Adventurers in Septemberer -- Food & Wine, MNSSHP, and Adventurer's Club!

[girlbomb]

Welcome, wonderful DISers, to a surprise PTR – one I didn’t think I’d be writing so soon, and one I can’t wait to explain!

But first, a quick backstory: For the past four years, my Dear Domestic Partner Bill and I have been taking an annual trip to Disney World in December. Our first trip, in 2005, was supposed to be a celebration and reward for our young friend Samantha, who’d fought homelessness, drug addiction, and severe illness – sadly, Sam never made it to Disney with us, but a tradition was born, and now Bill and I use our annual trip to celebrate life, love, and happiness!

Our last two trips are documented in trip reports, posted here and here. But those TRs are long, so here’s the summary:

We’re Contemporary-staying, MK-viewing, rope-dropping, park-hopping, Fast-Pass-getting, E-ticket-loving, ADR-having, face-stuffing, commando-touring fools! And while we’ve learned to slow down and smell the monorail a little bit over the past few years, we’re still hardcore about maximizing our park time, and hitting our favorite rides again and again. To wit: On our December 2008 trip, we took 15 trips on the Tower of Terror – down from 20 the year before!

So that’s what you’re getting into with us. We like our early entry character breakfasts, our signature restaurant dinners, and our hard ticket events (Segway tours! Christmas parties! Bring ‘em on!). We don’t tend to hit the resort pool, we don’t collect autographs or pin trade (although that may change), and we don’t set foot off property once we’re on it. We’re not traveling with kids, parents, or pals – it’s just us two thirtysomethings, acting like we’re eight.

Still on board? Excellent!

[I'm going to insert the two-fer trip report index here, and will keep updating it as I add installments to our report:

Sept. 09 Pre-Trip: This post, see below
Sept. 09 Pre-Trip 2: I just love it when a PTR comes together
Weds., Sept. 23, Day One, Part One: Arrival, AK, and EEEEEEEE (a.k.a., 4 rides on EE)
Weds., Sept. 23, Day One, Part Two: Home to the MK, Jiko
Thurs., Sept. 24, Day Two, Part One: Touring the Studios with a Superstar
Thurs., Sept. 24, Day Two, Part Two: Running the Studios like Hollywood Execs
Thurs., Sept. 24, Day Two, Part Three: Party of the First Part
Fri., Sept. 25, Day Three, Part One: The Food, More Food, and Yet More Food Festival
Fri., Sept. 25, Day Three, Part Two: The Dessert and More Dessert Festival
Fri., Sept. 25, Day Three, Part Three: Mickey's Not So Scary, In Fact, Perfectly Delightful, Halloween Party
Sat., Sept. 26, Day Four, Part One: Water Park Angst and More
Sat., Sept. 26, Day Four, Part Two: It's Almost Like this Kingdom is Magic, Or Something
Sun., Sept. 27, Day Five: Goodbye, But Not For Long! AND Final Thoughts...

Dec. 09, Pre-Trip Part One: ADR Mania -- TWO HOURS on the phone with Disney!]

So of course, as soon as we got home from our December 2008 trip, we booked our stay for December 2009 – fifty-one looooong sloooooow weeks away. I wrote our trip report, and corresponded with several fabulous DISers as a result, but by the end of January, the TR was over, and there was nothing to do but wait and plan for next year’s vacation.

UNTIL.

I got the most wonderful and welcome email from the very fabulous Circusgirl worship, letting us know that there was a special event coming up in September – a one-night-only return to the Adventurers’ Club!



Oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow…



We only caught on to the Adventurers’ Club in 2007, and only because folks on the DIS were so adamantly enthusiastic about it that we just had to check it out. And we LOVED it! We had budgeted one night for the AC on that trip, but quickly moved other things aside to make room for a second visit, and we stayed until closing time, singing and laughing and having a ball. We couldn’t wait to go back in December 2008 – and then they closed it. Gah!

So to hear that it would be open again, and for only one night, and that our illustrious friend was going to be attending…well, we tried to resist. We weren’t planning to go in September; we didn’t know if we could justify or afford another trip on top of our December trip; yadda yadda and etc. You know the drill – here are all the reasons we can’t go, and now we will IGNORE them because OH MY GOD WE HAVE TO GO. If I had to read about this event after the fact, the way I read about the special DIS Toy Story Midway Mania party we missed during MouseFest? Augh! No doubt you heard my piteous sobs, echoing all the way from NYC!

Yeah, we tried to resist. But within 48 hours, we’d given in. I called the travel agent who was offering the Adventurer’s Club package, and made our reservations. And then I went right over to my Twitter page and posted KUNGALOOSH!

And nobody knew what the heck I was talking about.

So our long slog towards Disney just got shorter, and way more exciting (something I wouldn’t have though possible). We’ll be arriving in Orlando on Wednesday, September 23, and leaving (BOO) on Sunday, September 27. We’re planning to hit the AC event on Thursday night, the Halloween party on Friday night, and the opening weekend of the Food & Wine Festival all weekend long.

AND, because the packages that were offered did not include rooms at our beloved Contemporary Resort, we will be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! Woohoo! I’ve always wanted to stay at AKL, but didn’t want to split our December stay between resorts, and didn’t want to spend nine whole days that far away from the MK. So this is perfect – we’ll get to eat at one of our top five favorite places, Boma, and we’ll get to try out Jiko, all with such great convenience. And we understand that an upscale Indian restaurant will be completed at AK Villas this summer, so it looks like we’ll get in a meal at Sanaa, too!

Nom nom nom nom nom…

I’m looking forward to updating this PTR with our day-by-day plans, and some other exciting Disney World-related news (news I can’t spill yet, as it’s not official, and I don’t want to hex it). And I’m really looking forward to seeing/meeting some of the trip reporters I’ve been reading on the boards, and whoever else is jumping on board this amazing crazy train.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Circusgirl]

Waahooo! Two of my wishes have come true - you are going to be there in September and you've started a new PTR!!!

 

[girlbomb]

Speaking of making wishes come true, Circusgirl, you're a hero in our house! We're so excited for this September trip -- just six months and nine days away!



We're still working out our day-by-day plans, and our ADRs. And I've started to think about switching our reservation from Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Beach Club, to be closer to Epcot for the Fooding and the Wining, though Bill's not in favor of the switch -- and I think I agree with him. We really have wanted to stay at AKL for a while...then again, we've also been interested in checking out the Epcot resorts...

Either way, what a delicious dilemma!

In the meantime, I'm trying to get Bill to write a quick summary of his recent trip to Disneyland -- he was visiting a friend in LA last week, and they went to the Motherland for a few hours. I don't know how Bill stood for it -- his friend didn't want to get there early, didn't want to tour commando, and they only stayed for five hours total. I would have been writhing all morning until we arrived! And you would have had to peel me out of the park with a vegetable peeler!* (*Note: Not quite sure how this would work.) But Bill managed to be cool about it, and to go at his friend's pace. Which meant they only hit five rides total!



Anyway, I'll try to pry the mini-TR out of him soon, and will report back soon with our initial draft of a plan. Thanks, as always, for reading!

 

[Circusgirl]

Speaking of making wishes come true, Circusgirl, you're a hero in our house! We're so excited for this September trip -- just six months and nine days away!



We're still working out our day-by-day plans, and our ADRs. And I've started to think about switching our reservation from Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Beach Club, to be closer to Epcot for the Fooding and the Wining, though Bill's not in favor of the switch -- and I think I agree with him. We really have wanted to stay at AKL for a while...then again, we've also been interested in checking out the Epcot resorts...

Either way, what a delicious dilemma!

In the meantime, I'm trying to get Bill to write a quick summary of his recent trip to Disneyland -- he was visiting a friend in LA last week, and they went to the Motherland for a few hours. I don't know how Bill stood for it -- his friend didn't want to get there early, didn't want to tour commando, and they only stayed for five hours total. I would have been writhing all morning until we arrived! And you would have had to peel me out of the park with a vegetable peeler!* (*Note: Not quite sure how this would work.) But Bill managed to be cool about it, and to go at his friend's pace. Which meant they only hit five rides total!



Anyway, I'll try to pry the mini-TR out of him soon, and will report back soon with our initial draft of a plan. Thanks, as always, for reading!

Is there a blushing smilie? I'm so thrilled that you'll be there!

I understand your dilemma about the Beach Club versus AKL. I agree this is the perfect time to slip in a stay at AKL, but the BC's proximity to Epcot, along with Stormalong Bay and Beaches and Cream make it a tempting alternative. I considered a split stay myself and still thinking about it in that Disney planning wanting to make it perfect sort of way.

Bill is a better man than me! I can't imagine being patient in that way. Instead of being a good friend I probably would have been a source of embarrassment as I clung to the FP machine at SM, refusing to leave. I'm totally looking forward to his report!

 

[Sunshine1987]

I just have to quickly say that I am trying - unsuccessfully - to get ready for our Disney trip in a few days by looking over last minute recommendations and answers to some of my last minute questions on the DIS when I stumbled upon one of your previous trip reports (Dec 2008) and whoa...I am hooked! Your trip report is so engaging, fun, entertaining, heartfelt and genuine at the same time!

Alas, I really, really have to get back to business but I am seriously going to spend some quality time reading your trip reports at some future date! Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

[girlbomb]

Circusgirl, I'm so psyched to coordinate some Disney funtimes with you!

And Sunshine 1987, I hope you'll have an amazing trip! Thanks for the post, and for reminding me to update this hyar PTR.

We have made some recent progress on our trip planning -- this weekend, we bought tickets to Mickey's No So Scary Halloween Party for Friday, Sept. 25. I know we could have waited to buy them, and we didn't have to pounce on them the day after they went on sale, but why deprive ourselves of the chance to call 1-407-WDW-TOUR, hear that happy music, and chat with a CM?

Now we're just trying to figure out what to wear to the party! We watch Lost, and were thinking of going as members of the Dharma Initiative, but Bill's of the opinion that "everyone's going to be doing that," so we're back to scouring our brains for something that won't be too hot or complicated but will still say FUNTIMES to all who view us. Maybe we'll just cover ourselves in glow sticks and go as SpectroMagic floats!

More updates as our plans come together. We're getting closer to our 90-day ADR-making deadline -- a big milestone in our countdown to fun!

I hope everyone is happily planning and dreaming of Disney...

 

[Circusgirl]

Circusgirl, I'm so psyched to coordinate some Disney funtimes with you!

And Sunshine 1987, I hope you'll have an amazing trip! Thanks for the post, and for reminding me to update this hyar PTR.

We have made some recent progress on our trip planning -- this weekend, we bought tickets to Mickey's No So Scary Halloween Party for Friday, Sept. 25. I know we could have waited to buy them, and we didn't have to pounce on them the day after they went on sale, but why deprive ourselves of the chance to call 1-407-WDW-TOUR, hear that happy music, and chat with a CM?

Now we're just trying to figure out what to wear to the party! We watch Lost, and were thinking of going as members of the Dharma Initiative, but Bill's of the opinion that "everyone's going to be doing that," so we're back to scouring our brains for something that won't be too hot or complicated but will still say FUNTIMES to all who view us. Maybe we'll just cover ourselves in glow sticks and go as SpectroMagic floats!

More updates as our plans come together. We're getting closer to our 90-day ADR-making deadline -- a big milestone in our countdown to fun!

I hope everyone is happily planning and dreaming of Disney...

I can absolutely see you as sparkly happy SpectroMagic floats!

I am tempted to bring my snake costume again. It feels a little like cheating to not think of something new, but it definitely was the most fun I've ever had with the costume.

 

[girlbomb]

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I updated this pre-trip report, not that I haven't thought about this trip every single day since my last update. And now we're just three weeks and a day away -- woohoo!



Our plans and ADRs have been made thusly:

Weds 9/23

Leave Newark Airport at 7am
Arrive MCO at 10am
Kiss ground (then wash lips)
Skip the Magical Express, and cab it to the Animal Kingdom Lodge
Check in and hit the Animal Kingdom
Everest! Kali! Safari! It's Tough to be a Bug! Snackage! More Everest!
Head back to AKL to change for 7pm ADR at Jiko
Collapse into bed, as we will have been up since 4am!

Thurs 9/24

Depending on the weather, today's either Hollywood Studios or Typhoon Lagoon day. If it's Studios day:

Rope drop at DHS
Toy Story! Tower of Terror! Rock n' Roller Coaster! Streetmosphere! MUPPETS! And maybe even...American Idol!
11:30 lunch at 50s Prime Time Cafe
More Toy Story! More ToT! More of everything, please!
Head back to AKL to change for Adventurer's Club dinner at 6, which calls for two or three of these guys:



If it's Typhoon Lagoon day, we cancel the 50s PTC ADR and go with:

7:30 breakfast at Boma
10 am rope drop at Typhoon Lagoon
Splishing! Splashing! Smiling! Snacking!
Head back to AKL to change for Adventurer's Club dinner at 6, which calls for two or three more of these guys:



Fri 9/25

Epcot day, and the start of the Food & Wine Festival! We're not going to try for rope drop today, as we predict we'll be wiped out from two days of heavy touring, and we have tickets to the Halloween party for tonight, which calls for at least one of these guys:



So it looks like we'll hit Epcot around 11am
Fooding and Wining! Kim Possible-ing! World Showcasing! Maybe even in the company of a Circusgirl, and some of the other cool kids?
Leave Epcot and head to the MK for a 5:40 ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern with said cool kids, which calls for four or five of these guys:



And maybe even a few of these:



Then partying at Mickey's Not So Scary -- In Fact, Entirely Delightful -- Halloween Party!
Parade and fireworks are our top priority. Eating candy runs a close third. Also on our list: Haunted Mansion, TTA, staring at Space Mountain and trying to imagine what it's going to be like when it reopens.
Back to AKL only when we can not stand it a MINUTE LONGER!

Sat 9/26

Today's the day we do whatever we didn't do on Thursday: DHS or Typhoon Lagoon, with all the attendant ADRs.

Whichever we do, we're headed back to the MK that evening for more ride-riding, and an 8:30 ADR at the Crystal Palace. Because it wouldn't be a Disney trip without a meal at the CP!
Then it's back to the AKL to saw some serious logs...

Sun 9/27

Rope drop at Epcot! Gotta get in a few Soarin's before we head to the F&W Fest.
12pm ADR at Rose & Crown (I know, it's F&W, but we've been dying to try R&C. Somehow I'm confident we'll be able to eat everything in our path...)
Head back to AKL to pack
Head to airport for 7pm flight, which calls for a few of these:



Then start counting down to our annual December trip, which calls for a bunch of these guys:



So that's the scoop. I'd star the things we're most looking forward to, but we're most looking forward to EVERYTHING! Hope to see some of you fun people while we're in the world -- if not, see you here on the Dis, and hope you're all enjoying some very happy planning/dreaming/Dis-ing!

 

[Circusgirl]

Smashing schedule!!!
I especially like the parts that include me.
We're getting fantastically close to actually being there!
Have you decided on costumes (or not) for MVMCP? (You
don't have to tell us if you want it to be a surprise. )

 

[girlbomb]

Smashing schedule!!!
I especially like the parts that include me.
We're getting fantastically close to actually being there!
Have you decided on costumes (or not) for MVMCP? (You
don't have to tell us if you want it to be a surprise. )

I would love to do costumes for the party, but it looks like we'll just be...us. Looking forward to seeing you in all your splendor, though!

And I just realized that I might as well make this a two-fer trip report, since we’re making two trips this year instead of our customary one. We leave in less than two weeks for our September Adventure; then we get to come back in less than three months for our December Adventure!

So while we count down the days to our September trip, let me fill you in on our December planning.

Saturday was the start of our 90 day window for our December trip. And while I didn’t think we needed to do the whole “wake up at 6:30, use the atomic clock, and pounce on WDW-DINE at exactly 6:59:55” thing this year, as we weren’t trying to get breakfast in the castle or dinner at Le Cellier, it just so happened that I woke up naturally around 7, and decided to get up and call right away. I think I dialed at around 7:10 a.m….

…and heard a recording that informed me that, “due to heavier than normal call volume,” I could expect to wait on the line for thirty minutes!

FIFTY MINUTES LATER, a reservation assistant finally answered. Phew! Just as I thought I couldn’t stand another second of “walking right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A.” (a song I am normally delighted to hear, but repeatedly, for almost an hour? As the Colonel at the Adventurers’ Club was known to say, “Shoot me, shoot me, shoot me, shoot me, shoot me…”).

Our friendly Disney Dining Expert helped me to make the following reservations:

Friday 12/4: Arrival day! Start at MK, hop to Epcot

We got a 8 p.m. dinner at Akershus, a restaurant at which we’ve never eaten. This comes, of course, after we check in at our beloved Contemporary, and spend a few hours at the Magic Kingdom – our mandatory first stop on our December trips. We hope to be done at Akershus in time to get a spot for Illuminations, though we may be too tired to enjoy it on our first night – we’ll see!

Saturday 12/5: First full day at Disney! Start at MK, hop to Epcot

Right now, we have a 9 a.m. breakfast ADR at Crystal Palace, our customary “first morning at Disney” breakfast spot.

Unfortunately, all the 8:05 spots were taken, and the earliest table we could get was at 9 a.m. – boo! One of the main reasons we love the CP breakfast is because it allows us to gain early entry to the park, and we’re able to be finished with our meal and at the Tomorrowland rope by 8:45. A 9 a.m. table puts us way behind the crowds, so I think we’ll keep trying for an earlier spot – if we can’t get one, I think we’ll have to cancel this ADR.

One reason it may be so crowded on this day is because of the Christmas parade taping, which we saw last year, and which caused big crowds at the MK. I’m trying to convince Bill that we might want to avoid the MK entirely on this day, but I don’t know how much luck I’ll have – he’s a stickler for tradition, and a huge lover of the MK. And part of me wants to be at MK at rope drop on our first morning, crowds or no crowds – I love our traditions, too, and I also want to ride the newly refurbished Space Mountain a bunch of times! I’d like to think we’ll get a few rides in on our arrival day, but since we won’t be hitting the park until 1, and we have a 7 p.m. dinner at Epcot, I don’t know if FastPasses will be available when we need them, and I predict that standby lines will be loooooooong…

Either way, we’ll be hopping on Saturday to Epcot at some point for our 7:50 dinner at Coral Reef. Yuh-HUM! We ate here last year, and loved it – while the food came out of the kitchen slowly, we felt our server was attentive, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was amazing. We wanted a 7 p.m. table, so we could be done in time to get a good spot for Illuminations (in case we don’t see it on arrival night), but this was the earliest we could get. Maybe I should have pounced on the phone right at 6:59:55!

Sunday 12/6: Animal Kingdom, all day!

We’ve planned an 11:30 lunch at Tusker House. We haven’t been here since it went from counter service to table service, and while we usually don’t plan a sit-down lunch on our AK day, I think it will help us to take a break and rest for an hour, so we don’t wind up snoozing through an afternoon showing of Finding Nemo: the Snoozical.

But we don’t want to fill up too much, because we have to save room for our 7 p.m. dinner at Boma – always a dining highlight for us. We’ll be trying Boma breakfast during our September Adventure; we’ll see how well it compares to the super delicious dinner buffet we love so much.

Monday 12/7: DHS, all day!

After a few hours of Toy Story-ing and Tower of Terror-ing, we’ll toddle over to Hollywood & Vine around noon for some face-stuffing. I’m not sure if the characters are there at lunchtime, but if so, I am dying to meet Jojo the lion, who we did not get to meet at last year’s H&V breakfast, as he was occupied with other tables (sniff).

Believe it or not, this is our only ADR for the day…so far! I may go nuts and try to stuff in a dinner reservation somewhere, despite my promise to Bill that we would leave ourselves more flexibility and unscheduled meals this year. But…but…maybe we could just have dessert at the Sci-Fi Drive In? We do so love the atmosphere there, and last year, our visit to the Sci Fi was overshadowed by annoying phone calls, which killed the mood. I may have to sneak in a re-do for this year, if possible…

Tuesday 12/8: Rope drop at Epcot, then hop to MK for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

We scored a noon lunch at Biergarten, our favorite of all the World Showcase restaurants we’ve tried (and we’ve tried most of them). A big lunch Biergarten will probably lead to napping, and then it’s off to the MK, where we have an 8 p.m. dinner at Tony’s Town Square, where we’ve never eaten. Our expectations are low, as we’ve read mixed reviews of Tony’s, but the fun of eating someplace new always mitigates whatever service or food issues may arise. And who knows? We may be pleasantly surprised.

We’d have liked to have scored a 6 p.m. ressie, so we wouldn’t have to spend precious party time eating, but this was what was available – again, I’ll keep trying for an earlier spot, and if not, we’ll be happy to have this one.

Wednesday 12/9: Typhoon Lagoon, if the weather permits – if not, who knows?

It’s Flex Day for the Shmoopy DINKs – we hope to spend the day at Typhoon Lagoon, but if the weather does not allow us to do so, we’ll make other plans on the fly. But at least we’ll have our breakfast and dinner reservations – 8 a.m. breakfast at Chef Mickey’s, and 7:40 p.m. dinner at the California Grill (we wanted 8, to be closer to Wishes time, but we took what was available). It’s a very Contemporary day!

Thursday 12/10: Epcot Segway tour, and who knows what else?

A 9:30 a.m. Segway tour of World Showcase starts our day; a 1 p.m. lunch at Teppan Edo will keep us going through the afternoon. Where that afternoon will be spent, we still don’t know, though I suspect a nap may sneak its way onto our agenda… And if we haven’t seen Illuminations yet on this trip, tonight’s our chance.

Friday 12/11: DHS, and more DHS!

Only one meal on the schedule today: 11:30 a.m. Lunch with an Imagineer at the Brown Derby! We met an Imagineer last year, while on line for Soarin’, and our brief chat with him was one of the highlights of our trip. We can’t wait for this very special lunch date with one of the creative wizards who make our trips so magical.

Saturday 12/12: MK, all the way!

We’ll start the day with a coveted 8:05 table at the Crystal Palace – and we’ll end our day with an 8 p.m. dinner there, too. I know – that’s a lot of Pooh and Friends! But never too much for us. We like CP for breakfast and for dinner, and this, our last park day, may be our only chance to do one of each.

Sunday 12/13: Departure day…

We’re hoping a 9:35 breakfast at O’hana will help ease the sorrow of leaving – it did last year. And since we have a later-than-usual flight this year, maybe we’ll even get lunch someplace fun before we go. (Augh! Did I say “go?” We haven’t even got there yet, and I’m already dreading leaving!)

Anyway, them’s the plans. It took almost a half hour to make them, and then (as though my ear weren’t numb enough already), I called WDW-TOUR to get our Christmas party tickets and Segway tour arranged. By the time Bill woke up at 9, I’d been on the phone with Disney for almost two hours!

But who’s complaining? I love calling the friendly, helpful folks at Disney, and I love planning trips. Next year, though, I’m pouncing at 6:59:55…

In the meantime...ELEVEN DAYS!

 

[Circusgirl]

There's one more thing I think you will want to put on your list...
The DIS Unplugged is putting on another TSM event on the evening of the 12th. There is a thread here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2201826

I haven't been paying attention to when the sign up is supposed to go up as I originally couldn't get that time off from work. When I got my latest schedule, the time I was supposed to have off the week prior to the event instead showed me as working. The total upside of having to reschedule almost everything is that I can now be there for the party!

 

[girlbomb]

There's one more thing I think you will want to put on your list...
The DIS Unplugged is putting on another TSM event on the evening of the 12th. There is a thread here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2201826

I haven't been paying attention to when the sign up is supposed to go up as I originally couldn't get that time off from work. When I got my latest schedule, the time I was supposed to have off the week prior to the event instead showed me as working. The total upside of having to reschedule almost everything is that I can now be there for the party!

Circusgirl, this party sounds great; thanks for once again tipping us off to a must-do event!

Speaking of which, I am DYING with anticipation, now that the Septemberer Adventurer trip is only six and a half days away! Next week at this time, we'll be at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, tucking in after a long day of travel, arrival, park-running, and foods-eating, exhausted and excited and satisfied and stuffed -- and psyched to wake up on the savannah in the morning!

 

[Circusgirl]

Everybody is warmed up and waiting for you!!! Can't wait until you get here!

 

[girlbomb]

Circusgirl, that looks great! We are counting the hours -- can't wait to be there in Disney with you and the rest of the fun folks!

I'm puttering around, packing, tidying the place for the catsitter, and just got an alarming email that our reservation may have been screwed up, because my credit card number changed since I made the arrangements. Eep!



