The Empty Nesters Magical Mystery Tour *1/28* Link to New Girl's TR p141

[englishrose47]

Checking in !!!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Great updates on my favorite resort! And perfect transition to AK! Here's to hoping your stomach pains got better.

Have to agree with you, those people in the back row of Dinosaur gave some good reactions.

Love the photos from the safari!

 

[jenseib]

I was so far behind again!
I would probably have thought the same thing you did about your friends checking in and getting your room.
Glad it all worked out though there!

Oh no for the tummy ache...I hope it wasn't serious!
At least you saw the lion...even if it was mostly butt!

 

[MEK]

Glad you got the rooms all sorted out, and that Disney got it right at your friends' check in! That is some standard view! Wow! That's awesome that you got a few rides in before dinner.

Ugh - I was totally stressed about the whole room situation and was totally relieved that it worked out. And the view - OMG!!!! I loved it! So perfect!

I'm glad we got to ride TT before dinner, too! Just what I needed.

Mmmmmm Via Napoli, I love that place. Johnny still drools over the pizza there. I bet IllumiNations was great to just watch and enjoy!

I drool over that pizza, too! I just love it! It's so much better than anything I can get at home. So, so good!

Illuminations is always fabulous. I still can't believe I didn't take a single picture. Maybe I blacked out for awhile.

(Edited to include your latest update too! Yay for me all caught up! )

Woo hoo!!!!! And yay to you for being so close to your Germany trip! That is so exciting!

Ahh I never considered AKL for running but I can see how it would suck. Hope that pain gets better!
It is such an incredible resort though. So beautiful.

It really is an incredible resort, but it is a shame that there aren't more places to run. But I guess what can you expect when the resort is surrounded by a savannah.

I love the checklist of EE pics!

Yup - that's what happens when you take a series of totally crappy pictures - turn it into a silly montage!

Looks like you guys had a great safari ride. At least you got to see the lion! (Or parts of him!)

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Stupid animatronic lion! Thank goodness I finally saw ALL of him in February! It was really a great day for a safari!

That is one of the best ways to wake up in the morning at Disney. Mind you, that's the only deluxe I've stayed at, so I'm a little biased, but I still think drinking a cup of coffee and watching some zebras roam around is pretty flipping awesome.

I totally agree. I mean, there are resort views and there are resort VIEWS! I would have to say that watching animals on the savannah while drinking coffee is pretty amazing. It was way better than I thought it would be!

I wondered what path runners had available to them at AKL. Not not much of one, from the sounds of it. Guess they just assumed guests would use the gym if they wanted to work out.

There really is nothing. I guess because so much of the resort is surrounded by the savannah. But it really would be nice if there was a designated running path. Sometimes running on the treadmill just doesn't do it and all the other resorts have fun places to run.

Sorry to hear that chest pain was starting to come into play. And right before Food and Wine, too! Such inconvenient timing. However, my initial thought took me back to that Vero Beach trip and Denny and all those issues, so I'm glad you vetoed that problem early on.

Believe me, ever since Denny had his stent I realize that everyone is vulnerable if you have the right genes. So, yeah, that thought crossed my mind. But this was different. More like gastritis, but weird. I think a week of food & wine just started to do me in.

I know they weren't your normal EE pictures, but I sort of liked all the ones you posted. They were in the moment.

That they were!

Dinosaur with chest pain, that couldn't have been the most pleasant experience!

Yeah, none of those rides felt especially good that morning, but I was trying my best to ignore it!

Man, the life of a lion; it must be nice. Nap first thing in the morning, avoid people who've been visiting for years in order to prevent decent picture taking....such a hard life.

Yeah - it must be exhausting to be a lion. They only sleep like, what, 18 hours a day. Yup, that's clearly not enough!

 

[MEK]

Loving all the AKL photos! I can't wait to go back!!!

It's really an amazing resort. You are so lucky you own there. Having that concierge option must be SOOOOOO great. I really wanted a resale contract there, but when I was in the market I just couldn't find one. That's how I ended up with VWL. But if I had my first choice it definitely would have been AKL.

Oh no about the stomach pain did you tell Denny? I can't imagine he'd be pinching you if he knew.

Ugh - Denny was pinching me like that all week - EVERY SINGLE TIME we took a picture together. It became increasingly predictable and even more annoying. I can actually see myself gritting my teeth.

Not sure if you know this, sorry if it's a repeat. The people pen is if they ever need to evacuate for a fire or something and keeps the people safe from the animals.

I did NOT know that. Thanks for the tidbit. Totally makes sense when you think about the fact that you can't evacuate everyone in the same direction. But having that knowledge makes me wonder even more why people would complain about that savannah view. I think some people just love to complain. Clearly the people pen is a necessity that can't go away.

