JAMBO! The UN-official AKL Thread ~ UPDATED(short film/pg 8 & slideshow/pg 12) Part 2

[kimmar067]

...ya might wanna check out the link in the quote....(Pssst, AKL may be in there.... !)

Disney Theme Parks TV for the Week

 

[AKLGoofy]

I know this is wrong of me but I'm ready to put the whip to AKLGoofy. You just can't tease us with those amazing plans, brilliant early posts and then not deliver. I'm not interested in hearing excuses about eating, sleeping and having a life. You are to complete the task! NOW!!!

*cringe* OK, ok! I have the first actual web pages setup now, I think, as well as probably 75% of the photos trimmed and resized.

One thing I suddenly noticed is that, I don't have any pics of the resort entrance, fire pit, rocking chairs or pool. So, I already know I'll be short in that department. HOpefully, though, everything else will make up for it.

Tell you what, I'm going to try to use Yahoo to set things up so I'l go ahead and get the domain and all going today, that way, as soon as I'm confident that folks can actually read what I'm uploading, you can get started on what's already done.

Then I can look forward to "When's the next installment already!?!".

Bob

P.S. I was going to do a "short" version for folks that won't be interested in as much reading as there is to do. I have 12 pages of text now and we haven't even gotten to Ragland Road (our first dinner) yet... Yeah, I know.. I'm wordy.. what can I say. But Susan read some of it and thought it was entertainingly written enough that most folks probably wouldn't mind...

 

[AKLGoofy]

You know, the more I think about it the more I think I should give you fine folks a taste of my "style"... just in case you find that, after all this patient *ahem* waiting you just can't stand to read my writing. So, without further ado, here is the opening:

10th Wedding Anniversary Trip
Of
Bob and Susan Maier
To
Walt Disney World Resort’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
July 2 – 8, 2006

As I begin this narrative, I am struck by the wide array of information I wish to convey. My goal is for this not just to be a chronological listing of events we engaged in, but rather, a comprehensive recitation of our thoughts and our feelings while experiencing all the “magic” that a Disney vacation can be.

With that in mind, what you will read here will be laid out chronologically. It will also contain photographs when appropriate, hopefully in a couple of different sizes for those of you on slower internet connections.

What this report will not contain:

1. Cute kid stories – we have no children and would not have been able to have this experience if we did and we try to avoid paying attention to other people’s children (these days that can get you into real trouble).
2. Details/photos of unimportant meals – A barbeque sandwich is a barbeque sandwich, don’t care where you eat it.
3. Excessive use of acronyms – I do not know, nor will many people reading this know, all the acronyms thrown around by the many Disney “vets” out there, thus this must be written for the “lowest common denominator”.
4. Names of cast members we felt were “less than magical” in attitude/service.

In order to read this report you will need:

a. Patience – I do not think in single-syllable words or simple sentences and am not a professional writer. You are going to get it just as it flies out of my brain and through my fingers.
b. A soft chair – This will be thorough not only for the sake of those that like details and asides, but for our sake as well since I’m getting old and my “rememberer” doesn’t work as well as it used to. It will be nice to eventually print this all out, bind it and stow it in the box with the dusty mouse ears and dried flowers.
c. Something to drink – Wouldn’t want to dehydrate while we’re living vicariously through others, now would we?

The Cast of Characters:

I have read several trip reports and enjoyed many of them. Apparently it is traditional that some small effort is made to provide the reader with a general idea of the participants’ perspective on life in general and Disney specifically. As well, everyone seems to use two or three-letter acronyms to refer to themselves or others in their party. Since this report relates only to my wife, Susan, and me, I will refrain from using said acronyms.

Me – Gemini with a decidedly split personality. One half of me is true “park commando” material… wanting to get the most “bang for the buck”, not miss a thing of interest and willing to do the minute planning and physical hustling needed to accomplish those goals (thanks, Mom, for all those family vacation “boot camps” for this attitude). The other half of me is old, uninterested in many things in the parks and gets aggravated at human waves of non-English speaking folks in the parks while still being willing to “blur my eyes” just a little to try and experience the suspension of belief needed for a truly “Disney” experience.

Susan – Child bride, stolen from the cradle and animal lover extraordinaire who still enjoys being “cutesy” and silly on occasion (which keeps my “old” half alive). She realizes her physical limitations but is motivated to push on because she, too, wishes to experience her share of Disney “magic” during our limited time on this foray. Interested in the same things as I, she adds to that the apparently genetic female trait of a certain number of hours being required for shopping.

Background:

Folks from the Disboards will know what I’m talking about here as they were invaluable in their assistance, both actively and passively. During the approximately three months of planning I did for this trip, I found several places on the internet that are devoted to the dissemination and discussion of information about Disneyworld/Disneyland. Out of all of them, the two that were the most helpful were www.disboards.com and www.allearsnet.com . The former for its direct, personal experience-based information and the later for its rich compendium of cataloged data on everything from park hours to restaurant menus to the ever-changing entertainment schedules.

