musicman85
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2011
Just got back from a 6 night trip to Disney World!!! It was hot and humid and I packed for nice weather, and should have brought my mini fans for the parks!
Some takeaways and thoughts:
Some takeaways and thoughts:
- HOTEL
Stayed at Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge, we're DVC and had a 2 bedroom villa which was really nice, and thankfully it was a 5 minute walk to the lobby. I've watched a lot of YouTube vlogs which said the hallways are SO long and they were right and this was the first time we were actually a little ways from the lobby, so I get in extra steps going back and forth filling up my refillable mug
And the chair pull out bed was really comfortable, but put a heavy blanket or something else on top because without that, you can feel the metal bar slightly when you roll around. We enjoyed eating at the Mara one night for dinner and used the free shuttle bus back and forth to get there. We loved the pool and it was never crowded and always found lounge chairs and tables even in the afternoon and evening hours. The pool bar was not thrilling and the sangria was iced down but I guess they do that so you order more and more.... They also iced down the sangria at Cinderella's Royal Table too.....
- TRANSPORTATION
We took an UBER one night to dinner because we were running late and would of had to transfer at MK or TTC to Grand Floridian. The buses weren't too crowded and we only had to wait around 10-15 minutes each time. Thankfully at the end of Epcot there were non-Disney busses helping bring guests back to the resorts and we got one back to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I wish there were water fountains by the bus stops at the parks, unless I missed them?
- PARKS
We did 3 parks, except Hollywood Studios and went to MK 2 times because we went back to the hotel in the afternoon due to the heat and humidity we did not expect for OCTOBER. We're from NJ and it's 50's and 60's now. Not 85+ degree weather with sticky humidity. We get that in the summer time. - Early entry is a MUST DO. We did it for Magic Kingdom and rode some rides in Fantasyland and the Haunted Mansion before our first LL for Pirates. In Epcot, we did early entry and walked to Remy's and it was already a 45 min wait by the time we got there. When we got off it was up to 55 minutes, and an hour later there were no LL for Remy.
- I don't agree with the surge pricing for Genie+ LL on different days of the week, but we used it for 3+ rides each day in the park.
- I kind of miss the old Downtown Disney, the high end shopping and architecture reminded me of St. Augustine and not really "Disney."
- I didn't know you could enter Animal Kingdom after eating at Rainforest Cafe, we had dinner and then used the entrance into the park that was part of the restaurant. They also serve breakfast so it's convenient to eat and then just scan right into the park.
- I loved seeing the MK decorated for Halloween and we finished dinner right before the after party so we got to see the railroad all lit up at night and everyone dressed up and it was cool, almost like being there for the party, but it was sold out when we went.
- MERCH
I was a little disappointed I couldn't find a lot of good 50th merchandise, specifically keychains because I have one from the 25th anniversary with mickey and minnie. I went into a lot of shops and there wasn't a very large selection of keychains anywhere. I remember as a kid and teenager browsing through so many of them in the shops and having a hard time picking out which one to buy. I hope they aren't phasing them out.
- FOOD
I enjoyed the food, we ate at Disney Springs one night at Jaleo, Crystal Palace was yummy but had mini sized desserts, Tutto Italia was nice and fancy inside and the chicken parm was the size of the plate! Grand Floridian Cafe was the best meal and the most reasonable considering where it's located! And Cinderella's Royal Table was a nice experience, but no one was blown away by it, except of course the price tag for it LOL.
- Overall it was an enjoyable trip and a nice break from reality. I don't think I need to go every year, but if I did go next year, I might include an extra resort day. Getting up at 5-6 am for Epcot and Magic Kingdom was really hard when your mind is on vacation. During the work week when you know you have to go, go, go, it's easier. But on vacation when you're "relaxing" it was hard to do.
Last edited:
