Tag Archives: Tiffins

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?

Getting Your Disney World Vacation Started Right!

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There’s no right or wrong way to kick off a vacation at Walt Disney World.  But a bit of advance planning for some arrival day fun helps make the most of every precious vacation minute.

Getting Your Disney World Vacation Started Right!

First let’s take a quick look at some of the factors that influence your arrival day options…

  • What time will you reach the World?  Will you have most of a day? Part of a day? Arrive Late?
  • What size is your travel party?  Maneuvering a group takes time and sometimes more effort that expected.  Spending a bit of time in advance to map out at least a framework of plans is super helpful when you’re traveling with a group.
  • Littles or Bigs?  Will your children need naps?  Did they have to get up extra early for travel?  (Also, it’s good to know before you go what the height requirements are on various attractions.)
  • Will you have park tickets on day one?

Some suggestions…

Lots of folks don’t purchase park tickets for arrival day.  Before we became annual passholders, our family fell into this category.  If you’re staying near or on Disney property, you can jump right into the Disney Bubble and start soaking up the magic before you ever visit a park.

Here are some tried and true ideas:

  • Explore your resort.  It’s a good way to familiarize yourself with the location of restaurants, shops, pools, activities and transportation.  Many Disney World resorts have evening activities like movies, story-telling and S’mores-making – ask about the events schedule when checking in. 
  • If you have a car, make a grocery run.  Stock up on things like snacks, water, and breakfast foods.
  • Plan ahead for a nice dinner.  (Reservations at Disney resorts can be made 180 days in advance.)  There are so many restaurants to choose from, we usually pick someplace new to try on our first day of vacation.
  • Check out Disney Springs.  There’s something for all ages including fun shops, cool atmosphere, and live entertainment.  With or without reservations, there are a bunch of great places to eat.
  • Hang out at the pool.  We have lots of friends who claim this is their most favorite way to kick of a Disney vacation.
  • Turn in early so you can hit the parks refreshed first thing the next day.
  • During the holiday season, resort-hop to check out the amazing decorations.

Have Park Tickets?  With a little advance planning, you can dive right into the action!  If you only have three or four days in Walt Disney World, a few extra hours in the parks on arrival day can make a huge difference in the number of shows and attractions you get to experience.

Head straight to a park:

  • Book FastPasses starting about two hours post-arrival.  That gives plenty of time to check in at your resort and make your way to whichever park you’ve chosen.  Between FastPasses, keep an eye on the wait times in the My Disney Experience app and you’ll be amazed at how many attractions you can fit in on day one.
  • Magic Kingdom is my personal favorite arrival-day park.  There’s no better welcome to the Disney Bubble than seeing Cinderella Castle right away and soaking up the sights, sounds, and smells of Main Street USA.
  • Want a casual, low-key arrival day in a park?  Choose Epcot or Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  During any of Epcot’s festivals, there’s nothing more relaxing to me than a stroll around World Showcase sampling food and drinks along the way.  In Animal Kingdom, exploring the trails and animal exhibits is a laid back way to check out the park without waiting in long lines or rushing around.
  • Pre-shop a bit for park souvenirs to purchase later.
  • Plan a nice dinner at your favorite in-park restaurant.  We like Tiffins (Animal Kingdom), Skipper Canteen (Magic Kingdom), Via Napoli (Epcot) and 50’s Prime Time Café (Disney’s Hollywood Studios).
  • Pick a nighttime spectacular to wrap up the day.  Whether it’s Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom, Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular or Fantasmic! in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Illuminations:  Reflections of Earth in Epcot, or Rivers of Light in Animal Kingdom – there’s a magical way to end your first day of vacation no matter which park you choose.

Now it’s your turn!  What’s your favorite way to start a Disney World vacation?

 

Disney World Last Week – Trip Recap

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Social Media Buddies, you cracked me up!  Some of you were polite about our Christmas week at Walt Disney World plans and some of you were brutally honest (my kind of folks!) and wanted to know if we were CRAZY!  Yes, a little crazy perhaps, but Christmastime at Disney World is magical.  And crowded.  Boy, was it crowded.

Disney World Last Week – Trip Recap

As with any visit to our favorite vacation spot, this one was packed with tons of Disney magic, lots of fun, and some extra-special Cast Members.  There were a few disappointments, some self-inflicted, but overall we had a great time.  Here’s the lowdown on the best and worst of the trip…

Best Moments-

Having a Tiny Christmas Tree – If Raymond and Joseph thought I was out of my mind for packing a tree, lights, garland, and ornaments (including Disney characters, thanks to my friend, Debbie), they were kind enough not to say so.  Having that little tree in our room made me indescribably happy.  I turned on the lights every evening and it added just the right Christmas touch.

Christmas Morning in Magic Kingdom – The weather was perfect, the Cast Members were incredible, and as the sun came up, we were so happy to be there.  We rode Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, and Big Thunder before breakfast at Be Our Guest.  After that, we used our three FastPasses and were gone by early afternoon to enjoy the rest of the day away from the crowds.

Hugs from Cast Members – I made a point of thanking the various Cast Members we encountered on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for being there to make our holiday celebration possible. Some were clearly surprised and just said an enthusiastic “Thank you!”. Others took time to ask where we were from and before long, we were hugging!  This, more than anything else, put the Christmas magic into this vacation for me.

Voices of Liberty – They’re spectacular any time of the year, but this was the first time we’d heard them sing Christmas and Hanukkah songs.  We were so glad we’d made the time to enjoy this must-do in World Showcase’s American Adventure.

