scanne
<font color=blue>OK, I must have really small ears
- Joined
- May 13, 2000
- Messages
- 5,365
Trip Report Day 5 July 29, 2005
Cast:
Me 31
DH 35
DS 2
DD 1
My parents (Ill refer to as M&D for Mom and Dad)
My grandmother (MM for MomMom thats what my kids call her)
My aunt (AK for Aunt Karen)
My in-laws (ILS)
This morning we started with breakfast at Chef Mickeys. I was a little worried about getting there on time. Our reservation was at 8.40am and my MIL is known for not getting out of bed until after noon. But I figured that since I gave her plenty of fair warning, it would be a non-issue. Thankfully, I was right.
Me and Chase goofing around on the monorail!
We took the monorail over to the Contemporary and found our way to the main concourse. We were seated at one table J within 5 minutes. I always end up in the same area when I eat here.
I like this buffet for breakfast. There is a lot to choose from and everything is always hot (if it should be) and cold (if it should be).
Since I was still brooding a bit about my lost wallet, I wasnt able to fully enjoy my meal here, but I wasnt nearly as moody as I had been at Boma. The interaction with the characters was lacking, I thought. In the past the characters have been very animated and done cute things with us or the kids, but on this visit, they just came by, signed the autograph book, posed for pictures and patted the kids on the head. I think Minnie was the only one to show a bit more personality. Well be back, but maybe in a few trips.
Minnie and my babies!
A family shot!
Erika eats EVERYTHING! She loved her Mickey waffle!
So after breakfast, me, DH, DS, DD, AK, my dad and my MIL went to Animal Kingdom. There were several things I wanted to do there so we hopped a bus and were at AK in no time.
One word about Disney transportation; we had EXCELLENT experiences with buses, boats and monorails on this trip. We never were at a bus stop for more than 5 minutes before a bus pulled up. I guess it was good timing on our part, or Disney has really added to their fleet.
Another battle of the parents ensued once we got to our destination. As soon as we were in the park, DS announced that he wanted a snack. I told him no because we just had breakfast, but my dad gave in and bought him a chocolate covered banana. Do you think DS ate the banana? Of course not! I was just irritated by my dad giving in to my sons every whim. I guess its a grandparents right, but I was still irritated. I mean, I did say no and my dad just went ahead and bought him the snack anyway. DH said I had every right to be annoyed but I digress.
So after the snack, we headed over to Africa and got FPs for Kilaminjaro Safari. While we waited for our FP time to roll around, we strolled through the Pangani Forest trail and saw a lot of animals. DS really liked the gorillas, they fascinated him! He loved all the animals he saw on the trail and was really enjoying himself.
When we got into our jeep for the safari, I had DS on my lap. Usually he likes sitting with DH, so this was a nice change. Boy was he in heaven on this ride! He loved the information guide to all the animals inside the vehicle and loved scouting out the animals on the safari. He would get so excited when he saw a hippo or a giraffe! He was all smiles and giggles and it totally made me snap out of my mood! There is nothing like the joy in a childs heart to bring a smile to someones face.
After the safari, we made our way to Festival of the Lion King. On our way we got to meet Stitch.
DS has Stitch pajamas and loves the Lilo and Stitch movie, so he was really excited to meet Stitch. After our encounter with experiment 626, we got some water and found our way to the theater. We were inside the cool theater within a few minutes. The show began about 10 minutes later. DS and DD loved it. From the music to the costumes, it is a fabulous show. Its one I try to see on every trip because it never disappoints!
DS was getting sleepy and actually fell asleep on DH at the very end of the show, but he got to see most of it and really enjoyed it. DD fell asleep on my dad and we placed the two sleeping babies in the stroller and headed to Pizzafari for some cool down time.
