Animal Kingdom Wrap Up

AK Christmas Tree

Animal Kingdom Lodge Christmas Tree

Since the park closes so early, we decided to head over to our old stomping ground, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, for dinner at Boma. The lobby was beautifully decorated. We couldn't afford and didn't want to spend our money on staying here again. It is beautiful and spacious, but this time around we decided to go for the cheap hotel. We spend every waking hour at the parks, so we really just need a place to sleep and shower.

We stayed at the value Pop Century Resort. I have no idea what kind of amenities, activities, or what the grounds were like. We literally slept, showered, and ran to the buses every morning. Patrick did have to trek to the dining hall every morning for coffee. That's my only complaint about the rooms; they don't have a refrigerator or coffee maker. We got a preferred room so we would be closer to the dining and buses. The resort is a huge complex, so I think we made the right decision paying extra for a preferred room.

If we go to Disney World again we will probably stay off property. Staying on Disney property is perfect for first time guests, but now that we know what to expect and we have a better feel for it we don't need to. One of the main draws of staying on site is extra magic hours, but we couldn't use many of them this time around because Gabe demanded much more sleep during this trip. Next time, we'll save money by staying at a nicer place and renting a car. That way we can see more of Orlando and possibly, if we ever finish the Harry Potter books, visit Universal Studios.

Dinner at Boma was amazing, as always. They had a butternut squash soup that tasted like gingerbread.