Trip Report And everything you do...celebrate you! *COMPLETED*

Oh what an adventure this year has been, and the journey only continued as we embarked on our 8th annual Walt Disney World trip together!

This trip report follows in the footsteps of the inspiration for my not-always-sunny pre-trip report: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/its-the-time-of-your-life.928664/

But we can skip that and get to the good stuff. A whirlwind of Disney, both the old and new, was just the thing we needed. A reminder that life is good, despite not always going to plan, and to never stop dreaming as we look to the future.

The cast: J - the husband. And myself. Goofy & Pluto Pook-a-looz babies.

Travel dates: September 2nd - September 10th...but Hurricane Irma changed that a bit. Returning home to All-Star Music.

Let the memories begin!

We arrived within the Disney bubble a little later than we were used to, and with an 11am - 12pm DINOSAUR fastpass that we were itching to get to, we barreled into Animal Kingdom around 11:45 desperate to make it. DINOSAUR is one of my favorite all time rides, and it was down for refurbishment last year, so it's safe to say I was going through a serious DINOdrought.
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We powerwalked through the lush Oasis, taking in the familiar sights and sounds, maybe beginning to register that we were finally here at Walt Disney World!
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Labor Day Saturday at Animal Kingdom probably wasn't the best idea. Especially when you see that both Na'vi River Journey and Flight of Passage were temporarily down on the My Disney Experience app, therefore inflating wait times at everything else. But we'd deal with that later. Must...get...to...DINOSAUR.
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As we turned right and rounded the corner to the Dino Institute, there were CMs lined up in front of the entrance. Not good! We stood there panting and clutching the stitches in our sides as they announced the ride is down with no ETA of coming back up yet.
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Ugh. Fine. We drowned our sorrows by splitting the Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler at Flame Tree Barbecue. Food does solve a lot of problems.
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This baby was definitely large enough to satisfy two starving adults...but it was a messy experience. At one point, J said to me: Um...you have meat in your hair.
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The view didn't hurt either.
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We took the time to reset our plans, as DINOSAUR would turn into a recovery FP, and Na'vi was our next one, but apparently down. Ah well, at least we had company! Look who stopped by during lunch:
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Animal Kingdom is full of natural beauty.
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And wildlife everywhere you turn.
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As we cleaned up our colossal mess of a lunch and pulled up the app to see what we could do, J delivered the good news: Na'vi River Journey was back up. Whoopee! It's time to really get this party started.
 
