AKL / MNSSHP August 2018 (and Gatorland)! My first PTR!

[Spencer Wright]

Hello,


My name is Spencer and this shall be my first pre-trip/ trip report! Myself, my mother and my sister have begun the very early planning stages of what is becoming our annual WDW trip.


This upcoming trip will be my 9th trip to WDW and fourth time staying at the AKL. My sister and mother have been several more times. We have begun planning another trip for next August (probably late August).


I would not be so crude as to discuss specific figures, however in looking at other deluxe hotels, we have decided to go with the AKL primarily due to price (as well as our general love if it).


In order to respect my sisters and mothers privacy I won’t go into details about them, but below are a couple of pictures from our last trip, as well as a list of some of my Disney favorites. An obvious theme should pop out!

Favorite Park: Animal Kingdom

Favorite Hotel: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Favorite TS/Buffet: Ohana

Favorite ‘Land’: MK Adventure land

Some favorite attractions: FOP, Splash Mountain, Swiss Family Robinson Tree house

Favorite QS: Flame Tree BBQ


Some honorable mentions include:

Park: Epcot

Hotel: Beach Club

TS/Buffet: Cape May Café

‘Land’: Epcot Future World

Attractions: Spaceship Earth, Figment, Nemo and Friends

QS: Columbia Harbor House


I am 27 y/o and work in Insurance Claims, however recently graduated with my MBA and am looking to transition to a position such as Business Analyst or HR Supervisor. In the meantime I am taking some insurance association (LOMA) courses in order to expand my knowledge of insurance and employee benefits. I live in Ridley Township, PA, not far at all from the Airport and Center City Philadelphia.


As of now, we are hoping to plan specific dates and have them booked by next week (first week of November). We’re pretty expert at planning trips, but are looking to try some new restaurants this time around.


Also, we are currently taking into consideration the possibility of spending a couple of days at Universal, and am hoping to make a final decision within the next week or two.


So as of know the following has to be planned:


**Actual dates**

**Possible Universal stay**

**Airline and Flight**

**ADR’s**

**Fast passes**


The primary things right now which are different are planning Universal (we have never been) and some different ADR’s. We tend to do the same restaurants repeatedly, including Ohana, Cape May Café, Kona Café, Boma, and Tusker House.


We are looking to branch out and suggestions are certainly welcome!


Next update hopefully I will have dates and a hotel reservation(s) buttoned down!




P.S. This is my first TR/PTR therefore any feedback or suggestions on what I should or should not be including are certainly welcome!!

 

[Spencer Wright]

So as an update, we now have a big change to our plans, and have booked the Beach Club for August 16th- August 26th!!!

It's slightly more than AKL, but felt it would be suitable to make a change. We especially love Epcot, therefore you can certainly not beat a five minute walk to the park!

Therefore on our checklist I can provide the following updates:

**Actual dates** (DONE!!!)

**Possible Universal stay** (Probably not going to happen due to extra cost of Beach Club)

**Airline and Flight** (pending)

**ADR’s** (pending)

**Fast passes** (pending)

For airfare we will most likely default directly to Southwest as they are generally the least expensive and most efficient. On November 2nd, they release flights to August 6th; therefore I shall check on the 3rd to see when the next chunk of flights will release. Last year, I was quite appalled to see of 13 flights daily from Philadelphia to Orlando; only three are direct!!! I got on about an hour after tickets opened up and barely got a direct flight, but I did nab one of the last tickets. Its another thing to be up at 6am for! The goal is the 6am direct flight on the 16th.

We will also now begin discussing priority ADR's and Fast Passes. We are looking into specific dining options at the Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge, as we are not familiar with these areas.





Perhaps to get a discussion going, here are a couple of questions:

Anyone able to suggest must do dining at the Boardwalk?

We last stayed at the Beach Club about 15 years ago. What are some of the great things about the Beach Club? What is that others love about this? Conversely, what are some things to be cautioned about?

 

[Spencer Wright]

As dates are now officially booked, airfare and ADR's are the next applicable step!

Southwest releases dates for August 2018 on February 18th, therefore I will need to ensure I log on precisely as tickets become available in order to snag a direct flight!

