The Trolls Run from Isaac!

[The Troll 67]

You are cracking me up.

But aren't you one of the people who exercises on vacation?

Yes I am. But stay tuned for the rant and it'll make more sense.

I too, read without commenting. *blush*

That's OK! I'm just glad you're reading along!

I AM NOT looking forward to the green goo story... blah

Oh, it's much worse than just blah.

Enjoying the report. I was also surprised to see you are younger and less hairy than I expected. Your rants make you seem older and grumpier than you actually are. You're just saying out loud what most people choose to filter out and keep to themselves. Enjoying the TR. Good work.

I am very grumpy. I get the "I thought you were much older" a lot. I wonder why?

Enjoying your pics and story! I hope you make it to 10,000!

Thank you! I sure hope to!

I must chime in here on your DVC rant. I agree that they must be near to hitting their saturation point. I am shocked that people are still buying. Have you seen how much Disney sells DVC points for? And for the record I am against a FW DVC. Wilderness Lodge is close enough. That being said, we are DVC owners , bought 10 years ago through the resale market which is much less than buying through Disney. We have had numerous great vacations at resorts I normally would not be able to afford. I check the resales often and if we sold we would get back about what we paid for it. So not bad. So I don't consider myself a sucker. And besides, I would never wear leather boots in August :laugh:

Yes, clearly you played your cards right on the DVC purchase. Let's just hope they scrap the FW DVC idea, though.

I'm not sure what totem poles have to do with The Trolls' (apostrophe after the s, right?) TR, but yes.

Here they are:

TCD

Hey, it's OK that this found its way here to the Trolls' Trip Report! It's OK because a) I like the totem poles and because it reminds me about something I've been wanting to comment on.

What I wanted to comment on is the theming -- or lack thereof -- at the Fort.

Understand, I started visiting the Fort when it first opened way back in the early 70s. Can't remember the exact year -- 1974 or 1975 or maybe earlier. Back then, there were only three resorts: Poly, Contemporary, and the Fort. As such, the Fort was on even footing with the Poly and the Contemporary. The Disney head honchos paid lots of attention to the Fort and its theming. There were things like this everywhere:

TCD's totem poles are another great example.

But now that theming has fallen off. Don't get me wrong -- the Fort still gets an "A" in my book and I love it more than ever -- but I'd like to see more attention paid to theming.

Sure, they do great landscaping. Bushes are trimmed, flower boxes are full, etc., but it would be great to see more themed stuff.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Wow....I haven't been online much this week and it is KILLING ME to try and get caught up with my reading. But I had to check in on this report. Keep up the good work!

[Discamper 394]

I'm with you Troll the theming sucks at the Fort look at all the detail they Disney is putting into the old resort and don't get me started about the theming of the new resorts. The Fort to me is starting to look like a highend KOA

[The Troll 67]

OK, it's time for another installment of the Trolls Run from Isaac!

We left off with the Trolls looping empty loops.

Well, eventually this day grew long and it was time to retire for the evening. Mrs. Troll made us some chicken and white bean chili. It was delicious:

It had chicken, sausage, white beans, and tomatoes in it. Wow, was it good.

You know, camping sure is a smart way to travel. Pull your travel trailer with you and you have your own hotel room. Then if you cook your own meals, wow, what a great way to travel on the cheap! You save so much money this way.

Anyway, as I mentioned in the previous installment, it's time for another Troll Rant^TM!

[TROLL RANT ON]

As I mentioned earlier, when the Troll was a much younger man, he was a personal trainer. He worked in an upscale health club in a posh hotel on Miami Beach.

One of the things that I saw over and over again was tourists who'd ruin their entire vacation by working out. What do I mean? Well, it goes something like this: The tourists tour the hotel they're staying at and suddenly realize that there's a health club...and it's free. So they think, "Hey, why not? Let's give this a try!"

So now we're talking about people who are entirely out of shape and typically have never been to the gym in their entire life. But they're on vacation, have time to kill, and figure they should make use of the free gym amenity. So they wander about trying out this machine and that machine...bench press then lat pull then leg press then arm curls then abdominal crunches...