Denny's expression on Dinosaur had me laugh out loud!

I'm glad he was having fun with the ride. It's great when he really gets into it.

Love the baby giraffe! I got him/her sitting down last trip but what fun to see it walking around.

That baby was TOO cute! Just amazing. There is something so precious about baby animals, even wild ones.

Your group shot looks like everyone was a little tense that morning. Were they all worried about your stomach pain? I can't wait to hear what was wrong.

No. They didn't even know my stomach was bothering. I never said a word. I think its just D and I that look tense in the groups shots. And I think I was more annoyed than anything because Denny kept pinching me. He had been doing it all trip and, after a week, it was getting on my nerves.

Haha, there's something to be said when you're awake before the animals. But what a way to start a day. I wish my view looked like that.

That view was so amazing. I absolutely loved every minute of it! It was made even better by the fact that I didn't expect it.

Awww the baby zebra. I saw him too. So cute.

How precious that baby was. That and the baby giraffe were so sweet. It's always such a treat to see baby animals.

Ahh, I love a run on Everest first thing in the morning. So sorry you were hurting.

Even though my stomach hurt, there was no way I was giving up my morning ride on EE!!!!!!

I take a lot of the Dream Builder signs as well. I'm a sucker for a Walt quote.

Me too! He had so witty and truthful quotes. He had so much insight.

Honestly, despite their immense size, hippos do look fairly docile. But... No.

When I went on the Wild African Trek we got to see the hippos being fed. OMG! Their jaws literally come apart. They can literally tear an animal apart in seconds. Really scary when you think about the power in their jaws and the ability of their teeth to pulverize things.

Don't worry, Disney ducks DO excite me!!

Me too! Probably because the AK has such a fabulous variety of ducks. They are all so cool to look at.

Wow sleeping Lion... That's rare, lol. But at least he was out I guess.

Darn Lion. Couldn't he have given up 30 seconds of sleep to pose for us. I mean, really????

 

[MEK]

We'll find a place like this to build Distown.
So, we're looking for a spot in the U.S. that has two weeks of softly falling snow. It only builds up in yards, but streets stay clear. Spring days are 70 with a scattered thunderstorm here and there, but no tornadoes or floods. Summers are 82 - good for swimming, but not too hot to sit out under the shade trees and enjoy strawberry lemonade and raspberry tea while we chat. We'll need a place with beautiful red, gold, and orange trees in autumn, and we'll have the best Fall Festival ever. I can smell the apple cider and funnel cakes now. The cost of living will be minimal, and there will be no crime. Seriously, we need to find this place and build this town!

I have to admit that sounds like the absolute perfect DIS town. If it existed I would be moving there TODAY! But then again, so would everyone else.

But we girls can dream, can't we?

Yes, I lived there from 5th through part of 9th grade. My dad was AF, and he was stationed at MacDill AFB.

Cool. I bet it was interesting to live in Florida for awhile. Considering I have lived in the same place all my life, I am often jealous of people who have had the opportunity to live in different places. I guess its probably not as great as it seems in reality.

I am pretty happy living in TN with its four distinct seasons, except for despising January and February most years, but I would like to have the money to be able to go to Disney World one time each season.

Jan and Feb are my least favorite months, so I hear ya. But I am also not too fond of November, December, and March because they can be so dismal and overcast. Denny and I have decided that we are going to be snowbirds once we retire so we can stay in Florida for January and February.

I like our long summer trips when we can take our time and just do things in small spurts, and the girls love having lots of swimming time.

That sounds perfect, especially in the heat. There is no sense trying to rush around. It's much better to lay back, relax, and enjoy.

October trips are fabulous, because the weather is so much better, and there's MNSSHP. We love all the Christmas things in WDW - trees, decorations, shows, parades, music. Spring trips bring me back to life from the horrible two months I referenced. If I could have three one week trips and then a two week summer trip, I think I'd be reeeeeaaaal happy.

That sounds like PERFECTION!!!!! I am so with you!

As of tomorrow, I will be able to say 'next week'!

I am so looking forward to facebook posts and a trip report!

I loved all the AK pictures, of course!

Thanks!

Wow what a trip report so far i am very late joining in so i just sat here for a couple of hours catching up.

mickeymouse108! Thanks so much for joining in! I'm so happy you spent a couple hours reading and catching up.

First let me say i am so sorry for all your 2013 year mishaps i had a year like that actually it was three years like that and a trip to Disney does help one to get back on a positive track or at least give your joy to help forget your problems for a little while.

