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

[wdwgirl03]

I'm a DAK lover too!!! I was so excited to go back there on our trip! I had missed it, and we did a few things we hadn't ever done before, It was like being there for the first time!

I'm not going lie, the Zebras were very neat. They were close to our truck, so I took LOTS of pictures.

I rode Dinosaur, (all by myself) and I had a complete blast, I have the dorkiest picture of that....

It was neat to see Nemo again, after 3 years.

I think the Wilderness Explorers would be a great way to re-examine AK. And Badges would be a awesome souvenir.

Yay, I'm glad you got to experience some new things at DAK.

That sounds so cool! I love it when the animals are so close to the trucks. I can't wait to see them.

Dorky pictures are the best. LOL!

Yeah, I think it's been about 4 years since I last saw it. Actually, that was the only time I saw the Nemo show!

I'm wondering, too. It's popular enough I expect they'll keep it around. Hope that isn't a miscalculation on my part, though, since it's the one thing on my "really want to" list I didn't get to, and I let the rest talk me into going into home on the theory that it'll still be around next time! I think my odds are pretty good; made a deal with my youngest and we'll be doing the AK next trip out even if that's the only WDW park we visit. It's her favorite park.

I hope they keep it around too!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Well, I meant to do this update yesterday because we were 70 days away. I had most of it all typed up but then photobucket froze on me and my post ended up getting deleted. I hate when that happens. So, I guess I'll just have to do it today...which means we are now 69 days away from our trip!

YEAH!!

First, I thought I'd give another quick Emma update. There are a few of you who asked for the link to her blog, so anything I say isn't going to be new information. But, it's hard to believe she's already been down there over a week! Exactly one week ago was her check-in day, where she met her roommates (she had talked to 3 of them on facebook beforehand so she sort of "knew" them. But they also ended up with a couple more girls), went to casting, and found out her work location. On her last CP, she was lucky enough to be placed in her favorite park, Disney's Hollywood Studios. This time, however, she will NOT be in a park. Instead, she will be at...






























DOWNTOWN DISNEY!!!

I think she is a little bummed about not being in a park but she still has a good location and a couple of her roommates were placed at the same location. Plus, she will be able to go to Earl of Sandwich (one of her favorite restaurants) a lot...I think she's already been there 3 or 4 times! Then she had her orientation, which included Traditions (again) and the DTD orientation. She had a couple days off to play in the parks with her new ID before starting her official training today. I am anxious to hear how it all went today. She had a pretty early shift. So, she is off and running now and I'm sure it won't take too long for her to get into a routine.

Alright, now it's time for another trip flashback!

DVC Flashback #3: May 2008

As I mentioned in the last flashback, our December 2007 trip didn't get off to a great start with our flight being cancelled. If anything good came out of that, it was getting some free flight vouchers, which meant we got to take another Disney trip that we wouldn't have taken otherwise. Because I didn't have a full-time job at that time, Dad and I were able to go in the middle of May. And since Claire had just finished up her school year, she came along too.

It was our first time going in May and it was also exciting because we were going to be staying at a DVC resort other than Saratoga Springs for the first time...the Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!

Did any of you ever see the old Great Hotels shows with Samantha Brown? They had a few on Disney resorts, and one of them was on the Animal Kingdom Lodge. After seeing that, I knew I was going to love it there!

It was so exciting pulling up to the lodge and then walking into the beautiful lobby.

Unfortunately, that picture doesn't do it justice, but trust me, it is AMAZING. If you've never been to AKL it is worth a visit.

This trip was actually right after they added the DVC villas there, so we were in Jambo House. Kidani Village was not open yet. Because of the construction, our view wasn't the greatest:

But we still had plenty of time to observe the animals! This has to be one of the best things about staying at AKL (or Kidani). It is so nice being able to just go outside and see these animals up close.

I think another thing I loved about AKL is the architecture. It's so unique!

How could anybody NOT want to stay here?!

