Trip Report: Will We See Rivers of Light?

If you missed the last update you can read it here.

It was hard to see where we were going, but we made our way to a building with an overhang to try and make plans. 

Being a glasses wearer, rain is extra sucky. It makes it even harder to read. Like I might as well not even wear my glasses. 

I think the building may normally be used for meet and greets because there was nothing going on and it was mostly lines. Shortly, after we got there, the doors were opened as a rain shelter.

The Animal Kingdom CMs were incredible during all of this. Kudos to all of them.

After waiting inside for a little bit we were off again.

Seriously, the puddles were crazy. At one point, we were walking on the landscaping to avoid them. Other people were doing the same thing. Only one person could go at a time so it was interesting. The other guests were being nice and respectful. 

When we got to the Rivers of Light entrance, the CMs said a decision hadn't been made about the show going on or not. They said we could wait in the Finding Nemo theater. It was open as another rain shelter and the CMs there would keep us updated.

We went there. It was nice to sit down in some A/C. It was actually a little chilly. And again, the CMs were great. They were friendly, offered towels, answered questions, and were checking on us.

 

A little after 8 they made the call-no Rivers of Light. But the 9:15 show might still happen. So we had to decide if we would keep waiting it out or not.

While we decided we checked out Dinosaur. We walked right in and the pre-show had already started.

Then, it was ride time.

It is such a good ride. I forgot when the picture was so the look on my face in the picture is half fake terror and half shock.

When we got off, it was still raining and we were finished. I wanted to get the Animal Kingdom You Are Here mugs so we headed to Creature Comforts/Starbucks.

On our way, we noticed a Tree of Life show so we stopped to watch. It started with a Pocahontas theme and then moved onto other songs and animals from various animated movies. It was a cool show. While the rain had lightened up a little, I wasn't risking my phone or camera.

I bought my mug and we were out of there. A bus came pretty quickly and I think I was in my room by like 9:30. I unpacked, took a body shower, and went to bed.

Steps Walked: 15,605

Up next: Bon Voyage!

Trip Report: The Sky Unleashes Horrors

If you missed the last post you can check it out here.

While we were finishing dinner, it started to rain. We figured it would go over in 10-15 minutes like a normal Florida storm so we sat around for a little bit.

But it wasn't getting better. We did decide to leave because more people were coming in and needed places to sit. We also stopped in Windtraders for ponchos. We don't typically have to deal with rain on our vacations-especially a torrential downpour. My socks and shoes were drenched. It was like my feet were swimming.

We had FastPasses for Rivers of Light. But we weren't sure if it would still happen because of all the rain.

After walking for a bit we got to the Tree of Life. I suggested checking out It's Tough to Be a Bug. I was hoping the storm would blow over while we were inside. Plus, it's a fun show.

The rain didn't stop.

It actually got worse.

It was around 7:30 so we decided to make our way over toward the Rivers of Light entrance to see if we could get a status on the show. We didn't want to wait around all night if it would be canceled.

Let me tell you, that was an adventure. It was raining so much my fingers were pruning. And there were huge puddles that were almost impossible not to step in. 

Animal Kingdom was actually very pretty in the rain, but I was afraid to take my phone or camera out for pictures. Looking back, I kind of wish I had risked it.

Up next: Will we see Rivers of Light?

Trip Report: Pandora!

Missed the last update. You can read it here.

We entered Pandora from Africa. I had recorded the experience.

The noise really does change as you walk on the bridge. It makes it feel like you are really stepping into another world. It's beautiful and felt immersive. I've never seen the movie but I can still appreciate it's beauty.

We decided to walk around slowly to take everything in. Plus, we had some time to kill before our Na'vi River journey FastPasses. I enjoyed exploring something new. And we got some PhotoPass pictures.

We also stopped into Windtraders (the gift shop) to look around. Originally, my dad was just going to look at the banshees and buy one later, but then he got in line. I recorded him picking one because I thought it would be a whole process-it took less than a minute.

It can definitely be a longer experience if you want it to be. And the castmembers were doing a great job with the kids.

Dad sent his banshee back to the hotel and we were off to Na'vi River Journey.

Initially, I was a little underwhelmed. I thought it was pretty, but people said it felt like a spiritual experience for them which I wasn't getting.

But as I kept going I felt more invested and found it more than just a pretty boat ride. There's no real story so it's crazy how it can make you feel emotional.

We have another FastPass for it later in the week so we'll see if I still feel that way on a second ride through.

