What the heck? Is this allowed? The mickeystoontown gang is back in the World and together again! Updated 4/13 x 6

[mickeystoontown]

Mom are you scared on this? Did you scream?

Today was our Animal Kingdom day! I was able to snag Fastpasses for some really good attractions. The most important one being Flights of Passage which was the first on our Fastpass list.

Thankfully, the bus system worked waaaay better than it had on our Magic Kingdom day. The bus came soon after we arrived at the stop and we were able to get on the first bus that arrived. We had to stand but that was no big deal for us especially since Animal Kingdom is just a short ride from the All Star Resorts.

In no time at all, we were pulling into the bus stops at the park. I love the Christmas tree at Animal Kingdom because the ornaments are so unique.



Even with the bus coming quickly and the ride being short, we didn't have a lot of time to dawdle. We needed to get through the tapstiles and over to Pandora. We had a banshee to ride!




There is a big gap in my pictures at this point.

The trail to get into Pandora was really congested with folks and, even though there were castmembers telling guests where to walk, some were still confused. Once we finally made it, Hunter and Lacey were in awe. They couldn't believe that this whole area used to be Camp Minnie Mickey. I know that they took some pictures while walking but I don't have them so just take my word for it.

We wound our way through and around the crowds headed to both the standby and the Fastpass line. Normally, I would have taken a picture of the wait time but I didn't this trip. We hopped in the Fastpass line and were soon waiting to be called to board. Lacey and Hunter both asked me if I was scared of the ride and if I screamed when John and I rode last year. I told them that I was a little anxious but only because of my fear of heights but that I wasn't really scared and 'heck no I didn't scream".

After the pre-show, we went into the next pre-show area and were given some instructions/info. And then it was time to put our bags and phones in the bins and hopped onboard our "banshee". It took a little more time for them to "scan" us than it had before. And then it was time! The screen lifted and we were off. And I screamed! Okay, so not really screamed screamed. Laugh screamed. Actually, screamed isn't the right word either. I laughed/giggled loudly which made Hunter and Lacey laugh with me. Of course, once we were off the ride, they both teased me and kept saying "heck no I didn't scream". Little farts!

If you haven't ridden Flights of Passage, you should! It's the best ride that I have ever been on. Ever.

Once we were done with Flights of Passage, it was time to head on over to our second Fastpass of the day. We were traveling from Pandora to Asia. We had ridden on a Banshee and now we were going to meet a Yeti.



I remember back before you scheduled your Fastpasses. I was the Fastpass runner getter. I'd gather everyone's tickets and then hightail it to the machines to get Fastpasses for everybody. I didn't mind being the runner getter but I didn't like being separated from the family and having to find them once I was done. With the "new" system, there's no need to split up which, to me, feels more streamlined.

Anyway, we scanned our MagicBands, and walked allllll the way to almost the front of the line. Seems everyone had not chosen Expedition Everest as their Fastpass choice this day and were in the standby line. Here comes our train!



Even though I am afraid of heights, I so enjoy Expedition Everest. Once we start going up the incline, I can't look out to the side because I'd semi-freak but I'm fine with the rest of it.







Silly me thought that I'd be able to snap a picture while we were zooming and zipping.


Oh my word! The tracks are mangled!







Next thing you know, we were going backwards and were racing through the mountain!

*Continued in next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

So far this morning, we had ridden Flights of Passage and Expedition Everest and we still had another Fastpass to go. I'm going to start another update at this point.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Safari so good!

Typically, I try to plan our Fastpasses so that we aren't crisscrossing the park but at Animal Kingdom that's tough to do if you are wanting to hit up the major attractions. And that's what we wanted to do. The three big ones. We had two under our belt and were moving on to the third. Kilimanjaro Safari, here we come!

We took the pathway from Asia to Africa and I stopped to take a few pictures along the way. These flowering trees were so pretty.






As you near Africa, there's a hidden Mickey that I am sure is often missed as it's in the middle of a busy walkway.



The standby for the safari was over an hour and it's during these times that I am so thankful for the Fastpass system. We scanned our MagicBands and were waved through. When we got to the next castmember, we were told to wait while they sent some of the standby guests. I counted about 20 people from standby and then we were allowed in, asked how many and were directed to our line.

Because we were a party of four, we didn't have to share a seat/bench with others. Let's get this safari started!



I'm looking at my pictures and they are all pretty bad. I don't know what was up with my picture taking on this day but they all weren't really trip report worthy. However, I can't just tell y'all what we did and not post pictures.

This blurry picture is a hooved animal.



