The Brainwashing Begins with Pic

[TAKitty]

“I am not a Disney guy,” my husband exclaimed.
“But it’s the happiest place on earth!” I smiled back . Doesn't the sign say it all!!!

My constant singing of “Wishes” rubbed off. Well, I really only remember the chorus, “Wish—es---Dream a Dream--Wish—es.” So I walk around singing very little of the actual song, but despite my singing, Dh has agreed to try Disney again! December here we come and it only leaves four months for the plotting—I mean the planning.

Do you have a spouse like this? He doesn’t get it. Well this is my one chance to change his mind. My future Disney trips are on the line here.

We made a trip to the world for four days two years previously. It was Dh’s only trip to WDW and my first trip planning the vacation as an adult. It was not magical. It was very hot. It was very crowded. It was a very long walk from our room at CBR to the bus stop and food court. The trip could be summed up as we came, we sweated, we fought and we left. We only had two days to visit the parks, and I decided we would spend both at the Magic Kingdom. My husband has no idea that there is more to the world!

I have spent the last four months planning and researching. I have all of our ADRs ready to go. I booked our stay at the AKL and YC. I prepaid for our dining by purchasing the Disney Shopping and Dining Gift Card. I cashed out our Disney Visa to a rewards card. I got a very good deal on airfare. Our MVMCP tickets arrived in the mail and we are scheduled for the CP at Epcot. Truly, all of our vacation is paid for and we are ready to go.

Reasons why I think DH is coming around to Disney. . .

10. He actually let me get a Disney Visa last May.

9. He listened to “Wishes” while viewing “boy stuff” like guns and boats on ebay.

8. I told him about all the candy people got while at MNSSHP and he thought that it looked like fun.

7. We went antique shopping and he spotted Mickey and Pluto salt and pepper shakers and wanted me to get them.

6. He is afraid that when he returns from Disney all of his friends will be able to smell the Disney on him. All that magical magic will seep into his skin giving away where we have been. (Ah, he is admitting that it can be magical!)

5. He is not entirely opposed to wearing semi-matching tee shirts with Mickey on them while in the world.

4. He knows we are eating with characters and he didn’t say no.

3. When asked about rides that sound good to him he said that we should go on things that we wouldn’t take the kids on. (So, he is planning for another trip at some time).

2. DH works midnights and took two nights off before the trip so that he can be rested for our vacation together.

1. He loves me and truly wants to see me happy.

More to follow

 

[TAKitty]

Let me begin by saying that I love Magical Express. I love the bus and the seats and the movie. I love that they magically take my luggage and leave it in my room. I love that it is all Disney. It is truly magical. With that said, this was not a magical experience.

It began with my Dh attempting to tear off the special yellow tag even before we left home. He had no idea why this needed to be on our luggage. He also does not believe that our luggage with magically appear in the room. Oh, he has such little faith. His fears are confirmed when we arrive to our airport and the Northwest attendant attempted to tear our tag and asked if we were sure we needed it on our luggage. I am now starting to be concerned. I used ME in July and had a wonderful experience; however, it seemed like I was the only one aware of this magical luggage program.

We arrive at MCO and are at the ME counter in 15 minutes. We walk right up to the check in line and walk across and stood in line for the bus for 15 minutes. Not ideal, but not too bad in my book. After all, it is the magical Disney bus we will be sitting in, not the yucky yellow Mears bus. I am still trying to convince Dh that our luggage will arrive in our room.

No one was at the airport at 7:00 p.m. We wait another 30 minutes before we leave the airport, but the bus is off! But something happened. The magic disappeared as soon as the driver hit mute on our chip and dale cartoon. He started his dissertation by informing us that he is not a Disney cast member and does not work for Disney. He works for Mears…. Etc. He talks for what seems like forever in his monotone voice. I could see other passengers smiling at the video screen, but all we heard was our non-Disney cast member. Fortunately about an hour of drive time and we are at AKL. Check in is a breeze.

Our ME driver said that our luggage will be in our room two hours after we land. In July it arrived easily within the two hour time frame. After two and a half hours I call bell services to see what happened to our luggage. My husband is skeptical. Ah, bell services states that they have it ready and are bringing it to our room. They arrive with one bag. Humm, we checked two bags. Guess which bag arrived. . . my husbands. I am tried. I feel like I need a shower. I would like my bag. Not to worry I am told. They will try to track it down and it is probably on another van. An hour later my bag arrives. Ah, see husband. .. it does work…kind of.

 

[pumba]

sorry about your luggage. BUT good things come to those who wait......LIKE YOUR SUITCASE........thanks for the beginning of your trip

 

[krismom]

What a great report! and pictures too!
I love how you are trying to bring DH over to our side- I've been trying to accomplish this for the last 10 years- luckily, once we are there....DH seems to enjoy the kids enjoying Disney, if you know what I mean!

Keep Writing!

 

[TAKitty]

Animal Kingdom Lodge
The Hotel Overall
I know that some people think the hotel is overall too dark. I, however, thought it added to the theme. The lobby is dim but how much time does one spend in the lobby trying to see something clearly? I have always turned my nose up at the AKL because I didn’t think I would like the decor. I don’t really care that much for animals, and I have no desire to travel to Africa. I was pleasantly surprised with the resort. In fact, it is one of my favorite places now. Having the animals so close is amazing. The bus service was nice because it only served your hotel. Many people say that it seems to take forever to get to places from AKL because it is so far out. I would have to disagree. The bus service was fast and very efficient. If you want slow service, consider taking the boat to MGM from the YC. Wow!

After my stay at the YC, I discovered that I really enjoy a resort with a food court. My Dh doesn’t care to eat at food courts, but it comes in handy when you want a small snack. I found Mara to be more upscale than at POR. They do have Mr. Pip if you like Dr. Pepper. It has been the only resort where I could find it served as fountain pop. I liken the AKL to a large hotel. Some resorts are so big that it seems like you can get lost, AKL seemed just the right size.

Room
We were located on the Zebra trail, third floor. Our room was about half way down the trail. It did not seem like that far of a walk from the lobby to the room. We were close to the elevator that took you down to the first floor and where the food court was located. It was truly amazing to walk into the room and see three giraffes eating and sleeping outside my window. I think it was well worth the expense to have a savannah view. The room did seem small compared to other deluxe resorts. It even felt smaller than my room at POR this summer. I figured that with moderates you look into the bathroom area, thereby making the room seem larger. At deluxe resorts the bathroom is separate so it does seem to reduce the size of living area. I think we could comfortably have four in the room because the balcony is such an extension of the room at this resort. The room was very bright with all of the lighting. The room also showed very little ware.

Yacht Club
The Hotel Overall
The YC in contrast to AKL feels like a large resort. One of the most deceiving things I feel I have read about this resort is that it is stuffy. I didn’t find it stuffy at all. If you have young boys who like ships, I think they will definitely like the resort. When we went to the BC for breakfast it was very noisy. I would have hated exiting the bus or boat and entering such a noisy place.

When you look at maps of the Epcot area it is difficult to tell how far or close the other resorts are to the YC. I was surprised how close they actually are. The lake separating BW from YC is not that big. You can easily have dinner reservations at the Swan or BW and walk to the resorts. I know that others have debated which resort is closer to Epcot, and I have to say it was hardly noticeable which would be closer. The walk is very short and not the kind of short by Disney standards. The buses were average. I didn’t like that on some trips we had to share with the Swan.

I did not like that the resort had no food court. There are a few “treats” located in the gift shop.

Room
I asked to be close to the lobby because I knew that the resort was huge. We were very far from the lobby. We did get a free upgrade to water view. The view was of the quiet pool. Our room was located on the first floor right next to an exit door. We had a corner room with two large windows and the door wall. One of the positive aspects of this room was that we had a private exit and entrance to the quiet pool and hot tub. While we stayed at the resort we never saw anyone using the quiet pool. It felt like we had our own private area. Our room was worn and it seemed like they needed to begin replacing some things. It was a large room and could easily accommodate five people.

The Final Resort Conclusion
It really is a toss up. When we bring the kids we will definitely stay at the AKL, but the close proximity of the Epcot resorts really is a plus. I truly would stay at either again. They each have such different amenities.

 

[Disney owl]

thanks for sharing