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Post by jedimom3 on Sept 7, 2024 16:38:45 GMT -5
Enjoying your TR, thanks for sharing all of the fun and pictures!!!
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Post by jawfish on Sept 7, 2024 22:01:10 GMT -5
DAY 7 - Magic Kingdom & Disney Springs - Sep 7, 2024
Another lazy morning. We slept in until 10, since we stayed up late watching the Packers lose. We ate breakfast in room. No work this morning, since we got a late start, we wanted to get going. We were supposed to go to Epcot today, but changed to Magic Kingdom, as we wanted to return two shirts and just walk around the park. We took the small boat from the Polynesian to MK. It was much more crowded than earlier in the week, being Saturday. We got in and went to the shop on Main Street and returned the shirts. Easy peasy. We wanted to catch teh parade again, but had some time before it started (couple hours), so we strolled over to Fantasy Land, since we had not been to that side yet. First up, Laugh Factory for the show. It is always funny and they had singled out some fun folks this time, even "that guy." Next up, Carousel of Progress. We have not been on that in a couple trips and there was no line, so decided to get in the coolness and sit for a bit. It was a hot, humid day. This is not the most exciting show but still good. If you think back to when the ride was created, it really was ahead of its time. I do laugh each time when Rover lives almost a century!! LOL Right at the end of the show, it was 1pm, so I got online and booked Virtual Que for Tron. They were on 47 and we got 118. I knew we would unlikely be in teh park long enough, but was worth a try. I was 1 minutes late jumping online and that minute is huge!! LOL But, we can always "standby" on Monday or Tuesday. After Carousel of Progress, we decided to head to the people mover. Another exciting ride for the morning! LOL I like the ride and it is relaxing. After that, we stopped in to check on lunch, but the parade was starting in 20 minutes, so we decided to just get some snacks to hold us over until later. We grabbed a pretzel and filled up the popcorn bucket by the castle when you come out of FL. Not the best lunch, but it would hold us over. We walked right down the center of main street snacking away and got into our favorite spot for the parade (close to the end by the shops and firehouse). The sun was out in full swing with humidity, so it was a hot one. The parade was excellent. It is one of our favorite things and we know the tunes by heart and sung away. When the parade ended, we checked the virtual que and it had only gotten to 57. We had 118, so decided it would be a while and we wanted to go to Disney Springs, so, we headed out and back to the Polynesian to get some water, change and then grab the bus to Disney Springs. When we got to the boat ramp, the boat was full and headed out, so we waited for the next boat. It was the bigger boat and we went to sit outside. Boy were those seats HOT! We stopped by the room and changed, dropped of the popcorn bucket and headed to the bus stop to go to Disney Springs. When we turned the corner, guess which bus was right there!! Pixie dust this entire trip. The bus was right there so we jumped on. The ride was uneventful and we got to the stop at Disney Springs. A couple on the bus with us was in front of us as we walked in. There is a K9 police officer there at the entrance and that dog started pulling at his leash and trying to get to the couple. No idea what happened, but the officer stopped them and told the dog to stand down. He started questioning them. No idea what happened, since we kept on walking. That was our excitement for the day. We hit a couple shops on the way to World of Disney and did not get anything. We shopped World of Disney but saw nothing we needed, as we had done so well this past week. Think we got everything we want this trip. DW has her eye on one sweatshirt she may get, otherwise, I think we are good. The shop usually has a bunch we do not see in the parks, but I this time we did not see much we had not already seen. The shop was not crazy busy, not like in January or April. So it was easy to get in and out. We were not there for more than 30 minutes. We then stopped at a couple more stores, including the Star Wars store. Not a whole lot in that store. We were surprised. Nothing called out to us, so we did not get anything. From there we walked over to Earl of Sandwich and grabbed a couple wraps. We sat and ate and people watched. When done, we strolled through Disney Springs a bit more and headed out. The bus was about a 5 minute wait, so not bad. We had an uneventful bus ride and back at Poly around 6:30. We decided to head over to Trader Sam's and check out the new Piranha drink and souvenir mugs (think it is called the Piranha drink or something, did not catch that part). I asked what was in it and asked to leave off the orange juice (not a fan). The drink was very good, I would get it again. We got two, so we could get two souvenir cups for our bar at home. We have a full serving bar and bar room, so we collect a lot of the cups from Trader Sam's and Olga's. DW did not love the drink, so I got to drink both, yum! She ended up getting a beer instead. I'll post pics of the cups. We went and sat on the beach for a little while until it started sprinkling. After checking the radar, we decided to go to the room as it looked like it was about to rain. No sooner did we get into the room and it started raining. We relaxed, finished our drinks and had the rest of the cake DW had bought for my birthday. The rain ended right before the fireworks. We strolled out to the spot on the hill by our room (overlooks the cabanas) and watched the fireworks. Tonight was the Happily Ever After and the show was good. So much nicer to watch from Poly and then stroll right back to the room. Another relaxing day. We have not done as much as we normally do, but we are getting some much needed rest and relaxation. DW felt so much better today, so we took it easy. Tomorrow we are scheduled for Hollywood Studios and maybe Epcot in the afternoon. We'd like to stop into Olga's but since we don't want to pick a time yet, we will take a shot at a walk-up or reservation tomorrow. Late night, it is now 11pm, so likely another morning sleeping in! We shall see. 
