It's Pam's Fault . . . Updated 7/10 Chapter 7: DDs Princess Day!
- Thread starter KangaFan
- Start date
KangaFan
Hoping to someday be as patient as Kanga
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- Nov 20, 2006
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Jo: We had no problem using the fastpasses. I think once, on Soarin' maybe someone said something like, "a little late are we," but that was it. Even when Space Mountain had been down
sharkB8HooHaHa: that's a lot of work to type, can I call you sharky or maybe sharkster?
(not sure what you would use this for, but I like him) Anyway, it was nice near that rope since the kids could still playin Donald's Boat and I don't think the water was even on. I'm afraid I don't remember who to credit the tip to, but I'm sure I read it on one of the TRs. I think both Minnie & Mickey's houses are too cute and I agree, the details are a lot to take in. DD loves to stop and smell the twolips, though, so we went through these at a somewhat leisurely pace. Thanks for reading!
tinkgurl: if you are standing looking at the queue for Dumbo, the non-flying version is to the right. I will say that had we been up for it, the time between Spectro & Wishes would have been a great time to do some of the Fantasyland attractions. We did Dumbo because he was convenient, but everything else looked pretty open as we walked through
sharkB8HooHaHa: that's a lot of work to type, can I call you sharky or maybe sharkster?
(not sure what you would use this for, but I like him) Anyway, it was nice near that rope since the kids could still playin Donald's Boat and I don't think the water was even on. I'm afraid I don't remember who to credit the tip to, but I'm sure I read it on one of the TRs. I think both Minnie & Mickey's houses are too cute and I agree, the details are a lot to take in. DD loves to stop and smell the twolips, though, so we went through these at a somewhat leisurely pace. Thanks for reading!tinkgurl: if you are standing looking at the queue for Dumbo, the non-flying version is to the right. I will say that had we been up for it, the time between Spectro & Wishes would have been a great time to do some of the Fantasyland attractions. We did Dumbo because he was convenient, but everything else looked pretty open as we walked through
KangaFan
Hoping to someday be as patient as Kanga
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
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Hi Jo, it really has been ages--3 months almost, pitiful 
I'm afraid I came down from my Disney high and life took over. Oh, and I found out that we have to move, nope, not a military move where they come in and box us up. The folks who own our house, who we were told wouldn't be moving back here, are moving back here, so we have to move ourselves.
I am sure many have survived it before us, but we're a little stressed.
I do intend to finish my report, though because I hate it when I start watching a show, one with some unresolved issues and then it's not popular, so they cancel it. I'm still left wondering what happened to those people. I may get something out before the move, but if not, look for me in July. Thanks for thinking of me
I'm afraid I came down from my Disney high and life took over. Oh, and I found out that we have to move, nope, not a military move where they come in and box us up. The folks who own our house, who we were told wouldn't be moving back here, are moving back here, so we have to move ourselves.
I am sure many have survived it before us, but we're a little stressed.I do intend to finish my report, though because I hate it when I start watching a show, one with some unresolved issues and then it's not popular, so they cancel it. I'm still left wondering what happened to those people. I may get something out before the move, but if not, look for me in July. Thanks for thinking of me
KangaFan
Hoping to someday be as patient as Kanga
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
- 687
Thanks for kicking my but in gear, Jo, here's another pre-move installment!
Day 5Wednesday, January 24th
We awoke Wednesday morning to overcast skies with rain/drizzle on and off. By the time we were ready to catch our taxi to the Grand Floridian for the kids Pirate Adventure and our adults-only breakfast at the GF Café, it was more off than on, so I was glad that it looked as if it wouldnt be cancelled. It was a quick trip by taxi. In fact, finding the marina probably took longer than our cab ride. I really underestimated how spread out the GF was. We finally found the spot to check in only to find out that there would be no cruise for our pirates this morning. Because of the possible rain, they were doing the Pirate Adventure inside the Grand Floridian. We had the option of canceling, but the kids didnt want to, so we checked in, dropped them off and headed over to the GF Café for our brunch. I got the frittata and DH, DSis, DM and DMBF got usual breakfast fare. Everything was good, but nothing notable that I feel like I would need to go back for. I think if I were to do it again, I would have gone to the CS restaurant and used some of the extra CS credits we had.
