jaycns
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
- Messages
- 6,953
Keeping in step with the ever present Disney World countdowns (do the televisions at WDW ever stop playing those?!), I thought I would wrap this trip report up with my own Top Moments List.
So join me as I count down the top ten moments of our 2007 trip...
#10- Animal Kingdom Lodge...the architecture, the sounds, the smell, the staff, the plentiful activities, the relaxing lounges, the animals...It's not one of my top two favorite Disney resorts (it ties with the Contemporary) for nothing...AKL is a slice of heaven on earth served up with a double scoop of amazing animals on the side. If you haven't yet stayed at AKL, I urge you to consider it. At the very least, set aside a few hours and visit this marvel in person!!
#9- The staff at AKL are so welcoming, gracious and all around awesome that they rate their own spot in our countdown!! A large part of the pre-planning staff at AKL and the actual concierge staff on site really made our vacation a relaxing and well thought out experience. They were so friendly. Add to that a very sweet mousekeeper who went out of her way to not only keep our room sparkling clean but also to spread a bit of magic by way of numerous towel animals, smiles and kind words. A final addition would be the wonderful safari guides around the resort who led the various activities. They were WONDERFUL in every way
#8-Our anniversary celebration. No matter what special occasion you are celebrating, you will be able to find a way to make it simply amazing. The time we spent on the Wanyama Safari, the up close views with the animals, the behind the scenes information that our safari guides shared with us, the good company of the other couple along on the safari (who coincidentally were also celebrating their anniversary and also from my hometown). The chef served meal at Jiko was top notch. The flavors, although sometimes unfamiliar, were truly outstanding. Before our meal, I had no idea that I really enjoyed Moroccan food...afterward, I am now a great big fan! The Jiko chef, Jamal, makes our list of most wonderful Disney cast members. He was friendly, funny, TALENTED (that food was finger lickin' good) and just about as welcoming as a person could get. He took an exceptional meal to an extraordinary level.
After our Jiko meal, we made our way to DTD and seeing La Nouba was a lot of fun and a great wrap up of an already amazing evening. So...two thumbs way up for our anniversary celebration!!
#7- The cakes!!
From the simple surprise cake left by the AKL concierge team for "Goofy" (he loved that someone thought of him), to the sweet zebra cake which informed the boys they were going to be having a baby brother (what a family memory that one is), and finally on to the most amazing cake I have ever seen (my wedding cake didn't hold a candle to his under the seas birthday cake)! "Goofy's" birthday cake was a work of art just as much as a piece of food. The chocolate sea horses perched on top, the sea turtle that was seamlessly rolled into the covering fondant...which in itself was a marble/tie dye explosion of colors...blues, greens and yellows. Just like the sea itself, the colors seemed to be flowing into one another.
#6- Seeing each of the boys have a "dream come true" moment. When "Goofy" spent the night of the P&P party dressed up as Aladdin, he felt like a real prince with all of the extra special attention he got. His second extra special moment came when we spent the day together at Discovery Cove. It is a pricey add on to your vacation, but one that is more then worth it for the lifetime full of memories that day will leave you with! For me, spending the day alone with my little "Goof" was priceless. Getting to give him my undivided attention...it was a day to cherish! "Goofy" also really lit up when he saw his special under the sea cake. I am so happy that we were able to surprise him with that.
"Stitch" loved it when Geppeto and Pinocchio played with his hair. That interaction lasted only a few minutes but that memory is still fresh in his mind. He talks about it and laughs about it to this day. Another time that made WDW magical for him was the day we spent in a rented cabana at the Grand Floridian. I have a picture of him burned into my mind. Him laying on a padded lounge chair with his hands laced together behind his head and a smile as wide as the Mississippi lighting up his face. Even now I can see the fan blowing his hair, the look of utter relaxation and that mile wide smile beaming up at me. He loved the time we spent at the cabana/pool. Another very happy moment was when he was playing with the rice crispy/gummy sushi at the California Grill followed up by watching Wishes as a family. I think this tops all of our lists! "Stitch" also really loved being able to pick out that Dale chipmunk head furry hat at EPCOT. If the kind CM had not gifted that opportunity to him, it would have most likely passed him by because we (his stick in the mud parents) had no clue a plush hat was a "need" in 90*, 90% humidity weather.
