More, more. more! Your report is wonderful! I'm really digging your stories and pictures. And even though it was pages ago, I thought I would add that I also enjoyed your MST3K references. Kinda got me in the mood to watch Mitchell tonight 
No Day But Today- FINAL post on page 40!
- Thread starter WDW Poly Princess
- Start date
arkansas mom
<font color=00cc00>Yes, I'm a procrastinator...I'l
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- 3,512
Ok. You can stop right now, and I can be satisfied with this little nugget. Friggin' hilarious.
WDW Poly Princess
Needs a Disney Fix
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2000
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- 4,873
Didn't even notice it! The Gorillapod rocks my world- it fit easily in my baggallini, weighs like 5oz.
I am hoping to get part of day 3 posted tonight, but if not, it won't be up till at least Weds. My sister (the one who just lost her husband) neds me to babysit her kids for the next few days while she's working, since she hasn't found a babysitter yet, so I'll be staying at her house for a few days (with no internet! EEP!) Hopefully I'll at least have time to do a lot of typing, if I can ever get the kids to sleep!
__disneygirl
well, all that's left now is the happy ending.
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2005
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- 3,528
aww, your poor sister. 
good luck with those kids, it's so great of you to do that for her! what a hard time this must be. well, we'll be waiting for the next installment. 
good luck with those kids, it's so great of you to do that for her! what a hard time this must be. well, we'll be waiting for the next installment. 
kabbie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2005
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- 1,269
Hey Crystal!! I love your trip reports!! I am going on my solo adventure to Disneyland in 1 week. I wanted to ask you about the Crocs sandals---how did they work out for you? Also, I am a big fan of LUSH products myself so I know about those solid shampoo bars. I love to take them on vacation b/c they don't spill. And they really do make my hair soft and manageable. And I work at a hotel as a front desk supervisor so I'm there in the trenches with you dealing with customer service.
I hope everything is going well with your sister and her family. I can't imagine how difficult this is for her.
I hope everything is going well with your sister and her family. I can't imagine how difficult this is for her.
Kristina
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2004
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- 2,237
Oh my Crystal, may I say that I love your writing style! I love how you explain all the details and include pictures of just all the what to others would be just little things, but to trippie readers are the little things that count big time. You made my heart leap with the pictures of the Pirates merchandise 
. Keep up the good work, and save your nickels so you can go back again soon and write us another, okay 
!
. Keep up the good work, and save your nickels so you can go back again soon and write us another, okay !
WDW Poly Princess
Needs a Disney Fix
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2000
- Messages
- 4,873
...and I'm back!
I would pay fifty zillion dollars to be back at WDW right now! I woke up at my sister's house this morning to an inch of snow on the ground- and then I had to drive home! The most terrifying drive of my life! Crazy twisty back roads, covered in ice, and my car sliding back and forth across both lanes!! I'm glad to be alive!
So, in short: Snow =
But on with the trip report! Day 3!
Part 10-Day 3 Begins! (January 11th) (I'm running on way too little sleep to pick a Rent lyric for the title!)
Today at Animal Kingdom, I learned much more about the reproductive health of male elephants than I ever wanted to know. I also learned that EPT pregnancy tests work on gorillas. But Im getting ahead of myself, really.
I slept really, really well the night before Day 3! The first couple of nights of the trip I kept waking up every few hours- I guess it takes my brain a few days to get used to being in a new place and on a new sleep schedule! (Actually, after I got home, I woke up in the middle of the night with NO idea where I was! Too funny.) Anyway, Im not sure if it was chugging down the rest of my drink before bed the night before, or if I was just settling in, but I slept GREAT! And a good thing, because I had to be up EARLY today! Why? Backstage Safari Tour at Animal Kingdom!
The tour starts at 8:30, but you need to be there by 8:15 to meet up with the group. But remember how there was a 45 minute wait for the bus yesterday? Taking no chances, I was at the bus stop by 7:20! It worked out well, because I got to DAK right about 8am.
Have you ever seen the turnstiles with NOBODY there?
We had a very full tour group today! I dont remember the exact number, but Id guess 18 or so? We ended up having two tour guides, Heidi and . Debbie? I think? Man, I have a horrible memory!
