No Kids, Gnu Year! Ringing in 2018 at WDW! **Complete 8/31**

[xlsm]

Chapter Six Part Two:

It was big cat time on safari, and even they came out to play!

You can see the cheetah right in the center by the rock:

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The others were visible, too, but not easily photographable as the truck lumbered by.

Boy lion and Girl lion:

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And then I guess I decided to put my phone away, b/c the next picture is from when we exited the safari and I checked to see how cold it was:

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As you can see, it was 9:20am. The 46 degrees with the 38 degree "real feel" seems way warmer than it felt. It was damp and SO windy. I was barely hanging in there. We didn't want to give up so early, so decided to walk a trail and see if moving helped us feel warmer.

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

I was wearing gloves, and even with the tech compatible fingertips, taking pictures while wearing them was a pain, so I don't have any really. Except this one of fish, that I guess I thought was important enough to remove the gloves for:

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We walked the trail, came out and admired Harambe for awhile:

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(i love the holiday wreeeeathsss!!)

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We were near Festival of the Lion King and it was almost showtime...the line was long and close to being cut off, but we chanced it anyway and lined up with everyone else.

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We were one of the last groups allowed inside, but that worked to our advantage and we got good seats

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(fun fact, I have the exact same north face the lady down in front with the yellow scarf is wearing)

It was a full show, and we were happy we got in to warm up for awhile.

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

Festival of the Lion King is one of the best things in all of WDW. Firmly, 100% believe this. I love this show so much!!

(shortly after we returned from this trip, a guy at DH's office went for the first time. He came back and told DH he hated FotLK b/c it was too childish, and thought AK was lame. I already hated this guy, but this really sealed the deal. Even if they did bring me back rose gold ears. I'm sorry, this show is NOT childish, that guy is just a freaking moron. I feel strongly about this, can you tell??)

After the show we decided to...

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I feel like this time it was with a FP, but I don't think we had to use it. We might have just to clear it out though.

More animal pics incoming!! (but different than earlier, to mix things up!)

My second favorite (verrrry close second though), the rhinos:

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He was chewing leaves and it was so cute!! I probably took 15 pictures of him standing there chewing those leaves!

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Don't worry, I won't share all 15!

Some wildebeests:

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and now...giraffe overload!

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Are they just not the most beautiful things??? I love them so much! @MeghanEmily - I know you understand my love!

Elephant again:

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and more rhinos:

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We had VERY good safari luck this morning! Two excellent trips through and lots of up close animal sightings.

After we bid Kwaharini to the Kilamanjaro Safari, we decided to take a closer look around the Harambe Market, because even though we'd gotten drinks from there a couple times before, we never stopped to look around. While there I found two of my new favorite wall paintings/signs:

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The last one in particular had a very Animal Farm vibe to me for some reason

That's all for now! Maybe a part three coming later, but not guarantees!

Have a fun day, and next time will be the rest of our Animal Kingdom day!

 

[SweetSerenity]

My husband and I both feel like Festival of the Lion King is one of the better shows at WDW. I don't think it's childish. . . I think it's playful and fun.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Okay, so you started off your day in the absolute best possible way! Boma, and then a safari!? Basically my two favourite things at Disney...and really, just in life in general. And I absolutely do understand your giraffe love! The giraffe love is REAL!

 

[Lesley Wake]

(shortly after we returned from this trip, a guy at DH's office went for the first time. He came back and told DH he hated FotLK b/c it was too childish, and thought AK was lame. I already hated this guy, but this really sealed the deal. Even if they did bring me back rose gold ears. I'm sorry, this show is NOT childish, that guy is just a freaking moron. I feel strongly about this, can you tell??)

Yeah, that guy is an idiot! I almost think anyone who doesn't like AK just doesn't understand it or take the time to fully appreciate the detail and all nuances! It also has some of the best rides and definitely best shows on property! (Like 3/5 of my favorite rides are at AK)

 

[tiggerpals]

Love love LOVE FOTLK! How can anyone not? That guy is definitely an idiot. Also how great to get two such awesome safaris!

 

[missangelalexis]

Wow, 2 great safaris! You got such awesome photos!

FOTLK is NOT childish, what is wrong with that guy?!

That stinks that it was SO cold, but you guys were making the best of it!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Skipper Canteens has become a fav of ours too...
LOVE the Jingle Cruise! I was so excited when I got to do it last November. I had forgotten about it and was overjoyed when I noticed it was up and running!!!!

