Our surprise May 2011 Trip to AKL - my first PTR! Final Update 5/18!

[dtr_angel]

morning extra magic hours

 

[natebenma]

I'm enjoying reading about your plans!

Small airports rock! We are about equi-distant from Logan in Boston and Manchester in NH. I had to pick up my dad from Manchester on a Sat morning at 8:30, and I got parking in the first row of short-term parking ($2).

The only problem is limited flights, so we usually end up at Logan. We used Manchester for our DC trip in October. When we were checking our flights on our way home, we couldn't find our flight. We looked for a full minute for a flight to Boston when my 9 year old piped up "But aren't we flying into Manchester?" DOH!

Boma first night! YUM. YUM. YUM.

I don't remember seeing a Boma breakfast in your plans. If that fits in, it is a great breakfast buffet, even if you have to pay OOP.

I like that you have a very flexible travel day. We always consider that to be a "bonus" day.

EPCOT-

Captain EO is a 3D movie from the 80's starring Michael Jackson. Disney hauled it out again last year.

Space Ship Earth- if you arrive to EP in plenty of time for your dinner reservation, you could do this on your way into the park. There shouldn't be much of a line in the afternoon. Ride is probably around 20 minutes or so. If not, then hitting at EMH is good, too.

At the risk of sounding like a bitter old woman living in the past... Not sure when changes were made to these attractions, but I miss some of the original features.

Disney totally butchered Imagination/Figment from the original version with Dream Finder. Eric Idle is funny and all, but this used to be a much sweeter ride.

Living with the Land is one of our favorites too, but there used to be a folk song that played during the boat ride.

And the Mexico ride was so much better without the ducks. Just sayin'

We have never dined at Beirgarten, but all I ever hear are raves!

 

[dtr_angel]

I'm enjoying reading about your plans!

Small airports rock! We are about equi-distant from Logan in Boston and Manchester in NH. I had to pick up my dad from Manchester on a Sat morning at 8:30, and I got parking in the first row of short-term parking ($2).

The only problem is limited flights, so we usually end up at Logan. We used Manchester for our DC trip in October. When we were checking our flights on our way home, we couldn't find our flight. We looked for a full minute for a flight to Boston when my 9 year old piped up "But aren't we flying into Manchester?" DOH!

Boma first night! YUM. YUM. YUM.

I don't remember seeing a Boma breakfast in your plans. If that fits in, it is a great breakfast buffet, even if you have to pay OOP.

I like that you have a very flexible travel day. We always consider that to be a "bonus" day.

EPCOT-

Captain EO is a 3D movie from the 80's starring Michael Jackson. Disney hauled it out again last year.

Space Ship Earth- if you arrive to EP in plenty of time for your dinner reservation, you could do this on your way into the park. There shouldn't be much of a line in the afternoon. Ride is probably around 20 minutes or so. If not, then hitting at EMH is good, too.

At the risk of sounding like a bitter old woman living in the past... Not sure when changes were made to these attractions, but I miss some of the original features.

Disney totally butchered Imagination/Figment from the original version with Dream Finder. Eric Idle is funny and all, but this used to be a much sweeter ride.

Living with the Land is one of our favorites too, but there used to be a folk song that played during the boat ride.

And the Mexico ride was so much better without the ducks. Just sayin'

We have never dined at Beirgarten, but all I ever hear are raves!

I'm definitely looking forward to flying out of the small airport. I talked to the coworker who recommended that airport over the weekend, and he said when he takes the 6:40am flight he leaves his house at 5 am, stops at IHOP for breakfast and still has plenty of time to park, check in, and get through security. That is awesome! I'm still going to leave at 4:30am. We're probably going to have to stop at a fast food place to grab some breakfast sandwiches, he said that first flight is rarely on time, so 45 minutes will not be enough time to grab something to eat since our 2nd plane will probably already be boarding by the time our 1st place is landing.

LOL! I love those "duh" moments.

Seeing as though we (I mean me!) is not a morning person, I'm leery of scheduling morning ADRs. I guess if we manage to get going early enough, I could always stop by and see if we could get a table without an ADR.

I'm looking forward to hitting up some attractions that we've never seen before! There are some things that I cannot believe I have yet to do after 4 trips to Disney World. Hopefully that will all change

 

[dtr_angel]

Animal Kingdom

 

[dtr_angel]

Our plan is to eventually stay at every Disney Resort. We've stayed at Pop Century, and WL. We've dined at pretty much every Deluxe resort. In fact I think the only deluxe resort we haven't been to is AKL, haha. Well we've never been to OKW either, but that is a DVC property so I don't anticipating staying there, since I doubt we'll ever need a villa. We have even been to Saratoga Springs, we walk through there sometimes to get to DD. Although I've never stayed at an All Star, I have been to one on my first trip - and I'd imagine they are pretty much like Pop except for theme.

