"I Don't Wanna Meet Mickey In a Frumpin' Poncho!" An August 2011 TR! COMPLETE 11/30

[Disneyfreak616]

What are you doing for your musical? Just yesterday, I auditioned for my school district's musical Hello, Dolly!. I really wish to get the part of Ambrose Kemper, the artist, but I could settle for Horace, Cornelius or Barnaby.

Anyways, can't wait for the next update!

We're doing "Oklahoma!" I love that show, so I'm really excited. Hope you get the part you want!​

I'm glad you had a wonderful time! Whatever you plan on writing, I'll read it! I hear you on the no time thing! I have been sooooo incredibly busy with school just starting up!

That picture of the lion is so cool! They are such majestic creatures.

I've always wanted to try Pizzafari or Flame Tree, but I don't spend enough time in AK to get hungry! I need to go on longer trips!!

Thanks! Yay I'm so glad. I have like ZERO time for the DIS anymore. It's so sad!

Thanks!

They're both so good! I hear ya. I so look forward to my long trips in August.​

I love all of the safari critters - especially the crocs! Or are they alligators? Having never actually been on the safari, I don't suppose they put the crocs in the same body of water as the flamingos? (ok, not so funny...)

I didn't know that Pizzafari served breakfast - I learned something new.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this review and then your July TR... and then your August DR.... did you ever say what the surprise ADR was for Sarah?

Me too! I think they're crocs...not sure though actually! Hahaha no they don't...that could potentially end veryyy badly.

Yeah! Nothing special, but it gets the job done.

Thanks! I'm hoping to finish this one and start the July TR before my trip in December...we'll see if I have enough free time between now and then! The surprise ADR was Chef Mickey's...I never said it on here because I was afraid Sarah would read it.​

Oh girl, I get it! Senior year is insane! For me at least, the first semester was the worst, so hopefully things will slow down for you! Good luck with everything!

AHH ANIMAL KINGDOM. I love it. Dang, I REALLY need to go for my birthday! Free stuff all over the place!

Your safari pics are great, I love the sleeping lion!

It really is! I hope things slow down! My life is EXPLODING!!

There really is! It's awesome!

Thanks! I loved him too. <3​

I'm glad you're back and updating!!

I LOVE the safari in the morning. We always see a ton of animals then. Your pictures are fantastic of them!

Hahaha kind of...life is really getting in the way.

The Safari is the best in the morning. Tons of animals and it's not hot yet! ​

Just finished your "suck it up buttercup" TR and was so pleased to see you had another in progress. You are such an enthusiastic writer!
I have started reading this TR, and am looking forward to many more vicarious Disney days.

Now to go back to page 1...

Thank you so much! And thanks for reading!​

I feel ya girl. Fall of my senior year was crazy busy. It felt like I didn't sleep at all. But once you get college stuff figured out, it'll get better. I mean, spring of my senior year was the exact opposite. Aside from AP classes, school turned into a big joke and I slept all the time.

Your safari pics are fab. The sleepy lion is adorable. I want one!

I didn't know Pizzafari served breakfast. That's good to know for future trips.

AHH THE TREE OF LIFE!! I don't know why but I've been obsessed with pictures of that thing lately. It's just so pretty!

I don't think I am either...I've been sick for like a week straight. It's all very annoying. I really hope sleep comes soon!

Thanks! I want one too! He was so precious.

Yeah! It's a nice convenience.

It really is! So photogenic. Park icons... <3​

Nowadays, don't you think the song could go "We're living with the land we all love" instead of "Let's listen to the land"?

I don't know...I'm pretty fond of the classic lyrics myself.​

Great update Kristin.Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to feed our collective Disney habit. Yay for the deer in the mural. Just curious, what kind of camera do you use? Looking forward to the new trip reports. -Amanda

Thanks! I love that deer hehe. I use a Sony CyberShot. It's just a point and shoot, but it's quite effective.​

Beautiful pictures of Animal Kingdom. It's such a gorgeous park, and I never feel like I spend enough time there.

Pizzafari! I haven't been there in years, but I used to really like the breadsticks they serve (they might still be on the menu). Those murals are so cool - Disney came up with some really interesting details when they designed AK's original quick service locations, such as Restaurantosaurus and Tusker House.

Thank you! I feel that way too. I only spent half a day there this past August, even though I was in WDW for two weeks!

They are! And I agree, they are good! AK is just very well detailed, IMO.​

Somehow this disappeared from my subscriptions list I was reading along...then went to Disney....then met you at the Dessert Party in July....and just realized it wasn't on my list anymore when I got to that day in my TR. But now I have re-read through all 39 pages and am all caught up again. It was great meeting you...I felt like I had met a celebrity that night!

