Let's Watch the Hallucination Show on the Castle- A May '14 TR *12/3 PTR Link to Real Life News

[blabbermouth]

How cool to be so close to be able to just dip into the monorail resorts for a bit before dinner! Sounds like a fun time exploring. The only resort I've really been into there much is the Poly to eat at Captain Cooks. We sat outside though and it was just lovely!

 

[amazingact21]

What a cool gift! Sorry you weren't able to use the Cirque Tickets, but I'm glad your family could.

Beautiful beach sunrise.

Boo to the cracked windshield. Mine got a new crack it in a wee after it was replaced. Talk about bad luck.

Yay for arriving in the world and getting to tour the different resorts.

Yup - I think the Poly DVC is trying to tell you something!

The tickets were such an unexpected surprise. We were really appreciative of the generosity, especially since we weren't even clients.


I feel like with car troubles, it's feast or famine. You go the longest time without any issues, and then all of a sudden it's one thing after another.
That was the whole reason we bought our SUV in the first place. We were just sick of repairing my husband's little coupe every few months.


I wish we could buy into the Poly DVC! Alex would never have any issues getting me to Disney again. But I'm too afraid to think of the point cost for that sort of place.

Aw, sorry that Landon fights his carseat. Izzy often fights getting into hers (she wants to drive, of course ), but she’s generally fine once she’s in, thankfully.

I love Landon taking in the sunrise on the beach. Cute. (5am, not so cute ).

I don’t follow the podcast, but that is awesome that you had a brush with fame! Yay for the DIS! She sounds really nice. Landon looks SO excited in that pic of you and Teresa. How awesome that she gave you such a generous gift! Your luck was turning around (for a bit). Glad you were able to find someone to use them, but too bad you couldn’t. Maybe Landon would have joined the cirque show!

I cannot believe your luck with cars! Ugh, the rock on the windshield. You really can’t make that stuff up. And who would want to?

Ha, Disney transportation is a special toddler treat with the lack of restraints. Izzy sure loved buses for the same reason!

Ahhhhh, the entrance to the Hawaii building!! So many memories…

Yes, isn’t it nice when other people can carry your kid for a bit? I love it!

Nice to have a big empty space for Landon to run around at the Contemporary!

Landon never got over the fact that he could ride a bus and monorail without a seatbelt. He loved it. And, I'll admit, there were a few times we chose to take the bus because we didn't feel like strapping Landon into his seat and then unbuckling him 5 minutes later. He's gotten better about it, but if we are on the road for too long he falls asleep and then doesn't want to go to bed at his normal bedtime.
It's a vicious routine!

Landon seems to have gotten so big since your last TR! Oh my gosh he is just the cutest!

I don't know what it is about your trip reports especially, however yours seem to make me miss Disney so much more than I already do, and you haven't even written about the parks yet! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences with everyone.

Oh, thank you so much! I started writing trip reports because it seemed like a fun way to keep the Disney magic alive after we returned home, and now I find it a great memory keeper. I seem to remember the little moments of my trip better since I write them down.
It's just an incredible plus that there's so many amazing people here on the DIS that follow along with each other's journeys. DISers are some of the nicest people!


Landon did seem to grow up a lot between December and May. It's probably because he learned to walk and was a lot more mobile.
And looking at these May pictures, he looks completely different now. There's no more baby left in him. He's all toddler.

What a crazy start to a trip!

It was pretty nuts! But luckily that was the bumpiest part of our vacation. There were a few more snags, but nothing along the lines of flooding and cracked windhsields!

 

[amazingact21]

One of my fav highlights to Disney trips is exploring the resorts!

I would love to take my Landen to that Alice in Wonderland splash area sometime too. Not sure if I can afford the price tag, however. LOL

I know what you mean about getting to explain Disney to newbies.. I had fun doing that with my MIL and will get to do it again in February. <3

By the way,I finally added an update to my TR.

That splash area just looks like so much fun. But I agree, I'd have to do some creative budgeting to stay there without any kind of DVC points.

The resorts are so much fun to explore. I think because they are all unique and different, it's a special experience at each one.

OMG I honestly did not know there was such a thing as the DIS Welcome Center. I just assumed that Dreams was strictly online based. Very Very Cool!

Aww what a great DISmeet too with Teresa and WOW Cirque tickets???? I might have to visit there.

Bahahahahahaha, Landon straight to the shops. God that made me laugh.

No problem Alicia, just switch your stance to DVC when they include POP.

Alex and I heard the podcasters mention it a couple times on the show, but we never really put two and two together until he saw the sign. Then it was like, "Holy moly! The DIS is a real place!!!"

