Lunch was Sweet Chili Aioli Chicken Strips for me and a Hot Italian Panini – made with Sliced Ham, Salami, Pepperoni, Provolone, Sweet-and-Spicy Pepper Relish on Focaccia served with Saratoga Chips. Kelli really liked the panini. Their home-made potato chips are still great.
The room was now ready, and we drove over to the Congress Park section of the resort. Our room was the same room Mark had two years ago, room 2412 on the 4th floor.
A hidden Mickey towel and a nice Mouse Keeping card greeted us. The balcony was a little disappointing as we had just trees and the bus stop nearby.

We dropped off our luggage and headed out for provisions. There was a Volkswagen Beetle with eyelashes in the parking lot. We got to Publix around 3:30 and mainly purchased water soda, milk and cereal.

After getting back to the room, unpacking, and relaxing on the balcony, we texted Mark to meet at Animal Kingdom around 5:45 pm. The park had extended evening hours for Disney’s deluxe resort guests and the only opportunity to see the Land of Pandora at night.
When we entered they attched bracelets to our wrists for the extra hours.

We had a light dinner at Flame Tree Barbeque with hotdogs and broccoli salad. I loved the salad.
Our first attraction was a new one - Zootopia: Better Zoogether that replaced It’s Tough to be a Bug. The waiting area had new Zootopia displays. Our favorite was the Pawdora displays, a play on Pandora Jewelers. My face got incredibly wet, but not so for Kelli and Mark. The water sprayer was pointed directly at my seat. I thought it was funny as hell. The show was good, but a little hard to follow. Maybe not as good at It’s Tough to be a Bug, but a welcomed new attraction.

We shopped in Discovery Trading Company to let the regular crowd lessen, then headed into the glow in the dark land of Pandora. I still love how the paths and alien plants glow at night.
Next was a ride on Na’vi River Journey with a short wait. We skipped Flight due to a long wait. I strained my leg on it the last time.

We headed back to Discovery Island and watched the Tree of Life Awakenings projection show then headed out.

Outside the gates we took pictures of the Christmas Tree, but at night. It was starting to get quite cold. It was heading back down into the forties!

Thursday, November 13
The morning temperature was only 44 degrees but will hit a high of 75 – a 31 degree difference! Kelli and I left for the Magic Kingdom at 7:50 AM and met Mark there (he took the boat over from his resort) for Early Entry.
They let the crowd in early, so we took pictures on Main Street and looked at the Christmas themed merchandise till the ropes dropped.

We headed to the back of the Castle and rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I showed Mark some of the interactive stuff in the queue, like making different gophers pop up.

Next was the Haunted Mansion. I love the detail here. Mark noticed the bat weathervane and the possessed dog armrests on the benches. I showed him the creepy moving Leota gravestone.

The ride stopped at the new Hatbox Ghost and we repeatably saw his head go from his head to the hatbox and back.

Outside the ride we stopped for a Disney Photographer to take some Magic Shots. We purchased the one with the hitchhiking ghost.

Next was it’s a small world followed by The Hall of Presidents. Kelli and I tried the rockers outside the hall.

We headed over to NEW Country Bear Musical Jamboree in Grizzly Hall and met Big Al and Romeo McGrowl along the way. Romeo used to be called Liver Lips McGrowl but Disney changed his controversial name in 2023.

The NEW Country Bear Musical Jamboree was great. Vibrant and fresh with Countrified Disney Songs. It’s now a much more repeatable show.
We did Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room before seeking lunch.
Kelli and Mark went to Caseys Corner as they wanted hot dogs. They split a foot-long and fries. I had egg rolls at the Spring Roll Wagon. Unfortunately, they were not selling the Pastrami Reuben ones sold at the Christmas Party, but I still enjoyed one cheeseburger and one pepperoni pizza egg rolls.
I was able to secure a table and chairs outside of Casey’s Corner till they got their food.
We finished our morning visit to the Magic Kingdom with Kelli buying some Christmas mouse ears and taking pictures in the Christmassy town square, then more pictures in front to the train station before heading back to our respective resorts to rest before the Christmas party tonight.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
This special ticket event from 7 PM – 12AM in Magic Kingdom featured Christmas cookies, parades, shows and fireworks.
Kelli and I got a 4:45 pm bus and met Mark at the gates. We received our wristbands upon entering and made our way to the party entrance to the right that takes you behind Main Street USA. We each received a commemorative Christmas ornament and our first “cookie.” This one made of marshmallow.

