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Old 06-22-2010, 10:46 PM   #1 (permalink)
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"Jitterjet, Moonbeam, CC & Grits, Last Day and Thoughts for the Next Trip

My sister Moonbeam wrote this trip report based on our visit in early May 2010 and I posted the pictures (which will be added on the next segment) and ad-libbed an occasional comment. Moonbeam has a whimsical way of writing her TRs rather than just stating the facts, so I hope you'll enjoy her journal of our girls-only trip to WDW. Here we go with our arrival day:

THE CAST:
Calico Cat - First time visitor and Birthday girl! Friend of Jitterjet's!
Grits - Also First time visitor and friend of Jitterjet. Will make good use of assisted hearing devices available at parks!
Jitterjet- Planner extraordinaire. The Key Hub and Fount of all Disney Knowledge for this group. Loves commando trips to parks!
Moonbeam - Author of trip report and big sister to Jitterjet. Nursing sore knees and hip. Able to mutiny against commando types when necessary!

Jitterjet and Moonbeam are DVC members and just couldn’t wait to take another spring girls-only trip like they did last May. This time, however, they decided to stay at their second favorite resort after Kidani Village (it’s our home), and make their stay at Old Key West. Why not bring two friends who have never experienced a full-blown Disney trip? Two studios would be just right for four ladies and all their stuff. An agenda was agreed upon, all arrangements made, advanced dining reservations confirmed, etc., etc. Calico and Grits will share a studio and Jitterjet and Moonbeam will share another studio nearby.

Jitterjet, Grits, and Calico Cat are Florida Panhandle residents and elect to drive to WDW. The car is tightly packed with gear stashed in every available nook and cranny, and early on a Wednesday morn, the little car heaves a heavy sigh and putts off to head south, down the Interstate with the three ladies tucked inside amidst their paraphernalia and travel necessities. Weather is just right for travel and they make a few stops for lunch and the necessary rooms on the way, arriving late afternoon at OKW. Both room “owners” had used the online check-in services at DVC so all was ready for both rooms. Calico and Grits have room 4420, at the other end of the building housing the room that Moonbeam and Jitterjet will share.

Moonbeam is a Central Oregon resident and takes the 6:15am Delta flight to the City of Salty Lakes, then on to the Capitol of Coca Cola (Atlanta), with a final leg to MCO and a date with Disney’s Magical Express. Moonbeam decides to try using a smallish leather carryon without wheels as her only luggage, plus her purse, and she has tightly rolled all her clothing, put all cosmetics into tiny sample containers saved from various places, and wears her only pair of long pants, her tennis shoes, and her sweatshirt jacket, as these are the bulkiest items. Everything should be able to fit under the seat on the plane. Traveling light will be the way to go….well, maybe.
For the most part her plans work well, and with some strong tail winds all her flights arrive early. This does not mean the plane can park at the gate. They sit on the tarmac most of the time waiting for an empty gate. At MCO Moonbeam takes the long walk down to the end of the first floor to the DME area and is able to get on a bus to OKW within a few minutes. Soon we are off to OKW and receive a warm “Welcome Home!” by the bell services folks.

Moonbeam picks up her Key to the World and room packet (Jitterjet was given her Key to the World upon her arrival), and is transported to the Turtle Pond area where our rooms are located. The bellman carries her red leather bag up to the second floor and to room 4424, where Jitterjet opens the door with a cheery, “You’re here! And you brought a man with you!” (A handsome blonde he is too)! It’s great to see my sister again, and now it feels like the Disney vacation really begins…

Everyone is finally unpacked and somewhat rested up, so let’s go to Downtown Disney and get some grub! Our favorite form of transportation is soon ready and waiting for us down by the dock near Olivia’s Restaurant at OKW. What a lovely evening for a boat ride to DTD! Moonbeam has purchased an Annual Pass online from DVC and first stop is to go to Guest Relations and pick up the AP.