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belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As we made our way to the NEW! Pandora, we stopped by to gaze at the Tree of Life.
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But soon, that serenity was drowned by the sound of bugs and who-knows-what-type of wildlife. I enjoy photographing lampposts.
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I will be the first to admit that when The World of AVATAR was announced, I was not enthused. I saw the movie, I barely remembered anything from it, I just did not care for it. Still, all the hype and promotional/real images of Pandora (that I tried to avoid) had gotten me so excited to see this new place. I guess J's enthusiasm also rubbed off on me. He's the type of person that never thinks a movie is bad and always finds something good about it. In this case, it was 'a visually stunning movie.'
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Like, what is that? I still don't know.
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But we felt a sense of something special coming on as we turned the corner.
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Boy, visually stunning is correct!
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We wandered around with our necks craned for some time, listening to the ambient noises, the sounds of the waterfalls, and just generally jaw dropped.
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We ventured into the Na'vi River Journey queue.
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The details were great. I wanted to touch everything!
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OKAY. Who wrote that Na'vi River Journey was best viewed at nighttime instead of the day? Because the whole ride is INDOORS and I was ready to be slightly underwhelmed by my daytime boat ride, but it was dark as night and glowing as ever. I felt kinda silly. DUPED!
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I felt like the ride itself had some very loose story that I wasn't getting, so I just enjoyed taking in the new world until the big animatronic at the end nearly gave me a heart attack. After getting over it quickly, we marveled at how great the technology had gotten. The way her fingers furled, the way her body moved as she swayed and leaned over...it was very impressive.
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Back outside to daylight! If you are familiar with my trip reports, you might remember that I have an obsession with waterfalls/fountains/the like. So I was obviously spent a lot of time in this particular area of Pandora.
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And here. It struck me a sort of weird to see all these fake plants and foliage in a park that is bursting with such real appeal. But it was fascinating, and certainly transported me to another world.
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We sadly did not get a Flight of Passage FP for our first Animal Kingdom day, and we are not the type to wait in line for 200 minutes. So we settled for ogling at the queue and looking forward to our next AK day where we would definitely be experiencing it! I mean, if you're going to wait 200 minutes, I would think the queue would be that beautiful.
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We popped into Windtraders but it was way too crowded and as we hadn't gotten the full Pandora experience yet, we quickly toured and exited. Next time!
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On our way out of Pandora, I kept turning back and trying to take pictures that captured the scope and breadth of this land. Failed.
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We took the peaceful bridge walk to Africa. It was the first time we had silence and no one around us. I think we have been spoiled by lower crowds for the past few years. This year was sure looking different!
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We passed a favorite view of Everest and the Tree, making our way into Asia for our FP.
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At Expedition Everest! This is always a great view, with the banners against the sky. Makes my camera not seem (as) cruddy. J says I spent a lot of time complaining about the camera this trip, and that we should buy a new one. I then say ok, do it. How much? NOT THAT MUCH. THAT'S DISNEY MONEY!
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To the Himalayas we go! *CAW CAW*
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I always love this view, and I knew what new addition I might see this time...
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Hoo boy, was I ready for some drops or not? This girl needs it!
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After almost being slapped by a Yeti, we made our way back to Africa, stopping in Zuri's Sweet Shop to take a look. I spent way more time looking at shops as a whole instead of individual items this time around. It's so aesthetically pleasing to me. Maybe because everything is always so well organized. Or because it has Mickey everywhere.
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That's right. It's time for the BEST SHOW EVER. Festival - of - the Lion King! Let the procession begin! I always joke that J and I are going to try to recreate the bird dance to Can You Feel The Love Tonight...well...we actually did it. It consisted of me giggling constantly and J going "NO NO NO I don't feel comfortable doing this, AHH!" Well, we tried, and it was fun. It has always been one of my (unattainable) dreams to be the lady bird flying in the sky and as he twirled me around to that beautiful chorus, I kinda felt like the dream was coming true!
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Then it was time to venture into the Harambe Wildlife Reserve on the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride! A real treasure.
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Right off the bat, this Black Rhino was waiting around to greet us.
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Bongos really are shy, huh? He's like...if I can't see you, you can't see me.
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I'm normally not too interested in birds on the safari because I want the good stuff, but babies can change that!
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Painted dogs are seriously my favorite. They are like beautiful corgis. Can I have one?
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But the star of the safari was definitely this giraffe that majestically strode over to us and almost smiled at us as we pulled away.
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We continued on to see a lot of wildebeest and elephants, but no lions. It must be one of the 23 hours they be sleepin'.
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J's favorite of the safari was this warthog. As our guide said, "Simba is Swahili for Lion, but sadly, Pumba does not mean Warthog."
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Was pretty surprised to see so many animals out on an afternoon safari. We usually have the best luck in the morning. But I guess the overcast skies helped...it was a comfortable day to be touring around in that open-aired vehicle. It was finally feeling like vacation.
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As we got off, we stopped by my favorite water ("MAJI") fountain to fill up. I couldn't help but admire the theming of the area. It was subtle and appropriate, and not overdone or kitschy at all.
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Got a glimpse of the waterfall in Gorilla Falls, but I have this 'system' that I need to follow in order to 'do' Disney. And that always consists of doing a morning safari ride, then going on the trails right afterwards. This was just not the right time, because it was not morning, obviously...
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...but also because, DINOSAUR WAS BACK UP. LET'S GOOOO! But...I will put it on temporary hold to watch these adorable otters gambol around each other for a few minutes.
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Ok, back to business.
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We were practically skipping there. My heart was beating so fast.
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I actually felt the adrenaline rush as we walked up to the Dino Institute. It's been way. too. long.
