A Savanna, A Wizard, and Oodles of Food - AKL/DxDP/WWoHP (COMPLETE!)

[SimplyGoofy]

Toy Story Midway Mania, Take Two
Day 8 – Saturday, February 11th

The day no one likes was here – it was the last full day of our vacation.

No crying (and no sleeping in!) for us - we were going to use every minute of our last full day! We were going to start with bang with the extra magic hours at Hollywood Studios. We needed to improve on our Hollywood Studios experience from Tuesday!

Due to the early hour we didn’t have a fancy breakfast that day. We stopped by the Mara and picked up juice, milk, a fruit cup (Anika), and a yogurt parfait (me). We were waiting at the Animal Kingdom Lodge bus stop just before 7:30.

We made it to the park at a decent time. There weren’t TOO many people in front of us :

Once the gates opened, our first stop was to grab a Fastpass- for Toy Story Midway Mania. We would’ve jumped in line to ride it, but unfortunately the ride was down. Since Toy Story was out, we hightailed it over here:

Nothing like a jump start to make sure you’re fully awake!

Our next stop should not surprise anyone that’s been following along:

It wouldn’t be a complete morning at Hollywood Studios without a ride on our beloved tower!

The lines were pretty short this morning, so we were able to go twice in a row. I captured a few details from the inside of the attraction:

As well as the outside (so tall!):

Not only are the story, perfectly-in-character CMs, and actual plunge of this attraction awesome, but the props and details in this attraction are also perfect. I love this tower!

We planned to head over to Star Tours next, but walked over via Pixar Place to see if the ride had opened.

It had! Even better, as the park had only just opened to the non-Disney resort guests, the line wasn’t even too long! We jumped right into line and managed to experience the entire queue.

To top off our good luck, my score was better than last time! Hooray!

Our meandering toward Star Tours took us through the Streets of America:

And past my favorite fountain:

Anika tried really hard to get a perfect picture with Miss Piggy facing us. Unfortunately, people kept walking between us so this was our best result:

As it’s still me and my Muppet fountain - I’ll take it!

Next up was finally our journey to another galaxy:

I'm pretty sure we got the pod race. Again.

I love the lighting in the exit for this attraction. So blue!

Our Fastpass time was now open for Toy Story Midway Mania, so we headed back to Pixar Place.

No shock here as Disney takes a theme and runs with it, but I love how they decorated this area:

Did anyone else remember these from their childhood? I never had a Mr. Spell but my friend owned a Speak and Spell (which is essentially the same thing). I remember making that thing speak a lot!

They also have several games featured, from a barrel of monkeys to this classic:

For the record, although I adore most board games, I HATE Scrabble. To my parent’s credit, when we were growing up they never “let us win” board games. If we wanted to win, we had to figure them out, get better, and win legitimately. This worked very well for most board games (Monopoly, Sorry, The Game of Life, etc.), but not quite as well with Scrabble. When you’re ten years old and playing with your super-smart, attorney father who has 30 years on you… you lose. You lose BADLY. Due to this childhood experience Scrabble has never been my favorite (even though now I could likely hold my own against my dad).

Nevertheless, I do love this touch in Pixar Place.

After taking in the sights, we headed into the attraction.

The result? (Other than more wrist pain? )

An even higher score! And even better (despite the fact that it’s hard to see…)

BEST IN VEHICLE! Woo-hoo!!!

We followed up our excellent showing on the midway with a favorite Disney snack:

I swear, Disney popcorn must have crack in it. Or something like that. It’s just the best popcorn in the world.

We digested our crack-covered popcorn while walking through another favorite attraction at Hollywood Studios:

I’ve said it before, but if you’re at all a Disney fan (which you must be at least a little bit if you’re in a Disney park!), you MUST visit One Man’s Dream! It has so many photographs and such great memorabilia – it’s like a dream for any Disney fan. What really kills me the most is the movie at the end – I cry. Every. Single. Time. What a wonderful tribute to Walt.

After a full morning at the Studios, it was time for lunch! It was time to travel back in time…

Up Next: Lunch at 50’s Prime Time Café

 

[SimplyGoofy]

A Journey Back to the 50’s
Day 8 – Part II

It was time for our lunch right here:

I was super excited about our meal here. Not only was I excited about the food (they have POT ROAST here!), but I was pretty excited about the antics. I was a theatre major for crying out loud – bring on the antics!