Anywho, there is a point to this. The only resorts we have never been to are the moderates! I imagine our next stay after this trip will be at a moderate. I've worked it into our schedule on our way to DD, to go to POFQ to get some beignets! Is there a boat to DD from POR AND POFQ? If so, then on our 2nd trip to DD I can detour to POR. I'm also hoping to stop at CSR, and CBR during this trip. I just want to see them in person, because the moderates have mixed reviews from what I read and I think just being there will help me get a feel for them, and see where they are location wise. Any ideas on how I can go to those other two? I think they only have bus transportation, but I don't know what they are close to.

I think the best way to get to any of the moderates from AKL would be to take the bus to AK, then bus to moderate. From POR & POFQ I can take a boat to DD (right?) But where should I squeeze in CBR & CSR without making a special trip there just to see it for a minute before getting on a bus and leaving again?

I'm hoping this will make sense!​

 

[Lidian]

Now I have to admit, Animal Kingdom is my least favorite park. I don't know what it is about it, but when I am at AK I feel claustrophobic. It just seems like it is more crowded and about 100 degrees hotter there than anywhere else at WDW. AK is supposed to be the largest theme park, but it feels like the tiniest! Truck is definitely more interested in AK than me, but I really want to like it. I want to give it a fair shot this trip, especially since we will be so close staying at the AKL. There are many things we have not done here so I’m looking forward to exploring new areas of the park.

Expedition Everest - Truck loves roller coasters, I do not. I can usually be peer pressured into going on roller coasters. I spend the entire ride feeling like I am going to die, then when it’s done I’m either really mad at the person that talked me into it, or I decide it was sorta fun. On our first trip to WDW together, we were unable to get a FP for him to ride EE. On the 2nd trip, he got to ride twice. On our last trip together, he was able to talk me into it. I was apprehensive since I had read that it gave a lot of people headaches afterward and I really didn’t want to trigger a headache and feel crummy the rest of the night. I actually kinda liked it and didn’t feel sick! We’ll see if I’ll be riding EE on our next trip…

It’s tough to be a bug! – We’ve never seen this, or any other show at AK for that matter. We are definitely hoping to see this.

Kilamanjaro Safari – We did this on our first 2 trips and loved it. On the last trip it was too hot & too crowded and the FP times were either gone or did not suit us. We’ll be trying to ride this again this trip, perhaps first thing in the morning during EMH.

Kali River Rapids – we’ve never done this, we’ll try to get a FP for it for later in the day when it will be hotter, and aim to ride before we leave the park so we can dry on the walk to the bus, and go back to AKL and change our of our wet clothes. Unless anyone else has another plan for tackling this…

Festival of the Lion King – we’ve never seen this before and I cannot wait to see it!

Finding Nemo, the Musical – okay we have to do this. We have a soft spot for all things Finding Nemo, after all our furbaby is a found Nemo!

So anyway, we’ll be getting to AK for 8am EMH grabbing a FP for something, then probably heading for the safari, but I cannot say for sure. Everything is so spread out, so this park is hard to conquer. Getting a FP for EE is on the other side of the park from the safari so I don’t know what the plan will be. Truck might want to ride EE first.

We have a 6:55pm ADR at Kouzzina where we will have some delicious Greek Food!

Hi again! Loving your plans!

I agree with your comments about AK. It really does seem like its hotter there and always feels more crowded. Last April, we practically felt we had the whole parks to ourselves everywhere BUT AK ... where we felt shoulder-to-shoulder. I dunno if its just more humid there or what it is, but I felt sticky before lunch - and never felt sticky any other time during the week (last year).

I love hearing non-coaster fans talk about roller coasters. Yeah, maybe I'm weird, but I love coasters, so I really do have a hard time comprehending why other people have a dislike for them. DH is terrified of coasters, and when I try to get him to explain it to me, he refuses to talk about it (and I don't dare push the issue, its not important enough and I'll support him waiting at the exit for me if it makes his day better, just so long as I get a chance to ride). You mentioned headache ... I get headaches very easily (got one now ), but none of the coasters at WDW bothered me. (I can't say that for other parks I've visited, though.) I also get motion sickness easily, too, but EE never bothered me (with or without Bonine). I'll be anxiously awaiting your thoughts on WDW coasters this year (if you rode or not, and how you felt about them - as I know tastes can change).

It's tough to be a bug really bothered me. I'm absolutely terrified of insects and had no knowledge of the show when I went. I was almost hysterical when DH practically carried me out of the theater. Yeah, I feel silly - its just a show, but the 4D aspect of it really disturbed me. So anyone who willingly goes in there is a hero in my books.

As a suggestion, I would try Kilimanjaro Safari's early in the AM - and even if the standby is kinda rough, I'd grab a FP. If we had the time, we'd ride this one multiple times - its always nice to see the animals out and the tour guides are just so great! Plus, you never get the same show twice!!

Kali - we rode this in 2009 during the hottest part of the day. It was absolutely refreshing to be splashed and wet, but within minutes of being off the ride, we were absolutely miserable from being soaked. Thankfully we dried pretty quick in the heat, but it was miserable in the meantime. I know that its hit or miss on "soak factor", but regardless of how you plan, prepare for the worst.

FOTLK is just ... WOW! I can't wait to hear how much you love it!

