Just Us Trip Report: Days 6 AKL and Day 7

[thejens]

Thursday, June 4, Animal Kingdom
We were all a bit tired today and Ben seemed to be fighting the bug today. We got there near park opening time and the boys headed toward Safari while I ran to get Everest FP for Jenny and Ben and I grabbed Kali FP for Zac and I. I couldn’t help but stop and look at those monkeys on the way. We hopped onto the Safari and enjoyed seeing lots of animals. It’s funny how this has the slightly hokey feel of Jungle Cruise despite being among such amazing animals. I just love the giraffes. While Ben and Jenny did EE, Zac and I got drenched on Kali. Next time I must remember to wear something more light weight because it was gross wearing wet shorts all day. Zac absolutely loved it though. Ben and Jenny were done with EE before we were done so I advised them to do Kali without the FP since they were unnecessary. While waiting for Ben and Jenny, Zac played in the water in the squirting fountain area. It was fun watching all the gleeful children. Since we were already soaked Ben and Zac and I decided to ride again. After this we watched the monkeys some more and then headed to Nemo. Our timing was perfect and we just made it into the next show. This is beautifully done. Zac loved every bit of this. It is good to see him feeling better, but Ben was starting to show signs of feeling bad. We had lunch at Flame Tree (good as always) and Ben ate very little. I gave him some ibuprofen and worried that we should head back. He wanted to do Dinosaur so we headed to Dinoland. We FP Dinosaur and walked onto Triceratop Spin. Zac loved it. Ben and I did Primeaval Whirl next. It said 40 minute wait, but it was more like 10. I forgot how jerky this ride is. Zac wanted to ride, but was too small. The three of us did Dinosaur next. For some reason Ben, who is usually quite a daredevil, has never liked this ride. In most pictures he is hiding his eyes. Determined to regain his pose of boredom he rode this with feigned nonchalance. He was not actually looking at the dinosaur I pointed out to him. Zac ducked under my arm and hid there throughout the ride, but didn’t seem unduly scarred by the experience. Ben feels that he has restored his reputation and has no need to ride this again. Zac said he’d never ride it again, but I suspect he’ll be ready for another try next time. We headed to Lion King to finish off our day. Our timing was just perfect for everything today and we arrived just as they were seating the next show. As always this was a great show. I don’t know how they perform that again and again all day long. I wonder how many actors perform it. Zac spent much of the day humming and prancing around and I can easily imagine him on stage someday. As we exited this performance, around 3:00 p.m., we noticed storm clouds in the sky and were ready to leave the park anyway. We were glad to get back to our room just before the storm began. Zac was disappointed that he couldn’t swim, but the rest of us were happy to rest. Ben said he was feeling better, but we all enjoyed relaxing for the rest of the afternoon. The kids watched the Disney Channel and Zac crawled all over us while we tried to doze.
I wasn’t really in the mood for Jiko tonight, but I got up and showered nonetheless. The kids were happy to go to Simba’s and we headed for a nice dinner at Jiko’s. I think this is a beautiful restaurant and the lamb and chicken entrees were very good. We ordered the cheese plate appetizer which we didn’t think was as good as the one at Cali Grill. The lamb was very good and the seasonings were very interesting, but again, not up to par with CG. Finally the desserts, a lemon curd and chocolate cheesecake both had a slight refrigerated taste to me. A very nice restaurant, but the CG is a tough act to follow. We picked up the boys and found Ben wrapped up in a blanket. I hardly recognize Zac with his little buzz cut. Ben and I headed to the room to snuggle under the covers while Jenny took Zac for a promised dip in the pool. All in all a very nice day, but I am feeling tired. I hope Ben is feeling better tomorrow. I really do love Animal Kingdom. It is beautiful and full of lush surprises such as orchids and animal viewing spots and Devine and misting fans and fountains and gorgeous and authentic decorative touches. I think Walt would have been very pleased with this park. I heard one family complaining that they wanted to get back to Magic Kingdom. It is a different kind of park and I really love it. I thought the park was less busy than usual. It was supposedly “gay day” but I only noticed one couple in the red shirts. For those of you worried about crowds or unusual experiences it is certainly not an issue. Maybe we are getting past the need for special days and can all just get along together every day?? Interestingly I have noticed many more bi-racial couples than usual. I have also heard a variety of different languages. It is nice to imagine that perhaps “it is a small world after all.” Ben’s favorite things today: Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids. Zac’s favorite thing was Triceratop Spin and Kali. I enjoyed Kali despite the soggy day. Jenny liked Nemo the best.

