Day 6 (Dec. 26). We got to ANIMAL KINGDOM around 9 AM. My mom refused a wheelchair, so we walked very slowly. She waited outside during Dinosaur, which was a good idea because there was a lot of shaking and bumping that she would have hated, and then sat through It's Tough to be a Bug. This was the first time any of us had been on Dinosaur. I'd been a bit worried about motion-sickness, but I had no problems. I was a little disappointed that it was all so dark--I think it would have been better to get a sense of the special effects with just a little more light. My 11-year-old son loved Dinosaur and wanted to go on it again, but there was a growing line and we didn't think it was fair to make my mother wait any more.
My kids didn't like It's Tough to be a Bug the first time around and they didn't like it all that much this time. It's not that they were afraid but that they find the things "poking" them from the seats a bit unpleasant. I think some of the seats may be broken because my mom didn't feel many of the Tough to be a Bug effects.
Considering the day it was, the crowds were not too bad. We didn't have to wait more than 20 or 30 minutes for anything, which is what we are used to from our summer visits. After "It's Tough to be a Bug," we followed my daughter around while she did some shopping and then we all went on the Safari ride. I argued with my son about why he couldn't do the Kali River Rapids in this weather (it was warming up, but it wasn't warm enough to get soaked) and we all played Follow the Shopping Teenager some more.
However, after a while we put an end to the shopping frenzy, not because she was spending too much money but because "the men" were bored and my mom and I were exhausted. Although I seemed to be getting better from my cold, I just didn't have my usual level of energy, so I was glad to arrive at RAINFOREST CAFE where they seated us with unusual promptness. Unfortunately, we ended up next to the Atlas fountain which made enough splashing noise that conversation a little difficult, but in other respects the meal was good.
My husband had something called "Asian Beef" which he said was relatively low in fat as well as tasty (rice, vegetables, beef). My brother had some shrimp with a spicy sauce on noodles and my mother had some shrimp and rice. I was worried they would complain about the lack of shrimp or the freshness, but they were both positive about the food. The kids had burgers and I had the meatloaf, which is one of those things they do very well at Rainforest Cafe in my opinion.
Returning to the resort around 2:30, we rested until around 4 and took the boat to the DISNEY/MGM STUDIOS. There my mother agreed to a wheelchair (hurrah!). We got fastpasses for the kids for the Tower of Terror and then went on the Great Movie Ride (to humor my mom) and then Star Tours (to humor the kids). By then it was time for the OSBORNE LIGHTS. I was feeling kind of blah and out of things because of my cold, but I managed to keep up.
The Osborne Lights were really great.
We got hot chocolate for the kids and just walked around. My mom kept remarking that she wasn't tired at all. (Surprise! Being wheeled around instead of walking makes a difference.) The fake snow was a good effect, and the special glasses were terrific. We need to try them on real lights in our neighborhood (we've got real snow, too.).
Eventually the kids went off to the Tower of Terror and my brother escorted my mother back to the resort so they could beat the exiting Fantasmic hordes. In contrast, my husband and I got caught in one bunch of Fantasmic folks and were effectively pinned against the wall for a while before we could move. By the time we reached the Tower of Terror gift shop, where we were supposed to meet our kids, we felt as though we had been through some harrowing ride ourselves.
After the kids came out, they wanted to try to ride the Rockin'Roller Coaster on the standby line (there had been no good fastpass times before) but the line was far too long. We had hoped that the lines would get better during Fantasmic, but they hadn't. Around this time people were lining up for the next Fantasmic show (there were three scheduled for that night) and we decided it was time to go home. Even though the worst of the first Fantasmic crowd was gone, we didn't get seats on the boat. Fortunately, the Swan/Dolphin was the first stop. (Other times it had been the second or third. I could never figure out the order.) I was not feeling too great, so I was glad to get back to the resort, pick up some soup at Tubbi's, and head upstairs. I didn't like the potato soup so much this time--it was less creamy and more pimento-y, but it was warm and went well with some fruit and pastry. Again, we watched Illuminations from our room after lighting the Hanukkah candles. Then I started packing up things. It turned out that I couldn't disassemble the little Christmas tree to put it back in the suitcase so I had to leave it behind.
