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I will put my comments on the actual resort at the end in bold in case you just want to know how I felt about the resorts
Our last trip to WDW was in 2021 and we stayed at Pop Century. We loved the Skyliner so much. WDW was much much different when we went since it was in early 2021. So this was our first trip as DVC members and first trip to WDW running normally.
Travel day
We took the red eye in order to maximize our time in Orlando, a 4.5 hour flight. I thought I would get some sleep but I got zero sleep. We pre-booked a ride with Gear Fusion, our flight landed early and he was waiting for us. Which is a good thing / bad thing. My son had to use the restroom and then we took a wrong turn and ended up in departures not arrivals. I think the driver was annoyed by this. So having someone wait on you adds an element of stress over just taking Mears or ordering an Uber once you are ready to go. Would I take the red eye again? No.
We arrived at AKV Kidani around 6:45 am. I had stalked the DVC site and saw that our room type had been empty the night before so I was hoping we could check in early. Went to the check in desk and pleaded my case that I was exhausted. Our room was available and we got to check in. This started our trip off in such a magical way! We headed to our room to down a long hallway, we were deliriously tired so the the length of the hallway had us all laughing. We entered our room 7356 and although it needs a refurb we were happy with it. The savanna view was perfection. We headed over to Boma for breakfast, we knew it was at Jambo so we were prepared for the walk. The walk was actually a really nice outdoor walk. The food was okay, since we were so tired we didn't really eat our monies worth, but that is totally our fault. We decided we were not going to do Blizzard Beach and headed back to our room and took a needed nap. Headed down to the Kidani pool around 12pm. The only chairs available were at the splash pad. We did Mickey tie dyes. LOVE this activity. Got some food from the pool bar, my son did the arcade tournament which was not a great use of time, and then we made our way over the the Jambo pool by using the resort shuttle which was easy and convenient. My son was very underwhelmed, hindsight we should have went to Jambo pool first and he would have been happier with it, that was our original plan but we didn't because the front desk said we had to be there at the start of Mickey Tye Die and we couldn’t arrive sometime within the hour, we were afraid we wouldn’t make it back in time so we went to Kidani pool first. You can arrive within the hour you don't have to be there when it starts fyi. We were also going to Jambo to order dinner at Mara. Well I guess by the time we got there it was “late night” so we couldn’t eat anything there as there were no plant based options on the late menu. So we went back to Kidani. We ordered quick service from Sanaa. My husband was not happy about this. We have eaten at Sanaa before and it's just not his cup of tea. Too much flavor for him! We had purchased the hotel mug so trips were made to refill multiple times. By the end of our stay the next morning we were no longer laughing about the length of the hallways. I walked more during our resort day than I did the following 10 hour day at Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom Day
We woke up packed our stuff, checked it with bell services and headed to AK. Somehow in my mind I was staying at AKV so I thought getting there would be quicker. Silly me. The bus ride there was uneventful. We had a great day at AK. We made sure to ride Dinosaur twice since it is going away. If you’d like to see how our days went utilizing LLMP and how the crowds were I made a post about that here.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/u...g-our-trip-leading-up-to-easter-2025.3966089/
We were checking into BWV after our AKV day. I did notate that we would be arriving to the resort at 6pm. Im not sure if that is why but our room was not ready until just after 6pm. I kept getting texts saying the room wasn't ready yet. No big deal since we weren’t ready to check in anyway. The bus ride to BWV was okay, two stops before getting to BWV. I was a bit worried I wasn't going to like my ground floor room so I frantically googled and searched here for my room number to see if there were any reviews. I stumbled upon one review that said it was loud and that the room is right by the pool smoking area. I was nervous. I decided not to ask for a different room and just see what happened. Our room was 1021.