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Post by jawfish on Sept 9, 2024 20:31:29 GMT -5
DAY 8 – Hollywood Studios & Epcot - Sep 8, 2024
I wrote this TR in the forum and then somehow did not save it, and it deleted. So, this may be shorter the second time around. I was not up to doing it all again last night. I need to remember to use Word to write them, then copy and paste. Today started off like the rest of our trip, lazy and relaxing. We slept in until 9am, then got up and ate a leisurely breakfast. We worked for an hour or so, then decided to get going. Our plan for the day was to start at Hollywood Studios, then maybe Epcot. We headed out to the bus and the HS bus was sitting right there waiting for us. There was only two other people on the bus on our way over until we got to the Floridian, where we picked up a few more. The weather looked good for the day. Heavy rain was expected sometime after 6pm. We got to the park around 12 and walked right down Grand Avenue, cutting left to go toward the lake. Frozen Singalong was not going to start until 12:30 and it was 12:10, so we decided to hit the Indiana Jones show first. We had not done that in a while. The show was good, and they have some big ass fans in there, so it was “windy” and cool. When the show got out, we were too late for the Frozen Singalong, so we headed toward Batuu. The crowds from Indiana Jones were thick, so we hoped that the line was not too long for Rise of the Resistance. It was only 45 minutes, so we jumped in line. I think they count the ride que areas in the timing, as it never feels like the time it says to us. And today was no different. The ride is always good. We really like this one. They still had not fixed the last Kylo Ren scene where he is standing there, and the wall falls. It was broken a few days ago as well. He is there, but the wall is already down when you get in the room. It does not really mess up the experience but wonder how long it takes to get that fixed. I love the part right after that when you free fall out of the ship. After the ride, we hit the restrooms and then decided it was time to grab some lunch. I was hungry. We decided to stop at Docking Bay 7 again. I got the Hot Tip Yips with Corn Salsa and Rice. DW was not feeling 100% so to be safe, wanted something bland. Unfortunately, the chef was too busy to come out and the CM could not do a custom order we were told. So, DW ordered a side of rice to old her over, as that would be safe. I was not pleased to see that the portion they came out with was literally a tiny side of rice. Since that was her meal, you would think they would give her a nice portion. They charge $5.99 for a side of rice there too. I suppose the CM that rings you up does not speak to the people preparing the meal, but I was still concerned it was not enough for her. She said it was fine and she could get something else later, so we went and sat at a nice corner table inside and ate. We drank 3 cups of water each, as it was so hot and humid outside. When we left, we strolled through the rest of Batuu and through Toy Story Land. DW asked if I wanted to ride Slinky (she does not do coasters) but I passed, since I just ate. The line did not look that long but that line can be deceiving. We left TSL and walked past the Incredibles Street. Freeze was out so we walked down and took his pic. Sully was signing autographs and then Joy walked by. We snapped a pic but did not get in line to have out pics taken with her. We then headed past the “theater” and decided to stop in. What a lovely history of Walt Disney and his endeavors. We took our time and read a lot of the plaques, looked at the history of it all and just marveled at his creativity. Both my DFW and I are hobby artists, me a pen & ink / illustrator, her a painter, so we appreciate creativity. Walt was simply in a league of his own. We are always in awe. It is such a shame he did not live to see Disney World. So glad Roy pushed forward with it. After the theater, we exited and saw the large Ariel on the big building at the end of the street. Neither of us could remember what that was, so we strolled over there only to find out it was closed. Is the attraction still going to be there? No one was around. Oh well, we turned around and was going to hit the Frozen Singalong, but