Tinkerbeth's First Trip Report! With loads of pics from AKL and past trips!!!

[tinkerbeth]

Okay here goes! This will be our 5th trip and I used to wonder about people who did all these trip reports, but now, here I am, a teacher on summer holiday and planning my next trip so I thought I'd have a go. I've enjoyed reading other people's trip reports so much so I hope people will enjoy mine too! I've even managed to set up a photobucket account. Dh is already saying, "If you start taking 1000 pictures of all your food before you eat it..." Let's just say we need an extra media cards on this trip!

First, introductions.

Me: Canadian. Never went to disney as a child (read: deprived ) and finally went for the first time for my 30th birthday, 4 years ago. Was back for my 32nd, and going back for my 34th this August 27th! Happy Birthday To Me! After the first time, I was well and truly hooked. And since I am a total research nut, I read everything I could get my hands on. I've read the Unofficial guide back to front loads of times and the passporter too. I've won a free one twice by sending in tips and I've read everything I can get my hands on on allears and the disboards. More about me...I'm a high school teacher, this year I'm going to be teaching special needs kids which I'm looking forward to, I'm a singer, mostly classical, (doing the messiah with an orchestra this christmas! ) and I like to scrapbook when I have time. And I love love love my 2 kids...more about them in a sec.

DH: English. (We met teaching at an International School in Italy...our first date was in Venice and was dead romantic! All downhill from there... ) Moved to Canada with me in 2000. He had never been to Disney either but wasn't much bothered. I convinced him we needed to go 4 years ago and he's come with me on 3 trips since and even let me plan another trip this summer. The things that keeps him going back is the AKLodge and someday we'll go just the two of us and stay concierge there. In fact what I really want to do is buy AKL DVC but that's a battle for another day. DH lets me keep going because it makes me happy and he s the best guy on earth. My mum says he has the patience of Job...

DS6: First went to Disney when he was almost-3, which was a great time to go because he was still free! He's been a bunch of times since. He's stayed at Pop, AKL, AS Movies and Coronado Springs. Last time we went, 2 years ago at Coronado, his favourite place was the quiet pool by our building. He loves the Buzz Lightyear Ride and Soarin, and eating at Chef Mickey's which we always do the first night of our trip.

DD2: Just turned 2 a few weeks ago and is going to Disney for the second time! The first time was when she was about 6 weeks old. Call me nuts. I had a very hard pregnancy and to make myself feel better, I planned a trip to Disneyworld of course! We had the youngest baby on property I think and she went everywhere in a snugli on DH's front. I've been prepping her by saying "Who are we going to see at Disneyworld?" and showing her lots of disney characters. Here are a few pictures of us to get started....

Here is one of my favourite pictures - it's me at POP, hours after we first arrived at WDW for the first time. I was ELATED!

Here are a few from that first trip: DS was SO CUTE when he was that little!!! (I'm a little biased. )

And here are a few of our most recent trip with baby DD:

Well, this is my introduction! I hope you will like my pictures and the plans I'll be posting about our upcoming trip. We're going back from August 20 until August 28th!

More to come!!!

TinkerBeth

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Great start on your first report. I'll be there around the same time too. Got to add "new memory card" to my growing list of things to do. Four weeks today for me.

Good luck on your new assignment at school next year. I'm taking on a new teaching position too this year only it's at the other end of the spectrum. Kindergarten.

Sorry to hear your pregnancy was rough but it looks like it was worth it as your daughter looks lovely.

 

[Native NYer]

Your son is so cute!

 

[supersuperwendy]

Hey! Wow..your kids are ADORABLE!!! I love all of your pics! I remember seeing Buzz and Woody..we didn't that picture because the line to see them was soooooooooooooooooooooo long!!!! Oh well..maybe next time!!

 

[tinkerbeth]

Diamondintheruff, Port Hope is so pretty! I went out with a guy fro coburg in University and spent the summer around there. Looks like we will be there the same time! Kindergarten will be a great new adventure for you...I've done primary music before a few times and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for the sweet comments so far! DH has read this and does definitely think I'm nuts but we knew that already!

DS is sick upstairs with a fever so I will be home from church this morinng with him and will put some more pics on photobucket and update pretrip report. I can see this becoming an addiction...

