The Not-So Scary, but oh-so sick Sept-Oct Trip Report-updated with day 4 & 5 pg.4

aprilisis

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[/B]My PTR in case you missed it: HERE

Day 1- Monday September 28, 2009
I woke up at 3:30am and did a few last minute things. I woke up John- and BOY…he is crabby in the morning. ( I think it is actually more quiet than crabby, but I am over-sensitive) We went outside to wait for the van. The van arrived at about 4:15am & we hopped in and fell asleep quickly until we were arriving in the outskirts of Boston.
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We checked in at curbside in about 1 minute, and then headed for security. We were through security in about 5minutes. I couldn’t believe our luck! John grabbed a coffee from Starbucks & we got a couple of seats at our gate.
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I watched the sunrise over Boston & decided it was then time for a coffee, so I ran up to Dunkin Donuts. I was hungry, but for some reason nothing they had sounded good. John & I read our magazines and it was time to board before we knew it! We sat on the runway for a while before we took off. The flight was pretty uneventful & we landed in Orlando around 12:30pm. We grabbed my bag from baggage claim & then went to the rental car line. We ended up checking in at a kiosk. For those of you who haven’t done this, I HIGHLY recommend it! It took about 2 minutes AND we got the price they quoted us online. After that we just had to go find a midsize in the garage & drive it away!! We didn’t hit much traffic at all. We stopped at the Winn Dixie & ABC on 536 because they are so close to Hotel Plaza Boulevard & in the same plaza together. We bought our snacks & drinks and proceeded to AKL. Online check-in was a quick breeze & we went to our room- 3274. I loved it. We immediately saw animals from our balcony. (I have a pdf of the “wildlife viewing guide” they leave in the room, too, if anyone is interested)
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The room itself:

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A little of the hallway & lobby:

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I'm here! I'm here! I'm here! (Imagine me jumping up and down and waving my arms!:rotfl2:)

Looks like you have a wonderful start to your Disney vacation.

Your room and view are gorgeous.

Looking forward to reading all about your Disney adventures!

Lisa
 
I'm here! I'm here! I'm here! (Imagine me jumping up and down and waving my arms!:rotfl2:)

Looks like you have a wonderful start to your Disney vacation.

Your room and view are gorgeous.

Looking forward to reading all about your Disney adventures!

Lisa

Wow, Lisa- you're quick!! Thanks for joining in! I can't wait to catch up on your TR now that I am home, too!! :thumbsup2
 
I'm here too April. I'm so glad you had another bed besides the bunks. But I guess when you get sick and extra bed is not bad. Love your pictures as usual. I do hope you are feeling better.

Ginny
 

Day 1, Part 2:
We relaxed for a while, then John wanted to get to the smoking area. I went with him & we decided to stop at Uzima Springs for some drinks.
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I had a Captain’s Mai Tai & John had a beer. He tasted the Mai Tai & quickly changed his mind.
Some photos from the pool area & Uzima Springs:

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Ugh-Love bugs!!!

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We went back upstairs and changed for dinner at Jiko. We were seated quickly and pleasantly surprised to find an anniversary card on our table that had been signed by castmembers from Jiko. We ordered a South African Pinot Grigio that I WISH I remembered the name of, curried cauliflower soup for John, and Kalamata olive flatbread with four cheeses for me. Forgive me- I forgot photos until after we started eating! I took some of the menus, too in great resolution- just PM me if you would like a copy.
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Bread:
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Swahili curried vegetables with tofu:
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Oak-grilled filet mignon with macaroni & cheese and red wine sauce:
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Pistachio Crème Brulee:
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At this point, I felt VERY tired so we called it a night. I think John was asleep before his head hit the pillow- and it was only 9pm!!!!

I may not get to update this weekend- my friend, Sarah, is coming up from PA this weekend to visit for my birthday (Monday). We are going to Western MA to a farm/restaurant/maple syrup place and to the Yankee Candle flagship store in Deerfield, MA. I might have a mini-TR within this TR for you!
 
Love your pictures. Happy early Birthday on Monday. Hope you have a grand time with your friend. I take you are feeling somewhat better.