When we got to Pizzafari, I went to meet my mom and grandmom that had planned to meet up with us so that we could all see Mickeys Jammin Jungle Expedition. I found them right away. They had been in the park for a while and actually had a light lunch at Pizzafari as well. We headed back to the restaurant. DH walked MIL to the exit of the park so she could head back to the Polynesian to rest. I have to say that she did great at AK without her scooter, but I could see she was really hot and tired, so I thought it was good that she decided to go back. DH went to scout out Expedition Everest after that. He is a roller coaster junkie and he just cant wait for this one to be open!
Back at Pizzafari I got a chicken Caesar salad and breadsticks that I shared with AK. It was excellent! So far, the salads Ive had at WDW have been wonderful. We sat inside having our light lunch waiting for the parade. Around 3.40pm I went outside to stake out a spot for the parade. I got a great viewing spot and told everyone to join me when they were ready. DS and DD were now awake and fed and were ready for the parade! DS loves this parade. We listen to it in the car and he knows all the words sung in the parade!
Im so glad I planned this into our AK visit. It was definitely a highlight for DS to see the parade come to life. He loves all the characters in the parade, and has a thing for Minnie Mouse. Every time he sees her he goes crazy! It is the cutest thing Ive ever seen! We got great video and pictures of the parade and DS loves watching the home video of it. Someday I hope were asked to be in the parade. I think thats the kind of thing where you have to be in the right place at the right time, you know? Anyway, the parade was great and really helped lift my spirits.
From AK we were going to go to Epcot. I really wanted to see Illuminations, as its my favorite fireworks show at WDW, and this was the only chance I was going to get. Originally we were going to have dinner at Le Cellier, but decided to cancel because we had been eating and eating and eating and needed a break from eating!
When we got to Epcot the first thing I did was head over to guest relations to see about my wallet. This was at Guest Relations right outside the entrance of the park. The CM here was very kind and actually called central lost and found for me. Alas, no wallet had turned up matching my description. I was losing hope that I would find it and just decided to ask only one more time that night and then let it go.
Once inside the park we headed to Innoventions West. This was mainly for DS so that he could play some computer games. Boy was he excited when he saw X-Box with the Haunted Mansion game! He made a bee-line for the game! (Um, yeah, he was 2 going on 3 but he loves his video games). While DH hung out with DS and my M&D, MM and AK watched DD, I went to the Guest Relations inside the park. I should not have been surprised when I got a less-than-nice CM. She was so short with me I just said to her, You know, Ive gotten nothing but grief from almost every cast member Ive gone to about this. How about a little compassion next time? and I walked out in a huff! Thats when I stopped to speak to another CM to ask if there was a park manager available. This CM was very kind and I told her my ordeal. When she learned of the way I was treated, she recommended that I send an email to some big-wig named Al Weiss. She said I could find his email address on Disneys website. She told me that hes in charge of all of WDW and would definitely read my email. Well, I havent been able to find his email and when I posted of my experience on the theme park board (my thread was entitled WDW Manager Email? or something to that extent, I got royally flamed! One poster was so rude and said You lost YOUR wallet. End of story. I was like, thanks for pointing out the obvious. I wasnt blaming Disney for losing my wallet. I was angry about the lack of customer service. Ah, but again, I digress. So now, lets move on.
I met everyone out by MouseGear and we headed over to World Showcase. We stopped at that great little McDonalds stand again and got chicken McNuggets for the kids. Right after that, we saw Kenai from Brother Bear and DS just had to meet him! We got the cutest picture of DS with Kenai. I wish Koda had been there, too, but maybe he was hibernating?
After our meeting with Kenai, we continued on into WS. My DH dropped all of the chicken McNuggest when we stopped to meet Kenai, so he went back to get more and we decided to meet up at Liberty Inn. Yeah, out of all the great spots in WS that we could have snacked we chose America. But you know what? I was in the mood for a cheeseburger, so thats what I got. Just as we sat down inside Liberty Inn, it started thunder storming! Even though it rained almost every day on this trip, we were always inside eating when it stormed. Good timing for us, huh?
