Mr. and Mrs. Weak Sauce Go the Distance (a completed Disneymoon TR!)

[Leasha_Loves_Disney]

You room was the perfect little home away from home!!!

I'm with you. Stacy is great and all but I can't watch her on repeat like some people do. Hearing the same thing every 15-20 minutes over and over again is enough to drive me insane. We put in on one night to watch until we fell asleep and I ended up turning it off because it was just too much for me.

Your hair is SO long. I give you credit for being able to let it grow out!!! I have always wanted long long hair but I usually get sick of it really fast and end up chopping it before it has a chance.

I can't wait to read abut where you go to eat!!! Disney eating is one of my favorites haha​

 

[Jennifer48]

Hooray for arriving at your first Disney hotel room!

Putting Stacy on is one of the first things we always do when we arrive! The previous version, Top 7 Must Sees, is much longer than this version with a bit more ride detail. I think you would have enjoyed that one better. You can find it online if you Google it.

I love how Howard said that the plates were going home with you guys. We always bring them home too

 

[Nermel9]

Wow, your room is beautiful! I love AKL! I really, really have to stay there someday!

Haha, I love Stacey, I have to have her on at all times when I'm in my room, but unfortunately, my DH gets sick of her after about 2 minutes, so we have to compromise!

 

[RachelNinja]

Wow, that room looks awesome! Had I known about renting points when we were planning our Disneymoon I may have gone that route, but I am happy to be heading to POFQ. (In 79 days!)

First hotel room to yourselves is exciting! Our HM will be the longest vacation we have ever taken together, and only the second one that wasn't just to my parents house to visit. So I totally get the thrill of having a room, and a vacation, all to yourselves.

Can't wait to hear more!

Hope you're having fun anticipating your trip! It's so thrilling when it gets to that point and the vacation is still ahead of you! I really didn't know much about renting points. My DIS friend Joanna actually reached out to me about it, otherwise I would've been completely lost.

It really was such a thrill! We were so used to having to show people around just because I knew Disney the most out of the group. This time, we just went and did whatever we wanted, not having to rely on anyone for a ride. The bus system was great that way!

Hopefully, I'll post often and it won't mess up my bandwidth again!

The room looks great! I'm so glad that it was ready for you. I hate waiting around until the room is ready, I like to get settled right away.

It really made all the difference that the room was ready. Even though our flight wasn't long, I didn't necessary want to be in airplane clothes, especially because of the delay! We were either going to sit there for a while or just explore the resort, but this was so much more comfortable!

I was nervous before I stayed at Kidani because of all the reviews of the rooms being dark, but I loved the rooms. They were cozy and beautiful.

So excited to read more!

Yeah, I really liked the lighting at Jambo! It wasn't the brightest light ever, but first of all, most hotels aren't anyway. Secondly, there's no need for such brightness especially considering the atmosphere of AKL.

You room was the perfect little home away from home!!!

I'm with you. Stacy is great and all but I can't watch her on repeat like some people do. Hearing the same thing every 15-20 minutes over and over again is enough to drive me insane. We put in on one night to watch until we fell asleep and I ended up turning it off because it was just too much for me.

Your hair is SO long. I give you credit for being able to let it grow out!!! I have always wanted long long hair but I usually get sick of it really fast and end up chopping it before it has a chance.

I can't wait to read abut where you go to eat!!! Disney eating is one of my favorites haha​

On Netflix, they have the Disney Parks series (the behind the scenes stuff). They should play that along with Stacy! I mean, Stacy is perfect for people who don't know that much about WDW, but I think they should add something for those who want to know more of the in-depth stuff! I also like "Every Role a Starring Role" about Disneyland on the DisneyParks YouTube page. They could totally play some of that stuff!

