Plans:
Animal Kingdom rope drop is 9 a.m., so I'm hoping to leave the room by 8:15, 8:30 at the latest so we can drive over. We may not make it for the actual rope drop, but hopefully we will still beat the midmorning rush.
Must-dos:
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Maharajah Jungle Trek
• Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
• The Boneyard
• Affection Section
Maybe-dos:
• Finding Nemo – The Musical or Festival of the Lion King
• Expedition Everest
• DINOSAUR
We will probably leave the park in the early afternoon, and I doubt we will return. We'll spend the rest of the day at POFQ, swimming or taking the boat to Downtown Disney. Early night this night, as the next day is Magic Kingdom day!
Actual:
Nick and I woke up at about quarter to 7 after tossing and turning for most of the night (out of excitement, I like to think). We let Andrew sleep in while we got ready. We left the room at 8:30 and drove to Animal Kingdom. Nick told me on the way there that he’d like to eat at Bongos while we were at the World (we LOVE Cuban food), so on our way to AK I pulled up Mobile Magic and made an ADR for that night – not that we really needed it, but I like using Disney’s reservation system whenever I can.
We parked close enough at AK to skip the tram. After walking to the front of the park, we went through bag check and exchanged our Wild for 3 vouchers for tickets (Donald for Nick, Pluto for me) and walked through the turnstiles. We took our time going back to Africa, stopping to see some spoonbills, macaws and regular ol’ ducks, and to have a PhotoPass photographer take some pictures of us with the Tree of Life.
We picked up FastPasses for the safari and walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Highlights for Andrew were the frogs and rats (great – do I have a creature collector on my hands?), while I enjoyed seeing the baby gorilla and the meerkats.
After walking the trail, we sat on a bench outside the KS FastPass entrance so Andrew could eat an Uncrustable. (Like his father, he could eat peanut butter at every meal and be happy.) Nick and I had eaten peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast back in the room (my point exactly), and Andrew hadn’t wanted anything to eat at that time. I caught up on my trip report notes, and Nick tweeted some pictures.
We basically walked the FP line into our safari vehicle, where CM Alyssa kept us entertained for a while; the safari was much longer than I remembered. I don’t know if that’s because I was seeing it through Andrew’s eyes, but it was a nice, long safari. We saw a LOT of animals, which Andrew loved, but all we saw of the lions was a tail (hers) and a paw (his). We didn’t take any pictures, but we did get some video of Andrew’s reactions.
Once we retrieved our stroller, we took the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Once again Andrew loved the creepy-crawlies. The veterinarians were performing surgery on a tiny fox, but there was a big crowd around the glass and we couldn’t get close enough to really see what was going on. The petting zoo was down for a refurb, which I was pretty disappointed about; I’d totally missed that news, and I know Andrew would’ve really enjoyed seeing the animals. Oh, well … there’s always next time!
We took the train back and went to Flame Tree Barbecue. Now, I had been *dying* for some good (OK, that’s a strong word) barbecue, but when we got there it was just too darn hot – “Animal Kingdom hot” – for barbecue, so I got the turkey sandwich instead. It came with a slice of honeydew and was really good! Nick got the barbecued chicken salad, and we got some fries for all of us to share (we also gave Andrew some turkey and some of Nick’s salad; the kid loves lettuce), along with a large Diet Coke for me and Nick. Our total was $23.61.
After lunch we went to The Boneyard to let Andrew run off some energy. He ended up loving the area with the flowing water, along with the many slides, though it took him a while to warm up. We learned a lot about him this trip. I’d known from watching him at daycare that he’s a little reserved (which makes sense; Nick and I are, too), but it was interesting to see just how timid he can be until he warms up to something or someone.
Once he learned his way around The Boneyard, he didn’t want to leave, but – being the bad parents we are – we made him get back into his stroller, and we exited the park. He was asleep before we go to the car and slept on the way back to POFQ.