In terms of ADR's some must does include Boma, Cape May Cafe, San Angel Inn, and Ohana. Some others include Kona Cafe, Grand Floridian Cafe, and Be Our Guest.

We normally do not enjoy the table service dining in the World Showcase. Does anyone have TS options at resorts that often get overlooked? We are looking at some possible resort hoping this trip. We believe we will try Olivia's at OKW. Does anyone have any recent experiences at any TS in the World Showcase they might recommend?

We have gotten in a rut of going to the same places over and over again and are looking to expand our WDW restaurant experiences!

I was supposed to have some help looking up some new ADR spots but my helpers fell asleep on the job:

Once flight and ADR's are booked FP's are next!! My mother, sister, and I will probably do a January planning lunch where we sketch out a tentative plan, and that will be where a lot of this comes together.

 

[Spencer Wright]

Now we are getting ready to get into the nitty gritty of the planning! On February 8th, Southwest tickets are released for our trip, and I will be on as soon as they are available to hopefully get the 6:00am-ish direct flight from Philadelphia to Orlando.

The meeting lunch with my mother and sister is next Sunday at my house, when FP's and ADR's are planned out by the day. Tentatively we have the following ADR's in mind:

Ohana
Cape May Cafe (at least once but probably twice)
Sanaa or Boma (or perhaps both)
Grand Floridian Cafe

(I know there are others, I can't remember them at the moment)

We have some TS we have eaten in the past and did not care for, and will not be considered:

Kona Cafe
San Angel Inn
Tusker House (dinner)
Skipper's Canteen

Obviously we have quite a few nights to fill and are exploring a few other places to which we have not been:

Olivia's at the OKW
Flying Fish (Boardwalk)
Monsieur Paul's
The Wave
The Boathouse
Trail's End

For me personally, I am really looking forward to possibly trying Trail's End. I love the whole WL lodge/campground area, however don't visit it often. However, when we go to Whispering Canyon, we found the found too heavy and have upset stomachs. Trail's End seems to have the same fare. Would Trail's End not be a great idea?

We normally do not do signature dining and am looking to do two QS one day and do a signature another! Any signature dining in the BC area anyone would highly recommend?

We are primarily looking at dining in the area of the BC, as one reason for the switch from the AKL to BC was to a little closer to the action, and we certainly want to take advantage.

Also, we are looking to spend time in MK (which tends to get neglected by us a bit), and focusing on some dining there or on the monorail.

We love the monorail but only rode it once last trip.

Anyone able to recommend any of the dining in the Contemporary?

I have my Unofficial Guide with some notations ready for us to discuss and shall be sure to post tentative FP's and ADR's once planned out!

 

[Suejacken]

Now we are getting ready to get into the nitty gritty of the planning! On February 8th, Southwest tickets are released for our trip, and I will be on as soon as they are available to hopefully get the 6:00am-ish direct flight from Philadelphia to Orlando.

The meeting lunch with my mother and sister is next Sunday at my house, when FP's and ADR's are planned out by the day. Tentatively we have the following ADR's in mind:

Ohana
Cape May Cafe (at least once but probably twice)
Sanaa or Boma (or perhaps both)
Grand Floridian Cafe

(I know there are others, I can't remember them at the moment)

We have some TS we have eaten in the past and did not care for, and will not be considered:

Kona Cafe
San Angel Inn
Tusker House (dinner)
Skipper's Canteen

Obviously we have quite a few nights to fill and are exploring a few other places to which we have not been:

Olivia's at the OKW
Flying Fish (Boardwalk)
Monsieur Paul's
The Wave
The Boathouse
Trail's End

For me personally, I am really looking forward to possibly trying Trail's End. I love the whole WL lodge/campground area, however don't visit it often. However, when we go to Whispering Canyon, we found the found too heavy and have upset stomachs. Trail's End seems to have the same fare. Would Trail's End not be a great idea?

We normally do not do signature dining and am looking to do two QS one day and do a signature another! Any signature dining in the BC area anyone would highly recommend?

We are primarily looking at dining in the area of the BC, as one reason for the switch from the AKL to BC was to a little closer to the action, and we certainly want to take advantage.

Also, we are looking to spend time in MK (which tends to get neglected by us a bit), and focusing on some dining there or on the monorail.

We love the monorail but only rode it once last trip.

Anyone able to recommend any of the dining in the Contemporary?

I have my Unofficial Guide with some notations ready for us to discuss and shall be sure to post tentative FP's and ADR's once planned out!

I am following this because I would love to stay at the Beach Club sometime. I have only been to Beaches and Cream. I live in Drexel Hill so I will also be interested in seeing what type of fares Southwest comes out with. It's hard to get good fares sometimes since they don't go direct too many times a day. Congratulations on getting your MBA

 

[Spencer Wright]

I am following this because I would love to stay at the Beach Club sometime. I have only been to Beaches and Cream. I live in Drexel Hill so I will also be interested in seeing what type of fares Southwest comes out with. It's hard to get good fares sometimes since they don't go direct too many times a day. Congratulations on getting your MBA

Thank You! and I appreciate your interest!

I find the actual pricing is pretty much always acceptable. However, the decline in direct flights from Philadelphia to Orlando is a whole issue I won't even get started on! There are 13 flights a day only three of which are direct now.

 

[Spencer Wright]

We had the planning luncheon on Sunday and the first major decision made was to switch from the BC to AKL, where we have stayed on our past three WDW trips which have occurred over about the past 5-6 years.

We absolutely love everything about AKL, but it is a little far from all the action, and the bus service, while overall pretty good, can be a pain. We love Epcot so went with the BC; however my mother ran numbers again, and found the increase is $1,400 for the overall cost of the trip to stay at the BC over AKL.

I was interested in trying somewhere new and being closer to the action, but not THAT interested.

So with that decision swiftly made, we got to planning ADR's, FP's and some nightly events as indicated below:

(as a side note, we are up and eat early, therefore all dinner ADR's are made for as early as possible, meaning 5 or whatever is available thereafter.)

My mother will arrive on August 16th (taking Amtrak not flying). My sister and I are flying in on August 17th, hoping to get the 6am-ish direct flight from Philadelphia to Orlando.



Friday August 17th: Assuming we can arrive at least by mid-day, we'll enjoy the pool, the animals, and eat dinner at Boma.


Saturday August 18th: Magic Kingdom in the morning, with priority for fast passes given to Splash Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, and the Haunted Mansion. Some secondary choices include Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Buzz Lightyear. We of course would do our customary afternoon pool break. As my sister's restaurant of choice (we were all allowed to pick one that the group could not overrule), she picked Olivia's at the Old Key West Resort. At night, who knows, this is open for now!!


Sunday August 19th: Epcot in the morning, with priority fast passes for Test Track, Spaceship Earth, and the Living Sea's. Soarn' and Frozen are secondary choices. There will of course be the afternoon pool break, and then the Grand Floridian Cafe for dinner (this was my choice). The evening will most likely be Magic Kingdom.


Monday, August 20th: Water park day!! (most likely Typhoon Lagoon), and Cape May Cafe for dinner (a family favorite since our first trip). We will most surely enjoy the World Show Case and Illuminations in the evening. Of the three of us I am the only one who drinks, and love the margaritas at Mexico, but would love any other drink recommendations from around the World Show Case!


Tuesday, August 21st: Animal Kingdom!!!! (my personal favorite). FP priority is of course for FOP, with Kilimanjaro and Expedition Everest as others. Navi River journey is a secondary choice. Sanaa (a favorite from our last trip) is for dinner; and then in the evening we shall return to Pandora at night to see it lit up. This day is probably the one for which I am most excited, I absolutely love Pandora; but did not see it lit up last trip.


Wednesday, August 22nd: MGM Studios in the morning (it will always be MGM Studios to me). The main priority FP will be Toy Story Mania as this is my mother's favorite attraction, and Star Tours and Rocking Roller Coaster will be other top picks. We will go to Ohana (a must do for us) for dinner, and then go to Magic Kingdom to see Happily Ever After!!

As a side note to this, my one Disney petty pet peeve is having to wait 1-2 hours for a spot, to have people flashing phones, having kids on shoulders, standing up ect. during nighttime shows. So I am thinking as a birthday gift for my sister (July 14), I will purchase dessert party tickets, with the Garden viewing. I saw one glimpse of this show last year and could not even believe something like that was possible, however hate the waiting and how people behave during the nighttime shows. Also, I am absolutely adamantly passionately anti-add on. But in this case, my sister LOVES Disney desserts, the juices look delicious, and my mother loves the show! Its hypocritical considering how passionately anti-add on I am, but I am going to go for this one!


Thursday, August 23rd: Another Magic Kingdom day! probably a little later in the day (we are Rope Drop people), with the standard FP's, and a focus on some of the less trafficked attractions. We love the People Mover and Carousel of Progress. And we could spend all day in the Treehouse. The Plaza will be our ADR for dinner. We are thinking this may be another day to see Pandora at night, or we may look around at the Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness area, as we have not been there for years. And the boat ride is amazing.


Friday, August 24th: Day 2 at Animal Kingdom (again FOP a priority), and then dinner at Paddlefish and evening at Disney Springs. We are excited to see the new changes!!


Saturday, August 25th: This day is currently blank, as we are hoping Mickey's Halloween will have there first night this night!!! Also, it doesn't hurt to have a blank day!


Sunday August 26th: Departure (probably mid-day flight)



We are very happy with this schedule, and of course have the obligatory dates on our calendar to schedule flights, ADR's and FP's.


I will research the HEA dessert party a bit more but any thoughts which can be provided on the event would be greatly appreciated. Also, drink recommendations from the World Show Case are certainly welcome.

As usual, any comments, thoughts, questions, or constructive criticism is absolutely welcome!!

 

[RedsDrew]

We had the planning luncheon on Sunday and the first major decision made was to switch from the BC to AKL, where we have stayed on our past three WDW trips which have occurred over about the past 5-6 years.

We absolutely love everything about AKL, but it is a little far from all the action, and the bus service, while overall pretty good, can be a pain. We love Epcot so went with the BC; however my mother ran numbers again, and found the increase is $1,400 for the overall cost of the trip to stay at the BC over AKL.

I was interested in trying somewhere new and being closer to the action, but not THAT interested.

So with that decision swiftly made, we got to planning ADR's, FP's and some nightly events as indicated below:

(as a side note, we are up and eat early, therefore all dinner ADR's are made for as early as possible, meaning 5 or whatever is available thereafter.)

My mother will arrive on August 16th (taking Amtrak not flying). My sister and I are flying in on August 17th, hoping to get the 6am-ish direct flight from Philadelphia to Orlando.



Friday August 17th: Assuming we can arrive at least by mid-day, we'll enjoy the pool, the animals, and eat dinner at Boma.


Saturday August 18th: Magic Kingdom in the morning, with priority for fast passes given to Splash Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, and the Haunted Mansion. Some secondary choices include Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Buzz Lightyear. We of course would do our customary afternoon pool break. As my sister's restaurant of choice (we were all allowed to pick one that the group could not overrule), she picked Olivia's at the Old Key West Resort. At night, who knows, this is open for now!!


Sunday August 19th: Epcot in the morning, with priority fast passes for Test Track, Spaceship Earth, and the Living Sea's. Soarn' and Frozen are secondary choices. There will of course be the afternoon pool break, and then the Grand Floridian Cafe for dinner (this was my choice). The evening will most likely be Magic Kingdom.


Monday, August 20th: Water park day!! (most likely Typhoon Lagoon), and Cape May Cafe for dinner (a family favorite since our first trip). We will most surely enjoy the World Show Case and Illuminations in the evening. Of the three of us I am the only one who drinks, and love the margaritas at Mexico, but would love any other drink recommendations from around the World Show Case!


Tuesday, August 21st: Animal Kingdom!!!! (my personal favorite). FP priority is of course for FOP, with Kilimanjaro and Expedition Everest as others. Navi River journey is a secondary choice. Sanaa (a favorite from our last trip) is for dinner; and then in the evening we shall return to Pandora at night to see it lit up. This day is probably the one for which I am most excited, I absolutely love Pandora; but did not see it lit up last trip.


