Trip Log:

Started off the cool morning heading for the Animal Kingdom.  I arrived just after park opening and wandered through the park ending up in Africa.  The Safari had a 10 min wait posted but turned out to be a walk on.  Went for a trip through the Safari then walked through several of the Discovery Island Trails and just relaxed.  A little after 11 headed for the bus stop to meet the rest of my group and head for lunch at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Explored the Resort a bit after lunch then took a bus to Epcot, Monorail to TTC and Ferry Boat across to the Magic Kingdom.  There we hopped on the monorail and spend time at the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian before taking the water launch back to the Magic Kingdom and transferring to the one for Fort Wilderness.  Ate dinner at Trails End.  Took the boat back to the Magic Kingdom and took a bus back to the Boardwalk to wrap up the day.

Thoughts & Observations:

• It was much cooler weather today. A sweatshirt and jacket felt good. Started off the day at an overcast and windy Animal Kingdom. The park did not feel crowded at all. The Safari had a posted 10 minute wait only but it was really a walk on. I spent my time at Animal Kingdom this morning just roaming around the Discovery Island trails after the Safari.
  
  
• I noticed the Fastpass+ return line at several points appeared to be longer than the standby for the Safari thanks to guests having issues and just the basic need to scan every persons MagicBand. Wonder if they will add more readers to high volume attractions like the Safari. For now they just built a longer return queue when needed.
  
  
• The first resort we ventured to this afternoon was the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Spent some time looking around the lobby at the Christmas decorations then out at the Animals on the savannas around the resort. There were a fair number of animals out and the grounds were nice and quiet as we roamed around. Nothing too new or different jumped out at me.
  
  
• Next up on our tour were the monorail resorts. We started with the Contemporary followed by the Polynesian and ended up at the Grand Floridian. Nothing too new or different to report from any of them. At the Grand Floridian paid a visit to the Villas building. I think the outside looks rather plain and I have been referring to it as a box. Look at the roof line of the new building compared to the originals and it looks rather plain. The lobby area is well done and I am sure the interiors of the rooms are great.
  
  
• I was expecting some mention of it being national gingerbread day but nothing at any of our stops. The large house at the Grand Floridian was impressive as usual but not drastically different than years past.
  
  
• The Polynesian DVC project is well underway and it should be interesting what the final structures look like. So far all you can see is a large area cleared for what I am guessing will be the main building and a boardwalk being erected that will lead to more rooms. I hope this resort blends in and looks better than the Grand Floridian building. To me that structure looks like a giant box on the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon. It has the basic look of the original but is lacking the exterior detail and is much larger. Inside the lobby area looked great and is what you would expect from the Grand Floridian and from the pictures I have seen the rooms are too.
  
  
• Dinner this evening was at the Trails End out at Fort Wilderness. One of our favorite places to go and relax for a great a meal. The food did not disappoint. Our waitress seemed to have a problem keeping Cherry Coke and regular Coke separate but other than that no complaints. A couple new items on the buffet tonight. A smoked sausage and a salmon dish. I stuck to the traditional chicken and corn bread.
  

Pedometer Information for the day:

Enough with the text.. onto the pictures

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