Nala and pride do WDW 1/23-1/31/2004 UPDATED Trip Report COMPLETE! About This Page:

[wdwlovers]

Any chance for an update?

[Nala]

Thank you all for your comments. Sorry I have been slow on the draw (or write) to post more. I have been a bit under the weather, and am just starting to bounce back after a really nasty case of the flu. I will try to post more soon.

Poohsgirl, Kiara is acutally DD's stage name I gave her for the trip report as that is the name of Nala & Simba's little girl. I have however, caught myself almost calling her Kiara a few times since I started writting this report. LOL

[poohsgirl]

<font color="purple">Guess who hasn't seen The Lion King part II?

Sorry for the goof! </font>

[Nala]

Day 4 part 1 “Rella’s Castle, Dumbo and horses” and a creepy thing happened while in the HM
January 26, 2004

Monday morning broke warm and beautiful and we were looking forward to indulging Kiara in the wonders of the MK. For the last two days we were able to entertain her at other parks despite her wailing “Rella’s Castle, Dumbo, horses” over and over. Today was the day she would see the castle, ride Dumbo and go round and round on Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel. We arrived in the MK shortly after 9 am and Grumpy insisted on doing the Tomorrowland Speedway before the crowd formed. When we arrived, the posted wait time was fifteen minutes and Grumpy and Kiara got in line. I ventured into the smoking area which gave me a great view of the riders coming out of the start gate and was able to get pictures of Kiara driving her race car. As they passed me, I could hear Kiara squealing with glee. When they got off the race track, we made our way to Fantasyland and Kiara spotted the teacups. She of course expressed the desire to ride this, and I was grateful to Grumpy that he volunteered to take her as I didn’t want to spend the next several hours feeling sick. Once Kiara and Grumpy were off the teacups, we made our way into Mickey’s Toontown Fair. Kiara and I decided to go on Goofy’s Barnstormer and made our way through the empty queue. We walked up to the roller coaster and were first in line for the front car. The walk to the Barnstormer took longer than the ride itself. We were on and off in nothing flat, and Grumpy was able to catch a photo of my hand in the air as we zoomed by. After the Barnstormer, Kiara and I went through Minnie’s house and I snapped a few shots of her. We made our way back into Fantasyland and I attempted to get Kiara and Grumpy to go on Winnie the Pooh. Grumpy expressed no interest as the stand by line had a posted time of twenty five minutes and Kiara responded with at resounding “No, Dumbo”. It was clear to both of us that she had spotted Dumbo and there would be no escaping the ride without making our happy child perfectly miserable. Being the dotting parents we are, we made our way to Dumbo. And I, being the devoted , caring wife I am, spared Grumpy his fear of heights and got in line for Dumbo with Kiara. The posted wait time was twenty minutes, but we were on the ride in less than that. Kiara was overjoyed with excitement and her little body was racked by laughter and giggles as we soared above the MK on a little gray elephant. As we rode round and round, it occurred to me that in twenty five trips to WDW before Kiara was born, I had never been on Dumbo, and had no idea what I had missed in the years before. There is nothing more amazing than seeing the magic of WDW through the eyes of a child. As soon as we got off Dumbo, Kiara spotted the carousel and Grumpy was happy to take her for a spin. Once they were off the ride we made our through Fantasyland and I attempted to go on It’s a Small World. Kiara put up instant protest to the idea. I’m not sure if she thought it might be a dark scary ride, or if she just didn’t want “that song” going through her head all day, but it was clear we were not going on at that moment. We realized it was getting close to lunch and headed to LTT to see if a table would be available. LTT had just opened and there was no wait for a table. We had a wonderful lunch with good food and service and Grumpy and I discussed our game plan for the next few hours. We decided to give the HM a try, knowing Kiara’s reaction could go either way. She has become a lot braver in the last year and more open to new things, so we felt she would do OK and we agreed to take her on her first HM tour.