We made our way towards Tomorrowland to ride Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. But it closed at 6pm and won’t reopen till the party starts at 7 pm. We opted for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover which had a long line.
Afterwards, we got our Red Velvet Cake Cookie at The Launching Pad.
I stopped for a Joffreys Cherry Cordial Cold Brew, only available during the party.  Both Kelli and I liked it.

We stopped at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café to get a third cookie (Buttercream-Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookie) and our first hot chocolate. We needed food but Ray’s was crowded and nothing on the menu appealed to us, so we made our way to The Friar’s nook.
For the party, they had a Spinach Artichoke Hand Pie with red pepper sauce and we all tried one. We next tried the Liberty Square Market Mickey Whoopie Pie: Chocolate cake sandwiched with marshmallow-mint buttercream and a Fanta Blue Raspberry frozen slushy.

We did a bathroom break before finding a spot for the 8:30 Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. We got a good spot in front of the Frontier Trading Post.
The parade was as good as ever, but they did change the music for the Wooden Soldiers. We like the old one better.

Mark and I rode Pirates of the Caribbean which was a walk-on.  We grabbed our fourth cookie (Hot Cocoa Cookie) and hot chocolate at Tortuga Tavern. Mark and Kelli got two cookies each.

Mark decided to head back to his resort but not before exploring the Swiss Family Treehouse.
Kelli and I made our way over to Cinderella Castle for the yuletide stage show. There was a long line at Sunshine Tree Terrace for apple cider, but we did not have time to stop. We found a spot on the left of the circle in front of the castle and waited for Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration. The show was nice, but not too memorable.

We stayed at this spot for Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks.

We then moved towards the top of Main Street for the second 11 pm Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and found a trash can to lean on and prevent anyone from jumping in front of us. At one point a women sat her small child on top of the can. Eventually a CM came by and said he cannot stay there due to safety concerns.

While waiting we had a photographer take some pictures of us holding a large Joy sign.

It took 20 minutes for the 11pm parade to reach us. I used the trash can to steady my camera to get better shots of the parade.

The parade ended for us at a quarter to midnight. We waited for the crowds to dissipate before shopping and heading back to the resort. We made it to bed around 1 am.

Friday, November 14
Disney's Animal Kingdom Park
Each day is getting just a little bit warmer. The low this morning was only 52 degrees. We slept in anyway after the long night.
We left for Animal Kingdom at 10:20 am. We first took pictures of their tree, this time in the daylight. Then met Kevin from the movie “Up:

On Discovery Island the Merry Menagerie was just wrapping up greeting guests. They are a group of performers with life-size, Artisan-sculpted puppets in the form of penguins, reindeer, polar bears, foxes, and more. A few performers had instruments and played music.
We did some shopping till it was closer to our 12-noon lunch ADR (Advance Dining Reservation.)

Tiffins is a signature restaurant, with a globetrotting menu of artfully prepared fare fit for a weary traveler. The three of us enjoyed:

Pineapple-glazed Pork Belly - Pineapple-glazed Pork Belly with Guajillo Chili Sauce, Chicharrónes, Spice Pickled Vegetable Slaw

Tiffins Signature Burger Prix Fixe*
Tiffins Signature Burger with Waffle Fries, Dessert

Whole-fried Fish of the Day- Tuna with Coconut Fried Rice, Green and Red Curry, Thai Green Papaya Slaw, Peanuts

Regional Curry Tasting - A tasting of South Asian Curries with Jasmine Rice: Thai Green Curry with Lime Leaf, Eggplant, and Squash | Indian Makhani Curry with Carrots, Peas, and Chickpeas | Balinese Golden Curry with Lemon Grass, Oyster Mushrooms, and Som Tam

Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale - African-inspired deep amber ale brewed exclusively for Walt Disney World® with sorghum and a special blend of spices including cinnamon and cardamom.

Roasted Street Corn Tres Leches - Corn Cake, Lime Purée, Sweet Corn Crémeux, Toasted Meringue

Pot De Crème – Chocolate custard, Meringue crumble, white chocolate chantily

Hazelnut Entremet - Hazelnut Praline Mousse, Orange Whipped Ganache, Blood Orange Pâte de Fruit, Dulce de Leche.It was the best meal of the trip.
The food was fantastic and lunch was relaxing.

Next was watching the Gorillas at the end of Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.

We then enjoyed the Festival of the Lion King followed by Feathered Friends in Flight! As usual I got some great slow-mo video of the birds flying.

