Cast of characters:
See previous posts
Story:
Well needless to say, after the lack of lines at Epcot, we were looking forward to the Animal Kingdom. We were expecting that the crowds may be slightly larger due to it being a new theme park and all...but let me start at the beginning.
We got up rather early (around 6:00 or so) to get to the theme park early. After showering, getting dressed etc.., we went to the Cotton Mill Food Court to grab breakfast. Anyone who has stayed or visited the Dixie Landings resort knows that the BoatWright's restaurant is located right next door. As we passed the restaurant, my wife suggested making PS's for later on in the evening. So we inquired at the desk...and presto!!!...we had PS's for 6pm that evening
. The lady said that the restaurant usually isn't too busy at that time but the PS's were a good idea just in case.
So we grabbed a couple of pastries and juices before we went out to the bus. I should point out that it is a joke with me and my wife that we always seem to miss buses back home when we are going out somewhere. We leave the apartment, go out to the street...and watch our bus driving away. Here in WDW, that never happened. We were out at the bus depot for a couple of minutes...and look what drives up...our bus to the Animal Kingdom.
So off we went! The ride was uneventful...we saw the road that leads to the new Animal Kingdom Lodges being built by the Animal Kingdom...from what I saw, it looks pretty impressive.
We arrived at the park at around 7:00. The other people there were going in early for the character breakfast which wasn't a part of our plans. I got a couple of hot chocolates for us (it was still a bit chilly out) while my wife browsed the souvenir shops outside the gates. We got in line in front of one of the turnstiles and chatted with other guest and cast members to pass the time.
By 8:00, the lines were getting long behind us (it pays to get there early) as the characters started coming out for park opening. Seeing Mickey, Minnie, and the other Lion King/Jungle Book characters was pretty cool!
The first stop was the Safari ride which completely blew us away. The only thing that didn't make us think we were in Africa was the chilly weather! I think we used one roll of film on that attraction alone. We originally were planning to go to the Kali River Rapids next but it was too cold for that. We then went to Dinosaur (formerly known as Countdown to Extinction)...no wait...and a cool ride to boot. It scared the life out of my wife but she really enjoyed it.
We then headed back towards the Tree of Life to catch the "It's tough to be a Bug" attraction. No real lineup here at all! We took our time walking through looking at the carvings in the tree. Nice attention to detail...we were very impressed. The bug movie was very cool. It freaked my wife out when she felt bugs crawling underneath her seat.
So we had the major rides done and it wasn't even 10:00 yet!!!! My wife wanted to head over to Camp Mickey to see some of the characters so we went there next. We got our picture taken with Pluto and Goofy but no Donald around (*sigh*). We then decided to take in the Festival of the Lion King show as they were starting to admit people. Catch this show if you can....it was fantastic!!
We decided to head back to near the Harambe village to check out the Pangini forest Exploration Trail but decided to get something to eat first. Near the bridge was a food stand selling chicken nachos which were really good.
The trail was really interesting...I personally got a kick out of the gorillas. One gorilla in particular wasn't being very photogenic. He would look at people, but when they took out their camera, he would turn their backs to them! Talk about being a tease!
We then took the train over to Conservation Station and toured the exhibits over there for a while. The crowds were very small and we had no trouble touring the place. We went to the petting zoo they had there for a look. It seems that everytime I would bend down to pet a sheep, he would casually walk away...my wife found that funny!
We then went back to the main park for some shopping and to explore the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Unfortunately, the tigers were not very active. My wife was a little freaked out by the bats hanging around but a parrot later on did a better job at that. I say that because when we were in the bird sanctuary, a parrot decided that it would be a cool idea to try to hit my wife's head as he flew past. My poor wife let out a yelp as she just ducked underneath this kamakaze parrot. This was my chance to laugh at her after the sheep incident I had.
By this time, it was around 1:00 so we decided to head back to the resort for some swimming/r&r. We headed back to the main gate to see a bunch of characters around and who was there???????? Donald himself...my idol. After waiting for all the kids to have their turn, I got my picture with him
. I guess we are all kids at heart!!!
We went for a swim at the resort for a while and then, after getting changed, decided to explore the walking trails around the resort for awhile. This resort is really amazing with all of the flowers and such. I could see my father now, just spending hours looking at all the horticulture done.
It was now time for our PS reservation at Boatwright's. After this meal, it was safe to say that we could ignore the restaurant portion of the Unofficial Guide. The food and service was excellent. My wife had the filet mignon special while I had the porterhouse special. I was joking with my wife that the service is too efficient...you just finish the appetizer and they bring the main courses. I liked the atmosphere/decor of Boatwright's as well.
After dinner, we caught the boat heading to Downtown Disney. We had a pretty funny driver who did commentary all along the ride..."There is not much to show right here...all you can see on the right is dark...". The Disney Institute looks pretty impressive. I may check that out one of these years.
We are not the big club fans, so we pretty much hung around the Disney Marketplace and did some souvenir/candy shopping before getting the bus back to the resort. Downtown Disney looks pretty cool when you approach it by boat with the lights and all.
All in all, it was a great day with little to no lineups despite what looks to be a lot of people around.
