Category Archives: Disney Travel Tips

Animal Kingdom Turns Twenty! 20 Things to Love

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We’ve made no secret of our love for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  We love it even more now that Joseph’s been a Disney College Program Cast Member there for the past several months.  From the lush landscaping to the nature trails, the thrill rides, and the excellent entertainment – Animal Kingdom has a lot going for it.  The theming is arguably its best feature.  Joe Rohde and his amazing team of Imagineers totally outdid themselves on this park.  100% a FULL-DAY park, Animal Kingdom offers a Disney experience unlike any other and on this very special occasion, I’d be pleased to tell you why.

Animal Kingdom Turns Twenty! 20 Things to Love

  1. The Tree of Life – Take the time to really study this Imagineering marvel…There’s something new to discover on every visit.Kilimanjaro Safari Elephant
  2. Creatures great and small – Trail, Trek or Safari – both the animals and their habitats are interesting and entertaining.  Such a variety of fauna, it’s almost impossible to take them all in during a single visit.
  3. Entertainment – The shows (Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo-The Musical) are awesome, but the Burudika Band and African acrobats are even more exciting (to our family, at least).  If you can spot the elusive DiVine, she’s pretty cool too.
  4. Tusker House – Best character meal to our family – the food and friendliness there cannot be beat.
  5. Flight of Passage – The absolute pinnacle of planet Pandora, this attraction is a feast for the senses.
  6. Dawa Bar – A must-do on every visit, this centrally located watering hole is the best place to grab an adult beverage right in the middle of Animal Kingdom’s hustle and bustle.Details along the Maharajah Jungle Trek
  7. Being transported to other continents.  More immersive than World Showcase, Animal Kingdom’s Africa and Asia are indescribably well done.  Down to the tiniest detail – every aspect is amazing.
  8. Baby animals – From gorillas to hippos, elephants, and even naked mole rats…the babies are wonderful to see.Expedition Everest Queue Yeti Museum
  9. Yeti!  A broken yeti is better than no yeti at all.  Expedition Everest is such a fantastic thrill and the best attraction in Animal Kingdom (to me).  An added bonus, is that the queue alone for this attraction is unsurpassed in its entertainment value.
  10. Harambe Market – We loved it even before Joseph started spending nearly every waking hour working there.  It’s so well-themed and the food is outstanding.  Get there early to snag a shaded table and soak up the atmosphere.Bird in Animal Kingdom
  11. Birds!  Whether they’re flying overhead, building nests in the aviaries on the animal trails, or performing in the bird show in Asia (used to be Flights of Wonder, Now UP! A Great Bird Adventure), these birds have given us a whole new appreciation for their species.
  12. Wilderness Explorers – Fun for all ages!  If you’re going to be in the park all day (as I strongly suggest), jump on into this fun, educational, and entertaining badge-earning activity.
  13. Primeval Whirl – For our family, this funky little ride in Dinoland U.S.A. is the best reason to visit this area of the park.  It’s weird and wacky and wonderfully whirly.View of Kali River
  14. Kali River Rapids Queue – The ride’s okay, but the queue is worth checking out at least once.  Gorgeous, detailed, and well-themed…I believe it’s also underappreciated.
  15. Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes – This busy little walk-up window by the Yak & Yeti restaurant serves up my favorite Animal Kingdom snack – the humble yet delicious and satisfying egg roll.  Need a snack or a bargain meal?  This is the place.
  16. Sunset – Ah, the beauty of staying all day!  Sunset is magical in Animal Kingdom no matter where you are in the park!  Safari?  Great!  Expedition Everest?  Gorgeous view!  Tree of Life?  Not to be missed…you get my point.
  17. Nomad Lounge – We knew it wouldn’t stay a secret forever and it’s very busy these days, but if you can snag a table, this wonderful oasis near the entrance to Pandora is arguable one of, if not THE best lounge in Walt Disney World.
  18. The Views – Everywhere you look in Animal Kingdom, there are wonderful sights to see, but if you take the time to really notice, the views can be breathtaking.
  19. Tiffins – It’s expensive and the food is maybe not for everyone, but this signature restaurant contains some of the most interesting decorations, menu, and Animal Kingdom history to be found anywhere.  The wine flights are awesome and if you go, be sure to ask your server to tell you about the artwork on the walls.
  20. The memories.  We’ve got so many cherished family memories of our time spent in Animal Kingdom.  (And Joseph has all his Disney College Program memories to add to his.)  Animal Kingdom is absolutely a unique and wonderful place to make magical memories on every visit.