[thejens]

Friday, June 5, Epcot
Today I let everyone sleep in just a little bit since I was worrying about Ben. He said he was feeling fine, but to me felt the teeniest bit warm this morning so I gave him more ibuprofen. They were both bouncing by the time we entered Epcot today at 10:00 a.m. We did Soarin’ first again, waited about 30 minutes or so, and got row 3. We were lucky to get 1st row twice the other day! It was still great even with some feet visible overhead. We also fast passed it for 12:15 p.m. My only complaint is that the interactive screens did not come on until we were through the line. Then the boys wanted to go back into the line! Out of Soarin’ the park seemed more empty than last Sunday. We did Figment since it was there. Not my favorite, but at least there is never a wait. Ben was excited about doing another Kim Possible adventure so we headed to Norway to get his mission directives. We walked onto Maelstrom while we were there. The boys liked it. From there we headed to his mission in the UK. It was very fun and interactive and they enjoyed it. Zac loves the Kidcots, but for slightly older kids KP is a great activity. Be forewarned though, it lures the parents into various shops and empties our wallets or “keys to the poorhouse.” It was time for lunch at Le Cellier. This is a consistently good restaurant. Ben and I shared a salad, I had salmon two ways, Ben had filet and Jenny had the prime rib sandwich. All was very good. Zac was disturbed that his Mickey Plate didn’t look exactly how it looked on the picture on the menu. Evidently she planned to bring the fruit salad out as dessert. While this was a helpful thought, Zac was unimpressed. The maple crème brulee was excellent as always. I am so glad there was no chocolate layer like they had in every other restaurant (what is up with that?! I guess I am a purist.) Ben had the chocolate mousse and found it too rich and Jenny had the sugar free chocolate mouse with raspberry sorbet. We waddled out of there wondering if we would ever be hungry again. It was raining so out came our ponchos. We decided to forgo any more missions for the afternoon as the WS is not the best place to be in the pouring rain. As we headed back to the land for our last go on Soarin’ it began to rain hard. We ducked into a character meet pavilion. The chipmunks had a long line, but Belle’s was very short. I could not persuade my boys to have their picture made with her. I loved watching her. She stayed perfectly in character and was an adorable girl. She was so sweet with all the little ones and whispered secrets into their ears and had such precious Disneyfied mannerisms. The rain slowed down so we darted over to the Land. I noticed the interactive screens were not on then either. We got row number 2 this time, which is, I think, an improvement over 3. All rows are good though. We keep telling Zac that our shoes are getting wet in the ocean and he just laughs and tells us it is a movie. Today he felt Jenny’s wet shoes and that did make him wonder a bit. We sadly left Epcot. It is such a beautiful park. I do miss the topiaries today now that the Flower and Garden show is over. The sun seemed like it was trying to peek out again. We rested in the hotel room for a little bit and then I took the boys to the pool. Every time we walk through the lobby to or from our room we walk by a viewing area and always stop to see the animals. We have seen so far: Zebra, Giraffes, all kinds of antelope, ostriches, flamingos, pelicans, vultures, gazelles and many more. I love the giraffes. Some times they are very close to the porch. The boys have a great time in the pool. They play together exactly like puppies. They can’t leave each other alone and clearly adore each other and yet they fight and nip and cause a commotion. It was funny. Once again I noticed such diversity among the families. Every skin tone and I heard French, Spanish and Asian languages and accents. Yet every Mama was saying the same thing “not so rough! Listen to me the first time! Don’t do it again! Be careful with your little brother! Don’t splash her!” Yet everyone seemed happy and relaxed. Zac is very comfortable wearing the life jackets provided and has become very brave about going under and holding his breath. He is ready to learn to swim. After a few more rides down the slide we headed up to the room to get cleaned up for dinner at Sanaa. It seems like an awfully long walk in this humidity so we drove. Kidani Village and this restaurant are just breathtaking. Sanaa means “art work” I am told, and it is a fitting name for this gorgeous restaurant. It is decorated with all kinds of art work and has beautiful views of a Savannah that I believe will soon be home to various animals. At this time I saw only birds, but they were impressive ones. Our waiter was very informative and helpful with the menu. We ordered the bread plate with accompaniments (very yummy, I highly recommend) and a salad tasting platter which was also very fresh and good. I had the tandoori lamb The lamb was good, but the rice was in a bowl and the sauce was on the side in a ramekin and the lamb was rather naked in the middle and not as flavorful as I expected. I can’t complain though as I enjoyed it. Ben had steak and Jenny had tandoori chicken and both enjoyed it. Zac was once again very disturbed that his Mickey's plate of fish did not look like the picture at all. Apparently their Mickey plates (no doubt a special order!) have not come in yet. After a bit of grumbling he devoured his fish, ate a fair amount of rice and green beans and then began to fall asleep. We laid him down on the bench seat. Service seemed to fall apart at dessert time. We didn’t mind since we were too full anyway and it is a lovely setting. We tried all the desserts it seemed and our favorite was the Thai Crème. I can’t really describe it except to say it was light and fluffy. I disliked all the others. Ben liked one that was a chocolate cake. The carrot cake was, well, too carroty for me. I would recommend trying this restaurant even if you are not very adventurous. It is an experience for all your senses. You can’t go wrong with the bread plate or some of the simpler chicken or beef items and the waiter was very helpful. We browsed through the little gift shop on the way out. It is much smaller than the one at Jambo, but we still found a way to spend more money on gifts for folks back home. I can’t get over how beautiful this resort is. There is fascinating artwork and proverbs everywhere you turn. Even the restroom is a thing of beauty; I have never seen such a gorgeous baby changing area! I am still full as I write this. Maybe the meal plan is too much for us. Tomorrow is our last full day at WDW.

