I Can See Epcot From Here! ~ A November Trip and Dining Report ~

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I guess the best way to look at how your trip started off is that things could only get better! I'm sure being worried that your DH and DS were about to get sick didn't help matters. I hope that was the extent of their feeling bad! (somehow that doesn't sound like proper English but you know what I mean. )

Your BRG meals look yummy! Especially the nachos, minus the sour cream but with the peppers!

That's true! And things did eventually get much better.

All caught up and now my comments...

your DS does remind me of Leif Garrett, he was the heartthrob

The BRG - looks yummy, never eaten there and I know you have been on most (if not all your last 3 trips - that's what you said - right? lol). I think I will always think of you and your review. The nachos look so yummy, I would pick that as a meal as well.

You already know I think the room was a bummer BOO!

The creepy chair - I have a picture of those, what is it about the BWI and creep factor (the clown, the chair, what else is there?)

I like the snowglobe, I will need to keep my eye out, as they make great souvenirs to remember your family vacation.

Captain EO, I wanted to see this just to cross it off my list... it was huge in it's day, I saw it in DLRP this summer, and it was a dated music video, but for it's time it would have been high tech ? I am glad I saw it and it made me feel for Michael Jackson and his children. Such a sad turn of events.

Arriving at WDW mid day is always a let down with crowds, I was thinking of just using this as resort time, but this trip is strictly 7 days, so YES we're heading to the Kingdom on arrival day!

Yep, we've been to BRG on the last 3 trips! I'm so glad we found it. It's one of those little hidden treasures that you don't usually hear much about.

Maybe Captain EO would have been better in the 80's. I don't know. I understood it, but I just didn't care for it. It is weird for sure!

In the past we have just done the resort and/or DTD on arrival day and that is really a better way to start off the trip. But we figured since we were so close to Epcot we might as well take advantage of it and walk over as soon as we got there. Well that, and our room wasn't ready!

BRG looks and sounds very good! I think we will try it next time. I am very curious to know what your final opinion was of not being on the dining plan??? So far, it seems like you didn't miss it much at all.

You should definitely give BRG a try!

Well, I was going to wait until later in the TR to tell how we liked or disliked not having the DDP, but I think I will just let the cat out of the bad now!!! I will put it in a new post though! Coming right up!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I'll jump in here with an answer, if you don't mind. This November was our first trip without the DDP. We are two adults in our 50s. I am sure we probably spent more on food than we would have if we were on the DDP but I never felt obligated to eat dessert and I felt free to enjoy appetizers. I didn't feel enslaved to trying to use up snack credits. When you are not using the DDP, you do realize how outrageously priced some of the food at WDW is because you are looking more at the prices. If it weren't for dh, I think I could eat very economically at WDW, but dh tends to like the most expensive things on the menu plus a few beers each day and real coffee whenever he can find it.

Personally, it was freeing to not be on the DDP. And I didn't come home hoping to never see another creme brulee again.

I agree, very freeing!!

Momof2Disneyboys,
When you were looking in either of the Boardwalk stores did you happen to see if they still had any of their 2010 Holiday Resort logo pins?

I'm sorry, I didn't notice.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Okay, so for those of you who are wondering how we liked not having the DDP after having it for the past several trips --
WE LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so freeing!! We did not miss it at all! We ate at T-Rex, which isn't on the DDP so we normally wouldn't have gone there. We didn't have to force dessert down our throats right after dinner! We could eat dinner and then get a snack/dessert an hour or two later, like we normally would at home. We didn't have to limit our snacks to under $4, like on the DDP. We didn't have to worry about keeping track of the credits. We didn't have to buy a bunch of junk on the last day just to use up our snack credits. ETC!!

AND - We spent about $350 LESS than what we would have been charged for the DDP!!!!!!!!! I will get to all the money details later. . .

