We Came, We Saw, We NAILED It! 2 BFFs Take On The World **9/1 One Man's Dream**

[JessicaKnits]

I love the family in front of you in the second Expedition Everest photo. Mom, Dad and daughter are having a great time, while son appears to be twiddling his thumbs!

You two take some really cute photopass pics!

I know, right?

I'm late in joining, but I'm reading along!!

Thank you for joining! I am so late replying, but I really appreciate you stopping by!

I didn't get a chance to see Nemo last trip! Next time, next time

Aww man! Nemo is one of my favorites, I just wish I could manage to get some decent pics of it! I asked for a new camera for my birthday this year, so maybe I will be able to figure it out!

Loving your EE photos, you can tell you're having fun

Thank you! It was so much fun to keep riding over and over again!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Ok, I know, I know. I've been a bad bad trip reporter. Like, seriously bad! I promise you though, I had a good reason!

You see, while I was out in New York, through a series of remarkable events, I ended up going on a job interview with a company that my friend works for. I ended up getting a job offer from them, and despite my never ending love affair with New York, knew I just wasn't in a place in my life to up and leave everything and go to THE City. I was however, able to leverage that job offer for a better position within my own company and I'm headed back to Charlotte in less than a month to start on that! I'm beyond excited and I'm excited to not have to worry about another Wisconsin winter this year!

So I promise that now that everything has settled down, I will get back on track with this trip report!

I hope you guys are still with me, we've got a lot of ground left to cover!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Before I share my very limited pictures from Finding Nemo, I forgot our awesome Dinosaur Photo Pass picture...

Hang on for dear life!!

Does anyone have a good camera they use that they can get decent pictures of the shows without using flash?

So without further delay, here is Finding Nemo...

We had originally planned to use a FastPass for this show, but when we got there, there was literally NO ONE in the stand by line and at least a hundred people in the FastPass line. So we ended up going through the standby line and then changing our FastPass to Kali River Rapids for later in the day. So, begrudgingly I guess I would say that is a positive for FastPass+.

 

[JessicaKnits]

We had some extra time to kill, so we decided to check out the safari one last time.

The line was not terribly long. Our plan was to ask to sit on the left side of the vehicle since we had been on the right side both times that morning.

First up were these little guys...

And then the elusive Black Rhino

And then Mr. Hippo with a bird just chilling on his head...

And a vulture...

I love the pelicans!

I can never get enough of these trees.

Hey buddy!

I've never noticed the monkeys before...

I see you!

This was the first time I have ever seen the white rhinos napping!

And this guy was right where we left him this morning...

Up Next: Snacks and the Maharajah Jungle Trek

 

[archdandy]

Cute pictures of more of the animals! I love the gorilla's too. I could spend all day just watching them.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Cute pictures of more of the animals! I love the gorilla's too. I could spend all day just watching them.

Thank you! They are always up to something interesting in the gorilla house.

 

[JessicaKnits]

The sun was getting HOT at this point now. Maybe not super hot for native Floridians, but given that it had been 50 below with the wind chill a few times that winter, 75 felt more like 100.

We decided there was no better way to "beat the heat" than to take a ride on Kali River Rapids.

I had NO idea they offered lockers for free while you rode, so I was beyond excited because I always freaked out about ruining my camera. I have this sort of Murphy's Law type of karma that always results in me getting absolutely drenched on this ride, and this time was no different.

We decided to grab some snacks to tide us over before we had dinner at Sanaa.

We weren't in a sharing type mood, so we each got some...

The amazing cinnamon-glazed pecans. These are just SOOOO amazing, but I found really not all that great the next day. If I weren't feeling so greedy, these would have been the perfect size to share.

We also each got one of these little beauties...

If you haven't ever gotten a chance to try one of the jalapeno cream cheese pretzels, I strongly encourage you to do so. They aren't spicy at all, but are just so creamy and delightful! You really can't go wrong.

We noshed on our snacks and decided we needed to embark on a little journey down the Maharajah jungle trek. I must confess, the bats with the little wigs on really creep the bejesus out of me, but the tigers do make it worth it!

Viewing the bats from a safe distance...

Next up were the tigers, who unfortunately weren't feeling all that entertaining this day.

I love how easy it is to take a great picture along this path...

Since we had a bit of time left in our day, Megan insisted we take a ride on Primeval Whirl. I had never gone on it before, so figured I would give it a try. This is a fantastic ride to go one if you want to give yourself a nice case of whip lash. This was definitely my first and last time experiencing this ride.

Up Next: A Disney First For Me!!

 

[mickeymouse108]

great trip report im all caught up i had already read your food report and it was great now enjoying this part as well.

 

[rteetz]

Animal kingdom is my favorite park! I can't believe you haven't done primeval whirl until now either.

 

[JessicaKnits]

great trip report im all caught up i had already read your food report and it was great now enjoying this part as well.

Thanks for joining! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Animal kingdom is my favorite park! I can't believe you haven't done primeval whirl until now either.

I know, I've been a bad bad girl!