Oh my gracious! I had no idea that there was a Dis Welcome Center! How have I missed knowing that all these years? How very generous of her to give you guys the Cirque tickets and it's nice that you, even though you couldn't use them, the magic was passed along to others.

I love the resort touring/hopping that you did. I would love to stay at one of the monorail resorts one day but my pocketbook screams every time I price them out.

The DIS Welcome Center was extremely cool, if only because you get to see one of your favorite websites on a billboard and taking up physical space. We definitely got a kick out of going in there.


I agree with you on staying at one of those resorts. I always tell myself, "We could just do a couple nights...then I price it out per night." Even with the generous military discount my jaw drops a little.

Looking forward to reading about this trip!

I feel bad for all the drama you had to go through leading up to the trip, but I'm glad that it all worked out in the end. At least you got to go and have a good time, despite all the headaches.

Congratulations to you and Alex for getting his family more on board with the idea of Disney. I think a nice monorail resort tour is a great way to introduce non-believers.

Thanks for joining in, Andy. It was a crazy week, but in the end, everything worked out one way or another.

I'm not sure Alex's mom is still crazy about Disney, but at least she understands what we mean when we say that even the resorts are immersive and unique and worth staying at. Baby steps.

 

[amazingact21]

That's cool that you stoped at the DIS Welcome Center - I hear it mentioned all the time on the podcast but have never been there. And how cool that you met Teresa! I saw her at the Hershey DISmeet (along with most of the rest of the podcast team) but didn't get to talk to her too much. Did chat with Pete a bit in line and some of the producers. They are all really nice and seem like they legitimately like each other ... and they all seem to like to bust on Teresa (it's not just an on-air thing) and she just rolls with it.

And super nice to give you those tickets and great that it worked out to give your parents as a gift ... a win-win-win scenario!

Yeah for getting on Disney property and riding the Highway in the Sky! I think for toddler boys that is be best attraction in all of Disney ... which does feature "no seatbelts"

I would love to get into those Poly DVCs, must be unbelievable to wake up in those! I feel the same way as you about the GF - though from everyone I have talked to and TR I've read of people staying there they say it actually feels realyl comfortable and not stuffy.

Ok, I am right there is associating "real towels" with a place being nice ... it carries a ton of weight with me if restaurant have real towels - or even fancy paper towels - in rest rooms

Glad you had a great time giving a property tour to your family

The DIS Welcome Center is pretty neat. And it amuses me to no end that it's right around the corner from my in-law's house. When I visiting them in August, I pointed out the building to my mom because we drove by it about a dozen times.


And you are right, the podcasters do seem very nice in real life and they seem to get a long well. Teresa was picking on Craig a little bit, but then she kind of said something along the lines of, "We give him a hard time, but he really is a sweet boy." So I can see them doing the same to Teresa.


No kidding about boys and the monorail. It's like trains...they love them! When I was in the Contemporary in August, Landon was obsessed with the monorails. To the point where I told Alex in an email that we had to stay there next. If I can ever make it to that TR, I have this adorable video of Landon I posted on facebook of him chasing after one of the monorails.

How cool to be so close to be able to just dip into the monorail resorts for a bit before dinner! Sounds like a fun time exploring. The only resort I've really been into there much is the Poly to eat at Captain Cooks. We sat outside though and it was just lovely!

It is pretty fortunate that my in-laws only live about 45 minutes away from Orlando. And two of the siblings actually live right outside the gates to Universal Studios, so they are even closer. Between them in the city and my other in-laws being a bridge away from the cruise terminals, I get pretty spoiled when I'm down there visiting.


The GF is best during the holiday season. In my opinion, it's the best themed holiday resort and I sort of only enjoy visiting it during that time period. Otherwise I feel like the lobby area is missing something to it.

 

[amazingact21]

Monday, May 12th, 2014:



After spending several days in Cape Canaveral with family, it was time for Alex and I to say our goodbyes and head to our next home for the following four nights. Alex was in charge of packing all the bags in the car while I fed Landon and played him out so he'd sleep for the carride over.

I wasn't in a huge rush that morning.

Crazy, I know.


But I had told Alex that I wanted to approach this trip a little differently than the one we took in December. On that one, we'd done and seen everything we possibly could; we thought we wouldn't be back for at least 9 months so we tried to take advantage of all the rides and shows.

Well, this vacation was like a magical bonus for our family, so I wanted to make sure we took things nice and slow. My one caveat to staying at a deluxe resort was that we had take advantage of that resort. No paying deluxe prices only to use the place to sleep and shower.


