*ThE FiVe LeGgEd GoAt VaCaTiOn GIRLS ONLY TRIP! *8/27*THE END*

[PrincessCaitlin]

Hey Caitlin! I made it and am definitely subbing

I love the Mother/Daughter (and Grandma) trips! Not sure if you've seen the other trip I'm planning in April? It's going to be just me and my mom. I'm surprising her with two nights at the Poly! PTR link is in my siggie if you're interested.

Early risers! The early flights really give you a full day to play around with when you arrive at Disney. Nothing like a good ole McD's breakfast....

Hope you update soon

Thank you for joining!

I will have to join your PTR!

We always have the early flights so I have gotten used to them but man was this past one early!

Update coming today!

Other than your small misstep getting turned around at MCO, your trip seems like it's off to a good start, full of good fortune...oh, except for the rain..maybe? maybe not?

You will find out later today

BOOO!!! HISS!!!! (j/k)

promise one later today I just need to get ahold of the other computer that has the pictures on it

 

[WrightFamily06]

Thanks Angie! Grandma and the ECV did have their moments
As for the after effects...when your kids were smaller did they ever eat crayons? Well Caitlin had heard the cheesecake had the same effect but it proved to be just an urban legend

Your welcome I have to say no that my kids have never ate crayons but they def have had some after effects after eating things with a lot of blue coloring in it ! Glad to hear that the POP cheesecake is just a myth though cause w/ all that coloring in it you would def think it would dye it

Can't wait for that update today

 

[dawnbu40]

Hey Gang! Dawn and Caitlin here ready to fill you in on our first afternoon! After we finished lunch I pulled out the "celebration" pin I was given at check-in and wrote "4.0 Dean's List" on it. Caitlin then added it to the many, many pins on her lanyard.

We were then ready to head off to our first park. Since the Animal Kingdom was having evening EMH that was our destination!

As soon as we walked outside we saw an AK bus and told grandma to zip down there. It was time to be a bunny not a

(for those who don't know the "speed" gauge on the ecv goes turtle to bunny)

and we watched her take off to the bus.This would actually be the fastest she ever went on that thing! She watched another lady drive her ECV onto the bus and she followed suit without issue. The problem came when she had to parallel park it on the bus but when she explained she just picked it up the driver was very understanding. (as our trip progressed they got less understanding and much more frustrated)

Our bus ride was enjoyable as we talked to the other "ecv lady" and her grand-daughter and listened to their tales of learning to drive the ecv. That grandma had run over her DGD who had the bruises as evidence!

By the time we pulled into AK the sun was out and we did not see anymore rain our entire visit!! However it was very chilly and that wouldn't change for several days!

(i really missed the flowers that are normally growing on top of this when we visit in spring)


We quickly got through security and the turnstiles and made our way into the park.

As we passed "It's Tough to be a Bug" the wait time was posted at 5 minutes. Caitlin didn't think this was "worthy" of being the first attraction of our vacay but I figured you can't pass up walk-ons,so we went in. Along the way we got some close up Tree pictures...

As we entered we were a little nervous because the last time (2002) we tried to get grandma in this attraction she got claustrophobic in line and left. But I am proud to report she made it through the attraction!!

(Hidden Mickey inside the Tree near the Handicap entrance)

(favorite grandma pic from the trip)

When we got out,the crowd was awful and we were really nervous about the distinct possibility of grandma running over some kiddos. Again she did us proud by manuevering the ecv very well.

We then decided to head over to Kilimanjaro Safari. On the way we saw Flik and stopped for a meet and greet.

(I believe this was our first time meeting him)

When we got to KS the line was about 30 minutes so we just grabbed fast passes. We decided that we would spend our wait exploring the Pangani Trail. Here are pictures of our hike...

(flyer announcing the arrival of...)

(Look it's Timon!)

(notice the dis green nail polish?)

When we finished our hike down the trail it was time for our safari! We had planned on grandma parking the ECV and then walking the FP line but the CM had us go in the handicapped entrance. This was a mistake! We ended up waiting 20 minutes in that line. While we were waiting, a group of young men got in line behind us. They looked kind of scary and gang-like (not at all your typical Disney guests) but when we got on the ride they turned into a bunch of 5 year olds. They were so excited it was really fun to see and hear them. Just goes to show appearances can be deceiving!
Our safari was awesome! We have never seen so many animals out and they were all really still as if they were posing for our pictures. Our driver seemed to go slower too so it was much easier to get good shots! Here are some of our safari pictures....

