"No, We're Not Getting Married at Disney!" a 2018 tripS report - update 10/25 AKL food + DHS Day

[pepperandchips]

I have a go-pro which I used for the first time for our last cruise. But I was juggling a point and shoot, my iphone, and the gopro which was difficult. I think I may just take it easy and just use my iphone from now on. The gopro was cool for vlogging and video. for pictures it is good for wide angles, but yes for detailed food pics, probably would use your phone or another camera.

Yeah... it was definitely an exercise in juggling so I ended up not liking it all that much. Plus, the gopro is kind of a a pain to edit from! I took some little clips that I will try to work in to my recent trip's reporting but I was definitely a newbie and didn't get great footage! Still, I am glad I got it for snorkeling. I love my little Sony RX point and shoot. Maybe one day something will outshine it but I am happy with it for now!

Your Hawaii plans are so exciting! Another stay at Aulani....

I am so excited. Except for like a dunce I didn't set my waitlists up right and now I have two one-night stays at either end of the trip, one of which borrowed 2019 points that I didn't mean to do. Oh well, at least now I have choices. But I am worried about that hurricane brewing off of the islands right now! PLEASE DON'T DEMOLISH THE CONDO WE BOOKED IN MAUI Waiting to see what happens with that before I look at airfare again...

Hope you're having a magical time in WDW!

Thank you! It was sooo much fun! You are so close! I can't wait to see all the fun you get into as well!!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Finally caught up!

Excited cheese

Ok, that's not creepy at all!

Well, first, I love my mother and she was jealous and wanted to do this tour too. Second, they have totally changed up the tour, based on Deb's review. It looks like you don't go to the parks at all anymore (thank goodness, that was 90% of the snooze fest) and instead spend your tour visiting the backstage holiday decor warehouse (the COOLEST part of our tour), plus you get to visit DISNEY FLORAL HEADQUARTERS and then you end the tour at Amorette's getting to decorate your own gingerbread treat. So that sounds amazing and like experiences you couldn't just get for free on your own in the park!

I read the same review and also booked it! So, you'll have to let me know if it's good because if not, I'll have time to cancel

This was taken of me in the deluxe alcove room, the room worked out great for us since we could pull the chairs around the L-shaped sofa and have seats for everyone.

A sitting area is so nice when you're in a group!

You're so nice that you made custom ears for everyone at your bachelorette!

 

[pepperandchips]

Finally caught up!

You're doing better than I am... I still have your previous report open in a tab on my phone!

Ok, that's not creepy at all!

I call this piece of art: overcaffeinated and overexcited!!!!

I read the same review and also booked it! So, you'll have to let me know if it's good because if not, I'll have time to cancel

Yes I will! Deb made it sound amazing and after finally visiting Amorette's I don't see how it wouldn't be fantastic. Bring on all the holiday decor!!!

A sitting area is so nice when you're in a group!

You're so nice that you made custom ears for everyone at your bachelorette!

Aw shucks, well thanks. It was awesome having everyone together and we got so many comments on the ears. And I totally agree about the seating area. The Dolphin was the perfect home base for us!

 

[pepperandchips]

Friday, April 6, 2018:

Since we'd all turned into pumpkins so early the night before after long travel days, we'd decided at bedtime that it might be feasible for us to attempt rope drop at Animal Kingdom, which was opening at 8:00 that morning.

I wanted to make sure my girls had a good time, and I knew that those precious first few hours of the park's day would let us experience more things with less waiting. Plus, we had an added wrinkle since one of my pals wasn't able to pre-purchase tickets, so we had fastpasses planned for a party of 5 when there were 6 of us total. We decided that we'd keep trying to add her to our fastpass plans but that those of us with lots of trips under our belts could just swap off letting her ride with our fastpasses.

