Trip Report We'll Do As Dreamers Do... *COMPLETED*

Another fall has arrived at Walt Disney World, and so have we! For our 4th annual September trip, we returned to the basics that we fell in love with. A lot of resort hopping, getting a little wet at the water parks, and food (snack credits...so many...help!) It was a wonderful 9 days, and I can't believe I have room in my heart to love Disney even more, each and every time. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing these. Let the memories begin!

The cast: My husband, J, and I. People call us Mickey & Minnie.

Travel dates: September 3rd - September 11th, staying at All Star Music.

Pre-trip report: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/weve-fall-in-in-love.913624/

We began with the earliest flight I could possibly find, getting us into the promised land at 8:30 AM. Win! With a speedy check-in at All Star Music, we were off to Animal Kingdom...Lodge!

For the first time ever, we decided to take an entire non-park day to fulfill a bunch of dreams that we've always had on our bucketlist. We did so on our first day because it was the Saturday of a holiday weekend and hoped to avoid the crowds that way.

It definitely felt weird not heading straight to a park to begin the trip, but I really did appreciate the relaxing start. Just us and a quiet, beautiful morning sky at AKL.

Still in awe at how unique of an experience it must be to stay at AKL. It will be done in this lifetime!

On the way to 'breakfast' at The Mara (yup, I'm already talking about food), we passed by this beautiful waterfall area that I didn't notice the last time we were here. I was instantly wowed - the reality of it is that Disney can truly transport me to another place.

The Mara is the perfect stop for breakfast, because the perfect breakfast is...

Zebra Domes! Been absolutely CRAVING these for the past two years, and the time has finally come. It was everything I had hoped it would be.

J points out that I look ridiculous when photographing my food, but I needed to remember this moment.

We sat by the pool and snacked, not truly believing that we were here yet. It always takes a while to sink in, but what is perceived as mere decoration and foliage always mean something a little more to me.

The day had started off cool, but you could already feel that Florida heat doing work. Not fully acclimated yet, we retreated to the great indoors of Jambo House to look around some more.

Next stop...Kidani Village!

 

[belledream]

We had first-and-last dined here in 2012 so it had been a while, and we were looking forward to returning and trying other menu items, especially after the All-American foodfest we indulged in yesterday! Started off with some drinks.

Left: Shanghai Lemonade (me) and Right: Berry Cherry Limeade (J)
I really liked mine. Comes with Desert Pear, Passion Fruit or Lemon Grass Flavors - I chose Desert Pear at the recommendation of our server. Was not overly sweet and very refreshing. J's Limeade tasted like Cherry Sprite.

On our way back from the Oasis, we stopped by a Wilderness Explorer Booth and picked up a guide because we are children. (We actually just wanted to see the graphics). Anyways, we created some masterpieces. Don't judge us!

For entrée, I decided on the Malaysian Seafood Curry. The bowl was small, but it was packed with clams, mussels, scallops, and veggies! The coconut curry broth was delicious and exactly what I wanted, but there was just way too much rice in this dish. Seriously, it could have served a family of four. Anyways, it had soaked up a lot of the broth and even I cannot eat rice for four, so I didn't get as much of it as I would've liked.

After convincing (okay, forcing) J to not get a $20 hamburger, he ended up with the Chicken Tikka Masala, which in contrast, came in a humungous dish. There was so much chicken in here that together, we could not finish. The sauce was delectable, but the chicken was uneven in places - some part were cooked well, the others, a little too dry. The garlic naan was delicious though.

For dessert, I chose the Upside Down Pineapple Cake. Holy goodness, this was everything I needed it to be. Warm and soaking with pineapple flavor, it was topped with vanilla ice cream that just meshed perfectly with the cake. Winner of the night.

J got the Fried Wontons, which was surprising to me, since he's Mr. I-don't-like-cream-cheese-cheesecake-etc. The fruit and ice cream were nice additions, but I didn't care much for the wontons themselves. I think desserts should be sweet, I guess! All in all, if we had to choose, Yak & Yeti would prove to be one of our least favorite meals of the trip. I guess we have access to so much Asian food in general, that it'd have to be pretty amazing for us to rave about and come back year after year. But for the day, it supplied us well and we left feeling happy about our day, and for what was to come.

It had been overcast for the majority of the day, so the sun wasn't out to begin with, but you could tell it was setting fast. We therefore began our evening tour of Animal Kingdom at night.

We passed on a nighttime ride of Primeval Whirl as we walked through Dinoland, but we did see these guys!

