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[ightenhill]

The Alarm rings out at 6.15am to welcome in the glorious new day. It's still dark outside, is this really morning? I flick on the T.V. to see what the weather has in store for us today. I have found another T.V. channel with a weather presenter who's hair does not get in the way of the map and whose teeth don't require the use of sunglasses in order to watch her. And besides, the new presenter I have found seems to present the weather two degrees higher than the other channel so that can only be a good thing -right! Now all I have to do next is work out how to stop the T.V. automatically starting up to perky Miss "Let me show you around Disney" every time I turn it on and it will be totally safe to use

I go for the full bounty breakfast today, I can always use the biscuit as a lethal weapon or a hammer in case of emergencies. Jackie sticks with the strawberry free Mickey waffle and steals my sausage and potatoes (ouch).

It's early entry this morning in my favourite park AK. A bus eventually turns up after rather a good wait and we begin the drive there via Timbuktu. One advantage of getting the bus from the breakfast stop (Springs) is it's the final or first bus stop depending on which way you look at it; in other words you get on and you're on your way.

It's another cold morning today and the conversation on the bus is pretty similar to yesterday. Today I know the entire contents of a total strangers suitcase and that she only brought slinky tops and shorts. Of course the driver has the air conditioning turned to just above freezing for reasons best known to himself or perhaps he just spotted all the slinky tops on board.



We love this park. I just love the lushness of it all, though the amount of shade today is hardly a plus point when the early morning temps are being a little stubborn. We are ushered in through the Early Entry turnstiles and grab fast passes for the safari. A couple of rides on Everest, which has no queue, should help the breakfast settle quite nicely so on we go. Then it's back to the safari after first grabbing more FPs for Everest. The other thing I actually like about this park, though I know some people don't, is that you have to do a lot of backtracking. When the park's this lovely I don't mind. It's when the theming is non existent and there's more concrete than greenery that I start to get fed up. By the time we reach the Safari the park has only just opened to the general public so the Safari FP saves us nothing. Animal activity is quite good though, probably because of the cool morning.

A warming coffee is called for next and we head slowly back around the lake,via Everest, to take in the first Nemo show of the day. With two enclosed full scale shows this park really does spoil you with its entertainment.






Nemo is as excellent as ever, it's always fun spotting cast you have seen previously and also seeing who has changed. The park actually seems pretty quiet today, the show only just fills by start time. The good news is by the end of the show the sun is fully up and its starting to heat up rapidly. My new weather girl has done herself proud.

We spend some time doing some of the nature trails and then sitting and enjoying a cold drink as it has now actually got pretty hot, rather quickly. Lunch today is an ADR at Yak and Yeti at one thirty so there's time to squeeze in a ride on Dinosaur before heading over there. I'm always a little bemused by this ride and how it constantly seems to churn out screaming children at the end. I like it, though it's not the most comfortable of experiences.



Yak and Yeti is reasonable fare. I actually end up ordering Ribs because I think it's probably going to be the only chance I will get of having them this holiday. They are excellent but I would probably order something from the wok next time. Jackie's Tempura Shrimp and Noodles looks better. We are seated upstairs in the front room which looks a superior option to downstairs which looks a little more noisy and crowded. Despite some authentic theming elements in the room it all seems a bit sparse as well somehow, though we love the random chandeliers throught the room.

After lunch we go to watch the Lion King show which is as excellent (understatement of the week) as usual and in my opinion the two shows in this park are worth the entrance price alone.I stil meet people in the UK back from a first Disney trip who have not seen a single show in any park and think its all about rides..WHY!!!!.

We then take a relaxing walk through the trails and go to see the Tigers who are quite keen on Jackie's T Shirt and hat it would appear.



After a trip there and back again on the train (just for a sit down) we use a fast pass we picked up earlier for the river rapids and as is our usual luck on these rides get absolutely soaked. We have a late ADR for California Grill tonight so we decide to head back and spend some time by the pool before getting ready.

[Soap]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing ightenhill.
Brings back memories of our AK visit last june!

[DLP-Photos.com]

I've just read through your first 3 days and it sounds like such a lovely trip and your photos are absolutely fantastic - may I ask what camera you use?

[Masamune]

Your photos are incredibly artistic. I love the one with the tiger.

[ightenhill]

I've just read through your first 3 days and it sounds like such a lovely trip and your photos are absolutely fantastic - may I ask what camera you use?

Thankyou... I actually kept myself very limited on this trip to one body and lens and Flash to keep weight down, though I did regret not having a long lens at times as I mentioned in the earlier reports.

I took the Nikon D80 a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC (not the fastest lens on the block but light is generaly not a problem in Florida) as I wanted to experment with wider views. And the SB600 for Flash purposes.