Mickey woke us once again, although a little later than the last couple of days. We once more ate a nice early breakfast in the room (we had brought one of those big sets of little cereal boxes as well as bagels and bought some cream cheese, milk, and orange juice to go with it - the fruit basket also had some great crackers in it). The weather once more was beautiful and we headed out to Animal Kingdom, wondering if we could extend our run of no real waits to three days.
We drove to AK and got in about 8:30. We headed toward the Safari ride, but found a large number of characters to enjoy along the way (both real and unreal). Some of the real birds and animals around the Tree of Life were really cool to watch, and we also met a large number of Disney characters on the way. Some of them (like Terk and Rafiki) we have never encountered before on any of our trips, so they added some new names to our autograph books. Terk especially was really fun to interact with. We finally got to the Safari ride and had about a 10 minute wait. Just enough time in the line to notice the incredible amount of detail that Disney put into this ride. The transports look incredible and the groundskeeping is amazing. The ride was really good. I've certainly seen more extensive zoos, even some great ones with really interesting animals. But I have never seen a zoological enclosure in which the animals and their surroundings look so natural and well integrated in the context of a tram taking you through the animal enclosures (I have been to one in Australia which was quite nice though). Very nice. I would only wish that the Disney folks would one day work as hard on the Living Seas (which I once more found to be incredibly disappointing - maybe they realize that the algae needed to generate a really good tidal ecosystem of both fish and invertebrates would make it more difficult to view and to maintain, but I still find it very sad that they put real fish in an enclosure filled with fake coral and anemones. If they really want to encourage the research they claim, they should really put the lighting and algae into place to make a sustainable population of coral, invertebrates, and fish like a real marine tank).
Anyway, after the Safari we went towards the River rapids. The Asia area is amazingly detailed with India themed decorations. The refreshment stands have fake old cases of Coke bottles in ice alongside real new Coke bottles in real ice. The landscaping enhances the jungle/tropical feel, and there is Indian and sanskrit-style writing throughout. They have an incredible eye for creating moods and environment. We got on the Rapids ride with virtually no wait. I will always remember the vision of my son clenching my leg in anticipation as we prepared for the drop in the Rapids. I ended up at the bottom side of the tube when we plunged into the water so my son and I got drenched. He just looked at me with his half-smile look and began to laugh - he had loved it. I also thought it was a lot of fun, but I must admit that my shoes were squeaking as I walked for the next hour. My son loved the ride and immediately wanted to ride again. the line was beginning to form, so we got a Fast Pass for later and walked to It's Tough to Be A Bug (about a 10 min wait for the next show to start, but we got to walk through the amazing set of animal impressions in the trunk and roots of the Tree of Life. The 3D movie was great, and i especially liked the stinkbug. I started to wonder how long it took the Disney people to find a smell that was just right - stinky but not too stinky.
We walked over to Dinosaur, but there was already a 30-40 min wait, so since our Rapid FP time had already begun, we got a new set of FPs for Dinosaur and headed off to once more ride the Rapids (just in time for us to be mostly dry from the first ride) with our FPs (bypassing about a 20-30 min wait). My son and I sat in the same seats once more, he clenched my leg again as we prepared to plunge, and once more we ended at the downside of the vehicle and got drenched. He loved it (he's always loved getting soaked in water, he used to run into any water sprinklers he'd find in the summer and stand right over them) and made us promise that we would ride it once more before the day was over and got another set of FPs for the ride (I only wish I had brought some fresh socks). DD and I stayed in Asia to have some delicious Chicken Satay sticks and Pot Stickers for lunch while DW and DS went to Dino-Land for some hot dogs and fries. We met up with them and used our FPs for Dinosaur ride (bypassing about a 30 min wait). The Dinosaur ride is pretty cool, but I think it is too dark, and that the somewhat equivalent Indiana Jones ride at DL does a much more effective use of theming, having the car zoom around things you can see. DS loved it however.
We then saw the Tarzan Rocks show (no wait) which had some incredible talents. I couldn't help thinking however how many of the same acrobatic stunts were done more elegantly at Cirque the night before. Nonetheless, the singing and movement on stage were great! We went to get FPs for our third (and last) Rapids ride then went on the nature trail with the tigers, followed by the Bird Show (don't remember the name) which allowed some great views and shots of flying birds. We then took the Rapids ride where once more DS and I ended up at the bottom side at the plunge and became soaked. The FPs were of no use this time though, since there was absolutely no wait for the ride at this point (about 2:30). We then went to Flaming Tree Bar B Q for dinner (somewhat disappointing as the chicken was a bit dry and tough, the ribs were ok but not great) where there was absolutely no crowds and we sat and had a beautiful and relaxing view of the river area from the terrace as we ate (only one other family on the terrace).
