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From Deployments to Disney and Textbooks to Trams here's a Dec 2010 TR. Completed!
- Thread starter amazingact21
- Start date
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
I wasn't aware of them, either, until we got to the park and started looking around. I liked them, because they were a little more discreet than the usual, very flamboyant Disney decorations.
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Hi, and thanks for joining in! I have lived all over the U.S, and NW FL is probably one of my favorite places. Alex is stationed at Hurlburt Field, but I live near Eglin and do all my shopping and runs on that base.
PirateKate
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 16, 2010
I love Festival of the Lion King! There's so many talented in that show, between the exuberant Tumble Monkeys, and the soaring Bird Dancers and those amazing singers! Not to mention the fire guy. Good show. 
Holly324
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2010
We lived in Crestview for 4 years, and my DH was stationed at Eglin as an ATC in the tower. We loved our time there.....oh, how I miss the Destin commons and the Sandestin outlet mall!
I am going to read your trip report now!!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
I love Festival of the Lion King! There's so many talented in that show, between the exuberant Tumble Monkeys, and the soaring Bird Dancers and those amazing singers! Not to mention the fire guy. Good show.
Agreed! It's no surprise why Festival is the most popular show at Disney World. The singers have such beautiful voices!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
We lived in Crestview for 4 years, and my DH was stationed at Eglin as an ATC in the tower. We loved our time there.....oh, how I miss the Destin commons and the Sandestin outlet mall!
My family and I actually live in Crestview, but I spend the majority of my time in Navarre. I love the Destin Commons; it is such a beautiful area! Thanks for following along!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Now that I only have 3 more updates left on this TR, I have found that I am procrastinating on writing them. I know I should knock them out and look forward to my next trip, but it's kind of sad to think that this December trip is about to really be over. 
Spotting Some Animals and Grabbing a Nice Lunch:
The line for KS was very long, but DF and I decided to tough it out and wait. It was not the smartest decision in the world, but we weren't in any rush. We were in line behind people with a little baby, and since DF had nowhere to run, I asked him a bunch of baby questions, like, "What do you hope we have first, a boy or a girl? Do you think you're going to be like your dad? Do you think I'm going to be like my mom?"
DF and I both come from really big families and we both have said we wanted lots of kids, but I don't think DF enjoyed talking about them at WDW. Especially when he was stuck in a standstill line.
In my defense, though, he brought it all on himself when he talked about the Jedi Training Academy two days earlier.
I was merely building onto that conversation.
After what probably felt like 3 hours to DF(it was only an hour) we hopped aboard one of the jeeps for our safari tour.
We sat in the front row, and I called our car the "adults car." At first, it was because there were NO kids in our car.
None.
That was the first time I'd ever not been around children at WDW.
The 2nd reason to the name is coming up...
DF and I saw some hippos soaking up the winter sun.
There were also some swimming around in the water.
We came across some workers:
Halfway through our trip, the vehicles in front of us became backed up, so we spent a lot of time looking at wildlife.
Turns out, the vehicles had to stop because two of the animals had gotten a whiff of springtime a little early and decided to share their love in the middle of the road.
These guys threw the whole tour out of the window.
(By the way...DF insisted on the photo, not me!)
The other guests in my car started to have a field day and they had the tour guide completely forgetting everything about his script. He kept trying to reign them back, but every time he began speaking in the intercom, he just busted out laughing.
It was a really good thing there were no kids in our car, because the jokes my carmates were saying were on a PG-13 level.
Eventually, the tour guide composed himself enough to drive us past the giraffes and elephants.
I became excited when I was able to see the baby elephant walking around.
When we came to the lions, the tour guide was really nice. He pulled around and even though we were really behind schedule, he stopped the car and sat there until every person had found where the lion was hiding.
Since the ride had kind of gone out of the window, our tour guide really did try to make sure every person in the car got a great view of each animal.
It was very sweet.
Near the end of the ride, our tour guide made a half-hearted effort at keeping the skit going.
"Oh, hey guys, how about we go save the elephant from some poachers?"
I didn't even know we were looking for poachers, that's how uncontrollable our car was.
We drove through the rough terrain, saw the water, and came to the poacher's campsite.
"Yay, we saved the animal."
Our tour guide said it like he was saying, "Oh, yay, the light turned green."
