AKL LITE II - We're #2, but we try harder....

[Donald is #1]

Wow more great pictures! I just love the lion. I think that maybe I have seen him once in all of my times on the safari.

 

[torsie24]

All of your photos are amazing!!! Thank you!!!!!!!

Yet another question from me!! (Sorry!!) Do the fridges in AKL rooms (not DVC) have a freezer compartment? It never occured to me they would but then I read about people freezing drinks to take to the parks, wondered if that would have been in on site resorts?

 

[vladimir10]

Great Photos!


Thanks!!!

 

[RachelTori]

Wow more great pictures! I just love the lion. I think that maybe I have seen him once in all of my times on the safari.

He's always sleeping!! Actually, we did see him awake one time, just sitting there looking all proud of himself!

Great Photos!

Thanks!!!

All of your photos are amazing!!! Thank you!!!!!!!

Yet another question from me!! (Sorry!!) Do the fridges in AKL rooms (not DVC) have a freezer compartment? It never occured to me they would but then I read about people freezing drinks to take to the parks, wondered if that would have been in on site resorts?

I'm glad you all enjoyed the pictures. My pleasure! (wish I could go back right now and take more!! )

Funny story about the AKL fridges....... technically, they don't have a freezer compartment, but we found out that if you turn the temperature to the coldest setting and put something near the back, it will freeze. We had an exploding soda can as proof!!

 

[TyRy]

Thanks for all the great pictures Laura - love the one of the lion sleeping.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Beautiful pics!!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[vladimir10]

So, I'll ask the AKL greats here...

For our trip in Sept, I am going to (try) get ADRs for character breakfasts at CR, BC, and the Poly, probably at 7:30-8:00 am times. My question is transportation.

I know I can get there by bus (I think) by taking a bus from AKL to a park (or DTD), then a bus back to other resort. Do buses run from the parks to the resorts that early?

Will we be able to get to the other resorts by that time if leaving AKL at 6:30 (when the buses start)?

Would a cab be easier (keeping in mind that I have a 4 yr old, don't know if I need a car seat for a cab)? If cab, is there enough room for 3 adults and 1 child?

Anybody know how much the cabs would cost from AKL to those results?

Thanks Jambo Crew!!!

 

[tinytreasures]

I love the sleeping Lion
your pictures are making me so excited for our trip

Question about Saana
I made ADR for there but is there american food too? I don't like a lot of different stuff

 

[aussietravellers]

So, I'll ask the AKL greats here...

For our trip in Sept, I am going to (try) get ADRs for character breakfasts at CR, BC, and the Poly, probably at 7:30-8:00 am times. My question is transportation.

I know I can get there by bus (I think) by taking a bus from AKL to a park (or DTD), then a bus back to other resort. Do buses run from the parks to the resorts that early?
I am sure that I read somewhere that the buses don't start at DTD till 8.30am so don't catch one to there hoping to change for breakfast, also don't catch the bus to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon hoping to change, we did this one morning to go from AKL to Saratoga Springs where my mother was staying, we hopped off at Blizzard Beach and waited, waited waited asking every bus that stopped at SS stop if they were going there and they would say it will come along, after an HOUR!!!! a bus driver said, oh they don't start here for about another hour!!!!!! (nice of the drivers before to tell us that, so we hopped on a bus to Hollywood Studios and caught a bus to SS from there.

Will we be able to get to the other resorts by that time if leaving AKL at 6:30 (when the buses start)?
I am not sure, we had breakfast at CR, Poly, BC twice at Poly and BC. The taxi fare was about $10 to $12 to BC and I can't remember how much to CR and Poly, I think it was around $15.

Would a cab be easier (keeping in mind that I have a 4 yr old, don't know if I need a car seat for a cab)? If cab, is there enough room for 3 adults and 1 child?
There were always taxi's outside AKL in the mornings for us to hop into straight away, sometimes they were van style taxi's and sometimes sedan style, but they all would fit three in the back and one in the front, so there would be room for 4 of you.

