Janmac
09-13-2012, 09:37 AM
The Epcot Flower & Garden Show DBF Cousins Amtrak POR VWL April Experiment
Thursday – Day 4
Cast of characters
>From Missouri – 15 – 22 April, Sunday to Sunday
Me – [ineffective] OCD planner
DH – my dear husband, almost immune to Disney magic
Eeyore - my dear sister
Tink - Eeyore's daughter
Pluto - Tink's 7 year old daughter
DBF – Tink's significant other & sorta newbie (visited almost 20 years ago as teen)
>From Illinois - 17 – 22 April, Tuesday to Sunday
Remy - my dear cousin
Pirate – Remy's DH
Wall-e – 7 yr old son of Remy & Pirate
The Plan:
AK with Tusker House breakfast, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Expedition Everest, Flametree BBQ for lunch, Boneyard and Dino possibly. Resort time, followed by Marrakesh at Morocco for supper, browsing Japan and the American Pavilion.
What really happened:
DH was still about the same. Didn't want to go to the doctor, didn't want to be fussed over, so I went to Animal Kingdom with Remy, Pirate and Wall-e. We waited awhile for the AK bus, with Wall-e again bouncing off the walls with excitement. Besides plenty of energy he had lots of questions. When will a bus come. What animals will we see.
When we got to Tusker House we didn't see the VWL folks anywhere. I got Tink on the phone - she said they were looking at the flamingos. We had passed the flamingos and completely missed Eeyore, Tink, DBF and Pluto. When they got to Tusker House we were seated in a different room from our two previous visits. This place is huge. Wall-e still couldn't figure out why Pluto is hugging all the characters and parading around the room with a musical instrument. We had a very outgoing waiter who got a major kick out of all of us having a daily schedule. I got more teasing with our waiter profusely praising various aspects (clip art, fonts, etc). Despite that, I still left him a decent tip as he kept our juice topped off and the plates cleared.
We had one of the best safari rides ever, from a photo op point of view. At any time we could see at least 2 other safari trucks on the road so our driver stopped often, to let the other vehicles move along. We saw plenty of animals – tho at this point I don't recall just what. Ostriches, lions, giraffes I remember for sure.
We wandered down toward Expedition Everest, stopping along the way for ice cream. The day was very warm, or perhaps that was partly the AK effect. While Eeyore, Tink and DBF went to ride EE and Pirate cooled on a shady bench, Pluto and I showed Remy and Wall-e the tigers on the Maharajah Jungle trek. We went in the exit I suppose, and around the corner to the tigers. The trail was crowded and hot but Remy and Wall-e got to see the tigers. This tiger habitat in the palace ruins is my favorite tiger exhibit. I don't know what the tigers think. When we got back to Pirate's bench I opened one of the Cool Off towelettes I had bought for the grab bags. Strong menthol odor but what a relief! I shared mine with Wall-e, as he was curious about it. Instructions say to hold on the neck for a few minutes and the cooling sensation will continue for awhile. Very refreshing little towel. Easier to manage than a cool pack.
Pluto again bailed on EE, so she, Wall-e and I went to Tricera Top Spin where I was allowed to ride in the back while Pluto and Wall-e managed the front. I also, finally, got to ride Primeval Whirl, since Remy agreed to go (Eeyore and Tink do no spinning). Pluto went along for the ride. Wonderful fun ride. Not as good as RnRC tho. We skipped the Boneyard and Dinosaur for lunch at Flame tree again. I like other AK counter service areas, like Pizzafari and Yak & Yeti, but FT has the best seating. We split up after lunch; I went to check on DH, Remy and family tried Kali River Rapids, where they got so drenched Remy said she was not getting wet the rest of the trip, and the VWL folks went back for a nap.
DH was sitting outside our room on a bench. He said he was tired of lying down and thought being outside for awhile would be good for him. At lunch Remy had been wondering if he had pneumonia. Since DH had a pneumonia shot six months ago in the fall, I thought that unlikely. DH figured he was well enough to try supper at Marrakesh so we all walked to the east bus stop for an Epcot bus.