The posted wait time for HM was a whole five minutes. Have I said yet how much I love touring WDW in an off time? As we made our way into the stretching room, Kiara became nervous and wanted me to hold her. I picked her up and we started watching the portraits stretch. We were facing the woman sitting on the tombstone when a very strange thing happened. Kiara has started to recognize letters and will call them out when she sees them in books, on tv, on road signs or whatever she sees. The portraits had barely started to move when she started saying what I thought was X, X ,X over and over. I was trying to figure out where she was seeing letters and it dawned on me she was actually saying AXE. This baffled me even more as I couldn’t imagine where she would come up with this word. She kept saying it over and over and as I watched the portrait stretch, I realized there was a head with an axe on the tombstone. The really spooky thing about this was she started saying it BEFORE it was visible. OK, I guess if you have to have a creepy experience, there is no better place to have it. We made our way to our Doom Buggy and as soon as Kiara heard the voice of the Ghost Host, she freaked out and got Grumpy in the death grip. I kept talking to her and telling her this was like Harry Potter’s castle and she relaxed a bit. She lightened up a bit more when we saw the big spiders as Spiderman is a personal favorite of hers. She alternated between cautious enjoyment and the death grip on Grumpy throughout the entire ride. Once off, I assumed this had been a big mistake and may have traumatized her and other new rides would be out of the question. I was wrong. Grumpy asked her if she liked the ride and she screamed YES! Grumpy then explained that it was the voice of the Ghost Host coming through the speakers that set her off. She was fine looking at everything until he would start to talk. That was a good sign and opened the door for more new rides to come. I was very happy and very proud of my brave little girl. But, I was still baffled about the whole axe thing.

Coming next, Kiara tackles Splash Mountain!

[poohsgirl]

<font color="purple"> The axe thing is a bit weird! I'm glad you finally rode Dumbo and ,even more special, with your little girl! </font>

[Colexis Mom]

Great update. What a wonderful day in MK You know, I don't recall going on Dumbo in all my trips as a child as well, and experienced it the first time with my DD last year. It was magical Looking forward to more of your report Glad Kiara made it thru HM, my DD wanted nothing to do with it

[luvnwdwgal]

Great update! Keep it coming!!

[DouglasE]

Not only do you get to have fun with Kiara in the Magic Kingdom, but you got to get a sense of watching her maturation. That's awesome that she could handle the Haunted Mansion. I remember as a little boy being terrified of haunted houses. Disney's Haunted Mansion was the only one that I could handle. It does an excellent job at straddling playful with frightful.

[Jennifer2003]

I LOVE Kiara!!!!!
She sounds like she is having such a great time. Can't wait for more installments!!

Jennifer

[dsnytina]

Thanks for the great trip report! Can't wait for the next installment - but I have empathy about being under the weather!
Tina

[Nala]

Day 4 part 2 A thrill seeker in the making



With the success of the HM under her belt, we decided it was time to tackle SM. Both Grumpy and I were a bit concerned that the drop would be too much for her, but she seemed game. After a quick stop to check her height, which she barley cleared by a hair, we were off to stand in the line which boasted a 25 minute wait. The line moved quickly and everything was going smoothly until we got into the cave like area with the blasts of cold air piped in. When Kiara got into the dark area and was hit with the cold air, she freaked out, wrapped both arms around me and buried her head between me legs. Grumpy was quick to realize what was happening, and picked her up, knowing that I couldn’t proceed forward with her in that position. We boarded the boats and I was yet again concerned that this may not be a good idea. As the ride started and we moved forward into the dark, Kiara became apprehensive. Grumpy and I talked her through it and she calmed down when we got outside. We just kept pointing out all the cute little critters along the way and I was singing to her to lighten her mood. Once we made the first drop, she really started getting into the ride. By the second drop she was feeling pretty good. The big drop approached and both Grumpy and I place a protective grip on her and made the plunge. Kiara and I both squealed all the way down and when the big splash came at the end she went nuts. Once at the bottom, she stood up, clapped her hands and screamed for more! It took everything Grumpy and I had to get her to sit down . She continued to giggle and clap and squeal and beg for more until the ride came to an end. Grumpy and I were rolling with laughter at her reaction and so was everyone else in the boat. For us, that reaction was probably one of the most magical moments of the trip. It was apparent to us that we had a little daredevil in our midst.



