Animal Kingdom & Pirates dinner show

Well we needed to be all up early today – and fortunately we all are – including Stef!

Animal Kingdom Logo

We need to get to Animal Kingdom early – so that we can go on the Kilimanjaro Safari – and see the animals kind of active – too late in the morning and they will all be hiding from the sun and heat. After a worrying journey – where the signs for the Animal Kingdom appear and then disappear and re-appears all in the space of maybe a mile on the road through Walt Disney World, we arrive and park up, and walk towards the entrance.

Arrive at the entrance – and straight in – no queuing for our tickets here…Decide to aim for the safari straight away – arrive and the queue is already 30 minutes, but join because this is the only real time that you might see any animal action.

The first year we came to Florida was the year that Animal Kingdom opened, and it was fairly poor – on the safari you could see all the wires that made up the compounds – keeping the animals apart – and none of the shrubbery or trees had had a chance to grow. 2000 was better – so we hoped that 2007 would be even better!

Unfortunately the good surroundings were let down by guide that we had – as he drove around (much too fast I might add) – he was always "saying back there is…" as opposed to telling us in advance. Also that he must have done the trip ten times already when we entered the truck – you would have thought he would have said – the best view are out of the left side, rather than not saying anything.

Kilimanjaro Safari

Once we were in the bush it became apparent that everything was to the left – and Andy had sat towards the right! It was a real pain in that everything you might have wanted to see he had driven past, and then told us about it. Not the best ever safari we have been on…

Expedition Everest

Finish our safari very disappointedly and go the Pangani Forest trail as always a pleasant walk with animals to watch. The gorillas were all asleep –and the tigers weren't really at their best, but it is still a nice walk.

Out of the forest and where to next? – there is a new ride and Andy wants to ride it– Expedition Everest!

It is a roller coaster - - a really quick one – that even sees us going backwards! Everyone enjoys it – even Stef! It is very exciting – and even I like it loads.

Animal Kingdom map

Kali River rapids is a water ride – and boy do we get wet. It is really weird to see people going on a water ride – and putting their waterproofs on! Kinda defeats the object if you ask me – especially as it is already very hot.

The kids go on another roller coaster in Primeval Whirl – which is really quick apparently. Anita and I sit this one out!. Onto Dinosaur – another great ride.

We go off and trek towards the "tree of life" which is in the middle of the park. Inside there is a great 3-D show – "It's tough to be a bug." We have all seen this before – but Stef hasn't (remember her fear of spiders!) Well a large spider turns up and she screams. Hehehe – We all enjoy it – yes even Stef is smiling once it is over. It is worth the 30 mins wait.

Andy & Stef with a green mate
outside of the Rainforest Cafe

We have managed to see all we wanted to see in the park, and are feeling a touch hungry – so its off to our favourite watering hole in Animal Kingdom – Rain Forest Café! We first ate there when Stan came and joined in – way back in 2000. We had decided that as there was things on the menu tonight that the kids probably wouldn't eat we'd make sure that they had a bigger lunch than maybe they should. Oh how glad I am that we did that. The food was glorious and our server very efficient. The kids have spotted that there are flashing cocktail glasses and ask if they may have one of the glasses each with milkshakes! Of course they could at a cost! So we buy them for the kids.

Lunch is consumed quite quickly, and we head back home to chill for a couple of hours before we need to go to the Pirates show. The kids all head off towards the pool, and Anita looks very tired – so I tell her to go and lie on the bed and read. I then proceed to fall asleep in front of the telly! A full tummy often makes me feel sleepy – not to mention the three beers that I had!

Well Andy comes home first – he has no key card – so bangs on the door. Unfortunately I can sleep through just about most things, and don't hear him till the second louder set of bangs occurs. I get up to let him in – only to find out that Anita was not sleeping in the bedroom – she had jumped in the bath – only to get out to let Andy in. She was not happy – so I was sent to the doghouse!

The girls return a touch later and we all get ready to go out for our dinner show. Drive up I-Drive, and make the correct turn-off. We get out of the car – and walk around to the front of the building, where the show is to be performed.