I immediately sent my new cc number to the very helpful travel agent who caught my error, but haven't heard yet whether or not everything's been fixed. Apparently, in the worst case scenario, we will still have a room reservation, and tickets to the Adventurers' Club dinner, but we may have to buy park passes when we hit the ground -- I hope that's the worst case scenario, anyway!

Maybe I should call Disney directly? Yeah, I think I'll do that right now.

On hold with the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Boy is this cast member helpful and polite -- just asked her name, and it's Celeste. Thank you, Celeste!

Uh oh. I think I'm on hold for the main reservations line. This could take a while.

On hold again. Yeah, this doesn't bode well.

DISNEY, PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY!

Now on with a woman named Jamie, who is silent for long stretches of time. Apparently she is waiting for someone to tell her what to do, but she doesn't want to put me on hold. Weird.

Okay. So, because I went through an agent, I have to work it out with the agent. Who I've emailed and left a message for, with no reply yet. BUT Jamie confirmed again and again that I *do* have a reservation being held in my name, and she allowed me to pay for the park tickets over the phone, so that's taken care of in advance.

So, uh, yikes! That's weird and upsetting at the last minute! I'd love to hear back from the travel agent that everything's been sorted out on her end. But I trust that it will work out all right. As long as there's a room reserved in our name -- and hopefully our park tickets will be there at the desk, and our ADRs still in place -- we're good to go.

18 hours to Disney!

 

[girlbomb]

Phew! I heard from the travel agent, and it looks like all's well. Little bit of a nail biter there, but we should be all settled for tomorrow. Less than 13 hours, and we'll be on the ground at MCO!

 

[girlbomb]

Aaaaaaaand we’re back!

Just got back on Sunday night, and WOW! What an amazing trip we had! What great fun, what wonderful friends, what delicious food – it was as close to perfect as life gets! AND we get to go back to Disney World in just 66 days! Heaven!

It’s always a good time to go to Disney, but the timing for this trip was especially excellent. There’s been a lot of extra stress and upset in our lives lately, due to some very active mental illness in the family, and we’ve been trying to make sure that we aren’t consumed by the drama and depression of dealing with it. Getting away from the ringing phone and the constant manufactured crises, and going to our happy place, was the perfect antidote to the situation – even though we’re back to reality now, I feel so much lighter, calmer, and happier than I did before we left.

So here’s how it went down, in full, glorious detail!

As I wrote in a previous post, this trip was basically a gift from a goddess, a.k.a. Circusgirl. Bill and I had our annual December trip planned, and we were impatiently counting the days and weeks and months to go, when Circusgirl let us know that there was going to be a special one-night-only event at the Adventurers’ Club in September, and that we should jump on reserving a ticket ASAP if we wanted to go. Well, it didn’t take us very long to decide that not only did we want to go, we HAD to go! We made our reservations in a jiffy, and managed to get in before the event sold out. Whoopee!

So our countdown got a little shorter, and the excitement started to build. We made our ADRs as soon as our window opened, got our tickets to the Halloween party, and got ready for a bonus shot of Disney magic. There was a little snafu with our reservation that was discovered the day before we left, but it was quickly resolved, and when Wednesday, September 23 rolled around, we were more than ready to go!

Day One: OMG FINALLY

The alarm goes off at the unholy hour of 4:30 a.m. But when Bill awakens and groggily rubs his sleepy eyes, he discovers that I am already up and in the shower. I’d awakened 15 minutes before, way too excited to sleep through the night – Disney Day is finally here!

We shower and dress, pack the toiletries, and do a last check to make sure we have everything: Boarding passes? Check. Reservation and ADR numbers? Check. Party tickets? Check. Adventurers’ Club tickets? Check. Tigger ears? Check! The cats get some extra petting and treats, and then it’s out the door and into the darkness of the 5:20 a.m. city streets.

We get a taxi right away, and are whisked off to Newark airport within twenty minutes. No luggage to check, so we go straight through security and to our gate. I grab a yogurt and granola parfait to munch, and some fashion magazines to distract me during the flight; I also take my flying pill (not a pill that makes me fly; a pill that allows me to board and sit on an airplane without shrieking in terror for the entire flight). Our flight boards promptly, and at 7 a.m. on the dot, we’re lifting off for Orlando.

Somehow, despite a shaking cabin and several screeching children, I’m able to doze through most of the flight, and before too long, we’re touching down at MCO. The adrenaline and excitement kick in, and we gleefully hustle over to the wanna-rail to take us to the main terminal. We’d decided to skip the Magical Express in favor of a town car from FL Tours, and though our flight has landed fifteen minutes early, our driver is there within minutes of our arrival at the lower concourse. Hooray!

Thirty minutes later, we’re at the stunning and grand Animal Kingdom Lodge, eyes adjusting from the bright, hot sunshine outside to the warm amber light and rich dark wood of the lobby’s interior. We’ve been to the AKL before to eat at Boma, but we’ve never stayed here – we’re usually Contemporary fans, but the Adventurers’ Club package we signed up for was only available at certain resorts, and the Contemporary wasn’t one of them. But we’ve always thought about trying something new, and this was a perfect opportunity to do so – a short trip, and an “extra” one, so if we didn’t like the resort, we still had our December plans in place at our old favorite. I’m so glad we tried the AKL – it’s spectacular, relaxing, full of beautiful art and details…and the animals, wow!

Though it’s only 11 a.m., our room is ready, and we head off to the very lovely room 4255, off the Kudu trail. We’re immediately struck by the warmth of the décor, the intricate wallpaper and rug patterns, the amazing wall art – and a surprise gift bag, left for us by the most wonderful Circusgirl!

Inside the gift bag is a Halloween Mickey votive holder, a delicious smelling bath bomb, some cookies and chocolate-covered caramel corn, a tube of Goofy Powder, some postcards, and two cooling neck wraps, one with Mickey Mouse fabric and one with Little Mermaid fabric. What an incredibly thoughtful surprise, and what terrific trip enhancements they will prove to be – those neck wraps will really save my bacon in the ninety-plus degree heat we’ll have while we’re there.

We whip open the curtains to look for animals on the savannah (none in sight, but that will change soon), and I call Circusgirl to say THANK YOU! She’s getting a later-than-usual start this morning, having put in a few days of commando-style touring so far, and her plans for the day aren’t set yet; Bill and I are headed over to the Animal Kingdom, so we decide to stay in touch by phone and hopefully see each other soon.