He left us all with cheerful farewells and a big smile, which I deciphered as: "Thank you for the change of pace, but pllllleeeeeaaasssseeee get out of my car so I can go get back to what I'm supposed to be doing."
DF and I agreed that KS might not have been the most thrilling ride of our trip, but it would definitely be the most memorable. I still can't believe how off-track that tour got.
It was lunchtime when we got off the ride, so DF and I stopped at Pizzafari to grab a bite to eat.
I could have sworn I'd taken pictures of the restaurant, but I must have accidentally deleted them.
Both DF and I say that this was the best CS place we ate at the entire trip. The service was unbelievable! There was CMs spread throughout the restaurant directing people to free tables, and they helped people grab napkins, condiments, and extra chairs when needed.
DF and I ordered the pepporoni pizza, breadsticks, and caesar salads. I am kind of a picky person when it comes to my salads (I HATE stale lettuce) but this one was really fresh and the breadsticks were very soft. After eating so many burgers and fries the past few days, the salad was a really nice change. It gave us a nice jolt of energy and the atmosphere of the restaurant relaxed us for awhile.
As we were going to leave, a CM with a Stitch plush hand stopped my DF and exclaimed, "You have a Stitch key! I wish I had one. Listen, no matter how many people ask, DON'T TRADE THAT PIN!"
Wow.
DF and I weren't really sure how to reply to that except to reassure the CM that we would hold onto it.
In the end, we didn't hold Pizzafari very high in our expectations list, but after eating there, DF and I would not hesitate to eat there again. DF has even said he wouldn't care about ever eating at a TS restaurant there since Pizzafari was fulfilling enough. I don't necessarily agree with him on that, but I will say that it's my number 1 place to go when I want pizza at WDW.
Up next: Our AK afternoon. AKA: The FUN post! (And you will finally be able to see the WORST ride picture of me EVER taken.
)
Spotting Some Animals and Grabbing a Nice Lunch:
The line for KS was very long, but DF and I decided to tough it out and wait. It was not the smartest decision in the world, but we weren't in any rush. We were in line behind people with a little baby, and since DF had nowhere to run, I asked him a bunch of baby questions, like, "What do you hope we have first, a boy or a girl? Do you think you're going to be like your dad? Do you think I'm going to be like my mom?"
DF and I both come from really big families and we both have said we wanted lots of kids, but I don't think DF enjoyed talking about them at WDW. Especially when he was stuck in a standstill line.
In my defense, though, he brought it all on himself when he talked about the Jedi Training Academy two days earlier.
I was merely building onto that conversation.
After what probably felt like 3 hours to DF(it was only an hour) we hopped aboard one of the jeeps for our safari tour.
We sat in the front row, and I called our car the "adults car." At first, it was because there were NO kids in our car.
None.
That was the first time I'd ever not been around children at WDW.
The 2nd reason to the name is coming up...
DF and I saw some hippos soaking up the winter sun.
There were also some swimming around in the water.
We came across some workers:
Halfway through our trip, the vehicles in front of us became backed up, so we spent a lot of time looking at wildlife.
Turns out, the vehicles had to stop because two of the animals had gotten a whiff of springtime a little early and decided to share their love in the middle of the road.
These guys threw the whole tour out of the window.
(By the way...DF insisted on the photo, not me!)
The other guests in my car started to have a field day and they had the tour guide completely forgetting everything about his script. He kept trying to reign them back, but every time he began speaking in the intercom, he just busted out laughing.
It was a really good thing there were no kids in our car, because the jokes my carmates were saying were on a PG-13 level.
Eventually, the tour guide composed himself enough to drive us past the giraffes and elephants.
I became excited when I was able to see the baby elephant walking around.
When we came to the lions, the tour guide was really nice. He pulled around and even though we were really behind schedule, he stopped the car and sat there until every person had found where the lion was hiding.
Since the ride had kind of gone out of the window, our tour guide really did try to make sure every person in the car got a great view of each animal.
It was very sweet.
Near the end of the ride, our tour guide made a half-hearted effort at keeping the skit going.
"Oh, hey guys, how about we go save the elephant from some poachers?"
I didn't even know we were looking for poachers, that's how uncontrollable our car was.
We drove through the rough terrain, saw the water, and came to the poacher's campsite.
"Yay, we saved the animal."
Our tour guide said it like he was saying, "Oh, yay, the light turned green."
He left us all with cheerful farewells and a big smile, which I deciphered as: "Thank you for the change of pace, but pllllleeeeeaaasssseeee get out of my car so I can go get back to what I'm supposed to be doing."
DF and I agreed that KS might not have been the most thrilling ride of our trip, but it would definitely be the most memorable. I still can't believe how off-track that tour got.
It was lunchtime when we got off the ride, so DF and I stopped at Pizzafari to grab a bite to eat.
I could have sworn I'd taken pictures of the restaurant, but I must have accidentally deleted them.
Both DF and I say that this was the best CS place we ate at the entire trip. The service was unbelievable! There was CMs spread throughout the restaurant directing people to free tables, and they helped people grab napkins, condiments, and extra chairs when needed.
DF and I ordered the pepporoni pizza, breadsticks, and caesar salads. I am kind of a picky person when it comes to my salads (I HATE stale lettuce) but this one was really fresh and the breadsticks were very soft. After eating so many burgers and fries the past few days, the salad was a really nice change. It gave us a nice jolt of energy and the atmosphere of the restaurant relaxed us for awhile.
As we were going to leave, a CM with a Stitch plush hand stopped my DF and exclaimed, "You have a Stitch key! I wish I had one. Listen, no matter how many people ask, DON'T TRADE THAT PIN!"
Wow.
DF and I weren't really sure how to reply to that except to reassure the CM that we would hold onto it.
In the end, we didn't hold Pizzafari very high in our expectations list, but after eating there, DF and I would not hesitate to eat there again. DF has even said he wouldn't care about ever eating at a TS restaurant there since Pizzafari was fulfilling enough. I don't necessarily agree with him on that, but I will say that it's my number 1 place to go when I want pizza at WDW.
Up next: Our AK afternoon. AKA: The FUN post! (And you will finally be able to see the WORST ride picture of me EVER taken.
)
Last edited:
kaileighbug
Disney Dreaming! How soon can I get us back?
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2009
Just found your TR. I really enjoyed reading it so far. 
Congrats on the engagement. Hope you have a wonderful trip I see you are leaving in a few days.
Congrats on the engagement. Hope you have a wonderful trip I see you are leaving in a few days.
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Just found your TR. I really enjoyed reading it so far.
Thank you, and I'm glad you discovered my TR, even though the updates on it are very sporadic.
I can't believe I'm leaving for the world again in 2 days; I still have so much left for me to do before Friday!
Awesome trip report and congrats on your engagement
Thank you! I should be wrapping the report up this week; only 2 more updates left!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Have a great trip! Please post a link to your new trip report on this thread too
Thank you! I will definitely post a link; and since I won't be taking classes this summer my updates will be a lot more frequent on that report.
Hey there
Congrats on your engagement!! What a beautiful ring too!!
Glad you could find my report!
Thanks! DF was very excited to make team shirts; he keeps talking about them!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Wow... I leave for Disney World in less than 24 hours and I have NOTHING packed! 
Normally, I'd have everything done already and would be sitting around the house bored.
This is the first time I'm scrambling to do everything. Yesterday, I took my mom out for a spa day and a nice lunch for Mother's Day (since I'll be gone on Sunday) and that took up most of my day.
Now, I have to wash all my laundry, organize all my stuff, and go to a friend's college graduation ceremony tonight. Yikes!
While I have a load of clothes in the washing machine, I figured I'd take a break from the current chaos and write an update on December's trip. Thinking about the last trip takes me back and reminds me why I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off right now.
Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, and Ice Cream:
DF and I wanted to ride EE, but we both agreed we needed to walk around a little first and let our stomachs settle.
We entered the Jungle Trek, but it was unbelievably crowded, so we didn't stay and look at the animals too long.
The tigers were up and moving when we saw them:
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
Amusingly enough, DF and I weren't very impressed.
See, the zoo we have in our area is very interactive, and the two bengal tigers they have are seperated from us by one tall electrical chain-link fence and then another, shorter chain-link fence.
This is Raja, and this is a photo of him without the zoom. They are really that close.
That particular cat is even popular for his love of spraying visitors.
He's tried to do it me before. He'll pace back and forth and then.....
So...after being conditioned to seeing animals in a close proximity, DF and I were disappointed with the huge glass viewing window.