we missed it by 10 minutes. We did not want to wait 50 minutes. We headed to the shops. DW saw the Darth Vadar and Mandalorian helmets behind one of the counters and asked the CM if she could see them and even try them on. He said yes! So, she transformed to Darth Vadar and said it was cool. She also tried on the Mandalorian one as well. I passed at first and then said what the heck and tried on the Darth Vadar. It was cool but at $130+ we passed. We finished the shops and headed out to Epcot. We decided to take the Skyliner today and jumped into our Gondola with no wait. We did have a couple of 2-3 minutes stops, weirdly over the road. That is just a weird place to be hanging. We had to do our switch to the Epcot line, then on to Epcot. When we got in, we decided to go right. By then DW was getting hungry, so we started looking at menus. She thought she could eat the beef and potatoes dish at Belgium, so we headed there. The dish was small and very disappointing. It was a tiny scoop of potatoes with literally one marble worth of beef on it. DW said it was fine but was also disappointed. We were not having much luck with getting her fed. I suggested we scrap the F&W plan, since she needed to eat but was still trying to be careful as she was still not 100%. I suggested Katsura Grill in Japan (our secret place on the hill). She got the Teriyaki Chicken with rice and broccoli. I passed, as I was not overly hungry since I ate a big dish in Batuu. Plus, I figured my DW would not eat all of her rice, and she didn’t, so I finished that. We drank a few cups of cold water each, staying hydrated. Once we were done, we walked past Eat to The Beat where Yellowcard was playing. They drew a huge crowd. Not sure if they are just that popular or if it was due to being Sunday but they were backed up into the America Pavilion. We stopped in Italy and looked at a few things, then stopped in Germany as well. DW asked if I wanted caramel popcorn, as I mentioned it earlier in the trip, but I decided to pass. I have been eating a ton of popcorn this trip. We then made our way to the Mexico pavilion, where we decided to go on the boat ride inside. The line moved quickly, and we were on it in 10 minutes. It is not the most exciting ride but still fun. After the ride, we shopped and bought a trinket for our memento magnet board. We wanted to try a margarita, but the line inside was long, looked like 20+ deep. When we exited the Mexico building, it was dark and ominous. That rain was rolling in and the clouds were dark all around. We did see there was no one really in the outside margarita line, so we got in that line and ordered 2 Top Shelf Margaritas. I did not like the Tajin on the rim, I prefer salt, but the margaritas were excellent. There were some rain drops coming down, albeit very lightly. We decided to head toward the shops, in case the rain came. I checked the radar, and it seemed like it was going to skirt us. DW said I was wrong. She was right. By the time we got to the Connections shop, it started raining very heavily with lightning and thunder. We ducked in and browsed everything. Twice. After about 45 minutes, the rain finally slowed down enough we could make our big break. It was still raining, but very lightly. We decided to head up the monorail ramp instead of the bus. When we got up there, they told us the monorail was stopped due to heavy lightning in the area. SO down we went in search of the bus. When we got there, the line was long, but we made it under the cover before it started pouring again. It took 2 buses until we got on. We made it back to the TTC and then walked back in a little light rain to the room. A lot rainier today and more expected tomorrow. But we are going to get up early and go to Animal Kingdom, as I want to do FoP before I leave and DW wants to do the safari. Then, we may head over to Magic Kingdom to catch the parade one last time and check out some new Magic Bands. We have not made the jump to the new interactive ones, but it is time. Was a great day, despite the rain. Every day here is a great day!! 
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Post by pooh bears mom on Sept 9, 2024 21:19:39 GMT -5
following
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Post by annamaria on Sept 10, 2024 4:43:00 GMT -5
Great pictures!
