Dates of travel: February 26, 2023 - March 2, 2023
Lodging: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House
Friends, I had such a wonderful time during my mother-and-daughter annual trip to Disney! Some highlights (TLDR):
Staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) with a partial Savannah view!
Catching Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival
Taking a "Behind the Seeds" tour
Dining Reservations at Sanaa & Boma
Riding the new Guardians of the Galaxy not once, not twice, not thrice, but FOUR times!
Our trip took place at an extremely rewarding time after feeling burnt out from work. You can imagine my excitement as I sat in my local airport near the gates to Orlando. I flew Frontier, and took only carry ons.
My mother and I opted out of any official transportation company (i.e, Mears Connect, Sunshine Flyers, Minnie Vans), and chose to rely on Uber to and from the airport, and on Disney's internal Bus systems within the property.
ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE & SANAA DINING
We landed around 1pm local time. One 40 minute Uber ride later (around $38), we arrived at our chosen property for the trip - Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House - my personal dream resort. We took advantage of one of the promotions Disney ran (save $400 on a room&park ticket package) and was lucky enough to fit AKL into our budget that way!
Travel agent tip! As a certified Disney Travel Agent, I'm able to find you the best deals for your trip, and we're also one of the first to be notified whenever Disney releases new deals. In the event that you made a booking through me and Disney rolls out a new deal, I sometimes might still be able to apply the deal retroactively so that you receive maximum savings. No guarantees, but we'll still try!
While checking in at the hotel, we had our first pixie dust moment. The Cast Member who was with us heard my excitement of staying in AKL, and even though we paid for a standard view room (which ranges from views of the garbage area to a partial savannah view), he actually managed to switch us into a room with a partial savannah view!! I was overjoyed and SO excited. The CM really made our lodging special for us, and every day I woke up at least 20 minutes earlier to step outside onto the balcony so that I could watch the animals graze. I'll be doing a separate post on AKL, so look out for that!
We ended up walking around Disney Springs, and arriving back at the hotel for our reservation at Sanaa, the sit-down dining spot at AKL known for its "dine with a view" concept. Large windows in the restaurant's main dining area allow its patrons to observe the savannah that surrounds the resort and its resident animals.
At Sanaa, we ordered the "you pick two" version - I went with the Butter Chicken and Lentil Daal, and my mom chose the Butter Chicken and Chickpea Wat. Our server actually made a mistake though, and got the Sukuma Wiki instead - an African version of collard greens. Our server was very apologetic, and thankfully, the Sukuma Wiki turned out to be delicious!
EPCOT'S FLOWER AND GARDEN FESTIVAL
We decided to utilize Genie+ today, and I also managed to snag a Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind boarding group right at 7am. It was a thrilling way to start the day, to say the least.
Travel agent tip! Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is Disney's latest roller coaster at time of writing. It takes you on an intergalactic space journey along with your favorite heroes to save the universe. At the moment, there is no stand-by line, and the only way to ride it is to join the virtual queue via your MyDisneyExperience App.
The topiaries were also out in full force, and it was extremely peaceful strolling through and admiring all of them.
*Pooh on the right isn't a topiary, but he was just too adorable to exclude his photo
BEHIND THE SEEDS TOUR
TLDR: Cost: $35 per person Reservations Required Recommended for: People who enjoy nature, plants, environmental impact
The highlight of this Epcot day was the Behind the Seeds Tour we went on! At the low price of $35 at time of writing, it's probably the most cost efficient and yet extremely informative tour!
This tour not only takes you behind the scenes of the "Living with the Land" ride, but brings you up close and personal with some of Disney's very own laboratories, Greenhouses, and fish tanks. It's a great way to learn about conservation efforts, and take a closer look at some really neat plants and fruits from around the world.
I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who enjoys gardening, plants, or nature in general!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Disney is pricey, but deals are not uncommon and we can work together to plan your dream vacation -- including chatting through Enchanting Extra options like Behind the scene tours, and dining options (there are over 300+!).
I managed to snag a great deal with this trip due to one of the promotions Disney was running at the time. As a Disney Travel Expert, I can help you find those promotions free of charge as well! Click the button below for a free quote :)
Thanks for reading!
Comentários