Trip Report englanddg's Surf and Turf Experience

Salutations!

What's a Surf and Turf? Well, stick around, you are about to find out!

So, the trip has finally started! This first leg of the trip consists of a flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. Here, I will meet up with the kid and her mom, and we'll crash for the night at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, two stops on the Metro (DC's Subway System) from Reagan National.

But, I get ahead of myself. Let me introduce ourselves for those who don't know about me, and / or didn't follow along with the Pre-Trip report!

I'm englanddg. <waves hello>

And this is my 8 year old daughter, Kaylee (a.k.a. KK, "the Kid" or "Kiddo").

As you can see, we both like T. Rowe Price Piggies!

Oh, you want to know my age? Well, lets just say I'm old enough...<grin>

So, some history...well...we have been going annually to Disneyworld since 2010, and each trip has been different and more fun than the last.

2010 - First Trip as a Parent
This first year we stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort for 14 days. I had been many times before (my Grandparents lived near Ocala, and I had a Florida Residents Annual Pass), but that was my first trip taking the kid, and as a parent.

Here's a picture of what happens when you don't finish your Turkey Leg.

And, of course...before my Kid turned to the DARK SIDE (keep going, intrepid readers, the answer awaits!)

Oh, and here's one of my videos commemorating that trip:



Yes, that's right, I'm one of those people who likes to make funky you tube videos about my trips. Some people trip report, some people organize photos and make scrapbooks...I edit videos!

2011 - Kid, Mom and Uncle!
In 2011, I took the kid on a tour of DC for a few days. We did the Smithsonian, the tour of the Capital Building, and a bunch of other things. Then, we flew back to Atlanta for a few weeks, and then on to Orlando for another 14 days at Caribbean Beach Resort.

I had told her we were "meeting Mommy", which technically wasn't false. This trip was special because her Mom and then 10 year old Uncle joined us halfway through. But, the kid had no idea we were going to WDW, and even less idea that's where Mommy was going to meet us!

We surprised my daughter by meeting up secretly at the Castle right before Wishes. The kiddo had no clue, and freaked out. Of course, I got it on video...and...it came out terrible! The lights had already shut off for the show, so you couldn't see anything.

This is her Uncle, though he will not be joining us this trip, just thought I'd give him a little shout out.

Here's a bonus picture of Darth Kiddo (her Mom is in the background). SEE, I TOLD YOU SHE TURNED TO THE DARK SIDE!

And, of course...I made a video for this trip!



2012 - Dancing around the Disney World
The kiddo stayed with me the whole summer last year, and we started it with a blast, going to see the Cirque de Soleis Immortal Tour in Atlanta.

Here she got her Michael Jackson hat...one of her most treasured posessions (I kid you not).

We stayed late and watched them strike the show, which, considering I used to do stagework, was fun to watch. That's what is going on behind her.

So, for that years trip to "The World", we decided to do something different. So, we did 3 days at Universal Studios, staying at the Royal Pacific. We also did 11 days at Disney, staying at Pop Century. It was also the first trip I told her in advance we were going (this year I did not, having learned my lesson!)

Oh, and that was also the first trip I wrote a complete trip report for, live, while I was there...which is what I will endeavor to do again this trip.

You can read it here.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/englanddgs-magical-mystery-tour.847588/

Also, there is a reason that it was called the "Dancing" trip...because...well...we DANCED!


That trip was loads of fun. I tried to be good, I really did...but, well, if anyone has ever thought that the marketing on the Magical Express ride back to Orlando Airport didn't work, think again!

I decided this coming year, we'd change it up even more. We'd do a DISNEY CRUISE!

A few weeks later, I had us booked in a Veranda Room on the Disney Fantasy, sailing out in a year. I also booked a split stay at WDW, for various reasons which I will get into in a moment.

And so, friends...that brings us to today, read on. <continued next post!>

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Funny, since I started the 7 day cruise feeling out of place...and now...I feel out of place at WDW!

Cruises are EVIL, I tell you!

Exactly! This is exactly what it's like. I think it's the flip-flop in the extreme change of gears. You get used to something and get comfortable with it. Then the cruise spoils you on levels you never imagined. It's really remarkable, isn't it?

 

[englanddg]

Exactly! This is exactly what it's like. I think it's the flip-flop in the extreme change of gears. You get used to something and get comfortable with it. Then the cruise spoils you on levels you never imagined. It's really remarkable, isn't it?

