BriarRose0708
06-14-2008, 02:29 PM
We were up and on a bus to Animal Kingdom this morning by 8:30 a.m. All the getting up early and staying up late for the past 3 days was starting to hit us, even with rest breaks in the afternoon. We put our best faces forward though, and made it to the park for opening. Now, when I was originally planning the trip there were supposed to be Extra Magic Hours this morning, but then I checked the schedule a few weeks ago and they had disappeared. So we thought the park opened at 9 a.m. We slept in a little longer and made it through the turnstiles by 9. There was no opening show, which I thought was weird. We were early enough so I knew we didn't miss it, but I just assumed it wasn't happening that day.
We walked through the Oasis and took a left around Discovery Island to head to Africa. Our game plan this morning was to ride the Safari, get a fastpass for Everst, and see the 10:15 show of Nemo. I had never been on the safari and we wanted to do it early in order to have the best chance to see the most animals. Even though it was already hot and sunny there were many animals around. We saw rhinos, the lions, antilope, giraffes, and we even drove the poachers out of the reserve. Afterward Kim stopped for a muffin and I went ahead to get us Everest fastpasses. We agreed to meet up in the Nemo queue, but when I got there she was sitting by herself. It turns out that the first show wasn't until 11:30 that morning. I though there was always a 10:15 show since that was when I saw it in October, but the Cast Member there said that they only have an early show when the park closes at 5. Today the park was open until 8, so they had later shows scheduled. We should have grabbed a times guide on our way in!
So with some time to spare we decided to hop into the single riders line for Everest since our fastpasses weren't valid for another half hour. We zipped through the line and walked on! Kim had chatted to the man next to her (I had gotten on the train before her) and apparently he said there in fact were Extra Magic Hours that morning! He and his family had been there and were able to ride Everest 7 times in a row. I later checked the schedule at the resort and there were no EMH hours listed. The park was very un-crowded that morning, so I guess there were very few people who actually knew about the EMH that morning. We had been up late the night before at EPCOT, and probably wouldn't have gotten up for the EMH anyway. So it all worked out in the end. The park was remarkable un-crowded the entire day and the longest wait we had was in the line at Flame Tree BBQ.
We encountered the Yeti and then took a walk on the Maharaja Jungle Trek. About halfway through the trail, right before the tigers, we ran into a large group of Dream Squad. There must have been 6 of them there. We are always friendly to Cast Members, but we were extra nice to Dream Squad. We smiled, greeted them a good morning and a "how you doin'?" But they just kept on standing there counting people. One of them had a digital counter and was ticking it off everytime someone walked by them. We got the definite feeling that something big was about to happen. Perhaps the castle suite? A shopping spree? A lifetime supply of Mickey bars? It was the right time for the suite giveaway (about 10:15 a.m.) and by the way they were counting families I had a strong inclination that's what it was. We tried to linger around a little, taking a lot of notice and remarking about the architecture of the "ruins" and all the green leaves and things. But, it became clear nothing was going to happen to us and we kept moving.
By the time we were done it was time to get on Everest with our fastpasses. After our second expedition we lined up for Nemo. Kim hadnever seen this show before, and I was very excited to experience it again. It is easily my favorite show on property, including the fireworks and parades. I never get more emotional watching any other show than Nemo (a close second would be during the Circle of Life during Festival of the Lion King). It turned out to be the same cast that I had seen in October, and I was really excited because they were so good. We had awesome seats too, at the front of the middle section behind the sound booth where the performers run sometimes. Marlon and Dory were right in front of us! Kim loved it, and we both agreed whoever plays Crush should be on Broadway.
We swung by DinoLand to get fastpasses for Dinosaur (Kim's favorite ride) and then went to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch. I got the 1/2 chicken dinner and Kim got pulled pork. We ate under one of the pavillions on the water with a magnificant view of Everest. It was so relaxing to be in this park today, a 180 degree diference from what I experienced in October (which is weird. Isn't October supposed to be less crowded?). We felt much better after eating some lunch (we were getting quite tired) and strolled back to Dinosaur. Kim loves this ride, and it's slowly growing on me. It is very scary and gets us every time no matter how much we ride it. Our picture is hysterical because we're holding each other's hands looking terrified. The 6-year-old behind us was less scared than we were.