After burgers and fries, we caught a set by American Vybe. They are awesome and my kids were dancing along to the music. DS especially loves this kind of stuff. I swear hes going to be on stage some day. He just loves singing and dancing and is such a ham! And since I have a background in theater and Im a music teacher, I know the genes are there.
Our timing, again, could not have been better. Right after American Vybe wrapped up their set, we strolled towards Italy and got a great spot on a bench to watch Illuminations. It was about 8.45pm now, so we didnt have to wait long.
We didnt get to meet up with my ILS because they got caught in the rain. So they were at Epcot, but on the other side of the lagoon near Canada.
As I said, Illuminations is my favorite fireworks show at WDW, but the fireworks were lacking tonight. I think they left some stuff out because of lightening in the area. I still enjoyed it and neither my DD or DS cried or flinched at the loud booms. My dad took a great picture of me holding DD as we watched. Ill post it once I get his pics downloaded on my computer. Its our silhouette against the fireworks. It looks so cool.
As we were heading towards the exit, I realized that its the music of Illuminations that I love so much more than the fireworks. I always listen to the CD and I sing along to all of it. The lyrics are so amazing and they really strike a chord with me. The message in the words are so inspirational. I wish everyone in the world had a copy of the music in hopes that we would be united in peace once and for all
We made our way to the exit and met up with my ILS on the way to the monorail station. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a monorail, but that was ok. The kids were getting sleepy and so was I. It had been a long day without a break. I dont do many of these commando style days and when I do, I sure feel it. I much prefer lounging at the resort in the middle of the afternoon.
When we reached the TTC, we decided to get off there and walk to our rooms. We were in Tokelau so it was only about a 5 minute walk from the TTC. Once in our room, sleep came rather quickly to all of us. It was very needed and I was thankful to be with my family safe and sound. I let the whole wallet issue dissolve because I wanted to enjoy the rest of the vacation. And believe me, I did!
Cast:
Me 31
DH 35
DS 2
DD 1
My parents (Ill refer to as M&D for Mom and Dad)
My grandmother (MM for MomMom thats what my kids call her)
My aunt (AK for Aunt Karen)
My in-laws (ILS)
This morning we started with breakfast at Chef Mickeys. I was a little worried about getting there on time. Our reservation was at 8.40am and my MIL is known for not getting out of bed until after noon. But I figured that since I gave her plenty of fair warning, it would be a non-issue. Thankfully, I was right.
Me and Chase goofing around on the monorail!
We took the monorail over to the Contemporary and found our way to the main concourse. We were seated at one table J within 5 minutes. I always end up in the same area when I eat here.
I like this buffet for breakfast. There is a lot to choose from and everything is always hot (if it should be) and cold (if it should be).
Since I was still brooding a bit about my lost wallet, I wasnt able to fully enjoy my meal here, but I wasnt nearly as moody as I had been at Boma. The interaction with the characters was lacking, I thought. In the past the characters have been very animated and done cute things with us or the kids, but on this visit, they just came by, signed the autograph book, posed for pictures and patted the kids on the head. I think Minnie was the only one to show a bit more personality. Well be back, but maybe in a few trips.
Minnie and my babies!
A family shot!
Erika eats EVERYTHING! She loved her Mickey waffle!
So after breakfast, me, DH, DS, DD, AK, my dad and my MIL went to Animal Kingdom. There were several things I wanted to do there so we hopped a bus and were at AK in no time.
One word about Disney transportation; we had EXCELLENT experiences with buses, boats and monorails on this trip. We never were at a bus stop for more than 5 minutes before a bus pulled up. I guess it was good timing on our part, or Disney has really added to their fleet.
Another battle of the parents ensued once we got to our destination. As soon as we were in the park, DS announced that he wanted a snack. I told him no because we just had breakfast, but my dad gave in and bought him a chocolate covered banana. Do you think DS ate the banana? Of course not! I was just irritated by my dad giving in to my sons every whim. I guess its a grandparents right, but I was still irritated. I mean, I did say no and my dad just went ahead and bought him the snack anyway. DH said I had every right to be annoyed but I digress.
