I would definitely indicate in your fax that close location is more important than king bed. We said the reverse and regretted it.
Now that you say that I did remember hearing that! LOL
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This has been so much fun to read, and I am glad you so thoroughly enjoyed your trip!
“Soggy buns/soggy buns” and “when she is installed” have been two of my favorite parts!
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Really loving the report @OBNurseNH! 
You and your DH are so adorable! Still giggling over the double soggy buns! 
Thanks for sharing all the gorgeous photos and your great writing!
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You have me trying to work out if we can fit a CG brunch in, your pictures look delicious. We can’t but it’s so tempting. I didn’t know that about the Dumbo queue, the kids would love that. Great trip report, I do love the details.
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Monday: Animal Kingdom
We “slept in” again on Monday morning. We were headed to Animal Kingdom and our first FPP was from 0910-1010. No need to hurry.
We decided to grab breakfast at Pop. Breakfast is pretty standard, right, and hard to mess up. Well, breakfast at Pop defies this assumption. DH had the pancakes and I had the Bounty Platter. It was barely mediocre in terms of quality and taste. Another strike against this value resort.
The bus ride to AK was short and sweet and we got through bag check and tapstiles in short order. Our arrival coincided with one of my WDW bucket-list items - D’Vine!
We had never seen her before and I was so excited! She is gorgeous and moves so gracefully 
A quick stop for the obligatory Tree of Life photo
and we were on our way to Expedition Everest! That’ll wake you up in the morning 
Nothing like whipping around a roller coaster to make you feel alive before your coffee has taken effect!
Since we arrived at the tail end of our EE FPP window, our KRR window opened within a few minutes so we made our way there. We utilized the free-for-two-hours lockers for all our stuff except our ponchos. Yes, we were “those people”. But with a whole day of touring ahead of us, we didn’t want to be drenched. The last time we rode this ride my daughter looked like she had jumped in a lake! It was a good choice. The way our raft was loaded, there was a tiny lady and her two little boys on one side, and then five adults - four being relatively hefty men - on the other. Naturally, our side of the raft, weighing more, hit the water first and we got the brunt of it! It had been a few years since we had last ridden, but both DH and I said we remember it being longer and more involved. Anyone know if they changed it up/shortened it at all?
We retrieved our things and took a walk on the Maharaja trail, since our KS FPP wouldn’t open for nearly an hour. We had never managed to get on this trail during our past visits for one reason or another, and I was glad we had the chance today. The weather was the nicest of our trip and the animals were active. The tiger was pacing angrily, and it was near impossible to get a pic of him
We hit up the safari next using FPP.
It was, by far, our best safari in all our visits. Again, the weather was nice so the animals were out all over the place - we’ve never seen so many! And it was the first time we saw the lion and his lionesses
We headed over for FotLK next. The standby line was long but already they were filing into the theater. You do not need to use FPP for this attraction - the theater is “in the round” and with stadium seats the stage is visible to all. This is by far the best show on property and it leaves me with goosebumps every time. Once in and seated I grabbed us a FPP for TSMM for the evening as our plan was to head to HS for the SW Fireworks. Then it was time to sit back and enjoy the show:
We decided to take in some lunch next. We LOVE Flame Tree and had been looking forward to this meal. As we headed over, I took note of where Tiffins/Nomad Lounge was, since that was on our agenda for a bit later. We ran into this guy over there:
The line at Flame Tree was long but there was a CM handing out menus for guests to review while waiting so that when you got to the register you knew what you were getting. This helped to keep things moving. We ordered and headed to the seating area. I’m not sure what was going on out in front, but there were some construction walls up which initially made me worry that the seating area was not open, but it was. We got a seat down by the water. This is one of our favorite things about this QS choice - the seating area feels “tucked away” and is serene, an escape from the park within the park.
After a quick selfie we headed to do some shopping before the bird show. We saw Dug and Russel on the way to their M&G spot
And then we saw poor Dug in the cone of shame in the shop
I treated myself to the Vera Bradley bag I had been eyeing since before even leaving home. It was a little more pricey than my usual souvenir selections, but is one that will last a long, long time.
While we were shopping, the skies opened up. It was POURING. We dug out our ponchos again and made our way to the Flights of Wonder theater. The seats were under cover, but the stage was partly exposed. We wondered if the show would go on. No worries - it did. Now I could take this show or leave it - birds don’t really do it for me - but DH LOVES this attraction so we see it every time 
It stopped raining during the show, thankfully. We had a while yet before the Nemo show so we decided to go round to on EE using the single rider line! We managed to get on the same train just a few seats apart. I rode beside this cute little girl who tells me that EE is her favorite ride in all of WDW. She talked to me the whole way about it! Too cute! She pointed out the hair ties at the top of the mountain which I had never seen before and which has panties in a twist on chat today I thought it was kind of neat, myself.
