Monday, June 30 was our day to do Animal Kingdom. None of the other members of our party had seen the park and my wife and I had given them some insight into it and told them that it was different than any of the other three main parks. We also told them that we wanted to get there at opening which we did. We left the CBR at 8:30 and by the time we arrived the park was minutes away from opening. The lines were backed up somewhat and we moved over to the left, again following advice and experience about advancing to the left in lines. Once inside the park made our way immmediately to the rear of the park and Kilamanjaro Safaris. The standby line wait was listed at 20 minutes and was pretty much on target. This proved to be another of those "magical experiences" due in no small part to the efforts of our driver Jasha. He was a very personable young man who seemed to really enjoy what he was doing and while you knew that he knew that you knew he was following a script it was special nonetheless. He put some personality into it and took time at several points to suggest that riders "look to the left" or "look to the right" as he pointed out various animals and birds who were out but would have probably been overlooked by many people otherwise. He was a great guide and a great representative of Animal Kingdom and moreover the "magic" that is part of the Disney experience. He followed his script yet included some spontaneity in his efforts. We have done KS on at least 3 other occasions and this was by far the most superior experience yet and this young man contributed considerably to that. There is also something to be said about getting to AK early...it adds a lot to this attraction in particular as the animals are out early for feeding and the experience is just different at that hour of the morning.
From there we made our way to Dinosaur and got a Fast Pass and while waiting for our return time we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We saw the tigers and the bats and admired the imagination and craftsmanship and efforts that went into putting this amazing park together. I know it sounds as though I'm lecturing and I'm not, but there are many small things to admire and appreciate at WDW and in Animal Kingdom, while it is not my favorite park, it is incredible what they did to make this thing come together. I took some time to look around at the plants and the construction as well as the animals. It's all part of the package and is to be appreciated. As noted previously, the big things are nice but those little things add up and contribute to the overall experience. It's a "smell the roses" thing I guess.
We made our way back over to Dinosaurus and it was the typical blast and Judy and I got a rush from the reactions of the other three members of our party. This is a great attraction and is particularly fun to ride with the "uninitiated". I marvel at the work the Imagineers on this attraction. They really put together something special and unique and something which is uniquely Disney.
We took standby on Tough to Be a Bug and had our longest wait in line all day, about 45 minutes. This was our last planned attraction for the day. I know there is more to do at AK, but truthfully we were not inclined to pursue some of the shows or parades. Perhaps on a future trip, but our plan was to hit the high points and to give the other members in our group a look at the park and be out by noon. As it was after stops in a couple of shops to do some basic "window shopping" we were out of the park by 12:30.
Our plan this day was to do AK in the morning and to take a resort tour in the afternoon. Judy and I enjoy visiting the other resorts and have come to include this as part of our "game plan", as much as visiting the theme parks. The resorts are also works of wonder and can give you an incredible rush. We had not see the AKL and made it first stop due to proximity. I have to confess to being a little less taken with this place than I anticipated. I did notice that they borrowed on the design of the WL. Don't get me wrong, it is a lovely hotel and incredible in its design and detail but I found it lacking the charm and "magic" of WL for example. After giving it a look we headed back to CBR and to the food court for some lunch and to regroup before resuming the resort tour. We made the Poly our first stop and most of our group agreed that this is probably the most attractive, most magical resort on the property. We've never stayed there but we visit there each time we go to WDW and have been to the Luau a few times but have not been in several years, opting instead for O'Hana's which was on our schedule again this year. There is something special about the Poly, it's look, it's location, its ambience, the shops, the restaraunts, even it's smell and it looks incredible at night. We rode the monorail over to the Grand Floridian and while we appreciate it and admire it's beauty it doesn't hold what the Poly holds for us. We did admire its size and scope as well as its beauty and its beaches and my wife's oldest sister, who was practically a "Disney Virgin" had never seen it and was struck by how truly big and expensive it must be...and as we know it is both. Next stop, Contemporary. The Contemporary has never been my favorite although I do appreciate its design and the novelty of the monorail running thru the middle of of it. We toured the shops and looked around the property and noted that the Florida sun and heat can be particularly tough on some of the buildings and the Contemporary shows its age, at least externally in some ways. It's a great place and I always enjoy visiting there and am glad that Chef Mickey's found a home there as we have always loved that restaraunt although it was not on our agenda this trip.
Left the Contemporary and headed back to the Poly where we got back in the van and made our way over to WL. This is one of the great resorts on Disney property. We all agreed that they did everything right on this one and the oldest sister, aka Disney Virgin proclaimed this to be her kind of place and we took her picture next to the Mickey Totem pole. This place seems to have a really laid back feel to it. The high ceiling in the lobby, the totems, the fireplace and the rocking chairs, the excellent view out to the pool and the general interior design and theme of this place makes you come away feeling good...even if you are not staying there which was the case with us.
We had never visited the Yacht and Beach Club but made it a point to this time and were certainly glad we did. We went to take in some ice cream at Beaches and Cream. One of our party members had designs on a "Kitchen Sink", but thought differently after seeing the size of the serving dish. So we all opted for ice cream on a smaller scale although they are quite generous in their servings and on this day we truly were on vacation as this served as our "dinner". Truly, we had ice cream from Beaches & Cream for dinner. We also took the opportunity to take some great photos of the resorts and surrounding properties. I'm at best a novice when it comes to photography but found that some great shots could be had from this vantage point and took full advantage of the opportunity. I shot a number of pictures and they by and large turned out great. This is something that I have not done enough of in years past and took it upon myself this time to shoot a lot of film and to use our digital camera in ways to best document this trip and to showcase the visual magic of WDW.
