THE MAGIC KINGDOM AT THE WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

MAIN STREET IN DISNEY'S MAGIC KINGDOM

Aaahhh the Magic Kingdom, the first park most people go to when they arrive in Disney World. To some it is the only park and they have no idea there are parks beyond this one at Disney World!

This blog is about the Magic Kingdom. I will be dividing it into sections because let's be honest there is just so much to see and do here! I also plan to add to this throughout the year as I myself take a closer look into the MK.

While I have been there over 10 times I know that I always find something new. Throw in the fact that Disney has been steadily changing things for the last few years and I will always have something I need to go back for.

From the moment I walk on to Main Street I feel a sense of happiness. It doesn't matter if it is packed or empty Main Street is always special. So I will dedicate one blog just to Main Street. Included in this section will be the main hub which is what they are currently expanding to ease foot traffic in the area. Also, Cinderella's Castle as it is the focal point as soon as your on Main Street USA.

The other areas we will look into together are the different lands of the Magic Kingdom. They are:

ADVENTURELAND
FRONTIERLAND
LIBERTY SQUARE
FANTASY LAND
TOMORROWLAND

MAP OF MAGIC KINGDOM 2015 NEW FANTASYLAND

LEGEND FROM 2015 MAP OF MK

Hope you enjoy reading about this fabulous park as much as I love telling you about it! Don't forget these sections will be updated throughout the year. I got annual passes for the sole purpose of informing the public about my opinions of Walt Disney World lol. And now on with the show....

DINOLAND USA

Another land in Disney's Animal Kingdom is Dinoland USA. Our family loves this land. It has something for everyone.

DINOSAUR IN DINOLAND USA ANIMAL KINGDOM

There is a wide variety of things to do in this land. It is the first land on the right when you are on Discovery Island. It is also across the bridge from Asia. (Just to the right of it) It actually has a great deal to do despite some questionable reviews I have read.

There is a ride tucked away in the back right corner of Dinoland. It is called Dinosaur and it is one great ride. It is a dark ride and can absolutely be considered scary by small children. My mother, myself, and my daughter all enjoy it thoroughly. My four year old son hides the whole time and the rest of the boys seem to feel like once per trip is enough. If there is no line my daughter and I are happy to go on it at least 3 times in a row!

BEING SILL ON THE DINOSAUR RIDE

  On the way to the Dinosaur Ride there are a few little places to eat to the right but it's pretty standard nothing special American food. If your looking to be food adventurous this is not the land to do it in! Although we end up stopping here a lot because it is so convenient.

This land has a wonderfully huge playground called the Boneyard. It has many slides, stairs, tunnels, and even a dig site. Dino;and USA will be the places smaller children get their kicks in!

 BONEYARD ANIMAL KINGDOM

PLAYGROUND BONEYARD ANIMAL KINGDOM

ANIMAL KINGDOM BONEYARD

LITTLE SLIDES AT THE BONEYARD

BIG SLIDE AT THE BONEYARD IN ANIMAL KINGDOM

ENTRANCE TO THE BONEYARD

To the right of the Boneyard is the carnival looking area. There are two rides in here, a handful of  carnival games, and a character meet and greet. It is a very fun area. If you do all there is to do here it could take you an hour or more. We tend to switch up what we do here. Sometimes we do the carnival games and sometimes we don't because they cost extra money... just like a real carnival!

We do like Prime Evil Whirl. This ride has one of the taller height restrictions of the park at 48". You actually have to be taller to ride this than Mt Everest! Crazy right?! Anyway it is a twisty turny ride so if you don't like the tea cups than this probably isn't your cup of tea lol.

Another ride in this area is for everyone. It is like to old version of Dumbo the Flying Elephant only with baby triceratops! I actually used to like this one better than Dumbo because the line was always shorter but now that Dumbo has that great play area and has had major upgrades this is no longer the case.

