First try at a trip report. The Carr / Harding 7

[jtcarr]

Well we are back to the real world after 11 days at Universal / WDW. We had a great trip, even with Tropical Storm Debby trying her best to put a damper on things.

June 18th, Day 1

I went to bed fairly early the night before we left and had no problem falling asleep, but I woke up at 3:30, wide awake and ready to go. I didn't need to be up until about 7 so I made a last minute run to Wal-Mart and grabbed a few things to help pass the time until my Mom picked us up to take us to the airport.

Mom arrived on time and had us to Louisville International Airport in plenty of time to get through security and relax at the gate before departure. The Hardings arrived about 15 minutes after us and Henry, Shane's 5 year old son, announced that this was already the best trip ever.

The flight was on time and very smooth. We arrived a little ahead of schedule and picked up our Mini-Van from Alamo. The attendent tried to up sale the Large SUV, but we declined and packed all 7of our suitcases, backpacks and us in like sardines.

We then checked into the Holiday Inn Express at Universal Gate and let the kids take a quick swim in the pool.


Sam was fairly happy to be in Orlando.

After the pool we decided to head over to City Walk, look around and grab dinner. I enjoy City Walk, the atmosphere is laid back and it's not as crowded as Downtown Disney. We walked around for awhile in the shops and then decided to try Bubba Gumps for dinner. What a tourist trap that place is, the food was decent and the atmosphere is pretty cool, but the prices are really high for the quality of food you get. Oh well, it was fine, but we won't be there again anytime soon.



The Hardings



The Carrs



Bubba Gump's



After dinner we headed back to the hotel and the kids hit the pool again for a short dip before going to bed. The next morning we had to check out of the Holiday Inn and into the Royal Pacific before heading to Universal Studios. Back with more in a few minutes.

[off2neverland]

Welcome back Josh!

[jtcarr]

Day 2 / Universal Studios

We checked out of the Hoilday Inn and into the Royal Pacific. I was amazed at how seamless our logistical portion of the trip had gone to this point and checking into the Royal Pacific was no different. After check in, we walked down to the boat launch and headed to Universal Studios. The boat service for on-site hotels is fine, but the drop off dock is much closer to Universal Studios than IofA. So it made more sense for us to walk to IofA adventure than Studios.


Heading down to the boat dock.



Sam pointing at the new Despicable Me attraction.

I have to say, I was really impresed with Universal Studios, I was a little afraid that it wouldn't be what we hoped. It turned out to be better than I imagined. It's definitely a 1 day park in my opinion, espically if you have the unlimited Express Pass that comes with staying on site. We arrived right at opening and went straight to Rip, Ride and Rockit Rollercoaster, since it's the only major attraction at Studios that doesn't have ExPass. What an awesome coaster this thing was, the first hill climb is straight up. It was fast and the music that you choose to listen to, helps with the experience. Sam and I picked The Beastie Boys, Sabotage, of course.

That's Kim in the third row with the shades on, she was trying to hold onto Madison. The first hill was a little much for her and Kim said that Madison's eyes kind of rolled back in her head. Probably due to the fact that it was the first ride of the trip, it would have been nice to work up to such an intense coaster, but we really needed to beat the crowds. It's a good thing we rode it early too, because it was shutdown for most of the evening.

The whole gang with Woody Woodpecker and his girlfriend, I don't know her name. The character interaction was awesome, much less structured than Disney. The characters just seemed to be out and about. Very cool.


The Big Cat, as I refer to Shane, and Woody

Had to get this one with the boys in front of The Godfather's Olive Oil Company Store
Next we hit the Revenge of the Mummy, great ride, kind of a dark roller coaster / special effets ride. A definite must do in my opinion. We were amazed at how few people were in the park, we could walk around freely and walk on any ride we wanted with the ExPass. It did make me sad the the Jaws ride is gone. I love that movie and would have enjoyed it, I think.

We then hit Men in Black, it's better than Buzz but not as good as Toy Story Mania, in my opinion. It's really welll done and not just a bunch of cardboard cut-outs, the creatures move around which gives it more depth.

