Back to the World after 10 Years!

Walt Disney World Trip Reports
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March, Friday, Arrival Day All Star Movies

It was a pleasant trip with niece L, to pick up son, Z, from college, and make it to All Star Movies in time to check in, primp a bit, and check out the resort before heading to Toledo. We stayed at ASM once for just one night when kids were little and loved Herbie!

Toledo is in Coronado Springs, which I have heard some disparage as lacking in Disney theming and having “convention” vibe.. I was stunned by the beauty and imaginative and almost surreal theming, based on Spanish/Mexican/Western motifs and inspired by Walt Disney’s relationship with Salvadore Dali. I felt immersed in a detailed fantasy world from the moment I saw the Tower entrance. I kept exclaiming “look how beautiful this is!” Toledo was on the top floor and we wouldn’t have minded waiting for our reservation in the lovely Dahlia Lounge or on the balcony where there was a nice breeze. There was not a view of any WDW parks as far as i can tell, but it felt festive. Alas, they seated us after just a minute.

The restaurant itself was also gorgeous with a stained glass ceiling and subtle, but varied patterns adding texture to the entire room. Our waitress was warm and friendly and answered our questions about the menu. The four of us shared the garlic shrimp appetizer and the charcuterie board. When we mentioned we might need more bread she immediately brought some. It was all delicious and we polished it off (with a glass of wine.) One in our group had a salad with jamon for dinner and I asked if the other three could share the special dinner for two. She said that we certainly could. This came with four tiny appetizers that we managed to spit into three bites (except the two mussels, lol). We especially liked a date with goat cheese and a bite of tuna, there was a potato something and two mussels perched on one shell. Then came another, smaller, charcuterie, which all four of us continued to enjoy very much even after the first one! We chose the bone in Rib Eye, medium rare, which was perfectly cooked (leaning toward the rare side) and well seasoned. It was nice that it was pre-sliced for us, off the bone. It was good, if not the best rib eye I have ever had. The Brussel Sprouts, honey charred, and potato chunks that were crispy on the outside and lusciously soft inside, and drizzled with a spicy verde sauce, stole the show. We finally nibbled at a chocolate dessert that seemed to have something crunchy on the bottom, a ganache in the middle and little dollops on top of lemon curd, chocolate, mocha and raspberry. We were all too full and yet we left only crumbs. During the evening we watched the ceiling change colors and peeked at the chefs in the open kitchen. My only complaint is that all the hard surfaces contribute to a noisy environment, but we were able to carry on a conversation. It may be challenging for some older folks with hearing aids.

All Star Movies

Despite the All Star reputation as a less exciting value resort, it always makes me smile to walk the red carpet into the ASM lobby where the aroma of movie theater popcorn greets me and the cast members welcome me with such friendliness. I picked up my refillable mugs in the gift shop and filled them in the quick service restaurant. The pizza, burgers, and hotdogs looked good. I walked to my room through the interior grounds and enjoyed checking out Herbie and walking under the Sorcerer’s hat. While the pool may not feature a slide or jacuzzi it was uncrowded in the early evening and families seemed to be having a relaxed and happy time. I love the Micky the Sorcerer fountain and so did the kids. I noticed how immaculately clean the grounds were and how there was not a smudge needing touch up paint anywhere to be seen. Our room featured a queen bed and a queen murphy bed. It was so easy to open and revealed a Donald Duck painting on the wall, which was a fun surprise. The bed seemed comfortable and my young adults did not complain. The room seemed perfectly spacious. I liked the separate body wash, shampoo, and conditioner and we all enjoyed our showers. It could be improved if there was a mirror outside of the bathroom. Four people in a room with one bathroom which contained the tub/shower, sink/mirror, and toilet took some co-ordinating. However, for one last minute add-on night, it was perfect.

We rolled into bed that night, already full of the magic.

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Saturday, check into Animial Kingdom Lodge and head to AK

We zipped into AKL in the morning, quickly dropped off luggage and checked in, in person at the desk. We were welcomed kindly by the Concierge and given a partial Savannah view without asking (we had booked resort view, which could have been a parking lot.) Our first bit of Pixie Dust!

Animal Kingdom was lovely. We made it nearly at opening, but had lightning lanes. We followed the Touring Guide recommendations for the most part which worked very well. We had little wait using LL for Safari, Expedition Everest, Flight of Passage and Navi River. Flight of Passage was just as thrilling as I remembered. Expedition was fun, but disappointing without the Yeti. We had never done Navi, and while it was pleasant, I wouldn’t need to do it again without young children. We watched the Festival of the Lion King and walked the Maharaja Jungle Trek, where the Tiger seemed to strut around especially for us, and the Gorilla Falls Trek. We really took our time to enjoy the animals and surprisingly, for me, I found myself quite interested in the birds, especially the Taveta Weavers building their nests. We enjoyed Zootopia, but would not need to repeat. It became quite hot, so at 2:30 p.m. we decided not to trek across the park to do Nemo, even though it is a favorite. I also gave up my LL for Kali in favor of heading back to the resort.