When we got into the park, we bolted for Pandora and joined the end of the already extremely long line. It was surging forward in big increments, so I hoped that it would move quickly when the queue was fully opened and that we'd be able to ride with an hour or less wait. Well, after waiting for about half an hour and getting no further than the bridge between Pandora and Africa, I apologized and made the executive decision to bail. The cast members were warning people at that time that the wait exceeded three hours. I'm not sure if that would have proved true, but I wasn't willing to gamble all our fastpasses by staying in line for Flight of Passage.

While we had a fastpass scheduled later in the morning for the Safari, I knew that the animals were more likely to be active during that first hour of park time, so we headed over that way. We were rewarded with an amazing safari!

The giraffes were so close to our ride vehicle's path!

We even saw the mandrills moving about! I got a photo but it's really hard to pick out the monkeys, so I'll spare you that one.

So excited!!!

I feel like I rarely get to see the bachelor elephants, so this was cool!

On the ride, I was able to search and refresh enough to add everyone onto the same fastpass schedule and swap our Safari fastpass later for a Festival of the Lion King fastpass. While I knew we might not need it, it was nice having the assurance of a seat.

Next up was finding something to fill our tummies!

We stopped at Kusafiri where I enjoyed the magical disney cheese danish and a coffee. Most of my girlfriends got theirs with a shot of amarula cream. Yum!

Soon it was time to redeem a fastpass, which we needed to do during the window of time that our multiple fastpass plans overlapped:

It was so fun experiencing this with my friend who'd never ridden Everest before!

Of course, we waited for the front, which is my favorite way to experience this ride!

The yeti almost got us, but we escaped!

After checking wait times, we decided to head over to Dinoland, and came across a photopass opportunity on the bridge out of Asia.

We put on our best scare tactics to ensure the yeti wasn't coming back for us!

We opted for the standby line at Dinosaur, which wasn't too long. We got to hear Bill Nye a few times while we waited, and check out some of these amazing murals

FIRE! LIGHTNING! METEORS! DINO TEETH!

I don't understand the crazy apocalyptic murals... I mean, I guess the point is to set the tone that you might not make it out of the ride alive

Anyone remember when the entrance had this sad dead dino mural in it?

RIP to both the dino friend and the mural, as it's been removed.

Anyway I was glad my friends rode this with me as my mom and husband aren't super keen on this one, and I love it! Half the fun for me is the quotable script.

Can you tell which of us are the seasoned fans hamming it up for the photo?

Afterward it was time for fastpass #2, and I was so excited that we were actually going to experience something of Pandora together for real this time!

Navi River Journey really has a beautiful outdoor portion in its queue. I've not done the standby queue but the inside portion you see in the fastpass line is a little weird, it just doesn't seem to go with the rest of the ride. Like, hey look at all these beautiful floating mountains and waterfalls and neat plants and then... ENTERING SHOW BUILDING!

I only had my phone, but I present the amazing Shaman! I still love this ride and my friends liked it too. I wish you could have a dinner party inside there! It's so relaxing. Between this and the bioluminescent forest in Flight of Passage, I think Pandora has some of the most beautiful show scenes at WDW.

Next we snagged more photopass pictures in Pandora:

I thought this photopass photographer did a great job helping us pose.

We made our way to take a look a the rest of the valley of moara, including a trip over to Pongu Pongu for snacks and refreshments.

I decided to try something I hadn't had before and ordered the:
"Rum Blossom: Bacardi Superior Rum with layers of Apple and Desert Pear Limeade topped with Passion Fruit Boba Balls" ($10.25)

It was good but sweet, and I still prefer the Moara Margarita. I'm not a huge fan of apple flavoring in drinks or candy so I should have known I'd like the margarita more, but I wanted to try something new! I thought it was odd that they gave me the second (Green) straw and told me not to take it out of my drink as it signified it was alcoholic. I mean... I followed the instructions but don't really see the point.

Our final stop before lunch was our third fastpass - Festival of the Lion King!!!

