Disney January 2012: Day #1

    Our Disney trip is finally here!  It seems like yesterday I posted my Facebook status stating, "250 days until Disney!"  We are so happy to be here!  On our first day we were extremely tired because we had to be at the airport by 4:30am (Thanks to my parents for taking us to the airport so early!).  Being the last-minute packer that I am, I only got about 3 and a half hours of sleep...and no, I am not the type of person that can sleep on a plane.  We were concerned that the freezing rain in Indy would interfere with our flight, but I am glad to report that it did not!
    We took a quick connecting flight to Chicago, and then landed in Orlando at about 10:30am on Saturday morning.  I had a surprise for Kenny to start off our trip...he had no clue what it was!  When I originally booked our trip we were not supposed to get in until around 8:30pm, so we just booked a basic Value Resort for our first night to save some money.  When I was able to change our flight times to arrive much earlier, I switched our resort as well for the first night.  We briskly walked through the Orlando Airport to the Magical Express area to board our transportation to our resort.  Kenny started to get an idea that we were not going to All Star Music when we did not step into the Value Resort line.  
    "Are we going to a different resort...is that my surprise?!", Kenny said with a smile.  I shook my head yes, and let him continue to wonder.  He looked over at the sign and said, "We are going to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge?!"  You would think he was a five year old that just got news of this.  I love that he gets as excited about Disney as I do.  We have certain resorts on our "Bucket List", and Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) is one on the top of that list.  When it was time to step outside to board our Magical Express Bus to AKL I smiled as I felt the warm (but not too hot) Florida air, after walking in the snow and freezing rain in Indy hours prior.  
    A little less than an hour later we arrived at the beautiful AKL Resort just in time for lunch.  Before we walked over to the restaurant, we checked into our room and looked around the resort.  How neat is it that the animals are right outside?  Very cool!  And the room was beautiful...it featured vibrant colors with an African theme.  

Animals are right outside of the rooms! See the giraffe?

Kenny checking out the animals.

AKL Room

AKL Bathroom

   For lunch we decided to check out Sanaa.   Sanaa’s food is delicious African and Indian inspired.  The menu features one option that allows you to choose two different meats served with rice for $18.99.  Since our Dining Plan didn’t start until Day 2 (just the way I booked the trip), Kenny and I figured that for the price it must be enough food for two to share with an appetizer.  When the waitress brought our food we had a very small portion of Spicy Durban Chicken (four small pieces), and a small portion of Beef Short Ribs (just 2 ribs to be exact).  We also shared some small salad options that were enjoyable (the Watermelon, Lime and Raddish salad sounds weird, but is awesome). Everything tasted great, but it was as if we just had appetizers on the table.  We decided that we will return in the future, but only if we are on the Dining Plan because for the cost it would not be worth it to us otherwise.  Thankfully, our dining plan begins on Day #2 of our trip.  

Inside Sanaa at AKL

   We were so tired that we went back to the room for a nap before dinner.  Both of us were very excited to try Boma; a restaurant that we have heard others talk about in the past but we never made it over to eat at.  Boma is nicely decorated and features a large buffet.  We filled our plates with African-style items that caught our eye such as ribs, chicken, prime rib, various soups and rice.  Everything tasted good, but honestly the only item that made me want to go back for more was the African-style chicken.  If you enjoy trying new food items, this is definitely a good place to do that.  Personally, I really enjoyed the Carrot and Ginger soup...something that I ordinarily would never order but was able to taste because of the buffet service.    

Beginning of the buffet line

Prime Rib at Boma

Various Soups at Boma

     Like all of the Disney buffets, the spread of dessert options was anything but lacking.  I read online that the Zebra domes were a must try.  These mini desserts are about the size of an oreo, and feature Kahlua covered in white chocolate. Yes, they did taste good.  But, I am not sure what all of the hype is about?  Maybe I was just too full to truly enjoy them?  And if the plate I made of dessert was not enough, they kindly brought me another plate of dessert options to celebrate my birthday Disney-style.  We decided that Boma is not impressive enough to visit again, especially if you are not on the Disney Dining Plan (a whopping $65 for two without tip – ouch!).  Out of these two options at AKL…Sanaa is definitely a better choice as far as the food is concerned.  It is not that we did not like Boma, or that others would not; it is just not being placed on our "must return to" list. 

Various Dessert Items at Boma

Close Look at Zebra Domes

Birthday dessert from Boma

Boma check without Dining Plan (ouch)

     So the big decision of the day… was it worth the extra $150 to upgrade to the AKL resort?  We say: No, not unless you pay even more to stay in a “Safari View” room with the giraffe’s and zebras right outside your window.  While it is nice, we would personally prefer other resorts for the price…especially when you spend your days at the parks and are not there to see the animals all day.  All families should try it at least once, or hop onto a bus for lunch/dinner to check it out.  Day 2 of our 2012 Disney trip will feature the details of trip to Magic Kingdom.  If you’d like to read more about our trip follow along.  I will continue to give our opinions, as well as post pictures of what I am talking about.  I apologize that there are not many photos of the food that we ate today at AKL, we were a bit too tired to think about taking the photos.  Thanks for reading!