That chore accomplished, it’s time to fill some hungry wolves and Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace is just the ticket! Jitterjet and Moonbeam decided to go on the Disney Dining Plan, but Calico Cat and Grits decided to pay out of pocket for all their meals putting, them on their room key. Wolfgang Puck Express is Jitterjet and Moonbeam’s first Quick Service meal on the DDP. WPE did not disappoint. Salads and sandwiches were wonderful! In fact, no bad meals during the entire trip anywhere!

Moonbeam had purchased a shirt last May for DH Lefty’s birthday and she wanted one to match, finding one for herself at World of Disney! Yay! Cross that one off the shopping list. More store exploring and a yummy sample of Ghirardelli’s wonderful chocolate and the late hour began catching up with the fab four. Back to the dock for a relaxing trip home via water ways, dropping the group off at Hospitality House at OKW. Now, the normal bus stop for HH is closed for construction, so our little group walked over the bridge to the Peninsular Bus Stop and caught a bus to our home stop at Turtle Pond. Up the stairs and into our respective rooms and quickly to bed for a good rest. It’s Animal Kingdom tomorrow! Lots of Pictures to follow.
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Last edited by Jitterjet; 06-25-2010 at 07:01 PM..
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Old 06-22-2010, 10:48 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Animal Kingdom!!! Our first day’s agenda has us visiting the park for animal lovers! Pretty hard to resist the cool, shady trails, the “ancient” architecture, the trails through the flora and fauna filled forests and savannas, all so beautiful.

Full of excitement and anticipation, our little group is up, dressed, and ready to meet the day! It’s the first use of the Disney bus transportation to the parks for Calico Cat and Grits, but Jitterjet and Moonbeam are old hands at it. Our bus to Animal Kingdom arrives at Turtle Pond stop when we do and we hop on and into its air conditioned comfort for the ride to Animal Kingdom. Jitterjet had previously explained the entrance procedures to Calico and Grits so they sort of knew what to expect. Grits wanted to stop at Guest Relations to obtain one of the HC (hand held captioning) devices available with refundable deposit to guests with hearing disabilities. Unfortunately, we stopped at the Guest Relations office outside the entrance and had a bit of a wait in line before learning that the devices are only obtainable at the office inside the park! Oh well, in through the bag check we go, and Calico Cat and Grits have their first insert ticket-scan finger experience. No longer virgins at this, they immediately head to the GR office on the inside of the entrance to wait in another line. Grits is finally able to obtain a device and its operating instructions. Onward we go!

Calico Cat and Grits at Animal Kingdom Entrance



How beautiful it all is! Birds everywhere! Grits is a bird lover and she loves it here! We have a brunch date with Donald at Tusker House for 10:25am, so let’s head for Kilimanjaro Safaris for our first animal encounter! Since many early arriving guests head for Expedition Everest first thing, we are expecting to go to Africa and through the East African Port of Harambe and down to Kilimanjaro Safaris without much of a wait. But the lines are already long and the Fast Pass return time would interfere with our brunch date. Just then a CM named Leigh walks up, announces she wants to provide a Magical Moment for us, and gives us four Fast Passes for immediate use! How cool is that!!!

CM Leigh sharing a little magic with us



Off we go in the Fast Pass lane and right to the covered loading area! This is also Grit’s and Calico’s first experience with Disney’s excellent cattle car loading process. They learn about telling the CM how many in your group by holding up the appropriate amount of fingers in case the CM can’t hear you, then the CM sends you to your assigned row to stand on your marks. Then when the folks ahead of you proceed through to the attraction when the gates open, you take their places just up to the gates as they close. Works well at keeping order and speeds up everyone’s enjoyment of fast ride loading.

Our two-week safari heads off into the jungles where we see antelope and okapi, the only relatives of giraffes.

Across crocodile infested rivers we go, over rickety bridges, past hippo filled ponds, face encounters with rhinos, then drive out onto the open savannas with more antelope, gazelles, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, ankole cattle, ostrich, and lions! However, our two-week journey is cut short by poachers and our intrepid fellow safari travelers and our dedicated driver help chase the bad guys right into Warden Wilson’s hands and we save Little Red, the captured baby elephant! Hurray!

