The New Lizard Lounge

[#1hockeymom]

Thank you everyone for your reports! I love reading trip reports! I see we'll have a bunch more in the coming weeks! Have a safe and magical trip, everyone who is leaving!

Ok, Kris... did you see our ankole? Are they happy? Do they miss me? (the important stuff!) LOL

 

[minniesota]

TammiMcMahon and Goofy Family -

Have wonderful trips! Enjoy every minute and tell us all about it when you return. Goofy'sMuse - I sent you a PM! I hear strains of "We wish you a merry Christmas..."

 

[storybookmum]

Debbie, your baby ankole is just fine....she is a honey! Her family was mooing most loudly on Sunday morning! I took pictures, but I'm still working at getting them onto my own computer from DH's laptop (which was fabulous, we watched our vacation pictures on the screensaver every day before we left, as we were getting ready).

I hope everyone heading out has the best time!

Kris

 

[Angel16]

Welcome Back Storybookmum - you have been missed! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip, I am so happy. I'm especially excited about your connection with your DSD Where was your room at AKL? Thank you for the information on our baby ankole. I hope you were able to get a picture of her, I am sure she has grown since October. Looking forward to your trip report.

I'm impressed - YOU LOST WEIGHT while in WDW - Wow,

HELP LIZARDS - I was wondering does anyone have a super great butter cookie recipe? My mom and aunt use to make the most wonderful butter cookies for Christmas. They used a cookie press and made wreaths and I would help decorate then as a child. I have never been able to find my moms recipe. I would love to make them this year and naturally I'll put a big plate of them in the lounge with hot chocolate and super cold milk for all. d

Angel

 

[steveanddonna]

Haven't had time to keep up with the thread; having a four year old boy along takesup a lot of time! There's just enough time right now to say cajunfan, you rock! the Christmas stockings are, in Tyler's own words AWESOME!!! Full trip report when we return if we haven't been completely exhausted by then.

 

[#1hockeymom]

*smiling* Last January we swore they were saying Mooooooooove to the other animals if they even gave a sideways look to their baby. They were most vocal! I bet they are back to their regular crooning again with this newest addition! Oh I miss my babies! Yes, where was your room location?

Have a great time, Donna! I'd love to see Disney through a four year olds eyes again!

 

[storybookmum]

We had room #5307. We were on the Kudu Trail in the second group from the end. At first they gave us a horrible room on the other side of the hallway, looking out onto the other trail, right over a Boma, it was terrible. I begged them to move us, and they did. We had a cake waiting for Jessica's birthday, and signed cards for all the kids from Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. It was very, very nice. The kids were so excited about the bunk beds, and DH, examining them, is confident he can make some (yikes!).

Must run, but I do have all the pictures onto my computer now, it's just a matter of uploading!

God bless,

Kris

P.S. I'm making a new website, rather new to me, but it gives you a peek. I don't have a lot of pics there yet, but they're coming. Here's my website!

Um, here's the 2nd page, don't know how to hyperlink them together...

 

[nrsldy]

We got back Sunday. It has been sooooo crazy!
I loved AKL. The IPO staff were wonderful. We had to change our plans at the last min and were only able to stay at AKL the first 3 nights of our stay and the last 3 at SOG. The first night after we got back to our room there was a letter and a gift from the IPO staff for our 30th wedding anv. It was an ostrich egg that was decorated with beads. What a great present.
I loved BOMAS. I asked for recipes and they were in my e-mail by the time I got home. I talked with the pastry chef about the zebra domes to make them at home. It might be doable. I will let you know.
The Sunrise Safari WOW. I would do it again. Next time Sunset Safari.
It was great to set outside and watch the animals. One night we could see the fireworks at MK.
The bad thing that happened was my dogs (Emma and Max the boxers) went to the dog resort and came home stressed and with kennel cough. Two days before we left Emma cut her foot and had to have stitches. She would not let them touch her at the kennel. Won't do thet again!

I will add more later. Another LL has been Born!

