Live from AKV Jambo

[izzy]

Well, I wrote this all out last night, and for some reason it never posted, so I'll try again.

I arrived on Sunday around 3, and my room was ready - yeah!! I booked a value studio and scored one of the savanna view studios. Everything was **** and span, with just a few minor issues. I had to call for a dish towel, and I also requested a blender which they quickly brought to my room. My frig is different than others I've had. On this one there is a fairly large separate freezer compartment. Unfortunately the frig had the dickens of a rattle which woke me up several times that first night. Maintenance came yesterday and fiddled with a few wires and voila! no more rattle! They also had to bring me a DVD remote as there wasn't one in the room.

Yesterday I spent about 5 hours at Epcot. It looked crowded but the wait times made me realize that it wasn't. My longest wait was Soarin' which was 15 minutes. The ending of rope drop at Epcot was a non-event for me. I actually preferred the way it's handled now as you don't have the crowd in a mad rush to Soarin'. Wish they would do this at DHS.

Today I mostly hung out around the resort. It is really HOT and HUMID here right now, and I just dont' find the parks as enjoyable when it's like this. So, I hung out by the pool this afternoon, played bingo, and won a big green stuffed snake. (Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?!) I was thinking of going to MNSSHP this evening, but I knew with the humidity that I would be miserable - plus, my trick or treat chocolate candy might melt. The horrors! So, I'll either go on Friday or Sunday.

On Sunday I'm moving over to SSR for my second week. I'll be interested to see how I like it as I've never stayed there before.

Since I'll be at WDW for 2 weeks, I've decided that I'm going to take things a little more slowly than I usually do. I'm usually in the parks every single day for at least 8 hours a day. I'd like to come back from this vacation a little more rested and not feeling like I need a vacation from my vacation!

I'll do my best to check in each day. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

 

[Cee]

I loved Jambo when I stayed there for a solo trip a few years ago. SSR is my absolute favorite resort and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Two whole weeks in WDW! What a dream! Have a blast.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Enjoy! I was in Jambo 2 weeks ago with friends, we had a pool view with the value studio and 2 bedroom.

Did you snack at the food booths at Epcot?

Bobbi

 

[Simba's Mom]

Hey, Izzy-how come we never met here? I'm in a value studio, but a pool view. I really envy you getting the savannah view. I had a savannah view value studio last year and LOVED it. I'm leaving today, so there'll be some butternut squash soup in Mara for you-I highly recommend that. And say "Hi!" to Rose for me there.

 

[mlittig]

Hope you have a magical trip

 

[happyann79]

I think jambo is my new Dvc favorite!

 

[Disney Princess]

2 weeks at Disney World sounds like a dream come true! I agree that it is nice to go home feeling rested and refreshed. Enjoy your afternoons by the pool. We arrive next week, and I can hardly wait!

 

[izzy]

Hey, Izzy-how come we never met here? I'm in a value studio, but a pool view. I really envy you getting the savannah view. I had a savannah view value studio last year and LOVED it. I'm leaving today, so there'll be some butternut squash soup in Mara for you-I highly recommend that. And say "Hi!" to Rose for me there.

I love the value studios!! I've mostly stayed in them, and I think I've gotten the pool view once or twice and the savanna view at least 3 or 4 times. Last year I stayed in value studio for 2 weeks for 146 points (if I'm remembering correctly) and I got the savanna view room for the entire time! Thank you for reminding me about that soup. I forgot about it, so it's now on my list!

Today was another great day. I went to DHS from 9-2 and got all of my major rides and attractions in. I ate at Sci Fi for lunch, and I was a little disappointed. Usually the burgers there are great, but something was different about this one. For one thing it was ground chuck and was very greasy. Plus, it now doesn't have the sauteed onions. The waiter said that those are now 79 cents extra. Not a biggie, but with the taste of the meat not being what I like (very lean with no grease), I suspect this restaurant is now off my list. I did stop by Starring Rolls to get a Butterfinger cupcake. I'm going to eat that tomorrow.

