10 Reasons Not to Bring Kids to Disney World (But I Will Next Time) - A Whirlwind January Solo Trip (Final Thoughts - 3/23)

[Skywatcher1206]

At this point, it’s a little after 9 so the park was officially open. While deciding what to do, I ran into the Jammitors! Yay, that was fun to have some unexpected entertainment.

View attachment 829988

I really enjoyed seeing the Jammitors on my solo trip as well. With the family there, we are always racing to the next ride, it was nice being able to enjoy some entertainment offerings on a solo trip. I am enjoying your trip report!

 

[Ann-CA]

I really enjoyed seeing the Jammitors on my solo trip as well. With the family there, we are always racing to the next ride, it was nice being able to enjoy some entertainment offerings on a solo trip. I am enjoying your trip report!

One of the best parts of solo trip was being able to stop and go as I pleased. I was able to stop for them, but I also ended up leaving the Movie Magic show to get on a shorter ride at HS. Definitely don’t think I would’ve been able to do that with kids!

Thanks for following along!

 

[Ann-CA]

Quick Real Life Update

Remember this print? I had purchased it for my brother at FotA and had it shipped it to his house in San Jose.



Before jumping back in to the TR, wanted to give a quick update. So I called Disney Merchandise Friday. They gave me a tracking number with UPS and told me it was in Oakland. That’s great, I thought. Should be there soon and my brother can keep an eye for porch pirates! Well, I checked and found out it’s been in Oakland since the 30th! And it hasn’t moved. My brother and I think it’s lost or stolen en route.

I’m going to give Disney merchandise a call tomorrow. I’m fully confident Disney will handle it, but I’m curious how. Will they give me a refund? Or will they be able to get another print? I’m hoping it’s the latter but we will see since this was a limited edition print and not something they keep in warehouses. If I do get a refund, it’ll be back in gift card money which isn’t super ideal. I do have a trip in March, but not sure we’ll get to spending $250.

The saga of the missing Disney print has begun…

 

[Ann-CA]

Day 1, Park 2, Magic Kingdom

This part of my trip was never supposed to happen! My original intention was to just do Epcot this first day.

A few weeks before my trip, a friend of mine who works for Disney offered me one of her tickets, and it ended up being a Park Hopper!

The one ride I did want to try at MK was TRON. Since I had a park hopper, I decided to change up my full day at Epcot and add MK. I had originally thought I’d start at MK since I had intended to watch Luminous, but so many people on these boards said Happily Ever After was better. Plus MK changed its hours to close an hour later than Epcot, so MK in the evening it was!



I arrived at security and got through super easily. I entered the turnstiles up Main Street, or what felt like bizarro version of Main Street. I think that’s the thing about being so familiar with Disneyland. Everything feels similar but just slightly off from what my body and mind remember.

But one area that definitely is different is the castle!




Cinderella’s castle is so breathtaking and grandiose compared to our dinky Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Clearly, tons of people were already lining up for the 8pm fireworks.

While I planned to watch HEA, I wanted to hit my Jungle Cruise lightning lane first and hope I had enough time to find a spot after.

I walked toward Adventureland and spotted something! The Egg Roll cart! This wasn’t in my plans at all but had heard so much about them on vlogs and podcasts. And I could use a snack. My last snack was the Short Rib I had around 3pm, and it was near 7:30 now.



I got one each of the cheeseburger and pepperoni pizza roll. This pic makes them look bigger than they are. They’re pretty tiny and expensive ($9.50 for the two). But this was vacation and these were unique.
I ate them pretty quickly since I had a LL and the fireworks after. In hindsight, i should’ve gotten them after just so I had more time to enjoy. They were good. I was surprised but I think I enjoyed the pepperoni one slightly better, especially with the addition of the sauce. I thought I’d enjoy the cheeseburger one more.

I headed toward Jungle Cruise. Originally, I only got this LL because it was the hardest one to get (other than Peter Pan which I wasn’t interested in riding). I didn’t think I wanted to ride it since I’ve done it a bunch back home, but I noticed the map and it looked different than Disneyland.