A rhino checks out the safari truck


The giraffes are so beautiful and graceful... and curious


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Old 06-22-2010, 10:51 PM   #3 (permalink)
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One of the young elephants on the safari


Our good deed done for the day, it’s time to fill those hungry tummies with an African buffet at Tusker House. Here our group is met by Donald and photos are taken. We are escorted inside the ancient 13th century fort, turned marketplace, turned restaurant, and shown to our table where we meet our waitress, Veronica, and she takes our drink order. At last we feast our eyes on the display of breakfast and brunch fare, more than anyone can imagine. With heaping plates we reclaim our seats and here come some characters! We meet with Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy (Calico Cat’s favorite character)! CC wore her Birthday Button and was treated to a cupcake! It’s a milestone, her 60th, and she plans to celebrate it all week!

Meetin' up with Donald


Grits and Calico Cat saying "cheese" with the Big Cheese
Calico Cat gets a birthday card from the gang


And a special treat to celebrate her birthday


After breakfast the girls want to take a trip down Pangani Forest Trail, but Moonbeam’s sore knees and hip have been hurting so she decides to hang around the shops while the others go off in search of exotic animals, and perhaps a glimpse of the gorillas.

Beware of tigers!


This one doesn't look so scary
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Old 06-22-2010, 10:54 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Grits and CC love the architectural details at Animal Kingdom


Colorful flags dangle everywhere to commemorate passed souls



Meanwhile, back in Harambe, Moonbeam sees things get pretty lively when some African performers get some local unsuspecting guests involved in their musical renditions. A good time for all!

Soon the intrepid hikers return from their jungle journey. It is getting hot at 92 degrees and thunder is booming in the distance. Time for an inside attraction.

It’s Tough to be a Bug is on the agenda and we trek on down to the ground to get out of the heat, past the oh-so intriguing carvings of the Tree of Life and under the root system of this large iconic structure, into the world of the bugs! Seating is in the dark, and Grits takes advantage of this attraction’s reflective captioning system and sits in the front row with the reflective captioning device, with Calico Cat keeping her company. Jitterjet (JJ for short) and Moonbeam sit a few rows back to avoid getting cricks in their necks. This 3D adventure begins and there’s lots of screaming! Little children in this group appear to be braver than most and no one sees anyone needing to leave the theatre with a badly frightened child. This is definitely an event you not only see but you feel!! We exit the theatre, when Grits realizes she left her poncho in its pack on the seat! We contact a CM and they stay with us while we wait for the next performance to be over, then Grits is escorted back into the theatre where she is able to find her poncho! Good show!

Grits had brought her poncho because the forecast was for possible showers, and the thunder boomers in the distance make that quite evident. JJ and Moonbeam want to take Calico and Grits on the Kali River Rapids and Grits agrees to stay with us through the queue, then she will wait for us on the bridge over the river while the rest of us raft the Kali. She does not want to risk getting her hearing aids wet, which would render them inoperable. We get in the standby line and wait, and wait, and wait! So many people come through the Fast Pass line that our standby line takes over an hour to work its way through the Rice Terrace, the Temple, and the local shop and office to the actual ride. By this time it’s too hot to fully don a poncho, so Calico and Moonbeam decide to wrap their lower halves with a poncho and JJ dons hers normally. Of course, we slide down the waterfall backwards and take the brunt of the splashing! Feels pretty good in the heat, lemme tell ya! But our cameras and phones survive and are dry.

We meet up with Grits at the bridge and squirt a few raft riders below before heading off to Camp Minnie-Mickey to watch The Festival of the Lion King! Showtime is some minutes away and while strolling around the area with pineapple fruit bars and a Mickey bar in hand, we come across Guitar Dan! He sees Calico Cat’s birthday button and sings her a song about her and her horses right on the spot! How clever of him!

