Our 2nd Trip to Disney! Did it Measure Up? (w/pics) **THE END**

[carissanboys]

Hi,
Can I move you over to our regular board? Give me a PM.
OHMARI

Thanks for moving me!

wow when you get going you really get going. great update and pics. We ate at Sci-fi also.
Jake who went with me also wanted his face painted, I said no.
The townhouse looked great. very nice.
the non potty story was eeww.

I just wanted to get Day 3 done. There's so much good stuff ahead!!!!

The face painting was pricey ($15), but I was just so happy that one of my kids wanted it done!

Sorry to gross you out

 

[byoung]

Great report and pictures.

 

[carissanboys]

Great report and pictures.

and thanks!

 

[Liz]

Carissa, I'm all caught up! So much to say!!!

Let's see, the video is hilarious!! I wish you had kept it going! I was LOL at your son's reaction!!!

The pics of them sleeping are adorable! Aren't they just the most precious then?!

Sounded like a pretty rough storm you were in there. I felt so bad for the lady with her small child and baby. That was nice of you to offer a raincoat. I agree, I would have been crying too.

Your accomodations look really nice! Can't wait to see more!

I love that you update often!!! Keep it coming and I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to see YOU in some of the photos!!!

 

[carissanboys]

Carissa, I'm all caught up! So much to say!!!

Let's see, the video is hilarious!! I wish you had kept it going! I was LOL at your son's reaction!!!

The pics of them sleeping are adorable! Aren't they just the most precious then?!

Sounded like a pretty rough storm you were in there. I felt so bad for the lady with her small child and baby. That was nice of you to offer a raincoat. I agree, I would have been crying too.

Your accomodations look really nice! Can't wait to see more!

I love that you update often!!! Keep it coming and I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to see YOU in some of the photos!!!

There aren't many pictures of me since I was the one holding the camera But, I do have two special ones to share along the way.

This TR board moves quicker than the PTR board! I had hoped to post another update today, but I've caught what Owen had (and what Sully has) and have been in bed all day. The vomiting has stopped and I'm feeling a bit better, but still not up to par. I'll hopefully get something up tomorrow.

 

[dddisrunner]

Aww Carissa sorry your not feeling well! Take your time and get better, we'll all be here waiting!

 

[carissanboys]

Aww Carissa sorry your not feeling well! Take your time and get better, we'll all be here waiting!

Thanks

I'm feeling much better this morning, although Sully still has his fever. I'm getting a bit worried about him. He's had a fever since Thursday morning and he has this yucky cough that came out of nowhere (didn't have a cold before it started).

Anyway, I should be able to get an update up soon.

 

[carissanboys]

We woke up to our first full day in our townhouse. It was a bit chilly. You know how it takes a while to figure out what to set the thermostat at when you're in a new place? It doesn't help that the temp varies so much in Orlando!

Owen woke up and was downstairs on the couch looking pretty cold. I gave him my sweatshirt to wear. A while later I spotted him standing around looking like this:

Totally cracked me up!

Our first business of the day was brunch at Boma for 10:00 a.m. We were able to take our time getting ready, eating granola bars to tide us over. But, I decided I'd like us to get there a tad early so that we could look around a bit.

Getting to Boma from our townhouse was VERY quick. The turn for Sherberth Road is right before Animal Kingdom Lodge. We got there with a few minutes to spare so we headed out to the balcony that has those great rocking chairs. Here's a few pictures:

Then it was time to head inside for our meal. I had to use the restroom, so I had Chuck check in for us. I thought of Jordan's restroom pictures and thought this was a neat wall so I took this one to share:

When I came out, they were all being seated at our table. It was DEAD in there!! Very different from when we went last March. Although, shortly after we were seated a large group of cheerleaders from Pennsylvania were seated behind us.

Now, I didn't take many pictures of the meal. I forgot. But, here's the two I did snap inside:

The food, per usual, was awesome!! They have such a great selection here. Tons of pastries, breads, bacon, eggs, including pre-made omelets, lots of fruit, french toast, waffles, pancakes, ham, and even a few traditional African dishes. Last time we hadn't been impressed with the African choices, but this time a woman told me a certain dish was very good so I tried it (I think most of us did, excluding the kids). It was some sausage dish and very flavorful. A little bit went a long way though.

