I Love Unexpected Trips!!! AKL and Beach Club Here We Come!

[momto3gr8boys]

Hey I have a question-do you listen to the podcasts on the radio? I mean how do you get them in the car? What is a podcast? I don't know any of these things!

I think you will be happy with your extra night at AKL!

A podcast is a discussion, kind of like a talk show, on any topic the owner of it chooses. I listend to the DIS boards podcasts, and they discuss all things Disney World and Disneyland. I download the podcasts onto my iphone, and then listen to them in the car that way.

If you have itunes, search for "The DIS Unplugged". Then download them (they are free). If you have an iphone (or I suppose any other smart phone) there is an app call podcasts. I am pretty sure it is standard on iphones, because I don't remember downloading it. You open up the Podcast player and then just select one of the topics.

LMK if this makes sense or if you need better instructions. Just a warning though, they are addicting Oh and if you don't have a smart phone, you can listen and even watch some through your computer. Just go here:

http://www.disunplugged.com/

 

[DLFan123]

Thanks for the tips, Christine! My DP is pretty excited to check out the podcast on her ipod. I on the other hand am not so technologically up-to-date and don't have an ipod. I'll have to listen to hers after she downloads the podcasts.

 

[DLFan123]

I'm back with an update of our ADR. We've toiled over these today and finally made the last revisions. Does anybody else find the WDW dining reservations page horribly slow and tedious? Our computers just don't like their site. (I guess I should have utilized our access to itinerary planning through our CL stay. Lesson learned for next time!)

Here is what we have so far, and since we have pretty much every meal planned already I will also include the counter service places we plan to eat at.

On Friday after work, we will eat in the Denver airport before we leave
Arrival night midnight, no meals planned

Day 1
Breakfast quick bites from our CL lounge
Lunch Sci-Fi
Dinner Sanaa
Dessert CL lounge

Day 2
Breakfast following our Sunrise Safari
Lunch Yak and Yeti
Dinner snacks from the lounge


Day 3
Breakfast in the CL lounge
Lunch Tangeriene Cafe
Dinner Beaches and Cream
Treats from France for Illuminations

Day 4
Breakfast quick snack from Beach Club Marketplace or snacks from home
Lunch Columbia Harbor House
Dinner Kona Cafe

Day 5
Breakfast Beach Club Marketplace
Lunch Sunshine Seasons
Dinner Coral Reef

Day 6
Sleep-in!
Late Breakfast-we still can't decide where??? Any suggestions near BC/Epcot?
Dinner Mama Melrose Fantasmic Dining (early ressie at 3:45 pm)
Snacks for dessert in Fantasmic

Day 7
Breakfast quick bite BCM or snacks from home
Lunch Tony's Town Square
Dinner Via Napoli

Day 8
Breakfast quick bite
Lunch Tokyo Dining
Dinner Cape May Clambake

Day 9

Departure Day
Breakfast/Lunch QS in Epcot (I'm thinking either breakfast from France or La Cantina nachos)
Snack for the plane-cheese plate and desserts from France!

We will have to board the ME about 3 pm on our last day. I can't even bear to think of it!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Hi! Joining in! I have been following your DLR dining review and wandered over here. DS and I are heading back to WDW in August and I am hoping maybe to book AKL club level depending on finances.

We tried Tokyo Dining last August and it was wonderful. Surprise meal of the trip. Here's the link to our review ...

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=46434582&postcount=600

I really enjoyed the tempura. It was definitely a light, crunchy batter. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

 

[DLFan123]

Hi! Joining in! I have been following your DLR dining review and wandered over here. DS and I are heading back to WDW in August and I am hoping maybe to book AKL club level depending on finances.

We tried Tokyo Dining last August and it was wonderful. Surprise meal of the trip. Here's the link to our review ...

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=46434582&postcount=600

I really enjoyed the tempura. It was definitely a light, crunchy batter. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Thanks! I'm glad to have you reading! I have read some of your dining reviews and think it is so special that you and your son take so many trips together just the two of you! (I guess I have been a lurker but only recently became a commenter.)