In fact, Ill have to give a fairly vague description of the tour, because my memory really does suck! I jotted down some notes as I got a chance during the tour, but since you cant take photos during the tour, I dont have much to go on!
Since most of the tour takes place backstage (Thus the name!), they load everyone up into big vans to drive you around back there. Whee, road trip!
If I recall correctly, our first stop was outside of the elephant building. I did this tour a few years ago, but it had been somewhat changed around because there was a big press event that day for the 100 years of Magic, so Id been wanting to do it again to see how it would be different, and refresh my memory of all of the stuff Id forgotten. (Oh yeah, that obviously worked reeeeeeally well. Pft!) Anyway, the last time I did the tour, we went inside the elephant building, but there werent any elephants in there. This time we just stood outside the building, but there was an elephant in the outdoor area. Nifty! One of the elephant keepers came out to talk to us about them, which was really interesting. Somehow the topic came up that the elephants had all been
shooting blanks
and so the elephant in front of us was scheduled for a
. collection later that day, to try to figure out what was up. (Man, this is a hard story to tell in a family-friendly forum!) It was one of those times when you could tell everyone was thinking the same question, but nobody asked it. Finally, about 10 minutes later when the keeper was finished and asked for questions, a man who was about 80 (we learned that he and his wife had actually lived in Africa for many years), piped up and asked how they did the collection. Lets just say that you really dont want to know, mkay? I can just imagine being that CM- So, what did you do at work today? Well, I got very up close and personal with an elephant
(And for the record, they just learned that one of the elephants is pregnant! Shes due in the summer of 2008! Hooray!)
We learned that the hoofstock animals have the choice of if they want to come into the buildings at night or not- I never knew that! We also made a stop in the building where they prepare the food for the animals, but we didnt have much time there because a German film crew was coming in. I wonder why they were there?
We also went in the vet building, and spent some time talking to one of the vets there. She gave us what turned out to be awesome information- they were planning to do an exam on a tiger the next morning! I made plans to show up, and ended up VERY glad I did but thats tomorrow!
Our last backstage stop was in a conference type room, where we saw a short video and got to see an animal up close. I have it written down as a tarmak, but I cant find it on Google, so apparently thats wrong! It looked a little like a hedgehog, though, and it was from Madagascar, and its name was Taco! Very cute! (They also had snacks available at this time- hot chocolate and coffee (It was COLD again this morning!), bottled water, granola bars, goldfish crackers, brownies, etc. Gotta love anything free at Disney!
I know Im doing an awful job of describing the tour, but I do highly recommend it if youre an animal person, or are just curious in how the park takes care of its animals!
The final part of the tour was the Safari- we got our own safari truck, and instead of the usual speil, our tour guides gave us info. I do wish they allowed more time for this- the safari truck has to stick to its usual time schedule, so its the same length as a regular safari- it would be nice if they could slow down and spend more time!
We learned on the tour that all of the hippos on one side are male, and on the other side of the road are female. I think these are the females?
These guys are sable antelope. You may recognize them as the mascots of the Safari!
Are there two different male lions? (Hey, maybe I should have asked that on the tour!) It seems like theres one with a black mane and one with a golden mane?
Whee, a giraffe!
Zebra crossing!
I wonder if either of these is the pregnant female?
And Crocky! Really, hes down there somewhere.
After the safari, we headed for the fort area in Harambe to fill out a survey about the tour, and received pins. Nifty! (And it was a different pin than the one I got a few years ago!) And that concluded the tour!
I had noticed as we walked to the final area that the wait for the safari was only 10 minutes. It was a PERFECT Animal Kingdom day- the weather was warming up (I was able to take my sweatshirt off mid day), there were NO lines- perfect! I started to go hop back on the Safari, but then I figured that if there was no line for the safari, the trails wouldnt be crowded either, so I went to the Pangani trail instead!
Should I maybe get up and do something?
Nah, not today.
And of course, as Im sure you expect by now, *more* gorilla photos!
This one was having a great time playing with her feet.
But this one just wanted everyone to leave him alone so he could nap!
Apparently, hands are fascinating!
I've got to break here, but coming up in the rest of Day 3- Tea at the Grand Floridian!
I would pay fifty zillion dollars to be back at WDW right now! I woke up at my sister's house this morning to an inch of snow on the ground- and then I had to drive home! The most terrifying drive of my life! Crazy twisty back roads, covered in ice, and my car sliding back and forth across both lanes!! I'm glad to be alive!
