Return of the Fab Five - Aug 2017 - Day 8: I See the Light (Cape May breakfast, Animal Kingdom)

rich2820 · 6 Jul 18, 10:25 AM

Return of the Fab Five - Aug 2017 - Day 8: I See the Light (Cape May breakfast, Animal Kingdom)

First of all, apologies if you have been reading along and wondering if I’d ever post again – I’ve been somewhat distracted by a busy work schedule, football on the telly and the impending doom of our eldest’s 18th birthday party. We’re having it at our house – we must be mad!

I’d planned a lazy morning today with breakfast at Cape May to start off with, followed by general lounging around the hotel before we set off for Animal Kingdom. Will didn’t feel too good after breakfast so only three of us (the girls and I) went swimming in the lovely Stormalong Bay. It was really quiet in the pool this morning so there were plenty of opportunities for going down the water slide and drifting around the lazy river.

Blue slushies when you’ve got a dodgy stomach – what could possibly go wrong!

After our relaxing morning we set off for Animal Kingdom where we had a bit of a look around the shops - Hannah was eyeing up various Stich soft toy options - before having a sit down in Festival of the Lion King. Next up it was time for our first FastPass, which was another trip on Expedition Everest. We were a little early for our FastPass so we stopped off for some slushy drinks first. Will then started feeling unwell again, so whilst Hannah and Beth went on Expedition Everest I accompanied him to the toilets. It turned out that he was going to need to go back to the hotel, so Hilary volunteered to go with him whilst I stayed at Animal Kingdom with the girls. Hannah and Beth were suitably unsympathetic, relishing the fact that they could now use Will’s FastPass to go on Expedition Everest again!

We then decided to go and watch Flights of Wonder, which was all going well until it started to rain so they had to cut it short. We’ve seen this before though, so we weren’t too disappointed and they'd got through most of the show before they stopped it anyway. We were a little early for our ADR at Yak & Yeti so we hung around sheltering from the rain and then decided to head over to the restaurant anyway, even though we were a little early.

We had Flight of Passage FastPasses for 6 – 7pm and an ADR at Yak & Yeti at 5.30, so an hour and a half to eat should give us plenty of time, right? That’s what I thought – but after 30 minutes of waiting in the cramped waiting area we were starting to stress about the time. It was standing room only here and with all of those bodies it was getting pretty warm too. We finally got shown to our table around 6pm, so we had an hour to eat and then to make our way to FoP – no problem, we thought, and started to relax. But then our server was so slow that the tension started to mount again.

By the time we finally got our food we were pretty stressed once again, with Hannah and Beth asking me every few minutes if I thought we’d make it. The food was actually quite good, although the portions were massive, as you can see from Beth’s huge plate of noodles (taken on my phone, so sorry about the quality). By the time our server came back it was getting dangerously close to 7pm and our FastPass window was closing before our eyes. We were all really full, and eager to move on, so for the first and last time at WDW we skipped dessert and asked for the bill. Needless to say, we had to wait an age for this too… so by the time we left the restaurant it had gone 7pm. I was fairly sure that you are allowed 10 minutes grace period at the end of a FastPass window so we ran, in the heat and with full stomachs, to Pandora. When we reached Fop we collectively held our breath and tapped our Magic Bands on the FastPass touch point… You can find out later if it worked…!

So now to today’s Fab Five, which as usual is the top five things that we did today, in the order that we did them:

1. Cape May Character Breakfast

I don’t think there’s anything particularly exciting or unique about the food on offer at Cape May Café at breakfast time. It’s a fairly standard Disney buffet. But if you fancy some Mickey waffles, pastries and a selection of pork offerings (they also have several fruit options – but come on, we’re on holiday) in the company of Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Daisy this is a great low key alternative to Chef Mickey over at the Contemporary. As usual it wasn’t too busy here this morning so we had plenty of time with the characters, and the buffet options meant the kids could make up interesting combinations like this!:

2. Festival of the Lion King

Of the two amazing shows at Animal Kingdom we switch back and forth between Finding Nemo and the Lion King as to which we think is our favourite. I think I’m in the Nemo camp at the moment, but Festival of the Lion King is still a great show. We were in the giraffe section today and had an excellent view of the show, although there was a fairly lively tour group in front of us, one of whom had his hair in a palm tree-like top knot which seemed to be in most of my photos!

