Disney Killed my Flip Flops, but man I'm Full! Our Anniversary Trip! W/Final Recap!

[choirchic]

As I said in my PTR, Tusker House was just a bonus way of getting us into the park early so we could explore before it got too hot...This was a good plan. After breakfast, we made our way over to the safari. I have always liked this attraction, but havn't really seen any impressive animals...well today changed that!

We met this little guy while waiting in line...

And then it was off on our tour...

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We could have taken more pictures because we got to see some alligators, hippos, and a bunch of other characters, but we sat back and enjoyed the ride...then we came upon the lions! We had to snap at least one! I've never seen them awake!

We finished the safari, and after getting off the ride, we caught a glimpse of this guy...He was just chillin.

After watching him for a bit, we decided to check out Rafiki's Planet Watch. For those of you who have passed this up because it seemed boring, I encourage you to check it out at least once. There's a really cool train ride where you get to see a little of the backstage area, and then you walk to a building where you can see people working with the Animals. It was a lot of fun...

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All of this, and an exam done on a Python!

After this we headed over to see It's Tough to be a Bug! I've seen this show a billion times and the stingers still make me jump! We took some nice shots of the tree along the way:

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By the time the show was over, it was just about lunch time so we walked around to the Flame Tree BBQ and had some lunch. I had heard about the view of Everest from the sitting area, so I wanted to check it out. We weren't disappointed. I swore that I took a picture of our food, but I must not have because I can't find it but here are a couple shots of the view:

We finished lunch, relaxed a little bit, and decided it was about time to head over to Everest to see if the Yeti was alive...Will we make it there without melting in the heat? Stay tuned for Part 2...

 

[avviexxx]

Fantastic TR Cant wait for the rest xO

 

[jenn y]

Great report! looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

 

[MEK]

I think Animal Kingdom is a photographer's dream, so your DH must have been in his glory. His pics are just so perfect. So crystal clear and great subject matter. I can't believe you got the Lion and the lioness all in one shot. Way to go!

I hear TH breakfast is fab. I really enjoyed the lunch buffet. The food was really tasty, hot, and fresh!

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Wonderful TR & photos!!!!!

So glad there are other Idol fans out there!!!! Loved the show

 

[mymainmouse]

Once again great pictures! Your safari pictures are especially nice. While we were on the Safari it downpoured! We were in the back and the rain was just blowing in. I couldn't get any pictures of anything. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go back next year.

 

[choirchic]

Fantastic TR Cant wait for the rest xO

Great report! looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

Thanks you guys!

I think Animal Kingdom is a photographer's dream, so your DH must have been in his glory. His pics are just so perfect. So crystal clear and great subject matter. I can't believe you got the Lion and the lioness all in one shot. Way to go!

I hear TH breakfast is fab. I really enjoyed the lunch buffet. The food was really tasty, hot, and fresh!

I was so excited to see the Lions awake! We really hadn't spent much time in AK in the past, but we really enjoyed it this trip! Can't wait to go back next year!

Wonderful TR & photos!!!!!

So glad there are other Idol fans out there!!!! Loved the show

Thanks for signing on! We were pleasantly surprised with Idol! I hope it stays around for a little while!

Once again great pictures! Your safari pictures are especially nice. While we were on the Safari it downpoured! We were in the back and the rain was just blowing in. I couldn't get any pictures of anything. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go back next year.

I did the Safari in the rain once...it was a mess! Early AM really was the best!

I have guests this weekend so I may not get to post as much as I'd like, but I'll see what I can do! Thanks to everyone who's keeping up!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Another great update. You really did see some great animals while on safari. You really lucked up to see both of the lions together and awake.

We haven't eaten at Flame Tree in a while. Will have to put that on our list and to make sure we eat down near the water so we can have a view of Expedition Everest.

 

[joy13]

I came over from the MNSSHP thread - what a great report with great pictures! We must have close anniversaries - ours is 9/13?

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Looking for your next thread

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Came for the MNSSHP report, stayed for the whole thing because all of the pics are awesome!

