librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Checking In and the Fantasmic Dessert Party
So I left Atlantic Dance Hall and waited for a boat to Hollywood Studios. I guess my timing was off, since I think one had just left I ended up waiting about 20 minutes. I got on, got to HS, and went to the bus stop. Luckily I didn't wait too long for an AKL bus, so I hopped on that and before I knew it we were pulling into Kidani Village!
I was so excited about this, since I'd never been to AKL and I'd been dying to stay here. The safari at Animal Kingdom very well might be my favorite thing in all of Disney World, so a resort with the animals around sounded perfect.
I made my way to check in and the process was very easy. I didn't have to wait at all. I mentioned that I had dropped my luggage off at the Grand this morning and he said they would get it and someone would send it up to me shortly. So I made my way to my room.
Unfortunately, the way that Kidani is set up you basically have the lobby, and then two long stretches of hallway in either direction. It's kind of like a very large V shape. Well, my room was basically at the very tip of one of the ends, so I had to walk forever to get to it. Later in the trip I wore my pedometer and it told me it took .37 miles to get from my room to the bus stop. It wasn't too bad for me, but I could only imagine if I had my parents with me or someone who isn't as good walking a ton. Especially getting back from a long day at the parks it was kind of a bummer.
But the room made everything worth it! I had a studio, which felt huge for just me. There was a queen bed and a couch. But of course the greatest part was my balcony with a savanna view!
I immediately rushed out to see if I could spot any animals, and I saw these guys right below me:
Grabbing my camera, I sat outside to take pictures and watch for other animals. I literally had almost nothing on me, since everything was in my suitcase. I checked in around 4:30 and was planning to leave around 6:30 to be at the Fantasmic dessert party. I waited for my luggage, and found some more animals to take pictures of as the time passed:
And I was still waiting for my luggage. I decided if an hour passed I would call down, but shortly before then around 5:20 I got a call from bell services saying they couldn't find it. I tried not to panic because I knew it had to be around somewhere. They said they would call the Grand and see what was going on. Finally about 15 minutes later they called and said the Grand had sent my luggage to Jambo house instead of Kidani, but they were getting it and would bring it soon! I was just relieved to hear it was okay! They didn't show up until around 6, and I unpacked a couple of things and then headed for a bus for Hollywood Studios.
Not before getting a picture of this guy outside of the lobby, though:
So I arrived at HS shortly before 7, and many of the other wedding guests were gathering. A few hours earlier they had made the call to move the dessert portion inside (though we would still be led to view Fantasmic from the special seating). I didn't know where the inside location would be. The guides seemed a little disorganized, as it took quite a long time to get everyone into the park and on their way. And we started walking out in the opposite direction of Fantasmic. And kept walking. And kept walking. Finally we were led to a room off the side of the American Idol building, down past Indiana Jones and near Star Tours.
The room was kind of small for the group. It really didn't hold 60 people, and a lot of people ended up sitting outside at the slightly damp picnic tables. The desserts looked good, though:
Until someone noticed that the fruit platter had moldy fruit. That's just unacceptable of Disney to put out something like that. They quickly replaced it, but it still should not have been there. My poor friend - there was a lot going wrong with this dessert party and I know she was getting a little upset by it. On top of the room being too small for everyone, it was also only accessible by stairs, so her 3 guests in wheelchairs couldn't come down to the main level.
Aside from all of that, though, the desserts were delicious. I was counting this as my dinner, since I hadn't had anything else. I was very pleased to see Mickey pretzels, since those were a little more filling for "dinner." There were also ice creams, the fruit, and cake pops. The cake pops were adorable!
Around 8:30 they started leading us to Fantasmic. It needed to be then because it literally took us almost a half an hour to get to the viewing location. Once we were there everything was really nice, though. The private viewing area is in the back, so while you may not have the best view in the world you do have the fun of having your own private location. It was great to see it from this perspective.
Then we had to wait a million years for the guides to lead us back out of the parks. They insisted it would be faster than trying to get through the Fantasmic crowds, but I'm pretty sure that was not the case. At the nearest opportunity I slipped away from the guides and made my way into the crowds and moved much more quickly!
I got back to my room at AKL around 11, called my husband briefly, and then headed right to bed - I had a lot planned for the next day!
So I left Atlantic Dance Hall and waited for a boat to Hollywood Studios. I guess my timing was off, since I think one had just left I ended up waiting about 20 minutes. I got on, got to HS, and went to the bus stop. Luckily I didn't wait too long for an AKL bus, so I hopped on that and before I knew it we were pulling into Kidani Village!
I was so excited about this, since I'd never been to AKL and I'd been dying to stay here. The safari at Animal Kingdom very well might be my favorite thing in all of Disney World, so a resort with the animals around sounded perfect.
I made my way to check in and the process was very easy. I didn't have to wait at all. I mentioned that I had dropped my luggage off at the Grand this morning and he said they would get it and someone would send it up to me shortly. So I made my way to my room.
Unfortunately, the way that Kidani is set up you basically have the lobby, and then two long stretches of hallway in either direction. It's kind of like a very large V shape. Well, my room was basically at the very tip of one of the ends, so I had to walk forever to get to it. Later in the trip I wore my pedometer and it told me it took .37 miles to get from my room to the bus stop. It wasn't too bad for me, but I could only imagine if I had my parents with me or someone who isn't as good walking a ton. Especially getting back from a long day at the parks it was kind of a bummer.
But the room made everything worth it! I had a studio, which felt huge for just me. There was a queen bed and a couch. But of course the greatest part was my balcony with a savanna view!
I immediately rushed out to see if I could spot any animals, and I saw these guys right below me:
Grabbing my camera, I sat outside to take pictures and watch for other animals. I literally had almost nothing on me, since everything was in my suitcase. I checked in around 4:30 and was planning to leave around 6:30 to be at the Fantasmic dessert party. I waited for my luggage, and found some more animals to take pictures of as the time passed:
And I was still waiting for my luggage. I decided if an hour passed I would call down, but shortly before then around 5:20 I got a call from bell services saying they couldn't find it. I tried not to panic because I knew it had to be around somewhere. They said they would call the Grand and see what was going on. Finally about 15 minutes later they called and said the Grand had sent my luggage to Jambo house instead of Kidani, but they were getting it and would bring it soon! I was just relieved to hear it was okay! They didn't show up until around 6, and I unpacked a couple of things and then headed for a bus for Hollywood Studios.
Not before getting a picture of this guy outside of the lobby, though:
So I arrived at HS shortly before 7, and many of the other wedding guests were gathering. A few hours earlier they had made the call to move the dessert portion inside (though we would still be led to view Fantasmic from the special seating). I didn't know where the inside location would be. The guides seemed a little disorganized, as it took quite a long time to get everyone into the park and on their way. And we started walking out in the opposite direction of Fantasmic. And kept walking. And kept walking. Finally we were led to a room off the side of the American Idol building, down past Indiana Jones and near Star Tours.
The room was kind of small for the group. It really didn't hold 60 people, and a lot of people ended up sitting outside at the slightly damp picnic tables. The desserts looked good, though:
Until someone noticed that the fruit platter had moldy fruit. That's just unacceptable of Disney to put out something like that. They quickly replaced it, but it still should not have been there. My poor friend - there was a lot going wrong with this dessert party and I know she was getting a little upset by it. On top of the room being too small for everyone, it was also only accessible by stairs, so her 3 guests in wheelchairs couldn't come down to the main level.
Aside from all of that, though, the desserts were delicious. I was counting this as my dinner, since I hadn't had anything else. I was very pleased to see Mickey pretzels, since those were a little more filling for "dinner." There were also ice creams, the fruit, and cake pops. The cake pops were adorable!
Around 8:30 they started leading us to Fantasmic. It needed to be then because it literally took us almost a half an hour to get to the viewing location. Once we were there everything was really nice, though. The private viewing area is in the back, so while you may not have the best view in the world you do have the fun of having your own private location. It was great to see it from this perspective.
Then we had to wait a million years for the guides to lead us back out of the parks. They insisted it would be faster than trying to get through the Fantasmic crowds, but I'm pretty sure that was not the case. At the nearest opportunity I slipped away from the guides and made my way into the crowds and moved much more quickly!
I got back to my room at AKL around 11, called my husband briefly, and then headed right to bed - I had a lot planned for the next day!