We did not do any of the restaurants there but I do seem to remember getting zebra domes (unless that was at Kidani...) which are delicious. Claire and I used the pool once or twice which was awesome. There's a fun slide and I know I enjoyed swimming and looking up at the majestic lodge. Overall, our stay at AKL did not disappoint!

Some other highlights from this trip were:

Seeing the Flower and Garden Festival again...can't wait for April! I love the F&GF!

An offsite visit to Sea World! We hadn't been since 1995 and I really wanted to go back. This park is great too, and I would also recommend going there if you've never been before.

Attending the Pirate and Princess Party...this was very similar to the Halloween and Christmas parties. I'm glad we got to attend because they only did it for a year or two.

Meeting Prince Caspian...this was a cool meet and greet that went along with the attraction. I think this was shortly after the movie came out.

And perhaps the most exciting highlight was...



SOFT OPENING FOR TOY STORY MANIA!!!
I think I had been reading on the DIS before we went that they were going to be doing previews for the ride. The first couple times we went to DHS they weren't, but on our last evening, we went back to DHS, headed back toward Pixar Place, and sure enough, they were letting people in! This was the second time we had experienced soft openings for an attraction (we got to ride Soarin before that officially opened) and it did not disappoint.

We were pretty much in awe of Mr. Potato Head, and everyone was getting their picture taken in front of him.

As you can probably guess, we all loved the ride and it was so nice being able to ride it a couple of times with basically no wait.

So once again we had another great trip filled with many firsts!

 

[marDgreen88]

OH my goodness, it's actually ridiculous how much I want to stay at AKL! It's just SO AMAZING! Was that a savannah view? I don't really know where Kidani is in terms of Jambo House, sorry if that's a slightly dumb question hahah.

AHHH you got to do soft open for TOY STORY MANIA???? That is so awesome! MY FAVORITE!!!!! (Well, and Splash hahah. But that's irrelevant to this update.)

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

Did any of you ever see the old Great Hotels shows with Samantha Brown? They had a few on Disney resorts, and one of them was on the Animal Kingdom Lodge. After seeing that, I knew I was going to love it there!
construction, our view wasn't the greatest:

I used to LOVE that show!!! I miss all the Samantha Brown shows on the Travel Channel. I get super excited when she has a special on. Btw, did you see she recently had twins?

 

[shalom]

Did any of you ever see the old Great Hotels shows with Samantha Brown? They had a few on Disney resorts, and one of them was on the Animal Kingdom Lodge. After seeing that, I knew I was going to love it there!

I saw that on YouTube -- I was looking for something on the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island. But even though it wasn't what I was looking for at the time, I watched it all of course. Looks like you had a great time there, despite the construction!

I'd been waffling on which DVC to try for our first time, but right now I'm thinking we'll try for the AKL. Youngest's favorite park is Animal Kingdom, but no one else puts it that high on their list, so we didn't go there for the second day she wanted this last time, but I promised her we'd do the AK next time even if we do no other parks. Staying at the AKL would be just the cherry on top for her!

Some big SeaWorld fans here. You got some nice shots. I had no idea the Pirate and Princess parties were for that short a time. Very sorry to have missed them. So appreciate your sharing.

 

[wdwgirl03]

OH my goodness, it's actually ridiculous how much I want to stay at AKL! It's just SO AMAZING! Was that a savannah view? I don't really know where Kidani is in terms of Jambo House, sorry if that's a slightly dumb question hahah.

AHHH you got to do soft open for TOY STORY MANIA???? That is so awesome! MY FAVORITE!!!!! (Well, and Splash hahah. But that's irrelevant to this update.)

AKL is an amazing resort and you definitely need to stay there eventually! Don't worry, it's not a stupid question. The two resorts are really not that far apart. Kidani is sort of behind the main building. If I'm remembering correctly when you're on the bus you stop at Jambo House first and then there's a road that goes a little ways to get to Kidani Village.

Yes we did, it was so awesome. I wish we had ridden it more than just two times!

I used to LOVE that show!!! I miss all the Samantha Brown shows on the Travel Channel. I get super excited when she has a special on. Btw, did you see she recently had twins?

ME TOO! I don't know why they don't have them anymore, but atleast we recorded a lot of them. I heard she was having twins on the Disney Parks Christmas Day parade but didn't know she had them yet.

I saw that on YouTube -- I was looking for something on the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island. But even though it wasn't what I was looking for at the time, I watched it all of course. Looks like you had a great time there, despite the construction!

I'd been waffling on which DVC to try for our first time, but right now I'm thinking we'll try for the AKL. Youngest's favorite park is Animal Kingdom, but no one else puts it that high on their list, so we didn't go there for the second day she wanted this last time, but I promised her we'd do the AK next time even if we do no other parks. Staying at the AKL would be just the cherry on top for her!

Some big SeaWorld fans here. You got some nice shots. I had no idea the Pirate and Princess parties were for that short a time. Very sorry to have missed them. So appreciate your sharing.

Yeah, I really enjoyed AKL. The construction really only made our view less than ideal. It would've been fun to sit out on our balcony and watch the animals, but oh well! We just went down to the observation decks to do that!

Thank you! It is a bummer the parties weren't around very long. Glad I could share though.

 

[Pinkocto]

AKL is my absolute favorite resort! I think we only did SeaWorld once and I was 6 at the time. I'm 29 now so it's probably time for a return trip.

Sorry photobucket gave you trouble, I HATE that!

 

[wdwgirl03]

AKL is my absolute favorite resort! I think we only did SeaWorld once and I was 6 at the time. I'm 29 now so it's probably time for a return trip.

Sorry photobucket gave you trouble, I HATE that!

Oh, you should definitely go back to Sea World! It's so much fun there. Actually, I'd like to go back too.

Ugh, me too.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Well, at the moment I don't have room in my signature, but guess what?!


















I have another ticker!

Sunday was the first day we could make reservations for this coming December. I think you all know how much I keep saying how I need to get back to see the Christmas decorations, so we booked the other day! Right now it's for me, Dad, and Emma (we figure that if she isn't able to extend her CP she'll want to go back and visit) at our home, Saratoga Springs! Needless to say I am very happy about that...and there is nothing that's going to keep me away from the decorations any longer! I don't care how crowded it is. There is nothing like being in Disney World during the holiday season. So now once our April trip is over we'll have that to look forward to.

Just had to share!


Stay tuned for more park plans!

 

[WDWaddictt]

Awesome..congratulations!!!!

 

[Pinkocto]

Congratulations!!!

 

[Caretames1]

Yay!!

 

[pwdebbie]

I'd put early Nov. (just in time for the Christmas decorations) or maybe early Dec. (haven't been there then) as my second favorite time to go, after April. Hmm, maybe I should start thinking about Nov. 2014. No, stop it, don't even go there . . . yet. Geesh, you are a very bad influence on me.

 

[jwwi]

A new ticker........How exciting!

 

[marDgreen88]

HOOOOOORAYYYY

I know how much you've been wanting to go back at Christmas hahah.

 

[khertz]

How fun is it when you haven't even gotten to your upcoming trip yet and you are already planning the next one?! Christmas in WDW, is there anything better??

 

[wdwgirl03]

Awesome..congratulations!!!!

Thank you!

Congratulations!!!

Thanks!

Yay!!

I'd put early Nov. (just in time for the Christmas decorations) or maybe early Dec. (haven't been there then) as my second favorite time to go, after April. Hmm, maybe I should start thinking about Nov. 2014. No, stop it, don't even go there . . . yet. Geesh, you are a very bad influence on me.

Early-mid December is a lot better than late December, but because I'm stuck to a school schedule I don't have much choice. But since we've done it before I know what it's like and can deal with all the craziness.

haha, it's never too early to start thinking about your next trip.

A new ticker........How exciting!

Yes it is!

HOOOOOORAYYYY

I know how much you've been wanting to go back at Christmas hahah.

hahaha, I think everyone does because I can never shut up about it. But really, can you blame me?! The decorations are AMAZING!!!!

How fun is it when you haven't even gotten to your upcoming trip yet and you are already planning the next one?! Christmas in WDW, is there anything better??

It will definitely make coming home in April a little easier knowing we have December planned.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Wow, can you guys believe that today is already the last day of January?! The month seemed to fly by, which means April is getting that much closer! Today marks 60 DAYS until we arrive at Bay Lake Tower. It may sound dorky but whenever I think about that I still have a hard time believing we'll be staying there. As I've said before, I honestly love all the DVC resorts, but there is something about staying in the Magic Kingdom resort area that makes everything so much better (maybe it's all those stays at the Polynesian, and also the Wilderness Lodge Villas!). It's going to be awesome being able to walk over to the MK and be just a monorail ride away from Epcot. Speaking of Epcot, how about some more must-dos???

Sarah's Epcot Must-Dos

One of the best things about spring trips is being there for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.

There are always such colorful displays (even though a lot of them seem to be "recycled") and it just makes visits to Epcot a completely different experience. This year I've read that there are going to be some new additions, including light-up topiaries and a few food kiosks. I saw one article talking about the food/drinks they'll be selling, and I think I might have to get one of these!

Don't they look refreshing?! AHHH I cannot wait for the Flower and Garden Festival! If you're interested, here are some of the websites where I found this information:

DISBoards Flower and Garden Festival Info
Disney Food Blog

When we're not enjoying the festival happenings, we'll be busy checking out:

Soarin...This ride is so amazing. It may be my favorite WDW attraction ever. Is it sad that I have the ride music on my ipod and can pretty much picture every single scene???

Test Track...The updated version is getting a lot of mixed reviews. In all honesty I think I'm going to end up missing the original but the new ride does seem cool. Recently we tend to do the single rider line so we don't have to wait as long, but it might be worth going through the stand-by line to design a car.

Living with the Land...one of the more relaxing attractions. I love it!

Spaceship Earth...I can't remember if Dad and I did this last year, so we'll definitely have to ride this time.

We will also probably do The Seas with Nemo and Friends (I always enjoy the aquariums afterward) and maybe visit Ellen at the Universe of Energy. I might be one of the few people who actually likes that ride!

In World Showcase, I'd like to do:

Maelstrom...always a fun ride and it might be cool to actually see the movie once. I know we caught the very end of it last April.

Agent P's World Showcase Adventure...I'm sure this will be very similar to the Kim Possible WS Adventure, but the missions were always fun. It is a different way to explore the countries. And since this is Phineas and Ferb related, I also want to try another new drink they have called the Doofenslurper! It's some sort of slushie...Emma got one the other day and said it was pretty good. But really I just want the beaker that it comes in!

I would also like to check out some more of the World Showcase entertainment. Last April we saw the Chinese acrobats, which was an awesome show. Does anyone have any suggestions for what to see? Feel free to share!

And depending on how tired we are after being up early, I might want to see Illuminations again. While I enjoy the night shows, I'm not one who has to go see them all on every single trip. So we'll see!

I'll leave you with another picture from one of my favorite Disney blogs (and from my favorite attraction!).

(don't you just want to go ride Soarin right now?!)

 

[Caretames1]

I think being that close to MK would be my highlight if the trip! Imagine being able to look out the window and see MK at anytime, lit up at night, being able to get there in mere minutes. I'm sold!

I think with the food and drinks during the flower and Garden fest it even more awesome, kinda like food & wine.

I'm anxious to try the new TT. We loved the old version.

We saw the Japanese drummers in Nov and they were awesome. They danced in perfect tandem.

 

[LisaAnn06]

Joining in! Can't wait to finish reading.