Hippos and Tigers and Flowers, Oh My! - A Solo March '18 TR - COMPLETED 7/13 - Final Thoughts+New TR

[Lesley Wake]

I was going to try to start up my Disneyland Paris TR, but I decided to try and finish this one first!

Day 3, Part 4 - Nighttime Animal Kingdom!

The sun was starting to set, and now it was time to head towards Everest to try and ride at night. I made a couple photopass stops, as well as changed back into my Porg shirt.

Katie (from the backstage tour) also told us about how the Monkey shrine lined up with the Everest peaks, so I got a photo of that!

I arrived at Everest around 6:45, which just wasn’t dark enough for me. I really wanted a nice, dark ride for a new experience! So, instead, I decided to chill out on a planter and wait out the sun! Rivers of Light was starting at 7:15, so I figured by then, it would be good (and I had a fastpass from 6:30-7:30). So, I waited…and I waited… which was actually very nice. I did a bit of people-watching as I was also sitting across from one of the entrances to the Rivers of Light theatre.

Eventually, around 7:10, I got into line, and it worked out nicely! I was on the ride right at 7:15, and it was nice and dark, which gave it a cool Space Mountain vibe, but smoother! I would definitely recommend trying to get in an Everest ride at night! I considered waiting for the front row, but didn’t want to bother with an extra wait. I also actually switched places with the girl in the row in front of me, so she and her friend (who were riding single-rider) could go together. It was funny, one of the friends, who got on the earlier car, saw them waiting in the same row and was like-how’d you manage that? They pointed to me and I just said “I guess I’m just that nice!”

I tried taking some photos from up high, including Everest lit up and the lights of Disneyworld and Animal Kingdom, but unfortunately they turned out pretty blurry:

I was able to take a couple Yeti shadow photos, and got a video of the drop, where you can see the start of Rivers of Light (if you watch it - it purposefully goes to black for a portion)!

(Also, a note-I didn’t scan into the point to grab my Everest photo; I just figured it was going to add to my account automatically via magicband. But something happened and it didn’t show up. Thankfully I had good timestamps and was able to contact photopass and they found it and added it pretty quickly. So, I would definitely recommend scanning at rides, even if you think you may not need to!)

While most people were stopping to watch Rivers of Light, I headed over to the Tree of Life to watch the projections.

It was a longish wait until the first show, but at least it ended up being something new. Basically the Disney Movie vignette where they show lots of Disney animal movie projections onto the tree.

I definitely loved it and thought it was so well done!

Most people left, but I decided to wait around for another one (I think there are 3-4 and I’ve seen the deer/hawk version and the movie version). Unfortunately, after 15 minutes of waiting, the next vignette ended up being the deer/hawk version, so I left the Tree of Life to head into Pandora.
​

 

[Lesley Wake]

I ended up wandering around most of Pandora, stopping for all 3 PP locations.

There was one annoying instance, when a family swooped in front of me to grab photos, and it was like 5 different families travelling together, so they needed one for each family, then just the adults, then just the kids, then everyone together. I really should have left and come back to that one later, but I’m actually glad I stayed, since the photographer made it worthwhile. First, when it was there turn, he looked around and saw about 6 huge strollers surrounding him, and was just like “wow, that’s a lot of strollers!”. Then when he was trying to do the group shot, it was hard to fit everyone in, so he tried to use the force like he was orchestrating them. First squeeze together, then move back, then left, oh wait, a bit right. Ok stop! All without saying anything! It was hilarious and I wish I had gotten it on video! I also felt bad for him since it turned out to be a chilly night (I put back on my sweater, and if I wasn’t moving around, I would have been cold), but he was wearing his normal outfit, not a coat or gloves. I had actually seen him earlier that day in Pandora, and he was already chilly, so when I saw him at night, he was freezing! I commented on it, and he was like feel my hands-and they were like ice! Oh man, I wish I could have done something! I also wish I had gotten his name, because he was great (photos turned out just typical, but his overall demeanor was good, despite being so cold).

