Our 2nd Shot at the Dream Team -TONS OF PICS. 10/28 New PTR LINK

[MomofCKJ]

Great pics! I am all caught up! Another great Kona review, I've seen a few lately. It sounds great and definately a place to try in the future! The Kona cone looks so fun!

And to you for being able to get your family up and ready so early! Way to go!

It sounds like you had a great week so far, looking forward to the rest!

Allyson

 

[IluvXU]

Sorry that your dinner was not all that great... it is disappointing even if you are not paying out of pocket. The playground looks fun... can't wait for the next day!

 

[Trentmom]

Another great updat!!

Your boat ride sounded like a great way to relax and do some exploring.

I have never stayed at WL either, but would love to in the future. I bet it is beautiful at Christmas, like a rustic old Fashioned Christmas


So sorry you had a horrible dining experience at Tutto Italia..like ya said, thank goodness ya were on the dining plan


Yay for the arcade.....DS fav thing at Disney


I, too love that picture of you and the boys walking back to your room

 

[alan_renfroe]

Based on your report of Tutto Italia, I'm seriously thinking about cancelling my reservation in a couple of weeks. Since we'll be at Epcot during dinner, what would you suggest?

 

[NMAmy]

We made our way into the lobby and it was every bit as beautiful as I imagined it would be! You could tell that the same person designed both the AKL and WL. The lobby is very tall but not as big area wise as I thought it would be. The other major difference is that the restaurants at WL are on the same level as the lobby where at the AKL the lobby is on the 3rd floor and the restaurants are on the first. I don't have much experience never having stayed there but I imagined the lobby at the WL gets very noisy.

It does get a bit noisey when WCC gets going strong. I did like to sit in the lobby and listen to all the fun, though!

The boys passed the time waiting for the bus by pretending to shoot empty water bottles off of the garbage can! They would shoot and Bryan would knock them off, if you could have heard the boys laughing it was sooooo funny!

That made me laugh! What a good dad!

We snapped this pic. along the way...

What a cute picture! Where was this, Diane?

I don't really have much to say other then we were disappointed in this meal.

I'm so sorry to hear this--with all the good food in the WS, I hate when I pick a loser.

Once we got back to the AKL it was actually a little chilly so we told the kids they couldn't swim. They were so upset so we told them we give them each 10 bucks for the arcade! This cheered them up instantly!

Hey, I have absolutely nothing against a little bribery on vacation. If it keeps everyone happy; I am ALL for it!

Excellent installment, my friend!

 

[timandlesley]

Thanks for the update. So glad you were able to check out WL, isn't it great!!! I'm partial. You made me long for our trip there, CAN'T WAIT!!! Sorry Tutto Italia was bad, we have a lunch there and now I'm second guessing it, I was looking forward to it. Thanks for the great updates, can't wait for more

 

[Hanover]

Thanks for the great update. Your pictures are great too.

I agree that Splash Mountain seems to soak everyone a lot more lately. We went on it first thing when we went to MNSSHP and got so soaked I even thought of buying new shorts. When we got up from sitting on the pavement during the parade, you could see our whole family's wet short imprints!

Were you guys at AKL when the power was out during the early morning hours of 4/25? That really scared me to wake up and not be able to see anything until I opened the curtains to let in the moon light. I had no idea what time it was and it was so hot in our room I awoke in my own sweat. I opened the door to the balcony and a lot of people were outside shining flash lights. I called the front desk to find out when the power would be back on and they said I should have received a letter about the routine maintenance and flash lights (I hadn't received either).

 

[dddisrunner]

Sorry to hear about Tutto. So what was your opinion on the WL? We usually stay at BWV or BC because of the walking distance to two of the parks. With a double Jogger the buses are hell. We want to stay at WL or AKV next. However I don't know if I want to wait until the kids are a little bigger they are DS6 DD4 DS2.

Yeah, Tutto wasn't great at all We LOVED the WL. It is beautiful!For you with a double jog stroller, I would choose WL for the convenience of the boat to the MK and you can hop on the monorail from the Mk too!

Great pics! I am all caught up! Another great Kona review, I've seen a few lately. It sounds great and definately a place to try in the future! The Kona cone looks so fun!

