9 Days, 6 Parks, 3 resorts, and 1 "Villainous Arabian Night" SURPRISE Party! (updated 4/13)

[TeamSy]

Day 3 Epcot Continued...

So Spaceship Earth neared the end, and we all erupted in a fit of laughter over the face Josh made...


I just can't even

After Spaceship Earth, we had some time before the Mission Space fast passes, so we checked out the art store that's nearby. I just LOVE looking at Disney art stores. My favorite is at the Boardwalk, then Downtown Disney. They're all a really dangerous place for me because I want it ALL.

So we spent about 30 minutes in there drooling. Then my brother's girlfriend wanted Starbucks, so while they did that, Josh wanted to test out the soda's from around the world, so off we went!


My brother met us by the sodas, and then we went to take pictures in front of the ball.


Then it was time for their Mission Space fast pass, so we switched some magic bands around and off they went. We said we'd meet them by the ride's exit, and while my brother and I headed to guest services to fix my cancelled fast pass accident, Josh and my brother's girlfriend went to Mission Space.

So the lady at guest relations was AWESOME. I told her how I accidentally cancelled my third fast pass and she laughed, telling me it happens all the time. I can only imagine. She asked what I originally had and I told her I didn't really care - we just want to get rid of it so we could get a 4th pass for Soarin'. She said no problem and then just asked what time I wanted Soarin' for! Sweet!

I got it for late in the day, because I figured we'd go on it and then head right from there to dinner at Garden Grill. We couldn't get ones for my brother and his girlfriend, since their fast passes are both currently in use on Mission Space, but that was their third fast pass, so the lady said we could just go to a FP kiosk and get it the regular way once they were off the ride.

So my brother and I left guest relations and headed to Mission Space to meet them. We went inside the play area (YAY for AC!!) and waited. Josh said it wasn't bad AT ALL, and I looked at him, swearing they must have gone on the less intense version. He INSISTED they went on the Orange one and swears that Disney must have toned it down, but I dunno. I mean, I remember it being BAD.

Next, we walked to the FP kiosk so my brother and his girlfriend could the 4th FP for Soarin'. They had no problem getting a window within 5 minutes of ours and all was well.

Josh and I wanted to go to the character spot next, since it's basically right there, but my brother's girlfriend HATES meeting characters (boy is she in for a surprise at Garden Grill tonight ). My brother wanted to meet the characters too, so the three of us went while she waited outside.






Then it was off to the Living Seas pavilion. That portion is all on my GoPro, so like I said previously, I'll deal with that later. I LOVE outside - "Mine, Mine, Mine"... it cracks me up!

We went on Nemo and walked around, seeing all the fish. Last trip, Josh and I did the snorkeling IN the tank, so we were telling them about that and decided that next time, we'd all do it, because Josh and I for sure want to do it again!! It was just SUCH an amazing experience and so much fun. I highly recommend it!!!

Josh and I wanted to head on Ellen's adventure, since we skipped it last time, but my brother and his girlfriend just did NOT want to go. We told them we could just meet up with them later, after the ride, but whatever, for some reason they came anyway. I get the ride is long, but I think it's awesome!



So this above picture? When Josh and I looked over at them 5 minutes later, they were SLEEPING!!!

Next, it was time for my favorite part of the day - the Countries!! We walked to World Showcase, starting with Mexico for The Three Caballeros but first... a Mickey bar!



Continued...

 

[Alexsandra]

Hahaha, love the pic of you guys on Mission space. I also love that ride. I think it is the only ride I remember from my childhood. The others are a big blur!
I can't believe that they don't give you a pic with Belle anymore at Alkersus! What a shame, I love Belle.
It is really cool that guest relations fixed your canceled FP. Soaring must be done with FP. The wait time are really long and there is never anything interesting or distracting while in line so it just one of those rides that is unbearable to wait for.
Keep it coming!

 

[disvisitorkim]

Following along! Heard a lot of negative things about Ellens' ride.
How can you hate meeting characters in Disney??