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They changed up the queue to remove the mural of extinction theories...but inside this room...it all felt so familiar and wonderful.
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And that smell when you enter the loading area...I'm not one to normally breathe in fumes, but I did here.
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And since everyone takes a picture of this, I did too.
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Speaking of which, I was getting real hungry. But first, I had to scream my head off as a Carnotaurus chased me, and another one came nose to nose with me. It was the reunion we desperately needed, and finally got.
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Then it was time to eat our first table service meal of the trip, and we were both really excited for this one, especially with a Rivers of Light Dining Package in play!
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
New foods + experiences = a happy us.
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We haven't seen that many reviews on Tiffins, but we had seen enough to know that we had to try it.
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Tiffins is a celebration of travel and discovery, and upon walking in, it was evidenced in art displays and etchings on the wall.
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We were seated in the Grand Gallery. Our waitress told us that if these poles look familiar, it may be because they were once residents of Camp Minnie-Mickey!
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Another feature of the room was the Lantern Wall, which was inspired by Rivers of Light. The cloth making up the background was from some of the cast member and performer costumes. Could I be any more excited for the show now?
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Feeling like inspiration was pulled from Pizzafari here. The effect was quite nice.
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We can't forget our water-dwelling friends either.
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First came the "Pomegranate Foccacia Bread" with a pomegranate/olive oil dipping sauce. It was interestingly sweet and potent, but we tried to conserve our stomach real estate.
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We knew exactly what we wanted to eat. Literally checked the menus everyday leading up to our trip to scout for any changes. I chose the Marinated Grilled Octopus and felt victorious. Octopus can be chewy and flavorless - this was anything but. Tender and charred, and I mopped up every last bit of the aioli. Mmm. Delicious.
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J chose the Chef's House-made Charcuterie Board, which was a newer addition we discovered leading up to the trip. He was originally going to go for the Sustainable Seasonal Fish Causa. I think the variety inspired him to make the change. Either way, all the meats were very tasty, but the prosciutto-type one on the bread-cracker was my personal favorite. I think the boy liked the bolog-na best. yes, he says bolog-na.
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The meal was off to a good start. The ambience was peaceful and quiet, and the mood lighting suited us. Entrees and desserts next!
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
J circled the Wagyu Striploin and House-smoked Brisket the day we decided to make a Tiffins reservation. He was really excited for this, but ended up thinking it was a little on the salty side, even for him. That's saying something. Don't feel too bad for him though. He ate steak every day of this trip. He would recover. And even still, we do not waste food. This was finished.
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I was on the fence about a few various items, but decided going with the Whole-fried Sustainable Fish because my last experience with one at Skipper Canteen rocked my socks off. This experience was similar, though dare I say, lesser (?!) than that. I think I gravitated more towards the soy-ginger sauce on that one more than the bean sauce on this one. But that has nothing to do with the fish. It was great (Red snapper). So much flavor in the meat. And I tried my darnedest to finish it all...as you will see in the next picture. Scroll fast if you don't want to see. It's not the most photogenic.
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But here it is.
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Some eye bleach maybe? For dessert, I won the rights to the South American Chocolate Ganache. Dark chocolate rules all. Rich, dense, and the berry/banana flavors went along with the bitterness well.
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J got the Calamansi Mousse. I'm not a huge mango fan and didn't really care for it. He enjoyed it though, but he refused to eat the flower. Lame!
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When we finished up our meal, we got our Rivers of Light necessities. It would come soon enough!
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But before we left, our waitress brought us this little plate of sweets to celebrate our anniversary. It was so cute and brought a big smile to our faces. We split each of them, obviously liking the chocolate best. Though I will say, because we are fiends, I tried to scraped the chocolate 'Congratulations' off the plate to eat and it was like, glued on. Most suspicious...
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We popped into the Safari Gallery before leaving. Many of the displays are details collected by overseas travels, inspiring the experiences of Animal Kingdom itself.
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Seeing lots of Africa here.
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A quick glance into Nomad Lounge before leaving for real.
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Tiffins is an interesting place. I'm really impressed by the exotic menu and the detailed touches of the restaurant itself. It ties really well into a lot of different corners of Animal Kingdom. As someone who likes to stay in the same 'experience' for an entire day, it was right down my alley.
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It was drizzling outside. We sought refuge with Russell for a quick Meet & Greet with that cutie. No more Dug though...that's pretty tragic.
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Since we were in the neighborhood, we continued on for a leisurely walk around the Tree of Life, feeling the mist on our faces and listening to the sounds of the waterfall.
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We walked right in to It's Tough to be a Bug. This show is actually quite terrifying. I don't mind the spiders, but I really hate being stung and end up chickening out a lot of times.
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We wandered over to Asia, pumping ourselves up for Rivers of Light later. but the evening was still young. That's what you get for eating dinner at 4pm I suppose!
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The shops at Animal Kingdom always, without fail, captivate me. The sheer about of detail in the art and craftsmanship are so underappreciated.
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This was the first time we got to really slow down and shop instead of passing through. I adored this mug. I'm a sucker for princess dress and castle art!
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I just realized these are elephants. I always thought they were snakes. Unless they're one of those optical illusions? Sadly, I think not.
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J thought these were cool. Looking like old Disney VHS, but they're actually notebooks. And not just any notebook, but an "engineering notebook".
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I definitely spent more time looking at the shop than the merchandise itself.
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It was a good way to pass the rainy evening. But we were soon going to venture back outside for another look at Pandora.
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Tiffins and Nomad Lounge are a great addition to AK
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience last December

