Everything is Satisfactual - A TR (9/22-9/31) Updated 12/9 Last Day

[MRYPPNS]

I had no idea there would be so much drama on your trip!

 

[skier_pete]

We needed to check out of our room only reservation this morning and check in for our free dining package before we could do anything though so we would have passes. I had thought, from my research on the boards, that we'd be able to check in at about 7am. My father headed down between 6 and 6:30 (he always has to be first), and was told they weren't going to start until 7:30 . They had a special line set up just for people continuing stays with the free dining plan. Luckily they were ready early and he was able to check in just before 7am. When we left for the parks the line was starting to get pretty long.

That's funny...I had to do the same thing at POFQ that morning. I asked the night before about how early I could check in, they said "anytime". I woke up at 6 AM and went down there. (Guess I beat your dad.) I was all by myself with a single CM working the desk. The separate line was set-up, but he checked me right in no problem. I would have been PO'd had they told me to come back later. FYI - The CM told me there were 400 rooms that we checking in that day, and POR had over 800 rooms checking in. If you assume over 16 hour period (7 AM to 11 PM), that's someone checking in every 1.2 minutes at POR.

SkierPete

 

[micandminforever]

Everyone looks great in their matching shirts. Sounds like the princesses are having a great time, hope the adults catch the magic soon.

 

[Donald is #1]

The girls didn't want to ride anything without us, and the grandfathers had gotten into a bit of a tiff when Pa Eeyore had made a bit of a derogatory, racist comment and my dad told him off. Poor Princess Jasmine, our peacekeeper, was asking everyone to be nice to one another. Yes the day was off to a lovely start, and it was only 9:30.

This does not bode well for the trip!

 

[If U Had Wings]

I had no idea there would be so much drama on your trip!

Everyone looks great in their matching shirts. Sounds like the princesses are having a great time, hope the adults catch the magic soon.

This does not bode well for the trip!

There was more drama, all dealing with my brothers FIL. The rest of us are a bit afraid that he single handedly managed to kill any future family trips.

Wow. I can feel the drama brewing!

I love your matching t-shirts! So cute. If I remember correctly you said Mickey ordered them off of ebay?

Princess Jasmine in the Yeti get up is too cute!

Yes, the seller is ta-dye 4. Ours were actually a special order so we could all get the sizes and styles we want. I think they were only $15 apiece. Quite a deal and better than having to deal with the mess myself.

I love your matching shirts, they turned out really great.

Thanks. They were very eye catching. I'm normally not a tye dye type of girl, but I really liked these.

That's funny...I had to do the same thing at POFQ that morning. I asked the night before about how early I could check in, they said "anytime". I woke up at 6 AM and went down there. (Guess I beat your dad.) I was all by myself with a single CM working the desk. The separate line was set-up, but he checked me right in no problem. I would have been PO'd had they told me to come back later. FYI - The CM told me there were 400 rooms that we checking in that day, and POR had over 800 rooms checking in. If you assume over 16 hour period (7 AM to 11 PM), that's someone checking in every 1.2 minutes at POR.

SkierPete

Wow, that's alot of rooms. I was so afraid that we were going to get stuck in some kind of crazy line. I had heard horror stories from the year before.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I think the matching shirts are adorable!!!

 

[Donald is #1]

Yes, the seller is ta-dye 4. Ours were actually a special order so we could all get the sizes and styles we want. I think they were only $15 apiece. Quite a deal and better than having to deal with the mess myself.

Hmm, I guess that it is time to check out EBAY.

 

[If U Had Wings]

By now we were all getting a little bit hungry so we headed off to lunch at Flame Tree BBQ where it took awhile to find enough seats together. Luckily we found two tables tucked into a corner that had some shade. They really need some more covering for the seats in this area. So many of the seats have no covering in this area and was so hot in the sun. It's a big area, but whenever I eat there I always find it hard to find a seat. Princess Jasmine wanted to sit with me at lunch, but I ended up sitting with Mickey, Minnie and Eeyore so that we could keep the two grandfathers separate. I'm sure they would have behaved as they had been fine since the morning, but this made for a less tense lunch. I'm not a huge BBQ fan so I had the fruit plate, which the princesses were gracious enough to help me finish up. Very yummy! I wish more places offered something similar. It makes for a nice light lunch.

After lunch we headed over to the Kilamajaro Safaris. Usually we hit this earlier in the day, so we were hoping the animals would be braving the heat so we could see a few. In line for the safari's was when I started to realize I was going to have my own personal shadow for the week.

Princess Cin and I were having a good laugh in line. She had me pick her up, where she would proceded to try to blow in my face. I'd threaten to drop her, and then blow in her face. Everyone was turning around to see what had us giggling so loudly. It made the line move quickly. For the rest of the week she went everywhere with me, wanted to ride everything with me. We had a blast.

Cin loves the safari. Jasmine merely tolerates it. Cin really enjoys watching the animals and could spend hours just sitting there watching them go about their business. While driving on the safari, Cin turned to me and told me that she didn't think that cheetahs liked Disney World. Why? Because it's too hot. It ended up being a pretty good safari. This was the first time that I've ridden it when the driver wasn't going full speed so that you saw the animals in a blur. For once it was going slow, with lots of pauses where you could actually really look and take pictures of the animals. It was a nice change. However, I didn't bother taking any pictures this time. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. I have tons of pictures from my previous trips so didn't really think that I needed more.

When we got off we took a look at the show times and realized that we were only going to be able to catch one show Nemo or Lion King. I prefer Lion King, but the kids wanted Nemo so that's where we went. I didn't think I was really all that tired, but sitting there in the dark with the a/c, and Princess Jasmine curled up next to me and I was catching myself nodding off. If Jasmine didn't keep chatting with me I would have been out. She made me promise to ride Primevil Whirl with her. I'm not a huge fan of Whirl, as I always get off feeling beat up from being slammed around the car. Jasmine looked at me with her big eyes, and told me if I loved her I would. (My brother is evil for teaching her that trick). I caved and promised I'd ride with her.

In the end, I didn't ride Primevil Whirl. Cin was too tiny to ride Whirl so she needed someone to ride Triceratop Spin with her. I was elected after a discussion between the two princesses.

We had to stop of course for some Everest pictures with our matching shirts.

Notice, once again Cin is posing like a champ. She is definitely not shy.

By the time we got done, the park was already closing. The day flew by so quickly. We had to say our goodbyes to the princesses as they were going back to their rental house and we were headed over to Boma for dinner. Being princesses they had to put on a show saying their goodbyes. Jasmine was being dramatic kissing our hands, and waving like a starlet. Cin was giving us quite a performance as well complete with phony tears and clutching us goodnight.

Other than the early morning melt-down we had a fun day. While they hadn't brought us any dream squad mojo our matching shirts had been a huge hit. Everywhere we went we were stopped by other guests and CM's to find out where we had got them. Minnie deceided we should do a second matching day with the shirts later in the week.

The bus line for AKL was pretty long, but it moved quickly. Back in 2003 we had received a courtesy upgrade to the Animal Kingdom Lodge after they closed POFQ a week before we were due to check in. It was a short trip, but my mother and I fell in love with the resort. It is still a favorite of mine, and I like to find reasons to come back every trip. Boma is the perfect excuse and has become my favorite place to eat after a day at the Animal Kingdom. Checked in and were seated nearly immediately at Boma. Dinner there was excellent. I'm a huge fan of the soups. I tried all of them this time. Loved the ginger carrot, and the sausage lentil. Didn't really care for the chicken corn chowder though. Way too sweet. I love Boma because it lets me live a bit dangerously and try things I normally don't eat. I tried some banana wrapped salmon this trip and it was delicious. Normally I don't eat seafood at all. The zebra domes were delicious for dessert, as was the bread pudding with vanilla sauce. Yumm!!! It's making me hungry just thinking about it.

My dad really likes Boma as well, as he is always up for trying new things. I'm not sure that my mom is as big of a fan as she tends to like to stick with things she knows and loves. Still she was able to find enough things that she liked to keep her happy. With her back still bothering her, and making her stomach upset she wasn't really eating much anyways.

We caught the bus back to Downtown Disney with the intention of doing a bit of shopping. We headed over to the pin traders so I could look at the pins. I always pick up a few on my trips.

I picked up this one as it was a rewards exclusive:

Supposedly they had a Tinkerbell one too, but they had run out of them.

This one I had to get as I'm a huge Roger Rabbit Fan:

A CM had also given us all one of these earlier in the day:

Very cute.

My father picked up a few cars he wanted at Once Upon a Toy before it started raining. My parents were both looking pretty tired, so the decision was made to head back to the resort before the rain got really bad. I was feeling wide awake and ready to go, but went back with them anyways. Sadly I never made it back to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Better for my wallet though I guess.

We headed to the food court for some drinks and beignets before heading to the room. My parents crashed while I caught the end of Harry Potter. I guess I have a bit too much energy for my companions.

Finally turned off the light. I needed to be ready for a full day at Epcot the next morning!

 

[Hedy]

The princesses are adorable!

I love those gethering buttons, I wanted to suggest getting them, but I it didn't seem worth it to trek to Guest relations in the pouring rain.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I really liked the Incredibles pins. I think that getting them was actually the cause of arguement that morning, but wasn't around to witness it so I'm not exactly sure.

I don't know if I would have gone over in the rain either!

 

[Lady Lallie]

That picture of you and Cin is so adorable, very nice!

It sounds like you accomplished a lot of MK and I love the picture of the gang in front of Everest.

I have also decided that Boma is going on the ADR list for our next trip!

 

[trixiequilts]

This pic needs to be in a frame in her room (and yours)! It is beautiful!

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

We met back up with the rest of the group and headed over to Flights of Wonder where a show was just starting. I had never seen the show before, and was pleasantly surprised. Although I had an Alfred Hitchcock moment when one bird flew a bit to close to my head for liking.