We had a good supper here, with Wall-e beginning to think Disney entertainment was looking up. Pluto likes dancing with the belly dancer, along with several other little girls. We had good food but it seems as tho the menu choices were more limited than they had been. Eeyore says she always gets the lamb while Tink always gets the shish-kebob, so they're thinking maybe we'll skip Marrakesh on the next few trips. I can't recall if someone came out to talk about menu choices with Tink and Remy here. They were happy with their choices, either way.
Outside Morocco, DH had tired out enough to want to head back to Riverside. Pirate wanted to check out a game, so he volunteered to escort DH back to the resort. Slick way to get to get out of shuffling along World Showcase.
We were going do the American Adventure and walk along World Showcase. Somehow we wound up passing on the American Adventure. Probably we got sidetracked at the pin cart there – not the first time. We watched the model trains again and then went to Norway to do Maelstrom. This was a big hit with Remy and Wall-e so we rode again. My father and Remy's father are brothers. Three of their grandparents were born in Norway. So when we got off the ride, and despite their loud objections, we made Wall-e and Pluto sit and watch the movie. Nope, not boring at all. (Even tho actual Norwegians might feel the movie could stand updating.)
We left Epcot before Illuminations began, to avoid the bus crowds. Back at the resort, Remy and Wall-e cuddled on DH's bench and watched the last of the movie before going to bed. Tomorrow is Crystal Palace and Magic Kingdom.
Oops!
Just remembered we forgot to go to Japan for Remy to get a pearl. Oh well, she'll just have to go to WDW again!
Surprise:
Primeval Whirl. Wonderful, just-the-right-amount of spinning and dropping (I don't like dropping while Remy doesn't do spinning well). A whole lot of laughing out loud fun.
At the end of the day - While DH is not completely well, he is improving and got to eat supper with us. Pirate got to watch the game. Tink got to hang out with the flamingos awhile (yes, she has a plastic one in her yard). Eeyore got a nap. ;) We had good meals and great safari ride. It was a pretty good day.
Jan
Thursday – Day 4
Cast of characters
>From Missouri – 15 – 22 April, Sunday to Sunday
Me – [ineffective] OCD planner
DH – my dear husband, almost immune to Disney magic
Eeyore - my dear sister
Tink - Eeyore's daughter
Pluto - Tink's 7 year old daughter
DBF – Tink's significant other & sorta newbie (visited almost 20 years ago as teen)
>From Illinois - 17 – 22 April, Tuesday to Sunday
Remy - my dear cousin
Pirate – Remy's DH
Wall-e – 7 yr old son of Remy & Pirate
The Plan:
AK with Tusker House breakfast, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Expedition Everest, Flametree BBQ for lunch, Boneyard and Dino possibly. Resort time, followed by Marrakesh at Morocco for supper, browsing Japan and the American Pavilion.
What really happened:
DH was still about the same. Didn't want to go to the doctor, didn't want to be fussed over, so I went to Animal Kingdom with Remy, Pirate and Wall-e. We waited awhile for the AK bus, with Wall-e again bouncing off the walls with excitement. Besides plenty of energy he had lots of questions. When will a bus come. What animals will we see.
When we got to Tusker House we didn't see the VWL folks anywhere. I got Tink on the phone - she said they were looking at the flamingos. We had passed the flamingos and completely missed Eeyore, Tink, DBF and Pluto. When they got to Tusker House we were seated in a different room from our two previous visits. This place is huge. Wall-e still couldn't figure out why Pluto is hugging all the characters and parading around the room with a musical instrument. We had a very outgoing waiter who got a major kick out of all of us having a daily schedule. I got more teasing with our waiter profusely praising various aspects (clip art, fonts, etc). Despite that, I still left him a decent tip as he kept our juice topped off and the plates cleared.
We had one of the best safari rides ever, from a photo op point of view. At any time we could see at least 2 other safari trucks on the road so our driver stopped often, to let the other vehicles move along. We saw plenty of animals – tho at this point I don't recall just what. Ostriches, lions, giraffes I remember for sure.