Nemo - be sure to not just watch the puppets, but watch the puppet handlers as well! They do such an amazing job at displaying emotions through themselves and their puppets. I think these people are some of the most talented CMs out there (okay, so I think all CMs are the most talented)!

I really can't make any good recommendations on entering the park ... but I can tell you what we plan to do. We'll go to KS first and either do standby or grab a FP (or grab a FP, but do standby so we can ride twice). I hope to get on EE, but since it will just be me and DD, its lower on the priority scale. So perhaps you can prioritize your FPs?

Kouzzina was absolutely delicious! I had never had Greek food before. To be honest, when we made our ADR last year, it was solely because we're Cat Cora fans on Iron Chef. But I have to admit, we thought the food and atmosphere was absolutely amazing. DH practically picked up his bowl of Fishermans Stew and licked it clean.

Oh... sorry, I know, I type too much.

 

[natebenma]

OK- here's my 2 cents on Day 3: Sounds like you have some great ideas! I totally agree with you. AK is our least favorite park, it IS too hot and it feels too crowded! The trails are not wide enough!

We have done a few EMHs at AK, and sometimes we start with the safari, sometimes we start in Dinoland.

Given your breakfast plans (9:15 at Tusker), if you don't mind walking, here is my suggestion:

Start at Dinoland- Dinosaur and Primevil Whirl, if you want. When you are done with those walk by the Nemo Theatre to get to Everest. Either ride if the line is not too long, or grab a FP. Or grab a FP for Kali if that is open.

Then head to KS- try to time it so you are there around 8:40-8:45, so you can ride safari and be right at Tusker House for breakfast when you are done. Line for the safari at 8:45 should not be too long, you are still in EMH time.

We walked the Discovery Island Trails (AKA "The Secret Trail") for the first time this year. You probably don't remember seeing signs because I don't think there are any signs.

You may recall that I posted pictures of the two ends of the trail in my TR to help people find the trail. Let me know if you want me to post them here.

FOLK- great show and the music is fantastic, but my two boys are not wild about shows, so I have only seen it a couple of times. Ditto on Nemo- it is so visually amazing, but apparently not to my boys!

Kali- BYOB (Ziploc big bag) and change into flip-flops to keep your shoes dry if you are wearing footwear that you don't want to get wet. Only problem with leaving the park immediately after riding is that if you are wet, you will probably be very cold on the bus. Two options- you could pay for a locker ($7) and stash some dry clothes and change in the restroom right at the locker rental (that's what we do when we leave AK to head for BB, we change into our swimwear here). Or you can tough it out in wet clothes for the short bus ride and walk through the hotel lobby until you get to your room.

Loving your dinner reservation at Kouzzina! It was on my list for our arrival day last year because Greek food is one of my favorite cuisines, but I was outvoted (Captain's Grille, which was great, too)

Another option to get to Kouzzina from AKL is to take a bus to HS, then either take the boat or to walk to BWI. The walk and the boat are both around 20 minutes each.

If you want to go immediately to MK after dinner instead of strolling through EPCOT, you could take a bus from BWI (about 20 minutes). It will take you at least 30 minutes to get from Boardwalk to the front of EPCOT, then a 15 minute monorail ride to the TTC, change monos to the express mono to MK. Plus any waiting time for the monos.

 

[Lidian]

We walked the Discovery Island Trails (AKA "The Secret Trail") for the first time this year. You probably don't remember seeing signs because I don't think there are any signs.

You may recall that I posted pictures of the two ends of the trail in my TR to help people find the trail. Let me know if you want me to post them here.

I'd love to see the pics. We never "discovered" the Discovery trails in our past two years.

 

[dtr_angel]

Hi again! Loving your plans!

I agree with your comments about AK. It really does seem like its hotter there and always feels more crowded. Last April, we practically felt we had the whole parks to ourselves everywhere BUT AK ... where we felt shoulder-to-shoulder. I dunno if its just more humid there or what it is, but I felt sticky before lunch - and never felt sticky any other time during the week (last year).

I love hearing non-coaster fans talk about roller coasters. Yeah, maybe I'm weird, but I love coasters, so I really do have a hard time comprehending why other people have a dislike for them. DH is terrified of coasters, and when I try to get him to explain it to me, he refuses to talk about it (and I don't dare push the issue, its not important enough and I'll support him waiting at the exit for me if it makes his day better, just so long as I get a chance to ride). You mentioned headache ... I get headaches very easily (got one now ), but none of the coasters at WDW bothered me. (I can't say that for other parks I've visited, though.) I also get motion sickness easily, too, but EE never bothered me (with or without Bonine). I'll be anxiously awaiting your thoughts on WDW coasters this year (if you rode or not, and how you felt about them - as I know tastes can change).

It's tough to be a bug really bothered me. I'm absolutely terrified of insects and had no knowledge of the show when I went. I was almost hysterical when DH practically carried me out of the theater. Yeah, I feel silly - its just a show, but the 4D aspect of it really disturbed me. So anyone who willingly goes in there is a hero in my books.

