Plans are made to be broken aren’t they? Our first trip home to AKV

[BigDogHU75]

No Plans – Sort of
Friday, February 13, 2009
Free Day
The Plan:
Dinner at Boma at 6:25 p.m. or see Spectro

What happened:
Everyone in our room decided that we would go to Downtown Disney since we had not been. However, we took our time and did not rush. For the first time since the vacation started, I logged on to the Dis just to check in with my cruise meet thread for the 2009 members cruise. It was a relaxing morning. DS had two breakfasts since we also visited my parents’ room. I also took some pictures of our last full day at our home away from home.

Our view:

By the end of our stay, DS liked to go out on the balcony and line up the chairs.

 

[BigDogHU75]

After our relaxing morning, we headed to DTD. We strolled around and visited the stores. DH & I picked up some gifts to give to co-workers, family, and friends. We also ate at Wolfgang Puck Café. The food was delicious. We had dessert at Ghiradelli’s. Here are a few pictures we took along the way.

DS loved getting splashed by the spitting Stitch.

By the time we finished with our milkshakes, DH was ready to head back to the room but, DMIL, DS, & I still wanted to explore. So, on our way back to the bus stop we stopped in a few more stores and took more pictures.

DH was too through with us.

We did not care.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Finally we made it back to the bus stop and headed back to AKV. Once there, I toured the resort while the rest of the crew headed back to the room.

I also wanted to see what was happening with Kidani construction.

 

[BigDogHU75]

After my tour, I went back to the room & took some final pictures of our home away from home, mainly pictures of the adjoining studio since we had taken pictures of the one bedroom the first day:

I visited my parents for a little while & then went back to the room to finish packing for the next day we would be departing.

 

[MEK]

Enjoyable update. I don't know why I torture myself by reading at work ....I can't see one blessed picture, but I know they are there and I know they are good.....I just know it!

On my last day at Kidani I did the same thing....walked all over an took pictures!

 

[tink1957]

Great update & pics, I really like the one of your DS in the Mickey ears, he looks so cute. Thanks for posting the pics of your room, we were considering renting points at some time in the future & it gives me an idea of what the studio is like.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Enjoyable update. I don't know why I torture myself by reading at work ....I can't see one blessed picture, but I know they are there and I know they are good.....I just know it!

On my last day at Kidani I did the same thing....walked all over an took pictures!

Thank you. Hopefully the pics did not disappoint when you finally got to see them.

Great update & pics, I really like the one of your DS in the Mickey ears, he looks so cute. Thanks for posting the pics of your room, we were considering renting points at some time in the future & it gives me an idea of what the studio is like.

Thank you. IMHO, I thought DS looked cute as well. If you do decide to stay at AKV I am sure you will enjoy it. I was quite surprised at how spacious the studio was.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Departure Day
What can I say? It was departure day – time to leave. There were no plans except to leave by checkout. I really did not want to go but we had to. Both rooms prepared breakfast, a feast fit for a queen and king. After eating, we called bell services who came to get our bags. I took one final picture.

We did a final check of the room, left some food in the refrigerator that we could not take back with us, and closed the door behind us one last time. I purchased a few things from the gift shop for our family friend’s son who would be coming to Disney in June. Then, we said our goodbyes. DMIL & DU hopped into DU’s car, which was not nearly as packed when they arrived, and we hopped into the van. DF headed over to Kidani so I could take some pictures of the outside of the building.

And, then we were headed for home.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was a great trip. There is something to be said about going with the flow. I realized that I did not need to plan everything. I also realized that I could still have fun with or without a plan. But, I would prefer to have a plan.

It was also great to have a big family trip. It made for a memorable time. I hope to share this experience with more family and friends. If all goes as plan we will.

I am also glad that we went when DS was almost 2. Disney is doable and enjoyable with an infant/toddler. It is wonderful seeing Disney through the eyes of a child. No, we did not get to see or ride everything that we wanted but we did not expect to. What we did get was a lot of enjoyment and memories that will last a lifetime.

What I liked best besides being with family was the resort. I liked the bedrooms with the full kitchen. We spent less money on dining out and still enjoyed a meal as a family. It was great to be able to spread out and not feel like you were on top of one another which is important when vacationing with a large group. And, I loved the king size bed.

What I would do differently is spend more time at the resort exploring. There were so many things that I missed but there is always next time.

I really did not dislike anything. This was my first visit to AKV, my first time staying in a deluxe resort, and my first time staying as a DVC member. This was a terrific first experience.

Finally, thank you for sharing my journey with me despite the lapse of time between reports. It has been great reliving our first visit “home.”

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

I'm so glad you had such a great trip. I'm disappointed though that your TR is over, I really enjoyed it!

 

[BigDogHU75]

I'm so glad you had such a great trip. I'm disappointed though that your TR is over, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you very much for reading it. I am disappointed that my TR & trip are over but that just means that I am closer to my next trip.

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Thank you very much for reading it. I am disappointed that my TR & trip are over but that just means that I am closer to my next trip.

Haha, very true!!

 

[Donald is #1]

What a great trip report! I have enjoyed reading it immensely and I will miss it now that it is done. Thanks!

 

[BigDogHU75]

What a great trip report! I have enjoyed reading it immensely and I will miss it now that it is done. Thanks!

Thank you Robbie for sticking with me. I think I am going to do a brief TR when I go on the members cruise but you will be on that with us. I will post pics from our stay before and after the cruise & of the MNSSHP that we will be going to on Sept. 11. I am hoping it will not rain the night of MNSSHP.

 

[Donald is #1]

Thank you Robbie for sticking with me. I think I am going to do a brief TR when I go on the members cruise but you will be on that with us. I will post pics from our stay before and after the cruise & of the MNSSHP that we will be going to on Sept. 11. I am hoping it will not rain the night of MNSSHP.

Awesome! I haven't decided whether I will be writing one or not. For a while I was really good at taking notes but the last couple of trips I haven't done as well.

 

[MaleficentMama]

Loved the TR! Your family seems great! Thanks for sharing!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Glad you had such a great trip! Hopefully there'll be lots more too.

I'm so jealous you have AKV as your home. It's such an amazing resort.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Loved the TR! Your family seems great! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for reading. I have to admit that plans did not go exactly as I expected, it was a great trip. I loved spending time with my family. They are a great bunch of folks.

Glad you had such a great trip! Hopefully there'll be lots more too.

I'm so jealous you have AKV as your home. It's such an amazing resort.

Thank you. I can't wait until the next one. AKV is wonderful resort. But, I am biased since that is the only one of been to thus far. Can't wait to read about your next trip. Thanks for following along.