Disney at Animal Kingdom Lodge

[Disney=Love]

Characters:

Me! (16) Disney fanatic
Mike (15) my brother
Mom and Dad
Vicki (17) cousin
Bri (14) cousin
Aunt and Uncle

What you need to know:

Yes, two years ago we went to Disney for the first time and there was a hurricane. No, it did not ruin our vacation. We all had so much fun and hit all the major things we wanted to do. The days we missed out on we were going to revisit our favorites and go to Downtown Disney. Of course it ended our vacation on a stressful note, but it certainly did not ruin it. Disney gave us three Park Hopper passes to be used in the next ten years. Well, everyone wanted to go back and tried to find a time that was good for everyone. Finally, the week of August 13th 2006 was decided on. We would go to the parks in three days and spend two days at Universal (don’t shoot me!) Reservations were made and excitement grew. So did Disney meet our expectations? Was it better then the first trip? You have to READ to find out!

 

[Disney=Love]

At last, it was time for the Disney vacation two years in the making. At The Happiest Place during the Happiest Celebration on Earth and (hopefully) no hurricanes. What could be better? It was so exciting that I didn’t mind waking up at 4:00am. I did some last minute packing and was ready to head out. At 4:30 it was off to the airport! We had no problems with airport security and chatted with some people also going to Disney. The plane took off around 7 and our trip to Disney had begun.

When the plane arrived at Orlando we picked up our baggage and rented a car. I found it interesting when I heard a man telling his son "You can't have chicken fingers, it's 9:30 in the morning" Wow! Usually I'm fighting to get out of bed at this time, but instead I'm in Florida! We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge around 10:30 and met up with our cousins right away. We were all jumping up and down with excitement. We bought a room with a savannah view and it was definitely worth it. I was expecting an occasional giraffe in the distance, but it was so much better. There was always an animal outside our room and sometimes they came really close. I instantly fell in love with the hotel.

Next it was time to check out the pool. It was a big pool and very relaxing. After a while it started thundering so the lifeguards cleared the pool area. We were getting our stuff and started to walk out, and then a rude lifeguard screamed at us “You have to leave the pool area!” I didn’t like him. At least we had someone to make fun of on the way out.

Before our dinner reservations Bri and Vicki gave us a tour of the hotel which basically consisted of looking at animals from every view possible. We couldn’t believe how much fun we were having before going to the parks.
We had reservations at the California Grill in the Contemporary Resort. The hotel was really cool, I wouldn’t mind staying there in the future, and the restaurant was on the top floor. While we were waiting to get seated we went outside and it was an amazing view. For dinner I ordered a BLT pizza. It tasted really good, but it was too sloppy. I really liked the whole atmosphere of the restaurant; you could even see the people cooking in the restaurant. It was a really cool place.

When we left dinner it was raining, but we went to Downtown Disney. I was tired, but still enjoyed it. My favorite store was World of Disney. It had everything a Disney fan would want! After ice cream at Ghiradelli’s, everyone went home to sleep.


Coming up in Day 2: We go two parks!

 

[pumba]

your report is great. Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about your first day......anxious for more

 

[Disney=Love]

your report is great. Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about your first day......anxious for more

Thank you so much for reading!

 

[matt&jakesmom]

Anxious to hear about the other days. I am glad that you liked AKL. WE are heading there Monday and cannot wait. WE have never been there before.

 

[nicolemarie]

Your title caught my eye, as we have reservations for AKL for our Thanksgiving trip.

But then I saw that you are 16 years old and it gives me hope!!

A teenager who enjoys Disney with their family!! I want that to be our kids in 10 years!!

Great report. Looking forward to more!!

Nicolemarie

 

[Disney=Love]

Anxious to hear about the other days. I am glad that you liked AKL. WE are heading there Monday and cannot wait. WE have never been there before.

You're going to have so much fun, I wish I was back!

 

[Disney=Love]

Your title caught my eye, as we have reservations for AKL for our Thanksgiving trip.

But then I saw that you are 16 years old and it gives me hope!!

A teenager who enjoys Disney with their family!! I want that to be our kids in 10 years!!

Great report. Looking forward to more!!

Nicolemarie

Thank you. I don't see any reason why teenagers shouldn't LOVE going to Disney with family. I will say the fact that my cousins came along really made it more exciting than just my parents.

Me and my cousins joke about how we're going to be obsessive parents bringing our kids to Disney each year. (lol)

 

[Disney=Love]

I woke up excited because that morning I’m going to Animal Kingdom and riding Expedition Everest! At our last vacation to Disney we saw them constructing it and thought it looked awesome, so we’ve really been waiting two years for this ride. I went down to the Mara to refill my mug and get some breakfast. (A donut for breakfast, not completely healthy) Our group met in the lobby and walked down to the bus for Animal Kingdom.

It was pretty obvious everyone walking into Animal Kingdom had Expedition Everest on their mind too. We were considering Fastpass but decided to just wait on line. It wasn’t a bad wait at all because you’re moving the entire time and the decoration is cool to look at. In no time we were seated near the back. Trust me; this is a great roller coaster. It’s fun the entire time. Everyone went on again except for the dads. It was great because this time we were near the front and it was a completely different experience, but just as great.

Next, it was off to a favorite ride from last trip…DINOSAUR. I get so scared in this ride, but that’s why I love it so much. We went on this twice and both times, the picture had me with my head down. I screamed so much I swear I lost my voice for a little bit. I just love it so much!

The line for Kilomanjaro Safari is always long so we knew that was one to Fastpass. We headed over to Kali River Rapids. I was shocked at just how long the line was because last time we got on twice with next to no wait. This was the longest line we waited on during the entire vacation, but it’s a fun ride. Bri and Aunt were in the ‘wet seat’. They got pretty drenched at the big drop. It was so funny.

We walked down to the beautiful Tree of Life for the It’s Tough to be a Bug show. Once again, it was another fun attraction that I would consider a must-see. To finish the day we used our Fastpass for Kilomanjaro Safari. Walking past the line of people that seemed to go on forever definitely confirms that it was a smart move to use Fastpass. For lunch, we headed over to the Tusker House. I ordered a Turkey Wrap that I enjoyed very much. We had a little conference after lunch. Basically it was decided that the kids and Aunt would go directly to Magic Kingdom and the 'lazy grown-ups' would go back to the hotel to relax before meeting us for dinner.

We decided to go on rides we knew the lazy people wouldn’t go on. We got a Fastpass for Space Mountain and then waited in line. The line for Haunted Mansion was short so we went there. Next was Big Thunder Mountain. As we were heading towards Space Mountain to ride it again, we decided to try Stitch’s Great Escape. It was more fun than I thought. Then we used our Fastpass on Space Mountain and when we left everyone was reunited. The line for Haunted Mansion was still short so everyone rode that. We went into the Yankee Trader store and I bought a very cute Cinderella snow globe. (I love Disney snow globes, but I didn’t want to spend more than $50 on one, so at $12 I felt this one was reasonably priced) We went on the Jungle Cruise for the first time. It wasn’t awful, but definitely not a must-see. I have a feeling our guide wasn't the best they have. We had a little time before our reservations so we rode Pirates of the Caribbean. We were all amazed! They updated the ride for the movie and Jack Sparrow looks just like Johnny Depp. Bri even whispered to me “Is that a real person?” Jack Sparrow alone made the ride extraordinary.

Time for Crystal Palace! This was a restaurant we had reservations for, but never went to because of the hurricane. I loved how the characters had a schedule for visiting each table. The restaurant was great and we got tons of pictures with Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and of course Pooh. We walked out and see that the SpectroMagic is starting. I remember loving it last time so we ran up for a good view. Not right in front, but can still see everything. Once again, it was a very impressive parade. Then we run back to the Crystal Palace to see the fireworks. The seats on the porch have a tree that I was afraid would block the view. Standing right by the stairs was a great view and I just loved the “Wishes”. It really made me think about how these are the best fireworks I’ve seen in my life and Disney pulls it off every night. As the vacation continues I keep having similar thoughts.

Well, time for bed, tomorrow’s Epcot & MGM!

 

[julemm]

Love your report! I couldn't tell this was your first one-you seem like a pro...great job! We have alot in common....we went to Disney for the first time in Sept '04 (stayed at WL) and were greeted with hurricane Jeanne. We have also been thinking of our next Disney trip for 2 years now too and have also decided on AKL. We are going October 14th to the 21st-over my DD 10th birthday. We also have a savannah room and can't wait to see the hotel in person. I can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip went and wish you well on your last few days! If you think of any tips, please send them my way I am trying to read and get all the info I can before we go. Thanks again for taking the time to let us know how your trip is!

 

[Disney=Love]

Love your report! I couldn't tell this was your first one-you seem like a pro...great job! We have alot in common....we went to Disney for the first time in Sept '04 (stayed at WL) and were greeted with hurricane Jeanne. We have also been thinking of our next Disney trip for 2 years now too and have also decided on AKL. We are going October 14th to the 21st-over my DD 10th birthday. We also have a savannah room and can't wait to see the hotel in person. I can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip went and wish you well on your last few days! If you think of any tips, please send them my way I am trying to read and get all the info I can before we go. Thanks again for taking the time to let us know how your trip is!

Thanks so much! That's so cool we have so much in common.

I noticed AKL had a lot of programs that looked kid-friendly. I bet your DD would love a tour of animals. Even without going on an AKL program definitely set time out to roam around the hotel looking for animals. If you have an any questions I would love to help.

 

[Disney=Love]

I am so sorry it took so long to get it posted, I was just really busy with little access to the computer.

Another early wake-up but it’s Disney so you completely forgot how little sleep you got. We went to Epcot and just like in AK where everyone went for Expedition Everest, everyone went for Soarin’. We got a Fastpass and waited in line. It wasn’t too bad of a wait and Soarin’ was awesome! There was still a little time until our Fastpass for Soarin’ would start, but we could Fastpass another ride. So off we went to Test Track! We Fastpassed that and came back to Soarin’ to ride with Fastpass. The standby wait was definitely longer than before and we loved the ride even more. (Both times I was in the middle row, but I wish I could have tried the front row. I imagine it’s probably better when you don’t see little feet dangling above you.) With plenty of time to spare until Test Track, we went to Mission: Space on orange team. It was just as great as I remembered it. Then, we tried out the less intense green team. I thought it was a lot of fun. The best part of green was that we could have more fun because there weren’t so many safety precautions to follow.

Our Fastpass for Test Track still hadn’t arrived so we rode Spaceship Earth. I was really bored by this last trip. But it wasn’t half bad this trip. It was probably because it was in the Epcot ball so I was expecting something really cool and was disappointed two years ago. FINALLY, it was time to go to Test Track. I couldn’t imagine waiting in line without a Fastpass, it was about an hour wait. Anyway, Test Track was really fun and we went to the World Showcase for lunch. As we were walking, we happened to see the Kristos. I didn’t know they existed so it was pretty lucky we saw their whole routine by chance. They were very entertaining and of course talented.

Also on our way to lunch we saw Cinderella and Belle taking pictures. (My brother was too embarrassed to go for a picture), but me and my cousins got our pictures. In the World Showcase where you can try food from all cultures, I ate at…America! Not too exotic, huh?

Time for MGM, Fantasmic tonight!

At MGM, we rode the two ‘big’ rides first, Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. Then, there was a problem. Because of Fantasmic, we had a limited time left to spend in the park. Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Indiana Jones were all performing at around the same time and there was no way to see all three that night. Bri really wanted to see Little Mermaid and I really wanted to see Beauty & the Beast. So everyone split up, basically between two families. Little Mermaid was further away and started a little earlier, so going to Beauty and the Beast gave enough time to ride Tower of Terror again. My brother I and went and there were two people who had two extra Fastpass which they offered to us. It wasn’t a huge help because the line was so short, but it’s great to experience a Disney moment of kindness. Those people could have used the extra Fastpasses for themselves, but they gave it to us, and I think that’s really nice.

Anyway, time for Beauty and the Beast, I never saw this show, but I love the movie. I thought the show was amazing, and the opening act (Four for a Dollar) was extremely entertaining as well. I definitely recommend this show. When we exited, there were a few people behind the Fantasmic gates, so it seemed like a good time to line up. The line got long fast, and I thought it was going to get violent. However, Disney did a good job at not letting it get too crazy. We got awesome seats and for dinner I had…Sprite and popcorn! Now, when the rest of our group came a few minutes later, they told us something very interesting. They said The Little Mermaid show was HORRIBLE! I was surprised because I’ve heard only praise for this. If anyone would like to comment on that, please do.

Waiting for Fantasmic, someone started an awesome wave. About ten minutes before the show my brother decided he wants to start the wave. He didn’t get the whole crowd to do it, because it wasn’t half bad of an effort. All the people around us participated and it went a little far down. He kept going “One last time!” everyone laughed because he said that around ten times. I really think if he had started a little earlier, he would have gotten the whole crowd. Anyway, Fantasmic was AMAZING! My favorite part of Disney, enough said.

At the hotel everyone went in the pool except for my mom and me. We wanted to go to bed, but decided to check out ‘nightvision’ before sleeping. (In the AKL there’s a location you can look at animals using night vision from 9-11pm I think) I can’t begin to describe how close up the giraffe was. I ran to the pool and told my brother and cousins to come out. They were freezing, but said it was worth it. I wish I had a camera to show you how wonderfully close it was. Best animal viewing of the trip.

 

[arizonacolbys]

Great trip report so far!! I'd love to stay at the AKL someday - it sounds like you all really enjoyed it!

We were also greeted by a hurricane 2 years ago - Hurricane Jeanne in Sept '04 & we are anxiously awaiting our trip in just 24 days!!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Great report. Sounds like you are having a blast in the world. You might consider the college program. I think you would make a wonderful CM with all your excitement for disney.