Trip Report And We’re Back! – A March Trip Report

Well, I’m back! I’ve been pretty MIA from the boards for the last few months. It has been a crazy busy Fall and Winter and it’s about time that things slowed down. We sold our townhouse in September and moved in with my parents for 4 months while we waited for our new home to be built. All that plus the regular busyness of the holiday season meant little time to go online.

My last trip to WDW was in November of 2012 so I was itching to go back. My next trip wasn’t scheduled until October 2014 and that was just too long for me to wait. So, I emailed my friend Maggie who went with me in 2010 and asked if she would want to go again. She was in and suggested we stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sounds good to me!

The Details:

Who: Me (Ashley) and my best friend from college (Maggie)

I'm the short one.

When: March 5-9, 2014

Where: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Wednesday March 5th – Disney World and Warm Weather Here We Come!

Today was a very early morning for both of us. At my old house, I used to live 8 minutes away from the airport. The new house is 35 minutes from the airport, which isn’t bad for most people, but when you used to be 8, it now seems a lot farther. I didn’t think about the new drive to the airport when I booked my flight for 6:45am.

So I woke up super early and made it to the airport about an hour before my departure time. I barely slept at all the night before so I was extremely tired. I think I woke up every hour or so worried that I had overslept. I got about 3 hours of sleep in total. But I was on my way to WDW so who’s complaining!

The flight was uneventful and we landed on time. Maggie’s flight didn’t land for another hour so I had some time to kill. At first, I thought I was going to kill time by browsing the shops but then I figured I would just head down to the DME area and wait there. An hour wasn’t too bad. I made it all the way down to the DME area and decided I should check on Maggie’s flight to see if it was on time. And what do you know…her flight was delayed…45 minutes.

So I went back up to the shops, looked around and grabbed some breakfast from McDonald’s. Then it was back down to the DME counter to wait for Maggie. Her flight landed at the newly scheduled, delayed time and we were finally ready to board the bus. I had been at the airport for 2 hours so I couldn’t wait to get this vacation started!

We made our way to the DME counter to check in with our fancy, new MagicBands! This was the first time I got to use the bands so I was super excited!

Animal Kingdom Lodge here we come!

Obligatory Instagram shot

The Animal Kingdom Lodge was one of only two deluxe resorts I had never stayed at before so I was really excited to stay at this resort! First we had to stop at Pop Century and then Art of Animation before we arrived at our destination.

We’re finally here!

I had done online check in so it was a pretty smooth process once we arrived. I was very pleased that our room was ready. That was the only request I made when doing online check in. We already had booked an Arusha view room so as long as it was ready when we arrived, I was fine with the luck of the draw. Knock on wood, I have always been pleased with our room placements without having any special requests.

We were in room 3415 located along Zebra Trail and on the same floor as the lobby. I was already pleased with the location of our room and I hadn’t even seen it yet.

Feels like a Disney vacation when I see one of these

View from our room

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Loving this TR so far, Ashley!

That cronut looks AMAZING!! Anything sweet and sugary is totally for me!! lol

Lapu Lapus.... Mmmmmm... Might be my favorite drink ever! Even if it wasn't in a pineapple, it still would be super good but the pineapple totally makes it! Kona is GREAT for breakfast and I have only been once for dinner. I got the coconut almond chicken and I did not like it AT ALL! My mom and sister got the noodles and liked them a lot. I think I would order those if I went for dinner again. Or the strip steak.

4 parks in one day is quite the accomplishment! Woooo! Good work!!

I agree with you on the new Test Track. I really liked the old one. I've been on the new one 3-4 times and sometimes, the car testing wasn't working right. They would show the designs of the car either in front of you or behind you so it didn't make sense. That's one thing I definitely don't like about the single rider line is not being able to design your own car!

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[Dumbo2675]

Thanks Bruce! Yes, we are still going in October and we are actually going in 17 days too! We got a little out of control this year with the trips. We won't be able to do this for long so we might as well enjoy it while we can. I hope you all have a great time on your trip!

What are my changes of your trip in October being the same time as mind? 10/8/14 thru 10/12/14

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

I don't think they'll ever bring Spectro back...they got rid of all the floats remember? Unfortunately!