Anyways, some photos from walking around:

I noticed on the floating mountains, you could see finger paintings from the Nav’i.

And I did a photo day/night comparison

Even the real trees had pandora incorporated; I can’t remember if it was paint or projected lights though!

Ok, so enough with Pandora, it was dinner time!​

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I love Pandora at night and day.

 

[Lesley Wake]

For dinner, I was off to...Tiffins.

Last year when I was researching AK restaurants for our September trip, I originally discounted Tiffins, figuring I wouldn’t like the food. We originally planned on eating counter service at AK, but then because of Rivers of Light, we decided to give Tusker House a try, and really loved it. But as I’ve been reading everyone’s trip reports, people just love Tiffins. So, I thought, ok, I’ll try and I was getting excited as the trip was coming up. But then, after having Jiko and Skipper Canteen, which, were good, just not my favorite and not earth shattering, I was starting to get worried about how adventurous I would wind up being.

So, anyone want to place bets on what I would think about Tiffins?

…

Well, first I was just blown away with the décor. Just the carvings and details outside, great!

And I loved the map in the reception area!

I was seated almost immediately in the Grand Gallery. It was about half empty (understandable considering it was right before the restaurant closed); the other room wasn’t even being used.

My menu (forgot to take one of the drinks)

I think I got off on the wrong side with my server, because I confirmed I couldn’t get something from Nomad Lounge, and he said they are actually 2 separate restaurants and systems, so he can’t even key in their menu items. I think he was also tired (but don’t worry, it turned out ok in the end).

On the advice of my server, I ended up ordering the Jenn’s Tattoo [Ketel One Vodka, Watermelon, Hibiscus, Lime Juice], since I liked fruity, not too alcoholic drinks. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I did really like the candied hibiscious, which actually did taste like a fruit rollup (like my server said).

It also came out with bread, but I don’t remember what type it was. I know the dip was some sort of oil+molasses, or something. Again, my server warned me about a little goes a long way. It was pretty good, but I’m not crazy about most breads and dips (remember, I don’t even use butter).

Then, the main course came out. I ordered the Snake River Farms Wagyu Eye of Ribeye [marble potato confit, bacon-sherry vinaigrette, cauliflower variations, amarula crème]; there was also a sweet potato puree on the plate, though not the menu. (This seems to be a replacement to the typical brisket/sirloin dish I normally see people order.

And I took a bite.

​

WOW! Delicious doesn’t even begin to describe it! OMG, I loved it! LOVED IT! It was so good I even was able to stop myself to savor every bite. I think the only thing I didn’t eat on the plate were the mini peppers and onion, but I pulled up every bit of those sauces and puree and vegetables and meat. I think this is when my server and I had a better understanding, because he saw me enjoy it!

I did get to talk to him, and he said he’s worked for Disney for almost 20 years! Started at Jiko, then did Mama Melrose, then was with Victoria and Alberts for 15 years, before coming over to Tiffins when it opened. I mentioned how I went to Jiko too and the chef there said I’d like Jiko more than Tiffins, but I didn’t, and he laughed and explained how Tiffins stole Jiko’s chef, so they have a friendly rivalry going on!

Anyways, I decided to go ahead and get dessert,

Ordering the South American Chocolate Ganache [caramelized bananas, cocoa nib tuile]; I also considered one of the teas, because they looked good, but thought it’d be too much for one person!

I liked the dessert, but I think it was too fancy for me! I’m also more of a soft chocolate person, not a hard ganache type!

So overall, Tiffins is now my favorite WDW restaurant, if not one of my favorite restaurants, period! Currently I have an ADR for December, and will probably keep it. If not then, I'll do a dinner there in February. I just wish I could have been there in April when they do the talk with Imagineers-omg that would be amazing!

The artwork I got at the end was one from Pandora, which was cool (I think I almost got a similar photo of that plant too)

When I was done, I took some more photos of the room. My server saw me and explained about the poles in the center. When Joe Rhode and his team were travelling in Bali, they found a family who carved these totems without any plan, just whatever moved them. They bought the carvings and they were the inspiration for the Tree of Life. For years they were painted and outside Pizzafari, but once Rhode was able to get Tiffins built, they cleaned off all the paint and moved them into the main gallery, since they were such an important piece of their history.

