TSMIII
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2007
- Messages
- 349
Hello All,
Finally got around to writing this trip report. We were originally booked for Sat 11/8 to Sat 11/15 but a scheduling conflict made us shift our trip by two days so we went Monday to Monday. As a result we got cheaper airfare so that was a plus.
Monday 11/10-
Direct flight Boston to Orlando on JetBlue went smoothly and Magical Express delivered us to AKV about 1:30pm. Weather was gorgeous - 70 degrees and sunny, low humidity. Checked in and room was not ready that early so we ate lunch at Mara, which was very good, and then proceeeded to hang out at the pool for the next few hours. DW sunned herself while DD7 and I hit the pool. A little while later we did one of the bead activities they have for the kids (perfect thing to keep them entertained and teach them something at the same time). Room was ready right at 4pm and we left the pool and went up to settle in.
We were in a 1BR on the Zebra Trail. We had requested an Arusha Savanna view and they delivered. The girl at check-in was very friendly and told us that where our room was located there was a watering hole and feeding areas nearby so our chances of seeing the animals were good. We had room 5579 which is almost at the end of the Zebra Trail with two dedicated studios after our room and then the Grand Villa, the locked off studio was on the other side of us. You can see where we were by looking at the layout of the rooms here: AKV Jambo 5th floor
Upon arriving in the villa we unpacked and then took inventory of the items in the unit. We found quite a bit missing. DW made a list of what was missing and it included -3 mugs, 1 glass, cutting board, large pot, 2 knives, 3 spoons, 2 plastic cups, and several other items I can't remember off the top of my head. We called housekeeping and informed them. As it was just the three of us and we weren't going to be cooking any 7 course meals we told them we didn't need all of the items but wanted them to be aware and make sure we weren't charged. We did request the two plastic cups be replaced and a housekeeper came right away with those. DW gave him the list of items missing and he said he would give it to his manager. Hopefully those items were replaced following our departure. Our luggage was delivered shortly after we got into the room and bell services was very friendly and helpful. The villa was clean and there were no housekeeping issues at all.
Anyway, the view was terrific!! We saw animals every day we were there. We saw giraffes every day except the first and last days, Ankole Cattle every day, Roan Antelope every day, zebras on two days and other assorted animals throughout our stay. Here are some examples of the view we had:
Tuesday 11/11 -
Veterans's Day
We went to Animal Kingdom and picked up our APs and spent the day in the park and then that evening went to MK for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The parade was great! And the fireworks?...well let's just say we'll be somewhat underwhelmed by the regular MK Wishes fireworks from now on after seeing the Christmas ones!
Also, seeing the castle with the Christmas lights and the different colors projected on it was incredible. We only rode two rides - Astro Orbiter and Buzz Lightyear - and took in the shows the rest of the time along with our free hot cocoa and cookies. Crowds increased throughout the day in AK and it was fairly busy - due to the holiday no doubt. The MK was busy but not "choke the life out of you" crowded and we had a great time - cut just a little short due to DD7's rapid burnout after 10pm. Temps were in the low 80s this day and not very humid.
Wednesday 11/12 -
Epcot - Future World all day. Rainforest Cafe for dinner. Again temps in the 80s, more humid this day. Rained in the evening when we were in RFC. Crowds light to moderate. Long standby waits for the big rides, but with Fast Passes we got on everything we wanted to ride.
Thursday 11/13 -
Hollywood Studios all day.
Before leaving for the park, while DW & DD were getting ready, I went over to the Kudu Trail to get some pics of Kidani going up. The pics I added to this thread: Any Recent Kidani Pictures?
Anyway, if you go to the end of the hall, and go out on the exterior stairwell next to the Grand Villa, there is a barn out there where the animals spend some time. I got a great view of a number of different animals as you can see:
Got to the park before opening and were 3 people back from the rope for rope drop. As you can imagine EVERYONE made a dash for Toy Story Mania as soon as the rope dropped. We got to the park early specifically for this reason and the tactic we used to great success was to be close to the rope when it dropped, move rapidly through the park to the ride and then get Fast Passes first before getting in line. Once we got our FPs and got in line the wait was 25 minutes. We could have rode sooner had we jumped right in line, but, we were able to ride twice in the morning and free up the rest of the day for other things by getting the FPs first as our return time was 10am-11am. Don't now if this strategy will work during busier times of the year but we were happy with the results.
