again for all the comments! Stay tuned!

Leslie

 

[lklasing]

Friday, September 4, 2009:
After a great day Thursday, we all slept really well that night and woke up feeling super. We had an easy breakfast in the cabin – cereal and pop tarts for girls (breakfast of champions); eggs, sausage, toast and coffee for Ray and me. That’s one of the greatest things about the cabins – the ability to make a nice easy meal every once in a while. I don’t cook at home, so I certainly am not going to spend my vacation cooking a lot, but it’s actually a very nice break to get to have a regular meal rather than eating every single meal out. Plus, housekeeping will clean up after you – something that definitely doesn’t happen at my house!

After a good breakfast, we hopped in the GC and grabbed a bus to HS.

Whereas yesterday we just missed the bus to the AK, this time there was one waiting. A little silliness ensued on the way to HS that morning. It started out as just a regular picture taking moment on the bus, but quickly turned into a Disney Photopass opportunity, just without the Photopass photographer:

Danielle and I were much more mature than Ray and Jodi:

Of course, we wanted to get to HS early to hit TSM (novel idea, I know). They were still holding everyone at the gate when we arrived and while we were waiting, a “camera crew” was walking around chatting with and filming families in line. It was part of the promotion to try to get people to try out for American Idol. Because Ray laughed at one of the guy’s jokes, instead of seeming like he was still asleep like most of the rest of the crowd, we were selected to be a focus family for a few minutes. It was a lot of fun, and just another one of those little extras Disney does to try to keep things fun. It definitely made the wait for the gates to open go by more quickly.

When we were finally let in the gates, and then past rope drop, we made our way to TSM. I thought about getting a FP, but had decided we’d go ahead and ride, which we did. The line only took about 10 minutes, notwithstanding the fact that we really weren’t at the front of the crowd. The posted wait said 40 minutes, so I was glad that wasn’t right. The ride was great, as always, but it still boggles my mind that it is an attraction that people are willing to stand in line for hours for. (When we were there over Thanksgiving, people were waiting over 2 hours for this. I could never wait over 2 hours for anything.)

 

[lklasing]

Anyway, after the ride, we headed down Sunset so Ray and Danielle could ride RNRC. Ray had missed it last time, so he definitely wanted to ride, and it’s one of Danielle’s favorites too. Jodi had never done it, as she really has an aversion to rides that take you upside down. She and I got a drink and just relaxed as they rode. When they got off, Danielle and I rode while Ray waited with Jodi. There was no line at all – we were able to walk straight into the room where you see the video clip of Aerosmith getting in the limo – so it was no difficulty at all to ride back to back with no FPs. When we got off, we found out that Jodi had decided to face her fear and ride. Apparently, she had lots of questions for Ray about the ride while Danielle and I were on it and the answers satisfied her worries. So then we all four rode together. I was a little concerned that she wouldn’t like it, but I shouldn’t have. She LOVED it! So much so that when we got off, she and Danielle immediately headed back in for one more ride. If you’re counting, note that this makes four rides in a row for Danielle. Ugh. I like this one a lot, but am certain that I would have lost my breakfast if I had ridden it 4 times in a row. But, she had a great time and we were all thrilled for Jodi to know that there’s yet another great ride that she loves.

After overdosing on RNRC, we made our way to lunch at Sci-Fi. I had some apprehensions about eating there, figuring it may not be any good, but it really was fun. We all loved the décor, and the food was good too. It was a very different experience from all our other meals so far, in that our normally chatty girls hardly talked this time, instead watching the old movie clips.

It was a fun little break from touring. We did manage to get our thoughts together for the rest of our stay at HS, though. I had big concerns about not staying too long, since we had tickets for MNSSHP that night, but Jodi still had her eyes on Star Tours and was also very interested in the Animation Academy. Danielle, on the other hand, wanted to shop for a stuffed animal, so she and I split. Danielle and I had fun checking out the stores on the way out of the park, and then got back to FW, hit the Meadow Trading Post and had a great swim together. The smaller cabin pool was fun in that it still has a real deep end, but I do like the themed pool better.

