It.....is....TIME!!!

[JWG]

Our flight LANDS (hopefully) into MCO in 12 hours!! Getting close! Off to the airport in 6 hours.

A couple of days in Sarasota and then on 10/15 - HERE WE COME!!!

 

[kristenrice]

Well, the first glitch has hit...


Our flight is now delayed about 2 hours....

Our plane was supposed to be arriving from Baltimore and landing here in GR at 12:01pm. Now, it is delayed in Baltimore and not scheduled to depart BALTIMORE until 12:30pm which means it will not be here until about 3pm.

Well, it looks like Fantasmic will probably be off the agenda for tonight. If we don't leave here until 3:30pm, we won't be landing in Orlando until about 6pm. Unless we receive some SUPER pixie dust, we aren't going to make it to BLT, check in and then get to DHS (still have to activate our AP's) and get into Fantasmic by 8pm. At least I made a reservation at Kona so we can have a nice dinner to fall back on. Oooo...there's also MNSSHP tonight so we could go up to the TOTWL and watch Hallowishes!!!

Ahh....the silver lining in every cloud.

 

[kristenrice]

Good News!! We are airborne!!! We pushed away at 1:55pm with a new ETA of 4:24pm.

The weather (above the clouds) is great!

Time for another beverage...and maybe a nap.

 

[Cee]

Pixie dust after all! Have a blast!

 

[kristenrice]

We are loving the whole businees class thing!!! The leg room, the drinks....the proximity of the lavatory....I am sooooo going to miss AirTran

 

[kristenrice]

We just boarded DME (walked right on, no wait)....the driver shut the door and we are on oour way!

 

[Tinks "SS"]

That is awesome!! i just finished my last shift at work too!! i'm in vacation mode even though we aren't leaving until sat. lots to do to keep me busy but i can't wait!! hope you still get to fantasmic tonight
!! have a great trip!!

 

[kristenrice]

The pixie dust is falling!

First, we are on the 5th floor, north side...EVEN numbered room! Yup, we can see the MK from our balcony!

We grabbed a quck turkey BLT from Contempo (best sandwich I've ever had) then headed to bus stop. Of course, since we wanted some time to eat while we waited, our bus was the first to arrive.

We went to guest relations to activate our AP's....then the CM could not get my DVC member number right...after she figured that out, I got my AP....DSiL got hers...then CM realized she'd issued us "old" passes...so, we start over. It took almost 20 minutes but she gave us 4 instant fastpasses for the "trouble". I doubt we'll get to use them but it was a nice gesture.

We're awaiting the start of Fantasmic now...hopefully we'll make our dinner ADR at Kona...

**Now that I am home, I can add to my evaluation of BLT**

My main reason for choosing BLT this trip is the access to the TOTWL. I went in with an open mind and really wanted to like it...but, no, this place is not for me.

First, the positives...

I really like the quick walk to the MK. The access to the MK bus stop is very convenient when trying to get to another resort. The monorail was a nice perk too, but not a deal-breaker. I also really like the restaurants. We ate a quick meal/snack from the Contempo Cafe twice and we also ate a breakfast at The Wave and Chef Mickey's. They were all good, but again, not great enough to draw me back. The TOTWL was great! It is the ONLY thing that would make me interested in staying at BLT again. It was empty, the view was spectacular, and it was fantastic all the way around.

...now the negatives...

OK, I know that we only booked a studio, but I have seen closets with more space! I had to hunt for a place to put the couch cushions so that I could go to bed. I finally opted to put them in the hallway, in front of the door that connected to the 1BR. It was just DSiL and I and we were only staying 2 nights with 2 bags each, which is good because there was nowhere to put them. I took out my packing cubes and put my bags in the closet. DSiL stored her luggage under the table. (Now, I have stayed in a value studio at AKV and those were small too....but the points reflect the size. I expected the value studio to be cramped.) As far as the resort in general, I thought I was in a hospital! We were walking down the hall to the community hall and I thought I would see a stretcher coming around the corner at me! DSiL actually said the same thing...I was only thinking it I understand that it is supposed to be "modern" and "contemporary", but to me, it came across as blah and boring.

In short, there is a remote possibility that I may stay at BLT again, but only if it is just 2 people. The resort just doesn't do it for me the way AKV does.

 

[Cee]

So happy for you! Here are a few suggestions for your consideration:

Earl of Sandwich at DTD Marketplace - The Holiday Sandwich

EPCOT/American Adventure: @ The Fife and Drum - Jim Beam Red Stag Lemonade(only offered for F & W Festival)

Enjoy!

 

[Lexxiefern]

Hope you're having a fantastic time!!

 

[dgaston]

IIRC this is a crowded trip plan! Best wishes for a great trip!

 

[kristenrice]

It was a whirlwind of a trip so I never even got a chance to turn on my computer. This was not a good thing since I woke up this morning and realized I'd never recharged it. I managed to plug it in for about an hour which gave it enough juice to get home.

