Just Keep Swimming - March 31-April 7, 2013 - Closing Thoughts (Updated 5/17)

[jecskc]

Nice shopping trip. Looks like you managed to get some nice things without maxing out all the credit cards. I call that a win.

Fortunately for DH and our checking account, I am not much of a shopper. I just don't like extra stuff cluttering up my already hectic life. So I don't usually buy much extra stuff.

Definetly a win!

LOL. Do I get a prize ?? because I'm not gonna lie, that would be stupendous.

I love just having a half day at school because I CAN CATCH UP ON TRs!

My kids have a half day today, too. They are home with their father while I am peacefully at work. Ah, the silence. Besides the ringing phone, that is.

And btw, thank you

You are welcome

That mini golf course is precious! Omg I love it.

It was sooo cute. You need to do it. You get half off if you have an AP

I am going to LOVE BLT because it’s gonna be awesome (DUH) but taking the monorail or walking to MK is going to be like the coolest thing EVAH.

It totally is the coolest thing EVAH. You ... are going to LOVE it !!!

What do they really have in the new queue for BTMR?

I'm not really sure. We either used the handicap line or fast pass, so I didn't experience anything first hand besides that dynamite thingy the kids were playing with and that was in the wheelchair line.

I just LOVE the plaza. We had SUCH a good experience there in August and I want to go back so bad.

Best fries EVER !!!

Your pictures of the imaginary crowds are AWESOME. Mum won’t get up early enough so we never make it for morning EMH. That will be different in August. Just sayin’.

You will need to get her up. For one thing, the crowds might be crazy in the summer and for another, it is cooler in the morning. But since it will be August, expect to be all sweaty 30 seconds after you depart the building.

Oh my GOD you guys did a lot that morning.

That is the beauty of EMH. We got soooo much done.

Your pictures of Main St are killing me right now. UGH IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL.

It is. I miss it !!!

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 – Part Five

After our shopping trip we monorailed back to the Contemporary.





I wanted to check out the gift shops there again and DD wanted to play in the game room. So I gave her some money and went to look in the shops which were just a few steps away.

I ended up getting some coffee cups.



And some more pajama pants.



I have these on as I am typing. Sooo comfy. I love them.

DD hit the jackpot in the game room and a won bunch of tickets that she traded in for some a bunch of things.







She was so excited !! She got some candy, too. But it was gone by the time I got my camera out to take photos of our purchases. We had such a nice night just taking our time on Main Street to just shop.

So we settled in and before long, DH and DS came back and said that they loved the movie. DS said that Morgan Freeman was “boss”. Which means awesome. And we all know that about him.

We got packed up because we had to leave in the morning and check into AKL. We were sad about it, too. BLT was awesome !! We watched the EWP from the balcony one last time and went to sleep.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Since you own DVC and really enjoy it I need to ask...which one is your favorite of all? Have ya'll stayed in the treehouse villas yet? I might get those next year and bring my parents with us. They look cool, but not sure how "Disney" they'd feel.

Love your coffee mugs!

 

[KatMark]

Nice haul by DD at the arcade (and like the coffee mugs you picked up too).

Glad the guys liked the movie.

Sorry you were disappointed about having to leave; but I love AKL and I would have been grinning from ear to ear.

 

[emmysmommy]

Susan I am with you about DQ... I'm not a fan! It's just not interesting to me and even the few things we did there were not fun.

That HUGE Mickey crispy treat at the Main St. Confectionary is probably the same one that I saw last August! Yeah, I wonder how many people buy those too. I wouldn't mind one but the tempation to eat one all on my own would be too overwhelming!

Love the convenience of walking to MK from BLT!

We did a similar trip to yours when we were there in Feb/March since we did AKL, YC, and then BLT! I'm looking forward to hearing about your AKL part of the trip.

 

[aksunshine]

Shopping trip looks super fun! I LOVE your puzzle! May have to get me one!