Palm tree

3. Flight of Passage

…I know the suspense has been killing you all, so I won’t blame if you read ahead to this part… We last saw our FoP wannabees arriving 10 minutes late for their FastPass. We tapped the touch point with our magic bands and…it turned green. Phew! Stress over, we walked through the FastPass queue, trying not to make eye contact with those in the huge standby line, and after a not insignificant wait, we were into the pre-ride. I found this part fairly tedious, to be honest, but then I rarely do embrace pre-ride areas (apart from the Muppets) so maybe that’s just me.

The ride itself was truly spectacular and is now one of my favourite rides at WDW. I would say that it’s a true rival to the best of the Universal rides. My only gripe is that my 3D glasses kept sliding down my nose – I even had to hold them onto my face at one point. I thought it was just me – the narrow head/ sweaty face combination was always going to be trouble – but I heard a few other people saying the same thing. But that aside, this ride is another addition to the awesome line-up of attractions at Animal Kingdom.

4. Rivers of Light

As time had moved on (!) we went straight from FoP to Rivers of Light, for which we also had a FastPass. The seating area was already filling up fast when we got there, but there was still plenty of room in the FastPass area. However, as we walked in a Cast Member took us to one side and asked us if we wanted to sit in the VIP area. I don’t know why he did this – maybe he was taking pity on this ‘single’ dad with his two daughters (remember Hilary and Will were back at the hotel), or maybe he saw the huge camera hanging around my neck and thought I might get some good photos on social media (I don’t do any of that stuff, unless you count this!) – but we weren’t complaining. In truth the ‘VIP area’ wasn’t all that exciting – we were still sat on standard benches, but just a little closer to the action. There also seemed to be quite a lot of VIPs around! It was a nice Disney touch, though, and made us feel special.

I thought the show itself was really good, and actually much better than I expected after reading some negative reviews online. It uses the arena of the lake brilliantly and its use of light, music and water really is breathtaking, without resorting to the use of fireworks. Here are a few more photos, which don’t really do justice to the scale of the show:

5. Expedition Everest in the dark

As Rivers of Light ended most people seemed to be heading straight out of the park, but we were directly opposite the entrance to Expedition Everest, which we we’d never ridden in the dark before. So there was no need for any debate over this and we headed straight over to join the standby line, which was surprisingly short, considering how many people were in the area at that time.

Riding this in the dark brought a whole different feeling to this ride. And with most people leaving after one ride it would have been rude not to go around again for one more – this would be our last chance to ride it this holiday after all!

Finally we set off home to see how Will was getting on – although I’d already had a WhatsApp message to say that he was feeling better and had eaten a flatbread for tea. It had been a good day but it was a shame that the other two couldn’t have shared it with us. Will would have loved FoP and Hilary was gutted to have missed RoL. Hopefully everyone will be well tomorrow…

Mel49 · 6 Jul 18, 04:36 PM

It was a shame your son wasn't well so missed out on the fun but glad he was feeling better later on.

I enjoyed reading a positive review of ROL - me and my DH really enjoyed it too but seem to be in the minority. He also rode Everest twice afterwards while I had a seat as I don't do dark and backwards!

MrsSilverStar · 6 Jul 18, 05:22 PM

I'm a broken record on your report, but what brilliant photos again! We're staying at AKL next year and I'm planning on lots of visits to AK...it looks so beautiful.

Glad Will was feeling better. Sounds like it was a great day for the rest of you.

**Goldia** · 6 Jul 18, 06:54 PM

It seems like the blue slushy wasn't a good idea, poor chap. The girls showed their concern for their brother! Phew a relief you made it to FOP in time.

summersun · 7 Jul 18, 12:52 PM

Fab pics and I'm glad your son's better x

Palm trees · 7 Jul 18, 10:15 PM

The picture at the he'd of your report is absolutely fabulous!

rich2820 · 18 Aug 18, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Mel49

It was a shame your son wasn't well so missed out on the fun but glad he was feeling better later on.

I enjoyed reading a positive review of ROL - me and my DH really enjoyed it too but seem to be in the minority. He also rode Everest twice afterwards while I had a seat as I don't do dark and backwards!

