First time back in 14 years!

[Disney Addicted]

Friday, September 20 = Animal Kingdom!

I was determined to see the birds at the Tree of Life later in the day.



We wanted to get up early for FOP, but once again found ourselves walking into the park at 7:30. My first photo inside AK is time stamped 7:28. I knew this meant we were in for a long wait. Sure enough, it said the standby was 45 minutes but it took an hour. We were sent way down this walkway by a river and back again. I was excited that our daughter was going to experience it this time. I reminded her that she didn't bat an eye at Soarin', Star Tours, ROTR, and Smugger's Run so she'd have no problem with FOP. While I had death grips on the handlebars and couldn't take my eyes of the screen (for fear I'd somehow fall - wry grin), my husband said he kept looking over at our daughter and she had a huge grin on her face the entire time. For me, FOP is the most intense screenride ever, but I wouldn't ever skip it! During the soaring and gentle gliding, I'm able to lean foward or left/right and get right into it. The fast drops/dives are what scare me and make me gasp. I know this is Pandora, but in the same token, part of me imagines being a Dragonrider on Pern. I grew up on Anne McCaffrey's books and this is the closest in my dreams of ever being there.

Five years ago we were staying at Universal Studios for the first time and I purchased us 1-day tickets to AK. The first ride was FOP. Our daughter and son didn't want to try this and stayed outside. It was a shorter line (maybe 30 minutes). My husband & I loved it! I had a hard time keeping my eyes open as I had never experienced a screen ride like this before. While I loved feeling like I was flying, it was also scary - lol. We came out excited to hop back in line for a second ride. This time our son decided to try it as well. Unfortunately, I ended up having a panic attack the second time, before it started, so a CM undid the restraints and I left. Our son ended up being confused and followed me, worried he wouldn't like the ride. Then he became upset that he left and gave me heck for the panic attack! One of the CMs was very nice and let us sit in seats somewhere just outside the room, and told us when my husband was finished, she would bring us back in for another try. I was then able to experience FOP again, with my eyes open the entire time. So on our first experience of FOP, my husband did it 3 times, myself twice, and our son once. 3-2-1.



I forgot there would be a time when someone comes out and explains how to use the suit. Darn it.


My sister-in-law sews. Clothing and other items, but not quilts. My daughter & I sew quilts but do not know how to sew clothing and most other items. She has made my daughter a couple of wallets and a purse. For her birthday, she made another purse/bag. My daughter prefers the "bad guys" to the "good guys" most of the time. Anyways, she knew we were going back to Disney and created this - completely from scratch mind you! - including piecing together the characters. Look at this work of art! Look closely and you'll see "smoke" coming out of the dragon's nostrils.



While in the queue for FOP, we discovered the backlight/blacklight? made Malificent's eyes glow. Such a cool effect! And now I'm noticing some of the other items in the fabric glow as well, but we were focused on her eyes.

 

[footballmouse]

 

[Disney Addicted]

We finished FOP about 8:30 and spent some time in the gift shop. Then moved on to Na'vi River and on Kilimanjaro Safaris by 10:30. Na'vi is so beautiful but my photos never come out looking half decent.



We stopped for a Pineapple Dole Whip. Surprisingly, this was my very first one. It was good, but I really liked the orange one my husband bought in Magic Kingdom better. Browsed around the shops and purchased some kind of mango chocolate (good). Then I heard these guys start.


Does anyone know what this is? I took this photo somewhere near Expedition Everest. There is this amphitheater at the water's edge here. This was only our second time in AK (I don't count our first as we had to leave barely 2 hours in) and do not remember seeing any of this area before.



I loved the paintings all over this truck! Wish I had waited for the peoplel to be out of the way.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Flame Tree BBQ! I have read so much about this place, and the menu sounds so good, I just knew my husband & I had to try it. I was sure our son would like the food here as well but knew our daughter wouldn't. Luckily, Pizzafari was close by. Turns out both kids wanted pizza instead. So they went off to search out Pizzafari with the intent of bringing the food back to eat with us. However, they ended up eating there instead and locating us afterwards.

