She's Headed to High School, a June 2024 WL Trip Report: Post Trip DL Update 10/11

[hpygrll]

We ate at Woody's Roundup BBQ last September and at the end of our meal (4 adults) they had us do the stick horses around the restaurant. All the cast members froze and yelled "Stampede!" - I have not laughed that hard in a LONG time. We really enjoyed it - food is good too!

I feel the Boathouse stress - LOVE the restaurant, but that check in line gives me anxiety!

Loving your report!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We ate at Woody's Roundup BBQ last September and at the end of our meal (4 adults) they had us do the stick horses around the restaurant. All the cast members froze and yelled "Stampede!" - I have not laughed that hard in a LONG time. We really enjoyed it - food is good too!

I feel the Boathouse stress - LOVE the restaurant, but that check in line gives me anxiety!

Loving your report!

Welcome! That is a cool experience at Woody's. We were actually kind of sad that we didn't ride in on the stick horses when they mentioned them on the way in.

I'm glad we're not the only ones stressed and confused by the checkin at Boathouse. Melissa sends me in to deal with it the first time, but then we all wind up there in the same boat when they call us back. There's no escape...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, we were finally rested enough to move to Epcot from Beach Club.

We decided to rent Marshall a stroller at International Gateway. We figured it would lead to a more enjoyable evening for everyone.

We went with a single stroller for this time, opting for it to be more manueverable at half the cost.

He was up for any seat at that point, and hopped in. We soon stopped at the pin trading booth though, and I got him a Soarin Mickey pin.

Then we headed towards France.

We headed over to check out France because it is always one of Allie’s favorites. She went into the shop on the right and went straight to where the dresses usually are and found that they were not there. For the first time in her trips to Disney they weren’t there, and she was a little sad about it.

I suggested that maybe they moved them to the other store but I wasn’t super optimistic.

We were all a little sad because even though she’s too big for them now we still enjoy seeing them there. They do have a lot of Remy merch and things from Disneyland Paris which I thought was pretty neat.

Yeah, it is cool when they sell park merchandise from other places in the parks. When we went over to the “big” store they had the dresses just inside the front door, and they even had matching totes in the same print.

I had to buy her one of those, and it made us all happy.

After France we headed toward the America Pavilion. Our goal was not to visit all of the countries this time just to stay out of the heat and browse a bit on our way to the other side of the park. We checked out the art store where we didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without.

It was strange, they didn’t have anything that grabbed us. There were a few Rob Kaz prints we would have liked to see but they weren’t there. We continued on and made our way to the China pavilion for an extended visit in the AC.

Marshall contemplated a Rubix cube and Allie thought she wanted some exotic flavor chips but both ultimately changed their minds.

We hopped over to Norway where there was a mob of people because the Frozen ride was down. You’d think that this would make the shops more crowded with people trying to get out of the heat, but no. They were really quiet. I did get a Norway Tervis cup. It’s one of my new favorites and Allie even carried it for me in her new bag.

We checked out the nosey troll, and I thought about the rain jackets but it was too hot for that.

We moved on to Mexico and the Three Caballeros. The line was long but moved fast.

It’s a favorite ride for us, we have to ride it every trip.

As we left Mexico we could tell a storm was coming, it was getting pretty breezy. There was an older guy on a scooter that seemed very concerned about getting caught in the rain and was warning his family very sternly that we were in for “a BIG one”

t was definitely blowing in. We decided to make our way to the temporary DVC lounge location in the Odyssey pavilion.

Unfortunately it turned out it closed at 6PM, so it was empty, and the other half that is open to everyone was pretty full.

We sat on the floor in the corner until a table with chairs opened up.

I went and got a cream cheese filled pretzel and a Mickey Pretzel, which we sat and enjoyed.

While we were there the sky did open up, and we had a great view of the rain and could hear the thunder.

It really bugged me that when the lounge was closed they didn’t let anyone use the tables. I understand not having access to the snacks and the drinks but I don’t see why the tables can’t be open for everyone especially in bad weather. Our friend was right about it being a big storm though, it poured for a while.

