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

[poohsgirl]

<font color="purple">Sorry you didn't like HISTK playground. I thought for sure Kiara would find the giant waterhoses that have holes in them that squirt water out! </font>

[Luv2plan]

Thanks for the great updates!! Too bad about MGM, but you were smart to get while the gettin's good!

I'm really enjoying all your magical moments with Kiara, like dancing on stage in Morocco. It brings tears to my eyes! Looking forward to more...

[Nala]

Poohsgirl, I can't belive I didn't know about the water hose! And I am even more amazed that Kiara, the human divining rod, didn't find it! Thanks for the tip. Next time I will make a point to look for the hose. But unlike this time, I will take Grumpy with me!



Luv2plan, I am glad to know that someone else reads this reprort and can understand what I feel. So many times I was in tears on this trip and all of them centered around Kiara and her reactions. I still tear up as I write parts of this report and I probally will for years to come as I recall the wonderful memories we made.



Thank you all for reading and for posting your support.

[Disneyphile's Wife]

I am very much enjoying your report and all of your magical moments with Kiara. I can just see them in my mind's eye . . . and she's not even mine!

The first time DS rode Test Track, he had just ridden the Speedway the day before. Afterwards, the Speedway became the "little kid's race track" and Test became the "big kid's race track".

We love the MGM playground for its ability to get the "wiggles" out, but I can see it would be nerve-wracking in your situation. DS is old enough and independent enough to allow to run around on his own; our big problem is pulling him out when it's time for the next step. If you tried it, The Boneyard would probably be easier for you; I was able to follow DS around to most of the places.

I can't wait for the rest of it.

[ilovelilo]

I just started reading your trip report today and I love it! I would have been crying too after the Magical Moment--that was so nice! Looking forward to more!

[Nala]

After Kiara refreshed herself with a short nap and Grumpy enjoyed a few cast in Bay Lake, we made our way to the MK via boat. Kiara was thrilled to be going back to see “Rella’s Castle” and got excited as we passed by the Contemporary and screamed “MONORAIL” as it passed on the track above us. Once at MK Grumpy went to get a stroller and I took some pictures of Kiara at the front of Main Street.



We were able to indulge Kiara in all of her favorite rides since this was an unplanned visit. She took a spin with Grumpy on the Tea Cups, a ride with me on Dumbo, and one on the carrousel. As Kiara and Grumpy came off the carrousel, we saw the line for Mickey's Philharmagic going into the theater. We decided to give it a shot since this was on Grumpy's must do list. We after a short wait at the doors we were seated and both Grumpy and I talked Kiara into wearing her 3D glasses. We all enjoyed the show, as it was amazing and tons of fun. Kiara had a hard time at a few spots, but then again there were a few that made me flinch and jump! But still this is a not to be missed and once the show was over Kiara claimed it was a big hit.



We then made our way through Liberty Square and Frontierland and decided to take a break next to the McDonald’s fries stand. What is it about this area that the seagulls are so bold they are down right frightening? These birds were so aggressive that they were swooping down and taking fries right out of people’s little cartons before they could react. We were getting a kick out of watching them perch on top of the shack, hanging their little heads over the side and sizing up their next victim with their beady little eyes. This was cheap entertainment until some one dropped their fries from the shock of the assault and a frenzy broke out. Suddenly the area was filled with crazed swooping birds and I felt as if I was sitting in a scene from a Hitchcock movie. After several birds buzzed my head, I had had enough and we made a quick exit and headed to Adventureland. Note to anyone tempeted to feed the birds in this area (or any area in WDW) DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!



The weather was overcast and a bit cool, so Kiara did not get to play in the tikis as they were turned off.

We took her for a ride on the Magic Carpets and were able to walk on the ride. After the ride we spotted Rafiki and got some pictures of him and Kiara together. We pressed a few pennies, took a bunch of shots of the castle and decided to figure out what to do for dinner. Nothing really seemed appealing and we didn’t want to endure the long wait without a PS so we decided on dinner at the cabin.