Another great show is in this area called DinoLand USA, it's Finding Nemo. This show is in a large theater that has bleachers for seating. Their are actually backs on the rows of seats in this show! That is a major plus but, I wouldn't go as far as saying they are comfortable! It is a nice reprieve on hot days though.

So all in all Dinoland USA is a happening place. Don't skip it if you have children and don't skip it if your one of those people who loves rides. Dinosaur and Prime Evil Whirl should both be done at least once!

BOG BREAKFAST IT'S OFFICIAL

UPDATE: BOG BREAKFAST IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ADR UNTIL OCTOBER 3, 2015!!!

THE ROSE AT BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT

BE OUR GUEST IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM

KNIGHT AT BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT

NEWS FLASH!!! BE OUR GUEST RESTAURANT IS OFFICIALLY GOING TO START TESTING BREAKFAST TIME AT THE POPULAR CASTLE RESTAURANT!


So due to the success of the recent lunch changes... Be Our Guest Restaurant will be testing out Breakfast in this lovely castle!

From March 20 - June 18, 2015 and from 8 am -10 am you will be able to dine for breakfast! I'm excited can you tell. Reservations will open on March 17, 2015 so be ready!

It will be a French inspired menu including favorites like the cronut, french toast, crepes, eggs Florentine and so much more!

Get ready to get your ressie if you are heading to the wonderful Walt Disney Worlds's Magic Kingdom from March 20 - June 18!!  

ASIA SECTION OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

MT EVEREST ANIMAL KINGDOM

Asia is home to one of the best "thrill" rides in Disney World. I put thrill in quotation marks because I feel like Disney's version of thrill rides is still tamer than other theme parks but still very enjoyable and able to serve a wider range of people.

Anyway on to my review an walk through of Asia.

Asia is nestled in between Africa and Dinoland USA. Depending on where you are coming from changes what you see first. We are going to start as if we are coming from the Africa section of the park.

The first thing you come to would be a show called Flights of Wonder. This is a very good show about birds. We have only done it once because there really is a lot to do in this park. So we try to do a different show every time. Along with one of the two treks. In Asia is the other trek it's called the Maharajah Jungle Trek. This is another good one. I absolutely recommend both of these but remember this park is not open until ten at night so you really need to use your time wisely here.

WALKING THROUGH ASIA

After you pass Flights of Wonder there are two ways you can go. One will take you to Discovery Island (not where you want to go) and the other will take you to both Kali River Rapids and The Maharajah Jungle Trek (that's where you want to go). The trek is awesome and even has tigers. This trek features animals from Asia. That is what makes the two treks different, they both feature animals from the country they represent.

I recommend the Kali River Rapids to anyone who doesn't mind getting drenched! Realistically speaking there is a very good chance you will be soaked and should have brought a change of clothes. There are lockers by the entrance to the ride that are free for the first hour. This is for all the brave souls who know they will be soaked. Most people think you will only get a few splashes... you are wrong! The minority of people will get a few splashes the rest will have a least one side of them that is completely wet! So beware. I love this ride my husband will not get on. literally I mean he refuses and that is completely understandable.

After the rapids is half of my family's favorite ride.....

STUCK ON EXPEDITION EVEREST

Expedition Everest!!!!! I love this ride! Everyone in my family who is tall enough to ride loves this ride! We go on it at least 3 times every trip. Once with a fastpass, once with a rider swap, and at least once in the single rider line! We literally love this ride. Yes that is a picture of the ride not moving.... Why you ask? Because Murphy's Law follows my husband around. He and my dear daughter on stuck inside this Mountain as I am taking this picture. I had a feeling they were stuck so I snapped a pic and sure enough 30 mins later they are texting me from inside the Mountain with all the lights on! Still it is our favorite ride of this park!

That is it for rides in this section but don't forget they have food here too! I haven't tried all of it nor do I have reviews done for this section yet but I will say this. The Yak and Yeti quick service has delicious fried rice and egg rolls.

On to Dinoland we go!

