Poohshoney
<font color=6666CC>Ya-ya sister!<br><font color=gr
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2001
Carol (40, British) dangerously Disney obsessed.
Roland (35, German) puts up with me somehow.
Mickey our beanie, on his first trip `home´.
Tuesday, 23 April 2002
We slept badly, as you do. By 5am we both admitted defeat but couldnt summon the energy to actually get up. It wasnt as if anything would be open yet. We were amazed how long it took to get light I kept thinking wed got the time wrong. Our Mickey was also up and smiling as happily as ever. He was a present from my aunt and uncle and is now an established member of the family. I tied him to my bag using lime green ribbon in the hope (unfulfilled) that it would catch a Disers eye and he went most places with us.
I have one or two problems with allergies (putting it mildly). We never did find out exactly what it was that caused the big red splodges on my face when I got up that morning. We think it might have been the pillow. I upped my tablets and they eventually merged so I just looked sunburnt. But no splodges were going to spoil our magic!
We knew wed be up early so decided we might as well make good use of an early start - Animal Kingdom today!
Just when you think youve got everything under control Two things went wrong early on, but they both turned out for the best.
Firstly, I hadnt really left the PS numbers at home, had I? Yes. So I rang up for our Boma booking number for that night. What booking? Pardon!! I stopped having a heart attack when it was agreed I could make a new one. Thats all right then. And I made it a little later, which was much better. Secondly, wed got half way to AK before I realised I'd left some of my tablets in my other bag. Rather than turn back we decided wed go back later. We might need a rest by then anyway. Might? Famous last words.
We were at the entrance by ten to nine, our vouchers clutched in our (very) hot sticky hands and then we entered the time warp. You see, something strange happens to me when I go to America I turn into Mary Poppins. Well, my voice does. I find myself enunciating each syllable as perfectly as possible. I just want people to understand me and eventually they do (apart from the Chinese waiters in San Francisco but they thought I was hilarious so that was ok). Its just that theres a time delay. I say something, they listen and then theres this pause whilst their brains translate it into American English. Then they reply and we start the whole procedure again. Its a w-e-i-r-d feeling, like being in a time warp. If I could stop being Mary it might help but I cant, I've tried. The CM at Guest Relations coped with me and we went to the gate.
Push your fingers right in. I heard that almost every time I did the biometric thingy. I cant help having short fingers, ok! Other than that we never had any trouble. Unless you count the fact that I kept putting three fingers in by mistake. I dont think well count that.
And then the moment wed been waiting for arrived we were in a park! The moment had finally arrived!! Excitement!!! Now Roland and I have a lot in common but walking speed isnt one of them. I might be a foot shorter but I move like the blazes unless forced not to. Luckily, Roland had done some reading so he knew about getting to the safari early so we did quite well a bit slower than if I hadnt had a husband on my hand, a lot faster than Roland normally likes being dragged at. When we got to the safari the CM said the wait was 20-25 mins. FP was 40 mins, so we went for standby. And the CM was spot on it was the only time in the whole 2 weeks that the posted wait didnt exceed the reality.
The queue moved nice and quickly. The woman behind us was moaning loudly about how she hated people who push in, just as a man walked by us to join his family. Now he was legit the Dutch couple following him werent. I understand Dutch quite well, well enough to understand him tell her theyd better stop before someone complained. He stopped behind me so the woman went back to him. They picked the right place the woman behind us was so entranced that they were Dutch she let them push in! Hmmm, I wouldnt have
The safari was absolutely brilliant! Even better than hoped for. We had a very good guide who slowed right down when we were near the animals I got some surprisingly good photos. It was definitely a must-do again but not for now.
Instead we wandered back down to Bug. I'd spent two years saying no way! Two weeks before we went I surprised Roland by changing my mind. I'm absolutely petrified of crawlies. (Yes, I know I'm bigger than them and that they cant hurt me but logic doesnt come into it I'm terrified of them and thats all there is to it.) But I'd been consulting the oracle (aka Nancy) and I knew what to expect. And I'd seen some of the Bug film and that had been ok. Muttering my mantra (Mickey wouldnt hurt me, Mickey wouldnt hurt me), we wound through the trees roots, Roland continually asking if I was sure. I wasnt but I was being brave and wasnt letting on, which he could tell. I promised I wouldnt do anything daft and in we went. The posted wait was 10 mins and we were in in 5 didnt even have chance to take any photos. And I survived! I missed the sting I was so uptight I was on the edge of my seat. Caught the bugs leaving though yuk! With me feeling supremely smug, we went out again into the baking heat.