Then, I was hungry so we went to Satu'li Canteen. Again we did mobile ordering and this one went much smoother. 

Dad and I both ordered the cheeseburger pods and the blueberry mousse. Denise got a bowl. It was a chicken and hash with the creamy herb sauce.

The pods do really taste like McDonald's hamburgers which are kind of weird. The chips were different and, I assume, homemade. I did really like the purple ones. I do wish I had gotten the kids meal of only 1 pod. Denise really liked her bowl.

The mousse was good, but I wasn't a huge fan of the passionfruit curd. And it does look a little weird.

It wasn't my favorite Disney meal, but it was nice and I would eat here again.

Up Next: The Sky Unleashes Horrors

Trip Report: Pulled Pork & a Baby Giraffe

Missed the last post. You can read it here.

I didn't have to wait very long for a bus. And the resort is close to Animal Kingdom so it was a short ride.

Leading up to the trip, I was a little worried about security. I thought it was going to be an ordeal. But it was a breeze. I thought everyone was going through the metal detectors, but my parents didn't have to.

I arrived before my parents so I went to the bathroom and grabbed a map. I always get confused in this park when it comes to directions. I tried to hang out in the Oasis. Unfortunately, there were no animals.

About five minutes later my parents showed up. We were all hungry so we did mobile ordering at Flame Tree Barbecue. My parents order went fine, but mine was a little bit of a mess. They lost my order and ended up duplicating their order for me.

Denise and I both got the pulled pork mac-n-cheese. Dad got the pulled pork sandwich. The pork was a little dry, but overall it was good. But that could've been impacted by hungry I was. Also, there definitely could've been more food for the price.

Then, we were off to use our first FastPass of the day on Kilimanjaro Safaris.

This is one of my favorite attractions, but this particular ride was a little boring. Our driver didn't have a lot of flair and the animals weren't very active. I'm guessing it was because of the time of day. 

We did get stopped for a few minutes on the savannah because a baby giraffe thought it would be fun to hang out in the middle of the road.

A couple of rhinos walked crazy close to the truck. It was equal parts cool and terrifying. I mean, a rhino can do serious damage if it wans to. 

Next week: Pandora!!!

Thanks for reading!

Holly 

Trip Report: More TSA "Drama" & Turbulence

Miss the first post? Check it out here.

After about thirty minutes we decided to head to the gate. On our way, we ran into my cousin, Dan, with his little girl Elenora. They were waiting for his wife Lisa. She was having her own TSA issues. They were going through all the stuff in her diaper bag. I've heard that diaper bags are often an issue when flying. And Lisa is a planner so she would have researched what she could bring.

Once that was all storted it was off to the gate. And and Lisa gate-checked Elenora's stroller and car seat. It was a quick bathroom stop and we were boarding. 

It was awesome because Jorge, Amy, and Areana got to sit right behind us. The other three were a couple rows farther back but still close. 

We took off on time and the pilot said we would probably land early. There was actually a decent amount of turbulence-especially near the end of the flight. 

Flying over Florida was kind of sad. There were so many roofs with tarps on them. I can only assume this is because of hurricane Irma damage.

And we landed 30 minutes early. Wahoo!!!

Most of us headed to the bathroom after de-planing. 

*Holly's tip: don't go to the bathroom closest to the gate to avoid crowds*

There was a slight kerfuffle wiht the stroller/car seat. And not just for us. For some reason Southwest check-checked all the strollers. So all those people (and there were 5-6) including Dan and Lisa had to go to bag check. 

Amy was nice and was carrying Elenora since there was no stroller to put her in. I don't think I'd want to shlep an eight-month old through MCO. 

But we were off to the faux-norail. We did get lucky here because one pulled up as we got there. Amy was a boss making it with a baby.

Dan and Lisa had to go to bag check, but the rest of us could go straight to Magical Express.

I got to ride Amy, Jorge, and Areana since we were both headed to the All-Star resorts. We ended up getting a regular Mears bus, but who cares because we're going to Disney World!!!

Areana and I played the trivia they have on the TVs for you. And Jorge set up a group chat between everyone on the trip for easy communication. And they were notified that their room was ready. Mine wasn't so I was jealous.

It was just after 2 PM when I got off the bus at All-Star Music. Since my room wasn't ready I left my carry on with bell services and went to the bus stop. The plan was to meet my parents at Animal Kingdom. We were the only people planning on going to the parks today.

Guess what happened right after I got on the bus? I got a text that my room was ready! Oh well, what are you going to do?

Up next: Pulled Pork & a Baby Giraffe