Look forward to reading more! I have travel anxiety and finally went to the doctor for something to take the edge off. It really helped me, especially as we were in England with a rental car (my dh drove)! I did take it on the flight also as it was bumpy. It has gotten better and worse over the years in different ways.
I saw in your report you have not been to Disney Springs for a while! I shall be sure to get some pictures of that. I did not go last year, in my opinion I can just go to KOP mall; but my mother loves it so it was a compromise.
I agree! I haven't been since it's been Disney Springs, but I'm really not upset by that. I can take it or leave it. And you're right, I can absolutely compare it to the KOP mall. But not everyone has a mall like that so I can see the appeal. Thanks for thinking of me (to take photos of it)!
I am now back from what was an amazing trip, and better get started before I forget details. So away we go....
We are now on the evening on the 15th, and my sister is at my house and the key is for me to STAY CALM!!!! This little guy was really breaking my heart, but my partner does an excellent job taking care of our cats, so I knew they were in good hands.
I did pretty good staying calm and collected.
We flew out tomorrow direct from Philadelphia to Orlando at 7:05am through American Airlines. I live about ten minutes from the airport and decided to schedule a a Lyft to come at 4:00am.
We arrived at the airport, got through security, the terminal, ect. with no issues whatsoever. As something frivolous, I decided to pay for boarding in row 14 (priority boarding. exit row, extra leg room).
The plan was boarded on time with no concerns, and then the boarding stopped. So about ten minutes later the captain announced there was a chip on the wing, and that it needed to be repaired, and we would probably need to exit the plane and get a new one.
Luckily, we were at least on the quiet cool plane, because the American Airlines terminal at Philadelphia Airport is rather cramped and kind of dumpy compared to the Southwest terminal; and it must have been an absolute madhouse.
We were able to take off and ultimately landed 66 minutes late, which in hindsight is not a big deal but was a bit of a scare!!
So now, we are landed at MCO in Orlando, and it has not quite hit me we are in Orlando yet.
We showed up to the Magical Express, and were told it would be about 5-10 minutes (it was mobbed, and we did not get on a bus as a family was separated but rejoined themselves by cutting in front us). As far as I'm concerned thats jumping the line. So thirty minutes later were on board with a paper FP (with some restrictions), which I thought was a very nice gesture.
We arrived at Mara (the Quick Service at the AKL), about the same time as my mother, and had lunch which included my beloved Zebra Dome!!
Once I was in the hot tub at the AKL it then hit me we had arrived with a long trip ahead of us!!
On my next post which I shall share within the next few days, I shall discuss the rest of this first day, including our room, dinner at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin', and my newly found love of Disney Springs!!
Prior to arrival, our room was ready, and at AKL Jambo House, we were in room 5003. So if you look at the below map, at the very bottom we were right next to the entrance of the resort to the right.
We had some reservations at first, but the location could not have been better. We were right near the elevator and lobby, but had a curved hallway, so heard no noise any kind whatsoever from anyone. It was literally 30 seconds to the lobby, and elevators went right to outside of Boma and the pool area.
We had a half balcony sort of thing, and could see the front entrance of the resort, but with the door closed could not hear a peep. So obviously a pool view would have been nice, but the location was great. The room was dark due to the sort of overhang we had, but otherwise I would go as far as to request this room in the future!
So we enjoyed the pool and headed to Disney Springs. I have stated before, that I feel it is sort of a waste at Disney, as the King of Prussia mall here in Southeastern Pennsylvania. I overall stand by this view somewhat. Another thing is that I work in Center City Philadelphia near the Rittenhouse Square (high-end shopping/ dining area); and therefore, pretty much all of the stores I can walk to (or something similar).
However, Disney Springs was absolutely gorgeous, and they did an extremely good job with it.
Before and after dinner at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, we did enjoy some shopping. In part, I really love the Basin soap with the Mickey’s in the soap. I’ll show souvenirs toward the end of the report. I like to have little touches of Disney in my home/life as opposed to being overt, and it’s a nice way to start the day with Mickey.
We went to the new World Of Disney store, and it was reimagined to be cleaner and simpler (as is the trend with new things Disney it seems). I did not care for it at all. But the Disney Co-Op store has wonderful, unique merchandise.
We ate dinner at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. As a note for meals, to avoid phone use during meals, I took a couple pictures of my meal and maybe one or two of the restaurant and left it at that.