My server also said whenever Joe is in town, he always visits, and especially loves the bar! When Pandora was being made, the Imagineers would often come over and take over the bar at the end of the day!

On my way out, I stopped into the Safari Gallery, which was empty

I also loved all the photographs along the hallway between the galleries.

I headed out of the park, admiring the projected lights in the trees.

Made my way to the bus stop, about an 8 minute wait for the bus, and a short drive back to AKL, where thankfully, they stopped at Jambo House first, not Kidani.

I think I did some last errands-pick up Epcot shopping deliveries, pay off balance with gift card, etc.

I went up to my room, dropped off my bag, and then did my usual evening of tradition of a hot tub! Had a nice, relaxing soak, before coming back up to my room and packing up my bags. Since I was leaving the next day!

Cont... My final day at WDW...
​

 

[disneyAndi14]

Ahh Tiffins is wonderful, I loved there, hope to go back one day!

Looks like a fun evening and you did most all your checklist

 

[mesgram]

I hope they continue the mini Backstage tour, it looks really cool. I'm glad you enjoyed Tiffins, espically after the poutine disappointment.

 

[amazingact21]

Okay, the inside of Tiffins is absolutely gorgeous!!! Oh my gosh, I want to eat there just to take a look around the restaurant.
I'm happy to hear the food was just as good. It all looked delicious!

Glad you got to see Augustus on the safari.

Everest at night is my favorite. It's a completely different ride than in the daytime.

You had a very busy day in AK! Lots of tours, rides, and walking around. I'm impressed with how much you accomplished.

 

[anneboleyn]

Thank you for the amazing Wild Africa Trek details! I just booked this for my daughter and I for our upcoming September trip, and was having second thoughts because the price tag hurt a bit lol

But your report makes me think it will be worth it...I am hoping we get a small glimpse of cheetahs, which are my all time favorite! We have the 8:00 AM tour booked, which is an hour before the park opens so I am hoping for some nice semi-deserted pictures of AK as well as active animals

Question for ya, if you don’t mind...what kind of case do you have for your phone? I don’t have any case on mine but don’t want to have to leave it in the locker since it is also my camera!

 

[Pluto0809]

time to head towards Everest to try and ride at night.

I really want to do this in August but I don't know if I'll have enough darkness for both this and exploring Pandora. The sun sets the night I'm there at 8:08 pm and the park closes at 9 pm. I may have to prioritize Pandora and save EE for another trip.

Monkey shrine lined up with the Everest peaks, so I got a photo of that!

Great picture! I've tried this one before but have never gotten in lined up that well.

So, I would definitely recommend scanning at rides, even if you think you may not need to!)

I do this every time if it's available for the ride! You do end up with two of each picture but I'd rather have two than none.

Anyways, some photos from walking around:

It looks so beautiful at night! I can't wait to see it in August.

For dinner, I was off to...Tiffins.

I really want to eat here but I'm just so picky I'm not sure if I will enjoy it. There is absolutely nothing on the appetizer menu that I would touch.

Snake River Farms Wagyu Eye of Ribeye

This is probably what I would order if I every get there but I would only eat the meat and wouldn't touch the rest of the plate. Some times I hate being so picky.

Anyways, I decided to go ahead and get dessert,

Yep, once again, nothing I would touch on that dessert menu.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Okay, I've been away for a bit so now I'm caught up.

Going waaaaaaaaay back to those dolls. My grandmother doesn't really know much about Disney except for Minnie and Tinkerbelle, really. She does like Tinkerbelle, and I almost got her that doll. We do not like Snow White in our family so that's out. I'll probably grab Tink for her when we go back.

I need that Porg shirt. Like, must have it. That is adorable!

