Trip Report, Kidani Village, Spring Break 2011, March 11 to March 19.

[thebigman65]

Hello All,

Just thought I would try out a trip report for the first time. I don’t have many pictures, but will try to do my best to add a few. On this trip are Myself, DW, DD 15 and her friend also 15.

March 11, 2011 – Travel Day!

We are from the Toronto area and this time we decided to fly out of Buffalo NY for the first time. Cost was definitely a factor in our decision. We arrived the night before and stayed at a hotel that shuttled us to the airport for our 8:30am flight with Jet Blue. Everything went smoothly and we boarded the plane and took our seats. A few minutes later the Captain came on the PA and said they had an issue with one of the engines and that they were working on it. About 15 Min later he came out into the cabin and addressed the passengers. He told us that they needed a part and was coming in on another plane from JFK and it would be at least a few hours. Since we were still at the gate we had the option of leaving the plane and boarding again later. So we grabbed out stuff and off we went. It took them until approx. 2:30pm to fix the plane and we were on our way by about 3:30pm. In the meantime, I had called MS and asked them to delay my reservation at Sanaa until 8pm if possible. They said it was possible and made it so.

We had a nice smooth flight and to thier credit Jet Blue had a letter waiting for each passenger when we got off the flight and they told us they would give us all a travel credit for the full fair, not including taxes and fees. I thought that was pretty good! We took DME to Kidani. We arrived around 7-7:15pm. Our room was all ready and we went straight to it. I was a little disappointed as I had asked for a room near the pool (we were staying standard view this time) and I got a room on the main floor close to the buses!...It was not a big deal as it was really close to the lobby and convenient for parking so we did not sweat it. The room was in good shape, no issues.

We then went down to Sanaa for our 8pm ADR and were served by Michelle, a very nice person and she did a great job. My DW and DD’s friend had the short ribs, DD had the Tandoori Chicken and I had the Catch of the day, a very mild whitefish, with scallops and shrimp in a nice light curry broth with veg on the side. The meal was excellent and we all enjoyed it immensely. After dinner, we went back to our room and off to bed as we had to get up early. We were taking DD and her friend to WWOHP for the day! They were so excited!!

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Can't wait to hear more

 

[thebigman65]

March 12, 2011 – WWOHP and Shopping!
Woke up at 7:30am, we had to catch the Alamo shuttle we booked at 8:05am. We were renting a car and they were picking us up. We got outside at around 8am, 8:05, no van, 8:10, no van, 8:15, no van, 8:20 no van!.....I called over and around 8:25, they showed up. They were very apologetic and when we got there, not only did we get a discount, but we received a free upgrade to a Luxury Vehicle! We went from a Chevy Impala to a Cadillac CTS!....Very Nice. Anyway, on to WWOHP and Shopping! We dropped off the Girls (we bought advanced tickets for them) and off they went, with huge smiles on their faces. DW and I hit Denny’s for some Breaky first and then on to the outlets malls! Of course the first stop had to be the Dooney & Bourke store. DW got a new Wallet and I picked up a new purse for my Mom’s B-day. Hope she likes it!
After the shopping we went to DTD to get our AP’s renewed and look around a little while we were waiting for the girls. Around 3pm they called and said they were ready and we went to get them. Well all we heard was” OMG!....thank you soooo much!” They had a great time and bought all kinds of HP stuff….they are both huge HP fans and this was by far the high light of their trip!
On to Dinner!.....We had ADR’s at Teppan Edo…..we have all eaten there before except for DD’s friend. She loved it. Our chef was very good and we all enjoyed the meal. After dinner, we found a spot and watch Illuminations. I think DD’s friend had a little tear in her eye after that…..it was a very happy moment for all of us.

DW and I with our new hats from DTD!

 

[thebigman65]

March 13, 2011 – Epcot and Rose and Crown

We slept in a little on this morning and went over to the Mara for some Breakfast. After that we headed over to EPCOT. I ran over to FP Soarin’ while the girls and DW waited in line to see Stitch. Then we took a Photo Pass at the front with the flower figure of “Lotso” (splt). We had a great day walking the World Showcase and ended it off with Dinner at the Rose and Crown. Dinner was ok. They sat us outside, which in hind sight we would have preferred to sit inside for the ambiance. It felt too much like a counter service meal sitting outside.