Props to you guys for doing all four parks in one day! I think my mom and I have only done 3? I can't remember. But not something I want to rush around doing anytime soon lol.

I NEED to try that Cronut next month...it sounds and looks amazing! Along with that Dole Whip with Rum!

I LOVE all the pictures you took! The one that stood out to me this post was Rapunzel's Tower hidden behind some pink flowers! Love the perspective! I need to remember to look out for things like that! And how did you keep your camera out in that rain???? I always put mine away in a ziploc baggy.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

All four parks in one day sounds like so much fun! My sister and I are planning a trip in 2016 and I think I could convince her to try it! The cronut looks delish. I have been dying to try one since I heard about the craze. Glad it didn't disappoint!

It was very fun...and tiring. Hahaha If you feel up to it, it's worth a try. Yes, try the cronut! I don't want to hype it up too much but I think it's too late for that. If you like croissants, doughnuts and sugar, I am not sure how anyone couldn't like it.

Loving this TR so far, Ashley!

That cronut looks AMAZING!! Anything sweet and sugary is totally for me!! lol

Lapu Lapus.... Mmmmmm... Might be my favorite drink ever! Even if it wasn't in a pineapple, it still would be super good but the pineapple totally makes it! Kona is GREAT for breakfast and I have only been once for dinner. I got the coconut almond chicken and I did not like it AT ALL! My mom and sister got the noodles and liked them a lot. I think I would order those if I went for dinner again. Or the strip steak.

4 parks in one day is quite the accomplishment! Woooo! Good work!!

I agree with you on the new Test Track. I really liked the old one. I've been on the new one 3-4 times and sometimes, the car testing wasn't working right. They would show the designs of the car either in front of you or behind you so it didn't make sense. That's one thing I definitely don't like about the single rider line is not being able to design your own car!

Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks Darolyn! Oh the cronut and the Lapu Lapu. I have two new favorites! The pineapple is a pretty awesome part of the drink but I suppose they could get rid of it and I would still love the drink. It's fun to drink out of a pineapple though.

The 4 parks in one day was fun. We left our plans a little more open this trip so it was nice to be able to just kind of go with the flow and do whatever we felt like. I am such a planner so it is crazy to think I enjoy not planning but it was kind of fun. I felt like a rebel!

We rode Test Track again and I will post my thoughts a little later.

What are my changes of your trip in October being the same time as mind? 10/8/14 thru 10/12/14

We arrive on the 13th! Darn. We miss you all by one day.

I don't think they'll ever bring Spectro back...they got rid of all the floats remember? Unfortunately!

Props to you guys for doing all four parks in one day! I think my mom and I have only done 3? I can't remember. But not something I want to rush around doing anytime soon lol.

I NEED to try that Cronut next month...it sounds and looks amazing! Along with that Dole Whip with Rum!

I LOVE all the pictures you took! The one that stood out to me this post was Rapunzel's Tower hidden behind some pink flowers! Love the perspective! I need to remember to look out for things like that! And how did you keep your camera out in that rain???? I always put mine away in a ziploc baggy.

I think I must be in denial about Spectro because I totally forgot they destroyed the floats. Repressed memories are coming back to me. I'm sad all over again. Maybe they can rebuild...maybe? Please. Hahaha

Thanks! I had asked Wes if he would want to go to all four with me and he thought I was crazy so I am glad Maggie was there with me. She's a Disney newbie so she's up for anything!

YES! Try that cronut! And the Dole Whip with rum! Both so tasty and they are located very close by so you can just keep getting more and not have to walk very far.

Thank you! I really liked the way that Tangled picture with the flowers turned out too. If only we had blue skies. I probably shouldn't have taken out my camera so much but I figured a little rain wouldn't hurt. I used my phone when it was raining hard and took out the big boy when it stopped or was drizzling. I had my camera on under the poncho so when I wanted a shot, I could easily pull it out of the side and then take my picture and put it back under the poncho real quick. I had my camera bag under the poncho too so when it was pouring, I put it away. I had so much stuff under that dang poncho. Hahaha I looked a little crazy but it was better than being soaked!

