Oh, Just A Few GALLONS of Pixie Dust! - A July/August 2012 TR

[amazingact21]

Yay Animal Kingdom day! I know it's not The Magic Kingdom or anything, but AK has it's own special qualities that make it awesome.

I had to laugh with your tram story, because one time, at DHS, the tram was about to leave and this family walked up and the tram driver began saying, "NO FURTHER BOARDING! NO FURTHER BOARDING!" But these people just ignored the message and climbed aboard anyways. Maybe it was that same driver....


Glad you all got a great safari guide! Giraffes are my favorite, but I agree, their tongues are gross. DH proposed to me in front of our zoo's giraffes, and all I could think for a split second was, "Nooo, I can't put that nice ring on my finger, I have giraffe spit on my hand!"


What?! You got to see the baby elephant being washed! How awesome is that? That's really cool.


And as far as the dinner reservation goes, there's only a few restaurants I can think of that tend to have openings the day of. I'll see if my suspicion is correct...

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

The view from your balcony makes me swoon every single time...it's so freakin' amazing!

Free Disney food...YES, PLEASE! Nobody does customer service like Disney...I'm curious to see where you guys went for dinner!

I've never fed a giraffe, but I have ridden an elephant; and it was way cool!

I love your photo of the mom and baby elephant...it's like something out of Dumbo!

I was on the safari once and there were two baby elephants mud wrestling...it was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. You can kinda see them in my picture below...

 

[amandaw]

That is awesome about the extra dining credits!! I can't wait to see where y'all end up for dinner!

Nice safari pictures! I love elephants, too!

By the way....I hate the new slogan for 2013. Limited Time Magic? Really? That's the best that Disney could come up with?

 

[marDgreen88]

LOVE the balcony pictures, especially the first one where you can see the ripples on the water! Gorgeous.

And about that new slogan...who the heck wants to put a limit on magic?!? WHO LIMITS MAGICAL THINGS!?!?!?! Horrible.

Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of AK, but it has most certainly grown on me. I had lots of fun there this year (which you'll have to wait a long time to hear about, seeing as I just started the TR and I include every single detail of every single second, and we didn't go to AK until the fifth day).
The elephants are Sawyer's absolute favorite animals. He would probably ride one, but then I'd have to remind him that they can push over trees, so that might not be the best idea. I'd let him feed a giraffe, though, because goo is just fine by me, and let's face it, my kids are pretty much covered in one form of goo or another pretty much constantly.

Anyhoo...can't wait to hear more about more pixie dust!

Thanks! It was such a beautiful morning!

I KNOW. It's bad. I just don't understand. I mean, even something like '52 Ways to Celebrate' would be better than that! Goodness.

Hahah that's okay, to each their own! Well I'll look forward to it, and believe me, I enjoy all the details!

Yeah, the elephant riding might have to wait!! Feeding giraffes is so cool, but yes, there will be goo. At least you will be prepared! Hahah.

I've been following along Marissa, but too busy to comment. But, I'm back!

Not judging about the mister fan, in fact I'll probably buy one on our next trip.

Horrible, horrible new slogan

Love the Tree of Life photo spot-couldn't agree more about how great it is.

Great puzzle! I love having photo puzzles made!

Cannot wait to hear where your ADR is for-you know I love me some Disney Dining.

Aw, that's okay! I understand and I know it's been crazy for you!

I would highly recommend it! Goodness, they're basically sent from Heaven. They do tend to condensate and drip, but that's to be expected. Other than that, they're perfect.

I AGREE. I don't understand what they were thinking.

I know! Wouldn't it be great if there were spots like that at all the parks? Everyone loves a good castle picture, but even when Main Street is practically empty, it's still hard to get good pictures without random people in the background!

Thanks! It's a fun tradition!

I do indeed! It was great!!! Hahah, all of yall that played my ADR game are being thrown for a loop!

The view from your room really is incredible!!! Gotta agree about that Disney bacon - it's so funny that Disney doesn't do bacon or coffee right, but everything else is awesome!

Ugh, not a fan of the new slogan. Magic is NEVER available only for a limited time!!! And the new commercials never make me tear up like the "surprise, we're going to Disney!!" ones. (I actually got a little teary just writing that. I'm such a dork hahaha.)

