The ABCs of a Very Merry Christmastime Land and Sea Adventure- V is for: VERY Bad Ending to an Otherwise Very Good Day (7/12)

[Steppesister]

V is for: VERY Bad Ending to an Otherwise Very Good Day​

Your curated music selection for today’s chapter: (start now)

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Leaving the world of make-believe at Hollywoodland behind for the world of natural beauty, I arrived to a fairly busy Animal Kingdom.

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The Christmas crowds were growing just as my trip was nearing its last couple of days. As I was entering the park, my grandkids called from Texas just to chat. They don’t call often, so I will always answer. It’s always fun to catch up and see what’s new in their world. I wandered down to one of my favorite “quiet spots”, the lower seating area of Flame Tree (by the water) and just sat for a good 15 minutes hearing all about their summer activities. After a bit, I asked if they wanted to see some things around the park that were near me so I walked around showing them some of the statues on the trail that leads up to 8 Spoons. Maybe someday I’ll get to treat one of the kiddos to one of my favorite places.

After my FaceTime, the trails were a rather appealing option to escape the people-y feel and I headed to the prettier of the 2 trails- The Maharajah Jungle Trail. The art on this walk through the mythical ancient sultan’s kingdoms is stunning in my humble opinion. The storyline is so well thought out and perfectly portrayed.

(One of my favorite hidden Mickeys)



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If you know me at all, it won’t surprise you that I kinda like birds. I love the variety and especially love the species they’ve chosen to showcase here at AK. The colors are fabulous and the way they coordinate with the color palette of the murals is definitely not by accident.

(ALFRED!)

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My photo roll shows I went to see the animals who might be out on the savannahs and woodlands. Let’s see who’s grazing and cavorting…

(Saddle-billed Stork)





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Now…. You might know that I recently took a bona fide, authentic, Disney-inspired African safari to the highlands and grasslands of Tanzania. If you are interested in seeing how a REAL safari is run, what you might see, loads of commentary on animal behavior, habitat, and local Tanzanian culture, please join me on my thread here>> Steppes in Africa.

Spoiler: I had some very, VERY close encounters with many of the animals you can see at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where there are no fences and thousands of acres of beautiful landscape.

I found these posters amusing. I went to Africa not knowing at all how safaris actually work but was completely blown away at how hard the professional guides there work every day. They are up LONG before sun-up, often by 4:00AM getting the trucks cleaned up, stocked with cold drinks, checking the tires (or even changing them!), and gassing them up. Most game drives are up and out by 6:00AM when photography is at its best; if it’s to be an all-game drive, they are often not in bed until well after dinner. All this to say, had the order of my two trips been reversed, I would have been even MORE amused by those posters as a trust-worthy guide is actually invaluable while on safari.

(A nice hat tip to the legendary lead Imagineer of AK)

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Taking it slow was the name of the game that afternoon and I found myself just wandering around with no purpose, happy to just enjoy the ambiance around me. I heard some music nearby and went in search of it. If live music is happening, I’m definitely going to stop and enjoy it! This fellow was playing the kora, a W. African 21-stringed instrument with a delicious, plucked sound. If you didn’t start today’s curated music selection for this chapter, you can start that now for some background music to read with and a taste of the kora.

(That smile!)​

Enjoy the beautiful kora performance at AK:

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[Steppesister]

Continued from previous post...

From Africa, I found myself sauntering over to Pandora to see what new details I could find. On the “back trail” (the one that goes from the Lion King Show to Pandora) I spotted an Anhinga, or Snake Bird, hunting from a rock in the river. I love that Disney has prioritized a good portion of its vast acreage to the preservation of natural habitat so animals like this can continue to thrive.

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Today I decided to finally take time to look for the only “living” animal creatures found in the themed landscape of Pandora. After a ton of hunting, I finally saw them in one of the ponds. I think they could really put this on blast and do a real hunt a-la Pascal Hunt in the Rapunzel Pottyland. Sigh… another Imagineering wasted opportunity.