We were done with our breakfast fairly quickly and the kids were still pillaging, so we thought we would hop the monorail to MK to see if we could take in the Hall of Presidents. It was one attraction DM wanted to see that we had missed. Unfortunately, we just missed a showing and it was going to be 30 minutes until the next, so DH offered to go back to pick up the kiddies while we watched since there were only a couple of new presidents since he saw it last in the 80s. I passed him our receipt and off he went. Five minutes later while sitting in the waiting area with everyone, I reached in my pocket and realized that I still had the pager. Ooops.
Off I went, no presidents for me today.
I rendezvoused with DH at the monorail station and we went to pick up our pirates who really enjoyed their adventure even though they were land locked. Heres a couple of pictures of our pirates with their booty.
We took the monorail to the TTC and met up with everyone to catch the bus to MGM. Since we were arriving in the afternoon, I didnt have much of a game plan. I wasnt sure which rides would be crowded, but the on/off drizzle worked to our advantage and we were able to walk right on for the biggies. We all, including DD4 did TOT.
Here's a group picture before TOT
DD wasnt scarred for life or anything, but once was enough for her. DH and DS8 loved it, however and went back for a couple more rides. Then everyone else went to do RnR while I took DD for ice cream. We swapped out and DH hung with DD while DS and I went. On our way in, we stopped for a pic and so did DM and DSis.
Moms DBF was pictured out, so he abstained. We were teasing him and so when the photographer was done with us, he started shooting pictures of DMBF, paparattzi style.
I headed to RnR with DS and it was great!
It became my favorite ride!
I cant remember what we did next, but at some point we hit the Muppets and Star Tours. I got a call from DMIL to say that they were heading over from Epcot and could they join us for dinner. Heres why it is great to be at Disney in January when its raining. I called dining to see if I could add two to our ADR at 50s PT. They couldnt, but they made a separate ADR for 2 and said that if we checked in early, we should be able to combine our ADRs. While I was doing all the calling, DD got autographs from a bunch of characters that showed up in front of the Great Movie Ride.
Anyone know who these two are?
Dinner set, we boarded the GMR. It was okay, not a must see in my book. Fortunately, even though we went on the Alien side, the kids didnt notice since they were on the other side of the car. I think it would have scared DD.
After the GMR, we met up with my in-laws. DD really wanted to see the VOTLM, so DMIL and I took her while DS took DFIL and DH back to Star Tours. DD loved VOTLM and by the time we were done, we headed over to PT for our ADR. Combining our ADRs was no problem and they seated us right away. We had Mary Ann and she was great! She told us to use our napkins because she wasnt doing laundry until next Tuesday then picked on my DFIL for being a tattle tale twice and when he didnt eat his green beans, she made a big deal and said she was going to fix them in a way that he would eat them. Heres a pic of his green bean sundae:
DD helped Grandpa out and ate the topping:
After dinner it was still raining a little and DM and DMBF decided to head back to POFQ, but this was the only night that we could see Fantasmic, so we decided to stick it out and see if they would show it. DH wasnt exactly thrilled and I think DFIL thought I was a little nuts, too, but they agreed. Since it was raining, we didnt have to be there quite so early to get seats which was good. My disposable rain ponchos came in handy for sitting on since all the benches were wet. The rain stopped in time for Fantasmic and it was incredible! Definitely worth waiting in the rain for. As we were exiting, DFIL said, that was Fantastic! Corny, I know, but I couldnt resist correcting him, no, that was Fantasmic!
We took our time and stopped at the restrooms on the way out. Luckily, the rain made exiting quicker than usual, I am sure. The kids even got a free ride when we were offered a double stroller.
This worked out great for their tired legs at the end of another great day!
DO--Consider a taxi between resorts when you have an early/late ADR or
activity. The extra rest in the morning made our late night much easier.
