Another August Adventure with a shot of Testosterone...TR Completed 2/19 About This Page:

[mcc0313]

Before I continue on I wanted to mention the issues I had with the Be Our Guest FP for lunch. As I mentioned in my PTR no matter how many times I booked BOG through the FP system it would never save. I had called IT who mentioned that I should take a Screen Shot and present that at our meal. We were planning on eating there on the 8th. As you can see we never did.

I actually sent the girls over there on the 8th to see what the line looked like, the CM said that they were filled to capacity so I did not even bother with the screen shots.

In the end we were not disappointed as the Chicken and Waffle was so good but BOG would end up popping up again

August 9th - Animal Kingdom

So today we were heading to Animal Kingdom, we originally had TH booked for lunch but at some point yesterday we ended up cancelling, it just was not fitting into our plans well and we figured we would enjoy FTB.

This morning Jasmine came into our room all excited....she was able to book and save FPs for us on the 13th for BOG. She was pretty excited and so was I. We did not pre-book the meals but figured we would do that later when we came back from the park.

The other thing she mentioned was that while she loved the idea of more counter service (she wanted to try different ones plus she figured it would be easier on the boys wallets) by day three she had enough of CS. She felt that the trip was not like they usually are and she missed having TS for dinner. She still wanted to try a few for lunch, but the plans of eating more CS were getting to her. My baby is spoiled by her TS meals....LOL

So we went onto MDE and we were able to get a reservation for Y&Y which has been our original choice for 4 PM. She was happy, so was I (I will admit, two nights of CS dinners has me craving nice sit down meal) so all was well in the world again.

Everyone got up and moving. The kids decided to pose for some pictures as we left the resort. As you might have noticed, Alexa was now sporting a birthday pin. She still has some time before her actual birthday but Angel thought that it was only fair that she share her birthday on this trip



We headed towards the quick bus ride over to AK. We got the gates around 8:50 AM and stopped for a memory maker photo.



We headed in and stopped for the "Tree of Life" photo which was not so pretty as they are doing work there so the walls kind of ruined that amazing tree photo but it is what it is



Our first FP was for Kilimanjaro Safari. At this hour of the morning the standby line did not look long at all but once we entered there was a 15 - 20 minute wait by the looks of the line so I was glad we had the FP.

I never get good photos so I pretty much just enjoyed the ride and Jasmine had fun with the camera.





Leeor really enjoyed this, he was still shocked at how close we were to the animals. While it was not the best safari we have been on (it was hot, if I was an animal on the savannah I would probably have been cooling off in the trees somewhere too) there was some decent interaction and we all enjoyed.

We stopped to visit with the gorilla when we got out of the safari, he was just relaxing and trying to keep cool.



We headed over to Rafiki's Planet Watch next, first off it was cool inside there (did I mention it was really hot today) plus the girls love the petting zoo area so we walked over to a train just pulling in.



Everyone wandered the petting area first, they had pigs now, I don't ever remember pigs. They were pretty cute. There was one just doing laps around the area, he did not care who was standing in his way he would just move on through, even under one guys legs. Guess he did not want to interrupt his walking pace





When the heat finally got to us we went inside. They were doing annual check-ups on four goats. I just am amazed at the love you see between the keepers and the animals. Each goat had their own keeper who came in with them. The keeper would sit on a chair and hold the goat on their laps with their arms wrapped around them talking to them calmly when they had their blood taken.

I had no idea they take the blood from the jugular vein, not fun at all but the vet and the keepers were just so caring with them and of course after their check-ups the vet was ready to give them all treats for being so good at their check-up (reminded me of the lollipops they would give out to the kids at the pediatrician's office).

Everyone wandered in a different direction taking in all the wonderful information there. The visiting animal when we were there was a baby alligator, OMG they were so cute. They explained that they did not know if it was a boy or girl yet, they wait until the get older.



Jasmine of course needed to take everyone in to listen to Grandmother Willow talk about saving the rain forest in her calm relaxing voice.

Rafiki came out, not sure where the boys had wandered off too but we were second in line. It was a nice visit and of course when the boys wandered back the line was huge, Jasmine offered to wait with them so Leeor could meet him but he said it was ok, he was just happy to see him.



We took the train back as we wanted to make the 11 AM Festival of the Lion King Show. We stopped as everyone wanted a snack. Jasmine got ice cream, Angel an iced coffee and fruit, I got a sugar cookie.



Luckily we made it in before they closed the rope, we had about a 15 minute wait (they were making everyone else wait until the next show as the line was at capacity). We lucked out, I was talking with a man next to us who had been on the standby line for 45 minutes.

The boys loved this show and it is a favorite of ours. We missed it last year as it was closed, I was so happy that we got to see it again. We were in the lion section and had seats midway up. The theater was packed to capacity.