 

Walt Disney World – Princess Half Marathon Weekend Recap

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There are heaps of details to share about our super-short trip for the runDisney Fairy Tale Challenge. Today’s post is a recap of our visit.  You know…the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I’m happy to report that there was much more good than anything else, but to be fair, I’ve got to mention a couple of things that were less than magical (so you can avoid our mistakes!).

Walt Disney World – Princess Half Marathon Weekend Recap

Megan, Raymond and I arrived on Friday much later than planned due to a flight delay. The Magical Express line was non-existent and we were headed to Bay Lake Tower in short order.  I’d used online check-in days earlier and the text message with our room assignment arrived just as we passed under the Walt Disney World sign.  We had booked a studio for three nights.  Our room was located on the 4th floor (#7436) just a few doors down from the elevators and one floor below the sky bridge to the Contemporary.  I practically skipped to our room (I was so excited to be there!), preoccupied with visions of what our view might be, I scanned my new green Magic Band with “grandma2b” on the back and pushed the door open.  At first I just stood there confused and thinking, “What the heck is this?  This is not our room…”, then I realized that we’d been Pixie-Dusted!  I was looking at a 1-bedroom villa!  What a great way to start the weekend!

Since we were running late, we only had time to rest for a minute before heading off to the runDisney Race Expo at the Wide World of Sports complex to pick up our race packets. I’d booked Epcot FastPasses for Frozen Ever After and Spaceship Earth, but soon realized that we’d be lucky just to make our 7:10 pm dinner reservation at Via Napoli.  Joseph would be meeting us when he finished work for the day.  For the first time ever, we actually shopped at the expo and Megan and I purchased some Disney-esque running wear.

Then we were off to Epcot. By the time we made it into the park, Joseph was at Via Napoli waiting for us and we took off walking as fast as we possibly could.  Megan texted the name of each country to Joseph as we passed through it until we finally made it to Italy.  We were all so happy to see Joseph after his first month in the Disney College Program.  We indulged ourselves in a little family hugging and such.  He had lots of great stories to share over dinner.  Our server was nice, but the overall dining experience wasn’t great – food/service combo was sub par for Via Napoli.  We’ll be avoiding this place for the next little while.  Full of carbs for the 10K in the morning, we were off to meet someone very special!

If you’re part of an online community of fellow Disney fans, bloggers, podcasters, etc., you’ll know how it is to make friends with like-minded people with whom you have lots in common.  Such has it’s been with my friend, Heather Brainerd.  We’ve been friends for going on five years and had never had the opportunity to meet face to face until last Friday night.  I can’t tell you how happy and excited we were to meet Heather in Epcot!  I’m only sorry we didn’t have more time together…we’ll be working on that soon, I’m sure.  I was not surprised at all to find that Heather is as beautiful and sweet in person as I expected her to be. (You can find Heather with her son on The Disney Duo Podcast.)

After visiting with Heather, we made a quick trip to Joseph’s apartment in Chatham Square. Very college dorm-ish and barren as neither Joseph or his roommate felt the need to decorate or accessorize their quarters in any way.  It did feel safe and since Joseph mostly only sleeps there, it also seemed adequate.  Joseph and his roommate work very different shifts, so Joseph said it’s very much like living alone.  This made me a little sad, but he’s having a truly fantastic time there and has made lots of new friends.  (Honestly, the place is worse in real life than it looks in pictures.)

We knew on Thursday when his work schedule came out that Joseph would miss the Princess Half-Marathon. He was scheduled to work at 7:30 am on Sunday morning.  We decided he, Megan, and I would run the 10K wearing the shirts (Disney snacks!) I’d had made for the half-marathon.  Megan and I could run the half in the clothes we’d bought at the expo.

We stayed up way too late talking and by the time the alarm went off on Saturday morning at 3:15, we were crazy tired. Like zombies we made our way to the Corral B.  Personally, I’d never felt less like running in my life. (Joseph’s face in this picture says it all!)  Once we got going, though, we perked up and had a great time.  This was Megan’s first runDisney event and she clearly enjoyed the excitement.  The Boardwalk was packed with cheering people – more than I remember seeing in the past – and we found them very motivational on our way towards the finish line!  Once race down, one to go.