--Call if you have booked the kids on a Pirate Cruise and its raining or
even drizzling to see if they are holding it inside. Although they had a
great time, I personally didnt feel that running around the Grand Floridian
was worth the cost and would have rather spent the morning hanging in
at POFQ or hitting rides at MGM. Once we were there, however, the
kids didnt want to cancel
--MGM in the rain. Almost everything is inside and the rain keeps away
the crowds!
--bring regular ponchos for rainy days. The disposable ones are okay
for a water ride, but for walking around in the rain, you really
need the thicker plastic ones
--RnR , the take off is amazing! Nuff said
--50s Prime Time. Everyone loved it and the kids couldnt stop
chuckling at Grandpa getting in trouble
--Fantasmic, even if its raining, just dont forget to pack something
to sit on!
DONT--(this is a reminder for me) Use TS credits for breakfast at the
GF Café, it was okay, but nothing special and I think there are
better uses for those credits
--Order vegetables at 50s PT unless youre going to eat them
Up next: A drizzly Animal Kingdom, DS favorite ride, Boma & a girls night out!
Day 5Wednesday, January 24th
We awoke Wednesday morning to overcast skies with rain/drizzle on and off. By the time we were ready to catch our taxi to the Grand Floridian for the kids Pirate Adventure and our adults-only breakfast at the GF Café, it was more off than on, so I was glad that it looked as if it wouldnt be cancelled. It was a quick trip by taxi. In fact, finding the marina probably took longer than our cab ride. I really underestimated how spread out the GF was. We finally found the spot to check in only to find out that there would be no cruise for our pirates this morning. Because of the possible rain, they were doing the Pirate Adventure inside the Grand Floridian. We had the option of canceling, but the kids didnt want to, so we checked in, dropped them off and headed over to the GF Café for our brunch. I got the frittata and DH, DSis, DM and DMBF got usual breakfast fare. Everything was good, but nothing notable that I feel like I would need to go back for. I think if I were to do it again, I would have gone to the CS restaurant and used some of the extra CS credits we had.
We were done with our breakfast fairly quickly and the kids were still pillaging, so we thought we would hop the monorail to MK to see if we could take in the Hall of Presidents. It was one attraction DM wanted to see that we had missed. Unfortunately, we just missed a showing and it was going to be 30 minutes until the next, so DH offered to go back to pick up the kiddies while we watched since there were only a couple of new presidents since he saw it last in the 80s. I passed him our receipt and off he went. Five minutes later while sitting in the waiting area with everyone, I reached in my pocket and realized that I still had the pager. Ooops.
Off I went, no presidents for me today. I rendezvoused with DH at the monorail station and we went to pick up our pirates who really enjoyed their adventure even though they were land locked. Heres a couple of pictures of our pirates with their booty.
We took the monorail to the TTC and met up with everyone to catch the bus to MGM. Since we were arriving in the afternoon, I didnt have much of a game plan. I wasnt sure which rides would be crowded, but the on/off drizzle worked to our advantage and we were able to walk right on for the biggies. We all, including DD4 did TOT.
Here's a group picture before TOT
DD wasnt scarred for life or anything, but once was enough for her. DH and DS8 loved it, however and went back for a couple more rides. Then everyone else went to do RnR while I took DD for ice cream. We swapped out and DH hung with DD while DS and I went. On our way in, we stopped for a pic and so did DM and DSis.
Moms DBF was pictured out, so he abstained. We were teasing him and so when the photographer was done with us, he started shooting pictures of DMBF, paparattzi style.
I headed to RnR with DS and it was great!
It became my favorite ride!I cant remember what we did next, but at some point we hit the Muppets and Star Tours. I got a call from DMIL to say that they were heading over from Epcot and could they join us for dinner. Heres why it is great to be at Disney in January when its raining. I called dining to see if I could add two to our ADR at 50s PT. They couldnt, but they made a separate ADR for 2 and said that if we checked in early, we should be able to combine our ADRs. While I was doing all the calling, DD got autographs from a bunch of characters that showed up in front of the Great Movie Ride.