We took the short boat ride back to FW and stopped at the trading post to pick up a few things. Once back at the cabin Grumpy fired up the grill and I attempted to get Kiara on the deck to watch the fireworks. Once again, she had no desire to see them and was terrified by the loud booms. It seemed that seeing Wishes on this trip was going to be out of the question. We ate dinner and watched tv and Grumpy place a wake up call for the next morning at 5:30. (like we would need it ) We had rescheduled the fishing trip for Thursday morning at 7:00 and true to his nature Grumpy had to check the forecast. It was going to be clear, but very windy and very cold , even by Florida standards. Frost warnings had been issued! We decided to turn in early since we had an early start planned and I went to bed hoping an unexpected warm front would come through during the night. I had no desire to get on a boat in 30 degree weather, and 30 mile an hour winds whipping at us. I also realized I forgot to bring gloves and forgot to buy any I had seen the past few days at the parks. This was one thing at WDW I was NOT looking forward to, but I was determined to do it for Grumpy’s sake.







Coming next: Day 7 a cold trip on Bay Lake, my wonderful thoughtful husband and back to AK

[Mel & Richard]

It was nice you managed to end the day on a good note with the MK. Looking forward to hearing about your next day.

Mel

[luvnwdwgal]

Great update!! Looking forward to reading about your fishing trip!

[Nala]

Day 7 A very cold fishing trip

At 5:30 AM the phone rang. Kiara, who was of course already awake, made a mad dash to find the ringing phone. Since it had not rang once during our stay, and it was still dark in the cabin, she was a bit disoriented and unsure of its location and didn’t reach the phone before Grumpy (who once again had taken up residence on the Murphy bed). Grumpy, being true to his name sake in the early AM, answered the phone and hung up before Kiara could get to it. I made a mental note to scold Grumpy for depriving Kiara of hearing a Mickey wake up call some four of five hours latter when he was in a better mood. Once we all awake the first thing we did was check the Weather Channel. True to the forecast, central Florida was under a deep freeze. We looked out the cabin windows to see a light frost covering the surrounding area. I started to get Kiara and myself ready, pulling out every article of clothing we could layer and began to mentally prepare myself for a brutally cold and miserable excursion on Bay Lake. This was one moment in WDW that I was not looking forward to. At 6:15 the phone rang again. It was WDW recreation advising us of the freezing temperatures and inquiring if we still want to go on the fishing excursion. Grumpy was of course quick to respond with a yes! He got off the phone, told me who had called and stated proudly that he had fished in Canada in far worse elements than a little Florida frost. After his proud announcement, I went to the bedroom to find more layers for Kiara and myself. While I was sorting through possible layers of clothing Grumpy came to the bedroom and gave me the ultimate out. He stated that it would be better for him to go alone and for the two of us to hang out at the cabin. He reinforced it by stating it was too cold for Kiara to be on a boat and didn’t want to risk getting her sick. I was once again reminded why I love this man so much. He knew that Kiara would have had a blast, but that the cold temperatures would kill me, and even though she would have fun, Kiara would suffer too. I think my sigh of relief was way too obvious, but I still managed to offer up a “Honey, are you sure you wouldn’t mind going alone?” He assured me it was fine and left the cabin fifteen minutes later. Kiara and I took our time getting ready for our day at AK and about 8:15 made our way to the FW marina via the internal bus. As we stood up to get off the bus I heard a woman behind us tell her two children “When we get off the bus you have to RUN TO THE BOAT. Fearing that Kiara would be trampled once off the bus I pulled her to the side to let the mother and her children rush by us. As Kiara and I slowly made our way to the marina I found myself once again grateful to have left my commando personality back in Illinois and even took the time to notice that the annuals in the area would have to be replanted due to the killing frost that had covered them.

We made it to the marina about 8:30 and I decided to stop at the trading post for a hot cup of coffee to warm my hands. Much to my dismay, the trading post did not open until 9:00 so Kiara and I headed to our golf cart Grumpy had parked at the marina. We were blessed that it was parked in the sun and I was able to gain a little warmth on it. Kiara and I were entertained by the gray squirrels as we waited for Grumpy to make an appearance in the bay. At 9:00 the trading post opened and Grumpy was still not back in sight. At 9:15 his boat made it’s way to the dock and we went to greet him. I was able to get a few pictures of him fishing off the back of the boat, but was so cold by this point I was more than ready to move on. Once off the boat Grumpy exclaimed he had a great time, had a wonderful guide, caught a few sizable bass and even got tips on how to become a fishing tour guide at WDW. Ahhhh...... if only he could get a job as a fishing excursion guide and I could get a job in the commercial printing area at WDW........ Sorry, day dreaming there!

Grumpy’s great time on the fishing trip set his mood for the day. He was suddenly more like Happy and was well prepared for the day at AK.