Enjoying the report and following along

Max
Glad to hear of your great experience! I would definitely go back. I'm interested to see how much the menu will evolve overtime. The restaurant was pretty quiet but seems to be doing better than from when it first opened.

Thanks for reading!
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It wasn't true night yet, but we couldn't resist seeing how our friend was doing this evening.
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Our eyes feasted some more.
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These things would squirt out water when you waved your hands at them.
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It's almost too big to capture in one shot unless you sat on the ground. I must've looked ridiculous...
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I basically spent the entire time not being sure at what I was looking at, but appreciating it nonetheless.
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We'd be back at night. For now, we walked over to Africa for a not-nighttime safari.
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But it was basically a nighttime safari because 1) not a lot of animals and 2) blurry pictures.
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Our guide was pretty quiet and I did not mind one bit. I was feeling the TIRED!
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We thought the windows lighting up and flickering was a great touch.
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The Tree of Life is lit! The Tree of Life is lit! We wouldn't be catching the Awakenings tonight, but we'd be back for it, no doubt about that.
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Heading on over to Asia because...
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...nighttime expeditions on that mountain need to be had!
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I'm not sure I ever noticed just how beautifully Everest lights up at night. We stopped to just soak it all in for a while.
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And before we would sit down for Rivers of Light, we decided to take care of one more important item.
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If we're going to subject ourselves to this, might as well do it at night.
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Because everything's cooler at night, right?
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Actually, right.
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And not gonna lie...I actually think Primeval Whirl is kinda fun. When the track 'sets you loose' and spins you around while simultaneously jerking you around. We could have stayed on again, but J said no. Pshh.
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So after talking about it all day, we finally sat down for Rivers of Light. As the floats kept coming out slowly but surely, the preshow music filled the air, and the silhouettes of various animals appeared on the trees, we sat back, relaxed and ready to enjoy the show.
 