Then it was onto The Simpsons with a quick stop for a few photos.

I'm a police officer, get it?
This was another winner, very well done and cute. However, if you get motion sickness related to watching a 3D screen while moving, skip it. It's pretty intense in that regard. Trish felt really bad after this ride.


Next we hit the Sponge Bob store on our way to ride ET.

We arrived at ET and it was broke down, so we decided to head to lunch and back to the resort for a rest, since our rooms were now ready. We ate at the Nascar restaurant, it's about what you would expect. I had the wings, kind of hard to mess those up. After we had a nice rest back at the room. I love this resort, very nice and the rooms are at least as nice as the deluxe rooms at WDW. Spacious and clean, good enough for me.


Sam agreed.

After our break we headed back over to Studios and hit the Terminator show, which was just OK. I would defenitely skip it next time. We also went back to ET, cute but not a must do espicially if your kids have never seen the movie. We then saw Shreck 4D. Very cute and funny. After that, it was dinner at Margaritaville, another tourist trap, the burger was just ok. The atmosphere is fun, but again the prices are crazy for the quality of food that is served. We were supposed to be finished and then Henry asked, "Are we going to do Men in Black again tomorrow?" To which I had to be the bad guy and say "No we are going to a different park tomorrow." Poor little guy had to miss out on several rides due to is size and all he wanted was to ride MIB one more time. He said, "That's ok I'll ride it next time." Are you kidding me, at that point, there was no way that his parents and Trish and I were not going to take him back to ride it again. So back to Studios we went. Henry was so happy and it turned out to be a great decision. After MIB we strolled around and Sam asked me to try and win him a stuffed Captain America by hitting the bell thing with the sledge hammer. What was I going to do,? I had to prove to him that his Dad could do it right? Wrong, three tries and still never hit the stupid bell, that thing is rigged. Shane tried as well, with no luck. On a positive note, I did manage to hurt my shoulder in the process and the wives got a huge kick out of watching Shane and I make fools of ourselves. After we were headed out of the park and saw that Despicable Me only had a 30 minute wait time. Shane, Kim and the kids all rode while Trish and I sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. It was such a nice night. It wasn't too hot and there was a slight breeze. I really enjoyed Studios, everything is nicely done and very well themed.

We caught a boat back to the resort and headed down to the pool for awhile. The kids swam and Shane and I discovered that we really like Kona Brewing Company's Longboard Lager. It's nothing too exotic, but I thought it was a very good beer. We had a few beers at the pool bar and then headed in to the room for the night. Big day tomorrow, early admission into Harry Potter! I'll be back later with more, thanks for reading along. Sorry it's so wordy.

[jtcarr]

Day 3 / Islands of Adventure

We were all up really early and grabbed a quick bite at the quick service before heading to IoA for early admission to Harry Potter land.


We walked to IoA instead of the boat, it's not a bad walk at all. It probably took about ten minutes or so and it was overcast and not too hot so it worked out nicely.


Waiting to get into the park.

Once inside we headed with the masses through the Port of Entry and onto Hogsmeade.

Mythos restaurant on the way to Hogsmeade
This place is awesome, let me say I have only seen a couple of the movies and am by no means a huge harry Potter fan. Don't get me wrong I really liked the first movie, but I'm not up on all the lingo and references. It didn't matter one bit, it was still probably my favorite area of any of the parks, including WDW. There I said it.



The first stop was to Olliander's Wand Shop, we were the second show of the day and the kids loved it. None of our kids were picked but it was still very cool. The shop keeper does an excellent job, a must do.

After that, it was on to the Forbidden Journey. Hogwarts Castle is amazing. The attention detail is incredible and the theming is second to none. I know everyone says this about this place, but until you see it, it's hard to imagine how impressive it really is.