After dinner we just fit in the last Lion King show which was really good, and once more the singers were great and the entertainment enjoyable. This show really is great at involving the crowds and also involves a number of animatronic characters on floats. My wife and I continued to be amazed at the sheer number of wonderful entertainers we have seen at WDW. These people are often every bit as good as entertainers seen at paid shows we have been to, and yet they get no billing (just imagine...Today! Tom Smith as Scar... ). My wife and I wondered how it felt to know you have been involved in doing great entertainment and yet get no billing at all.
As Animal Kingdom closed we got some last minute shopping in (including Mickey shaped soaps). [Another aside - it's nice to see Disney shops that are real Disney shops. The Disney Stores around the country are quite a sorry sight compared to what they used to be. When I stopped at our local Disney Store before our trip to get a few extra Disney Dollars and a couple of start-of-trip trinkets for the kids (since I had already ordered the fruit basket for my wife) I found almost nothing interesting to get. I settled on some Pooh key chains - a butterfly Pooh for DD and a turtle Pooh for DS. The shops in WDW however are like the Disney stores I have come to love, full of really interesting Disney paraphernalia] We then headed on to drive to MGM for Fantasmic. After a brief misdirection on the road, we finally got there with about 30 minutes to spare. We headed over to the amphitheater where with only about 20 minutes until the show we got fabulous seats. The pre show was great, and allowed us time for some pretzels and popcorn for the show. It was a great show (I had seen it at DL but my wife and kids had never seen it). It's an amazing show with great effects, but our family was split on the favorite show. My wife and I like Illuminations best, while the kids liked Fantasmic best.
We then headed back to CBR for some late night swimming at the main pool which has these great water cannons which automatically shoot into the pool every now and then. My daughter and I did the small water slide at the pool while my son ran frantically around having fun in the shallow end of the pool and my wife mingled with some of the other parents at the pool. We all had a great time swimming and laughing and splashing. About 9:00 we got out of the pool and noticed that we could see the tops of all the Illuminations fireworks from the pool area. We dried off went to our room and promptly went to bed, ready for another great day.
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We drove to AK and got in about 8:30. We headed toward the Safari ride, but found a large number of characters to enjoy along the way (both real and unreal). Some of the real birds and animals around the Tree of Life were really cool to watch, and we also met a large number of Disney characters on the way. Some of them (like Terk and Rafiki) we have never encountered before on any of our trips, so they added some new names to our autograph books. Terk especially was really fun to interact with. We finally got to the Safari ride and had about a 10 minute wait. Just enough time in the line to notice the incredible amount of detail that Disney put into this ride. The transports look incredible and the groundskeeping is amazing. The ride was really good. I've certainly seen more extensive zoos, even some great ones with really interesting animals. But I have never seen a zoological enclosure in which the animals and their surroundings look so natural and well integrated in the context of a tram taking you through the animal enclosures (I have been to one in Australia which was quite nice though). Very nice. I would only wish that the Disney folks would one day work as hard on the Living Seas (which I once more found to be incredibly disappointing - maybe they realize that the algae needed to generate a really good tidal ecosystem of both fish and invertebrates would make it more difficult to view and to maintain, but I still find it very sad that they put real fish in an enclosure filled with fake coral and anemones. If they really want to encourage the research they claim, they should really put the lighting and algae into place to make a sustainable population of coral, invertebrates, and fish like a real marine tank).
Anyway, after the Safari we went towards the River rapids. The Asia area is amazingly detailed with India themed decorations. The refreshment stands have fake old cases of Coke bottles in ice alongside real new Coke bottles in real ice. The landscaping enhances the jungle/tropical feel, and there is Indian and sanskrit-style writing throughout. They have an incredible eye for creating moods and environment. We got on the Rapids ride with virtually no wait. I will always remember the vision of my son clenching my leg in anticipation as we prepared for the drop in the Rapids. I ended up at the bottom side of the tube when we plunged into the water so my son and I got drenched. He just looked at me with his half-smile look and began to laugh - he had loved it. I also thought it was a lot of fun, but I must admit that my shoes were squeaking as I walked for the next hour. My son loved the ride and immediately wanted to ride again. the line was beginning to form, so we got a Fast Pass for later and walked to It's Tough to Be A Bug (about a 10 min wait for the next show to start, but we got to walk through the amazing set of animal impressions in the trunk and roots of the Tree of Life. The 3D movie was great, and i especially liked the stinkbug. I started to wonder how long it took the Disney people to find a smell that was just right - stinky but not too stinky.