Anyone know who these two are?
Dinner set, we boarded the GMR. It was okay, not a must see in my book. Fortunately, even though we went on the Alien side, the kids didnt notice since they were on the other side of the car. I think it would have scared DD.
After the GMR, we met up with my in-laws. DD really wanted to see the VOTLM, so DMIL and I took her while DS took DFIL and DH back to Star Tours. DD loved VOTLM and by the time we were done, we headed over to PT for our ADR. Combining our ADRs was no problem and they seated us right away. We had Mary Ann and she was great! She told us to use our napkins because she wasnt doing laundry until next Tuesday then picked on my DFIL for being a tattle tale twice and when he didnt eat his green beans, she made a big deal and said she was going to fix them in a way that he would eat them. Heres a pic of his green bean sundae:
DD helped Grandpa out and ate the topping:
After dinner it was still raining a little and DM and DMBF decided to head back to POFQ, but this was the only night that we could see Fantasmic, so we decided to stick it out and see if they would show it. DH wasnt exactly thrilled and I think DFIL thought I was a little nuts, too, but they agreed. Since it was raining, we didnt have to be there quite so early to get seats which was good. My disposable rain ponchos came in handy for sitting on since all the benches were wet. The rain stopped in time for Fantasmic and it was incredible! Definitely worth waiting in the rain for. As we were exiting, DFIL said, that was Fantastic! Corny, I know, but I couldnt resist correcting him, no, that was Fantasmic!
We took our time and stopped at the restrooms on the way out. Luckily, the rain made exiting quicker than usual, I am sure. The kids even got a free ride when we were offered a double stroller.
This worked out great for their tired legs at the end of another great day!
DO--Consider a taxi between resorts when you have an early/late ADR or
activity. The extra rest in the morning made our late night much easier.
--Call if you have booked the kids on a Pirate Cruise and its raining or
even drizzling to see if they are holding it inside. Although they had a
great time, I personally didnt feel that running around the Grand Floridian
was worth the cost and would have rather spent the morning hanging in
at POFQ or hitting rides at MGM. Once we were there, however, the
kids didnt want to cancel
--MGM in the rain. Almost everything is inside and the rain keeps away
the crowds!
--bring regular ponchos for rainy days. The disposable ones are okay
for a water ride, but for walking around in the rain, you really
need the thicker plastic ones
--RnR , the take off is amazing! Nuff said
--50s Prime Time. Everyone loved it and the kids couldnt stop
chuckling at Grandpa getting in trouble
--Fantasmic, even if its raining, just dont forget to pack something
to sit on!
DONT--(this is a reminder for me) Use TS credits for breakfast at the
GF Café, it was okay, but nothing special and I think there are
better uses for those credits
--Order vegetables at 50s PT unless youre going to eat them
Up next: A drizzly Animal Kingdom, DS favorite ride, Boma & a girls night out!
DisneyJo
Missing my tags!
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2006
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- 20,224
That's OK anytime
So sweet
Sounds like you had a lovely MGM day and I love your do's and don'ts
KangaFan
Hoping to someday be as patient as Kanga
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
- 687
Glad to know I'm not the only one who didn't know these guys. I was beginning to question my disney dorkness.
dreamsofdisney
Still has a little Mickey Dust sprinkled on her de
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2006
- Messages
- 544
The second picture/character is Terk from Disney's Tarzan. We've seen her a lot at AK. Not sure about the first character. I've never seen her in the parks, but I'm on the case! It will drive me bonkers if I can't figure it out!
Loving your TR so far. Good luck with the move!
Loving your TR so far. Good luck with the move!
KangaFan
Hoping to someday be as patient as Kanga
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
- 687
The second picture/character is Terk from Disney's Tarzan. We've seen her a lot at AK. Not sure about the first character. I've never seen her in the parks, but I'm on the case! It will drive me bonkers if I can't figure it out!
Loving your TR so far. Good luck with the move!
Tarzan, well, that makes sense. He was definitely cute. Any luck with the chicken?
