Sept 10-15 w/ pics!

First off, I'm not a photographer. I don't pretend I am. I don't try to take breathtaking shots, haha. Okie... trip report. Here we go...

Day 1 - Thursday morning, got up at 5 am to catch the 1st flight out @ 7am. My b/f had checked in online, and wow, does that save time. We walked up to the counter, and she just gave a us a folder and was like you're in the 50's, have a nice trip. And bam, done. So by about noon we were on our way to the Kingdom.

We got there and it was so pretty! All done up for fall w/ pumpkins and scarecrows.

I was very happy w/ the castle. It was so vibrant. And you really can't see the lights they put up until you're REALLY close. And best of all - no cranes!

I really felt that there was NO ONE there. It was great. Our first ride was the jungle cruise. I was so happy we just walked right on at about 12:30. I know this isn't Peter Pan, but to have no wait was nice. I got excited -- I took a pic of the empty queue.

I don't know what most people's feelings are, but I really liked Monsters Inc. Maybe because it was one of my fave movies. But once we were inside, I actually laughed at their jokes. Though it was about 90 degrees, so maybe I was going a lil crazy due to the heat, hehe.

We did Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, ate lunch, Buzz Lightyear, Monsters Inc, Philharmagic, and it's a small world... all by 4 o'clock. It was awesome. Then we went to the Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner. OH - MY - GOD. I reccomend to everyone to eat there. It was quite possibly the best meal I ever had, lol. Then of course we went back to the MK and did round two of everything, and Wishes... yayyyy. My fave!

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Day 2 - Epcot. I am SO happy there is no wand on spaceship earth!

We got there around 9:30 or so, and again there was no wait. Even Soarin' had no wait w/ Test Track being down. Again, I was so excited I took a pic...

I have been on Soarin' several times now. It is a good ride, but I don't see what other people see I guess. I'm not obsessed w/ it.

 

[TOTguest1127]

Living w/ the Land was closed (we knew that), but Dan was still sad --

Then we started in Mexico and worked our way around. We didn't drink around the world because it was just too hot. I like the three Caballeros (sp) ride, but I miss the old Mexico song, a lot. And I miss the guy trying to make deals w/ me at the end. Oh well. I have a love/hate relationship w/ Epcot. This time I was bored there.

Went to Cape May Cafe for dinner. Another fantastic dinner. The green beans in garlic sauce - yum (what can I say, I'm a simple girl, lol). Then back to Epoct for more rides and illuminations. Which, I don't even enjoy that. :lookaroun

My fave part of the day was in spaceship earth. They take your picture as you're going up, and when you're coming down, you get to design your future, and they put your pics in. I'm easily amused.

After this day I was draineddddd....

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Day 3 - Animal Kingdom. Got there at about 9:30 again. Did Everest, which had no wait. Did the Safari. Got to see the Lion walking. But of course I snapped it after he sat down, lol. I've never seen him do anything other than sleep! Then did Dinosaur & that was about it.

Oh, does anyone know what this car is for on the safari?

After Animal Kingdom we snuck to Universal's City Walk (not cheating on Disney -- We just went there to eat @ Margaritaville, because I am a parrothead) Putzed around there, and Downtown Disney. Then chilled at the hotel pool for the night.

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Day 4 - MGM (It will always be MGM to me)

I forgot how much I truely LOVE this park. We got there around 10 or so and did the tower & rock 'n rollercoaster. Then we went to meet the UP characters (SOOOOOOO CUTE!) and Mickey. Tip -- Don't go throught the animation tour (it's so lame now anyway), just sneak through the store to meet the characters. In between tour let-outs there is no one.

Ate lunch @ the Sci Fi Dine in. It was very good! As soon as we were done, it was POURING.

Toy Story Mania - It was down in the morning. So it was backed up. We waited on line for almost an hour and didn't move. It's because they were honoring fast passes from when it was down, etc, it was a mess. So we left. I was really sad, but we decided to come back the next morning.

 

[TOTguest1127]

Day 5 - Got to MGM for the opening. Ran to Toy Story Mania to get a fast pass. Did not need it at all. Rode it three times in a row, waiting about 5-10 mins each time. IT - IS - AWESOME.

We went from MGM back to Epcot & met Donald

Then back to MK to see Wishes again.

