MajorWoody
The View From My Office
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2002
- Messages
- 294
Who :
Bill, age 44, NYSP Investigator, AP holder and numerous WDW trips
Jenn, daughter, age 19, AP holder, last trip 12/00
Joseph, son, age 17, AP holder, last trip 12/00
Where:
All Star Sports - 5 nights
Coronado Springs - 5 nights
When :
12/7 thru 12/17/02
Hello again all,
We woke up at 9:20am on Sunday. Jenn and Joe wanted to do their homework and
get it over with, so they were going to stay at the hotel. After getting
dressed, I caught a bus to Animal Kingdom, arriving at 10:30am. I walked
through the Africa section, then took the back path to Flame Tree Barbecue,
arriving there around 11:15am for lunch. I bought a meal deal voucher, and
had the 1/2 chicken lunch and a coke. After eating my repast, I headed over
to Festival of the Lion King, which I had never seen before. I arrived in
time for the noon show. There was a large crowd waiting, but it turned out
there was plenty of room inside. The show was much better than I expected,
with nice effects and very good singing. I don't know what the trampoline
type stuff had to do with the Lion King, but overall it was a fun show, and
I would highly recommend it. There does not appear to be any bad seats in
the house, as the theater is divided into four sections of bleachers. After
the FOTLK, I headed over to Kilimanjaro Safaris, and got myself a fastpass
for 1:20pm. Since I had some time to kill, I did the Gorilla Trail walk. It
was a very good decision, because when I got to the observation window at
the gorilla's area, the large male was right at the window, checking us out.
In addition, the baby gorilla was also at the window, observing the weird
creatures on our side of the glass. I stayed there for about 10 minutes, and
got a real close-up of the two of them. I don't think I've ever seen the
large male near the window before.
After the gorilla trail , I turned in my Fast pass and rode the safari.
There was plenty of animal movement going on out there today. The cheetah
was up and about, and the white rhinos were meandering all over the place.
After the safari was over, I hoofed it over to Asia, and found a CM with
some CM lanyard series pins on her lanyard. I traded for a Pixie Power and a
USA pin with her. I then did the Tiger Trek, and got lucky again, catching
the large tiger right at the window, no doubt trying to figure out how to
get through the window to chow down on us. After the Tiger Trek, I decided
to walk over to the DinoRama area. It was extremely crowded, and there was
nothing there worth waiting on, so I left. I decided to catch It's Tough To
Be A Bug, since I hadn't seen it in a few years, and there was no wait. It
was fun, and I knew enough to lean forward during the stinging scene. After
ITTBAB it was time to head out, so I caught a bus back to the hotel, leaving
at 3:25pm.
I met up with Jenn & Joe at the hotel, and they told me they had gone to DD
to do some shopping. We got changed, and drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge at
4:30pm, for our 5:05pm Boma dinner. One of my co-workers was also arriving
at AKL that day, for a one week stay with his family. He had called to let
us know they had checked-in, and we met them in the lobby at AKL. He had not
been to WDW since 1990, and his kids had never been there before. I had
helped him with the trip planning, and helped him snag the $109 AKL rate.
They were extremely impressed with the Lodge, and we all wandered around
observing the Savannah's and Gift Shop. We did have one piece of business to
attend to. We had another co-worker of ours who had transferred to a
different station last year, and before he left, we had taken his personal
fan, and sent it on a cross country tour with other members of NYSP, where
it has been posed for photos. Needless to say, Sean had brought the fan,
with it's attached label reading "Scarselli's Fan" and we sought out a CM
to pose with the fan. We managed to find one in a dashiki with a large drum,
who seemed perfect. He thought the idea of it was hilarious, and told a few
other CM's. We got a nice pic of the fan with him and us by the AKL
Christmas tree for our troubles. After the photo op, I went to Boma with
Jenn & Joe, while he got settled in to the resort with his family.
We went downstairs to Boma, and I had the chicken pepperpot soup, the
seafood gumbo soup, the prime rib, Durban chicken, and salad greens,
potatoes with Afritude, and of course, my favorite PB&J quarters. We also
hit the dessert bar pretty good, getting a good variety, including the mini
pineapple cheesecakes. The total for the three of us came to $76, plus $15
tip. I also had asked if they had fr'unch, which they did, and had that with
my dinner. It was an excellent meal once again. After dinner we went up to
the lobby, and met with Sean and his family. We all had tickets for MVMCP
that evening, except Jenn since she decided so late to come on the trip.. We
went to the bus stop, and caught a bus to MK. Our first stop was the ticket
window outside the MK, where I picked up the ticket I had ordered for Jenn,
and then we went inside. Once inside, we hit the Emporium, and bought the
MVMCP pin of the night. We then went to Adventureland, and rode the Flying
Carpets, with no wait. We then stopped in the Adventureland Verandah for our
complimentary hot chocolate, which was nice on a chilly night. We then went
to POTC, and rode it. Sean wanted to ride it a 2nd time, so we got our free
picture taken while they rode again. They had the photo setup right in the
alcove of POTC, so it worked out pretty good, except for the trashy group in
front of us, who tried to get multiple pictures, while dressed in their
finest wife-beaters and borderline obscene t-shirts. They were very abusive
to the CM's when told they could get one picture, but have it mailed to
separate addresses. They wanted multiple pictures, mailed to multiple
addresses, and didn't care about the large crowd behind them. Finally they
got with the program, and left . If I worked for the photographer, you can
bet their pics would have magically had some major flaw when they were
developed. After that was done, Sean and his family wanted to hit the Swiss
family Treehouse, so we walked over with them. They did it, while we waited
outside of it. Jenn saw a nice Mickey Ears Santa cap, so she bought it while
we waited. After they climbed down from the tree, we all walked over to the
Haunted Mansion,and rode it. Sean rode it a 2nd time with his younger son,
and we waited outside. After that, we headed over to Fantasyland, and rode
Peter Pan, with a minimal wait. Then Sean wanted to subject his family to
It's A Small World, so we waited outside rather than sit through that again.
It had a line too, which is kind of unusual. After IASW, it was time for the
Fantasy In The Sky Fireworks, MVMCP version. This version includes a huge,
360 degree fireworks finale which is much better than the regular FITS. We
all watched it from the area in front of the former Lion King theater, and
had a great view. We then all walked over to Toontown, where we were able to
purchase pins from the prior evenings MVMCP set. We then walked the back
path, along the WDWRR tracks, to Tomorrowland. We got on line for Buzz
Lightyear, and were on in less than 5 minutes. I finished up with a score of
200,000, while Joe scored a measly 170,000. We then went to Space Mtn, while
Sean and his family did Buzz a 2nd time. We rode the left side of SpaceMtn,
and it seemed better to me then the right side, although I always thought
the right side was better before. After we rode, we met up with Sean and his
crew, and headed to the Castle Forecourt area, to wait for the Christmas
Parade. We found a great spot right in front of the Castle, and watched the
parade. The Christmas parade was excellent as always. After the parade was
over, we all hit the Bakery for a quick snack. We got 2 apple turnovers, and
a piece of punkin' pie, for a total of $7.49. After eating that, and
moseying down Main St, we all boarded the bus back to AKL. The bus was
totally packed, in fact I was the last one on, and was pretty much unable to
move at all. We got off the bus at AKL, said goodnight to Sean and his
family, and drove our van back to the All Star Sports, arriving at 12:15am.
Stay tuned for Day 3.....
Bill, age 44, NYSP Investigator, AP holder and numerous WDW trips
Jenn, daughter, age 19, AP holder, last trip 12/00
Joseph, son, age 17, AP holder, last trip 12/00
Where:
All Star Sports - 5 nights
Coronado Springs - 5 nights
When :
12/7 thru 12/17/02
Hello again all,
We woke up at 9:20am on Sunday. Jenn and Joe wanted to do their homework and
get it over with, so they were going to stay at the hotel. After getting
dressed, I caught a bus to Animal Kingdom, arriving at 10:30am. I walked
through the Africa section, then took the back path to Flame Tree Barbecue,
arriving there around 11:15am for lunch. I bought a meal deal voucher, and
had the 1/2 chicken lunch and a coke. After eating my repast, I headed over
to Festival of the Lion King, which I had never seen before. I arrived in
time for the noon show. There was a large crowd waiting, but it turned out
there was plenty of room inside. The show was much better than I expected,
with nice effects and very good singing. I don't know what the trampoline
type stuff had to do with the Lion King, but overall it was a fun show, and
I would highly recommend it. There does not appear to be any bad seats in
the house, as the theater is divided into four sections of bleachers. After
the FOTLK, I headed over to Kilimanjaro Safaris, and got myself a fastpass
for 1:20pm. Since I had some time to kill, I did the Gorilla Trail walk. It
was a very good decision, because when I got to the observation window at
the gorilla's area, the large male was right at the window, checking us out.
In addition, the baby gorilla was also at the window, observing the weird
creatures on our side of the glass. I stayed there for about 10 minutes, and
got a real close-up of the two of them. I don't think I've ever seen the
large male near the window before.
After the gorilla trail , I turned in my Fast pass and rode the safari.
There was plenty of animal movement going on out there today. The cheetah
was up and about, and the white rhinos were meandering all over the place.
After the safari was over, I hoofed it over to Asia, and found a CM with
some CM lanyard series pins on her lanyard. I traded for a Pixie Power and a
USA pin with her. I then did the Tiger Trek, and got lucky again, catching
the large tiger right at the window, no doubt trying to figure out how to
get through the window to chow down on us. After the Tiger Trek, I decided
to walk over to the DinoRama area. It was extremely crowded, and there was
nothing there worth waiting on, so I left. I decided to catch It's Tough To
Be A Bug, since I hadn't seen it in a few years, and there was no wait. It
was fun, and I knew enough to lean forward during the stinging scene. After
ITTBAB it was time to head out, so I caught a bus back to the hotel, leaving
at 3:25pm.
I met up with Jenn & Joe at the hotel, and they told me they had gone to DD
to do some shopping. We got changed, and drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge at
4:30pm, for our 5:05pm Boma dinner. One of my co-workers was also arriving
at AKL that day, for a one week stay with his family. He had called to let
us know they had checked-in, and we met them in the lobby at AKL. He had not
been to WDW since 1990, and his kids had never been there before. I had
helped him with the trip planning, and helped him snag the $109 AKL rate.
They were extremely impressed with the Lodge, and we all wandered around
observing the Savannah's and Gift Shop. We did have one piece of business to
attend to. We had another co-worker of ours who had transferred to a
different station last year, and before he left, we had taken his personal
fan, and sent it on a cross country tour with other members of NYSP, where
it has been posed for photos. Needless to say, Sean had brought the fan,
with it's attached label reading "Scarselli's Fan" and we sought out a CM
to pose with the fan. We managed to find one in a dashiki with a large drum,
who seemed perfect. He thought the idea of it was hilarious, and told a few
other CM's. We got a nice pic of the fan with him and us by the AKL
Christmas tree for our troubles. After the photo op, I went to Boma with
Jenn & Joe, while he got settled in to the resort with his family.
We went downstairs to Boma, and I had the chicken pepperpot soup, the
seafood gumbo soup, the prime rib, Durban chicken, and salad greens,
potatoes with Afritude, and of course, my favorite PB&J quarters. We also
hit the dessert bar pretty good, getting a good variety, including the mini
pineapple cheesecakes. The total for the three of us came to $76, plus $15
tip. I also had asked if they had fr'unch, which they did, and had that with
my dinner. It was an excellent meal once again. After dinner we went up to
the lobby, and met with Sean and his family. We all had tickets for MVMCP
that evening, except Jenn since she decided so late to come on the trip.. We
went to the bus stop, and caught a bus to MK. Our first stop was the ticket
window outside the MK, where I picked up the ticket I had ordered for Jenn,
and then we went inside. Once inside, we hit the Emporium, and bought the
MVMCP pin of the night. We then went to Adventureland, and rode the Flying
Carpets, with no wait. We then stopped in the Adventureland Verandah for our
complimentary hot chocolate, which was nice on a chilly night. We then went
to POTC, and rode it. Sean wanted to ride it a 2nd time, so we got our free
picture taken while they rode again. They had the photo setup right in the
alcove of POTC, so it worked out pretty good, except for the trashy group in
front of us, who tried to get multiple pictures, while dressed in their
finest wife-beaters and borderline obscene t-shirts. They were very abusive
to the CM's when told they could get one picture, but have it mailed to
separate addresses. They wanted multiple pictures, mailed to multiple
addresses, and didn't care about the large crowd behind them. Finally they
got with the program, and left . If I worked for the photographer, you can
bet their pics would have magically had some major flaw when they were
developed. After that was done, Sean and his family wanted to hit the Swiss
family Treehouse, so we walked over with them. They did it, while we waited
outside of it. Jenn saw a nice Mickey Ears Santa cap, so she bought it while
we waited. After they climbed down from the tree, we all walked over to the
Haunted Mansion,and rode it. Sean rode it a 2nd time with his younger son,
and we waited outside. After that, we headed over to Fantasyland, and rode
Peter Pan, with a minimal wait. Then Sean wanted to subject his family to
It's A Small World, so we waited outside rather than sit through that again.
It had a line too, which is kind of unusual. After IASW, it was time for the
Fantasy In The Sky Fireworks, MVMCP version. This version includes a huge,
360 degree fireworks finale which is much better than the regular FITS. We
all watched it from the area in front of the former Lion King theater, and
had a great view. We then all walked over to Toontown, where we were able to
purchase pins from the prior evenings MVMCP set. We then walked the back
path, along the WDWRR tracks, to Tomorrowland. We got on line for Buzz
Lightyear, and were on in less than 5 minutes. I finished up with a score of
200,000, while Joe scored a measly 170,000. We then went to Space Mtn, while
Sean and his family did Buzz a 2nd time. We rode the left side of SpaceMtn,
and it seemed better to me then the right side, although I always thought
the right side was better before. After we rode, we met up with Sean and his
crew, and headed to the Castle Forecourt area, to wait for the Christmas
Parade. We found a great spot right in front of the Castle, and watched the
parade. The Christmas parade was excellent as always. After the parade was
over, we all hit the Bakery for a quick snack. We got 2 apple turnovers, and
a piece of punkin' pie, for a total of $7.49. After eating that, and
moseying down Main St, we all boarded the bus back to AKL. The bus was
totally packed, in fact I was the last one on, and was pretty much unable to
move at all. We got off the bus at AKL, said goodnight to Sean and his
family, and drove our van back to the All Star Sports, arriving at 12:15am.
Stay tuned for Day 3.....
Great report.