 

[TeamSy]

Day 3 Epcot Continued...

So last we left off, I was eating a Mickey ice cream bar before we went on the Three Caballeros.



I absolutely love this ride, and have always wanted to dine in the restaurant that overlooks it. It sort of reminds me of Blue Bayou in Disneyland California (which was awesome, btw)... it overlooks the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride and is just an unbelievable atmosphere! Problem is, there are just SO MANY restaurants in Epcot, I don't think I'll ever get to them all. Aside from the large amount, we love so many of them that we keep going back to the same ones!! It's an issue, I tell you!



So after Mexico, we started the loop around World Showcase...


Josh decided he was hungry, so he grabbed an egg roll. He said it was great. I wish I had a bite.





We went into every country to check out what they had. We didn't watch any of the movies, but enjoyed looking in all the gift shops, trying hard not to lighten our pockets.

Between Germany and Italy we got some drinks...


In Morocco we wanted to get something to remember Josh's Aladdin birthday!


Then by the time we reached England, Alice was meeting and had practically no wait, so we jumped on it.


Next, we went into the shops there. Josh loves BBC shows, so he really likes the stores here. His mom loves Doctor Who, so we got something for her. He took forever to pick something out, so we started getting bored...


Then my brother's girlfriend stumbled upon the area where they look up your family's name/location and show you your family's crest and the meaning of your name. Josh LOVES stuff like this, so of course he had them do it, and then he HAD to purchase that whole thing.

We were nearing our fast pass time for Soarin', which was perfect because we made it around the whole circle... semi-circle... Whatever it is...

I actually find Soarin' completely terrifying, and my brother, who is scared of, like, every ride LOVES it. How?!

Anyway, we all went on. I just always use the child strap .

I can't wait for the new video. It's a great video for CALIFORNIA, but it's just a little weird here! But who doesn't love to see Puddy?!

"I gotta go home and change before the game. I'll be back. We'll make out."
Any Seinfeld takers? No? Oh well.

So after Soarin' we were already in The Land pavilion, so we headed upstairs to our reservation at Garden Grill. We checked in before heading to the bathroom to freshen up, because today was just so. freakin. hot. I loved it. No rain, just HEAT.

Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

Day 3 Epcot Continued: Dinner at Garden Grill...

I haven't been to Garden Grill since I was a kid, and Josh has never been, so we thought it would be a fun restaurant to try. My brother and his girlfriend wanted to come too, that is until she learned it was a character meal, but by then it was too late LOL.

Dinner is served family style, while farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale all come around. The restaurant rotates slowly (you can't even feel it moving), and overlooks the Living With The Land ride. It's a great atmosphere, and as far as character meals go, it's pretty inexpensive. You start out with a salad, and some of it is grown right below in Living With The Land!

Main course was pretty good. None of us ate the fish, but we pretty much devoured everything else. Josh loved the mashed potatoes, the beef was originally brought out far too pink for all our liking, but our waitress had them cook a new, well done batch, which was good. The broccoli was great and definitely a favorite for all, as was the mac and cheese. Although we didn't care for the gold fish crackers they put on top of it. We got seconds of what we liked, and overall, our server was friendly and great!



They had it noted on the reservation that we were celebrating Josh's birthday, and brought over a card signed by the characters as well as some stickers along with our desert. It was definitely a cute touch.


I just can't even deal with my brother's girlfriends face in this picture ... she really doesn't like the characters!


The interactions were great, and I don't know if it was just not busy, or we ate really slowly, but the characters came around multiple times!










It was really fun and we just could not get over how inexpensive a character meal it was!

We caught the very tail end of Illuminations as we made our way back through World Showcase to the International Gateway. We stopped in the gift shop as you leave, because we just can't seem to stay out of them.

My brother and his girlfriend departed by Beach Club to head to their car, while Josh and I continued walking to Yacht Club. Actually, we all originally planned to go to Jellyrolls for music and drinks, but my brother and his girlfriend were just too tired.

