Disney Anniversary Trip

[sammons70]

This is the report for our 7 day anniversary trip to Disney World.
6/22 Checked in to Port Orleans Riverside. We LOVE everything about this resort.
Day 1, 6/23: Animal Kingdom:
Bus was running late. There were about 40 of us that were waiting for over an hour at the bus stop. Several of us were on our phones trying to get through to Disney to get help. This made several of us late for ADRs. The bus finally came, and we were on our way.
Tusker House was very enjoyable. It was a pleasant atmosphere with a good variety of delicious food, and adorable Disney characters. We enjoyed Expedition Everest (FP), as we did on a previous trip. It then became very humid. We are from California, and are not accustomed to the humidity. It was too hot for us to hike any of the trails. We opted to sit in the shaded theater and watch Wonders of Flight. We enjoyed the show very much. After the bird show, we used our Kilamanjaro Safari Fast Pass. The animals were scarce. When we did see some, we usually saw their back side. We hiked Panjaea forest trail. Again, animals were scarce. The highlight of the day was Festival of the Lion King. We had never seen the show before, and we were extremely impressed. We visited some shops, and made our way to the exit as the rain started. This was our second time at AK. We have been disappointed in certain aspects of the park on both visits now, so we have probably visited AK for the last time ever. If may give it another shot if I am able to get there during another season besides summer, but that is doubtful, as I am a teacher.

Day 2, 6/24: Our anniversary day was spent at our favorite park, Epcot. We arrived about 1:30. We just are not rope drop people, even when we try to be. We explored the Sea and Land pavilions which we enjoyed very much. We met characters, drank Coca-Cola from all over the world, then made our way to World Showcase. We tasted wine and cheese at the wine cellar in Italy. We finished our day with a romantic dinner and viewing of Illuminations from Rose and Crown in UK. Great day today!

Day 3, 6/25: Hollywood Studios: Crowds and weather were rough today. Despite taking a mid day break, we managed to ride Rock N' Roller Coaster 3 times (2 with FP and 1 as single riders). Star Yours twice, and we watched the Muppets (always a favorite of ours. We met many characters, and scored some great finds in some of the shops, and had dinner at our favorite HS restaurant, 50's Prime Time Cafe. Just when we were deciding our waitress did not have the persona for this restaurant, she came up to my left through a curtain from another section of the restaurant, and asked me if I was enjoying my cake. SHe scred the sh** out of me, and sent my wife and I into a fit of laughing uncontrollably.


Day 4, 6/26: Epcot: This was Biergarten Day. Best meal of the trip. We also discovered Kringel Bakery on this trip. I have read about school bread on this website for years, and I am happy to report, all of the claims are correct. It is wonderful. We caught the Billy Joel tribute act after dinner. If I were blind, I would have sworn I was at a Billy Joel concert. He was amazing! This day also included another visit to the Seas, Universe of Energy and Test Track. As far as Test Track goes, the older unrefurbished version was better.


Day 5, 6/27: Magic Kingdom: We actually made rope drop. We saw the Welcome Show, and had 4 attractions and breakfast done in the first hour. By the time we left for a mid day break, we had a dozen attractions under our belt. We returned for a wonderful meal at Liberty Tree Tavern, and many more attractions during EMH. On this day, we experienced everything we had hoped to in the park, and then some. We enjoyed the Electrical Parade. We unintentionally discovered that the best view for fireworks is Aladdin's Magic Carpets in Adventure land.


Day 6, 6/28: Magic Kingdom: Started later today, because of the late night ( or should a say early morning) the day before. Everything was a bonus today. We repeated our favorite attractions, and ate at Liberty Tree Tavern again, because we love it that much. We spent a lot of time in Frontier Land on this trip because of Splash Mountain, and Bear Country Jamboree. I miss Bear Country since it was removed from Disney Land. It is a childhood favorite of mine that brings back nostalgic memories.

Day 7, 6/29: Epcot: Our last day! It rained in the park most of the day, so we donned ponchos and went for it. We visited our favorite attractions, except Test Track, because it was down We spent a lot of time in World Showcase today. we ate our way around the world, returning to Kringle Bakery, having lunch in China, and dinner in Italy. The food in Italy was delicious, but we felt it was very pricey, even for Disney.

Notes: We had some challenges with crowds and weather on this trip. Humidity wore on our stamina. Some days, the thunder showers were so long and heavy, that our feet were soaked. Crowds were rated at a 9 or higher all days. Some days we arrived later, or left earlier than planned, because we felt that we needed to put our physical health and need for some rest and relaxation had to be a priority. I am glad that we had 7 days to spread out our vacation, so we could experience everything we had hoped to. Due to crowds, there were a couple of attractions we had experienced in the past that we decided were not worth waiting 80 minutes for. FP Plus does require you to make some choices, but we were able to prioritize. There were times when we felt exhausted and "Disneyed Out." That being said, overall, we loved our trip. We had some great experiences, and made some more priceless, magical memories.

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