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03-28-2011, 03:05 PM
Day 3 Monday February 28: This morning we were up and waiting for the bus to take us to Animal Kingdom by 7:30am. There were about 20 people waiting for the bus when we got there and we still had to wait 15 minutes for the bus to arrive and even though the bus was standing room only we still traveled to the Grand Floridian and loaded 4 passengers before declaring the bus full. Needless to say we missed rope drop and welcoming by Mickey from the Tree of Life but we were able to get FP and board the Safari without waiting. We were able to see 4 types of Rhinos close up but failed to see giraffes, elephants, or the male lion. We used our FP right away and went back on the safari. This trip was much better as we saw a giraffe 3 feet away, 3 elephants and the baby elephant unexpectedly came out from behind a rock carrying flowering branches. One change I noticed on the safari was the machine gun fire from poachers was removed and more small water sprays were added along the road. Leaving Africa we headed toward Asia and met Flick, Turk, King Louie, and Ballou. DD and I boarded Expedition Everest twice in 20 minutes getting the very back seat the first time and the front seat the second time. The back seat is much rougher and shaky compared to the front or middle cars. In the front car you almost miss seeing the Yetti because he didn’t light up until you were already under him. I really wish they would take the time to fix him correctly so everyone could enjoy the ride the way it was planned. Next we headed over to Triceratops Spin and were able to meet with Goofy before heading to the Nemo Show. We saw this show at least four times now and it still is a blast and makes you say wow as you are leaving the theatre. Our next stop was the Kali River Rapids for our families first ever ride on it. During our previous December visits it was always on the cool side to take a chance getting soaked and walk around with squishy sneakers the rest of the day but today it was very hot and worth the risk. The ride was great and the queue and ride theming was very impressive, we each got a bit wet but not soaked as that honor belonged to two other people in our boat. We then headed to the walking trails to see the komodo dragon, tigers, and huge fruit bats. Before grabbing lunch we visited Tough to be a Bug which DS was still not too sure about especially after he felt the bugs crawling on the bench after the show! We ventured over to Dinoland for lunch and had typical burgers, chicken strips, and fries for lunch all very good and plenty of varieties of toppings and sauces to choose from. After lunch we visited with Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger before going to see Festival of the Lion King. The show was good but I would like to see some changes added to keep the show fresh and less predictable but I realize also that many are seeing this show for the first time. We met Thumper outside of the show and also posed for photos near the tree of life before heading back to the WL. Back at the WL we changed and hit the pool for a few hours of relaxing water fun. The pool was not as full as the previous days but as we were leaving around 5:00 it seemed more people were still getting into the pool. Once again I thought it took too long (45 minutes between waiting and driving) to get to Downtown Disney by bus. We visited the various shops looking for that eye catching souvenir but our concern for making it back to the WL for our Whispering Canyon meal took away from our fun and finally instead of rushing in and out of stores we decided to just head back to the WL with ideas in mind but no actual purchases. We left Downtown Disney at 7:30 for our 8:30 reservations and this time our wait and ride only took 40 minutes. We checked in early at Whispering Canyon and we were seated in minutes in the back corner of the restaurant next to the big fireplace. DS got a cheeseburger while the rest of us had the all you can eat skillet with beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, baked chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, baked beans, and corn bread. Everything was excellently prepared and tasty. For desert we each had a huge slice of apple pie with layer upon layer of sliced apples topped with vanilla ice cream. Almost too stuffed to move we made it back to our room just in time to view the Water Parade again and enjoy our balcony view before calling it a night.
