Hey everyone! It’s time for Day 10 of our May/June 2025 trip down to Walt Disney World!
And today is a pretty wild day.
I say. Today is a pretty WILD day.
Animal Kingdom. We go to Animal Kingdom.
Great. Well.
Let’s get on with it then.
Our 2025 “Celebrating Everything” Walt Disney World Trip: Day 10
OK so today. Today started early AF.
…
…
Sorry. I mean today started early for AK.
Whatever. It was early. Like real early. Like “I was up before 6AM” early.
And this was because today was an Animal Kingdom day. And Walt Disney World has it set up so that if you aren’t completely and utterly exhausted when you’re walking into Animal Kingdom, you aren’t doing it right.
We were all up and on our way by 6:30.
And on our bus by 6:38.
I want to make this completely clear though. This was not the first bus from the Polynesian to Animal Kingdom. This was the second. Which meant that, even though we were on it by like just after 6:30, we were already late.
This is vacation, right?
This picture of Owen really encapsulates the vibe of this whole situation.
Welp, I mean. We were in it now. So by the time we got to the Animal Kingdom gates at like 7AM, we were starting to feel ready for the day.
Sort of.
Not really.
We were still exhausted.
But this was Disney. And we are ALL ABOUT winning Disney. So we got through the gates quickly and walked at a very brisk pace by the Tree of Life.
Well, most of us did. Nickie was not part of the same mission we were so she kind of hung back and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through Animal Kingdom. So she could take in the scenery, enjoy the early morning crowds, while she…
SQUIRREL!!
Yup, while the rest of us were already working up an early morning sweat rushing to Pandora, Nickie was enjoying some quality time with some characters.
And being that it was June, she was able to snap a pic of this adorbz Pride sign.
It’s so odd so many people oppose something like pride. I mean, love is something the world seems to need a lot of these days. I feel like we should welcome it in any form it wants to present itself. Know what I mean?
The rest of us sans Nickie (me, Myles, Owen, Tony, Larissa, and Mia) were in the Valley of Mo’Ara at around 7:20AM.
Like I said before, we were a bit late to the game today despite waking up before I wake up for actual work. Disney amirite? And that meant that the line for Flight of Passage was already pretty far out into the park.
But the reality of the whole thing was it was only showing about a 30-minute wait. So while the line gave the appearance of being long, it was looking like it was gonna be a quick situation.
So no need to make a floating mountain out of a floating molehill.
Speaking of, I feel like we don’t talk about moles enough. Like, look at these things.
That thing is legit crazy looking. Like, every single thing about that animal is weird. Its eyes. Its paws. Its nose. Seriously. Why is no one talking about moles? Moles should definitely be coming up more in conversation.
Wait sorry. Where was I? Oh right, we were in line for Flight of Passage. Meanwhile, Nickie just wandered over to Na’vi River Journey. No line. She just walked right in.
I think maybe Nickie was winning Disney?
Whatever. Her picture was blurry and mine wasn’t. So.
…
Sorry. I lashed out there. That was uncalled for. Sorry love. Your picture is great.
Let’s just. Let’s just get back to Flight of Passage.
But seriously, the line really was pretty short considering. We made our way quickly through the outside portion of the queue.
And were moving through the inside portion by like 7:45.
And yeah, we were flying on our banshee within like 30 minutes. Which is one hundred percent worth it right? I mean. while it’s no longer my absolute favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World, Flight of Passage still wows. Plus, bonus – the Falzones were riding it for the first time so it was super cool being able to experience it through new eyes.
They obvs squad loved it. Of course they did.
After we exited the attraction, we met Nickie at the Isle of Java on Discovery Island for a kind of Animal Kingdom tradition of ours.
Behold the Animal Kingdom Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit.
Yeah. Eh I mean. Yeah that’s it. And it’s not even exclusive to this location. You can also find this biscuit at Tamu Tamu Refreshments in Africa. This biscuit bis-gets around.
But I dunno. Thing just hits. I even love that it comes wrapped in foil. It’s just a whole vibe. A whole kind-of-like-a-McDonald’s-sausage-biscuit vibe. And as shown in that image, I paired my biscuit with a Joffrey’s Shakin’ Jamaican Cold Brew. Which was good. But this is all about that biscuit. Thing got me feeling like Humpty Hump.
That’s what he was talking about, right? Breakfast sandwiches? And “once got busy in a Burger King bathroom” means he ended up having to take a work call while going #2, right?
