Boma

Dining Area



Carrie's first trip to the Buffet



Carrie's second trip to the Buffet



Hummus Plate



Different Salads



Desserts (including Zebra Dome)

Tusker House

Vegetable Sandwich with Grapes



Turkey Wrap with Corn Chowder and Cheesecake

Day Three: Animal Kingdom (Porkchop)

Without really intending to, it just so happened that we ended up at the Animal Kingdom even earlier than before. We got to the AK bus stop and just seconds later a bus pulled up. The guy waited about thirty seconds, then went ahead and whisked us away. There was only one other family on the bus. The driver was talkative and we learned that his all-time favorite TV show was "Dallas" and that his hero was J.R. from "Dallas". He admitted to watching the show every single day after he gets done driving buses.

I've been enjoying getting to the parks before they open, but I hate all the rushing that is involved in getting to your desired ride after the rope drops. People get all crazy and start running with strollers and dragging their kids behind on leashes. Traveling in a party of just two adults certainly makes things easier, but I wish there was a way we could avoid the mess altogether. But then I guess I wouldn't get to see the early-morning park opening shows.



We got over to Asia as quickly as our non-running speed-walking legs would take us and got a fastpass for Expedition Everest. The mountain was still under construction when I was last there and it was exciting to finally see it on the AK skyline. It made for some really beautiful pictures and the blood-curdling screams emanating from the mountain got you excited for the ride.

I was a little nervous at first, but ended up having a blast on Expedition Everest. We went on it twice and thought about going a third time before we left but were worried about making our dinner at Boma.

I think that Animal Kingdom was my favorite park of this trip (so far). Maybe it's just because it's still so new to me or maybe it's just the relaxed pace of the park, but I really like it a lot.





Finding Nemo wasn't as super-great as I'd hoped. It was still great, just not super-great. I still think that Festival of the Lion King is more entertaining, but I mostly just like the little guys dancing around dressed like animals. Those guys really seem to enjoy their job.

Earlier on in our day at Animal Kingdom, we rode Kali River Rapids. When I went with my brother last time, we wore ponchos but barely got wet. This time, I skipped the poncho but was wishing that I'd had it. Within the first thirty seconds of the ride I was completely soaked, and I continued to get splashed throughout the rest of the ride. I think I was in the worst spot on the raft! Here's a picture of me afterward:



Animal Kingdom closed at 6pm and we went straight over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our 6:30pm ADR at Boma. We explored the hotel a bit before going down to eat. It was neat to see giraffes milling about outside the rooms, but it really seemed wrong somehow. I just think that giraffes in a safari ride are one thing...



But having them penned in near a hotel is just strange.



In order to get back to our hotel after dinner, we had to hop a bus to one of the other parks and then switch to a bus to POP. The Epcot bus came first and when we got on we made a last minute decision to stay at Epcot for the Illuminations show.



We positioned ourselves strategically near Mexico and the bridge that goes back over by Test Track. We had a good view of the fireworks and right before the grand finale, we slowly backed out onto the bridge and got ready to scramble back out to the buses ahead of the crowd. I'm glad that we stayed for the show, since we missed it the other night, but I was also very glad to get back to the hotel.

Today was great, but tonight turned out to be pretty "crappy"... and I say that quite literally. I won't go into the details but let's just say that the Disney Dining Plan has messed up my fragile digestive system a little bit. My body isn't used to three meals a day, let alone three giant bad-for-you meals a day. *sigh*

Now that I'm all cleaned out and ready to go, I can ride Tower of Terror in the morning without having to worry about soiling myself. I hear that one really scares the crap out of you! Har Har Har...

[Thunderous laughter]

No, Thank you.... Thank you, really! You're too kind.
I'll see you tomorrow at Disney-MGM Studios!

Day Three: Animal Kingdom (Carrie)

Like the other mornings here, the only time for resting is while standing by a park's turnstiles, waiting to get in. We beat our other arrival times by stepping off the bus at Animal Kingdom at around 7:55.



For a little bit, things weren't looking so hot. The park staff were trying to be tricky by just having 2 sets of turnstiles open at the beginning. Around 8:30, they started opening others. So, this was the first day for us to NOT be first in line. To top it off, we were behind 2 very annoying families who were traveling together. And, AND, they were also following the Unofficial Guide's itinerary! Argh!!

