faline
05-25-2011, 05:58 PM
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Who: Gene & Me
Plan for the Day:
Animal Kingdom
Yak & Yeti for Lunch
Rose & Crown for Dinner
So….after I finished writing my trip notes this afternoon, I gathered up my Nook and moved out to the balcony where I watched giraffes, cranes and other critters on the Savannah in between reading.
A bit after 5, we got ourselves together and headed out to the bus stop. This is the evening where our good luck with transportation comes to an end. We end up waiting close to 20 minutes for the Epcot bus to arrive (We saw three Magic Kingdom busses during that time). A man and his wife had been waiting at the Downtown Disney stop as they wanted to go to Kidani and that is the only bus that does the reverse route and stops at Kidani after Jambo House. He walked by us rather upset saying he had been waiting for a bus for 35 minutes at that point. We told him to look for, or ask for, the Animal Kingdom Lodge Van at the front door and that would get him to Kidani. He thanked us and said he had been about to get a taxi. What we didn’t say was that he could have walked the distance in about 10 minutes.
Our bus arrived and deposited us at Epcot. We got through security without an issue but they only had a few turnstiles open and each one of them had a very long line to get into the park. We finally were admitted and took the walk towards the United Kingdom. Along the way, we stopped for a few photo pass pictures and, since we were still early for our 7:00 p.m. reservation, we stopped to see the flowers in the Canadian pavilion and also walked to the top of the hill after United Kingdom to visit the photopass photographer there.
We checked in shortly after 7 and, surprisingly were asked if we had a seating preference. I told them we would prefer to be seated on the patio and we were provided with a pager. We wandered through a few of the shops. We then entered the pub. It was cooler in there. We stood off in a corner for 15 minutes or so and watched folks come and go. We moved outside and hung out near the check-in desk for another 15 minutes or so. While there, we witnessed a number of folks approaching the desk and asking to be seated. They then moved away after being told they were taking only those with reservations. At one point, a woman inquired as to whether they could seat a party of 18 WITHOUT a reservation!! Not surprisingly, they were turned away. (Goodness, I would think if you were traveling with a party of 18, you would have made some prior arrangements – perhaps they connected with folks they knew and didn’t expect to see). We then decided to go and sit down in the little area for those who get a drink from the outside kiosk. No sooner had we seated ourselves when our pager buzzed.
When we turned our buzzer in, we headed down the patio and I had high hopes that our request was granted. But no, we turned indoors. Still, we threaded out way through the tables and were once again heading towards the back patio but, no, we stopped short and were seated at a table indoors, one table back from a window overlooking the patio. Oh well! I had already decided I would order more and stay had we been seated on the patio but, since we were seated indoors, we decided we would eat, leave, and head home.
That was when the horrid, but good, thing happened. A little girl seated only a few feet away from me began to scream. This was not whining, this was not a melt-down, this was not crying – this was a little girl letting out an ear splitting scream every 30 seconds or so. A few shushes from mom and dad did not deter this child. When traveling to Disney, I fully understand we will encounter children almost everywhere we go and not all of them will be on their best behavior. I can deal with whining, crying, even melt-downs. As unpleasant as it is, we’ve even dealt with children who had protein spills during dinner time. I know they don’t do it on purpose. However, I cannot enjoy a meal with a child in close proximity causing pain to my eardrums with high pitched shrieks. When our server stopped by our table to take our drink orders, I said I could not continue to sit there if the child continued to scream. He said he’d see what he could do about a change of table. I assumed we would just be reseated further away from the child. But, no, we were led to a lagoon side table on the patio! What a strange turn of events – a child’s behavior has now placed us in an ideal spot to view Illuminations which is now only 1-1/2 hours away!
Change of plans – we will order more and remain for Illuminations. I would likely have skipped appetizers had we remained indoors. Instead, we now order the cheese plate. Our server seems a bit harried but she’s quite sweet and patient. A large group of adults (probably 11 or so) are seated on the upper level of the patio and, at times, they are quite loud – but certainly not as loud as what we experienced when dining in France the other night and certainly not as distressing as the screams we escaped when we were reseated here. At one point, the gentleman sitting at the table just across from us leaves the table. His wife approaches our table and says that her husband has gone to complain to the manager about the loud group of folks. I tell Gene I can’t imagine they would do anything about the group – yes, they were a bit loud but they weren’t out of line in any way. And, besides, if they move the family across from us, they might lose their opportunity to see Illuminations from the patio – I later discovered they probably were not aware of Illuminations.
Anyway, following our appetizer, we ordered fish and chips though I was tempted to get the Sunday Roast (which is what I think it was billed on the menu). By time we finished that and ordered dessert, we were only 15 minutes away from Illuminations. The couple across from us began a conversation with a family at the table next to them. I think this is when they learned about Illuminations. After all, they had already completely settled their bill and it appeared they were ready to depart. After learning about the show, the man ordered a coffee and indicated he would pay cash for that (the rest of his meal was on the dining plan). Gene & I ordered coffees and dessert and enjoyed them simultaneously with a wonderful front row seat for Illuminations!
