Trip Report for 3 day Land /4 day sea (with one land day added on our own) May 15 19 (land) 19 -23 (sea)
WARNING: If you are looking for a concise report, DONT read this one!
Cast of Characters: Myself, DH, DS11, DD9, DD6, DD2.
17 May
The plan for today was to get an early start and be at Animal Kingdom for opening didnt happen. Everyone was too tired to get up and get going early, so we took it slow. We had a lovely continental breakfast in the concierge lounge. (cereal, breads, pastries, fruit and yogurts)
I had been naughty and didnt turn in our cruise documents at the cruise desk when we checked in like I was supposed to. They called looking for our documents this morning, so on our way out we dropped them off. It took about 5 minutes or less. It was very simple.
From there we headed out to find the bus to AK. At the bus stop the CM called for the AK bus, which arrived in about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the kids watched The Disney Channel (what else?) on the TV at the bus stop. Although Im typically not big on TV, it was nice that they had something to keep them occupied.
We finally got to AK a little after 10am and headed directly for the Safari. I was afraid that it was going to be a long wait, either in line or to use fast passes. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very short wait, actually no wait at all! We basically just walked right on! We all enjoyed the safari, but I could have done without the corny poachers story. Disney should forget the entertainment on this one and focus on education. I would have loved to hear more about the animals instead of the fictitious melodrama. We did get to see quite a few animals and that was very nice.
We next headed to the Lion King, but the show had just started. (Darn!) Pocahontas was just about to begin so we watched it. It was basically a 15 minute infomercial on conservation, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. I had read in many places to skip it if time was short, but dh hadnt read those and he was leading the way. Since he was finally showing some interest in the planning, I didnt want to squelch it.
At this point, Kali River Rapids was calling to us! We headed over to get fast passes. On the way, we encountered DeVine! So COOL! I had read about her on these boards and I was hoping wed get to see her! She was so neat to watch. We watched her lumber to a couple different places, with the crowd parting and then swarming around when she stopped in another spot. Fascinating!
We finally got our fast passes to KRR and then decided to take the train that goes to Conservation Station. DH (who didnt read anything before the trip) thought it made a circuit and wed just ride it around once and be done. I informed him that was not the case, so off we went to quickly explore. By now it was very hot out! We were all getting tired and run down. We went in to the building (air conditioning!) and a very friendly CM helped us find a BUNCH of hidden Mickeys! The kids loved doing that! (and I was having fun too I dont think dh was having as much fun) I really had hoped to see something interesting in the nursery, but unfortunately it was basically empty. The CM had also urged us to go into the little booths to hear the rain forest. It was very interesting. DD2 didnt like it because it was dark and dd6 took her headphones off during the thunderstorm. The older kids loved it!
By now it was our time for KRR so we had to hustle to catch the train and hurry on over to KRR to make it within our time window. I stayed at the entrance to the fast pass lane with our 2 yr old (asleep) while the others went on the raft.
I did see the CM turn away an older couple with fast passes because their time had expired. Honestly, I think they were only 5 minutes late. Lesson learned dont be late for your FP window. They are very strict about the times.
I hadnt gotten a FP because I wasnt sure I really wanted to get soaked, but as soon as the others got back from riding, they insisted that I go on. DH also insisted. He told me it changes your whole outlook on the day. (by cooling off and having a little excitement) I finally agreed. We got more FPs and then went to find some lunch.
We got lunch at some chicken place in Asia. My kids got fried rice and dh and I got the half a chicken wrap, or something like that. It was very good! The chicken was very tender, moist and flavorful! They were nice enough to give us 5 cups of ice water!
We all really needed to drink far more water than we were getting. I kept trying to push the water, but it just was SO HOT at that park, we couldnt drink enough! With all the trees and vegetation, there is no breeze whatsoever. Also, everything is outside so there isnt any air conditioned buildings in which to have some respite from the heat. In all the other parks there are attractions throughout that have a/c so you tend to stay cooler.