I already posted a review in the Restaurant section so some of you may have read this already.

This QS was amazing and beautiful! I did not take a photo of the QS itself (which I now regret). It was very busy when we arrived and a lot of people sitting on the small walls around the garden/tree area or holding containers. Thanks to DIS, I knew there would be seating in the back somewhere. This was the best seating area in all of Disney! Tucked to the side of Flame Tree but you can walk all the way back to the water and find lots of seating. Sun or shade. Out in the open or under a pavillion. There was a boat with a band playing that kept coming by us as well. This was a great place to enjoy a good meal and relax in the shade.

We easily found a table under a blue pavillion by the water's edge. I mobile ordered our food, and after about 15 minutes, went to grab it. My husband had a pulled pork & coleslaw sandwich that looked very good. He enjoyed it. I was tempted but wanted something healthier from what I had been eating so far, so I went for the Smokehouse Chicken Salad and cornbread. (Pulled Chicken on top of Mixed Greens Salad tossed with Smoked Cheddar, Diced Granny Smith Apples, Dried Cranberries, Cornbread Croutons, Crispy Onions, and Barbecue-Ranch Dressing). More cups of ice water as well.

No food pictures either... I normally take photos of everything so I blame the heat. It made me not want to take the effort. lol

 

[Disney Addicted]

By 3:30 we were in line for Dinosaur. Our daughter refused to ride this, so she browsed around outside and waited for us. I rode this before, 5 years ago. I was looking forward to it, knowing it will be closed and gone by the time we come back. Though I must admit, I'm looking forward to it as I rode Indiana Jones in California and LOVED it!

This time? OMG - it was awful! This ride was the most jerky, disorienting - I just don't have words. I KNOW I didn't have a problem with it years ago. I swear Disney ramped it up or something. By the time we were maybe halfway through, I gave up listening and watching, and concentrated on holding on and trying not to get thrown around all over the place. I completely understand why it's my daughter's hated ride now. If it wasn't for the fact the ride is going away, I would never ever ride this again.



I have a 2 hour gap in photos and do not recall what we did in this time period.

By 5:30, we were entering It's Tough to be a Bug. I don't believe my husband has seen this before. He liked it. He was surprised when the spiders dropped.

Afterwards, we decided to walk back to Pandora, get a bite at Satu'li Canteen and see if FOP's ride times had dropped. Originally we intended to share the cheeseburger steamed pods (never had them) but we just weren't hungry as it was too early after a late lunch. Instead, we indulged and had the Metkayina Mousse (first time) instead. This is one of the prettiest deserts I ever ate!


By now it was just after 6 PM, and even though FOP said the wait time was 60 minutes, we decided to walk past it and see if there really was a long line-up or not. I read that often the wait times get inflated near park close to encourage people to leave instead of gettting in line. The front was empty. We walked in, and walked and walked. Finally we hit the line. Surprisingly, although it seemed like our wait was going to be maybe 30 minutes, it actually did take close to an hour even though the line was not backed up. We really wanted that second time on however, as we will not be back for years again. I enjoyed it even more this time!

It was just after 7 when we left the gift shop where the ride ends. All the outdoor shops/kiosks were closed and not a Cast Member in sight. This surprised me as I thought CMs would be ushering people toward the front of the park to leave. I really wanted to dawdle/sit around and wait to see darkness fall and the lights come on. We've never seen Pandora all lite up at night. However, multiple read posts keep tooting the buses run an hour before the park opens and an hour after the park closes. There were SO MANY PEOPLE though and seriously - NO CMs pushing people out! How would they get home?? I couldn't believe all of them had their own cars or would take an Uber. I couldn't find a CM to ask.

