PrincessTToo
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 11, 2003
- Messages
- 159
PRESHOW: If youre looking for a trip report that includes non-stop action, plenty of restaurant reviews, lots of attraction wait times, and celebrity sightings then go no further. But if youre looking for a trip report from a solo middle-age woman who did two AKL safaris and one Segway tour and not much else, then read on
.
SHOW: My day started out with the glass not just half empty but all the way empty. In fact, my glass was so empty you could see the crust on the bottom. I woke up with a 102 degree fever.
I lay in bed for the hour or so before I was supposed to get up just contemplating my options. Although Ive been to WDW more than a dozen times, this was going to be a once in a lifetime trip because I was finally staying at AKL on the Concierge Level. And at this late hour I couldnt figure any way to reschedule without losing a boatload of money. So I mustered all my strength, took a shower, finished packing, took some aspirin and held my breath on the drive to the airport. Thank goodness my DH was driving because I spent all my time concentrating on not harfing.
And thank goodness Northwest Airlines was unusually efficient so I was sitting down at the gate in record time. I just read that the MSP airport is ranked 20th in the world. I find that hard to believe but I do agree that check-in and security is much more organized than at MCO.
Once seated in the plane, I immediately found my barf bag and put it within easy reach. I set the air on full blast and that really helped. By the time the flight attendant brought around the beverage service I was able to keep down some coffee and finish my protein bar.
One of the interesting things since my last flight is that they no longer have any pillows. One of the other passengers asked and the flight attendant said that it saves a $1 on each airfare by not having pillows. There were also very few blankets. But in another unusually efficient Northwest moment, my suitcase was the 6th one off the plane.
My ears popped on the way up but not on the way down. It was very painful and difficult to hear. Although I could hear Captain Jack on the Hertz bus very well. I dont think he even needs the microphone. But I enjoy his show.
Once again, Hertz didnt have me listed with a Gold reservation so I had to stop in the Gold Members office. I got an employee with a trainee badge who said I was in spot C20 and I had a classic. I went to a spot labeled C20 and it contained a Porsche. I figured I was neither that lucky nor the car that classic so I turned around and went in the other direction. There was another C20 spot and it contained a Chevrolet Classic. I had never heard of that model but it was just right for me. Not too big and not too small.
Once again I had ordered the Hertz Neverlost system. This was the first time I had rented a car on a solo trip so I was expecting that I would need a little help getting around. Unfortunately, the Neverlost system had never heard of the Animal Kingdom Lodge (no matter how I spelled it). So I turned it off and just found the hotel by myself. I4 was a piece of cake. I couldnt understand what the fuss was all about (until I drove back on it on Saturday more about that later). I think Orlando and especially WDW has the best signage around. It was very easy to find my way around.
I stopped at the AKL guard house for my parking permit, then stopped at the Porte Cochere and dropped off my suitcase. The bellman made fun of the size of my suitcase. Are you staying for a month? I didnt feel up to explaining about how hard it is to pack when youve just read the article about Dame WDWINFO publishing pictures of badly dressed guests. Plus I find it difficult to make decisions when I am ill. I had literally just thrown everything I had in my suitcase.
I met up with my Bell person again after the short walk from the self-parking lot. He said my room wasnt ready yet and took me up to the 6th floor Concierge Lounge to check-in. I tipped him because I expected he wouldnt be the one to take my bags to my room. The concierge staff was very helpful and friendly and I checked-in fairly quickly. It was around 1:00 PM by the time I finished the check-in process. I then had some lemonade in the lounge and then wandered around the AKL a bit. I finally plopped down into one of the very comfy chairs in the lobby and just enjoyed the atmosphere and the music and all the details. Simply stunning! I phoned home to let my DH know I was safe and relatively sound.
I checked back in the lounge at 2:00 PM and my room was ready. It was very easy to find. Room 5227 on the Arusha Savannah. It was the first room after the connection from the main building. I was so happy there was no connection to another guest room on the one side and it wasnt a connecting room on the other side. I thought that would keep down the noise. Unfortunately, I hadnt counted on everyone stopping at that junction between the buildings to check out the savannahs. Im sure if I hadnt been so sick it wouldnt have bothered me so much. On Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly and Bill Pullman discussed the noise from the savanna but I never heard any noise coming from that direction. The animals I kept hearing were much smaller and much more human.
I didnt find the room dark at all. And I loved all the details in the room from the animals on the sheers to the beautiful armoire. After a quick check of the TV, I left the room to go to the concierge lounge again. I was still a bit out of it. I thought it was afternoon tea time but it was only about 2:30 PM. So I just got some tea and took that back to my room. Then I wandered around the hotel. I went to the Zawadi Marketplace and asked if they had a CD of the music in the hotel. They didnt but they gave me a hard-copy list of the songs. The CM said that they get asked that question frequently. After that I finally found Mara and got a yogurt and granola cup. It was wonderful but I could hardly eat ¼ of it.
Then I crashed in my room and slept until about 6:50 PM. So I had to scramble to the lounge for twilight offerings in the lounge. I had some veggie stuff and some tofu salad and a piece of brie cheese. They all sat in my stomach like a big lump. I was feeling better but just nowhere near 100%. Back in the room I watched TV until about 9:30 PM and then fell soundly asleep.
I still cant believe I got checked in at 2:00 PM and didnt go to the parks. My reasoning was that if I took it easy today that I would recover quicker. I also really enjoyed just wandering around the AKL. My day started out with my glass more than ½ empty but I was so pleased with the AKL that I feel the day ended with my glass more than ½ full!