...all done randomly...

...and incorrectly.

Now what I object to about this is, well, its stupidity. Think about it -- what are you getting out of one or two sloppy workouts on a vacation? Do these people think they're going to wake up the next morning all ripped and buff?

Actually, they just wake up sore and miserable.

So this "give the gym a try because it's here and it's free" thing does nothing for you and just gets you very, very sore for the rest of your vacation!

Never understood this.

Anyway, if you go over to the Sturdy Branches gym, you can see these knuckleheads in great numbers.

They're like those people from way up north who come down to Florida to vacation and decide they're going to get a "great tan" in one day.

Uh huh.

Sure.

Fortunately we have good hospitals in Florida.

Anyway, if you're potentially one of these nitwits, take my advice -- DON'T!

Do NOT try to turn over a new leaf and start working out on your vacation to Disney World! Do NOT attempt to get super bronzed in one day!

That is all.

[/TROLL RANT OFF]

Anyway, so after we had our white chicken chili, I decided to take the dogs for an evening walk. I wanted to take some experimental photos. Specifically, I wanted to take some nighttime photos using nothing but the ambient light. I started by photographing the Meadows Trading Post, since it's so close to the 700 loop.

Here's the result:

Keep in mind that it's after 10PM when I shot this.

And then I took this one:

It was actually somewhat difficult to take these shots. In order to get them, I had to set my camera on a fence post outside the Trading Post and then set the shutter speed to about 8 seconds. The problem was, every time I had the camera set and ready to take the shot, people would cross the street and walk in front of my shot. At one point, the camera was taking the picture, so I stepped out of a couple's way, and the husband saw my camera and looked like he was about to grab it and make off with it!

I guess he didn't realize it was mine.

So I had to say, "No, no, please...that's my camera."

So then the guy looked at me like I was weird for leaving my camera sitting on a fence post.

Oh what lengths I go to to bring you all this great content...

Anyway, here's another pitch black nighttime shot:

I like to think the shot above is cool, but it's not. It sucks.

Evidently cameras don't work too well in the dark. Who would have guessed that?

I do like this shot, though:

Again, just ambient lighting. No flash. In this one I had to white balance the camera since the light from the bulb shining on the sign is so yellow. So I was able to make the letters that looked very yellow in this light look white.

Don't understand what I'm talking about?

Don't care?

Well, I don't blame you.

But for you nerds who are interested in obscure camera settings, here's what the sign looked like to my camera before I white balanced it:

See? The sign had that ugly yellow tint to it, and I got it out!

Pretty cool, huh?

Yeah, I know -- no, it isn't.

That's 20 minutes of my life I won't get back.

All for a picture of a stupid sign.

Anyway, so I had to get back to camp, because our plan was to get to bed early so we could get up early and hit Animal Kingdom!

And that's exactly what we did.

Animal Kingdom!

Did I ever mention that I hate Animal Kingdom?

Well, I do. Almost as much as Discovery Island.

Now don't get me wrong -- AK does have a couple of great attractions. Let's count them...

1. Mount Everest

2. The Dinosaur ride

3...

Well, there is no 3. That's it. Two good attractions. All for an $80 admission price.

But, hey, I really like the Yeti roller coaster and the Dinosaur ride. So we figured we could hop over, ride, and then leave. That's what season passes are for, right?

So here we are, arriving at AK:

Notice Mrs. Troll has her season pass in her hand.

Here's a POV shot for you:

You're getting ready to go into AK!

Notice that the picture is out of focus. I'm not sure why this happened...not yet, anyway...

OK, here's a slightly better shot:

But the shot is still largely out of focus. Huh. I wonder what's going on?

Anyway, here's the entrance to the average city zoo that has a roller coaster:

Ha ha ha...remember when the Disney marketing orcs were trying to brainwash us into believing that Animal Kingdom is NOT a zoo? They literally created a tagline for Animal Kingdom that they printed on all its maps and literature that said this: "Natazu."

Yes, the slogan for Animal Kingdom was "Natazu."

I am not making this up.