We enjoyed Satuli for lunch. We shared quite a bit and liked the noodles with shrimp and creamy herb vinaigrette the best. The tuna on blue noodles was good, but the noodles were rather stiff. I liked my bowl of salad greens too. There was nothing not to like about the cheese burger buns. It was a little stressful walking around with trays of food and nowhere to sit, but then tables opened up. We were growing tired by this point.

Walking into AK Lodge is like a cozy hug. The warm browns and reds, flickering fire, safari camp aroma and gorgeous art is a respite from the parks. Our room seemed far away, but we quickly acclimated to the walk. The room is comfortable with excellent theming, albeit, more subtle and sophisticated than All Star Movies. We did indeed see animals in the early evening (feeding time) from our balcony. Otherwise it was mostly a view of mud and some birds which was in keeping with the safari theme. We really don’t spend a lot of time on the balcony as there is so much else to do! Once back to the resort I headed out to the pool, grabbed an ice tea and settled near the flamingos. I enjoyed watching families and kids play and resting my feet. I ended up watching the flamingos for quite a while and talked to an animal expert/zoo-ologist (?). Not sure of their job title. She was mixing up their food, a porridge of protein, water and shrimp which they seemed to be excitedly waiting for. I loved watching them congregate, undulating and swaying together, occasionally revealing deep pink and black markings under their wings. A few were not pink, but mostly white with black markings. They were young birds, not yet a year old, and had not eaten enough shrimp for the carotene to turn them pink! After this restorative afternoon, we all primped for dinner at California Grill.

I love this iconic resort with all its 1970s modernity. We watched the monorails and checked out the gift shops after telling the hostess we didn’t mind waiting for a table with a view of the fireworks. We didn’t wait long and we were not disappointed by our wonderful view of the Castle, Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter, and what I assume to be Tron. We didn’t mind the set menu. The Goat Cheese ravioli was tasty as was a simple salad which had a tart of some sort on the side. We thought it was a puzzling combination. We enjoyed wine and refills of the wonderful sour dough rolls and it seemed they paused service well before the fireworks began. We didn’t mind since we were having a nice time. The music played for Happily Ever After, which was nice, but can never live up to Wishes for me. Our waiter brought us glasses of champagne (which I suspect were left over from a ticketed fireworks watching event on the patio) But it was still pixie dust for us! Our meals finally came after the show. I had the pork loin and pork belly, my wife had the filet, and the kids had the fish of the day, salmon. It was all excellent. I am not usually a big pork loin fan, but this was the most tender pork loin I have ever tasted. We each ordered a different dessert to share and our waiter brought us a fifth dessert which seemed to be a chocolate raspberry ganache (again I suspect leftover from the party, but we are not complaining.) It was more pixie dust that we had room for, lol. It was quite a leisurely, late, dinner, but very enjoyable. We collapsed into bed, dreading the daylight savings theft of one hour!

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We really enjoy CSR and have never found it to be lacking/stiff/convention vibe focused. Toledo is great!

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100!

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Sunday, Epcot, 11 miles walking, but who’s counting?

It was tough to get out of bed, but we put mole skin on our aching feet and made it to Epcot before opening. I tried to follow our TP plan, but Test Track was down. We tried to stay in the front of the park, criss-crossing quite a bit nonetheless. We enjoyed Nemo and the Seas and enjoyed the aquarium. Planet Earth and Living with the Land provided relaxing nostalgia. The Moana water feature was beautiful and well done. A great spot for little ones! Not that adults didn’t engage also. I was a bit nervous about Guardians (LLSP) as I am not really a fan of thrill rides. However, it was a lot of fun, very smooth, and there were no terrifying drops. Like Everest, it is thrilling enough to be exciting, but not actually terrifying for me. My wife opted out due to her vertigo, and the kids absolutely loved it. Despite the enthusiasm we all have for Guardians, my personal favorite is still Soarin’ (LL), which is like a breeze straight from heaven.

(It was disappointing that the seagulls continue to malfunction, clicking instead of speaking most of the time. “Mine, mine, mine, “ is one of our favorite details. I really don’t understand why a company like WDW would allow a broken feature to remain dysfunctional. )

We became a bit hot and hangry and headed for Les Halles Boulangerie, France in the World Showcase, anxious for some sandwiches on croissants and baguettes. The line was long, right at lunch time, but steadily moved and the kids had managed to secure a table for us. We really enjoyed all the sandwiches we shared. We also got cheese and a full baguette as the fourth “sandwich” and it was all delicious.

We headed to see Remi in Ratatouile with LL and I thought it was adorable. The cars seemed to scurry like mice.Such a cute ride and movie. We perused some of the shops and countries afterward, but soon realized we were hot and worn out so opted for a nap in our resort.

