Animal Adventure – A 5 day/4 night adventure at the Animal Kingdom Lodge
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bfth · 05-13-2001, 09:21 PM

Starring beth & Steve. With Special guest stars: Emily & Ward

Day 1 – May 4th. The alarm is set for 4:45 AM. Ouch! It’s bad enough that we have to be up this early, but I couldn’t resist staying up and watching all of the finale of Survivor! And then I couldn’t get to sleep, so I had to watch the live special afterwards…It wasn’t until after 11 that I finally got some sleep (and I NEED sleep).

So we’re up bright and early. At 5 AM I call my brother who’s going to drive us. I’m his personal wake up call (well, if he’s going to take us to the airport at 5:15 he’s at least going to get a wake up call. It’s not Mickey, but it will have to do.).

There’s relatively no traffic at that hour in the morning. Brother John drops us off right in front of the Delta check in. We zip through the line with no problems and head out to the gate. At a little before 6 AM and the plane takes off at 7. So far so good.

I go to take a bathroom break around 6:30 (and to take some Dramamine – can’t fly without the stuff). As I’m entering the ladies room a HOARD of teen girls descend upon it too. And it’s then that I figure out that we are going to Orlando with a airplane full of High School Seniors! (From Pt. Pleasant High School). Eek!

Go back to Steve and tell him turn around. The gate area is swimming with teens and they’re all getting on the plane with us! Or maybe I should say we’re flying with them. The gate agent ended up boarding the senior class first (we were in the front of the plane any way – seats 3 B & C – this was a “classless” flight). Once they were on, there were less than 20 people left in the waiting area!

Much to my surprise, the group was pretty good during the flight. Ok, they did get a little excited at take-off (chanting and cheering as we spend down the runway), but who could blame them? Besides, we’re going to Disney!

Plane takes off almost on time and makes good time getting to Orlando (Steve manages to sleep on the plane – I just read the in flight magazine). We were scheduled to arrive at 9:50, but landed by 9:30. Got right off the plane (the benefit of being towards the front) and headed toward the monorail (ok, it’s not the right monorail, but…). It was actually cooler in FL than it had been in NJ (we’d had a sudden heatwave. We had no spring. Very cold and then suddenly it hits 90).

Before we even got to the luggage carousel, I spotted Omar from Ibex (we’ve used them before). Luckily our luggage came quickly (there was only one bag – mine. Steve brought two carry ons and I had one). I made sure I could spot my bag by putting a Mickey sticker on the wheel and tying a bandana around the handle. Grabbed the bag and headed to the car. It was barely 10 AM!

As we had requested, we did make a QUICK grocery stop (I don’t like to waste time when I can be at WDW). Picked up some soda and munchies and then were off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We arrived before 11. Pulling up was like pulling into an Oasis. You can’t really see the hotel from the road and from the hotel you can’t see any of the parks (Like you can at the Poly, or Boardwalk). It is very isolated (Ok, as you walk to the buses you can see a Days Inn sign in the distance – I ignored it. I liked the magic of being in my own private African Savannah better). Words cannot describe the beauty (and newness) of the hotel. You forget you are in WDW (and that’s not a bad thing).

Stepping in out of the sunshine, it is very dark inside the hotel. There is a HUGE window at the far end of the lobby, so I’m not sure why it is so dark, but it is. But again, this isn’t a bad thing. It just adds to the atmosphere. And does this place have atmosphere. You definitely feel as if you’ve entered another world. I guess my best way of putting it is like you have stepped into an elegant hotel in Africa in the 1920s or 30s. There’s that kind of “feel” to it. Beautiful wood floors (with occasional brass looking “circle” decorations that depict African art). I would say the hotel lobby is on par with the Grand Floridian lobby, only with an African theme. It was deluxe ALL the way.

Went over to check in. As requested, our room was ready and we did have a king sized bed. We were on the zebra trail, 2nd floor. I had to sign a paper saying that we would not feed the animals. I know that some day (probably soon) some idiot is going to feed the animals or try and get onto the savannah.

We found our room without too much trouble and unpacked our things. As it was nearing the heat of the day I wasn’t expecting much in the way of wild life. There were, however, 3 Ankole Cattle lounging under a tree near by. These 3 “guys” (I called them Fred, Elmer & Angus) would be “regulars”. They slept not too far away from our balcony. I couldn’t get over their HUGE horns. And how close they were. There were no fences between us and them – just these unobtrusive fan like devices (had 3 prongs that “fanned” out like a ladies fan from the 19th century). I’m sure they emit some sort of signal that tells the animals not to cross the line. I never did ask about it. And to the far back of the savannah there is a fence (that is barely visible and will be even less so when all of the vegetation continues to grow).