Day 4 Tuesday March 1: This morning we awoke around 7am to heavy rains, which created an interesting view looking out from our WL balcony. The forecast from the previous night called for partly sunny skies giving way to 60% chance of late afternoon thunderstorms. Yes they even get the weather wrong in WDW. We hustled down to the boat dock when the rain lightened up and then decided to enjoy a monorail ride from the Contemporary to the MK. Reaching the MK entrance a few minutes before opening the rain seemed to be stopping just as the park opening show was starting. But once we started down Main Street toward Fantasy Land it began pouring again. Our first stop was Snow White’s Scary Adventure and we were able to walk on. We took several photos during the ride since it is going to disappear before our next visit. We tried to stay under cover as best we could while heading to Pooh’s Adventures and since we walked right on we only got a few quick touches at the new queue line attractions. While the rain continued to dump buckets we were able to walk on The Golden Carrousel, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, It’s A Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, and met Mary Poppins who was great in character with her accent and humor. The rain finally began to slow down on the way to the Haunted Mansion and I was surprised to see numerous construction areas taking place around the mansion and in the queue line. I later found out that they were creating handicap access ramp and new interactive toys for the queue line and cemetery. We all loved the Haunted Mansion except for DS who at 5 is still not a big fan of ghosts. One disappointment was the refurbishment of the hitchhiking ghost area, instead of a projected ghost in your car they had mirrors hanging on the wall with the ghost hung on the mirror to look sort of like h was in the car with you. Heading over to Frontier Land we met Donald Duck in his coonskin cap and the sun was starting to shine through the thinning clouds. Near the Country Bears Show a musical hoe down was about to start with various characters and their CM’s. Clarabelle Cow grabbed DS as a dancing partner and they formed a huge circle with other characters (Horace Horsecollar, several country bears, Brer Bear, Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, Woody and Jessie) and kids. They danced to several songs hooting, hollering, clapping, and dancing for a fun filled time as the sun really started shining. Our next stop was Splash Mountain, with no wait, which was a fun time and we just got a little splash at the end. DW decided to sit out Big Thunder Mountain so the three of us walked on two times before deciding to visit the Main Street bakery to have some delicious snacks. After our tasty snacks we took the boat back to the WL to rent sea racers before the rain decided to return (it never did). We rented two racers for an hour and had a fantastic time. We were able to go all around Seven Seas Lagoon (Magic Kingdom, Polynesian, and GF area) and Bay Lake (Contemporary, FT Wilderness, and WL area). This was really fun for the entire family and I highly recommend trying it on your next visit, you don’t even have to be staying at one of the resorts mentioned above just take a bus, boat, or monorail there and rent one from the resort marina. Before heading back to the Magic Kingdom cooled off in the WL pool for some further relaxation. We eventually took the boat back to the Magic Kingdom just in time to catch the Dream Parade again and then visited with the Tangled cast the castle. While waiting to see Rapunzel I fetched two Dole Whip Floats on our snack plan, which were very good and hit the spot in the heat. Rapunzel asked DD if she had her own frying pan and knew how to use it! In Tomorrow Land we did the Indy 500 and People Mover before splitting up, DW & DD went on Carousel of Progress while DS and I got in line to meet Buzz. Back together again we went on Space Ranger Spin and Laughing Floor (always a good laugh) before we needed to find seats for the new castle show “Let the Memories Begin”. This show was amazing and though it was hard to recognize most of the projected photos from the day it was still a visual master piece from coloring the castle with crayons to the pictures blasting off on the castle like a rocket. We then headed down Main Street to do some shopping before going back to the WL to change before our final advanced dining reservation at Hoop Dee Do Revue. We took our favorite transportation (boat) over to Fort Wilderness and were let into the show about 10 minutes before the 9:30pm show was scheduled to start. DS was starting to fall asleep as we waited but woke up as we were getting ready to go inside. We were seated right by the center of the stage so I suppose reserving 180 days out does help in table location. The food and the show were excellent, the performers put on a great show, and the fried chicken and ribs were outstanding. Not sure if the boat was still running after 11pm, we decided to take the bus back to the WL and within 10 minutes we were back in our room and ready for bed.