Our pretzels were great though, I really love the cream cheese one.

They were good and hit the spot. We sat and relaxed through the storm and didn’t leave until 7:09 when the rain was almost gone.

We stopped by the Test Track store which was pretty quiet since the ride was down for the rain. Marshall and I each got one of the current Hot Wheels size cars before they re-theme the ride.

Then we continued on towards Mission Space where we got in a spacey mood by checking out the gift shop.

There are a lot of unique things in this gift shop especially for a space loving kid.

I was impressed, but we avoided spending anything. Then we walked outside and went to a long awaited ADR for us. We were headed to Space 220.

We checked in and were directed to go inside where we were given a “boarding pass” for our party.

The entrance to the restaurant is obscured and it kind of seems like an afterthought. Maybe it is so you don’t see the tower for the elevator… We soon loaded up for the ride up, and as an elevator guy I was impressed. I sure wouldn’t want to grease those rails.

Lol, that’s a tall tower to have to climb too. The whole thing is very well done and the view from the ceiling and the floor were great.

When we arrived we were impressed with the centrifugal garden as we walked to the dining room.

We got a table on the edge of the upper level, which gave a nice view of the windows and the occasional space shenanigans.

It was actually nice not being right up against the windows so we could have a view of the entire space scene. Marshall being Marshall was super skeptical of the exterior atmosphere and was not playing along at all.

He was sharing facts about how it was really done and why it wasn’t real…

We remained into the theme and proceeded to order our meals. The waitress explained the prix-fixe menu and how we each got to choose an appetizer, entree, and dessert.

Allison ordered calamari and I ordered the scallop.

Paul wanted something different than we got and I suggested the cauliflower but he’s not the biggest cauliflower fan.

I decided to go with the wagyu beef carpaccio. Melissa seemed really surprised, and then pointed out that it is not cooked. At that point I was surprised too.

After the waitress had left I leaned over and asked if he knew what he ordered. We were all giggling at this point.

We all had a good time with it, and I decided to go with it. I am glad I did because it turned out to be really good, and I survived.

It was delicious and my favorite of the appetizers we ordered. Highly recommend.

For entrees, I went with the filet mignon,

Melissa got the short rib,

and Allie got the Pad Thai.

I’m pretty sure Marshall got Mac and cheese and fruit. The food here was good but again we were here mostly for the theming. I wouldn’t say it’s the best food we’ve had in Disney but it was on the high end. The views from space were pretty amazing.

It was all good and felt very fancy, but I do wonder if they made it fancy to help justify the high cost that is required to keep the crowd down. It made for a nice meal and a really fun experience, even if not an experience that we have to repeat very often.

For dessert I got the blue planet chocolate cheesecake,

Marshall got a scoop of chocolate gelato, Allie got the Honey cake,

and Melissa got the Strawberry Nebula, which was a cream cheese mousse with lemon curd.

I won this round, my dessert was hands down the best.

The overall experience was fantastic and fun. It is a little pricey but it’s a fun thing to do once and a super unique restaurant.

Check out our trip "home" from Space in the next update, but it is coming up right away...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, we were summarizing our long awaited first meal in space. It was a great experience and I am glad that we finally got to do it. It was more about the decor and experience than the food, but it was great. After our meal we headed back to the elevator. We rode it with another group and our kids were talking about how neat it was.

That was when the lady from the group (who had probably had a few too many adult beverages) started talking loudly about how she “had been robbed”.

She didn’t want to ride the elevator back down and was kinda making a fuss. I figured she’d just had too much to drink but then on our descent she started saying how she had no idea how expensive it was going to be. That Disney and robbed her. She attempted to get us to agree with her but we were all just flabbergasted at her outburst. She then said she could never afford to do this again. I’m not sure if she meant the trip to space or the trip to Disneyworld but she was not a happy camper.

She said it was way too much money for that food and it was ridiculous. It made for a long and uncomfortable ride down for us, but she kept going the whole way. The ironic thing is the prices are posted as you go in, she knew exactly what it was going to cost.

