Return of the Porg - A June 2018 TR *updated 6/24 Epic DISmeet highlights day 7 COMPLETED!*

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I miss AKL!

I agree the rooms need a refresh and I have read they are getting a mini refurbishment in the fall so will be interesting to see what they do. It would be sad if they made the rooms generic looking as I love that the room is tastefully themed.

 

[pepperandchips]

got a breakfast burrito, and it was surprisingly fantastic. It tasted super fresh and was made with lots of my favorite ingredients, like black beans and peppers; and thank goodness I liked it because it was $11.

Who do they think they are, Disney?! Hahaha. I'm currently starving so that sounds amazing albeit a bit steep. Airport food, ugh...

t! Dad always has to have the window seat

Your dad and I travel the same way... always the window seat and a "reward beer" on arrival

I watched moana so many times on our Hawaii trip, it's such a great plane movie!

An older couple was very lost and they saw my Mickey backpack and the lady decided to follow me. It was really cute, and if we got a little ahead she'd remind us not to lose her

That was so sweet of you guys to guide them! It is a bit of a labyrinth to get to magical express if you've never done it before... like "go downstairs and keep walking and then when you think you're there walk another mile"

Our room was 4028, with a pool view! I had only requested close to lobby and 2 queens. Dad was worried they would try to give us a king room since that's what the Poly tried to do last time. The room location was really nice - close to lobby, and the elevators close to us let out very close to the pool and The Mara.

Very nice! I love those rooms, they really are convenient.

I like the sink area, but I HATE the lighting. Can't wait for a room update that hopefully gets some of the lighted makeup mirrors. Half the time I had no idea what my makeup really looked like when I left the room.

I am usually shuttling my stuff back and forth between the bathroom and the mirror near the balcony... the struggle is real! I don't get why it's taken this long to install better lighting or lit makeup mirrors - hoping they do it with this refurb!

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay glad you've started!!

Glad all your travels went smooth and you arrived with no issues !

Your room looks nice! Though I am with you, there is nothing worse than poor lighting!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I am in. I agree as a fellow RN, metric and military time is the way to go

I love your room view and yes the rooms lighting is not the best, such a beautiful lodge so that makes up for it!

Looking forward to another great TR!

 

[Raeven]

Dad thinks this building really ruins the theme of Coronado, but I think it could work well depending on how they do the outside of the Riviera building.

I'm curious to see the outside too! Although this isn't the Riviera resort just a new tower with more suites and club level rooms in it. The Riviera is the one being built by CBR, I actually haven't seen the construction for that yet.

 

[petals]

joining in.

 

[paradesintherain]

I miss AKL!

I agree the rooms need a refresh and I have read they are getting a mini refurbishment in the fall so will be interesting to see what they do. It would be sad if they made the rooms generic looking as I love that the room is tastefully themed.

I miss it so much! I missed it once we moved to Contemporary too. It just has my heart!

I've heard that too! They really need the refresh, and I agree; they better not make it generic.

Who do they think they are, Disney?! Hahaha. I'm currently starving so that sounds amazing albeit a bit steep. Airport food, ugh...

They were doing me a kindness - getting me ready for Disney prices!

Your dad and I travel the same way... always the window seat and a "reward beer" on arrival

I watched moana so many times on our Hawaii trip, it's such a great plane movie!

Haha TWINS!

Moana is so great! And watching it in Hawaii sounds so perfect! It honestly might be my second favorite Disney movie of all time...

That was so sweet of you guys to guide them! It is a bit of a labyrinth to get to magical express if you've never done it before... like "go downstairs and keep walking and then when you think you're there walk another mile"

It's so far away! And honestly, I did no guiding, I let Dad do that. I'm fairly directionally challenged

Very nice! I love those rooms, they really are convenient.

Yeah I've definitely seen you recommend them in the AKL thread, and at first I was a little disappointed to be on that trail, but I'd for sure go back. It was super convenient and had a great view of the pool.

I am usually shuttling my stuff back and forth between the bathroom and the mirror near the balcony... the struggle is real! I don't get why it's taken this long to install better lighting or lit makeup mirrors - hoping they do it with this refurb!

I KNOW!! The DVC rooms have them so it's way past time. I tried using the mirror by the balcony but I couldn't get close enough - I like to smoosh my face right against it when I'm putting on makeup

Yay glad you've started!!

Glad all your travels went smooth and you arrived with no issues !

Your room looks nice! Though I am with you, there is nothing worse than poor lighting!

Thanks!! The room was nice and really my only complaint was the lighting and I'll happily suffer through it to stay at AKL.

I am in. I agree as a fellow RN, metric and military time is the way to go

I love your room view and yes the rooms lighting is not the best, such a beautiful lodge so that makes up for it!

