momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I love the scientific names you use to tell us which animals you were seeing on the safari. :rofl3: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Hey- I see you got the long-sleeved Fort t-shirt. I thought they had sold out of those before you got there. Great job with your descriptions of the safari photos- you must have studied zoology in school. Nice job with all the EE rides by the older girls. It's pretty sweet to think they got to ride one of the headliners that many times on one of the busiest WDW days of the year. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Cool pics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Nice work getting a ton of rides in at rope drop. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Love the ride pics on EE. How was the falafel? I've been meaning to try it there. The falafel was kinda dry. I wouldn't recommend it. Now, coincidentally, I just had some falafel for lunch at a little place near my office that was to die for. Z snaps and all. I love the scientific names you use to tell us which animals you were seeing on the safari. :rofl3: You didn't know that my degree is in Zoology? Hey- I see you got the long-sleeved Fort t-shirt. I thought they had sold out of those before you got there. Great job with your descriptions of the safari photos- you must have studied zoology in school. Nice job with all the EE rides by the older girls. It's pretty sweet to think they got to ride one of the headliners that many times on one of the busiest WDW days of the year. TCD They got more of the shirts in that week, and I snapped one up. Yes, I studied Zoology at Florida. Or something like that. And hang on regarding the EE rides....the girls hadn't even warmed up. Cool pics! Thanks! Nice work getting a ton of rides in at rope drop. We got a lot done in a short time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Ok.....it's your lucky day because here comes another update..... After lunch we went to hit one of my favorite shows in WDW....the Tumble Monkey Extravaganza! We were sitting in floor seats, so we got some up close and personal interaction! Anna and Stella got to participate! This performer paid extra attention to Anna....she was very sweet. Stella got to shake one of the noise makers too. The show was as great as always, and the girls loved participating like that. Afterwards, INC took Stella to get her face painted. And then we decided to ride Kali RR.....which we probably should have done before getting the face painting done but it worked out just fine. Fortunately, INC had packed the ponchos. Anna was pretty pumped that she was tall enough to ride too! But ever so slightly nervous.... Relief that we ended up on the dry side of the big hill. After Kali, we did something we'd never done before....we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. INC was not amused by the bats. But the tigers were pretty cool. By this point, it was raining, and we'd done everything we wanted to do at AK. Plus, we had our BIG SURPRISE still to come....which was NOT at AK. So, we bailed, and headed back to the Fort. Our evening, including our New Year's Eve surprise plans, is coming up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 The bats are pretty cool.....we didn't make the trek on our last trip, but we do enjoy it.I have only done KRR once and never since we had kids, but we aren't usually there when it is super warm either.I am curious to see this surprise you speak of. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I am guessing the surprise is Snow White showing up at DIT's site! TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TN22.....Brady 22 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Could we get 3 non-trip reports in one day? The suspense is driving me crazy. :banghead: BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Love Anna at the Tumble Monkey Extravaganza! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 The bats are pretty cool.....we didn't make the trek on our last trip, but we do enjoy it.I have only done KRR once and never since we had kids, but we aren't usually there when it is super warm either.I am curious to see this surprise you speak of. We usually will ride KRR when we're there in December. Fortunately, this was a warm December. I am guessing the surprise is Snow White showing up at DIT's site! TCD How did you guess? Could we get 3 non-trip reports in one day? The suspense is driving me crazy. :banghead: No. Love Anna at the Tumble Monkey Extravaganza! Thanks! She loved it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Humphrey Bear…Rob 42 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Dancing Irish girls, Guinness, bread pudding with awesomesauce, yeti mania, tumbling monkeys, Anna and Stella pics, and a thoughtful spouse that packs ponchos...yep I can see why you hate the mouse.....not! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Those pictures of Anna at FotLK do NOT SMB. I just love her smile. Stella's face paint is awesome! AMAZING even! Love it. Can't wait to hear about the surprise.... it's probably something awful, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