We were feeling a bit “thirsty” after riding, so we headed to the old EE FPP kiosk area which has been turned into a cute little bar - the Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks. We got ourselves some drinks
I don’t even recall what they were, but they were icy cold and yummy with just enough of a “hit” factor. We wandered toward Nemo, enjoying our drinks and people watching. As we headed into the Nemo theater it began to rain again. Good timing.
It was just lightly misting when we came out of the show (another one you do not need FPP for) but that soon changed. If you want a pic of the Tree of Life without people in it, but can’t get a pre-RD ADR, try getting one during a rainstorm! I snapped this one on our way over to the Nomad Lounge.
I also happened to catch a rare glimpse of the African Crane in its natural environment. Notice how the male is bowing slightly before the female in a display of the mating ritual:
Tiffins and the Nomad Lounge are tucked in the little side “street” just after the Island Mercantile on the left. They are totally out of the way and there is nothing back there presently to bring foot traffic on by. All the reviews I had read were that the place was amazing but always empty. It was true on this afternoon, too:
It is super cozy and comfortable in the lounge. The seating is arranged to encourage intimate gatherings, and the furniture is so comfortable you’ll never want to get up. It is the perfect escape. We ordered drinks. I had been looking forward to having my namesake, the Jenn’s Tattoo
and DH had a Lamu Libation
The drinks were very, very good - some of the best we’ve had on property. We enjoyed relaxing and talking about our trip. It was beginning to draw to its close, and this was such a nice way to begin wrapping it up. We looked at the menu for Tiffins while we chatted. We wondered if the pricing is keeping people away. It’s a little steep for OOP and if on the DDP it’s a 2 credit meal. It’s also a bit more adventurous, so those two factors combined might turn a lot of guests off. The lack of foot traffic might also be impacting this. The wait staff were all standing around looking a bit bored; I can’t imagine they are earning very good tips with so few tables full. Regardless of why, we hope that the restaurant and lounge will do well and will not face closing for lack of business. It is really a special hideaway.
After finishing our drinks we headed over to Y&Y Food Cafes to get some dinner. We were heading to HS for the evening and there is practically nothing to eat over there on QS. I broke my QS down into 3 snacks and got the chicken fried rice, egg rolls, and a water. DH just got a burger. Everything was very good and quite filling. I would agree with many who say that the fried rice is an excellent use of a snack credit.
It was time to say goodbye to AK and make our way to HS. We made the endless trek toward the bus between parks; turns out this is the one time that there is a bus further away than the one serving Pop Century The skies continued to threaten, but once we were through bag check at HS everything cleared up and dried up. We had never taken the time to do ANY shopping at HS this trip or on any trip before, so we decided to do that. I found this super cute top at one place but of course they didn’t have my size, none in stock out back, and not available through the Shop Disney app. Story of my life.
We finished our shopping and took one more spin on TSMM using our FPP that I had secured while at AK. I kicked his butt again
We grabbed some popcorn and secured a spot in front of the projection towers for SW Fireworks. There was a CM guy out there talking to the crowd, sharing all kinds of trivia about Disney and the parks and all. It was a neat touch, and made the wait pass quickly.
I am not a SW fan, so I did not always know what was happening during the show, but it was pretty incredible nonetheless. The lasers, projections, and pyrotechnics were pretty impressive and I was really glad we had made the decision to see it before our trip was over. As a SW fan, it impressed DH even more. I see it’s going away, and that’s a shame. They’ve got a good thing going on with this show and I’m not sure why they wouldn’t hang onto it.
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Is it actually going away or have they just not scheduled it yet? Your cocktail sounds great!
I saw on a FB post (by whom? Maybe Theme Park Tourist??) that it is one of three closures set for this fall: RR, SW fireworks and that SW stage show thingie.
Nice shot of the African cranes 
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OMG! You are so funny! I was actually looking for those dam cranes in your Tree of Life photo before I scrolled down! 
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wonderful report thanks! you all seemed so unhurried without kids.
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I think that was the biggest difference in this trip. We did a few things we wouldn’t have done with the kids in tow, but the main thing was how laid back and, yes, unhurried we felt. It was nice
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Thanks again for letting us play along…
More great photos…glad you were able to capture that rare mating ceremony of the cranes…
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Wrap Up
Thanks for coming along for this trip review! I hope you enjoyed it - maybe laughed a little, maybe learned something new that will help YOUR trip be magical!
