Divas, Zebra Domes, and Pixie Dust! A Week in an African Paradise! New TR Link Pg.145

[jordanyosh]

Is it already over?

Okay, looking forward to a little mini TR......

 

[Happydog]

Hey Jackie! I just wanted to hop on and wish you well this special weekend and hope your kids don't pout toooo much and have a fabulous time as you eat around the world! We had a great time, I am sorry to leave, but I know we will be there in a few months, so it is hard to stay sad!!! Looking foward to hearing about your trip, Halloween party was GREAT...

Have a fab time!!!

gonna catch up on all my reading this weekend!!!

 

[Nicole786]

It stinks i'll just miss you! But just in case here are our plans:

7:30am check in

DHS rope drop
MK parade
break
DHS fantasmic (First showing)

Anyway have a fabulous weekend!! I really enjoyed the TR (of course!)

 

[MEK]

CP:

OH NO! The trip report that I thought would never end, is FINALLY ENDING! I am so sad to see it end. What a great read. I really feel like I got to know you and your family (well Charles...not so much, since he was frequently MIA).

I hope you have a most fab trip. One more day to wait! I really want to hear about your plans. Denny and I had a really fab trip, even though it was short, it was full of fun. I promise to start writing this weekend! It's just been crazy since I got home.

And ...bummer....I can't comment on your pics, cause I can't see them at work.
HAVE A GREAT TRIP!

 

[eandesmom]

My original plan for our last day at Disney was to go to one last park. When I woke up, I was dismayed to discover that I had a mosquito bite on the side of my foot that was so big, it was downright painful to walk on it. I knew I would be miserable if I attempted to walk around a park. It was best to just pack up and head out.

We are, and I was very sad thinking about leaving Animal Kingdom Lodge and going home. I was super cranky.

Once home I began the massive unpacking, taking pictures of our souvenirs as I did so.
Connor’s Little Green Men Taking a Ride on the Time Rover:

New Keychains:

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Animal Kingdom Lodge: I loved this resort before we even checked in. It was everything I imagined it would be and more. The rooms, views, pool, restaurants, activities, and animals all were amazing. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

Divas: Every single one of us had a diva moment. I guess that is to be expected when four people have to spend almost every single second together for a week (except for Charles). He has been pretty contrite about his behavior on the trip and has promised to never act like that again. Let’s all hope he means it.

Zebra Domes: Truly one of the most ingenious food creations of all time.

Pixie Dust: Despite MIA family members, Kim Possible missions that never ended, and unbearable heat, we all still love Walt Disney World. It is truly our favorite place.

Never-Dones: My big goal for the trip was for my family to experience things we had never done before -- I even had a list in my trip planner. What did we manage to check off?

Magic Kingdom:
Liberty Belle Riverboat
The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway

Epcot:
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush
Living with the Land
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Impressions de France
Illuminations
Kim Possible Mission (x4)

Animal Kingdom:
It’s Tough to be a Bug
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Festival of the Lion King

Looking at the list, I think we did pretty good trying new things.

So, what’s on store for the coming year? Charles and I leave soon for a long weekend experiencing the Food and Wine Festival, and next summer there may be some surprises in store for us…

UP NEXT: The Shortest Pre-Trip Report Ever!

Wow. A bite like that would make me cranky, even without the last day sadness!

Love TGM in the time rover and I especially like those keychains!

You accomplished a lot on your never done list, well done!

I'm sad that this TR is coming to an end but look forward to hearing about food and wine.

I hope you have a wonderful trip with Charles this weekend (and you are appropriately spoiled and pampered to make up for his being MIA last trip), enjoy!

 

[LISAMWDW]

Have a magical trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MagicShell]

I loved your trip report.

I hate mosquitoes.

I hope you have a great trip.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Jackie,

I know that you go on your trip tomorrow...

and I don't know if you'll be back on the boards on not before then...I'm guessing ...probably yes....

So I just wanted to wish you an absolutely fabulous, fun, food and wine filled time...

(adult only...-hey we love our kids but its nice to just be you and not mommy some time...

I hope you come back happy and full of stories...which you will of course share with all of us...

 

[Lovemy3babes]

What an excellent ending to a wonderful report Jackie. If Charles decides to be a poop again, just don't bring him with you next time. The kiddos and I are winging it alone in two months! LOL!

 

[Native NYer]

Have a wonderful trip!!!!!!

 

[MeMom]

So Charles promises no diva ....

What if he asks to do a Kim Possible mission?

 

[Charleston Princess]

Sounds like through everything you had a great vacation. Hope you and Charles have a great weekend getaway!

We did, and I am hoping we have fun this weekend!

I thought I had posted here, but apparently the DIS ate my post or something...!

I was laughing out loud at "Your Highness" at Teppan Edo - how appropriate!!!

I thought so, too!

Sorry to hear about your mosquito bite, that just stinks! Love all our souvenir pictures-all the AKL stuff is so beautiful.

Thank you! I love drinking my Saturday morning coffee out of my AKL mug.

You guys covered a lot of new stuff! Did any of them become "must do's" for future trips? (aside from Kim Possible for Connor )

Umm, the Pooh ride was cute, and we enjoyed everything, but I think just FOTLK and the walking trails will become absolute must-dos.

Are you going to clue us in at all????

Looking forward to the PTR stuff-and of course another CP TR!!!

Oh, yes, you know I will have to start a PTR soon for the summer trip (after this weekend's trip report ).

Dh and I are heading off for a weekend to try the food and wine festival too. Too bad it's not the same weekend. But then again perhaps having Charles and my Dh in the same room wouldn't be such a great idea. They might teach each other too many tricks.

Can you imagine!!!???

Enjoyed your report. You set the bar high.

Congrats on finishing it up on time and have a lovely weekend together!

Thank you! We are looking forward to this weekend!

Funny, we had a similar pre Teppan Edo day- we TRUDGED across the world and were pooped only to find ourselves having the BEST time at Teppan Edo!!!

It was a great way to end the trip!

Loving the TR!! Cannot beleive you are JUST finishing!! It's the end of September!!

I dragged it out as long as I could. LOL!

Mine will probably be faster than that b/c I am afraid I will forget all the details. Love the pics Chelsea took- Ashton was my food porn girl this past trip.

Thank you! Chelsea may have earned herself a permanent food porn job!

I am excited b/c i can get to my photopass pics tomorrow!!!
My friend who went the week after us is finally home and we shared one. She is bringing her photopass cards to me tomorrow.

Talk to ya soon!

Lori

I can't wait to see your Photopass pics!

You bought some cute stuff! I love the Basin! I forgot to buy my bath bombs this time. I'll be back soon. <note to self - bath bombs>

I love their soaps, but I haven't even opened our Mickey soaps yet.

The CD's from WDW including this one you bought....my husband listens to them daily! OMGosh you would not believe it! The one that gets the most play....Halloween. (And this red one of course) Plus he does this trivia stuff with us and we havee to get it right or O M G! The World stops! That's why I LOVE him! Sweet silly things like that....

Gorgeous artwork! I looked at that stuff too. If I had a place for it I'd be buying too.

That's an adorable story about Sydney!

Well have fun girly! I wish you guys a fun safe romantic getaway filled with lots of good foor and tasty wine! Take a lot of pictures! K?

I will, I will! I can't wait to be there again!

So sorry to hear that a bite on your foot prevented one last park visit.
The animal print Mickey head keychain is so cute! The pottery is just beautiful.

My keychain makes me smile every morning.

The list of new things to try is such a great idea. It's so great to discover new things in a place you've been to frequently. That's one reason I love Disney. There's always something new or, at the very least, new to you.

That's one of the reasons I love it there so much! I don't feel like we have come close to doing everything there.

Surprises next summer? You have to give us a clue

You will see...

Looking forward to your new ptr and tr. Can't wait to hear about your adventures at F&W.

I can't wait to have the adventures! LOL!

The souvenirs are great! I keep saying I am going to get a Basin soap for the main bathroom, but I always end up just buying for other people. Maybe this time.

Yes, you must treat yourself to a Basin soap.

The Four Parks, One World CD gets much play in my car, too!

Same here and tomorrow it will be getting a lot of play time!

I hope that we are able to do our two last days at AKL next summer like we did at WL this past summer. Money is an issue, though, so it may have to be the following summer. Even if we don't stay there, we will visit, because it is an awesome resort.

I think we are definitely going to do a value or moderate next summer unless Disney has a great deal, but I am sure we will be visiting AKL as well.

