Newlyweds in the Caribbean: Curse of the DLXDDP - Day 11 - Animal Kingdom & California Grill

[Scruffette]

Newlyweds in the Caribbean: Curse of the DLXDDP - Day 11

Index

Sunday 9th September

Animal Kingdom

Lunch at Yak & Yeti, Dinner at California Grill

It was an early start this morning at 6.35am. We were off to Animal Kingdom and would be attempting (along with everyone else probably) to ride Flight of Passage.

While I was getting ready, Ollie went to the food court to get hot chocolates. He was such a good husband every morning and went to do the drinks run while I was faffing around taking too long to get ready.

Most mornings I would take my hot chocolate with me in one of the to-go cups that was in our room. We hadn’t accumulated any snacks yet for breakfast, so we ate one of the salted caramel pop tarts.

Our fastpasses and reservations today looked like this –











From our room it was only a couple of minutes to the bus stop, which was handy. The wait time screen told us that there was a long wait for a bus to AK, but then a bus unexpectedly turned up, which was lucky.





We made it to the park around 8.15am and they starting letting people through the tapstyles at 8.30am (9am official opening). The queues were then held outside the entrance to Pandora, and let through at 8.40am.



In fairness to Disney, once we were let in to Pandora, the process was really smooth and clear. The crowds were looped through Pandora, up towards the Africa direction and back again. There were cast members directing people towards the line. The wait time for Flight of Passage was displayed as 45 minutes. However, I think we waited about 20 minutes and a lot of this was walking our way through the queue. It was then a 2 minute wait to be assigned a room.



We weren’t able to get a fastpass for Flight of Passage for today (although we were able to later in the trip). However, we made it onto the ride with very little wait at all. So don’t worry if you can’t get a coveted fastpass – if you arrive early then you will be able to ride easily.

Anyway, the ride itself was incredible. We were really fortunate that we rode multiple times over this trip. It is a beautiful ride and the feeling of flying was amazing. I think this might be my new favourite Disney World ride.

The breathing simulation of the banshee took me by surprise and took me until the end of the ride to work out what it was! Make sure that your back rest is secured nice and tightly – this makes it easier to feel the breathing motion.

I’m not too good with simulators and motion sickness, but had absolutely no problems on this ride.

I really tried to avoid any Pandora spoilers before the trip. The area is beautiful with so much attention to detail.











I’m amazed that the floating mountains can withstand a hurricane!





Even the queue line for Flight of Passage has so much attention to detail.



Before the trip, we attempted a re-watch of Avatar, having last seen it when it came out in the cinema. We didn’t manage to finish the film, but this didn’t make any difference to our enjoyment of the area.

Our next stop was Expedition Everest, which was a walk on. I think everyone else was in the queue for FOP! Via a quick Tree of Life photo of course –



I really enjoy Everest, apart from the backwards section. I did notice this time a lot of hair ties had been thrown near the end of the track before the backwards section. Does anyone know if this is a thing? I don’t remember seeing this before.





Being a walk on, it would be rude not to ride twice! Twice is my absolute limit for Everest, as the backwards section makes me feel a bit ill. I can really feel the pressure of going up and backwards in my head afterwards.

I had to drag Ollie away after two rides, so we could make the most of the quiet park. Given the chance he would have happily ridden all day.

We had a view of the Rivers of Light area as we walked round –





Next stop was Dinosaur. This is another one of my favourites and I think it is really under rated. We use the ride’s catchphrase ‘we’re not gonna make it’ a lot! I also love the retro ride pre show.









This was on the list, but we didn’t manage it today –



Our fastpass for Kilimanjaro Safari needed to be used, so that was our next stop.

Our guide this trip felt like she should have been working on the Jungle Cruise. I enjoyed the combination of corny jokes and animal facts!











We had particularly good views of the giraffes -



Also, I’ve never seen the Lions out like this during the day before.





Another Tree of Life photo opportunity on the way out!





After a successful safari, our minds were thinking about a little snack. Being avid watchers of the Disney Food Blog on Youtube, we had quite the snack list! Our hearts were set on the mac’n’cheese with pulled pork from the Eight Spoon Café.

