Exclusive Baby Gorilla Photos! (plus bonus Trip Report) - June '15 - completed 10/23 - Page 31

[purplelover88]

our 4th FastPass. 7:00, Great Movie Ride it is!

I have to remember to start looking for this; we have recently decided we love the great movie ride and sometimes the wait gets quite long but I never remember to go check for a fast pass.

Sci-Fi Popcorn Treat - House-made Popcorn Soup with Buffalo Popcorn Chicken and Celery Sticks drizzled with Blue Cheese Dressing

I ordered this in June as my entree and the soup was not bad at all; I wasn't expecting much from a popcorn soup but it was surpassingly tasty. The wings however, to my taste buds were really HOT. I ran out of ranch trying to cool them down and had to steal some of my dad's milkshake (I didn't say it was all bad) just to keep my mouth from burning constantly. I might just be a wimp though.

We have one more HS day in another week, and that one is the first day of Frozen Summer Fun!

That sounds awesome! I was lucky enough to be there for both at separate times but two events in one trip. That amazing.

 

[purplelover88]

Double post, oops.

 

[nilla]

Great updates, Jon (took me a bit to catch up; the kids were in town and we went to the Cubs game over the weekend and a lot of packing on Sunday).

No worries! I've fallen behind on many a KatMark Trip Report.

Still sad that they've been discontinued, btw

You treat Star Wars weekend like we do...hit the rides and maybe catch the parade. I saw the first three and couldn't tell you a thing about them now.

Cut the lines in half and we probably would've done more SW stuff. As it stood, we just saw it as something to pull the crowds away from the other attractions!

I'm glad you at least caught part of the parade.

It was one of the main things I wanted to see at SWW, and it was really cool! I texted my friend, who is a MASSIVE Star Wars friend, to taunt him. He was at work

You are right...Studios is very lacking in QS. Our go to now is always Starring Rolls...great sandwiches and awesome cupcakes.

I was sick last year when the others hit SR, and Kristin hated it. I always thought it looked good, though.

I'm glad the wi-fi was somewhat rectified for you.

Somewhat. Still not great, but at least good enough to do some things.

The pool does look very crowded.

It was! Not unbearably, though. Emily only kicked about two or three people while doing handstands.

I remember seeing Cinderealla's coach when we were there in May. I'm trying to remember if it was still there in July or not. I have a vague feeling we saw it but the lines were insnace. Maybe I'm wrong. I'll have to check my photos when I get home (which still aren't downloaded to photobucket).

It was moved out of HS the night we saw it, I believe. It was definitely gone the next week, when we returned. The line was long for us, too, but that wasn't stopping anyone!

I'm glad Sci Fi rectified itself with you guys. We really enjoy it there. It's not gourmet food, but we've only had one bad meal there (and that was my fault for ordering the pasta dish). We stick with burgers/reubens and onion rings...and we are happy people.

I'm much more impressed with the food than I once was, and the steak Kristin got is one of her favorites at WDW! Throw in the theming and entertainment, and it's one of our top restaurants now.

That must of been cool to have fireworks to Star Wars music (I loved it when they did it to the Frozen soundtrack).

Very cool!

I am so sad we won't be able to see Cinderella's Carriage....it looks so beautiful!

It was really cool, especially for Kristin, who's loved Cinderella since

"Kokomo: greatest Beach Boys song, or GREATEST Beach Boys song?"

I'm thinking there's a reference going over my head here

This link, however, may confirm that assessment: http://www.billboard.com/artist/383448/beach-boys/chart?sort=position&f=379

Kokomo is one of only four BB songs to hit #1, and among those, has the longest chart tenure!

I, however, prefer the Muppets version, to be honest. And "The Monkey's Uncle", obviously.

My middle child is sincere when he says he is "sad we can't watch the movies in numerical order." (My youngest agrees but is a born troll and I doubt his sincerity.)

They just don't get it. To explain why it can't be done that way, all one needs to know is that doing so would essentially ruin one of the greatest movie surprises/cliffhangers of my, and millions of other kids', childhoods.

Pool days are always fun. Our first full day in Disney (this Sunday!!!) will be spent lounging at the Poly pool. Then dinner at California Grill. Just takin' it easy that day.

