Resorts, Relatives & Restaurants - and a 3 day cruise!

[disneylovin24]

O O O that TrendD store looks great!!! I can't wait to check it out next month!!

Can't wait for more! I want to see the BLT pictures!!! I'll be staying there in 30 days

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Ooooh! I just can't wait to hear about the meet between 2 of my favourite DIS friends! Where and when does it happen? Please tell us more!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

WOW!!! What an amazing day! And it isn't even 6pm yet! Cruising the Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Clubs, checking in at a surprise resort, lunch and shopping at a DTD and then Christmas crafts at the AKL!!! My kids would be exhausted from the sheer excitement of that day! What an awesome fun exciting day!

MORE? Please!

Yeah, it was quite a busy day for all of us!

Can't wait to see all your souvie pics! AKL is so pretty and you had an amazing view from your room!

It was so cool to be there!! I could have sat for hours on that balcony! I have to spend some quality time with photobucket so I can do a souvie post!

O O O that TrendD store looks great!!! I can't wait to check it out next month!!

Can't wait for more! I want to see the BLT pictures!!! I'll be staying there in 30 days

Oh I hope you have a great trip! I'll try to post some BLT pictures this week so you can have a look. What kind of room are you staying in? We had a studio. The TrenD store was so cool - I could have spent a lot of money there! But I saved it all for WoD!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Ooooh! I just can't wait to hear about the meet between 2 of my favourite DIS friends! Where and when does it happen? Please tell us more!

My, my, aren't you the impatient one!! Don't you love surprises?? It's coming soon - but I have so much information to share, you'll just have to wait! I can't rush this thing. I need to drag it out so I don't feel so bad that I'm not going back this winter!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Love that Mickey jingle bell wreath! Too cute!

Wow! AKL is just GORGEOUS decorated for Christmas! That tree is just huge!!! How neat that they had ornaments the girls could make! They have the best crafts at AKL!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Love that Mickey jingle bell wreath! Too cute!

Wow! AKL is just GORGEOUS decorated for Christmas! That tree is just huge!!! How neat that they had ornaments the girls could make! They have the best crafts at AKL!

yes, the ornaments they made hung on our tree this year. I learned about the crafts from reading your June TR and Chelesea's little box! So I made sure to read about all the resort activities and lucked out that there was something they could do during our short stay!
The ornaments on that tree were so cool. Big balls with animal prints, baskets, masks. Amazing!!

 

[crzyred]

LOVE those ornaments that the girls made!!!!

 

[MAGGIED]

Your photos are beautiful.... I love the huge tree at AKL... it s beautiful.....

 

[Lady Lallie]

I love the little giraffes the girls made. They are so cute and colorful.

AKL is really beautiful. I can't wait to see it in a FEW SHORT DAYS!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

WOW what great updates! Sounds like you got lots of shopping done. We got this same exact wreath!!

Love all the DTD pics and the AKL lobby is just beautiful!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Whooo I am behind! Where do I begin........... Loved the resort tour! I have to get over to the Boardwalk/Beach Club area. It is so beautiful. The gingerbread stuff is amazing!

Loved the window displays. Just makes me want to go back right now!!

You got to stay at AKL! That place is so awesome! It would be at the top of my list of places to stay for sure!

Your girls are just adorable. They look so happy. Who can blame them! I'd be happy on this trip too! Can't wait for more!

 

[Panotchr]

I love the picture of your girls where they are imitating Pluto and Goofy from the store window! That is so cute! Even with a hole in the pants.

Love it!

 

[ladybugmom]

Yay for LOTS of shopping!! One of my favorite things to do!! And WOW--AKL is beautifully decorated for Christmas!! And the view from your room is phenomenal!!

 

[drakes]

So the AKL pics are up
We have been before for a meal at Boma and the lobby impressed us then, it was nighttime so it was very dark, so I am excited to see it in the daylight and the animals! As well I love their gift shop.
We're planning a resort day while there so DD can get in the crafts etc they have. I had read about the ornaments, so it's nice to see the girls making those.
11 more days for me and I will be there!

We are thinking about a 3 day cruise in the fall, so I am reading your report to see how you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing

 

[Monny2AE]

Love the AKL pics! My kdis would be in heaven with those bunkbeds! Maybe next trip we'll have bunk beds.

Your girls are funny- too cute acting out the window scenes!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Could your girls be any cuter??? Love all the posing in front of the windows in DTD!! AKL is so beautiful, I know my DH wants to stay there someday, he likes the thought of looking out the balcony at animals, the decor in there is just breathtaking! Also fun to see the cute projects the girls did, what a nice homemade souvenir, I hope both the ornaments made it home okay

 

[trixiequilts]

Look at the characters swinging around! And the Mickey ears water tower!

Those two pieces are Department 56 and I think I recognized some more off to the side, too.

They could be yours!

Heehee. I learned how to insert a link.