We left the animals and traveled to the EE standby line. The wait time was posted as an hour, and we figured our lunch would wear down during the wait.
In the beginning, I enjoyed taking pictures of the scenery.
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
Then it got really boring.
There was a kid in front of us who kept climbing over EVERYTHING, even though a message constantly played on the speakers asking guests not to.
Behind us, there was a boy who insisted on ringing every single bell hanging along the queue path.
Needless to say...it was a long hour.
DF and I tried to stay upbeat.
The advantage to a very long line was that DF managed to have enough time to find all the Hidden Mickeys.
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
When our turn finally arrived, we were placed near the back and we were off!
The ride was most certainly thrilling and a little scary, but amusingly enough, I never saw the Yeti!
Once we were off the ride, I asked DF is he'd seen it, and he looked at me like I crazy.
"Of course I saw the yeti! You didn't?!?!"
Uhm..
No
Whoops.
Apparently the "hard to miss, in your face monster" eluded me.
With the adrenaline from EE pumping through us, we decided to brave Dinosaur.
It only had a 10 minute wait, and we moved through the queue very swiftly.
I had expected the ride to be jerky and slightly scary, but my favorite genre of film is Horror. I LOVE scary stuff! I could quote you lines from A Nightmare and Elm Street and could act out whole scenes of Scream.
But Dinosaur turned me into a chicken!!!!
I am ashamed to admit it, but that attraction was a little overwhelming for me. Having all the noises and bounces and animals right up close and in your face was too much for me.
And, naturally, because I was probably the most frightened person on the ride, I managed to sit in the worst seat possible.
Front row.
Far right.
Which, in case no one was aware, is the seat nearest the dinosaur that pops out at the end.
And just my luck....DF managed to swipe a picture of the ride photo.
Probably the most embarrassing picture of me at WDW.
DF bursts out in fits of laughter if someone even mentions the picture.
So, without further ado....
The photo:
Ughhhhhh.
Yes, that would be a grown 20 year old adult woman cowering in her DF's arm.
And in case the photo isn't clear, that is my hand gribbing DF's so tight he lost circulation.
That flipping Dinosaur scared the crap outta me, though! It looked like it was hanging over the car, and I thought I was going to be gobbled up in his sharp little teeth.
After that ride I needed some ice cream (if I was 7 months older I would've needed something stronger than sugar.).
DF and I stopped right before the Finding Nemo the Musical stage and ate these:
They were delicious and calmed my nerves.
While we ate we debated on what we wanted to do. It was around 5:00 and we'd accomplished everything we wanted in AK.
At my suggestion, we chose to leave AK and go back to HS and catch Fantasmic.
It was our last night at Disney, and we had managed to see Wishes, the Osbourne Lights, Festival of the Lion King, and IllumiNations; we wanted to say that we'd caught all the night shows.
So, as the sun was sinking low in the sky, we said goodbye to Animal Kingdom and got on a bus to Hollywood Studios.
Up Next....Fantasmic and our departure.
Normally, I'd have everything done already and would be sitting around the house bored.This is the first time I'm scrambling to do everything. Yesterday, I took my mom out for a spa day and a nice lunch for Mother's Day (since I'll be gone on Sunday) and that took up most of my day.
Now, I have to wash all my laundry, organize all my stuff, and go to a friend's college graduation ceremony tonight. Yikes!
While I have a load of clothes in the washing machine, I figured I'd take a break from the current chaos and write an update on December's trip. Thinking about the last trip takes me back and reminds me why I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off right now.
Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, and Ice Cream:
DF and I wanted to ride EE, but we both agreed we needed to walk around a little first and let our stomachs settle.
We entered the Jungle Trek, but it was unbelievably crowded, so we didn't stay and look at the animals too long.
The tigers were up and moving when we saw them:
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrAmusingly enough, DF and I weren't very impressed.
See, the zoo we have in our area is very interactive, and the two bengal tigers they have are seperated from us by one tall electrical chain-link fence and then another, shorter chain-link fence.
This is Raja, and this is a photo of him without the zoom. They are really that close.
That particular cat is even popular for his love of spraying visitors.
He's tried to do it me before. He'll pace back and forth and then.....
So...after being conditioned to seeing animals in a close proximity, DF and I were disappointed with the huge glass viewing window.