We have nothing but universal praise for this restaurant and highly recommend it. The place is comfortable and reasonably casual but feels homey. I had the fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The gravy had a kick but nothing too strong. I also took full advantage of the allowance for an alcoholic beverage and had the sweet tea moonshine. It was refreshing, not too sweet, and carried a punch. My mother and sister do not drink, and had the chicken and meat loaf respectively, and loved it.
We all have sensitive stomachs, and I was concerned these would be too heavy and problematic in the heat, and this was not an issue at all. Of note, we only ate about a third of our desserts. We then headed back to our resort full, with some bags in tow, and happy with the trip thus far.
We have woken up on the first day, as you can see above it is going to be a beautiful one!! I really wanted to try something different in Florida on this trip (I was aiming for Universal or Cape Canaveral), but we decided to give Gatorland a try. This a half day attraction about 20-30 minutes off property. I wrote a review and submitted to the DIS which hopefully they will publish. If they publish it, then I shall update this report to include the review, as well as quite a few other pictures and thoughts. I will give it the later of 45 business days from the date of submission of the article, or 15 calendar days after this report would otherwise be completed; and if no review is published, I shall go ahead and post my pictures and full thoughts here. So please stay tuned in order to here more about Gatorland!!
In the meantime, I shall pick up with dinner at Boma, which is probably my favorite place to eat on property. I did not take pictures of my food for this meal as far as I could find, but I cannot recommend Boma enough. They are well staffed, friendly, ready to go at opening, have three different menus throughout the week, and is absolutely beautiful. While some of the food has some spice or a kick, I would not call it especially exotic. I of course enjoyed my beloved Zebra Dome.
We then proceeded to Epcot for a few hours, and enjoyed Spaceship Earth as a first attraction, as well as the Living Seas with Nemo and Friends. While it could use some updating, we find the aquarium very cool and peaceful. It's a great break on a hot day! We then browsed a few countries of the Worldshow Case, including Mexico, Japan, and France. I bought a souvenir in Mexico, which I shall discuss at the end when I discuss souvenirs! About ten minutes prior to Illuminations, we were able to walk right up to the fence and watch! It was a really excellent spot in Germany right in front of the train set.
While I love Epcot, Future World has become a real dump!! I'm sure we are all aware of the toilet smell near the Land pavillion? Well this has permeated much of Future World, and with the Sky liner, Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, and upcoming Food and Wine; construction cranes and closed off areas are EVERYWHERE, and really taint the skyline. It seems to me that Disney's dance card is perhaps a bit too full at the moment, and they are allowing basic maintenance in Future World to slide. We still had an amazing time, but it pushed it a little more toward to the school of thought who are getting frustrated with all the refurbishment right now.
One thing, I did try the Grey Goose Citron Martini in France. It was cooling, refreshing, delicious, and really hit the spot as a beverage. However, as an adult beverage, it packed no punch at all; and was basically woodered down baby formula!! On a hot afternoon I would probably get it again, but they should be a little more generous with the Grey Goose!!
Next up is an extraordinarily busy day at Magic Kingdom and Olivia's at the Old Key West Resort!!
And Away We Go!! 1st Magic Kingdom Day / Olivia’s/ Epcot (Part 1)
So now we are onto our first full Disney day, and could not be more excited. One of our goals this trip is to spend a lot more time in Magic Kingdom. To be clear, we absolutely love Magic Kingdom. However, due to staying at AKL, we tend to spend a LOT less time there. Of the four parks, we tend to find it the busiest, guests the rudest, and it is a bit of a journey from AKL. However, by not spending as much time in MK, we miss out on a lot of attractions, beauty of WDW, and end up repeating the same things (i.e. riding Spaceship Earth for the third time in a row).
So we headed to MK with success, which had the first Mickey’s Not So Scary the night before. Therefore, the very cool decorations were up, which we absolutely love. We were able to do Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain before lunch. It was busy, but crowds were relatively manageable. In the morning and early afternoon, we also enjoyed the People Mover, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Swiss Family Treehouse (a personal favorite), and more I probably do not recall.
It was of course hot, but the weather was absolutely wonderful. For anyone who does not try the People Mover (many still do not), it is a relaxing way to get a great view of Tomorrowland, the Castle, and Main Street. By coincidence, I was able to match the color scheme.
Splash Mountain was the first WDW attraction we went on during our first trip, and therefore has a special place for us. All of the attractions above, were accessed via FP+ or through very short waits. I absolutely love how they let you up to the Castle prior to Rope Drop! It makes it slightly but noticeably easier to get on several major attractions before crowds build.
