From the Sea to the World - Completed!

[Flossbolna]

And that is why sometimes here at work I wish I could do more- because you do remember it and I hate leaving a bad taste in someone's mouth because there is a way to solve the problem but I don't have absolute authority to do it.

I understand - customer service is a difficult thing if you have to follow very strict rules and have no authority!

Oh I hear you on that one!!!!

I guess point poverty is a regular disease amongst DVC owners. I am thinking of using 2015 to let my points recover... Will see how that works out...

This one made me Thanks I needed that today. It has been a kind of day.

I am glad that I could provide some entertainment!!

Another - I think I may have rubbed off on you. Yes you MUST have tile pics- it is always so interesting to me that the theme goes all the way through the bathrooms. Those are indeed special and would probably forget about the lodge pictures too.

Oh, I have always been into the bathroom decorations!! But I always appreciated your tile pictures!

Good to know I get a "special " meal if I ever get the chance to do the Trek.

Yes, we had all kind of allergies in our group. It seems that with the set up it is really easy for them to cater for any special requirements.

I am sure the note is for an "allergy" to seafood, but I would think the NO seafood one would not say just seafood...

Yes, I was kind of surprised by the sign saying seafood and not no seafood, as well. But the normal ones had no signs, only the allergy ones. Another one said "nuts" and it was the nut free one.

Further confirms that I need to find time to do this ( Preferably when the price comes down or there is a special)

I would look out for specials! They do offer discounted tours later in the day during the summer - and who knows with the new DVC perk program, I could easily see a discount for those tours being offered for DVC members. Remember, we get a small discount anyway!

That is one of my fears. I get overheated pretty easily and it isn't pretty. I guess I could always book a FP+ on Kali afterwards. That would cool me off. With my luck that would be the ONLY time I don't get soaked.

The good thing is that they do provide you with plenty of water during the tour, so that certainly helps with the overheating. And you could always go and get a cold beverage from the Dawa Bar afterwards to cool you off!

 

[Flossbolna]

Maybe it didn't rain, but I remember that I was freezing during our breakfast there and afterwards - so didn't really enjoy looking around…

Ok, if you say so. I mainly remember that you ordered the much better dish for breakfast there (some eggs benedict with key lime hollandaise) and I was so happy when you could not finish it and let me have the rest! I guess that's why I have better memories of the place!

But we were there also sometime before that and took a long long bus tour around the whole resort. I think it was much warmer then.

I think I would really like to do the Wild Africa Trek sometime, but not for 200$!
I'm very proud of you for crossing that bridge actually walking :good vibes
Maybe I would enjoy the part on the truck and in the lodge even more, I feels always rushed on the normal trucks! And I love the lodge. We should really meet up for a weekend in Leipzig and go to the zoo there. The lodge they have looking across the fake savannah is really similar, but much bigger. Leipzig zoo is the only zoo I have seen that gets at least a little bit close to AK!

Yes, I kept thinking when we were doing this how much you and your DH would love that tour! Being able to take your time and ask lots of question and just enjoy the view of the animals was truly one of the highlights of the tour.

And if the Leipzig zoo is as great as you say, we certainly need to plan a weekend there!

Let's just hope it all works out! I can't get vacation approved before november I guess, although I will let my boss know next week….

So, does the boss know yet????

I'm so glad you are looking forward to Norway now as well! I don't know, but it appeals to me so much more the the mediterranean… And it will be so much fun to go to Denmark again together. I just hope the weather will be better this time!
We once went on a bicycle tour to Denmark, but had to abandon the tour after three days, because it rained so much and our old tent didn't manage to keep the floods out. So I never got to see baby seals...

Oh, we were soooo wet!! I am wondering whether we will be able to see Skagen from the ship or whether we sail past there during the night. It would be fun to see places where we were on land from the sea! And the point where North Sea and Baltic Sea meet is quite something!

just thought about it, I could get a new ticker! But it's more than a year to go….

You can count down more than a year! Or you could wait until I get back from my cruise and we can design our tickers together. In the meantime you can try to come up with a catchy title!

 

[Flossbolna]

Wow! Those travel plans sound AWSOME! I'm completely jealous....