By the way, the large group on the second level left shortly before Illuminations began. The family with the screaming child came outdoors and sat at the table previously occupied by the large group to watch Illuminations.
Fortunately, the child was no longer screaming and, in fact, I could now see she was rather a very cute child!
When we finished our coffees, we wrapped up and headed out to World Showcase to walk to the bus stop. We sort of thought that things would be pretty cleared up by time we arrived at our bus stop but there was a very long line and a bus just leaving. While waiting for another bus to appear, I noticed a woman in line behind us wearing a shirt that said “Boston” on it. We began a conversation. They had moved from Massachusetts to North Carolina and were going to take the Keys to the Kingdom tour in the morning. They asked us what hotel we were staying at which I thought was a tad bit strange since we were standing in the Animal Kingdom Lodge line but I figured they were asking which of the buildings we were in so responded we were staying in Jambo House. The woman than stated they were staying at the All Star resort. I asked how she was going to get to All Stars from Animal Kingdom. She stated they were dropped off at that bus stop and understood they were to return to the same stop to get back to their resort. I told them that the bus just dropped off at whatever stop they were going to serve next. Another man in line interjected that they had friends staying at All Star and their stops were 13, 14 and 15 so this couple got out of line and went in search of their own bus stop. Another bus arrived after we waited 15 minutes or so. The last people allowed on board were the folks in front of us.
Oh well, that means we get seats on the next bus. Fortunately, the next bus did not take another 15 minutes but arrived just a few minutes after the bus that we didn’t fit on departed. I felt badly for several folks in scooters. They were in the regular line a row behind us. When I stated that scooters generally went to another area at the end of the loading line, each replied they had been told they would need to go through the regular line. I’m not sure who told them that but, by time they were seen, they were not able to get on our bus.
Once we got to Kidani, we were held up for several minutes when it was discovered that a family on board were trying to get to Pop Century and had boarded the wrong bus. While there, I also observed a family exiting another bus with a woman who appeared to be a grandmother carrying a balloon. I guess she didn’t get the memo about the prohibition against balloons at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I hope that didn’t result in too many tears for the little one for whom the balloon was intended!
It’s now 11:30 in the evening. I think I’m going to use the jetted tub once again and head off to bed. Tomorrow will be our last full day here as Thursday will be mainly a travel day.
Who: Gene & Me
Plan for the Day:
Animal Kingdom
Yak & Yeti for Lunch
Rose & Crown for Dinner
So….after I finished writing my trip notes this afternoon, I gathered up my Nook and moved out to the balcony where I watched giraffes, cranes and other critters on the Savannah in between reading.
A bit after 5, we got ourselves together and headed out to the bus stop. This is the evening where our good luck with transportation comes to an end. We end up waiting close to 20 minutes for the Epcot bus to arrive (We saw three Magic Kingdom busses during that time). A man and his wife had been waiting at the Downtown Disney stop as they wanted to go to Kidani and that is the only bus that does the reverse route and stops at Kidani after Jambo House. He walked by us rather upset saying he had been waiting for a bus for 35 minutes at that point. We told him to look for, or ask for, the Animal Kingdom Lodge Van at the front door and that would get him to Kidani. He thanked us and said he had been about to get a taxi. What we didn’t say was that he could have walked the distance in about 10 minutes.
Our bus arrived and deposited us at Epcot. We got through security without an issue but they only had a few turnstiles open and each one of them had a very long line to get into the park. We finally were admitted and took the walk towards the United Kingdom. Along the way, we stopped for a few photo pass pictures and, since we were still early for our 7:00 p.m. reservation, we stopped to see the flowers in the Canadian pavilion and also walked to the top of the hill after United Kingdom to visit the photopass photographer there.
We checked in shortly after 7 and, surprisingly were asked if we had a seating preference. I told them we would prefer to be seated on the patio and we were provided with a pager. We wandered through a few of the shops. We then entered the pub. It was cooler in there. We stood off in a corner for 15 minutes or so and watched folks come and go. We moved outside and hung out near the check-in desk for another 15 minutes or so. While there, we witnessed a number of folks approaching the desk and asking to be seated. They then moved away after being told they were taking only those with reservations. At one point, a woman inquired as to whether they could seat a party of 18 WITHOUT a reservation!! Not surprisingly, they were turned away. (Goodness, I would think if you were traveling with a party of 18, you would have made some prior arrangements – perhaps they connected with folks they knew and didn’t expect to see). We then decided to go and sit down in the little area for those who get a drink from the outside kiosk. No sooner had we seated ourselves when our pager buzzed.
