Should I or Shouldn't I....post a trip report? Updated 11/2

[spencers_girl]

I just found your TR and have read the whole thing to get caught up. Can't wait to read more.

 

[island cricket]

Aloha! i am on board and enjoying your TR! I'm jealous that we're so far away, to take the family is about the same as a down payment on a home, however, i do like my views... love your writing, you look great and am looking forward to the rest of the show! thank you for sharing!!

 

[Joyciemc]

Just found your report and read the whole thing (what better way to spend the morning when I have the day off?). Can't wait for the rest!

 

[MEK]

Just found your report and read the whole thing (what better way to spend the morning when I have the day off?). Can't wait for the rest!

Joyciemic -

Thanks for tuning in! I know I can spend a long time reading these boards. One day I was REALLY SLOW at work. I think I had only one or two patients on my service. I read an entire trip report (a long one - ten days) and couldn't wait to get home so I could look at the pics (No pics at work).

 

[MEK]

Aloha! i am on board and enjoying your TR! I'm jealous that we're so far away, to take the family is about the same as a down payment on a home, however, i do like my views... love your writing, you look great and am looking forward to the rest of the show! thank you for sharing!!

Hawaii - very cool! Although I must admit, it is nice to be only a two hour flight from the World. I just wish I was only a 2 hour drive! Thanks for reading my trippie - more to come soon!

 

[MEK]

I just found your TR and have read the whole thing to get caught up. Can't wait to read more.

Thanks Spencers girl.....It looks like you have a trip ready to start in a few days....NICE! That's something we can all be jealous of!

 

[MEK]

Before I begin, I must post a few more Illuminations Pics......

Well Father's Day didn't turn out exactly as I had originally planned. But that's OK. I was the tour guide and my job was to be F L E X I B L E!

I was really surprised when dear friends K&T announced they wanted to go to AK on Father's Day. The needed to leave mid afternoon to go have Father's Dinner with their relatives. I thought for sure, especially after our abbreviated evening at Epcot, that they would want to spend the morning there. Come on - there was sooooo much they hadn't seen.

But Alas, DFK had in his mind that he wanted or needed to see AK. I love AK, don't get me wrong, but I wanted to get to Epcot at park opening. I actually even toyed with the idea of going back to HS on my own right at park opening just so I could ride TSM. So I went out for a run and contemplated.

Running didn't help. I had run for 8 straight mornings and my legs were heavy, heavy, heavy with lactic acid. It was actually more painful than meditative. It became downright depressing when I passed this spry young blonde in fantastic shape trotting alone like a race horse, happily listening to something in her ipod, while I limped along. I was very careful to make sure she ran in a different direction from me because I knew there was NO WAY I could keep up with her.

Back from my run - decision made - I would go to AK. I tried to get the boys up to see what they wanted to do, but they all decided they were going to sleep in. OK - at least I wouldn't have to wait for slow poke DS13.

It was nice to get to AK right after park opening. I guess you can figure out where we went first - Oh Yeah - EE!

Sorry - I know I already posted this picture, but it never ceases to amaze me how REAL this looks! Imagineering at its best.

I'm having trouble finding more of my AK pics. I may need to upload some more and now I have to take DS13 to soccer, so I must depart. See ya real soon (I hope)!

 

[MEK]

I couldn't post yesterday because I was far too busy. I decided to trade posting for an earlier bed time. I feel well rested this am , but I am at work now and trying to sneak in a post.

So instead of the dynamic fivesome, the dynamic foursome had arrived at AK. After getting FP's for EE, we headed over to the next logical stop (and one of my personal favs, as you know) - Dinosaur. We got right on the search to find "our dino". I use that phrase alot at work. Since most of my heart surgery patients are in the same general area of the hospital, sometimes people think all the patients in that unit are mine. They will start to ask me questions about other patients, like ...."Can Mr. Smith have an order for pain medicine?". I find myself responding, "Not my dino....ummmm..... I mean, not my patient".

I think K&T liked dino....I mean dinosaur. What's not to like?

After dinosaur, we headed over to Nemo. I wasn't sure whether they would like this show. I didn't know whether they had even heard of Nemo. We barely got into Nemo. Our timing was perfect. We were one of the last twenty or so people to enter the theatre. Seats were going fast. It was at this point that I had a nasty encounter with another parkgoer. This lady was on the step above me and couldn't seem to make up her mind which row to go into. She seemed to be in one of those "I need to get my whole party of 10 in the same row" modes or the "even though there are only about 20 seats left, I need to find the perfect one" mentality.

So when I didn't see her move, I tried to take our party into the empty seats in the row where I was stopped. As soon as she saw me move, she turned around and shot me this glare that added new meaning to the phase "If looks could kill". I immediately recognized I had entered her personal territory. Apparently she had already marked those seats with some unknown scent that I couldn't detect. I calmly said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were going to sit there". (How could I? .....you were turned in the opposite direction). She didn't say a word, but HMMMPPPPHHDDDD here way into the row where I was standing. I didn't lose my cool. But I had that adrenaline buzz that one gets one a good fight is about to ensue.