Nice! We planned to do that, too, on our first day, but ended up at DHS in the end PLENTY of swimming this trip, though. It was one of the biggest highlights of the trip for Emily.

This year we are eating at Hollywood Brown Derby for lunch but I wish we were eating at Sci-Fi. Every time I see a picture of that Sci-Fi candy bar dessert it makes me drool. I'd love to try it!

We made DISBoards legend MEK scratch her head when we switched our HBD ADRS to Sci-Fi last year

We introduced Emily to Star Wars last year...and she watched them in the appropriate order. She loved them and even has these posters hanging in her bedroom:
View attachment 115271
View attachment 115270

Cool! So there is a new hope for our Emily after all

There most definitely seem to be more female Star Wars fans now than there were when the original films first came out.

And here's some trivial trivia for you: Jake Lloyd, the actor that played young Anakin, went to high school in our area and also worked at a mall close to our house.

Sad to see him in legal trouble lately. Also sad to see he hasn't really worked much since SW E1.

Our hometown celebrity is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, whom I went to high school with. He was older than me, though, so I didn't know him, but Kristin had some interaction with him. I had a friend who used to go to his house to watch the WWF pay-per-views.

I'm joining in! I have a lot of catching up to do but I am following your signature over here from my TR. I love your introductions and your reference to "Monkey's Uncle." That is one of my favorite songs! Now excuse me while I go read your last 16 pages...

I first heard that song when Kristin and I were dating. She had it on the "Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song" CD box set. That set off a search for the actual film, which I finally located on VHS at K-Mart a year or so later. The movie is great, too, but not as good as the song.

I've tried to learn it on the guitar, but it's tough to pick up by ear (for me), and I can't seem to find guitar tabs for it. What the heck?

Thanks for reading! Have you figured out yet why I gave you a pass for being overly detailed and wordy in your Trip Report?

I ordered this in June as my entree and the soup was not bad at all; I wasn't expecting much from a popcorn soup but it was surpassingly tasty. The wings however, to my taste buds were really HOT. I ran out of ranch trying to cool them down and had to steal some of my dad's milkshake (I didn't say it was all bad) just to keep my mouth from burning constantly. I might just be a wimp though.

I love really hot wings (or, at least, have convinced myself I do), so I think this app is a no-brainer for me for next time.

That sounds awesome! I was lucky enough to be there for both at separate times but two events in one trip. That amazing.

Yeah, very impressed by both!

Double post, oops.

No worries! Anything that ups this TR's reply count, making it appear more popular than it actually is, is more than welcome!

The next update will most likely be tomorrow night. Stay tuned!

 

[Britbrie]

Ahhh! I was sooooooo behind!!! Like I was on page 12 last time I checked, and then BAM theres a whole other 6 pages of AWESOME! Thank you so much for plugging my report, btw!! I've never been there during Star Wars weekend, but it looks pretty neat! No big deal about Raglan Road, it was disgusting when I ate there in December. lol. Love the girl's hair wraps!! I can't wait to read more!!!!!! Hurry back!

 

[kadrachb]

Those hair wraps last FOREVER! I got one at Musikfest when I was about 6, and I think I was so adamant about keeping it I had it for about 4 months, until my mom cut it out of my hair when I was sleeping!

I got the ribs.

Those ribs are so good. But so filling... I remember feeling like a balloon walking out of there!

the fireworks were AWESOME

I didn't get to see them from the park, but watching the videos at seeing them from the Cali Grill they looked awesome!

 

[nilla]

Ahhh! I was sooooooo behind!!! Like I was on page 12 last time I checked, and then BAM theres a whole other 6 pages of AWESOME! Thank you so much for plugging my report, btw!! I've never been there during Star Wars weekend, but it looks pretty neat! No big deal about Raglan Road, it was disgusting when I ate there in December. lol. Love the girl's hair wraps!! I can't wait to read more!!!!!! Hurry back!

Another update coming tonight, so keep up!

Just read your TR account of Raglan Road. Ouch. That stinks!

Those hair wraps last FOREVER! I got one at Musikfest when I was about 6, and I think I was so adamant about keeping it I had it for about 4 months, until my mom cut it out of my hair when I was sleeping!

Musikfest ended tonight! We didn't get any hair wraps, however. Though Emily still has one from Disney!

