In exactly 5 days, we'll be busy packing for our morning flight. This trip is going to be a split stay.
The first two nights are going to be at...
Animal Kingdom Lodge! This will be our first time in a regular AKL room - we previously stayed in a Jambo House CL 1-bedroom villa.
We booked a standard view room, but I still plan on exploring to spot some animals.
After AKL, we'll be moving to...
Wilderness Lodge! Last year, WL became one of my favorite resorts, thanks to its incredible theme. I just love the tranquil, rustic vibe.
Sunrise over Bay Lake from the Lodge
Of course, we've also made some dining reservations. This dining report appropriately includes "Hungry for seconds" in the title, so as you might expect, we'll be dining at many of the same places we dined at in July. This is largely unprecedented - we've never 'recycled' so many restaurants for a second trip in a row. But thanks to the stellar experiences we had at all of them, we're very happy with our plans. Restaurants from our July trip that you can expect to see include:
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Jiko: Since we'll be staying at AKL, this one was a must for us. Our last meal here was amazing, and there are plenty of menu items I'm just dying to try. I'm especially hoping that the chermoula-roasted head-on Nigerian prawns and the "chocolate and tea safari" (Vanilla Rooibos-Tanzanian Chocolate Cake, Free Form “Kit Kat”, and Green Tea Ice Cream) remain on the menu. The combination of rooibos, chocolate, and green tea sounds amazing.
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Landscape of Flavors: This food court at Art of Animation succeeded in wowing me, thanks to an impressive plate of tandoori shell-on shrimp (cooked to order), unique sides, and freshly cooked naan bread. This place offers something for everyone, and I'm interested in trying some of their other options - perhaps some Mongolian grill fish or Portuguese sausage.
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The Wave: We might be having both lunch and dinner here, since both menus look great to us. My most recent meals here (breakfast and lunch) were great, and since we'll still be ordering from the summer menu, I'm expecting to enjoy it once again.
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Narcoossee's: After a disappointing meal in August 2011, we decided to give Narcoossee's another try since they recently experienced a chef change. The restaurant has redeemed itself to us, and right now Narcoossee's is one of our top five Disney restaurants. Maybe this time we'll finally try the cheese plate that we were planning to split for dessert.
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Grand Floridian Cafe: The Grand Floridian burger (topped with butter-poached lobster, arugula, crispy prosciutto, and red onion marmalade, on a brioche bun with chips and mango ketchup) is a real winner. We'll probably eat lunch here and split the burger, along with a second entree. No special "surprises" are necessary for us to have another great meal here.
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Hollywood Brown Derby (
maybe): My last lunch at Brown Derby was great, from the food (spit-roasted bison and berry cobbler) to the service. The only reason this place is a "maybe" is because I'm thinking about choosing Le Cellier lunch instead (which I currently have a booking for). Le Cellier might become a full-time signature next year, in which case I would expect some of their lunch-only entrees (like the house burger) to be removed from the menu. I'd love to try this dish before it potentially disappears forever, but for me, Brown Derby is always a more pleasant dining experience than Le Cellier (from food to service to atmosphere). It's going to be a tough decision.
Other restaurants that might be appearing in this report include:
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Raglan Road: This place is one of my mom's favorites, so we're planning to have a lunch here.
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Citricos: Most of our meals here have been good. At one point, Citricos was our favorite Disney restaurant, but recently it's been overshadowed by several other signatures. Since my mom and I are both huge fans of Mediterranean food, we're looking forward to returning.
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The Mara: My experiences here are very limited, but I've usually been impressed. Staying at AKL will give me a perfect opportunity to try more foods at this well-reviewed quick service location.
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Sanaa: This place gets some of the best reviews of any Disney restaurant. The problem for me is that I constantly compare Sanaa to a local (more authentic) Indian restaurant. In some ways, Sanaa's food is tamer than I would like, but it's also quite creative for a 1-credit Disney restaurant (like The Wave), which I appreciate.
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San Angel Inn: SAI is one of the only Epcot TS locations I haven't tried (the other is Teppan Edo). After a refurbishment last year and some amazing reviews this year, I'm really hoping to finally try this place.
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Artist Point: I can't believe I forgot this one! Artist Point is one of our favorites, and we skipped it during our May and July trips. Plus, since we'll be staying at WL, AP is another must-do. Hopefully we'll enjoy AP as much as always.
Of course, everything is subject to change. But for once, I feel like these plans are relatively set. We're confident in all of these locations, and I know that there's some fantastic food coming up.
). I just love the tranquil vibe there. And I can't wait to see what you think of San Angel Inn!
Normally I like my butternut squash soup on the spicy and tangy side, but The Mara's tastes like liquid pumpkin pie...I cannot find fault in that! 
