Yetis, Cannolis, and Mango Green Tea-A WILD NIGHT AT ANIMAL KINGDOM PAGE 38 NEW 1/16

[PaMom001]

I think I just dated myself. The Wonder Twins were part of Super Friends cartoons. Superman, Wonder Woman, Aqua Man, & Wonder Twins they worked together against the Legion of Doom. The Wonder Twins were very cool as they would touch rings and take the form of any matter, shape, etc. Very cool!
My bad, the phrase was "Wonder Twim powers activate!"

I remember those two, too.

 

[WDWHeather]

RING RING....RING RING...
That is how our morning began. Now, who would you expect is closer to the phone to answer the wake-up call- Ladle or myself? Ladle. And who do you think answered the wake-up call? I did, of course. Well, in my tired stupor, I didn't realize you have to say something for the automated message to actually play. So I picked up the receiver and sat there... I turn to Ladle and say, "Hey, Mickey's not talking to me!" Then it dawns on me "Hello," I said. And who do I hear on the other end? Not Mickey Mouse... oh no.. I hear Stitch. "No more sleepy," says Stitch. Ew.... Then Mickey saved the day, thank goodness. Stitch is NOT my idea of a friendly wake-up caller... But that's just me.

So we drag ourselves out of bed. It is very early, I think 5:45 am. That means it's 3:45 am in New Mexico. Are we crazy? In a word- yes. Well, since we had showered the night before, all we had to do was get dressed and grease ourselves up with protective tanning oil. (We are very white and it would be very nice to come back with some color.) This was a very difficult task because we were so tired, but somehow we did that and managed to get down to breakfast around 6:30am. Also, today was fancy pants day! Please take the time to review the picture of fancy pants!

The hot breakfast options at the POP food court do not open until 7 a.m, although sometimes they do push that so you can get some hot things around 6:45 am. Anyway, I had some cereal with banana and, of course, some of that great Nescafe coffee. The rest of the family dined on croissants, bagels, fruit and toast. After eating, and a quick stop back at the room to drop off our POP mugs and gather our stuff for the day, we were at the bus stop around 7:30am. Of course, we weren't the only ones there and I think we ended up on the second bus that passed by while we were waiting. Not bad!

What more perfect way to start your Disney vacation than having Magic Kingdom open early on your first day? Something about the smell on Main Street USA, the old-timey music and seeing Cinderella's Castle for the first time on a trip just really makes you feel good.

So we weren't there for rope drop, but we were certainly there early enough to enjoy the minimal crowds. We walked right over to Space Mountain, got a fast pass and Ladle, Sally Shine and I got in line. We pretty much just walked on the ride. It was great and we were sitting in the back which makes for an even better ride.

We got off Space Mountain and Garco joined us for a little shoot 'em up on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger spin. He got the high score, as usual, but we still had fun. From there, we headed over to Peter Pan's Flight. We know how busy that one can get so we didn't mind waiting in about a ten minute line. Something about mine and Ladle's ship made it very bumpy at the end when it reattached to the lower track. We almost flew right out of the ship!

We walked over to Haunted Mansion and walked right into the staging room. So far we were off to a great start! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had a long line and that line is one of the worst to wait in. Its so hot and winding... So we went around to the new Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Now, let me just say that I loved the new ride. Great use of the movie soundtrack and the new characters. Plus, they didn't take out the charm from the old ride and you will not be without plenty of Yo-ho's.

We walked through Adventureland hoping to get a Dole Whip, but they weren't open yet. At this time, it our Fast Pass time was upon us so we went back to Space Mountain and rode again. Feeling whimsical, we got off and rode Carousel of Progress.... along with the other four people who rode with us... After our trip down memory lane, we went to Mickey's Philharmagic with only a wait as long as the show in front of us. I still love how everyone says, "aw..." when Tinkerbell appears and you can't beat the smell of apple pie. Yum! From there we rode It's a Small World just for kicks.

By then we were getting pretty hungry. Ladle, Sally Shine and I got Fast Passes for BTMR and met Garco back at Columbia Harbour House. They used to have soup in a bread bowl there, but no longer. I had heard praises of their tuna sandwich here on the boards so I decided to give that a try. I opted for the half sandwich/cup of soup option with the tuna sandwich and clam chowder. Sally Shine got the same, Garco had the whole tuna sandwich and Ladle had chicken strips because she doesn't like fish at all. Everyone loved the tuna! We never would have gotten before if it hadn't been for me reading about it here. It definitely was tasty and the clam chowder was also quite good. Ladle didn't say much about her chicken strips, but... what can you say about chicken strips really?