I still love this show so much and was glad to experience it with the whole crew. Everyone enjoyed it. I was glad that this was the version with the full tumble monkey performance and I was delighted to see that the role of Kibibi ("Princess") was being performed by my favorite female vocalist, who often also performs with Burudika!!

The whole show was great as usual. Our seats with fastpass were also good and we got to be toward the front in the center of the section.

Next up: Lunch, tons more photos, meeting a favorite princess, and much more Animal Kingdom fun!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Looks like a fun morning at AK! I also love the quirky and bumpy Dinosaur ride, it is a favorite of mine.

I am sorry we missed each other last week, I hope you had a wonderful trip, we had a rocky start but otherwise a really fun time.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

The pics of you and your girlfriends are so cute!!!!

 

[amalone1013]

I CAN'T WAIT TO SURPRISE MY MOM

Ah so sweet! And I totally understand it being hard to keep a surprise! I'm really glad I can tell some Dis friends about the Disney After Hours tickets I bought so I can surprise Zack still. I'll probably break down and tell his mom just before the trip, that's what happened when I surprised him with the World of Color dessert party a couple years ago. He texted her after I told hi, guess where we are? And she was just like, oh you're at the dessert party

(she's saying "Don't leave me... but also... don't take me with you, I hate the car!")

Awww, she's too cute! And she must be related to one of our dogs

Anyone remember when the entrance had this sad dead dino mural in it?

Can you tell which of us are the seasoned fans hamming it up for the photo?

yesssss. Zack always has this look like, WT* no matter what. And not even on purpose!

I thought it was odd that they gave me the second (Green) straw and told me not to take it out of my drink as it signified it was alcoholic. I mean... I followed the instructions but don't really see the point

Weird. We haven't stopped here yet, but do the non-alcoholic drinks look similar? That's the only thing I can think of. And if they do, really Disney, do yourself a favor and make them NOT look alike. It'd be way easier!

I was glad that this was the version with the full tumble monkey performance and I was delighted to see that the role of Kibibi ("Princess") was being performed by my favorite female vocalist, who often also performs with Burudika!!

It's cool that that vocalist does both! Burudika is going to be a priority on our longer trip.

 

[MeghanEmily]

After checking wait times, we decided to head over to Dinoland, and came across a photopass opportunity on the bridge out of Asia.

This is so cute!! Some great PP of you girls this day

Anyone remember when the entrance had this sad dead dino mural in it?

 

[amazingact21]

I can't remember if I have commented before or not, but I've been reading and following along!

Your AK morning sounded great. You guys hit most of the top To Dos in the park and got some great group shots! You can tell in the photos that you all are having a blast.

 

[pepperandchips]

Looks like a fun morning at AK! I also love the quirky and bumpy Dinosaur ride, it is a favorite of mine.

I am sorry we missed each other last week, I hope you had a wonderful trip, we had a rocky start but otherwise a really fun time.

I hate that we didn't get to meet up either but it was a whirlwind! I am glad you all had so much fun. I just saved my place on your TR, you are too good and timely at updates and I found myself all the way on page 7! Oh no! haha

The pics of you and your girlfriends are so cute!!!!

Thank you!!! We had fun trying to find all the photopass photographers! And the best thing about a girls' trip is the girls don't complain about being made to pose for photos!

Ah so sweet! And I totally understand it being hard to keep a surprise! I'm really glad I can tell some Dis friends about the Disney After Hours tickets I bought so I can surprise Zack still. I'll probably break down and tell his mom just before the trip, that's what happened when I surprised him with the World of Color dessert party a couple years ago. He texted her after I told hi, guess where we are? And she was just like, oh you're at the dessert party

I am terrible at surprises. I always want the immediate gratification of their happiness!!!

yesssss. Zack always has this look like, WT* no matter what. And not even on purpose!

Now THAT type of photo is definitely worth the ride!

