WHO WE ARE:
Zoe Dog -- Me; 41; went to MK several times as a child and to EPCOT once in late 1980s with DH; compulsive planner, list-maker, and tip-gatherer, but (much to my and my family's relief) was able to be flexible once we arrived
DH -- turned 41 during vacation; late 1980s trip with me was only foray into the World; was a little spooked by memory of how perfect and "Big Brothery" everything was and loved to tease me about my "disney obsession" but is a total kid at heart and began to lurk on the DIS and other helpful sites during the last weeks before departure
E -- DD (11 years) - has an incredibly vivid imagination and so was a bit apprehensive about "spooky" rides, but determined to be a big kid; loves interaction with characters and spotting live animals and noticing all of the little unexpected things
D -- DD (almost 10 years) - wants to do it all and then do it again and again . . . absolutely fearless and utterly enthusiastic
L -- DD (6 1/2 years) - doesn't like to be left behind by the big girls, but is not a thrill seeker; began to swim like a little fish thanks to daily access to warm pools
WHERE: 6 Nights WL; 3 Nights AKL
DAY SEVEN: Friday June 28
Our last day at WL! How can it have passed so quickly? We woke the girls at about 7:45 because we had another surprise in store: We rushed down to the lobby because we were going to be able to be the flag family!. While we were in line at the guest services desk, a smiling older gentleman approached us and said he thought we might be looking for him. He introduced himself as Stan. He gave E the U.S. flag, D the Florida flag, L the Mickey Mouse, and DH and I each white and green flags with Wilderness Lodge emblems. He then led us to the elevator which we took to the top floor. We then climbed a set of steep narrow stairs and emerged on the roof of the lodge. Wow! What a view! After so many rainy days, we were treated to a beautiful morning. Stan was such a sweet man. He is so very proud of his role and seemed so very pleased to share his world with us. He told us each something special about the flag we held, took photos of us and with us, and talked to us about the recent 9th circuit decision regarding the pledge of allegiance. We had a lovely time. Afterwards, we returned to the room where I finished packing while DH brought the girls down for one last swim in the WL pool. I joined them for a while and then got ready to head to the Animal Kingdom Lodge! On our way out we spied Stan and the girls wanted to go over to say goodbye. He made a big fuss over us and introduced us to the other CMs in the vicinity - sweet man.
We had kept this change of resorts to AKL a secret from the girls until the day before. Back in the spring when we had found a good code for the WL, E had asked if we might be able to stay at AKL sometime. We had explained about the expense, but had promised that we'd go over for a meal so that they could explore it a bit. Well, not long after, I found a code for AKL. It was more expensive than the WL but DH and I decided to splurge, opting for two rooms that were NOT Savannah or pool view, but reasoning we could view the animals from the public areas. Well, I must say we were all verrry excited about going to the Animal Kingdom Lodge!
We arrived at the AKL in pouring rain -- naturally! That seemed to be our pattern during this vacation! But WOW what a great lobby! The girls ran off to explore the gift shop while DH and I checked in. Now, I need to digress a bit so you'll understand how special what happened next was. Our nearly 10 year old DD named "D" is a true "middle child" in many ways - although she is enthusiastic and incredibly sweet, she just seems to have a harder time dealing with life than the other two girls. In addition, she does not look like the rest of us and has a fairly unusual name that is usually mispronounced. She has never met anyone with her name before, although several times people have said "Oh I had a great aunt named that!" Imagine our surprise when we noticed that the CM checking us in wore a nametag that said "D". I squealed that our daughter had the same name and that she had never met anyone with the same name. I scurried over to the gift shop and told the girls I had someone I wanted them to meet. They came over and D just beamed when she met the CM! They had a wonderful little conversation before we returned to business. D really felt incredibly special to be the one at the center of attention, especially since her little sister "L" is usually the one in that role. The CM told us that our rooms would overlook the parking lot and explained how much more we'd need to pay to overlook a Savannah or the pool. DH and I looked at each other and then turned back to the CM and said, no, we had really spent as much as we could afford, but thanks anyway. "Well," said the CM, "Then I will put you into two Savannah rooms . . . for D!" WOW! We had heard that upgrades sometimes happened, but had certainly never expected one - what a marvelous treat!
We had lunch at the snack bar while we waited for our rooms to be ready and then, since the rain had slowed to a drizzle, we went swimming for a while. We really enjoyed the opportunity to lounge at the pools that day. Our rooms were ready at about 3:00. D unearthed a small bottle of Vermont maple syrup that we had brought along to give to special people we might meet along the way and brought it down to "D" the CM to thank her for our special rooms. (Now that I think of it, we should have given one to Stan as well) We immediately began to spot animals from our balconies - what an incredible experience! We felt very far away from the hustle and bustle and really enjoyed the peacefulness of sitting on our balconies watching the giraffes and wildebeasts and other creatures. After quick showers we headed down to Boma. Yummy! There were plenty of things that the kids would eat on the buffet table, including watermelon - the first fruit they'd had in days. And there were lots of yummy things from Africa that DH and I could try - lovely grilled meats etc. The buffets really worked well for us even though none of us is a very large eater -- we found the variety offered at the buffets to be a welcome change after all of the room picnics and counter service meals. After sampling the delicious desserts (fairly small so we could each try several!) we wandered back to our rooms and fell into bed happy and full, our sliding doors open to the sounds of the Savannah . . . .