And finally, the top moment for "Stitch" came when he was dressed up as Jack Skellington. He was all smiles as people made a fuss over him looking so cute. He also loved that he was dressed up like a skelaton...complete with a floppy bat tie! **Thank you Mousetriper!!**
"Aladdin" loved it when we were lucky enough to be the "family of the day" at the Garden Grill. The special attention, glowing ice cubes and big ol' character meet and greet was very special to him (and us all). A super big moment for him was when he realized he was going to spend a whole second week at WDW at the resort he had been wanting to stay at for the past few years, the GF. Being able to surprise our sons that way was a lifetime highlight for dh and I. It's not every day you can literally gift your children with their dreams!! Another time "Aladdin" especially enjoyed was our ride in the front of the monorail. He loves to look out and see Disney World rushing toward him. One of his coolest moments came when he was able to spend some time talking with a CM at DAK and get a few behind the scenes type tidbits. He really enjoyed that conversation.
#5-The great meals. Every single meal was an amazing experience. The server we had at 50's Primetime was so much fun. She made me laugh so hard! The entire staff at the Garden Grill made our meal one of the happiest times ever, being chosen as the Family of the Day made us feel like royalty! The server we had at Le Cellier who spent time telling the boys all about her homeland. The counter service servers at AKL who did the same thing and shared facts about their home country with our boys. Not only did they tell them about their homelands, but they asked the boys about their home state. It was a fun exchange for all involved.
#4-The Pirate and the Princess Party. It was a lot of fun. The lines were short. The fun was abundant. Although the parade was the shortest Disney parade I have ever seen, it was still one of the best. The pirate float was out of this world!! They had dueling pirates, pirates swinging across the float on ropes, pirates climbing up and down rope ladders and rungs. The float was full of action and of course, having Jack Sparrow on it didn't do it any harm!
#3-Our day at Discovery Cove. I have said it before, but it truly is a slice of heaven on earth. A place where a lifetime's worth of great memories can be made in a day. I LOVE DISCOVERY COVE!! It's not Disney, but it's magic of it's own kind!!
#2-The pixie dust. The special moments. The little extras. The engaging conversations. Disney does not come up short as far as magical moments, large and small, they really top off a great vacation.
#1- THE DOWNTIME! The fact that we "had" to take time off from the parks made this the very best vacation ever. From now on, I will never take another Disney vacation without planning many moments of simply just being on vacation. Being together with the ones I love. Watching smiles break out over simple things like sand castles and slides. Hugs given as they run by dancing across the sand. Pirate battles as the sun goes down. Reading a book while sipping an ice cold drink. Watching the monorail run by across the water. Rocking back and forth while watching wild animals roam. Having mindless fun playing arcade games. Eating room service ice cream sundaes late at night. Putting my feet up on the banister and watching the sunrise. Taking underwater pictures (fun of a new sort for our family). Playing with glow sticks on a dark beach. **Thank you for that LindaBabe!!** Watching a duck walk down the path. Playing a game of who can find the most lizards while taking a stroll around the resort. Eating a poolside meal under the shade of our very own "decked out" cabana. Sitting and watching the fire crackle. Seeing the boys share priceless moments together. Watching dh's face as the glow of fireworks lights up the sky behind him.
Downtime is truly a beautiful thing!
And there you have it...our family's top ten countdown from our 2007 wonderful WDW vacation!
Stay tuned...I will be posting a link to my upcoming pretrip report for our next trip!
THANK YOU ALL for being an important part of our trip memories. Sharing our vacation story with you all has been a richly rewarding experience for me and allowed me the chance to relive so many magical moments I cannot even count them. To share those with others who still believe in and understand that special kind of Disney magic was truly a joy! THANK YOU ALL for being part of my 2007 vacation memories. The comments, jokes, prayers and stories shared have touched me and will be kept in printed form inside a special binder within our scrapbook. SO...THANK YOU and until next time...BE WELL AND MAY THE MAGIC BE PART OF ALL OF YOUR LIVES!
