"Can I Get A Hangover Steak, Please?" An Adults-Only, Irma-Rific TR! - NEW PTR Link 4/11

[mustinjourney]

We arrived 10 minutes early, at about 9:40 AM. When we landed, I couldn’t help but shed a few happy tears This whole year was spent planning, planning, and planning, and we were finally here! It’s the absolute best feeling when you have a whole week of potential and excitement ahead of you.


And then, at exactly 11:30 AM… we pulled up to our home for the next 6 nights

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Following along! I've got a big family trip coming up in two months, so I'm interested to see how 6 adults move through Disney world!

My only comment so far is I'm shocked that it took almost 2 hours after landing to get to your hotel...especially with no lines at DME check-in. I'm glad I was able to change our Beaches and Cream reservation back an hour...b/c I was figuring it took about an hour after landing to get to the hotel. Did you guy pick up luggage or just go straight to the buses?

 

[Chris B.]

Following along.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

A few days late but I'm jumping in!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Awe your dad is so sweet!


Poor Tom! That's how my mom is too. She always takes something and then says it didn't do anything for her.


So cute!

Also, any good travel day update should include Bridesmaids plane gifs!

Yeah, I felt bad because I'm so used to flying but this was only Tom's 3rd time flying! Of course, I did jump at every chance I got to use Bridesmaids gifs

Following along!

and thank you!!

Glad your flight went okay with the nervous passenger. It's always a plus when you land ahead of schedule.

Cute family pic waiting for Magical Express!

Tom did great! And thanks, we felt so awesome in our matching shirts

Great report so far! Isn't it the best thing ever when you drive through those gates! Ahhh the Disney bubble. Cant' wait for our trip in December!

Thanks It is the absolute best feeling being in the Disney bubble; I wish I could bottle it and take it out on bad days So excited for you!

Glad the flight was uneventful. YAY for the Disney Bubble!! Can't wait to read about the rest of your first day!

Thanks girl! AHHH the Disney bubble is amazing!

Following along! Entering the Disney bubble might just be the best thing in the world! Can't wait to hear about your stay at AKL- we are staying there for the first time in a few weeks!

and thank you! It absolutely the best You will LOVE AKL, you'll have to tell me all about your stay!!

That's me every time



I did too! That was one of the most exciting parts of our first trip I still get excited, when I see a palm tree it feels like the trip has really begun!

I wish they had palm trees is Wisconsin! A girl can dream, right?

SO cute of your dad to give a little pre-vacation pep talk!

I love your hat!!

Empty DME line, how awesome! Omg you all look too cute in your shirts

Haha thanks! My dad is pretty cool

Thanks so much!! Tom's sister gave me the hat; I believe she got it online! She was so excited to see me wear it in pictures throughout the trip

 

[Mollydolly334]

Those matching shirts are adorable!!!

And yess to that throwback commercial! I play it the night before I leave for Disney every time, its just to darn cute and perfect!

Aww thanks! That commercial played during the previews of my Lilo and Stitch DVD, and as a kid I would always watch the previews just to see it!!

I love your shirts. So adorable!

Glad to hear that Tom didn't have any problems on the plane.

Thank you And yes, thank goodness he did fine!

I just realized I forgot to quote this when commenting!



It was a trainwreck I couldn't look away from Because I was really hoping to keep our trip and was looking for Disney centric news. It got really bad towards the end which was weird because the hurricane was pretty much over by then and everyone had already made their decisions.



So good! I haven't tried the Pink Drink yet but it sounds so good! I used to always get the chocolate chip frap too (or back in the day when they used to have these around the holidays the salted caramel one).



Yes! I used to watch every week back when it aired And I watched like all the spin offs too.

Ooo I have to go watch again! I don't remember that season as well, but it's not a classic like the first 2 Can anyone ever top Lacey's insane behavior?

Spoiler alert for season 3 but the thing I remember most about it was that some girl popped an implant during one of the challenges

The salted caramel frap is back! I just had it on Saturday The Pink Drink is amazing, so worth the hype!

HAHAH, we just watched the episode of Rock of Love where the girl popped her implant! We were dying Tom and I have made a pact to watch all of the spin-offs once we're done, like I Love Money, Daisy of Love, etc.!

Awesome family picture with your matching shirts! How excited to see AKL and welcome home!

Thank you!! There's nothing better than hearing that "Welcome Home" when you walk into your resort

Following along! I've got a big family trip coming up in two months, so I'm interested to see how 6 adults move through Disney world!

My only comment so far is I'm shocked that it took almost 2 hours after landing to get to your hotel...especially with no lines at DME check-in. I'm glad I was able to change our Beaches and Cream reservation back an hour...b/c I was figuring it took about an hour after landing to get to the hotel. Did you guy pick up luggage or just go straight to the buses?

It was a hot mess at times but we had a blast!

Yes... I believe 2 hours pretty standard (at least from what I've experienced with DME)! It gets a bit long at times, and we didn't even pick up our luggage at the carousels! I think pushing back your ADR was a great decision, better to be early than late!

Following along.

and thank you!!

A few days late but I'm jumping in!

No worries! and glad to have you

 

[kaymil]

And I knew we had picked a great resort when the first words we heard were: “Welcome Home!”

WOOOHOOOO!!! That's one of my favorite parts of any trip

I can't wait to hear that for myself...TOMORROW!!!

 

[kittylady1972]

What a GREAT start so far!!!

 

[Raeven]

The salted caramel frap is back! I just had it on Saturday The Pink Drink is amazing, so worth the hype!

HAHAH, we just watched the episode of Rock of Love where the girl popped her implant! We were dying Tom and I have made a pact to watch all of the spin-offs once we're done, like I Love Money, Daisy of Love, etc.!

Yum can't wait!



I Love Money and I think Charm School were my favorite spin offs. But I found Daisy of Love boring, I liked her on the show but not her own show for some reason. Btw MTV just started a show called 90's house which kind of reminds me of those older VH1 and MTV shows.

 

[Catvondita]

Yum can't wait!



I Love Money and I think Charm School were my favorite spin offs. But I found Daisy of Love boring, I liked her on the show but not her own show for some reason. Btw MTV just started a show called 90's house which kind of reminds me of those older VH1 and MTV shows.

How have I not heard of 90's house?? That sounds fantastic!

 

[frostymojo]

This is great so far, joining along.

 

[wannabee]

Great report.... can't wait to read more

 

[Mollydolly334]

WOOOHOOOO!!! That's one of my favorite parts of any trip

I can't wait to hear that for myself...TOMORROW!!!

WHAT!!! OMG have soooo much fun!!! I'm so jealous! You'll have to tell me all about it when you return

What a GREAT start so far!!!

Thank you so much I've actually been lurking on your PTR for a bit now and I LOVE it!

Yum can't wait!



I Love Money and I think Charm School were my favorite spin offs. But I found Daisy of Love boring, I liked her on the show but not her own show for some reason. Btw MTV just started a show called 90's house which kind of reminds me of those older VH1 and MTV shows.

OMG, I'm going to have to watch that! I love all of the trashy old MTV shows too But that sucks about Daisy of Love, she was so interesting and dramatic on Rock of Love so I was really excited to see it!

How have I not heard of 90's house?? That sounds fantastic!

Right?! Ditto

This is great so far, joining along.

and thanks so much for following along!

Great report.... can't wait to read more

Thank you New update should be up soon!

 

[TCB in FLA]

Dole Whip Orange Soda Float

Great report so far! And what what what is a Dole Whip Orange Soda Float?!?!?!?!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 1: Part 2- “I’m Back Where I Belong, Yeah I Never Felt So Strong!”



Hi Disfriends! Where I last left off, our DME bus was pulling up to our home for the next 6 nights, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge!


As soon as we stepped out of the bus, a cast member was there to greet us with a “Welcome Home.” Hearing that felt sooooo good!


As we walked into Jambo House, we were all hit with the smell of amazing food and the view of AKL’s magnificent lobby!





I’m pretty sure that we all had perma-smiles on our faces at this point. We were all absolutely floored by this amazing resort! All Tom could say was “Wow.”


We hopped in line to check-in, since we opted out of online check-in. We love the experience of checking in, especially at Deluxe resorts, because they make you feel so welcome and at home. The line was only a few families deep, but there was a cast member talking to some of the guests while they waited.


Cue the best CM interaction of the trip


Yes, our best CM interaction of the trip happened the moment we stepped onto Disney property! Not because our other CM interactions were less than stellar (quite the contrary, actually); this sweet man was just so above and beyond “Disney” and really set the tone of the entire trip!


His name was Larry, and he was an older gentleman. He took a liking to us right away because he saw our matching t-shirts. We made some chit-chat, he asked where we were from, etc. Then, he asked, “Do you guys want to see a magic trick?”


You guys, Larry spent about 10 minutes showing our family (yes, just us) all of the magic tricks he knew. IT WAS SO CUTE!! He showed us a disappearing ball that would reappear in random places, ropes that changed lengths, and a few card tricks. He was so smiley and engaged, and it’s a special memory for all of us. So, if you ever see Larry over at AKL, definitely say hi and ask him to do a few magic tricks


After Larry showed us his stuff, we were ready to check-in! Even though we were technically on two separate reservations, they just decided to check us all in together, which was really thoughtful. We requested at the desk that our rooms be somewhat near each other, but they didn’t have to be connecting. The young lady helping us was “earning her ears” and she did a great job She said that our rooms were not ready yet, but kept dropping hints that we were “very close” together!


Once the check-in process was complete, we contemplated what to do next. Our plans for the day were to head to Epcot and stay until IllumiNations. But, we decided to stick around AKL for a bit longer just in case our rooms were ready early. We explored the lobby for a bit, then headed out back to take a closer peek at the animals!





We were all looking at the wildlife, completely blissed out, when suddenly…





Catastrophic downpour ensues. And I’m not talking a typical Florida afternoon shower! The rain was dumping from the skies! My mom and I exchanged a look, but I tried to stay positive. One of the main things we were worried about with Irma was that the whole trip would be a wash-out. But hey, Disney is Disney! The others were starting to become peckish, so we decided to grab some lunch at the Mara instead of Epcot and try to wait out the rain.





The animals didn’t seem to mind!


We headed down to the Mara, checking out the arcade area along the way. We ordered and paid for our food, but not without a bit of difficulty! This was Mom and I’s second time on the Standard Dining Plan (we had free dining back in 2015), but everyone else had never experienced it before. Before the trip, we had had a little talk with everyone about the credits, what they mean, and the purple snack-credit symbols on menus.


Things were complicated a bit since we had two separate reservations and needed to scan 2 bands instead of one. But, things were cleared up in a jiffy, which was good because we were FAMISHED by now!


I was in need of something salty, so I ordered some Chicken Nuggets and French Fries! In addition, we all picked our refillable mugs, so we each got an extra snack or dessert with this meal. I went with a classic: a chocolate-dipped, Mickey-shaped Rice Krispie treat! Side note- the only meals you will see in this TR are mine. I know, baaaaad DISer! I didn’t want to be the annoying girl all trip who had to take pictures of EVERYTHING. Besides, I knew that if I was, I would be incessantly teased about it


Here is my gourmet meal:





It hit the spot, especially the french fries! Tom got the chicken nuggets as well. Haley and Mom got the Braai Chicken Flatbread (a flatbread with chicken, pesto, bacon, onions, cheese and ranch), which they LOVED! Dad and Ryan both went with the chef’s choice of sandwich, which I believe was a turkey club. As for refillable mugs, we made things super complicated; all of the girls got pink and all of the guys got blue


While we were finishing up our meals, the rain stopped and the sun came out! This thrilled us, and made the Disney commando in me go kind of nuts Logically, I wanted to get our butts out of AKL ASAP and head to Epcot before it started raining again. We still hadn’t gotten a text about our rooms yet (it was only 12:45), so there was no use sticking around!


After our satisfying lunch, we explored the pool area for a few minutes and checked our carry-ons with bell services in the lobby. There was some shuffling of items going on, since we needed to fit our mugs and all of our snacks we bought at the Mara into our respective carry-ons.


We also took out a disposable poncho for each of us, just in case it rained. To put it in perspective, we had bought 22 ponchos at Target the night before our trip in preparation for Irma. Crazy much?


Once our stuff was re-situated, I looked up and said, “Let’s go, guys!” And...everyone was gone.


It was one of those classic moments where when one person is found, another one is missing again! Haley was in the gift shop, Ryan was out by the animals, Dad and Tom were in the bathroom, the list goes on. I was really trying not to be a crazy, rigid Disney-freak, but CAN EVERYONE JUST STAY IN ONE PLACE SO WE CAN FINALLY GET TO A PARK. This was me once everyone finally returned:





Lesson learned: more people in a group, more time spent herding everyone! The worst part was that when we finally made it out to the bus station, an Epcot bus was just pulling away, and we had to wait 20 minutes for another one.





It’s ok, I’m in Disney, I’m Zen.


FOUR YEARS LATER, we are on our way to the first park of the trip: Epcot! In actuality, we left at 1:30 PM I knew that this would be the perfect first park for Tom, since it is just Disney enough, but a good lead-in to Magic Kingdom. Plus, the family always does Epcot on our first day anyway! We met a nice family on the bus from Texas who took an instant liking to Tom because of his Dallas Cowboys watch


Before we knew it, we were being dropped off and it was go-time! Let the Disney magic commence!





Coming Soon- Day 1: Part 3- “Fly Me To The Moon, And Let Me Play Among The Stars!”

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[rmw1313]

His name was Larry, and he was an older gentleman.

omg so sweet! I'm definitely going to look for him!

We headed down to the Mara, checking out the arcade area along the way.

So excited to eat here!

To put it in perspective, we had bought 22 ponchos at Target the night before our trip in preparation for Irma. Crazy much?

we legit have a collection of unused ponchos. You can NEVER have too many ponchos in Orlando!

I was really trying not to be a crazy, rigid Disney-freak, but CAN EVERYONE JUST STAY IN ONE PLACE SO WE CAN FINALLY GET TO A PARK.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.

 

[kittylady1972]

Thank you so much I've actually been lurking on your PTR for a bit now and I LOVE it!

Cool! Yeah most times I feel I'm just "talking" to myself on it, but I don't seem to mind too much.

Glad you finally made it to the park after herding your cats! I imagine that will be me a LOT on our next trip as well, and I will do my best to try to be patient. Since we do have a large van to drive, I may just have to say "van leaves in XX minutes, if you aren't on it you catch a bus" and then hope for the best.

We LOVE AKL and will have to look for Larry the magic trick guy in the future. Honestly I think we spent very little time at the AKL lobby on our last trip, but we were only at AKL for one night.

Can't wait to hear more about the first day!

 

[missangelalexis]

Larry sounds awesome!

Sounds like a good start to the trip exploring your hotel a little and eating lunch!

Haha I can imagine how antsy you were! But yay you made it to Epcot!

 

[Lesley Wake]

As we walked into Jambo House, we were all hit with the smell of amazing food and the view of AKL’s magnificent lobby!

We went there for Boma brunch and I also fell in love! I may need to stay there the next time I visit WDW!

I didn’t want to be the annoying girl all trip who had to take pictures of EVERYTHING.

Yeah, I got lots of eye rolling from my sister, but she eventually just gave up. She would also occasionally just say, oh give me your camera and I'll take the damn photo! Oh and I finally started my TR (link in my signature)!

To put it in perspective, we had bought 22 ponchos at Target the night before our trip in preparation for Irma. Crazy much?

Nope, I got 20 disposable ponchos and that was for 2 people! Spoiler alert-we didn't use any!

I was really trying not to be a crazy, rigid Disney-freak, but CAN EVERYONE JUST STAY IN ONE PLACE SO WE CAN FINALLY GET TO A PARK

Haha, that is definitely my family when we have to go somewhere! We are maybe doing Disneyland on Thanksgiving (my mom is tired of doing a big meal and I was able to get us Blue Bayou reservations) so I'm expecting a lot of herding!

 

[Neverland_Girl]

We hopped in line to check-in, since we opted out of online check-in. We love the experience of checking in, especially at Deluxe resorts, because they make you feel so welcome and at home.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that loves checking in at the front desk

Here is my gourmet meal:

Disney chicken nuggets are the best!

FOUR YEARS LATER, we are on our way to the first park of the trip: Epcot! In actuality, we left at 1:30 PM I knew that this would be the perfect first park for Tom, since it is just Disney enough, but a good lead-in to Magic Kingdom. Plus, the family always does Epcot on our first day anyway! We met a nice family on the bus from Texas who took an instant liking to Tom because of his Dallas Cowboys watch

Epcot is totally the perfect first park! Especially after you've been sitting on a plane all day.

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

What a great update! AKL is so beautiful!