BrerMama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2000
- Messages
- 2,205
To read Day 6, click here
This was one of our unscheduled mornings in my master plan for our trip. So the night before we had talked over what we wanted to do. It was a Tuesday, so early entry for the Studios, but we didn't really feel a need to head back there, especially since Dan had gotten to do the 2 major rides earlier in the trip. We considered Magic Kingdom, but since we had just been there the night before, it didn't sound appealing. Typhoon Lagoon hadn't been that much fun, so Blizzard Beach was out. Hmm... guess we'll go to Animal Kingdom.
Since it wasn't an EMH day for AK, we didn't have to rush quite as much. I was actually thinking crowds would be light, but when we arrived at the entrance plaza, the lines were huge! Fortunately, once they opened them, the lines moved quickly. We were again held up in front of the tree of life, but we managed to work our way to the right so that we wouldn't get trampled in the stampede for the Safaris. Our goal this morning was Dinosaur! Only Dan and Brady had ridden on Day 3, and by now Brady had talked Mykiah into riding. We hustled over there at rope drop, only to find that the ride hadn't yet opened and we were held outside the building for about 15 minutes. Finally, the line started moving and Chesney and I wandered off to wait in the gift shop while Dan and the big kids rode. They came off and the big kids were ready to go again. With me. I love Indiana Jones at Disneyland, and this is the same ride vehicle, so it can't be a big deal, can it? The standby line was only 15 minutes, so we jumped into line, leaving Dan to wait with Chesney.
While in line, I struck up a conversation with a lady in front of me. She was a solo traveler and was quite nervous about what was to come. I told her that if Brady could ride it, anybody could ride it. We chatted about our trips so far, Indy at Disneyland, our hotels and it just generally made the time go faster until we hit the preshow area. Because Jenn was so nervous, I offered to just tell the loading cast member that we were a group of 4, assuring that she would get to sit with us. She was so grateful, she offered to buy us lunch, but I declined because we weren't even sure we'd be in the Animal Kingdom for lunch. It was a great ride, with Jenn and I sitting on the outside and the kids in between us. The funny thing was that I had been nervous about the ride, but seeing how nervous Jenn was actually calmed my fears and I was able to just enjoy the ride.
When we got off, I knew I'd buy the picture, if for no other reason that to remember how I met a stranger and bonded in line. Some teenage boys had been in the row in front of us in the car and had thrown up their arms just as the picture was taken, blocking Mykiah's face. But I knew that the first picture they had taken was really good, so the nice CM at the picture place went back through and found it for me! I thought I remembered the number, but it turned out to be the one before that number. Hey, I was close! We had both pictures and a t-shirt for Brady sent back to the resort so that we could get on with touring.
Next stop... Chester and Hester's Dinorama. Sorry, I love the tackiness of it. The kids had a picture taken with the dinosaurs that were walking around, then Dan decided to get in line for Primeval Whirl, since the standby line was only 15 minutes. Not. I'd guess more like 30 minutes, if not more. While we were waiting, I took the kids on Triceratops Spin, which was a walk-on. Then I decided that since there was hardly anybody in the area, I could probably Whack-A-Dinosaur and win a stuffed dino for the kids. I made Mykiah give me some cash (I only carried our room key for charging; never any cash) and she and I played each other in the game, with me winning, of course. To this day, she still tells me I owe her $4. Hey, I won her a really tacky stuffed dinosaur. She should show some appreciation.
By the time Dan got done Whirling, Tarzan Rocks was starting just a few steps away. We went in and sat down but it was hot and we were thirsty and I just was not impressed. We left as Terk was started her song and went in search of food. First stop, Flame Tree barbecue, which smelled delicious, but didn't have air conditioned seating. No one was in the mood to sweat, so we kept going until we found Pizzafari.
I should add a bit here about our mental state. We were over half way through the vacation. We hadn't had any major fights, but the togetherness thing was getting a bit old. Dan was irritated that the kids wouldn't go on Primeval Whirl with him, we were all hot and thirsty and the kids were tired and indecisive. So that's how we were when we walked into Pizzafari. First, I told Dan we needed to get the Meal Plus thing, which we probably didn't really need since we planned to leave AK after lunch. Then Chesney didn't want cheese pizza for her kids meal, she wanted pepperoni pizza, which was not an option. I must have looked about to cry because the CM ringing us up arranged for us to get a separate cup of just pepperoni for her. The total for this meal was $45 but it included the drink and ice cream for each family member with the certificate. It's definitely a good deal.
