6 down, 1 to go: Completing my DVC mission! An April '13 PTR...TR LINK p. 16

I love HS! It's in a three way tie for my favorite park :rotfl:

Last September I took my DB and SiL to WDW. It was the end of the night and we finally made it to TSM using FPs. Well the stand by line was a walk on and of course I wanted to go again. DB says, lets just head out so we can miss the crowds. :sad2: I still regret not doing a repeat ride...

Great plans!
 
Hi Sarah!:wave2:

I finally had a minute to get caught up on your plans.:) They look great!!

It looks like you have a lot of new things to look forward to this trip....so exciting! I can't wait to see the new Fantasyland when we go back!

Love the photo notebook! I may have to make one for our next trip.

I'm really enjoying your flashback pics!

Yay for a new ticker!!:banana:
 
I love HS! It's in a three way tie for my favorite park :rotfl:

Last September I took my DB and SiL to WDW. It was the end of the night and we finally made it to TSM using FPs. Well the stand by line was a walk on and of course I wanted to go again. DB says, lets just head out so we can miss the crowds. :sad2: I still regret not doing a repeat ride...

Great plans!

haha, I know, it is hard to choose a favorite! They're all my favorite for different reasons.

Aww, that's a bummer!

Thank you! :)

This upcoming trip will be my first visit to DHS so I am very excited to check it out!

Ooh, that will definitely be exciting! I hope you enjoy visiting DHS.

Hi Sarah!:wave2:

I finally had a minute to get caught up on your plans.:) They look great!!

It looks like you have a lot of new things to look forward to this trip....so exciting! I can't wait to see the new Fantasyland when we go back!

Love the photo notebook! I may have to make one for our next trip.

I'm really enjoying your flashback pics!

Yay for a new ticker!!:banana:

Hi Angie!

Yes we do. I seriously cannot believe it'll have been almost a year since I was last there. I am excited to see all of the new attractions.

Thanks! You should make one of the notebooks. I am really happy with how mine turned out and it was a lot of fun choosing which pictures I wanted to put on it.

I'm glad you are enjoying all the flashbacks. I am working on the next one right now!
 


45 DAYS, GUYS!!!

Ahhh, I feel like it is getting so close but at the same time it seems so far away. I'm going to sound like such a whiner but seriously, this wait it killing me! DVC has really spoiled me with these frequent trips. I can't believe by the time we finally do go it will have been almost a year since I was last there. I know I am lucky to be able to go as often as we do but sometimes I don't know how we managed going every other year. :scared1:

OK, that's enough of that. LOL. I still have quite a few DVC flashbacks left to do, plus MK and DTD plans to share so here we go with a look back at another trip!

DVC Flashback #5: August 2009

It's actually sort of funny how this trip came about. I think 2009 was another year where we had a December reservation. However, over spring break we visited New York City and on our last day, Emma and I somehow started talking about Disney World (I think there might've been one of the Disney shows on the Travel Channel...) and how we wanted to go back. When we got back from NYC, we talked about it some more and how maybe we could go over the summer. Now, being from Wisconsin, we all swore we would NEVER go to WDW during the summer because of how hot it is. But, we figured if it was going to be really hot, we'd just take a lot of breaks, use the pools a lot, and possibly go to one of the water parks. In the end, we decided to go for it so Dad asked us to again decide which resort we might want to stay at. After the last flashback I think everyone knows the answer to that one...The VILLAS AT DISNEY'S WILDERNESS LODGE! Once again, we had good luck and got a studio at VWL. The Wilderness Lodge had been one of my dream resorts, and I could not wait to finally get to stay there!

It was so exciting getting on the Magical Express, knowing we were heading to the Magic Kingdom resort area. This was the first time we'd be staying in that area since 2002, which was the last time we stayed at the Polynesian (SIDE NOTE: I recently saw on a couple Disney facebook groups that there are still rumors of Disney adding DVC to the Polynesian. OMG if that happened I seriously would die of happiness. Come on, Disney!!!). I loved passing by this:

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And it always makes me happy seeing those purple road signs!
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Our bus stopped at the Grand Floridian first (of course I had dreams of staying there too...maybe that dream will come true once the DVC units are completed!) and then at the Polynesian.

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(not gonna lie, even though I couldn't wait to arrive at the WL, part of me wanted to just hop off there. I was so envious of everyone getting off there).

After those two stops we finally arrived at the Wilderness Lodge! How majestic.
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While Dad checked in, I of course had to admire the lobby. Sorry, but my pictures do not do this lobby justice.
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Then we headed over to the Villas.
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And we didn't waste any time before going over to the Magic Kingdom! We took the boat, which was something I had always wanted to do. The view from the boat as you approach the MK has to be one of the best in all of Disney World. How can you not get excited when you see this across the water?!

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I sort of remember thinking the heat wasn't all that bad, but that didn't last too long. LOL. On the bright side, we got to see the newly updated Hall of Presidents featuring Barack Obama!
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This is a completely random picture but as we were leaving the park I saw this cloud that reminded me of Dumbo...
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In addition to staying at the gorgeous Wilderness Lodge (and thus checking another DVC resort off my list), other trip highlights include:

New attractions
We got to see the Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Parade,
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Do a couple of the Kim Possible missions,
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And also see the American Idol Experience for the first time. We got there so early so we could enjoy all of the preshow stuff!
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Meeting up with my cousin...she was doing one of the Professional Internships so we met up with her and had dinner at the Boardwalk.

Finding my new souvenir addiction...VINYLMATION!
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Seeing the Electrical Water Pageant...another perk of staying at one of the Magic Kingdom resorts! We hadn't seen this show in ages.
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Visiting Bay Lake Tower...this was shortly after BLT opened and I think we felt like we needed to go check out the newest DVC resort.
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I cannot believe that in 45 days I am going to be able to look out our room window and see this:
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One thing that was kind of a bummer was that I had planned on meeting a couple of DISers on our last night but it didn't work out. :(

Despite the hot weather (which was to be expected), we had another great trip. Would I consider going again over the summer? Yes, but in all honesty it is not my favorite time to go, and I know that Dad agrees with that. I loved staying at the Wilderness Lodge. I think that it is one of the best themed resorts in Disney World, and the location is amazing too.

I will leave you with a few more pictures of the Wilderness Lodge!
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The hallway in the villas:
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I hope time flies by and you're there before you know it!

DVC has spoiled me rotten. I'm always thinking of the next trip.
 
AHHH Wilderness! I love that place... I've never even been inside! I want to stay there so badly though.

Awww little David Archuleta! I love him.
 


Sarah, when you and Emma started talking about an August trip, we had something like 9 DVC points that were going to expire at the end of August. Back then, before Emma's DCP stints, we were always banking points; now we are pretty much borrowed out.

So, I thought that if you wanted to go, we could use those points instead of losing them, and we didn't have to spend that many more for 4 more nights. We already had a trip planned in January (Mom, me and Claire celebrating Claire's graduation at the Boardwalk, and the trip that you and I took in April).
 
The Wilderness Lodge looks lovely! :thumbsup2

I know what you mean about 45 days feeling like forever! We leave in 43 days! Can't wait, I'm about to bust! :hyper:
 
I hope time flies by and you're there before you know it!

DVC has spoiled me rotten. I'm always thinking of the next trip.

I hope it flies too! I am so anxious to get back!

Me too! It'll be nice having December to look forward to once we get back in April.

AHHH Wilderness! I love that place... I've never even been inside! I want to stay there so badly though.

Awww little David Archuleta! I love him.

Oh really?! You should go sometime just to visit! And yes, definitely stay there if you get the chance!

ME TOO.

Sarah, when you and Emma started talking about an August trip, we had something like 9 DVC points that were going to expire at the end of August. Back then, before Emma's DCP stints, we were always banking points; now we are pretty much borrowed out.

So, I thought that if you wanted to go, we could use those points instead of losing them, and we didn't have to spend that many more for 4 more nights. We already had a trip planned in January (Mom, me and Claire celebrating Claire's graduation at the Boardwalk, and the trip that you and I took in April).

Yeah, I kind of remember how we always had banked points.

The Wilderness Lodge looks lovely! :thumbsup2

I know what you mean about 45 days feeling like forever! We leave in 43 days! Can't wait, I'm about to bust! :hyper:

It is a beautiful resort. :goodvibes

Ahhh, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way! We are at 42 days today! And just typing that I realized it's only 6 weeks away! :scared1::woohoo:
 
40 DAYS! 40 DAYS! 40 DAYS!

:jumping1::jumping1::jumping1:

WOO HOO!! As I've said about a million times by now, I seriously cannot wait much longer! I can't believe that we're 40 days away from Disney World and Bay Lake Tower! Then tomorrow it will be 39 days, and there's something about being in the 30s that sounds so close (maybe because we're getting down to the final month???). I think it goes without saying that I am super excited. :cool1:

This past weekend Dad, Claire, and I went to Best Buy to look around at a couple things. Dad wanted to get an iPad (Claire wants one too) and I wanted to look at cameras because I'd like to get a new one before our trip. Well, Dad actually went out and bought himself and iPad yesterday (so if I don't take my laptop maybe I can do some live updates on there!). I did not buy a camera, but I am pretty sure I know which one I want to get. Originally I thought about getting one of those compact camera systems (have you ever seen those Nikon commercials with Ashton Kutcher?) with the interchangeable lenses. As I was looking I decided I really don't want to have to deal with the lenses, and part of the reason for me wanting a new camera in the first place is to get something that is a little smaller than what I have. So, I think I am going to get this one:

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The nice thing about it is that it has a bigger zoom than my current camera, is a lot slimmer, and has some cool features, like a fish-eye effect (I know some SLR cameras have a special lens you have to buy for that). With my birthday coming up in a couple of weeks, hopefully I can get it soon so I can start playing around with it before we go.

But enough on the camera. It's time for the final park must-do list, and of course I saved the best for last!

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Sarah's Magic Kingdom Must-Dos!!!

Like a lot of people, the Magic Kingdom is my favorite park. I think it's because it's got so many of the classic attractions and well, magic there! I just love going there on our first morning, watching families plan their days, and seeing the opening show. You can bet we'll be doing that more than once on this trip, especially with 7 am EMH and being so close to the park! And really, there is not much here that I wouldn't consider a "must-do" and now with New Fantasyland, there's that much MORE to do. So I guess I'll start off with what I want to do there.

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NEW FANTASYLAND
In a word, EVERYTHING!!! Even though Dad and I got to do the new Dumbo last year, it was before the whole thing was completely open. It'll be fun to see what that whole area looks like now with the two sets and the Big Top. I also want to go to Pete's Silly Sideshow to meet all of the characters in their cute circus costumes. :thumbsup2

Other NF must-dos are:
princess: Enchanted Tales with Belle...this is probably something that I will only do once. But it seems really cute and it would be neat to go through the cottage.

princess: Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid...definitely the attraction I'm most looking forward to! I've been anxious for this one ever since it opened at Disneyland.

princess: Ariel's Grotto...a couple years ago, my sisters and I met Ariel and Prince Eric, but I've never met her as her mermaid self. haha

princess: Get a Lefou's Brew from Gaston's Tavern

princess: Eat lunch at Be Our Guest...not surprisingly, it sounds like this place has been getting really long lines. Like Dad mentioned in his post, we will try to get there right after it opens.

OMG I cannot wait to see the new area. It's been so hard seeing everyone's pictures. I feel left out that I haven't been there yet! :(

THE CLASSICS
No visit to the MK would be complete without doing these attractions so there really is no explanation needed for any of them:

::MickeyMo TRIPLE MOUNTAIN WHAMMY!!! Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain are three of my all-time favorite Disney attractions. I am particularly excited about BTMRR because last year it was closed for refurbishment! I am feeling BTMRR-deprived. Might have to ride it a couple more times to make up for that...

::MickeyMo Haunted Mansion
::MickeyMo Jungle Cruise
::MickeyMo Pirates of the Caribbean
::MickeyMo Peter Pan's Flight
::MickeyMo Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
::MickeyMo People Mover

Our tradition is to go to Tomorrowland first to ride Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear, but now with New Fantasyland I have a feeling we should go there first. But part of me doesn't want to miss SM...there's just something about doing that as our first ride at the Magic Kingdom...

We are also planning on trying Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom again. Dad and I had a lot of fun with it last year (even though we spent more time trying to get the cards than actually playing the game...those cards are addicting! We've even mentioned going over to the MK every day just to get them :rolleyes1).

And last but not least, we will have to see Wishes and Celebrate the Magic. It might be fun to do this on arrival night but I guess it depends on how late we want to stay out. After all, we'll need our rest to be up and ready for Extra Magic Hours!

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We're at 40 days today too...but 40 days till we leave NY. That means 46 days till WDW with travel time and a cruise thrown in!

Ahh...the Magic Kingdom. It really is a place filled with wonder and magic. That explains why grown men and women want to ride flying elephants, shoot space aliens, and meet mermaids! :thumbsup2

That camera looks a lot like mine. I have a Canon Power Shot and I really like it. Looks like the one you are looking at is a step up from mine...nice choice!
 
40 days is like... NOTHING! Amazing.

That camera looks good! I really don't know anything about fancy cameras, but the thought of lugging all the equipment around the park doesn't appeal to me.

I agree with you that pretty much everything at MK feels like a must-do! Everything there is so classic. LOVE.
 
I love reading the recaps of your past trips! Ahhh, did I know that you were in the Jingle Jungle parade?!? That must've been super cool! I think that's by far my favorite parade, but more so the regular one and not the Christmas one. I'm so addicted to the music. For the past few days, Howard has come home to my listening to it while I cook dinner! He knows the song too, and we're always like, "Mas que nada, mas mas que nada ..."

I think it's pretty cool to work at Downtown Disney. Like you said, Earl of Sandwich! Yum! I always would love the opportunity to have more meals at WPE. There are so many things on the menu that I want to try, but we don't get to DTD as often if we don't have a car.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH, you have another trip planned after your April one too?!? That's amazing!!!

I don't remember if the single riders line at Test Track lets you design a car, but I know the FP line has the option to design it. The desks with the touch screens are much smaller, but you can actually get through it faster. Howard and I went on the standby line and then ran back around to use our FP (this was when we waited hours since the EMH at Epcot when it was down!). We saw they had the option to design, but we just bypassed it so we'd get on faster.

Yay for a new camera soon! I realized I rarely had my camera out during our December trip because I was constantly taking pics on my phone to post on Instagram. When I go back, I'll make sure to keep my camera around my wrist like I normally do because nothing beats having folders full of Disney pics!
 
Wilderness Lodge was my favorite WDW resort before I saw any of them, I think because there are some photographers on the WL photo thread who are really good. :upsidedow But now there are soooo many resorts I'd like to stay at, it's hard to make up my mind!

My son is driving me crazy right now because he's heading back to Orlando in May... and I'm not. :sad: That's just too close to home. :( Plus he does right terrible trip reports. :rolleyes: All in all, easier to celebrate with you. :)

Bay Lake Towers in less than forty days, I don't know how you can stand it!
:jumping1:
 
We're at 40 days today too...but 40 days till we leave NY. That means 46 days till WDW with travel time and a cruise thrown in!

Ahh...the Magic Kingdom. It really is a place filled with wonder and magic. That explains why grown men and women want to ride flying elephants, shoot space aliens, and meet mermaids! :thumbsup2

That camera looks a lot like mine. I have a Canon Power Shot and I really like it. Looks like the one you are looking at is a step up from mine...nice choice!

That sounds awesome! Both our trips will be here before we know it. I can't wait! :cool1:

Yes it does! It sort of bums me out when I read on here how some people's kids don't want to go on some of those rides. Seriously?! I'm almost 28 and still love them all!

Thanks!

40 day dance!!! :cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1::cool1:

38 days now, yippee!

40 days is like... NOTHING! Amazing.

That camera looks good! I really don't know anything about fancy cameras, but the thought of lugging all the equipment around the park doesn't appeal to me.

I agree with you that pretty much everything at MK feels like a must-do! Everything there is so classic. LOVE.

I know!

I don't either, which is partly why I think I'll stick with a point and shoot. But with some of the features hopefully I can actually learn how to use them better than the one on the camera I have now.

Yup, everything is classic!

I love reading the recaps of your past trips! Ahhh, did I know that you were in the Jingle Jungle parade?!? That must've been super cool! I think that's by far my favorite parade, but more so the regular one and not the Christmas one. I'm so addicted to the music. For the past few days, Howard has come home to my listening to it while I cook dinner! He knows the song too, and we're always like, "Mas que nada, mas mas que nada ..."

I think it's pretty cool to work at Downtown Disney. Like you said, Earl of Sandwich! Yum! I always would love the opportunity to have more meals at WPE. There are so many things on the menu that I want to try, but we don't get to DTD as often if we don't have a car.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH, you have another trip planned after your April one too?!? That's amazing!!!

I don't remember if the single riders line at Test Track lets you design a car, but I know the FP line has the option to design it. The desks with the touch screens are much smaller, but you can actually get through it faster. Howard and I went on the standby line and then ran back around to use our FP (this was when we waited hours since the EMH at Epcot when it was down!). We saw they had the option to design, but we just bypassed it so we'd get on faster.

Yay for a new camera soon! I realized I rarely had my camera out during our December trip because I was constantly taking pics on my phone to post on Instagram. When I go back, I'll make sure to keep my camera around my wrist like I normally do because nothing beats having folders full of Disney pics!

Yup, it was so much fun being in the parade. It was like a dream come true because I had always wanted to be in one. The music is so fun, even if it gets stuck in your head. haha

EOS and WPE are so good. We don't really go to DTD all that much either but hopefully this trip we can go a couple of times so I can get both. It's hard to choose one of them!

Yes we do! It will make coming home in April a little easier. :)

Thanks for the Test Track info!

Yeah, I doubt I will be posting much on Instagram. I don't have an iphone so I have it on my ipod touch. We'll see though.

Wilderness Lodge was my favorite WDW resort before I saw any of them, I think because there are some photographers on the WL photo thread who are really good. :upsidedow But now there are soooo many resorts I'd like to stay at, it's hard to make up my mind!

My son is driving me crazy right now because he's heading back to Orlando in May... and I'm not. :sad: That's just too close to home. :( Plus he does right terrible trip reports. :rolleyes: All in all, easier to celebrate with you. :)

Bay Lake Towers in less than forty days, I don't know how you can stand it!
:jumping1:

haha, that's why it's so nice being in DVC because all of these places were resorts I would've liked to stay at but they're so expensive! DVC is such a great value.

Aww, that's a bummer. Glad you're here following mine. :)

:rotfl: I really can't stand it. Every day I come home now hoping that our Magical Express stuff has come. That's always a sign that the trip is coming up fast. And the other day I was looking at pictures of BLT online which really didn't help much...
 
37 DAYS!!!

:hyper::worship::hyper::worship:

The closer we get to April 1, the harder the wait is becoming. These next five weeks better go by fast!

To help pass the time, here's another look back at a DVC trip. I hope the pictures are not too big...I uploaded them to photobucket and am still trying to figure out how the new site works.

DVC Flashback #6: April 2010

Back in 2006 (and the beginning of 2007), Dad and I took a trip to California for the Rose Bowl (and of course we visited Disneyland!). This trip was the first time that it was just the two of us going to Disney World. We went over my spring break, even though at that time I was just finishing up a long-term subbing assignment.

Since it was going to be just me and Dad, we thought it would be a good time to stay at Kidani Village. See, Dad and I really enjoy the Animal Kingdom, while the rest of our family doesn't seem to like it nearly as much as we do. Plus, we really liked staying at AKL back in 2008 so we didn't mind going back and seeing the brand-new DVC resort.

It is always exciting arriving in the Magical Express Welcome Center and getting on those buses!

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We stopped at a couple of resorts before AKL/Kidani and I remember that by that point, it was like we had our own private Magical Express bus because everybody else had gotten off before our stop!

I loved driving down the road and approaching the lodge. It's just so majestic!

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When we checked in, Dad and I each received a birthday button (even though both of our birthdays are in March). But I remember Dad saying how when he made the reservation they asked if we were celebrating anything. Apparently he told them we were celebrating our birthdays. haha

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Here's a random picture of the bed in our studio. Nice, huh?
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As far as our view, we had a savanna view but it was the smaller savanna, kind of in the back. You could also kind of see the pool from our room. Here are some of our neighbors for the week:
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So since we were staying at Kidani Village, it was fitting that our first park visit of the trip would be the Animal Kingdom! Oh how I love that park. I just don't get why some people don't like it. But anyway...for me, seeing the Tree of Life is almost as exciting as seeing Cinderella Castle. I love it that much.

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We got to see a little bit of the parade.
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We also did a safari and caught the end of Flights of Wonder. We had never seen the show before and we liked what we saw, so we knew we'd have to see the whole thing in the future!
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Other highights of this trip include:

7 AM Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom!!!!!
To some people, getting up that early may not be that appealing but we live for it. There is something about getting up so early that's almost exciting-maybe because it's still dark out! It's kind of funny walking out to the bus stop and there's NOBODY up (except maybe a couple other crazy people! haha!)

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Nothing beats the opening show on your first morning!
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We love the EMH because you can get SO much done! We got through most of the major attractions within a couple of hours. Then later on in the day was another very exciting moment...

A DISmeet with RachelNinja!!!
Before our trips, Rachel and I had talked about meeting up at some point because a couple of our days overlapped. We ended up playing a little bit of phone tag but in the end we were able to meet! Dad and I stopped near Liberty Square to watch a little bit of the parade and then Rachel came over!

(random parade picture!)
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When we met we hugged and then we all went to ride Thunder Mountain together using their GAC card. That was a lot of fun because even though Dad and I had already ridden it earlier in the morning, who would ever turn down a ride on BTMRR?! After the ride, Howard took a picture of the two of us (sadly I can't find that picture and it's no longer visible on that TR...Boo!). I remember Dad and I were also trying to convince Matt (Rachel's brother) to ride Splash Mountain. Because Rachel and her family were planning on staying later in the day, and Dad and I were just about ready to head back to the resort after being up so early, it was a quick meet but I am so glad it happened. They couldn't have been any nice and it was definitely exciting meeting a fellow DISer!

The Flower and Garden Festival!
I'm telling you, I will never get tired of going in the spring to see the amazing displays.
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Oceans! Seeing the DisneyNature movies is another thing Dad and I have enjoyed. So bummed there aren't any new ones.
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Exploring the "Disney Details"
Before that trip, both Dad and I had read The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World. We always talked about how it would be fun to look for some of the details but never really did. Well, this trip was the perfect opportunity!

Ever notice how the Tower of Terror "blends in" with the Morocco pavilion?
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Or how the number on this sign aren't just any old random numbers?
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(DAK opened in April of 1998!)

SIDE NOTE: If you have not read this book, I would highly recommend it! Here's the link on Amazon if you're interested in it.

Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World

Animal-watching at Kidani Village
On more than one occasion we enjoyed watching the animals out on the savanna. We could watch them from our room, but it was even better going out onto the observation deck. Where else can you get this close to such amazing animals?! It just blows my mind. I easily could have spent hours out on those decks. There was even one afternoon where I talked to one of the CMs who was from Africa. He told me about some of the animals. It was also cute because I remember he asked me where I was from and when I said Wisconsin he started asking about snow. hehe

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This is one of my favorite pictures from this trip!!!
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And last but not least...

The Backstage Safari Tour!!!
This was another fun thing we decided to do since it was just going to be me and Dad. There is no way anybody else in our family would have done this tour. Since the tour wasn't until later in the day, we got to the Animal Kingdom early to do the rides and wander around the trails.

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Anyway, there were only 2 other people in our tour group: another father and daughter. We had a great guide named Kelly and we had a lot of fun getting to see some of the backstage areas in DAK. My favorite parts were seeing the elephant barn (which you can actually see if you take the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch) and getting to see one of the giraffes up close. The tour ended with a ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris! It was a much different experience because we didn't get the normal commentary...Kelly kind of told us some more secrets about the ride. We loved this tour so much and hopefully some day we can do the Wild Africa Trek as well!

So, after a fun-filled week, we had to say good-bye to Kidani Village. It was definitely another great trip, and Kidani Village did not disappoint!
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Omg, CANNOT STAND the new photobucket. I think I'm gonna have to switch to a new photo sharing site. Dang!

I WANT TO STAY AT AKL SO BADLY. I don't even need a savannah view room, the observation deck is good enough! It's just so stinking beautiful!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh.

So fun that you got to meet Rachel! And yes, I have noticed that you can see ToT from Morocco. They couldn't have planned that more perfectly!

Woah, funny that you should mention the observation deck when I just mentioned it myself! Good to know that it's an awesome spot!

The Safari tour sounds like it was so cool! Another awesome trip!
 
Loving all the photos!

The new photobucket does not make me happy.

I've read that book too, finding all the hidden things are so fun. Have you tried to make the tarantula jump at the Jungle Cruise? That's my favorite one.
 

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