Alex and I pulled out of our in-law's neighborhood at 10 and by 11 a.m. we were passing under this bad boy:




Nothing says welcome home quite like that big beautiful arch viewed through a bug-splattered windshield.

A cracked windshield.




And following that magnificent sign was another, just as exciting one:





Since resort check-in is typically 3 p.m. and I knew Alex and I would want lunch on property, I planned for us to spend a few hours in a park before heading to our room. I tossed around the idea of going to DHS or MK for a little while, but I ended up at Animal Kingdom.


I love Animal Kingdom, if only because I feel like I can get the Disney experience without riding any attractions. The theme of each part of the park and the details that go into every building, signpost, walkway, etc make Animal Kingdom one of my favorite places to "kill time."

I can walk into AK, not do a single attraction and walk away feeling like I had a great Disney day.

Not to say I don't love the attractions.

On the contrary.

FotLK is my favorite show.

And EE is my favorite coaster to ride at night.

And as of now, AK serves me favorite sweet treat.

But that's getting ahead of myself a bit, so we'll leave it at that for now.



We got ourselves parked and trammed to the entrance of the park and comensed the five minute adventure of tethering the baby to his stroller.



Ready? Ready!

Time to use those Annual Passes again!


Wrists out: Mickey Head Light swirling...Green!

Ahhhhhhhh.

Who doesn't let out the most satisfying breath of air as soon as you officially step into a Disney park? I don't care if it's my one hundredth visit to the Walt Disney World, that excitement and anticipation on the first day will never leave me.


We had three full Disney days (and two half days) ahead of us.

We were at the beginning.

The beginning of another Disney vacation.

It was time to have some fun!



Near the front of the park, not five minutes after we walked in, Alex spotted something we'd never gotten to see before.


DeVine!

We didn't stay and watch her for long- there was a significant crowd already gathered- but we saw enough to be completely awed by her presence. She is such a graceful act. Her beauty and movements really make you stop and stare.
To be able to have a tenth of her composure...



It was well past our lunchtime by that point, so Alex and I wheeled the stroller over to a new restaurant for us.

The Yak & Yeti Quick Service location.

We'd eaten at the actual restaurant in December, and we were a little disappointed with the portion sizes of our meals for the price we paid, so we wanted to give the Quick Service version a chance. Remembering our previous experience, we made sure to each order our own meal.

We got the Honey Chicken, Beef Lo Mein, and 2 Pork Egg Rolls with waters.

Big mistake.

The boxes the food was delivered in were huge!



There was no way in our wildest dreams Alex and I could finish a meal that big.
Maybe now, with Landon eating Kid's Meals we could, but certainly not back in May.


On past trips, I tried to take pictures of all the food before we dug and ate. I was proud of myself for remembering to snap a quick photo before Landon starting fussing.

Unfortunately, I lacked time to double check that the picture turned out.

So, I give you: The top half of our food.

Oopsies.



Landon tried a few bites of the beef lo mein, but he preferred to stick with his food pouch and puffs that afternoon.




Our overall impression of lunch? We thought the pork egg rolls were good. Really good. Probably the best dish on the menu.

The lo mein was typical. You don't get a lot of variety with that particular item.

But the honey chicken?

Not great. I've had to eat this frozen Tai Pei Mango chicken dinner from the supermarket, and the Honey Chicken kind of tasted like that.

Alex did not care for it at all, so I ended up eating more of it than he did.
If we ever eat there in the future, we agreed that one order of lo mein and 4 egg rolls would be enough for us.



I had booked Alex and I Fastpasses at Animal Kingdom that day. I had no idea what our evening plans were, and I wanted to leave them open, so I went ahead and booked some attractions in a park I knew we'd be at.


The first one was not until 12:20, so the two of us killed the time letting Landon walk around the park.




Right away we realized this Disney trip was going to be vastly different from the one in December.

Landon wasn't a tiny little baby anymore.

He was on his way to toddlerdom and wanted to use his recently discovered skill of walking.

All. The. Time.

No stroller for that boy.

If walking was good enough for Mom and Dad, it was good enough for Landon.

Which, wouldn't have been so bad. If Landon had a better grasp on it. But he'd just started walking about 6 weeks prior, and his walk consisted of swerving from right to left, stopping abruptly, and suddenly getting tired and sitting down.


Right in the middle of the sidewalk.

Guests be darned. Landon would jump in front of them or plop down right before a huge crowd began heading his way.


