[Disneypro]

Here’s the next installment of the Stop the Insanity trip. Sorry that the reports are a bit slow to come, but you know the saying…..like a one-legged man…..

Friday, May 9th
Day 2 or People who haven’t been to WDW in the past 10 years are a hoot to travel with.

I got up at seven o’clock to take Betty over to the Lake Buena Vista Golf Club for her early morning round of golf. I hadn’t been over there in years so I got all turned around trying to remember the way. I ended up going in from the far end, not the end of Community Drive that is near Port Orleans. After I dropped her at the Bag Drop area, I went over to the Saratoga Springs Spa to check it out. Chaz (NJCop) had asked me to drop in to get a list of services that they offer and a price sheet as he’s interested in going over during our trip in June. What a nice place!! Everything looks so inviting without the pretense that I’m used to encountering at the local spas at home. The gentleman that I spoke with was really good about answering my questions and gave me the information that I wanted. I think I’ll join Chaz when he goes over to get his massage.

After I got back to the lodge from the spa, it hit me……Ahhhhh the lodge. Finally, I was able to just relax and start to soak up the Disney magic. The fireplace. The bubbling sound of the small geyser that streams from the lobby to the pool. Totems that reach to the ceiling. Yuppers, I’m home. I got myself together and went over to get in a bit of shopping at the marketplace. I was just on a pin mission really so I first headed to Pin Traders. I got a few of the pins that the gang had asked me to look for and then headed into Basin. For those of you not familiar, Basin is a store at downtown which the closest that I can think it resembles is a Bath and Body Works store. They have the funkiest of soaps and lotions in there. All the soaps were sold by weight and they were $3.49 per pound. They had these bars of shampoo soap that were a bit odd, but the scents were intoxicating. There was also a soap called “Flame” that was a bit nasty smelling though. It was made from tobacco…bleech!! They even had a cooler that had freshly made facial packs. Some of them looked so good that you’d have thought you could eat them and you know what….I’d bet that you could. After poking around a bit more I decided to go back to the lodge and get ready to head over to the Animal Kingdom. I did a few things and by the time I was done Betty had come back from golfing and gotten herself together. Greg had been hanging out enjoying the pool. He so seldom gets a chance to relax that it was a rare treat for him to just sit and unwind. I practically had to drag him screaming from his lounge chair to get him ready to go.

Note to whoever came up with the “Flame” soap: Is this a really good seller?? I can’t imagine that it is. Although the design is really cool, if I wanted to take a shower and end up smelling like the Marlboro Man, I’d just roll around in an ashtray.

When we got to the AK, we poked around the front exhibits for a bit checking out the different birds and animals that were in their habitats. We slowly made our way to the bridge that leads you into the main park area. Betty was so thrilled when we finally emerged from the “forest” and in full view was the Tree of Life. I’ve never seen a reaction like that from anyone that I’ve ever been to WDW with. We stood there staring at the tree for an hour at least looking for all the different animal carvings. She got so excited every time she found a new one. Even Greg, who wouldn’t be thrilled if Ed McMahon showed up at the front door announcing “You’ve just won 10 million dollars!!” was really getting into finding the animal carvings. I’m not sure if it was just his mood that day, the pleasure of seeing his Mom having such a great time or if he was in reality a pod person, but there was one thing I was sure of. Disney magic had somehow crept into him and taken hold, giving him a good shake. Finally, perhaps he’d understand why I love going to WDW instead of giving me that dumbfounded look when I tell him I’ve planned another trip. We then moved on toward Kilimanjaro Safaris. We must have stopped at every single little thing that there was to be looked at along the way. We looked at building shapes and colors. We took in the sounds of the crowd. Betty is a real plant person, so she was familiar with a lot of the plantings that were along the way and examined each and every one of them. As a side note, I must say that I’m the type that does a park in commando mode and having Betty with me for this trip was the best thing that could have happened. By going at her pace, I really spent time examining the minutia. Sadly, it was then that I realized that in all my trips to WDW, I had really overlooked a lot of the little details that make it such a wonderful place to visit.

Note to self: Stop running from ride to ride, show to show. It is a vacation, not a decathlon. So what if you don’t ride Peter Pan’s Flight this trip for the umpteenth time? Learn to slowdown and absorb all that is going on around you. That’s where the real magic is. It’s in the smiles of strangers and the look of wonder in a child’s eyes. WDW will always be there and you can always go back.

We finally made it over to KS and there was no wait so we got right on a truck. It was a really hot day, so most of the animals were lying in the shade or hiding in their burrows trying to keep cool. Still we saw lots of antelope and giraffes. The elephants were out and about and rather peculiarly, the cheetahs were up and walking around. I’ve never seen them other than when they were lying under a tree. The lion may be the king of the beasts, but the cheetah is certainly a majestic animal in its own right. Of course as we ambled along in our safari truck, we got the call to intercept some poachers and saved Little Red. We then headed over to Asia to the Maharajah Jungle Trek to check out the animals there. I got some really good shots of the tigers as they were right at the glass wall. Again, we moved very slowly as Betty wanted to peek at every last thing right down to the pottery and brass plates that are scattered about on the walls and such. After getting through the “Trek”, it was time to leave the AK and go back to shower and then head over to Epcot for dinner at the Restaurant Marrakech.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I was rather nervous about whether there would be anything on the menu that would be appealing to Greg as he is a steak and potato kind of guy. Luckily, he found a chicken kebab on the menu that looked good, so my trepidation was short lived. Betty ordered the same and got a platter of a bunch of different foods, sort of like a sampler. The food was all delicious and I’d highly recommend getting the sampler platter thing to anyone that goes to dine there. It was a real treat to try a bit of everything. The belly dancer was brilliant!! She really knew how to entice the crowd into joining her in the center of the room to learn to dance. There was this one guy in a yellow Gap hat that really sticks out in my mind. I think he must have been some sort of ringer, as he started out awkward and nearly stumbling trying to follow along with the belly dancer but, after a couple of minutes, he had it down. He was matching her practically move for move. It turned into a Moroccan version of “Anything you can do, I can do better.” The whole room was near tears laughing as they went at it. She’d do a move and then he’d do it. She’d come back with something harder and he’d follow right along. The look on her face was so funny. I think it must have been the last thing that she’d expected….that a man would be keeping up with her. The room roared with adulation for the guy when he went back to sit with his family.