By the time we finished with lunch, it was time for us to go on KRR again. This time we opted to use the Baby Swap feature. Dh stayed with dd2 while I rode with the kids. They have a nice little waiting area for those using this feature. It has a few places to sit, its under cover and there are ceiling fans to help cool you while you wait. The kids were right! I loved KRR! I was lucky enough not to get soaked. Of course there are always at least two on every raft that do get drenched! If you plan on going on this ride, dont wear white unless you tend to be an exhibitionist! (This is advice from my SIL who DID wear white AND got drenched!) Oh, and there is a nice little covered compartment in the center of the raft where you can store your shoes and cameras if you dont have someone to hold them for you. I was glad about that since I had only packed one pair of sneakers for each of us! I didnt want to slosh around the parks for the next couple days until they dried.
When we had finished the ride, we met dh and dd2 and traded places. All 3 kids got to go on again with dh! They were soaked by the time they got off this time. DH and DS were the two lucky drowned rats on this final ride! We honestly could have just kept swapping back and forth because it didnt seem that there was a CM paying any attention to who had swapped and who hadnt. (but we wouldnt do that anyway) Im sure they would have caught on when the kids sloshed by for the 6th time! (FYI, dh was wearing khaki shorts with a blue webbed belt. The blue dye ran for some reason, so he had, and still has, a blue ring around his shorts. Ive even bleached the shorts but the ring is still there. You may want to take off belts if they are apt to bleed.)
Next, we were off to Dino-Land. DD9, dd2 and I walked right on to Triceratops Spin. While on that ride, I looked down and there were two FPs to Prim evil Whirl that were still valid! My 3 older kids all wanted to go so we really couldnt use them. As it turned out dd6 was not big enough to go on it. She was disappointed. There were still 3 of us going on and only 2 FPs so as we got in line I noticed a couple in front of us. I tapped them on the shoulder and asked if there were just two of them. They said yes and so I offered them the FPs. The stand by line was very LONG and all the FPs were gone for the day) They seemed appreciative, though Im not sure if they realized what it was at the time. I told them to just go in that shorter line over there and they could get right on. The guy gave us a thumbs up, but dd9 pointed out later that neither one of them thanked us. No matter. I hadnt noticed anyway. I was just glad to create a little magic for someone else. (even if they didnt realize it) We waited probably 40 mins before it was finally our turn. DD9 is prone to motion sickness especially when she spins so I was a bit worried that she may get woozy on this ride. (but of course, I never let on Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Look at them ) We all loved it! There was one spot when, through her laughing she said, OK, you can stop spinning now just as we stopped spinning. It turned out to be her favorite ride at AK! It was a blast! Next trip I have to get dh to go on it.
We were just in time for the last show of Tarzan Rocks. What a fun show! DS loved the extreme rollerblading and the girls were fascinated by the aerial acts. I loved the music. The whole family really enjoyed ending our day at AK with that show. Very upbeat! By the time it was over (5:15) AK had already been closed for 15 minutes. As we made our way out to the buses, we passed by animal trainers gathering all the animals for the night. I didnt know until we were there that they bring ALL the animals in at night. What a chore that must be getting them out in the morning and collecting them all at night! Whew!
Back at the Grand Floridian there were evening snacks out in the concierge lounge. We stopped off and enjoyed a bite before heading to our room. The kids really wanted to go swimming so dh took them out. I joined them a bit later, after I had gotten the room a bit organized. We had just gotten in the hot tub when the CMs came around and informed us that they were closing the pools due to lightening in the area. (I guess thats a good enough reason.)
We went back to the room and headed back to the lounge for evening desserts! We didnt even get dinner since the kids really werent hungry theyd snacked enough. We just sat around the lounge relaxing and listening to the band play in the lobby. It was so soothing. Listening and nibbling. Ahhhh, this is the life!
When everyone was asleep except ds and me, I went down to Gasparilla Grill and got us a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches and some ice cream. I hadnt nibbled enough and ds mentioned that he was a bit hungry. It was so convenient to just run down there. Its a good thing I hadnt discovered sooner that they had ice cream. I would have been down there every night after everyone else was asleep.
It was a very long day and theres still more tomorrow! Epcot is the park of choice. After gazing at the castle while it changed colors, I called Mickey and asked him to wake us up early, and then I went to bed.