A cool breeze made for a pleasant return to the park at 6:30 p.m. We meandered to Japan and explored the Japanese shops first. We enjoyed watching a little girl choose a pearl from an oyster. It is quite a show! Shiki-Sai was a fun experience. I let them know we’d be glad to wait for a table by the window and we received one with a great view after just a few minutes. One in our party, who does not like seafood or adventurous dining, ordered from the prix fixe menu, but the other three ordered several items to share. Our waitress said the food would come out randomly, as it was ready, but it actually came out nearly all at once which was a bit overwhelming for the table. We ended up with three sushi rolls, (a rainbow roll, spicy tuna roll, and a dragon roll)which were good. Skewers of shrimp, beef and chicken were also good (the beef was rather dry and our least favorite.) Okonomiyaki, a vegetable “pancake” was interesting. There was a sweet component that was unexpected. Wagyu Gyoza, dumplings with ground beef, were okay. The Vegetable Tempura was good with a slice of sweet pumpkin that made us all want more. Beef Yaki Udon was a standout on the prix fixe menu: savory noodle goodness with vegetables and bits of beef. Dessert came with the fixed menu so we each had a bite of a Yuzu cheese cake. The Yuzu zest was a tangy relief from the sweetness. What we enjoyed most about this meal was the serene ambiance, the fantastic view of the fireworks and the charming hospitality of our waitress. The food was good, but nothing stood out to make us want to come back at this price point. We live in a diverse metro area and enjoy great sushi regularly. However, we are glad we gave it a try and would recommend it to those who enjoy Japanese food.

We enjoyed a leisurely nighttime stroll back through the park.

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Monday, Hollywood Studios

Today was meant to be a second day at AK to enjoy the ambiance, animals and anything we missed on day one, but with so much closed the only thing we had missed was Nemo. We don’t have hoppers, so even though I am sorry to have missed Nemo, a favorite, we decided to instead allocate two days for Hollywood Studios. I am realizing that while 10 years ago I was a early-hours to fireworks kind of girl, I am now a take a pool and nap break in the afternoon kind of middle aged woman. My entire family is grateful for this change. So, without LLs, my goal for the day was to take advantage of early entry, hit M&M Runaway Railway and Slinky Dog Dash and all the shows. Alas, “we” dillied and then dallied and arrived closer to regular park entry so we could not enjoy Slinky without tomorrow’s LL. I thought Runaway Railway was fun, but couldn’t help but be a bit nostalgic for the Great Movie Ride. I am not a big fan of the “new” Micky, but change must go on! We headed to Toy Land which wowed me! The theming is incredible. It was so much fun to see the little ones meet Buzz and Woody. It made us miss the days when our boys were young and smitten with Buzz Lightyear. The line was short so we decided to take a whirl on the space saucers. This would be more fun with little ones. Next, we tried to watch Mermaid, but it broke down in the middle. We headed to Beauty and the Beast next, which was, as usual, very well done. Everyone was hungry so we mobile-ordered Totchos and Brisket sandwiches from Woody’s Rodeo. We should have ordered sooner as we had to sit on some benches, made of popsicle sticks, in the sun, while we waited for our window. We used the divide and conquer strategy to grab a shady table while the others got the food. It seems Disney has found a way to micro manage the seating pretty well. Warning: many tables are NOT in the shade or are the standing-only cocktail type tables. (Why, disney, why? Our feet hurt and we’ve been standing and walking all day!!!). That said, the Totchos and Brisket Sandwich were quite tasty! We then headed to the Unfairly Ever After Villains show which was cute, but I was getting a bit tired of shows. We could have done Space Tours, but decided to save it for the next day which would be our Star Wars day. We headed back to Mermaid and were able to watch the whole show this time. It was as cute as can be. At this point we were all tired. Since the first Mermaid failure had wasted time, we decided not to visit Walt Disney Animation. Our nap was calling. We browsed and our niece shopped and pin traded on the way out.

Our afternoon was very enjoyable with naps, pool time and dinner at Boma’s in the resort. I don’t know why no one ever talks about the pool and the flamingos at AKL Jambo House. The pool is the most tranquil, lush, and relaxing spots to decompress after the parks. There is zero entry for the little ones, a separate bar area, nearby restaurant, Maras, views of giraffes and other animals on the savannah, and a flamboyance of flamingos right by the pool. I am in love with the flamingos. They gather and sway and turn their heads, honk and flap, all in the most delicate shade of pink. I have enjoyed talking to their care providers (no idea what they are called professionally) and learning more about them. It was great to take a quick shower and elevator ride to Boma for dinner. There is something for everyone here. I focused on all the different African soups, salads, breads and dips that I couldn’t get anywhere else, while my wife enjoyed a typical salad, steak and rotisserie chicken, green beans and corn pudding. I observed kids and other adults filling their plates with chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. My favorites: carrot and ginger soup was sweet, creamy and zippy with ginger; boboti was sort of a quiche with ground lamb and beef and spices, and salmon crusted in nuts. I loved the cauliflower salad, chick pea salad and other fresh and interesting salads. The corn pudding was like a dessert. We tasted the lamb stew, chicken and corn soup and seafood stew, which were all good, but the carrot ginger was the best. The Zebra domes were obligatory, but my favorite dessert was the bread pudding with vanilla sauce. We used our Disney visa so got 10% off, which helped. Yes, this buffet is on the pricey side at $60.00 per person, but there is no other place to find so much interesting variety.