Yes, I am very much looking forward to them. 4 weeks are quite amazing, even for me as European. But it did make sense - and I was able to convince my boss that there really wasn't a huge difference between 3.5 weeks and 4 weeks!

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for the great write-up on the Wild Africa Trek, I definitely want to do that someday.

Wow, your upcoming trips sound great! Both will be amazing!

I remember that we talked about it in the past and how we agreed on the pricing being very steep - especially if you go with a family of five!

 

[Flossbolna]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those are some amazing trips you have planned, they sound incredibly!

(pretty sure it's the Magic in Norway )


I am so glad you enjoyed the Trek, I thought it was extremely well done. $200 though...that's a bit brutal to be sure. How lovely to get such a great deal!

Even lovelier though is enjoying leftovers in your own villa. The one bedrooms really do spoil you!!! I love love love having that kitchen (and the washer/dryer is pretty nice too!)

What a fun update and wonderful pictures of you on the bridge.

You have some amazing cruise lined up as well! And I have to say that while I was not really into that Norway cruise, it was your wonderful cruise experience to Alaska that made me think that a cold weather cruise could still be magical. And once I looked into where the ship actually goes... Oh my, that will be some beautiful places! I think I am most excited about Alesund which is special since it was nearly totally burned down in 1904 and then rebuilt in Art Nouveau style. It is considered the most complete cityscape in that style. All of the ports will be great to explore on your own by just getting of the ship. And Norway is the only Scandinavian country that Katharina and I have never visited. So it all fell into place!

 

[Flossbolna]

Day 17:

The next morning I woke up with a headache and felt not so good. That slowed us down a bit, but we still followed our original plan which was to start the day at Typhoon Lagoon. We got there around mid morning, but luckily the park was not too crowded that day.

I really love the tropical theming here:

Our first goal was to check out Crush ’n Gusher as Michael had never been on it. It was great fun! It is a slide where you have a two person tube you sit in and at some points it transports you upward again. I think the Aquaduck slides on the Disney Dream and Fantasy have the same system. It is also called a “water coaster”. Anyway, it is truly a fun ride. There are three different slides to choose from and I think we did try out all three of them.

After that we decided it was time for a rest and headed into the lazy river where we hang out for two trips around the park.

After some more slides we were getting hungry and got some late lunch from the Leaning Palm restaurant:

After some more hanging out I started to feel even worse and we headed back to AKL. Originally we had planned to head to the Fountain in the Dolphin for dinner, but at that point I did not feel up for things like that at all, I just wanted to have a nap. So that’s what I did. Michael said that he would head down to the pool and relax there.

I finally woke up two hours later to find out that Michael had used the time in-between not only for the pool.

The BoG event was still nagging him, especially since he wanted to find out whether it really was the restaurant’s policy to not give bread without a main course. So he headed down to the concierge of the hotel to see whether they were able to find out. He seemed to have quite a chat with the CM working at the concierge guest about it and then she said that since she saw that both of us had stayed at AKL several times in the past (which is true and I was amazed that they do actually keep track of things like that) and in order to make up for our unpleasant experience she would like to invite us to have a free meal at Jiko to make up for it. That is what woke me up: a phone call to the room from Michael who was not sure about what plans we had for the remaining evenings of the trip as the CM was just in the process of booking us an ADR for Jiko. Well, during the phone call he did not tell me the whole story yet, only that he needed to know our plans and that there was something to look forward to. We were both truly amazed in a positive way that AKL went so far as to invite us for a free meal over an issue we had not with their hotel, but at the MK! But if someone offers you a free meal at Disney you just say thank you and are happy!

Michael did actually not only get us the free meal, but they also set it up that he was contacted after the trip by someone and he ended up speaking with the food manager for the MK. It turned out that for a short time it was indeed the policy to not give out bread unless you ordered a main course as too many people seemed to camp out on tables with the bread basket. However, by the time Michael got to speak to the manager he said that they had revised that policy. Our guess was that we were not the only people who were upset. I still think that this whole incident showed how flawed the ADR policy of putting a credit card hold down per person on your reservation. It makes people stick with their reservations that they don’t want anymore instead of freeing up space for others who would like to take the spot.

After the two hour nap and then woken up with such wonderful news I felt much better and we decided to head out to Epcot for the evening.