Note to the guy in the yellow Gap hat: If you are reading this, I bow down before you. I wish that I had the gumption to get up in front of a crowded room and do what you did. Heck, I’d like to be able to just move like you did. Myself, I haven’t been able to move like that since high school and would most likely end up in traction if I tried. Thanks for the chuckles!!!

After dinner we walked over toward the England pavilion to catch Illuminations. Once again, it was a spectacular show. I think I’ll never grow tired of seeing it. Once the show was over, we headed back to the lodge to settle in for the night.

Next up: Day 3 or Boats and Glitter and Dolls….Oh My!!!

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[MickeysGirl]

How nice that you had the time to stop & smell the roses DP!
It is what I love best about living close to DLR.
Before I moved to OC, I was always busy rushing from place to place, now I can relax and really enjoy every minute of my time while at the parks! It's a great perk!
I love Basin! The bath Bombs are the bomb! They feature natural bath & body products. I also am very fond of the shampoo bars. Fortunately, I have not had the disgust of smelling The Flame! For those who have not been to a Basin click here.
DP, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to stop and look for pins for us! It means so much to us who live for each weeks new releases!
I am looking forward to reading Part 3 of your trip report! I hope you have time to write it before your next vacation!

[ckenlady]

Note to self: Stop running from ride to ride, show to show. It is a vacation, not a decathlon


I don't know how many times we all asked ourselves what you were running to. But, Im glad you finally figured it out. Lets hope it sticks in June.

[Shadow Jedi Rhy]

Haha I can really empathize with the decathlon thing, of course it all depends on who you go with I think. You just can't get some people to slow down and enjoy the smaller things.

[Emma]

Great trip report DP
.....Just enjoying picturing the guy in the yellow Gap hat......

[baseballmom]

Thanks for the reports! I totally understand about running from place to place - I'm not a plant person so it drives me a little crazy when my mom & dad want to see this plant or that plant! But, by taking a little easier you don't get so worn out, either!

I'm glad you had fun at the restaurant. My mom will never eat there again because apparently the belly dancer got a little too friendly with my dad (in Mom's opinion, anyway!) I wasn't with them on that trip so I missed it, but I would've loved to have been there!

[MouseMan]

Great report DP! Glad that you had so much fun...and special moments! Hope you continue to have them...and more in June!

[Disneypro]

Emma said:Great trip report DP
.....Just enjoying picturing the guy in the yellow Gap hat......

Thanks Emma!! and the rest of you guys as well!!

I have pics of the guy in the yellow cap doing his thing. I'll have them up just as soon as I can. i got a new digicam, so I'm still stumbling with it a bit. The software is murder to use....Anyone familiar with Photoshop??

**EDIT**

MG.....Thanks for sharing that link to the Basin website!! I never would have thought to look for a site that I could order their fabulous products from. I would have just loaded up the old suitcase with a stockpile that would last me 'til the next time I got down to WDW. Now I won't have to do that and I'll have more room in my bag for something that matters.....like pins for you guys!!

[Disneypro]

ckenlady said:Note to self: Stop running from ride to ride, show to show. It is a vacation, not a decathlon


I don't know how many times we all asked ourselves what you were running to. But, Im glad you finally figured it out. Lets hope it sticks in June.

Well, you could always hit me on the back of the head with a turkey leg or you could even use the ultimate weapon.....the threat of a ride with the Dolls!!

[ckenlady]

Well now you know we just HAVE to ride the "EVIL DOllS"...you must do your yearly count as Im sure you didn't do it when you were there last week.

[MouseMan]

*GASP!* you mean DP missed a dool in his last count?!? That means that there are several of them running loose...looking for him!

[MickeysGirl]

The Dolls are going to get you! The Dolls are going to get you!
Sorry, I lost control there for a moment...
I'm better now.

[Hollywoof]

Well I know what running around like a chicken with it's head cut off can be like. I was at WDW for the first time last June and with 14 days to do everything it still was not enough time with all the "Schedueled" events going on - I went again in January this year an took more time and enjoyed it much better (Besides the weather was cooler also). So this next trip is 11 days long and I am going to take my time and stop and smell the roses (refrence to "flower and garden show" @ Epcot) and I am looking forward to meeting a bunch of wonderful new people (traveling alone this trip like I did in Jan. last june friends were with me).
Oh and BTW, in respect to the "Evil Dolls" - - We gonna hog tie you and take you kicking and Screaming if necessary. You'll just love it that way - emersion thearpy I think is what it is refered to (he he)

[DisneyDriver]

Welcome on board hollywoof! All the members are here to help in anyway needed.

Los Angeles eh?...you're not from that place are you...you know...Valley of the EVIL DOLLS! DP...run away, run away really really fast!

[pibknarbie]

My family and I are Going to WDW in August for our first trip ever. I have been to DL but never to WDW. My son has been to WDW and has a list he wants to see. WE are actually going on a MAke a Wish trip. Is there anything special that we should do? I have already started thinking, but have yet to make any definite plans. Please help. you all seem very familiar with everything Dinsey, and could tell me the best things for us to do. thanks