Love it! I am looking forward to better weather on my next trip for a full day at AK myself. I forget how much distance there is in the park to just wander and look at lovely things. FotLK is a definite must do, perhaps twice.
Loooooove Animal Kingdom!!! It's so lovely and has so much to do and see and learn about!!!
And I think that there should still be lots for your Aunt to see in HS while you are adventuring. She would likely enjoy Ariel's Voyage Under The Sea and The Great Movie Ride, and wandering through the Hollywood Streets and shops.
We will have already dome GMR at this point, so I figure I'll send her off shopping on Sunset Blvd.
Ahh, so so close!! We're somewhere around 7 weeks (!!!) I seriously can't believe it, I'm so excited
I'm so excited too! I can't stand it!
We went to Trader Sam's in September and got souvenir glasses - highly recommended! I got the Mai Tai, and it came in a glass that has the new Polynesian tiki guy's face! It's awesome. My husband got the Polynesian Pearl, which comes in a plastic pearl glass. We both loved the drinks, and they were definitely not skimping on the alcohol
Funnily enough, those are the two of the ones I was eyeing the most closely! There's actually several I'm interested in, but I think the Mai Tai is a definite, because (1) I love me a Mai Tai anyhow, and (2) it's souvenir glass is the one I can most likely see myself possibly reusing. If I order anything else on the menu, I'll likely ask for it without the souvenir glass/cup, just to save money.
You're so close!!! This day sounds wonderful. Safari is easily one of my favorite rides, and I love getting an early one! Haven't seen FOTLK yet (I know...) and am hoping I get to see it maybe in 2017, since I don't think we'll be hanging out in AK much my next couple of trips :/
The safari is the BEST!!!
And Minnie's Holiday Dining!!!! I am a little sad we didn't manage to get reservations for something like this, but my budget is thanking me a lot
I can't wait to hear about it - characters in holiday costumes sounds like so much fun!!
I hope it's awesome! I'm really looking forward to reading some reports about it once it begins in November!
And really, Fantasmic is just the best. We're trying to fit it in on our December trip, but are having a hard time because we also want to see the lights!
So so excited for you! I know this trip is going to be amazing!
That's why I'm going 2 nights at HS, and doing one each night!
Hmm...I've heard that the lighting is really weird. Very dark and when the lights change colors, it can makes your eyes crazy I guess?
That's what I'm reading more about now! Huh! Okay, so maybe I should ask to NOT be in that room after all!
I could spend an entire day exploring Animal Kingdom and still not see everything! But it does seem like the park that is most easily sacrificed. It didn't make our quick trip agenda. Poor AK, no love!
No love!
That's okay. HS is usually my sacrificial lamb when required.
I wouldn't expect anything else! Any ideas for design this time?
None! I couldn't find a good photo of the options at AK!
So I'll have to decide on-the-spot!
Looooove, yay! I really feel like I should see the Nemo show too but I'm not sure I can give up FOTLK!
Would you believe I've never seen the Nemo show? I have it scheduled in on another day, but I've put it in a position where it can be cut if needed for time reasons. Puppet shows just don't intrigue me that much!
Me too!! I'm expecting a Christmas blow out! Great characters, yummy holiday food, music!
I sure hope it's as awesome as we're expecting it to be!!!
Hello there! I found my way here from one of Chicago Mo's threads. Glad I found it. Love how detailed you are in your plans. My family would probably shoot me if I tried to make them follow a plan like that. They already say I am "plancentric" the way it is. ROFL.
Hi there!!!
Normally my touring style isn't quite so structured, but I'm trying to squeeze a LOT in!
I decided to pop myself out of the shadows as I, like your aunt, am very sensitive to motion sickness. It is the bane of my Disney World existence. My sickness is so severe that I can't even help my husband when he is driving reading road signs in the car. I tried this once when we were coming home from Niagara Falls and we got turned around, so I was helping him keep an eye out for road signs in heavy traffic. As soon as we hit the highway and were back on track, I had to have him pull the car over and was sicker than a dog. I can't read in the car in any way, shape or form unless I am driving and then am ok with the road signs...I know weird, right. I can't ride ANY ride that goes in circles and can't watch any shows/movies/ or games that film or play in the 1st person perspective regardless of the size of the screen that I am watching them on. I tried to watch paranormal activity in the theaters and about 25 minutes in, had to leave and wait for my husband outside because it made me sick. I HAD to experience Mission Space Orange even if it was just a 1 time experience when it first opened. Mission space orange did not let me down... it went as expected, I came out clinging to hubby's arm because I couldn't walk strait, my stomach was a mess, I was light headed and felt like I was going to pass out, with only 1 of 3 motion sickness bags still unused clutched in my hand praying we found a bench to sit at soon or I was going to hit the floor and my daughter and husband both laughing their bums off at me with the "I told you so's" just rolling from their lips! I have even been persistent and tried Mission space Green. Although not as severe as Orange, I still came out clutching to those lovely motion sickness bags.