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More area snaps:

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The sun was setting over Pandora and it was deep into the dinner hour when the parks start to thin out. The wait time for FoP was posted at 40 minutes and I decided to try my luck.

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HUGE mistake. 20-30 minutes is usually my hard stop, but well, this is my favorite attraction, and I really didn’t have any other plans. About halfway through the queue, we stopped moving. It was a total, complete standstill with no announcement, no nothing. I stood there an hour and was just about to bail when we started moving again. UGH, a posted 40-minutes turned into an hour and 45 minutes to uh, straddle the banshee.

Here's where things took a turn for the gross. The party of 3 that sat next to me entered the room arguing and cussing up a blue streak. The lady (term used loosely) was on her phone loudly having some issue with another person, and all I could pick up from the one end of the conversation was something about her getting stuck with watching this other person’s kids and her being accused of cheating, and something about rides home and “just find your own way home”. She kept trying to tell the other person on the phone that it wasn’t her fault, the ride was shut down and she’s already stood in line this long…. You would think she’d put her phone away when the ride started. Nope. She continued to argue with this lady on the phone LOUDLY for the entire ride. It completely wrecked my whole almost-2-hour wait for my favorite experience. I was p!ssed!

When the doors opened, the 3 of them jetted out super fast and basically ran ahead of everyone else. When I finally exited the ride and got to the landing in front of the gift shop I could hear yelling and crying and tons of people standing around watching the commotion. There they were, 2 women having a full blown fist fight with their older teenage kids hysterically crying and trying to get them to stop. The men with each of the women were trying to hold them apart and when they finally did put some distance between them the yelling just went on until security showed up. The one guy who was with the gal who rode next to me took off alone saying he wanted nothing to do with any of that- the others were all escorted away presumably to be questioned.

I did video, but chose not to share. It has the kids' faces and plenty of expletives. Sad, sad, sad day for all involved.

Shaken to the core, I headed towards the exit snapping a couple more photos of the pretty park as I made my way to Guest Services. I felt I needed to give a statement of what I saw because the best chance of getting them all banned would be a full picture and story. I spent a good 15 minutes talking with the head of that land’s security team and he profusely thanked me because they had no idea that the altercation actually started LONG before fists started flying. She put others in danger by being on her phone not to mention traumatizing a slew of other guests. I hope they are never allowed to return. Yep, I went full Karen and not sorry one bit.

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Blech. I horrible way to end an otherwise wonderful day in the park.

But! The evening was still early, and I had one last stop before making my way back to ASMu for the night. This trip was all about holiday decorations and since I was so close to AKL I hopped on a bus headed that way. I gotta say, the trees at the deluxes are pretty mind-blowing. The ornaments on the AKL tree were so imaginative and fun.

The gingerbread creations from AKL:




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I wandered the lobby a bit and used the restroom before boarding a bus back to AK so I could get back to my own resort.

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As I passed through Music Hall, I noticed the CM’s wreath decorating contest. There was a QR code to vote, which I did, then said good night to another long Disney day.

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[disneyAndi14]

I am terrified of Alfred If I see him, I get going quickly! Andi laughs at me because I do have a little bird phobia. Still love the trails though
What an awful experience on FoP. What is with people? I just don’t get it.
I’m glad you ended the night with beautiful AKL decorations and the wreaths at AS music.

 

[pkondz]

You sure have an eye for detail.

my grandkids called from Texas just to chat. They don’t call often, so I will always answer.

I totally understand that.

I wandered down to one of my favorite “quiet spots”, the lower seating area of Flame Tree (by the water)

I know that spot. Always nice and quiet.

8 Spoons.

Still not happy that they got rid of one of the best dishes in all of WDW.

Maybe someday I’ll get to treat one of the kiddos to one of my favorite places.

That'd be fun.

(One of my favorite hidden Mickeys)

Good catch.

If you know me at all, it won’t surprise you that I kinda like birds.

What? Since when? Is this new?

the way they coordinate with the color palette of the murals is definitely not by accident.

Had no idea!

(ALFRED!)