So, in short: Snow =
But on with the trip report! Day 3!
Part 10-Day 3 Begins! (January 11th) (I'm running on way too little sleep to pick a Rent lyric for the title!)
Today at Animal Kingdom, I learned much more about the reproductive health of male elephants than I ever wanted to know. I also learned that EPT pregnancy tests work on gorillas. But Im getting ahead of myself, really.
I slept really, really well the night before Day 3! The first couple of nights of the trip I kept waking up every few hours- I guess it takes my brain a few days to get used to being in a new place and on a new sleep schedule! (Actually, after I got home, I woke up in the middle of the night with NO idea where I was! Too funny.) Anyway, Im not sure if it was chugging down the rest of my drink before bed the night before, or if I was just settling in, but I slept GREAT! And a good thing, because I had to be up EARLY today! Why? Backstage Safari Tour at Animal Kingdom!
The tour starts at 8:30, but you need to be there by 8:15 to meet up with the group. But remember how there was a 45 minute wait for the bus yesterday? Taking no chances, I was at the bus stop by 7:20! It worked out well, because I got to DAK right about 8am.
Have you ever seen the turnstiles with NOBODY there?
We had a very full tour group today! I dont remember the exact number, but Id guess 18 or so? We ended up having two tour guides, Heidi and . Debbie? I think? Man, I have a horrible memory!
In fact, Ill have to give a fairly vague description of the tour, because my memory really does suck! I jotted down some notes as I got a chance during the tour, but since you cant take photos during the tour, I dont have much to go on!
Since most of the tour takes place backstage (Thus the name!), they load everyone up into big vans to drive you around back there. Whee, road trip!
If I recall correctly, our first stop was outside of the elephant building. I did this tour a few years ago, but it had been somewhat changed around because there was a big press event that day for the 100 years of Magic, so Id been wanting to do it again to see how it would be different, and refresh my memory of all of the stuff Id forgotten. (Oh yeah, that obviously worked reeeeeeally well. Pft!) Anyway, the last time I did the tour, we went inside the elephant building, but there werent any elephants in there. This time we just stood outside the building, but there was an elephant in the outdoor area. Nifty! One of the elephant keepers came out to talk to us about them, which was really interesting. Somehow the topic came up that the elephants had all been
shooting blanks
and so the elephant in front of us was scheduled for a
. collection later that day, to try to figure out what was up. (Man, this is a hard story to tell in a family-friendly forum!) It was one of those times when you could tell everyone was thinking the same question, but nobody asked it. Finally, about 10 minutes later when the keeper was finished and asked for questions, a man who was about 80 (we learned that he and his wife had actually lived in Africa for many years), piped up and asked how they did the collection. Lets just say that you really dont want to know, mkay? I can just imagine being that CM- So, what did you do at work today? Well, I got very up close and personal with an elephant
(And for the record, they just learned that one of the elephants is pregnant! Shes due in the summer of 2008! Hooray!)
We learned that the hoofstock animals have the choice of if they want to come into the buildings at night or not- I never knew that! We also made a stop in the building where they prepare the food for the animals, but we didnt have much time there because a German film crew was coming in. I wonder why they were there?
We also went in the vet building, and spent some time talking to one of the vets there. She gave us what turned out to be awesome information- they were planning to do an exam on a tiger the next morning! I made plans to show up, and ended up VERY glad I did but thats tomorrow!
Our last backstage stop was in a conference type room, where we saw a short video and got to see an animal up close. I have it written down as a tarmak, but I cant find it on Google, so apparently thats wrong! It looked a little like a hedgehog, though, and it was from Madagascar, and its name was Taco! Very cute! (They also had snacks available at this time- hot chocolate and coffee (It was COLD again this morning!), bottled water, granola bars, goldfish crackers, brownies, etc. Gotta love anything free at Disney!
I know Im doing an awful job of describing the tour, but I do highly recommend it if youre an animal person, or are just curious in how the park takes care of its animals!
The final part of the tour was the Safari- we got our own safari truck, and instead of the usual speil, our tour guides gave us info. I do wish they allowed more time for this- the safari truck has to stick to its usual time schedule, so its the same length as a regular safari- it would be nice if they could slow down and spend more time!
