Dates: January 1st to January 5th, 2001
Location: Wilderness Lodge
Cast: Trisha (Me-42-Mom & avid planner)
Clyde (Dad - 47)
Christina (Daughter - 5 1/2)
Day 5, January 5, 2001 â Animal Kingdom, a brief visit to MK, and Whispering Canyon
Today was our Animal Kingdom day. It isnâÂÂt my favorite park (not a big animal lover) but it is ClydeâÂÂs very favorite. We got packed, ate our snack breakfast, grabbed hot cocoa, and were out to the bus by 7:45. We actually arrived at the park around 8:10 after about a 10 minute wait at the bus stop. It was still chilly today, but showing signs of being warmer than the rest of the week.
When we arrived at AK there were lots of characters just inside the entrance. While Clyde procured a stroller (this is usually the only park where I feel one is necessary) Christina got in line to see Terk. We also saw Safari Minnie for a picture. Also there were Chip, Dale, Rafiki, Timon, Baloo, King Louis and Safari Mickey. WeâÂÂd seen a lot of these, and Christina wasnâÂÂt interested in the rest of them.
We headed off to the Safari. Along the way we checked out some of the Oasis area. DidnâÂÂt see much beyond flamingos and deer and ducks. I think it was too cold for them! When we got to Africa, we grabbed FastPasses, visited the restroom, and went on the Pangani Forest Trail. We saw the meerkats, some birds, some antelope, and the gorillas. According to the CM, the gorillas had not been out much in the cold weather. On the day before they said they were only out for 10 minutes all day. I guess we were just lucky.
Next was our safari. I was a bit disappointed to see that using Fast Pass means you miss all the movie clips in the pre-show area. I think those make the safari a lot better, myself. Anyway, our guide was Victoria from Pretoria, South Africa. She was pretty good, I thought. We saw two types of rhinos, several types of antelope, elephants, giraffes, zebra, cheetah, lions, ostriches, and several other types of animals. I think Clyde and Christina really enjoyed it, and I thought it was nice, too. Christina still really gets into the Big Red/Little Red story. I hope that lasts for a few more years!
After the Safari we headed for Conservation Station. Christina had a big time brushing the goats, and we saw a nice domestic animal training show. It was cute. She also got her last souvenir, a nice big stuffed Zebra (named Stripey).
After this, we decided to try to catch the 11:30 Lion King show. We headed back through the park and got there just in time to get pretty good seats in the Giraffe section. After only a short wait we saw the show. This is ClydeâÂÂs very favorite show in all the parks. Christina and I also enjoy it, but she prefers Little Mermaid and I prefer Hunchback! One interesting note is that the tumble monkeys didnâÂÂt perform in this show. They came out with the other dancers, but didnâÂÂt do their routine! I hope this isnâÂÂt a permanent situation, does anyone know?
After the Lion King we were hungry, so we had lunch at Pizzafari. This was pretty good, we thought. Christina had the cheese pizza (ate half) I had the deluxe pizza (ate all!ïÂÂ) and Clyde had the Penne Pasta. We scarfed this down and then headed to get fastpasses for Kali River Rapids.
We obtained the fast passes, then went to get seats for the 1:00 Tarzan Show. We liked this show. We really thought Tarzan and Jane were hot ïÂÂ! We also liked the music, although the band canâÂÂt compare to Phil Collins.
After this, we had a difference of opinion over Kali Rapids. I wanted to go, Christina wasnâÂÂt too sure but was willing to go through the line with us. Clyde thought weâÂÂd get wet and be miserable, even though we had our ponchos. He said that he was only making sure we thought about it and was willing to go, but he didnâÂÂt sound as if he wanted to go. Then Christina started saying she didnâÂÂt want to go. Then I said, okay, lets go to Magic Kingdom then. Then Clyde changed his story and said lets go on Kali. It was a mess! We ended up leaving AK and heading for the Magic Kingdom.
We caught our bus to the TTC, then grabbed the monorail. After entering MK we got a stroller and headed over to BTMRR. We waited 30 minutes for this, but we loved this, again. Then, I talked them into going on Haunted Mansion with me. Christina didnâÂÂt like this idea, and it was quite crowded getting there (right after a parade) but we made it on after about a 20 minute wait. After the ride Christina said it wasnâÂÂt so bad. IâÂÂm glad we did it, and will probably go again, but it wasnâÂÂt my favorite! Then, for our last ride we went to ItâÂÂs a Small World. We loved this, as always. By then it was time to head over to WL for our 5:00 dinner at Whispering Canyon.