Tomorrow is our Star Wars day at Hollywood Studios, in addition to LL for Slinky Dog Dash and Toy Story Mania.

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Tuesday, Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios

We were up and in the parks during early entry and headed straight to Smuggler’s Run. First, the theming in Galaxy’s edge was remarkable. This is our first time seeing it and just wow! Every detail was thought of and even the refreshment stands, restrooms, trashcans, etc. were “out of this world.” I did wish the John Williams Star Wars music was playing though. It would bring emotional depth to the land. We had no LL but basically walked on to Smuggler’s. Wife and I got to be pilots, Niece and son were gunners and some random people in micky ears were the engineers. It was great fun and we accomplished our mission.

Next was Rise of the Resistance. But it was initially down, so we backed out of the Galaxy’s Edge and used our LLs for Toy Story Mania and Slinky Dog Dash. SDD made me giggle and wish I could ride it several more times. If any chickens (like me) are wondering, it is not as scary as it looks. The drops are slow and while zippy, it is not scary at all. TSM was also as fun and silly as ever. We headed back for Rise of Resistance which was back up and running. We really enjoyed it. I am not sure if it has been over hyped, but it did not quite live up to my high expectations. It was an excellent experience to be sure, but I guess I expected to be more fully immersed in the story. Maybe because some of the cast members were just at work, herding us in and chit chatting with each other. One cast member totally got into character, and was just as cold as you would expect the First Order soldiers to be to “rebel scum.” She even called me out when I took her photo. It made me think of the old Star Wars days when storm troopers patrolled the entry and all kinds of strange characters roamed the world, staying completely in character. I expected this world to have all of this. There was a stage/ship area where Kylo Ren and his leaders and storm troopers came out and did a little “show.” They then came out to interact with the crowd and it was adorable (and a little creepy) to see the young boys being invited to do their best and join the dark side! Those photos will be treasures! We also met the Mandalorian who was holding “baby Yoda”. I had hoped to see more of this, not so much photo ops and character meets, but alien characters. We then headed to Star Tours, which may be simpler than ROTR, but was still very enjoyable. I am glad they kept it. Finally we had lunch in Docking Bay 7. Ordering on the app such a time saver!!! We found a table easily this time, but noticed others hovering around. We didn’t love the food. I had the rib, which had a lot of little bones, and for some reason they put the muffin on the bottom with vinegary slaw and the rib on top, so the muffin (a strange side) was soggy. This is an easy fix guys. The tuna poke was okay, but the sides, seemingly also a cabbage slaw, were not good. The chicken salad was the best of our choices, but nothing special. The fried chicken and mac and cheese looked good, if not very galactic, but we didn’t get to try it. Next time, I’d head to Ronto Roaster for what looks like a hot dog… or head back to Toy Story land for more Totchos!!! YUM We enjoyed browsing in all the shops here and walking around. They gave us a quick “tour” of Olga’s Canteen and it was a fun, well-themed atmosphere (but I really thought it needed the bar music from the original Star Wars trilogy!!!)

We walked through One Man’s Dream on the way out and I was annoyed to see a commercial for Hoppers instead of the Julie Andrews narrated story about Walt. It would be okay if they wanted to show the ad or “preview” in addition to the feature, but I felt misled. :frowning: It is all about the sales these days. :frowning:

We took the skyliner to Caribbean Beach resort just to check out both. I loved the skyliner and was impressed how they allowed the breeze to flow in but not the heat from the sun. A wonderful way to travel. However, I immediately understood the complaints that CBR is too spread out. I walked just to get to the Jamaica pool and thought it was a long walk. It didn’t feel like Jamaica to me. It was pretty, but felt oddly sterile. I didn’t think this was the resort for me, despite the awesome Skyliner. We took it back to HS and caught a bus back to AKL.

I am loving AKL. After a brief rest I headed out to the pool and enjoyed the peaceful ambiance, gentle African music, and watching so many adorable children and their parents and grandparents. I went in and out of the pool on this hot day before finally checking in on my flamingos. I absolutely love these birds. I also observed some white Ibis and adorable baby ducklings before heading up to get ready for Jiko.

Jiko is a beautiful restaurant, far more refined and tranquil than bustling Boma. I had an appetizer of scallop and pork belly. The scallop was particularly well seasoned and cooked to perfection and well, I’ve never had a bad pork belly. I had a wonderful pear Moscow Mule, which had a wonderful ginger zest, followed by a recommended wine. Our waitress was wonderful, attentive, funny and helpful. Zac and I shared a filet mignon and a lamb shank. Both very good, but for me the lamb was the star!

We are tired and yet ready for a day at MK!

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Wednesday, Magic Kingdom!!!