Wednesday, August 22nd: MGM Studios in the morning (it will always be MGM Studios to me). The main priority FP will be Toy Story Mania as this is my mother's favorite attraction, and Star Tours and Rocking Roller Coaster will be other top picks. We will go to Ohana (a must do for us) for dinner, and then go to Magic Kingdom to see Happily Ever After!!

As a side note to this, my one Disney petty pet peeve is having to wait 1-2 hours for a spot, to have people flashing phones, having kids on shoulders, standing up ect. during nighttime shows. So I am thinking as a birthday gift for my sister (July 14), I will purchase dessert party tickets, with the Garden viewing. I saw one glimpse of this show last year and could not even believe something like that was possible, however hate the waiting and how people behave during the nighttime shows. Also, I am absolutely adamantly passionately anti-add on. But in this case, my sister LOVES Disney desserts, the juices look delicious, and my mother loves the show! Its hypocritical considering how passionately anti-add on I am, but I am going to go for this one!


Thursday, August 23rd: Another Magic Kingdom day! probably a little later in the day (we are Rope Drop people), with the standard FP's, and a focus on some of the less trafficked attractions. We love the People Mover and Carousel of Progress. And we could spend all day in the Treehouse. The Plaza will be our ADR for dinner. We are thinking this may be another day to see Pandora at night, or we may look around at the Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness area, as we have not been there for years. And the boat ride is amazing.


Friday, August 24th: Day 2 at Animal Kingdom (again FOP a priority), and then dinner at Paddlefish and evening at Disney Springs. We are excited to see the new changes!!


Saturday, August 25th: This day is currently blank, as we are hoping Mickey's Halloween will have there first night this night!!! Also, it doesn't hurt to have a blank day!


Sunday August 26th: Departure (probably mid-day flight)



We are very happy with this schedule, and of course have the obligatory dates on our calendar to schedule flights, ADR's and FP's.


I will research the HEA dessert party a bit more but any thoughts which can be provided on the event would be greatly appreciated. Also, drink recommendations from the World Show Case are certainly welcome.

As usual, any comments, thoughts, questions, or constructive criticism is absolutely welcome!!

Sounds like you've got a lot planned. I agree, having a Blank day is good. As far as my drink recommendations for WS, I highly recommend the Tangerine Daquiri in Morocco and the Ice Cream Martini in France at L'Artisan des Glaces. Both are AMAZING!

 

[Mopedmom1]

The Garden View Party is, to me, a great add-on. Don't expect to be bowled over by the desserts, they are pretty standard fare, but the ability to walk out 15 minutes prior to the fireworks and have a decent view is well worth the price to me. Realize though you can still get a shoulder sitting child or iPad filming idiot in front of you.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I LOVE AKL. We have never stayed at BC but have enjoyed YC for its close proximity to EPCOT.

 

[abarriger]

Hello fellow August traveler! I followed you here from my other Trip report! Uh... I know what you mean about the cost differential, just on a different scale. My wife and I stayed at POR on our last trip, and vowed we would only stay moderate... until we were faced with the difference in cost (over 700$ for our short five night stay!) So.... Pop started looking better and better! AKL looks amazing, and the dining choices there are

Monday, August 20th: Water park day!! (most likely Typhoon Lagoon), and Cape May Cafe for dinner (a family favorite since our first trip). We will most surely enjoy the World Show Case and Illuminations in the evening. Of the three of us I am the only one who drinks, and love the margaritas at Mexico, but would love any other drink recommendations from around the World Show Case!

We'll be hitting a water park too!! I feel like the waterparks never get enough love for how amazing they are. We always end up at Typhoon Lagoon as well. I seriously considered Blizzard Beach this year (given that shark reef is no more ) but I really feel like TL always comes out ahead in my estimation.

 

[Spencer Wright]

The Garden View Party is, to me, a great add-on. Don't expect to be bowled over by the desserts, they are pretty standard fare, but the ability to walk out 15 minutes prior to the fireworks and have a decent view is well worth the price to me. Realize though you can still get a shoulder sitting child or iPad filming idiot in front of you.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I LOVE AKL. We have never stayed at BC but have enjoyed YC for its close proximity to EPCOT.

I'll try and get tickets, but not lose sleep if I can't!! From looking at the applicable thread, it seems guest behavior could be an issue but is probably diminished. I think it would be a great experience!