We did a lot of wandering about in AK so that we got things done (we figured wed see the scenery later). Next up was Lion King. The cereals were wearing off so we bought a pretzel. We live in the heart of German pretzel country there are pretzel stands on every street corner, theyre freshly baked and theyre delicious. Disney pretzels look similar but bigger and the dough is sourer and less salty. We prefer ours but they were a bit too far away. The CM at the stand was so nice. She explained the money to us and then wanted to know if our Mickey was antique. Turned out our boy didnt look like the American Mickey beanies, his face is different. We think hes far more handsome but maybe were biased.
Rushed up to Lion King 15 mins before the start and got some very nice seats in the giraffe section. `Princess´ was with our section and she was just lovely. The little girl didnt know what noise a giraffe makes but Princess helped her so sweetly. It was that moment when it finally struck me: wed entered a beautiful new world. That Disney feeling washed over me as all my cares slipped away. Pure magic.
Roland liked the show, I loved everything about it. Of the Disney shows we saw, that was far and away my favourite. With me humming away to myself, we went back out to be melted a bit more. Did I mention it was hot? We were almost outside when I felt my bottom being pinched. But were at Disney! As I was turning round in shocked disbelief, a little hand moved from my bottom to my hand. His mum, who had his other hand, turned then and saw him strung between us - we had to laugh. Cute!
Dinosaur next posted time 10 mins, reality 5 mins. We love Indiana Jones in California and could see that the Dinosaur technology was the same but we didnt enjoy it anywhere near as much it was too dark which meant not enough to look at. We both felt the same thankful we hadnt queued for long. We knew we wouldnt be back.
Wed read about Dinoland but the reality was still a shock. We thought it looked cheap and nasty and completely out of place. Disney can and should do better.
Our luck with short waits held we got to Tarzan 15 mins before the start and had no problem finding seats. What did we think of it? Well we thought the monkeys were very good, the singers had good voices and Tarzan and Jane were also good but werent on long enough. But we thought the show was terrible. It just wasnt the sum of its parts. And we hated the Tarzans mother thing. It was the ugliest character wed ever seen - people started walking out in droves as soon as she appeared. We wished we had by the time it had finished. Unless they revamp this one well never be back.
The heat was even more oppressive when we got out. The other must-dos on our list were in Asia so off we went. It seemed even hotter there. Having done so much, we finally took more time to look at the scenery. AK is so nicely themed, so beautiful. The animals on the Tree of Life are amazing and it can be seen from so many places. Wed really looked forward to AK and it didnt disappoint.
Kali River Rapids is where our tentative plan got thrown out the window. We were both feeling the lack of sleep and the heat I keep mentioning wasn't getting any less. The standby time was an hour and a half, FP was almost as much. It was unanimously voted a `next time´. Food! Though not too much because of Boma. As we were in Asia, lets have something Asian, we thought and went to the Chakranadi Chicken Shop. They had pot stickers on the menu I'd been dying to find out what those are so I asked the couple behind us but Mary struck again. It took four repeats before they understood me and then theyd never heard of them either so we had chicken fried rice. It was easier. Roland thought it was awful.
I thought it was ok just.
Feeling a little better we headed for the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Very beautiful. Most of the animals were dozing in the shade (wished we could) but there was one bat who wasnt. I'm having trouble telling you what he did as this is a family board. Ermm the clues in the gender. He washed himself and it was amazing as he moved the bit he was cleaning to his mouth, not the other way round. Wow. The kiddie next to us kept saying, Whats he doing? The mum completely and utterly ignored the question but she couldnt tear her eyes away! The show ended when he went behind closed wings.