They really thought that they could Jedi Mind Trick us into believing that stupid park is not a zoo, when it clearly is. I guess they expected we'd all be hypnotized, wandering about, robotically repeating, "Not a zoo...not a zoo..." like zombies out of a George Romero movie.

I'm sorry, but if you have lions and giraffes and monkeys and other boring animals and that's the main attraction, you're a zoo.

And please don't tell me that lions aren't boring animals, because they are. All they do is lay in the shade and sleep. All day.

My dog Zoe is much more interesting than that.

And you can see her for free. She does tricks. She can count to five.

I'm serious.

She can count to five!

Lions can't do that.

Hey, look at that! Two Troll Rants in one update!

[Family of Bears 98]

That was a lot of rant.

What about the lion king show? Do you like that?

What about the ribs at Flame Tree? Do you like those?

I think that's all I got. Maybe you're right.

Don't even get me started on the bug show.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I have to agree about AK being 85% zoo. They have their own vet station. They breed in captivity. Granted many type of animals are missing but at least 85% zoo. I know this because I technically don't like 85% of AK because well I don't really like zoos all that much.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Let's see . . .

That is the best night photo of the 700 loop sign I have ever seen.

I agree with the rant about working out on vacation. They have a big gym on the Disney ships. People go ape over it. I say give it a rest- especially on a shorter cruise.

I disagree with the AK rant. I like AK. I agree that Itisazu, but I like zoos.

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Let's see . . .

That is the best night photo of the 700 loop sign I have ever seen. iwas it the only shot you had ever seen?

I agree with the rant about working out on vacation. They have a big gym on the Disney ships. People go ape over it. I say give it a rest- especially on a shorter cruise. vacation is for stuffing in food in your mouth not burning it off your belly

I disagree with the AK rant. I like AK. I agree that Itisazu, but I like zoos. it's a good thing we are allowed to disagree here... isn't?

TCD

[The Troll 67]

Wow....I haven't been online much this week and it is KILLING ME to try and get caught up with my reading. But I had to check in on this report. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Dave! And your dilemma is a great dilemma -- having too much to read is far, far better than too little! Doesn't it suck when there are no new discussions or trip reports on your favorite forums?

That was a lot of rant.

What about the lion king show? Do you like that?

What about the ribs at Flame Tree? Do you like those?

I think that's all I got. Maybe you're right.

Don't even get me started on the bug show.

We've never had the ribs. We'll have to give them a try. Although I cry foul on listing a restaurant as an attraction at a theme park.

And we've never been to the Lion King show. Admittedly, trolls are not big fans of parades or live Disney character shows. Typically those shows are just a lot of singing and a bunch of stage dancers in football mascot costumes. And throw in some pyrotechnics. Boring. I guess that's not really a nice thing to say, considering all the choreography and rehearsal involved, but, hey, to me, it's boring.

I don't think kids like them, either.

I have to agree about AK being 85% zoo. They have their own vet station. They breed in captivity. Granted many type of animals are missing but at least 85% zoo. I know this because I technically don't like 85% of AK because well I don't really like zoos all that much.

Mrs. Troll and I like zoos if there are chimpanzees up close, causing trouble. We'll pay to go to a big city zoo for the chimps, sit on a bench, and be amused for hours.

There are no chimpanzees at AK. Fail.

Let's see . . .

That is the best night photo of the 700 loop sign I have ever seen.

I agree with the rant about working out on vacation. They have a big gym on the Disney ships. People go ape over it. I say give it a rest- especially on a shorter cruise.

I disagree with the AK rant. I like AK. I agree that Itisazu, but I like zoos.

TCD

It's probably the best nighttime photo of the 700 loop sign you've ever seen because, I believe, it is the ONLY nighttime photo of the 700 loop sign. Normal people don't waste their memory card space!

On the matter of working out while on vacation, if working out is already a regular part of your lifestyle, I can see how working out on vacation makes sense. But these folks who've never worked out in their life...holy crap, just wait until you get home to start!

