Practicing to be Parents - 6 nights at AKL:TR w/pics! UPDATED!! DAY 4 w/Harry Potter

[SRUAlmn]

By the way, I have to ask, are you a dancer? Just wondering based on your avatar picture. I teach ballet and pointe, and take just about everything.

I was from the age of 3 through when I graduated from college. I loved it, it was basically my whole life, and it's so hard now that I'm 'old.' We moved to SC and there really aren't any quality adult classes anywhere around here, so I really miss it. I taught during college, but since I teach elem school now, there's less time (and less energy ) Plus, not that I don't love my kids, but once the school day ends, I really don't want to go teach more That's great that you're so involved!! It's so much fun

 

[thumper*]

Enjoy your anniversary.

Enjoyed your first few days looking forward to the rest.

 

[tiggrbaby]

 

[MamaQ]

to the DISboards and welcome to my TR! Hopefully day 3 will be up some time this weekend, but no guarantees. Tomorrow is our actual 5 year anniversary so I don't think I'll be able to get a whole day done! I should probably focus on my DH rather than the DISboards!

Thanks and Happy Anniversary!!!

 

[eecteacher82]

Great update!!!! I feel the same way about Universal...it's just not Disney! We were at Sea World a couple of weeks ago and on the way home we hit DTD for dinner, and my DH said, "wow, everyone here is just so much nicer"! How lucky getting the room upgrade! We love AKL! I think we will wait a few years to stay there again, our goal is to see how close we can get to staying at every resort!

 

[SRUAlmn]

I think we will wait a few years to stay there again, our goal is to see how close we can get to staying at every resort!

That's our goal too!!! It's part of the reason we picked AKL this time. Something new

 

[sjs314]

Happy Anniversary !

Loved the update and pics from your balcony.

I enjoyed US when we went there but that was years ago in the 90's and have not been back since , US is just different than Disney.

We are staying AKL this November , 2nd time for me but will be the 1st time for DH,DS, and Ddil and I can not wait.

 

[lissiesmum]

Happy Anniversary! Hope you two had a nice weekend!

 

[DisneyBelle27]

Enjoy your anniversary.

Enjoyed your first few days looking forward to the rest.

Thanks for all the anniversary wishes! We had a great day. We went to Scotland for our honeymoon so we had a British-themed day for our anniversary! Watched Harry Potter, had Cadbury chocolate, Walker's shortbread, made Shepherd's Pie, had Magners Hard Cider...it was a blast!

Great update!!!! I feel the same way about Universal...it's just not Disney! We were at Sea World a couple of weeks ago and on the way home we hit DTD for dinner, and my DH said, "wow, everyone here is just so much nicer"! How lucky getting the room upgrade! We love AKL! I think we will wait a few years to stay there again, our goal is to see how close we can get to staying at every resort!

That's our goal too!!! It's part of the reason we picked AKL this time. Something new

yeah, I'm Disney through and through! And I would love to stay at every resort...it'll take quite a long time though!

Happy Anniversary !

Loved the update and pics from your balcony.

I enjoyed US when we went there but that was years ago in the 90's and have not been back since , US is just different than Disney.

We are staying AKL this November , 2nd time for me but will be the 1st time for DH,DS, and Ddil and I can not wait.

Thanks! You and your family will have a blast at AKL!

Happy Anniversary! Hope you two had a nice weekend!

Thanks! We had a great time!

We just found out that the sales meeting that my DH has to go to in January is in Orlando... Yeah, we might be planning another WDW trip! This one would be short and cheap though! My DH's airfare would be payed for by his company and we'd probably do Pop with a AAA rate. I also just signed up for the Disney Rewards card and will get 200 Disney Dollars after the 1st purchase so if we can really keep it cheap enough, we might be doing a totally unexpected trip to WDW next January!

Anyway, I should have Day 3 up either this afternoon or tomorrow morning, so keep your eyes peeled!

 

[tiggrbaby]

I love my Disney visa! And any Disney trips have 6 months no interest!

 

[__disneygirl]

Hey there! I was hooked on your TR the minute I saw that first picture of all of you - you just look like you're having the best time ever!

We love AKL sooo much. How awesome to get it for such a great price!

Also, I'm from right near you. Love my fellow Jersey girls.

 

[lissiesmum]

I love the British themed day you had...I think when the last Harry Potter movie debuts I may have to throw a little British themed party and steal some of your ideas! Looking forward to day 3! Glad you had a great anniversary!

 

[DisneyBelle27]

Hey there! I was hooked on your TR the minute I saw that first picture of all of you - you just look like you're having the best time ever!

We love AKL sooo much. How awesome to get it for such a great price!

Also, I'm from right near you. Love my fellow Jersey girls.

Thanks for joining! And it's always great to meet new neighbors! We were having a great time when I took that pic. We were in line to see all the characters at the Character Spot in Epcot.

I love the British themed day you had...I think when the last Harry Potter movie debuts I may have to throw a little British themed party and steal some of your ideas! Looking forward to day 3! Glad you had a great anniversary!

Thanks! I think that sounds like a great idea for a movie debut party!


Ok, day 3 should be coming up fairly soon now!

 

[mermaid764]

Yeahhh so excited to see you'd updated!

Your room at AKL is stunning.....is really making me want to add an extra day to our upcoming vacation to stay there for a night.