 

[sissa216]

Great report Ashley!

I'm the exact same way with having several "photo series"- mine all just sort of happened also. I used to collect themed bathroom sign pictures, as well as people eating around WDW.

The Lapu Lapu was too strong for me too. After wanting to try it forever, I finally got one last December. We were just about to go down and relax on the beach, when everyone decided it was too cold and headed for the monorail. I had to chug it as fast as I could, and did not get to enjoy it! I think I have to give it another try

 

[Dumbo2675]

We arrive on the 13th! Darn. We miss you all by one day.

Yes that is to bad that we will miss each other by one day. Some day I hope we can meet up.

 

[Zipadeelady]

I have to say I love your trash can and restroom sign pic's. After seeing them and @HouCuseChickie 's lights pic's it makes me want to stop and look at the details more.

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

I think I must be in denial about Spectro because I totally forgot they destroyed the floats. Repressed memories are coming back to me. I'm sad all over again. Maybe they can rebuild...maybe? Please. Hahaha

Thanks! I had asked Wes if he would want to go to all four with me and he thought I was crazy so I am glad Maggie was there with me. She's a Disney newbie so she's up for anything!

YES! Try that cronut! And the Dole Whip with rum! Both so tasty and they are located very close by so you can just keep getting more and not have to walk very far.

Thank you! I really liked the way that Tangled picture with the flowers turned out too. If only we had blue skies. I probably shouldn't have taken out my camera so much but I figured a little rain wouldn't hurt. I used my phone when it was raining hard and took out the big boy when it stopped or was drizzling. I had my camera on under the poncho so when I wanted a shot, I could easily pull it out of the side and then take my picture and put it back under the poncho real quick. I had my camera bag under the poncho too so when it was pouring, I put it away. I had so much stuff under that dang poncho. Hahaha I looked a little crazy but it was better than being soaked!

Seeing those pins with the pieces did it for me I'm just so sick of the dang MSEP...I like it and all, but I miss Spectro, alot.

Good to know they are close by! hahaha

haha but it was worth it having a poncho! Last May when it rained I just kept it away in a ziploc bag in my big Mickey Mouse bag. I would bring my camera backpack, but I'm always afraid someone is going to unzip the pockets for whatever reason, so I'm paranoid and have to bring a shoulder bag so I can see it at all times LOL.

I noticed you're going back in 14 days?? lol Or did you mention that in your report too and I forgot? Missing each other by like 15 days!

 

[Jessica Meier]

Following along and loving!

 

[MOXOMUMD]

Love all the pictures of the topiaries.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Great report Ashley!

I'm the exact same way with having several "photo series"- mine all just sort of happened also. I used to collect themed bathroom sign pictures, as well as people eating around WDW.

The Lapu Lapu was too strong for me too. After wanting to try it forever, I finally got one last December. We were just about to go down and relax on the beach, when everyone decided it was too cold and headed for the monorail. I had to chug it as fast as I could, and did not get to enjoy it! I think I have to give it another try

Thanks Carissa! I love having photo series. I can't wait to make some photo books of them once I feel they are complete. I think I almost have all of the trash cans done.

I thought the drink was strong, but I really liked it. Next time I would like to sip instead of chug. Hahaha

Yes that is to bad that we will miss each other by one day. Some day I hope we can meet up.

Yep. Maybe some day!

I have to say I love your trash can and restroom sign pic's. After seeing them and @HouCuseChickie 's lights pic's it makes me want to stop and look at the details more.

Thank you! You gotta stop and look at the details. They are amazing and so many people just walk right by them without even a glance. I've tried to slow down and enjoy these details more and more each trip.

Seeing those pins with the pieces did it for me I'm just so sick of the dang MSEP...I like it and all, but I miss Spectro, alot.

Good to know they are close by! hahaha

haha but it was worth it having a poncho! Last May when it rained I just kept it away in a ziploc bag in my big Mickey Mouse bag. I would bring my camera backpack, but I'm always afraid someone is going to unzip the pockets for whatever reason, so I'm paranoid and have to bring a shoulder bag so I can see it at all times LOL.

