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Thread: RobotMonkey and a bunch of bananas take a trip--June 7-16, 2013...Part 2

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    Custom Door Stop and Place Holder RobotMonkey's Avatar
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    RobotMonkey and a bunch of bananas take a trip--June 7-16, 2013...Part 2

    Well, I suppose I have no one to blame but myself. It has been many a long day...er, week...uh, month....year(?) since I posted. I find the original thread has been closed. I shrug, defeated. Bested by my own hubris. Honestly, I thought this trip report was closed as well...until last week. When what should the box fairies place before my weary eyes? My notebook containing my trip notes! I was overjoyed and dare I say...filled with nostalgia and a desire to share my memories. So, I promise to continue and conclude my own personal odyssey to the...The House of Mouse, Florida. The two of you still caring about this, one of which is probably a family member incognito (I am looking your way, Mom...) will be excited to have closure. The rest of you, well it should give you something to read in between filling out those TPS Reports and dodging Lumberg before he asks you to work this weekend. That said, I am typing it up as we speak and should have it ready for human consumption in a few days. And if you need a recap as to where we are at in the story, turn your eyes this way:

    http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/show...June-7-16-2013

    As always, thanks for enduring my utterly slacker type ways.

    "...a good and wholesome thing is a little harmless fun in this world; it tones a body up and keeps him human and prevents him from souring."

    ----Mark Twain

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    Custom Door Stop and Place Holder RobotMonkey's Avatar
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    Day 6 – Wednesday, June 12, 2013 – In which we get wild and beastly, Disco Yeti, and an ancient Chinese secret is learned

    Once again, our phone rings in the morning. Once again, it’s our old pal Mike W. And once again, we run late. This morning, the plan is to run wild with the beasts of Animal Kingdom. It is also where we think we might engage in this madness known as “Extra Morning Magical Hours”. But owing somewhat to the previous day’s medical emergency with Stitch (who is feeling slightly better and committed to soldiering on), we get a later start. Now personally, I am okay missing the Extra Hours but I had wanted to see the Rope Drop Ceremony as that was on my checklist. And yes, for those keeping score at home, we had only allotted two days for EPCOT so I missed that one. And now missing Animal Kingdom, the scorecard reads as such:

    Missing Rope Drop
    0

    Making Rope Drop
    2

    With only two more chances, would I be successful at least once? Inquiring minds want to know! Stay tuned!

    So, jumping a bus from Pop Century to AK is uneventful and relatively pain free. We arrive and decide to hit Kusaferi for morning munchables. While we head that way, Ariel and Minnie head off for FP to Kali River Rapids. They rejoin us at Kusaferi and we proceed to eat our bounty. Everybody has….food. Of varying types and quantity. I had some iced coffee. It wasn’t bad. I think there was a cinnamon roll the size of a baby dingo. It was tasty (the roll, not the dingo…good lord, I have no idea how they taste…like chicken?). Suitably nourished, we head over to Kali. We arrive before our FP window has opened so we watch the nearby monkeys. They do monkey things. We are entertained by their antics. As we are leaving to get on Kali, I glimpse about one hundred of them sitting in front of typewriters, pounding away at the keys. One of the written pages says something about some guy name Yorick and how he was well known. Looked like a script or something. Moving on…

    We ride Kali, taking care to store our valuables in plastic bags in the middle drum of the raft first. Some get more wet than others but I achieve virtual dryness. That sounds like a commercial for skin lotion, but it’s true. Dunno how it happened. My verdict on Kali? It’s ok. Nothing that I would ever wait a long time for. To me, it just seemed really short. Mrs. RM agreed. We actually had more fun soaking other riders from the bridge. Bonus time occurred when some sort of traffic jam happened and there were just rafts sitting there. Lots of people got wet.

    After Kali, we made a beeline for Flights of Wonder while Ariel and Minnie again went to get FP for Expedition Everest. We caught the show (and were reunited with the girls just before it began) and everyone really liked it. The birds were cool and we were right in the flight path of the one that flies over the audience (I felt its feathers brush past me, I promise!). It was a great show and no one was killed and/or eaten (that was my way of telling whether an attraction was good or not).