Alex and I were having one heck of a time keeping him out the way. I'm pretty sure we said, "I'm so sorry." "Sorry." "Our apologies." "Oh gosh, I'm sorry." "Landon, you have to moooove!" about a hundred times in the time between lunch and our passes.

At one point, Alex and I caught each other's attention and a "Oh boy!" looked passed between us.

We knew Landon would be mobile.

We just didn't realize what that meant.

When a particularly large group came our way, Alex took Landon to the side and began lathering him up with sunscreen.




Sunscreen's an adventure in its own when you've got a kid with glasses and zero hair on his head.

"Make sure you get his dome."

"I got it."

"Don't forget his ears."

"Got it."

"And behind them. And his neck! Get the neck."

"Got it."



Everything taken care of, Alex and I carried Landon over to our intended destination.

The Mickey and Minnie meet and greet location.

We'd never met the two mouses in their safari gear, and this was the only time we planned on seeing them this trip.
And you can't go to Disney with a kid and NOT see Mickey.


We waited in the Fastpass line for about fifteen minutes. Landon got a little antsy in the line, if only because it was hot and he was frustrated he couldn't get down.

Another change since our last trip.

Man oh man, we hadn't been in the park two hours and we were already experiencing two very different trips.



When it was our turn to see Mickey and Minnie, Alex let Landon go, thinking he'd be happy to be free, but instead he just sat down and stared up at the two characters.

I could tell he wasn't THRILLED with their size. He wasn't in a pre-freak out mode, but he definitely wasn't going to be laughing and smiling at them, either.

Using my mom intuition, I picked Landon up and went in for pictures right away. The less time we spent around Mickey and Minnie, the greater the chance we get away without a meltdown.

In Mickey's defense, he tried:



What are you doing Minnie? I don't trust you, Lady.



So, our Mickey Meet and Greet wasn't the success it was last time, but at least now we knew. All kids go through phases, and Landon was now aware of size and perspectives and I think he knew they weren't supposed to be that big.

I went in knowing what he loved five months earlier could very well be the thing that terrifies him on that trip, so my expectations weren't crushed when the meet didn't go exceptionally well..



Our next FPs were for EE. We went and got a Rider Swap, just in case one of us wanted to ride a second time, and then Alex went first and I found an empty spot to park the stroller and the baby.

Landon had an absolute field day climbing on and off this little rock perch that we were sitting on; in his mind that was the best attraction at Animal Kingdom.

Alex came back after about 15 minutes, and then it was my turn to go.

Hello, baby free time!

Take your time Fastpass line...this mom is about to get her coaster fix.

When I got to the front of the line, I thought about asking for Row 1, but I looked ahead and did some math and figured I wouldn't be at the back, which is my least favorite spot. Luck was with me and I got Row 6. Not too shabby.

I sat next to a little girl who was very chatty. I think she was talking to keep herself calm. On the way up the mountain, she turned to me and said, "This is my 2nd time, but I'm still kinda scared!"

I couldn't help but smile.

"Don't worry, I've been on this ride a lot and I still get scared."

"Really?"

"Here we go. You ready? Hands up!"

She was such fun, and when I got off the ride her parent, who sitting in front of us, turned around and gave me a quiet thank you.

They were a sweet family, and I was very relieved I wasn't stuck next to someone who has no concept of single rider or sitting next to strangers. It seems like I always end up next to a guest who thinks I have the plague or something and tries to melt into their side of the vehicle.

The joys of riding solo, I suppose.



Rejoining Alex, we checked Landon out and decided we needed to get him inside some air conditioning. It was getting pretty hot and muggy out, and we didn't want to overheat him.

So we made our way to the front of the park. Along the way, we found three young adults who we passed off our Rider Swap to.

That is one thing we miss about the old Fastpass system. Giving away a little bit of magic to unsuspecting guests.



We stopped in a shop for a bit. I had seen a really cool phone case that I wanted to try and get, but alas, it was gone.

So what else was there to do?

Hey Landon.... Hey, bud, you ready to check out our resort?



Well then let's go!!




Up Next: So Much Space!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

How fun. Bummer that Landon got all shy guy on you when it came time to meet Mickey and Minnie.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I think your mindset regarding this trip is bang on Alicia. Bonus time (and deluxe stay) deserves to be treated differently than a "normal" trip.

Surprisingly, I feel the same way about Magic Kingdom too. I have spent much time there and not done a single attractions and still felt fulfilled.

Hmmm your Yak & Yeti meals look oddly familiar and yet when I ordered just one month ago, gone were the boxes, and in their place, a plastic plate. I was disappointed.