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Day 2 – Sunday November 7

I don't remember what time we finally decided to give up trying to sleep. We were going to AK and it was EMH there that morning. So the plan was to arrive there sometime between 8:00 and 9:00am. So we got up and the light on the phone was blinking, we had a message. I listened to it and it was the room assigner (a different one from the day before) wanting to know if we still wanted a room change. DH called her right away and confirmed that we DID in-fact still want a room change! She said we needed to be out of our room by 11:00, and that we could call Bell Services to come get our luggage, and we would get a call when the room was ready.

DH and the kids had some cereal bars for breakfast and I skipped it. I'm not a big breakfast eater. After we got all ready and got packed up we called Bell Services. About 20 minutes later they came up and got our bags. As we headed out the door there was a housekeeper in the hall. She asked if we were checking out and we explained the situation to her and she said – Oh nobody likes that room! So apparently we weren't the first ones to ask to be moved out of that room!

And we were finally on our way to the bus stop. I was a little nervous after reading on here how awful the deluxe buses were and how they took forever and shared with all the other resorts.

Here we are during our very short wait for a bus. It was freezing out again!

We waited about 5 minutes and an AK bus pulled up! We got on the bus at 8:22am. It then stopped at the Swan, and then the Dolphin and we arrived at AK at 8:39am. There was a big line of people waiting for regular opening, but they were letting WDW resort guests in on the right for EMH.

I had hoped my photopass CD would be here by now, but no such luck. I guess I will just have to post them later. But here's one they took with my camera.

And of course the Tree of Life and EE.

DS11 and I hoped to get to EE and take a few rides before the crowds were let in at 9:00. We decided to get there through Dinoland. We dropped DS9 & DH off there. I'm not sure exactly what they did while we were gone. I gave them the extra camera and told them to take some pics, but this is all I got!

In the meantime DS11 and I made it to EE and there was only a 10 minute wait! DS11 took these pics as we made our way to the front of the line!

I took a few on the ride.

And the gift shop after the ride.

DS wanted to ride it again. Last year I rode it with him 2X in a row and really regretted it! I can do it once, but then I need a break. I think it is the going backwards part that is starting to get to me. So I took him to the single rider line and it was completely empty! He had a blast and wanted to do it AGAIN!. So he went through the single rider line again. I took a few pics while I was waiting for him.

I went back inside and waited for him by the ride exit and he was there in no time!

We then called DH and told him we were ready to meet up. We met under the huge dinosaur in dinoland.

And we all headed for the Dinosaur ride. I just love this ride! DH and the kids think it is just okay.

Up Next: More AK, AKL, and Mara lunch

 

[Nermel9]

Great updates! BRG looks good, I've always wondered if it was good, since you don't hear about it much on the DIS. BWI is so pretty, I love your pictures!

Ugh, I can't believe your room was so noisy! It sounds like you got the worst possible room they have there! That would drive me crazy, not being able to sleep, it's hard enough for me to sleep with my DH snoring next to me, but add in all that extra noise, and I'd lose my mind!

Looks like a great start to your AK day! I LOVE EE! I can go on that over and over like your DS!

Oh, and I liked hearing how you liked not being on the dining plan...my DH loves it and I'd like to NOT do it for once, but I mentioned that to him and he got so upset! It's probably better for us to do right now, but someday I'm going to convince him that we don't have to do a TS meal every single day!

 

[sjs314]

We have never done the DP, always preferred paying OOP and like you said having the freedom to pick and choose what and where we ate. But I am actually looking forward to having it this trip, I did a lot of research when planning the last trip and found if we ordered what we really wanted to it would run us $200+ a day,the dxDP will cost roughly $160 plus tips a day. We do like TS places and we tend to do breakfast everyday so this next trip we will go to all the places we have never been and then some

Your DS sounds like my youngest he was the daredevil of the family and lord knows he did not get it from me or DH

I did not go on EE , I was still smokeing then so off I went to find a smokers spot

Seems like your AK day was shapeing up nicely

 

[lala3291]

It looks like you all had a nice morning in AK!
We have never done the DDP. We were thinking about trying it out on our trip in May, but we like to pick and choose about dessert, etc. Therefore, we decided against it.
Great update!