I noticed you're going back in 14 days?? lol Or did you mention that in your report too and I forgot? Missing each other by like 15 days!

Yea, the poncho was the best $8.95 we spent all trip.

That's too bad that we are missing each other! It would be great to meet up again.

Following along and loving!

Thanks for following along! More coming now.

Love all the pictures of the topiaries.

Thanks!

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Friday, March 7th – Animal Kingdom and Epcot Complete with a Celeb Sighting

After our busy day of park hopping yesterday, we were looking forward to a little more relaxing day. This morning we were heading back to Animal Kingdom.

The carpets here were filled with Hidden Mickeys

We stopped by the gift shop on the way to the buses. Maggie was looking for something quick to eat for breakfast but she didn’t see anything packaged to her liking. We arrived to the bus stop right on schedule but I guess the bus didn’t get the memo. This was the longest we had to wait for a bus so far.

We made it to the park a little before opening but not as early as I normally like to arrive. Oh well. We were going for a more relaxed day today so I was going with the flow.

First stop was Expedition Everest. This is always my first stop. I love it. It’s a great way to wake up in the morning!

Every trip with Wes, I get his picture by this angry deer. It cracks us up that the deer is so angry. I was sad to not have Wes on this trip but I still took a picture of the deer for him.

Next up was Kilimanjaro Safari. I brought my big lens today so I was excited to get some up close shots of the animals. We lucked out again with our own row in the jeep. Two days in a row. Nice.

Safari queue trash can

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Can you spot all of the giraffes?

Man, that was a great safari! By the amount of pictures I took, you might have actually thought we were gone for two weeks!

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

We made a quick stop at Pizzafari to see what was on the menu. Maggie wasn’t feelin it so we moved on. We were at that weird hour where it was kind of late for breakfast but too early for lunch.

Oh, Hey!

We visited ITTBAB and by the time we exited, we were ready for lunch.

My favorite quick service restaurant in AK

Maggie went with a sandwich (are you seeing a pattern here?) and I went with the pork sandwich.

Delicious as always. We sat down on the patio that overlooks the water in front of EE. I love this spot.

After lunch we decided to head back to the resort. It was a little chilly today so we both were wearing our hoods with our sunglasses on. I couldn’t resist a selfie.

We got back to the resort a little after noon. It was too chilly to lay by the pool but we decided to walk around the resort and check it out. We had barely spent any time there since arriving. I feel like this always happens on my trips. We spend so much time in the parks, we have no time to enjoy the resort.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

The lifeguard looks a little cold, don’t you think?

Goodness this resort is pretty. I’m glad we had some time to enjoy it. We made our way back to our room for a little while to relax and sit on the balcony checking out our view. While sitting there, Maggie noticed the characters in the curtain.

Well, look who it is!

How had we not noticed this after being here three days?! Crazy the details that you can miss. And these were right in front of our face.

After our break at the resort, we were going to Epcot to see an HGTV designer. When I knew that the F&G was starting during our trip, I was so excited to see who was going to be the HGTV star during our dates. Once the list was released, I was even more excited because it was Vern Yip! I LOVE Vern! My Mom is obsessed with HGTV and Vern is her favorite designer. We watched him on Trading Spaces back in the day and even on that show, he was our favorite.

So the presentation started at 3 and I figured if we got to the bus stop a little before 2 that should be plenty of time to get there and get a good seat. Well, wouldn’t you know it; the bus took forever to arrive. We saw about 3 of every other bus but no Epcot bus. The sun had arrived though so we kept standing in the sun to soak it up. Go with the flow, Ashley. Go with the flow.

We finally arrived at Epcot and still had time to get to the Festival Center to see Vern. We weren’t as early as I wanted but we were going with the flow.

There weren’t any seats left on the actual benches but we were able to get a spot on the carpet to the right of the stage. We had a great view of Vern and he was a wonderful speaker. He announced that he was going to be signing autographs so I decided to get one for my Mom. Right after his announcement, I decided to get up and go get in line before he finished.

It’s Vern!