Glad you're enjoying it and thanks for your well-wishes on the move. I am just about ready to post my last pre-move installment!
KangaFan
Hoping to someday be as patient as Kanga
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
- 687
Thursday, January 25th
We awoke Thursday morning to the sound of—you guessed it—rain. This was our Animal Kingdom day and since many of the highlights were outdoors and I was facing a mutiny from my husband if we got up and went another day in the rain, I made an executive decision to hang out at POFQ until 10. Looking at the forecast, the rain was due to stop around noon and I figured if we headed out and hit the FOTLK first, it should be clearing up in time for lunch and all the other attractions. The plan worked great. While DH & I saved our place in a pretty much non-existent line for FOTLK, my in-laws took the kids to Camp Minnie/Mickey for autographs.
We all met up and got great seats!
Just a little tip, when looking for a place to sit, I noticed there were handicapped signs on the ends of the first two rows. I assumed it reserved the whole row, but I was wrong. It’s just the actual seats that are marked, so we could have sat even closer. Oops. Anyway, the show was incredible. If you are trying to talk someone into going to Disney who isn’t into rides, sell them on the shows! As you may remember from my pre-trip cast of characters, my Mom’s DBF was not a rider and my DMIL could not do a lot of rides due to her impending back surgery. However, everyone found something to enjoy and we all loved this show!
The music was amazing and the kids loved the acrobats.
I was impressed at the balance of the performers on stilts:
DS cracked up when this acrobat came over an pretended to eat a bug out of his hair and then showed him how the bug had "turned" his mouth green:
By the time we were done with the show everyone was getting hungry so we headed to Tusker House for some lunch. I had the salmon and it was delicious and definitely a great value for a CS meal. DD had a chicken leg meal—she had never tried chicken legs before this trip, but she was loving them. She even asked if she could bring home her chicken bone collection. I wasn't too sure about if that one would make it past the airport screeners. I can’t remember what everyone else had, but they all enjoyed their meals. I was really impressed with how realistic the décor was. If it wasn’t for the touch screens and the stainless food serving equipment, you would think we were eating in Africa.
In fact, the entire African village was impressive with its attention to detail.
And these little fishermen were too cute!
Next we went on the Safari. I had planned to get fastpasses, but thanks to the morning’s rain, they weren’t even handing them out because it was a walk on!
Some of the usual safari shots:
After the safari, we split up. DFIL & DMIL took DD to do the Wildlife Express Train and we headed to conquer the Yeti. I know you can do a petting zoo anywhere, but it was definitely a highlight for DD and it was a chance for some down time. My in-laws said that she did nothing but brush goats for over an hour. I knew this was true because she smelled like one when we met back up.
Anyway, the rest of our group headed to Expedition Everest which instantly became DS favorite. I thought it was pretty good, but not as great at RnR at MGM. Our group shot:
After a few more walk-on rounds with the Yeti, we called my in-laws and since DD was still petting goats, we headed to Dinoland. Dinoland was empty and everything was a walk on!!! DH, DS, DSis and I went on Primevil Whirl, an experience I do not wish to repeat, although DH & DS went back on. I just felt it was too jerky with pretty much no thrill involved.
Next we all went on Dinosaur. I think we experienced technical difficulties because at one point the whole ride went dark, we stopped moving forward and the car continues to jostle us like we were moving. After a few minutes, I was feeling a little nauseous, so this wasn’t one of my favorites. It was not popular with DSis, either, in fact, I think she was a little terrified by the dinosaurs. I didn’t want to spring for the actual picture, but take a look at our "stolen" Photopass pic:
DSis is the one on the left.
After Dinosaur, we stopped to watch the painter street show. I can’t say how impressive all these little shows were!
We didn’t stay for the whole performance, however, because DS was anxious to do some more rides, so we went on Triceratops Spin.
Next we met up with my in-laws and our little goat girl who was fast asleep. I had planned to take her on Triceratops Spin, but since she was snoozing, we headed up to see It’s Tough to Be a Bug. DD woke up and everyone loved it, with once exception. DSis jumped a mile when the big spiders fell down.