So after the snack, we headed over to Africa and got FPs for Kilaminjaro Safari. While we waited for our FP time to roll around, we strolled through the Pangani Forest trail and saw a lot of animals. DS really liked the gorillas, they fascinated him! He loved all the animals he saw on the trail and was really enjoying himself.
When we got into our jeep for the safari, I had DS on my lap. Usually he likes sitting with DH, so this was a nice change. Boy was he in heaven on this ride! He loved the information guide to all the animals inside the vehicle and loved scouting out the animals on the safari. He would get so excited when he saw a hippo or a giraffe! He was all smiles and giggles and it totally made me snap out of my mood! There is nothing like the joy in a childs heart to bring a smile to someones face.
After the safari, we made our way to Festival of the Lion King. On our way we got to meet Stitch.
DS has Stitch pajamas and loves the Lilo and Stitch movie, so he was really excited to meet Stitch. After our encounter with experiment 626, we got some water and found our way to the theater. We were inside the cool theater within a few minutes. The show began about 10 minutes later. DS and DD loved it. From the music to the costumes, it is a fabulous show. Its one I try to see on every trip because it never disappoints!
DS was getting sleepy and actually fell asleep on DH at the very end of the show, but he got to see most of it and really enjoyed it. DD fell asleep on my dad and we placed the two sleeping babies in the stroller and headed to Pizzafari for some cool down time.
When we got to Pizzafari, I went to meet my mom and grandmom that had planned to meet up with us so that we could all see Mickeys Jammin Jungle Expedition. I found them right away. They had been in the park for a while and actually had a light lunch at Pizzafari as well. We headed back to the restaurant. DH walked MIL to the exit of the park so she could head back to the Polynesian to rest. I have to say that she did great at AK without her scooter, but I could see she was really hot and tired, so I thought it was good that she decided to go back. DH went to scout out Expedition Everest after that. He is a roller coaster junkie and he just cant wait for this one to be open!
Back at Pizzafari I got a chicken Caesar salad and breadsticks that I shared with AK. It was excellent! So far, the salads Ive had at WDW have been wonderful. We sat inside having our light lunch waiting for the parade. Around 3.40pm I went outside to stake out a spot for the parade. I got a great viewing spot and told everyone to join me when they were ready. DS and DD were now awake and fed and were ready for the parade! DS loves this parade. We listen to it in the car and he knows all the words sung in the parade!
Im so glad I planned this into our AK visit. It was definitely a highlight for DS to see the parade come to life. He loves all the characters in the parade, and has a thing for Minnie Mouse. Every time he sees her he goes crazy! It is the cutest thing Ive ever seen! We got great video and pictures of the parade and DS loves watching the home video of it. Someday I hope were asked to be in the parade. I think thats the kind of thing where you have to be in the right place at the right time, you know? Anyway, the parade was great and really helped lift my spirits.
From AK we were going to go to Epcot. I really wanted to see Illuminations, as its my favorite fireworks show at WDW, and this was the only chance I was going to get. Originally we were going to have dinner at Le Cellier, but decided to cancel because we had been eating and eating and eating and needed a break from eating!
When we got to Epcot the first thing I did was head over to guest relations to see about my wallet. This was at Guest Relations right outside the entrance of the park. The CM here was very kind and actually called central lost and found for me. Alas, no wallet had turned up matching my description. I was losing hope that I would find it and just decided to ask only one more time that night and then let it go.