Fortunately Nemo started promptly and my fight or flight response calmed. I sat back and enjoyed the show. I loved this show. It's so unique and quite an imersive experience for me. K, who is especially hard to impress, was surprised at what a high quality performance it was. He said he loved it! Alright, I was back in high gear tour guide mode!

 

[Twingle]

Ohh - never been on Dinosaur in my 15+ trips! Have to make it next time. What about it do you enjoy? And, which one is "your" dino?

Inquiring minds and all that.

 

[MEK]

Ohh - never been on Dinosaur in my 15+ trips! Have to make it next time. What about it do you enjoy? And, which one is "your" dino?

Inquiring minds and all that.

Hey Twingle....

Thanks for subbing in. I like Dino cause its dark and a bit bumpy and I always remember the "surprise ending" from the first time I rode the ride. You've got to try it and then you'll know which one is my Dino!

 

[MEK]

DFK and DFT loved EE DFT is a screamer. She screams, laughs, screams again. Yeah, she was wooping it up on EE.

I can't remember exactly what happened after EE. I know at one point I went to get Safari FP's for all. I can't post pics now (because ....shhhhh.....I'm at work), but I promise to add some AK/Safari pics later for your continued viewing pleasure.

Ahhhhhh!

So the fabulous foursome hit Kali River Rapids while there was NO LINE! I always want Kali to be twice as long. It's well themed, but it's just too darn short! I don't know what the Imagineers were thinking when they designed that attraction. There must be a reason for its length! I would like to know what it is! So, DFT and I put ponchos and we stayed comfortably dry, while the boys got wet! You know no man is going to put a rain poncho on for a water ride!

After KRR we hit Bug's Life.

Oh yeah - what was DFT's reaction to the end....Scream, Laugh, Scream! K & T laughed the Tree of Life. Of course - who doesn't.

It was lunch time, but we decided to skip lunch because:
(1) We had been snacking on stuff T brought
and
(2) We just didn't feel like taking to time.

It was right smack in the middle of the lunch crowds, so we used our FP's for Safari. And who do you think I saw on the way over to Safari.......

There she is.......and Again.......

On Safari we sat in the very last row. I have never sat past the second or third row, so it was quite a shock to my system when we hit the first bump It actually made for a somewhat uncomfortable safari, but we endured. Taking pics was almost pointless. But I did manage to have a few turn out.....

Here is the view from the last row of the vehicle....

Note: I think Disney should have a contest to see who has the most Safari pics. I must easily have taken 500 over the years. Winner gets a free personalized sunset or sunrise Safari!

DO YOU SEE HIM???? What a Great Life!

After Safari we were all feeling a bit hungry, but K & T needed to leave to pack up and drive home for their Father's Day dinner.

On the way out I decided to stop at guest services to see if I could change my evening ADR. I had an ADR at 4:45 pm at Teppan Edo. I really wanted to eat there, but if you've been following along you know that we've already eaten at Epcot 2 other evenings. I was going to hit Epcot in the morning, so I decided we should go to MK again tonight. I tried to get any dinner ADR I could at MK, but it was hopeless. So I canceled my Teppan Edo ADR. Yeah - I know - but I just couldn't muster the energy to walk all the way to the back of the World Showcase just for dinner.

While I was in guest services I handed the CM my DH's park ticket and asked, "How much to upgrade to a DVC AP?" It was $130. Before my DH had a chance to object, I said, "Let's do it". The CM was new and he originally gave my DH an expiration date of 6/18. In actuality the expiration date should have been 6/10. I told him I thought he was wrong, so he checked with a senior CM and changed it. Yeah - it would have been great to get the extra week. It would have meant a definate trip next June, but I was so afraid the AP wouldn't work that I wanted the situation fixed right then and there. I was super psyched that DH and I both had AP's, because there is only one thing a couple can do when they BOTH have AP's - yup - plan another trip!

Up next... another MK evening and surprise pics from Space Mountain!

 

[Twingle]

Hey Twingle....

Thanks for subbing in. I like Dino cause its dark and a bit bumpy and I always remember the "surprise ending" from the first time I rode the ride. You've got to try it and then you'll know which one is my Dino!

Very good - will check it out next summer!

 

[MEK]

The few, the proud....

I was going to add pics tonight, but instead I am uploading them (again).I have tried twice and thought they uploaded the last time, but I couldn't find them. So I am trying again,

I took my DS15 to the movies tonight and decided to go shopping instead of going home. I knew I would never go back out. So I am crazy tired tonight. I will definately post pics tomorrow.

 

[ILuvCrush]

Patiently trying to wait!!!

 

[MEK]

finally....so new AK pics!

 

[ILuvCrush]

WOW...That one of the BEST Safari Elephant pics I've seen on the boards or anywhere... definately one to enter in a contest on the photography boards!!!

Paula

 

[MEK]

Thanks I LUV Crush!

That was a total luck shot. I was bouncing around so bad at the back of the safari vehicle, I was basically just snapping pictures haphazzardly! I'm surprised any of the pics turned out!

 

[xoktenox]

i love reading these!

 

[MEK]

i love reading these!

Thanks. Get ready, cause you have to write one with your next trip!

 

[nutz2notz]

Hi MEK

I found your trip report this morning and just finished reading through the whole thing. What a great time you are all having. I've enjoyed all your pictures as well.

Looking forward to the rest of your report.