I’m so glad I did it. I’ll have to say, WDW version blows Disneyland out of the water. It’s longer. The skipper had multiple jokes I’d never heard. And the cave we go through reminds me of my favorite ride at DL, Indiana Jones!




I was sat right up front. I took an awkward photo of the skipper, trying not to make it too obvious I was taking a pic of him.

After the ride was over, I went back towards the castle to stake out a spot. I had my Tron LL right after the fireworks, so I wanted to position myself easily to go to TL. The CMs were trying to discourage people from going in front of the castle since there was no more room for watching fireworks, but I told them I wanted to go to Tomorrowland and got let through, no problem.

On the other side of the castle, I saw an area that was viewing that was quite open. I slipped in being careful not to block anybody who had been waiting there. There was a slight obstruction with the towers in front of the castle but I didn’t mind.




I only had maybe 5 minutes to wait.

The show began, and all I can tell you is I was smiling from beginning to end. Wow, what a fireworks show. I don’t love, love fireworks shows but this was the best I’ve seen.

While I love the parks, I wouldn’t describe Disney Magic as something I embrace a whole lot. I’m not really like that. But I’ll watch these fireworks were magical!
So glad I decided to head to MK to do this. I’m sure Luminous is lovely too but the projections on the castle, classic Disney songs, and the fireworks make for a pretty special combo.



While I can see why people would wait for a great view, I’m so glad I didn’t, and got this more than adequate spot 5 min before the fireworks began.

Plus, it set me up perfectly to get to the last part of my first day at DW.

 

[Ann-CA]

Well, Disney resolved my artwork issue supposedly as I got a refund on a gift card. I really would’ve preferred the art work be sent to my brother. Part of the fun was that it was selected from the festival. This artist ONLY sells at Disney festivals and doesn’t sell any other way.





This is what the UPS tracking looks like now. Disney handled it quickly and they were great. I did message them saying I’d prefer a replacement so we’ll see what they say. I’m holding out hope that perhaps UPS will find the package and it’ll still get sent to my brother (and maybe I still get the gift card!). But we’ll see.

Day 1 Conclusion - Magic Kingdom

The fireworks were over and the mobs of people were beginning to move. I look over towards right in front of the castle and it’s just standstill. I’m so glad I didn’t try to go early to go there. I think even if I had kids, I’d surely do what I did and try to find a side view. Plus my view was fantastic!

Though come to think of it, another reason not to bring kids. My son is in a phase where he likes watching fireworks on a screen, but gets scared in person.

Reason #5 Not to Bring Kids to Disney World - You can watch whatever you want without worrying about how the kids will do.

The whole reason for the hopping for MK was to see HEA and then to ride Tron. I had purchased an ILL for right after the fireworks.

Back to the throngs of people - since I was located right near Tomorrowland and I was only behind a few people, I was quickly able to head on the path towards TL. A lot of people had the same idea and it was fairly crowded but I was able to move.

I could see Tron in the distance. TL is quite big now with the addition of Tron. The show ended at 8:18 and I make it there by 8:25.



I get in line and it still seems pretty long, but not nearly as long as the VQ.



It moves decently. I see the test seats but don’t try them out as I’m by myself. I wasn’t worried about fit but was a little curious about how it’d feel in that position. I did see kids use it as a photo op!

My notes say I entered the ride area about 20 minutes later. I mention my notes because at some point, I hit the lockers and put away my stuff. I remember my locker number and head into the ride area. I recall thinking to myself, I better write down that locker number in case I forget. I pull out my phone and I get distracted and write down my notes about the times for the ride! And what do you imagine happens, I forget my locker number! Mom brain! I do write down three numbers that sound familiar, and I also generally remember which section of lockers it’d be. I figure this is a good opportunity to see Disney tech. I’m not too worried as I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s done this. But note: take a picture! That’ll save headache!



I enjoyed it! I think the unique ride vehicle plus the high-tech “look” and that take off were a lot of fun. For a brief moment when I got off, I thought to myself whether I liked it more than GotG. I decided GotG edged this out because of that soundtrack. I’d ride Tron again just to see if I’d enjoy it a second time as much as the first.

