BrerSchultzy
09-23-2012, 10:17 PM
CAST:
Me - Drinking Airborne, Emergen-C and anything else that will keep me from getting the sick my family has.
DW (named Erin, by the way)- Starting to feel "not like death"
DS (Sam)- Still running a bit of a fever, but Disney fever is stronger.
DD (Zetta) - Teething. But still cute.
So, the morning of our second day, we have a fundamental shift in our regular Disney touring practices. See, I have become Mr. Arrive Early! EMH, especially morning EMH, has always been my friend. But a little voice in my head told me to avoid EMH this week. With MNSSHP shutting down MK a couple of nights this week, and the crowds being so light (and, I noticed, very Disney savvy), we decided to avoid any parks with EMH, morning or evening. See, we dont park hop...we have a baby and a 4 year old, and we don't really think hopping is worth the extra money. Today, Epcot had Morning EMH. So we decided to try Animal Kingdom.
One would think this level of paradigm shift would cause more of a reaction than "okay, did you get my coffee" from DW, but it didn't. Maybe I over-plan.
Two Nescafes later, we are on the bus to AK. We arrive at AK at 9:00 AM exactly, and we revel in our selection of parks. We felt like we had AK all to ourselves. DS did not want a stroller, so we walk together to KS. And we walked directly onto the Safari!
This might be a good time to point out that we've only ever gone in the summer. Hence my excitement about the lack of lines.
Anyway, we get on the Safari, and the row behind us is a Driver trainer and two other drivers getting pointers from the trainer. It was fascinating! I kept hearing the trainees ask if certain facts that our Driver was using were "approved facts". And the Trainer would interject some of his favorite facts to use. Quite frankly, I remember very little of what they said, but I got an inside scoop on two things I was curious about:
1. When we got to the Savannah, the grass was VERY overgrown (as has been mentioned in other posts) and the Tommies were not out (a disappointment to DS and myself, as they are our favorites). According to the Trainer, the Tommies are being released later in the day than other savannah animals, due to dietary restrictions. And the grass is overgrown in spots to add to the visual appeal of the Savannah. Apparently too much open space made the Safari look like other theme park safaris.
2. The Zebras enclosure is going to be a major deal, and should be mostly done by the end of the fall -- they recently removed all the plants that could be seen as dangerous to the Zebras.
Also, the Trainer mentioned something about the possibility of a permanent installation of the old night-time safari. I remember riding this the only time I've been down for Christmas, and thinking it was kind of neat, but there were so few animals. It'll be interesting to see how they pull this off.
Anyway, we left the Safari, and DW decided to take DS on ITTAB. Now, I don't do ITTAB. It gives me the heebie jeebies. So DD and I set out on a churro quest. These were both bad decisions. Turns out DS hates bugs as much as I do, and he begged to leave the show halfway through. And they don't open the churro carts until 10 AM, due to staffing restrictions.
Well, on their way back from ITTAB, DW and DS walked past Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore, and there was no line to meet them, so they got pictures with all three. This significantly improved DS's mood. As did the promise of games at Chester & Hesters, and anything he wanted from the gift shop (DW felt really bad about taking him on ITTAB).
We all rode Triceratop Spin, and played several Midway games (and won a Saber-Toothed Tiger, a blue bat with flames on his wings, and a chameleon....did I mention DW felt REALLY bad about ITTAB?). DS decided what he really wanted more than anything from the gift shop was a $5 T-rex toy. This kid is awesome.
Since we had never tried the Boneyard before, that's where we headed next. DS liked the slides, and he dug around the dig site for a little bit. My only problem with the Boneyard was the fact that we had to ditch our stroller at the entrance, then climb all those stairs and ramps to walk around, while carrying a sleeping infant. Oh well...I knew that Flame Tree BBQ was next, so I suffered in silence....well....almost silence. We also met a cast member who REALLY liked his job. He spent 10 minutes with our son in the dig site, telling him all about paleontology, then he turned on me, and told me about several famous paleontologists and archaeologists with beards (I have a beard, for the record...he wasn't just being weird).
