More Back from the AKL 10/11-10/18

nicurnc

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 27, 2001
Messages
378
Okay, I know you're all just dying to hear more!

To recap:
We started the trip tired, slept in the lounge, got the ring, had dinner, went to bed.

DH (49) Upgraded to Best-Husband-in-The-World
Me (49) Wearer of Beautiful-Sparkly-Thing

So, what do you do after a start like that? I'll tell ya what. You go have breafast at Cinderella's Castle, that's what
princess:

I have to admit, I felt a little silly about the whole thing. I mean, we're looking at fifty, not traveling with kids and we're gonna eat with princesses. But I'd always wanted to see what it was like and concierge can get those reservations for you. Forget all those split-second,fast-finger-redial games. I just asked concierge and presto! :wizard: we're in!

We were seated by a lovely table by a window looking out over the carosel ( Is that how you spell that?). We could see the whole room from here. Smaller than I had imagined, but really cute! We didn't out number the kids, but we weren't the only adults-only table in there. The princesses are very gracious and even come over to speak with the adults. Got my picture with Belle (my Fav). DH jumped right up when Aurora came to the table. You're my niece's favorite he says. Oh, she a fan of Aurora?, she dimples at him. "Who!?" says DH. "Sleeping Beauty" she says from the corner of her smile. He says, "I don't know, she likes the blue one" She looks confused for a minute, because there are at least three of them wandering around in blue, but she recovered nicely and went on her way. DH saw me smiling and said "What?"
Oh well, his heart is in the right place even if he doesn't know his princesses. He DOES know how to treat them. Besides, he loves Disney and has footed the bill for this whole shebang with nary a whimper ::yes::

Breakfast here was pretty good. It is served family style, all-you-can-eat and they even have a health conscious choice, which I can not tell you about. This IS a vacation ;)

We had a late PS so the crowd was gone as we were leaving, got to chat with Fairy Godmother (these CMs are GOOD..she never broke character...a little weird, but in a fun sort of way ). Also had time to take in the detail in the lobby, look for Jacques and Gus over the fireplace.

When we left, the plan was to stay in the Magic Kingdom. Time to re-plan! The place was mobbed, shoulder to shoulder. What happened? Don't all these people know it is supposed to be the slow time? Okay, FP return times are already for late in the day and standby waits are 60-90 minutes. We decide we are not gonna do lines this trip, but if we do, it'll be for something we haven't seen yet.

So off to EPCOT we go. Made a beeline for Mission Space, got a FP. Went to get on line at Test Track - wait time 90 minutes. Even if we could get a FP, the return time was for 7:45 pm. So instead went spent lots of time at the Living Seas, saw stuff we normally don't take the time for, walked right into HISTA and UOE. Ellen cracks me up every time I see that show. Then it was time for MS!

Now this was the one thing we were truly excited about seeing this trip. We both love sci-fi and wish we could've been astronauts. FP let us run through the cueing area, we decided it would be worth it to stand on line at least once and see everything.

We loved this ride! It was Disney imagination at it's best! My husband was very impressed with the technology. He flew while he was in the Air Force and ran a flight simulator for awhile, he thought this was top notch!

We didn't feel bad during or after this ride. Rode that thing five times before the week was out, got better every time! Never felt the spinning part, not even DH who has suffered with vertigo lately.

What was more troubling were some of the parents we saw while waiting. This happened way too often this trip :(
On our second go round, we saw a dad and his daughter come in from the single rider line. They were separated into different crews. The little girl was placed in the crew next to us. She kept looking over for her dad, who kept telling her you'll be fine. Now, Disney really plays up the whole darkness, motion sickness, fear of small places and spinning aspect and keeps offering chances to back out of the ride. This poor little thing kept looking more and more worried. Finally I asked her if she had ridden before. She shook her head no and looks up at me with big fat tears streaming down her cheeks :( How pitiful is that?! I motioned for a CM to come over, he gets her dad. Daddy dearest then jerks the kid out of line and marchs out, telling her the whole time, you would have been fine, why couldn't you just stay there?

C'mon, guy, now I've ridden before and I'm still feeling a little anxious and I'm really glad I've got someone to hold my hand in the dark. And this guy thinks his kid should ride alone?! What's with people?

Anyway, this is a great ride! I talked several people into going on. And I am a big chicken who won't do TOT or RnR.

We decided to head back to the hotel. Was able to walk right on to Spaceship Earth before we left.

Now to the bus stop. This was our biggest problem all week. We spent a lot of time waiting for buses, both a the park and the hotel, with wait times slightly shorter at the hotel. Don't get me started about how long it took to get back from our dinner at Narcoosee's. Someone said the amount of buses running was less than usual, don't know how anyone would really know this or if it was true, but they could've used a few more.

Anyway, we stopped at the lounge where they have got wine and some really yummy appetizers out. We get some wine and a few nibbles, sink into a sofa and...

...cue knife-stabbing-music ( eee..eee...eeee!!)

