Trip Report: Christmas Tree Stroll (Day 5, Part 3 | December 2022)

 We saw some more puppets and then decided to leave since we were all tired. This meant we were missing our Na’Vi River Journey Lightning Lane, but that’s fine. We had a dinner reservation at Disney Springs so we went to my parents room at Saratoga Springs. They had a one-bedroom, so I took a nap on the pull down in their living room. I ended up sleeping for about an hour and a half. 

After I woke up from my much-needed nap, we walked to Disney Springs. Our dinner was at Enzo’s Hideaway. It was a well-themed restaurant. The food was good but a bit overpriced. For Italian food in Disney World I would prefer Via Napoli or Mama Melrose’s.

We spent the rest of the night doing the Christmas Tree Stroll. I love this new version that’s like a scavenger hunt. And they had more trees this year.

My mom sent me a picture of Murphy, my cat, while I was walking around. It’s always nice to see him.

With the trail finished, I went to the bus stop. A bus pulled away just as I got there so I had to wait about 20 minutes. Sometimes you’re just unlucky. Back in the room, I was happy to go to sleep.

Today’s Highlight: Kite Tails

Steps Walked: 22,918

Trip Report: Kite Tails (Day 5, Part 2 | December 2022)

 Then, we headed to the Safari because we had a Genie+ reservation. We saw the apes being very active on our way. Maybe there was something in the air, because the animals were also very active on the safari. There was even a hippo out of the water which I’m not sure I’ve ever seen before. 

When we got out of the Safari, a musician was playing in Harambe so we listened for a few minutes. I also booked a LL at Na’Vi River Journey for 3:50 PM. 

It was time for lunch so we did a mobile order at Flame Tree Barbeque. As we waited for our food to be ready, we saw the penguins from the Merry Menagerie.

For lunch, I got the salad which is always a good choice. It’s lighter and I was pretty hungry so I also got an order of onion rings. Full disclosure: I’m always on board for onion rings.

The Lion King Kite Tails show was going on while we ate so we could see it a bit.

After we ate, we did the Maharajah Jungle Trek. There was a fairly active tiger here, too. They normally sleep all day so that was exciting. There was also a peacock walking around, too. One of the CMs said he was looking for his girlfriend, Frieda. 

Then, it was time for us to watch Kite Tails for the first time. We sat in the AP viewing area which had no shade so I wouldn’t recommend that. This was the Jungle Book version. I was happy because my dad loves the Jungle Book. It was a very fun show that lived up to the hype. 

A showing of the Animation Experience was coming up at 2:10 so we took the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We got to draw Heimlich which I was very excited about. Although I started getting tired-I think it was the dramamine hitting me. 

We went into the Affection Section to see some animals and then took the train back to the park proper.