The queue is great, and really enjoyable to walk through. We moved at a pretty brisk pace and probably missed a ton of details. The ride itself is amazing, our favorite of the trip. It's easy to see why WDW is planning the Avatar land and they need to bring their "A" game to compete with this ride. Trish said she squealed like a little girl the whole ride. After Shane took Madison and Sam for a second ride using the parent swap, we headed to Flight of the Hippogriff so that Henry could get involved in the Harry Potter experience. It's a cute starter coaster, about on par with The Barnstormer.

A Hippogriff?

Shane and I towards the back, not sure who the big guy is, but he seemed to happy to smile for Trish as she snapped the photo.

Next we stopped for our first frozen Butter Beer ever. It is tasty, and really sweet, if you're into that sort of thing. The creamy froth at the top is the best part. I liked it, but one per trip is plenty for me. Sam had one here and another for dinner, but everyone else in the group settled for just one.




As we enjoyed our Butter Beers, we walked towards the Jurrasic Park section of the park.


We then went to the Jurrasic Park River Adventure ride. Kim and Trish sat this one out because thay don't enjoy getting wet and then walking around the park.

It's hard to make us out in this picture, but we are in the back seat. This ride was another winner in our opinions. It's very well done and the drop at the end is pretty fast and steep.
We then walked through Toon Town on our way to Marvel Island. It's cute and has some pretty cool artwork. We were coming back here after Marvel Island, because the two big rides here, Popeye and Dudley Do-Right get you soaked. So we planned to do those just before our break. Smart huh?


It was actually Wednesday.



Marvel Island was the area that Sam was really excited to see. He's a big super hero fan, Henry is too, so they were in heaven.

The kids all got the photo with Spidey, probably much cooler if you pay the $20 or $30 bucks they charge with photoshop background. Still they loved meeting Spidey and the wait was probably only about 20 minutes.




We then moved onto the Spider-Man ride. Trish sat it out because she was afraid she would fell like she did after riding the Simpsons. This a really cool ride, another really well done 4D simulator. Probably my second favorite attraction at IofA. The Expass was great, the stand by 40 miutes at this point and we waited about 5 minutes. Tirsh would later decide to try this one and she was glad she did. She didn't get sick at all and loved the ride.

Next was the Hulk coaster. Another winner, are you guys picking up on a theme here? Hulk is fast and intense, and we only had to wait about 10 minutes. Shane and Kim did another Parent swap here and Sam got to ride with Shane after our first ride.


I'll be back shortly to wrap up this day, again sorry it's so long winded, but I'm trying to get all the details in.

[nolarookie]

Hey I love the trip report so far!! I know nothing about Universal, but my kids are starting to ask about it (esp. the Harry Potter stuff), so I'm really enjoying this part. Sorry about all the rain I'm assuming you had on your trip! Just another reason to go back!!

[josh]

Nice pictures! Can't believe I wimped out on dinner over rain :/ That didn't arrive.

[wgwtgb]

Great report so far! I dont find it to be wordy at all. For those of us that have never been to Universal, we need great descriptions. Can you tell me anything about the wand shop? Do you choose the wand for you, or is it chosen for you like magic?
I cant wait to read more!!

[jtcarr]

OK so we finished Hulk and needed to hit the two water rides in Toon Town. We rode Popeye first, Trish and Kim wisely sat this one out as well. It was fine, but you get absolutely soaked. My shoes were drenched within seconds of the ride starting. (BTW thanks to whoever posted about the newspaper in the shoes trick, worked like a charm) The kids liked it and thought it was funny how wet Shane was when we finished.

We didn't know the people in the boat with us, but they were nice and waved at Trish right along with the rest of us.
Next up was Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, similar to Splash Mountain, but not as well themed. It was fun and the final hill was great.

This should give you an idea of how wet you will get on this ride, much more water than Splash Mtn.