Guitar Dan serenading CC for her birthday


Pocahontas poses with the girls


A hot, tired, and somewhat damp collection of ladies are admitted into the Lion King theatre and we are seated in the giraffe section just a few rows up from the front. What a beautiful performance this is. The audience and the performers are all very enthusiastic and the artists are so wonderful to watch. Very inspiring, and Moonbeam has seen this show three times! She also has the music CD which she plays regularly when she needs a One Minute Vacation at Disney. (That’s an OMV for folks in the know).

Coming up.... a 4-hour trek via bus, car, boat, monorail, to get back to OKW! __________________
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Old 06-23-2010, 01:10 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Great start - what a wonderful time at Animal Kingdom!
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Old 06-23-2010, 06:57 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Love this report. You took some great pictures! I love the pic of the tiger.
Four hour trek? Hmm....hope you meant it to be that long.
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Old 06-23-2010, 07:14 AM   #7 (permalink)
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What a wonderful TR!!! Beautiful pictures! Animal Kingdom!!!! Can't wait to read more!
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Old 06-23-2010, 07:53 AM   #8 (permalink)
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Great start and pictures Bev!
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Old 06-23-2010, 08:46 AM   #9 (permalink)
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What a fun trip report!
The pictures are beautiful!
Not only is It's Tough to be a Bug a fun show....but isn't it deliciously cool down under that huge tree!
Great start! I really hope it didn't take you 4 hours to get back to OKW!
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Old 06-23-2010, 10:10 AM   #10 (permalink)
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You girls are too cute! And, too funny "you're here, and you brought a man"
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Old 06-23-2010, 04:42 PM   #11 (permalink)
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JJ, Monbeam, CC & Grits, AK, AKV & Lots of Pics

Finishing up our journey through Animal Kingdom...

After Festival of the Lion King, it is now 4pm. We missed Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade (a favorite), and Grits had wanted to experience the train trip out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Conservation Station, but it didn’t happen this time. Everyone is exhausted and we want to take a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge so Calico Cat and Grits can see this beautiful and amazing resort.

After turning in the HC device, we exit the park and catch the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge to Jambo House. We enter through the front doors and see the spectacular lobby of this most amazing African themed resort. Details and photo ops everywhere you look! We forget how tired we are and we want to show them everything! We walk out by the pool to see the animals and birds nearby, but the pool has been closed due to reported lightning strikes in the Orlando area, and some CMs are standing there to keep anyone from getting close to the water. We see some flamingos and ducks, then walk back through the lobby to the viewing areas behind the lobby and see a few animals off in the distance. Soon the pool is re-opened and swimmers appear. For some reason we didn't take pictures at Jambo House, I guess because we've taken so many pictures on past visits.

Time for a counter service meal at Mara. African stew, salads, and flatbread satisfy our hunger. Now with full tummies and sore feet, we take a last look at the animals out back behind the lobby. Guess we’d better think about heading for home. Getting from a resort without boat transportation means one must take a bus to a park, then transfer to either a resort bus or take a boat to their resort. In our case we take a bus to DTD, wander through some shops on our way to the boat dock at Marketplace. We need the boat that departs from Pleasure Island that goes to OKW, so we wait until a boat comes that just makes stops from Marketplace to Westside to Pleasure Island. Then we wait at Pleasure Island for the boat that takes us to OKW to the Hospitality House area. However, since the HH bus stop is not open due to construction, we must then walk to the Peninsular bus stop to catch any incoming bus that takes us to Turtle Pond. Four hours after we began our homeward journey on the roundabout route, we are home! Boy, are we ready for a swim and a hot tub! Grits has had it for the day and she heads for bed for a long rest. Calico Cat, Jitterjet, and Moonbeam walk to the pool for a refreshing evening dip, then the hot tub where those hot water jets massage all the aches and pains and sore spots. Ooooh! That feels so good!