I will admit that AK isn't my favorite park, but I do LOVE the elephants!! That's so cute that you saw the mom washing the baby!!

I know! Every time I look at those pictures I just want to be right back there. SIGH. Yeah, I've never had Disney coffee (which is really weird now that I think about it... I LOVE coffee...) but that bacon. ICK. I just don't understand it at all. Oh well, hahaha.

I agree! I really don't understand why they chose that of all things. There are new commercials?! OH, are you talking about the ones with 'Good Life' playing in them? Yeah, those are alright, but I miss the old ones. Although I must admit, they do make me tear up on a day where I really miss Disney, which is basically every day.

Elephants are just the best. It was the cutest thing ever!

Well, you know I love those balcony shots. I seriously cannot wait until April, ahh!!! And I know when I'm there I will think of you. It's funny how certain places remind me of DISers. LOL!

Aww, that is so cute about the dad talking about how much fun the family was going to have.

We definitely bought one of those squirt bottles once. It was a long time ago, but they sure do feel good when it's hot!

haha, love the puzzle! I didn't know photopass had puzzles. But they do have a lot of cool stuff besides the pictures.

YAY for Animal Kingdom and the safari! The giraffes and elephants are awesome. That baby is SO CUTE. That's funny you mentioned feeding giraffes at your zoo because they actually just added something like that at our zoo a couple years ago (I think?). I have never done it though, but we got to see some people feeding one when we went on Father's Day. I was in awe just watching because I love the giraffes so much!

Can't wait for more!

Hahah I do indeed. I went a little crazy taking pictures of it considering they all essentially look the same, but I just couldn't stop! AWW, yay! You will love it. It's funny you say that because Chick-Fil-A always reminds me of you now because of your airport arrival tradition! Oddly enough, I'm going to Chick-Fil-A tonight because my mom's preschool is having a spirit night there so... I guess I'll be thinking of you around 5:30 tonight!

It was seriously adorable. That family was the cutest thing! Just picture that being said in an Irish accent. SO CUTE.

Hahah they're hard to resist! On our first day this year when we were waiting for the MK parade, a CM came by spraying them and it was the biggest tease ever! I wanted one after that and oddly enough it was three whole days later that I finally got one! Hahah I'm weird.

Yeah! It's so cool! They really do have a lot of cool things, my mom also bought us a Christmas ornament with one of our pictures in it!

THEY ARE. Ahh, I love them. OH really?! You should do it!!! It's such a cool experience!

Yay Animal Kingdom day! I know it's not The Magic Kingdom or anything, but AK has it's own special qualities that make it awesome.

I had to laugh with your tram story, because one time, at DHS, the tram was about to leave and this family walked up and the tram driver began saying, "NO FURTHER BOARDING! NO FURTHER BOARDING!" But these people just ignored the message and climbed aboard anyways. Maybe it was that same driver....

Glad you all got a great safari guide! Giraffes are my favorite, but I agree, their tongues are gross. DH proposed to me in front of our zoo's giraffes, and all I could think for a split second was, "Nooo, I can't put that nice ring on my finger, I have giraffe spit on my hand!"

What?! You got to see the baby elephant being washed! How awesome is that? That's really cool.

And as far as the dinner reservation goes, there's only a few restaurants I can think of that tend to have openings the day of. I'll see if my suspicion is correct...

Yay! I LOVE Animal Kingdom!!!

Hahah how weird! Maybe so! Either that, or it's a normal thing that tram announcers are power hungry individuals. Hahahah.

That is SO CUTE.. but yeah, I don't think I'd want giraffe slobber all over my pretty new ring!! HAHA.

It was honestly one of the coolest things ever! Since I love elephants so much I was just in awe! I'm sure everyone else was too but man, I loved it.

Oooh, tell me what you think! I love when people guess!

The view from your balcony makes me swoon every single time...it's so freakin' amazing!

Free Disney food...YES, PLEASE! Nobody does customer service like Disney...I'm curious to see where you guys went for dinner!

I've never fed a giraffe, but I have ridden an elephant; and it was way cool!

I love your photo of the mom and baby elephant...it's like something out of Dumbo!