I am exited, Tigger among introverts today. Equipped with LLSP for 7 Dwarves and LLMP for Haunted Mansion, Pirates of Caribbean and Tianas, we head to Space Mountain first despite TP recommendation that we do Carousel of Progress and the People Mover during early entry. I have learned to trust TP, but I just could not squander my early entry that way. Space Mountain was as fun as ever. This one always makes me laugh. I can’t remember the exact order we went in, but before lunch we did Peter Pan, Under the Sea, my niece got her photo with Ariel, her favorite. We did Tiana’s Bayou which was also fun. We managed not to get too wet. Haunted Mansion was great as always, except mischievous spirits stalled the ride a few times which interrupted the spell a bit. It was time for our lunch at Skipper’s Canteen, which was great fun. Think Jungle Cruise humor, but at lunch. There were three rooms and we were very glad we didn’t get the cavernous mess hall, but were seated in the “china room” with parrot chandeliers. Another room had many maps. All rooms had various explorer paraphernalia and were rich in detail. We all enjoyed our food- don’t miss the cheese bread or cachapas as appetizers. We especially liked Nellie’s Noodle Bowl, but “tastes like chicken” and steak were also enjoyed. It was a lot of food for lunch, but as you will notice, we manage to enjoy our WDW meals! It is time for Seven Dwarves which was so much fun and reminded me of my all time favorite, Thunder Mountain, except much shorter. We relax in Mickey’s Philharmagic, another favorite. We do Tikki Birds, not sure why, lol. It’s a small world mesmerizes us with Mary Blair’s international dolls, singing of connection. If only we would behave as if our world is indeed small, and as if we valued our shared humanity. Well, off to Pirates of the Caribbean where treachery, looting, and ravishing, um, chickens, bring us back to reality. We are fading and find that a Dole Whip perks us up. We peruse shops and trade pins and hunt for Beak and Barrel where I managed to get a last minute reservation thanks to mousewatcher. We are not hungry but enjoy drinks, and share Island Provisions and Cooks Griddle Cakes. The ambiance is fun and our waiter is piratey. Everyone is closely timed and no one will be relaxing for more than 45 minutes. That was fine for us. We meandered toward Main Street, poked about in shops and where we eventually watched the parade and fireworks. It seems that in the past the show focused more on projections? But I may remember it wrong. It was nice, but Wishes will always be the true, most magical fireworks show for me. It seemed to tell the timeless Walt Disney story. I am beginning to realize there is a common thread of nostalgia running through my report! All in all, it was a magical day. We had positioned ourselves mid way down Main Street and made haste to exit before the smoke dissipated. We were excited that an AKL bus was waiting for us and we managed to get right on! Off we went, still on our feet, but headed back to our resort home.

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Thursday, MK Day Two: The Mousketeers are Tired

Nonetheless, we headed to MK at early opening to do Space Mountain again, and then Tron, with LLSP. Wife sat out SP. She said “I’m not scared, it’s just too dark and fast for the morning.” Fair enough. I was a little nervous about Tron, but loved it. It was a lot of fun and then over. A very short ride, but exhilarating. I had wanted to do Haunted Mansion or Tiana’s too, but the lines were getting longer and wife’s foot was hurting so we decided to try the cheeseburger and pepperoni pizza egg rolls (very tasty snack!) and then poke around Main Street looking for tshirts and the Trolley singers. Tragically they no longer have the trolley singers. :frowning: This is so sad for me, one of my very favorite, truly magical, special experiences that made me truly feel that I was in a magical place. They did have the Dapper Dans, but it is not the same. Having the trolley singers sing the trolley song evoked Judy Garland and the small towns of Walt’s imagination. I am sure they are now considered a nonessential expense by the bean counters.. :slightly_frowning_face:

We then took the monorail to the Polynesian and looked around a bit. I do like this resort very much, it is lovely and the Hawaiian music is tranquil, yet if feels very busy and connected to the parks. That is part of the charm, of course. to see the castle in the distance, and the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary. You are definitely in the magic loop. But when I come “home” to AKL, I feel transported to another world, of bonfires and pulsing drums, perhaps an ambassador from Africa is carving animals from blocks of wood, or pointing out wild animals in the distance. The high ceilings and artworks frame huge windows looking out onto a savannah. Back to the Polynesian, my family is wondering why we needed to take the monorail here, are we getting lunch? I glance at the menu for Captain Cook’s (I am a big fan of the pulled pork nachos) and Wailulu’s and check to see if there is a walk-in opening. There is. I book Wailulu’s and we head that way. I check out the “vibe” in Cook’s which is not exciting, and am blown away by Wailulu’s. The walk to the Tower is lovely, by the water, past sandy beach, palm trees and hammock. The lobby of the new DVC is beautiful and elegant. We are greeted warmly with Polynesian flair and seated by our “wayfinder” outside, chic patio, on this perfect, breezy 84 degree day. The ceiling fans keep us comfortable. We have the tuna nachos, fish in green curry broth (fantastic), a wonderful smash burger, and the tuna poke bowl. Everyone enjoyed their meal. We couldn’t resist having the dole whip sundae (which was basically dole whip with a few berries.) More expensive than Captain Cook’s, but just the view and vibe were worth it. We hopped on the monorail to return to the park and catch the bus back to the resort. I was quite surprised to see two “behind the scenes” areas exposed to all guests from the monorail, a messy dumpster/trash area and another loading type area. This is poor show and not in keeping with Disney tradition.

