I Knew You Would Eventually Get Tired of Disney World - April '12 TR - Completed 2/9

[KatMark]

GREAT UPDATES, Jon (of course, I was waiting to respond to see if you got the hint to come over to my PTR ; you did, so here I am...back at yours ).

And what a boatload of updates I come upon. You got a lot done in the a.m. at the AK. I really have to consider going late April/early May for our 30th anniversary next year if the crowds are always like that.

Love the safari pictues, the pictures at Flame Tree (Em is just getting cuter by the day; and it looks to me like Dylan is eating a little more.

I don't blame Kristin, I wouldn't be going on EE after eating. Wait, that's right, I don't do EE anymore no matter what time of day.

Can't wait for the rest of Day 5 and your fabulous story telling.

 

[shan23877]

Great updates!

I'm with you on AvatarLand. No Bueno.

That was a LOT of gorillas on the safari!

 

[raider97]

I am enjoying your trip report. CSR looks beautiful. Unfortunately, as a family of five we are limited to POR for a moderate. I love POR, my husband not so much. I'm really interested in Dylan's experience with the adult disney dining plan. My eldest turns 10 next week and will be officially a disney adult for our next trip.

Six months from our last trip and a little over a year until our next one, thanks for helping me pass the time.

Stephanie

 

[nilla]

No, this TR is not complete. I've just been lazy. And busy. But mostly lazy.

I'll try to get an update out tonight. Next week should be much better.

Thank you, and have a magical day!

 

[Tinkerbell1989]

Hi!

I can't remember how I stumbled across your TR, but it's fab! I love your style of writing

Thankyou for a raving review of CSR... I'm staying their in October for the first time, and have loved all the pictures!

Keep it up!

Steffi xx

 

[kristin t]

Darn it...posting as Kristin again! Curse you, auto login!

Ok, take two...

 

[nilla]

That's better. Now for the Q&A:

I am just finishing a very long TR so I doubt you want to join that, but it does have links. But I'll make sure to pm you when I start the June TR (unless you disappear from the boards again).

I will. I'm even reading a Disneyland Paris TR right now. I'm hooked!

Flame Tree BBQ is a no brainer in our house. There is just no other place we would eat lunch at AK.

That could change. Stay tuned!

I have managed to drag my TR for over a year now so I don't think you would have a problem keeping up.

I'll be there! Thanks for reading mine

I'm trying to convince my family that Flame Tree would be a fun place to eat in June. Is it cool in the shade back at your favorite table?

Yes. It has a lot going for it. Highly recommended by me, and Queila (see above)!

Great update! Never knew there are so many Gorillas in AK, even though I was there in February!

It's an infestation. We can sugar-coat it, if we want, but that's what it is.

And what a boatload of updates I come upon. You got a lot done in the a.m. at the AK. I really have to consider going late April/early May for our 30th anniversary next year if the crowds are always like that.

I love that time. Unfortunately, it'll be another 12 years before we can go at that time again. School - grrrrrrr...

I'm with you on AvatarLand. No Bueno.

The more I think about it, the less I get it. Who really asked for this? Personally, I'd like a Monkey's Uncle land, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon.

Unfortunately, as a family of five we are limited to POR for a moderate. I love POR, my husband not so much.

Ahhh, the trundle bed My Disney memories started with me sleeping on that thing on our very first trip.

I can't remember how I stumbled across your TR, but it's fab!

Ok, "fab" is officially the best thing this TR has been called. Thanks!

Thankyou for a raving review of CSR... I'm staying their in October for the first time, and have loved all the pictures!

There are more to come! You'll love CSR. I don't know what's not to love about it. The only knock I've heard is the conventioners, but they don't bother me at all.

Ok, now let's get this show on the road! Day 5 wraps up...now!

 

[nilla]

Now where were we?

Oh yeah - we left our heroes stranded just outside the Cretaceous Period, but they were able to acquire Fast Passes, so it's ok. Not yet having attained their gorilla fix, they head out of Flintstones Carnival Land and back up to Africa. Slight disturbance up ahead...

Love Devine! She's a different Devine this year...don't know why I thought there was only one. Here she is again:

This incarnation of Devine scares me less than the last one I saw, for some reason. I actually trust that this one will not intentionally impale me on one of her stilts. It's the most I've feared for my safety at WDW...and while the feeling of security is nice, I do miss the exhilaration of not knowing if you'll be killed by a Disney Character. Oh, hey - there's the big tree:

This is about as close as we can get to the Tree since the "falling branch" incident a few days prior. It's Tough to be a Bug is still closed, and there will be no shortcuts past the exit. It's a shame, but safety first. It's bad enough they have guest-stabbing plant woman roaming the park; the last thing they need are wooden projectiles raining down onto the park visitors.

