Steppesister
DIS Legend
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- Dec 27, 2013
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G is for: Giant Yetis and Greetings from Pandora
Conference Day #3 started beautifully with coffee in hand and the Grand Destino across the lagoon with a gentle, warm morning breeze on our faces. Today’s topic was Orthopedics. Fun fact: A biceps tendon rupture isn’t always repaired and sometimes the “Popeye Arm” is left as is. There may be reduced strength, but mobility usually remains unchanged. Incidentally, I had a patient come in with one about 2 months ago and I referred out to Ortho for an evaluation. It wasn’t a regular patient of mine, so I don’t know the outcome in that particular case. The other track was Diabetes Care and I listened to the majority of that after I got home. It too was interesting and even since graduating last year, there have been some changes in approach to management.
As you can see, Lori decided to join me at Three Bridges. Once again, we sat comfortably, uninterrupted. I highly recommend this space day or night. We’ll come back to “the night” vibe in the next chapter.
Okay, now on to the good stuff. Well, at least stuff you are probably more interested in…
After the last morning session ended we took all of our conference stuff back to the room and traded it out for park gear. My new bag was working out perfectly and housed my rain jacket, Carmex, Tylenol, baby wipes, phone charger, etc… Safely on my back, we took the short walk to the bus stop, only to watch one pull away from halfway across the parking lot. As with every other trip, bus luck has its hits and misses.
My first photo at the AK entrance was a 12:05, so from conferencing at Three Bridges to the tapstile, including a missed bus, was about 50 minutes or so. Not too terrible.
I believe we had a LL for EE at 11:15, so probably just made it there with a brisk trot. I know there is a 10-minute grace period, and sometimes longer, but AK has so much to do and I wanted to maximize this park day.
(Elephant #8 Not on the pole)
Here are a few shots I managed to get from the queue which I find incredibly detailed; it’s chockful of memorabilia that I could spend quite a lot of time just studying. It always seems though that the queue moves too quickly to really get a good look at.
(Mask from inside Serka Zong)
The ride itself also hosts a ton of really cool artifacts, but only affords you a fleeting glimpse of. But even in these nooks and crannies that people really don’t spend much time in, the Imagineers give detailed attention to. Nothing is done in a sloppy manner.
After we got off, we stopped by the Thirsty River Bar for a cup of ice water. I’d never, ever even stopped by there for anything and was completely amused at this:
WHO is this woman?! How long has she been coming to give balloons to the kids in Serka Zong? Where does she live? Has she ever seen the Yeti? I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS!!!
(This a fan fic that is screaming to be written!)
(Would you take a tour with this company?)
From Asia, we flanked the lake towards DinoLand. At that point, it was still DinoLand, although I understand that the sign may be down now? Regardless, the ride is still there and we made sure to ride it next. I like the storyline and presentation, but man it’s rough on the neck! OY!
(Exploration~Excavation~Exultation
) Thankfully, all the jarring and jolting resulted in a successful capture of our Iguanodon and we were able to outrun the asteroids without being squished or incinerated.
(Definitely not our dinosaur!)
The entire DinoLand area, aside from Restaurantosaurus and the Dino Ride, is behind walls now, but I did take a keen interest in the concept art they have up for the new area of Tropical Americas. I’m actually really excited about this! I think it fits the overall theming of Animal Kingdom very well, and I thought the movie Encanto was great. To my understanding, the new Land will have a critter carousel, a newly themed restaurant and shop area in place of Restaurantosaurus called Pueblo Esperanza, a new Encanto dark ride which takes place inside the Madrigal Family casita, and of course a re-theming of Dinosaur to Indiana Jones. I think it’s slated to open in 2027. We shall see…
From there we continued on to Pandora to ride both Navi with a LL and FoP with a Fancy Pa$$. I love them both to pieces and was happy that the folks behind us weren’t “yackers”. Please, don’t be a ride yacker. I get it, kids are gonna yack, but if you’re “of age” stop talking.
I love the music so much and really want to hear it. Ok, fine. I'm a crotchety old fart now. #sorrynotsorry
(The backside of water #2- Guess how many backside of water photos I took during the trip! There might be a prize.
)
We both passed through our Iknimaya Challenge atop our banshees. I was happy that I’d been de-contaminated of all Pandoran parasites, but it only took about 30 seconds to be re-contaminated once I was unlinked and out of my chamber.
It was time for lunch and I had suggested Satuli as I still think it has the best option for healthy food in manageable portions in the park. Flame Tree, while good, is just way too heavy and gut-busting for me and I dunno what they’ve even done with Harambe. Yak and Yeti QS is okay, but only ok. I always “re-experience” those eggrolls for days. The TS Y&Y is perfect but I didn’t want to do a sit-down meal that day. (I do later in the trip, so stay tuned for that one.) Satuli it was! And it just never disappoints. Look, I know I’m not the only one who experiences a certain Disney scourge. Salad and other good sources of fiber can prevent a world of… discomfort down the road. Another plus of Satuli is that there are several nicely priced Kids’ Meals. Today, we both went for the Mickey’s Check Meal of a Grilled Chicken Salad. It comes with a Cutie mandarin orange and a water. It’s the perfect size and we both finished our meals without any problem. Sooooo good! By the way, the dressings are all very good too. Here are the choices: Charred Onion Vinaigrette, Black Bean Vinaigrette, and Creamy Herb. Yum, yum!
The only downside of Satuli is the noise level. It’s often too hot to eat outside and it’s pretty loud inside. So, if you’re looking for a less chaotic atmosphere, head to Flame Tree and sit down by the lagoon in the shade.
Before we left the area, I used my 2nd favorite bathroom in AK- the one in Tiffins. Always quiet and themed so beautifully. Isn't the art in the Tiffins foyer so awesome?!
This takes us through lunch. I’ll pick it up in the next chapter with the 2nd half of our day with a stroll through both trails, a safari, and a fun dinner at Three Bridges.
Every Christmas Blessing on you all; Enjoy the Season and all the merriment that comes with it.
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