(Fun at the bus stop

Whereas the Fort had been so empty for our first few days, things were definitely picking up with more and more of the sites getting customers. We spotted this site very near the Meadow. It was very neat.

We stopped to chat with the guy who had set all this up, and he told us that this is one of the original FW Railroad cars. He said he goes to FW about once a month, so I’m betting some of you may have seen him around. Very nice guy.

Meanwhile Ray and Jodi had a great time continuing to play at HS. After Star Tours, they went to the Animation Academy, which they LOVED. So much so that they want to try to go back and do it again while we’re at WDW. I told them that I didn’t know if we’ll be able to pull that off or not, but I sure hoped so, given the amount of fun they had. And, their pictures turned out great!

Finally, we all reunited at the cabin and before we knew it, it was time to go to dinner and then on to MNSSHP. As we waited on the boat to the CR (to then take the monorail to the Poly for dinner at Kona), another tetherball game broke out.

At Kona, Ray and I both had the shrimp and scallops, which was nice and light, especially compared to everything else we’ve been eating this trip. The Poly brought back lots of memories, as that’s where we stayed the first couple of trips as a family. We love the Poly, especially the theming and the pool, but we just can’t get past the extra level of space you get in the cabins. Even staying on the club level at the Poly, where you can go to the concierge room most any time, doesn’t give us the same ability to relax that a cabin at FW does.

 

[lklasing]

Anyway, after yet another great meal, we made it to the MK for the party. They had put up lots of decorations in just a day or so. It looked great!

We got there right at 7:00 so it was pretty crowded when we were on our way in, with all the people who were not staying for the party making their way out. But, of course, when they were gone, the park cleared nicely. It was a little more crowded than I had expected based on the light crowds we had encountered so far, but it was still nice and light and we were able to walk on to virtually all the rides we wanted. So, we did Astro Orbiter, Laugh Factory (where Ray was Mike – they liked his shirt), Buzz, the Indy Speedway, the teacups (twice, at least by the girls), HM, Splash, and BTMRR.

This lady was telling stories outside the HM:

I had always wanted to get the picture with the Haunted Mansion ghost, and we finally got it!

We then caught the entire parade, starting with the Headless Horseman.

(Sorry the picture isn’t any better – he’s hard to catch!)

We got a great spot to watch the parade from, even though we walked up only about 10 minutes before it started. In all our trips over the years, I haven’t seen any parades in their entirety (we’re usually too busy riding everything), so I really enjoyed it. After the parade, we rode Pirates, but upon exiting the ride, it became evident that Danielle might pass out right then and there, so we headed on toward the exit. It was a great party though. The decorations were great and it amazed me that they got them up so quickly when they hadn’t been there at all the day before.

The ride back to FW was, well, quiet. Everyone on the boat looked like they had had a great time at the party but like us, were officially dead meat. Jodi feel asleep on me, and Danielle looked like a zombie. But the party was a great success for us. It was our first Halloween party, having been previously to the (now-defunct) Pirate and Princess Party and the Christmas party. Of the three, I think we enjoyed the P&PP the best as no one was there, but beyond that, they are all great.

Coming up: Sleeping in for once, Epcot and HDDR!

Leslie

 

[WDW Traveler]

Still loving your TR! Love all the pictures. Keep it coming!!

 

[Upanova01]

I love your trip report! Great pics too! Your family looks so sweet and your girls are wonderful! I love this pic:

How you got that shot is priceless! Also the photos of the ducks chasing your daughter is hilarious! We also were in Tomorrowland last year and a duck accosted us asking for our popcorn. He just would not leave us alone, so we snapped a few pics of me with him feeding him popcorn. Those ducks can be persistent.

Great report so far. Can't wait to read more!


Mlle Upanova

 

[California Jenn]

What a great update! Love all the pictures of FW -- and the ones of the ducks chasing DD were cute!

I'm surprised you couldn't get a bus to DTD from the parks, but I guess that's because they don't want people to park at DTD and travel to the parks? But at least you got there quickly by the taxi and got to do lots of shopping! I always enjoy checking out all the things you can't get back home.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Man, this is a good trip report!

The Ray and Jodi faux photopass photos are an absolute riot! Those are really funny. Great job!!!!

Looking forward to more.

TCD