Coming next ......a great day at AK

[buckysmom]

Maybe Grumpy should change his name to Thoughtful for letting you avoid that trip. I'm shivering thinking about it (...ok the a/c is working too well!).\
Happy for the update!

[DrDolphin]

What a great update!! More please.

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Nala Glad to hear that you didn't have to go on the fishing trip. Brrrr, how cold! Looking forward to more

[luvnwdwgal]

Great update!! I'm afraid my DH would have gone by himself fishing regardless of what the temp was! I'm sure he would love to be a guide too! Maybe there's a chance for us yet to live in Orlando some day!

[Nala]

I have to say that I am sorry this trip report has taken so long to write. I realized it was dragging on way too long when I found myself writing about freezing off body parts in Florida while I was currently sweating off body parts in IL! Maybe it was my way of keeping the magic in my life while I waited for the next trip. Now that I have the next trip booked, I guess it is time to bring the last trip’s report to a close. I will try real hard to post the last day and 1/2 ASAP!!!!





Day 7 part 2 Back to the AK



Since I had planned to spend the whole day at AK, but that had been changed due to bad weather that caused the rescheduling of DH’s fishing trip, I was very eager to get him on a bus to AK as soon as his feet hit the dock at FW. Grumpy, who was on a high from his fishing trip, was more than willing to accommodate my wishes for the rest of that day. (Note to self.....book a fishing trip on Bay Lake for Grumpy every day, no matter what the cost, as self can get anything she wants the rest of the day) We arrived at the AK between 10:30 and 11:00 am and had no idea what to do with ourselves. I had two things that were on my must do list, Festival of the Lion King and Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade, but that kept us at the park until late afternoon. What do we do in the mean time? We took Kiara to Dinoland for a spin on the “Ema” ride and made our way out of the area. I got the idea to head to Asia and explore some of the off the path trails. We found one that had a stream running through it and Kiara was delighted by it. I got some great pictures of Grumpy and Kiara exploring the quiet trails and we decided to take in the show at Flights of Wonder. We didn’t expect much from this show but found ourselves delighted by the birds, laughed out loud at the crane swooping over peoples heads and I even got teary eyed seeing the bald eagle. Over all it was a very good show and one we were glad we saw. It is also one I wouldn’t hesitate to do again!

After our stroll through Asia we decide it was way past lunch time so we made our way to Tusker House for food. I ordered a chicken sandwich for DH, mac &amp; cheese for Kiara and the salmon for me. Kiara wanted nothing to do with her mac &amp; cheese and made a beeline for Grumpy’s chicken sandwich. I tore into my salmon which I found way too fishy (not that it was bad, just too strong for my taste) . So the only one who enjoyed lunch was Kiara and Grumpy resorted to filling his empty stomach on Kiara’s mac and cheese. Grumpy was ready to bolt from the AK after lunch until I expressed the desire to see the parade. He agreed to stay if I could find something to entertain Kiara. And of course I knew that meant keeping him happy too. I knew just what to do. I went to the Dawa bar and purchased a Safari Amber for Grumpy and proceed to push Kiara’s stroller down the Tree of Life trails. We found an area of trails we had not seen before and enjoyed seeing the animals housed there. We proceed further down the path and discovered an area of the Tree of Life that gave us an up close and personal view of some of the wonderful carvings on the tree. I was able to get some amazing pictures of the tree and Kiara and Grumpy and together as a family we were able to take in the beauty of the artwork within the tree that one would miss if you just rush by. Ok, it is no secret that I love the Tree of Life, but seeing some of its often missed areas made me appreciate even more just how amazing this structure is. As we came out of the Tree of Life trail we found ourselves at the entrance of It’s a Bugs Life. We thought that we could get Kiara in to see it since she did so well at Mickey’s Philharmagic, but when asked, she quickly expressed a firm desire NOT to go in. We did try this with her two years prior and the reaction was not good. I guess the memory had not yet faded and no matter how hard we pleaded, she was not going in without a huge fight. Grumpy and I decided it was not worth risking a huge scene and putting Kiara and us through the trauma and moved on. We realized we had almost an hour to kill before the parade and decided to explore the other side of the Tree of Life trails where I knew the otters (one of my favorite of the animal kingdom) made their home. Kiara spotted an ice cream cart along the way and I thought it would be a good time to indulge her in the famous WDW treat, a Mickey bar. Grumpy told me to go ahead and check out the otters while he waited with Kiara to get the Mickey bar. Grumpy deserved extra credit points at that moment for making not one but both of the girls in his life very happy, and doing it at the same moment! The two of them caught up with me on the otter path and I saw Kiara was happily munching on her Mickey bar. I was not so happy as the otters had elected to take a snooze on shore and had no intention of playing in the water for my entertainment. Kiara expressed interest in what was in the water and wanted to get out of the stroller to check it out. The only problem was she could not hold her Mickey bar and get out of the stroller at the same time. The poor trusting darling made the mistake of handing the Mickey to me. As she got out of the stroller and began to explore the otter habitat I did ask if she was finished with her Mickey. Engrossed by her surroundings she responded with a yes and that was my cue. In one quick bite I polished what was left of the Mickey bar that was now dripping down my arm. Kiara soon became bored with the lack of otters in the tank and made her way back to the stroller, but not before she realized mommy had snarffed the last bite of her Mickey bar. Needless to say my child was down right miffed! Geeeese, it was just one bite! Ok so one part of me was saying “Bad mommy, bad mommy, bad mommy” but another part was saying “Man those Mickey bars are gooooood”.



