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

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Hi. I just started reading your trip report today and I'm hooked! I saw your pictures of AKV and I just told my dad that next time we go to disney we have to stay there, it's not an option! I love the pictures. We're DVC members too but we didn't get to stay at AKV on our last trip, they were all booked but on one of our shorter trips we stayed in a room for a few nights at AKL, I love that resort! We ate at Boma's on that trip too and loved the food and atmosphere. I love your description of your family and the crazy things they do! My grandmother is just like your DM and DMIL, always making food for her grandkids! Your son is adorable too! I can't wait to read more!!

 

[Donald is #1]

Breakfast at Bomas sounds great. I have never had breakfast there because I am not a big breakfast person. I have been there twice for dinner and had awesome meals. But maybe I will need to try them for breakfast on my December trip.

 

[BigDogHU75]

I'm still interested!

I am glad you are still with me.

Umm. These are DISers you are talking to.... !!

We do this all the time!!


Going back to finish reading.... I'm hoping that we will get AKV when I make our DVC ressie next week and I'm so excited to read an AKV report!!


Kathy

Kathy, welcome to my TR. I hope you are able to get a ressie at AKV. It is a beautiful resort and the view are amazing

I love this picture!!! (And I'll bet you do, too!)


Kathy

My DS was going to delete it from her camera and I told her she better not. I love this picture of DS and DF! They adore one another.

YEAH!!! Your back!!!

Not to get ahead of your TR but did you eat a Boma for dinner? If you did how was it? I was thinking of eating there when we were there in March but I ended up changing Boma to something else...... We didn't know if our DD would like all the different food. She is really picky!

Waiting to hear more

Tim

I wanted to eat at Boma's for dinner but we had so much food that I did not get a chance. When I go back in Sept. I will try to eat there. Your trip report has me considering some other options though.

Don't you just love Boma, your pics had my mouth watering(where is that drooling smiley?) I want some Frunch NOW!

I loved Boma! There was something for everybody. My family did not leave disappointed.

Hi. I just started reading your trip report today and I'm hooked! I saw your pictures of AKV and I just told my dad that next time we go to disney we have to stay there, it's not an option! I love the pictures. We're DVC members too but we didn't get to stay at AKV on our last trip, they were all booked but on one of our shorter trips we stayed in a room for a few nights at AKL, I love that resort! We ate at Boma's on that trip too and loved the food and atmosphere. I love your description of your family and the crazy things they do! My grandmother is just like your DM and DMIL, always making food for her grandkids! Your son is adorable too! I can't wait to read more!!

Welcome to my TR! I think DS is so adorable too. I could just eat him up. Thank you for the compliment.
You're right there is no other option. You have to stay at AKV for at least a week so that you can experience fully what AKV has to offer. And, even a week was too short for us. I really wanted to do so much more at AKV but did not have the time.

Breakfast at Bomas sounds great. I have never had breakfast there because I am not a big breakfast person. I have been there twice for dinner and had awesome meals. But maybe I will need to try them for breakfast on my December trip.

You cannot go wrong with a Boma breakfast even if you are not a big breakfast eater. You would just want to taste a little bit of everything. And, maybe you could have a late breakfast there. I would have loved to experience dinner there. The food smelled delicious every time I walked passed there in the evening. I might try to eat there when we stay there after the member's cruise in Sept.

 

[BigDogHU75]

I had already packed the bags and DS’s stroller the previous night. I also made sure I had the autograph cards that I found on the DIS & printed out.

Thank you to Chaoscent and Ljcollins_2008 (don’t know if that is her Disboards screen name)

We all grabbed our belongings and headed to the bus stop. Once we were in the lobby, however, I noticed a Photopass photographer so, I decided that we needed to stop and take a group picture.

Now it was time to head to the bus stop. But, when we got outside DMIL2 needed to head to her car to see if she had her military ID. So, we soaked in the sun and waited for her to return. The weather was gorgeous. The sun was shining and the temperature was just right.

After she came back, we finally headed to the bus stop. The bus for Epcot did not take long. We only waited about 10 minutes. The ride was not bad either.

Once at Epcot, we purchased our tickets and headed inside. It was a little after noon and we were finally at our first park - Epcot.

Though I had a plan as to what I wanted to do, the others wanted to enjoy the day. So, I acquiesced and went with the flow.

One of the mantras of one of the touring websites I visited was “Ride first, characters later.” Well, we did just the opposite. The first character we saw, we wanted to take a picture with. That character was Baloo.

We next headed over to Spaceship Earth.