Nothing like getting back to your room after a long day in the parks. We returned to find this view from our balcony:
They were all just lying there like lazy lumps as if THEY had spent all day in the parks
Friday 11/14 -
Morning at the pool and bead activities for DD. We were there when the CMs told us the animal handlers were feeding the giraffes on the Uzima Savanna so we headed to the overlook to the left of the flamingo habitat and had a look:
Went to EPCOT -World Showcase for the afternoon and evening. Watched the various entertainers outside the country buildings - the juggler at Italy was our favorite. Runner up was England and the Beatles cover band (dressed up like the Fab Four). Planned on staying for Illuminations but it started raining pretty good so we packed it in.
Saturday 11/15 -
Magic Kingdom all day. Woke up to find the giraffes eating from the elevated feeding platform the CM at check-in had mentioned was outside our room along with the watering hole:
Hit MK just after opening and DW & DD went ahead of me and shot right for Dumbo. They got on with little to no wait while I went through bag check with the backpack and then rented the stroller. Again light to moderate crowds (glad because this is why we chose this time of year to go) and all went as planned except for our bid to see the Fairies which had a 90 minute wait (more on that in a bit) and our attempt to return from Tom Sawyer Island. The problem in getting back from the island was that an inexperienced CM was piloting the return raft and was unable to execute the landing at the island. She took it back across, fully loaded with guests expecting to be delivered to the island and had all kinds of trouble trying to dock it back at the main landing. So much trouble that she blocked the waterway and the Liberty Belle paddle wheeler had to stop for ten minutes or so until it could proceed. A more experienced CM took the helm after the raft finally docked and came over and got us.
We took the monorail over to EPCOT in the evening as we had an ADR for the Garden Grille which proved to be great! DD got lots of attention from Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale.
We also had a great waitress. I highly recommend this character meal if you've got young children. And since it's all you can eat, Mom & Dad make out pretty well on the deal too!
Sunday 11/16 -
MK in the morning. We were determined to see the Fairies in Mickey's Toontown so we got to the park right at opening and went down and waited. All week the weather was beautiful. This day it turned chilly. 40s during the night, low 60s and windy during the day. At the rope to Toontown we talked with a guest who lives 20 miles from WDW. He said this was his 5th time in 2 weeks trying to get in to see the Fairies! We told him about the 90 minute wait sign we saw the day before. He said that was wrong. He was there the day before also and that the wait was actually 2 1/2 hours but that the sign only went up to 90 minutes!
Glad we didn't wait in that line! The CMs dropped the rope at 10am and then walked us all down to the Fairies. We were maybe 10th or 12th in line. DD was tickled pink - got to see 3 Fairies and get autographs & pics. Spent the rest of the morning finishing up on what we missed Saturday. Left early afternoon and went to AK where we stayed til close and then back to the room. DD finished her last bead activity that evening and then we packed for the trip home on Monday. DD was sobbing before bedtime that she didn't want to leave, and how come we couldn't stay longer, etc., etc. Told her we'd be back again soon (April to be exact).
Monday 11/17 -
Checked out. Went to Downtown Disney for the morning. Saw the T-Rex restaurant but didn't have the time to wait to get a table. Magical Express got us to the airport in plenty of time. I was worried though as we were the first stop and then they proceeded to pick up at CSR, Y&BC and finally BW!
A couple of notes and then I'll end this teribly long post.
- Bus service was excellent!