I hope you will be able to stay at AKL CL in August. No matter what, I'm sure your trip will be great. I plan to post some pics from our May trip on the CL picture thread and will give some sort of update. From what I've read, it's a great CL experience and also a lot more affordable than some of the other club level prices.

I just checked out your review. The tempura looks good and also those sushi rolls! I am excited to dine in a new country! (Actually Italy and Japan will be new countries this trip.)

We are starting to have doubts about Mama Melrose and might ditch that one...

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We are starting to have doubts about Mama Melrose and might ditch that one...

We had a really good meal at MM in 2011 and just a 'meh one this trip but it is still a favorite of mine. I really like the atmosphere. Is it the best italian food? Definitely not. I loved the clams appetizer though (so dissappointed they changed the menu!). And it is a nice break for us on a DHS day. So I say, give it a try! Especially if it is for the F! package.

 

[DLFan123]

We had a really good meal at MM in 2011 and just a 'meh one this trip but it is still a favorite of mine. I really like the atmosphere. Is it the best italian food? Definitely not. I loved the clams appetizer though (so dissappointed they changed the menu!). And it is a nice break for us on a DHS day. So I say, give it a try! Especially if it is for the F! package.

I've heard that about the atmosphere at MM. I'm still not sure-keeping the ressie for now but still having my doubts...thanks for you input. I don't think I'm the pickiest eater and certainly don't have the most refined tastes anyway. Usually decent food, good service and nice atmosphere are all I expect.

I do wonder if anybody knows if we do the Fantasmic dining package, do we get to order from the regular menu? Or are our choices different? The general consensus on the disboards seems to be that the Fantasmic dessert plate at MM is awful. I want to order a regular dessert from the regular menu. It hadn't occurred to me that there might be a separate menu for Fantasmic dining. Any input welcomed!

 

[333disneymom]

Joining in. Sounds like you have a great trip planned. We are doing the same split in August, so I am curious to see how you like it. We also have many of the same meals planned as you. It will be our first time at AKL and we try to go to BCV every time. The safari sounds fabulous!

 

[DLFan123]

Joining in. Sounds like you have a great trip planned. We are doing the same split in August, so I am curious to see how you like it. We also have many of the same meals planned as you. It will be our first time at AKL and we try to go to BCV every time. The safari sounds fabulous!

We feel like no trip would be complete without a stay at BC! This will be our first time at AKL also. I'm just so excited! I am thinking about posting a trip report, not just a dining report, for our coming trip. We will see but if nothing else, I will post some trip updates/report in my next dining review. I love writing the dining reviews!

 

[DLFan123]

All plans for our DW trip are currently on hold, because we have bigger fish to fry. Tomorrow we leave for DL!

I'm nervous and a little stressed because there are so many little things I wanted to get done before this trip, but haven't had the chance to do. I'm trying to calm myself down, because it's a quick trip and things will be just fine no matter what, but there is a tiny type-a person that lives inside of me and threatens to come out before vacations. I just want everything to be perfect.

I am so excited for our DL trip, though. It is going to be a pretty basic trip, but we are super excited for a few things. First, DLR finally added an early entry hour for annual passholders, which means we will have to do that of course! We will be entering DCA early on Saturday (RSR here we come!) and then DL early on Sunday. Our friends form NH won't be arriving until Sunday late afternoon. I'm so excited to see them and spend this time with them! This will be their kids' second trip to DL but probably the first the youngest will remember. It is so neat to think we will be part of those memories for him.

Anyway, I'll update with some pictures when we get back to go along with continued planning for our WDW trip in May. Until then, Happy V Day to everyone!

 

[DLFan123]

Back from our DLR trip! Guess what that means? Time to make a new ticker! I am about to change my ticker to reflect our May trip dates/plans.

 

[DLFan123]

Back from our wonderful short trip to DL, DP and I have been talking about the gap in our dining schedule that occurs on Day 6. We've also been talking about character meals...