Again I circle back to the possibility that she spent a little too much time at the bar, but the food cost was clear well ahead of time. I just felt it was one of the most classless things I have seen at Disney for her to go off like that in front of our kids and hers. I can’t imagine that they were having a magical time.

We however took a moment to regroup after we left the elevator and had a great discussion with the kids about attitudes.

We decided to head out of the now-closed park ahead of the fireworks rush.

We made our way towards the buses and found much to our delight that they moved the WL bus stop from the furthest out stop to one much closer to the walkway out of the park. The security guy said it happened on Christmas Eve.

What a difference this makes! It was a very nice surprise. We also were able to walk right on a bus with about 10 other people and then the bus left.

We didn’t have to wait to pack the rest of the bus.

We were on the bus at 9:21, and on our way out at 9:23. It did go to Fort Wilderness first which was a first for me, but we still made it to WL by 9:41. Allie was deliriously tired and I was afraid I’d have to carry her up the ramp, but we all made it.

She did get a little cranky on the way back. Both kids needed showers after such a long sweaty day so we had that going on when we got back to the room. I also threw a load of laundry in. I think we did laundry almost every day. It’s so nice to be able to wash the really sweaty stuff.

t is a vacation game changer, and is so nice to not bring back sweaty stinky Florida wet clothes. Once everyone was washed we made it to bed by 10:45 to round out a long but fun two-park day.

Up next things get a little wild…

 

[DaisyDuck001]

When I went to Space 220 in 2021, I don't remember pad thai being on the menu. Maybe they moved the pad thai from Skipper Canteen's menu to Space 220's.

Awesome how you used the stranger's outburst as a teaching moment for the kids. Way to go!

 

[pinkxray]

Woody’s looks fun. Our DD7 recently discovered ribs and now they are her favorite food. We are staying at Copper Creek in Jan. I’m thinking about booking either Woody’s, Whispering Canyon or Hoop de doo. We have been to Whispering Canyon. Have you guys done Hoop de Doo? If so, would you do Hoop de doo or Woodys? As much as I’d like to do more than one we will only be down for 4 nights.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We reserved our room for June 2025 at Copper Creek for six nights again in a 1 bedroom.

Early June is a good time to go. It's hot but before hurricane season begins.

We decided to rent Marshall a stroller at International Gateway. We figured it would lead to a more enjoyable evening for everyone.

We've rented a stroller at night for our grandchildren at Epcot. It is just much easier to maneuver around. And the kids are exhausted.

they even had matching totes in the same print.

I love the tote.

While we were there the sky did open up, and we had a great view of the rain and could hear the thunder.

That is a good place to wait out the rainstorm. The only bad thing is that they don't sell Coke in the Odessey.

We soon loaded up for the ride up, and as an elevator guy I was impressed.

The elevator is the best part. They did a really good job with it.

We got a table on the edge of the upper level, which gave a nice view of the windows and the occasional space shenanigans.

I would think it would be the best view.

I won this round, my dessert was hands down the best.

The overall experience was fantastic and fun. It is a little pricey but it’s a fun thing to do once and a super unique restaurant.

We just had appetizers and a drink when we were there. It was a nice experience but not exciting enough to repeat.

She said it was way too much money for that food and it was ridiculous. It made for a long and uncomfortable ride down for us, but she kept going the whole way.

She might have had sticker shock at the price of the cocktails.

We made our way towards the buses and found much to our delight that they moved the WL bus stop from the furthest out stop to one much closer to the walkway out of the park. The security guy said it happened on Christmas Eve.

That's good news! We are staying at the WL in February and I'm looking forward to having a much closer bus stop.

I also threw a load of laundry in. I think we did laundry almost every day. It’s so nice to be able to wash the really sweaty stuff.

It's also nice if you are caught in a downpour and need some dry clothes.

