Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

[amazingact21]

Hey howdy hey, everyone! Sorry I haven't been on the DIS for a few weeks. Apparently, I'm a fair weather Disney fan. Between adapting to this new way of life, learning how to assist Landon in virtual learning, and keeping normalcy within the home, I haven't had a desire to think about Disney.
However, Landon starts his Spring Break tomorrow (my parents were supposed to be here and we were all supposed to be getting ready for our week in Scotland ) I have promised myself I will catch up here on the DIS. So slowly but surely, I'll be getting back to your reports and saying hello!




June 10th, 2019 Part 1:

This was our fourth full day in the parks, and the long days were beginning to catch up for me. I think from now on, whenever I plan a long Disney trip I am going to insert a rest day after three straight park days. Definitely during the summer months, at least. I’m a wimp and can’t take the go-go-go of the theme parks in the heat.

At Shades of Green there is a patriotic Mickey statue that the kids have posed in front of during all our stays.


[July 2017]


So on our way out to the parks this morning, my mom and Alex had the kids stop for the traditional shot:


[June 2019]

Stop growing up so fast, kids!


Disney’s Animal Kingdom had extra magic hours that morning, and I had planned for us getting there so Alex and I could ride Expedition Everest.

That didn’t happen.





I was dragging my feet, and we arrived at the park just in time for our 9:30 Fastpasses for Navi River Journey.

Similar to Alien Swirling Saucers, this was the first time any of us had ridden Navi. Lots of firsts this trip! FOP, ASSaucers, Navi, and later SDD.


The queue was beautiful. I enjoyed admiring the light fixtures along the way.




Can you guess who the kids sat with on this attraction???



If you said me, clearly you’re new to this report and haven’t seen the photographic journey of my children abandoning their parents for their awesome Nana. Don’t worry, I didn’t hold a grudge. I think my mom’s pretty awesome. I’d sit next to her, too….


The tides turned on Navi River, though, and my mom came to the realization that she didn’t want to sit next to two curious kids on their very first time through a ride. From my spot behind them, I heard a constant stream of:

“What’s that, Nana?”

“I don’t know.”

“What are those things?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are those animals from the movie?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about-?”

“Just sit back and enjoy the ride, baby.”

“But who’s that?”

“I DON’T KNOW, SWEETIE.”



My mom was all too happy to see the shaman at the end, signaling the finale of the ride and end of her inquisition.




She walked out into the bright light of Pandora looking a wee bit frazzled.
Poor Nana. The kids bombarding you with questions when you least expect it is tough even for seasoned pros like Alex and me. We’ve had years of experience of Landon coming into our room at 5 in the morning asking why different countries use different currencies or how many bones are in dogs’ bodies, or what the current time in California is. (All real questions that have been asked…)


Landon’s rapid fire required a rest, and I found a nice bench out of the way of the main hustle of Pandora to settle us down at.


The land was looking especially vibrant that morning, and I made my party members pose in front of the water.










Whatever exhaustion was hitting me had no effect on Landon. He was dancing and grooving to the land’s music, excited to see what the rest of the day had in store for him and struggling to keep the walkways clear.





We needed to take the dancing diva to another entertainment venue. I got up and steered us towards the back entrance/exit of Pandora, in order to stop and catch a glimpse of my favorite spot in the park.



I love this view.


Could Disney set up a handful of benches along the bridge and allow me to sit and stare at this sight? I’d never leave.



CONTINUED IN NEXT POST:

 

[amazingact21]

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST:


Our next Fastpass was for the safari, one of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World. A lot of my favorite things at Disney are in Animal Kingdom. I feel like I say this every time I talk about the park, but I feel like it has some of the most authentic and creative and beautiful marvels in all of WDW.





Our safari was solid. A lot of the animals were out and about that morning.





The juvenile giraffes were really hamming it up for the guests, causing a bit of a traffic jam for the vehicles.





Who doesn’t love being surrounded by so many giraffes they take over your whole shot???

I love this park!!!


The elephants didn’t do the drivers any favors by rough housing.






After we finished the safari it was time for some lunch. And because I didn’t learn my lesson in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I led us all back to the land we were in earlier that morning. Because who doesn’t love trekking back and forth across a theme park in the summertime?