Touring The Decorations – Some folks might refer to this as the Monorail Loop Pub Crawl, but in December it’s called the Tour of Christmas!  The trees are gorgeous and the smell of gingerbread is in the air.  Everything sparkles. Bonus: during mid-to-late afternoon, the lounges are practically empty.

Notes of Welcome – We were greeted by special cards in Kona Café, California Grill, and Tiffins (where we also received some peppermint bark candy).  This was unexpected, unnecessary, and made us feel incredibly special.  Nice touch, Disney!!!

Meeting Peas and Carrots – If you don’t know Carmen and Brian and their fun and informative vlog, you’ve been missing out! They were exactly as charming and fun at they appear on YouTube and I was thrilled to make their acquaintance when we happened to be in Epcot at the same time.

Best Food –

Kona Café – Always a solid choice! We love the atmosphere at the Polynesian and while Kona may be easier to get into than ‘Ohana, the food is no less delicious! We enjoyed dinner on arrival day and breakfast later in the week after sleeping in – what a luxury!

California Grill – The view from our table-by-the-widow was perfect. Our server was awesome and the ever-changing menu a delight!  Thanks to my sister, Sandy and brother-in-law, Joe, we had a Disney gift card we used for an extra special Christmas dinner. From start to finish, complete with three courses, delicious wine and after dinner drinks with dessert, our experience at California Grill was perfect.

Tiffins – Remember last time we went and how much we loved having Kile as our server?  Miraculously, we asked for him again and he was there!  This place is outstanding for Animal Kingdom fans like us and Kile knows everything from the artwork to history and food particulars. Again, we had a magical, memorable dinner and will definitely return as soon as we can.

Jiko – What can I say? We’ve never been disappointed. Plus Animal Kingdom Lodge is gorgeous any time of the year and especially at Christmas.

Morimoto Asia – Raymond and I couldn’t wait to take Joseph here since the experience is right up his alley.  Addicted to Food Network, lifelong fan of Epcot’s Japan pavilion and adventurous diner, this restaurant was made for our only son.  Went exactly as we’d hoped it would and we all enjoyed our lunch tremendously.

Best New Experiences –

Candlelight Processional (dinner package) – We chose breakfast at Trattoria al Forno which was wonderful in spite of the restaurant staff being incredibly short-handed. The atmosphere is cool and the food quite tasty. At about 6:15 that evening, we got in line for the show and found seats in the center about half-way back. Cal Ripken, Jr. offered a fine narration and the singers and musicians were fantastic.  Would we do it again? You betcha!

Express Transfer – While this special, optional service is currently in the testing phase, for park-hoppers like us, it was worth every penny of the $24 per person up charge for the week we were there!  One we added this feature to our Magic Bands, we were set! Slip out one park, board the bus and slip right into the next park…all behind the scenes!  Saved so much time and walking!

Wilderness Explorers – Sure it’s for kids, but I talked Joseph into doing this Animal Kingdom activity with me and we really enjoyed the adventure!  (Full review with lots of details coming soon.)

Jock Lindsey’s Outdoor Seating – I’d never even noticed it before, but Raymond had and suggested we try it out.  There’s lots of space which includes tables and chairs on a boat named “Reggie”.  Of course that’s where we wanted to sit. And what a treat it was! Awesome server and great beer selection.

AMC Dine-In Theater (for Rogue One) – There’s nothing like this movie-and-a-meal experience available anywhere near where we live.  This was such a fun way to combine lunch and a show at Disney Springs.  We loved Rogue One and thought everything from the characters to the scenery, costumes, effects, and storyline were a perfect fit (and tribute) to the original movies.

Disappointments/Regrets

Citricos – This was not what we were expecting after our last visit.  The service was not nearly as good as on our last visit even though there were plenty of empty tables around us.  The real problem was that something bad must have happened in the kitchen and the unmistakable taste of soap was in my and Joseph’s entrees.  No, we didn’t send them back, but we should have.  We should have at least complained.  My only excuse for not doing either of those is that we weren’t very hungry and were particularly exhausted that day.  I just wanted to get out of there.

Wild Africa Trek – This one’s on me.  I should have done more research.  I’ll do a whole review on our experience, but overall I was disappointed in what we got for the splurge.  It was certainly not all bad, just not what I’d hoped for.  One of our guides was really snarky and that’s probably my number one complaint.  We felt the tour was geared mostly towards children and better for families with little ones.

Jingle Bell Jingle BAM Dessert Party – The idea of this is nice, but I wish I hadn’t spent the extra money.  The food and beverage offerings, meeting with Santa Goofy, and viewing area for the show were not worth what we paid.  We did appreciate the nice seating area that kept us out of the cold weather that night and the complimentary hand warmers were a nice touch.  We’ve always wondered and now we know – dessert parties are not for us.

AbracadaBar – We finally made it here on our way to dinner at Flying Fish.  I’m glad there’s a lounge option other than the Belle Vue at the Boardwalk now, but this spot is no Trader Sam’s or Jock Lindsey’s.  It’s a great place to hang out pre-dinner, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again.

While visiting Walt Disney World for Christmas is not for the faint of heart, there’s plenty of extra Disney magic to be found!  With a little extra planning and patience, a wonderful time awaits!

If you’d be interested in full reviews or additional details about anything mentioned here today, please let me know. Have you spent Christmas at Disney World?  What was your experience like?