Loved, loved, loved the resort pics!!! I felt like I was there! Sometimes pics just don't make you feel that way, but yours certainly did!

Ahhh, AKL. My favorite place in the world. I hope I took a pic of the zebra chair on the balcony...I can't imagine I wouldn't have, but if I didn't, I'll need to steal yours. Do you mind?

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Whooo I am behind! Where do I begin........... Loved the resort tour! I have to get over to the Boardwalk/Beach Club area. It is so beautiful. The gingerbread stuff is amazing!

Loved the window displays. Just makes me want to go back right now!!

You got to stay at AKL! That place is so awesome! It would be at the top of my list of places to stay for sure!

Your girls are just adorable. They look so happy. Who can blame them! I'd be happy on this trip too! Can't wait for more!

Thank you so much - I loved AKL!! Someday a longer stay would be nice! The girls really had a lot of fun despite us running all over the place.

I love the picture of your girls where they are imitating Pluto and Goofy from the store window! That is so cute! Even with a hole in the pants.

Love it!

Yeah, it was Sarah's idea to pose like that. She's a big poser when she wants to be in a picture. I don't think there's too many more pictures of those pants left!!

Yay for LOTS of shopping!! One of my favorite things to do!! And WOW--AKL is beautifully decorated for Christmas!! And the view from your room is phenomenal!!

I went a little nuts on the shopping this trip. All that Christmas stuff is one of my weaknesses. I was really impressed with the resort decorations. Yup, I loved that view.

So the AKL pics are up
We have been before for a meal at Boma and the lobby impressed us then, it was nighttime so it was very dark, so I am excited to see it in the daylight and the animals! As well I love their gift shop.
We're planning a resort day while there so DD can get in the crafts etc they have. I had read about the ornaments, so it's nice to see the girls making those.
11 more days for me and I will be there!

We are thinking about a 3 day cruise in the fall, so I am reading your report to see how you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing

I hope you have an awesome stay at AKL - there's really a lot to do there - be sure to check your activities schedule in your room! I probably won't get to the cruise part until after your trip - so be sure to check in when you get back. Plus I want to hear about your trip!

Love the AKL pics! My kdis would be in heaven with those bunkbeds! Maybe next trip we'll have bunk beds.

Your girls are funny- too cute acting out the window scenes!

Yeah, the bunk beds were a big hit. I just had to keep them from jumping off the top! You should try AKL next time! Sarah's the idea girl behind acting out the scenes. Clever kid!

Could your girls be any cuter??? Love all the posing in front of the windows in DTD!! AKL is so beautiful, I know my DH wants to stay there someday, he likes the thought of looking out the balcony at animals, the decor in there is just breathtaking! Also fun to see the cute projects the girls did, what a nice homemade souvenir, I hope both the ornaments made it home okay

Oh thank you! The ornaments did make it home and were hung promptly on the tree. They are now safely secured in the ornament box awaiting next year when I have a dedicated real Disney tree! I did buy an awful lot of ornaments, and we already had plenty!

Those two pieces are Department 56 and I think I recognized some more off to the side, too.

They could be yours!

Heehee. I learned how to insert a link.



Loved, loved, loved the resort pics!!! I felt like I was there! Sometimes pics just don't make you feel that way, but yours certainly did!

Ahhh, AKL. My favorite place in the world. I hope I took a pic of the zebra chair on the balcony...I can't imagine I wouldn't have, but if I didn't, I'll need to steal yours. Do you mind?

Trixie - you're too funny! Congrats on the link. We do have a Dept. 56 village (the original)! I was thinking when we were there that it reminded me of that too. Thanks for the compliments on the pictures. We got a new camera since our last trip and the pictures are way better. More settings and I learned how to use them! HA! You may steal any of my pictures!

I should have an update up today. We might actually get inside a park!! I just have so much stuff to share - lunch at Kona and BLT will be next!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Sunday 12/6/09

Well, we woke up and promptly looked out from our balcony to see who else was up. It was such a beautiful morning, if a bit cool. We knew it would warm up! At AKL they put an info sheet in your room with pictures and descriptions of all the animals so you can check off how many of them you see. It was so fun - we saw giraffes, gazelles, wildebeest, some kind of cattle (I wish I had the sheet with me at work for reference! HA!) and a bunch of birds too. We made a little pot of coffee in the room and got all showered etc. The girls just got dressed and looked outside!
We headed down to The Mara for breakfast around 9. We all shared, but got two kids meals with a waffle and bacon, a bagel and cream cheese and a chocolate croissant (mostly for me). It was all I could do not to eat zebra domes for breakfast! Total was $15.09.
After wandering around the resort a little more - checking the pool area out (there were a couple people swimming already) we headed up to pack up the room. The lobby area was buzzing with people - they have this really big beautiful fireplace and people were sitting around it reading. Lots of people taking pictures by the big Christmas tree.