Quite. I never thought I'd say this, but this may be the last year we do an extended WDW vacation for a while...but cruises are certainly moved up in the docket for next years trip! I'd like to do a different voyage though...maybe Alaska bookended with Disneyland California? <shurg>

It does spoil you (the cruise). Room cleaned twice a day. Ship spotless with constant maintenance. Overall attitude of the staff is alert and attentive and wanting to serve (even the worst CM I ran into on the ship doesn't hold a candle to the frumpy sad looking people who work at the food court here at POFQ)...

I don't want to get too negative about WDW, as I still love it, and we are having a ton of fun. But...yeah...I get it now. I didn't until I did the cruise...but...now I do...

 

[englanddg]

Day 9 updated with pictures, formatted and edited.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Quite. I never thought I'd say this, but this may be the last year we do an extended WDW vacation for a while...but cruises are certainly moved up in the docket for next years trip! I'd like to do a different voyage though...maybe Alaska bookended with Disneyland California? <shurg>

It does spoil you (the cruise). Room cleaned twice a day. Ship spotless with constant maintenance. Overall attitude of the staff is alert and attentive and wanting to serve (even the worst CM I ran into on the ship doesn't hold a candle to the frumpy sad looking people who work at the food court here at POFQ)...

I don't want to get too negative about WDW, as I still love it, and we are having a ton of fun. But...yeah...I get it now. I didn't until I did the cruise...but...now I do...

I'm glad. My brother says I come off practically as a hate-monger but I'm not. I swear. I *am* a nice person! Pleasant, even!

**edit**
Also, for future reference! You can bring unfinished bottles of liquor with you off the ship. We've done it several times. We don't claim them on our customs form because we didn't purchase them out of the country. The liquor bottle labels usually have some sort of indication what state it's from so it's kinda hard to get ding'd even if you get pulled for a random search at customs. If it's any ease of mind, save your original purchase receipt for said bottle with your documents just in case. We brought the big liter bottles of Crown Royal & Parrot Bay on our last cruise but with us fighting the sick the entire time we didn't drink too much. I wasn't about to walk away from that much liquor! Both bottles are still rolled up in beach towels in my DCL duffle in my closet. We got home from that cruise 2 months ago. Haven't touched that bag. LOL!

 

[englanddg]

I'm glad. My brother says I come off practically as a hate-monger but I'm not. I swear. I *am* a nice person! Pleasant, even!

**edit**
Also, for future reference! You can bring unfinished bottles of liquor with you off the ship. We've done it several times. We don't claim them on our customs form because we didn't purchase them out of the country. The liquor bottle labels usually have some sort of indication what state it's from so it's kinda hard to get ding'd even if you get pulled for a random search at customs. If it's any ease of mind, save your original purchase receipt for said bottle with your documents just in case. We brought the big liter bottles of Crown Royal & Parrot Bay on our last cruise but with us fighting the sick the entire time we didn't drink too much. I wasn't about to walk away from that much liquor! Both bottles are still rolled up in beach towels in my DCL duffle in my closet. We got home from that cruise 2 months ago. Haven't touched that bag. LOL!

Good advice! Wish I'd known, I actually didn't finish the rum I had brought...though I came close enough to not want any more rum for a while!

 

[englanddg]

Day 2 has Pictures Added, Edited and Updated for the second post for the day.

 

[Tiggerish]

Woo-Hoo!! Pictures!!

 

[Disney80]

Added pictures makes it for added fun to read your TR...

Yay!

 

[englanddg]

Added pictures makes it for added fun to read your TR...

Yay!

More coming!!! Plus days 11 and 12 ( hopefully today!)

 

[englanddg]

Awesome reporting! enjoy POFQ! Say hi to Shelly for me at Mardi Grogs. We will be there Friday!

Shelly says Hi back! Though...she didn't recognize your avatar or know who you were (so I felt a bit odd), but she was flattered that you had such good things to say about her.

She says come by and be sure to say hi when you get in so she knows who you are!

 

[littleroo]

Shelly says Hi back! Though...she didn't recognize your avatar or know who you were (so I felt a bit odd), but she was flattered that you had such good things to say about her.

She says come by and be sure to say hi when you get in so she knows who you are!

Tell her it is Hunter. I will email her! Sorry it looks nothing like him anymore!

 

[momof1princess]

Enjoying your TR! Sounds like your daughter was at a great age to enjoy the cruise, I can't wait 'til my daughter is a bit bigger so we can try it with her.

 

[englanddg]

Enjoying your TR! Sounds like your daughter was at a great age to enjoy the cruise, I can't wait 'til my daughter is a bit bigger so we can try it with her.

Glad you are enjoying it! I'm enjoying writing it!

 

[englanddg]

Day 11 - Lions, Zebras and Yetis, Oh My! (Part 1)

Magic - 2 (Great Safari Driver, Marshmallows!)
Peeves - 1 (Bus Nightmares)
Breakfast - Too much to list, Tusker House Buffet (shared)
Lunch - Lettuce Cups, (me)
Roast Pork, Mac and Cheese Bake, Strawberries, White Roll, Fanta (kid)
Dinner - Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin, Fire-roasted Oysters on the Half Shell, Oak-grilled Filet Mignon, Glass of Black Pearl Wine, Coke, Chocolate and Tea Safari (me), Seasonal Fruit, Sirloin Steak and Mac and Cheese, Jiko's S'mores, Sprite (kid)
Snacks - 2 Sodas, 2 Coffees (free) (me), 1 Sprite, 1 Fanta, Water (kid)
DP Credits - 50 - 8 = 42 Meal, 34 - 2 = 32 Need $127, used $220
Steps - 17,809 Steps, 8.66 Miles, 31 "Very Active" minutes, 3494 Calories Burned

Whew, yesterday was long, but fun. Today we woke up rather refreshed and ready to go. Or...I did at least! We had an early breakfast at Tusker House (8:45a), and I was chomping at the bit. So, I didn't let the kid slow me down! I had already had my obligatory morning coffees from the food court, straightened up the room, laid out her clothes and was dressed and ready before I even attempted to wake the princess from dreamland.

She woke surprising easily, but was obviously not pleased. She clopped off to the shower with dragging leaden feet. While she got ready I got caught up on some work and checked into the national news. Even though I had internet on the cruise, I pretty much stayed out of the loop as to what was happening in the real world.

Nothing too interesting happened in the world, certainly nothing worth adding to this report, so I'll move on.

We hit the bus at 8:00a. Plenty of time to make it to Animal Kingdom...or so I thought!

We did get to spot a cool wrapped bus while waiting!



By the time the bus came it was closer to 8:30a, and by the time we got to Blizzard Beach it was nearly 8:50! I've been navigating these buses for 4 years now, you'd think I'd have it down to a science...and I thought I did. That week on the Fantasy has spoiled me, and I forgot to give it at least an hour. Sometimes it can take less, but you have to hit the buses just right...especially when going to Animal Kingdom!

See, on the ship, you are never more than 5 - 10 minutes (15 max) from your Stateroom. This impacts your planning in several ways.

One, you can dash back to the Stateroom quickly to pick something up, or to have a quick shower / change before going on to a new activity.

Two, you can pretty much set your own schedule, due to this convenience. If you want to wait until the last minute and dash to something, you can, and you will still probably make it there on time, or within a reasonable window of tardiness. The only exception I'd say for this would be if you have to meet up with a Port Excursion group...though, I noticed quite a few people coming in at just the last minute for those as well!

Three, All of the ships activities, while scheduled, are close at hand. So, it allows you to make quick changes to the day's plans at the last minute based on how you and your group feel at the moment.

Now, I do understand that this convenience is largely due to the constrained area of the ship, something that cannot be replicated at WDW...but, it doesn't make me miss it any less! It is a completely different "style" of vacation!

Moving on, we didn't make it to the Animal Kingdom front gates until nearly 9:15, 30 minutes late!



We high tailed it back to Tusker House, and the whole way I was hoping they wouldn't have an issue with the fact that we were half an hour late... The kid wasn't too fond of the pace, but she was excited to meet Daisy (someone who was on her list of Autographs to get). Myself, I was motivated by hunger! I was famished! Add to that the fact that Tusker House is among my favorite Breakfast Buffets that I've ever done, and I was excited to be there as quickly as possible!



Of course, we had to stop along the way because the kid, an aspiring Audubon Society Photographer I suspect, had to take pictures of some birds.



When we reached the bridge to Africa, she spotted Everest, and immediately said "Lets do that next!"...



Finally we spotted our restaurant. No line outside at the hostess stand, that's a good sign! They looked up our reservation and we were given a receipt to give to the Photopass Photographer and the Rear Seating / Hostess station.



We immediately got to take a photo with Donald. After this, there was a short wait before we were seated. Not bad, considering we were so late. I was embarrassed at how things had gone this morning, but all seemed to be well! Soon we were ushered to our seats. Let the feasting begin!



