tiggergirlinMI
Now living 30 minutes from the World!
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2005
- Messages
- 823
We left MI at noon on Friday,FEB 18th and made great time to Corbin, KY, our stopping point, minus the 1 1/2 hours we spent at Cracker Barrel for dinner, seems alot of people stopped there for dinner that night, but we needed to have a break so we had a good meal.We stopped for gas in Ohio and my son announces, "look we are leaking Coolant", we pop the hood and the coolant is full to the top, seems son decided to fill it to the top, but then it is my fault for never teaching him to fill only to the fill line.Not having a man in the house for the last 3 years ,I forget there are some things I should be teaching the boys, oops on my part! No biggie, we will be ok. We stayed at a really nice Hampton Inn in Corbin, KY and woke up Saturday morning to have a nice hot breakfast in the lobby. We continued through to FL, our next stop would be Gainesville on Saturday night as there were no rooms in Orlando. We had stopped for lunch in Chattanooga, TN, why?? well, living in TX for 2 years there are 2 fast food places I miss badly, SONIC and WHATABURGER.I looked ahead of time to see that there was a SONIC in Chattanooga, so this would be our lunch stop.Nothing beats their cherry cokes and coney extra long hot dogs.The second place that is great for fast food is Whataburger.now if you have no idea of what Whataburger is? It's fresh made to order burgers, it is fast food but everything is hot, including fries when you get it. Just good food. Ok so we stop in Gainesville and my son screams there is a Whataburger at one of the exits, I tell him he is delirious from sitting in the car too long but yes he was right, it was a Whataburger. So I know 2 fast food places are not great meals, but when you miss something, and you get to have them again, it makes you feel very happy! Ok, so back to our trip.We had stopped on the way down to wash the salt off our SUV as we had left a foot of snow on the ground in MI. Upon entering the car wash, I told my son "maybe we should take the mickey USA antenna topper off, I don't think it will survive the wash". Don't worry about it, was his reply, spoken like a true soon to be adult male, (sorry men, but it's true). One minute into the wash, there goes Mickey flying into the abyss of the car wash suds and water. There goes our ritual of taking off the old topper and putting the new one on in the MGM parking lot, Oh well, no big deal! We arrive in Gainesville, tired but happy to be 1 1/2 hours from The World. We go to sleep at another great Hampton Inn. We awaken Sunday morning and again have breakfast and off to Orlando to check into the All Stars Movies Resort.
This would be our first time at a value resort.We left early on our trip and were going to stay at a Hampton Inn in Lake Buena Vista but we realized staying at a value resort is the same price but would give us Resort privileges. We always stay at the Contemporary and will be doing so later on in this trip.
So we arrive at the resort and pull into the checking in area parking.We go in and the CM is as happy as can be and we are checked in in less than 5 minutes.Our room is not ready but we are to call later in the day and see what our number is.We are in Toy Story Woody building. This is cool. We check out the food court and head in the car over to Animal Kingdom. This being Presidents Day weekend we are sure it will be crowded. It was but not unbearable.
We get on the tram to take us to the entrance and this lady stands up 2 rows in front of us, she is looking back towards the parking lot, as if waiting for someone. I can tell she is Spanish and can not understand the driver telling her over and over and over again to sit down. After what seemed an eternity of the driver telling her to sit down, fellow tram riders are now chiming in, and some are getting really mad. I start laughing because this woman starts muttering in Spanish and noone realizes it but me it seems.People behind her are telling her to sit down.The next tram has arrived behind us and is ready to move where we are but he can't and now here comes the OTHER tram's host to tell her to sit down. He tells her the same thing our host has been repeating for minutes now. I look at him and say loudly, "she doesn't speak English" in which he and about 5 people sitting around me say "ohhhhhh" in unison. Sorry people but "hello!!!!!" , didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Just then her husband comes running up, sits on the tram, she sits down, and we are off! I found this so entertaining. This is the trip I will not get upset with anyone or let rude or ignorant people bother me. I will let strollers go in front of me, even if they are about to run me over, because I once pushed a stroller when my sons were babies and toddlers as well. I will not let the rude men and women who cant stop their mouths from running over with obscenities and rudeness bother me, I feel sorry for people who are that unhappy that they have to take it out on others. I will just smile and move on my way!!!! Sorry I have digressed! Back to Animal Kingdom!