AFRICA SECTION OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

AFRICA SECTION TUSKER HOUSE IN THE BACKGROUND

Right after the bridge to the left on Discovery Island are two of my favorite things... Tusker House and the new building that houses Festival of The Lion King. Both are on my list of favorites. Keep in mind to do both in one day is a good 2 hours of your day gone! You can check out my food reviews for Tusker House and I will tell you a little about FOTHLK now.

Festival of the Lion King is a live action show. It is composed of mostly singing, dancing, and acrobatics. It is loud and you will be sitting in a tight space. The theater is an octagon type shape with four sides for seating and the other four are an exit and entrances for both people and the show. It is about a half hour long and hot in the room I think due to all the people sitting so close together. It is worth it and should be done at least once by anyone who likes any of the above mentioned things.

IN BETWEEN FOTLK AND TUSKER HOUSE

RANDOM AFRICA SELFIE ME AND MELO

Another of everyone's favorites is located here in the Africa section. The Safari Ride. This is a great adventure through many different terrains that lets you view all types of animals in their fake natural habitats lol. It really is very well done. I highly recommend this ride. I recommend going at dawn or dusk during the hotter months and in the middle of the day for the cooler ones. I will admit that although some animals like the crocodiles always seem to be in the same place the rest you never know where or if you will see them. Here are a couple of pics from a two different trips because like I said it's different every time.

GIRAFFE SAFARI RIDE FEB 2015

RHINOS SAFARI RIDE SEPT 2013

Another great thing for younger than teen sized kids and all aged animal or science lovers is Rafiki's Planet Watch. After you get off the Safari to your left or if you skip the Safari it's on your right, there is a train that you can ride to conservation station. This is a petting zoo type are that also houses a veterinary center and science exhibit. My kids love this section. We don't do it every time because they will easily spend 2-3 hours here. So we only stop in on long trips where we get to do AK twice! Here are some pics of that.

PETTING ZOO ANIMAL KINGDOM

RAFIKI'S PLANET WATCH

BRUSHING THE SHEEP

There is one other big thing in Africa. That is the Wild Africa Trek. Here you will see an amazing array of birds, some animals from the safari, and my favorite the silver back gorillas. There is of course more than that but those are my top three. My son would probably say the house with all the bugs was his favorite! This is another do it yourself thing and it can go as quick as 20 mins or as long as 2 hours depending on how much time you want to spend on each part of the trek!

Here a few last pictures from Africa and remember you could literally spend an easy 6 hours just in Africa!

OSTRICH ON SAFARI RIDE

BIRTHDAY GIRL DANCE

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY

On to Asia we go!

ANIMAL KINGDOM I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!

Safari Ride Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom, in my opinion, is a great park to relax and enjoy your day, your surroundings and your family or travel party. While people tend to say it is a half day park, I have never gotten everything done there all in one day!!! Granted they do close earlier than the other parks but, that will soon be changing. Here is my thoughts on Animal Kingdom this time around.

We started the day late!! I mean late. The park opened at 9 am and we had an 8:10 ADR at Tusker House. We arrived at the park around 8:15. By some miracle we were given a special parking pass and told to go all the way to the front by the handicap parking. This was awesome but my mother was in a different line in a different vehicle and didn't get one! She followed us and parked with us anyways since she had two of my children in her truck! We hoped for the best since she didn't have the special pass and now we were very late for breakfast!

Turns out Disney knows families run late. I called Disney Dining Reservations and they told me that as long as I arrived sometime within the hour I should be fine!! So we proceeded to the ticket window since our tickets were will call. There went another 20 mins and that was with no line in front of us.

We finally got to Animal Kingdom, parked, got our tickets from will call, and entered the park. It took us about 45 mins from start to finish!

When you walk into AK the first thing you see is the trees and animals. It is called the Oasis and it is very nice and relaxing. You can go to the right or left and their is a path on either side. Each with it's own set of wild life. If you were to stop and look at all the animals on just one side I would say it could take around an hour.

If you don't stop and walk right to the Tree of Life it's more like 5 minutes.

