Happy Tuesday, friends! Ready, set, trip report time!
Day 4 - Monday, October 19, 2015
Jason picked up some breakfast essentials at Animal Kingdom Lodge's Zawadi Marketplace and was excited to kick our day off with a delicious family breakfast!
My handsome hubby starting our day off sunny side up!
After breakfast we dashed down to the bus stop...
Animal Kingdom bound and ready for a wild day!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
The best way to start the day is on a safari!
These magnificent animals seemed to be enjoying this beautiful day as much as we were!Festival of the Lion King
My mom loves going to shows and of all the performances we attended throughout the trip, Festival of the Lion King was one of her favorites! It was a treat to enjoy it along side her!
Shopping and Sweets
Princess and my mom aren't really fans of water rides so while the others enjoyed Kali River Rapids I took them for some shopping...
The bag my mom is cutely modeling came home with me! I love it!
Lunch Time!
This was a meal I'd been looking forward to for a long time! Flame Tree Barbecue is my favorite quick service restaurant at Animal Kingdom, and one of my favorites on Disney property! It's sooo good!
Tip: If you plan to dine at Flame Tree Barbecue I recommend the seating offered near the water, just behind the restaurant. The tables here have a fabulous view of Expedition Everest! During this lunch we also got a good look at the Rivers of Light construction. We're really looking forward to the new additions to this park by our next trip to the World!
It's Tough to be a Bug!
One of the best parts of having my parents join us this trip with us was seeing the parks anew through their eyes. My mom absolutely loved the Tree of Life! When she found out that it also housed an attraction, It's Tough to be a Bug, she was even more impressed!
As always, I enjoyed looking at all the intricate details of the carved animals while we made our way to the theater. Once inside, we found our bug eye 3D glasses and were reminded that it's tough to be a bug. ;)
Animal Kingdom PhotoPass Photos
How fun is this magic shot of my parents with Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa? Love it!
A sweet start to an evening at Epcot...
While taking these snapshots of my girls, my heart was nearly bursting with joy! Seeing their sweet smiles, with the "Epcot ball" behind them, each with Mickey shaped treats in hand - moments don't get much sweeter than that! ;)
Test Track
This was a ride I couldn't wait to take my dad on! From the look on his face in the PhotoPass pic I'd say he enjoyed it as much as I thought he would!
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Figment-y fun straight ahead...
Just the thought of this attraction makes me sing, "One little spark of inspiration..."!
Living with the Land
We always have a good time on this boat ride through the Land. It was especially enjoyable floating past this fabulous fall scene!
I see a hidden Mickey (...or three)!
Let the deliciousness begin!
Just before dinner Jason picked up this spectacular cheese plate for us to share! So yummy!
Cheese Plate from the Ireland booth at Food and Wine Festival
Different Directions at Dinnertime
Everyone was craving food from various countries, so we decided to split up when mealtime rolled around. My parents headed to France, while Jason and Princess made their way to Japan. Little One was my dining buddy, and we strolled to our favorite quick service restaurant in the World Showcase, the Yorkshire County Fish Shop in the UK pavilion!
This one on one time with my littlest love was one of the highlights of the trip for me! We sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed chatting about all our favorite parts of the trip so far. As usual, these famous fish and chips were amazing! While their menu no longer offered those cookies the size of our heads that we enjoyed last Disney trip, we were happy with an order of clementines instead.
As if our dinner wasn't memorable enough, Little One ended it with one less tooth! What would the tooth fairy bring her at Disney World?! She could hardly wait to find out! :)
After dinner we strolled, shopped, and snapped some cute pics. It was pretty much the perfect mommy/daughter date!
My girls are exact opposites. While Princess rarely cares to have her photo taken, Little One hams it up at every opportunity ...and her snap happy mom is glad to oblige! ;)
Once we gathered back up as a group, we began exploring.
A grandma/granddaughters moment in the Morocco Pavilion
Next, we couldn't resist heading to one of our favorites, Japan!
Little One decided that she'd like to buy a watermelon fan from an outdoor souvenir cart. The sweet cast member there wrote Little One's name on the back in Japanese, making this keepsake all the more special!
If you are looking for a unique souvenir from Epcot, I highly recommend picking up one of these pretty fans. They also sell a wide variety inside the Mitsukoshi store. These fans are very inexpensive and a cast member will be happy to personalize it with a name in Japanese at no additional cost!
