You: Really, Brifraz?
You: Another freaking trip report??
You: Are you seriously going to claim to be Live???
You: Why???
Me:
You: Another freaking trip report??
You: Are you seriously going to claim to be Live???
You: Why???
Me:
-
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Trip Report Back Again, Already?
- Thread starter brifraz
- Start date
Sounds like you are having a fantastic day… the only exciting I did today was go downstairs to the grocery store (because teleworking was definitely not exciting
Sometimes the grocery store is very exciting!! We are about to head to Studios for some BBQ with the toys.
lindawdw
Well-Known Member
After that long drive to WDW, it amazed me that you stayed awake as long as you did and got done so much around the parks! I can't believe how empty the MK and Epcot look today. We brought our daughters to WDW during the 4th of July week in 1993 and 1995 and the parks were absolutely packed despite the incredibly HOT temperatures!! Have fun at DHS tonight!
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Fully expected it to be crazy today. But not at all. This is our 4th or 5th time here for 4th of July and (so far) the least crowded.
Wow, a whole 7 hours between posts... I'm slacking!! Let's get ourselves to Studios for that 4pm Roundup Rodeo BBQ. Didn't get a whole lot of pictures of the dinner. If you haven't seen pictures, just think big baskets of meat and bowls of sides. It was all good, nothing terribly special (I did get the plant based basket to try those options as well). Not an issue, but a concern... with the family style meals at Akershus and Garden Grill, they do a pretty good job of just bringing you enough for a couple people and then you can ask for more. The amount of food we got was MORE than enough for at least 4 people. The meat basket basket that the girls got had 4 slices of brisket, 4 pork ribs, 4 pieces of chicken and a rolled sausage. PLUS we had the bowls of potato barrels, mac and cheese, 6 half corn cobs, 6 biscuits, and cole slaw. And then I had the meatless basket (much more reasonable than the meat one) with one 'fake' rib, one 'fake' sausage, and the BBQ cauliflower. We just felt bad with the amount wasted - I'd much rather they brought less and you could ask for some additional. However, in the Disney universe it was definitely a good deal for the price. Here's the cheddar biscuits, the desserts, and the Bo Peep room in general.
After getting very full, we had a general use Lightning Lane from last night's Mickey Minnie breakdown. After some debate about where to go and what to do, we decided to split up so the girls could do Rockin' Roller Coaster and see how the refurb had gone and I took a slightly easier approach (for my full stomach).
Really, I just love hanging out with this guy as he sings his happy little bass notes!!
After that we strolled through some shops and then headed out to get to Disney Springs in time to have a fun beverage and then find a good spot for the drone show.
Fun drinks!
Waiting in line to access the viewing area!
Our spot to watch the show!
Check, check, and check. Now it's just a matter of waiting for an hour for the show itself.
After getting very full, we had a general use Lightning Lane from last night's Mickey Minnie breakdown. After some debate about where to go and what to do, we decided to split up so the girls could do Rockin' Roller Coaster and see how the refurb had gone and I took a slightly easier approach (for my full stomach).
Really, I just love hanging out with this guy as he sings his happy little bass notes!!
After that we strolled through some shops and then headed out to get to Disney Springs in time to have a fun beverage and then find a good spot for the drone show.
Fun drinks!
Waiting in line to access the viewing area!
Our spot to watch the show!
Check, check, and check. Now it's just a matter of waiting for an hour for the show itself.
Gotta get to sleep and sleep fast - early morning wake-up to head to Animal Kingdom for early half hour and then a few hours of touring. Then our daughter does have to get to work - otherwise cars will just wander around Epcot without knowing how to park themselves!!! And we will meet up with her later in Epcot for 4th of July fireworks. See you there!!
Arrived at AK parking about 7:15am and headed right to Flight of Passage. About 25 minutes in line total. Now waiting for our safari vehicle (maybe 7 minutes and most of that was walking through the queue).
ajrwdwgirl
Premium Member
Have a wild Animal Kingdom day! I hope there is a trip to the Nomad Lounge planned for today.
No Nomad today - as much as we LOVE it there. Just an early morning visit and then we bailed out... but that's a spoiler - the full story is below!!
Sorry to leave you hanging in the Kilimanjaro Safari queue! We had a good safari, although our driver guide seemed to be only a couple seconds from falling asleep the entire time. Saw lots of friends out and about - methinks before the real heat sets in - and the lion was on full 'look at me' display. Of course, here are some pictures!!
