City, Sand, and Savanna - Link to new trip report

[Elianor]

Back again and caught up finally! I loved the pictures of AKL. We had a family discussion on the trip back and we've all decided that it's our favorite resort so far.

Relax, no pressure for updates or anything!

 

[glennbo123]

I guess it's been a long time since I've worked on replies. Sorry about that.

Great update.

Thanks Dee!

Sorry to hear your trip coincided with monsoon season. That was some downpour!!!

That instagram picture captured it best. The rain was off and on though, and got a little better later in the day....but I definitely had no desire to go a park at the moment I was taking that picture. Yuck!

The pictures of the animals on the savannah are awesome!!! The closeup of the crane is beautiful. The zebra on its back is a really unique shot. You sure don't see that every day!

Thank you!

So true. All of the zebras I see every day are totally standing on all four's.

Now I may know my fishies, but you impressed me with all the animal nomenclature.

I did look up one or two.

The ladies looked very nice for their tea. I'm guessing whatever you guys ended up doing, it wasn't quite as refined.

Oh, I don't know about that -- we practiced making artificial passing-gas noises using our armpits.

Slowly catching up after my week away from the DIS last week.

I'm glad you're feeling better.

Love all the animal photos (although the giraffes are my favorite). I so want to go back to AKL and we hope to do that in 2014 (this year we're already booked at BCV, OKW and BWV).

I always make sure to include plenty of giraffe pictures, 'cause I know they're your favorite.

It's so nice to see that James enjoys his time in the community center.

He loves that place. He could live there!

Glad to see the rain eased up by the time you got to Jambo House (love that lobby).

It did get better throughout the day.

That lobby is so impressive!

The girls looked lovely as they prepared to depart for their tea.

Aw, thanks!

Yeah Yeah A day late and 1 Judy short.

What're you gonna do?

Rain Rain Go away, all Debbie wanted to do was stay around and play.

I guess Debby didn't realize I had been planning this vacation for quite some time now. Hmmm, how can I find an "exasperated" smiley?!

Good for you making it down to do a workout. I commend you.

I think it was Judy's idea, truth be told.

Good idea on the big breakfast.... after the workout.

That was my idea, truth be told.

Sorry Gram and Poppy had a hard as nails shower.

And painful as needles. I can't remember if I ever asked them about it. I probably forgot by the time I got dried off and dressed.

Beautiful shots of the animals. Looks like it really did clear up.

Maybe enough for some pool time ??

Who, moi?

 

[glennbo123]

I thought it was Carol!!!

I SO was going to say that.

I am glad someone else remembered Carol the Giraffe !!!

It sounds familiar, but I forget -- was Carol the Giraffe named after your friend and co-escort Carol?

 

[glennbo123]

Yep - we are now tied to that school calendar too. I am already missing those carefree days of preschool! I am actually pretty nervous about going in August - we have never experienced real crowds, and the heat will be insane. But you are right - I think the best plan is to head back to the resort midday and enjoy the pool.

I was starting to look forward to the time when our kids would be grown and Judy and I could go for Food & Wine, and then she had to go and get a job as a teacher!

I hear ya! We are only doing 7 days at WDW this time (I think we had 10 or 11 in 2011), but we are tacking on a 7-day DCL cruise, so, well, I couldn't really justify MORE time at WDW to my boss!

Oh I'm sure he/she is totally reasonable and that if you just explained the situation, how you would like to try all of the restaurants at Disney World, they would give you as much time-off as you would need.

Okay, back to reality.

I totally remember those commercials! I fear that a stay at AKL would have the same effect on me, and right now, buying DVC wouldn't be totally fiscally responsible!

I never said it was fiscally responsible when I did it! We just couldn't resist.

Nonetheless, I am so looking forward to staying there someday. If there is ever a code or discount on deluxe rooms that comes out during a planned trip, I will be switching to AKL very quickly. We LOVED the BWV last trip and it would be hard to pass up another stay there, but I am really drawn to AKL. Looking forward to trying POR for the first time too though!

I think BWV will be our next stay. There, you got a scoop!

Okay, trying to catch up a little. Sorry I missed the last update; you got some great pictures in spite of the rain.

Hey, good to see you Marv. You must be swamped too. I have my nostrils sticking out of the water and that's about it.

I always wonder what the animals think about all the rain they get in Florida, since it isn't something they probably see that much of in their natural habitat......

Good point. Maybe they're going, "Boy, it sure is humid today."

And I agree that it is very hard to get a really great picture of the Jambo lobby. That window that you love so much at the end lets in way too much light to get the details of the lobby very well unless you do it in pieces. Hey maybe next time you might want to try piecing a bunch of pictures together to make one of your famous panorama shots so you can pick up more of the lobby details.

Yes, it's difficult to photograph well because of the big difference in the lighting between most of the interior and that window. But it's so dramatic when you're there....everyone reading this will just have to go see it!

The panoramic's are difficult with the different exposure-levels too. Maybe more so, actually. But it might be a challenge to try.

...

Seeing Elianor posting makes it official -- I'm behind on posting an update!

Back again and caught up finally! I loved the pictures of AKL. We had a family discussion on the trip back and we've all decided that it's our favorite resort so far.

I couldn't agree more!

If you told me, I forgot...is that where you stayed? Just recently?

Relax, no pressure for updates or anything!

I'm trying to get Judy or Marlene to give me a run-down on the Tea. I'd like Marlene's perspective, but her schedule is crazy. She'll be gone this weekend on a retreat, so maybe I'll just have Judy fill me in so I can get the chapter finished and posted.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

[/QUOTE] Yeah, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to move it. That's interesting about DL...I don't have any experience with how far in advance you need to make reservations there.
Have you always signed like that? I don't think I knew your name before.[/QUOTE]

I don't even know when they start taking reservations, but at less than 3 weeks I got us into the Carthay Circle Theatre for the WOC lunch and Blue Bayou for dinner. We had our choice of walk up restaturants at 6PM on a Friday night at Downtown Disney. It was very nice not to have to plan and worry.

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't sign my name. Now you know me which might be a good or bad thing.

For the record I loved DLR, We could not get into the VGC at that late date, but from the time we walked out of the front gates we were back in our offsite hotel in less than 20 minutes. It is also a different feel out there as you can tell a lot of the guests are locals. It was also strange walking into DL as the buildings on Main Street are on a smaller scale and the castle seemed (is) tiny. As far as parks go they are wonderful.

Carland is fantastic. I actually think I might have liked it a little more than WWOHP due to not being so cramped. Space and Pirates are so much better and Indiana Jones beats Dinosaur. I am really glad I had the opportunity to visit and I hope to make it back again someday and stay at the VGC.

Anyway, enjoyed your latest update. We usually take a day or two off when we go and it is nice to sleep in and relax. Hope the rain moves off soon.

 

[englishrose47]

It sounds familiar, but I forget -- was Carol the Giraffe named after your friend and co-escort Carol?

Yup

 

[Poolrat]

It sounds familiar, but I forget -- was Carol the Giraffe named after your friend and co-escort Carol?

I thought it was when I had a safari driver that had a favorite giraffe and he named it Carol.

I was starting to look forward to the time when our kids would be grown and Judy and I could go for Food & Wine, and then she had to go and get a job as a teacher!

Fall break ???? Annual leave days???? Maybe just get <cough><cough> sick???

I think BWV will be our next stay. There, you got a scoop!

Hey, good to see you Marv. You must be swamped too. I have my nostrils sticking out of the water and that's about it.

Hey that's my line with it being water and all

Apparently "swamped " is going around.

Seeing Elianor posting makes it official -- I'm behind on posting an update!

 

[englishrose47]

Carol was sooo happy to hear she had a Giraffe named after her

 

[glennbo123]

I don't even know when they start taking reservations, but at less than 3 weeks I got us into the Carthay Circle Theatre for the WOC lunch and Blue Bayou for dinner. We had our choice of walk up restaturants at 6PM on a Friday night at Downtown Disney. It was very nice not to have to plan and worry.

That's good to hear. I'm hoping to check out DL for a couple of days next year.

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't sign my name. Now you know me which might be a good or bad thing.

Good, I'm sure!

For the record I loved DLR, We could not get into the VGC at that late date, but from the time we walked out of the front gates we were back in our offsite hotel in less than 20 minutes. It is also a different feel out there as you can tell a lot of the guests are locals. It was also strange walking into DL as the buildings on Main Street are on a smaller scale and the castle seemed (is) tiny. As far as parks go they are wonderful.

For our couple-day stop at DL next year, which I mentioned above, I'm hoping that we can get into VGC. If not, it's good to know that you liked the DLR. I'm sure Main Street and other areas will seem familiar, but different.

Carland is fantastic. I actually think I might have liked it a little more than WWOHP due to not being so cramped. Space and Pirates are so much better and Indiana Jones beats Dinosaur. I am really glad I had the opportunity to visit and I hope to make it back again someday and stay at the VGC.

I know what you mean about WWoHP feeling cramped! Carsland sounds great.

Anyway, enjoyed your latest update. We usually take a day or two off when we go and it is nice to sleep in and relax. Hope the rain moves off soon.

It's so nice to have that day-off in there, to recharge from all of the go-go-go.

 

[glennbo123]

Yup

Okay, I was on the right track!

I thought it was when I had a safari driver that had a favorite giraffe and he named it Carol.

This is how rumors get started.

Fall break ???? Annual leave days???? Maybe just get <cough><cough> sick???

No Fall break really. But I think Judy is coming down with a little cough.

Hey that's my line with it being water and all

Apparently "swamped " is going around.

It does seem that a lot of people are pretty busy right now. Oh well, we DIS what we can.

Hang tight.

Carol was sooo happy to hear she had a Giraffe named after her

Oh, I'll bet!

 

[glennbo123]

When the ladies left for their Tea at the Grand Floridian, the guys changed into their swimsuits and headed down to the pool. We got in and tried it out, but even without the rain coming down the afternoon was a little cold for swimming. I had remembered to take my drink mug down to the pool, but I found that the drink station was closed since the pool bar was closed for the afternoon, due to the rain I guess. That stunk.

It wasnt too long before James realized that hed forgotten his goggles and wanted to go back to the room to get them, and wanted me to go with him. With our room being situated at the other end of Kidani, over near Jambo House, it was a pretty long hike. We made short work of it by running most of the way. And by running, I mean an all-out sprint. Im not sure how it started exactly, probably James started jogging and I ran to catch up to him and he stepped on the gas in order to stay ahead. But however it started, before long we were running full-speed, barefoot, down the carpeted hallways, hoping that we didnt run into anyone.

On the way back to the pool I said something about my room key, and listening to myself in the midst of this African-themed resort I thought, that sounds like an African word, so my room key became maroomkie. (Accent on the second syllable.) We decided that it was a Swahili word meaning a tool to allow someone access through a door: maroomkie.

Back at the pool, we swam a little bit longer and tried out the slide. My first trip down the slide was extremely slow. I even had to push myself using the walls at one point. When I got to the bottom, James told me that I was sitting up too much and needed to lie all the way down. I retried it, and what a difference that made. I really zipped down that way, it was a great ride.

Around 4 pm, we got rained out and headed back to the suite. I think we just hung out and chilled for a while.

At some point during the afternoon Judy sent me a text with a picture of them at the Tea, and it looked like they were having a great time. So, lets turn our attention to what they did.

They took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then caught the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. This was the first time any of them had stepped-foot into the beautiful, Victorian-themed, Grand Floridian, so naturally they began photographing the interior of the lobby. Lauren had Judys phone and she began with a picture of the stunning floor.

She found Pluto.

The GF on floor. I thought it was just a flourish-y F, but Judy pointed out the G to me.

And eventually, the lobby itself. Judy said that the piano player was playing when they first walked in, but he must have taken a break shortly after they arrived.

This chandelier would look nice in our house, but wed probably get tired of having to walk around it all the time.

Heres a staircase. And a mighty nice one at that.

And no room pictures are complete without a shot of the ceiling.

Marlene went over to the grand piano to see if she could try it out.

Unfortunately, the keyboard was locked.

They also noticed the beautiful elevator.

They didnt have to wait very long before they were called for their seating in the Garden View Tea Room. They had two small tables, which were moved close together.

Judy got up to take a picture of Gram and the girls.

Then, when the server came by they asked her to take a picture of all of them. This is the picture that Judy texted me.

They all ordered the Buckingham, which seemed like the right amount of food, ie. not too much. It comes with a choice of tea, some sandwiches, and some dessert items too.

Heres a picture of Judys sandwiches.

They moved their teas together for a group picture. I took some notes when they got back regarding who got what. Starting in the upper right in the picture, and moving clockwise: Lauren got the Mad Hatter, Gram got some kind of Oolong, Judy got Mountain Berry, and Marlene had Mango Oolong (with 2 sugar cubes&I think it might have been her first time seeing sugar cubes).

Apparently, there was a cherub statuette in the room that caught their attention.

They received a scone and some fancy-schmancy stuff to put on it.

Heres a picture of Grams desserts, I believe. Judy thought that the item on the left was an éclair, but the item on the right she said they all got and loved -- it was a swan, and was a pastry that was kind of like a cream puff. She thought that the filling was raspberry mousse or something equally delectable.

I know that these pictures dont show it, but apparently it poured at some point during their tea. Fortunately, they didnt have any issue with rain during their trip to or back from the Grand Floridian.

Here, Marlene demonstrates the proper technique for a high-society Tea. Pinkies out!

The ladies had a great time, and absolutely loved their afternoon together. Gram told them about the days when the ladies would have tea in the parlor, while the men went elsewhere and smoked cigars. When I heard that I thought, gee, we shouldve smoked cigars back at Kidani. Wouldnt Judy have been surprised if she came back and James told her we smoked cigars!

Before they left the Grand Floridian, they looked around the shops and Judy found Basin. She got a bar of laundry soap, a spot-treatment called the Spot Doctor, which she loves. Its claim is that theres no spot it cant get out, and so far its held true, from her experience.

On the way out, they noticed the Beauty and the Beast themed sections of the floor. Heres Chip.

And Mrs. Potts.

And they liked this elegant phone.

And as they left, the band was playing.

From there, they took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and the bus back to Kidani. They said that there were huge lines to get into the Magic Kingdom -- apparently everyone was trying to get in now that the rain looked that it had finally let up.

When they got back to the suite, they enjoyed telling us about their afternoon. I could tell they all really loved it and Im glad that they could do it. What a great memory that will make for all of them!


Up next: Night photography
Link to next chapter

 

[marvali]

3 Judys

 

[marvali]

It wasn’t too long before James realized that he’d forgotten his goggles and wanted to go back to the room to get them, and wanted me to go with him. With our room being situated at the other end of Kidani, over near Jambo House, it was a pretty long hike. We made short work of it by running most of the way. And by “running”, I mean an all-out sprint. I’m not sure how it started exactly, probably James started jogging and I ran to catch up to him and he stepped on the gas in order to stay ahead. But however it started, before long we were running full-speed, barefoot, down the carpeted hallways, hoping that we didn’t run into anyone.

What, you didn't get in enough of a workout earlier at the Exercise Room?

On the way back to the pool I said something about my room key, and listening to myself in the midst of this African-themed resort I thought, “that sounds like an African word”, so ‘my room key’ became ‘maroomkie’. (Accent on the second syllable.) We decided that it was a Swahili word meaning a tool to allow someone access through a door: maroomkie.

Maroomkie! I like it.....a definite addition to the unique DIScabulary!!!

They received a scone and some fancy-schmancy stuff to put on it.

Here’s a picture of Gram’s desserts, I believe. Judy thought that the item on the left was an éclair, but the item on the right she said they all got and loved -- it was a swan, and was a pastry that was kind of like a cream puff. She thought that the filling was raspberry mousse or something equally delectable.

Not much for going to tea, but I can definitely go for some of that "fancy-schmancy"stuff!!! Especially that Swan looks really interesting!

 

[Poolrat]

Yes Yes 3 Judys Dang Blam it!!!!!


But gee at least I got the guys going to pool right even if it was cold.....


Yes I am editing - Judy or part of Judy is is five - 3 plus the picture of the tea, the spoons have her relflection inthe 2 left spoons.

 

[marvali]

Yes Yes 3 Judys Dang Blam it!!!!!


But gee at least I got the guys going to pool right even if it was cold.....


Yes I am editing - Judy or part of Judy is is five - 3 plus the picture of the tea, the spoons have her relflection inthe 2 left spoons.

Well if you're counting that, then there would be six because the spoon on the right has the same reflection right where the handle starts from the bowl of the spoon........

 

[Poolrat]

When the ladies left for their Tea at the Grand Floridian, the guys changed into their swimsuits and headed down to the pool. We got in and tried it out, but even without the rain coming down the afternoon was a little cold for swimming. I had remembered to take my drink mug down to the pool, but I found that the drink station was closed since the pool bar was closed for the afternoon, due to the rain I guess. That stunk.

I got the pool right. Stinks that the pool bar was closed and the drink station as well.

It wasn’t too long before James realized that he’d forgotten his goggles and wanted to go back to the room to get them, and wanted me to go with him. With our room being situated at the other end of Kidani, over near Jambo House, it was a pretty long hike. We made short work of it by running most of the way. And by “running”, I mean an all-out sprint. I’m not sure how it started exactly, probably James started jogging and I ran to catch up to him and he stepped on the gas in order to stay ahead. But however it started, before long we were running full-speed, barefoot, down the carpeted hallways, hoping that we didn’t run into anyone.

That actually sounds like a great father son memory.

But what you aren't saying is that ...... he beat you didn't he?

On the way back to the pool I said something about my room key, and listening to myself in the midst of this African-themed resort I thought, “that sounds like an African word”, so ‘my room key’ became ‘maroomkie’. (Accent on the second syllable.) We decided that it was a Swahili word meaning a tool to allow someone access through a door: maroomkie.

I like it.

Back at the pool, we swam a little bit longer and tried out the slide. My first trip down the slide was extremely slow. I even had to push myself using the walls at one point. When I got to the bottom, James told me that I was sitting up too much and needed to lie all the way down. I retried it, and what a difference that made. I really zipped down that way, it was a great ride.

Lay down arch your back a bit to get up on your shoulder blades, cross your ankles and push your heel a bit down. FASTEST RIDE.

This chandelier would look nice in our house, but we’d probably get tired of having to walk around it all the time.

Yes it would.on both accounts.

Then, when the server came by they asked her to take a picture of all of them. This is the picture that Judy texted me.

A mighty fine group.

They received a scone and some fancy-schmancy stuff to put on it.

Here’s a picture of Gram’s desserts, I believe. Judy thought that the item on the left was an éclair, but the item on the right she said they all got and loved -- it was a swan, and was a pastry that was kind of like a cream puff. She thought that the filling was raspberry mousse or something equally delectable.

YUM that all looks delish.

 

[glennbo123]

I'm going to bed, and I'll let you guys fight it out over the spoons. (But I think you're missing another reflection.)

 

[marvali]

I'm going to bed, and I'll let you guys fight it out over the spoons. (But I think you're missing another reflection.)

Okay, six judys.....or nine if counting the three spoons

The three obvious ones, plus each of those three has a reflection......one in the tile floor, and the other two in the table!

 

[Poolrat]

Okay I will go with
3 real Judys
3 reflections in the spoons with the tea
1 in the first picture with the floor
1 more reflection in the group shot

total 8

 

[onelilspark]

I love the tea. We dragged Geoff and my dad one time and they enjoyed it too. It's so nice and relaxing!