By the time we sat down, I was strung pretty tightly. Then Dan threw a fit about the "no straws" rule at AK, Brady started to cry because his dad was yelling, which made me cry. It was a horrible meltdown. I'm trying to calm down and eat and Chesney starts throwing a fit because she hates her pizza and wants a PB&J thing like Mykiah. Chesney hadn't even taken a bite, so I walked back up to the counter and exchanged the pizza for the sandwich and all was OK in the world again. Basically. If you stretch it.
As we left Pizzafari, we were in a better mood and I was in a picture taking mood. I took tons of pictures of the interior. We had decided to try to ride the Safaris before we left, but after I walked all the way down there to get fast passes, the time was hours away and I knew we wouldn't use them. Instead, we took the kids to the boneyard, where Brady traded his other "free" pin with a CM working the playground. We played for 15 minutes or so, then stopped to use our meal plus certificates on the way to the bus.
Once again, it was so hot that the ice cream was melting before the kids could eat it. We probably shouldn't have gotten the Plus certificates, but I'd like to state that I loved my Mickey bar!
When we got back to the resort, I decided to take the girls to see if the hair wrapping booth was busy. It wasn't, so each of them got a wrap. They got really bright colors, which were fun, and it only took 20 minutes or so. They both have pretty long hair, so it was $39 total for the 2 wraps. (Note -- we've been back 3 weeks and just got both the girls' hair cut short for summer, so we went ahead and cut the hair wraps out. I'm going to scrapbook Mykiah's but Chesney had put hers in her mouth one too many times and it was nasty!)
While we were hair wrapping, Dan and Brady were getting ready for swimming. We passed them on the way to the pool while we were heading back to the room. So the girls changed and went to join them. We swam until 3, probably our longest swim of the trip. Then it was back to the room where we sat around and looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do with our evening.
Prime Time Cafe was originally the plan, but I had told Dan we didn't have to go since we had eaten at Whispering Canyon earlier (which was unplanned). Now Dan was hungry and ready for Prime Time. I was pretty glad I hadn't cancelled the PS! We were off to the Studios!
Before our dinner, Brady decided he'd like to ride Star Tours. This was one of those bubble rides that he wasn't quite sure about. He ended up loving it and the boys decided to get a FP for after dinner; they got 3, thinking maybe Mykiah would like to ride.
We checked in at Prime Time and were quickly seated. Our server was Aunt Susan and she was great. We're not a family who really gets into the play acting here, but we do enjoy watching it. Dan has a fussy stomach and can't handle onions, celery or peppers, but he really wanted the pot roast, so he was asking Aunt Susan about it. She arranged for him to get a special portion with none of those veggies and corn on the side. She made his day! This was his second favorite meal of the trip. I had the fried chicken (yummy!). Brady ordered mac and cheese and cleaned his bowl, Mykiah had the hot dog (Aunt Susan was so proud of her for cleaning her plate she showed it to the whole restaurant, which pleased Mykiah) and Chesney had the hot dog. She finished that and then decided what she really wanted was chicken nuggets. Aunt Susan came through and brought out a portion of just the nuggets for her. While Ches was finishing up, Dan ran to get Tower of Terror fastpasses for himself and Brady, but the return time was 8:30. Too late for us, so he didn't get them. Our total for our meal at Prime Time was $59, including the extra chicken nuggets for Ches.
Sometime while we were eating, it started pouring buckets. As we left, there were so many people crowded under the overhang that it was hard to get out. And I heard the CM working the check-in desk telling a walk-up that the next available seating was at 8:45. It was only 6 pm at the time.
With our Veggie Tales ponchos on, we made a run for Star Tours. Dan, Brady and Mykiah rode while Chesney and I huddled in the gift shop with dozens of others who were trying to avoid the rain. Since we were at that side of the park anyway, I thought we could go watch Muppet Vision. We went to the preshow area, and that's where Chesney apparently remembered that she didn't like the movie. Or at least she didn't like the 3D part of the movie. Dan and I fought because he wanted to just force her to go, while I thought he should take her out to shop or something while the kids and I enjoyed the movie (since he had ridden Star Tours twice while I waited). I ended up getting so ticked that none of us saw the movie.
Since the crankiness was definitely evident by now, we just decided to head back to the resort. We wandered to the main building to get drink refills, stopped at the store and picked up the free poster that came with our package (we could have gotten a $25 gc to Planet Hollywood, a round of mini golf or a Leave a Legacy tile, but we decided we'd like to have a poster). Then it was back to the room where the kids played with their Mr Potato Heads and Legos, I worked on my trip report notes and Dan watched the basketball finals.
It hadn't been a great day, but it had some great moments. And tomorrow we were breakfasting with the princesses.