My first glass of Jungle Juice drained, the kid and I ventured out to the buffet. It was looking fantastic today. Fresh, with a wonderful mixture of aromas that filled the whole room with airborne tastiness!

The kid was in the mood for bacon.



Not pictures is a plate with a mickey waffle and fruit! But, she enjoyed her bacon (I may or may not have shared with her)...<grin>

First go around, I decided to go rather light (because I accidentally grabbed a small plate!).



I got a Blueberry Muffin, which was pretty good (though didn't have many blueberries, but I didn't mind!). An egg and spinach fritatta, which was delicious. Just enough spice. Only thing I would have liked was some Tabasco...but I was too hungry to track any down! Then there was the cinnamon roll. While not a cinnibon, it was pretty good. I accidentally thought that the vanilla sauce that was for another breakfast sweet at teh same station was for the rolls, but it didn't matter, the flavors worked well together!

Round 2!



Biscuits and Gravy with patty sausage on top. This I cut up into a nice mix of sausage, carb and sawmill gravy. The gravy and sausage wasn't quite as good as Chef Mickeys was, but the biscuit was much better. I suspect it's all the same recipe across the parks...I just think I caught them right after they put out fresh biscuits!

I got some ham and cheese fritatta and a vegetable quiche. Both were tasty. I also tried a yam dish which was very sweet, yet not overly so. It really hit the spot.

Last on the list is the mielie pap! This I adore! It has a texture that's a mix between Cream of Wheat and Grits. It was buttery and smooth, and I think it works well with pretty much any savory breakfast item, including being eaten by itself. I got more later and mixed it with scrambled eggs and sausage. Yum!

So, you may be asking...what is mielie pap? Well, it's a corn based porridge (like grits), but it's got a finer texture. It's one of the few truly "African" dishes on the buffet...and, as I said, it's delicious! There are several types, and the version at Disney isn't the most "authentic", but it's still excellent!

We had a visit from Goofy...



And while the kid was using the restroom, Mickey came around...



But, neither of these were who the kid was waiting for...but don't worry, the lady of the hour made her appearance!



Sated and happy, we made our way out into the African Village, stopping to enjoy the jams of these guys!



Nothing like a great Street Party! The kid and I danced a bit, and she couldn't help herself but to pick up some instruments from the shop next door and join in the jam session!



I asked the kid if she'd like to go see the petting zoo at Rafiki's Planet Watch, since we were in the vicinity of the train station already. What's funny is that...in 3 years of prior trips ranging from 10 - 14 days each...we've never been back to that part of the Park. She got very excited by this idea, and after a quick pit stop on the way to snag some Fast Passes for the Safari, we were on the train on our way to have a new adventure!



The ride was pleasant, and I actually really liked all the details they put into the train itself (including making the ride a bit rocky, so the cars sway back and forth). The announcer was a bit boring...and it sounded like he really didn't want to be there, but we saw some neat things along the way. See, there is very little themeing on this ride once you leave the station. Rather, you are taken through the modern backstage area where they care for and house the animals. We got to see two White Rhino's up close, which was pretty cool. But, otherwise, I wouldn't call this "immersive"...rather it feels like they ran out of money halfway through design / construction, and just decided to say...forget it...we won't even try to theme it!

Not that I mind, it was interesting to see the backstage areas. But, it doesn't really fit with the theme of the train...so, like I said, for such a well themed train, it felt...incomplete.



When we got off, these guys caught the kid's eye, and she insisted we both take pictures with them. I spared you the picture of me...I'm not nearly as cute as she is!



Then we followed the nature trails back to the main attractions, the main building and the petting zoo! I enjoyed this walk. It's got a slight grade, but lots of shade and things to look at. They also have exhibits along the way, and I noted CMs out at each exhibit answering questions and giving short presentations about each animal. I love this sort of interactive stuff. I had noted it at Living Seas yesterday, and while I can't say if they always did this here, it's still nice to see!

Along the way, the kid stalked a bird, and of course had to get a photo of it! Can you see him?



We came up on the main building and went inside. Immediately the kid was captivated by a CM holding a live baby alligator (which she thought was a crocodile at first, but it wasn't...always look at the snout!). The CM let her bet the Gator, and commented that the kid's eyes almost matched the Gators eyes. If she ever saw the kid attack a powdered doughnut or a bag of chips, the CM would realize she wasn't far off. The kid really does have Gator blood...at least when it comes to sweets! I don't have a picture of this because I was video recording and forgot to capture a picture during it.