Aw how sad! Well I'm glad you found it again! Hooray! It was great to meet you too! You're so sweet! ​

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Chapter 32- "There's A Lot of Monkey Business Goin' On Around Here..."​

August 22nd, 2011​

Hey everyone! I am, once again, SO very sorry for my absence. My life has been quite hectic. Musical rehearsals are getting more and more intense, college apps and resumes and all that junk is happening, and I had to wake up at 6 AM this morning for the SAT. It's been rough, and I haven't really been sleeping, but I found some free time tonight (aka some time I should be using for the three papers I have to write) to update! So here we GO!

Mom, Sarah and I walked over to the Disney Outfitters store to meet up with Jess and Nat. Hey guys!

They're such frumps.

They brought with them a lovely treat from Starring Rolls...

The red velvet cheesecake cupcake! NOM. I had one for the first time in July, but I couldn't wait to have another. Just look at its perfect beauty:

We couldn't wait to chow down!

Jess loved it as much as I do, and Nat loved it as well, even though she is usually more of a cookie person. It was perfectly sweet and the textures were just wonderful.

After our cupcake chow sesh, we headed over to Everest, but grabbed some Kali FP's first! We grabbed one for Scott for when he came using Mom's ticket.

If my memory serves me correctly, Sarah and I used our FP's for Everest and Jess and Nat hopped in the (basically walk-on) stand-by line. We ended up being pretty close by. However, Sarah and I had a major score moment and got the very front row! Just like STACEY! WOOOO!

Look at that- clear shot, no heads blocking. Awww yeah.

"There doesn't seem to be any track..."

YETI! AHHH!

Being in the front was AWESOME! We loved it! Such a Disney bucket list experience.

After our ride, we waited a few minutes for Jess and Nat, met up with Mom, and then met up with Scott near Kilimanjaro Safaris. Since Mom, Sarah and I had ridden earlier that morning, we gave our free Fastpasses to Nat, Jess and Scott so they could ride. In the meantime, we browsed some of the shops in Africa. Sarah found some friends:

Then she decided that before lunch was a very good time to have a Mickey bar. Can't say that I blame her...that looks sooo good right now!

Pretty soon, Sarah's face was covered in magical Disney chocolate and the three Safari-goers were back from their journey. We all decided that it was lunchtime! Disney pizza here we come!

Sarah and I had pepperoni pizzas:

And the rest of them had cheese and veggie pizzas. I can't remember who had what.

We all got the most delicious caesar salads EVER with our pizzas. Yummmooo.

And some delicious chocolate mousse!

That's a well-balanced meal if I ever saw one!

After lunch, we headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey!

Jess and I found this stuffed Pumbaa, which we took a picture with for our Disney-loving teacher, Mr. Sam!

Then I turned around, and Sarah had found this stuffed monkey, put it around her neck and said, "There's a lot of monkey business goin' on around here." Do little sisters get any more perfect!? That was a really proud moment for me. She just gets it. I can see is in Disney together in like 20 years having the time of our lives together. She is so cute and I am seriously so blessed.

That concludes the sappy portion of the evening.

Moving on...

We decided to check out the character greeting trails! Donald barely had a line, so we hopped in to see him and enjoyed the wonderful Animal Kingdom mister fans.

Those things are AWESOME.

Meeting Donald:

I like to pose like the characters...

I'm a Frump, it's fine.

All the other character lines were really long and it was REALLY hot, so we decided to look around Island Mercantile (aka one of the best Disney gift shops EVER) for a while. Jess and I saw this Animal Kingdom crew neck, which I ended up buying later in the trip. It was just too perfect to pass up!

Always look up! The ceilings are so pretty in there!

Pretty soon, it was time to be lining up for Festival of the Lion King. This is always a must-do for us. My mom is certifiably obsessed with it. It's like the most beautiful show ever. We ended up sitting in the giraffe section, but that's okay. It was still amazing!!

I have a not-so-secret crush on this guy:

She was amazing!

Simba!

The show was incredible and chock-full of talent, as always, and Nat absolutely LOVED it. She was dying. No one was mad.

After FOTLK a series of events occurred which I seem to have no pictorial recollection of, but I know they happened because they're in my trip journal. First, we used our Kali FP's and got SOAKED, which was great because it was SO freaking hot outside. Then, we walked on Dinosaur and cooled down again. I love that ride and all of its frumpy wonderfulness. Then Scott and Sarah rode Everest and we all met up to see the Nemo musical, which unfortunately filled up with the group RIGHT in front of us. Ah well, I guess it wasn't meant to be.

