Trip Report In the blink of an eye

So this trip as some of you already know happened and ended in the blink of an eye. I'm a planner, I love planning our vacations but when we decided to go with such short notice it was so exciting and unbelievable it almost made it one of the best trips. Everything was spontaneous with instant decisions. No time to plan where to eat or what to do other than the parks that were picked. I don't normally talk money but it cost us $1,500 for 3 nights at a value, 2 parks without the hopper for 3 people. That included the $180 roundtrip airfare for all 3. We had some rewards points to use for our food and only ended up going a little over so there was very little out of pocket for meals. To me this was worth it and not too expensive

We decided to go on September 14th , booked on September 15th, and our arrival day was September 25th! Along with me will be my husband Joe and my oldest Emily.

September 25th.

We actually had a later flight and were able to go at a slower pace than we are used to. First we had to drop our off baby girl Gilah.

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We arrived at Metro airport and it was pretty quiet and calm. Although when I went through the scanner apparently they thought I had something in the groin area. I had to be frisked and was offered a private room. I declined. The female TSA agent kept making it sound like it was going to be very uncomfortable and kept repeating herself, I’m sure to make sure I understood but it was fine. They realized I wasn’t a threat to the nation and let me go.

We had lunch at the Jolly Pumpkin. Joe got the carnivore pizza while Emily and I split the fried chicken sandwich. It was very good. I missed the photo opportunity to show you so you'll have to take my word.

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Little bags for little people, who am I kidding there was no room for souvenirs, should’ve listened to @Darstarr. We did contemplate paying for a checked or carry-on bag and putting all our stuff into one suitcase but decided not too. It was a challenge to get clothes and toiletries into that small bag, plus an extra pair of shoes!

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Flight was smooth and there was no excitement on the airplane like you're always hearing about on the news. We walked right to ME since we didn't have to mess with any baggage and was actually surprised, not sure why, when I saw the long line for ME

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Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Emily is wanting to ride Dinosaur. Joe is not. This is how close joe gets to Dinosaur.

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Seriously though, all the jerking around on Dinosaur hurts joes back so he goes on the hunt for a “secret” lounge attached to restaurantosaurus while we ride Dinosaur.

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After we tried to get that dino we then tried to find joe and had to ask a CM where the lounge was. Joe was the only one in there and was enjoying himself with a Bourbon Sour and chatting with the bartender. The CM got Emily a chocolate shake for her birthday which was just a few days before.

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Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It’s 11:40 and we’re getting hungry. We headed to Flame tree barbeque, I had the pulled pork sandwich, very tasty but not a lot of meat this time. Pulled pork mac n cheese for Emily, she really enjoyed it. Chicken for joe, he also thought it was good but said the coleslaw was lacking flavor. While eating quite a few cavalcades went by. I was always slow to get a good picture.

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We had 30 minutes until the next Lion King show so we headed that way. The show is still modified with no Monkey’s but it still gave me goose bumps. The Prince and The Gift can sing. So good.

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Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It’s at this time, around 1pm, that we decided to stay all day rather than go back to the resort. We were afraid we’d end up like yesterday and be rushed the rest of the evening and with Animal Kingdom closing at 7pm we didn’t want to risk it.

We left Harambe and went to Rafiki’s planet. Made a stop at the restroom and learned the scoop on poop.

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We learned that this sweet pig is Charlotte Mae and was the inspiration for Pua in Moana. And these are all of her friends.

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Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It was our lucky day!! An art animation class was getting reading to start. This is something none of us have done and was very fun. Tic Toc was our subject. This lasted about 30 minutes and was something new for all of us. We didn’t do too bad.

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My first drawing that isn't a stick figure!

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If I looked at Emily’s just right it looked like an angry Figment.

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Time to take the MBP back to Harambe.

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We got back from Rafiki’s planet around 2:30. It is time to rest our feet and relax. We went to Nomads lounge and had the perfect seat outside on the deck. I always prefer sitting outside and it was soooo nice. There was a slight breeze, music in the back ground, comfortable chairs and of course drinks. We weren’t hungry so we just ordered drinks. Joe and I both had the Lamu libation and Emily had the Watermelon Margarita. We really enjoyed this time and there were several cavalcades that went by and I finally got a good picture!

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I actually had three more things that I wanted to do before we left Animal Kingdom and Emily agreed with mine plus she added one more. Joe knew then that he was in it for a few more hours.
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
First on my list was another ride on flight of passage and yes I whoo hooed at the end again.

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Then Gorilla falls, although we saw no gorillas. We did see some pretty birds and a momma duck with all her babbies cuddled on a lily pad. So cute. Well Joe and I did. Emily pretty much sprinted for the bird house exit.