But, from there the kid really wanted to take a picture with this guy!



<continued next post>

 

[joanna71985]

I have to agree- after being spoiled by DCL, I am now addicted to cruising!

 

[MOXOMUMD]

I had to pop on here a second and say I saw you guys at Epcot today in Innoventions. (Recognized you from the pics.) We were stuck at the turn on the ramp to the piggy bank game or I would have introduced myself. I thought man, they look familiar and it clicked. Looking forward to reading your TR once we get home. My daughter has a no computer rule this trip, lol.

 

[englanddg]

I had to pop on here a second and say I saw you guys at Epcot today in Innoventions. (Recognized you from the pics.) We were stuck at the turn on the ramp to the piggy bank game or I would have introduced myself. I thought man, they look familiar and it clicked. Looking forward to reading your TR once we get home. My daughter has a no computer rule this trip, lol.

Hah! That's funny! You should have yelled out to us (though, I'm not sure how you would pronounce englanddg...you could have just yelled "Surf and Turf WDWMAGIC" and let people look at you funny?!

EPCOT was nuts today! We actually had just stopped by because we had an ADR at Coral Reef. We were stalking the queue at T. Rowe to see if we wanted to do it! We actually walked by it quite a few times!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Yay! A live trip report! I am so impressed! I can't wait for more pictures! Loving the ones you put up so far!
How sad she thought she was leaving!
The balcony at the Contemporary was amazing!
I wondered about kids wanting to wear the bracelets. Shoot, I wonder if I want to wear the bracelet!

Funny, since I started the 7 day cruise feeling out of place...and now...I feel out of place at WDW!

Cruises are EVIL, I tell you!

So glad you started to feel more "in place". I was getting nervous at first! But I'm so glad you realized how fun cruises are. And you didn't even go to Castaway Cay!!

Can't wait for the rest!

 

[englanddg]

Yay! A live trip report! I am so impressed! I can't wait for more pictures! Loving the ones you put up so far!

Plenty more coming. The only ones that will probably have to wait until after the trip are the Dolphin ones, as they are on DVD, and my light little travel laptop doesn't have a DVD reader (or even a CD-ROM) in it...

How sad she thought she was leaving!

Once she spied the Fantasy, she forgave me. <grin>

The balcony at the Contemporary was amazing!

Expensive. VERY expensive. But, for a one night thing, well worth it I think. No way I'd do that for more than a night or two!

I wondered about kids wanting to wear the bracelets. Shoot, I wonder if I want to wear the bracelet!

I didn't like it at first, but after a while I got very used to it. I actually missed the convenience on the Cruise and now, as I never had to shuffle through my wallet or pockets to find my KTTW card (or the "right" card...on both the ship and now I still have issues where I accidentally hand over the kiddo's card instead of mine...)

The kid didn't want to wear hers all day, but she did wear it the majority of the day, which surprised me. She liked it a heck of a lot more than the Mickey Band on the cruise, which she constantly complained about.

After DisneyWorld, I could see the bands working extremely well on the cruise ships...in fact, seems to me that's where they should have tested them first. Oh well...

So glad you started to feel more "in place". I was getting nervous at first! But I'm so glad you realized how fun cruises are. And you didn't even go to Castaway Cay!!

Can't wait for the rest!

As I said, more coming. And yes, it did take a few days for us (more me) to "settle" (for lack of a better term) into the Cruise style of vacation. It's so different from the parks...

I think @sweetpee_1993 summed it up well though, when she mentioned how she did a 3 day and came back to WDW...and it started to sink in. That's exactly what is happening to me (and the kid, frankly...she's voiced it a few times) right now.

I miss the cruise. The kid misses the cruise. And WDW, while I love it (and am having a blast)...well, it's just a different vibe.

I'll never stop WDW, but I could, at least right now, see myself peeling back quite a few days from visiting it in the future in exchange for Cruise time!

 

[englanddg]

Day 11 - Lions, Zebras and Yetis, Oh My! (Part 2)

I have to say, I think this area is rather nice. First, 1/3rd of it is air conditioned (a rarity at Animal Kingdom!). But, they also have a lot of interesting exhibits and CMs wandering around doing "meet and greets" with the true characters of the parks in hand, the animals. Not only did we meet a Gator, but we also met a Possum (which the kid thought was a giant rat at first, but really Possums are Marsupials! Close relatives to Kangaroos!), and her personal favorite...the albino Ferret.



All the CMs allowed touching and petting (closely observed, of course), and had giant jugs of hand sanitizer with them for after the "meet and greet" was over.

