puffkin
DVC Owner- SSR & AKV
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2001
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Buzz and Woody- Day Four
Cast: Woody- planner, 21-year-old college student who has always wanted to go to Walt Disney World, second trip
Buzz- 22 year old fiancEwho has never been to Walt Disney World and isnt sure what to think of it
Dates: June 9th EJune 16th, 2001
Our story:
June 12th, 2001
Today was an early morning since we wanted to make it to the Animal Kingdom by opening to beat the crowds and the heat. Our bed at ASMo was soooo comfortable, so it was especially hard to drag ourselves out when Mickey called at 6:30. There was quite a long line for the AK bus but we squeezed onto the first bus that came after about a 10 minute wait. We got to the park around 8:05. Buzz really liked the entrance to the AK and I was impressed by how beautiful everything was once you got inside. This was the only park that made me feel like I wasnt in Central Florida, but actually in a rainforest or the African Safari.
There was a huge throng of people right inside the gates because several of the characters were out, including Safari Mickey, Safari Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. We by-passed them and headed straight for Kilimanjaro Safari, which was another great DIS tip. The posted wait time was 20 minutes, so we decided to do the ride rather than grab FPs and come back later. We ended up only waiting about 10 minutes, and we both thought the warning signs in the queuing area were quite humorous (but necessary because some people just dont think)!
We saw a ton of animals, and I was impressed with how freely they roamed and how close they could come to the Jeep. We saw black & white rhinos, antelope, hippos (including a newborn baby), wildebeest, alligators, pelicans, flamingos, cheetah, lion & lioness, elephants, some kind of colorful monkey, and warthogs. I was a little disappointed that we only caught a glimpse of the giraffes, but on a whole we saw tons of animals. And, for those who think the AK is just a glorified zoo, it is really worth a look. The park is beautiful and it is neat to see the animals roaming relatively freely in their own habit, not in a cage at the zoo.
After the safari, we walked over to catch the first Lion King show of the day. We got to the theater around 9:05 and enjoyed the chance to relax in the shade until the show started at 9:30. This show was ok, but not exactly what I was expecting. I think the Lion King show in the Magic Kingdom is much better. However, the performers did a good job and I think kids will really love it.
Next, we grabbed FPs for Its Tough to be a Bug which already had a 45 minute wait and decided to grab a snack and do some shopping before the return time. Buzz instantly became infatuated with a giant safari Mickey stuffed animal, and walked around the shop carrying it for quite a long time. He decided against buying it at this time but later purchased it in Downtown Disney. We also had the tastiest snack of our entire trip here, which was a giant soft pretzel and frozen pink lemonade. It was sooooo good and I wanted to get another pretzel during the rest of the trip, but never did. After a frantic hunt for Buzzs lost sunglasses, which turned up on the bench we had been sitting on, it was off to the Tree of Life.
The carvings on the tree are so neat, and I wish we would have spent more time looking at them, but we hurried inside to see Its Tough to be a Bug. We waited right outside the doors for about 10 minutes (which seemed much longer on my increasingly aching feet). Check out the posters in the lobby. They are quite funny. We both liked this show and Buzz got hit pretty hard by the wasp at one point. My chair mustnt have been working though, because I didnt feel any of the special effects. A very cute show though in my opinion.
By this time, the heat was becoming unbearable, and Buzz was really starting to get miserable. Buzz thinks it is unbearable if the temp is 65, so the heat definitely was starting to bother him. I really do believe that this park does get hotter than all the other parks, we never felt this horrendously hot at any of the other parks during the entire trip. Anyways, we grabbed FPs for Dinosaur (50 minute standby line) and headed to Tarzan Rocks to catch the 12:00 show. It was sweltering under the tent, and the few fans they had going did nothing! I just dont understand how Disney can air condition virtually everything else except for this show! Buzz was almost melted by the time the show started, and I wasnt doing much better. We both didnt enjoy the show, but our opinions may be biased since the heat was really taking a toll by that point.
We used our FPs after Tarzan Rocks for Dinosaur, which was air-conditioned thankfully. We didnt mind the 10 min. wait since we were inside with blissful air conditioning. This ride was pretty good, and much bumpier than I thought it would be. A definite must-see though. We both decided not to do Kali; we just wanted to eat and get out of the heat. We headed over to Pizzafari, which was quite crowded. Buzz ordered an Ultimate Meat Pizza and Coke, while I ordered the Kids cheese pretzel meal and an extra coke. Our bill came out to $14.