After a great show we decided to head over to the Pangani Trail. The gorillas were all hidden so no Lillysighting, not even a sleeping gorilla photo at the window. I was glad that we got to see the silverback earlier.



As we made it over the bridge we did get to see a silverback again, that at least made Jasmine a little happy, she was sad that we did not get to see how big Lilly had gotten.



Our next FP would be open soon and it was definitely time to cool off. We headed towards Asia and KRR. We stopped for some pictures on the way.





We had a great ride and we got soaked. I so wish we could have gotten another FP for this but they were gone within an hour and the standby line was at 75 minutes and it was too hot to wait. It would only be one ride for us today but at least it was a good one.

Now Angel loves EE and I knew the rest of the group would. We had a FP in about an hour so I told them to head over and enjoy a few rides on the SRL, this way I could keep Jasmine company and then I would meet them for our FP and hopefully get an extra ride in on the SRL.

While they were riding Jasmine and I explored the Maharajah Jungle Trek.





When we finished we wandered over to the store and while I waited on the kids for our FP ride Jasmine changed her FP from the Meet & Greet with Mickey to an extra ride on Dinosaur. I told her we would meet her there so she set off.

We got a kick out of Hugo's faces on his rides on EE....at least he showed emotion unlike Angel who was acting like she was sitting in a car on a Sunday drive with her hair blowing in her face.



The kids got off the ride and were excited that they were able to get three rides in on the SRL. Angel and Alexa even got to ride together on one ride. They told me all about the new friends they made on the ride, it is too funny that Angel is always paired with someone who either does not speak too much English or someone who has never ridden and is nervous. She gets a kick out of it and even Alexa got a newbie who she talked to during their ride.

Up Next: The Best Ride on EE ever...talk about an adventure.

[chezp]

What a fun time at Animal Kingdom. I'm curious about your next instalment....

[Kenny]

Yeah, a fun time at AK! We didn't get EE in last time, so... bring it on!!!

[lauriep]

What a great day so far at AK. You're managing a lot even with the heat and Jasmine, as usual, got some wonderful animal photos on the safari and trails. I love watching at the vet window when they have animals from the Affection Section. As you said, you can really see the bonding and trust the animals have in their keepers and it's so sweet the way they sit calmly on the keeper's lap for the procedures.

[disneydreamer33]

Glad you secured a FP for BOG!
I love AK! One of these trips we will get to see them doing something with an animal in the vet area. We haven't been lucky on our past trips. My oldest DD wants to work with animals and would absolutely love to work at Disney!
Sounded like a fun beginning to the day!

[Cam22]

Great start to you AK day! I am always so disappointed if I don't get to see Lilly. And now there will be a little baby boy gorilla to watch grow up.

[PrincessSharon]

Sounds like a lot of fun at AK. And more great photos!

[Colexis Mom]

Great night at MK! Love all the pictures! And a great day at AK well! Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves!

[shazza]

AK is going well, even for a hot day. Can't believe (again) how much your group is getting done.

[disneydani]

So glad you could snag Yak and Yeti on the fly....I am with you and Jaz...I like one nice sit down meal a day while at WDW. . Super well organized day at AK, you have accomplished a nice amount thus far. Love, love, love the EE shots of Hugo....those are priceless!

Danielle

[mcc0313]

Originally Posted by chezp

What a fun time at Animal Kingdom. I'm curious about your next instalment....

It was a fun adventure Cheryl, details coming up next.

Originally Posted by Kenny

Yeah, a fun time at AK! We didn't get EE in last time, so... bring it on!!!

Angel loves EE and it is one of my favorite coasters. The theme is amazing and it really is such a super fun ride.

Originally Posted by lauriep

What a great day so far at AK. You're managing a lot even with the heat and Jasmine, as usual, got some wonderful animal photos on the safari and trails. I love watching at the vet window when they have animals from the Affection Section. As you said, you can really see the bonding and trust the animals have in their keepers and it's so sweet the way they sit calmly on the keeper's lap for the procedures.

Laurie they did sit there so calmly, like they truly trust their keepers. It was so sweet to watch

Originally Posted by disneydreamer33

Glad you secured a FP for BOG!
I love AK! One of these trips we will get to see them doing something with an animal in the vet area. We haven't been lucky on our past trips. My oldest DD wants to work with animals and would absolutely love to work at Disney!
Sounded like a fun beginning to the day!

I find going to Rafiki's early ahs worked out for us as we usually get to see some procedure being done. The BOG FP turned to be a huge headache, but more details on that as I get further along in the report.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Great start to you AK day! I am always so disappointed if I don't get to see Lilly. And now there will be a little baby boy gorilla to watch grow up.

None of the gorillas except the male by the bridge was out, but I guess with the new baby being born two days prior to our visit that might have explained it

Just saw a picture of the baby, so adorable. I can't wait to see him when we are there in November.