Because this was our only full day with Joseph, we headed back to Bay Lake Tower to clean up before making our way to Magic Kingdom. We had FastPasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Megan didn’t ride since she’s expecting), Jungle Cruise, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  They were spaced out enough to allow us to add an additional three items:  Ride Pirates of the Caribbean (to say farewell to the bride auction scene), visit Talking Mickey since he’ll be gone by the time we return in May and Megan and Joseph had never met him, and enjoy lunch at Whispering Canyon Café in the Wilderness Lodge.

Once we accomplished everything on the list, we squeezed in a nap before having dinner at Il Mulino (in Disney’s Swan). We always enjoy eating there and this time was no exception.  The service and food are both top-notch.  We hurried back to Bay Lake Tower and went right to sleep.  We were told to be on the monorail by 3:30 am sharp to get to the race start on time.

Sunday morning, Joseph left right after we received our wake-up call to take a friend to the airport before work. Everything was going well, Megan and I were dressed and I was pouring coffee when (poor Megan!)…morning sickness struck.  Though it had mostly disappeared over the past few weeks, Sunday morning it returned with a vengeance.  Megan was such a trooper!  I had some of those Biscoff cookies leftover from the plane ride and they turned out to be just the thing to settle Meg’s stomach.  In a few minutes we were back on track and out the door on time.  Megan and I felt much less tired than we had the day before.  By the time we reached the Epcot parking lot and walked (felt like miles) to Corral D, there was an hour to go before race time.  (Here’s a picture of Megan and I with 25,000 fellow runners!)

Megan and I planned our run/walk/run strategy while we waited. The high temperature on Sunday was supposed to be 89-degrees and we wanted to make certain Megan didn’t get overheated or dehydrated.  At 20 weeks along, we would let Megan set the pace according to how she felt.  This would give us plenty of time to soak up the Disney magic and all the special touches that make runDisney races so wonderful.  That’s the beauty of these events – no pressure!  When we crossed the finish line, we were ecstatic!  We’d done it!  Except for a pain in her foot, Megan felt great.  Raymond was waiting for us and we spent a few minutes at the post-race celebration before catching the bus back to Bay Lake Tower.

The rest of the day was spent at Animal Kingdom. Megan and I were so tired, we joked that Raymond couldn’t walk slow enough not to leave us behind no matter how hard he tried.  While we waited for Joseph to get off work and meet up with us, we did the Maharajah Jungle Trek, rode Na’vi River Journey, Raymond and I rode Expedition Everest, and the three of us had one of the best Kilimanjaro Safaris experiences ever.

Once Joseph caught up with us, we watched the acrobats in Africa for a while before enjoying dinner at Tiffins.  The four of us split the artisanal cheese selection and charcuterie board before ordering four different entrées.  This was unprecedented!  At least two of us always end up ordering the same thing.  We were all happy with our selections and the portions were generous enough for us to share and sample each other’s food.

A Cautionary Tale:  We have been Tables in Wonderland holders for several years.  Sometimes we pay for our meals  with our Magic Bands, sometimes with cash, and sometimes with a credit card.  We’re annual passholders and DVC members and we like to think we know how all of this stuff works.  Turns out, we don’t know everything.  Raymond gave our Tiffins server the Tables in Wonderland card and I gave her our credit card to close out our ticket.  When she came back to the table to inform us that she would not be able to apply the 20% discount because Raymond’s name is on the TIW card and mine is on the credit card, we were taken by surprise.  Unless we paid with a card with his name on it or cash, no discount.  This made me furious – at first.  We are both on the credit card account, but he didn’t have his card with him.  Before I could work up a really bad attitude, I remembered the Magic Bands!  I smiled at Raymond and said, go ahead and use your Magic Band.  That way you’ll be paying for our meal…with THIS credit card!  I’d forgotten for a minute what we had linked to our Magic Bands.  Now we know for the future and will make sure our form of payment works with the card.

More details about the races, new foods we tried, and unique experiences are coming up soon!  What do you want to hear about first?