I thought I would take a moment in conclusion to point out the good, the bad, the magical, and the meh. In no particular order, and totally off the top of my head:
The Magical
California Grill brunch was over the top amazing. I think I will be dreaming about that for a long time to come, too. Viewing wishes from the lounge was something special too. If you’re thinking about a CaliGrill visit, stop thinking and make your ADR.
The Good:
Being alone together in the world was amazing. As I said near the end, we did many of the same things we always do when we travel as a family of 4, but we were so unhurried and just enjoyed each other’s company. I’m so happy we chose to spend our alone time in Disney.
As always, Sanaa was amazing. I dream about that Bread Service.
The actual room at Pop, with the king bed, was spacious, clean and well stocked, and the temperature was always set to what we wanted and did not reset to something warmer when we were sleeping or away.
Disney transport was fine. DME was convenient and quick.
The Star Wars fireworks were (for me) surprisingly good! Even as a non-fan (no tomatoes please!) I found them to be quite well done.
The crowds - this was probably the lowest crowd level we have ever been fortunate to see and that only added to our enjoyment.
The Meh
Ponchoing up and carrying on. I have always said just forge ahead, but doing it was something else entirely. Verdict?? Not so bad! Definitely easier to do as a twosome than it would have been with our kids. Not sure they’d have been up to the task, but for us, it was okay.
Illuminations. We are definitely a take it or leave it family on this one. I won’t go out of my way to make sure we see it again. If we happen to be there we’ll probably stake out a spot, but I wouldn’t make a point to have it in our plans.
The Bad
Pop. Kind of hated it, actually. This probably had a lot to do with our room location which was approximately 1 mile from the moon, but 84932083920583920 miles from the bus stop or Classic Hall. Did I mention it was far?? Concessions being given for that, it just didn’t feel very “Disney” to me. I did not necessarily feel that I was in the bubble at this resort in the way that I have at other resorts, and I missed that. I also didn’t care for the food at the food court here. Just not good at all. Unless it is for a just me visit or a quick one-nighter ahead of a long stay at another resort on property, I don’t think I’ll stay here again. For me, it was a one-and-done location.
The other thing I would call definitely BAD was the food at the QS in Mexico - La Cantina?? Just yuck. Do not go there. Taco bell is probably better. That’s scary.
Now we wait. A new countdown is on the horizon with possibilities for April vacation week or August. April has such better crowds and weather, but we will pay through the nose in airfare. On the other hand, August airfare will be significantly less, but we will melt to death and deal with much larger crowds. We are still tossing the decision around. In either case we are likely going for POFQ - time to have a spin at a moderate! Whenever we go, we know we’ll have a great time being Home. 
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Thanks for your awesome report and the wrap up! Sorry you don’t have much love for Pop - I’ll love it enough for the both of us! 
It is rather spread out and walking eleventy-billion miles wouldn’t be fun! I do agree about the QS at Mexico - we weren’t fussed on it either. The taco chips tasted soapy and that was a bit disturbing. Lol!
Glad you and your DH had such a wonderful time - that Cali Grill brunch sounds (and looks - thanks for all the tasty pictures!) like a winner!
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Hubby and I only did two nights at POP. We only used the food court and got cereal, milk, yogurt and bananas for breakfast the first morning. We had no ADR’S. We had lunch at Skipper’s Canteen and Dinner at Trails End on the second day. We also ate at the patio at the Hollywood Brown Derby for dinner . We arrived around lunch time and had a free breakfast at the hotel we were before. We had some food for lunch at the kiosks for Flower and Garden.
We wanted to see the Star Wars Launch Bay that opened after out last trip as well as the fireworks. ROL originally was supposed to open. We only went to AK to drop off pretzels for my friend that works there. Hubby can’t be rushed, so most of our trips are relaxed. If anything, I will walk the resorts early in the morning before he wakes. I did more so at the Beach Club in November. POP is pretty at night when the oversized props are lit.
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Love the wrap-up…
We had a great time on our adult-only trip last December…and we loved POFQ
Definitely putting Sanaa on our “to-do” list…
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Thanks for the latest installment!! We always go in August too…but now you have me thinking about April…
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I absolutely loved this. Your writing is engaging, informative and quite humorous. Although in Los Angeles now, I fly in and out of MHT at least once a year as I was born and raised in Manchester.
You definitely have me doing brunch at California Grill on my vacation next year.
Thank you for sharing your trip, your suggestions and your talents as a story teller.
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