I flew out of Pittsburgh to arrive in Orlando around 1PM. We were told to check into our resort (Caribbean Beach), then head over to Animal Kingdom (AK), using the complimentary Disney transportation buses, by 4PM. Not too much time to dilly-dally around. I took quite a few photos of our resort and will post the best below. The refurbishments at Caribbean Beach Resort are beautiful, especially in the lobby area. You would think you were in a deluxe resort with the magnificent reach to the sky ceilings and grand flowing sheer yellow drapes. Just beautiful.
We had a short walk to catch the bus to AK and the bus arrived really quick, which was a nice surprise. Upon arriving at AK, I took even more pictures, but had to quickly get to our meeting location by the Dinosaur ride. We had our greet meeting, went to Tusker House for our dinner, and were set free a little early due to some technical related issues that wouldn't allow the video to be played for us on the tv.
Tusker House dinner is a character meal with Donald Duck and Friends in their safari outfits. There is tons of food, served buffet style. This was the first time I had eaten there this late (around 7PM) and it was a fantastic time if you are into character interactions. And I mean serious interactions. They spent tons of time, not only with us as a group of Disney-crazed adults, but also spent time playing with, dancing with, etc. all the tables of children surrounding ours. It was so fun to watch the interactions, seeing as we all came without our kids on this trip. So if you want all the time you can get with characters, booking a dinner closer to closing time is a great option. PS- As your travel agent, I can and will take care of this for you. Just say the word.
Taking advantage of our extra free time, we, as superior travel agents, scored ourselves the MOST coveted fastpass out there . . . Flight of Passage(FOP). Our little group that became the best of friends, wandered through Avatar and I enjoyed my first (certainly not last) ride on FOP. It was the most amazing breathtakingly beautiful ride I have ever been on. I would say, Bonine might be a good idea if motion sickness is a thing for you. Having just visited Universal Orlando in April and ridden all the Harry Potter rides, FOP blew them away. I mean BLEW THEM AWAY. It was incredible. A must-do and for sure FASTPASS+ selection at 60 days out. It definitely lives up to all the hype and then some.
After that we decided to head to Epcot for its onsite resort guest exclusive Extra Magic Hours. We rode Soarin' which I have been dying to ride since its refurbishment to Soarin' Around The World, a couple years ago. Our last trip, it was being refurbished so I went Soarin-less that entire trip. Not this trip!! It was also fantastically amazing. We laughed and oohed and ahhhhed and smelled the smells and enjoyed the visually superior cinematic experience. Just a perfect ride and still hands down my favorite. (Sorry FOP, but my heart belongs to Soarin')
We hit up Figment after that and decided that since our official first full day of AEP was going to be BUSY and LONG, we would call it a night.
See pictures below and more about the January AEP in future Blog posts to come. Feel free to ask any questions below or email me at [email protected].
We had a short walk to catch the bus to AK and the bus arrived really quick, which was a nice surprise. Upon arriving at AK, I took even more pictures, but had to quickly get to our meeting location by the Dinosaur ride. We had our greet meeting, went to Tusker House for our dinner, and were set free a little early due to some technical related issues that wouldn't allow the video to be played for us on the tv.
Tusker House dinner is a character meal with Donald Duck and Friends in their safari outfits. There is tons of food, served buffet style. This was the first time I had eaten there this late (around 7PM) and it was a fantastic time if you are into character interactions. And I mean serious interactions. They spent tons of time, not only with us as a group of Disney-crazed adults, but also spent time playing with, dancing with, etc. all the tables of children surrounding ours. It was so fun to watch the interactions, seeing as we all came without our kids on this trip. So if you want all the time you can get with characters, booking a dinner closer to closing time is a great option. PS- As your travel agent, I can and will take care of this for you. Just say the word.
Taking advantage of our extra free time, we, as superior travel agents, scored ourselves the MOST coveted fastpass out there . . . Flight of Passage(FOP). Our little group that became the best of friends, wandered through Avatar and I enjoyed my first (certainly not last) ride on FOP. It was the most amazing breathtakingly beautiful ride I have ever been on. I would say, Bonine might be a good idea if motion sickness is a thing for you. Having just visited Universal Orlando in April and ridden all the Harry Potter rides, FOP blew them away. I mean BLEW THEM AWAY. It was incredible. A must-do and for sure FASTPASS+ selection at 60 days out. It definitely lives up to all the hype and then some.
After that we decided to head to Epcot for its onsite resort guest exclusive Extra Magic Hours. We rode Soarin' which I have been dying to ride since its refurbishment to Soarin' Around The World, a couple years ago. Our last trip, it was being refurbished so I went Soarin-less that entire trip. Not this trip!! It was also fantastically amazing. We laughed and oohed and ahhhhed and smelled the smells and enjoyed the visually superior cinematic experience. Just a perfect ride and still hands down my favorite. (Sorry FOP, but my heart belongs to Soarin')
We hit up Figment after that and decided that since our official first full day of AEP was going to be BUSY and LONG, we would call it a night.
See pictures below and more about the January AEP in future Blog posts to come. Feel free to ask any questions below or email me at [email protected].
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
Note: In the photos with Caribbean Beach Resort you will see Disney's Skyliner Gondola station that is currently under construction. It is set to open in Fall of 2019. As many of you know, this new state-of-the-art gondola system will conveniently connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot to four resort hotels- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as well as the 15th Disney Vacation Club property, Disney’s Riviera Resort. Also pictured, under construction, is the aforementioned Riviera Resort. As we traveled to Disney's Art of Animation and Pop Century Resort later in the week, I took more photos of the under construction Skyliner areas. You will see them in later posts.
Tusker House
On the buffet menu at Tusker House:
Selection of Fresh Breads and Pita
Tabouli and Hummus Dips
Fruit Chutney
Spit-roasted Chicken
Curries
Roasted Pork
Peri Peri Whole Salmon
Basmati Rice and Curry Chicken
Vegetarian Offering
Black-eyed Pea Salad
Fruit Salad
Vegetable Salad
Brownie
Banana Bread Pudding
Strawberry Cake
Kids' Deli Meats and Cheeses
Kids' Mashed Potatoes
Kids' Macaroni & Cheese
Kids' Corn Dog Nuggets
More Information
Selection of Fresh Breads and Pita
Tabouli and Hummus Dips
Fruit Chutney
Spit-roasted Chicken
Curries
Roasted Pork
Peri Peri Whole Salmon
Basmati Rice and Curry Chicken
Vegetarian Offering
Black-eyed Pea Salad
Fruit Salad
Vegetable Salad
Brownie
Banana Bread Pudding
Strawberry Cake
Kids' Deli Meats and Cheeses
Kids' Mashed Potatoes
Kids' Macaroni & Cheese
Kids' Corn Dog Nuggets
More Information
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