This blurry picture is a hippo under water.



This dark picture has crocodiles in it.



This super bright picture is of long horned cattle.


**Continued in next post
​

 

[PhoenixStrength]

FOP is definitely my favorite ride too, and George's. It really is spectacular, and I don't blame you for "not screaming" at the thrill of it!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Safari so good! continued

Hiding over there in the trees are giraffe.

Okay, so this one isn't that bad.


At least I got one full elephant in the picture below.





Am I the only one that feel an anxiousness as the safari truck gets closer and closer to the lion area? I always wonder if they will be out and about or if they will be hiding or possibly walking around. They weren't walking around but they were in full view. All three of them were on the rocks and we could see them all.



**Up next: That's a big ole' boy right there!
​

 

[Steppesister]

Lots of fun photos to share this round. I've never seen that HM, so will have to look for it next time.

 

[Paulaparm]

Just read this all...looking forward to more

 

[mickeystoontown]

Lots of fun photos to share this round. I've never seen that HM, so will have to look for it next time.

I found a few "new" Hidden Mickeys this trip.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Just read this all...looking forward to more

Welcome! I hope that you'll continue to post. I love making friends on the Dis!

 

[mickeystoontown]

That's a big ole' boy right there!

Once we were done with the safari, we walked down the pathway towards the Africa area of the park. As we have always done, we decided to that our next adventure would be walking The Pangani Forest Trail.




Our "usual" travel time of the year is early Summer and once we got into the aviary area, we were a little surprised that there weren't as many nests for the beautiful birds. Usually, there are several hanging from each limb. Now, there were just one or two here and there. But these beauties were still flying around and posing pretty.





The colorful fish:



After looking around in the aviary for a while, we moved on down the trail. There were some other animals that we were anxious to see. The gorillas! Our first stop was at the observation window where the gorillas get up close and personal with guests.



We watched for a while and then let others take their turn at the window. We continued on and rounded the large rocks along with another family who we could tell was from the South like us. They talked with a strong Southern accent. I turned to them and asked where they were from and he said Arkansas. I knew it! They were from the South. We chatted until we got to the next viewing area where we started searching for the other gorillas. There they are! The dad from the Arkansas family could be heard just a little down from us saying : "That's a big ole' boy right there!"











We watched the big ole boys for a while and then moved on down the trail. While walking, I looked at the MDE app and found a fastpass for the "new" Up bird show and got one for the next show which was still a little later. We would have time to do some more exploring before we had to be at the theater.

**Title: To be decided







​

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Hey Lisa! I have been under a rock lately - I just found your trip report and got all caught up! I love reading about your family adventures and so good to see Lacey and Hunter back in the fun!
Thank you so much for the much needed diversion! Can't wait to read more!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Do you see what I see?

Having a little time to spare, we wandered the trails around the Tree of Life looking at the various carvings. Every single time, I walk around the tree, I see a carving that I've never seen before even though we've been every year since the park opened.









Along one of the trails, we came upon these birds wading in the water and looking for their dinner.



**As I was looking for pictures for this update, I found some that I took in Pandora. I guess I did take pictures. Or I don't guess, I know that I took some pictures.







Look how empty the fastpass line was at the time.




**Up next: Whirl! Twirl! Please don't hurl!



​

 

[Steppesister]

Love, love, LOVE the trails. And yes I"m the same way, I ALWAYS discover a new carving every single time.

 

[Clarf]

I love your updates! You got a ton done! I'm glad the kids like FOP. It's such a great ride.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I hope that all of you are safe and healthy during this coronavirus pandemic!

John and I are considered essential workers so we have been going to work every day. The weekend before they issued the stay at home order, we moved the law office. And then it all went downhill from there. The stay at home order was put into place meaning we couldn’t get our phones moved over. We couldn’t see clients. One good thing did come of it....we were able to get everything really organized and where we wanted/needed it to be when we may have just tossed it here and there in order to get clients in. We are not seeing new clients but are able to service the ones that were already on retainer.

I have been working fast and furious changing up reservations for others. That’s been a madhouse!

John’s employer laid off some of his co-workers because he had no choice. It was either bring the number down to ten employees and make them keep a safe distance between them or close the doors. They asked John to stay and he told them yes. He has no paid time off, vacation pay, etc. so it was keep working or lose hundreds of dollars a day.