On Animal Kingdom, allow me to relate a story. It was 1996, before even the Troll had met Mrs. Troll, and then bachelor Troll was visiting Disney with his family. We were in the Star Wars simulator, waiting for the ride to start, when suddenly there was a technical difficulty, so the ride was delayed. As they are trained to do, the castmember overseeing our simulator stepped inside and struck up a conversation to buy time for the maintenance guys to fix whatever was wrong.

The castmember said, "Folks, did you know that we're right now, as we speak, building a brand new theme park here at Disney World? It's true! It's going to be called 'Animal Kingdom' and it's going to be FIVE TIMES as big as the Magic Kingdom!"

And I thought, "Holy crap! FIVE times?! FIVE times?! It'll be awesome! It'll take five days just to do all the attractions! FIVE TIMES! Oh, how I can't wait!"

I was rooked. By "five times" he meant lots and lots and lots of empty Florida swamp land for the boring lions to sleep on.

It was kind of like how Jacksonville, Florida, claims it's America's "largest city."

[The Troll 67]

Do you know what time it is?

It's time for another installment of the Trolls' Trip Report!

Right as I clicked in to this thread, I noticed we were just 7 views away from 5,000! Hopefully by the time this installment is posted, it'll break the 5,000 mark and, I believe, qualify as a Major League trip report. So thank to all you loyal readers out there! If you like me, thank you! I like you, too, and thank you for reading along! If you don't like me, that's OK, too, just keep reading along!

So where in the World are we?

We're at Animal Kingdom, about to enter through the uncrowded gate.

Here we are about to go through the vaunted turnstile:

You know, if you're a retired guy and just want a "knock around" job to work a few days a week just so that you remember what day it is, Disney probably isn't all that bad a gig. Although it's hot. If I were this guy above -- he looks retired to me -- I wouldn't have taken this job. I'd demand one of those indoor jobs, like the castmembers who herd the guests into the stretching chamber at the Haunted Mansion. That's probably the best castmember job in all of Disney.

Nice and air conditioned.

And you get to scare little children.

For money.

So we've made it through the turnstiles and straight ahead is that ugly fake tree:

The Tree of Life...wind chimes and chardonnay...holistic healing...green energy...deodorant is unnatural...recycle your bath water...reduce your carbon footprint...

...Huh? What?

What happened? I kind of blacked out there.

What were we talking about?

Oh, yeah -- a big ass roller coaster driven by a coal-fueled alternating current high acceleration linear induction motor, all surrounded by fake concrete mountains!

With an enormous, animatronic hydraulic/servo-motor Yeti!

Yeah, baby! That's what we're talking about! Let's go!

Along the way, there were many photographers:

And this made me wonder -- you know, they sell cameras at Best Buy. Why do I need this guy?

Then I noticed this newlywed couple:

As my father-in-law likes to say, "Hope you beat the odds!"

Anyway, notice what they are wearing atop their heads. I've noticed this phenomenon a lot on my many expeditions to Walt Disney World, and, you know, I have to say that I hope the men that participate in this activity are forced into it by their new wives. I certainly hope there is much resistance and argument beforehand...and the threat of withheld...you know.

Otherwise, turn in your Man Card.

And here's the showtime board:

Notice the clock on the showtime board.

If you've been reading along closely, you'll remember that I said our plan for today was to get up early and hit AK. Um, yeah. The best laid plans of mice and men...

...we call our camper "The Sleep Box."

But there was still plenty of daylight left. After all, we were just here to ride the only two worthwhile attractions at this zoo.

And eat lunch.

A late lunch.

So our plan was to head on over to the Yeti, grab a Fast Pass, then find someplace reasonable (Ha! Ha! Ha!) to have a late lunch. We figured that once we were done eating, it would be close or at our Fast Pass ride time.

This Fast Pass coordination activity isn't for lightweights. Very complicated stuff.

So to go see our friend the Yeti, we had to go to Asia:

Now, examine the picture above closely. Notice all the foliage along the walkways. This is one of the many things I do not like about this zoo. You can't see where you are or where you're going. You can't see where you've been and you can't see what's in store. This totally violates Walt Disney's personal design demand for Disney theme parks -- specifically, that guests should be drawn forward by the attractions. Think about it. You're in Main Street USA...the castle draws you forward. You're in Frontierland...Big Thunder Mountain draws you forward. You're in Tomorrowland...Space Mountain draws you forward. You're at Epcot...the geodesic dome draws you forward. You're in the World Showcase...the Eiffel Tower draws you forward.