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Day 6 - Last day - Went to Animal Kingdom again at about 9:30. Rode Everest 3 times in a row! No wait @ all. OH - 1st row is a must. It was so awesome having nothing in front of you. And you come REALLY close to that end of track, lol. After sufficiently beating up our stomachs. We ended our trip at Magic Kingdom. Splash Mountain was our last ride.


We're heading out to Vegas for New Year's, and we were talking about Doing Disneyland Dec 29-30. Does anyone have any imput? I'm anti, because of the crowds, and it's going to be a rough week as it is.

 

[Computer Magic]

Day 3 - Animal Kingdom. Got there at about 9:30 again. Did Everest, which had no wait. Did the Safari. Got to see the Lion walking. But of course I snapped it after he sat down, lol. I've never seen him do anything other than sleep! Then did Dinosaur & that was about it.

I was able to get this picture on Sunday Sept 13th.

Oh, does anyone know what this car is for on the safari?

That may be a Sunrise Safari tour. We did that tour Sunday morning. That is how I got the lion picture.

 

[Steve-B]

First off, I'm not a photographer. I don't pretend I am. I don't try to take breathtaking shots . . . .

Personally, I like "walking around" type pictures (I took over a thousand on our last trip) as much as any. Those are the ones that make me feel like I'm there.

 

[corey154]

Great trip report!! Thanks for sharing!!! :sohappy:

 

[DormaNesbit]

Thank's for the trip report!!! Loved all the pictures!!!!:wave::wave:

 

[Gucci65]

:sohappy::sohappy: You got a picture with the UP characters!!!! Lucky girl - I love them!! The movie didn't come out til AFTER my Disney trip earlier this year. I'm so jealous. I loved that movie.

Glad you had a good trip and thanks for posting.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh, does anyone know what this car is for on the safari?

The other person was right. This is a safari tour vehicle. I'm guessing (but not at all sure) that this is the vehicle I saw on one of the Travel Channel pieces where the entire top raises so the guests can stand up and have a bird's eye view for pictures, etc. Or is that the one they use for the Wanyama Safari @ the lodge? I remember it looking more van-ish than bus-ish. Judging by the time you arrived (9:30 a.m.) and the order in which you hit stuff in the park I don't think it was the Sunrise Safari that you saw. There's another safari tour, Wildlife Discovery Excursion, that I really didn't know anything about until last week. I had the IPO CM I spoke to on the phone email me some info on it:

The Wildlife Discovery Excursion takes the Kilimanjaro safari experience
to the next level. Disney's Animal Kingdom invites you to venture off
the beaten path of the Harambe Wildlife Reserve for a unique animal
observation and photo excursion. Led by a seasoned Safari Guide and an
Animal expert, this adventure takes you off the Safari trail, stopping
at special observation and photo areas throughout the 110-acre savannah
of the reserve. The tour is offered Tuesday through Saturday at 10:00
a.m. and 1:00 p.m.. Guest meet in front of Mombassa Marketplace 15
minutes prior to the tour. It can accommodate up to 14 guests who must
be age 3 and older. Payment is taken at time of booking. There is a 48
hour cancellation policy. Cost is $50 per person, including tax. You
will spend about an hour on the trail slipping between ride vehicles of
the Kilimanjaro Safari and stopping to view and photograph the animals.
The vehicle is climate controlled. Guest may stand up in the vehicle
(there are hand holds all over the vehicle). It is a great chance to get
a different perspective on the Kilimanjaro Safari. Not included with any
package.

In the description they gave a lot of policy info for this tour but don't mention it's limited to just AKL and/or Concierge level guests so I think it's open to anyone who wants to go. I'm thinking we might do this one, too, in addition to the Sunrise Safari. So as not to hijack the thread if anyone has been on the Wildlife Discovery Excursion please PM me with your thoughts. I'd love to hear what you have to say! :wave:

To the OP, I loved your report. It looked very un-busy which makes it that much better for you. I can sympathize with the heat. Isn't it oppressive??? Glad you had a good time. I thoroughly enjoyed your report. Thanks for sharing! :wave:

 

[WDWFigment]

For a non-photographer, I think the pictures are pretty good! The most important part, though, is that they're FUN! Your pictures are definitely fun--looks like you two had a great time!