We checked in about ten minutes before our ADR time, so we had time to explore the restaurant before we sat down. I’m not a huge fan of mid-century décor, but it does make me very nostalgic for my grandparent’s house:

It also makes for an above-average restaurant waiting room!

I also love this bar. I’m pretty sure they serve the full menu here in addition to the fun drinks? (Or at least they used to?)

Once we reached our ADR time, we were in! I do like the additional touches in the restaurant decorations, such as the checkerboard sections of floor and the random items on the walls:

Unfortunately, we were not gifted with a TV table. Therefore, here are some random strangers at their TV table!

They are pretty cool. I’d love to sit at one someday!

We met our server, Lydia, who seemed to be pretty laid back. We asked for an order of the beer-battered onion rings with horseradish sauce to start:

They also bring ketchup for those of you that are horseradish-adverse.

In addition to the appetizer, it was shakes all around! Anika ordered the chocolate shake while I ordered the famous peanut butter and jelly shake:

(Okay, I think that’s actually Anika’s shake, but mine looked the same – only lighter!)

That peanut butter and jelly shake is BETTER than people say it is. If you in any way like peanut butter, this should be a must-do! Yum! They’re also pretty large so they’d be great to share.

Once we polished off the onion rings (which were also REALLY good), we received our main dishes. Anika ordered Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and collard greens:

I ordered (of course!) Mom’s Old Fashioned Pot Roast with mashed potatoes and carrots, celery, and onions:

Both of our dishes were delicious (and HUGE! Look at all the chicken on Anika’s plate! ). My pot roast just melted with every bite (as every good pot roast should) and Anika’s chicken was also pretty darn good (given the sheer volume, I was able to try some!). This would be a great place to go and split a few meals – doing so shouldn’t cost you much more than a counter service meal.

We were pretty stuffed from our meals and shakes, but we also ordered dessert. Anika ordered Dad’s Brownie Sundae with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and caramel topping (with Mickey sprinkles!):

I ordered the S’mores:

Anika LOVED her brownie sundae but wasn’t able to eat much of it as she was stuffed. I managed to eat a few bites of my dessert, as well. As I’m a fan of S’mores, I thought it was pretty good!

I bet you’re wondering what antics Lydia put us through? Hand washing, table setting, being force-fed vegetables, or just general punishments?

Um, try none. None at all.

She was super nice, though, and provided great service, so I really can’t complain too much. Next time I think I might mention my desire for an antic-filled server at the beginning of the meal.

Final Thoughts – 50’s Prime Time Café
What a great meal! It may not have included the antics I was looking forward to, but our food was tasty and filling and the surroundings were fun. The only downside to our food was how big the servings were – this is great for families that are looking to split meals but not to those with medium-sized appetites who want their own meal. In 2013, we learned our lesson and split a shake and the combination dinner (the fried chicken, pot roast, and meatloaf together). That worked really well as we each got what we liked but didn’t have a mountain of food left over! This place has become a must-do for us every trip. I still haven’t had an antic-filled experience here… but there’s always hope for next time.

Up Next: A Final Tower Drop at Hollywood Studios

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

I love DHS! Looks like you had a great morning. I had to laugh when you said that you "got" to experience the whole TSMM queue because I was thinking "cool!" Only at Disney do we look forward to standing in line!

OMG, now you have me thinking about a PB&J shake! I NEED this so bad right now!!

P.S. I did resurrect my old TR so thanks for the inspiration its fun reliving the memories again!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Boo last day. BUT, at least you've come to the right place since we've all been there so we can all share in the pain.

Yes, FP TSMM and then on to Thrill Ride Lane!!! That'll get the early morning juices flowing.

Ugh people getting in the way of photos. So rude.

Now that I think about it, I keep missing Star Tours for like 2 trips in a row now. Of course I also always get the stupid pod race, so no big loss.

I can't even explain how much I enjoy the Toy Story area. Disney is my childhood, but so are all the old games and stuff in and around TSMM.

Haha, I took a quiz online once to determine what Disney Snack you are. I was popcorn, so clearly that is a good thing.

ONE MAN'S DREAM. That is all.

Awww I'm sorry you didn't get the antics at Prime Time. I'm genuinely surprised. I would have thought you'd be prime targets. Glad the meal itself was good of course, but darnit, I want antics!!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Whew, just spent all morning and early afternoon reading your TR! Loved it very much. We've been to WDW more times than I can count, but I always love reading other's perspectives, especially the dining reports. Great job!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I love DHS! Looks like you had a great morning. I had to laugh when you said that you "got" to experience the whole TSMM queue because I was thinking "cool!" Only at Disney do we look forward to standing in line!