You're giving me ideas for where to eat next time!

 

[choirchic]

We haven't eaten at Flame Tree in a while. Will have to put that on our list and to make sure we eat down near the water so we can have a view of Expedition Everest.

That view is not to be missed...it is also covered so you're in the shade! It was a great find thanks to the people on here!

I came over from the MNSSHP thread - what a great report with great pictures! We must have close anniversaries - ours is 9/13?

Thanks and welcome! Our Anniversary is 9/10, so yes...we're pretty close!

Looking for your next thread

Glad you're enjoying it! I'm happy to have some readers!

Came for the MNSSHP report, stayed for the whole thing because all of the pics are awesome!

Thanks for joining in the fun!


Ok everyone...my guests are gone so I'll be posting more sometime this evening! Looking forward to your responses! Thanks again for tuning in!!!

 

[choirchic]

Around mid-afternoonish (or sometime close to that) we made the trek into Asia. DH has never seen the tigers, so I wanted to take him before it got too hot. As we were walking, we came upon these guys:

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They were just out playing and having a good ole time. I totally would have missed them if not for the small crowd that was gathering. I know from past experiences that when there's a crowd in Disney, to briefly check it out...you never know what you might encounter!

So off we went to the Jungle Trek! As you walk in, you get to see these amazing bats! They're huge! I've always been terrified of them, but seeing them with my husband made it better!

We then made our way to the ruins to find the tigers.

We saw people gathered ahead of us so I got a little excited...and for good reason too! This was our first sighting:

They weren't really up and around or playing, and I was getting a little disappointed (thinking we waited too long and should have done this first) but Low and Behold, after we moved up a little ways, we found this pretty little gal...

Isn't she beautiful? She was just chilling in the water having a good ole time by herself!

We finished our Jungle Trek and decided to head up to Everest to get our Roller Coaster Fix! It was beautiful sunny day, and it didn't start off too hot, but by now the temperature was rising and it's a really hot walk through Asia over to the ride! There's not much shade either!

I decided that we needed something to cool us down before walking too much further, so we stopped at the refreshment truck and had soda floats. Those of you who have been there are familiar with this place...it's the bright blue sparkly truck that sells treats on your way over to Everest.

We used a couple of our snack credits to get these...DH had your everyday normal Root Beer Float. I was going to get one too, but then the person in front of me ordered one with Fanta Orange Soda..This sounded so delicious, so I decided to try it too. Boy was this a winner! It was YUMMY and tasted just like a Creamsicle!

We took our time drinking these, and cooled off quite a bit before walking over to the ride. There was only a 10 minute wait (and only because it takes that long to walk through the queue! )

We rode twice in a row! DH wanted to ride again, but that was all I could take! It's an awesome ride, but it sure does beat you up! I have to take my glasses off to ride, but I asked DH to keep an eye out for the Yeti. He said that she moved both times that we rode. I know that this is hot or miss, but thought I would report it anyways!

After finishing Everest, we walked around to Dino Land to get in line for the Primeval Whirl. This ride had the longest wait (at 20 minutes) because there was only one side running, but we decided to brave the heat because this ride really is a lot of fun!

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For those of you that don't know what it is, it's a cute little roller coaster that spins you around as you're riding the ride...It can beat you up because it whips you around the corners, but I say give it a try of you can take it!

It was about 3:30pm and CRAZY HOT at this point so we sat in the shade for a little bit and drank some water before heading over to our last ride of the day...Dinosaur!

The next time you're in line waiting for this ride, take a minute to read the plaque by the big dinosaur inside the building. It's really funny if you read carefully...See if you can find what I mean! (here's an obvious clue...read the lower left part of the sign and translate for yourself! )

After Dinosaur, we stopped for an Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich at Dino Bites. These are not as good as the ones at the Main Street Bakery, but they still hit the spot on a hot day!

The parade had started so we cut through one of the stores and made our way out of the park. We were planning to hop on the first resort bus we saw and take that to wherever... then we'd transfer to a DTD bus to meet some friends for an ADR at T-Rex. Would we make it there...Where have all the buses gone? Stay tuned!