Apparently, we lucked out on the Fast Pass deal and our time wasn't that much later than when we got them. We were able to go right from lunch over to BTMR and ride. We went around the corner and waved at Garco while we rode and later found out that wasn't Garco at all. Hmmm... Well, someone has a nice video of us waving at them. We were pretty much spent at this point. It was starting to get hot and more crowded so we decided to go back to the hotel for a little R and R. Very successful first morning if I do say so myself.

 

[WDWHeather]

Hey Heather!!

just found your TR and I am catching up now!!


loving it so far!!

so BTW are you the one on the left or the right in the pic of you and your sister?? just kidding!!

Yay! Welcome! Yeah did you like my diagram? I saved all the confusion with a little labeling!

ok all caught up!!!

"paitently" waiting for more..

You want more? You got more, baby!

I remember those two, too.

Yes! Twin power!

 

[FHS_chick_2005]

Yay! Welcome! Yeah did you like my diagram? I saved all the confusion with a little labeling!



You want more? You got more, baby!



Yes! Twin power!

I loved the diagram but it did have me wondering if you were a little tired or something and mis labeled yourself you definatly look like the younger one but that can work for you!

I would definatly want to look younger rather than older!

 

[WDWHeather]

I loved the diagram but it did have me wondering if you were a little tired or something and mis labeled yourself you definatly look like the younger one but that can work for you!

I would definatly want to look younger rather than older!

I did label it kind of late last night... better go check...
Nope, that's me.
Oh, I'm glad to look young!

 

[FHS_chick_2005]

I did label it kind of late last night... better go check...
Nope, that's me.
Oh, I'm glad to look young!

 

[meeskamouska]

Sounds like a great start to your vacay!!!! Can't believe how many rides you just walked on to...guess next trip needs to be a little earier in the spring!!

 

[WDWHeather]

Sounds like a great start to your vacay!!!! Can't believe how many rides you just walked on to...guess next trip needs to be a little earier in the spring!!

That's why we like going in May so much. You guys are uber planners though, you'll be fine too!!!!

 

[WDWHeather]

I need to give a wave to my best friend, who I call Meat, who's lurking out there somewhere.

 

[puggymom]

I'm here, fashionably late, but all caught up.

DL Mama, I loved those super hero cartoons too, so I guess I am dating my self too.

And those fancy pants, well, are just to fancy for words.

 

[WDWHeather]

I'm here, fashionably late, but all caught up.

DL Mama, I loved those super hero cartoons too, so I guess I am dating my self too.

And those fancy pants, well, are just to fancy for words.

Welcome! Glad you're here!!! I'm so glad everyone likes my fancy pants!

 

[Parla]

Sounds like a great day! I would love to be able to go in early May. But alas, I'm one of those moms that won't pull my kiddos out of school.

Thanks Steph for letting us know the pic was labeled.

Where's the Columbia Harbour House? I wrote on my folder to eat a tuna sandwich there but will have to look up the location. Do they have shrimps?

 

[englishrose47]

I loved your wake up call story Heather! First morning DGD Hung up on Mickey Cuz she said nothing and so .. No voice!! When she found out she was not happy!!

 

[Spartangirl]

Sounds like your day started off well.........lots of great rides! By the way, I love the fancy pants!

 

[WDWHeather]

Sounds like a great day! I would love to be able to go in early May. But alas, I'm one of those moms that won't pull my kiddos out of school.

Thanks Steph for letting us know the pic was labeled.

Where's the Columbia Harbour House? I wrote on my folder to eat a tuna sandwich there but will have to look up the location. Do they have shrimps?

School here is done earlier than some places so everyone here was out of school, but I know they were still in school in Florida still.

Columbia Harbour House is right across from the Haunted Mansion. Cross under that bridge from Fantasy Land and it's the first thing on your left. No shrimps though.

I loved your wake up call story Heather! First morning DGD Hung up on Mickey Cuz she said nothing and so .. No voice!! When she found out she was not happy!!

Your DGD sounds like me! Just wait, there's more stories to go along with the wake up calls...

Sounds like your day started off well.........lots of great rides! By the way, I love the fancy pants!

Welcome!!! Thanks!!! It's like a Fancy Pants central here!

 

[WDWHeather]

Well, while I'm sitting here bedridden with back pain, I don't see any other way to spend it but to update my trip report! Yay! My bananas are actually dancing!

Moving on....