But here, heck, I don't even know where the heck I am. If it weren't for the signs, I'd be wandering around a Florida wetland until I died of dehydration.

Which wouldn't take long.

Because it's so brutally, unforgivably, wantonly HOT.

And then, along the way, you're supposed to be somehow comforted by these dark wetland enclosures featuring those boring birds that they lie about by saying that they're from Africa. They're not from Africa. They're from Florida. They just throw some birdseed out in the enclosure and these things land and eat it. And then the suckers from up north are all like, "Oh, wow! Look at that bird! It must be so endangered! How did they get one here?"

They're not endangered. I have them in my backyard. My dogs chase them.

Oh, you know what I'm talking about. Don't pretend like you don't. I'm talking about this:

Stupid bird.

If you're impressed by this, you are also probably the proud owner of one of those Invisible Dog Leashes. Or you buy into the Grand Floridian DVC when you live in Vancouver and only get one week of vacation at work per year.

Sucker. The Disney marketing orcs are standing behind that one-way glass, laughing at you.

Oh, I am so going to Hell.

Anyway, so the Trolls were hungry. We spotted a joint called the Yak and Yeti, so we decided to check out the menu.

As we approached, I swear I could hear the marketing orcs snicker and whisper to each other behind the one-way glass, "Here come some more suckers!"

Here's the menu:

OK, notice again that the picture is out of focus! What the heck is going on?!

I tried another photo:

Still out of focus! What the heck...?!

Now, to any normal person with an IQ higher than his belt size, it would have dawned on him what the problem was...but the Troll was still clueless.

So since my brain was completely failing at basic deductive reasoning, I'll have to tell you what the picture was supposed to capture since you can't read it.

Fortunately the message was simple: The Yak and Yeti was a ripoff.

Like $15 for a salad ripoff.

So we immediately said to each other, "Um...no!"

And just like that I could hear the marketing orcs sigh in defeat.

We pressed on.

Along the way, we had gotten a nice, tall $4 Coke since we were so hot and dehydrated. I took a picture of the $4 Coke, but I deleted it because it, too, was terribly out of focus.

At that point the Troll was beginning to worry that he was going to have to send his camera back to Japan for a repair.

So just trust me that we each enjoyed a tall Coke.

Which meant that by now we had to remove the Coke byproduct. You know what that is.

So we hadn't even gotten to the Yeti yet for a Fast Pass and had spent $8 on Cokes, seen a stupid bird that I see everyday eating the grass seeds in my backyard that I put down to restore my failing lawn, and been disgusted by ridiculous menu prices at the Yak and Yeti...

...and already needed to go to the bathroom.

So we made a pitstop here:

I must say that fountain thing is pretty cool.

And the theming in this area is also very impressive:

Finally we found the bathrooms:

There's a joke I just typed up for this scene above, but I deleted it, as it was going a bit too far.

And you know what happens when the Troll goes too far...

...this happens:

If you don't know what I'm talking about, if you're totally lost, be glad.

Let's just say the Troll got in lots of trouble a while back...

I don't want that to happen again, so I will be careful not to push the envelope too far.

So we hit the bathrooms, lightened our bladders, and we were at last getting close:

Yes, there it is!

Can you believe they had the audacity to open this park in 1998 without this thing being ready first?

Now here we are, trying to make our way toward the Fast Pass distribution center. Notice the stupid foliage is blocking the grand view of the fake mountain:

Can you say, "Hedge clippers?"

I don't get it. They spend countless man-hours completely destroying any trace of natural foliage in between campsites in the 1800 loop at the Fort but then let all this scrub block the view of their signature attraction.

So here's the Fast Pass return window time:

Perfect! That'll give us just enough time to wolf down some grub and then make it back. So we snagged our Fast Passes and set off to find some chow.

Now, here we have a picture of TWO castmembers:

I know you can see one...do you see the other? Look closely.

