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Day Five – Friday, January 20 – Gorillas, ‘Ohana
and Some of My Favorite Things
Last full day – I hate that feeling. Awake at 5:00 , up
at 6:00 , coffee, balcony… the usual. This is forecasted
to be the warmest day yet with a high in the low 80s. There’s
something under our door. It turns out to be our ME information
for the trip home tomorrow. There’s a bar code on the paper
so we need to bring it, and our luggage, out front tomorrow morning
for a 6:50 bus to MCO . Our flight is at 9:40 so this sounds like
more than ample time. It also tells us to be there 15-minutes early
which is something I only hear at WDW and for doctor’s appointments.
So far, I’m impressed by the efficiency of ME.
We’re at the bus stop at 8:20 looking to head to AK. There
are a fair number of people there, much more than usual, which
indicates to me that there hasn’t been a bus along in a while.
There’s a family of 5 or 6 there and the dad is obviously
agitated. He goes up to talk to the CM there (not sure why she’s
there but she’s carrying a clipboard. Are they doing the
Bus On Demand thing again?). When he returns, I overhear him say “She
said there was a bus at 8:05 but we were here earlier than that.”
The AK bus shows in about 5-minutes and we’re there in
time for rope drop. During the opening ceremony, I see the guy
from the bus stop pushing a stroller and weaving (and ramming)
through the crowd. He tries to get into the roped-off line on the
right but, since the park is now opening, the CM refuses him access.
He obviously has a reservation for Donald’s Breakfastasaurus
and is running late. He is NOT a happy camper at this point.
We head to Dinosaur, which we missed the other day, and walk
through the queue and into the pre-show that had already started.
I swear that every time we ride this, we say that we don’t
remember it being that bumpy and jostling. Must be us.
We walked up through Asia , or rather we tried to. There were
3 CMs blocking the path by Expedition Everest (EE). It was another
of several preview days for CMs and there was a steady stream of
them coming in. I chatted with a 4 th CM who was stationed a bit
further down. He rode on Wednesday night – once in the front
and once in the back and he said that was enough. He did say that
the view from the top is incredible, particularly at night (this
may be a hot ticket during evening EMH). One thing I noticed – if
you’ve seen EE, there’s a track that exits the building
at the bottom. It’s steeply angled and sharply banked. I
assumed (erroneously) that the cars would exit the building there.
They actually exit from around the corner and re-enter by going
up this track and back into the mountain.
We backtracked and made our way to Harambe and picked up Safari
FPs for 10:15 . We used the time for breakfast at the Tusker House
(they do take the DDE card there). At 10:13 , the CM agreed to
let us in the FP line if I carried on of those wait-time lanyards.
No problem. We boarded and had a nice Safari, although there weren’t
as many animals out as our trip earlier in the week.
After the Safari, we took a stroll through the Pangani Forest
Trail. We moved quickly because I was mainly interested in the
gorillas today. We were not disappointed. There was one sleeping
next to the window in the enclosed viewing area. Outside, we watch
4 or 5 more move around. There was one in the back that was the
biggest I’ve seen here. I haven’t heard about any new
imports but I don’t think I’ve seen him before. His
size was very impressive as he’d sit, watch the crowd, get
up and walk 5 or 6 steps, then sit again. There was one gorilla,
off to the side that was sitting with a metal bucket. The pose
reminded me of a nauseous child, sitting with a bucket – just
in case. I asked a CM if the gorilla was ill and she said they
buckets were used for comfort. They sometimes put food or toys
in them. On the way out toward Harambe, we were following a Sidewinder
that actually was walking in an ‘S’ shaped pattern.
I need a new name for this guy.
We left AK after the Trail and waited about 10-minutes for a
bus. We exited at the Swan again and walked to the BW and entered
Thimbles and Threads. As part of the ME package, I had a coupon
good for a free pin – which turned out to be a pin with an
ME bus on it. The CM offered me the option of taking a Disney transportation
bus, which I chose.
