The trip - Eight days at Walt Disney World - 2 at AKL, 5 at BWV, 1 at Hyatt MCO.
The participants - Myself, (38 and the psychotic Disney planner), Kathey (35) and Lexi (12)
<b>Friday, April 27</b>
2:00 PM, our flight is eight hours away, and I'm sitting at work futilely. I'm obviously getting nothing done, and not being at all productive. I'm going home. It's good to be the boss!
Our flight isn't scheduled to depart for WDW until 9:50 Friday night from Philadelphia, so have a hard time counting this as day 1 of the trip. Let's call it travel day.
So on to the travel stuff! On our way to Philly from Harrisburg, we saw a near-perfect rainbow while driving on the PA Turnpike near Reading. A sign of things to come, perhaps?
Although we live only 100 miles from Philadelphia, I'd never flown from that airport before (I'm closer to BWI), so I was unsure as to where to park. I chose the airport-owned economy parking, and for 7 bucks a day, it fit the bill nicely. After checking our bags curbside (one was mine, the other six belonged to the girls - we're all going to be gone for the same length of time - go figure.), we lucked into a parking spot right next to the gate, took our carry-ons and hopped the shuttle to the terminal.
Our flight left an hour late, but we still arrived to MCO within 45 minutes of our scheduled time. Our Tiffany driver, Ali, was waiting for us at baggage claim. Ali was a nice guy, competent driver, and someone whom I wouldn't be disappointed in drawing again. That having been said, I find it hard to gush over him or recommend that someone ask specifically for him.
We had requested a grocery stop with our reservation, but the choices after midnight are pretty limited. Ali asked if we wanted to go to Gooding's, or if we just wanted to hit a 7-11. We passed on both.
Since the time that we had requested the stop with our reservation, we had made plans for Kathey's dad (Lance) and his wife (Gloria) to drive down from Jacksonville on Saturday to visit us, and they were going to stop and pick up some drinks and snacks for us. Besides, we figured it would be 1:00 AM before we could check in, so nobody was in the mood to shop. We wanted to get to the Animal Kingdom Lodge!!
When we arrived at the security gates, Ali merely said "Dropping off" (you were expecting "Open Sesame"?) and the guard waved him through. There were no bellmen outside at that hour, so we had to carry our luggage into the lobby. There was only one person (Bob) behind the desk and one couple registering ahead of us, so the girls went to check out the lobby while I waited to register.
They were most impressed. The lobby was obviously empty at that hour, but that didn't detract from the magnificence of the place. The pictures that you see on the internet don't do justice to this resort. We'd see even more tomorrow, but (keeping with a theme here) it's late.
I had requested a standard savannah view, 4th floor room "inside the horseshoe", and based on a report that I had read, stated on my fax to the room controller that "I believe that these are the even numbered rooms, but I'm not entirely sure on that point". I was thrilled when Bob gave me the room cards and told us that we'd be in room 5584. Upgrade to deluxe savannah view for no apparent reason! Heck, although I was being friendly enough, I was too tired to be schmoozing and ask for it.
The only concern that I had was that when we arrived at our room, it was "outside the horseshoe". It was also at the last section on the zebra trail, meaning a long hike to the lobby/pool area. If it hadn't been so late, I might have requested to be moved, but I was tired, it was late, etc. etc., so I tipped the bellman and he left. OK, I'm done talking about it being late.
I opened the drapes and stepped out onto the balcony for the view. It was a bit disappointing, since it was a smaller savannah than I expected. I couldn't imagine that there would be many animals out there. Fortunately, the next day I would be proven wrong. WAY wrong. Time to hit the sheets.
<b>Day 1 - Saturday, April 28</b>
Kathey was the first to awaken. She woke me up and led me out to the balcony. "Wow" is all I could say. On the savannah were 4 giraffes, 3 zebras, several bongos, and a few other animals. It was quite a sight. All of my concerns about being outside the horseshoe vanished at that point. Apparently whenever the animals leave the "main" savannah, this is where they come to. I quickly showered and headed down to the Mara to pick up breakfast so that we could eat it on the balcony.