We ride Dinosaur ride with 10 minute wait, Tough to be a Bug, I love to see parents torture their young kids with this humorous show.Then it's off to Primeval Whirl where we had gotten fast passes for.Love this ride, found a way to brace myself so as not to be thrown all over the car when riding, much more enjoyable this way. We then did the Jungle Trek, very interesting, close up of tigers and bats, then on to Rafikis Planet Watch area via the train ride. Ok, now I know why we never went over there before.I wasn't really impressed.The petting zoo was not all that but hey, it's a petting zo
ne highlight was the talking garbage can that moved around.The guy operating it by remote control was behind us and blended really well with the crowd, you really head to tell he was the one talking into a microphone.At one point though a couple little kids started beating the can and hard too, and the "can" said "some assistance from the parents would be nice" to make the kids stop??? Do you think the parents did a thing? Nope! They just laughed, and the guy went inside with the garbage can. So back to the train for our return trip to the other part of the park! Long lines for the train but we got on the first one going back.And I believe the train is electrically run? bummer.....My biggest shock on taking this train ride??? Call me dumb but all the times I have been through the Kilomanjari Safari, I am so relieved to see animals wandering around, not caged up. Imagine my surprise when the train ride narrative tells me that all the animals are called in at night to their "buildings" AKA cages. Wow....I never knew. I thought Disney was better than zoos but oh well, reality check on my part!
We call the room and head back to the room given to us. After reading so many horror stories, I was ready for anything.We arrive at our buiding and to me it is very plain but I am not going to worry about it. The big Woody and Buzz out in the middle are really cool.Onto the room itself.First thought when opening the door? What a small room,keep in mind we stay at the Contemporary always and the rooms there are huge. Oh well, lots of late nights this week will keep us from being in the room much, we are only in here 4 nights, I can certainly handle that. The room is clean, but looks a bit worn, such as the comforters and tiles in the bathroom.The outside of the building,especially around the room doors needs serious painting done.BUT we have Disney privileges so I can deal with this.
We have PS for BOMA so we head off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.We go in and enter the lobby first.It is nice but guess I was expecting WOW from what people describe on the boards.We find BOMA and have a good dinner.Very good food and the desserts. WOW WOW WOW, the best things for us were the fudge brownies and of course the Zebra Domes, yummy! The other great thing we had was FUFU and some kind of Curry Chicken soup which was sweet/sour tasting but awesome! We had PS for 5 and it was packed 10 minutes after 5.The food was very good, but it was very crowded and a little loud.We would go back again , both of my teen sons found plenty to eat off of the buffet.As for the AKLodge itself, yes it is pretty but it isn't for me.I grew up in FL with many zoos and parks which had giraffes and zebras and I like the atmospheres of other resorts better and love the convenience of the monorail resorts too much.Next stop this evening is MGM Studios!
We head off to EMH at MGM Studios.We drive over as I am not ready to deal with busses.We park and it is crowded but not too bad.Wait a minute, where did all these young girls come from and why are they in short little dresses with their hair all cute, oh God! Is it Cheerleaders? I thought Cheerleaders Competitions were done, I look around and see a girl's jacket which says "Twirlers",ok maybe this won't be too bad , they twirl, not scream.I was mostly right, aside from the one group of twirlers walking down the Sunset Ave area of the park with trophies singing "We are the champions, you are the losersssssssssssssss" , the groups weren't obnoxious and loud.I have to wonder why parents who were with that group, thought that was so "cute" of their girls to sing.Very poor taste in my eyes and many others as well, but I am digressing again.First stop is Great Movie Ride.We had a great host FOR ONCE she was very into her part and it was fun! .We rode TOT 3 times and got fast passes for 3 more times in the night.As soon as we were eligible for a fast pass , we got a new one.We went to RNRollercoaster and saw the preshow and laughed when Steven Tyler held his hand up to his forehead to "look" at us.So much adieu over nothing.......Love the ride, what an adreneline rush and I've finally found a way to hold my head to one side so it won't bounce all over the place when riding.