Anybody know how much the cabs would cost from AKL to those results? Have put some prices in above but am not 100% on them, they are around that price.

Thanks Jambo Crew!!!

I would take taxi's if they are within your budget, we did for those breakfasts and it was so much easier and took less time to get there and without worrying about changing buses etc.

 

[RachelTori]

I love the sleeping Lion
your pictures are making me so excited for our trip

Question about Saana
I made ADR for there but is there american food too? I don't like a lot of different stuff

Yes, DH had a turkey club sandwich for lunch and I see there's a New York Strip Steak on the dinner menu. Here's a link to the menus (4 for Sanaa):

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#res

 

[johnsonet]

Laura - these pics are incredible! AKL is really the BEST. What a gem

Glad you're enjoying the pictures, Liz! Sanaa is a beautiful restaurant even without the Savanna View!

Yes But you know what I mean about those views The Imagineers got it really right this time as far as the views from the restaurant

 

[tinytreasures]

Yes, DH had a turkey club sandwich for lunch and I see there's a New York Strip Steak on the dinner menu. Here's a link to the menus (4 for Sanaa):

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#res

thanks for the link
I think I may have to pass
we were going to do lunch there but even the turkey club is to wild for me *hiding under a rock now*

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Laura-All of your pictures are awesome-I love to live vicariously through others... I'm so glad you took pictures of your Sanaa lunch-I didn't make an ADR for dinner but I really think I'd like to have lunch there...did you have a ressie for lunch or did you just walk in?

I love the views of the animals from the restaurant-I'd think about trying it just for that reason and the fact that the food is good too...just adds to it...

Did you eat anywhere else that you were particularly pleased with? (We've got ressies for Boma, Jiko, Yak & Yeti, The Wave and Raglan Road and a breakfast at Tusker House and one at Kona Cafe.)

I'm glad you had a great time...

 

[vladimir10]

I would take taxi's if they are within your budget, we did for those breakfasts and it was so much easier and took less time to get there and without worrying about changing buses etc.

Do you know if my son (who is 4) would need a booster seat in one of the van types?

TIA

 

[floridascgirl]

Thanks for all of your pictures...looks like heaven on earth to me. December can't get here soon enough!

 

[RachelTori]

Hey Laura-All of your pictures are awesome-I love to live vicariously through others... I'm so glad you took pictures of your Sanaa lunch-I didn't make an ADR for dinner but I really think I'd like to have lunch there...did you have a ressie for lunch or did you just walk in?

I love the views of the animals from the restaurant-I'd think about trying it just for that reason and the fact that the food is good too...just adds to it...

Did you eat anywhere else that you were particularly pleased with? (We've got ressies for Boma, Jiko, Yak & Yeti, The Wave and Raglan Road and a breakfast at Tusker House and one at Kona Cafe.)

I'm glad you had a great time...

For Sanaa, we had an ADR for lunch one day; the other time, I just walked up and asked for a table! (both were lunches - I have no idea what the dinner crowd is like)

Boma was wonderful, as always. We did try Yak & Yeti (lunch) for the first time: WHY did we wait so long?!!! It was GREAT! We had a 2nd floor corner window. This picture's really dark, but look beyond us and you can see our view!

Here are pictures of our meals!

Crispy Honey Chicken - tempura chicken, broccoli, carrots, honey sauce $16.99

Lo Mein - Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onoins, bean sprouts; Chicken $15.99; Shrimp $17.99 (pictured is the Chicken Lo Mein)

Seared Miso Salmon - miso glazed Atlantic salmon, jasmine rice, baby bok choy and shiitake mushroom stir-fry $22.99 (this was my selection and seeing the picture is making my mouth water again! )

We didn't eat at Jiko this time -- our last meal there was disappointing (as was the case with several others here). Take heart though -- the reviews I've seen lately have all been glowing!

Your other ADRs will be wonderful too, I'm sure. We love Tusker House and had an ADR but missed it! Kona Cafe never disappoints! We have not tried The Wave yet, but have heard nothing but great reviews. You'll have to let us know what you thought!

This trip, we mostly stuck to our favorites! Tori loves Biergarten, Boma & '50s Prime Time so we HAD to eat at those!!

Between the restaurants and the Club Level Lounge, my shorts were getting a bit snug by the end of our vacation!

 

[Flossbolna]

Laura, thanks for the info on the bus and the pictures!

But the main reason for my post: I added a new ticker to my signature!!

My sister and I will moste likely go to WDW together in January 2010. Dates and all other details are still very much open, but I am really excited.

My sister was my first Disney buddy ever. We went on a fantastic trip to the USA in 1992 (I was 20, she was 17 at that time) staying with family friends and relatives. My aunt took us for two days to DL and I absolutely loved the place. The package my aunt had booked included a Birnbaum guide wich I read from cover to cover on the flight down there and I became the official tour guide - even though my aunt had been twice before.

1992 was the year that Disneyland Paris opened (then EuroDisney) and of course I wanted so much to go there after having been to DL. That year my sister gave me a bunch of EuroDisney guide books for my birthday - including a "gift certificate" that she would accompany me on a trip to EuroDisney - if I would pay for it We actually got to go a few years later and had a great time! All my trips to DLRP have been with my sister, but since 1992 she never returned to a US park with me.

That was mainly because she never really could afford a trip, since she has a rather idealistic job working for a cultural institution which does not pay a lot. But now I happened to be give a sum of money which I felt I did not really deserve, so I came up with the plan to use that for a trip for the both of us, this way I would be able to share my good fortune with someone that is really very important to me!

We have been travelling a lot together when we were younger, so I know that we are a good fit. I am really excited about showing her around and being able to see WDW through the eyes of a first timer again!

 

[RachelTori]

What a sweet sister you are, Flossbolna!

You and your sister will have so much fun planning and anticipating this trip!

I hope you'll do a PTR - please post the link here!

Happy Planning!

 

[tiggrbaby]

Laura, thanks for the info on the bus and the pictures!

But the main reason for my post: I added a new ticker to my signature!!

My sister and I will moste likely go to WDW together in January 2010. Dates and all other details are still very much open, but I am really excited.

My sister was my first Disney buddy ever. We went on a fantastic trip to the USA in 1992 (I was 20, she was 17 at that time) staying with family friends and relatives. My aunt took us for two days to DL and I absolutely loved the place. The package my aunt had booked included a Birnbaum guide wich I read from cover to cover on the flight down there and I became the official tour guide - even though my aunt had been twice before.

1992 was the year that Disneyland Paris opened (then EuroDisney) and of course I wanted so much to go there after having been to DL. That year my sister gave me a bunch of EuroDisney guide books for my birthday - including a "gift certificate" that she would accompany me on a trip to EuroDisney - if I would pay for it We actually got to go a few years later and had a great time! All my trips to DLRP have been with my sister, but since 1992 she never returned to a US park with me.

That was mainly because she never really could afford a trip, since she has a rather idealistic job working for a cultural institution which does not pay a lot. But now I happened to be give a sum of money which I felt I did not really deserve, so I came up with the plan to use that for a trip for the both of us, this way I would be able to share my good fortune with someone that is really very important to me!

We have been travelling a lot together when we were younger, so I know that we are a good fit. I am really excited about showing her around and being able to see WDW through the eyes of a first timer again!

How wonderful of you to take your sister! My sister and I splurged and stayed AKL CL in Nov. 2006, and we still talk about what a magical experience it was!

 

[tarak]

Flossbolna - what a great story! My sister and I are hoping to take a trip to the food and wine fest together some day. Not this year, but some year. We're supposed to go in Dec. 2010 together, and I'm hoping for some sister bonding even though we'll be going with our husbands and my kids and (hopefully) her stepdaughter.