No Strings Attached
November 26th
Our whole travel party woke up on this Monday morning really excited to go to the park. Sarah and I both knew that her dad would love Disney’s Animal Kingdom more than any of the other places in the whole entire world and we were so ready for him to experience Pandora for the first time. We rolled out of our rooms and stopped off at the New Old Port Royale for coffee.
We walked to the bus stop with caffeine coursing through our veins so all was well. These Extra Magic Hours mornings do not get easier to be up for as time goes on! We boarded an incredibly full bus and headed to Animal Kingdom.
When we arrived, we stopped for a bit to admire the Christmas tree at the front of the park. It really is beautiful. I know it probably doesn’t compare with the one at Magic Kingdom or the entrance to World Showcase, but it is remarkably spectacular. We even found a Hidden Mickey!
We arrived at the front gates just slightly after rope drop. The family navigated our way through Discovery Island at pace and then landed on Pandora. Sarah’s parents wanted to explore a bit, but I told them to keep their eyes on the prize. We needed to get on Na’vi River Journey before the wait became unliveable. I tore them away from their adventure and we waded down the Pandoran river. Even as I write this, I can hear the song in my head.
After we were done, Sarah’s parents were allowed to explore. They were awestruck by the design of Pandora. I think that everyone who has stepped foot in Animal Kingdom’s newest extra terrestrial paradise feels about the same way. The only thing that is more overwhelming than the sight of floating mountains is the 180 minute wait for Flight of Passage!
After our time in Pandora was done for the morning, we were going to use our first Fastpass+ of the day on DINOSAUR. However, one cannot simply sprint from place to place in this Kingdom (insert Sean Bean meme). This park is meant to be savored one detail at a time. We stopped off in Africa and then wandered a bit through Asia (with a visit to Mt. Everest to battle the yeti, of course) before we arrived at the Dino Institute.
We battled through the dinosaur extinction and emerged with on Iguanodon FOR SCIENCE! You are welcome world.
We exited the land of the past and walked towards Africa. Sometimes when I compile my touring plan for Animal Kingdom I intentionally plan to cross the park several times. I find that I discover something new and beautiful every time I am in this mecca of detail. I would not recommend it for everyone (it leads to very sore feet!), but if you are willing to put in the mileage, it can be very rewarding!
What made this trek particularly enjoyable was my favorite snack at Walt Disney World: Cinnamon Glazed Almonds! We arrived and were ready for our safari across the Harambe Wildlife Reserve so we jumped in the Fastpass+ queue and boarded our truck. Apparently the animals were given the memo that I sent about it being Sarah’s parents first (and only) safari. Honestly, I don’t remember another time that we saw quite so many of the reserve’s inhabitants.
We bid our guide, “Kwaharini” and then departed to see some more animals. After a brief restroom break, we wandered through the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. We stopped at each of the exhibits, but spent quite a bit of time at the gorilla enclosure.
We had an amazing conversation with a Cast Member who had an incredible amount of knowledge about the gorillas at Animal Kingdom. She explained how the family structure worked and how there is a worldwide network of zoos that work together to ensure that animals are bred properly to keep the gorilla population growing.
Unfortunately, Sarah discovered that she had lost her sunglasses at some point around the trail! We slightly panicked (Target $12 glasses are serious business in this Coleman home!), but we retraced our steps. The last place she remembered having them was the meerkat area. We looked around fruitlessly. Sarah’s dad and I asked the CMs who were in the area and they pointed us to one of their leads.
This wonderful CM had good news, bad news, and wonderful news. The good news was that she found Sarah’s priceless knockoff sunglasses. The bad news was that they were smashed beyond recognition. Sarah’s heart was crushed into the exact shape of those sunglasses. However, the wonderful news was that she slipped a small pad of paper out of her bag and gave us a No Strings Attached voucher!
I had never heard of this before. These vouchers are a comp system for guests who have been disadvantaged in some way whilst on property. She explained that this voucher was good for one complimentary item at the parks. The CM fills out the form with the guest’s name, what the comped item (1 pair of sunglasses, for example) or experience will be, and then adds their information to the bottom. This immediately changed Sarah’s experience! She went from despair to joy in that small span of time (just look at her face!)
Sarah skipped triumphantly away from Gorilla Falls and towards the rest of the Africa pavilion. I was thinking about how far I could stretch this No Strings Attached voucher. I wondered if I could game the system (yes, I am a terrible person).
All this scheming made me hungry so we all decided that it was time for lunch. I wanted to get some of the ribs from Harambe Market, but I knew that Sarah’s parents needed to experience
Satu’li Canteen.
I wandered around the market and took pictures while I waited for the booths to open. Unfortunately, the rib window was taking significantly longer to open than the rest of the eateries. Mystifyingly, I forgot that (
Hot tip) you can order any of the items at every food booth in Harambe Market. By the time I remembered, the queue was about a mile long at the other windows.