 

[drakes]

I have never ridden EE. I may try it this trip. DH is for sure going on it. Your son is very brave! I have ridden Dinosaur, but I don't remember anything but darkness and being rocked all over the place. I don't remember being scared the way some people react to it? So I want to try again.

We've never not done the DDP. This will be our first trip back with the Basic Dining, (no DLx), so we are hoping for more relaxed pace. But it's nice to hear your saved money, possibly because you're not big breakfast eaters and your boys are picky. While on vacation I like a good breakfast. I do agree having a later dessert would be nice, and your dining sure sounds relaxed

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I'm sorry, I didn't notice.

That's ok and hopefully when I arrive there this Thursday they will still be selling them.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great updates! BRG looks good, I've always wondered if it was good, since you don't hear about it much on the DIS. BWI is so pretty, I love your pictures!

Ugh, I can't believe your room was so noisy! It sounds like you got the worst possible room they have there! That would drive me crazy, not being able to sleep, it's hard enough for me to sleep with my DH snoring next to me, but add in all that extra noise, and I'd lose my mind!

Looks like a great start to your AK day! I LOVE EE! I can go on that over and over like your DS!

Oh, and I liked hearing how you liked not being on the dining plan...my DH loves it and I'd like to NOT do it for once, but I mentioned that to him and he got so upset! It's probably better for us to do right now, but someday I'm going to convince him that we don't have to do a TS meal every single day!

Thanks!

I couldn't believe the elevator made so much noise either. At first I thought it was just me, because my hearing is much better than DH's. But then I realized that he wasn't sleeping either and he said he could hear it. Luckily the kids slept through it!

I wish I could go on EE over and over again. I used to be able to a few years ago. I guess I'm getting old or something.

Well if your DH loves the DDP maybe you should stick with it. But I will say this -- my DH was a big fan of the DDP and I was really worried he was going to hate not having it, but he really enjoyed not having it as much as I did!!

We have never done the DP, always preferred paying OOP and like you said having the freedom to pick and choose what and where we ate. But I am actually looking forward to having it this trip, I did a lot of research when planning the last trip and found if we ordered what we really wanted to it would run us $200+ a day,the dxDP will cost roughly $160 plus tips a day. We do like TS places and we tend to do breakfast everyday so this next trip we will go to all the places we have never been and then some

Your DS sounds like my youngest he was the daredevil of the family and lord knows he did not get it from me or DH

I did not go on EE , I was still smokeing then so off I went to find a smokers spot

Seems like your AK day was shapeing up nicely

I hope you enjoy having the DDP!

DS definitely gets his braveness from me. Too bad my old age is getting to me now.

It was a very nice morning at AK, despite the cold temps!

It looks like you all had a nice morning in AK!
We have never done the DDP. We were thinking about trying it out on our trip in May, but we like to pick and choose about dessert, etc. Therefore, we decided against it.
Great update!

Yep, we got everything done we wanted to get done and in a short amount of time. Probably because we didn't want to do a whole lot at AK! But luckily we got in just before regular park opening. That really helped!

Glad you enjoyed the update!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I have never ridden EE. I may try it this trip. DH is for sure going on it. Your son is very brave! I have ridden Dinosaur, but I don't remember anything but darkness and being rocked all over the place. I don't remember being scared the way some people react to it? So I want to try again.

We've never not done the DDP. This will be our first trip back with the Basic Dining, (no DLx), so we are hoping for more relaxed pace. But it's nice to hear your saved money, possibly because you're not big breakfast eaters and your boys are picky. While on vacation I like a good breakfast. I do agree having a later dessert would be nice, and your dining sure sounds relaxed

You should give EE a try!
I don't find Dinosaur all that scary either. I think it's really fun!