And of course, there's the juice!! So yummy. We all had a couple glasses of that. The food at Boma is high quality. The variety and quality make this place one of our favorites. Maybe someday we'll try dinner.

Important Info

* Brunch at Boma (for 7 people) - $124

Food -

Atmosphere -

Overall - ​

Up Next...Day 4 - Part 2

 

[carissanboys]

After we ate, it was time to head out back for some exploring. On our last trip, some of us spent time out back looking at the animals. This time we all spent at least an hour hanging out. In my opinion, it was a highlight of the trip. If you haven't spent time out back here, I highly recommend it.

I took a ton of pictures of our hour outside.

Before heading outside, I took a picture of this:

There's so many interesting and beautiful things to see inside the lodge. And outside, there are some hidden Mickeys to find!

Can you see it?

How about this one?

Where'd they go?

Lots of these leaf fossils on the ground to discover:

Sully spotted this mother duck and her babies waddling by:

There were lots of these guys hanging out on the rocks, sunning themselves:

And this one was shedding its skin:

We'd been told that the animals were going to come out at 11 a.m. so we were waiting around to see them. We were just about to head out (it was taking longer than they'd said) when we spotted these guys:

On the way out, I grabbed this picture:

A CM that was out there asked if we'd found the Hidden Mickey in the giraffe. Before scrolling down, go back and see if you can spot it.

After a GREAT morning (and the weather was once again gorgeous!), we decided it was time to head back to the townhouse for our rest. That night was to be our big night at the Pirate and Princess Party!!

Important Info

* Spend some time at the Animal Kingdom Lodge exploring (especially out back).​

Up Next...Day 4 - Part 3

 

[Danielle25]

I'm really enjoying your report Carissa. Boy, those hidden mickeys can be really subtle, can't they? We didn't really look for them on our last trip. I'll be on the lookout for them this time!

 

[scottny]

great updates and pics. Looks like a fun morning a AKL. I can't wait to hear how your party was.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

We woke up to our first full day in our townhouse. It was a bit chilly. You know how it takes a while to figure out what to set the thermostat at when you're in a new place? It doesn't help that the temp varies so much in Orlando!

Owen woke up and was downstairs on the couch looking pretty cold. I gave him my sweatshirt to wear. A while later I spotted him standing around looking like this:

Ok, I just started reading the update but had to comment on this before I went any further. When I realized what was going on I laughed out loud and scared my DS! That is so cute and funny! At first I thought he had on some sort of PJ's or thermal underwear.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Great pictures!! Glad to hear that Boma was good. Looks like you guys really had a good time at AKL.

 

[carissanboys]

I'm really enjoying your report Carissa. Boy, those hidden mickeys can be really subtle, can't they? We didn't really look for them on our last trip. I'll be on the lookout for them this time!

Hidden Mickeys are fun! We really didn't see a lot on the last trip either, but that's what happens when you're so overwhelmed with your first visit that you don't get a chance to really look around.

great updates and pics. Looks like a fun morning a AKL. I can't wait to hear how your party was.

The party will be coming up in 2 more entries

Ok, I just started reading the update but had to comment on this before I went any further. When I realized what was going on I laughed out loud and scared my DS! That is so cute and funny! At first I thought he had on some sort of PJ's or thermal underwear.

Isn't he crazy?! That picture cracks me up every time I look at it

Great pictures!! Glad to hear that Boma was good. Looks like you guys really had a good time at AKL.

We had a blast there

 

[pamouselover]

Hi I love all the pictures, and I am finally caught up and wenting more.
The townhouse looks great. I will have to look into that, as our next trip we might be taking more family with us.
Keep it coming........
ohh and the popcorn is the best thing to buy. We got one for free in Sept. because they had no lids. We use it for a popcorn bowl at home, it is a great disney feel.

 

[dddisrunner]

That pic. of Owen is hysterical...clever boy you got there LOVE all your pretty pics! We ate at Boma last trip but for dinner and absolutely LOVED it. The AKL is so neat, especially for boys! Can't wait to hear about the P&PP

 

[carissanboys]

Hi I love all the pictures, and I am finally caught up and wenting more.
The townhouse looks great. I will have to look into that, as our next trip we might be taking more family with us.
Keep it coming........
ohh and the popcorn is the best thing to buy. We got one for free in Sept. because they had no lids. We use it for a popcorn bowl at home, it is a great disney feel.