Magic Kingdom Day
We took the bus to MK the next morning. The bus was about 20 min wait most of the time we were the only ones waiting, the CM at the bus stop gifted my son a pin. This made his day and he talked about it numerous times throughout our trip. We had a good day at MK. My report on our LLMP success is in the link above. In my opinion LLMP works much much better at WDW than at DL. I loved it. They chose my son's joke at the laugh floor and he was thrilled. Fireworks at MK… the hub and main st are complete and udder madness at fireworks time. People leaving strollers wherever they want and I watched numerous CM not be able to get around to do their job, people squeezing like sardines in a tight space all for everyone to just raise their phones in the air to take a video and not actually watch them. We left half way through, it was so stressful we left our food behind on accident trying to flee teh madness… goodbye $14 burger I waited 20 minutes for. At DL yes it's packed but nothing like this. DL has done a great job of making the fireworks an experience in multiple areas so the competing for castle view is not as important. The bus ride home had me never wanting to wait for or have to ride a bus again. I did notice that fireworks view from bus stop is actually pretty good. If I ever try to watch again while at MK that is where it will be from unless I shell out cash for a fireworks dinner package.
MK DVC notes
On MK day we went to the new lounge at MK, we have MMB so we only waited about 5 minutes to get in. We got the grand opening pin
We were lucky that we timed the lounge visit to where we were leaving just as the parade started so we watched it from the porch there in the shade. Hot take.. this lounge has nothing on the lounge at DL. Don't get me wrong I loved it but the DL lounge is just much better, MK lounge feels like a perk, DL lounge feels like an exclusive luxury.
Epcot Day
Our next day was Epcot we were very happy to be able to take the boat over (at this point I didn't realize how close the walk is) Our Epcot day wasn't amazing. We bought LLMP and was not able to secure Frozen at 10am after riding Remy. Remy.. oh Remy we had such high hopes we would love to this ride as we are huge Ratatouille fans. Disney completely missed the mark on this one. It's probably way better in the front seat, but still not a creative ride whatsoever, such a let down. GOG was the highlight of this day, we bought LLSP. That is a great ride. We ate at Space 220 and it took 1.5 hours. 1 hour was just waiting for food. The beet salad was the best thing I have ever eaten so I tried not to be too mad about it but still left wishing we had skipped it. I was very very tired this day, I think it was due to taking Benadryl for this mystery Disney rash I get, and also the rides here are so relaxing that it added to my tiredness. We headed back to BWV via the boat, I wanted to catch a quick 1 hour nap and then head back to Epcot. We had some family drama and ended up not going back. We walked over to Beach Club and ate at Beaches and Cream, I was able to get counter service on a 20 min waitlist. This is when I realized just how close BCV is to Epcot. My husband admired the doors his company installed at BCV back in the day so that was fun for him.
Hollywood Studios Day
We had the best day. We took the boat over to HS and did everything we wanted to do. My son was picked to open up the Indiana Jones Show with “lights, camera, action” and he was over the moon excited about it. We rode Rockin Roller Coaster two times just in case we don't get to ride it again before its closure. Hot take TOT is better than Guardians at DL, maybe it's the moving of the elevator or the nostalgia but I preferred it, my son prefers Guardians. I will say during Halloween time at DL Guardians is totally different and much better. We left at 6pm and took the Skyliner over to Epcot, loved being able to do this so much, I felt like a true WDW vet AP holder! And guys get this I was able to get the Lightning Lane for Frozen! Made me so happy. That ride gave me the feels. Love it. Looking at you Remy
that gave me no feels.
Epcot DVC notes.
We visited the DVC lounge for the after hours event. There was nobody there, one family showed up while we were getting ready to leave. My son played rock, paper, scissors with Nick Wilde and learned to play the yo-yo with Judy. Nick and my son got in a bit of trouble playing around. My son was so happy, he said to me “Mom, I love DVC” We headed back to the resort and went over to the pool. This was a great day. So many things were only possible because of DVC.
Epcot Day - Travel Day
Our last day we did our laundry, packed up and we walked to Epcot and spent the day leisurely walking world showcase, and we visited the DVC lounge again during normal hours. Headed back to the resort and caught a Lyft to MCO or our Delta flight. On the way to the airport I see a news feed of a Delta plane engine catching fire at MCO and people evacuating by slide. MCO is a total $hit show of an airport. The man monitoring the Delta assistance line was incredibly mean to everyone, the line took 35 minutes. Delta booked my son's flight separate than mine and so I had to check him in person it wouldn’t allow me to check him in online. We didn't plan for this. The line for Clear/PreCheck was also much slower than any other airport Ive used it in. So we had to run through airport Home Alone style. We arrive at our gate to a sea of people, then I get a text “your flight isn't boarding yet” but the app was still showing on time as were the screens in the airport. We left late and taxied the airport for 15-20 minutes prior to take off. We landed late back home but we landed safe so that is whats important.
