Tiffany Azzara - May 2016 - Animal Kingdom Lodge
Travel dates: May 7-8, 2016
Travel method: Personal vehicle
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Accommodations: Standard view with bunk beds
Ages represented in group: 30s, preschooler, toddler
Disney Resort experience represented in group: Frequent
Cast of characters: Tiffany, 36; Nick, 38; Andrew, 5; Matthew, 2
Planning:
About a month before my birthday in early May, we decided to do an overnight stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge over Mothers Day weekend to visit the animals and relax by the pool. A couple of days before the trip, we realized it would be on the cool side (for Florida) and Matthew was fighting a cold, so we decided to spend a day in Epcot enjoying the Flower & Garden Festival instead of at the AKL pool.
At the last minute, I was able to book FastPass+ reservations for The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Living with the Land, and Journey Into Imagination -- not hard-to-get FPs by any means, but its what works for our family, especially with Soarin closed at the time. I was secretly proud of myself for not going overboard on the planning; usually I go crazy thinking through every last detail, but Ive gotten to the point where I realize that we can't do everything regardless of how much we plan and hustle, we will be back, and its the small things that keep us coming back, like -- spoiler alert -- strolling World Showcase and taking in the sights and sounds, and sitting with a beer while the boys play in a play area.
Saturday, May 7:
We packed most of our things the night before, so when we woke up in the morning all we had to do was pack up our toiletries, eat breakfast and load up the car. We made the 90-minute drive to Disney and were parking in the Epcot lot around 9:45. Bag check was a breeze, and we were quickly through the turnstiles and taking pictures with Spaceship Earth and the topiaries in front of it.
Andrew saw Pluto and wanted to take a picture with him, so we got in line. The queue was short and moved quickly, but when we got to the front of the line Andrew got a little spooked and decided hed rather just wave to Pluto.
We watched a Fountain of Nations show, which I broadcast to my friends via Facebook Live, then headed over to The Seas. The boys loved the mine birds, so we watched them for a while, then used our first FastPass of the day. Nick and I each took a boy into a clam-mobile and both boys were spooked by the dark ride. I think the glowing jellyfish were their undoing.
All four of us love animals and sea creatures, so we spent quite a bit of time after the ride exploring the exhibits, seeing manatees, eels, clownfish, sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, you name it.
Next we went over to The Land. Nick wanted coffee and our Living with the Land FastPass wasnt yet active, so we detoured to Sunshine Seasons, where we split some snacks and drinks. (I loooove the iced mocha in Disneys food courts!) Nick was texting with his boss, who was also in Epcot that day. Our plans didnt really align, so instead of trying to meet up we just said wed see them if we saw them.
After a bathroom break, we walked through the Living with the Land FastPass queue. Again, the boys were a bit tense during the dark portion of the ride -- Andrew didnt like the crocodiles and monkeys, and Matthew just kept his head buried in my chest -- but they perked up when we got to the greenhouse. Living with the Land is such a simple ride, but it remains one of my favorites, I guess because its a classic Epcot attraction. I remember wanting to live in the farmhouse when I was a girl, and I love the retro music. I also love the Innoventions area background loop and enjoyed hearing that while we were walking around Future World.
Matthew needed a diaper change, so we popped into the bathrooms toward the back of the Imagination pavilion where there are two PAY PHONES in the wall. I pointed them out to Andrew and asked if he knew what they were, and he had no idea. There was no one in those restrooms per usual, so it was a quick in-and-out before our ride with Figment. I love that little purple guy and his upside-down house. In the Imagination gift shop, Andrew picked out a couple of blind bags (mystery bags that have little Disney figurines in them), which he paid for.
Wed done pretty much all we wanted to do in Future World, so we made our way toward World Showcase. There was a musical melodies playground set up between FW and WS, so we stopped to let the boys play. While we were walking into the play area, a lady and three little girls passed us. One of the girls asked to play, and the lady told her something along the lines of You can play at home. I didnt spend all this money for you to play. Which I get -- Disney World is by no means cheap -- but some of my favorite memories are from down times rather than attractions.
Anyway, Nick went to grab us each a beer while I watched the kids, who were having the time of their lives running, climbing and making friends. Since I couldnt join them on the jungle gym, I made a fourth FastPass reservation for Spaceship Earth, which Andrew had been asking about, for later that day. After a nice little break, we rounded up the boys, made sure they were hydrated (the day was breezy but pretty warm) and were on our way. On our way out of the area, a CM handed us a few packets of seeds. Even though we will surely kill any plants that actually grow from them, it was a nice touch.
