3 Families doin' a Surf & Turf Trip! AKL CL & Dream...Good-Byes

[DisneyDoc5]

seriously, your killing me with the cute and funny pictures - I'm too tired to be laughing this hard! Just think, you probably would not have done as much as you did at AKL if you had park tickets!

 

[ProudMommyof2]

The cultural safari looks awesome. I do not think it was available when we were there last August.

Can't wait to see your take on Blizzard Beach- we LOVED IT!

 

[jennyjinx3]

That picture of Faith and Sophia was the best! I love the look on Faith's face....so proud to have her doll beside her and ready for the presentation. Love it!

 

[shan23877]

The Cultural Safari looks great, there's so much to do at the resorts!

Love all the pics, you're a good sport to share some goofy ones of yourself. I choose not to share many of myself.

How old was Faith when she got Sophia? I'm thinking about getting Maddie an American Girl for Christmas. Did you get one of the "historical" ones (I'm considering the gymnast one from this year) or the look-alike one?

 

[hstrickland]

Thanks for sharing about the Cultural Safari, I had no idea that they did this. How did Jesse do during it? I'm wondering if my 3 year old would be entertained enough to at least be quiet so the rest of us could enjoy it. How long was the presentation? Yes I know I'm full of questions...

Love Sophia! My oldest has Kit and she is pretty much a third child at this point, she even makes crafts for me!

Christine

Jesse actually was really good. He did get a little skirmy, but it wasn't a big deal. It's a rather informal setting. If your 3 year old did want to leave, it's very easy to walk out because of the way the room is set up. I think the presentation was about 30 minutes, then we chatted with the guide for a while.

Well Kit has Sophia beat....she doesn't make crafts for me The only thing I get to do with Sophia is babysit, as Faith says. One day I caught Jesse in Faith's room talking to Sophia like she was a person....

I am loving how kid-friendly & educational the AKL really is! That cultural presentation is fantastic! I think I have definitely decided that we will have to try out AKL once Reid is a tad bit older.

Before letting him go on his own, you may want to have a GPS chip implanted in his arm.

How old is Reid, 4?? Y'all seriously should consider a short stay at the AKL...there's just so much to do for kids...educational stuff that's actually fun!

seriously, your killing me with the cute and funny pictures - I'm too tired to be laughing this hard! Just think, you probably would not have done as much as you did at AKL if you had park tickets!

So happy to provide you with humor for the day....and nope! You're right! If we had been going to the parks, there would have been no time. That's the great thing about the deluxe resorts...you can spend all day there and not get bored!!

The cultural safari looks awesome. I do not think it was available when we were there last August.

Can't wait to see your take on Blizzard Beach- we LOVED IT!

I'm not sure how long it's been there...it's just kinda tucked away in the corner. I believe it was listed in our June Activity sheet that was in the room; however, I didn't notice it...the only reason I knew about it was from the CMs.

That picture of Faith and Sophia was the best! I love the look on Faith's face....so proud to have her doll beside her and ready for the presentation. Love it!

That doll is one of the best presents she has ever received....money well spent!!!!

The Cultural Safari looks great, there's so much to do at the resorts!

Love all the pics, you're a good sport to share some goofy ones of yourself. I choose not to share many of myself.

How old was Faith when she got Sophia? I'm thinking about getting Maddie an American Girl for Christmas. Did you get one of the "historical" ones (I'm considering the gymnast one from this year) or the look-alike one?

Faith was 5. We bought the look-alike...and she named her Sophia Ina. Not sure where Sophia came from.....Ina was my grandmother's name. Last year for Faith's b-day, we went to the AG store in Atlanta and had a little bday party (even her brothers participated) It was lots of fun. Just from your descriptions of Maddie and all her cute pics on your TR, I bet she would LOVE an AG doll!!! Here' a few pics from the store and party....

 

[Sweetpeamd]

Great post! My kids just loved the AKL pool, too. It is so beautiful there. My kids always enjoy the poolside games. We had been visiting the World for years before we finally took the time to really enjoy the pool and play games. Now we never miss the chance to relax and let the kids play. So fun!

