March 12th

After getting up and getting ready at the condo, we joined up with Grandpa Gary, Grandma Terry, and Uncle Steve to make the drive over to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. None of us had ever been there before, and we were interested in the views of the animals on the various savannas. We ended up at Jambo House, and headed to the Uzima and Arusha Savannas to check out a variety of animals wandering around the grounds. I really enjoyed the ambiance of this hotel, through to be honest the outside view from the savanna wasn't as nice as I'd expect. I'm sure the view from the rooms is much better, though!

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
		We ran into Goofy upon entering the hotel lobby today. Here Goofy is checking out Steven's shirt as Tara, Jayden, Drew, Grandpa Gary, and Grandma Terry look on.
		Jay, Drew, and Grandpa Gary watch as Steve poses for a photo with Goofy.
		A Masai giraffe spotted on the Uzima Savanna of the Animal Kingdom Lodge...

		A roan antelope spotted on the savanna.
		A pair of Thompson's gazelles.
		Another look at a Masai giraffe.
		An addax roaming the savanna.
		A unicorn! Or perhaps a one horned Thompson's gazelle.
		A couple more giraffes towards the back of the savanna.
		A couple more shots of an addax...

		One more shot of the Masai giraffe at the front of the savanna.
		And a couple last shots of an addax walking across the savanna...

		We got to see a wide variety of greater flamingos near the Uzima Savanna of the Animal Kingdom Lodge...






		We also got to see the ground hornbill wandering around the Arusha Savanna...


		A blue wildebeest towards the back of the savanna.
		Two Grant's zebras grazing.
		A wildebeest walking along the trail.
		A pink-backed pelican with a variety of animals in the background.
		Another shot of the ground hornbill resting on a branch.
		We got to see Pluto and Goofy once again on our way back to the lodge.
		A look through the window of the Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House.
		The interior of the Jambo House...

After leaving Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge we attempted to drive straight to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Unfortunately they wouldn't allow us to do that, so we had to instead head over to the Transportation & Ticket Center and park there, then hop on the monorail to make our way to the Grand Floridian instead. This really wasn't a major inconvenience, but it would have been nice to park directly at the hotel for our short visit.

The purpose of our visit to the Grand Floridian was to check out their annual Easter Egg display. This is also a first for us, as we have never been to see the display before. There are definitely some talented people working for Disney!

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
		Jayden atop the staircase at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
		Tara, Jay, and Grandma Terry descending the staircase.
		Grandma Terry walking past Cinderella's Coach on the staircase landing.
		Drew and Jay sitting at a table in the Grand Floridian lobby.
		A ".5" of Drew in the lobby.
		A squirrel cage on display in the lobby near the staircase/elevator area.
		The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa was hosting a chocolate Easter egg display. Here are some of our favorites... The Sword in the Stone.
		Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.
		The Princess and the Frog.
		Daisy Duck's house.
		The back of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway egg.
		A set of chocolate Easter bunnies.
		A couple of Koi fish in a pond.
		A Snow White Easter egg.
		Eggs from a variety of movies - Ursula, the Queen of Hearts, the Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, and Scar.
		The Main Street Electrical Parade.
		The Sultan's Palace from Aladdin.
		Beauty and the Beast...

		Al's Toy Barn from Toy Story 2.
		A collage of characters from various Disney movies.
		A Disney Munchling display.
		A few more looks at the Beauty and the Beast egg...


		A sculpture of Cinderella's Castle.
		A couple of eggs representing the characters from the movie Elemental.
		Onward.
		I don't know what this is, but it is well done.
		Another set of chocolate Easter bunnies.
		Disney Parks snacks!
		A dragon.
		Flowers.
		Alice in Wonderland front...
		...and back.
		Bambi.
		The back of the Onward egg.
		James and the Giant Peach.
		The Kakamora from the movie Moana.
		An egg in the middle of being painted.
		The piano man! Well, not that piano man, but a man playing the piano in the middle of the Grand Floridian lobby.
		A look at the ceiling of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa...

After checking out the Easter eggs, we headed over to Disney Springs. One of our major reasons for going was of course Gideon's Bakehouse. Since the line wasn't terrible today, and Tara and Jayden wanted to get the Dark Coffee Cake Cookie, which is only available after sunset, in addition to their cookie of the month, we decided to wait to get our treats.