Entering World Showcase from the Canada side, I saw what looked like Tervis tumblers in the Flower & Garden Festival shop, so I popped in to check them out. Sure enough, they were authentic Tervis! Being a firm believer in buy what you want the first time you see it at Disney, I had Nick buy one for my Mothers Day gift.
Nick asked to see O Canada!, so we walked through the gardens and watched the waterfall for a bit before seeing the show. Matthew fell asleep on Nick and he was still out when the film was over, so we just transitioned him to his stroller. We walked through the UK (the Peter Pan topiary on top of the building is one of my favorites), and I pointed out the International Gateway, being sure to tell Nick how easy it is to get from the Beach Club to Epcot. ;)
We strolled through France, Morocco and Japan, stopping for adult beverages as we needed them, and I believe Nick got a skewer of some sort from the Flower & Garden booth in Morocco. Our next big stop was America, where we got the pulled pork slider and beef brisket hash from the Smokehouse booth. I ran into the quick-service place there (Liberty Inn, I think) to get a kids chicken fingers plate for the boys, and we sat at a picnic table in the shade to the right of The American Adventure. After we ate, Nick wanted to see the gallery inside, so we went into the building. Voices of Liberty was getting ready to perform, so I took Matthew to sit in the rotunda with me and listen to them. It was my first time, and I thought they were amazing! I actually got teary-eyed. The boys were not nearly as impressed.
We spent the rest of the afternoon leisurely strolling and stopping to do whatever caught our attention. We had prosecco and Italian sangria in Italy; I got a sea salt caramel brownie from Karamell-Kche in Germany, where the boys watched the trains for a while; and in the Outpost, the kids played bongos and drove the car there while Nick and I enjoyed the shade (and maybe another beer or two). Between China and Norway, we ran into Nicks boss and his family, so we chatted with them for a while.
When we got to Mexico, we asked Andrew whether he wanted to ride Gran Fiesta Tour and/or Spaceship Earth or just go to Animal Kingdom Lodge, and he chose the latter; he was eager to see the animals! We stopped into the Baby Care Center at the Odyssey to change Matthew, then the rest of us used the restrooms near Spaceship Earth before we went out to our car and drove to AKL.
Id completed online check-in and gotten the text with our room number, so we parked and carried our things in. Id booked a standard-view room with bunk beds, but we actually had a partial savanna view! We spent some time animal-watching on the balcony, then left to explore the resort. First up was dinner at Mara. Nick had the chicken pita, I had the rotisserie chicken and its a safe bet the kids had chicken fingers. And of course we had to get some Zebra Domes. :)
After dinner, I stopped at the pool bar to get a Pina CoLAVA, my favorite Disney pool drink, while the boys went over to see the flamingos. From there we wandered around watching the different animals, stopping for a bit to chat with a nice CM who took our wildlife spotting guide and marked where at the resort we could see each type of animal. Next up was a walk through the beautiful lobby, where Andrew and Matthew stopped to play bongos with some CMs and other kids near the gift shop. On our way back to the room, we stopped at different lookouts to see various animals. At one, there was a baby giraffe that would run almost all the way to its mom (I assume), then do an about-face and run away. He did that a few times, and the boys got a kick out of it. Soon it was back to the room for baths and bed.
Sunday, May 9:
We spent a leisurely morning waking up, watching the animals from our balcony, and getting dressed and packed up before heading down to the Mara for breakfast. While we were waiting in line to order, a CM came and got Andrew, taking him to a table where kids were coloring Mothers Day cards.
We ordered a few things to split, and of course I got another iced mocha. We sat outside near the pool and just enjoyed the scenery and the company. Before going back upstairs, we stopped into the resort gift shop. Andrew picked out a toy okapi, and I got a bottle of the grapefruit H2O lotion found in the deluxe resort rooms.
After a quick trip back to the room to pick up our things, we drove over to Kidani to see the okapi near the pool. Weve stayed at Jambo House a few times but had never gone over to Kidani Village, and I wish Id known how awesome their pool area is! Its so kid-friendly that we will have to take advantage next time. We saw the okapi and some storks (I think), then drove home.
Next up is a big family trip with my parents, brother and cousin in July!
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Tiffany Azzara, Animal Kingdom Lodge, May 7-8, 2016
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