That's the first time we had to wear a poncho in Disney! A Mar./April '11 TR DONE 9/5

[dawnbu40]

I'm sorry to hear the weather was so crummy that day! I love the Toy Story topiaries they were so cute I hope the weather improved the next day!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I updated today too!!!!

Yucky rain! My aunt and uncle were there the same time but were at MK doing Keys to the Kingdom which they said was good/bad because the crowds were so light but rain on a paid tour is not fun!

I'm glad to see you made the most of it and were prepared with ponchos!

 

[Caretames1]

I say never let the rain stop you! Sounds like you had a great day even through it was a bit damper than you'd have liked.

Those topiaries (sp?) are so awesome. I watched a Disney travel special about how they do all the flowers and shrubs, It's amazing what they can do!

 

[jenbear123]

Nice update! How ironic you talk about a day at Disney that was drenched. Meanwhile, around here it's been raining cats and dogs all week! But yes, the weather has made a great turn for the better. Tomorrow is supposed to be a great day and I plan on enjoying it

 

[xoktenox]

Awww the Toy Story topiaries at Epcot are were so cute!!

The rain really stinks You guys honestly did a great job of not letting it get you down and ruin your day. Innoventions makes good entertainment during bad weather! (or really hot weather)

I'm so excited that the OKW bus plays tropical music! I'm so excited for that!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I'm sorry you had to endure that rain all day, but, of course, it didn't stop you I wish I was on the bus with you to hear "One Little Spark" *dreams* I never got to go when the old JII was still there, but I've seen videos and it is a million times better and the original ImageWorks looked a lot cooler. I really want Dreamfinder to come back, maybe the D23 Event hints to a possible reincarnation. I didn't know you didn't know you could look at your futures in Project Tomorrow after getting off Spaceship Earth. Did you send your "Future" to your email as well? I have all mine saved, though the most recent one "expired". Sad face- ): I love looking around the Seas pavilion after getting off the ride. There is so much to see. I know you read my TR so you saw my gazillion photos I took when I was there Haha And I love that Figment stuffed animal! Epicness! I have a Figment pin on my lanyard and Disney announced they are going to release more Figment merchandise, so I must add more Figment to my Disney souvenirs. That's pretty funny, those people were singing to the songs on the bus! What a great way to distract yourself from the dreary weather! Can't wait to read more! Update soon!

 

[Cat0727]

Oh my gosh the Toy Story topiaries are adorable!!!!

Aww I miss the OKW bus loop I'm hearing it in my head playing Margaritaville right now!

 

[meeko_33785]

Yes, I've also had to take pictures of Spaceship Earth from under that overhang. The first time we were there for the Millennium Celebration it rained non-stop at EPCOT so that was the only way to get pictures of the then-new wand with the "2000" over it.

I didn't know about the Make-Your-Own-Figments at Imagination. Looks cute.

 

[Luvmepluto]

There is nothing like a Florida rainstorm to put a damper on someones day...but you two made the most of it.

I have never seen the cowboy fight at the Chinese theater. I told myself that in August I was going to ask about it!!!

 

[jelloarms]

We were fine with that since we had never done Pooh, and besides, who doesn't like Pooh Bear?

**raises hand sheepishly** I actually don't like Pooh Bear! Haha! I know...BLASPHEMY! don't know...most characters annoyed me somehow...even as a kid. I didn't like Pooh because he mooched off of Rabbit. I didn't like Piglett because he was afraid of rediculous things. Who is afraid of THEIR OWN SHADOW? I didn't like Eeyore because he was just a big ol Debbie Downer who needed to see a psych to work out some deeper hidden issues behind his chronic depression. Tigger was just generally annoying. Rabbit, Kanga, Roo and Owl were okay.

Can you tell that I've thought a lot about this?

 

[wdwgirl03]

I'm sorry to hear the weather was so crummy that day! I love the Toy Story topiaries they were so cute I hope the weather improved the next day!

I'm about to start the next update so you will see if the weather got better for us!

I updated today too!!!!

Yucky rain! My aunt and uncle were there the same time but were at MK doing Keys to the Kingdom which they said was good/bad because the crowds were so light but rain on a paid tour is not fun!

I'm glad to see you made the most of it and were prepared with ponchos!

Oh no, I can't imagine going on a tour and having all that rain. That's even more of a bummer.

I say never let the rain stop you! Sounds like you had a great day even through it was a bit damper than you'd have liked.

Those topiaries (sp?) are so awesome. I watched a Disney travel special about how they do all the flowers and shrubs, It's amazing what they can do!

It was a good day but would've been more enjoyable if it weren't for the weather. Oh well, not much we can do about it now.

Yeah, I remember seeing one of those shows too. Gotta love those Disney specials!