Other tidbits.
The days at WDW were hot, especially the last day. A neck fan was very helpful. We wore ponchos on Tianas and we wouldn’t have gotten wet if we hadn’t, not sure how. You’re hat will fly off on Tianas even if you have a ponytail going through securing it and it hasn’t fallen off on any other rides. Kringlas are amazing. Space 220 theming is highly overrated. Joffreys coffee tastes better in WDW than DL.
Park/Ride tidbits.
LLMP is WAY better at WDW the DL. DLR is superior to MK in so many ways. Space Mountain at MK is better, again my son disagrees with me (except when we get Hyperspace Mountain at DL) I adore HS it far exceeds DCA. Once they add Cars attractions to HS it will be over the top amazing. Epcot, well Epcot is somewhat boring and I can only see myself coming here again to ride GOG and if I have the ability to park hop and get some food, or if we go on an adults trip and I don't have a kid bugging me about thrill rides. Dinosaur is a great ride, don't understand why don't people really line up for it. Astro Blasters far exceeds Buzz Lightyear. Like no comparison.
DVC tidbits.
DL and AUL has spoiled me. There was no super cool swag at WDW just stickers. No cool art prints in the room to take home (maybe this is only at active resorts) There was no paper or pens in the room for me to accidentally take home.
My honest AKV review
I was afraid I would come home wanting to own at AKV. It ended up being the complete opposite. After the initial allure of the animals and early Disney check in magic wore off we overall just did not like AKV at all. The front desk only picked up one of the 4 calls we made and when she answered she didn't know the info we needed and then ended up giving us inaccurate info. The room was stuffy. We are hard core animal lovers and even though sitting on the balcony watching the giraffes gave me pure joy I don't think I will be staying here again, I might give it one more try after the refurb. It is in badly needing a refurb. Initially the room seemed fine but once I needed to shower I changed my mind on that. The shower felt truly icky. It had a smell and just looked and felt like a motel shower off the interstate not a deluxe resort at Disney. In the morning I awoke to the next door room making breakfast. I felt guilty that they woke up did a homemade breakfast of eggs and bacon and headed out before I was even dressed and my kid was still hungry. I know this because the walls are so thin I heard everything. Not just voices, the actual words being spoken. “hand me the butter”, “go get your shoes" It was the studio portion of a lockoff unit. I truly hope the refurb will help this resort shine since I really do love the Animal aspect of it. I would also like to see more quick service options over at Kidani.
BWV review.
This place is everything I want in a Disney resort. Its like they made this place for me. The art on the walls is perfection. It made me happy every single moment we were there. Mickey and Minnie in front of the Boardwalk, yes!! The one piece of art without a character had a mickey cloud… PERFECTION. I pulled down the murphy bed and almost fainted when I saw Donald asleep with the Yacht Club in the background out his balcony doors. Just typing this I am getting the feels.
The room was fine, it could use a good deep clean, but all in all we were still happy. It was bright and airy. Front desk always answered the phone and assisted with anything we needed. It was quiet even though its a lock off room. We kept the curtains closed since the housekeeping carts would pass by our back sliding door. I didn't smell smoke as I had seen a previous reviewer comment on. We loved the proximity of the room to the pool. We didn't feel the hallway to our room was all that long at all. FYI there is a delay on the heater, it will blow cold air for a period of time before it heats up. We thought it was broken. But nope. The store I guess is being redone but I didn't even notice, anything we needed we were able to get. Almond milk, Benadryl for my mysterious “Disney rash”, the tweezers I left at home. My son loved the pool. Our neighbors had a super fun board hanging on their door for pin trading. We loved this resort and we will be staying in the future. The crescent lake area is a whole vibe and I am here for it. If it wasn't a 2042 resort Id be buying.. but thats a whole other discussion for other threads.
In conclusion
We had a great trip learning our way around WDW. We cant wait to go back and navigate the parks and resorts like pros. Our next stay is at CCV in August if I can secure MM tickets (flights and room is booked) I am yearning to go back to Crescent Lake though. I just loved it so much.