Next we grabbed seats for the JJ Parade.
There was my favorite stilt walkers:
And of course Minnie. The kids loved popping her bubbles.
And Goofy with his grill:
The carved animals on these floats were impressive:
And of course, the big cheese to finish it off.
The parade was good, but not a must see in my book. I think we were spoiled by Spectromagic. After the parade we headed out and caught the bus to AK Lodge for our dinner at Boma.
Apparently a lot of folks do the same thing because the bus and the waiting area at Boma were very crowded. It took a little while for us to be seated, but once we were, everyone enjoyed the food. My in-laws were particularly impressed because they hadn’t been with us for O’Hana earlier in the week. I have to say, O’Hana was still my favorite and the kids because of the activities.
After we were all stuffed, DH, the kiddies and my in-laws headed back to POFQ while my Mom, DSis and I headed to DTD for some shopping. Our first stop was none other than the World of Memories which, as a serious scrapbooker, was a bit of a disappointment. There were a few unique packages that I picked up, but not a whole lot of actual scrapbooking materials.
After a couple more stops, we hit the World of Disney, which was HUGE! In fact, I lost Mom and DSis and while I was looking for them, I was mistaken for a cast member. You see, the kids had brought Pal Mickey who came with a bright yellow lanyard that we never actually used for Pal, but I started wearing it with a holder for my Key to the World (you know, to make it easier to eat, and of course—shop). Apparently, Pal’s lanyard made me look official because while I was looking through the racks for Mom and DSis, a 13-ish boy with a charming Spanish accent came up to me and said, “Excuse me, I need these in extra large,” while gesturing toward his feet. I looked down and did all I could not to bust a gut in the poor guy’s face. On his feet were none other than a large, yellow, overstuffed pair of Mickey feet slippers. I managed to reign myself in and quickly replied, “Sorry, I don’t work here,” before I ran off to chuckle out of sight.
I reunited with Mom and DSis and after we all paid homage (and what I mean by that is mucho dinero to the Mouse), we decided we were all walked out and ready to head back. Instead of catching a bus, however, we decided to cap off our girls’ night with a boat ride back to POFQ. It was the perfect end to our evening!
DO--Head to the parks when its raining. Even if you only do the
inside attractions at first, the rain doesn’t seem to be constant
like it is in other areas of the country and walking onto rides
more than makes up for wearing a poncho!
--FOTLK! It was an amazing show. In fact, DMIL, a retired music
teacher, said we could just leave her there and she would watch it
over and over
--know that you can sit in the front rows at FOTLK, the handicapped
markers save just those seats, not the whole row
--Tusker House, especially if you’re on the dining plan—it’s a great
value for a counter service credit
--Take advantage of the many different forms of transportation at
Disney, even if it takes a little longer. Riding boats, monorails,
buses and trains was a great opportunity for us to take a load
off and spend some time just visiting with each other
DON’T--plan sit down dinners toward the end of the week after
a long park day—this rule many not apply to everyone
but I have heard rave reviews on Boma and it just didn’t
thrill us. I think we were all getting tired and after
trekking around Animal Kingdom, a quick meal back
at POFQ would have been more relaxing.
--wear an official looking lanyard unless you know where
they keep the extra large Mickey slippers
Up next: Princess Day, Why I canceled BBB, Our return to MGM, and Whispering Canyon Café!
We awoke Thursday morning to the sound of—you guessed it—rain. This was our Animal Kingdom day and since many of the highlights were outdoors and I was facing a mutiny from my husband if we got up and went another day in the rain, I made an executive decision to hang out at POFQ until 10. Looking at the forecast, the rain was due to stop around noon and I figured if we headed out and hit the FOTLK first, it should be clearing up in time for lunch and all the other attractions. The plan worked great. While DH & I saved our place in a pretty much non-existent line for FOTLK, my in-laws took the kids to Camp Minnie/Mickey for autographs.
We all met up and got great seats!