We returned to the AKL for rest. I must say that I often hear complaints about waiting for buses, but we found our waits for the monorail to be much longer than our waits for the buses. Granted, once we are on the bus, the trip to AKL is longer, but we usually get a seat, so this does not bother us.

I tried to have some pool time and check on the wonderful flamingos, but I got distracted by giraffes on the savannah and ended up talking to some of the African cultural ambassadors who are so nice and informative. It started to rain and I came inside and found some ambassadors who taught me more about Africa and even gave me a “bead” as a token for my efforts. I then moved on to talk to some others. I was surprised that there are 54 countries in Africa and well over 1000 languages. I knew the continent was big and contained many countries and cultures, but this made me realize how ignorant I am. I asked them if they felt connected, as Africans, or related more to their own country due to the vast diversity of culture? They quickly responded that they were Africans first. It is striking how our country does not embrace Mexicans, Hondoruns, Cubans, Costa Ricans, Jamaicans, or any of the 23 North American Countries, as part of one continental family. We have even managed to make enemies of Canadians and forget that Puerto Ricans are US citizens. And yet I felt hopeful talking to these bright, kind young men who are trying to forge a bridge between Africa and the United States.

Back to fantasy land, we headed off to celebrate the merging of human and dwarf cultures at the Storybook Dinner in the Wilderness Lodge. It was easy to feel the similarities between the AKL and WL with the warm and majestic lobby. Folks sat by the fire on this cooler day or in cozy groupings of comfy sofas and chairs. We checked into Artist Pointe, now a pretty “woodland-dining room” and were instructed on the proceedings, all we had to do is choose a beverage and main course; we would share three appetizers and three desserts. We quickly received waters and then our appetizers arrived served on a little tiered tree in the center of the table. We were eager to order other drinks, but could not find our waitress. The appetizers did not impress. The mushroom soup was very earthy and mushroomy, for lack of a better word. Some of us would have enjoyed a creamier version. One meatball each seemed of the frozen food aisle variety in a vaguely sweet sauce. The shrimp cocktail was okay, but presentation was lacking (four shrimp dropped on dish with sauce and lettuce.) I worried that this once excellent restaurant was now relying solely on characters. Finally our waitress came, took our orders, came back with drinks, but got one wrong. But then Dopey came by and all was forgiven. The characters were perfect. Dopey was playful. My favorite moment was him looking over my son’s shoulder, while my son drew in his ever present sketchbook, and Dopey’s incredibly expressive non-verbal commentary. Grumpy somehow exuded grumpiness and expressed adorable annoyance with gestures that brought to mind a cranky uncle. Snow White had mastered all of her mannerisms and even the squeaky voice. When I felt a bit embarrassed getting a photo with her she asked me if I was bashful, and that it was okay, one of her dearest friends was bashful too. At one point they all frolicked about the “forest” and then the Queen came to accept admirers. While she permitted people to “come close to admire her” she oozed imperious scorn. We would have accepted mediocre food.

But then the entrees arrived. Perfectly tender prime rib with a beautiful popover, a melt in your mouth pork shank served with delicious polenta, salmon that disappeared before I could ask for a taste. We all enjoyed our meals!

The desserts were beautiful and I especially enjoyed a pretty miniature apple that seemed to be filled with a chocolate mouse and perhaps merenge. The other desserts, a cherry tarte and chocolate something were fine. Finally a very special presentation was made of some dark chocolates.

On the positive side, this evening was creative, magical, surprising and well orchestrated so that all of the courses, characters and moving parts worked, for the most part, very well. The entrees were exceptionally good. On the down side, service felt a bit like we were being herded through the meal with beverages as an afterthought, coffee or refills never offered. There were a bunch of people who had to get their courses, get visits from characters, and get photos with the queen. Personal attention from dining servers is not a feature of this meal. That being said, consider me charmed enough to not regret the high price of this character experience.

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Friday, our last full day, Epcot

Our plan: up at dawn, at Epcot a Early Opening, run, I mean walk very quickly, to Guardians, then do Test Track. Then take in the World Showcase, have lunch in Space 220 and head back to resort for pool/nap time.