We stopped at Lobby Concierge where they graciously printed out
our Southwest Boarding Passes – ‘A’ again. We
noticed a couple of delivery trucks, at the rear of the resort,
while we walked from the Swan. Inside, they appeared to be replacing
a bunch of beds, sofa beds, and tables in the rooms. It’s
always nice to see my maintenance dollars at work.
We hit the room and began the arduous task of packing for the
trip home… but our hearts weren’t into it. At 1:00
, we decided that a waffle cone from Seashore Sweets was in order.
Barb got her usual vanilla and I was dumbfounded to learn that
they had no soft-serve chocolate. What? No chocolate? Get me Iger
on the phone. I settled for a Cookies and Cream which was good
but, hey, it’s not chocolate. As we were paying, 60% of the
Goergens came in – Jeff, Kelly and Emily. They separated
from Sue and Wayne at Epcot and were also here for an ice cream.
Barb and I took a table outside. As a couple walked by, the guy
read aloud the sign behind us. He said “Birds in this area
may be aggressive”. As he finished, I looked at him angrily
and snarled “Chirp!” I think I actually got ice cream
to come out of Barb’s nose.
We went back to the room and finished up what packing we could.
As I was cleaning up the miscellaneous junk I had tossed into the
armoire, I found the receipt for our APs that I picked up on Monday.
To my surprise, the receipt was for $42.60 ($21.30 per AP) which
is the price increase that went through on January 1. I thought
that by buying them online, on December 31, we avoided the price
increase. Setting them up for Will Call apparently negated that.
Oh, well.
At about 3:10 , we headed out for the bus to MK. There was another
group at the bus stop that, apparently, had been there awhile.
At 3:20 , they got tired of waiting and made a beeline for the
parking lot and their car. For those that wonder whether driving
or the bus is quicker, pay close attention.
I didn’t time it but the MK bus was along in 5-10 minutes.
We arrived and made our way through Security. The CM Security guard,
as we walked through the area for those without bags, said “Bag-less,
huh?” I said “Except for her” and pointed to
Barb. The CM said “Like I haven’t heard that one before.” Hey,
I said I was funny, not original.
As we were walking to the turnstiles on the right, Barb looked
back and saw the family that drove over coming through Security.
So we arrived at the bus stop as they left for their car, and we
beat them to MK – but only slightly. There’s nothing
conclusive here but some food for thought.
We entered the MK as the Share a Dream Come True parade was coming
down Main Street . We quickly cut through and into the Emporium,
and walked the length of Main Street through the shops. We walked
to Adventureland and PotC where we were relieved to see the ride
operating. I asked a CM what the wait time was and she said it
had just re-opened after the third breakdown this week. Seems like
it really needs its upcoming rehab.
There was a single CM loading the boats and he was doing a great
job of hustling people through. The boats were leaving rapid fire
resulting in a continuous stream of boats, roughly 10-12 feet apart
throughout the ride.
Next we walked back for one last viewing of Mickey’s Philharmagic.
We walked straight into the lobby and had a 5-minute wait before
entering the theater. The theater was more crowded than it had
been, as was the entire park. It seemed that the crowds were picking
up for Friday night or maybe for the weekend.
We said goodbye to Philharmagic, until next trip, and strolled
down toward the hub. I managed to get a nice photo of the Partners
statue with only a short wait and no one else in the picture.
We had a 5:40 reservation at ‘Ohana so we thought we’d
head over a bit early for a cocktail at the Tambu lounge. We left
the MK and walked up to the monorail platform. There were only
2 couples waiting and 3 CMs talking together. I barged in and rudely
interrupted them to ask if we could sit up front (I’ve arranged
this for the kids before but I don’t think Barb and I have
ridden up front since 1984). He said a lot of words that indicated “Maybe” and
sent us to wait down at the end.