Lisa
WARNING: If you are looking for a concise report, DONT read this one!
Cast of Characters: Myself, DH, DS11, DD9, DD6, DD2.
17 May
The plan for today was to get an early start and be at Animal Kingdom for opening didnt happen. Everyone was too tired to get up and get going early, so we took it slow. We had a lovely continental breakfast in the concierge lounge. (cereal, breads, pastries, fruit and yogurts)
I had been naughty and didnt turn in our cruise documents at the cruise desk when we checked in like I was supposed to. They called looking for our documents this morning, so on our way out we dropped them off. It took about 5 minutes or less. It was very simple.
From there we headed out to find the bus to AK. At the bus stop the CM called for the AK bus, which arrived in about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the kids watched The Disney Channel (what else?) on the TV at the bus stop. Although Im typically not big on TV, it was nice that they had something to keep them occupied.
We finally got to AK a little after 10am and headed directly for the Safari. I was afraid that it was going to be a long wait, either in line or to use fast passes. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very short wait, actually no wait at all! We basically just walked right on! We all enjoyed the safari, but I could have done without the corny poachers story. Disney should forget the entertainment on this one and focus on education. I would have loved to hear more about the animals instead of the fictitious melodrama. We did get to see quite a few animals and that was very nice.
We next headed to the Lion King, but the show had just started. (Darn!) Pocahontas was just about to begin so we watched it. It was basically a 15 minute infomercial on conservation, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. I had read in many places to skip it if time was short, but dh hadnt read those and he was leading the way. Since he was finally showing some interest in the planning, I didnt want to squelch it.
At this point, Kali River Rapids was calling to us! We headed over to get fast passes. On the way, we encountered DeVine! So COOL! I had read about her on these boards and I was hoping wed get to see her! She was so neat to watch. We watched her lumber to a couple different places, with the crowd parting and then swarming around when she stopped in another spot. Fascinating!
We finally got our fast passes to KRR and then decided to take the train that goes to Conservation Station. DH (who didnt read anything before the trip) thought it made a circuit and wed just ride it around once and be done. I informed him that was not the case, so off we went to quickly explore. By now it was very hot out! We were all getting tired and run down. We went in to the building (air conditioning!) and a very friendly CM helped us find a BUNCH of hidden Mickeys! The kids loved doing that! (and I was having fun too I dont think dh was having as much fun) I really had hoped to see something interesting in the nursery, but unfortunately it was basically empty. The CM had also urged us to go into the little booths to hear the rain forest. It was very interesting. DD2 didnt like it because it was dark and dd6 took her headphones off during the thunderstorm. The older kids loved it!
By now it was our time for KRR so we had to hustle to catch the train and hurry on over to KRR to make it within our time window. I stayed at the entrance to the fast pass lane with our 2 yr old (asleep) while the others went on the raft.
I did see the CM turn away an older couple with fast passes because their time had expired. Honestly, I think they were only 5 minutes late. Lesson learned dont be late for your FP window. They are very strict about the times.
I hadnt gotten a FP because I wasnt sure I really wanted to get soaked, but as soon as the others got back from riding, they insisted that I go on. DH also insisted. He told me it changes your whole outlook on the day. (by cooling off and having a little excitement) I finally agreed. We got more FPs and then went to find some lunch.
We got lunch at some chicken place in Asia. My kids got fried rice and dh and I got the half a chicken wrap, or something like that. It was very good! The chicken was very tender, moist and flavorful! They were nice enough to give us 5 cups of ice water!
We all really needed to drink far more water than we were getting. I kept trying to push the water, but it just was SO HOT at that park, we couldnt drink enough! With all the trees and vegetation, there is no breeze whatsoever. Also, everything is outside so there isnt any air conditioned buildings in which to have some respite from the heat. In all the other parks there are attractions throughout that have a/c so you tend to stay cooler.