I'm not really sure what the point of this was.

I mean it was sort of cool and all, but can you imagine being the girl who has to don this getup and stand in the direct central Florida sun all day?

And then, is she like a character? Can you go up and get her autograph? If yes, what does she sign...Tree Lady?

Does she give hugs to little children like Donald and Mickey do at the Meet-n-Greet?

Talk about turning children into tree huggers!

Hardy har har!

Yes, I thought of that joke all by myself.

I just thought this whole gimmick was creepy.

I did not like Tree Lady.

She reminded me of Green Beret jungle snipers. It was weird. Especially for Disney World. I wanted out of there.

So we finally found a grub shack named, creatively, "Yuma Yuma." It served sandwiches and stuff for a price that would not require us to take out a second mortgage on our home. And you know what that means?

It means this:

You wait in a long, long line!

In the sun...

...in 104% humidity...

...with beads of sweat rolling down over your kneecaps and collecting in your socks, tickling your leg hairs on the way down, causing you to scratch incessantly. And then you get sweat in your fingernails, which makes you angry at the people in front of you for taking 10 minutes to order because they didn't bother to study the huge menu while standing in line...

...and then they demand that the castmember show them a sample of each entree.

Troll angry!

Troll smash!

Oh, yeah, let's go back to the picture above. Notice the poor unconscious toddler in the photo. Clearly she is suffering from acute heatstroke and probably should be immediately rushed to a hospital. Can you imagine how this couple's planning must have gone down? Two months before this picture was taken they were like, "Let's take little Dakota to Disney! She's old enough now to appreciate it! She'll have soooo much fun and be so excited to see Mickey!"

But then she gets here and is terrified by a Tree Lady monster and is subjected to brutal temperatures and sun poisoning.

OK, so finally I got to the front of the line. By now my sneakers were full of salty water (i.e., puddles of perspiration), my shirt was soaked enough that I could wash my camper with it, and I had the shakes from sun exposure and low blood sugar.

The castmember said unto me, "Hello, what can I get you?"

And I said, "I don't care! Anything! Please, anything! I'll take a Number One Combo Meal!"

To which he said to me, the customer -- and I vow I am not making this up -- "What's on the Number One Combo Meal?"

I bared my teeth at him and snarled.

In reply he said, "Sorry...I've only worked here a week."

So here's what's on the Number One Combo Meal:

God bless it! The picture is out of focus!

What in blazes is wrong with my camera?!?! It's an expensive multi-hundred dollar camera and it's not focusing right, ruining my trip report!

So in a rage, I took a picture of Mrs. Troll eating her Number Two Combo Meal from Yuma Yuma:

Now that picture is fine! Perfectly focused! Why will the camera take fine pictures of things far away but not focus on things up clo...

...Aw dammit!

It FINALLY dawned on me.

Remember those stupid waste-of-time nighttime pictures I had taken the night previous to this? You know, that stupid picture of the 700 loop sign that Andrew lied and said he likes so much?

Yeah, that -- to take those photos I had to set the camera to MANUAL focus.

And I still had the camera stuck in that mode.

Dumb...dumb...dumb...DUMB!

I ruined a bunch of great pictures just because I had forgotten how to use my own camera.

So with that, I am going to go ahead and post this update.

Still to come, our encounter with the Yeti!

[Family of Bears 98]

Do you behave this way in real life? I really hope so. I'd love to hear you actually say these things out loud. I know you aren't actually as grumpy as you are letting on. For example...you call your camper a sleep box. That's only something that a non-grumpy person would make up and then laugh about. It's cutesy. Now, I'm not saying that YOU are cutesy...but you are able to turn the grumpy on and off.

I look forward to another installment. This is classic material. :)

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

AK isn't so great to me either. I do like the Lion King show because there's more than just singing and dancing. And I do like seeing Devine. On a 2-week trip we'll spend just a day in AK. Or two half days.

You are doing a wonderful job on your TR. Many people here don't realize how much work it is to produce one. I spent many, many hours on our March TR covering 2 weeks. But unfortunately I'm not an interesting writer and barely got 5,000 views. I've debated whether to do one for our next trip, but I just know it's going to be an outstanding trip where we meet many fiends and I'll want to document everything.

