Hi Everyone! Like the title says, we survived WDW in January lol. I'm not much of a cold weather person and always take vacations to warmer climates than the Boston area ~ I'll go to ski country but kicking and screaming all the way and then I spend the time in the condo cooking for everyone while they battle the snow, ice and frigid temps. This trip was a Christmas gift to DD18 who is a freshman at college. She had no time over the last year or two in high school for a trip but this past week worked out well with the holiday break she had this year so I surprised her. I had hoped for low 70s but knew it might be colder.
Yes, yes it was. We arrived to Animal Kingdom Lodge (4* out of 5) on Tuesday from TFGreen and the temps were somewhere in the high 40s I believe but did get mid-50s by 2 pm, thank goodness! We got the LAST ROOM on the zebra trail, a hike from the lobby for sure. We stayed in a deluxe villa savannah view. The room was on the small side but definitely fine for two people. My daughter found the pull-out very uncomfortable so we ended up sharing the queen bed, not my ideal scenario, but we made do. I'd much rather stay in a room with two doubles next time. We stayed for four nights and it was too cold every morning and evening to enjoy the balcony, no fault of AKL but this is our second stay here and both times we were unable to enjoy the balcony so I doubt we'll stay here again.
Day 1: We were able to check in upon arrival at 10:30 am, yeah !!, threw our carry-ons in the room and headed to Animal Kingdom for the day in our winter coats and jeans. First stop...lunch at Yak & Yeti (4 1/2*). They sat us almost immediately with the Landry Club card. Our waiter was great and we loved the food, definitely do this restaurant again! My chief complaint (thus the 1/2 star taken away) was the waiter's inexperience with the Landry credits. He twice told me the card was just to accrue points, no monies were on it. I then went to see a manager who assured me there was $50 on the card and put it towards our bill himself. The waiter came back to apologize but insisted that I misunderstood him....no I didn't. I also had a $50 gift card that I didn't think I'd be able to use the difference on so the waiter was tipped very well (more than 30%). Really no sense in running around with a $10 credit to restaurants that are not in our area at home.
We then spent the day doing all the fun things AK has to offer. We did everything we wanted to....safari, Lion King, dinosaur, EE twice! and I can't remember what else but we were satisfied with our half day there. Closed the park at 5 pm, back to the room by 5:30 and dinner at Boma.
We had ADRs at Boma (3.5*) for 6:30 and arrived promptly at the time and were seated immediately. Both DD and I remember this as one of our favorite restaurants but it just didn't do it for us this time. I did love the stew but other than that, I was underwhelmed for the price, which is hefty
Day 2: We slept in a bit more than other trips when usually do rope drop every day. Our first FP, test track was for 11:00 I believe. We started with snacks from Mara for breakfast (banana bread and chocolate chip muffin ~ neither notable ~ and picked up our mugs. Bus ride was quick and easy. Test Track was a blast as usual. We then had breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. I had the beef and broccoli, DD had the turkey sandwich, both pretty good, always a best bet on the dining plan. Hit Nemo, Figment, Spaceship Earth, and somewhere in there we did the Disney Visa meet and greet. We had Pluto and Mickey ~ it was great! Then off to the showcase. We started on the Mexico side and worked our way around. China for the acrobats, America for the a capella group, drummers at Japan?, Grey Goose Slushi stop! and then dinner at Via Napoli (3*). We were not impressed and I wrote another thread on our experience but in essence, it was nothing more than a local pizza parlor. Wooden tables, lots of screeching kids (yea, I know, WDW) in highchairs, food all over the floors, inattentive waitstaff and the food was just okay. I was disappointed that my pasta dish came out a full 15 minutes before DD's pizza, only 5 minutes after I ordered. How can they bake a dish that quickly? They can't. We asked for bread and were given three tiny slices. Dessert was very good though, I had gelato and DD had ricotta balls with chocolate dip sauce. All in all, not a very good value on the dining plan but a great place for families with children who are not up to the task of a sit-down dinner atmosphere.
Day 3: Again we had later FP so we had a sit-down breakfast at Mara (3*). I really disliked my African breakfast platter of scrambled eggs, one sausage, cup of stewed tomatoes and a baked tomatoe. DD had the platter with scrambled, bacon, sausage, homefries, and Mickey waffles which was very good. Off to Hollywood Studios. Again, the bus was easy peasy and quick. We had FP for ToT and RnR, DD used both our passes and rode them both twice as I don't do these rides. We also did Star Tours and Indiana Jones. Toy Story was 80 minutes if I remember correctly so no way Jose on that. We had a late lunch/early dinner at 50s PT (5*) and loved it. I had the sampler platter and hot fudge sundae, DD had the fried chicken and Brownie Sundae. We walked out of there stuffed. We walked through some of the shops, did the Darth Vader meet and greet, saw Fantasmic (4*) and the Star Wars fireworks (5*) to send our night. We got in line for Fantasmic 30 minutes early which was fine, we had decent seats but not sure that we'd do this every time, maybe every 3 or 4 trips? Loved the fireworks!