OMG, now you have me thinking about a PB&J shake! I NEED this so bad right now!!

P.S. I did resurrect my old TR so thanks for the inspiration its fun reliving the memories again!

We had a fabulous morning! An early start, short lines, and multiple times on our tower - wins all around! I know - only in Disney are you excited that you got to walk through the entire regular line! They do such a good job giving you things to look at and things to do! (That said, I'm only excited about that if the line takes 20 minutes or less!)

That shake was SO GOOD!!! I can't wait to have another one on our upcoming trip!

Good for you on resurrecting your old trip report! Isn't it fun to relive the memories? (I snuck over there yesterday and read the whole darn thing! What a fun report - I'm so glad you're finishing it!)

Boo last day. BUT, at least you've come to the right place since we've all been there so we can all share in the pain.

Yes, FP TSMM and then on to Thrill Ride Lane!!! That'll get the early morning juices flowing.

Ugh people getting in the way of photos. So rude.

Now that I think about it, I keep missing Star Tours for like 2 trips in a row now. Of course I also always get the stupid pod race, so no big loss.

I can't even explain how much I enjoy the Toy Story area. Disney is my childhood, but so are all the old games and stuff in and around TSMM.

Haha, I took a quiz online once to determine what Disney Snack you are. I was popcorn, so clearly that is a good thing.

ONE MAN'S DREAM. That is all.

Awww I'm sorry you didn't get the antics at Prime Time. I'm genuinely surprised. I would have thought you'd be prime targets. Glad the meal itself was good of course, but darnit, I want antics!!

Thrill Ride Lane is definitely my idea of a great morning!

I don't know what was up with people. As you can see behind us there was NO ONE there... why they needed to walk between the only two people in the courtyard is beyond me.

Yeah, I'll believe that Star Tours has "dozens" or "hundreds" of possible combinations when I see it!

Not only do I love the TSMM attraction, the queue and Pixar Place in general are top-notch.

Win for you being popcorn! In reality, there are so many great Disney snacks that there aren't many duds. (Except for Dole Whips... I'm just not a fan. )

I know you and I feel the same about One Man's Dream - such a wonderful place.

I know, me too! It was a bit of a bummer, but our meals were so tasty that it was only fleeting annoyance.

Whew, just spent all morning and early afternoon reading your TR! Loved it very much. We've been to WDW more times than I can count, but I always love reading other's perspectives, especially the dining reports. Great job!

Thanks so much for joining in and for your nice comments! It's been so fun to relive our wonderful trip! Be sure to stick around - I'm (finally! ) almost at the end!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Good for you on resurrecting your old trip report! Isn't it fun to relive the memories? (I snuck over there yesterday and read the whole darn thing! What a fun report - I'm so glad you're finishing it!)

Oh my gosh! I can't believe you read it! I'm loving finishing it up for myself but its nice to know there's a couple readers out there too! So thanks for taking the time!! lol!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Oh my gosh! I can't believe you read it! I'm loving finishing it up for myself but its nice to know there's a couple readers out there too! So thanks for taking the time!! lol!

Of course I read it! I'm really enjoying it and I promise to comment soon!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Final Favorites… Now What Park is Next?
Day 8 – Part III

Full from our lunch of comfort food favorites, we decided to venture to the Muppets in order to digest.

Along the way, I got several pictures of the now defunct hat:

I know lots of people didn’t have love for the hat, but it’s been part of my MGM/Hollywood Studios experience on each of my Disney trips. I liked the hat better before they stuck that ridiculous stage in front of it, but I still loved it. It won’t be the same next time when I see the Studios without the hat.

Goodbye hat!

Onto the Muppets!

I love Stadler and Waldorf! (Doesn’t everyone?)

This always cracks me up:

Perhaps Sweetums was late and ran through in a hurry?

I’ve loved the Muppets from a very young age. I watched The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan SO many times while I was growing up. The Great Muppet Caper remains one of my favorite movies to this day.

On the walk in and during the world’s greatest pre-show, I took a few pictures:

After laughing through the adventures of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, and Bean, Anika decided she wanted a snack. (Yes, I know we’d just eaten!)

We were in the vicinity of a place I’d read a lot about on the boards – The Writers Stop coffee house. We didn’t get any coffee, but we did get these:

Anika picked out a Mickey sugar cookie with iced ears and I chose a semi-famous carrot cake cookie.