The rough parts of 2013 have faded into the background, but thank you! It was a rough year, but 2014 has been a lot better! And you are so right - a Disney trip is so good for rejuvenation! It does help one get back on track, as you pointed out!

I love that you broke up your trip some with a stay at st Augustine it is so pretty there when we went to Disney on our 20th anniversary we started out at st Augustine and went Anastasia state park beach for our first day in Florida it was perfect place to start our trip. we did not explore st Augustine but want to go back when we have a vacation with time to do that i loved your coverage of your visit there. the pictures were so wonderful showing all the great architecture.

I'm glad we took some time out to go to Saint Augustine. We are gradually trying to explore different parts of the state because we really want to be snowbirds. I wish we could retire there, but I think snowbirds is as good as its going to get. Starting a trip at the beaches is a wonderful way to kick things off!

I love that you have had lots of great dis meets and that you had some time with family and friends at Disney

It's really cool that I have been able to meet people on the DIS boards. Meeting them in real life is so much fun! I really enjoy each and every meet!

I wish my husbands family would like Disney like I do so we could take a family trip but my husband and my daughters are the only ones in the family who Love Disney. My love comes from going as a child my parents loved to take me there but both my parents died right after i was married mom within a year of my marriage and dad two years later i was only 23 but my husband loves it.
so I will go as often as we can afford it next trip planned for 2015 for our 25th anniversary: yay

Wow - that must have been difficult to lose your parents so hard. But look at the wonderful gift they gave you - a love for the most magical place on earth. I hope I have instilled my love for Disney in my children so that they want to go back as adults. There really is no place like it. It's a wonderful place.

well now that i have talked way too much i cant wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Quite the contrary. I really enjoyed reading all your comments and, once again, welcome!

 

[natebenma]

AKL/AKV are such breathtaking resorts! I love your pictures from the balcony and around the pool.

I enjoyed your pictures from AK, and your commentary on the ones from EE



The idea to take just the upper pat of the Tree of Life was brilliant!

Not a bad safari- Amazing shot of a cheetah and Oh my on the lion picture. "Kitty" porn!

I am so sorry to hear you were suffering from such intense stomach pain. Hope it is nothing serious and doesn't impact your enjoyment of the day too much.

 

[glennbo123]

Ahh, my home away from home -- AKL/Kidani.

I really like that rickshaw (or whatever it is) picture from when you first entered AK. And the hippo picture is awesome -- he looks so content!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Sorry no verandah coffee cup pictures.

Cynthia will be disappointed.

The animals were just starting to wake up and eat for the day. I had to seriously lighten this picture to see them all.

Such a great time to sit, be quiet, and enjoy the animals. I love it there.

But I do know that I noticed I was having pain and tightness in my upper abdomen and lower chest. It felt light heartburn, but also like a big lump. My stomach literally felt sore when I pushed in on the area of pain.

Yuck. I'm sorry you weren't feeling so hot.

Love this!

Such a bad picture that I had to make it black and white - check

I was trying hard to smile here, but Denny kept poking me in the side.

He was probably thinking, "That's for making me carry all those #$%@ rafts up the hill at the water park."

What? WHAT? Lions aren’t suppose to take naps. Seriously?

Looks like the animatronics are working just fine.

This picture would not be DIS friendly if it wasn’t for the random leaf of grass.

Wasn't expecting that to start my morning.

 

[DWGal210]

We'll find a place like this to build Distown.
So, we're looking for a spot in the U.S. that has two weeks of softly falling snow. It only builds up in yards, but streets stay clear. Spring days are 70 with a scattered thunderstorm here and there, but no tornadoes or floods. Summers are 82 - good for swimming, but not too hot to sit out under the shade trees and enjoy strawberry lemonade and raspberry tea while we chat. We'll need a place with beautiful red, gold, and orange trees in autumn, and we'll have the best Fall Festival ever. I can smell the apple cider and funnel cakes now. The cost of living will be minimal, and there will be no crime. Seriously, we need to find this place and build this town!

Sounds good to me!! That all sounds perfect.

MEK, I'm sorry you weren't feeling well. Looks like you had a nice morning at AK, though.

 

[MEK]

Commenting on a MEK TR update on the same day it was posted......that has to be some type of record!

Hey - It can happen and you just proved it!

What a great way to start a Disney day with a wonderful savanna view! Even dark and somewhat blurry pictures are better than a view of a parking lot!

The savannah view was SO wonderful. Last time I stayed at Kidani I stayed standard view and I thought it was great, but savannah really IS all that! I just loved it!