Just a little tip, when looking for a place to sit, I noticed there were handicapped signs on the ends of the first two rows. I assumed it reserved the whole row, but I was wrong. It’s just the actual seats that are marked, so we could have sat even closer. Oops. Anyway, the show was incredible. If you are trying to talk someone into going to Disney who isn’t into rides, sell them on the shows! As you may remember from my pre-trip cast of characters, my Mom’s DBF was not a rider and my DMIL could not do a lot of rides due to her impending back surgery. However, everyone found something to enjoy and we all loved this show!
The music was amazing and the kids loved the acrobats.
I was impressed at the balance of the performers on stilts:
DS cracked up when this acrobat came over an pretended to eat a bug out of his hair and then showed him how the bug had "turned" his mouth green:
By the time we were done with the show everyone was getting hungry so we headed to Tusker House for some lunch. I had the salmon and it was delicious and definitely a great value for a CS meal. DD had a chicken leg meal—she had never tried chicken legs before this trip, but she was loving them. She even asked if she could bring home her chicken bone collection. I wasn't too sure about if that one would make it past the airport screeners.
I can’t remember what everyone else had, but they all enjoyed their meals. I was really impressed with how realistic the décor was. If it wasn’t for the touch screens and the stainless food serving equipment, you would think we were eating in Africa.
In fact, the entire African village was impressive with its attention to detail.
And these little fishermen were too cute!
Next we went on the Safari. I had planned to get fastpasses, but thanks to the morning’s rain, they weren’t even handing them out because it was a walk on!
Some of the usual safari shots:
After the safari, we split up. DFIL & DMIL took DD to do the Wildlife Express Train and we headed to conquer the Yeti. I know you can do a petting zoo anywhere, but it was definitely a highlight for DD and it was a chance for some down time. My in-laws said that she did nothing but brush goats for over an hour. I knew this was true because she smelled like one when we met back up.
Anyway, the rest of our group headed to Expedition Everest which instantly became DS favorite. I thought it was pretty good, but not as great at RnR at MGM. Our group shot:
After a few more walk-on rounds with the Yeti, we called my in-laws and since DD was still petting goats, we headed to Dinoland. Dinoland was empty and everything was a walk on!!! DH, DS, DSis and I went on Primevil Whirl, an experience I do not wish to repeat, although DH & DS went back on. I just felt it was too jerky with pretty much no thrill involved.
Next we all went on Dinosaur. I think we experienced technical difficulties because at one point the whole ride went dark, we stopped moving forward and the car continues to jostle us like we were moving. After a few minutes, I was feeling a little nauseous, so this wasn’t one of my favorites. It was not popular with DSis, either, in fact, I think she was a little terrified by the dinosaurs. I didn’t want to spring for the actual picture, but take a look at our "stolen" Photopass pic:
DSis is the one on the left.
After Dinosaur, we stopped to watch the painter street show. I can’t say how impressive all these little shows were!
We didn’t stay for the whole performance, however, because DS was anxious to do some more rides, so we went on Triceratops Spin.
Next we met up with my in-laws and our little goat girl who was fast asleep. I had planned to take her on Triceratops Spin, but since she was snoozing, we headed up to see It’s Tough to Be a Bug. DD woke up and everyone loved it, with once exception. DSis jumped a mile when the big spiders fell down.
Next we grabbed seats for the JJ Parade.
There was my favorite stilt walkers:
And of course Minnie. The kids loved popping her bubbles.
And Goofy with his grill:
The carved animals on these floats were impressive:
And of course, the big cheese to finish it off.
The parade was good, but not a must see in my book. I think we were spoiled by Spectromagic. After the parade we headed out and caught the bus to AK Lodge for our dinner at Boma.
Apparently a lot of folks do the same thing because the bus and the waiting area at Boma were very crowded. It took a little while for us to be seated, but once we were, everyone enjoyed the food. My in-laws were particularly impressed because they hadn’t been with us for O’Hana earlier in the week. I have to say, O’Hana was still my favorite and the kids because of the activities.