Flame Tree BBQ can be summed up in one word....mmmfmmsmfsffhhphmmm. That's the sound you make when trying to talk there, because you can't stop shoving the food in your mouth. I had the pulled pork sandwich with fries and cole slaw, and the key-lime mousse for dessert. DW had the chicken and rib combo with baked beans, cole slaw and fries, and the chocolate mousse for dessert. We think DS had the hot dog, but it was gone so fast, we have no way of knowing. I will be thinking about this meal until the next time we go to WDW. It was our favorite. By a lot.
Now, it was time to cry. So we headed over to Finding Nemo. This is our favorite show in WDW....heck, it might be our favorite show anywhwere. We have the soundtrack, and listen to it constantly. "Go With the Flow" is our family theme song. Well, that and "Just Keep Swimming". DD slept the whole way through, and we met a very nice family from Alabama waiting for the show to start. We were right on the aisle, second row from the middle walkway. Great seats, and we walked right in 5 minutes prior to showtime. WE ARE NEVER COMING TO WDW ANY OTHER TIME EVER AGAIN. Anyway, it sounds like the guy playing Marlin is still the original Marlin, but most everyone else has changed over. (Interesting side note...the woman who plays Dory on the soundtrack is a former student of my choreographer from Once Upon a Mattress). This show is amazing. If you haven't seen it, you are missing out. Still gets both DW and I crying (especially Go With the Flow...sometimes all I have to do is look at DW and start singing "you're such an amazing kid...", and she'll hit me and pretend she didn't start crying).
After that, it was time for DW and I to hit up Everest! So we walked past to get FPs, and noticed that the standy for Everest at 1:30 PM was 5 MINUTES! We definitely chose the right park. So DW went on and I took the kids to the Baby Care Center. DS watched Pete's Dragon while DD ate to her heart's content (which, if you knew her, you'd know is a lot). DW returned after riding EE twice, and it was my turn. I went to the standby line, and walked right onto the ride. I still love this ride. Even though it's not what it once was. I do have to say, though, if they're going to stick with Disco Yeti, they should have T-shirts. I'd buy that in a second. I imagine it would be a Saturday Night Fever style logo, with the Yeti's head where John Travolta's head should be. Well, the train pulls into the station, and I figure, I'll walk around and ride again. NO NEED! There was no one waiting to board! So I rode again. :cloud9:
Headed back to Baby Care Center (after calling my dad to brag a little about the lack of crowds....sorry dad), got a pretzel (FINALLY!) and we made our way to see FOTLK. I hadn't seen this show in years, and DW had never seen it. With the chance of it disappearing for good, we knew this was a Must Do. We arrived 10 minutes before show time, and were in the third row. DW loved the show, as did DS (who is now a huge fan of "T-Bone and Pumba").
By this time, it was nearing 5 PM, which is when AK closed for the day. But we had packed a whole lot into that short day, so we happily headed back to POP. We decided to eat at the Food Court, then have an early evening. DW had the Mongolian Beef and I had the parmesan-encrusted chicken. Both were very VERY good (DW and I don't respect each other's plate boundaries, by the way....when we each order a meal, it is assumed that the other has just as much right to your plate as you do). Dessert consisted of ice cream sundaes!
An early night was just what we needed to get this sickness completely taken care of. DW took more Nyquil, DD got her tylenol, and DS got his medicine...as did daddy :beer: .
And then it happened. We were told at check-in that a certain channel had bed-time stories for kids from 6 PM to 10 PM. So we turned it on. And there he was. Duffy. Oh Disney Marketing!
By 8 PM, DW, DS and DD were asleep. DS dreaming of having his very own Duffy, of course. I headed back down to Petals for one more :beer:, where I met a family from outside of Mexico City who was here for a month. Their son had just started working in the Mexican pavilion, and they wanted to help him start his life here in Orlando. They might be the friendliest, happiest family I have ever met. They had never been to WDW, so I had fun giving them all my tips and tricks, and I pointed them to Intercot, of course!
So Day 2 was another huge success...and everyone started to get a little healthier. We would discover, on the trip home, that it was probably just the magic of WDW keeping the illness at bay...but it was worth it. Looking at the schedules, we decided that Day 3 would be Epcot...even though they had Evening EMH, we figured we'd be out before those crowds came in. And Epcot is where we added the newest member of our family....Duffy.