I thought we'd do less TS meals without the DDP, but we ended up having 8, just like we would have on the DDP. We only ever do 1 or 2 breakfasts at WDW, the rest of the days we eat light in the room and get an early lunch, and this trip was no different there. So we ate the same exact way we would have as far as meals go. And we were able to snack at our leisure!

That's ok and hopefully when I arrive there this Thursday they will still be selling them.

I hope they have it! Have a wonderful trip!!

 

[sjs314]

Shelly- I sat here chuckling both time I read you say you must be getting old

I have had my fear for as long as I can remember, I blame it on when me and my one cousin were like 4, my Uncle Freddy worked at an amusement park here in Connecticut, every Sunday we all piled into the cars and went to the park, my Uncles lil boy was maybe 3 so when we rode on the rides he sat between me and Cathy , I still remember looking down over the side of the rides (my fear of heights) and as it sped along(well to me it was fast even if it was a kiddie ride) and thinking it was going to derail

 

[JoBird]

Sorry I wasn't on yesterday to talk about your AK day post.

Here now so here it goes.

You certainly didn't look like you didn't sleep the night before--- those pics of you are good!! I probably would've had black circles under my eyes. Or bags. Or both.

I'm the one that finds Dinosaur so scary.
I know that stupid thing is waiting there at the end to roar at me and I know it's coming up and yet every blessed time I scream when it starts. Belle has yet to ride it b/c she sees my picture at the end where I resemble this -----> and she says she isn't riding it.
But she loooooves EE! She'd ride that over and over again I think. But no ToT.
RnRC is next on her list to try.
But she's never tried Space Mtn. And yet loves Big Thunder Mtn.
She's got her own idea about things I suppose.


Your AK day looked like it was a really good day. And yay for DS11 getting to ride EE over and over again!! That's a perfect day in my book!

I'm glad you guys enjoyed not having the DDP. I know when you told me how much you saved I was really surprised. It worked out really good for you.

We don't normally order dessert either- but do like Appetizers. I wish they'd give you a choice-- I don't know why they don't. I think more people might get the DDP if they did it that way.

Great update!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I hope they have it! Have a wonderful trip!!

Thank you.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

So when you say it was freezing, and I see you all wearing sweatshirts, I'm wondering exactly how cold are we talking?
Like, less than 50? I know you're from PA, and it gets plenty cold. Just curious as to if it was just cold from the early morning, or if the days were cold too.

Wow, what a fun morning at AK! I can't believe your son is that crazy!! I have yet to go on EE once let alone three times in a row!
I doubt I ever will be that brave anyway, especially since you can see the SWAN from the ride!!!

I'm anxious to hear your impressions of AKL and Mara!

 

[pwdebbie]

So when you say it was freezing, and I see you all wearing sweatshirts, I'm wondering exactly how cold are we talking?
Like, less than 50? I know you're from PA, and it gets plenty cold. Just curious as to if it was just cold from the early morning, or if the days were cold too.

I was there at the same time. It wasn't just the air temp that was cold (I would say it was in the mid 50s) but it was the wind blowing that made it feel so much colder. That good old wind chill index had us (and many others) buying sweatshirts.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Shelly- I sat here chuckling both time I read you say you must be getting old

I have had my fear for as long as I can remember, I blame it on when me and my one cousin were like 4, my Uncle Freddy worked at an amusement park here in Connecticut, every Sunday we all piled into the cars and went to the park, my Uncles lil boy was maybe 3 so when we rode on the rides he sat between me and Cathy , I still remember looking down over the side of the rides (my fear of heights) and as it sped along(well to me it was fast even if it was a kiddie ride) and thinking it was going to derail

That story is hilarious!!

Sorry I wasn't on yesterday to talk about your AK day post.

Here now so here it goes.

You certainly didn't look like you didn't sleep the night before--- those pics of you are good!! I probably would've had black circles under my eyes. Or bags. Or both.