Day 4 Tuesday March 1: This morning we awoke around 7am to heavy rains, which created an interesting view looking out from our WL balcony. The forecast from the previous night called for partly sunny skies giving way to 60% chance of late afternoon thunderstorms. Yes they even get the weather wrong in WDW. We hustled down to the boat dock when the rain lightened up and then decided to enjoy a monorail ride from the Contemporary to the MK. Reaching the MK entrance a few minutes before opening the rain seemed to be stopping just as the park opening show was starting. But once we started down Main Street toward Fantasy Land it began pouring again. Our first stop was Snow White’s Scary Adventure and we were able to walk on. We took several photos during the ride since it is going to disappear before our next visit. We tried to stay under cover as best we could while heading to Pooh’s Adventures and since we walked right on we only got a few quick touches at the new queue line attractions. While the rain continued to dump buckets we were able to walk on The Golden Carrousel, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, It’s A Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, and met Mary Poppins who was great in character with her accent and humor. The rain finally began to slow down on the way to the Haunted Mansion and I was surprised to see numerous construction areas taking place around the mansion and in the queue line. I later found out that they were creating handicap access ramp and new interactive toys for the queue line and cemetery. We all loved the Haunted Mansion except for DS who at 5 is still not a big fan of ghosts. One disappointment was the refurbishment of the hitchhiking ghost area, instead of a projected ghost in your car they had mirrors hanging on the wall with the ghost hung on the mirror to look sort of like h was in the car with you. Heading over to Frontier Land we met Donald Duck in his coonskin cap and the sun was starting to shine through the thinning clouds. Near the Country Bears Show a musical hoe down was about to start with various characters and their CM’s. Clarabelle Cow grabbed DS as a dancing partner and they formed a huge circle with other characters (Horace Horsecollar, several country bears, Brer Bear, Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, Woody and Jessie) and kids. They danced to several songs hooting, hollering, clapping, and dancing for a fun filled time as the sun really started shining. Our next stop was Splash Mountain, with no wait, which was a fun time and we just got a little splash at the end. DW decided to sit out Big Thunder Mountain so the three of us walked on two times before deciding to visit the Main Street bakery to have some delicious snacks. After our tasty snacks we took the boat back to the WL to rent sea racers before the rain decided to return (it never did). We rented two racers for an hour and had a fantastic time. We were able to go all around Seven Seas Lagoon (Magic Kingdom, Polynesian, and GF area) and Bay Lake (Contemporary, FT Wilderness, and WL area). This was really fun for the entire family and I highly recommend trying it on your next visit, you don’t even have to be staying at one of the resorts mentioned above just take a bus, boat, or monorail there and rent one from the resort marina. Before heading back to the Magic Kingdom cooled off in the WL pool for some further relaxation. We eventually took the boat back to the Magic Kingdom just in time to catch the Dream Parade again and then visited with the Tangled cast the castle. While waiting to see Rapunzel I fetched two Dole Whip Floats on our snack plan, which were very good and hit the spot in the heat. Rapunzel asked DD if she had her own frying pan and knew how to use it! In Tomorrow Land we did the Indy 500 and People Mover before splitting up, DW & DD went on Carousel of Progress while DS and I got in line to meet Buzz. Back together again we went on Space Ranger Spin and Laughing Floor (always a good laugh) before we needed to find seats for the new castle show “Let the Memories Begin”. This show was amazing and though it was hard to recognize most of the projected photos from the day it was still a visual master piece from coloring the castle with crayons to the pictures blasting off on the castle like a rocket. We then headed down Main Street to do some shopping before going back to the WL to change before our final advanced dining reservation at Hoop Dee Do Revue. We took our favorite transportation (boat) over to Fort Wilderness and were let into the show about 10 minutes before the 9:30pm show was scheduled to start. DS was starting to fall asleep as we waited but woke up as we were getting ready to go inside. We were seated right by the center of the stage so I suppose reserving 180 days out does help in table location. The food and the show were excellent, the performers put on a great show, and the fried chicken and ribs were outstanding. Not sure if the boat was still running after 11pm, we decided to take the bus back to the WL and within 10 minutes we were back in our room and ready for bed.