MelessaG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2004
- Messages
- 1,295
Cast of Characters
Me- WDW nut who just may love planning trips more than taking them
DH-reluctant escort who I think may enjoy WDW more than he lets us know
Little Tink- almost 7 year-old WDW vet and budding park commando like mom
Sonny Boy-4 year-old "Stitch" fan who acts a lot like 626
Bitty Princess-2 year-old Diva
Baby Girl-6 month old along for the ride
MeMe-My mom and doting grandmother
PaPa-my Dad and mentor in vacationing 'commando-style'
DSis-My youngest sis, pregnant on the trip wed last July
DBIL-Sis' new husband, an unknown quantity, and birthday boy this trip
We got up early this morning with the intention of going over and checking in at the AKL first, then hitting the park. As usual, we underestimated the time it takes to load the gear for a 6-person family not to mention getting all the sleepy-heads up and dressed. By the time the last seat belt was buckled, we decided to go straight to the AK. To circumvent any conflict about me wanting to get up too early or make too many touring decisions on my own, we just agreed to meet the rest of the folks at the Flights of Wonder show at 10:15. This left me somewhat free to go into commando-mode and go straight to the safari ride. Little Tink was right there with me! We weren't the first ones there by far (as we DISers know, you have to be careful driving a stroller), but we didn't have a long wait either. I won't say going first thing was that different from the other times I've ridden, but I did see the lion awake for the first time. Our tour guide wasn't super-hyped about doing the whole Little Red scenario which was fine with me. The older kids had a ball taking pics with disposable cameras and Bitty Princess seemed in awe of the animals. It was a fun ride, and the CM who joked with us while we waited in line recognized us at the stroller claim area and joked some more. You've gotta love that!
We met MeMe, PaPa, DSis, and DBIL at the show and I wished him a Happy Birthday. We have visited the AK on every trip, but this was our first show there. It was cute. Nothing earth-shattering, but PaPa and the kids liked it and Little Tink wanted to stay for the Q&A. DH took Sonny Boy out for a potty stop and came back after a visit to the ice cream cart. Let the record state that I know better than to buy ice cream for one kid while in the company of all four of them and now DH does too.
After a visit to the Jungle Trek, we intended to walk over the Flame Tree BBQ, but somehow wound up walking the loop around the future Expedition Everest. It was a pretty and uncrowded hike and we enjoyed the music from the boat on the river. We decided to see what the line was like for Dinosaur. It was a walk-on. DH, PaPa, and I took Little Tink and Sonny Boy while Baby Girl, Bitty Princess, and the rest of the family walked onto Triceratop Spin. This was the first Dinosaur ride for the kiddos who have previously been too short. They LOVED it! The ride picture is classic. I'm covering my eyes and the kids are looking. What can I say, they are much braver than me. After dragging Sonny Boy out of the gift shop, (he should hang out with Delswife's SIL) we met up with the group and all took another ride on Triceratop Spin since it was still a walk-on.
After that, we had an OK lunch at Flame Tree. The kids devoured their hot dogs while I found my chicken sandwich a bit on the dry side. Seating was limited, so half of us got to sit by the water and the other half with the strollers. It was a nice break, but we were ready for more fun.
Sonny Boy was complaining in a big way at this point about being tired, so we decided to rent him a stroller. MeMe and I headed back to Guest Relations while everyone else saw It's Tough to be a Bug. I also stopped and bought the bigger kids lanyards. When we all met up, I presented them with their first Disney pins (won off an eBay auction). I wasn't sure how they would feel about trading, but both of them had made their first trade with a CM within minutes with no problems.
Our finale for the afternoon was going to the Festival of the Lion King. Is it possible that show has gotten even better since our last visit?! Baby Girl danced and squealed with the music. It was probably her favorite part of the whole trip. Bitty Princess fell asleep on my lap, though. So, it was time to go-or so we thought. We got caught on the quiet side of the parade. We couldn't get close, but we enjoyed what we saw from behind the crowds. Little Tink found both Flik and Lilo signing autographs with no lines, she was in heaven. The rest of us enjoyed some Mickey Bars and the kids got so messy I HAD to take pics.
Once the parade passed, MeMe and PaPa agreed to keep Little Tink with them while we took the other little ones and checked into the AKL. I was so excited-this would be our first onsite deluxe hotel...
