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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

The view didn't hurt either.

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:

Animal Kingdom is full of natural beauty.

And wildlife everywhere you turn.

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.

 

[belledream]

I was not regretting this second day at Animal Kingdom at all. There was so much that we didn't get to do on our chaotic first day.

Like my favorite, Gorilla Falls Trail. Oh how I love wandering these luscious forests at my own leisure.

And spotting friends along the way!

This sea of blue and gold has always been one of my favorite spectacles. Something so simple, yet so fitting.

It's always fun to check on this fella and see how he's doing. Also watching some fish take some bites of something off him! He also came up for a breath which was awesome to see!

Meerkats are always a joy to see, and they were out in numbers! Scurrying from place to place digging and working as a team.

With this one keeping lookout. ZEBRA!

The gorillas are truly where it's at though. They're always surprisingly active and entertaining to watch. These two horsed around a bit.

Mom taking a break.

Dad just trying to get away from it all.

This is what I love about Animal Kingdom so much. Every Disney day is different, but at Animal Kingdom, each hour and each minute is truly unique.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

YAY!!! Glad you got FP's for both Avatar rides on your trip!! We are really excited about riding FOP! Glad to hear it's as incredible as everyone says! We try to sleep while in WDW but those EMH's sometimes make our "naps" super short. Powered by caffeine and pixie dust!! Sometimes we end up taking a nap mid day. But yes, with all the animals, each minute there is definitely unique!!! Though I've noticed even on multiple trips, every disney day and trip is different! Can't wait to read what happens next!

 

[belledream]

YAY!!! Glad you got FP's for both Avatar rides on your trip!! We are really excited about riding FOP! Glad to hear it's as incredible as everyone says! We try to sleep while in WDW but those EMH's sometimes make our "naps" super short. Powered by caffeine and pixie dust!! Sometimes we end up taking a nap mid day. But yes, with all the animals, each minute there is definitely unique!!! Though I've noticed even on multiple trips, every disney day and trip is different! Can't wait to read what happens next!

Omg, FOP is really something else... you will love it!

Yup, Disney is not one of those places you go on vacation and come back well-rested...

 

[belledream]

The other reason why I love Gorilla Falls...there's mystique and grandeur in more than just the animals.

It was about 11:30 in the morning and I had been hyping myself up to thinking that this 2 hours of sleep thing was really going to hurt me. So I told J I wanted to go to the Conservation Station to do Songs of the Rainforest and hopefully get some shut-eye. Hey, it's worked before!

We had perfect timing with the Wildlife Express. I love these sideways, wooden seats.

We actually caught some action along the way!

Love the behind-the-scenes glimpses you get on the ride.

I tried to relax and wind my body down, but I just couldn't help but get excited when I see this familiar sight.

Being that this isn't a particularly popular or well-known place in the Animal Kingdom, we enjoyed a solitary walk along the winding path and lush greenery.

The walk is longer than we remembered...but we were here!

I really enjoy/hate this attraction. It's really unique and has it's soothing moments, but also makes me really uncomfortable!

Anyways, we sat in the room for three consecutive 'shows', and guess who fell asleep? Not me. I was bitter at J.

A peek at the fountain before we checked out some exhibits and did a quick, non-touching tour of the petting zoo outside. And it was back to Africa we went.

 

[belledream]

Fine, I cannot sleep, so what shall I choose to do instead?

Facilitate the exact opposite of rest!

And it continued with a go on Dinosaur.

We had each and every one of these dino plushes in our hosue growing up because my brother would buy one every single trip. It's nice to see some things haven't changed over the years!

We strolled into the always overwhelming and hectic Chester & Hester's Dinosaur Treasures, which got a bit of a Halloween makeover.

And outside, look who we crossed paths with! Our adorable babies brought a huge smile to our faces.

At this point, we decided to hit Maharajah Jungle Trek but were not blessed with the amazing tiger sightings we usually get here.

Still, worth a visit just for the impeccable theming of this area.

I'm truly in another place.

 

[belledream]

There she is! She found the shade. Good for her.

I adore the aviary here. It's magnificent!

Colorful birds were abundant throughout.

It's so sunny and lush in here. Surely a place to take your time and soak in more than just the wildlife.