 

[teekathepony]

I really love those coffee cups, so so cute.
I'm really excited to see the check in to AKL! I can understand being sorry to leave BLT though, such a great location.

 

[wiigirl]

Really like those coffee mugs.

 

[afwdwfan]

Wow... your DD really racked up some prizes playing games. How much money did you give her???

Sounds like a nice, relaxing evening. It's nice that everyone had a good time, even though you went different directions. It is a shame that you have to leave BLT, but AKL isn't exactly a huge downgrade. Just a bigger distance from MK...

 

[jecskc]

Since you own DVC and really enjoy it I need to ask...which one is your favorite of all? Have ya'll stayed in the treehouse villas yet? I might get those next year and bring my parents with us. They look cool, but not sure how "Disney" they'd feel.

Love your coffee mugs!

My current favorite is Bay Lake Tower. I love all of them, though. We have never stayed in the treehouse villas. MEK has, though and she put a bunch of photos in a TR she did last year.

Nice haul by DD at the arcade (and like the coffee mugs you picked up too).

Yes. She NEEDED more stuffed animals. Haha

Glad the guys liked the movie.

I am glad that DS is old enough to go see all of the GUY movies with DH, so I don't have to watch them.

Sorry you were disappointed about having to leave; but I love AKL and I would have been grinning from ear to ear.

I love AKL. Don't get me wrong. It was really nice. I just like BLT better.

Susan I am with you about DQ... I'm not a fan! It's just not interesting to me and even the few things we did there were not fun.

Yes, I agree. I would rather be outside in the parks than inside a dreary arcade.

That HUGE Mickey crispy treat at the Main St. Confectionary is probably the same one that I saw last August! Yeah, I wonder how many people buy those too. I wouldn't mind one but the tempation to eat one all on my own would be too overwhelming!

Yes, that would be my concern as well. I would keep going back for another piece and then after a while it would be gone and I would be pregnant with a food baby.

Love the convenience of walking to MK from BLT!

It really was awesome. We LOVED being so close by.

We did a similar trip to yours when we were there in Feb/March since we did AKL, YC, and then BLT! I'm looking forward to hearing about your AKL part of the trip.

I am reading along on that one. We didn't get the upgrade you did. Not by a long shot. But it was nice not to have to wait for our room to be ready.

Shopping trip looks super fun! I LOVE your puzzle! May have to get me one!

That is a great puzzle !! We are working on the ones we got at DTD on the first day now.

I really love those coffee cups, so so cute.

I thought they were cute, too. They look like they might be meant for a bride and groom, but I don't care. Love them.

I'm really excited to see the check in to AKL! I can understand being sorry to leave BLT though, such a great location.

Check in at AKL coming up !! They are just two drastically different places. We planned our MK days around being at BLT and then AK around when we stayed at AKL. It is nice to be so close to AKL when you are at Animal Kingdom

Really like those coffee mugs.

They are really cute and they make me so happy in the morning when I drink my coffee

Wow... your DD really racked up some prizes playing games. How much money did you give her???

Just five dollars. She was playing some game where you spin this wheel and you get tickets and she hit the jackot. She was so excited. Talked about it for days. "Wasn't I lucky, momma? Didn't I get some great prizes?" It was cute.

Sounds like a nice, relaxing evening. It's nice that everyone had a good time, even though you went different directions. It is a shame that you have to leave BLT, but AKL isn't exactly a huge downgrade. Just a bigger distance from MK...

Epic fail on the fact that we never went over to MK and just watched the parade or the castle show, though. But since we got going so early in the morning most days, I just wasn't up to fighting the crowds at MK at night.

I agree that AKL isn't a downgrade, and we LOVE AKL. But we just liked BLT better. We had more space at BLT for sure.

 

[MEK]

Sounds like you had a great last night at BLT. And how can you be sad about leaving when you are heading over to AKL.

Love the coffee mugs!

 

[jecskc]

Sounds like you had a great last night at BLT. And how can you be sad about leaving when you are heading over to AKL.