 

[Pluto0809]

We made it to our room, turned on the tv to watch some Criminal Minds and celebrated with cheap crappy wine

Sounds like an excellent New Years Eve to me! Well other than the goat wine.

we also celebrated with ZEBRA DOMESSSSSSS!!

I have yet to try these. I'm a little hesitant because I don't really care for white chocolate.

You see a tree, you photograph a tree. (I seem to have this rule about a lot of things. Monorails, ducks, castles...)

And every other little thing you see at WDW....

Main Street Starbucksery

Eh, actually it looks like I lost.

Next trip, google Buzz Lightyear hints and you can figure out where the high point targets are. I always beat my DH because I know the secrets and he doesn't. Makes him so mad.

just like, a personal discovery, not any kind of earth shattering thing. I noticed that the dogs and snakes on the bench details had red eyes.

Cool! I'll have to check that out next time. I didn't even realize the benches there had animals on them.

because dogs supposedly bark at ghosts and I just don't want to deal with extra barking!

I totally believe this one. I swear my dogs bark at nothing all the time so it's either ghosts or they are just really dumb.

It's not something we'll try to fit into every trip, but I'd do it again if I needed a break.

I think I would ride the Riverboat a lot more often if it had more seats. That would be a great way to get off of your feet and take a break.

I love the Santa hat on the tarantula

That was my favorite part of the Jingle Cruise decorations too.

Grand Floridian

I do love the Grand Floridian but I always feel like such an under-dressed red neck when I'm there.

It was so. cold. And damp, which made things worse.

I'm pretty sure this was the day we arrived. Epcot was brutal that night. The wind was blowing so hard that we were having trouble walking.

I was afraid the animals might not be out in the cold

That's the best time to go for a safari! They seem to get up and moving more when it's colder.

Festival of the Lion King is one of the best things in all of WDW

1000% agree with you on this one and yes the guy at your husbands work is an idiot.

 

[xlsm]

My husband and I both feel like Festival of the Lion King is one of the better shows at WDW. I don't think it's childish. . . I think it's playful and fun.

I agree, I feel like I am really hard on shows at WDW (I don't understand the love of the B&TB show, mermaid, or Frozen at DHS, which are very popular, and I am not a fan of Nemo...I'm 100% sure people who love those think I"M the moron, lol!!), but I just felt personally offended when the guy said FotLK was childish

Okay, so you started off your day in the absolute best possible way! Boma, and then a safari!? Basically my two favourite things at Disney...and really, just in life in general. And I absolutely do understand your giraffe love! The giraffe love is REAL!

The other day on instagram I found THIS and decided I needed to put it on my travel list. It might be time to plan another Disneyland trip and tack this on.

Yeah, that guy is an idiot! I almost think anyone who doesn't like AK just doesn't understand it or take the time to fully appreciate the detail and all nuances! It also has some of the best rides and definitely best shows on property! (Like 3/5 of my favorite rides are at AK)

I'm with you on this! Animal Kingdom is my favorite park. It's so perfect and immersive and beautiful. The little details you find in every inch of the park are kind of mind boggling.

Love love LOVE FOTLK! How can anyone not? That guy is definitely an idiot. Also how great to get two such awesome safaris!

I always thought it was the one thing everyone could agree was amazing at WDW (besides Cinderella Castle!). FotLK should bring us together, not divide us...a sure sign this guy is just a horrible person
The safaris were just what I needed to remind me why I was outside walking around in the cold!!

Wow, 2 great safaris! You got such awesome photos!

FOTLK is NOT childish, what is wrong with that guy?!

That stinks that it was SO cold, but you guys were making the best of it!

We must have timed the safaris just right. I always go first thing when it's a little cooler, but it seems like I end up there during giraffe feeding time so they're off in the corners and not out wandering much, or the elephants are far back in their enclosure. I was so happy to see all of them out and about.

Matt says the guy is like a caricature of a hipster - he meets every silly stereotype, almost like he googled "what is a hipster" and tried to incorporate everything
If more than two people in the office like something, he says he hates it. Even if he says he liked it previously

Skipper Canteens has become a fav of ours too...
LOVE the Jingle Cruise! I was so excited when I got to do it last November. I had forgotten about it and was overjoyed when I noticed it was up and running!!!!

We love Skipper's, and I'm struggling a little with not having it booked for the next trip. Who knows, we might end up there in the end! I've already shifted things around so much.

The jingle cruise makes me happy! I think at this point I may have seen it just as much as the regular Jungle Cruise, but it still feels like a special, new thing every time.

Sounds like an excellent New Years Eve to me! Well other than the goat wine.