We visited the Kilimanjaro Safaris where Kelli took great silhouetted pictures of the lion.

After this we observed huge catfish, playful otters and flamingos before leaving for a late light dinner at Sanaa in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Mark had taken his car, so he drove us over.

We had a 6:25 pm ADR and first enjoyed the animals out back before checking in.   Since we had such a large and wonderful lunch: we shared an appetizer and the famed bread service.
Samosas - Potato and Pea Samosas with Tamarind and Mango Chutney

Indian-style Bread Service -Five Breads and with all Nine Accompaniments
Breads -Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha, and Paneer Paratha.
Accompaniments - Cucumber Raita, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, or Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle
We ended the day early since we will be birding first thing in the morning. A gift from Saratoga Springs was waiting in our room when we got back.

Saturday, November 15,2025
Morning temperature was 57 degrees. We are heading to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. Mark picked us up at 7 am for the 30-minute drive over.
We first noticed motorized hang gliders passing overhead.

Birds were not as plentiful as when we went in April. We did find fifty species including: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Sora, Gray-headed Swamphen, Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, Greater Yellowlegs, Anhinga, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Peregrine Falcon, Eastern Phoebe, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern House Wren, Sedge Wren, Marsh Wren
Gray Catbird, Swamp Sparrow, Boat-tailed Grackle, Common Yellowthroat, and Palm Warbler.
We also had a few Ceraunus Blue butterflies, a small blue butterfly and the usual American Alligators.

After Mark dropped us back off our resort, he had lunch at McDonalds that is on Dianey Property then explored his resort.
We had lunch at the Artist Palette and split the Hot Italian Panini. It was good but it did not hit the spot the first time Kelli had it. We also got two chocolate croissants, Banana Bread Pudding Cheesecake and a Bullseye Cupcake to eat later.
It was finally warm enough, mid-seventies, to hit the Congress Park leisure pool and do a wash. We first did the whirlpool spa. Then we enjoyed the sun before trying out the pool, then more sun.
Dinner was at 6:40 pm at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was able to pick Mark up at his resort and drive us over. This buffet with an African flare again failed to disappoint. The Roasted Corn Cheesecake was the delicious surprise for this visit.
We shopped at the Animal Kingdom Lodge gift shop then drove Mark back to the Wilderness Lodge. Here, we again visited their gift shop. Mark showed his his resort and his room. He had a great view of the pool area and water. Kelli noticed that is hotel room had a Keurig machine with real mugs. Our studio room at Saratoga has a Mr. Coffee, but we bring our own 1-cup drip coffee maker.

Sunday, November 16
The Beach Boys, with John Stamos
Mark and I will rope drop Hollywood Studios. Kelli will sleep in and explore the resort as she does not do the thrill rides at the studio.
I was at the bus stop by 7:18 and met Mark inside the park at Oscar’s gas station.

We rope dropped Slinky Dog Dash. The line was long but moved. Mark enjoyed this coaster. Next was Toy Story Mania! I scored 179,900, best in vehicle, Mark a respectable 82,000.

We crossed over to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Mark asked if this was some type of coaster. Since he was clueless about the ride, I told him nothing, so he’d be surprised! He was!
Next was Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. We agreed that this coaster is a bit rough in that it bounces you around a lot. I was still happy to ride it one last time before in closes to be transformed into the Muppet coaster.
We each headed back to our resorts, but first I found and purchased two Christmas T-shirts Kelli had been wanting.
I left the park at 10:30 AM and had a bus waiting for me, but we sat there about 5 minutes before heading back.
Back in the room, Kelli and I both notice a Palm Warbler visiting our balcony. We ate at Artist Palette where Kelli had a Turkey BLT Wrap and I a Grilled Chicken and Rice Bowl - with Tomatoes, Red Onion, Cucumber, Chickpeas, Feta, and Lemon-Tahini Yogurt Sauce with Fresh-made Pita Bread.
We visited the pool for a couple of hours before heading to Epcot.
We met Mark at the monorail station as he wanted to ride it. We took it to, then back, from the transportation center.
We had time before our lunch reservation and visited Club Cool. We tried their  “Coke” tail bar—featuring Coca-Cola products from around the world. Mark didn’t find Beverly all that bad. We then walked through Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.

Our ADR for dinner was at 5:15 pm at the Coral Reef with the Eat to the Beat Dinner package. We wanted guaranteed seats for tonight Beach Boys concert at 8 pm.
We were sat next to tank and saw sharks, turtles and scuba divers during dinner.