Madison and Sam up front, then me doing my best Robert DeNiro, "Are you talkin to me?" face. Henry is tucked between me and Shane.
Finally, time for a lunch break. We went back to the resort changed out of our wet clothes and had lunch at Emeril's restaurant at the resort, Tchoup Chop (Spelling?) The egg roll appetizer was my favorite part of the meal. The suasage Po Boy sandwich that Kim, Shane and I had was ok, but the sausage had a strange texture. Trish had a chicken sandwich that she said was really good. BTW if I don't post what the kids ate at a particular meal, assume they had chicken nuggets, cheese pizza or a burger. After lunch we all went to our rooms for a much needed nap, however, I couldn't sleep, so I wondered around the resort. It had started to rain at this point and there weren't many people out. It was nice to just walk around and see everything. The resort is big, but everything is right there together, not spread out at all. Below are some random photos of Sam around the resort that Trish took, just to give you an idea of what it looks like.




So the rain let up for a few minutes and we decided to head back to IoA. Of course as we were arriving back at the gates, it started to rain, hard. Here's the best part, the rain ponchos that I bought at Wal-Mart so we wouldn't have to pay a ton of cash for park ponchos, I left them back in the room. Awesome
Trish went in the store at the gate and purchased three for our family, Shane had their's in his backpack, lucky dog. Anyway we then headed to Suess Landing, what a nice suprise this area was. We rode Cat in the Hat, Carosuess, and the Trolly in the sky. It was really a lot of fun and the attractions and buildings there are cute.



Next we headed back to Hogsmead, the rain was very light and not terribly annoying. Sam, Shane and I rode the Dragon Challenge, another fun coaster, not themed that well, but fun. After we ate at Three Broomsticks, the ordering process was a little strange, but efficent. Trish and I had the fish and chips, it was ok, but nothing to get excited about. Shane had the fish as well and I think Kim had a salad. The food was average, but the decor in the restaurant is so cool. These pictures don't do it justice.




We then went next door to Hog's Head Tavern where Shane and I ordered one of the Hog's Head beers that is sold exclusively at Hog's Head. It was good, a traditional english stlye pale ale, not great but good.

We then went back to the Forbidden Journey and only had a 10 minute wait. The rain really cleared the park out, which was nice. Again everyone loved it as much as the first time. Trish is absolutely crazy about this ride and claimed it, "The best ride ever." It's hard to argue with her.
A few more Hogwarts shots.


The choosing hat?
After looking around for a few more minutes we headed back over to Marvel Land, because Sam really wanted to ride Dr. Doom's Fear Fall and Henry had his eye on an action figure in a store near Spider-Man. Sam and I went ahead of everyone because we were getting close to park closing. When we arrived at Dr. Doom, the rain really started coming down and Trish had our ponchos in the backpack. Sam and I went ahead and braved through the rain and rode anyway. Let me say, I will pretty much ride anything and this thing scared me as much as any ride I've ever been on. It shoots straight up in the air at a really high rate of speed and then drops you a couple of times. Kind of like Tower of Terror in reverse. My stomach was nowhere to be found, It's fun and I would do it again, but be prepared, because it will take your breath away.

So now it's pouring and we find Trish and the gang and get our ponchos on to start our walk back to the resort. I noticed that my legs were getting a lot wetter than before and the hood seemed really tight. Well a few minutes later I look back and the entire group is crying they are laughing so hard. Sam and I had on each other's ponchos and nobody realized it until Sam tripped because mine was too long for him. We all had a good laugh at my expense, talk about a fat guy in a little poncho. Trish said her one regret of the trip was that she didn't get a picture because she was laughing so hard. Anyway probably not that funny to you guys but we all laughed the rest of the trip about it. It's one of those little inside jokes or stories that make a trip special.

That was pretty much our two days at Universal, hope I didn't bore you guys. To say that I was impressed with Universal and IoA would be a huge understatement. We all really loved it there and Trish and I agree that it's probably a must do at least every other trip, if not every trip. The resort was as well themed as most at WDW and the two parks have a lot going for them. We would probably be okay with just doing IoA, but Studios was much nicer than I thought it would be. I'm still Disney fan through and through, but I think you can appreciate both for what they are and enjoy them. I'll be back later with more.

[jtcarr]

Hey I love the trip report so far!! I know nothing about Universal, but my kids are starting to ask about it (esp. the Harry Potter stuff), so I'm really enjoying this part. Sorry about all the rain I'm assuming you had on your trip! Just another reason to go back!!