Very impressed with your list of 'never dones' that you did get done! You did an excellent job, and I'm sure you had fun in the process.

Lots of fun! Well, except Chelsea and Connor didn't have a lot of fun at It's Tough to be a Bug. LOL!

Thanks for sharing this awesome report. I look forward to seeing what all you have in the works for next year.

I'm so glad you are going back this weekend. Enjoy the F&W selections, and I look forward to hearing all about it as we await our next turn.

We are packed and ready!

Darn mosquitos! I thought Disney eradicated them all for us. The one that bit you was clearly a gate crasher!

Apparently it hadn't eaten in days either.

I felt grumpy for you as you described packing up and heading out.

I so did not want to leave.

Oh, the souvenire goodness Jackie! I LOL at Connor's ramen noodles. The Mickey heads key chain is so cute, and I'm coveting your Christmas ornament.

I can't tell you how excited he was to find them -- I guess they are just like the ones they eat on Naruto.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your weekend plans and your next summer's surprises.

Coming soon...

Ohhhhhh! What kind of surprises???? I love the African artwork. Is that ornament heavy? It looks like it may be. I would love to find an ornament like that for my tree. Is it from the park or the Lodge?

I found it in one of the shops on Discovery Island. It is a little heavy -- it may just get displayed on a table during the Christmas season.

I love the Animal Kingdom magnet! It's so cute, I need it. I love all the characters on it.

It was only like $2.50 -- an absolute bargain!

I'm very interested to see how Charles is this week for F&W. Hopefully he will redeem himself!

I hope so -- I am a little worried about how he will act once we are down there.

I'm so glad you are going to be going to Disney next year even if it's different. I need my yearly CP Disney fix.

I need my yearly fix, too!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Awwww....it's over. I'm sad you didn't get one last park in before you left. You got some great souvenirs. The safari Eeyore is too cute! You got a lot of stuff marked off your first time list.

Thank you! I love souvenirs!

Hope you and the Ruler of Teppan Edo have a fantabulous time at F&W this weekend! Can't wait to hear about it and your plans for the summer. Is it still Key West or have you changed your mind?

Thank you! I am all packed and ready to go first thing in the morning.

Nope, we have changed our mind yet again. LOL!

Although I have read your whole TR. I now need to go back re-read and take notes! Guess who's going to AKL We Are! We Are!
My goal is to slow down and enjoy this resort and all it has to offer!

Congratulations! AKL is such a wonderful place to stay! You must make sure to put schedule some time to really enjoy all of it!

Jackie,

I'm so glad I got on here this morning...(I haven't been on the boards for 4/5 days-whole family sick...stomach bugs...less said the better...

I am glad you are feeling better -- I missed you!

I'm glad I got you before you left-2 DAYS...how exciting...

And now it is the night before!

I'm so glad that Charles and all of you enjoyed dinner at Teppan Edo-I think that that is a great idea to make it a last night tradition...poor Connor though...... It sounds like it was overall a great wrapup night to your trip...

It was a lovely time for everyone that didn't overindulge in lemonade.

When you were saying goodbye to everything...It reminded me of Good Night Moon...the Disney Version...

One of my kids' favorite bedtime stories when they were little, so I was definitely thinking of it when I did my good-byes.

You all have convinced me that I might be needing that 4 parks , 1 world cd...but I am on a self imposed no buy until the end of October...what to do...what to do...

Basin Mickey Head Soap...Happy Days...

I'll be back before you leave...

I have a feeling the month of October is going to fly by -- and then it will be November and you can get it!

Those keychains are the COOLEST! I will for sure have that on my shopping list for this trip.

I hope you and Charles have a nice time on your short jaunt! It sounds like it would be a lot of fun. Food and Wine is for sure an experience that I want to have at some point.

Oooh, and teasing about summer plans next year?! Sweet! Can't wait to hear!

As my mother said the other night, I have been dying to try Food and Wine for years now, so I am very excited that it is only a day away now!

I am so glad you got to stay at AKL! And i can't believe you're headed back already!

AKL was such a great experience! I can't quite wrap my head around the idea that we are headed back tomorrow either!

Oh my goodness, where have I been? I somehow missed the last 3 updates and am now sad its over Glad that Connor got his Kim Possible fix and I like the Henna! Teppan Edo always looks yummy, how exciting to meet Carissa (I believe she is from Iowa too)

Thank goodness you are leaving soon to bring home more of our magical place to share!

