wdwgirl goes on safari...May 14-19 with tons of pics and video: final update, p. 18

[wdwgirl03]

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!

It's 5:00 here and we're going to be leaving for the airport in about 10 minutes...just thought I'd check in one more time...see ya next week!!!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

HELLO EVERYONE!!

We just got home from a GREAT trip! There were a lot of awesome things about this trip, some not-so-good things and some that were just...well, a little strange! LOL. I'm a little sad it's already over but am excited to share our experiences with everyone (or should I say anyone who really cares to read!). I'm just checking all my emails and thought I'd post on here to say we made it home safely.

Hopefully I'll get my trip report started soon! Mods can feel free to move this over to the Trip Reports board...

 

[kathleen27]

Welcome Back!

Looking forward to your tr!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Alright, let's get this trip report started!!

Day 1...May 14: We're going to Disney World!!!

Let me just say that I went to bed pretty early the night before but did not get too much sleep because I was too excited!! Yes, even at 23 I still get excited before a Disney trip. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:40 so that meant we were up at 4:30. I'm not a fan of waking up early but when you're going to Disney somehow it's ok. Around 5:15 or so Mom dropped us off at the airport and we said our goodbyes. For some reason I love those early mornings at the airport. hehe The check-in counter was pretty quiet so it didn't take us long to get our bags checked. I always love looking for other families with Magical Express tags/Disney luggage tags...I did spot a family who was headed to Caribbean Beach. Anyway...once we dropped off our bags we headed up to security. Again there weren't many people there so it took only a few minutes to get through and make it to our gate. We still had quite a while before we'd need to board the plane so I went to get something to eat since I was STARVING and I knew we wouldn't be eating lunch for a while! I also picked up some snacks for the bus ride to the hotel. So then it was just time to wait. It always amazes me how many people show up at the gate who are obviously headed to Disney (ok, not really, but somehow that adds to the excitement!). I still had that nervous feeling that our flight was going to be cancelled but luckily that didn't happen. We boarded the plane around 7:15 or so and we were off! The flight was about 2 1/2 hours before we arrived in Orlando. Then we made our way to the Disney welcome center to check in and wait for our bus to whisk us away to Disney World and the Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!

There were pretty many people at the DME counter (unlike in December when we got there at midnight...) but it didn't take too long to check in. We had perfect timing, as we got in line for the bus just as it was boarding. Woo hoo!!

There's something magical about those buses (maybe that's why it's called the Magical Express????) Our bus driver's name was Jordan and he was pretty awesome. He told us he was going to take us to Disney World and everyone cheered. Everyone seemed to be as excited as me which made the bus ride fun. Along the way Jordan told us jokes and got everyone pumped for their vacations. Before long we could see the entrance sign!! Unfortunately I was in the back of the bus couldn't get a decent picture of the whole thing...

Our first stop was Pop Century...

After letting people off there (I think half the people on the bus must've gotten off there!) we were off to Coronado Springs...

Then finally we were on our way to the Animal Kingdom Lodge...as Jordan would say, WOO HOO!!!

Up next: Check-in and a room with a view?

 

[kathleen27]

Sounds like an easy trip down this time!
Glad there were no problems!

Great timing on getting to the Magical Express bus!

 

[scottny]

that was quick.

So happy to see you started. Sounds like the plane ride was good.

I love the DME. such fun.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Sounds like an easy trip down this time!
Glad there were no problems!

Great timing on getting to the Magical Express bus!

Yeah, it was nice to get there when we were supposed to this time! And the timing for ME was nice too since we were able to leave right away (not too many people get on DME at midnight! LOL)

that was quick.

So happy to see you started. Sounds like the plane ride was good.

I love the DME. such fun.

What can I say, I'm in Disney withdrawl now so I figured why not start my TR. The bus is a lot of fun!

Thanks for reading!

 

[wdwgirl03]

CHECK-IN AT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

At last we finally arrived "home!" Now, we have visited this resort a couple of times so I sort of knew what it was like, but man, the lobby is just AMAZING!

And there is just so much detail...I really wish I would've taken more pictures of it all...don't know what I was thinking!

Dad went to check in while Claire and I found a couch to rest on. We also called home to let mom know that we made it. Check-in didn't take too long so once we got our welcome packet, we went to find our room! I noticed lots of hidden Mickeys on the carpet. hehe We had a studio, room 5212 (all of the vacation homes are on the fifth floor). It was actually right across the hall from the big Royal Asanti suite...I think it's on the AKL Great Hotels show. When we arrived at our room, we had a towel Mickey!

(*note: these pics are actually from later in the week which is why the bed is unmade and all our stuff is on the floor!)

One of the things I was most excited about at AKL was being able to look out over that savannah and animal-watch! Well, Dad told us that we were on the opposite side so we probably wouldn't have a good view. We had an excellent view of the cranes...unfortunately, I'm not talking about the animals.