That's right you always need a reason to go back, right? The rain will become a bigger part of the report as we move ahead, but we took it in stride.

[jtcarr]

Nice pictures! Can't believe I wimped out on dinner over rain :/ That didn't arrive.

Yeah we were looking foward to meeting you, but I totally get how the thought of walking all that way in the rain would suck. Well we will be back in December so maybe then. Not to give too much away, but I looooove Ragland Road.

[jtcarr]

Great report so far! I dont find it to be wordy at all. For those of us that have never been to Universal, we need great descriptions. Can you tell me anything about the wand shop? Do you choose the wand for you, or is it chosen for you like magic?
I cant wait to read more!!

The shop keeper actually picks one kid in the group and the wand then chooses them like in the movie. Everyone else is welcome to purchase their wands in the shop attached to the shop. It really is a lot of fun and sould be done first thing in the morning, the lines in the afternoon get really long and are totally in the sun.

[jtcarr]

Welcome back Josh!

Thanks Christine it's good to be home. Although Sam is going through major WDW withdrawls, poor kid. We are going back in December, but it's a secret, so he thinks it will be at least next summer before we go back, mean isn't it. Thanks again for all of the touring plan help.

[MsInfo]

Thanks for the Universal report! We're thinking about making a visit during our December trip to see the Harry Potter section. The Mr. has read all of the Harry Potter books / seen all of the movies. I thought I was the only person on the Internet who hadn't read any of the books. Anyway, looks amazing! However, the idea of "butter beer" sounds yucky; why butter perfectly good beer? ;-)

[jtcarr]

Day 4 / Transfer Day

We got to sleep in a few minutes later today, but not much. We packed up our bags, funny how much stuff you can accumulate in just 2 and 1/2 days. After stuffing everything and everybody into the mini-van we headed to Baylake Tower to check in for our last 8 days of our trip. Again the process went better than I could have hoped. We checked in at about 10 am and of course our room wasn't ready, but I didn't expect it to be. We had a 2BR lake view so while checking in I asked if we could be in the north tower, even numbered room with the hopes that we would get a partial Magic Kingdom view.

The check in desk at the Contemporary, which serves as Baylake's check in as well.

The kids chillin while Shane and I checked in.

After checking in, Shane and I headed to the Publix to stock up on food, water, snacks and of course beer for the week. Trish, Kim and the kids stayed back at BLT and had snacks at the Contempo Cafe. I was really suprised that the prices at the Publix seemed similar to my grocery store at home. I expected some tourist trap pricing, but it all seemed very fair. While we wer shopping, I received the text that our room (#7702) was ready. I let Trish know so they could head up and have bell services bring our bags up. Some photos of the room below.

The Master


The living room


The kitchen, sorry I don't have any shots of the other bedroom, didn't want to walk through Shane and Kim's living space shooting photos.


The view from the master bedroom balcony, nice huh. They were able to grant my request. I think I actually like this Lake View better than an actual Magic Kingdom view because you get the best of both worlds.

This is the view that we had if we looked straight from the balcony. Then just look left and there was this, pretty cool.


Shane and I then had to return the Mini-Van to the Dolphin resort, since we didn't need it for the remainder of the trip. This went pretty well too, we dropped it off at the valet area and caught the bus back to MK. Then we walked the short 10 minute walk back to BLT.
After we got things settled in, we headed to Magic Kingdom so Trish, Sam and I could pick up our Annual Passes and our Tables in Wonderland card. After a few minutes at Guest Services we headed into the Magic Kingdom, mainly to upgrade our Photo Pass to the Deluxe Photo Pass and to pick up a FP for Peter Pan to use after our dinner at 'Ohana.






Sam and I walking together up Main St., which was a nice change since normally I'm well ahead of him and Trish rushing to get a FP. We walked around and snapped a few shots and took everything in. While we were walking Henry saw the Tomorrow Land People Mover and asked if we could ride and since he had gotten the short end of the stick at IoA, we all agreed.

The Hardings at the hub, has a nice ring don't you think?