Mommy loves you!

Iconic lampposts (it's a real thing...if not, I'm making it one!) Animal Kingdom at night. It's happening!

 

[PacNWTigger]

I am LOVING all of the Animal Kingdom pics you are sharing. I didn't realize how much I missed out on my last trip there...LOL!!

 

[belledream]

I am LOVING all of the Animal Kingdom pics you are sharing. I didn't realize how much I missed out on my last trip there...LOL!!

Oooh noo, you musn't skip Animal Kingdom! Get on it next time. It's fun, trust me.

 

[DonnaOnTheRocks]

I love how you stay in one park all day and just take your time to see everything. My trips we usually rush around and hop from one park to another, missing lots in between.. Thinking maybe I'll skip the park-hoppers next trip. Loving this TR!

 

[belledream]

I love how you stay in one park all day and just take your time to see everything. My trips we usually rush around and hop from one park to another, missing lots in between.. Thinking maybe I'll skip the park-hoppers next trip. Loving this TR!

Yes! We never park hop because we like to stay in one world the whole day. Even in past years when AK closed early at 5, we would go to AKL to eat dinner, or make time for Downtown Disney and other activities!

We think traveling from park to park can take a lot of time, and it's unpredictable, so we stay away from it. Definitely consider it for your next trip!

 

[MinnieM123]

I also really like Rafiki's Planet Watch. It's not a blockbuster attraction, but it is relaxed and pleasant--a quiet little oasis tucked away. The train ride there is fun, too. And, depending upon when you go to the Conservation Station there, you can sometimes see some very interesting vet exams/procedures on the animals.

 

[belledream]

I also really like Rafiki's Planet Watch. It's not a blockbuster attraction, but it is relaxed and pleasant--a quiet little oasis tucked away. The train ride there is fun, too. And, depending upon when you go to the Conservation Station there, you can sometimes see some very interesting vet exams/procedures on the animals.

Well said! My sentiments exactly.

 

[belledream]

As we made our way out of Dinoland, our attention was caught by a sort of procession of elaborately-costumed street performers.

Why, it was the Discovery Island Carnivale!

As the sun set, they were setting Discovery Island alive with a dance party.

We're not one for dance parties, so we only lingered to watch for a bit. We noticed a lot of 'guests' who really seemed to know the dances by heart...very interesting...

Over in Africa, something more exciting was about to happen.

The Harambe Wildlife Parti, where there was lively dancing...

And acrobatic feats...that just continued to amaze which each act.

Just when you thought they reached their peak of complexity...

...they made you pick your jaw off the floor.

After the acrobat performance ended, we sat in the same spot listening to the singers perform. We're not ones for live music either, but she was fantastic!

What were we waiting for, you might ask? We wanted to get ourselves on one of those nighttime safari rides, but of course, we were on somebody else's clock, so we just sat back, enjoyed, and awaited.

 

[belledream]

When the sun had finally set, we embarked on our nighttime safari ride! We didn't really know what to expect. We had read that visibility wasn't great, and animal encounters weren't anything special, so we were looking forward to just feeling that night air on our faces as we cruised through Africa.

(The pictures did not turn out well, which was to be expected, but I figure, it's better than nothing, and helps me remember the moments.)

When entering the savanna, I was taken aback by the blazing orange sky that was created, to give us the illusion of an African sunset. It was stunning.

Yet as we suspected, it was kind of hard to see animals, and a noticeable portion of time was spent in silence, but I did not mind. It was relaxing and very cool to see a place I felt so familiar with transform at night. If we were to do it again, I would say we wouldn't wait until darkness has fallen completely and choose a 'sunset' safari over a 'nighttime' one.

We journeyed over to Discovery River with the intention of catching the first show of The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic, but saw that Expedition Everest had no wait.

So that was a no brainer. Nighttime Expedition Everest rocks!

If you look really closely, you can see a smidgen of fireworks at the left side of the mountain. We caught it on our way up. It was awesome.

Backwards we go!

We loved it so much, we hopped right back on to do it again.

After that was over, we were found out that theater was at capacity. Where did all these people come from!? I guess that's what we get...but obviously it was worth it. So, changing our plans, we headed to the Tree of Life.

It was a stunning sight to see.

 

[belledream]

Honestly, out of all the new Animal Kingdom nighttime offerings, the Tree of Life Awakening was the one I was most excited for. I love Celebrate the Magic, probably more than Wishes. I just go crazy for this kind of stuff. I was especially curious about the soundtrack...I could not wait to hear it with my own ears for the first time! So we sat on the ground, right near the front, along with...a bunch of children, looking up eagerly for the show to start.