Alrighty, on with the trip report...

I left off with us en route to Fantasmic...

We made it into Fantasmic, but we were seated WAAAAY to the left, like six people in from the furthest left possible. The show was great, as usual, but I noticed that Mickey was not on top of the mountain at the end. Is this new? I love it when he "shoots" down from the top and then ends up on the stage.

After Fantasmic, we realized that the park was actually open until 9, not 8 like we'd planned. So, we used the instant FP's and rode RnRC. We loved it! I think I lost my voice, i was screaming so loud. It's probably my favorite ride. After that, we took the bus from DHS to the Poly where we had a great dinner at Kona Cafe. DSiL and I split a meal...crab cakes for the appetizer, teriyaki steak for the entree and a Kiluaeah (I can't spell it right) torte for dessert. We couldn't finish it all, even though we were fairly famished at this point. It was SO much food.

After dinner, around 11pm, I was pleasantly surprised to see the monorail still running. It was a MNSSHP night so the MK had closed at 7pm. The monorail operator said that there was just too much demand so they no longer stop it one hour after official closing.

We took the monorail back to BLT and hit the hay....one day down.

**Oh, and I might add...the sleeper sofa at BLT was AWFUL! I can sleep sitting up and this bed afforded me about 3 hours of very broken sleep. I almost grabbed the pillow and slept on the floor...it would have been softer.

Next up: Day 2...Animal Kingdom

 

[kristenrice]

After a night of crummy sleep (see above), we were up and at 'em at 6:15am! We went to Chef Mickey's for breakfast and we were seated almost immediately. The breakfast was great and we got to meet 4 of the 5 characters...didn't feel like waiting around for Pluto...we had a park to get to!

Then it was off to the Animal Kingdom. We arrived shortly after the park opened and made our plan. First, we went and grabbed a FP for EE. Then, we rode Kilimanjaro Safaris. I have a few pictures but I'm on the plane right now so downloading is taking too long. I'll update when I get home.

After KS, we walked the Pangani Forest Trail and headed back towards Asia. We walked right on to EE with our FP's and then headed over to DinoLand USA. I didn't have Dinosaur on my short-list, but since we had about 45 minutes to kill before the Finding Nemo musical, we decided to ride it. We walked right on with no wait. Then, after a quick visit to the restrooms, we got in line for Finding Nemo. The show was phenomenal (again, as usual) and afterwards, we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

Not being fans of sogginess, we opted to forego Kali River Rapids. We headed back towards Discovery Island and decided to see "It's Tough to be a Bug". Being the loving sister that I am, I kept my mouth shut about the "effects" in the show. Despite the various surprises, DSiL still liked it...and she couldn't believe I didn't let her in on the special effects.

By then, it was just about time for the Festival of the Lion King. This is one of my favorite live shows in all of WDW. As usual, we were in the warthog section. No matter how many times I see this show, it still gives me the shivers!

After the show, it was almost 3pm. We had an ADR at Boma for 5:15 so we decided to take the bus over to the AK...my other home. We got off the bus at Kidani and wandered through the lobby and the adjacent animal viewing areas. Then, we went to the bar at Sanaa and got a couple margaritas before walking out by the firepit. I remembered why I love this resort so much...we sat in a rocking chair, sipping margaritas and watching the giraffes eat. Ahhh....heaven!

Around 4:30, we took the leisurely walk over to Jambo. I must say, the walk was enjoyable, but I would not have wanted to do it trying to carry food back from the Mara. I never plan on eating CS meals when we stay at Kidani and this experience reinforced that opinion. I took DSiL on an impromptu tour of Jambo House. We wandered around by the pool and the Arusha savanna before heading in to Boma. We checked in for dinner about 15 minutes early but we were seated immediately. Boma lived up to my expectations again! I had the chicken, bobotie, fufu, and (of course) ZEBRA DOMES! DSiL tried the domes and said they are everything I made them out to be...they lived up to the hype.

After dinner, we took the bus to the MK and then walked back to BLT. We took a little breather in the room, changed clothes and then went up to the TOTWL for the fireworks. The service was a bit slow...we sat at the bar for about 5-7 minutes before the bartender acknowledged us...and there was only 2 other people there! I ordered a drink that sounded good, but it was AWFUL! I learned that I do not like bourbon. DSiL told me to tell the bartended that I didn't like it and that I should order something else, but after how long it took to get the first one, I opted to suck it up and suck it down.....

I went out on the deck to prepare for Wishes while DSiL paid the tab. To my surprise, she arrived with another drink for me! This one was MUCH better, and it definitely enhanced my fireworks viewing experience.

To close out the night, I picked up POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl and made DSiL watch it with me. She has never seen any of the POTC movies so this was new to her. We stopped at the Contempo Cafe and got a chicken flatbread...SO yummy! We hit the hay while watching the movie. I slept a little better, but I had a little "liquid sleep aid" in my system so I think that had a little to do with it.

Up next:...Epcot!