This proved to be a great day, memorable for a lot of reasons. From the spirit of the young man who was the driver on Kilimanjaro Safaris, to the ice cream at Beaches and Cream, the experience of the beauty of the various lodges to my wife's older sister (not the Disney virgin as this one has been previously) feeding the ducks at Yacht & Beach Club. The worst part of the day was the long wait at Tough to be a Bug and that was not all that bad, it has been worse at many other things many other times. What that tells you is that this trip was going very well indeed and something which would continue the following day at MK...a day you will truly not believe and a day which I will share in my next report.
Bill Yarbor
Haubstadt, Indiana
From there we made our way to Dinosaur and got a Fast Pass and while waiting for our return time we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We saw the tigers and the bats and admired the imagination and craftsmanship and efforts that went into putting this amazing park together. I know it sounds as though I'm lecturing and I'm not, but there are many small things to admire and appreciate at WDW and in Animal Kingdom, while it is not my favorite park, it is incredible what they did to make this thing come together. I took some time to look around at the plants and the construction as well as the animals. It's all part of the package and is to be appreciated. As noted previously, the big things are nice but those little things add up and contribute to the overall experience. It's a "smell the roses" thing I guess.
We made our way back over to Dinosaurus and it was the typical blast and Judy and I got a rush from the reactions of the other three members of our party. This is a great attraction and is particularly fun to ride with the "uninitiated". I marvel at the work the Imagineers on this attraction. They really put together something special and unique and something which is uniquely Disney.
We took standby on Tough to Be a Bug and had our longest wait in line all day, about 45 minutes. This was our last planned attraction for the day. I know there is more to do at AK, but truthfully we were not inclined to pursue some of the shows or parades. Perhaps on a future trip, but our plan was to hit the high points and to give the other members in our group a look at the park and be out by noon. As it was after stops in a couple of shops to do some basic "window shopping" we were out of the park by 12:30.
Our plan this day was to do AK in the morning and to take a resort tour in the afternoon. Judy and I enjoy visiting the other resorts and have come to include this as part of our "game plan", as much as visiting the theme parks. The resorts are also works of wonder and can give you an incredible rush. We had not see the AKL and made it first stop due to proximity. I have to confess to being a little less taken with this place than I anticipated. I did notice that they borrowed on the design of the WL. Don't get me wrong, it is a lovely hotel and incredible in its design and detail but I found it lacking the charm and "magic" of WL for example. After giving it a look we headed back to CBR and to the food court for some lunch and to regroup before resuming the resort tour. We made the Poly our first stop and most of our group agreed that this is probably the most attractive, most magical resort on the property. We've never stayed there but we visit there each time we go to WDW and have been to the Luau a few times but have not been in several years, opting instead for O'Hana's which was on our schedule again this year. There is something special about the Poly, it's look, it's location, its ambience, the shops, the restaraunts, even it's smell and it looks incredible at night. We rode the monorail over to the Grand Floridian and while we appreciate it and admire it's beauty it doesn't hold what the Poly holds for us. We did admire its size and scope as well as its beauty and its beaches and my wife's oldest sister, who was practically a "Disney Virgin" had never seen it and was struck by how truly big and expensive it must be...and as we know it is both. Next stop, Contemporary. The Contemporary has never been my favorite although I do appreciate its design and the novelty of the monorail running thru the middle of of it. We toured the shops and looked around the property and noted that the Florida sun and heat can be particularly tough on some of the buildings and the Contemporary shows its age, at least externally in some ways. It's a great place and I always enjoy visiting there and am glad that Chef Mickey's found a home there as we have always loved that restaraunt although it was not on our agenda this trip.
Left the Contemporary and headed back to the Poly where we got back in the van and made our way over to WL. This is one of the great resorts on Disney property. We all agreed that they did everything right on this one and the oldest sister, aka Disney Virgin proclaimed this to be her kind of place and we took her picture next to the Mickey Totem pole. This place seems to have a really laid back feel to it. The high ceiling in the lobby, the totems, the fireplace and the rocking chairs, the excellent view out to the pool and the general interior design and theme of this place makes you come away feeling good...even if you are not staying there which was the case with us.
We had never visited the Yacht and Beach Club but made it a point to this time and were certainly glad we did. We went to take in some ice cream at Beaches and Cream. One of our party members had designs on a "Kitchen Sink", but thought differently after seeing the size of the serving dish. So we all opted for ice cream on a smaller scale although they are quite generous in their servings and on this day we truly were on vacation as this served as our "dinner". Truly, we had ice cream from Beaches & Cream for dinner. We also took the opportunity to take some great photos of the resorts and surrounding properties. I'm at best a novice when it comes to photography but found that some great shots could be had from this vantage point and took full advantage of the opportunity. I shot a number of pictures and they by and large turned out great. This is something that I have not done enough of in years past and took it upon myself this time to shoot a lot of film and to use our digital camera in ways to best document this trip and to showcase the visual magic of WDW.
This proved to be a great day, memorable for a lot of reasons. From the spirit of the young man who was the driver on Kilimanjaro Safaris, to the ice cream at Beaches and Cream, the experience of the beauty of the various lodges to my wife's older sister (not the Disney virgin as this one has been previously) feeding the ducks at Yacht & Beach Club. The worst part of the day was the long wait at Tough to be a Bug and that was not all that bad, it has been worse at many other things many other times. What that tells you is that this trip was going very well indeed and something which would continue the following day at MK...a day you will truly not believe and a day which I will share in my next report.
Bill Yarbor
Haubstadt, Indiana