TREE OF LIFE ANIMAL KINGDOM BACKSIDE

The tree is the center piece of AK and it is beautiful with over 300 animals carved into it and it is undergoing major changes (to it's leaves) so that it can be a part of the night time entertainment that is soon to come. The tree also houses It's A Bug's Life. An adorable 4d short film based on the movie. This area is called Discovery Island.

So moving on, again when you get to the tree you have the choice to go right or left. There are more animals either way you go but this is where the lands start with rides and entertainment. To the left was camp Minnie Mickey, but not anymore. That is currently closed and being redone as Pandora! Or Avatarland which ever you prefer to call it.

To the left is Dinoland USA. I love this place but for today we are heading to the right. We walk past the construction and cross a bridge into Africa. From this bridge you can see Mt Everest in the distance.

MT EVEREST ANIMAL KINGDOM FOGGY MORNING

I am going to divide this post here. I will provide links to each of the different sections from this point on.

AFRICA

ASIA

DINOLAND USA

TUSKER HOUSE AT DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

This is one of my favorite places to eat for breakfast. Tusker House is located in the Africa section of Disney's Animal Kingdom. I have only eaten here for breakfast but I would be willing to bet it is just as good for lunch or dinner.

Before you are seated inside the building you get your picture taken with Donald Duck or you don't lol. This last time we got there and Donald was not available so I know now this is not a guarantee. However, they will still take your picture. Here's ours from this last trip.

It's a great photo op. After you get your picture taken, they seat you inside. This is where you have a chance to meet awesome characters including Mickey Goofy and Daisy Duck!

The food at Tusker House is actually my favorite part about it. I'm sorry for a lack of pictures but I had a sleeping baby in my hands through my entire breakfast. It was kind of nice though having my husband get my plates!

The reason this breakfast buffet is better than say the Crystal Palace (IMHO) is because along with the normal mickey waffles and eggs they have a variety of other options. For example, they have a ham that they slice for you. There is plantains and rice. They have a mango salsa that is delicious and they also have Jungle Punch. Which is a delicious blend of juices.

Between the great character interaction and the many different food choices I give this place 3.5 stars.

HOWARD JOHNSON INN & SUITES KISSIMMEE

Welcome to the Howard Johnson on Irlo Bronson Highway in Kissimmee. We stayed at this hotel which I really consider a motel right before our stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Overall I give it 2.5 stars.

The cost was right and that's why we stayed there so based on price for an ok place on a budget then it gets 3 stars. We paid $93.45 for a Saturday night including taxes. I thought this was for a regular room with two double beds. When we got there we found out we were actually in the suite. So regular rooms should be around $60-$70. Again, I thought it was a regular room for that price so I was expecting a nicer place. Had I realized it was a suite for this price I would have expected exactly what we got!!

The suite itself was actually really cute. There was a huge porch. It had two very small bedrooms and two bathrooms!!! That's right people two bathrooms. I consider that worth a star all by itself lol. The beds were doubles and took up almost the whole room in both rooms. The living room with the pull out couch and dining room table now that was big. They also had a kitchen sink a regular sized refrigerator, a toaster and microwave.

Actually the more I think about it the better it sounds. They had a cute pool in the back and even jet ski/wave runner rentals in the back as it was on a lake. They had a continental breakfast. I would say wake up very early for the breakfast. It is a housekeeping storage room that has been converted to serve the breakfast. They had coffee, orange juice, milk and tea for drinks along with the normal muffins, danishes, bagels and cold cereals. The room was packed!! I literally mean wall to wall people we left with nothing and went to breakfast.

Cleanliness is another downfall. I give that 1 star. The bathrooms were dingy. There was a cockroach crawling on the wall in the extra bedroom. It was like I didn't really want to take a shower but I had to so I did lol.

Here are a few pics of our room and the outside of the premises.

back

balcony

front

my minion

huge balcony

morning view

master bedroom

master bath

second bedroom

living room door to second bedroom and second bathroom