We had to wait a couple of minutes for this to open, as it didn’t open until 11am. Why are the good snack places never open early? Maybe not everyone would eat mac’n’cheese for breakfast like I could! We also got some iced waters.



This was excellent value of a snack credit at $6.49 and really tasty.

It was then time to use our Na’vi River Journey fastpass.

Obviously, FOP is the main attraction in the area. However, I still enjoyed Na’vi River Journey. I thought the animatronics were excellent and looked so realistic. Yes, the ride is a bit slower paced, but still enjoyable. The ride was pretty with plenty to look at. Ollie was blown away by the effect of frogs leaping overhead.

Upon exiting, the FOP queue was only 75 minutes, which I didn’t think was too bad in the grand scheme of things.

Couldn’t resist another shot of the floating mountains!







Before our trip, we’d heard that the Pongu Lumpia (aka a pineapple and cream cheese spring roll - $3.29) had been taken off the menu. However, we noticed it on the menu at Pongu Pongu and had to get one, just in case they disappeared (despite not long having a snack). We also got a Night Blossom drink to share - layers of Apple and Desert Pear Limeade topped with Passion Fruit Boba Balls ($5.99)



We really enjoyed both. I wasn’t sure the Night Blossom would be my thing from the description, but I loved it! I’ve had boba balls before and really didn’t like the texture. However, these ones were much better and really easy to pop in your mouth. We had quite a few of these over the trip.

After our snack stop, I decided I didn’t fancy going on Kali River Rapids and getting soaked before lunch. Being in air con after a water ride is never fun! We managed to move our fastpass to after lunch and decided to catch the 12pm Lion King show.

This is my favourite show in Disney World. I watch it every trip and it never fails to disappoint. The singers and dancers are all fantastic. I never have enough good words to say about this show. Ollie is not too keen on the show, but embraces it as I love it so much!

The show was a little longer than I remembered, so we checked in a few minutes late for our ADR at Yak and Yeti. They said there was a bit of a wait and I did show my Landry’s card to see if this would help.

I don’t think this made our wait shorter, but they did announce I was a Landry’s member when we were showed to the table.

We were seated upstairs and the restaurant was really pretty with lots of details.





To drink we ordered two cocktails. I can’t find our cocktail on the current menu, and I don’t seem to have the receipt for this meal either.

Looking at old menus, I think this might have been Big Bamboo - Don Q Coconut Rum, Don Q Cristal Rum, Banana Liqueur, and Tropical Fruit Juices - $10.00



We ordered these and some iced waters. Our server then disappeared for quite a while. Eventually someone else turned up with our drinks. Our server then also turned up with two drinks, saying there was a mix up and we could keep all four. Result! The two batches were mixed by different people, and they were different colours and strengths!

We shared two appetisers to start -

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

Pork Egg Rolls - Chili plum dipping sauce - $9.99



We got the sauce for the firecracker shrimp on the side, as I’m a spice wimp. I found the sauce quite spicy, so I was glad of this. It was a really good sized portion and there were loads of shrimp.

The pork egg rolls were well filled and a good crispness.

We also decided to share the two mains, and ordered -

Bhaktapur Duck - Roasted half ducking, plum BBQ sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables - $28.99



Teriyaki Chicken - Marinated chicken, pineapple-onion-pepper skewers, teriyaki glaze, coconut-ginger rice, stir-fried vegetables - $22.49



The sauces were both quite sweet, but we enjoyed both. The skewers with the teriyaki were a nice touch and we enjoyed the variety of veg with each dish. The coconut ginger rice was my preference over the jasmine rice.

I already knew my dessert order, of course it had to be Fried Wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey-vanilla drizzle - $9.99



I was quite full at this point, so didn’t finish this dish. However, it was just as good as I remembered. I think this is a really fun dessert.

Ollie went for the Mango Pie - Shortbread cookie crust, whipped topping, raspberry sauce - $8.99



The Disney Food Blog raves about the mini version of this dessert that you can get from the Yak and Yeti counter service. The crust to pie ratio on that version is more favourable.