Stay Tuned!

 

[tinkerbeth]

Here I am on Sunday at dinner time, staying with DS6 who is not feeling well today. In a minute he'll get up and have a shower so we can go to my parents' for dinner but we're waiting for the tylenol to kick in first b/c he still has a headache. Poor little thing.

Just thought I'd put a few pictures in of what we look like right now...I'm picture crazy now that I figured out how to use photobucket!

Here is dd2 at her birthday party 2 weeks ago with dh and me:

And here is her big brother. He looks a lot less animated today when he's not feeling well!

To start with, our trip details are:

August 20 - 28, Animal Kingdom Lodge. We've got to check out and re-check in on the 24th of August to take advantage of the free dining for the second half of the trip but...I upgraded to deluxe dining this trip! This was a big splurge and I did it when I thought I would be teaching summer school which would have paid for half the trip, but then there wasn't enough enrollment and I had no job! Oh well, it's only money. It will just take a bit longer to pay off the line of credit. In 20 years, I'm pretty sure I won't say, "I wish I had scrimped and saved more instead of taking my kids to disney." And if I do then someone kick me.

So this time, we are doing all the meals in the world. Lots of breakfast at Boma which I LOVE . And we're doing Cindy's lunch and both the hoop de do and the luau...Yes this is a very indulgent trip.

Okay I have got to get my stinky kid in the shower before my dad calls and says, "Where are you guys?" Oh the joys of being a grown woman and still needing your father's approval...

Till later.

Beth

 

[GoofyDoo]

YAY!! You started!!! You have a beautiful family, and how awesome that you're making all those memories at Disney. We have a lot in common!! I'm a school librarian (for the past three years), and I was in the classroom for seven years before that! (Ten all together--didn't start teaching until after I'd stayed home with babies for a few years....) DH and I plan to be off to WDW by ourselves (don't look at me like that!) in a little over a year, and I think he would LOVE AKL. So I am really looking forward to tons of pics!!! Keep going!!

 

[tinkerbeth]

Okay so here are my dining plans. Still subject to change somewhat and I have to still even check to make sure this is the most current! I have changed them one million times.

Wed, 20 Aug '08 Supper - Chef Mickey's

Thu, 21 Aug '08 Bfst - Ohana 9:40, Lunch - CRT 2:25, Dinner - Rose and Crown

Fri, 22 Aug '08 Donald's Safari Breakfast, Supper - BOMA

Sat, 23 Aug '08 Boma Breakfast Supper - Spirit of Aloha 5:15

Sun, 24 Aug '08 Breakfast - Cape May Mickey Bkfst - Supper - WCC

Mon, 25 Aug '08 Boma Breakfast, JIKO Supper

Tue, 26 Aug '08 Boma Breakfast, Supper - Hollywood Brown Derby

Wed, 27 Aug '08 Crystal Palace Breakfast, Supper - Hoop De Doo (Not on dining plan - wanted Level one for my birthday!

Thu, 28 Aug '08 Boma Breakfast

Lots of Boma Breakfast as you can see. We love it and it will be so handy since we are staying in AKL. I'm still hoping to get Ohana for supper one day since I Love it. We will throw some counter service meals in to share I think which will supplement the 2 ts meals we have planned. It was a bit tricky b/c technically we are on two seperate reservations, one for the 20th to the 24th and one for the 24th to the 28th so we could take advantage of the dining plan. Since we are both teachers, we had to go in August and I like to go as late as possible since a) a lot of schools go back in August before we do which makes the crowds better and b) free dining (duh) and c) my birthday is on the 27th and I like to be there for that. So we are pushing it about as late into August as I dare without showing up at school tired and with no lessons planned! I will go in a bit earlier than usual instead of going in that week to prep.