After we were all stuffed, DH, the kiddies and my in-laws headed back to POFQ while my Mom, DSis and I headed to DTD for some shopping. Our first stop was none other than the World of Memories which, as a serious scrapbooker, was a bit of a disappointment. There were a few unique packages that I picked up, but not a whole lot of actual scrapbooking materials.
After a couple more stops, we hit the World of Disney, which was HUGE! In fact, I lost Mom and DSis and while I was looking for them, I was mistaken for a cast member. You see, the kids had brought Pal Mickey who came with a bright yellow lanyard that we never actually used for Pal, but I started wearing it with a holder for my Key to the World (you know, to make it easier to eat, and of course—shop). Apparently, Pal’s lanyard made me look official because while I was looking through the racks for Mom and DSis, a 13-ish boy with a charming Spanish accent came up to me and said, “Excuse me, I need these in extra large,” while gesturing toward his feet. I looked down and did all I could not to bust a gut in the poor guy’s face. On his feet were none other than a large, yellow, overstuffed pair of Mickey feet slippers. I managed to reign myself in and quickly replied, “Sorry, I don’t work here,” before I ran off to chuckle out of sight.
I reunited with Mom and DSis and after we all paid homage (and what I mean by that is mucho dinero to the Mouse), we decided we were all walked out and ready to head back. Instead of catching a bus, however, we decided to cap off our girls’ night with a boat ride back to POFQ. It was the perfect end to our evening!
DO--Head to the parks when its raining. Even if you only do the
inside attractions at first, the rain doesn’t seem to be constant
like it is in other areas of the country and walking onto rides
more than makes up for wearing a poncho!
--FOTLK! It was an amazing show. In fact, DMIL, a retired music
teacher, said we could just leave her there and she would watch it
over and over
--know that you can sit in the front rows at FOTLK, the handicapped
markers save just those seats, not the whole row
--Tusker House, especially if you’re on the dining plan—it’s a great
value for a counter service credit
--Take advantage of the many different forms of transportation at
Disney, even if it takes a little longer. Riding boats, monorails,
buses and trains was a great opportunity for us to take a load
off and spend some time just visiting with each other
DON’T--plan sit down dinners toward the end of the week after
a long park day—this rule many not apply to everyone
but I have heard rave reviews on Boma and it just didn’t
thrill us. I think we were all getting tired and after
trekking around Animal Kingdom, a quick meal back
at POFQ would have been more relaxing.
--wear an official looking lanyard unless you know where
they keep the extra large Mickey slippers
Up next: Princess Day, Why I canceled BBB, Our return to MGM, and Whispering Canyon Café!
lexmelinda
<font color=blue>Has a Seussical googling DD<br><f
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 3,361
See.....here I am! 
And it looks like I've got some catching up to do!
And it looks like I've got some catching up to do!
KangaFan
Hoping to someday be as patient as Kanga
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
- 687
Jo: thanks again for kicking me into gear--it's been a good pre-move stress reliever. Also, on the do's & don'ts--as I mentioned before, as with all great things Disney, I picked that up on the DIS from a wonderful trip reporter known here has Lexmelinda. Although she's taken her pics out, her Do's & Don't are still available. Here's a link to her report: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1240257
Melinda: I am so glad you could join us! Your report was the first one I ever read and I was hooked. In fact, you are pretty much responsible for the beginning of my addiction and the resulting downhill slide of housework done in the Kanga household prior to our trip Enjoy, the format should look a little familiar
Gmax! You lucky girl! I just noticed you're going "home." I wish I could talk DH into it, but we live in the DC area, you know, where fixer uppers go for a half a million and he has this silly idea that we need to save up for a non-Disney home first--where are his priorities???
Melinda: I am so glad you could join us! Your report was the first one I ever read and I was hooked. In fact, you are pretty much responsible for the beginning of my addiction and the resulting downhill slide of housework done in the Kanga household prior to our trip
Enjoy, the format should look a little familiar Gmax! You lucky girl! I just noticed you're going "home." I wish I could talk DH into it, but we live in the DC area, you know, where fixer uppers go for a half a million and he has this silly idea that we need to save up for a non-Disney home first--where are his priorities???
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