Hettie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2001
Dates: September 16-22, 2001
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Cast:
Heather (me)25Marketing Support Rep, Graduate student. Former WDW and
Disney Store Cast Member, obsessive vacation-planner.
Chad26Network systems programmer. Made fun of my obsessive vacation-
planning, but acknowledged the importance and appreciated the work.
The final day of vacation saddens me so much that I even hate writing about the final day. Ive been putting it off, but now Ive decided I must finish this trip report. So here it is, the Grand (?) Finale!
Day 7 I just hate to end it
The plan for today was to be at Animal Kingdom at opening to see what we had missed there and then head to Epcot until we had to meet our driver back at the resort. We were just dragging ourselves around in the morning though. I was sad and Chad still had to pack. No comment from me on this. Needless to say, we did not make it to Animal Kingdom at opening. It was probably more like 8:45 or 9:00 and by the time we arrived there were huge lines to get in. This was the weekend that all the locals caught on to the empty park situation and flooded the place. We decided that it wasnt worth it to wait to get in just to see a couple of things. Its Tough to Be a Bug and the Oasis could just wait until next time. We went on to Epcot after waiting a long time for a bus.
At Epcot there were swarms of middle-school groups. Whats the deal? I thought they all went on weekdays, particularly Thursday and Friday. This was a Saturday. Maybe they were scout troups or church groups. Regardless of the groups of kids, Epcot wasnt very crowded. We finally got to do Living With the Land, which is a favorite of mine. I think the Behind the Seeds tour will be in order next time, because I love those greenhouses and didnt feel like the boat spends enough time in them. After the ride, I couldnt help but gaze longingly at the Garden Grill. My first full-service Disney meal took place there and I have fond memories. This was before it became all character meals though. I almost wanted to eat there instead of the planned Akershus in Norway, but Chad wasnt too keen on the whole character thing. Ill probably make sure to eat there next time though. Im dying to try the vegetables from the greenhouses.
We went on Test Track again and afterwards walked into World Showcase just as they were dropping the rope. Where did the time go? We went ahead and put our names on the list at Akerhus since they didnt open until 11:30. We did the Maelstrom in the meantime and confirmed that its highly superior to the Mexico boat ride. We stayed for the film on Norway and it was very nice.
Were starving and sit in Akerhus and waited for them to start seating people. We were first (I just love being first) and had a very nice server who gave us the buffet tour. We ordered the Ringnes beer because I had heard it was the best and it was very good. It went well with the food. Now lets talk about the foodincredible!!! We were in heaven with all the fish. My favorite was the smoked mackerel and Chad almost made himself sick on all the smoked salmon he ate. I like the pickled herring too. Its very fishy, tastes kind of like sardines. The egg salad was great, as well as the shrimp salad. And the cheese! I didnt have anything I didnt like from the cold section. The breads were also good and the soup of the day which was mushroom. I tried some hot items and wasnt impressed with any of them. Next time I will stick to the cold items, bread, and soup. Those are plenty for a great meal. We will definitely go back to Akershus, probably every time we visit from now on. I think many adults could find things they liked here, even if they werent so adventurous, but I dont know if kids would do well. A group of the middle-school kids was eating there and they werent finding much they liked. Most of them just had meatballs and bread on their plate. Someone made a mistake in choosing that particular restaurant for them.
We had to meet our driver Ali at our resort at 3:00 and were feeling some serious time pressure. In the future we will stay at least a day longer and not go to a park on the last day. I dont like to feel rushed. We went through the China pavilion quickly, but not enough time for the film. I was sad about that. We skipped Germany and breezed through Italy. We made time for a Kaki Gori in Japan. We shared a rainbow one and it was nice and refreshing. By the time we looked around in Mitsukoshi it was time to leave. Yuck. Made our way back to the entrance, which was a trek given our location. It was a sad bus ride back to the lodge. I wandered around taking pictures until it was time for us to leave while Chad rested on a couch in the lobby. Those leather couches are extra comfortable.
Ali was right on time (early actually) and the trip to the airport was really fast. There must not have been much traffic. It was raining when we left the resort and the storm seemed to be brewing around the airport. We checked in at Delta and were the lucky winners of a random bag search. No problem though, we had plenty of time. The lady checking bags was so grateful that we were being nice and cutting up with her. She said most people were mean to her, as if it were her fault that the airline was implementing extra security. I felt bad for her, as she seemed pretty stressed. I cant believe people would behave that way when the regulations are implemented for everyones safety.
After we were finished showing the lady Chads poor example of packing and my highly organized packing we headed to the Shipyard Brewpub since the security lady had informed us that it was the only place you could smoke. We each tried one of their special brews and they were good. The atmosphere was a shock after our highly themed Disney experience though. The rest of our airport experience was uneventful. The flight was on time. It was a bumpy flight to Atlanta with the storm. Not too fun. Atlanta airport seemed really yucky after being at MCO. We arrived in Louisville a little after 9:00 pm and our vacation was over.
So here are some final thoughts:
ResortAnimal Kingdom Lodge was the best and perfect for us. Ill have to include at least a few nights here in future visits. Everything about it was great and we didnt have one bad experience there (well, the entire vacation really).
FoodWe had absolutely no food disappointments. Even when I expected to be disappointed, it was a great experience. The only mediocre food really was Pecos Bill Café, but thats to be expected with fast food. I guess it was pretty good as far as fast food goes. Trying out a couple of restaurants that I have heard bad things about (Sci-fi Dine-in and San Angel Inn) makes me think I will do this in the future. Ive learned that individuals are going to have widely varying opinions about the restaurants, so I wont discount any of them now.
ParksI had many new experiences this trip and that was fun. Thats a good thing about spacing out your trips. Fantasmic is the best addition by far. I loved Animal Kingdom and will definitely spend more time there next time. I also could never spend enough time in Epcot. I could probably spend an entire vacation in World Showcase alone.
TransportationThe buses were not a problem for us. I can see the benefit of staying at an Epcot resort. It would be nice to be able to walk to Epcot and take the boat to MGM. Id like to stay at Yacht Club for that reason. I still dont mind the buses though, and think Animal Kingdom Lodge is worth the limited transportation options.
Time of yearI will never go in peak season again. Enough said.
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Cast:
Heather (me)25Marketing Support Rep, Graduate student. Former WDW and
Disney Store Cast Member, obsessive vacation-planner.
Chad26Network systems programmer. Made fun of my obsessive vacation-
planning, but acknowledged the importance and appreciated the work.
The final day of vacation saddens me so much that I even hate writing about the final day. Ive been putting it off, but now Ive decided I must finish this trip report. So here it is, the Grand (?) Finale!
Day 7 I just hate to end it
The plan for today was to be at Animal Kingdom at opening to see what we had missed there and then head to Epcot until we had to meet our driver back at the resort. We were just dragging ourselves around in the morning though. I was sad and Chad still had to pack. No comment from me on this. Needless to say, we did not make it to Animal Kingdom at opening. It was probably more like 8:45 or 9:00 and by the time we arrived there were huge lines to get in. This was the weekend that all the locals caught on to the empty park situation and flooded the place. We decided that it wasnt worth it to wait to get in just to see a couple of things. Its Tough to Be a Bug and the Oasis could just wait until next time. We went on to Epcot after waiting a long time for a bus.
At Epcot there were swarms of middle-school groups. Whats the deal? I thought they all went on weekdays, particularly Thursday and Friday. This was a Saturday. Maybe they were scout troups or church groups. Regardless of the groups of kids, Epcot wasnt very crowded. We finally got to do Living With the Land, which is a favorite of mine. I think the Behind the Seeds tour will be in order next time, because I love those greenhouses and didnt feel like the boat spends enough time in them. After the ride, I couldnt help but gaze longingly at the Garden Grill. My first full-service Disney meal took place there and I have fond memories. This was before it became all character meals though. I almost wanted to eat there instead of the planned Akershus in Norway, but Chad wasnt too keen on the whole character thing. Ill probably make sure to eat there next time though. Im dying to try the vegetables from the greenhouses.
We went on Test Track again and afterwards walked into World Showcase just as they were dropping the rope. Where did the time go? We went ahead and put our names on the list at Akerhus since they didnt open until 11:30. We did the Maelstrom in the meantime and confirmed that its highly superior to the Mexico boat ride. We stayed for the film on Norway and it was very nice.
Were starving and sit in Akerhus and waited for them to start seating people. We were first (I just love being first) and had a very nice server who gave us the buffet tour. We ordered the Ringnes beer because I had heard it was the best and it was very good. It went well with the food. Now lets talk about the foodincredible!!! We were in heaven with all the fish. My favorite was the smoked mackerel and Chad almost made himself sick on all the smoked salmon he ate. I like the pickled herring too. Its very fishy, tastes kind of like sardines. The egg salad was great, as well as the shrimp salad. And the cheese! I didnt have anything I didnt like from the cold section. The breads were also good and the soup of the day which was mushroom. I tried some hot items and wasnt impressed with any of them. Next time I will stick to the cold items, bread, and soup. Those are plenty for a great meal. We will definitely go back to Akershus, probably every time we visit from now on. I think many adults could find things they liked here, even if they werent so adventurous, but I dont know if kids would do well. A group of the middle-school kids was eating there and they werent finding much they liked. Most of them just had meatballs and bread on their plate. Someone made a mistake in choosing that particular restaurant for them.
We had to meet our driver Ali at our resort at 3:00 and were feeling some serious time pressure. In the future we will stay at least a day longer and not go to a park on the last day. I dont like to feel rushed. We went through the China pavilion quickly, but not enough time for the film. I was sad about that. We skipped Germany and breezed through Italy. We made time for a Kaki Gori in Japan. We shared a rainbow one and it was nice and refreshing. By the time we looked around in Mitsukoshi it was time to leave. Yuck. Made our way back to the entrance, which was a trek given our location. It was a sad bus ride back to the lodge. I wandered around taking pictures until it was time for us to leave while Chad rested on a couch in the lobby. Those leather couches are extra comfortable.
Ali was right on time (early actually) and the trip to the airport was really fast. There must not have been much traffic. It was raining when we left the resort and the storm seemed to be brewing around the airport. We checked in at Delta and were the lucky winners of a random bag search. No problem though, we had plenty of time. The lady checking bags was so grateful that we were being nice and cutting up with her. She said most people were mean to her, as if it were her fault that the airline was implementing extra security. I felt bad for her, as she seemed pretty stressed. I cant believe people would behave that way when the regulations are implemented for everyones safety.
After we were finished showing the lady Chads poor example of packing and my highly organized packing we headed to the Shipyard Brewpub since the security lady had informed us that it was the only place you could smoke. We each tried one of their special brews and they were good. The atmosphere was a shock after our highly themed Disney experience though. The rest of our airport experience was uneventful. The flight was on time. It was a bumpy flight to Atlanta with the storm. Not too fun. Atlanta airport seemed really yucky after being at MCO. We arrived in Louisville a little after 9:00 pm and our vacation was over.
So here are some final thoughts:
ResortAnimal Kingdom Lodge was the best and perfect for us. Ill have to include at least a few nights here in future visits. Everything about it was great and we didnt have one bad experience there (well, the entire vacation really).
FoodWe had absolutely no food disappointments. Even when I expected to be disappointed, it was a great experience. The only mediocre food really was Pecos Bill Café, but thats to be expected with fast food. I guess it was pretty good as far as fast food goes. Trying out a couple of restaurants that I have heard bad things about (Sci-fi Dine-in and San Angel Inn) makes me think I will do this in the future. Ive learned that individuals are going to have widely varying opinions about the restaurants, so I wont discount any of them now.
ParksI had many new experiences this trip and that was fun. Thats a good thing about spacing out your trips. Fantasmic is the best addition by far. I loved Animal Kingdom and will definitely spend more time there next time. I also could never spend enough time in Epcot. I could probably spend an entire vacation in World Showcase alone.
TransportationThe buses were not a problem for us. I can see the benefit of staying at an Epcot resort. It would be nice to be able to walk to Epcot and take the boat to MGM. Id like to stay at Yacht Club for that reason. I still dont mind the buses though, and think Animal Kingdom Lodge is worth the limited transportation options.
Time of yearI will never go in peak season again. Enough said.
Thanks for the review on Akershus, we've wanted to try it, but aren't sure if we'll like it. We do like fish, but Akershus just seems like fish overload! Thanks again for a great trip report.
Well I did have a GREAT time reading your trip reports!!! Thanks so much for posting them!!! 