Um... what?

Colourful!

You must've been excited for your upcoming trip when you saw those.

Kelly's baobab!

They are up LONG before sun-up, often by 4:00AM getting the trucks cleaned up, stocked with cold drinks, checking the tires (or even changing them!), and gassing them up.

Holy smokes!

Taking it slow was the name of the game that afternoon and I found myself just wandering around with no purpose, happy to just enjoy the ambiance around me.

Sounds like heaven to me. I'm usually rushing since I don't get to go all that often and trying to squeeze as much as I can into it.

This fellow was playing the kora, a W. African 21-stringed instrument

21!

I love that Disney has prioritized a good portion of its vast acreage to the preservation of natural habitat so animals like this can continue to thrive.

Erm... what am I supposed to be looking at?

The wait time for FoP was posted at 40 minutes and I decided to try my luck.

Not bad... or so I thought.

I stood there an hour and was just about to bail when we started moving again.

an hour and 45 minutes to uh, straddle the banshee.

uh, that's a, uh, long time.

The party of 3 that sat next to me entered the room arguing and cussing up a blue streak.

The lady (term used loosely)

I vaguely remember reading that a woman may not necessarily be a lady.

something about her getting stuck with watching this other person’s kids and her being accused of cheating, and something about rides home and “just find your own way home”.

She continued to argue with this lady on the phone LOUDLY for the entire ride. It completely wrecked my whole almost-2-hour wait for my favorite experience. I was p!ssed!

I would be too. And might have asked for another go.

There they were, 2 women having a full blown fist fight with their older teenage kids hysterically crying and trying to get them to stop.

Awful!

Shaken to the core,

I'm not surprised. Disney is supposed to be a haven of safety.

I spent a good 15 minutes talking with the head of that land’s security team and he profusely thanked me because they had no idea that the altercation actually started LONG before fists started flying.

Well, good for you for reporting it.

She put others in danger by being on her phone

I'm not clear on this. How did she put people in danger by being on her phone? Annoying, yes. Stupid, definitely. But dangerous?

Gorgeous!

I gotta say, the trees at the deluxes are pretty mind-blowing.

The gingerbread creations from AKL:

That's gingerbread???

Cool shot!

As I passed through Music Hall, I noticed the CM’s wreath decorating contest. There was a QR code to vote, which I did,

Which did you pick? I'm going with #3.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I wandered down to one of my favorite “quiet spots”, the lower seating area of Flame Tree (by the water) and just sat for a good 15 minutes hearing all about their summer activities.

That is a wonderful place to sit and relax as long as you don't have any popcorn with you. The birds are always looking for handouts.

The colors are fabulous and the way they coordinate with the color palette of the murals is definitely not by accident.

I love all the attention to detail. I like seeing all these interesting things that you find.

This fellow was playing the kora, a W. African 21-stringed instrument with a delicious, plucked sound.

I'll have to look for him next time we are there.

She continued to argue with this lady on the phone LOUDLY for the entire ride. It completely wrecked my whole almost-2-hour wait for my favorite experience. I was p!ssed!

I've never seen anything like that at WDW. I would be upset, too. Maybe security reported those people, too.

The gingerbread creations from AKL:

I thought the decorations at AKL this year fit very well with the theme of the resort.

 

[Steppesister]

Try her solution...

<Snork>

I should copywrite it before someone steals the idea.

Could be a 2nd career!

I know that one. Still sticking with the broken glasses.

Definitely a really good one! But there are so many... really good ones.

I figured the luggage would be from the show too, but didn't know. Thanks for that.
Googled the episode. Don't remember that one. Interesting.

Yep! There ya go!

 

[Steppesister]

I am terrified of Alfred If I see him, I get going quickly! Andi laughs at me because I do have a little bird phobia. Still love the trails though
What an awful experience on FoP. What is with people? I just don’t get it.
I’m glad you ended the night with beautiful AKL decorations and the wreaths at AS music.

Nah, Alfred is harmless. Just a forelorn lover most of the time. LOL!!