Day 4: Magic Kingdom EMH. The weather was about 65 degrees and partly sunny both Wed and Thurs so quite comfortable, if not pool weather
. Today's forecast called for 72 and thunderstorms starting late morning. We headed out at 7 am for rope drop and arrived in time for the morning show, and just in time for the rain to start, darn it all! So much for getting a few hours in before getting wet lol. We were prepared with shorts, flipflops and ponchos. We immediately headed to 7DMT but the wait was 30 minutes already. Crossed over to Pooh which was not open due to technical difficulties (this became a theme today). We then went to Peter Pan, stopped into Gastons for a cinnamon roll (5*) and then to BMTRR (15 minute wait and just about after that time we were escorted off due to ride malfunction). This was upsetting, our favorite ride!, and then the sky opened up for real and we went into Philmargic which we love. It poured for a little bit and then stopped. We had a FP for 7DMT which is great! We also did Jungle Cruise and PoC (no one got soaked) and then had lunch at BOG (4.5*) which we enjoyed very much. I had the roast beef sandwich and onion soup, both were pretty good and DD had the ham and cheese which was fantastic! and a strawberry cupcake. Will definitely go back there for lunch again. After lunch we went to Space Mountain, closed due to ride malfunction (really again?) Laugh Floor which was a hoot, the PeopleMover and then Carousel of Progress because it started raining again. When we got out we were able to walk on to Space Mountain! At 3, we watched the Fantasy of Festival parade which was really good, had an ice cream cone from the Plaza and then headed out for Disney Springs.
Disney Springs: We opted to take the bus from MK to Saratoga Springs and walk over which turned out to be really easy, just know to get off at the 4th stop. We traded in our leftover dining plan credits at Goofys, picked up a Christmas ornament and had dinner at Raglan Road (4.5*). I originally didn't want to go here but DD chose it and it turned out to be my second favorite meal after Yak & Yeti. We headed back around 9 to find out whether our flights were a go the next morning. There was a blizzard happening in the northeast but both of our flights were still showing fine.
Travel Home Day: We got up early and headed to the airport still a bit unsure whether our flights would be going out on time or at all but everything was fine. My flight to Providence left at 10:20 and DD flew back to the airport closest to her school in Albany, NY, without a hitch. I did have to stop halfway home and grab a hotel because the roads were getting a little dicey but all in all a much better travel experience than what I expected given the size of the storm.
So, we had a great trip! We did everything we wanted to and more. We were prepared for the weather and figured we were uncomfortable for all of an hour at MK after we got a bit drenched up to our knees but dried out in short time. I doubt I would go in January again, or stay at AKL, but its always good to try new things isn't it? I'd love to stay at the Poly sometime or maybe Saratoga Springs because its so close to Disney Springs. Our bus travel was great to all the parks!
Yes, yes it was. We arrived to Animal Kingdom Lodge (4* out of 5) on Tuesday from TFGreen and the temps were somewhere in the high 40s I believe but did get mid-50s by 2 pm, thank goodness! We got the LAST ROOM on the zebra trail, a hike from the lobby for sure. We stayed in a deluxe villa savannah view. The room was on the small side but definitely fine for two people. My daughter found the pull-out very uncomfortable so we ended up sharing the queen bed, not my ideal scenario, but we made do. I'd much rather stay in a room with two doubles next time. We stayed for four nights and it was too cold every morning and evening to enjoy the balcony, no fault of AKL but this is our second stay here and both times we were unable to enjoy the balcony so I doubt we'll stay here again.
Day 1: We were able to check in upon arrival at 10:30 am, yeah !!, threw our carry-ons in the room and headed to Animal Kingdom for the day in our winter coats and jeans. First stop...lunch at Yak & Yeti (4 1/2*). They sat us almost immediately with the Landry Club card. Our waiter was great and we loved the food, definitely do this restaurant again! My chief complaint (thus the 1/2 star taken away) was the waiter's inexperience with the Landry credits. He twice told me the card was just to accrue points, no monies were on it. I then went to see a manager who assured me there was $50 on the card and put it towards our bill himself. The waiter came back to apologize but insisted that I misunderstood him....no I didn't. I also had a $50 gift card that I didn't think I'd be able to use the difference on so the waiter was tipped very well (more than 30%). Really no sense in running around with a $10 credit to restaurants that are not in our area at home.
We then spent the day doing all the fun things AK has to offer. We did everything we wanted to....safari, Lion King, dinosaur, EE twice! and I can't remember what else but we were satisfied with our half day there. Closed the park at 5 pm, back to the room by 5:30 and dinner at Boma.