Sam trying his best to act excited about the People Mover.

After the People Mover, Shane and I FPV Peter Pan and met back up with the gang out front and took the monorail to the Polynesian for dinner.


Our family had eaten at 'Ohana last year for breakfast, but none in our group had ever eaten dinner there, so I was hoping that it would be okay.

Sam being silly. He really is a good sport about the amount of photos that his mom makes him take, but sometimes he has to sneak in a little sarcasim.

The dinner was really good, the appetizers were excellent and the meats were tasty and cooked well. The only compliant that we had was the shrimp should not be peel and eat, but other than that we all enjoyed our meal. The Tables in Wonderland card was already half paid for by the time this meal was over, so that was nice too. The 20% discount really adds up when there are 7 people on one ticket. I'm really glad we choose this instead of the Dining Plan. I haven't put pencil to paper yet, but I know we saved a ton of money.

After dinner we headed back to MK to use our FPs for Peter Pan and also took a ride on PoftC and the Haunted Mansion. This worked out perfectly since these are three of our families top attractions at MK. Oh yeah and we caught this bunny, just hanging out near the Cyrstal Palace, not a care in the world. If you had to be a wild creature, living inside the Magic Kingdom wouldn't be a bad spot to be I guess.


After this we were all pretty beat so we headed back to the room and caught Wishes from our balcony. Not the greatest picture below but, you get the point.


Then it was off to bed, tomorrow would be rd at MK after an early breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Be back with more soon.

[pfalcioni]

Wow!! Loving your report and pics so far! Seeing your group together makes me wish we could do another trip with my brother's family, sharing the World with friends is just so much fun.

I really, really want to go to Universal/IofA. We've been avoiding it because of DH's motion sickness issues, but it just looks so awesome. This next trip for us in Jan 2013 will be for my 50th birthday, and my hubby says we can do anything I want, so I guess this would be a good time!

[featherface]

Wow, what a great trip you're all having. Such a shame about Debby, but it sounds like you're having a blast anyway.

[jtcarr]

Wow!! Loving your report and pics so far! Seeing your group together makes me wish we could do another trip with my brother's family, sharing the World with friends is just so much fun.

I really, really want to go to Universal/IofA. We've been avoiding it because of DH's motion sickness issues, but it just looks so awesome. This next trip for us in Jan 2013 will be for my 50th birthday, and my hubby says we can do anything I want, so I guess this would be a good time!

Thanks Pam, sounds like a perfect time to try it. I think there is still plenty to do, even for someone with motion sickness. And I know from your trip report that you like coasters. Rip, Ride and Rockit and Hulk are two of the best I've ever been on and I've ridden a bunch of coasters.

[jtcarr]

Wow, what a great trip you're all having. Such a shame about Debby, but it sounds like you're having a blast anyway.

Thanks for reading along, Debby will be appearing soon in the trip report.

[jtcarr]

Day 4 / MK

Sunrise on Baylake to get the day started.


We had a very early start to Day 4 with a 7am ADR at Chef Mickey's. MK opened at 9 so we had plenty of time to enjoy our meal and then get to rd. I was a little worried because this was the day that President Obama was speaking at the Contemporary and I had no idea what security measures were going to be put into place as far as transportation was concerned. He didn't actually speak until a little later in the morning, when we would already be in MK, so no biggie.

The kids ready to take on the Magic Kingdom.


Now it's a party


We took ths photo last year too, probably won't be able to get him to pose for this one much longer.


Oh yeah, if I failed to mention it, Trish and I recently celebrated our 11th anniversary as did Shane and Kim. They were married two weeks after us in 2001, so we were celebrating that, along with Kim's upcoming birthday. It was nice, we got a little extra attention at a few places during the trip. The waitress at Chef Mickey's was really sweet and made us pose for this shot.


I know a lot of people don't agree with us, but we love Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Of course we had the earliest possible ADR you can have, but the food was fresh and everything was well prepared. I'm sure if you go later in the morning things can get pretty gross, but our two experiences there for breakfast have been really good. I will say that I would be fine with only one, maybe two character meals in the future. Trying to juggle when to get a plate with when a character is going to be at the table is somewhat stressful. Anyway everyone was happy with their breakfast so we caught the monorail over to MK for RD.