Josh and I briefly stopped in the Yacht Club gift shop to pick up our purchases from the previous day on our way to our room, still planning on going to Jellyrolls ourselves. We've had Jellyrolls on our trip plans for the last five trips and have just never made it. We showered to wake ourselves up (not to mention to get off the sweat from the day), changed (obviously), and headed out to Boardwalk.



We left our room and made it halfway down the hall before stopping. We both laughed and asked each other if the other really wanted to go. We both did, but were just exhausted. Still, neither of us wanted to be the one who turned down going to Jellyrolls. AGAIN.

We eventually called it a truce before turning around and heading back to our room, still laughing. We swore that NEXT TIME, we'll go. We agreed that we just have to plan to go on a day when we're at a water park, or hanging out at the hotel, and not when we're walking around a PARK. It's just too tiring. Next trip, we will plan it around Jellyrolls. We HAVE TO. We ended up changing AGAIN (only, into PJs this time), and crashed on the bed, turning on the TV to relax a bit before going to sleep.

Tomorrow, my brother and his girlfriend are going to Islands Of Adventure/Universal. We didn't want to miss out on going to Animal Kingdom, which is Josh's favorite park, so that's where we're headed tomorrow! Stay tuned!

 

[pookersmom]

Day 3 Epcot Continued...

I can't wait for the new video. It's a great video for CALIFORNIA, but it's just a little weird here! But who doesn't love to see Puddy?!
View attachment 126046
"I gotta go home and change before the game. I'll be back. We'll make out."
Any Seinfeld takers? No? Oh well.

ME! I think of this every time we're about to board Soarin'. Also, "Yeah. I'm a face painter." Also I met him at Denver Comic Con this summer and he's super deadpan hilarious in real life too.

Love your trip report so far. Great photos!

 

[TeamSy]

ME! I think of this every time we're about to board Soarin'. Also, "Yeah. I'm a face painter." Also I met him at Denver Comic Con this summer and he's super deadpan hilarious in real life too.

Love your trip report so far. Great photos!

No way!! I'm so jealous! I love EVERYTHING Seinfeld!! My husband and I saw Jerry's comedy show once a few years ago and it was WONDERFUL! We just started watching Veep ... I hope I look at good as Julia Louis-Dreyfus one day when I'm her age!

 

[TeamSy]

Yay It's Monday...!

Just trying to be optimistic, guys!! How can I not be, because we just booked our next Disney trip !!!

We loved going this time of year SO MUCH that we booked Aug/Sep for next year too! This time around, we're gonna do Beach Club (since it was just renovated and, by the time we go, 6 1/2 years since we stayed there), and then Poly! Woohoo! We may add offsite on there at the end of our trip again, but we aren't sure yet. Anyway, back recapping this past trip...

 

[Karin1984]

I love your surprise! You easily end up in the top 5 of best Disney girlfriends ever!

 

[Bebella]

Whaaaat?! She hates the characters? That's the part I'm looking forward to most! Hah.

Awesome news...another trip!! We're planning on a fall trip too (in 2017! :/ haha) so DLR in the spring will have to hold me over until then!

 

[TeamSy]

Whaaaat?! She hates the characters? That's the part I'm looking forward to most! Hah.

Awesome news...another trip!! We're planning on a fall trip too (in 2017! :/ haha) so DLR in the spring will have to hold me over until then!

I have to admit, I love DLR just as much and would be just as excited! Matterhorn is my favorite! The cars ride!! And pirates is so much better there!!!

 

[TeamSy]

Day 4: Check Out Of Yacht Club, Animal Kingdom: Breakfast @ Tusker House

We woke up and had one of the EASIEST check out/get luggage transferred/get bus to park - Disney experiences we've ever had. I'm not sure what time Josh got up to shower, but he got me up around 8am. I showered last night, so all I had to do was simply get dressed, then we hustled to get our stuff packed. We were out of our room by 8:30. I'm pretty sure that's a record for me.