As the monorail pulled in, I saw the driver hold up 2 fingers
to the CM so I figured we were in. The CM came down to open the
gate and a family of four walked up. The two children (a girl of
around 12 and a boy around 10) starting walking toward the front
car. The CM stopped them but, gracious guy that I am, I offered
them our spots. The parents quickly said “No, thanks. They
rode up there earlier today.” OK, we’re in.
There were 2 guys up front and we chatted about resorts (they
were at the Grand Floridian), monorail expansion, etc. I asked
our driver, David, if he knew Steve Preskitt (not that I do but
I know who he is and I’ve seen his wedding pictures). David
said, “ Sandy hair? Glasses?” I said I thought that
was accurate. “I think I know him. Did he just get married?” That’s
the guy.
We said goodbye to David and our traveling companions and exited
at the Polynesian. We made our way to the Tambu Lounge at about
4:30 . It was too early to check in at ‘Ohana. The bar was
not crowded and very relaxing – of course, the Makers Mark
Manhattan may also have relaxed me. We ordered a second round (Manhattans
are like Martinis… which are like breasts – go read
my October Trip Report for the rest of that) and, at about 5:20
, I walked over and checked us in with my ‘Cuz’. She
gave me a pager and it went off as I was draining the last drop
from my drink – perfect timing.
We have not been to ‘Ohana before and all I can say now
is “Why not?” We loved the place. The service was outstanding
thanks to Cousin Roy. We had lots of great food – the shrimp
were great, the chicken wings were great, the wontons were great.
The barbecue was also great although we both were partial to the
steak and turkey. I’m not sure what the marinade was on the
steak but I loved it. The potatoes were great. What have I left
out? Oh yeah, the salad. The dessert was cake (I’ve forgotten…pound
cake?) with vanilla ice cream with a Banana’s Foster syrup
on the side. Very good although I wish they had kept the pineapple
and caramel sauce I had heard so much about. We watched the kids
have the coconut race and also do the limbo. My only complaint
is that I wasn’t hungry enough to really gorge myself – although
I tried.
Now the best news…. We stuck with soft drinks and coffee
here and, after DDE discount, the bill came to $44. Having a meal
for two on Disney property, particularly a meal we enjoyed as much
as this one, for $44 is unheard of. We will definitely be back.
If I had the choice, I’d probably be back every Friday night
for the rest of the year.
After dinner, we strolled out to the back of the Polynesian and
were walking out on the dock. We were just relaxing and taking
it easy and there were a bunch of folks that just came off a boat
walking the other way. Up ahead, the boat driver leaned out and
asked if we were going to the MK. Sure, why not. We boarded and
enjoyed a very pleasant cruise across the lake.
At the MK, we hopped the Railroad and rode for a complete lap
then exited in Frontierland. We took a ride on BTMRR (always more
fun in the evening) after a 15-20 minute wait. We stopped and picked
up a bottle of water then found our way to Main Street for one
last viewing of Wishes.
We left the MK and rode a bus back to the BW, arriving at 8:40
. I thought we’d just hit the room, finish packing and call
it an early night. However, Barb asked if I’d like to see
IROE again. Absolutely. So off we went to Epcot.
On the hill leading from the IG to the bridge, they had set up
a rope and were giving wristbands for evening EMH tonight. The
bridge (our usual spot for IROE) was packed. I’m not sure
if it’s because of additional crowds for Friday, the weekend,
or EMH. Anyway, we walked through and down to spot # 2 in Morocco – where
we watched IROE… one…more…time.
Back to the BW where we spent just a few minutes with the magician.
Then it was back to the room to finish the packing. I took our
last beer out to the balcony and had a quiet cry… it’s
always tough to leave. We watched some of the news and then I set
the alarm and left a wake-up call for 4:30 .
Things I Think I Think - I think Expedition
Everest is going to be a pretty cool ride. I think ‘Ohana
will be on our list for all of our future trips. I think I really
enjoy Philharmagic… and Wishes… and IROE… and… you
get the picture. I think I’m ready to go home but I still
don’t want to leave.
Day 6...
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