Yes, I do think we're in a minority in liking ROL. I think it helps to manage your expectations before you go. Thanks for reading and commenting.

Originally Posted by MrsSilverStar

I'm a broken record on your report, but what brilliant photos again! We're staying at AKL next year and I'm planning on lots of visits to AK...it looks so beautiful.

Glad Will was feeling better. Sounds like it was a great day for the rest of you.

Thanks for you comments again.

Originally Posted by Goldia

It seems like the blue slushy wasn't a good idea, poor chap. The girls showed their concern for their brother! Phew a relief you made it to FOP in time.

Ha ha, I think the damage had already been done before the blue slushy! Thanks for commenting again.

Originally Posted by summersun

Fab pics and I'm glad your son's better x

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Originally Posted by Palm trees

The picture at the he'd of your report is absolutely fabulous!

That's very kind, thanks!

6 Jul 18, 10:25 AM	#1
	6 Jul 18, 10:25 AM rich2820 Excited about Disney
rich2820 Excited about Disney Join Date: Apr 13 theDIBB Guidebook Guidebook Photos: 28	Return of the Fab Five - Aug 2017 - Day 8: I See the Light (Cape May breakfast, Animal Kingdom) Return of the Fab Five - Aug 2017 - Day 8: I See the Light (Cape May breakfast, Animal Kingdom) Click here for the Index First of all, apologies if you have been reading along and wondering if I’d ever post again – I’ve been somewhat distracted by a busy work schedule, football on the telly and the impending doom of our eldest’s 18th birthday party. We’re having it at our house – we must be mad! I’d planned a lazy morning today with breakfast at Cape May to start off with, followed by general lounging around the hotel before we set off for Animal Kingdom. Will didn’t feel too good after breakfast so only three of us (the girls and I) went swimming in the lovely Stormalong Bay. It was really quiet in the pool this morning so there were plenty of opportunities for going down the water slide and drifting around the lazy river. Blue slushies when you’ve got a dodgy stomach – what could possibly go wrong! After our relaxing morning we set off for Animal Kingdom where we had a bit of a look around the shops - Hannah was eyeing up various Stich soft toy options - before having a sit down in Festival of the Lion King. Next up it was time for our first FastPass, which was another trip on Expedition Everest. We were a little early for our FastPass so we stopped off for some slushy drinks first. Will then started feeling unwell again, so whilst Hannah and Beth went on Expedition Everest I accompanied him to the toilets. It turned out that he was going to need to go back to the hotel, so Hilary volunteered to go with him whilst I stayed at Animal Kingdom with the girls. Hannah and Beth were suitably unsympathetic, relishing the fact that they could now use Will’s FastPass to go on Expedition Everest again! We then decided to go and watch Flights of Wonder, which was all going well until it started to rain so they had to cut it short. We’ve seen this before though, so we weren’t too disappointed and they'd got through most of the show before they stopped it anyway. We were a little early for our ADR at Yak & Yeti so we hung around sheltering from the rain and then decided to head over to the restaurant anyway, even though we were a little early. We had Flight of Passage FastPasses for 6 – 7pm and an ADR at Yak & Yeti at 5.30, so an hour and a half to eat should give us plenty of time, right? That’s what I thought – but after 30 minutes of waiting in the cramped waiting area we were starting to stress about the time. It was standing room only here and with all of those bodies it was getting pretty warm too. We finally got shown to our table around 6pm, so we had an hour to eat and then to make our way to FoP – no problem, we thought, and started to relax. But then our server was so slow that the tension started to mount again. By the time we finally got our food we were pretty stressed once again, with Hannah and Beth asking me every few minutes if I thought we’d make it. The food was actually quite good, although the portions were massive, as you can see from Beth’s huge plate of noodles (taken on my phone, so sorry about the quality). By the time our server came back it was getting dangerously close to 7pm and our FastPass window was closing before our eyes. We were all really full, and eager to move on, so for the first and last time at WDW we skipped dessert and asked for the bill. Needless to say, we had to wait an age for this too… so by the time we left the restaurant it had gone 7pm. I was fairly sure that you are allowed 10 minutes grace period at the end of a FastPass window so we ran, in the heat and with full stomachs, to Pandora. When we reached Fop we collectively held our breath and tapped our Magic Bands on the FastPass touch point… You