We wandered down toward Expedition Everest, stopping along the way for ice cream. The day was very warm, or perhaps that was partly the AK effect. While Eeyore, Tink and DBF went to ride EE and Pirate cooled on a shady bench, Pluto and I showed Remy and Wall-e the tigers on the Maharajah Jungle trek. We went in the exit I suppose, and around the corner to the tigers. The trail was crowded and hot but Remy and Wall-e got to see the tigers. This tiger habitat in the palace ruins is my favorite tiger exhibit. I don't know what the tigers think. When we got back to Pirate's bench I opened one of the Cool Off towelettes I had bought for the grab bags. Strong menthol odor but what a relief! I shared mine with Wall-e, as he was curious about it. Instructions say to hold on the neck for a few minutes and the cooling sensation will continue for awhile. Very refreshing little towel. Easier to manage than a cool pack.
Pluto again bailed on EE, so she, Wall-e and I went to Tricera Top Spin where I was allowed to ride in the back while Pluto and Wall-e managed the front. I also, finally, got to ride Primeval Whirl, since Remy agreed to go (Eeyore and Tink do no spinning). Pluto went along for the ride. Wonderful fun ride. Not as good as RnRC tho. We skipped the Boneyard and Dinosaur for lunch at Flame tree again. I like other AK counter service areas, like Pizzafari and Yak & Yeti, but FT has the best seating. We split up after lunch; I went to check on DH, Remy and family tried Kali River Rapids, where they got so drenched Remy said she was not getting wet the rest of the trip, and the VWL folks went back for a nap.
DH was sitting outside our room on a bench. He said he was tired of lying down and thought being outside for awhile would be good for him. At lunch Remy had been wondering if he had pneumonia. Since DH had a pneumonia shot six months ago in the fall, I thought that unlikely. DH figured he was well enough to try supper at Marrakesh so we all walked to the east bus stop for an Epcot bus.
We had a good supper here, with Wall-e beginning to think Disney entertainment was looking up. Pluto likes dancing with the belly dancer, along with several other little girls. We had good food but it seems as tho the menu choices were more limited than they had been. Eeyore says she always gets the lamb while Tink always gets the shish-kebob, so they're thinking maybe we'll skip Marrakesh on the next few trips. I can't recall if someone came out to talk about menu choices with Tink and Remy here. They were happy with their choices, either way.
Outside Morocco, DH had tired out enough to want to head back to Riverside. Pirate wanted to check out a game, so he volunteered to escort DH back to the resort. Slick way to get to get out of shuffling along World Showcase.
We were going do the American Adventure and walk along World Showcase. Somehow we wound up passing on the American Adventure. Probably we got sidetracked at the pin cart there – not the first time. We watched the model trains again and then went to Norway to do Maelstrom. This was a big hit with Remy and Wall-e so we rode again. My father and Remy's father are brothers. Three of their grandparents were born in Norway. So when we got off the ride, and despite their loud objections, we made Wall-e and Pluto sit and watch the movie. Nope, not boring at all. (Even tho actual Norwegians might feel the movie could stand updating.)
We left Epcot before Illuminations began, to avoid the bus crowds. Back at the resort, Remy and Wall-e cuddled on DH's bench and watched the last of the movie before going to bed. Tomorrow is Crystal Palace and Magic Kingdom.
Oops!
Just remembered we forgot to go to Japan for Remy to get a pearl. Oh well, she'll just have to go to WDW again!
Surprise:
Primeval Whirl. Wonderful, just-the-right-amount of spinning and dropping (I don't like dropping while Remy doesn't do spinning well). A whole lot of laughing out loud fun.
At the end of the day - While DH is not completely well, he is improving and got to eat supper with us. Pirate got to watch the game. Tink got to hang out with the flamingos awhile (yes, she has a plastic one in her yard). Eeyore got a nap. ;) We had good meals and great safari ride. It was a pretty good day.
Jan