Two Chips and a Dip (The Appetizer Trip) Nov 30 thru Dec 5, 2007 - With Final Thoughts - COMPLETE - Updated 2/21 About This Page:

[mestitch]

LOVE the story of the pirate adventure! I'd love to see a CM bust up on the shore like that and abandon ship running blindly into a resort

[KELLY CLARKSON!!! (and if you get that movie reference, you can hang with me anytime! )]

I laughed out loud to that one which garnered a mysterious look from Andy....

[Suzie&Jay]

I had the same WoD experience this fall truly sad. We POFQ too! Jay ate his weight in Mufalettas!

[disneydani]

Glad to see you are sticking with your no-commando vacation with the boys...though they certainly can do some damage at DTD....what can be better than light sabers and chocolate to make the day!

danielle

[amandal]

KELLY CLARKSON!!! (and if you get that movie reference, you can hang with me anytime! )]

The all time best actor EVER. Hello??? I have the Office Theme Song as my cell ringtone. Anywho, off topic. Another great update (duh). We too enjoy the boat ride back and forth from POFQ and the POFQ itself for that matter. . . . Keep it coming, girl.

[DrDolphin]

Great update Eileen - fights over MP parts.... only at WDW!! (thanks for the reminder that I COMPLETELY forgot to update my stock of MP parts while I was at WDW... oh well - MARCH!!)

[tigger22]

I am just now catching up. Craziness since I have returned and know better than to read one of your trip report at work (for fear of liquids sprayed all over the laptop).

I sat there with my mouth open and turned and turned to watch and listen to the horror that was his playing, thinking… “somebody needs to give him the right sheet music.”

I don't believe he had any sheet music. I don't seriously believe what he was playing was a tune.

Karen and Sharon later mocked me for insisting that this doll was completely ‘lost” but I’m glad to say that my TRUE friends Dawn and Tiff will stand up for me and tell you that they heard the same thing!!

We're there for ya!

Lies and Deceit. Lies and Deceit!

[lindawdw]

Very entertaining updates Eileen! I love the boat ride to the PORFQ too! Isn't fun to see the Treehouses along the way! Sounds like a great trip so far.

[angiek1024]

Looks like a great morning! Glad the little boy didn't choke on those gum balls! That would have scared me too!

[Sue M.]

Thanks for the update Eileen!! I loved the early morning walk across the bridge to get my morning fix of coffee. And exploring the hidden places on Caribbean Cay. Beautiful.
Sue

[ilovedisney0_0]

I completely agree with you about WOD!!!!! I had been telling Kaity our entire trip, 'Just wait til we get to WOD'... 'Don't buy that yet, wait til we shop at WOD'...and then we got there and it was so blah!! I remember it as having SOOOO much more, unique stuff!!

[DyanKJ130]

Great update, Eileen! Too funny about the pirate cruise & the confused guests! That so would have been my DH!! Can't wait to hear more

[lauren-roxy]

Great update Eileen!!

[disneymom9092]

Great update. More please

[Caldercup]

December 2 - Day 3 / part 2

Unfortunately for me and my POFQ obsession, a bus for the AK showed up quickly. I’ll be honest enough to admit that I was actually sniffling a little as the bus pulled away from my beloved resort.

We arrived at the park by 3:30 and got through security and the turnstiles very quickly. (What with the parade about to start and the “day trippers” getting ready to leave shortly thereafter, we were practically the only people entering at that point.)

I grabbed a times guide and saw that we’d better hop to it to get to the Kilimanjaro Safari right away, as the last trip out would happen at 4:30. (My plan was to ride KS and then come out to Tusker House to watch the second loop of the parade.)

Much to Calder’s annoyance, I decided to stop for a PhotoPass picture:


[Don't I look like I have a Mickey-shaped "idea."]

It’s not the picture-taking Calder objected to. It was more the “we’ve got to hurry” pressure I put on the group, which I then tossed out the window, screeched to a halt and told everyone to “say cheese!!”Heeee! I was totally busted, but it didn’t stop me from taking tons more PhotoPass pictures!

We raced off again and, to my surprise, I found it next to impossible to wade through the pre-parade crowds here. Unlike the other parks, there really is no passage behind the crowd watchers and the stores aren’t totally connected – you hit road blocks within the buildings and have to pop out and go around barriers to get back into other stores. That was a long story to tell you that we finally had to give up fighting the crowd by the time we got to Pizzafari (so close!!) because the first floats were coming down the street. Oh well. I adore this parade, so I was perfectly happy to stand there and watch – the puppets are amazing and the vehicles themselves, which are normally adorable, are ESPECIALLY adorable at Christmas!! Once it was completely done, we had to wait another three or four minutes for the mass exodus to move out behind the parade before we were able to go upstream to KS once again. It was 4:25!