Nice update! How ironic you talk about a day at Disney that was drenched. Meanwhile, around here it's been raining cats and dogs all week! But yes, the weather has made a great turn for the better. Tomorrow is supposed to be a great day and I plan on enjoying it

We've been getting quite a bit of rain around here too. But atleast we got to see the new Pirates movie yesterday.

Awww the Toy Story topiaries at Epcot are were so cute!!

The rain really stinks You guys honestly did a great job of not letting it get you down and ruin your day. Innoventions makes good entertainment during bad weather! (or really hot weather)

I'm so excited that the OKW bus plays tropical music! I'm so excited for that!

I loved the TS topiaries. They always do such a great job for the F&GF.

You are right about Innoventions!

Gah, I'm so jealous you are going so soon. You will like OKW. It's a really nice resort, and I'm sure you'll think of tinkgurl when you're there too.

I'm sorry you had to endure that rain all day, but, of course, it didn't stop you I wish I was on the bus with you to hear "One Little Spark" *dreams* I never got to go when the old JII was still there, but I've seen videos and it is a million times better and the original ImageWorks looked a lot cooler. I really want Dreamfinder to come back, maybe the D23 Event hints to a possible reincarnation. I didn't know you didn't know you could look at your futures in Project Tomorrow after getting off Spaceship Earth. Did you send your "Future" to your email as well? I have all mine saved, though the most recent one "expired". Sad face- ): I love looking around the Seas pavilion after getting off the ride. There is so much to see. I know you read my TR so you saw my gazillion photos I took when I was there Haha And I love that Figment stuffed animal! Epicness! I have a Figment pin on my lanyard and Disney announced they are going to release more Figment merchandise, so I must add more Figment to my Disney souvenirs. That's pretty funny, those people were singing to the songs on the bus! What a great way to distract yourself from the dreary weather! Can't wait to read more! Update soon!

I just finished reading an article in Celebrations magazine about Journey Into Imagination. It talked about all the different versions and it really made me miss it even more. One thing I do not remember, but that they mentioned, is that the original ride was 11 minutes long. Now what is it, like 4? So disappointing they changed it.

I swear, Figment is one of my all-time favorite Disney characters. He is awesome!

Oh my gosh the Toy Story topiaries are adorable!!!!

Aww I miss the OKW bus loop I'm hearing it in my head playing Margaritaville right now!

I miss the bus loop too. I want to go back!

Yes, I've also had to take pictures of Spaceship Earth from under that overhang. The first time we were there for the Millennium Celebration it rained non-stop at EPCOT so that was the only way to get pictures of the then-new wand with the "2000" over it.

I didn't know about the Make-Your-Own-Figments at Imagination. Looks cute.

Yeah, I figured that would probably be the best way to get a picture since I didn't want to risk destroying my camera. We did get some nicer ones later in the week when it was not raining.

There is nothing like a Florida rainstorm to put a damper on someones day...but you two made the most of it.

I have never seen the cowboy fight at the Chinese theater. I told myself that in August I was going to ask about it!!!

Agreed! That was definitely the worst rain we've ever seen in all our trips. It was a pain, but atleast we've been before and we'll be going back so it's OK.

Hope you get to see the cowboy scene!

 

[wdwgirl03]

**raises hand sheepishly** I actually don't like Pooh Bear! Haha! I know...BLASPHEMY! don't know...most characters annoyed me somehow...even as a kid. I didn't like Pooh because he mooched off of Rabbit. I didn't like Piglett because he was afraid of rediculous things. Who is afraid of THEIR OWN SHADOW? I didn't like Eeyore because he was just a big ol Debbie Downer who needed to see a psych to work out some deeper hidden issues behind his chronic depression. Tigger was just generally annoying. Rabbit, Kanga, Roo and Owl were okay.

Can you tell that I've thought a lot about this?

LOL!! That is too funny. I agree about Eeyore but that is also why I kind of like him. When Dad and I went to see African Cats they had a preview for the new Pooh movie and he is just so sad all the time. I feel bad for him! I won't tell my dad you don't like Tigger...he's his favorite! hehe

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hello everyone!! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Yesterday since the weather was kind of crummy Dad, my sisters, and I went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We all thought it was pretty good. Jack Sparrow was amusing as always, and we thought the way it ended left some room for more movies. We'll see.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

After putting up with the rain all day on Monday, we were looking forward to a new day. Even though the forecast stil showed possible thunderstorms, it was a much smaller chance than Monday. So hopefully we'd make it through the day without getting wet!

To start our day, we went to the Animal Kingdom. You can see that it was still cloudy but that was a welcome change. And eventually you could see small patches of blue sky. Speaking of the sky, I did find myself looking up at it throughout the day just because I did NOT want a repeat of the rain. So any sign of big clouds I got a little worried.