I hope the housekeeping staff knew of someone who could use it and it didn't just get thrown away. Not having to pack the Christmas tree made it a lot easier to pack everything else, but even so I was feeling too sick to do much, so I went to bed without finishing.
On to Day 7 and Conclusion
Return to
Overview
[This message was edited by Emmalyn on 12-30-00 at 01:33 PM.]
My kids didn't like It's Tough to be a Bug the first time around and they didn't like it all that much this time. It's not that they were afraid but that they find the things "poking" them from the seats a bit unpleasant. I think some of the seats may be broken because my mom didn't feel many of the Tough to be a Bug effects.
Considering the day it was, the crowds were not too bad. We didn't have to wait more than 20 or 30 minutes for anything, which is what we are used to from our summer visits. After "It's Tough to be a Bug," we followed my daughter around while she did some shopping and then we all went on the Safari ride. I argued with my son about why he couldn't do the Kali River Rapids in this weather (it was warming up, but it wasn't warm enough to get soaked) and we all played Follow the Shopping Teenager some more.
However, after a while we put an end to the shopping frenzy, not because she was spending too much money but because "the men" were bored and my mom and I were exhausted. Although I seemed to be getting better from my cold, I just didn't have my usual level of energy, so I was glad to arrive at RAINFOREST CAFE where they seated us with unusual promptness. Unfortunately, we ended up next to the Atlas fountain which made enough splashing noise that conversation a little difficult, but in other respects the meal was good.My husband had something called "Asian Beef" which he said was relatively low in fat as well as tasty (rice, vegetables, beef). My brother had some shrimp with a spicy sauce on noodles and my mother had some shrimp and rice. I was worried they would complain about the lack of shrimp or the freshness, but they were both positive about the food. The kids had burgers and I had the meatloaf, which is one of those things they do very well at Rainforest Cafe in my opinion.
Returning to the resort around 2:30, we rested until around 4 and took the boat to the DISNEY/MGM STUDIOS. There my mother agreed to a wheelchair (hurrah!). We got fastpasses for the kids for the Tower of Terror and then went on the Great Movie Ride (to humor my mom) and then Star Tours (to humor the kids). By then it was time for the OSBORNE LIGHTS. I was feeling kind of blah and out of things because of my cold, but I managed to keep up.
The Osborne Lights were really great.
We got hot chocolate for the kids and just walked around. My mom kept remarking that she wasn't tired at all. (Surprise! Being wheeled around instead of walking makes a difference.) The fake snow was a good effect, and the special glasses were terrific. We need to try them on real lights in our neighborhood (we've got real snow, too.).Eventually the kids went off to the Tower of Terror and my brother escorted my mother back to the resort so they could beat the exiting Fantasmic hordes. In contrast, my husband and I got caught in one bunch of Fantasmic folks and were effectively pinned against the wall for a while before we could move. By the time we reached the Tower of Terror gift shop, where we were supposed to meet our kids, we felt as though we had been through some harrowing ride ourselves.
After the kids came out, they wanted to try to ride the Rockin'Roller Coaster on the standby line (there had been no good fastpass times before) but the line was far too long. We had hoped that the lines would get better during Fantasmic, but they hadn't. Around this time people were lining up for the next Fantasmic show (there were three scheduled for that night) and we decided it was time to go home. Even though the worst of the first Fantasmic crowd was gone, we didn't get seats on the boat. Fortunately, the Swan/Dolphin was the first stop. (Other times it had been the second or third. I could never figure out the order.) I was not feeling too great, so I was glad to get back to the resort, pick up some soup at Tubbi's, and head upstairs. I didn't like the potato soup so much this time--it was less creamy and more pimento-y, but it was warm and went well with some fruit and pastry. Again, we watched Illuminations from our room after lighting the Hanukkah candles. Then I started packing up things. It turned out that I couldn't disassemble the little Christmas tree to put it back in the suitcase so I had to leave it behind.
I hope the housekeeping staff knew of someone who could use it and it didn't just get thrown away. Not having to pack the Christmas tree made it a lot easier to pack everything else, but even so I was feeling too sick to do much, so I went to bed without finishing.On to Day 7 and Conclusion
Return to
Overview
[This message was edited by Emmalyn on 12-30-00 at 01:33 PM.]
