Two Sisters finally get to go to WDW together! - TR has started!

[PracPerfPatricia]

You watched? You WATCHED? I can only remember that we agreed on opening it and checking the country code... But well, I guess it would have been really hard to stop watching once the dvd is running

Floss- you watched the video without your sister?...I am shocked at such outrageous behaviour...well I guess if you couldn't get it to stop-your eyes couldn't help seeing...


I have no idea what is happening on the 27th but whatever it is I hope it means something good for everyone going...

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I think it is wonderful that you are hosting an exchange student! Katharina and I both work as volunteers for an exchange organization here in Germany and we had several exchange students in our family! Katharina was an exchange student in Czechoslovakia and I was an exchange student in Denmark - many years ago! We found exchange to be an exciting experience! You are really offering him a very special experience with Christmas in WDW! I hope you have a fantastic time there! Are you planning on doing a PTR for that trip??

Yes, a pre-trip will be started just as soon as I wrap up the trip report that seems so be dragging on and on right now!

 

[Flossbolna]

Magdalene,

Computer problems have kept me off the DISboards most of this year. Just started posting a short while ago. Of course, I've been reading your PTR.

You and Katharina made an excellent choice for your resort.

Good luck with selecting just the right restaurants. My DH and I ate at Narcoossee's for the first time last December. I enjoyed it so much (the food and atmosphere) that I made ADRs for my DD and I for this December.


Kathy

Kathy, welcome to my PTR!! I knew you would approve our choice of resort! I am so excited to stay at AKL again! I think one thing I really enjoy is the secluded feel: a world on its own!!

Flossbolna - I hope the 27th brings a great deal for your trip!

We will see, Katharina and I will be off to Nuremberg on Wednesday for my parents' moving house. We will see when we can get online to check...

Floss- you watched the video without your sister?...I am shocked at such outrageous behaviour...well I guess if you couldn't get it to stop-your eyes couldn't help seeing...


I have no idea what is happening on the 27th but whatever it is I hope it means something good for everyone going...

I am feeling sooo bad now, I guess I could have covered my eyes???

Yes, a pre-trip will be started just as soon as I wrap up the trip report that seems so be dragging on and on right now!

I am looking forward to that! I started reading your TR, but was so much behind, that I felt I would never catch up... But I really enjoyed that start of it and it is on my list of DIS things to read on a rainy day!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Ok, we have one planning decision that is newsworthy!! We had always planned on doing one guided tour while at WDW. I did the Keys to the Kingdom Tour in 2008 and loved it! We had a few tours on our shortlist: Keys to the Kingdom (would have been a repeat for me and thatÄs why Katharina vetoed it), Dolphins in Depth (very pricey, but I love dolphins), Segways around the World (more about Segways than WDW and we can do Segway tours here in Berlin as well), Backstage Safari at AK (very animal focused) and Wild by Design at AK (background stories on the design of the park ).

And the winner is: Wild by Design!! I am very excited about that as I love AK, it is such a pretty park. For me it is the park that carries its theme best and hearing about details will be just the thing for me! I loved the "Imagineering Field Guide to Animal Kingdom" book and I expect the tour be like that but with actually being in the park. Katharina's main motivation was to experience a tour that really focusses on the park, not some other event. So, I think it will be a great experience. Now we just need to work it into our schedule.

Speaking of schedule, we have started to make a plan on what to do every day and became very confused. At least we seem to have a shortlist of restaurants, those are:

Kona Cafe (lunch on our first day after MK morning EMH, then walk over to the TTC and take the monorail to Epcot to get an overview of the park for K, that's the only pretty definite bit of plan we have so far)
Sci-Fi Dine-In (lunch)
California Grill
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Artist Point
Boma
Tusker House (breakfast definitely and possibly also lunch)
Narcoossee's
Jiko

As you see, we mainly have selected restaurants at resort hotels and most of then in the MK area!! I think this time I won't plan our meals around the parks so much. We will have quite a lot of time for the parks and will just enjoy the evenings with nice meals, wherever they are. The good thing is that this actually makes us much more flexible. I think, we won't have so many set parks, but just a schedule with choices for each day and will see where we want to go. On my recent trips I found out that somehow parks are more appealing in one trip than they were on others. 2007 my favourite park was DHS, 2008 it was AK and 2009 it was the MK.

Katharina and I will go to Nuremberg on Wednesday. As I wrote before, our parents are moving from the small town they used to live in to Nuremberg and we are both helping them getting unpacked in their new appartment. We will go by train, it's 4:20h on a very nice and modern high speed train. So we will have lots of time to talk Disney and get done some planning. So hopefully we can present you some real plans next week! And I will also pack the DVD, so K can watch it, too. And I am going to rent a DVD with Donald shorts to take with us!! As you see, lots of Disney planning going on!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

There is not a bad restaurant in that bunch......they are all good in different ways...I think you will be pleased...