We stopped to view our picture, and of course, had to buy it. I just had to have a picture of this milestone in Kiara’s life. We made our way through Frontierland and headed to Adventureland. The water spraying tikis were on and it came as no surprise to us that Kiara wanted to play in them. We allowed her to indulge herself and were only able to pull her away by the offer of a ride on the Magic Carpets. Grumpy stayed on the ground while Kiara and I got a birds eye view of Adventureland. As we went round and round I spied Jasmine come out for an appearance. As I passed Grumpy I pointed in the direction and yelled “Jasmine”. By about the third time around, Grumpy got it and headed off in her direction. I had intended for him to get in the forming line as our ride was coming to an end. Kiara and I got off the ride and headed in Jasmine’s direction only to run into Grumpy right outside the exit. I asked him why he didn’t get in line and he responded with “It’s not MY Jasmine”. OK, the story behind this goes like this. Last year while in Morocco in EPCOT, we met Jasmine. Kiara was so smitten with her but it was nothing in comparison to Grumpy. For the last year every time Jasmine comes up I have had to listen to him go on and on about what a hottie she was. I found this very humorous as my DH seldom looks twice at another woman, so it has become a standing joke with us. And I must agree, she was one of the most beautiful princess CMs I have ever seen. So, back to the present. I informed Grumpy that I didn’t point Jasmine out for him, but for Kiara and told him he was a dork and somewhat depraved. By this time the line had grown quite long and we elected to skip the Jasmine greet. Not only did I not want to stand in the line, but I had the urge to answer a powerful calling......for a Dole Whip! We made our way towards that wonderful pineapple treat and Grumpy decided to indulge in one also. I ordered two, thinking that between the two of us, we could share with Kiara. When Grumpy gave her a bite, she ripped the whole cup out of his hand and started shoveling it in. It was only after she got a brain freeze that she started sharing it with him. But the sharing was going to be on her terms and she insisted on feeding Grumpy. There was no way she was giving up the cup. I sat my Dole Whip down, well out of her reach, long enough to get some priceless pictures of her feeding him.



After the Dole Whips we decided to call it a day at MK and head back to FW for a swim. Grumpy, who can’t live a day without consulting the Weather Channel at least twenty times, had been keeping a careful watch on the forecast. It appeared that this was going to be the only day during our stay with temperatures warm enough for Kiara to go swimming. We hoped that we would beat the thunderstorms that were predicted to roll in late that afternoon. Once back at the cabin, Grumpy checked the weather yet again, and gave us the thumbs up to head to the pool. I had conveniently left my suit at home, but went along to watch. Kiara had a ball playing in the pool and with some other kids there. But for some reason our little mermaid had no desire to get off the steps and go into the water with Grumpy. After about twenty minutes of attempting to get her into the shallow end, Grumpy called it quits. It was obvious she was tired and needed some down time. So he pulled our kicking, screaming child out of the water, wrapped her in a towel and we headed back to the cabin to get her some much needed rest. She sniveled and whined all the way back to the cabin, but once we got her to lay down, she went out like a light. Grumpy decided to head to Bay Lake and get a few casts in before the storms hit, and I relaxed on the couch and explored the wonders of weekday daytime tv. I was relieved to discover that I wasn’t missing much while I was at work. But I am always amazed at the things Jerry Springer will feature!!!!! It’s like a train wreck, you shouldn’t look, but you just can’t help it. Grumpy returned as a light rain began to fall and we decided to eat dinner at the cabin. We were all tired from the big day and in the mood to just relax and spend some quite time together. Grumpy cooked on the grill and once again was entertained by the armadillos. This time they were a little braver and came very close. They seemed to be very interested in our chicken. We spent the evening watching TV and revamping our plan for the next day. I had scheduled a fishing trip on Bay Lake for us the next morning, but had to cancel due to the weather. That left us with an empty morning with plenty of time to get to our PS for breakfast at Ohana. It was yet again a peaceful ending to another magical day.



Coming next, breakfast at Ohana and a semi wet day at Epcot

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Nala Glad Kiara made it thru Splash, and she had such a great time Looking forward to more

[Mel & Richard]

Ok, now I've discovered this report I need MORE! I'm absolutely loving this!

Mel

[luvnwdwgal]

Way to go Kiara!! Splash Mountain and Dole Whips!!

