The Empty Nesters Magical Mystery Tour *1/28* Link to New Girl's TR p141

[MEK]

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle

Waking up at the AKL with a savannah view (albeit reclassified) is AMAZING! I don’t think its too much of a surprise that, once I got a cup of coffee in my hand, I sat outside to take in the view.

Sorry no verandah coffee cup pictures.

But I do have this - First picture of the Day



It was still pretty dark out because it was, after all, November 1st.



The very first animal I really took notice of was this little guy (or gal). A zebra. Seriously, how CUTE is he (she)?



It was still really dark when I took that picture, which explains the blurriness. I knew I would have to wait for the sun to come up. I wanted to stick around for that, but I also wanted to go for a run and cross that off the morning “to do" list.

The animals were just starting to wake up and eat for the day. I had to seriously lighten this picture to see them all.





I went for my run, which wasn’t as horrible as the day before. For those of you that run, the AKL stinks for running. It really is the worst resort for running. There is literally no where to go. I ran to Kidani and I ran on a service road and I may have even run on the treadmill at the Kidani gym. I don’t have any pictures so I can’t say where I went with 100% certainly.

But I do know that I noticed I was having pain and tightness in my upper abdomen and lower chest. It felt light heartburn, but also like a big lump. My stomach literally felt sore when I pushed in on the area of pain.

Hmmmmm…..

I tried to ignore it the best I could, but Hmmmmm…..

No, I wasn’t having angina (cardiac chest pain). We already had enough of that on our Spring vacation.

But I didn’t really like how I felt and I decided not to drink any alcohol that day to see if it would get better.

You’ll have to stick around for THAT exciting conclusion.

In the meantime, after I was done running, I must have gone down to the Mara to get some breakfast because I have these early morning cell phone pics from the pool





Back at the villa the light was much better for pictures. In fact, here’s a picture of the People Pen that so many people complained about. For the record, I did not see one person in this pen over the course of the next 4 days, Just sayin.



Sun coming UP!





Hi Kidani behind the trees





I zoomed in on the zebras



There’s the baby zebra!



As usual we were pressed for time. We had 9am FP’s for EE and it was time to go.

Welcome to the Animal Kingdom my friends.





I’m coming EE. I’m Coming!





Good morning beautiful AK scenery.



My next few pictures are from EE and I’ll warn you now - they pretty much stink. If you want the good ones, go back to that update.

So - I can’t remember if P or D rode or not. P is not a big thrill ride person and D has back problems, so I’m pretty sure he sat this one out.

So let’s see what I got

Blurry Waterfall - check



Blurry Temple - check



Crocked Park Picture - check



Not so hot view picture - check



Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

Such a bad picture that I had to make it black and white - check



Misshapen Yeti - check



Phew - I’m glad THAT’s over!

Redneck ride photo. (I think that IS P sitting behind us, even though it doesn’t look like her at all - Sorry P)



Darn - I look serious! You know why - My stomach HURT! When I would lean over to put something on the floor or pick it up just that pressure of the restraint hurt me. I think I was trying not to move too much!



We headed to Dinosaur next



I was trying hard to smile here, but Denny kept poking me in the side.



See that left hand? He kept grabbing me and that’s why I was gritting my teeth instead of actually smiling!





The fearless foursome



Dinosaur was next. Bravo to Denny for keeping up the frightened look, because I sure wasn’t.



D’s expression is like “WTH” and P is trying to avoid any confrontation all together. But the award for most animated ride photo has to go to those folks in the back seat. Awesome!

Post ride pics








Following the throngs to, you guessed it, Safari





I just saw this sign on someone else’s TR today.



Woo Hoo Safari!!!! And I started off with my signature picture!





I love this picture of the hippo. He looks so innocent, doesn’t he?




Harmless as a flea. Yeah right!



We passed a trekker



My favorite. The giraffes



Look, there’s the baby



And then that’s ALL the giraffe pictures I have. What the HECK happened? Oh yeah, my stomach hurt!

This is a cool little critter



Continued In Next Post

 

[MEK]

We passed the elephants










We saw some ducks. I know. I know. Try to contain the excitement!



And the mingos



Chee- TAH!



You know whose right around the corner, don’t you????



What? WHAT? Lions aren’t suppose to take naps. Seriously?



Yup - there’s a lion derriere



What the…?



This picture would not be DIS friendly if it wasn’t for the random leaf of grass.



An Ostrich! Not nearly as exciting as a lion butt, but at least he’s awake.



The face only a mother could love!



Not sure what’s happening to the guy in the middle.





And with that our safari ride concluded and I would have to wait until February for another chance at the lion.



I totally don’t remember where or what this is.



Up Next - two AK shows in one day!

 

[teekathepony]

Glad you got the rooms all sorted out, and that Disney got it right at your friends' check in! That is some standard view! Wow! That's awesome that you got a few rides in before dinner. Mmmmmm Via Napoli, I love that place. Johnny still drools over the pizza there. I bet IllumiNations was great to just watch and enjoy!

