Trip Report THE November ('14) Engagement Trip

SeanWM48 · Oct 30, 2015

lostpro9het said:
I'm interested to see what they serve you for a morning trek. We've done the WAK twice but always around lunch time, the food was awesome.

willing to bet it's the same. by the time we got to the food area it was around 11 i think, so it's probably the same dishes or close to it. i'm trying to see if i have actual food pictures for when i write up the second half

LindaZR · Nov 1, 2015

My sister and I did the Wild Africa Trek a few years ago. Loved it! Hope you did too. And CONGRATULATIONS on the engagement

Mom@disney · Nov 4, 2015

I love Animal Kingdom! It's such a beautiful park. I would love to do the Wild Africa Trek someday.

ScarletBegonias · Nov 4, 2015

That bridge looks a little sketchy! Do you walk across it?

SeanWM48 · Nov 7, 2015

ScarletBegonias said:
That bridge looks a little sketchy! Do you walk across it?

SO, about that...

This was really an unforgettable feeling going over the croc pit. You're able to see the animal habitats from completely new angles so if you've been on the safari a couple times this really gives you a different experience.

This is really a whole lot safer than it looks in some photos. The harness blends in with the background but the entire time you're connected to a cable overhead. You could literally jump over the edge of the bridge and you'd just hang there completely safe. Not that I'd recommend trying that.

made for some amazing photos

Major compliments to the tour guides throughout. Everybody is very encouraging and fun when it came to the bridges. I really enjoyed it and kind of got a kick out of how safe it was compared to how it looks. But you will have some people in your group who hesitate (understandable) and the staff is very good about that. They are also well trained at getting good shots of everybody the entire time. It was pleasant to experience something like this and not have the urge to pull out the phone/camera every few minutes because you knew they had that under control.

So after the bridges you load up on a safari truck and head out into the wild. If I recall you start by traveling along the normal Safari ride area, but you veer off on your own soon after. This entire ride was filled with tidbits about all the animals, the feeding schedule, the plants/trees around, etc. Lots of questions given to the guides about their own lifestyles and what it's like having a full-time job working outdoors with animals, traveling, etc. In the heat of the moment it had me second guessing my career really.

back to my cheap phone camera, you can see the view we had for lunch. This is the mini pavilion "Boma" (not sure how to describe? kind of a big gazebo) out in the middle of "Africa" that you can see from the normal Safari Ride. Rather peaceful hanging out in this spot seeing the Safari trucks take everybody around the path. You get a better idea of just how BIG this part of Disney is.

As far as the meal goes, they give you some 'Jungle Juice' which I believe is the same stuff they serve at the AKL. The meal itself i don't have a pic of but stole from Disney Food Blog:

I had to pass on a couple things due to being allergic to soy. As far as taste goes this all tastes great but part of that is because you're likely starving at this point haha.

The meal was well done and at that point I really felt like I'd been given my money's worth. That's really saying something considering the price of this (plus park admission). I was thoroughly entertained and informed for 3+ hours by a group of well-trained cast members passionate about their profession and animals.

When it's all over you head back and unstrap all your gear. Unfortunately you turn in the vest. You keep your name badge and water bottle, and you're given a code to go online after your trip and download pictures. No complaints here. We also lucked out by having a good group to ride with.

To sum it up - do this at least once. You pay a lot, and you get a lot. If you are an AK guy like me it is really a must. Even if you aren't, and you're just looking for something different on your next trip to WDW, this was a blast and provides views and photos unlike what any other tour will get you. The physical part of it was a plus for me but really any able-bodied person can handle it. It's not the kind of experience I will need every time I go to Orlando (due to $$) but I have zero regrets and could carry on about this experience all day.

More to come soon

lostpro9het · Nov 8, 2015

SeanWM48 said:
?..
To sum it up - do this at least once. You pay a lot, and you get a lot. If you are an AK guy like me it is really a must. Even if you aren't, and you're just looking for something different on your next trip to WDW, this was a blast and provides views and photos unlike what any other tour will get you. The physical part of it was a plus for me but really any able-bodied person can handle it. It's not the kind of experience I will need every time I go to Orlando (due to $$) but I have zero regrets and could carry on about this experience all day.

Yes! It is a Disney value and a must do for any AK fan or unique Disney experience fans. Yeah, it looks like your meal was the same as ours

Speaking of that bridge, there was a standoff between another member of the tour group and this beastie when we did it:

After a few minutes the bird allowed her to pass!

SeanWM48 · Nov 8, 2015

lostpro9het said:
Yes! It is a Disney value and and a must do for any AK fan or unique Disney experience fans. Yeah, it looks like your meal was the same as ours

that bird pic is great

the food was fine but i was so hungry at that point it's hard to say if it was really this incredible dish or not. i remember it being fairly simple stuff and fresh, which was a welcome meal compared to most of the stuff we'd eaten that week. how was your experience compared to what i posted? just curious if they do basically the same thing all year or if they mix it up at all

lostpro9het · Nov 8, 2015

SeanWM48 said:
how was your experience compared to what i posted? just curious if they do basically the same thing all year or if they mix it up at all

I'd say our experiences were spot on. The only difference is they gave us Frosty Towels halfway through our trek to wrap around our necks to stay cool, I can't say you needed these in December though. Again, we've done it twice and would do I again because you never know what the animals will do! On our fist trek we go stopped by a pair of curious giraffe and got some nice close up interactions, plus that bird on the bridge. On our second trek we got to see three adolescent elephants play games with each other. If you have the time and it interests you I highly recommend the Epcot Aqua Seas Tour. You get a great behind the scenes view The Seas while swimming in the tank and then get to see the dolphins up close too!