[Nala]

Day 5 part 1 The Magic of Ohana



Tuesday morning I was once again awaked at an obscene hour. But this time it was not by Kiara. The thunderstorms predicted had rolled in as promised and a bright flash of lighting followed by a very large clap of thunder was the morning culprit. I realized that Kiara had been too terrified to move, but I could her crying softly in her bunk bed. Knowing that my poor baby is frightened by thunderstorms, I called her to my bed and placed a protective arm around her and snuggled her close. This comfort was enough for her to gratefully go back to sleep for about an hour or so. When we got up, the bulk of the thunderstorms had passed leaving behind a steady rain. The storm had already altered our early morning plans of a fishing trip on Bay Lake, so we took our time getting ready for our breakfast at Ohana. At 8:15 we all sported our Mickey ponchos and headed for the FW marina. We decided to take a boat to the MK and then take the monorail to the Poly. We felt this was the best plan of action as it may be our only chance to ride the rails this trip. We made our way off the MK boat and headed for the monorail platform against a sea of MK visitors going the opposite direction. I really felt like a salmon trying to swim upstream. Once at the platform I realized it was deserted and asked the attending CM if the front car would be available. She told us to wait where we were and walked away. When the next monorail pulled in she waived us to the front car. Total Score!!!! I was very excited this worked out. While Grumpy and I had been in the front car on a previous trip, Kiara had been back at the cabin taking a nap with my mom, so she had missed the experience. I couldn’t wait to see her reaction. She was of course thrilled and I hoped for some incredible HP shots through the windshield. Sadly, the light rain that was falling prevented any wonderful shots, but we will always have the memory of that very special moment. So Disney, if you are listening, install windshield wipers for us budding shutterbugs! As we left the front car, we were blessed by yet another magical moment. Kiara pointed to the train and stated loudly and very clearly “MONORAIL”. Grumpy and I were thrilled as a three syllable word for her is an amazing feat. The magic of Disney strikes once again.



We had time on our hands, so we wandered the grounds and explored the beauty of the resort. I was able to take the time to get some pictures of Kiara and the resort and we even discovered a hidden Mickey before heading to breakfast. We were seated at our table after a very short wait and for the second time in one day received a major score. A table at the window with a PERFECT view of the castle and all of the MK glory. I felt as if I had died and gone to HP heaven. The rain was lifting and the view of Bay Lake, the grounds of the Poly and the MK in the distant background was wonderful. I made a mental note to come here for diner on a future trip and request a window seat. As I took pictures, Grumpy and Kiara tore into the Hawaiian bread. Our breakfast arrived shortly and we all dove into it like ravenous dogs. The characters, Goofy, Chip, Dale and Mickey made their way to our table in dutiful fashion. Kiara was having a ball interacting with them and I was getting into the fun too. I was loving their version of grass skirts and having fun playing with Goofy, Chip and Dale. Once Mickey came around I stated to Kiara that he was 75 years old, and that was even older than Mommy. I then asked Mickey how he stayed so young looking and he responded by putting both hands to the middle of his mouth and spreading them out to both sides. I responded with “lots of laughter” and Mickey nodded his head. Yes, you are right Mickey, lots of laughter and the magic of Disney will keep us all young. As Mickey left our table, I noticed a CM coming around with a basket full of maracas . As soon as Kiara had one in her hand, I heard the first notes of “Just can’t wait to be King” come over the loud speakers and saw CM’s lining kids up to form a parade. I wasn’t comfortable with Kiara being alone in the line, so I jumped in with her. Dancing through the parade line it was safe to say I was in pure heaven, feeling the ultimate bliss. I was in Disney, I was watching my daughter parade around and having a ball and I was behind her doing it with her to a beloved song from my favorite Disney movie. It was all I could do to fight back tears. Yet again it was another magical moment!





Okay, so now I have to get up on yet another soap box. I so often hear or read about people expecting some “MAGICAL MOMENT” to happen at WDW. These are the people that expect miracles for the price of admission. They expect CM’s to single them out of thousands of others to do something special to make a magical moment. And when it doesn’t happen, they complain about the high prices, the lack of magic and vow to never return. To that I say, Disney is filled with magic. While the CM’s go out of their way to make everyone’s visit magical, sometimes you have to find the magic within yourself. A song that touches your heart, a milestone in your child’s life, a memory from your own past. The magic of Disney is not just in the parks. It is in the movies, the music and the memories that can touch us all. It is in tapping into all of this that can make a visit to WDW a magical moment.



For Grumpy and I, the magic of Disney is seeing Kiara grow. From hearing new, very big words, to seeing her come out of her shell, it is a place where we see incredible growth. And it is only in WDW that we see that happen. That is the true magic of Disney.



Sorry, I'm done now!



Comming next, our soggy day at EPCOT