They first served us delicious bread with honey butter. I had a Pina CoLava, Mark and Kelli, two watermelon lemonades.
Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the tank and its inhabitants.
The three of us enjoyed:

Seafood Boil
Shrimp, Mussels, Clams, Andouille Sausage, Sweet Corn, Potatoes

Surf and Turf
Filet Mignon, Grilled Shrimp, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Key Lime Chimichurri

Grilled Snapper
Coconut-Lime Rice, Mango Salsa, Avocado, Toasted Coconut, Chili-Lime Seasoning

Pineapple-Coconut Bread Pudding
Vanilla Ice Cream, Warm Rum Caramel, Shaved Coconut

Key West Sunset
Key Lime Tart, Chantilly, Raspberries

Chocolate Mousse Bar
Chocolate Ganache, Almonds, Orange Coral
We received our stickers for the concert reservation and made our way to the World Showcase. I needed to save my energy and saw that the internal Epcot boat was still running. We had just missed it and waited for it to return for the trip across the water to Germany.
When we got off there was a massive line for those without a reservation for the concert. We stopped in the American pavilion for a bathroom break and joined the almost as long reservation line starting in Japan.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Beach Boys with John Stamos.

The drummer had a Animal plush.

We then explored the Mitsukoshi Department Store. I was tempted to get a pearl but passed on it.
Luminous The Symphony of Us had started, so we stayed and watched it

I was tired and wanted to avoid the long walk to the front of the park and then to the buses. Kelli and I exited through the international gate and found a very long line for the Skyline.
I was now very worried that the buses from Hollywood Studios would stop running by time we made our way over. It took nearly an hour to get there. Thankfully people were still exiting the park two hours after it closed. We were second in line at the bus stop and the queue filled with a bus load of people before it arrived. I was very happy to have seats on the way back. We returned to our room just after 11 PM.

Monday, November 17
It will finally hit 80 degrees today. We left for Disney's Hollywood Studios at 8:15 for early entry and entered just before the regular people were let in. We headed straight to Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. The line was long but it moved quickly.

We headed to Toy Story Land and Mark sat the next two rides out. Kelli and I enjoyed Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania! Kelli scored 93,300 and I 117,100.
We met Mark at Woody’s Lunch Box. He was finishing his Smoked Turkey Sandwich, cocoa tart, and Potato Barrels. We got the seasonal Hot Cocoa Lunch Box tart and the Raspberry tart. The raspberry one is still the best.

We saw Buzz wearing a Santa Hat greeting people.

We stopped in front of the theater and watched some of “It’s a Record” street performers. Donald Duck joined in the show. Chip and Dale were greeting people nearby.

Our next attractions was “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.” We got soapy from the snoap (the fake snow, snow + soap) at the end. We then rode Star Tours – The Adventures Continue and saw Darth Vader greeting people while heading in.

It was all new scenes for me as I sat in the very back corner of the ride. It featured
Kilo Ren, our speeder flying through a pod of space whales (Purrgils),  Lando Calrissian hologram, and the red salt planet, the battle on Crait.
Gertie the dinosaur was wearing her Santa hat in Echo Lake.
We took the Skyway over to Disney’s Riviera Resort for lunch at Primo Piatto

Kelli and I split the chicken Ceasar salad, and I got a dark chocolate covered gingerbread cookie to eat later. Mark had an uncrustable, milk and the gingerbread.
We took the Skyway back to the buses and headed back to our resorts. Back at Saratoga I ate my Banana Bread Pudding Cheesecake.  Yum!
We relaxed at the pool to rest up for Jollywood Nights.
We arrived back in Hollywood Studios before it started at 7:30 pm. We watched the new
Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After show. Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent each try to convince you who has been treated the most unfairly.

For dinner we stopped at Fairfax Fare – for their Holiday Turkey Popover - Roasted Turkey and Creamy Mashed Potatoes topped with Gravy and Cranberry Chutney in a House-made Popover and a Raspberry-Lemon Square - Lemon Filling topped with Raspberry Powdered Sugar and Glazed Raspberries. Mark had the “Just the Sides” Popover: Macaroni& cheese and savory collard greens topped with cornbread crumbs in a house-made popove.

Next was the 8:15 pm Holidays in Hollywood show featuring Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. It was just Ok.

We then watched some Sunset Seasons Greetings, a projection show on The Hollywood Tower Hotel.