Those ribs are so good. But so filling... I remember feeling like a balloon walking out of there!

Yeah, it was a lot! But I agree, so good!

Update coming now...

 

[nilla]

 

[nilla]

Day 6 - Saturday - Animal Kingdom

Itinerary:

• Baby Gorillas!

FastPass+

• Kilimanjaro Safaris: 9:05-10:05
• Kali River Rapids: 10:15-11:15
• Expedition Everest: 11:40-12:40

ADR:

• Shutters: 6:30

 

[nilla]

Pssst!

Hey, you! Yes, you!

Over here!

This is it!

Yes, that's right. This is the update where we resolve the false advertising claims. Where we back up the Trip Report title.

The update where we show you the baby gorillas.

...

Ok, get back up off the floor. We'll get there. But we're not even out of bed yet.

Well, three out of the four of us aren't out of bed yet. But one, me, is. Since 4:30. Couldn't sleep at all.

I took the laptop behind the cabana doors to try to upload the photos to Photobucket. Fortunately, the better-but-still-not-great wifi is allowing me to do that, though there will be no late night, can't sleep Netflix this year. Only buffering. Birds hate that.

I crawl back in bed a few times, but to no avail. Emily's in the murph tonight, and Dylan takes up about 93% of the bed without even knowing. He sleeps diagonally. He steals covers. In short, he's awful to sleep with.

So no more sleep for me. I'll be running on fumes today. But that's not going to stop me. Baby gorillas, man. THAT is my caffeine.

We got out the door in good time and onto the bus. While Animal Kingdom is much closer to Coronado than to CBR, it's still not much more than a ten minute drive.

So we made rope drop. Or, should I say, would have made rope drop, if not for the most insanely long bag check lines I've ever witnessed at WDW. It was a good twenty minutes to reach the front.

Finally inside at 9:05, we snapped our first photo:



Crowds are relatively light today, and we've got some refurbin' to do!



Lots of it, in fact. But most of it is out of the way of our adventures.

Of course, AK stil has a lot of neat scenery to photograph:



And neat monkeys to photograph:





Our goal is to hit Kilimanjaro Safaris early, using our FPs, which we may or may not have needed. But it doesn't hurt to have them.

The Safari, of course, is on this continent:



The new theater for the Festival of the Lion King is thattaway, but we won't be seeing that this year:



And here we are:



And here are the relatively light crowds again:



And here we are! Safari time!

 

[nilla]

Have you noticed that I typically split updates with the segue of "let's <insert verb here>!"? Well, I didn't that time, but I do it a lot. I bet I'll do it later. You watch.

Anyway, let's ri-...um, I mean, here are our Safari photos:



















There's a cheetah in the little house, but he's really hard to see:



And look - you can actually see the lions!



Kristin thinks Disney Imagineering somehow flipped things up in there to entice them to be more visible. Who knows, but you could see them great today.

More Safari:



That was Dylan's iPad mini in the last shot. It was a mortal struggle between that and the camera during the entire ride. Camera won, typically:

 

[nilla]

Ok, that was fun, as usual. The driver was really good, too. There was a brief logjam at the station when we got back, but eventually, it was "kwaherinis" all around, and off we went.

So where to next? We hit this one right at our FP start time, so it's still a while until we can ride Kali.

Suddenly, it all became clear to us. We saw that sign that read "Pangani Forest Exploration Trail", and we knew what we had to do.

We basically rushed straight through the reptiles, straight through the fish, straight through the birds. Also sorry, giraffes - we've got a different agenda today. And it involves gorillas. Baby gorillas.

For the benefit of anyone who doesn't want to read my TR, but wants to see the previously-promised photos, I will be adding a link to the first post of this TR. For those of you who stuck with me to this point, thanks! And here they are. The baby gorillas.



Oh, wait - sorry. That's a monkey. Notice the tail? No? Well, it's there. Somewhere.

So we did stop for ONE photo before reaching the gorilla habitat. But only one. Oh, and THIS is a baby gorilla:



OH

MY

GOD

LOVE

IT!

There are actually two, count 'em, two, baby gorillas, and for how much I love them and have been looking forward to seeing them, you'd think I would know their names. Or, at least the names of their mothers. But I don't.