The same weekend that we moved the office, I went to the grocery store and stocked up on everything. At that time, the toilet paper supply was dwindling but I did get enough to keep us covered. We turned the linen closet into an overflow pantry, the bottom bathroom cabinet where we usually store the humidifier, beach towels and a few decorations turned into a storage area for extra 2 liter drinks, cooking oil, coffee, extra condiments, etc. I also filled our chest freezer full of meats, frozen veggies and fruits and breads. I’m not lying when I say that we (and Mama since I cook almost all of her dinners) could eat for a month without me going into a store.

Here we are, four weeks later, and we are still on lock down. Celebrating Hunter’s girlfriend’s birthday was weird. They stopped by and picked up her cake and gift but didn’t stay but a minute. Going to see John’s parents to drop off masks that I made was odd. No hugs passed around. As a matter of fact, we didn’t even see his mom face to face because she has asthma. Just spoke to her on the phone. Celebrating Easter was odd. I watched church on Facebook but that’s not quite the same. We took Mama riding around town just to get her out of the house and then I cooked Easter dinner which just the three of us ate together. Just plain old different.

At least we are all healthy and that’s all that matters right now! We shall overcome this pandemic.

Let’s move on to the real reason that I am here and that’s to write on this doggone report. It’s dragging on for what seems like forever.

Whirl! Twirl! Please don’t hurl!

I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you guys have already figured out where we were going. Yep, to Primeval Whilrl. I mean, where else in Animal Kingdom would you whirl twirl and possibly hurl?

Happy posed along the railing as we waited for our twirling chariot to arrive.​

We were all put in the same car so it was a little difficult to snap a picture of my two kiddos. But I did it right before we started outside and up up up the first steep rise.​

And as soon as we reached the top of that first section, the giggling and squealing started and never stopped until the ride was over. I know that a lot of people don’t like Primeval Whirl but I love it. Heck, I love almost everything at Disney but I really do enjoy Primeval Whirl.​

*Up Next: Russell you are the cutest! Look out for that bird! ​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Russell you are the cutest! Look out for that bird!

We wandered around a little and we took a Starbuck’s break and used snack credits for the biggest treats/drinks we could order. Hunter ordered some sort of vanilla bean something or other. It tasted just like a vanilla milkshake to me. Lacey and I got one of their holiday frappaccinos and John got a hot coffee. We sipped our drinks and people watched for a while. We checked the app and the Up bird show was starting soon. The kids had never seen it. John and I had only seen it once the year before and enjoyed it. It was decided that we’d go over and wait for it to start.



It’s a cute show and I know why they added the Up “theme” to it. The little kids seemed to enjoy it a lot. Oh I forgot, while we were waiting for the show to start, we looked at the app again and saw that we could catch the last Festival of the Lion King show. Perfect! That’s exactly what we had planned. ​

**Up next: Ahhhhhh saaaaaaaa waaaaayyyyyy naaaaaaaaa bibiddi bee bobbidi baw! Remember when I said that I would do that one day?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Ahhhhhh saaaaaaaa waaaaayyyyyy naaaaaaaaa bibiddi bee bobbidi baw! Remember when I said that I would do that one day?

Before going to the Festival of the Lion King theater, we made a tinkle stop and then hotfooted it on over to Africa. The line was already open when we arrived and we walked on in and didn’t stop until we reached the theater door. We were placed in the giraffe section. In all of our trips to Animal Kingdom, we have been in the giraffe section all but one time. Just once, I want to raise my tusks and snort like a warthog. Just once, I’d like to make raspberries from my pretend elephant trunk.

I usually take a load of pictures. This time, however, I wanted to just soak it in and, apparently, snap some really bad pictures. The dancers came out and did what we call their signature dance. The one where they do a circular upwards motion with their arms and then stomp their feet. When Lacey was young, she said that she wanted to grow up and do that one day. I looked at her and she was doing the moves (in a much smaller fashion) and I had to smile. Doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still dance like a little kid when at Disney. (Or at our house, it could be any day at any time)​

The show was spectacular! In my opinion, it is one of the best shows in all of Walt Disney World. We left the theater and went with the flow to the right. The one that took us through Pandora. It was stunning at night but we didn’t have a lot of time to take it all in because we had a reservation to get to. ​

**Up next: If that kid does that one more time, I’m gonna........​

 

[mickeystoontown]

If that kid does that one more time, I’m gonna........

Our reservation was at Pizzafari. We were doing the Pizzafari Family Style Dining tonight. John and I had done it the trip before and really enjoyed it. It was nice to have a little of this and a little of that instead of having to just choose one thing. It’s also nice to have a table reserved for you. We checked in at the podium and were then directed to the line to pick up our drinks. From there, they led us to our table.

