L
lisa70
Guest
100 Years of Magic Trip Diary: May 3 May 10, 2002
Cast:
Lisa 30 something, Disney World Obsessed Mom and Wife; trip planning junkie whos afraid of heights
Chuck 30 something, Disney World Lover; Spouse and Dad
Kayla 2 wks shy of being 5 yr old; adorable princess daughter who loves Disney World
Day 7 Animal Kingdom and Donalds Breakfast
We had a short ride on the Disney Bus to Animal Kingdom. It was about 8:30 when we got there. Because we had a 9:20 PS for Donalds Breakfast, we were able to enter the park early. There is a special line for Donalds Breakfast before 9 am. After we went through the turnstile, and got our stroller, a big group of us had to wait while the CMs called our names. Then, our big group made the hike to Dino Land, the location of Donalds breakfast. By the way, the AK strollers are cute because the canopy fabric has safari animals. Once at the restaurant, we had a seat at a table that was in the shade. We waited about 20 minutes before they called our name to eat. You have the option of having a photo taken here with some props. We passed because wed already purchased 4 different photos during our trip. This character meal is a lot of fun. Its unique because its the only character meal with Donald Duck and one of the few places you can get a photo with him and his autograph. He wears a cute shirt that has dinosaurs on it. Mickey and Goofy have on nice safari outfits and Pluto is his adorable self. The CM who served us our delicious Florida orange juice was very nice and friendly. The restaurant has a neat décor theme, kind of an off the beaten path/barracks/campground look.
After the meal, Chuck took off to Africa to get our fps for Kilmanjaro Safari while I took Kayla for a spin on the Triceratops. There was no line and it was so convenient to the restaurant. Next stop was the Boneyard. I really got my exercise here lugging our bag with the videocamera around while climbing ropes and stuff trying to keep up with a 5 yr old. WHEW! A CM pointed us to the wooly mammoth bones. Kayla had fun digging up the bones. The fake sand sticks to your legs just like real sand does. Chuck found us and we hung out here a bit. Then, we took the hike to Africa and got in the fast pass return line for the safari. While waiting, a film is shown about poachers. Once you get on the big safari jeep, a story about poachers is told along the way. In the end, the poachers are caught and all the animals are safe. We saw quite a few animals and I got some great pictures of the elephants. Ive heard that if you go very early in the morning, there are many animals along the ride.
On our trek to Camp Minnie Mickey, we found some cute kid sized binoculars for Kayla. I think they were about $4. They have Mickey on them, of course. She was so excited to have her own pair. Shed been using our adult sized pair to view some of the animals at AKL. We saw the cute Pocahontas show and enjoyed all the music. I think this is probably one of the few places you can see Pocahontas. The Festival of the Lion King was next. It is one of my very favorite shows. I dont think I could ever get tired of seeing it. We got pretty hot waiting in the line for the show to start, especially because it was a really, hot day. We were wishing we had those misty fans while waiting in this line. I saw this one grandma pull out a small bottle of baby powder and sprinkle it down her 2 grandaughters backs. Seemed like a great idea to me.
After the show, we decided to take a break an have lunch at Pizzafari. This restaurant has a very large seating capacity. There are beautiful painted murals of animals in different seasons. It felt good to sit down and rest in the air conditioning while eating our pizza. After our little break, we were ready for our trip to Asia. I was very impressed with the theming in Asia. We got our fast passes for Kali River Rapids and then walked through the Maharaja Jungle Trek. The Bengal tigers are very intriguing to observe and their features are quite striking when you have the opportunity to see them up close like this. Just as we finished the trek, we realized it was time to return to Kali for fast pass. The theming is also fabulous on this ride. In fact, I enjoyed the queue line and found the posters and decorations quite entertaining. We ended up riding with some experienced rafters. They laughed at us telling us we were gonna get it. Apparently, they could tell just by where we were seated. I didnt really believe them and just laughed along with them. We placed the videocamera and bag in the center console area of the raft. It has cover so that the items underneath dont get wet. I had my camera in my fanny pack attached to my person. Well suffice it to say, we got it alright!!! Those rafters knew what they were talking about. We were glad we were wearing our Teva sandals. Nothing worse than soggy feet, except for soggy bottoms..and well we had soggy bottoms. We got drenched, but it really did feel good and we dried up really quick afterwards. After the ride, I stood on the little bridge where you can see the rafts go by so that I could take a photo. My camera began acting strange. Uh! OH! Did it get wet? I didnt know what had happened but it wasnt taking any more pictures. I was little sad. I got my Mickey ice cream bar and that cheered me up real quick. Actually, I wore more of the Mickey bar than ate it. That little Mickey melted so quick. But, the bites I had were soooo delicious.