To read Day 8, click here
This was one of our unscheduled mornings in my master plan for our trip. So the night before we had talked over what we wanted to do. It was a Tuesday, so early entry for the Studios, but we didn't really feel a need to head back there, especially since Dan had gotten to do the 2 major rides earlier in the trip. We considered Magic Kingdom, but since we had just been there the night before, it didn't sound appealing. Typhoon Lagoon hadn't been that much fun, so Blizzard Beach was out. Hmm... guess we'll go to Animal Kingdom.
Since it wasn't an EMH day for AK, we didn't have to rush quite as much. I was actually thinking crowds would be light, but when we arrived at the entrance plaza, the lines were huge! Fortunately, once they opened them, the lines moved quickly. We were again held up in front of the tree of life, but we managed to work our way to the right so that we wouldn't get trampled in the stampede for the Safaris. Our goal this morning was Dinosaur! Only Dan and Brady had ridden on Day 3, and by now Brady had talked Mykiah into riding. We hustled over there at rope drop, only to find that the ride hadn't yet opened and we were held outside the building for about 15 minutes. Finally, the line started moving and Chesney and I wandered off to wait in the gift shop while Dan and the big kids rode. They came off and the big kids were ready to go again. With me. I love Indiana Jones at Disneyland, and this is the same ride vehicle, so it can't be a big deal, can it? The standby line was only 15 minutes, so we jumped into line, leaving Dan to wait with Chesney.
While in line, I struck up a conversation with a lady in front of me. She was a solo traveler and was quite nervous about what was to come. I told her that if Brady could ride it, anybody could ride it. We chatted about our trips so far, Indy at Disneyland, our hotels and it just generally made the time go faster until we hit the preshow area. Because Jenn was so nervous, I offered to just tell the loading cast member that we were a group of 4, assuring that she would get to sit with us. She was so grateful, she offered to buy us lunch, but I declined because we weren't even sure we'd be in the Animal Kingdom for lunch. It was a great ride, with Jenn and I sitting on the outside and the kids in between us. The funny thing was that I had been nervous about the ride, but seeing how nervous Jenn was actually calmed my fears and I was able to just enjoy the ride.
When we got off, I knew I'd buy the picture, if for no other reason that to remember how I met a stranger and bonded in line. Some teenage boys had been in the row in front of us in the car and had thrown up their arms just as the picture was taken, blocking Mykiah's face. But I knew that the first picture they had taken was really good, so the nice CM at the picture place went back through and found it for me! I thought I remembered the number, but it turned out to be the one before that number. Hey, I was close! We had both pictures and a t-shirt for Brady sent back to the resort so that we could get on with touring.
Next stop... Chester and Hester's Dinorama. Sorry, I love the tackiness of it. The kids had a picture taken with the dinosaurs that were walking around, then Dan decided to get in line for Primeval Whirl, since the standby line was only 15 minutes. Not. I'd guess more like 30 minutes, if not more. While we were waiting, I took the kids on Triceratops Spin, which was a walk-on. Then I decided that since there was hardly anybody in the area, I could probably Whack-A-Dinosaur and win a stuffed dino for the kids. I made Mykiah give me some cash (I only carried our room key for charging; never any cash) and she and I played each other in the game, with me winning, of course. To this day, she still tells me I owe her $4. Hey, I won her a really tacky stuffed dinosaur. She should show some appreciation.
By the time Dan got done Whirling, Tarzan Rocks was starting just a few steps away. We went in and sat down but it was hot and we were thirsty and I just was not impressed. We left as Terk was started her song and went in search of food. First stop, Flame Tree barbecue, which smelled delicious, but didn't have air conditioned seating. No one was in the mood to sweat, so we kept going until we found Pizzafari.
I should add a bit here about our mental state. We were over half way through the vacation. We hadn't had any major fights, but the togetherness thing was getting a bit old. Dan was irritated that the kids wouldn't go on Primeval Whirl with him, we were all hot and thirsty and the kids were tired and indecisive. So that's how we were when we walked into Pizzafari. First, I told Dan we needed to get the Meal Plus thing, which we probably didn't really need since we planned to leave AK after lunch. Then Chesney didn't want cheese pizza for her kids meal, she wanted pepperoni pizza, which was not an option. I must have looked about to cry because the CM ringing us up arranged for us to get a separate cup of just pepperoni for her. The total for this meal was $45 but it included the drink and ice cream for each family member with the certificate. It's definitely a good deal.
