Animal Kingdom | Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures

Tag: Animal Kingdom
- March Disney World AEP Trip {Day 5}! Part 2–Satu’li Canteen and Mobile Ordering
  
  Posted at 7:57 pm by taryngirl, on August 1, 2018
  
  DID YOU KNOW…that for some Quick Service restaurants throughout Walt Disney World, you can order ahead? This fantastic service is called MOBILE FOOD AND BEVERAGE ORDERING! (You can read all about it directly through that link that takes you to Disney’s official page.)
  
  Basically, instead of waiting in line, you can go onto your My Disney Experience App,
  
  This is the menu shown outside of the restaurant:
  
  The restaurant itself does have both indoor and outdoor seating. One note, there are signs on the tables stating you must be a patron of the restaurant in order to use the tables. So don’t plan on getting a table and sitting there while you wait for the rest of your party who is riding Flight of Passage.
  
  We stood outside the restaurant and used the My Disney Experience App to order our food. We walked in immediately. When entering, just look for the separate Mobile Order Pick Up window. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT IN THE REGULAR LINE! There was only one person in front of us in this line.
  
  If you didn’t order ahead, this is what the line looked like:
  
  What you can’t see is that the line snaked and then went out into the foyer area of the restaurant. SO WORTH ORDERING AHEAD! You can save so much time.
  
  Confession time…I was skeptical. I always have modifications, no this, extra this, etc. etc. You can still modify with the app!
  
  Now to the good stuff…the delicious food! I ordered the Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken Bowl with Rice and Creamy Herb Dressing and NO Boba Balls! This is also served with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw. I also asked for all three sauces on the side when I got up to the window. The other two sauces are the Black Bean Vinaigrette, and the Charred Onion Chimichurri. I mixed all three together in the bowl and it was SO GOOD. I will definitely eat here again and I will definitely order this exact same thing!
  
  My friend ordered the Kid’s Meal–Cheeseburger Steamed Pod which is served with Chips and a drink.
  
  My other friend ordered the Combination Bowl: Grilled Beef and Chicken with Rice base and the Chimichurri Sauce.
  
  They each also ordered a dessert. This is the Chocolate Cake (chocolate cake with a crunchy cookie layer and banana cream topping). We all tasted it. It was really good and super rich!
  
  The other dessert was the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse. (blueberry cream cheese mousse with passion fruit curd) I didn’t try this one, but they said it was good!
  
  I have eaten here on a past trip as well. These are some pictures of food my group ordered during that trip.
  
  Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken with Romaine and Kale Salad Base.
  
  Regular order of the Cheeseburger Pods served with Chips.
  
  Overall, this quick service restaurant is one of my favorites! Be sure to give it a try at least once.
  
  Up next…Cruising on Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas!
  
  Posted in AEP, Animal Kingdom, Dining Review, Quick Service, Satu'li Canteen, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Animal Kingdom, Avatar, Disney, Foodie, Mobile Ordering, Pandora, Quick Service, Satu'li Canteen, Walt Disney World
- Joy Through the World! Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort Return November 8!
  
  Posted at 7:55 pm by taryngirl, on July 9, 2018
  
  Taken directly from Disney Parks Blog:
  
  It’s Christmas in July! Today we are announcing the return of the holiday season to Walt Disney World Resort. Starting November 8, you will be able to celebrate this magical season with festive parties, captivating holiday décor, delicious treats, spectacular entertainment and enchanting experiences that make this season one of the most wonderful times to visit our theme parks, resorts and more!
  
  A Flurry of Fun comes back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the return of Sunset Seasons Greetings. Featuring impressive new laser effects and “snow,” holiday magic transforms the famous Hollywood Tower Hotel with spectacular projections of beloved Disney Characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Olaf sharing their favorite seasonal stories.
  
  Another returning favorite is the nighttime spectacular Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! The new Toy Story Land also gets special seasonal fun including holiday songs on Alien Swirling Saucers and more!
  
  Magic Kingdom Park will transform into a world of holiday enchantment that includes the specially ticketed event Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, offered during select nights in November and December.
  
  At Epcot you will discover joyous holiday traditions of 11 World Showcase nations during Epcot International Festival of the Holidays beginning Nov. 18. One of our favorite holiday traditions at Epcot is the Candlelight Processional and this year it starts performances on Nov. 22
  
  New this year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the magic of nature will receive a holiday touch with the inclusion of Diwali, the holiday Festival of Lights in India, as part of the new live show UP! A Great Bird Adventure.
  
  There is even more holiday fun at the resorts across Walt Disney World with festive seasonal décor as well as life-sized edible creations. And at Disney Springs you will find the perfect destination for holiday shopping, dining and entertainment, with the chance to experience holiday magic along the way.
  
  You can find everything holidays at disneyworld.com/holidays.
  
  Now is the time to play big and start planning your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World Resort!
  
  Posted in Breaking Disney News!, Holidays at Disney, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Animal Kingdom, Announcement, Disney, Epcot, Holidays, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World
- March Disney World AEP Trip {Day 3}!
  
