Just back...some thoughts 7/17-7/22

[kayteekt]

Because I always enjoy reading others...

-We thought the heat would be worse. It was pretty toasty but not too much different than our SC weather. However, we did not subject ourselves to relentless touring in the hottest part of the days. We went out in the mornings and evenings only.
-I am again surprised I like Saratoga. We ended up adding a night before our scheduled stay. Got a preferred studio. I am really adverse to the larger resorts with multiple bus stops. However, for some reason I don't mind SSR so bad. Mystery to me
- Homecomin' again was awesome! It's become one of our favorites for sure. Also, on the food front, tried Jiko for the first time. Absolutely delicious. I had the filet with mac, DH the strip steak (i think it was). Kids had the grilled chicken meal. Everything was fantastic. My filet was prob the best I've ever had. We will be back for sure.
- Club level was nice but not a must do. I thought we may ruin ourselves (and wallet) by splurging on a CL stay. However, DH and I both felt it was nice for a new experience but didn't feel it was "worth" it to us.
- Our main stay was at Jambo house. We've stayed at Kidani before. After both, I prefer Kidani. I like that it's a little more peaceful and we like the pool and kids splash area better.
- A relaxing trip can be done! We finally did it. After trying many times over the last couple of years, we had a real vacation lol. That was our goal for this trip, so I'm calling it a success!

ETA: left off some other things...
-Pandora. The land...absolutely beautiful. Navi River...beautiful but short. I'm surprised/ disappointed they didn't do a little more with it. FoP...better than I could have ever imagined. Just amazing, DH and DD 9 thought the same. It was so immersive and beautiful, I may have teared up for a second. Now our kids want to see the movie and we own a banshee.

-AKL bus service was horrific. Not exaggerating. I've seen/heard people complain but we stayed at Kidani last fall and thought it was average. We lucked up once, but other than that, it was 30min minimum wait every time. Every park. At every hour. Because of the long waits almost every bus was standing room only and not only at park closing. One day buses were running back to back...for what appeared to be all day, creating these long waits. I don't know if that was the issue for the other days, but it was rough. We may have just had an off week or something...I sure hope so.

 

[TinkandGoofy'sMom]

Glad you were able to achieve a relaxing Disney vacation!

 

[Laundress]

Thank you for sharing your trip. It sounds successful. you are an inspiration. My goal is to try for a relaxing disney trip.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Sounds like a fun trip. Welcome home and thanks for checking in.

 

[lynzi2004]

Thanks for sharing! We, too, have the goal of someday having a relaxing Disney trip... One question, how did you find the pools in the middle of the day? Were they super crowded or too warm? We are considering a trip next summer, but I'm afraid everyone will have the same idea as us to go back for a pool break and it will be too crowded and hot to enjoy!

 

[kayteekt]

Thanks for sharing! We, too, have the goal of someday having a relaxing Disney trip... One question, how did you find the pools in the middle of the day? Were they super crowded or too warm? We are considering a trip next summer, but I'm afraid everyone will have the same idea as us to go back for a pool break and it will be too crowded and hot to enjoy!

At SSR, we just used the congress park quiet pool. It wasn't too bad. That pool was very warm. It doesn't have much shade (if any). At AKL Jambo...think we got in the pool everyday except the days we checked in and out. It was pretty packed every afternoon. One day we had a hard time finding chairs (near the pool there are a lot outside of pool). However, we were always able to find find a little quiet corner. The water there, while warm wasn't as warm...lots of foliage so more shade and a bit cooler water.