The room was a little small, but fine for us. I can understand why people have said this in the past. Only 2 large drawers and 2 small drawers in the armoire. And the closet was quite tiny too. The King bed took up most of the room. There was a little table and 2 chairs to the right of the armoire/tv area and a small love seat across from it. The room was comfortable for us, but I can see that with more than one child, it might be a bit much.

For some reason (don’t know why), we ended up with a handicapped room. Meaning there were plenty of arm rails in the bathroom. And there was a separate shower “room” with rails as well (and a little bench that could easily be pulled down to sit on). Only one sink, but again this was not a problem for 2 of us staying 4 nights.

The big draw is the balcony. 2 iron chairs (with zebras on the back) and table make for perfect sitting and viewing. From what I could later see, I wouldn’t do this hotel if I wasn’t going to get a Savannah view (even though there are plenty of places to view the animals). There is nothing like peeking out and seeing the animals. There are cameras watching everything, so you need to be sure to close the curtains when you are changing!

We unpacked and started to explore the hotel. Both the restaurants, Boma and Jiko were closed. So we headed to the fast food place, Mara for a lunch like meal. This is definitely the nicest fast food restaurant I have seen in WDW. It’s by the pool area too, so you could sit outside and eat as well. The pool is very nice, but again, I wouldn’t stay at the AKL with a pool view. It’s a nice pool, but it’s just a pool. I’d much rather stay and watch the animals from my room.

A little before 1 pm we decided to find the bus stop and head over to Epcot. We were supposed to meet my friend Emily and her friend (who I knew from the internet), Ward at 2 pm. Since we didn’t know how long this would take, we decided to leave early.

Personally, I thought AKL has the nicest bus waiting area of all the resorts I’ve stayed at (Contemp, GF, Poly, All Star Sports). Lots of benches and a completely covered area. Since it’s so new it’s very clean and just in general nice. Again, the area seemed remote and you didn’t even know that you were in WDW. Steve and I both agreed that you could spend a vacation here and NOT leave the hotel. We could have done that and been perfectly happy.

Didn’t have to wait long for the bus and were on our way to Epcot. Loved all the flowers that were on display and all the topiaries. Once again, I had trouble getting in with my AP…don’t know what I do wrong with my fingers, but they just don’t seem to scan right!

We were early, but we went over to the information area to see if Emily & Ward were there. Since they weren’t we opted to go on Spaceship Earth (which is one of Steve’s all time favorite things to do at Epcot). The funny thing was that at one point we got stuck and instead of the pre-recorded message that you usually get, a “live” cast member (with a very heavy European accent) gave the message, ending with the phrase mmm…k? (For the South Park fans, it was very Mr. Mackay). Ride started up again and we enjoyed our travel through Spaceship Earth.

Headed back over to our meeting point and easily spotted Emily and Ward. Hugs all around. They had spent a good part of the day in Epcot, but had only done half of Future World before heading into the World Showcase. So we decided to hit the other half. Our first stop was JIYI.. Yes it’s lame, but…Then we headed for HiStA. The only reason I DIDN’T cry during the pre-show is because I was yacking away with Ward & Em. I have to admit, I kept my feet up so that the mice wouldn’t “get” me.

Ward had to leave, so we said our quick good-byes and headed over to The Land. But before we got there we happened to spot the Aviators. My brother had told me about “the butterfly people and the guy with the half globe on his head.” I had kidded him about making it up. I’ve been to Epcot numerous times and never seen them. Now here they were! They are very strange and I don’t completely get the whole “performance” (is there such a thing as too avante garde for me???!!!??).

In the Land we saw the Circle of Life (which Em had never seen before) and then Em and I rode Living With The Land while Steve went for a snack. I have to say the fish area had a rather unpleasant odor. I have always wanted to do the Behind The Seeds tour, but now I’m not so sure.

We went over to Mouse Gears to do some shopping (no purchases, yet though) and then walked to the World Showcase into Canada. Our intention was to go over to France and see if the Living Statues were there. We ended up taking rest in Canada (on the benches by the lagoon) and I decided to give my brother a quick call from the phone box in the UK (which took forever – had to wait as all the phones were taken).

