The Disney Do Minus Two Tour 2012 - Day Eight -Animal Kingdom

[mkingdon]

Previously on this tour...

Premature Pretripulation
Day One - Travel
Day Two - Magic Kingdom
Day Three - Rest & MK
Day Four - Epcot & DTD
Day Five - Celebration & DHS
Day Six - Golf and Epcot with Dibbers
Day Seven - Typhoon Lagoon

Day Eight - Sunday 26th August

Isaac’s arrival was edging ever closer, in terms of time, but simultaneously moving further away in terms of geography. A sharp detour to the west was going to be bad news for those in New Orleans and the surrounding states, but for us all we had to deal with was the crushing disappointment etched upon the faces of the seventeen different weather experts on Channel 13.

So rather than Isaac forcing us to spend two days in a bathtub under a mattress it just meant that we had skies like this for a bit.

It was until 8.40 that I awoke today. As anyone who has ever read a WDW guidebook will tell you, that meant we were already too late and may as well write the whole day off right now. Instead, I rose majestically, consulted Channel 13, and decided that Isaac would not be disrupting our plans, and Operation Animal Kingdom was on!

Plan B had been to spend the entire storm in the cinema, moving from one film to another in a sugar induced haze. Some other time maybe, as that sounds like a cracking day if I’m honest.

We didn’t leave the villa until 10am, but it only took us twenty minutes to get to the AK car park.

Dinosaur 34 welcomed us, and we quickly boarded a tram (not the one above, as how could I have taken its photograph!) and headed for the entrance.

Being so late, I am loathed to stop for any photos of the family at the entrance so I just quickly record the fact that we passed through as we speed towards the gate. Speed is a relative term, as Louise is having ankle trouble. It is a recurring problem and today would be bad, but not the worst of the trip I’m afraid.

As usual, we separate as I head for a sack inspection. My record for picking the best/shortest queue is 100%. I always pick the slowest moving one, without fail, all of the time. Today I use reverse phycology and join one of the longer lines, as I unzip stuff ready for the bloke with the cold hands and pointy stick.

Well, that didn’t work either. The reason for the long line was that this chap was going the extra mile. Whilst his colleagues at adjacent tables were waving their stick Harry Potter style over bags and declaring them safe, my guard was having us assume the position to make sure no one had anything they shouldn’t in a body cavity.

He took forever! With poor Ryan feeling invaded and violated we wander off trying to regain our dignity.

First job here used to be Fastpasses for the safari but that was before Everest, so we all head off in that direction. The girls see the Up characters and want a photo, so I leave them with Louise queuing for that as I march off to Everest for the Fastpasses.

Despite the late hour, I am pleased to get a return time of 11.45. By the time I get back to where I left the girls and Louise they are almost at the front of the queue, and once done we can all move on.

Right next to us was the entrance to ITTBAB so we thought we may as well do this now. We time things perfectly again and literally walk in, pick up glasses and take our seats in one sweeping movement.
We enjoyed the show, despite its familiarity. These days Emily has taken to actually wearing her 3D glasses, but it may be some years before she will actually put her feet down on the floor. On that note, I did see a bloke a few rows in front of us jump up as if he’d sat on a red hot poker when the bugs “leave”. Once he’d regained his composure, he did look suitably embarrassed.

Upon leaving it was more or less time for EE, so we wandered that way. The park was busy or maybe it is just the narrow paths, but we felt as if we were always stepping around people and found it hard to get around. This was leading to a feeling of frustration and tiredness that sometimes happens a few days into a trip, when the travel, pace and heat start to catch up.

The ride itself is fab. Both Louise and I thought it more extreme than our worsening middle aged memories have told us, but we put it down to simply getting old!

I think my expression on the ride photo speaks volumes.

As we leave I grab some new fastpasses for 12.45.

OK, so for those of you who are sick to death of seeing loads of blurry animal photos, feel free to skip the next little bit. It is safari time. So we walk pretty much all the way across the park to the safari, which Louise, in her raging pain, loves.

At least there is no queue, and we are soon seated right at the front of the truck. The driver is a girl of about 11. How she controlled that huge truck I have no idea. Perhaps they are all on tracks after all?

I have found a new obsession to add to my “Please move all the way to the end of the row”. It is simply this. When the driver says please remain seated at all times, that doesn’t mean, everyone apart from you on the back seat who proceeded to stand up every time she stopped to get that extra three inches closer to the animal we are all trying to photograph.

The driver did say that as soon as someone stands up she has to move on, so for everyone else’s benefit please remain seated. Nope, every time, up they got, and so every time, off we drove.

Despite the best efforts of our friend here, he’s never going to find Rod Hull I’m afraid.

(Yes I do know it’s an ostrich, but just go with it!)

All that bumping around leads me to impressive amounts of horn.

And no, I’m not lion.

Unexpectedly next we come across some huge bird, who looked absolutely legless.

You’d think it was Spring Break or something.

Continued...