So join me as I count down the top ten moments of our 2007 trip...
#10- Animal Kingdom Lodge...the architecture, the sounds, the smell, the staff, the plentiful activities, the relaxing lounges, the animals...It's not one of my top two favorite Disney resorts (it ties with the Contemporary) for nothing...AKL is a slice of heaven on earth served up with a double scoop of amazing animals on the side. If you haven't yet stayed at AKL, I urge you to consider it. At the very least, set aside a few hours and visit this marvel in person!!
#9- The staff at AKL are so welcoming, gracious and all around awesome that they rate their own spot in our countdown!! A large part of the pre-planning staff at AKL and the actual concierge staff on site really made our vacation a relaxing and well thought out experience. They were so friendly. Add to that a very sweet mousekeeper who went out of her way to not only keep our room sparkling clean but also to spread a bit of magic by way of numerous towel animals, smiles and kind words. A final addition would be the wonderful safari guides around the resort who led the various activities. They were WONDERFUL in every way
#8-Our anniversary celebration. No matter what special occasion you are celebrating, you will be able to find a way to make it simply amazing. The time we spent on the Wanyama Safari, the up close views with the animals, the behind the scenes information that our safari guides shared with us, the good company of the other couple along on the safari (who coincidentally were also celebrating their anniversary and also from my hometown). The chef served meal at Jiko was top notch. The flavors, although sometimes unfamiliar, were truly outstanding. Before our meal, I had no idea that I really enjoyed Moroccan food...afterward, I am now a great big fan! The Jiko chef, Jamal, makes our list of most wonderful Disney cast members. He was friendly, funny, TALENTED (that food was finger lickin' good) and just about as welcoming as a person could get. He took an exceptional meal to an extraordinary level.
After our Jiko meal, we made our way to DTD and seeing La Nouba was a lot of fun and a great wrap up of an already amazing evening. So...two thumbs way up for our anniversary celebration!!
#7- The cakes!!
From the simple surprise cake left by the AKL concierge team for "Goofy" (he loved that someone thought of him), to the sweet zebra cake which informed the boys they were going to be having a baby brother (what a family memory that one is), and finally on to the most amazing cake I have ever seen (my wedding cake didn't hold a candle to his under the seas birthday cake)! "Goofy's" birthday cake was a work of art just as much as a piece of food. The chocolate sea horses perched on top, the sea turtle that was seamlessly rolled into the covering fondant...which in itself was a marble/tie dye explosion of colors...blues, greens and yellows. Just like the sea itself, the colors seemed to be flowing into one another. #6- Seeing each of the boys have a "dream come true" moment. When "Goofy" spent the night of the P&P party dressed up as Aladdin, he felt like a real prince with all of the extra special attention he got. His second extra special moment came when we spent the day together at Discovery Cove. It is a pricey add on to your vacation, but one that is more then worth it for the lifetime full of memories that day will leave you with! For me, spending the day alone with my little "Goof" was priceless. Getting to give him my undivided attention...it was a day to cherish! "Goofy" also really lit up when he saw his special under the sea cake. I am so happy that we were able to surprise him with that.
"Stitch" loved it when Geppeto and Pinocchio played with his hair. That interaction lasted only a few minutes but that memory is still fresh in his mind. He talks about it and laughs about it to this day. Another time that made WDW magical for him was the day we spent in a rented cabana at the Grand Floridian. I have a picture of him burned into my mind. Him laying on a padded lounge chair with his hands laced together behind his head and a smile as wide as the Mississippi lighting up his face. Even now I can see the fan blowing his hair, the look of utter relaxation and that mile wide smile beaming up at me. He loved the time we spent at the cabana/pool. Another very happy moment was when he was playing with the rice crispy/gummy sushi at the California Grill followed up by watching Wishes as a family. I think this tops all of our lists! "Stitch" also really loved being able to pick out that Dale chipmunk head furry hat at EPCOT. If the kind CM had not gifted that opportunity to him, it would have most likely passed him by because we (his stick in the mud parents) had no clue a plush hat was a "need" in 90*, 90% humidity weather.