Wild By Design should be a fabulous tour.......I'm with you on the Animal Kingdom-I just think it is such an interesting park-very well designed (The Magic Kingdom is my sentimental favorite but the AK is my favorite for the uniqueness of it, the design elements...)...I can't wait to hear what you learn on your tour...

I'm glad K is going to get to see the planning video...

(Does the DVD show some of the old Donald cartoons from the '30s and '40s-those are some of the best...-I love Donald-he's got so much personality...

Good luck with your parents in Nuremberg...

 

[tiggrbaby]

Your restaurant choices sound fabulous! It will be very nice for both of you to take things slow; you will have so much more time to enjoy AKL!

 

[tarak]

I think your plans sound great. I'm hoping to just enjoy the resort more than the parks, to be honest. Although I'm really looking forward to AK - we didn't go at all the last time. The first time around, the kids were cranky and didn't want to walk at all and I was 4 months pregnant and... cranky, too, if I'm honest.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Great plans!! All of those are great restaurants! You'll definitely be eating well on your trip!!

I think the Wild By Design tour sounds wonderful! DH and I did Keys to the Kingdom in March and loved it!!! On our trip in March of 08 DH and I were supposed to do it together for his birthday BUT my boys both got sick and I ended up sending FIL in my place! I was worried about DH not enjoying it the second time around but he said it was still great and he learned a whole bunch more stuff!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Yum! Such tasty choices in dinning! Some we've been to and some not. Can't wait to hear all of your reviews. I think your tour sounds awesome!

 

[Flossbolna]

There is not a bad restaurant in that bunch......they are all good in different ways...I think you will be pleased...

Wild By Design should be a fabulous tour.......I'm with you on the Animal Kingdom-I just think it is such an interesting park-very well designed (The Magic Kingdom is my sentimental favorite but the AK is my favorite for the uniqueness of it, the design elements...)...I can't wait to hear what you learn on your tour...

I'm glad K is going to get to see the planning video...

(Does the DVD show some of the old Donald cartoons from the '30s and '40s-those are some of the best...-I love Donald-he's got so much personality...

Good luck with your parents in Nuremberg...

We have a lot of signature retaurants in our list, but on recent trips I really found those much better. And we are still lucky with the way the exchange rate is at the moment. That makes it much more affordable for us. It can go into free fall on February 6

The DVD has 5:40h Donald from the 30s and 40s.

Your restaurant choices sound fabulous! It will be very nice for both of you to take things slow; you will have so much more time to enjoy AKL!

We really need to built in some time to enjoy our resort!! I want to do the cultural safari one night, I love hearing about Africa! And I would love to the culinary tour as well.

I think your plans sound great. I'm hoping to just enjoy the resort more than the parks, to be honest. Although I'm really looking forward to AK - we didn't go at all the last time. The first time around, the kids were cranky and didn't want to walk at all and I was 4 months pregnant and... cranky, too, if I'm honest.

I can understand that AK is a park that makes people cranky. It feels rather crowded very easily. I think part of it is due to it having so much dense greenery around you, so there aren't a lot of long sightlines. Might be a good question to ask on the Wild on Design tour!

Great plans!! All of those are great restaurants! You'll definitely be eating well on your trip!!

I think the Wild By Design tour sounds wonderful! DH and I did Keys to the Kingdom in March and loved it!!! On our trip in March of 08 DH and I were supposed to do it together for his birthday BUT my boys both got sick and I ended up sending FIL in my place! I was worried about DH not enjoying it the second time around but he said it was still great and he learned a whole bunch more stuff!

We are very excited about our restaurants! However, we are planning to split a lot of our meals, so that we can actually manage to enjoy them.

I kept telling Katharina that I was sure that I would enjoy KTTK a second time, but she insisted that we pick something new for me.

Yum! Such tasty choices in dinning! Some we've been to and some not. Can't wait to hear all of your reviews. I think your tour sounds awesome!

I am looking forward to the tour a lot - as well as to the meals. I really hope to make good use of that journal in order to write down notes. So far I have done all reviews from memory and sometimes really felt I could write more if I had notes...

Katharina and I saw UP yesterday at the cinema and loved it. It just was released here in Germany last Thursday. It really is annoying having to wait so long for movies we want to see until they finally are released here in Germany... But the wait was well worth it! What a loveable film! Now we just have to decide wether we want to see it again and this time in 3D. We had the choice to either see it in its original language in 2D or dubbed into German in 3D.

We are both off to Nuremberg tonight...