I still loved all the flowers, so more pictures for you:

palm trees are pretty, too:

We were in search of dinner and thought we would try the Bakery in France which had been refurbished relatively shortly before this trip. So we bypassed the food booths once again…

When we got to France we were rather shocked by the length of the line at the bakery, but we got in line and found out that it was moving surprisingly quickly. Michael got a Turkey BLT on a baguette bread and I had a spinach and goat cheese quiche. And we both got a crème brulee for dessert.

During this trip I found out that one of the easiest ways to safe money with Disney meals was to not order a soft drink, but just have water with the meal. I am a water drinker at home as well, so that worked great for me. Here you can see my large cup of ice water which came for free.

The food was really good. I think with the new expanded bakery France is a great stop for a quick meal. They had quite a selection there and everything looked really great!

By the time we were done eating it was after 8pm. We did spend some time looking at the different stores. I had to go to Japan especially to buy the most delicious chewy candy. Katharina and I found it in 2010 and fell in love with it. So I had to make sure to buy some for her as well as for me.

And then it was getting close to Illumination time. We went up to the balcony of the Japan restaurant and watched it from there. I even attempted a night time picture of Japan:

After Illuminations it was evening EMH and my plan was to see the film in France. Well, I found out that the film is not part of the EMH offerings. Well. Next stop was to buy some tea in England and then on to Test Track to finally get to ride the new version of it. It was still rather crowded at Epcot, so we opted for the single rider line. This has the disadvantage that you bypass the portion where you now design your own test car. But if it saves me 40 minutes of waiting in line, I still prefer single rider. I have to say that I was not impressed with the new version. It does look very sleek and modern. But it did not make much sense for me. You move around, not a lot happens and then you go fast outside. Hmmm, I don’t see myself riding this a lot in the future at all…

We ended the evening at Epcot with shopping at Mousegears. I admired all the Monster University merchandise they had there, some of it was really fun and creative!

Next: Not your typical Disney day

 

[Poolrat]

Good For Michael for taking the extra step to inquire about BoG.
YAY for Disney stepping up and making it right. I hope you had a fantastic meal and look forward to hearing all about it.


I like EPCOT EMH. Usually so peaceful by the end of the night to stroll around and taking in the sights, and smells and hear the music.
I will make the rounds like you did for the rides and throw in SE because I can sit for a while.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Just catching up on the last couple of updates...

The big thing of the day was that we were going on the Wild Africa Trek.

This just looks really cool to me.

However, when Michael’s friend called to book, it turned out that for taking a later tour in the hot season, the price was only 150$ - so in the end we paied 75$ each. We felt extremely lucky to have been able to safe that much money!!

The lesson I've learned with this TR is that I need to befriend a CM.

Our guides had a camera as well and we got a DVD sent to us by mail after the tour. Even though we were a group of four, but with different home addresses we got one copy of the DVD each. Only if we had the same address, then they would not send one to everyone. I thought that this was great! They even shipped it to Germany without any additional fee.

Nice service!

In the end we all agreed that this was a spectacular experience!

It looks like a great tour! I'd love to get the chance to do that someday.

I was still fit enough to admire this view, though:

One of my favorite spots at WDW.

I thought it was time to say something about the upcoming Disney travel plans, especially since I now have two big things coming up (and maybe a third...).

Wow! It must feel great to have so many trips on the horizon! Especially one that will last 4 weeks!

I really love the tropical theming here:

I agree. Typhoon Lagoon's theming is excellent.

Our first goal was to check out Crush ’n Gusher as Michael had never been on it. It was great fun!

Good call! My daughter and I could have spent all day riding that.

After some more hanging out I started to feel even worse and we headed back to AKL.

Oh no! Didn't you know it's against the law to be sick at Disney World?

I was amazed that they do actually keep track of things like that) and in order to make up for our unpleasant experience she would like to invite us to have a free meal at Jiko to make up for it.

Wow!!

I still think that this whole incident showed how flawed the ADR policy of putting a credit card hold down per person on your reservation. It makes people stick with their reservations that they don’t want anymore instead of freeing up space for others who would like to take the spot.

True. On the other hand, they had a big problem with no-shows that were forcing them to hold tables while people waited in the lobby. I'm not sure what the right answer is.