 

[acwsmom]

I just recently joined in reading your trip report and I'm enjoying it so far! And I have to say, my DD will be one HAPPY little girl when I tell her she can get a root beer float when we're at AK in a couple weeks! We'll definitely have to find that treat!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

That orange soda float looks and sounds great!! I need one!!!

Don't you just love Everest??? I'm glad she was moving on that day. She wasn't moving on the day we saw her.

Can't wait for more.

 

[choirchic]

I just recently joined in reading your trip report and I'm enjoying it so far! And I have to say, my DD will be one HAPPY little girl when I tell her she can get a root beer float when we're at AK in a couple weeks! We'll definitely have to find that treat!

Thanks and Welcome to you too! They also sold Root Beer Floats in the Studios outside of the Rock N Roller Coaster! Enjoy! They're one of DH's favorite treats!

 

[TammyA]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip report! And about those pictures.....WOW they're amazing.

 

[teedee]

Still loving your trip report and pics! I've never been brave enough to go see the bats, they creep me out, but that is a great photo. I'm hoping I can make myself go see them in December.

Terri

 

[choirchic]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip report! And about those pictures.....WOW they're amazing.

Thanks...DH gets better every year we go! Can't wait to see what turns out next year!

Still loving your trip report and pics! I've never been brave enough to go see the bats, they creep me out, but that is a great photo. I'm hoping I can make myself go see them in December.

Terri

If it helps you any, the bats there are all Fruit Bats which means they're vegetarian!

 

[choirchic]

It was about time for us to head over to DTD to meet some friends for an ADR at T-Rex, so we decided to hop the first Resort Bus we saw in hopes of transferring to another bus once we got there...

The first one we saw was headed to the Wilderness Lodge so we jumped right on it. When we got there we were waiting for a little bit when a cast member came out and made an announcement...she said there had been an Incident with the buses over at AK and that they would be on a delay for at least an hour and a half. We told her we were trying to get to DTD and she suggested that we take the last bus over to MK where there would be more transportation to choose from.

We did what she suggested, and on our way over there we found that there was no direct transportation from there to DTD...we mentioned this Incident a few times, and no one seemed to have any clue what we were talking about. At this point we probably should have just taken a cab, but we still had a little time so we took the boat over to the Grand Floridian. Our thought was that if anyone knew what was going on and how to get us to DTD, it would be one of the most expensive resorts on property!

We got there, freshened up in their lovely bathrooms, and made our way over to their Bus Stop. There was another nice Cast Member waiting there to tell us the same story about the Bus Delay What she did then surprised us...she called for a Disney Driver in a SUV to personally escort us over to DTD. We got to ride in Air Conditioned Style!

(later that night we come to find that there was a suspicious package found on the bottom of a bus, which then was found to be a tire pressure monitor ) It took us the better part of almost 2 hours, but we finally made it to T-Rex for Dinner! (thank God we always give ourselves plenty of time!) It was a little crowded there tonight, partly due to the transportation fiasco, but we had an ADR so we checked in and got seated almost immediately!

This place really is cool...if you have a kid who's needs audio/visual stimulation or one loves Dinosaurs, this is surely the place! It's loud, but fun! We really enjoyed watching everything that was going on in here!

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After our Bus Adventure, I needed a drink so I started things off with a Candy Apple Cotton-Tini...it starts off with Cotton Candy in a glass, and then they pour your drink over it and it melts into this sweet yummy drink concoction!

We ordered the Sampler as an Appetizer, and it was plenty to get us started. This came with Bruschetta, Onion Rings, Quesadilla, and Chips with Queso.

I ordered the Fish Tacos, DH had the Chicken, and our friend ordered the Chicken Fried Steak! All were yummy and big enough to feed an army!

THis meal could have been a little pricy, but our friend works for the company so we were able to get a 50% Discount!

Up next...strolling around DTD and More Night Shots!