Day One - Check-In at Animal Kingdom Lodge
This was my second trip to Disney World, though the first time was when I was six (in 1989), and neither Animal Kingdom nor MGM Studios were open that Spring Break when we went, so this trip was really a new experience to me. I went with my younger brother, 13, and my parents. I'm 19, by the way.
We drove from Columbus, MS, about 30 minutes from where I'm at college (MSU), and left at 6:30am for a 12 hour drive to Orlando. We got a little bit worried, because all the way down Interstate 75, we didn't see a single sign for Disney World (not even billboards!), and we were worried that we were going the wrong way! We finally found the turnpike, and we finally started getting some buildboards. Once we hit I-4, we got backed up in about an hour of bumper-to-bumper traffic, but once we made it onto Disney property, it was smooth sailing, and we could already feel the Disney magic!
We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which, as you probably know, is just about all the way to the far west of the park. We originally signed up for the Carribean Beach Resort, but it later closed down for refurbishment. However, they bumped us up to a Deluxe Resort from a Moderate Resort, so no complaints!
We arrived just after dark, and the hotel was truly a sight to behold! There were already Christmas lights up on things outside the park. We were also really impressed with the tight security with parking. The service was very good, and everyone was amazingly friendly. The inside lobby was gorgeously designed, and all decked out for Christmas, with a huge tree and everything. We didn't have a room overlooking the animals, which is a pity, but again, we got bumped up to this resort for no extra cost! After we had all our luggage situated, we walked around the hotel, exploring the nooks and crannies, and went out to look out into the animals. There wasn't much to see (most were hiding in the shadows), but we could spot a few, thanks to a guide that was out and about. We also looked around for some of the hidden Micky Mouse symbols hidden throughout the hotel.
It was fairly cold (and we had NOT brought long-sleeve shirts), but luckily things warmed up for the next day. We grabbed a bite to eat at The Mara (the fast-food place to eat at the lodge), and ended up paying $30 something for some less than spectacular burgers. Thank goodness we were on the Discovery Magic program, so we ate great dinners the rest of the week on our wishes!
We all went to bed early (it had been a long, cramped drive), and got up early for Animal Kingdom on Sunday. More soon!
This was my second trip to Disney World, though the first time was when I was six (in 1989), and neither Animal Kingdom nor MGM Studios were open that Spring Break when we went, so this trip was really a new experience to me. I went with my younger brother, 13, and my parents. I'm 19, by the way.
We drove from Columbus, MS, about 30 minutes from where I'm at college (MSU), and left at 6:30am for a 12 hour drive to Orlando. We got a little bit worried, because all the way down Interstate 75, we didn't see a single sign for Disney World (not even billboards!), and we were worried that we were going the wrong way! We finally found the turnpike, and we finally started getting some buildboards. Once we hit I-4, we got backed up in about an hour of bumper-to-bumper traffic, but once we made it onto Disney property, it was smooth sailing, and we could already feel the Disney magic!
We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which, as you probably know, is just about all the way to the far west of the park. We originally signed up for the Carribean Beach Resort, but it later closed down for refurbishment. However, they bumped us up to a Deluxe Resort from a Moderate Resort, so no complaints!
We arrived just after dark, and the hotel was truly a sight to behold! There were already Christmas lights up on things outside the park. We were also really impressed with the tight security with parking. The service was very good, and everyone was amazingly friendly. The inside lobby was gorgeously designed, and all decked out for Christmas, with a huge tree and everything. We didn't have a room overlooking the animals, which is a pity, but again, we got bumped up to this resort for no extra cost! After we had all our luggage situated, we walked around the hotel, exploring the nooks and crannies, and went out to look out into the animals. There wasn't much to see (most were hiding in the shadows), but we could spot a few, thanks to a guide that was out and about. We also looked around for some of the hidden Micky Mouse symbols hidden throughout the hotel.
It was fairly cold (and we had NOT brought long-sleeve shirts), but luckily things warmed up for the next day. We grabbed a bite to eat at The Mara (the fast-food place to eat at the lodge), and ended up paying $30 something for some less than spectacular burgers. Thank goodness we were on the Discovery Magic program, so we ate great dinners the rest of the week on our wishes!
We all went to bed early (it had been a long, cramped drive), and got up early for Animal Kingdom on Sunday. More soon!