Yes, if you are a runner, that is certainly a drawback to the AKL resorts, but glad you still found a somewhat suitable option. How stressful to have the pain and tightness to start your day. Not a big selling point to convince me to join the ranks of the runners.

My stomach/chest pain really had nothing to do with running, although the running did seem to aggravate it that morning. So I think you are safe - you can still join the ranks of runners out there!

After the sun came up you managed to get some great animal shots, and that baby zebra is so cute! Of course, I've seen those zebras being real mean to some of the other animals before, so hopefully that little one doesn't end up with their bad habits!

I saw nothing but calm animals and that baby zebra was so adorable. He really knew how to hang out with the rest of the gang and get himself noticed.

And for an AK morning! Like with the dark and blurry animals, blurry EE pictures are better than no EE pictures at all.......... I can imagine that EE and Dinosaur would not be the best choices when you are in pain.

It wasn't awful and I wasn't about to give up the fun rides. I really didn't want anyone to know I wasn't feeling 100%. EE is really one of my favorite rides!

for all the safari animal pics, especially the baby giraffe, the cheetah, and those elusive ducks! And your random leaf of grass lion picture had me

The safari was really rocking that day! I really enjoyed seeing all the animals, especially that baby giraffe.

You liked that perfectly place grass, didn't you???

Oh, and that middle Kudu.......if you had been about 5 seconds later, he was about to practice his handstand for his America's Got Talent audition........

OMG - that's exactly what he looks like he's doing!!!!!

I could have sworn I commented on your thread yesterday after catching up - but it looks like I didn't. Sorryyyyyyyyyyy!!!

No worries! It's always hard to catch up after you've been away! Sometimes I read a thread, forget to comment right away, and then I'm all messed up.

Love the update! EE is so much fun and the Safari is too - only bad thing is riding it with a stomach ache. Hope there is an "easy" solution to it and you got well soon enough!

For the majority of the rides I was fine. But leaning over really bothered me and it was starting to concern me a bit.

There was a solution, as it turns out!

Somehow I got really behind. Not sure how that keeps happening! LOL.

It happens to all of us. No worries!

I'm still laughing at the restaurant being closed for Halloween! That's definitely a first. And to think that I was annoyed that Chipotle was closed yesterday for the Fourth of July!

Yeah - it was totally weird that the restaurant / bar was closed. I mean, who DOES that? Clearly someone who doesn't care about making money.

Between the work stress and room situation, I really feel for you. That kind of stuff would really make me twitchy. Glad it all worked out!

I am too. I was really stressing about the room. I'm so glad it wasn't the scenario I feared. And the beauty of the view really made up for the whole situation!

[

 

[annmarieda]

I can't believe how far behind I am! Holy moly!

So fun to see you back in the bubble.

LOVE that you are at AKL. The room you got has quite the view for sure! How does the room compare to ones at Kidani? I have to say I was dying lauging at your mix up. That would totally have been like me to panic thinking that they had settled into my room and then not know how to "fix" it. Probably would have gone through all the same steps only to arrive at the same point...felling slightly silly (but relieved) that I had made and incorrect assumption.

So was the sangria at Via Napoli again just meh?

The people doing the dramatic pose on dinosaur are hilarious!!!

Some of the animals that you took pictures of while on safari sure did strike some curious poses didn't they...

Great updates!!!

 

[MEK]

That view is pretty sweet! I try to not be a complainer, but now that I know MY complaining could benefit someone else I'm not gonna be so hard on myself

It is kind of ironic, isn't it? Complain too much and a view gets changed. I am still shocked. I thought the view was perfect. I still don't get it, but whatever. It benefitted me. I should question it too much!

And once again, I love your EE photos because now I know what the scenery looks like! My eyes were definitely closed the entire time I rode it... I may have mentioned that the last time you posted pics!

I used to closed my eyes all the time on coasters. I've gotten a lot better about keeping them open. I still have to close them during the dark, backward part. I find that very disorienting when my eyes are open. It's safer with them shut.

What a beautiful view to wake up to on a Disney vacation!

It was perfect! I really couldn't have asked for me. I was so pleased!

Sorry to hear that you were having stomach pain affecting your morning. I hope it didn't turn out to be anything serious!

It turned out to be something, but we'll get to that soon enough.

AK is such a beautiful park. It's so photogenic!

I love taking pictures in the AK. Can you believe that Cynthia and I never set foot in there during our May trip. At the time it seemed like a good decision, but since I won't be back for awhile I feel like I really miss it now.

Mary Ellen - I am impossibly behind but did read your recent update. Hope your stomach pain is not serious. You sure did have enough medical on previous trip. Love the animal picks.

Hey Rebecca! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are having a good summer. I also hope your most recent trip to Disney was a good one.