This is one of my very favorite things in the AK.

This is such a gorgeous picture! I love it!

And I love the shirts! They came out really cute.

Can't wait for more!

 

[MRYPPNS]

Great update! I always get the Visa card pin too on my trips.

 

[Charleston Princess]

The princesses are just sooo cute!!!

Quick question: how unbearably hot is it to eat at Flame Tree?

We love Boma -- love, love, love it! My favorite soup is the chicken pepperpot -- and those zebra domes -- mmmmm! Can't wait to be back there!

I would love to hear more of your thoughts on your 2003 stay at AKL -- that is where I would really like to stay next time.

 

[If U Had Wings]

That picture of you and Cin is so adorable, very nice!

It sounds like you accomplished a lot of MK and I love the picture of the gang in front of Everest.

I have also decided that Boma is going on the ADR list for our next trip!

This pic needs to be in a frame in her room (and yours)! It is beautiful!

This is one of my very favorite things in the AK.




This is such a gorgeous picture! I love it!

And I love the shirts! They came out really cute.

Can't wait for more!

Thanks everyone! I got some really great pictures this trip of me with the girls. I'm very lucky they love the camera.

The princesses are just sooo cute!!!

Quick question: how unbearably hot is it to eat at Flame Tree?

We love Boma -- love, love, love it! My favorite soup is the chicken pepperpot -- and those zebra domes -- mmmmm! Can't wait to be back there!

I would love to hear more of your thoughts on your 2003 stay at AKL -- that is where I would really like to stay next time.

I always time Flame Tree badly and go when everyone else is there. All the nice shady seats are always taken and I get stuck sitting in the sun, or partial sun. If you time your meals right you should be able to get a seat on one of the covered pavillions.

It is definitely much warmer than the indoor places, even in the shade.

AKL was really great when we stayed there. We got the upgrade from POFQ to AKL standard view, and when we checked in we were upgraded to savannah view which really made the entire trip. This was really due to the fact that the resorts still hadn't recovered from 9/11 yet, and were really slow.

I would highly recomend a savannah view if you do stay there. Every night my mother and I would sit on our balcony and enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the giraffes eat. They put lots of feeding areas near the viewing areas to be sure that you get to see animals. Our room wasn't facing the main savannah, but it was still really nice.

One word of warning though is that there can be lots of walking from your room to the common areas and the bus stop. Best to ask for a room close to the lobby.

There were all kinds of activities going on in the lobby, but unfortunately as our trip was short I didn't really get to enjoy them. I also remember that we had to agree not to bring balloons onto the property. If you are caught with a balloon they can kick you out, also they can if they catch you dropping anything off the balconies.

Any questions let me know, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I just realized that I had two more Animal Kingdom pictures that I forgot to post so here they are a bit late. There are better ones on our photopass, but we haven't quite finished making our changes yet to order it.

Anyways, the princesses and my parents -

Me and the princesses -

The tree was actually in the background of these pictures, but got cut off. When I eventually get the disk I'll post pics.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I always time Flame Tree badly and go when everyone else is there. All the nice shady seats are always taken and I get stuck sitting in the sun, or partial sun. If you time your meals right you should be able to get a seat on one of the covered pavillions.

It is definitely much warmer than the indoor places, even in the shade.

AKL was really great when we stayed there. We got the upgrade from POFQ to AKL standard view, and when we checked in we were upgraded to savannah view which really made the entire trip. This was really due to the fact that the resorts still hadn't recovered from 9/11 yet, and were really slow.

I would highly recomend a savannah view if you do stay there. Every night my mother and I would sit on our balcony and enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the giraffes eat. They put lots of feeding areas near the viewing areas to be sure that you get to see animals. Our room wasn't facing the main savannah, but it was still really nice.

One word of warning though is that there can be lots of walking from your room to the common areas and the bus stop. Best to ask for a room close to the lobby.

There were all kinds of activities going on in the lobby, but unfortunately as our trip was short I didn't really get to enjoy them. I also remember that we had to agree not to bring balloons onto the property. If you are caught with a balloon they can kick you out, also they can if they catch you dropping anything off the balconies.

Any questions let me know, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

I am just so not a big fan of eating outdoors, but I want to try Flame Tree one of these days!

Thanks for all the thoughts on AKL -- I love the idea of having coffee on the balcony and watching the animals. That would be so much fun!!!

Love the new ticker!

 

[Lady Lallie]

I love your new ticker!!

 

[If U Had Wings]

I love your new ticker!!

I am just so not a big fan of eating outdoors, but I want to try Flame Tree one of these days!

Thanks for all the thoughts on AKL -- I love the idea of having coffee on the balcony and watching the animals. That would be so much fun!!!

Love the new ticker!

Thanks! I'm still thinking I need a Christmassy one though. For now it will do.

CP, if it's a nice day Flame Tree would probably be really nice. There is usually some ducks wandering around, and the seating feels spread out and non-packed. I just tend to always be at AK on the most humid days of the year.