No One Does a Trip Report Like Gaston - January 2016 (Updated 4/14)

[blestmom]

I know you considered it a compromise but I loved the format of this report. You packed 2 weeks of events and observations into 4 park-based posts, and it made for a concise and super interesting read. Also your pics were amazing. Loved the underwater hippo; he must be pretty athletic bc he appears to be sponsored by Nike

Ha ha! I had to go back and look at the hippo picture...I hadn't noticed that before! And thanks for the kind words.

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on ... "It's a Small World"

I like it, it's cute. I got my 17-year-old son on it twice. I consider that an accomplishment.

 

[MerrySunshine]

Loved reading your trip report and viewing your pictures! Thanks for sharing.

 

[blestmom]

Loved reading your trip report and viewing your pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you!

 

[andera42]

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Animal Kingdom is my favorite park (followed closely by Magic Kingdom). I could be happy heading over there just about every day of my vacation. Maybe down the road if I do a solo trip I will do just that.

Kilimanjaro Safari is my favorite attraction in my favorite park.

The Painted Dogs are apparently new to the safari...

Expedition Everest is my favorite coaster...I lost count how many times we rode it.

Animal Kingdom is SO pretty at night. I'm so excited for all the changes coming to the park!

My photographer son again...

DiVine...

I celebrated my birthday at the Yak and Yeti...I had the Chicken Masala with Jasmine Rice and Garlic Naan Bread. So good!

And for dessert, Mango Pie. It was amazingly delicious!

A counter service meal I really liked was the Cornbread Chicken Salad from Flame Tree Barbecue...

Expedition Everest ride photos...

Dinosaur ride photos...

Random thoughts...

1. Animal Kingdom is quite pretty in the rain.

2. Royal Anandapur remains my favorite place to get a coffee in all Disney property.

3. The singer at AK by the safari was talented, it was SO LOUD you couldn't even hear the person around you. I really don't like these loud musical things. I miss the quieter background park music.


Top 3 Cute/Adorable/Sweet things of the day I saw:

#1. Kudos to the mom on the Pop Century bus going back to the resort after a long day. She had a young boy on her lap, maybe 2? Everyone was exhausted...including her. But her little boy was pretty lively. This mom sang songs with her little boy the entire way back. Every time the little boy was about to lose it, she was so patient and gentle with him, and redirected him with another song. Way to go, mom!

#2. I just love seeing gentlemen give up their seat to those who need it on the buses. This young man was sitting by his girlfriend, but immediately jumped up and offered his seat to a mom who was carrying a small child. Not only did he give up his seat, he then proceeded to play with the young child, and keep him entertained during the ride.

#3. Saw the sweetest elderly gentleman in front of us at Dinosaur. You could tell that the walking was difficult for him, but he was so determined to ride the attraction with his granddaughter. He just walked very slowly, but smiling the whole time. What special memories for them both!

I also love the AK. Your trip reports are easy to read and enjoyable. Love your random thoughts, one of my favorite things about visiting DW is people watching and seeing so many positive interactions between people.

 

[blestmom]

I also love the AK. Your trip reports are easy to read and enjoyable. Love your random thoughts, one of my favorite things about visiting DW is people watching and seeing so many positive interactions between people.

Thank you so much!

I agree with you a lot...I love people watching at Disney! I love seeing the families together. I love seeing moms and dads slow down a bit and enjoy their time together, and especially with their kids. I love watching kids interact together. I love seeing grandparent and grandkids having fun together. I especially love seeing elderly couples still holding hands...it's so sweet. I even love seeing goofy silly teenage girls hanging out together having fun. I love seeing families from other cultures. On the bus one day, I witnessed a wonderful conversation between a young lady on vacation from Argentina, and a dad with two kids. They had a great time exchanging different stories and experiences despite an obvious language barrier. I love seeing friends of all ages having a good time together...some like running all around and going on ride after ride, some like just sitting quietly and enjoying a nice meal.

I love watching the interactions between cast members and guests. Truly. I've seen so many special moments.

I Disney.

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on...Jungle Cruise.

We love this ride! (excuse me..."attraction." ) Yes, it's corny, and it's why we love it. I do miss the days when the skippers were allowed to ad lib. Most of them were hilarious! We were able to ride several times this trip. Each skipper was quite good. One girl was particularly good...there was a rather large back-up at the very end...there were about 4 boats in front of us. She had to keep up a humorous spiel the entire time. Not an easy task. She kept looking over at the dock and it seemed to be taking forever for it to be our turn. She kept coming up with joke after joke, but you could tell she was getting a bit nervous at having to perform this 'stand up' comedy routine for long. She was a real trooper.

One of our funnest evenings was when the MK was open late. It was raining, but we headed over to the Jungle Cruise. Normally during the day with FP+ there were always long lines so we thought we'd see if it would be a shorter wait. Um...yes. As a matter of a fact, there was NO ONE else in line. So...my son and I got entire boat to ourselves. We thought it might be awkward with the skipper doing the whole spiel with just us, but he was really funny. He added in quite a few 'extra' jokes that had us rolling with laughter the entire time.