Weird. We haven't stopped here yet, but do the non-alcoholic drinks look similar? That's the only thing I can think of. And if they do, really Disney, do yourself a favor and make them NOT look alike. It'd be way easier!

Yeah, I actually think they are identical. But what's the point of needing to mark that it's alcoholic? LIKE HI I AM MELINDA AND YES I LIKE TO DRINK ALCOHOL IN THE THEME PARK EVERYONE LOOK AT THIS FROZEN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE I HAVE PURCHASED! I guess maybe they are wanting to prevent people buying them for underage consumption?

It's cool that that vocalist does both! Burudika is going to be a priority on our longer trip.

I hope you are having a great trip right now!!!

This is so cute!! Some great PP of you girls this day

Thank you! AK PP is where it's at!

I am glad I got at least one laugh out of this super unflattering photo... I mean, besides my own, obviously.

I can't remember if I have commented before or not, but I've been reading and following along!

Your AK morning sounded great. You guys hit most of the top To Dos in the park and got some great group shots! You can tell in the photos that you all are having a blast.

Yay! Thanks, Alicia. I can't recall whether you said hello yet or not but glad to have you here either way. I just stopped by to save my spot on your report too!

I so treasure all those photos from our girls trip - I am glad I insisted we take so many!

 

[pepperandchips]

Real Life Update:

I always hate it when people ghost from their trip reports so I figured I owe you all an explanation! Obviously I had our very important and amazing August long weekend/birthday trip and then I guess the post-Disney blues kept me away. It's been a busy month for us! Labor Day Weekend took us up to @buzzrelly's neck of the woods and we enjoyed a fantastic weekend in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts for the wedding of some friends.

R is a big fan of Mark Twain, so that was the major impetus for us dedicating our extra time over the weekend to Hartford. We had a great time visiting some of the local breweries around Hartford and visiting with our friends.

The Mark Twain house was particularly worthwhile for us. They were kind enough to extend a teacher discount, even though it's supposed to be reserved for Connecticut educators. I think ordinarily admission is about $20.

You're not allowed to take pictures inside or in any of the galleries, but the house has been beautifully restored and the museum has re-acquired a lot of the family's furnishings. The visits are by guided tour only and we really enjoyed ours and perusing the galleries and gift shop before and after our tour.

Of course you guys know we're not going to a new city and not scoping out the beer scene...

We had lunch at City Steam brewing, where we enjoyed the food and the beer. This was more of a brewpub and we did not get a chance to see their brewing setup. The bathroom was pretty rad, though (sorry no pics, but imagine what the bathroom would have looked like in The Max of Saved by the Bell fame).

That night we visited Hog River Brewing, a low key brewery with their brewing setup on full display. The bartenders were really nice here and we loved peoplewatching. Lots of locals were picking up their CSA shares, which is genius. I wish our CSA had a share pick up at a brewery here in Atlanta!

The next day we visited my favorite of the three breweries we experienced, and it was our last stop prior to the airport

Thomas Hooker brewing is probably the biggest of the bunch with two locations. We really enjoyed everything we tasted there and I will be on the lookout for their brews as they grow! they also had a cool display with information on how craft and home brewing grew over the centuries.



Bradley airport was fantastic to fly in and out of and even had a little brewery setup going on in the airport! We were accidentally way early for our flight and didn't want to board too early since we'd checked all our bags for the return flight so we enjoyed lingering over a couple more beverages before our rude return to reality.

Last weekend we finally got around to celebrating August birthdays with my family so I am hoping to get a trip report installment up this weekend.

Thanks for hanging with me!!!

 

[thumper*]

I always hate it when people ghost from their trip reports

Oops sorry about that. Lol

Sounds like it was a nice quick trip up north. The brews look good I wish my computer screen had scratch and taste (humm I'm gonna have to use that in my next TR).

