DAY
19 - TUESDAY 21ST AUGUST
We’re out of
bed at 7.30am this morning and meeting Susan and Lu Beth in the
lobby at 8.15am. We’re off to the Animal Kingdom. On arrival
just after 9.00am we get a phone call from Matt. Thanks to some
sleeping pills from Susan, Deb has finally had a decent nights
sleep, but they’ve decided to have an easy day and meet up
with us this evening.
Straight round to Expedition Everest where all but me and Lu Beth
are riding. I think it is probably better not to ride than risk
feeling ill for the rest of the morning. I get Fastpasses for
Kali while they ride.
We then walk past the new Yak and Yeti restaurant, which is still
a long way from completion. The construction work is clearly
visible and is very ugly. This is most unlike Disney as they
usually do a pretty good job of hiding these things.
Kilimanjaro Safaris is next and we are on inside 15 minutes even
though the wait time is posted as 30 minutes.
Our Fastpasses for Kali are then put to use. Fastpass works
exceptionally well on this ride as you walk straight to the front
and on to a raft. As is traditional, Susan gets the wettest of
all of us, there must be some sort of lesson to be learned from
this.
We queue up for the new Nemo show next. You really have to get
there early if you want a good seat and ours is just right of
stage centre and about 10 rows back. I think we all enjoy this
show; it’s a great mix of theatrical styles. The main
characters are humans carrying puppets and this works very well.
The sets are very good and the songs, although not the strongest,
help the story along. Nicely done Disney. Along with Expedition
Everest, this must have given new life to the Animal Kingdom for
those that have always thought it was a half-day park.
We get lunch from the Flame Tree Barbecue and use our counter
service credits to get $65 worth of food. It’s basic fare,
but ok for lunch, the chicken salad being the best of the bunch.
It’s Tough to be a Bug is the last attraction for us in the
Animal Kingdom today. It’s funny but I’m quite relaxed
about just doing a few things in each park, I guess it’s
because we bought Annual Passes last year and this trip is a bit
of an unexpected bonus. We don’t feel like we have to be in
the parks all day to get value for our money.
On the way out of the Animal Kingdom we stop to say hello to
Ethelbert. This is the giant anteater in the Oasis and he has
been very active today as we saw him mooching around his
enclosure on the way in as well. Georgia wants an anteater for
her birthday.
We get the bus over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge as Tam wants to
see the new DVC rooms, unfortunately they are all occupied so we
can’t. It’s still fun just to have a look around the
Lodge anyway.
We return to Wilderness Lodge via a bus to the Magic Kingdom and
then a boat across the 7 Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. The boat is at
the dock when we arrive at the Magic Kingdom and India and I
hurry on ahead and get to the gate just as the CM calls for last
boarders. I try to persuade him to shut the gate after us and
leave the stragglers to get the next boat, but he’s having
none of it. Spoilsport.
Back at the Lodge, Tam and Georgia decide on a little snooze in
the room (lightweights) while India and I go to the pool for a
swim and a beer. It’s still amazingly hot and amazingly dry!
Inds and I chat about this holiday and potential future holidays
and it’s a fun hour or so having some time alone with my
eldest daughter.
We also walk around the resort a little. It’s surprising how
quiet it can be and how Disney have set aside many little seated
areas on the upper floors for people wanting to enjoy a little
quiet time. It would have been so easy for them to just throw in
a few more rooms instead.
Back in the room we have to open the curtains and rouse the
sleeping beauties. They’re not best pleased.
Everybody showers and the girls leave a few minutes before we do
as they have been organising a redneck party in Susan’s room
for us.
Tam and I arrive at the room and are given our names for the
evening. I’m Jim Bob, Tam and the girls are Darlene,
Charlene and Larlene. Susan is Peggy Sue and Lu Beth is Betty
Lou.
Deb and Matt arrive 15 minutes later as they have had a few
problems with the Disney transportation system getting to the
Lodge from Saratoga Springs. They are John Boy and Chardonnay.
Susan and the girls have mini moon pies and Goo Goo clusters for
our pleasure. Susan (and I hope the US authorities are not
reading this) has smuggled some genuine moonshine all the way to
Florida for us to try. She has even borrowed a jar style cup from
the Whispering Canyon to make it more authentic. The adults all
try the illicit liquor. Let me give you a word of advice, if you
have the chance to try moonshine, DON’T! Tam goes
cross-eyed, Deb starts conversing in Inuit and me and Matt
actually start making sense. It’s dangerous stuff .Lu Beth
looks on with the eye of one that has seen it all before.
I tell Susan you could use it to unblock a toilet. Hmmmm….
given our past exploding lavatory experiences, this might not be
a bad thing.
Susan also gives us many redneck themed presents. I get a video
featuring Playboy’s Blue Collar Girls. Now that’s what
I call a gift! Tam gets a white trash cookbook; lord knows where
we’ll find road kill possum in Gloucestershire. There are
lots of other bits and pieces. Susan must have put lots of effort
into this, many thanks to them all for a real fun experience.
We’re dining at Artist Point tonight and a couple of
looseners are required at the Territory Lounge to start.
It’s nice to go into a bar and find it not overrun with
children. Before you all start going off the deep end, yes, I do
understand that WDW is primarily a family destination, but it is
also nice to occasionally find somewhere that doesn’t
include the soundtrack of someone’s little darling having a
screaming tantrum that could shatter a thousand crystal
chandeliers from a mile away, bless their little cotton socks.
We enter Artist Point for our 8.00pm PS. My overall view of this
place hasn’t changed much after this meal; it’s a nice
enough place, but not one that really inspires me. I
wouldn’t be worried if someone said we were returning here
tomorrow, but I wouldn’t book it through choice.
I won’t bore you with all the details of the food, but most
people have the buffalo steak and are somewhat disappointed with
it. It’s definitely tougher than beef steak, but very lean.
Apparently it’s very good for you as it’s so low in
fat.
Deb’s still feeling tired, so she and Matt leave to get a
taxi at 10.00pm.
The rest of us have dessert, which is fine. The bill comes and it
would have been over $300 for the 4 of us if not for the dining
plan.
We say goodnight to Susan and Lu Beth and then spend half an hour
or so just wandering around the Wilderness Lodge enjoying
it’s nooks and crannies and remembering when we came to see
this place for the first time. We never thought we would be
fortunate enough to stay here. Sometimes it’s easy to lose
track of how lucky you are.
Back in the room we have a message waiting. It’s from Artist
Point thanking us for dining with them this evening. Nice touch.