Moretons Magical Memories May 2012 Day 15- Animal Kingdom

[LLKJDisney]

The Entourage
Me – Kerry, 34 yr old Disney nutcase, head driver and Narrator. 9th visit
Lee – 33 yr old Florida Lover, 10th Visit, Reserve driver and map man
Jacob – 3 turning 4 (on this trip) yr old going on 40 yr old! 3rd visit (lucky boy) loves collecting autographs
Lucas – 5 month old – smiley in the day – grumpy at night (just like his Daddy)
Dick – 59 yr old – Grandad and Jacob’s best mate – loves the Sun and some roller coasters
Sue 57 yr old – Grandma – Chief tea maker – loves Sprite no Ice.

The Plan
Arrive 7th May – 4 Nights at Bahama Bay Resort
11th May move to Sunset Lakes – Shamu Sanctuary Villa
24th May come home

DAY 15 – ANIMAL KINGDOM

Despite yesterdays full on day, there was no rest for the wicked as we were all up at 6.30am, so we could get to Animal Kingdom as early as possible. Lee had set a leaving time of 8.15am, so that was the aim.

I am not sure why but we always leave Animal Kingdom till the end of our holiday, anyone else do that?

We were 5 minutes late leaving so Lee was not happy and blamed everyone but himself (as normal). We took the Sherberth Road and arrived at Animal Kingdom at 8.40am, where unfortunately there was only one entrance lane open, which caused quite a hefty queue. People driving like idiots didn’t help either, why can’t people show a little patience! At 8.55am most of the other entrance booths opened up and we were soon parked in Unicorn 23.

Rope drop happened just before we get through the turnstiles, its already quite hot as it always seems to be at Animal Kingdom. Lucas is very happy though


we head towards Everest but on the way we bump into Russ & Dug, which Jacob is very happy with.


As we make our way towards EE, Jacob has a little meltdown; I think he is very tired and still getting over yesterday. He was screaming that he didn’t want me and his dad to go on the nasty ride and he wouldn’t stay with his grandma so, Lee and Dick go on EE. This is Dick’s first time on Everest and he likes it. When they come off I go on on my own but somehow I end up in the normal queue rather than the single rider line. It didn’t matter too much as there was not much of a wait, but still would have been quicker in the single rider queue, the break from Jacob at this point was a welcome break too. Once on board I sat next to a nice young girl from the UK who was with her young family. I love everest!

Jacob is just about back to normal and Lee decides he wants to take him on the rapids; Sue and I are not keen so we wait with Lucas. Jacob gets his hand stamped and has to wear a wristband to show that he needs to wear a seatbelt but we told him it was because the characters were keeping an eye on him to see if he was behaving. It seemed to work (we are mean parents)

Although he was a little unsure at first Jacob loved the rapids especially as other people in the boat got soaked and he wasn’t too bad. Next up was the Maharajah Jungle Trek, this was a little disappointing as the animals were all inactive but Jacob did seem quite interested in the bats.

It was now ice cream time so we looked for somewhere to get one but had no luck we did spot this lady while we were looking (Devine)


We then saw that King Louis and Balou were about so I took Jacob to see them, he loves King Louis and they were great with him


I feel that we might have missed these as they were a little tucked away, it was only because they had come down their little ramp to invite children up to the spot where they were having their pictures, that we noticed where they were.

Jacob is hungry now so we grab him some fruit and crisps from outside the safari entrance. I also felt a bit peckish so grabbed a pastry and a cold drink from the little stall here (can’t remember the name) We decide to grab some FP’s for the safari as the area is very busy and baking hot. The FP’s are for a little later on so we head back through Asia to catch the Flights of Wonder show at 11.30am. Lee and I had seen this show before and remembered it being quite good. As you can see we found the ice cream stall


We were allowed to take the stroller into the show as Lucas was a sleep, we did not know this was allowed but it is handy to know that if your child is a sleep in a stroller then you can take your stroller into the shows and sit in the reserved seating area, (normally reserved for those wheelchair users) just ask a CM.

The show was not good, it was very cheesy, although there was a strong conservation message and some of the birds on show were amazing, but I don’t think we will see it again.