I'm the one that finds Dinosaur so scary.
I know that stupid thing is waiting there at the end to roar at me and I know it's coming up and yet every blessed time I scream when it starts. Belle has yet to ride it b/c she sees my picture at the end where I resemble this -----> and she says she isn't riding it.
But she loooooves EE! She'd ride that over and over again I think. But no ToT.
RnRC is next on her list to try.
But she's never tried Space Mtn. And yet loves Big Thunder Mtn.
She's got her own idea about things I suppose.

Your AK day looked like it was a really good day. And yay for DS11 getting to ride EE over and over again!! That's a perfect day in my book!
I'm glad you guys enjoyed not having the DDP. I know when you told me how much you saved I was really surprised. It worked out really good for you.

We don't normally order dessert either- but do like Appetizers. I wish they'd give you a choice-- I don't know why they don't. I think more people might get the DDP if they did it that way.

Great update!!

I'll forgive you for not being here yesterday. I know you had a rough day!

Well thanks, I'm glad you think I didn't look like crap, because I sure felt like it!!

I forgot you were scared of Dinosaur!!

Belle certainly sounds like DS9, no surprise there. They seem to see things in their own way. Tell her she will be fine on Dinosaur, he is! But I sure hope she likes RNRC better than he did.

I was surprised by our total food price when I came home and added it all up. I knew I was liking not having the DDP all week and when I saw the bottom line it made me LOVE not having it!

I remember the days when the DDP included an appetizer, meal, dessert, AND the tip!! Now that was a good deal.

So when you say it was freezing, and I see you all wearing sweatshirts, I'm wondering exactly how cold are we talking?
Like, less than 50? I know you're from PA, and it gets plenty cold. Just curious as to if it was just cold from the early morning, or if the days were cold too.

Wow, what a fun morning at AK! I can't believe your son is that crazy!! I have yet to go on EE once let alone three times in a row!
I doubt I ever will be that brave anyway, especially since you can see the SWAN from the ride!!!

I'm anxious to hear your impressions of AKL and Mara!

Well, it wasn't actually freezing, as in it wasn't 32 degrees! But it sure felt like it. It was probably in the lower 50's that morning and maybe made it to the 60's by mid day. And was very cold once the sun went down in the evening. And it was so windy during the day!

For some reason 50's & 60's just feel colder down there than here. I think it's the humidity. You just feel damp & chilly.

Yep, DS is quite the daredevil! I think he would have kept riding all day if I let him!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I was there at the same time. It wasn't just the air temp that was cold (I would say it was in the mid 50s) but it was the wind blowing that made it feel so much colder. That good old wind chill index had us (and many others) buying sweatshirts.

Wasn't it convenient how all the gift shops had racks and racks of sweatshirts pulled out into the middle of the aisles?

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

None of us had ever ridden Primeval Whirl before. DS11 thought he might want to try it out. Well, I do fast and high, but I don't do spiny. DH said he'd go with him. I was surprised! The wait time was 25 minutes. So DS9 and I stood there on the right side waiting for them to come by so we could get a picture. We waited and waited and waited. They never came! DS9 got bored and got out his big gummy hamburger he had picked up in a gift shop earlier. He was supposed to wait until after lunch, but he was bored and we were on vacation, so I gave in! Eventually DH and DS11 came out the exit of Primeval. I said – how in the world did I miss you guys? DH explained that once you get in there that there are 2 sides, and they had been on the left side. I guess that makes sense, since there is track on the left side of the entrance/sign too!! If there is anything Disney that I know very little about it's AK/AKL.

There was really nothing else any of us wanted to do at AK this trip, and the BWI hadn't called to say our new room was ready (I was checking my phone about every 6 minutes), so we decided to go over to AKL and have a look around since it was the only WDW resort we had never visited before.

But then the kids decided they wanted to ride Triceratop Spin. So they went on while DH and I waited.

Then we headed for the exit. But not before stopping for several pictures.

