Our Day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom – travel blog
Welcome to part two of the Disney trip blogs (& vlogs). I’m not even halfway done blogging about this trip, and we’ve already booked my tickets back! If you haven’t read part one, make sure to check that out and then hop back over here! Day two started pretty dang early for me, but more for Caitlin. She was up at 2:30 am and out the door at 3 am to head to her first race (yup, more than one.) I woke up at 5 am, grabbed some coffee, and headed to the 10k finish line to meet her. Oh, and if you’re wondering, she kicked butt!
WATCH THE DISNEY WORLD ANIMAL KINGDOM AND HOLLYWOOD STUDIO TRAVEL VIDEO
We made it back to the resort at 7:00 am and decided to have a quick breakfast before getting ready for the day. We ate at Coronado’s Rix Cafe because it’s quick, inexpensive, and there was no wait. I had an egg-white omelet filled with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spinach with a bowl of oatmeal on the side. And the coffee wasn’t half bad.
We headed back to the room to rest our eyes for thirty minutes, shower off, and get ready for our day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. We started at Hollywood Studios around 10 am. Caitlin was running the half marathon on Sunday morning, so she chose the best treat to start carb-loading, the Mickey pretzel, and a beer. You can stop at the Anaheim Produce for Mickey pretzels, fresh fruit, margaritas, and beer.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios was packed on Saturday morning. The weather was perfect on Saturday, which meant a very crowded park.
We walked around exploring the shops, the street performances, Toy Story Land, watched the Muppets 3D show, and then grabbed some much-needed coffee. There’s a hidden Starbucks in every Disney Park. 😉
MICKEY PRETZEL HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
The lines were way too long at Hollywood Studios, so we just spent a few hours walking around exploring. We are going back on a weekday so we can experience it without the crowd. Hollywood Studios is filled with tons of restaurants and all kinds of good food. When we go back, we’ll ride the Tower of Terror.
Later in the afternoon, we took the bus over to the Animal Kingdom! I was SO EXCITED about this. I think Animal Kingdom is my favorite park.
There was so much to see and do. I love how beautiful the park is set up, and you honestly don’t even feel like you’re in the U.S. anymore.
First up, pizza for Caitlin at Pizzafari. She ordered the veggie pizza and a Caesar salad. The Pizzafari is a quick spot to grab food, drinks, and it has so much seating. Inside & out!
PIZZAFARI THE ANIMAL KINGDOM FOOD FOR LUNCH
You HAVE TO watch the video of the Harambe Village Acrobats. Honestly, this was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen! I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life. Add this to your Animal Kingdom checklist.
One of the best parts of the day was riding Expedition Everest. I wanted to ride it again and again! What a fun roller coaster!
⛰ 🎢
After conquering the rollercoaster, we needed something refreshing. We decided to split a Khumbu Icefall from Thirsty River. If you see people walking around with fancy signature drinks, they most likely bought them from there! The Khumbu Icefall is a frosty mixed drink made with smooth raspberry puree mixed with Cruzan Guava Rum and blended with coconut. You can also get them made non-alcoholic.
KHUMBU ICEFALL FROSTY DRINK THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
I stopped at the Harambe Fruit Market for some roasted corn and pineapple slices!
There are a lot of fresh and healthy options at the Animal Kingdom available. The pineapple was super fresh and sweet!
FRESH FOOD VEGAN DAIRY FREE HEALTHY THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
I was so excited to get the roasted sweet corn. After grilling the corn, they usually dip it in butter and sprinkle it with spicy curry. I’ve never liked curry and didn’t want the butter, so I asked for it plain off the grill. It had so much flavor and reminded me of sweet corn from Iowa. ❤️
ROASTED CORN ON THE COB THE ANIMAL KINGDOM GLUTEN FREE VEGAN EATS
Animal Kingdom is known for its “Instagrambale spots.”
Harambe Market
Bicycle Land-Mauzo Huduma
INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS AT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM WALT DISNEY WORLD
The World of Avatar was unbelievable. Next time we go(UPDATE – I went, and here is the blog!), we will do the Avatar Flight of Passage and the Na’vi River Journey.
They close the Safari at 4 pm so that the animals can eat and sleep. We were sad we missed it, but that’s OK because…NEXT TIME 😉 There is so much to soak in that you need extra days for each park. On a side note, Flamingos are hilarious birds.
SAFARI AT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM DISNEY WORLD
If you’re spending the day at Animal Kingdom, make sure to make a Tiffin’s dinner reservation. I mentioned in my last post that Caitlin selected some really awesome spots for our trip, and this was just another one of them. We’ve already added some of your recommendations for our next trip!
DINNER AT TIFFINS ANIMAL KINGDOM
Tiffins is located in Discovery land. You’ll want to get a reservation to lock in your spot, but they did take walk-ins with a bit of a wait time.
We started with a house-made charcuterie board. It consisted of a selection of cured and smoked meats.
We both ordered the pan-seared Alaskan halibut. It came with herb-roasted tomatoes, haricot verts, fingerling potatoes, saffron aioli, and kalamata marmalade. The halibut and everything about this dish were cooked and flavored to perfection. This was such a light dish to end the day with.