We had ADRs at Boma (3.5*) for 6:30 and arrived promptly at the time and were seated immediately. Both DD and I remember this as one of our favorite restaurants but it just didn't do it for us this time. I did love the stew but other than that, I was underwhelmed for the price, which is hefty
Day 2: We slept in a bit more than other trips when usually do rope drop every day. Our first FP, test track was for 11:00 I believe. We started with snacks from Mara for breakfast (banana bread and chocolate chip muffin ~ neither notable ~ and picked up our mugs. Bus ride was quick and easy. Test Track was a blast as usual. We then had breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. I had the beef and broccoli, DD had the turkey sandwich, both pretty good, always a best bet on the dining plan. Hit Nemo, Figment, Spaceship Earth, and somewhere in there we did the Disney Visa meet and greet. We had Pluto and Mickey ~ it was great! Then off to the showcase. We started on the Mexico side and worked our way around. China for the acrobats, America for the a capella group, drummers at Japan?, Grey Goose Slushi stop! and then dinner at Via Napoli (3*). We were not impressed and I wrote another thread on our experience but in essence, it was nothing more than a local pizza parlor. Wooden tables, lots of screeching kids (yea, I know, WDW) in highchairs, food all over the floors, inattentive waitstaff and the food was just okay. I was disappointed that my pasta dish came out a full 15 minutes before DD's pizza, only 5 minutes after I ordered. How can they bake a dish that quickly? They can't. We asked for bread and were given three tiny slices. Dessert was very good though, I had gelato and DD had ricotta balls with chocolate dip sauce. All in all, not a very good value on the dining plan but a great place for families with children who are not up to the task of a sit-down dinner atmosphere.
Day 3: Again we had later FP so we had a sit-down breakfast at Mara (3*). I really disliked my African breakfast platter of scrambled eggs, one sausage, cup of stewed tomatoes and a baked tomatoe. DD had the platter with scrambled, bacon, sausage, homefries, and Mickey waffles which was very good. Off to Hollywood Studios. Again, the bus was easy peasy and quick. We had FP for ToT and RnR, DD used both our passes and rode them both twice as I don't do these rides. We also did Star Tours and Indiana Jones. Toy Story was 80 minutes if I remember correctly so no way Jose on that. We had a late lunch/early dinner at 50s PT (5*) and loved it. I had the sampler platter and hot fudge sundae, DD had the fried chicken and Brownie Sundae. We walked out of there stuffed. We walked through some of the shops, did the Darth Vader meet and greet, saw Fantasmic (4*) and the Star Wars fireworks (5*) to send our night. We got in line for Fantasmic 30 minutes early which was fine, we had decent seats but not sure that we'd do this every time, maybe every 3 or 4 trips? Loved the fireworks!
Day 4: Magic Kingdom EMH. The weather was about 65 degrees and partly sunny both Wed and Thurs so quite comfortable, if not pool weather
. Today's forecast called for 72 and thunderstorms starting late morning. We headed out at 7 am for rope drop and arrived in time for the morning show, and just in time for the rain to start, darn it all! So much for getting a few hours in before getting wet lol. We were prepared with shorts, flipflops and ponchos. We immediately headed to 7DMT but the wait was 30 minutes already. Crossed over to Pooh which was not open due to technical difficulties (this became a theme today). We then went to Peter Pan, stopped into Gastons for a cinnamon roll (5*) and then to BMTRR (15 minute wait and just about after that time we were escorted off due to ride malfunction). This was upsetting, our favorite ride!, and then the sky opened up for real and we went into Philmargic which we love. It poured for a little bit and then stopped. We had a FP for 7DMT which is great! We also did Jungle Cruise and PoC (no one got soaked) and then had lunch at BOG (4.5*) which we enjoyed very much. I had the roast beef sandwich and onion soup, both were pretty good and DD had the ham and cheese which was fantastic! and a strawberry cupcake. Will definitely go back there for lunch again. After lunch we went to Space Mountain, closed due to ride malfunction (really again?) Laugh Floor which was a hoot, the PeopleMover and then Carousel of Progress because it started raining again. When we got out we were able to walk on to Space Mountain! At 3, we watched the Fantasy of Festival parade which was really good, had an ice cream cone from the Plaza and then headed out for Disney Springs.Disney Springs: We opted to take the bus from MK to Saratoga Springs and walk over which turned out to be really easy, just know to get off at the 4th stop. We traded in our leftover dining plan credits at Goofys, picked up a Christmas ornament and had dinner at Raglan Road (4.5*). I originally didn't want to go here but DD chose it and it turned out to be my second favorite meal after Yak & Yeti. We headed back around 9 to find out whether our flights were a go the next morning. There was a blizzard happening in the northeast but both of our flights were still showing fine.
Travel Home Day: We got up early and headed to the airport still a bit unsure whether our flights would be going out on time or at all but everything was fine. My flight to Providence left at 10:20 and DD flew back to the airport closest to her school in Albany, NY, without a hitch. I did have to stop halfway home and grab a hotel because the roads were getting a little dicey but all in all a much better travel experience than what I expected given the size of the storm.
So, we had a great trip! We did everything we wanted to and more. We were prepared for the weather and figured we were uncomfortable for all of an hour at MK after we got a bit drenched up to our knees but dried out in short time. I doubt I would go in January again, or stay at AKL, but its always good to try new things isn't it? I'd love to stay at the Poly sometime or maybe Saratoga Springs because its so close to Disney Springs. Our bus travel was great to all the parks!
