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

[teekathepony]

I love spending time in The Seas. I could watch those dolphins for the entire day.
Looks like you guys had a great meal in Coral Reef! I love the atmosphere but don't love the food so I haven't been back there in a while.

 

[TheNewMrsB]

Is it wrong that I shed a tear at how much smaller the mousse is now? It's probably wrong. But I shed one anyway.

 

[kristin t]

The drink I ordered at the Coral Reef was something like a ginger lemonade. It was delicious - I would highly recommend it!!

 

[Sam33]

Boo, didn't see any Denver Peyton Tebows vinylmation in there either!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Sorry to hear D's eating wasn't as improved as I previously thought. Watch - he'll probably end up on the Food Network with a show where he eats the most bizarre outrageous things.

I have not spent hardly any time in the Seas pavilion. Perhaps I'll try to change that next trip. And seems like Coral Reef was getting bad reviews for a while there but has been getting increasingly good ones so maybe time to give that another try.

at the image of you trying to retrieve the pager. Glad you didn't lose limb or ring!

How are we coming up on day 5 already???????

 

[KatMark]

LOVE the update. We did Coral Reef on our girls trip for lunch and I had the same desert as your lovely wife and it was spectacular (although you'd know that if you read my TR...I have seen you on other TR's recently, maybe I need to go at a certain time for you to read mine ).
Love that you got to sit right up by the glass and see all the fish, dolphins, etc (I probably wouldn't eat either watching all that).

Bravo to both kids for doing Mission (I won't do green or orange).

Can't wait for the next update in your family adventure.

 

[MEK]

I really am still here but I read your last update the morning after you wrote it before work and never commented. Now I have to go back and reread. Your lunch did looked great (Coral Reef) and I loved your reference to Dylan poking his fork at his food!

 

[Queila]

My daughter is FINALLY tall enough to ride Test Track this Summer and they close the ride down. And then people keep asking us how come you keep going back every year?

The meal at Coral Reef looks delicious. We ate there for lunch in 2010 but had to ask for a table far from the glass because for our surprise my daughter who at the time as 2 years old was... *gasp*... afraid of the big creatures swimming around.

Reading your post made me think we need a do over.

Have a great weekend,
Queila

 

[krhst25]

I was waiting for your annual TR. Can't believe I missed the beginning,but here now.
Now about those vinylmations.. If you were a fan over in this part of the state you could have easily gotten a Steeler one...just saying!

 

[laura74]

Kristin requests a table right up against the aquarium glass, which to me is the only way to experience this place. Why settle? We're here early enough, so the wait won't be that much different.

We've been there twice. Never did get the good table even with a birthdday being celebrated.

Alright, let's go in. We don't have a lot of interest in Turtle Talk (Monsters, Inc. is better, IMO)

I love Turtle Talk but I can never convince my DD to go back.

We watch them swim for a bit, then go to check out the manatees. Interesting lesson, but Emily's not digging the stench)

I thought it was interesting that they just eat romaine lettuce and a ton of it!

For those who have never been here, the "benches" are covered in vinyl and solid, which is a significant detail when Emily sets the pager down and it slides down behind the bench. Gone. We try to move the bench, but it's fastened to the wall. We may be able to reach down there, but it won't be easy.

Uh oh.

Once again, the benefits of having 2-inch wrists become obvious when I am able to get my arm all the way down to the floor. Getting it back out may be a different story, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Kristin is insisting that I just forget it and we get a new one, but failure is not an option. I reach around in unknown, when suddenly BAM - there it is! I have it!

Phew.


Since it's Scotish, we know that it's not crap. Emily got this:

One of the scubaers (scubaists? scubadors?)

I like scubadors.

NFL Vinylmation! What are the odds they'll have the Vikings?

I do not understand the appeal of vinylmation.

Is it just me, or is Stitch generally underpromoted these days? It's starting to seem like he'll soon go the way of Roger Rabbit.

I don't know. We seemed to run into him a lot.


Great update! Loved the pics.

 

[phineasfan100]

I finally got my keyboard fixed so i can reply again! Just to let you know, EPCOT was supposed to be a city of tomorrow. (the model on the WEDway) Just YouTube search for EPCOT film! (aprox. 25 minutes) Can't wait for updates.

 

[rndmr2]

You had great seats at Coral Reef! We were near there but in the next row (the rounded booths) when we were there last May. We could see things really well but I am not that great of a Photographer so my pics didn't turn out that great. I had that chicken dish both times I have been to there (2010 and 2011) and it was yummy!

Can't wait to see what they are doing to Test Track!

I liked MS when I finally got to try it last year but we did the green, I want to try orange next time.

 

[nilla]

Here I am, ignoring my trip report duties again

Responses to comments are coming sometime today, PLUS we'll finally get to day 5! I swear! The apes are waiting!

 

[MEK]

Here I am, ignoring my trip report duties again

Responses to comments are coming sometime today, PLUS we'll finally get to day 5! I swear! The apes are waiting!

Seriously - I finally had some time to catch up on TRs this weekend and your are update-less! What's up with that?