Regarding my locker, I went and tried a locker and it wouldn’t open. So I figured I had forgotten the number and tried a few. Finally, I decided to ask a CM who pointed me to these little screens. When you scanned your device, it gave the number! My first locker was correct. I just didn’t do it right. So if you do forget, they have a way!

At this point, I decide I’m going to hit TL. I had a LL for SM, but I head over and guess what? It’s broken down! I did receive a redemption pass for another ride. I wanted to do Peoplemover but when I had passed by earlier the line looked quite long, so I decided to jump on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.

Ok, this ride was pretty terrible for me. I’ve done it at DL and it’s decent there. I shoot and there are different colors. But I didn’t notice different colors. And I couldn’t tell if I was hitting anything. For a while, I was at maybe 2,000 points. I ended up switching guns wondering if it was broken and same thing on other side. I eventually do manage to hit some targets, I think since I wasn’t in the absolutely lowest score category. But DL seemed more fun to me. Maybe I did have a messed up gun.



I see that the PM line had gone down. This was one of my top rides I wanted to ride so I’m glad it did. As I was going up, the moving walkway (that’s also a people mover right?) stopped suddenly. Weird. We all just walked up. We get to the top and they’re loading but then the ride vehicles stop. The CM tells everybody they need to restart and she goes through what looks like literally a restart sequence with the buttons with keys turning and buttons pushed. The vehicles start moving, but the walkway doesn’t.

This becomes important because the ride stopped SO many times. Maybe 3 during our whole rides. Each time, I’m picturing the CM doing this restart sequence.



We did get to see broken down Space Mountain so that was pretty neat.




I did think to myself about the day and how many breakdowns there were that impacted my day. FEA, Gran Fiesta, GotG, SM, and then the stoppages on PM. I can see why people complain about how maybe the parks aren’t maintained as well. I can understand with the trackless ride tech how easily things can break but these rides today weren’t that. PM shouldn’t require a manual reset 3 times in 10 minutes!

But I enjoyed the relaxing ride despite the stops. I wish our TL in CA still had this.

I headed over to my last ride of the evening. Originally, when planning my MK hop, it would’ve been in the morning. I had considered SDMT but only could buy two ILLs and decided to buy GotG instead, even though I got the VQ. When I switched to evening, I decided to try the get in line right as closing strategy I read about. I figured I was on West Coast time so I wasn’t really tired. I could wait.

Posted wait was 45 I believe, which already was good. I got on in 25. The queue had those features, which a lot of kids played on. Only since coming home did I see that there are some Easter Eggs with those features. I wish I would’ve known and would’ve tried to get some people to do them with me!



First, I’ll say I’m really glad I rode the ride. It was cute. I’ll also say, I’m really really glad I didn’t pay the ILL for this. And I’m glad I only waited 25 minutes. It was cute but that was about it! I could see with kids why people would take this ride. I think my 4yo would like it. But as an adult, it wouldn’t have been worth paying $13 for it.

I walk out to an empty park. My feet are feeling really good (thank God for this second pair of shoes I packed). But I’m starving. I’ve only snacked all day and haven’t eaten anything really substantial.

But it’s pretty late, so I know getting back to my room, I wouldn’t have many options.

On my way down Main Street, I see Casey’s Corner still open so I hop in and get in a pretty long line. I guess mobile order had already closed up. It was a bit of a mess and a few minutes after I get in, they close the doors and don’t let anybody else in.

I wanted a chili cheese dog but they were out so I get a footlong Chipotle BBQ dog instead. I get the footlong since it was only a dollar more and I wasn’t going to eat the bread.



It was huge, and I didn’t realize it came with fries. I ate a few and tossed the fries as to not tempt myself. They had closed Casey’s so I sat outside and had the first substantial meal of my day.

Which leads me to a few other reasons why not to bring kids to WDW.

Reason #6 Not to Bring Kids to Disney World - You can eat (or not eat) whenever you want.

