Animal Kingdom Turns Twenty! 20 Things to Love

Posted on April 22, 2018 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

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

The Tree of Life – Take the time to really study this Imagineering marvel…There’s something new to discover on every visit.
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.
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.
Tusker House – Best character meal to our family – the food and friendliness there cannot be beat.
Flight of Passage – The absolute pinnacle of planet Pandora, this attraction is a feast for the senses.
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.
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.
Baby animals – From gorillas to hippos, elephants, and even naked mole rats…the babies are wonderful to see.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

2017 Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend in Review

Posted on April 27, 2017 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Last weekend’s trip to Walt Disney World was brief but packed with fun. I’ve got so much to tell you, I thought I’d start with this post full of my impressions of the best and not-so-great aspects of our visit. I’ll follow up with posts on the Star Wars 10K and half marathon and a restaurant review or two. Here’s the scoop…

2017 Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend in Review

We arrived mid-day Friday. Our plan was to get to the Grand Floridian (stayed at the DVC Villas), drop off our luggage, grab a bite at the Gasparilla Island Grill (underrated quick-service), then rush over to Wide World Of Sports so Joseph and I could pick up our race packets for the Dark Side Challenge. This part went off without a hitch. I was very excited to see Richard (famous greeter at the Grand Floridian) looking well. If you seen him, say hello and he’ll say, “Welcome to the Grand!” I love that he’s in his 90’s and still enjoying his job so much.

We wanted to spend a few minutes shopping at the Expo if possible and, thanks to the event buses running often, mission accomplished! I’d booked Magic Kingdom FastPasses starting at 4:30 (or thereabouts) for Seven Dwarfs, Big Thunder, and Space Mountain and we arrived in plenty of time! We even managed to squeeze in Pirates and PeopleMover as well. Dinner was at Narcoossee’s and the 8:30 dining time was my first error of this trip. WAY too late to eat before having to get up at 3:15 a.m. the next day.

Before dinner, we managed a quick glass of wine in Mizner’s Lounge. Joseph had never heard the Lobby Society Orchestra play before and they sounded especially great that evening. We were wishing we’d had more time to relax and enjoy the music. On the way to Narcoossee’s, we spotted a rather large dark-colored snake on the sidewalk. As I’ve mentioned before (here), Joseph has an affinity for reptiles. I wanted to take the snake’s picture, Joseph wanted to pick it up! Raymond and I, at the exact same time, realized what was about to happen and quietly said, “Don’t do it!” just about the time the snake decided to slither off into the bushes. I did mention to the hostess that some guests might be alarmed if Mr. Snake decided to move back onto the warmth of the walkway.

Dinner was excellent as was our view of Wishes during our meal. As we headed to our room to catch what sleep we could, we noticed and Cast Member and a gentleman in a suit holding a flashlight searching for the snake – or at least making sure it stayed off the sidewalk. Our room (studio #1428) was the biggest disappointment of our stay. There was no split bathroom, just a plain bathroom with a tub/shower combo.We didn’t even know such a room type existed! Made getting ready take much longer for the three of us as we are a decidedly anti-bathroom-sharing people. The room overall was lovely, but felt like a plain hotel room. If you’ve seen DVC studios at Disney’s Polynesian Village or Bay Lake Tower, you can appreciate how disappointed we were. There’s a split bathroom at the Poly and Bay Lake Tower’s kitchenette is so large, there’s extra room (with a counter and mirror) for getting ready.

Watch for a full report on the Star Wars 10K in the next few days. Let me jump straight to our post-race activities…

At 180-days out, I’d booked a reservation for lunch at Beaches & Cream (Beach Club) and then cancelled it the day before we left home. I should not have done that. The recently opened Polite Pig in Disney Springs seemed just our type of place and we all wanted to try it. Arriving at Disney Springs around 10:00 a.m., we had about an hour to shop before the restaurant opened and we were among the first in the door. The atmosphere is neat and the employees were perfectly polite. But, in spite of our love for barbecue and smoked meats, we were (all of us) disappointed in our food. Such unanimous agreement is practically unheard of! I ended up feeling sorry we didn’t get to try Beaches & Cream. Next time we visit the Polite Pig, it’ll be for the bar instead of the food – our beers were very delicious and their drink menu is vast.

After lunch we were off to Epcot for the Disney Exchange Podcast Meet-up! Nick, Dave, and I, (and our families) were excited to see friends of the show and spent an hour visiting and laughing a LOT! We felt very humbled and special to have listeners willing to interrupt their Disney vacation to spend time with us. Thanks especially to “Aunt Sandy”, Dave J., Victoria, Olivia, Linda, and Phillip (a.k.a. Duke). After the meet-up, Raymond, Joseph and I headed off to use our FastPasses.