 

[ead79]

Kris, don't worry about it! We noticed the time change for Fantasmic at the last minute too (we missed it, but we made it to the Osborne Lights). I'm glad you and your family had a great time! How did the surprise move to concierge go?

Tracy, I'm glad to hear you had a good trip as well! The Sunset Safari really is incredible!

 

[#1hockeymom]

homesick, homesick, homesick! Isn't the safari awesome! I can't believe we almost cancelled it the night before during our first concierge trip! Loved it so much, booked it for trip two, too!

Great pictures! You guys all look so happy! Thank you for sharing!

Big wave to everyone!
Debbie

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Hey, guys!!

I finally found y'all again, thanks Deb!!! I've had such a hard time finding this thread. And am I the only one who hates this new format? It's very hard to find a specific thread, IMO.

So glad everyone is having such wonderful trips to the World!! AKL is our very favorite resort, you guys are making me want time to speed by until our next visit!

nrsldy - I sympathize with your doggie plight - the last time we left ours for a week, they were very traumatized when we returned and would yipe in their sleep. We swore we'd never leave them with anyone other than family again. Kind of makes it hard to take a big family vacation, though! And, have I told you we're neighbors? We're down the road in Clinton.

So glad to see everyone again!!!

 

[johnsonet]

Good Friday evening to you all!
I am one week away from my very first Holiday trip to The World! Absolutely thrilled!
Shipped a big box down to AKL today...small Christmas tree, personalized Disney stockings filled with goodies for DD, DBrother and DSIL :thewave: . Also, DD's Snow White costume for her to wear to My Perfectly Princess Tea Party and CRT (both are surprises!) OH - and an extra duffel bag, too !
Have a great night!

 

[Steffy]

Well, we are probably on page 24 since no one has posted since Friday

I have 3 more days of work and then I'm off to see my Main Man Mickey. I am a happy camper. The Eagles have won their 12th game. I have picked out the new tile for my kitchen floor. I am almost packed. I have to see the doctor to find out what is wrong with my heel. It is killing me.

I really miss my online "home" I miss everybody who used to post on the other thread and who don't now.

It was such a nice community. My favorite thread. Now I can barely find this thread. If I didn't subscribe to it, I would never know where to go...

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed planning my trip with all of you. It has been a heck of a 360 days. This time next week, I'll be sleeping in the Hawaii longhouse after our Illuminations cruise. I remember when I had a counter to get my counter. Now I count the time in hours...

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Happy Holidays to everyone else!!

 

[#1hockeymom]

I remember when you wouldn't put down the counter for your counter, because it would be too big (in your eyes)! You're going to have a wonderful time!
I, too, miss our old thread and the friendship it possessed! We still have the friendship part, though!

Debbie

 

[johnsonet]

Steffy~
It is sad, isn't it?
I hope you have an amazing trip. I'm very excited too! Unfortunately, my DH was bedridden yesterday with some debilitating bug. I'm praying it isn't The Flu. PD Please
Merry Christmas to all~

 

[minniesota]

storybookmum. ead79 and nrsldy - Welcome back - isn't it hard to get back to the real world? Every time I'm out shopping, all I seem to see is Disney merchandise! I doubt everyone on my list wants a stuffed Eyeore, Pooh and Piglet sleigh for Christmas! I have had one little upset since our return last Tuesday - I discovered Saturday night (when I went to wear them) that I left my travel jewelty case at the BWI. It didn't have a lot in it - and nothing expensive - but it did have my favorite "dressy" earrings and a beaded bracelet that a dear friend gave me along with a few other pieces. I will call BWI this morning and see if they found it.

johnsonet and steffy - You guys must be so excited! The decorations are beautiful and everything feels so festive! I don't know if you have any plans for DTD but beware! Those were the biggest crowds we saw during our stay. MK was also swamped on Monday which surprised me. It's the day after early entry and it was a day after MVMCP but there seemed to be a lot of huge foreign student groups so maybe it was just a fluke. Epcot is absolutely beautiful. The tree lighting ceremony at 6 every day was great fun though much more energetic than it was 4 years ago. In 2000, it had a more "touching" feel - brought tears to our eyes. I like the sentimental stuff! But this year, it's a high energy show with characters and young singers - very festive. Have a fabulous time and tell us all about it when you return!