[mkingdon]

It was now time for our second set of EE Fastpasses. By this stage Louise thinks I’m doing it on purpose, as we have to walk all the way back across the park again. To avoid physical attack I walk off and take some photos.

The rain is coming down a bit now, but it is intermittent and drizzly rather than Manchester-esque, so we do not need to sheath up at this point.

On the next ride, I manage to keep things together a little more…but only a little.

In case you were all thinking we were ill, don’t worry, we’re going to eat now. To make up for the vast amounts of pain all this walking has caused Louise I offer lunch at her favourite restaurant, Yak and Yeti, and she needs little convincing.

With no reservation, we expect a wait and we get one. They have added a bar option to add some extra profits from those waiting to eat, and Louise is keen to take part, needing some alcohol to numb the pain. I find a slither of room at the bar (yep, that’s fine you all sit at the bar stopping anyone else get anywhere near it), and start to order. I ask Louise what she wants, but we only have the power of mime and lip reading as she is some distance away back in reception.

Her mime is not awash with clarity and I have no idea what she wants. I manage to order drinks for the girls and I easily as you can imagine, but now I need to figure out what Louise wants. With the bar chap impatiently waiting, it is with just seconds to spare that the penny drops and I manage to avoid asking for a willy wag, and instead realise Louise wants a cocktail.

Still, this isn’t as simple as it might be, as my knowledge of cocktails is pretty much limited to an education gained watching Only Fools and Horses in the 80s, so with bewilderment in my eyes, and a busy barman impatiently waiting, I panic and order a Pinna Colada.

He asks if I want that with or without a moustache, an Audi Quattro and a ticket to a Duran Duran concert. Still, it looked nice enough.

It was so nice that Louise had another once we were seated.

We ordered –

Emily – Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

Louise – Same but with Jasmine rice

Me – Combo Lo Mein

Rebecca – Honey Chicken with fried rice

With two cocktails, two root beers and some diet cokes it all came to $91 plus tip. As ever the food here was lovely. I have to admit though that we were all feeling it a bit, and I don’t think we were winning any awards for dazzling conversation at this point.

Still, no pain no gain, onwards to the Panganini (or whatever it’s called) Trail.

It was raining harder now, but that was made less relevant by getting some up close time with the gorillas. They are brill.

We stood and watched them for ages.

You could say they did the same.

I think he’d also just lunched at Yak and Yeti.

We made our way to the Lion King show next, dodging through shops to avoid the worst of the weather. Alas, this meant we couldn't avoid buying stuff, and Louise got some new flip flops in an attempt to ease her ankle pain.

As we came out of the shop the parade was in full swing so we watched for a few minutes.

Before the crowds watching dispersed we slipped away down the path towards Camp Minnie Mickey.

We arrived at the show at 4pm, and waited fifteen minutes to get in. We got great seats on the front row of the bloody giraffe section again. We are always giraffes.

We always love this show.

Continued...

[mkingdon]

With my track record of crap photos in the dark, I was relatively pleased with this one.

Less so with this….

And about twenty others that are very similar to that.

Rebecca informed us that the man with fire was hot. She was not attempting a pun.

We always leave here feeling better than when we arrived, and we typically walk out marvelling at the singing of one or more of the cast. This year was no different, and the older female singer was astounding!

The rain was getting worse, and so was Louise’s foot so we decided to call it a day. Why we’d call Louise’s foot a day I don’t know.

Once we got home we all just flopped, obviously all knackered and ready for a rest. With the weather not being great, and having had a huge lunch no-one had an appetite (in any sense) to go out, so we crashed on the couch and ordered the Hunger Games (ironic and puntastic at the same time) on the TV on demand service.

As a side note, when I spoke with the villa owner later and explained that we’d bought a movie and would have to settle up, she told us that we shouldn’t be able to as it should be locked down to stop guests running up huge bills! She thanked us for our honesty, but I must admit I forgot to settle up so Tricia, I owe you a few quid, let me know the amount and I’ll send it!

Emily had seen it about a dozen times already, and I think I was the only one not to have seen it at all. It was good.

I made the girls corn dogs (from the hurricane supplies bought the other day) and I filled up on crap, otherwise known as snacks from the cupboard.

It was only 10pm when we all started to drift off to bed, but I stayed up a little longer and watched most of Taken for about the hundredth time. Then I found sleep very quickly indeed.


Tomorrow - Shopping and DTD

[Disney junky]

Great day. I love the Lion the king and sing to all the songs. I agree that the "Severe Weather Experts" on Channel 13 looked gutted once Isacc turned left!

[Helen0705]

Another great day - lunch at Yak and Yeti looked lovely.

[disney owl]

a good AK day & good news about Isaac

[Ariel's Mum]

Another fab day.

[Guest]

Great day

[wizzo]

Reading between the lines, I reckon you got it in the neck A LOT today! It's always my fault on holiday if the sun doesn't shine and knowing how much Louise loves it (the sun that is), I empathise. I never report the female "moods" either

oh... great day by the way

[mick]

Another great day the food at Yak and Yeti looks fab