As a suggestion, I would try Kilimanjaro Safari's early in the AM - and even if the standby is kinda rough, I'd grab a FP. If we had the time, we'd ride this one multiple times - its always nice to see the animals out and the tour guides are just so great! Plus, you never get the same show twice!!

Kali - we rode this in 2009 during the hottest part of the day. It was absolutely refreshing to be splashed and wet, but within minutes of being off the ride, we were absolutely miserable from being soaked. Thankfully we dried pretty quick in the heat, but it was miserable in the meantime. I know that its hit or miss on "soak factor", but regardless of how you plan, prepare for the worst.

FOTLK is just ... WOW! I can't wait to hear how much you love it!

Nemo - be sure to not just watch the puppets, but watch the puppet handlers as well! They do such an amazing job at displaying emotions through themselves and their puppets. I think these people are some of the most talented CMs out there (okay, so I think all CMs are the most talented)!

I really can't make any good recommendations on entering the park ... but I can tell you what we plan to do. We'll go to KS first and either do standby or grab a FP (or grab a FP, but do standby so we can ride twice). I hope to get on EE, but since it will just be me and DD, its lower on the priority scale. So perhaps you can prioritize your FPs?

Kouzzina was absolutely delicious! I had never had Greek food before. To be honest, when we made our ADR last year, it was solely because we're Cat Cora fans on Iron Chef. But I have to admit, we thought the food and atmosphere was absolutely amazing. DH practically picked up his bowl of Fishermans Stew and licked it clean.

Oh... sorry, I know, I type too much.

Luckily I figured out the trigger to my headaches/migraines - it's hormonal. I haven't had a migraine in a few months, but I get terrible headaches on a regular basis thanks to a lovely hormone imbalance, fun! I will probably get on EE, definitely get on Space Mountain & BTMRR, and never get on RnRC

I'm not a fan of bugs either but I think A Bugs Life is a cute movie - have you seen the movie? Is the show like the movie? I hope it doesn't creep me out!

As for touring AK, we still don't know. If it's already hot then Kali might be a good start. We'll definitely have to come up with a plan for the FPs!

OK- here's my 2 cents on Day 3: Sounds like you have some great ideas! I totally agree with you. AK is our least favorite park, it IS too hot and it feels too crowded! The trails are not wide enough!

We have done a few EMHs at AK, and sometimes we start with the safari, sometimes we start in Dinoland.

Given your breakfast plans (9:15 at Tusker), if you don't mind walking, here is my suggestion:

Start at Dinoland- Dinosaur and Primevil Whirl, if you want. When you are done with those walk by the Nemo Theatre to get to Everest. Either ride if the line is not too long, or grab a FP. Or grab a FP for Kali if that is open.

Then head to KS- try to time it so you are there around 8:40-8:45, so you can ride safari and be right at Tusker House for breakfast when you are done. Line for the safari at 8:45 should not be too long, you are still in EMH time.

We walked the Discovery Island Trails (AKA "The Secret Trail") for the first time this year. You probably don't remember seeing signs because I don't think there are any signs.

You may recall that I posted pictures of the two ends of the trail in my TR to help people find the trail. Let me know if you want me to post them here.

FOLK- great show and the music is fantastic, but my two boys are not wild about shows, so I have only seen it a couple of times. Ditto on Nemo- it is so visually amazing, but apparently not to my boys!

Kali- BYOB (Ziploc big bag) and change into flip-flops to keep your shoes dry if you are wearing footwear that you don't want to get wet. Only problem with leaving the park immediately after riding is that if you are wet, you will probably be very cold on the bus. Two options- you could pay for a locker ($7) and stash some dry clothes and change in the restroom right at the locker rental (that's what we do when we leave AK to head for BB, we change into our swimwear here). Or you can tough it out in wet clothes for the short bus ride and walk through the hotel lobby until you get to your room.

Loving your dinner reservation at Kouzzina! It was on my list for our arrival day last year because Greek food is one of my favorite cuisines, but I was outvoted (Captain's Grille, which was great, too)

Another option to get to Kouzzina from AKL is to take a bus to HS, then either take the boat or to walk to BWI. The walk and the boat are both around 20 minutes each.

If you want to go immediately to MK after dinner instead of strolling through EPCOT, you could take a bus from BWI (about 20 minutes). It will take you at least 30 minutes to get from Boardwalk to the front of EPCOT, then a 15 minute monorail ride to the TTC, change monos to the express mono to MK. Plus any waiting time for the monos.

The trails are definitely not wide enough! I apologize, I have a terrible memory and don't remember the pictures so it would be super helpful if you have time to post them here. I need to re-read your trip report so it's fresh in my memory, you know so many more ins & outs of Disney than I do!

I think you're the reason why I own a box of ziploc big bags. I will definitely be bringing them in case of changing (not sure what our Kali game plan will be) or the off chance we decide to go to Blizzard Beach anyway.