I was still very full from lunch so I just couldn’t bring myself to try my snack. I tucked it into my purse and saved it for later; I finally pulled it out when we were on the plane the next day. The verdict? It was FABULOUS and I ate every last bite! I agree that it was very sweet, but I LOVED it and had another one on our trip in 2013!

Anika also loved her cookie.

I think a lot of people walk by the Writer’s Stop as they don’t know what on earth it is. It’s fairly nondescript, but it’s a lovely, cozy place and there are tons of great snacks and beverages. If you’re close by, give it a try!

Our last stop at the studios was a final ride on our favorite attraction with the fabulous, dusty furniture:

Ah, the Tower of Terror.

We stopped for a few Photopass pictures on our way out:

With that, our day at Hollywood Studios came to an end.

We returned to our resort and attempted to soak up some sun by the pool. It was a bit chilly, so we didn’t make it into the water, but relaxing on the lounge chairs was very nice.

After our two hour break we decided to go back to a park. We decided to jump on either a Magic Kingdom or Epcot bus, whichever came first.

The winner was:

Hello, Epcot!

One more Photopass picture at the by the Fountain of Nations:

Our first stop was someplace we’d never tried before:

I was pretty excited to try Club Cool!

Anika did not partake (as you may remember, she’s not a soda fan), but I enjoyed trying all the different sodas from around the world. As it’s been so long, I don’t remember which ones were my favorite, but I did have fun trying everything! I did chicken out and did not try Beverly.

(continued in next post)

 

[SimplyGoofy]

(continued from previous post)

We decided to spend more time in World Showcase, this time entering on the left side by Mexico. It was time for another snack, so we went right here:

We had more famous Disney snacks to try!

We split a School Bread and a Sweet Pretzel with chocolate:

Anika also selected this bottle of fancy water (the bottle was cool):

We managed to find a seat and REALLY enjoyed our snacks. The pretzel was tasty but the School Bread was definitely the winner. Typing about it makes me want one right now!

We’d just been on Maelstrom the night before, so we decided to explore the other smaller attractions in Norway:

We walked through Stave church and explored all the gift shops.

I love that they added grass to the roof of the seating area attached to the Kringla Bakeri:

We also explored the sights and stores in China:

And Germany:

We stopped for another snack – a German pretzel. (As you can see, we love pretzels.) Unfortunately, this one was a little tough, but I would be willing to give them another try next time!

I really love the shops in Germany, from the teddy bear store, to the Christmas store, to the store of very “German” items. Here I am posing with a beer stein:

My grandfather has a whole collection of German beer steins from his time serving in the military overseas (post World War II). I’m sure he was quite proud from above that I admired the beer steins.

We walked past Italy and perused those shops:

Finally we made it to the United States. The temperatures had been steadily dropping throughout the day, and by this point (just before six) it was REALLY chilly. It was chilly even for us, hearty Midwesterners that we are. We were excited to see the American Adventure for two reasons: (1) we had never seen it before and excited to check it out, and (2) it was so bloody cold that we were excited to sit somewhere warm for thirty minutes!

As it was the last show of the day, we actually entered through the exit instead of the normal entrance. I really liked the theatre and all the statues on the side:

We both really enjoyed The American Adventure! It’s tough to squeeze several hundred years of history into a short presentation, but I thought they did a nice job. I love all the Animatronics they wove through the movie presentation:

Finally, I loved theme song.

By the time we exited American Adventure about thirty minutes later, it was FREEZING! We high-tailed it around the rest of World Showcase (but did stop for another Photopass picture on the bridge to France):

Do we look cold? We were!

Poor Anika was wearing shorts and was rather miserable, so we walked as fast as possible to the exit. We needed to get back to resort and throw on more layers of clothes!

While back at the resort, we were trying to decide what to do next. We thought about returning to Epcot, but the other good possibility was spending our final hours at Magic Kingdom. The Electrical Parade was returning this evening after being on a break for the last few weeks, and I was pretty excited about the possibility of seeing it.

Clad in jeans, long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, and two coats, we made our way to the buses. It took FOREVER for a Magic Kingdom bus to arrive (of course!) so I was nervous about making it in time for the parade. As we had already missed the early parade, we only had one shot to see it! We were surrounded by other hopeful parade-goers at the bus stop – I don’t think I was the only one wondering where the bus was!

A bus finally showed up and we were on our way!