To all you other lizards - Hope your Christmas and holiday preparations are going well and that you are enjoying the season.

 

[TammiMcMan]

I'm Back!!! We just arrived home a few hours ago and everyone has work and school tomorrow. I'll post a full trip report, but wanted to give you some of the highlights and concierge lounge observations. The surprise went better than I could have hoped. My kids had absolutely no idea we were going to Disney World until we were actually sitting on the plane. I should write a thesis about the power of suggestion because it really does work, I've seen it now first hand. The scary part is that my kids aren't little, they are 14 and 8. I had a few tense moments when my oldest daughter was supposed to be arriving. Because of the weather, she got delayed in Pennsylvania and that would cause her to miss the connection in Atlanta. I felt a little helpless and enlisted the aid of my brother in Massachusetts. It all worked out, but instead of arriving at 10pm, she didn't get to the resort until 12:30am. No one knew she had arrived until they woke up in the morning. The looks on all their faces was priceless. The vacation definitely got better after our little family was complete.

Okay, my observations on the CL at the Yacht Club is that I wasn't overly impressed. They definitely score an A++ in the pre-planning department, but I'd have to give the resort an overall grade of C. I've mentioned before how incredible the girls in IPO were. Well, when we arrived in our room, they had set up the Christmas tree I sent down ahead of time and arranged all the gifts underneath it. They gave us a beautiful picture of the YC lighthouse and Amy scored us 4 seats on an Illuminations cruise. This had been sold out for that big Mousefest group, but she made the magic happen for us and I will be forever grateful. The cruise was amazing and a highlight of the trip. When we checked into our room, I noticed that there was a problem though. It only slept 4 people. By now, it was almost midnight and I figured that I wasn't unpacking at that moment anyway and I'd just have them straighten it out in the morning. In order to keep my DD's arrival a secret, Alana told me to add her after I arrived. At 6:45am on Friday morning, I was at CM Betty's desk to take care of everything. She added Meagan and took care of our park tickets, but was not very helpful with getting us a room with a daybed. She said that she didn't think the room assignor was in today. I explained that we had another adult joining us and no where for them to sleep. I checked in with her later that morning and she confirmed that he was in fact off today and we were stuck with what we had until possibly Saturday. She did have a rollaway put in our room though. I walked down to check it out and this thing blocked off half of the room. You couldn't get to the balcony without climbing over the bed. I decided to go over Betty's head and I called Alana in IPO and left her a message. She had put in the request for maximum bedding, but possibly with our late arrival, we got reassigned or something. Within 5 minutes, Alana called me back and had a new room for us just a few doors down. Now, not to be a stick in the mud or anything, but when I went down to get my new keys, they were just finishing a shift change. Another guest arrived at the desk asking if she could be moved to a room with a king sized bed. The CM who was now on duty, sat down at the computer and pulled up the room assignments. I'm still at a loss as to why Betty or Ned couldn't have done the same for me. Other than that, we had great experiences with Barbara, Ke'jay and Hyacinth at the desks.

The food offerings were really limited and definitely not for the health or weight conscious guest. Breakfast had croissants, bagels, donuts, pastry, a selection of fruit and 3 types of cereal. Afternoon snacks were goldfish, pretzels, assorted nuts, cookies and snack pack pudding. We were only there for one dinner time offering and it was vegetable soup, some sort of beef dish with onions, cheese & crackers, vegetables & dip, PB&J sandwiches. Late night was a tray of pastries and rice krispy treats. The lounge is small and was often very crowded with no seats available. I don't like that they close it down between offerings. I know that they have to get set-up, but there's really not a need to make it inaccessable while they do that. I wouldn't be rushing back, but I do love the convenience to MGM and Epcot.

Next I'm off to enjoy concierge service on the Disney Magic with just DH and then I'll think about planning another WDW trip.