I had a pretty fantastic first day. I was able to do a ton! Even though I was probably a bit tired from the red eye, it was still so good to be in WDW. It also was great because I was able to use Genie+ and buy those ILLs. I think in total I spent $61. If I had brought my family, it would’ve been another $300+. I’m grateful I could take advantage of being solo.

Reason #7 Not to Bring Kids to Disney World - It’s so much cheaper to do things without kids.

I’m pretty sure I hop right onto a bus back to AS Sports, and get ready to get some real rest ready to get up early for Day 2!

 

[footballmouse]

I walked right past the eggrolls last month and I didn't get either one. I kinda wanted to but I wasn't hungry and I was trying to get to my Pirates LL. Looking back, I wished I would have grabbed one.

 

[Ann-CA]

I walked right past the eggrolls last month and I didn't get either one. I kinda wanted to but I wasn't hungry and I was trying to get to my Pirates LL. Looking back, I wished I would have grabbed one.

That’s how I felt about the Beef Wellington at Epcot. But I just wasn’t hungry at the moment. With the egg rolls, I happen to be so I’m glad I got it.

Probably better we exercise self-control when not hungry otherwise we might be complaining later about tummy aches.

Hopefully next time for you!

 

[Ann-CA]

I forgot to include day 1 stats:

Total Sleep: 3.5 hrs on red eye flight
Parks: Epcot + MK
Total rides: 16
Total Steps: 30,390
Total Distance : 13 miles

Day 2, Park 1 - Animal Kingdom

While I had quite a full day 1, I was even more excited about Day 2. I was going to revisit the park I remember loving most from 25 years ago, and I had a special experience planned in the evening.

First things first, I do manage to get up before my 6:55 alarm (how, I’m not sure!) to log in at 7 to MDE. I wouldn’t be doing Genie+ today so I went just to get an ILL for FoP. My MDE has a little trouble loading but I close the app and restart. I see a 9:00am LL but hesitate a little bit and by the time I click, it’s for 10:30. i had hoped for the earlier time to avoid unnecessary extra walking, but oh well, I’ll deal with what I got.

I end up resting a little bit more but eventually get up. I get dressed, put on the Asics, and get ready to head out. Probably the hot dog from the night before late was still sitting so I’m not hungry.

I fill my mug with lackluster Diet Coke and get to the buses. My luck is great again and I hop right on. As I sit, I notice this guy bringing in a double stroller. It catches me off guard a little bit, mainly because I realize I had been going at such early and late times that while I saw kids, I didn’t see quite as many young kids with strollers. But this was the only person on the bus navigating all this stuff! Poor guy! I feel ya!



Reason #8 Not to Bring Kids to Disney World - No need to deal with strollers!



As we arrive at AK, I’m shocked at how short of a ride it was compared to MK and Epcot the day before! The All Star Resorts are so close!

I get off the bus and go through security, except I’m sent off for secondary screening. I have no idea why I didn’t have this issue at all my first day, but this becomes the first of many passes through additional screening.



Unfortunately, there are quite a few people before me. It feels like a long time to get through (though looking at time stamps, it was only about 5-6 minutes). I ask the security guard what set it off and he was not helpful at all and said he doesn’t know.

I do get into the park and snap a quick picture with the Tree of Life.



I start walking towards Pandora. Even though I have an ILL, I wanted to rope drop NRJ.



As I get there, I realize that they opened up earlier than 8:30. I don’t know exactly when, but I did feel a little upset security slowed me down. I see the FoP line and I hear the CM say it was 45min-1hr. The line wasn’t out the main path towards Africa yet.

NRJ shows a 15 minute wait. As soon as I got in line, I was taken in by the theming! I instantly knew that AK was still going to be my favorite park!



We get to the LL merge at 13 min mark and I board shortly. I did get out in a row with another couple. I had heard that was a new thing. I didn’t find it too tight but that’s just me. There was a gap between me and the couple next to me.



I really liked this ride! It was relaxing and beautiful. I’m not sure I would’ve waited 90 minutes but it’s something I would like to do again. And that shaman animatronic is quite amazing to see.

I exit the area. Since my FoP isn’t for over 90 minutes, I decide to start heading towards Africa. It’s now 8:52 but still early entry and the line for FoP is way longer now!