We went down and caught our last boat back to the lodge. The boat ride was great. It had finally warmed up some today (got to 60!) and we rode out on front of the boat. We landed about 4:58 and headed quickly to Whispering Canyon. We checked in and were seated right away. If IâÂÂd known how empty it would be I wouldnâÂÂt have run all the way up there! Our waiter was Chuck, and he was great. He teased Christina a lot (are you hungry? I thought you said you were Christina, etcâ¦.) He also got Clyde when he didnâÂÂt know what color the soap was after going to the bathroom! We all ordered the all-you-can-eat barbeque skillet. The pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausages and brisket were all great. The corn on the cob, salad, break and potatoes were also good. I had the honey lager, and it was really exceptional! I recommend this meal highly. Toward the end of the meal Chuck said they were short of sausages, and could he have a leg and tail from the Zebra? This caused great hilarity at our table. Chuck also picked on one of the other CMs, the pre-teen girl at the next table, and a whole table of late teen/early 20s next to us. All in all this was a great way to end our trip. My one complaint was that it took forever to get our check. Clyde had to go out and meet Frank at 6:20 to load our luggage, and he came back and we waited another 10 minutes to get checked out and leave!
The trip to the airport went uneventfully, and we got onto our plane on time and took off right on schedule. It was a small (30 seats or so) propeller plane. We were seated right over the wings in row 4. It was a very, very bumpy flight. Clyde and Christina slept through it, but I stayed wide awake and terrified most of the way home. The stewardess even landed on her rear in the aisle at one point! The pilot did send back some wings for Christina, and she was very proud.
My friend and her son met us at the airport, and we loaded up and go home within 20 minutes.
We had a great time! It was terribly cold, things didnâÂÂt always go exactly as planned, and we missed some things that I wanted to do, but it was a great trip and we canâÂÂt wait to go back! Next time we will try to stay at either Animal Kingdom Lodge or Yacht Club, and stay longer!!!
TodayâÂÂs Damage
Stroller Rental $ 6.00
Stuffed Zebra $ 23.00
Lunch, Pizzafari $ 24.77
Dinner, Whispering Canyon $ 86.00
Maid Tip $ 5.00
Bellman Tip $ 6.00
Local Phone Calls $ 3.75
Total for Day $ 154.52
Running Total $2845.92
Location: Wilderness Lodge
Cast: Trisha (Me-42-Mom & avid planner)
Clyde (Dad - 47)
Christina (Daughter - 5 1/2)
Day 5, January 5, 2001 â Animal Kingdom, a brief visit to MK, and Whispering Canyon
Today was our Animal Kingdom day. It isnâÂÂt my favorite park (not a big animal lover) but it is ClydeâÂÂs very favorite. We got packed, ate our snack breakfast, grabbed hot cocoa, and were out to the bus by 7:45. We actually arrived at the park around 8:10 after about a 10 minute wait at the bus stop. It was still chilly today, but showing signs of being warmer than the rest of the week.
When we arrived at AK there were lots of characters just inside the entrance. While Clyde procured a stroller (this is usually the only park where I feel one is necessary) Christina got in line to see Terk. We also saw Safari Minnie for a picture. Also there were Chip, Dale, Rafiki, Timon, Baloo, King Louis and Safari Mickey. WeâÂÂd seen a lot of these, and Christina wasnâÂÂt interested in the rest of them.
We headed off to the Safari. Along the way we checked out some of the Oasis area. DidnâÂÂt see much beyond flamingos and deer and ducks. I think it was too cold for them! When we got to Africa, we grabbed FastPasses, visited the restroom, and went on the Pangani Forest Trail. We saw the meerkats, some birds, some antelope, and the gorillas. According to the CM, the gorillas had not been out much in the cold weather. On the day before they said they were only out for 10 minutes all day. I guess we were just lucky.
Next was our safari. I was a bit disappointed to see that using Fast Pass means you miss all the movie clips in the pre-show area. I think those make the safari a lot better, myself. Anyway, our guide was Victoria from Pretoria, South Africa. She was pretty good, I thought. We saw two types of rhinos, several types of antelope, elephants, giraffes, zebra, cheetah, lions, ostriches, and several other types of animals. I think Clyde and Christina really enjoyed it, and I thought it was nice, too. Christina still really gets into the Big Red/Little Red story. I hope that lasts for a few more years!
After the Safari we headed for Conservation Station. Christina had a big time brushing the goats, and we saw a nice domestic animal training show. It was cute. She also got her last souvenir, a nice big stuffed Zebra (named Stripey).