Do people in Africa ride the safari and think "big deal, it's a cow" while we take 50 pictures of these guys??
Didn't get pictures, but there was some elephant playing as we got close to the flamingos. This guy was a bit earlier and being super photogenic.
And, the aforementioned lion out on full display (also notice his lady friend lying down behind him).
After the safari was done, we once again decided to divide and conquer. The girls needed their Expedition Everest fix and I just wanted to check out some animals. So they headed that way and I stuck around for a walk through Gorilla Falls.
Right behind the safari exit, the male gorillas were out and about, enjoying some breakfast and a little playtime as well.
Rufus!!
A couple hippos enjoying the fact that they aren't out in the heat.
The family group of gorillas in the back were just hanging out. Although one of the youngsters was definitely having a good time playing in sand and with branches - but not in a great spot for pictures, sadly.
Meanwhile... in Asia...
Do people in Africa ride the safari and think "big deal, it's a cow" while we take 50 pictures of these guys??
Didn't get pictures, but there was some elephant playing as we got close to the flamingos. This guy was a bit earlier and being super photogenic.
And, the aforementioned lion out on full display (also notice his lady friend lying down behind him).
After the safari was done, we once again decided to divide and conquer. The girls needed their Expedition Everest fix and I just wanted to check out some animals. So they headed that way and I stuck around for a walk through Gorilla Falls.
Right behind the safari exit, the male gorillas were out and about, enjoying some breakfast and a little playtime as well.
Rufus!!
A couple hippos enjoying the fact that they aren't out in the heat.
The family group of gorillas in the back were just hanging out. Although one of the youngsters was definitely having a good time playing in sand and with branches - but not in a great spot for pictures, sadly.
Meanwhile... in Asia...
Following their ride and my walk through the jungle-ish, we met up near the bird show theater. It was still far too early for a show, but got some good bird entertainment anyway!
I must say, every time I see Kevin out and about, I am quite impressed and entertained. In terms of 'streetmosphere' which has been sadly in decline for a while, this is a homerun.
Our team was only all together for a brief moment as our daughter had an afternoon shift of making Epcot parking safer for everyone, so we said farewell to her and then headed back to check in with our tiger friends in the Maharaja trek. Even though both tigers were curled up asleep in the shade, we still had a good time on the walk. And, managed to stop for a few 'artsy' pictures!
We were getting kind of done with Animal Kingdom for the day, but needed to stick around until 10:30am to pick up the specialty cupcake at Pizzafari, so we decided to just take a leisurely walk along the (often empty and far too often skipped over) pathway in front of the tree of life. As usual, we saw only a couple other people along the entire path. The lemurs were not out and the kangaroos were being terribly un-photogenic, so we just stopped to get pictures of the tree and the surrounding area.
By the time we found ourselves on the other side of the Tree of Life, it was after 10:30am, so we grabbed this little buddy...
...and then headed out of the park. Back to Old Key West for an afternoon of resting, relaxing, and enjoying all that the Gurgling Suitcase has to offer. I know I've done sales pitches for OKW and the Suitcase in many of these trip reports, but once again I will put in a good word. We sat at the tiny little bar and made friends with quite a few new people as well as seeing a few that we've known for years. Roberto (certainly in the running for best bartender on site) treated us great, as always, and we enjoyed a couple hours of respite.
I must say, every time I see Kevin out and about, I am quite impressed and entertained. In terms of 'streetmosphere' which has been sadly in decline for a while, this is a homerun.
Our team was only all together for a brief moment as our daughter had an afternoon shift of making Epcot parking safer for everyone, so we said farewell to her and then headed back to check in with our tiger friends in the Maharaja trek. Even though both tigers were curled up asleep in the shade, we still had a good time on the walk. And, managed to stop for a few 'artsy' pictures!
We were getting kind of done with Animal Kingdom for the day, but needed to stick around until 10:30am to pick up the specialty cupcake at Pizzafari, so we decided to just take a leisurely walk along the (often empty and far too often skipped over) pathway in front of the tree of life. As usual, we saw only a couple other people along the entire path. The lemurs were not out and the kangaroos were being terribly un-photogenic, so we just stopped to get pictures of the tree and the surrounding area.
By the time we found ourselves on the other side of the Tree of Life, it was after 10:30am, so we grabbed this little buddy...