Next day: MGM Studios
See previous posts
Story:
Well needless to say, after the lack of lines at Epcot, we were looking forward to the Animal Kingdom. We were expecting that the crowds may be slightly larger due to it being a new theme park and all...but let me start at the beginning.
We got up rather early (around 6:00 or so) to get to the theme park early. After showering, getting dressed etc.., we went to the Cotton Mill Food Court to grab breakfast. Anyone who has stayed or visited the Dixie Landings resort knows that the BoatWright's restaurant is located right next door. As we passed the restaurant, my wife suggested making PS's for later on in the evening. So we inquired at the desk...and presto!!!...we had PS's for 6pm that evening
. The lady said that the restaurant usually isn't too busy at that time but the PS's were a good idea just in case.So we grabbed a couple of pastries and juices before we went out to the bus. I should point out that it is a joke with me and my wife that we always seem to miss buses back home when we are going out somewhere. We leave the apartment, go out to the street...and watch our bus driving away. Here in WDW, that never happened. We were out at the bus depot for a couple of minutes...and look what drives up...our bus to the Animal Kingdom.
So off we went! The ride was uneventful...we saw the road that leads to the new Animal Kingdom Lodges being built by the Animal Kingdom...from what I saw, it looks pretty impressive.
We arrived at the park at around 7:00. The other people there were going in early for the character breakfast which wasn't a part of our plans. I got a couple of hot chocolates for us (it was still a bit chilly out) while my wife browsed the souvenir shops outside the gates. We got in line in front of one of the turnstiles and chatted with other guest and cast members to pass the time.
By 8:00, the lines were getting long behind us (it pays to get there early) as the characters started coming out for park opening. Seeing Mickey, Minnie, and the other Lion King/Jungle Book characters was pretty cool!
The first stop was the Safari ride which completely blew us away. The only thing that didn't make us think we were in Africa was the chilly weather! I think we used one roll of film on that attraction alone. We originally were planning to go to the Kali River Rapids next but it was too cold for that. We then went to Dinosaur (formerly known as Countdown to Extinction)...no wait...and a cool ride to boot. It scared the life out of my wife but she really enjoyed it.
We then headed back towards the Tree of Life to catch the "It's tough to be a Bug" attraction. No real lineup here at all! We took our time walking through looking at the carvings in the tree. Nice attention to detail...we were very impressed. The bug movie was very cool. It freaked my wife out when she felt bugs crawling underneath her seat.
So we had the major rides done and it wasn't even 10:00 yet!!!! My wife wanted to head over to Camp Mickey to see some of the characters so we went there next. We got our picture taken with Pluto and Goofy but no Donald around (*sigh*). We then decided to take in the Festival of the Lion King show as they were starting to admit people. Catch this show if you can....it was fantastic!!
We decided to head back to near the Harambe village to check out the Pangini forest Exploration Trail but decided to get something to eat first. Near the bridge was a food stand selling chicken nachos which were really good.
The trail was really interesting...I personally got a kick out of the gorillas. One gorilla in particular wasn't being very photogenic. He would look at people, but when they took out their camera, he would turn their backs to them! Talk about being a tease!
We then took the train over to Conservation Station and toured the exhibits over there for a while. The crowds were very small and we had no trouble touring the place. We went to the petting zoo they had there for a look. It seems that everytime I would bend down to pet a sheep, he would casually walk away...my wife found that funny!
We then went back to the main park for some shopping and to explore the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Unfortunately, the tigers were not very active. My wife was a little freaked out by the bats hanging around but a parrot later on did a better job at that. I say that because when we were in the bird sanctuary, a parrot decided that it would be a cool idea to try to hit my wife's head as he flew past. My poor wife let out a yelp as she just ducked underneath this kamakaze parrot. This was my chance to laugh at her after the sheep incident I had.
By this time, it was around 1:00 so we decided to head back to the resort for some swimming/r&r. We headed back to the main gate to see a bunch of characters around and who was there???????? Donald himself...my idol. After waiting for all the kids to have their turn, I got my picture with him
. I guess we are all kids at heart!!!We went for a swim at the resort for a while and then, after getting changed, decided to explore the walking trails around the resort for awhile. This resort is really amazing with all of the flowers and such. I could see my father now, just spending hours looking at all the horticulture done.
It was now time for our PS reservation at Boatwright's. After this meal, it was safe to say that we could ignore the restaurant portion of the Unofficial Guide. The food and service was excellent. My wife had the filet mignon special while I had the porterhouse special. I was joking with my wife that the service is too efficient...you just finish the appetizer and they bring the main courses. I liked the atmosphere/decor of Boatwright's as well.
After dinner, we caught the boat heading to Downtown Disney. We had a pretty funny driver who did commentary all along the ride..."There is not much to show right here...all you can see on the right is dark...". The Disney Institute looks pretty impressive. I may check that out one of these years.
We are not the big club fans, so we pretty much hung around the Disney Marketplace and did some souvenir/candy shopping before getting the bus back to the resort. Downtown Disney looks pretty cool when you approach it by boat with the lights and all.
All in all, it was a great day with little to no lineups despite what looks to be a lot of people around.
Next day: MGM Studios