We went out and rode TOT our other 3 times.We were ready to head back and we got back around midnight and fell right asleep! No wake up call for tomorrow! It's President's Day and I'm sure it will be crowded wherever we go! No need to hurry and get up for that! One thing I want to mention right here is so far, every single CM we have encountered has been MORE than pleasant and helpful and I have never seen so many CMs cleaning and keeping the parks clean of trash.This is the way it used to be and I am so happy to see happy CMs and people who seem to enjoy their jobs.It makes all the difference in the world of a good or bad visit! Also, we used our DDE card and WOW what a huge savings in our meals.But I have to say one thing, we were asked for ID at the food court in saving 1-5 dollars yet on our big meals of saving 10-20 bucks, we were never asked for a picture ID???? Isn't that backwards?Tomorrow, it's off to more fun in the World, along with the rest of the crowds here this wonderful President's Day Weekend!!! It's crowded, but not unbearable,besides, I won't let it bother me! Stay tuned!!!
This would be our first time at a value resort.We left early on our trip and were going to stay at a Hampton Inn in Lake Buena Vista but we realized staying at a value resort is the same price but would give us Resort privileges. We always stay at the Contemporary and will be doing so later on in this trip.
So we arrive at the resort and pull into the checking in area parking.We go in and the CM is as happy as can be and we are checked in in less than 5 minutes.Our room is not ready but we are to call later in the day and see what our number is.We are in Toy Story Woody building. This is cool. We check out the food court and head in the car over to Animal Kingdom. This being Presidents Day weekend we are sure it will be crowded. It was but not unbearable.
We get on the tram to take us to the entrance and this lady stands up 2 rows in front of us, she is looking back towards the parking lot, as if waiting for someone. I can tell she is Spanish and can not understand the driver telling her over and over and over again to sit down. After what seemed an eternity of the driver telling her to sit down, fellow tram riders are now chiming in, and some are getting really mad. I start laughing because this woman starts muttering in Spanish and noone realizes it but me it seems.People behind her are telling her to sit down.The next tram has arrived behind us and is ready to move where we are but he can't and now here comes the OTHER tram's host to tell her to sit down. He tells her the same thing our host has been repeating for minutes now. I look at him and say loudly, "she doesn't speak English" in which he and about 5 people sitting around me say "ohhhhhh" in unison. Sorry people but "hello!!!!!" , didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Just then her husband comes running up, sits on the tram, she sits down, and we are off! I found this so entertaining. This is the trip I will not get upset with anyone or let rude or ignorant people bother me. I will let strollers go in front of me, even if they are about to run me over, because I once pushed a stroller when my sons were babies and toddlers as well. I will not let the rude men and women who cant stop their mouths from running over with obscenities and rudeness bother me, I feel sorry for people who are that unhappy that they have to take it out on others. I will just smile and move on my way!!!! Sorry I have digressed! Back to Animal Kingdom!
