Suz36
02-17-2011, 12:28 PM
Date: January 29th, 2011
Cast of Characters: me (38), DH (39), DD (10), DS (7)
All-Star Music
Day 2 – Animal Kingdom
I was so excited to have Mickey and Stitch wake me up on our first morning in WDW! Our usual first full day tradition is for me to get “room service” breakfast while everyone else sleeps in. However, given our distance from the food court, and my growing children’s appetites, that was not happening today. After trying to get everyone else out of bed with no success, I decided to at least go get DH and I our coffee and tea. I walked out of the room into a beautiful, sunny day – I love Florida sun!! I took my time walking to the food court, taking pictures of each different section of the resort. Everyone was still sleeping when I returned, so here goes drill sergeant Mom again! We were finally all ready a little before 9, and my tummy was rumblin’ for some Mickey waffles! It was warm enough to sit outside, away from the craziness of the Brazilian tour group that had taken over inside.
After breakfast, we quickly hopped a bus to the Animal Kingdom. (It was actually beginning to pull away as we ran up to it, and the driver stopped for us - thank you! Sorry to the other passengers who had to wait! :blush:) I love how the buses start playing appropriately themed music as you approach each park! We said good morning to some Spoonbills, then made our way to Africa for some fastpasses for the safari. We just missed our train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, but what do you know, another one came right behind it! After our train ride, we quickly walked back to Rafiki’s, hoping to see an animal examination going on. We were definitely in luck, as my DD’s favorite animal, a lioness, was right there in front of us!! They’d recently noticed she hadn’t been eating, and discovered she had stomach ulcers, so she was getting medication, as well as a pedicure since she was already snoozing. As we were watching the vets and keepers with her, we noticed that Danielle and Jonathan, our tour guides from last year’s Wildlife Discovery Excursion, were in the exam room. They had told us they worked with the big cats, so it made sense! We’d just caught the last few minutes of the procedure, so after they wheeled “Nala” out (our name for her, not there’s), we said hi to Jiminy Cricket, a pair of adorable little bunnies, and a snake. DS even got to hop like a bunny, and brave DD touched the snake. We explored inside a bit more, finding a Hidden Mickey in a petri dish, and listening to the sounds of the rainforest with Grandmother Willow. DD then met Rafiki and Pocahontas, and by now they’d brought a rat in for a procedure, so we watched that for a bit. We then made our way outside to the petting zoo area, and learned all about the blind goat – can someone help me with his name? We did a little bit of shopping, grabbed a drink, and walked back to the train station for our return trip. We used our FPs for the safari, and had some great animal sightings. For the first time ever, we saw the hippos out of the water, sunning themselves. Guess they love that Florida sun, too! We saw a baby elephant, and the baby white rhino has grown so much from last year! It was a bit strange to me to see the different things they’ve built for the trek, and to see people out on the savannah, but they blend in fairly well and I’m sure a first-time visitor would think nothing of them.
We made our way to Pizzafari for lunch, which was mobbed. We shared two pizzas between the four of us, and despite the crowds, we were able to eat quickly enough to make the 1:30 performance of the Festival of the Lion King, DD’s favorite show. We even made it into her favorite section, the lions. I chatted with a very nice family prior to the show, receiving compliments on our clear backpack, which the security guards really loved, too! After the show, DS did the Discovery Kid’s activity in Camp Minnie-Mickey, then we went to try to visit with our otters. Unfortunately, they were not there, and the signage was even covered, maybe indicating they’d been removed permanently. Does anyone know if the otters are gone for good? Next we explored the Tree of Life paths, getting a close-up look and great photos of many of the amazing creatures. We came out near Asia, grabbed FPs for Everest, then watched the Flights of Wonder show. Guano Joe stole the show again! It was now parade time, so after buying the first Mickey ice cream bar of the trip, along with some other frozen treats, we made our way back through Africa to Discovery Island, where we ended up with a practically private viewing area! There were only a few cast members around us, and no one on the opposite side of the path, so my kids got lots of attention and high 5’s from the characters! We went back into Camp Minnie-Mickey for some more character interaction, hoping to catch Thumper and Miss Bunny for the first time. Not seeing them as we walked in, we caught up with Donald, DH’s favorite character, who had the #1 Duck sign his Donald hat. As we came out of Donald’s hut, there were Thumper and Miss Bunny!! We got lots of hugs and pictures, then visited with Pluto, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie in quick succession, also doing some great pin trading during our brief waits. Our final ride of the day was Everest, using our FPs. It was park closing time, so we slowly made our way out, doing just a bit of shopping along the way.