We had a dinner reservation pretty soon, but Jess and Nat's was in the park, so we said goodbye to them and went to the bus stop. We didn't wait too long and we were at our destination within a few minutes.

Where did we go? And where are we eating? Stay tuned to find out!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[emmysmommy]

Awwww I loved the sappy part. The sister love thing is so adorable! 20 years from now you will certainly be reliving all of these wonderful moments and building new ones.

Sorry that life has you busy...as a mother I totally approve of your priorities! Good luck with your SAT results and all the tasks associated with college - apps, interviews, and such.

Thanks for answering my burning question about the surprise ADR - Chef Mickey's. We've never been but maybe one day I'll not be afraid of the napkin waving, music blaring, kid centric buffet and try it.

Oh, one other note... I LOVE that red velvet cupcake from Starring Rolls. You have some awesome friends that came bearing the perfect gift.

 

[IheartDDuck]

The red velvet cheesecake cupcake does look amazing. I did place it on my list of foods to eat in November. Yes, I have a list and I'm not afraid to use it.

I'm definitely going to try to make sure we see Festival of the Lion King on our next trip. My Mom hasn't seen it in quite a while.

 

[Disneydude97]

We're doing "Oklahoma!" I love that show, so I'm really excited. Hope you get the part you want!​

Sorry about not posting this sooner, but the part I have is that of Rudolph Reisenweber, the German guy who's in the charge of all the waiters at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant. The best part of doing this part is, other than speaking in a German accent, is I get to be part of one of the biggest numbers in the show, the title song. "Hello, Dolly, well, hello, Dolly, it's so nice to have you back where you belong..."

 

[solana131]

I wanted to try one of those cupcakes, but it was just never worked out right with timing in HS. Will have to make it a priority next trip

 

[marDgreen88]

So Nat is just 'that' now?! Come on Kristen... not nice. Juuust kidding. But really, you accidentally called her 'that.' HAHAH!

I want to ride Everest in the front!!! That's like one of my main Disney goals. You know, besides working there.

Your sister is precious and I do not mind the sappy stuff at all! It's sweet!

I'm gonna guess that yall went to... I don't know... one of the restaurants at AKL? No clue hahah!

 

[fnrsgrl]

You can ask to ride in front on Everest, and they will put you in a special line to wait for the next available front seat. We have done this several times, because my husband gets motion sickness, and he finds it isn't as bad if he sits in front.

 

[disneyhockeymad]

woohoo I finally caught up with your TR! Between coming back from WDW myself and the ridiculous post-disney depression which set in I haven't been on here very much at all, even my own TR has suffered, but I'm back!

I LOVE that red velvet cupcake, mum and I had one to share when we went last month and we couldn't get enough, it was so good! I swear mum would have eaten the whole thing if she'd had the chance, she got a bit obsessed with it!

I love riding Everest at the front, especially when the track flips, it fascinates me to watch it!

Your little sister is adorable! I love the phrases she comes out with! You've obviously taught her well!

Mmm disney pizza, love it! Although the last pizza we had in pizzafari really wasn't that good, I was so disappointed, I guess we just hit it on a bad time.

The Lion King is such a good show, I'm seeing the Lion King musical in a few weeks time, I'm so excited

can't wait to hear more, especially about your ADR

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Yeah, all caught up! So glad I'm not the only one on here who has been busy. Hope all is well down in the land of Kristen right now! I hope all that work and college essays aren't killing you too much. Loved the updates btw! Always very fun to read. As such, I can't wait to read more!

 

[Disneydude97]

Then I turned around, and Sarah had found this stuffed monkey, put it around her neck and said, "There's a lot of monkey business goin' on around here." Do little sisters get any more perfect!? That was a really proud moment for me. She just gets it. I can see is in Disney together in like 20 years having the time of our lives together. She is so cute and I am seriously so blessed.

That concludes the sappy portion of the evening.

Moving on...​

I gotta ask. Have you guys ever stopped in front of that safari photo thing where you stick your head in and you look like you're in the picture? Well, if you ever did, have you asked "Have you seen any elephants?" like Stacey? If you ever did, that's very funny!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Awwww I loved the sappy part. The sister love thing is so adorable! 20 years from now you will certainly be reliving all of these wonderful moments and building new ones.

Sorry that life has you busy...as a mother I totally approve of your priorities! Good luck with your SAT results and all the tasks associated with college - apps, interviews, and such.

Thanks for answering my burning question about the surprise ADR - Chef Mickey's. We've never been but maybe one day I'll not be afraid of the napkin waving, music blaring, kid centric buffet and try it.