Hmmm again. Landon's walking is oddly similar to mine this past September.

 

[Joyciemc]

Definitely agree that AK is a wonderful place to just hang out and soak in the themeing. It's also my favorite park to to do solo.


I was laughing at your description of people acting weird when you're the single rider paired with them... I always end up with somene who doesn't even notice me, and tries to sit in the first seat instead of moving over. Then it gets even more awkward when I have to ask them to move and try to explain that 'Single Rider' is a thing.

 

[khertz]

Ah yes, the joys of your toddler learning that don't HAVE to sit in the stroller all the time! I had the same struggles with sunscreen too, as Paxton didn't have much hair until he was about 18 months old. Now it grows like crazy!

Well, it's a shame the Mickey & Minnie meet wasn't all giggles and kisses, but at least he didn't freak out!

 

[vleeth]

My daughter was 1 yr 9 months on her first trip. But we had 9 adults with us, so I didn't carry her around much. I think it was one of my favorite trips. It's such a wonderful thing to see you baby enjoy Disney.

 

[Dugette]

Ha, I feel like the toddling kid version of Disney is the only one I know - I'm sure it would be a bit of a shock to the system after having brought a non-walking baby, though. I think Izzy was about the same on her first trip - walking for maybe a month and a half prior and pretty unsteady, but loving the freedom.

I relate to the character hot-and-cold too. We started with character fondness (Dec.), went to character shyness (June), then went to full-on character love less than three months later (Aug.). Sounds like you had the right mindset going in, through - never know what you'll get with a toddler.

Excited to see the Deluxe Resort unveiling!

 

[blabbermouth]

Oh my gosh, look at him go! He looks way too short to be walking, haha, maybe just comparing him next to Alex!

Well he didn't seem mad about meeting Mickey and Minnie! Glad he found a ledge to play on while you took turns on EE.

Can't wait to see you (hopefully) gush about your fabulous deluxe room!

 

[afwdwfan]

Yeah, I'm sorry that Landon wasn't as into the characters. But your perspective on the situation was 100% accurate. It is just one of those phases. Maybe next time...

And the walking thing, yeah, I get it. I remember on DS's first trip throwing him into the stroller and power walking out of DHS while he was screaming because he was in a full on meltdown over the fact that he wasn't allowed to walk. But he wasn't allowed to walk because mom and dad had lost patience with the slow meandering toddling around and were ready to go get lunch. Oh, yes, the memories we make at Disney World...

 

[amazingact21]

How fun. Bummer that Landon got all shy guy on you when it came time to meet Mickey and Minnie.

I didn't know what to expect with the character interaction, but I did think Landon was still too young to be afraid of them. No big deal, and it saved us time in the future from waiting in meet and greet lines.

I think your mindset regarding this trip is bang on Alicia. Bonus time (and deluxe stay) deserves to be treated differently than a "normal" trip.

Surprisingly, I feel the same way about Magic Kingdom too. I have spent much time there and not done a single attractions and still felt fulfilled.

Hmmm your Yak & Yeti meals look oddly familiar and yet when I ordered just one month ago, gone were the boxes, and in their place, a plastic plate. I was disappointed.

Hmmm again. Landon's walking is oddly similar to mine this past September.

I'm sure I could walk around the MK and get that Disney fullfillment, as well. I just can't go into that park and NOT ride or see something. There's too many goodies there!


Huh, no more boxes. Guess they realized the portion sizes were massive.


Uh oh, I am not 100% sure what you mean about the walking situation in September, but it doesn't sound good. I hope you did not have to sit down in the middle of the sidewalk.

Definitely agree that AK is a wonderful place to just hang out and soak in the themeing. It's also my favorite park to to do solo.


I was laughing at your description of people acting weird when you're the single rider paired with them... I always end up with somene who doesn't even notice me, and tries to sit in the first seat instead of moving over. Then it gets even more awkward when I have to ask them to move and try to explain that 'Single Rider' is a thing.

The adventures of riding solo. I always feel like I'm getting the stare down from strangers for sitting next to them. Like I intentionally hopped up in line specifically to ride with you, Stranger.

 

[amazingact21]

Ah yes, the joys of your toddler learning that don't HAVE to sit in the stroller all the time! I had the same struggles with sunscreen too, as Paxton didn't have much hair until he was about 18 months old. Now it grows like crazy!

Well, it's a shame the Mickey & Minnie meet wasn't all giggles and kisses, but at least he didn't freak out!