Initially I wanted to do something special for our 10th wedding anniversary. We were involved in moving from Florida to South Dakota at the time (no, we’re not crazy, Jimmy Buffet is a liar) and I knew that no matter what I chose to do, there would be kinks in planning due to the move happening in the middle. I investigated and rejected such ideas as trips to Ireland (something Susan with her Irish heritage has always wanted to do), Caribbean cruises and whale-watching trips… all for various reasons. And, even though while living in Florida we had visited Disney several times, we had gotten “mouse burnout” before the Animal Kingdom was built and so, never made it to see the new park. Besides, I owed Susan a “real”, on-site accommodation trip.

In explanation: Waaaay back in the dark ages when I was getting ready to graduate college and Susan and I were just starting to be a bit more serious about our relationship, I had planned a “package” deal trip to Disneyworld as a graduation celebration. The Caribbean Beach Resort was brand new and reasonably priced (for Disney) and the deal they were offering was pretty good. I don’t remember the details but I DO remember thinking, “Wow, all I have to pay for is my food and drinks!” Silly boy… little did I know that the prices for food there were SO high that the profits from food alone are sufficient to pay the wages of every single cast member on property (currently over 60,000 people… this is a fact still today). I won’t go into all the details, but suffice it to say that in our early years, Susan’s red-haired feistiness and my German stubbornness led us to many a difficult situation. In this case, things got ugly shortly before our scheduled departure and I very selfishly and stupidly left her behind. As I look back now, this was truly a horrible thing to do and even after this trip I will never forgive myself. I have lived with this guilt for over 15 years and I can only beg forgiveness…

So, my sense of obligation, the Animal Kingdom Park we had never seen and my desire for one last “hurrah” in Florida before resigning myself to a life of solitude and freezing in SD all made my decision fairly easy, actually. Aside from the fact that I absolutely could NOT figure out a way to get us passports and still keep a trip to Ireland a secret...

-----------------------

Hope that is enough to buy me a little time!

Bob

 

[shyjade]

Bob, you're like a highly addictive drug that leaves us both satisfied and yearning for more! I for one am on the end of my "comfortable chair" waiting for more...



TAG FAIRY: Bob (AKLGOOFY) REALLY DESERVES TO BE CROWNED "PRINCE CHARMING"!!!!

 

[bjakmom]

Bob - sounds GREAT so far !!! You write just like my DH - so I love 'wordy'!!
If you and Susan would like more pics from AKL, I have some good ones that I took all around the resort (front entrance, fire pit, pool, art work, etc) - I'd be glad to either e-mail them to you or mail you off some copies (if that would give you better quality) for your 'memories'.

 

[calgarygary]

Bob, your honesty and willingness to openly share are amazing. Here I was expecting to start my day with humour as you and others responded to my whip and what do I get - misty eyes. I trust that the tenth will only be one of many more significant 'milestone' anniversaries for you and Susan.

 

[kimmar067]

....P.S. I was going to do a "short" version for folks that won't be interested in as much reading as there is to do. I have 12 pages of text now and we haven't even gotten to Ragland Road (our first dinner) yet... Yeah, I know.. I'm wordy.. what can I say. But Susan read some of it and thought it was entertainingly written enough that most folks probably wouldn't mind...

....youwordy?no,notintheleast,InevernoticethataboutanybodysinceItendto'foamatthemouth'myself,Ijustrambleonandonandonsometimesuntilalittlelightgoesoffinmyheadthattellsmeto"SHUTUP!".......

 

[kimmar067]

You know, the more I think about it the more I think I should give you fine folks a taste of my "style"... just in case you find that, after all this patient *ahem* waiting you just can't stand to read my writing. So, without further ado, here is the opening:

10th Wedding Anniversary Trip
Of
Bob and Susan Maier
To
Walt Disney World Resort’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
July 2 – 8, 2006

As I begin this narrative, I am struck by the wide array of information I wish to convey. My goal is for this not just to be a chronological listing of events we engaged in, but rather, a comprehensive recitation of our thoughts and our feelings while experiencing all the “magic” that a Disney vacation can be.

With that in mind, what you will read here will be laid out chronologically. It will also contain photographs when appropriate, hopefully in a couple of different sizes for those of you on slower internet connections.

What this report will not contain:

1. Cute kid stories – we have no children and would not have been able to have this experience if we did and we try to avoid paying attention to other people’s children (these days that can get you into real trouble).
2. Details/photos of unimportant meals – A barbeque sandwich is a barbeque sandwich, don’t care where you eat it.
3. Excessive use of acronyms – I do not know, nor will many people reading this know, all the acronyms thrown around by the many Disney “vets” out there, thus this must be written for the “lowest common denominator”.
4. Names of cast members we felt were “less than magical” in attitude/service.

In order to read this report you will need:

a. Patience – I do not think in single-syllable words or simple sentences and am not a professional writer. You are going to get it just as it flies out of my brain and through my fingers.
b. A soft chair – This will be thorough not only for the sake of those that like details and asides, but for our sake as well since I’m getting old and my “rememberer” doesn’t work as well as it used to. It will be nice to eventually print this all out, bind it and stow it in the box with the dusty mouse ears and dried flowers.
c. Something to drink – Wouldn’t want to dehydrate while we’re living vicariously through others, now would we?...

