Mike sez, This was my first visit to the Animal Kingdom. Last time I was here, it hadn't been open very long and I heard the kinks had not been worked out yet. Well, the kinks are gone now. What a beautiful place.
Naturally, the first place we headed was Expedition Everest. Another day of light crowds early. We got on the second car out. This is a roller coaster of a different color. It was a blast! But somehow I missed the giant Yeti (maybe my eyes were closed?) but I could certainly hear him holler through the whole thing (or was that Donna? lol).
Next stop was Kilimanjaro Safari. I really like the way they have this set up. The problem with it is, it goes too fast. Really hard to get good pictures. I know Donna got some good pictures of the backside of some animals. You see em, point the camera, and you are by them. I heard the whispers from other people on the ride say they need to slow down. I understand the need to move the ride along to get as many people as possible on, but there is such a thing as too fast.
I really recommend going to see Flights of Wonder. A very funny show but also very informative. It is amazing what they do with the birds. Another great part about the animals is the knowledge all the CM's have about each kind. The ones standing outside the cages know their stuff.
It's Tough to Be a Bug has got to be one of the most amusing 'shows' in all of WDW. I could not stop laughing. And the way they have done the special effects is remarkable (like the bugs under your seat). We didn't have to wait long to get in, but I think I would wait as long as it took to see it again. Putting it inside the Tree of Life was a stroke of genius. Even if we would have had to wait in line, we would have been entertained by all the sculpture in the tree...picking out the animals and just generally admiring the craftsmanship.
I kept putting off going to DinoLand because I figured it would be full of kids, kind of like ToonTown. I am certainly glad we took a walk over there. Dinosaur is another of those fun rides. A little silly, but certainly gives you pause to wonder what planet Earth was like so many millions of years ago.
Because the weather was a tad too cool, we did not go on the Kali River Rapids. Maybe if we go during the summer one year. We also did not go on Primeval Whirl as I have a tendency to get motion sickness on rides like that. In some things, I am a wimp!
We ate lunch at the Flaming Tree BBQ. In a word...AMAZING FOOD! I had the rib plate and Donna had the 1/2 chicken. For a counter service lunch, you get a ton of food. We sat for a long time eating and an even longer time waiting until we could move again! For a place in a theme park, this place got it right. Even the BBQ sauce they use is terrific.
Because of our dinner reservations, we left Animal Kingdom a little early. We had to go change and I actually put on a tie! Our reservations were for Victoria and Albert's.
Before I go into dinner, a little about Grand Floridian. This place is beautiful. I now know why it is so expensive. I think I saw one CM for every 5 guests wandering around. And there was a PGA Golf Tournament going on, so there were lots of people. In fact, I saw Justin Lonard (if you don't follow golf, that's ok if you don't know who he is...Donna didn't either...he's a golfer that won the British Open a few years ago and is a pretty good golfer). I am not one to get autographs, and I didn't. It was fun to see a touring golf pro acting like a regular guy.
Victoria & Albert's. If I did this right, this would be a whole separate TR. But it was part of Day 5 so here goes.
Never, ever, in my life have I had such a wonderful meal that was so much fun. This is a six course attack on all your taste buds. I have no clue what we had because we had so much...but it was truely amazing (guess I could check our personalized souvenir menu we each got). We did the wine pairing with dinner which only added to the meal. And the tastings were not little samples. They were a regular wine glass. Didn't finish it before the next one was served? Don't worry about it...they leave it there and bring the next one anyway.
Thanks to our terrific travel agent, we were seated in a semi-private room. Only four tables and only three of those were full, including ours. Each room has its own maid and butler and because there was an empty table, they had more time to spend at each table, explaining in more detail the food and the wine. They were so knowledgeable, I felt way outclassed not being able to ask intelligent questions...lol. We ask our 'maid', Ann, how long she had been doing this and she told us she had been doing fine dining for over 20 years. And, folks, THIS is fine dining!
One word of caution. This is NOT cheap. But it was worth every penny. It is not something I'm sure we will ever do again. It would take away from the initial experience. The first time could never be duplicated. But if you have never been there, I say go for it. And be prepared to stay for awhile. We were there for over 2 1/2 hours. But because the whole experience was so wonderful, the time seems to slip by. I'm also not sure a trip report can do this dinner justice...it is something you have to try.
If I have one complaint, it was the fireplace. It was lit so it made the room a little uncomfortable. But I really didn't care. We were being treated like royalty!