Hellooooo Everyone!


They seemed like a nice enough family, but I wish it would have been us up there.


Sam counting down with Mickey.

After rd Shane and I FPV Space Mnt. while everyone else headed to Dumbo. I guess I should have done more research and known that they were running both Dumbos. We probably would have changed our plan of attack, but everyone liked Dumbo and it is a classic that we didn't do last year.


After Dumbo we rode Barnstormer, the queue is really cute and the details are neat. It's a great little starter coaster for little ones. After Barnstormer, we attempted to ride Pooh, but were told that Pooh was gathering honey and would not be back for awhile. OK, onto the Tomorrowland Speedway. The kids love this, I understand why, but it really slows you down during those precious early touring hours.



I again sat this one out and instead took video of everyone. Trish and Sam finished their rides a few minutes ahead of Shane's family so I FPV Splash and we all met up at Space Mnt. Trish, Kim and Henry sat this one out while Shane and I rode with Madison and Sam. Madison and Sam of course loved it, so Shane stepped up, took one for the team and took Sam and Madison again with the three extra FPs that we had not used. We then moved on to Buzz and Monster's Inc. BTW, I'm not sure what is considered a good score on Buzz, but I was pretty proud of 110,000, until I was told Kim scored over 250,000.


It really was a nice morning because we had come the evening before and rode a few of the biggies, so this morning was fairly laid back. After Monsters Inc we headed toward Splash to use our FPs and stopped along the way to get some photo pass shots. I just realized that my report from the previous day is incorrect, we actually saw Philharmagic and rode IASW as well the others that I mentioned. That being said, after Splash Mnt. we were all getting hungry and needed a break so we grabbed a Dole Whip Pineapple / Vanilla Swirl Float, of course, and headed back to BLT. The monorail was shut down due to the President's visit so we hoofed it. Back at BLT we had lunch and then got in a little pool time.




After resting we all decided that we weren't going back to MK for the evening like we had originally planned. That was really nice thing about staying at BLT, we could watch Wishes from any number of spots witthout having to brave the crowds. We ate dinner at the Contempo Cafe and rested up for a big day at AK on Day 5.

[jtcarr]

Day 5 / AK

We were up bright and early again and ready to head to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our breakfast at Boma. Unfortunately Kim had pulled the muscle between her ribs earlier in the week and it was not improving, so she wasn't able to go with us in the morning. She went to the Immediate Care Center and received treatment, but insisted that we all go ahead and said she would meet up with us later. So the remaining six of us walked to the bus stop at MK and waited for about 40 minutes for the AKL bus to pick us up. When we finally arrived at Boma we were about 20 minutes late for our ADR, however, we were still seated within 10 minutes. This was our family's first time at Boma, but Shane's family had been here several times on their last stay and raved about the breakfast. I can now see why, this breakfast was awesome. The food was delicious and the choices were excellent.

The ride to AKL


After breakfast we caught the bus to AK, which was less than a 10 minute ride. We had obviously missed rd, but it was well worth it. Once inside the gates, I FPV Safari while Shane, Trish and the kids headed to Dinosaur. After I had the FPs we all met up and rode Dinosaur, and Primevil Whirl. I will say that it was our first time on PW and I can see how some people don't like it, but I thought it was fun and would probably do it again.


Trish, Shane and the kids then headed to Safari while I FPV EE. We all met at Safari and used our FPs, and the wait seemed much shorter than last year. I seem to remember waiting close to 20 minutes last year with our FPs and this time we basically walked right on. There were a ton of animals out and Trish got some really good shots, I won't bore you with all of them, but here are a few of the better ones.

I actually snapped this one.



After Safari Shane and I were parched so we stopped by the Dawa Bar and grabbed a Tusker Lager. It wasn't bad, not great but I would definitely drink another if you twisted my arm.