We experienced our first character meal on our trip to WDW in 2011. We did it entirely unintentionally. We were at HS, and it was soooo hot. We made RD and did all the big rides, and then we were famished. Did I mention we were also soooo hot? We knew we needed to get indoors. It was about 10 am, so options were limited. I'd read about Hollywood and Vine hosting a character breakfast. I knew the buffet options were going to be fine for us, so we walked up to the podium hoping we could get in, just to get out of the heat. We had absolutely no interest in the characters in this particular buffet, but we just needed some air conditioning! Luckily, it wasn't very crowded by this time or at this particular restaurant, so they got us right in.

Now this was before we knew we were supposed to take pics of our food, so I don't have any of those to share. The food was actually very good. They had a station where you could make breakfast burritos, so DP and I were both very happy, since this is a favorite of ours. They also had some cheesy breakfast potatoes which DP and both loved! Did I mention potatoes are her favorite food group? And cheese is mine. So these potatoes were just the best.

We were a litte intimidated by the characters, and it was certainly loud in this place. The characters were Handy Manny (?) and Oso (?) and maybe somebody else. They sang and danced. It was actually very fun to watch, and the kids at this buffet were having a blast. The characters came around expecting that we wanted pics with them. The first time around, we passed on the photo ops. We were a little embarrassed, plus we had no idea who these characters were. By the second time around, we'd changed our minds. We decided to get the pics with the characters. One of the cast members was really enthusiastic and suggested we kiss Oso (?) the bear (is he a bear?). So I leaned over and got very near this big yellow bear and pretended to give a little kiss. After we looked at the picture, I was literally about to fall on the floor. DP had actually kissed this bear! If any of you knew DP, you'd know this is completely uncharacteristic for her. As I mentioned, she never does corny things in photos, and she generally wouldn't be willing to be photographed in the middle of a kiss either. So the fact that she is kissing the bear in the photo is just too much. I can't post that picture here, or that would be the end of it for me. So you'll just have to imagine this scene.

I would say our first character buffet was a success. The buffet price was reasonable and the interaction was actually fun.

That same trip, we decided to do breakfast with Minnie at Cape May on our last day. I'd say I actually enjoyed the food more at H&V, but the atmosphere was better in Cape May (better for adults anyway). It was more calm and quiet, and it wasn't as crowded in the walkways.

On our next trip, we did the Tusker House breakfast with Donald, which we enjoyed. We had done this to get in to AK before park opening, which worked out nicely except that I was so full, even the slightest ride made me feel queasy afterwards.

While we have enjoyed character meals, we decided we would skip them this trip. But then I started thinking about missing out on the experience of it, and I can't help it. I want to do a character meal! Since we have a breakfast opening, I've been talking to DP about it.

She is game for whatever. So now I'm really trying to decide-do we do a character buffet at Cape May again on Day 6, when we have an opening? It will be so convenient to sleep late and then just head downstairs, and Minnie really is one of my favorites (or as DP likes to proclaim-my absolute favorite). Or do we do CRT in the castle on Day 7? The seafood crepe is calling my name.

Truthfully I just want to dine in the castle. DP is pretty embarrassed about meeting face characters who are dressed as princesses. We made a little progress on our DL trip, meeting both Ariel and Rapunzel and getting photographed with them. We are still up in the air. The possibilities for when to do the character breakfast and what to do are endless! Well maybe not endless...but there are certainly lots of options.

Any feedback or ideas welcomed!

 

[DLFan123]

Here is what it looks like in Denver today:

And here is where we are going in May:

Needless to say, I want to go NOW!!!

This is another shot. These are the views from the last room we stayed in at BC.

Here is another.

We had the most wonderful views, all from one room! It was awesome. We could lie in bed and look out and see the lagoon. It was magical!

We loved this room so much that DP braved the reservation phone line again today (bless her) and requested we be assigned this very same room for our trip in May!



Here are some photos of the inside of the room.

Fingers crossed they will be able to honor our request for our next stay! It was just the most perfect room for us, partially because of the views but also because it was at the end of a hallway near a fire exit, so it was much quieter in this room than in the first room we stayed at in BC the year before!