We were all a little disappointed but what can you do? I wasn't going to let that ruin our trip...after all, we could still go watch the animals from the other viewing spots at the resort.

So we pretty much dropped off our carry-on stuff and were ready to head to the parks. It was time for the fun to begin!

 

[kathleen27]

Those guys are so cute!

I would really love to stay at AK someday!

 

[DISNEY4XMAS]

Just read through your report sounds like you are off to a good start. As for the dreams before Disney I had nightmares, that what happened to you in Dec was going to happen to us! I wish that we could do a leisure trip my mom is a Disney Nazi and it is go go go from dawn till dusk and later. We have been known to be in the parks from open to close.

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Can't wait to hear more. I have to admit I thought you meant real cranes for a second.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Those guys are so cute!

I would really love to stay at AK someday!

Ohhh if you get the chance you should definitely stay there! It is so amazing. I hope to go back there some day.

Just read through your report sounds like you are off to a good start. As for the dreams before Disney I had nightmares, that what happened to you in Dec was going to happen to us! I wish that we could do a leisure trip my mom is a Disney Nazi and it is go go go from dawn till dusk and later. We have been known to be in the parks from open to close.

Hey, thanks for joining in! AHHH in the parks all day, I don't know if I could do that! I think the closest we ever came to that was when we went to Universal a couple years ago and were staying offsite. I think we went to 3 parks that day. Needless to say it was very tiring!

Can't wait to hear more. I have to admit I thought you meant real cranes for a second.

Welcome to my TR...thanks for reading! That is funny...I only wish we saw real cranes!

 

[wdwgirl03]

You know that journal I made before our trip? Yeah, I never actually used it, surprise surprise. I did write down a few notes one night but mostly I'm going off of my pictures, so please forgive me if my writing stinks! If it gets boring, you can always just look at the pictures (I took a lot!)...and videos!

Arrival day continued...LET'S HIT THE PARKS!

We didn't waste any time getting to the parks. We didn't really have anything planned ahead of time for the day but we knew we wouldn't be going to the Magic Kingdom. The logical choice was Animal Kingdom since it was only a couple minutes away from AKL. So we headed out to wait for a bus. Luckily we didn't have to wait very long before one for the AK came (we had pretty good luck with buses the whole time we were there!) The first thing we needed to do (well, Dad needed to do...) was renew his annual pass. Yes, he has an annual pass because he went in April of '07 as well as this past December, and actually just made reservations for THIS December (unfortunately, because I don't know what I'll be doing in terms of working, I won't be going...so unfair! ). Anyways...once he had everything taken care of, we were ready to have some fun! The weather was so nice-sunny and in the 80s but not humid at all-perfect for an afternoon in the parks.

I know some people consider it a sin to not go to MK as your first park but me, I could really care less. Just being in any park makes me feel like I'm "home" . And seeing that big majestic tree...it's just so amazing.

We went to check out the wait times and were sort of surprised they were kind of long (50 min. for Everest, 45 min. for the safari) We thought maybe we could see the Finding Nemo musical since we missed it in January, but there were no shows for the day. The CM said that she thought some of the bugs from ITTBAB got out and into the system. haha! We asked if it would be running later in the week but she said she didn't know. But since we were up so early and hadn't really eaten anything all day, our first stop was to find something to eat. So we headed over to Pizzafari to get some energy, and hopefully help the headaches my dad and sister had. The place was a bit crowded so I went to find a table while Dad and my sister ordered. We split 2 pizzas and an order of breadsticks. It was very tasty and just what we needed. Sure enough Dad and Claire started feeling better. And the restaurant was now almost empty after I had a hard time finding us a table when we got there!

As we left we saw Terk was outside so we each got a picture.

Then we headed over to Primeval Whirl. JUST KIDDING!! We headed over to Africa for a safari (one of my favorite attractions!) figuring if the wait was as long as it said it would give us time to digest our food and sort of rest at the same time.

Like I said, the posted wait time was 45 minutes but we were on the ride and done in less than that. There were pretty many animals but it seems that whenever I go on that ride they always are on the opposite side of the truck that I'm on so I don't get too many decent pictures...I usually make the mistake of zooming in too much and then I chop off animal heads or they turn out super blurry. I did manage to take these:

A face only a mother could love...

After our safari we walked through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail since it was right there. And, no sisters to complain about how boring it is. haha The first thing we saw was an okapi:

As we moved into the aviary (I guess you could call it that...) there were some beautiful birds. The colors were brilliant...so bright!

Next up we saw some meerkats. They were actually just starting to come out of their little homes when we got there. They were so adorable...little Timons, hehe.

The CM was talking about how meerkats always look up toward the sky because that is where they feel threatened. HUH! I never knew that...and who said Disney World isn't educational?