disney4dan 68 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Hmm - looks delicious. Departing from a planned diet for a once in a while treat - understandable! The AK surprise sounds interesting?!! Hope it doesn't involve gorillas with really good aim like the "good old days" before they put the glass windows up :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 What a fun time! Love Stella's face painting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Great job hitting EE twice at rope drop. Love the FOTLK. One of our favorites also. Stella and Anna looked like they had a ball. Don't you just love it when your kid(s) are picked to participate? DD absolutely loves being picked and does quite often. We know where to sit. Is the big surprise that y'all go back to AK for dinner? You said the girls weren't done with EE. Or did they stay when you left?Update man! I am leaving this afternoon and will be out of contact for 6 days. The surprise is killing! Update! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Was that bat as big as it looks in the picture We've never ridden the rapids... I like them, but hate walking around a park all soaked. The rest of the family feels the same so, never done it. Actually... we were there in June of last year; that's the time we SHOULD have done it as it was flippin' HOT!! Even if we had gotten soaked, we probably would have been completely dry in 5 minutes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Love Anna on the stage in FOTLK. She is a natural. Are there any dance or theater places by you where she could go? We have a place here in Huntsville called Merrimack that has a dance program for special needs children. Many of the other local dance companies volunteer to help out there and donate dance items. Stella's face painting is as beautiful as her. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Dancing Irish girls, Guinness, bread pudding with awesomesauce, yeti mania, tumbling monkeys, Anna and Stella pics, and a thoughtful spouse that packs ponchos...yep I can see why you hate the mouse.....not! No doubt, those are all very good things. Too bad there are also some very bad things. Those pictures of Anna at FotLK do NOT SMB. I just love her smile. Stella's face paint is awesome! AMAZING even! Love it. Can't wait to hear about the surprise.... it's probably something awful, right? Yes, something absolutely awful. Hmm - looks delicious. Departing from a planned diet for a once in a while treat - understandable! The AK surprise sounds interesting?!! Hope it doesn't involve gorillas with really good aim like the "good old days" before they put the glass windows up :-) The surprise is not at AK....so no gorillas are involved. What a fun time! Love Stella's face painting. Thanks! Great job hitting EE twice at rope drop.Love the FOTLK. One of our favorites also.Stella and Anna looked like they had a ball.Don't you just love it when your kid(s) are picked to participate? DD absolutely loves being picked and does quite often. We know where to sit.Is the big surprise that y'all go back to AK for dinner? You said the girls weren't done with EE. Or did they stay when you left?Update man! I am leaving this afternoon and will be out of contact for 6 days. The surprise is killing! Update! Hmm....not sure if I'll get the update posted in time for you. I'll try. Was that bat as big as it looks in the picture We've never ridden the rapids... I like them, but hate walking around a park all soaked. The rest of the family feels the same so, never done it. Actually... we were there in June of last year; that's the time we SHOULD have done it as it was flippin' HOT!! Even if we had gotten soaked, we probably would have been completely dry in 5 minutes. They are pretty big bats. INC skipped them. And you need to ride KRR at least once. Love Anna on the stage in FOTLK. She is a natural. Are there any dance or theater places by you where she could go? We have a place here in Huntsville called Merrimack that has a dance program for special needs children. Many of the other local dance companies volunteer to help out there and donate dance items.Stella's face painting is as beautiful as her. Yes, there are some, including where Stella takes dance which is at our church. We haven't worked it out yet but will when we can. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Let's wrap up our New Year's Eve...and get to the surprise we had for our kids. At the end of the last upate, we had left AK to head back to the Fort. It was kind of drizzling, and we'd done all we set out to do. Plus, as I've mentioned 50 or 60 times, we had plans that evening. And they weren't in AK. We were back at the Fort in time to have some relaxation. Everyone was able to get cleaned up as well. The girls all used the Comfort Station, which they typically do at the Fort, and INC and I used our shower in the motorhome. For the first time ever, we have an RV shower that you don't need to be a short contortionist to use. We love it. As it got closer to when we'd have to leave for our plans, INC and I decided to head to the porch for a drink while the girls finished getting ready. Before long, it was time to leave for our dinner plans. We needed to leave in plenty of time to get from the Trails End porch to the restaurant without being late. We barely made it. Yep! We had surprised the girls with Hoop Do Doo Revue tickets!!! We had Category 1 reservations and got a nice table on the floor about half way toward the front. It worked out great for us....and our table was next to one of the larger open spots on the floor which meant the performers would be standing there for some of the show. So we had a great view over everything, and we were one of the families they asked about our home to work us into the States song they do. Some of you may recall that we used to attend the HDDR somewhat regularly