Donna sez.. This is my favorite park to walk around in. Despite the small size of the park, there's a lot to see and many very unique surprises. I like the fact that all through all the parks you sort of mingle with the ducks and storks, but here you see quite a few other types of foul flying around. They tend to buzz you when you least expect it and once the shock wears off you can really appreciate the way they seem to accept the presence of us humans in their home. This park truly belongs to the animals.
I had no problem sharing our mealtime with the birds. They made for some funny stuff with their begging for food from right under the "do not feed the animals" signs. I did give a duck a french fry at some point in this trip, but decided it was more fun to watch them flock around other tables.
Everest is totally awsome. I kept my eyes wide open on this one. I also got a great picture of it from a distance...wow..it looks absolutely real.
I enjoyed the rides totally. Seeing the animals wandering around as they do was such an experience.
The best part of this park is the theme of conservation. I think teaching our children that conserving and caring about our wildlife is very important.
I did see something I was cocerned about at Epcot. I saw a stork with a fish hook stuck in his nose. He didn't seem to be in pain and it didn't seem to be hampering his consumption of french fries and sandwich buns, but it still concerned me.
Ok...now for dinner. The Grand Floridian is beautiful. It's just the way I pictured the old Southern genteel way of life. I can't say that I would stay there on a trip because all that pampering would go to waste since we'd be gone most of the time.
Victoria and Albert's was like a fantasy. We were waited on hand and foot and all my fears of looking like a dope were put to rest by new silverware with each new item.
When we sat down there were two forks, but fortunately they were the same size.
I have no idea what I had, but it was great. I was a bit worried when the first thing they brought out would fit into a teaspoon and still have space left. As I soon found out, each time they brought something out the serving was bigger than the last. I have admit I was wondering where the nearest Mac Donalds was just in case.
The service was wonderful. We had two servers and a few chefs compliments as well. The wine pairing is a good thing too. I got to taste several very good wines.
At the end of our meal I recieved a long stemmed rose and we got a glorified fruitcake and our personalized menues. All in all it was an experience I will never forget.
Opening Ceremony
There's Mickey.. way up there
Everest
Storks
Flamingos...Mike's favorite
One of the vistas
An American Bald Eagle which is no longer on the endangered species list due to conservation. It works.
Naturally, the first place we headed was Expedition Everest. Another day of light crowds early. We got on the second car out. This is a roller coaster of a different color. It was a blast! But somehow I missed the giant Yeti (maybe my eyes were closed?) but I could certainly hear him holler through the whole thing (or was that Donna? lol).
Next stop was Kilimanjaro Safari. I really like the way they have this set up. The problem with it is, it goes too fast. Really hard to get good pictures. I know Donna got some good pictures of the backside of some animals. You see em, point the camera, and you are by them. I heard the whispers from other people on the ride say they need to slow down. I understand the need to move the ride along to get as many people as possible on, but there is such a thing as too fast.
I really recommend going to see Flights of Wonder. A very funny show but also very informative. It is amazing what they do with the birds. Another great part about the animals is the knowledge all the CM's have about each kind. The ones standing outside the cages know their stuff.
It's Tough to Be a Bug has got to be one of the most amusing 'shows' in all of WDW. I could not stop laughing. And the way they have done the special effects is remarkable (like the bugs under your seat). We didn't have to wait long to get in, but I think I would wait as long as it took to see it again. Putting it inside the Tree of Life was a stroke of genius. Even if we would have had to wait in line, we would have been entertained by all the sculpture in the tree...picking out the animals and just generally admiring the craftsmanship.
I kept putting off going to DinoLand because I figured it would be full of kids, kind of like ToonTown. I am certainly glad we took a walk over there. Dinosaur is another of those fun rides. A little silly, but certainly gives you pause to wonder what planet Earth was like so many millions of years ago.
Because the weather was a tad too cool, we did not go on the Kali River Rapids. Maybe if we go during the summer one year. We also did not go on Primeval Whirl as I have a tendency to get motion sickness on rides like that. In some things, I am a wimp!
We ate lunch at the Flaming Tree BBQ. In a word...AMAZING FOOD! I had the rib plate and Donna had the 1/2 chicken. For a counter service lunch, you get a ton of food. We sat for a long time eating and an even longer time waiting until we could move again! For a place in a theme park, this place got it right. Even the BBQ sauce they use is terrific.