After eating and making one last spin through the shops to pick up a couple of things, it we exited the park around 2:15. I really liked this park and could have spent a lot more time there. We didnt even get a chance to see Asia or Conservation Station, or walk any of the trails. The heat just got to be too much for us. Next trip, I will definitely plan two mornings at the AK!
At the resort, we swam for ½ hour and then napped about an hour before we headed to the Magic Kingdom for E-Ride night around 4:30. We exchanged our cards for wristbands at City Hall as soon as we got there (no line) and then headed to the Crystal Palace for our 5:30 PS. We checked in a little early, and waited about 20 minutes for a table (which only turned out to be about 10 minutes after our actual PS time). I couldnt believe how many people were trying to get in to eat here. They were turning away anyone without a PS.
I thought this restaurant was absolutely gorgeous. I kept saying to Buzz, Can you believe we are eating dinner looking at the castleE The food was pretty good and the characters were nice. Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet came by pretty quickly, but we had to wait awhile for Eeyore. I am not a fan of the Pooh characters (I feel they are overrunning the Mouse!), but I really enjoyed this meal. Also, our waiter (Jim or James from New York) was very funny and entertaining. The two adult buffets, drinks, and tip cost us about $55.
After dinner, I decided I wanted to see the Tiki Birds, since I had missed this show in 1996. However, it was closed for the day by that time, so we tried the new Aladdin ride instead. The wait was only about 10 minutes and we sat in the back row of the carpet and controlled if it leaned forward or back. A very relaxing and cute ride, so check it out if the line isnt too long.
We were trying to do some of the attractions that werent open for E-ride night, so we grabbed FPs for the Jungle Cruise (45 min stand by wait) and went to find the Frontierland Shooting Arcade. Buzz really enjoyed this attraction. We were shooting away with a bunch of little kids, which I thought was very amusing. One lady commented to her son, Hes hitting everythingE(Buzz) and then They must be shootersE
We checked out some of the shops in Liberty Square and Frontierland while waiting for our Fast Pass. I especially liked Ye Olde Christmas Shop across from the Hall of Presidents. With our FPs, we walked right onto a boat for the Jungle Cruise and were off for a delightful cruise. I found the ride and jokes to be quite funny, and I enjoyed this ride. Our CM tour guide was pretty good, but I dont remember her name. I wouldnt wait more than 10 for this ride though!
I briefly considered finding a spot for Spectromagic, but by 8:00, the parade route was extremely crowded. Buzz wanted to see all the attractions this trip rather than wasting time waiting for parades and fireworks. I kind of agreed with him, but I did catch a glimpse of Spectromagic from a distance and it looked really neat! Well, I guess we could always go back to Walt Disney WorldE
After trying a Dole Whip (which I did not really like), we headed to Fantasyland. The lines were still pretty long, but I wanted to ride the Carousel. The outside is being refurbished right now, but the horses all looked great. Buzz passed on this ride, but I picked a nice gallant steed and galloped through the night. We then decided to check out ToonTown since Spectromagic was in full swing.
We walked through Mickey and Minnies houses, which were both very cute. I wanted to get a picture taken with the Mouse, but the line was really long, so I convinced Buzz to ride the Barnstormer instead. We waited about 5 minutes for this ride. It is really cute, and would make a great first rollercoaster for our future children. It was now around 9:30 and we were both pretty tired from a very long day, so we found a nice quiet bench outside of the Starlight CafEto wait for the fireworks.
The fireworks started at 10, and we had a great view of Tinkerbell coming down from the castle (which is what I really wanted to see). The fireworks were pretty typical though, so we watched for a minute or two before heading over to Tomorrowland to start our E-ride night. I think the fireworks would have been better if we were on Main Street and could see them behind the castle, but from where we were, they were just normal fireworks with some background music.
Our plan was to do all the attractions in Tomorrowland, then hit the HM, and finish up with Adventureland. So, we walked into Alien Encounters and waited about 5 minutes until they let us into the first chamber. Buzz and I thought that this ride was all right, but not that scary or spectacular. After we exited AE, we were quite shocked to see that Tomorrowland was packed! It was busier than when we had walked through here on Saturday. The lines all had 15-20 minute waits, which really agitated us since we had spent the extra $25 for no lines. We hopped onto the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (no wait), which was very relaxing and calmed us down a little. Then I decided that maybe everyone came to Tomorrowland right after the fireworks, and that Adventureland wouldnt be crowded.
