Makin' Memories...Disney 2008 (Part Three)

Day 6, Oct 3rd: After another late night out, it was again a struggle to get to the Animal Kingdom by park opening at 9am. However, we still made it by 9:30 and met up w/ our friends at Dino-land, which is kind of a cheesy version of a carnival complete w/ 'midway'. Dinoland boasts the greatest playground in Disney. It's gigantic and includes a large area called 'the Boneyard' which looks at first glance like any other huge sandbox but is in fact an 'excavation' site for kids to dig up the 'bones' of prehistoric creatures. The 'sand' is also deceiving since it's actually tiny little pebbles and it feels wonderful on the feet (though technically, you're supposed to keep the shoes ON, heh heh). The greatest thing about that is how easy it is to shake the little grains off of your clothes and shoes.

We also rode 'Dinosaur' together, while Sarah watched Victor for me, and that turned out to be a mistake. I've ridden it before and since Nathan and Johnson love dinosaurs, I thought they'd love it. Unfortunately, I completely forgot out LOUD the ride is and how rough. It jars and jerks violently, which Nathan hated. Add to that the huge Carnotaur that 'hunts' you throughout the ride and he basically rode w/ his eyes sealed shut throughout the duration. I thought I'd help out in one aspect at least and reached forward to our 'stowaway' compartment where we had to put our bags during the ride to get his noise reduction earmuffs. I succeeded in doing that but as I was straining to reach them, the car we were in jerked hard to one side and I heard my neck go 'pop'! I didnt realize at the time how badly I had hurt myself but I certainly found out later. Nathan didnt seem to hold it against me however and enjoyed the dinosaur store at the end of the ride thoroughly.

After Dinoland, we followed our friends over to 'Asia', home of Expedition Everest. It was our first time and we were so excited! Johnson rode w/ daddy first (we did the baby swap) and since he liked it, rode again w/ me. It's definitely one of Disney's best, though I still prefer Rock N Roller Coaster as far as thrill rides go. The one thing I found disappointing is the 'sighting' of the Yeti himself which was so brief and dark, it almost didnt happen. When the ride was finished, we headed to the Maharajah Jungle Trek, an exquisitely detailed animal exhibit that makes the animals appear to be living among ruins instead of in captivity.

Another kind of downer about Animal Kingdom day was Victor's fever. He seemed to be sleeping abnormally long in his stroller while we were on the Trek and afterwards, when he woke up, was a little fussy. As we stopped at 'Pizzafari' Counter Service restaurant for lunch, I picked him up and discovered he was burning hot. Of course, due to the warm weather, I'm sure he seemed hotter than he actually was but I did panic a little and left the guys to eat while I found First Aid. They took his temperature which was about 101 and allowed me to sponge him off and give him a dose of Tylenol. I couldnt figure out if he was overheated, sick, or teething but after we left the First Aid area, he was in a better mood and ready to eat a bite. He also really enjoyed the rest of our day, including the Kilimanjaro Safari ride in 'Africa' and the Jungle Safari Parade which inspired him to clap and dance along.

We had stayed longer than we anticipated but since it was our only day for AK, we decided to just take our time and see It's Tough To Be A Bug on our way out. This is Disney's funniest and most original 3D show since the audience becomes 'honorary bugs' during the show and basically gets 'terrorized' by Hopper and his cronies in many disturbingly hilarious ways. I just love this show but it is a bit loud so I gave the two younger boys their noise protection and both enjoyed it heartily, Victor without the 3d goggles. It was a nice finish to our touring. I'd like to split Animal Kingdom up next time, I think however, since it's definitely the hottest park due to all the flora and fauna that encapsulates the humidity.

So that was the end of our official park touring and I feel we got to do more than I expected, w/ the baby and all. It just took some rearranging and patience and some willingness to forego shows and things that would add more 'waiting' time to the less patient ones of the group. I love Disney shows and look foreward to catching the ones I missed in the future.





