The alarm went off way too early, and I headed to the hotel gym to pound out 3 miles and lift some weights. C slept until 630 and was just eating some breakfast when I arrived back at the hotel. We had some breakfast inside and some on the screened in porch of room 3163. Then we headed out into the heat to the park. C was so excited to see the entrance gates again. We paid our 17 bucks and drove into the mass craziness that is Disney parking.
First stop, figuring out our tickets and getting our fingerprint. Wow! Disney has come a long way since we were here in 1998. Then we wandered through the vegetation to Kilimanjaro Safari. We hopped right on courtesy of the fast passes, and jumped into the last row of the bus. We saw hippos, crocodiles, elephants, rhinos and lions and got stuck in a giraffic jam!!! C was worried that we would fall out of the bus but had fun overall.
Other items of note:
- Pangani Forest Exploration Trail - perhaps one of the only things I remember from our honeymoon visit...the gorillas that sleep against the glass. We also saw monkeys, turtles, and a glow in the dark scorpion.
- shopping expedition to get Colin a fan sprayer...the one item he wanted to purchase with his Disney Dollars
- Tree of Life viewing and photos
- Finding Nemo the Musical - this was a wonderful 40 minute musical performed by live actors with puppets, similar to the full length Lion King musical. C loved that the performers moved through the crowds, especially the jellyfish and Marlin and Dory. When bubbles were shot from the ceiling, his face lit up. (Unfortunately the plot of the short musical was the same as the movie, and caused just as much of a sleeping issue as our brief dalliance with the movie three months ago. Lesson learned.)
- Character Greeting with Safari Mickey and Minnie - worth the FastPass. He ran right up to them both and gave huge hugs, then smiled for his pictures. Even better that he got to high five King Louie and Baloo as they walked by outside.
- Kali River Rapids - once out of FastPasses, we had to wait about an hour for this ride. C was a champ, even though we were skipping his nap. He got into the boat and strapped in, mouth wide open as he took in the illegal logging camp around us. W and C bore the brunt of the splashes, coming out soaking wet. He loved it!
- Last adventure for the day - Rafiki's Planet Watch - a brief open air train ride to the Conservation Station, an educational area with vet facilities, lots of creepy crawlies, a character visit with Rafiki and a small goat, pig, cow petting zoo. C has been to these before so his big thrill was getting to dance and play with Chip and Dale for about 10 minutes.
We hopped onto the train to return to Discovery Island, pausing to look at an anteater and some turtles along the way. Dinner was at the pool after a brief swim session for C and W. Then off to bed...
Monday, May 26, 2014
2014.5.24 Disney with C - Day 1
A brave adventure...Disney world with a four year old. And we're off!
The day started with a leisurely noon flight from the new Southwest terminal at RDU. C sat next to the windows, eating his Annie's Bunny-Os while watching flights land and depart. He earned many of his coveted 'Disney Dollars' for good behavior.
After an uneventful flight with 20 minutes of napping for Colin, we found our way to the Marriott Vacation Club Harbour Lakes. Wow! We chose the right location. Two unique splash parks - one with a pirate ship with slides and the other with a water slide and splash area with two dousing buckets. Our room wasn't ready yet so we wandered around the property and then headed for Downtown Disney. No nap? No problem!
W and I spent our honeymoon at Disney in 1998, so we remembered a bit about the area. But we stayed on property that time, so parking and driving around the park was new to us. Funny that as we pulled the car right in front of Downtown Disney, "Let It Go" started playing on the radio. C was grinning from ear to ear as he sang and watched the big balloon go up and down behind Planet Hollywood. We arrived just in time to pick up our tickets at Guest Services, then make our 4:30pm reservation at Splitsville Lanes. While we did not bowl, C pulled his chair right next to the last lane and decided he was eating there. Pizza, milk and applesauce for him? Sushi and drinks for us. Very nice! This tells me we definitely need to take him bowling at home. C was fascinated by the bowling and remarked 'we have to come here all of the time.'
We walked around a bit, people watching and looking at the wonders of Downtown Disney. There is a lot of construction (dream building) going on, including a new food truck rodeo going in this summer. And Pleasure Island is nearly all closed, awaiting many revisions over the next year.
Then we headed home and C and I played on the pirate ship while W transported our stuff into the hotel room. He went down water slide tunnels and enjoyed general fun for a quick fifteen minutes. Then dad picked us up and we drive over to the room. Two bed, 2 bath....glorious! The rolled pillows in the rooms reminded C of 'candy'. C took a quick shower then into his bed of pillows. Dad read him a story while I hit up the grocery for important provisions. We had a beverage and then off to bed.
The day started with a leisurely noon flight from the new Southwest terminal at RDU. C sat next to the windows, eating his Annie's Bunny-Os while watching flights land and depart. He earned many of his coveted 'Disney Dollars' for good behavior.
After an uneventful flight with 20 minutes of napping for Colin, we found our way to the Marriott Vacation Club Harbour Lakes. Wow! We chose the right location. Two unique splash parks - one with a pirate ship with slides and the other with a water slide and splash area with two dousing buckets. Our room wasn't ready yet so we wandered around the property and then headed for Downtown Disney. No nap? No problem!
W and I spent our honeymoon at Disney in 1998, so we remembered a bit about the area. But we stayed on property that time, so parking and driving around the park was new to us. Funny that as we pulled the car right in front of Downtown Disney, "Let It Go" started playing on the radio. C was grinning from ear to ear as he sang and watched the big balloon go up and down behind Planet Hollywood. We arrived just in time to pick up our tickets at Guest Services, then make our 4:30pm reservation at Splitsville Lanes. While we did not bowl, C pulled his chair right next to the last lane and decided he was eating there. Pizza, milk and applesauce for him? Sushi and drinks for us. Very nice! This tells me we definitely need to take him bowling at home. C was fascinated by the bowling and remarked 'we have to come here all of the time.'
We walked around a bit, people watching and looking at the wonders of Downtown Disney. There is a lot of construction (dream building) going on, including a new food truck rodeo going in this summer. And Pleasure Island is nearly all closed, awaiting many revisions over the next year.
Then we headed home and C and I played on the pirate ship while W transported our stuff into the hotel room. He went down water slide tunnels and enjoyed general fun for a quick fifteen minutes. Then dad picked us up and we drive over to the room. Two bed, 2 bath....glorious! The rolled pillows in the rooms reminded C of 'candy'. C took a quick shower then into his bed of pillows. Dad read him a story while I hit up the grocery for important provisions. We had a beverage and then off to bed.
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