We all lay down in bed when we got back to our room, but Andrew was awake by then and goofing off. It soon became apparent that he wasn’t going to nap any longer – at least not then – so we put on our swimsuits and sunscreen, grabbed his floatie and went to the pools. We were there for about an hour and a half, starting in the “big” pool and ending up in the kiddie pool. Nick and I got a couple of drinks from Mardi Grogs (another Pina Colava for me, sangria for him - $20.31) and just enjoyed relaxing with our son.
Back in the room, we once again tried to get Andrew to nap with us, but he was wired. So we showered, got dressed and headed to the boat launch for Downtown Disney. We were at the river by 5 and waited maybe 10 minutes for a boat before taking the leisurely trip down the Sassagoula. After arriving at the Marketplace, we mentally prepared ourselves for the hike to Bongos on the West Side … but it didn’t end up being that bad.
I remember it being a miserably long walk on previous visits, but since October Nick and I have lost a combined 42 pounds (mostly him – I am SO proud of him) by working out and, more recently, watching what we eat, and we really felt the difference this trip. It’s amazing what being active can do for you!
We checked into Bongos, where the hostess sat us right in front of the stage. We asked whether the band would be playing, and she said no, they only play on Friday and Saturday nights. Wouldn’t you know that not two minutes after we sat down, a trio of men took the stage, grabbed their instruments, and started playing and singing. There was a group of servers and manager-looking types standing next to the stage who saw us with befuddled looks on our faces and just kind of chuckled until Nick was like, “Are you going to move us?” Then one of them finally came over, helped us gather our things and moved us to a much more suitable table – one of those little alcove booths in the back bar area.
Nick ordered a mojito, and this time I had a sangria. Yum! Bongos never fails to disappoint us. For dinner I had the Vaca Frita de Pollo with a side of black beans, and Nick had either the churrasco or the palomilla – I can’t remember which, but I know he likes both of them. I can’t find our receipt, either, but I want to say dinner was around $70. That included Andrew’s palomilla and fries off the kids’ menu.
Here I am, begging Andrew for a kiss...
and receiving one.
After eating more than we probably should have (right after I preach about being healthier, of course), we strolled back to the Marketplace, taking our time and letting our food settle. We let Stitch spit on us outside World of Disney, but we didn’t go in. It looked super crowded, and I get a bit of anxiety in those situations. I just don’t like shopping under pressure.
We went into Team Mickey so Nick could look for another vintage Mets shirt (he has a few from previous trips), but there were none to be found. Boo. Andrew, however, found a Lightning McQueen football that he took to spiking all over the store, so we paid for that and left ($10.60). We went to the Christmas store (Christmas is probably our favorite holiday) but didn’t see anything we had to have, then we went to Goofy’s in search of ice cream. The only thing we got there was a bottle of Dasani for $2.50.
We bit the bullet and went to Ghirardelli, where the line had been out the door the first time we walked by. It was much more manageable now, so we got a scoop of cookies & cream in a waffle cone for Nick and a chocolate milkshake for me ($11.93). We sat on one of the brick planters outside to enjoy our dessert. I don’t think either of us finished our treats, and I know we both shared with Andrew (he has Mommy’s sweet tooth) and he ended up with a chocolate mustache.
After letting Andrew walk along the brick “railing” a bit, we hopped back on the boat for the float “home” to POFQ.
We went straight to our room and did our nightly routine. Andrew was in bed by 9, and it was lights out for me and Nick by 9:30.
Go to Day 3, Part 1
Sorry it took me so long to jump on your TR. But enjoying it so far !! Little Andrew is such a handsome little man. So cute! Love your Poly photoshoot - reminds me that I def want to do that. I think $150 is worth it - it costs that much to go to a local (chain) studio and get the CD with images. The Poly was a great spot for it, too, we might just follow suit! I think we can only book 30 days in advance, right? 
And Andrew is absolutely adorable! He looks like he enjoyed AK and DTD, which is good. 
Oh well. My fave is the hammock one too!! Such a nice photo of your family!
Thanks for joining in! We did have a really nice day. 