We then waited for Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! A display of fireworks, lasers, lights, projections and merry music on the façade of the iconic Chinese Theater. While waiting Kelli and Mark went to Starbucks for hot drinks and treats.

We noticed a large neon Pluto figure above Hollywood Boulevard. He vanished back in October 2024—and now he’s been restored. His absence was tied to Hurricane Milton, which threatened Florida late last year. As part of storm preparation, Disney took the extra step of removing several rooftop figures, including Pluto, to avoid wind damage. 

We walked over to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Along the way we saw Bing Bong, from Inside Out.

Mark and I rode Rise of the Resistance with little wait!

I brought a Warm Spiced Chai Cocktail – Chai tea, rum chata, vanilla and cinnamon and
danced with Goofy briefly before we all headed out.

Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Kelli and I slept in. After breakfast we walked around the resort. Then we met Mark at Epcot around 11 am.
Pin traders were having a meet outside Connections Café.

The large moon outside Mission Space has markers on them for each manned and unmanned missions where they landed

Lunch was at Space 220.

It has a prefixed menu where you select one of each: Lift-Offs (Appetizer) + Star Course (Entrée)
The three of us enjoyed:

Starry Calamari
Fried Calamari, Italian Cherry Peppers, Spicy Marinara, Roasted Pepper Citrus Aioli

Luna Antipasti
Burrata, Iberico Ham, Balsamic Braides Fennel, Marinated Olives, Heirloom Tomato, Crostini, Marcona Almonds

Apollo 16 Shrimp Tacos
Marinated Shrimp, Lettuce, Shallots, Crispy Wonton Shell
Drinks

Illumination
Bacardi rum, Malibu rum, Passion Fruit, Blood Orange, Pineapple, Lime Sour, Passion Fruit Boba

Starship Lemonade
Strawberry, Watermelon, Lemonade, Glow Cube, and includes Collectible Cards

Interstellar Steak & Frites*
New York Strip Steak, Roasted Garlic Butter, Haricots Verts, French Fries
Space Pad Thai
Rice Noodles, Stir Fried Vegetables, Bean Sprouts, Chili Garlic Crunch, Sweet Soy Chili Sauce. Choice of Crispy Tofu, Chicken, or Shrimp

Galactic Miso Salmon*
Miso-Glazed Salmon, Sautéed Leeks, Tempura-fried Mushroom, Curry Blood Orange Beurre Blanc

For dessert Kelli and Mark ordered Vanilla and Chocolate Gelato.
Next was Spaceship Earth which Mark has never been on.

Mark and I then rode Guardians of the Galaxy using our only Lightning Lane Single Pass for the trip. I got a new song on the coaster – “I ran so Far Away” by Flock of Seagulls. Best ride yet!
We met back up with Kelli and saw Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy, aka Star Lord. Much to Kelli’s delight, she was able to get a few pictures with him.

We took the two monorails over to the Magic Kingdon so Mark cold finally ride Walt Disney World Railroad and Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. Two classics he has never been on.
There were huge lines for the Christmas Party, but we entered through two turnstiles for day guests.
We rode Walt Disney World Railroad over to Fantasyland. Mark and I rode Goofy’s Barn Stormer no wait. Next was Carousel of Progress. All three of us were now done with the parks. Mark got on many of the rides missed from the shortened visit two years ago. And got to experience some of the classic rides.
Kelli and I took the obligatory selfie at the Purple Wall before heading out.

Dinner was back at our respective resorts. Kelli and I split the Home-style Meatloaf -served with mash potatoes and grilled carrots. We also got two more Chocolate Croissants to go. We spent the evening packing for our flight home tomorrow morning.

Wednesday, November 19
We woke up at 4:45 am and left for airport at 5:30 am. We got there early as we had no issues with traffic, returning the rental car, or security.
At the beginning of the terminal, we saw that they had electric mobility carts ready to go.
We first shopped at the Disney and Universal stores. I tried to get some video of the dragon that visits the Universal store. We back-tracked back to the electric carts and hopped on. We saw Mark at the bottom of the escalator and offered him a ride with us, but he declined as he wanted to get his steps in for the day.
Our gate was nearly at the end. Mark showed up shortly after we found seats to wait for our flight.
Our plane’s name was Bippity Boppity Blue. Surprisingly it was nowhere near a full flight!
I watched the new Superman movie. Our flight was uneventful. It was 44 degrees in New York as we waited for a ride back to Mark’s car. We were home by 1 pm.

Thanks for reading.  

Michael and Kelli

Read our other trip reports at Kelli and Mike's Adventures

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