I think my extra steps were excusable, though, because I was taking everyone to Satuli Canteen. Sure, Alex and I had eaten there during our solo trip a week prior, but we were more than willing to have it again. It’s our favorite Quick Service restaurant on property.


All of us got the noodle bowls and two blueberry cheesecakes to share. When my mom and shared a pulled pork sandwich from Captain Cooks the day before, we regretted not each getting our own. So today we decided not to split the meal.

Big mistake. Between the heat and density of the food, neither of us finished our bowls. My mom and I failed pretty hard in the food department this trip.

We realized that it would probably always be smarter to split food and get an extra snack later on if it wasn’t filling versus wasting food.

Now we know for our future yet-to-be-determined Mom/Daughter trip….





At the end of our meal we had the choice to use our third Fastpasses and go watch Festival of the Lion King or head back to the room. FotLK is my favorite show at WDW and it had been years since I’d last seen it, but by that point I was done. Resting in the room was the most appealing option at the moment.

I didn’t even have us stop for Photopass pictures on the way out. I was that….what’s the best word for it? Blegh is really the only description my mind can come up with.

I wondered if it was maybe a caffeine deprivation that was dragging me down, so I stopped at a Joffrey’s kiosk at the park exit and grabbed an iced latte for the road.



At the time it seemed like a good idea, although in hindsight I realize a bottle of water would have been smarter. When you’re hot, full from lunch, and tired perhaps adding a sugary milk-based drink (when you don’t consume dairy at home) to your stomach isn’t the wisest choice. Hindsight, though. Right?

We got back to Shades and settled ourselves for what we hoped would be a relaxing and restful afternoon.



Up Next…You’re the Boss

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh isn’t hindsight the most wonderful blimin thing! You got some gorgeous photos though. I love that Landon was happily dancing and Evie looks like she’s giving herself a wee hug which is just so cute
I keep hearing great things about Satuli Canteen but I’ve never been. I really must rectify that the next time we get to WDW. Your meals look great

 

[vamassey1]

This was our fourth full day in the parks, and the long days were beginning to catch up for me. I think from now on, whenever I plan a long Disney trip I am going to insert a rest day after three straight park days. Definitely during the summer months, at least. I’m a wimp and can’t take the go-go-go of the theme parks in the heat.

I can totally relate. I say the same thing, a rest after 3 park days but never seem to follow through.

At Shades of Green there is a patriotic Mickey statue that the kids have posed in front of during all our stays.

Very cool! Is this one of the Mickeys from the early 2000s? The ones that were displayed outside the Magic Kingdom and I think they were displayed elsewhere?

Very cute picture of 2 smiling kids.

Similar to Alien Swirling Saucers, this was the first time any of us had ridden Navi. Lots of firsts this trip! FOP, ASSaucers, Navi, and later SDD.

We had lots of first in December too. I like having 1sts to look forward to.

The land was looking especially vibrant that morning, and I made my party members pose in front of the water.

Lovely photos of all.

This picture is fabulous. It should be on a postcard or puzzle. Can you tell I've doing puzzles lately?

I think my extra steps were excusable, though, because I was taking everyone to Satuli Canteen. Sure, Alex and I had eaten there during our solo trip a week prior, but we were more than willing to have it again. It’s our favorite Quick Service restaurant on property.

I think it's worth the extra steps. We ate here for breakfast on opening day in 2017 but didn't try it for lunch until back in December.

All of us got the noodle bowls and two blueberry cheesecakes to share. When my mom and shared a pulled pork sandwich from Captain Cooks the day before, we regretted not each getting our own. So today we decided not to split the meal.

Big mistake. Between the heat and density of the food, neither of us finished our bowls. My mom and I failed pretty hard in the food department this trip.

Yep it's a lot of food and very filling.

I didn’t even have us stop for Photopass pictures on the way out. I was that….what’s the best word for it? Blegh is really the only description my mind can come up with.

I know exactly how you felt. I've been there before.

At the time it seemed like a good idea, although in hindsight I realize a bottle of water would have been smarter. When you’re hot, full from lunch, and tired perhaps adding a sugary milk-based drink (when you don’t consume dairy at home) to your stomach isn’t the wisest choice. Hindsight, though. Right?