The check out process at Yacht Club was extremely easy, and we handed all our luggage (wine too!) over to bell services to be transferred to Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then we were off. The Animal Kingdom bus came promptly, and it was overall an amazing experience. Much better than last time we stayed at Beach Club (Jan. 2010) and the bus stopped a million places. This was such a 180, and a PLEASURE.

We were actually extremely sad to be leaving Yacht Club, and were wishing we just stayed here the entire time. Not that we weren't looking forward to testing out Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time, it's just that Yacht Club is SO EASY to get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, and it really just started to feel like home. We LOVED it. Nevertheless, we were excited to be heading to Animal Kingdom for the day, which is Josh's favorite park. We were also excited for it to be just the two of us, as my brother and his girlfriend decided to head over to Universal/IOA today.

So we got to the park quickly, and of course took the obligatory photo outside the main entrance...


We were still a little early for our 9:30 breakfast at Tusker House, so we stopped to also take a picture in front of the tree...


Then it was off to breakfast. I've always thought Animal Kingdom sort of lacks dining, which isn't really fair of me to say, since we've never tried anything but quick service here. We really have no interest in Rainforest Cafe, as there's one in a mall not too far from us. I like character dining, so we settled on Tusker House. Again, we thought the price for a character meal wasn't bad at all. We checked in... and then waited.


And then we waited some more.

Seriously, we got seated at Be Our Guest quicker than we did here. We were almost to the point where we were going to go up to the guy to see if we missed them calling our name or something - even though we were sitting right here, but a minute later, we were FINALLY called!

We were lead inside and my first impression of this place is that it's a madhouse. I mean, what were we thinking?! I thought for sure we would hate it based on the volume and crowd alone.

THANKFULLY, we were seated at a quiet table for two in the very back, and while it was far from the buffet, I was grateful!!

So while you eat, "Safari" Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Mickey come around. Like I said, it's a madhouse. There are A LOT of tables and people to see, so the character interaction is FAST, but still, I think for the price, it's worth it.


Plus, I always appreciate Donald, and especially Daisy, so it was fun!







We both ended up visiting the buffet twice, and, despite our less than thrilled first reactions, we would definitely return. I liked already being in the park, I liked the characters, the food was pretty good, and best of all - the price! I'm just really not used to eating breakfasts while away for so cheap - plus to have characters there too!



So once we finished, we set off to explore Josh's favorite park. I was a little surprised by all the construction! My goodness! We still had some time to kill before our safari fast pass, so, coming up, we walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail...

Continued...

 

[Alexsandra]

My family loves Tusker House for breakfast. We love the food there, especially their jungle juice. I think the characters have the cutest outfits too so makes for great pictures. We usually book it for 8:30 AM before the park opens as there is usually less people and a great opportunity to take pictures of the park without tons of people in the way. Just a suggestion for next time

 

[TeamSy]

My family loves Tusker House for breakfast. We love the food there, especially their jungle juice. I think the characters have the cutest outfits too so makes for great pictures. We usually book it for 8:30 AM before the park opens as there is usually less people and a great opportunity to take pictures of the park without tons of people in the way. Just a suggestion for next time

Yes! We talked about doing that next time... if I can get my butt outta bed early enough lol.

 

[TeamSy]

Day 4 (Continued): Animal Kingdom

So last I left off, we still had some time to kill before our safari fast pass, so we walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.









It was pretty empty, so we made it through quickly. We were already sweating - it was so hot out! We still had time before our fast pass, so we took the tram over to Rafiki Island.



We walked through the petting zoo area and then into the building to cool off. I was literally DRIPPING. It was so gross.

That's when we spotted a cast member holding a snake. I freaked out lol. I literally ran to the other side of the room. Rafiki was there and we never met him, so we hopped on that line before heading back for our Safari FP.



Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

Day 4 (Continued): Animal Kingdom

We returned from Rafiki's Planet Watch and headed straight for the safari. We had a lot better luck with FP+ this time around than our trip last January, when it was first rolling out. We pretty much walked on!!!







The safari was really long, partly because we had a zebra traffic jam.





