donaldbuzz&minnie
Happy to be here!
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2004
- Messages
- 1,728
We all actually took naps and woke up refreshed and ready for the afternoon. The plan was to walk over to MGM, quickly use our fastpasses to ride RnR, then take the bus to the AK in plenty of time for the last safari at 5:30 pm. But by the time we got two babies on the move we were beginning to cut it close. Everyone's highest priority was the Safari, but by this time in the vacation our daughter, the mom, had been able to do very little except take care of sick children, so we all wanted her to at least try to ride RnR.
Rather than attempt to move the whole gang through the crowds at MGM, we decided it would be best for our daughter and her husband to quickly thread their way to RnR, use fastpasses to ride, and then meet the rest of us at 5:15 at the AK Safari. So when we got to MGM, they headed off through the gates and the rest of us lined up for the bus to the AK. I was glad our other daughter and her husband had offered to stay with us, since frankly, loading 2 babies and 2 strollers onto the bus was going to be a challenge for just Bopa and me. (I remember when I would have done it without a thought, but that was a long time ago!) We would have made it, but this was a lot easier, and it gave us all a chance to just be together for a quiet moment and talk as we were waiting for the bus.
We had a nice ride over to the AK (DGS considered going on the bus every bit as exciting as any other Disney attraction), and then we strolled over to the Triceratop Spin so DGS could take in another Dumbo-style ride. This late in the day we had less than a 5 minute wait, and then DGS flew through the Animal Kingdom, safely snuggled against his Bopa. Once again, he loved it! (DGD stayed on the ground with her aunt and uncle and helped to take the pictures. She'll get her real chance next trip.)
Then we headed to the Safari, where the mom and dad were waiting for us! They had checked out the fastpass line at RnR, but it was so long that they didn't think they would be able to make it to the Safari before it closed. Since they really wanted to be with the kids on that ride, they just came right on over.
We all walked straight through the line and onto the Safari truck! Turned out that there were no lines at all during the last 15 minutes that the ride is opened, Easter crowds or not. Our guide was great. She did a very good job of making the Safari believable, and in pointing out the animals. We were in the very last 2 rows of seats - very bouncy! DGS' comment when we came to the open savannah was a hushed, "wow."
Since the AK didn't close until 8 pm, we were going to take advantage of the extra time and minimal crowds. I had been really looking forward to seeing DGS' reaction to the Lion King show, and so Bopa and I offered to take him to dinner and then to see the show, thinking that maybe his parents and aunt and uncle might like to go off on their own to the Kali River Ride, and then maybe even back to MGM to use up their fastpasses and see Fantasmic while we put DGS to bed. (DGD is still nursing, so being away from her mom for long stretches is still out of the question, and we figured they could baby-swap the rides, and keep her attention diverted at Fantasmic.)
The aunt and uncle headed off to Kali, but the parents opted to go with us, and so we walked through Asia (stopping for DGS to play the drums on the bank of the river) on our way to Flame Tree for dinner. Again, no crowds! We waited for just a few minutes, had our food, and took it down to an empty pavillion by the river. Halfway through our meal, our other daughter and son-in-law showed up. I swear that this daughter has some mild psychic power, which she put to good use in finding us! (Not a complete shock, since she knew we were going to the Flame Tree for dinner and her husband loves bbq, but once there she headed straight for our table!!!)
Apparently the line for Kali stretched forever, disappointing since we were getting used to avoiding such Easter hazards. The aunt and uncle decided to finish eating and then try to join us for the 6:30 Lion King Show if they could. The rest of us headed off to Camp Minnie Mouse, parked the strollers and my daughter, son-in-law, kids and I headed right into the show since it was filling up fast and we were some of the last to arrive. My husband waited as long as he could for the aunt and uncle, but apparently they just didn't inhale their food fast enough.
At the last minute Bopa joined us, stepping over some very accommodating people so that he could sit with us when he arrived.
The huge animal figures that are rolled out on stage at the beginning of the performance delighted DGS. He pointed and called to them, and I thought that he would get as much pleasure from the rest of the show. But, again, I was struck by how much louder the show seemed to me with a two year old than any other time I had seen it. Probably at his age this show would have been better for him when he was fresh in the morning than as he was winding down for the night. A little too intense, but ok. Fun, but I was kind of glad when it ended.
My husband and I thought our daughter and son-in-law might like to head off to MGM with the baby to meet up with the aunt and uncle (what did people do before cell phones??), but they were tired too. So we all decided to take the bus back "home" (and by this time our 2 bedroom DVC unit did feel like home.)
Our kids got their kids to bed, and then went down to soak in the hot tub while Bopa and I babysat. Everything was quiet for the 1st hour, but then DGD woke up crying. Since we live so far from her and she hasn't seen us enough to know us that well, I was sure that we were going to have to call her parents home. But even though she was cranky because her nose was stuffy, she settled right down on my shoulder and was willing to sleep that way until her parents came home. That actually is one of my favorite memories of the trip. (Not that she was stuffy, of course....Just the snuggling down part.)