Frozen was down, so we used our first FastPass for Soarin’ followed by Spaceship Earth (we got stuck for a couple of minutes by the garlic hat guy and it was great!). Our last FastPass went unused (Nemo) when we realized how nice it would be to go back to our room for a few minutes before dinner at Il Mulino – our now-traditional-pre-half-marathon-go-to restaurant. If you are not on the Disney Dining Plan, I urge you to give some of the Swan and Dolphin’s restaurants a try! This was our fourth visit to Il Mulino and our experiences have all been consistently excellent.

Immediately after dinner, we got back to our room as quickly as possible and were out as soon as our heads hit the pillows!

Sunday morning, there was that little matter of the Star Wars Half Marathon. (Full review soon.) Raymond was waiting for Joseph and me when we finished the race and the three of us, along with Dave and his wife, Anne, enjoyed a few minutes of the post-race party before getting on with the rest of our day. Animal Kingdom was on the agenda and by the time we got there, a bad case of “hangry” had struck so we decided to grab some small plates at the Nomad Lounge.And ended up staying for three hours once Nick and Dave (and their wives and friends) found out where we were and joined us. If you haven’t been to Nomad Lounge, go! It’s about as perfect a place to relax as exists on Disney property. The beverage selection is great, the food is yummy, and the atmosphere is tranquil. Unbelievably, we left Nomad Lounge and spent a few more minutes together at the Dawa Bar.

Eventually we needed to excuse ourselves in favor of FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. We strolled along the Gorilla Falls Trail between attractions and then caught a bus for Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village section for dinner at Sanaa. We were early and spent time out on the savannah overlook sitting in rocking chairs and enjoying the lovely weather. Sanaa’s manager was kind enough to find us a table about 30 minutes before our reservation and we were delighted to introduce Joseph to the restaurant’s famous bread service.

To wrap up the day, we met our Disney Exchange friends back at Animal Kingdom for Rivers of Light. It was our first time to see it and typically, Raymond, Joseph and I had completely differing opinions about this new show (more on that at a later date). By this time, even with all the rest and relaxation, the trackers on our Fitbits had passed 20 miles for the day. It was time to turn in so we had enough energy to squeeze in a last little bit of Disney in the morning.

We were awake and busy packing by 6:15 a.m. We had breakfast scheduled at Kona Café (another tradition) followed by one last FastPass in Magic Kingdom for Space Mountain at 9:20. Our ride to the airport was scheduled to pick us up at 11:00 a.m. Dave met us in Magic Kingdom and we had time for a last ride around Tomorrowland on the PeopleMover before blasting off into Space. It was time to go. One last bit of pixie dust found us as we went back to our room for our luggage – Cinderella’s horses, carriage and footmen were on the path around our building and we got to see them up close as they passed by. Then we found ourselves leaving Walt Disney World behind to get home for some much needed rest!

For a very short 72 hours, we had an amazing (exhausting) time! Joseph completed his first runDisney events. Nick, Dave and I managed (finally!) to have our first podcast meet-up. Family, friends, and LOTS of Disney magic all around…we could not have asked for a better time.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 12 Hours of Fun!

Posted on October 19, 2016 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

I’m well aware there are certain people who do not appreciate Disney’s Animal Kingdom as a full-day park. My family and I are not among them. We were thrilled recently by the opportunity to spend 12+ hours in the amazingly themed, action-packed, fun-filled Animal Kingdom. From rope-drop to park closing, we had an amazing day and still did not see and do it all.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 12 Hours of Fun!

Pre-planning: We booked two ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) at 180 days pre-vacation at Tusker House for breakfast and Tiffins for an early dinner. If, by some miracle, Rivers of Light would have come online for our trip, we were ready to turn one of these meals into a dining package. As it turned out, Rivers of Light was still a no-show. No matter, we enjoyed both of these restaurants and were very pleased with the choices. We had also booked three FastPasses: Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Primeval Whirl (Dinosaur was under refurbishment).

What we did for 12+ Hours

Morning: We arrived early for breakfast and enjoyed Tusker House’s buffet which had both unique and traditional breakfast offerings. We met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy – all were awesome and spent plenty of time with us for pictures. As much as I love Donald, Goofy was extra entertaining. After breakfast, we waddled over to Kilimanjaro Safaris and visited with the friendly Cast Members there while we waited for the attraction to open. Our group of seven and a family of three were the only ones on our safari and it was, hands down, the best experience we’d ever had on this attraction…even though the giraffes (except for one) and elephants seemed to be sleeping in that morning. We were very excited to have an excellent view of the new African Painted Dogs! Gorgeous!Post-safari, we explored the Gorilla Falls trail, used our Expedition Everest FastPass, strolled the Maharajah Jungle Trek, caught It’s Tough to Be a Bug, and took another safari (with FastPass) to see the previously missed close-up giraffes and elephants.