 

[buzzrelly]

Boy, when you put it that way, Connecticut almost looks fun I guess it's different to see it through the eyes of a visitor. I've lived here my whole life and haven't been to the Mark Twain House…I plan on remedying that really soon!

 

[buzzrelly]

Jeez! I've totally been missing out on your awesome TR…I'm SO happy you tagged me! I just finished all 8 pages

Congratulations on your marriage! Your wedding looked phenomenal and you made such a beautiful bride I teared up reading just reading about it, you and R seem so happy And fabulous job on your flowers! Just simply perfect…everything about it was perfect. I loved the theme and the way everyone dressed in their Hawaiian clothes.

I'm going over to your Aulani TR now but I'll just have to save reading it for later since I have already been sitting around reading far too long this morning!

 

[chunkymonkey]

It sounds like you guys had the perfect AK day! I did not know you can get coffee with Amarula cream, is that alcoholic? I obviously don't drink alcoholic coffees but maybe I should as I like me a little baileys.

Good call on exiting the line for FoP. 3 hours is insane, cut your loses early and enjoy the day at AK actually doing stuff in the parks!

You girls are one photogenic bunch! Love all the pictures!

I didn't know there was a version of FoTLK that didn't have the full tumble monkey performance? I always think I see the same thing each time.

Love the vacation in New England! It's such a beautiful place in the summer, and visiting the Mark Twain house and all the beer tastings is an excellent idea!! I have not been but it's another idea for a rode trip!

 

[petals]

Catching up. I love all the ears you made for your friends. They're awesome!

The guy in the back of your dinosaur photo with the stripped t-shirt looks bored out of his skull

 

[pepperandchips]

Oops sorry about that. Lol

Sounds like it was a nice quick trip up north. The brews look good I wish my computer screen had scratch and taste (humm I'm gonna have to use that in my next TR).

Haha! It's okay, life gets in the way sometimes, doesn't it?

I wish I had scratch and taste too, especially looking back at all the yummy food photos!!!

Boy, when you put it that way, Connecticut almost looks fun I guess it's different to see it through the eyes of a visitor. I've lived here my whole life and haven't been to the Mark Twain House…I plan on remedying that really soon!

I wonder about that too, sometimes, when I hear that folks are visiting Atlanta for pleasure. But then I once sat down and make a "staycation" itinerary and found so much for us to do! We just don't get out and explore our own back yard as much as I would like, and I'm sure that's the case for you too. For what it's worth, we never took that "staycation", we went to Asheville instead

Jeez! I've totally been missing out on your awesome TR…I'm SO happy you tagged me! I just finished all 8 pages

So glad to have you here!!!

Congratulations on your marriage! Your wedding looked phenomenal and you made such a beautiful bride I teared up reading just reading about it, you and R seem so happy And fabulous job on your flowers! Just simply perfect…everything about it was perfect. I loved the theme and the way everyone dressed in their Hawaiian clothes.

Okay and for whatever reason that made me tear up too! Gosh, I'm a sap. But it was the most perfect day and we are so happy. BEST DAY EVER!!! And, of course, thank you

It sounds like you guys had the perfect AK day! I did not know you can get coffee with Amarula cream, is that alcoholic? I obviously don't drink alcoholic coffees but maybe I should as I like me a little baileys.

Yes! I didn't know it either until we strolled up to Kusafiri and saw it on the sign. Amarula cream is the liqueur they use for the zebra domes. It has a Bailey's-ish flavor but with a nutty, almost chocolatey taste as well. I love it, you can get it at the liquor stores around here sometimes and it makes a great "white russian" (I call it a Brown Elephant lol)

Good call on exiting the line for FoP. 3 hours is insane, cut your loses early and enjoy the day at AK actually doing stuff in the parks!

Yeah, I just was in disbelief that the line could already be filled all the way in the inside queue PLUS all those people outside? But when I got home I read that they are no longer using the full length of the indoor queue due to visitors not heeding the potty warning signs and sneaking into backstage areas to relieve themselves... So it's possible that the line I could see was shorter than three hours, but it wasn't a gamble I was willing to make.