 

[rdkeim]

Great updates! Nice you found ways to take some breaks and escape the heat. Probably saved the day and allowed you to extend your park time. Love that your DD found the dresses and was able to get the tote - perfect souvenir for her! Glad you enjoyed the Space 220 dinner for what it was. Yikes that woman - I'm sure that ruined the experience for her family. I like that you had a family talk about it - great learning moment for your kids. For the price of WL it's fitting they improved the bus stop location

 

[disneyAndi14]

We have had two really nice experiences at Space 220.
We ate in the lounge once and had the 3 course dinner once. We loved the atmosphere and the elevator ride is a little attraction in itself, except when you have a drunk lady complaining about the whole thing, ugh
I would like to try Woody’s BBQ sometime.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When I went to Space 220 in 2021, I don't remember pad thai being on the menu. Maybe they moved the pad thai from Skipper Canteen's menu to Space 220's.

It may well be new. Allie liked it and says it was pretty good.

Awesome how you used the stranger's outburst as a teaching moment for the kids. Way to go!

They have had a good time talking about it since then. Someone will randomly blurt out “I was robbed!” and we all laugh.

Woody’s looks fun. Our DD7 recently discovered ribs and now they are her favorite food. We are staying at Copper Creek in Jan. I’m thinking about booking either Woody’s, Whispering Canyon or Hoop de doo. We have been to Whispering Canyon. Have you guys done Hoop de Doo? If so, would you do Hoop de doo or Woodys? As much as I’d like to do more than one we will only be down for 4 nights.

Allie totally relates to falling in love with ribs. She strongly thinks that Woody’s would be the best option for a rib loving 7 year old on a short trip. We have done Hoop De Doo twice and we think of it more for the show than the food. You can get the same items at Trail’s end right next door, and we do enjoy that food. It is a long experience at Hoop De Doo, and while it is fun for most everyone, it does take up a lot of time that you might not want to spend on a shorter trip. As for WCC we love the food too, but the antics used to be a little much for Allie when she was younger. You can’t go wrong with any of the three, but Allie says Woody’s is the way to go for you.

Early June is a good time to go. It's hot but before hurricane season begins.

Yeah we like that not everyone is there yet for the big summer rush.

We've rented a stroller at night for our grandchildren at Epcot. It is just much easier to maneuver around. And the kids are exhausted.

It worked perfectly for us to rent one when we needed it. It made the trip more pleasant for everyone.

I love the tote.

It was just perfect and she loves it too.

That is a good place to wait out the rainstorm. The only bad thing is that they don't sell Coke in the Odessey.

We had been hoping for the free ones in the DVC Lounge, but did ok without it and did share a bottled water.

The elevator is the best part. They did a really good job with it.

As an elevator guy I definitely agree.

I would think it would be the best view.

It was a perfect view.

We just had appetizers and a drink when we were there. It was a nice experience but not exciting enough to repeat.

We may try the lounge in the future to get to visit it again without the big meal and tough ADR.

She might have had sticker shock at the price of the cocktails.

Exactly, and probably a few of them.

That's good news! We are staying at the WL in February and I'm looking forward to having a much closer bus stop.

It was amazing. I think it was like stop number 7, but it was right at the nearest corner of where the busses loop around toward the old stop. Highly recommend.

It's also nice if you are caught in a downpour and need some dry clothes.

Oh yes. Been there too.

Great updates! Nice you found ways to take some breaks and escape the heat. Probably saved the day and allowed you to extend your park time. Love that your DD found the dresses and was able to get the tote - perfect souvenir for her! Glad you enjoyed the Space 220 dinner for what it was. Yikes that woman - I'm sure that ruined the experience for her family. I like that you had a family talk about it - great learning moment for your kids. For the price of WL it's fitting they improved the bus stop location

It was a fun day but was very packed in for us. The break in the middle at BC was essential. We are finding that we really do like a mid day resort break, especially on the hot weather trips. The bus stop is so great, it’s one thing we used to dread about the trip back from Epcot.

We have had two really nice experiences at Space 220.
We ate in the lounge once and had the 3 course dinner once. We loved the atmosphere and the elevator ride is a little attraction in itself, except when you have a drunk lady complaining about the whole thing, ugh
I would like to try Woody’s BBQ sometime.

