From the Sea to the World - Completed!

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[nodnol]

You were really lucky with the location, I think! Much better than pool view...
And the villa looks lovely, even bigger than our old flat - at least the bathroom

 

[Flossbolna]

Nice room with a pretty decent view!

Yes, considering that we only used the points for a room without any view of animals, I was very pleased!!

We spent one night at AOA-Little Mermaid rooms in Dec. 2012. We walked across the bridge and checked in the next day at Pop for the free dining promotion. We actually liked AOA, but that was from a 6, 8, and 10 year old child's perspective. It was not my favorite hotel, but my kids loved it. I do like it a lot better than the Pop. We have stayed twice at the Pop and I really don't care for the décor there....I just like the price....and the free dining price even better at the Pop.

But....my DD who was a month into being 6 years old was really apprehensive of taking a shower in the Little Mermaid bathroom. She said she was just sure Ursula was going to show up.

I can see that kids like AoA! And see, at least I am not the only one who thinks those Little Mermaid showers are scary!! I am in the good company of a 6-year-old!!!

I am a bit afraid to book a 1 bedroom- for the same reason - I will be spoiled and always want one.

A lovely room and look at all that space. I think if I were to eventually book a 1 bedroom I would do it at AKL.

Yes, be warned: Once you book a one-bedroom you are spoiled! Especially for such a long trip as ours where we did spend a lot of time at the resort and not the whole day at the park. That was actually the reasoning behind getting the larger room: We knew we would make use of it. And yes, AKL is the resort that really makes you want to spend time at the resort with all the activities they offer.

Otherwise if you are planning on a park intensive trip for two it would just be a waste of money. Of course for a family (or any larger group) the separate rooms to sleep in would be great.

 

[Flossbolna]

We had a 1 bedroom suite in Orlando when we visited Universal and I was VERY nice !!!

I think the additional space (and especially for you as you were travelling with family) makes for a much more relaxed stay. It feels more like "home" if you are not cramped into one room.

you do get spoiled by the space. It was interesting to see the difference between your one bedroom and ours that was accessible.

I am glad that we did not have an accessible one! Did you have a savanna view? If so, we could probably see your room from ours...

It really is a wonderful space, isn't it? What a great resort.

Great view! It's so easy to just spend time enjoying the animals from the balcony.

It is by far the Disney resort I have the most emotional connection with! There is a lot that I loved about the Boardwalk, but it has more to do with the location - and also with the memories of that wonderful trip with Katharina that we had there. Somehow my AKL stays (the last one being the exception) all had some not so great elements with. The first two stays I was travelling with a (former) friend who really was not easy to travel with and always got slightly on my nerves and then the first trip with Katharina the pool was under refurbishment and we had all that bad and cold weather. I guess Katharina and I need to do a redo of that first trip to AKL at some point in the future...

And we did spend quite a lot of time on that balcony!!

 

[Flossbolna]

You were really lucky with the location, I think! Much better than pool view...
And the villa looks lovely, even bigger than our old flat - at least the bathroom

It was not the prettiest savanna view, but for us it was perfect! And I remember how when we stayed at AKL we debated about how oyu liked our room location as we did not see any buildings in the distance. And here it really made it look a little bit more like a zoo and less like wild Africa, but it still was a pretty awesome view!

I just looked it up and the villa has 66 square meter.... It is very spacious!!

 

[jedijill]

The 1 BR units at AKV are amazing! I especially love the "free" savana view units! My friends (who graciously allowed me to stay with them last year!) booked one and we were right over the area where the red river hogs liked to hang out.

Jill in CO

 

[Flossbolna]

The 1 BR units at AKV are amazing! I especially love the "free" savana view units! My friends (who graciously allowed me to stay with them last year!) booked one and we were right over the area where the red river hogs liked to hang out.

Jill in CO

Yes, the place is really amazing! And I think the great thing about the "free" savanna views is that it is some unexpected pixie dust which makes it even more special. Every time we were outside on balcony we felt to lucky to have ended up in this location!

 

[Flossbolna]

Even though we had the car, we decided to make use of Disney transportation for getting to the parks. So we headed to the bus stop and did not have a long wait at all for an Epcot bus. We used the busses a lot for getting around (to the main four parks) and never had a long wait or any other negative bus experience the boats are another story!!

Once at Epcot I had to exchange my AP voucher into a real AP. As so many DVC owners I had bought one of those heavily discounted Premium APs. It needed to be activated now. So we headed to the Epcot ticket booth. Since we arrived around 6pm there were only one or two open and we had quite a bit of a wait. And then it took quite some time to get the pass issued. Never thought it would be such a long drawn out purpose!