I didn't know there was a version of FoTLK that didn't have the full tumble monkey performance? I always think I see the same thing each time.

I have heard (I think I read it on the Boards actually) that if they don't have all of the tumble monkeys there for whatever reason (illness, etc.) they can't do the show since it requires all of them. I have also seen the show both with and without the fire knife performer during "be prepared". I think they just don't have that many people cast for those roles.

Catching up. I love all the ears you made for your friends. They're awesome!

The guy in the back of your dinosaur photo with the stripped t-shirt looks bored out of his skull

Thank you!!! And yeah, that guy looks incredibly unimpressed. That little girl in the row with us was a total trooper. It was fun riding with her!

 

[pepperandchips]

After an... interesting... ? afternoon at the Atlanta Municipal Court, I finally have time to crank out an update. Where were we?

Friday, April 6, Continued:

LUNCH!

So, it had gotten quite warm out ("Animal Kingdom Hot") and after weighing our options, we decided to have an air-conditioned, sit down lunch at Yak and Yeti. Only problem: one of my friends was looking at me like I'd grown a third eyeball when I said we could just get a table. She's a Disney regular but didn't know about the magic of the Landry's card! In case anyone else would benefit from this knowledge, if you join the Landry's Select Club for $25, you get a $25 reward to use on your next visit and a bonus reward every year of $25.00 (theoretically for your birthday but they let me pick another month when we visit more often). AND, perhaps the biggest perk, when you flash that baby you get priority seating. So we approach the podium and my friend hears the hostess tell the party in front of us that the wait is an hour and she starts side-eyeing me with a panicky look. I put on my best confident swagger and sashay up to the podium with said Landry's card. We move to the side to wait.

Approximately TWO minutes later our table was ready.

We were seated in a room at the front of the restaurant in the upstairs level with lots of sunlight. I'd never been seated in there but it was perfect for a big party. My friends were so impressed with the Landry's VIP treatment that a couple of them even signed up for the Landry's Card on the spot! I'm sure our server loved that as I think they have to sign up a certain number of people or get prizes or something because they're so eager about it. Anyway, let's get to the important stuff, food!

I'm a pig and couldn't decide between options, so I ordered two appetizers as I wanted my favorite dish and I also wanted something lighter/refreshing given the heat that had set in. (Apologies in advance, some of these are a bit blurry for some reason)

Firecracker shrimp $11.99 - Crispy fried shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce, Asian slaw

This is a large portion for an appetizer and could probably have stood alone as my entree but again I was also wanting something light and cool as well. I love these and I know they are basically frozen fried shrimp dipped in spicy mayo, but on some level I am just as basic as your next girl and I love this amazing junk food. The slaw is also surprisingly delicious and brings a nice umami flavor to the party.

A true showcase of my photography skillz: Lettuce Cups - $15.99 - Minced chicken breast, chopped vegetables, Saigon Haison sauce, crisp lettuce cups. These were kinda "meh" for me, but I was all about handheld salad at this point in the day, so they hit the spot in that regard.

One of my friends chose the sriracha fish tacos, which were on the special menu that rotates occasionally. These had been on the menu for a while but I am not sure if they're still offered. $18.99 and described as "Sriracha battered cod, flour tortillas, asian slaw, rice, and stir-fried veggies." These were pretty good, the fish was light but I think it was just frozen fried cod. No complaints.

A crappy picture of delicious food: Sarah had the Ahi Tuna Nachos, one of my favorite things on the menu. These are a steal at $16.99 and are described as "Sushi grade Ahi, Asian slaw, crispy fried wontons, wasabi aioli, sweet soy glaze". The tuna is abundant and fresh and these puppies always come piled high and full of flavor. Always a winner!