Yes - we HAVE had our share of medical!

AKL pool looks so peaceful, but yes can see your point about no good place for morning run.

Rebecca

I love the AKL pools.

Honestly, not have a good place to run is the only drawback about AKL/Kidani. Everything else is so perfect it makes up for it (most of the time)

 

[MEK]

Great update Mary Ellen, and like Marv I am commenting on the same dayThe Zebras look so cute !!Of course the Butt pix are a classicI wish Carol understood the need for animal butt pix !!!

The baby zebra was so adorable! :good vibes

Yes - animal butt pix are always good for a laugh! You mean you haven't been able to convince Carol of that?

By the way the Girls Lovedtheir graduation bears !! Little do they know if it wasn't for shopping with you I would never have got them

Those bears are So adorable and I'm so glad they liked them. But I think the credit really goes to Pat and Marv for keeping us shopping for so long!

I do like going during the winter time so I can actually see the sunrise with out having to be up so early.

Good point!

Awesome shots around the resort. The one time I had AKL savannah view it got too cold for any animals.

Really? Yikes! I never even considered that, but I guess that could present a problem in the winter months. What a major disappointment.

I need a do over there.

You totally need a do-over for that!

Hope the stomach/chest pain issue was nothing. When I heard crappy run the day before and when I have one I always remember a friend who described that situation exactly right before having to call 911 due to his blockage several years ago. So easy to dismiss yet so scary to have the thought in your mind.

Believe me - I know all the warning signs and I see young people frequently enough (younger than me) with cardiac chest pain. It's really frightening. Right before vacation I took care of a 40 year old who was training for a triathlon when she had really cardiac chest pain and needed emergency bypass surgery. It was downright shocking, so it can definitely happen.

What a beautiful view from your room! I could wake up to that every morning.

Tell me about it! That view was a dream. I absolutely loved it! So perfect!

I wonder why there's no real pathway for runner at the Animal Kingdom? You'd think that they would have thought that out a little better since there are so many guests who like to get their runs in.

The only thing I can figure out is it must be because the savannah takes up so much room. I don't think there is a way to put a running path in. Which is a total shame because it would be so great to be able to run freely there.

Of course, when you said that you weren't feeling well, I immediately thought of Denny and the problems that he had in Vero.

Believe me, I think about that all the time and that was a nagging concern in the back of my mind.

You poor thing, you. If you weren't taking great pictures on Expedition Everest and posing for a cute Dinosaur picture, then I know you felt bad. Speaking of the Dino picture, the couple in the back were too cute.

Yeah - I do like to goof around on the ride photos and clearly I wasn't feeling it.

But that couple WAS hysterical. They totally made up for my lack of enthusiasm.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Catching up on trip report reading today.

Loved the Saint Augustine Pictures and the marina pictures make me want another few days at the beach.

I would so freak out if my friends had done that to me...checked into the room and asked me where I was sleeping. You scored well with the view. I sure hope they have reclassified some studios at Kidani with that view and call them standards. I would so love it in January.

I sure hope you got to feeling better. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[saintstickets]

Great update MEK! Even your pics that you think are not up to par are really good! I love K-Safari...the animals guarantee that it will be different each time you ride...well, except for the darn lions! They normally are doing the same thing each time!

 

[rentayenta]

Strategic blade of grass there missy. Ball jokes are funny. I don't care who they belong to.


That baby zebra is so cute! Love all the animal pics.

I'm sorry you were hurting and darn that Denny for poking you. Men. Silly. Men.

I'll still never get over you crazy people who have your cameras out on rides like EE. I need both hands for the death grip.

 

[Leshaface]

OMG - you are SO from California if you think that was humid. Well, actually you went EARLY in October so I suspect it might have been. Late October has been perfect two years in a row!

I TOTALLY AM! It probably wasn't even that bad, but for us it was hot and gross!



Oh no! Hopefully your stomach pain went away. That's very odd. Was it only when you were pressing on it or when you were walking around the park as well?

Good shot of the lion bits!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Thought I commented on the animals etc. Maybe not.

Great shots - love the lion!!
Baby anythings are cute - but especially baby zebra!!

How did you manage to go on the bumpy rides AND take pictures AND have stomach pain?? I'm impressed!
I hope your pain went away soon and wasn't too horribly serious. Now I'm trying to remember any FB updates from your trip, and I can't. Maybe that's a good sign that it wasn't too bad. Or I just have a lousy memory!

 

[cstorm65]

Just finished catching up. Great reporting while I was gone on vacation! Love the pictures as always and you are selling me on making Animal Kingdom Lodge where we need to stay next summer. It looks awesome!