Ha, that song is crazy.
I also took a picture of Mia’s giant Pride Mickey Cinnamon Roll. On account of so pretty.
Next stop? Asia.
Ha. You’re so silly. No, THIS Asia.
We had a mountain to conquer.
Expedition Everest time y’all. The standby time was currently at 5 minutes but when we hopped in line and ended up walking around to the outside not-always-open-unless-its-a-long-line portion of the queue, we were kind of doubting that.
But eh – let’s Sasq-Watch and see how long it actually takes.
Don’t worry. I’m sure there is a Yeti pun still out there somewhere.
While the rest of us were getting ready to board our runaway train situation, Nickie bought herself a beer to enjoy while she waited for us.
Why yes. It was 9AM.
And this is why my wife and I are best friends.
As we were making our way through the outdoor portion of the queue, I noticed this iron bell and like, thing was functional. I rang it and oof it was loud. But the funny thing was as we were making our way through the queue, we never heard that bell once. After I rang it? Pretty much everyone that walked by it rang it nice and loud.
I’m a born leader. Is what I am saying to you now.
The Expedition Everest queue though. It’s a great one. Nothing flashy, no big special effects. But man, does it do a great job of setting up the story.
Like, yes I feel like I am at a travel agency booking a trip to Everest but ALSO that this village is all about that Yeti.
But the story doesn’t stop there. This fictional village of Anandapur, where Expedition Everest is set, was also once home to the Royal Anandapur Tea Company, which used a railway to ship tea from the mountains. And there are little subtle nods to that piece of the story as well.
Disney legit kills it with the storytelling.
We made it to our train 20 minutes after hopping in line. Which like, yeah it was longer than the wait times were saying but still, 20 minutes. Not too shabby.
I love Expedition Everest so much. And I always for some reason feel compelled to take pictures of my views to both the right…
…and to the left…
…when I reach the top of the hill. I think it’s just to prove I was there. Like “Look at me. So brave.”
But yeah, it’s such a good coaster. It has heights, speed, it goes forward, it goes backwards, it has suspense. And it’s all wrapped up in such a strong story.
Nickie had set up at the Discovery River Lagoon across from Expedition Everest to enjoy her breakfast beer while waiting for us.
And just like. What a weird, underutilized area that lagoon has become. I mean, there used to be a whole nighttime show here. Now its just like a bunch of benches and tables. And some ducks being like…
But hey, the benches and tables were a welcome respite for Tony. On account of Everest kind of rocked his world. Much like the Expedition Everest queue, his bell got rung a bit. He wasn’t feeling all that great afterwards is what I am saying to you now.
Which sucked. I mean, I thought he would love Expedition Everest.
Yeti didn’t.
…
…
Told you. Yeti pun. I hope there’s more.
Our next destination took us out of Asia and…
Ooh. Foreshadowing.
But yeah, out of Asia and past these two kind of incredible statues.
Totally dug those.
And into Africa, because it was near time to catch a showing of one of, if not the best, shows in all of Walt Disney World – Festival of the Lion King.
If you are visiting Animal Kingdom DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW.
It kind of has everything. Well-loved songs. Characters. Incredible voices. Impressive choreography. And the set design? Chef’s kiss.
Pure joy, that show.
Speaking of pure joy, I am super excited to write about what we did next. Because it was time for a real special situation at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Up Close With Rhinos!
Up Close With Rhinos is a tough ticket to get you guys. But Nickie made it happen for us. It’s a 60-minute tour where you go “backstage” to learn all about the white rhinos at Animal Kingdom. How it works is you meet over near Kilimanjaro Safaris at this Animal Tours booth.
There, they have you sign a quick form saying you’re all good with the chance of being mauled by a rhino (which, duh). Here you also pick up a lanyard with your name on one side and a picture of a rhino drawn by Joe Rhode (a sort of “legend” imagineer responsible for A LOT of what is Animal Kingdom) on the other.
They then had us wait off to the side while the rest of our tour group got there. So we obvs took that opportunity to take pictures of ourselves.
On account of we are a very attractive group of people.
The tour / encounter officially began around 11AM. Behind this gate. The anticipation was killing. Got me feeling like Charlie Buckets here waiting to be let into the Wonka factory.
Come with me. And you’ll be. In a world of pure rhinoceration.
BTW – that inscription on the gate translates to “Can you feel the love tonight?” so I mean, yes. It’s one of the cutest gates of all-time.