Turns out that the aunt and uncle decided to head right over to MGM after dinner. They had a great time, saw Fantasmic and then joined the other adults at the hot tub later in the evening. My husband and I must be getting older, since staying "home" and watching a little TV was much more appealing than being out. We needed to rest for our planned early, early morning at the MK the next day!
Rather than attempt to move the whole gang through the crowds at MGM, we decided it would be best for our daughter and her husband to quickly thread their way to RnR, use fastpasses to ride, and then meet the rest of us at 5:15 at the AK Safari. So when we got to MGM, they headed off through the gates and the rest of us lined up for the bus to the AK. I was glad our other daughter and her husband had offered to stay with us, since frankly, loading 2 babies and 2 strollers onto the bus was going to be a challenge for just Bopa and me. (I remember when I would have done it without a thought, but that was a long time ago!) We would have made it, but this was a lot easier, and it gave us all a chance to just be together for a quiet moment and talk as we were waiting for the bus.
We had a nice ride over to the AK (DGS considered going on the bus every bit as exciting as any other Disney attraction), and then we strolled over to the Triceratop Spin so DGS could take in another Dumbo-style ride. This late in the day we had less than a 5 minute wait, and then DGS flew through the Animal Kingdom, safely snuggled against his Bopa. Once again, he loved it! (DGD stayed on the ground with her aunt and uncle and helped to take the pictures. She'll get her real chance next trip.)
Then we headed to the Safari, where the mom and dad were waiting for us! They had checked out the fastpass line at RnR, but it was so long that they didn't think they would be able to make it to the Safari before it closed. Since they really wanted to be with the kids on that ride, they just came right on over.
We all walked straight through the line and onto the Safari truck! Turned out that there were no lines at all during the last 15 minutes that the ride is opened, Easter crowds or not. Our guide was great. She did a very good job of making the Safari believable, and in pointing out the animals. We were in the very last 2 rows of seats - very bouncy! DGS' comment when we came to the open savannah was a hushed, "wow."
Since the AK didn't close until 8 pm, we were going to take advantage of the extra time and minimal crowds. I had been really looking forward to seeing DGS' reaction to the Lion King show, and so Bopa and I offered to take him to dinner and then to see the show, thinking that maybe his parents and aunt and uncle might like to go off on their own to the Kali River Ride, and then maybe even back to MGM to use up their fastpasses and see Fantasmic while we put DGS to bed. (DGD is still nursing, so being away from her mom for long stretches is still out of the question, and we figured they could baby-swap the rides, and keep her attention diverted at Fantasmic.)
The aunt and uncle headed off to Kali, but the parents opted to go with us, and so we walked through Asia (stopping for DGS to play the drums on the bank of the river) on our way to Flame Tree for dinner. Again, no crowds! We waited for just a few minutes, had our food, and took it down to an empty pavillion by the river. Halfway through our meal, our other daughter and son-in-law showed up. I swear that this daughter has some mild psychic power, which she put to good use in finding us! (Not a complete shock, since she knew we were going to the Flame Tree for dinner and her husband loves bbq, but once there she headed straight for our table!!!)
Apparently the line for Kali stretched forever, disappointing since we were getting used to avoiding such Easter hazards. The aunt and uncle decided to finish eating and then try to join us for the 6:30 Lion King Show if they could. The rest of us headed off to Camp Minnie Mouse, parked the strollers and my daughter, son-in-law, kids and I headed right into the show since it was filling up fast and we were some of the last to arrive. My husband waited as long as he could for the aunt and uncle, but apparently they just didn't inhale their food fast enough.
At the last minute Bopa joined us, stepping over some very accommodating people so that he could sit with us when he arrived.The huge animal figures that are rolled out on stage at the beginning of the performance delighted DGS. He pointed and called to them, and I thought that he would get as much pleasure from the rest of the show. But, again, I was struck by how much louder the show seemed to me with a two year old than any other time I had seen it. Probably at his age this show would have been better for him when he was fresh in the morning than as he was winding down for the night. A little too intense, but ok. Fun, but I was kind of glad when it ended.
My husband and I thought our daughter and son-in-law might like to head off to MGM with the baby to meet up with the aunt and uncle (what did people do before cell phones??), but they were tired too. So we all decided to take the bus back "home" (and by this time our 2 bedroom DVC unit did feel like home.)
Our kids got their kids to bed, and then went down to soak in the hot tub while Bopa and I babysat. Everything was quiet for the 1st hour, but then DGD woke up crying. Since we live so far from her and she hasn't seen us enough to know us that well, I was sure that we were going to have to call her parents home. But even though she was cranky because her nose was stuffy, she settled right down on my shoulder and was willing to sleep that way until her parents came home. That actually is one of my favorite memories of the trip. (Not that she was stuffy, of course....Just the snuggling down part.)
Turns out that the aunt and uncle decided to head right over to MGM after dinner. They had a great time, saw Fantasmic and then joined the other adults at the hot tub later in the evening. My husband and I must be getting older, since staying "home" and watching a little TV was much more appealing than being out. We needed to rest for our planned early, early morning at the MK the next day!
The snuggling part got to me....nothing my kids love more than snuggling themselves to sleep...what a cherished memory! 