What to do next? Admit to ourselves that we were dead on our feet, thats what! We spread our visit out a little longer by exiting the park via all the shops. I was surprised how readily Roland agreed to this turned out it was the air conditioning he was after. We were both surprised at the number of people leaving. It was just over an hour to the parade but they were exiting in droves, with hardly anyone going into the park.
We drove back to CBR and were again wowed by the place; it really is very pretty. Thankyou Mousekeeping for the towel duck in our room no child was ever more excited! We had a shower and a rest then got spruced up for Boma.
We found AKL without any problems. As wed be spending our last three days here, we were looking forward to a sneak preview. The car park was a shock. There was absolutely no cover anywhere, not a tree nor nothing - it had to be the hottest place in all Florida. Are genuine African car parks like that? The shower turned out to be a waste of time. Feeling decidedly damp, we walked into the deliciously cool lobby. Perhaps they make it as hot as possible outside just so you appreciate the hotel. The pictures wed seen didnt do the lobby justice. Understatedly stunning. We were due at Boma so a full reccy would have to wait. Bomad only been open 15 mins but the joint was already hopping. We had a short wait before being shown to our table. Our waiter was a bit of a disappointment the larger parties next to us got far more attention. Couldnt be because the tip would be bigger, could it? Perish the thought.
I agree with everyone who says Boma is dark and the acoustics are bad but we loved it anyway! It also manages to be warm and welcoming. We hit the buffet as if we hadnt eaten for a week. I found a couple of things I could eat (my allergies make eating out difficult I like buffets because theres a greater chance of finding things I can eat safely) and did what I usually do stuck to those things in copious amounts. I can put a lot away for my size! (Trouble is, the size increases with each putting away). Roland was in seventh heaven with all the choices he especially loved the beef. The choice was very varied so I think even the pickiest of eaters would find something here. Change that to thought. The woman at the next table (I'm a people watcher thats polite for nosey) ate a little macaroni cheese, a huge amount of fruit and a cookie. I reckon she was there to please everyone else nice one lady!
The only attention wed had from the waiter was when hed told us to make sure we left room for the fourteen desserts. Fourteen! Pinch me someone, I must be dreaming. I made sure I obeyed instructions, difficult as it was. We tried the famous zebra domes Roland loved them. I thought they were ok but my heart was lost to the fudge brownies. I would like to live on those till I die please. Death by fudge brownie. Feeling very full, we asked for the bill. Then gazed round. We couldnt believe how many people had seemingly taken all fourteen desserts and then just nibbled a bit of each one. The wastage was incredible. The four women at the next table had taken seven each and split them between two. Three of them simpered how they couldnt possibly eat much and didnt. The fourth one looked at them as if they were mad then tucked in thats my kind of woman!
We couldnt for the life of us remember how to tip in America. Do you leave it on the table? Tell the waiter to round the bill up? When in doubt ask the waiter. He very quickly explained we could write it on the bill, then gave us a l-o-n-g lecture on how low paid US waiters are and how 15% was the least you should offer. We suggested he move to Germany where hed be paid a decent wage - he couldnt think of an answer to that.
Seriously, we always do tip that much but we think its scandalous that in this day and age people are still kept in virtual serfdom, relying on the charity of others. I'd throw all restaurant, etc owners in prison until they agreed to pay a living wage. I feel very strongly about this but I'll come off my soapbox now.
We finished off with a toddle round the Lodge. It took our breath away. Roland stays in some very posh hotels but he reckoned the Lodge held its own against them. Out on the rock we saw zebras and other animals munching contentedly theres nothing like the first time you see them. And its so romantic at dusk. Roland proved again how wonderful he is by insisting on taking a photo of me. But I'm covered in splodges and my hairs a mess. But you look so pretty. How could anyone resist that, hey girls? Hes lovely!
Back at CBR we walked the opposite way round the lake so that we could see the other villages. Glad we werent in Trinidad South its nearer the real Trinidad than the food court. We picked some milk up on the way back and the day ended with some splendid undubbed telly Frasiers one of our favourites and we hadnt seen it in over a year and a half. Disney, Boma, Frasier pure bliss!
Next, Day 4 I know just how Tippi Hedron felt.
Roland (35, German) puts up with me somehow.
Mickey our beanie, on his first trip `home´.
Tuesday, 23 April 2002
We slept badly, as you do. By 5am we both admitted defeat but couldnt summon the energy to actually get up. It wasnt as if anything would be open yet. We were amazed how long it took to get light I kept thinking wed got the time wrong. Our Mickey was also up and smiling as happily as ever. He was a present from my aunt and uncle and is now an established member of the family. I tied him to my bag using lime green ribbon in the hope (unfulfilled) that it would catch a Disers eye and he went most places with us.
I have one or two problems with allergies (putting it mildly). We never did find out exactly what it was that caused the big red splodges on my face when I got up that morning. We think it might have been the pillow. I upped my tablets and they eventually merged so I just looked sunburnt. But no splodges were going to spoil our magic!
We knew wed be up early so decided we might as well make good use of an early start - Animal Kingdom today!
Just when you think youve got everything under control Two things went wrong early on, but they both turned out for the best.
Firstly, I hadnt really left the PS numbers at home, had I? Yes. So I rang up for our Boma booking number for that night. What booking? Pardon!! I stopped having a heart attack when it was agreed I could make a new one. Thats all right then. And I made it a little later, which was much better. Secondly, wed got half way to AK before I realised I'd left some of my tablets in my other bag. Rather than turn back we decided wed go back later. We might need a rest by then anyway. Might? Famous last words.
We were at the entrance by ten to nine, our vouchers clutched in our (very) hot sticky hands and then we entered the time warp. You see, something strange happens to me when I go to America I turn into Mary Poppins. Well, my voice does. I find myself enunciating each syllable as perfectly as possible. I just want people to understand me and eventually they do (apart from the Chinese waiters in San Francisco but they thought I was hilarious so that was ok). Its just that theres a time delay. I say something, they listen and then theres this pause whilst their brains translate it into American English. Then they reply and we start the whole procedure again. Its a w-e-i-r-d feeling, like being in a time warp. If I could stop being Mary it might help but I cant, I've tried. The CM at Guest Relations coped with me and we went to the gate.
Push your fingers right in. I heard that almost every time I did the biometric thingy. I cant help having short fingers, ok! Other than that we never had any trouble. Unless you count the fact that I kept putting three fingers in by mistake. I dont think well count that.
And then the moment wed been waiting for arrived we were in a park! The moment had finally arrived!! Excitement!!! Now Roland and I have a lot in common but walking speed isnt one of them. I might be a foot shorter but I move like the blazes unless forced not to. Luckily, Roland had done some reading so he knew about getting to the safari early so we did quite well a bit slower than if I hadnt had a husband on my hand, a lot faster than Roland normally likes being dragged at. When we got to the safari the CM said the wait was 20-25 mins. FP was 40 mins, so we went for standby. And the CM was spot on it was the only time in the whole 2 weeks that the posted wait didnt exceed the reality.
The queue moved nice and quickly. The woman behind us was moaning loudly about how she hated people who push in, just as a man walked by us to join his family. Now he was legit the Dutch couple following him werent. I understand Dutch quite well, well enough to understand him tell her theyd better stop before someone complained. He stopped behind me so the woman went back to him. They picked the right place the woman behind us was so entranced that they were Dutch she let them push in! Hmmm, I wouldnt have
The safari was absolutely brilliant! Even better than hoped for. We had a very good guide who slowed right down when we were near the animals I got some surprisingly good photos. It was definitely a must-do again but not for now.
Instead we wandered back down to Bug. I'd spent two years saying no way! Two weeks before we went I surprised Roland by changing my mind. I'm absolutely petrified of crawlies. (Yes, I know I'm bigger than them and that they cant hurt me but logic doesnt come into it I'm terrified of them and thats all there is to it.) But I'd been consulting the oracle (aka Nancy) and I knew what to expect. And I'd seen some of the Bug film and that had been ok. Muttering my mantra (Mickey wouldnt hurt me, Mickey wouldnt hurt me), we wound through the trees roots, Roland continually asking if I was sure. I wasnt but I was being brave and wasnt letting on, which he could tell. I promised I wouldnt do anything daft and in we went. The posted wait was 10 mins and we were in in 5 didnt even have chance to take any photos. And I survived! I missed the sting I was so uptight I was on the edge of my seat. Caught the bugs leaving though yuk! With me feeling supremely smug, we went out again into the baking heat.
We did a lot of wandering about in AK so that we got things done (we figured wed see the scenery later). Next up was Lion King. The cereals were wearing off so we bought a pretzel. We live in the heart of German pretzel country there are pretzel stands on every street corner, theyre freshly baked and theyre delicious. Disney pretzels look similar but bigger and the dough is sourer and less salty. We prefer ours but they were a bit too far away. The CM at the stand was so nice. She explained the money to us and then wanted to know if our Mickey was antique. Turned out our boy didnt look like the American Mickey beanies, his face is different. We think hes far more handsome but maybe were biased.
Rushed up to Lion King 15 mins before the start and got some very nice seats in the giraffe section. `Princess´ was with our section and she was just lovely. The little girl didnt know what noise a giraffe makes but Princess helped her so sweetly. It was that moment when it finally struck me: wed entered a beautiful new world. That Disney feeling washed over me as all my cares slipped away. Pure magic.
Roland liked the show, I loved everything about it. Of the Disney shows we saw, that was far and away my favourite. With me humming away to myself, we went back out to be melted a bit more. Did I mention it was hot? We were almost outside when I felt my bottom being pinched. But were at Disney! As I was turning round in shocked disbelief, a little hand moved from my bottom to my hand. His mum, who had his other hand, turned then and saw him strung between us - we had to laugh. Cute!
Dinosaur next posted time 10 mins, reality 5 mins. We love Indiana Jones in California and could see that the Dinosaur technology was the same but we didnt enjoy it anywhere near as much it was too dark which meant not enough to look at. We both felt the same thankful we hadnt queued for long. We knew we wouldnt be back.
Wed read about Dinoland but the reality was still a shock. We thought it looked cheap and nasty and completely out of place. Disney can and should do better.
Our luck with short waits held we got to Tarzan 15 mins before the start and had no problem finding seats. What did we think of it? Well we thought the monkeys were very good, the singers had good voices and Tarzan and Jane were also good but werent on long enough. But we thought the show was terrible. It just wasnt the sum of its parts. And we hated the Tarzans mother thing. It was the ugliest character wed ever seen - people started walking out in droves as soon as she appeared. We wished we had by the time it had finished. Unless they revamp this one well never be back.
The heat was even more oppressive when we got out. The other must-dos on our list were in Asia so off we went. It seemed even hotter there. Having done so much, we finally took more time to look at the scenery. AK is so nicely themed, so beautiful. The animals on the Tree of Life are amazing and it can be seen from so many places. Wed really looked forward to AK and it didnt disappoint.
Kali River Rapids is where our tentative plan got thrown out the window. We were both feeling the lack of sleep and the heat I keep mentioning wasn't getting any less. The standby time was an hour and a half, FP was almost as much. It was unanimously voted a `next time´. Food! Though not too much because of Boma. As we were in Asia, lets have something Asian, we thought and went to the Chakranadi Chicken Shop. They had pot stickers on the menu I'd been dying to find out what those are so I asked the couple behind us but Mary struck again. It took four repeats before they understood me and then theyd never heard of them either so we had chicken fried rice. It was easier. Roland thought it was awful.
I thought it was ok just.
Feeling a little better we headed for the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Very beautiful. Most of the animals were dozing in the shade (wished we could) but there was one bat who wasnt. I'm having trouble telling you what he did as this is a family board. Ermm the clues in the gender. He washed himself and it was amazing as he moved the bit he was cleaning to his mouth, not the other way round. Wow. The kiddie next to us kept saying, Whats he doing? The mum completely and utterly ignored the question but she couldnt tear her eyes away! The show ended when he went behind closed wings.
What to do next? Admit to ourselves that we were dead on our feet, thats what! We spread our visit out a little longer by exiting the park via all the shops. I was surprised how readily Roland agreed to this turned out it was the air conditioning he was after. We were both surprised at the number of people leaving. It was just over an hour to the parade but they were exiting in droves, with hardly anyone going into the park.
We drove back to CBR and were again wowed by the place; it really is very pretty. Thankyou Mousekeeping for the towel duck in our room no child was ever more excited! We had a shower and a rest then got spruced up for Boma.
We found AKL without any problems. As wed be spending our last three days here, we were looking forward to a sneak preview. The car park was a shock. There was absolutely no cover anywhere, not a tree nor nothing - it had to be the hottest place in all Florida. Are genuine African car parks like that? The shower turned out to be a waste of time. Feeling decidedly damp, we walked into the deliciously cool lobby. Perhaps they make it as hot as possible outside just so you appreciate the hotel. The pictures wed seen didnt do the lobby justice. Understatedly stunning. We were due at Boma so a full reccy would have to wait. Bomad only been open 15 mins but the joint was already hopping. We had a short wait before being shown to our table. Our waiter was a bit of a disappointment the larger parties next to us got far more attention. Couldnt be because the tip would be bigger, could it? Perish the thought.
I agree with everyone who says Boma is dark and the acoustics are bad but we loved it anyway! It also manages to be warm and welcoming. We hit the buffet as if we hadnt eaten for a week. I found a couple of things I could eat (my allergies make eating out difficult I like buffets because theres a greater chance of finding things I can eat safely) and did what I usually do stuck to those things in copious amounts. I can put a lot away for my size! (Trouble is, the size increases with each putting away). Roland was in seventh heaven with all the choices he especially loved the beef. The choice was very varied so I think even the pickiest of eaters would find something here. Change that to thought. The woman at the next table (I'm a people watcher thats polite for nosey) ate a little macaroni cheese, a huge amount of fruit and a cookie. I reckon she was there to please everyone else nice one lady!
The only attention wed had from the waiter was when hed told us to make sure we left room for the fourteen desserts. Fourteen! Pinch me someone, I must be dreaming. I made sure I obeyed instructions, difficult as it was. We tried the famous zebra domes Roland loved them. I thought they were ok but my heart was lost to the fudge brownies. I would like to live on those till I die please. Death by fudge brownie. Feeling very full, we asked for the bill. Then gazed round. We couldnt believe how many people had seemingly taken all fourteen desserts and then just nibbled a bit of each one. The wastage was incredible. The four women at the next table had taken seven each and split them between two. Three of them simpered how they couldnt possibly eat much and didnt. The fourth one looked at them as if they were mad then tucked in thats my kind of woman!
We couldnt for the life of us remember how to tip in America. Do you leave it on the table? Tell the waiter to round the bill up? When in doubt ask the waiter. He very quickly explained we could write it on the bill, then gave us a l-o-n-g lecture on how low paid US waiters are and how 15% was the least you should offer. We suggested he move to Germany where hed be paid a decent wage - he couldnt think of an answer to that.
Seriously, we always do tip that much but we think its scandalous that in this day and age people are still kept in virtual serfdom, relying on the charity of others. I'd throw all restaurant, etc owners in prison until they agreed to pay a living wage. I feel very strongly about this but I'll come off my soapbox now.
We finished off with a toddle round the Lodge. It took our breath away. Roland stays in some very posh hotels but he reckoned the Lodge held its own against them. Out on the rock we saw zebras and other animals munching contentedly theres nothing like the first time you see them. And its so romantic at dusk. Roland proved again how wonderful he is by insisting on taking a photo of me. But I'm covered in splodges and my hairs a mess. But you look so pretty. How could anyone resist that, hey girls? Hes lovely!
Back at CBR we walked the opposite way round the lake so that we could see the other villages. Glad we werent in Trinidad South its nearer the real Trinidad than the food court. We picked some milk up on the way back and the day ended with some splendid undubbed telly Frasiers one of our favourites and we hadnt seen it in over a year and a half. Disney, Boma, Frasier pure bliss!
Next, Day 4 I know just how Tippi Hedron felt.
I felt as though I was right back there for a moment. Great stuff!
