Wow, 16 days at AKL with great friends!!! You have really grabbed the bull by the horns in planning this adventure. Sounds like you've given it a lot of time and tought already. Since you are asking for input, here's my 20 cents worth:
Hubby and I are in our late 50's (okay, he turned 60 last week) and our favorite vacation destination is WDW! Gotta go every 18 months or so or I get withdraw symptoms.
In January of 2005 we took another couple (both of them are 60) on their first WDW visit. He loved it, she was iffy. But, here are a few do & don'ts for you to ponder:
WE ALL ABSOLUTELY LOVED SEGWAY. So much so, that when we traveled to San Antonio this past January, we booked a Segway tour there - TWICE! This is an incredible experience for all of you to share - best memories I have!
Also, I see you have afternoon breaks which will be needed. But remember, sometimes it's nice to have 'openings' as with a group of 6, there will be various levels of endurance. I tried to have options for lunch - perhaps 2 PS at different times - in case everyone wasn't ready. I've found that if you have a light morning snack, you will be ready for a bite of lunch by 11:00-11:30 - just ahead of the crowds. And we usually ate our biggest meal as a late lunch (3 or 3:30) since prices are less. That holds us well into the evening & if anyone gets hungry, well there are plenty of snack carts around.
La Nouba - DEFINATELY! This is a tremendous experience. I prefer the earlier show followed by a nice meal at DTD. I think someone suggested Wolfgangs? It is close, but you need reservations well ahead of time because LOTS of people have the same thought.
Spetro Magic & Wishes in the park - We made great effort on our last trip to see Spectro Magic. By 2 in the afternoon we were taking turns holding a table and chairs on the second level of the train station. Have to say, the spot was great, but people REALLY pressed in around us and you have to tell a lot of people not to block your view/take your chair/stand too close, etc. Great place for photographs as you see the floats from the front/top/side/and back as they circle. Also makes for a less croweded & quick escape as soon as it has passed. We did Wishes on a seperate night.
Wishes Cruise - had it booked, but other couple was too tired so we cancelled.
Illuminations - absolute must. Do this on a night when either: A-you do not have to get up the next morning; B-you spent early part of the day relaxing or at a water park and want to hit late afternoon rides, an Epcot 'land' (Canada, Italy, France, etc.) dinner, followed by the fireworks. I HIGHLY recommend the water cruise here since there are 6 of you. Do this on a non-park day, have a nice dinner at the Yacht Club and catch your boat on their dock. Great way to end the evening!
Fantasmic! - Fun for all ages. If you can get there early enough, sit at the very top (back row or 2 is generally for handicapped) right in front of the large cement pillars - gives you something to lean back on. Don't sit down front - you will get wet - and it is easier to see everything from higher up. Also, again, it's much easier to escape when leaving!
AMC 24 - This is okay if you need down-time, but you can see a movie most anywhere, right?
Winterland/ Summerland mini golf - nice thought, but we have never taken time to do this at WDW.
Adventurer's Club - This place tends to be a bit quiet during off seasons.
Comedy Club - Get there early as they always seem to have a waiting line.
Disney Quest - Hubby & I enjoyed this, sort of. It really is more for teens & 20's we felt. A lot of 'virtual' stuff, and we'd rather experience real life.
And, since you are staying at AKL (stayed there ourselves in 2003 and LOVED it), don't forget to go out on the savannah for night-goggle viewing! Most (if not all) of the Cast Members here are from the African continent and are extremely interesting. Stop and talk with them, ask about their country/home town. You'll be glad you did.
Observe all the little display areas & especially the art in the gift shop. Don't miss the storyteller in the early evening.
The food is a GREAT treat - all their restaurants! I ate till I couldn't eat anymore at BOMA - and I only took a sample of thing I wanted to try!
Another thing we loved to do is just to walk through some of the other resorts. You can use WDW transportation to get to the resorts (if you drive there can be a problem/slow-down at the security gate about why you are there). It's nice just to walk about and experience/observe the planning and detail used to design these places. This helps us decide where/if we want to stay on our next visit.
Okay, this is longer than I intended, but wanted to share. We will be there 9/23 through 9/30. So, if you do rent a boat for either of the cruises, give a hollar and we'll chip in on the cost & join you! Always nice to meet another group of young 'Disney Seniors'
Ok, so we are going to be staying at the AKL for 16 lovely nights. We are a party of 6 adults. Two 30 somethings, three who just turned 60, but quite young at heart and one slightly older than that but also quite young at heart. We will have a rental mini van to get around in, in addition to WDW transport. I am looking to plan evening activities at this point since we will be able to get all of the rides we want done in the day. I have also planned in a break for each day to rest between our mornings and evenings. So far I have come up with the following ideas:
It is about $140 before discount. Disney Visa has 20 percent off. I think AP and DVC also offer discount. Of course, Disney will also video tape the entire event. It cost about $30 - $40 to purchase the DVD.