The wait was only 10 minutes. So, I parked the stroller among the sea of strollers and we all got in line. The line moved quickly and in no time we were inside and seated in our cars. Everyone enjoyed the ride and got a kick out of the ending. However, while we were on the ride it came to a complete stop for about five minutes. I thought DS would start to cry because we were stopped in the dark room where it seems as if you are looking at shooting stars. But, DS was fine. He kept looking at the lights.

After Spaceship Earth, we made our way over to the World Showcase. Now, I knew that DS liked to walk so I brought this “backpack” for him.

The aforementioned backpack on DS’s back
The backpack was mainly for me because I thought I would be ble to exercise a little control over DS while he was walking. Well, DS did not like the "control mechanism" on the bakpack (or should I call it what it really is - a leash) one bit. He would take a few steps and then notice that I was holding on to part of his backpack and flipped out. So much for my brilliant idea.

On our way to the World Showcase, we stopped at Club Cool. Now, I had read on the Disboards about this drink called the Beverly. I knew I did not want to try it but I made DH try it. He had no idea what to expect. He had tried some of the other drinks and liked it. But, when he tried the Beverly his face told me that he did not like it. DF & DMIL tried it too and their facial expressions were hysterical.

When we arrived at WS, we stopped to enjoy the scenery and take some pictures.

We went to Mexico, explored inside the pyramid, and rode the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. The ride was cute. DS enjoyed seeing “duck.” By the time we made it to China, DS made it known to everyone that he was not happy. I figured out that he was hungry. So, I made a fast break to Lotus Blossom Café where we ordered a BBQ chicken leg kids meal for DS which came with a milk, one order of egg rolls, and 2 smoothies (1 mango 7 1 strawberry). The total came to $21.24. The sauce on the chicken leg was very yummy but DS was not in the mood for it so I ate it. He did eat some of the rice and drank his milk. Once he settled down, we decided that it was time to head back to the bus stop since DS was still not in a great mood and some were getting tired of all the walking. But, we managed to take some pictures in the WS.

On our walk back, DS seemed to relax a little so I decided that we should head to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. While walking on the bridge between WS and Future World we noticed a big fish in the water which my DU wanted to take back to the room and fry it up.

We made it to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The wait was only 5 minutes. Before entering we took some more pictures.

We tried to get DS to turn around and smile for the camera but he was more interested in looking at the water and the seagulls.

Though the stated wait time was 5 minutes, we walked right onto the ride. Nemo & Friends was a cute ride. DS enjoyed it. We next visited the aquarium. DS enjoyed a looking at the fish and manatee for a brief moment.

Would DS be interested in seeing the dolphins?

 

[KathyRN137]

After Spaceship Earth, we made our way over to the World Showcase. Now, I knew that DS liked to walk so I brought this “backpack” for him.

The aforementioned backpack on DS’s back
The backpack was mainly for me because I thought I would be ble to exercise a little control over DS while he was walking. Well, DS did not like the "control mechanism" on the bakpack (or should I call it what it really is - a leash) one bit. He would take a few steps and then notice that I was holding on to part of his backpack and flipped out. So much for my brilliant idea.

Our kids are too smart for us, aren't they??

Oh well!!

Looking forward to more...


Kathy

 

[Lan]

I am enjoying your trip report. I can't wait to read more.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Our kids are too smart for us, aren't they??

Oh well!!

Looking forward to more...


Kathy

They certainly are. I thought one thing and DS had other ideas. I really did not think he would protest about the leash. It is amazing to watch DS develop. Sometimes I wonder where did he learn that from.

I am enjoying your trip report. I can't wait to read more.

Thank you and welcome.

 

[BigDogHU75]

DS was not interested in seeing the dolphin show. He was tired and wanted to go. Others, however, wanted to see the show. So, I took DS and sat on a bench to try to calm him down and maybe put him to sleep but he was fighting it. He was not a happy camper and neither was I. I tried to gather our group but lost them in the crowd around the tank. They did take some pictures of the dolphins.

After the dolphin show, it was time to head back “home.” I was moving full speed ahead to the bus stop until we passed the window of the Epcot Character Spot. That is when DS saw Minnie and Mickey through the window. Minnie was at the window waving to a little girl passing by and DS wanted her attention. He pressed his hands up against the window waiting for Minnie. I was surprised Minnie did not have a line. Mickey was busy taking pictures. I wanted to go in but figured DS would not last another minute. We continued towards the main entrance but we stopped again. DH had been searching for Photopass photographers all day since we had prepaid for the photo CD. We did not see any in the WS and we did not see any when we entered the park. Well, we saw some when we were leaving and had to take some pictures.