Afternoon: We stopped by the Harambe Market in case anyone was hungry, but we only got drinks. I guess we were still full from Tusker House. While we were enjoying our beverages of choice, we were serenaded by a musician and it was wonderful! He was very talented and made us feel special. Then we explored Zuri’s Sweet Shop where we all bought souvenirs. Hats, toy Komodo Dragons, and stuffed African Painted Dogs were popular items with our group. After that we hopped the train for Rafiki’s Planet Watch. While there was not a lot going on in the animal care area, the Cast Members were chatty and informative, the animals in the petting area were cute, and Rafiki himself made an appearance and was very charming!We could have seen Festival of the Lion King instead, but Rafiki won out in the group vote and we were happy with our excursion to this seldom-visited section of the park.

As we took the train back, we noticed the sky was darkening. By the time we exited the train and donned our ponchos, a torrential downpour was upon us and all areas of shelter nearby were packed. I decided we should take a chance on Nomad Lounge (by Tiffins), hoping nobody else would realize it would be open. YES! The place was virtually empty. We found a table on the patio and ordered drinks and snacks which we made short work of as the rain let up and we headed back out for more fun. We wrapped up the afternoon with a series of rides on Primeval Whirl since there was no wait. Before long, it was time to return to Tiffins for our early dinner reservation.

Evening: Tiffins, which I will give a full review for soon, was delightful and delicious (truthfully, it was incredible)! Once the sun began to set, we began what was the completely-new-to-us time of the day – we’d never been able to stay at Animal Kingdom so late before. The park wouldn’t close until 8:30 and we were going to take advantage of every minute. First, everyone (except Raymond and I) took multiple trips down Kali River Rapids (no wait). Then we enjoyed Expedition Everest at night…amazing!We took our third Kilimanjaro Safari of the day to see the hyenas and all the nighttime effects before wrapping up this epic day by watching the Tree of Life awaken.

More than 12 hours after we arrived, we caught the bus back to Bay Lake Tower. Sure, we skipped things like Finding Nemo The Musical, Festival of the Lion King and Flights of Wonder, but we rode awesome thrill rides multiple times (no wait), had all the safari experiences possible, enjoyed some fantastic food and soaked up all the incredible theming and ambiance Animal Kingdom has to offer. When the World of Pandora opens and Rivers of Light finally launches, we’ll have to make multi-day plans here on every visit!

What are your favorite things to do at Animal Kingdom? Are you looking forward to the parks upcoming additions?

Disney World! Always New Things to Try

Posted on October 14, 2016 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Walt Disney World – Trying new things and revisiting old favorites is what makes every visit different from the one before. I’m committed to adding something new to every trip…our most recent Disney vacation was no exception.

Disney World! Always New Things to Try

Most of the items on this list rate their very own review in the future (please stand by). Today I’m going for a quick rundown of what was new (to us) and what our initial impressions were. Please feel free to weigh in on what you’re looking forward to trying for the first time on your next Walt Disney World visit.

Mad Tea Party. Yes, that’s right, Raymond and I have never, not once, taken a spin on this most iconic of Magic Kingdom attractions. Now we can say we’ve done it. Aaaaaaand that’s pretty much all I have to say about that…for now.
Disney Springs’ new offerings. We didn’t have a great deal of time to spare, but we did manage to grab lunch at Morimoto Street Food (new walk-up counter service at Morimoto Asia) and check out a few of the new stores in the new retail shopping section. Lunch was great, the stores were okay. In spite of all the fancy, new high-end offerings, I found myself pulled back to my old favorites like the Marketplace Co-Op and Disney’s Days of Christmas. That’s where I spent my money. I was inordinately happy with my Schweitzer Falls t-shirt buy…can you blame me?
Animal Kingdom’s Nomad Lounge and Tiffins – Guys! We give these new places a resounding, unanimous vote of approval! I promise more details later, but if you’re on the fence about trying one or both…get off the fence on the side of definitely going.
Epcot’s Via Napoli – Raymond and I enjoyed a special dining experience here during the 2014 Food & Wine festival, but had never made a regular ADR for a meal here until this visit. I’d been skeptical of reviews that said the pizza was fantastic (Disney pizza is typically anything but fantastic) and the food excellent overall, but I’m a believer now and cannot wait to go back! We were very happy!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater – All I can say in my own defense was that I thought it would be unique and fun. Yeahhhhh….not so much. Didn’t hate it, but now that we’ve given it a try, there’s no need to go back. For the price, service level, and menu, there are too many superior choices…we’ll put this in the “once and done” category. I’ll go ahead and add that for us, the service was subpar and the seating less than ideal for a party of more than four.
Frozen Ever After – Raymond and I managed to score a FastPass for this and ride it on the first day of our vacation. I hate that we couldn’t get FastPasses for the rest of our party! This attraction is outstanding. Let’s not debate its suitability for the Norway Pavilion in Epcot and just focus on the experience alone…wonderful!
Soarin’ – This was THE one thing I was most looking forward to. I’ve always been a fan and could not wait to check out the new version. I was both delighted and disappointed in equal measure. Have you ridden it yet? What did you think?