    We next headed to Dinosaur. As we arrived, we saw the line as well as the time which said 90 minutes. Not crazy about the wait but our Expedition FP window didn’t open till later in the afternoon. So if we were gonna ride Dinosaur, it was now or never. We got in line and endured the gauntlet of Florida style heat. After only a 50 minute wait (I guess that’s better…?), we are loaded into our own rovers to journey into the past. In a surprise turn of events unprecedented since the attraction opened, we fail in our mission to secure the last iguanodon and even lose a few members in the process. Luckily though, we are able to engage in some time travel shenanigans that include us saving the world, attempting to correct the timeline after creating an alternate world where Walt Disney had created the lovable Lickey Louse and other adventures in quantum entanglements with the end result being we retrieved everyone and ended the ride as we were supposed to. Crisis averted.

    Speaking of crisis, it was time to eat. We had decided to try out Flame Tree BBQ since it gets such good reviews. Now, full disclosure: I am a bit of a BBQ snob. Growing up in Texas, it’s hard not to be. Good BBQ can be found in just about every small town in the Lone Star State, some better than others. So, I was skeptical that a counter service eatery in a Central Florida theme park could serve good BBQ. We were pleasantly surprised. I wouldn’t say it was the best I’ve ever had but it was pretty good. Everyone pretty much agreed (except poor Stitch, who was still recovering from his bout with the Plague) that is was good. I really liked the seating arrangement with the different areas and views provided. Even the condiments station with different sauces was pretty cool.

    Our bellies full and BBQ stains on our clothing and faces, we waddled over to It’s Tough To Be A Bug. I was less excited about this because I can’t stand insects. They freak me out. And I knew about some of the interactions during the show so I was wary. Entering the lobby of the theater, I looked at the many posters adorning the walls and appreciated the wit that had gone into their creation. Very humorous and well done. When the doors opened, we filed in and took a seat in the back. It was a full house, to use some theatre jargon. I needn’t have worried about the bugs. It was an amusing show and our group enjoyed it. We left the theater and began our walk to Everest. Along the way, we lost Ariel and Minnie as they ran over to Kilmanjaro Safari to secure our FP for it. They rejoined us as we stood outside the FP queue for Everest.

    Now, I was excited about Everest. I had been excited to ride it since I had first seen the Discovery program on its making years ago. It looked amazing and it didn’t disappoint in person. The queue is well done too. Lots of detail. Eventually, we board our train and begin our trek to base camp but we get sidetracked. We have a blast on our wild ride through the mountain and even catch a glimpse of that legendary icon of the 70’s, Disco Yeti. As we exit our train, it’s decided it was worth the wait. It’s a great ride and wish we could have done it again. One thing: Disco Yeti. I know some people are disappointed this feature hasn’t been fixed and I understand why Disney has been reluctant to fix it. Everest is the “E-Ticket Ride” for Animal Kingdom and to fix the Yeti (as I understand it) would require a rather lengthy downtime. A park that already fights against the view it is “half day park” losing its signature attraction could hurt the bottom line. I am hoping with the upcoming debut of Pandora (which I am not a big fan of but that is a diatribe for another day) that management will revisit this idea as it should help shoulder some of the “E-Ticket” responsibility and could take the idea of an extended refurbishment. That said, Disco Yeti doesn’t detract from the ride experience for me or anyone in our group. Also, I want a Disco Yeti T-Shirt.

    Off we go again and decide it’s time for a tasty beverage. Specifically, a frozen chai tea for me! Goodness, such deliciousness in a plastic cup. I don’t remember what everybody else got but they were jealous of my tea and I taunted them mercilessly. I eventually slipped and fell and was beaten senseless by a roving band of monkeys on their way to a meeting with high powered Hollywood players to produce a script they had completed that very day. After I gathered up what shreds of my dignity remained, I noticed music. At first, I considered I might be concussed from my beating. Then I realized it was a dance party of Bhangra music. This was even better. I love Bhangra! One of the many artists I like is MC Punjabi and they even sampled some of his music for this! Even cooler was Tinkerbell wanted to dance (Minnie kinda joined her but wasn’t especially interested) so we got pics of her learning the moves. Really cool moment.

    After much dancing, we split up briefly. Goofy and I wanted to do the Maharajah Jungle Trek while Ariel, Minnie and Tinkerbell wanted to do Pangani Forest. I wanted to do both but knew we wouldn’t have time as our Safari FP window approached. So off we went on our separate ways while Mrs. RM and Stitch found somewhere to sit down. Goofy and I enjoyed our walk, got some great pics and talked to some of the “villagers” as well as getting “up close and personal” with the wild life. Good experience.