AKL Food report #1 - Having stayed at PO-FQ last year, and being familiar with their food court, I wasn't expecting much from Mara. I ordered a standard eggs/bacon platter for myself, a croissant for Kathey and a kid's meal for Lexi with eggs/sausage. The food was actually very good. Or maybe it was the scenery as we ate on the balcony. Either way, we were very pleased with everything. Nice sized portions, and quite filling.
After breakfast, we hopped a bus over to AK to activate our APs. With Lance and Gloria coming to visit (and not having park tickets), we weren't planning on hitting a park until tonight for fireworks at MK. We wanted to have the passes activated beforehand so that we didn't have to stop at the TTC to do it. Once the passes were in-hand, we tested them at the turnstiles, then immediately left again to go back to AKL. It was now 10:30 and we weren't sure what time they'd be showing up.
We now had a chance to explore AKL. It was everything I'd read and then some. I'll save the detailed descriptions since you've seen them elsewhere. It's a place that simply must be experienced to appreciate.
We spent an hour or so exploring before Kathey decided that she needed some "sun time". We went poolside, where it was probably 78 degrees and mostly sunny. We had informed Lance and Gloria that if they couldn't reach us in our room, we'd probably be at the pool. At noon, they showed up.
TIP <i>If you are staying at AKL and are expecting guests, all you need to do is leave their names at the front desk, and they'll relay the message to the security gate. Your guest then needs to give your name to security as a cross-reference, and they'll be let right in.</i>
Kathey hasn't seen her dad since last August, so everyone is happy and hugging around the pool. They pulled up a couple of chairs and joined us for an hour until Kathey had to leave. For her birthday the previous week, I had arranged a Swedish massage at the spa. I think it was one of the things that she was most looking forward to on our trip.
While Kathey was taking her massage, I went to the car and got our snacks/drinks while Lance and Gloria watched Lexi at the pool. Upon my return, they decided to head over to Mara for lunch. I waited for Kathey to finish before we all joined them. Although I can't report first-hand, I'm told that the massage was "fabulous" and "I've never felt so relaxed in my life". Apparently they do a good job. Of course, I tipped fairly generously ahead of time, so maybe that helped
It was about 2:00 now, and we were hungry enough to grab some lunch. Lexi got the kid's plate of chicken strips, Kathey got a raw vegetable plate with dressing and I ordered the bacon cheeseburger.
At Mara, you place your order for cooked food at the counter and are given a ticket. You then pick up your cold food and drinks from a cooler and pay the cashier. A cast member brings your cooked food to you when it is finished and you can specify whether you want it inside or outside.
We waited outside for our food as CMs continued to serve others. It was 15 minutes and I finally asked about it. I was told, "it will be right up", but it was another five minutes. However, for having to wait we got two free cookies and Lexi's meal was "upgraded" to an adult portion (not that she could eat that much anyway).
AKL Food report #2 - OK, so I've never eaten the famous Beaches and Cream burger, but I can't imagine that it can be much better than this one. This might well be the best burger that I've ever had. Although I like my steaks medium, my burgers should be well-done without any black spots. This was perfect! It was very juicy, very tasty, and because you add your own condiments, it had the perfect blend on lettuce, tomato and onion. I'll try Beaches and Cream later in the week, but I'll be surprised if their burger lives up to this one.
After lunch, Lance and Gloria headed back to their (off-site) hotel to have some alone time before dinner. The girls and I stayed at the pool for another hour or so before we grabbed showers and set out for some more resort exploration. We had a chance to get down to Arusha rock, take a look at the other savannahs, and get a real "feel" for where we were. Since we were resort hopping to BWV tomorrow, we were making the most of the one day that we were here. We explored and shopped for about two hours before we went back up to our room to get ready for dinner at Jiko (pronounce Jee-ko).