Okay there is a huge pile of clothes on my bed that need folding... and DH thinks I've already started when here I am, plugging away on the laptop! I was trying to explain this trip report thing to my mom today. It was funny. She was asking me a LOT of questions about WDW so hopefully she is considering coming with sometime soon...it is a bit expensive for their tastes I think. I have told her we could stay at POP and it would still be a blast. I think it would just be so amazing to have the kids go with them and let them see their grandkids' faces light up...or better yet, they could take us on the disney cruise! (I sent my mom the link to this trip report - are you reading this mom??? )

Beth

 

[Alysa]

Hello fellow Canadian!
Love your report so far. We took our son to Disney at 6 weeks too! I say, If you are going to recover from childbirth, no better place to do it than a deluxe hotel at Disney! Cute pictures - is Stitch going to eat your daughter in that shot? And we have the same photo of our daughter covered in chocolate eating a mickey bar. Sweet!

 

[tinkerbeth]

Well I made a big trip decision yesterday. I bought photopass! (DH didn't think we "needed" that but I've seen so many amazing pictures with the enhancements...so I went ahead. In for a penny, in for a pound I always say. We will go nuts when we see those photo people. They won't know what hit them I tell ya!

So I'd love to hear about your experiences with Photopass...was it worth it? And what's the deal with the pictures they take at the restaurants? Can I have them added for free or do I still have to pay for them or what?

Anyways, I'm super excited as a scrapbooker because I can do all those cool things to the pictures after and put them in the scrapbook!

More to come today I'm sure as I continue my pre-trip high...planning is the bestest part! I will try to post my park plans as well. We tend to sort of take it easy once we get there but I do make note of the best and worst parks for the day. DH says he wants to do lots of water parks this time so we may do that in the mornings and then hit the other parks in the afternoons after naps and the evenings...

Have a good day everyone!

Beth

 

[GoofyDoo]

Well I made a big trip decision yesterday. I bought photopass! (DH didn't think we "needed" that but I've seen so many amazing pictures with the enhancements...so I went ahead. In for a penny, in for a pound I always say. We will go nuts when we see those photo people. They won't know what hit them I tell ya!

So I'd love to hear about your experiences with Photopass...was it worth it? And what's the deal with the pictures they take at the restaurants? Can I have them added for free or do I still have to pay for them or what?

Anyways, I'm super excited as a scrapbooker because I can do all those cool things to the pictures after and put them in the scrapbook!

Beth, how did you buy the photopass before your trip? I wanted to do that, as I've read that it saves money. But when I go to the photopass website, I don't see the option...so how did you do it? I plan to go nuts when I see the photographers, too! I LOVE PICTURES!!!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

I've been trying to get through to the photopass site to pre-order mine too. We got one last year but I didn't pre-order it. It was great to have pictures of the whole group together. Yes, the pictures are all included in your price. You can edit them on your computer at home and add their borders and then you order your CD. I haven't heard any problems of it crossing the border before either. I'm thinking of booking a photo shot at the GF but haven't been able to fit it into my schedule yet. That is extra money though.

I peeked at your dinning plans with the hope that we might be at the same restaurant at the same time but unfortunately no.

Hope you DS is feeling better today and dinner went well with your parents.

 

[tinkerbeth]

I've been trying to get through to the photopass site to pre-order mine too. We got one last year but I didn't pre-order it. It was great to have pictures of the whole group together. Yes, the pictures are all included in your price. You can edit them on your computer at home and add their borders and then you order your CD. I haven't heard any problems of it crossing the border before either. I'm thinking of booking a photo shot at the GF but haven't been able to fit it into my schedule yet. That is extra money though.

I peeked at your dinning plans with the hope that we might be at the same restaurant at the same time but unfortunately no.

Hope you DS is feeling better today and dinner went well with your parents.

DS is a bit better as long as he takes a tylenol every few hours. i'm keeping an eye on him. Oh it would be so cool to meet up with someone from the dis for a meal! Is anyone going to be eating at the same time as us? I never thought of that before.

When I get all my pictures edited up, can I just send the files to costco and get the prints for 15 cents or whatever? I can't even imagine how many 8x10's I'll end up with for my kids' scrapbooks! I think I'll do a WDW scrapbook before I even catch up to it Chronologically...maybe I'll get the new CM Disney one and do just one instead of putting them all in twice in seperate albulms for the kids and they can fight over it when they're grown ups. I think that if the worst hardship they have is having one of their trips not in individual scrapbooks I won't feel TOO guilty..