 

[Spencer Wright]

We'll be hitting a water park too!! I feel like the waterparks never get enough love for how amazing they are. We always end up at Typhoon Lagoon as well. I seriously considered Blizzard Beach this year (given that shark reef is no more ) but I really feel like TL always comes out ahead in my estimation.[/QUOTE]

In my opinion, you cannot get more tropical or immersive on property than at Typhoon Lagoon. I could spend all day in the wave pool.

 

[Spencer Wright]

Sounds like you've got a lot planned. I agree, having a Blank day is good. As far as my drink recommendations for WS, I highly recommend the Tangerine Daquiri in Morocco and the Ice Cream Martini in France at L'Artisan des Glaces. Both are AMAZING!

I'll have to try the Tangerine Daquiri! I like keeping it as tropical as possible when in WDW!

Also, I find sitting back in that pavilion to be a quiet place to cool off!

 

[emilyhuff]

I love that you call it MGM, because I do too, all the time!

If you are for sure eating at Ohana, you should try the Lapu Lapu, it is really delish! Rum and tropical juices served in a Pineapple! Also, not sure if you are a beer drinker but the Schofferhofer grapefruit beer in Germany is so refreshing!

I am also looking into the HEA dessert party, it sounds awesome but I'm still undecided. Sounds like a great present for your sister though!

We're going to be flying out of Philly too! I am anxiously awaiting Southwest to open their flights for Oct/Nov as American flights are already ridiculous for our dates!

 

[Spencer Wright]

I love that you call it MGM, because I do too, all the time!

If you are for sure eating at Ohana, you should try the Lapu Lapu, it is really delish! Rum and tropical juices served in a Pineapple! Also, not sure if you are a beer drinker but the Schofferhofer grapefruit beer in Germany is so refreshing!

I am also looking into the HEA dessert party, it sounds awesome but I'm still undecided. Sounds like a great present for your sister though!

We're going to be flying out of Philly too! I am anxiously awaiting Southwest to open their flights for Oct/Nov as American flights are already ridiculous for our dates!

The grapefruit beer sounds very refreshing! I am mostly concerned about getting a direct flight. Of 13 flights daily from Philadelphia to Orlando SW does, 3 are direct. I think thats ridiculous! Its a 2 hour flight!! Well see...

 

[RedsDrew]

The grapefruit beer sounds very refreshing! I am mostly concerned about getting a direct flight. Of 13 flights daily from Philadelphia to Orlando SW does, 3 are direct. I think thats ridiculous! Its a 2 hour flight!! Well see...

We have the same problem here in Cincinnati. It's less than a two hour flight, but we only have 3 non-stop on Delta, 2 or 3 on AA, and 1 or 2 on frontier/allegiant.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Following along! I stayed at AKL on my last trip and debating over it for this trip.

The dessert party sounds like it will be a nice treat for your family and hopefully your view will have minimal screen interference.

 

[allison k]

Following along as well! We've decided to do the HEA garden view dessert party too. I'm just waiting for our dates to open up! I don't necessarily mind waiting, but I don't like having to stand while waiting. Plus the more open area with a good view is always a plus!

I love that you and your sister still travel with your mom. I'm hoping my kids will want to still travel with me when their older! They're only 16 and 11, but now that college is getting closer reality is hitting that I won't have my kids much longer!

 

[Spencer Wright]

One more thing is taken care of!! I was able to book flights for my sister and my self through AA (both direct), for the same price as SW last year (including baggage fees); with us scheduled to land at about 9:20am.

This is however for the 16th (my mother is taking Amtrak, and arriving on the 16th), and we were planning on arriving on the 17th and just going to the pool and stuff.

So something to plan would be what to do on the 17th instead, since the pool and stuff will probably be on the 16th.

I am thinking today I'll investigate different activities available in the Ft. Wilderness area, as we have not been there for years. Anyone ever stay back there? Any recommended activities?

 

[Spencer Wright]

... I'm hoping my kids will want to still travel with me when their older! They're only 16 and 11, but now that college is getting closer reality is hitting that I won't have my kids much longer!

I hope so as well!! We find planning and going on these trips are a great way to spend time together and provides interesting conversation when we get together!