We got away from them during the rush to the rope near the Tree of Life. However, I ran into the dads at the Expedition Everest fastpass distribution center, and then we couldn't shake them in Dinoland (where we rode the Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur, both of which I enjoyed).

We finally lost them somewhere in Asia, where we rode the Kali River Rapids before Everest. While walking to the rapids, Porkchop mentioned how she forgot to suggest taking our ponchos today. But, since she didn't really get wet the first time she rode a couple of years ago, she wasn't worried. Ha!! I'll let her tell her own story, but I will say I was quite soggy after the ride. Murrr!

Expedition Everest was great fun, and we ended up riding it twice.



We also did the following:

• Saw the Flights of Wonder show. Great birds!



• Watched It's Tough to be a Bug! Disney loves sensory-filled, 3-D things.


• Rode the Kilimanjaro Safari and walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. On the safari ride, we saw a baby giraffe, a baby rhino, and a baby elephant.



• Watched Festival of the Lion King. Since I don't like the movie, I was surprised to enjoy the show. Give me music and acrobats, and I'm set!


• Watched Finding Nemo: The Musical. I liked the premise and design of the show (actors with giant puppets), but the filling of the theater made me tired, and I found myself bored during the show.


• Traded pins. I traded with 2 cast members, picking up a Magical Express Bus pin and an Animal Kingdom pin.

Overall, I liked Animal Kingdom the best because there's so much vegetation and shade is plentiful. Also, since there's not as much to do, the pace is more relaxed.

The park closed at 6:00, and we made it to the Animal Kingdom Lodge before 6:15. The AKL is nice!

Boma was pretty good, but I wasn't super-impressed by its attempt at any sort of authenticity. I liked the ginger carrot soup the best, and I don't know if that's really "African" (especially since it was loaded with cream and more of a sweet bisque). The papaya, grapefruit, and avocado salad was tasty, as was the hearts of palm and lentil salad.

After Boma, we headed to (surprise!) Epcot for Illuminations. We contemplated going to Magic Kingdom, but the 10:00 fireworks show seemed SO LATE. We were happy with our choice of Epcot. In addition to Illuminations, we picked up a quick Test Track ride by taking the single rider line.



Tomorrow is MGM, and Porkchop can't wait to ride the Tower of terror!

Flying Fish

The interior of the Flying Fish restaurant



Carrie's Yellowfin Tuna Appetizer



Porkchop's Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer (with Fennel Slaw and Sauce)



Carrie's Alaskan King Salmon



Porkchop's New York Strip Steak



Carrie's Chocolate Valrhona Galette



Porkchop's Sorbets



(Sorry for the bad lighting. The lights were down low and the tables were close together. I didn't want to annoy everyone around me with a flash.)

Tommorrowland Terrace Noodle Station

Here's our lunch at the Tomrrowland Terrace Noodle Station:

Tofu Noodle Bowl with Iced Green Tea



Chicken Teriyaki Bowl



And we both had Nestle Crunch Ice Cream bars for dessert! Yum Yum!

Day Two: Magic Kingdom (Porkchop)

Once we got into the Magic Kingdom, our first stop was Space Mountain, which is one of my favorites. I just like that it’s mostly in the dark and you never know what’s coming next. We spent a good a part of our day in Tomorrowland. There are so many good things to do there, especially now that they’ve added the Laugh Floor Comedy Club. Carrie surprised me by not hating Stitches Great Escape… and we both enjoyed Walt’s favorite- The Carousel of Progress. We rounded out our visit to Tomorrow land with a relaxing ride on The Tomorrowland Transit Authority.



Can I just mention here how much I love love love Fastpasses? I can see not using them first thing in the morning, as there’s no need. But after the first hour or two of the day, when rides are 30-50 minute waits, why would you not use a fastpass? Seriously, there’s nothing better than hopping in a fastpass line and passing up people who have been waiting for 45 minutes or so for a 2 minute ride. It almost doesn’t seem fair. But anyway…

Following the UG Two Day Magic Kingdom itinerary, we were able to get quite a bit done. We skipped Country Bear Jamboree, the Riverboat, and Tom Sawyer’s Island and added an extra trip on Space Mountain, the Carousel of Progress, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We sprinted out of Main Street USA, just as the parade was getting close, and we were back at the hotel by 4:15pm.

