animal kingdom theme park – A Disney Life for Me

I’m a traditionalist so you better believe that I followed the old wedding adage of “something old, something new…” as if it were the law. I thrive on routine and structure. However, one thing I love about Walt Disney World is how it is always changing! I can vacation there year after year and never experience the same vacation twice. Walt Disney knew that progress would be impossible without change, and he planned to continuously add to his new Vacation Kingdom.

Something Old…

I have my “Must Do Disney” list (read in my Stacey voice, if ya know what I mean) so I’ll begin with those. Of course, there’s Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and other headliners, but my favorite Magic Kingdom must-do is Mickey’s PhilharMagic. I have the most precious memories of watching Thomas try to grab Ariel’s 3D gems, or hearing Rhett yell, “Donald just flew at my eye balls!” Unless you visit during an extremely busy season there is never a wait. And did I mention you get to SIT in the AIR CONDITIONING!?!? If you walk by this attraction and don’t go in then you are missing out.

We also are huge fans of the California Grill, and I believe this was our fifth dining experience there. Why do we keep going back? Gorgeous views, excellent service, and delicious food. This was, however, the first time we took the kids with us to dine here. The kids were OBSESSED with the bread and butter service. (And let’s just be honest. Is there anything better than Walt Disney World butter!?!? I think not.) The butter was topped with a black lava salt so the kids thought it was amazing. If you enjoy sushi then you MUST try the Spicy Kazan Roll. I always order the Oak-Fired Filet of Beef for my entree, but Kelly has tried several other items from the signature menu. Notice there are no pictures of the food as I was too busy eating it…

We timed our dinner to coincide with the nightly fireworks in the Magic Kingdom. I will note, that the new Happily Ever After show has castle projections that you will NOT be able to view from California Grill. The view of the fireworks is still spectacular, but if you want to have the full effect, so to speak, you will need to be on Main Street inside Magic Kingdom. After the fireworks we split a few desserts, and thanked our server, Jenny, who was absolutely incredible.

Something new…

Our family has a “Disney goal” of staying at each of the resorts on property at Walt Disney World. For this trip we opted to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows. Although it has seen several expansions since it’s opening, this resort, along with Disney’s Contemporary Resort, opened alongside the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971. I love everything about Disney history, so I knew I just had to stay at the Poly. It’s a Disney classic!

We were greeted with a friendly “aloha” from every cast member we came in contact with. The kids loved the Lava Pool and enjoyed Dole Whips every afternoon. Having multiple modes of transportation is a huge factor in my resort decision. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is absolutely lovely, the dining options are top-notch, and we wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again! (I could write a whole follow-up blog solely on the deliciousness that is dinner at ‘Ohana. Seriously, it is that good.)

Another “first” for us on this trip was a visit to the AMC Dine-In theater at Disney Springs. We decided to take a little time out of the parks one afternoon to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The kids were amazed at the seats and thought is was cool to have a waiter bring us milkshakes during the movies. Oh, and we loved the movie, too!

Something borrowed…

So I have this pet peeve. I really don’t like it when people use towels to reserve lounge chairs by the pool. I mean, I get that sometimes people need to get in the pool to cool off. But other times this stems from people just being greedy. Please don’t set out towels at 9:00 AM, go to the park, and come back after lunch expecting your chairs to be saved. That’s rude. Anyways…

One afternoon I took the kids to the pool and there was no where to sit. No lounge chairs, no tables with chairs. All full. Not full with people just full with towels. Ugh. So as I was walking around I noticed a couple looking just as perplexed as me. I made a comment about looking for a seat and they agreed that there was no way all those people were in the pool. We found a table with only two towels on it and we “borrowed” it for ourselves.

We made chit-chat for an hour or so. (Side note: I’m a Southerner. We talk to EVERYONE.) The couple was from Connecticut, and were visiting the Polynesian for the first time with their young son and the man’s mother. He mentioned that this would probably be the last trip his mom would be able to take. We all teared up a bit when I mentioned how thankful he must be to be making these memories with his family. Sometimes a simple conversation can create Disney magic for someone. Don’t ever hesitate to share that Pixie Dust.

Something blue…

At the time of our visit in May 2017 Pandora: The World of Avatar had not yet officially opened. As members of the Disney Vacation Club we were invited to attend a special preview of the land. Initially I was skeptical of this whole project. Avatar? Really? It seemed so random! BUT I was totally blown away by the whole land, the attractions, the little details, and how the overarching theme of conservation and nature of Animal Kingdom is so well portrayed.