As I enter into Africa, I have a moment. There was music playing as I walked into the empty marketplace area.



You see, I lived in Malawi, in Central Africa for a year about a decade ago. I was taken back to the streets of the small city I lived in. Same music blasting. Similar looking buildings. It was this moment that I was again reminded what a fantastic job Disney does with theming. The rest of the day I have many moments like this.

Here’s a picture of one of the areas of the town I lived in. See how the buildings look similar in style?



I head to KS, and it’s open! I know usually it doesn’t open early but at 8:57 it was open with a 10 minute standby line. So I head in.

 

[Skywatcher1206]

That’s how I felt about the Beef Wellington at Epcot. But I just wasn’t hungry at the moment. With the egg rolls, I happen to be so I’m glad I got it.

Probably better we exercise self-control when not hungry otherwise we might be complaining later about tummy aches.

Hopefully next time for you!

I’m still sad that I did not try the Beef Wellington at the festival as it was one of my musts, but I was never thinking about it in the moment, same thing for the chalk character scavenger hunt. Maybe next time!

 

[Ann-CA]

I’m still sad that I did not try the Beef Wellington at the festival as it was one of my musts, but I was never thinking about it in the moment, same thing for the chalk character scavenger hunt. Maybe next time!

I forgot about the chalk characters too! I was in such a daze I missed many elements of the festival. I think if i had more days, these are the things I could’ve done if I slowed down.

 

[Ann-CA]

Day 2: Animal Kingdom (Kilimanjaro Safaris)

The line for KS also brought me back to my Malawi days.



Lake Malawi is quite famous for its beauty and nature. While I lived right along it (my backyard faced the lake), my town was a commerce town so it definitely didn’t feel lake-esque. The main reminder was the stories of crocodiles that we’d sometimes hear would grab people as they were washing clothes (it’s quite sad).

Up a little ways though, were many resorts built for tourists, both Malawian and foreigners. I’d often take one day a week to drive up and visit, sitting to rest and journal while drinking a Coke Light.

The line for KS reminded me in particularly of a resort we’d call “Club Mak” (shortened from Makakola). They had an outdoor covered area I’d often sit down at.



I enjoy reminiscing walking through the line (which was basically a walk-on). I basically wait to see one safari get sent off. There was a couple in front of me, and as he’s seating them, they ask to be sat in the back row. Because I’m a party of 1, he sends me to the back row also. I didn’t realize what a gift that ends up being on the safari, and I later understand why the couple asked for that seat.

We take off. The safari here is amazing! While I’ve never done one of the Big 5 safaris, I did do a number of safaris in Africa while I was there. This was much better. Why? You get to see so much more. So much of safaris I went on was driving around looking at poop on the ground and waiting dozens of minutes between seeing animals.

Not Kilimanjaro! You get to see everything. This is also much superior to Wild Animal Park in San Diego.



The back row is great because you get unobstructed views from both sides. We got to see the lions out which was special.

I learned a bunch of new things also. I learned groups of animal names: bloat of hippos, dazzle of zebras, tower of giraffes, flamboyance of flamingos. Maybe you knew them, but I never heard these before!



We also cross the rickety bridge. No kidding, this was constantly our life in Malawi. Whenever we went out to villages, we’d often face bridges like this. This one is a bit more stable than some of the ones we’d see.



We’d pray the whole way driving across!

I’m grateful my life has given me the opportunity to have experienced the real thing, but Disney sure does a great job recreating and giving a snippet of what Africa is like. The safari was so great. I considered coming back again to try a different time of day but I ran out of time. No matter, my safari was perfect!

 

[elaine amj]

Just found your trip report and I am loving it! I go solo to WDW a lot these days so it’s been really fun following along your adventure.

 

[Ann-CA]

Just found your trip report and I am loving it! I go solo to WDW a lot these days so it’s been really fun following along your adventure.

Yay, glad you can jump on with me!

 

[Ann-CA]

Saga of the Lost Art Final Update
If just jumping on or didn’t catch it, I had purchased a canvas print for my brother at FotA and had it shipped to his house. It got stuck in Oakland about an hour from where my brother is and never left.