Scott10 · Nov 8, 2015

This is one of my favorite trip reports ever! You do a great job of story telling and the photos are amazing! Congratulations on your engagement as well!

SeanWM48 · Nov 9, 2015

Scott10 said:
This is one of my favorite trip reports ever! You do a great job of story telling and the photos are amazing! Congratulations on your engagement as well!

thank you. i'll be wrapping it soon since that AK trip was the second to last day of the vacation. Hesitated a lot before writing this but glad I did, very fun and will certainly be doing another one after our next adventure in fall of '16. Appreciate knowing that people are following along; sorry it takes so much time between posts

ScarletBegonias · Nov 9, 2015

Good to know about the bridge. I should have known Disney would have make it super safe!

Mom@disney · Nov 10, 2015

This looks like so much fun! I'm just not sure about the food though...hubby loves to eat so I think I would have to share half of mine with him

Mom@disney · Nov 10, 2015

SeanWM48 said:
thank you. i'll be wrapping it soon since that AK trip was the second to last day of the vacation. Hesitated a lot before writing this but glad I did, very fun and will certainly be doing another one after our next adventure in fall of '16. Appreciate knowing that people are following along; sorry it takes so much time between posts

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! No worries about the wait between posts

fractal · Nov 10, 2015

Great report and review of Wild Africa Trek!

SeanWM48 · Nov 20, 2015

Hey guys. Within the last 10 days we actually got a puppy and life has been hectic. What a handful!
I do want to wrap up the report though.

-That Africa Trek day was a park hopper day. We walked around Animal Kingdom and did a little shopping. I got a cool baseball cap that I do not think I've worn since. Oh Disney. Full of merch I think I want. Here's a pic of the hat and the water bottle they give you on the Trek

Unfortunately I have very few pics from this day, just like with the Christmas Party night. This trip report has been a lot of fun though and next time we go I'll have this in the back of my head and try to get some more footage of things.

Let me take a minute to give a big shout to Trail's End at Fort Wilderness. This day was our last on property and we had dinner there for the first time. We've always gotten breakfast and been told the dinner is one of the better buffets available at Disney. We also have a strong sense of home at the campground, plus we'd just gotten engaged at the place. It was a fitting finish.
A story comes with this dessert:

So the buffet delivered. This is an overwhelming assortment of big heavy meals. I mentioned it earlier but we definitely gained a good 10 pounds or so each on this trip. That meal plan can lead to trouble folks.

We chatted it up with the waitress serving our drinks that evening and let it slip that we'd just gotten engaged a few days ago right outside at the resort beach. Without hesitation she turned to the entire restaurant and made an announcement that we were a newly engaged couple and the proposal happened just outside. People took a moment out of their dinner to give us a big ovation and I will not ever forget it. What a moment. She then brought the above dessert over to our table as a gift.

We really felt welcomed and at home. Moments like that leave such an impression. They're also great for business; I just don't see us staying anywhere else on any Disney trips at this point. My biggest complaint about the Fort has always been the cabin beds and guess what I JUST found out a week or two ago? The cabins are being renovated as we speak and queen beds are being implemented. Well just hush up and take my money, Disney.
(stolen image from another Disney site, sorry if I should not use here)

Rarely a day goes by that I don't think of this place, especially after spending this week with Kristen. Getting engaged, doing the Africa Trek, the Christmas lights, T-Rex, margaritas, the waitress making the announcement, the woman going above and beyond my expectations setting up a mini picnic at the beach, etc. This was a special trip. I know they're all special but of the 3 times we've been this one will always be the most meaningful of all. Even when we're old and visiting with our kid(s) someday we will talk about this particular week we spent at Fort Wilderness.

PRESENT DAY
We've been engaged just over a year now (11/16). Part of my present to her is actually this very report! She knew I was drawing something up but I don't think she knows I'd write this much of a story about it. We'll see, I'll be showing her soon now that it's done. She's into scrap booking about Disney and likes when I keep track of what we did on our trips (it's very easy to forget some events, as I've learned while creating this thing).

We have a dog now as mentioned above in this post. He's impossible at the moment but only 12 weeks old. This is the first autumn season since 2011 that we did not do a Disney trip and I'm not ashamed to admit I've missed it quite a bit.

I'm at the same job and we have our big event this April like we always do. But I'll tell you what. Once that's overwith, once those discount codes come out, you know the first thing I'm doing is diving head-first into my planning and setting up a big comeback tour for fall of 2016. We're going for the Halloween season this time, honestly we both agree it's the cooler event compared to Christmas. The AK should have the night time show by then, the cabins will have the bigger beds, Disney Springs should be about done. The big Express bus will pull up and it'll be 2 years in the making. I'll definitely be doing a trip report as well. Can't wait.

blreinsel · Nov 20, 2015

Loved your TR! Thanks for sharing!

cedardad · Nov 20, 2015

Very well done. Thanks for the great read!

Mom@disney · Nov 21, 2015

I really enjoyed your trip report! It was so lovely to read about such a wonderful engagement trip!
Congrats on the new puppy. Thanks for sharing your memories

ScarletBegonias · Dec 8, 2015

Loved your report! Thanks for taking the time to write it!

SeanWM48 · Dec 9, 2015

ScarletBegonias said:
Loved your report! Thanks for taking the time to write it!

thank you. glad i could entertain some of you with the story. next one will definitely have more details but overall happy with how it came out. Kristen loved it as well; she got to read it in full the other day

Trip Report THE November ('14) Engagement Trip

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