Ginny
 
I'm here too April. I'm so glad you had another bed besides the bunks. But I guess when you get sick and extra bed is not bad. Love your pictures as usual. I do hope you are feeling better.

Ginny

:yay: Thanks! I am feeling better after what they thought was a reaction to my blood pressure medication (which I have been taking for 5 years & never had a problem with). I went to the ER & they gave me all sorts of meds so I don't look like a circus freak anymore. :lmao: My lips were SO swollen you wouldn't have believed it. I knew it was bad when I walked into the ER & the receptionist made a face like this: :scared1: They took me in right away.
Thanks, Ginny, for all of the well wishes- you are too sweet!!! I am going to catch up on your TR, too- it will give me something to look forward to!
 
Bless your heart. Seems odd when you have been on a med that long that you would just now have a reaction. I don't have my medical degree yet so we will take their word for it. I'm glad you got it checked out tho.

My TR will be there whenever you feel like it. You guys can't get rid of me that easily.

I know Isis is glad to have you home. And she didn't care what you looked like
 
I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. Don't worry about updating over the weekend. We'll be here when you get back. Have lots of fun with your friend.
 
Glad you're feeling better. We were there Sept 18-29 & the Love Bugs were really bad the last few days. It was so bad that you couldn't sit down at the bus stop at CSR, for some reason they were attracted to the concrete benches, yuck.
 
I made it April...love the pics so far...you make me want to go to AKL and it is just not in the budget to do a Deluxe yet!!! :sad2:
the food looks delish...

glad to hear you are feeling better and sounds like it was a great idea that you decided to go to the ER! I was beginning to really worry about you when we had not heard from you...

well, you have a great weekend!!! sounds like fun and sending you wishes for a very HAPPY FUN BIRTHDAY!!!
:wave2:
Connie
 
Bless your heart. Seems odd when you have been on a med that long that you would just now have a reaction. I don't have my medical degree yet so we will take their word for it. I'm glad you got it checked out tho.

My TR will be there whenever you feel like it. You guys can't get rid of me that easily.

I know Isis is glad to have you home. And she didn't care what you looked like

She WAS actually excited for the first 5 minutes after I got back :dogdance:- then she gave me the cold shoulder for the rest of the night. :rotfl:
I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. Don't worry about updating over the weekend. We'll be here when you get back. Have lots of fun with your friend.

Thanks! Hopefully I will get some nice autumn photos to share & I won’t spend my entire paycheck at Yankee Candle!!!! :lmao:

Glad you're feeling better. We were there Sept 18-29 & the Love Bugs were really bad the last few days. It was so bad that you couldn't sit down at the bus stop at CSR, for some reason they were attracted to the concrete benches, yuck.

Did you start a TR?? The love bugs were weird- we had a ton at AKL, but my stepmom said she didn’t see any while she was at BLT. :confused3


I made it April...love the pics so far...you make me want to go to AKL and it is just not in the budget to do a Deluxe yet!!! :sad2:
the food looks delish...

glad to hear you are feeling better and sounds like it was a great idea that you decided to go to the ER! I was beginning to really worry about you when we had not heard from you...

well, you have a great weekend!!! sounds like fun and sending you wishes for a very HAPPY FUN BIRTHDAY!!!
:wave2:
Connie

Thanks, Connie! I knew when I heard the collective gasp from the ER staff when they saw me that it was a good idea that I went! Hahahaha
By the way- I think I will be in WDW next year the same week that you are there!!


Great start! I love the AKL. :goodvibes

Thanks!!! AKL is becoming my favorite resort. I just love the animals, restaurants, music, smells, artwork, etc.
 
I forgot to mention the nice touch the night before at Jiko- they gave us an anniversary card signed by some of the Jiko staff.

Day 2, September 29th:
Going to bed at 9pm has its advantages…we got up early:
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I loved some of the little details in the room like the wallpaper & artwork:
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We were at Universal by 9:30am Tuesday. It was deserted!
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We headed straight for the Mummy & walked right on.
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After the Mummy, I let John get a coffee from Starbucks while I took some photos.
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For some reason, Jaws wasn’t open yet, so we went straight to Men in Black, then the Simpsons- both also walk-ons.
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By the way- the Simpsons ride exceeded my expectations. I laughed out loud a bunch of times & it was just a very fun ride. :thumbsup2
Continued in next post….
 
We looped around to get back to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (the new rollercoaster). The wait was about 20 minutes- not bad for a new ride!! This coaster is INTENSE. The first rise is literally 90 degrees- straight up in the air. I don’t remember much after that except for wondering if I would make it through the whole coaster! I don’t know how many of you have heard of this yet, but you get a choice of songs from a handful of different music genres & they play your song while you ride. After you ride, you can get a video of yourself with the song you choose that shows you riding the coaster. John bought the video of us on the ride & said later he thinks he bought it because he was still full of adrenaline. (Later on he said “Why did I buy that video?”) I will have to figure a way to post it or something. Although- if you will be able to tell what words were coming out of my mouth, I can’t post it! :lmao:
Some photos of Rip Ride Rockit:
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I asked John to make a face describing how the coaster made him feel & this is what I got:
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What a clown!

After this, we went back to the gift shop near the Mummy & then to the Simpsons shop.
Along the way:
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Everything was decorated for Halloween Horror Nights. I have been to that event twice- once in 2001 & again in 2003. In 2001, it was not crowded at all and we got into every haunted house & on all of the rides we wanted to with time to spare. In 2003, the lines were so long that we didn’t get to do much at all. I want to go again, but with the cost of the party ticket AND the added expense of an express pass, it gets pricey. Plus I am getting to be more of a chicken the older I get!!!

We stopped & grabbed a snack- well, I had fries & John had a bacon cheeseburger and fries. On the way out we saw Marilyn & Lucy, then Woody Woodpecker!
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We walked by the Hard Rock right over to Islands of Adventure.
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We put our souvenirs in a locker & were good to go! We waited for the front of the Hulk rollercoaster (about 10 minutes). Now- I am normally fine on rollercoasters- I actually LOVE them, but on this particular day, the Hulk smashed my head into the sides of the headrest several times. :( I made up my mind at this point to skip Dueling Dragons later in the day because I didn’t want to press my luck. After the Hulk, we went right on Spiderman. :charac4: That is a really cool ride- I highly recommend it! It was very warm & I was dressed to get soaked- though in all of my infinite wisdom (this is dripping with sarcasm) I forgot I was wearing a white t-shirt. D’oh! Thank goodness I had enough full coverage on underneath!!! We went on Popeye’s Bilge rat barges. Let me just tell you that not one single speck anywhere was dry after that. It was such a fun ride, though, with everyone laughing so hard about how ridiculously soaked we were all getting!!! Afterwards, we decided that we may as well head for Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls and then Jurassic Park- more walk-ons. Now thoroughly soaked, I waited at a small drink stand while John went on Dueling Dragons. I got some kind of rum drink- I can’t remember what it was, so it must have been good! While I was getting to the window to order, the woman behind me yelled out “Hey whaddaya got for happy hour??” Ummm…did I suddenly become invisible? :rolleyes: I bit my tongue & just patiently waited. After sitting for a little while, this same woman decided to point out to me that I wasn’t too bright to wear a white shirt when I knew I would get wet. I just smiled and said “Yes, I didn’t think it through too well today”. Is it wrong that part of me wanted to slap her…just a little??? I DO have the excuse that I was starting to not feel too well at this point, too. When John came back, he got a beer & I got a water and we went over to Dr. Doom’s Fear Fall. I love this ride no matter how much it scares me! I have to say that I am happy I didn’t spring to buy the express pass- everything was a walk-on except for the newest rollercoaster.
Here are some photos of the Harry Potter construction & one random IOA photo with Dr. Doom’s Fear Fall & the Hulk in the background:
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We got back to AKL, showered, & relaxed for a while before getting ready for California Grill with my stepmom. (On a side note- my stepmom is my Dad’s second wife & my brother’s mother. They divorced in the 90’s, but I have a better relationship with her & her side of the family than I do with my Dad & his. I am very blessed & fortunate that they all still accept me as part of their wonderful family.) We got in & waited about 15-20 minutes before getting seated. Sorry, guys, but I have no food photos! I was feeling so run-down that I could barely keep my head up. I CAN tell you, though, that my stepmom & I split the 4 cheese flatbread & John got the BLT flatbread. They both got the filet & I had the veggie pasta option. John had a Heineken & my stepmom had Riesling. I was heartbroken, though, because I just couldn’t eat. I wasn’t sick to my stomach or anything- something inside of me just would not allow me to eat. I drank tons of water & hot lemon tea. I really wanted to go to see her room in Bay Lake Towers, but I was so sick at that point that I just needed bed. I was out like a light when we got back.
 