Ok, this is stressing me out. Let's go see some more gorillas. But first, let me take my "Day 5 Picture Runner-Up"...

Got it! Ok, moving on. Next, I will be showing you another series of apes. Some, you will have seen before. Some will be new. You will be quizzed on their names immediately after.

The girl behind us knows a little German. He's sitting over there:

I think she was pointing at actual monkeys. Not "Jon is being stupid and calling everything gorillas" monkeys, but real monkeys. Yes, there are some here. There are some of these, too:

Whoa, lion in view!

Dylan wonders how the deer don't get eaten, so I explain the illusion. For those who don't know the illusion, it's holograms. Plain and simple. Those lions are no more real than the Hitchhiking Ghosts. Then again, the Hitchhiking Ghosts are 100% real, so that's not saying much. Anyway, here's a rhino:

We drive past the animatronic baby elephant. This storyline was again downplayed during the ride, and there's a CM standing by the truck. Hmm. They tell us she's safe, and on we go.

Safari's over, and Dylan says we've had two great drivers so far. I think he's going to write a letter.

So where to next? I know - how about we see some proper gorillas?

 

[nilla]

But first, find the monkey:

Note the tail. Thus, monkey. These guys are probably thinking, "why can't we be out in that giant Savanah place?"

Or maybe not. Maybe the CMs let them have the run of the place once the other animals are brought in for the night. You NEVER know what happens behind closed ropes. Now dig those dung beetles!

I watched a documentary on them once, and they are quite fascinating. They like poop a lot more than I do, but they are fascinating nonetheless.

Ok, enough of that - gorillas!

 

[nilla]

Of course, the first question on our minds is, "where's Lilly?" Lilly was a baby two years ago, a tiny toddler last year, and who-knows-what now. Wait - there she is!

Ok, that's an awful picture and shows you nothing. Why did I even bother to post it? Here's a better one:

To the right of the unknown girl standing in front of me, on the ape side of the glass, sits 2-year-old Lilly. Her mom lays nearby. She doesn't seem to want to be bothered. So Lilly entertains herself.

She was running her finger down the ridge on the bottom of that bucket. Pretty cool.

Soon after, she decides it's cuddle time. She's on the right.

And then, they're gone.

But this one isn't:

And either are these apes:

Here's a nice picture of the habitat...

...but it doesn't contain a gorilla, so we'll skip to the next one, which does:

I could watch them all day. But there are other things to do, so on we go...

 

[nilla]

Flights of Wonder is something we initially thought would be sort of dull, but took a friend's advice and checked it out. Two years later, it's one of our favorite attractions. I try to get some in-flight action:

Nothing as good as the "Kristin is oblivious to the giant bird swooping in behind her" shot from last year, but here's one of me:

And Guano Joe. I never realized how fashion-forward Joe was until the following days, where his style will be imitated by many a guest.

The highlight of this show was some sort of voice-mimicking bird that supposedly knew 7 songs, but insisted on only singing, "Howwwww MUCH! is that doggie in the windoww....." Hilarious! And very significant in the scheme of things to come.

Speeding up this update, we go to Dinosaur, and there's literally no wait. We hop the rope, and the CM tells us we're going the wrong way. No, we're not - we're here for this!

And this!

I still think the boy does it better. My favorite WDW pic of him is this one, from 2007.

But back to the present, and in we go.

This is one of my favorite rides. Simply nuts. If I strike it mega-rich, I will build a personal duplicate of this, after I build my duplicate of the Haunted Mansion.

Ride over and out the door. That one scares Emily a bit, but not so much that she won't ride it. One more dinosaur shot before we go.

 

[nilla]

So off to dinner we go. Our ressies are for Yak and Yeti, but we are trading that meal as part of the upcoming Fulton's deal that the sporting world has been talking about, so it's back to CSR and the Pepper Market! I'm not heartbroken, since I recall Yak and Yeti to be good, but not great.

Back at CSR, we have some time to kill before we eat. The kids take to the hammocks:

DISboard legends nebo and Smidgy are in the vicinity, or where - I can sense it. Too many DISers in one place messes with all kinds of natural energies. But anyway, how about a few more CSR pics?

In spite of our wonderful stay in the Casitas last year, my heart may once again belong to the Cabanas.

This squirrel finds the lawn as bizarre to walk on as I do:

Finally, we're off to the Pepper Market. We've never eaten here for dinner before, but it's pretty much the same as lunch. Dylan gets this thing, which looks pretty good right now.

