I think that those of us that are in our 30’s got the short end of the stick as far as Disneyification goes.  Growing up, I liked Disney just fine but I wasn’t obsessed with the movies like you see kids are now (hello Frozen).   I did however go through a Hayley Mills phase and was OBSESSED with Pollyanna thanks to them reairing it on The Magical World of Disney they had on Sundays (my parents were weary of my pretending to fall off of a roof every 5 minutes though).  I think we hit the gap between the old animated movies that were good (i.e. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White etc.) and the “new” animated movies that recaptured the hearts of kiddos everywhere (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story etc. were all released when I was in my teens).  Very few new animated movies that I recall beyond Oliver and Company and The Black Cauldron and there was more of a focus on the movies on Sunday night… anyone remember Flight of the Navigator or did I just REALLY date myself?  Ha!  Anyway, the end result is that I never really had any HUGE desire to go to Disney World and that was SO not my Dad’s scene so until this past summer I never went.

This past summer my nephew got a job with Disney’s College Program and worked at Hollywood & Vine (he’s now at Cinderella’s Royal Table as a full time employee).  His family decided to go visit and we decided to tag along because I’ve been wanting to go but had no real reason to go (and no kid to use as an excuse).  He has a discount so we ended up staying on site at Port Orleans French Quarter.  Hubs campaigned for the Animal Lodge though and I kind of wish we’d gone for it but there’s always next time!  I really did love the hotel we stayed at though, it was small and quite lovely and you all know how much I adore New Orleans.  Sad to report, the food they had was NOTHING like traditional cajun faire.  Skip the beignets if you know what they should taste like!

Sunrise over my beloved Akron-Canton Airport the day we left.  Glorious isn’t it?

I wasn’t really sure how I was going to blog this trip because I’m not sure if people want to read about the trip/advice I have since this is a photography blog… but I figure I’ll have a taste of it and if you guys want more I’ll expand on my thoughts!  Our first day I didn’t plan for us to do anything because I assumed (and was right) that checking in could get messy and I thought it was silly to pay for a ticket for a day that we would only use a few hours of.  I’m glad that I didn’t plan for anything other than our late dinner reservation (we did the dining plan) because it took us 5 trips to the concierge to get our reservations straight!  I don’t recommend doing the online check in, especially for your first trip ever.  Driving in Disney is INSANE due to the lack of road names and getting to the Polynesian was an adventure even with our GPS.  After a couple U-turns in Epcot’s parking lot we decided from then on to use the transportation Disney provides for you.  The day we got there someone actually died in a car accident and I guess this isn’t uncommon.  I definitely would just rent a car for a day in the future if I wanted to leave Disney.  

Ohana was SO so so so so so so good.  I can’t stress how freaking good this was.  From beginning to end, this was my favorite meal of our entire stay.  We had a lot of good meals (which surprised me!) but this was far and away everyone’s favorite.  When I began planning my friend Kimberly told me that this was the place to go, especially because Stitch is my favorite of all Disney characters.  Stitch isn’t there at night but it’s still Hawaiian themed and seriously, the food is amazing.  We ended up with a reservation during the fireworks so that was fun to watch as well.  My #1 recommendation to anyone going to Disney World is to eat at Ohana.  I loved the experience so much I didn’t pause for pictures!   It’s basically a brazilian grill so you don’t order anything beyond drinks.  The meal starts with bread and salad then moves to appetizers, side dishes, meats and finally dessert.  It’s also one of the best values if you’re on the dining plan as it hits just below the $60 mark per person so you only have to use one credit for it.

The next day we went to the Animal Kingdom and I honestly had no idea what to expect.  My experience with theme parks is Cedar Point type stuff so Disney is a whole different level (and I’m not talking the ticket prices, which are insanity).  When planning the trip, I couldn’t decide if I’d want to take an SLR or not but it seemed like everyone takes an SLR to Disney so I figured I would take it. I ended up taking the D700 and my “b” team lenses (just in case anything happened) and taking it with me for most of the days.  I’m especially glad I took it for the Animal Kingdom but I think outside of that I would have been just fine with my Canon G11 and/or my iPhone.  The day we spent at the Animal Kingdom was a HOT one and we mostly walked around seeing the animals and riding very few rides.  We started out the day at the safari per everyone’s recommendations.  You ride in an open aired truck around a faux african safari and see a ton of different animals including rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffe, elephants and lions.  Getting pictures was NOT easy due to the speed we were trucking through the safari but I’m pleased with how some images turned out.  We got held up for a bit where the giraffes were so I was able to get a few more images of them, yay!

I am glad we were able to see the lions, I’ve heard that they aren’t always out and about. 

Pumba!

After the safari we wandered around the Maharajah Jungle Trek which I liked because you could go at your own speed.  I also liked that bits were shaded as the heat of the day had started to creep up and being from Ohio the heat isn’t something we’re quite accustomed to.  There were a few of these different treks throughout the park (we did most but I think we missed one or two) and I really enjoyed them.  Basically I think Animal Kingdom is one elaborate zoo and I imagine it’s a great place to take the kiddos to “calm down” from all of the Disney craziness yet still enjoy the fun.

I loved the movie Gorillas in the Mist growing up so seeing this guy was a highlight for me

All over Disney World there are “hidden Mickeys” but here, there are hidden Simbas.

This cute tiger cub was in the water directly below me and I leaned out to take this image.  I loaded it with the rest of the images when I got home and thought nothing of it but EVERYONE kept raving and commenting about it.  I still don’t really get why this image is the one people loved.  Photography is funny like that.  

I think it’s so neat how they created the Tree of Life out of an oil rig!

After we had a yummy lunch (yay! another win!) and cooled off at the Finding Nemo show (my husband still hasn’t forgiven me for making him sit through that) my niece and I headed over to Expedition Everest to ride the only “ride” I would take that day.  I don’t know why but I’ve always been fascinated with Mount Everest and those that climb it and this coaster was the tops of my “to ride” list for our trip.  We had used the Fast Pass to nab a ticket when we were nearby earlier as the line was over an hour long.  In under 15 minutes we had rode and were done!  It was a fun coaster and definitely a different experience versus what I was used to from Ohio’s theme parks.  It wasn’t the Millennium Force but it was still a lot of fun.  After our ride we headed back to our hotel as we were all exhausted from the heat and storms were rolling in.

My recommendations for Animal Kingdom

Eat: Flame Tree BBQ (Quick Service)
Drink: Mandarin Orange Vodka Lemonade @ Flame Tree BBQ
Ride:   Expedition Everest 

That evening we had reservations in Downtown Disney at Ragland Road.  I’m Irish so I was looking forward to the gift shop which did not disappoint!  Beyond that though, I really loved this restaurant and would absolutely return in a heartbeat.  I highly recommend the braised beef!!!! Everyone loved their food but it was agreed that mine was by far the best.  The best thing about Ragland Road is that you don’t need to pay to get into a park to enjoy it.  They also had Irish Dancers performing all night so that was a treat to watch.  Definitely give that place two thumbs up!  Oh and get a Magner’s Sangria to drink!  YUM!