I love all the ornate birdhouses on display as well.

That AK sun was beatin' down on us so we looked to our #1 remedy for that...

Frozen Coke Slush...in all it's glory...tasting most superior at Disney and not anywhere else in the real world!

We took turns savoring sips and began to ponder lunch. We weren't particularly hungry, but we had QS to use and a while til dinner, so we thought about going to Yak & Yeti Local Foods Café, but decided that splitting a meal at Pizzafari sounded more appetizing. At my request, we got the Shrimp Flatbread which I thoroughly enjoyed last year, and did so again this year! Big, generous pieces of shrimp, yummy pesto, and a nice little kick of spice from the arugula topping it.

We sat in the turtle room, same as last year, except struggling to finish our meal this year. This is what happens at the culmination of 7 days of stuffing our faces x2.

Pizzafari is such a bright and cheerful little establishment!

Depending on what your palate is craving, I'd say Pizzafari is pretty good but often slept on with the neighboring Flame Tree stealing a lot of attention.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

There she is! She found the shade. Good for her.
View attachment 237263
I adore the aviary here. It's magnificent!
View attachment 237264
Colorful birds were abundant throughout.
View attachment 237265
It's so sunny and lush in here. Surely a place to take your time and soak in more than just the wildlife.
View attachment 237266
I love all the ornate birdhouses on display as well.
View attachment 237267
That AK sun was beatin' down on us so we looked to our #1 remedy for that...
View attachment 237268
Frozen Coke Slush...in all it's glory...tasting most superior at Disney and not anywhere else in the real world!
View attachment 237269
We took turns savoring sips and began to ponder lunch. We weren't particularly hungry, but we had QS to use and a while til dinner, so we thought about going to Yak & Yeti Local Foods Café, but decided that splitting a meal at Pizzafari sounded more appetizing. At my request, we got the Shrimp Flatbread which I thoroughly enjoyed last year, and did so again this year! Big, generous pieces of shrimp, yummy pesto, and a nice little kick of spice from the arugula topping it.
View attachment 237270
We sat in the turtle room, same as last year, except struggling to finish our meal this year. This is what happens at the culmination of 7 days of stuffing our faces x2.
View attachment 237272
Pizzafari is such a bright and cheerful little establishment!
View attachment 237271
Depending on what your palate is craving, I'd say Pizzafari is pretty good but often slept on with the neighboring Flame Tree stealing a lot of attention.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

Ohhh, maybe this is the year we finally check out PIZZAFARI!! We've never been! Yes, Gorilla Falls is special! Those jungle walks really get you up close with nature!

 

[Cetta]

Enjoying you trip report....I love me a Frozen Coke Slush.....where in AK do you get this superior beverage you speak of?

 

[belledream]

Ohhh, maybe this is the year we finally check out PIZZAFARI!! We've never been! Yes, Gorilla Falls is special! Those jungle walks really get you up close with nature!

It's not a bad idea! I definitely recommend the Shrimp Flatbread. We also tried the Cheeseburger one last year...it was ok but maybe you have a fanatic in the family like I do. Also the garlic knots are a good side.

Enjoying you trip report....I love me a Frozen Coke Slush.....where in AK do you get this superior beverage you speak of?

Drinkwallah! It's a tiny little establishment in Asia. Kinda in front of Yak & Yeti restaurant on the corner of the bridge leading back to Discovery Island.

 

[belledream]

As is post-lunch tradition, a trip to Africa for the Festival of the Lion King was had!

Yes, we already saw it on our first day, and yes, no day at Animal Kingdom is complete without it. It never gets old.

Afterwards, we returned to Pandora where I still don't know what the heck this thing is. I made J go touch it, regardless.

We caught a viewing of the Swotu Wayä Na'vi Drum Ceremony, which at first glance, I thought was a bunch of adults playing on a kiddie drum area.

We were giddy with excitement to ride Flight of Passage again. Now that we had the initial experience under our belt, we were really looking forward to understanding it beyond the grandeur.

When we reached the indoor portion of the queue, things began to slow down. Then my heart stopped as an announcement about 'experiencing delays' came on.

We waited nervously in this area for a good 15 minutes or so, with the announcement continuing to play.

But thankfully, all was well as we eventually went through the preshow motions and found ourselves on another amazing journey. This time around, I really felt the sprays of water, the wind drying out my gaping mouth, and found myself looking at J so I could see the wonderment on his face as he fell in love with the technology and immersion of this ride. When we exited, we both kept saying how we wish we could do it just one more time! But we had been very fortunate to have gone on twice, and counted our blessings.

 

[belledream]

We perused Windtraders again...here we have a Budget Banshee.

And glow in the dark t-shirts...not gonna lie, I thought they were pretty cool. And yes, we tried on the ear headband thingies.

Back outside for my favorite view in Pandora.

Drinking in the colorful details that of course, this picture does terrible justice to.

We considered trying Pongu Lumpia or Night Blossom from Pongu Pongu, but as much as we wanted to get in on all the new things, it just didn't seem appetizing to us. Pineapple Cream Cheese Spring Roll? Blegh!

We took our picture by the pretty Pandora flower wall thing. I guess this is the new Purple Wall.

And continued with some general wandering, taking in the breadth of these ginormous structures.

After trying so hard to avoid all photos of this place, it still felt surreal that we could actually see it with our own eyes still!

One more super cool merchandise find of the day before we headed out:

A glowing river journey wristlet. Ok, now that's cool!

 

[belledream]

Next on the list was to catch a show of Finding Nemo: The Musical. So we headed through Discovery Island, taking the shopping route.

Fills my heart with love.

Finding Nemo is a really spectacular show. The singing, costumes, and imaginative portrayals of characters is really top-notch. Things like the school of fish formed by the actors... "Sydney? Ahhh!" The swordfish swordfighting, the jellyfish, Dory doing her flips and singing "Lalalalalalala".

We followed with a quick ride up and down Mt. Everest before embarking on a leisurely stroll from Asia to Africa, stopping to really capture the Tree of Life. My eyes search hungrily for an animal I've never seen before. I was so looking forward to watching the Tree of Life Awakening tonight!

A great view, worthy of a great day.

Touches of Animal Kingdom that stimulate my memories.

It was hard to believe, but it was already 6pm, and we were feeling ready for dinner and for that AK evening to come. So we returned to Satu'li Canteen as originally planned for a hearty QS dinner. J's choice:
Protein: Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl
Base: Mixed Whole Grain & Rice
Sauce: Creamy Herb Dressing

My pick:
Protein: Sustainable Fish Bowl
Base: Quinoa and Vegetable Salad
Sauce: Black Bean Vinaigrette

Now I don't want to overhype these meals for anyone, but I'm gonna say this anyways. I truly, truly LOVED every bite of this dinner. I guess I've been on a recent, somewhat healthy kick (yes, seriously) so things like kale and quinoa excite me more than the average person. But on both of our dishes, the beef and fish were nicely cooked, each of our bases were the perfect complement, and those dressings...to die for. It's my new Tuna Nicoise Salad. I actually think about this meal at least once a week. Bravo!

For dessert, we got both of the offerings. The Chocolate Cake with a Crunchy Cookie Layer and Banana Cream Topping was a solid choice, and the crunchy parts contrasted well against the mousse-y interior.

The Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse with Passion Fruit Curd was the winner for me. Besides the crazy color (inside was a dark lilac-y purple!) the sweet and light flavor was just so addicting that I scraped this plate dry, even being as full as I was.

During dinner, we finally got some news from Disney via a notification on the app. The parks would be closed Sunday and Monday. We read it a few times before it sunk in. Then we breathed a sigh of relief. We had made the right decision.Thank. Goodness. There would be no regrets or what-ifs. The only thing left to be had was fun.

 

[belledream]

This is what happens when something new opens up at Disney. I have way too many pictures of it.

This would be our last moments in Pandora, so we savored them accordingly.

J spied these guys which you wouldn't really be able to see unless you zoomed in or squinted really hard.

I still couldn't believe how small these mountains made me feel.

Or the wacky foliage that filled this place.

And Disney knows it'll always get me with a waterfall.

From absolutely blanking on the movie, to wondering why the heck it was coming to Disney World, Avatar ended up really impressing me on its own, and how it immediately 'fit' in with our Animal Kingdom experience.

