And all at once, everything was different. Literally. *WDW NYE 2019 TR* Updated 4/11x2*COMPLETE*

Alright, I FINALLY read the whole thing! Your travel day was such a nightmare, I guess AT LEAST they bumped you to first class on the second flight.


Ohhh those decorations are just so beautiful

We made the decision to skip the park altogether and just spend the whole day at the pool.

What a great way to spend the day after the worst travel day! Sometime I really need to plan a pool day into a trip, I'm always envious of them when I read about them in TRs

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So magical!

Ah, I see you have brought me the head of the dwarf, good work."

That's hysterical! What a perfect comment!

It really did end the meal on a special note, and put smiles on everyone's faces.

The whole meal sounds pretty darn special, and I'm not even a huge Snow White fan

I LOVE the bus tracking feature on the MDE app,

Gotta remember to use this!


The lighting is so perfect in this photo. Such a nice family photo to have!

We had two of the best drop sequences ever, it was so much fun.

Did the elevator drop first? I always prefer sequences that drop first!

I LOOOVED the retro kitschy goodness of the DHS decor.

ME TOO! Hands down my favorite park decorations. Makes me so nostalgic and really puts me in the Christmas spirit.

I've also seen complaints that Slinky Dog Dash is open and you can see it from all over. Why is anyone complaining about that? In my opinion, it's part of the charm and excitement of the entire area.

That's such a bizarre complaint! I think it's so much fun watching Slinky speed around Toy Story Land!


These are so amazing, I hope I can pick some up in May!


Great photo! It's really a dreamy little restaurant


Wow! Love this a lot

We said we were going back to our resort, and they scanned our bands to check that we were Poly guests, and then let us on.

Intense!


You guys stumbled upon an amazing spot to watch the fireworks, wow!

They were comically tiny :rotfl::rotfl: I felt guilty for eating one, so I just took a bite and let L have them.

Those are the tiniest crab cakes I've ever seen! I thought they were scallops for crying out loud!

he would tell us details about the rides and show us hidden Mickey locations.

That would be so great - I'm so bad at spotting hidden Mickeys on my own. He sounds like a really special CM, I'm glad you guys had such a nice experience with him!


Well worth running ahead! Gotta love that golden hour


WOW! This makes me want to get up really early and ride the monorail, just to see this.
 
Oh yay for having a trip in the fall!

Sounds like you enjoyed the dessert party and that it was a good night at Epcot!

Those sugar cookies at AK are adorable! How have I never seen them!
 
Hey, no worries...I was way behind in writing! And I always get behind on the reports I'm reading. Always, LOL!!

He was a great guide, and I am so happy we had someone who meshed well with our family. It was a great experience.

I was so glad he got over it quickly. I got sick when we got home and it lasted for two weeks :scared1:

Sadly, the scentsy melts I said smelled like Rome Burning was mostly just when it was cold in the package. Once warming it developed a sweeter smell. Not bad, but not Rome Burning, either!! I do know that company, I've considered ordering, but have had bad luck with other companies saying they had Disney scents. There's one, now it's called Spireside, but I bought when they had their original name (can't remember and too lazy to stand up and walk into the other room to check, lol). They had great reviews, but I bought three of their candles and they were AWFUL. Now they're just sitting on a shelf for decoration. An expensive mistake!

Thank you!! I hope to move more quickly with it now that busy Feb is over

Oh I have that happened to you!! Well if you get the courage to try this company you will not be disappointed. I can assure you .
 
Since I last posted, we've had a spring carnival at school ("spring" being relative, it does not feel any kind of spring-like!), L got a parakeet, and yesterday my Odyssey of the Mind competed at regionals and won first place!!
Awesome reslts!

The light was just perfect on Spaceship Earth as we walked through the gates
So, so pretty!

In my previous reports I always say Mexico is one of my favorite pavilions, and nothing about that has changed. I LOVE it! The last time we were there, more Coco things were beginning to be added, and I knew even more was there now, so I was eager to check things out!
I love the Mexico pavilion too, especially the Gran Fiesta tour!

Up next was a quick visit to Norway. I knew L would be excited to see the Norse Gods exhibit in the Stave Church (he is very much into all kinds of mythology, and lord help the person who gets any of it wrong, because he will launch into a detailed explanation of what is correct), and so was I! That Frozen stuff has been in there FOR-EV-ER and I was ready for a change!!
I will have to check this out next week. I prefer when the pavilions have culturally informative displays.

The tables were pretty, with Elsa lights on all of them and filmy blue table cloths with glitter swirls, reminiscent of Elsa's blue gown
This does look so pretty and the food sounds yummy!

Here's our ride photo :rotfl::rotfl:
Cute!

Once we finished our ride through the icy wonderland, we slowly made our way out of the park and toward the monorail. Spaceship Earth gave us a beautiful send off
Gorgeous pictures!