I do know the name of Lilly, the four-year-old sister and half-sister of the new apes. The one I showed above is Lilly's full brother.

And man, was he awesome. Here he is, on the go. Mom is next to him, and big sis is in the background:



Now, he's hungry. Hard to see, but he's between Mom's arms:





But wait - there's more! Another baby ape!



This guy is Lilly's half-brother - same Dad, different Mom. Since this one's Mom was Lilly's playmate prior to the birth, the CM tells us that Lilly plays with this one more than her full brother. But she plays with both. Rolling around, holding the little ones up and pretending they're flying...well, we didn't see any of that, but aren't these apes adorable?



Even Kristin, who doesn't really care about watching animals in zoos, can't turn her gaze away. They're just that awesome.

Oh, look - Lilly's taking her ball and going home:



Back to these guys:









Hey, Lilly's back!





Wow, she grew since we first saw her! She was out of view last year, but we saw her the other years.

 

[nilla]

I could've stayed here all day, but we have other things to do. So away from the glass we go, and over the bridge. Hmmm...not a silverback to be seen. Wonder where they hide?

Oh well - I got my gorilla fill, and we leave the area with some great photos, a ton of memories, and some awesome information about why it's good to be the highest ranking monkey:



Wow. That was amazing. One of the highlights of the trip so far for me, if you can believe that

Off the trail now, it was just about time to hit up Kali. With, of course, photos on the way.

I don't know what this means, but "Fichwa!" anyway!



More photos:



Hey, there's the new quick service!



We'll be eating there today, most likely. Since the Flame Tree seating area is under refurb, this is a no-brainer. But first, Kali.

But first, let's get some photos of us while we're still dry:





And a picture of the Tree:



And some pictures of other stuff:



We had to wait a minute to get that last shot, since there were kids climbing on it when we first reached it. If you've been to Animal Kingdom, you know where they were climbing - right next to the "please, no climbing" sign. Where else would they be?

Our resident flower photographer, Kristin, gets the next two:





..and finally, we're at our next FastPass location.

Let's ride!

 

[nilla]

See, I told you I'd do that again!

Into the queue, where we're sure to ring every single overhead bell we pass. No matter how high up.

Rare photo of me:



Plus one of Dylan, where the stupid face he kept doing actually made sense:



Theming shots:











Dylan and I agree that we'd prefer if the actual ride was more like the painting above.

The FP line isn't really a walk-on,. but we're getting closer:







...and we're on!





Our co-riders soon learned that when you ride with us and our loaded backpack, nothing you do will get the back keep-dry-er in the middle of the raft to fully close. It almost does. But not completely. But all stays dry nonetheless.

Going up!



For some unknown reason, I opted to not take any photos until we go to the very end of the ride...



...which probably wasn't a camera protection thing, because we didn't really get that wet. Sadly.

Still fun, but I was sort of hoping to get drenched on this hot, June, Florida day...

...so some of us took other measures:





As you can see, some got more wet than others.

Some quick photos of the ape habitat (remember, no tails = apes!)...





...and it's off to lunch!

 

[nilla]

Dylan and I noticed that the monke- um, I mean ape tightrope in that last area is gone. I'm curious why.

But enough about that - food!

We just heard about the new Harambe Market shortly before our trip, so we're really excited for it. There it is, off in the distance!



And there it is again, much closer this time:



It's basically an outdoor QS with several different food counters. I could tell you what all of the options are, but that would be a waste of time, since we all got the same thing. This:



A sausage fried in curried corn butter, which was essentially a corn dog. A really, really good corndog. I mean, it was awesome. And to make things even better, check out our beverages:



While you might not recognize those beverages right away, you've seen them before. In this trip report. Here:



Yep, it's Sparberry on the left, and Bibo on the right. CLUB COOL BEVERAGES AT A DISNEY QUICK SERVICE. This is my dream come true.

Emily got the mini version of the sausage:



Dylan took FOREVER to eat his, but we forced him to finish. Or, at least come close to finishing it. I had no problem finishing it for him

Dessert options were much more limited. In fact, there was only one option. This:



African Milk Tart. According to AllEars, it's a "Coconut custard in a chocolate tart shell dusted with sugar and five spice powder then drizzled with dark chocolate ganache". Good, but not my favorite dessert. But the competition is tough in that department, so that's not really an insult.

