[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by dac921

wonderful TR - love the pictures.... but I must say...





MORE... I NEED MORE!!!

It's on the way! Thanks!

[packerbeth]

After our favorite show, it was time to use up some EE FPs! I believe I was a kind and generous wife, and let Rick go on first. Rose decided that one visit with the Yeti was enough for her lifetime, so it would only be Rick and me braving the mountain this trip. When it was my turn, I took video of the entire ride, but unfortunately I lost the file when I ran out of space on my memory stick and had to transfer the pictures to a CD. We thought the movies would transfer, as well, but they must not have. I’m not sure what other videos I lost.

I did take some pictures while I was on the ride, though.







The view from the top of the mountain, looking to the right...


...and to the left.

After each of us went on once, we both went on again! This time, I asked for the front row, and only had to wait one cycle to do it! If you ever get the chance, sit in the front row. It makes the ride all the more awesome, especially when you're looking at this:


But the best part is when you've gone backwards in the dark, and you're waiting to go forward again. The track in front of you flips completely over! It doesn't just rotate, it flips OVER! Wow, is it cool! I encouraged Rick to try it, as we had one FP left, but it was already past 6:00 so he needed a wristband before they would let him on the ride. We hadn’t seen any places to get the wristbands, so they directed us to go towards Yak & Yeti to get them. It was quite a walk, and there was a huge line, but they had several CMs handing them out, so we didn’t wait long. We had a lovely conversation with a CM there, a very personable older gentleman; I forget what we talked about, but he really made me feel like he enjoys his job!

While we were there, this lovely CM named Indira noticed Christian’s birthday button, and asked if she could sing to him in her native language!

We saw her later, and she remembered Christian's name and called out happy birthday to him again!

We were all hungry, and since we were heading that way already, we decided to head to dinner. We had eaten at Flame Tree BBQ the last time we were here, and while it was good, I wanted to try something different. There are only a few counter service places in AK, and I didn’t think my kids would go for Yak & Yeti, so I had chosen Pizzafari. It turned out to be one of the most fun meals we had all week. There weren’t very many people in there, the food was decent, and we just sat there for a long time, laughing, eating, enjoying each other’s company.


Two of the girls got spaghetti with meatballs, and one got PB&J. Rick and I both got the Chicken Parmesan sandwich, which is huge! They had frozen lemonade available for dessert, so I had the strawberry while Rick chose the regular. They were delicious on this hot day! The décor in this restaurant is very interesting and each room has a different theme; I had read about it in the Imagineer’s guide to the AK. Here’s what it looked like where we ate:


While we were there, I realized we were going to miss the last Lion King show. We were having such a great time together, I didn't want to rush off to do something else, so I just decided that we'd catch it next time. We had all seen it before, and I'm sure it will still be around whenever we make it back to AK!

Up next, up close and personal with the Tree of Life!

[Prezcatz]

Keep it coming!!! This TR is so good!!!

Prezcatz Paul

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by Prezcatz

Keep it coming!!! This TR is so good!!!

Prezcatz Paul

Thanks for reading! I probably won't have another update until tomorrow.

[alicefan]

Originally Posted by packerbeth

Glad you're enjoying it, AliceFannybanany! Thanks for your kind words.

Ooh, your Joey started young! What should we call our club, and should it have an age limit? I think there are some dads out there who could be in that club!

We definately should not have an age limit for our club! Those dads should be ashamed!!!

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by alicefan

We definately should not have an age limit for our club! Those dads should be ashamed!!!

Oh, I don't think moms are exempt...I drooled a little bit over John Smith when I met him last month. You'll have to wait for the P & P Party day for that picture...

[cinderbella]

Originally Posted by packerbeth

Ooh, your Joey started young! What should we call our club, and should it have an age limit? I think there are some dads out there who could be in that club!

And husbands..The Dave got to choose any place he wanted to eat and I would go without griping and he picked Princess Storybook Dinner in Norway. He insists it's not for the princesses..whatever.

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by cinderbella

And husbands..The Dave got to choose any place he wanted to eat and I would go without griping and he picked Princess Storybook Dinner in Norway. He insists it's not for the princesses..whatever.

That is funny! You go, Dave!

[missymouse]

I've said before that my FIL loves the belly dancers at Marrakesh, and he doesn't make any bones about it! We just love giving him a hard time.

[Goofy3230]

Beth, I'm still loving this report! Your family is so sweet, enjoying each other's company, what a concept!

My DD (11) and I don't handle the heat too well and after spending a day in it, we get a little cranky. We don't even want to look at each other some days, lol (just kidding).

I can't wait to read more.

[dznygrl]

Beth, this trip report just gets better and better!

I have to agree, you ARE a very gracious wife for letting Rick go on EE first...especially after you had just dealt with TWO potty breaks in the middle of Nemo!

Looking forward to the next update!!

[packerbeth]

After dinner, I wanted to take the kids to see the Tree of Life up close. Last September, Stacy and I spent about 45 minutes taking all kinds of pictures of the animals on the tree and it was one of the highlights of my trip. The kids had seen all the pictures, of course, and I really wanted them – and Rick – to be able to see it all for themselves. The Tree is my favorite park icon. There is something so majestic about it, and the number of hours of work and the talent it took to carve all of those animals is just so awe-inspiring. On my last trip, I had found a couple of “secret” trails, by which I mean you won’t see anyone else while you’re down there, where you get closer and closer to the tree until you’re able to touch it. These are the trails I wanted to show my family, so off we went! We saw these flamingos as we made our way toward the tree.





Well, I’m happy to say that they enjoyed it as much as I did. Each time we turned the corner, the girls would see a new animal, and cry out, “Look! There’s a dolphin!” or “Oh, I see a rhino!” just as I had last September. It was really fun to share it with them. Here are just a few pictures.


I wish we could have gotten a better view of this elephant. Not sure what they were doing.


I have a picture similar to this one, but Rick is picking the rhino's nose. I won't post that one!


I love the color of the flower against the trunk.





Up next: another cool CM story...

[b1wife]

I love all the Tree of Life pics! It is also one of my favorite park icons, but we never seem to spend enough time at AK to explore. I had no idea you could get so close and even touch it! Maybe on our next trip...

[dznygrl]

Wow I need to explore those trails next time! The Tree of Life is my favorite icon too; I just think it is so beautiful and - you said it - majestic.

How can you access these trails?

[dancing4disney]

What wonderful pictures of the tree!