I have yet to try these. I'm a little hesitant because I don't really care for white chocolate.

And every other little thing you see at WDW....



Next trip, google Buzz Lightyear hints and you can figure out where the high point targets are. I always beat my DH because I know the secrets and he doesn't. Makes him so mad.


Cool! I'll have to check that out next time. I didn't even realize the benches there had animals on them.

I totally believe this one. I swear my dogs bark at nothing all the time so it's either ghosts or they are just really dumb.

I think I would ride the Riverboat a lot more often if it had more seats. That would be a great way to get off of your feet and take a break.

That was my favorite part of the Jingle Cruise decorations too.

I do love the Grand Floridian but I always feel like such an under-dressed red neck when I'm there.

I'm pretty sure this was the day we arrived. Epcot was brutal that night. The wind was blowing so hard that we were having trouble walking.

That's the best time to go for a safari! They seem to get up and moving more when it's colder.

1000% agree with you on this one and yes the guy at your husbands work is an idiot.

Right?? The goat wine sort of brought it down a notch, but otherwise it was good, LOL!

The white chocolate in the zebra domes is not very noticeable...I had them for the first time when I stayed at AKL on my solo trip, and I wasn't totally sold after the first bite, almost thought I made a mistake buying them, but then I became addicted. The coating is soft so there's no crunch when you bite into them, and the mousse inside is the main flavor. They're sweet but not overwhelmingly so. I could understand someone with texture issues not caring for them much, but I think they're so good!

Yes, I have so many pictures of the same things that I take every trip...and I can't stop! I NEED 9 million castle pics, monorail pics, Disney duck pics...it never gets old.

Ha! I started feeling sad that I was beginning to forget the Main Street Bakery so I renamed the starbucks

Unfortunately DH has watched the Buzz videos I spent more time on the ones for TSMM, lol! I am determined to be galactic hero though, and I will be spending early december brushing up on my laser shooting skills!! My kids watch YouTube constantly and it annoys me to no end, but for Disney related stuff I'm onboard the YouTube wagon (how many resort walkthroughs can one person watch?? Sooo many!!)


I feel like I might have known the benches had the dogs on there, but I'm not totally sure. But as soon as I saw them this time, and the red eyes, I felt like I'd made a major discovery, lol!

We were lucky we had a mostly empty riverboat ride. I wouldn't have liked it as much if I couldn't have sat down. If I had to stand during the heat of the summer especially, I think I'd feel trapped.

When we had our dinner there I felt underdressed going to Citricos b/c I was cold and kept my fleece on...I tried to convince myself it was ok b/c it was black and slim fitting, not bulky I'm not sure why I felt that made it better. But then a family came in with kids in swim trunks and pajama pants and I felt ok about things. My youngest wants to stay there so badly. I always feel like I have to be quiet when I'm in there, but I love it!

That wind was awful! The week we were there was the one week all winter where it was really cold back home, well below freezing which is rare...so we missed out on the cold at home and found it in Florida, which isn't something I thought we'd ever say! I tried to explain to DH that the humidity would make it feel colder, but he thought he'd be fine...he was glad I made him pack jeans and fleece!!

I was so happy all the animals were enthusiastic this day! I sometimes have bad luck with morning safaris b/c they're off in corners eating.

He is an idiot!! My husband was so happy to hear everyone here thought so too

 

[MeghanEmily]

The other day on instagram I found THIS and decided I needed to put it on my travel list. It might be time to plan another Disneyland trip and tack this on.

OMG.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'm a little behind in commenting...I am all caught up just didn't have time to comment but now I do!

Not before taking even more pictures of the Kidani tree though. You see a tree, you photograph a tree. (I seem to have this rule about a lot of things. Monorails, ducks, castles...)

I'm like the same way. I can't ride LWTL without at least a dozen pictures and 3 videos. I also must take castle selfies, and pinata Donald in the Three Calaberos.

I freaked out a little over this Snow White display

So cute!! I love Snow White too!

We walked on Buzz (one of our favorites!) and...I won! I think. Maybe? I don't know which score is which, honestly.



Eh, actually it looks like I lost. Judging by the angle of the picture and DH's jacket sleeve there to the right. Well, crap. At least I won at TSMM a few days earlier, and we all know that's the one that REALLY counts if we're keeping track of wins/losses...right??

Yes winning TSMM shows everyone who is BOSS.

I had to document the empty area after our spin on the cups

I love how empty it is! I guess showing up early on New Year's Day pays off!