...and then headed out of the park. Back to Old Key West for an afternoon of resting, relaxing, and enjoying all that the Gurgling Suitcase has to offer. I know I've done sales pitches for OKW and the Suitcase in many of these trip reports, but once again I will put in a good word. We sat at the tiny little bar and made friends with quite a few new people as well as seeing a few that we've known for years. Roberto (certainly in the running for best bartender on site) treated us great, as always, and we enjoyed a couple hours of respite.
In case you were wondering what respite in the Gurgling Suitcase looks like to us? It's a Turtle Krawl and a pint of the Sunset Amber.
Every time, and usually more than once per time!! We also got the pulled pork nachos, which have changed quite a bit in recent years but are still quite delicious. And then continued our terribly healthy lunch with some friend pickles. Much to everyone's entertainment (and alarm), the hot dog eating contests were on the TVs in there... and we all watched... couldn't look away... so disturbing... so alarming... still watching...
Back at the room now for a little nap before heading over to Epcot to meet up with our daughter.
Every time, and usually more than once per time!! We also got the pulled pork nachos, which have changed quite a bit in recent years but are still quite delicious. And then continued our terribly healthy lunch with some friend pickles. Much to everyone's entertainment (and alarm), the hot dog eating contests were on the TVs in there... and we all watched... couldn't look away... so disturbing... so alarming... still watching...
Back at the room now for a little nap before heading over to Epcot to meet up with our daughter.
Afraid I'm going to leave you hanging for a bit... just a bit overtired and sore to stay up to post!!
Tomorrow we are doing a fun four parks, see how many attractions you can do, challenge set-up on one of the Disney Moms Panel hopefuls Facebook pages. I'll try to do some posting throughout the day, but tonight's recap and fireworks pictures are going to have to wait a bit. (short version... it rained a lot, then it stopped, Epcot was packed, fireworks happened)
Tomorrow we are doing a fun four parks, see how many attractions you can do, challenge set-up on one of the Disney Moms Panel hopefuls Facebook pages. I'll try to do some posting throughout the day, but tonight's recap and fireworks pictures are going to have to wait a bit. (short version... it rained a lot, then it stopped, Epcot was packed, fireworks happened)
Alright, it's 6:18am. I've got about 25 minutes until we are trying to get out the door... let's see what I can get done for you!!
We left our room at Old Key West at about 5pm, just a first few tentative raindrops began to fall. By the time we got to the front of the resort, it was a complete downpour. My wipers couldn't keep up. So, we VERY SLOWLY drove over to Epcot (pretty sure the fastest cars out there were going about 20mph on Epcot Center Drive) and did a little self parking. It was a bit chaotic because my daughter and her crew were not out in the storm!!! We needed them!!! Sat in the car for a few minutes, getting ponchos on and hoping for some break in the torrent. After about 10 minutes, it lightened up a tiny bit and we saw the tram pulling up, so we went for it. Not our daughter driving or spieling on the tram, but they got us to the park just fine and we went over to visit all the parking folks hiding out under the ticketing area canopy. Chatted with them for a few minutes and then headed on in. Much to our surprise, we walked right onto...
Yup, thanking the Phoenicians time! And who can forget the Arab and Jewish scholars saving the day?
If it wasn't for them, no explosion of art and music!
Suddenly, the whole world is becoming connected!
And, as we all know. It's truly thanks to one person and one person only.
All of this obviously made us quite happy...
No surprise, the post ride area was packed with people trying to stay dry. But we just headed out and were happy to find that the rain had lightened up considerably. And we had a little time before our daughter got off work (or finished her time standing outside under an awning). So we did a little exploring and just wandered our way back toward France. Knowing that post-work, our daughter would be very hungry, we got one of her favorite dishes in all of Epcot - the Brie au Pommes sandwich in the Boulangerie. By the time we got back there, the rain had just about stopped and the lines had just about become insane as everyone got back out and about. So, we hopped into line (stretching all through the gift shop) and waited to order. Meanwhile, our daughter got off work.
In a bit of a chaotic plan, I was going to meet her up front of park and get her work stuff from her because our car was significantly easier to get to than hers in CM parking, so I hoofed it back to the front of park and we met up. She headed back to meet @MeffysMom and get some nourishment while I headed out to the car and then back in again. In hindsight... it was a LOT of extra walking!!!