We never get snow days, so this is very exciting. I mean, there's barely any snow at all left from the little we got yesterday, but enough came overnight to make the roads slick this morning!
If you wanted snow, we have plenty to spare in southern Ontario. I am so ready to escape to warmth and sunshine in 4 days!

I was on my way to the single rider line for Everest - L and DH were already in the regular line, and it had grown fast this morning. Already over an hour long!
Super busy start to the day!

This show was a priority for me, but sadly we didn't get to it on this day :sad: Definitely happening in June, though, along with tracking down my favorite bird Kevin!!
It is on my list for next week. :)

I thought these were so weird and cute, lol. They weren't very sweet, which I prefer, and they made me happy so that's all that matters, right?
They are super cute looking cookies....I love Zuri's! Have you ever tried the chil dark chocolate Mickey heads there?

We had a special treat when we got to the elephants
Wow!
 


I look less than excited here, a kid probably made a comment about me being either old or short

The ears totally make you look taller! :)

That Frozen stuff has been in there FOR-EV-ER and I was ready for a change!!

The frozen exhibit was kind of weak at that.

After Norway was a quick visit to Karamell Kuche in Germany



where we all picked up a caramelicious treat for later. We weren't eating them now because it was time to go to our dessert party!!
This recent trip, I grabbed a back or pre-packaged carmel corn. Oh My HEAVENS!!!! DH and I ate it all week this week. It was soooo good. And I will now have to get it each trip. So good!!!!

I broke a Disney rule, and felt so guilty doing it, but I used flash to get a picture of the glittery tops of the key lime tarts (but why are they ORANGE??)

Cute! But, yeah, why is it orange?



If you've ever done or read about the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam fireworks party, you've seen similar before. The effect is actually pretty cool, but I hate wearing those cardboard glasses, so they never last long on my face.
We have 2 pairs that are plastic with a stick on the end to hold it up to your eyes. We use it on the Christmas tree every year. Maybe I will bring them with us when we go in December this year!



Too bad the other family didn't tell us to play along!!
That would have been an amazing ride photo!

Here's another day that was changed significantly!! We were supposed to stay at Animal Kingdom all day, so we could finally have Yak and Yeti dinner and FINALLY see Pandora at night (I keep skipping it b/c of tiredness levels or weather :sad: ), but everyone wanted to do more World Showcase time after not being able to get in any good shopping in Japan, so during our dessert party the night before, we cancelled Yak and Yeti and made a new reservation for Tokyo Dining dinner.
It is nice when you can change your plans once you are there! And Japan is basically the reason they girls want to go to Japan.



After the ride, I met up with L and DH in the shop. They had been on the train before mine, so quite a wait for them so early in the day, too. It was going to be a busy day in the park for sure.
Good timing, though....

Zuri's Sweet Shop was the choice

I love this place too!


So cute!

A keeper was at the enclosure and we got to watch him working with the elephant!

Cool!
 
We were there some of the same days...at some of the same parks...at same of the same times! I keep looking at your pictures to see if we are in any...

Oh my gosh, how cool!! Definitely let me know if you find yourself in any of my photos. I hope you guys had a great trip, we were really pleased with this one overall. It was nice to relax a little for a change.


That is too bad! It would have been a really fun photo!


Agreed! Yum!

Right?? We totally could have added to the fun levels, lol!

I don't even want to live in a world without cheese. Nope, nope, nope.

Yay!!! How exciting! :hyper:


:rotfl2:


I can't get enough of this view :goodvibes

We are very excited!!

Family tradition - frowning kids plus troll equals vacation complete :rotfl::rotfl:

It's so pretty at all times of day, with the different lights...dreamy :lovestruc

Those animal sugar cookies are awesome! I've got add them to my list of hopeful snacks this June. Although, knowing my kids, they won't want to eat them and just want to play with the treats.


Oh man, what a cool surprise on the safari. That's what makes the attraction so great, it's never the same experience twice. It had to be pretty neat to watch the trainer working with the elephant!

Hey, I'm with your kids! It was hard not to dance them across the table top and act out our own sugar-fied safari!!

I could just stay on the safari all day I think!! My goal is to hear the lions roar at least once ::yes::

I love those sugar cookies, so cute! I love all your Safari pictures, I have always loved the Safari, our last couple were really boring though! I don’t know if it was to early in the morning and some animals weren’t out yet? I know everyone says go early but for us it wasn’t as good.

I’m excited to hear about the Rhino tour, looks interesting!

They were so cute, and I just really appreciate that they're not very sweet. Sometimes the treats are just overwhelming!
I understand about the morning - we have hit it a couple of times when all the animals weren't out of the barns yet, or when the giraffes were off in a corner eating and not out where we could get a good look at them.

The rhino tour was great, I can't wait to talk about it. i HAAATED not being able to take pictures, so it will be text heavy.


It has started, I think! At least those dates are bookable online now. We had pretty good meals the last couple of times we've been there, and the hubby really likes it, so it seemed to make sense. The reason I ended up choosing it though was that it was almost the same price as a dessert party, but there's not typically much that I can eat that's worth eating at those parties, so it seemed like Rose and Crown might give us more value for our money. I'll have to think on it.