Looking forward to another great TR!

RNs unite! Let's make a national change, yes?!

The lodge is well worth the poor lighting. Contemporary had good bathroom lighting but I still longed for AKL.

I'm curious to see the outside too! Although this isn't the Riviera resort just a new tower with more suites and club level rooms in it. The Riviera is the one being built by CBR, I actually haven't seen the construction for that yet.

Oh, whoops! Disney fail! I changed it in my post so I don't accidentally mislead others

joining in.

Thanks for joining in!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Following! Looks like a great start. AKL is so beautiful! I agree with the dim lighting and lack of outlets in the room. I think I did my makeup in front of the balcony the last time I stayed there, using natural light. I hope it's only a matter of time before all the resort become a little more high tech!

 

[paradesintherain]

Following! Looks like a great start. AKL is so beautiful! I agree with the dim lighting and lack of outlets in the room. I think I did my makeup in front of the balcony the last time I stayed there, using natural light. I hope it's only a matter of time before all the resort become a little more high tech!

Yay thanks for joining in!

I hope so too! I just made do with the poor lighting and hoped for the best

 

[paradesintherain]

Day 1 - June 21st - Dinner and Animal Kingdom!



Now that we had settled into the room, Dad had to get his first order of business taken care of: a beer at the pool bar. Since I had been so tired in the morning my eyes were watering (does this happen to anyone else?!) and I had opted not to put on eye makeup then, so I got my first experience with the lighting in the bathroom. Once I had finished getting ready and Dad had finished his beer and switched over to ‘vacation mode’ we walked to Kidani Village. MY first order of business was Sanaa!

Of course, I took pictures along the way. AKL has so much artwork and artifacts to look at! These are ladders. I am quite confident I could not climb them.

It was still a bit rainy and overcast and we were thankful for that, otherwise I think the walk might be a little too hot to be enjoyable.

I hadn’t made an ADR for Sanaa, I had planned all along to attempt a walk-up because I wasn’t sure when we’d be able to get there. BUT, planning fail on my part, Sanaa apparently closes from 3-5 and guess what time it was? 4:30.

It ended up working out fine, though. The lounge at Sanaa was still open and serving appetizers, so we decided to sit there and order the bread service, then when the restaurant reopened we could order our entrée! Plus, I got to see Sanaa empty, so while it wasn’t the best planning on my part it really worked out well.

I spotted a cute little hidden Mickey at one of the booths.

After I finished taking photos we placed our order for the bread service – this time I asked for all naan. The server said that was a good choice since the others are from bags, made elsewhere, while the naan is made in house. Interesting tidbit!

Indian-style Bread Service with all Nine Accompaniments: Breads - Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kucha, or Paneer Paratha. Accompaniments - Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chuntey, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, or Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle

The server suggested combining the mango chutney with the sauce to the right of it – a mild and spicy mixture. Dad really enjoyed that combo. I thought the hummus was better than it had been the time before. It’s hard to remember which sauce is which, but I enjoy most of them anyway!

When 5 rolled around we placed our entrée order, and I ordered my first drink of the vacation – a mojito! It was yummy, but I thought the mint could have been muddled a bit more. Still, it hit the spot.

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For the entrée I suggested we share the Potjie-inspired since the bread service can be rather filling. I inquired whether we could choose two meat dishes and we were told that you can get two meat dishes for $37 and you also still get to choose a vegetable dish. The regular Potjie is $26 so we went for it.

Potjie Inspired: Goan Seafood Curry, Butter Chicken, & Chickpea Wit, served with scented Basmati Rice

The Butter Chicken was as fantastic as ever. I can’t even describe it, but it might be my favorite chicken dish EVER. I made sure to save some naan to soak up all the delicious sauce. Dad ordered the Goan Seafood Curry, and I liked it well enough. He seemed to enjoy it. The Chickpea Wat is probably my favorite of the Harvest dishes I’ve tried, though I can’t remember much about it now.


Very full, and very happy, we waddled to the Kidani bus stop and immediately boarded a bus to the Animal Kingdom!

Here was our plan for the evening:
5:55-6:55 Expedition Everest FP
7:25-8:25 Kilimanjaro Safaris FP
8:25-9:25 Na’vi River Journey FP


We made it to Animal Kingdom around 6. In all my times of visiting Disney I don’t think Animal Kingdom has ever been the first park, but to be fair in the past Animal Kingdom might have been closing at 6 or 7! On this night Animal Kingdom was closing at 10:30! And it was SOOOO hot and humid. Already tired and exhausted I did not handle the weather well.