I just couldn't believe the horrible scene playing out. So awful!

I really love the AKL; it's hard to believe I'm actually going to get to stay there in just a few short months!

 

[Steppesister]

You sure have an eye for detail.

Thanks! There's always fresh new things I see in the parks!

I know that spot. Always nice and quiet.

Most definitely before things get a bit busy before lunch.

Still not happy that they got rid of one of the best dishes in all of WDW.

Nor a I! It was so popular and so tasty.

What? Since when? Is this new?

Teehee!

Um... what?

Alfred is the gorgeous Great Argus Pheasant!

You must've been excited for your upcoming trip when you saw those.

I was but at the time had NO idea just how many zebra I'd actually see.

Erm... what am I supposed to be looking at?

They are the big "bugs". See the blue bugs.

uh, that's a, uh, long time.

WAY too long.

I vaguely remember reading that a woman may not necessarily be a lady.

Correct.

I would be too. And might have asked for another go.

Except it was closed by the time I got off.

Well, good for you for reporting it.

I didn't need to "report" it. Security was ALL over the situation. I just wanted to make sure they had all the information they could get.

I'm not clear on this. How did she put people in danger by being on her phone? Annoying, yes. Stupid, definitely. But dangerous?

That is actually a more wild ride than it appears to be. If it'd flown out of her hand it would have, in the best of scenarios, shut the ride down, or worse hit someone as it flew out of her hand.

That's gingerbread???

I think mostly chocolate, but the giraffe does have gingerbread tiles on it.

Which did you pick? I'm going with #3.

I actually chose #1.

 

[Steppesister]

That is a wonderful place to sit and relax as long as you don't have any popcorn with you. The birds are always looking for handouts.

Oh most definitely! Once the lunch hour starts, that place gets hopping and so do the birds! Nasty things!

I love all the attention to detail. I like seeing all these interesting things that you find.

There are so many loads of details at AK. Another place that has a bunch of fun finds is Zuri's Sweet Shops. An unlikely place, but lots there.

I'll have to look for him next time we are there.

I don't know if he's a permanent act there or not? Sure hope so!

I've never seen anything like that at WDW. I would be upset, too. Maybe security reported those people, too.

OH they responded alright. Tons of security responded and led them away. I'm am very sure OCS was called and the Security guy that I talked to told me he was 99.99% sure they would have a lifetime ban from every returning.

I thought the decorations at AKL this year fit very well with the theme of the resort.

They did. I really enjoyed getting to see the choco animals and general ambiance of the Lodge.

 

[pkondz]

<Snork>

Think about it! You could easily outrun everyone at RD and beat them to any ride.

Definitely a really good one! But there are so many... really good ones.

Thanks! There's always fresh new things I see in the parks!

Now I don't need to go. You've taken pics of all the things!

Alfred is the gorgeous Great Argus Pheasant!

They are the big "bugs". See the blue bugs.

I thought you said natural/living critters? Maybe I misread.

Except it was closed by the time I got off.

I didn't need to "report" it. Security was ALL over the situation. I just wanted to make sure they had all the information they could get.

To-may-toe, to-mah-toe

That is actually a more wild ride than it appears to be. If it'd flown out of her hand it would have, in the best of scenarios, shut the ride down, or worse hit someone as it flew out of her hand.

Think so? Wouldn't it just land on the floor beside her? Been a while.

I actually chose #1.

You were having all the feelings, were, ya?

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I'm sorry you had such an awful experience towards the end of your day. Glad you got to chat with the grandkids and love that you took a trip to AKL to see the decor. Hopefully that restored some calm for you. Photos are beautiful as always and thanks for the background music

 

[missjackiemcg]

Ooh, that is one of my favorites, too!

What a lovely stroll through AK. So nice to not have an agenda and just take it all in. AK especially just has SO many details to appreciate if you slow down! I wish more people would.

What a nightmare experience on FoP!! I always hate seeing/hearing things like that pop up in what should be such a magical place. I've never witnessed anything quite to that degree though. Yikes.