stephm0188
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2011
Make Like a Tree and Leave
The kid fell asleep in the stroller, so we let him nap a bit.
"Wait. Why is an almost 7 year old in a stroller?"
The kid has developmental delays and an issue called hypotonia, which is pretty much a fancy word for "low muscle tone." We're able to manage okay at home with our day to day routines with small adjustments, but Disney is a whole other ballgame.
He wasn't happy about the stroller. He was pretty embarrassed, actually, and even said "It's for babies!" But even he quickly gave in and asked to sit for much of the trip. It was just too physically demanding for him. I think he was embarrassed by some of the comments people sometimes made, but it can't be helped.
Back to Animal Kingdom...
He probably would have napped a little longer had we let him, but our Dinosaur FP+ window was opening up and I wanted him to have time to wake up and adjust.
I apparently didn't give him enough time to wake up, because he balked in line. He didn't just balk, he cried. So we asked to do a rider swap. This was our first time riding Dinosaur, and I LOVED it. I thought it was a lot of fun, and I knew the kid would love it if he gave it a chance. I met them outside and my husband went to ride. I told the kid that it was a "fun scary" ride, not a "scary scary" ride, and by the time the husband rejoined us, the kid had reconsidered and wanted to ride. We all went through the line again since it was only five minutes at that point. Final verdict? He liked it and said he was glad he rode.
Then he asked to ride Primevil Whirl one more time. You got it, kid. The line was short, so we gave it a quick spin (HA!).
After Primevil Whirl, it was time to head our separate ways. The guys were going to ride Kali River Rapids, and I was headed for Expedition Everest again. I had a great time.
The kid had a great time. He was smart enough to wear a poncho.
The husband was soaked. He did not have such a great time. Not sure why he didn't wear a poncho.
Unfortunately for him, he was going to have to be wet and uncomfortable. Our Boma reservation was a mere 40 minutes away, so we decided to bid farewell to Animal Kingdom and head to the bus stop.
On our way out, we passed a cast member at a kiosk who called out "See you later, alligator!"
We replied with "After awhile, crocodile."
And then he followed with "Better swish, tuna fish."
I admitted that I didn't have anything to respond with, so he said "Well then, you'd better make like a tree and LEAVE!"
We didn't wait long for a bus, and the kid and I were able to snag a seat for the ride to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Boma. This was my husband's request, and he was really looking forward to it.We waited just a few minutes to be seated. I'm not an adventurous eater, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Wow. I liked everything I tried, even if some of it seemed a bit odd. There was a peanut rice dish that tasted like eating rice and peanut butter together, but it was good. And the zebra domes! Oh, the zebra domes. I think I ate five. SO good.
When our bellies were full, we headed back out to the bus stop to head back to Wilderness Lodge. Epcot's bus was the first to arrive, so we boarded and transferred buses at the park. Lucky us! The bus for Wilderness Lodge had just arrived, so we were on our way back to our hotel with no waiting at all.