Once inside the park we headed to Innoventions West. This was mainly for DS so that he could play some computer games. Boy was he excited when he saw X-Box with the Haunted Mansion game! He made a bee-line for the game! (Um, yeah, he was 2 going on 3 but he loves his video games). While DH hung out with DS and my M&D, MM and AK watched DD, I went to the Guest Relations inside the park. I should not have been surprised when I got a less-than-nice CM. She was so short with me I just said to her, You know, Ive gotten nothing but grief from almost every cast member Ive gone to about this. How about a little compassion next time? and I walked out in a huff! Thats when I stopped to speak to another CM to ask if there was a park manager available. This CM was very kind and I told her my ordeal. When she learned of the way I was treated, she recommended that I send an email to some big-wig named Al Weiss. She said I could find his email address on Disneys website. She told me that hes in charge of all of WDW and would definitely read my email. Well, I havent been able to find his email and when I posted of my experience on the theme park board (my thread was entitled WDW Manager Email? or something to that extent, I got royally flamed! One poster was so rude and said You lost YOUR wallet. End of story. I was like, thanks for pointing out the obvious. I wasnt blaming Disney for losing my wallet. I was angry about the lack of customer service. Ah, but again, I digress. So now, lets move on.
I met everyone out by MouseGear and we headed over to World Showcase. We stopped at that great little McDonalds stand again and got chicken McNuggets for the kids. Right after that, we saw Kenai from Brother Bear and DS just had to meet him! We got the cutest picture of DS with Kenai. I wish Koda had been there, too, but maybe he was hibernating?
After our meeting with Kenai, we continued on into WS. My DH dropped all of the chicken McNuggest when we stopped to meet Kenai, so he went back to get more and we decided to meet up at Liberty Inn. Yeah, out of all the great spots in WS that we could have snacked we chose America. But you know what? I was in the mood for a cheeseburger, so thats what I got. Just as we sat down inside Liberty Inn, it started thunder storming! Even though it rained almost every day on this trip, we were always inside eating when it stormed. Good timing for us, huh?
After burgers and fries, we caught a set by American Vybe. They are awesome and my kids were dancing along to the music. DS especially loves this kind of stuff. I swear hes going to be on stage some day. He just loves singing and dancing and is such a ham! And since I have a background in theater and Im a music teacher, I know the genes are there.
Our timing, again, could not have been better. Right after American Vybe wrapped up their set, we strolled towards Italy and got a great spot on a bench to watch Illuminations. It was about 8.45pm now, so we didnt have to wait long.
We didnt get to meet up with my ILS because they got caught in the rain. So they were at Epcot, but on the other side of the lagoon near Canada.
As I said, Illuminations is my favorite fireworks show at WDW, but the fireworks were lacking tonight. I think they left some stuff out because of lightening in the area. I still enjoyed it and neither my DD or DS cried or flinched at the loud booms. My dad took a great picture of me holding DD as we watched. Ill post it once I get his pics downloaded on my computer. Its our silhouette against the fireworks. It looks so cool.
As we were heading towards the exit, I realized that its the music of Illuminations that I love so much more than the fireworks. I always listen to the CD and I sing along to all of it. The lyrics are so amazing and they really strike a chord with me. The message in the words are so inspirational. I wish everyone in the world had a copy of the music in hopes that we would be united in peace once and for all
We made our way to the exit and met up with my ILS on the way to the monorail station. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a monorail, but that was ok. The kids were getting sleepy and so was I. It had been a long day without a break. I dont do many of these commando style days and when I do, I sure feel it. I much prefer lounging at the resort in the middle of the afternoon.
When we reached the TTC, we decided to get off there and walk to our rooms. We were in Tokelau so it was only about a 5 minute walk from the TTC. Once in our room, sleep came rather quickly to all of us. It was very needed and I was thankful to be with my family safe and sound. I let the whole wallet issue dissolve because I wanted to enjoy the rest of the vacation. And believe me, I did!
and my youngest boy is David too! ) Your kids are such troopers on this trip - don't think I can say the same for the "other" adults in your group (you know who I mean 
Can't wait for more,
So glad things were looking up! I kind of have to agree with you on the character interaction at Chef Mickey's. Last time we were there, I kind of felt the same way.....sign, pose,picture, pat on the head, move on.....I've always enjoyed going there also.