After our Epcot photo session we made it to the bus stop for AKV which was a distance from the entrance. We did not have to wait too long for a bus. We hoped on and headed back to our resort.

Once in our rooms, I laid DS down for a night and took a rest myself. During that time, DH’s brother came for a visit. He hadn’t seen DS since he was about 6 weeks old. When DS & I woke up everyone was out on the balcony enjoying the view so DS & I joined them.

DS & I stayed out on the balcony for a little bit. Then we went in to have dinner. Dinner consisted of turkey, macaroni & cheese, cranberry sauce, and a vegetable. It was delicious and much needed after a long day. After dinner we sat around and watched some TV and talked. After a little while, we ventured down to the lobby to walk DFIL & DMIL2 out and of course had to stop to take some pictures (which was becoming our nightly ritual).

We then explored the resort a little more before heading back upstairs to rest for our Animal Kingdom Day.

 

[Donald is #1]

More great pictures! The photographer in the lobby really took some great pictures for you!

 

[KathyRN137]

Great pix! Wow! What a view from your balcony! Was DS really interested in seeing the animals, or was he too young?

I'm laughing at DMom/DMIL preparing "Thanksgiving Dinner" while on vacation!!

Ah, well. Food is Love, right??


Kathy

 

[MEK]

Thanks for your TR. Your DS is sooooo adorable. Thanks for posting th akl pics. I am looking forward to my stay there in June. Can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Oh, I love the savanna pictures! That was one of my favorite things about staying there even though in May the construction was still going on so our view wasn't that great. But it was still neat going out onto the other observation decks and watching the animals.

 

[BigDogHU75]

Monday, February 9, 2009
Thanks everyone for reading my TR. I will respond individually to all who posted later this eveing. Now on the the report. I hope you enjoy.
The Plan:
8:10 a.m. reservation for breakfast at Donald’s Safari Breakfast @ AK. Enjoy the park after breakfast. There were three things that I wanted to do at AK – ride Kilimanjaro Safaris and see “It’s a Bug Life”, “Finding Nemo – the Musical” and the “Festival of the Lion King.” Sadly, I would only get to do one.

What happened:
The night before, I wanted to move our AK day to Friday since we had such a long day at Epcot. In addition, the touring plans suggested to avoid this park in the morning since it had EMH. Of course, when I was planning the itinerary this was a good day to tour the park but Disney changed the hours on me. However, DMIL2 really wanted to visit AK and she and DFIL would be leaving Wednesday. So, I decided that we would cancel the breakfast and arrive at AK in the afternoon. I REALLY wanted to have breakfast at the park though since that is where DH & I ate on our honeymoon. Oh well! This was the new and improved me going with the flow or at least trying.

Needless to say, everybody slept in since we were all tired after our Epcot day. When we got up, DMIL made breakfast which consisted of sausage, eggs, pancakes, and grits which DS enjoyed. Now, do you remember me telling you that some mornings, DS would eat breakfast twice? Well, this was one of those mornings. After breakfast, DS & I went to my parents and uncle’s room where they were just sitting down for breakfast. DM had cooked grits, eggs, sausage, and biscuits. DS wanted to eat again and DM was only happy to oblige. I have to admit that breakfast is DS’s favorite meal.

After breakfast, we waited for DFIL & DMIL2. Then we headed to the bus stop. On our way to the bus stop, someone had to go to the car so we stopped near the entrance once again to wait for that person to return.

While waiting, a fellow diser noticed DH. It was Boosgram. She came up to DH and started talking to him. DH was looking at her like who is this woman. I immediately knew who it was. We gave each other a hug, I introduced her and her DH to the group, and we began chatting. We were hoping to run into each other during the trip and we did. We were so busy talking that we did not even stop to take a picture. We walked down to the bus stop together and went our separate ways. She and her husband were headed to Epcot.

The bus to AK arrived in about five minutes and we were at AK in no time flat.

We arrived a little after noon. The weather was gorgeous and the park was not too crowded. We took a leisurely stroll on our way to Africa and stopped along the way for pictures.

We also stopped for some refreshing treats.

DS had his first taste of a Mickey Bar & thoroughly enjoyed it.

We made our way to Kilimanjaro Safaris. The posted wait time was only 20 minutes so we hopped in line. It took about 20 minutes to get in the truck but the ride was worth it. There were a lot of animals out except for the lions that were sleeping in the shade between some rocks. We only saw a lion’s paw.

Will we scare away the poachers! More pictures from our safari adventure will be in the next post.

 

[BigDogHU75]

More great pictures! The photographer in the lobby really took some great pictures for you!