This sounds like foreshadowing.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

“What’s that, Nana?”

“I don’t know.”

“What are those things?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are those animals from the movie?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about-?”

“Just sit back and enjoy the ride, baby.”

“But who’s that?”

“I DON’T KNOW, SWEETIE.”

I feel this so hard. I wish It's A Small World came with a tour guide narrator- everyone else seems to think it's restful but I have to give a quick world cultures lesson every darn time. Nana had no idea what she was getting herself into!

When you’re hot, full from lunch, and tired perhaps adding a sugary milk-based drink (when you don’t consume dairy at home) to your stomach isn’t the wisest choice. Hindsight, though. Right?

I have made this mistake more times than I can count. "Boy, I'm hot and tired. Should I have a big glass of ice water? Oooooo, milkshakes!" Happens to the best of us.

 

[cindianne320]

I'm sorry that you were feeling so Blegh. I hope the rest was all you needed and that you were feeling more like yourself as the day went on!

 

[suse66]

Hey howdy hey, everyone! Sorry I haven't been on the DIS for a few weeks. Apparently, I'm a fair weather Disney fan. Between adapting to this new way of life, learning how to assist Landon in virtual learning, and keeping normalcy within the home, I haven't had a desire to think about Disney.

Alicia! So glad to see you on the boards. I have been thinking of you all and hoping that you are staying safe. I totally get how you feel about your cancelled trip. I was supposed to go to NYC for the twins grade 12 grad trip on March 14th. Needless to say that trip was cancelled. And now our border is closed to non essential travel so who knows if Disney will be a go this summer or not.

I was dragging my feet, and we arrived at the park just in time for our 9:30 Fastpasses for Navi River Journey.

Similar to Alien Swirling Saucers, this was the first time any of us had ridden Navi. Lots of firsts this trip! FOP, ASSaucers, Navi, and later SDD.


The queue was beautiful. I enjoyed admiring the light fixtures along the way.

I love the Navi queue!

My mom was all too happy to see the shaman at the end, signaling the finale of the ride and end of her inquisition.

Your poor mom! Nothing like inquisitive littles!

Our next Fastpass was for the safari, one of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World. A lot of my favorite things at Disney are in Animal Kingdom. I feel like I say this every time I talk about the park, but I feel like it has some of the most authentic and creative and beautiful marvels in all of WDW.

Another huge safari fan here too....I absolutely adore it.

Who doesn’t love being surrounded by so many giraffes they take over your whole shot???

I love this park!!!

Baby giraffes are the best thing ever and I love AK so much.

At the end of our meal we had the choice to use our third Fastpasses and go watch Festival of the Lion King or head back to the room. FotLK is my favorite show at WDW and it had been years since I’d last seen it, but by that point I was done. Resting in the room was the most appealing option at the moment.

I didn’t even have us stop for Photopass pictures on the way out. I was that….what’s the best word for it? Blegh is really the only description my mind can come up with.

Your food looks great but I can totally understand hitting the wall and just wanting some downtime in blissful A/C.

 

[rdkeim]

Glad to see some updates! Even though our March trip was cancelled, I'm finding that reading TR's is a nice distraction. Going strong for 3 days plus the heat explains the fatigue. Hope you were able to rest and recharge. We moved our trip to Sept. and ended up adding a day with the idea of taking 1 day off. I'll be watching for the next installment to see how your evening went.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Such cute photos! Ha I remember when my kids asked 1,000 questions!
Curious kids are bright kids in my book.
I’m glad you had a nice visit in AK even with the tiredness settling in!
I love Satu’li and the dessert is yum. I always get the kids meal here and then I have room for the blueberry dessert!

 

[Steppesister]

I haven't had a desire to think about Disney.

You are not alone. I've heard this from many.

I'll be getting back to your reports and saying hello!

Looking forward to it!

The queue was beautiful. I enjoyed admiring the light fixtures along the way.

I"m a fixture fanatic and approve of this shot. I think I have about 2,500 shots of the Navi and Pandora fixtures.

My mom was all too happy to see the shaman at the end, signaling the finale of the ride and end of her inquisition.

HAHA!! Poor Nana!

The cutest cheeseball that ever lived. LOL!

A perfect view. Love this one!