There are four stories in total, completely unique and independent of one another. The first one we saw was of a fox, frolicking in the winter snow. Special appearance made by a bear, who the fox was initially scared of, but at the end, they became friends as the tree sparkled in ways I could never have visualized before. It was simply beautiful!

Every time the next story was about to star, the tree would illuminate all the way to the top of the leaves. It was so captivating and magical. I felt that feeling you get when you experience all the anticipation and gratification of something new that turns out to be wonderful. The next story featured humming birds, and the tree bloomed with flowers all around.

The third story was a Disney medley of sorts, starting with Pocahontas (Grandmother Willow, very ingenious!), Bambi, Tarzan, Jungle Book, Finding Nemo, Dinosaur, and of course, ending with Lion King. I loved this one, and I heard that sentiment echoed by some of the viewers around us. I particularly liked that the characters were not straight-copied from the film, but depicted through more 'real' versions of them.

In between stories, the tree would remain illuminated, with certain animals moving, plants growing, and snowfall. It was so much fun to watch! I don't think I blinked once.

The final story was a young deer making his way through life. Finding friends and facing fears. From this one, I loved the use of perspective. It was almost 3D, the way the deer ran through the forest 'towards us' instead of left or right. It was a noticeable switch in tech that really enhanced how unique each story is. My heart was so full and so happy from this experience. I would stay in Animal Kingdom all day, all over again, to witness this.

We moved on, soaking in the true night at Animal Kingdom. The wind blows, the air is cool and fresh, and we were feeling so blissful. We may have snuck another ride on Everest before finally sitting down for The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic.

Which was still packed, for a second showing by the way. It was weird to me, because I've only seen negative reviews of this show, but literally everyone and their mother was here. Anyways, we were squeezed into a not-too-optimal view of the show, but it turned out not to really matter.

I'm generally a positive person, especially when it comes to Disney, but this show was just as awful as everyone says it was. I am not joking when I say I dozed off during the show. (It was a long day!) The performers were really giving it their all. (Now that I think about it, this might have been the last showing, so maybe that's why it was so crowded? Everyone trying to get one last glimpse? Nahhh it can't be...)

It just wasn't captivating, for being so loud and lively. I would have been okay spending the time getting another round at the Tree of Life. One of the best things to happen to us on this trip.

What a wild day! (And night.) We got back to our home All Star Music just before midnight. Goodnight!

 

[Jess G]

I cannot wait for the rest of your trip report! loving it so far

 

[belledream]

I cannot wait for the rest of your trip report! loving it so far

Yay, so happy to hear that! This was only Day 3...so there will beplenty more to come. (I'm really drawing this out this year LOL!)

 

[belledream]

Epcot would be opening at 9 this morning, not 8, so we got to 'sleep in'! What a difference an hour makes. Leaving our room, we already noticed a boost in brightness and temperature.

Before we knew it, we were at the gates of Epcot.

EXCITED EXCITED EXCITED. EPCOT ROCKS!!! Hearing Legacy play as we walk briskly towards, under, and past the big ball never gets old!

We hooked right, and headed straight towards The Land to hop on probably one of the first rides of Soarin' Around the World of the day.

We avoided all spoilers of the new Soarin', so we went in completely blind. I didn't know if the queue, the music, would be familiar or completely foreign. I even avoided the preshow map because I didn't want to know what scenes I could potentially see.

So here are my thoughts: We were stunned by the Matterhorn in the first scene. It was crisp, clear, and a magnificent way to start. Moving onto Greenland, I am admittedly naïve and uniformed when it comes to the 'noticing CGI' stuff so instead of being offended that certain animals throughout the movie were probably fake, I just thought it was cute...then when Australia came around, I was a little distracted by the abrupt, gag-like method of transitioning from scene to scene. (When I expressed this to J, he said people probably thought the Cali film was too mundane in transition, but I didn't think so one bit.) Germany was a beautiful scene, and I appreciated that we got to 'linger' there. Kilimanjaro was an exciting change of pace, though the smell was a little unrealistic I'd say. Now China. I had a whole jaw-dropping epiphany, I'VE BEEN HERE moment. I've stood on that wall. I cannot believe it. It is truly a wonder of the world and I'm so glad it was a cornerstone feature of this new film. Also, the music here was so soothing. Egypt was what you'd expect it to be, nothing to shout about in my opinion. India was beautiful and the scent (could have been, I assume) fitting, but J thought it looked so fake. Seeing Monument Valley was cool, because J's mom happened to be traveling there at the same time we were in Disney, so we told her we saw it too. Fiji made me feel like I was in a Bath and Body Works...the falls in Argentina were intense, but I felt like I should have been sprayed with some kind of water effect! The Eiffel Tower had to be included of course, though I wish they just opted for an angle that wasn't so close that we wouldn't have those issues, and then Epcot. That was a pleasant surprise!

