Next trip I'm booking a resort w/out a pool! *Pg 25 Final DxDP numbers & last update!

[Chaitali]

Your Jiko meal sounds great! We loved the food at Jiko too but our server wasn't as good as Stephanie. She seemed really distracted all evening. The service wasn't bad but we'd had stellar service at the other restaurants we went to all week so she paled in comparison. I love the photos of your son with Mickey and Minnie, his excitement is so clear

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

It sounds like your meal at Jiko was incredible! We really enjoyed our dinner there as well, I can't wait to go back there again!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Oh how I want to go to Jiko....and now I want to even more! Sounds like an amazing evening...glad you were able to have such a great evening while it sounds like the kiddies had a lot of fun at the Clubhouse too

 

[Aburns8]

I LOVE the new meet and greet for Mickey. It is so cute! I think on our next trip we are going to try Jiko. I have heard it is a must do!

 

[Lidian]

Oh wow... I read your updates, but all I remember is Jiko.

I'm totally down to book it next year. Care to tag along and show me the ropes?

Sounds like a super awesome dinner ... great service and delicious food! And your server has a great name!

 

[__disneygirl]

Oh my what adorable pics with Mickey!!

That scavanger hunt sounds SO fun. Is there an age limit? If not, I am so going to be the 21-year-old creep running around with the kids asking random people how big their feet are.

I think this upcoming trip will be the one where we finally try Jiko, especially after your awesome review - I can't wait any longer! Your waitress sounds like an ANGEL!!! I can't believe all the extra stuff she gave you. This is the kind of service Disney is famous for. I just love when I experience something like that. No one has ever added vodka to my dessert, though, which I am now offended by.

 

[PirateKate]

Dinner at Jiko sounds so great. What a fun night! I'm glad to hear the kids had fun at the kid's club.

Meeting Mickey looked like a lot of fun, too. I hope you get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean at some point during the trip.

 

[rabbitthecat]

Really enjoying your report! My trip was right around the same time as yours and I too was lucky enough to have Stephanie as a server that weekend - she really *is* fantastic! Although I'm jealous of the sorbet she brought you

I'm hoping she's still there during my December trip - can't wait to go back to Jiko!

 

[amandaw]

Loved your update! I think that was a great idea to put the kids in the club & have a date night while y'all were at Disney. And it sounds like y'all had an absolutely wonderful meal. I've never even looked into eating at Jiko, but reading about your experience makes me want to go there. Can't wait to find out whether or not you ever got to ride PoC!

 

[beebeeryan]

Well YAY for Stephanie and a Jiko date night making up for the HDDR and F! fiasco earlier in the trip. Sounds like an amazing dinner.

Your issues with the kids and DH and swimming are similar to my own, although, we always did leave the pool by 4:30 and get back to the parks. Kids would have stayed, but at least DH was on my team.

 

[Moira222]

If I could have gotten away with telling DH shut up and watch the show, I would have. But, alas, DH is just as hard headed as me and if I had forced him to go WWIII would have errupted and it would have ruined the rest of our vacation!
been there, done that, have the tshirt to show for it. I totally have learned when to be tough and when to just leave him alone and do my own thing. that's marriage for ya, right?


Oh and when I read Daine's update about her DH not being hungry for CP, I was lauging to myself since I knew that was coming up in one of my own updates!

You mentioned how Diane trip had some similarities. That's one of my favorite things about reading trs- seeing that others went through the same joys or troubles.

reading TRs is like comparing kid notes -- "oh I'm glad my dd is not the only one who XXXXX"

Cinderella was super excited about DS's name. His name is Jack. And she was telling the kids how that his name was just like the name of one of her best friends...She even pointed him out to the kids:

That is so sweet! I do love how good they are at staying in character.

**Side note: Don't you just LOVE how the characters stay in character even when talking to an adult!?!? I honesly think that this is my ABSOLUTE favorite thing about Disney. It is amazing! How could you not love Disney, just for this one fact?!?

Yes!

Excited, but waiting patiently...

The wait wasn't bad at all (15 minutes) and we were excited to see Mickey and Minnie for our meet and greet!

He is just so CUTE!!!! I love the excitement in his face. Maybe it was a good thing that he got to meet Mickey & Minnie w/o his sister - some solo time!

--BTW I think you have sold me on trying club level. I could do club level and then get QS dining and that would be enough for us. mostly.

First of all, we had the best waitress EVER. She was fantastic!! I cannot say enough about her. Her name was Stephanie. In fact, everyone should run to Jiko the minute they make it to Disney and ask for Stephanie. Only eat there if she can be your server. She is that good! Seriously.



But sadly (for them) we have other plans for the rest of our nights in Disney, so they will have to wait for our next trip to go back...

Wow, she really was awesome!@ so nice to have a date night!

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[Becc1]

Yay for date night! I really need to start taking advantage of my MIL going with us and go out one night with my DH.

Glad you and DS got to see Mickey, we were able to see them with only about a 10 minute wit as well which was shocking because I really thought that the waits there were going to be outrageous!

 

[flipflopmom]

Just spent time with you, your family, and a nice cup of . I'm a VA teacher, too, kindergarten. I have to admit, my first thought was "how in the world did she get vacation right before SOL testing."

Your Hokie colored links drew me in! We are DVC members, and we are leaving Thurs night to drive through the night to WDW. Since DH ended up with some unexpected time off next week, we added a day at AKL. Just recovering from drive, pool time, and exploring, no parks. I know that 24 hours won't be enough to do it justice, but it's a great way to see how we like it. We've eaten at Boma twice, and I've loved the look of the resort, but DH fusses about the location. We own at BLT, and have gotten spoiled to walking to MK and riding the monorail to Epcot, especially since we can leave DD2 in her stroller when she falls asleep.

You've gotten me excited for our day at AKL. Enjoying your TR, I had some of the same issues with the pool, though not to that extend. Last summer, my crew started whining to go to the pool midday, too. I got sooo ticked. Hello, you spend the entire summer in your grandparents pool. Granted, it doesn't have a water slide and all the extras, but still... That kind of changed once our DD - then 3 - rode BTMRR and Splash for the first time. She was all about rides then! I haven't decided if I'm going to try her out on ToT this year. DHS is our last park day, so at least it wouldn't ruin her from other rides for the week. We'll go to MK that night, and a few trips on Splash might erase any scary thoughts she has!

You are so much nicer than I am. I can't imagine the fight that would have ensued if DH refused to go to HDDR. We've done DxDP the past 2 years, once we didn't pay for DD2 b/c she was 2, and DD1 was still a child. Last year, she was 10 and a Disney "Adult", DD2 was 3, so the cost went WAAYYYYYY up! We just couldn't justify this year spending close to 2K to eat for a week, and we were so full, and hot, all the time, nothing tasted good after a while! We're doing regular DDP this year, so I'm interested to see how we think it compares.

Sorry for the book. That's what I get for joining a TR 13 pages in!

 

[AKL LOVER]

Aww, your DS is so adorable, I love that Mickey put that big smile on his face! I wanted to cry when my DS ran up and hugged Mickey.

Jiko sounds amazing!!!!

It is so sweet when kids act like that with the characters! And Jiko was definitely amazing!

You meal at Jiko sounds amazing! I have been dying to try the filet with the mac and cheese but just can't bring myself to spend the money!

That's what I love about being on the dining plan!

i loved Ariel's comment. they are so quick and so clever and never even give the kids a chance to wonder.

ds looked so excited meeting mickey! and i can believe no ears until now. dh thinks once you have a pair, you never need another.

i'm not sure i completely get the lines app. i get that you can check or submit wait times, but i feel that i am missing something out of it.

your server sounds devine! she could sell mcdonalds as five star

The characters really do never miss a beat--LOVE that!

Do you ever use the chat on Lines? I like to check it frequently. It's pretty amusing. And it's easier to use on my phone than the DISboards.

We will be having a late breakfast. My DD will be turning 7 that day...so she is doing BBB before park opening then we are having breakfast at 10:30

Your son is so cute! He looks so thrilled to be meeting Mickey!

And your daughter's new "ears" are adorable!

How nice that you got to have a Disney date!!!

She will have SO much fun doing BBB and then eating at CRT. You will have so much fun watching her!! We did that on our first trip for DD. Enjoy!

Stephanie does sound amazing! Our Jiko server was super nice, but super cautious- he was worried about getting in trouble for making Ben eat his bread to fast; I couldn't imagine him adding vodka to anything

Glad you had an awesome meal!

She tried to talk us into coming back later in the trip...I was so tempted--we had the extra credits after all. But I really had other dinner ADRs that I wanted to keep--one that was new and I was totally excited about. Of course, after a disappointing meal later in the trip, I really wished we HAD gone back to Jiko after all!

Your Jiko meal sounds great! We loved the food at Jiko too but our server wasn't as good as Stephanie. She seemed really distracted all evening. The service wasn't bad but we'd had stellar service at the other restaurants we went to all week so she paled in comparison. I love the photos of your son with Mickey and Minnie, his excitement is so clear

Isn't it funny how sometimes the service can make or break a restaurant for you? We will definitely make Jiko an annual ADR now!

It sounds like your meal at Jiko was incredible! We really enjoyed our dinner there as well, I can't wait to go back there again!

We will definitely be going back again! And asking for Stephanie

 

[AKL LOVER]

Oh how I want to go to Jiko....and now I want to even more! Sounds like an amazing evening...glad you were able to have such a great evening while it sounds like the kiddies had a lot of fun at the Clubhouse too

Sorry to make you want to go there, but it really was THAT GOOD!

I LOVE the new meet and greet for Mickey. It is so cute! I think on our next trip we are going to try Jiko. I have heard it is a must do!

The new meet and greet really is good! And yes, you must do Jiko! See if you can get Stephanie as your server

Oh wow... I read your updates, but all I remember is Jiko.

I'm totally down to book it next year. Care to tag along and show me the ropes?

Sounds like a super awesome dinner ... great service and delicious food! And your server has a great name!

You know what? We've eaten at Jiko before, but this time it was so much better--all because of Stephanie. The best meal we have EVER had at Disney in all of our 4 trips--hands down!

Oh my what adorable pics with Mickey!!

That scavanger hunt sounds SO fun. Is there an age limit? If not, I am so going to be the 21-year-old creep running around with the kids asking random people how big their feet are.

I think this upcoming trip will be the one where we finally try Jiko, especially after your awesome review - I can't wait any longer! Your waitress sounds like an ANGEL!!! I can't believe all the extra stuff she gave you. This is the kind of service Disney is famous for. I just love when I experience something like that. No one has ever added vodka to my dessert, though, which I am now offended by.

I don't know if there was an age limit on the scavanger hunt, but if you wanted to run around and act like a kid and participate in a kids activity, Disney would be the one place that you probably could--and not look like too much of a freak!

And you most certainly should not wait any longer to try Jiko--I hear it calling your name for your upcoming trip!

Dinner at Jiko sounds so great. What a fun night! I'm glad to hear the kids had fun at the kid's club.

Meeting Mickey looked like a lot of fun, too. I hope you get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean at some point during the trip.

I was really worried about not getting to ride it...you'll just have to wait and see!

The kids club was really fantastic--lots of things for the kids to do and the CMs in there were great!

Really enjoying your report! My trip was right around the same time as yours and I too was lucky enough to have Stephanie as a server that weekend - she really *is* fantastic! Although I'm jealous of the sorbet she brought you

I'm hoping she's still there during my December trip - can't wait to go back to Jiko!

I am so glad to find someone else who also had Stephanie and can back up what I said about her. People may have thought I was just making her up b/c she was too good to be true!

Hope you get to have her again in December!!

Loved your update! I think that was a great idea to put the kids in the club & have a date night while y'all were at Disney. And it sounds like y'all had an absolutely wonderful meal. I've never even looked into eating at Jiko, but reading about your experience makes me want to go there. Can't wait to find out whether or not you ever got to ride PoC!

Must go to Jiko. Now. And did I mention, ask for Stephanie??

Well YAY for Stephanie and a Jiko date night making up for the HDDR and F! fiasco earlier in the trip. Sounds like an amazing dinner.

Your issues with the kids and DH and swimming are similar to my own, although, we always did leave the pool by 4:30 and get back to the parks. Kids would have stayed, but at least DH was on my team.

I have to admit, this dinner did help me to forget about my disappointment with missing HDDR. It was a great distraction!

If only I could get DH on boat with going back to the parks...but he was just as happy to stay at the pool or hang out in the CL lounge. Weirdo.

 

[AKL LOVER]

He is just so CUTE!!!! I love the excitement in his face. Maybe it was a good thing that he got to meet Mickey & Minnie w/o his sister - some solo time!

--BTW I think you have sold me on trying club level. I could do club level and then get QS dining and that would be enough for us. mostly.

It was good for DS to have some solo time! And the QS dining plan would be a great pair with a CL stay. We really really really enjoyed staying CL. DH really liked it because the lounge was a nice place to relax at night and you didn't have to feel confined to your room!

joining in

Thanks for joining! Glad to have you along.

Yay for date night! I really need to start taking advantage of my MIL going with us and go out one night with my DH.

Glad you and DS got to see Mickey, we were able to see them with only about a 10 minute wit as well which was shocking because I really thought that the waits there were going to be outrageous!