AKL Food report #3 - When you first walk into Jiko, you are seated in a lounge with carved tables and stools. It is a casual atmosphere there that encourages conversation and we reflected on our day and the marvels of this new resort. Although we'd only been here and awake for 9 hours or so, it felt very comfortable already and I regretted a bit that we'd be leaving already tomorrow morning.
We were called to our table, and our hostess showed us the restaurant and explained several things, one of which was that Jiko means "cooking place" in Swahili. I only mention that because our table was situated in a spot where every new guest that came by was being told at that spot that Jiko means cooking place. It became kind of a running joke after we'd heard it for the 6th time in five minutes. We talked about running out into the lobby and shouting "Jiko means cooking place!" but figured that might be a spoiler .
For appetizers, we ordered the cinnamon-spiced beef roll and the brick-oven flatbread, and all sampled each. The beef roll was served with a vegetable/banana dip. An odd mingling of tastes, to be sure. The flatbread came with a yogurt-curry cream with bacon and onions. They were adequate appetizers, but probably something that I wouldn't order again.
As our entrees, Lance and I each ordered the horseradish-crusted salmon, Kathey got the oak grilled beef tenderloin, Gloria had the baked chicken and mashed potatoes, and Lexi had the grilled filet of beef from the kids' menu.
The salmon was phenomenal! It was done to perfection, very flaky and literally melted in your mouth. Everyone wound up trying everyone else's meals, and we all agreed on the salmon. It was presented with a vodka-orange dressing that added just the right counter to the entree.
Kathey's beef was excellent as well, and she claims it to be one of the favorite things that she had all week, so take that as a recommendation. It is served (sounds strange) on macaroni and cheese with a red wine sauce that is out of this world!
I didn't sample the chicken, but it is topped with a grapefruit glaze. Our server (Lita - great!) informed us that the authentic African dish would have a lemon flavor, but the chef decided to try for something a bit sweeter.
Lexi's filet was exactly that - a petit filet that you might expect to get at a better restaurant. Served with mashed potatoes, it was actually a value at $8.95.
The portions were large enough that we had to pass on dessert. Although I really wanted to try the Cardamom flavored chocolate candies, I just didn't have any more room left to do so.
The bill for the five of us, including drinks, tax, and tip, came to $171. I'd highly recommend Jiko and would eat here again in a heartbeat.
After dinner, the plan was that we'd go our separate ways and Kathey, Lexi and I would head over to the MK for fireworks. Kathey decided though that she'd rather have some more "Daddy time", so she stayed behind while Lexi and I went for some Daddy time of our own.
Fireworks were scheduled for 8:30, and we arrived at the AKL bus stop at 7:30. Bus after bus came by, but nothing for the Magic Kingdom. At 8:00, we decided to take the next bus, wherever it was headed, and get a bus to MK from there. It turns out that the next bus was for MGM, so we rode to MGM and immediately hopped the MK bus from there. We were going to make it after all. Just to double-check, I asked the driver if this was going to MK. He mumbled something to the effect of "third stop", so we got on.
A new driver came on and we pulled out. First stop was the TTC, so we waited while everyone else got off the bus and they reloaded. Two stops to go. We left the TTC and headed back out AWAY from the MK! It was only then that I realized that a bus from any park gets you only as close as the TTC and you have to get on the monorail to the MK (the third stop, duh!). I had never gone directly from one park to another before, so consider this a lesson learned. We wound up back at MGM and missed the fireworks. I asked Lexi if she wanted to try to get over to the Contemporary for the Electric Water Pageant, but by this time she was tired of riding buses, and just plain tired. We decided to call it a night. Headed back to AKL for a last go-round at Arusha rock, then off to bed.
<b>Day 2 - Sunday, April 29</b>
We woke up at 6:00, with today being EE at MGM. Today was also our moving day over to BWV, but we decided to go to MGM until 10:00 am or so then return for an 11:00 checkout. I had tried to get a late checkout but couldn't do so.
The weather forecasters were calling for rain that never materialized. In fact, except for Thursday, that was an ongoing theme. The park was quite empty, and by 9:45 we had been on ToT twice, RnRC twice, plus Star Tours, Muppets 3-D and Sounds Dangerous. I have to say; it was a well packed two hours!
When we returned to AKL, I stopped at bell services to see if I needed to wait for a bellman or if I could just leave the bags in the room and they'd come to be picked up. I was told that they'd be happy to pick them up without us there, so we piled the bags up at the door and left a note with a $10 bill asking the bellman to be especially careful with the one that contained glass.
We headed downstairs for one last go-round at the AKL before we had to leave. We ate at Mara once again. This time, Kathey had the pizza and fries, Lexi had a foot-long dog, and I of course, had to have another one of those heavenly bacon-cheeseburgers. The second one proved to me that the first wasn't a fluke.
After lunch, we realized that we had forgotten something from our bags, so we headed back up hoping that a) our key card would still work and b) the bags would still be there. Well one out of two ain't bad. While the key card worked, the bags had been taken.
In retrospect, one thing continues to bother me. We leave tips daily for housekeeping. When we returned to the room, the bags were gone, the room hadn't been made up, but in addition to the bags being gone, the tip for the maid was gone as well. The maid was on the floor, so I'm really hoping that she went into the room and picked up her own tip, planning on coming to clean later. However, I can't help but think that the bellman might have taken the bags, his $10 and the maid's tip as well. The tip was on the sink, under the maid's card, so there would be no mistaking who it was intended for. It's probably too late to call them about it now, but I wish I'd taken Kathey's advice and called the bell captain that day.
By the time we arrived to AK, we had only a couple of hours left. We'd be returning here later in the week, so we didn't bother trying to see the Safari, Kali River Rapids or Dinosaur, instead focusing on less crowded attractions. We walked onto Tough to be a Bug, and then headed over to Camp Minnie-Mickey. I missed the Festival of the Lion King last year and was determined that this was a must-do this year. The next show wasn't due to start for another 35 minutes, so Lexi collected some autographs and pictures. She got Tigger, Eeyore and Goofy and Pluto together before it was time for the show to start.
All I can say about this show was that if it were 30 minutes longer, it would be worth the price of park admission alone. Color me not easily impressed, but I sat awestruck through much of the presentation. I regret not having time to see this again later in the week, but I'll be sure not to miss it next trip.
It was now 3:30, and we were all getting a bit tired, so we decided to head over to BWV instead of closing the park. Our room was ready at BWV. My request had been for a non-smoking room, near the elevator, and as high up as possible. We got the top floor, three doors from the elevator. Perfect!
Last September, I had bid on a five-night stay at BWV on eBay and won the auction. That's how I got here. If I knew then what I knew now, I could have booked the same accommodations for 1/3 less than I paid, but we were still FAR below the rack rate of the room. I highly recommend that if you want to stay at the Boardwalk, find a Disney Vacation Club member who will rent the points to you and do so. I wound up paying about $14.50 per point, but for next time I know I can get them for $10 per.
We checked in and grabbed a quick rest before heading out to Downtown Disney for some dinner and shopping. We didn't have a reservation anywhere, and Kathey had wanted to try Wolfgang Puck's Express pizza since seeing it on the Disney Video. We split a four-cheese pizza (Coors Light for me, white Zinfandel for Kathey) while Lexi had a huge helping of macaroni and cheese (and chocolate milk). Both orders were very good.
We shopped for about two hours, picking up postcards, souvenirs, and kitchen gadgets and never making it any further than the World of Disney before we were ready to head back to the room. We did pick up a very cool wedding gift for my uncle, who is getting married May 12. It's a stand-up picture frame with Mickey and Minnie as the bride and groom on either side of a heart-shaped slot for the picture. They personalized it for us with the names and date and it was delivered to our room on Wednesday. I'm usually lousy at wedding gift shopping, but I think we done good this time!
I wrapped up the day with another Coors Light (my own - LOVE having a refrigerator in the room) while sitting on the balcony watching the activity at the front of the Boardwalk. All in all, a very Disney day.