The sunscreen is always an adventure, especially since the kid's stuff just kind of sticks where you put it. Very hard to spread it around their head. Not to mention the child never cooperates.
I keep telling myself Landon's hair is going to sprout out overnight. But as it stands he'll be getting his first haircut when he's 3.

My daughter was 1 yr 9 months on her first trip. But we had 9 adults with us, so I didn't carry her around much. I think it was one of my favorite trips. It's such a wonderful thing to see you baby enjoy Disney.

Agreed. You almost fall in love with Disney all over again when you get to see it through the eyes of your kid.
Landon's just shy of 19 months, and I can see how that would be an awesome age to take them into the parks. They are starting to recognize characters and have a pretty developed personality, yet they are still in that adorable "baby" stage.

Ha, I feel like the toddling kid version of Disney is the only one I know - I'm sure it would be a bit of a shock to the system after having brought a non-walking baby, though. I think Izzy was about the same on her first trip - walking for maybe a month and a half prior and pretty unsteady, but loving the freedom.

I relate to the character hot-and-cold too. We started with character fondness (Dec.), went to character shyness (June), then went to full-on character love less than three months later (Aug.). Sounds like you had the right mindset going in, through - never know what you'll get with a toddler.

Excited to see the Deluxe Resort unveiling!

We suspected Landon walking would make traveling harder, but we didn't anticipate him wanting to walk EVERYWHERE. It really slowed us down. To the point where we felt like that was what our whole trip was about. Walking around Disney World.

Oh my gosh, look at him go! He looks way too short to be walking, haha, maybe just comparing him next to Alex!

Well he didn't seem mad about meeting Mickey and Minnie! Glad he found a ledge to play on while you took turns on EE.

Can't wait to see you (hopefully) gush about your fabulous deluxe room!

Oh, I definitely gushed. That update is going to be tons and tons of pictures and me going, "Ahhhhh!"


No, Landon really is a short kid. He's in the bottom 10% for height, and all his friends have about 3 inches on him as of now. Back in May, he was itty bitty and in the bottom 2%. I wanna say he was only about 27 inches in May. That's why all of his shorts look like capris or really short pants.

Yeah, I'm sorry that Landon wasn't as into the characters. But your perspective on the situation was 100% accurate. It is just one of those phases. Maybe next time...

And the walking thing, yeah, I get it. I remember on DS's first trip throwing him into the stroller and power walking out of DHS while he was screaming because he was in a full on meltdown over the fact that he wasn't allowed to walk. But he wasn't allowed to walk because mom and dad had lost patience with the slow meandering toddling around and were ready to go get lunch. Oh, yes, the memories we make at Disney World...

The next trip definitely gave me another new perspective on Landon and the characters, but that's a discussion for another trip report.


Oh, yes, the meltdown in the stroller. I think that's just a rite of passage as a parents touring Disney with a toddler. You'd think we were strapping them into some death contraption.

 

[amazingact21]

Would it be terrible of me to start a PTR while I have two unfinished trip reports still to write? Most likely. So I'll forgo that feat for now and just say that Alex and I have been throwing around the idea of taking one heck of a vacation once he gets home. We're calling it "The Year of the Disney Trifecta." In first place...the Disney cruise that we are 99% positive we're going on. The only variable will be if his family finds a deal too good to pass up on Royal Caribbean. But tentatively, we're planning the Disney Dream for 3-4 nights.

And second place. Well, that's Walt Disney World itself. Sadly, we don't have an actual vacation in the works. It would just be a day trip or two while we are down for the cruise, but that'd be all right. After two great trips (3 for me) in 2013-2014 we are not going to complain about not staying onsite.

Now, third place...that's up in the air. That's the hardest thing for us to pin down. But if the stars align and we DO get to do it, it'd be sometime at the end of April and would be quite the adventure for my little family of three. But I'm afraid it's like Beetlejuice. If I say its name too many times, something unfortunate will appear and squash the thought before it got any grounding, so I'll just end with us saying that 2015 could potentially be one amazing year for us, in terms of Disney.


Okay, back to May, and back to the update I can't wait to write about!



Monday, May 12th, 2014:

It will come as no surprise to anyone who read my December Trip Report which resort Alex and I made our reservation at. We had visited the location for a breakfast, and I fell head over heels in love with the place. Alex had even thrown out a promise that if we came back to WDW right away, he'd make sure I got a room there.

So when Alex began working me to stay deluxe, he had the biggest trump card possible to use. All he had to do was paint a picture in my mind of being a guest here and my resolve vanished.


Where was this resort I'd grown so fond of?

0035 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

That help any?


Here, how about this?

0036 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Yep.

Alex, Landon, and I were staying at the one and only:

Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Ahhhhh!



Between my love of giraffes, Landon's need of space in the room, Alex's love of a big gift shop, and the generous military discount offered, Animal Kingdom Lodge was our first and only choice for deluxe on this particular trip. We were really looking forward to seeing how the bus system worked (we were used to the All Stars, that goes to all 3 locations) and to check out the spacious floor plans.

We knew we could survive in a value room, we'd done it before, but it was going to be fantastic not to have to.


The first order of business, though, was parking.

For people who actually prefer driving to and from the parks, this was an immediate downside to AKL. The parking lot is SO FAR AWAY from the rooms, and finding a decent parking spot is near impossible during the afternoon.


Alex eventually found a spot and squeezed in, and we proceeded to get Landon situated in his stroller.



Hey, look, our swanky not-expected rental car.
I sort of miss it.


The next step?
Check in!

We hadn't done online check-in, because I'd read stories where the new system wasn't going well. Whether that was true or not, I don't know, but we opted not to anyways.

Alex and I were splurging on this Disney vacation. Splurging, but not going overboard. We wanted to have a nice time, not bemoan the cost afterwards, so we had booked a standard room. Of course, we wanted to go with a savannah, but the difference was just too much for us to justify, so we settled.

When we got to the check-in desk, though, the very friendly Cast Member circled our room, wrote down the number and said, "Okay, you guys will be over by the Sunset Savanna, which is a great location. You'll be able to see the giraffes really well."


Wait, WHAT?!

I broke into this massive grin. Like, couldn't even pretend to be discreet.

My 5 year old came out and I was one of those excited youngin's you see walking into Disney going, "We're here! We're really here!!!"



No shame.



Our standard room had been upgraded!
And even better?

We were pretty close to the lobby, which is kind of the hub to everything. Food, buses, pool, etc.


All we had to do was walk down to the end of lobby, take the left hallway, and walk down to the elevators.

0040 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Had to memorialize our trek, you know.

Look children, the first pilgrimage to a Deluxe room.



Down one floor and out the doors, Alex and I veered towards the left and our room was RIGHT THERE.

We were the very first room.

Sweet.

You had the little open area with some artifacts on display, the viewing balcony to the right, and then our room right on the left.


"Open the door, Alex. Make sure this is real and we actually get to go in!"




Holy moly!

The room was spectacular.

Well, I thought it was. The little I saw of it in my perephials.

My main focus was dead ahead.


Straight, straight, straight ahead to the balcony. The unique feature to deluxes. The perch that would welcome my morning cup of coffee, my late night email check, my few minutes of quiet and calm in the afternoon.


Let's see, let's see, let's see!



"Alex! Look at this! LOOK AT THIS!"


The buildings at AKL are kind of set up in a bunch of T shaped buildings. Alex and I were at the corner of one of the T's. At a 90 degree angle to our balcony was another room's balcony facing out, but to our right were the animal areas and open land.

For a standard room, we had a pretty decent view. Was it the best available? Of course not. But was it good enough for us? Oh heck yes.


When I'd felt like I'd gotten enough of my first taste of our AKL view, I finally turned my attention to the room itself.

Incredible.

Alex didn't spend too much time looking around the room because he had a mission to accomplish.


You see, my husband can be...frugal. We'll call it that.

He hates "wasting" money and so when the Cast Member at check-in asked if we wanted bell hop service, Alex scoffed at the idea.

Really scoffed. Like, who did they think he was? He was a young, athletic man in the prime of his life. Why would he pay someone else to do a job he could easily handle?



That was his mindset before.

Before 4 (count 'em, FOUR) trips back and forth to our car.

And it's not as if we had easy stuff to bring up.

We had a Pack & Play (we needed it in Cape Canaveral and Landon's picky about sleeping) a box of diapers, half a box of groceries, two suitcases, a camera bag, P.I.T.A., a case of water, and a miscellaneous bag or two.

It was awful for Alex.

Downright awful.

The Cast Members in the lobby were having a field day watching him go back and forth. They'd wave at him and cheered when he brought the last load back.


Upon entering (close to half an hour later) Alex passed out on a bed and declared, "Next time, we'll pay someone."

Lesson learned, Alex.



Meanwhile, I stayed in the room, keeping an eye on Landon, who was napping in the stroller.

I spent the time taking pictures of anything and everything in the room. I wanted to look back and remember every single detail of our first deluxe room. Down to the light fixtures on the wall.


Well, maybe not that. But everything was so well-themed and beautiful that it was easy to snap a pic or two of them.