 

[nilla]

Great update! I always have Coral Reef on my first draft, but it never makes the cut. We'll have to try it one of these days, it looks like a lot of fun.

Without the aquarium, we'd definitely pass. The kids certainly love it, though, but not for the food.

I searched every Vinylmation display in WDW looking for the Chicago Cubs one (could only find Yankees, Red Sox). No luck, but I was able to buy it online when we got back. Maybe you'll find your Vikings there too?

I'll have to look. You never know! Thanks for the suggestion.

I love spending time in The Seas. I could watch those dolphins for the entire day.

Lots I like to see there. Kristin's not really a fan of anything non-dolphin and non-manatee in there, so we never stay too long.

Is it wrong that I shed a tear at how much smaller the mousse is now? It's probably wrong. But I shed one anyway.

I sure cried when I got it! I guess some booze-soaked dessert is better than no booze-soaked dessert, though, so I'll take what I can get.

The drink I ordered at the Coral Reef was something like a ginger lemonade. It was delicious - I would highly recommend it!!

Correct! I believe it became you're "default drink", too.

Boo, didn't see any Denver Peyton Tebows vinylmation in there either!

No, but they did have Florida Gator ones. No Kutztown, though. What the-?

Sorry to hear D's eating wasn't as improved as I previously thought.

Me too!

at the image of you trying to retrieve the pager. Glad you didn't lose limb or ring!

It was a scary moment. I was half-thinking something was going to bite me and half-thinking I would lose one of those things, so it was a relief when I escaped both.

(although you'd know that if you read my TR...I have seen you on other TR's recently, maybe I need to go at a certain time for you to read mine ).

I must've missed your last one

I did read one, but it looks like you had another during my "not on the DISboards" period a few months ago. I'll definitely watch for your next one!

You go too often

I really am still here but I read your last update the morning after you wrote it before work and never commented. Now I have to go back and reread.

I usually re-read to see if I mismatched pictures or accidentally cursed of something like that, but you're reason is just as valid.

My daughter is FINALLY tall enough to ride Test Track this Summer and they close the ride down. And then people keep asking us how come you keep going back every year?

That stinks! It seems like every year, something else big is down, but that just adds to the anticipation the next year. And yes, this IS why we need to go every year!

Well, one reason at least.

The meal at Coral Reef looks delicious. We ate there for lunch in 2010 but had to ask for a table far from the glass because for our surprise my daughter who at the time as 2 years old was... *gasp*... afraid of the big creatures swimming around.

Oh no! Kids are either more pessimistic than we are, or more realistic!

Now about those vinylmations.. If you were a fan over in this part of the state you could have easily gotten a Steeler one...just saying!

I don't mind the Steelers. I like their coach. I don't like that the Vikings had him and let him go. Very bad move, in hindsight. I certainly wanted them to beat GB two years ago

I thought it was interesting that they just eat romaine lettuce and a ton of it!

About that - is there a wealth of romaine lettuce in Florida's waterways? I don't get it

I do not understand the appeal of vinylmation.

It's Mickey Mouse, but it's also something else cool. It's like the Reese's of Disney merch. What's not to like?

QUOTE=laura74;45054494]I don't know. We seemed to run into him a lot.[/QUOTE]

Beyond the parks, he doesn't seem to show up a lot. Other characters seem to get a bit more exposure. Which is a shame, because Stitch is great!

Just to let you know, EPCOT was supposed to be a city of tomorrow. (the model on the WEDway) Just YouTube search for EPCOT film! (aprox. 25 minutes)

I would love to live there, but only if it were EXACTLY as it is today.

I liked MS when I finally got to try it last year but we did the green, I want to try orange next time.

Do it! Dylan and I love it, and I really don't like riding Green that much anymore after riding orange.

Seriously - I finally had some time to catch up on TRs this weekend and your are update-less! What's up with that?

Here they come! Hold on tight - the apes are restless!

 

[nilla]

 

[nilla]

"Wait a second - the heading says, 'Dinner at Yak and Yeti', but you're Dinner Photo (tm) was definitely NOT taken at Yak and Yeti. Explain."

No. Not yet. There's no time. We want to hit Animak Kingdom at Rope Drop (tm), so there's no time for nappin'. No trip to El Centro, either - we're all up and ready to go.

Most of us, anyway. We yank (and yeti) her out of bed, get her ready, and it's off to Animal Kingdom.

Whew, I'm whooped. Let's take a break and come back later, ok?

 

[nilla]

We're back! The bus gets you to Animal Kingdom fairly quick, due to the fact that CSR is AWE-SOME! Through the gates we go, and it feels somewhat like Dr. Grant and the Fly pulling into Jurassic Park. There is all kinds of crazy stuff in here just waiting for the chance to escape. It's just a matter of time. Florida residents, I hope you have your escape plans ready, because it's coming.

But hopefully not today. In we go, and it appears we just missed rope drop. Oh well, it should be a light day, so we're not worried anymore. In fact, we have time to check out this thing:

If I remember correctly, this is the Clawed Stinger Tail Gorilla, one of the smallest yet deadliest members of the gorilla familty. Fortunately, it won't get out. OR WILL IT???