I too am looking forward to your next installment!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I have a 15yob who would give up a whole lot just to go to AK. He loves big cats and dreams of working with them someday. I guess I am the type to think, to each his own. But I am not a troll and I do not often rant. But I do enjoy the pictures! Hoping your TR gets to Rock Star status soon!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

So, after reading your report, I started wondering how many views my TR got. It got a little over 1,200 views here in FF.net. But it was originally published "over there" before there was a FF.net. In fact, someone posted twice on the "Podcast" forum there that people should read my TR. Really, very sweet. So it must have got a lot of views there, right? Well, I don't know, because it has been deleted. I didn't delete it. At least, I don't remember deleting it. There are plenty of other threads I started or commented on that are still there. But that one went *poof*!

Should I just assume i achieved rock star status?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Should I just assume i achieved rock star status?

Yes, Marty, you are a a rock star!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Your comments about AKL and it being a zoo made me :rofl2: My children all told me the same thing. They could care less about going there. The only thing they really like to do there is ride Expedition Everest and only if it is dark outside. The darkness adds and an extra element of excitement/fear to it. I on the other hand did enjoy the park and really want to go back again just to walk around and observe the animals. Yes. I am one of those mean moms who drag my families to zoos whenever I can. :rofl3:

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Your comments about AKL and it being a zoo made me :rofl2: My children all told me the same thing. They could care less about going there. The only thing they really like to do there is ride Expedition Everest and only if it is dark outside. The darkness adds and an extra element of excitement/fear to it. I on the other hand did enjoy the park and really want to go back again just to walk around and observe the animals. Yes. I am one of those mean moms who drag my families to zoos whenever I can. :rofl3:

as an occasional thing... zoos are ok. I am looking forward to going back to AK just to spend more time taking in the details

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You obviously haven't read the official DaveInTN rules for posting on FortFiends.net. So, I will illuminate you.

Rule #3: NO Devine pictures. Ever!

That chick freaks the crud out of me. Seriously.

But I do get the blow up Nativity reference....LOL! Good times.

[KeepSwimmingDory 2]

Enjoyed the photos and your "Dory" moment. I have done that so many times when I take my camera off the pre-set auto settings. There are lots of things I enjoy at Animal Kingdom, but not when it is hot and we usually only stay a couple of hours. I like all the details, but it definitely lacks rides.

[SCTigerCock 171]

:rofl2:

If Mr. and Mrs. Troll are ever at the Fort, I would like to buy yall a beer and/or overpriced fruity drink at Crockett's.

We can discuss the demise of the game room at the contermporary and plan on how to deflate the inflatables.

:rofl2:

[The Troll 67]

Do you behave this way in real life? I really hope so. I'd love to hear you actually say these things out loud. I know you aren't actually as grumpy as you are letting on. For example...you call your camper a sleep box. That's only something that a non-grumpy person would make up and then laugh about. It's cutesy. Now, I'm not saying that YOU are cutesy...but you are able to turn the grumpy on and off.

I look forward to another installment. This is classic material. :)

Do I behave this way in real life? Yes and no. Around my friends and family, yes. Around folks I've just met, I tend to keep a lid on it, as oftentimes I've found some people don't understand I'm joking or don't get the humor. I really don't like to offend people.

AK isn't so great to me either. I do like the Lion King show because there's more than just singing and dancing. And I do like seeing Devine. On a 2-week trip we'll spend just a day in AK. Or two half days.

You are doing a wonderful job on your TR. Many people here don't realize how much work it is to produce one. I spent many, many hours on our March TR covering 2 weeks. But unfortunately I'm not an interesting writer and barely got 5,000 views. I've debated whether to do one for our next trip, but I just know it's going to be an outstanding trip where we meet many fiends and I'll want to document everything.

I too am looking forward to your next installment!

So Tree Lady's name is "Devine"? Sheesh, you'd think I'd know that.

Yes, you're right -- trip reporting is a lot of work. It's fun work, but it does take a lot of time, thought, and effort. But it's fun, though. A lot of fun.

