After a long hiatus, I went back, Solo! - Trip 2 - Day 5 + Conclusion
After a long hiatus, I went back - Alone! - Trip 2 – Day 5
(Me) - Former quasi-Disney expert, just past 50 years old.
Resort:
Disney's Yacht Club
Dates:
January 7-11th
Day 5 – Animal Kingdom
I got up early this morning armed with the lesson that I learned from the previous morning. Animal Kingdom Buses start running at 6:30 am! :D I checked out of my room, left my luggage with bell services, and headed to Animal Kingdom on a bus 1/3 full. My Mears/Sunshine bus was going to pick me up at 1:55 pm. I had only the morning to spend in AK, sadly. I had a Genie+ like usual and I had gotten Navi River only because Flight of Passage was gone very quickly at 7am. I knew that most people would be heading for Pandora, so I headed for the Safari instead. When I got to Harambe Market, I got a churro and cranberry juice for a quick breakfast (not the smartest choice, but it was the tastiest one I could make at that location). I sat down and ate it to quell any blood sugar issues at least for a little bit.
Then I got in line for the Safari. This morning was overcast and chilly. I was dressed for the plane in an oxford shirt and wool sweater with slacks and trainers. I was glad that I was not sweating up my nicer ensemble. 😊 The loading was swift, and we were on our way. They animals were truly enjoying the Savanah. Many were active. The hippos were out of the water, albeit sleep on the side of their lake together. Hippos have sensitive skin, for this reason, it is rare for them to sleep out of the water because they easily sunburn. There was one of those long horn cows that slowed traffic on the road, because he decided to mosey slowly near it. We went slowly past him, and he stayed put. I am glad because he was on my side of the vehicle, lol. We saw antelope frolicking and it was a happy day on the Savanah. Not to be outdone. The King of the Jungle walked to the very end of “Pride Rock” which actually extends like a bridge - seemly close to the bend in the road. He did this just when we were on the road at the end of the very Rock Formation. He looked at our car, dropped his head, and roared! Our driver got so excited to tell us that the lions only vocalize before guests are in the park and usually in the evening when guests are gone, and they go to their night areas. She had so much excitement in her voice that we got to hear it. We were impressed! She said it must have been because it was cooler, and he could have been warning that cow that he was getting too close. Then the lion roared again! You know how when you had seen your breath when its cold outside and you talk? We could see his breath! Do you think I captured it with my phone? Nope! – I was watching him closely just in case we were about to become his breakfast! :D
This made my morning! Hearing the lion roar twice was a very rare event and I was thrilled to experience it. I checked my blood sugar and was still fine. I jumped on the train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I walked swiftly to the animation area and joined a class about to start. The animator taught us how to draw Flick from It’s tough to be a bug. I enjoy drawing. This was a fun and relaxing experience. I’d love it to be able to do this for a living … but I am not that good, lol. I visited the famous pot-bellied pig there as well. There was going to be an operation to fix an animal’s broken leg starting in minutes. I would have stayed for that, but I did not have time. Soon I was back in Harambe headed back for Pandora.
While on the train, I reserved a mobile order for Satuli’s Canteen. The problem was that I did not know where Satuli’s Canteen was at all. The last time I was in Animal Kingdom with my dad, we had problems finding the rides. I was determined to figure it out without my phone map. I just kept going deeper into the land than I had ever been. I went down in a little Cul-de-sac; I was ecstatic to find it! I told the cast member that I had made a mobile order. I clicked on “I am Here”. Within a minute or two my order was place out for pickup. I had made a big mistake though. On the app it asked how many Bao buns I wanted. Back home I knew that two Bao buns were perfect for my tummy. On my tray, there were 4 Bao Buns plus chips for each set. This was double the amount of food that I needed. I also got one of those Blue & Yellow Navi Blueberry Cheesecakes. I sheepishly found a table to eat my lunch. The Cast Members are so helpful. I ate 2 of those delicious cheeseburger-like Bao Buns and devoured the chips on one plate. I absolutely loved the Blueberry cheesecake. It was beautiful and “other-worldly and yet familiar and just the right amount of tart and sweet. When finished, I asked a cast member if I could have a box to go. She agreed and said that she thought I was waiting for someone since I had two meals. I laughed and said, “I thought I was ordering 2 Bao buns”. Anyway, I learned that you could get takeaway boxes for quick service meals at Disney World.
I put my takeaway food into my backpack and took my last official ride in Walt Disney World. The Navi River ride had the giant Shaman animatronic singing to us instead of the projection of her like dad & I had seen before. She was very impressive, and her feet were huge. I guessed size 36 sneakers might fit her, hee-hee! I was tempted to ride Dinosaur one last time. However, I refrained in case I ran into delays.
On my way out of the park, I took one selfie at the Tree of Life and one picture of an especially active anteater. The bus to YC was nearly empty. Back at the Yacht Club I had a little over an hour to wait for my shuttle. I picked up my luggage from Bell Services and sat on the same bench that dad & I had waited on at the end of our trip 3 months before. I gave him a call and we talked quietly. Btw, I had been talking to him daily – but I left those details out of this report, lol.
At about 30 minutes to go, I told him that I wanted to use the bathroom before heading to the airport. There was this tiny little Mears Shuttle that drove up and the driver got out looking for someone. I just looked at him thinking I had 30 minutes more to go. The Bell services person came over to me and asked my name, I told them, and it turned out that this was my shuttle. It is a good thing that I didn’t push it and try to ride Dinosaur as my last ride! Oh well, the ride to the airport was great. We picked up a bunch of people from various hotels and then before long I slid into my first-class seat on the plane for my flight home.
I chose hamburger & French fries for my trip home. It was really good! There was a cheesecake-like-blueberry buckle for dessert which was great for my blood sugar, and I had a Sprite just to be sure. I was in my car by 8pm and home by 8:45. Dad was doing well and so was I. I’m glad that I went back to WDW!