Thank you so much for the tips of getting to Kouzzina and MK. I don't know why I didn't think of it, I think Kouzzina should be super close to BWI, right? Just to save time I like your plan better. We'll take the bus from AKL to HS, then walk or take the boat (depending on how we feel) to Kouzzina, then afterwards take the bus from BWI to MK. You're awesome, I'm so glad you made it over to my TR

 

[natebenma]

Animal Kingdom was getting very crowded and very hot at this point. But we had a secret destination in mind- there is a quiet unmarked trail that runs through Discovery Island. It starts here, just after the bridge from Africa to Discovery Island and ends near the exit of It’s Tough to be a Bug.

It was so peaceful, a little cooler due to the trees and there were very few people.

It was nice to get some closeup views and pictures of the Tree of Life.

And here is Robo's post about the Secret Trail:

There's a great "secret pathway" most folks miss in Animal Kingdom.


If you walk into the EXIT path of "It's Tough to Be a Bug" (wait until there is NOT a group just exiting after the show) and keep on going straight... past the theater exit doors... there is a very quiet path that takes you all the way to the "Africa" entrance.
There are birds and other animals on display, and a very nice waterfall as well.

Kind of romantic to be virtually "alone" right in the middle of a busy park.

This path can be accessed on either end, but it’s easier to find the first time if you just walk INTO the path marked "Exit" for ITTBAB.

(Good way to get across the park during the Jammin' Jungle Parade when the Asia-to-Africa main roadway is closed for the floats.)

The yellow line in my map detail is the path.
(Disregard the green and purple lines on the map.)

 

[dtr_angel]

Well I’m having a terrible day so I’m trying to concentrate on our Disney World trip that is only 50 days away! Luckily this week I don’t have any clinicals and only have a little bit of school work to deal with so I can actually let myself get Disney crazy.

I have to share this picture… I was so excited to see it!

And I had to share this… it was part of tutoring for my 2nd OB test

On to day 4 plans… Sunday

Today will be our last day of avoiding Hollywood Studios due to Star Wars Weekend. It is the 2nd day in a row of morning EMH at AK from 8am-9am, so we’ll be heading there. We’ll be grabbing a snack at Mara I would guess – we love pastries in Disney World!

Truck’s big honkin’ cinnamon roll picture from Main St. Bakery June ‘08

My cheese Danish picture from Main St. Bakery June ‘08

My husband loves all things cinnamon rolls, and I love anything non-chocolate and yummy, but my weakness is cream cheese danishes. My favorite food group is dairy and I LOVE all cheeses! Truck is definitely looking forward to having as he calls them “big honkin’ cinnamon rolls” in Disney World so hopefully Mara will have them

We’ll probably split some type of CS breakfast at AK, our options are limited – it will either be at Tamu Tamu, or Pizzafari. The goal for the morning at AK is to hit up some of the attractions on the AK to do list (see Day 3 plans) that we didn’t get to the morning before. Depending on how Day 3 goes at AK, will depend on what the main goals at AK are for this morning. Since we had lunch at AK the day before, we’ll be heading elsewhere for lunch this day…

Then it will be off to Downtown Disney for the first time this trip! We’ll take a bus to POR from AK, and then take a bus from POR to DD. This way we get to see POR while waiting for the boat. (Don’t worry, day 5 will take us to POFQ for beignets!)

Lunch today will be at Cookes of Dublin which is in the Pleasure Island area of Downtown Disney. Truck & I love irish food, my weakness is shepherd’s pie which I keep meaning to try to make. On our first trip we had thought about trying Raglan Road but there were too many other good options that won out. Now that I have recently discovered there is CS irish food we can have the best of both worlds! After lunch I’m sure we’ll stop in a store or two, but day 5 brings us back to DD again so what we don’t do this day, we will do the next day. Places we like to go are the big World of Disney store, the Pooh Corner store – reminds me of my childhood, Tren-D, although I don’t think we’ve ever bought anything in there, and the Art of Disney store. Using a snack credit to make something at Goofy’s is also a must do. After we’re done at DD, we’ll be taking a bus back to AKL for our mid day break to nap, swim & get ready for dinner.

After we’re relaxed and ready to go, the plan is to be at the bus stop at AKL by 5:50pm, we have a 6:55pm ADR for the Grand Floridian Café! We’ll actually be taking a bus to the MK, and riding the monorail to the GF.

All the choices look so yummy here, I don’t know what I’ll choose!

After dinner we’ll be riding the monorail back to the MK. Originally our ADR for this night was at Tony’s, but we changed it to the GFC, and at this point with our bellies stuffed full of yummy food & dessert from the GFC, that I don’t think we’ll be upset about not eating dinner on Main Street USA that night.

Hopefully we’ll be snagging any FP that is available. We’ll be watching the MSEP again at 9pm, and Wishes at 10. MK has EMH from 11pm-2am, and we are very excited for this! We were lucky enough to get to do this on our last trip to Disney. Even though we were very tired we toughed it out and we able to walk on many rides, or at least have a very short wait. Then to our surprise, the MK stayed open uptil 3 am! It was seriously crazy but so awesome to be there when it was so empty. The coolest thing happened – we finally had one of those moments that you see on promos for Disney World. The last ride of the night we were on Cinderella’s carousel. Many characters started hopping on – Chip & Dale, Minnie & Mickey, Goofy, etc. It was so cool! Then after the ride they were just running around and being all silly, it was so cool! Then all the characters took turns trying to get the sword out of the stone. It was getting hard to get good pictures, people kept having their kids jump up there and it wasn’t fair, so the CM told everyone to stay back so we all could get a fair shot. Of course that lasted about 5 seconds, because people thought their kids were special and didn’t need to follow the rules so I didn’t get any amazing shots, but I tried. I don’t have my external hard drive with me so that is why I’m not posting those pictures now.