We settled up and headed out. I was feeling sleepy, so we cancelled our Kali River Rapids fastpass. We never ended up riding it this trip, but I’m not too keen on getting soaked. I do think that Bilge Rat Barges at Islands of Adventure is a better rapid ride.

We had short wait for the bus and then took the journey home. Once back in the room we both napped for a couple of hours. This was much needed!

It was then time to get presentable for our dinner at California Grill.

[Scruffette]

Tonight was one of the Halloween parties, and I really enjoyed being on the bus with party guests in fancy dress. Halloween themed music was playing on the bus – I enjoyed the spookiness!

On the journey it started absolutely pouring. I felt sorry for those heading into the Halloween party. We put on our ponchos to go through security and make our way to the monorail. This is the third time I’ve been to California Grill and it’s poured every time!

MK looking a bit spooky –



Once in the Contemporary, we checked in and made our way up to California Grill. We checked in about 30 minutes early for our 8.45pm reservation and requested a table with a Magic Kingdom view (playing the honeymoon card of course!). They couldn’t guarantee it, but said they’d try their best. They said it might take a while, but we were happy to wait.

We took a seat in the lounge area and were just perusing the drinks menu when our buzzer went.

I was happy with our table – this was the view –



We were on a slightly raised level with a view of the Castle. It was perfect until a large party came to sit at that table! Fortunately, it wasn’t until later during our meal. We were also quite near the door to the outdoor viewing area for the fireworks.

Our server Dale was very friendly and talked us through the menu.



We shared two drinks -

Twisted Mai Tai - Mount Gay Rum, Crème de Noyaux, Orange Juice, and Pineapple Juice with a splash of Lime - $13



Blueberry Lemon Drop Martini – Three Olives Blueberry, Fresh Lemon Juice, Fresh Pomegranate Juice, with a Sugar Rim - $13



This was my first every martini – we had a few of them over the course of the trip.

I can be a bit boring sometimes and always end up ordering a fruity rum based cocktail. We made an effort to try a few different drinks and I really enjoyed both of these.

Some tasty bread –



To start we shared two appetisers -

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli - Tomato-Fennel Broth, crispy Mushrooms, Tiny Basil, Arbequina Organic Olive Oil - $15.00



The Farmer - House-cured Pancetta, Roasted Garlic, Sweet Onion-Olive Agrodolce, Soft-cooked Egg, Arugula, Aged Pecorino - $17.00



I had this ravioli back in 2009 (so a while ago), but I’m pretty sure this was a bigger portion. The flavours in this dish were really well balanced and I really enjoyed it.

They now serve ‘pizzas’ rather than ‘flatbreads’, which I think just means that it is round rather than rectangular. Whatever shape it was, it was very enjoyable!

For mains, I had the Oak-fired Filet of Beef - Fried Herb Gnocchi, Tomato-Piquillo Jam, Smokey Pickled Pearl Onion, Blood Orange Butter - $51.00



It looks small in this photo, but there was plenty there. My steak was cooked a perfect medium rare. The gnocchi was delicious (only the third or so time I’d ever had gnocchi) and melted in your mouth.

Ollie had the Cowboy-cut 19-oz Rib-Eye Steak - Honey Saffron-glazed Carrots, Aged Gouda Mac and Cheese, Triple Garlic Butter - $75.00



I was impressed that a dish that expensive was included in the dining plan! Ollie loved his steak – it was huge! I was quite partial to the gouda mac n cheese. As Ollie wanted to prioritise finishing his steak and found the gouda a bit rich, he let me have quite a lot of the mac n cheese. It was really rich, but I couldn’t stop eating it! Obviously, I made lots of jokes about it being goud-a.

After our mains, Dale took our dessert orders and said they would be ready for after the fireworks.

A few times at restaurants where you can watch the fireworks, they’ve really screwed up the timings. Either by bringing a course just as the fireworks starting, or you come back from the fireworks to find a melted dessert. However, we had no complaints on the timings tonight.

The fireworks were shown at 10.15pm and we got a good spot outside just a few minutes before. I really like the view from up here!



After a bit of debate, we decided not to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. However, we worked out we could see Hallowishes from various spots.

