Croaker Trip Report: 9/4 - 9/9 2007

[Croaker]

After a nice 4 1/2 hour drive from Wyoming to Denver Colorado, i was loaded on the plane with tired eyes and a happy smile. We arrived 1/2 hour early (wow thats a tail wind!) getting my rental car from alamo was a breeze and after 2 laps around the airport i instantly was coming to the conclusion that Florida has an issue with signage. A quick jaunt down the highway and i was checking in at All-Star Sports. We took our bags out the doors on the way to our room and were greeted by the Pool under repair. (this was the perfect forshadowing for the rest of the parks.) I knew the pool was under construction so i wasn't bothered by the closure, besides, under construction means its going to get the needed repair or update that is needed to keep the magic going. i kept telling myself that..laugh. Our room was the closest i have ever had to the main lobby. We dropped the bags and rushed to the busses. we had exactly 2 hours left before the Magic Kingdom closed. Entrance was quick and easy, the park was not crowded but just a nice bustle.


we moved quickly to the Pirates of the Carribean wondering how long the lines may be. We arrived and walked right on the ride...no wait!


ARRRGG!!! oops i mean EYYYYYEEEE!

The light didn't help the game move any faster

This guy obviously is a resort hopper.

after Pirates we were able to hop on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain then a quick meal at Ray's Starlight Cafe watched wishes, then a nice stroll around the Magic Kingdom and back to the resort. it was at this time that i realized i forgot my monopod back home. Ugh...the only reason why i bought that monopod was for Disney trips (although it has been useful for school events) so luckily having a rental car it was off to Wal-Mart.....did i mention how bad Florida is with signs. well i found it and eventually even found Disney World again. 1a.m. and I fell asleep fast!

[FlyingMouse]

Lucky.

/Napoleon Dynamite

[EggSalad]

Thanks Croaker for the trip report and the awesome pictures! I'll be leaving for WDW in a couple days and I'll make sure when I return to post some pics and let everyone know how the new refurbed Haunted Mansion is

[Croaker]

Thanks Croaker for the trip report and the awesome pictures! I'll be leaving for WDW in a couple days and I'll make sure when I return to post some pics and let everyone know how the new refurbed Haunted Mansion is

i've got more coming....(pics too!) but see if you can accidentally get a pic of the new room/stairs

[boilerbabe]

Welcome back Croaker! We're leaving soon and I can't wait!!! Loved your pictures, can't wait to see more!

[AKLRULZ]

Nice first evening, great photos!

[D Rae]

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like your enjoying your Adventures.

[Croaker]

9/5/07: official day 1:
8a.m. excitement, coffee and a shower help me up as I head out to MGM (I’ll call it that until the sign changes laugh) the plan for the day is to visit MGM studios hit the major attractions, eat at the Sci Fi diner (yuck…the things we do for friends) then hit Animal Kingdom for the Extra Magic Hours, then to Downtown Disney and Raglan Road. A busy day indeed!

Arrival at MGM, and the crowds can’t even be called a crowd, more like a skirmish of people



…the plan…head to Tower of Terror to get a fast pass and then to the Great Movie Ride. Hey never saw this before…


Stopped got a fast pass, now lets see how long the line is….hmmm looks good.
Entering the Hotel….







the line was non-existant…we were right into the library. Decided to ride it again and I even have a fast pass for later!

Now off to the Great Movie Ride (only have one blurry picture sorry) then lunch at Sci Fi. Ugh if it weren’t for my friend I would never have tortured myself to that again. Ok moving on to the backlot tour I was able to have my buddy in the pearl harbor scene, he loved it! Here he is as Captain on watch…


And we were off to Star Tours!



Yeah…I must be getting old…because that ride is just not doing it for me. But again…my buddy loved it…and that’s why we are here! Next stop Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular…yup…got my friend on that one too!


Whew, what a day we made it to the Narnia walk through and then one more Tower of Terror ride (still have my fast pass!) and then we headed for Animal Kingdom and its only 3p.m.