Up Next: Rushing into the Magic Kingdom

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Warm Clothes and a Cold Parade
Day 8 – Part IV

We made it to the Magic Kingdom!

I didn’t record the time we arrived at Magic Kingdom, but all I cared about it that we made it in time for the parade! We even managed to find really great seats – we sat on the curb on the left side of Main Street (in front of the Emporium and up and across from the Confectionary). The only way I can explain how we got such a great spot at the last minute is that it was the second parade, and I’m sure quite a few people were scared away by the cold. It was REALLY COLD.

I don’t remember if I’d seen the Electrical Parade before or not, but Anika had definitely never seen it. We were pretty pumped to be there!

Parade time!

First up was Tinkerbell:

Next was the train, driven by my favorite Goof-meister and highlighting the name of the parade:

I think it would be fun to drive one of these around. I just wonder if the people driving get dizzy – they spin a lot!

I think it’s fun that Alice chats as she goes along the parade route:

Cinderella and Prince Charming were next, along with the crazy step-sisters:

I love the London clock from Peter Pan:

Followed by Captain Hook on his ship:

The carts full of jewels were pretty fun:

I always love seeing the seven dwarves:

Pinocchio was super enthusiastic and fun to watch:

I also loved this view of the parade with the castle in the background (taken while waiting for a few floats to catch up):

I don’t remember the last time I watched Pete’s Dragon (or if I’ve even ever seen Pete’s Dragon?), but I did like the float. He exhaled steam!

The final float honors America (which is a little odd, really, but it’s a cool float).

I was SO GLAD we made it in time for the parade – we loved it! The music is so darn catchy. Is there anyone that can listen to the music and not start dancing and bouncing along? Certainly not me!

We hadn’t eaten an actual meal since noon and it was now nine-thirty – we were starving! Now, where should we go for a speedy dinner?

Up Next: Dinner and Final Moments in the Magic Kingdom

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Goodbye, Magic Kingdom! Until Next Time…
Day 8 – Part V

Once the parade had made its way down Main Street, Anika and I jumped up from our prime seats to find some food. We walked along with the parade over to a favorite of many in the Magic Kingdom – Pecos Bill’s.

It was absolutely dead in there (perhaps they were close to closing?) so we had no problem ordering and getting our food quickly. We both ordered burgers:

Anika’s is the normal looking one where you can actually see the burger and fries, and mine is the other one. We’ll just say that I REALLY liked the topping bar.

We also got our desserts, a carrot cake for me and a chocolate cake Anika:

We really enjoyed our meal at Pecos Bill’s. The burgers were tasty and I LOVED the toppings bar. Give me a spot where I can put cheese sauce on my fries and collect a mountain of pickles, and I’m in!

It was about ten o’clock at this point. Despite the fact that it was a cold night in February and pretty late in the evening, the park was more crowded than we’d anticipated and the lines for the prime rides were pretty long. We looked at the Space Mountain line, for example, and the wait time was over 100 minutes! No thank you!

Instead of riding anything, we decided to wander around and soak up some magical Magic Kingdom atmosphere.

I took a picture of the Cinderella fountain:

And a few pictures of the back and side of castle. You can see Cinderella’s Royal Table!

We also grabbed a few final pictures from a Photopass photographer:

And I took a few pictures of my own, including this one:

Our last picture in the Magic Kingdom is a shot Anika took of Roy, Minnie, and I:

I love this picture.

With that, we said goodbye to our last Disney park of the vacation. Despite the cold, we had a wonderful time at the Magic Kingdom that night.

Until next time, Mickey! And thank you, Walt, for a very magical experience!

We had a very successful last day! We made it for extra magic hours at Hollywood Studios, rode all the Studios headliners (including multiple rides on our tower!), had a wonderful (if antic-free) lunch, enjoyed some time relaxing at our resort, had tons of tasty Disney snacks, explored World Showcase, experienced The American Adventure, saw Disney's Electrical Parade, and enjoyed aimless wandering around Magic Kingdom. A lovely day, for sure.

Up Next: Late Night Wandering at the Lodge

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Haha, it's kinda funny now that with all the staging Disney seemed to use so much, a lot of times you couldn't really see the hat anyway.

I don't know if enough people really appreciate the genius of the Muppets queue and pre-show. Heck I enjoy this pre-show more than some actual shows.

So nice you discovered the Writer's Stop. This used to be such an unsung hidden treasure.