We eventually made our way to the exit and went to the AKL bus stop. A bus came right away and we were on our way to see the only WDW resort we had never seen! Now, keep in mind that I know nothing about AKL. None of us do. It just doesn't interest us very much, so I've never done any research on it. The bus driver pulls up to the stop at the resort and lots of people are getting off and we get off too. Assuming we are at AKL seeing that he made no announcement otherwise. We didn't see any signs and went inside to check things out. We were going to have lunch at Mara, which I knew was at AKL. So we are looking around and don't see it. We wander a bit more and finally ask a CM where Mara is. To which he replies – It's at the Jambo House at the Lodge. This is the Villas. Good grief. Why didn't they say so on the bus??? When we stay at the moderates and they have internal stops each one is announced. Like - “This is Aruba” at CBR, or “This is the South Depot” at POR. Nothing like that here. I guess we were just supposed to know. But unfortunately I didn't know enough about the resort.

So anyway, we ask the CM how to get there. He said - you can take a bus, or it's about a 5 minute walk that way and he pointed in the direction. We didn't feel like getting back on a bus, and 5 minutes is a short walk, so we walked back out, walked past the bus stop we had gotten off at about 10 minutes earlier, and keep walking. And walking, and walking. For what seemed like forever. And it was still very cold out. We were in what seemed like the middle of nowhere and we spotted a CM on a golf cart, so we motioned him over and asked if we were going in the right direction, and he said we were and said it's about a 5 minute walk from where we were and to keep going the way we were going. So about 15 minutes from when we started we were finally there. I was now not quite as excited to see AKL as I previously was! We walked in the lobby and it was nice. I guess I was expecting a little more. I always hear people say how stunning it is, but I just wasn't feeling it. DH wasn't either. It was definitely pretty, but just not for us I guess.

We walked around a bit and were getting hungry by now and started looking for Mara. Couldn't find it once again! Found a CM who gave us directions to go downstairs and outside and around the corner, past the pool and it would be there.

We finally found it! We looked around and then got in line. It's a bit of a different set up in there. You get in line and a CM comes to you and takes your order and gives you a buzzer. And then you stand there and wait for your buzzer to go off. No one really seemed to know where to stand, so it was kind of awkward. We waited for quite a long time until we were just about the only ones left waiting. We thought we saw our food up there sitting on a tray, but our buzzer wasn't going off. We waited awhile longer and finally went up to find out that it was in-fact our food. It was. We told the CM that our buzzer didn't work and she said – oh okay. After we got our food we had to get in line to pay at the register. The kids meals only came with one side – french fries, and they usually come with two, so I asked the CM at the register if they were supposed to get something else and she said you have to go get it out of the cooler. So back we go and try to figure out what exactly came with a kids meal. I think one of them ended up with grapes and the other applesauce.

DS11 had the kids pizza meal and DS9 had the chicken nuggets. I had the Chicken Pita with fries and I don't have a picture of DH's meal, but he had a bacon double cheeseburger and fries. It was all okay. My pita would have been better, but is wasn't hot. It was just barely warm. Probably because of sitting there for so long and our buzzer not going off. DS9 loved his chicken, it was the same nuggets served everywhere. DS11 thought his pizza was okay.

Our Total Bill: $29.57
Rating: 3 out of 5


Up Next: More AKL and back to the BWI to see if our room was ready!

 

[pinkxray]

Mara sounds strange

We had breakfast at Boma on our last trip b/c I wanted to check out AKL. We thought it was very pretty and would like to stay there one day. I also found it hard to navigate where we were going. I wanted to find Mara so that I could buy the famous zebra domes but I couldn't find it either. We kind of wandered around outside b/c DD wanted to see the animals (which for some reason there were like none out). The morning we were at AKL there was no one around so I couldn't really ask where Mara was. We saw one CM and we asked where the animals were that time. He pointed us to the lovely empty savannah. I am really hoping if we ever shell out the cash to get a savannah view room we have a better experience.

Primevil Whirl looks like fun but DD is not tall enough to ride yet. It seems like every year I get older and my tolerance for spinning rides goes down. By the time she is able to ride it, I might not be able to.

I love the picture you took of DS11 taking pictures. Too cute!