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Post by jawfish on Sept 11, 2024 9:48:49 GMT -5
DAY 9 – Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom - Sep 9, 2024
As planned, we got up early with an alarm to get going, as I had LL for FoP. We took time to eat a quick breakfast in the room, get dressed and we were on our way out the door before 7:45am. The bus was not there when we got to the stop, but it came in less than 5 minutes. Boy, do they keep those buses COLD! Brrrrrrrr We got to Animal Kingdom at about 8:15 and made our way in. The crowds were about medium, not heavy, not light. By the time we got in and made our way to the Tree of Life, it was 8:30. DW asked if we had time to go on a Safari. Since she was not going to go on FoP and I was going to use her band, I wanted to be there right at 8:50 to give me enough time to ride twice in that timeframe, so I said no. She decided to go on the Safari while I went on FoP and we would meet up after. With that plan in place, we split and I made my way to FoP. I was there about 15 minutes early, so I walked around and took pictures, checked on the wait for the boat ride and then it was time to ride. My first ride was one of the best I have been on. Like Soarin’, where you get on the ride matters. It is always an amazing experience, and it is one of the best experiences for me, so I really enjoyed it. When I got off, I went to the restroom, then went back on the ride again. Getting to go twice two times was a great birthday present, as I love that ride. Hence why I wanted to do that the day before my birthday (as we will be leaving tomorrow). When I got off, DW was right outside waiting on me. Her experience was one of the best. She said all the animals were out and many of the babies were playing, including the baby zebras and baby elephant. The African dogs were walking around, and all animals seemed up and about. I was glad for her experience but also sorry I missed such a good safari. It was a bit early for drinks, so I skipped getting my usual margarita with the banshee eggs. Instead, we headed over and went to the Lion King show. It had already started but the floats had not come in yet, so we did not miss much. The show was good and always fun. I always think it is so nice that they have live singers in that show. Next up, we decided to check out the line for the Safari, as I had not gone. It said 45 minutes, so we decided to jump in line. The line seemed to move fast, and I don’t think it was 45 minutes. The safari was just ok, as it was already hot at that point. The elephants were active, and the giraffes were nibbling on leaves. Not one of the best but still always fun. After the Safari, we decided to get something to eat. We headed to Satu'li Canteen. DW got in line for food, and I went to look for a table across the way by the river. I had to wait about 5 minutes for a table but got one. DW came about 10 minutes later with Sesame Chicken and Rice. It was good. We like that restaurant a lot and our little spot where we like to eat. As we were eating, DW checked the radar and it was looking like the weather was headed our way, so we decided to head back toward the exit. We wanted to grab the Disney Passholder magnets, so we headed through Dinoland, grabbed our magnets and headed to the bus stop. It looked like we may get a break and get a parade in, so we were going to head to Magic Kingdom. The bus took a bit and literally as we boarded, the skies opened and it poured, complete with thunder and lightning. When we got to Magic Kingdom, the rain stopped, so we were hopeful the parade would happen. Once in, we first rode the Train around the park, as we had not done that for a while. When we got off, we went over to find a good spot to watch the parade. We started talking to a nice couple and had a great conversation about our love of Disney. Unfortunately, the rain in the area cancelled the parade. We made our way to the Haunted Mansion and it sprinkled while we were in line. The line was about 45 minutes and that was about how long it took. The ride was good, but it kept stopping, once for almost 5 minutes. I got an amazing picture I will add to the post. When we got out, the weather was iffy and we considered leaving, but we wanted to go to the Hall of Presidents. So we headed over and had 15 minutes before the show started. We took some time to walk around and look at the history and artifacts. Some very interesting things in there. The show was good, and it was updated since we had last seen it. When the doors opened to let us out, it was pouring so hard, you could barely see across the courtyard. We stood under a covered area for a bit and checked the weather. It did not look like it was going to clear up soon. We waited for a slow in the rain (it was still coming down), put on the ponchos and headed to the shops. We were looking for some magic bands but did not find any, so we headed back out and to the monorail hoping it was running. It was and we got on the 2nd one. We were dry as we had ponchos, except for our feet. We were headed back to the Polynesian but as we came to the Contemporary stop, we decided to jump off and see if they had the magic band my DW was looking for. They did!! YAY. As we were looking at them, I found one I like (castle on a pink band with characters) and then my DW admitted she had already bought me the Avatar one I saw. I liked the one I picked better, so they exchanged the one my DW had purchased, and we both got bands that were Disney. She got a Mickey Mouse band. We headed out and jumped back on the Monorail and over to Poly. We headed to the outdoor Trader Sam’s area, and it was still sprinkling. We ordered Hearts of the Polynesians and Thai Flatbreads. Our drinks came out first and we waited under cover for our flat breads. The rain stopped but everything was soaked. The bartender suggested we step inside and grab some towels to dry off a table, which we did. We sat and drank our drinks, and our food came quickly. We enjoyed it a lot. We grabbed to more drinks to go and headed to the room. We spent a couple hours doing an inventory of our Owners Locker, sipped our drinks and started getting ready to head out tomorrow. It was a great day, despite the rain and changes in plans. That is what we love about Disney, no matter what happens, there is always a plan B that is just as much fun. Tomorrow we leave and it’s my birthday, so we are either going to Epcot or hitting the pool. 