Ah nice. Disney Bus Roulette. This is a great last day thing to do.

Mmm, so glad you tried School Bread. I usually try to get one each trip and I'm not even particularly a coconut fan. However, I do believe that I am no where near fancy enough for that water.

Interesting. I've heard a lot of people see the American Adventure to cool off. So I guess it works both ways.

That's so great you made it in time to see the MSEP. Being such an old parade I love how it represents Disney of old. No Anna/Elsa here. It is a classic.

I find now that I'm a semi regular visitor that I am more than content to just soak up the atmosphere. I love the rides, but I like just being there even more.

Late Night Wandering at the Lodge? I like the sound of that.

 

[cstorm65]

Great updates...I just got all caught up on reading this report. You all had a great trip it sound like!

We love Writer's Stop as well. Such a nice stop on a busy day at HS and it never seems crowded in there. And you just made me want a carrot cake cookie for breakfast!

We always eat at Pecos Bills on our last night and we love the toppings bar too! Thanks for sharing.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Haha, it's kinda funny now that with all the staging Disney seemed to use so much, a lot of times you couldn't really see the hat anyway.

I don't know if enough people really appreciate the genius of the Muppets queue and pre-show. Heck I enjoy this pre-show more than some actual shows.

So nice you discovered the Writer's Stop. This used to be such an unsung hidden treasure.

Ah nice. Disney Bus Roulette. This is a great last day thing to do.

Mmm, so glad you tried School Bread. I usually try to get one each trip and I'm not even particularly a coconut fan. However, I do believe that I am no where near fancy enough for that water.

Interesting. I've heard a lot of people see the American Adventure to cool off. So I guess it works both ways.

That's so great you made it in time to see the MSEP. Being such an old parade I love how it represents Disney of old. No Anna/Elsa here. It is a classic.

I find now that I'm a semi regular visitor that I am more than content to just soak up the atmosphere. I love the rides, but I like just being there even more.

Late Night Wandering at the Lodge? I like the sound of that.

Even after they obstructed the hat with that ridiculous stage, I still loved it. The views of the GMR theatre look very nice and all, but it won't be the same without the hat.

I ADORE the Muppets in general, but I REALLY love that pre-show! I'm always disappointed when we enter in the middle of the pre-show - given the length of our next vacation, I intend to see the entire pre-show at least once next time!

The Writer's Stop is awesome! I hope it doesn't become overrun once everyone hears about it from other's trip reports!

Considering we tend to be so scheduled, it was pretty fun to jump on "the first bus"!

That water bottle was crazy. We had snack credits to burn - if Anika wanted a $3 water, works for me! (She actually brought the bottle home with her as it was glass and a pretty upscale bottle!)

Thank goodness for the indoor attractions at Epcot. We were not properly dressed to be outside that afternoon and evening.

I was SO excited that we made it in time for the parade! We found a great spot and both enjoyed it!

Looking back, I can't believe our last real "ride" of the vacation was at 2:00 in the afternoon! We definitely soaked up lots of Disney atmosphere during the rest of the afternoon and evening. (And at least we did it right - our last ride was the Tower of Terror!)

More of my crazy wandering, coming up later this evening!

Great updates...I just got all caught up on reading this report. You all had a great trip it sound like!

We love Writer's Stop as well. Such a nice stop on a busy day at HS and it never seems crowded in there. And you just made me want a carrot cake cookie for breakfast!

We always eat at Pecos Bills on our last night and we love the toppings bar too! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Jon! I love your current TR - how fabulous to include a trip aboard the Dream AND Disney World in a single trip!

We had such a great time on our trip! There were a few hairy moments (which are found on every vacation), but we learned that we travel really well together. We took another trip in 2013 and have another planned for this year!

The Writer's Stop is such an unknown gem in MGM/Hollywood Studios/whatever the new park name will be. Those carrot cake cookies are super sweet but SO tasty! (I'm sorry about the breakfast craving!)

Pecos Bills was an unexpected stop but a pleasant surprise. That toppings bar is excellent!

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Gorgeous Castle pics!! The one in in bright white light is breathtaking!

The last part of the MSEP, with the "America" float reminds me of the Muppets "A Salute to All Nations But Mostly America." Lol! What a great last night!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Gorgeous Castle pics!! The one in in bright white light is breathtaking!

The last part of the MSEP, with the "America" float reminds me of the Muppets "A Salute to All Nations But Mostly America." Lol! What a great last night!