<i>For the remainder of this trip report, please see <a href="http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37282">Part II</a> and <a href="http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37285">Part III</a></i>
The participants - Myself, (38 and the psychotic Disney planner), Kathey (35) and Lexi (12)
<b>Friday, April 27</b>
2:00 PM, our flight is eight hours away, and I'm sitting at work futilely. I'm obviously getting nothing done, and not being at all productive. I'm going home. It's good to be the boss!
Our flight isn't scheduled to depart for WDW until 9:50 Friday night from Philadelphia, so have a hard time counting this as day 1 of the trip. Let's call it travel day.
So on to the travel stuff! On our way to Philly from Harrisburg, we saw a near-perfect rainbow while driving on the PA Turnpike near Reading. A sign of things to come, perhaps?
Although we live only 100 miles from Philadelphia, I'd never flown from that airport before (I'm closer to BWI), so I was unsure as to where to park. I chose the airport-owned economy parking, and for 7 bucks a day, it fit the bill nicely. After checking our bags curbside (one was mine, the other six belonged to the girls - we're all going to be gone for the same length of time - go figure.), we lucked into a parking spot right next to the gate, took our carry-ons and hopped the shuttle to the terminal.
Our flight left an hour late, but we still arrived to MCO within 45 minutes of our scheduled time. Our Tiffany driver, Ali, was waiting for us at baggage claim. Ali was a nice guy, competent driver, and someone whom I wouldn't be disappointed in drawing again. That having been said, I find it hard to gush over him or recommend that someone ask specifically for him.
We had requested a grocery stop with our reservation, but the choices after midnight are pretty limited. Ali asked if we wanted to go to Gooding's, or if we just wanted to hit a 7-11. We passed on both.
Since the time that we had requested the stop with our reservation, we had made plans for Kathey's dad (Lance) and his wife (Gloria) to drive down from Jacksonville on Saturday to visit us, and they were going to stop and pick up some drinks and snacks for us. Besides, we figured it would be 1:00 AM before we could check in, so nobody was in the mood to shop. We wanted to get to the Animal Kingdom Lodge!!
When we arrived at the security gates, Ali merely said "Dropping off" (you were expecting "Open Sesame"?) and the guard waved him through. There were no bellmen outside at that hour, so we had to carry our luggage into the lobby. There was only one person (Bob) behind the desk and one couple registering ahead of us, so the girls went to check out the lobby while I waited to register.
They were most impressed. The lobby was obviously empty at that hour, but that didn't detract from the magnificence of the place. The pictures that you see on the internet don't do justice to this resort. We'd see even more tomorrow, but (keeping with a theme here) it's late.
I had requested a standard savannah view, 4th floor room "inside the horseshoe", and based on a report that I had read, stated on my fax to the room controller that "I believe that these are the even numbered rooms, but I'm not entirely sure on that point". I was thrilled when Bob gave me the room cards and told us that we'd be in room 5584. Upgrade to deluxe savannah view for no apparent reason! Heck, although I was being friendly enough, I was too tired to be schmoozing and ask for it.
The only concern that I had was that when we arrived at our room, it was "outside the horseshoe". It was also at the last section on the zebra trail, meaning a long hike to the lobby/pool area. If it hadn't been so late, I might have requested to be moved, but I was tired, it was late, etc. etc., so I tipped the bellman and he left. OK, I'm done talking about it being late.
I opened the drapes and stepped out onto the balcony for the view. It was a bit disappointing, since it was a smaller savannah than I expected. I couldn't imagine that there would be many animals out there. Fortunately, the next day I would be proven wrong. WAY wrong. Time to hit the sheets.
<b>Day 1 - Saturday, April 28</b>
Kathey was the first to awaken. She woke me up and led me out to the balcony. "Wow" is all I could say. On the savannah were 4 giraffes, 3 zebras, several bongos, and a few other animals. It was quite a sight. All of my concerns about being outside the horseshoe vanished at that point. Apparently whenever the animals leave the "main" savannah, this is where they come to. I quickly showered and headed down to the Mara to pick up breakfast so that we could eat it on the balcony.