We headed for the front of the park and caught a bus to the resort around 7:40 pm. It wasn't labelled for Music but either Movies or Sports.. I forget. The driver told us at this time, he stops at all or any of the 3 as needed as they need to get people back. When I told him I had hoped to see Pandora all lite up before leaving but we were worried about not catching a bus after 8 pm, he said we could have! He said buses do NOT stop an hour after park closing. There are too many people in restaurants or shops. The buses usually run a good 2 hours afterwards, that they need to get everyone back to their resorts. I wish I had thought of asking the driver in the morning.

This day we rode:
Flight of Passage - twice
Na'vi River Journey
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Dinosaur
It's Tough to be a Bug
saw Finding Nemo (saw both shows previously so we didn't really miss Lion King)

Completely missed looking for DiVine, forgot about the Pandora Rangers, missed Winged Encounters and the Harambe acrobates.

Couldn't convince anyone to go on Kali River Rapids - I'm never going to get to try it at this rate.

We've walked through M Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Trail previously. Did not want to put more steps on our feet this time!

Finally had a pineapple dole whip but forgot to look for the cinnamon-glazed almonds/pecans or the pistachio honey crossaint.

On the way out, I took this photo. I like the look of the building. The blue and browns and the carvings around the window frames.

 

[disneyseniors]

By 3:30 we were in line for Dinosaur. Our daughter refused to ride this, so she browsed around outside and waited for us. I rode this before, 5 years ago. I was looking forward to it, knowing it will be closed and gone by the time we come back. Though I must admit, I'm looking forward to it as I rode Indiana Jones in California and LOVED it!

This time? OMG - it was awful! This ride was the most jerky, disorienting - I just don't have words. I KNOW I didn't have a problem with it years ago. I swear Disney ramped it up or something. By the time we were maybe halfway through, I gave up listening and watching, and concentrated on holding on and trying not to get thrown around all over the place. I completely understand why it's my daughter's hated ride now. If it wasn't for the fact the ride is going away, I would never ever ride this again.

View attachment 899626

I have a 2 hour gap in photos and do not recall what we did in this time period.

By 5:30, we were entering It's Tough to be a Bug. I don't believe my husband has seen this before. He liked it. He was surprised when the spiders dropped.

Afterwards, we decided to walk back to Pandora, get a bite at Satu'li Canteen and see if FOP's ride times had dropped. Originally we intended to share the cheeseburger steamed pods (never had them) but we just weren't hungry as it was too early after a late lunch. Instead, we indulged and had the Metkayina Mousse (first time) instead. This is one of the prettiest deserts I ever ate!
View attachment 899630

By now it was just after 6 PM, and even though FOP said the wait time was 60 minutes, we decided to walk past it and see if there really was a long line-up or not. I read that often the wait times get inflated near park close to encourage people to leave instead of gettting in line. The front was empty. We walked in, and walked and walked. Finally we hit the line. Surprisingly, although it seemed like our wait was going to be maybe 30 minutes, it actually did take close to an hour even though the line was not backed up. We really wanted that second time on however, as we will not be back for years again. I enjoyed it even more this time!

It was just after 7 when we left the gift shop where the ride ends. All the outdoor shops/kiosks were closed and not a Cast Member in sight. This surprised me as I thought CMs would be ushering people toward the front of the park to leave. I really wanted to dawdle/sit around and wait to see darkness fall and the lights come on. We've never seen Pandora all lite up at night. However, multiple read posts keep tooting the buses run an hour before the park opens and an hour after the park closes. There were SO MANY PEOPLE though and seriously - NO CMs pushing people out! How would they get home?? I couldn't believe all of them had their own cars or would take an Uber. I couldn't find a CM to ask.

We headed for the front of the park and caught a bus to the resort around 7:40 pm. It wasn't labelled for Music but either Movies or Sports.. I forget. The driver told us at this time, he stops at all or any of the 3 as needed as they need to get people back. When I told him I had hoped to see Pandora all lite up before leaving but we were worried about not catching a bus after 8 pm, he said we could have! He said buses do NOT stop an hour after park closing. There are too many people in restaurants or shops. The buses usually run a good 2 hours afterwards, that they need to get everyone back to their resorts. I wish I had thought of asking the driver in the morning.