The maitre-d greets us – and asks if we want to upgrade to be VIP guests – only $25.00 per person – we get better food n the pre-show, a more personal experience, guaranteed to be part of the show, personal meet with the princess, a hat and some treasure to keep – the list seemed endless……

VIP badge for the Pirates show

So we upgraded, and were given a gold VIP badge, and told to wait until we were called. 15 Minutes later and all the VIP guests are called into the auditorium. As we enter we have our picture taken (no surprise there- any chance to get more money off us!). We are shepherded into a separate room, away from the rabble, and take a table. I go to the bar and buy drinks for us all. They get out some starters, which are ok – but nothing to rave about. Anita, Andy, Stef and I have a plateful each, and Lauren doesn't bother.

The crew at the Pirates show (Me with my chopper in my hand!)

The pre-show begins outside, but we are pulled back into the room, so cant understand exactly what is happening out in the "real world". The princess comes into the room, and goes around all the tables – bar ours! She goes back out to join the "rabble" – and more pre-show is done without us seeing what is occurring…..

We are then escorted into the main auditorium, and shown to our seats, where we get to meet our server for the night. She runs around giving us her name, and saying that she will be serving us – and that the drinks will be here shortly. We all have our hats – but not everyone has the jewellery promised!

A pirate

The auditorium is quite large – with a ship in water in front of us – and there are benches all around the ship. Out of the rigging of the ship drops a pirate – wearing red – called Cut-throat Jake. He is quite frightening, well to Stef if no-one else. He is looking for volunteers to take part in some games – and chooses Andy to do one. He tries to get Stef – but she shies away. Anita tells him he is frightening her (Stef) and that maybe he should leave her alone. He thinks about it for a minute and then says "Oi mouth – come here – I like you already!" She becomes the guinea pig for the second "trial".

The show continues from where the pre-show started – shame we don't know what's going on as there might be a story in here somewhere – you never know.

Our drinks arrive, as does some salad, but unlike any other show they don't leave the beer jug anywhere near me – just fill up my three-quarter pint glass, and I managed to fill one other glass too. Then the beer was off – and the coke was fairly similar. I begin to eat the salad, and the first game gets underway. Bad timing for Andy as his task (should he accept it…. lol) is to pass a ball through all the hands of all the red team. Unfortunately all of the red team are busy stuffing their faces with salad and don't want to play games! Andy loses his task, and is none too happy.

    

Anita & Gordon at the Pirates

Anita then gets called up to play her game, which she wins very easily, although one of the girls having to run the flags up to the top of the sails was confused as her loop to add the flag too was at the top before she started – so Anita told her to bring it down before the game began! Smart woman my wife!

The salad was pretty poor – and was whisked away – and then the main course appeared. As mine turns up at the table, one of the pirates comes over and decides that I should be keel-hauled. So I am led away in rope – much to everyone else's fun! I am made to go on the ship – across a very wobbly plank bridge – noting that the water is probably about 10 feet deep! I am then made a fool of – in front of all the audience (hey it wasn't even acting as far as I am concerned!). There were two of us and we were told to look after the kids who were about to come on board – "make sure they don't fall overboard". Here is me not being a swimmer being asked to be a lifeguard! The kids all pile on – and we do a dance (or as Anita and everyone keeps on reminding me a little wiggle!).

Andy at the Pirates

I am returned to my seat to find my dinner is now cold, and definitely not very edible! Don't think it was that when its hot even, giving the comments by all – including Anita! Another round of drinks – and the beer jug goes off – never to be seen again! Everyone of the group is involved – Stef and Lauren as serving wenches, and Andy joins all the other "little boys" in being a redcoat soldier. He is head and shoulders above any of the others even his redcoat doesn't do up behind his back!

The show continues – loads of mock fighting, a bit of trampolining, a couple of songs, all done very amateurishly. In fact you could say very poorly done! Then the show comes to an end – still not sure what the story was about – and we can go out into the waiting area where there is a disco going on, and you can meet some of the characters from the show.

We go out take a quick look around and decide that enough is enough – and quickly jump in the car, and head back towards the hotel, and bed.