[Croaker]

A nice bus ride (no wait!) and we were off to the Animal Kingdom.


Even though the lines were non-existent I wanted to get a picture of the side entrance through the Rain Forest Café! While I’ve never encountered a large line going into the Animal Kingdom I have experienced mass exodus.



Ok enough knocking on the Animal Kingdom, This is actually one of the parks that pictures can be taken around every corner and become a great Desktop Wallpaper. That is if you love scenery…here’s one I like.



The extra hours was nice and sparse, the Humidity wasn’t.



The Yak and Yeti is still the Yak and Not Ready I guess Christmas would be a nice soft opening.



Again, I love the photo opportunities in Animal Kingdom, the colors and foliage is just Awesome! Especially with the mix of Asia mixed in.



A few trips on Dinosaur(2) and a few trips on Everest(3), and I’m content. This place was Bazaar! (insert canned laughter) actually I took this picture because if you notice the man in orange….that’s Clark Kent!!(the pose gave him away) Yes even Superman enjoys a vacation at Disney!



And on that sour note its Time to head out early (6p.m.) and catch some of the fun at Pleasure Island! We had dinner reservations for Raglan Road at 9p.m. There are no busses from Animal Kingdom to Downtown Disney so we just picked whichever bus arrived first and figured on taking another bus from that resort.

………to be continued (it was a long first day!)

[Croaker]

Animal Kingdom Lodge. How nice it was that the first bus actually was the closest to the Animal Kingdom. We decided to check out the lodge before heading to downtown Disney and it was well worth it! We kicked back in the main lodge with a Pepsi and Budweiser and relaxed. I would suggest for everyone to take advantage of the comfortable lounge after a trip to the Animal Kingdom.




We arrived right on time for our reservations at Raglan Road and scored this fantastic seat in the middle of the pub/Restaurant. There was a live band and dancers. These girls were talented. They would get on a 4’ stage in the middle of the room and do a soft shoe or tap dance to the music. (much like River dance) very cultural (seriously this was not some sleaze dance or promotion of pretty girls…this was classic heritage and cultural tradition…very good!)



As you can see from my friends smile, the girls were very pretty(I say girls because they must have been 19-22 in age…pups) .




A quick jaunt to the adventurer’s club proved to be more enticing than I first anticipated…I definitely will be visiting this place for a longer stay in the future. (just an inside tip…the adventurers club opens for free from 7-9pm. After which you must be over 21 and have a ticket. I saw several kids enjoying the shows/stories that they share with the guests. These are kid safe. The stories after 9 though……well the kids aren’t there.)





It’s 11:00 and we refilled our mugs one last time and exhaustion has set in. Tomorrow is EPCOT!

[AKLRULZ]

KUNGALOOSH!! And your friend totally scored with those walk ons! 8)

Your photos are fantastic - what kind of camera do you have?!

[Croaker]

Kodak v530





its great! I bought it mostly for the size. it fits in a shirt pocket or side pocket on my cargo shorts. 5 mega pixels makes for nice pics.

[AKLRULZ]

It takes really great indoor/dark shots - I've been looking for a pocket sized digital for a while, and I'm going to check this one out - thanks for the tip!

[boilerbabe]

GREAT pictures Croaker!!! Thanks for sharing! Question for you....why do you not like Sci Fi?! Just curious! Don't you just LOVE walking onto rides?!

Seeing your pictures made me get butterflies in my stomach, knowing that we'll be there in less than a month!!!

[Croaker]

Sci Fi's atmosphere is done right for the theming its trying to portray. it's enjoyable for about 15 minutes max. the cars's offer little room for the tableware they use. the food is average, and the service has always been sub-par. i think it would make an awesome counter-service. offer the concession stand as the order pick up window then allow the guests to find a seat. the old drive in movie trailers are only good for so long. and they really need to add disney cartoon shorts. that would make it better. Now my friend who is a serial lover thought it was enjoyable the entire time. He actually owns most of the movies that they previewed. he also had a tear in his eye after the great movie ride.