At this point we were trying to decide what to do. I was getting a bit hungry. I had wanted a “Mickey” pizza from Pasta Pizzazz, but it was closed (due to Flower & Garden Festival. There were some displays held inside the building). Electric Umbrella was advertising pizza so we went there. Unfortunately, it was just a regular personal pizza and not a “Mickey” one.

Steve said he was getting tired and didn’t think he could make it through RoE. He headed back to the room, while Emily and I headed back to WS. We had wanted to at least see ToN. But it was very windy that afternoon/evening. And with all the pollen in the air, my eyes started to water and itch.

We decided that ToN might be iffy. Emily had a car, so we decided to do some quick shopping over at Downtown Disney (I could pick up gifts to bring home and get my discount thanks to my AP). We picked up the posters Emily had purchased earlier and went in search of her car (not too easy).

We eventually found it and made our way to DD. Traffic was a little heavy, but we managed all right. Headed straight for the World of Disney where I made most of my gift purchases (for the office, for my brother’s girlfriend, etc.). We were only there about 30 minutes or so.

Emily said she’d drive me back to the hotel (this way she could see it). She was definitely impressed as we pulled in (who wouldn’t be???). We parked the car and wandered in. Took her to our room where Steve was RAVING about what he had missed. Went out on the balcony to see giraffes, zebras…all sorts of animals grazing around. He said that we had actually missed some of the best stuff. And he was annoyed that I had the camera with me.

We all just stood out there and watched the animals. Again, all I can is AMAZING. You are transported to another world. You ARE in Africa. You ARE just standing there gaping at this incredible savannah full of animals. I realize I’m being totally redundant here, but it was just awesome!

We took Emily around the hotel a bit. Including walking around the pool area and seeing an additional animal viewing area there too. There were two hot tubs, but one was closed.

It was close to 9 PM, and both restaurants seemed full to capacity. Obviously they are more popular than I thought. And the place has only been open for a couple of weeks!

Seeing how tired we were, Emily left us (to go find her off site hotel). We hoped to bump into her again the next day, but if not, we already had plans for breakfast on Monday (Em’s first ever character meal).

Back in the room, I was ready to drop. Steve was hungry and ordered from room service. They were quite busy and told him it would be about an hour wait!

I took a nice LONG HOT shower and climbed into bed. I was almost asleep when the food came. The CM was very nice and apologized for the wait. There was a convention of travel agents in town (PowWow 2001) and they were keeping them on their toes. I think Steve enjoyed his meal. I was much too tired to stay awake for much longer (it was about 10 PM now and I’d been up since 4:45 AM!).

Thus ends day one of our journey!

Beast_fanatic · 05-13-2001, 09:41 PM

Beth,

Great day 1 report! I'm so jealous of your room at AKL. I wish I'd thought about trying it!

Guess this means your surgery was a success. Glad to hear it!

Everyone over at intercot is asking where you are!

We leave on Friday (and have to get up even earlier than you did)!

By the way, hope I didn't offend you about the Timekeeper thing! I certainly didn't mean to!

Keep those reports coming!

------------------

Rhonda

bfth · 05-16-2001, 07:03 PM

The adventure continues with day 2 here:
http://www.intercot.com/boards/Forum5/HTML/001579.html

Spencer · 05-18-2001, 08:37 AM

Found Day 3 here (if anyone is actually reading these):
http://www.intercot.com/boards/Forum5/HTML/001586.html

[This message has been edited by Spencer (edited 05-18-2001).]

bfth · 05-18-2001, 08:41 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Spencer:
Day 3 (if anyone is actually reading these):
http://www.intercot.com/boards/Forum5/HTML/001586.html <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

bfth · 05-18-2001, 08:42 AM

Thank you!

**HiddenMickey** · 05-18-2001, 10:21 AM

Beth13--
I have a really pitiful computer ;( at my office (which is where I usually get a chance to read the boards) that will not pull up the Intercot pages......any chance you can actually post your reposts here?? I loved the first part and really feel left out in the cold since I can't get the rest. Have pity on me.....

HiddenMickey

Aerobics · 05-18-2001, 11:35 AM

Hi, Beth!

Just got finished w/Day 1--I'll read the rest later this weekened, hopefully!

When I read the part about the "Mmmmm'kay" in SE, I immediately thought of Mr. Mackey (even before you mentioned it!)...too funny!