This was a fun place to eat, and the food was fantastic! I'm sure the other items on the menu are good, too, but we wouldn't know.

Some "restaurant" shots before we go:









I Coral Reefed the family sitting near this painting, because it's just that cool:



LOL. Mister Mouse. Brilliant!

We're just abo- what's that?

"Coral Reefed"?

Sorry, I forgot to explain that term. It's a commonly-used word, whose purpose is to describe a certain behavior at Disney restaurants. From Webster's:

Coral Reef - verb - to ackwardly infringe on another family's dining space in order to get a prime photo.

See, this TR is educational, too!

Speaking of educational, do you know WHY this is the case?



Because baboons are crazy. And filthy. And have no manners whatsoever. So it's really best you do NOT feed them. The signs are there for a reason.

Lunch over, it's time to ride Everest!

(next update)

 

[Britbrie]

Loveeee the Baby Gorilla pics! Super cute!!
Looks like the new Harambe Market is pretty neat, I will definitely have to check it out! Great update, as always.

 

[Clarf]

Holy update! Fantastic! Great Safari pics. I love that I have seen the lions out more. I'm hopeful we'll see them on Sunday! Yes, Sunday. 6 days from now!

Awesome baby gorilla shots. I can't believe how bit Lilly is!

Sorry you didn't get too wet on Kali. I enjoy the water on hot days.

Those corn dogs look interesting. Might have to give them a try!

I totally got your Coral Reef reference before you explained it!

Um...Dylan looks like a giant next to Emily.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Looks like Emily was having fun at the pool with the games. Seemed like quite the crowd - especially at the basketball hoop.

Disappointed all 4 members of the family didn't get a hair wrap

Generally I hear positive reviews of Sci Fi especially if you are in the mood for that more casual food (burgers, fries, etc.) - plus the shakes are great and if you are on the DP I think it includes shakes as your drink which are great.

That is cool they had the Cinderella carriage there. Hopefully they do more stuff like that at the Studios - Disney certainly has enough movies coming out that will need promotion. I wonder if the agreement between Disney and Universal over the Marvel licenses includes having movie props in the parks

Well, based on this past weekends news, you were just a bit early referring to the Studios having Star Wars Land. And they did say that the shops, etc. will be run the proper inhabitants of the land ... no mention if that will go for the DJs or not.

Oh, and you have to watch Episodes 4-6 and then 1-3 ... as Sheldon Cooper says, I prefer to let George Lucas disappoint me in the order he intended. .... you can get the disappointment out of the way early (though, must admit I kinda liked episode III)

Ah, I miss Musikfest. Definitely a fun time - plus you can knock some of your Christmas Shopping out early

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It's funny how with the Safari everyone takes the same pictures but feels the need to take them anyway as it is one of those unwritten Disney rules. (Same goes for Cinderella's Castle and the Fountains in EPCOT)

Yeah for the baby gorilla shots! Very cute. I wonder if Lilly is now jealous of the new gorillas getting all the attention she used to get. I mean, when she takes her ball and leave it's like she is thinking "screw you guys, I'm going home!" Then she comes back and is playing with the ball thinking "aw, aren't I cute playing with my ball here?!?!?!" (yes, I my head Lilly has the same voice as Eric Cartman)

Sorry you didn't get more wet on Kali. Those water fountains are a favorite of my kids - definitely more soaking occurs there than on the ride (even if we do get soaked on the ride)

The new quick service option in AK looks pretty cool and nice to have other options. Also up for more, different options when it comes to theme park food. And that is cool they have the club cool soda options there.

 

[jdd]

And to make things even better, check out our beverages:



While you might not recognize those beverages right away, you've seen them before. In this trip report. Here:



Yep, it's Sparberry on the left, and Bibo on the right. CLUB COOL BEVERAGES AT A DISNEY QUICK SERVICE. This is my dream come true.

Oh my goodness, you just made my youngest's day!! He discovered Bibo on our trip in July, and absolutely loves it. We actually visited Club Cool at least three times so he could get a cup of Bibo! We will definitely be stopping at that quick service on our next trip.

 

[mercydisney]

Since I outed myself on another TR...I Love reading your trip reports!