In Search Of... (A Trip Report 8/31 thru 9/8/2013) Updated 10/08/14 - Page 22 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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So happy to see you back on here Kenny as I haven't been visiting facebook as much, but I smile every time you come through town! I knew you had the cruise this year, but didn't know about next year too! How exciting! And I'm sure Brenda will be with you in spirit and smiling down on you too.
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I thank you all for the condolences. They, and You, mean more to me than you can imagine. I am not going to individually answer your posts this time because I have been lazy and let too many pile up and I want to get this update posted. You are all so special to me. I want to acknowledge each of you but I will get back to that after this update. I have to say this to Kelly, though: Then we smile at each other when I come through town. I think I mentioned I was thinking of a new cruise next year, well I went ahead and had Amanda book it. I can change it if I need too.
Lions, and Tigers, and ... and ... Giraffes, OH MY!!! (Really, I guess it should be: Giraffes, and Gorillas, and ... and ... Raffiki, OH MY!!! ... since I have no pictures of Lions and Tigers. )
Disney's Animal Kingdom. OK, I'm going to say it... my FAVORITE park! I don't consider it a zoo... it is much more than any zoo I have been to(although I have lived a sheltered life); I don't consider it an amusement park... although it does have rides, and even a thrill ride.
So... just what is The Animal Kingdom? For me, it is a place where I can be close to all kinds of creatures in as close to their natural habitat as is possible and still be safe; with a few rides thrown in to make it a little more fun. It is a place where I can experience other cultures without going on an expensive trip around the world. And, to tie it all together, it is a place where my kids(and I) can learn about these animals and cultures and have fun while we're learning.
Today was Animal Kingdom day. We planned on spending the whole day here to closing, then go back and get ready for the Luau at the Polynesian. We left the room about 10:30 a.m. And headed down to The Mara for a bite to eat.
The AKL Jamba House Lobby
At about 11:45 we went to the bus stop to wait for an Animal Kingdom bus.
Waiting for our ride
We didn't have to wait too long because shortly after noon we had arrived. Waiting on Grampa to take pictures!
It was a bit sunny today
Soon we were inside the gates and wandering through the Oasis and onto Discovery Island. Some of us checked our wingspan... Jordan measures her wingspan
We went to the left of the Tree Of Life...
The Tree Of Life
Having Fun?
...and into Africa where we wanted to go on Safari. Because we had the scooter, we were routed to a special truck which we shared with one other family. There wasn't much of a line and soon we were on the savannah.
The girls looking at...
Hippos...
...and Birds
We kept on winding around and splashing up the creek and over the banks...
Waterfall
A weird tree
Until I saw, up ahead, in a grove of trees, what I'd been waiting for: The Giraffes! Just at the arrow you can make out a Giraffe
Gordon
The ones I was looking for, Stefanie and Mosi
I knew we had seen the new giraffe, Stefanie and her baby, but I wasn't sure until I got a confirmation from Cam.
***
Originally Posted by Cam22 You did catch them. Stefanie is in front, and of course, the little one is Mosi.
I guessed the front one is Stefanie! I knew the baby was Mosi, especially when you said the lighter one looked like Gordon. So many things have gone wrong this trip. I told Brenda I have accomplished my wish for this year by seeing Stefanie and Mosi.
***
We spotted some antelope, elephants, rhinos, and zebras as we continued on our safari.
Antelope
Elephant
Rhinos
Zebra
At the end of the safari we turned on toPangani Forest Exploration Trail. As we went along, the kids got their cards and enjoyed following along and getting the cards stamped as they completed each station. We had to wait a few minutes for the gorillas to come out, but soon we were mesmerized as they roamed around their area on the other side of the glass.
We left the gorillas and boarded the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. It wasn't too hard to get the scooter onto the train. The girls followed their cards to the various stations getting all their stamps. We ran into Rafiki and got acquainted.
Megan meets Rafiki
Jordan meets Rafiki
We all share the love with Rafiki
We went outside to the petting area before we headed back to the train.
We took the train back and made our way to the Tree Of Life where we saw “It's Tough To Be A Bug”, then over to the Theater in the Wild to see “Finding Nemo, the Musical”.