E went with Caesar Salad:

Kale Caesar salad with Cilantro Lime Seared Shrimp - $17.99 - Kale, romaine lettuce, parmesan crisps, garlic-ginger wonton strips tossed with romano Caesar dressing. Tasted like... Caesar salad. Womp womp. Actually this was good and nutty due to the addition of kale and particularly refreshing on a hot day. You won't catch ME ordering salad at Yak and Yeti but if this is your thing, it's not the worst choice you could make.

Two of my friends ordered a Dragon Roll each, one made without crab on top for her allergy. This was my first time dining with someone with allergies and they were exceptional about wanting to suit her restriction and also they were really scared to just leave off the crab without sending out a chef. K doesn't have a life-threatening allergy or anything but it was nice to see them so observant if it would have been more serious.

$15.99 - Spicy tuna, avocado, topped with Dynamite crab, tempura crunch, sweet soy glaze

I have had this in the past and the dynamnite crab is a similar spicy mayo flavor profile to my beloved Firecracker Shrimp. Also just as good, but probably not as bad for you, so there's that option if you like sushi!

Not pictured, but worth mentioning: large (22 oz) Funky Buddha hefeweizens for $9 each. The same beer in a 16 oz pour at Thirsty River right nearby is $8.25 so I consider Y&Y's large beer the best deal in the park. We each had a couple, and the best thing is that since you're inside a theme park you can also get one to go!

Our meal was fantastic and service was excellent as usual. We settled the bill and headed out for more fun. Specifically, we were killing time until the first Burudika show... and what's a girl to do with a beer in hand, a beer in the belly, and a fresh outlook on life after a delicious lunch??

Character greeting!

So, Pocahontas is one of my favorite Disney movies (I know I am in the minority on this) but the film was released when I was 8 years old, so this was totally my Disney wheelhouse. I had the Pocahontas "Barbie" (the same year I also got the Baywatch David Hasselhoff Ken doll for the same birthday, so there was some weird romance going on in my playroom that summer ) and I have this movie nearly memorized. Pocahontas advocates for environmental preservation, doesn't settle for marrying the buff dude just because he's hot and could offer her a comfortable life, bridges cultures with her bravery, and is basically a feminist, low key bad-b.

All served up with a side of shade.

Anyway, we joined the end of the line and were informed that Pocahontas was taking a quick break. No problem, we had beer in hand and a game of Disney heads up that quickly passed the time waiting. As adults meeting characters, we were expecting/prepared for a quick hug and shove. That is NOT what this friend of Poca was here for. She got SO excited when she saw that we were celebrating, and had to compare her "moccasins" to my friend's.

When she noticed I was getting married, she mentioned that her Dad really wanted her to marry Kocoum. This is when things went off the rails. Partly because I was awestruck to be meeting one of my favorite princesses, partly because she was such a great conversationalist, and partly because of the beer, I retorted with "Oh no, you need to marry John Smith. Kocoum is hot but he dumb!"

I kinda broke Pocahontas. Oops!!! Not one to miss an option for a good comeback, she told us, "Yes, and you know, John Smith comes every night" (!!!)

Like can she say that?!

"Uh you know uhh to visit" (more giggles)

And then we ALL lost our composure... Please observe my friend on the left doubled over in laughter.

As we tried to get the crazy train back on the rails, I asked Pocahontas where Meeko was and she suggested that we all scout for him... some of us got it, some of us not so much:

And we got at least one "normal" one. I've gotta say, this was the BEST character interaction EVER! She spent so much time with us that we were starting to get some side eye from the line. It totally made my whole weekend though and was just amazing. True Disney magic. If anyone knows this CM, please message me. I would love to tell her how much this meant to us.

(continued in following post)

 

[pepperandchips]

After our amazing character interaction, we headed back to Africa and got drinks using mobile order at Harambe Market. That was a fantastic shortcut that let us skip the line!