To be continued.
Me - Drinking Airborne, Emergen-C and anything else that will keep me from getting the sick my family has.
DW (named Erin, by the way)- Starting to feel "not like death"
DS (Sam)- Still running a bit of a fever, but Disney fever is stronger.
DD (Zetta) - Teething. But still cute.
So, the morning of our second day, we have a fundamental shift in our regular Disney touring practices. See, I have become Mr. Arrive Early! EMH, especially morning EMH, has always been my friend. But a little voice in my head told me to avoid EMH this week. With MNSSHP shutting down MK a couple of nights this week, and the crowds being so light (and, I noticed, very Disney savvy), we decided to avoid any parks with EMH, morning or evening. See, we dont park hop...we have a baby and a 4 year old, and we don't really think hopping is worth the extra money. Today, Epcot had Morning EMH. So we decided to try Animal Kingdom.
One would think this level of paradigm shift would cause more of a reaction than "okay, did you get my coffee" from DW, but it didn't. Maybe I over-plan.
Two Nescafes later, we are on the bus to AK. We arrive at AK at 9:00 AM exactly, and we revel in our selection of parks. We felt like we had AK all to ourselves. DS did not want a stroller, so we walk together to KS. And we walked directly onto the Safari!
This might be a good time to point out that we've only ever gone in the summer. Hence my excitement about the lack of lines.
Anyway, we get on the Safari, and the row behind us is a Driver trainer and two other drivers getting pointers from the trainer. It was fascinating! I kept hearing the trainees ask if certain facts that our Driver was using were "approved facts". And the Trainer would interject some of his favorite facts to use. Quite frankly, I remember very little of what they said, but I got an inside scoop on two things I was curious about:
1. When we got to the Savannah, the grass was VERY overgrown (as has been mentioned in other posts) and the Tommies were not out (a disappointment to DS and myself, as they are our favorites). According to the Trainer, the Tommies are being released later in the day than other savannah animals, due to dietary restrictions. And the grass is overgrown in spots to add to the visual appeal of the Savannah. Apparently too much open space made the Safari look like other theme park safaris.
2. The Zebras enclosure is going to be a major deal, and should be mostly done by the end of the fall -- they recently removed all the plants that could be seen as dangerous to the Zebras.
Also, the Trainer mentioned something about the possibility of a permanent installation of the old night-time safari. I remember riding this the only time I've been down for Christmas, and thinking it was kind of neat, but there were so few animals. It'll be interesting to see how they pull this off.
Anyway, we left the Safari, and DW decided to take DS on ITTAB. Now, I don't do ITTAB. It gives me the heebie jeebies. So DD and I set out on a churro quest. These were both bad decisions. Turns out DS hates bugs as much as I do, and he begged to leave the show halfway through. And they don't open the churro carts until 10 AM, due to staffing restrictions.
Well, on their way back from ITTAB, DW and DS walked past Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore, and there was no line to meet them, so they got pictures with all three. This significantly improved DS's mood. As did the promise of games at Chester & Hesters, and anything he wanted from the gift shop (DW felt really bad about taking him on ITTAB).
We all rode Triceratop Spin, and played several Midway games (and won a Saber-Toothed Tiger, a blue bat with flames on his wings, and a chameleon....did I mention DW felt REALLY bad about ITTAB?). DS decided what he really wanted more than anything from the gift shop was a $5 T-rex toy. This kid is awesome.
Since we had never tried the Boneyard before, that's where we headed next. DS liked the slides, and he dug around the dig site for a little bit. My only problem with the Boneyard was the fact that we had to ditch our stroller at the entrance, then climb all those stairs and ramps to walk around, while carrying a sleeping infant. Oh well...I knew that Flame Tree BBQ was next, so I suffered in silence....well....almost silence. We also met a cast member who REALLY liked his job. He spent 10 minutes with our son in the dig site, telling him all about paleontology, then he turned on me, and told me about several famous paleontologists and archaeologists with beards (I have a beard, for the record...he wasn't just being weird).