 

[JessicaKnits]

After the chiropractic adventure that was Primeval Whirl, we were planning to head over to Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge to explore and maybe have a drink before our dinner that night.

Now, it's time fore my most shameful Disney confession. Prior to this trip, and excluding the Main St. Electrical Parade (I saw it several times before in Disneyland) I had NEVER watched any of the parades. It just never worked out for us timing wise.

We were about to take the path that leads to the park exit when we realized that a parade was about to start up. Since they hadn't premiered Festival of Fantasy when we were on our trip, we figured it was either now or never. So we chose now.

First up was this friendly guy...

Then came my all time favorite, Rafiki.

He really does look infinitely wise up there, doesn't he?

Then came these little guys...

The amount of detail in everything was so amazing!

Up Next: Exploring Animal Kingdom Villas and Dinner at Sanaa

 

[rteetz]

Well good thing you saw that AK parade before it ended I will miss it I hope they do a new parade once all the expansions are done. I'm very excited for the night time show though.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Well good thing you saw that AK parade before it ended I will miss it I hope they do a new parade once all the expansions are done. I'm very excited for the night time show though.

No way! I had no idea that they didn't even have this parade anymore. I'm so glad we stayed to watch it!

 

[archdandy]

Yeah the parade stopped running in May to make way for the new nighttime Avatar entertainment

 

[JessicaKnits]

We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Villas in no time.

While the lobby isn't quite as dramatic as Jambo House, it was still beautiful.

We had a good bit of time before our ADR at 5, so we popped into the gift shop where I picked up some Zebra Domes for later.

One of the ladies in the gift shop told us about the animal viewing area (we had no idea) and that they had some baby zebras and a baby giraffe out there, (again, no idea!) so we ventured off in search of them...

First up we spied the baby giraffe...

And then we saw a Zebra, but no baby...

Back to the baby giraffe...

Looking back at the villas...

This little guy was getting hungry.

Water buffalo!

There was getting to be quite a large crowd by this time, so we decided to head inside and check in for our dinner reservation.

And here is my dining review for our meal...

Since we had a car this trip, we decided to try out Sanaa at the Villas @ Animal Kingdom Lodge. I really love Indian food, and thought this would be a nice change of pace.

We arrived a little early, which was ok as it gave us plenty of time to explore the grounds before checking in for dinner.

For months before our trip, I had been dreaming of the Naan bread service at Sanaa. I could seriously eat naan dipped in various sauces for my entire meal every day, all day.

So what happened when we got to Sanaa? I forgot alllllllll about the Naan bread. Until of course I saw waiters walking by with massive platters of Naan and dipping sauce. ::facepalm::

Our meal was still very delicious!

I started with an appetizer very similar to what I had at La Hacienda the night before...

Peri Peri Shrimp - Cucumber, Apples, and Cilantro $11.99

This was delicious and had a little kick of spice, but wasn't overwhelming. The shrimp were also cooked perfectly, and a nice improvement over La Hacienda's dish was that the tails had been removed. It was about the time that I was halfway through my appetizer that the Naan began coming out, and I shed a tiny tear (on the inside of course.)

Megan started with these...

Potato and Pea Samosas - choice of Tamarind or Mango Chutney $7.99

I can't stand peas, so did not try the samosas, but the little slaw in the middle there was amazing! It was super crisp and very vinegar-y (which is how I like my slaw!)

For entrees we pretty much went with the same thing. We both went with the

Sanaa Vegetarian Sampler - Choice of two served with Basmati Rice or Five-grain pilaf: Seasonal Greens and Tomatoes; Lentil Dhal; Paneer Tikka; Seasonal Vegetable Wat; Chana Masala $16.99

I ordered the Paneer Tikka aand the Chana Masala. I thought chana was chickpeas (which it is) but did not realize that it had this little addition...

Whoops! Those are peas. Our waiter was awesome and was able to switch this out for another dish of the Paneer Tikka. In hindsight, I wish I would have ordered the spicy Durban shrimp, but the Paneer Tikka was delicious and is one of my favorites!

Here is the Paneer Tikka over rice...

Megan also ordered the Paneer Tikka, and went with the seasonal vegetable wat.

We really enjoyed our entrees and it was great to see so many vegetarian options on the menu!

For dessert, I went with...

Dessert Trio - Tannzanian Chocolate Mousse, Coconut Cheesecake, Chai Cream $6.99

(I subbed an extra coconut cheesecake instead of the Tanzanian chocolate mousse.)

I thought everything was delicious, as well as the Chai Cream. I was glad I went with two of the cheesecakes because those were the clear winner!

And Megan went with...

Coconut Cheesecake - spiced berry compote $5.49

It was interesting to see the two different presentations of the same dessert. She was pleased to find that the mango sauce was real mango, and not artificial tasting.

Overall, we had a fantastic meal here and our service was wonderful! We can't wait to go back!

Our table was right at the window, so we were lucky enough to catch these pictures during our meal.

And the guy in the middle here was the baby zebra!

The mommy or daddy giraffe came by...

After dinner, we headed back to the resort to have a few cocktails and enjoy those zebra domes. Unfortunately, this is what happens to zebra domes when you put them in your purse and carry them around with you for awhile instead of putting them directly into the fridge....