And finally, the top moment for "Stitch" came when he was dressed up as Jack Skellington. He was all smiles as people made a fuss over him looking so cute. He also loved that he was dressed up like a skelaton...complete with a floppy bat tie! **Thank you Mousetriper!!**"Aladdin" loved it when we were lucky enough to be the "family of the day" at the Garden Grill. The special attention, glowing ice cubes and big ol' character meet and greet was very special to him (and us all). A super big moment for him was when he realized he was going to spend a whole second week at WDW at the resort he had been wanting to stay at for the past few years, the GF. Being able to surprise our sons that way was a lifetime highlight for dh and I. It's not every day you can literally gift your children with their dreams!! Another time "Aladdin" especially enjoyed was our ride in the front of the monorail. He loves to look out and see Disney World rushing toward him. One of his coolest moments came when he was able to spend some time talking with a CM at DAK and get a few behind the scenes type tidbits. He really enjoyed that conversation.
#5-The great meals. Every single meal was an amazing experience. The server we had at 50's Primetime was so much fun. She made me laugh so hard! The entire staff at the Garden Grill made our meal one of the happiest times ever, being chosen as the Family of the Day made us feel like royalty! The server we had at Le Cellier who spent time telling the boys all about her homeland. The counter service servers at AKL who did the same thing and shared facts about their home country with our boys. Not only did they tell them about their homelands, but they asked the boys about their home state. It was a fun exchange for all involved.
#4-The Pirate and the Princess Party. It was a lot of fun. The lines were short. The fun was abundant. Although the parade was the shortest Disney parade I have ever seen, it was still one of the best. The pirate float was out of this world!! They had dueling pirates, pirates swinging across the float on ropes, pirates climbing up and down rope ladders and rungs. The float was full of action and of course, having Jack Sparrow on it didn't do it any harm!
#3-Our day at Discovery Cove. I have said it before, but it truly is a slice of heaven on earth. A place where a lifetime's worth of great memories can be made in a day. I LOVE DISCOVERY COVE!! It's not Disney, but it's magic of it's own kind!!
#2-The pixie dust. The special moments. The little extras. The engaging conversations. Disney does not come up short as far as magical moments, large and small, they really top off a great vacation.
#1- THE DOWNTIME! The fact that we "had" to take time off from the parks made this the very best vacation ever. From now on, I will never take another Disney vacation without planning many moments of simply just being on vacation. Being together with the ones I love. Watching smiles break out over simple things like sand castles and slides. Hugs given as they run by dancing across the sand. Pirate battles as the sun goes down. Reading a book while sipping an ice cold drink. Watching the monorail run by across the water. Rocking back and forth while watching wild animals roam. Having mindless fun playing arcade games. Eating room service ice cream sundaes late at night. Putting my feet up on the banister and watching the sunrise. Taking underwater pictures (fun of a new sort for our family). Playing with glow sticks on a dark beach. **Thank you for that LindaBabe!!** Watching a duck walk down the path. Playing a game of who can find the most lizards while taking a stroll around the resort. Eating a poolside meal under the shade of our very own "decked out" cabana. Sitting and watching the fire crackle. Seeing the boys share priceless moments together. Watching dh's face as the glow of fireworks lights up the sky behind him.
Downtime is truly a beautiful thing!And there you have it...our family's top ten countdown from our 2007 wonderful WDW vacation!
Stay tuned...I will be posting a link to my upcoming pretrip report for our next trip!
THANK YOU ALL for being an important part of our trip memories. Sharing our vacation story with you all has been a richly rewarding experience for me and allowed me the chance to relive so many magical moments I cannot even count them. To share those with others who still believe in and understand that special kind of Disney magic was truly a joy! THANK YOU ALL for being part of my 2007 vacation memories. The comments, jokes, prayers and stories shared have touched me and will be kept in printed form inside a special binder within our scrapbook. SO...THANK YOU and until next time...BE WELL AND MAY THE MAGIC BE PART OF ALL OF YOUR LIVES!
I'm looking forward to following your pre-trip report! 
Until then, enjoy your beautiful family! 
Love your Top Ten (as I sit here wiping tears from my eyes)! 
I can't wait for your PTR. Thanks, again, for sharing.
What will I do for my "Jay fix" now?