Here is what is open during evening EMH at the MK:
(Remember, day 2 was spent at MK so some of the attractions we may have already done, and I’m sure we’ll be trying to do some of the big ones again like the 3 mountains)

The 3 mountains – these are must dos, hopefully we’ll be able to get on with no long waits

Buzz Lightyear – we do this if there is a short wait, I did find out that it is not a good ride to ride after you’ve been on two spinny rides, you’re really tired and have a headache… at 2 am!

Prince Charming Regal Carousel – hmm, all this time I thought it was Cinderella’s carousel! We do this if it’s walk on

Dumbo – after our last trip when we were at the MK until 3am, that is when I realized that I was oh no, getting some motion sickness from spinny rides. This one wasn’t the worst, but right after I rode the astro orbiter and really thought I was going to Ralph.. . and then walked right onto the Buzz Lightyear ride – oy! We’ll probably attempt to do this again if the line is short

Haunted Mansion – this is a take it or leave it ride for me, I won’t wait a long time for it and I really don’t get the whole appeal but that is probably because I don’t like anything remotely scary. This ride is okay though, no it doesn’t scare me I just don’t like dark and death. I don’t know that I’ve ever rode it at night.

It’s a small world – I think I mentioned when talking about Pincocchio Village Haus in my CS post that we have never rode this together. This is one of the few rides I was able to ride on my very first trip to Disney with my family in ’98. This is classic Disney, so maybe we should try to ride this.

The magic carpet rides of Aladdin – this is again a spinny ride, but we’ll do it if there is a short line, it’s not something I’d wait more than a few minutes for

The many adventures of Winnie the Pooh – I have a serious soft spot for all things Winnie the Pooh, so we try to ride this every trip – I love this story and hope I get to read it to our baby(ies) someday.

Mickey’s Philharmagic – I LOVE this! We’ll definitely try to see this

Peter Pan’s Flight – this is another one that we will do if there is a short line – it’s cute, I love Peter Pan. I love the part when it looks like your ship is going to fall and you start “flying”

PoTC – Even though I don’t “get” the PoTC movie thing (I’ve tried to watch them, it just doesn’t happen for me) I still love this ride and I like the upgrade it got for the movie.

Stitch’s Great Escape – we did this once. Not a fan.

Tomorrowland Indy Speedway – we’ve never done this either, so I definitely want to try this time.

Other attractions at the MK we’ve never done before that we will be trying to, I should’ve included this in my day 2 plans – sorry!

Jungle Cruise
Liberty Square Riverboat
Is the swiss family treehouse worth seeing? I’ve never seen the movie, what about Tom Sawyer Island?
People Mover
WDW Railroad
Carousel of Progress?

We’ll also be doing some of the character meet & greets around the MK, we’re always excited to meet characters we haven’t seen before. Tinkerbell & the princesses are my favorite. I’m hoping to meet Tiana, Rapunzel & Flynn Rider! I hope there are there late during EMH night so the lines won’t be so long.

This will be a long night and we’ll probably be lucky to get in bed by 3 am. But who cares - it's Disney World!

Oh and I thought I should add, unless otherwise specified I get my pictures from Google images. ​

 

[dtr_angel]

Oh my gosh Dee thank you SO much for posting that!! I can see how easily it would be missed! (that and the fact that it's been on my AK to do list for 3 trips and we've never found it LOL) I think entering the ITTBAB exit will be the easiest way for us to find it. Maybe since it's not so well marked that is why it's so quiet - I love that idea!! Thanks!!

 

[Lidian]

Luckily I figured out the trigger to my headaches/migraines - it's hormonal. I haven't had a migraine in a few months, but I get terrible headaches on a regular basis thanks to a lovely hormone imbalance, fun! I will probably get on EE, definitely get on Space Mountain & BTMRR, and never get on RnRC

I'm not a fan of bugs either but I think A Bugs Life is a cute movie - have you seen the movie? Is the show like the movie? I hope it doesn't creep me out!

As for touring AK, we still don't know. If it's already hot then Kali might be a good start. We'll definitely have to come up with a plan for the FPs!

I'm glad you know the trigger ... mine appear to be random and/or caused by stress. I've delt with a migraine the past 3 days in a row (fine in the AM, then it creeps up around lunchtime until I pass out at night). Here's hoping for a good 4th day.

I thought ITTBAB would be a super cute 4D experience. The show itself was fine, but the 4D effects got to me. I have an over-active imagination, and I sometimes can't convince myself "it's just a show". I don't want to spoil anything, but I do think everyone should see it once.