(safari hq office)

 

[dawnbu40]

After our 2 week safari we headed to Dinoland. Our first stop was for pictures with Goofy and Pluto. I love Goofy's outfit here and the backdrop that looks like a postcard is really cute!

After pics we went in the gift shop. The gift shop here is filled with tchotkes and is really colorful and wildly decorated.

When we finished browsing it was time to pay a visit to the Dino Institute.

There was no wait and we walked right in!

As we were directed to the handicap elevator Caitlin spotted a CM with the "5 legged goat"pin. When Caitlin requested a trade the CM told us the story (which we previously shared with you) We were all touched by the story and thanked her for sharing!

(the "goat" pin along with the other trades of the day)

We then made our way down to the loading dock and boarded our time rover for a trip back to the days of the dinosaurs. I always think this ride is so fun but unfortunately this time we had a man in front of us who decided it would be a good idea to use flash photography THROUGHOUT the ride. I swear every time his flash went off I felt blinded! It was really annoying. When we got off the ride I told the CM, hoping they would attempt to talk to the man and stop him from doing that on other rides, but she told me that they "can't do anything about it" She did offer to let us ride again but we declined. (that ride is a little too bumpy to do twice in a row)

After our tour of Dinoland we headed to Asia and did the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The theming there is great and we had an awesome time taking pics of
everything! (I really think AK is a photographer's paradise! So many beautiful images to capture!)

(sign above drinking fountain)

After all our sightseeing we were getting hungry again. We decided to try out the Yak and Yeti Counter Service.

Caitlin and I got the egg roll kids meal and grandma got the chicken nuggets kids meal.

The meals came with 2 sides we got rice and carrots with the egg rolls and grandma got fries and carrots. The egg rolls were really good and this was a perfect snack! The price was good too. $4.99 and it included a drink. The dining here is outside but we found it very clean and not too noisy. We give them a thumbs up and look forward to trying the table service in August! As we ate we reflected on all we had seen and discussed what we wanted to do next. We still had about 45 minutes til the park closed so we decided to head over to.........I guess this is a good place to stop. Until next time...

 

[jordanyosh]

AK is my favorite park theming wise. You have some great shots!

It seems you got a ton done....

Perhaps the cold weather brings the animals out.....I would think the opposite true, but we had a good KS experience during cold weather as well.


No rain!!!!

 

[LilAnn]

Glad to hear that you didn't encounter any more rain on your trip.

It looks like you saw a bunch of animals on your 2 week safari. Those pins look so cute! I don't know if I could get into pin trading as I probably wouldn't want to part with the really cute ones, aka all of them!

Those food pics are making me even hungrier than I already am. I don't think we've tried the counter service, but we have ADRs for the actual table service. Can't wait!

 

[dawnbu40]

AK is my favorite park theming wise. You have some great shots!

It seems you got a ton done....

Perhaps the cold weather brings the animals out.....I would think the opposite true, but we had a good KS experience during cold weather as well.


No rain!!!!

The more we visit AK the more we like it! Thank you! Caitlin and I both had cameras so between the two of us I think we photographed everything there

I agree that it seems the cold seemed to bring out the animals. We got lucky with the rain but even though it was sunny it was cold and windy!

Glad to hear that you didn't encounter any more rain on your trip.

It looks like you saw a bunch of animals on your 2 week safari. Those pins look so cute! I don't know if I could get into pin trading as I probably wouldn't want to part with the really cute ones, aka all of them!

Those food pics are making me even hungrier than I already am. I don't think we've tried the counter service, but we have ADRs for the actual table service. Can't wait!

Thanks me too!

Caitlin has always liked the pins but up until our last trip never got into trading since who wants to trade pins you've bought? We learned on the Dis to order pins off ebay (she got a batch of 20 for $1+ each) and use those as traders. Since she started that, she is hooked and eyes the pins of every CM that passes

We're looking forward the Yak & Yeti ts too! Hope you enjoy it!

 

[jordanyosh]

It helps to have multiple cameras. It also gives a different perspective.

 

[DisneyMomLiz]

Hi Dawn - thanks for being the first to post on my TR!
Hi Caitlin, looks like we were both in the 5K, neat!
Going back to read now, just wanted to sub and say "howdy"

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

It helps to have multiple cameras. It also gives a different perspective.

