got2travel
Disney lover
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2004
- Messages
- 8,866
Trip Details
Dec 8-13, 2004
2 Adults
2 Children
Staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge
Whos traveling?
Monica (me) Disney lover, frequent traveler, Disneyland AP holder, 2nd trip to WDW
Trevoy (my 9yr old son) Disney lover in the making, frequent traveler because Mom drags him around, Disneyland AP holder, 2nd trip to WDW
Tameka (friend) frequent travel partner, cant understand my obsession with Disney, 2nd trip to WDW although first trip was only 1 day at MK
Dejante (DJ) (friends 8yr old Godson) first time traveler (never been on a plane, never been in a rental car, never stayed in a hotel, you get the picture), first visit to any Disney theme park
Day 1, Dec 8 - Arrival
After an uneventful overnight flight, we arrived at MCO about 9:45am, grabbed the bags and headed over to Nationals Emerald Aisle. With about 20 cars to choose from, I decided to let the newbie to traveling pick out our vehicle. I did let him know that I really liked the Burgundy Pontiac Aztec though. After walking up and down the entire aisle, he chose the Aztec. We loaded up and were on our way to the Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL).
Arrived at AKL about 11am, unloaded the bags and self parked. Went to pre-check in and there were about 20 people in line and only 2 Cast Members (CM) at the desk. I know we were early, but still only 2 CMs??? Sent the kids off to the kids area to watch cartoons. While in line I checked out the lobby. All I can say is Wow!. You can read descriptions, even see pictures, but nothing does the place justice, you just have to see it for yourself. It was absolutely stunning. Yes, its dark, but you dont really notice. Actually I think if the lights were brighter, that would detract from the whole African savannah feeling.
Once it was finally our turn to check it, I couldnt find my drivers license. I know I just had it because I had to show it to the guard at the gate. After almost 5 minutes of hunting I ask if we could show my friends ID since she was on the reservation also, the CM was fine with that. Well, why didnt he suggest it? Anyway, as soon as she got hers out, I found mine hidden behind another card. The room wasnt ready yet, but we got our Park Hoppers, and package bonuses (voucher for 2 pins/lanyards, choice of $25 at Planet Hollywood, free mini golf, or a Leave a Legacy tile, and $25 Disney Dollars for using my Disney Visa).
We left the bags at the desk and headed over to the gift shop to pick up our free lanyards. Big mistake taking the kids through the shop, they wanted everything. Trevoy took some time to pin trade, but we were hungry so off to Downtown Disney (DD) for lunch at Planet Hollywood, courtesy of our $25 off coupon from our resort package. The food was ok, not fantastic, and the service left a little to be desired. No worries, time to go play at Disneyquest, which was wonderful. No crowds and either no wait or only 5 minutes for all the virtual rides. Created our own coasters at Cyberspace Mountain twice and Jungle Cruise was a kick in the pants. Tameka almost fell out of the boat trying to tell DJ to keep his feet in the straps. What a blast!
About 4pm, we decided to walk through the rest of DD and find the shop where everything was $10 or less. I was a little disappointed in it. I guess I didnt read the reviews that closely. I thought they would have discounted merchandise, but that wasnt the case. Everything was the same price as in the parks, this was just a place to gather all the under $10 together in one spot, and a small spot at that. I suppose the grab bags would have been a good deal, but I didnt want to get stuck with some toys I already had or something I really didnt want. Oh well, this was the first time I had been this far into the Marketplace side of DD so it was nice to be able to explore.
Time to head back to our room and freshen up since we were going to the Hoop De Doo tonight. Got our room number, asked that the bags be brought up and headed on our way. We got Room 2435, a Savannah view room on the Zebra Trail, which I had requested. I was initially disappointed that we were on the 2nd level since I heard the 3rd and 4th floors had the best views, but our view wasnt bad. We spent some time checking out the zebra, giraffes and wildebeests.
Changed clothes and headed off to Fort Wilderness, a little later than I cared for. (This was to be a trend I would later discover). Good thing the tables at the Hoop De Doo were assigned based on when you made your reservation, not when you go to the show. The show was hilarious as always and the food was fantastic. The ribs were not as good as I remembered, but the chicken was outstanding. Trevoy was laughing and singing along, but poor DJ just didnt get it. He didnt realize that we hadnt even gotten to the parks yet and kept asking if this was all there was to DisneyWorld. He wanted to know where all the rides were. Patience young man, patience. Not one of his strong suits. Bellies full, we headed back to AKL for a good nights rest.