We had lunch at Columbia Harbour House, and split the Trio Platter, Chicken Breast Nuggets and fish combo, and Chicken Harbour salad (sorry no pictures). We absolutely love this restaurant for lunch, and especially the second floor. It could not be better located (Liberty Square near the Haunted Mansion) and is a cool quiet place. Throughout the trip we ate basically all of our lunches at 11am, or very shortly thereafter.
Since we have little or no breakfast, we are generally hungry by then and places are much less chaotic, and it makes more a relaxing experience.
For part two of this day, we have a couple things left we did in Magic Kingdom, our first-time dining at Olivia’s at OKV, first time taking Minnie Van, and an evening at Epcot!
And Away We Go!! 1st Magic Kingdom Day / Olivia’s/ Epcot (Part 2)
Clearly, we had a busy morning in Magic Kingdom, and ended up back toward Splash Mountain. Therefore, we decided to do something we had not done for a quite a few trips and took the train to the front of the park. This was a cool experience, and gave us a view of Storybook Circus, which I have not seen before.
Also, we saw where it appears Tron is going to be constructed. As of now, there is not much to see, however, it seems like it will be something cool once construction starts in earnest.
My mother left and headed back to AKL prior to this, and after the train, we browsed some stores and did some souvenir shopping in the Emporium. Some of the attraction wait times were light (i.e. Pirates 20 minutes, Jungle Cruise 15 minutes); however, at this point, we needed to choose between attractions or an afternoon pool break.
We chose the afternoon pool break, and it was a cool and refreshing idea!! In my first post or two, I indicated that I love AKL, however find the transit (especially connecting in the evening) quite frustrating. My mother was not really comfortable taking Lyft, since it is strangers and all that. It’s perfectly understandable, so we took Minnie Van.
We loved Minnie Van. The cars are clean, includes music corresponding to all parks and resorts, all drivers are seasoned Cast Member’s, and a charging device is in all vehicles. The $25 price tag is a little steep, but if one plans accordingly, it’s a really great experience!!
I really enjoyed it, and if we were getting from AKL to OKW, it could have been a two-hour process!! None of the three of us have been to OKW or Olivia’s before, and we were excited to check out the resort. My sister picked Olivia’s as ‘her choice’, after going to the Florida Keys in January and absolutely loving it. My father loves the Keys; and we thought it would be useful to give things a try.
Obviously, I’ll go into more detail, but we absolutely loved Olivia’s and OKW. I promise we did not love all of our meals. We had a 5:15 ADR for Olivia’s but arrived at about 4:10pm.
We were hungry after an early lunch and all that activity and asked if we could be seated (the place was empty); and they were more than happy to seat us. The restaurant was a bit casual for a table service, but my sister indicated it looked just like a restaurant in the Keys, and there were very cool things on the walls.
Our server (whose name I unfortunately cannot recall) could not have been better, and I have no complaints whatsoever.
For an appetizer, we tried conch fritters (I did not know there was such a food); and these were very tasty. They came with Key Lime-Mustard and Roaster Red Pepper Remoulade which were flavorful but not too heavy.
For my alcoholic beverage I had the Rum Runner which packed a punch (I am unaccustomed to Rum) and was HUGE. The server indicated I could also have my mothers and sister’s adult beverage, however I declined. It was VERY nice of her to offer.
I had the fish of the day (salmon) with white rice and black bean pate (or something like that). It was well-done with some crispiness and was perfection. My mother had the Seven Mile Sea Scallops and it seemed to be the perfect amount of food. My sister enjoyed her Buttermilk Chicken.
Amongst the three of us, we had the Flourless Chocolate Cake, Key Lime Tart, and Banana Bread Pudding Sundae. The first and last were hot and fresh, and the second hit the spot. The portions were perfect.
It is a shame this is not in a park or resort which is a bit more accessible, but this restaurant was a delight in every way; and I have no complaints. It should be wall to wall people, but I do not blame people for not wanting to take two buses or pay for Rideshare to get there.
This may have been my favorite meal all trip.
We briefly looked around, and it looks like a very casual, but elegant, relaxing resort. The guests there seemed comfortable and right at home. However, I think I am spoiled by the grandeur of the AKL. I would consider staying here in the future, and am not knocking it, however it might be a too relaxed for my pace.
We took the bus to Epcot with no issues and enjoyed it for the evening. There isn’t much more to say that differs for the evening before; except for two things.