During this trip I found out that one of the easiest ways to safe money with Disney meals was to not order a soft drink, but just have water with the meal. I am a water drinker at home as well, so that worked great for me. Here you can see my large cup of ice water which came for free.

Good thinking! I'll have to remember that.

I still prefer single rider. I have to say that I was not impressed with the new version. It does look very sleek and modern. But it did not make much sense for me. You move around, not a lot happens and then you go fast outside. Hmmm, I don’t see myself riding this a lot in the future at all…

I haven't tried the new version of Test Track yet, but judging from the ride-through videos on YouTube, I don't like it as much either. The old version seemed to have a storyline you could follow better than the new one.

 

[nodnol]

So, does the boss know yet????

not yet! She was on a business trip and today was too busy with planting our garden at work. I want to wait for a good moment...

Oh, we were soooo wet!! I am wondering whether we will be able to see Skagen from the ship or whether we sail past there during the night. It would be fun to see places where we were on land from the sea! And the point where North Sea and Baltic Sea meet is quite something!

That would be great!

You can count down more than a year! Or you could wait until I get back from my cruise and we can design our tickers together. In the meantime you can try to come up with a catchy title!

I'll try... so far nothing really good came up: Norway - our way or again something with the sisters: Sisters sailing Scandinavian Seas

Day 17:

Except for the headache this sounds like a perfect vacation day!
You know I prefere Typhoon lagoon, so I'm very happy you posted some pictures!

When we got to France we were rather shocked by the length of the line at the bakery, but we got in line and found out that it was moving surprisingly quickly. Michael got a Turkey BLT on a baguette bread and I had a spinach and goat cheese quiche. And we both got a crème brulee for dessert.

Wow, this looks really like a french Mickeyhead, except for what's on the baguette. It's good to know that they are now able to serve a bigger crowd - is there more space to sit down now as well?

 

[nodnol]

You can post your next update today

 

[Flossbolna]

Good For Michael for taking the extra step to inquire about BoG.
YAY for Disney stepping up and making it right. I hope you had a fantastic meal and look forward to hearing all about it.


I like EPCOT EMH. Usually so peaceful by the end of the night to stroll around and taking in the sights, and smells and hear the music.
I will make the rounds like you did for the rides and throw in SE because I can sit for a while.

I really would not have expected AKL treating us to a meal - they were not the ones who had done anything wrong! And they way Michael told me the story, he did not go there to complain, just to follow up to really find out whether there was a bread limitation policy or not. Jiko meal report will come soon!!

I was really disappointed about no film in France during EMH, but I see what you mean about liking the EMH in Epcot.

 

[Flossbolna]

Just catching up on the last couple of updates...

Don't worry - I think I have about 10 updates to catch up on on your TR! And I don't have a newborn baby at home! I hope you are all still doing well together!

The lesson I've learned with this TR is that I need to befriend a CM.

Yes, maybe you can convince one of your children to work for Disney??? But that might still be a few years away... But it is indeed amazing what kind of deals CMs can get. Even though I am sure many front line CMs still can't afford things like the Wild Africa Trek with the salaries they are earning...

Nice service!

I was impressed! It even came in a special little envelope.

It looks like a great tour! I'd love to get the chance to do that someday.

I hope you get to do it somehow! Anyone who loves AKL would love this tour, I am sure.

Wow! It must feel great to have so many trips on the horizon! Especially one that will last 4 weeks!

Yes, it does feel great! Somehow those trips just fell into place. And it does help that I have quite a bit of saved vacation time (we can save half of our vacation days for up to three years) from previous years as I was too busy at work to actually take time off. So I feel like I really need this vacation!

I agree. Typhoon Lagoon's theming is excellent.

Good call! My daughter and I could have spent all day riding that.

It is such a fun slide! But I still think I like the family raft ride at Blizzard Beach better.

Oh no! Didn't you know it's against the law to be sick at Disney World?

I will try to be a better law abiding citizen on my next visit!

Wow!!

Yes, that's what I thought as well!

True. On the other hand, they had a big problem with no-shows that were forcing them to hold tables while people waited in the lobby. I'm not sure what the right answer is.