AKL Food report #1 - Having stayed at PO-FQ last year, and being familiar with their food court, I wasn't expecting much from Mara. I ordered a standard eggs/bacon platter for myself, a croissant for Kathey and a kid's meal for Lexi with eggs/sausage. The food was actually very good. Or maybe it was the scenery as we ate on the balcony. Either way, we were very pleased with everything. Nice sized portions, and quite filling.
After breakfast, we hopped a bus over to AK to activate our APs. With Lance and Gloria coming to visit (and not having park tickets), we weren't planning on hitting a park until tonight for fireworks at MK. We wanted to have the passes activated beforehand so that we didn't have to stop at the TTC to do it. Once the passes were in-hand, we tested them at the turnstiles, then immediately left again to go back to AKL. It was now 10:30 and we weren't sure what time they'd be showing up.
We now had a chance to explore AKL. It was everything I'd read and then some. I'll save the detailed descriptions since you've seen them elsewhere. It's a place that simply must be experienced to appreciate.
We spent an hour or so exploring before Kathey decided that she needed some "sun time". We went poolside, where it was probably 78 degrees and mostly sunny. We had informed Lance and Gloria that if they couldn't reach us in our room, we'd probably be at the pool. At noon, they showed up.
TIP <i>If you are staying at AKL and are expecting guests, all you need to do is leave their names at the front desk, and they'll relay the message to the security gate. Your guest then needs to give your name to security as a cross-reference, and they'll be let right in.</i>
Kathey hasn't seen her dad since last August, so everyone is happy and hugging around the pool. They pulled up a couple of chairs and joined us for an hour until Kathey had to leave. For her birthday the previous week, I had arranged a Swedish massage at the spa. I think it was one of the things that she was most looking forward to on our trip.
While Kathey was taking her massage, I went to the car and got our snacks/drinks while Lance and Gloria watched Lexi at the pool. Upon my return, they decided to head over to Mara for lunch. I waited for Kathey to finish before we all joined them. Although I can't report first-hand, I'm told that the massage was "fabulous" and "I've never felt so relaxed in my life". Apparently they do a good job. Of course, I tipped fairly generously ahead of time, so maybe that helped
It was about 2:00 now, and we were hungry enough to grab some lunch. Lexi got the kid's plate of chicken strips, Kathey got a raw vegetable plate with dressing and I ordered the bacon cheeseburger.
At Mara, you place your order for cooked food at the counter and are given a ticket. You then pick up your cold food and drinks from a cooler and pay the cashier. A cast member brings your cooked food to you when it is finished and you can specify whether you want it inside or outside.
We waited outside for our food as CMs continued to serve others. It was 15 minutes and I finally asked about it. I was told, "it will be right up", but it was another five minutes. However, for having to wait we got two free cookies and Lexi's meal was "upgraded" to an adult portion (not that she could eat that much anyway).
AKL Food report #2 - OK, so I've never eaten the famous Beaches and Cream burger, but I can't imagine that it can be much better than this one. This might well be the best burger that I've ever had. Although I like my steaks medium, my burgers should be well-done without any black spots. This was perfect! It was very juicy, very tasty, and because you add your own condiments, it had the perfect blend on lettuce, tomato and onion. I'll try Beaches and Cream later in the week, but I'll be surprised if their burger lives up to this one.
After lunch, Lance and Gloria headed back to their (off-site) hotel to have some alone time before dinner. The girls and I stayed at the pool for another hour or so before we grabbed showers and set out for some more resort exploration. We had a chance to get down to Arusha rock, take a look at the other savannahs, and get a real "feel" for where we were. Since we were resort hopping to BWV tomorrow, we were making the most of the one day that we were here. We explored and shopped for about two hours before we went back up to our room to get ready for dinner at Jiko (pronounce Jee-ko).
AKL Food report #3 - When you first walk into Jiko, you are seated in a lounge with carved tables and stools. It is a casual atmosphere there that encourages conversation and we reflected on our day and the marvels of this new resort. Although we'd only been here and awake for 9 hours or so, it felt very comfortable already and I regretted a bit that we'd be leaving already tomorrow morning.