This was not our first Disney date night, but it was our first time using the clubhouse for the kids. The last time, my mom went with us and we definitely took advantage of having her there. We had dinner at CG and watched Wishes while she stayed with the kids.

Just spent time with you, your family, and a nice cup of . I'm a VA teacher, too, kindergarten. I have to admit, my first thought was "how in the world did she get vacation right before SOL testing."

Your Hokie colored links drew me in! We are DVC members, and we are leaving Thurs night to drive through the night to WDW. Since DH ended up with some unexpected time off next week, we added a day at AKL. Just recovering from drive, pool time, and exploring, no parks. I know that 24 hours won't be enough to do it justice, but it's a great way to see how we like it. We've eaten at Boma twice, and I've loved the look of the resort, but DH fusses about the location. We own at BLT, and have gotten spoiled to walking to MK and riding the monorail to Epcot, especially since we can leave DD2 in her stroller when she falls asleep.

You've gotten me excited for our day at AKL. Enjoying your TR, I had some of the same issues with the pool, though not to that extend. Last summer, my crew started whining to go to the pool midday, too. I got sooo ticked. Hello, you spend the entire summer in your grandparents pool. Granted, it doesn't have a water slide and all the extras, but still... That kind of changed once our DD - then 3 - rode BTMRR and Splash for the first time. She was all about rides then! I haven't decided if I'm going to try her out on ToT this year. DHS is our last park day, so at least it wouldn't ruin her from other rides for the week. We'll go to MK that night, and a few trips on Splash might erase any scary thoughts she has!

You are so much nicer than I am. I can't imagine the fight that would have ensued if DH refused to go to HDDR. We've done DxDP the past 2 years, once we didn't pay for DD2 b/c she was 2, and DD1 was still a child. Last year, she was 10 and a Disney "Adult", DD2 was 3, so the cost went WAAYYYYYY up! We just couldn't justify this year spending close to 2K to eat for a week, and we were so full, and hot, all the time, nothing tasted good after a while! We're doing regular DDP this year, so I'm interested to see how we think it compares.

Sorry for the book. That's what I get for joining a TR 13 pages in!

Thanks for joining! Haha--you caught me--right before SOLs! I know, I know. But I left fabulous plans and had a great sub who was familiar with my curriculum...it was a pain to plan for it, but that was worth it because I was going to Disney!

You are so going to enjoy your day at AKL. I would stay there even for 24 hours (if that was all I had!).

If our numbers come out like I think they will, I'm pretty sure we won't be doing DxDP anymore. Or maybe next time we could do a split stay so we could do DxDp for a couple days and regular DP for the other days.

Definitely try your daughter on ToT if she is up to trying it. I like to encourage my kids to try new things. I'm of the mind set that if my kids want to try it, then I'm not going to stop them. If they end up not liking it, then at least they tried it! I was really surprised when DS tried it...he is a bit of a 'fraidy cat. But he was so brave on the ride. I'd say if your DD likes Splash and BTMRR, then she will at least be brave enough to try ToT!

Good luck!

 

[cadek]

I just read through all of your trip report, and I'm loving it so far! Sorry you had a reason to rant, but it was entertaining. We've all been there.

Poly is the same for us, couldn't imagine staying anywhere else, yet here we are, about to stay at CBR. Of course if it meant getting me there twice in one year, I'm all for it!

We did Sci-Fi for the first time on our last trip, and we loved it. The kids were so quiet the whole time!

I look forward to reading more!

 

[Motocross Tink]

Wow i got really behind! I'm all caught up now though. Sounds like you had a really good day at HS and a good day at MK. Sorry you had to cancel the HDDR ,but I bet Jiko made up for it! I also use LINES! My whole family loves it!

 

[AKL LOVER]

I just read through all of your trip report, and I'm loving it so far! Sorry you had a reason to rant, but it was entertaining. We've all been there.

Poly is the same for us, couldn't imagine staying anywhere else, yet here we are, about to stay at CBR. Of course if it meant getting me there twice in one year, I'm all for it!

We did Sci-Fi for the first time on our last trip, and we loved it. The kids were so quiet the whole time!

I look forward to reading more!

Thanks for joining! Good luck staying at a new resort. You have to let me know how you cope...not sure I'll be able to handle when we finally do stay somewhere else!

We really enjoyed Sci Fi and will probably go back on our next trip.

Wow i got really behind! I'm all caught up now though. Sounds like you had a really good day at HS and a good day at MK. Sorry you had to cancel the HDDR ,but I bet Jiko made up for it! I also use LINES! My whole family loves it!

Good thing I've been a little slow on the updates here recently--I was giving you a chance to catch up.