Just Back from WDW – The Best and the Worst of it

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It was a whirlwind trip and somewhat overshadowed by two things – a 1600-mile round-trip drive (ugh!) and leaving Joseph behind when we came home.  Knowing those aspects have a negative effect on how this trip will be remembered, I shall endeavor to do my best in giving balanced feedback.

Just Back from WDW – The Best and the Worst of it

The Great Stuff

Saratoga Springs – This was Megan’s and my second time staying here and Raymond and Joseph’s first.  We all thought our room location in The Springs section was fantastic.  On the first floor, our room was unbelievably quiet and relatively close to the bus stop and the main pool/recreation area.  We did not have to wait too long for a bus at any time.  The only negative I could see is that this is the last bus stop in the loop.  While the rooms at Saratoga Springs are a bit dated and could use an update or at least a little extra TLC, our room was clean, everything was in working order, and the building appeared well-maintained.  Last June, in The Paddock section, we had “Welcome Home” doormats which were nowhere to be found on this visit.

Festival of the Arts – If the weather had been better, this would have been a really great time.  As it was, we sampled very little food, but loved the theme and the fun photo ops.  As a bonus, we got to see a couple get engaged on the bridge in Italy and it was great.  She said yes.

Morimoto Asia for Dinner – We’ve enjoyed lunch at Morimoto’s a couple of times and thought the food and service were wonderful.  Our first dinner there did not disappoint!  We ordered a variety of dishes and all were delicious.  Raymond and I finally tried the Peking Duck for two…wonderful!

BaseLine Tap House – This new addition to the Studios is…what, WHAT?  Something NEW?  Yes, you heard me correctly!  After closure after closure, finally something new and it’s great!  We stopped in for beer then also shared a pretzel.  Both were great, but what really struck us as the best feature of this place was the music.  Thumbs up all around for the cool vibe and a libation menu that feels custom-made for us.

Moonlight Magic – We almost never get to take advantage of DVC events.  We’ve never been there when they had one before, so RSVP-ing for this complimentary Magic Kingdom after-hours event was a must!  Unfortunately, the weather was crap with constant drizzle.  We did enjoy getting to see unusual characters and the wait times for rides were super reasonable.  We had dinner at Skipper Canteen, checked in and got our wristbands, then managed to ride Pirates, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, and the People Mover.  We left Megan practically all alone on the People Mover while Raymond, Joseph and I rode Space Mountain (since it’s off limits for expectant mothers).  There were photo ops with lots of characters and we stopped for pictures twice.  We met Louie and Balou in Adventureland and then space-Pluto and Goofy in Tomorrowland.  We got to see both Wishes and the event’s special fireworks show which had a special name, but it escapes me now, but leads me to…

The Bad Things

Raglan Road – After years (and years!) of loving this place and taking flak from folks who don’t see eye-to-eye, we were not just disappointed, we were crushed.  We had dinner there Saturday night and one of our favorite happy, fun, tasty, go-to favorites had transformed into an unrecognizable dump.  Given no option, we were seated in the bar at a very small table where we could not see the stage.  I hate those high chairs for any length of time…my short legs make sitting comfortably nearly impossible.  The tiny table made everything crowded.  The ribs we ordered for an appetizer came on a giant wooden board which barely fit on the table and made plates, drinks, utensils, etc. in danger of being pushed off.  The ribs were barely seasoned and barely luke warm.  Things went downhill from there.  The service was okay, but our server was clearly spread too thin.  A tall man, who seemed to be a manager of some sort, kept coming by and asking how everything was, but he never made eye-contact or smiled and was completely insincere.  I ordered a salad that was made up of horrible lettuce scraps and a single clump of blue cheese among the other ingredients.  Nothing was so horrible that we felt we needed to formally complain, but the overall experience was lousy enough that we all agreed to take an extended break from Raglan Road before trying it again (maybe) in the future.  On the bright side, new choices for dining at Disney Springs abound!

The Collapse of Society – Sure, people litter, cut in line, stop in the middle of walk-ways, ram you with strollers and all that.  Other people make up for it by being kind and friendly.  It’s like that everywhere.  Rude and nasty people have never made me think about vacationing someplace less crowded.