They didn’t let us take any actual pictures of the encounter. But like, it was incredible. They basically led us backstage over to this van where we loaded up and were driven over to the area where the white rhinos are cared for. There, we met with an animal care expert that told us all about rhinos and how they are taken care of at Animal Kingdom.
He also took our questions. Of which I asked a few. Weirdly though? He told literally everyone else that asked questions their questions were “good questions.” Mine he just answered. Which made me feel weird inside. I guess “Do you think Rhino from Spider-Man is more of a sympathetic character than a true villain?” wasn’t a question he was prepared to answer.
From there, we walked over to where Kendi, a white rhinocerous, was being kept. Kendi is a legit Animal Kingdom OG since she was the first rhino born at Animal Kingdom (in 1999). She gave birth to her first son, Ranger, in 2020 and has been featured on the National Geographic docu-series “The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.”
Kendi was a legit star. Which is good. Because even though we couldn’t take actual pictures of her, there are plenty of her online because she’s kind of a diva. Here is one of her with Ranger when he was first born.
So yeah, here the animal caregiver told us all about Kendi and, BEST PART EVER, we were all allowed to go and give her some pats. Like, wait what? We legit got to pet a rhino. And Kendi was very appreciative of it. She would lean in while you were petting her and everything. I kind of want a pet rhino now.
Also, she totally wasn’t a diva. Very down to earth.
After our meet-and-greet with Kendi, we hopped back in the van and headed back to join the masses. And they took more pictures of us. Pfft, could this experience get any better?
The full experience was about an hour and I mean – if you get a chance to, def do it! DO IT!!!11
Since we were in the neighborhood and had a little time to kill before lunch, we jumped right into the queue for Kilamnjaro Safaris. It was about a 30-minute wait. So like, not too bad.
Though like not too good either. On account of we had like 1:15 lunch reservations all the way back over in Asia. Ah well, should be fine right?
And we had a great safari, you guys. We saw ALLLLL the animals.
…
Oh you don’t believe me? Well, here. Look. Jeesh.
Look at these two. Just lion around.
And you know. And I know. And rhino.
OK so yeah. We were out of the safari by like 1:10. Which meant we had to get clear across the park VERY fast. Like we were speed-walking like no one’s business. And did I mention it was like 100 degrees today? It was hot. And we were moving.
By the time we made it to the restaurant, I was ready to yak.
And Yet I didn’t.
Two yeti puns in one post? And using two different pronunciations of the “I”? THIS is the content you know you came here for.
But right – lunch today was at Yak and Yeti!
Which is a restaurant we have always loved but haven’t visited in a while. We were definitely excited to get back.
We checked in at the front desk and they said they would let us know when our table was ready. Some of us decided to wait it out at the bar. I was obvs included in that whole “some of us” situation. I ordered the house specialty Yak Attack (Mango Daiquiri, Don Q Cristal Rum and Wild Berry Flavors).
Yumtown. Population: Me.
We were seated soon after and immediately ordered some appetizers for the table. First up, the Pork Pot Stickers (Pan Seared with Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce).
And the Bang Bang Calamari, which the Disney website describes as a Crispy battered medley of calamari & vegetables, sweet chili sauce, Bang Bang sauce.
Both of which were delicious stuff. Gun to my head, I would say go potstickers if you had to make a choice. But I mean, get both. YOLO, right?
Do the kids still say that? YOLO?
For our mains, I snapped some pics of some food around the table, like Nickie’s Kobe Beef Burger (Grilled American Kobe beef burger, sesame-soy mayonnaise, crispy fries. Topped with Asian slaw).
And Larissa’s Thai Basil Chicken (Tempura chicken, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, onions, pineapple over, I believe, jasmine rice?)
I believe both of them enjoyed their dishes. I know I have had that burger before and it’s a good one. No diggity. No doubt.
I (and Myles actually) went with the Chicken Tikka Masala (Boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and freshly ground herbs, cooked in a traditional Masala sauce, Jasmine rice, garlic naan).
Which was incredible stuff. I went in already obvs loving tikka masala and this was like real good tikka masala, you guys. Had a lot of flavor and a nice bit of spice to it. Plus, with the garlic naan and the rice, I mean none of that masala sauce went to waste.
Oh and right – as you can see, I paired it with a beer. I believe it was just a Bud Light. I know. Basic AF.
Since we were on the Disney Dining Plan, we had to order dessert.
We had to.
So we got a couple for the table to share.
The Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, served warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
And the always-popular Fried Wontons (Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle).
Again, both were delicious. But gun to my head (oof, this is a violent blog post today), I am going with the wontons. I love that honey vanilla drizzle and the warm wontons with the cold ice cream underneath all that and the added sweetness of the pineapple, it’s just a lot going on. And I am here for all of it. Plus, its kind of THE iconic Yak & Yeti dessert.
We finished up lunch at around 3PM and we had one more thing to do before we left the park for the day. You see, back in January of this year, a new Sumatran tiger cub named Bakso was born. And we wanted to try and see him on the Maharajah Jungle Trek, one of the walking trails at Animal Kingdom.
Now, full disclosure. I have been on the Maharajah Jungle Trek in search of tigers and it hasn’t ever really worked out. My luck with tigers? Definitely not….
Definitely not.
But let’s see what happens today.
First up? On this trail there be dragons.
And we saw these fellas being all cute and what not.
Oh. AND there are bats.
Ha. Oh you.
No, dummy.
Riiight.
But soon enough, it was moment of truth time. Would we see a tiger today?
Welp, we arrived at the tiger enclosure and looked and looked. But there was no tiger to be found. Until, just as we were walking by the last window, we saw in the distance…
So I guess technically success? I mean, it wasn’t Bakso. And it took a lot of squinting. But we DID see a tiger. So yes. Success. In the loosest sense of the word.
Disney should really do an Up Close With Tigers tour.
The final part of the trek is the nightmare palace aviary, where you are surrounded by monsters of the sky birds, uncaged and ready to kill entertain.
Kidding actually. I’m fine with birds. But I know there are a lot of people that have this whole phobia thing going with birds and I just want to fit in.
And that was our day at Animal Kingdom pretty much. After exiting the Maharajah Jungle Trek, we stopped off at a gift shop or two but didn’t really find anything so we made our way to the exit empty-handed and out of the park.
We were back at the Polynesian by like 4:15 and pretty much immediately started getting ready for dinner since we wanted to stop off for a pre-dinner cocktail before heading to the restaurant.
Dinner tonight was a quick monorail ride away at the Grand Floridian, which meant we could stop off for a drink at the Enchanted Rose Lounge!
Mia found the place a little sketch.
Get it? Like she was sketching in a sketch book but like I said, she found it a little…get it?
Whatever man. It’s Day 10. Cut me some slack. There are only so many terrible puns in the world.
It appears I only got a picture of my drink – a dirty Grey Goose martini with blue-cheese stuffed olives.
Which yeah. Of course it was good. It was a dirty Grey Goose martini with blue-cheese stuffed olives.
Ah-doy.
After we finished with our drinks, it was dinner time. And dinner tonight was at Narcoossee’s, which was just downstairs and right outside, perched right on the Seven Seas Lagoon.
And being perched right on the Seven Seas Lagoon means some pretty spectacular views.
Including a view of our hotel, Disney’s Polynesian.
And speaking of spectacular views. I mean. Look at these beautiful people.
I should mention Narcoossee’s has been another hit-or-miss situation for us in the past. While we have loved the atmosphere and the views the restaurant offered, the food quality has varied and the service has been pretty meh in the past. But the restaurant recently went through an update so we were excited to give it another try.
We were seated for dinner at around 8PM. And were promptly started off with a sourdough bread service with sea salt butter.
The bread was nice and crusty on the outside, soft and airy on the inside and the sea salt butter had a nice, um, spreadability? Is that a word? Spreadability? Well it should be a word.
I came into tonight with a strict drink plan. I already had my pre-dinner martini so I wanted to move right into a whiskey-type drink to start, have a beer with dinner, and then an espresso martini to end the night. It’s important to have a plan with these sorts of things.
So, I talked with our waiter about my plan and he recommended I go with the Old-Fashioned to start (Old Forester Bourbon, Courvoisier VS Cognac, Rosemary, Aromatic Bitters).
Not only did it have one of my go-to bourbons in it but it also had cognac? Pfft, sign me up. And it was a really good Old-Fashioned happening here. The mix of the bourbon with the cognac with the bitters and that hint of rosemary. Lovely.
We also ordered some starters for the table to share. We got the Brisket and Ricotta Tortelloni (with Parsnip, Brown Butter, and Sultana Raisins)…
…and the Hearts of Romaine Salad (Parmesan-Meyer Lemon Crumble, Watercress, Cured Egg Yolk, Fried Caper Vinaigrette).