Yay! (For you. We also got a snow day yesterday, and it was much more like "ick" for us because it's not uncommon.) I'm sure people drive like they don't know what to do with themselves when the roads are bad from snow there! The roads here when they sent us home from school yesterday were absolutely atrocious. I have good winter tires and a medium-sized vehicle, and I couldn't get through the snow up my friend's hill when I dropped her off at home.

Ooh, that's amazing!! (I also love the books you have under it!) Such a perfect gift, @Raeven!

:eek: Woah. I don't think I've ever done this either.

Oh I was hoping you'd have a review! We still haven't gotten there either. Hopefully August.

:rotfl: Interesting spot placement.

::yes::

Agreed! I made the same mistake in planning our August trip, I think. Though in the summer I hesitate to spend too much time there because it always feels so hot and so much of it is outdoors. But I also need to plan for more AK time as a general rule.

So after I saw your response about the R&C package, I found the thread and read more about it. I have never seen the show from that area, but I know people like it. That makes sense about it being a better value for you both b/c of what you can/can't eat.

I feel for all of you who have been slammed by snow this winter!! It was pretty much a waste of a snow day, the roads were only iffy first thing in the morning. But here we'll take whatever we can get :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I love my HP illustrated books so much! I was disappointed that Goblet of Fire didn't come out this year, I had been spoiled to a new edition under the tree at Christmas for the past three.

It was weird! We always go toward Africa, it felt like I was doing something wrong going the opposite way, lol

hahaha!! yeah, it's kind of an awkward line of spots :rotfl:

I think I am frustrated with myself every trip b/c I want more time in AK, but it seems like that is the park we end up cutting rather than adding to. I guess I just feel like it takes so long to get there (even if it's just my imagination). I did a little more on my solo trip when staying at AKL, but in summer??? I just feel sweaty thinking about it!



Aw cute rhinos cuddling/playing :lovestruc



Me too! I've tried taking off my sunglasses for pictures, but nope because I can't keep them open or they start watering right away :rotfl:

I thought they were so cute!

I never sleep well on vacation (except this time when I brought my ear plugs!) so my eyes are usually puffy underneath in pictures without my sunglasses, and when it's hot during the day I don't wear as much eye makeup as I usually do so I feel blah, PLUS my eyes water and I look like I've been crying, so I don't know how I managed to forget them in the first place :rotfl::rotfl:
 
Alright, I FINALLY read the whole thing! Your travel day was such a nightmare, I guess AT LEAST they bumped you to first class on the second flight.

Ohhh those decorations are just so beautiful

What a great way to spend the day after the worst travel day! Sometime I really need to plan a pool day into a trip, I'm always envious of them when I read about them in TRs

So magical!

That's hysterical! What a perfect comment!

The whole meal sounds pretty darn special, and I'm not even a huge Snow White fan

Gotta remember to use this!

The lighting is so perfect in this photo. Such a nice family photo to have!

Did the elevator drop first? I always prefer sequences that drop first!

ME TOO! Hands down my favorite park decorations. Makes me so nostalgic and really puts me in the Christmas spirit.

That's such a bizarre complaint! I think it's so much fun watching Slinky speed around Toy Story Land!

These are so amazing, I hope I can pick some up in May!

Great photo! It's really a dreamy little restaurant

Wow! Love this a lot

Intense!

You guys stumbled upon an amazing spot to watch the fireworks, wow!

Those are the tiniest crab cakes I've ever seen! I thought they were scallops for crying out loud!

That would be so great - I'm so bad at spotting hidden Mickeys on my own. He sounds like a really special CM, I'm glad you guys had such a nice experience with him!

Well worth running ahead! Gotta love that golden hour

WOW! This makes me want to get up really early and ride the monorail, just to see this.

Ugh, travel day was the WORST!! In September I'm flying down on Friday the 13th...I joked with my husband that I got all the bad luck out of the way this time around!
Those decorations were definitely a welcome sight! I will never doubt the festive feel at the Poly ever again, b/c after that travel day, nothing has ever seemed so beautiful, lol
Yes, the pool day was just what we needed. When the kids are with us, they always want pool time, but I have never ever had one full day of JUST relaxing. I actually kind of liked it!! It made it hard to get out of bed early for rope drops on other days, and normally I live for rope drop.

I was so pleased with the Snow White meal, for something so new, they really hit it out of the park. (but part of me will always miss regular Artist Point!!) The Queen was just incredible.

Yes!! I almost forgot about the bus times, and you can't see it until you check in, so it's easy to overlook it on the app. I feel like they should have put it more front and center, b/c I don't often click on my resort stay on the app.