(Edited to include your latest update too! Yay for me all caught up! )

Ahh I never considered AKL for running but I can see how it would suck. Hope that pain gets better!
It is such an incredible resort though. So beautiful.
I love the checklist of EE pics!
Looks like you guys had a great safari ride. At least you got to see the lion! (Or parts of him!)

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[amazingact21]

That is one of the best ways to wake up in the morning at Disney. Mind you, that's the only deluxe I've stayed at, so I'm a little biased, but I still think drinking a cup of coffee and watching some zebras roam around is pretty flipping awesome.


I wondered what path runners had available to them at AKL. Not not much of one, from the sounds of it. Guess they just assumed guests would use the gym if they wanted to work out.


Sorry to hear that chest pain was starting to come into play. And right before Food and Wine, too! Such inconvenient timing. However, my initial thought took me back to that Vero Beach trip and Denny and all those issues, so I'm glad you vetoed that problem early on.


I know they weren't your normal EE pictures, but I sort of liked all the ones you posted. They were in the moment.



Dinosaur with chest pain, that couldn't have been the most pleasant experience!



Man, the life of a lion; it must be nice. Nap first thing in the morning, avoid people who've been visiting for years in order to prevent decent picture taking....such a hard life.

 

[Pinkocto]

Loving all the AKL photos! I can't wait to go back!!!

Oh no about the stomach pain did you tell Denny? I can't imagine he'd be pinching you if he knew.

Not sure if you know this, sorry if it's a repeat. The people pen is if they ever need to evacuate for a fire or something and keeps the people safe from the animals.

Denny's expression on Dinosaur had me laugh out loud!

Love the baby giraffe! I got him/her sitting down last trip but what fun to see it walking around.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Your group shot looks like everyone was a little tense that morning. Were they all worried about your stomach pain? I can't wait to hear what was wrong.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Haha, there's something to be said when you're awake before the animals. But what a way to start a day. I wish my view looked like that.

Awww the baby zebra. I saw him too. So cute.

Ahh, I love a run on Everest first thing in the morning. So sorry you were hurting.

I take a lot of the Dream Builder signs as well. I'm a sucker for a Walt quote.

Honestly, despite their immense size, hippos do look fairly docile. But... No.

Don't worry, Disney ducks DO excite me!!

Wow sleeping Lion... That's rare, lol. But at least he was out I guess.

 

[MeMom]

I agree with you on that - 2 weeks of winter for Christmas - that'll work! If only!!!!

We'll find a place like this to build Distown.
So, we're looking for a spot in the U.S. that has two weeks of softly falling snow. It only builds up in yards, but streets stay clear. Spring days are 70 with a scattered thunderstorm here and there, but no tornadoes or floods. Summers are 82 - good for swimming, but not too hot to sit out under the shade trees and enjoy strawberry lemonade and raspberry tea while we chat. We'll need a place with beautiful red, gold, and orange trees in autumn, and we'll have the best Fall Festival ever. I can smell the apple cider and funnel cakes now. The cost of living will be minimal, and there will be no crime. Seriously, we need to find this place and build this town!

Did you live in Florida before? I agree that spending more and more time in Florida would be such a wonderful thing.

Yes, I lived there from 5th through part of 9th grade. My dad was AF, and he was stationed at MacDill AFB.

I am pretty happy living in TN with its four distinct seasons, except for despising January and February most years, but I would like to have the money to be able to go to Disney World one time each season. I like our long summer trips when we can take our time and just do things in small spurts, and the girls love having lots of swimming time. October trips are fabulous, because the weather is so much better, and there's MNSSHP. We love all the Christmas things in WDW - trees, decorations, shows, parades, music. Spring trips bring me back to life from the horrible two months I referenced. If I could have three one week trips and then a two week summer trip, I think I'd be reeeeeaaaal happy.

You must be getting ready to leave really soon! HAVE A GREAT TRIP! I am so excited that your do-over is right around the corner. You really deserve it!

As of tomorrow, I will be able to say 'next week'!


I loved all the AK pictures, of course!

 

[mickeymouse108]

Wow what a trip report so far i am very late joining in so i just sat here for a couple of hours catching up.

First let me say i am so sorry for all your 2013 year mishaps i had a year like that actually it was three years like that and a trip to Disney does help one to get back on a positive track or at least give your joy to help forget your problems for a little while.

I love that you broke up your trip some with a stay at st Augustine it is so pretty there when we went to Disney on our 20th anniversary we started out at st Augustine and went Anastasia state park beach for our first day in Florida it was perfect place to start our trip. we did not explore st Augustine but want to go back when we have a vacation with time to do that i loved your coverage of your visit there. the pictures were so wonderful showing all the great architecture.