We hopped on a bus to AKL, reminiscing about our stay there last May while waiting for the bus to DTD. Our first shopping destination was Goofy’s Candy Shop for some yummy cupcakes, cookies and marshmallows-on-a-stick, eaten outside – loving this weather! We went into the new spice and tea shop, where I picked up a Mickey spoon rest and DH got some kind of Florida spice so he could grill up something “Florida-ey” after we were home. It was now time for some serious shopping at the pin store. Is it bad when the Cast Member says "Wow" as she hits the total button? We checked out the temporary Lego store (mobbed!), then spent a decent amount of time in Once Upon a Toy. DD was debating purchasing a Duffy, but decided she wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger. It was then time to make our way through the crowds to Raglan Road for our ADR, with a quick stop in the Vinylmation store, which had some very pushy, rude people in it! We had a 10-15 minute wait for dinner, during which time it became very apparent just how tired the kids were. We’d requested a table in the main room so that we could see the dancers and musicians, and our request was granted as we were seated very close to the male dancer’s staircase. DH and I very much enjoyed the entertainment, but unfortunately the kids found it all a bit too loud (probably low tolerance because of how tired they were.) I got the fish and chips, but prefer those at Yorkshire County in Epcot. DH got the Paddy’s Pork, which he enjoyed, and the kids finally settled on burgers. I found it very ironic that last year when she was 9, DD always wanted to order from the adult menu, and now that she was 10, she kept wishing she could order from the kid’s menu! Poor thing can’t win! During dinner, a man did a guest performance with the band, singing to his girlfriend, who he then proposed to – awwww! The kids seemed to enjoy witnessing that occasion. After dinner we made a hasty retreat to the buses, and got our tired troopers in bed as quickly as possible.
Cast of Characters: me (38), DH (39), DD (10), DS (7)
All-Star Music
Day 2 – Animal Kingdom
I was so excited to have Mickey and Stitch wake me up on our first morning in WDW! Our usual first full day tradition is for me to get “room service” breakfast while everyone else sleeps in. However, given our distance from the food court, and my growing children’s appetites, that was not happening today. After trying to get everyone else out of bed with no success, I decided to at least go get DH and I our coffee and tea. I walked out of the room into a beautiful, sunny day – I love Florida sun!! I took my time walking to the food court, taking pictures of each different section of the resort. Everyone was still sleeping when I returned, so here goes drill sergeant Mom again! We were finally all ready a little before 9, and my tummy was rumblin’ for some Mickey waffles! It was warm enough to sit outside, away from the craziness of the Brazilian tour group that had taken over inside.
After breakfast, we quickly hopped a bus to the Animal Kingdom. (It was actually beginning to pull away as we ran up to it, and the driver stopped for us - thank you! Sorry to the other passengers who had to wait! :blush:) I love how the buses start playing appropriately themed music as you approach each park! We said good morning to some Spoonbills, then made our way to Africa for some fastpasses for the safari. We just missed our train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, but what do you know, another one came right behind it! After our train ride, we quickly walked back to Rafiki’s, hoping to see an animal examination going on. We were definitely in luck, as my DD’s favorite animal, a lioness, was right there in front of us!! They’d recently noticed she hadn’t been eating, and discovered she had stomach ulcers, so she was getting medication, as well as a pedicure since she was already snoozing. As we were watching the vets and keepers with her, we noticed that Danielle and Jonathan, our tour guides from last year’s Wildlife Discovery Excursion, were in the exam room. They had told us they worked with the big cats, so it made sense! We’d just caught the last few minutes of the procedure, so after they wheeled “Nala” out (our name for her, not there’s), we said hi to Jiminy Cricket, a pair of adorable little bunnies, and a snake. DS even got to hop like a bunny, and brave DD touched the snake. We explored inside a bit more, finding a Hidden Mickey in a petri dish, and listening to the sounds of the rainforest with Grandmother Willow. DD then met Rafiki and Pocahontas, and by now they’d brought a rat in for a procedure, so we watched that for a bit. We then made our way outside to the petting zoo area, and learned all about the blind goat – can someone help me with his name? We did a little bit of shopping, grabbed a drink, and walked back to the train station for our return trip. We used our FPs for the safari, and had some great animal sightings. For the first time ever, we saw the hippos out of the water, sunning themselves. Guess they love that Florida sun, too! We saw a baby elephant, and the baby white rhino has grown so much from last year! It was a bit strange to me to see the different things they’ve built for the trek, and to see people out on the savannah, but they blend in fairly well and I’m sure a first-time visitor would think nothing of them.
