MEK
DIS Legend
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- May 8, 2005
- Messages
- 20,088
12/6-12/14/08 at Wilderness Lodge - Our 1st DVC Experience
- Thread starter Melissa79
- Start date
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
H! Early December is a great time to visit Disney, you will have so much fun. Sept 30th really will be here before I know it...I can't believe I'm half way already!I'm in! DH and I will be going with our parents around those same dates this year (the 4th-14th) so I'm eager to read about your experience.
And congrats on the little one! September 30th will be here before you know it!
I did look at your ME picture - I don't see myself but I'd imagine I was around there somewhere since we landed at the same time!It's all coming back to me now...you were flying out of Boston...not RI but, we figured out that we were in different terminals. But, how funny...we got to the airport at the same time...took off and landed within minutes of each other. Did you check out my ME picture in my TR...do you see yourself??? The line WAS huge!!! I remember being checked in by a woman with a Mickey hand...and lots of cheerleaders!!! But, what a great day!!!
Yay, finally there! I feel like getting there is half the fun and check in is great because you find out what your room will be like.
I know, me too! I wish I could wake up ANY day like that!
Hi! Thanks for joining in!
Hello! We went in early December two years in a row...it is so nice! Where are you staying?
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
We got off the bus and headed into the lobby. I just love the Wilderness Lodge, I could hang out in the lobby for hours! There were Christmas decorations all over and a huge tree in the middle of the lobby. Since there was no one in line at the front desk, I went over to check in while Nick and my parents looked around the lobby. It was only 12:30 so we didn't think our room would be ready. I had heard that the villas are often not ready until close to check in time (4:00) so I was surprised when the lady told me our room was ready. When I was done checking in I found the family and we headed over to the villas to find our room, number 5553.
We were excited to see what a "dedicated" two bedroom is like. We stopped outside our room and tried the key but it didn't work. Oh wait - we were at the wrong room number!
Our real room was on the 5th floor and was the second to last room from the end of the building. When we went in the room my parents headed to see their bedroom, Nick went to see the master bedroom and I went straight for the balcony to see what kind of view we had. It was a great view, it did have a lot of trees but you could see the water and we were close enough to hear the boats.
This is looking straight out from the balcony.
This is looking left towards the WL main building.
We all met up and did the official tour of the kitchen, living room, master bedroom and bathroom, and 2nd bedroom and bathroom. I wasn't expecting it to be as big as it was.
The kitchen
2nd bedroom - mom & dad's room
Bathroom off of the 2nd bedroom
Sink area outside of mom & dad's bathroom
Master bedroom - me and Nick's room
Tub in the master bedroom
Bathroom attached to the master bedroom
Here is a video tour of our 2 bedroom villa
We hung out on the balcony for a few minutes and decided to get a snack. We went to the Roaring Fork and grabbed fruit cups for mom and I and cookies for Nick and dad and found a table outside. It was a beautiful day to start our vacation.
After our snack we walked around outside - we went down to the dock, by the pools, and also checked out the lobby in the main building and in the villas.
We went back to our room and sat on the balcony, something we did a lot of this vacation! I couldn't decide if I wanted to go swimming or take a nap. I was sooo tired but I didn't want to miss anything, we just got here! Mom and I decided to lay down for a while and Nick and dad sat on the balcony talking while we rested.
I did fall asleep for a little while and was glad that I got that little recharge. When I got up Nick and dad said there had been deer in the woods below our balcony while I was asleep. I thought they were joking because Nick and I had stayed at the WL three other times and never saw a deer there. So, I watched for them and there really were deer down there wandering around eating!
Here is a video of one of them.
We need to back up for a minute. The reason that I woke up from my little nap was because I heard the door close - ever notice that those hotel doors can be loud sometimes? Anyway, I heard the door and then heard Nick talk to someone and I thought...ooohh our luggage must be here now, I can shower before dinner. Well, it was 1 suitcase...out of 4. It actually was the one that we saw being loaded onto the plane before we took off from Boston. We waited a while but no other suitcases, the luggage had never taken this long and why did we get one but not the others? We called the front desk to find out if we should be calling Delta yet and they said it was a little too early, they were not necessarily lost yet.
Instead of waiting around for our luggage we decided to go over to the Contemporary early, we had 6:00 dinner reservations at the Wave. So, we headed down to the dock to wait for the boat.
One of the things that we love about the WL is that you can take a boat to the Contemporary and also to the Magic Kingdom. We would rather take the boat than the bus. Well, my dad LOVES to take the boats. He loves everything about them, he likes the ride on the boats, the sound of the boats, the breeze on the boats, and he remembers most of the boat "drivers." After his first trip to Disney and WL in 2006, that was what he always mentioned...the boats.
So, our ride to the Contemporary was the first boat ride of the trip.
We walked around the hotel for a while and went in the gift shops. Normally Nick and I eat at the Concourse Steakhouse on our first night but that closed so that's how we ended up picking the Wave. Dinners are one of the things that we look forward to the most on our trips, we make dinner reservations for every night because we like to top off our day with a great meal.
