Vacation! Day 3

Alberto unleashes his wrath.

RAIN.

The morning started with a 'bang' as Chandler ran into a sliding glass door. The glass was so clear he didn't see it, and he busted his lip.

Back at the Magic Kingdom, the rain had stopped long enough for us to think we wouldn't need our ponchos or umbrellas.

Now used to the routine, we loaded our people mover and headed for the monorail.

My parents were gracious enough to watch Emily for us while we finished up Magic Kingdom. It was a BIG help!

Aw, man! I sat in gum!

Once off the people mover, a quick pit stop for the ladies.

The gate for the monorail (this one is for Epcot).

Unfortunately, once we got off the monorail it was raining again. After getting a loan to purchase official Disney Ponchos (again), we headed back in and down Main Street USA.. This is a bronze statue of Walt Disney and Minnie Mouse, with us behind it blending in to a sea of licensed ponchos.

Yesterday we covered Fantasyland, Liberty Square, and Frontierland. Today we'll hit Adventureland and Tomorrowland, then go back and ride the good rides we like again

We take a left into Adventureland and go right into the Swiss Family Treehouse. Always a favorite!

From there we pass some Tiki statues that squirt you with water.

The kids enjoyed this, and we didn't mind so much since we were already soaked from the rain. Here Keighly gets squirt(ed?) right in the head!

We actually got there a little late because of some road work, so we headed for some lunch next. We ate at the Pirates Cove, which served (you guessed it!): Mexican food. Since we were inside, the rain stopped (of course). I charged my camera batteries while we ate, and by the time we were ready to leave it was raining again.

Pirates of the Caribbean was under rennovation (to better match the movies), so next we went to the Jungle Cruise. The line was LONG, and this is probably what most people remember from theme park vacations. Every inch of real estate is maximized for cattling people around.

We rounded the corner we thought was where we get on the boat, but more lines. Ironically, while we were under the pavillion it was sunny outside!

An "exotic" and "adventure" theme complete with African and safari props.

Chandler admiring some African masks and spears.

As we passed a display, we noticed someone wrote an approximation of where we should be based on the Africa map in the display. Shouldn't we be a little higher, in the northern hemisphere?

Almost there!

The "Ganges Gertie", one of the boats you ride on.

More motif to set the mood.

Right when we got on the boat it started raining again! I did my best to take some pictures and video (further down). This is a nice waterfall (I think called "Inspiration Point") representing the Amazon. There were some nice cam-a-tronic butterflies that I could never get a good picture of (check the video, they may show up on there).

Now in the Congo, some headhunters have raided this party's camp!

A twenty-four foot anaconda!

These silverback gorillas have taken over this camp.

Now in the Nile, we see an African Elephant named George.

Animals that come to the Nile for water. They have ducks over there?

Lions feeding in their den.

An African rhino has the explorers up a tree while the hyenas laugh it up!

Two cam-a-tronic alligators (crocs? Not sure).

Fun!

Watch out for the waterfall! You don't want to get wet! Er, we were already soaked, so this didn't have the intended effect.

A plane crash can mean only one thing: people.

Hippos!

The headhunters dance to the drums.

Ambush!

Now back under the waterfall.

Anticipation! A temple cave is coming!

In the temple cave, some king cobras guard golden statues and treasures.

Indian elephants having a party!

More partying from the younger elephants.

This big guy would pop up and spray you! Luckiy he missed us.

Chief Nambee, head protector of the jungle. Good thing he had that umbrella.

Yay! We made it!

Yours truly!

On to Tomorrowland!

Tomorrowland has a great futuristic feel based on sci-fi and Jules Verne.

It's like being in a '50s "B" movie!

Our first attraction is Stitch's Great Escape. Here, Chandler ponders what the sign says as it's written some alien language. Amber tries to read it:

Once in, you get a quick video briefing then head into this area where this robot asks you to become a 'Security Recruit' at the Galatic Federation Prisoner Teleport Center. You first job: transport Stitch! Unfortunately, no video or pictures inside. The robotics on this robot and Stitch himself are VERY good. It's something to go from the cam-a-tronic alligators on the Jungle Cruise to a walking, talking Stitch. Once inside the main area, Stitch teleports in and escapes (of course!). The lights go out and he 'jumps' onto your shoulders, blows on and tickles your neck, and burps in your face! Lots of fun for the kids.

All over the place are robots, aliens, and anything else futuristic.

Next we went to the Astro Orbiter! Basically the same as the Dumbo ride, or the Aladdin carpet ride, except that this one is about four stories high! When you first enter Tomorrowland you can see the planet system the houses the Astro Orbiter high above everything else.