And like, that was a good salad. Don’t get me wrong. But those tortelloni were a bit of magic. The pasta tasted so fresh and the mix of creamy ricotta with that tender, flavorful brisket was real good.
While we were enjoying our starters, the Electrical Water Pageant sailed by the window we were facing.
Amaze.
We put in our entrée orders and so it was time to enact Phase 2 of my drinking plan. The beer phase.
Given the vibe, I went with the 3 Daughters Brewing Beach Blonde Ale, which was crisp and refreshing.
As I was coming into dinner tonight, I was faced with a decision. It always feels like you HAVE to get the Surf and Turf here, especially if you are on the dining plan. Value-wise, it feels like a must. But to be honest, I didn’t love the lobster last time I came here. It just felt like it wasn’t prepared all that well. So I was like…eh…about the whole idea of surf and turf.
But our waiter. Who, by the way, I should mention. Our waiter tonight was so great. He was incredibly attentive and easy to talk to. I just wish I could remember his name. Because he was so great. The Disney app should really note our server so we can look back and get a cast compliment in. Or I should just start taking pictures of name tags. But I mean, I was a martini, old-fashioned, and beer deep at this point. I wasn’t in that clear-thinking zone.
But we loved our waiter…so hopefully this gets back to him somehow.
Anyway tho – he informed me we could replace the lobster in the Surf and Turf with scallops. Problem all kinds of solved.
So up there we have Filet Mignon, Potato Mash, Roasted Rainbow Vegetables, and a Red Wine Demi-glace with some Pan-Seared Scallops. And man, all of this was incredible. The filet was melt-in-your-mouth tender and those scallops were perfectly cooked.
I also did get a picture of the on-the-menu Surf and Turf as the boys both ordered this. So here it is with the butter-poached lobster tail.
Which the boys said was very good as well. But I am just going on their word here. They wouldn’t let me try theirs. Not even a bite.
So shellfish.
Honestly? I didn’t even ask. Because I knew I wanted to make that joke. Always thinking ahead, I am.
I also had to take a picture of Nickie’s incredible Milk-Brined Pork Chop, which she paired with the Mushroom Risotto.
I took a bite (you know, for research purposes) and this pork chop was a beautiful thing. Nickie said it might be the best pork chop she’s ever eaten. And like, I am pretty sure she’s had at least 5 in her life. So you know. She knows what’s up.
We finished up with our entrees at close to 9PM, which meant we were approaching Happily Ever After (the Magic Kingdom nighttime spectacular) time. Our waiter urged us to go outside on the deck to enjoy the show and come back for dessert.
Which sounded like a helluva plan.
They piped the music in on the porch and inside the restaurant and it was a beautiful night out there.
When the fireworks ended, we went back inside for dessert. Most of us, I think, went with the Almond Crusted Cheesecake with Lambert Cherry Sauce and Chantilly.
Which has always ALWAYS been good here. Cheesecake is such a perfect dessert. Seriously.
And in keeping with my original plan, I ordered an espresso martini. But not just any espresso martini. This was an espresso martini I had been looking forward to all trip. Behold. The Salted Mascarpone Espresso Martini.
Made with Grey Goose Vodka, Kahlúa Liqueur, Joffrey’s Coffee Italian Espresso, and Cane Sugar with Mascarpone-DISARONNO Originale Liqueur Foam, this was a stunning drink. Maybe my favorite espresso martini of all-time? I think even without the mascarpone foam this would have been a pretty stellar espresso martini, but the addition of that foam added such a unique twist to it. Plus, that girl is hella-IG-ready.
OK so the question is – did Narcoossee’s redeem itself? One million percent it did. What an awesome meal this was. From the starters to the entrees to the dessert, the food was perfection. All of the drinks in my plan hit exactly how I wanted them to hit. And as mentioned, the service was top-notch. Top all that off with a view of the Electrical Water Pageant AND Happily Ever After? Incredz. And it should go without saying, the company and conversation pushed this thing over the edge.
10/10. An awesome awesome meal and we will def be back.
And that was kind of it for Day 10. We finished up, paid the check, and headed back out into the night.
We ended up just walking back to the Poly since it was such a nice night and we were all back in our rooms by around 11:00.
What a great day Day 10 was.
And stay tuned for Day 11. Our last actual day at Walt Disney World. Crazy, man.
See you guys then!
Last post – Day 9!
Next post – Days 11 and 12!
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