Oh man. I only have problems with things that spin, nothing else bothers me one bit. And I did Mission Space during soft opening. Back then, there was no Orange and Green. There was one line, and one version... And it was what we today know at Orange. The Green version was created because sooooooooooo many people were getting sick on it... Myself included. No sick bags were needed, but I remember be practically carried out, and deposited on the very first bench we found, and just laying across is for probably a good 20-30 minutes before I felt okay to continue our night. It was brutal!!!
I only mention this so you can understand the severity of my motion sickness and hopefully can help your aunt with Soarin. I was expecting to walk off this ride feeling absolutely awful... big screen, motion simulator, flying, big dips and plunges. All are a recipe for an attack of motion sickness, but I HAD TO experience this ride , just like I HAD to experience Mission space Orange. So I went on my first Soarin ride with the expectations that I would LOVE the ride, but it would not LOVE me back. I even went prepared with my own bags completely expecting to have to use them, but I had to experience this ride! I sat in that great big "chase lounge" and buckled in and I was just blown away. I just sat there with my feet dangling watching the scenes pass me by and the wind blowing in my hair. I was waiting... any minute now, it would hit me and my stomach would start rolling. The clouds floating by and then opening up on the Golden Gate Bridge, then the gentle change to the rafting scene...No huge plunges or fast movement, my stomach was doing OK... but I still was waiting, I knew it would roar it's ugly face soon enough. Faster over the water and the tree's open up to the hot air balloons, gliding easily, turning slowly, then the water crashing against the rocks... my stomach started getting a bit bubbly and I think, Here it comes, so I get prepared with the bag, just in case....Then it changed to the snow covered mountains and started going to the edge of the cliff. That part made my stomach a bit off, but I closed my eyes, because I knew if it flew off the edge of the cliff I would be done, but with in a couple seconds my stomach was back under control and I was watching water plunging from the cliff into the stone valley below and then, hey look, there is another glider in front of us, I watched that glider and it started to mess with me a bit again, so I just closed my eyes and again, with in seconds, it was back under control. The golf coarse goes by, The tree's, orange groves, mountains, jets, landing ships then to sea water crashing into a beach, faster, stomach starting to bubble again so I close my eyes and again, gone in a matter of seconds, then flashes to the night lights on the freeway going into the city. This...this made my stomach leap into my throat, but I was so en-captured by this ride by now, I didn't want to close my eyes, so I didn't and with in seconds, we were coming into Disney Land all aglow with lights and I forgot about my stomach and it settled all on its own. Then tinker bell and the fireworks and the soft landing and we were back on the ground. My stomach was a little shaken, but the amazement I was experiencing from the ride made it well worth it for me. I was so glad that I went on this ride. It is now one of my all time favorites. There are still times that I get off of it and my stomach is a little shaken... but some things that I have found that help are...
1. Eat something light before you ride. Not a full meal. A dry snack of some type about 20-30 minutes before you get on the ride. Granola bar, graham crackers, pretzels are a few of the things I have
eaten. These help absorb the acids from your stomach making it more stable for the ride.
2. Use some type of motion sickness medication. I use Motion Eaze. It is a liquid motion sickness medication that comes in a tiny bottle (I think it is maybe 1" tall) and you just put a drop or two on the tip
of your finger and rub it into the soft spot of your head behind both of your ear lobes. Do this about 45 minutes before you go on the ride. Like most other motion sickness meds, it does not make you
drowsy in ANY WAY. But it has a very short effectiveness time and it also has a terrible smell so put it on outside if at all possible, but the smell fades in 15-20 minutes. It helps a lot! You can re-apply it
often as well. Any ride you are uncertain about, just as a precaution, dab this on while in the wait Que and by the time you ride, it kicks in.
3. As someone else said earlier...close your eyes. The motion of the ride is gliding, not quick turns and jerks. So when you close your eyes, your mind re-associates with the fact that you are not flying and
it really helps with this ride unlike most where it makes it worse.
4. As soon as you are off the ride, go outside and sit for a few minutes in the fresh air. This should help any unease that you experience dissipate. Nothing like good ole fresh air.