Disney made it right and gave me a refund, though I was still bummed they couldn’t find a way to send another print, or at least try to see since this was a festival exclusive.

I got a call from UPS yesterday asking for some more details about the missing package. I was holding out hope they could locate it and maybe I’d get the print still!

Welp, that dream died. My brother told me he noticed a UPS update.





They found the package. But damage, not recoverable, discarded - those aren’t good words. I wonder what they found that was remaining. My brother wonders whether it was damaged by a machine or whether somebody tore open the package and stole it. Unfortunately, it is Oakland which doesn’t have a great rep. Does Disney get a picture?

Sad. Not only for me but for that art. I’m glad it wasn’t original art. That would’ve been devastating.

So for now, the package which once was lost has now been found, with a sad conclusion. Will update again should Disney say anything else.

 

[RedK]

I love that you have shared memories of your time in Africa and compared them to your time in AK. Really fun to hear your stories.

 

[Ann-CA]

Day 2 - Animal Kingdom cont.

I had just gotten off a fantastic safari! It’s about 9:30 and the park has officially opened to regular guests. I still have an hour until my FoP ILL. So I decide to head over to EE. I knew I’d be able to ride it anytime of day on single rider but figured why not now.

On my way over, I see a family walking in front of me.



The mom and two daughters have matching sweaters. It catches my attention because my daughter has the same exact sweater! So I stop stalking them, and actually ask them where they got the sweaters. I never knew there was an adult version! She told me Target, which made sense as that’s where my MIL got it for my daughter.

This was another moment I missed my kids. So of course, what do I do? I get on my phone and start looking for that matching sweater. Unfortunately, it was a 100th anniversary product that wasn’t selling anymore. I kept looking and managed to find it on eBay. Within 20 minutes I had acquired my matching sweater! It was like hunting for a a LL!



I did realize my daughter’s has Minnie and mine has Mickey. But no matter, you can be sure my daughter and I will be matching o when we go to Disneyland in mid-March!

With my mission accomplished, I continue to head toward EE. It took me a little bit to find the Single Rider entrance, as it’s not that evident from the ride entrance.



See the little white sign? That’s where the entrance is, to the right of the main entrance.

I get in line and there are about 10 people in front of me.



I guess this is considered long for SR. But I’m on in less than 5 minutes!

I’d never done this ride before but this was the one ride my husband had gone on when he was briefly there a few years ago for a work event, and he said it was fun.



No Genie+ today so watermarks on all my ride photos. But this was a blast! I’d almost say it was the best coaster of the trip, but GotG still edges it out due to re-rideability due to the soundtrack.

It’s 9:45 and I only have one area left other than FoP. I pull up MDE.



Dinoland rides are all showing 5 minutes! So I head over and hit TriceraTop Spin.



There’s barely anybody else on it.

Then I try to find my way over to Dinosaur. I get a little lost and run into a dead end, but eventually make my way over on the right road. While I’m walking, I see somebody I recognize!



It’s Pluto! I didn’t really stop for many characters because of lines. But there was only one person in front of me waiting. It ended up being an off duty character attendant since the on duty one recognized him. He was doing a 4 park challenge, so this was his character stop. I think a lot of CMs were in the park today since it was a Good to Go day. Then it was my turn. I don’t think about what to say to him at all so I end up just getting a picture.

Then I finally arrive at Dinosaur. I feel like I’ve ridden this before so it must’ve been back in 1998 when the park first opened. Indiana Jones is one of my favorite rides at DL, so I was curious how this would compare.



Posted wait was 5 but I think it was transitioning as they started opening some of
the switchbacks in this room. I think it takes me 7 minutes to get to pre-show.

On this ride, when strapping in, I was sitting in a row with a man and two kids. The man forgot to strap on his seatbelt, and the CM gave him a really hard time - like she rollled her eyes and even said, “really?” when he didn’t have it on. I think had I not had kids, I’d feel what the CM was feeling. But since I did, I felt bad for him. While I don’t know the reason he didn’t have his belt on, I sympathized because how many parents might try to help their kids strap in only to forget their own. Anyways, we rode the ride all strapped in.