Because of our dinner reservations, we left Animal Kingdom a little early. We had to go change and I actually put on a tie! Our reservations were for Victoria and Albert's.
Before I go into dinner, a little about Grand Floridian. This place is beautiful. I now know why it is so expensive. I think I saw one CM for every 5 guests wandering around. And there was a PGA Golf Tournament going on, so there were lots of people. In fact, I saw Justin Lonard (if you don't follow golf, that's ok if you don't know who he is...Donna didn't either...he's a golfer that won the British Open a few years ago and is a pretty good golfer). I am not one to get autographs, and I didn't. It was fun to see a touring golf pro acting like a regular guy.
Victoria & Albert's. If I did this right, this would be a whole separate TR. But it was part of Day 5 so here goes.
Never, ever, in my life have I had such a wonderful meal that was so much fun. This is a six course attack on all your taste buds. I have no clue what we had because we had so much...but it was truely amazing (guess I could check our personalized souvenir menu we each got). We did the wine pairing with dinner which only added to the meal. And the tastings were not little samples. They were a regular wine glass. Didn't finish it before the next one was served? Don't worry about it...they leave it there and bring the next one anyway.
Thanks to our terrific travel agent, we were seated in a semi-private room. Only four tables and only three of those were full, including ours. Each room has its own maid and butler and because there was an empty table, they had more time to spend at each table, explaining in more detail the food and the wine. They were so knowledgeable, I felt way outclassed not being able to ask intelligent questions...lol. We ask our 'maid', Ann, how long she had been doing this and she told us she had been doing fine dining for over 20 years. And, folks, THIS is fine dining!
One word of caution. This is NOT cheap. But it was worth every penny. It is not something I'm sure we will ever do again. It would take away from the initial experience. The first time could never be duplicated. But if you have never been there, I say go for it. And be prepared to stay for awhile. We were there for over 2 1/2 hours. But because the whole experience was so wonderful, the time seems to slip by. I'm also not sure a trip report can do this dinner justice...it is something you have to try.
If I have one complaint, it was the fireplace. It was lit so it made the room a little uncomfortable. But I really didn't care. We were being treated like royalty!
Donna sez.. This is my favorite park to walk around in. Despite the small size of the park, there's a lot to see and many very unique surprises. I like the fact that all through all the parks you sort of mingle with the ducks and storks, but here you see quite a few other types of foul flying around. They tend to buzz you when you least expect it and once the shock wears off you can really appreciate the way they seem to accept the presence of us humans in their home. This park truly belongs to the animals.
I had no problem sharing our mealtime with the birds. They made for some funny stuff with their begging for food from right under the "do not feed the animals" signs. I did give a duck a french fry at some point in this trip, but decided it was more fun to watch them flock around other tables.
Everest is totally awsome. I kept my eyes wide open on this one. I also got a great picture of it from a distance...wow..it looks absolutely real.
I enjoyed the rides totally. Seeing the animals wandering around as they do was such an experience.
The best part of this park is the theme of conservation. I think teaching our children that conserving and caring about our wildlife is very important.
I did see something I was cocerned about at Epcot. I saw a stork with a fish hook stuck in his nose. He didn't seem to be in pain and it didn't seem to be hampering his consumption of french fries and sandwich buns, but it still concerned me.
Ok...now for dinner. The Grand Floridian is beautiful. It's just the way I pictured the old Southern genteel way of life. I can't say that I would stay there on a trip because all that pampering would go to waste since we'd be gone most of the time.
Victoria and Albert's was like a fantasy. We were waited on hand and foot and all my fears of looking like a dope were put to rest by new silverware with each new item.
When we sat down there were two forks, but fortunately they were the same size.
I have no idea what I had, but it was great. I was a bit worried when the first thing they brought out would fit into a teaspoon and still have space left. As I soon found out, each time they brought something out the serving was bigger than the last. I have admit I was wondering where the nearest Mac Donalds was just in case.
The service was wonderful. We had two servers and a few chefs compliments as well. The wine pairing is a good thing too. I got to taste several very good wines.
At the end of our meal I recieved a long stemmed rose and we got a glorified fruitcake and our personalized menues. All in all it was an experience I will never forget.
Opening Ceremony
There's Mickey.. way up there
Everest
Storks
Flamingos...Mike's favorite
One of the vistas
An American Bald Eagle which is no longer on the endangered species list due to conservation. It works.
