Sunday, May 21st
Today is the day when we are supposed to meet Jeffs parents for a day of fun at Animal Kingdom. His folks live in Lady Lake, Florida, and his dad in particular is a total Disney nut!! He goes as often as he can, though in the last few years, theyve cut back, because Jeffs mom has a lot of physical problems, and she hasnt been able to keep up as well. Neither of them have ever stayed at the Poly, so we were excited about showing them around.
Jeff was in a fit all morning! It was funny to watch him; he paced back and forth, kept checking his cell phone, and repeated, They said they were going to call? When are they coming? Its nearly 8, why havent they called yet? We were scheduled for breakfast at Kona at 9 AM, so we had plenty of time, but he was just nervous about them finding the hotel. Geez, its right by Magic Kingdom, its hard to miss, there are signs everywhere!! But he kept nagging me to head to the lobby, so eventually, we did. And hark! They were pulling up just as we went out to the parking lot to look for them. Nice timing. Ever notice families tend to have that sixth-sense thing going? I know I do, with my mother and sisters
we eat the same meals on the same nights and rent the same movies, even though we live thousands of miles apart. Weird. Anyhoo, we all headed to Kona for breakfast, and we were a bit early, but got in anyway. Food was just as good, though we didnt enjoy our waiter as much. He wasnt very attentive.
We finished eating, and showed them our concierge room, which REALLY impressed them
they loved the new décor and the view
and we got a kick out of his fathers reaction to concierge level service (Really? You can eat all day? And you dont pay for the food? They just
give it to you?).
It was beginning to sprinkle as we waited for the bus, but it was nothing heavy, and by the time we got to Animal Kingdom, we were glad of it. It was a hot day!! I totally believe you guys now when you say AK is hotter than the other parks
it was stifling. Pretty busy, too. Jeff ran for fastpasses to Everest, while his parents and I made our way to the Lion King show. I was really excited about this
Id heard so many good things about it. Jeff rejoined us in line, and his father began instructing us on which section to sit in. When we were directed into the stadium, the CM in charge pointed us at one section, but his father refused. HE wanted to be a warthog. Please move along, she kept saying; we were all so embarrassed. No, he wanted to be a warthog. So as soon as the CM was turned away, he darted over to the warthogs!! Blatant disregard for CM authority! LOL We were all dragged along, and I was hiding my face lest any Diser saw me, and reported us to the Dis police. But the show was great, and Jeff and I really got into making warthog noises and moving our fingers like tusks. His father looked at us like we were nuts, but his mum was great, she snorted along.
After, we grabbed fastpasses for the safari, and saw Its Tough to be a Bug, which was fun and more than a little gross. The best part about that show is the line
it gives you a great angle for seeing the Tree of Life. We all rode the Safari (I dont understand why people dont utilize fastpass
the wait was like, 2 hours, and people snarl at you as you walk by in the fastpass line). Safari was great, though it was mid-day already, and the animals were scarce. I would love to go again in the early morning or late afternoon when things are cooler, and the animals are out.
Jeffs dad was dying to see Expedition Everest, so we headed there as soon as we could. His mum sat this one out, and its probably best that she did. What a great ride!! Its short, but Disneys very god about making such good rides that you dont care if they are short or not. Very cool ride. I wanted to shop the Everest store after, but his dad was not too keen on waiting, so off we went.
Dinosaur was kind of disappointing
I really enjoyed some of it, but it just wasnt what wed expected. It still startled me a couple of times! I like that. I really wanted to stay and do the rest of the park, but his folks were getting tired, so we went to Rainforest Café for an early dinner. The food was really good, though a little pricey for the quality.
Oh, gosh, I forgot about this. Okay, my DH is 43. He is very fit, very trim, and ridiculously strong. I cant stress this enough. He is 5 5, he weighs about 150 lb, and its all muscle, not a sliver of fat anywhere. Unlike me
sigh
anyway. We were standing in line waiting for the bus to take us back to the Poly, and a couple of young men in their 20s stood behind us, and they were chatting about their workout. You know, buff young guys with silly muscle shirts
I was writing in my journal, and I vaguely overheard Jeff chatting with them about his army training 20 years ago. Before I knew it
all three of them were propped on the railings, doing pushups!!! What a testosterone fest. I started laughing, but to my surprise, those boys could NOT keep up! They started getting all pink in the face, and panting, and they just
gave up. Jeffs up there, pounding them out, and the boys are staring at him. Dude, youre good, one of them said, and Jeff bounced off the railing, grinning, not even breaking a sweat. I was shaking my head; good grief, does one have to prove ones virility at WDW? But it made him feel good, and that made me smile. Boys.
We lazed about the rest of the evening
watched Wishes from the beach at the Poly. Ill never ever get tired of seeing Wishes from the beach at the Poly. Most romantic thing Ive ever done. Highly recommended.
Tomorrow
Oh!! Our dinner at the Chefs Table!! Victoria and Alberts!!
btw... we never did find DeVine.
