conandrob240
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2006
- Messages
- 2,479
Just back from a wonderful trip. Stayed first six nights at AKL where we have stayed for past two summers. It was wonderful as always. Service was excellent, everyone treated us really well. The food was great and it is such a beautiful resort. Had a great savannah room around Arushka rock but I must say the room we have had the past two summers towards the back of the savannah was better in terms of animal viewing. But it was much closer to the lobby which we needed because we had my Mom who can't do too much walking. The room seemed a bit smaller to me this time as well and it was lacking the large storage armoire next to the entrance door that our room had always had in the past. Bus service was regular, uncrowded and great- we never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to arrive for anywhere we were going. Housekeeping was okay- didn't come until 3pm two days which was annoying because that was our afternoon rest time. Magical express was MUCH better organized than last year- no lines at the counters and the bus left 5 minutes after we got on line. Made three stops- AKL was last stop. Check in was smooth and our room was ready early at 12:30pm. However, luggage took 3 1/2 + hours to arrive so pack what you need in your carry-on!
DDP (free) was excellent! We ate wonderful meals and really feel like we used the program well. My favorite meal was Flying Fish- although 2 dc's pp- it was one of the most wonderful meals I have ever eaten. Other favorites were Wolfgang Puck's and L'Alfredo's. Very few items were restricted. Smmothies & milkshakes were always included. The only we paid for in some restaurants was bottled water. Service in all the restaurants was great and food quality was always very good. We used a table service credit for a counter meal on the last morning and took advantage of the free pin starter set offer which was great.
Weather was okay- rainy at times but it really keep everything cool. We weren't sweating to death everyday- I'll take a little rain over oppressive heat any day. Plus, the rain really drove people out of the parks which was nice. Crowds were mamageable. Never waited for anything more than 20 minutes- used fastpass a few times but not too often because most things didn't really have a wait when we wanted to do them. Soarin always had a wait as did Splash Mountain but otherwise, it was fine even on EMH days/nights.
Departed for the 3-night Wonder cruise on Thurs 8/31 just as the weather cleared from Ernesto. Rented a car (cheap- $19 a day and then had a free day coupon) and drove ourselves to Port Canaveral. Easy drive - about 1 hr 20 minutes straight road, easy to find. Parked at Dinsey secure parking for $36 for the 3-day cruise so we spent about $96 which saved quite a bit from the Disney transfers.
Arrived at about 11:30am. Supersmooth and pleasant check-in process. No lines and not crowded- gorgeous terminal. Goofy was there to greet us along with the most pleasnt check-in empployees I have ever encountered. Showed our paperwork, picked up my nephew's kid's club pager right in the terminal and sat down and within 15 minutes we were called to board. The only wait was because of the pics they take getting on the ship - that held things up for 15 minutes or so. We were on board and eating lunch by 12:30pm. Ship was beautiful and spotless. Dining rooms were beautiful as was the lobby. The little details were amazing. Service was impecable. Characters were everywhere. The kid's club was absolutely amazing- gorgeous rooms for play, excellent supervision and a wide array of wonderful programs kept my nephew entertained. Pools were very nice- there is a gorgeous adults only pool which was really nice. Food quality was good- very good. We enjoyed dining in three different restaurants and the food was very good in each. Our waitstaff was excellent. Entertainment was excellent- evening shows were broadway-style but kept my 7 yr old nephew very entertained. Various theme parties such as Pirate' s night with fireworks and sail away party were fun for everyone. Disney's island- Castaway Cay was absolutely stunning! I could have stayed there for a week. The beach BBQ was excellent and the set-up of the whole island was wonderful. We are thinking about returning already!
All-in-all, a great 10 days!
DDP (free) was excellent! We ate wonderful meals and really feel like we used the program well. My favorite meal was Flying Fish- although 2 dc's pp- it was one of the most wonderful meals I have ever eaten. Other favorites were Wolfgang Puck's and L'Alfredo's. Very few items were restricted. Smmothies & milkshakes were always included. The only we paid for in some restaurants was bottled water. Service in all the restaurants was great and food quality was always very good. We used a table service credit for a counter meal on the last morning and took advantage of the free pin starter set offer which was great.
Weather was okay- rainy at times but it really keep everything cool. We weren't sweating to death everyday- I'll take a little rain over oppressive heat any day. Plus, the rain really drove people out of the parks which was nice. Crowds were mamageable. Never waited for anything more than 20 minutes- used fastpass a few times but not too often because most things didn't really have a wait when we wanted to do them. Soarin always had a wait as did Splash Mountain but otherwise, it was fine even on EMH days/nights.
Departed for the 3-night Wonder cruise on Thurs 8/31 just as the weather cleared from Ernesto. Rented a car (cheap- $19 a day and then had a free day coupon) and drove ourselves to Port Canaveral. Easy drive - about 1 hr 20 minutes straight road, easy to find. Parked at Dinsey secure parking for $36 for the 3-day cruise so we spent about $96 which saved quite a bit from the Disney transfers.
Arrived at about 11:30am. Supersmooth and pleasant check-in process. No lines and not crowded- gorgeous terminal. Goofy was there to greet us along with the most pleasnt check-in empployees I have ever encountered. Showed our paperwork, picked up my nephew's kid's club pager right in the terminal and sat down and within 15 minutes we were called to board. The only wait was because of the pics they take getting on the ship - that held things up for 15 minutes or so. We were on board and eating lunch by 12:30pm. Ship was beautiful and spotless. Dining rooms were beautiful as was the lobby. The little details were amazing. Service was impecable. Characters were everywhere. The kid's club was absolutely amazing- gorgeous rooms for play, excellent supervision and a wide array of wonderful programs kept my nephew entertained. Pools were very nice- there is a gorgeous adults only pool which was really nice. Food quality was good- very good. We enjoyed dining in three different restaurants and the food was very good in each. Our waitstaff was excellent. Entertainment was excellent- evening shows were broadway-style but kept my 7 yr old nephew very entertained. Various theme parties such as Pirate' s night with fireworks and sail away party were fun for everyone. Disney's island- Castaway Cay was absolutely stunning! I could have stayed there for a week. The beach BBQ was excellent and the set-up of the whole island was wonderful. We are thinking about returning already!
All-in-all, a great 10 days!