Looking forward to reading more about your trip...I think I'll "ration" your trip reports to one per day to make it last longer!

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My little baby's all grown up, and....saving China! sniff...You got a tissue?

Wilderness Lodge/All Star Music--September 2000

bfth · 05-18-2001, 11:51 AM

Nate, you'd better read part 2 because there's a foo-foo section just for you!

wdwlovers · 05-18-2001, 01:06 PM

Beth, Love the way you describe AKL. I definately have to stay there next time. I just got to read day 1, but will try to read the rest over the weekend. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!
ºoº

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The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all. Mulan
June 1991-stayed outside of Disney
Sept 1998-WL (honeymoon)
Dec 1-10, 2000 CBR ºoº
April 1, 2001 Magic Kingdom (for last show of MSEP)

**HiddenMickey** · 05-19-2001, 12:24 AM

Beth!!! Good news. I was able to get into Intercot (just not from your link) and read day 2 and 3. Your report gets better all the time.....can't wait to see what happens next. -HiddenMickey

bfth · 05-19-2001, 12:38 AM

HM, it figures! I just sent you an email with the 2nd day...

Trying to get some of the 'cottees over to this ultra cool board and vice versa!

MickeyUK · 05-19-2001, 04:46 AM

Wonderful reports Beth! It's nice to share them between the two boards, Passporter and Intercot are both wonderful places to spend time.

bfth · 05-20-2001, 03:04 PM

Like I promised, Day 4 is here...

Day 4 – Monday, May 7th

Mickey got us up early (6:15 which is actually a usual rising time for us when we go to WDW). Got up and ready to go to AK. We had breakfast scheduled for 7:40 at Donald’s Breakfast-asaurus. This will be buddy Emily’s FIRST EVER character meal, so I want to make sure we get lots of fun photos!

The lobby is quite crowded. Turns out their taping for our local morning show, Good Morning NY. Maybe we should have stepped in and made fools of ourselves? But common sense (for once) prevailed and we hurried out to the bus stop.

I wanted to make sure that we were there early. I think we were sitting at the AK section of the bus stop by 7 AM. But unfortunately, the bus didn’t show up until about 7:25. So now we are running a little behind my schedule. And since we are meeting Emily at AK, I’m getting a bit apprehensive.

We get there and rush over to the area where you check in for breakfast. Our PS card is there, but Em is not. The woman checking us in assures us that there is no way that Em has already gone in without the card. So Steve & I wait. And wait. I go check out the lines to get into AK (figuring that she might have gone to the wrong place.). No Em. I stand out front and watch as one of the parking lot trams pulls up. I wait and watch. No Em.

Finally, it’s 8 AM and the park is open. Steve & I decide we should go in. I even try to leave word at the front that if someone named Emily shows up to let her know we’ve gone in.

I’m feeling really badly about (a) stranding Em and (b) how late we are now for our breakfast.

We finally make it to the breakfast area and who’s sitting there on the porch by Emily!!!! Seems that she was running late too and when she got to the breakfast line and didn’t see us (she must have missed us by just a minute or two), she ended up sneaking in with a big party, figuring we were already inside. Of course we weren’t, so she just sat there and waited!

Well, now that all the confusion was cleared up, we went in and had breakfast. The place was a little crowded and definitely a lot confused. The characters seemed over worked. Like more characters were needed for such a big place.

Donald supposedly stayed up front (but we never saw him. I know the last time we were there in September Donald did make the rounds cause I have several photos of him at our table). Our server was really quite slow with the coffees and juice (although the chef was very good and quick about getting a special plate for me). Goofy came around and we took a group photo. Goofy was definitely very goofy! Cause he had his hand all over my face/mouth and I was wearing lipstick. Of course my first concern is not that I may have lipstick all over my face, but that Goofy might have it all over his hand!

We had pretty much finished our meal by the time Mickey came by. More photos were taken. We kept trying to find our server so that we could pay, but he disappeared. So we had to wait. Emily had to start the drive home shortly after breakfast, so we all wanted to get going. Finally we did get our bill (and our server didn’t get a great tip) and we headed out (no Donald out front either).

We headed over to Dinosaur. Emily had only done this one before and felt like she was going to fall out of the car. I promised this time she would be safe in between Steve & I and would enjoy it more. We walked right in. No wait what so ever. Right into the briefing room and the pre-show film with Dr. Marsh & Dr. Seeker (did you know Dr. Seeker’s first name is Grant? Yes, it’s Dr. Grant Seeker. This is NOT a well-known fact and don’t ask me how I know, but it is true).