Well, Adventureland was almost as crowded as Tomorrowland. The only place the park wasnt crowded was on the walkways between the lands and on Main Street. We waited at least 15 minutes for Splash Mountain. Buzz, who does not like water rides, was getting very irritated that not only was I making him wait in lines, but that he was going to get wet as well. Luckily, we only got a little wet when another boat came down and caught us. Other than that, Buzz and I both enjoyed the ride.
BigThunder Mountain Railroad also was about a 15 minute wait, but I enjoyed this ride as well, especially being that it was night time. It also dried us off a bit from the water ride. We walked back and did the Haunted Mansion, which is a really spooky queue to wait in at night. We waited about 5 minutes, and once again enjoyed this ride. Back to Tomorrowland, where the crowds had thinned out only marginally (by now it was 12:00).
We did Space Mountain with about a 10 minute wait. I dont think this ride is rough, as some people have posted, in fact, I thought it was very smooth. We then did Buzzs Space Ranger Spin with about a 5 minute wait. I thought this ride was cute, but I didnt do very well. Buzz did much better than me, which made him happy. I wanted to ride Astro Orbiter before we left, but the line was still 20 minutes long, so we decided to go. On our way out, the characters were in front of the castle, and there was no one around! We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy. We walked right up to Mickey and had our picture taken with him (which turned out to be the best picture of the whole trip).
All in all, we were a little disappointed with E-ride night. We were expecting no crowds or lines, and we ended up waiting longer for these rides than for any on the entire trip. Yes, we did manage to get the major attractions done in the Magic Kingdom in less than 3 hours, but we didnt get to ride the rides over and over again as we thought we could. We left at 12:30, and the crowds were just starting to thin out. If we wouldnt have gotten to see Mickey, I would have been really disappointed.
We got to the bus stop and a bus was waiting for us. We dragged our very tired bodies back to our room while noticing that there were still people in the pool at 1:00 in the morning. I skipped the shower tonight and drifted off to sleep knowing that tomorrow was a sleep in day and Buzzs birthday.
Best and Worst of the Day:
Woody
Best: Meeting Mickey at the end of E-Ride and Kilimanjaro Safari
Worst: the long lines for E-ride
Buzz
Best: Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin (and beating Woody!)
Worst: Tarzan Rocks and the heat at the AK
Buzz and Woody's Great Adventure - Day Five
Cast: Woody- planner, 21-year-old college student who has always wanted to go to Walt Disney World, second trip
Buzz- 22 year old fiancEwho has never been to Walt Disney World and isnt sure what to think of it
Dates: June 9th EJune 16th, 2001
Our story:
June 12th, 2001
Today was an early morning since we wanted to make it to the Animal Kingdom by opening to beat the crowds and the heat. Our bed at ASMo was soooo comfortable, so it was especially hard to drag ourselves out when Mickey called at 6:30. There was quite a long line for the AK bus but we squeezed onto the first bus that came after about a 10 minute wait. We got to the park around 8:05. Buzz really liked the entrance to the AK and I was impressed by how beautiful everything was once you got inside. This was the only park that made me feel like I wasnt in Central Florida, but actually in a rainforest or the African Safari.
There was a huge throng of people right inside the gates because several of the characters were out, including Safari Mickey, Safari Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. We by-passed them and headed straight for Kilimanjaro Safari, which was another great DIS tip. The posted wait time was 20 minutes, so we decided to do the ride rather than grab FPs and come back later. We ended up only waiting about 10 minutes, and we both thought the warning signs in the queuing area were quite humorous (but necessary because some people just dont think)!
We saw a ton of animals, and I was impressed with how freely they roamed and how close they could come to the Jeep. We saw black & white rhinos, antelope, hippos (including a newborn baby), wildebeest, alligators, pelicans, flamingos, cheetah, lion & lioness, elephants, some kind of colorful monkey, and warthogs. I was a little disappointed that we only caught a glimpse of the giraffes, but on a whole we saw tons of animals. And, for those who think the AK is just a glorified zoo, it is really worth a look. The park is beautiful and it is neat to see the animals roaming relatively freely in their own habit, not in a cage at the zoo.
After the safari, we walked over to catch the first Lion King show of the day. We got to the theater around 9:05 and enjoyed the chance to relax in the shade until the show started at 9:30. This show was ok, but not exactly what I was expecting. I think the Lion King show in the Magic Kingdom is much better. However, the performers did a good job and I think kids will really love it.