This day we rode:
Flight of Passage - twice
Na'vi River Journey
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Dinosaur
It's Tough to be a Bug
saw Finding Nemo (saw both shows previously so we didn't really miss Lion King)

Completely missed looking for DiVine, forgot about the Pandora Rangers, missed Winged Encounters and the Harambe acrobates.

Couldn't convince anyone to go on Kali River Rapids - I'm never going to get to try it at this rate.

We've walked through M Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Trail previously. Did not want to put more steps on our feet this time!

Finally had a pineapple dole whip but forgot to look for the cinnamon-glazed almonds/pecans or the pistachio honey crossaint.

On the way out, I took this photo. I like the look of the building. The blue and browns and the carvings around the window frames.
View attachment 899643

Loving your trip report It brings back so many happy memories. Animal Kingdom was our favorite park, even over MK I sew and quilt, but am amazed at the beautiful back pack your sister in law made for your daughter. It was just perfect.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Our last trip was in 2020, just as Covid was being reported. Haven't been back since.

Loving your trip report It brings back so many happy memories. Animal Kingdom was our favorite park, even over MK I sew and quilt, but am amazed at the beautiful back pack your sister in law made for your daughter. It was just perfect.

Thank you @disneyseniors! I'm sorry I was unable to get back to it last week. Monday was my first day back to work of course, and I was slammed by Wednesday. I only have 3 days left however, so I'll work on getting it done this week.

I do love Animal Kingdom! I know a lot of people say it's their least favorite, or a half-day, but not to me. I think it's my favorite.

And yes, my SIL did great work! She's sewing my daughter a matching wallet for Christmas.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Saturday, September 21 = Rest Day and Disney Springs!

By now we have had 4 straight days in the parks. My fitbit was reporting an average of 20K steps a day and we were tired. Thankfully nobody stuffered from blisters or anything. Feet were fine again by morning, though I noticed by Animal Kingdom mine were become sorer earlier.

I originally meant to make Friday a rest day, but we pushed it to Saturday, figuring AK would have less crowds on Friday than Saturday. So... we slept in! So nice not to wake up at 5:30 or 6 AM. It was after 8 AM when we finally rolled out of bed and into the shower. Considering the kids normally sleep in until 9, 10, 11 AM - I was surprised to find they woke up aroud 8 AM as well.

Because we wanted to make sure we had room in our carry-ons/personal items to bring stuff back, we deliberately did not pack an outfit for each day. We gathered up all the dirty laundry and headed for the Piano Pool area. FIguring out the washers took a bit of thought. Thankfully there were people in there who explained we needed to scan the QR code on the washing machines. Dumped in 2 loads and headed off for breakfast. I love there's an app to keep track of the time the washer takes and when it is finished. About 5 minutes before the laundry was done, I left the Food Court and headed back so I could transfer everything into a couple of dryers. By this time it was 11 AM. Here's a photo just because I took a picture to make sure which dryers were ours.



While waiting for everyone else to come back from the food court, I took more photos of our area. These are our connecting rooms - 3rd floor, the 2 rooms in the blue section. The kids' window has the curtains drawn, ours has the curtains open.





All-Star Music (and I believe the other resorts) have a scavenger hunt game. At Music, they hide this Goofy prop in a different spot each day. Take a photo of it and bring it to the Front Desk. They give a button that has 4 spots for stickers. Keep finding Goofy until you fill all the sticker spots on the button. At least twice a day we ended up in the gift shop to trade pins with the pin board. We (my son & I) were told by one of the Front Desk CMs when we filled button, to bring it back for a surprise. On our last night, we brought them back to two puzzled ladies who said there was no surprise. After our trip, back home, I read in an All-Star Music facebook page how another family brought the buttons back and and they were all given Mickey Head Krispie treats on a stick. Ah well.

Part of me wishes I bought the Halloween bag below. However, I didn't think I would have room.