Howdy! Welcome to my trip report. A few words of explanation are in order before we get started. First, I am not including any photos of myself or my family. Sorry, but we are internet camera shy. My wife believes that everyone on the internet will mercilessly stalk us, steal our identities, murder us in our sleep, and give our corpses a severe case of cooties. Consequently, no photos of us will be included in the following report.
Second, I shall attempt to atone for this with other photos, regardless of their relevance to the given topic. Yup. It’s a shame, as I took some rather snazzy and humorous photos of us, but the whole “internet danger” thing prevents me from posting them. Well, that, and the people in the unmarked black government helicopters. My tin foil hat prevents them from “getting to me”, but I digress. Just so you know, I’m an average looking dork, my wife is a lovely woman, and my daughter remains cute as a button into her twenties. We had a blast during the four days spent at WDW, and we guaranteed our return by purchasing annual passes for 2013.
We stayed at The Coronado Springs Resort. It was nice, although I consider many of the Disney Resorts to be glorified motels. I do enjoy the ornate surroundings and the general vibe that exists when staying on property. We spent four days at WDW, and spent one day at each of the four parks in this order: DAK, MK, EPCOT, and DHS. The parks were very congested, but we managed our time well with a little Fastpass and parade-time expertise. I credit my wife for our success, as I am more apt to wander aimlessly. That, and I can get lost going from the kitchen to my bedroom at home. Day one granted nice weather, days two and three provided cold and damp weather, and day four brought back the warmth and sun.
DAY ONE: Our journey began early, before sunrise. We had to get some cash at an ATM and return some books to the library book drop, so you can already tell that we are a partying kind of crowd. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the words, “hold it down rsoxguy, or the neighbors are going to start banging on the walls”. Of course, I live in a single family house, so I don’t really understand why people say that. Anyway, after an arduous drive on the Florida Turnpike (that’s officially The Ronald Reagan Turnpike to those of you who enjoy trickle down driving), we finally arrived. Everything at the Resort and the Parks was still decorated for Christmas. We were there at the tail end of the Holiday Season (Jan. 2nd through Jan 5th) and everything was very festive. I wanted to check in early, but the line was too long, so I left the resort and headed to DAK.
We arrived at DAK and promptly purchased a set of annual passes. Life is good.
You may be asking yourself, “Why did this freak post the photo below?” I am a guy. I often travel with two females. I spend a good deal of time patiently waiting outside of restrooms, while the females go inside for various and sundry reasons. This was the first stop of the trip, and to quote the Norwegian host, “nor will it be the last”…
The crowds on the first day were not bad at all. I attribute this to the fact that DAK is probably the least popular park destination. I think that the place is beautiful and well themed. It could use a few more attractions and activities, but it is still a great place to spend the day. We first hustled over to get Fastpasses for Expedition Everest. We then took in an early Safari and nature walk, which yielded many animal sightings. I shall now attempt to share my wildlife expertise with you, the common tourist. Try to follow along as best as you can...
This is an animal. You're welcome.
This is a long necked animal. You're welcome.
These are dangerous and hungry animals. You're welcome.
These are animals with big horns on their faces. You're welcome.
These are striped animals. You're welcome.
This is a big nosed animal. You're welcome.
This is a hairy animal. You're welcome.
This is a flying animal. You're welcome.
This is an animal sticking his face in his own filth. You're welcome.
The vehicle in the background is full what we naturalists call "people", and they freakishly mix peanut butter with jelly. You're welcome.
Next, we rode Expedition Everest. The Yeti was not particularly aggressive, but the attraction is still a fun ride.
We also went to the Finding Nemo show, Bug’s Life, Lion King, Dinosaur, and various other attractions.
Regardless of the opinions of others, I love this ride. It's so incredibly kitschy that I'm drawn to it like an ant to sugar. I think that they should set up a chiropractor's office at the exit. That would make it perfect.
This should be converted into a big slide for kids, like the one used by Fred Flintstone during the opening credits of the cartoon. Man, I should get paid to be an Imagineer...
My wife found humor in this. I just tried to imagine a CM's reaction to the words, "you're in charge of the huge Santa Dinosaur beard."
Oddly, the dinosaur on this sign was just as animated as some of those in the actual ride. Whacky!
To be continued...
Second, I shall attempt to atone for this with other photos, regardless of their relevance to the given topic. Yup. It’s a shame, as I took some rather snazzy and humorous photos of us, but the whole “internet danger” thing prevents me from posting them. Well, that, and the people in the unmarked black government helicopters. My tin foil hat prevents them from “getting to me”, but I digress. Just so you know, I’m an average looking dork, my wife is a lovely woman, and my daughter remains cute as a button into her twenties. We had a blast during the four days spent at WDW, and we guaranteed our return by purchasing annual passes for 2013.
We stayed at The Coronado Springs Resort. It was nice, although I consider many of the Disney Resorts to be glorified motels. I do enjoy the ornate surroundings and the general vibe that exists when staying on property. We spent four days at WDW, and spent one day at each of the four parks in this order: DAK, MK, EPCOT, and DHS. The parks were very congested, but we managed our time well with a little Fastpass and parade-time expertise. I credit my wife for our success, as I am more apt to wander aimlessly. That, and I can get lost going from the kitchen to my bedroom at home. Day one granted nice weather, days two and three provided cold and damp weather, and day four brought back the warmth and sun.
DAY ONE: Our journey began early, before sunrise. We had to get some cash at an ATM and return some books to the library book drop, so you can already tell that we are a partying kind of crowd. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the words, “hold it down rsoxguy, or the neighbors are going to start banging on the walls”. Of course, I live in a single family house, so I don’t really understand why people say that. Anyway, after an arduous drive on the Florida Turnpike (that’s officially The Ronald Reagan Turnpike to those of you who enjoy trickle down driving), we finally arrived. Everything at the Resort and the Parks was still decorated for Christmas. We were there at the tail end of the Holiday Season (Jan. 2nd through Jan 5th) and everything was very festive. I wanted to check in early, but the line was too long, so I left the resort and headed to DAK.
We arrived at DAK and promptly purchased a set of annual passes. Life is good.
You may be asking yourself, “Why did this freak post the photo below?” I am a guy. I often travel with two females. I spend a good deal of time patiently waiting outside of restrooms, while the females go inside for various and sundry reasons. This was the first stop of the trip, and to quote the Norwegian host, “nor will it be the last”…
The crowds on the first day were not bad at all. I attribute this to the fact that DAK is probably the least popular park destination. I think that the place is beautiful and well themed. It could use a few more attractions and activities, but it is still a great place to spend the day. We first hustled over to get Fastpasses for Expedition Everest. We then took in an early Safari and nature walk, which yielded many animal sightings. I shall now attempt to share my wildlife expertise with you, the common tourist. Try to follow along as best as you can...
This is an animal. You're welcome.
This is a long necked animal. You're welcome.
These are dangerous and hungry animals. You're welcome.
These are animals with big horns on their faces. You're welcome.
These are striped animals. You're welcome.
This is a big nosed animal. You're welcome.
This is a hairy animal. You're welcome.
This is a flying animal. You're welcome.
This is an animal sticking his face in his own filth. You're welcome.
The vehicle in the background is full what we naturalists call "people", and they freakishly mix peanut butter with jelly. You're welcome.
Next, we rode Expedition Everest. The Yeti was not particularly aggressive, but the attraction is still a fun ride.
We also went to the Finding Nemo show, Bug’s Life, Lion King, Dinosaur, and various other attractions.
Regardless of the opinions of others, I love this ride. It's so incredibly kitschy that I'm drawn to it like an ant to sugar. I think that they should set up a chiropractor's office at the exit. That would make it perfect.
This should be converted into a big slide for kids, like the one used by Fred Flintstone during the opening credits of the cartoon. Man, I should get paid to be an Imagineer...
My wife found humor in this. I just tried to imagine a CM's reaction to the words, "you're in charge of the huge Santa Dinosaur beard."
Oddly, the dinosaur on this sign was just as animated as some of those in the actual ride. Whacky!
To be continued...