Two remarkable things happened on this trip though that have stuck with me as a sign of worsening times.  First let me add that I have a personal pet peeve about naked feet.  They’re gross.  And unhygienic.  Pool-side, they are to be expected.  In a restaurant, not so much.  Please people, for the love of all that’s holy, keep your shoes on!  It’s not okay to remove them in public indoor spaces!  There’s a reason for signs that say, “No shirt, no shoes, no service”.  I think Disney needs to put those signs on all their restaurant entrances, pronto!

The second incident was a bit more alarming.  Raymond and I were standing side-by-side at the top and towards the middle of Main Street (along with many other people) watching the Moonlight Magic fireworks show.  Once the lights go down in the park for fireworks, most people seem to either stay put, or move to the edges of the crowd if they’re trying to leave the park.  Not so with the big guy who came straight towards us, turned slightly to the side, lowered his shoulder and literally plowed between us.  I tried to hold my ground for a minute because I was both incredulous and furious, but he was too big and I didn’t want to get knocked to the ground.  I did turn back and yell, “EXCUSE YOU!!!!”, but that reaction was stupid.  Clearly, when a younger guy, built like a linebacker, feels it acceptable to shove mature fellow guests out of his way in a DISNEY PARK, something is wrong with the World.  Makes me sad that we’ve come to this as a society, but here we are, I guess.

Well, there you have it.  A very quick trip made bittersweet by our happiness for Joseph and his Disney College Program adventure and our leaving him behind when we went home.  Some of our experiences deserve blog posts of their own and some are better off forgotten forever (if possible).  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Have you had a disappointing experience at Walt Disney World?  What impact (if any) will (or did) it have on future visits?

Walt Disney World – Great Places to Explore Outside the Parks

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There are lots of magical little corners of the World to be found outside the hustle and bustle of the parks.  Today I want to talk about a few of our favorites.

Walt Disney World – Great Places to Explore Outside the Parks

The walkway between the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian Village Resorts – For us, this is a must-do anytime we’ve dined at Citricos or Narcoossee’s.  We’ll walk off our dinner with a stroll from the Grand Floridian to the Poly.  It’s a beautiful, peaceful way to end the evening.  If we time it right, we can stop on the boat dock at the Polynesian and watch the Electrical Water Pageant go by.  Disney World's Electrical Water PageantOnce we arrive at the Polynesian, we’ll catch the monorail back to Magic Kingdom for a resort bus if we’re not staying in that area.  If we’re staying at Bay Lake Tower (more likely than not), we’ll take the monorail home.  

Fort Wilderness – This is one of my favorite places in the World and we’ve never stayed there!  Sure, the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review is a draw for many, but the entire resort is incredibly interesting.  Feels like no place else at Walt Disney World and has the added bonus of being the home of the Tri-Circle-D Ranch!  We got to explore the ranch’s horse barn during our Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour (highly recommend!).  While we were there, we also took the time to visit the gift shop (very cool!) and explore the resort.  If you’re looking for something different, consider either the Segway Tour or a carriage ride or horseback riding at the ranch.    The Boardwalk at Walt Disney World

Disney’s Boardwalk – A great place to explore anytime of the day, but evening is when the Boardwalk really comes alive.  Live performers like mimes and magicians, lounges for a pre-dinner cocktail, ice cream, snacks, and more.  It took us years (and years!) to visit the Boardwalk for the first time and now that we know what’s there, we visit an almost every trip to the World.  We especially love the Flying Fish Café for a nice dinner and the AbracadaBar for a well-themed libation stop.  

Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Savannah Overlook – If you’ve never taken the time to visit Animal Kingdom Lodge, you need to squeeze it in on your next visit.  The place is spectacular and, you know, ANIMALS!  It’s very cool to step out of the lobby and check out the wildlife.  Whether you’re at Jambo House or the Kidani Village area of Animal Kingdom, there’s a lot to see.  We try to go over in the late afternoon straight from Disney’s Animal Kingdom (park) to see the sights and maybe enjoy an adult beverage at the Victoria Falls Lounge.  If we can add dinner at Boma, Sanaa, or Jiko…all the better!  Tip:  If you only have time for a snack, visit Sanaa after you check out the savannah at Kidani Village and order their famous Indian-Style Bread Service!  You won’t be sorry.

When you’re at Disney World, where are your favorite places to visit outside the parks?