I was on the safari once and there were two baby elephants mud wrestling...it was just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. You can kinda see them in my picture below...

I'm so glad you enjoy it, haha! I was hoping all those pictures weren't overkill!

YES PLEASE, INDEED! I completely agree. They are amazing. We went somewhere AWESOME!!!

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?! That's so cool!!!! Where did you do that? I really want to!! I mean, I've ridden a horse, but... ELEPHANTS!

Thank you!! It really is, right? SO adorable!

Oh my goodness, that is adorable! I love that picture! Thanks for sharing!

That is awesome about the extra dining credits!! I can't wait to see where y'all end up for dinner!

Nice safari pictures! I love elephants, too!

By the way....I hate the new slogan for 2013. Limited Time Magic? Really? That's the best that Disney could come up with?

Right? We were pretty shocked, because clearly Disney had already given us SO MUCH! It was incredible.

Thank you! There are more pictures coming, I just couldn't fit them all in one update.

Yeah... isn't it terrible? I don't understand. I said this to someone above, but I feel like even something like, '52 Ways to Celebrate' would have been so much better than this. Ugh, oh well.

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Your updates are awesome! I always feel like I went on vacation with yall by the way you describe everything (Let's go on vacation together! WOO!)

The pool at the Contemporary looks like a lot of fun ~ especially the slide! That's awesome that it's so fast and you go speeding into the water. Those are the best kind!

OHANA! Isn't it one of the best restaurants?! I've only been once, but it was so much fun. Although I never had any of the bread pudding. I NEED TO!

The picture of your family in front of the Tree of Life is perfect! Yall are too cute. And that's so cool that your mom got it put on a puzzle. I didn't even know that was possible!

 

[CandleontheWater]

extra free food from Disney- score! I can't wait to hear where you put those credits to use!

Oh AK, how I love thee! I just don't understand all the AK haters, do those people not realize that there are ANIMALS at that park. Maybe they don't get as excited about ANIMALS as I do!

The giraffes are my favorite part of the safari, and one of my favorite animals in general so how fun that you got stopped behind one! We got to feed giraffes once at the zoo in of Gulf Breeze Florida, and I was really shocked that they have purple tongues! I agree, its kinda gross!

 

[marDgreen88]

Your updates are awesome! I always feel like I went on vacation with yall by the way you describe everything (Let's go on vacation together! WOO!)

The pool at the Contemporary looks like a lot of fun ~ especially the slide! That's awesome that it's so fast and you go speeding into the water. Those are the best kind!

OHANA! Isn't it one of the best restaurants?! I've only been once, but it was so much fun. Although I never had any of the bread pudding. I NEED TO!

The picture of your family in front of the Tree of Life is perfect! Yall are too cute. And that's so cool that your mom got it put on a puzzle. I didn't even know that was possible!

Aww thanks! That's such a nice thing to say! I honestly would love that... one of these days, we just need to have a HUGE Dismeet and all go to Disney at once. That would be just incredible!

It was! Oh my gosh, yes. It was so fast and so fun. I kept getting water up my nose but I mean whatever, it was worth it! Hahah.

YES. It is seriously the best. Everything was just so good and I loved the atmosphere! Oh girl, you need to for sure! Are yall going to go there in February??

Aww thanks!!! I like that picture too. It's such a fun tradition that we have! It's so cool, because I mean, how often will a puzzle piece be your face? I have to admit that they're pretty difficult though... it's possible that I never finished the one we got from Spaceship Earth.

extra free food from Disney- score! I can't wait to hear where you put those credits to use!

Oh AK, how I love thee! I just don't understand all the AK haters, do those people not realize that there are ANIMALS at that park. Maybe they don't get as excited about ANIMALS as I do!

The giraffes are my favorite part of the safari, and one of my favorite animals in general so how fun that you got stopped behind one! We got to feed giraffes once at the zoo in of Gulf Breeze Florida, and I was really shocked that they have purple tongues! I agree, its kinda gross!

MAJOR score! We couldn't believe that they actually wanted to give us MORE free stuff. Amazing!!!

I DON'T UNDERSTAND EITHER! It baffles me, really. ANIMALS!!!