Chandler and Andrew, ready for liftoff!

Janet and Keighly, ready for liftoff!

Liftoff! There is Amanda and Donovan in the back.

Come higher, Keighly!

Andrew and Chandler having a blast!

Amanda and Donovan, and Amber flying high!

Why isn't Keighly going any higher?

Time to come in for a landing.

Aha! Here's why Keighly didn't go higher: Janet got a little queezy!

Back on the ground, looks like a bathroom break is in order.

A great picture with the Astro Obriter behind us.

Next up: the highly anticipated SPACE MOUNTAIN! Here Donovan checks his height to make sure he can ride.

The line was long, and we quickly noticed the advantages of the FastPass. The closer you get, the more you hear the coaster (which adds to the anticipation). After passing several 'holograms' of space scenes, we finally arrived.

After getting our legs back, we snapped this pic with an Alien tourist.

From there we went straight over to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

Once inside, you are greeted by Buzz Lightyear who is standing next to a HUGE working Viewmaster!

We got Zurg!

Good job, Space Ranger Keighly!

From there we got some burgers and chicken at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café. After that we hit the souvenir shops to finish up Tomorrowland.

We hoped to go back and re-ride some rides we really liked, namely Splash Mountain. However, on the way back to Frontierland, we overheard someone saying Splash Mountain wasn't working.

We hit the souvenir shops in Adventureland on our way to Frontierland and spent most of our time in the Pirates of the Caribbean shop (even though the ride was closed).

Once in Frontierland, the rumors were correct. Splash Mountain was closed! The logs were falling, but there was no water or riders. A huge downer.

Chandler and Janet had gone to the Shooting Gallery while we were to ride Splash Mountain. We all caught back up to each other and made a very quick decision to dart into the Country Bears Jamboree. We needed to do something else before the SpectroMagic Parade, and Country Bears Jamboree fit the bill.

The Jamboree is showing it's age. Although still good ol' country music, the animatronics are a little hard to sit through once you've seen Buzz from Space Ranger Spin or Stitch from Stitch's Great Escape. Plus, the audio levels weren't very good, I could hardly hear or understand them most of the time.

From there we exited back into Frontierland where we heard a familiar sound: Splash Mountain was working! We broke up into teams again, and this time I opted to video the them from the bridge. However, after about 20 mins, Andrew calls saying the line is just too long (apparently EVERYBODY was waiting for Splash Mountain to re-open). The Splash Mountain team reluctantly decided to ride Big Thunder Mountain again instead. But alas, the line there was also too long.

It was getting dark, so we decided to go get a good spot for the SpectroMagic Parade. It was about this time that Chandler realized he had lost his walet while he was at the Shooting Gallery. An employee said to check City Hall in Liberty Square. I guess that is where they take all the lost-and-found. We found a good spot for the parade and Andrew and Chandler went to check on his wallet. Sure enough, they had it there. I have to hand it to Disney, they run a tight ship.

While waiting for the parade, the parade route is roped off and employees call kids out into groups of about ten and play with them until the parade starts. They are very friendly and the kids seem to enjoy a little non-relative attention. Again, I have to hand it to Disney. They succeed at you having an "magical experience" as opposed to you just riding rides.

Eventually we settle into our places and enjoy a very good parade

What a great way to end the day! The parade was great, and we got some special recognitions at that! (I'm telling you, she kissed at ME!)

One thing I noticed while watching the parade: somebody was stinky. I wasn't sure if it was a stranger next to me or one of my crew. Of course, we had been rained on for two days straight plus walked all over the Magic Kingdom. By the end of a long day, hygiene is long forgotten.

We opted not to stay for the fireworks show, and fell in line with the other sheeple as we mass-exodus'ed back down Main Street USA and through the entrance gates to the monorail. This was our last day at the Magic Kingdom, so we thought we may dart into a souviner shop for one last momento. That thought was quickly crushed as there were just way too many people with the same idea.

Things were quiet on the monorail, everyone was absolutely pooped! After the ride, we ended where we started: with the ladies going to the bathroom. From there we got back on a people-mover and watched the fireworks show as we rode back to the van. What we saw was very impressive, it is amazing to think they do these shows almost every night!

A quick one hour drive back to my Aunt and Uncle's house, and the day is over. Once there, I discovered the stinky source: my shoes! I guess walking around for two days in wet shoes took it's toll. Tomorrow: flip-flops.

After a very long day, Ian sums it up: exhaustion.