Memories of the DREAM come true .. 08/09 All 30 days done!

[Wicket's Mom]

I had my first Mickey bar this last trip & it can't be too cold or too hot to eat one! I want one NOW!!

 

[WDisneyMom]

We really had a lovely first day! ...... and it stayed that way!

It's Disney's fault we fell in love with OKW. In 2006 the only AP discount they would give was for Villa and Deluxe resorts, so we stayed at the Yacht club and then booked a studio at OKW. Got upgraded to a 1 bedroom villa for 9 nights! Needless to say we paid back to Disney as we have never stayed in a studio again! We always pay for the 1 bedroom!

And I am the lucky one who gets the king bed! I do offer to use the pullout bed every time, but Tom claims that he likes to be "closer" to the TV and very comfortable! (and yes, there is one in the bedroom as well ). He has the Jaccuzzi to himself though!




Thanks for checking in! Day 3 coming up shortly.

Sounds like Disney had a plan when they upgraded you!! They knew you wouldn't be able to resist a 1 BR in the future! I have seen other 1 BR's in pics but OKW just looks so spacious.

Lucky duck getting the king bed!! Nice of you to offer sleeping on the pullout

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Great start Karin. I love your pictures.

Every time I see Krispy Kreme, I think of you and Tom. There is nothing better than seeing that flashing sign.

 

[dizneeat]

Love your report! 28 days in Disney, that is a dream!

I am glad you like my report. We always stay a month, as it makes more sense as the flight is really expensive during the summer months.
And we do not mind having a lot of time at Disney!

Great pix as usual, but I especially enjoyed the looks of that Mickey ice cream bar! Just a few more days & I can finally have one of my own!!! Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Thank you, Mary Ellen!
Those Mickey Bars must have some magical ingredients, everyone seems to love them. Hope you can fit a few of them in.

Great pix of the Safari !!We will be doing the special Safari on Friday the 14th!!! Can't wait !!!!

We love the Safari, not so much the spiel, but watching the animals and looking out for Wild Africa Trekkers!
I hope you have lots of fun on your special Safari ... just a few more days to go!

Enjoying your updates! Your WPE meals look delish. And how fun to have a DISmeet! You got some really good safari pics - mine from last year were terrible.

I am glad you enjoy the updates. We LOVE WPE, I could eat there every day.
This was just the first of many DISmeets - we met so many wonderful people this trip - it was unreal!
Oh, and my camera doesn't take very nice pics, but Tom has a better camera and manages to take lots of good pics.

 

[dizneeat]

As long as you eat all the chocolate off that's what really counts!!

I did manage the chocolate, but some of the ice-cream had to be mopped up with a few napkins.

Ok, so you know I have NEVER had a mickey bar? I may have to try one on the next trip... assuming it isn't too cold in December.

You never had one??????? You NEED TO get one in December, they are really wonderful. And it can't be too cold for a Mickey Bar ..........

I had my first Mickey bar this last trip & it can't be too cold or too hot to eat one! I want one NOW!!

for having your first Mickey Bar! They are such a treat! I want one now too!

Sounds like Disney had a plan when they upgraded you!! They knew you wouldn't be able to resist a 1 BR in the future! I have seen other 1 BR's in pics but OKW just looks so spacious.

Lucky duck getting the king bed!! Nice of you to offer sleeping on the pullout

They definitely had a plan ...... They upgraded us a few times, mostly to a water view and now I NEED TO pay for that view every time we stay at a certain resort.
And the upgrade at OKW was awesome. I never thought I would ever be able to afford it, then the thought of staying at a studio and the upgrade to a 1 br! Now we bought into DVC ....... lots more villa resorts to explore!

Great start Karin. I love your pictures.

Every time I see Krispy Kreme, I think of you and Tom. There is nothing better than seeing that flashing sign.

Thank you, Sophia! We took plenty of photos ...... wait for the cruise part, there are even more!
That illuminated sign at KK is such a soothing sight! And we saw it quite often this trip!

 

[tinacaplan]

Ok, so you know I have NEVER had a mickey bar? I may have to try one on the next trip... assuming it isn't too cold in December.

WHAT???

Great Dismeet, Karin. Dismeets are great. They were the one thing missing from my July tirip, but I shouldn't have that same problem in February. And you didn't make evening EMHs at MK? For shame! In all fairness, I didn't make it in July, either.