That evening, we had dinner reservations at Coral Reef, a restaurant inside the Seas Pavilion in EPCOT. It is surrounded by the Seas aquariums and provides a great atmosphere. The food was delicious but Victor was still not feeling great so we ate quickly this time. On the way back to the hotel, we noticed that Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald were at the Character Spot in Future World w/ virtually no wait so I got a couple of very good pics of the boys. We also stopped in France for a drink I'd seen on Samantha Brown's Disney Favorites, called a Grand Marnier Orange Slush. May I just say, DANG! My husband had a Grey Goose Lemon Freeze and it was extra yummy too. I shudder to think how much we spent on booze this trip...especially w/ no buzz to show for it..hee hee. Let's just say that, unlike Las Vegas, Disney doesnt care to cut you any slack on alcohol. A bottle of miller light-5 bucks! No, I'm not joking.

That night being our last, we let the boys swim a little when we got back to the hotel. It was an unexpected treat they really seemed to love, being almost 10:00 already.

Day 7, Oct 4th-Departure Day Since checkout was 11am, we hurriedly got our things together and had bell services store our luggage so that we could spend the day in World Showcase, using up all our leftover snack credits on those Food and Wine Festival vendors we had been salivating over all week. I had heard stories about people who had meals leftover at the end of their vacation and, not being one for wasting ANYTHING if I can help it, I was more than prepared to stuff myself if necessary. As it turns out, there was no problem. We had one kids meal left too so we went to The United Kingdom and used that on an adult meal of Fish and Chips that the kids could split since there was no kid's menu at the Yorkshire Fish Shop. We said goodbye to our friends, Craig and Sarah, regretting that we hadnt been able to see them more than we had but still happy for their company.




We had ten snacks left. First we went to France and got two orders of escargot and a french 'orangade'. Mmmmmmm. Second, we stopped at Marrakesh for something called a Kefta, which is basically a pita wrapped around spicy ground beef and tomato salad. Yummy. Next we stopped in Italy for a canoli, which (gripe) wasnt eligible for snack credits so we had to pay oop for it. So we still had six credits. I spent one on a bottled water (yep, bottled water counts as a snack). Five. Then we stopped in New England and ordered Crab Cakes and a Lobster Roll. Gooooood stuff. We now had three. Mexico has churros. Can't pass up the churros. So I ordered two. One snack credit left. I also saw this baby at a kiosk in Mexico and had to try it. It's a quadruple layer margarita:


Yes, it was every bit as yummy as it looks. Just enough salt on the rim. Anyway, Jonathan saw some shrimp in Istanbul marinated in cilantro that looked good so we used up our last snack on that. Turned out just right too because when we checked the time, it was rediculously late and we JUST made it to the hotel for our shuttle to the airport.

So now I'm home and I am happy to be, though I still kinda get sad when I realize how long it will probably be before we can go back. That hotel was so homey that I was getting kinda used to living there. I also have whiplash, as it turns out, from the stupid Dinosaur! ride. I know my straining to reach the earmuffs during the ride is the reason for it so I don't gripe too much about the ride itself, though I definitely feel it has changed a little and is not nearly so exciting as it used to be. Sunday, I was stuck on the couch for the ENTIRE day while my house got messier and messier and luggage remained unpacked. Today is Tuesday and I feel much better thanks to some Soma I bummed off a friend. I can actually turn my head slightly in either direction. Enough about me though. The kids had a ball and it was so worth it to show them around Disneyworld and see them enjoy it too.

I know alot of people (including the Unofficial Guide, incidentally) would say that taking babies to Disneyworld is a mistake but I didnt find that to be the case at all. Even if Victor was left out of certain things, he was obviously very positively affected by the stimulation all around him and never did he seem 'overwhelmed' or cranky (until he got sick on the last day). He smiled his charming little grin evey time he saw a camera, even if it wasnt pointed at him...ha ha. Nathan can't stop talking about the rides and his new lego toy. Johnson feels so grown up now that he can say he rode everything, including the thrill rides. My husband couldnt hide how happy he was to be with all of us for a full week, even if looking after three boys is more work than actually BEING at work. And I am just glad that everything turned out at well as it did and that we have so much fun stuff to talk about.

And that's it. In a very VERY large nutshell.