We decided to camp out between Asia and Africa to see the parade. The CMs were putting tape on the ground to mark the lines of the parade route. I went over to one of them and asked about a good location to see the parade. He told me where we should move and then he showed Kayla his big tiger claw hand. She had a lot of fun with that. She loves pretending to be lions and tigers. So, Kayla and the CM had a little growl fest and everyone was happy. We really loved this parade! Cute Safari outfits for the characters, fun music, beautiful colorful vehicles no one does parades like Disney. I was a little sad because my camera was broken. After the parade, I realized a few things. I could have bought a disposable camera, or I could have gone to the film processing place for some help. Oh well. Thank goodness it happened on the last day and I learned a valuable lesson. Dont put your camera in your fanny pack on the Kali River Rapids ride, put it in the center console.
After the parade, we headed out of the park because it was time for the park to close. We stopped in a few stores on the way out and bought some nice post cards. AK was a great experience for us. We loved the different lands like Asia and Africa. Kayla fell asleep in her stroller. She was beat, poor baby. So, Chuck lugged her to the bus stop and we headed back to AKL.
We rested in our room and watched the animals on our balcony. Kayla had a ball with her new binoculars. Then we headed to Mara for dinner. I tried an African chicken dish that was very tasty and Chuck tried a different beer from Africa called Casablanca along with a burger. Kayla had her standard chicken strips and fries. We ate at one of the umbrella tables outside and enjoyed a nice evening breeze. It was very relaxing. We had our swimsuits on so that we could take a dip in the pool after dinner. It was a great way to end our day. Sadly, we knew we had to go back home the next day.
Day 8 - Goodbye
We woke up and said goodbye to the animals and AKL. It was a tough goodbye for me. I was a little teary eyed that morning. Now that Ive had time to reflect on this vacation, I think I know more about those tears. Pardon me for sounding corny, but they really were tears of joy, for I realized that morning that I had just experienced a very, magical 7 days with my family and I was very thankful. My wish is that every family has a similar experience. After all, dont we all deserve it?
Epilogue:
When we were on the plane back home, Kayla told me in her serious voice, Mommy. We left the balloon in the sleeping room. I told her, Yes, we did, but the balloon is happy because hes with all the other balloons. Yes, hes happy with his friends she replied. These kids dont miss a thing.
Cast:
Lisa 30 something, Disney World Obsessed Mom and Wife; trip planning junkie whos afraid of heights
Chuck 30 something, Disney World Lover; Spouse and Dad
Kayla 2 wks shy of being 5 yr old; adorable princess daughter who loves Disney World
Day 7 Animal Kingdom and Donalds Breakfast
We had a short ride on the Disney Bus to Animal Kingdom. It was about 8:30 when we got there. Because we had a 9:20 PS for Donalds Breakfast, we were able to enter the park early. There is a special line for Donalds Breakfast before 9 am. After we went through the turnstile, and got our stroller, a big group of us had to wait while the CMs called our names. Then, our big group made the hike to Dino Land, the location of Donalds breakfast. By the way, the AK strollers are cute because the canopy fabric has safari animals. Once at the restaurant, we had a seat at a table that was in the shade. We waited about 20 minutes before they called our name to eat. You have the option of having a photo taken here with some props. We passed because wed already purchased 4 different photos during our trip. This character meal is a lot of fun. Its unique because its the only character meal with Donald Duck and one of the few places you can get a photo with him and his autograph. He wears a cute shirt that has dinosaurs on it. Mickey and Goofy have on nice safari outfits and Pluto is his adorable self. The CM who served us our delicious Florida orange juice was very nice and friendly. The restaurant has a neat décor theme, kind of an off the beaten path/barracks/campground look.
After the meal, Chuck took off to Africa to get our fps for Kilmanjaro Safari while I took Kayla for a spin on the Triceratops. There was no line and it was so convenient to the restaurant. Next stop was the Boneyard. I really got my exercise here lugging our bag with the videocamera around while climbing ropes and stuff trying to keep up with a 5 yr old. WHEW! A CM pointed us to the wooly mammoth bones. Kayla had fun digging up the bones. The fake sand sticks to your legs just like real sand does. Chuck found us and we hung out here a bit. Then, we took the hike to Africa and got in the fast pass return line for the safari. While waiting, a film is shown about poachers. Once you get on the big safari jeep, a story about poachers is told along the way. In the end, the poachers are caught and all the animals are safe. We saw quite a few animals and I got some great pictures of the elephants. Ive heard that if you go very early in the morning, there are many animals along the ride.