    We met back up outside KiImanjaro and got in the FP line. Apparently there was some sort of back up which increased our wait but we didn’t mind. We finally loaded up in our truck and off we went. What an amazing ride! At one point, one of the rhinos got in the road and we waited until he was off. Lots of great pics were taken as well. Everyone in our little group really enjoyed this. Afterwards, we were gonna try to check out Rafiki’s Conservation Station but we had missed the last train and they were closed for the day. We decided at that point to begin meandering out of the park. Stitch was being a trooper but he was still suffering the after effects of the previous day’s illness. On the way, we stopped for ice cream. After our brief respite on a couple of benches and our snacks suitably consumed, we made our way to the buses and then back to the Pop.

    It was decided to order pizza for the rooms and relax for the rest of the evening. We did, which meant me and a few others were sitting in the lobby waiting for it. Pizza consumed, everyone showered and resting, it was time to begin relaxing and recharging for the next day….except for one tiny hitch: Laundry. Namely, it needed to be done. Mrs. RM’s plan was to wake early and do it before we began the day’s activities. Well, I am not much of a morning person and honestly, I prefer to knock that kinda stuff out sooner rather than later. So, it was decided I would take care of me and boy’s laundry that night and Mrs. RM would tackle theirs in the morning. Off I trundle to the laundry room, carrying mine and the boy’s dirty lemon, looking like some vacationing hobo, I suppose. I get things going and then I realize there are no places to sit. I suppose I could leave and come back but I am apprehensive about leaving our stuff unattended. So I pull out my recent birthday gift, a new Kindle, and find a place to sit on the floor. This only works for a while as the floor is not very comfortable, much to no one’s surprise. So I get up and lean against a table but by this point, I am tired from a full day of activities. Fast forward a few hours of reading and alternately moving around….and I am out of quarters and dollars. It is probably after 1:30 by this point and most of the laundry is complete except for the last load is still pretty damp. I decide I have no choice but to haul my load back to the room and just do what I can to dry the clothes. I somehow make it back to the room and collapse into the bed. At some point during the night, a band of gypsies sweeps through and leaves our room looking like something out of a 1902 tenement building with damp clothes strung out over available surface. I am too tired to care. My actual notes say: “…Dog tired.” Good night, World….

    RobotMonkey’s Lesson Learned
    I know now making Rope Drop is harder than it seems. I know that the ladies love Disco Yeti. And I am glad Walt created Mickey Mouse, not Lickey Louse. The House of Louse? That just makes my head itch…
    "...a good and wholesome thing is a little harmless fun in this world; it tones a body up and keeps him human and prevents him from souring."

    ----Mark Twain

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    Custom Door Stop and Place Holder RobotMonkey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RobotMonkey View Post
    Off I trundle to the laundry room, carrying mine and the boy’s dirty lemon, looking like some vacationing hobo, I suppose.
    Uh, I can unequivocally assure I did not have a dirty lemon but rather dirty laundry. I don't even know what that means. But I did look like some caricature of a hobo, complete with ragged clothing, cheap cigar, stubble and a broom handle with a red handkerchief tied up on the end like a little pouch. Apologies for the weird typo.
    "...a good and wholesome thing is a little harmless fun in this world; it tones a body up and keeps him human and prevents him from souring."

    ----Mark Twain

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    Custom Door Stop and Place Holder RobotMonkey's Avatar
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    Sorry it's been awhile since I posted but I genuinely have some real world excuses this time. Right after I did the last entry, I was an unfortunate casualty of the oil downturn and was consequently, let go. So, most of my time has been spent looking for new employment and dealing with some other real world events. But I promise, I will soon put finger to keyboard and finish this thing. Thanks again for everyone's patience and understanding.

    "...a good and wholesome thing is a little harmless fun in this world; it tones a body up and keeps him human and prevents him from souring."

    ----Mark Twain

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    Good luck in the hunt for new employment


  7. #6
    Registered User Silvercat's Avatar
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    Oh, good luck getting a new job! Sorry to hear of your being laid off (it happens to the best of us!).

    However, no pressure or anything, but ....... *Silvercattappingwatchface* ..........

    Silvercat

    (Enjoy reading trip reports? Why not try my books, "Tiggerific Travels" - all 4 books available now as e-books)

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