Fear not, they still tasted great!

And that finally concludes our Animal Kingdom day!

Up Next: We're off to the park I often claim to be my absolute favorite!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Yeah the parade stopped running in May to make way for the new nighttime Avatar entertainment

Aww man! I'm so glad we stopped to see it. I have actually not seen Avatar, but I suppose I have no choice now since they are building a whole land around it and everything...

 

[JessicaKnits]

Magic Kingdom has always been my favorite park.

After that, I sometimes struggle with picking a favorite, because I love all the parks for different reasons. But today we were off to the park that I choose as my 2nd favorite more often than the rest.

Perhaps it' because my two favorite rides are here.

Maybe it's because I've always had a desire to live on the beautiful west coast.

At any rate, we were off to HOLLYWOOD this morning.

But first, we needed to make a little detour to the Yacht Club for breakfast.

I had never really considered staying here in the past, but I have to say, after spending a good bit of time here on this trip, I may have been converted.

The main lobby. I LOVED that globe!

Walking out to the boat dock...

A great view of The Boardwalk in the morning!

And now I know from reading emmysmommy's review that the top floors in the turret are home to the Admiral Suite.

After exploring for a few minutes, we settled in for breakfast at Captain's Grille.

Here is my review...

I had never been to Captain's Grille before, but I was excited to try them out for breakfast.

Our server her was wonderful and explained our options. They offered either a buffet or an a la carte menu. Megan ended up going with the buffet, and I decided to order off the menu.

In my never ending quest to order anything that has hollandaise sauce on it, I went with this...

Poached Eggs - Lump crab salad, prosciutto, potato rosti, and herb hollandaise $13.99

This could have used some more crab salad, and a bit more hollandaise for my liking, but was pretty tasty.

I also ordered a vanilla latte...

And here are Megan's items from the buffet...

French toast, Mickey waffles, and some potato casserole. This potato casserole was much better than the one at Crystal Palace, and was closer to what we are used to having from home!

Fresh Fruit

Mini frittata and a pastry.

Overall, we had a nice and tasty breakfast and it was SUPER QUIET in here. There are several other items on their menu I would like to try, so I wouldn't hesitate to go back!

We would be back later in the week to try out lunch here as well.

We headed back to pick up the car after breakfast and drove the approximately 12 feet to Hollywood Studios.

One thing that I had really started to notice on this trip was how there definitely seemed to be more crowds right at rope drop than on my trip at almost the exact same time of year two years before, and with the Magic Bands and RFID cards, it took seemingly FOR.EVER. to get into the park each morning.

We had a good thirty minutes to wait before we were able to head into the park, so we spent it reading through the times guide and I tried to give Megan a bit of an idea about what there was to do in the park.

We got our Photopass picture taken...

I practiced my photography skills...

Finally it was time to go in, and we picked the line that seemingly had the blue Mickey for almost every person, which was a bummer because we were headed to Toy Story Mania in the morning.

The queue wasn't too bad when we got there...

What is it about 3D glasses that makes one simply unable to resist taking a selfie?

Unlike when we road on Buzz Lightyear earlier in the week, we did not tie...

I won for points, Megan for accuracy.

Next up, we were headed for Rock n' Roller coaster. I was a little worried about how breakfast would hold up here...

The good news is, we did just fine.

Next up we needed to go on my all time favorite Disney ride...

And only at a 10 minute wait!

Unfortunately our Photopass picture for this ride doesn't seem to have made it home with us.

Since we had already gotten the "Big Three" out of the way, we slowed down a bit and took our time to do some of the less popular attractions and things I had never done before...

Up Next: The Great Movie Ride

 

[annie170]

That Boardwalk area is so beautiful! We've never done any of the resort restaurants for breakfast. I think my husband would love what you ordered. We enjoyed dinner at Captain's Grille, so may have to give breakfast a try.

10 minute wait at ToT! Score!

 

[abbydancer]

Just wanted to pop in to say how much I'm enjoying your review.

Interesting about the wait on Tower of Terror. At Disneyland, I don't think the wait ever goes below 13 minutes. Even if you can just walk into the preshow, it's 13 minutes.

 

[JessicaKnits]

That Boardwalk area is so beautiful! We've never done any of the resort restaurants for breakfast. I think my husband would love what you ordered. We enjoyed dinner at Captain's Grille, so may have to give breakfast a try.

10 minute wait at ToT! Score!

We loved Captain's Grille and there were several other breakfast items on their menu that I wanted to try. Their breakfast buffet had a ton of variety, with quite a few items you don't see everywhere else on property. Definitely recommend checking out their menu and giving them a try!

Just wanted to pop in to say how much I'm enjoying your review.

Interesting about the wait on Tower of Terror. At Disneyland, I don't think the wait ever goes below 13 minutes. Even if you can just walk into the preshow, it's 13 minutes.

Thank you! That's so nice of you!

Disneyland is where I fell in love with Tower of Terror! My friend and I rode it about 10 times in a row one day, have to love the low mid-week crowds there!