Here's a great picture of us on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Carrie was afraid I was going to lose the camera.



After a rest, we cleaned up and headed to the Flying Fish. I had never been to the Boardwalk area and enjoyed seeing the different performers and musicians.



We arrived at FF about 15 minutes before our 7:30 ADR and had about a 5 minute wait. Our server was friendly and attentive and the food came very fast. I am not a big fish person and was hoping for some sort of shrimp entrée, but settled for a shrimp appetizer and the strip steak for dinner. I really really wanted to the love the Flying Fish, but I must say I wasn’t 100% dazzled by it. The atmosphere was nice and I think if you like fish it is a top notch place to go. But if I hadn’t been on the dining plan, I think I would’ve been a little disappointed with my dinner for the price I (would’ve) paid. The highlight for me was dessert. I was full from my drink (Red Snapper alcoholic beverage) and from the steak and potatoes, so I settled for an assortment of three sorbets. They were pretty tasty and a great way to finish off the meal.

Here's me and my Red Snapper.



As Carrie mentioned, I totally rocked the Fantasia Gardens golf course.



We were near MGM and were able to clearly hear Fantasmic as we played the tail end of our 18 holes. We even got to see the ending fireworks as we finished up.



We had taken the bus from POP to MGM and then a friendship boat over to the Boardwalk for dinner, and planned to return the same way we came. But we got stuck behind a group of six people on the golf course and our round lasted longer than expected. I figured we could just walk along the boardwalk path back to MGM and requested directions from a knowledgeable looking gentleman who worked at the golf course. He gave us crazy directions and luckily we were intercepted by the MGM security guard who drove us back to POP in his sweet convertible.

Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom and I am excited to try Expedition Everest and to see the new Nemo musical. Also I am excited for Carrie because she’s never been to AK. Our Boma reservations are at 6:30 and depending on how exhausted we are, we may go over to the Magic Kingdom to see the Spectromagic Parade and Wishes before we turn in for the night.

Day Two: Magic Kingdom (Carrie)

The family from Pennsylvania WAS the best family ever. My favorite part was when the spitting snotty girl from the UK was crawling around on the sidewalk picking up Mickey pixie dust and Andrew said, “That’s right, you have to get all the magic you can here.”

They were so perfect and nice.

But enough about that….

We did SO MUCH today at the Magic Kingdom, and all before 4:00! The only thing we didn’t do that we wanted to do was ride Splash Mountain (technically, Porkchop doesn’t want to ride it but will). We totally covered Tomorrowland (with two rides on Space Mountain), Fantasyland, Liberty Square, and Frontierland. We will catch Adventureland and Splash Mountain after our Keys to the Kingdom tour on Tuesday.



Since we had a few things lined up for tonight, we left MK around 4:00 and napped a bit at the hotel. For dinner, we headed to the Boardwalk for our reservation at the Flying Fish.



For a starter, I had the Tuna Tasting, which was yellowfin prepared a couple of ways accompanied by sesame crackers. My main course was an oak-grilled Alaskan King salmon with potato-chive gnocchi, spinach, ramps, and a garlic-butter sauce. Dessert was my favorite – a warm Valrhona galette with raspberries and gelato. Throughout dinner I sipped on Eroica Riesling, which really hit me right before dessert.

After the Flying Fish, we walked over to play miniature golf. Porkchop beat me of course, but I had a few good holes. After finishing golf around 10:30, Porkchop asked the counter guy how we should walk back to MGM to catch the bus to POP. He gave us totally whacked out directions that began with us cutting through the golf course. Right…

Our trip was cut short the entrance to the MGM security entrance. A security guy leaving the park stopped us and ended up giving us a lift back to POP. This was muck quicker than the bus, but it made us feel quite sheepish.

Stupid miniature golf counter guy!

I’m looking forward to tomorrow since I’ve never been to the Animal Kingdom. I think the Finding Nemo musical will be neat, and I can’t wait to eat at Boma. Yum!