Don't be sad -- like you said, Katie, I am going to bring more to share!

Great ending! Sorry about your foot! However, it was prolly easier to leave than to tear yourself away from a park!

I'm thinking Charles will redeem himself on this trip! I can't wait to hear about it!

Do we get a hint about the surprise? LOL!

I was so mad about my foot -- I have decided to just stop trying to head to a park the morning we leave -- we have the worst luck with that.

I do hope Charles redeems himself and has a good time.

No hints yet.

Thanks for sharing the ups & downs of your trip with all of us! It's been fun to follow along. I can't wait to hear about you Food & Wine Festival visit!!

Hi, Amy! I am glad you were here to share the trip report! I will be linking the next TR here when we get back.

Great report Jackie. I'm so glad that AKL was so wonderful for you!

See ya in a couple days!!!!

I can't believe you are there right now!!! See you Friday!

Great loot you came out with! I am so getting that CD....I will make it my Tracy Possible Mission to find it!
Can't wait to stock back up on some Basin products!
Ziggy is a minature pinshcer....he does look a bit like a Manchester...he is rather tall for a min pin. Lots of fun and keeps me very busy...I drop him off at my parents for day care when I am at work!

Looking forward to your super quick PTR!

Tracy

Tracy Possible Mission!

Ziggy is just adorable! I bet he is spoiled rotten!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Chelsea's food porn pictures were very artistic.

I have heard just so many great reviews of that place this year!

I was shocked when I saw your latest post was titled "final thoughts." I had no idea we were that close to the end.

Love all of your souvenirs! You're a great shopper.

Loved your TR Jackie!

Thank you, Carissa! Yes, sadly the TR is over. Teppan Edo was a blast -- a keeper for us!

Hey!!! I really loved your TR!!!! I can't believe you go to Disney in 2 days!!!!!!! Looking forward to the next report, lol.

Hi, Lynn! Thank you! I am very excited about this weekend's trip -- I think Charles and I are going to have a lot of fun!

It's too bad you had to skip the park on the last day....I would have been grumpy too.

I'm dying to stay at AKL...but I can't seem to convince mr.tightwad that it's worth paying more.

AKL was wonderful, but we were really only able to afford it because of the 4/3 deal.

So sad this is over.

I am excited your are going back so soon.

Me too on both of those!

I think I need an AK key chain... remember my "home"

I think you need one, too!

So Charles promises no diva ....

Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for us!

As for the rides/attractions you tried--- I am super impressed! You knocked quite a few off!

I was proud of how many we checked off the list.

Wishing you tons of fun... so jealous, you will be in Disney on my birthday, no fair!

You must plan a fall trip for your birthday one day!

Is it already over?

Okay, looking forward to a little mini TR......

Sadly, yes, it is over! Make sure you come over to the new TR when we get back -- lots of Food and Wine festivities in store!

Hey Jackie! I just wanted to hop on and wish you well this special weekend and hope your kids don't pout toooo much and have a fabulous time as you eat around the world! We had a great time, I am sorry to leave, but I know we will be there in a few months, so it is hard to stay sad!!! Looking foward to hearing about your trip, Halloween party was GREAT...

Have a fab time!!!

gonna catch up on all my reading this weekend!!!

Hi, Happydog! Thank you! Once we peeled the kids off our legs this evening (I am only half-joking about that), we realized we were going to have a lot of fun! I can't wait to hear all the details of your trip!

It stinks i'll just miss you! But just in case here are our plans:

7:30am check in

DHS rope drop
MK parade
break
DHS fantasmic (First showing)

Anyway have a fabulous weekend!! I really enjoyed the TR (of course!)

Thank you! You have a wonderful weekend as well! Let's hope the weather is gorgeous for us!

CP:

OH NO! The trip report that I thought would never end, is FINALLY ENDING! I am so sad to see it end. What a great read. I really feel like I got to know you and your family (well Charles...not so much, since he was frequently MIA).

I am a little sad about it ending, too.

I hope you have a most fab trip. One more day to wait! I really want to hear about your plans. Denny and I had a really fab trip, even though it was short, it was full of fun. I promise to start writing this weekend! It's just been crazy since I got home.