It is now time for our Safari so we head back round to the entrance; we saw quite a few animals considering it was the middle of the day. Our tour guide was excellent which always helps. We didn’t take any pictures as we have loads from previous trips. but snapped this really cute one of lucas with daddy


The heat and the fact we did so much yesterday is taking its toll on everyone not just the children. We decide to stop for lunch at Pizzafari, which is quite busy. After devouring a mixture of pizza, breadsticks and carbonated drinks (I am sure that was a sprite no ice in there somewhere!)

we make our way over to camp Minnie and Mickey. I cannot go to AK without seeing the Lion King, I think it is amazing and definitely the best show within a park. The show is at 2.30pm and we are a little early, so unsurprisingly Lee suggests we grab an ice cream! So that’s what we all did, we parked the stroller in the nice undercover area just by the ice cream stall, although I have to say, this gets very hectic when a show finishes and everyone is rushing to get their stroller.

We join the queue for the auditorium and wait only 10 minutes before going inside. We are seated in the elephant section (if I remember rightly) and the excitement is building in my tummy to see this show that I love so much.

Unfortunately I never got to see the show! Lucas started screaming just before it started so I had to take him outside, it was very hot inside the theatre and I think this was one of the few times the heat got to our normally jolly little fella. And once he gets like this only mummy can calm him down. He did settle quite quickly but they wouldn’t let me back in, so I found a nice shady bench to sit on just outside the exit so the others could find me easily when they came out. I then thought it would be a good idea to grab the stroller before everyone exited, luckily my nice shady bench was still available when I got back, it was nice to sit with Lucas for about 20 minutes enjoying the atmosphere and people watching, even if I did miss my favourite show.

Despite the noise and quality of the show Lee and Jacob said they struggled to keep their eyes open. After the show we decide that it would be best to head for the exit. Sometimes you just can’t do everything and this was one of those days. We never made it to the dinosaur area or the nemo show, but there was no point in carrying on, if we weren’t going to enjoy it. Fatigue had definitely hit us today.

We head to the exit via the shops and Jacob buys a train and 3 more Disney racers. By the time we get back to the car it is 3.30pm and we all agree that it has been the hottest day of the hols so far. We had to put the air con on in the car for at least 5 minutes before we could get in.

After making the short journey back to the villa, we decide there is only one thing to do -------- hit the pool!




Lucas has a great time splashing around with everyone. We were all having a wonderful time, but in the back of our minds we kept thinking that it was coming to an end, Dick and Sue were going home tomorrow, as they were unable to get on our flight on the way home. I tried to be positive and say to myself we still had a couple more days to go. And there was no visit from Bobby again, we hadn’t seen him for a while and were getting a little worried about our little friend the crane.

As we had all enjoyed it so much last time, we had decided to go back to the Olive Garden tonight for Sue and Dicks last meal.


Sue and Lee have the same as they had on the previous visit, while Dick goes for the mixed grill and I go for the Ravioli. Jacob goes for a strange combination of spaghetti, mash and Italian sausage. The food is lovely and the service was fine. The bill comes to just under $100. Anyone who likes Italian food will love the Olive Garden. It is certainly a firm favourite of ours.



To ensure Jacob didn't get covered in his spagetthi bolognaise we wrapped him up in his napkin!



The boys are shattered so we head back for 7pm and get them into bed. The rest of us relax and end up watching Rocky 3 and then some Stanley Cup ice hockey, the Kings beat the Coyotes in OT.

I think today the pace of the holiday had caught up with us and in hindsight we may have been better having a lie in and heading to AK a little later on. Despite this it had still been an enjoyable last full day together.
Tomorrow - Lee and Dick play golf, a bit of shopping and Sue & Dick head home and a BOBBY the crane update

[orlandosgr8]

It can be hard to judge the pace of a holiday with little ones especially in the heat. Otherwise a lovely day, but it's always sad when you can feel the end of the holiday coming.

[gingermoonman]

Great read whilst having my lunch! Shame you did not see Lion King and that the holiday is coming to an end all that build up and it goes by in a blink of a eye! Love pick of Lucas in pram looks like he is giving thumbs up! Also so cool you got to meet Russ and Dug

[margyloveswdw]

Another good day... we always seem to do AK really early on for some reason!

[Guest]

Sometimes it's good to just slow down and enjoy the moment rather than push forward trying to fit everything in.

Lucas has the cutest smile.

[mickeysgirls]

Ahh, another super day Kerry! Can't believe [4 months on ] you're almost on your last full day
Are you planning on going back next year? I've been looking at prices and flights so fingers crossed... !
Right, off to see if you get Sue & Dick off to the airport safely!
Tracey xx