I have a 15yob who would give up a whole lot just to go to AK. He loves big cats and dreams of working with them someday. I guess I am the type to think, to each his own. But I am not a troll and I do not often rant. But I do enjoy the pictures! Hoping your TR gets to Rock Star status soon!

You should try trolling sometime. It's fun.

So do you think your son will study zoology? That's interesting!

So, after reading your report, I started wondering how many views my TR got. It got a little over 1,200 views here in FF.net. But it was originally published "over there" before there was a FF.net. In fact, someone posted twice on the "Podcast" forum there that people should read my TR. Really, very sweet. So it must have got a lot of views there, right? Well, I don't know, because it has been deleted. I didn't delete it. At least, I don't remember deleting it. There are plenty of other threads I started or commented on that are still there. But that one went *poof*!

Should I just assume i achieved rock star status?

Huh. They deleted a trip report with a lot of views? Talk about a bonehead decision. Even if you've banned the author, why would you delete quality content? Dumb. Does anyone still post anything over there? Does anyone do trip reports over there?

Your comments about AKL and it being a zoo made me :rofl2: My children all told me the same thing. They could care less about going there. The only thing they really like to do there is ride Expedition Everest and only if it is dark outside. The darkness adds and an extra element of excitement/fear to it. I on the other hand did enjoy the park and really want to go back again just to walk around and observe the animals. Yes. I am one of those mean moms who drag my families to zoos whenever I can. :rofl3:

We've never ridden the Yeti ride at night. We should try that. I bet it is a cool experience. Too bad there's no Yeti in the Yeti ride anymore.

Uh, oh...do I feel a rant coming on?!

as an occasional thing... zoos are ok. I am looking forward to going back to AK just to spend more time taking in the details

Only if the zoo has chimpanzees.

I must tip my hat to AK -- the details are incredible.

You obviously haven't read the official DaveInTN rules for posting on FortFiends.net. So, I will illuminate you.

Rule #3: NO Devine pictures. Ever!

That chick freaks the crud out of me. Seriously.

But I do get the blow up Nativity reference....LOL! Good times.

Sorry for violating Rule #3...I plead ignorance. So I am not alone in being creeped out by a girl dressed up as a tree and acting...stoned.

And, oh, the nativity scene...*shudder*!

Enjoyed the photos and your "Dory" moment. I have done that so many times when I take my camera off the pre-set auto settings. There are lots of things I enjoy at Animal Kingdom, but not when it is hot and we usually only stay a couple of hours. I like all the details, but it definitely lacks rides.

Yes, agree! More rides, please! A log flume would fit in great.

:rofl2:

If Mr. and Mrs. Troll are ever at the Fort, I would like to buy yall a beer and/or overpriced fruity drink at Crockett's.

We can discuss the demise of the game room at the contermporary and plan on how to deflate the inflatables.

:rofl2:

Yes, we must have a secret conference to hash out the details of our evil conspiracy to restore the Fort and WDW to 1970s standards! I demand a gameroom at the Contemporary...with an elaborate shooting gallery! I demand a moose topiary at the Fort! I demand that all the playgrounds at the Fort be themed and designed by the Imagineers, not bought from a generic supplier and assembled out of a box! I demand a gameroom at Crockett's! And I demand cannons tactfully placed all over the Fort!

[michele j 9]

This is all I did when reading your last installment: :rofl2: :rofl2:

[Discamper 394]

Great TR I'm glad to be reading a long. I'm with you AK SUCKS. During my year long trip I went the AK no more than 10 times and only went to ride the Yeti. 1 time we did the ride to watch the sleeping animals.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

:rofl2: but saying that, I like AK especially on a very cold (yes we do get them once in a while) wet day...then I go watch the tigers up and about.

Hot weather they are cats, they sleep!

Will have to try the yeti ride in the dark, good idea. Wait a minute, doesn't AK close at dusk?

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

There are rare times when AK is open after dark. It is actually quite amazing to see the night lighting in the park. The animal exhibits are closed, but Everest, Dinosaur, and a couple of other things are still open.