At this point the kid wanted to tour all of the exhibits they have here. I handed the camera over to her. She waited about 10 minutes to get this picture..."I want him to come down close!", she said.



She also liked this Iguana.



His (or her, I can't tell) compadre was a few yards away in the vet's office (visible to the public) getting a checkup by a group of CMs.

After this we went over to see Rafiki, who was doing Meet and Greets. Along the way, the kid decided she wanted to take this picture (yes, she chose the pose, my kid is silly).



Rafiki had quite a line at this point, even though the venue wasn't crowded at all. But, I noticed some interesting rooms behind him that I thought we should check out. It turns out, these rooms are the same technology as the old Sounds Dangerous Barbershop Rooms (which I always loved, and the kid did too before they were shut down!).

Kiddo immediately recognized the booths and headphones, and made a comment about it, excited. After making sure that our headphones were on the proper ears (gotta get that full surround sound experience!), I hit the start button.

It...was...fantastic! It was a presentation that starred the voice of Mother Willow from Pocahontas (something I wouldn't have recognized, but the kid did)...of course, like many things at Animal Kingdom, it took the conservation message and beat the listener over the head with it...not with a small reed, or even a thick stick. Nope, it used an industrial grade pile driver. But, all that aside, the sound effects were very well done.

After this we went out to the petting zoo, where the kid played for about a half hour before we went over the gift shop. I came very...very...close to buying this. Not sure where I'd put it, but I wanted it!



We picked up a shirt for her mother, who is a huge Tigger fan.



Oh, and this is what you should see if you book a flight to Orlando through Travelocity!



Here the kid also quite literally begged (something she doesn't do much) for something. A Nala stuffed animal. She really wanted this. Of course, at first, I did the knee-jerk parental "No." Which was followed by, "Maybe later, lets see what else there is"...but she didn't give up. She REALLY wanted this Doll. The last time she'd begged for anything like this it was for the Figment doll back in 2010 that she still sleeps with at home.

So, I caved...but with one condition! She had to carry Nala all day long. See, she didn't want the tiny Nala doll that would easily fit in my bag. She wanted the larger one. Also, she didn't want to wait for hotel delivery. Something about this doll "spoke" to her. <shrug> We've all had that moment with a toy at least once in our life. <grin>

Frankly, I didn't think she'd carry it more than 15 minutes, but nope. She carried that doll all day, everywhere. Kudos, and I was quite happy she kept her promise without any nagging or comments on my part. It just made me feel good about the purchase, that this was something she really wanted, not some fleeting toy that she'd forget about in a day or less.



Though, throughout the day she did come up with some unique ways to carry Nala around.



It was time to leave, as we had a Fastpass window for the Safari closing soon. So, after picking up something to drink, we waved goodbye to Rafiki's and began our voyage back to Africa!



As we traveled back, I thought...why had we never visited this part of the Park before? It was a lot of fun, and very interesting (more interesting, at least zoologically speaking, than most of the rest of the park...as there was a ton of CM interaction there, and edutainment to boot!)...

Well, I think I figured out an answer by the time we pulled into the station. Park layout. See, Animal Kingdom is my least favorite park, and there's more than a "no childhood memories of it" thing going on with that feeling. I can articulate exactly why I don't like it.

1) It's hot. By far the hottest of all the parks. Even when the weather is rather mild (as it has been so far this trip), due to the nature of the park, it is very enclosed, breezes are rare, and it just feels hot and stuffy all the time. I suppose this adds to the "immersive" nature of it, but I'd rather not spend the day feeling like I just stepped out of a steam bath constantly. While I would probably be able to handle this fine by myself, with a kid...and being a single parent with one, it's just a nightmare. I couldn't even imagine a single parent taking more than ONE kid below teenage years to the park. That must be a nightmare.

2) It's huge. This, I think everyone knows. The Safari alone is larger than the whole of Magic Kingdom. People complain about how "long" it takes to walk EPCOT...well, Animal Kingdom puts that to shame!

3) It's layout stinks. Why? Because the park is so large! Magic Kingdom is a wheel. Epcot is a figure eight. Hollywood Studios is a blob. Animal Kingdom is a giant circle with "spurs". To make matters worse, you don't start off "on" the circle. Rather, you enter at one of the "spurs" and have to travel from there.

Now, I know one could look at the map and argue that it is indeed a "hub and spoke", and factually they'd mostly be correct. Discovery Island is the hub, and all the other areas, largely, spoke off of that. But, the issue is, this model doesn't work at this scale! It's so easy to get lost, it's ridiculous. Which leads to my next observation...