It ended up being such a nice day at DHS. Especially since it was New Year's Eve, the morning was so easy.
Yes!! On the second ride, it dropped right away - those are some of the best ride sequences for sure!
Definitely nostalgic, it's like a gigantic version of my grandma's holiday displays I remember when I was little.
I think it's fun to watch Slinky too - and I think him being so "out in the open" is by design, I mean, it's Andy's backyard! It's supposed to be like he made it, and I feel like it hits that mark completely.
I lOVE my bubblegum wall ears! They ended up being my favorites, even over the potion purple.
I was surprised by how much we enjoyed MM. For years it's been getting so-so reviews, but we were so pleased. We don't love Prime Time, so I like that now we have another option we're excited about here besides SciFi and Brown Derby...having that third choice just makes all the difference when you want to mix things up.

One of my favorite little holiday displays! SE in the background is just icing on the cake!
It was definitely strange to walk up to the monorail and be met by a wall of CMs, but once we were on the monorail it empty and awesome!

I don't think we could have asked for a better spot at the CR! such a happy accident!!
Hahaha, we all just sort of stared at the crab cakes when they came out...like, was it a joke? Did someone mix up NYE and April Fool's Day?? So tiny :sad2:

He was the perfect guide for us, I really hope we run into him again sometime. We couldn't have picked anyone better for our family, he was great

that monorail view was so magical!!


Oh yay for having a trip in the fall!

Sounds like you enjoyed the dessert party and that it was a good night at Epcot!

Those sugar cookies at AK are adorable! How have I never seen them!

I've never been in Sept before...we thought it would be a calm trip, and now BAM! Star Wars :scared::scared:

I love anything animal shaped, so I had to have those cookies! I feel like there were a couple of others besides the ones we got, they were just so cute!

Oh I have that happened to you!! Well if you get the courage to try this company you will not be disappointed. I can assure you .

So, I ended up buying some! I did the four pack of wax melts and the four pack of air fresheners. They'll be here on Tuesday, so I'll let you know what I think. The reviews were good, so fingers crossed!! Honestly, even if they aren't all that "Disney" to me, as long as they smell good at all it will be a win. The ones I got from the other company just smelled like burning plastic with some kind of menthol-ish background. I'm excited to see how these turn out!

Awesome reslts!

So, so pretty!

I love the Mexico pavilion too, especially the Gran Fiesta tour!

I will have to check this out next week. I prefer when the pavilions have culturally informative displays.

This does look so pretty and the food sounds yummy!

Cute!

Gorgeous pictures!

If you wanted snow, we have plenty to spare in southern Ontario. I am so ready to escape to warmth and sunshine in 4 days!

Super busy start to the day!

It is on my list for next week. :)

They are super cute looking cookies....I love Zuri's! Have you ever tried the chil dark chocolate Mickey heads there?

Wow!

Thank you! I was so proud of them!!

it's just a magical pavilion! I really think it's that inside-is-outside illusion that gets me, i just love it!

I agree! I like some of the character stuff in the countries when it's on merch, but I don't like it to completely take over. I really enjoyed reading the folklore about the Norse gods.

Ugh, I know you guys just keep getting slammed with snow!! I would be ready to get out too!! You're even closer to sunshine now, just a couple more days!

We were a little taken aback by the busy start. I knew it would be crowded, but we got really unlucky with the Everest wait. We missed a shorter wait by about five minutes I think - when I got up to the line it changed from 20 min wait to 50, and I was just glad I only ended up one train behind Matt and Leyton.

Ooh, I can't wait to see how you liked the Up show, and I hope you see Kevin. I love her so much!!

Chili dark chocolate?? :faint::faint: Definitely on the list, YUM!!

The ears totally make you look taller! :)
The frozen exhibit was kind of weak at that.

This recent trip, I grabbed a back or pre-packaged carmel corn. Oh My HEAVENS!!!! DH and I ate it all week this week. It was soooo good. And I will now have to get it each trip. So good!!!!

Cute! But, yeah, why is it orange?

We have 2 pairs that are plastic with a stick on the end to hold it up to your eyes. We use it on the Christmas tree every year. Maybe I will bring them with us when we go in December this year!

That would have been an amazing ride photo!

It is nice when you can change your plans once you are there! And Japan is basically the reason they girls want to go to Japan.

Good timing, though....

I love this place too!

So cute!

Cool!

haha, thank you!! I will just carry some ears with me at all times to give me the height boost :rotfl2: I have some boots with a stacked heel I wear sometimes, and L doesn't like that he's not taller when i have those on.

I love that caramel corn!! This was the first time I'd ever seen them popping the corn and coating it in the caramel (or at least the first time I've paid attention!!) It's one of my very favorite treats. I also love the caramel shortbread :faint: It's so rich and decadent!!

The choice of orange for a key lime tart really threw me! I mean, logically you'd think green for lime, but I guess that doesn't go with "Frozen", so if the goal was to keep to the theme, wouldn't it be BLUE?? Or silver or white or almost anything besides orange?? So weird. But it was glittery so I forgave them, LOL!! Glitter fixes everything!

