June 99 - Day 3

Monday, June 28, 1999 - Day 3

(As our Saga continues, the Canetti family, having traveled the world in EPCOT and experienced the storms of the Sunshine State, now find themselves headed towards the jungles of Animal Kingdom.) The alarm went off at 8:00. Trouble is none of us set it! It must have been set by the previous occupant, but in a way, they did us a favor. While everyone else got dressed, I drove over to the Hospitality House to return the tape we borrowed and buy a USA Today to catch up on the MLS action from the weekend (I can’t live without my soccer.) Today was Animal Kingdom day. We walked to the Turtle Pond stop and the AK bus arrived pretty soon afterwards. The bus driver had to take a detour through Disney Institute. I was never clear on whether this was a normal midday route or a special case. I had decided after two days, that I couldn’t continue to walk with my foot injury, it was too painful and it definitely wasn’t getting any rest, so I rented an Electric Convenience Vehicle (ECV). They are $40 a day, which includes a $10 deposit you get back. Plus, if you go to another park, all you have to do is give back the $10 deposit after showing your receipt. So, now after yelling at my family to "wait up!", I had to start slowing down for them. These ECVs, when fully charged can go at a fast walking pace. And watch out going downhill.
Having heard talk about the new Tarzan show, I asked a CM about it and was told that there would be a soft opening starting July 2^nd. So, I made a mental note to come back later in the week. Our first stop was going to be the Kali River Rapids, but ride board showed that it was temporarily closed. So, we headed to Countdown To Extinction. The line queued up to go in the exit. I asked a CM why and was told that they were changing the entrance to add more cover over the queue lines. Great idea. We definitely need more of that in the Florida heat. Now that I was looking at WDW from a different perspective, I got an appreciation for what handicap access really means. While fairly maneuverable, some queue line turns had to be taken just so, if you didn’t want to have to go into reverse and suffer bringing attention to yourself with that annoying horn. CTE’s inside queues was definitely one case. After leaving CTE and posing with a fellow traveler, we went to Asia and Anandapor. We stopped for ice cream. I waited in the shade while they bought it and noticed a line was queuing up for Kali River Rapids, which told me it had reopened. I shouted out to Seth that I was going to get on line and they joined me with the ice cream. Even though the wait time said one hour, it really was only 35-40 minutes and mostly in the shade. Again, once you get under cover where the railings are, turns were pretty tough to take with the ECV, at			Outside Countdown To Extinction
Statues on the line for Kali River Rapids	least for a novice. At first Judy was going to wimp out of this one, but we all convinced her to try it and guess who got the "back" seat and got wettest? (obviously, in a round vehicle like the one they use on the rapids, back is a relative term. In this case, back is the person who is facing backwards as you drop down the slide.) For people who haven’t ridden the rapids yet, a place is provided in the middle to place belongings you don’t want to get wet. We all took off our sneakers and socks and stuffed them in along with the backpacks. There is plenty of room and enough time before you get going. Our only complaint was the ride was too short. We walked through the Maharaji Jungle Trek. When we went in December, it was too cold for the Komodo dragon, but not this time. He was out there sunning himself. The bat exhibit was closed however, since last night’s storm knocked out power. It was 2:30 now, so we headed toward the Camp Minnie-Mickey and the Festival of the Lion King for the 3:45 show. Since we had some time and there was no line on It’s Tough To be A Bug, we decided to take it in since it was on the way. By the
	Left: The Komodo Dragon finds his warm spot Right: One of the tigers poses for the guests
time we got out and made our way to the Lion King, it was already 3:30. Here the ECV became an advantage as the handicap seats were in front and we got a third row seat in the giraffe section. I love this show! We had a priority seating for the Rainforest Cafe at 4:30 and headed over there. Even though we got there 20 minutes early, We were seated within 5 minutes. This was the kids’ first time at the cafe and they enjoyed it. Sara had the Paradise Flatbread Pizza, Judy had the Sunset Salmon (plain), Seth had the Plant Sandwich, Elana the Cha Cha Pasta and I had the BBQ shrimp. Judy has strict dietary requirements, since she has a problem with reflux, and the server was very accommodating. He worked very hard to find a vegetable she could have instead of what the menu called for. On our way out, I asked to speak to the Asst. Manager and told him how pleased I was with the service.
		We went back to the room for a break and had a belated birthday cake for Seth. Judy had picked up a Carvel cake at Goodings. We were talking about going to Disney Quest, but decided to go to the Magic Kingdom instead. We hit our traditional rides first, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and the Tomorrowland Raceway (when did it change its name from Grand Prix?) After the Raceway, we went to the restroom by the Tomorrowland Traders and when we came out, the fireworks were starting. We had a perfect view, standing by the Traders and under the TTA track. The fireworks seemed framed by the Tomorrowland surroundings. We headed toward Fantasyland and the new Winnie the Pooh Ride. For this ride, I had to transfer to a wheelchair and Seth had the privilege of pushing me around. The wait was 30 minutes and like most of the rides in Fantasyland, moved quickly. Elana tells me to appreciate the ride I have to watch the video tape she has at home. It was now 11:00. We tried to get to Haunted Mansion before it closed, but were too late. Everyone was lining up for the Main Street Parade, so we headed over. A CM pointed us to a wheelchair area. We had excellent seats for the parade.