It was still really early so we decided to go down to the Wave and get some drinks. They said we could check in early, so we did. We sat in the waiting area which was kinda neat, it had blue lighting and orange candles on the tables. We didn't wait very long before we were seated. We all very much enjoyed our meals. I had the chicken pot pie, Nick and mom had the beef meal, and dad had pork. At the Wave they have organic beer and like to try to match the beer to your meal and the waitress was recommending different beer for Nick and my dad. They tried several and liked some but not all. This trying new beer and drinking beer in general became a recurring theme during our dinners this vacation. Nick and dad enjoyed having a few drinks to relax at the end of the day.
After dinner we took the boat back to the WL. We sat around in the lobby of the villas in some of the rocking chairs. Dad ran upstairs to check on our luggage - the other three suitcases showed up while we were gone. The lobby in the villas was so quiet, we barely saw anyone while we were sitting there. I was so comfortable in my rocking chair, by the fire, looking at the Christmas tree, thinking I can't believe vacation is finally here! Everyone was pretty tired after our long day so we headed up to bed.
We were excited to see what a "dedicated" two bedroom is like. We stopped outside our room and tried the key but it didn't work. Oh wait - we were at the wrong room number!
Our real room was on the 5th floor and was the second to last room from the end of the building. When we went in the room my parents headed to see their bedroom, Nick went to see the master bedroom and I went straight for the balcony to see what kind of view we had. It was a great view, it did have a lot of trees but you could see the water and we were close enough to hear the boats.This is looking straight out from the balcony.
This is looking left towards the WL main building.
We all met up and did the official tour of the kitchen, living room, master bedroom and bathroom, and 2nd bedroom and bathroom. I wasn't expecting it to be as big as it was.
The kitchen
2nd bedroom - mom & dad's room
Bathroom off of the 2nd bedroom
Sink area outside of mom & dad's bathroom
Master bedroom - me and Nick's room
Tub in the master bedroom
Bathroom attached to the master bedroom
Here is a video tour of our 2 bedroom villa
We hung out on the balcony for a few minutes and decided to get a snack. We went to the Roaring Fork and grabbed fruit cups for mom and I and cookies for Nick and dad and found a table outside. It was a beautiful day to start our vacation.
After our snack we walked around outside - we went down to the dock, by the pools, and also checked out the lobby in the main building and in the villas.We went back to our room and sat on the balcony, something we did a lot of this vacation! I couldn't decide if I wanted to go swimming or take a nap. I was sooo tired but I didn't want to miss anything, we just got here! Mom and I decided to lay down for a while and Nick and dad sat on the balcony talking while we rested.
I did fall asleep for a little while and was glad that I got that little recharge. When I got up Nick and dad said there had been deer in the woods below our balcony while I was asleep. I thought they were joking because Nick and I had stayed at the WL three other times and never saw a deer there. So, I watched for them and there really were deer down there wandering around eating!
Here is a video of one of them.
We need to back up for a minute. The reason that I woke up from my little nap was because I heard the door close - ever notice that those hotel doors can be loud sometimes? Anyway, I heard the door and then heard Nick talk to someone and I thought...ooohh our luggage must be here now, I can shower before dinner. Well, it was 1 suitcase...out of 4. It actually was the one that we saw being loaded onto the plane before we took off from Boston. We waited a while but no other suitcases, the luggage had never taken this long and why did we get one but not the others? We called the front desk to find out if we should be calling Delta yet and they said it was a little too early, they were not necessarily lost yet.
Instead of waiting around for our luggage we decided to go over to the Contemporary early, we had 6:00 dinner reservations at the Wave. So, we headed down to the dock to wait for the boat.
One of the things that we love about the WL is that you can take a boat to the Contemporary and also to the Magic Kingdom. We would rather take the boat than the bus. Well, my dad LOVES to take the boats. He loves everything about them, he likes the ride on the boats, the sound of the boats, the breeze on the boats, and he remembers most of the boat "drivers." After his first trip to Disney and WL in 2006, that was what he always mentioned...the boats.
So, our ride to the Contemporary was the first boat ride of the trip. We walked around the hotel for a while and went in the gift shops. Normally Nick and I eat at the Concourse Steakhouse on our first night but that closed so that's how we ended up picking the Wave. Dinners are one of the things that we look forward to the most on our trips, we make dinner reservations for every night because we like to top off our day with a great meal.
It was still really early so we decided to go down to the Wave and get some drinks. They said we could check in early, so we did. We sat in the waiting area which was kinda neat, it had blue lighting and orange candles on the tables. We didn't wait very long before we were seated. We all very much enjoyed our meals. I had the chicken pot pie, Nick and mom had the beef meal, and dad had pork. At the Wave they have organic beer and like to try to match the beer to your meal and the waitress was recommending different beer for Nick and my dad. They tried several and liked some but not all. This trying new beer and drinking beer in general became a recurring theme during our dinners this vacation. Nick and dad enjoyed having a few drinks to relax at the end of the day.
After dinner we took the boat back to the WL. We sat around in the lobby of the villas in some of the rocking chairs. Dad ran upstairs to check on our luggage - the other three suitcases showed up while we were gone. The lobby in the villas was so quiet, we barely saw anyone while we were sitting there. I was so comfortable in my rocking chair, by the fire, looking at the Christmas tree, thinking I can't believe vacation is finally here! Everyone was pretty tired after our long day so we headed up to bed.