And to you for being able to get your family up and ready so early! Way to go!

It sounds like you had a great week so far, looking forward to the rest!

Allyson

The getting up early was easy the first few days but as you'll see in the next installment we needed a little rest! Yes, def. try Kona it is AWESOME!

Sorry that your dinner was not all that great... it is disappointing even if you are not paying out of pocket. The playground looks fun... can't wait for the next day!

Thanks! The kids loved the playground, it was great!

Another great updat!!

Your boat ride sounded like a great way to relax and do some exploring.

I have never stayed at WL either, but would love to in the future. I bet it is beautiful at Christmas, like a rustic old Fashioned Christmas


So sorry you had a horrible dining experience at Tutto Italia..like ya said, thank goodness ya were on the dining plan


Yay for the arcade.....DS fav thing at Disney


I, too love that picture of you and the boys walking back to your room

Yes bribing them with arcade was great! I would love to see the AKL and WL at Christmas, I bet it's BEAUTIFUL!

Based on your report of Tutto Italia, I'm seriously thinking about cancelling my reservation in a couple of weeks. Since we'll be at Epcot during dinner, what would you suggest?

Please don't cancel your ressie solely based on my report. Some people might enjoy it, we just had a bad experience. As far as suggestions go, it might be difficult to get a new ressie at this late date but we LOVE Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco, the atmosphere,service and food are wonderful. You should check out allears.net they have a list of all the menus! Good Luck!

It does get a bit noisey when WCC gets going strong. I did like to sit in the lobby and listen to all the fun, though!



That made me laugh! What a good dad!



What a cute picture! Where was this, Diane?



I'm so sorry to hear this--with all the good food in the WS, I hate when I pick a loser.



Hey, I have absolutely nothing against a little bribery on vacation. If it keeps everyone happy; I am ALL for it!

Excellent installment, my friend!

Hi Amy! That picture of Stitch is in Epcot as you approach the entrance to WS. Thanks for all your sweet compliments!

Thanks for the update. So glad you were able to check out WL, isn't it great!!! I'm partial. You made me long for our trip there, CAN'T WAIT!!! Sorry Tutto Italia was bad, we have a lunch there and now I'm second guessing it, I was looking forward to it. Thanks for the great updates, can't wait for more

We really did love the WL! Update coming soon!

Thanks for the great update. Your pictures are great too.

I agree that Splash Mountain seems to soak everyone a lot more lately. We went on it first thing when we went to MNSSHP and got so soaked I even thought of buying new shorts. When we got up from sitting on the pavement during the parade, you could see our whole family's wet short imprints!

Were you guys at AKL when the power was out during the early morning hours of 4/25? That really scared me to wake up and not be able to see anything until I opened the curtains to let in the moon light. I had no idea what time it was and it was so hot in our room I awoke in my own sweat. I opened the door to the balcony and a lot of people were outside shining flash lights. I called the front desk to find out when the power would be back on and they said I should have received a letter about the routine maintenance and flash lights (I hadn't received either).

Thanks so much! YES we were there during the power outage but we were notified of it! The boys were afraid that we wouldn't wake up on time to go to the parks!

 

[dddisrunner]

DAY 4 Epcot Morning



We all needed some sleep! So instead of waking up at 7am we set the wake up call for 8am instead! WOW! that made abig difference! I put the wake up call on speaker phone and everyone jumped up and started getting ready! Bryan ran down to Mara and grabbed breakfast and by 8:50 we were fed,dressed, sunblocked and out the door! It was another GORGEOUS DAY, not a cloud in the sky and about 84 degrees with a breeze! Can't beat that! So we make it to Epcot by 9:20 not to bad! We fastpassed Test Track and rode Mission Space! Then it was my turn to ride Spaceship Earth. Since the refurb there seems to be a line for this all day long. Sometimes it's just 10 minutes but we saw it up to as long as 40minutes! After riding it, I thought it was cute but definitely not worth waiting 40 minutes. I think 10 would be my max! Then we went to use our FP for Test Track! We just love this ride! We then fastpassed it again! We then made our way over to Innoventions and we took these pics.

The boys participated in the Fire Safety show they have there and they enjoyed it!