 

[RGirl]

This was just the first of many DISmeets - we met so many wonderful people this trip - it was unreal!

That is so amazing! I think Disney brings people together. My daughter and I made our first WDW trip last year, and we met up with a woman (and her family) with whom I had been friends for YEARS on-line on a mom-to-be/mom message board. It was amazing - not like meeting someone for the first time at all. And I have a surprise DLR trip planned for my daughter's 5th birthday in 2012 and plans to meet up with another mom from that same board. Really excited about that too! So I totally get how amazing these DIS meets are!

 

[gallmcduck]

Hi coming out of lurkdome Great OKW pics looking forward to your dream pics and your DISMeets

 

[jenseib]

What time were you eating that Mickey bar? 9 AM? LOL!
While you were there, I was making the transfer over to the Yacht Club and off to Epcot...and that day was SOOOOOOO HOT!

 

[KatMark]

Okay, I'm all caught up (finally) with all of my threads. Love the pics of you, Tom and Jen, and your one-bedroom is beautiful.

Your morning at AK looks great too.

 

[dizneeat]

Great Dismeet, Karin. Dismeets are great. They were the one thing missing from my July tirip, but I shouldn't have that same problem in February. And you didn't make evening EMHs at MK? For shame! In all fairness, I didn't make it in July, either.

All of our DISmeets were wonderful. It is just so nice to put a face to the (screen)name.
I guess we will have a very special DISmeet in February, with a very special family ........ cannot wait to hug you again!
We didn't go to the parks very much this vacation at all. Yes, scary I know, but we no longer go to Disney for the rides, it's the atmosphere and the feel of the place.

That is so amazing! I think Disney brings people together. My daughter and I made our first WDW trip last year, and we met up with a woman (and her family) with whom I had been friends for YEARS on-line on a mom-to-be/mom message board. It was amazing - not like meeting someone for the first time at all. And I have a surprise DLR trip planned for my daughter's 5th birthday in 2012 and plans to meet up with another mom from that same board. Really excited about that too! So I totally get how amazing these DIS meets are!

I am very thankful to Disney and the DISboards. We have met a lot of truly wonderful people online, we have met so many Disney lovers in real life and there are still some who we really hope to meet some day soon.
It's so easy to connect if you know you share the same "addiction".

How wonderful that you are going to take your DD to DLRP! ...... and meeting an online friend as well!

Hi coming out of lurkdome Great OKW pics looking forward to your dream pics and your DISMeets

So glad you came out of lurkdome!
There will be loads of pics of the DREAM, she definitely won my heart! More DISmeets to come too!

What time were you eating that Mickey bar? 9 AM? LOL!
While you were there, I was making the transfer over to the Yacht Club and off to Epcot...and that day was SOOOOOOO HOT!

You could be right with around 9am. It was pretty early, but the only chance I got of having one, without it disintegrating because of the heat!

Okay, I'm all caught up (finally) with all of my threads. Love the pics of you, Tom and Jen, and your one-bedroom is beautiful.

Your morning at AK looks great too.

for being caught up! I take my hat off to you for that, as it took me MUCH longer to catch up with mine!
We just love the space OKW's 1 bedroom villas have to offer - and breakfast out on the verandah is just too peaceful to be missed!
But then, Kidani looks mighty inviting as well, and now that we are DVC members .........

 

[dizneeat]

Day 3, August 15

Adventures in the Animal Kingdom and a leisurely dinner at the neighbours - Part 2

Then we were on our way over to Everest, picked up a Fastpass and went straight back to the Safari.
This time the standby wait time had increased a lot and we were happy to be in the Fastpass line. We were assigned another perfect spot on the Safari truck and again, Tom was able to take a lot of photos.

Once we were off the ride it was time to head over to Everest to join the Expedition via Fastpass. We took a short bodily break and after that we spent another snack credit on a Diet Coke to share. Refreshed we walked all the way over to Everest and saw them stall the standby line as there were an aweful lot of people in line. We were welcomed to the Fastpass line

and within 3 minutes were up to the Cast member who assigns the rows. We asked if we could wait for front row and had to step aside, but we got front row on the next train out.

The view from row one is breathtaking and I really love to take photos, so it was perfect!

When we got off the ride, we noticed that the park had filled up quite a bit, so we decided to leave.