JJ and Moonbeam walk back to room 4424 and head for bed. Moonbeam takes some Ibuprophen so her aches and pains will quiet down so she can get some sleep. CC goes to 4420 and she and Grits sit up for a while going over their agenda for the next day. The agenda for the following day is that we are heading for Magic Kingdom and Grits is not about to miss out on anything she wants to experience! Let us see what happens!

Note from Jitterjet: Room 4424 was the worst room I’ve had at OKW. It was on the 2nd floor (good), right across from the bus stop (bad). It was so noisy that I had to wear earplugs at night and I could still hear the buses braking and accelerating until after 2am. The balcony was unusable due to the noise and diesel fumes.

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom:

Moonbeam is very sore this morning and it’s only the second day. She’s not sure she is ready for Magic Kingdom…MAGIC KINGDOM! MK is the heartbeat of Disneyworld; she HAS to do Magic Kingdom! A very hot and humid morning too. Moisture is condensing on the outside of our tiny balcony window. JJ's swim suit, spread out on a chair to dry after last night’s swim, is still very damp. Forecast is for partly cloudy skies with afternoon sun.

There’s Bear Naked cereal and cold cappuccino for breakfast and Jitterjet and Moonbeam get ready for the day ahead. They meet Grits and Calico Cat and they quickly walk to the bus stop to catch the MK bus and we’re off on another day’s adventure!

Turtle Pond Bus Stop


We arrive at the entrance to Magic Kingdom, go through bag check and the ticket/finger business and make it inside just as the opening ceremonies are concluding. After a relatively quick trip to Guest Relations to pick up a HC device for Grits’ use today, JJ and Moonbeam hurry Calico Cat and Grits under the overhead train track and into a turn-of-the-last-century Main Street. All the attention to detail, the shops and shopkeepers in old time costume…the hustle and bustle of the days before four-lane highways and the car as king of the road. We spot a horse-drawn trolley and hop on right behind the driver. Charlie, the black Percheron, pulls his load of happy passengers on their one-way trip down Main Street towards Cinderella Castle, and the Dapper Dans are hanging on the back of the trolley serenading the passengers with the harmony of a barber shop quartet! Moonbeam sees a boy sporting a purple Mohawk with pixie dust and Mickey head glitter as he comes out of the barber shop. I see why Grandpa Mohawk sports one while at WDW…way cool!!!

Charlie the Percheron doing his job on Main Street



Jitterjet's favorite characters having fun on Main Street!



Dapper Dans serenade the trolley passengers



It's so nice to arrive early before the crowds hit
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Old 06-23-2010, 04:45 PM   #12 (permalink)
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The lovely Fairy Godmother greeting guests near Tinkerbell's Treasures.


With a fast walk through the Castle we quickly arrive in Fantasyland! Grits has done her homework and she has an agenda for her first visit to MK. Jitterjet makes some touring recommendations to cut down on walking time and allow everyone to experience all the attractions in the park on this one-day visit. Since we are in Fantasyland we hop in the sailing ships and take to the night skies on Peter Pan’s Flight, then across the way to It’s a Small World and take a boat ride on this musical voyage around the world. Mickey’s Philharmagic is on The Grits List and we put on the 3D glasses and watch Donald bumble his way while trying to catch Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat.

The Jungle Cruise is also on The List, so it’s time to head to Adventureland. The wait for the cruise is a medium wait, under cover, and soon we board the Amazon Annie for our cruise through the jungle! A shady boat ride on a hot day is always a pleasant experience, even with crocodiles, elephants, hippos, and waterfalls to deal with while on the journey. Soon the Amazon Annie has us back on the docks and into the hot sun.

I have this same picture taken in 1956 at Disneyland. A true Disney classic.



We know a cool, dark ride nearby….