 

[Lesley Wake]

So I realized I never posted my final to-do list check:

• Early morning Safari
• Sunset safari
• Ride Expedition Everest in dark
• Ride Flight of Passage 2x (w/FPs)
• See Augustus the baby hippo!
• Visit Gorilla Falls Trail
• Visit Maharajah Jungle Trek and see baby tigers
• Try a Night Blossum
• Eat at Nomad Lounge, specifically to try the Poutine - Foiled by menu changes!
• Eat at Tiffins
• Chocolate Waffle from Tamu Tamu - chose to skip
• Wild Africa Trek
• New Backstage Tales mini-tour
• Fully explore Pandora at night
• Fully explore Pandora at day
• Tree of Life Awakenings

I'd say a pretty successful day, all things considered! And I did really enjoy this day - while I was definitely busy and always knew where I was going to go next, I didn't have to rush to get there, so I could enjoy the ambiance of Animal Kingdom. And even just sit sometimes and people watch. In total, I ended up spending about 14-15 hrs at the park! And yes, I was tired afterwards, but not much more than any normal WDW day!

I will hopefully get a chance to eat at Nomad Lounge in my next 2 trips, though I'm watching the menu changes to see if something else appears that I'm interested in. And unfortunately it appears the chocolate waffle has disappeared from the menu at Tamu Tamu, so that may also need to be a watch and see!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I'm so not a bug person! I would have liked nutrition more. So I guess an early tour is better!

I think they just rotated it all around. Zach went to the first tour and I think he ended up with the same spots I did! I did hear from someone who did the nutrition tour and I guess they were preparing fish that day, so it was very smelly!

I really want to do this in August but I don't know if I'll have enough darkness for both this and exploring Pandora. The sun sets the night I'm there at 8:08 pm and the park closes at 9 pm. I may have to prioritize Pandora and save EE for another trip.

I know! AK has so much at night that it's hard to fit everything in - that was the difficulty in September! I wish they did longer hours like it seems they used to do, but no luck with cost cutting everywhere!

I do this every time if it's available for the ride! You do end up with two of each picture but I'd rather have two than none.

Agreed; even with my insane amount of photos (I'm also MDE friends with some other people, so I see all of their photos)!

I really want to eat here but I'm just so picky I'm not sure if I will enjoy it. There is absolutely nothing on the appetizer menu that I would touch.

This is probably what I would order if I every get there but I would only eat the meat and wouldn't touch the rest of the plate. Some times I hate being so picky.

Yep, once again, nothing I would touch on that dessert menu.

I totally understand - we'd probably compete for the pickiest eater! But I was so surprised that I loved my meal so much. Normally when I get steaks or meat I avoid all the sauces, but that ribeye plate was so perfect I lapped it all up! I probably wouldn't bother with dessert again - too pricy for options I don't care about as much!

I need that Porg shirt. Like, must have it. That is adorable!

Haha - Teepublic! They have so many awesome options and often have sales so they are like $12 or something! I'm already having difficulties narrowing down my Christmas t-shirts, so there could be some mid-day outfit changes in store for my December trip!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 4 - Departure day

So here it was, my last day. This trip was far far too short! I think in the future I absolutely need at least 4 full days, preferably more! At least it didn’t hurt that bad because I knew I had a 10-day December trip upcoming!

I did have a relatively early wake-up call, but not a very long walk to breakfast, because I was eating at…Boma

This was the only dining reservation I decided to repeat from September, and that was because I was in the same building! Boma opened at 7:30 and I got there at 7:40, so didn’t have any wait for a table.

Again, I skipped buffet photos, since you can see them at this post from September: "Brunch with Afritude"
Plate 1 (plus a side plate and bowl). Notice something about the photo…

I think my favorite things here are the turkey, the scrambled eggs, of course Mickey waffles, bread pudding is delicious, and I also like the banana bread. I like the ham too, but the turkey is my favorite!

I ended up going back for Plate 2. And yes, I did add maple syrup to the plate, so I could dip the eggs and turkey in it a bit!

I had a nice, filling breakfast. I wish I could have eaten more but I was too stuffed!