Next, we grabbed FPs for Its Tough to be a Bug which already had a 45 minute wait and decided to grab a snack and do some shopping before the return time. Buzz instantly became infatuated with a giant safari Mickey stuffed animal, and walked around the shop carrying it for quite a long time. He decided against buying it at this time but later purchased it in Downtown Disney. We also had the tastiest snack of our entire trip here, which was a giant soft pretzel and frozen pink lemonade. It was sooooo good and I wanted to get another pretzel during the rest of the trip, but never did. After a frantic hunt for Buzzs lost sunglasses, which turned up on the bench we had been sitting on, it was off to the Tree of Life.
The carvings on the tree are so neat, and I wish we would have spent more time looking at them, but we hurried inside to see Its Tough to be a Bug. We waited right outside the doors for about 10 minutes (which seemed much longer on my increasingly aching feet). Check out the posters in the lobby. They are quite funny. We both liked this show and Buzz got hit pretty hard by the wasp at one point. My chair mustnt have been working though, because I didnt feel any of the special effects. A very cute show though in my opinion.
By this time, the heat was becoming unbearable, and Buzz was really starting to get miserable. Buzz thinks it is unbearable if the temp is 65, so the heat definitely was starting to bother him. I really do believe that this park does get hotter than all the other parks, we never felt this horrendously hot at any of the other parks during the entire trip. Anyways, we grabbed FPs for Dinosaur (50 minute standby line) and headed to Tarzan Rocks to catch the 12:00 show. It was sweltering under the tent, and the few fans they had going did nothing! I just dont understand how Disney can air condition virtually everything else except for this show! Buzz was almost melted by the time the show started, and I wasnt doing much better. We both didnt enjoy the show, but our opinions may be biased since the heat was really taking a toll by that point.
We used our FPs after Tarzan Rocks for Dinosaur, which was air-conditioned thankfully. We didnt mind the 10 min. wait since we were inside with blissful air conditioning. This ride was pretty good, and much bumpier than I thought it would be. A definite must-see though. We both decided not to do Kali; we just wanted to eat and get out of the heat. We headed over to Pizzafari, which was quite crowded. Buzz ordered an Ultimate Meat Pizza and Coke, while I ordered the Kids cheese pretzel meal and an extra coke. Our bill came out to $14.
After eating and making one last spin through the shops to pick up a couple of things, it we exited the park around 2:15. I really liked this park and could have spent a lot more time there. We didnt even get a chance to see Asia or Conservation Station, or walk any of the trails. The heat just got to be too much for us. Next trip, I will definitely plan two mornings at the AK!
At the resort, we swam for ½ hour and then napped about an hour before we headed to the Magic Kingdom for E-Ride night around 4:30. We exchanged our cards for wristbands at City Hall as soon as we got there (no line) and then headed to the Crystal Palace for our 5:30 PS. We checked in a little early, and waited about 20 minutes for a table (which only turned out to be about 10 minutes after our actual PS time). I couldnt believe how many people were trying to get in to eat here. They were turning away anyone without a PS.
I thought this restaurant was absolutely gorgeous. I kept saying to Buzz, Can you believe we are eating dinner looking at the castleE The food was pretty good and the characters were nice. Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet came by pretty quickly, but we had to wait awhile for Eeyore. I am not a fan of the Pooh characters (I feel they are overrunning the Mouse!), but I really enjoyed this meal. Also, our waiter (Jim or James from New York) was very funny and entertaining. The two adult buffets, drinks, and tip cost us about $55.
After dinner, I decided I wanted to see the Tiki Birds, since I had missed this show in 1996. However, it was closed for the day by that time, so we tried the new Aladdin ride instead. The wait was only about 10 minutes and we sat in the back row of the carpet and controlled if it leaned forward or back. A very relaxing and cute ride, so check it out if the line isnt too long.
We were trying to do some of the attractions that werent open for E-ride night, so we grabbed FPs for the Jungle Cruise (45 min stand by wait) and went to find the Frontierland Shooting Arcade. Buzz really enjoyed this attraction. We were shooting away with a bunch of little kids, which I thought was very amusing. One lady commented to her son, Hes hitting everythingE(Buzz) and then They must be shootersE
We checked out some of the shops in Liberty Square and Frontierland while waiting for our Fast Pass. I especially liked Ye Olde Christmas Shop across from the Hall of Presidents. With our FPs, we walked right onto a boat for the Jungle Cruise and were off for a delightful cruise. I found the ride and jokes to be quite funny, and I enjoyed this ride. Our CM tour guide was pretty good, but I dont remember her name. I wouldnt wait more than 10 for this ride though!
