05/30/2026 - Welcome Home

Wow, life has a way of getting busy in a heartbeat. Ash and I bought a house at the end of May, and then took off to Disney World for my 40th. Since we've been home we've been tearing up carpet, painting walls, finding buried lawn statues in the hedges, replacing broken appliances, stopping water leaks.. it's been an adventure all of it's own. That being said, I cannot thank Sam enough for having some posts she wanted to make to keep things moving along.

Alright, now that things at the house projects are slowing down I can finally piece together Ash's and I's trip, and get things setup to be a bit more consistent. We've got the unveiling of Ash's Disney collection coming soon, as well as standing up the podcast. Super excited and can't wait to have some fun. Hope you'll join us. Until then, here's our trip!

Welcome Home

A simple phrase that means so much, especially when I walk into Jambo House or Kidani Village. Samantha brought me here for my first trip as an adult, and she outright spoiled me by taking me to arguably one of the best resorts on Disney property. Three years later I am taking Ashley here, while also fulfilling a prophecy Samantha said years earlier - I am celebrating my 40th birthday at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We uber'd from MCO to Jambo House, my first Welcome Home coming from the Security Cast Member at the gate - not gonna lie, it meant the world. We grabbed our bags and I excitedly pulled up my phone so I could send Sam and Brian the epic entrance and the iconic seal that greets you.

We checked in and Ash got to tell the Cast Members that it was my 40th. They were out of Happy Birthday pins, but put together a Celebration Pin for me to wear instead. We left our bags at bell services and got the Jambo House Scavenger Hunt!

Ash loves these things, and we set off in the lobby, getting strange looks as we pieced together clues and wrote down the answers. No pin upon completion like Coronado Springs, just a sense of accomplishment and a completed sheet for Ash's Disney box. And while I may be 40, Ash also got us to find the Pumbaa cut-out and take a picture. For those of you with kiddo's, each day the Cast Members at Jambo House put up a little Pumbaa cut-out that moves around, and if you find it, you take a picture of yourself next to it, you can go down to Simba's Clubhouse for the pin. Each day you take the picture, they'll give you a sticker, and four sticker's compete the pin. It's nothing crazy, but a fun little adventure to entertain the kids during some down time.

We took a stroll over to Kindani village, where we found out that they do a similar game, except they have Timon. Turns out you can find both Timon and Pumbaa on the same day and get stickers for your pins, completing the set of four a bit faster, or when it fits your group's timing. Is this going to be a life changing scavenger hunt for your trip? Obviously not. But I can see a scenario where mom is over stimulated and dad grabs the kiddos to go on the adventure, or vice versa. Use these opportunities to give someone a rest from the adventure that is Disney!

  After touring Kidani for a bit we went back to Jambo House to get some coffee, and kill some time until our lunch reservations at Sanaa were ready. The Mara let us down, and for this trip, it would continue to repeat. The Mara is AKL's quick serve at Jambo House, and they have a little bakery with Danishes and latte's. Weirdly you make your order at the cash register and it gets sent back over to the coffee area. You can mobile order, but if you do you cannot make substitutions (like almond milk if you're lactose sensitive), so if you need to adjust the drink you need to go into the Mara and make your individual order. Maybe they were just having a bad day, maybe the young woman making the coffee was new, either way, they gave us complete opposites of what we asked for. I ended up throwing mine away, worried that the dairy would upset my stomach and ruin the day. Sure I could have complained, but it didn't seem worth it. 

    We made our way to the viewing areas by the Jambo House pool and Ashley excitedly got to see a giraffe make it's way toward us. Pretty awesome experience as soon as you make it to the resort. We trekked back to Kidani, a short five to seven minute walk, and toured the other viewing areas of the savanna until it was time for Sanaa.

Sanaa

This is my third time eating at Sanaa, and before the trip I wasn't overly excited about going here. Maybe it's because I ate here in 2023, and loved it, then again in 2025, and was looking for a new experience. That being said, Ashley booked Sanaa because we want to indulge at the restaurants and eateries at the resorts, and it's only fair that she gets a chance to eat here too.

They sat us down and I immediately ordered the bread service - what a treat. Six different breads all with their different taste profiles, along with nine different sauces.

It's a great shareable experience that I knew I needed to have Ash try. In the end, we should have shared a meal together instead of doing the bread service and then two entree's. For two people, it was waaayyy to much food. Overall, I'm so glad we went. My trepidation that it would be "normal," was wiped away as we had such a wonderful meal with great service and a fantastic atmosphere. If you're coming to AKL, do a lunch or dinner at Sana and enjoy the experience.

Typhoon Lagoon

Alright, we're tired, probably because of the excess food, but we're powering on. We jumped on the first available bus and made our way over to Disney Springs. Now AKL is a decent hike from all the parks (less Animal Kingdom itself), and Disney Springs. So if you're staying there, be mindful that you are limited to ground transportation of some sort, and the rides can be a little lengthy. Roughly twenty minutes later we were at Disney Springs, we made our way through security, and got on the next available bus to Typhoon Lagoon. What, did you think we weren't gonna use our water park perk? 

    I made it to Blizzard Beach last year with Sam and Brian, so this was my first time at Typhoon. Ash and I got a locker, changed our clothes, and made our way to the lazy river.

We got rained on, but hey, we're already in the water, so what's the difference? We got up to one of the innertube slides a bit later and had a fun ride, then went off to get some Joffrey's and repower our caffeine addicted brains. Maybe it was the heavy lunch, or the early flight, but after a few hours at Typhoon  we decided to move on with our day. We made our way to Disney Springs and did some light shopping, and for once we actually didn't buy anything.

Victoria Falls

On the way back we mobile ordered an early dinner at The Mara, Ash getting the flatbread while I got the Chermoula-spiced Shrimp Bowl. Nothing crazy, but good enough to get us through. We went back to bell services, grabbed our bags, and made our way to the room. Originally I went with a resort view, but we ended up with a pool view, which was awesome. Hearing the splashing kids and the summer fun outside was really nice in the afternoons.

We unpacked, and while I showered Ashley got a chance to remind me of my age. I know, plenty more years to go, but when both digits change, it's a reminder to make sure you carve out time to have fun with the people that make you better. I am very fortunate.

   Okay, time to get her back! We went over to Victoria Falls bar at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's right below the lobby, but above Boma (Jambo House).

I've always wanted to go here, but never had the chance until now. Ash ordered a Seychelles Martini and very quickly turned herself into Drinker Bell.

She kept saying they were so good, while I just enjoyed my Boulevardier. They have a small menu of snacks, all of them provided by Jiko, the higher end restaurant downstairs across from Boma. We got the Spiced Goat Cheese Dip because, well I think my lovely Ash is on a life's mission to try every dip she comes across. Regardless, wonderful food, great drinks, and Benedict, our server, was fantastic. He spoke to us for roughly a half hour, glowingly tell us how much he loved the Disney experience. Not sure why, but I always enjoy hearing from cast members about their adventures and what led them to the most magical place on Earth.

    It has been a wonderful first day. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!