Could Disney set up a handful of benches along the bridge and allow me to sit and stare at this sight?

I think benches for the most part have been outlawed at the parks now.

but I feel like it has some of the most authentic and creative and beautiful marvels in all of WDW.

THIS!! Yes!! The best park. Funny how I hated it the first time I was ever there.

We realized that it would probably always be smarter to split food and get an extra snack later on if it wasn’t filling versus wasting food.

Always.

At the time it seemed like a good idea, although in hindsight I realize a bottle of water would have been smarter. When you’re hot, full from lunch, and tired perhaps adding a sugary milk-based drink (when you don’t consume dairy at home) to your stomach isn’t the wisest choice. Hindsight, though. Right?

We got back to Shades and settled ourselves for what we hoped would be a relaxing and restful afternoon.

This is a very ominous-sounding sort of foreshadowing.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

So on our way out to the parks this morning, my mom and Alex had the kids stop for the traditional shot:

It's crazy how much bigger they look in 2 years!

The queue was beautiful. I enjoyed admiring the light fixtures along the way.

I took pictures of the same light fixtures lol

My mom was all too happy to see the shaman at the end, signaling the finale of the ride and end of her inquisition.

I love this view.

Same! I take this picture every time.

Could Disney set up a handful of benches along the bridge and allow me to sit and stare at this sight? I’d never leave.

Yes please. We would be perfect park buddies

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm sorry you were dragging this day! But still sounds like a good morning spent in one of your favorite parks!

 

[amazingact21]

I love that Landon was happily dancing and Evie looks like she’s giving herself a wee hug which is just so cute
I keep hearing great things about Satuli Canteen but I’ve never been. I really must rectify that the next time we get to WDW. Your meals look great

Satuli definitely needs to be a Must Do if you go to Animal Kingdom. I love that it's fresh and flavorful and feels like "real food" more so than theme park fare.

Has the weather been nice for you guys this Easter break? I remember you mentioning you bought new patio furniture last year, so have you been able to put it to use now? Here in the U.K. it's absolutely gorgeous; the complete opposite of what I've grown used to!

I can totally relate. I say the same thing, a rest after 3 park days but never seem to follow through.

I really need to remember this if when we all eventually get to go again. Resting is so important after full days in the Florida sun.

Very cool! Is this one of the Mickeys from the early 2000s? The ones that were displayed outside the Magic Kingdom and I think they were displayed elsewhere?

I didn't know and tried to google the answer, but I didn't come up with any answers. Maybe the next time I'm there (because I'm sure I'll stay there again) I'll have to ask about it.

This picture is fabulous. It should be on a postcard or puzzle. Can you tell I've doing puzzles lately?

I hear you on the puzzles. Unfortunately, right before we moved I got rid of a lot of my puzzles and am now regretting that decision. I'd love to have that photo in a puzzle form to do!

 

[amazingact21]

I feel this so hard. I wish It's A Small World came with a tour guide narrator- everyone else seems to think it's restful but I have to give a quick world cultures lesson every darn time.

Having curious and inquisitive kids is great 90% of the time, but then there's the rest of that 10% of the time.... If only the questions came with an Off switch that you could deploy when you're just not up for it.

"Boy, I'm hot and tired. Should I have a big glass of ice water? Oooooo, milkshakes!" Happens to the best of us.

Maybe one day we'll learn our lesson.

I'm sorry that you were feeling so Blegh. I hope the rest was all you needed and that you were feeling more like yourself as the day went on!

I really have to get better about planning a rest day earlier on during summer trips. I am not the commando park tourer I was when I was younger and didn't have kids!

 

[amazingact21]

Alicia! So glad to see you on the boards. I have been thinking of you all and hoping that you are staying safe. I totally get how you feel about your cancelled trip. I was supposed to go to NYC for the twins grade 12 grad trip on March 14th. Needless to say that trip was cancelled. And now our border is closed to non essential travel so who knows if Disney will be a go this summer or not.

My heart goes out to all the seniors who are missing their last semester of school and grad trips. I hate that this is how their final year of grade school will be remembered.

I am in a similar boat in the sense that I seriously doubt the travel ban will be lifted on Europe by my trip in June. Now, I'm beginning to hope I can make it Orlando for a birthday trip in August.