We settled breakfast for day 6, at least for now. I made a reservation for a late character breakfast at Cape May! Still not totally sure we don't want to do the princess breakfast at Akershus (the cheese potatoes in Emmebear's review have DP sold), but we wanted to make sure we don't miss out totally. So for now, Cape May it is, but more to come if we change our minds!

 

[DLFan123]

Good morning all. It's probably pretty obvious to you all (if anybody is actually reading this PTR) that I am super excited about this trip! However, I'm having a mini freak-out this morning. The first trip DP and I made to DW was the week before Memorial Day, and we had a great time. However, we were unprepared for the heat we encountered. I guess they were having a heat wave. It was in the 90s every day and 90% humidity, which we are REALLY not used to in Denver. While we still enjoyed ourselves, the heat and humidity really took a toll on us. Last year we visited in mid-April and it was just perfect. We had a few quick thundershowers, but much preferred getting drenched and drying later to the sweltering heat we'd experienced the year before. Now I know what you are thinking (if anyond reads this). You are wondering why we booked again for the time of year that was too hot for us in the first place. Here is why: DP started a new job last fall, and her accrual of vacation time has been painfully slow. So we planned our trip around the holiday week so that she will only have to use 4 vacation days versus 5. But now I'm so scared we have made a foolish mistake. I like to think we are not wimps, but maybe we are! I'm trying to figure out a way to be more cool and not let the heat get us down. We actually felt so uncomfortable on our first trip that we didn't even want to swim most days; we were so sopping wet already from the humidity we just didn't see the point in getting even wetter in the water. I know; we sound dramatic. I guess maybe we are! I'm wondering if there is anybody out there who can calm me down about this or has any thoughts about how hot it will/can be the last week of May. Was the 90 degree weather a heat wave? Is it usually that hot by the first of June? Does it typically cool off at night and we just caught the place during a really hot weak? Help!

 

[DLFan123]

Ok so I haven't posted any updates in a while, mainly because I am fairly convinced that no one is reading this thing anymore, but also because not a lot has changed as far as our plans go. We are just sooo excited to take this trip even if we are scared of the heat! As DP says, we will just find ways to stay cool..I asked her what those ways are, since last time we were there in late May, nothing much seemed to help (except staying indoors). She cheerfully suggested we buy those little water squirters with the fans on them. This is very sweet of her to suggest it. So pretty soon I am thinking we will own one of those overpriced items.

Anyhow, yesterday I made the mistake of wandering over to the rumors thread on the disboards. Boy was that a mistake! What a stressful thread where people share information they have about anything and everything that might take place at WDW in the next 10 years. The vibe over there isn't the best either. Everybody seems to believe his/her source is better than the next poster, and things actually got a little dicey on one of the threads. I had to get out of there!

But not before I posted my own rant. Ok I shouldn't have gotten involved, but I was reading a thread that brought up the issue of fastpass plus etc or whatever they are calling it, and I just had to post my thoughts in the hopes that somehow posting them would matter to some decision maker somewhere. Or maybe I just posted because it felt good to get them out. Basically, I am concerned about booking our attractions in advance, concerned about it taking away the spontaneity of the experience etc. Of course the Disney media post about Fastpass + or My Magic + or whatever it is called reports that people don't have to partake in the new system (to be initiated gradually over this year). They say guests can still just show up and have a spontaneous experience, but I am wondering how much that experience might be affected by the fact that most other guests will be scheduling their time at the parks. I don't know...just something to think about. Change can be more intimidating than the Tower of Terror, especially for me and when it concerns my happiest place on earth. I am trying to be more "go with the flow" than I have been known to be.

Overnight I did adjust a little and actually really like the idea of knowing I can get a FP for Toy Story Mania without having to make RD and run to the attraction like a delinquent child as CMs holler at me to stop running.