Also, it's my dream to have my name on the farewell screens here, so of course DH ended up being the lucky one. He always is!

I've never seen my name or my hubby's name! Actually I've never seen names - I may have completely missed this screen whenever I ride.

just like, a personal discovery, not any kind of earth shattering thing. I noticed that the dogs and snakes on the bench details had red eyes.

That is super cool, it's so fun to discover new things like this.

I love this picture!

Even birds wait in line at the Magic Kingdom!

I hope they have Fastpasses! Or maybe it should be Flypasses!

We had a fun skipper, which always makes things better.

I. Love. This. Ride.

I don't get tired of it, I always take pictures, and I'm always surprised when we go inside the cave. How do I manage to forget about it every time? I've been on this thing a million times, and I always forget about the cave!

I always forget about the cave too! I love this ride as well, so classic, but you're right, the skipper makes the ride!

I ACTUALLY managed a decent shot of Trader Sam-ta:

Awesome!

It was cold and yucky out, so DH started with the Hot and Sour Soup - I don't currently see this on the menu, which is horrifying, because this soup is INCREDIBLE. We ended up sharing b/c I loved it.

Yum, we really like hot and sour soup so maybe we need to give skipper canteen another try!

My favorite thing on the menu was my main meal...the Orinoco Ida's Cachapas: House-made Corn Pancakes, Mojo-braised Pork, Black Bean Salad, and Avocado Cream. One of my favorite foods on property.

I've never had this but now you've intrigued me!!

For his entree, DH picked the noodles...I looked at the current menu for the name and the description doesn't sound right, so I don't want to put the wrong description on here. They tasted a lot like the hot and sour soup, so even though this is not a dish I would typically order, b/c I loved the soup, it's something I'd get in the future (if it's still on there exactly like this)

That actually looks pretty good!

I ordered two apps here as my whole meal, but we shared the S.E.A. Shu Mai dumplings since I took some of the soup

I've ordered this before and I really liked them.

I love Mickey balloon shots!!

We exited the Magic Kingdom for the final time on this trip and I cried. Like, I CRIED. People stared. I am always sad when I leave MK for the final time of a trip, but this time I didn't know when I'd be back, and it hit me all at once. I'd just had an amazing year with an annual pass. I saw TWO Christmas holiday seasons at WDW! I'd had a solo trip during Flower and Garden. I FINALLY went to a Halloween party and made it to Food and Wine.

I was just thoroughly, 100% sad.

Aww, it's so hard when you know you have visited your last part without knowing when your next trip is.

I love Mary Poppins, so why does she have the most boring topiary ever?

Hmm, I never noticed this but yeah I was expecting more!

I enjoy booking first available ADRs for dinner because it's quieter. We were among the first groups seated:

Me too! I know people don't like to eat early but I find that it's a real treat to eat when no one else is eating. I think it's because in real life I'm so busy I don't end up eating until really late (also it's an NYC thing because restaurants don't get crowded until past 8pm) and feel terrible before bed so eating early on vacation is a luxury for me, LOL.

Our server came with bread and salted butter (the best part of any meal, right??)

Yes, of course! #carbsarelife

This was delicious!! Perfectly crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The sauce was flavorful without being overwhelming, and was just enough flavor to add to the arancini itself.

These look amazing!

DH had the warm chocolate - banana torte: with Vanilla Ice Cream and Handcrafted Belgium Couverture Chocolate Crown

I've had this before and thought I'm not huge on desserts, I really enjoyed this!

In fact, we decided this was the best MEAL we've ever had at Walt Disney World. This trip had no shortage of great meals, some of our best ever, so for this one to be a step above was really saying something.

I'm glad you had the best meal at Disney on your last AP trip so you have something memorable other than the fact that it was the last trip!

We enjoyed talking to our driver, who had worked for the parks in one capacity or another for several years. When we told him how far away our room at Kidani was from the lobby, he said he'd had a passenger a couple weeks before with the same issue, and he dropped us off in the Pumbaa parking garage so we could take the elevator up to our floor and reduce our walk by almost 2/3. He got a good tip!!

That's super nice, I love this level of service!

DH leapt into action, made a few phone calls, and our extra amazing driver came BACK to us after dropping off his current passenger, even going back to the Pumbaa garage to make the walk shorter for us when DH ran down to get it. I was so grateful!

Wow that is awesome!! Yay for the amazing LYFT driver!

I promised a selfie there, so here's one (there's a reason I don't wear hats, my face is not made for hats):

I think you look cute in your hat!

See? No crowds!

Awesome!

This next guy just wanted to stand in the corner alone and contemplate life...Either that or his mom put him in time out:

Hahaha, giraffe time out!!

Festival of the Lion King is one of the best things in all of WDW. Firmly, 100% believe this. I love this show so much!!

I agree! I love it so much I even booked the FoTLK dining package over the ROL dessert party just because I love this show, I love Tiffins, and so the melding of it just seemed like the perfect package.

(shortly after we returned from this trip, a guy at DH's office went for the first time. He came back and told DH he hated FotLK b/c it was too childish, and thought AK was lame. I already hated this guy, but this really sealed the deal. Even if they did bring me back rose gold ears. I'm sorry, this show is NOT childish, that guy is just a freaking moron. I feel strongly about this, can you tell??)

OMG I can't stand it when people speak badly of of my favorite rides and attractions. Actually I don't like it when people speak badly of Disney World because it's my happy place, but I usually attribute that to poor planning on vacations that they take, but how can anyone not like FoTLK?!? That's just...RUDE.

We had VERY good safari luck this morning! Two excellent trips through and lots of up close animal sightings.

Great pics of the safari!!! It seems like they prefer the cold weather!

 

[xlsm]

hello!! Look at me, updating regularly Feeling a little smug after my little lapse there for awhile, lol!!

Today is my oldest son's birthday (X in TRs). He is 15 and starts his freshman year of high school a week from today. He's taller than me (5'11" and still going...and finally topped 120 pounds ) and just looks way too grown up most of the time. Right now he has his hair undercut with a long swath of hair that falls over the left side of his face...he has recently decided to start pulling it up in this hideous pony tail THING that I irrationally despise. I don't give the kids much flack over how they want to dress or do their hair, but he knows I hate this (it just looks terrible) and is really pushing that boundary right now. I can usually play it cool and not show annoyance so if I hate something they get over it quickly, but I cannot stay sane about this hair tuft. He's a good looking kid and this just does nothing for him. I guess if the worse thing I have to worry about right now is his stupid hair, we're doing ok. It looks nice when he styles it normally, I just hate it up (and if he doesn't put product in it it gets super puffy...I think part of the reason he puts it up is to avoid the styling cream). He made no requests for today so it's just going to be a boring plain ol' Wednesday. Well, he did ask for a certain cheese dip for dinner tonight, and a pint of Phish Food ice cream for dessert. I did get some little number candles to put in the ice cream

Anyway, enough about my kids getting old let's keep the TR going!


Chapter Six Part Three

I missed these next two pictures in the last update. We stopped for photopass at some point between safaris and Festival of the Lion King





After me getting annoyed that you could no longer enter Pandora from Africa, we went around to the current entrance area so DH could get his first look! He was so excited about this!



We are coming for you, Valley of Mo'ara!!







If you've seen this in person, you know photos are meaningless...nothing can capture how stunning it is in real life. And if you haven't seen it yet, it is dazzling and definitely worth a visit. I see a lot of threads where people say, "We don't plan on doing Pandora but..." and I want to shake them a little and say, "Why? Just go walk through! It is amazing!!" And that's coming from me, someone who cares very little about the movie (it was fine, but, eh. Visually amazing though, no doubt)



DH was loving it.

This next photo cracks me up...I'm not sure what was happening here, maybe we were trying to get the floating mountain in a selfie??



I love these snail guys:





I'm trying to remember wait times. I feel like Navi River Journey was around 80 minutes or so, but Flight of Passage was very long. There was a separate line for people who wanted to get into the standby line, but weren't quite there yet. They were lined up behind a CM with a sign near the front of the Pandora area in front of some plants. We had a fast pass, thankfully!

We kept wandering and taking in the sights, and stopped for photopass





(we got the magic shot too, with the Banshee flying above, but I hate it and refuse to share! Very unflattering, lol)

It was lunchtime and I was adamant about trying Satu'li Canteen, so we walked over there and I saw that the line was very long. That's ok! We could do mobile ordering!!



Just kidding. No, we couldn't

So we just got in the regular line, and luckily it moved a lot quicker than I thought it would.



DH had the beef bowl with I *think* the potato hash and the green onion vinaigrette. It was kind of chimichurri-ish. This was delicious!
I had the cheeseburger pods (not so awesome...should have trusted reviews, but I was determined to try them myself!! I'm so stubborn )
We shared the blueberry cream cheese dome thing. It was beautiful and tasted ok. Not my favorite and probably wouldn't get again. But it sure does look impressive! We also shared the Hawkes Grog Ale (that green beer!) and I was surprised by how good it was!

It was crowded but we were able to share a table with some other guests. It was two Japanese girls, one Japanese guy, and a white guy. Three of them were speaking Japanese and messing with their fancy camera, and the white guy kept looking back and forth like he was watching ping pong. We got the impression that he was the boyfriend of one of the girls, and the other two were also a couple. The girlfriend eventually noticed that he had panic eyes, and hit the other girl on the arm and said something to her, and then they started speaking in English. It's so hard not to eavesdrop when you're sitting at the table with other people, but I overheard the guy talking to his girlfriend after that...it was his first time meeting her friends and he was so nervous. She asked why he didn't join in (I guess he knew some Japanese), but he said he was afraid he'd say something wrong and embarrass her. She kept reassuring him, "no, no, they like you, i promise!" and I was just very glad I don't have to worry about any of that early dating stuff anymore. I always feel uncomfortable when I overhear things like that...but I guess not uncomfortable enough not to share it with all of you, LOL!!

We finished before they did and said goodbye, thanks for letting us sit here, and told them to enjoy the rest of their day. They were all smiley and friendly and wished us the same.

We left feeling like Satu'li Canteen has upped Disney's game on quick service. Definitely wanting to get back there asap!! (no cheeseburger pods though, it's all about those bowls!)

After we ate we decided...NOT to ride Flight of Passage. Gasp! I know! DH was really wanting to ride, but we were so. cold. Instead we decided to just walk through the part of the park we hadn't visited yet, and go back to Kidani early.

We walked through Asia first...



I never fail to just be in complete awe everywhere I go in this park.







I know it hasn't looked all that crowded in my pictures, but there were a ton of people in the park. We were pretty surprised. I know at least for me, I was hoping/thinking that the temperatures would keep people out of the parks. I was wrong about that.

I think we also had a fast pass for Everest, but no way I was riding it with the cold wind!! We admired it from afar instead





See? Here's some people!



Up next...a quick trip through Dinoland USA and our last dinner of the trip

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Six Part Four

We'd made our way through Asia and moved into Dinoland.

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These guys in the hats made me laugh!

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Do you think I could ask Santa if they could be the elves that get sent to our house??

I think this whole area is so fun! I know many people don't care for it, but our family will be sad if/when they decide to turn it into something else. Maybe it's because my boys were so into dinosaurs when they were little, and they still get excited to see all the dino stuff here.

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After that, we weather wimps were ready to get the heck outta there!

Once we got to the front I began jumping for joy...not because we were leaving, but because DiVine was out! I hadn't seen her in YEARS and I was thrilled!

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She's so beautiful.

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That kid's face says it all, really

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Goodbye, Animal Kingdom! We love you!!

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The bus ride back to Kidani was quick, and we were rewarded with some giraffes outside of our room

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I took a hot bath to warm up, and we used the extra time before our dinner reservation to pack everything up and get organized, b/c we'd be checking out very early the next morning. I wanted to be able to get up, grab our stuff and go.

Our dinner was one I was looking forward to - Jiko! Reviews are almost always overwhelmingly positive, and I knew it would be right up DH's alley. I wanted something special as a final send off.

We had quite awhile before our reservation, but we decided to take the shuttle to Jambo House early and visit the Victoria Falls Lounge.

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DH started with a drink I loved from a previous trip to the Yachtsman, the Smoked Turkey:Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon, Grenadine, and Odwalla® Lemonade with a hint of Hickory Smoke garnished with Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries

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(blurry, sorry!)

Once again, I got the cherries from his - woohoo!

I had the Mt. Kilimarita: Our ultimate African Margarita with Patrón Silver Tequila, Van der Hum Tangerine Liqueur, and Sweet-and-Sour with a splash of Cranberry Juice

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DH liked his, and mine was just fine. I couldn't decide what I wanted, none of the cocktails really stood out for me, and I didn't want anything too strong. We were enjoying just hanging out so we ordered another drink.

DH had is favorite, the Moscow Mule: Russian Standard Vodka, fresh Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar topped with Ginger Beer

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and I went with the red sangria: Beso Del Sol Red Sangria made from 100% natural marriage of Spanish Tempranillo Grapes, Oranges, Blood Oranges, Lemon Juice, and touch of natural Cinnamon

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Oh my gosh, this was awesome! If I'd ordered this first I'd have had two. It was tough not to get another one, but I needed to be able to walk downstairs soon, lol! I also loved the Mickey ear lemons

After our drinks were finished, it was starting to get noisy in the lounge. A family with toddlers came and sat down and the little boy was running around and taking things off of other tables, while the tired mom just stared at him and half-heartedly tried to get him to come back. Normally this would annoy me more than it did, but that poor mom looked like she was barely hanging on.

We went down to check in

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and were seated fairly quickly at a nice table near the window

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The bread came out, but I honestly don't remember anything about it?? That must mean I didn't like it much, because I tend to remember bread!

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Our server started out seeming really great, but that wouldn't last. I knew that I wanted to start with the peri peri chicken flatbread (which I don't see on the current menu. That's pretty devastating, b/c it was amazing)

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and the server recommended something for DH...I feel like it was some kind of tenderloin, but I don't think it was the pork that's currently on the menu, although the accompaniments sound the same

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he wasn't wowed by it, but said it was good. It must have been some kind of game meat, b/c I don't remember trying it.

When it came to entrees, again I knew what I wanted right away, but DH went with the recommendation of the server. He suggested the beef short ribs I believe, and the server was really talking it up. He almost made me want to switch my order.

The short ribs:

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these were fine but underwhelming after how much our guy talked them up. At any rate, it was way better than mine, the oak grilled filet:

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is that not the saddest looking plate? This was the worst steak I think I've ever had. It was so overcooked it was gray inside. And our server, who started out so well, was noticeably absent. I ate maybe three bites and pushed the plate away. I would have sent it back (and I never send things back!! that's how bad it was) if anyone had been around. Normally at signature meals the server comes back quickly after dishes have been served to check that they're cooked correctly and everything, but it was like he fell off the face of the earth.

Our drinks were empty, my food was not great, and I was getting tired and grumpy from the drinks earlier. I told DH I needed to use the restroom, and somehow in the very few minutes I was gone, the check had come and DH had paid, and he met me out near the check in desk.

I was so disappointed by the less than awesome meal, after I'd been so excited to bring DH here. We decided to go to the Mara for zebra domes again.

Then we walked back up to Zawadi Marketplace, and THIS is when we bought our souvenirs! I remember now, b/c I wore the Animal Kingdom Lodge hoodie on the plane the next morning.

We caught the shuttle back to Kidani, made one last long trek to our room, and ate our zebra domes before going to bed

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Not sure when I'll get the next post up, but it will be our departure day...which includes the worst airport experience of my life...yes, worse than the over-an-hour security wait that we endured in October!

See you real soon!

 

[missangelalexis]

Happy Birthday to your son!!

I can't believe you skipped FoP!!

What a bummer that Jiko was so disappointing, especially since you were looking forward to it so much

 

[MeghanEmily]

I love these snail guys:

How have I never noticed these guys??

DH had the beef bowl with I *think* the potato hash and the green onion vinaigrette. It was kind of chimichurri-ish. This was delicious!

This is my jam!! I love this exact dish!

This was the worst steak I think I've ever had. It was so overcooked it was gray inside. And our server, who started out so well, was noticeably absent. I ate maybe three bites and pushed the plate away. I would have sent it back (and I never send things back!! that's how bad it was) if anyone had been around.

OMG thank you. I always hear such great reviews of Jiko, but our dinner and service there wer so lousy! And my steak was also so overcooked that we did send it back, and then when it came out again, it was still overcooked. And I'm not super picky about steak or anything. Your review kind of vindicated me a bit.

 

[Smilelea]

I love these snail guys:

I've never noticed these guys!

Maybe it's because my boys were so into dinosaurs when they were little, and they still get excited to see all the dino stuff here.

Aww, my boys love this area too. DH and I agree with many others that it just doesn't fit. It does look like that we've missed some things though. I don't remember seeing some of the dinosaurs that are in your pics.

but because DiVine was out! I hadn't seen her in YEARS and I was thrilled!

Every time we say we are going to try to find her and every time we forget. Well, maybe next month...

worse than the over-an-hour security wait that we endured in October!

Been there, done that. If it was worse than that, then I'm scared!

 

[Raeven]

I can usually play it cool and not show annoyance so if I hate something they get over it quickly, but I cannot stay sane about this hair tuft. He's a good looking kid and this just does nothing for him. I guess if the worse thing I have to worry about right now is his stupid hair, we're doing ok.

I feel your pain. You should see my brother's hair It's like a shaggy emo flip? He has really thick and fast growing hair and it's like too long but not styled in any way. It gets all puffy over his ear like big dog ears, and it's uneven. He gets it cut every so often but won't let them make it shorter so it just looks more uneven? He says his girlfriend like it long. He's 21 now so I shouldn't be so mad about his hair, but it just looks so awful!

Aw this is cute!

I had the cheeseburger pods (not so awesome...should have trusted reviews, but I was determined to try them myself!! I'm so stubborn )

Aw, I love those

I was just very glad I don't have to worry about any of that early dating stuff anymore. I always feel uncomfortable when I overhear things like that...but I guess not uncomfortable enough not to share it with all of you, LOL!!

So I don't know why I thought of this, but I guess to make you feel better about overhearing an awkward conversation But once when I was in the library at community college they had these desk things that were kind of separated from each other (like you couldn't see over the top to see who was at the one in front of you), and as I was sitting at one I heard a conversation in front of me that I don't think I was meant to hear. I guess a girl and a guy were in love, but their parole officers were keeping them apart, and he offered to "buy her gucci" if she stayed with him. Then I heard them kissing. It was all very Romeo and Juliet of course. I didn't want to get up until they were done, because I don't think they knew anyone was at the desk behind them, and I was not trying to listen but they were being pretty loud for a library.

She's so beautiful.

I think you meant terrifying.

I had the Mt. Kilimarita: Our ultimate African Margarita with Patrón Silver Tequila, Van der Hum Tangerine Liqueur, and Sweet-and-Sour with a splash of Cranberry Juice

I had that!

The bread came out, but I honestly don't remember anything about it?? That must mean I didn't like it much, because I tend to remember bread!

I didn't care for the bread there at all either.

is that not the saddest looking plate? This was the worst steak I think I've ever had. It was so overcooked it was gray inside. And our server, who started out so well, was noticeably absent. I ate maybe three bites and pushed the plate away. I would have sent it back (and I never send things back!! that's how bad it was) if anyone had been around. Normally at signature meals the server comes back quickly after dishes have been served to check that they're cooked correctly and everything, but it was like he fell off the face of the earth.

Ugh, I remember you telling me about this. That's so disappointing. I hate when steaks are overcooked, and when service is bad at signatures. I felt like that at the Cali Grill the waitress literally disappeared and I also never send back food but my steak was so rare that time I couldn't eat it. But since I never saw her until dessert, I never ended up saying anything.

 

[thumper*]

I have been away from the boards for a while so am secretly happy that you took your time writing your TR.

I am REALLY excited to share this trip with you!!

excited to read it

I have three Christmas trees up in our house during the holidays. I could fit a couple more and threaten to every year. I love Christmas trees!

I have 2 and want 2 more sos right along there with ya sister.

Cute Magic shot I haven't seen this one.

Yay Meghan, I'm jealous she's at Disney now.

Just one big game of Russian Roulette pie-face style!

the giant fireplaces in the keeping rooms - "big enough to stand up in" was a line that stood out to me, and it's probably my number one requirement in a dream house!!

Same for DH

Yes. This is the line for People Mover.

OMG never

Your camara does take awesome night time pics

I'm not sure of the exact thing DH ordered, I think it was pork three ways, but with a more special name than that?? It came with broccolini, mashed potatoes, and onions in cream sauce

This looks like Lamb.

Our bus pulled up to Epcot TWO HOURS after leaving Kidani.

But most important of all...we also celebrated with ZEBRA DOMESSSSSSS!!

YESSSSSS my fave

Why is Santa so ANGRY on this front porch??

Cause the chaise lounge is blocking the door.

Enjoyed the TR. I'm freezing just reading it

 

[xlsm]

Hello, hello!!

Will be back Thursday or Friday to quote and finish this up...current projects are all school related, and working on picking flights for our next NYE Disney adventure! This TR was a mess, so not sure if I'll do a PTR or TR for it or not...haven't decided yet.

Enjoy your week and will update soon!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

and the server recommended something for DH...I feel like it was some kind of tenderloin, but I don't think it was the pork that's currently on the menu, although the accompaniments sound the same

I think they had a Boar tenderloin dish on the menu in March - maybe it was that?

is that not the saddest looking plate? This was the worst steak I think I've ever had. It was so overcooked it was gray inside. And our server, who started out so well, was noticeably absent. I ate maybe three bites and pushed the plate away. I would have sent it back (and I never send things back!! that's how bad it was) if anyone had been around. Normally at signature meals the server comes back quickly after dishes have been served to check that they're cooked correctly and everything, but it was like he fell off the face of the earth.

Oh, that's too bad! I think mine was fine, but not absolutely amazing like what I expected. I much preferred Tiffins even though the Jiko chef said I would like them better!