We decided to see how well we could keep our lunches down by taking a spin on Primevil Whirl. Only one side was operational and we waited about 15 minutes (the longest ride wait of the day). We kept control of our stomachs, and then decided to peace out. On the way to the bus we snapped a picture with Pocahontas, where no one was waiting to see her. Poor thing, she always gets the shaft.
We walked through the Oasis and took a left around Discovery Island to head to Africa. Our game plan this morning was to ride the Safari, get a fastpass for Everst, and see the 10:15 show of Nemo. I had never been on the safari and we wanted to do it early in order to have the best chance to see the most animals. Even though it was already hot and sunny there were many animals around. We saw rhinos, the lions, antilope, giraffes, and we even drove the poachers out of the reserve. Afterward Kim stopped for a muffin and I went ahead to get us Everest fastpasses. We agreed to meet up in the Nemo queue, but when I got there she was sitting by herself. It turns out that the first show wasn't until 11:30 that morning. I though there was always a 10:15 show since that was when I saw it in October, but the Cast Member there said that they only have an early show when the park closes at 5. Today the park was open until 8, so they had later shows scheduled. We should have grabbed a times guide on our way in!
So with some time to spare we decided to hop into the single riders line for Everest since our fastpasses weren't valid for another half hour. We zipped through the line and walked on! Kim had chatted to the man next to her (I had gotten on the train before her) and apparently he said there in fact were Extra Magic Hours that morning! He and his family had been there and were able to ride Everest 7 times in a row. I later checked the schedule at the resort and there were no EMH hours listed. The park was very un-crowded that morning, so I guess there were very few people who actually knew about the EMH that morning. We had been up late the night before at EPCOT, and probably wouldn't have gotten up for the EMH anyway. So it all worked out in the end. The park was remarkable un-crowded the entire day and the longest wait we had was in the line at Flame Tree BBQ.
We encountered the Yeti and then took a walk on the Maharaja Jungle Trek. About halfway through the trail, right before the tigers, we ran into a large group of Dream Squad. There must have been 6 of them there. We are always friendly to Cast Members, but we were extra nice to Dream Squad. We smiled, greeted them a good morning and a "how you doin'?" But they just kept on standing there counting people. One of them had a digital counter and was ticking it off everytime someone walked by them. We got the definite feeling that something big was about to happen. Perhaps the castle suite? A shopping spree? A lifetime supply of Mickey bars? It was the right time for the suite giveaway (about 10:15 a.m.) and by the way they were counting families I had a strong inclination that's what it was. We tried to linger around a little, taking a lot of notice and remarking about the architecture of the "ruins" and all the green leaves and things. But, it became clear nothing was going to happen to us and we kept moving.
By the time we were done it was time to get on Everest with our fastpasses. After our second expedition we lined up for Nemo. Kim hadnever seen this show before, and I was very excited to experience it again. It is easily my favorite show on property, including the fireworks and parades. I never get more emotional watching any other show than Nemo (a close second would be during the Circle of Life during Festival of the Lion King). It turned out to be the same cast that I had seen in October, and I was really excited because they were so good. We had awesome seats too, at the front of the middle section behind the sound booth where the performers run sometimes. Marlon and Dory were right in front of us! Kim loved it, and we both agreed whoever plays Crush should be on Broadway.
We swung by DinoLand to get fastpasses for Dinosaur (Kim's favorite ride) and then went to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch. I got the 1/2 chicken dinner and Kim got pulled pork. We ate under one of the pavillions on the water with a magnificant view of Everest. It was so relaxing to be in this park today, a 180 degree diference from what I experienced in October (which is weird. Isn't October supposed to be less crowded?). We felt much better after eating some lunch (we were getting quite tired) and strolled back to Dinosaur. Kim loves this ride, and it's slowly growing on me. It is very scary and gets us every time no matter how much we ride it. Our picture is hysterical because we're holding each other's hands looking terrified. The 6-year-old behind us was less scared than we were.
We decided to see how well we could keep our lunches down by taking a spin on Primevil Whirl. Only one side was operational and we waited about 15 minutes (the longest ride wait of the day). We kept control of our stomachs, and then decided to peace out. On the way to the bus we snapped a picture with Pocahontas, where no one was waiting to see her. Poor thing, she always gets the shaft.