Me- WDW nut who just may love planning trips more than taking them
DH-reluctant escort who I think may enjoy WDW more than he lets us know
Little Tink- almost 7 year-old WDW vet and budding park commando like mom
Sonny Boy-4 year-old "Stitch" fan who acts a lot like 626
Bitty Princess-2 year-old Diva
Baby Girl-6 month old along for the ride
MeMe-My mom and doting grandmother
PaPa-my Dad and mentor in vacationing 'commando-style'
DSis-My youngest sis, pregnant on the trip wed last July
DBIL-Sis' new husband, an unknown quantity, and birthday boy this trip
We got up early this morning with the intention of going over and checking in at the AKL first, then hitting the park. As usual, we underestimated the time it takes to load the gear for a 6-person family not to mention getting all the sleepy-heads up and dressed. By the time the last seat belt was buckled, we decided to go straight to the AK. To circumvent any conflict about me wanting to get up too early or make too many touring decisions on my own, we just agreed to meet the rest of the folks at the Flights of Wonder show at 10:15. This left me somewhat free to go into commando-mode and go straight to the safari ride. Little Tink was right there with me! We weren't the first ones there by far (as we DISers know, you have to be careful driving a stroller), but we didn't have a long wait either. I won't say going first thing was that different from the other times I've ridden, but I did see the lion awake for the first time. Our tour guide wasn't super-hyped about doing the whole Little Red scenario which was fine with me. The older kids had a ball taking pics with disposable cameras and Bitty Princess seemed in awe of the animals. It was a fun ride, and the CM who joked with us while we waited in line recognized us at the stroller claim area and joked some more. You've gotta love that!
We met MeMe, PaPa, DSis, and DBIL at the show and I wished him a Happy Birthday. We have visited the AK on every trip, but this was our first show there. It was cute. Nothing earth-shattering, but PaPa and the kids liked it and Little Tink wanted to stay for the Q&A. DH took Sonny Boy out for a potty stop and came back after a visit to the ice cream cart. Let the record state that I know better than to buy ice cream for one kid while in the company of all four of them and now DH does too.
After a visit to the Jungle Trek, we intended to walk over the Flame Tree BBQ, but somehow wound up walking the loop around the future Expedition Everest. It was a pretty and uncrowded hike and we enjoyed the music from the boat on the river. We decided to see what the line was like for Dinosaur. It was a walk-on. DH, PaPa, and I took Little Tink and Sonny Boy while Baby Girl, Bitty Princess, and the rest of the family walked onto Triceratop Spin. This was the first Dinosaur ride for the kiddos who have previously been too short. They LOVED it! The ride picture is classic. I'm covering my eyes and the kids are looking. What can I say, they are much braver than me. After dragging Sonny Boy out of the gift shop, (he should hang out with Delswife's SIL) we met up with the group and all took another ride on Triceratop Spin since it was still a walk-on.
After that, we had an OK lunch at Flame Tree. The kids devoured their hot dogs while I found my chicken sandwich a bit on the dry side. Seating was limited, so half of us got to sit by the water and the other half with the strollers. It was a nice break, but we were ready for more fun.
Sonny Boy was complaining in a big way at this point about being tired, so we decided to rent him a stroller. MeMe and I headed back to Guest Relations while everyone else saw It's Tough to be a Bug. I also stopped and bought the bigger kids lanyards. When we all met up, I presented them with their first Disney pins (won off an eBay auction). I wasn't sure how they would feel about trading, but both of them had made their first trade with a CM within minutes with no problems.
Our finale for the afternoon was going to the Festival of the Lion King. Is it possible that show has gotten even better since our last visit?! Baby Girl danced and squealed with the music. It was probably her favorite part of the whole trip. Bitty Princess fell asleep on my lap, though. So, it was time to go-or so we thought. We got caught on the quiet side of the parade. We couldn't get close, but we enjoyed what we saw from behind the crowds. Little Tink found both Flik and Lilo signing autographs with no lines, she was in heaven. The rest of us enjoyed some Mickey Bars and the kids got so messy I HAD to take pics.
Once the parade passed, MeMe and PaPa agreed to keep Little Tink with them while we took the other little ones and checked into the AKL. I was so excited-this would be our first onsite deluxe hotel...