Haha, thanks! I think my hair grows faster than most, so that's why I try to do something good with it and grow it out as long as I can before having to cut it. And then it also means cutting off 10 inches at a time, so the change is just way too much for me sometimes! I get upset for a while and regret doing it, but the hair is one thing that's very "easy" for me to donate when I don't always have the financial means to do so. I just think about the fact that I get so upset about having short hair when I initially cut it, but at least I HAVE hair and it WILL grow back! During this trip though, the length was bothering me a LOT because it was like a blanket on my back. Even when I had it in a ponytail, it was hot. I usually like having my hair down too! I'm contemplating getting bangs again just because when my hair is short, I pull it back more often, and I think I need something in the front.

Disney eating is just FABULOUS! This was the first time we ate at so many new restaurants!!! Normally it's only 1-2 per trip (not including CS).

Hooray for arriving at your first Disney hotel room!

Putting Stacy on is one of the first things we always do when we arrive! The previous version, Top 7 Must Sees, is much longer than this version with a bit more ride detail. I think you would have enjoyed that one better. You can find it online if you Google it.

I love how Howard said that the plates were going home with you guys. We always bring them home too

I think one day I'll have to watch the older Stacy segments on YouTube! I'm going to save it for when I'm really craving some Disney time! I want to go back already. If Howard and I really do go in December, it'll be 3 trips in one year! That's a little psychotic, isn't it?

Haha, I think we ended up using all of them, but gosh oh gee, it'd be nice to have those to use at home! Thankfully, we DO have Disney plates, cups, mugs, utensils, and other stuff for the kitchen (trivets, salt and pepper grinders, etc) to help us deal with the separation!

Wow, your room is beautiful! I love AKL! I really, really have to stay there someday!

Haha, I love Stacey, I have to have her on at all times when I'm in my room, but unfortunately, my DH gets sick of her after about 2 minutes, so we have to compromise!

Sometimes we HAD to leave Stacy on because the other channels weren't working. Haha, it wasn't as much fun when it was the only choice. It was so exciting though to finally feel like a DISer, haha.

 

[marDgreen88]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is just beautiful. I think that's a great first on-property experience! I've never stayed there, but it's in my top 2. So awesome!

The room is beautiful... the details never cease to amaze me! Like the little white nets! That's so cool! Hooray for your first Stacey experience, I'm sure you'll treasure that moment and remember it forever. I love Stacey, but you're right, her show should be longer and more informative!

Can't wait to hear about this delicious dining experience!

 

[Jennifer48]

I want to go back already. If Howard and I really do go in December, it'll be 3 trips in one year! That's a little psychotic, isn't it?

Umm, no. We did that in 2010, oh yes, and this year

 

[RachelNinja]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is just beautiful. I think that's a great first on-property experience! I've never stayed there, but it's in my top 2. So awesome!

The room is beautiful... the details never cease to amaze me! Like the little white nets! That's so cool! Hooray for your first Stacey experience, I'm sure you'll treasure that moment and remember it forever. I love Stacey, but you're right, her show should be longer and more informative!

Can't wait to hear about this delicious dining experience!

It really is absolutely gorgeous! I know that people don't like that it's far from the parks other than AK, but we didn't notice the time it took to travel other than MK (but that's cuz we hit traffic trying to get into the park). I know that other resorts have a bunch of stops or pick up more people elsewhere, but it was nice to just have Jambo/Kidani and that was it.

I was just amazed by the room. When I was brushing my teeth, I'd be staring at the wallpaper!

Mmm, Howard and I STILL compare a lot of food we eat to our dinner experience!

Umm, no. We did that in 2010, oh yes, and this year

Haha, that's the best, Jen! It really depends on work though, but I think it'd be nice to just go down even for a long weekend since we have the APs and can do that. I'm pretty sure we'll be doing morning to night on a short trip as opposed to the relaxing one we had during our honeymoon.

 

[RunningGirl]

Well you really set the bar high with your first on property hotel room! I do like staying at AKL as it's very unique.

I hear what you're saying about a mush mattress. DH is a lot bigger than me (not fat, just a big athletic guy) and I HATE when a mattress is soft enough that I roll into the middle with his weight pushing it down.

Can't wait to hear about what you have to eat! Some Disney food is sounding pretty good right now...

 

[wisblue]

I had to chuckle at your comment about Stacey's Must Sees. That loop used to be significantly longer; I think it ran about 30 minutes and there was a lot more detail. But they probably shortened it to reflect the attention span of most people these days. I think you can still see the old version from 2005(featuring a younger Stacey) on YouTube. There are some other old resort TV promotions on there too.

Of course, the 2005 version was before Expedition Everest opened, so it doesn't include the classic "That's interesting. There doesn't seem to be any track". That was added later, but even that was trimmed in the current version by removing the "That's Interesting".

 

[mermaid764]

Yay for your room being ready right away, it just never feels right to do anything until you've checked our your room first.

Your room is gorgeous......all the details are just amazing, and the AKL property always just looks so gorgeous in pictures!

I love the hidden mickey picture Howard took of your rings...it's adorable.

Can't wait to hear where you guys were headed to eat

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

Very nice! I've always wanted to see the rooms at AKL. I'd love to stay there with a Savana view.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Thanks for some more great updates Rachel! I loved all the AKL pictures and info. We own DVC, but have never stayed there because it seems so far away from everything. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the transportation from there and how long it takes.

I am a weaksauce points failure and am waving the white flag now. Kudos to those that have points.

 

[RachelNinja]

Well you really set the bar high with your first on property hotel room! I do like staying at AKL as it's very unique.

I hear what you're saying about a mush mattress. DH is a lot bigger than me (not fat, just a big athletic guy) and I HATE when a mattress is soft enough that I roll into the middle with his weight pushing it down.

Can't wait to hear about what you have to eat! Some Disney food is sounding pretty good right now...

Haha, I KNOW! It's going to be hard to beat AKL. But of course, Howard and I are still willing to stay at a value if it means we get to stay on property at least ONE more time. Art of Animation looks rather awesome, especially since Howard LOVES Cars!!! It'd be a perfect location.

It didn't help that we weren't used to sleeping in the same bed, and the first two nights we had our nice mattress and then had to deal with the one at the resort! Yeah, the rolling towards the middle of the bed is really irritating at night! I feel like I'm sinking.

Disney food ALWAYS sounds good when you're at home! I admit that when we were there, I was thinking, "What else are we going to eat?" Haha.

I had to chuckle at your comment about Stacey's Must Sees. That loop used to be significantly longer; I think it ran about 30 minutes and there was a lot more detail. But they probably shortened it to reflect the attention span of most people these days. I think you can still see the old version from 2005(featuring a younger Stacey) on YouTube. There are some other old resort TV promotions on there too.

Of course, the 2005 version was before Expedition Everest opened, so it doesn't include the classic "That's interesting. There doesn't seem to be any track". That was added later, but even that was trimmed in the current version by removing the "That's Interesting".

The 30 minutes definitely seems like a better loop. It's just enough to watch when you have some down time without taking up TOO much time! You can catch bits and pieces of it each time it's played as opposed to watching it from beginning to end so many times while just getting ready for the day!

Haha, that means I didn't even hear ALL of that fabulous line!

Yay for your room being ready right away, it just never feels right to do anything until you've checked our your room first.

Your room is gorgeous......all the details are just amazing, and the AKL property always just looks so gorgeous in pictures!

I love the hidden mickey picture Howard took of your rings...it's adorable.

Can't wait to hear where you guys were headed to eat

It was so much better being able to get ready in the room and get the plane delay feeling off of us. The room really made it difficult to leave though because it was just so fabulous!

Isn't it great? I didn't even know what he was doing when he asked for my rings!

We didn't go far to eat!

Very nice! I've always wanted to see the rooms at AKL. I'd love to stay there with a Savana view.

I can't imagine what it'd be like to wake up and see animals outside of your balcony. That would've definitely been interesting, but I think in the long run, I was happy to have the room closer to the buses.

Thanks for some more great updates Rachel! I loved all the AKL pictures and info. We own DVC, but have never stayed there because it seems so far away from everything. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the transportation from there and how long it takes.

I am a weaksauce points failure and am waving the white flag now. Kudos to those that have points.

You're welcome! I'll definitely comment on the bus transportation, but it really wasn't long at all. Animal Kingdom was super close, of course. We were there before I even got to enjoy the first ever bus ride, haha. The longest was Magic Kingdom, but that was because going there we hit some traffic of other buses and cars. I guess I didn't really think much about the transportation time because we're used to taking buses and subways in NY. To get to and from my college campus many years ago, it took 1 hr or even up to 1.5 hrs (and that was BEFORE I decided to just walk down a back way instead of taking a bus and then transferring - that was almost 2 hrs!). Spending 20 minutes or so on a bus really wasn't an issue because we didn't have to think about figuring our way around the property with a car. Plus, we were immediately plunged into AC.

I guess I would understand wanting a closer resort if you plan on eating at a lot of places though. We didn't have that many ADRs at resorts that would require jumping around.

Don't wave the white flag! Stay tuned for the rounds in the future. I decided that I may throw in a couple of rounds where people can PM me instead of posting it. That way the first person and the last person before I post the answer can get the weak sauce point. It takes a while to come up with the Character Scrambler rounds, and I think it'd be cool if more people had a chance to play instead of feeling discouraged that the answer was already posted. PLUS, I decided that it might be fun to randomly choose a person on the scoreboard (regardless of rank) to receive a greeting card or two as well! That way people won't get discouraged about being far behind.

 

[RachelNinja]

Baby Jambo House

When I made ADRs in advance, I figured we could go to Todd English's bluezoo at 5:30pm. Of course, that didn't take into account that we'd be arriving in Orlando later than planned due to the delay. I completely forgot about our ADR, and I only realized it when I tried to make a new one! Whoops! I canceled bluezoo. We'll eventually get there since we have those $25 gift certificates for $2 deals, but this was just not the trip for it because I didn't want to deal with all of the traveling especially without the car.

Where did we go instead? I checked Boma, but alas, there were no openings. I suggested Sanaa to Howard, but I wasn't so sure he'd be up for it since I had shown him the menu way back when I was planning a few of our meals, and it wasn't one he was greatly interested in. But due to its proximity and my excitement to try it, we made an ADR there for 6:20pm. So exciting! We left the room around 6 so that we'd have plenty of time to walk over.

Goodbye room! We'll see you very soon!

This was the view from where we stood for the elevator. For most of the trip, we took the more private elevators in the giraffe trail. Later on, Howard realized the main elevators off to the right of the lobby (the group of 6) actually meant we would walk less. I didn't mind either one though. It was never really far since we were so close to the front.

I know it's dark, but there's really not much to see. I was saying that it's really funny that my aunt and uncle take pictures of each other with scenery in the background. They very rarely have pictures with each other. I guess my generation is very used to the one-handed shots!

We walked out of the front entrance and walked straight ahead to the set of stairs that led to the Magical Express waiting area. We continued walking forward to meet the trail that would lead us to Kidani Village. In this picture, I think I was commenting that it smelled like bacon! Haha, as if someone let out a bacon toot!

The walk was a bit difficult at times because (1) I would sometimes slip on wet areas because I wasn't wearing sneakers, (2) it was in direct sunlight and there was no shade once in a while to get a break, and (3) there were lizards EVERYWHERE! Now I know that Florida is filled with them, and it's inevitable that I was going to run into them in and out of the parks. However, the ones on this walk just seemed a LOT bigger than normal! Haha, maybe it was just because in some parts of the trail that was covered with greenery on both sides, I was just too afraid that they'd jet out in front of me! I just didn't want them on OR under my feet!

The walk over was pretty quick though in retrospect. Going there for the first time, of course, was long because we didn't know how much more we'd have to walk. However, we were able to do the walk in about 10 minutes later on in the week without a problem. I don't know if that's normal or if it's because we walk like NYers (haha, you know, very impatient). I really enjoyed seeing the lobby of Kidani Village. As many have said before, it's not as grand as the Jambo House one, but it definitely has a very cozy feel to it. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd say that I like Jambo House better because it FELT like a resort. Kidani would be more like a timeshare because it's homey (which makes sense considering it's DVC). We normally stay at a timeshare that my parents have (see other trip reports!), so I actually preferred the resort feel for this particular trip. Other than that, it's really just a matter of preference.

I did find that it was a LOT easier to get AMAZING views of the animals though! If you look at the map, Kidani Village is spread out around the savannahs so that there are more rooms with views. I can't imagine what it'd be like to have to make a long trek to get to the bus stop or get a refill for the mug, but as a guest just passing through, it was PERFECT!

These were the first animals we saw on our trip! Haha, minus the gigantors scurrying around us while walking over here. Giraffes! So many of my DIS friends love giraffes, and once I had this much time to just watch them, I understood why! Passing by quickly on a safari ride at AK just doesn't seem the same once you get to watch these guys at your own pace.

I was amazed that we could be SO CLOSE to the giraffes! Like, they were RIGHT THERE! I sent this picture to my mom that night just to show her how amazing it was.

Um, can I "has" one?

On the other side, we saw giraffes too. What we didn't know at the time was that the building in the background is actually Jambo House and not Kidani! I didn't understand the layout of both resorts until later on in terms of their proximity to each other. They're situated right next to each other, but it just takes more time to walk from one place to the other because of how spread out it is. Anyway, zebras are super cute (they look a bit chubby with short legs!), but those giraffes just took my breath away.

Animals are great and all, but I was ready to EAT! I totally loved my McDonald's breakfast and my Chik-Fil-A lunch, but my stomach was ready for some new tastes! Let's head on inside!

Stay tuned for my review of Sanaa! You won't want to miss it! Well, hopefully I can find a way to write it without constantly using the word "delicious." Haha. Also, see the length of my hair in the last picture? That was 2 months ago. I think it's about time I cut it off to donate for the 4th time, don't you think? My blanket is getting me super warm in the summer! That was NOT Disney in May kind of hair! I digress ... as always!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Ohhh I love the giraffes so much! When Dad and I stayed at Kidani Village a couple years ago there was one afternoon I remember going outside to one of the viewing areas and there was a bunch of giraffes out there. I don't know how long I stayed out there watching them-so pretty! It really is amazing how close they are.

 

[RachelNinja]

Ohhh I love the giraffes so much! When Dad and I stayed at Kidani Village a couple years ago there was one afternoon I remember going outside to one of the viewing areas and there was a bunch of giraffes out there. I don't know how long I stayed out there watching them-so pretty! It really is amazing how close they are.

I think AKL is the best place to gain an appreciation for giraffes! I wish we had more time to spend there and just watch them!

Weak Sauce Points​

Round 12: Cropped

Where was this picture taken? Remember, only guess per person, and no editing posts! Good luck!

 

[livsmom04]

I think AKL is the best place to gain an appreciation for giraffes! I wish we had more time to spend there and just watch them!

Weak Sauce Points​

Round 12: Cropped

Where was this picture taken? Remember, only guess per person, and no editing posts! Good luck!

My guess is Minnie's House. But not sure if that's right since Minnie's house probably wasn't open when you went on your honeymoon.

 

[Eight]

Your pictures of AKL are seriously making me wish I was there right now! Oh, to have a view of giraffes from my room, instead of my basic, boring neighborhood.

I love the picture of you two in the mirror, because I tend to do that in hotels, and so I love it when other people do too.

The hallways at Kidani are ridiculous. I love the place, but my mom and I stayed there once, and we were in about the middle of the hallway, and I don't know for certain how long it took us to get to the main lobby, but it seemed liked forever, especially at the end of the day. One time my mom decided to walk to the end and back from our room, and I'm pretty sure it took her at least ten minutes.

I'm looking forward to hear what you think of Sanaa. I've never eaten there, and it's one of those ones I'm always debating if I should try.

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

Since I don't really know for sure where this picture was taken, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say it's in the queue of the toontown fair. Pretty sure it's somewhere in Fantasyland... but that would have been under constructions while you were there... so I really don't know.

 

[kschafer]

Where was this picture taken? Remember, only guess per person, and no editing posts! Good luck!

Not really sure at all but I'm going to guess the great piggybank adventure in Innoventions