I always thought that the idea of Disney reservations was that they would just put you in the front of the line of people waiting, so that would mean that there is no reason to hold a table. But I heard that while this was the case for some time, they had actually stopped doing that because too many people showed up late and then complained about not getting a table. I sometimes wonder what those people think...

Good thinking! I'll have to remember that.

It's not that one drink makes you poor, but they do add up over the course of a trip. And I actually get tired of drinking diet coke all the time if I want to avoid the sugar. Water is just much more practical - and healthier anyway.

I haven't tried the new version of Test Track yet, but judging from the ride-through videos on YouTube, I don't like it as much either. The old version seemed to have a storyline you could follow better than the new one.

Yes, I think the new one is all looks, but very little substance. The old one was definitely getting a bit outdated, so it was good that they did something to it. But I do miss a cohesive story.

 

[Flossbolna]

not yet! She was on a business trip and today was too busy with planting our garden at work. I want to wait for a good moment...

Yes, you certainly want to wait for a good moment!!!!

That would be great!

Kind of funny, how the first trip together to WDW was a do-over for a cancelled vacation and this one is kind of a substituted for a drowned vacation!

I'll try... so far nothing really good came up: Norway - our way or again something with the sisters: Sisters sailing Scandinavian Seas

I like the Sisters one!

Except for the headache this sounds like a perfect vacation day!
You know I prefere Typhoon lagoon, so I'm very happy you posted some pictures!

Headache was nasty! And I really need to try to get some more water park pictures on my next visit. They are both so pretty!

Wow, this looks really like a french Mickeyhead, except for what's on the baguette. It's good to know that they are now able to serve a bigger crowd - is there more space to sit down now as well?

Yes, I was going for a hidden Mickey there! There is some additional seating as well. Do you remember the French market hall shop all the way to the end of the pavilion. When you get out from the film, you exited into that shop. The bakery is now on the other end of that hall (they extended the building) and half of that hall is now seating. And the old bakery is an ice cream shop. That sells ice cream cookie sandwiches made with macaroons!

 

[Flossbolna]

You can post your next update today

Thanks for the permission!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Day 18:

Yes, we are getting towards the end of the trip. And it seems that that day my body was getting a bit tired from all the fun we were having. I woke up in the early morning with a horrible headache. And was feeling sick from it. Not a great combination at all, especially since when you have an upset stomach, it really does not want to have to deal with pain killers. So I really was not up to anything that morning. Michael and I ended up watching a channel on the resort TV which I had never noticed before which was called Company Clips. It was an assortment of commercials for all kind of Disney products, lots of film trailers, but I think there was also something about the cruiseline and other stuff. After a while I remembered that I had some pills for the cruise that were supposed to help against feeling nauseous. So I took one of those and it helped! I was finally able to have some food and take a pain killer then as well. This did change the day quite a bit!

Our plan for the day had originally been to do some more shopping in Orlando. So we took the car and headed out of the Disney bubble. The first stop was to get something for lunch. Since we had big dinner plans, we chose something quick and easy and ended up at McDonalds. After that we drove to the Outlet Mall as we wanted to check out the Disney Outlet there. And I had to go to the Levis shop to pick up some jeans for my brother in law. Jeans are so much more expensive in Europe than in the US, and with the outlet prices I think he ended up paying 1/3 of the price they would cost here in Germany. When we got to the mall it started to rain and we managed to rush to the Disney outlet before the downpour began.

It was interesting to see that they had quite a lot different things than the one at Sawgrass Mills where we had been two weeks ago. I found one really cool thing there. A print of a Mary Blair drawing for It’s a Small World. It was only 16$. I still need to get it framed though…

We had to wait out the rain in the Disney shop and when we finally got going we had planned to head to the Florida Mall as well. But when we got on the way we realized that traffic was really bad and that in the end it would be just rather stressful to get there, not have a lot of time there and then head back to AKL. So we turned around.

When we arrived at AKL we met Hila, our guide from Kidani. She was greeting guests arriving at Jambo House that day. We had a bit of a chat with her and I decided that I wanted to have my picture taken with her:

We spent the rest of the afternoon at AKL, I think we went to the pool, but I know that we checked out some animals as I have pictures:

And then it was time to get ready for the evening activity of the day: Our free meal at Jiko.