I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was good, and he did a decent job on it.

Emily goes mac & cheese.

I got the most interesting bleu cheeseburger I've ever seen.

Really good, too! I'm starting to really get behind the Pepper Market. Kristin gets some sort of quesadilla.

The Mexican stuff is probably the best here. We eat, we're stuffed, we're going back to the room...but not without dessert.

Since this is WDW, I'm assuming this bag consists mainly of mousses, cheesecakes, and creme brulee. We really don't deviate from the script too much.

 

[nilla]

We decide to go swimming to close out the night, which works out great because the slide is still open. Kristin catches Em mid-slide...

...but is too early to get me.

Here's the bottom.

And here's the pyramid.

I know, I know - this update does not do this pool any justice. The truth is that this pool is PHENOMENAL. No, I'm not exaggerating. Table tennis, playground, bar, counter service restaurant, hot tub, volleyball court...oh, and a huge, really nice pool. At night, they're showing Disney movies on a big, inflatable screen over by the arcade. It's "Tangled", which Dylan plops down to watch.

After a bit, we pull him away and head back to the room. We're back at Epcot tomorrow and starting at World Showcase, so we can sleep in!


[POST=45177317](next update)[/POST]

 

[MEK]

And this!

I still think the boy does it better. My favorite WDW pic of him is this one, from 2007.

[/IMG]

I have to agree - the boy does do it a tad better!

So look at you - all up in the middle of the night doing an update!

I think Lilly is the exact same size she was in December. What's up with Lilly? She needs a growth spirt.

Thanks for posting Pepper Market pics since we will be eating there soon.

We leave today! But since we have a teenage boy who sleeps late and wants to watch an "important" soccer game before we depart it looks like we will have to skip the Bethlehem Brewpub today. We'll have just enough time for a nice visit with Denny's mom. However, I am going to steer Denny in that direction after our return flight next Tuesday (6/19). We get in around 1pm. if you and Kristin per chance have time for a lunch break and want to meet us, please pm me. I will occasionally check the DIS boards while we are in the world.

And - slow down a little with the updates so I will be able to catch up when I get home.

That pools looks so fabulous - especially at night! I am continuing to enjoy all your lovely CSR pics!

 

[krhst25]

We love CSR. The kids wanted to go back there but I convinced my Mom to come with us- her first trip! So we are over the limit. We are looking at AofA.

This will be our last trip during the school year,too. My oldest is going to high school next year. I have officially become a Mom of a teenager. I know her work load will be too much to taker her out. Darn that school getting in the way of our Disney fun

 

[stacopp]

Thanks for another great update! We are heading to WDW in August and had booked the CSR but I wasn't sure I wanted to stay there and kept browsing with the intention of changing the plan- until your TR! Now we are all looking forward to seeing/ staying at the resort. Thanks for helping convince me.

 

[shan23877]

Great update!

You got some great pictures of the gorillas!

I didn't know that a branch had fallen and ITTBAB had closed. Maybe because we did AK so early in our trip.

Love the pics of the kids with the Dinosaur. The one of Dylan from '07 is awesome!

The pool at CS looks really cool. I read through your description pretty quickly and was a little curious why they had a "playground bar" at first. Then I saw the comma The playground bar might make playtime a little more interesting for the parents though!

 

[mmeb144]

I read through your description pretty quickly and was a little curious why they had a "playground bar" at first. Then I saw the comma The playground bar might make playtime a little more interesting for the parents though!

I read it that way, too! Parents would be thrilled to spend time with their young'uns.

 

[raider97]

We saw Devine for the first time in December and that is the one we saw.
Really cool!

I love the baby gorilla pictures! She is adorable. We have missed the animal trails the past two trips. I really need to make that priority on our next one. Somehow, despite how much we like AK, this is the park where we always hit the wall so we don't last as long. We haven't seen Flights of Wonder either. I bet my kids would really like that one. We have a similiar show here at the Texas State Aquarium.

That pool looks amazing!! And that is a cute, cute picture of Dylan in the hammock.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Great update! I'm so jealous that you got to see baby Lily! Very cool!

Thanks for the pics of Flights of Wonder... that is as close as I'm ever going to get. Birds freak me out. Speaking of which, did you think the birds in general were particularly aggressive this year? I was there in early May - forget if that was just before or after you - and I thought just walking around the park or trying to eat a quick service meal outside the birds were more obnoxious than usual. Even at the pool they were too close for comfort.

Your kids are braver than me... Dinosaur scares the crap out of me!

Your reports definitely sell me on CSR. Looks beautiful. Especially those hammocks. So relaxing!