Here is my newest fear, though. We currently have Premium APs to DL, and we had planned to upgrade to the Premier Pass while at DL in February. We never actually made it to do this, so we can't update them until we arrive at WDW. (You can't prepurchase the Premier APs under any circumstances, at least that is what we have been told over and over again. You must be at an actual Guest Relations window to upgrade any other pass to the Premier or to purchase one.) We experienced this last year when we had WDW APs and wanted to upgrade to Premier. We absolutely could not do this until we arrived in Anaheim and walked over to Guest Relations at DL. Since we failed to upgrade in DL on our most recent trip, we won't actually have tickets to the parks in WDW until our first morning when we can upgrade at Guest Relations at HS (the park we are visiting on our first morning). So will this mean we can't use FP+ prior to arriving to the parks? And won't all the good time slots for popular rides be taken by then? I am kicking myself that we didn't do the upgrade in advance, and now I am very nervous about missing out on the perks that they are likely to start introducing in the next few months, such as the FP+.

So we will see...I may find myself on the AP phone line today, as well as emailing the AKL CL itinerary planning. Hey, at least they get back to me promptly each time, even if they maybe aren't the best person to ask about this! So more to come, as I find out what a person such as us will be able to do to book FP+ attractions when we can't get our Premier Passes until after we arrive on site.

Wish me luck and !

 

[DLFan123]

Our WDW trip is less than 12 weeks away! Before this trip happens, however, we have one more very quick trip to make.

My sister lives in the San Fransisco bay area, and we will be making a weekend trip to visit her. She was able to use her reward miles for our flights, which was very kind of her since the budget is tight due to our upcoming DW trip! We have our flights booked and will leave on a Fri night from Denver and arrive to the bay area late (since our flights are after work). We will have all day Saturday and most of Sunday before taking a late flight back so we can be back in time for work on Monday (boo work). The other day I was talking to my sis and she asked us if there is anything we'd like to do while we are there. I wasn't sure if she'd want to do this, but I reluctantly mentioned that DP (blame it on her!) really wanted to check out the Disney Family Museum. Turns out my sis wanted to do this too! I'm not sure why I thought she wouldn't; she loves Disneyland and hearing about Walt history quite a bit, and I have always known that.

So for our Saturday in San Fran, this will be our primary activity! Yippee! Can't wait to see what the museum is like and have a chance to view some of the legendary exhibits they have! This is certainly going to get us excited for our trip to WDW which will be about 8 weeks away at that point. I will post pics from the museum, as long as photography is permitted inside the building. If not, I'll get plenty outdoors for you all! So excited-a little piece of Disney in San Fransisco!

 

[DLFan123]

Obviously I haven't posted anything on here in quite some time..DP and I have been very busy with work and life and lots of excitement in between. But look at my ticker! I'm so excited and can't believe how quickly it will be here. Now we need to focus focus focus to take care of lots of little practical issues before it is time to take off for Orlando!

 

[lemonsours]

As DP says, we will just find ways to stay cool..I asked her what those ways are, since last time we were there in late May, nothing much seemed to help (except staying indoors). She cheerfully suggested we buy those little water squirters with the fans on them. This is very sweet of her to suggest it. So pretty soon I am thinking we will own one of those overpriced items.

We purchased one of these on our last trip. DD and DS fought over it the whole time, and DD still asks to take it out all the time, even in the middle of winter. So it may actually be worth the money!!

 

[DLFan123]

We are back from our wonderful WDW vacation! We had a great time and are so glad everything worked out as it did. Here is the link to my newest dining review, for any who have been reading along so far.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=49103883#post49103883

I am just getting started but will try to post one or two reviews per day! I'm so happy to be doing another review; it's such a fun way to remember one of the best parts of the trip: the food!

 

[DLFan123]

We purchased one of these on our last trip. DD and DS fought over it the whole time, and DD still asks to take it out all the time, even in the middle of winter. So it may actually be worth the money!!

Sounds like you definitely got your money's worth on the spray bottle! We are back from our trip, and even though it was hot, it really wasn't THAT hot until our last couple of days. We did not purchase the squirt bottle (I'm so glad we didn't end up needing it). One night, I actually got a little chilly and had to wear a light sweater, something that totally shocked me in Orlando! I guess it was unseasonably cool for a couple of days, which we welcomed. We had a great time and I'm getting excited about writing my dining review. Hope to see you over there!