Thanks so much! One can never have too many pictures of Cinderella's castle!

Hey, ANYTHING that reminds someone of the Muppets pre-show is always a good thing. It was a fabulous last night (and day!).

 

[SimplyGoofy]

A (Late Night) Tour of the Lodge
Day 8 – Part VI

We returned to our home resort for the last time. Anika crashed and went to sleep while I packed up the suitcases.

When I’d finished the suitcases, the smart thing to do would’ve been to go to sleep as it was late, I was tired, and I had to get up really early the next morning. When do I ever do the smart thing if it involves sleeping at Disney?! I thought wandering around the resort sounded much more fun.

I left the room and started at the back of the resort. This is a fairly large porch just off the lobby that offers great views of the savanna:

As a bonus, this viewing area is open to everyone (and I rarely saw anyone there!). This would be a great place to take a break and admire the animals.

This fireplace/firepit is also just off the lobby (probably technically “in” the lobby, but off to the side). It was very nice that evening given the weather!

Here’s a view from the lobby, looking toward the front of the resort:

I also got a closer view of the main light fixtures in the lobby – I thought they were beautiful!

Anika and I didn’t use these elevators as we were on the ground (3rd) floor. It’s a very nice area, though!

The Animal Kingdom Lodge gift shop is pretty incredible – it’s worth a visit if you stop by the lodge as there are quite a few unique items:

It was closed now (it was after midnight!), but we walked through it and admired the merchandise quite a few times. It was fun to see the doors closed as they were very well designed!

Here’s a view of the front doors of the lodge. You can certainly tell it was late at night as the doors were closed!

There’s a very pretty walking path that leads down to the parking lot in front of the resort. There’s plenty of light, so you don’t need to worry about tripping into any foliage!

Back into the resort!

In case you’re ever wondering about the general layout of the resort, they have a large, lit sign in the lobby:

I took the elevator up to the 5th floor to get a different view of the resort:

I especially love the ceiling of the lodge (a better view in the second picture). They paid so much attention to detail when they designed this resort!

I took these photos while standing on this bridge that spans the lobby:

I also got a wonderful picture of the back window of the resort, which looks out onto the main savanna:

After absorbing the views from above, I walked down to the ground (2nd level) next. This is where you can find the restaurants (table service and quick service) as well as the pool. Here’s the spring that runs past the windows of Jiko:

Those pictures of an empty restaurant from my Jiko review? Those were taken tonight!

I also took pictures of the Victoria Falls Lounge and the fabulous railings that surround the levels of the dining area:

Next, I ventured back toward our room which had the best way to get to the pool. Along the way, I stopped to admire the light fixtures that decorated the hallways:

This rather fun feature was right outside our room:

The pool is pretty quiet at midnight! It’s also quite beautiful at night!

I couldn’t leave the pool area without another visit to my fabulous flamingos:

After wandering around the resort for an hour, I finally made myself return to the room to go to bed. It was almost 1:00 in the morning and I had to be up super early to deliver our bags for airport check in!

We did a bit more wandering the next morning, but I’m so glad I took the sleeping hit and spent this time exploring the resort. I adored the Animal Kingdom Lodge and really loved the time I spent admiring how well-designed and beautiful it was.

Thank you, Animal Kingdom Lodge. You’re a gem.

Up Next: Breakfast at Boma

 

[SimplyGoofy]

A Boma Farewell
Day 9 – Sunday, February 12th

Our telephone wake-up call the next morning felt WAY too early – especially considering how late I’d gone to bed! It was early as we needed to get our bags over to the airline check-in desk before our breakfast ADR. I’m happy to say we succeeded! I will say that the ability to check-in your baggage at the resorts is AWESOME. It’s a very easy process and I’m a major fan of schlepping my luggage the shortest distance possible!

Bags checked, we made our way to our way to our breakfast reservation:

It’s pretty quiet at Boma at 7:30 in the morning! I believe we were the first few people to be let in:

Boma is a pretty fabulous buffet set up on pods along the back side of the restaurant. There are a variety of great choices, from regular breakfast fare to African favorites (as we are at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, after all). Here are some views of the restaurant and the pods:

We were pretty hungry this morning and filled our plates. Here is my plate, with fruit, a mini blueberry muffin, pap, corned beef hash, chive and goat cheese scrambled eggs, bacon, and some sort of spicy potato mix:

Anika’s plate held grapes, bacon, two chocolate chip mini muffins, carved ham, a waffle, regular scrambled eggs, and spicy potatoes:

I also got a glass of the passion fruit, orange, and guava juice, which I believe is called Frunch at Boma:

It was tasty, as always!