The Best of Families, The Worst of Familes (Porkchop)

This morning we once again arrived at the parks nearly an hour before opening and were first in line to the turnstile.




Unfortunately, instead of being surrounded by attentive cast members and witty characters, we got stuck next to the most horrible family ever.

The family was British and consisted of two snotty girls (roughly 5 and 7) and one snotty little boy (8 or 9). I was first put off by the way they were complaining about everything. They didn’t understand why some other guests got to go in the parks early (for character breakfasts) or why they had to wait until the rope dropped to get in. To make matters worse, while the parents were busy complaining about their wait, the children were knocking into each other with their stroller and kicking and hitting each other and crying. A cast member tried to pacify the youngest girl with “pixie dust” and stickers but she found fault with both and continued with a rampage that culminated in spitting on her older sister. The parents ignored this activity for the most part, only occasionally threatening to “beat the bloody hell out of” them if they didn’t straighten up.

Thankfully, the horror of this family was soon buffered by the best family ever. This family was from Pennsylvania. The parents were wearing coordinated canary colored polo shirts tucked into their neatly pressed khaki shorts. The kids, a boy around 12 years old and a girl around 5 years old, were wearing matching Disney t-shirts. It was their first trip to the Magic Kingdom and their excitement was contagious. The boy quizzed a nearby cast member about operating times and suggested educated amendments to their five page printed out itinerary. It was refreshing to listen to the family chatter about their upcoming day and my biggest excitement came when I overheard the mother praise her son:

Andrew, I am SO glad that you and Tiffany wore your matching t-shirts today. You look so fantastic. This is just wonderful.

Sunshine Seasons Food Fair

Here's what we got at the Sunshine Seasons Food Fair:

Two Entrees and Two Sides (Sweet & Sour Pork with Rice and Broccoli)



Seared Ahi Tuna Salad and Fruit Tulip

Day One: Epcot (Porkchop)

Note to self:

Never go to Disney Quest again. Especially the very first night that you arrive at Disney World. The “rides” will make you so sick that you break out into a drenching sweat and throw up in your mouth. You will be dizzy and sensitive to light and noise, both of which are in abundance at DQ.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

I woke up this morning to a slight disappointment. The phone rang at 6:45am and I grabbed it, anxious to hear my pal Mickey wake me up. Instead of Mickey, I was greeted by the sound of silence. Murrrrr…

This morning we looked fresh and ready to go, all bright-eyed and clean out of the shower with our matching trip shirts on. Inside, I felt more hung over than I have in a long time. Much like German beer and French wine, Amanda and Disney Quest just do not mix well together. I was definitely still feeling the effects this morning.

We were early to the bus stop and within 15 minutes we’d arrived at Epcot. While first in line at the turnstile we made conversation with a CM named Robert and my DQ hangover was temporarily eased with the delight of watching Carrie voluntarily whip out her pins and start trading with the CM. Here's a picture of me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the turnstile.



After getting fast passes for Soarin’, our first ride was on Test Track and it was a lot faster than I remembered. Our next stop was Mission: Space and I was hesitant about whether or not I should go on it after last night’s virtual reality fiasco. Thankfully, they’ve developed a less intense version of the ride so I was able to go on it without too much trouble. I did close my eyes in a few parts, just because the motion was starting to get to me.

Little did I know that I would spend a good portion of the rest of the afternoon closing my eyes and putting my head between my legs. Since when did Epcot become an acronym for Every-Place-Causes-Offensive-ThrowUp!?!?!?! Maybe I was just a little extra sensitive today because of last night, but it seemed like so many of the rides involved some sort of gigantic screen with loud noises and lights and larger than life images.

In no specific order, here are the rides that I went on and had trouble with: Nemo, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Mission: Space, and Soarin’. Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom, and Journey into the Imagination were also a little troublesome but more because of jolty motions than anything else.

The only ride that I was able sit back and fully enjoy was “Living with the Land.” Yay for hydroponic plants and for fish farms.



Also enjoyable today were the flowers all around Epcot. Very very pretty. Here are a few more pictures for you.






We ate lunch at the Sunshine Seasons Food Fair and had snacks in the World Showcase. I attempted to use some dining plan snack credits at the Boulangerie Pattiserie in France but after I already had my croissant in hand and was at the cash register, the French girl told me that only their drinks counted as snacks. Pptpththhh! That’s what I think about that.