I did get to ride Figment (which is a favorite); while my sister and mother browsed Mouse Gears. Mouse Gears is normally where I do virtually all of my souvenir shopping; however, that was not the case this year. I did Figment solo as my mother and sister do not quite care for it. It is probably in need of a serious reimaging, and at this point serves as a conceptual instillation, as opposed to a full experience.
Stay tuned for our next day, which includes Animal Kingdom, Na’vi River Journey, Grand Floridian Café, and more!!
Pandora/ Grand Floridian/ and Space Mountain with the lights on!! (Part 1) So today is Animal Kingdom day, which is my personal favorite park. My mother and sister chose to spend some additional time preparing for the day, but I went over quite early (about 8am). There are the Discovery Island trails, and area around the Tree of Life which we often run past; and I never took some time to check it out.
Due to bus issues, my arrival was delayed, and I did enjoy these fully later on in the trip and shall discuss that later. There are an abundance of animals I had not really noticed previously, such as kangaroos and porcupines. However, Animal Kingdom was gorgeous, and I could tell it was going to be a great day!
We started in Dinoland, going on Dinosaur and Chester and Hester’s Primeval Whirl; before proceeding to Asia. Asia included Expedition Everest, and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The Maharajah Jungle Trek is so immersive and peaceful, however this go around the animals seemed pretty sleepy!
Kali River Rapids was essentially a walk on, and I did that solo. While its a mediocre attraction, it has a really cool queue, and if I could ever find it with a 30-45 minute wait I would do that; however it seems to be either be a walk on, or 60+ wait.
We then headed to Pandora!!! I was stunned by Pandora from the moment I saw it (as are most), and we had a Fastpass for Na’vi River Journey. We love that attraction, and while it could perhaps be somewhat longer and/or have more of a story, it is peaceful, beautiful, and provides an excellent respite from the heat in Animal Kingdom.
We also absolutely love Night Blossoms (beverage available in Pandora). It is one of the only snack/ specialty beverages I choose to indulge in. It’s extremely refreshing, but quite sweet. I highly recommend it during a hot day in Animal Kingdom.
We then had lunch at Pizzafari, which is nothing fancy but very tasty! At this point, my sister decided to enjoy some of the stores before heading back to AKL. My mother and I saw the Nemo musical at noon, and thought it was very enjoyable and entertaining. The show lasts about 30 minutes; and I recommend it. It has a variety of music and speaking parts; and has various effects so it does not get stale. We walked into the theatre about ten minutes prior to Showtime and comfortably found a spot.
We then headed back to our resort for some pool time, before heading to the Grand Floridian for dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe and Magic Kingdom in the evening!
Pandora/ Grand Floridian/ and Space Mountain with the lights on!! (Part 2)
After an eventful and very pleasing morning in Animal Kingdom, and a pool break; we took the bus to Magic Kingdom, so we could then take the monorail, and perhaps look around either the Polynesian or Contemporary prior to dinner at the Grand Floridian Café.
We ultimately decided not to monorail hop and head to the Grand Floridian. I am quite glad we decided to do this, as we of course love the monorail, but might only use it once in a trip. Since we tend to stay at the AKL and focus on AK and Epcot, it does not always get much use.
So we enjoyed it and entered the Grand Floridian Resort! I have been at this resort before, however not for quite a few years, and walking into the lobby (from the monorail station) gasped aloud at how beautiful and grand this lobby is. I was immediately overcome with the sleek but formal motif, and how massive it is. This is not normally a resort I really give any thought to at all, as we don’t stay there, and I do not know when and if it would ever be in my budget.
We went to Basin (the same soap and bath salt/ lotion store) in Disney Springs, and I bought a few more soaps, as it was about $1-$2 less per bar. That staircase in the lobby is so grand; and I was glad I was mindful of wardrobe as I felt quite fancy.
We ate at the Grand Floridian Café which my mother loves; and my sister and I have never been. My thoughts of this restaurant were about as glowing as Olivia’s (again I promise not every meal was great, just so no one things I just love everything). The service was impeccable, food delicious, portions perfect, and the atmosphere was formal but light. Large windows offered overall great views of the resort.
I enjoyed a perfect Bacardi Mojito; and my mother and I had the steak and scallops (mine EXTREMELY well done). It also came with asparagus, roasted tomatoes, and a sort of potatoe pave. Mine was cooked to perfection, and I ate every last bite. My mother did not eat a lot of hers (it’s a lot of food) but loved it. My sister had the spinach ravioli but was a generous portion for a ravioli dish.