Only once did we wait longer than 5 minutes in either direction for a bus and it was Wednesday going to EPCOT. We waited 15 minutes and saw 3 buses for MK come and go, then a fourth came and we noticed a Transportation CM had been at the end of the bus stop with a clip board and radio. He stopped the bus driver, had him change his sign to EPCOT and directed him to take the group at the EPCOT stop! Splendid! That's what I call being proactive. Also I tracked our transit times between the lodge and the parks as I'd heard many people talking about how far removed AKL was from everything. Totally unscientific, and I know it was by no means the busy season, but we reached every park in 15 minutes or less. The only exception was Downtown Disney which took 22 minutes.
- The CMs at AKL were incredible.
All were friendly, courteous and helpful. Not a single bad attitude to be found. Also, the activites for the kids are worth their weight in gold. DD had such fun, that I know if we had chosen to spend an entire day at the resort and avoid the parks she would have loved it all the same. We had a lengthy conversation with a CM from South Africa out on the Arusha Rock overlook one evening and one thing she mentioned was quite interesting. She told us that the animals are on the savanna for 22 hours and then they get a 2 hour break where they go back to the barn areas for feeding and check ups, observation, etc. She said it is in the morning with Sunset Savanna animals coming off at 6am, Arusha at 8am and Uzima at 9:30am. I figured this is what was going on when I saw all of those animals at the barn on Thursday morning.
- Long hallways. Many have mentioned the long walks to the lobby. We are not squeamish when it comes to long walks so it wasn't an issue for us. However, I can see where others would want know how far it is to get from one part of the lodge to another. As luck would have it, DW's company is doing a health initiative and trying to get their employees to walk more and has provided them with pedometers! So, since we were about as far away from the lobby as you can get, I can give a rough estimate of the distances involved. From our room, 5579, to the lobby, it was 700 steps for DW. She does about 2000 steps per mile, so the end of the Zebra or Kudu Trails are about 1/3 of a mile from the lobby. Now, on Tuesday, when we did AK all day then MVMCP in MK for the evening, well, DW's pedometer recorded 25000+ steps that day when all was said and done - so roughly 12.5 miles!!! Trust me, our dogs were barking that day!
Well, that's it. We'll be back in April and can't wait.
Sorry again for such a long post.
Finally got around to writing this trip report. We were originally booked for Sat 11/8 to Sat 11/15 but a scheduling conflict made us shift our trip by two days so we went Monday to Monday. As a result we got cheaper airfare so that was a plus.
Monday 11/10-
Direct flight Boston to Orlando on JetBlue went smoothly and Magical Express delivered us to AKV about 1:30pm. Weather was gorgeous - 70 degrees and sunny, low humidity. Checked in and room was not ready that early so we ate lunch at Mara, which was very good, and then proceeeded to hang out at the pool for the next few hours. DW sunned herself while DD7 and I hit the pool. A little while later we did one of the bead activities they have for the kids (perfect thing to keep them entertained and teach them something at the same time). Room was ready right at 4pm and we left the pool and went up to settle in.
We were in a 1BR on the Zebra Trail. We had requested an Arusha Savanna view and they delivered. The girl at check-in was very friendly and told us that where our room was located there was a watering hole and feeding areas nearby so our chances of seeing the animals were good. We had room 5579 which is almost at the end of the Zebra Trail with two dedicated studios after our room and then the Grand Villa, the locked off studio was on the other side of us. You can see where we were by looking at the layout of the rooms here: AKV Jambo 5th floor
Upon arriving in the villa we unpacked and then took inventory of the items in the unit. We found quite a bit missing. DW made a list of what was missing and it included -3 mugs, 1 glass, cutting board, large pot, 2 knives, 3 spoons, 2 plastic cups, and several other items I can't remember off the top of my head. We called housekeeping and informed them. As it was just the three of us and we weren't going to be cooking any 7 course meals we told them we didn't need all of the items but wanted them to be aware and make sure we weren't charged. We did request the two plastic cups be replaced and a housekeeper came right away with those. DW gave him the list of items missing and he said he would give it to his manager. Hopefully those items were replaced following our departure. Our luggage was delivered shortly after we got into the room and bell services was very friendly and helpful. The villa was clean and there were no housekeeping issues at all.
