Fun in the Florida Sun! ~ Trip #3 w/many firsts, new friends & TONS of food!*NEW 9/30

[Goofy442]

I knew there was one baby born but not two extra's. Must put that on our things to do. Did you do the safari early in the morning? We will be there in August and wondered if the animals hide due to the heat.

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Hey Heather! Just noticed you started the TR. Kudos to you on getting all the way there in one day. Its 16 hours for us, too, but we always have to stop. No stamina!

I'm glad you didn't have to switch rooms - that always makes it easier.

 

[martinolichfamily]

So far so good! Love the happy looking people on the tram! OH NO Dinosaur! LOL I'll wait to update mine until you've caught up to me. I forgot about you having that extra day in there.

Oh thanks....sorry I am slow!

Just joining in! What a lucky safari you had! We just got back from staying at AKL and I was convinced one of the giraffes in the family on the savannah was a 'baby' and everyone i was with told me i was wrong!

Nope...you were RIGHT!! How did you like AKL? We went there for breakfast at Boma...loved the look of the resort!

You did good on your safari! Mine was mostly rear ends of animals! Big bottoms!
Then of course ours was cut short due to the poachers....
I'll bet your DD was scared on Dinosaur! I know adults that get shaken on that ride!
What was for lunch?
Can't wait to read about the rest of your day!

We had a great safari...lucked out for sure!Yes...poor DD was scared. Lunch....burgers...burgers and more burgers..oh and some chicken strips!

I knew there was one baby born but not two extra's. Must put that on our things to do. Did you do the safari early in the morning? We will be there in August and wondered if the animals hide due to the heat.

Hi! Um.....I know we took the safari in the afternoon...maybe around 1p or so??

Hey Heather! Just noticed you started the TR. Kudos to you on getting all the way there in one day. Its 16 hours for us, too, but we always have to stop. No stamina!

I'm glad you didn't have to switch rooms - that always makes it easier.

Hey! That 16 hours in the car....was long!!! Glad we did it though! On the way home that 16 hours was broken up into 2 days!
Yes....Great that we didnt have to switch rooms!! Lucked out there too!

 

[TheThomsLuvDisney]

Subbing in! Now I'm going to sub in to your friends too!!

 

[martinolichfamily]

I know I know....sorry I didnt post the rest of the day right away! So let's get busy!

We left off at Lunch time.....where'd we go???

We actually ate in that little silver camper part too..all by ourselves! It was GREAT...nice and COOL!!!

I was really wanting a salad since it was a bit warm outside but their's just didnt appeal to me that much....so....I settled for a kid's meal burger..so did DS...DD had kid's meal chicken strips (thats all she lived on the rest of the trip pretty much!) and DH has a double cheeseburger. All in all the food was pretty good for a CS meal!
After lunch, we headed out to go ride Triceratop Spin for DD but the wait was too long. Then, we tried to ride Primeval Whirl too BUT DD was not tall enough! I had no clue about the 48" height requirement for this ride.
So...we say goodbye to Dinoland and headed back to Asia to use those lovely fastpasses! This was our first time to ride Expedition Everest.......we it!! I rode w/DS first and got a rider switch pass for DH to go back after our ride. While we were on the ride, DH took DD back to Triceratop Spin for a spin on it!

After we all found the Yeti...we seperated...the girls headed to find a spot to watch the Parade and the boys headed off to go ride Kali River Rapids!
The boys got back just in time............................
Here comes the Parade..........

We enjoy this parade! Love the colors and "animals"!

We made our way out of the park after the parade was over so we could get back to the room and get ready to head out to Downtown Disney for about an hour and a half before our very first ADR of the trip! In the meantime I had been texting back and forth w/Erika (jeremysdisneymom) to set a place and time to meet up.

Off to DTD we went....one main goal for DS was............to make his own RC car at Ridemakerz! Again we seperated...(DTD was packed!) they boys headed to Ridemakerz and the girls headed toward World of Disney! After some $ was spent on the kids, it was time to get to our ADR at...........

Wilderness Lodge was so warm and cozy! I their huge fireplace and little bridge! We only waited a few minutes before the buzzer went off for us to go get our table! I had texted Erika to tell her that we were in the lobby (her family was staying at WL)...we were going to meet up after dinner but they had decided to go to MK that night.

After reading all of the negative reviews of WCC, I was kind of leary of eating here BUT I am glad we did! We enjoyed it a lot! Here's what we had for dinner:
DH had the western chips (app), ribeye and kahlua cake .
I had the seafood cakes (app - YUM! even the kids enjoyed these!), chicken pasta and whatelse but the Smore's Cheesecake! OMG that cheesecake was great a few nights later!
DD got the kid's chicken strips and DS got the kid's burger..both had a cookie. We had to all take the dessert "to go" as we were stuffed!
It was a fun dinner! Another waiter picked on DS a bit but DS just laughed! They thought the "ketchup" deal was so funny too! We would definatley go back!