I decided that the wait was not worth it so we all wandered back to Pandora to get some delicious bowls from Satu’li. Sarah’s parents both ordered the Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl, I ordered the Combination Bowl: Grilled Beef & Chicken, and Sarah ordered Chili-Garlic Shrimp Bowl. Sarah and I had already both savored the delicious chicken and beef bowl so I was excited to try the new shrimp offering. Chili, garlic, and shrimp are 3 of our favorite things to eat so it had to be delicious!
Our first bite was terribly bland. I volunteered to bite the bullet and switch meals with Sarah. However, I discovered the reason why the shrimp and noodle bowl had an underwhelming initial impression. It turns out that the chili-garlic sauce was pooled at the bottom and the top part of the offering was, essentially, dry noodles. Once I tossed the noodles and shrimp in the sauce it changed everything! Sarah reclaimed her bowl and we were all happy again.
After our meal it was time to use our Fastpass+ selections for Expedition Everest. I can usually coax one journey on Expedition Everest out of Sarah per trip and we had already reached her allotment that morning. She and her mom decided that her dad and I could go and ride twice. We sprinted across the park and then rode twice before coming back for our Fastpass+ return time for Flight of Passage.
If Sarah and I were being honest, this was the moment that we had been waiting for since her mom and dad decided to book their vacation package. We knew that this attraction would define both of her parents’ experience. Fortunately, we were not disappointed. We walked away basking in the glow of her parents adoration with enough excitement that would make the outsider think that we were the Imagineers before this marvelous attraction.
It was time for some shows! We started by sprinting (massively impressed by her parents' ability to keep up) to The Festival of the Lion King. After that we sprinted (still massively impressed by their pace) to Finding Nemo The Musical and sang along with Marlon, Nemo, Dory, Crush, and the rest of the gang. Our show finished and we navigated our way back toward the exit. We all napped and recovered for our evening of culinary indulgence.
After our terrible Uber experience two nights before, I decided I would go with Lyft for our journey to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dining reservation at Boma Flavors of Africa. Our driver was chatty, but actually got us to our destination without getting lost! We walked around the beautiful lobby while we waited for our reservation time. I decided that I LOVE Animal Kingdom Lodge. The lobby is breathtaking!
After wandering around for a bit, it was time to eat. I was really excited for this meal, but Sarah was not so much. Typically, she is not a big fan of the bold flavors of African cuisine. Also, she is not a fan of the meat-heavy buffet menu. However, we compromised on this meal and I got my way!
Our meal started with specialty drinks (thank you
Disney Dining Plan!) and each one of us got our fruity concoction.
Sarah and her parents got in the massive queue for meats and I went to fill up some bowls with soup that smelled out of this world. I grabbed Spicy Nigerian Peanut Soup, Seafood Gumbo, and Coconut-Chicken-Curry Soup. Each one of these were unbelievable. I think my favorite was the curry soup, but Sarah loved the gumbo. Next came our carne-val of meats (see what I did there?!).
I grabbed Slow-roasted Pork Ribs, Spice-crusted Beef Sirloin, Whole Durban-style Roasted Chicken to start with. Each one of these were good, but the pork ribs were to die for. They melted off the bone and I think I could have eaten the entire tray. I went back for more and more meat, but Sarah was happy to eat mac and cheese from the kid’s station. Gotta love her adventurous palate!
We moved onto dessert and I have to say that it was slightly disappointing. Aside from the famous Zebra Domes (pictured below) and the cherry cobbler, it feels like Disney phoned in this dessert bar. I have noticed that almost every dessert bar at a Disney buffet has roughly the same selection. There are a few cookies and brownies, a couple cheesecakes, some form of panna cotta, and then a cobbler or pie. I think we are better served skipping dessert, even though Sarah and I are massively addicted to sugar.
Overall, I loved the experience at Boma. I think I could probably convince Sarah to go back just to get mac and cheese. I think that it holds its own against the also-excellent Tusker House Restaurant buffet. My only complaints are the location (it is a massive trek to get to AKL if you aren’t staying there) and the underwhelming dessert. Definitely worth going back!
After our meal I wanted to go back so Sarah’s parents could experience Pandora at night. Unfortunately, Central Florida had other ideas. As soon as we got off the bus from the Lodge and in front of the Tree Of Life, a storm unleashed hell upon the park. We took shelter in the Guest Relations area before trudging miserably back to the bus stop to go back to Caribbean Beach.
When we returned to the resort, Illuminations was exploding in the sky above Epcot. The entire family huddled together for warmth as the show lit up the night. It really gave me an appreciation for CB and its proximity to the parks. That fireworks show felt like it was going off at the resort.
We all loved watching the show and we headed off to bed. It was going to be an early morning of Sarah’s mom crying tears of joy so we needed to get some rest!