Gator Wrestling Anyone?

Posted on January 29, 2016January 29, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Once we returned from air boat ride we followed the signs to the gator wrestling pit. This was in a different place from the old pit where I saw J Mark do his performance.

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The new pit had a cover so if the rain started only the wrestler would get wet. The audience would stay nice and dry. There were tip boxes placed along the fence.

We had a lady wrestler that I’d never seen before. I don’t think she was ever on the Gator Boys show but I could be wrong. I may have missed an episode or two.

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She did the usual tricks, nothing new. After the show you could have your picture taken with a baby alligator.

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I have to admit to feeling a bit let down. My last visit has so much emotion attached to it because J Mark passed away after I’d seen his show. As a result this visit left me feeling kind of flat. I would have liked to see one of the show’s principal’s make an appearance. But that was not to be on this day.

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The air boat ride was good, especially with the iguana at the end but I’ve been spoiled by going out on the smaller 6 person air boats. Now the big Holiday Park boats don’t have the same thrill as before.

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All I can say is they do good work, rescuing alligators and deserve support. I’m sure I’ll continue to keep them on my South Florida activity list.

Deck the Halls the Disney Way

Posted on January 15, 2016January 15, 2016 by Dusty Roads

All together we spent about 3 hours at the Magic Kingdom. As we headed for the boat ramps to sail to the Disney Hotels, I stopped at the ECV to let them know to take our/my name off the list. We were still #2.

By now I had started to limp as my back muscles cramped up and put stress on my sciatic nerve sending pain down my left leg. I sat off to the side while Joe stood in line. The bench wasn’t too comfortable but it provided a little relief.

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Pretty soon we boarded a cute little boat and headed to the Grand Floridian, the most opulent of the Disney hotels. We wanted to see the Gingerbread house. The walk from the boat dock is slightly uphill and for someone feeling the strain, it seemed like a looong walk.

It was worth it once we stepped inside. The lobby is magnificent and even more so with enormous the Christmas Tree right in the center.

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They had comfy couches and chairs and I took full advantage of it. That was immediately relief and a promise of more pain to come as the back muscles contracted. Joe left me to recover while he explored the other vantage points for photos.

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The Gingerbread house was everything it was built up to be, including having a load of “hidden Mickey’s” but the tree in that Lobby really was the main event. It really overshadowed the gingerbread house.

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Speaking of the Gingerbread house, it is a real gingerbread house, not a cardboard imitation. Designed by the executive pastry chef, Erich Herbitschek, this house took over 1,050 lbs. of honey, 800 lbs. of flour, 600 lbs. of chocolate, 600 lbs. of powdered sugar, 140 pints of egg whites, and 35 lbs. of spices! Oh, and don’t forget the pinch of Pixie Dust and dash of Disney Magic mixed in as well.

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Recovered somewhat it was time to re-board and head to the Polynesian Resort.

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The Magic Kingdom in December

Posted on January 11, 2016January 11, 2016 by Dusty Roads

Finally it was the day I’d originally envisioned. It was time to visit the Magic Kingdom. I’d been here for Christmas once before and although the park was wall to wall people that trip, I remember the decorations were spectacular.

The mono rail was not running to the Magic Kingdom so everyone had to get there by boat.

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We lined up and waited, and waited and waited. There’s no place to sit or lean. It didn’t take long for my newly improved back muscles to start a downhill slide.

As soon as we reached the park I rushed to get through security and ticketing.

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I had my eye on the ECV (electric convenience vehicle or scooter) rentals. Too late, there was a waiting list. I was #2 on the list. They would call our cell phone as soon as one came back in. They don’t take reservations so you just take your chances that one will be available. This was the first time I’d struck out.

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We headed into the park.

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Even though this is consider a slow week the Magic Kingdom was full!

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Because of my questionable ambulatory abilities we stayed close to the square but there was plenty to see there.

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We started out by taking the train ride around the park.

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You never know who you might run into.

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The goal is to just have fun.

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We got back in time to see the horse drawn trolley pull up and enjoy a rousing show of song and dance.

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It was the last show of the day. They only do these shows in the mornings so we were lucky.

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And even though the park was crowded, we still had front row places. Great for memorializing the event in pictures.

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As they unhitched the beautiful Clydesdale from the trolley I could almost hear him say, “That’s all folks”.

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There was only a 10 minute wait to see Tinkerbell so like little kids we hopped in line. I may be a grown up but I still love the character visits.

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Joe seems to like these visits too even though his job keeps him in contact with them all the time. He had to get his “selfie”.

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Once More to the EYE

Posted on January 9, 2016January 9, 2016 by Dusty Roads

It was time to leave the Animal Kingdom behind. The Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks so as not to disrupt the animals sleep cycle or circadian timer. We have one too but if we choose to ignore it that’s our problem. The animals at Animal Kingdom are at the mercy of their keepers and so far Disney has tried hard to give them a natural environment.

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Although dark it was still early so we decided to try the EYE again. If it was running we could take a ride. If not at least we could get some pictures of it after dark.

We pulled into the free parking and the EYE was right in front of us. When we parked earlier I didn’t notice what a great view there was from the parking garage.

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We spent more than a few minutes trying to find the best spot to see the great wheel.

Pretty quickly it became apparent that it wasn’t moving.

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Even so we went to the ground level and checked for spots to photograph it from there. It’s really a beautiful sight.

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Remember that restaurant. They had their lights on too.

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I just wish we’d had a chance to see Orlando from the top. I wonder if we could have seen the Fireworks from the Disney Parks?

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The Festival of the Lion King

Posted on January 7, 2016January 7, 2016 by Dusty Roads

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A trick I’ve learned from having back problems is that if you rent the electric chair to get around that you survive the parks much better than walking. Call me lazy but I like ending the day with a little energy left instead of exhausted , hot and aching.

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Anyway, I had rented the electric scooter at Animal Kingdom so when we arrived to the Lion King show they asked me if I wanted to keep it or walk in. I said I’d keep it and boy was I glad I did. There are no bad seats in the Lion King Theater but with the scooter I was floor side, practically on top of the performers…or maybe they were on top of me!

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