Arrh! It be Pirates o’ the Caribbean, it be! Inta th’ heart of Ol’ Port Royale we goes, down dark, dank walkways, past abandoned kegs o’ supplies ’n’ th’ leftovers o’ pillaging we go, always down, down inta th’ depths o’ the caves….’n’ inta small boats like sardines we be packed up tight. We floats through tunnels ’n’ then…..it be dark… Yo ho!, yo ho! A pirate’s life for me! Down a treacherous waterfall we slide ‘n our little craft! Right inta th’ bloomin’ Pirate Town! Such carryin’s on! Cannon fire sets th’ town t’ blazin’! Thar be Cap’n Jack Sparrow in a roomful o’ treasure! Arrh! But, why is th’ rum gone?

On the pavement right out front by the Dead Man’s Mast we meet up with three junior Pirates right outta th’ Pirates League! Mighty fierce lookin’, me thinks.



We need to escape and cool off and a raft ride out to Tom Sawyer Island is just the ticket (and on The List). On the island we encounter a frontier experience with pioneer Fort Langhorn, trails to explore, a barrel bridge, a treehouse, and Injun Joe’s cave. Moonbeam is following Calico Cat through the cave’s catacombs and while looking around instead of watching where she is walking, Moonbeam loses site of CC and the guiding lamps and BAM!! She crashes into the wall, scaring everyone and breaking a thumb nail in the process! Ouchie! Half of the acrylic and part of her nail is ripped into a dangerous weapon, but a handy concrete “log” at the fort is used to file the edges smooth.

Grits wants to see the Hall of Presidents for sure, so after a nice raft ride back to the present age, we enter the nice cool theatre with soft comfy seats and enjoy the fantastic presentation of our nation’s leaders throughout our nearly 234-year history. Amazing stuff!

Moonbeam, Grits & Calico Cat wait patiently for the next showing of Hall of Presidents
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Old 06-23-2010, 04:50 PM   #13 (permalink)
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Great start and photos. Can't wait to read more!
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My Previous TripsCaribbean Beach Resort October 2012; Pop Century & Old Key West DVC Villas November 2011; WDW Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC Villas Jambo House Club Level and Animal Kingdom Lodge DC Villas Kidani Village June 2011; WDW Wilderness Lodge DVC Villas and Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC Village Jambo House Dec. 2010; WDW Beach Club Resort DVC Studio Oct. 2009, WDW June 2008 @ Old Key West Villas and Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, WDW Oct. 2007 @ Port Orleans Riverside, WDW Aug. 2007 @ Board Walk Inn, WDW Sept. 2006 @ Port Orleans FQ , WDW Aug. 2005 @ Beach Club & Pop Century, WDW Jan. 2001 @ Disney Institute Villas, and 2 more that I can't remember when in 1990s @ offsite & Port Orleans
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Old 06-23-2010, 04:52 PM   #14 (permalink)
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Day 2 - Magic Kingdom! with pictures

Cooled off and refreshed a bit, JJ talks Grits and CC into a visit to the Haunted Mansion. These horse lovers first note the carriage horse is missing from his harness! Mmmm….scary biscuits ahead! Holding onto one another’s shirt tails or whatever is within grasp, we press through the crowd in the very dark halls and into our Doombuggies for a trip through the Hall of Happy Haunts! Somehow our Doombuggies find us with hitchhiking ghosts, but they disdain the sunlight and vapor trail themselves back into the mansion to ride with other guests. Oooh, bright sunlight! Time for some lunch.

Columbia Harbor House is always a favorite and upon arrival we peruse the overhead menu and make our selections. Taking our trays upstairs we find most tables are filled, but one quickly becomes available and our lunch is consumed in our low ceilinged, cozy Early American style room. Where are we off to next? Stay Tuned!

Ah, it appears to be time for Tomorrowland! Off we go and with full bellies we need something restful. Carousel of Progress is perfect. A rotating ride around the stages helps settle our tummies and get us ready for the afternoon’s adventures while giving us an education and entertainment at the same time. HH and Moonbeam are just sure that CC and Grits need a little action with a superhero by now, so it’s time to battle Zurg in Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! Our intrepid adventurers win the battle against Zurg and the space monsters!