 

[tinkerbeth]

Beth, how did you buy the photopass before your trip? I wanted to do that, as I've read that it saves money. But when I go to the photopass website, I don't see the option...so how did you do it? I plan to go nuts when I see the photographers, too! I LOVE PICTURES!!!

Here is the link to get it cheaper:

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitcdplan.aspx

I can't remember how I found out (likely on the dis) but it seems like a good offer and far be it from me to turn down a good offer...it's like I'm SAVING money buying it!

 

[GoofyDoo]

...it's like I'm SAVING money buying it!

I LOVE the way you think!!! But my husband doesn't--HA!! Even worse, he HATES to pose for pics!! But when I tell him I've already paid $100 for all the pics, that'll make him want to get his money's worth!!! CLEVER, huh???!!!

Just bought mine. AWESOME!!! THANKS!!!!

 

[tinkerbeth]

Here are a few pics of our previous visits at AKL which we LOVE and which, as I've said, is the main reaons DH will let us keep going back to Disney. I might as well just sign a portion of my paycheque right over to them.

Here are some of the things we love about it:

We love eating at BOMA. I just love the different foods and tastes, and the juice at breakfast too. And the staff are amazing.

We love the smell when you walk in the door...it's just amazing

We love the dark halls when it's a million degrees outside and we're coming back to our room from the pool.

We love the balconies looking over the pool - we've never paid for Savannah view but I'm hoping for a upgrade this time...

We love the overlook and talking to the people from Africa about all the animals. I remember once when we were there when DS was about 3 and he was talking to the staff forever about the different animals and what they ate, it was a highlight of his trip.

We love the rocking chairs on the lookouts where we read stories sometimes before bedtime.

Now that I've told you all that, here are some pictures. I included a couple of DS2 (at the time) so you can see how the pool is really great for little kids with the zero entry. Plus he's just so darn cute!

These are a few of the lobby and one of the room. The bed's not made. Oops.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading along!!!

 

[tinkerbeth]

4 WEEKS TO GO!!! I am off to the Hobby Lobby in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave (aka across the border into Michigan) to check out thier Disney Stuff and also back to Tar-jay (Target... ) to look for a few more bits and pieces. Wahoo!

 

[MeMom]

I'll join in. I'm a third grade teacher who will be back in school as of August 6th, so I am delighted to have many trip reports to give me some happiness at the end of a school day.

We love Animal Kingdom Lodge! We've never stayed there, but we visit every trip to eat and shop.

Have fun with all your planning, and I'll look forward to many good pictures.

Your little ones are precious!

 

[tinkerbeth]

I'll join in. I'm a third grade teacher who will be back in school as of August 6th, so I am delighted to have many trip reports to give me some happiness at the end of a school day.

We love Animal Kingdom Lodge! We've never stayed there, but we visit every trip to eat and shop.

Have fun with all your planning, and I'll look forward to many good pictures.

Your little ones are precious!

Thanks! I love that the school year is bit staggered from here to the different parts of the States because a lot of people have gone back by the time the end of August rolls around and it makes the crowds a bit easier... but the heat is pretty nuts!

I went to MI yesterday but we ended up spending all our time at Steve And Barry's b/c my bf is a huge SJP fan so we had to go and look at all the "Bitten" stuff, then I went to Hobby Lobby but I was too tired to go to Dollar Tree and look for cool Disney stuff after that. We're going over for 2 nights in early August near Detroit where the kids can swim and play in the hotel pool with DH and my mom and I can do some hard-core outlet shopping. Plus I'm going to the Disney Store in Toronto on Saturday to look for a Minnie-mouse dress for DD2.

Does anyone know how much they are at WDW? I should check that out and compare before I buy one here.

One day closer!!!

 

[tinkerbeth]

I LOVE the way you think!!! But my husband doesn't--HA!! Even worse, he HATES to pose for pics!! But when I tell him I've already paid $100 for all the pics, that'll make him want to get his money's worth!!! CLEVER, huh???!!!

Just bought mine. AWESOME!!! THANKS!!!!

Mine isn't crazy about posing either but I don't give him much choice since I'm always the one with the camera in my hand. I have to sometimes give it to him and say, "Okay, YOU take some of me with the kids" so this time I can get my vain self photo'd all I want!