Warning: the remainder of this post is mostly photos. Because we stumbled across an AMAZING photopass CM who was standing around bored so she basically conducted a private photo shoot for us!

Some of them turned out super cute!

Some of them, not so much....

Fake laugh pose fail.

She took cute individual ones of all of us! At her suggestion! Then she told us of one of the nearby instagram-famous "Disney Walls". She did warn us that it was in a cast member area headed toward backstage, so she wouldn't be able to take our pictures with her camera, but she'd get everyone's photos with our own cameras or cell phones!

I've gotta say, it's a great photo spot!

"Behind the scenes" look at how she took our photos and where this is located. I definitely felt a little awkward being in this area but hey, a CM took us there!

After our modeling session, we headed to find a spot for Burudika.

Imagine my glee when I found that Virginia, my favorite CM who'd played Kibibi in the Festival of the Lion King, was also performing with Burudika that afternoon!

Above is the vantage from my favorite place to watch Burudika, kinda cozied up to the Tusker overhang near Dawa Bar

Here! So... the cast member who's been censored from this photo overheard a joke that I'd made about cultural appropriation (casting a Puerto Rican woman as the lead singer of an Afro-pop band), and it was seriously a JOKE, every one of my friends knows how huge of a Disney fan I am and how much I love Animal Kingdom, and so this CM saunters up and starts a casual lecture about how authentic Animal Kingdom is and it's not cultural appropriation and blah blah blah... you can see how happy my friends were about this.

Meanwhile Kay was like let's go get a picture of you with the band!

I was geeking out. And Kay made sure to tell Virginia what a huge fan I am! I was a leeeeetle embarrassed after that.

But I got a shout out during the set, so it was totally worth it!!!!

After we Waka Waka-ed to the last strains of the set, we headed off back to the resort. But not before an incredibly weird "small world" moment when we noticed the son of a friend there!

He's in purple playing drums. I of course had to text his mom a photo. It always blows my mind when I see "real life" friends in unexpected places.

After we made it back to the resort, we all split up to rest and look for snacks. It had been a beerful afternoon and I had one thing in mind: nachos

This is the Picabu nachos "to go", made to order with as many or as few toppings as you want for $10.50. They're just chips from a bag with plastic cheese sauce but man did these ever hit the spot! And they did NOT skimp on toppings. I was in nacho heaven after this before having a quick rest!

Up next: MORE FOOD! Dinner at Disney Springs.

 

[MeghanEmily]

I put on my best confident swagger and sashay up to the podium with said Landry's card. We move to the side to wait.

Approximately TWO minutes later our table was ready.

YAS LANDRY'S CARD!

I love these and I know they are basically frozen fried shrimp dipped in spicy mayo, but on some level I am just as basic as your next girl and I love this amazing junk food.

Yum...that sounds wonderful, so I guess I'm just as "basic" as you are.

(the same year I also got the Baywatch David Hasselhoff Ken doll for the same birthday, so there was some weird romance going on in my playroom that summer

I retorted with "Oh no, you need to marry John Smith. Kocoum is hot but he dumb!"

Oh my gawd!!

I kinda broke Pocahontas. Oops!!! Not one to miss an option for a good comeback, she told us, "Yes, and you know, John Smith comes every night" (!!!)

Like can she say that?!

"Uh you know uhh to visit" (more giggles)

OH MY GAWD!!

I've gotta say, it's a great photo spot!

It totally is!! Love it! You look super glam.

Here! So... the cast member who's been censored from this photo overheard a joke that I'd made about cultural appropriation (casting a Puerto Rican woman as the lead singer of an Afro-pop band), and it was seriously a JOKE, every one of my friends knows how huge of a Disney fan I am and how much I love Animal Kingdom, and so this CM saunters up and starts a casual lecture about how authentic Animal Kingdom is and it's not cultural appropriation and blah blah blah... you can see how happy my friends were about this.

WOAH! That's wild. How very CM-like...