Space 220 was a lot of fun and we’ll be back. She probably won’t be, but that’s too bad for them. Woody’s was a lot like we expected, but probably had more food variety and even more theming than I expected. Definitely a good option.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

On Friday morning, I got up and went out for my morning picture walk. I went through Roaring Fork for a mug refill. It is so nice they leave it open all night now, and nobody else was there yet.

I then went down towards Geyser Point and watched the sun begin to come up over the very calm water.

Then I walked over by the South side cabins.

I noticed that the cabin we had stayed in was being refurbished.

I also walked over by the parking lot and the former trail to Fort Wilderness. The Reflections era No Tresspassing signs are still up, and the trail has become overgrown.

Perhaps someday we'll be able to walk that way again.

I then went through the Boulder Ridge lobby and made my way back up towards our room.

I was out on our balcony before 7 AM so I could get our first Lightning Lane reservation of the day for Animal Kingdom.

We again decided to not try for rope drop. It wasn’t worth pushing everyone out the door early and we needed the extra sleep.

I initially got Kilamanjaro Safaris for 8:30, but pushed it back to 9:25 since everyone was snoring. Marshall got up about 7:30 and wanted to go out for a walk with me. We let the girls sleep and went and saw the Geyser and around the resort a bit.

I noticed that the demonstration rooms on the second floor they use for DVC sales now have glass doors so you can see in them anytime.

We got back to the room about 8:15 and started waking the girls up.

We decided to just have donuts and cantaloupe in the room for breakfast because lunch wasn’t too far away. We were driving to Animal Kingdom, the trip is so much quicker than taking the bus and parking is pretty easy.

I caught the 9:00 Geyser from the balcony, making it the third one of the morning.

We left the room about 9:15 and headed for the Jeep. We got to the Jeep at 9:17 and to the park at 9:28.

Even the parking tram wasn't too bad, we got parked at 9:35 and on the tram at 9:41.

We got off the tram at 9:47, exactly 30 min from when we got to the Jeep.

Once in the park we headed to Harambe to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Allie had been wanting a Disney pickle all week though so we stopped and picked up one of those on the way to the line.

On the way to Safaris we were able to book a Lightning Lane for Everest for 10:35 since the park had been open two hours. We got to the front of the line at 10:08, but then they announced that the ride was stopped due to animals on the path.

There was a girrafic jam.

Lol true. We were delayed in boarding until 10:24, so we decided to delay our Everest ride until after lunch.

The safari ride was good, and we saw the animals were pretty active.

I was surprised that they weren’t all just snoozing in the heat but there were plenty of critters to see.

There was even a teeny tiny flamingo chick. He was so fluffy.

At the end Marshall was quite distrubed by the goats on the Land Rover. He was concerned that it was a waste of a perfectly good vehicle that could be restored.

He wants to be put on the list to get one when they change the props on the ride.

His rant was so funny.

After our safari it was already time for lunch!

But we'll pick up with that in the next update...

 

[rdkeim]

Beautiful view from your balcony! Cute that your DS wanted to walk with you. Nice to experience the resort when it's so peaceful. That was a quick trip to AK - I can see the advantage to having a car. Curious where your lunch spot is?

 

[Wood Nymph]

We again decided to not try for rope drop. It wasn’t worth pushing everyone out the door early and we needed the extra sleep.

It looks like you had a great morning.

There was a giraffe jam.

We were lucky enough to be in the savanna when they stopped for an Ankole cattle jam. They did everything they could think of, including sending a truck with food, to entice the cattle to move. We were glad we were at the head of the jam instead of standing in line.

At the end Marshall was quite distrubed by the goats on the Land Rover. He was concerned that it was a waste of a perfectly good vehicle that could be restored.

I always considered it to be a prop rather than an actual vehicle.

 

[KPeterso]

On the way to Safaris we were able to book a Lightning Lane for Everest for 10:35 since the park had been open two hours. We got to the front of the line at 10:08, but then they announced that the ride was stopped due to animals on the path.