I briefly considered finding a spot for Spectromagic, but by 8:00, the parade route was extremely crowded. Buzz wanted to see all the attractions this trip rather than wasting time waiting for parades and fireworks. I kind of agreed with him, but I did catch a glimpse of Spectromagic from a distance and it looked really neat! Well, I guess we could always go back to Walt Disney WorldE
After trying a Dole Whip (which I did not really like), we headed to Fantasyland. The lines were still pretty long, but I wanted to ride the Carousel. The outside is being refurbished right now, but the horses all looked great. Buzz passed on this ride, but I picked a nice gallant steed and galloped through the night. We then decided to check out ToonTown since Spectromagic was in full swing.
We walked through Mickey and Minnies houses, which were both very cute. I wanted to get a picture taken with the Mouse, but the line was really long, so I convinced Buzz to ride the Barnstormer instead. We waited about 5 minutes for this ride. It is really cute, and would make a great first rollercoaster for our future children. It was now around 9:30 and we were both pretty tired from a very long day, so we found a nice quiet bench outside of the Starlight CafEto wait for the fireworks.
The fireworks started at 10, and we had a great view of Tinkerbell coming down from the castle (which is what I really wanted to see). The fireworks were pretty typical though, so we watched for a minute or two before heading over to Tomorrowland to start our E-ride night. I think the fireworks would have been better if we were on Main Street and could see them behind the castle, but from where we were, they were just normal fireworks with some background music.
Our plan was to do all the attractions in Tomorrowland, then hit the HM, and finish up with Adventureland. So, we walked into Alien Encounters and waited about 5 minutes until they let us into the first chamber. Buzz and I thought that this ride was all right, but not that scary or spectacular. After we exited AE, we were quite shocked to see that Tomorrowland was packed! It was busier than when we had walked through here on Saturday. The lines all had 15-20 minute waits, which really agitated us since we had spent the extra $25 for no lines. We hopped onto the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (no wait), which was very relaxing and calmed us down a little. Then I decided that maybe everyone came to Tomorrowland right after the fireworks, and that Adventureland wouldnt be crowded.
Well, Adventureland was almost as crowded as Tomorrowland. The only place the park wasnt crowded was on the walkways between the lands and on Main Street. We waited at least 15 minutes for Splash Mountain. Buzz, who does not like water rides, was getting very irritated that not only was I making him wait in lines, but that he was going to get wet as well. Luckily, we only got a little wet when another boat came down and caught us. Other than that, Buzz and I both enjoyed the ride.
BigThunder Mountain Railroad also was about a 15 minute wait, but I enjoyed this ride as well, especially being that it was night time. It also dried us off a bit from the water ride. We walked back and did the Haunted Mansion, which is a really spooky queue to wait in at night. We waited about 5 minutes, and once again enjoyed this ride. Back to Tomorrowland, where the crowds had thinned out only marginally (by now it was 12:00).
We did Space Mountain with about a 10 minute wait. I dont think this ride is rough, as some people have posted, in fact, I thought it was very smooth. We then did Buzzs Space Ranger Spin with about a 5 minute wait. I thought this ride was cute, but I didnt do very well. Buzz did much better than me, which made him happy. I wanted to ride Astro Orbiter before we left, but the line was still 20 minutes long, so we decided to go. On our way out, the characters were in front of the castle, and there was no one around! We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy. We walked right up to Mickey and had our picture taken with him (which turned out to be the best picture of the whole trip).
All in all, we were a little disappointed with E-ride night. We were expecting no crowds or lines, and we ended up waiting longer for these rides than for any on the entire trip. Yes, we did manage to get the major attractions done in the Magic Kingdom in less than 3 hours, but we didnt get to ride the rides over and over again as we thought we could. We left at 12:30, and the crowds were just starting to thin out. If we wouldnt have gotten to see Mickey, I would have been really disappointed.
We got to the bus stop and a bus was waiting for us. We dragged our very tired bodies back to our room while noticing that there were still people in the pool at 1:00 in the morning. I skipped the shower tonight and drifted off to sleep knowing that tomorrow was a sleep in day and Buzzs birthday.
Best and Worst of the Day:
Woody
Best: Meeting Mickey at the end of E-Ride and Kilimanjaro Safari
Worst: the long lines for E-ride
Buzz
Best: Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin (and beating Woody!)
Worst: Tarzan Rocks and the heat at the AK
Buzz and Woody's Great Adventure - Day Five