Having all that space in the townhouse was so nice! And the splash pool (as you will soon read about) was a major plus. Hopefully I'll have at least one more update tomorrow. I have a bunch of errands to run, a powerpoint presentation to start and finish, as well as the Superbowl!!! And Sully is still sick I think he might have the flu.

That pic. of Owen is hysterical...clever boy you got there LOVE all your pretty pics! We ate at Boma last trip but for dinner and absolutely LOVED it. The AKL is so neat, especially for boys! Can't wait to hear about the P&PP

Thanks

 

[carissanboys]

On the way back to the townhouse, my parents needed a few things at the grocery store. Conveniently enough, there was also a souvenir shop next door. So, myself and my gang headed in to look for a few things.

You'll remember that we needed to buy Sully's "girlfriend" a gift. He decided on a very nice hot pink 2008 t-shirt with all of the characters on it (the day after he gave her the t-shirt, she wore it to school ). We also picked up an item for each of their teachers. We got a little Disney picture frame for Sully's teacher and a Disney coffee mug that says "Best Teacher" on it for Owen's. I also picked up a few items for ourselves, such as a magnet (I love magnets for souvenirs because they're inexpensive, but we actually use them and see them every day we're home) and an autograph book. Owen decided he wanted to get autographs this visit so we needed a book that was easy to carry around.

Once our purchases were made, we headed back to the house. We all decided to get in the pool, except for Pepere.

My dad hasn't gone swimming in 20 years. It's just not his thing. Part of it is that he never really learned to swim and I don't think he feels 100% comfortable in the water.

The rest of us were in the pool, having a great time (the water was like bath water since I paid extra to have it heated). Pepere decided to take the plunge and come in

The owners provided a very small raft and two beach balls. Let me tell you. We had SO much fun with those balls!! We'd hit them back and forth or play death tag with them Connor loved to be held up high and hit the ball with his head. We all laughed so hard.

This pool may only be a splash pool, but there were 4 adults and 3 children and it was great. We couldn't do a lot of swimming, but we still really enjoyed ourselves. It's about 5 feet deep around most of the pool so the adults were always fully submerged. There is also a ledge along one side so that the kids had a place to sit/stand. Connor spent most of his time being carried by Chuck or myself. Owen used the raft a lot. And Sully can swim somewhat and he just held on to the side of the pool. There was also a smaller ledge on the other side that had a jet coming out so you could pretend you were in a hot tub

Here are some pictures of our first day in the pool:

This was the only time that I got the camera out during our pool time, but you get the idea. We made it into the pool every single day for at least an hour. Some even went in twice

Important Info

* Souvenirs/gifts - $30

* If you're looking to stay off property, look into a place that has a splash pool. Great fun and feels great after a day in the parks!​

Up Next...Day 4 - Part 4

 

[earthfaries]

I love that picture of Owen in your sweatshirt! At first I thought it was a blanket sleeper That is so funny! It reminds me of the time Trevon came out wearing a pair of Zar's pants. Trevon was 7 and Zar wore 2T. They fit like long jean shorts that come to above the knee. He wanted to know why they had snaps

Kids can be so funny and cute

AK Lodge is the only deluxe resort I would really want to stay in. It is so beautiful and unique. I love it.

You should try Boma for dinner ~ it's incredible. It is our favorite place for breakfast and dinner, breakfast had delicious omelets and dinner is just wonderful.

Thanks for suggesting exploring the resort! I love to explore the resorts at WDW, but never had time to explore that one, we were always rushing to get to out ADR and then leaving afterward because we were tired after a long day at the parks. This next trip in Sept. though we will, that's the kinda stuff we're doing this time

The splash pool is great! That would be so fun to have to yourselves!!! I bet it was wonderful heated, like a giant personal bathtub

I can't wait to hear about the PPP, I have never read about one before and I bet it was really great!!!​

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

Your trip report is amazing.

I stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge last year around May and I absolutely LOVED it!