They're some of my favorites too! I love how unique they all are, like snowflakes but obviously cooler. Oh gosh, I know! The purple tongues threw me off too! Hahha ick. It's disgusting but so cool!

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

Gotta love free disney food Come on and tell me where you got the ADR. I can't wait. Does it help if today is my Birthday. I hate waiting

 

[marDgreen88]

Gotta love free disney food Come on and tell me where you got the ADR. I can't wait. Does it help if today is my Birthday. I hate waiting

Aww, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My birthday is on Sunday, so we're almost kinda birthday twins-ish. YAY! I'll PM you and tell you, it's the least I could do for your birthday!

 

[Nermel9]

OMG that view from your room at BLT is perfect! I can't wait to stay there!

Wow, I can't believe they gave you all those free dining credits, Disney is SO fantastic! I love how they will fix any situation for you if something goes wrong! Can't wait to see where you ended up eating!

Yay Animal Kingdom! Haha...you guys should have totally tried to get on that tram!

Feeing a giraffe sounds amazing, I love giraffes! I need to stay in a savanna view room at AKL so I can wake up and have giraffes right outside of my balcony, this has to happen someday!

Ugh, I'm not too sure how I like the "Limited Time Magic" slogan...I like the idea, but the slogan...not so good. Although I wasn't too sure about "Let the Memories Begin" at first and now I'm so sad to see it go!

 

[emma212010]

Yay for Disney magic!! I can't wait to hear about your bonus dinner!!

That puzzle piece is too funny! That's such a cute idea!!

OMG, I love giraffes!!!!! I FED THEM AT YOUR LOCAL ZOO TOO!!!!! That's hilarious!

Awww, the baby and mommy elephant! <3 That's so sweet!

 

[flyergrad09]

Oh man, Disney bacon is so gross. One of the breakfasts I had at ASMu came automatically with a side of bacon, and I tried to swap in sausage for it instead, but the CM wouldn't let me and I was sad. Just like my bacon.

That is so awesome that they gave you guys extra dining credits like that! I'm surprised that no CM mentioned it to you beforehand... it's a good thing you were keeping track of how many meals were left! I'm super interested to see where you guys end up using your free ADR...

I didn't know you could get your PhotoPass pictures on a puzzle! I always just get the disc and that's it because my thought is that if for some reason I want to put my picture on a mug, I can do that later, but a puzzle?!? Now that's pretty awesome.

AWWWWWW!! BABY ELEPHANT!! I have a weakness for all baby animals, but baby elephants are definitely in my top 10. A couple of years ago, one of the elephants at the zoo near me gave birth to a little boy elephant named Beco and he is quite possibly the cutest baby elephant. Just look at how adorably tufty he is!

 

[__disneygirl]

Whoa. That's awesome about the dining credits. You must have gotten a great CM, I always hear they are so strict with the dining plan!

Your face on a puzzle piece... I LOVE IT. That just made me think of the show from my childhood, The Puzzle Place. IDK if you watched that show but... yeah just a random thought. LOL.

Whoa, that picture of the bird with its wings spread is awesome! AHH, the pic of the giraffe with its tongue in the air is even better!!! I love getting unique shots on the safari. It's so satisfying cause usually it's pretty hard to get good ones being that you're bouncing around on the terrain so much.

Awwww the baby elephant. I agree about AK, it's one of the greatest places in the world. I mean, you have experiences there that you would have to travel halfway around the globe and get a bunch of immunizations and go hike into the jungle 20 miles and be in danger and pay a ton of money and all that to do. But at AK it's so easy!

 

[marDgreen88]

OMG that view from your room at BLT is perfect! I can't wait to stay there!

Wow, I can't believe they gave you all those free dining credits, Disney is SO fantastic! I love how they will fix any situation for you if something goes wrong! Can't wait to see where you ended up eating!

Yay Animal Kingdom! Haha...you guys should have totally tried to get on that tram!

Feeing a giraffe sounds amazing, I love giraffes! I need to stay in a savanna view room at AKL so I can wake up and have giraffes right outside of my balcony, this has to happen someday!

Ugh, I'm not too sure how I like the "Limited Time Magic" slogan...I like the idea, but the slogan...not so good. Although I wasn't too sure about "Let the Memories Begin" at first and now I'm so sad to see it go!