My son has came down with something. Remember to wash those hands. I know the moment it happened too. When I gave him a fork to eat his fries and he used his hands he didnt wash
Our last trip to WDW was in 2021 and we stayed at Pop Century. We loved the Skyliner so much. WDW was much much different when we went since it was in early 2021. So this was our first trip as DVC members and first trip to WDW running normally.
Travel day
We took the red eye in order to maximize our time in Orlando, a 4.5 hour flight. I thought I would get some sleep but I got zero sleep. We pre-booked a ride with Gear Fusion, our flight landed early and he was waiting for us. Which is a good thing / bad thing. My son had to use the restroom and then we took a wrong turn and ended up in departures not arrivals. I think the driver was annoyed by this. So having someone wait on you adds an element of stress over just taking Mears or ordering an Uber once you are ready to go. Would I take the red eye again? No.
We arrived at AKV Kidani around 6:45 am. I had stalked the DVC site and saw that our room type had been empty the night before so I was hoping we could check in early. Went to the check in desk and pleaded my case that I was exhausted. Our room was available and we got to check in. This started our trip off in such a magical way! We headed to our room to down a long hallway, we were deliriously tired so the the length of the hallway had us all laughing. We entered our room 7356 and although it needs a refurb we were happy with it. The savanna view was perfection. We headed over to Boma for breakfast, we knew it was at Jambo so we were prepared for the walk. The walk was actually a really nice outdoor walk. The food was okay, since we were so tired we didn't really eat our monies worth, but that is totally our fault. We decided we were not going to do Blizzard Beach and headed back to our room and took a needed nap. Headed down to the Kidani pool around 12pm. The only chairs available were at the splash pad. We did Mickey tie dyes. LOVE this activity. Got some food from the pool bar, my son did the arcade tournament which was not a great use of time, and then we made our way over the the Jambo pool by using the resort shuttle which was easy and convenient. My son was very underwhelmed, hindsight we should have went to Jambo pool first and he would have been happier with it, that was our original plan but we didn't because the front desk said we had to be there at the start of Mickey Tye Die and we couldn’t arrive sometime within the hour, we were afraid we wouldn’t make it back in time so we went to Kidani pool first. You can arrive within the hour you don't have to be there when it starts fyi. We were also going to Jambo to order dinner at Mara. Well I guess by the time we got there it was “late night” so we couldn’t eat anything there as there were no plant based options on the late menu. So we went back to Kidani. We ordered quick service from Sanaa. My husband was not happy about this. We have eaten at Sanaa before and it's just not his cup of tea. Too much flavor for him! We had purchased the hotel mug so trips were made to refill multiple times. By the end of our stay the next morning we were no longer laughing about the length of the hallways. I walked more during our resort day than I did the following 10 hour day at Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom Day
We woke up packed our stuff, checked it with bell services and headed to AK. Somehow in my mind I was staying at AKV so I thought getting there would be quicker. Silly me. The bus ride there was uneventful. We had a great day at AK. We made sure to ride Dinosaur twice since it is going away. If you’d like to see how our days went utilizing LLMP and how the crowds were I made a post about that here.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/u...g-our-trip-leading-up-to-easter-2025.3966089/
We were checking into BWV after our AKV day. I did notate that we would be arriving to the resort at 6pm. Im not sure if that is why but our room was not ready until just after 6pm. I kept getting texts saying the room wasn't ready yet. No big deal since we weren’t ready to check in anyway. The bus ride to BWV was okay, two stops before getting to BWV. I was a bit worried I wasn't going to like my ground floor room so I frantically googled and searched here for my room number to see if there were any reviews. I stumbled upon one review that said it was loud and that the room is right by the pool smoking area. I was nervous. I decided not to ask for a different room and just see what happened. Our room was 1021.
Magic Kingdom Day
We took the bus to MK the next morning. The bus was about 20 min wait most of the time we were the only ones waiting, the CM at the bus stop gifted my son a pin. This made his day and he talked about it numerous times throughout our trip. We had a good day at MK. My report on our LLMP success is in the link above. In my opinion LLMP works much much better at WDW than at DL. I loved it. They chose my son's joke at the laugh floor and he was thrilled. Fireworks at MK… the hub and main st are complete and udder madness at fireworks time. People leaving strollers wherever they want and I watched numerous CM not be able to get around to do their job, people squeezing like sardines in a tight space all for everyone to just raise their phones in the air to take a video and not actually watch them. We left half way through, it was so stressful we left our food behind on accident trying to flee teh madness… goodbye $14 burger I waited 20 minutes for. At DL yes it's packed but nothing like this. DL has done a great job of making the fireworks an experience in multiple areas so the competing for castle view is not as important. The bus ride home had me never wanting to wait for or have to ride a bus again. I did notice that fireworks view from bus stop is actually pretty good. If I ever try to watch again while at MK that is where it will be from unless I shell out cash for a fireworks dinner package.
MK DVC notes
On MK day we went to the new lounge at MK, we have MMB so we only waited about 5 minutes to get in. We got the grand opening pin
We were lucky that we timed the lounge visit to where we were leaving just as the parade started so we watched it from the porch there in the shade. Hot take.. this lounge has nothing on the lounge at DL. Don't get me wrong I loved it but the DL lounge is just much better, MK lounge feels like a perk, DL lounge feels like an exclusive luxury.Epcot Day
Our next day was Epcot we were very happy to be able to take the boat over (at this point I didn't realize how close the walk is) Our Epcot day wasn't amazing. We bought LLMP and was not able to secure Frozen at 10am after riding Remy. Remy.. oh Remy we had such high hopes we would love to this ride as we are huge Ratatouille fans. Disney completely missed the mark on this one. It's probably way better in the front seat, but still not a creative ride whatsoever, such a let down. GOG was the highlight of this day, we bought LLSP. That is a great ride. We ate at Space 220 and it took 1.5 hours. 1 hour was just waiting for food. The beet salad was the best thing I have ever eaten so I tried not to be too mad about it but still left wishing we had skipped it. I was very very tired this day, I think it was due to taking Benadryl for this mystery Disney rash I get, and also the rides here are so relaxing that it added to my tiredness. We headed back to BWV via the boat, I wanted to catch a quick 1 hour nap and then head back to Epcot. We had some family drama and ended up not going back. We walked over to Beach Club and ate at Beaches and Cream, I was able to get counter service on a 20 min waitlist. This is when I realized just how close BCV is to Epcot. My husband admired the doors his company installed at BCV back in the day so that was fun for him.
Hollywood Studios Day
We had the best day. We took the boat over to HS and did everything we wanted to do. My son was picked to open up the Indiana Jones Show with “lights, camera, action” and he was over the moon excited about it. We rode Rockin Roller Coaster two times just in case we don't get to ride it again before its closure. Hot take TOT is better than Guardians at DL, maybe it's the moving of the elevator or the nostalgia but I preferred it, my son prefers Guardians. I will say during Halloween time at DL Guardians is totally different and much better. We left at 6pm and took the Skyliner over to Epcot, loved being able to do this so much, I felt like a true WDW vet AP holder! And guys get this I was able to get the Lightning Lane for Frozen! Made me so happy. That ride gave me the feels. Love it. Looking at you Remy
that gave me no feels.Epcot DVC notes.
We visited the DVC lounge for the after hours event. There was nobody there, one family showed up while we were getting ready to leave. My son played rock, paper, scissors with Nick Wilde and learned to play the yo-yo with Judy. Nick and my son got in a bit of trouble playing around. My son was so happy, he said to me “Mom, I love DVC” We headed back to the resort and went over to the pool. This was a great day. So many things were only possible because of DVC.
Epcot Day - Travel Day
Our last day we did our laundry, packed up and we walked to Epcot and spent the day leisurely walking world showcase, and we visited the DVC lounge again during normal hours. Headed back to the resort and caught a Lyft to MCO or our Delta flight. On the way to the airport I see a news feed of a Delta plane engine catching fire at MCO and people evacuating by slide. MCO is a total $hit show of an airport. The man monitoring the Delta assistance line was incredibly mean to everyone, the line took 35 minutes. Delta booked my son's flight separate than mine and so I had to check him in person it wouldn’t allow me to check him in online. We didn't plan for this. The line for Clear/PreCheck was also much slower than any other airport Ive used it in. So we had to run through airport Home Alone style. We arrive at our gate to a sea of people, then I get a text “your flight isn't boarding yet” but the app was still showing on time as were the screens in the airport. We left late and taxied the airport for 15-20 minutes prior to take off. We landed late back home but we landed safe so that is whats important.
Other tidbits.
The days at WDW were hot, especially the last day. A neck fan was very helpful. We wore ponchos on Tianas and we wouldn’t have gotten wet if we hadn’t, not sure how. You’re hat will fly off on Tianas even if you have a ponytail going through securing it and it hasn’t fallen off on any other rides. Kringlas are amazing. Space 220 theming is highly overrated. Joffreys coffee tastes better in WDW than DL.
Park/Ride tidbits.
LLMP is WAY better at WDW the DL. DLR is superior to MK in so many ways. Space Mountain at MK is better, again my son disagrees with me (except when we get Hyperspace Mountain at DL) I adore HS it far exceeds DCA. Once they add Cars attractions to HS it will be over the top amazing. Epcot, well Epcot is somewhat boring and I can only see myself coming here again to ride GOG and if I have the ability to park hop and get some food, or if we go on an adults trip and I don't have a kid bugging me about thrill rides. Dinosaur is a great ride, don't understand why don't people really line up for it. Astro Blasters far exceeds Buzz Lightyear. Like no comparison.
DVC tidbits.
DL and AUL has spoiled me. There was no super cool swag at WDW just stickers. No cool art prints in the room to take home (maybe this is only at active resorts) There was no paper or pens in the room for me to accidentally take home.
My honest AKV review
I was afraid I would come home wanting to own at AKV. It ended up being the complete opposite. After the initial allure of the animals and early Disney check in magic wore off we overall just did not like AKV at all. The front desk only picked up one of the 4 calls we made and when she answered she didn't know the info we needed and then ended up giving us inaccurate info. The room was stuffy. We are hard core animal lovers and even though sitting on the balcony watching the giraffes gave me pure joy I don't think I will be staying here again, I might give it one more try after the refurb. It is in badly needing a refurb. Initially the room seemed fine but once I needed to shower I changed my mind on that. The shower felt truly icky. It had a smell and just looked and felt like a motel shower off the interstate not a deluxe resort at Disney. In the morning I awoke to the next door room making breakfast. I felt guilty that they woke up did a homemade breakfast of eggs and bacon and headed out before I was even dressed and my kid was still hungry. I know this because the walls are so thin I heard everything. Not just voices, the actual words being spoken. “hand me the butter”, “go get your shoes" It was the studio portion of a lockoff unit. I truly hope the refurb will help this resort shine since I really do love the Animal aspect of it. I would also like to see more quick service options over at Kidani.
BWV review.
This place is everything I want in a Disney resort. Its like they made this place for me. The art on the walls is perfection. It made me happy every single moment we were there. Mickey and Minnie in front of the Boardwalk, yes!! The one piece of art without a character had a mickey cloud… PERFECTION. I pulled down the murphy bed and almost fainted when I saw Donald asleep with the Yacht Club in the background out his balcony doors. Just typing this I am getting the feels.
The room was fine, it could use a good deep clean, but all in all we were still happy. It was bright and airy. Front desk always answered the phone and assisted with anything we needed. It was quiet even though its a lock off room. We kept the curtains closed since the housekeeping carts would pass by our back sliding door. I didn't smell smoke as I had seen a previous reviewer comment on. We loved the proximity of the room to the pool. We didn't feel the hallway to our room was all that long at all. FYI there is a delay on the heater, it will blow cold air for a period of time before it heats up. We thought it was broken. But nope. The store I guess is being redone but I didn't even notice, anything we needed we were able to get. Almond milk, Benadryl for my mysterious “Disney rash”, the tweezers I left at home. My son loved the pool. Our neighbors had a super fun board hanging on their door for pin trading. We loved this resort and we will be staying in the future. The crescent lake area is a whole vibe and I am here for it. If it wasn't a 2042 resort Id be buying.. but thats a whole other discussion for other threads.
In conclusion
We had a great trip learning our way around WDW. We cant wait to go back and navigate the parks and resorts like pros. Our next stay is at CCV in August if I can secure MM tickets (flights and room is booked) I am yearning to go back to Crescent Lake though. I just loved it so much.
My son has came down with something. Remember to wash those hands. I know the moment it happened too. When I gave him a fork to eat his fries and he used his hands he didnt wash
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