Quick 1 Day Adventure at the AK with DD in March - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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So this was literally a last minute trip for my DD and I to visit the Animal Kingdom while my DH was presenting at a Neurological Conference in Orlando late in March.
I contacted Saratoga Springs to see if we could get a Studio for 1 night for my DD and while my DH already had accommodations with a fellow co-worker who he was presenting with at the conference with so we couldn't barge in on him. I was lucky enough to get that as Saratoga is our DVC home resort. I then got a flight for my DD and I all without telling her that we were going. My DD loves the Animal Kingdom so as we were only going to have 1 day in the park that would be the logical park to go. I purchased the tickets and made a reservation at Yak & Yeti for us. All this was done without my DD knowing she was going to have a short surprise visit to WDW. I actually did not tell her until 2 days before when I told her we needed to pack a few things. She was so excited. For one she was going to miss one day of school.
So my next post I will fast forward to the day we arrived at Saratoga Springs and headed for a day at the Animal Kingdom.
This will be a very short trip report so I will try and stretch it out to be at least a few posts. Hope you all enjoy.
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Me & my DD on our most recent excursion to the Animal Kingdom
Last edited by DocFrizzy; 05-15-2017 at 06:52 PM..
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Thank You, more to come today once I get home from work. I will touch on arriving at the airport at the crack f dawn and then than getting to Orlando International Airport. The Disney Magical Express and checking in at Saratoga Springs.
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Me & my DD on our most recent excursion to the Animal Kingdom
Bright and early on a brisk March morning my DD and I woke up to the sound of an alarm. She decided she wanted to sleep in with Me that night since Dad was already down in Orlando preparing for his conference. Neither one of us really slept well as we never do before an exciting Disney trip and even though this will only be one day in the park we will still be there. So we got up, got ready, and put our bags in the car and off to JFK International Airport. We checked in and we were taking a Non Stop Jet Blue Flight to Orlando International Airport.
We got to the boarding area early and DD wanted some Orange Juice and a Pastry and Mom needed Coffee so we got that and waited until time to board. It was finally that time and of course DD wanted the window seat. She had never been nervous of flying since she has done it many times. The flight was calm as was the landing. Once we landed it was off to the Magical Express.
The Magical Express is always where I feel like the vacation begins. We got on the bus and waited for our stop at Saratoga Springs. Once we got to SSR I and DD went in and told them we had arrived. I knew our room would not be ready and that was fine. We were going to just relax poolside and grab some lunch until the room was ready. Once the room was ready we went there and settled in a bit. We were both kind of tired. My DD and I laid on the bed and she turned on some cartoons and we both took a little nap. I did not plan a dinner anywhere on the day we arrived and thought once we woke and got ready we could go and grab something at The Earl of Sandwich. So that is what we did. It was a busy day getting arriving, but Disney knows how to make you feel right at home when you arrive. The next day we will be up again and our Animal Kingdom Adventure will begin.
DD and I chillin' at Saratoga Springs
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Me & my DD on our most recent excursion to the Animal Kingdom
Last edited by DocFrizzy; 05-16-2017 at 04:40 PM..
Sounds like a nice, relaxing travel and arrival day! I love Earl of Sandwich!
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Thank You, I always like a relaxing Arrival Day especially when we have to get up so early to get to the airport. Even on our longer stays we always relax around the pool and resort and go to Disney Springs on arrival day. The Earl of Sandwich is wonderful and a place my DD loves too.
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Me & my DD on our most recent excursion to the Animal Kingdom
The morning arrived quickly and I decided to let my DD sleep in a little longer while I sat and had a cup of coffee on the patio enjoying the view. Then we got up and started to get ready. Today it was a nice day as in not to hot, but nice and enjoyable to stroll the park in. We went to grab a bite to eat at the Artist's Palette before boarding the bus over to the Animal Kingdom.
A drive over to the Animal Kingdom and getting checked in the gate we took an opportunity picture with the frame which we thought turned out pretty cute.
After that we were off to catch the Safari as that is usually the first thing we do once in the Animal Kingdom. Once again the Safari amazed us both with many animals that we viewed.
After the Safari we walked over to see how long a wait for It's Tough To Be A Bug would be and it wasn't too bad so we waited a bit and went to see that show. It is one of my DD's favorite's in the Animal Kingdom.
Once finished with that my DD wanted to do Primeval Whirl and Triceratops Spins so we did though rather quickly. The day was moving along rather quickly as lunch was already coming upon us. My DD wanted pizza so we stopped at Pizzafari for a bite to eat for lunch before heading to The Festival of the Lion King Show which we had a FP+ for. The show never ceases to amaze us both.
After the Lion King show we wanted to do the Train before it was too late so we caught that and then we just walked walked around for awhile. My DD does not do Everest so that is why we skipped it and it was a bit chilly for Kali River Rapids so we didn't even check it out and it may not even have been operating. So she played some of the arcade style games until it was time to head over to the Yak and Yeti for dinner. The dinner was great and believe it or not my DD loves that sort of food so she loved ever bit of it. Once finished with the meal I could see my DD was starting to wind down a bit so we walked around a bit more a gradually headed back to the exit area to get to the bus. We lucked out as it didn't take long for a SSR bus to arrive and we headed back. It also didn't take long for a tuckered out DD to fall asleep once we got in.
After packing the few things back up, I then took some quiet time to just sit back and reflect on what a great day I had with my awesome kid.
The End
Well not quite we still have the Magical Express trip back to Orlando International Airport and plane ride home. To make a it short all that went really smoothly and we actually arrived back home safely even before my DH did who arrived later that evening.
Thanks everyone who followed my first rather quick trip report.
Officially The End.
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Me & my DD on our most recent excursion to the Animal Kingdom
Last edited by DocFrizzy; 05-17-2017 at 05:35 PM..
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