A pic of the room:

The beautifully carved headboard:

Hi, Lady Lallie!

(This photo was taken another day, but we'll put it here anyway because OMG GIRAFFES, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE ROOM)

With only three full days and two half days to spend in the World, Bill and I agree to skip the bus and cab it right over to the AK. The parking lot doesn’t look too crowded, and the line at the turnstile is practically nil, so we feel good about our chances of getting in a lot of fun today, despite missing rope drop by a few hours. There’s a little delay when I try to get through the turnstile and my card doesn’t seem to work; a Cast Member has to come over and work a little manual magic to get me inside. I hope it will not be a harbinger of things to come…

It almost doesn’t feel real, walking quickly through the gates and past the Oasis, heading over the bridge to Discovery Island and bearing right towards Asia. “We’re here,” I keep saying aloud, as though Bill might not have noticed where we were. Of course, we’re zipping along at our usual breakneck speed, with that extra first-day intensity, so it’s kind of hard to fully appreciate our surroundings – they’re a blur! But there’s no mistaking that feeling – the sounds, the smells, the excitement in the atmosphere.

We make a beeline for the Everest Fast Pass machines, noting that return times are only an hour away. But while Bill’s park pass nets him an FP with no problem, mine is giving me problems again. A CM named Kenny comes right over and fixes the issue within seconds, and we gratefully thank him and set off for the Everest standby entrance, posting only a 15 minute wait.

There’s bell-ringing and penny-flinging going on all around us, and then we’re in the expedition store and Yeti museum, quickly breezing past the exhibits and onto the train platform. We take our seats, pull down the lap bar, press up on it to make sure it’s secure, and then we’re off on our adventure, past chirping birds and over gentle hills, then up that first steep incline, with its spectacular view of fantastic lands near and far (Blizzard Beach! Tower of Terror! A water tower with Mickey ears! Amazing!).

A few dramatic swoops around the mountain, and then we’re caught short – the track’s been destroyed! What happens next? Some of you know all too well – it sounds a little something like this:

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”

And then:

“HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!”

And then chuff chuff chuff as the train catches itself and slows, pulling into the station and depositing us in front of a bank of monitors, one of which shows us in full-on AAAAAAHHHHH! mode – mouths agape, eyes wide, hands in the air (Bill) or firmly grasped around the lap bar (me).

Let’s do it again! Wait times are up to 20 minutes, but the queue moves very quickly, and the ride is just as good the second time around, with plenty of AAAAAAHHH! and HEE HEE HEE! before the chuff chuff chuff.

Upon arrival back in Asia, we see that the wait time is now 35 minutes, and the line is starting to look like that 35 minutes is accurate, and not overestimated. So we grab a second Fast Pass for a later trip, and we head to Tusker House for lunch...

(More coming soon. Thanks for reading! )

 

[girlbomb]

(Day One, Animal Kingdom, in progress...)

So far we've taken two rides on Expedition Everest, and we’ve only been here at the park for a half hour. Go September! But upon arrival back in Asia, we see that the wait time is now posted as 35 minutes, and the line is starting to look like that 35 minutes is accurate, and not overestimated. So we grab a second Fast Pass for a later trip, and we head to Tusker House for lunch.

Though we have no ADR (we weren’t sure in advance where we’d want to dine that day, and we thought we might want to do counter service, so lunch would take up less precious ride time), we’re told that it will only be ten minutes or so to get a table. So we take our pager and go sit at the front of the restaurant, where some drummers are setting up their instruments. We call Circusgirl – our plans don’t seem to overlap today, so we’ll have to wait to see each other until tomorrow – and I take a minute to write down some trip reporting notes. Because, if I didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.

And then the drumming begins.

So, I’m kind of a dancing fool. I love to dance, and don’t care whether I’m any good at it or not. Jumping straight up and down like a pogo stick is perfectly acceptable dancing to me, because it feels good to do it. So when the drumming starts, so does the dancing.

Drummers:

Dancing fool:

You do the hokey pokey, and you turn yourself around. That, my friends, is what it’s all about.

Now it’s really starting to sink in: We’re at Disney. I can tell, because it’s perfectly acceptable for me to jump up and dance – in fact, the drummers have encouraged a bunch of us to do so, and are leading us through a series of steps, some of which I’m getting, and some of which I’m faking. The drummers’ set ends, we applaud heartily, and then we check in at the podium, where we discover that our table was ready ten minutes ago. We must have gotten out of pager range – either that, or my ridiculous rump-shaking overrode the pager’s sensor.

Either way, lunchtime. YUM. Tusker House is almost like a mini-Boma, with deliciously spiced dishes and terrific variety. Bill is in charge of the camera, or I’d have food pictures for you; instead, I will have to do my best to describe lunch. In one word. YUM. The atmosphere is great, the service is quick, and we’re psyched that we’re coming back to Tusker House in December.

Now, our original plan, crafted over many months of scheming and dreaming, was to spend the whole afternoon at Animal Kingdom today, and then have dinner at Jiko. We know that today is our only opportunity to get in some quality AK time, as we have plans (with ADRs) to visit the rest of the parks over the next few days. But as much as we love the AK, we’re hankering for a look at that castle – we always head straight for the Magic Kingdom on our December trips – and we can’t seem to shake the urge to go there right now, even though it means we’ll be spending precious park time in transit, and we won’t get back to the AK on this trip.

We decide to spend our two Everest Fast Passes, and then hit the road for the MK. It’s hard to rush past the monkeys swinging from their scaffold-shrouded temple, the Tree of Life (posting only a five minute wait for It’s Tough to Be A Bug), the Oasis, and DeVine without stopping to enjoy them, but we’re jonesing for the MK, and so we fly by the attractions, out the gate, and into a taxi to the Contemporary (faster than taking the cab to the Transportation and Ticket Center and then taking the monorail).

Now that we’re on the walkway from the Contemporary to the MK, I REALLY feel it. The sun is baking, the railroad is whistling its low, lovely tune, and though Space Mountain is closed, and we can see an opening in its roof where construction materials can go in and out, it’s still there, its spires beckoning above the treeline, promising great fun in December (we hope). As we approach the main gates, the Halloween decorations look warm and welcoming, and turnstile lines aren’t too bad at all – this September thing is working out great so far!

It’s a beautiful day to be in the MK. We stop for a good long sniff in the candy store, then trot towards the castle, gleaming in the sun. First look at the castle – psychic satisfaction has been achieved!

Usually, we’d hang a right to Tomorrowland, but today it’s straight through Liberty Square to Splash Mountain for us. I point out to Bill that we’re walking on the grey rocky pathway that runs through Liberty Square – meant to represent the stream of waste that used to be flung from windows into the streets in Colonial times – but since it’s all just a simulation, there’s no need to stop and bathe our feet and ankles in Purell.

We get a Fast Pass for Splash, with return time in a little over an hour, and join the “15 minute” standby line, which is really a walk-on. It’s hot, and we’ve been hustling today, so it’s a pleasure to get a little bit wet on the ride. We notice that the worm on one of the “how do you do” birds’ fishing hook, the worm with the little fishing hat on, doesn’t seem to be there – sad! We’ll keep looking for him throughout the many rides we’ll take on Splash this trip, but I guess he’s gone, unless we just weren’t looking in the right place.

After a satisfying Splash, we mosey over to Pirates and walk right on. And…I’m confused. Do dead men tell tales, or do they tell no tales? Because the disembodied voice says one thing, but the guy with the octopus on his face says another. One thing’s for sure – this ride is bumpier than I remember. But every bit as interesting and fun.

Speaking of interesting and fun, we walk over to the Haunted Mansion, and cruise right into a stretching room with no wait. I love the fact that the bride’s name is Constance (or so says the banner that hangs in the attic, announcing her marriage to Frank) – I love women’s names that are also virtues, and the irony here is perfect. “Hurry baaa-aack,” she entreats us as we leave – oh, don’t worry, Connie. We will.

One of the must-do’s on our list for this trip is the Hall of Presidents, closed last December while the Imagineers whipped up a facsimile of President Barack Obama. We head into the building a few minutes before the 3pm show, and spend the wait looking at the exhibits; Bill notices that some of the portraits have been removed to make room for things like Richard Nixon’s sixth grade school essay, and Nancy Reagan’s beaded dress. Then we’re ushered inside the nice, cool, dark theater, and take our plush, comfy seats…

…And I am going to have a heck of a time staying awake. Up since 4:15 + the remnants of a flying pill still in my system + two plates of food at lunch + walking at a breakneck pace through the heat of the parks + dark theater = nap time. But I am determined to actually see the show this time, instead of dozing through it, even if it means sticking my fingers into my eyes to keep them open, which is pretty much what I’m reduced to. So I don’t know if I’m the most reliable reporter here, but this Obama’s looking a little more washed-out than the original, to me. I mean, this is our first black president! Why does he look so beige? I sure am happy to see him represented here, though.

We need some refreshment, we decide, as we head out into the bright sun and dazzling décor of Fantasyland, so we decide to hit the Enchanted Grove for a frozen raspberry lemonade. It’s too bad they discontinued the strawberry swirl they used to serve here, but the frozen raspberry lemonade is super-refreshing, both sweet and tart, and tasty enough to lead us both into brain freeze. We continue our trek to the TTA – yay, TTA! – which has new lighting effects that you can’t really see in the daylight. There’s a somber, silent, gloomy minute there while the TTA glides through the Space Mountain building – first it’s pitch black, then there are the bright construction lights blazing, but it’s all hushed and surreal. The narration is completely suspended, like the TTA people are trying to ignore the fact that we’re passing through an attraction under construction – it’s all, like, “nothing to see here, nothing to remark upon, just shut up and pretend this part of the ride isn’t happening.” We’re craning our necks, trying to get a sense of what’s going on inside our beloved Space Mountain, but all we see is construction barriers, and a thick layer of dust on everything. Then we’re out into Tomorrowland again, and the narration picks right up like nothing happened.

Some pics of the construction, and the demolition of the old Skyway building, as seen from the TTA:

Once back at Rockettower Plaza, we make our way back to Fantasyland to knock off yet another favorite attraction on our long list of faves: Mickey’s Philharmagic. I have probably seen this attraction fifteen times, and I still discover new things about it – the thump of the bass in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice scene, when the big broom stomps over to Donald; the way the theater flashes with electricity when Donald kisses the electric eel. Tiny, subtle details that make the whole show so thoroughly engaging. Love it!

We notice that wait times have jumped, in the 30 or 45 minutes since our last swing through Fantasyland, from 5 minutes to 20 minutes, but 20 minutes is still a bargain. The wait for the Speedway is only 10, and I know it’s ridiculous for two adults to spend even one minute on line for the Speedway, but we are ridiculous people, so we do it. Twice. The first time, I drive, and Bill spends the entire ride shouting at me for running us into the center rail – “What are you doing?!” he cries. “You’re trying to kill me!” (And really, I don’t know why those cars are so hard to steer; it’s not like I’m not trying to steer correctly, but the wheel isn’t as responsive as one might hope.) The second ride I spend shouting at him, as he’s not faring much better than I did at keeping us on track.

For some reason, shouting at each other strikes us as hilarious (don’t worry – we keep it clean, and we’re hyperbolic enough that anyone who overhears knows we’re not serious). I am also guaranteed to crack up every time Bill grabs my wrist and jerks my arm, threatening between clenched jaws to “drag [me] right out of this park if I do not stop this minute,” something he’ll do two or three times per trip for no reason at all. It’s a lot less funny when we see actual parents doing it to their actual kids; it was a lot less funny when it was happening to us as children. I don’t know why it makes me double over laughing when he does it now, but it does. We obviously have some issues.

Bill, shrieking in mortal peril:

We work up a thirst, yelling at each other, so we stop for a frozen blue soda at the Lunching Pad, and, having learned nothing from our earlier experience with the frozen raspberry lemonade, immediately slurp ourselves into mind-bending headaches, which, fortunately, disappear fast (as does the frozen soda). We’re bouncing around like pinballs between attractions, barely stopping between them to soak up the atmosphere – now we careen into the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor for some yuks.

I keep trying to get them to tell my hilarious octopus joke (How many octopuses does it take to change a light bulb? One-eighth!), but once again, it is not used in the show. The Monsters Inc. also pass up this somewhat obscure quizzer from a “Bill from New York”: What’s black and white and financially insolvent? The newspaper industry! (This joke is only funny to Bill, who works in newspapers, and even he is having trouble finding the humor in it lately.)

They do, however, use this riddle from one “Janice from NYC”: Why does a tiger have stripes? So she won’t be spotted!

Get it? “Spotted?” It’s both a pun, and a reference to natural evolutionary defense mechanisms in the animal world! Hilarious, and educational!

Alas, time is passing quickly, packed as it is with attraction after attraction, and we’ll have to head back to the resort soon to change for dinner. But first, we use our totally unnecessary Splash Mountain Fast Pass – there’s literally nobody in the standby line, and the CM at the end of the line tells us to hang on to our FPs for later today (would that we could use them later today! But thanks, friendly CM…).

Again, it’s nice to catch a little splash on this ride, and also nice to avoid the thorough soaking that the mom and daughter in the front seat receive when a falling log douses them on the first bend. I’m always torn between wanting to throw my hands up and enjoy the fall, and hunching over to protect the contents of my (very fashionable) fanny pack from getting soaked. So the net effect is like, “Whee! (Hunch).”

We walk briskly back towards the front of the park to exit, catching the last few minutes of the “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” parade on our way. Few guests seem to be watching the parade, and we’re not paying it much mind either, concerned as we are with getting back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a timely fashion – all we’re worried about is whether or not it will block our path to the gate. (It does, but only for a minute, and then we’re on our way.)

While we have little faith in the Disney bus system, and have budgeted for cabs for this trip, we’ve already taken one extra, unplanned taxi to the MK today, and so we decide to give the bus a shot for the return trip. We figure we’ll walk to the bus stop, and if our ride doesn’t come quickly, we’ll keep walking towards the Contemporary, where we can always find a cab. But there’s a bus right there at the stop when we arrive, and it takes off within two minutes of our boarding. Hey, maybe these Disney busses aren’t so bad after all! They sure are free of charge, unlike taxis.

Of course, the bus has to make a long swing through Kidani Village, the DVC wing of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, before dropping us off at the main Jambo House. But we still have time to rinse off, take some vital trip reporting notes, snap some pictures of HOLY COW ZEBRAS RIGHT OUTSIDE THE ROOM, and throw on some acceptable Signature Dining outfits, before going downstairs to check in at Jiko.

HOLY COW ZEBRAS (wait, what's a cow zebra?):

We’re seated as soon as we arrive, ten minutes early for our ADR, and the dark, warm atmosphere is instantly relaxing. There are some tables with children nearby, but the kids are all attuned to the calm, upscale vibe of the place, and are accordingly quiet and well-behaved. It is lovely here at Jiko, and I have a moony smile on my face as we look over the menu, provided by the super friendly and efficient Michelle.

Happy diner enjoying romantic ambiance while anticipating yummy foods:

It was hard for us to decide to pass up our big-time fave Boma in favor of Jiko, but I’m so glad we tried something new this time. The food is terrific, and the service is great. For appetizers, I have the spicy and savory “Taste of Africa” trio of dips with yummy assorted breads, and Bill has the tibs watt – stewed beef wrapped in crepes with tapenade – which he highly recommends. For a main course, I have the excellent curry shrimp with flavorful coconut rice, and Bill has the coffee barbeque short ribs, to which he gives a hearty thumbs up. Michelle recommends just the right glass of wine for Bill, and an apple martini for me; again, the service she provides us tonight is excellent. Sometimes at Disney restaurants the server is great but the kitchen is slow, but we don’t find that here. Everything comes out at just the right time, and just the right temperature, and it’s all pretty perfect – the only thing we don’t love is my dessert, a special coffee mousse with beignets that are a little too oily and dense to finish. Bill’s dessert, the pistachio crème brulee with chocolate bottom, more than passes muster.

As exhausted as we both are, after a long and action-packed day and a filling dinner, we take a few minutes for a postprandial amble around the resort. A toddler crouches down by the stream outside Jiko’s window, fascinated by the amber lights, as his grandmom encourages his curiosity – “Pretty water, that’s right.” At 9 p.m., the pool is full of families enjoying a nighttime swim, clouds of mist rising into the warm air. We note the location of the Mara, where we’ll be grabbing breakfast tomorrow, then head back towards our room.

Have I mentioned the smell yet? It’s not quite the smell of the Contemporary – there’s something smokier about the distinctive AKL smell – but it adds yet another dimension of enjoyment to the walk through the magnificent lobby, along the plush and intricate rugs, past the authentic African musical instruments near the elevator on our floor, to our perfectly inviting room. I give Circusgirl another call, and we agree to meet up at rope drop at the Studios the next morning – hooray!

The animals are gone from the savannah for the night, so we flip on Stacy to amuse us as we get ready for bed. Except…this isn’t the Stacy we know and love. Where’s Stacy, the hyperbolic spaz? Who’s this calm, mature woman in her late thirties, patiently explaining the must-do’s at the parks? Why isn’t she shrieking more, and saying corny, ridiculous things? We will accept this flimsy substitute for now, I guess, a mellow Stacy being better than no Stacy at all, but I really hope she dials it back up to a million for the next iteration of the must-do’s.

By ten p.m., we’re drifting off to sleep, the alarm set for 6:30 tomorrow morning, when we’ll wake up in Disney World, ready for another day of fun…and friends!

(Day Two, coming soon! Thanks for reading! )

 

[Circusgirl]

There is absolutely nothing like a girlbomb trip report to ease the return to reality from a golden, great trip to the World!
I'm so sorry I missed the dancing at AK! You look dancerific.
I love the atmosphere at Jiko as much as I enjoy the excellent food. It is a lovely oasis of calm and a wonderful way to wind down an evening.
It's so true that a trip doesn't feel launched until the castle is in sight.
Thanks for the wonderful words and pix, eagerly awaiting more!

 

[Circusgirl]

p.s.

I also lament the new and not improved Stacey, although I'll take the tattered remnants that remain over losing her completely.

I think she might have a thyroid condition. If they diagnose and treat it, we could have the old Stacey back.

 

[girlbomb]

Circusgirl, we miss you! And Disney, too, of course. Did you see that there was an off-site Adventurers' Club fan event on Sept. 26th called ConGaloosh? I saw some pictures of it on Facebook...looked interesting! I'm working on new installments of the trip report, and also looking forward to reading your notes on your fabulous September Adventure!