We meet the "Scary Family"!:scared1:

Of course, that probably wasn't really their name, in fact, I'm almost sure it wasn't, but that's what we called them. Because, well, they were scary.

Mom, dad and three kids. Sounded like Yankees to me. NJ, most likely. ( Now I can say this because I am in fact,a Yankee. Born in Brooklyn, raised in NJ. That makes us Damn Yankees down here 'cause we never left ;) )

Anyway, mom had that irritating sound some of us can have when we're from that part of the country and when she yelled (which was often), it was nails on the chalkboard.
The kids all ran to get stools and push them in front of the TV, then got sodas and pounds of gummi bears and generally made a mess as they pushed and shoved each other. Mom and dad are oblivious, cuz they're standing there arguing and just eating right of the buffett. No plates, no napkins, no class. Finally, she lets everyone in the lounge know she's gonna take a bath, yells at the kids and schleps outta there.

For those who don't know what schlepping is, let me try to explain. You schlep by scuffing along, barely picking your feet off the ground. Like you walk in bedroom slippers. She always had on some kind of platform flip-flops and walked like this everywhere. No wonder she was so grouchy. I think her feet were killing her.
Unfortunately for us, it seemed like they were gonna be with us most of the week. More on that later.

Made a trip to the gorgeous pool. Stopped in for cordials and truffles at the lounge. I was here only two days and was already getting very spoiled by this. When we got back to the room, the bed had been turned down and there was a gift on the bed. No, not another ring, but a pretty carved giraffe from the concierge staff and a card wishing us a pleasant stay.

We sat out on the balcony and just enjoyed...a great day!

Loretta
 
I sure hope you got a picture of the shoes for Zurg!:)

I would love to do CRT but somehow I don't think my boys 10 and 12 would like this. Might have to be DH and me. Or I can always take a spare niece or firstmickey's DD.

I sounds like you had a great time.:teeth:

You are making me LOL.:bounce:

Keep writing!:p
 
Thank you for another wonderful report. I'm not a ToT or RnRC person, and I'm a little hesitant over M;S. You may have talked me into it.

And as a New Jerseyian, I can say that the MAJORITY of us don't talk "that way", but when you find somebody who does...run for the hills (kind of like all of NJ isn't Port Elizabeth/Newark airport!).

Can't wait to hear about your next day!
 
Loretta,

Thanks for taking the time to write a trip report. It's great! I love reading about the lounge. We will be there Dec. 5. I had to beg my husband to split our stay here with the Poly. He doesn't want to move. I hope AKL is all that everyone says it is and more or I am in big trouble.:p Not really, my husband is a keeper.

Lori
pirate:
 

A&H'sMom - hope you know the NJ digs are tongue-in-cheek ;) Still jersey Girl at heart and I always tell people if they've only seen what they can see from the Turnpike, they're missing out!

Down here, everyone thinks I sound like a Noo Yawka..when we go home, they I all think I sound like a southern belle..go figure!

pirates - you are gonna love the AKL! And split stays are a fun and easy way to get to see a bit more. I was hoping to split this stay between the GF and AKL, but you couldn't do that with the FTP.

Thanks for the kind words about the reports, hope to post more tomorrow.
brernurse - Didn't think to get a picture of the shoes -would've been good, tho :teeth:

Loretta
 
I love reading your trip reports. They are so well written. We are going to WDW in December and our original plans were to stay at AKL, but when other family members decided they were going we switched to CBR so that we would all be in one place. Our next trip though will be AKL. My son is 13 and wants to stay there so bad. Looking forward to your next trip report. :)
 
Thanks so much for another great report....I too got very spoiled by cordials and such on our stay...sigh
 
I have to admit, I felt a little silly about the whole thing. I mean, we're looking at fifty, not traveling with kids and we're gonna eat with princesses.
:rotfl:

"I don't know, she likes the blue one"
:rotfl: :rotfl:

Ya seen one fairy princess, ya seen em all!

Thanks for the great trip reports!:grouphug:

Smoochies,
Marlton Mom :jester:
 
:)

Welcome to the "Giraffe Club"

Some guests don't get them
Some guests do
It's a big mystery
but I have two! :p

Just a little AKL poem...

LOL @ the Jersey Famly, I know the voice you mean, like Fran Drescher (sp) The Nanny?

LOL - great report, super nice hubby :) Looking forward ti hearing more.

>>^..^<<
 
Great report!! Thanks for including us in your trip :wave2:
 
Thanks for reporting. I am enjoying them. My DH and I are planning our 20th for next year, only for 4 nights and I am looking forward to reading more about your anniversary trip.
 
LOL at the Scary Family!! That is too funny!!:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Going to read the rest now.
 
Great report. You should feel very fortunate, it isn't every day that you get to meet the father of the year. Parents like that really rile me up. :mad:
 
Great trip report so far - I'm looking forward to reading the rest!!

It was nice to read about your couple's breakfast with the princesses. DH and I are planning to have breakfast at Cindy's next time we go without our sons. They're 12 and 14, and they'll do lunch in the castle with us, but we'd never get them in there for breakfast!
 





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