Coming back in, the girls had already secured a fireworks viewing spot (right across from Kaki Gori - our usual location) and were enjoying the sandwich and my wife had gotten the bread with gruyere, tomatoes, and olives. I stopped off at the new Taste of Festivals food spot in Communicore Hall and grabbed the chicken filled arepas as well as the passion fruit daiquiri. I was delighted to see that even though the rain had only stopped maybe 15 minutes earlier, there was already a good dance party going on there.
I know the new areas are much maligned on the interwebs, but I'm actually a pretty big fan. Hoping that between the outdoor stage, the spot where I saw the gymnastic/aerial group, and the opportunities inside the hall, we are looking at a boom of live entertainment possibilities in Epcot. And, the spaces really are quite well done. Now... if they'd just get that Mary Poppins attraction to actually happen...
Made it back to our seating spot (it was about 7:20pm and everywhere around the lagoon was getting packed quickly) and enjoyed our evening meal and just chilled out waiting for the 9pm show. Last but not least this morning, here's the view - along with a nice lemoncello cocktail that got picked up somewhere along the way.
Expect lots of selfies from attractions today as we try to do as many as we can (the target is 30 or more).
We left our room at Old Key West at about 5pm, just a first few tentative raindrops began to fall. By the time we got to the front of the resort, it was a complete downpour. My wipers couldn't keep up. So, we VERY SLOWLY drove over to Epcot (pretty sure the fastest cars out there were going about 20mph on Epcot Center Drive) and did a little self parking. It was a bit chaotic because my daughter and her crew were not out in the storm!!! We needed them!!! Sat in the car for a few minutes, getting ponchos on and hoping for some break in the torrent. After about 10 minutes, it lightened up a tiny bit and we saw the tram pulling up, so we went for it. Not our daughter driving or spieling on the tram, but they got us to the park just fine and we went over to visit all the parking folks hiding out under the ticketing area canopy. Chatted with them for a few minutes and then headed on in. Much to our surprise, we walked right onto...
Yup, thanking the Phoenicians time! And who can forget the Arab and Jewish scholars saving the day?
If it wasn't for them, no explosion of art and music!
Suddenly, the whole world is becoming connected!
And, as we all know. It's truly thanks to one person and one person only.
All of this obviously made us quite happy...
No surprise, the post ride area was packed with people trying to stay dry. But we just headed out and were happy to find that the rain had lightened up considerably. And we had a little time before our daughter got off work (or finished her time standing outside under an awning). So we did a little exploring and just wandered our way back toward France. Knowing that post-work, our daughter would be very hungry, we got one of her favorite dishes in all of Epcot - the Brie au Pommes sandwich in the Boulangerie. By the time we got back there, the rain had just about stopped and the lines had just about become insane as everyone got back out and about. So, we hopped into line (stretching all through the gift shop) and waited to order. Meanwhile, our daughter got off work.
In a bit of a chaotic plan, I was going to meet her up front of park and get her work stuff from her because our car was significantly easier to get to than hers in CM parking, so I hoofed it back to the front of park and we met up. She headed back to meet @MeffysMom and get some nourishment while I headed out to the car and then back in again. In hindsight... it was a LOT of extra walking!!!
Coming back in, the girls had already secured a fireworks viewing spot (right across from Kaki Gori - our usual location) and were enjoying the sandwich and my wife had gotten the bread with gruyere, tomatoes, and olives. I stopped off at the new Taste of Festivals food spot in Communicore Hall and grabbed the chicken filled arepas as well as the passion fruit daiquiri. I was delighted to see that even though the rain had only stopped maybe 15 minutes earlier, there was already a good dance party going on there.
I know the new areas are much maligned on the interwebs, but I'm actually a pretty big fan. Hoping that between the outdoor stage, the spot where I saw the gymnastic/aerial group, and the opportunities inside the hall, we are looking at a boom of live entertainment possibilities in Epcot. And, the spaces really are quite well done. Now... if they'd just get that Mary Poppins attraction to actually happen...
Made it back to our seating spot (it was about 7:20pm and everywhere around the lagoon was getting packed quickly) and enjoyed our evening meal and just chilled out waiting for the 9pm show. Last but not least this morning, here's the view - along with a nice lemoncello cocktail that got picked up somewhere along the way.
Expect lots of selfies from attractions today as we try to do as many as we can (the target is 30 or more).