Love the coffee mugs!

We love AKL, but BLT was AWESOME. And I hate moving resorts because DH refuses to use the bell services. I MADE him do it at BLT, but once we got to AKL, we had to carry everything up because he is stubborn. And this just makes him grumpy and in turn makes the rest of us grumpy. Switching resorts seems like such a good idea when you PLAN it, but not so much when you actually have to DO it. Once we got settled it was fine though.

Yes !!! They are super cute !!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I like BLT the best too! My friends have stayed at the treehouses before and loved it. They said it wasn't as "Disney like" as others though.

 

[melmar136]

yay! All caught up!

Love the pictures from mini-golf. I have only been there once, pre-Meg. I don't think I could get her to take away any park time for it. You know how she tries to schedule in one hour for swimming!

And wow! I'm not sure I have seen MK so deserted. 7am though...I don't know. I'm not a big morning person. When we're there on vacation, I am impressed with myself that we get there at 9 for regular opening. Of course, that might be due to the little commando I have with me, keeping us at emh at night till 1am if she can!

The more I look at your pictures from BLT, the more excited I get to stay there in Aug. It really will be nice to be so close to MK.

Love the pictures of your DD on Dumbo btw. She looks so happy!

 

[scottny]

The cinnamon roll looked good.
How cute, I never noticed the string on the back of Woody topiary.
I loved the Rose Grey Goose Slushie.
Mk looked really crowded on Main Street.
Nice you got to have a breakfast kid free.
We played that mini golf course and it is a lot of fun.
WOW! It does look like the rain kept people away.
We have the PAP but have never gone to the water parks or Disneyquest.
Olympus Has Fallen was a good movie.
That rice krispy I find amazing also. I could never.
Very nice shopping items you bought.
All caught up.
Uh-oh. What part of AKL?

 

[Teewan78]

Thank you for sharing your trip. I enjoyed it.

 

[jecskc]

I like BLT the best too! My friends have stayed at the treehouses before and loved it. They said it wasn't as "Disney like" as others though.

We have looked at the Treehouses, but never had a big enough group coming. They look really nice though !!

yay! All caught up!

YAY !!

Love the pictures from mini-golf. I have only been there once, pre-Meg. I don't think I could get her to take away any park time for it. You know how she tries to schedule in one hour for swimming!

Well, who can blame her. I need more rest than that and so does my family. Or the trip gets not fun real fast. She said she liked the photos, so you guys should try the mimi-golf. It was fun !!

And wow! I'm not sure I have seen MK so deserted. 7am though...I don't know. I'm not a big morning person. When we're there on vacation, I am impressed with myself that we get there at 9 for regular opening. Of course, that might be due to the little commando I have with me, keeping us at emh at night till 1am if she can!

I am a morning person, so it works for me. I don't like being out late at night. Especially with a bad ankle that likes to swell and hurt at the end of the day.

The more I look at your pictures from BLT, the more excited I get to stay there in Aug. It really will be nice to be so close to MK.

You guys are going to LOVE it !!

Love the pictures of your DD on Dumbo btw. She looks so happy!

I was kinda bummed I missed riding that. I was STUCK over at Splash Mountain since DH had the key to my scooter in the bag - GAH !!

The cinnamon roll looked good.

It was - yummy.

How cute, I never noticed the string on the back of Woody topiary.

I loved that touch

I loved the Rose Grey Goose Slushie.

Me too !! I didn't have enough of them.

Mk looked really crowded on Main Street.

The crowds were nuts at times during this trip.

Nice you got to have a breakfast kid free.

Very rare occurrence.

We played that mini golf course and it is a lot of fun.

Yes it was. Sooo cute !!

WOW! It does look like the rain kept people away.

Going that morning instead of going back to sleep was one of the smartest things we did that trip.

We have the PAP but have never gone to the water parks or Disneyquest.

The water parks are fun. Disneyquest not so much.

Olympus Has Fallen was a good movie.