After this, we decided to try to catch the 11:30 Lion King show. We headed back through the park and got there just in time to get pretty good seats in the Giraffe section. After only a short wait we saw the show. This is ClydeâÂÂs very favorite show in all the parks. Christina and I also enjoy it, but she prefers Little Mermaid and I prefer Hunchback! One interesting note is that the tumble monkeys didnâÂÂt perform in this show. They came out with the other dancers, but didnâÂÂt do their routine! I hope this isnâÂÂt a permanent situation, does anyone know?
After the Lion King we were hungry, so we had lunch at Pizzafari. This was pretty good, we thought. Christina had the cheese pizza (ate half) I had the deluxe pizza (ate all!ïÂÂ) and Clyde had the Penne Pasta. We scarfed this down and then headed to get fastpasses for Kali River Rapids.
We obtained the fast passes, then went to get seats for the 1:00 Tarzan Show. We liked this show. We really thought Tarzan and Jane were hot ïÂÂ! We also liked the music, although the band canâÂÂt compare to Phil Collins.
After this, we had a difference of opinion over Kali Rapids. I wanted to go, Christina wasnâÂÂt too sure but was willing to go through the line with us. Clyde thought weâÂÂd get wet and be miserable, even though we had our ponchos. He said that he was only making sure we thought about it and was willing to go, but he didnâÂÂt sound as if he wanted to go. Then Christina started saying she didnâÂÂt want to go. Then I said, okay, lets go to Magic Kingdom then. Then Clyde changed his story and said lets go on Kali. It was a mess! We ended up leaving AK and heading for the Magic Kingdom.
We caught our bus to the TTC, then grabbed the monorail. After entering MK we got a stroller and headed over to BTMRR. We waited 30 minutes for this, but we loved this, again. Then, I talked them into going on Haunted Mansion with me. Christina didnâÂÂt like this idea, and it was quite crowded getting there (right after a parade) but we made it on after about a 20 minute wait. After the ride Christina said it wasnâÂÂt so bad. IâÂÂm glad we did it, and will probably go again, but it wasnâÂÂt my favorite! Then, for our last ride we went to ItâÂÂs a Small World. We loved this, as always. By then it was time to head over to WL for our 5:00 dinner at Whispering Canyon.
We went down and caught our last boat back to the lodge. The boat ride was great. It had finally warmed up some today (got to 60!) and we rode out on front of the boat. We landed about 4:58 and headed quickly to Whispering Canyon. We checked in and were seated right away. If IâÂÂd known how empty it would be I wouldnâÂÂt have run all the way up there! Our waiter was Chuck, and he was great. He teased Christina a lot (are you hungry? I thought you said you were Christina, etcâ¦.) He also got Clyde when he didnâÂÂt know what color the soap was after going to the bathroom! We all ordered the all-you-can-eat barbeque skillet. The pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausages and brisket were all great. The corn on the cob, salad, break and potatoes were also good. I had the honey lager, and it was really exceptional! I recommend this meal highly. Toward the end of the meal Chuck said they were short of sausages, and could he have a leg and tail from the Zebra? This caused great hilarity at our table. Chuck also picked on one of the other CMs, the pre-teen girl at the next table, and a whole table of late teen/early 20s next to us. All in all this was a great way to end our trip. My one complaint was that it took forever to get our check. Clyde had to go out and meet Frank at 6:20 to load our luggage, and he came back and we waited another 10 minutes to get checked out and leave!
The trip to the airport went uneventfully, and we got onto our plane on time and took off right on schedule. It was a small (30 seats or so) propeller plane. We were seated right over the wings in row 4. It was a very, very bumpy flight. Clyde and Christina slept through it, but I stayed wide awake and terrified most of the way home. The stewardess even landed on her rear in the aisle at one point! The pilot did send back some wings for Christina, and she was very proud.
My friend and her son met us at the airport, and we loaded up and go home within 20 minutes.
We had a great time! It was terribly cold, things didnâÂÂt always go exactly as planned, and we missed some things that I wanted to do, but it was a great trip and we canâÂÂt wait to go back! Next time we will try to stay at either Animal Kingdom Lodge or Yacht Club, and stay longer!!!
TodayâÂÂs Damage
Stroller Rental $ 6.00
Stuffed Zebra $ 23.00
Lunch, Pizzafari $ 24.77
Dinner, Whispering Canyon $ 86.00
Maid Tip $ 5.00
Bellman Tip $ 6.00
Local Phone Calls $ 3.75
Total for Day $ 154.52
Running Total $2845.92