Zoe Dog -- Me; 41; went to MK several times as a child and to EPCOT once in late 1980s with DH; compulsive planner, list-maker, and tip-gatherer, but (much to my and my family's relief) was able to be flexible once we arrived
DH -- turned 41 during vacation; late 1980s trip with me was only foray into the World; was a little spooked by memory of how perfect and "Big Brothery" everything was and loved to tease me about my "disney obsession" but is a total kid at heart and began to lurk on the DIS and other helpful sites during the last weeks before departure
E -- DD (11 years) - has an incredibly vivid imagination and so was a bit apprehensive about "spooky" rides, but determined to be a big kid; loves interaction with characters and spotting live animals and noticing all of the little unexpected things
D -- DD (almost 10 years) - wants to do it all and then do it again and again . . . absolutely fearless and utterly enthusiastic
L -- DD (6 1/2 years) - doesn't like to be left behind by the big girls, but is not a thrill seeker; began to swim like a little fish thanks to daily access to warm pools
WHERE: 6 Nights WL; 3 Nights AKL
DAY SEVEN: Friday June 28
Our last day at WL! How can it have passed so quickly? We woke the girls at about 7:45 because we had another surprise in store: We rushed down to the lobby because we were going to be able to be the flag family!. While we were in line at the guest services desk, a smiling older gentleman approached us and said he thought we might be looking for him. He introduced himself as Stan. He gave E the U.S. flag, D the Florida flag, L the Mickey Mouse, and DH and I each white and green flags with Wilderness Lodge emblems. He then led us to the elevator which we took to the top floor. We then climbed a set of steep narrow stairs and emerged on the roof of the lodge. Wow! What a view! After so many rainy days, we were treated to a beautiful morning. Stan was such a sweet man. He is so very proud of his role and seemed so very pleased to share his world with us. He told us each something special about the flag we held, took photos of us and with us, and talked to us about the recent 9th circuit decision regarding the pledge of allegiance. We had a lovely time. Afterwards, we returned to the room where I finished packing while DH brought the girls down for one last swim in the WL pool. I joined them for a while and then got ready to head to the Animal Kingdom Lodge! On our way out we spied Stan and the girls wanted to go over to say goodbye. He made a big fuss over us and introduced us to the other CMs in the vicinity - sweet man.
We had kept this change of resorts to AKL a secret from the girls until the day before. Back in the spring when we had found a good code for the WL, E had asked if we might be able to stay at AKL sometime. We had explained about the expense, but had promised that we'd go over for a meal so that they could explore it a bit. Well, not long after, I found a code for AKL. It was more expensive than the WL but DH and I decided to splurge, opting for two rooms that were NOT Savannah or pool view, but reasoning we could view the animals from the public areas. Well, I must say we were all verrry excited about going to the Animal Kingdom Lodge!
We arrived at the AKL in pouring rain -- naturally! That seemed to be our pattern during this vacation! But WOW what a great lobby! The girls ran off to explore the gift shop while DH and I checked in. Now, I need to digress a bit so you'll understand how special what happened next was. Our nearly 10 year old DD named "D" is a true "middle child" in many ways - although she is enthusiastic and incredibly sweet, she just seems to have a harder time dealing with life than the other two girls. In addition, she does not look like the rest of us and has a fairly unusual name that is usually mispronounced. She has never met anyone with her name before, although several times people have said "Oh I had a great aunt named that!" Imagine our surprise when we noticed that the CM checking us in wore a nametag that said "D". I squealed that our daughter had the same name and that she had never met anyone with the same name. I scurried over to the gift shop and told the girls I had someone I wanted them to meet. They came over and D just beamed when she met the CM! They had a wonderful little conversation before we returned to business. D really felt incredibly special to be the one at the center of attention, especially since her little sister "L" is usually the one in that role. The CM told us that our rooms would overlook the parking lot and explained how much more we'd need to pay to overlook a Savannah or the pool. DH and I looked at each other and then turned back to the CM and said, no, we had really spent as much as we could afford, but thanks anyway. "Well," said the CM, "Then I will put you into two Savannah rooms . . . for D!" WOW! We had heard that upgrades sometimes happened, but had certainly never expected one - what a marvelous treat!
We had lunch at the snack bar while we waited for our rooms to be ready and then, since the rain had slowed to a drizzle, we went swimming for a while. We really enjoyed the opportunity to lounge at the pools that day. Our rooms were ready at about 3:00. D unearthed a small bottle of Vermont maple syrup that we had brought along to give to special people we might meet along the way and brought it down to "D" the CM to thank her for our special rooms. (Now that I think of it, we should have given one to Stan as well) We immediately began to spot animals from our balconies - what an incredible experience! We felt very far away from the hustle and bustle and really enjoyed the peacefulness of sitting on our balconies watching the giraffes and wildebeasts and other creatures. After quick showers we headed down to Boma. Yummy! There were plenty of things that the kids would eat on the buffet table, including watermelon - the first fruit they'd had in days. And there were lots of yummy things from Africa that DH and I could try - lovely grilled meats etc. The buffets really worked well for us even though none of us is a very large eater -- we found the variety offered at the buffets to be a welcome change after all of the room picnics and counter service meals. After sampling the delicious desserts (fairly small so we could each try several!) we wandered back to our rooms and fell into bed happy and full, our sliding doors open to the sounds of the Savannah . . . .
Krissy
