Our luck with Mother Nature ran out on Sunday, and as a result, the park we saw the least of was Animal Kingdom. Although, I really shouldn't complain. Saturday we were blessed with some awesome weather and even had the chance to spend Saturday night in the pool at our hotel, The Waldorf Astoria Orlando. It's awesome, by the way. Of course, what else would you expect considering it's namesake.
Now that you're feeling real sorry for us and all (Ha!), I'll share the sad news that we were only able to see 2 attractions and eat lunch before the skies opened up and dumped massive amounts of rain on us. Luckily, they were the two best rides in the park, Expedition Everest and the Kilimanjaro Safari.
Katie and Emily were both a bit nervous before Everest, but they weren't about to miss out on the experience. Jack, however, was more than happy to let the opportunity pass him by. Maybe in a few more years, his adventurous side will come out.
Jax was more than happy to have to have some company while waiting on those of us that met the height requirement.
On the safari, the kids (especially Baylor) were all excited to get up close and personal with the animals. What's funny is that some of the animals were experiencing the same sense of excitement and wonder when it came to the park guests. The ostriches, for example, were laying directly next to the road watching as each truckload of guests cruised by. In that moment, it was clear that we were their entertainment! The lions, however, were less than thrilled about our presence. They couldn't be bothered to raise their heads from their naps and thrill us with a glimpse of their pride.
The hippos were a sight to see though. Baylor was so impressed by them that he actually shouted, "Hippo!" as we passed. I'm not sure that I even realized he knew that word. Maybe he was clued in by the rest of us shouting, "Hippo!" and pointing. Regardless, he knows the word now!
There were a quite a few baby elephants on the range. So I guess it's safe to assume that the adult elephants are happy with their habit.
When the sky opened up (at 1:00pm on the dot just as our iPhone Weather Channel app predicted), we made a mad dash for the Lion King show. To our disappoint, we discovered that Disney does not open the doors early even in the event of a torrential downpour. Thanks, Disney! I guess they want to make sure that everyone ends up spending $7/each on a rain poncho. They made a small fortune that day on those flimsy plastic sheets!
Once inside, we shed our soaking wet ponchos and enjoyed the Broadway-caliber performance. Baylor clapped and danced his way through the entire production. I was certain they would invite him to join in the fun, but the offer never arrived. Almost as soon as we started to finally feel dry, the show ended and we were forced back into the monsoon. It was at that very moment, that we decided to call it a day, bringing our Disney adventure to a close. It was fun while it lasted, rain & all. However, next time, I'll trust the Weather Channel when it says 90% chance of rain and suggest a Plan B that's indoors!
Jaxon, Baylor, & the other Super Cubs, of course! Thanks to Grandfather and Grandma, Jaxon and Baylor were able to join their Scouting friends on a camping trip to DISNEY WORLD! Seriously...these are some lucky boys!
This was the Pack's first trip to Disney, and it sounds like there were a few bumps in the road. Thankfully, the kids were completely unaware. They were with friends and doting grandparents and did I mention there was a heated pool & WATERSLIDE?! Yeah, the kids didn't notice that the usual arts & crafts and games were eliminated from the itinerary.
The Cub Scouts weren't the only characters roaming the campsites. Chip & Dale hosted nightly campfires before showing one of Disney's blockbuster movies as the evening's entertainment.
And, it wouldn't be a campout without s'mores and hot chocolate!
Something tells me that despite a few "bumps," this trip will earn a spot on next year's Super Cub calendar. The smiles present in these pictures are proof that the trip was a success! Thanks for making it happen, Grandfather & Grandma!
I'm pretty sure that Mater and Lightening missed us almost as much as we missed them, and Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the Toy Story gang seemed delighted to see us as well. Thankfully, the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios weren't too crowded over the holiday weekend. We were able to ride just about everything. The boys were thrilled to squeeze in a little target practice on the Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story Mania rides. The only shocker was Grandma's high score of 108,000!!! Nobody saw that one coming!
Of course, the go-carts were a huge hit as always!
This is how Baylor displayed his approval of a ride...He'd skip with his hands in the air shouting, "Woo hoo!" No mistaking his joy!
Another highlight was actually being able to fly with Dumbo. During our last visit in November, the Dumbo ride decided to have some "technical difficulties" right before we were able to take our flight. Always delightful news to hear after you've been patiently waiting in line for what seems like forever! Thankfully, history did not repeat itself.
It was also nice to have another adult accompany me on the Teacups. Grandfather and Jax survived back to back rides without losing their lunch. Impressive!
I even managed to finally capture some decent photos of the spectacular Disney fireworks. Yes, it took me 15 months to figure out my camera settings, and no, I'm not particularly proud of that!
Sure the parks are crowded more often than not and everything costs a small fortune, but you can't put a price tag on the memories that we've created. I'd pay double for the experience...Anh probably wouldn't. Ha! They say when one door closes, another opens. As our Disney Magic comes to an end, I'll focus on what's in store for our future. Will it be Universal Studios or Sea World? Sorry, Anh, did you really think you had waited in your last line? Think again!
Saturday was a great day! The sun was shining and instead of complaining about the week's unusually chilly temps, some of us were wishing we had packed shorts. We spent the entire day exploring Disney's Hollywood Studios, and it was a huge hit with the gang. After pausing briefly to attempt the perfect group photo with Mickey's sorcerer's hat, we raced off to "baby pass" the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock' n 'Roller Coaster.
Next, we made our way to the Indiana Jones' Epic Stunt Spectacular. The actors re-enacted some of the movie's famous scenes and in the process shed some light on how Hollywood stunt doubles perform their incredible feats without being injured. Some of it is special effects, but mostly it's impeccable timing and training.
From the Indiana Jones set, we made our way through New York in search of ice cream, Lightening McQueen, and Mater...not necessarily in that order. Sadly, Baylor missed out on the excitement of meeting the Cars characters once again. On our next visit, McQueen and Mater will be the first stop. Baylor is now almost as infatuated with these characters as his big brother, and an face-to-face introduction is long overdue.
After passing back through the New York City set (Oh, did I forget to mention that it was set? Surely you didn't think we traveled that far North just for some ice cream?!), we found ourselves in a strange universe filled with even stranger creatures. Turns out that we stumbled into the Star Wars attraction, and the kids were beyond excited to take a virtual ride on a Starspeeder!
Thank goodness for the replica outside. I was able to get a picture of the kids since taking one while they were zipping around at the speed of light inside the attraction was virtually impossible!
Of course, our little inter-galactic heros couldn't depart without arming themselves with appropriate weaponry. Jax & Baylor selected blasters, and Jack went with the build-it-yourself light saber. I was beyond greatful that my boys didn't ask for yet another sword. Shooting each other with imaginary guns is definitely the better of the two completely non-PC options should you ever find yourself pondering which way to go with your own child!
I know it's hard to believe given all the excitement I've described, but by dinner time, we were growing weary and decided to make our way back to the Tower of Terror and the Rock' n' Roller Coaster for a grand finale. Anh sat with all 3 little boys, while Mike, Amy, and I accompanied the girls on the park's top two attractions. While nervous about what they were about to subject themselves to, both Emily & Katie agreed after the ride that they were thrilled with the experience and couldn't wait to see what was in store for them on Sunday at Animal Kingdom.