There was a girrafic jam.

We had one driver who was trying to be funny. Said the green trucks are the animals DoorDash. And that the giraffes have figured out if they stand in the road, the DoorDash truck with the "really good treats" will eventually arrive.

 

[Stasieki]

Just popping in for a real life / next WDW trip update. We reserved our room for June 2025 at Copper Creek for six nights again in a 1 bedroom. Yeah it will be hot, but it works out so well for the kids school schedule that it is the best time for us to go for the next few years. It does cost more than our current annual allotment of points, but we can borrow from future years to cover it for a while. We’re enjoying these trips while we can.

We’ll hopefully post another trip update later tonight, but overall we had enough fun that we are signing up to do it all again next year on June 3-9.

Will Jon and Brandy be joining you all again soon? It looks like you all travel well with them and they seem to love it just as much as you all do.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

They had said Jon and Brandy don't want to go during the summer weather.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Beautiful view from your balcony! Cute that your DS wanted to walk with you. Nice to experience the resort when it's so peaceful. That was a quick trip to AK - I can see the advantage to having a car. Curious where your lunch spot is?

It was a great room location. It truly had 99% as good of a view as the “Bear Face” rooms like we had last year that directly face Bay Lake.

Marshall does want to go for my morning walks, but he also needs all the sleep he can get at WDW, so this worked out well.

We did so many trips to WDW without a car that we are easily impressed by short travel times.

Our lunch spot is our traditional favorite AK go to, Yak and Yeti. It is our longest running streak of visiting a restaurant every trip.

It looks like you had a great morning.

It was fun to have a little extra time at the resort, and for me it is totally worth getting up early for.

We were lucky enough to be in the savanna when they stopped for an Ankole cattle jam. They did everything they could think of, including sending a truck with food, to entice the cattle to move. We were glad we were at the head of the jam instead of standing in line.

That’s a cool bonus Safari. We saw the food trucks out still when we got there.

I always considered it to be a prop rather than an actual vehicle.

We have always been fascinated with the Disney Props. It’s amazing the things they find and use for authentic theming. This trip we got to see where the props go when they are done with them, but that’s coming up the next day…

We had one driver who was trying to be funny. Said the green trucks are the animals DoorDash. And that the giraffes have figured out if they stand in the road, the DoorDash truck with the "really good treats" will eventually arrive.

Smart giraffes. The door dash trucks were still there when we got there and they had some happy patrons.

Will Jon and Brandy be joining you all again soon? It looks like you all travel well with them and they seem to love it just as much as you all do.

They have a trip coming up in January, as they do like the cooler weather and don’t have to worry about school schedules. We meet and talk Disney, and send messages to each other whenever any of us are at WDW. We hope to plan a December trip together sometime.

They had said Jon and Brandy don't want to go during the summer weather.

Yeah, they prefer to avoid the crowds and heat as much as possible. The Festival of the Arts trips work well for them, and they still tend to go during my birthday In January.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, we were headed towards an early lunch.

Sometimes our Yak and Yeti reservations are late and we end up too hungry before lunch. This time our reservation was on the early side but we were ready for lunch.

It was all I was able to get, but 10:45 at Yak and Yeti worked perfectly. We were ready for food and a cool break, although it wound up being a little colder in there than we anticipated. We got to lunch at 10:57 and were seated in a couple of minutes.

It was about 68 degrees inside though, which was a severe contrast to the outside weather.

We were all freezing, it was a nice contrast to the heat outside. We did have to keep reminding the kids that they’d be complaining about the heat soon enough.

We ordered calamari and fried green beans as appetizers. These are a staple at this point.

They are both quite good, but we love the green beans. They are very much like they have at The Habit which we enjoy as well. For my entree I chose to go with the cheeseburger.

Allie and I both ordered steak bowls.

They were pretty good. Not my favorite thing I’ve ever had here but good enough. It was sure pretty though.