Sebastian Masada Art Exhibit
This exhibit had just opened in the Bijutsu-kan Gallery of the Japan pavilion. It was created to celebrate kawaii, Japan's "cute culture".
Mitsukoshi Department Store
You all know I love to shop, and Mitsukoshi is my favorite spot for that in World Showcase! So much cuteness and so many unique offerings all in one spot!
Looking back I couldn't believe these were the only snapshots I took inside the shop that night, but there you have it - adorable bowls and Pokemon ... gotta catch 'em all! ;)
It was truly a lovely night!
We'll wrap this post up with some of my favorite PhotoPass pics of the night ...
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Thank you so much for returning weekly to check out these pixie dusted posts! It's such a joy to share these magical memories with you, friends! As our December calendar has filled up with festive fun, I've decided that this mid-trip spot would be a good place to press pause on the series until after the holidays. I look forward to bringing you the second half of our trip in the New Year! Following these trip reports I also look forward to sharing a Disney World souvenir haul, a review of Animal Kingdom Lodge, details about our 2016 Disney plans, and more! I hope you'll be back for all the Disney goodness to come!
Don't forget that you can also watch fun footage of our Disney days on my family's YouTube channel, Eat, Sleep, Dis, Repeat! My husband Jason publishes a new video each Sunday, so be sure to click that "subscribe" button while there to catch future vids!
You may also be interested in previous Trip Report Tuesday posts:
Visit my DISNEY! page for magical crafts, recipes, and Disney goodness galore!
I appreciate each comment, & "like"! They let me know that you enjoyed what you read, which makes it worth sharing! ;)
Another awesome trip report! It always feels like I'm right there with ya! (especially seeing all the yummy food! lol)
ReplyDeleteI love living vicariously through your Trip Report Tuesday posts! Mitsukoshi Department Store was one of my favorites in Epcot as well - that's where I found a clearance section (I'm always looking for a bargain!). They did have an awesome selection of souvenirs and fun stuff. Thanks for sharing all your fun details and pics!
ReplyDeleteWhitney @ Come Home For Comfort
Yay! Love seeing these Disney posts! This reminds me yet again that when we go back we defeintely want to go to Epcot this time! It looks like so much fun. My mouth is watering looking at those fish and chips!
ReplyDeleteThere is sooo much good food in Epcot! I love that y'all got to enjoy what you liked :) Your day looks like so much fun, and I love that you had a chance to cook at your lodge!
ReplyDeleteTrip Report Tuesdays.....ahhhh...... :) I absolutely LOVE that bag from Animal Kingdom! Purple AND animal print?! It doesn't get much better than that! That cheese plate from the Food and Wine Festival looks delish! Of course, I'm a cheese-a-holic! And fish and chips....mmmm.......and finally, exploring World Showcase, my FAVORITE! What a spectacular day! Thank you for sharing the magical memories! <3
ReplyDeleteAnimal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks, and the safari is definitely the best way to start the day! And you can't beat a ride on Test Track and all the food and drinks in the World Showcase <3
ReplyDeleteGreen Fashionista
Love reading your trip report posts, Brenda! We haven't been to Animal Kingdom but would like to check it out next time. I think my little guy would enjoy the Lion King. Looks like you guys had a blast at Epcot and that cheese plate looks so yummy!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great review of AK! I have never been to the Flame Tree BBQ place, but I want to try it now during our next trip. We go to Disney every other year. I wish my mom could go with us sometime, I need to talk her into it!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
Such a full day! I honestly do not know how people do several days at Disney and do so much! When we do our one day trips we usually pack it as full as possible. But when we go for a few days I like to take it slower or I'm just one tired mama. Love Flame Tree! And all the seating. The Festival of the Lion King is such a great show. I could totally go for some fish and chips now though. I wish I would have remembered to stop on our last trip. Oh and I love that you all split up for parts. That's a nice duo date. And, living with the land is one of my fave rides. I've never seen that sweet fall scene though! I wonder if they have something for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteAnother great recap! You guys always get so much done in a day - it truly amazes me! I'm so glad you got some nice one on one time with your little one - sounds like a perfect mommy/daughter date to me! And your photos are beautiful as always. What kind of camera do you use?
ReplyDelete