Our first stop was at The Polite Pig for dinner. I am not a huge barbecue fan, but Tara and I split a sampler plate that had a variety of foods that we could both try.

After dinner we wandered around and did some shopping, including our cookies at Gideon's, a visit to the Lego Store, and a variety of other stores. We also attempted to find a shake that Jayden had been hoping to try, but we found that it was no longer available once locating the shop that sold it originally. We did get a churro from Sunshine Churros for Drew, and hung around the AdventHealth Waterside Stage to listen to the music as he ate it.

Eventually it was time to head back to the condo for the night, so we decided that time was now. Although we didn't visit a single park today, it was a great day at Walt Disney World!

Disney Springs
		A balloon from Aerophile - The World Leader in Balloon Flight in the air with the moon over Disney Springs.
		A look at the windows of Gideon's Bakehouse.
		A look at the moon over the AdventHealth Waterside Stage.
		Grandpa Gary, Uncle Steven, and Jayden listening to the music from the stage.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

We ran into Goofy upon entering the hotel lobby today. Here Goofy is checking out Steven's shirt as Tara, Jayden, Drew, Grandpa Gary, and Grandma Terry look on.

Jay, Drew, and Grandpa Gary watch as Steve poses for a photo with Goofy.

A Masai giraffe spotted on the Uzima Savanna of the Animal Kingdom Lodge...

A roan antelope spotted on the savanna.

A pair of Thompson's gazelles.

Another look at a Masai giraffe.

An addax roaming the savanna.

A unicorn! Or perhaps a one horned Thompson's gazelle.

A couple more giraffes towards the back of the savanna.

A couple more shots of an addax...

One more shot of the Masai giraffe at the front of the savanna.

And a couple last shots of an addax walking across the savanna...

We got to see a wide variety of greater flamingos near the Uzima Savanna of the Animal Kingdom Lodge...

We also got to see the ground hornbill wandering around the Arusha Savanna...

A blue wildebeest towards the back of the savanna.

Two Grant's zebras grazing.

A wildebeest walking along the trail.

A pink-backed pelican with a variety of animals in the background.

Another shot of the ground hornbill resting on a branch.

We got to see Pluto and Goofy once again on our way back to the lodge.

A look through the window of the Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House.

The interior of the Jambo House...

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Jayden atop the staircase at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Tara, Jay, and Grandma Terry descending the staircase.

Grandma Terry walking past Cinderella's Coach on the staircase landing.

Drew and Jay sitting at a table in the Grand Floridian lobby.

A ".5" of Drew in the lobby.

A squirrel cage on display in the lobby near the staircase/elevator area.

The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa was hosting a chocolate Easter egg display. Here are some of our favorites...

The Sword in the Stone.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.

The Princess and the Frog.

Daisy Duck's house.

The back of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway egg.

A set of chocolate Easter bunnies.

A couple of Koi fish in a pond.

A Snow White Easter egg.

Eggs from a variety of movies - Ursula, the Queen of Hearts, the Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, and Scar.

The Main Street Electrical Parade.

The Sultan's Palace from Aladdin.

Beauty and the Beast...

Al's Toy Barn from Toy Story 2.

A collage of characters from various Disney movies.

A Disney Munchling display.

A few more looks at the Beauty and the Beast egg...

A sculpture of Cinderella's Castle.

A couple of eggs representing the characters from the movie Elemental.

Onward.

I don't know what this is, but it is well done.

Another set of chocolate Easter bunnies.

Disney Parks snacks!

A dragon.

Flowers.

Alice in Wonderland front...

...and back.

Bambi.

The back of the Onward egg.

James and the Giant Peach.

The Kakamora from the movie Moana.

An egg in the middle of being painted.

The piano man! Well, not that piano man, but a man playing the piano in the middle of the Grand Floridian lobby.

A look at the ceiling of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa...

Disney Springs

A balloon from Aerophile - The World Leader in Balloon Flight in the air with the moon over Disney Springs.

A look at the windows of Gideon's Bakehouse.

A look at the moon over the AdventHealth Waterside Stage.

Grandpa Gary, Uncle Steven, and Jayden listening to the music from the stage.