We left the animals and traveled to the EE standby line. The wait time was posted as an hour, and we figured our lunch would wear down during the wait.
In the beginning, I enjoyed taking pictures of the scenery.
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickrf3 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrThen it got really boring.
There was a kid in front of us who kept climbing over EVERYTHING, even though a message constantly played on the speakers asking guests not to.
Behind us, there was a boy who insisted on ringing every single bell hanging along the queue path.
Needless to say...it was a long hour.
DF and I tried to stay upbeat.
The advantage to a very long line was that DF managed to have enough time to find all the Hidden Mickeys.
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickrf5 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrWhen our turn finally arrived, we were placed near the back and we were off!
The ride was most certainly thrilling and a little scary, but amusingly enough, I never saw the Yeti!
Once we were off the ride, I asked DF is he'd seen it, and he looked at me like I crazy.
"Of course I saw the yeti! You didn't?!?!"
Uhm..
No
Whoops.
Apparently the "hard to miss, in your face monster" eluded me.
With the adrenaline from EE pumping through us, we decided to brave Dinosaur.
It only had a 10 minute wait, and we moved through the queue very swiftly.
I had expected the ride to be jerky and slightly scary, but my favorite genre of film is Horror. I LOVE scary stuff! I could quote you lines from A Nightmare and Elm Street and could act out whole scenes of Scream.
But Dinosaur turned me into a chicken!!!!
I am ashamed to admit it, but that attraction was a little overwhelming for me. Having all the noises and bounces and animals right up close and in your face was too much for me.
And, naturally, because I was probably the most frightened person on the ride, I managed to sit in the worst seat possible.
Front row.
Far right.
Which, in case no one was aware, is the seat nearest the dinosaur that pops out at the end.
And just my luck....DF managed to swipe a picture of the ride photo.
Probably the most embarrassing picture of me at WDW.
DF bursts out in fits of laughter if someone even mentions the picture.
So, without further ado....
The photo:
Ughhhhhh.
Yes, that would be a grown 20 year old adult woman cowering in her DF's arm.
And in case the photo isn't clear, that is my hand gribbing DF's so tight he lost circulation.
That flipping Dinosaur scared the crap outta me, though! It looked like it was hanging over the car, and I thought I was going to be gobbled up in his sharp little teeth.
After that ride I needed some ice cream (if I was 7 months older I would've needed something stronger than sugar.
).DF and I stopped right before the Finding Nemo the Musical stage and ate these:
They were delicious and calmed my nerves.
While we ate we debated on what we wanted to do. It was around 5:00 and we'd accomplished everything we wanted in AK.
At my suggestion, we chose to leave AK and go back to HS and catch Fantasmic.
It was our last night at Disney, and we had managed to see Wishes, the Osbourne Lights, Festival of the Lion King, and IllumiNations; we wanted to say that we'd caught all the night shows.
So, as the sun was sinking low in the sky, we said goodbye to Animal Kingdom and got on a bus to Hollywood Studios.
Up Next....Fantasmic and our departure.
Last edited:
Ok after staring at the first hidden Mickey photo, I give up, I can't find it I would be a terrible hidden Mickey spotter
Dinosaur scared me too the first time I rode it I was really caught off guard! But that picture of you is HILARIOUS!!! You aren't just ducking a little, you are practically in the other seat
YAY for Disney less than 24 hours from now!!!
I am beyond jealous!
I would be a terrible hidden Mickey spotter Dinosaur scared me too the first time I rode it I was really caught off guard! But that picture of you is HILARIOUS!!! You aren't just ducking a little, you are practically in the other seat
YAY for Disney less than 24 hours from now!!!
I am beyond jealous!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Ok after staring at the first hidden Mickey photo, I give up, I can't find it
Dinosaur scared me too the first time I rode it I was really caught off guard! But that picture of you is HILARIOUS!!! You aren't just ducking a little, you are practically in the other seat
YAY for Disney less than 24 hours from now!!!
Don't worry, my DF had to help me with that first Hidden Mickey, it took me forever to find it as well. Even now, it's a little bit of a stretch.
DisneyAsh32
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2009
That ride photo is hilarious. But I commend you because I will not go anywhere near that ride. 
I'm confused about expedition everest and the yeti. I've heard that the yeti isn't working and now people are saying that you can't even see him anymore.
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