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on...Liberty Square Riverboat.

I think this is such a hidden gem in the Magic Kingdom. It's really a beautiful ride, and it's such a nice relaxing pace during a busy day. The first time we went on it, we weren't aware there were so many different scenes that are only visible while on the riverboat. Even when you're in the midst of the Magic Kingdom you feel like you're really out on the Mississippi...at least, I do. It's also SO beautiful not only during the day, but also at night.

 

[andera42]

Random thoughts on...Liberty Square Riverboat.

I think this is such a hidden gem in the Magic Kingdom. It's really a beautiful ride, and it's such a nice relaxing pace during a busy day. The first time we went on it, we weren't aware there were so many different scenes that are only visible while on the riverboat. Even when you're in the midst of the Magic Kingdom you feel like you're really out on the Mississippi...at least, I do. It's also SO beautiful not only during the day, but also at night.

 

[andera42]

Your photos are amazing. They belong in a storybook.

 

[blestmom]

Your photos are amazing. They belong in a storybook.

You are too kind...thank you.

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on...Mad Tea Party.

Yes, I did this with my son, who at 17 can get that teacup spinning like crazy! Two kids in another teacup had lightsabres and they were able to pull off a battle while spinning furiously fast. Kudos to being young...


Random thoughts on...Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

My son never reads my trip reports, so I can admit that he asked to go on this ride. And more than once. Must be remembering his childhood, as our Winnie the Pooh VHS and DVDs were most treasured.


Random thoughts on ...Mickey's Philharmagic.

I love this! I love all of it. I buy this little air freshener at home to remember the pie smell from the "Be Our Guest" scene.

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on...Peter Pan's Flight.

We LOVED the new queue! I didn't think we'd actually get to see it because since PP always has a long line, it was usually one of our FP+ selections. But one evening after the fireworks, we had been watching from Fantasyland. As soon as they ended, like withing 60 seconds, there was a line forming at PP. I wasn't even sure what was going on but hey, "a line...let's get in it!" So we jumped in the line, and it was then that I realized that it was evening EMH and they had just officially started. So we showed our Magic Band and then we headed into the queue. They sent us through the stand-by queue. We didn't spend much time there (as we were towards the front of the line) but everyone did go slowly through the queue and tried out some of the interactive sections. It was really cool...we especially like the hand shadows you get to do. Good job on this, Disney!

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on...Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Love, love, love it! This was our first time experiencing this attraction. We ended up getting to ride it more than we thought we would. Knowing it was popular, I did book a FP+ for it several days on our trip. Our most fun times, though, were when we were able to ride it stand-by. Although we appreciated being able to skip the long line several times, we did enjoy the queue (when the wait wasn't too bad). We found that late at night, especially when it was raining, was a great time to ride without a long wait. One of my all-time favorite Disney memories was when the train car stopped right on the tracks right when the nighttime fireworks were going off right overhead. It was truly magical! We really loved this ride!!!

 

[RandomlyrachelG]

Love that you recorded the sweet things you saw and remembered other guests doing, and your photos are absolutely fabulous. I share your love of the Riverboat--I think it's such a cool experience, it's the one thing I remember from the Disney trip when I was 4 years old and I loved experiencing it the next time I went to Disney, when I was 22!

 

[blestmom]

Love that you recorded the sweet things you saw and remembered other guests doing, and your photos are absolutely fabulous. I share your love of the Riverboat--I think it's such a cool experience, it's the one thing I remember from the Disney trip when I was 4 years old and I loved experiencing it the next time I went to Disney, when I was 22!

Thank you The Riverboat is so cool! You really do feel as if you've stepped back in time, and I think it's such a pleasant break from the busyness of the park. Very relaxing. I'm happy you have good memories of it!!

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on...Space Mountain.

Hands down, my son's favorite ride. Hence, we rode this attraction more than any other. Even more than my favorites (the Safari and Everest). He loved to think up poses for the ride photo. I didn't get on board until mid-way through the trip. My daughter had stated on FB that "Mom's face looks the same on every ride photo." So I switched it up for her...

Doing the "Uncle Rico" from Napoleon Dynamite...

I love how these complete strangers in front of and behind us enhanced our photo!!

And...maybe it's just me but...don't get get me wrong, I am very grateful to have these ride photos and to have them all attached to the MagicBands. Super easy and fun! And the ones on 7SMT and ToT are fantastic! But these SM ones look so cheesy...like they were taken in someone's basement or garage.

 

[blestmom]

Random thoughts on...Swiss Family Treehouse

A hidden gem, I think, in the MK. Another low-key quiet experience. At least, when we go, which usually is at night, when everyone else seems to be running around doing other stuff. I'm surprised my kids have continued to appreciate this attraction. You'd think it might seem lame but they really love it. Maybe because one of our favorite 'read alouds' in our schooling was Swiss Family Robinson. We think it is a nice quiet place and they like climbing up all those steps!

As I mentioned earlier in my report, it's really neat when you time it so that the fireworks are going off. It's a cool, different perspective. This time, we just happened to be in the right place at the right time when Tinkerbell flew down from the castle...we had a perfect view!!