We are all having a great time, but I must say my sadness about my Mom is ever present. I think maybe it is making me feel tired. I also think much of my enjoyment of our vacation is watching others enjoyment and I miss watching my niece and nephews also. Zac has been attached at my hip all week and I have been enjoying being close to him and Ben. It is bittersweet, but we are all having a good time and are very fortunate to have this time together.

[yjgirl32]

Very nice report. If I could pick one resort to stay at it would be AKL. I love animals. Someday. Thanks for sharing.

[faline]

Your boys are really growing up! As always, I am enjoying your reports though I can sense an undercurrent of grief. I would suspect your mom would wish you many more years of wonderful Disney vacations!

It is always nice to see how much we are the "same" regardless of how "different" we might be! You point out the sameness so well!

[mouseketeer mom]

Since my Dad passed away 7 mos ago, all of the firsts I have to go through without him are so tough..like for example, Father's Day tomorrow. I understand your grief and pain, and it sure helps having little ones around us to focus on..I know my kids have helped me tremendously. Just having them, just them being there. I know this trip was hard and bittersweet for you in many ways. I think you did really well throughout, and had some powerful moments of reflection. I am enjoying your report very much. Thanks!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report! :smickey:

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[princessgirls]

Great report! Thanks for sharing your wonderful two days.

Julie:mickey: