Mystic Dunes Resort

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Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club

Mystic Dunes is a family resort in Orlando Fl. I’m creating this post for my sister. Sandy always wants to see what the resorts are like and where I stay when I travel. Since I am a Timeshare owner through Diamond Resorts International I’ve always found the resorts to be top notch.

Diamond Resort Logo

 

Mystic Dunes is no exception. Its located close to all the family attractions, Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld. If you try to squeeze everything in you’ll be singing “And I Had The Time of my Life”.

Mystic Dunes and Hurricane Irma

tree down

My scheduled trip coincided with Hurricane Irma’s visit to Florida. With the Orlando Airport closed it was clear my trip was on hold. A few phone calls later my new dates were 2 days after Irma. I had no idea what to expect. Was I headed to a disaster area? The Golf course was closed but not because of the hurricane. It was just getting a face lift.

Entrance

My home away from home at Mystic Dunes

No Phone, no Cable, no Internet

Livingroom & Dining room

Living area of the condo at Mystic Dunes

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was that reception had no air conditioning. The second was the large hole in the ceiling. But the resort personnel were intrepid. They sat at card tables with lap tops checking in the guests. My unit had A/C. in fact it was downright cold but the tables and chairs for the deck were in the corner of the living room. The phones, cable and internet were down but expected to be back on corner tubsometime before I left.

Amenities

I didn’t spend much time at the resort but I made a check of the grounds to see what damage there Grill areawas. A few trees were down. Grounds keepers were busy cutting them up and repairing the decorative fountains. The club house restaurant, Kenzie’s,  was open for business.

 

Pool

 

 

 

The pool was clean and waters flowing. Even the grill area was all set up and ready to go. By the time my brief vacation wrapped up, the hole in the ceiling at the reception area was repaired and the A/C was on for them. They were still on generators but it was business as usual. Kudos to the dedicated staff. They made sure the hardships of Hurricane Irma never touched their guests.Bedroom

Kitchen

Safari trumps Zoo

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Safari

Going on a safari Disney style is better than going to the zoo. The attraction imitates an open-sided safari ride through the savanna of East Africa. It may be bumpy but that’s to make it feel authentic. They used to do this whole “catch the poachers” routine to raise awareness. That was gone on this trip. I think it was much better without that.

Passing through the Birds of AsiaAsian Pigeon

Leaving Pandora, JR suggested going through Asia to get to Africa and the safari. I was happy to go along with that. Usually we get to see the tigers but they were all hiding. Another section of the trail has loads of exotic birds. Best to wear a hat when you pass through here. I always enjoy that section even if one must beware of bombs from above.

Welcome to Harambe ReserveThe Harambe Wildlife Reserve

The Kilimanjaro Safari takes place in the fictional Harambe Wildlife Reserve. Everyone is loaded into the trucks. I prefer the left side if possible because the lions are usually on the left. Still there seem to be more animals on the right side. Like this curious giraffe that practically posed for his picture.Giraffe

If we were in a zoo there would be fences and cages to distract from the viewing. Here you not only get to ride, but you get to see the animals un-caged and acting like wild animals. Don’t get me wrong. The animals are separated so the lions can’t eat the gazelles but the fences and moats are very carefully hidden.

Wild Africa Trek

Two Cheetahs taking a rest

If the Kilimanjaro Safari is too tame for you Disney has just the thing.  It’s a privately guided VIP expedition at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park! You’ll walk along a grassland path, cross a rope bridge and ride in a rugged safari vehicle over an open savanna. I haven’t done this but you can see some of the trail while you are doing your safari. I found it very tempting.

 

 

 

Oh I Just Can’t Wait to be King!

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Disney’s Lion King

Lion King Cast

The Festival of the Lion King is the MOST POPULAR show at Animal Kingdom. Filled with music, lights, color, costumes and the most familiar and beloved songs from the Lion King, this show delivers! I see this extravaganza every time I go to Disney. It never fails to awe.

Lion, Warthog, Giraffe or Elephant?Tiny helper makes animal sounds

You don’t get to choose. When you enter the realm of the Lion King your seat assignment determines your animal. Before the show begins costumed cast members teach each section their animal call. Everyone knows a lion roars and an elephant trumpets. Sometimes the sounds the giraffe or warthog make can be a bit strange. Was that a grunt? How about a baaa like a lamb?   You must know you animal sound! You’ll compete for the loudest section by sound.

Elephant FloatIs That Simba I Hear?

4 huge floats open the show while dancers, puppets, and stilt walkers all pump up the audience to the tune of I just Can’t Wait to be King! By now you’ll be grinning and singing along. If you are lucky enough to have a lower level or floor seat you’ll practically interact with the Dancers.

 

 

 

Hakuna Matata

Timon

Fire DanceHere comes a large center stage filled with bouncing, tumbling “Tumble Monkeys”and leading the light- hearted mayhem is Timon, everybody’s favorite meerkat. Gymnastics are fine but hold on to your seats. We’ll get to watch a real fire dance. Marvel that no one is taken to a burn ward! The beautiful aerial ballet of the birds is performed to the ballad, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight“. But this is Disney so it won’t be soft and beautiful for long. The whole cast returns for a lively sing-a-long of the “Lion Sleeps Tonight”.

CAn you feel the love tonightFast Pass

You should not miss this presentation. It is so much fun but get a Fast Pass. You’ll get in quicker which means better seats. (There are no bad seats in the Harambe Theatre but floor seats put you right in the thick of things) You won’t spend an hour standing in line and before you know it you’ll be singing “The Circle of Life“.

Pandora and the World of Avatar

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Welcome to the World of Avatar

The World of Avatar

What kind of world is Disney’s Avatar? It’s the newest addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There’s been quite a buzz about it’s opening so I guess I’m getting an early look at the park. Its only been open since May 27.  Its based on the movie Avatar which I’ve never seen . I know the movie featured a lot of blue people called Na’vi.  My interest was piqued when I saw a Disney presentation about it’s newest attraction. It looks quite beautiful in Disney’s presentation.

A Veil of WaterIs this Land Worthy of Disney?

Does Pandora live up to the hype? Well, it’s the largest addition in over a decade. Most of what I heard seemed to indicate that land was geared to nighttime visits. The flowers and trees were lit by “bio-luminescence”. That’s the kind of thing you see on the ocean at night when little tiny creatures called plankton become excited and emit light. I’ve see it and it’s quite beautiful but would Disney really be able to pull that off? They certainly gave it their best shot combining colored lighting, fiber optics and that old standby, black lights.

My first Glimpse

JR had plans for the evening so my first exposure to Pandora was in daylight. I expected it to be dull without the artificial lighting but I found the “world” to be charming with multiple water features and waterfalls. The artfully sculpted alien plants had vibrant colors even in the bright sunlight which tends to wash out color. The floating mountains made me think of a Doctor Seuss land with all the towering twists and turns.

 Floating Mountains

The Rides of Pandora

We weren’t able to get on either of the rides. The wait times were well over an hour for each ride. The Flight of Passage had wait times up to 95 minutes! The Na’vi River Journey was almost as long. There are other things to do rather than spend time in line. We decided to return on Sunday evening for the night experience and bid farewell to Pandora for this first visit.

What’s a Visit to Orlando without A Mouse?

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Disney World, Orlando

Who goes to Orlando without at least one visit to Mickey Mouse? Even when Hurricane Irma blew through Orlando, the Walt JR on the job at DisneyDisney World Parks only closed for a couple of days. After spending a day with the manatees I only had 2 more days in Orlando so I hooked up with my BFF, JR. He works for Disney so he knows all of the shortcuts and tricks to a great visit. He’s also a Disney Photographer so he gets me to places where I can get great shots of my own.

Entering Disney

Don’t try this yourself. It’s illegal!

(Disney Tip) If you are one of those people who love photos of your vacation and plan to buy the photos the Disney Photographers take of you and your family, The Disney Photo Pass is the way to go.  It sounds expensive but it will save you money in the end.

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom Entrance

Disney is always adding and subtracting attractions and parks so it’s always changing. Through all of this “newness” I still love Animal Kingdom the best. I picked JR up at his work location. That was an adventure all by itself. Apparently GPS doesn’t work too well  in Disney’s back stage area. I wound up at the entrance to Magic Kingdom.The cast member at the entrance allowed me to turn around. A call to JR for directions soon had me pulling up to his work location. With JR to navigate I found the Animal Kingdom entrance with no problem.

Kali River RapidsFast Pass and the World of Pandora

Fast Pass is the best way to reserve your favorite rides. The Kali River Rapids is my favorite  ride but prepare to get wet. It wasn’t running when we first arrived. The crews were still repairing damages from the hurricane. Once it reopened we weren’t prepared with a change of clothes so we skipped it this time. My focus this trip was to see the new Pandora – The World of Avatar. Its been featured in a Disney Special on TV and it looks amazing. I have to see for myself! There were no Fast Passes for Pandora rides but we wandered over to check out the newest “land” in Animal Kingdom anyway.

Rainforest of Pandora