I'm not going to lie. The night we arrived, Wednesday night, Ladle and I did not get very much sleep. Jet lag didn't set in that night and the time change was our enemy. Let me tell you when jet lag did set in though... As soon as we got back to our room on Thursday and decided we'd lay down "just for a few minutes." Those are dangerous words, my friends, very dangerous.

So...

A couple ::ahem:: hours later... Ladle and I decide to take showers because we felt gross from walking around all morning. We had ADRs at Alfredo's for 7:00pm that evening and if we hadn't slept so long, we could have gotten to Epcot early, gotten some Fast Passes and made it an efficient evening, but... We decided it was okay because that extra sleep would make us much happier people later on.

Everyone got ready and we headed to Epcot, arriving around 6:30pm. All the Fast Passes for Soarin' were, of course, already distributed. We went over to Test Track and found there were FPs available for 8:00-9:00pm, so basically the last hour the park was going to be open. That was perfect for us. Eat some food and catch a last ride of Test Track. Sounds like a good plan, right?

Here are some pictures of Italy. I'm not sure why they're so weird, but I think I was too tired or something... Anyway, here they are nonetheless.

So we head over to Italy for one final meal at Alfredo's as it will be closing August 31st. This is very strategic planning as Alfredo's is a very filling meal. It seems as times goes by on our trip, we get more and more full and want to eat less and less. We would not want to waste Alfredo's on one of our last days when we're sick of rich and filling food. That is why Alfredo's was our Day 1 pick. (In case any of you are interested, we were not on the dining plan. Usually it doesn't work for us as we like more than one table service some days and definitely at least one table service everyday, but this trip it just might have. Oh well, maybe another time.)

I think our dinner at Alfredo's was a little feast in itself. Of course, it began with some very tasty bread rolls dipped in olive oil which was speckled with pepper for taste. Garco and Sally Shine split a tomato and mozzarella salad which I heard was quite tasty. They each got an appetizer portion of fettuccine alfredo while Ladle and I split an entree portion of the fettuccine alfredo.

Man that pasta is good! Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my mouth...

I have never had fettuccine alfredo so tasty except at Alfredo's. If you haven't been, I would recommend it before it closes, if for no other reason than to have you try to the pasta they are known for. Now, what would a visit to an Italian restaurant be without a cannoli? Of course, to get dessert at Alfredo's means planning your meal very carefully. For me, it also meant not finishing all my pasta which was hard I must say. Now, I implore you, what would a cannoli be without a cafe latte? Well, it would still be good, but doesn't that just sound perfect... I'll have a cafe latte and a cannoli.

I actually only recently became familiar with these amazing desserts. It's like a fried outside with a cream inside, sometimes with chocolate chips. Mmm...

Well, here's where one of those "tense" moments I talked about happened. Conversation got a little heated at the table and let's just say we did not all go back to the hotel together. That also meant that our TT FPs went to waste. So.... good food, tense moments, silent ride back. That just about sums up that evening... But never fear, with the rising sun comes a renewed spirit.

 

[Parla]

What was that big line of people for?

Hey! Tense moments! We want the whole TR. What was the fight about? It was so bad you wasted good fast passes?

Hope the family harmony gets better from here.

 

[WDWHeather]

What was that big line of people for?

Hey! Tense moments! We want the whole TR. What was the fight about? It was so bad you wasted good fast passes?

Hope the family harmony gets better from here.

Okay, okay, you caught me. Those Italy pictures are NOT actually from the day we ate at Alfredo's. I'm ashamed... If you look really closely though, you can see Garco with his video camera... I'll tell you all about the line later in the report.

The fight.... Well, let's just say SOMEONE does not have a good grasp of how many text messages they use a month and racked up many dollars over the regular bill. Retract those pointing fingers! It's not me!

 

[FHS_chick_2005]

Okay, okay, you caught me. Those Italy pictures are NOT actually from the day we ate at Alfredo's. I'm ashamed... If you look really closely though, you can see Garco with his video camera... I'll tell you all about the line later in the report.

The fight.... Well, let's just say SOMEONE does not have a good grasp of how many text messages they use a month and racked up many dollars over the regular bill. Retract those pointing fingers! It's not me!

wow.. that was brought up at WDW.. I would leave it alone till I got home..

 

[WDWHeather]

wow.. that was brought up at WDW.. I would leave it alone till I got home..

Yes... That would be the logical thing to do wouldn't it? However, when one texts at the dinner table, it does jaunt one's memory of such giant overages...