Lcaemom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2007
- Messages
- 709
Hi Melissa
Happy Mother's Day...hoping you're enjoying your first official Mother's Day. I love all your pictures. Is there really a separate lobby for the WLV, with it's own rocking chairs and fireplace and tree...wow!!! You're really selling me on this DVC thing...I'm getting closer!
I can't believe how big a "designated 2 bedroom" is either. I love your description of your dad, regarding the boats...must have been a nice, relaxing time for him and Nick to sit on the balcony, watching the deer and listening to the boat horns. I remember you commenting on that, before our trips...turned out to be one of my favorite things about that whole area. Can't wait to read more...great job so far!
Happy Mother's Day...hoping you're enjoying your first official Mother's Day. I love all your pictures. Is there really a separate lobby for the WLV, with it's own rocking chairs and fireplace and tree...wow!!! You're really selling me on this DVC thing...I'm getting closer!
I can't believe how big a "designated 2 bedroom" is either. I love your description of your dad, regarding the boats...must have been a nice, relaxing time for him and Nick to sit on the balcony, watching the deer and listening to the boat horns. I remember you commenting on that, before our trips...turned out to be one of my favorite things about that whole area. Can't wait to read more...great job so far!wide receiver
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2005
- Messages
- 348
Yeah! We are the same way...Now I'm looking forward even more to your TR! Stories about food always warm my heart.
Hope your feeling well on your first Mom's Day!
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
We thought the 2 bedroom villa was great. I loved having the nice big bathroom in the master bedroom and it was nice to have the living room to sit in together at night.Ooh, I love the pictures of the WL! I seriously cannot wait to stay there!
So how did you like the 2 BR villa? We stayed in one of the 2BR at Saratoga Springs and it was awesome!
Thanks, I did enjoy my first official Mother's Day. I hope you had a good day too! There really is a separate lobby for the WLV, and there are actually two fireplaces in there! Loved it!! I bet you'll end up buying into DVC!Hi Melissa
Happy Mother's Day...hoping you're enjoying your first official Mother's Day. I love all your pictures. Is there really a separate lobby for the WLV, with it's own rocking chairs and fireplace and tree...wow!!! You're really selling me on this DVC thing...I'm getting closer!
Gotta have a good meal at the end of the day! I was feeling well on my first Mother's Day...hope you enjoyed your day.Yeah! We are the same way...Now I'm looking forward even more to your TR! Stories about food always warm my heart.
Hope your feeling well on your first Mom's Day!
I would definitely eat at the Wave again, I hope you enjoy it!
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
I think it's time for a little update since I've been missing for a bit! I've been busy around here and we went on a little get away before the baby. Can anyone guess where we went???
Disney - of course!
Nick and I had been thinking about taking a last vacation before the baby and we decided on a mini trip to Disney while I could still fly. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge for 4 nights and did a lot of relaxing, it was great! We had never stayed at AKL before but found a good deal through Expedia - $170 per night when the room is normally $290 a night right now. If we had some DVC points available we probably would have stayed at the WL. So, even though I've barely got my Dec TR going, I'm going to tell you a bit about our 4 night visit to AKL. Here we go!
On Friday May 15th I worked until 4:00 and headed home to have dinner and make sure we were ready to go. We ate and I changed and next thing I knew, it was time to leave for the airport! The car picked us up at 5:45 and we got to Logan with out any trouble. Our check in and security adventure was quick and painless and we sat waiting to board our plane which was scheduled for 8:10. I couldn't believe we were heading back to Disney again! We flew Jet Blue - I love that airline! The tvs in every seat are great and Nick and I watched one of the Bourne movies which took up two thirds of the flight. I was so tired and really wanted to nap on the plane but the doctor told me I had to keep moving my legs and get up as much as possible. We landed in Orlando, grabbed our luggage, and headed to Magical Express. The airport was empty! They showed us to a bus and we sat there for a long time and only two other groups of people got on the bus before we were on our way. When we got to AKL to check in it was after midnight, we checked in and found our room - number 4007. After a quick look at the room we went to bed, it was after 1:00AM
That is late for a pregnant person who had been up since 5:00AM and had a busy work day! Not to worry though, we were determined to do nothing but relax on this vacation!
Saturday May 16th
I woke up at 7:00 and Nick wasn't in the room so I sent him a text to tell him I was up and went out to see our view off the balcony. We were at the front of the resort and our balcony was very small, the door had to be opened out and you couldn't open it all the way because it would bump into the chair our there. This is what I saw when I looked out that first morning.
Nick had been wandering the resort looking for animals but he didn't see any this morning. We got ready for the day and waited for a bus to the Magic Kingdom...we didn't go in but headed for the monorail so that we could get to the Poly. We had breakfast reservations at the Kona for 10:15, we were really early so we walked around before checking in. Our breakfast was great as usual, we both got the Tonga Toast, love it! After breakfast we walked out by the pool and sat at a table and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Me and my belly starting to get hot walking around the Poly
After a while we decided to go back to the hotel to take a nap before heading to Epcot. So, we got on the monorail and got off at the Magic Kingdom and walked over to the bus area. I really wanted to go into the MK! The bus came after a short wait, we had no problems with waiting for the buses, as usual. Back at our hotel we walked around looking for some animals and did see some off in the distance. It was 2:00 when we got to the room and decided to set the alarm for 4:00 but I really didn't expect to sleep that long. The alarm went off at 4:00 and we were both still sound asleep! So, we got ready and off we went to Epcot.
There were lots of topiaries, which I just love! Here are just two...
We pretty much just walked straight to the world showcase, since that is our favorite part of Epcot. We started on the Canada side and made our way around slowly. I was getting hungry (I feel like all I do is eat snacks these days) and we didn't have dinner reservations until 8:30 so we looked for something to eat. I decided to try the funnel cake in America. By the time we got it I was starting to overheat - it came on so fast! We found a spot in the shade and I ate my snack while Nick went looking for something for himself. He was gone for a bit and ended up getting some gelato from Italy. We finished our snacks and I was really hot so we decided to watch the show in America, we love it and it is in the AC. Jose Feliciano was singing on the stage across the way and I was enjoying it even though I didn't know any of the songs he was singing - I've only heard his Christmas CD from a long time ago!
After the show in America we continued our walk around the countries and had a seat in front of China for a while. It was a bit cooler and the sun had started to go down.
As it got closer to our dinner time we headed back towards Italy so that we could wander through the shops before we ate.
I checked in for our 8:30 dinner reservation and we were seated after just a few minutes. We had a wonderful dinner there, as usual. I think that is my favorite restaurant in Disney! After dinner we headed for the exit. It was almost 10:00 and the park was EMPTY! It was so strange walking by the countries seeing almost no one! When we got back to the hotel we went to bed, even with the nap I was really tired.
Sunday May 17th
Today we had no breakfast reservations so we ate at the Mara, the counter service at AKL. I had slept later today and was starving by the time we got down there! Our plan for the day was to just hang out by the pool and go to the Magic Kingdom in the evening, it was open until midnight with extra magic hours. The day was going as planned, at least the first half. It was sooooo relaxing, we sat by the pool and went swimming and sat some more until about 3:30 when it started to get cloudy. We headed back to the room to get ready for our evening at the Magic Kingdom.
Here are a few pictures of our room...
We had a handicapped bathroom and there was a lot of room in there.
Before we went to the bus stop, we went looking for animals again. We did see several animals this time, including a baby giraffe that was taking a look at us as well.
Off to the Magic Kingdom we went...and wouldn't you know, within 5 minutes of being there it started to rain?! We went on the Pirates ride and the haunted mansion before it got heavy. Then it was raining more and you could hear thunder, I was hoping it was going to pass. We waited for Winnie the Pooh even though it was about a 30 minute wait, we wanted to stay out of the rain for now. After that ride we headed for the closest food place which was Cosmic Rays and thought we'd find something to eat. But, neither of us felt like anything there so we walked a bit further and sat at a table in a covered area, I don't know what it's called but it is huge and has tons of tables and sometimes they serve food in there but it wasn't open today. Anyway, we sat there for a long time looking out at the castle as it was changing color and the lighting was zig zagging accross the sky. We both got a bit hungry so we headed towards Main Street and decided to go to the bakery and the ice cream place. Nick got an ice cream and I got a chocolate croissant...healthy dinner, I know. After we ate we decided to call it a night, we were wet, tired and I can't walk all that fast right now and didn't want to be wandering through the rain so we headed for the exit. We sat in the lobby for a while when we got back and we could see the lightning through the huge windows at the back of the lobby. I was so happy that we got to have our day by the pool because the next two days were looking like all rain.
Disney - of course!
Nick and I had been thinking about taking a last vacation before the baby and we decided on a mini trip to Disney while I could still fly. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge for 4 nights and did a lot of relaxing, it was great! We had never stayed at AKL before but found a good deal through Expedia - $170 per night when the room is normally $290 a night right now. If we had some DVC points available we probably would have stayed at the WL. So, even though I've barely got my Dec TR going, I'm going to tell you a bit about our 4 night visit to AKL. Here we go!
On Friday May 15th I worked until 4:00 and headed home to have dinner and make sure we were ready to go. We ate and I changed and next thing I knew, it was time to leave for the airport! The car picked us up at 5:45 and we got to Logan with out any trouble. Our check in and security adventure was quick and painless and we sat waiting to board our plane which was scheduled for 8:10. I couldn't believe we were heading back to Disney again! We flew Jet Blue - I love that airline! The tvs in every seat are great and Nick and I watched one of the Bourne movies which took up two thirds of the flight. I was so tired and really wanted to nap on the plane but the doctor told me I had to keep moving my legs and get up as much as possible. We landed in Orlando, grabbed our luggage, and headed to Magical Express. The airport was empty! They showed us to a bus and we sat there for a long time and only two other groups of people got on the bus before we were on our way. When we got to AKL to check in it was after midnight, we checked in and found our room - number 4007. After a quick look at the room we went to bed, it was after 1:00AM
That is late for a pregnant person who had been up since 5:00AM and had a busy work day! Not to worry though, we were determined to do nothing but relax on this vacation!Saturday May 16th
I woke up at 7:00 and Nick wasn't in the room so I sent him a text to tell him I was up and went out to see our view off the balcony. We were at the front of the resort and our balcony was very small, the door had to be opened out and you couldn't open it all the way because it would bump into the chair our there. This is what I saw when I looked out that first morning.
Nick had been wandering the resort looking for animals but he didn't see any this morning. We got ready for the day and waited for a bus to the Magic Kingdom...we didn't go in but headed for the monorail so that we could get to the Poly. We had breakfast reservations at the Kona for 10:15, we were really early so we walked around before checking in. Our breakfast was great as usual, we both got the Tonga Toast, love it! After breakfast we walked out by the pool and sat at a table and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Me and my belly starting to get hot walking around the Poly
After a while we decided to go back to the hotel to take a nap before heading to Epcot. So, we got on the monorail and got off at the Magic Kingdom and walked over to the bus area. I really wanted to go into the MK! The bus came after a short wait, we had no problems with waiting for the buses, as usual. Back at our hotel we walked around looking for some animals and did see some off in the distance. It was 2:00 when we got to the room and decided to set the alarm for 4:00 but I really didn't expect to sleep that long. The alarm went off at 4:00 and we were both still sound asleep! So, we got ready and off we went to Epcot.
There were lots of topiaries, which I just love! Here are just two...
We pretty much just walked straight to the world showcase, since that is our favorite part of Epcot. We started on the Canada side and made our way around slowly. I was getting hungry (I feel like all I do is eat snacks these days) and we didn't have dinner reservations until 8:30 so we looked for something to eat. I decided to try the funnel cake in America. By the time we got it I was starting to overheat - it came on so fast! We found a spot in the shade and I ate my snack while Nick went looking for something for himself. He was gone for a bit and ended up getting some gelato from Italy. We finished our snacks and I was really hot so we decided to watch the show in America, we love it and it is in the AC. Jose Feliciano was singing on the stage across the way and I was enjoying it even though I didn't know any of the songs he was singing - I've only heard his Christmas CD from a long time ago!
After the show in America we continued our walk around the countries and had a seat in front of China for a while. It was a bit cooler and the sun had started to go down.
As it got closer to our dinner time we headed back towards Italy so that we could wander through the shops before we ate.
I checked in for our 8:30 dinner reservation and we were seated after just a few minutes. We had a wonderful dinner there, as usual. I think that is my favorite restaurant in Disney! After dinner we headed for the exit. It was almost 10:00 and the park was EMPTY! It was so strange walking by the countries seeing almost no one! When we got back to the hotel we went to bed, even with the nap I was really tired.
Sunday May 17th
Today we had no breakfast reservations so we ate at the Mara, the counter service at AKL. I had slept later today and was starving by the time we got down there! Our plan for the day was to just hang out by the pool and go to the Magic Kingdom in the evening, it was open until midnight with extra magic hours. The day was going as planned, at least the first half. It was sooooo relaxing, we sat by the pool and went swimming and sat some more until about 3:30 when it started to get cloudy. We headed back to the room to get ready for our evening at the Magic Kingdom.
Here are a few pictures of our room...
We had a handicapped bathroom and there was a lot of room in there.
Before we went to the bus stop, we went looking for animals again. We did see several animals this time, including a baby giraffe that was taking a look at us as well.
Off to the Magic Kingdom we went...and wouldn't you know, within 5 minutes of being there it started to rain?! We went on the Pirates ride and the haunted mansion before it got heavy. Then it was raining more and you could hear thunder, I was hoping it was going to pass. We waited for Winnie the Pooh even though it was about a 30 minute wait, we wanted to stay out of the rain for now. After that ride we headed for the closest food place which was Cosmic Rays and thought we'd find something to eat. But, neither of us felt like anything there so we walked a bit further and sat at a table in a covered area, I don't know what it's called but it is huge and has tons of tables and sometimes they serve food in there but it wasn't open today. Anyway, we sat there for a long time looking out at the castle as it was changing color and the lighting was zig zagging accross the sky. We both got a bit hungry so we headed towards Main Street and decided to go to the bakery and the ice cream place. Nick got an ice cream and I got a chocolate croissant...healthy dinner, I know. After we ate we decided to call it a night, we were wet, tired and I can't walk all that fast right now and didn't want to be wandering through the rain so we headed for the exit. We sat in the lobby for a while when we got back and we could see the lightning through the huge windows at the back of the lobby. I was so happy that we got to have our day by the pool because the next two days were looking like all rain.
princess&her4princes
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 4,035
WOW...you snuck in a quick trip!! Good for you guys! And how smart to do it now before the baby comes.....but I will tell you, it's SO easy to travel with a newborn, too!! We took our youngest at 2.5 mos and it was the best trip for us!!!
Looks like you had a nice time so far, looking foward to hearing more!!
Btw, you look so cute pregnant! How are you feeling? Will you find out what you're having?
Can't wait to hear more....
And how smart to do it now before the baby comes.....but I will tell you, it's SO easy to travel with a newborn, too!! We took our youngest at 2.5 mos and it was the best trip for us!!! Looks like you had a nice time so far, looking foward to hearing more!!Btw, you look so cute pregnant! How are you feeling? Will you find out what you're having?
Can't wait to hear more....
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
Monday May 18th
The plan for Monday was to have breakfast at the Kona, hotel hop, and have dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe and that is exactly what we did. It rained ALL day so we didn't do anything outside and it was a good day to hotel hop! So, we started off at the Poly and had breakfast at the Kona at 10:15. Nick loves the Poly!
We hung out in the lobby for a while after breakfast and then took the monorail to the Contemporary. There we wandered through the shops and sat in some seats by the windows that overlooked the dock area. When we felt like a change, we got back on the monorail and took it to the Grand Floridian. At the GF we got a snack for me and looked through the shops, Nick got a GF sweatshirt and I was looking for a sweatshirt for myself but didn't find anything. We found a seat in the lobby and Nick read the newspaper and I hung out and wandered the lobby at times.
The piano player came out and started playing at 3:00, not long after we had sat down. I love sitting in the Grand Floridian lobby listening to the music
Here is my view of the piano player from my seat.
He played for an hour and then the band started up and I believe they played for an hour and then it switched back to the piano. We checked into the Grand Floridian Cafe for our 5:35 dinner reservations and were seated almost right away. We had another good meal and talked about how we couldn't believe we were going home the next day already. We headed back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and we sat in the lobby for at least an hour before going to bed.
Tuesday May 19th
We got up at 7:00, got ready for the day, and packed up our things. By 8:30 we were in line at the resort air line check in. Once we checked in and passed on our suitcase we went down to the bus stop again. It was still raining! This morning we were heading to the Kona again! We had yet another delicious breakfast and wandered the lobby for a little while before heading back to our resort.
The Magical Express was coming at 2:30 and we had a couple of hours to kill so we walked all around the hotel looking out a lots of animal viewing areas. At the end of one wing we went outside and found several animals...here a few of them.
We spent the last hour or so talking and entertaining ourselves by taking pictures.
We boarded the Magical Express and headed back to the airport. Our flight back was ok, I didn't like the take off, it was pouring and it was really shaky and bumpy for a bit. The plane would climb a little, then drop a little.
But once we got above the storm it was a smooth ride back to Boston!
We were so happy that we got to take a final vacation, just the two of us!
My next update - hopefully tomorrow, will be back to our December vacation!
The plan for Monday was to have breakfast at the Kona, hotel hop, and have dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe and that is exactly what we did. It rained ALL day so we didn't do anything outside and it was a good day to hotel hop! So, we started off at the Poly and had breakfast at the Kona at 10:15. Nick loves the Poly!
We hung out in the lobby for a while after breakfast and then took the monorail to the Contemporary. There we wandered through the shops and sat in some seats by the windows that overlooked the dock area. When we felt like a change, we got back on the monorail and took it to the Grand Floridian. At the GF we got a snack for me and looked through the shops, Nick got a GF sweatshirt and I was looking for a sweatshirt for myself but didn't find anything. We found a seat in the lobby and Nick read the newspaper and I hung out and wandered the lobby at times.
The piano player came out and started playing at 3:00, not long after we had sat down. I love sitting in the Grand Floridian lobby listening to the music
Here is my view of the piano player from my seat.
He played for an hour and then the band started up and I believe they played for an hour and then it switched back to the piano. We checked into the Grand Floridian Cafe for our 5:35 dinner reservations and were seated almost right away. We had another good meal and talked about how we couldn't believe we were going home the next day already. We headed back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and we sat in the lobby for at least an hour before going to bed.
Tuesday May 19th
We got up at 7:00, got ready for the day, and packed up our things. By 8:30 we were in line at the resort air line check in. Once we checked in and passed on our suitcase we went down to the bus stop again. It was still raining! This morning we were heading to the Kona again!
We had yet another delicious breakfast and wandered the lobby for a little while before heading back to our resort.
The Magical Express was coming at 2:30 and we had a couple of hours to kill so we walked all around the hotel looking out a lots of animal viewing areas. At the end of one wing we went outside and found several animals...here a few of them.
We spent the last hour or so talking and entertaining ourselves by taking pictures.
We boarded the Magical Express and headed back to the airport. Our flight back was ok, I didn't like the take off, it was pouring and it was really shaky and bumpy for a bit. The plane would climb a little, then drop a little.
But once we got above the storm it was a smooth ride back to Boston! We were so happy that we got to take a final vacation, just the two of us!
My next update - hopefully tomorrow, will be back to our December vacation!
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
WOW...you snuck in a quick trip!! Good for you guys!
Btw, you look so cute pregnant! How are you feeling? Will you find out what you're having?
Can't wait to hear more....
Hi! I'm so glad we were able to sneak in a quick trip! We did see LOTS of young babies while we were there so we were feeling better about maybe booking a trip for next year! I'm feeling great these days! I was hoping to find out what I'm having but when I went for my 18 week ultrasound, the baby was not cooperating and they couldn't see! So, I may not find out because the doctor doesn't think I'll need another ultrasound! A surprise will be nice though!
princess&her4princes
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 4,035
It's so nice to be surprised, we didn't find out with our oldest two boys but found out our last time since the boys were born in the Wintertime and our last was born in the Summer, we needed to know if it was going to be a girl or not so we could plan. Either way, it's nice!!!
Yes, traveling next year would be fine...we did it with two toddlers and a newborn....it was the best trip!!!!wide receiver
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2005
- Messages
- 348
Its great that you were able to enjoy a vacation with hubby before baby comes! You lucky duck!
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
Ok, back to my December TR - our first full day in Disney! I woke up somewhere around 7:30 and was doing some unpacking when Nick came into the room. He and my dad had been walking around the WL, standing out on the dock, and sitting in the lobby, which became a morning ritual. Normally, Nick is up really early and goes to the hot tub before I get up but the mornings on this vacation were too cold for that. I took a shower and got ready. By the time I was done, everyone was ready and waiting for me...I've always been the slowest one in the family.
They were all hanging out in the living room and I decided to take a picture before we left the room, here we are ready for our day. Why are we all wearing blue? No reason, just happened that way.
We took the boat to the Contemporary and got on the monorail and went over to the Polynesian. We love eating breakfast at the Kona and the plan was to do that about 4 or 5 times this vacation. Last year when Nick and I stayed at the Grand Floridian it was great because we walked over to the Poly 4 out of the 7 mornings. I believe we got to the Kona around 10:00 and it was really busy. I put our name in (no reservations) and they said the wait would be 45 minutes. We wandered the shops upstairs and it wasn't long before the buzzer went off. Mom and I had the ham and cheese omlet, Nick had the Big Kahuna, and dad had eggs. It was all soooo good!
We took the monorail around to the Magic Kingdom and made our way into the park, I can't believe we're here! I noticed the big Christmas tree was not there, turns out they filmed the Christmas parade the day before and don't keep the tree up during that.
We walked down Main Street and took a left and headed towards Pirates.
The wait time for Pirates said 10 minutes...yay, maybe it will be just like last December with really short wait times! The four of us went on, I could do that ride again and again, ok, maybe that's the case with most of the rides. After Pirates, we moved towards Splash, the wait time was 20 minutes. Nick and I did it while my parents waited.
Quick clip of the area before we got on Splash.
From there we walked through Frontierland and stopped in Liberty Square.
Our next destination was the Haunted Mansion which is a favorite for all of us. The wait for this was also 20 minutes.
Waiting for the Haunted Mansion
After that we went to Peter Pan and got fast passes because the wait was pretty long. Next up was Mickey's Philharmagic which I enjoy but the 3D wasn't working for most of the show. Last year the same thing happened and everyone got a fastpass to anyride on the way out. We got in line for Snow White and I believe the wait time said 30 minutes but the line was short. I don't remember how long we waited but it wasn't 30 minutes. Buzz Lightyear was the next ride and we waited a while for this one because we all love this. Nick and I rode together and he won as usual.
When we came out of Buzz we were trying to decide where to head to next. We saw Carousel of Progress and decided to give that a try. Nick had been on this years ago but the rest of us had never seen it before. We all really liked it. I can't say it has become a favorite but I'll definitely do it again...that song is always in my head. Nick wanted to do Space Mountain so we went there next. Mom, dad, and I sat outside and waited for Nick.
I was fascinated by all of the people walking around on their cell phones. You are in Disney people - listen to the music around you, talk to the people you are with, and pay attention to all of the detail in the parks! So I was pretending to be on my phone and my dad thought it was funny and took my picture.
We talked about what we wanted to do next. Mom said her back was really bothering her so we decided to leave and head over to the Grand Floridian a little early, we had reservations at the GF Cafe for 6:10.
Continued in next post...
They were all hanging out in the living room and I decided to take a picture before we left the room, here we are ready for our day. Why are we all wearing blue? No reason, just happened that way.
We took the boat to the Contemporary and got on the monorail and went over to the Polynesian. We love eating breakfast at the Kona and the plan was to do that about 4 or 5 times this vacation. Last year when Nick and I stayed at the Grand Floridian it was great because we walked over to the Poly 4 out of the 7 mornings. I believe we got to the Kona around 10:00 and it was really busy. I put our name in (no reservations) and they said the wait would be 45 minutes. We wandered the shops upstairs and it wasn't long before the buzzer went off. Mom and I had the ham and cheese omlet, Nick had the Big Kahuna, and dad had eggs. It was all soooo good!
We took the monorail around to the Magic Kingdom and made our way into the park, I can't believe we're here! I noticed the big Christmas tree was not there, turns out they filmed the Christmas parade the day before and don't keep the tree up during that.
We walked down Main Street and took a left and headed towards Pirates.
The wait time for Pirates said 10 minutes...yay, maybe it will be just like last December with really short wait times! The four of us went on, I could do that ride again and again, ok, maybe that's the case with most of the rides. After Pirates, we moved towards Splash, the wait time was 20 minutes. Nick and I did it while my parents waited.
Quick clip of the area before we got on Splash.
From there we walked through Frontierland and stopped in Liberty Square.
Our next destination was the Haunted Mansion which is a favorite for all of us. The wait for this was also 20 minutes.
Waiting for the Haunted Mansion
After that we went to Peter Pan and got fast passes because the wait was pretty long. Next up was Mickey's Philharmagic which I enjoy but the 3D wasn't working for most of the show. Last year the same thing happened and everyone got a fastpass to anyride on the way out. We got in line for Snow White and I believe the wait time said 30 minutes but the line was short. I don't remember how long we waited but it wasn't 30 minutes. Buzz Lightyear was the next ride and we waited a while for this one because we all love this. Nick and I rode together and he won as usual.
When we came out of Buzz we were trying to decide where to head to next. We saw Carousel of Progress and decided to give that a try. Nick had been on this years ago but the rest of us had never seen it before. We all really liked it. I can't say it has become a favorite but I'll definitely do it again...that song is always in my head.
Nick wanted to do Space Mountain so we went there next. Mom, dad, and I sat outside and waited for Nick.
I was fascinated by all of the people walking around on their cell phones. You are in Disney people - listen to the music around you, talk to the people you are with, and pay attention to all of the detail in the parks! So I was pretending to be on my phone and my dad thought it was funny and took my picture.
We talked about what we wanted to do next. Mom said her back was really bothering her so we decided to leave and head over to the Grand Floridian a little early, we had reservations at the GF Cafe for 6:10.
Continued in next post...
Melissa79
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2008
- Messages
- 90
So we headed up Main Street towards the exit and admired some of the decorations before we left.
We took the boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian
We hung out in the lobby of the GF, which is one of my favorite things to do. We checked out the giant gingerbread house and all the Christmas decorations. Everything was almost exactly the same as last year, so pretty.
We found a couch and hung out there listening to the band until it was time for dinner.
We had a great dinner at the GF Cafe, I had the New York Strip, I don't remember what anyone else had...but I know they all enjoyed their meals. Our waiter was Donald, he was a nice guy - he really seemed to like Nick, but he kept disappearing for long periods of time. Everytime we needed something he was nowhere to be seen and we were all joking around calling out for our pal Donald, but not loud enough for other people to hear. After dinner we took the monorail to the Contemporary.
And from the Contemporary we took the boat back to the Wilderness Lodge.
Looking from the Contemporary dock back at the hotel
Nick being really goofy walking down the dock to wait for the boat
We sat in the Wilderness Lodge main lobby for a while enjoying the decorations before heading over to the villas.
Walkway to the villas
The elevator was not working to get upstairs and a cast member took us in a service elevator so we could get up to our villa. It was funny to see what it looked like "behind the scenes" in the hotel.
Back in our villa, we sat in the living room talking and having fun for a while before bed.
Dad has a toy Tinkerbell cell phone that I gave to him a while back as a joke and he pulled it out of his suitcase that night
I always get excited when I hear the electrical water pageant, so when I heard the music start up this night, I ran to the balcony and opened the door...you could see part of it from our living room. Oh the excitement. Haha
Our first full day in Disney had come to an end and we were all tired so we headed to bed.
We took the boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian
We hung out in the lobby of the GF, which is one of my favorite things to do. We checked out the giant gingerbread house and all the Christmas decorations. Everything was almost exactly the same as last year, so pretty.
We found a couch and hung out there listening to the band until it was time for dinner.
We had a great dinner at the GF Cafe, I had the New York Strip, I don't remember what anyone else had...but I know they all enjoyed their meals. Our waiter was Donald, he was a nice guy - he really seemed to like Nick
, but he kept disappearing for long periods of time. Everytime we needed something he was nowhere to be seen and we were all joking around calling out for our pal Donald, but not loud enough for other people to hear. After dinner we took the monorail to the Contemporary.
And from the Contemporary we took the boat back to the Wilderness Lodge.
Looking from the Contemporary dock back at the hotel
Nick being really goofy walking down the dock to wait for the boat
We sat in the Wilderness Lodge main lobby for a while enjoying the decorations before heading over to the villas.
Walkway to the villas
The elevator was not working to get upstairs and a cast member took us in a service elevator so we could get up to our villa. It was funny to see what it looked like "behind the scenes" in the hotel.
Back in our villa, we sat in the living room talking and having fun for a while before bed.
Dad has a toy Tinkerbell cell phone that I gave to him a while back as a joke and he pulled it out of his suitcase that night
I always get excited when I hear the electrical water pageant, so when I heard the music start up this night, I ran to the balcony and opened the door...you could see part of it from our living room. Oh the excitement. Haha
Our first full day in Disney had come to an end and we were all tired so we headed to bed.
MEK
DIS Legend
- Joined
- May 8, 2005
- Messages
- 20,088
How great that you got to go on a minitrip last week. I have always wanted to go to Disney in May, but its mostly impossible because of my kid's school/sports schedule. That's a great rate you got for AK. I loved reading your mini trip update.
Now....back to your December trip......looks like it was COLD. As I recall, it was pretty cold when DH and I got there December 13. Your view of the electric light parade is nice. Your pics definately make me want to stay at WLV. It looks like such a beautiful, relaxing place to visit.
Now....back to your December trip......looks like it was COLD. As I recall, it was pretty cold when DH and I got there December 13. Your view of the electric light parade is nice. Your pics definately make me want to stay at WLV. It looks like such a beautiful, relaxing place to visit.
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