We made our way to Pizzafari for lunch, which was mobbed. We shared two pizzas between the four of us, and despite the crowds, we were able to eat quickly enough to make the 1:30 performance of the Festival of the Lion King, DD’s favorite show. We even made it into her favorite section, the lions. I chatted with a very nice family prior to the show, receiving compliments on our clear backpack, which the security guards really loved, too! After the show, DS did the Discovery Kid’s activity in Camp Minnie-Mickey, then we went to try to visit with our otters. Unfortunately, they were not there, and the signage was even covered, maybe indicating they’d been removed permanently. Does anyone know if the otters are gone for good? Next we explored the Tree of Life paths, getting a close-up look and great photos of many of the amazing creatures. We came out near Asia, grabbed FPs for Everest, then watched the Flights of Wonder show. Guano Joe stole the show again! It was now parade time, so after buying the first Mickey ice cream bar of the trip, along with some other frozen treats, we made our way back through Africa to Discovery Island, where we ended up with a practically private viewing area! There were only a few cast members around us, and no one on the opposite side of the path, so my kids got lots of attention and high 5’s from the characters! We went back into Camp Minnie-Mickey for some more character interaction, hoping to catch Thumper and Miss Bunny for the first time. Not seeing them as we walked in, we caught up with Donald, DH’s favorite character, who had the #1 Duck sign his Donald hat. As we came out of Donald’s hut, there were Thumper and Miss Bunny!! We got lots of hugs and pictures, then visited with Pluto, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie in quick succession, also doing some great pin trading during our brief waits. Our final ride of the day was Everest, using our FPs. It was park closing time, so we slowly made our way out, doing just a bit of shopping along the way.
We hopped on a bus to AKL, reminiscing about our stay there last May while waiting for the bus to DTD. Our first shopping destination was Goofy’s Candy Shop for some yummy cupcakes, cookies and marshmallows-on-a-stick, eaten outside – loving this weather! We went into the new spice and tea shop, where I picked up a Mickey spoon rest and DH got some kind of Florida spice so he could grill up something “Florida-ey” after we were home. It was now time for some serious shopping at the pin store. Is it bad when the Cast Member says "Wow" as she hits the total button? We checked out the temporary Lego store (mobbed!), then spent a decent amount of time in Once Upon a Toy. DD was debating purchasing a Duffy, but decided she wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger. It was then time to make our way through the crowds to Raglan Road for our ADR, with a quick stop in the Vinylmation store, which had some very pushy, rude people in it! We had a 10-15 minute wait for dinner, during which time it became very apparent just how tired the kids were. We’d requested a table in the main room so that we could see the dancers and musicians, and our request was granted as we were seated very close to the male dancer’s staircase. DH and I very much enjoyed the entertainment, but unfortunately the kids found it all a bit too loud (probably low tolerance because of how tired they were.) I got the fish and chips, but prefer those at Yorkshire County in Epcot. DH got the Paddy’s Pork, which he enjoyed, and the kids finally settled on burgers. I found it very ironic that last year when she was 9, DD always wanted to order from the adult menu, and now that she was 10, she kept wishing she could order from the kid’s menu! Poor thing can’t win! During dinner, a man did a guest performance with the band, singing to his girlfriend, who he then proposed to – awwww! The kids seemed to enjoy witnessing that occasion. After dinner we made a hasty retreat to the buses, and got our tired troopers in bed as quickly as possible.