We learned on the tour that all of the hippos on one side are male, and on the other side of the road are female. I think these are the females?
These guys are sable antelope. You may recognize them as the mascots of the Safari!
Are there two different male lions? (Hey, maybe I should have asked that on the tour!) It seems like theres one with a black mane and one with a golden mane?
Whee, a giraffe!
Zebra crossing!
I wonder if either of these is the pregnant female?
And Crocky! Really, hes down there somewhere.
After the safari, we headed for the fort area in Harambe to fill out a survey about the tour, and received pins. Nifty! (And it was a different pin than the one I got a few years ago!) And that concluded the tour!
I had noticed as we walked to the final area that the wait for the safari was only 10 minutes. It was a PERFECT Animal Kingdom day- the weather was warming up (I was able to take my sweatshirt off mid day), there were NO lines- perfect! I started to go hop back on the Safari, but then I figured that if there was no line for the safari, the trails wouldnt be crowded either, so I went to the Pangani trail instead!
Should I maybe get up and do something?
Nah, not today.
And of course, as Im sure you expect by now, *more* gorilla photos!
This one was having a great time playing with her feet.
But this one just wanted everyone to leave him alone so he could nap!
Apparently, hands are fascinating!
I've got to break here, but coming up in the rest of Day 3- Tea at the Grand Floridian!
newholidayx2
<font color=green>Searching for the perfect tree<b
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2004
- Messages
- 7,875
hi crystal - could it have been a markat? marcat?
fizz13
<font color=33cc99>Dreams about being stuck on Spa
- Joined
- May 6, 2004
- Messages
- 5,791
Well I know to only read your trippies when no one else is around now beacuse they regularly make me do this: Still doing a fantastic job with the report, great photos BTW, I am another one who fantasises about my trips, only to get there, and know where every bathroom is, every door, and automatically know what is on every menu. This is why i am going to do a couple of tours next time i go, so that things are new to me. Hopefully, going with a couple of newbies next time will make me see it through their eyes and get some excitement back. Planning is still tres exciting though
Still doing a fantastic job with the report, great photos BTW, I am another one who fantasises about my trips, only to get there, and know where every bathroom is, every door, and automatically know what is on every menu. This is why i am going to do a couple of tours next time i go, so that things are new to me. Hopefully, going with a couple of newbies next time will make me see it through their eyes and get some excitement back. Planning is still tres exciting though
Tink-in-Training
My DBF calls me 'Princess' like it's a bad thing!
- Joined
- May 24, 2006
- Messages
- 108
...and I'm back!
Should I maybe get up and do something?
Nah, not today.
I wonder if my landlord will let me have a meerkat? I mean I'm just so sure my little kitties wouldn't mind!
WDW Poly Princess
Needs a Disney Fix
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2000
- Messages
- 4,873
I wonder if my landlord will let me have a meerkat? I mean I just so sure my little kitties wouldn't mind!
Hee! If you do, be sure to warn the local bunnies! I'm still traumatized from THAT trip!
WDW Poly Princess
Needs a Disney Fix
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2000
- Messages
- 4,873
After the Pangani trail, I stopped in the store in Harambe to buy the books I saw yesterday (I Married Adventure and Four Years in Paradise, both by Osa Johnson), and also picked up a pink tiger t-shirt. Then I set off for Asia to take a swing through the Maharajah Jungle Trek. (Wouldnt it be great if they had a safari in Asia, too? Or at least Asian elephants? I love the Asia area theme wise- its beautiful- but it still feels a little lacking content wise.)
On my way from Africa to Asia, I came across Devine! Ive always thought she was cool, but this was the first time I really noticed how beautiful her movements are! Shes really amazing to watch!
Onward to Asia!
I wonder if I can take Yak for my next trip?
I found myself thinking as I speed walked towards the Maharajah Jungle Trek that I was really surprised that I still hadnt slowed down. Usually I run around all crazy for the first day or two, but then I settle into the World and start slowing down, drinking everything in. This was day 3, and I was still running around all crazy! (And as you may have noticed, Ive still only been to MK and DAK! Ive usually hit all 4 parks by day 3!)
There were hardly any crowds on Maharajah, either- hooray! Its just not the same when the trail is crowded, and you have to fight your way through crowds just to see the animals! (I was really sad that I didnt have my video camera or camera accessories with me! If only Id known what a great DAK day it was going to be, I would have come more prepared!!)