And ...bummer....I can't comment on your pics, cause I can't see them at work.
HAVE A GREAT TRIP!

Thank you! Hopefully you will feel like you have gotten to know Charles after this next trip report!

I will look forward to seeing yours when I get back!

Wow. A bite like that would make me cranky, even without the last day sadness!

Mosquitoes always do a number on me.

Love TGM in the time rover and I especially like those keychains!

You accomplished a lot on your never done list, well done!

Thank you! We love all of our souvenirs, too.

I'm sad that this TR is coming to an end but look forward to hearing about food and wine.

I hope you have a wonderful trip with Charles this weekend (and you are appropriately spoiled and pampered to make up for his being MIA last trip), enjoy!

Thank you! I am sure I will have lots of stories to bring back.

Have a magical trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, Lisa!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I loved your trip report.

I hate mosquitoes.

I hope you have a great trip.

Thank you! I hate mosquitoes, too!

Hey Jackie,

I know that you go on your trip tomorrow...

and I don't know if you'll be back on the boards on not before then...I'm guessing ...probably yes....

So I just wanted to wish you an absolutely fabulous, fun, food and wine filled time...

(adult only...-hey we love our kids but its nice to just be you and not mommy some time...

I hope you come back happy and full of stories...which you will of course share with all of us...

Hi, Patricia! You know me too well -- of course I am on the DIS tonight!

You are so right about it being nice to just be me -- packing this evening was very carefree -- of course this was after packing the kids and having them take half of their possessions to my parents' house! It looked like the Clampetts were moving in.

You know I will come back with lots and lots of stories as Charles and I pretend to be foodies for the weekend.

What an excellent ending to a wonderful report Jackie. If Charles decides to be a poop again, just don't bring him with you next time. The kiddos and I are winging it alone in two months! LOL!

Thank you! I hope Charles redeems himself on this next trip.

Have a wonderful trip!!!!!!

Thank you, Jen!!! I can almost taste my Grey Goose Slushy that is waiting on me.

What if he asks to do a Kim Possible mission?

I will hope it is one of the ones we haven't done yet.

 

[Lady Lallie]

CP, I hope you have a wonderful trip!! Enjoy!

 

[Charleston Princess]

CP, I hope you have a wonderful trip!! Enjoy!

Thank you! I can't wait!

 

[Charleston Princess]

So, I was planning on doing a witty quick pre-trip report before we left, but I am downright exhausted so all the cute, funny stories that heralded this trip will have to wait until the trip report.

In the meantime, we are headed out first thing tomorrow morning to Walt Disney World and the promise of lots of great eating and drinking at the Food and Wine Festival!

Charles and I (the kids aren't coming -- I was able to peel them off my legs this evening as I left my parents' house) are staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort for three nights. It's the only moderate we have never stayed at, and we are excited to stay there (Chelsea is a bit disgruntled as she revealed to us this afternoon that it is her favorite resort besides the Grand Floridian -- who knew? ). Both Friday and Saturday we will be at Epcot making ourselves sick on an assortment of crab cakes, lamb sliders, lobster rolls, and praline bread pudding.

We have four DIS meets scheduled (potentially five if I can convince Charles that yes, we do need to go to MNSSHP tomorrow night) and are looking forward to seeing many of the great people I have met here on the DIS.

I am off to sleep, so we can leave first thing in the morning.

Oh, and by the way, remember that cream soda I wanted for the drive four months ago? There is one cooling in the fridge right next to Charles' Diet Coke.

 

[Happydog]

Have a great time!!!

Let me give you another drink to try ... there is a fab frozen mojito at the Cuban stand, and in France they have another slushie.... with cranberry juice, and something else.. like the grey goose but red, very very good... thicker, way YUMMY. I had two while DS7 was helping KP with a mission in France.... needless to say it took a little longer...

OH! And did I mention the lobster rolls... KIDDING... well, not really...

Hope you have a wonderful time!!!! Enjoy!!!

Oh but I have to tell you I had that "Lost on Safari" or whatever it was called @ the AK... WOW. You were not kidding .. a nice wasy to get lost!!

Looking forward to hearing all about it!!

 

[Native NYer]

I can't wait to hear all about CBR, F&W, your DIS meets, and all of your adventures at the WDW. I hope you get to MNSSHP tomorrow night.

Enjoy your cream soda