On our trek to Camp Minnie Mickey, we found some cute kid sized binoculars for Kayla. I think they were about $4. They have Mickey on them, of course. She was so excited to have her own pair. Shed been using our adult sized pair to view some of the animals at AKL. We saw the cute Pocahontas show and enjoyed all the music. I think this is probably one of the few places you can see Pocahontas. The Festival of the Lion King was next. It is one of my very favorite shows. I dont think I could ever get tired of seeing it. We got pretty hot waiting in the line for the show to start, especially because it was a really, hot day. We were wishing we had those misty fans while waiting in this line. I saw this one grandma pull out a small bottle of baby powder and sprinkle it down her 2 grandaughters backs. Seemed like a great idea to me.
After the show, we decided to take a break an have lunch at Pizzafari. This restaurant has a very large seating capacity. There are beautiful painted murals of animals in different seasons. It felt good to sit down and rest in the air conditioning while eating our pizza. After our little break, we were ready for our trip to Asia. I was very impressed with the theming in Asia. We got our fast passes for Kali River Rapids and then walked through the Maharaja Jungle Trek. The Bengal tigers are very intriguing to observe and their features are quite striking when you have the opportunity to see them up close like this. Just as we finished the trek, we realized it was time to return to Kali for fast pass. The theming is also fabulous on this ride. In fact, I enjoyed the queue line and found the posters and decorations quite entertaining. We ended up riding with some experienced rafters. They laughed at us telling us we were gonna get it. Apparently, they could tell just by where we were seated. I didnt really believe them and just laughed along with them. We placed the videocamera and bag in the center console area of the raft. It has cover so that the items underneath dont get wet. I had my camera in my fanny pack attached to my person. Well suffice it to say, we got it alright!!! Those rafters knew what they were talking about. We were glad we were wearing our Teva sandals. Nothing worse than soggy feet, except for soggy bottoms..and well we had soggy bottoms. We got drenched, but it really did feel good and we dried up really quick afterwards. After the ride, I stood on the little bridge where you can see the rafts go by so that I could take a photo. My camera began acting strange. Uh! OH! Did it get wet? I didnt know what had happened but it wasnt taking any more pictures. I was little sad. I got my Mickey ice cream bar and that cheered me up real quick. Actually, I wore more of the Mickey bar than ate it. That little Mickey melted so quick. But, the bites I had were soooo delicious.
We decided to camp out between Asia and Africa to see the parade. The CMs were putting tape on the ground to mark the lines of the parade route. I went over to one of them and asked about a good location to see the parade. He told me where we should move and then he showed Kayla his big tiger claw hand. She had a lot of fun with that. She loves pretending to be lions and tigers. So, Kayla and the CM had a little growl fest and everyone was happy. We really loved this parade! Cute Safari outfits for the characters, fun music, beautiful colorful vehicles no one does parades like Disney. I was a little sad because my camera was broken. After the parade, I realized a few things. I could have bought a disposable camera, or I could have gone to the film processing place for some help. Oh well. Thank goodness it happened on the last day and I learned a valuable lesson. Dont put your camera in your fanny pack on the Kali River Rapids ride, put it in the center console.
After the parade, we headed out of the park because it was time for the park to close. We stopped in a few stores on the way out and bought some nice post cards. AK was a great experience for us. We loved the different lands like Asia and Africa. Kayla fell asleep in her stroller. She was beat, poor baby. So, Chuck lugged her to the bus stop and we headed back to AKL.
We rested in our room and watched the animals on our balcony. Kayla had a ball with her new binoculars. Then we headed to Mara for dinner. I tried an African chicken dish that was very tasty and Chuck tried a different beer from Africa called Casablanca along with a burger. Kayla had her standard chicken strips and fries. We ate at one of the umbrella tables outside and enjoyed a nice evening breeze. It was very relaxing. We had our swimsuits on so that we could take a dip in the pool after dinner. It was a great way to end our day. Sadly, we knew we had to go back home the next day.
Day 8 - Goodbye
We woke up and said goodbye to the animals and AKL. It was a tough goodbye for me. I was a little teary eyed that morning. Now that Ive had time to reflect on this vacation, I think I know more about those tears. Pardon me for sounding corny, but they really were tears of joy, for I realized that morning that I had just experienced a very, magical 7 days with my family and I was very thankful. My wish is that every family has a similar experience. After all, dont we all deserve it?
Epilogue:
When we were on the plane back home, Kayla told me in her serious voice, Mommy. We left the balloon in the sleeping room. I told her, Yes, we did, but the balloon is happy because hes with all the other balloons. Yes, hes happy with his friends she replied. These kids dont miss a thing.