We walked over to Dinosaur, but there was already a 30-40 min wait, so since our Rapid FP time had already begun, we got a new set of FPs for Dinosaur and headed off to once more ride the Rapids (just in time for us to be mostly dry from the first ride) with our FPs (bypassing about a 20-30 min wait). My son and I sat in the same seats once more, he clenched my leg again as we prepared to plunge, and once more we ended at the downside of the vehicle and got drenched. He loved it (he's always loved getting soaked in water, he used to run into any water sprinklers he'd find in the summer and stand right over them) and made us promise that we would ride it once more before the day was over and got another set of FPs for the ride (I only wish I had brought some fresh socks). DD and I stayed in Asia to have some delicious Chicken Satay sticks and Pot Stickers for lunch while DW and DS went to Dino-Land for some hot dogs and fries. We met up with them and used our FPs for Dinosaur ride (bypassing about a 30 min wait). The Dinosaur ride is pretty cool, but I think it is too dark, and that the somewhat equivalent Indiana Jones ride at DL does a much more effective use of theming, having the car zoom around things you can see. DS loved it however.
We then saw the Tarzan Rocks show (no wait) which had some incredible talents. I couldn't help thinking however how many of the same acrobatic stunts were done more elegantly at Cirque the night before. Nonetheless, the singing and movement on stage were great! We went to get FPs for our third (and last) Rapids ride then went on the nature trail with the tigers, followed by the Bird Show (don't remember the name) which allowed some great views and shots of flying birds. We then took the Rapids ride where once more DS and I ended up at the bottom side at the plunge and became soaked. The FPs were of no use this time though, since there was absolutely no wait for the ride at this point (about 2:30). We then went to Flaming Tree Bar B Q for dinner (somewhat disappointing as the chicken was a bit dry and tough, the ribs were ok but not great) where there was absolutely no crowds and we sat and had a beautiful and relaxing view of the river area from the terrace as we ate (only one other family on the terrace).
After dinner we just fit in the last Lion King show which was really good, and once more the singers were great and the entertainment enjoyable. This show really is great at involving the crowds and also involves a number of animatronic characters on floats. My wife and I continued to be amazed at the sheer number of wonderful entertainers we have seen at WDW. These people are often every bit as good as entertainers seen at paid shows we have been to, and yet they get no billing (just imagine...Today! Tom Smith as Scar... ). My wife and I wondered how it felt to know you have been involved in doing great entertainment and yet get no billing at all.
As Animal Kingdom closed we got some last minute shopping in (including Mickey shaped soaps). [Another aside - it's nice to see Disney shops that are real Disney shops. The Disney Stores around the country are quite a sorry sight compared to what they used to be. When I stopped at our local Disney Store before our trip to get a few extra Disney Dollars and a couple of start-of-trip trinkets for the kids (since I had already ordered the fruit basket for my wife) I found almost nothing interesting to get. I settled on some Pooh key chains - a butterfly Pooh for DD and a turtle Pooh for DS. The shops in WDW however are like the Disney stores I have come to love, full of really interesting Disney paraphernalia] We then headed on to drive to MGM for Fantasmic. After a brief misdirection on the road, we finally got there with about 30 minutes to spare. We headed over to the amphitheater where with only about 20 minutes until the show we got fabulous seats. The pre show was great, and allowed us time for some pretzels and popcorn for the show. It was a great show (I had seen it at DL but my wife and kids had never seen it). It's an amazing show with great effects, but our family was split on the favorite show. My wife and I like Illuminations best, while the kids liked Fantasmic best.
We then headed back to CBR for some late night swimming at the main pool which has these great water cannons which automatically shoot into the pool every now and then. My daughter and I did the small water slide at the pool while my son ran frantically around having fun in the shallow end of the pool and my wife mingled with some of the other parents at the pool. We all had a great time swimming and laughing and splashing. About 9:00 we got out of the pool and noticed that we could see the tops of all the Illuminations fireworks from the pool area. We dried off went to our room and promptly went to bed, ready for another great day.
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So glad you guys enjoyed your vacation.
