Trip Report Cosmos Rewind (now with completed sweaty summer solo trip!)

Hello, friends! After hiding in shame for a year after failing to complete my first trip report, I’m back to try again, this time with a nice baby sized trip to ease my way (in hindsight, trying to document a 10-day land/sea/Christmas extravaganza was perhaps a bit ambitious on my part lol).

The details:
Who: My mom and me
Where: All Star Music
When: March 20-23, 2025
Why: My mom and I did a mother/daughter trip for Flower & Garden in 2018 and wanted an encore! We’re both big flower people so springtime is our jam.

Here's a picture of us from our 2018 trip:

Time to pack some snacks and make some tracks!

 

[radiorae]

Hooray for Hollywood!

 

[radiorae]

Took a short tour around the galaxy… we visited Hoth and the Death Star.

 

[radiorae]

Jumped in the single rider line for Rise of the Resistance.

Posted wait time was 80 minutes, but I was heading onto the ride at the 25 min mark. Huge timesaver.

Afterwards I stopped by Kat Saka’s Kettle for a cold brew pick me up before After Hours begins.

Galaxy’s Edge is so much less congested and more relaxing at night. I highly recommend hitting it after dinner time to get a less frazzled experience

 

[radiorae]

The dialogue between Malta and Gar in Smugglers Run’s queue makes it worth the wait. Every. Time.

 

[radiorae]

I tried looking up advice for high scores at Toy Story Midway Mania but I think it just made me worse

Celebrity spotting: Sheriff Woody!!!

 

[radiorae]

Time for a snack!

 

[radiorae]

Nothing can stop us nowwwww….

I love the picture of Engineer Walt

 

[radiorae]

Hey, Steve! How about some backstage passes?

 

[radiorae]

I was this many days old when I learned that a natatorium is an indoor swimming pool.

The bougainvillea is so fragrant— I wish I had a better picture, but I suppose that still won’t grant you the power to smell it through the screen

I will never get tired of the ToT lobby! Do you think they have a professional cobwebber that dusts up the place every once in awhile?

Ah, the elevator arrived. The last one broke, but I’m sure this one will work just fine

 

[erstwo]

This is so fun! Thanks so much for live trip reporting!!

 

[radiorae]

This is so fun! Thanks so much for live trip reporting!!

Thanks!! I hope I can keep it going!

 

[radiorae]

That’s a wrap from Hollywood!

I tried to pace myself and take everything in as much as I could. Your After Hours ticket gets you in at 7, and the event goes from 9-12:30, so there was plenty of time to get a lot done. I did:

Star Tours
Rise of the Resistance
Smuggler’s Run (x2)
Toy Story Midway Mania
Alien Swirling Saucers
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (x2)
Rockin’ Rollercoaster (x2)
Tower of Terror (x2)

I also picked up $45 in “free” treats/drinks throughout the night, so I consider this another win in terms of getting my money’s worth lol

It was a fantastic night I look forward to what tomorrow brings!

 

[radiorae]

Bonus late night flora and fauna sighting!

I’m calling this one “Frog at Watering Hole”:

This one is “Bromeliads in the Byway”:

I was hoping to take in some of the AKL lobby details in the quiet of the late night but naturally there’s a very loud family of 6 laughing and clapping and using outdoor voices in an indoor space. Guess it’s not meant to be

But hey! During my detour I saw a man cleaning the ceiling sticks with a swiffer, so at least I have something I can add to my “weird and/or whimsical” count (why is it always something that involves cleaning?)

 

[littleroo]

Wow! You really got a lot done! I am enjoying your live TR and all the great pictures. Hopefully, you get a chance to relax a little, tomorrow.

 

[radiorae]

Wow! You really got a lot done! I am enjoying your live TR and all the great pictures. Hopefully, you get a chance to relax a little, tomorrow.

That is the plan! Or… was? I was excited to sleep in and not have to wake up at the crack of dawn for rope drop, butttttt I am already up after 5 hours of sleep It should be a much slower day today though for sure.

 

[radiorae]

It’s probably for the best I got up when I did… the weather isn’t looking great for my water park day:

Do I believe the forecast? Yes, yes I do.

 

[radiorae]

I took one last look out my balcony just in case some animals had appeared and I was in luck! Some Marabou Stork were hanging out near the water pipes

And then I saw them. Through a perfectly shaped peephole in the trees (a treephole, if you will)… ZEBRA!!!

(I swear everything is much closer in person lol)

Savannah view achieved!!!

“But Radiorae,” you might think, “you said you were too short to see over the giant wall. How are you enjoying these Savannah views?”

I’m not going to say. But while we’re on the topic of the balcony, wow, look how cute and sturdy this patio chair is. So good for sitting in

(It really is cute, it has a neat giraffe pattern on it. The other chair has a lion!)

 

[radiorae]

Good Morning, Jambo House!

I have to say, the stick ceilings are looking especially Dust-free today

I dropped my bags at bell services for a luggage transfer, and then stopped into The Mara for a drink and breakfast.

Take a look at this beauty:

You are looking at The Kilimanjaro Bowl: “A 'mountain' of Potato Barrels topped with Scrambled Eggs, Sausage Gravy, Chakalaka, Cheddar, Bacon, and Chives”

A+ breakfast. Zero notes.

I ate outside by the pool, but it isn’t quite pool time yet… there’s one more thing I want to check out first.

 

[cgersic]

Oh my goodness, I agree, thank you for doing this! Your pictures are fabulous, and your commentary is entertaining as usual!

 

[radiorae]

I journeyed out to Arusha Savannah, the savannah you can get to from the back of the lobby. Immediately the sun tried to fry me like an egg. The animals were mostly hiding, but I did spot a Roan Antelope.

I’m not a creeper, YOU’RE a creeper.

Roan appeared to be living his best hay day.

Around the corner they had some Maasai giraffes! I was hoping to spot a reticulated giraffe since they no longer have them at Kilimanjaro Safaris, but maybe they’re in a different area of AKL.

If you’re wondering how to spot the difference, Maasai are slightly shorter and their coats have more of a maple leaf pattern to them. Reticulated giraffes are taller and have a more blocky pattern.

I can’t get over how pretty the lodge is.

Look what I found!

It’s a ladder by the Lobbi people. And it’s in the lobby. Lobbi Ladder. Get it?

I’ve never seen a ladder like it but it makes so much sense if you have a bunch of large tree trunks lying around. I’m so used to your standard 2 train tracks + rungs style. Just goes to show there’s multiple ways to get any job done!