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Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We had perfect timing for the Hippo. He ducked under water, swam towards us, circled around, popped his head up then exited the pool and left.

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We found a pin trading booth and I traded my one and only pin for the trip. I’d never seen this one before.

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My last request…? One more ride on Everest. I made sure Emily got in the car first so I could enjoy the view from the safety of the left seat.

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Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It’s now 5:45. We are off of Everest and on our way to Emily’s last request. On the way we mobile order our dinner. I do have to say I didn’t find eating hard but that’s only because I had a heads up from everyone that had to deal with it before me and what they put in the reports. So thank you everyone!!

We walked and walked and walked around the Tree of Life trails before finally coming up to It’s tough to be a Bug. Emily recreated her 12 year old self licking the pile of dung. Joe must have forgot about the show since I heard him grunt as he got stung in the back.

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It is 6:20 as we sit down to eat a Satuli. Emily had a Rum Night Blossom and split the Slow Roasted Beef bowl with me. Joe had the cheeseburger bao pods. We also got 2 deserts to split. I preferred the Chocolate cake/mousse and Emily preferred the cheesecake. We all enjoyed our last meal and called it a night. As we walked out of the park we saw many people entering and sprinting for whatever it was they were trying to squeeze in some last minute Disneyness.

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The secret to the beef bowl is the hash, even if you aren't a sweet potato person. Not the noodles or the rice and definitely not the salad but the hash. Remember this.

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It’s 7:05 and we are waiting for a bus back to All Star Movies. We waited for quite some time so I found a bench. We stayed at Animal Kingdom for 11.5 hours. I actually really am surprised we stayed at Animal Kingdom this long. I always love this park but we usually take a break midday. I will say that even though I was surprised we made it all day we never got bored or thought "what do we do now". We always had something to do or somewhere next to go. I'd do it again tomorrow if I could. :inlove:

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This is me. Exhausted but very happy

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ShookieJones

We need time for things to happen.
Emily is wanting to ride Dinosaur. Joe is not. This is how close joe gets to Dinosaur.

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Seriously though, all the jerking around on Dinosaur hurts joes back so he goes on the hunt for a “secret” lounge attached to restaurantosaurus while we ride Dinosaur.

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After we tried to get that dino we then tried to find joe and had to ask a CM where the lounge was. Joe was the only one in there and was enjoying himself with a Bourbon Sour and chatting with the bartender. The CM got Emily a chocolate shake for her birthday which was just a few days before.

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I guess I have to apologize to my wife, she always opts out of Dinosaur. "It kills my back!"
I have a bad back myself and I have never had an issue, so I am selfishly always saying "come on don't be a wuss!!"
Again that's me being selfish, I want to be the whole family in on the fun together.
I just have to think about how much I stay away from the teacups....or any spinners for that matter....blech...:hungover:

In other news....I have to find this lounge. I didn't even know it existed. On my May 2022 bucket list!

Following along.
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Unfortunately we had a very very very early flight. By 8:30 we were all in bed. I was obnoxiously awoken by my alarm at 2:40am. We had 20 minutes! Teeth brushed and clothes on I headed down to ME, we were to be there at 3am for a 3:15 pick up. Emily and Joe were finishing getting around and were supposed to be right behind me. The two people who say they are never late were making us late. At 3:16 they finally arrived. I thank the bus driver and climbed aboard.

All Star Movies at 3am looks so peaceful.

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We had no issues at the airport, no pat downs this time and a tasty breakfast at ZaZa’s. The flight home was very nice and uneventful.

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Look at this. No editing. It was so beautiful to watch the sunrise in the air.

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It was only a two day trip with only a week of planning but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Maybe I had my rose glasses on but I didn’t see anything horrible.

No masking issues

No rude people except for the occasional middle of the walkway stopper

CM’s seemed happy at the parks we talked with.

No broken down rides.

We all had a wonderful, exhilarating, whirlwind of a trip. Even Joe had a good time. It came and went so fast. Thank you all for reading. I'm already dreaming of my next trip. Here is to hoping it happens in 2022
 

macefamily

Well-Known Member
ZaZa's. MY FAVORITE. I love the Cuban breakfast sandwich. I usually buy two and pack one away to take home.
I love your final pics of leaving. It captured what everyone goes through. We're the same way for the return trip home. We're usually waking up by 2:30 AM, and we're trying to be at MCO for 4:00 AM to catch a 6:00 AM flight back to PA. It's always a bitter feeling that the trip has come to an end, but you know you'll be back soon.
 

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