First December at Disney, first Jollywood, and a first time doing a trip report!

[Mikey15]

Saturday Dec 7, 2024, the halfway mark of our trip:



We don’t tend to plan park days on Saturdays. I find there’s still a weekday / weekend rhythm to crowds, and that’s especially so at a time of year like December. But that doesn’t mean we stay away from neat things.

On Dec 7, we slept in and then leisurely headed to a Whispering Canyon ADR at Wilderness Lodge, to enjoy a good brunch and also take in the sights of the WL lobby at Christmastime.



There’s great places to sit and read, even if it’s reading your phone



In the afternoon they even open up a little cookie and hot cider stand, which we enjoyed so much we came back the following week too. We each enjoyed a warm cider, and I remember liking the Linzer cookie and the dark chocolate bar.



We did a little shopping on the way back to the resort. Went to a different TJ Maxx up in Dr Phillips and took a photo of this ridiculous thing at Home Goods ($700 ):



Then we just settled in at the resort for a quiet night, while I watched some good and thrilling conference championship games for college football.

It was all recharge time, but that’s absolutely needed on any vacation. It’s ESPECIALLY needed on vacations with 10+ mile walking days

 

[Mikey15]

Sunday Dec 8th had some brunch discussions surrounding Disney resort, Disney Springs, and non-Disney restaurants but we ended up in decision paralysis and not going out for brunch at all. We’ve done the Art Smith’s Homecomin’ brunch before. While I enjoyed it, it wasn’t worth going back for her, so we were just looking at other ideas. Maybe this year!

We did do another foodie move and went to try something for dinner, on the way to our actual dinner
That night our destination was Sana’a, an old favourite of ours, but on the way we had to try this Gourmet Grilled Cheese from the pool bar of all places at Kidani.



It was actually worth the special stop! I really liked it anyway. It’s not exactly a kids’ grilled cheese but more like what I would make at home.

We then made our way to our Sana’a reservation. Bread service was a must, but we don’t usually fuss around with their entrees as much. This time I was almost prepared to order one once I saw it came with Upma as a side; Upma being an Indian dish made with semolina (Cream of Wheat), spices, and vegetables that Indian family friends make so well but I hadn’t had in years at that point. Our server was so nice and checked with the kitchen about getting just the side Upma without the entree, and I was even able to order some to take home as well.

The ‘pixie dust’ continued when each side was only a $3.99 side of rice on our bill! Of course, he also helped us with drink recommendations (which at Disney means >$15 cocktails with 2oz or more), and dessert recommendations after they no longer had my favourite Sana’a dessert; the Seradura real butterscotch pudding. Not sure how they got rid of that because it was just so good, and I’m not much of a sweets person. The new dessert options just couldn’t hold a candle to this:



After dinner, we headed over to DS for some evening shopping before heading home

 

[Mikey15]

I guess I’m going to skip Monday Dec 9. At this point I have no idea what happened without going back to my credit card statement

We stay at a great resort called Summer Bay which is on the west end of US-192, so we probably enjoyed a pool day and maybe went to happy hour over at the Bahama Breeze ten minutes away. No photo evidence so I’m not sure how much you’re interested in me describing the tostones nachos, or their adult beverage menu, but it’s definitely a staple for us. There’s another one by Disney Springs / Vineland Premium Outlets. It’s another Darden chain, but it’s not everywhere like Longhorn or Olive Garden so we try to enjoy it once or twice a trip.

Tuesday Dec 10th on the other hand had a LOT! of photos as we drove to Busch Gardens for the day.



Actually it is coming back to me one one thing that occurred on Monday, which was the total pain it was to book the Giraffe feeding experience we were so looking forward to doing at BG. We did it a decade before and had so much fun taking photos w the giraffes while feeding them lettuce, but there was an issue with the booking site just not processing our payment, and the issue was with the site rather than our card. But with issue resolved we meandered our way through BG for the first time since 2016. While Animal Kingdom actually does have good zoo exhibits in addition to its rides and shows, I feel like a lot of guests walk right past them, tucked into nooks and crannies off of the main path. BG in contrast does a good job of centering the zoo experience, and even theming rides to the animals nearby.



After checking out the cheetahs, for example, I waited in a short line for the Cheetah Run coaster. Most coasters at Busch Gardens are the real deal like you’d find at Sea World or a dedicated roller coaster park, and it’s well worth the drive to Tampa if you’re into them.

Giraffe experience was added cost ($$) but still a lot of fun. You’re on the back of a truck with railings all around, and they take you around to see the different animals of their safari area, before heading over to the giraffes. The giraffes voluntarily come over because they know they’re going to get a lettuce treat, and you can take your own photos on top of the ride-along ($$) photographer’s shots,



It wasn’t ~quite~ as magical as last time when our group alone was half the truck, but we still had a blast.

Afterwards we toured counterclockwise around BG checking out various animal exhibits. Our favourite though was a walk-through kangaroo enclosure. The walk-through was free, but we each got trays of treats to literally have kangaroos eating out of our hands. 100% magical, and we fell in love with this older, greying kangaroo. Very much looking forward to going back.