P.S. I really like the new Top Ten Things to Do at Walt Disney World star. Shes much less annoying than the old super-hyper Samantha Brown wanna-be.
SHOW: My day started out with the glass not just half empty but all the way empty. In fact, my glass was so empty you could see the crust on the bottom. I woke up with a 102 degree fever.
I lay in bed for the hour or so before I was supposed to get up just contemplating my options. Although Ive been to WDW more than a dozen times, this was going to be a once in a lifetime trip because I was finally staying at AKL on the Concierge Level. And at this late hour I couldnt figure any way to reschedule without losing a boatload of money. So I mustered all my strength, took a shower, finished packing, took some aspirin and held my breath on the drive to the airport. Thank goodness my DH was driving because I spent all my time concentrating on not harfing.
And thank goodness Northwest Airlines was unusually efficient so I was sitting down at the gate in record time. I just read that the MSP airport is ranked 20th in the world. I find that hard to believe but I do agree that check-in and security is much more organized than at MCO.
Once seated in the plane, I immediately found my barf bag and put it within easy reach. I set the air on full blast and that really helped. By the time the flight attendant brought around the beverage service I was able to keep down some coffee and finish my protein bar.
One of the interesting things since my last flight is that they no longer have any pillows. One of the other passengers asked and the flight attendant said that it saves a $1 on each airfare by not having pillows. There were also very few blankets. But in another unusually efficient Northwest moment, my suitcase was the 6th one off the plane.
My ears popped on the way up but not on the way down. It was very painful and difficult to hear. Although I could hear Captain Jack on the Hertz bus very well. I dont think he even needs the microphone. But I enjoy his show.
Once again, Hertz didnt have me listed with a Gold reservation so I had to stop in the Gold Members office. I got an employee with a trainee badge who said I was in spot C20 and I had a classic. I went to a spot labeled C20 and it contained a Porsche. I figured I was neither that lucky nor the car that classic so I turned around and went in the other direction. There was another C20 spot and it contained a Chevrolet Classic. I had never heard of that model but it was just right for me. Not too big and not too small.
Once again I had ordered the Hertz Neverlost system. This was the first time I had rented a car on a solo trip so I was expecting that I would need a little help getting around. Unfortunately, the Neverlost system had never heard of the Animal Kingdom Lodge (no matter how I spelled it). So I turned it off and just found the hotel by myself. I4 was a piece of cake. I couldnt understand what the fuss was all about (until I drove back on it on Saturday more about that later). I think Orlando and especially WDW has the best signage around. It was very easy to find my way around.
I stopped at the AKL guard house for my parking permit, then stopped at the Porte Cochere and dropped off my suitcase. The bellman made fun of the size of my suitcase. Are you staying for a month? I didnt feel up to explaining about how hard it is to pack when youve just read the article about Dame WDWINFO publishing pictures of badly dressed guests. Plus I find it difficult to make decisions when I am ill. I had literally just thrown everything I had in my suitcase.
I met up with my Bell person again after the short walk from the self-parking lot. He said my room wasnt ready yet and took me up to the 6th floor Concierge Lounge to check-in. I tipped him because I expected he wouldnt be the one to take my bags to my room. The concierge staff was very helpful and friendly and I checked-in fairly quickly. It was around 1:00 PM by the time I finished the check-in process. I then had some lemonade in the lounge and then wandered around the AKL a bit. I finally plopped down into one of the very comfy chairs in the lobby and just enjoyed the atmosphere and the music and all the details. Simply stunning! I phoned home to let my DH know I was safe and relatively sound.
I checked back in the lounge at 2:00 PM and my room was ready. It was very easy to find. Room 5227 on the Arusha Savannah. It was the first room after the connection from the main building. I was so happy there was no connection to another guest room on the one side and it wasnt a connecting room on the other side. I thought that would keep down the noise. Unfortunately, I hadnt counted on everyone stopping at that junction between the buildings to check out the savannahs. Im sure if I hadnt been so sick it wouldnt have bothered me so much. On Live with Regis and Kelly, Kelly and Bill Pullman discussed the noise from the savanna but I never heard any noise coming from that direction. The animals I kept hearing were much smaller and much more human.
I didnt find the room dark at all. And I loved all the details in the room from the animals on the sheers to the beautiful armoire. After a quick check of the TV, I left the room to go to the concierge lounge again. I was still a bit out of it. I thought it was afternoon tea time but it was only about 2:30 PM. So I just got some tea and took that back to my room. Then I wandered around the hotel. I went to the Zawadi Marketplace and asked if they had a CD of the music in the hotel. They didnt but they gave me a hard-copy list of the songs. The CM said that they get asked that question frequently. After that I finally found Mara and got a yogurt and granola cup. It was wonderful but I could hardly eat ¼ of it.
Then I crashed in my room and slept until about 6:50 PM. So I had to scramble to the lounge for twilight offerings in the lounge. I had some veggie stuff and some tofu salad and a piece of brie cheese. They all sat in my stomach like a big lump. I was feeling better but just nowhere near 100%. Back in the room I watched TV until about 9:30 PM and then fell soundly asleep.
I still cant believe I got checked in at 2:00 PM and didnt go to the parks. My reasoning was that if I took it easy today that I would recover quicker. I also really enjoyed just wandering around the AKL. My day started out with my glass more than ½ empty but I was so pleased with the AKL that I feel the day ended with my glass more than ½ full!
P.S. I really like the new Top Ten Things to Do at Walt Disney World star. Shes much less annoying than the old super-hyper Samantha Brown wanna-be.