I can't WAIT to see your post about Blizzard Beach! We have never tried the water parks and I would love to see what you thought about BB.

 

[shan23877]

Thanks for the info Heather. Have you had any problems with Faith taking care of the doll? I'm a little afraid that Maddie would get the idea to put makeup (markers) on it or something.

There's a huge AG store in Chicago, so we thought we'd take her there. Maybe we'll give her the doll for her birthday and take her there for lunch and to be made much of. As you can probably tell, she enjoys that.

 

[Sue M]

Sorry, not crazy, been there, done that. Thank you for trying to answer my question, but, umm, there's been a little ticker modification


Please see my post above - no stall HM (that I know of). The not-much-shade-and-foliage isn't a problem - since I switched to YC/CL

enjoy YC CL. And stop by to say hi to Teena for me at BC

 

[Sue M]

I like rice pudding, so now I want to try it so I can give my "expert" opinion. haha It was presented nicely, that's for sure.

Do you think it's bad if I go for lunch and just order the bread sampler and rice pudding? I guess I can get veggies in the CL later......

You ARE bad

 

[Sue M]

Love the Cultural Safari, we also stayed for it after Boma dinner even when not staying at AKL During our 2009 stay we went to them a few times, since it was January and parks closed early. They do a great job.

 

[MI mom of 3]

I'm loving your report. Can't wait to hear more. Where did you get the Mickey ears and the Minnie doll for Sophia? My granddaughter would LOVE that!

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the Cultural Safari, I also thought it was a lovely little evening activity. On our first trip to Jambo House I really wanted to stay and listen one evening and mom decided she didn't like the sound of it so left me on my own. Which was fine, but I really think she would have liked it as well. Hopefully she'll give it a try in the future.

Stephen looks shocked after getting drenched! Too cute.

I'm loving all your bubbles and funny faces. Wonderfully fun writing style, looking forward to the rest.

 

[hstrickland]

Great post! My kids just loved the AKL pool, too. It is so beautiful there. My kids always enjoy the poolside games. We had been visiting the World for years before we finally took the time to really enjoy the pool and play games. Now we never miss the chance to relax and let the kids play. So fun!

I can't WAIT to see your post about Blizzard Beach! We have never tried the water parks and I would love to see what you thought about BB.

This is one reason we love the deluxe resorts!! Sooooo much to do. We use to kill ourselves, too, in the parks. But we've learned that the resorts have lots to offer. I'm already looking forward to trying another one...just not sure which resort!

Thanks for the info Heather. Have you had any problems with Faith taking care of the doll? I'm a little afraid that Maddie would get the idea to put makeup (markers) on it or something.

There's a huge AG store in Chicago, so we thought we'd take her there. Maybe we'll give her the doll for her birthday and take her there for lunch and to be made much of. As you can probably tell, she enjoys that.

She's never attempted to put make-up on her. When she got the doll, we really talked to her about stuff like that.....and like NOT cutting her hair. At the store when Sophia was getting her hair done, the lady spoke with Faith about how to take care of the hair....how to brush it, etc. So far, so good...

Love the Cultural Safari, we also stayed for it after Boma dinner even when not staying at AKL During our 2009 stay we went to them a few times, since it was January and parks closed early. They do a great job.

That's an idea...eat at one of the restaurants then head to the presentation. That would make for a nice evening. Thanks for the idea

I'm loving your report. Can't wait to hear more. Where did you get the Mickey ears and the Minnie doll for Sophia? My granddaughter would LOVE that!

Thanks! Well....the Minnie ears with the pink bow are some that my mom and I made. However, when we went over to visit the Poly, we found a Minnie Mouse outfit for the AG dolls. And of course we bought it immediately. It came with mouse ears, but they seem to slide off. The ones we made tie underneath the neck. You might want to check on Etsy.com...I think they have some. You can also Google "how to make minnie ears" and get the directions....that's what we did. Good luck in your search!