back when Ben played Six Bits, and that I decided to boycott the show after the cast was changed. So this was our first time seeing it in several years. I was leery going in....but it was as enjoyable as ever! The girls all thought it was the best production yet....so there you go. Here's some pics of the kids enjoying themselves. Fried chicken! Some of this I've already posted when I did a Chef TJ dining review in January.....but in case you missed that here are some of the options that INC and I enjoyed. Grilled veggies....including a Portobello mushroom (that's not steak...lol) Pasta and marinara. They brought out some corn bread that had no dairy or eggs as well (I think it was also gluten free if you need that). Everything we had was very good. Like I mentioned above, the new cast did a good job and we enjoyed the show. More than I thought I would. But I do have to say, the new Six Bits still is not as good as the "real" Six Bits. I did not use a zoom in this next pic....this shows how close some of the performances were to our table. They still do the Strawberry Shortcake song before serving dessert. The waitress on the left was our server. They also, in addition to the regular Strawberry Shortcake that the girls enjoyed, brought out a vegan option. It was actually pretty good....but not homemade. Just prepackaged cookies and fake ice cream. I'd never eat it at home but it was tasty and sweet. The kids always enjoy the last number with the wash boards. I had enough to drink that I thought I needed a picture of myself holding a wash board. LOL! After dinner was over we exited Pioneer Hall very full and very content. The drizzle had long ago stopped, and it was a nice but cool evening. And we had many hours yet to go before Midnight and the big fireworks, which we planned to watch on the beach. So we had a lot of time to kill. Animal Kingdom was originally scheduled to close at 8pm, but they had extended the hours to 10:00, presumably in an effort to drive more people there. Our guess was that, especially now that it was evening, people wanted to be somewhere to see fireworks, and the temps had dropped into the 50's, that the park would still be quiet. So our 4 older girls decided to head back to AK, leaving me, INC and Anna at the Fort. We went for a walk, and ended up in 500 at the site of an old, dear cupcake. I may have still been a tad drunk. Lars wasn't out and about so I couldn't say hello. Meanwhile, the girls arrived back to an absolutely dead AK. Look at all that bare concrete behind them. They said you could have rolled a bowling ball through the park and not hit a single person. They went straight to EE. Check out that last picture. Do you see what they are doing? Celebrating the New Years....Everest style! 2-0-1-5 Awesome sauce. Being zero wait, they got right back on. But it looks like they were getting sleepy. And, one more consecutive ride for good measure....HANDS UP! So they got 3 rides done on EE in no time at all. And for most of them, that made 6 rides in one day, on a major holiday. That is how you get it done. Now I understand why Kelly loves that man. The girls then rode Primeval Whirl....again, 3 times in a row. In less than an hour, they got in 6 awesome rides. But it was getting cold, and they were getting tired. So they headed for the buses. We still had some time to kill before midnight. A few of the family headed to bed, including INC, Anna, and Stella. But the rest of us headed to the beach around 11:45. Another nice thing about 100....no dealing with parking a golf cart 1/2 mile away behind Pioneer Hall. We left our campsite and 45 seconds later were on the beach. We watched the fireworks from the same spot on the beach as two years ago...down to the right side where it's a bit quieter. The main beach area is full of drunks. Where we were sitting only half of the people were drunk. There was a stupid group of them near us that was playing Neil Diamond on a boombox as full blast, during the fireworks. Before I could say anything a tiny little woman sitting next to them told them to shut the damn music up because she couldn't hear the speakers. A bunch of people clapped for her. LOL. The NYE fireworks are LONG, and very good. I posted a short video of some of the fireworks to Facebook from my phone that night.....not sure if this link will work. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=861878957206427&set=vb.100001529922166&type=3 And here is the best part of watching the fireworks from the Fort beach rather than at the MK or the Poly....5 minutes after they were over, I was in my nice, warm bed. It was 2015! But our trip was still not over. We had 2 more days, including a final day at the Magic Kingdom. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Wow, what an awesome New Year's Eve you had! A perfect Fort evening. I love seeing that Stella is old enough to hang with her big sisters now. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 WOW, sounds like a great New Yeas Eve :yaysmilesa-smiley: and to the girls for 6 rides on EE :rollercoaster: great job!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Very nice update! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 HDDR and beach fireworks.....doesnt get much better than that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Humphrey Bear…Rob 42 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 I know I would yak if I yetied that much...Great New Years!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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