...

Hopefully not today. Onward we go, with Everest our first stop. We arrive at the attraction...is this ride down? There's no one here. We grab FTPs, look around to see if there's some sort of gorilla jailbreak that sent guests scattering (there wasn't), then get in the standby "line". I put "line" in quotes because there really was not line - we essentially walked on. Then we sat down.

I'm going to try to take pictures during the ride, which is always fun.

I try to get a few action shots, which is difficult when you're also hanging on for your life:

I'm surprised Emily likes this one, but it's one of her favorites. Turns out she doesn't hate fast rides, she just hates dark, fast rides. Up the hill we go...

Oh, that reminds me - I'm running on ahead here assuming that everyone knows what this ride is about, but that's probably not the case. So, here's a bit of background on this one for the unacclaimated:

We're at Mt. Everest, and there's some sort of albino mountain gorilla about, and he doesn't want us to ride. Which isn't a really unreasonable request. It IS his mountain, after all, and there are plenty of other places we can go where we won't bother him. But do we?

Of course not! We came a long way to go up and down this mountain, so he's going to just have to deal with it. Up we go!

...

And deal with it he does. He rips up the track. He makes us go backwards. He refuses to come out to see up and shies away from the spotlight. He steals Dylan's hat.

Ok, it wasn't so much him stealing it as it was Dylan leaving it. He has an awful fear of losing his hat on a roller coaster, so it's kind of funny that he lost it this way. But it's a really cool Star Wars hat he got in Hollywood Studios a few years back, so it'll be a shame if it's gone.

He hasn't realized that he lost it yet. On we go.

 

[nilla]

But before we leave, let's see how Emily measure's up this year.

Yep, she's getting big. We head on out, grabbing this random shot along the way.

Love the theming at AK - they really pay attention to every little detail. They even have real gorillas. Oh, and the times on those boards are pretty nice, too.

In actuality, those are not gorillas, which make them some of the few non-gorilla animals in this park. But they are apes. You know how I know? They don't have tails. Monkeys have tails. Apes? No tails. Thank you, nearby CM! I love Walt Disney World!

The decision is made to hit Kali as it starts to warm up, and this is basically a walk-on, too. NO ONE in this park today. Love it!

Not sure what kind of gorillas these costumes are supposed to be, but they're not pretty.

Not sure what movie this poster is from, but it looks fantastic.

Not sure why this family is still dry, but they won't be for long.

We get a private raft, and pictures are taken.

I used to find this ride really boring, but that was mostly because I didn't get very wet the first time on it. I also didn't realize that you could get this shot.

Oh, crap! That truck's about to fall in!

It's those loggers! I thought I heard chainsaws in the queue, but no one ever told me if that was something I should be upset about or not. In fact, it could've just been clearing the way for the new Avatar land that's coming.

**TANGENT!**

Let's establish a few facts here before I go on. I have not seen Avatar. I have no desire to see Avatar. I don't like how the humanoids look in Avatar. I've even heard that, having seen Disney's Pocahontas, I basically know the story of Avatar.

Which brings me to this new "Avatar Land" they're supposedly going to do here. My thought? Meh. Nothing exciting. It'll be cool, I'm sure, but I still really, really wish Disney would've grabbed the Harry Potter franchise out of the gate. Could you imagine?

So back to reality here, and Kali River Rapids. The theme here is that loggers are idiots and have ruined what could've been a great ride, but that's not completely clear as you're riding. There are trees on fire, but it is dry in Florida this time of year. Plus, how can it be all bad if it allows you to get this shot?

We get wet but not completely drenched. To even things out, the kids take their positions at the Long-Snouted Gorilla cannons.

The high school kids riding below are priceless - they're begging the kids not to fire, but I know my kids. SPLASH!

 

[nilla]

Moving on now. To account for my admittedly indiscernable picture of the apes from earlier, and get some more, closer up.

Anyone who read the Kingdom Keepers book knows that there may be kids in that building. And that the books are kind of silly if you think really about them. But they're entertaining and chock full o' Disney stuff, so it works out in the end.

Kristin: "Dylan, where's your hat?"

(feels around, then shows a look of horror)

This kid is responsibility-deficient, and this isn't helping. Kristin says it's gone forever, I say, "let's find out for sure." Dylan is not happy.

Back to EE we go. We spot DISboards celebrity FlightlessDuck again, who says he's been walking on the rides, too. Great day here in Animal Kingdom! Now let's see if anyone turned in the hat...

...

...and they have it. Phew! THANK YOU to whoever turned this in! Now back to the park. But let's not let that happen again, ok?


Ok, we're at the point of this TR where we can either go on and post our 735 pictures of the Safari, or I can go play Magic with Kristin and you can go do something else. Let's vote.

...

...

Ok, the votes are in. By a vote of 1-0, we are going to stop right here and make a flimsy promise that we'll be back tomorrow! Possibly see you then!


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