Our reality: for some reasons (two young adults) we didn’t get to sleep early the night before so the planner (some might say Commandant) read the room when the alarm went off and let everyone sleep in. We arrived at Epcot at about 11:00 a.m. and my niece’s backpack got searched for the first time ever. Glad we weren’t racing to Guardians!! Instead we strolled over to Soarin’ which claimed to have a 55 minute wait, TP said 35 minute wait, it took 45. A nice relaxing way to start the day. We walked around looking at the butterfly garden and topiaries and popping in the mall-like shops that are inextricably in the middle of Epcot now with all the same Disney merch that is everywhere in all the parks and resorts. We did look at pins everywhere we went. Checked out the test track line and were told that even the single rider line was running 55 minutes. So, no Test Track for us this time. Thankfully the weather was very pleasantly overcast and cool. We arrived at our 1:15 reservation at Space 220 at 1:00 p.m. and were told to wait five minutes. When we came back we were allowed to move forward and wait some more, but eventually we took the rocketship up to the space station and had lunch. The theming details were well done and it was a pleasant ambiance. It was fun having lunch that felt like a ride, as my niece said. I do think the “cast members” this year are less in character than in the past. While they dutifully said their lines, “enjoy your voyage,” they quickly resumed their side chat with co-workers. Not to grudge low paid employees enjoying their day, but the fantasy of space flight requires as much support as possible. On a more positive note, the food was quite good. I can understand those who say it is not “worth” the hefty price tag, but these prices are what Disney is all about these days. We enjoyed appetizers of goat cheese and beet salad, and anti-pasta with burrata, and Blue Moon Cauliflower (never thought I’d rave about cauliflower, but this was my favorite). Our entrees were “Space Pad Thai,” a Strip Steak with fries, and a flat bread. All of these were well prepared and enjoyable. With soft drinks and tip our meal was over 300.00 for the four of us. Despite this prix fixe the waitress offered several upcharge options. We could order additional sides to share for an extra fee. We could add extras to an entree. We could have filet mignon instead of strip steak for an upcharge. We could have something special about our fries instead of the lukewarm fries she brought us. Of course cocktails and desserts would also be extra. Who knew capitalism would thrive so well in outer space!

Next we headed to the World to take in the details we couldn’t get to on our first day. We rode Three Cabelleros which was back to its original story line. We browsed around and checked out each country one by one. Shopping was best for us in China this year. I am not quite sure what was missing in Morocco, but it seemed to be missing a lot of detail. I remember being amazed, wandering deeper into the “country” and finding surprises behind doors and alleyways. I knew my favorite restaurant had changed, but it is missing its heart now too. Our feet and ankles and shins and backs creaked their way around and we enjoyed the topiaries and picked up some school bread for later. All in all it was a lovely last day in the parks despite our last minute change in plans.

We rested in our room and had burgers for dinner at Mara. The pool area is so tranquil and lush even at night. Lots of kids were still swimming at 9:00 p.m. and I enjoyed watching them frolic

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Saturday, Breakfast at Boma, departure and final thoughts

On our final morning in the World we had breakfast in Boma. I was elated to see the Bread Pudding at breakfast and chose that as my appetizer, (okay, and dessert.) It is so good I will dream of it. Some of us had traditional eggs, waffles, bacon and pastries while I tried various Boma-only vegetables and casseroles. I am not even sure what all I had, but it was delicious. Except the biscuits-if you are a southerner skip those. As the kids went up to finish packing (sigh) I reported my son’s refillable mug to lost-and-found. There is no telling where he left it, but I hoped he may have left it in Mara. Instead of even looking in lost-and-found the concierge issued me a coupon for a free replacement! More pixie dust landed on our family. I was grateful because he really wanted it as a souvenir (our free drinks are over, alas!) and I hated to purchase another one

Sadly, we said goodbye to the flamingos and giraffes and left our lovely fantasy world. Next, we dropped off our son to college, another sad goodbye, but at least we will see him again soon.

Random Note: we used our Disney Visa for all restaurants and other purchases since many places (including Boma and Jiko) offer 10% off. I have not had the courage yet to check the damage, but plan to eventually compare our costs to the meal plan costs and report back.

Final thoughts:

We had a wonderful time with our young adults in WDW The new attractions to us (7 Dwarves, Tron, Moanna, Guardians, Smugglers and ROR, and the lands, Galaxies Edge and Toy Land) were amazing, full of detail, and so much fun. We loved our new and old restaurant experiences and ate way too much. We rarely waited long for anything and were able to experience almost everything we wanted. Touring plans, ADRs and Lightning Lanes worked well, if not necessarily together. I am not as expert as many of you ,but often found it difficult to get my daily plan to sync with LL return times and ADR times. I worked around it by evaluating different scenarios and optimizing after each step. Sometimes I had to make changes based on my group balking at crossing a park, for example, but TP was great for reassessing priorities. The parks and resorts were very clean and generally quite beautiful. I was amazed to see staff touching up paint blemishes in the resorts with multiple paint colors and brushes as if making a painting rather than simply touching up a flaw. I will say that there are some hallways in AKL that need carpet replaced. Stains and excessive wear and tear are unreasonable at this price point.

Glitches: We missed out on Test Track because it was down on the morning we planned to rope drop it. We are not willing to waste our valuable time in long lines, so that was it for us. We missed Frozen due to the late start today, but that was a choice. I was not able to manipulate the LL system to get earlier times to tap in or to pick up worthwhile LLs once in the park. Possibly because I was not motivated enough to continually focus on my phone. I did hope to get one for Jungle Cruise, and refreshed endlessly, especially at supposed drop times, to no avail. So that was another attraction we missed. Nevertheless, with 3 LL and one or two LLSP for each park, we were able do nearly all the attractions we wanted, which were nearly all of the attractions that don’t focus on little kids (Dumbo and similar.)