Dec 8-13, 2004
2 Adults
2 Children
Staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge
Whos traveling?
Monica (me) Disney lover, frequent traveler, Disneyland AP holder, 2nd trip to WDW
Trevoy (my 9yr old son) Disney lover in the making, frequent traveler because Mom drags him around, Disneyland AP holder, 2nd trip to WDW
Tameka (friend) frequent travel partner, cant understand my obsession with Disney, 2nd trip to WDW although first trip was only 1 day at MK
Dejante (DJ) (friends 8yr old Godson) first time traveler (never been on a plane, never been in a rental car, never stayed in a hotel, you get the picture), first visit to any Disney theme park
Day 1, Dec 8 - Arrival
After an uneventful overnight flight, we arrived at MCO about 9:45am, grabbed the bags and headed over to Nationals Emerald Aisle. With about 20 cars to choose from, I decided to let the newbie to traveling pick out our vehicle. I did let him know that I really liked the Burgundy Pontiac Aztec though. After walking up and down the entire aisle, he chose the Aztec. We loaded up and were on our way to the Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL).
Arrived at AKL about 11am, unloaded the bags and self parked. Went to pre-check in and there were about 20 people in line and only 2 Cast Members (CM) at the desk. I know we were early, but still only 2 CMs??? Sent the kids off to the kids area to watch cartoons. While in line I checked out the lobby. All I can say is Wow!. You can read descriptions, even see pictures, but nothing does the place justice, you just have to see it for yourself. It was absolutely stunning. Yes, its dark, but you dont really notice. Actually I think if the lights were brighter, that would detract from the whole African savannah feeling.
Once it was finally our turn to check it, I couldnt find my drivers license. I know I just had it because I had to show it to the guard at the gate. After almost 5 minutes of hunting I ask if we could show my friends ID since she was on the reservation also, the CM was fine with that. Well, why didnt he suggest it? Anyway, as soon as she got hers out, I found mine hidden behind another card. The room wasnt ready yet, but we got our Park Hoppers, and package bonuses (voucher for 2 pins/lanyards, choice of $25 at Planet Hollywood, free mini golf, or a Leave a Legacy tile, and $25 Disney Dollars for using my Disney Visa).
We left the bags at the desk and headed over to the gift shop to pick up our free lanyards. Big mistake taking the kids through the shop, they wanted everything. Trevoy took some time to pin trade, but we were hungry so off to Downtown Disney (DD) for lunch at Planet Hollywood, courtesy of our $25 off coupon from our resort package. The food was ok, not fantastic, and the service left a little to be desired. No worries, time to go play at Disneyquest, which was wonderful. No crowds and either no wait or only 5 minutes for all the virtual rides. Created our own coasters at Cyberspace Mountain twice and Jungle Cruise was a kick in the pants. Tameka almost fell out of the boat trying to tell DJ to keep his feet in the straps. What a blast!
About 4pm, we decided to walk through the rest of DD and find the shop where everything was $10 or less. I was a little disappointed in it. I guess I didnt read the reviews that closely. I thought they would have discounted merchandise, but that wasnt the case. Everything was the same price as in the parks, this was just a place to gather all the under $10 together in one spot, and a small spot at that. I suppose the grab bags would have been a good deal, but I didnt want to get stuck with some toys I already had or something I really didnt want. Oh well, this was the first time I had been this far into the Marketplace side of DD so it was nice to be able to explore.
Time to head back to our room and freshen up since we were going to the Hoop De Doo tonight. Got our room number, asked that the bags be brought up and headed on our way. We got Room 2435, a Savannah view room on the Zebra Trail, which I had requested. I was initially disappointed that we were on the 2nd level since I heard the 3rd and 4th floors had the best views, but our view wasnt bad. We spent some time checking out the zebra, giraffes and wildebeests.
Changed clothes and headed off to Fort Wilderness, a little later than I cared for. (This was to be a trend I would later discover). Good thing the tables at the Hoop De Doo were assigned based on when you made your reservation, not when you go to the show. The show was hilarious as always and the food was fantastic. The ribs were not as good as I remembered, but the chicken was outstanding. Trevoy was laughing and singing along, but poor DJ just didnt get it. He didnt realize that we hadnt even gotten to the parks yet and kept asking if this was all there was to DisneyWorld. He wanted to know where all the rides were. Patience young man, patience. Not one of his strong suits. Bellies full, we headed back to AKL for a good nights rest.