Ooh, that would be cool! The fireworks really do look neat in snowflake mode

Right?? I'm sad the strangers didn't include us :rotfl::rotfl:

I was surprised by how easily we were able to change things last minute. Not FPs ever, but meals were so simple to switch around throughout the whole trip. It always makes me question the rush for ADRs at 180 days. I don't find it necessary anymore, but the thrill of the chase is always there, so I still do a few then anyway, LOL!

It's such a cute little shop, and I could not get over those adorable cookies!!

I've seen keepers out on the savannas before, but never one working directly with an animal like this, it was definitely cool to see!
 


I never sleep well on vacation (except this time when I brought my ear plugs!)

I don't always sleep well the first few days either. Sometimes it takes me a bit to adjust to the hotel room.

when it's hot during the day I don't wear as much eye makeup as I usually do so I feel blah,

I watched a video from an Instagram influencer who was like when you don't feel like getting ready on vacation just wear sunglasses :rotfl:

In September I'm flying down on Friday the 13th...I joked with my husband that I got all the bad luck out of the way this time around!

Lol I forgot it was friday the 13th. What have we gotten ourselves into? :rotfl:
 
Hello, hello!!

Did everyone survive the time change?? I cannot even tell you how much I hate springing forward an hour. I think we might move to Arizona, just b/c they skip it (that is the state that skips it, right?? too lazy to google to check my own facts :rotfl::rotfl:)

Ok, I lied, I wasn't too lazy, I had to google it. Apparently most of AZ does not do daylight savings time, just the Navajo nation. So yeah, Arizona here I come!! (not really, but I mean, come ON! Who likes losing an hour of sleep?? And on a weekend?? I'm going to be thrown off for at least a month)

Anyway, while DH is at work prepping for a big presentation this week, I might as well finish up this AK section, and then finish off with our night at Epcot, bringing an end to January 3.

Here is...


Chapter Seven Part Two

I ended last time with the safari I think, and getting to see a trainer working with the elephant. After the safari, we still had some time to kill before checking in for the Rhino tour, so I dragged everyone down the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

Something terrifying happened to me when we got to the reptile/insect/amphibian house :scared1:

This giant frog toad thing...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

LUNGED at me.

Ok, ok, maybe "lunged" is too strong of a word, but I'm telling you, it at least slightly twitched in my direction. All I know is that it happened very quickly and was quite traumatizing :rotfl::rotfl: I just don't like it when things leap toward me too quickly

(other random things I don't like: the way squirrels move (if you recall from my solo trip report, I had one run onto my foot at Epcot and screamed. People laughed), and the way pig's noses move. Also, most monkeys, b/c they look too human like and it makes me uncomfortable. Yes, I am weird. Any other animal though, I immediately want to hug, and will probably die being mauled by a bear b/c I tried to befriend it.)

Anyway, this frog/toad thing was the size of a dinner plate!!

As we moved along, I found this very calm duck just hanging out being very zen

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

And THEN we got to the meerkats!! They were being so adorable and active, and I spent a lot of time watching them.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

On our way out we also spent quite a bit of time admiring the beautiful gorillas

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

Gorillas are another animal I would probably get mauled to death by, b/c of trying to hug one. Yeah, yeah, I said monkeys are creepy, but gorillas are apes. Totally different. (but chimpanzees are horrifying, and even though they are also apes, they and bonobos (especially bonobos!!) belong in the creepy monkey category, regardless of their ape classification :scared1: ) Gorillas just seem comforting to me, and I love them!

Enough of all that though, it was time for rhino check in!!! Ahhh!!! party:party:party:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/89161658@N04/

We checked in, signed our waivers, got our credentials, took a restroom break and then waited with others going in our group.
LOL, so while we were waiting, I was standing near this flowering bush. I kept noticing a very strong scent of oranges, and it smelled so good! I kept saying, "Where is that orange smell coming from?", and sniffing the bush like a giant weirdo. The bush and flowers did not smell like oranges, and I was so confused!! Then I noticed the guy in front of me eating an orange and putting the peel on the ground next to him :rotfl2::rotfl2: I felt like such an idiot, b/c I just kept talking about the orange smell and smelling all the plants and flowers in the area :rotfl::rotfl:

Anyway, the picture above of the check in area? The guy on the right heard me talking about how excited I was to see the rhinos, and I was actually kind of bouncing up and down and smiling like a crazy person (thank goodness he didn't hear the orange drama and think I actually WAS a crazy person), and he came over to talk to us for awhile. When it was time for the tour to begin, he told everyone how things would work - we'd be boarding a van and driving backstage to the rhinoceros barn, and once over there we'd meet different keepers who would tell us about the work they do at Animal Kingdom.

Fair warning, I have no pictures b/c it all takes place backstage and it isn't allowed, so this section will be text heavy.

