Walt Disney World January 2015 Trip Report

As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently returned from a trip to Walt Disney World. We hadn’t been to Disney in over a decade. In fact, we hadn’t been on a real vacation since then with the exception of our beloved Maine Trips (which truthfully are quite a bit of work). We stayed for 8 nights, and it was amazingly fun. I loved every minute of it. We both want to go back as soon as possible, and are already planning our (much cheaper) trip for next year (more on that soon).

We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was absolutely gorgeous. The surroundings, view from the balcony and common areas were beautiful. Our room was small for a deluxe room, but definitely nice.

We enjoyed two of the three table service restaurants available at the Animal Kingdom Lodge on our trip- Boma and Sanaa. We’ll need to visit Jiko some other time. Sanaa was delicious, and was one of my favorite meals from the trip. The Indian Bread Service was delicious, and I really enjoyed the traditional ice cream (pictured on the far right).

Our first day was at Hollywood Studios. We didn’t miss much in the single day we visited. I didn’t remember any of Lights! Motors! Action!, and was pleasantly surprised. The Great Movie Ride and Muppet Vision are my top two attractions at Hollywood Studios. We ended the day with a buffet at Hollywood & Vine (overpriced) and VIP seating at Fantasmic (excellent seats!).

One slight disappointment that may cause me to shift the dates for next year a little bit- the Christmas decorations and music. I LOVE Christmas, but I was in Disney and wanted to hear DISNEY music. I didn’t want to see or hear anything Christmassy….it was the middle of January. I wanted to experience the full Disney. Fortunately, by the end of our trip, the decorations were down (magically over the course of one night because Disney is amazing).

Our second day was the Magic Kingdom! We planned on two Magic Kingdom days, so we were able to take things very easy! We had lunch at Be Our Guest, which was delicious. My favorite attractions at the Magic Kingdom are the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Under the Sea. My favorite land is Adventureland, but they are all good. After our day at the Magic Kingdom, we went to Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort. I love the Poly, but Kona was definitely toward the bottom of my restaurant list for this trip.

I was asked to deliver FOUR of these cards throughout my trip. I felt special. 🙂

Sorry for the blur- too much movement and a crappy camera phone. I love the inside of the Mexico Pavillion in Epcot. Epcot is where we visited on our third day.

We got caught in a torrential downpour that afternoon, but it was okay because 1) we had more days to spend at Epcot and….

…2)if it weren’t for the rain we would never have tried The Spice Road which was delicious!

For dinner in Epcot we ate at Canada’s Le Cellier Steakhouse. While the steak was good, but overpriced, the appetizer cheeseplate was SO good. I liked every bit of it. I will be stopping by there next time, but only for the cheese. And maybe dessert.

The fourth full day was at the Animal Kingdom. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of riding the rapid in the morning and got drenched- not fun on a cool and cloudy day when you are in jeans. It made for an uncomfortable rest of the day. The highlight of the park was the safari ride though!

Around this time, the tickle in the back of my throat that had started on the second day of the trip had turned into a full blown cold with a horrid cough. James went down to the gift shop at our hotel to buy me cough syrup (and more trading pins). The woman at the counter gave him a Mickey sticker to give me to make me feel better. Aww…

Our fifth park day was a return to the Magic Kingdom. We rode the Jungle Cruise again, early because that thing builds up lines! Jimmy and I both enjoy the corny and self-deprecating jokes.

We then stopped at Aloha Isle before the lines got too long. Good for my sore throat, but we both thought it was a bit overrated.

My first pin trade was for a mystery pin (I had to agree to the trade with the Cast Member before I could see the pin) and it was Rolph from the Muppets. I will always remember my first pin trade- outside of Pirates when it was closed and we had a fastpass for it.

Liberty Tree Tavern left us a celebration paper Mickey. Cute!

Gaston’s Tavern! I did not manage to actually meet Gaston. His line was way too long (and was almost exclusively adults…and women…) and it wasn’t THEE Gaston from the Youtube videos.

We then went to the Dessert Party at the Tomorrowland Terrace for an excellent view of Wishes (the fireworks show).

Our sixth day was spent at Epcot again! We started out with Test Track, Soarin’, and then headed over to the Imagination Pavilion for Captain EO and Figment.

Our afternoon was spent in the Living Seas (we rode the Nemo ride again, we managed 4 this trip) since our dinner as at Coral Reef.

This was our view at dinner!

Also- free dessert! Between the service, tank view, and dessert, I think Coral Reef was my favorite restaurant despite their being very little on the menu I willing to eat!

Our final day was spent in Epcot for a Behind the Seeds tour, and then a trip to Downtown Disney to meetup with my stepbrother and his family.

Just writing this post is making me so sad! I want to go back right now!!! While that is obviously not possible, I *can* start planning our next trip. You’ll hear all about the planning process over the course of next year. I also had a great time blogging our trip daily for my friends and family, so I plan to do that here on this blog, for all of you, next time. I can’t wait!

In the mean time, I have some Disney Pins to trade.

 

 

• Disney
• photos
• trip report
• vacation
• walt disney world