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Post by helenabear on Sept 11, 2024 18:34:20 GMT -5
Love the pictures! Wishing you a very happy birthday too!
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Post by jawfish on Sept 11, 2024 19:47:34 GMT -5
Love the pictures! Wishing you a very happy birthday too! Thank you! |
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Post by jawfish on Sept 11, 2024 20:52:56 GMT -5
Enjoy!! We did 10 nights at Riviera this past July/August and it was ahhhmazing! I started a trip report and never posted it. Got busy with back to school. Have a great rest of your trip! I have started some here and not finished, so once I get done with our last day, I am proud to say I did the full 10-day TR!! Some trips I never even start knowing I won't do it, but really wanted to remember the trip, so got this one done. The pics are the hardest part, as you have to make the collage, then upload it somewhere to link. I am techy so easy for me, but I know others struggle with it. I love reading others' reports, so I feel I need to contribute from time to time. Sue is the MOST dedicated here on TRs!! |
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Post by PirateLinda on Sept 12, 2024 13:32:18 GMT -5
Great pictures! Love the Hat Box Ghost!
Happy Birthday!
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Post by BWV Dreamin on Sept 12, 2024 16:28:44 GMT -5
Great pictures!!! Happy Birthday 🎁🎉🎊
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Post by jawfish on Sept 12, 2024 20:01:44 GMT -5
DAY 10 – Polynesian Pool & Departure - Sep 10, 2024
We woke up around 9am and the first order of business was heading to the front desk to see if our late checkout was approved. The night before we stopped by and they said they put it in. So when I got to the desk around 9:15, the CM asked for our name and then when she saw we were DVC, said “Oh. You are staying on points, you can’t do early check-out.” I was a little surprised, as we had asked and it has been granted in the past, so I asked her if it was a new policy or rule and why didn’t the CM last night mention it. Well, after checking with the manager, she came back and apologized and said it was approved. So, not sure what all that was about, but we had until 12:30 to check out. We likely did not need all that time but did not feel like rushing. This allowed us to eat breakfast in the room before packing up. While eating we checked the weather and with a 50% chance of rain, we decided we would spend the time until we had to leave at the pool. If we left the resort around 2:30, that would be plenty of time to Uber to MCO, check in and have a bite to eat. After breakfast, we put aside a bag of “clothes to change into” plus our swimsuits. Then, we finished up the Owners Locker, packed the remainder of our things and got it all locked up and ready to go to Bell Services. Surprisingly, once we knew we would be staying at the resort, we wanted to get to the pool, so we got moving. LOL We ended up calling Bell Services at 11:15 and they had everything picked up and our luggage claim tickets in hand by 11:30. So, we only needed an extra half hour. But glad we had it. With that handled, we headed to the “adult pool” and found 2 chairs in the shade. We set up our towels and table, then proceeded directly into the pool. This was our first and only time in the pool, which is not normal for us. We tend to do much more pool time. But with all the rain and changes, it just did not happen. The pool was wonderful and so refreshing. We just chilled for an hour before taking the CM up on ordering a couple of Hearts of the Polynesians. Mmmmmm. Nothing like relaxing in a pool, with a drink on the edge, just chatting and enjoying your last hours of a relaxing vacation (and it was my birthday). We were about 2/3 done with our drinks when another CM stopped and apologized but asked us to move our drinks away from the pool 4-6 feet. Um, that was the middle of the walkway. Maybe it was supposed to be 4-6 inches from the drain? No one had ever bothered us in 10 years about our drinks. Of course, we obliged by just finishing them up! LOL We decided to pass on another round, as we had a day of travel still, so just chilled to the very last minute. We got out of the pool around 2:10 and sat for 10 minutes to dry off a little bit. We then took turns changing in the ladies room. They have a huge, handicapped