Too funny!

I was still dripping in sweat, so we got ice cream.


Then it was time for our next FP, Kali River Rapids. This is the first time we've been on Kali in YEARS, since we usually go in January, and it's closed. Overall, I was pretty disappointed. I remember it being better. Or maybe it's because we went on the equivalent last summer in DL and it was awesome.

So we got off Kali, and between the heat and using my poncho on the ride, I was still sweating my butt off. I think it's because of the collar on my dress. You'd really think since Animal Kingdom is such a shady park, that it would be cooler, but it's not lol.

Next, we took a small detour to Dinosaur, since it's inside and we were in desperate need of some AC!!!

I never thought I'd say this, but I was a little sad it was walk on!! I wanted to simply bask in the coolness and could've stood there all day LOL!!


While on the (very short) line, I had the unfortunate realization that my entire collar was DRENCHED in SWEAT. I mean, it was WET and GROSS. I was so uncomfortable. So, after Dinosaur, we headed to Asia so I could buy new clothes. But first, we stopped to take a picture in front of Everest. Then, we walked by Everest (which we had a FP for later), and noticed it was only a 10 minute wait. We couldn't pass that up, so we went on.



I got a pair of shorts and a new shirt, and went into the bathroom to change.

A million times better!!!

We still had time before our Everest FP, so we checked out the Flights Of Wonder show.


Then, as we were leaving to head back to Everest for our FP, this happened:


Gosh, I just love Disney!!!

Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

Day 4 (Continued): Animal Kingdom

The Everest line was still short (15 minutes), so we went on (again), using standby, and then went on (yet again) right after using our FP.

Obviously, we love Everest.

It was a good thing we did standby BEFORE using our FP, because once we got off, the wait was up to 25 minutes! Honestly though, even 25 minutes for Everest isn't bad!

We ended up going to the FP kiosk to get a 4th FP (for, you guessed it - Everest!), and got the next available time (which was starting in like 30 minutes). In the meantime, we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek.











Then we headed to Everest to use our 4th FP. Yay!!! I'd say that's an Everest success!!

It was only 3:00/3:30, and the only things we had left to really do at the park was It's A Bugs Life and the two shows (Finding Nemo and Lion King). Unfortunately, Primeval Whirl was closed for refurbishment. There were no more show times, and we sort of wanted to get to our next hotel to check in and freshen up before dinner, so we decided to leave.

We headed to the buses and found the one going to our next hotel, Animal Kingdom Lodge. Honestly, we could've done It's A Bugs Life by the time the bus showed up!!!! We got the last two seats on the bus in the very back and I wish we stood, because the seats were HOT (literally)! We could not wait to get to our room and freshen up!!!

Continued...

 

[TeamSy]

Day 4 (Continued): Checking Into Animal Kingdom Lodge

So like I said earlier, we were a little sad we weren't going back to Yacht Club. The Epcot resorts area is just so wonderful!! Even when we walked into AKL I was a little sad it wasn't YC. But, don't worry, that will soon change!



Walking in, we were reminded a little of Wilderness Lodge, which we didn't like at all. However, we DID like the inside here. We'd love to go on a safari in Tanzania, so we adored the vibe! It kept us dreaming!



So we checked in and It. Took. Forever.



Honestly, to this day, I am still really confused on what happened with our reservation. I think it ended up being a magic band issue, since we were using the same ones from YC and denied getting new ones.

After about 20 minutes, and them canceling our reservation and re-booking it, they handed us an old school card to open our door and said our magic bands should be working within the hour.

We rented points (a standard studio in Jambo), so I also had them add housekeeping every day. For a studio, the cost is $30 per day. HOWEVER, when we checked out, I went to pay cash (the only thing I owed for was the housekeeping), and the lady at check out INSISTED we didn't owe anything. She said when they rebooked our reservation, they still deducted the points from whoever we rented them from, however, they booked it as a "regular" reservation, so housekeeping was included! She basically said to just go with it and have a magical day! Pretty cool, right?! So that made the tedious check in process a little more worth it!!!