I was very pleased with the photographers' pictures. It was like having a personal photo shoot at the resort.

Great pix! Wow! What a view from your balcony! Was DS really interested in seeing the animals, or was he too young?

I'm laughing at DMom/DMIL preparing "Thanksgiving Dinner" while on vacation!!

Ah, well. Food is Love, right??


Kathy

He was interested in the animals somewhat. He really liked the giraffes and the birds because he can say those workds. The other animals he didn't pay attention to. He was having more fun rearranging the chairs and sitting on the balcony than anything else.

Thanks for your TR. Your DS is sooooo adorable. Thanks for posting th akl pics. I am looking forward to my stay there in June. Can't wait to read more about your trip!

Thank you for reading my TR and for the compliment. I am sure you will enjoy your stay in June. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Oh, I love the savanna pictures! That was one of my favorite things about staying there even though in May the construction was still going on so our view wasn't that great. But it was still neat going out onto the other observation decks and watching the animals.

I enjoyed the savanna view too. It was wonderful waking up and coming back to the resort seeing all the animals. I cannot say it enough but it is so peaceful sitting out on the balcony watching the animals and enjoying the view.

 

[BigDogHU75]

More pictures from Kilimanjaro Safaris

And, we helped capture the poachers!
After riding Kilimanjaro Safaris, it was time for a bathroom break. Plus, DS was ready for a snack. My DU & DM did some shopping in Mombasa Marketplace and had the items that they purchased shipped backed to the resort.

Our next stop was Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We hopped on the Wildlife Express Train and were on our way.

By the time we arrived, other people in our group were ready for a snack or something to drink so before entering Conservation Station we stopped for some water, soda, and a couple of hot dogs. During this time, DS decided he would rather take a nap than go to the petting zoo. He walked over to my DM, climbed in her lap, got comfortable, and went to sleep.

DF stayed outside with DM while the rest of us went inside.

Jiminy Cricket and Rafiki were inside. I posed with Rafiki while DH chose to take a picture with a baby reptile of some sort.

We then went outside to the petting zoo.

CMs were discussing some of the animals so we took a seat and watched the presentation.

 

[MadiMouse]

Okay, I just found this TR and I am loving it already. Okay, I'm going back to

 

[MadiMouse]

Okay, are we related? I love the big family trips too and boy do I have some stories from WDW?

Ummmm...did ya'll just have Thanksgiving dinner at the AKL on vacation? And big Breakfast in the mornings???

Seriously, I need to vacation with ya'll!

 

[william4192]

DMIL was not going to allow her grandson to go hungry. She told everybody that she would be cooking hot dogs and turkey burgers. She barely settled in before she started fixing food her child, I mean her grandchild.

She is welcome to come on ANY of my Disney Trips. Man, cooking before unpacked. Now that is my type of Woman!

 

[KathyRN137]

During this time, DS decided he would rather take a nap than go to the petting zoo. He walked over to my DM, climbed in her lap, got comfortable, and went to sleep.

Awww. Grandma's lap....always the best seat in the house!!

BigDog..... (why does it sound so wrong to call you that?!!)...

We got our ressie for AKL ~ Kidani Village for this November!!!

I am thrilled and so excited to see your beautiful pictures of the resort!

Thank you!


Kathy

 

[BigDogHU75]

Okay, I just found this TR and I am loving it already. Okay, I'm going back to

Welcome & thank you for the love.

Okay, are we related? I love the big family trips too and boy do I have some stories from WDW?

Ummmm...did ya'll just have Thanksgiving dinner at the AKL on vacation? And big Breakfast in the mornings???

Seriously, I need to vacation with ya'll!

Yes, we had Thanksgiving dinner at AKV. I could no believe it. And, the best breakfasts were always in our rooms. If you and a whole other were there, you could have joined us. We had food for days. Neither mom knows how to cook for a small group.

She is welcome to come on ANY of my Disney Trips. Man, cooking before unpacked. Now that is my type of Woman!

We certainly appreciated her on this trip. She is a wonderful grandmother.

Awww. Grandma's lap....always the best seat in the house!!

BigDog..... (why does it sound so wrong to call you that?!!)...

We got our ressie for AKL ~ Kidani Village for this November!!!

I am thrilled and so excited to see your beautiful pictures of the resort!

Thank you!


Kathy

Call me Marsha. BigDog is my DH. I used a username that he could remember if he ever wanted to log on.

DS was very comfortable on his grandmother's lap and she was in heaven just holding him because he is usually on the go.

Congrats on your ressie. We will be at Kidani in Sept. for two days I will take plenty pics of the resort.