Oh, one other note... I LOVE that red velvet cupcake from Starring Rolls. You have some awesome friends that came bearing the perfect gift.

Aww thanks haha. I certainly hope so! We both love Disney so very much.

That's okay. I'd rather be busy than bored out of my mind! Thank you! It's going to be craaazyy!

Oh you are so welcome! I'm like five years old inside so Chef Mickey's will always be fun for me!

OH I KNOW RIGHT!? Isn't it fabulous!? I loved them for it.​

The red velvet cheesecake cupcake does look amazing. I did place it on my list of foods to eat in November. Yes, I have a list and I'm not afraid to use it.

I'm definitely going to try to make sure we see Festival of the Lion King on our next trip. My Mom hasn't seen it in quite a while.

It IS amazing! You absolutely must! Oh I make a list almost every trip!

I highly recommend that you do! It's the best.​

Sorry about not posting this sooner, but the part I have is that of Rudolph Reisenweber, the German guy who's in the charge of all the waiters at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant. The best part of doing this part is, other than speaking in a German accent, is I get to be part of one of the biggest numbers in the show, the title song. "Hello, Dolly, well, hello, Dolly, it's so nice to have you back where you belong..."

Congrats! Gotta love that song!​

I wanted to try one of those cupcakes, but it was just never worked out right with timing in HS. Will have to make it a priority next trip

Yes you must! It is absolutely the best cupcake EVER! ​

So Nat is just 'that' now?! Come on Kristen... not nice. Juuust kidding. But really, you accidentally called her 'that.' HAHAH!

I want to ride Everest in the front!!! That's like one of my main Disney goals. You know, besides working there.

Your sister is precious and I do not mind the sappy stuff at all! It's sweet!

I'm gonna guess that yall went to... I don't know... one of the restaurants at AKL? No clue hahah!

Hahaha oh my gosh I didn't even notice that! I fixed it haha. I was REALLYYY tired when I wrote that update.

It is SO much fun!!

Hahaha she's such a little precious child.

That's correct! Stay tuned!​

You can ask to ride in front on Everest, and they will put you in a special line to wait for the next available front seat. We have done this several times, because my husband gets motion sickness, and he finds it isn't as bad if he sits in front.

I bet! The back end of the train really whips you around!​

woohoo I finally caught up with your TR! Between coming back from WDW myself and the ridiculous post-disney depression which set in I haven't been on here very much at all, even my own TR has suffered, but I'm back!

I LOVE that red velvet cupcake, mum and I had one to share when we went last month and we couldn't get enough, it was so good! I swear mum would have eaten the whole thing if she'd had the chance, she got a bit obsessed with it!

I love riding Everest at the front, especially when the track flips, it fascinates me to watch it!

YAY! Welcome back! I float in and out when I get a spare moment.

Me too! Isn't it great?

Me too! SO fun!​

Your little sister is adorable! I love the phrases she comes out with! You've obviously taught her well!

Mmm disney pizza, love it! Although the last pizza we had in pizzafari really wasn't that good, I was so disappointed, I guess we just hit it on a bad time.

The Lion King is such a good show, I'm seeing the Lion King musical in a few weeks time, I'm so excited

can't wait to hear more, especially about your ADR

She keeps me laughin'.

Me too! You probably did, that's happened to me in the past.

Agreed. I saw it on Broadway last October and I was BLOWN AWAY. It was absolutey INCREDIBLE. Enjoy!

Stay tuned!​

Yeah, all caught up! So glad I'm not the only one on here who has been busy. Hope all is well down in the land of Kristen right now! I hope all that work and college essays aren't killing you too much. Loved the updates btw! Always very fun to read. As such, I can't wait to read more!

Hey there Timmy! Welcome back! So glad you're caught up! They're only wounding me so far; I'm not quite dead yet. Thanks! Say hello to Edgar for me!​

I gotta ask. Have you guys ever stopped in front of that safari photo thing where you stick your head in and you look like you're in the picture? Well, if you ever did, have you asked "Have you seen any elephants?" like Stacey? If you ever did, that's very funny!

Can't say that I have, but that would be hilarious!​

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Chapter 33- There's No Place Like Home​

August 22nd, 2011
​

If anyone guessed that we were headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge, then you are correct! We arrived a little early for our ADR, so I took that opportunity to explore and take some pics!

The lobby is absolutely stunning, and it smells SOOOO good!

I seriously feel like I'm home when I'm at AKL. It's a family favorite, and I absolutely love the time I spend here. It's perfect.

We explored Zawadi Marketplace, which is the gift shop at Jambo House. I LOOOVE that gift shop. The theming is awesome, and there is so much cool stuff that every other resort gift shop just doesn't have. It's fabulous.