I then went back up to my room, finished the last of my packing and brought my suitcase down to Resort Airline Check-in. There actually was a bit of a snag with the check-in online, because I wasn’t able to pay for my luggage ahead of time. The lady at the desk let me pay there, but then she discovered that when I had upgraded to the Main Cabin Extra (for a bulkhead seat with extra legroom), I guess that came with a free bag? So, she had to refund my money. (I’m still confused about this, because a free bag wasn’t advertised online, but whatever… if it saves me $25, I’ll take it!)

Then, it was time to head out of AKL. I packed my backpack with anything needed for the plane, so if I wanted, I could head right to the airport from the parks rather than taking DME (which I did end up doing).

By 9:10am, I was saying goodbye to AKL, at least until later this year!

Luckily an Animal Kingdom bus was just boarding, so I didn’t have any wait there, and I arrived at Animal Kingdom and made it past security by 9:20 am! (Like our driver said, it’s a 5 minute drive to AK from the Lodge, 7 minutes if we get a red light.)

Made a quick photopass stop, with a magic shot I had to specifically request (I had a checklist of the ones I still need)

As I headed up the walkway, I definitely saw long lines at the Fastpass kiosks. I still feel a little bad for the people that don’t realize they should book ahead of time…

I headed over the Pandora bridge, where I got to see the rock dragon, who was supposed to herald (the cancelled) Beastly Kingdom.

And over to Flight of Passage, where I was just in time to be able to use my Fastpass and avoid the 180 minute line!

I don’t have any photos from the queue, but I think I was able to walk right up, and specially requested the top floor so I could get another unique view (since I had done bottom and middle floors the day before)!

I had more fastpasses for Safari and Everest, but it was pretty busy, so I didn’t feel like dodging strollers to get up to Africa (the spring break crowds had arrived), and instead I cancelled those and headed out of the park.

I really love these lamps! It’s the little details that just makes it!

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

I ended up taking the resort transport over to Epcot, though I think it was a 30 minute wait for the bus to arrive , plus a long drive itself, so it was 1 hr from getting to the bus stop til entering Epcot! I know on the ride over I booked a couple Fastpasses, one at Nemo and one at Figment, but I wasn’t sure if I would end up using them (and I didn’t). Figment was the one I was more interested in riding, since I know there’s been reports of Imagineers walking around that building with clipboards, so I wouldn’t mind another ride on it before it goes away. Unfortunately it was down the rest of the day, so I never got a chance.

Anyways, I arrived at Epcot around 11:30.

Oh, and the weather today, I can best describe it as Goldilocks. In the sun, nice and warm; in the shade, chilly and needed a sweater! So I tried to stay in the sun!

Again, no Photopass photographers out front, so I made due with a crappy selfie

I did run into one by Spaceship Earth, who did some cool shots. She also loved my shirt and asked where I got it, since she had a friend who loves Hamilton, loves Stitch, and loves Disney, and her birthday is in a couple weeks! BTW-it was Teepublic. Search Hamil-stitch!

I also said hi to Pin Trader Stitch, who was joined by Rose Gold Minnie!

And made a quick stop at Pin Traders, where they had just added a couple more Flower and Garden pins! I ended up getting the Minnie flower shop, and Three Caballeros.

Of course I needed to take a photo with Stitch, though my selfie game sucked, so I asked a stranger to take a photo.

Admired the floating gardens and butterflies again

But, I had one extremely important stop, as I was hungry! La Isla Fresca. Luckily I found a bench nearby where I could sit to eat! I do think I had good luck with finding places to sit down and eat on this trip (but I guess that helped being a solo traveler)

I got Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer with Steamed Rice and Coconut Lime Sauce

I liked this very much, though it was hard to eat without getting messy. There also seemed to be a decent amount of shrimp and sauce.

Tropical Freeze (Non-alcoholic)

Another one I did non-alcoholic to save the $. You could definitely taste the tropical flavors, especially mango and pineapple. Not too bad, but I didn't like as much as the other Freeze's I got.

SLUSHEE COUNT: 5

There was also a pretty area with colors and what they meant. So white: perfection and purity, purple: royalty and dignity, red: love and passion, orange: enthusiasm and creativity, pink: happiness and grace, and yellow: joy and friendship.