Tammi

 

[KerryCM]

Welcome back Tammi. I have to agree with you about the lounge at the YC. That is why I love the bW. Their lounge is big and comfy. Isn't Alana amazing? I think all the IPO cast is great, but Alana worked magic for us on our trip.

johnsonet and steffy, have an awesome time. I would love to be going down now. I have always wanted to see the world at christmas time. Working at the Disney Store we are unable to take vacation from Nov. 1-Jan. 15. I will probably be gone from there next year so I have reservations for the 5-9 of Dec 2005. I cannot wait.

Hope everyone's holidays are wonderful!

 

[minniesota]

Hey, Tammi! - Welcome back! It sounds like your family surprise was great and thank goodness for Alana. Sounds like YC had similar offerings to BWI - fairly limited compared to GF. How great that you were able to do the Illuminations cruise! WHat did you think of the crowds, decorations, etc.? I know you are swamped now, but let us know when you have time.

I'd love to hear about your concierge experience on DCL, too. So when is that next WDW trip???

 

[Goofy's Muse]

... and it was a fabulous trip! Not sure when, if ever, I'll get around to doing an actual trip report for this one given that work, school and holiday planning demands will likely resume tomorrow, but I will certainly share some highlights (and there were many)...

~ The Grand Floridian: We really loved it there! Booked a garden room, which is perhaps what we got, but it was in Conch Key, 4th floor toward the Narcoossee's end (#7416) and we had a gorgeous view of the sunrise over Seven Seas Lagoon. The Christmas decorations and Gingerbread House were unbelievable! It was warm enough to swim on arrival day and we're glad we did because it was unseasonbly cool for the bulk of the weekend. Great for touring though, especially as compared to heat of late August!

~ Entertainment: MVMCP (very fun, but what was I thinking to plan this on the same day as our 7:30 am flight?! -- the kids were troopers though...); Candlelight Processional (honestly worth the price of the entire trip IMHO -- Marlee Matlin was just inspiring... I get teary-eyed just thinking about it again; can't wait to listen to the CD...); World Showcase (my favorite "park" anyway, but WOW!, and loved Illuminations all over again!); the Osbourne Lights (incredible!)

~ Also Entertaining: We hopped to the Poly, WL, YC, BC and BWI to check out the fabulous decorations and to narrow down our choices for our trip next summer (they were all unique and lovely but I was especially wowed by the decorations at BWI and YC). Never made it to AKL but we know that's on our list for summer anyway...

~ Food: Too much, too often! We jettisoned a few PSs but did keep our plans for breakfasts at Kona, Cape May, and Park Fare; did "tea" at the GF which thrilled the girls; Alfredo's for our CP dinner package which we enjoyed; also Crystal Palace and Mama Melrose for dinner; ate "around the World" one evening, which was fun.

~ Most magical moment: Came in the person of one very special CM named "Velvet" (Epcot Future World Guest Relations). You see... at the MVMCP, Goofy and the girls each picked a "Santa hat" to fit their unique personality -- so I was accompanied down Main St by a Goofy (you were expecting someone else?), a "Princess", a "Tigger", and a very sad "Stitch wannabe". Who knew it would be so tough to find the Santa Stitch hat at MK or anywhere else for that matter? In browsing through MouseGears at Epcot, we happened upon one very special CM who said she thought she's seen the hat at another kiosk and willingly accompanied us to search it out. But too late... sold out there too. Velvet then asked us to check back with her later that evening in case she was able to track down a hat for us. Lo and behold... we circled back to Guest Relations after Illuminations. Not only did Velvet remember us, but she waved to us while we were on line. When it was finally our turn, she asked DS10 his name and then gifted him with the LAST Stitch hat she was able to track down on the premises. She's found it at Pop Century and had gone to get it for him on her break! She absolutely refused reimbursement for this gift. That night our son wore his hat proudly, grinning from ear-to-ear, while his parents stood like sentimental fools with tears streaming down their faces!

So Velvet, if you are out there reading this, please know that you made one family feel absolutely special this weekend! Disney is so lucky to have you and will be hearing the same from us!

Off to see that everyone's finished homework... methinks it might be a bit tough for us to kick into gear tomorrow!