Let me introduce myself first: I come from the Netherlands (that country in Europe where people are riding bikes, you can eat the delicious treat called ‘stroopwafel’ or famous Gouda cheese and where we have lots of historical cities like Amsterdam) and I’m lucky to have Disneyland Paris as my homepark. However I follow the Disney updates and blogs from all around the world and on our holidays we travel to far-away Disney parks and recently we’ve been to them all. This year was the year to sleep on-property for the first time in forever and to completely immerse ourselves in the Disney bubble, and boy it was amazing! I summarized our Walt Disney World week in this flashy 5 minute video:
Now it's time to put down the highlights of our Walt Disney World Holiday
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Walking into the lobby of Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time was a jaw-dropping experience for us! The detail, grandeur and atmosphere is amazing and immediately felt good and warm. We had a ‘partially Savannah view’ room but because mostly we were out at 9 AM and coming back from a park at 10 PM we didn’t see that much animals. However the benefits of sleeping on-property (Disney busses, the Magic Band, the Magical Express and the fact that you don’t leave the Disney Bubble) are amazing. The memory maker is awesome and so good compared to similar services in other parks.
Tower of terror: two people stepped into an elevator
When we were riding the Tower of Terror, which isn’t the most intense but definitely the most heavy themed and best version of them all, we noticed that the que was totally empty. We did the ride over and over again and each time the elevator became less and less crowded untill… we heard the gate behind us close when we just walked into the queue. We looked at each other and thought the same: ‘if we walk slowly we have an elevator to ourselves’.
When entering the lobby the doors of the library just closed so the bellboy (or bell lady in this case) walked with us into the other library. “Do you want to see the video or just want to go on the ride?” she asked- “Uhm, we would love to see the video” - she sighed and walked away. I put my HTH hat on and a few minutes later we were sitting in an elevator all by ourselves. It was the best and most impressive elevator I’ve ever took on a stormy night not that long ago.
Pandora: the world of Avatar
We’ve red raving reviews about Pandora and because of that we had very high expectations. We all know that ‘Diagon Alley’ moment when stepping through the brick wall, that ‘Cars Land’ moment when you walk under the arch and see Ornament Valley and now we all know the ‘Pandora’ moment. You walk though an densely forested area which subtly changes into an other world: the paving changes, the lights are different, the vegetation is shifting, you hear strange sounds and slowly you see some ‘odd’ mountains peaking though the trees. A few steps more and BAM, there it is, the world we thought did not exist, the world that is unbelievable immersive, big and appealing to the eye, the world that is Pandora.
After walking around and strolling over various paths we came to the conclusion that this is next-gen. ‘Real’ and ‘fake’ nature are blending perfectly and the area truly feels like a place, or a planet, on its own. Na’vi River Journey is calming and enchanting but really could use some more movement like an extra animatronic. However the headliner of this area is the pure definition of movement.
The first time we completely experienced ‘Flight of Passage’ we could not believe what was happening. The breathing of the Banshee between your legs, the mist of the waterfalls in your face, the ocean smell when you escape a huge wave and the feeling of completely being free when you fly. Halfway during the ride tears began rolling over my cheeks and I could not stop crying. This is the most intense and most touching attraction I’ve ever experienced and it was the first time that I cried during a ride.
Now it's time to put down the highlights of our Walt Disney World Holiday
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Walking into the lobby of Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time was a jaw-dropping experience for us! The detail, grandeur and atmosphere is amazing and immediately felt good and warm. We had a ‘partially Savannah view’ room but because mostly we were out at 9 AM and coming back from a park at 10 PM we didn’t see that much animals. However the benefits of sleeping on-property (Disney busses, the Magic Band, the Magical Express and the fact that you don’t leave the Disney Bubble) are amazing. The memory maker is awesome and so good compared to similar services in other parks.
Tower of terror: two people stepped into an elevator
When we were riding the Tower of Terror, which isn’t the most intense but definitely the most heavy themed and best version of them all, we noticed that the que was totally empty. We did the ride over and over again and each time the elevator became less and less crowded untill… we heard the gate behind us close when we just walked into the queue. We looked at each other and thought the same: ‘if we walk slowly we have an elevator to ourselves’.
When entering the lobby the doors of the library just closed so the bellboy (or bell lady in this case) walked with us into the other library. “Do you want to see the video or just want to go on the ride?” she asked- “Uhm, we would love to see the video” - she sighed and walked away. I put my HTH hat on and a few minutes later we were sitting in an elevator all by ourselves. It was the best and most impressive elevator I’ve ever took on a stormy night not that long ago.
Pandora: the world of Avatar
We’ve red raving reviews about Pandora and because of that we had very high expectations. We all know that ‘Diagon Alley’ moment when stepping through the brick wall, that ‘Cars Land’ moment when you walk under the arch and see Ornament Valley and now we all know the ‘Pandora’ moment. You walk though an densely forested area which subtly changes into an other world: the paving changes, the lights are different, the vegetation is shifting, you hear strange sounds and slowly you see some ‘odd’ mountains peaking though the trees. A few steps more and BAM, there it is, the world we thought did not exist, the world that is unbelievable immersive, big and appealing to the eye, the world that is Pandora.
After walking around and strolling over various paths we came to the conclusion that this is next-gen. ‘Real’ and ‘fake’ nature are blending perfectly and the area truly feels like a place, or a planet, on its own. Na’vi River Journey is calming and enchanting but really could use some more movement like an extra animatronic. However the headliner of this area is the pure definition of movement.
The first time we completely experienced ‘Flight of Passage’ we could not believe what was happening. The breathing of the Banshee between your legs, the mist of the waterfalls in your face, the ocean smell when you escape a huge wave and the feeling of completely being free when you fly. Halfway during the ride tears began rolling over my cheeks and I could not stop crying. This is the most intense and most touching attraction I’ve ever experienced and it was the first time that I cried during a ride.