We all got in the van (kind of a van/mini bus combo thing, it was very nice) and our driver explained all of the things we were seeing along the way backstage. We drove through a parking area and saw a couple of safari trucks there. She told us she can usually figure out how busy the park is on a given day based on how many safari trucks are back there. She said she figured today was a busy one (she was right!!)

We drove past a few different barns and enclosure areas, and eventually got to the pachyderm barn. Our driver told us that our guides would be coming soon, and once we got out to look for different colored lines on the ground. We were supposed to stay behind them at all times, unless the tour leader said otherwise. With those directions, we all exited the van/bus and stood behind our line.

Our first keepers came out to greet us, and showed us the inside barn areas. We saw where the animals came in at night (if they wanted to! They can't force the animals to come inside if they don't want to), and they talked about how they were set up for easy cleaning, how the windows kept everything cool with a cross breeze, and how they kept the animals warm. They then showed us one of the enclosures and said it had heated floors, and asked if we knew why. I knew the answer, yelled it out, and got it right! It's for when a mother rhino has a baby, to help keep it warm.

They also talked to us about three kinds of rhinos: White (which we'd be meeting today), Black, and Javan. They had a mural painted on the wall of the barn that showed how each of those three varied in size.

Once we finished there, we moved on to the very best part - getting up close with a rhino!!

The first keeper walked us over to an outside barn area where another keeper was feeding a beautiful White Rhinoceros some hay. While he was feeding her, he was also signaling her with his whistle, and she would react in certain ways (opening her mouth, moving in certain ways, etc). When she obeyed the whistle correctly, she got some hay and some pets!
The rhino was a female named Helen - and she had a distinguishing feature - furry ears! She had little hair tufts on the tips of her ears, and it was very cute!

They talked to us about their breeding program at Animal Kingdom, and how they had just brought in a new male, and was slowly introducing him to the others. We got to see him as he walked into his enclosure behind where Helen was, and they said he was adapting very well to his new home. They also talked about how their enclosures were set up to help them keep themselves and the animals safe when performing medical procedures like ultrasounds on pregnant animals, and just general dental and health checks.

It was mentioned again how they can't force the animals to do things, but that Helen in particular really responded to petting and scratching as enrichment, and that rhinos were pretty social, and need physical contact just like humans. They will lean and rub up against each other out in the wild, and on the savanna at AK. Because of this, Helen was a great choice for interaction with guests on this particular tour.

And then...we got to pet Helen!! In groups of three, we all took turns moving up to the enclosure and reaching through to give Helen some love. Guys, it was so hard not to get closer and try to hug her!! I felt like Dr. Grant and the triceratops in Jurassic Park!

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No hugging for me, but lots of pets for Helen! Their skin is kind of hard to describe - almost rough like tree bark. I know all I got to do was reach through some heavy metal posts and rub her side for a minute or two, but it was one of the best moments of my life, to be so close to such an amazing animal.
As many of you know, I have four dogs that I am just obsessed with. I often just stare at them, and am overwhelmed by how close I get to be to a WHOLE OTHER CREATURE. A living, breathing, feeling little furball, so completely different from myself. If I get that emotional over something as common as a dog, you can probably imagine what this was like for me.

Somehow I managed not to break down sobbing!!

There was a sink for handwashing post-Helen, and while the others in the group were taking their turns with her, the keepers answered questions and told us about conservation efforts, and how the fee for the tour all went back to rhinoceros conservation.

Sadly, our time backstage was over, and we all made our way back to our van. Once we got back onstage, the CM who came to speak to us earlier sought me out and asked how I liked it, and if it was as good as I was expecting. I said yes, I loved it! He said he was glad, and he understood how special it was to get so close to an animal you were very attached to. He told us when he first began working at the park, he became fascinated by the Okapi. He asked someone about them, and they laughed at him b/c he couldn't even pronounce Okapi correctly! He started calling them Zebra Pants, LOL!! Anyway, he developed a love for them, and now he does the Sense of Africa tour at AKL (which is my DREAM tour!!), and I said hopefully I'd be seeing him again soon for that one.

All four of us loved this tour, and it was one of my most special Disney experiences ever!


Afterward, we were all so hungry. All we'd had were those sugar cookies earlier, and it was time for something more substantial. It was right at noon (ugh!), and very crowded, so I did a mobile order for Flame Tree Barbecue as we were walking. The app was messing up after I ordered, and there were several of us in line waiting to pick up food who weren't getting alerts. Luckily a CM had checked in with all of us and knew there was an issue, and helped everyone figure out when their orders were ready. We'd sent the kids ahead of us to get a table, and soon we were sitting down to eat.

DH had chicken and ribs (the onion rings were for the boys and I to share)

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I had the pulled pork mac and cheese:

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And both boys had the pulled pork fries:

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Both of them also had some of my mac and cheese. I got this same dish here on the trip I took with my mom in October 2017, and it was much better this time around. The macaroni and cheese wasn't as heavy or greasy this time, which was a welcome change. It was still really filling, which is why I didn't mind the boys taking a few bites!