So if you read all my read all that, our conclusion? We really enjoyed Soarin' Around the World. The refresh was nice, and the new scenes looked great! But we give Soarin' the edge in our love. There was something more soothing about leisurely gliding over more unrecognizable sights, instead of "Oh I know what that is, Where are we?" I also liked how the old Soarin' seemed to capture an entire day, from morning to night, slowly, gradually, and seamlessly. The new film was like day, day, day, day, BOOM night in Paris. Call it nostalgia or whatever, but I miss the sunset scene over the ocean. What we did appreciate from the new film was how the tune was wonderfully preserved, with little tinkerings to fittingly match the new scenes, and how homage to the Hidden Mickey fireworks was paid at the end in Epcot. We went right back on again!

Living with the Land is one of my favorite rides. People are missing out!

I look like a dog sighting squirrels on this ride. My head is flipping from left to right as to not miss a thing.

I just wanna yell, CAN YOU PLEASE SLOW DOWN?

Every time I ride this, I think about how much my parents and brother would love it. I hope they will come back to Disney with us someday!

 

[belledream]

From The Land to The Sea we go! My favorite part on The Seas With Nemo and Friends is when the ride and the aquarium meet, and "In the Big Blue World" plays. Makes my heart soar!

When we got to the pavilion, we were immediately greeted by some active dolphins!

All the fish were headed somewhere in a hurry. I guess it turned out to be feeding time.

The big star of our visit was this massive sea turtle though. We got real close and personal. He then began eating lettuce out of his little box, fending off pesky little moochers around him. He actually seemed irritated.

I just love standing up close to the windows. I actually feel like I'm underwater.

We headed over to see the always amazing manatees. It's oddly mesmerizing to watch them om nom nom endlessly on lettuce.

Over to the smaller tanks, it's always fun to see the tiny little clownfish zoom around in their tank.

Clams and jellyfish...

So weird we eat this stuff.

Downstairs, there is plenty of coral, Nemo & friends, and one awesome starfish.

You are never too old to enjoy some good ol' clamobile & aquarium fun. This is always our first-morning-at-Epcot-tradition!

 

[belledream]

By this time, it was almost 11, which meant the World Showcase would be opening soon! That means food, that means fun, that means shopping, that means BEAUTIFUL SIGHTS AND SOUNDS! But first, pay respects to the best fountain in all of Walt Disney World.

The world needs more Disney flowerbeds.

We headed over to Showcase Plaza to feel the breeze and gaze over the water. The day seemed so young. As we were taking pictures, I realized that I have hardly ever captured the entirety of each country from afar, so I zoomed in and took a quick snap of everything...(except Canada and Mexico because the angles weren't right, but I lament that I didn't at least try.)

I like how you see nobody on the Canada side and then you get to Norway and it's like BAM! Anyways, my eyes really enjoyed going over these photos. Like I said, I always get that 'Showcase Lagoon shot' and those 'Featured Building in X country shot', but rarely do I take the time to admire the plots as a whole like I now can from this angle.

 

[belledream]

Onto the countries themselves! We start with Mexico, my favorite!

Because of this. It's so calm, it's smells so good, it has a volcano and a fountain!

The details of these buildings are total eye candy for me.

We spent some time looking at the little stands full of candy, alcohol, maracas, sombreros, and the like. But I was more drawn to the beautiful San Angel Inn. We've dined here twice and while the food has never been the greatest, I would dine here again just to sit here. Just look at it.

We skipped on over to Norway because we were hungry and we had predetermined we would share something from Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. We were momentarily delayed because I freaked out when I saw the new buildings that comprised of the Royal Sommerhaus.

*cue girly screaming* It's so cute oh my gosh!!!

Hunger won over, and we went inside Kringla to a myriad of options!