And then it was time for the headliner of the trail... the gorillas! We managed to spot a couple of them which was a treat since most of the time we don't ever get to see them.

Up next: the safari is just beginning!

 

[scottny]

great update and pics.

The room still looked nice minus the view.

I love AK. It is so beautiful. Love to take pics there.

 

[lmillercrew]

Can't wait to hear more. I read your ptr, and am living my Disney dreams through others, this year. I just have to ask another fellow cheesehead, what part of Wisconsin are you from? Husband and my parents are from LaCrosse, so we have big ties to the cheese state and of course the Packers.

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Sounds like a fun morning! Your meerkat picture is so cute.

 

[wdwgirl03]

great update and pics.

The room still looked nice minus the view.

I love AK. It is so beautiful. Love to take pics there.

Thanks! Oh yeah, the room was still nice. I love AK too- it's probably my second favorite park!

Can't wait to hear more. I read your ptr, and am living my Disney dreams through others, this year. I just have to ask another fellow cheesehead, what part of Wisconsin are you from? Husband and my parents are from LaCrosse, so we have big ties to the cheese state and of course the Packers.

Glad you decided to join in the fun! I live in the Milwaukee area and have for my whole life. Woo hoo, another Packer fan!

Sounds like a fun morning! Your meerkat picture is so cute.

The meercats were really cute! We had a great time even though we were up so early! And we were just getting started!

 

[wdwgirl03]

So now that we had some time to digest our late lunch, it was time for some thrill rides! Of course our first stop was Expedition Everest. As we were walking over there it seemed kind of quiet- no screams of people escaping the Yeti. There were also a lot of people just sort of standing around and walking away. It was taking way too long for the trains to come down the mountain so we figured it was broken down. Sure enough it was. Bummer. Maybe we could try again before we left. So instead we headed over to Dinoland to take a spin on Primeval Whirl. We literally walked right on the ride. I have to admit that I actually really like this ride...maybe because I'm not a big thrill person. It's a good time. Before leaving Dinorama we had to take this picture:

Yep, gotta take some sort of cheesy picture...and Dinorama is perfect for that. Then it was time to meet up with Dr. Seeker and bring back that iguanadon on Dinosaur.

I think the wait time said 20 minutes but again, it was another walk-on. It seems that lately we never have to wait for this ride even when we go over busy times. Anyway, we made our way into the Dino Institute and I couldn't help but think about January when we won a dream (VIP seating for the parade) here. I was hoping maybe we'd be lucky again and see the Dream Team. No such luck. So then after our briefing with Dr. Seeker we were ready to board our time rovers. Now, I've been on this ride how many times and I can't help but get a little nervous before the ride starts. There's something about it that's terrifying yet I can't pass it up! LOL. My goal was to go through the whole thing without closing my eyes-mainly the HUGE dinosaur at the very end. I really don't think I've ever seen it because it just freaks me out. Let's just say...that didn't happen. I just cannot help myself I scream like it's going to eat me or something. Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to see it... One of my favorite things about this ride is seeing all the ride photos. I love the ones where people are screaming or clutching onto the person next to them or hiding. Here's ours:

We're in the back row. I thought about doing something funny when they take your picture, but as you can see, I just screamed. Dad actually made fun of us and said it looks like we've never been on it before. Sorry Dad, but we can't help ourselves!

After Dinosaur we thought we'd head back to Asia to see if Everest was working. Well, we could hear the screams again so we knew it was running again. We did have a little bit of a wait here (maybe 20 minutes) but it still wasn't bad. I think the fastpass wait was probably the same as the standby because everyone was trying to use their fastpasses from when it wasn't working. This has to be one of my new favorite attractions-actually, we all love it. It's fast and it stays fast for quite a while. And the backwards part is pretty sweet. BUT...like Dinosaur, I seem to have this little problem in that I can't look at that giant Yeti. Somehow I always look away. Yes, what can I say, I am a wimp.

After Everst we figured we'd done all we wanted to for the day but we still weren't done!

(sorry for the lack of pictures in this post...I promise there's many more!)

Up next: Epcot!

 

[kathleen27]

Great updates!
Sounds like great weather.

Love the colorful birds, and the meerkat picture came out really cute!
Glad you were able to spend time on the trails!

Dinoland sounds like fun.
Glad they got Everest back up so you could ride!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great updates!
Sounds like great weather.

Love the colorful birds, and the meerkat picture came out really cute!
Glad you were able to spend time on the trails!

Dinoland sounds like fun.
Glad they got Everest back up so you could ride!

The weather was really nice especially with no humidity!

Yeah, I'm impressed with how the meerkat picture came out...gotta love the 10x zoom. haha

I'm glad Everest was working again- it's one of my favorite rides!