Anyway, the view was terrific!! We saw animals every day we were there. We saw giraffes every day except the first and last days, Ankole Cattle every day, Roan Antelope every day, zebras on two days and other assorted animals throughout our stay. Here are some examples of the view we had:
Tuesday 11/11 -
Veterans's Day
We went to Animal Kingdom and picked up our APs and spent the day in the park and then that evening went to MK for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The parade was great! And the fireworks?...well let's just say we'll be somewhat underwhelmed by the regular MK Wishes fireworks from now on after seeing the Christmas ones!
Also, seeing the castle with the Christmas lights and the different colors projected on it was incredible. We only rode two rides - Astro Orbiter and Buzz Lightyear - and took in the shows the rest of the time along with our free hot cocoa and cookies. Crowds increased throughout the day in AK and it was fairly busy - due to the holiday no doubt. The MK was busy but not "choke the life out of you" crowded and we had a great time - cut just a little short due to DD7's rapid burnout after 10pm. Temps were in the low 80s this day and not very humid.Wednesday 11/12 -
Epcot - Future World all day. Rainforest Cafe for dinner. Again temps in the 80s, more humid this day. Rained in the evening when we were in RFC. Crowds light to moderate. Long standby waits for the big rides, but with Fast Passes we got on everything we wanted to ride.
Thursday 11/13 -
Hollywood Studios all day.
Before leaving for the park, while DW & DD were getting ready, I went over to the Kudu Trail to get some pics of Kidani going up. The pics I added to this thread: Any Recent Kidani Pictures?
Anyway, if you go to the end of the hall, and go out on the exterior stairwell next to the Grand Villa, there is a barn out there where the animals spend some time. I got a great view of a number of different animals as you can see:
Got to the park before opening and were 3 people back from the rope for rope drop. As you can imagine EVERYONE made a dash for Toy Story Mania as soon as the rope dropped. We got to the park early specifically for this reason and the tactic we used to great success was to be close to the rope when it dropped, move rapidly through the park to the ride and then get Fast Passes first before getting in line. Once we got our FPs and got in line the wait was 25 minutes. We could have rode sooner had we jumped right in line, but, we were able to ride twice in the morning and free up the rest of the day for other things by getting the FPs first as our return time was 10am-11am. Don't now if this strategy will work during busier times of the year but we were happy with the results.
Nothing like getting back to your room after a long day in the parks. We returned to find this view from our balcony:
They were all just lying there like lazy lumps as if THEY had spent all day in the parks
Friday 11/14 -
Morning at the pool and bead activities for DD. We were there when the CMs told us the animal handlers were feeding the giraffes on the Uzima Savanna so we headed to the overlook to the left of the flamingo habitat and had a look:
Went to EPCOT -World Showcase for the afternoon and evening. Watched the various entertainers outside the country buildings - the juggler at Italy was our favorite. Runner up was England and the Beatles cover band (dressed up like the Fab Four). Planned on staying for Illuminations but it started raining pretty good so we packed it in.
Saturday 11/15 -
Magic Kingdom all day. Woke up to find the giraffes eating from the elevated feeding platform the CM at check-in had mentioned was outside our room along with the watering hole:
Hit MK just after opening and DW & DD went ahead of me and shot right for Dumbo. They got on with little to no wait while I went through bag check with the backpack and then rented the stroller. Again light to moderate crowds (glad because this is why we chose this time of year to go) and all went as planned except for our bid to see the Fairies which had a 90 minute wait (more on that in a bit) and our attempt to return from Tom Sawyer Island. The problem in getting back from the island was that an inexperienced CM was piloting the return raft and was unable to execute the landing at the island. She took it back across, fully loaded with guests expecting to be delivered to the island and had all kinds of trouble trying to dock it back at the main landing. So much trouble that she blocked the waterway and the Liberty Belle paddle wheeler had to stop for ten minutes or so until it could proceed. A more experienced CM took the helm after the raft finally docked and came over and got us.