I'm so glad we came to Disney this year to see it. When we originally said we did not plan to be back this year, we clearly didn't know what we would have been missing.

And now, it was farewell to Pandora. Thanks for the new sights, sounds, food, and adventures.

As we walked back towards Discovery Island, we saw a crowd of people gathering and taking pictures. Of what? We wondered. Then we saw this sight of endless birds perched in the trees.

It was something!

 

[belledream]

The opening of Pandora means no more peaceful morning stroll through the Oasis. So we decided to get that done now.

As the sun was going down slowly but steadily.

We cherished the sounds of running water and trees blowing softly in the breeze as we walked along the deserted paths.

The Oasis always transports me to another place.

We walked all the way to the front, catching sights of a bunch of different birds going about their evening rituals.

It was a quick detour, but much appreciated as we winded down for the last thing on our itinerary tonight.

We settled in with a front row seat for the Tree of Life Awakenings, which still had some time to go, but as you can just spend hours sitting and gazing at the Cinderella Castle or Showcase Lagoon, the same can be done for the Tree of Life.

Especially when the animals make small little movements when you're least expecting it.

The sky got steadily bluer and deeper, as we waited eagerly for that tantalizing music to start and for the sparkles of light illuminate the tree.

And when it finally did, we watched the shows with the awe of young children as we followed the different animals through their stories. I absolutely consider Tree of Life Awakenings to be a do-not-miss experience. It's the same as Rivers of Light. It does not need fireworks, lasers, or pyro to convey a message. It simply allows you to follow a story with your own eyes and your own mind, not hiding behind anything else.

This emergency, impromptu, risky Animal Kingdom day had finally come an end. We went with our gut, which told us that this day would be very necessary...and very worth it. And indeed it was. It was fortunate turn of events, a soothing return to nature, and time well spent together that we reflected on as we embarked on our short bus ride home, and readied ourselves for our last day at Epcot tomorrow.

 

[belledream]

A full nights sleep did us some good. We felt recharged and ready for our last day...a full day at Epcot! Gonna miss this view outside our room.

Jazz Inn, you treated us well!

We had been walking by this every morning and night and so I finally got my commemorative picture of it.

It seemed early but it really wasn't. It would just be a normal 9am opening at Epcot, but since it was Friday, closing would be at 10pm instead of the usual 9. That meant Illuminations would be at 10, which we wouldn't miss under any circumstances. And our circumstance was...that we had to be ready for DME pickup at 3:55am. Sounds like another 2 hour nights sleep is in order...ah well. You do what you gotta do when in Disney!

Usually I'm really sad on our last day at Disney because we leave our hotel room for the final time in the mornings and drag our suitcases to the lobby before going on with our last park day, but that wouldn't be the case today! I felt free as a bird.

We had decided that there would be no rush to Soarin' or anything like that this morning, and that we'd get to Epcot as close to 9am and keep things as chill as possible. And yet somehow...we still ended up being one of the first people at Epcot at 8:40am.

Yeah, so let's talk about food. We had two TS credits left, two QS credits left, and a plethora of snack credits to use. Our original plan had us at Chefs de France for dinner, with F&Wing during the day and maybe a QS lunch slotted in somewhere. But we certainly did not have room for a TS lunch. So my genius self thought...why don't we do a signature dinner? We could try Flying Fish at Boardwalk...I've heard great things about that place...or go back to Yachtsman Steakhouse since J has been raving about that experience for the past two years. I gave him the choice, and you can guess what he chose.

As we were one of the first few souls at Epcot today, we took our time meandering up the entrance and staring at Spaceship Earth.

Good morning! We caught a full showing of the Jammin' Chefs.

And then we were off!

Here's to a delightful day!

 

[belledream]

First destination: Test Track. We followed a small crowd of people at a moderate pace, not feeling the need to rush at all. And suddenly, as we turned left, every single person in front of us kept going straight. I completely forgot at Frozen Ever After and that people would actually be aiming to go there at rope drop. Suddenly, we found ourselves at the front of the pack.

And...without even trying, we were the first two people at Test Track today. Well whaddaya know!

