I have to shed a tear now because this will be our last full day at WDW.
We really had no set plans on this day other than our dining reservation that evening at The Turf Club at Saratoga Springs. Sometimes it's nice to not have a plan on the last day. It gave us a chance to think about what we missed and make sure to try and fit it in.
We all agreed that we wanted to go back to Animal Kingdom. This might be surprising to some, but due to the Wild Africa Trek on our first day, we didn't really get to some of the things we wanted to do. Well and I just flat out love this park!
When we arrived at Animal Kingdom on this morning, we decided that we might be in and out rather quickly since we just wanted to get to a couple of trails and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Our thoughts were to head over to Downtown Disney at some point that afternoon. Since there isn't a direct bus to Downtown Disney and we would have to connect through a resort, we had wanted to possibly head over to Art of Animation for lunch and try out their food court that I have heard so many good things about.
That plan didn't exactly pan out. We were having a rather nice time at Animal Kingdom and once we got to the Maharajah Jungle Trek it was already after 11. Running out of the park and over to another resort just seemed like too much work at this point and we wanted a little more relaxation in our last park day. So we finished the trek and decided to have lunch at the Yak & Yeti Counter Service.
Oh and a moment of silence for the beautiful Komodo Dragon who just passed away last month.
And as if it couldn't get any better, you can take beverages into the theater! Triple Score!
Now it was getting rather hot out, so you know that I jumped on the chance to have a cold beverage while seated in a shaded theater. The breeze coming through was amazing, and overall it was just a lovely time. Plus I love that show!
Next stop was Downtown Disney as we had been talking about riding on Characters in Flight all week. I was disappointed but not surprised when we got there that the prices had been raised since my last "flight." I went on the balloon in 2011 and I believe it only cost around $13. This time it was $18. Not cool guys....not cool. But regardless, the other members in my group had not been on it before so I was excited to give it another whirl. I really love that this is in Downtown Disney. It is so fun to see more of Walt Disney World property from way up there.
But in this case, it was a VERY good thing. For two reasons. 1, The Magic Kingdom was going to be open late this night, we wanted to get in as much time as we possibly could so eating early let us leave early and get more time at MK. 2. I like the fact that this place was dead and it's apparent that no one knows about it because it is AMAZING! I will continue to go here and the less people who know the better.
Whoops...I just told everyone.
We decided to sit outside since it was a really pleasant night and even a tad on the chilly side, except indoors the air was up so high it was even chillier. The outdoor seating area was really lovely and I am excited to go back and sit inside on the next visit. For this meal I ordered the Grilled New York Strip and the best part of all was that it came with a lobster fondue to dip the steak into. It was really really good. A favorite meal of the trip. For dessert I ordered the Chocolate Espresso Torte. Another success.
We then went back to New Fantasyland and hung out by Gaston's Tavern and enjoyed some popcorn from "Popping Machine" cart (still the cutest cart I've ever seen!). We slowly strolled back out and made sure to go through the stores on Main Street and grab any last minute items we forgot to get earlier in the week.
And now I am sad again, because it is over. Well...it's been over for almost two months now but this re-hashing isn't helping guys!
Thanks for reading! Until next time!
Missed Day 5? Read it here:
A December Trip Report - Day 5