We came out with a Salmon and Egg Sandwich to share. MISTAKE! On the sharing part. This was SO DELICIOUS, one of my favorites of the trip, if you can believe that! We love smoked salmon...so flavorful! The fact that it came on a bagel instead of a piece of bread made my day. The cream cheese was an excellent topping! J and I are usually very generous to each other when sharing food, insisting that the other get the last bite, but we may have fought several times for this.

Dessert choice was a Troll Horn. Light and airy on the inside, crispy and crunchy on the outside. Perfect end to a mind-blowingly good meal.

We sat there, 'sharing' food, with a great view of the new buildings. One of those happy moments! We then headed into The Wandering Reindeer to look at the plethora of Frozen merchandise, I wanted to try on an XL Elsa dress, and then we headed to the bathrooms. What?

J had been holding the camera when we separated. I came out of the bathroom and said, "Wow, those were really nice!" And he was like, "I know." And showed me the picture he took while he was in there. Great minds think alike.

 

[belledream]

We had a Frozen FP that we were waiting on, so we continued to sightsee around Norway for the time being. Look who I spotted!

J said he 'never really realized how much of a castle' this place looked like.

Maelstrom all blocked up. They should have kept it open! Definitely looks and feels like something is missing...

Found this painting in the shops...it matches a Mickey & Minnie one we have of them on the Poly beach! I love the Ice Palace sandcastle and the pails that look like Anna & Elsa's dresses!

Detail in the ceiling...fell in love with it. Kinda reminds me of the Tangled bathrooms!

This used to be the Frozenified shop but it looks like it's returned to a more traditional one.

And finally, it was time for out Frozen Ever After FP.

We were excited to try something new, but we were not expecting big things from this one.

Though the picture doesn't really translate this well, I once again found myself enjoying a pleasant outside-but-inside atmosphere...at the docks of Arendelle.

We're going to Arendelle! We travelled through a sparkling willow forest, visited Troll Valley, up North Mountain, and arrived at Queen Elsa's Ice Palace, the scene we've all been waiting for! The backwards part was a little disappointing to me as it seemed there was no work put into transforming it in any way. It just seemed so bare and unfinished after the dazzling palace scene. The Marshmallow part kinda freaked me out, but it's all in good fun. And I love the sisters' dresses at the end. I have still not seen Frozen Fever - is it worth watching?

Anyways, the ride was what it was, and we had expected such. The animatronics were great, and for the most part, the ride transported me to another place. The picture was surprising and little awkward...I can't imagine people buy that. We were glad we got to experience this with as little wait and stress as possible!

 

[belledream]

Instead of continuing our tour of World Showcase, which we would be spending pretty much the rest of the day at, we decided to make a U-turn and go check out what was left of Innoventions.

I have so many fond memories of this place growing up. It didn't hit me until I saw it with my own eyes...of what a ghost town it has become.

Still, we had to visit.

We made the best of it by checking out the one exhibit we had never done before.

We stood against a white wall where we were immersed in a full spectrum of colors and played around with that while we waited for our magic paintbrushes.

Once we got those, we would 'dip' them in colors of our choice and fill in the masterpiece however we'd like, bringing it to life at the same time. It was novel and cute, who knows how long it will last?

Over to Test Track we went, where J set out to create the most powerful car he could.

This view always gets me. Look at all the fun over there that awaits me!

A quick glance into Port of Entry where I really wanted to buy this dish towel, but 1) It's expensive and 2) Who buys white dish towels?

Cookies cookies cookies cookies!

Now, we would truly delve in to the wonderful World Showcase.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Loved hearing about AK at night! Maybe on my next trip i'll be able to see it for myself. I really want to do EE at night!

 

[belledream]

Instead of picking up where we left off on the World Showcase, we decided to go to Canada side instead, to visit the lovely Victoria Gardens. We lingered here for some time, just feasting our eyes on the colors. Feels like fall, eh?

We journeyed to the breathtaking waterfall.

I actually stood here and let it spray me.

I might be becoming obsessed with pathways now? It always just gives off adventurous vibes. What will I think of next?

We scooted on over to the United Kingdom, through the streets of London, all the way to a little cottage.

The décor of UK's shops don't get enough love I think.

I love the dome, the colors, the furnishings. I want it in my house.

An empty Kidcot stop gave me the opportunity to scout out some details I've never really noticed before. Winnie the Pooh!

Pretty much.

I get a feel-good, homey feeling every time I see this fireplace and the items on the mantel.

No detail is amiss here. We have cobbled streets, phonebooths, and the like! And it's nice and sunny out!