5. Try having her watch a youtube video of the ride on a larger tv screen if you can ahead of time. It may take away some of the excitement of being new, but if she can't handle it at home on a TV screen, then odd's are, it will be a no go in the park where it is much more realistic.
WOW!!!!!! This is all AMAZING advice, thank you soooo much! I may even print this, and some of the other great replies I've gotten, for her to read. Hopefully she'll be willing to give it a try, and won't feel awful afterwards!
I also wanted to mention T-Rex for her. Amazing place to eat. Loved it so very much! However, when you check in, you may want to ask to NOT be seated in the Ice Age section. This section is VERY cool, but for those of us with severe motion sickness. It is great to look at and leave. We went there for our first meal of our last trip in December. Was the first time we were there and they were packed. We got sat in this room and at first I was just in Awe! However, after about 10 minutes in there, I started feeling sick. At first I thought it was just my stomach so I went to the restroom and splashed some water on my face and then I started feeling better. I was in there for maybe 5 minutes. Went back out to our table about 5 minutes later started feeling sick again. Finally realized it was the light effects they use in that room and the way it is so enclosed was actually making me motion sick. We asked to be moved to a different area as the lights were making me sick and once we were out of that room, my stomach settled and I was just fine.
Thank you SO much for this! I had intended on requesting this room because it looks so cool! But knowing this, I'll definitely request NOT to be in it!
I always say (or at least I always think that I should say)...
One man's half-day park is another man's two day park.
For me, MK and HS are one or more day parks, and AK and Epcot are both half-day parks. I know that most people would switch Epcot and HS on that list, and others think that AK is a full-day park or MK is for kids. Different people have different interests, and the great thing about Disney is that there's a full-day park for everyone!
You're so right! And yeah, HS is for sure usually my half-day park. (Or no-dday park if I'm on a super quick trip, like I did in April.)
Yay! Facepainting!
Do you have a particular design in mind?
Yes and no! I didn't go into much detail on that because it was hard to find a good photo of the design options at Animal Kingdom. The only picture I found wasn't great, and I think it might have been just the special Earth Day options. Though on it, I did see one that I know for sure is available year-round. So I familiarized myself with what I saw, and tentatively selected one, with the knowledge it might be totally different once I'm there in December! (I kinda hope not though, because I do really like the one I picked!)
So, here's a little Sarah family tidbit: FOTLK is my aunt's favorite attraction at Disney! I hope your aunt will love it too!
Your aunt has GREAT taste!
You've got 6 weeks to practice sleeping on your back so that you don't smudge the facepaint!
Girl, you're read my TRs, you know I can't sleep in a bed while on vacation. Maybe I'll try to just nap sitting on my
scooter in my room or something.
I have to say .... I'm totally looking forward to the TR so that I can read all about this! I'm really curious to see who will be there and what it's like!
I'm really curious about it too!! And I guess it's not going away after December, either! This is from the Disney Travel Agents portal...
Yay! Fantasmic! is such an awesome way to end the night!
It so is! I'm just a sucker for Disney's night time stuff!
I now fully expect to see a video on the TR including some nighttime mooing. Just so you know. I want to see that on video.
Hahaha! I'll see what I can do!
I went to Animal Kingdom for the first time last trip and really loved it! I can't wait to spend more time there in the future!!!
It's so great! And so underrated! I love it!
No Osborn lights this day???
Nope, already did it two nights prior to this one!
I am in LOVE with these plans!
Thanks! I'm pretty fond of them myself!
I am like the masses AK is a half day for us.. I know i know.
That's mine! You and the masses can vacate the park, and leave more room for me!
But HS?!?! THAT'S Awesome! Everything you posted is MY FAVORITE! i just adore HS. CANNOT wait for Star wars launch bay!!! Im such a nerd. I already bought my tickets for the Star wars movie! Yes i cannot wait for Star Wars land to open!!! finally something for the boys! YAY!!!
I like HS, but usually it's my half-day park. It's getting more time this year thanks to Star Wars Launch Bay, the Osborn Lights, and Minnie's Holiday Dining.
Loving the plans!! Any word as when Star Wars Launch Bay will be open?
No date yet, but I should think it will be open any day now. The last report said "by the end of this year," so surely they'll have it open ASAP as it's great promo for The Force Awakens!
I was hoping it would be open in time for our upcoming trip because I know Keith would LOVE it, but oh well we will definitely check it out in the Spring.
Same. If it's not open for us in December, no big deal, that's just a more leisurely evening we can have, and I'll check in out on my solo trip in October.
I had heard that the ice cave is the best! What have people said against it? Apparently I could use some more advice on this one! 
)