By the time we finished with lunch, it was time for us to go on KRR again. This time we opted to use the Baby Swap feature. Dh stayed with dd2 while I rode with the kids. They have a nice little waiting area for those using this feature. It has a few places to sit, its under cover and there are ceiling fans to help cool you while you wait. The kids were right! I loved KRR! I was lucky enough not to get soaked. Of course there are always at least two on every raft that do get drenched! If you plan on going on this ride, dont wear white unless you tend to be an exhibitionist! (This is advice from my SIL who DID wear white AND got drenched!) Oh, and there is a nice little covered compartment in the center of the raft where you can store your shoes and cameras if you dont have someone to hold them for you. I was glad about that since I had only packed one pair of sneakers for each of us! I didnt want to slosh around the parks for the next couple days until they dried.
When we had finished the ride, we met dh and dd2 and traded places. All 3 kids got to go on again with dh! They were soaked by the time they got off this time. DH and DS were the two lucky drowned rats on this final ride! We honestly could have just kept swapping back and forth because it didnt seem that there was a CM paying any attention to who had swapped and who hadnt. (but we wouldnt do that anyway) Im sure they would have caught on when the kids sloshed by for the 6th time! (FYI, dh was wearing khaki shorts with a blue webbed belt. The blue dye ran for some reason, so he had, and still has, a blue ring around his shorts. Ive even bleached the shorts but the ring is still there. You may want to take off belts if they are apt to bleed.)
Next, we were off to Dino-Land. DD9, dd2 and I walked right on to Triceratops Spin. While on that ride, I looked down and there were two FPs to Prim evil Whirl that were still valid! My 3 older kids all wanted to go so we really couldnt use them. As it turned out dd6 was not big enough to go on it. She was disappointed. There were still 3 of us going on and only 2 FPs so as we got in line I noticed a couple in front of us. I tapped them on the shoulder and asked if there were just two of them. They said yes and so I offered them the FPs. The stand by line was very LONG and all the FPs were gone for the day) They seemed appreciative, though Im not sure if they realized what it was at the time. I told them to just go in that shorter line over there and they could get right on. The guy gave us a thumbs up, but dd9 pointed out later that neither one of them thanked us. No matter. I hadnt noticed anyway. I was just glad to create a little magic for someone else. (even if they didnt realize it) We waited probably 40 mins before it was finally our turn. DD9 is prone to motion sickness especially when she spins so I was a bit worried that she may get woozy on this ride. (but of course, I never let on Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Look at them ) We all loved it! There was one spot when, through her laughing she said, OK, you can stop spinning now just as we stopped spinning. It turned out to be her favorite ride at AK! It was a blast! Next trip I have to get dh to go on it.
We were just in time for the last show of Tarzan Rocks. What a fun show! DS loved the extreme rollerblading and the girls were fascinated by the aerial acts. I loved the music. The whole family really enjoyed ending our day at AK with that show. Very upbeat! By the time it was over (5:15) AK had already been closed for 15 minutes. As we made our way out to the buses, we passed by animal trainers gathering all the animals for the night. I didnt know until we were there that they bring ALL the animals in at night. What a chore that must be getting them out in the morning and collecting them all at night! Whew!
Back at the Grand Floridian there were evening snacks out in the concierge lounge. We stopped off and enjoyed a bite before heading to our room. The kids really wanted to go swimming so dh took them out. I joined them a bit later, after I had gotten the room a bit organized. We had just gotten in the hot tub when the CMs came around and informed us that they were closing the pools due to lightening in the area. (I guess thats a good enough reason.)
We went back to the room and headed back to the lounge for evening desserts! We didnt even get dinner since the kids really werent hungry theyd snacked enough. We just sat around the lounge relaxing and listening to the band play in the lobby. It was so soothing. Listening and nibbling. Ahhhh, this is the life!
When everyone was asleep except ds and me, I went down to Gasparilla Grill and got us a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches and some ice cream. I hadnt nibbled enough and ds mentioned that he was a bit hungry. It was so convenient to just run down there. Its a good thing I hadnt discovered sooner that they had ice cream. I would have been down there every night after everyone else was asleep.
It was a very long day and theres still more tomorrow! Epcot is the park of choice. After gazing at the castle while it changed colors, I called Mickey and asked him to wake us up early, and then I went to bed.
Lisa