We ride Dinosaur ride with 10 minute wait, Tough to be a Bug, I love to see parents torture their young kids with this humorous show.Then it's off to Primeval Whirl where we had gotten fast passes for.Love this ride, found a way to brace myself so as not to be thrown all over the car when riding, much more enjoyable this way. We then did the Jungle Trek, very interesting, close up of tigers and bats, then on to Rafikis Planet Watch area via the train ride. Ok, now I know why we never went over there before.I wasn't really impressed.The petting zoo was not all that but hey, it's a petting zo
ne highlight was the talking garbage can that moved around.The guy operating it by remote control was behind us and blended really well with the crowd, you really head to tell he was the one talking into a microphone.At one point though a couple little kids started beating the can and hard too, and the "can" said "some assistance from the parents would be nice" to make the kids stop??? Do you think the parents did a thing? Nope! They just laughed, and the guy went inside with the garbage can. So back to the train for our return trip to the other part of the park! Long lines for the train but we got on the first one going back.And I believe the train is electrically run? bummer.....My biggest shock on taking this train ride??? Call me dumb but all the times I have been through the Kilomanjari Safari, I am so relieved to see animals wandering around, not caged up. Imagine my surprise when the train ride narrative tells me that all the animals are called in at night to their "buildings" AKA cages. Wow....I never knew. I thought Disney was better than zoos but oh well, reality check on my part! We call the room and head back to the room given to us. After reading so many horror stories, I was ready for anything.We arrive at our buiding and to me it is very plain but I am not going to worry about it. The big Woody and Buzz out in the middle are really cool.Onto the room itself.First thought when opening the door? What a small room,keep in mind we stay at the Contemporary always and the rooms there are huge. Oh well, lots of late nights this week will keep us from being in the room much, we are only in here 4 nights, I can certainly handle that. The room is clean, but looks a bit worn, such as the comforters and tiles in the bathroom.The outside of the building,especially around the room doors needs serious painting done.BUT we have Disney privileges so I can deal with this.
We have PS for BOMA so we head off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.We go in and enter the lobby first.It is nice but guess I was expecting WOW from what people describe on the boards.We find BOMA and have a good dinner.Very good food and the desserts. WOW WOW WOW, the best things for us were the fudge brownies and of course the Zebra Domes, yummy! The other great thing we had was FUFU and some kind of Curry Chicken soup which was sweet/sour tasting but awesome! We had PS for 5 and it was packed 10 minutes after 5.The food was very good, but it was very crowded and a little loud.We would go back again , both of my teen sons found plenty to eat off of the buffet.As for the AKLodge itself, yes it is pretty but it isn't for me.I grew up in FL with many zoos and parks which had giraffes and zebras and I like the atmospheres of other resorts better and love the convenience of the monorail resorts too much.Next stop this evening is MGM Studios!
We head off to EMH at MGM Studios.We drive over as I am not ready to deal with busses.We park and it is crowded but not too bad.Wait a minute, where did all these young girls come from and why are they in short little dresses with their hair all cute, oh God! Is it Cheerleaders? I thought Cheerleaders Competitions were done, I look around and see a girl's jacket which says "Twirlers",ok maybe this won't be too bad , they twirl, not scream.I was mostly right, aside from the one group of twirlers walking down the Sunset Ave area of the park with trophies singing "We are the champions, you are the losersssssssssssssss" , the groups weren't obnoxious and loud.I have to wonder why parents who were with that group, thought that was so "cute" of their girls to sing.Very poor taste in my eyes and many others as well, but I am digressing again.First stop is Great Movie Ride.We had a great host FOR ONCE she was very into her part and it was fun! .We rode TOT 3 times and got fast passes for 3 more times in the night.As soon as we were eligible for a fast pass , we got a new one.We went to RNRollercoaster and saw the preshow and laughed when Steven Tyler held his hand up to his forehead to "look" at us.So much adieu over nothing.......Love the ride, what an adreneline rush and I've finally found a way to hold my head to one side so it won't bounce all over the place when riding.
We went out and rode TOT our other 3 times.We were ready to head back and we got back around midnight and fell right asleep! No wake up call for tomorrow! It's President's Day and I'm sure it will be crowded wherever we go! No need to hurry and get up for that! One thing I want to mention right here is so far, every single CM we have encountered has been MORE than pleasant and helpful and I have never seen so many CMs cleaning and keeping the parks clean of trash.This is the way it used to be and I am so happy to see happy CMs and people who seem to enjoy their jobs.It makes all the difference in the world of a good or bad visit! Also, we used our DDE card and WOW what a huge savings in our meals.But I have to say one thing, we were asked for ID at the food court in saving 1-5 dollars yet on our big meals of saving 10-20 bucks, we were never asked for a picture ID???? Isn't that backwards?Tomorrow, it's off to more fun in the World, along with the rest of the crowds here this wonderful President's Day Weekend!!! It's crowded, but not unbearable,besides, I won't let it bother me! Stay tuned!!!