They both liked their fries, and DH said his food was great, too.

While we were eating, like any Disney quick service food area, birds were all over

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there were some little kids who kept screaming at it and chasing it, until a CM working clean up told them to leave it alone. They tried to back talk her (two looked about 7 or 8, and one was 3ish probably) until they realized she worked there, and then they sat down and looked mad, but left the bird alone.

I always like looking at the details everywhere I go in Animal Kingdom, and the seating area was no different:

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It's just such a beautiful park!!

What happened next might surprise everyone...we decided to leave! It was just so crowded, we were tired, and everyone wanted more pool time. I cancelled our FPs for FOP (we'd ridden it with the guide, and no one seemed overly interested in riding again) and Everest (thank goodness we rode earlier!), and headed out of the park. It's always hard for me to leave this park. I wish it didn't make me feel so exhausted!

Goodbye, tree!

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On the way out, the MU and Oozma Kappa ballcaps caught my eye, and X tried on the OK one

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I hate the way I look in hats, but spoiler alert, X and I both ended up with the Oozma Kappa one the next day at Magic Kingdom, and L got the MU one.

While we waited for our bus, I saw this Ralph Breaks the Internet bus and got so excited:

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Luckily we didn't have to wait long for our bus, and soon we were back at the Polynesian and heading for the pool.

All in all, this is not anywhere close to what we had planned for our Animal Kingdom day. But even with everything we had skipped, we still had a good time, and everyone was looking forward to spending more time in Epcot that evening.

That's it for Animal Kingdom!! Stay tuned for Epcot evening as fast as I can type it up!!
 
Chapter Seven Part Three

After another nice afternoon by the pool (no pictures, I had taken to leaving my phone in the room while we were poolside so it could charge), we were ready to go back to Epcot. Very important shopping to do, you know!!

We decided to take a Minnie Van to the Beach Club and walk over to Epcot from there. I was proudly wearing my Bubblegum Wall ears and forced L into a selfie. Cue weird kid face:

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Our driver was great, and once we over there the kids wanted to check out the car

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Both of them driving?? *shudder*

I wanted to go inside and see the chocolate carousel, so that was the next stop:

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It's one of my favorite holiday decorations! I think I need one for my house ::yes::

Golden Hour was once again upon us as we left Beach Club for Epcot, and I had to take advantage of the beautiful light and beautiful view:

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In true Dis fashion, I also took more pictures of construction. This time of Ratatouille in addition to the Skyliner

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We got through the International Gateway and the park was looking pretty crowded as we popped out in front of France

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I made everyone stop for a photopass picture

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Everyone just looks so thrilled :rotfl: I promise you we actually like each other!

We left France and when we got to Morocco I did something I've always wanted to do!!

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I finally got my henna!! I was surprised by how fast she worked, I was done in less than five minutes

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They tell you not to pick off the henna as it dries...do you know how hard that is :rotfl2: Nothing is so hard to do as something someone tells you NOT to do. It's all I could think about, LOL! I was also scared of smearing it while it was wet, so I held my arm at a very weird angle until it dried.

One of the reasons we came back to Epcot was to finally do some real shopping in Mitsukoshi. Because my arm wasn't dry yet, I stayed outside while DH and the kids went inside to pre-shop before dinner. We'd do the real shopping afterward. While they were in there I admired the view

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When it was closer to our ADR time, I texted them to come out so we could go check in. We were headed to Tokyo Dining, a first for all of us. This is also the first time during the trip that we had to wait a long time to be seated. I think we waited close to 30 minutes before being seated. The worst part was, there was a big open section of tables the entire time, and then THAT'S where we ended up being seated!

Once seated, we admired our fancy napkin fold

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and for some reason I felt the need to take pictures of the chop sticks and wet wipe??

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L and DH both ordered the Seafood Yuzu Shio Ramen: Ramen Noodles with Grilled Shrimp and Asari Clam in Yuzu-Seafood Broth

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they both LOVED this, and ate every bite.

X had the Vegetable Nebeyaki Udon:
Udon Noodles served with Fried Tofu and Vegetables in KONBU-Dashi Broth

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He really enjoyed this, and it was another empty bowl at the end of the meal.

DH and I shared two sushi rolls - the Spicy Crunchy Roll: Tuna and Salmon mix, topped with Tempura Crunch, Dynamite and Volcano drizzle

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and the Firecracker Roll: Tempura Shrimp Roll with Wakame Salad and Jalapeno finished with Eel Sauce, Shredded Red Pepper, and Sriracha drizzle

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Both were fine, but we preferred the Firecracker Roll. Leyton even tried a piece of each, which is a pretty big deal. I vow to turn him on to sushi one way or another.

Overall, everyone enjoyed this. I'd go back for sushi, but I'd order different things (I want to try the Volcano Roll and the Dragon Monster Roll). The Bento Box also sounds pretty good. I feel like the next time all four of us are back at WDW, this is going to be on the top of the kids' lists.