Flame Tree BBQ can be summed up in one word....mmmfmmsmfsffhhphmmm. That's the sound you make when trying to talk there, because you can't stop shoving the food in your mouth. I had the pulled pork sandwich with fries and cole slaw, and the key-lime mousse for dessert. DW had the chicken and rib combo with baked beans, cole slaw and fries, and the chocolate mousse for dessert. We think DS had the hot dog, but it was gone so fast, we have no way of knowing. I will be thinking about this meal until the next time we go to WDW. It was our favorite. By a lot.
Now, it was time to cry. So we headed over to Finding Nemo. This is our favorite show in WDW....heck, it might be our favorite show anywhwere. We have the soundtrack, and listen to it constantly. "Go With the Flow" is our family theme song. Well, that and "Just Keep Swimming". DD slept the whole way through, and we met a very nice family from Alabama waiting for the show to start. We were right on the aisle, second row from the middle walkway. Great seats, and we walked right in 5 minutes prior to showtime. WE ARE NEVER COMING TO WDW ANY OTHER TIME EVER AGAIN. Anyway, it sounds like the guy playing Marlin is still the original Marlin, but most everyone else has changed over. (Interesting side note...the woman who plays Dory on the soundtrack is a former student of my choreographer from Once Upon a Mattress). This show is amazing. If you haven't seen it, you are missing out. Still gets both DW and I crying (especially Go With the Flow...sometimes all I have to do is look at DW and start singing "you're such an amazing kid...", and she'll hit me and pretend she didn't start crying).
After that, it was time for DW and I to hit up Everest! So we walked past to get FPs, and noticed that the standy for Everest at 1:30 PM was 5 MINUTES! We definitely chose the right park. So DW went on and I took the kids to the Baby Care Center. DS watched Pete's Dragon while DD ate to her heart's content (which, if you knew her, you'd know is a lot). DW returned after riding EE twice, and it was my turn. I went to the standby line, and walked right onto the ride. I still love this ride. Even though it's not what it once was. I do have to say, though, if they're going to stick with Disco Yeti, they should have T-shirts. I'd buy that in a second. I imagine it would be a Saturday Night Fever style logo, with the Yeti's head where John Travolta's head should be. Well, the train pulls into the station, and I figure, I'll walk around and ride again. NO NEED! There was no one waiting to board! So I rode again. :cloud9:
Headed back to Baby Care Center (after calling my dad to brag a little about the lack of crowds....sorry dad), got a pretzel (FINALLY!) and we made our way to see FOTLK. I hadn't seen this show in years, and DW had never seen it. With the chance of it disappearing for good, we knew this was a Must Do. We arrived 10 minutes before show time, and were in the third row. DW loved the show, as did DS (who is now a huge fan of "T-Bone and Pumba").
By this time, it was nearing 5 PM, which is when AK closed for the day. But we had packed a whole lot into that short day, so we happily headed back to POP. We decided to eat at the Food Court, then have an early evening. DW had the Mongolian Beef and I had the parmesan-encrusted chicken. Both were very VERY good (DW and I don't respect each other's plate boundaries, by the way....when we each order a meal, it is assumed that the other has just as much right to your plate as you do). Dessert consisted of ice cream sundaes!
An early night was just what we needed to get this sickness completely taken care of. DW took more Nyquil, DD got her tylenol, and DS got his medicine...as did daddy :beer: .
And then it happened. We were told at check-in that a certain channel had bed-time stories for kids from 6 PM to 10 PM. So we turned it on. And there he was. Duffy. Oh Disney Marketing!
By 8 PM, DW, DS and DD were asleep. DS dreaming of having his very own Duffy, of course. I headed back down to Petals for one more :beer:, where I met a family from outside of Mexico City who was here for a month. Their son had just started working in the Mexican pavilion, and they wanted to help him start his life here in Orlando. They might be the friendliest, happiest family I have ever met. They had never been to WDW, so I had fun giving them all my tips and tricks, and I pointed them to Intercot, of course!
So Day 2 was another huge success...and everyone started to get a little healthier. We would discover, on the trip home, that it was probably just the magic of WDW keeping the illness at bay...but it was worth it. Looking at the schedules, we decided that Day 3 would be Epcot...even though they had Evening EMH, we figured we'd be out before those crowds came in. And Epcot is where we added the newest member of our family....Duffy.
To be continued.