Our tomatoes and mozzarella, pasta and baked ziti were brought out. We started on those while waiting for our pizza. ​

​

Everything was fine for about five minutes. And then cue the dreaded dun dun dun music. In came a family with four kids. These were not just rambunctious kids, these were four unruly kids. They were running here and there and around tables. They were bumping into other guests and even took a tray from their table and threw it across the room. That’s when Lacey uttered “if that kid does that one more time, I’m gonna.....” and then she did. One of the kids picked up another tray, walked close to our table, had the tray in his arm like a frisbie and was about to release it when Lacey took it from his hands, looked him in the eye and said in a nice soft voice “give me that and go sit down” and then she put the tray on the ground by her feet and gave him the stink eye. That look that only an assistant preschool director can give. He turned around and sat down and didn’t get up. None of the others did either. They continued to have giggle time at the table but they didn’t run around or throw trays anymore.

What were the adults doing? I’ll give you two guesses. Oh you only need one? Ding ding ding! You were right. They were on their phones and not paying a bit of attention. Now I’m about to say something that may make you say “well ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black”. I picked up my phone. But only long enough to get a Fastpass for the first Rivers of Light. Show Tip tap, confirm that and we had a Fastpass. Took me a minute or two at the most. And my kids stayed nicely in their seats. These adults didn’t even realize that the kids were sitting down at the table.

Our pizza came as did our cannolis and we finished up our meal in peace. Everyone liked the meal. The only thing that I would change about it is the dessert. We aren’t cannoli fans so we only nibbled on them.​

**Up next: What if they don’t let me back in? What then?​

 

[mickeystoontown]

What if they don’t let me back in? What then?

Thanks to the Fastpass grab, we were able to walk right on into the Rivers of Light amphitheater. The cast members were waiting us down the way and into the correct row of seats. We had a pretty good view too. If I am remembering correctly, we had about fifteen minutes before show time. About ten minutes into the wait, I was regretting ordering the large Coke at Pizzafari. Not only ordering it but also drinking about three fourths of it. I was wiggling like a little kid and knew that there would be no waiting until after the show. The family told me to just go but “what if they don’t let me back in? What then?” They just laughed and said I could either “just go” or take that chance. I took the chance. When I got to the entrance/exit, the cast member stopped me and handed me a pass that would allow me back into the theater once I was done. It worked like a charm too. I showed it at the line and they let me right back in. Keep that in mind should you ever need to leave and need to go back in.

I made it back right on time. The lights were about to dim because the show was starting in just a few minutes. As with the Festival of the Lion King, I chose to do more watching than picture taking. I did get a few good pictures.

















This was the first time for Hunter and Lacey to see Rivers of Light and they thought it was neat. Not as good as some of the other nighttime shows but they enjoyed it as did John and I.


**Up next: Let me hear you roar! Dino-roar! Let's do this!​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Let me hear you roar! Dino-roar! Let's do this!

Once the show was over, we let some of the guests exit the theater and then made our way back over to Dinoland USA. As you can see, it was pretty much a ghost town.





That’s because the park would be closing soon and we figured most were either checking out Pandora at night or lining up for the second Rivers of Light show. The wait time for Dinosaur wasn’t long so we hopped in. About fifteen minutes later, we were aboard a time rover all by ourselves. That was a first for us. Usually, we are sharing with other guests.





We told the cast members at the exit goodnight and one semi-whispered, if you hurry, you could be the last guests in line for Navi River Journey. John and I had ridden it but the other two hadn’t. Neither knew when they would be back at Walt Disney World so we did something we typically do not do (unless the darn bus is late and we are stressing over a Be Our Guest reservation)....we power walked/semi-ran from one side of the park to another. We were laughing all the way too! It was 1 minute until park closing when we got to the entrance of Navi River Journey and the cast members were giving us high fives because we were the last four people who would be riding for the day. What a way to end a day at Animal Kingdom.

No pictures were taken for the rest of the evening. We rode Navi River Journey and then slowly walked through Pandora. It was pretty darn neat to be the last folks in that area. The cast members were waving at us and telling us good job and good night. If they were thinking “get the heck out” they sure didn’t show it on their faces.

We didn’t wait long on a bus and when it came it was for all three of the All Star Resorts. There were only a handful of people onboard so the bus driver asked where each of us were staying. All of us were at Movies so he skipped the other two.

Lacey went outside to call Jesse and Hunter went out to make a call too. John and I got ready for bed. It had been a really nice day!

**Up next: I would never have imagined! ​