By the time we sat down, I was strung pretty tightly. Then Dan threw a fit about the "no straws" rule at AK, Brady started to cry because his dad was yelling, which made me cry. It was a horrible meltdown. I'm trying to calm down and eat and Chesney starts throwing a fit because she hates her pizza and wants a PB&J thing like Mykiah. Chesney hadn't even taken a bite, so I walked back up to the counter and exchanged the pizza for the sandwich and all was OK in the world again. Basically. If you stretch it.
As we left Pizzafari, we were in a better mood and I was in a picture taking mood. I took tons of pictures of the interior. We had decided to try to ride the Safaris before we left, but after I walked all the way down there to get fast passes, the time was hours away and I knew we wouldn't use them. Instead, we took the kids to the boneyard, where Brady traded his other "free" pin with a CM working the playground. We played for 15 minutes or so, then stopped to use our meal plus certificates on the way to the bus.
Once again, it was so hot that the ice cream was melting before the kids could eat it. We probably shouldn't have gotten the Plus certificates, but I'd like to state that I loved my Mickey bar!
When we got back to the resort, I decided to take the girls to see if the hair wrapping booth was busy. It wasn't, so each of them got a wrap. They got really bright colors, which were fun, and it only took 20 minutes or so. They both have pretty long hair, so it was $39 total for the 2 wraps. (Note -- we've been back 3 weeks and just got both the girls' hair cut short for summer, so we went ahead and cut the hair wraps out. I'm going to scrapbook Mykiah's but Chesney had put hers in her mouth one too many times and it was nasty!)
While we were hair wrapping, Dan and Brady were getting ready for swimming. We passed them on the way to the pool while we were heading back to the room. So the girls changed and went to join them. We swam until 3, probably our longest swim of the trip. Then it was back to the room where we sat around and looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do with our evening.
Prime Time Cafe was originally the plan, but I had told Dan we didn't have to go since we had eaten at Whispering Canyon earlier (which was unplanned). Now Dan was hungry and ready for Prime Time. I was pretty glad I hadn't cancelled the PS! We were off to the Studios!
Before our dinner, Brady decided he'd like to ride Star Tours. This was one of those bubble rides that he wasn't quite sure about. He ended up loving it and the boys decided to get a FP for after dinner; they got 3, thinking maybe Mykiah would like to ride.
We checked in at Prime Time and were quickly seated. Our server was Aunt Susan and she was great. We're not a family who really gets into the play acting here, but we do enjoy watching it. Dan has a fussy stomach and can't handle onions, celery or peppers, but he really wanted the pot roast, so he was asking Aunt Susan about it. She arranged for him to get a special portion with none of those veggies and corn on the side. She made his day! This was his second favorite meal of the trip. I had the fried chicken (yummy!). Brady ordered mac and cheese and cleaned his bowl, Mykiah had the hot dog (Aunt Susan was so proud of her for cleaning her plate she showed it to the whole restaurant, which pleased Mykiah) and Chesney had the hot dog. She finished that and then decided what she really wanted was chicken nuggets. Aunt Susan came through and brought out a portion of just the nuggets for her. While Ches was finishing up, Dan ran to get Tower of Terror fastpasses for himself and Brady, but the return time was 8:30. Too late for us, so he didn't get them. Our total for our meal at Prime Time was $59, including the extra chicken nuggets for Ches.
Sometime while we were eating, it started pouring buckets. As we left, there were so many people crowded under the overhang that it was hard to get out. And I heard the CM working the check-in desk telling a walk-up that the next available seating was at 8:45. It was only 6 pm at the time.
With our Veggie Tales ponchos on, we made a run for Star Tours. Dan, Brady and Mykiah rode while Chesney and I huddled in the gift shop with dozens of others who were trying to avoid the rain. Since we were at that side of the park anyway, I thought we could go watch Muppet Vision. We went to the preshow area, and that's where Chesney apparently remembered that she didn't like the movie. Or at least she didn't like the 3D part of the movie. Dan and I fought because he wanted to just force her to go, while I thought he should take her out to shop or something while the kids and I enjoyed the movie (since he had ridden Star Tours twice while I waited). I ended up getting so ticked that none of us saw the movie.
Since the crankiness was definitely evident by now, we just decided to head back to the resort. We wandered to the main building to get drink refills, stopped at the store and picked up the free poster that came with our package (we could have gotten a $25 gc to Planet Hollywood, a round of mini golf or a Leave a Legacy tile, but we decided we'd like to have a poster). Then it was back to the room where the kids played with their Mr Potato Heads and Legos, I worked on my trip report notes and Dan watched the basketball finals.
It hadn't been a great day, but it had some great moments. And tomorrow we were breakfasting with the princesses.
To read Day 8, click here