Glad to see you've started! I love AKL...thanks for the photos!

I've never been to Universal, it looks like fun.
 
Thanks, everyone for reading! I'm just updating quick today from my phone. I had a great weekend with my friend from PA & will definitely have a mini TR for you this week sometime. We went to western MA for some maple syrup, foliage, & yankee candle's flagship store in Deerfield, MA. We also went to see the jack-o-lantern spectacular at Roger Williams Park & Zoo on Saturday night. It was impressive- but the wait was INSANE. I'm just lounging today (doing housework, too) with Isis, trying not to eat anything because John is taking me to a new restaurant I have been dying to try for my b-day later. For some idea of how my birthdays usually go- on my 30th, I was in Disney- great, right? Sure! Until the bf I was with told me he "had no money" and I would be paying for dinner at Wolfgang Puck for the 2 of us on that day. he didn't even get me a card. Last year on my birthday, I was alone, but planned to go see a music act to make the best of the day. Well, mid-laundry cycle our water pump broke & I had no pants to wear. Seriously. hahaha I have plenty more examples just like this, but I don't want to ramble on with a pity party for myself! I just expect the worst today so I might be pleasantly surprised if nothing disastrous happens. So far, Isis isn't feeling so well, but the day has been ok. I'll update ASAP this week- my next WDW day will be AK & DHS.
 
Thanks, everyone for reading! I'm just updating quick today from my phone. I had a great weekend with my friend from PA & will definitely have a mini TR for you this week sometime. We went to western MA for some maple syrup, foliage, & yankee candle's flagship store in Deerfield, MA. We also went to see the jack-o-lantern spectacular at Roger Williams Park & Zoo on Saturday night. It was impressive- but the wait was INSANE. I'm just lounging today (doing housework, too) with Isis, trying not to eat anything because John is taking me to a new restaurant I have been dying to try for my b-day later. For some idea of how my birthdays usually go- on my 30th, I was in Disney- great, right? Sure! Until the bf I was with told me he "had no money" and I would be paying for dinner at Wolfgang Puck for the 2 of us on that day. he didn't even get me a card. Last year on my birthday, I was alone, but planned to go see a music act to make the best of the day. Well, mid-laundry cycle our water pump broke & I had no pants to wear. Seriously. hahaha I have plenty more examples just like this, but I don't want to ramble on with a pity party for myself! I just expect the worst today so I might be pleasantly surprised if nothing disastrous happens. So far, Isis isn't feeling so well, but the day has been ok. I'll update ASAP this week- my next WDW day will be AK & DHS.

I hope you have a stupendous birthday. You are so deserving of one. Be sure to tell us all about the restaurant.

:cake: & :grouphug:

Ginny
 
Hi! April
Love the US/IOA day...I hope it will be like that next year when we go; but, I doubt it.
It looked like ya'll had reserved the park all to yourselves! :yay: Sorry, to hear you were starting to feel bad so early on your trip!

As of now I plan to be at US/IOA and SW on the Sat, Sun and Mon after Thanksgiving. So, I'm sure wherever we are will be busy on that Sat & probably Sun.
That would be great if we are in WDW at the same time!!! we will have to def. set up a meet!!:chat:

Hoping everything goes better than planned for your brithday tonight!!:bday:
:wave2: Connie
 
OMG, that roller coaster does look intense! I don't know if I could handle that one! :scared1:

What did you think of the Mummy? When we went to Universal we were all kind of disappointed with it. :confused3
 











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