Your food looks great but I can totally understand hitting the wall and just wanting some downtime in blissful A/C.

I have sworn that I'm going to Nomad's next time I want to eat/take a break in Animal Kingdom!

Glad to see some updates! Even though our March trip was cancelled, I'm finding that reading TR's is a nice distraction. Going strong for 3 days plus the heat explains the fatigue. Hope you were able to rest and recharge. We moved our trip to Sept. and ended up adding a day with the idea of taking 1 day off. I'll be watching for the next installment to see how your evening went.

Sorry to hear about your March trip. Spring and Flower and Garden is my absolute favorite time to visit the parks, so my heart breaks for everyone missing their vacations.
Hopefully, life will be back to normal by September and you'll get to experience your now longer trip! That one day off, especially since it'll still be hot, will hopefully give you any needed rest and the energy to enjoy the parks to their fullest!

 

[amazingact21]

Such cute photos! Ha I remember when my kids asked 1,000 questions!
Curious kids are bright kids in my book.
I’m glad you had a nice visit in AK even with the tiredness settling in!
I love Satu’li and the dessert is yum. I always get the kids meal here and then I have room for the blueberry dessert!

That's a good way of looking at their questions. Although, three more months of this virtual learning system and I might not be able to think like that.

That blueberry dessert is delicious. Can you get the noodle bowls in a kid's meal? If so, I really need to remember that!

You are not alone. I've heard this from many.

Having Landon on Spring Break and the weather being nice enough the kids are spending all day in the backyard has really helped with my DIS reluctance.
I just have to hope when school picks back up on Monday I manage my time better and visit the DIS a few times a week.

I"m a fixture fanatic and approve of this shot. I think I have about 2,500 shots of the Navi and Pandora fixtures.

You have a lot of great shots of the light fixtures in DAK, and I love them all!

I think benches for the most part have been outlawed at the parks now.

Ugh, sadly you're probably right.

It's crazy how much bigger they look in 2 years!

I look at photos from this trip and think they look nothing like that anymore. I'm sure by the time we are able to get back to Disney they're going to look even more different.

I took pictures of the same light fixtures lol

They are so unique it's hard not to photograph them!

Yes please. We would be perfect park buddies

Hopefully one day we'll have trip that overlap and we can test this theory out! (And if so, I can ask you how you get such a high score on Emoji....you wipe the floor with my score every week! )

I'm sorry you were dragging this day! But still sounds like a good morning spent in one of your favorite parks!

I'm so happy I got to go into Animal Kingdom twice this trip. Alex and Landon aren't huge fans of this park, so I'm lucky to get them in once.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Has the weather been nice for you guys this Easter break? I remember you mentioning you bought new patio furniture last year, so have you been able to put it to use now? Here in the U.K. it's absolutely gorgeous; the complete opposite of what I've grown used to!

it has been lovely and I have managed to spend some time out there yesterday and today. It was the first anniversary of my mum’s death at the end of March and we bought the furniture to remember her and my dad as they were such keen gardeners who always bought us plantswhich had to thrive in neglect to have any chance of survival lol. Thought the furniture had a better chance of making it and it brings happy memories of them both to mind so it’s just lovely when we actually get to use it

I am in a similar boat in the sense that I seriously doubt the travel ban will be lifted on Europe by my trip in June. Now, I'm beginning to hope I can make it Orlando for a birthday trip in August.

I’m crossing my fingers for you that too get tot birthday trip. It’s so hard when plans have to be cancelled especially when you have to disappoint the kids too

I just have to hope when school picks back up on Monday I manage my time better and visit the DIS a few times a week.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Its very weird times we are living in right now! Selfishly though I hope you continue to post as I love hearing Scott your trips

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hopefully one day we'll have trip that overlap and we can test this theory out! (And if so, I can ask you how you get such a high score on Emoji....you wipe the floor with my score every week! )

That sounds wonderful!

I have been playing a long time! I'm almost out of levels and I play with like the same 3 emojis all the time so their score value is really high.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Can you get the noodle bowls in a kid's meal? If so, I really need to remember that!

Yes, I have done a kids protein bowl before!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

@amazingact21 @lvcourtneyy What is this emoji game you speak of?? I’m so bored right now - can you tell lol