Thanks natebenma for sharing your pics! I loved them!!

 

[natebenma]

Oh my gosh Dee thank you SO much for posting that!! I can see how easily it would be missed! (that and the fact that it's been on my AK to do list for 3 trips and we've never found it LOL) I think entering the ITTBAB exit will be the easiest way for us to find it. Maybe since it's not so well marked that is why it's so quiet - I love that idea!! Thanks!!

Thanks natebenma for sharing your pics! I loved them!!

Glad you found the info/pictures helpful. The secret trail was one our best AK finds last year.

 

[natebenma]

Your Day 4 plan looks like a winner. I've always wondered what a late EMH at MK would be like. We have never done one at any of the parks because we are early morning people.

I'm there with you about Astro Orbiters- I got motion sickness from this one- fortunately a Cappucino Smoothie saved the day.

Sounds like you have some neat rides to try.

Definitely ride Its a Small World together!

Here are my comments on your never-dones:

Jungle Cruise- we love this! A classic Disney attraction

Liberty Square Riverboat-ok- do it if it is convenient. It was really hot when my son and I did this in the afternoon

Is the swiss family treehouse worth seeing? We like this. Rarely a line here. Lots of stairs up and down. Do you know if this is open at night?

I’ve never seen the movie, what about Tom Sawyer Island?- Not a must-do. I would skip it if my 9 year old didn't beg to go over. It is ok- caves, barrel bridge, neat fort where the boys like to shoot guns at Big Thunder Railroad. Closes at dusk. According to my brother who owns a trivia company, this is the Disney attraction that has the most deaths assoicated with it (drownings)

People Mover- Family Favorite! We love this slow, tranquil ride that gives a beautiful overview of Tomorrowland.

WDW Railroad-ok, nothing outstanding.

Carousel of Progress? Haven't done this in years- not a must do for us.

 

[dtr_angel]

Your Day 4 plan looks like a winner. I've always wondered what a late EMH at MK would be like. We have never done one at any of the parks because we are early morning people.

I'm there with you about Astro Orbiters- I got motion sickness from this one- fortunately a Cappucino Smoothie saved the day.

Sounds like you have some neat rides to try.

Definitely ride Its a Small World together!

Here are my comments on your never-dones:

Jungle Cruise- we love this! A classic Disney attraction

Liberty Square Riverboat-ok- do it if it is convenient. It was really hot when my son and I did this in the afternoon

Is the swiss family treehouse worth seeing? We like this. Rarely a line here. Lots of stairs up and down. Do you know if this is open at night?

I’ve never seen the movie, what about Tom Sawyer Island?- Not a must-do. I would skip it if my 9 year old didn't beg to go over. It is ok- caves, barrel bridge, neat fort where the boys like to shoot guns at Big Thunder Railroad. Closes at dusk. According to my brother who owns a trivia company, this is the Disney attraction that has the most deaths assoicated with it (drownings)

People Mover- Family Favorite! We love this slow, tranquil ride that gives a beautiful overview of Tomorrowland.

WDW Railroad-ok, nothing outstanding.

Carousel of Progress? Haven't done this in years- not a must do for us.

I love late nights at the Magic Kingdom! That's pretty much the only time we've been able to walk on rides since we've always been to Disney during busy times. It makes it hard to get moving early the next morning though.

Thanks for the input on the rides we've never been on. Hopefully we'll get to a lot of them this trip!

 

[dtr_angel]

Day 5 is Monday, and since Day 4 leaves us as the Magic Kingdom until around 2 am, Day 5 is now "Sleep In Day". The plan is to grab a snack while we're getting ready in the room at AKL, and be at the bus stop by 11:30am. I think that is fair, we'll be able to sleep in until 10 or 10:30 that morning. Where are we headed? To Downtown Disney!

But first, we'll be taking a bus to AKL, so we can take a bus to POFQ. We'll be stopping at POFQ to get some yummy beignets (how do you pronounce that, btw?) that I saw and read about in chunkymonkey's TR that I just have to try! That also gives us a hot minute to check out POFQ. After grabbing some beignets to enjoy, we'll be taking a boat to DD.

We're going to be having lunch at Earl of Sandwich, one of our favorite CS meals. I love the Hawaiian sandwich.

After lunch, if we didn't get a snack at Goofy's the day before, we'll do that. We like to do one of the create a snacks and use a DDP snack credit. I know the rules have changed on what you can dip for a snack credit though, so I need to check. Last time we ended up having to pay a few bucks because we didn't know about the change.

Since this will likely be our last visit to DD on this trip, we will finish up any shopping that we need to do.

After we're finished at DD, if we need to go back to AKL to drop anything off we will, but we'll be heading to AK for a while. We're hoping to catch the 3:45pm Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade.