When we turned our buzzer in, we headed down the patio and I had high hopes that our request was granted. But no, we turned indoors. Still, we threaded out way through the tables and were once again heading towards the back patio but, no, we stopped short and were seated at a table indoors, one table back from a window overlooking the patio. Oh well! I had already decided I would order more and stay had we been seated on the patio but, since we were seated indoors, we decided we would eat, leave, and head home.
That was when the horrid, but good, thing happened. A little girl seated only a few feet away from me began to scream. This was not whining, this was not a melt-down, this was not crying – this was a little girl letting out an ear splitting scream every 30 seconds or so. A few shushes from mom and dad did not deter this child. When traveling to Disney, I fully understand we will encounter children almost everywhere we go and not all of them will be on their best behavior. I can deal with whining, crying, even melt-downs. As unpleasant as it is, we’ve even dealt with children who had protein spills during dinner time. I know they don’t do it on purpose. However, I cannot enjoy a meal with a child in close proximity causing pain to my eardrums with high pitched shrieks. When our server stopped by our table to take our drink orders, I said I could not continue to sit there if the child continued to scream. He said he’d see what he could do about a change of table. I assumed we would just be reseated further away from the child. But, no, we were led to a lagoon side table on the patio! What a strange turn of events – a child’s behavior has now placed us in an ideal spot to view Illuminations which is now only 1-1/2 hours away!
Change of plans – we will order more and remain for Illuminations. I would likely have skipped appetizers had we remained indoors. Instead, we now order the cheese plate. Our server seems a bit harried but she’s quite sweet and patient. A large group of adults (probably 11 or so) are seated on the upper level of the patio and, at times, they are quite loud – but certainly not as loud as what we experienced when dining in France the other night and certainly not as distressing as the screams we escaped when we were reseated here. At one point, the gentleman sitting at the table just across from us leaves the table. His wife approaches our table and says that her husband has gone to complain to the manager about the loud group of folks. I tell Gene I can’t imagine they would do anything about the group – yes, they were a bit loud but they weren’t out of line in any way. And, besides, if they move the family across from us, they might lose their opportunity to see Illuminations from the patio – I later discovered they probably were not aware of Illuminations.
Anyway, following our appetizer, we ordered fish and chips though I was tempted to get the Sunday Roast (which is what I think it was billed on the menu). By time we finished that and ordered dessert, we were only 15 minutes away from Illuminations. The couple across from us began a conversation with a family at the table next to them. I think this is when they learned about Illuminations. After all, they had already completely settled their bill and it appeared they were ready to depart. After learning about the show, the man ordered a coffee and indicated he would pay cash for that (the rest of his meal was on the dining plan). Gene & I ordered coffees and dessert and enjoyed them simultaneously with a wonderful front row seat for Illuminations!
By the way, the large group on the second level left shortly before Illuminations began. The family with the screaming child came outdoors and sat at the table previously occupied by the large group to watch Illuminations.
Fortunately, the child was no longer screaming and, in fact, I could now see she was rather a very cute child!
When we finished our coffees, we wrapped up and headed out to World Showcase to walk to the bus stop. We sort of thought that things would be pretty cleared up by time we arrived at our bus stop but there was a very long line and a bus just leaving. While waiting for another bus to appear, I noticed a woman in line behind us wearing a shirt that said “Boston” on it. We began a conversation. They had moved from Massachusetts to North Carolina and were going to take the Keys to the Kingdom tour in the morning. They asked us what hotel we were staying at which I thought was a tad bit strange since we were standing in the Animal Kingdom Lodge line but I figured they were asking which of the buildings we were in so responded we were staying in Jambo House. The woman than stated they were staying at the All Star resort. I asked how she was going to get to All Stars from Animal Kingdom. She stated they were dropped off at that bus stop and understood they were to return to the same stop to get back to their resort. I told them that the bus just dropped off at whatever stop they were going to serve next. Another man in line interjected that they had friends staying at All Star and their stops were 13, 14 and 15 so this couple got out of line and went in search of their own bus stop. Another bus arrived after we waited 15 minutes or so. The last people allowed on board were the folks in front of us.
Oh well, that means we get seats on the next bus. Fortunately, the next bus did not take another 15 minutes but arrived just a few minutes after the bus that we didn’t fit on departed. I felt badly for several folks in scooters. They were in the regular line a row behind us. When I stated that scooters generally went to another area at the end of the loading line, each replied they had been told they would need to go through the regular line. I’m not sure who told them that but, by time they were seen, they were not able to get on our bus.
Once we got to Kidani, we were held up for several minutes when it was discovered that a family on board were trying to get to Pop Century and had boarded the wrong bus. While there, I also observed a family exiting another bus with a woman who appeared to be a grandmother carrying a balloon. I guess she didn’t get the memo about the prohibition against balloons at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I hope that didn’t result in too many tears for the little one for whom the balloon was intended!
It’s now 11:30 in the evening. I think I’m going to use the jetted tub once again and head off to bed. Tomorrow will be our last full day here as Thursday will be mainly a travel day.