Today was the most active Ive ever seen the bats- theyre normally just kind of hanging around, but today they were crawling along the ropes, and two of them seemed to have a disagreement.
I almost never get a picture where you can actually see their face! (And as I was looking something else up in my Animal Kingdom book, I just noticed that there are TWO different kinds of bats! I always assumed that they were all the Malayan flying foxes, but apparently there are also Rodrigues Fruit Bats!)
Is this fencing in the tiger area new? I dont remember it being there before!
They make me miss my cats!
Safe water for travelers
Moo! Okay, I know these guys are not just regular cows, but I couldnt find them in my DAK book, so I have no idea what they are! I always find it kind of funny to see them on display next to what seem like much more exotic animals!
I really suck at bird spotting.
But the building near the birds is really cute!
This is one of those little details in design that makes me love this park!
Where to next? Heres a clue:
On my way from Africa to Asia, I came across Devine! Ive always thought she was cool, but this was the first time I really noticed how beautiful her movements are! Shes really amazing to watch!
Onward to Asia!
I wonder if I can take Yak for my next trip?
I found myself thinking as I speed walked towards the Maharajah Jungle Trek that I was really surprised that I still hadnt slowed down. Usually I run around all crazy for the first day or two, but then I settle into the World and start slowing down, drinking everything in. This was day 3, and I was still running around all crazy! (And as you may have noticed, Ive still only been to MK and DAK! Ive usually hit all 4 parks by day 3!)
There were hardly any crowds on Maharajah, either- hooray! Its just not the same when the trail is crowded, and you have to fight your way through crowds just to see the animals! (I was really sad that I didnt have my video camera or camera accessories with me! If only Id known what a great DAK day it was going to be, I would have come more prepared!!)
Today was the most active Ive ever seen the bats- theyre normally just kind of hanging around, but today they were crawling along the ropes, and two of them seemed to have a disagreement.
I almost never get a picture where you can actually see their face! (And as I was looking something else up in my Animal Kingdom book, I just noticed that there are TWO different kinds of bats! I always assumed that they were all the Malayan flying foxes, but apparently there are also Rodrigues Fruit Bats!)
Is this fencing in the tiger area new? I dont remember it being there before!
They make me miss my cats!
Safe water for travelers
Moo! Okay, I know these guys are not just regular cows, but I couldnt find them in my DAK book, so I have no idea what they are! I always find it kind of funny to see them on display next to what seem like much more exotic animals!
I really suck at bird spotting.
But the building near the birds is really cute!
This is one of those little details in design that makes me love this park!
Where to next? Heres a clue:
Tink-in-Training
My DBF calls me 'Princess' like it's a bad thing!
- Joined
- May 24, 2006
- Messages
- 108
Crystal,
You seem to enjoy DAK (and the rest of WDW) the same way I do. I always spend a ton of time on the Maharaja Jungle Trek and lots of QT with the big kitties. It's funny how even though they're totally different than house kitties, their behaviors are so similar!
I like the bats a lot...it's just EVERY time I see them, one or more of them are peeing! Everywhere! It's bizarre.
I'm dying to go on Everest. Hope the Yeti was...welcoming.
Great TR. Looking forward to the next installment! I think I'm officially a WDW Poly Princess TR Fan!
OH! and I think the 'Asian cow' is called a banteng, but I'm not 100% sure.
You seem to enjoy DAK (and the rest of WDW) the same way I do. I always spend a ton of time on the Maharaja Jungle Trek and lots of QT with the big kitties. It's funny how even though they're totally different than house kitties, their behaviors are so similar!
I like the bats a lot...it's just EVERY time I see them, one or more of them are peeing! Everywhere! It's bizarre.
I'm dying to go on Everest. Hope the Yeti was...welcoming.
Great TR. Looking forward to the next installment! I think I'm officially a WDW Poly Princess TR Fan!
OH! and I think the 'Asian cow' is called a banteng, but I'm not 100% sure.
newholidayx2
<font color=green>Searching for the perfect tree<b
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2004
- Messages
- 7,875
Crystal - I would love to do the AK tour sometime too. How did you like Everest? I rode it quite a few times and enjoy it
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