Congrats to you and your husband on five years! That is awesome and your anniversary weekend sounded like a blast!

Can't wait to hear how your next day went

 

[DisneyBelle27]

Day 3 - DH's 1st ever SM ride and my explorations through AKL

Ok, day 3 started with us trying to save a little bit of money...we did try a little, I swear...by having granola bars that I had packed with us for breakfast. Then, we met our friends in The Mara and had coffee (if you can actually call that Nescafe crud coffee ) while they had breakfast. After that we all piled in the Suburban and headed out to Magic Kingdom. Remind me not to park there again (not that I likely will since I like to be completely immersed in Disney and probably would never rent a car for us)! Man, is it a pain in the butt! 1st you park, then you take a tram, then you take a monorail or boat.

parking lot tram

So anyway, we get into the park and there's nothing better than that 1st look down Main Street to the castle. I swear, it never gets old!

Our friends take little Emma to the barber shop for her 1st ever haircut while Dom and I go off to ride Pirates, 1 of our faves! I mean, it's a classic! The great thing was that we basically walked onto it. Really, the wait times were not that terrible for most of the rides, considering it was summer and all the kids are out of school. Emma looked adorable after her haircut and didn't even make a big a fuss! She got her certificate, lock of hair, and Mickey ears hat that she kept on for about 10 seconds.

Up next, we all rode the Jungle Cruise together, another classic favorite, and Emma's 1st official Disney ride.

From there we went on to have Dole Whips, a must-do every time we are in MK. Yum! Ben, Blair, and Emma leave to go relax at the hotel and Dom and I continue on to Haunted Mansion, another of our favorites! (Can you tell we're big fans of the classics?)

me, doing what I always do

So this is a pic of what I do on every trip. Somehow, I always end up being the planner/leader/tour guide/whatever on our trips, especially those with Ben and Blair, who are the king and queen of not planning. They are the ones that will normally say, "Ok Katie, what are we doing now?" or, "Tell us where to go." I am also apparently the only one who ever pays attention when it comes to figuring out how to get from point A to point B so I am always the navigator. Good thing I enjoy that kind of stuff! I think I inherited it from my dad.

Anyway, lunch next for Dom and I at Casey's Corner, Dom's fave CS place in MK. He enjoys trying to make the messiest hotdog possible!

Now, I have to tell you, my DH is not a fan of rollercoasters, and the reason is he really hates the sensation of falling, when you can feel it in your stomach. But, he was really frustrated by the fact that he had NEVER ridden Space Mountain (I know, sacrilege ). I kept telling him that there weren't really any big drops on it so he decided that the time had come! We get in line while the wait time is around 40 minutes...not too bad for SM! Unfortunately, my DH has to pee the whole time he is in line. And he felt particularly great while actually riding...I mean, it is certainly not the smoothest of rides! But, in the end, and despite the bladder issues, Dom ended up LOVING it and was so proud of himself! Lastly, we used our FPs from earlier and rode Big Thunder Mtn. Railroad. Another great one!

We hop a bus back to AKL and Dom decides to take a nap and read his book in our room for a while. There's no way I can sit still when I'm in my DREAM Disney resort and I haven't even explored it yet! So I grab my camera and off I go exploring. I go from our room, all the way at the end of Zebra Trail, all the way out to the end of the other side (Kudu Trail) and explore the whole lobby in between, and all the outside places. What a blast! I love AKL!!!

Victoria Falls Lounge, overlooking Boma

The rest of my AKL pics will be in the post right after this, or else I'll exceed my pic post limit!

After my adventure, I hang out with Ben, Blair, & Emma (who is having a burst of crazy energy and is running in circles in her pack n' play ) and Dom joins us in a little bit. An awesome thunderstorm rolls in. We actually see the zebras take off at a sprint when there is a jagged burst of lightning, before we even hear the crack of thunder! Dom and I were going to head back to MK that evening but the rain never lets up. Instead, we have dinner at The Mara (this time I ordered the African Stew, which was quite tasty) and drinks at Victoria Falls Lounge and spend the evening hanging out with Ben and Blair in our room. We even ordered a few more drinks up to our room (what a splurge, room service!) A nice relaxing end to our day!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my latest installment, and will forgive the glut of AKL pics! Next up will be Day 4: We Brave the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Experience AK at Night

 

[DisneyBelle27]

Ok, here's the rest of my AKL pics!

outdoor firepit

all the little details - this is a sign topper outside

thunderstorm rolling in

 

[DisneyBelle27]

Yeahhh so excited to see you'd updated!

Your room at AKL is stunning.....is really making me want to add an extra day to our upcoming vacation to stay there for a night.

Congrats to you and your husband on five years! That is awesome and your anniversary weekend sounded like a blast!

Can't wait to hear how your next day went

Thanks so much!

Yeah, our room was awesome! I definitely recommend staying there!

 

[Big Kid]

What a great fun trip report! I love the title--in hindsight, my wife and I should have gotten a little practice before we jumped into it.

We're also huge AKL fans. So glad that you ended up with a savannah view on your first trip--seeing zebras and giraffes outside the windows always reminds me that we're on vacation.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Yay!!! Love seeing all the AKL pics

 

[mermaid764]

Wow your pics of AKL are beautiful!! Your selling me on this resort more and more lol.

How cute that her first Disney ride was the Jungle Cruise, an awesome first disney experience!

Can't wait to hear more