A sweet end to dinner ❤️ A South American Chocolate Ganache with caramelized banana and cocoa nib tuile.
It was early to bed night for us! I’ll be back with part three! We ate our way around the world at Epcot during the food and wine festival!
Questions for you!
- Have you been to Disney’s Animal Kingdom?
- Who is your favorite Toy Story character?
Don’t forget to watch the video below!!
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Liz says
Sounds like a wonderful trip. What fun!
Question: Does Aioli have dairy in it? I thought it didn’t . . .
Taralynn McNitt says
**edit it doesn’t. I always thought aoli was made with butter, but it’s olive oil.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I love the Disney posts! Makes me want to go to Disneyland so much, haha. The one in Hong Kong is so small, so boring. 🙁
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Gotta make a trip to the states!
Lauren says
I’ve noticed on all your vacation blogs, you mention a lot things you’ll do next time. Why not just do them now? It’s one thing to run out of time, and another to just walk around instead of actually doing things.
Taralynn McNitt says
It’s not that I wouldn’t want to do them then, it’s usually because it wasn’t available, the line was either 190 minutes, or it didn’t work out. If you can’t do something, there’s always next time. Believe me, we didn’t “just walk around” the whole time. I can’t show my trip 24/7 in a blog and not everything I do gets documented.
Ciera says
They don’t close the safari at 4 anymore! 🙂 they only close the Gorilla trails, which is probably what you saw closed if you went to check. They do nighttime safaris now. I’m a local annual passholder and I’ve done both, but the best time to go is just as the sun is going down! Also, if you don’t want to waste time in the lines for the pandora rides or Toy Story Land rides (it’s busy even on weekdays) definitely get fast passes as far in advance as you can.
Taralynn McNitt says
Awesome thanks!
Mary says
Doesn’t ganache have dairy?
Taralynn McNitt says
yes, and it was Cait’s dessert, but i wanted to showcase it for the blog.
Emily says
This trip looked awesome!
Taralynn McNitt says
Definitely fun 😊
Jenna says
You took some amazing pictures!
I have been to Animal Kingdom and Everest is such an awesome ride!
Favorite Toy Story character would have to be the Army men lol.
Taralynn McNitt says
That is so funny! The army men are awesome!!
OMG YES EVEREST IS SO FUN!!
Haley says
Congrats on launching your YouTube channel. I cannot wait to see your vlogmas.
I love rex!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks, Haley!
Jess says
Did you go to Epcot?
Taralynn McNitt says
We did.
Marie says
Beautiful pictures and sounds an amazing place. Thanks for sharing!! Always make my day to read you!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks so much, Marie! ❤️
Payton says
Are you going to Florida for Thanksgiving?
Taralynn McNitt says
Yup 😊
Liz says
That drink and dessert both look and sound amazing!
1. Yes, I have!
2. I don’t think I really have a favorite.
Taralynn McNitt says
Definitely hard to choose!
Anonymous says
Sounds like a fun time! Gotta get those fast passes for the big rides! They are a life saver!
Taralynn McNitt says
Definitely!
Nia says
The corn is the best at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Why are you going back again in February?
Taralynn McNitt says
Sure is! Caitlin is running again.
Emily says
Um Caitlin is such a trooper for 1) doing two races back to back and 2) for walking around so much before and after! I’m dead after one race lol.
Taralynn McNitt says
FOR REAL!!!
Jenn says
I generally hate roller coasters but my husband made me try Expedition Everest. We ended up in the front seat! When you get to the top and it looks like the cars are going off the rails, I started hyperventilating lol. But once we went backwards it ended up being a lot of fun. Would go again!
Taralynn McNitt says
Hahaha It really does look like that!! I loved the thrill of it.
Brooklyn Murtaugh says
I love Caitlyn’s Beauty and the Beast shirt so much! It reminds me of the VHS cover.
The main snack I’ve always wanted from Disney? That corn on the cob. The photos I’ve seen always look so delicious.
When are you going back?!
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Love that they are bringing back the cold school Disney designs!
Going back in Feb!
Cassie says
You must do the safari next time.
Taralynn McNitt says
Plan to! 😊
Anonymous says
Where is your mickey shirt from
Taralynn McNitt says
The Disney Store
Mae says
I love Cinderella! I live in Orlando, so you should explore more than just Disney!
Taralynn McNitt says
Might have to 😉
Chassie says
That corn looks incredible! Don’t they dip it in butter?
Taralynn McNitt says
They do! Just ask them for it off the grill and they won’t dip it in butter.
Jeni says
Have you ever considered running the Disney World marathon? It’s on my bucket list for sure.
1. Never been, but I’d totally go for all that fresh fruit!
2. Even though she’s from the sequel, I think I’m going to say Jessie because I felt so bad for her. Her song made me cry 🙁
Taralynn McNitt says
Nope! Maybe a 5k but not a marathon. I’m sure my friend, Caitlin, would do it! But you should totally do it if it’s on your bucket list!!
oHHHH the fresh fruit is sooooo goood!!!
Awww!
Laura says
I love your white minnie shirt you are wearing! Where did you get it from? We’re going to Disney World next month and I have been looking for some shirts but can’t seem to find many.
Taralynn McNitt says
I actually bought it at The Disney Store!
Alexis says
That corn!