After we went over to Figment and rode! This ride NEVER has a wait and it is a nice way to relax! The boys loved the stink room! We then decided to head over to WS for lunch. Bryan and Matthew took the boat, poor Matthew has been so GREAT about walking in the parks so I couldn't complain that he wanted to take the boat! I pushed Eric in the stroller and we met up with Bryan and Matthew on the other side! Bryan had Tangerine Cafe for lunch Now I LOVE Marrakesh but this place smelled disgusting! The boys ate in the good old USA!! We did a terrible job of taking pics. this morning Sorry! After lunch we headed back to Future World to use our last FP'S for Test Track. The boys in line.....being silly!

Then we headed out of the park and back to the AKL for a great afternoon of swimming!

Here we are on the bus, Matthew snoozing!

Eric always wanting to sit in the front!

The funniest thing happened on the way back to AKL. Eric tells me "Mommy, I have to pee" So I said hold it we'll be there soon. Well I didn't know it but he starts singing "I have to pee OOH I have to pee" over and over again. The bus driver out of nowhere pulls off to the side of the road and says to me "You can take him out there to go to the bathroom" Eric looks at me and screams "No Mommy, an alligator will eat me" The bus erupts into laughter and Eric is devastated that everyone is laughing at him but I'm sorry the whole scene was hysterical!!!!!!! I couldn't believe the bus driver would pull over like that!

continued in the next post, our afternoon at AKL and Uzima Springs pool!

 

[dddisrunner]

So we left off arriving back at the AKL! We quickly went to our rooms grabbed our mugs and changed and went down to the pool! The boys immediately ran over to the slide! Bryan and I grabbed drinks from the pool bar!

This is my drink! It's a pina colava and it was AWESOME!

this is Bryan with his.......BEER!

Here are the boys by the lifeguard stand.......

A pic. of the zero entry, which was so nice!

After about an hour the lifeguards announced that the kids could go to the craft activity and make either a pirate or a princess hat, so I took Eric over to participate!

The finished product...

We then went to Mara to share some fruit!

After this it was getting to be time to take showers and get ready for our dinner at Boma We took a few shots around the Lodge on our way up to the room!

This is a small firepit just off the lobby

A pool view from one of the overlooks....

A view from the fifth floor looking towards the savannah...

A closer view of that window from the picture above! This is a floor to ceiling window and it is gorgeous!

Another example of the awesome theming!

A view from the lobby floor looking up!

Coming up next, our AWESOME dinner and some Downtown Disney!

 

[dreamer17555]

That Bus story had me laughing out loud. Poor Kid. That is a story you can torment him with for years to come!

And I have to say AKL is looking like a better choice every day. It is so beautiful! Your pictures are just amazing!

Can't wait to read more!

-Becca-

 

[Trentmom]

What a great update

I bet that hr sure did make a world of difference

Yay for another day of beautiful weather


That is hilarious about bus driver pulling over....a story to save for any future girlfriends of his

He did a great job on the Pirate Hat....awesome!!!

 

[Tanya90210]

What fun shots... that pirate hat is really cool!!!

 

[kathleen27]

Love your bus story
How funny!

What a great pirate hat he made!

 

[kaysmommie]

The Bus story is hilarious . Your vacation sounds like you you got to go at a nice comfortble pace since you stayed 10 days. I would love to do that . The pool pics and pina colava look great too. Did they have activities everyday by the pool and at AKL? How about duck races?? They did them at Poly and my kids loved them! BTW Your trippie is moving right along . Waiting for your DTD dinner update.

 

[addicted2dizney]

Every looks great so far! We stayed at AKL a few years ago and your great photos are really making me miss going there! By any chance did you ever eat the biscuits at the Mara? They looked like traditional southern biscuits but if I remember correctly they had a hint of a citrus like taste. They were like the best things I ever ate and I have never had them anywhere else in WDW! Can't wait for the next chapter!

 

[IluvXU]

Great update! So Spaceship Earth seems to have a line--- good information to know. I wonder how to fit it into our day.

I understand about little legs and walking,nice to take the boat I am sure.

Glad to know the drivers have humor....

I totally love love love you AKL pictures... what a spectacular place.... I am sure the pictures don't do it justice... I really hope we visit it this trip, so maybe we can stay there someday!