I tried the steak bowls, but they weren't my favorite either. The burger was good, and has a unique slaw but doesn't stand out as being spectacular. It was a solid 8 out of 10 though as it has been in the past.

Now it was time for my favorite dessert. I ordered Mango Pie just for me.

I went with the cream cheese wontons as usual, but I shared them with Allie. Marshall remained consistent and got a blue bunny ice cream sandwich. We may be a little set in our ways with this meal, but we do enjoy it every year and it did not disapoint, even if it was a bit chilly.

It’s a solid table service restaurant that is consistently good and a great place to get out of the heat.

It is also our longest running streak for returning to a restaurant every trip year after year. After lunch we headed for the Majaraja Jungle trek, affectionately known to us as the Tiger Trail.

I think it’s been a couple of trips since we’ve been able, and or willing to check this out so it was fun to visit again.

The kids took pictures with the tiger painting.

We have lots of pictures of them here and it’s fun to watch them grow.

After the trail we made our way to another photo op, our first chance for all four of us to ride Expedition Everest together.

Marshall is finally tall enough to ride anything he wants to and is now brave enough for the bigger rides.

He was up to the challenge of this one, as was Allie so they kind of pushed eachother into it. I really like the ride, and it was fun to get to do it together.

After Everest it was time for our Kali River lightning lane.

This ride is the reason we purchased Genie+ for this day. The kids really wanted to ride Kali but the line can get pretty long and it’s all outside.

It isn't one I would usually choose, but at least it was a hot day. We wound up with our own raft all to ourselves.

Marshall was the only one to suit up in a poncho, the rest of us chose to chance it.

We all got a bit wet, no one got really soaked luckily. I think the lighter raft from being mostly empty helped.

It was fun and we definitely didn't get as wet as last year. I was so glad that we didn't do it before lunch though, we would have frozen.

Next up we snagged a lightning lane for one of my least favorite rides ever.

Why? Partly because I like to torture myself and partly because I wanted to say a potential final farewell.

Ahh yes, you rode it for the first time since our Honeymoon in 2007. We were headed for Dinosaur! To be fair you also don't like Indiana Jones either...

There’s just something about these ride vehicles that makes me really uncomfortable. The dinosaurs and the noise and everything is just a lot for me. It kinda conflicts me though because I really like dinosaurs and I love the museum like ride queue.

Judging by our ride photo though Paul seems to be the only one not terrified.

It is a bit of a rough ride, but not one that freaks me out. It was nice to ride it for what may be the last time though. We will see what Disney does as far as re-theming.

After Dinosaur we were ready for a little shopping and to head out of the park. When we initially had planned this day we thought we’d stay for the whole day and finish off with dinner over at Animal Kingdom Lodge. What we didn’t do was take into account the toll that the heat would have on everyone’s energy levels. So we pivoted a bit and decided to take a break before dinner. On the way to the shops we waved at the surface of the sun, otherwise known as Dinoland.

It was hot out and the shops were a welcome cool break. We checked them all out and bought a few souveniers and gifts to take home before we headed out of the park.

Allie's pictures with the Inside Out emotions crack me up.

She knows the emotions well...

We wrapped up our visit to Animal Kingdom and headed out of the park. We weren't totally doine with animals though, check out our evening with a dinner at Sanaaa in the next update.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

How did you get the picture of being in the Kali raft? Did a cast member or guest take it for you? Or is that PhotoPass?

 

[Wood Nymph]

It is also our longest running streak for returning to a restaurant every trip year after year.

And is Tappan Edo number two?

We have lots of pictures of them here and it’s fun to watch them grow.

Allie's dresses were adorable. Melissa had done a great job with them.

We all got a bit wet, no one got really soaked luckily. I think the lighter raft from being mostly empty helped.

The worst is when you get totally soaked from the waist down. At least you avoided that.

There’s just something about these ride vehicles that makes me really uncomfortable. The dinosaurs and the noise and everything is just a lot for me. It kinda conflicts me though because I really like dinosaurs and I love the museum like ride queue.

I'm not comfortable in the vehicles, either. They are too jerky.