We were called to our table, and our hostess showed us the restaurant and explained several things, one of which was that Jiko means "cooking place" in Swahili. I only mention that because our table was situated in a spot where every new guest that came by was being told at that spot that Jiko means cooking place. It became kind of a running joke after we'd heard it for the 6th time in five minutes. We talked about running out into the lobby and shouting "Jiko means cooking place!" but figured that might be a spoiler .
For appetizers, we ordered the cinnamon-spiced beef roll and the brick-oven flatbread, and all sampled each. The beef roll was served with a vegetable/banana dip. An odd mingling of tastes, to be sure. The flatbread came with a yogurt-curry cream with bacon and onions. They were adequate appetizers, but probably something that I wouldn't order again.
As our entrees, Lance and I each ordered the horseradish-crusted salmon, Kathey got the oak grilled beef tenderloin, Gloria had the baked chicken and mashed potatoes, and Lexi had the grilled filet of beef from the kids' menu.
The salmon was phenomenal! It was done to perfection, very flaky and literally melted in your mouth. Everyone wound up trying everyone else's meals, and we all agreed on the salmon. It was presented with a vodka-orange dressing that added just the right counter to the entree.
Kathey's beef was excellent as well, and she claims it to be one of the favorite things that she had all week, so take that as a recommendation. It is served (sounds strange) on macaroni and cheese with a red wine sauce that is out of this world!
I didn't sample the chicken, but it is topped with a grapefruit glaze. Our server (Lita - great!) informed us that the authentic African dish would have a lemon flavor, but the chef decided to try for something a bit sweeter.
Lexi's filet was exactly that - a petit filet that you might expect to get at a better restaurant. Served with mashed potatoes, it was actually a value at $8.95.
The portions were large enough that we had to pass on dessert. Although I really wanted to try the Cardamom flavored chocolate candies, I just didn't have any more room left to do so.
The bill for the five of us, including drinks, tax, and tip, came to $171. I'd highly recommend Jiko and would eat here again in a heartbeat.
After dinner, the plan was that we'd go our separate ways and Kathey, Lexi and I would head over to the MK for fireworks. Kathey decided though that she'd rather have some more "Daddy time", so she stayed behind while Lexi and I went for some Daddy time of our own.
Fireworks were scheduled for 8:30, and we arrived at the AKL bus stop at 7:30. Bus after bus came by, but nothing for the Magic Kingdom. At 8:00, we decided to take the next bus, wherever it was headed, and get a bus to MK from there. It turns out that the next bus was for MGM, so we rode to MGM and immediately hopped the MK bus from there. We were going to make it after all. Just to double-check, I asked the driver if this was going to MK. He mumbled something to the effect of "third stop", so we got on.
A new driver came on and we pulled out. First stop was the TTC, so we waited while everyone else got off the bus and they reloaded. Two stops to go. We left the TTC and headed back out AWAY from the MK! It was only then that I realized that a bus from any park gets you only as close as the TTC and you have to get on the monorail to the MK (the third stop, duh!). I had never gone directly from one park to another before, so consider this a lesson learned. We wound up back at MGM and missed the fireworks. I asked Lexi if she wanted to try to get over to the Contemporary for the Electric Water Pageant, but by this time she was tired of riding buses, and just plain tired. We decided to call it a night. Headed back to AKL for a last go-round at Arusha rock, then off to bed.
<b>Day 2 - Sunday, April 29</b>
We woke up at 6:00, with today being EE at MGM. Today was also our moving day over to BWV, but we decided to go to MGM until 10:00 am or so then return for an 11:00 checkout. I had tried to get a late checkout but couldn't do so.
The weather forecasters were calling for rain that never materialized. In fact, except for Thursday, that was an ongoing theme. The park was quite empty, and by 9:45 we had been on ToT twice, RnRC twice, plus Star Tours, Muppets 3-D and Sounds Dangerous. I have to say; it was a well packed two hours!