Finally we got in and I could use my pass for the first time on the new fangled entrance poles without any turnstiles. Michael still had to use his old fashioned AP the old way. But not for long anymore!

A few first shots of the inside of a real theme park this trip:

This was my first visit during the Flower and Garden Festival and I really loved the way Epcot was decorated for it! I just wish some of the elements were around all the time!

We had a reservation for dinner at La Hacienda. We both hadnt been there and I think they were just added to the AP or DVC discounts recently. So we headed to the Mexican pavilion and told them our name. We did have quite a bit of a wait (which annoyed me, but I always hate sitting at the entrance of a restaurant and seeing other people being seated while I still have to wait). And then we were shown to a little side room which did not have a view of the lagoon. Which was fine with us, it was still far from Illuminations time and it had a cosy atmosphere. Here is a bad shot of the room:

I really liked the decorations and tried to catch some on my chip (cant really say on film anymore&):

We had a lovely server who came with some tortilla chips and salsa. Those were tasty and I really liked the salsa!

I also ordered the Rosita Margerita - El Mayor premium silver tequila, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, rose infusions, served on the rocks with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim:

Delicious!

When it came to ordering we were both very torn because we found so many appetizers which we liked, but felt like we were not hungry enough to have an appetizer and an entrée. So we decided to both get the soup and then have an appetizer each instead of our entrée. And this was just perfect!!

We each got a corn soup that is no longer on the menu. It was served separately. We each got a bowl with corn and chili sauce and tortilla chips and then the soup was poured over it:

It was so delicious!!

Then for our entrée we had the other appetizer. Unfortunately the menu seems to have changed and I cant find the exact description (same goes for the corn soup unfortunately). Michael had some tacos with different fillings:

Those were fantastic and he really loved them!

I had something else and I cannot remember what it was, I only remember that it was not so good and I wish I had ordered Michael's tacos.

We truly had a wonderful meal there. Food was very tasty, our server was attentive, the drink was delicious. And thanks to ordering two appetizers we felt like we had not spent a fortune!

After dinner we had one stop that we needed to get to: Michael had to exchange his AP with magnetic stripe into one of the new ones with a chip inside. The place to do that for existing pass holders was the Odyssey in Epcot. Some of you might wonder where that place is. And normally it is not open to the public. It is the building that kind of sits in the waters between Future World and the World showcase on the Mexico side. You can see it in the picture above with Test Track in the background. There are bridges leading towards it. On a normal park visit this is only of interest if you have a baby as there is the Epcot Baby Care Center. In the old times (when EPCOT was still an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and not the world Epcot) this was a counter service restaurant. Now it is used for events. And for setting up desks where people can exchange their AP.

While we were eating dinner at La Hacienda it started to rain. And it was still sprinkling when we got out. So we quickly walked over to the Odyssey and Michael started the process of exchanging his ticket. I looked around in the meantime. Lots to see. They had a little exhibition of them park things set up.

First there was a figure from one of the shows that were in the Land pavilion at Epcot, not sure whether it was Kitchen Kabaret or Food Rocks:

There was some more on exhibit from Kitchen Kabaret:

And then there was a Figment figure:

From the Magic Kingdom a Jungle Cruise boat model and a doll from Its a Small World:

Some ticket history:

And them some ticket future:

To be honest, I dont see myself wearing one of these around a theme park. For a water park or the pool they might be useful. But not for a normal theme park day.

Once Michael was done it was nearly time for Illuminations. But the rain had started again. I still really wanted to see Illuminations. So we ended up standing in the doorway to the Odyssey. We were under a roof and still had half a decent view of the fireworks.

And then it was Extra Magic Hours time! Our first destination was heading back to Mexico where we went on the boat ride. I think we had a boat to ourselves. I am so rarely on this ride that it still feels new to me. Which was nice. But there is a reason why I dont go on it that often&

Next stop was the next boat ride: Maelstrom. This was without any line as well. I think I had been on it only three times before this ride and that added to the fun. While I knew of some of the elements, I had no memory when they happened and therefore was quite a bit surprised!

After this I felt that I needed some dessert so we headed into the bakery and I finally got to try my first ever schoolbread:

For those who are wondering what it is, I even made a cross section (and shared it with Michael):

It is a mildly sweet bun that is flavoured with cardamom and then there is a vanilla pudding filling and some frosting and coconut flakes. It was nice, but not special at all. I think I would have preferred the bun without anything else&

By now it was getting later and we headed back towards Future World. Since it was still wet outside, we suspected that Test Track would be down anyway, so we headed towards the Land. There Soarin was already at more or less no wait, so this was our first stop. After a ride through far too much dust on the screen (one of my pet peeves about this attraction which I love, but just hate that they cant keep it clean!) we headed over to Living with the Land and took the boat through the green houses. This is always such a relaxing experience!

When we got out it was still before 11pm and so we jumped back into the line for Soarin. And had another lovely trip aboard our hangglider!! I think we even managed to be in the top row for both rides and in my opinion that is the best place to be as you dont have any dangling feet!

And then the Extra Magic Hours were over I would have loved for them to be still the three hours they were last year. But still, we managed to do a lot in the time that we were in the park. I would say it was a very successful evening visit.

Next: The Shortest Year Ever Part 1

 

[nodnol]

I just looked it up and the villa has 66 square meter.... It is very spacious!!

So it really is bigger than our old flat - and less books make for much more space....

 

[nodnol]

I love the evening sun pictures!!!
I'm glad you checked out the restaurant for dinner. I really liked the interiour when we were there last time. We should have had dinner there...

It is a mildly sweet bun that is flavoured with cardamom and then there is a vanilla pudding filling and some frosting and coconut flakes. It was nice, but not special at all. I think I would have preferred the bun without anything else…

So this sounds similar to the semlor our swedish exchange student like some much, except that the cardamom bun was filled with marzipan and whipped cream.

And I guess on of your APs was not working the next day????

 

[englishrose47]

Great Update !!! What are these new ticket booths to enter the Parks ??? I think I will have a band in December for 2days although not sure as I am upgrading to an AP in October !! All these changes are gonna take me some time to adjust to!

 

[Flossbolna]

So it really is bigger than our old flat - and less books make for much more space....

Yes, but the bookshelves in your apartment do add at lot of atmosphere!

I love the evening sun pictures!!!
I'm glad you checked out the restaurant for dinner. I really liked the interiour when we were there last time. We should have had dinner there...

It's not that we were short on choices for dinner on our last trip. But I will happily eat there again with you on your next visit to WDW. I think one of the reasons we did not go there was that there was not a lot on the menu that you could eat. For example all of our dishes involved cheese.

So this sounds similar to the semlor our swedish exchange student like some much, except that the cardamom bun was filled with marzipan and whipped cream.

I am glad that there was no marzipan!! But, yes it did taste like a typical scandinavian baked goods.

And I guess on of your APs was not working the next day????

You are too smart my dear sister!!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Great Update !!! What are these new ticket booths to enter the Parks ??? I think I will have a band in December for 2days although not sure as I am upgrading to an AP in October !! All these changes are gonna take me some time to adjust to!

No ticket booths, but poles. Instead of the turnstiles, you hold your card to the top of a pole with a Mickey head on and then scan your finger. It is very convenient.

Actually, what kind of ticket you have does not matter with regard to the Magic Band. The band is not your ticket, it is just a "key" that connects to the ticket you have and which would be stored virtually. So you can have different tickets (or room keys) assigned to the band. So for example, if you have an AP and you then go and buy a ticket for the Christmas party, you could have both the AP and the Christmas party ticket assigned to the band (not sure that this is already operational, but this is the theory behind it).

 

[englishrose47]

No ticket booths, but poles. Instead of the turnstiles, you hold your card to the top of a pole with a Mickey head on and then scan your finger. It is very convenient.

Actually, what kind of ticket you have does not matter with regard to the Magic Band. The band is not your ticket, it is just a "key" that connects to the ticket you have and which would be stored virtually. So you can have different tickets (or room keys) assigned to the band. So for example, if you have an AP and you then go and buy a ticket for the Christmas party, you could have both the AP and the Christmas party ticket assigned to the band (not sure that this is already operational, but this is the theory behind it).

So do you use the band to swipe to get into the park? I heard it is your room key also.

 

[CRdisMom]

I am glad that we did not have an accessible one! Did you have a savanna view? If so, we could probably see your room from ours...

Yes our was on the far right of the upper level. Almost across from you

 

[kid-at-heart]

Did you wear the magic band? I would think it would be an annoyance to someone who does not wear items on their arms. I rarely even wear a watch so I am a bit concerned with how to deal with a band on my arm.

I love your room. Did you spend a lot of time on the balcony? I have a trip planned in March, I managed to snag a value 1 bedroom and a value studio. When I made the reservations I thought the family would be traveling with me and hoping my sister would join us, thus reserved both studio and 1 bedroom. Now it appears it may be just my sister and I so I am torn between which to keep, the 1 bedroom or the studio. I must make up my mind soon so the non-needed room can be released to someone else. Oh the dilemmas.

