michygoomy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2003
- Messages
- 822
I'm starting to get that sense of dread that my trip report is ending like I did when I realized my vacation was ending! How sick is that!
And responses are met with a completely disproportional sense of delight from me. Even fake-movie-review-type blurbs like "A heart-pounding ride of a lifetime" or "Two thumbs down for Gallivanting in the World" are welcomed.
Previous days:
Day 1: It's Not Vacation Without the Weather Channel
Day 2: A Tropical Wave is a Future Tropical Storm
Day 3: How Can We Be On Earth if We Were Just on Mars?
Day 4: You Have 13 Boyfriends?
Day 5: Oooh, They Have Pac-Man!
Our cast:
Me--excellent trip planner, bad traveler, 5th trip to the world
R--DH, ? trips to the world
JL--DS10, fourth trip, just like Momma, not a thrill-seeker
Saba--DD7, third trip, thrill seeker who is finally tall enough
Day 6: August 18, 2003: Please Get Under That Stone Shelter, Ma'am
Boy, time is flying. Its already day 6 and we have yet to visit AK. We had it planned for our arrival day, but the room mix-ups messed up that plan. The night before JL and I had been looking at the itinerary for these two days and tried to figure out a way to fit the three parades we have not yet seen into two days. Its not looking probable, but it might be possible. We must see the AK parade today for this new plan to work, so no leaving the park early.
We meet the throng at the entrance to AK and wait for the gates to open. There is a massive parade back to the Safari ride, and were right along with them. The CMs are trying to direct people elsewhere in the park, but its not working. This will happen all day, CMs directing people, you dont see that anywhere else in the World.
We get to the Safari and there is still isnt much of a wait, even with the throngs. Its a nice, but bumpy, ride, and we get lots of pictures. We dont get to see any giraffe up close, though, and that is Sabas favorite animal. The baby elephant is a cutie.
We run over to Asia and Kali already has a good wait for it. We get FP for later, and head to Dinoland. R and Saba do Ticeratops Spin while JL and I wander a bit through the carnival-game area. Two bucks for one game, no way! When R and Saba finish the ride (which Saba decides is her second favorite after R&RRC), they decide to do Dinosaur so JL and I head off the Camp Minnie/Mickey for some autographs. There are no lines and we literally walk right up to Goofy, Minnie and Mickey. JL already has all their autographs, so we pose for some pictures. There are no other characters (Lilo and Stitch were near the entrance, but there was already a line and JL wasnt interested), so we walk into the Festival of the Lion King show that has already started. Great show, we decide to come back later with R and Saba.
Its time for our Kali ride and we get VERY WET. I feel sorry for the people waiting an hour in the standby line. Its not a very exciting ride for an hour wait. Our rapids ride at the nearby Six Flags is much better. But I do get very wet and Im very hot so its welcomed!
I suggest that we go get an early lunch before the rest of the crowd so we head over to the Rainforest and there is only a 10-minute wait (in reality, 5) with no PS! They open up the Gorilla Room just for us. We get a nice table by the waterfall, order, and take some time walking around looking at the sights and taking lots of pictures. We really like this place, though it is loud and FREEZING now that were wet from Kali! I have a crab cake sandwich, which is yummy, the kids get kids meals whatever R gets, it must not be very memorable because its not coming to me right now. For dessert, R orders two Volcanos, and our server suggests just one. She is right; it is huge and quite yummy. The whipped cream on it is really good, unlike any Ive had in a while. I wouldnt want to try to count WW points for that dessert!
We get some pics out front and head out to Its Tough to Be a Bug. Halfway there, JL realizes he lost his hat. Its one we got in Niagara Falls. Im not too worried about it, its a couple of years old, but R runs back to the Rainforest to find it. No hat in hand, he catches up with us in line for Bug (Im just not going to use the acronym for that, its just too weird) and we see the show. I wish I could see it once without all the SCREAMING, this has to be the loudest attraction in WDW.
We head down to Festival of the Lion King, which is wonderful, again. This time were in the Lion section--the coolest section.