I came back and was by the pool by 2:30. I stayed for about 2 hours just reading and relaxing (and getting a sunburn!) Tonight I went to the Wishes Dessert Buffet, and it was fabulous as usual. I love the new Memories thing that they are doing with the castle. That was awesome! I met some really nice young gals from NC who said that they come here every year to go to MNSSHP. They were a lot of fun.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. I might go to the movies and do a little bit of shopping at the outlets. I got an email that I could get tickets for Kennedy Space Center for $33, so I may check that out to see if I can get tickets for the sometime in the next week. I went to the Space Center about 20 years ago, so I imagine it's time to see it again!

Love bugs were noticeably less today. Yesterday by the pool they were pretty bad. Not too many at all today!

Bobbi, I haven't tried any snacks at Epcot yet. I'll probably go over there quite a few times next week to try out the F&W snacks. That's one of my favorite things to do and why I usually come down here at this time of year!

 

[izzy]

Good heavens, I am really behind in my posting!

Nothing too exciting from last week, although I did do the Keys to the Kingdom tour. That was really interesting! I did the 40th Birthday for the MK on Saturday, but left around noon behind it was wicked crowded. Went back to the resort to do some laundry.

On my soapbox: If you are using the guest laundry facility please keep your eye on the time. I got blessed out by some woman last year because I had waited 20 minutes after a washing machine stopped before I finally pulled her stuff out and put it on the counter. She came in 15 minutes after that complaining about "people touching her stuff." So, this time I didn't touch anyone's "stuff." One washing machine was off for 1 hour and 10 minutes before the woman showed up to take her stuff out. I had to wait for one of my loads to finish before I could put the other load in since I didn't want to get yelled at again. And of the four dryers, two of them held clothes the entire 2 hours and 30 minutes I was there. People, please be more considerate!! Off my soapbox now.

I moved over to SSR on Sunday. My room wasn't ready when I checked in around 10, but that didn't surprise me. I had requested a room in Congress Park, and I got a voice mail around 2:45 that my room (which the CM who checked me in said would have a "pool and Downtown Disney view") was ready. Let's just say that this isn't quite the view I got. I have a sliver of a view of the lake, no view of DD (although I can hear the bass of music), and a fabulous view of a kid's play area and a big pine tree. However, having seen some of the other views people have here of parking lots, I'm not going to complain about my view!

SSR is just OK. It is just too big and spread out for me. Since I'm traveling alone, I prefer more of a "hotel" location from a safety standpoint. The room is OK, but it looks a little worn. Carpet is coming up in places, big chips of wood missing on kitchen cabinet door, dead bugs on the carpet in the corners, and at some time they had to repair the grout on the tile in the tub and did a really cruddy job of it. Plus, what's the deal with not having one of those shower curtain rods that curve out? The tub felt so small because the liner kept hitting me. Given that this bathroom is much bigger than the one at AKV which does have one of those shower curtain rods, there is certainly room for the curved rods here. I know that all of these are petty concerns, and overall the resort truly is just fine. I think I'm just missing my "home" and my animals. I had even started naming some of them - LOL! I guess I'm also not seeing why the SSR rooms are so high point-wise.

Last night I went to MNSSHP and had a wonderful time. Enjoyed all of the rides, shows, parades, and most especially the trick or treating! I stayed until midnight and finally got to sleep around 1:30 a.m. I had a Segway tour scheduled for this morning, so I had to get up around 6:45. Blech. I loved the Segway tour!!! I'd love to own one of those, but I really don't have anywhere that I can use it. I stayed at Epcot until about 2:30 when I started feeling dizzy and off balance. I came on back to the room and slept for a few hours. Obviously it was what I needed because I feel better now.

No real plans for tomorrow. Maybe I'll take it easy and get in some pool time.