Phew, we walked (and walked and walked!!) through the empty line and met up with only a few other riders right as they were loading what must’ve been the last vehicle. We got a seat right behind the driver and were off quickly. There weren’t many animals out and, those that were, were standing near their enclosure exits, impatiently waiting for their dinner. Calder got a little frustrated because Bob had given him the camera to capture the trip and, when he actually saw animals, the vehicle lurched so much that the shot got ruined every time. After four minutes, he handed the camera back to Bob and said “Sorry, Dad. I think I got 24 pictures of my knees!”

I was personally glad he gave up because I think many riders get their knickers in a twist over the fact that the driver doesn’t stop and let them all take pictures before moving on. (Can you IMAGINE the lines if they actually did this?!) I’ve just learned to enjoy the animals and watch their behaviors without trying to capture it – plus it lets me actually “see” them rather than look at them through a viewfinder or digital display. Of course, I’ve been spoiled with a Grand Gathering safari lasting 30 minutes and two Sunrise Safaris… so, I guess I really don’t have room to talk at this point.

Once I got home, I realized that Calder did capture more than just his knees:


[For you, Scarlett!]


[This guy looks like Sharon’s “hide behind the termite mound” guy…]

The best encounter we had was the elephant with the oddly arched tail – you know that posture… the one that says “prepare for an imminent plop and stink.” Bob whipped out my camera and sure enough…

PLOP!



… and… STINK!



THIS is why I like to take pictures of people’s faces more than pictures of the events to which they are reacting!! Heeeee!

The guide was also worth paying attention to. Not the spiel we was giving (although he did that with charisma and charm!), but rather the little things he was doing. Every bush or tree or branch that we passed close to, he’d reach out and pull off a leaf or flower. He’d then tuck them into a spot on his dashboard. Blue flower – grab and tuck. Long, thin leaf – grab and tuck. Purple flower – grab and tuck. It fascinated me and I was incapable of looking elsewhere whenever I saw his hand snake outside of the car window. Just as we turned one corner, his arm went out again towards one of those wicked looking thorny bushes. “Noooo..” I yelled, uncontrollably. “Don’t grab that!” The driver turned to me with an evil grin – “Gotcha!”

Oy… this guy was goooood!

Small tangential thought -- I noticed that there was no mention of either Big Red or Little Red on this trip – both from the driver and from the “radio” voiceover. They both just talked about the poachers and a little elephant getting separated from its mother. (Once back home, I Googled this and it seems that this change happened early this spring.)

Bob and I were both eager to see if the yeti was functioning properly on Expedition Everest. Calder, who still hasn’t warmed up to this ride after his one time through in June 2006, was eager to check the price on the yeti Cutie toy he’d seen another kid holding. We deposited him in the gift shop with my cell phone and we headed into a short (10 minute) standby-line. Thank goodness it was moving fast because there were some kids in front of us who thought it was hysterical to ring each and every one of the LOUD prayers bells we passed by punching them with their fists. Not only did it bother me on a “don’t-mess-with-that, you rotten kids” level, but it was killing my ears!!

Of course, there's a downside to a fast-moving line too... See, one of my fav things about traveling with my beloved DH is that, as a designer, he notices the same little details that fascinate me so much. We were oogling and ogling everything we passed, both of us sad that the line was moving too quickly to really get to examine things (see, I told you we were detail dorks!) when I noticed Bob laughing and pulling out the camera.

So, how many of you (like me) have passed this time and time again and didn’t notice this fabu pun….



…and brilliant logo?!


All too soon (), we were on the ride and racing through the mountain. The middle of the train is best for getting one of those great looooong looks at the yeti and he was most definitely moving – and be-yew-ti-fully too!! (On the way in I had asked a CM if the yeti was functioning, and she looked at me like I had eight heads. I explained that people had been reporting him not moving back in Oct/Nov and she said that he occasionally goes down for a bit on any given day, but that he’s been working flawlessly for a month. I’m not sure if she was blowing smoke up my skirt, but he WAS working and I saw him several times throughout this trip!)


[A guerilla ride pic that is almost not worth sharing because it’s so grainy]

We found Calder in the gift shop and, although he’d seen the yeti Cutie, he’d decided against it. I took that moment to call WDW-DINE to see if there was availability at either Boma or the new Yak & Yeti restaurant. No love at Boma as they were booked for the whole night, but there was a 7PM table at Y&Y so I snagged that.