Magic Band Rant:

Not many years ago, I remember receiving in the mail right before our trip, for no additional charge, a package from WDW with magic bands, luggage tags, gosh there were probably posters and stickers, it’s hard to remember. It was very exciting. Now, we can pay a minimum of 39.00 per person for the most basic version of this key to our room and ticket to parks and rides. Of course, parents can tell their kids that they can’t have the super cool Buzz Lightyear band that the other kids have and instead carry key cards around for them, but wow, this is another included perk turned money grab. THEN to top it off, the bands are not well made and they keep coming undone! Our concierge offered to get me some rubber bands. Just wow.

Disney Critique

We had a wonderful time. The theming in the resorts, parks, restaurants were all wonderful. We were blessed with beautiful weather. The new attractions are especially great and needed. If you are willing and able to pay, and aware and willing to plan well, a very special experience is available.

It did seem excessive that every day in every park we experienced or observed something malfunctioning. Some are minor disappointments, like the gulls by the Nemo ride not saying “mine, mine, mine” anymore but just clicking. Sometimes there were spots in dark rides that seemed to be missing something. Others, like the Yeti is apparently completely missing now, Haunted Mansion stalling three times in one ride, Mermaid cancelling mid-show, Test Track completely down causing us to miss it, and Peter Pan at a standstill for approximately 30 minutes, while we were trapped in line, began to feel rather excessive. I am a big fan, but not an uncritical one. Disney does not promise a fun time for a reasonable cost, it literally promises the MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH for truly ridiculous fees. When a massive company makes record profits and increases prices well beyond cost of living while removing many of the previously included perks and benefits all while promising magic, I do expect stuff to work. If they promise themed immersion, I do expect the staff to stay in character. I would feel better paying more if I knew that staff were well-paid, but knowing the average annual salary for cast members is under $35,000. it is hard to be critical of workers.

Josh D’Amato is said to be credited with record profits in the parks. I guess time will tell if he will continue to run it as it has been lately, a capitalist experiment to see just how much can be taken away while increasing prices and profit, or if he will lean into Walt’s vision of continuously “plussing” the experience so that children, and grown children, have intangible, emotional experiences, that create a lifetime of loyalty and passion for a special brand. The trolley singers used to do that for me. In their song and dance they brought me to Walt’s own nostalgia for an innocent time that never actually existed. His hopeful vision found in Carousel of Progress and Tomorrowland, and embedded in his dreams for Epcot pointed toward an equally ideal future that sadly, we are unlikely to live up to. Yet we so desperately need dreams, whether or not they do come true. Walt was tireless, optimistic, and visionary. He was an idealist, who never gave up trying to make things even better. This is my personal inspiration and the philosophy I hope Mr. D’Amato at least strives to emulate. I love the rumor that he asked that the Villians Land be even better than originally conceived. I am excited about the improvements planned for Animal Kingdom. But, it is not very inspiring if these offerings are not accessible for middle class families. We shall see.

The Real Magic

For 7 days we were often elbow to elbow with strangers, little kids, people who had been on aching feet all day, babies crying, and all of us hungry, yet never once was a single person rude or unkind to us. Instead holding open doors, helping folks get their strollers on the bus, and picking up dropped pacifiers was the norm. We offered to take each other’s photos. We made sure little kids could see the parade. We let the old women, oooops that was me, sit down on the bus. The example set by over the top helpfulness of the cast members seemed to influence everyone around. The messages in each ride, parade, song and show constantly reminded us that it was a small world, after all, that Ohana means family, that nobody gets left behind or forgotten, and it is what is inside that matters most. This crowd seemed less international than previous trips, but there was diversity of tired people wedged together to watch the night’s finale, beautifully synchronized fireworks to music. And then thousands of people made it to their bus, their monorail, boat or car in peaceful ad orderly cooperation.

While trying to forget about the overwhelming events in our real world, my time in Disney World gave me hope for humanity. The real tragedy of these divisive times is that we are distracted from our common desire to simply live together in harmony, have some fun and love on each other’s kids. Perhaps if we all sat down over some rice krispy treats shaped like Mickey we could work some problems out.

Finally, I am grateful for the support of everyone in TP who shared their tips and advice!! It really helped. Hope my sometimes personal and sometimes critical commentary doesn’t offend anyone. Peace, Love, and Micky

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Usually this is because they stop the Omnimover belt to allow less mobile guests to load onto/exiit the Doom Buggies. This also happens for many other continuous loading rides - they stop to facilitate guests.

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What a magical trip - thanks for sharing!

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Thank you for sharing your trip with us. Your observations and writing of them is lovely and made my day a bit brighter.

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Great report! Thank you for the detailed food reviews!

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Yes, this! They are competent cast members, but the experience would be so much more intense, immersive, and engaging if WDW hired trained actors for these roles.

My sister was an acting major at UNC-Greensboro, and many of her classmates went to work as performers at WDW in the late 80s and early 90s. I can remember reading in the UG in those years that going at the lowest crowd time might mean that there would be less live entertainment—and the bright, snappy, live shows were one of the joys of higher crowd level trips. On our last trip, we enjoyed the new Villains show but also noted that it only employs 3-4 actors.

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What a well written trip report! I appreciate your insight and details. :grinning_face: