So here's the thing.
I write great trip reports in my head when I am at WDW.
You would be impressed.
No Really!
But I found on my last day there while being interviewed for a survey that I could barely remember which day I had been where. Now writing it down might be a good idea, but then you have to be organized and keep paper and pen handy and when you get right down to it that is way to much work on vacation. Now you may be thinking that we had way to much to drink while down there and thats why it's all a blur. You would be wrong. We're just naturally that way.......
So who are we:
This I can handle: DH 47-disney fanatic
Me 47-hey I consider myself one of Walt's kids
On our 11th (we think) trip to the world and maybe about 4 without the kiddies. (so sad, they have college and all)
What you say, it can't possibly be fun without the kiddies...
TRUST ME!!!
Okay part 2 and I know where we are....
Pop Century at midnight Dec 3rd or 2nd, I guess it would be the 3rd officially.
So I remember standing in line and seeing the gates close for the shop and food court. I'm not sure I remember much about checking in except that it must have been pretty good, they actually had the right dates after all those phone calls changing an AP reservation (email actually worked) and they had honored our requests for a king room. Our only request but we were in the 50's without much of a walk. We took our luggage ourselves. Room was fine, cclean enough but to be honest I don't do a big inspection. It was cleaned every day, and quiet except the toliets are as over aggressive as ever. I just pretend it is the toilet water splashing my leg when I flush. And body fluids are mine and most are sterile. Yep. It was handicapped room with no tub and this bench that was up. This proved to be a problem, the bench that is. I had no place to put my shampoo and stuff since there was no built in shelf...Seems like people with w/c or other needs would like a shelf too...but I tried to pull this bench down for my shampoo. It was kind of hard to start and then went flying down..I tried to catch it, no it wasn't broken but it is now after midnight and my bedtime is 10pm, I might not have been at my logical best, and horror of horror I broke a nail!!! And they were looking so nice too.
We were only here from Dec 2 (3rd really) and transfered to AKL on the 4th. We only used the food court once, I really have no idea which day, it's a 50/50 crap shoot, and it was wild. We were there for breakfast maybe around 9 and what a zoo. Lots of long lines to get food and then really long ones to pay as my food went from lukewarm to cold. Hardly anyplace to sit with stalking of tables going on. Some people were saving seats, perhaps unaware that it would be a good 30minutes before they saw food and perhaps another table would open up..Felt bad for those with loaded tray looking for a spot. Of course I am well aware from the DIS that 9am is not the time to have breakfast at the food court but well we all make mistakes....
It was very loud and made us glad that we were going to AKL latter that day or the next, whatever.
Transportation at POP-Always, always a line for all parks both mornings. Never (okay it was only twice that I was there)did I see an entire line get on a bus. Even with much standing there was always people left at the bus stop when the bus pulled away. Saturday night Dec 3 (I remember some things) the line was insane after MK closed. And we waited quite a while before going out. In fact we were happy
to note that POP had the distinction of having the longest line!!! Yeah for our hotel!!! However they got more buses there soon enough and while I had a watch on I have absolutely no idea how long we waited, but I didn't collapse in a heap or anything so it couldn't have been that bad. The day we checked out we called to have our luggage transfered, and did say they would be right up or we could just leave it in our room. But the mousekeeper was waiting to clean and we didn't want our luggage in her way. So we just schlepped it ourselves (love those wheels) and gave it to a luggage CM outside. No big deal.
Would I stay at POP again you ask? Well we stayed a week last time and if I really was conserving money on a hotel yes I would. But I'd rather conserve the money somewhere else like food and stay at a moderate or deluxe.
ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
We had stayed here twice before once for a couple of days and once for 5 days with the kiddies. This is a beautiful hotel. And even more so decorated for Christmas. But I missed the cast member who used to stand outside and welcome you. There was never one there and we were there from Sunday to Saturday.
We had paid for a pool room and that is what we got. I requested a king and that is what we got. We had a lovely view of the pool, but I did miss the savannah view. Again the room was clean and cleaned every day with our pillows and bedspread turned back in a homey looking way. We even had towel ducks our first day. We used Mara a few times and the food is average except for the bananas (they are better than the ones we get in MI I don't know why, except maybe they cost a whole lot more) and the pepper pot soup. This stuff is really, really good. Sometimes we would wait and eat just to get this stuff. The yogurt, fruit and granola cup is a bit too much for me to eat and somehow, and I swear I didn't do it the toaster thing that you put your bagels on caught on fire while I was standing next to it. I had just taken my bagel off and there it was flames inside there. I was a bit suprised mind you, but it seemed to panic the CM a bit. It went out fairly quickly with no buildings burning or anything. This is a much less chaotic scene for breakfast then POP even if you do oversleep to be awakened by mousekeeping knocking on your door around 8:30.
TIP #3-if you stay in the rooms we did (and I have no idea of the room #) if you want to sleep past 8:30 at POP or AKL hang that little do not disturb sign out.
We ate at Boma once for breakfast and it was okay. The frunch was yummy, dh said the omelet station was great, but the rest was okay. Many, okay all of the supposed hot foods were at best lukewarm, being kind. the potatoes were good, but I expect they would be great if they had been a bit warmer. Buffets are not are thing, but more on that in the restaurant section.
transportation at AKL for the most part fairly good, we didn't wait long and many times didn't stand except for to MK. And especially back from MK.. Come on we know this is a popular park with families get more dang buses. More on this in my gripes section I have planned for the end along with Magical Moments. Our lost and found odysessy started here as well. If you are going to leave things behind make sure we are there to turn them in. Our first item was a roll of developed film left at the bus stop for downtown disney. I hope you got it as I waited in line at 11 at night at the desk to turn it in for like 45 minutes...a long story, nevermind.
Oh and I almost forgot..No I can't get a return voucher for DME when I check in as I had been told(Imay have reported that wrong earlier, but that is what the DME desk had told me)I need to report to the DME desk but they are gone for the day. Next day after standing in line there they told me no I couldn't get it there, but I could call Mears at the phone next to them. While standing in line to use the phone a CM came up to me and asked what I was having difficulty with. She was very apologetic said they should have taken care of it at the DME desk at the airport, wanted to know when I was there and gave us her name if we had any other difficulty. Fortunately the phone number ended our problems except of course that I could get a voucher from someone standing outside the day we left. Couldn't find that person but had got a letter hanging on our door the day before which was accepted.
So would I stay at AKL again? It is very beautiful, but to get from one side to another you have to go through the hotel which kind of got a little old. Say if you were at the pool and wanted to go to Arusha Rock have to go upstairs, through the hotel and downstairs again. And we just arent in the hotel enough to justify the added expense. It is great fun to see all the different animals. It is so beautiful and peaceful there, but until we are spending more time in the hotel I think we will go back to the mods.
Stay tuned for part 3. Think we'll go with eating....Don't ask me which day though!
I write great trip reports in my head when I am at WDW.
You would be impressed.
No Really!
But I found on my last day there while being interviewed for a survey that I could barely remember which day I had been where. Now writing it down might be a good idea, but then you have to be organized and keep paper and pen handy and when you get right down to it that is way to much work on vacation. Now you may be thinking that we had way to much to drink while down there and thats why it's all a blur. You would be wrong. We're just naturally that way.......
So who are we:
This I can handle: DH 47-disney fanatic
Me 47-hey I consider myself one of Walt's kids
On our 11th (we think) trip to the world and maybe about 4 without the kiddies. (so sad, they have college and all)
What you say, it can't possibly be fun without the kiddies...
TRUST ME!!!
Okay part 2 and I know where we are....
Pop Century at midnight Dec 3rd or 2nd, I guess it would be the 3rd officially.
So I remember standing in line and seeing the gates close for the shop and food court. I'm not sure I remember much about checking in except that it must have been pretty good, they actually had the right dates after all those phone calls changing an AP reservation (email actually worked) and they had honored our requests for a king room. Our only request but we were in the 50's without much of a walk. We took our luggage ourselves. Room was fine, cclean enough but to be honest I don't do a big inspection. It was cleaned every day, and quiet except the toliets are as over aggressive as ever. I just pretend it is the toilet water splashing my leg when I flush. And body fluids are mine and most are sterile. Yep. It was handicapped room with no tub and this bench that was up. This proved to be a problem, the bench that is. I had no place to put my shampoo and stuff since there was no built in shelf...Seems like people with w/c or other needs would like a shelf too...but I tried to pull this bench down for my shampoo. It was kind of hard to start and then went flying down..I tried to catch it, no it wasn't broken but it is now after midnight and my bedtime is 10pm, I might not have been at my logical best, and horror of horror I broke a nail!!! And they were looking so nice too.
We were only here from Dec 2 (3rd really) and transfered to AKL on the 4th. We only used the food court once, I really have no idea which day, it's a 50/50 crap shoot, and it was wild. We were there for breakfast maybe around 9 and what a zoo. Lots of long lines to get food and then really long ones to pay as my food went from lukewarm to cold. Hardly anyplace to sit with stalking of tables going on. Some people were saving seats, perhaps unaware that it would be a good 30minutes before they saw food and perhaps another table would open up..Felt bad for those with loaded tray looking for a spot. Of course I am well aware from the DIS that 9am is not the time to have breakfast at the food court but well we all make mistakes....
It was very loud and made us glad that we were going to AKL latter that day or the next, whatever.
Transportation at POP-Always, always a line for all parks both mornings. Never (okay it was only twice that I was there)did I see an entire line get on a bus. Even with much standing there was always people left at the bus stop when the bus pulled away. Saturday night Dec 3 (I remember some things) the line was insane after MK closed. And we waited quite a while before going out. In fact we were happy
to note that POP had the distinction of having the longest line!!! Yeah for our hotel!!! However they got more buses there soon enough and while I had a watch on I have absolutely no idea how long we waited, but I didn't collapse in a heap or anything so it couldn't have been that bad. The day we checked out we called to have our luggage transfered, and did say they would be right up or we could just leave it in our room. But the mousekeeper was waiting to clean and we didn't want our luggage in her way. So we just schlepped it ourselves (love those wheels) and gave it to a luggage CM outside. No big deal.Would I stay at POP again you ask? Well we stayed a week last time and if I really was conserving money on a hotel yes I would. But I'd rather conserve the money somewhere else like food and stay at a moderate or deluxe.
ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
We had stayed here twice before once for a couple of days and once for 5 days with the kiddies. This is a beautiful hotel. And even more so decorated for Christmas. But I missed the cast member who used to stand outside and welcome you. There was never one there and we were there from Sunday to Saturday.
We had paid for a pool room and that is what we got. I requested a king and that is what we got. We had a lovely view of the pool, but I did miss the savannah view. Again the room was clean and cleaned every day with our pillows and bedspread turned back in a homey looking way. We even had towel ducks our first day. We used Mara a few times and the food is average except for the bananas (they are better than the ones we get in MI I don't know why, except maybe they cost a whole lot more) and the pepper pot soup. This stuff is really, really good. Sometimes we would wait and eat just to get this stuff. The yogurt, fruit and granola cup is a bit too much for me to eat and somehow, and I swear I didn't do it the toaster thing that you put your bagels on caught on fire while I was standing next to it. I had just taken my bagel off and there it was flames inside there. I was a bit suprised mind you, but it seemed to panic the CM a bit. It went out fairly quickly with no buildings burning or anything. This is a much less chaotic scene for breakfast then POP even if you do oversleep to be awakened by mousekeeping knocking on your door around 8:30.
TIP #3-if you stay in the rooms we did (and I have no idea of the room #) if you want to sleep past 8:30 at POP or AKL hang that little do not disturb sign out.
We ate at Boma once for breakfast and it was okay. The frunch was yummy, dh said the omelet station was great, but the rest was okay. Many, okay all of the supposed hot foods were at best lukewarm, being kind. the potatoes were good, but I expect they would be great if they had been a bit warmer. Buffets are not are thing, but more on that in the restaurant section.
transportation at AKL for the most part fairly good, we didn't wait long and many times didn't stand except for to MK. And especially back from MK.. Come on we know this is a popular park with families get more dang buses. More on this in my gripes section I have planned for the end along with Magical Moments. Our lost and found odysessy started here as well. If you are going to leave things behind make sure we are there to turn them in. Our first item was a roll of developed film left at the bus stop for downtown disney. I hope you got it as I waited in line at 11 at night at the desk to turn it in for like 45 minutes...a long story, nevermind.
Oh and I almost forgot..No I can't get a return voucher for DME when I check in as I had been told(Imay have reported that wrong earlier, but that is what the DME desk had told me)I need to report to the DME desk but they are gone for the day. Next day after standing in line there they told me no I couldn't get it there, but I could call Mears at the phone next to them. While standing in line to use the phone a CM came up to me and asked what I was having difficulty with. She was very apologetic said they should have taken care of it at the DME desk at the airport, wanted to know when I was there and gave us her name if we had any other difficulty. Fortunately the phone number ended our problems except of course that I could get a voucher from someone standing outside the day we left. Couldn't find that person but had got a letter hanging on our door the day before which was accepted.
So would I stay at AKL again? It is very beautiful, but to get from one side to another you have to go through the hotel which kind of got a little old. Say if you were at the pool and wanted to go to Arusha Rock have to go upstairs, through the hotel and downstairs again. And we just arent in the hotel enough to justify the added expense. It is great fun to see all the different animals. It is so beautiful and peaceful there, but until we are spending more time in the hotel I think we will go back to the mods.
Stay tuned for part 3. Think we'll go with eating....Don't ask me which day though!