stall that works well on these occasions. We walked over to Bell Services and had luggage in hand in 5 minutes. The Uber only took 5 minutes, I think he was already hanging in the parking lot or just dropped someone off. Off we went to MCO. We arrived about 3:00 pm and our flight boarded around 5:00 pm, so we were earlier than planned. We joked that we could have stayed in the pool another 30 minutes for sure. Better to be safe, if the weather came in, we could get caught I traffic, or the Uber could have taken longer. We got through TSA Precheck quickly and were in by 3:15, so we headed to the tram and to the gate. We typically grab a bite to eat at Ruby Tuesdays in the terminal. When we got there, it was gone. We were here in April and it was still there, so sometime since their lease must have ended and they did not renew. There was a new sign up for “Gastrohub” and it looked like the same restaurant with a new sign. Only one ay to find out if it is any good. It surely could not be worse than Ruby Tuesdays. And it was by far better. They still pump in the fun 80’s music, so we always have fun remembering those songs (dating ourselves). The new restaurant was pretty good. It was slightly more expensive, and the menu was stupid simple, but adequate. We started with chips and salsa, then split a chicken club sandwich with “steak fries” and DW had a few beers. The bill with tax and tip was around $75 but a good chunk of that was the beer. The food was good. Not gourmet, but good. My only complaint was the bread was a little too crispy for my liking. They refilled the chips once and when the meal came out, they brought both kinds of French fries as we were “splitting” she said she did not want us to fight over the fries. The waitress was very good. We left there around 4:30 and headed to the gate, since we would likely use the restroom and then be ready to board. Alas, here came the rain. And rain it did. You could barely see anything (adding a pic), so we immediately knew, we would not be leaving on time. Last year for our September trip our 5pm flight left at 11pm. So, we were a bit worried. Our flight was delayed but we pulled out at 6:15 instead of 5:30, so not too bad. We were on the runway for a bit and ended up getting into Dallas 90 minutes late. I watched The Fall Guy on the place and then some Mediterranean Yacht drama (guilty pleasure reality TV) for a couple episodes. Of course, we came in a different terminal than where we parked, so I went to get the car while DW grabbed the luggage. With time change, we still walked in the house by 9:30 pm, so not bad at all. This was a very relaxing, chill trip. While we did not go go go, we still did everything we wanted, even with the rain. I found a few great shirts and a sweatshirt, DW ended up with 4 new shirts, so we were pleased with that. Some trips I find nothing. We worked very little, which was awesome, as we work very hard with 3 businesses. So it was such a nice break. I am already looking forward to January. We will be back right after Marathon weekend with SIL and Niece for her sweet 16. We booked a 1-bedroom at SSR for 7 nights. We do have a trip to Pensacola Beach in November for a week at the beach first, so Disney will be back on the radar in no time! We also have a May trip booked and will book our September 2025 trip next month. There is something about having the next vacay planned before we leave for the current one that makes it easier to leave and enjoy ourselves. We know we’ll be back. So, until January, I’ll be reading YOUR trip reports to hold us over!! Hope you enjoyed the report. Last pictures below of our last day. 
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Post by tomandrobin on Sept 13, 2024 8:04:36 GMT -5
Excellent trip and report!
Love all the pics, it really adds to your report.
Happy Birthday!!!
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Post by jawfish on Sept 13, 2024 14:04:31 GMT -5
Excellent trip and report! Love all the pics, it really adds to your report. Happy Birthday!!! Thanks, it really was a lovely trip. I have one more post - the pics from DW most awesome Safari ever. |
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Post by jawfish on Sept 13, 2024 14:06:10 GMT -5
Bonus - Best Safari Ever (solo ride by my DW)These are the pics from DW's "most awesome Safari ever" solo ride. 
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