But before that we spent ample time in some of the shops and it was quarter to 11 when we went through the turnstiles again. We were both hungry and thought about where to have some lunch.
Since we were so close to the Animal Kingdom, why not try the Mara. We waited for the tram to the car and rode to the parking lot, got in our car, drove over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and parked the car. Once inside the lodge we spent a little time browsing the shop and taking in the lobby, then we walked down to the table service restaurant area and checked the menu for Jiko, where we had a reservation lateron in the trip.

To be continued ..........

 

[jenseib]

Great EE shots!!

 

[gallmcduck]

Beautiful views from everest looks pretty busy, pretty blue skies as well

 

[dizneeat]

Great EE shots!!

Thank you! And they were even taken with my point and shoot!

Beautiful views from everest looks pretty busy, pretty blue skies as well

I just love riding front row as the view is breathtaking. It was becoming pretty busy by then and we didn't linger much longer.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 3, August 15

Adventures in the Animal Kingdom and a leisurely dinner at the neighbours - Part 3

Once inside the lodge we spent a little time browsing the shop and taking in the lobby, then we walked down to the table service restaurant area and checked the menu for Jiko, where we had a reservation lateron in the trip. Around 11.30 we walked into the Mara. We took a good look at the menu, got in line and ordered with a Cast member who was at the very start of the line. She handed us a beeper and we then proceeded towards the self service area to pick up desserts.
We were at the check out getting ready to use some of our counter service credits when the beeper went off and Tom went back to pick up the food. Tom had ordered

the African Stew, which was served in a breadbowl and tasted much better than it looked and I had ordered

the Chicken Flatbread - with corn, mozzarella and zough drizzle. We shared both and both were really nice. Before we started on dessert Tom went back and picked up some more Diet Coke. Tom enjoyed his

fruitbowl while I enjoyed

the Carrot Cake I had ordered. Once we had finished our lunch we walked back into the Animal Kingdom Lodge and headed for the store. Long hair and a convertible just don’t go together all that well, and I had seen a hat I liked and that suited me, so we went to buy it.
Then it was time to walk back to the car. We got in, opened the top and off we went. It was hot and we did not feel like going to a park so we decided to do a little shopping.
We went to Kissimmee and strolled through several of the tourist trap shops, not buying anything, but browsing and exploring. At around 3pm the clouds started to roll in, so we drove back to Old Key West.

We made it into our villa just in time for the heavens to open up. Since the early morning started to catch up with us we parked ourselves on the couch and watched a little TV, enjoying a few snacks out of the fridge.
We had a reservation at Jiko that night, but neither of us really felt like eating there, so we cancelled the reservation and had a look at what else was available close by. We were happy to find that Boatwrights had availability and made a reservation for later that night and decided to rest a little bit more before our ADR.

To be continued ..........

 

[melmar136]

I'm so glad you had a better experience at Mara than we did! Maybe we ordered the wrong thing! Enjoying your report, can't wait for more!

 

[tinacaplan]

Can't wait to hug you, either! The one bonus about planning for a trip in February is that there are so many things to look forward to in the meantime: Halloween, American Thanksgiving, and then Christmas! Once January 1 rolls around, we'll be in Florida again before we know it!

Moving on... can't believe that you're relaxed enough on EE to sit there and take such beautiful pictures. Even though I know what's going to happen, it would still scare me. Mara looks yummy! When I had been thinking about staying there, I thought their menu looked great.

Curious why you skipped Jiko...not that we didn't cancel most of our pre-planned ADRs when we were there in July. Did you discover Disney's new mobile ADR app? Don't know what you have for a phone, but they have one now and I spent a lot of time playing around with it when we were there. Nothing like being able to make and cancel an ADR on your smartphone!

 

[sjs314]

Enjoying reading your TR. Great pics! Can not wait to hear all about your meal at Jiko.

 

[YukiPhnx]

What a great start to your trip! It feels so nice and leisurely.

That DISmeet with Jenseib sounded so nice! I just love meeting DIS friends in real life and hearing more about them. I think the DIS is one of those rare internet forums where you REALLY get to know the people behind the posts because of how detailed our TRs get. I don't feel like any of you are strangers and would meet you all in person if I could!

A Lego store opened up in Toronto recently and I've already joined as a VIP member. Now I'm even more excited about visiting the new store in DtD!

Oooh, African stew. I've never been to Mara but it sounds like it works a little differently than a regular QS place?