We sat at the bumped-out section of the restaurant, not far from the windows:

I loved the artistic items that were placed around the restaurant, including the super cute lion, rhino, and elephant:

We took our time and ate our fill before doing our final roll out of a Disney restaurant.

Final Thoughts – Boma
Although this was the convenient choice for our final Disney meal, it was also an excellent choice. We loved our buffet meals at our Crystal Palace and Tusker House breakfasts, but I believe the food here is a notch above those. There are a large variety of choices and the specialty items like the carved meats and the chive and goat cheese eggs were a wonderful treat. This place is not crowded if you’re here first thing in the morning, so it was nice to linger and fully enjoy our meals! It’s a bit out of the way if you’re not stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge so we may not stop by every trip, but we’d love to eat here again!

Up Next: Killing time before the Magical Depress

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The Journey Home
Day 9 – Part II

Full of tasty food from our excellent breakfast, I decided we should use our last hour to explore the resort one last time. I’d explored the resort twice, but Anika hadn’t joined me for either of those adventures as she’d been asleep!

Although Anika had been down in the area, we started with the pool. We even got a picture of the slide (which we unfortunately never experienced!):

It was still pretty chilly this morning (I believe it was 30 degrees?). There was such a temperature difference between the air and the water that there was steam coming off the pool! We were pretty happy that we didn’t have to be out in a park – it made going home a little bit easier. If it had been a perfect 60-70 degrees it would’ve been tough to leave!

The ducks were taking advantage of the heated pool:

Honestly, I couldn't blame them!

I also showed Anika my favorite feathered friends:

Yep! I still love 'em!

I really like how they paint each balcony a different color. It adds some whimsy to the lodge design:

It also makes it easier to spot your room! Our room is the light green balcony on the corner, on the bottom right side (easier to spot in the second photo):

I also wanted to show Anika the big savanna on the back of the resort. We took a few pictures along the way:

She was impressed that there was an outdoor fire pit:

I don’t think I’ll ever be unimpressed with the rear window of the lodge. It’s stunning from every angle:

Here’s another view of the indoor fire pit. As you can see, people would gather chairs around it and relax:

I also wanted Anika to see the spectacular view from the higher floors in the lobby. We took the elevator up to the fifth floor and headed to the bridge (and you can see the top of the fire pit!):

I had Anika pose on the bridge. I even got her to smile! Perhaps she was humoring me as I was down to my last hour of Disney pictures?

Here’s a daylight view of the lobby from the bridge. The club level lounge is on the sixth floor, just under the window:

Okay, just one more photo of that beautiful rear window:

And one more photo of the bridge (and I guess another of the window! ). It also shows the beautiful detail of the lobby floor:

We also found a fun side view of the pool. We’re right on top of the Boma and Jiko restaurants (they’re underneath the animal stripes):

We stopped in the Zawadi gift shop on our way out. We played with the fun African musical instruments and enjoyed searching through the Animal Kingdom Lodge specific merchandise. I ended up with two last minute purchases – a black and white cloth scarf with dots and hidden Mickeys, and a small, stuffed Eeyore. (I couldn’t help it – he was so darn cute!)

Sadly, our departure time was approaching so we headed over here:

It didn’t take long for a REAL Magical Express bus to arrive. Much better than the cruise bus at the start of our vacation!

Despite our sadness about the end of our vacation, we did go out in style – we boarded an EMPTY Magical Express bus!

Seriously, how did we get so lucky to get an empty bus? Even cooler, NO ONE JOINED US for our ride to the airport so we had the WHOLE BUS TO OURSELVES!!! I will lay money on the fact that this will likely never happen again!

Look, we’re still smiling despite our imminent departure:

Due to our status as the only passengers, we sat in the front seat and spent most of the bus ride chatting with our wonderful bus driver:

It’s such a shame that I don’t remember his name because he was FABULOUS! I also don’t remember what we talked about as it was so long ago, but I remember that we really enjoyed speaking with him and he made our journey to the airport a lot less sad. Disney does employ some great people!

The rest of our journey was rather uneventful (thankfully) – one last stop at the airport Disney store, long security lines at the Orlando airport, a brief layover in St. Louis, and finally our arrival home.

It had been a wonderful vacation.

Up Next: The Famous Wrap-Up Post