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

Sounds like a lot of fun at AK. And more great photos!

AK is a favorite of both of the girls and the boys really enjoyed all the animal interaction.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great night at MK! Love all the pictures! And a great day at AK well! Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves!

It was a pretty smooth sailing trip so far

Originally Posted by shazza

AK is going well, even for a hot day. Can't believe (again) how much your group is getting done.

I am always happy when we have a productive day, we did pretty well on this trip.

Originally Posted by disneydani

So glad you could snag Yak and Yeti on the fly....I am with you and Jaz...I like one nice sit down meal a day while at WDW. . Super well organized day at AK, you have accomplished a nice amount thus far. Love, love, love the EE shots of Hugo....those are priceless!

Danielle

One TS a day is definitely a must. Don't get me wrong there were a lot of great CS meals that we enjoyed but dinner for us (or even a late lunch) we really enjoy the sit down experience.

We love those pictures of Hugo, Jasmine will probably use them to her advantage a few times over

[mcc0313]

August 9th - Animal Kingdom Part II

So Jasmine had headed off and I waited for the kids to arrive. Now it was hot today, I mean AK always feels 10 degrees hotter than any other park so it was pretty much stifling.

As good as KRR felt we were dry within 15 minutes of the ride if not faster, the sun was beating down and there was no breeze so suddenly as I was waiting for the kids I noticed a breeze, now it was a warm breeze but I definitely noticed it and suddenly I realized that the sky had grown darker.

The kids found me or I found them and we headed in for our FP ride. As we were waiting I noticed it was sprinkling and the wind had picked up but I figured as long as it stays at a drizzle they won't stop the ride.

We made it to our train, we got the back three rows. Angel and Alexa took the back row, Hugo to the row in front of them and Leeor and I sat in the third to back row.

As we were pulling out of the station suddenly that drizzle turned into a monsoon . Not those little drops either but those large, pelting, hard raindrops....and then we made it out of the station and BAM....I think I was soaked by the first turn. The wind had picked up and between no sun (as the sky was covered by this grey cloud) and the wind and the downpour it was freezing. I honestly felt like I was truly on a ride up Mt. Everest battling the elements at every turn.

Of course because it was raining the moments outside felt like forever. Like when we got to the top where we had no where to go....it felt endless as we were pelted by the rain.

We could not even keep our eyes open are certain parts of the ride because it was raining so hard. Our pictures are hysterical as we are all soaked, you can see how hair matted to our heads, we were saturated.



When we got off they had already closed the ride so no extra ride on the SRL but it was ok because it was the best ride I have ever have on EE. Who needed KRR, this was the best "water" ride ever

We came off hysterically laughing. The store of course was packed with everyone hiding from the rain. We however just ventured out, hey we were already soaked, we could not get any wetter and we headed over to meet Jasmine at Dinosaur.

The rain began to let up as we walked to Dinoland USA and I called Jasmine when we got there as the ride was down and I was not sure where she was. She told us she was in the store since Dinosaur was down.

I told her it was up again and to head over as there was no wait. She made her way over to us, it was still drizzling but the monsoon as let up at this point. She looked a bit "off" and I asked her is she was ok.

"No" she replied. I asked her what had happened so she told me. I guess when she got there Dinosaur was having technical difficulties so she wandered around. She got bored waiting for us and decided that she was going to conquer a fear.

She rode Primeval Whirl . Now Jasmine is not a "ride" fan, granted she has begun to enjoy some of the rides that she never thought she would enjoy, but I never even attempted to get her to ride this. I just know my daughter, she does not even spin the Tea Cups. Now I will admit, I am not a fan of this ride. Usually we have someone with us who rides with Angel or now she will actually ride alone so I can usually get out of it. It is not that something bothers me on it, I just am not a fan.

So I asked "well how did you like it?"

She didn't and still cannot believe she tried it but she was happy that she conquered it. I am surprised that she did it alone, but she said she was bored, it was there...and at least she can say she rode it. She rode with a nice family who the CM placed her with.

She said it was pretty funny, the CM walked up to a car that was full except for one seat with a family that spoke no English, the CM asked if it was ok if Jasmine joined them and they just all sat there smiling. She said through the whole ride they sat there just smiling at her while she counted down the moments until the crazy ride was over.

I will say I am proud of her , however it is now written in stone that Jasmine will never ride this again.

We headed into Dinosaur which happens to be one of Jasmine's favorites. She was a bit annoyed with herself as since last year she had all these fun ideas of what we could do in our picture as we had such a fun time last year. Before the trip she had bought everyone those stick on mustaches and then when we got to WDW she realized we did not pack them. I reassured her we will use them next time and within minutes we were heading to our vehicle.