Anyhow, we finally went to our room and we couldn't find the elevators. There's no large elevator bank here!! It is so weird!! The walk seemed much longer than it really was. We headed up to the 5th floor and found our room. Finally.

We booked a standard view, and were FLOORED when we saw this. We thought for sure we were upgraded, but then I realized I think we just got one of the reclassified rooms.



I can't believe this is considered a standard view!


Forget my sweaty self. I was SO EXCITED. I grabbed the animal guide and started to check off what we saw. So far just a crane and a zebra.



Our luggage was delivered immediately, but I was too busy looking outside. So fun!!!

I also have to say, I was surprised by how much I loved the room. I was no longer missing YC as much.

Mickey's in the carpet:


The room was really great! I loved that it's the top floor of the actual hotel. It makes everything so easy!




I was completely obsessed with the wallpaper by the bathroom!


Eventually, we tore ourselves away from the balcony (and animals) to shower and get ready for dinner.

Continued...

 

[Alexsandra]

Wow, I was getting hot just reading your TR. You did well to buy new clothes. There is nothing worse than walking around a park in humid wet sticky clothes. We love AK but seem to always end up leaving early for some reason or another. AK never appealed to me but the view you got is amazing. The rooms looks nice too. Wow, impressed!

 

[TeamSy]

Day 4 (Continued): Dinner @ California Grill

And this is what I hated about Animal Kingdom Lodge: The buses. It's the ONLY transportation option, and to me, that's a huge bummer. Yes, we'd definitely stay here again (now only in a savannah view room, because I can't imagine NOT seeing animals from our balcony), but I wouldn't go back anytime soon. Obviously, I knew going in buses were the only option, but aside from that, there weren't enough of them. Getting to the parks wasn't a problem, but going back from the parks at the end of the day? A disaster! The lines were SO. LONG. Two-three buses deep, and it took FOREVER between buses. AKL was the only resort that had these kind of lines, so I really don't know what was going on! And once on the bus?

So we showered and got ready. We got on the bus to Magic Kingdom for our dinner at California Grill. The bus came fairy quickly, and was pretty empty for the off time we were going, but the trip? It took 40 minutes!

We debarked at MK, and started making our way to the Contemporary, minding our own business , when suddenly, we were being stopped. It was a bus driver. Apparently we HAD to use the walkway to go to Contemporary, and the driver (very rudely) told us this. I mean, I guess we're rebels from NY, used to walking in busy traffic, going when it says don't walk... I didn't know we HAD to use the specific walkway. But I guess you do.

So we pretty much had to walk ALL THE WAY BACK to Magic Kingdom to then use the pathway. Whatever.


At least I caught my first glimpse of MK .



And there's the Contemporary... all the way back in the distance.


Can't wait to ride Space Mountain tomorrow!!


So we finally made it.


I know we had to get to the check in desk, but I was walking by one of the stores and saw these. I HAD to stop.


I was quick. I swear.

So then we get to the check in desk for California Grill, and there were two cast members there - a male and female. We checked in with the female and asked for a table by the window (as I'm sure everyone does). She said it's no problem, but we'd probably have a long wait - like 30-45 minutes. We didn't really care and said that was fine. Then, out of nowhere, the guy chimes in and says we can't wait. I said we really didn't mind waiting and looked at the woman, because she just said we could. I mean, it's fine to tell me we can't, but he just came out of nowhere and was so rude! Then, he goes, "technically you're ten minutes late so I can deny you your reservation if I wanted to." EXCUSE ME?! I don't really know what this guys deal was, but I kept my mouth shut .

We went upstairs, and we ended up with a really good table anyway. We weren't right next to the window, but we were one table away, so not too bad.



Our waiter was super awesome and friendly, and totally made up for the guy with the 'tude downstairs. He sprinkled some confetti on the table, hearing it was Josh's birthday, as he gave us our menus.



Then he left us as we looked over the amazing food and drink selection...



Continued...