When we returned to AKL, I stopped at bell services to see if I needed to wait for a bellman or if I could just leave the bags in the room and they'd come to be picked up. I was told that they'd be happy to pick them up without us there, so we piled the bags up at the door and left a note with a $10 bill asking the bellman to be especially careful with the one that contained glass.
We headed downstairs for one last go-round at the AKL before we had to leave. We ate at Mara once again. This time, Kathey had the pizza and fries, Lexi had a foot-long dog, and I of course, had to have another one of those heavenly bacon-cheeseburgers. The second one proved to me that the first wasn't a fluke.
After lunch, we realized that we had forgotten something from our bags, so we headed back up hoping that a) our key card would still work and b) the bags would still be there. Well one out of two ain't bad. While the key card worked, the bags had been taken.
In retrospect, one thing continues to bother me. We leave tips daily for housekeeping. When we returned to the room, the bags were gone, the room hadn't been made up, but in addition to the bags being gone, the tip for the maid was gone as well. The maid was on the floor, so I'm really hoping that she went into the room and picked up her own tip, planning on coming to clean later. However, I can't help but think that the bellman might have taken the bags, his $10 and the maid's tip as well. The tip was on the sink, under the maid's card, so there would be no mistaking who it was intended for. It's probably too late to call them about it now, but I wish I'd taken Kathey's advice and called the bell captain that day.
By the time we arrived to AK, we had only a couple of hours left. We'd be returning here later in the week, so we didn't bother trying to see the Safari, Kali River Rapids or Dinosaur, instead focusing on less crowded attractions. We walked onto Tough to be a Bug, and then headed over to Camp Minnie-Mickey. I missed the Festival of the Lion King last year and was determined that this was a must-do this year. The next show wasn't due to start for another 35 minutes, so Lexi collected some autographs and pictures. She got Tigger, Eeyore and Goofy and Pluto together before it was time for the show to start.
All I can say about this show was that if it were 30 minutes longer, it would be worth the price of park admission alone. Color me not easily impressed, but I sat awestruck through much of the presentation. I regret not having time to see this again later in the week, but I'll be sure not to miss it next trip.
It was now 3:30, and we were all getting a bit tired, so we decided to head over to BWV instead of closing the park. Our room was ready at BWV. My request had been for a non-smoking room, near the elevator, and as high up as possible. We got the top floor, three doors from the elevator. Perfect!
Last September, I had bid on a five-night stay at BWV on eBay and won the auction. That's how I got here. If I knew then what I knew now, I could have booked the same accommodations for 1/3 less than I paid, but we were still FAR below the rack rate of the room. I highly recommend that if you want to stay at the Boardwalk, find a Disney Vacation Club member who will rent the points to you and do so. I wound up paying about $14.50 per point, but for next time I know I can get them for $10 per.
We checked in and grabbed a quick rest before heading out to Downtown Disney for some dinner and shopping. We didn't have a reservation anywhere, and Kathey had wanted to try Wolfgang Puck's Express pizza since seeing it on the Disney Video. We split a four-cheese pizza (Coors Light for me, white Zinfandel for Kathey) while Lexi had a huge helping of macaroni and cheese (and chocolate milk). Both orders were very good.
We shopped for about two hours, picking up postcards, souvenirs, and kitchen gadgets and never making it any further than the World of Disney before we were ready to head back to the room. We did pick up a very cool wedding gift for my uncle, who is getting married May 12. It's a stand-up picture frame with Mickey and Minnie as the bride and groom on either side of a heart-shaped slot for the picture. They personalized it for us with the names and date and it was delivered to our room on Wednesday. I'm usually lousy at wedding gift shopping, but I think we done good this time!
I wrapped up the day with another Coors Light (my own - LOVE having a refrigerator in the room) while sitting on the balcony watching the activity at the front of the Boardwalk. All in all, a very Disney day.
<i>For the remainder of this trip report, please see <a href="http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37282">Part II</a> and <a href="http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37285">Part III</a></i>