Perhaps we will do well assisting Mike Wazowski, et al at Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. No longer a scene of fearful screaming, the Monsters, Inc. crew has discovered that laughs are ten times more powerful than screams to provide power for Monstropolis! Right into the monster world we go and onto our bench seats we slide for the show. A man wearing a t-shirt with the word “SHERIFF” emblazoned on the front soon is in the spotlight and becomes “THAT GUY”, (even getting a sticker with his new title on it). Our own Jitterjet is another spotlighted guest and she has to answer questions! Ooooh! The alien attempts to read JJ's mind, but JJ is on to him, er it, and doesn’t allow the alien to cheat by keeping its ears open. Eventually the alien figures out the secret number JJ was thinking about and the audience applauds the alien's accomplishment. It’s always fun to interact with aliens and monsters, even if things do get a little confusing sometimes.

What this gang needs now is a little elevation. Off the concrete and into the air via the Tomorrowland Transit Authority! A breezy ride on an electric tram up and around Tomorrowland and through some rather extended darkened construction projects helps to cool off the ladies.

It’s a very hot afternoon and all this concrete is getting us all very hot and tired. One more ride for us before we leave…a train ride around the whole of Magic Kingdom is in order. The beautiful Walt Disney World Railroad is fired up and ready to take us on a trip, but all the seats seem to be filled. A nice air conditioned sit down in the Main Street Station waiting room until another train arrives is very restful. In ten minutes or so a train arrives and we find empty seats and settle in for a nice ride through the forests. We travel by Adventureland, make a stop at Frontierland, continue on around past Fantasyland, make another stop at Mickey’s Toontown Fair (yay! The houses are still there!), and finally the WDWRR returns us back to Main Street station.

An ice cold bottle of water from a snack cart is calling! Moonbeam really wants to have a first time try with a Dole Whip, but she is way too tired to go back to Adventureland to get one. Hot and 92 degrees today, but no thunder and lightning to threaten us. Today was a fun day at Magic Kingdom. JJ saw CM friend, Shorty82, twice while he was working on Main Street. She likes seeing friends while at WDW. Time to go catch a bus back to OKW for a rest. We have dining reservations later on!

Oh, it feels so good to take off the hot shoes and lay down on our beds to rest a while. JJ and Moonbeam sack out in their studio and Grits and Calico Cat do likewise in theirs. The plan is to leave about 6:20 and travel in CC’s car to the Polynesian Resort and dinner at the Kona Café at 7pm.
The plan comes together - as planned - and we arrive upstairs above the waterfall in the lobby and are soon checked in and escorted to our table. Our server is very attentive and helpful. Grits has the fish with bok choy (rated “good”), CC has a sandwich and salad (good), JJ and Moonbeam have coconut almond chicken with salad (also good). Note from JJ - mine was VERY good. The desserts at Kona Café look wonderful so we decide to partake…where is that very attentive server? Seems to be losing some attentiveness. Our server finally shows up and takes our dessert order….we wait and wait.…ah, finally dessert arrives. We have banana crème brulee, Kilauea torte, and the white chocolate. All very yummy. Our not-so-attentive server eventually shows up with the check and is tipped accordingly. Food pictures coming up....guaranteed to make you hungry...well, maybe not that first picture, unless you like that sort of thing.

Miso Glazed Mahi-mahi - served with Asian noodles and baby bok choy $21.99


Coconut Almond Chicken - sauteed chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey-lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds $16.99


Banana-Chocolate Creme Brulee - with a chocolate spiral $5.99


Kilauea Torte $5.49 (this was sooooo good!)


White Chocolate Cheesecake - Cheesecake with a hint of white chocolate, strawberry coulis, and whipped cream $5.49
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Old 06-23-2010, 04:54 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Enjoying the TR with all the pictures. More please
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My newest PTR has started... We Can Fly, We Can Fly, We Can Fly UPDATED 5/20 in Post 33
Mom's buying so we're flying TR COMPLETED
Looking for my PTR/TR links? Click the above link, they are in the very first post
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