can find out later if it worked…! So now to today’s Fab Five, which as usual is the top five things that we did today, in the order that we did them: 1. Cape May Character Breakfast I don’t think there’s anything particularly exciting or unique about the food on offer at Cape May Café at breakfast time. It’s a fairly standard Disney buffet. But if you fancy some Mickey waffles, pastries and a selection of pork offerings (they also have several fruit options – but come on, we’re on holiday) in the company of Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Daisy this is a great low key alternative to Chef Mickey over at the Contemporary. As usual it wasn’t too busy here this morning so we had plenty of time with the characters, and the buffet options meant the kids could make up interesting combinations like this!: 2. Festival of the Lion King Of the two amazing shows at Animal Kingdom we switch back and forth between Finding Nemo and the Lion King as to which we think is our favourite. I think I’m in the Nemo camp at the moment, but Festival of the Lion King is still a great show. We were in the giraffe section today and had an excellent view of the show, although there was a fairly lively tour group in front of us, one of whom had his hair in a palm tree-like top knot which seemed to be in most of my photos! Palm tree 3. Flight of Passage …I know the suspense has been killing you all, so I won’t blame if you read ahead to this part… We last saw our FoP wannabees arriving 10 minutes late for their FastPass. We tapped the touch point with our magic bands and…it turned green. Phew! Stress over, we walked through the FastPass queue, trying not to make eye contact with those in the huge standby line, and after a not insignificant wait, we were into the pre-ride. I found this part fairly tedious, to be honest, but then I rarely do embrace pre-ride areas (apart from the Muppets) so maybe that’s just me. The ride itself was truly spectacular and is now one of my favourite rides at WDW. I would say that it’s a true rival to the best of the Universal rides. My only gripe is that my 3D glasses kept sliding down my nose – I even had to hold them onto my face at one point. I thought it was just me – the narrow head/ sweaty face combination was always going to be trouble – but I heard a few other people saying the same thing. But that aside, this ride is another addition to the awesome line-up of attractions at Animal Kingdom. 4. Rivers of Light As time had moved on (!) we went straight from FoP to Rivers of Light, for which we also had a FastPass. The seating area was already filling up fast when we got there, but there was still plenty of room in the FastPass area. However, as we walked in a Cast Member took us to one side and asked us if we wanted to sit in the VIP area. I don’t know why he did this – maybe he was taking pity on this ‘single’ dad with his two daughters (remember Hilary and Will were back at the hotel), or maybe he saw the huge camera hanging around my neck and thought I might get some good photos on social media (I don’t do any of that stuff, unless you count this!) – but we weren’t complaining. In truth the ‘VIP area’ wasn’t all that exciting – we were still sat on standard benches, but just a little closer to the action. There also seemed to be quite a lot of VIPs around! It was a nice Disney touch, though, and made us feel special. I thought the show itself was really good, and actually much better than I expected after reading some negative reviews online. It uses the arena of the lake brilliantly and its use of light, music and water really is breathtaking, without resorting to the use of fireworks. Here are a few more photos, which don’t really do justice to the scale of the show: 5. Expedition Everest in the dark As Rivers of Light ended most people seemed to be heading straight out of the park, but we were directly opposite the entrance to Expedition Everest, which we we’d never ridden in the dark before. So there was no need for any debate over this and we headed straight over to join the standby line, which was surprisingly short, considering how many people were in the area at that time. Riding this in the dark brought a whole different feeling to this ride. And with most people leaving after one ride it would have been rude not to go around again for one more – this would be our last chance to ride it this holiday after all! Finally we set off home to see how Will was getting on – although I’d already had a WhatsApp message to say that he was feeling better and had eaten a flatbread for tea. It had been a good day but it was a shame that the other two couldn’t have shared it with us. Will would have loved FoP and Hilary was gutted to have missed RoL. Hopefully everyone will be well tomorrow… __________________ rich2820 Trip report August 2014: Ev'rybody Has a Laughing Place Trip report August 2017: Return of the Fab Five Edited at 12:38 PM.