I'm so excited for you to stay there too!

I KNOW! They are completely amazing! Best customer service ever. We went somewhere awesome!

I know right? I don't know how we did it, but somehow we resisted the urge to board the tram.

It is pretty amazing, but also amazingly gross. But you get over how gross it is because of how awesome it is. Hahah. I totally agree, I really REALLY want to stay there!

I am not a fan of Limited Time Magic... at all. I think anything would have been better than that. I always loved Let the Memories Begin, that was such a cute slogan! At least the idea is great, it's just the name that could use some work!

Yay for Disney magic!! I can't wait to hear about your bonus dinner!!

That puzzle piece is too funny! That's such a cute idea!!

OMG, I love giraffes!!!!! I FED THEM AT YOUR LOCAL ZOO TOO!!!!! That's hilarious!

Awww, the baby and mommy elephant! <3 That's so sweet!

Hooray!!! I can't wait to talk about it because it ended up being one of my favorites!

Isn't it hilarious? It makes me laugh. It's like, oh, there's my face...

I KNOW!!! I still think that is SO COOL! I wish I would have known you were in town! I'm actually going this weekend for my birthday!

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh man, Disney bacon is so gross. One of the breakfasts I had at ASMu came automatically with a side of bacon, and I tried to swap in sausage for it instead, but the CM wouldn't let me and I was sad. Just like my bacon.

That is so awesome that they gave you guys extra dining credits like that! I'm surprised that no CM mentioned it to you beforehand... it's a good thing you were keeping track of how many meals were left! I'm super interested to see where you guys end up using your free ADR...

I didn't know you could get your PhotoPass pictures on a puzzle! I always just get the disc and that's it because my thought is that if for some reason I want to put my picture on a mug, I can do that later, but a puzzle?!? Now that's pretty awesome.

AWWWWWW!! BABY ELEPHANT!! I have a weakness for all baby animals, but baby elephants are definitely in my top 10. A couple of years ago, one of the elephants at the zoo near me gave birth to a little boy elephant named Beco and he is quite possibly the cutest baby elephant. Just look at how adorably tufty he is!

Isn't it? I don't understand why they cannot give us good bacon! I've heard that some places have good bacon, but I've never experienced it for myself! HAHAH, poor sad you and your sad bacon. I would be sad too though, I don't think it should matter. That CM was probably new or something.

I know! The thing with all of our surprises was that they never led on like they were treating us. The same thing happened with our villa! If you remember at the beginning of the TR when we first went into our villa, our keys didn't work, so a CM came and led us to the door. Apparently she said that it was "one of the best villas in the building," but they didn't act like they had done anything special or essentially given us a free hotel room. They're very good at giving! It's spectacular.

You can! It's too fun. I admit, I had to give up on our Spaceship Earth puzzle... it was just too hard. Hopefully the Tree of Life one will prove to be easier!

I'm with you on the baby animals thing! They are the cutest things ever. I'm even one of those weirdos that think baby birds are cute, even though they're creepy looking. Thanks for sharing that picture! That guy is such a little cutie! AWWW. I just love elephants too much!

Whoa. That's awesome about the dining credits. You must have gotten a great CM, I always hear they are so strict with the dining plan!

Your face on a puzzle piece... I LOVE IT. That just made me think of the show from my childhood, The Puzzle Place. IDK if you watched that show but... yeah just a random thought. LOL.

Whoa, that picture of the bird with its wings spread is awesome! AHH, the pic of the giraffe with its tongue in the air is even better!!! I love getting unique shots on the safari. It's so satisfying cause usually it's pretty hard to get good ones being that you're bouncing around on the terrain so much.

Awwww the baby elephant. I agree about AK, it's one of the greatest places in the world. I mean, you have experiences there that you would have to travel halfway around the globe and get a bunch of immunizations and go hike into the jungle 20 miles and be in danger and pay a ton of money and all that to do. But at AK it's so easy!

Right? The funny thing was that the CM we talked to told us that someone else had added them for us! I just assumed it was a mistake, but man. It was so great.

Isn't that hilarious! It cracks me up. YES I WATCHED THE PUZZLE PLACE! My favorite was Leon.