We get right into our car and off we go. I really like this ride. Emily thought it was a little better, but it’s still not something that she would do on a regular basis. For the first time, we really took some time to watch the little film that is showing in the gift shop after the ride (where security & Dr. Marsh are looking for the dinosaur and Dr. Seeker is trying to look suave and discreet as he searches too). I never took the time to really watch this one. It’s really kind of cute and funny.

It was now time to say good-bye to Emily (boo), as she had to head home. Steve & I had to head to Epcot as we were supposed to meet a friend of a friend there who was going to give us a special tour of the WDW VIP lounges.

We got there nearly an hour before we were supposed to meet. We were going to do Spaceship Earth, but there was a HUGE line (as in, I’ve NEVER seen such a line for SE in all my visits to WDW). I was hoping to do Test Track, but it was “delayed”. So instead we went over to Mouse Gear to do a little shopping (and I SHOULD have bought a hat, but more on that later).

We came back to our designated waiting area 15 minutes early (Pin Central), but we didn’t see anyone waiting for us. There were plenty of traders around, but no one who looked like they were waiting for someone else. So we waited. We watched the fountain go off. And we waited. And we called out the name of the guy we were waiting for us. And we waited. And we watched the fountain go off again. And we waited. And finally as we watched the fountain go off for the 4th time (it goes off every 15 minutes and when we walked over to pin central initially it was just starting). We didn’t want to give up, but we did.

We walked over to Ice Station Cool for some refreshment (NO Beverly. But I could drink the Krest Ginger Ale form Mozambique on a regular basis.). I really do wish they sold some of the soda. And I overheard a woman telling a boyfriend/husband that he should try the Beverly. So I butted in and said, “Yea, try it, it’s like nothing you’ve ever had before!”

We slowly walked over to the World Showcase. We stopped at the Garden tent that had been set up. Tons of beautiful flowers. And there were some really interesting sculptures over by the Imagination Pavilion. I kept stopping to take photos of the topiaries. I was so in awe of them (and wishing I could do something like that!).

Now that our plans for the day had changed, Steve & I decided to just spend time in Epcot. First up though, we went over to Canada to see if they had any PS left for Le Cellier that night. Luckily they had a few for very early (4 pm or 4:30 after that everything was taken). Since we had a big breakfast, we figured we would just snack and then have an early dinner.

We wandered around Canada (but did not see the film) and the UK. Went over to the shop by the International Gateway (where they still have the kiosks to make your own cds). Then we headed over to France (and it was while we were headed that way that I heard someone say, “Hey, is that Thailand?” I have NO IDEA what country they were talking about!). We sat down for a while, watching people and things. We decided to see Impressions De France and I’m glad we did. The kid who ran the show was very good. He joked around and showed off his hometown on a map. Told us there was no kissing during the movie, except French Kissing. He was really quite funny and one of the best CMs I’ve seen in the French Pavilion.

After the movie we continued around the WS. There were so many beautiful flowers and things to see. I was snapping plenty of photos and really enjoying our leisurely walk around the world. Steve did some shopping for office mates in Japan while I looked around at the gardens. We were both impressed with the way the renovations are being handled in Italy (you can barely tell that there’s a scrim over the main building, as the façade is painted right on and from afar you can barely tell). In between Germany and the African Outpost there was a very cute kid park. I wish they would leave it there. Kids seemed to be having a great time (I know I would have if I was just a little smaller).

We wanted to do Maelstrom in Norway, but there was a HUGE line there as well. We decided to forgo it (which is sad, as it is one of my favorite stops in the World Showcase). It was really getting hot and my head was starting to hurt, so we ducked into Mexico and did El Rio Del Tiempo.

Headed back to Future World (checking out the black swans and the cool planters of impatiens that were floating there). We did some more browsing in Mouse Gears (this time I really should have gotten a hat. My scalp was already peeling and it hurt to touch it. But I have never needed a hat before. Maybe I should have considered the fact that the UV index was 10 while we were visiting).

After browsing at Mouse Gears (and still not buying at hat), we walked over to Ellen’s Energy Adventure. Got there just as the pre-show film was starting (but too late to get a seat on one of the benches). I really like the show and the ride, even though I’ve seen it over and over again (I can repeat the jokes too well – “the ding dang?” “the piggy bank?” Oh, The BIG BANG).

