Disney's Hollywood Studios

Our plan to be right at the front of line didn't quite get executed as well as expected, but we made it to the entrance before opening time of 9am which was what counted! As soon as we were allowed in, we made a bee line for Toy Story Mania, with our fastpass runners sent off to obtain fastpasses for Rock'n'Rollin Coaster. We had three extra members join our group last night as our numbers swelled to 18...

Trying to organise the group to move quickly

Yes we made it before the gates opened....close enough to the front. Yay!

The rest of the day was spent in a flurry of activity. The group was moved around the park very quickly so it was difficult to take photographs! We aimed to cover the major highlights today and managed to do it comfortably even with the little ones. Lunch was a delightfully retro affair at Sci-fi Dine-in. The children thought it a treat and their eyes were glued to the big screen for most of the meal which made for happy parents who could eat in peace! As a recommendation, the cookies and cream milkshake was pretty darn good but it was VERY filling...

Guess which ride!?!?!

One of my favourite rides

I'm always running after everyone!

Lunch time!

Transfixed on the screen

Yes the milkshakes are good!

The specialty, artichoke dip, not too bad!

And the birthday celebrations continue!

No car stunt show would be complete without Lightning McQueen

The boys desperately wanted to be picked as a volunteer

Playing games with the toy soldiers

One last photo with Goofy Santa before heading out of the park

We plugged on in the park until 4:30pm when we headed back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner reservation at Boma. The African themed buffet offered a good variety of tasty dishes. The famed soups did not disappoint and neither did the Zebra dome. The adults re-discovered the joys of rootbeer and our poor waitress had to change half the drink orders to root beers. She must have thought we were a group of deprived people...

The magnificent Jambo House

View of the savanna out of those amazing windows never cease to take your breath away

The Animal Kingdom version of the childrens television area

Everyone having a great time at dinner. Notice all the root beers...

The pumpkin cheesecake on the left and the famed zebra dome on the right

The children trying to spot animals using the night vision goggles

It was then a leisurely walk back to Kidani Village where we did some night time animal gazing with night vision goggles. By this time, we were all pooped but psyched for another long day at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow.

Addendum:
It was rather remiss of me to not have mentioned that we had our first "lost child" incident today! The lost child was the eldest of the pack who had conveniently stopped at a penny press machine while the rest of the pack was madly running to the Indian Jones Stunt Show. Uncle Mal went out to look for him and he was fortunately found quickly. It appears he may have been spared a rather large scolding from his mother at Uncle Mal's request. He has since formed a "bond" with Uncle Mal. I will follow you, follow you whereever you may go.(even to have pictures taken with Mike and Sully...

Blizzard Beach

This morning we farewelled our Victorianesque home and welcomed Africa. It was another leisurely morning as we moved to our next DVC villa. Bell services had the honour of moving our luggage for us whilst we enjoyed the sunshine at Blizzard Beach. The weather was perfect, warm but not too hot, with a cool breeze. It was shame that Summit Plummit was closed as the boys (read Malcolm) were really forward to it. We had fun nonetheless. Lunch was a simple affair of hotdogs and the whole group had one last slide together before we got changed for our next challenge...mini-golf. Half the group tackled the summer course and the other half went on the winter course in an attempt to get through the rounds quickly. We made it to the bus stop right on time to board our bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

That's a lot of sugar!

The famous gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian

Waiting for our bus

There it is!

Blizzard Beach. Summit Plummit which was unfortunately closed

I thought I'd get myself acquainted with this particular place. Fortunately I didn't end up needing to visit it

Yes that ungainly chicken like looking creature would be my youngest son having the time of his life

The big boys had fun too

Lunch

Time for putt putt!

Someone was surprisingly good at minigolf!

Doesn't take much to have happy children. Fake snow'll do it!

Congratulations Uncle Jason for getting the best score of the day! He won a golf ball

The entrance and lobby was stunning, as was the view of the savanna. The children were immediately transfixed by the giraffes and baby zebra they could see. After check in, we walked for what seemed like kilometres to our 5th floor 2 bedroom villa. The children immediately set out to tick off the animals they had already seen on the wildlife field guide that was provided in our room. We quickly freshened up for our dinner at Sanaa, a restaurant of Indian African fusion. Fortunately, the restaurant was within the resort for we did not freshen up quickly enough and only just made it there in time. Unfortunately because of our party size, we were not able to sit by the window to gaze at the animals. We had noted the various December birthdays on our reservations and it seems like we will be celebrating them at every meal! I heard drumbeats and got excited at the prospect of the show when the ladies stopped by our table. It turned out that they were there to wish Elliot and Elyssa a happy birthday!

Guess where we are!

Love the themed Christmas decorations

Our room

The other room

Online shopping to bolster our clothes supply!

Our balcony

The view from our balcony

Dinner at Sanaa. The split tonight was boys and girls/

Lamb shanks

Fish of the day

Tandoori chicken

Prawns, beef ribs and pilaf

Naan with selection of 9 chutneys

The Happy Birthday Squad!

Time for dessert! Safari Mickey Mousse

Kids cookies and milk

The best ever kulfi. Blood orange with pomegranate sauce

It has been so nice to start off our time at Walt Disney World at such a leisurely pace. It was a far cry from the commando style touring three years ago. However, the serious stuff begins tomorrow. I have been informed that we are to be at the bus stop by 745am tomorrow to make rope drop for Disney's Hollywood Studios. Better get some sleep then...