We then strolled the path that connects Africa to Asia and took a couple of photo pass shots with the Tree of Life in the background. Once at EE, Trish, Sam and I went on first, because Henry still wasn't %100 sure he wanted to ride. I 'm glad to say that after a few minutes he decided to give it a try and loved it.

Sam loves this ride.


The hat placed in the appropriate coaster riding position.




After our rides, Kim met up with us and the Hardings headed to get FPs for Safari while we strolled around a bit and grabbed lunch at Y&Y counter service. Trish and I split the Sweet & Sour Chicken and a couple of egg rolls. The egg rolls were really good and the chicken was fine, nothing to write home about, but decent. After a quick bite, we met up with the Hardings at Flights of Wonder. None of us had ever seen it before and we all loved it. Sam thoght the Eagle was awesome.

Probably my favorite photo of Sam this year.




After FoW we decided to split up again so the Hardings could use their FPs for safari and we could use ours for EE. We also rode single rider for a grand total of 4 rides this trip, not too bad. Afterwards we strolled around and Trish and Sam decided they wanted a Mickey Bar so I snapped some shots.





Sometimes when the beat hits you, you've just got to play.


At this point, we were pretty much fried and the rain was moving in, so we decided to head back to the resort. The Hardings stayed behind and caught ITTBAB.
I wish I could remember what Sam and I were talking about in this picture. Trish snapped as we rode / stood all the way back to BLT.



A few things I learned from this day. First, I was pretty sure that I really liked Animal Kingdom before this day, now I'm positive that I love it. It is such a cool park, but the last two times that we were here it was sooooooo hot that I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. This day was overcast and much more pleasent. Like everyone else always says, the attention to detail is amazing. There are so many hidden gems, if you just look around. Second, I really wish this park had longer hours so that it would be easier to fit in a break. It can still be done, but unless your staying at AKL, I'm not sure that you can get in much of break. And finally, Flights of Wonder is a really good show that in my opinion should not be missed. It kept our kids attention the entire show. All of the adults really liked it as well, very cool.

After returning to the room and getting cleaned up, we all headed to Wilderness Lodge for our dinner at Whispering Canyon. I know the food is nothing to get excited about, but for us it was about going to the WL. We stayed there last year and loved it, plus Shane and Kim had never been. We walked down to the boat dock at the Contemporary and waited forever for the boat to take us to WL. Once again we were late for our ADR and luckily once again the hostess got us seated within minutes.






Dinner was good, the skillet was actually better than I remember from last year and the waitress was great. She made a big deal about our anniversaries by bring us champagne with strawberries. That has to be the first "free" drink, I 've ever had a WDW.


After dinner we walked around the resort and snapped some photos. Mainly because this resort has so many beautiful places to take pictures. The theming is incredible and I think it's even prettier at night.





Of course we had to get one of me in front of the Trout Pass Bar. There's nothing particularly special about it, but the I spent a little time there last year on our trip, so I thought I should stop in.


We then rode the boat back to MK and took the monorail home. The rain had stopped earlier in the night, but it was very muggy and the clouds seemed really low, so I took the shot. Just thought it looked kind of creepy.



Day 5 was in the books and Day 6 we meet Debby, in all her glory. Thanks for staying with me.

[pfalcioni]

Great update!

Love the pic of Sam with his face in the Mickey cutout at Chef Mickey's - super cute!

Flights of Wonder was one of our "discoveries" a few years ago, I agree, it's a great show. We saw it twice on our most recent trip, and I was surprised that they actually have different birds at some of the shows.

And you're right, the castle looks very eerie in the low clouds/mist.

[wgwtgb]

I also love the picture of MK in the mist. It puts a sort of villian spin on the castle. I think the picture of Sam at WL next to the totum pole is a great measure of how tall he's gotten between trips!!!

[nolarookie]

I love the WL pics!

[jtcarr]

Thanks guys, and you're right Ashley, Sam is growing like a weed. I'll be back later with an update.

[Jana]

I'm really enjoying your report! ITA about Animal Kingdom and Flights of Wonder. We even love Primeval Whirl