4) Lack of distinctive themes / landmarks. Sure, if you know the park, which by now I do, then it becomes rather easy. You spot things like Everest in the background, you notice the subtle differences between Asia and Africa, and the nice transition between the two lands. You can identify if you are on Discovery Island by the buildings, and of course views of the Tree of Life. Dinoland has always been rather distinctive, so I won't talk about that. But, my point is, it took many visits to get to that point.

When your central landmark is a tree that isn't much taller than the trees that surround it (when viewed from a distance), and frankly is shorter than the "pine tree" cellular tower off to the side...and a mountain that is isolated on one far end of the park. Well, it just makes visual navigation difficult. It's sortof like being dropped into the middle of NYC having never been there before and without a map. Everything just starts to look the same.

5) Underwhelming experience. Sorry, but it's a zoo, and not a great one (though certainly not a terrible one). There's a version of Big Thunder Mountain on Steroids (Everest), a few great shows (if you can find them in time for the shows...not familiar with the park, yeah, good luck!), as I said, it's hot, which means whiny kids and parents with short tempers...list goes on.

My point is that, I've never walked out of Animal Kingdom and thought...wow, that was a fantastic experience, I'm so glad we came! I have walked out many times (most times) thinking...well, that was interesting and sort of fun, but jeez, am I glad the park closes early! And plenty of other times in the dozen or so times I've visited where I've said...forget this...it's hot and the kid is cranky (as are other guests)...I'm leaving.

I'm gonna stop here, because I could go on for a while...and I really don't mean to turn this into a "why I am not fond of Animal Kingdom" post, because I really do love the park, and the more I go, the more I appreciate the subtle beauty of it all. But, it was what I thought through as we rode back to Africa and the kid lay on my lap cuddling her new friend Nala. I wanted you to be aware of where my mind was at, so the following has proper context.

So, why have we never done Rafiki's before? Well...it's hidden in the back of the Africa pavilion, so it's hard to find unless you are seeking it out, and even then it's a challenge because the signage blends in with the surroundings. Also, we've just never wanted to stick around long enough to explore the whole park. And, having done it now, I think this does that area a disservice, as it is loads of fun. We will certainly be going back to this area on future visits (maybe even this trip!).

Back in Africa, we snagged an OJ to share between us and went off to the FP entrance for the Safari!



The FP line was a virtual walk on, or so I thought. We wound our way through the queues passing many hot looking parents, many with restless children. What do I mean by "what I thought"? Well...when we got to the second stand where they actually collect your Fastpass, we were ushered by the CM through a small gate into a special loading deck...one I had not seen before. I really wasn't paying attention, just following the guests in front of me and adhering to CM directions (what else do you do in a line?).

Well, there's a reason why I'd never seen this deck before. It was the Guest Assistance Card loading zone! This area was for those with physical or other disabilities which require that they have a calmer loading zone to depart with their motorized scooters or wheelchairs (among other things). I quite literally wasn't paying any attention, and actually was chatting away with the kid, but the foreign nature of the queue was ling in the back of my mind. At first I sort of thought, well, maybe this is something new that has to do with NextGen and FastPass+ testing...

Well, I should have paid more attention to my surroundings, specifically the guests that surrounded me. Why? Well, because someone (a guest) turned and looked at me and the kid as if we had just committed a mortal sin, and said in an accusatory tone, looking us up and down as if we just ran over his pet hamster...he said..."Chief, don't you know this is only for people who are truly disabled?"

Ok, let me start with the fact that I hate the term "chief". I know it's something that is common in parts of the country, and is akin to "dude", "bud" or "guy", but it just comes off as rude to me. That being said, I hadn't realized it, and as soon as he snapped me out of my little world with the kid, I immediately noticed where we were (and the special accommodations on the loading deck that was a few feet away).

I apologized to the man, and told him I merely went where the CM had instructed I go. This is the truth, I have no interest in "faking" a disability to save 5 or 10 minutes in a line. That's what FP is for! <grin>

I turned to backtrack through the line and go explain the situation to the CM so he could get us into the normal FP line, but with this action the man seemed to understand this was an honest mistake, and he immediately softened. "Hey, don't worry about it. Stay here. Just say you are with my family if anyone asks. I just didn't know if you knew where you were, and I didn't want you to get into any trouble."