Our plan was to drive over and park at the BLT, check in (again, knowing our room wouldn't be ready) and take the monorail to Poly for our lunch at Kona. So we were taking our time, soaking up the atmosphere. I'm not sure what time we left AKL, but I know housekeeping did knock before we left. She was super nice and said she'd come back later.

When we drove to BLT, we had to go this way and see this:

Isn't it cute how they changed the decor of that too??
Dave checked and no one was behind us, so he slowed down so I could take that picture. Might have even been with my phone!
So, we drove up to the security gate and the guard checked us on the list and gave us our parking pass. He told us to go park by the Contemporary entrance temporarily. The valet there moved our car out of the way while we checked in. Now, if you are staying at BLT, here's what I recommend:
Park at BLT.
Walk to the Contemporary entrance.
Check in.
Walk back to your car.
Unload at BLT.
No reason to mess around parking twice or having the valets have to deal with your car. You're going to park over by BLT anyway!

We went up to the counter after a nice lady CM directed us to an open CM. There wasn't a real line marked off, but she was sort of directing traffic. We had not done online check in (I was nervous about getting rooms near each other) and there weren't that many people waiting so it was no big deal. But of course, it takes too long for the girls. They were antsy, so we took some pictures while Dave talked with the CM.

Yup, that's Dave's head in the corner. I was trying to get the light fixture and some decorations!

A few minutes later, we were all set with our packet and KTTW cards (that would not open the door of any room just yet). But they did have the dining plan credits all ready to go!!
After we parked our car in the right place, we checked out the entrance to BLT and Contemporary a bit before boarding the monorail to Poly.

This wreath was so cool! They lit it up at night!

Out back of the Contemporary

This was in the Contemporary on the 4th floor near the shops and restaurants. The mural is designed by the artist who did IASW. Did I hear recently that she just passed away? I might have imagined that. Anyway, it was a gingerbread tree and they were selling gingerbread "tiles" at the counter.

And we hopped on the monorail and headed to Kona. I think it was on this ride that we met a woman and her daughter that were part of Pop Warner. She said that her daughter was a cheerleader and did not have any practice or competition until Monday. They had been at MK and saw the Jonas Brothers perform. Apparently the parade stuff all got rained out on Friday and some Saturday. So they postponed a lot of filming and were doing it on Sunday. Later as we rode the monorail around, we could see HUGE crowds! We hoped it would clear out for MVMCP that night!!

Up Next: Lunch at Kona!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I just noticed that some of my pictures have the correct date and time stamp and some don't. Not sure what that's about. Needless to say, if it says 1/5/2007, that's not correct!!

Kona!!!
Our ADR was for 12:05. We got there about noon and checked in. We maybe waited 5 mnutes before our pager started buzzing. That makes sense, since I saw a number of empty tables.

The CM who was going to show us to our table noted that we had two kids and she held out a basket of crayons and said "pick your favorite color". All of the crayons were BLUE! They both looked quizzically at us and laughed! So they each take a blue crayon and she says, "that's my favorite color too!" I loved that!!

We sat off to the right side in a curved booth not too far from where they display the desserts etc. (oh boy!) We decided to pay OOP for this. Mostly because I wanted an appetizer. You guessed it - I wanted Sticky Wings!!
And by golly, I got them!

These were SUPERB!!! Dave and I shared them. Super yummy!
I ordered the Pan Fried Chicken with coconut and mango sauce. It came with macaroni salad (which I did not touch). The chicken was pretty good and I liked the sauce. I would give it a 6 out of 10. Not earth-shattering, but pretty good. I thought the chicken would be more flavorful.

Dave didn't order an entree, since he had a bunch of wings and said he wasn't that hungry. I think he was saving his appetite for dinner.
The girls both ordered the kids hot dog meal, which came with dessert.

Sarah's dessert

Paige's dessert - she was trying to block me from taking the picture.

I hemmed and hawed about whether to order dessert, and we all know how that was going to end. I figured when I started using DDP, I was going to eat desserts all the time. Might as well start now!!

Yummm!!! Banana chocolate creme brulee!!! So awesome! The chocolate is on the bottom - the banana was caramelized, it was phenomenal!!! I highly recommend this dessert!
All in all, a very good experience. I lost the receipt, so I have no idea what it cost (I could go to Allears and add it up, but so could you!)
During lunch, Dave's sister Donna called and said they had arrived at BLT and were also all checked in. They hopped on the monorail and came over to meet us. Apparently SIL Debbie (with Steve and SIL Sharon) had JUST LEFT their house in LaBelle (near Ft Myers) around noon. So we decided to take the monorail over to the Grand Floridian and check out the big gingerbread house. (This had been my plan anyway!!!) I really hadn't expected that Donna and them would have arrived at that time, but they were perfectly willing to go anyway. Donna really wanted to see all the decorations.

up next: GF gingerbread house - tasting and shopping and finally a look at our BLT room!!!