Our first FP was Everest so we headed to:

The FP line was a little long, but it went quickly and we weren’t in a hurry anyway.

Dad was happy with his trekking experts!

Like father, like daughter. This picture is so amusing to me.

I thought about riding again, but I was so hot and uncomfortable I decided not to. Instead we walked to Africa to browse some shops.

I noticed these Animal Kingdom 20 cupcakes in Zuri’s Sweets. I wish they still had the animal dropping chocolates. That was such a funny idea, and I never got to see them in person.

Dad had a beer, and I had a water at the Tusker House bar while we waited for our next FP. The heat was really killing me!




Up next: the BEST safari ever! ​

 

[suse66]

Ok, let's get this thing started! On the night of the 20th I didn't have to work, so I finished my packing and laundry and errands and all those other pre-trip things. The cats, of course, "helped".

Love the cats!!

I got a breakfast burrito, and it was surprisingly fantastic. It tasted super fresh and was made with lots of my favorite ingredients, like black beans and peppers; and thank goodness I liked it because it was $11. I also got a coffee at Starbucks because I was terribly tired after my sleepless night.

This actually looks amazing for airport food!

And then we were HOME! Dad had received the room text when we landed so we bypassed the front desk and went straight to our room.

Oh, I love AKL so much!

We got a room in Giraffe Trail so we were able to use that staircase right by the entrance.

Great location!

Our room was 4028, with a pool view! I had only requested close to lobby and 2 queens. Dad was worried they would try to give us a king room since that's what the Poly tried to do last time. The room location was really nice - close to lobby, and the elevators close to us let out very close to the pool and The Mara. So here's some room photos!

I love the AKl rooms, they really are special.

And here's the view! It wasn't animals, but I still really loved it.

Awesome view! Did you find it noisy from the pool?

So I still really love the rooms, BUT I do think they could use some updates. There were hardly any outlets and the lighting, as I mentioned, is pretty terrible. I hope when they do update the rooms they don't take out all the African details though!

Definitely not enough outlets and the lighting is just weird in the bathroom.

It ended up working out fine, though. The lounge at Sanaa was still open and serving appetizers, so we decided to sit there and order the bread service, then when the restaurant reopened we could order our entrée! Plus, I got to see Sanaa empty, so while it wasn’t the best planning on my part it really worked out well.

Sounds like things worked out perfectly!

Potjie Inspired: Goan Seafood Curry, Butter Chicken, & Chickpea Wit, served with scented Basmati Rice

Yum, yum and yum!

Here was our plan for the evening:
5:55-6:55 Expedition Everest FP
7:25-8:25 Kilimanjaro Safaris FP
8:25-9:25 Na’vi River Journey FP

Awesome evening plans!

 

[JaxMama]

Joining in. Excited to see where this party goes!

 

[buzzrelly]

Your dinner at Saana looks delicious. I have an ADR here for October with DH, which will be my first time ever there. I can't wait to try that bread service

I hear you about the heat and humidity. I went to WDW in June once and August once and it's definitely not my favorite time to go. Our August trip was almost unbearable. Our clothes felt damp 10 minutes after stepping outside, my camera lens was foggy from the humidity, and the daily rain was not fun. Of course, I'd still go if that was the ONLY time I could go, but I definitely prefer more temperate weather such as we get in April and October.

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad it ended up working out for you at Sanaa! The naan and your entree look delicious!

Beautiful pics at AK! I'm sorry it was so hot though!

 

[Raeven]

The Butter Chicken was as fantastic as ever. I can’t even describe it, but it might be my favorite chicken dish EVER. I made sure to save some naan to soak up all the delicious sauce

I love the butter chicken too!

 

[Rach73]

Following along! We will be at the AKL in 27 days! We were just there June 4-12 and the heat was brutal. It was the least amount of rain we ever experienced on a Summer trip. The skies were pretty and blue but the lack of clouds beat us down. Planning lots of pool time for August. You and your dad are adorable!

 

[dianachaney77]

After I finished taking photos we placed our order for the bread service – this time I asked for all naan. The server said that was a good choice since the others are from bags, made elsewhere, while the naan is made in house. Interesting tidbit!

Good bit of info on the bread service! We will be eating there in August and I plan on doing the same.

 

[jcc0621]

Joining in. Reading TR's to keep myself occupied until we leave for our trip on 7/31. Plus your first day was my birthday so I must read to see how things go!

 

[Clbemrich]

Joining in. We always end up going to AK on our first day. We are going to try HS first on our next trip though! That butter chicken does look delicious!

 

[StacyStrong]

I had no idea you could add a second meat to the potje. I already texted my friend this amazing news. We are totally doing that on our December trip!!! I feel like we always end up wasting so much food on our trips.