Thank you! I really like those pictures too! I agree, you practically have to use the entire strength of your body to hold your camera still.

Exactly! I mean, exactly. Sometimes I feel like people dislike it because it's 'the norm.' I just do not understand. I'm obsessed with AK! I'm glad you agree!

 

[Caretames1]

I can't wait to be in AK again! We haven't set foot in AK since Jan 2011!

The safari is always our first stop, and love to see the lions.

Kadence had fed the Giraffes twice now at a local zoo, and she's ridden an elephant when the circus came around. Come visit and we'll set you right up with the ZOO!

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

Thanks for the PM. I won't tell anyone. Also just in case I forget. HAPPY BIRTHDAY I think that we are close enough to be called Birthday twins

 

[marDgreen88]

I can't wait to be in AK again! We haven't set foot in AK since Jan 2011!

The safari is always our first stop, and love to see the lions.

Kadence had fed the Giraffes twice now at a local zoo, and she's ridden an elephant when the circus came around. Come visit and we'll set you right up with the ZOO!

Oh my goodness! It has been far too long! I bet you're excited then!!

LOVE lions!

SO fun!!! Are you serious?!?!?! Dang! I would LOVE to ride an elephant, seriously. That's SO COOL!

Thanks for the PM. I won't tell anyone. Also just in case I forget. HAPPY BIRTHDAY I think that we are close enough to be called Birthday twins

Hahha, you're so welcome! Thanks for keeping the secret.

YAYYY thank you so much!!!

 

[marDgreen88]

The One With the King of the Lions!

August 1, 2012

Let’s keep on keepin’ on with our safari, shall we?

We shall.

Here are some zebras. Zebras are so precious. Don’t you think? Not that you’d be able to tell from this picture.

It seems I have quite a knack for taking pictures of animal’s booties.

The tree of life! Just kidding. This is basically the tree of death.

Now, I forget what this little fellow was called. (How unfortunate.) What I DO remember is that the safari guide driver person girl pointed out that it looked like they plucked their eyebrows! I found that way too funny.

I know it probably looks like this picture accidentally got mixed in with the safari pictures, but no! That duck was just hanging out in the water near the flamingos. So stinking cute! I know, I've been taking pictures of hippos and giraffes and elephants, but I still take a picture of a duck. How could I not though? Ducks are the cutest birds.

Flamingoes are pretty cool too, though.

This rhino was rubbing its horn against the wood! I feel like there's a meaning behind that but I don't remember what it is... sharpening, maybe? (What a genius I am to guess that. Bahaha.)

The rhino on the right looks to me like he's dressing up as an armadillo for Halloween or something. It's the HOLIDAY ARMADILLO!!!

Blurry cheetahs. Cheetahs nonetheless!!!

(Dang, I really wish I could have some Cheetos now. It’s been too long since I’ve had any.)

AND THEN…

(Is anyone ready for this?)

I FINALLY SAW A LION!

And… I cut off the top of his head in the pic... but... yeah...

NEVER FEAR, I got another one!!!

Our driver said he wasn’t quite an adult yet! See how his mane isn't fully grown in yet? He's even got a goofy teenaged expression on his face. It's priceless. He's like the adolescent Simba that appears for 2.5 seconds in the middle of Hakuna Matata, right? RIGHT?!

Speaking of Hakuna Matata...

"When I was a young wart HOG!!!"

Sorry, I got a little excited there. I just can’t pass up an opportunity to break into song.

Last but not least, we have some ANKOLE CATTLE. (I don’t know why, but when I typed out those words, I heard, “RICOLAAAAA!” Do yall remember those cough drop commercials? Seriously, I want someone to do a brain study on me to see how I come up with these things, because I don’t even understand.)

At the end of the safari, our driver mentioned all the zebras that were coming. I think that will be great! I have to admit it was nice that the Little Red storyline was gone. It was weird to see all these beautiful, real life animals, and then have the last animal you see not even be real. I just think since it’s a safari, there doesn’t need to be a storyline. It’s a safari. You’re supposed to be in Africa, looking at animals. I feel like that should be enough of a story! I personally find it really interesting to look at the animals and learn about them. They don’t have to make it depressing by reminding us that people are jerks that will do anything for money, do they? Anyways, I’ll stop, but that’s just my personal opinion!