I love that you have had lots of great dis meets and that you had some time with family and friends at Disney

I wish my husbands family would like Disney like I do so we could take a family trip but my husband and my daughters are the only ones in the family who Love Disney. My love comes from going as a child my parents loved to take me there but both my parents died right after i was married mom within a year of my marriage and dad two years later i was only 23 but my husband loves it.
so I will go as often as we can afford it next trip planned for 2015 for our 25th anniversary: yay

well now that i have talked way too much i cant wait to read about the rest of your trip.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Commenting on a MEK TR update on the same day it was posted......that has to be some type of record!

What a great way to start a Disney day with a wonderful savanna view! Even dark and somewhat blurry pictures are better than a view of a parking lot!

Yes, if you are a runner, that is certainly a drawback to the AKL resorts, but glad you still found a somewhat suitable option. How stressful to have the pain and tightness to start your day. Not a big selling point to convince me to join the ranks of the runners.

After the sun came up you managed to get some great animal shots, and that baby zebra is so cute! Of course, I've seen those zebras being real mean to some of the other animals before, so hopefully that little one doesn't end up with their bad habits!

And for an AK morning! Like with the dark and blurry animals, blurry EE pictures are better than no EE pictures at all.......... I can imagine that EE and Dinosaur would not be the best choices when you are in pain.

for all the safari animal pics, especially the baby giraffe, the cheetah, and those elusive ducks! And your random leaf of grass lion picture had me

Oh, and that middle Kudu.......if you had been about 5 seconds later, he was about to practice his handstand for his America's Got Talent audition........

 

[dizneeat]

I could have sworn I commented on your thread yesterday after catching up - but it looks like I didn't. Sorryyyyyyyyyyy!!!

Love the update! EE is so much fun and the Safari is too - only bad thing is riding it with a stomach ache. Hope there is an "easy" solution to it and you got well soon enough!

 

[khaleesi]

Somehow I got really behind. Not sure how that keeps happening! LOL.

I'm still laughing at the restaurant being closed for Halloween! That's definitely a first. And to think that I was annoyed that Chipotle was closed yesterday for the Fourth of July!

Between the work stress and room situation, I really feel for you. That kind of stuff would really make me twitchy. Glad it all worked out!

That view is pretty sweet! I try to not be a complainer, but now that I know MY complaining could benefit someone else I'm not gonna be so hard on myself

And once again, I love your EE photos because now I know what the scenery looks like! My eyes were definitely closed the entire time I rode it... I may have mentioned that the last time you posted pics!

 

[khertz]

What a beautiful view to wake up to on a Disney vacation!

Sorry to hear that you were having stomach pain affecting your morning. I hope it didn't turn out to be anything serious!

AK is such a beautiful park. It's so photogenic!

 

[HockeyMomR]

Mary Ellen - I am impossibly behind but did read your recent update. Hope your stomach pain is not serious. You sure did have enough medical on previous trip. Love the animal picks. AKL pool looks so peaceful, but yes can see your point about no good place for morning run.

Rebecca

 

[englishrose47]

Great update Mary Ellen, and like Marv I am commenting on the same dayThe Zebras look so cute !!Of course the Butt pix are a classicI wish Carol understood the need for animal butt pix !!! By the way the Girls Lovedtheir graduation bears !! Little do they know if it wasn't for shopping with you I would never have got them

 

[Poolrat]

I do like going during the winter time so I can actually see the sunrise with out having to be up so early.

Awesome shots around the resort. The one time I had AKL savannah view it got too cold for any animals.


I need a do over there.

Hope the stomach/chest pain issue was nothing. When I heard crappy run the day before and when I have one I always remember a friend who described that situation exactly right before having to call 911 due to his blockage several years ago. So easy to dismiss yet so scary to have the thought in your mind.

 

[mickeystoontown]

What a beautiful view from your room! I could wake up to that every morning.

I wonder why there's no real pathway for runner at the Animal Kingdom? You'd think that they would have thought that out a little better since there are so many guests who like to get their runs in.

Of course, when you said that you weren't feeling well, I immediately thought of Denny and the problems that he had in Vero.

You poor thing, you. If you weren't taking great pictures on Expedition Everest and posing for a cute Dinosaur picture, then I know you felt bad. Speaking of the Dino picture, the couple in the back were too cute.

 

[KatMark]

I cannot wait to have my cup of coffee in hand and sitting on my balcony in 76 days seeing that view.

I'm not a runner, but I imagine AKL is a hard place to run...there's not a lot of walkways or anything.

I'm so sorry to hear that your stomach was bothering you. It's no fun not feeling right at Disney World.

I like your pictures, as always.

You can tell in that one group picture that you truly weren't feeling well. I hope the stomach got better really soon.

 

[marDgreen88]

Animal Kingdom Lodge has recently become my favorite resort. That place is just incredible. Coffee and a savannah view sounds like one of the most perfect things ever!

Loving your pictures as usual, but your stomach pain has me worried! That just does not sound good.