For dessert my mother and sister split the dessert sampler and I had the cookies and cream dome. The portions are small, but perfect after that big dinner. Again, another excellent experience in every way.
If one dines here, I would recommend being a little more mindful of dress. I wore khaki shorts and one of those Under Armour polo shirts and felt that was appropriate. I know nothing about children (NOTHING), but I am thinking this would probably be a little too stuffy.
We then headed to Magic Kingdom via the monorail. It did appear that a storm may be approaching. Based on what I saw (below), would anyone care to venture to guess what turn the weather took?
If you guessed a pretty nasty storm, you guessed correctly!! However, we had a great time. Lines for the attractions remaining open were surprisingly very short and we went on Small World, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Under the Sea w/ Ariel, and others with almost no waits. One attraction of interest is the Country Bear Jamboree, which I have not done possibly since childhood. The show was reasonably entertaining. However, I have one complaint. The theatre was an absolutely dump. I cannot believe what utter slobs some people are. Like half eaten food left on the floor. PIGS!!!! The same was true on Pirates vehicles. People should really be ashamed of themselves.
At this point the rain and lightning was starting to get a little annoying, but things did cool down nicely and a lot of people left. We did get on the People Mover, and as a result of some technical problem with Space Mountain, saw it with the lights on!! It such a nice surprise and really unreal. I’m 6’1”; but I think we all know the feeling that our heads are at risk of getting smacked off… well seeing the real deal with the lights on did not serve as a comfort.
We did a few other things I am unavailable to recall, but had a great day and night, and also stayed till closing, being able to see the park at night a little more. I did see the Once Upon a Time projection show, which continues to blow me away. However, all that Frozen is really not necessary.
Stay tuned for wooder park day, and Cape May Café. It’s a nautically themed day!!
Water Park Day / Cape May Café/ Epcot!! (Part One)
Today is water park day, and we had the opportunity to sleep in a bit (i.e. past 6:30am), since the water parks open at 10:00am. I hate the bus transfer thing, finding it so inconvenient. I do have faith in Disney that they feel it is more efficient. So during the planning for the trip, we did decide to do a water park day, with my mother and sister loving Typhoon Lagoon (even though Blizzard Beach is probably half the distance or less).
So we arrived with no issues, and it appeared it was going to be a hot and gorgeous day; which in fact in turned out to be. We loved the Misadventure Falls, Crush and Gusher, Lazy River, and had lunch which was tasty. My sister also got to meet Stitch which is her favorite character (i.e. tons of merchandise, plus toys, ect.).
We could not have asked for a better morning and had a very nice time. We were not there for a terribly long time, with myself leaving about 12:30pm or so.
I then headed to Epcot (solo) in the afternoon and was able to do Test Track a few times through the Single Rider line, and of course my favorite, Figment. Personally, I much prefer the prior version of Test Track, but this was still cool. I also walked around in a couple of countries and saw the bridge next to China draw up to allow the fireworks for Illuminations. I then met my mother and sister at Mexico (probably our favorite pavilion) prior to heading to Cape May Café for dinner.
Next up is Cape May Café and Epcot in the evening!!
For dinner we headed to Cape May Café for dinner, which is a family favorite. We stayed at the Beach Club on our first trip, and the whole area is probably one of the most beautiful and genteel areas of property. For this upcoming trip we did consider staying at the Beach Club, and in fact had it booked; however, it was far too big of a price difference with AKL to turn down.
We generally prefer either buffet or family style dining at WDW for TS; and booked the Cape May Café twice during the trip! While we had a very nice time, the meal was a profound disappointment. Our server was extraordinarily inattentive. While I am unsure if it was due to a just poor service or being overworked (I suspect it was a healthy mix of both), we did not exactly feel the pixie dust. I did get my watermelon margarita, so I really shouldn’t complain, but we did not really get refills on drinks, and many dishes were not cleared away. We were seated at about 5:10 (they open at 5:00), right next to the station with all the dishes. While I understand someone has to sit there, but that should be a last resort sort of spot.
None of the food was bad, but it was pretty plain and lacking in flavor. There was a pallaya which was very tasty. We decided not to return here and switched our ADR to Boma.
We then headed to World Show Case where we did the majority of our souvenir shopping. I focused on the UK for souvenir shopping, and my sister focused on Morocco.
Next day up is Flight of Passage, Sanaa, and more!!
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