We were all up for seeing the Nemo show again and walked in that direction. Since we had about a 30 minute wait, the guys decided to leave me in line while they headed into Dinoland for a bit. Almost as soon as they walked away, the line started moving. The CMs were adamant that no one would be allowed to save seats once in the theatre, so I decided to pull off into a little area and wait for my guys to return, which they did about 10 minutes later.

The line bunched up again in the walkway about 50 feet from the theatre doors, so Calder sat down and played with the Lego Racer he’d bought, quickly capturing the attention of 5 or 6 little kids around him. He just as quickly garnered much praise from the parents around him when he had these youngsters sit in a circle so they could use the pull-back motor on the racer to send it zipping across to each other. He occupied them for a full ten minutes and the kids were glowing with happiness that a “big” kid had played with them.

When we were allowed into the theatre, I was happy to see that the second row center above the walkway was totally open. We raced there for a terrific seat and settled in to wait for the show to start.



Our close proximity to the walkway meant that I got to look closely at the costumes and puppets as they went by – re-affirming for me that the “dream” I would most like to have granted during the YoaMD would be a tour of the show costumes… sigh… I’d be in hog heaven!

Once the show was over, we had to move fast to get back to Y&Y in time for our 7 o’clock ADR.

Calder mocked me mercilessly when I stopped at the suggestion of the PhotoPass guy who had Everest framed behind us. (I’m having problems snagging this off the ‘net right now and my CD hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll include that later.)

We got into the restaurant with moments to spare. In fact, they closed the big doors behind us and we were practically the only people in the whole restaurant. Our waiter was superb and very knowledgeable about the menu and the offerings. Bob, who felt like splurging, decided to get a frosty adult beverage called the Yak Attack. Oooooh boy! This thing was delish and very, very attractive to boot. Neither of us was in the mood for appetizers, but the Mahi Mahi sounded fabu so I got that. Bob had the Tempura Shrimp and Calder had a cheeseburger. (It was $7.49 and came with fried rice and carrots – which was a good deal as Calder, for once, devoured his dinner and barely left a scrap behind.) Bob’s splurge extended to dessert and he couldn’t decide between the brownie sundae () and the mango pie… so, I suggested both. The mango pie was more like a cheesecake and Bob doesn’t like them much so I nibbled on the pie and Calder and Bob did justice to the brownie sundae. The Y&Y doesn’t participate in the Dining Experience (a discount program, my CLT® pals ), but our server asked if we were AP holders. Sure enough, we got a slight discount on our entrees, which offset the price just a tad.

I really wanted to explore the restaurant a bit more because I’d heard great things about the décor and displays, but they were sweeping up around us and there were no other diners still in the building.


Calder couldn’t resist posing with this guy behind our table, though.]

We said our goodbyes and stepped out onto the eerily quiet pathway. Sheesh… there were NO other guests anywhere. We headed out on our leisurely stroll out of the park and would occasionally pass a CM standing at the mouth of a pathway to keep us on track. They were amazing at letting us take our time (which was necessary after the amount of food I’d just consumed!) and didn’t pressure us to move along. They just wished us goodnight and smiled and waved. After a bit, it felt a little creepy… as if they were waiting for us to leave so they could turn the lights out behind us. Bob and I kept riffing on this theme and he finally got me really laughing when he said if we heard a large “CLICK,” we’d know that the spotlights on the Tree of Life had just been flicked off.

I needed to stop in the ladies room, but I saw a male CM come out of the one at the exit and knew that he’d just finished cleaning it… so I decided I’d wait until we were back at the resort.

Just as we passed the turnstiles, Calder yelped and pointed at a meet-and-greet going on at the back of the ticket windows. Oh my gosh! It was Minnie and she was wearing the most adorable Christmas costume – a little red and green skating costume with snowflakes all over it. The line was closed so I couldn’t get a picture with her, but Bob pulled out his camera and framed it up. Before he could click, I hopped in for a little guerilla portraiture…



Creepy, huh…?

But, after a little PhotoShopping, you can see why her costume charmed my socks off!



The whole way to the buses, the boys had a flash photo fight – the results of which are funny enough to share.







We got back to the room around 8:30 and the boys didn’t feel up to walking over to the main pool. I did a little organizing, note writing and general futzing before I had to give myself my MS shot. Everybody was asleep by 10PM.

Sheesh… I don’t think I even remember the phrase “commando” anymore!

[Up next: Donald exposes himself…]

[jpod523]

the update! i would have freaked out being the last people in the park. did that at the mall once, and it scared me so much! sounds like a nice relaxing evening at AK.