She kept telling the boys to make funny faces and through the whole ride they kept saying...is the picture now, is the picture now? Of course when it came time for the picture they did not make a funny face but it was a fun ride anyway.



Now this ride was cold, the fact that the sun did not come back out we were still drenched so that might have been a reason why none of us made funny faces as except for Jasmine we were all drenched and freezing.

It was a little warmer outside, still no real sun but we stopped as the girls wanted to try a carnival game or two. We purchased each of us one ticket and we went and chose our games. I always seem to win and the roll the ball to make your Dino move and I was successful again and won a little dinosaur.

The boys each one at the basketball game and instead of each getting a small prize they CM let them put their prizes together for a larger prize which they gifted to Jasmine. She is now mom to a yellow snake.

It was time for dinner so we headed back to Asia, of course Angel and Alexa had forgotten their sweatshirts since Angel told Alexa it is always hot at AK we won't need out sweaters. Well girls the sweaters might have been nice when you are sitting in a restaurant with the AC blasting. Jasmine, my prepared child, who was dry was nice enough to let the girls take turns wearing her sweater. I had mine but I was chilled to the bone, by the end of the meal I think parts of my body were numb from being so cold but it was worth it as we had a delicious meal.

Hugo decided he wanted the Seafood Curry, he loves seafood so he ordered that. We spoke to Chef Michael and he prepared us our usual spread of appetizers, Leeor decided to join in and share with us. We had chicken wings, the wok-fried green beans, pot stickers, egg rolls and Leeor, Jasmine and Alexa shared a fried rice. Angel and I had a Jasmine rice on the side as we can't eat the fried rice.

We had an amazing server named Juan, he was so attentive, when they brought the food to the table he said, I don't think you can finish all this...well we showed him. My kids said the food here is too good to waste, there was not a morsel left.



We were stuffed but we always enjoy this meal. My kids love finger foods so this is right up their alley. Alexa made me proud as well, she is not a picky eater per se, she always finds something she enjoys but her "list" is pretty small. When we looked at the menu she said she would be fine with the wings, pot stickers and the rice. Well she ended up loving the green beans and the egg rolls. When she text her mom she was so excited to tell her what she had tried and how much she loved it.

The bill came out to $150.95, now the Y&Y does not take the TIW card but we were able to get a DVC 10% discount off of Hugo's entrée.

We got out of dinner around 5:15 and while I am sure we would have enjoyed another ride on EE or Dinosaur we were all just wet and uncomfortable. We had done everything we wanted to at least once so we decided to head out and head back to the resort for our pool / resort evening.

Angel and Alexa went into the store as Angel wanted to by a gift for her friend Vinnie. She ended up getting him an elephant as that is his nickname for her. He liked it a lot

Hugo, Jasmine and I stopped for a photo and Leeor was sitting down resting his knee. He has issues with his leg (not sure if I mentioned it here, Leeor was signed up for the Navy, he was injured in an activity in basic training....so there went the Navy and while he is doing much better when he walks a lot his knee gets tight and sore - we did a lot of walking so you could tell he was a bit uncomfortable, but he reassured us he was fine and that the pool tonight would be a great help).



We headed back to the resort, freezing on the bus and I will tell you nothing felt as good as getting those soaking wet clothes off. I showered and the kids changed into bathing suits and headed down to the pool.

I relaxed in the room for a bit, catching up with some client emails and my trip notes and soon headed downstairs to meet them. I was not in the mood for swimming so while they enjoyed the pool I wandered.



After about two hours in the pool and total prunes they all got out. Jasmine had gotten out a bit before them so she and I staked out a good place in front of the movie (It was Finding Nemo this evening). For reference in case anyone wants to know they no longer set the movie up on the side of the pool so you can watch from the pool, it is now on the side of the pool where the Flamingos are. I like that they set up chairs and such.

Leeor and Hugo went to shower, the little ones headed up as well, showered and came down in comfy clothes and we all just lounged and enjoyed the movie.

When the movie was over we decided to grab a snack, none of us was really hungry but we all could use a little something. I am not sure if we just had ice cream tonight or if the girls split chicken nuggets and fries. I think Jasmine and I might have shared a burger.

We took the food upstairs and just relaxed for a bit, by 11:30 PM we were all in bed with lights out and soon fast asleep.

Up Next: Wandering the World

[chezp]

Wow, I can't believe how wet everyone looks in the ride photos! I'm glad you still managed to make the best of it, even if you were freezing in your wet clothes.

[DMA]

Well, the wet clothes in the cold restaurant did not sound good at all! Brrr.
And those darn buses are always so cold that I'm sure that was even worse! But it sounds like you had an awesome day in spite of it. Lounging at the movie was a perfect ending to your day.

[SuperDave]

Looked like a fun time in the MK the other night and glad the rain held up for you! Even more fun in the AK with those torrential rains on EE! You were soaked, but still looked like fun!