I think it is one of the most well themed restaurants in all of WDW. It is just so exotic in an elegant, modern way. I love it. I tried some pictures of the back wall which simulates the sunset and sunrise by changing colour from dark red to yellow and back:

We started the meal with a flat bread to share as well as some spring roll type dish to share.

It was the Crispy Beef "Bobotie" Roll - Cucumber Raita, Green Mango Atjar, and Roasted Groundnuts and the Roasted Kubota Squash and Kalamata Olive and the Cipollini Onions, Goat Cheese, and Pumpkin Seed Duqqa Flatbread.

Both were delicious!

We also got the typical Jiko bread basket:

Butter and bread are both full of exotic spices, it is kind of a course on its own with a million different tastes to taste.

I think we both had a salad as well (I only have one picture and I don’t remember one of us waiting while the other one ate, so I guess that means that we had the same dish for that course):

It was the Jiko Salad, Bitter Greens, Frog Hollow Pears, Spicy Glazed Walnuts, Aged Goat Cheese, and Citrus Vinaigrette.

Michael went for the steak.

Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon - asparagus, spoon bread and South African Red Wine Sauce.

In the past this was served with macaroni with cheese, not the spoon bread. The server offered that it could be substituted, but Michael liked the sound of the spoon bread better with the steak. And wow, was that delicious. I got to try some of it and it was so wonderful creamy. I think it went very well with the red wine sauce, too. I absolutely would not recommend to ask for the mac and cheese but go with the side they give you for the steak. These people at Jiko know what they are doing and if they take something away that was popular, they make sure that what is offered instead works really well, too!

I had the Maize-crusted Corvina (a fish), Vegetables of the Moment and Tomato-Butter Sauce.

I had this dish in the past, it seems that they regularly change out the type of fish they use though, but it always a very nice white fish. It was as good as I remembered. I am often not that much of a fish person (see me eating steak at the Flying Fish), but this dish is one that I just love. The tomato butter sauce has interesting spices, is creamy without being overpowering. And the fish is always excellent!

By now we were getting really full. But this was a free meal!! So of course we had to have dessert!

We both also got some tea since at Jiko they do have a lovely tea menu:

I had a crème brulee which was served with tiny donuts:

Michael had the Milk Tart with Goat's Milk Balsamic Ice Cream:

Yes, that’s adventurous! Our server told us that milk tart is a traditional dessert in South Africa and Michael thought that this was the event when you could go for a dessert that sounds bizarre. It was quite good, but we both agreed that it would not be our first choice to order again. But we would happily eat it if it were the only choice!

And with that we ended a very long, absolutely fabulous and wonderful evening. We ended the day with a little walk through the lodge, sat outside at the fire place for a while and then rolled back into our villa which luckily was not far at all!

I have to say that I was so grateful for getting this meal. Not only was it wonderful to not have to pay for it, but after somehow losing my love for Jiko a bit in the past, this meal was absolutely fantastic. And having a nice dinner at your resort is always such a relaxing experience! Originally we had planned not to eat there and chose other places instead and I am happy that fate caused us to eat there after all. It was truly one of the highlights of the trip!

Next: The End is Near!!

 

[jedijill]

What great reviews. I agree that the wild Africa trek is overpriced at $200... It was fun but not that fun.

That was nice if AKL to try to make up for BOG. Looks like Jiko made up for it in a bug way!

Awesome trips coming up!

Jill in CO

 

[mickeymouse108]

cant wait to read your trip report

 

[meggiebeth]

Catching up and I must say I really enjoyed reading your review of Biergarten in particular. We had an ADR there in November but cancelled because we were so full from breakfast! It is good to know it is for the most part authentic. I am British and found eating at the Rose and Crown to be incredibly unauthentic! I am glad to hear that is not the case for all the restaurants in WS.

Meg~ Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[glennbo123]

That's great that the concierge arranged for you two to have a free meal at Jiko to make up for BoG. It looked really good too! I like your picture of the tea and the fact that it's being poured -- very good shot!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Sounds like a wonderful evening at Jiko! I'm really glad it was a great meal to make up for your BoG experience...and the fact that it was free makes it extra special.

I think I'd go with the steak like Michael did. It's one of those rules of life: when it doubt, order the steak.