We got to the park in time for rope drop so we got to see the opening show. We were actually right up front so we had a great view of it. They did it right up by the turnstiles. We've seen it done there and further up near the Tree of Life, but it seems like recently it's been at the park entrance.

At one point, a little girl snuck in front of us and I think her dad got mad at her. I told them it was fine...it's not like she was blocking me at all. So she got a nice view too.

As you can probably tell by now, I like to play around with the zoom on my camera so I tried to get a closeup of Mickey. I think this is one of my favorite pictures too!

Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto got everyone prepped for their day and it was time to "let the adventure begin!"

Our first stop of the day was Africa for another safari. A bit of Disney trivia for you: see the ladybug lamps in this picture?

Did you know that's where the first aid station is? I read that in one of my Disney books and it said that even the most inexperienced cast members are able to find it. Who knew?

Soon we arrived at our destination.

After our safari the other day, I didn't think we'd be able to top that. Little did I know...

Again, we got to see quite a few animals.

There's that rickety bridge again for the Wild Africa Trek tour.

On the savannah we could see some giraffes up ahead. I was hoping they would stay there so we could get a decent picture.

Clearly the giraffes had other plans so this was the best I could do.

Oh well, they are still fun to watch and so graceful. Man I love the giraffes.

We got to see some more elephants.

A random shot of the savannah.

A better one of the giraffes.

Flamingoes. Which reminds me, we just bought another Disney Nature movie called The Crimson Wing. It was one that was never released in the theaters, just direct to DVD. It's about, well, flamingoes. We haven't watched it yet but it should be interesting!

A rhino.

When we got to where the cheetahs are, I about flipped out because one was sooo close. Sadly, my camera couldn't keep up with the ride vehicle so all I got was this. You can sort of see the spots, right at the edge of the grass.

Atleast there was another one further back, that looked like it was stalking, ready for some breakfast.

Maybe that was a bit of foreshadowing what we would see next...

You all know that we got a fantastic view of the lioness on our first park day. So I was pretty sure we wouldn't be that lucky twice. I was wrong. As soon as we rounded the corner toward the rocks, we had another amazing sight. The male lion. He was out. And not laying down, but standing up on the rock!

The whole vehicle was abuzz with excitement. You can tell it's so rare to see them at all, let alone in full view. I couldn't believe we got to see both of the lions! Isn't he majestic?!

So AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! (I think that is enough exclamation points)

But that's not even it. The lioness was out again too!!!!!!!!!

Double lion awesomeness! And I love this picture of the two of them.

In all our trips I don't ever remember seeing the lions, other than maybe their heads and now on this trip we were two for two. I remember posting the one picture of the male lion on the facebook group for March visitors and was a little bummed when someone one-upped me when they said they got to hear the lion actually roar (how sweet would that be?!) but it was still cool. Is it any wonder why this is one of my favorite rides???

up next: More Animal Kingdom adventures

 

[sahm2two]

WOW! Both lions?!?! That's awesome! I've never actually been to AK, but I've read A LOT of TRs... enough to know that it's rare to see/get good photos of just one, but both at once?

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Good to see the rain disappeared! I've never had the chance to see the opening show for Animal Kingdom and I heard its really cool. I love the pictures you got of Mickey and Minnie especially the close-up of the head honcho himself! I can see why it's your favorite. (; Then, you go on Kilimanjaro and got some great photos. I've been lucky to see the lions or lionesses, but they usually are hard to take pictures of. I can't believe the Lion was actually standing up. Insane stuff on that ride seemed to happen to you this trip Haha Can't wait to read more about your adventures in the AK! Update soon!

Oh and I saw POTC recently too and I'm so glad to see someone thinks there should be another POTC. It really left me hanging at the end. Overall, it was fairly good

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

great shots of the lions!!!!!!

We heard them roar in March!! It was for like a second but it was still pretty cool!!

 

[Vwdiva93]

You definitely win the award for TR with best pictures of the lions ever!! Those shots are so amazing. Looks like we chose the wrong day to go to AK!

 

[hollybearsmom]

Amazing photos on the safari!
Great photo of Mickey close up too.

 

[Angies1274]

Ugh...sorry about the rain. But, I love those Toy Story topiaries! I''m so sad we missed seeing them this year.

Wow! Great Lion pictures!! We've never been lucky enough to even get a glimpse of him. That's so exciting to be able to see him in full view!!

 

[Caretames1]

We've never seen the rope drop show at AK. We were either already in the park for an ADR, or got there a bit late due to heavy rain, that we waited for about an hour for it to slow down.
Nice pictures of the lions I really enjoy seeing them so free and open.