Sarah found this adorable hat, and I was humming Fantasmic music as I took her picture:

After I had sufficiently explored, we still had time to spare, so I left the family to shop and went outside.

You know those two GIANT silver-ish turrets (for lack of a better word) on either side of the lobby windows? Yeah, well it turns out that you can go INSIDE those. It's actually pretty cool. I don't really know how I discovered that, but I soon found myself all the way at the top!

Climbing...

And looking down:

I enjoyed the view from up there, and made my way back down.

In case you get a really bad sunburn, there's an aloe plant nice and handy!

The grounds here are seriously amazing.

Doesn't it make you want to grab a sweatshirt and sing "Kumbayah?"

It started drizzling a little, so I decided to go inside and check out a room off the lobby that I had heard about on the DIS.

It's called the sunroom, and it is absolutely gorgeous. If you walk toward the floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby, it will be on your left past the check-in desk.

The evening sun fills the whole room with a warm, welcoming vibe, and there are tons of artifacts and intricate artwork from Africa. There is also a porch for animal viewing.

Here's the view from the porch:

Continued in Next Post​

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Chapter 33- There's No Place Like Home: Part 2! BOMA COMA!

August 22nd, 2011

Here are some more savannah pictures from the porch off the sunroom:

Does life get any cooler than that!? I don't think so. It blows my mind that Disney can make you feel like you're in so many different and exotic places. It's incredible.

I went back inside to find the fam.

Such a beautiful hidden gem!

I met up with the family by Victoria Falls, and we all headed down to check into our ADR at Boma!

This was our second time dining here, and it is definitely a family favorite. We love the unique variety and the atmosphere!

We barely waited at all for our table, and our waitress (whose name escapes me and my trip journal) took our drink orders. Off to the buffet!!

We decided to start off with some chicken coconut curry soup for me, five lentil soup for Scott and carrot ginger soup for Mom:

Those soups are THE BOMB. So flavorful and so unique.

Next we hit the salads and entrees. Who's plate is whose? Who knows! Just look at the Boma NOMS:

It was all so delicious! We sampled everything from generic mac and cheese to African and Indian dishes such as pap and couscous. Yummmoo!

The view from our window-table:

Before we had a chance to hit up the desserts, our waitress brought Sarah and I each a card for our birthdays, which was signed by all the Boma Cast Members! Check it out:

It was so sweet of them! She also brought us each a lovely dessert sampler! Stay tuned for that!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Oh my gosh, I just want to hug my computer looking at all this AKL awesomeness! I miss it there so much! Though I never got to check out Jambo House, Kidani was amazing and I can't neglect the family resemblance there Great picture of Sarah in her Sorcerer Mickey hat, now whenever I see that picture I'm singing the song in my head too. Dunnnn dunana dun dun DAAAA dunaananana...

That's so cool you can go up in those little towers! Totally got to make note of that if I ever end up staying at my favorite place to stay at my favorite place in the world again Miss those firepits! Is that in the middle of the Savannah like at Kidani right? Great pictures of the animals from the Sunroom, gotta make note of that as well. I seriously could write a novel with these notes right now haha

Mmmm... Boma looks so good (specially that Mac n' Cheese)! I can't believe we missed out on making ADRs there, especially if it's anything as good as Sanaa! So nice that you got those birthday cards with all the Boma CMs having signed it. I legit have not seen that before at Disney even across all these TRs I've read. So lucky, you and Sarah!

Can't wait to see those desserts (YUM!)

 

[cocofifi]

Oh my gosh - AKL looks so gorgeous! Right up my alley. And the giraffe? So adorable!! Great installment!

 

[alliebelle3]

What is this perfect little sunroom place? I have never seen or heard of it! What an amazing hidden gem!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[emmysmommy]

A giraffe!!! And some other assorted fuzzy critters - HOW AWESOME!!! I love the viewing platforms and patios to observe the wildlife. Truly an amazing resort. You are the first for me to officially announce that Em and I have booked a girl trip for early next year and are staying at AKL for 1 nite so we can experience Jiko, Boma and all the wonderfulness of AKL!!! (Of course I have to also stay at BW since it is my new favorite!)

Speaking of Boma, your dinner there looks really yummy - all of it! So nice for them to present you with a personalized birthday card! Disney just shines sometimes!

 

[solana131]

Oh yum. You took me right back...Boma was a first for me in July and I just fell in love with the whole resort. MUST GO BACK!

 

[MissPrice]

Great update as usual Kristin! I can not wait to stay at AKL!! Your pictures are gorgeous. SO, what exactly does the lobby smell like?? -Amanda