After dinner we walked around the Lobby and shopped a little in the gift shop.

After everyone was a little "Goofy" we headed back to Pop for sleep!



Up Next: Day 2 ~ MK here we come! Who did we meet up with...finally!?!

 

[Goofy442]

I thought that silver camper was just a decoration. How many tables does it have inside? I always try restaurants that people say not to try. I have always had good experiences at all there restaurants.

 

[adisneymama]

We've always enjoyed the food at WCC too. Glad you liked it. Kids looked like they had a good time! Woohoo MK day!

 

[BethEJo]

Wow - I think this is the earliest I've ever dropped in on a TR I'm in

You have a lovely family - so sweet

Great pics too!

It's nice to see that you have good things to say about WCC - I have never been, but when we eventually get to WDW again, I'd love to take my parents there. I've been a bit disheartened by all the bad reviews that are around, so what you have to say is a welcome change
When we head to FL again in a couple of years, it's going to be a must-do for me!

Looking forward to your day at MK!!

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

while at WCC id anyone ask for ketchup? Loving the TR. I'm reading for TR's from the same time and 2 people have been in the rain and so far you and Debbie haven't Got to love WDW!!

 

[heaven2dc]

We have yet to see the parade at AK - it looks awesome! A co-worker & his family stayed at VWL and enjoyed it (they didn't like where the villas were located in comparison to the rest of the rooms but still loved it). They also said the parade at AK was their favorite - lots of character interaction.

 

[martinolichfamily]

I thought that silver camper was just a decoration. How many tables does it have inside? I always try restaurants that people say not to try. I have always had good experiences at all there restaurants.

Nope! It has two tables in it...larger wrap around type tables...one on each side of camper w/a fake jukebox and cabinets in the middle....oh! And the ac blows really cool air in that part...it was great!! Yes..there were some restaurants that I had booked that had many bad reviews but I bit the bullet and kept the ADR...glad I did! Was not disappointed at any of them!

We've always enjoyed the food at WCC too. Glad you liked it. Kids looked like they had a good time! Woohoo MK day!

MK is the best!! The kids did have a good time!

Wow - I think this is the earliest I've ever dropped in on a TR I'm in

You have a lovely family - so sweet

Great pics too!

It's nice to see that you have good things to say about WCC - I have never been, but when we eventually get to WDW again, I'd love to take my parents there. I've been a bit disheartened by all the bad reviews that are around, so what you have to say is a welcome change
When we head to FL again in a couple of years, it's going to be a must-do for me!

Looking forward to your day at MK!!

Glad you're here! Yes....I almost canceled WCC b/c I had read all the bad reviews but so glad I didnt!

while at WCC id anyone ask for ketchup? Loving the TR. I'm reading for TR's from the same time and 2 people have been in the rain and so far you and Debbie haven't Got to love WDW!!

Yes....the ketchup 'hollerin' was so funny! The kids got a kick out of it......DS needed ketchup for his burger....DD & DS both tried hollerin for ketchup but poor things...no one paid attention so DS asked the waitress and she hollered too but nothing.....they were a little disappointed!
It was overcast that day...I think it was raining that morning when we woke up. Nothing like last year though...so all was good!

We have yet to see the parade at AK - it looks awesome! A co-worker & his family stayed at VWL and enjoyed it (they didn't like where the villas were located in comparison to the rest of the rooms but still loved it). They also said the parade at AK was their favorite - lots of character interaction.

Be sure to watch the parade next time! It's great! The interaction is great! DD lucked out this year and last....last year she got to 'dance' w/Baloo!


I will try to get started on Day 2 today at some point!

 

[adisneymama]

LOL just waiting!

 

[martinolichfamily]

LOL just waiting!

Sorry I am soooo slow!
You can start your day....I still need to sit down and try to remember everything!
What's the deal w/the rain here at home??? I need to go run some errands!!

 

[adisneymama]

I'm in no hurry. Just can't wait to read what you guys did before the big meet!
This rain is both nice and annoying. Nice in that it is cooling things off but annoying in that I have to drive in it!

 

[trinaweena]

Nope...you were RIGHT!! How did you like AKL? We went there for breakfast at Boma...loved the look of the resort!

I liked it for sure, really loved having the animals right outside, and i wish i had more time to explore the resort, but i def had a few complaints about it and my heart will always be at Wilderness Lodge. For me, WL cannot be beat (although i long to stay at the GF..some day!)

My main complaint about AKL was the amount of walking to get from the elevator to the rooms! It was unbelievable! And after a long day at the parks, I did not want to walk another ten minutes just to get to my bed! But i have to say the staff there was excellent and we also had one of the best meals of the trip at Sanaa, absolutly FANTASTIC!

We never catch the parade at AK. It's my least favorite park and I usually just want to get the heck out of there by the time the parade starts! (This could have something to do with the fact that every time i've been to AK i've been sick!)

 

[martinolichfamily]

We or let's say I woke up first from the help of Stitch on the phone! I rolled out of bed and got in the shower...once I was done, I tried to wake everyone else up so they could get up and going! The kids had their baths at night which makes it so much easier on me in the morning!
Once everyone was ready, we opened up the door to head out...I think that it might have been raining already that morning..nothing bad...it was overcast as well this day.
Today was our day for .......................

My camera was a little 'foggy'!
MAGIC KINGDOM!!!
This was also the long awaited day to meet up w/Debbie & her family(adisneymama)! Her DD and my DS had a date planned for weeks to ride Splash Mountain together!
But first...we needed to have breakfast... can you guess???
Crystal Palace it was......another first for us! We didn't have an ADR but we lucked out again and only had to wait about 5 mins to get a table! We enjoyed this breakfast very much...good food...great character interaction!

Some food shots...

Upon leaving....so pretty....

We headed out of CP in search of some Adventures! First up was a ride on some magic carpets! DD wanted to sit up front so she could 'drive'. The nice, polite camel even spit on us!

Some views from up above....so neat!

Once our ride ended, it was time for a cruise through the Jungle!

Next we made our way to one of my favorite rides..... Pirates of the Caribbean! Thinking DD would ride...we parked the stroller...OH...BUT WAIT..DD started crying that she didnt want to go on POC....so....DS and I decided to go and DH stayed back w/DD.
SO...in the meantime, Debbie & I had been trying to contact each other on whereabouts to meet! Her family was having a wonderful birthday breakfast at Chef Mickey's! Debbie!! We decided to meet up near Splash Mountain... but WHERE near SP??

Frontierland here we come ..............headed to SM so DH could get us all some fastpasses. We hung out at the gift shop there and watched for Debbie. There was a little bit of a 'hearing' problem on my end!
I could barely hear Debbie on the phone...all I got was they needed to pick up something and Splash Mountain and then we played phone tag after that! oops..... *Please note: Reception near SM is NOT very good!*
FINALLY..... There was Debbie w/her DD!! Once the whole crew was there....we headed for a ride on SM..hoping not to get soaked! Debbie & her DS had to sit this one out. My DD actually did pretty good on this ride but once was enough for her! We met back up w/Debbie & DS at the playground area there...

awww....they do love each other!

lol...even DH had to look inside... DD - DH - Debbie's DS

Once the kiddos were done playing for a bit...we headed toward Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! I rode with DS and Debbie's DD! We had a blast! Great ride! The kids were laughing the whole ride! It was cute!

We're the very last car..you can see DS ~ Debbie's DD ~ Me!

Then it was time for the little kids and Debbie to ride some rides! Fantasyland...are you ready for us???
It's a Small World was our first ride...so nice to all ride together! We really enjoyed it...even if the DH's were 'yacking' the whole time about cars....forget what else?!!?



Up Next: Peter Pan or NO Peter Pan?COLOR]

 

[trinaweena]

I love Crystal Palace, and i've heard good things about the breakfast there. I'd like to hit it up on out next trip since it will be a first solo trip for DBF and I (no more family trips!) and we are both huge fans of pooh (well him by association I think, but we did plan half a day at MK this trip just to go back and ride pooh!)

We missed Jungle Cruise this time around, and by missed i mean no one else wanted to ride it but me which means we don't ride it by default! Oh well, I'm sure the 'animals' will be waiting for me when i come back!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I love your pictures from the magic carpets! What a great view!
I have never seen the playground by Splash Mtn! Will find that next trip!

 

[martinolichfamily]

I love Crystal Palace, and i've heard good things about the breakfast there. I'd like to hit it up on out next trip since it will be a first solo trip for DBF and I (no more family trips!) and we are both huge fans of pooh (well him by association I think, but we did plan half a day at MK this trip just to go back and ride pooh!)

We missed Jungle Cruise this time around, and by missed i mean no one else wanted to ride it but me which means we don't ride it by default! Oh well, I'm sure the 'animals' will be waiting for me when i come back!

I would definately make time for Breakfast at CP..it was good!

I love your pictures from the magic carpets! What a great view!
I have never seen the playground by Splash Mtn! Will find that next trip!

Thanks...its neat to see things from up in the air.
The playground is the the right as you walk towards the bathrooms back there!

 

[BethEJo]

We or let's say I woke up first from the help of Stitch on the phone! I rolled out of bed and got in the shower...once I was done, I tried to wake everyone else up so they could get up and going! The kids had their baths at night which makes it so much easier on me in the morning!

I'm 21, and most days, I still make sure that I get showered the night before rather than getting up earlier the next day. Anything for that extra 30 mins in bed

Some great pics of your DS and DD with the characters at CP - looks like they were loving it!!