We made our way to the exit so we could go back to the Lodge and get ready for the Luau.
We hung out a little too long and had to take the car to the Polynesian so we couldn't take the scooter. That was my fault. We had a very hard time getting back to the Cove, but we made it. We had pretty good seats even if they were off to stage left a bit.
A couple of Luau Girls
A Luau Couple
The Band
The Kids Learn to Hula
I love the Luau. The girls enjoyed getting up and participating in the Hula dancing. The food was pretty good. And the atmosphere, to me, was wonderful. The dancers and music was great. But, the fire dancer was awesome! The fire dance was not just a few twirls on a flaming baton. It was, or seemed like, at least 15 minutes of tossing, twirling, under the arms, between the legs, jumping and dancing around the stage for a very entertaining experience.
I was too concerned about getting to the show on time. The Luau Cove is a long walk from the lobby, so I should have asked to borrow a wheelchair when we got there. Anyway, I told Brenda to stay put and Jordan and I went to the lobby and asked if they had a wheelchair we could borrow, and they did. So, getting back to the car was much easier. We drove back to AKL and I'm sure we stopped by The Mara before going up to the room.
Up Next: A new Friendship, Being Goofy, and a power outage... ALMOST!!!!!!
That was a great day at AK. The safari animals were very cooperative for you. I am sure the girls loved seeing the baby giraffe. Sorry about no lions. They seem to never be out when we are there either. We have enjoyed the luau several times in the past. The kids being taught the hula is always a lot of fun.
What a great day at AK. So glad you got to see the giraffes, the babies were so cute
Sounds like a fun time at the Luau and that the girls had fun learning the hula. Jasmine and Angel have always wanted to try toe Luau and we always put it on the list and never make it over. I have to try to get us there sooner or later.
You all had a great day at AK, especially since you got to see Gordon, Stefanie, and Mosi. Glad you all enjoyed the luau!
That was really the one thing I wanted most to see, Cam. I can assure you that your Stefanie was on my mind the whole safari. I didn't want to leave the giraffes! [emoji3]
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
What a great day at AK. So glad you got to see the giraffes, the babies were so cute
Sounds like a fun time at the Luau and that the girls had fun learning the hula. Jasmine and Angel have always wanted to try toe Luau and we always put it on the list and never make it over. I have to try to get us there sooner or later.
I really like the Luau. I have to see if we can get it in this coming trip, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumieregirl
Wow what great animal encounters. I loved the atmosphere of the luau, too. I'm intrigued about the outrage ...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It was, overall, a good day. The outage... soon! [emoji14]
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a wonderful day at Animal Kingdom - I love the park too and your description of how you feel about it just matches mine perfectly.
We are kindred spirits Cheryl! [emoji3]
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
A great day at my favorite park and also at the Luau. Glad you timed it right for a meeting with Rafiki. That's a great photo of all of you.
The girls really got into getting their cards stamped and learning about everything. We all enjoyed Rafiki!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
Great day at AK!
I've never done the Luau before, but it sounds like fun. The girls look adorable in the pic with the Lei's on their heads.
Oh, it is a lot of fun! I like the food, but the show is really good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
What a great day at AK! And then the luau to end the night! Great time! I did the luau on my very first trip to WDW and haven't been back since.
Kelly, I know the boys would be mesmerized by the fire dancer! I don't know if they would get up for the hula or not though. My older Granddaughters were too shy, but Megan and Jordan got right up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mojjo
All caught up. My parents took me to the luau on the first trip, but the boys have never been interested.
AK is my youngest's favorite park too. He loves the animals. And I agree, it's not like a zoo at all.
Show them the video of the fire dancer if the link works and they may get interested. [emoji1]
That was a great day at AK. The safari animals were very cooperative for you. I am sure the girls loved seeing the baby giraffe. Sorry about no lions. They seem to never be out when we are there either. We have enjoyed the luau several times in the past. The kids being taught the hula is always a lot of fun.
It was a good day, except for getting back to Luau Cove. It was more than Brenda could do. She was really hurting by the time we got back there. I never thought about asking for a wheelchair.
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