Double vanities! Not something you see in Pop...

Actually, I loved that little breakaway room. It came in handy every single day.



SO MUCH SPACE!

I mean, there was a hallway.

What was I going to do with all that room??



Between the door and the closet was a little nook with this dresser:




That was so convenient to have in the room. We stored the boxes of diapers and wipes on top along with the diaper bag at night. Saved us from having to store it on the floor and kept it out of Landon's reach. Plus, the bag was right next to the door in the mornings so we could just grab it as we walked out.





What a cool mirror...





Just in case this update was lacking in toddler photos...




And a shot of the balcony, AKA: my home for the next four nights:




I unpacked all our stuff once Alex returned for good, actually putting away our clothes in the drawers, something I rarely do, because usually we're antsy to get to a park. I set up the whole room and created a system for things like baby snacks and emergency toddler socks.

And I did a little creative rearranging of the room. If I moved the fridge right next to the wall, there was just enough space for me to squeeze one of the chairs between it and the tv stand. I then moved the second chair into the sink area (which then became our "sitting area") and slid the table all the way to the glass door.

If I did that I had just enough room to set up the Pack & Play in that little nook.

It ended up working perfectly, because it prevented the bed from being in the way or blocking any walkways.


The things you have to figure out when you travel with kids...




My room setup was interrupted halfway through by Landon waking up and me going to get him and looking out the window as I bent to retrieve the little guy.

All poor Alex heard was: "GIRAFFES!!!!!"
"Alex, Alex, Alex, Alex...there's so many! GetupGetupGetup and come look!"

I proceeded to post a crazy video to facebook, capturing all four giraffes feeding near our room, and looking back on it all I hear when I watch it is my super excited voice.

Whoever said Disney is just for kids clearly hasn't found their niche in the park.

I'm just sayin'.


My trip was made right then and there. Hands down, one of my favorite moments. Because, as an adult, I can look back and remember that thrill and sheer joy of discovering something immeasurably cool and not a hundred percent guaranteed.
Of course, I'd hoped to see my favorite animal out of my room door. Didn't mean it was going to happen.

But the fact that it did. And all within a couple hours of arriving, when I was still on that first day Disney high, just reinforced to Alex and I that this trip was worth taking.



When I finally got back to the business of settling in, arranging Landon's toys in places and storing the bags under the bed (now that was convenient) Alex wandered upstairs to find the easiest route to Mara, the dining facility.

He came back with a refillable mug he decided to purchase and an AKL treat that we were dying to try.



The famous Zebra Domes!

Yumm-o!

What better way to kick off our unique Disney vacation than with a specialty sweet? Because nothing says vacation like a Disney dessert!

And, yes, the Zebra Domes were worth the hype. They were absolutely delicious!



Up next: Where Do You Think I Wanna Go?

 

[IheartDDuck]

Awesome that you went to the DIS Welcome Center!

I totally would have been starstruck too! They're Disney celebrities!

Wow, tickets to La Nouba! That's a shame that you weren't able to use them yourself though.

I am super excited about the bungalows at the Polynesian, but I'm thinking that we won't be staying there on DVC for quite some time.

Real towels in the bathroom definitely means fancy business.

I absolutely take a satisfied breath when I step into a Disney park for the first time on a trip. It's one of my favorite things on any trip.

I definitely prefer the egg rolls and the fried rice sides at Yak and Yeti.

Landon's face in the meet and greet pictures is too funny. Like "stay away from me!"

AKL is a great resort! I'm looking forward to staying there again in February.

OMG, my Dad used to be the kind that didn't want to pay anyone to carry our bags. Let's just say he's stopped doing that and I am ever so grateful.

Zebra domes are so amazing! Generally I just like dessert, but those are really yum.

 

[vleeth]

How awesome that you got an upgrade that made for a memorable, magical moment.

I know I'm in the minority...but I did not like zebra domes.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

What a magical start to a trip!

 

[Dugette]

Would it be terrible of me to start a PTR while I have two unfinished trip reports still to write?

Oh, gosh, I hope not, since that's exactly what I'm doing.

Yay for Animal Kingdom Lodge!!! We love that place. Next to the Polynesian, it is our favorite place we've stayed. We had a savanna view, which we loved, so I am thrilled you got that upgrade and were able to enjoy giraffes from your balcony! It's pretty amazing to hang out on those balconies. Plus, I loved the room itself. As you said, the decor is great and there's good space. Glad you had a convenient location too - we were way down a long hallway.

And Zebra Domes are a requirement for starting your Animal Kingdom Lodge stay!