  Posted at 1:59 pm by taryngirl, on May 31, 2018
  
  Thursday was a team building day for our agency. We were split into scavenger hunt groups of three to four people, and were given a list of things to find. My group, “The Poor Unfortunate Souls,” teamed up with another group, in hopes to be able to get pictures of most of the things on the list. We just had to photograph things and then upload them into albums on Facebook. Our strategy was to park hop. The group decided to begin at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I however, had to remain back in the room while still trying to book these Disney Cruises! I had been unsuccessful with getting through thus far. I met up with somewhere around 10 a.m. in the area of Rock N Roller Coaster. While I was waiting for them to come off the ride, I walked back to Sweet Spells for one of my favorite snacks! Which in this case doubled as my breakfast. The Carrot Cake Cookie. {Just a heads up, Sweet Spells has recently closed. This snack IS still available though at The Trolley Car Cafe.} I can never eat this whole thing in one sitting. Ever. So I shared with my teammates.
  
  We then ran into these fine people while making our way back to the front of the park.
  
  They are some of the Citizens of Hollywood! And you can see them up and down Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard. They also sign autographs and they NEVER break character!
  
  Here’s my fabulous team, “The Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Rachel was so gracious enough to create these fun ears for us! This pic is one taken by a PhotoPass photographer.
  
  From this park, we went to Animal Kingdom. Upon exiting DHS, we went to the bus depot. You CAN get a bus directly to the other parks from here. So we stood in the AK line. And we waited. And waited. And waited. And one never came! People queued in front of us were waiting 45 minutes already. So we checked Uber. They could be there in 5 minutes. We walked over to the “Ride Share” area. Yes, this is labeled, and certain parking spots are set aside for it. We had such a large group that we took two different Ubers to get there. One note about DHS parking lot….it was all jacked up on this day. They were doing construction on the Skyliner Transportation System and everything is rerouted. So multiple lanes were funneling into one, etc. etc. I felt like we were riding on the bus forever through the parking lot! Uber drops you off at AK right at the sidewalk leading to the gates, near where the tram picks up/drops off.
  
  We made our way to the Tree of Life, and got the GREATEST PhotoPass photographer! She spent so much time with us and gave us all a “Magic Shot.” Here’s some info in case you are interested: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/07/a-new-way-to-find-magic-shots-at-walt-disney-world-resort/
  
  Here is my Magic Shot!
  
  Our next park was Epcot. We hopped on a bus to go directly from AK to Epcot. We were lucky to not have to wait very long. One was pulling up as we were getting in line.
  
  Did you know that there are some “famous” walls within the World? Here we are at the Bubble Gum Wall!
  
  We made our way in, and once again hit some Flower & Garden food booths as we made our way around the countries. I decided to wait, as I wanted to try a new quick service meal! But first…we needed a picture with a viking! This was another FUN PhotoPass photographer. We did many poses, and she declared me the most “viking like.” I’m not sure if that’s good or bad??!!
  
  We finally made it around to Morocco. And Tangierine Cafe, which is the quick service restaurant in that country. I have read report after report saying how good the Shawarma Platters are. I had this on my list for this trip, and this was the perfect time. I went with the Chicken Shawarma Platter, which is thinly sliced chicken served with a side of Hummus, Tabouleh, and Tangierine Couscous Salad with fresh Moroccan Bread. This was SO GOOD. And so much food, it is an easily shared meal. I will definitely be getting this again!
  
  Next we made our way to France to see if we could catch some more of our agents. While sitting on the wall, these two delightful men said Happy Birthday to me because I was wearing my pin. (My birthday was Friday.) They then asked me if I ever had anyone sing to me backwards, to which my response was no!
  
  I LOVE DISNEY PEOPLE! Seriously. These weren’t Cast Members, they were just park guests! And we saw them on our way through Canada again with their wives enjoying the live entertainment.
  
  A quick stop in a phone booth…
  
  It was time for us to make our way to the Magic Kingdom now. So we hopped on the monorail and headed over there. I had plans to meet up with my roommates here as well. I had to handle some more “cruise business” as I STILL hadn’t gotten through to make these reservations! So I sat on a rocking chair right outside of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant while I waited on hold and people watched. My team went ahead without me. I FINALLY GOT THROUGH! And got all 4 cruises booked for my clients! I also finally met up with my roommates.
  
  At this point, my feet were needing a little bit of rest. So I hit up one of my favorites to do during a down time…the Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover! In fact, we got off, and got right back on. I love the views when on this ride!
  
  Next, we made our way to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. My family LOVES this show! It’s different every single time we go. If you haven’t been yet, put it on your list.
  
  We made our way to the Happily Ever After fireworks show.
  
  Next Up…{Day 4}
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged AEP, Animal Kingdom, Disney, Epcot, Foodie, Happily Ever After, Hollywood Studios, Magic Shots, Tangierine Cafe