Verdict: Might I say, I liked Dinosaur more than Indiana Jones. Maybe it was because it was fresh and new. Maybe it was because I was having such a stellar day thus far. Either way, I loved it! It’s a shame they’re considering re-theming this area. They definitely should keep Dinosaur and not do another Indiana Jones.

I’m done at 10:22 and I’ve finished all the rides in the park with the exception of FoP. And I end up being incredibly glad that I didn’t end up getting the 9am FoP… but that’ll have to wait for the next post.

 

[Ann-CA]

I love that you have shared memories of your time in Africa and compared them to your time in AK. Really fun to hear your stories.

Glad you’re enjoying them!!!

 

[suse66]

All caught up and loving your solo adventures! I am a frequent solo traveler to WDW and always have so much fun. One day I'll make my way to Disneyland and finally see Walt's park.

 

[Ann-CA]

All caught up and loving your solo adventures! I am a frequent solo traveler to WDW and always have so much fun. One day I'll make my way to Disneyland and finally see Walt's park.

I feel like Disneyland and CA would be great parks to do solo! There’s so much to see and if you have a park hopper, it’s so easy to just decide you wanna go back and forth! I’m not sure if I did it much when I had an AP and now I regret.

Hope you make it one day!

 

[Ann-CA]

Day 2 - Animal Kingdom (cont.)



This screenshot ends up being from when I’m in line for Dinosaur. It’s 10:05 and the park has only been officially opened for a little over an hour. KS was at 70, NRJ was at 60. And FoP was about 2 hours! This was supposed to be a light time of year. I’m not saying this is crazy busy since I have nothing to compare it to, but it definitely felt crowded.

I realize what a blessing it ends up being that my FoP wasn’t at 9. Not riding that one extra ride makes a big difference in me being able to finish all the rides in the park by 10:30. And now I get to skip a 2 hr line with my ILL.

I’ll finish all the rides by noon and can take the afternoon easy, enjoying all the sights and sounds of AK.

I walk by the Boneyard. These are the things I didn’t pay attention to previous to having kids. Now I’m very conscious of these playground type areas (also the one in CA). I want to catch a glimpse inside but there’s a CM at the gate, and decide I won’t try to look like a creeper. I’m glad they have some general security, I’m sure it’s more to make sure young kids have supervision.



Along the way, I also see ITTBAB.



I’ve seen it a ton, but I had to dig deep into the archives of my mind to remember why. I realize that before Radiator Springs at CA, it used to be A Bug’s Life themed! Totally forgot that existed! Don’t love the show and all that comes with it, so I skip this.

As I head through Discovery Island back to Pandora.

My original plan was to visit Nomad Lounge sometime later in the afternoon. I knew it opened at 10:30, and it’s about 10:40. I pass by it and see a few empty tables right along the water. My ILL goes until 11:30, so I decide to stop now! I really wanted to sit waterside so if I went now, it was guaranteed!



I’ve only heard from Youtubers how lovely this is and I recommended it to my best friend who said it was great, but I finally get to experience it myself. I get myself a Passion Vanilla Iced Tea. The cocktails look great but I know they’d be too sweet for me.



So they have a menu that’s expanded beyond what’s on MDE. I originally had thought I’d get the Chicken Satay on the normal menu but then decided to try something off this one.



I order the Bangkok Crispy Chicken Wings. They were quite good. But I do realize I can get very similar wings here in LA. I sort of wish I got the Charcuterie board just for greater variety, but I enjoyed these nonetheless! That’s one bad thing about going solo. You can’t sample as many foods.



It ends up being the perfect time to call my kiddos as they’re just getting up.

This ends up being perfect stop for now. It was an early lunch and allowed me to rest and relax a little bit before really exploring the park. I’d totally come here again with or without kids! I saw many small families come in for some snacks!

I end up finishing around 11:15 - a small little 30-40 minute detour. I never felt rushed but I knew I had 15 more minutes before my LL window closed so I hightailed my way out of there.