We really want to see Flights of Wonder, which weve never seen, and while R goes off to find some decent coffee, we head in. The show is wonderful, Im happy that its all natural traits that are demonstrated. The show is quite funny. When she told a little kid to jump in the air and catch the grape in his mouth, he was ready to do it! The birds are beautiful and they sweep right over the audiences heads. Were up in the stands so no ducking is necessary for us. We spend some time after the show going up to look at the birds close up.
JL wants to see the parade and Saba wants another go-round on Primeaval Whirl so we split up again. I really recommend walkie-talkies, especially for families with such different interests as ours. Were always able to split up and meet back up again with little effort. JL and I park ourselves on a fine bench in the shade and Im marveling out our parade viewing luck for a while until I realize were in the handicapped section. DOH! Weve sat here for a while, so there probably arent many other spots. We walk around looking for a shady spot and stop in a shop for a while to get some cool AC. Its getting pretty crowded outside the store, so we decide to head up for the trail between Africa and Asia. We park ourselves on the ground within taped lines and ropes, only to have a CM come along and tell us we cant sit there. Then why are there ropes and tape? Grr.
We find another spot across the street between a family of Latin origin and an Indian family. This is another thing I love about Disney, the variety of people. I should really talk to some of the visitors to the US; R still teases me about trying to talk in Spanish to some young boys on our honeymoon. My Spanish is terrible.
Its a long wait for the parade, but it finally comes and its quite fun. JL likes picking out the weird stuff the characters have on their floats (like the leaky bathtub) and I get a ton of pictures. OK, two parades down!
We meet R and Saba in the Boneyard and let the kids play there for a while. R has found a really nice spot to sit in front of a giant fan, so I get to cool off a bit. Hmmm, are those ominous clouds on the horizon? Looks like there may be more cooling off in my future!
Its getting close to closing time, and it looks like this will be our last AK experience, so we discuss whats left that we want to do. I had wanted to do at least one of the trails, so we head off to the Maharaja Jungle Trek. Its looking more and more like rain, but after this week that doesnt even faze us anymore. We have our trusty ponchos.
While on the trail, Im looking through the viewfinder of my camera, trying to take a picture of a tiger, when a HUGE bolt of lightening strikes somewhere ahead. If my reflexes were better, I might have had a stellar picture! The other guests bolt for the exit, but we just don our ponchos and take our time. Rain? Shmain! Weve seen it before. Ive determined none of us will melt like the Wicked Witch and I know none of us are made of sugar and spice and everything nice.
Were now alone on the trail until we come across a CM who tells us to get under the stone building just up ahead. I ask why. I mean, really, weve seen thunder and lightening every day weve been here except for one. He says the storm is right over us and to get to shelter. We ignore him and walk out of the trail. This is really odd for me, because Im usually t-storm phobic, but something about Disney makes me feel safer than I do at home. This is potentially a dangerous attitude.
In the main part of the park, everyone is heading for the exit, but no other CMs are telling people to get under shelter. We follow the throng to the bus stop and get a good place in line. There is lightening EVERYWHERE. Close by, loud booms, tons of bolts shooting to the ground, lightening like Ive never seen before. Its awesome in the traditional sense of the word, not the Valley-girl sense. I decide that all the buses should just be labeled NOT ALL-STAR SPORTS because that is what they look like to me. We see more of those SPECIAL buses, and wonder what makes them so special. We all sing, Im special, so special on cue, just a little family joke.
The bus finally comes, what a relief. In our wet-shoed trudge back to our room Saba discovers the hair wrap, so her and I stop for her to get it done while R and JL head up to the room. I find out they only accept cash, so I have to hunt down a house phone (gee, they are easily accessible in the LOBBY, not by the ROOMS), to call R and have him bring me some cash. While were waiting, I hear a CM over the radio say they are going to shut down the bus system. Imagine that. What about all those people waiting for the buses in those flimsy shelters? Im glad we got back when we did.
Back in the room we watch the radar and see three massive storms meet and merge over Orlando. Yes, it is quite a storm! I didnt find out until later that there were tornado warnings. I think that would have quickly burst my Disney-safety bubble if I had heard that.
After some room-time, where the kids get antsy again, we decide to head out to Pleasure Island, storm or no storm. We don our ponchos, fanny packs and water shoes (our sneakers had puddles in them) and I think we look like a bunch of geeks. Oh well, its vacation, were not alone in our geekiness. The bus ride over still shows the incredible lightening display, though now its mainly cloud-to-cloud instead of cloud-to-ground. We get to the PI gate, and the CM asks me if I will be drinking. I say yeah, well, I might, and she asks for ID. I dont have it, so I figure not big deal, they are just being extra-strict. Well, then she gives R a wrist band with no question of ID! Wait a minute, here. I pull down my poncho hood to prove Im of age. I tell her Im 35, darnnit, and I have gray hairs and Im there with a 10-year-old that I gave birth to! No dice. She aint budging.
Fine. Whatever. We head onto the Island and a CM directs us into 8-Trax. Saba heads right to the dance floor and gets to it. She loves, loves to dance, which was my main reason for coming to PI. To those people who questioned taking kids to PI, you just have to see my darling daughter dance for a few minutes to understand why I wanted to do this. She is so intent, she just owns the dance floor. When she was 2 years old I took her to a family wedding and for fun took her out on the dance floor. She wouldnt leave all night. If I came to take her by the hand, she threw one of those 2-year-old tantrums until I let her be.
The place is dead and the few other patrons who come into the club just smile when they see Saba. We get her off the dance floor (no tantrums at this age) and head out to the Comedy Club. I do admin R bought me a glass of white wine while in 8-Trax and I wonder if hes going to get arrested for buying alcohol for a minor!
Its a short wait for the Comedy Club and Im happy to see many other children present. The show is funny and the kids enjoy it, too, especially JL who gets more of the jokes than Saba. The last priority for PI is the Adventurers Club, and we head over there just in time for a show in the library. Its hilarious. There are a few off-color jokes that go right over the kids heads. Theyve heard worse. JL likes this one too, and Im glad theres something here that he enjoys.
Its late and were tired, but weve enjoyed PI so much that we make a plan to come back on our last night and do some more dancing. I cant believe tomorrow is our last real day.
Stay tuned for Day 7: Vacation is an Attitude, Not a Place and Day 8: I Have to Praise You Like a Shoe
And responses are met with a completely disproportional sense of delight from me. Even fake-movie-review-type blurbs like "A heart-pounding ride of a lifetime" or "Two thumbs down for Gallivanting in the World" are welcomed.
Previous days:
Day 1: It's Not Vacation Without the Weather Channel
Day 2: A Tropical Wave is a Future Tropical Storm
Day 3: How Can We Be On Earth if We Were Just on Mars?
Day 4: You Have 13 Boyfriends?
Day 5: Oooh, They Have Pac-Man!
Our cast:
Me--excellent trip planner, bad traveler, 5th trip to the world
R--DH, ? trips to the world
JL--DS10, fourth trip, just like Momma, not a thrill-seeker
Saba--DD7, third trip, thrill seeker who is finally tall enough
Day 6: August 18, 2003: Please Get Under That Stone Shelter, Ma'am
Boy, time is flying. Its already day 6 and we have yet to visit AK. We had it planned for our arrival day, but the room mix-ups messed up that plan. The night before JL and I had been looking at the itinerary for these two days and tried to figure out a way to fit the three parades we have not yet seen into two days. Its not looking probable, but it might be possible. We must see the AK parade today for this new plan to work, so no leaving the park early.
We meet the throng at the entrance to AK and wait for the gates to open. There is a massive parade back to the Safari ride, and were right along with them. The CMs are trying to direct people elsewhere in the park, but its not working. This will happen all day, CMs directing people, you dont see that anywhere else in the World.
We get to the Safari and there is still isnt much of a wait, even with the throngs. Its a nice, but bumpy, ride, and we get lots of pictures. We dont get to see any giraffe up close, though, and that is Sabas favorite animal. The baby elephant is a cutie.
We run over to Asia and Kali already has a good wait for it. We get FP for later, and head to Dinoland. R and Saba do Ticeratops Spin while JL and I wander a bit through the carnival-game area. Two bucks for one game, no way! When R and Saba finish the ride (which Saba decides is her second favorite after R&RRC), they decide to do Dinosaur so JL and I head off the Camp Minnie/Mickey for some autographs. There are no lines and we literally walk right up to Goofy, Minnie and Mickey. JL already has all their autographs, so we pose for some pictures. There are no other characters (Lilo and Stitch were near the entrance, but there was already a line and JL wasnt interested), so we walk into the Festival of the Lion King show that has already started. Great show, we decide to come back later with R and Saba.
Its time for our Kali ride and we get VERY WET. I feel sorry for the people waiting an hour in the standby line. Its not a very exciting ride for an hour wait. Our rapids ride at the nearby Six Flags is much better. But I do get very wet and Im very hot so its welcomed!
I suggest that we go get an early lunch before the rest of the crowd so we head over to the Rainforest and there is only a 10-minute wait (in reality, 5) with no PS! They open up the Gorilla Room just for us. We get a nice table by the waterfall, order, and take some time walking around looking at the sights and taking lots of pictures. We really like this place, though it is loud and FREEZING now that were wet from Kali! I have a crab cake sandwich, which is yummy, the kids get kids meals whatever R gets, it must not be very memorable because its not coming to me right now. For dessert, R orders two Volcanos, and our server suggests just one. She is right; it is huge and quite yummy. The whipped cream on it is really good, unlike any Ive had in a while. I wouldnt want to try to count WW points for that dessert!
We get some pics out front and head out to Its Tough to Be a Bug. Halfway there, JL realizes he lost his hat. Its one we got in Niagara Falls. Im not too worried about it, its a couple of years old, but R runs back to the Rainforest to find it. No hat in hand, he catches up with us in line for Bug (Im just not going to use the acronym for that, its just too weird) and we see the show. I wish I could see it once without all the SCREAMING, this has to be the loudest attraction in WDW.
We head down to Festival of the Lion King, which is wonderful, again. This time were in the Lion section--the coolest section.
We really want to see Flights of Wonder, which weve never seen, and while R goes off to find some decent coffee, we head in. The show is wonderful, Im happy that its all natural traits that are demonstrated. The show is quite funny. When she told a little kid to jump in the air and catch the grape in his mouth, he was ready to do it! The birds are beautiful and they sweep right over the audiences heads. Were up in the stands so no ducking is necessary for us. We spend some time after the show going up to look at the birds close up.
JL wants to see the parade and Saba wants another go-round on Primeaval Whirl so we split up again. I really recommend walkie-talkies, especially for families with such different interests as ours. Were always able to split up and meet back up again with little effort. JL and I park ourselves on a fine bench in the shade and Im marveling out our parade viewing luck for a while until I realize were in the handicapped section. DOH! Weve sat here for a while, so there probably arent many other spots. We walk around looking for a shady spot and stop in a shop for a while to get some cool AC. Its getting pretty crowded outside the store, so we decide to head up for the trail between Africa and Asia. We park ourselves on the ground within taped lines and ropes, only to have a CM come along and tell us we cant sit there. Then why are there ropes and tape? Grr.
We find another spot across the street between a family of Latin origin and an Indian family. This is another thing I love about Disney, the variety of people. I should really talk to some of the visitors to the US; R still teases me about trying to talk in Spanish to some young boys on our honeymoon. My Spanish is terrible.
Its a long wait for the parade, but it finally comes and its quite fun. JL likes picking out the weird stuff the characters have on their floats (like the leaky bathtub) and I get a ton of pictures. OK, two parades down!
We meet R and Saba in the Boneyard and let the kids play there for a while. R has found a really nice spot to sit in front of a giant fan, so I get to cool off a bit. Hmmm, are those ominous clouds on the horizon? Looks like there may be more cooling off in my future!
Its getting close to closing time, and it looks like this will be our last AK experience, so we discuss whats left that we want to do. I had wanted to do at least one of the trails, so we head off to the Maharaja Jungle Trek. Its looking more and more like rain, but after this week that doesnt even faze us anymore. We have our trusty ponchos.