Kate

 

[Flossbolna]

So do you use the band to swipe to get into the park? I heard it is your room key also.

Yes, it's your room key, your ticket and your fastpass. No need to swipe it in the traditional sense, just touch it and that's it. Same with the new card room keys and the tickets like my AP. Just touch and go.

Yes our was on the far right of the upper level. Almost across from you

Ah, you were hidden behind a tree then!

Did you wear the magic band? I would think it would be an annoyance to someone who does not wear items on their arms. I rarely even wear a watch so I am a bit concerned with how to deal with a band on my arm.

I love your room. Did you spend a lot of time on the balcony? I have a trip planned in March, I managed to snag a value 1 bedroom and a value studio. When I made the reservations I thought the family would be traveling with me and hoping my sister would join us, thus reserved both studio and 1 bedroom. Now it appears it may be just my sister and I so I am torn between which to keep, the 1 bedroom or the studio. I must make up my mind soon so the non-needed room can be released to someone else. Oh the dilemmas.

Kate

No, we were there before the bands started to arrive. But actually the functionality of the band the cards with the RFID chip inside are more or less the same. The only difference is that the band has a transmitter that actually transmits a signal actively, so its location can be tracked all over property. With the chip in the card, only once you touch its presence will be noted.

I don't like the idea of wearing a plastic band around my wrist through a theme park one bit, so I think it will live in my purse. I have some more to report on the band from another day as I got to try it out briefly. And besides the question of how comfortable it is, I am not at all happy about Disney being able to track my whereabouts. I do think all this data collection companies are so interested in might bite us, the consumers, in the back one day.

As to the question about the room: We used the balcony a lot and actualyl spent quite some time in the room as it was so nice to have a real living room to sit in. Made for such a relaxing trip! So, if you can spend the points and are planning on taking it easy, I would recommend to keep the one-bedroom!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A few first shots of the inside of a real theme park this trip:

Beautiful shots of Epcot!

We did have quite a bit of a wait (which annoyed me, but I always hate sitting at the entrance of a restaurant and seeing other people being seated while I still have to wait).

I think that would annoy just about anybody.

We truly had a wonderful meal there. Food was very tasty, our server was attentive, the drink was delicious. And thanks to ordering two appetizers we felt like we had not spent a fortune!

Looks like a great place to eat. I'll have to try it out sometime.

They had a little exhibition of them park things set up.

Very cool! I'm always fascinated by the old tickets for some reason.

And then it was Extra Magic Hours time! Our first destination was heading back to Mexico where we went on the boat ride. I think we had a boat to ourselves. I am so rarely on this ride that it still feels “new” to me. Which was nice. But there is a reason why I don’t go on it that often…

There Soarin was already at more or less no wait, so this was our first stop.

No wait? Wow!

I think we even managed to be in the top row for both rides and in my opinion that is the best place to be as you don’t have any dangling feet!

And then the Extra Magic Hours were over – I would have loved for them to be still the three hours they were last year. But still, we managed to do a lot in the time that we were in the park. I would say it was a very successful evening visit.

Absolutely it was! You got a lot done that evening.

 

[Flossbolna]

I was scolded yesterday that I made a giant mistake in the last update. So I just edited it and the edited part now reads as follows:

Then for our “entrée” we had the other appetizer. Unfortunately the menu seems to have changed and I can’t find the exact description (same goes for the corn soup unfortunately). Michael had some tacos with different fillings:

Those were fantastic and he really loved them!

I had something else and I cannot remember what it was, I only remember that it was not so good and I wish I had ordered Michael's tacos.

Michael had the tacos - I had the other mystery dish. Fortunately the tacos are still on the menu and they were the better tasting dish!

 

[Flossbolna]

Beautiful shots of Epcot!

Thanks! I love the evening sun at Epcot - and the Flower and Garden festival really helps a lot to make it pretty!

I think that would annoy just about anybody.

To be fair, those were larger parties and we were only two. I just don't like waiting...

Looks like a great place to eat. I'll have to try it out sometime.

We both really liked it and were surprised how good it was. It does get mixed reviews, but for us it worked very well.

Very cool! I'm always fascinated by the old tickets for some reason.

This whole little museum area was a very nice bonus attraction!

No wait? Wow!

I think that was around 10:30pm and they don't give out FP for the EMH. If you don't have a million of FP people passing you, the standby line goes so much quicker!

Absolutely it was! You got a lot done that evening.

It was a great evening. And it really got me into evening touring! So far I was always a rope drop girl, but this trip my pattern totally changed. And it worked out very well!