The problem is, once you’ve seen Happily Ever After, it sort of puts the technology of other shows to shame. However, the volume of fireworks in this show was really impressive and I loved the wide angle of the fireworks with multiple launch sites. It explained why there are some road closures around firework time! I also really enjoyed the soundtrack.

I did wonder if watching Happily Ever After from this distance wouldn’t be as good, as you wouldn’t be able to see the detail of the projections. Hallowishes was a great show to watch from a distance.

After the fireworks, we sat back down and our desserts were brought over. Perfect timing!

I had the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake - Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate-whipped Panna Cotta, Cashew Clusters - $14.00



This was probably my favourite dessert at the signature restaurants, but then again I do love everything chocolate! However, the cashew clusters tasted like they had peanuts in as well.

Ollie had the S’mores Bomboloni - Banana Jam, House-made Graham Crackers, Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream - $13.00

(blurry photo!)



He didn’t finish the graham crackers, but enjoyed the other elements.

We settled up and made our way out. That was one expensive meal! So glad for the dining plan (although the tips really did add up!)



I noticed this ship model on the way out –



I fancied a quick look in the shops, but to Ollie’s relief they were just closing. We took the monorail back to MK and then didn’t have to long to wait for a bus home.

I liked the messages that were on the buses!



The journey back was really short. I think they had recently opened a new road which made the journey to MK even quicker. I did take a quick nap on the bus. Actually, on almost every bus journey I took the opportunity for a quick nap – got to power nap when you get the chance!

Another amazing Disney World day – some of my favourite rides and some of my favourite food (with my favourite person!). What more could I ask for?

Day 12 - Epcot and Hollywood Studios

[oh_darling]

OOooh you've made me so excite for our Cali Grill ADR in October! And I'm def gonna request a table with a view as we did the first time we went and it was amazing, not the 2nd time we were on the lame-o banquet seating and we had a horrible time So going to say we'll wait, however long it takes!

Those loaded fries too OMG. So many good eats in AK! I'm so loving your trippie thank you so much for sharing xxx

[GezzasGem]

Fabulous adventures so far and some amazing food and drink! What a way to honeymoon 😀👌

[collybird]

That’s a genius idea to decant your refillable mugs into the disposable cups so you don’t have to cart them around all day, thanks for that!

I also failed to re-watch Avatar; I fell asleep haha.

The table at California Grill makes such a difference to your experience, I know you were happy with your view but I’d have been a bit disappointed as you had said you were happy to wait. The food looks gorgeous, I have an itch to go back to CG, but can’t seem to work it into our plans.

[Palm trees]

What a lovely day and a particularly nice summary at the end.

[Scruffette]

Originally Posted by oh_darling

OOooh you've made me so excite for our Cali Grill ADR in October! And I'm def gonna request a table with a view as we did the first time we went and it was amazing, not the 2nd time we were on the lame-o banquet seating and we had a horrible time So going to say we'll wait, however long it takes!

Those loaded fries too OMG. So many good eats in AK! I'm so loving your trippie thank you so much for sharing xxx

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Thanks for reading along I love Cali Grill and seeing the castle whilst eating always makes it better!

Originally Posted by GezzasGem

Fabulous adventures so far and some amazing food and drink! What a way to honeymoon 😀👌

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Our honeymoon seemed to mainly revolve around food and drink - we had good priorities there! Thanks for reading

[Scruffette]

Originally Posted by collybird

That’s a genius idea to decant your refillable mugs into the disposable cups so you don’t have to cart them around all day, thanks for that!

I also failed to re-watch Avatar; I fell asleep haha.

The table at California Grill makes such a difference to your experience, I know you were happy with your view but I’d have been a bit disappointed as you had said you were happy to wait. The food looks gorgeous, I have an itch to go back to CG, but can’t seem to work it into our plans.

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One day I'll watch the end of Avatar...

It can be hard to fit in restaurants with so much choice! Cali Grill was one of my top signatures this trip, but it's always nice to try different places. Food dilemmas!

Originally Posted by Palm trees

What a lovely day and a particularly nice summary at the end.

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Thanks for reading along