We loosely followed the Unofficial Guide’s one day itinerary today but kind of lost track of it a couple of hours into the visit. I was surprised though by how quickly we knocked out the main attractions. By 7:00, we were both exhausted and ready to get out of there.

It’s 9:00 now and Carrie is fast asleep. We might go down to the pool for a little bit… but judging by the way Carrie is snoring, we might not. Probably better to rest up for our big day at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow. Another early arrival is planned and we’ve got a lot to do before our Flying Fish reservations at 7:30pm.

Good night!

Day One: Epcot (Carrie)

It’s 8:00 Friday night, and we are back at our hotel room. We just picked up a turkey sandwich and grapes to share from the POP food court. In a little bit, I think we’re going to hit the swimming pool.



Today was an excellent Epcot day, even if we’re missing Illuminations. We decided it’s more important to maintain our energy and sanity than to see a fireworks/laser show that we’ve both seen before.




Anyway, the morning started with us rising at 6:45 to get to Epcot a little after 8:00. We were first in line at one of the turnstiles. Awesome! During the 45 minute wait before entering the park, we chatted up a Dream Team member and traded pins with him. At 8:45, we were allowed into the park, where we waited at a rope near Innoventions West. Again, we got to chat up some cast members and Porkchop was hugged and high-fived by many cast members.



Our first stop after the rope drop was picking up Soarin’ fast passes. After that, we rode Test Track and Mission Space (green team). After Soarin’, we ate lunch at the Seasons Grill (seared ahi tuna salad and a fruit tart for me) and then rode Living with the Land.

Living with the Land is definitely my favorite ride at Epcot. I love the crazy horticulture projects! Tomato trees, giant hanging pumpkins, and squash grown in the shape of Mickey ears!



Before heading to the World Showcase, we also did the following:

• Had a character picture taken at Innoventions. Since we have a Disney Visa, we were able to get a free 5x7.




• Sampled sodas of the World at the Coke pavilion place.



• Scoped out the Flower and Garden festival displays. Very nice living topiaries.





• Rode the other usual rides, such as Spaceship Earth, Journey into the Imagination, and Universe of Energy.


• Saw Turtle Talk with Crush. I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much, but I did because of the live improv, interactive performance.

So…the World Showcase…

The World Showcase always disappoints me. It makes me embarrassed because of the superficial look at different cultures. I don’t want the international cast members think that I just want to buy their goods. Overpriced goods at that. For example, the Japanese candy is WAY overpriced (no surprise), but why would I spend $5.00 on candy that I can get for a $1.00 at the international grocery in our neighborhood?

Anyway, the World Showcase makes me feel weird.

We did, however, catch an acrobatic performance at China, and it was the best thing ever.




Also, last complaint about the World Showcase, it’s always really HOT over there. And crowded.

After “visiting” Mexico, Porkchop and I decided to skip Illuminations and head back to the hotel. But before leaving, we stopped back at Innoventions and took a Segway for a spin. So much fun!

Two Memories
This is where I reminisce about a previous trip to Disney World.

When the Disney bus pulled into the Epcot parking lot this morning, my mind flashed back to pulling into the same parking lot with my dad and sister back in 1993. My dad is someone who doesn’t think rules and regulations apply to him, even simple etiquette guidelines. If there is a rule to break, he will do it. If you’ve ever driven to Disney World, you might recall that Disney staff members guide you into the parking lots so that the furthest spots are filled first. My dad decided that wasn’t going to walk across the parking lot to the tram, so he pulled out of the line of cars and piloted us to a closer spot. As we were walking to the tram, staff members were chasing us and yelling at my dad.

It was embarrassing.

Things improved once in Epcot. You might remember that Spaceship Earth was once sponsored by AT&T. If you used a lot of long distance minutes like my parents did, you received some special promotional things, like getting to ride a secret elevator inside Spaceship Earth and enjoying light refreshments in a secret AT&T reception area. Afterwards, you were ushered down to the part of the ride where people were exiting the cars. So, you were already seated in a car when it came up to the loading area. Awesome!