...I LOVE it already!!! What??!?!? Oh, it didn't 'START' yet??!?!? Oooops, mah ba-a-a-a-a-d.....

 

[tinknme]

You have my attention, I am ready for more!

You know, the more I think about it the more I think I should give you fine folks a taste of my "style"... just in case you find that, after all this patient *ahem* waiting you just can't stand to read my writing. So, without further ado, here is the opening:

 

[scoutsmom99]

Bob- I have been waiting for the website! Thanks for wetting our taste buds with the introduction!!!

 

[scoutsmom99]

Guys who has stayed in the standrad view rooms? How are they? I'm thinking about switching at least part of my late September trip over to AKL now that they have AP codes out. I can't decide what to do though. I don't know if I would be satisfied in the standrad view room or not. I decided that I'm for sure going to cancel my MYW+Free dining package that I have for CBR and just go with a room only ressie there. I will save $570 by canceling the package. I'm sure I can eat for way less than that while I'm there with my DDE card. What to do What to do...

 

[AKLGoofy]

Thank you everyone for your kind comments. I'm up to about 17 pages now and almost done with our first full day. Now that I have the basic layout done in Yahoo's sitebuilder, the conversion from Word to website should go pretty quickly. I'm hoping to have something actually online this weekend, though it depends on how fast Yahoo gets my domain setup and whatnot.

Worse comes to worst, I'll put up what I have if the domain is ready and just keep plugging away till it's done!

Bob

 

[shyjade]

Guys who has stayed in the standrad view rooms? How are they? I'm thinking about switching at least part of my late September trip over to AKL now that they have AP codes out. I can't decide what to do though. I don't know if I would be satisfied in the standrad view room or not. I decided that I'm for sure going to cancel my MYW+Free dining package that I have for CBR and just go with a room only ressie there. I will save $570 by canceling the package. I'm sure I can eat for way less than that while I'm there with my DDE card. What to do What to do...

Lisa, I haven't stayed in a Standard room yet, but will be in September. Here's MY theory: a Standard room at AKL is still much better than the Preferred room I had originally reserved for ASMo. True, it's costing me $400+ more for the 3-night stay, but (mostly because of the Wild Bunch) I'm banking on this theory!

Good luck!!

 

[wendypooh]

You know, the more I think about it the more I think I should give you fine folks a taste of my "style"... just in case you find that, after all this patient *ahem* waiting you just can't stand to read my writing. So, without further ado, here is the opening:



Hope that is enough to buy me a little time!

Bob

Wow ~
That is amazing so far. I was on the edge of my seat ~ I'll buy the book

 

[kimmar067]

Guys who has stayed in the standard view rooms? How are they? I'm thinking about switching at least part of my late September trip over to AKL now that they have AP codes out. I can't decide what to do though. I don't know if I would be satisfied in the standrad view room or not. I decided that I'm for sure going to cancel my MYW+Free dining package that I have for CBR and just go with a room only ressie there. I will save $570 by canceling the package....

...I have 2 std rooms booked for my Aug vaca....after being in concierge and a dlx savannah-view room, it'll definitely be a bit of a let-down.....unless, of course, some heads my way and we get upgraded....

 

[kimmar067]

Thank you everyone for your kind comments. I'm up to about 17 pages now and almost done with our first full day...

..can YOU say: VOL-ume???? [JK ~ I am on the EDGE of my seat....]

 

[John's Mom]

Bob,

You're doing a great job! You've got my attention. Just waiting for more!

 

[AKLGoofy]

..can YOU say: VOL-ume???? [JK ~ I am on the EDGE of my seat....]

Heheh... Susan would agree that I do run on... but, I'm hoping to keep it a fun read in general, so hopefully folks won't get bored. Luckily, there are only a couple places that things are too terribly serious (the not-so-magicla moments) so it should move along fairly smoothly.

Got the domain request in and Yahoo tells me it could be up to 72 hours. Soon as I get something from them confirming the address, I'll upload what I have and give you guys something to get started on... after all, it would appear that this probably won't be a "read in one sitting" kind of thing!

Bob

 

[wintergreen]

Just back from a 3 night stay in a pool view room at AKL. It was fabulous! The only problem I ran into was a very disappointed DD, when she saw that we did not have a savannah view room like we did the last time we stayed there. Guess I should have warned her in advance!!

Anyway, I really liked the pool view room, particularly b/c it was SO close to everything. We (kids, too!) did the culinary tour one afternoon, which was great! Dinner at Jiko was fab! Spent lots of time in the pool. Kids did night vision goggles and floor rubbings.

Really nice visit. I just wanted to thank everyone on this thread for giving me lots of ideas!!!

 

[tinknme]

Glad to hear you had Wonderful time!

Just back from a 3 night stay in a pool view room at AKL. It was fabulous! The only problem I ran into was a very disappointed DD, when she saw that we did not have a savannah view room like we did the last time we stayed there. Guess I should have warned her in advance!!