I didn't completely buy his explanation, due to his tone at first. So, I protested again, but he insisted. Perhaps he felt a touch guilty for how he jumped down our throats at first, I dunno. But, since he insisted, and by now the line had filled in quite well behind us, I decided to take him up on his offer. As it turns out, his family was really nice. His wife seemed to adore chatting up the kiddo about what was coming, as she decided she was the "expert" about this ride...they had never been on it.

Shortly after this they started loading up our truck. Now alert as to the considerations I should make due to the loading zone I was in, I paid attention as the CM asked if Guests in scooters were "able to transfer". All of them were, and apparently wanted to sit with their families, so the kid and I made our way off to the side and took the two seats right behind the driver (the empty space next to that area is where Wheelchairs go for Guests who can't do a walking transfer...so I wouldn't want to take that spot if they wanted to be with their family...but, no one wanted it, so...).

The kid, pretty much oblivious to the undertones surrounding the situation, was excited by this. "Yes! We are right by the driver!", she exclaimed! From this point on, no mention was ever made of our unintentional faux pax.

However, I will ramble on a bit more about our experience before moving on. Anyone who thinks that the GAC is some "easy life", it's not. And, I'd argue, at least for this ride, it isn't even faster. I watched 8 trucks depart before we could, because our bus couldn't depart until the other truck that was running GAC guests arrived. As a result, we ended up waiting far longer than if we had gone through the normal FP line (I recognized the family behind us in the FP line pass 6 trucks before we did!).

Also, as a side note, I did worry vaguely that this bus, since it was dedicated to GAC, would skimp on certain experiences (go slower, avoid bumps, etc), but that didn't happen at all.

So, embarrassment passed, we settled back to enjoy the show! And, it started off well as soon as the Driver started speaking! Not only did he have funny jokes, with a very dry sense of humor (almost Haunted Mansion style dry, and it wouldn't surprise me if he had worked that ride earlier in his career)...but he also was full of interesting tidbits of edutainment. If you haven't caught on by now, I enjoy that sort of presentation!

So, off we went! (lots of text above, so get ready for a slew of pictures!)

We saw these guys, looking all lazy. Did you know that hippos can hold their breath for up to 7 minutes, and will many times fall asleep underwater?



We saw this guy, a baby reticulated giraffe. What does that mean? Well, their patterns are slightly different than the other giraffes, and they also will do things like bend their front legs to get to items on the ground, like water!



He was hanging around with this Masai Giraffe. I guess Giraffe offer Baby Sitting Services! <grin>



And this guy...did you know his horns are cooling units? (Ok, that's a pretty common factoid on the tour, but I needed something to go with the picture!)



Then there was this bad boy...I could almost hear the tik tok going as he cooled himself and waited for an unfortunate red velvet coat wearing Pirate Captain to come along to say hello!



Of course, here you should queue the Miami Vice music! Did you know the pink color comes from their diet, and at Disney they use special supplements in their food to simulate this (thanks Rafiki's Planet Watch)?



"HIDE NALA!" said the kid..."THEY ARE GOING TO GET INTO A FIGHT!"



But, really the Lioness was keeping an eye on some friends we saw earlier in the day. The White Rhinos!



Sad...there are less than 1500 of these guys left in the wild...



But, the good news is that they are thriving in captivity, and are slowly being reintroduced to the wild!

Of course, we saw a lot more on the ride. As we pulled into the unloading zone, we pulled off to the side before the dock and sat for a while. The Driver said we were playing "his favorite game".

You know...the "waiting game".

Then, for the next few minutes he'd pipe up with some random analogy. "Ah, the Waiting Game...it's like Checkers, except if I tried to jump the truck in front of me with my truck, I wouldn't be able to say king me. In fact, I'd probably have a lot of paperwork to fill out, including unemployment forms." and "Ah, the Waiting Game...it's like Chess...except the board is made of mud, the major pieces are the trucks and the pawns are the Safari Drivers."

He literally went on like this for a while...and it was hilarious.

Eventually we were given the green light, and while I'm used to pulling up to the unload dock, on this truck we passed it! The driver quipped, "You are about to see a super secret backlot area of Animal Kingdom. So, get your cameras ready, because very few Guests get to see this!" I scrambled to get my camera ready...

"Are you all ready? It involves a bridge and a few small trees. Enjoy!"

Ok, Mr. Driver...you are too darned funny!

So, we pulled into the loading dock we departed from, and the kid and I went about the rest of our day. Our ADR for lunch was approaching, so it was time to head to Asia!

<Continued Next Post>