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belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I hadn't read much up on Rivers of Light, always wanting to see things with my own eyes first. But I did hear general opinions of 'it's disappointing' or 'boring'. I didn't let that damper my spirits. I was ready for this...finally! It eluded us for an entire year.
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Leave it to Disney to slowly but surely bring out each lotus blossom float one by one, making the scene more and more appealing with every second that passed by. Just when I thought I could put my camera down, I had to bring it back up. And when the music really began, and the storytellers glided out on the sailboats, I sat there eagerly awaiting whatever was in store for me.
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An audible ooh + ahh escaped from me as the mist screens popped up and the animal lantern floats arrived. It all tied back to dinner at Tiffins...perfect!
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And an actual squeal from me when the lotus blossoms started shooting out water. I just go crazy for this kind of stuff.
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And as the music continued to build, so did the intensity of the water dancing.
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What I saw captivated me. The music was beautiful, the effects were soothing, and it seemed like a very fitting way to end any day at Animal Kingdom. No lasers or fireworks, just water, fire, and the night sky.

Within each of us is a light. A light that shines in all living things. Here where fire and water bridge the earth and sky, our light rises on the wind to join the stars. As we journey on this great earth, may we remember the light we share. May we celebrate our bond with the natural world and the wonders that flow on Rivers of Light.

Rivers of Light has a fan in me.
 
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belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It's definitely nighttime now. That means...it's time to head back to Pandora!
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Warning: the following pictures are not professional, at all.
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But they're actually pretty indicative of how dark it was there. Much of what was visible were the plants themselves.
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The waterfall was pounding hard as ever.
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And looking down at the water glowing shimmery blue was a nice effect.
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The colors were amazing. It had transformed this land into something even more ethereal, and it made us feel more isolated even though it was still crawling with people.
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We gazed up at the Flight of Passage queue for probably the most spectacular view of the night.
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I don't think we're in Florida anymore.
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The difference was night and day, literally and figuratively. It's crazy how the same place can feel so different within a matter of hours.
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That concluded our first day at Walt Disney World 2017. Even with a few bumps in the road, it was a fulfilling day filled with the old and new. And it was only the beginning!
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
One of the most underrated or forgotten 'Simple Disney Things' is the first night at your resort. We were excited to hop on that bus and return directly to All Star Music.
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But first, we had to stop by Intermission Food Court and pick up our refillable mugs. I FINALLY GOT A PINK ONE.
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Thanks for the MDE app, we knew our room was in the Jazz Building, home of some of my most vivid childhood memories.
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I had actually requested Broadway since we fell in love with the area last year, but I'll take a shorter walk and fountain view! Welcome to "Jazz In".
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I never remember our room number, but here it is.
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Love is opening the door and seeing you have a king-sized bed.
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And SHAMPOO! CONDITIONER! SOAP!
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With our luggage waiting for us in our room, we opened them up to free Goofy & Pluto and I hung up all our outfits so I could gaze happily at them for the days to come.
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After a hot shower, we got in bed, turned on the cartoons, and giggled until we fell asleep. Last year's favorite was Potatoland. This year, we're adding Goofy's Grandma to the list.
 

belledream

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It was an early rise and shine this morning as we made our way to Hollywood Studios for Morning Extra Magic Hours.
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We made our morning walk to the lobby by passing my beautiful fountain, but it wasn't running! Still, we savored our first morning breathing in that Disney air.
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My camera was legitimately fogging up from the morning air, but the sunrise view from where we were was surprisingly intense.
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An empty lobby looked (and smelled) very sweet. I need something to help evoke that 'lobby smell' because it became one of my new favorite things this year.
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The sky was lightening up quickly as we donned sunblock at the bus stop. We didn't end up needing it though. The day would be pretty cool and overcast in general.
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We arrived earlier than expected at Hollywood Studios and were held to the general vicinity by the sorta-rope-drop procedures.
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Which of course, allowed me to hungrily take in all the details and colors in each building on Hollywood Boulevard.
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Waitin' for that rope to drop so we can head on over to our old friend, Toy Story Mania!
 

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