For our third anniversary, my husband and I were supposed to go to Seattle and Portland. However, the pandemic threw a wrench in our plans. We still wanted to travel and celebrate, so we asked ourselves what state is open and won’t shut down. Florida is the state that came to mind. Therefore, two weeks in advance, we were planning a Disney World trip.
I first checked to see if our desired parks were available for reservations. My husband and I wanted to go to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom because Magic Kingdom is very similar to Disneyland. Also, we knew that the rides at Epcot were not as thrilling, and Epcot is more about the food and drinks. Therefore, we came to the conclusion of Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom for our reservations. We bought our airplane tickets and hotel through Expedia, and a few short weeks later we were flying out of LAX to Orlando.
We arrived in Orlando late on a Thursday Night. We ate at Cafe Tu-Tu Tango, which was delicious, and then went to sleep. Our plan for the weekend was Hollywood Studios Friday, Animal Kingdom Saturday, Universal Studios Sunday, and fly home Monday. In this post I will only be talking about our day in Animal Kingdom:
Since we did not rent a car or stay on Disney Property, we ubered to animal kingdom. The Uber is able to drive you right up to the entrance. We got there pretty close to opening and went straight to Creature Comforts for some breakfast and coffee. Immediately after, we headed to Pandora to ride Flight of Passage and Navii River Journey. Flight of Passage is a must ride, but it was not my husband and my favorite. We felt a bit nauseous after the ride like we do with many 4d rides. The feeling of flying on a ikran (dragon-like creature) was really unique, and I am sure kids would love it, but for our old selves we felt a little sick after. Our favorite ride of the whole day was Navii River Journey. It was relaxing, beautiful, and had cool animatronics. Then, we got a snack from Pongu Pongu. We shared the Mo’ara Margarita drink and Lumpia. I loved my alcoholic beverage with Boba. It was both pretty and delicious. However, I only liked the lumpia, and it was just okay. It has cream cheese and pineapple. I think it is the pineapple that threw me off because I loved the cream cheese and the pastry outside. Normally, I like sweet, but it was a little too sweet for me.
Next, we headed to Africa to get on Kilimanjaro Safaris. This might have been our favorite activity of the day. My husband loved seeing all the animals and feeling like you were on an actual safari. We were able to see lions, hippos, giraffes, rhinos, and more! We went in the morning/afternoon, so the animals were still out because it was still cool. A suggestion I have often heard is to go to first thing so that you can see all the animals before they get too hot and hide in the shade. After the safari, we went on one of the walking trails called Gorilla Falls. There were gorillas and other various animals to see along the way. My husband was very nervous around the gorillas and was convinced they could jump and get you (totally false).
After our time in Africa, we headed to Asia to ride Expedition Everest. This roller coaster reminds me of Matterhorn in Disneyland because they both have snow monsters and a snowy mountain, but this is where the similarities end. This ride is much more thrilling than the Disneyland bobsled ride. It is fast, has drops, has a section where you are going backwards, and has a scary Yeti. This is definitely a ride for thrill seekers!
At this point, we were hungry and decided to stop at Flame Tree BBQ. My husband and I both got pulled pork sandwiches with onion rings. I also got a cider beer with cinnamon whiskey and a gummy worm garnish. We both really enjoyed our food, but one tip I have is get a second pack if BBQ sauce. You are going to need it! Another tip is to sit close to the water. You will be able to see boats and characters go by. When we were eating, we were able to see and wave at Pocahontas.
Our next point of interest was DinoLand USA. We went there solely to ride Dinosaur. This ride is like Indiana Jones in Disneyland, but with dinosaurs. Considering Indians Jones is my favorite ride in Disneyland, this was one of my favorite rides in Animal Kingdom. It is a great ride for thrill seekers.
Once we finished this ride, we decided we wanted to go on the Maharajah Trail, but when we got there, they were closed so the animals could sleep. As such, one of my tips is to see all the animals in the morning so that you do not miss out. After this setback, we decided to go to Pandora because it was getting dark. We were able to see all the beautiful lights, and decided to ride Navii River one more time. After that ride, we went to see the tree of life lit up before the park closed. Animal Kingdom closes the earliest out of all the parks, so it is important to start your day off there early. Also, you will probably stay there all the way until closing.
While walking out of the park, we called an Uber. They were there within 5 minutes. We got to our hotel and fell asleep almost instantly. The nap turned into a longer sleep, so we ended up canceling our reservation at the City Walk and just ate some snacks because we were so exhausted from our two full days at Disney. This concluded the Disney portion of our trip. The next Dat we planned to go to Universal Studios and islands of Adventure. It was time to switch gears from Disney to Harry Potter. We loved our time at Disneyworkd this November. It was my husbands first time to Disney World and Orlando. Therefore, it was a very special anniversary trip that we will never forget!
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Ashleigh Marie: Teacher to Mommy 