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the Cultural Safari, I also thought it was a lovely little evening activity. On our first trip to Jambo House I really wanted to stay and listen one evening and mom decided she didn't like the sound of it so left me on my own. Which was fine, but I really think she would have liked it as well. Hopefully she'll give it a try in the future.

Stephen looks shocked after getting drenched! Too cute.

I'm loving all your bubbles and funny faces. Wonderfully fun writing style, looking forward to the rest.

Maybe next time your mom will give it a try I so wish we had known about it on the Wednesday we arrived. We couldn't do it on Friday or Saturday because of our dinner reservations. My husband would have really enjoyed it.

Stephen always looks forward to the pool activities.....and it's always hard to pull him away. Now that Jesse and Faith are older, they are able to get involved, too.

 

[RGirl]

Wow - I am blown away by all the cool things there are to do at AKL. I am thinking an AKL vacation with nothing else would be awesome! Not sure DD would agree, however.

I also really enjoyed your very serious and artistic Disney-hat portraits.

I'm curious - was Faith into dolls before she got the AG doll? Willow has never been very into dolls (stuffed animals, yes; dolls, much less), but I love the idea of the AG dolls and would love to get her one (she has a bitty baby that a friend got her when she was about 2, but I don't think that counts ). I'm guessing it is not worth bothering since she isn't very into dolls, but I have to ask!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Sanaa really does look like a gorgeous restaurant. I can't say I've found the looks of the menu to be very tempting but maybe I should give it a try! at Faith ordering the light up drinks and Jesse just meandering over to watch tv.

The cultural presentation sounds really neat. I only stayed at AKL once and briefly - I don't think I even saw that room the presentation was in. Lots of nooks and crannies and activities there! If I could tear myself away from the Beach Club I think AKL would be the place for me!

 

[Yellowbellow]

Dumb & Dumber....(anyone remember that movie)

Notice the girl in the Background - Looks like she knows what is going to happen and she does not want to be a part of it. I think Heather is loosing it tooooo.

 

[pas130]

Dumb & Dumber....(anyone remember that movie)

Pas....there's something that will take care of those, ya know?! And then no one will be the wiser

And Botox for the "fine lines"

I knew it would happen!!!! You're too predictable...I could read between the lines.........but are you REALLY happy with YC??

She is, for now

 

[WDWKOOK]

Heather, you take after your papa. Remember that time he grew a beard just for the Pirate's League? (I think that's what it was for). Look at you, you grew your little Salvadore Dali in no time, just to give us a great howl. (And, I'm sure you had your very cute shoes on). I love how patient Faith looks waiting on the sofa for the lesson to begin.

All this talk of AG dolls makes a mom of a 13-year-old a bit sad that those days are long gone.

"Alina" has been packed away in her little box with her Hawaiian and tennis outfits. My favorite was her cat suit with ears and tail for Halloween.

Yes, Jeanette, knows me and all RCs too well, and apparently Heather had an inkling I would change (again) as well. It would be mighty helpful if you both could just look into your crystal balls and tell me where I'm really going to end-up those first four nights so I don't drive around aimlessly

Your next installment holds great promise what with the addition of the underwater camera to your already A+ rated TR

 

[basketlacey]

Loving your TR. We did AKL just last year and we missed a lot of what you are showing. It is very different when you aren't going to the park. We did one morning swim day and a couple of earlier nights back at the resort to swim. We were there in nov so it wasn't hot which also makes a difference.

I am thinking this year if we stay at BC we might do more midday breaks.

 

[hstrickland]

Hi Everyone!

Just got back from a weekend trip to the lake...a last minute thing. As many of you know, I LOVE early mornings when on vacation. Would you believe I forgot my camera??!! However I did have my phone and captured this photo....

You can barely see Stephen fishing on the dock (he's just like his dad). We had a nice time...taught Jesse how to knee-board, too. I didn't even pull out my laptop!! Bill could hardly believe it....we totally relaxed and did nothing.


Now I must go back and read!
Heather