I'm excited to see it since we've never seen it before, that mid day break usually takes us away from the parades. After the parade we'll be making our way to Yak & Yeti for our 5pm ADR. If possible, after the parade we'll see if we can grab a FP to ride something right after dinner, but I doubt that will happen since the AK closes so early and most FP will probably be gone by 4pm. Anyway, we are excited about the meal at Yak & Yeti. We've looked at the menu but there are so many good choices we're not sure what we'll end up getting. I'm definitely excited about the fried won tons for dessert! After dinner, we'll be heading to Hollywood Studios for evening extra magic hours from 7-10pm. We've never had much luck at evening EMH at Hollywood Studios before, usually all the FP for everything is gone by the time we get there after dinner, and all the stand by lines are too long. Hopefully that will not be the case this time!

This is what will be open during the evening extra magic hours:
The Great Movie Ride - we've done this once and it's cute - we had the gangster scene. We'll probably ride this again since the line usually isn't long.

Muppet Vision 3D - I saw this when I went with my family in '98, but Truck & I haven't managed to make time for it during our 3 trips. We'll try to watch it this time.

Rock n Roller Coaster - Truck loves this roller coaster, so hopefully he'll get to ride it with no wait. This is one roller coaster that I don't think anyone could talk me into, I won't do it!

Tower of Terror - This is the 2nd ride that I will never ride in Disney World. I hate the droppy feeling. Truck usually rides this if we can get him a FP for it. He doesn't like to ride alone though :/ I came so close to riding this in '98, but nobody else would ride it with me. I can remember my parents saying we could wait in line for it, and I can remember staring up at it because we were leaving the park, it might've even been our last day in Disney altogether. But nobody else was going to ride with me so I didn't do it.

Star Tours - Truck & I are not Star Wars fans and we've never done this. We did say that maybe since it was new, we could try it. I doubt I will like it, I have no interest in Star Wars anything but I'm willing to try.

Toy Story Mania - We both love this ride, and I think I've won more times than Truck. He always has better accuracy though, so he likes to point that out. I guess he's just a sore loser LOL. I love Pixar Place in HS, it's so cute!

Voyage of the Little Mermaid - We have never seen this show either. I REALLY want to, but somehow it has never happened. We have to see it this time! I was such a big Little Mermaid fan when I was little.

I'm looking forward to having some snacks in HS that I didn't know about until recently when I saw pictures of them on the Dis. We've also never had a turkey leg anywhere in Disney, so maybe we should do that just because on this trip

After the park closes at 10, we'll be making our way to wait for a bus back to AKL so we can hit the hay. ​

 

[PixieMama]

Joining in! So jealous of your stay at AKL. I keep telling myself "One day we'll stay there!"

Just wanted to give a quick note on your ADRs... I read that you've been told burgers aren't on the dinner menu at Sci-Fi. If you aren't able to order a burger, I suggest the ribs! DH and I both ordered them and they were very, very good.

And Boma! It's my all-time favorite place to eat at WDW. We've been there twice and it's one of the few places I'd make sure we'd eat at on any return trips to WDW.

I can't recall the name right now, but the QS place in the Japan Pavillion at Epcot was really good!


Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Lidian]

I can't recall the name right now, but the QS place in the Japan Pavillion at Epcot was really good!

Yakitori House. Mmmmmm!

 

[pinkxray]

Alright, I’m all caught up. All of your plans look great! Just some random comments.

I really wanted to try Biergarten, but I let DH and DD pick where to eat on our EPCOT night. I made them a powerpoint and had about 10 pages dedicated to Biergarten and maybe a page or two for Via Napoli and Captain’s Grill. They still choose Via Napoli.

I can’t believe you haven’t done Spaceship Earth. I find it kind of boring, but still do it everytime. It’s a nice way to relax for a few minutes.

I have never tried Mission:Space. Maybe this time.

It’s a great idea to avoid DHS if you’re not interested in SWW. I would much rather be at EMH at AK, but once again I am outvoted. I really wanted to try EMH at night for AK, but I don’t think they have them at all for our dates.

We have never done Kali Rapids, Nemo or Lion King. (I have no idea what we do in AK since we seem to miss everything)

Kouzinna looks interesting. Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

It is so tough to concentrate on school stuff when planning a Disney trip. At this time last year I was in my last semester of the radiography program and we spent a lot of time on the computer doing board review. I would say about 75% of that time was spent on the Dis.

Love the picture of the cheese Danish. I can’t wait to have one next month. Last year I got one at GF and we ate it outside of the Gasparalli(?) grill. DD had to go to the bathroom and when I got back, DH informed me that a bird had swooped down and started eating it. The whole thing had to go in the trash.

I love the story about MK EMH. It must have been so cool to see the characters on the carousel. We have never done any EMH and I really hope to make it over there this time. Luckily they are only until 12 I think. I don’t think can stay up until 3am and then make it to rope drop the next day. (Wow, I am getting old)

I am hoping to see any midday parade. We took a mid day break almost every day last year and missed them all. I don’t care which one I see, as long as we catch one.

Yak and Yeti looks so good. I have been trying to fit it in but since DH and DD want to do RFC and we have ‘Ohana that night I can’t make it fit. I considered shuffling my days but I don’t want to do IOA on a weekend. I guess I’ll have to wait until next time.

I will have to try to stay on top of your updates so I'm not so far behind.