Day 3 â Animal Kingdom & E-ride night
Cast â Snowman (AKA Tia, obsessive trip planner, 2nd trip to WDW)
Stoney (AKA Darla, Cinderella fan, 2nd trip to WDW)
Carl (the nephew, turning 7 at WDW, 1st trip to WDW)
Dates â Nov 11-17, 2000
Resort â Dixie Landings
Day 3 â A 6:30 wakeup call started our day. We were all ready and at the bus stop in time to arrive at AK before the 8:00 opening. We stopped at one of the little carts in the Oasis to get some breakfast pastry while the crowds redistributed themselves, then headed to Kilimanjaro Safari. The posted wait time was 15 mins at the info board near the Tree of Life and 30 mins on outside the ride. The line appeared to be moving well so we decided to forgo Fastpass. That turned out to be a pretty good decision. The line was moving all the time. The only real wait was right as you load on to the vehicles. We saw plenty of animals being very active. To me, the whole poaching story line adds nothing to the ride and could be done away with and still not detract from the ride.
After the Safari we did Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (the gorilla walk). That was okay, but nothing I would be heartbroken to miss on a future trip. The Gorillas were only out briefly. The highlight of the whole walk were the meercats. They were very lively.
After that it was on to Kali River Rapids. That was definitely the big hit of the day. We walked on with no problems. As soon as we got off Carl wanted to go back on. They werenâÂÂt busy yet so the CM let us go right back around. We were soaked by the time we were done.
By this time it was about 11:30 and we were hungry. Flame Tree Bar B Que was on our way to Dinoland and wasnâÂÂt busy so we decided this was a good time & place to eat. Darla had the chicken salad sandwich and Tia had the pulled beef. Carl shared both â he didnâÂÂt like the chicken salad but did enjoy the beef and the corn on the cob. If you want burgers, fries, or hot dogs, skip this stop. We would eat here again. Lunch for the 3 of us was under $25.00.
After lunch it was on to Dinosaur. This ride was wonderful. But, if you have a larger butt, the seats are a little snug. From Dinosaur we headed to ITTBAB (CarlâÂÂs choice). This was the worst line we waited in the whole trip. It was hot & slow. The holding area at the end, just before you are seated is the pits. This is another one of those things that there must be a better way, but IâÂÂm not sure what it is. This is one I would not do again. The movie is tooooo short for the amount of time you spend herded like cattle into the holding area.
After this we start out of the park to go have a quiet, restful afternoon to get ready for e-ride. We kept the TV off and the room quiet and set a wakeup call for 4:30. Carl even napped (after insisting he wasnâÂÂt tired).
After our wakeup call we head to MK and get there in time to get our wrist bands and find a place to eat and watch fireworks. Carl and Darla sit on the sidewalk while Tia stands in line at CaseyâÂÂs Corner for dinner. I honestly believe this was the longest line we waited in all week. It took me nearly 30 minutes to get 3 hot dogs, 3 fries & 2 sodas. The tab came to about $20.00 and we found a table and watched the fireworks from there. The food at CaseyâÂÂs was good for what you paid. There arenâÂÂt a whole lot of choices, but itâÂÂs hard to mess the orders up either. After the fireworks we just sat finishing our soda while the throngs of people made their way out of MK.
When the crowds had lightened up, we made our way to the Haunted Mansion. Carl was very nervous about this ride at first. But, after we walked on the first time and made it through okay, he was already to go right back on, which we did with no wait. E-ride night is great. The cars were a bit snug w/ our 2 ample adult bottoms and his 8 Husky butt, but we managed.
From Haunted Mansion it was off to Splash Mountain for more of the same. We rode it twice in a row, the first time in back, the 2nd time in front. Then it was off to Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (twice in a row), Alien Encounter & Buzz (again).
By this time it was 10:00 and E-ride was over, so we made our out of the park and to our bus. Fortunately we had nothing planned for the next morning so we would be able to sleep in.