While on the trail, Im looking through the viewfinder of my camera, trying to take a picture of a tiger, when a HUGE bolt of lightening strikes somewhere ahead. If my reflexes were better, I might have had a stellar picture! The other guests bolt for the exit, but we just don our ponchos and take our time. Rain? Shmain! Weve seen it before. Ive determined none of us will melt like the Wicked Witch and I know none of us are made of sugar and spice and everything nice.
Were now alone on the trail until we come across a CM who tells us to get under the stone building just up ahead. I ask why. I mean, really, weve seen thunder and lightening every day weve been here except for one. He says the storm is right over us and to get to shelter. We ignore him and walk out of the trail. This is really odd for me, because Im usually t-storm phobic, but something about Disney makes me feel safer than I do at home. This is potentially a dangerous attitude.
In the main part of the park, everyone is heading for the exit, but no other CMs are telling people to get under shelter. We follow the throng to the bus stop and get a good place in line. There is lightening EVERYWHERE. Close by, loud booms, tons of bolts shooting to the ground, lightening like Ive never seen before. Its awesome in the traditional sense of the word, not the Valley-girl sense. I decide that all the buses should just be labeled NOT ALL-STAR SPORTS because that is what they look like to me. We see more of those SPECIAL buses, and wonder what makes them so special. We all sing, Im special, so special on cue, just a little family joke.
The bus finally comes, what a relief. In our wet-shoed trudge back to our room Saba discovers the hair wrap, so her and I stop for her to get it done while R and JL head up to the room. I find out they only accept cash, so I have to hunt down a house phone (gee, they are easily accessible in the LOBBY, not by the ROOMS), to call R and have him bring me some cash. While were waiting, I hear a CM over the radio say they are going to shut down the bus system. Imagine that. What about all those people waiting for the buses in those flimsy shelters? Im glad we got back when we did.
Back in the room we watch the radar and see three massive storms meet and merge over Orlando. Yes, it is quite a storm! I didnt find out until later that there were tornado warnings. I think that would have quickly burst my Disney-safety bubble if I had heard that.
After some room-time, where the kids get antsy again, we decide to head out to Pleasure Island, storm or no storm. We don our ponchos, fanny packs and water shoes (our sneakers had puddles in them) and I think we look like a bunch of geeks. Oh well, its vacation, were not alone in our geekiness. The bus ride over still shows the incredible lightening display, though now its mainly cloud-to-cloud instead of cloud-to-ground. We get to the PI gate, and the CM asks me if I will be drinking. I say yeah, well, I might, and she asks for ID. I dont have it, so I figure not big deal, they are just being extra-strict. Well, then she gives R a wrist band with no question of ID! Wait a minute, here. I pull down my poncho hood to prove Im of age. I tell her Im 35, darnnit, and I have gray hairs and Im there with a 10-year-old that I gave birth to! No dice. She aint budging.
Fine. Whatever. We head onto the Island and a CM directs us into 8-Trax. Saba heads right to the dance floor and gets to it. She loves, loves to dance, which was my main reason for coming to PI. To those people who questioned taking kids to PI, you just have to see my darling daughter dance for a few minutes to understand why I wanted to do this. She is so intent, she just owns the dance floor. When she was 2 years old I took her to a family wedding and for fun took her out on the dance floor. She wouldnt leave all night. If I came to take her by the hand, she threw one of those 2-year-old tantrums until I let her be.
The place is dead and the few other patrons who come into the club just smile when they see Saba. We get her off the dance floor (no tantrums at this age) and head out to the Comedy Club. I do admin R bought me a glass of white wine while in 8-Trax and I wonder if hes going to get arrested for buying alcohol for a minor!
Its a short wait for the Comedy Club and Im happy to see many other children present. The show is funny and the kids enjoy it, too, especially JL who gets more of the jokes than Saba. The last priority for PI is the Adventurers Club, and we head over there just in time for a show in the library. Its hilarious. There are a few off-color jokes that go right over the kids heads. Theyve heard worse. JL likes this one too, and Im glad theres something here that he enjoys.
Its late and were tired, but weve enjoyed PI so much that we make a plan to come back on our last night and do some more dancing. I cant believe tomorrow is our last real day.
Stay tuned for Day 7: Vacation is an Attitude, Not a Place and Day 8: I Have to Praise You Like a Shoe