As is our silly tradition, we set out to make the our bad-for-the-Earth car. We did the best we've ever done. Below is not actually -3, but -13. We took the risk, wondering if the system would even be able to register anything over -9, because it sure didn't look like it here.

A fresh new car for this fine morning.

At the end of the ride when you can see your car's stats, we were able to verify that our car was indeed -13 Efficiency. High five!

A quick tour of the showroom...

And playing these infuriating games...

Before heading next door because I could just tell J wanted to do the new Mission: SPACE again.

We would be the only two people in our crew.

Another party of two was placed nearby, and we looked at each other and exchanged "We're screwed" looks.

Luckily for us, we managed to pull though, as undermanned as we were.

 

[belledream]

Time for the trek across Future World!

For our FP at Soarin', and the usual rituals of The Land.

These hallways give me the feels. And I made sure to savor them as this would probably be our only ride on Soarin' today and for a while.

Not gonna lie...I think I'm gonna miss Living with the Land more!

As we were leaving The Land, I stopped to just take a moment and appreciate the artistry of the tile mural.

There was a little more time until 11am when we could begin F&Wing Part II, and we were in the vicinity, so we decided...why not stop by and see what Figment is up to? I like Journey Into Imagination because I think the red cars are comfy and spacious. I also like Figment's voice when he answers the phone and says "HELLLLLLOOOOOOO!"

I also will always visit the Imagination Pavilion for all the cool fountains. I especially enjoy standing in between the jumping fountains and watching the water shoot over my head. I also made J get as close as he dared to it and wait for it to shoot out. We're so mature.

Pretty picturesque.

And last but not least, my favorite, the gravity-defying fountain!

We asked a guy to take our picture in front of this fountain. He took our camera and said, "Say 'hurricane'!" We got a good laugh out of that.

 

[belledream]

We strategically planned for ourselves to be on this side of Epcot so we could kick off Food & Wine right as 11am to roll around! No backtracking for these two! Oh buddy, let those snack credits go wild.

First stop was Earth Eats for a Grilled Beef Skewer with Romaine, Apricots, and Feta Cheese. MMM MMM MMM! The beef was pleasantly chewable and grilled with a nice flavor to it. I think this dish kicked off the current feta obsession I've been having.

At the neighboring Coastal Eats, we grabbed two dishes. One was the Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Lemongrass Cream. The portion was pretty generous as far as crab cakes can go, and it was just divine. The sauce on top was helped balance out the salty effect that this can have.

The second dish we got was the Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn and Butterbean Succotash and Chili-Chipotle Butter Sauce. I love me some scallops, and used them to mop up every ounce of sauce in this dish. We dined with a view of the water, hiding in the shade.

We were off to a great start as we moved towards World Showcase to continue the feast. Bucket list item still to be completed: riding the monorail through Epcot.

This wasn't a repeat we were planning on doing originally (having gotten it twice in one festival!) but with our adjusted outlook on our dining situation, there was just no good reason to deny J his beloved Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour DOLE Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise. It was good, but I was distracted.

BECAUSE THE ALMOND ORCHARD WAS ACTUALLY SELLING IT! Finally! At long last, I got my hands on that illusive Banana Almond Soft-serve Sundae with Fresh Berries and Crunchy Chocolate Oats. And I swear I'm not biased. It was everything I thought it would be. Light, refreshing, sweet, crunchy...I was sooo incredibly happy sitting on a bench with my little sundae.

Basking in our triumph and happiness, we spent some time lingering around the empty Showcase Plaza.

We looked through the telescope for some closeups of the countries on this fine day.

I think World Showcase was ready for us.

To another day of sightseeing, shopping, and snacking around the world we go!

 

[belledream]

First stop, Mexico!

Where the day turns to night, and the ambience is unparalleled.

I love going down this walkway observing the colorful buildings, abundance of potted flowers, balconies, and windows flickering with light.

Coupled with the smells of San Angel Inn and the distant sound of thunder, the sounds of trickling water from various fountains really add to the mood.

*swoon*

This would be a pretty cute souvenir, honestly.

We're indoors, people.

No tour around Mexico is complete without a fountain picture, glowing a soft blue.

And while I'm at it, might as well catch 'em all, back outside La Hacienda.

Adios for now!