You seem to have had good bus service- did you feel so?

 

[SunnieRN]

My back went out and I've been in bed for three days. The whole time I was wondering if you had posted more!! I was so happy to see that you had.
Your men looked stupendous in their matching shirts! Wow, you packed a lot in 1/2 a day at the magic kingdom!!
Love the alligator comment on the bus...poor little man!!
Thanks for a wonderful update!! It's worth typing with a sore back!!

 

[macheath]

Hi!
I just stumbled on to your trip report tonight and wanted to say it is fantastic! I hope I can do as well on my TR when we get back...
I love all the pics. We stayed at AKL in 2006 (savannah view!!!) and seeing all your pics brought back so many great memories. I'm glad you enjoyed AKL as well.
I will be back to see the rest of your TR!
Thanks

 

[dddisrunner]

That Bus story had me laughing out loud. Poor Kid. That is a story you can torment him with for years to come!

And I have to say AKL is looking like a better choice every day. It is so beautiful! Your pictures are just amazing!

Can't wait to read more!

-Becca-

Thanks Becca, that bus ride was too funny! Thanks for all your compliments!

What a great update

I bet that hr sure did make a world of difference

Yay for another day of beautiful weather


That is hilarious about bus driver pulling over....a story to save for any future girlfriends of his

He did a great job on the Pirate Hat....awesome!!!

Thanks Kelly! Yes, that extra hour was well worth it and being that we did Epcot one morning already, it really worked out well!

What fun shots... that pirate hat is really cool!!!

Thanks Tanya!

Love your bus story
How funny!

What a great pirate hat he made!

Thanks Kathleen!

The Bus story is hilarious . Your vacation sounds like you you got to go at a nice comfortble pace since you stayed 10 days. I would love to do that . The pool pics and pina colava look great too. Did they have activities everyday by the pool and at AKL? How about duck races?? They did them at Poly and my kids loved them! BTW Your trippie is moving right along . Waiting for your DTD dinner update.

It was wonderful being there for 10 days! Yes, this was the first time we ever took breaks and it was the best thing! The AKL has tons of activities everyday. I don't recall duck races but they had crafts 2 times a day, cookie decorating, animal watching, and many others!

Every looks great so far! We stayed at AKL a few years ago and your great photos are really making me miss going there! By any chance did you ever eat the biscuits at the Mara? They looked like traditional southern biscuits but if I remember correctly they had a hint of a citrus like taste. They were like the best things I ever ate and I have never had them anywhere else in WDW! Can't wait for the next chapter!

Thank you so much! I am not sure if they still have the biscuits, I don't remember seeing them.

Great update! So Spaceship Earth seems to have a line--- good information to know. I wonder how to fit it into our day.

I understand about little legs and walking,nice to take the boat I am sure.

Glad to know the drivers have humor....

I totally love love love you AKL pictures... what a spectacular place.... I am sure the pictures don't do it justice... I really hope we visit it this trip, so maybe we can stay there someday!

You seem to have had good bus service- did you feel so?

The bus service from AKL is AWESOME! We were there during spring break and never stood. We only waited longer then 10 minutes once! Everyone says it is so far away and I just don't get it? The AKL shares with no one else, it took 5 min. to get to AK, 9 minutes to get to DHS & EPCOT and about 15 minutes to get to MK! It was GREAT!

My back went out and I've been in bed for three days. The whole time I was wondering if you had posted more!! I was so happy to see that you had.
Your men looked stupendous in their matching shirts! Wow, you packed a lot in 1/2 a day at the magic kingdom!!
Love the alligator comment on the bus...poor little man!!
Thanks for a wonderful update!! It's worth typing with a sore back!!

So sorry to hear about your back! Thanks for all your sweet comments and I hope your feeling better soon!

Hi!
I just stumbled on to your trip report tonight and wanted to say it is fantastic! I hope I can do as well on my TR when we get back...
I love all the pics. We stayed at AKL in 2006 (savannah view!!!) and seeing all your pics brought back so many great memories. I'm glad you enjoyed AKL as well.
I will be back to see the rest of your TR!
Thanks

WELCOME! Thank you so much for all your sweet comments! AKL was AWESOME!