We decided to wait the rest of our time before the parade at the Dawa bar. Kiara was growing restless and I was glad to remember I had packed some little Nemo bubbles in the backpack. I pulled one out and she was so happy to have both Nemo and bubbles at her disposal. The bubbles entertained her until it was time for us to find a spot for the parade. Since the park was not crowded we were able to secure a spot on the bridge joining Africa to the Oasis. This was a great parade site and once it started I knew the wait was worth it. I love this parade. Love the music, love the floats, love the costumes and love the characters. Kiara was loving it too and was greeted by Terk and Pluto. She also enjoyed seeing Chip and Dale, Donald, Minnie and Mickey. All in all it was well worth the wait. As the parade passed us we followed behind and made our way into the Oasis. I looked at the show times guide and informed Grumpy that there was one last showing of the Festival of the Lion King that we could catch. He responded to my suggestion with “We have seen that one before” to which I retorted “yeah, so” and followed up my verbal response with a nonverbal one. The look of “you are married to a Lion King freak, what part of this don’t you get?” Point taken from “the look”, Grumpy turned the stroller down the path to Camp Minnie Mickey to catch the Festival of the Lion King. We were in our seats for only a few minutes and the show started. As always, it was wonderful. Kiara had a ball watching it and I was in Lion King heaven! After the show we waited for the crowd to clear before making our exit from Camp Minnie Mickey. By the time we left, we were one of the last ones left in that part of the park. I took the opportunity of the people free streets and started running and skipping our way out. Kiara quickly joined in and we had a ball laughing and skipping all the way out. We did pass a few people along the way, and I know we looked like we were a little nuts, but I didn’t care. We were having a ball!



We made our way to the FW bus and found ourselves on it with only one other family. Our bus driver entertained us with the facts of how many people come to the parks during the peak season. Grumpy and I cast a glance at each other and I know we both vowed to never go to WDW during that time! We realized we are way to spoiled by being in WDW during a “slow” time. We made a quick stop at the cabin and discussed our options for dinner. We had been to TE several times and while it was good we were not in the mood for that much food. We also had no desire to go to a hotel on Bay Lake and wait for a table. We were too tired to cook in the cabin and also out of supplies so we decided to go to Crockett’s Tavern for appetizers. We ordered nachos for us (which were very good) and a slice of pizza for Kiara. Shortly after our food arrived Kiara’s head disappeared under the table. One quick look and I discovered that once again our little princess had fallen asleep curled up in a ball in the chair. This time I took a picture. It was just too cute. Grumpy and I hurried through the nachos and once again he carried the sleeping Kiara to the golf cart. I covered her with my jacket as she slept on my lap to protect her from the cold night air and we made a quick trip back to the cabin.



Ok, so I bet you can all guess what we did next. That’s right, we tucked our sleeping princess into bed, watched a little TV and reflected on yet another perfect day at WDW.



You all must think we are really boring once the sun goes down!



Coming next.......... Our last magical day spent at MK and I swear I will finish this TR soon!

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Nala What a wonderful day at AK I'm sorry it's all coming to an end

I love the idea of the fishing trip everyday, I wonder if that would work on my DH too