I sent my Mom a text letting her know that I met Vern and got her an autograph. She was super excited! Vern was so nice in person. You always wonder about celebrities, what they would be like in person. He took time with each person and answered any and all questions they had about design. I am really glad we made time to see him.

Originally on this trip, we only had the one reservation for Kona Café. Yesterday, after our four parks in one day, we decided that we wanted to try to get another table service reservation. There weren’t many restaurants at Epcot with openings but my favorite, La Hacienda de San Angel had a 4:30 reservation available. It was super early, like early bird dining early, for dinner but we didn’t have any other option at a better time.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

So after our visit with Vern, we made our way over to Mexico.

We had some time to kill so we went for a ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour.

We checked in for dinner and were seated almost immediately.

My favorite!

Maggie took my recommendation of ordering the taquiza appetizer as her meal. It is my favorite item on the menu.

Delicious

We had a great meal. I love this restaurant. I have eaten there on my last three trips now and I have had a great meal every time.

We made a quick stop leaving the restaurant.

These are some of my favorites restroom signs!

We decided to continue our night with a tour around World Showcase. We had some FP+ to use around 6 so we had some time before we needed to head to Future World.

Hahaha This one was a challenge to pop out from behind

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

Our first FP+ was for Soarin.

We had a FP+ for Living with the Land, which is really a waste of a FP+, if you ask me. We didn’t feel like waiting until our FP+ time so we walked on the ride. After that, we decided to take a journey into imagination with Figment.

Hello

Our final FP+ for the day was for Captain EO, which was also a waste. Again we didn’t wait until our FP+ time. Epcot was the only park where I felt like the FP+ system didn’t have enough attractions to choose from. The only attractions I think are worth getting FP+ for are Soarin and Test Track and you can’t get one for both. We’ll see what happens with the system in the future. Anyways…back on track.

If you have read any of my other trip reports, you know that I LOVE Captain EO. The awesomely, bad 80sness of it makes me laugh every single time. Its so great!

We went back to World Showcase to get a treat.

My Mom and I saw this on Wendy William’s show and she asked me to try it for her. It’s the Croque Glace, which is a scoop of your choice of ice cream flavor with chocolate or raspberry sauce on a warm brioche. It sounded so interesting and Wendy liked it so I figured what the heck!

It was pretty good. It was different having a warm piece of bread around some ice cream but it was tasty. Maggie really wanted to get a pretzel so we decided to go to Germany. We got there and she decided that she didn’t want any of the ones they had there so we made our way to Norway to get one with stuff on it. So we got all the way to Norway and she said she didn’t want any of those either. Ugh. We just walked all around World Showcase for no reason. Oh well.

So we got to our desired spot for IllumiNations and Maggie decided she did want a pretzel from Germany. Hahaha I told her that she could go get one and I would hold our spot. I did my best to make myself as wide as possible but getting so close to show time, it was near impossible to hold her spot. She made it back right as IllumiNations started and was able to slide in to our spot.

Our spot for IllumiNations

I didn’t even try to take many pictures because I can never get them to turn out. Epcot was having EMH tonight so right after IllumiNations we made our way to Test Track to go through the new standby queue.

It was a little chilly

We thought the design your car part of the attraction was awesome! We were bummed we didn’t do it the first time we rode. I thought the attraction was a lot better than what I originally thought. I’m so happy that I still enjoy the attraction. I can’t wait to design another car.

Last for the night, we decided to do a quick fly over California on Soarin. We stopped at the facilities before we arrived at the Land.

After Soarin, we called it a night and made our way back to AKL.

Up next: Our last day in the parks and the sun arrives!

 

[Billy6]

Great stuff as always, Ashley!

I hope you liked staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. My family and I stay at Kidani Village, as our DVC home and we love it, especially my 8 year old!

Onward!

 

[FlaggNL]

Wow bet the Croque Glace tasted great! It is now on my have taste list for our October trip great report, great pics!!

 

[KingdomofDreams]

I'm really enjoying your trip report. Thanks for sharing. All the awesome photos are really making me excited for our trip this summer. We've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge many times - and will be staying there again this summer. Just love it. As great as your photos are, I've seen lots of them taken of AKL by many different people, and I have to say, photos just never fully do it justice.