After Ellen headed over to the Wonders of Life. I wasn’t into doing Body Wars, so we waited for Cranium Command. Though this show is a little dated (you can tell it was filmed in the 80s), I still think it is one of the undiscovered gems. It’s a very funny show (“where do you think you are Disney World???).

It was after 3 by now, so I decided to find a pay phone and call and confirm our reservations for a pick up tomorrow to the airport (yes, it was time to go home). Called Ibex and got put on hold twice (not fun), but most importantly, got everything confirmed. (I like to be extra sure that everything is set).

We headed over to Canada. It was about quarter to four. We went inside and sat down (in the cool and out of the sun). They were unable to seat us (and other 2 families that were waiting) right away as there were still some stragglers from lunch they were trying to clear out!

We were quickly seated. They had made a big notation on our PS card about my allergies, so even before the waitress came by, the chef was out talking to me. Since they mostly do steaks, I knew I would be pretty safe here, but I just wanted to make sure that all was ok. I had the prime rib which was delicious. (Steve had some kind of steak, but I don’t remember what). They do over-do the pepper a little bit here, but other than that the meal was really good.

Unfortunately, my stomach was starting to get a little upset. I had to take a bathroom break even before we left the restaurant.

Once we had dinner, we were debating on whether to go back to the hotel (since I wasn’t feeling great) or going over to the Magic Kingdom. My brother’s girlfriend really wanted the Skippy backpack that she had seen over there last year and this would be our last opportunity to get it. Also, Steve had taken up the “trading card” bit (yes, now you can buy and trade cards at the pin stations. And of course there are 4 cards that you can’t buy. One which you can get at any resort and one at each park. Steve had already gotten the Epcot one that morning). We started walking and I started not feeling too well. So I stopped in the building which houses Pasta Pizzazz (the restaurant was closed, but there was artwork on display) to use the bathroom. Afterwards, I was feeling a little better, but decided to walk back to the little shop before the World Showcase and buy a hat! Finally a smart move. (of course I got soaked trying to get the hat. The fountain was “on” and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction). I was starting to feel better after another bathroom trip and a walk around The Art Of Disney (where we debated on buying a few things, but ended up not).

By that time I was feeling pretty good and had decided that my stomach had gotten upset due to over-exposure to the sun. We got on the monorail (yea!) and headed for the TTC. Love sitting back and relaxing on the monorail (wish all resorts had monorails connections, somehow it just makes the place a little more special). At the TTC switched over to the MK monorail and into the Magic Kingdom!

First things first, Steve went to find the card trading spot (and got this MK trading card). Then we headed into Tomorrowland. My brother had told us the Skippy backpack could be found in Mickey’s Star Traders, but Steve & I knew better and went immediately to the Merchant of Venus where I quickly spotted the prize and paid for it (as a belated birthday prezzie for Emma).

Then I talked Steve into taking a spin on the TTA. I mean, if you’re in Tomorrowland, you might as well take a spin.

When we got off, the line for Buzz seemed short. Steve didn’t want to (wait time said 15 minutes), but I twisted his arm. Wait time was more like 5 minutes. I had told Steve all the little tricks about getting more points on Buzz (hitting the robot’s arms, etc.). Right away he was blasting away and getting major points. I was trying to go for the big points, but not getting anywhere. I was even trying for the little points and not getting anywhere! So Steve got major points and I did…ok. Even though I can’t hit the stupid targets, I still love riding!

It was about 6:30 and the park closed at 7, so we decided to head out. Unlike the night before, when we got to the bus area, our bus was waiting for us.

Once back at the hotel, we did some shopping in the gift shop (it was our last night). I broke down and bought some AKL pins, a bumper sticker and some candy for the co-workers.

Back in the room, we started to pack up our things and sat out on the balcony. There were even more animals out then there had been before. Every day at AKL seems to get better and offer more surprises.

Tired, I took a nice LONG HOT shower and jumped into bed to watch Ally McBeal and then turn in.

How could tomorrow be our last day?

Aerobics · 05-21-2001, 11:27 AM

Beth,

Just finished Days 2 and 3...thanks for the info about the foo-foo stuff. My interest is definitely piqued! :-)

Is the "Big Al" T-shirt from the Country Bear Jamboree? He's my favorite from that show!!!

I'm sorry that you had such an awful transportation snafu! [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] But, it sounds like you guys kept up your spirits...way to go!

Off to read Day 4! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]