We finished up, took some time to appreciate the view from the porch area outside

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and then went to do some shopping!! The kids found some things they couldn't live without, DH bought a bunch of different candy to take back to the guys on his team at work, and I bought the My Melody daruma doll I had admired on New Year's Eve. It now hangs on my rear view mirror along with a Minnie Mouse ittybitty doll. Here's the My Melody after we got home:

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She's so cute, I just love her!!

After shopping we were all just worn out. I'm not sure why this day in particular was so exhausting, but we were all ready to go back to the Polynesian and call it a night. Instead of going to the front of the park, we just walked back out the IG and went to the Boardwalk instead.

We admired the tree and saw people watching the movie on the lawn:

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went through the lobby

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and tried to book another Minnie Van. For some reason it would never connect to a driver and kept timing out, so we just ordered a regular Lyft instead.

We got back to our resort and I tried to force the other kid into a selfie...Sigh.

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Goofy face from X and exasperated mom, LOL!!

The next update will be our last park day :sad::sad: How is it almost over already??

Have a great Monday tomorrow and I'll see you real soon!


 
The Rhino tour sounds really good, they look so prehistoric, it is hard to believe they like to be pet! Very cool.

Ha, I took a picture of our chopsticks and wipe at Tokyo dining to :rotfl:

What a fun Disney day you all had, you did a variety of things, I love it! I want those Bubblegum wall ears, so cute!
 
I'm almost the exact same way about animals. There are animals I would die for then there are others I'm like "NOPE". They look at me wrong and I'm like "I'm going to die." Frogs especially have been ruined for me since I found out the cute colorful ones are poisonous. My trust was destroyed by frogs and that big one looks all kinds of NOPE. But you talking about the rhino and the gorilla is literally me. I'd love to pet one or be cuddled by one and would probably get torn apart in the process. Mr. Rogers with Koko forever changed me hehe Wish I could've seen the photos of y'all petting Helen, that should be a thing that's allowed.

Omg obsessed with that Ralph Breaks the Internet bus! Iconic.

Your dinner at Tokyo Dining looks delish! I'm definitely gonna have to go there during my CP at least once. I've only been to ONE restaurant in the World Showcase ever and I'm obsessed with Japan so I need the closest most legit dining out there. Also, your My Melody is super kawaii and I NEED.

Looking forward to y'all sporting the MU and OK caps. An Oozma Kappa needs to exist at WDW.
 
(other random things I don't like: the way squirrels move (if you recall from my solo trip report, I had one run onto my foot at Epcot and screamed. People laughed), and the way pig's noses move. Also, most monkeys, b/c they look too human like and it makes me uncomfortable.

We were just talking about this yesterday :rotfl: Every time a squirrel gets too close I think of you.

No hugging for me, but lots of pets for Helen! Their skin is kind of hard to describe - almost rough like tree bark. I know all I got to do was reach through some heavy metal posts and rub her side for a minute or two, but it was one of the best moments of my life, to be so close to such an amazing animal.
As many of you know, I have four dogs that I am just obsessed with. I often just stare at them, and am overwhelmed by how close I get to be to a WHOLE OTHER CREATURE. A living, breathing, feeling little furball, so completely different from myself. If I get that emotional over something as common as a dog, you can probably imagine what this was like for me.

Somehow I managed not to break down sobbing!!

Aww I'm so glad you got to pet a rhino!

What happened next might surprise everyone...we decided to leave! It was just so crowded, we were tired, and everyone wanted more pool time. I cancelled our FPs for FOP (we'd ridden it with the guide, and no one seemed overly interested in riding again) and Everest (thank goodness we rode earlier!), and headed out of the park. It's always hard for me to leave this park. I wish it didn't make me feel so exhausted!

I agree, AK always exhausts me too. I like it better when we go at night, but then you miss some of the animal attractions and somehow we always end up planning to be there during the day instead :rotfl:

I hate the way I look in hats, but spoiler alert, X and I both ended up with the Oozma Kappa one the next day at Magic Kingdom, and L got the MU one.

I also look terrible in hats...I have an MU one :laughing:

Golden Hour was once again upon us as we left Beach Club for Epcot, and I had to take advantage of the beautiful light and beautiful view:


So pretty!
 
Let me know how you like your wax melts.

That rhino encounter sounds amazing!! I just love Disney. I mean where else can you go and get that close to one of those majestic creatures .
 
The rhino tour sounds absolutely wonderful and all the food you had this day looks amazing - I still need to eat at Flame Tree and every time I see pictures of the food there I regret not making time for it yet!
 
Ugh I am struggling after the time change! My brain feels like MUSH!

The rhino tour seems awesome, I definitely want to do it at some point! I am kind of surprised they don't at least get a photopass of you petting the rhino :confused3

That sushi looked delicious! What a great end to your day
 
I'm glad you loved the tour!! Sounds like so much fun! That's too bad that you couldn't take any pictures though!

Sounds like a good night at Epcot too!
 

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