Cast â Snowman (AKA Tia, obsessive trip planner, 2nd trip to WDW)
Stoney (AKA Darla, Cinderella fan, 2nd trip to WDW)
Carl (the nephew, turning 7 at WDW, 1st trip to WDW)
Dates â Nov 11-17, 2000
Resort â Dixie Landings
Day 3 â A 6:30 wakeup call started our day. We were all ready and at the bus stop in time to arrive at AK before the 8:00 opening. We stopped at one of the little carts in the Oasis to get some breakfast pastry while the crowds redistributed themselves, then headed to Kilimanjaro Safari. The posted wait time was 15 mins at the info board near the Tree of Life and 30 mins on outside the ride. The line appeared to be moving well so we decided to forgo Fastpass. That turned out to be a pretty good decision. The line was moving all the time. The only real wait was right as you load on to the vehicles. We saw plenty of animals being very active. To me, the whole poaching story line adds nothing to the ride and could be done away with and still not detract from the ride.
After the Safari we did Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (the gorilla walk). That was okay, but nothing I would be heartbroken to miss on a future trip. The Gorillas were only out briefly. The highlight of the whole walk were the meercats. They were very lively.
After that it was on to Kali River Rapids. That was definitely the big hit of the day. We walked on with no problems. As soon as we got off Carl wanted to go back on. They werenâÂÂt busy yet so the CM let us go right back around. We were soaked by the time we were done.
By this time it was about 11:30 and we were hungry. Flame Tree Bar B Que was on our way to Dinoland and wasnâÂÂt busy so we decided this was a good time & place to eat. Darla had the chicken salad sandwich and Tia had the pulled beef. Carl shared both â he didnâÂÂt like the chicken salad but did enjoy the beef and the corn on the cob. If you want burgers, fries, or hot dogs, skip this stop. We would eat here again. Lunch for the 3 of us was under $25.00.
After lunch it was on to Dinosaur. This ride was wonderful. But, if you have a larger butt, the seats are a little snug. From Dinosaur we headed to ITTBAB (CarlâÂÂs choice). This was the worst line we waited in the whole trip. It was hot & slow. The holding area at the end, just before you are seated is the pits. This is another one of those things that there must be a better way, but IâÂÂm not sure what it is. This is one I would not do again. The movie is tooooo short for the amount of time you spend herded like cattle into the holding area.
After this we start out of the park to go have a quiet, restful afternoon to get ready for e-ride. We kept the TV off and the room quiet and set a wakeup call for 4:30. Carl even napped (after insisting he wasnâÂÂt tired).
After our wakeup call we head to MK and get there in time to get our wrist bands and find a place to eat and watch fireworks. Carl and Darla sit on the sidewalk while Tia stands in line at CaseyâÂÂs Corner for dinner. I honestly believe this was the longest line we waited in all week. It took me nearly 30 minutes to get 3 hot dogs, 3 fries & 2 sodas. The tab came to about $20.00 and we found a table and watched the fireworks from there. The food at CaseyâÂÂs was good for what you paid. There arenâÂÂt a whole lot of choices, but itâÂÂs hard to mess the orders up either. After the fireworks we just sat finishing our soda while the throngs of people made their way out of MK.
When the crowds had lightened up, we made our way to the Haunted Mansion. Carl was very nervous about this ride at first. But, after we walked on the first time and made it through okay, he was already to go right back on, which we did with no wait. E-ride night is great. The cars were a bit snug w/ our 2 ample adult bottoms and his 8 Husky butt, but we managed.
From Haunted Mansion it was off to Splash Mountain for more of the same. We rode it twice in a row, the first time in back, the 2nd time in front. Then it was off to Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (twice in a row), Alien Encounter & Buzz (again).
By this time it was 10:00 and E-ride was over, so we made our out of the park and to our bus. Fortunately we had nothing planned for the next morning so we would be able to sleep in.