My boys liked it.

That rice krispy I find amazing also. I could never.

But you are tempted ......

Very nice shopping items you bought.

I have been enjoying all of them.

All caught up.
Uh-oh. What part of AKL?

We stayed in Jambo and it was nice, but I prefer the Kidani rooms.

Thank you for sharing your trip. I enjoyed it.

You're welcome. But it isn't over yet. We have three more days. Stick with me here.

 

[jecskc]

April 5, 2013

Day 6 – Part One

We got up and got everything together for easy transfer and then hopped on the monorail to go to our breakfast ADR at O’hana.

I have wanted to eat here for a long time. Since DD is allergic to peanuts, I have always given pause when booking a dinner because of the peanut sauces they use. I am just so worried about cross contamination and it just doesn’t seem worth it.

Breakfast seemed safe, though so we booked it.







DD was so pleased with the leis.







A few food photos.







For a full dining review of breakfast at O’hana, go HERE.

It was cool and rainy on this morning, so DH wore his fedora. He likes hats. Has a bunch of them. DS put it on so I took a pic and called it his Perry pose.



DD and her maracas



And her Mickey waffle



This was funny. There was a TON of glitter in the chairs at our table. Someone must have gotten a Princess makeover and then came to breakfast before us. DS kept asking if the glitter was sticking to his bottom. It was funny. Me ?? A little glitter never bothered me much.

It rained during breakfast, but by the time we were done eating, it had stopped – YAY !!

We headed back over to the Contemporary and finally found the five legged goat !!





We went back to our Bay Lake Tower room for the last time, got all of our stuff and sadly checked out ….waaaaahhhhh. We were so sad to leave, but the points were so much less to stay at AKL for the rest of the week and we were running low on DVC points, so we moved.



We checked in and our room mojo continued !! Our room was ready !! We stayed in Jambo.



Our room was very dark, so sorry for the dark photos. Living room.



The chair is a sleeper chair, so DD and DS wouldn’t have to share a bed.
The family was right behind me throwing stuff everywhere, but I tried to get photos before they did.



Kitchen



Bathroom – we only had one.





Master Bedroom



Our view



We had a standard view booked, but we thought our view was good. You can see the clouds there. It cleared up and the rest of the trip we had perfect weather !!





Last year we stayed at Kidani and I like the rooms there better. There was so much more room and there were two bathrooms. The Bathroom at Jambo only had a shower/tub combo, while the master bath at Kidani had a separate shower and tub and it was huge !! So I liked that room better. But we were really close to the Mara at Jambo, so there are trade offs for sure. This room was such a sharp contrast to our BLT room. But we liked it well enough. This room could have really benefited from the sliding doors we had at BLT. The hinged doors took up valuable space in an otherwise cramped villa. It was good though, we were comfortable and happy.

 

[KatMark]

No character pictures from Ohana? Your daughter is adorable and your son cracks me up.

The next time we stay AKL (and we hope to do it next year to celebrate Mark and Alisha's 1 year anniversary), I definitely want to do Kidani again. We've never done Jambo, but I LOVED that tub at Kidani.

You are right though...the rooms are dark there. And you got a nice view for a standard view.

 

[jecskc]

No character pictures from Ohana? Your daughter is adorable and your son cracks me up.

The next time we stay AKL (and we hope to do it next year to celebrate Mark and Alisha's 1 year anniversary), I definitely want to do Kidani again. We've never done Jambo, but I LOVED that tub at Kidani.

You are right though...the rooms are dark there. And you got a nice view for a standard view.

You have to go to the dining review to see the character photos. The link should be working now, I just posted it.

I loved Kidani. The rooms were so much bigger and a little brighter. Plus, you have two FULL baths at Kidani. And the master bath is huge !! It was nice being so close to the Mara, though.

I didn't mind the room being dim because I think it is calming. But BLT had such nice ambient lighting.

We were really happy with out view. It was fun to watch all of the people at the pool.