Sometimes...I would look over every once in a while and my mom and I would be taking a picture of the exact same thing

Hi Dawn - thanks for being the first to post on my TR!
Hi Caitlin, looks like we were both in the 5K, neat!
Going back to read now, just wanted to sub and say "howdy"

I will have to go over to your TR it would be fun to see the 5k from another person's perspective!

 

[jordanyosh]

Great minds......

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great update! I love the Animal Kingdom and you got some really neat pictures.

You got some cool pins too! I love the Sulley and Spectromagic Mickey ones.

 

[MeMom]

I so love Animal Kingdom! Thank you for the pictures. I could take hundreds of pictures there! Trent says he thinks he's going to go over there this weekend to try to see the new baby gorilla.

 

[dawnbu40]

Great update! I love the Animal Kingdom and you got some really neat pictures.

You got some cool pins too! I love the Sulley and Spectromagic Mickey ones.

Thank you! We had a great time taking all those pictures!

I so love Animal Kingdom! Thank you for the pictures. I could take hundreds of pictures there! Trent says he thinks he's going to go over there this weekend to try to see the new baby gorilla.

To be honest the first time we visited AK I wasn't that crazy about it. Now 7 years later I love it! Isn't it fun to take pics there?!
We were hoping to see the baby but I think it was too cold We were disappointed. I hope Trent gets to see it!

 

[jenbear123]

There's lots of places in AK that I have never noticed before! You must've covered a lot of ground. Did you see Flights of Wonder? Did you go on EE?

Yak & Yeti (TS) is really yummy. You'll see what I think when I get to it in my TR

 

[wildcatfan]

Great trip report so far! I love the idea of a girls only trip!! I too love Animal Kingdom, but my kids say I get really crouchy there. (I think it is because we go in the summer and it is so hot) Last year I made a promise to do better and I did!!! Keep the report coming!!

 

[MEK]

Great update ladies!


I am glad you got your pictures sized appropriately. You got some really nice shots on safari. I have to agree that AK is a photographer's dream. There are sooooooooo many great photos. It's hard to stop!

Caitlin - love the lime gree nail polish. I wish all three of you had worn it. That would have been a hoot.

I love the 5 legged goat pin. That is so cool. You must have been psyched to be able to trade for that one. So unique.

Oh...and things seem to be going pretty well with the ECV....so far anyway!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

There's lots of places in AK that I have never noticed before! You must've covered a lot of ground. Did you see Flights of Wonder? Did you go on EE?

Yak & Yeti (TS) is really yummy. You'll see what I think when I get to it in my TR

We did cover a lot of ground surprisingly! We usually don't spend too much time at AK but we saw a lot this time!

We did not do Flights of Wonder we did that on our last trip and I am deathly afraid of birds and swore never to do it again

You will have to find out about EE in our next post

I am excited to read about Yak & Yeti I have heard a lot of good things so I am looking forward to it on our next trip

Great trip report so far! I love the idea of a girls only trip!! I too love Animal Kingdom, but my kids say I get really crouchy there. (I think it is because we go in the summer and it is so hot) Last year I made a promise to do better and I did!!! Keep the report coming!!

Thank you!

I think AK is the hottest park Idk why but I have always felt that even though there is a lot of shade there is a ton of walking!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Great update ladies!


I am glad you got your pictures sized appropriately. You got some really nice shots on safari. I have to agree that AK is a photographer's dream. There are sooooooooo many great photos. It's hard to stop!

Caitlin - love the lime gree nail polish. I wish all three of you had worn it. That would have been a hoot.

I love the 5 legged goat pin. That is so cool. You must have been psyched to be able to trade for that one. So unique.

Oh...and things seem to be going pretty well with the ECV....so far anyway!

I was seriously impressed by my mom's safari pics! It seemed like every animal was just standing there posing waiting to be photographed!

Thank you! I also had orange Mickey heads on my thumb

I was so excited I had seen the pin on a TR so I knew I had to have it and when I found it I was so excited!

The ECV was nice to have but sometimes it was a little rough

 

[meeko_33785]

Sounds like a nice time at AK so far- and some nice pictures too!

Goofy looks great in his Dinoland outfit. Perhaps I'll have to make finding him a priority for next time we're at AK (along with the rest of Dinoland since we didn't really spend any time there besides waiting out the rain in the gift shop last year).

Sorry to hear about the flash photo guy on DINOSAUR. I know that's never fun to have someone doing that throughout a dark ride.