Trip Report: Day Two – Part I/Animal Kingdom/Epcot

Light Meter by Lisa K. Berton

For those who need to catch up, the previous blogs in this series are, in order:
Trip Prequel: Decisions, Decisions
Trip Prequel: Research & Practice
Trip Report: Day One – Epcot

Slumber was disturbed by the wake up call I’d set the night before. I picked up the phone to hear Mickey Mouse interrupted by Stitch. I adore Stitch but not when he starts screaming in my ear, regardless of the time of day.

Dear Walt Disney World Wake Up Call Decision Maker,
Change the message. It’s old and annoying. How about something positive and fun from Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog? If you take my idea, I’d like to discuss my friends and I staying at Cinderella Castle. Thanks.
Magically,
Lisa

I got up, bathed with non-Disney toiletries, got my gear together and headed off to Animal Kingdom. Terri didn’t have hopping capabilities on her tickets so she took the bus to Epcot where I’d meet up with her later. The bus stop was rather close to our building which made it not-so-bad. Also, we had bunnies…pirate bunnies! Arrrrg, what’s up matey?

Upon my arrival at Animal Kingdom, the security guard, Smurfette, recognized my AllEars.Net shirt and pointed out that some Lion King topiaries had gone up overnight. In addition to the greenery I found Rafiki, the real-life Rafiki. With over an hour to run around taking photos for future blogs, I made my way through parts of Asia. New discoveries were made (you’ll have to wait for the photo blog), shopping was imminent although sans purchase transactions, and I melted in the high humidity.

lkb-92011-RafikinRafiki.jpg
If only Simba had been out I could have tried for a live reenactment of the topiary display.

Jack Spence and I co-hosted a meet-n-greet over at Dinosaur. We had a nice turnout of 15 people which far exceeded my anticipation of 2 plus Fred, my invisible friend who lives in my cousin’s dorm room at UCF. Jack held court for a while answering questions and talking about Disney parks and attractions. I lead our group through the queue pointing out and sharing bits of info no one else knew. For example, the holding room with the dinosaur, yeah, totally the inspiration for the movies “Night at the Museum” I & II.

The person who made the best face in the ride photo won an 8×10 print. The winner was…Nicholas! He’s the spikey-haired dude in the red shirt. Rock on! Dinosaur-ridephoto-blog.jpg
In case you’re wondering, yes, that’s Fred in the “empty” seat. I’ve already spoken to him about the importance of seatbelts.

I don’t always get to see Jack when I’m in town so getting some personal time together with him over lunch was priceless. We went our separate ways and I went in search of more photo opportunities around the park. Coming out from the restroom behind Yak and Yeti, I looked up to find skywriting which didn’t make any sense.

lkb-92011-Go.jpg
While some may think I’m missing a letter, I’m not. The whole thing actually read “Welcome Go”. Perhaps there was a race going on somewhere. A race to potties.

My hunt included one zebra cupcake at Kusafiri Coffe Shop and Bakery. As hot as it was, I sought out shelter from the sun at a nearby…hut…with a table top. Sadly, this was a really dumb move. Ladies and gents, it was a sauna. Once the yellow cake, buttercream frosting, and zebra chocolate shavings evidence was devoured, I stepped out and the air seemed a hundred degrees cooler. Ay, ay, ay.

A change of wardrobe was necessary. In one of the various shops I passed heading towards the exit, I stopped and picked up a 2-pack of socks. One pair had Mickey and the other had a freaky-looking version of Minnie. A clean T-shirt awaited me in the car.

On my way to where the air is sweat, I apparently missed the second exit for Epcot. There’s no doubt I took the first one because I distinctly remember following the signs but at some point, I missed the next one. That makes another “Lisa got lost” moment. Eventually, I made it to Epcot with additional time to cool down in the air conditioning.

Terri and I met up over by The Land which she already conquered but was willing to revisit. Being a Disneyland Resort snob, I just can’t get into Soarin’ Over California being held inside that building as one of several attractions alongside a food court and restaurant. I need my attraction inside a hangar with images of pilots lining the walls.

In short, we went to see Nemo and embark on a clam shell journey followed by spending time with Crush and Terri’s monstrous decision on which pins to buy. She had narrowed it down to 4 when her fiance called. I took the pins from her, handed one to the Cast Member, Lois, and paid for it. “Happy Birthday, Terri,” I said when her conversation ended. She thanked me and then bought the other 3 pins from Lois. Terri couldn’t find her sunglasses so Lois, being the good researcher that she is, made a call to see if Crush and/or Dory had it. They didn’t have it so we left with instructions to call Lost & Found sometime in the future.

No Michael Jackson for Terri. She’s not a fan. We did however find our imaginations as best we could with Figment. Guess what?! Other people were there, too. Yeah both ahead and behind us. It was crazy! The entire lot of us must have added up to a baker’s dozen.
lkb-92011-Figment.jpg
The background has been enhanced for your viewing pleasure.

Have you ever noticed that Mark Ballas wears a Captain EO shirt during rehearsals on Dancing with the Stars? He’s been wearing it for years.

What visit to Epcot is complete without a stop at Club Cool where the nicest people in the world turn into caffeinated evil-doers. It’s also where folks go to watch what happens when people stop being polite and start getting really…dangerous! If you know not of what I type, perhaps next time I’ll take you there. If you do in fact, get it, well then…thanks for the laughs.
lkb-92011-IceStationCool.jpg
Will they or won’t they?

I found Cast Member Carmen from Rhode Island in a shop bordering World Showcase Lagoon. We discussed Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene and the damage it did throughout New England including Vermont where her son lives. On a lighter note, Halloween merchandise was out and throughout the trip I went back and forth over whether or not to buy anything. Also, I only once found a bag of Halloween candy and I believe it was in one of those two shops by the water.

Next time: Part II – More Epcot and Downtown Disney

Find me on Facebook.

Trending Now

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

3 Replies to “Trip Report: Day Two – Part I/Animal Kingdom/Epcot”

  1. I love your trip report and couldn’t agree with you more on the wakeup call. It is old and needs to be changed. Each time we visit the World I do a fake wakeup calls just to see if it still has Stitch and sadly he is still always interrupting our pal Mickey Mouse!

  2. Luv your articles, Lisa. You have a great wit!

    Cheers!
    Lisa Z. from Ohio

    Lisa responds: Thank you for reading and writing me.

  3. It was nice to meet you at the Dinosaur meet and greet. We are in second row behind you and Fred. I was curious about your tactic for the room upgrade you got at Carribean Beach. What is your approach?

    Lisa responds: Thank you guys from joining us. I learned from some travel programs and magazines that whether it’s a hotel or car rental, if you are friendly without being annoying and ask nicely, you just might luck out. Belonging to membership programs helps as well but of course that doesn’t apply at Disney. Good luck!