We all really enjoyed the safari! I was sure to thank our tour guide girl at the end, because I thought she did a wonderful job and she probably doesn’t get thanked enough.

The raining had stopped, but the ground was super slippery near the safari exit! It was hard not to slip all over the place in my flip-flops, but thankfully I didn’t fall and bust my butt or anything.

After our safari we went over to watch the gorillas for a little while!

Dude’s big.

We’ll call this, ‘A Gorilla’s Paradise.’ It’s similar to a gangster’s paradise in… no way.

I have to tell you about this gorilla (below). I was looking down at him, and he was STARING at me. I’m not even kidding, we were making eye contact for a solid minute. It was terrifying, but ridiculously cool. He literally would not stop looking at me, and I just kept saying hi to him over and over. There were probably some nervous giggles thrown in there too.

I wonder what he thought of me! I really do. I know he’s used to people looking at him, but he didn’t seem threatened or annoyed or anything like that. He just kept staring into my eyes. If he was a human, I’d think he was about to propose.

Eventually it was time to part ways with my new gorilla boyfriend. I hope he doesn’t miss me too much. I’ll come back for you someday, Bart! (That’s what I named him. I hope that’s cool with everyone. Be sure to say hello to him next time you’re in the area! )

After saying goodbye to the regular gorillas and Bart, we had one only one destination in mind: Camp Minnie-Mickey! It was time to get our Festival of the Lion King on!

This is my absolute hands down FAVORITE show in all of Walt Disney World. To me, compared to this show, all of the other shows are just okay. (Except for Finding Nemo, I do love that one! Also, this could change if the rumors of a Tangled stage show are true, but only time will tell. Hahaha.)

Speaking of rumors… ugh, I’m almost scared to bring this up because I do NOT want it to be true… but has anyone heard about that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad rumor that Festival of the Lion King might be going away?

I haven’t heard much about it lately, which I’m hoping is a good sign. Seriously, words cannot describe how much I absolutely adore that show. It brings out so much emotion in me. It’s beautiful in every way and I never get sick of it. It is one of three things that I MUST DO at Animal Kingdom every single time I go!

So basically, if these rumors are true, and they really ARE getting rid of this glorious masterpiece to replace it with some stupid Avatar something or other, I will be so angry, and I will also cry. I’m not just saying that I’ll cry but really meaning that I’ll be sad for a little while. No. I will literally cry. I will cry a lot.

Right. So I’m going to pretend that I never heard anything like that and it will never happen. YAY!!!

Since awesome runs in the family, we got to sit in the Lion section once again! There has only been one time that I’ve seen that show that I haven’t sat in the Lion section, and even that time I was in the elephant section, which is the second-best because ELEPHANTS!

I’m sure that every section provides a good view, but does every section provide you with an opportunity to ROAR??? I didn’t think so. If you ain’t roarin’, you ain’t the Lion King!!! Okay, that’s my new motto. It’s not my best, but I’m standing by it nonetheless.

Ahhh, Festival of the Lion King. You’re beautiful. Never change. Only, I really mean it. (Someone guess the reference. You can do it!!!)

Once again, the show was absolutely flawless and made me cry. I recorded a lot of the show, so I’ll definitely be sharing that! It may sound weird, but I’m always a little bit sad to leave. I love it so much that I could honestly watch it at least three times in a day. However, Timon insists that we leave, so I have to listen. Plus, there was much more fun to be had!

Continued in Next Update​

 

[amandaw]

First....just in case I forget....Happy Birthday!!!

Love all of your safari pictures! That's cool that you got to see a lion up & about. And the warthogs, too. Every time I do the safari, they're also sleeping.

That's nice that you were able to make a special bond with your new gorilla boyfriend, Bert. I bet he misses you.

I'm glad you were able to watch FOTLK. I've heard all those rumors too about it going away for Avatarland or whatever it'll be called. Seems like I recently read a rumor that said the whole Avatar thing is on hold because Disney & James Cameron can't agree on some things. I really wish Disney would do away with that project. It just seems like a horrible idea. And it would probably make me dislike AK more than I already do. I know, I know....everyone loves AK. Don't hate me!