 

[tarak]

Good luck in Nuremburg! I haven't seen Up yet. My MIL took the girls to see it and they really enjoyed it, but I just never got around to it. I think I assume that we'll buy it on DVD and I'll end up seeing it 20 times, so I might as well save the money I'd spend going to the theatre.

 

[DWGal210]

Hey there! Sorry I have been MIA from your PTR - I got a new position at work and we just had our largest fundraiser of the year on Sunday. But now I am well-rested and ready to jump back into the planning again!

Sounds like you have some great plans! Take care!

- Katie

 

[Flossbolna]

Good luck in Nuremburg! I haven't seen Up yet. My MIL took the girls to see it and they really enjoyed it, but I just never got around to it. I think I assume that we'll buy it on DVD and I'll end up seeing it 20 times, so I might as well save the money I'd spend going to the theatre.

There really are a few scenes that are worth it to be seen on the big screen. Wonderful animation! I am still tempted to go and see it again in 3D...

Hey there! Sorry I have been MIA from your PTR - I got a new position at work and we just had our largest fundraiser of the year on Sunday. But now I am well-rested and ready to jump back into the planning again!

Sounds like you have some great plans! Take care!

- Katie

Hi Katie, great to see you here again! Congratulations on the new job!

 

[Flossbolna]

I guess you only are a real DISer if you are hit with resortitis at one time during your planning...

So, here it is for us. The new "buy 4 get 3 free" deal is officially anounced. I just played with the numbers on the website a bit. I am still counting on my TA getting it applied to our AKL pool view room reservation (haven't heard from her yet, but I guess she is busy rebooking everyone before she sends out emails ). It looks like we are going to save about 850 $. However, if we would upgrade to savanna view, we would still safe 450 $.

And I checked prices for the other deluxes and besides the GF, we could stay at all the others for about the same or less as we are paying now for AKL...

So, do we want to upgrade??? Katharina and I just emailed and we really rather want to stay at AKL, but do we want to get a savanna view room?

Are we going to spend much time on the balcony? Might we end up with a room at the end of Kudu trail - far away from everything at AKL, while pool view secures us proximity to pool and Mara? Shouldn't we use the 400 $ for something else - like all those signature dinners we have planned. You see, we are confused... Any advice???

 

[Lady Lallie]

Welcome to my World of Confusion.

Honestly...I wouldn't upgrade. I would rather be closer to the pool and such. Save that money for something fun or your dinners!

 

[Flossbolna]

Welcome to my World of Confusion.

Honestly...I wouldn't upgrade. I would rather be closer to the pool and such. Save that money for something fun or your dinners!

Hi LL, I have been reading about your confusion on your PTR. And did not really know what I should say you - but I was thinking along the line of your advice to me: keep it simple and just enjoy the additional spending money! And still when it comes to my own trip, it is much more difficult to decide...

 

[Lady Lallie]

Hi LL, I have been reading about your confusion on your PTR. And did not really know what I should say you - but I was thinking along the line of your advice to me: keep it simple and just enjoy the additional spending money! And still when it comes to my own trip, it is much more difficult to decide...

I was thinking the same thing when I was writing out my advice to you. Why can't I just do that for my own trip!?

 

[Flossbolna]

Just got the email from my TA: we got the discount!!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Just got the email from my TA: we got the discount!!!

WOO HOO!!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Floss,

Congrats on the discount!...

YOU know how much I love the AKL...(a LOT)...and I am very seldom the voice of reason...-I am very good at enabling...

so hear goes...

We always book the pool view...I think that it is simply lovely-green and lush and pretty conveniently located...and much easier on the pocketbook...

We were upgraded on our last trip to savanna and concierge lounge...Was it awesome? it was a lovely surprise and I can't deny that it was fun being able to see the animals outside the balcony and having access to the CL...however...

The Lodge is lovely and there are many comfy places to look out at the animals and sit and relax...

(The CL was fun too-and we wound up getting breakfast there often and a lot of coffee and iced tea...having said that...unless you plan on eating a lot and having either lunch or dinner from the offerings...I wouldn't book it or pay for it-just way too much food for us...)

Would I book savanna under normal circumstances? No-I don't think so-I don't think I could justify the $$$.

Now you do have a chance of booking at a much cheaper rate than usual-Is is really important/special to you to have a savanna view? (Is it a travel dream/on your wish list?) Then this might be a great time for you to book it-it is a good offer...

If it truly isn't...then I say no...$850-buys a lot of lovely meals...The Lodge and its offerings are identical once you leave your room......

Having just had a savanna view...and enjoyed it...personally I'd take the $850...

Good luck...

Ummm...I'm not sure how helpful this was...but I hope it helps a bit...