We took the monorail over to EPCOT in the evening as we had an ADR for the Garden Grille which proved to be great! DD got lots of attention from Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale.
We also had a great waitress. I highly recommend this character meal if you've got young children. And since it's all you can eat, Mom & Dad make out pretty well on the deal too!Sunday 11/16 -
MK in the morning. We were determined to see the Fairies in Mickey's Toontown so we got to the park right at opening and went down and waited. All week the weather was beautiful. This day it turned chilly. 40s during the night, low 60s and windy during the day. At the rope to Toontown we talked with a guest who lives 20 miles from WDW. He said this was his 5th time in 2 weeks trying to get in to see the Fairies! We told him about the 90 minute wait sign we saw the day before. He said that was wrong. He was there the day before also and that the wait was actually 2 1/2 hours but that the sign only went up to 90 minutes!
Glad we didn't wait in that line! The CMs dropped the rope at 10am and then walked us all down to the Fairies. We were maybe 10th or 12th in line. DD was tickled pink - got to see 3 Fairies and get autographs & pics. Spent the rest of the morning finishing up on what we missed Saturday. Left early afternoon and went to AK where we stayed til close and then back to the room. DD finished her last bead activity that evening and then we packed for the trip home on Monday. DD was sobbing before bedtime that she didn't want to leave, and how come we couldn't stay longer, etc., etc. Told her we'd be back again soon (April to be exact).Monday 11/17 -
Checked out. Went to Downtown Disney for the morning. Saw the T-Rex restaurant but didn't have the time to wait to get a table. Magical Express got us to the airport in plenty of time. I was worried though as we were the first stop and then they proceeded to pick up at CSR, Y&BC and finally BW!
A couple of notes and then I'll end this teribly long post.
- Bus service was excellent!
Only once did we wait longer than 5 minutes in either direction for a bus and it was Wednesday going to EPCOT. We waited 15 minutes and saw 3 buses for MK come and go, then a fourth came and we noticed a Transportation CM had been at the end of the bus stop with a clip board and radio. He stopped the bus driver, had him change his sign to EPCOT and directed him to take the group at the EPCOT stop! Splendid! That's what I call being proactive. Also I tracked our transit times between the lodge and the parks as I'd heard many people talking about how far removed AKL was from everything. Totally unscientific, and I know it was by no means the busy season, but we reached every park in 15 minutes or less. The only exception was Downtown Disney which took 22 minutes.- The CMs at AKL were incredible.
All were friendly, courteous and helpful. Not a single bad attitude to be found. Also, the activites for the kids are worth their weight in gold. DD had such fun, that I know if we had chosen to spend an entire day at the resort and avoid the parks she would have loved it all the same. We had a lengthy conversation with a CM from South Africa out on the Arusha Rock overlook one evening and one thing she mentioned was quite interesting. She told us that the animals are on the savanna for 22 hours and then they get a 2 hour break where they go back to the barn areas for feeding and check ups, observation, etc. She said it is in the morning with Sunset Savanna animals coming off at 6am, Arusha at 8am and Uzima at 9:30am. I figured this is what was going on when I saw all of those animals at the barn on Thursday morning.- Long hallways. Many have mentioned the long walks to the lobby. We are not squeamish when it comes to long walks so it wasn't an issue for us. However, I can see where others would want know how far it is to get from one part of the lodge to another. As luck would have it, DW's company is doing a health initiative and trying to get their employees to walk more and has provided them with pedometers! So, since we were about as far away from the lobby as you can get, I can give a rough estimate of the distances involved. From our room, 5579, to the lobby, it was 700 steps for DW. She does about 2000 steps per mile, so the end of the Zebra or Kudu Trails are about 1/3 of a mile from the lobby. Now, on Tuesday, when we did AK all day then MVMCP in MK for the evening, well, DW's pedometer recorded 25000+ steps that day when all was said and done - so roughly 12.5 miles!!! Trust me, our dogs were barking that day!
Well, that's it. We'll be back in April and can't wait.
Sorry again for such a long post.
