2015 Trip Report -Day 6 HS & AK

[jans2kids]

Today is back to HS to hit the rides. We had a FP for TSM first thing at 9:20 but opted to head to RnR at park opening to see if we could get 2 rides in before heading back to TSM. This was the 2nd time we were at HS at park opening and the first time both RnR & ToT were down for hours. Just as we reached the doors into the pre show area the problems began. There was a report that a passenger had an incident and the ride was temporarily stopped and the passenger taken out and then the ride had to be reset and would take 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes it was still not up and running. At this point Janice was not feeling well and decided to exit the ride to get outside and sit. Every time we thought about leaving we would hear just a few more minutes. Finally after about 40 minutes we got into the pre show area, but there were still delays and it took another 20 minutes from there to get onto the ride. Needless to say we were going to miss our FP window for TSM, so while we were stuck Janice went to guest relations to explain the problem and reluctantly they added the FP's back onto our MB for anytime that day.
As we were walking to our next FP for IJones the Cavalcade of Stars parade was ending in front of the stage and the Citizens of Hollywood put on a 15 minute show. We love the Citizens of Hollywood and try to stop and watch them whenever we see them. Our favorites are Jack Diamond, Officers Percival Peabody & William Club and the Public Works Department, Sparky, Buddy and Lenny.
After I Jones, we used our last FP's with Andrew & Bryan doing Star Tours and Janice & I Playhouse Disney. We watched 20 minutes of the show and left to when they texted us that they were in line at the Drawing Academy in the Animation Studio. This is another attraction we try to do each year that not a lot of people are aware of. We almost got to learn to draw Buzz but in the end were out voted and we did Minnie. We are sad to hear that this has now closed as part of the HS expansion.
We had as short wait but soon were on the bus to AK. We hit the kiosk and were able to get a FP for Safari. In the meantime we did Tough to be a Bug and then Maharaja Jungle Trek. We never can hit this attraction at the right time to see the Tigers out and active. The guide said there was only one out and it was sleeping. We then headed over to get in line for the Lion King show. the line was pretty long for mid afternoon. By the time we got a seat the show was starting. It was a packed house as this now seems to be a popular FP attraction for afternoons. Next it was over to the Safari to use our FP. This time we saw many more animals than we had seen when we went early in the morning a few days ago. We saw the cheetah, the lioness and the baby rhino.
When we got off we walked over to the Pangani Trail. For late in the day there was not much activity but we did see the mommy gorilla and baby. I left the group to see if I could get a FP for EE but had no luck, but while I was gone I noticed a lot of the outdoor carts closing down and overheard them talking about a storm being nearby so I found them and we headed to the bus to the Dolphin resort. It was very dark and began raining on the trip there.
We had planned on eating lunch at the Fountain Eats and Sweets here but didn't have the time so we decided to go there for dinner. This is a place we have eaten at our last couple of trips, its a little out of the way but I like to compare it to Beaches & Cream but a lot easier to get into. They don't take ADR's and we have never had to wait to be seated. They have a menu of salads, sandwiches and dessert items. Their French fries are the best of any restaurant on property. Also try the Blastin' Brownie Sundae, its huge as are most of the food items. If you want both a meal and dessert your best bet is to split a meal or else you will never be able to eat the whole dessert.
After dinner it was still raining lightly and we headed to the boat dock to get the boat to HS but they were not running due to storms in the area so we got on a bus at the Swan which then had to stop at the Dolphin, Y&B Clubs and Boardwalk before getting to HS 30 minutes later.
It was now after 8pm and HS had EMH till midnight but with the rain the park was not too crowded. It rained continuously until 11pm, not enough for ponchos and our rain jackets were enough to keep us dry. We rode Great Movie Ride, Star Tours, watched the Star Wars Rebels: The Ultimate Guide at the ABC sound studio, Muppet Vision, Little Mermaid and TSM.
At 11pm Andrew & Janice headed back to the hotel while Bryan & I stayed to ride some more. In the next hour we rode TSM twice then headed down to RnR and rode that 3 times, then ToT once and still had time to run back to TSM to get on 2 more times with the last time being just after midnight. There was no wait for the bus and we were back to CB in less than 10 minutes
Tomorrow Epcot and the MK

[eam]

Wow, what an awesome day!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Wow! What a crazy busy day! I'm glad you squeezed so much in, even with the not-so-good start at DHS.

[faline]

I'm exhausted and I only read about your day!! What a busy day you had!!

[hauntedmansiongirl]

Thank you for telling us about Fountatin Eats & Sweets! We'll have to check it out! We've never stepped foot inside the Swan or Dolphin- another thing to check out!

[g8rgirl29]

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report!! You have made me want to try out SWW!!