This one turned out pretty well, though I wish I had waited for a Monorail because then it would have been perfect!

Coming up: The end of my trip...​

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

As I headed up the walkway, I definitely saw long lines at the Fastpass kiosks. I still feel a little bad for the people that don’t realize they should book ahead of time…

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I want everybody to have a great Disney World vacation; on the other I do believe in consequences for actions and it is a willful choice to not do any research before visiting. I would never dream of spending thousands of dollars on a vacation and not do y due diligence by researching and planning so I know what I am getting into. Perhaps I am being cold hearted?

Again, no Photopass photographers out front, so I made due with a crappy selfie

I noticed that too! Occasionally there would be one off to the side but I did wonder what happened to the photopass photographers that used to be stationed at the front of the park.

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad you enjoyed your ride on EE at night!

Great pics of Pandora! And your meal at Tiffins sounds awesome!

A final breakfast at Boma sounds like a great way to start departure day.

The jiminy cricket magic shot is awesome!

Cool pics in front of SE!

 

[Pluto0809]

Notice something about the photo…

Hidden Mickey!!

Mickey waffles

Yum! 29 days till I get some more of those. I haven't eaten at Boma yet but I want to just for the Simba waffles. And yes, I know they are basically the same as the Mickey ones but I still want them.

I’m still confused about this, because a free bag wasn’t advertised online

I had this happen once where I was positive that I needed to pay for my checked bag and they said I didn't. Thank goodness Southwest now flies out of Atlanta and I don't have to worry about bag fees any more.

Made a quick photopass stop

Oh! I love the Jiminy Cricket one.

I really love these lamps!

Disney light fixtures are just the best!

In the sun, nice and warm; in the shade, chilly and needed a sweater!

That's pretty much my perfect weather at Disney, not too hot, not too cold.

Again, no Photopass photographers out front

This is so weird. I don't think I've ever entered Epcot and not had one there unless it's raining.

I got Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer with Steamed Rice and Coconut Lime Sauce

This dish intrigues me other than the fact that I hate Coconut Lime Sauce. So many people have talked about how good it is though, I want to try it anyways.

 

[heidijanesmith]

Loving your TR!

DH would like to try the Wild Africa Trek next year. I am a little nervous about how much walking it is. Is it hard walking, like up and down rough-ish terrain?

What would your guess be on how long the walking part is out of the three hours total?

We have done Savor the Savannah tour x2 and love it! Love the Boma, private Savannah tour and the snacks. Agree the chicken salad is so good.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Loving your TR!

DH would like to try the Wild Africa Trek next year. I am a little nervous about how much walking it is. Is it hard walking, like up and down rough-ish terrain?

What would your guess be on how long the walking part is out of the three hours total?

We have done Savor the Savannah tour x2 and love it! Love the Boma, private Savannah tour and the snacks. Agree the chicken salad is so good.

Hi!

For wild Africa trek, the on foot part is 1.5 hrs and then the truck/savannah part is 1.5 hrs. But the foot part includes standing above the hippo pool, then crossing all the bridges (which is spaced out so only 2 people are on at a time), then standing above the crocodile pit. So the actual walking isn’t much (maybe 10-15 minutes total, but that is spread out into much smaller sections), but you are on your feet for 1.5 hrs. They had a bench at the end of the bridges (for people who were waiting for the rest of the group to finish).

For the actual walking, it is minimal effort. You are walking around trees but it’s on a trail which is walked over and over every day, so it’s pretty distinct. You do walk uphill a bit, but it’s not steep. I’m a klutz, totally out of shape, and don’t hike or anything like that and I was fine!

 

[Raeven]

Ooo cool!

For the actual walking, it is minimal effort. You are walking around trees but it’s on a trail which is walked over and over every day, so it’s pretty distinct. You do walk uphill a bit, but it’s not steep. I’m a klutz, totally out of shape, and don’t hike or anything like that and I was fine!

I was afraid I was going to trip the whole time, but I did not