DW and DD had the Fish and Chips, DD’s friend had the Sunday Roast and I had the Filet. We all enjoyed the meal, although my filet was slightly overdone. We also had to try the bubble and Squeak

I had the Sticky toffee pudding for dessert and DD had the Bakewell Tart. DD’s friend and DW did not have dessert. We were going to go to Extra Magic Hours at MK that night but we were all so satisfied and tired we decided to go back to the room and hit the hot tub instead…..all in all and very good day!

 

[El&Asmom]

Sounds like a great trip so far. We'll be in a standard view at Kidani in Oct. Hope we get our request for the near the pool.
How loud are the buses if we get a room overlooking that side?

 

[TinkandGoofy'sMom]

Enjoying your review so far. We also live near Toronto and always fly JetBlue (so much cheaper than flying from Toronto) Glad to hear you got a credit for your dealyed flights (now you get to go again. We'll be staying at AKL for our first DVC stay in Oct.
Teppan Edo is our family's favourite
Looking forward to the rest of your report.

 

[thebigman65]

Sounds like a great trip so far. We'll be in a standard view at Kidani in Oct. Hope we get our request for the near the pool.
How loud are the buses if we get a room overlooking that side?

They are not an issue if you keep the windows closed!

Seriously, it was not bad at all and was very convenient to the lobby and the parking.

 

[thebigman65]

March 14, 2011 – DTD, MK & Whispering Canyon
We decided to go to DTD and then head to VWL for our ADR at Whispering Canyon, then go to MK in the evening. We got to DTD in the early afternoon and hit the usual spots. I picked up some Chocolates at Ghirardelli’s and the Girls did some shopping. We got some lunch at Earl of Sandwich and then hit Goofey’s Candy Shop of course!

After DTD, we drove over to VWL for our ADR at 6:30pm. We waited about 10 minutes past our ADR time and were seated at a nice table. I have to say that we had never been there and it is one LOUD restaurant! We decided to have the Platter:

We soon learned that if you want Ketchup, you better REALLY want ketchup, cause you are going to get a lot of it! Also, this is how they avoid getting you more refills on your drinks!

All in all, it was an enjoyable meal, for BBQ it was very good, not so sure I like all the noise so much, but it was fun none the less!

After dinner, we took to boat over to MK. It was a little bit of a wait for the boat, but it was a nice night and we enjoyed the ride. We did the Stitch ride and watched Wishes. Then we hit Peter Pan, Carousel, Dumbo, etc. We got back to the room around 1am or so. We were exhausted!

 

[thebigman65]

March 15, 2011 – Hollywood Studios, Brown Derby and Fantasmic!

This was the day my DW had been waiting for the most. She LOVES Fantasmic and when we were booking ADR’s I came up with the idea to do the package. We thought the Brown Derby’s menu looked good!

We got to HS in the morning and 2 of us ran to FP Rockin Roller Coaster and the other 2 ran to FP Toy Story. DD’s friend wanted to do Rockin Roller Coaster so I did that with her as DD doesn’t like Roller coasters. We had a FP for about 11am, so we did a couple of other things until then. We all went back to RRC for the FP and DD’s friend and I went on. While we were inside, my DW notices a CM standing next to the exit holding a hat and sunglasses. She thought that was kind of strange and then another CM walked up to him and asked what he was doing, the CM said “Holdin a Hat” the other CM said “Holdin a hat?” and the first CM said “Yup, Holdin a hat, I will tell you later” so my DW and DD were standing there watching this CM and who comes out of the exit, but Cameron Diaz and A Rod!....My DW didn’t even know who it was at first, she was trying to get the name out and my DD pegged it!.....they took off before my DD could go up to them. Funny thing was my DW still wasn’t sure, so she checked her twitter and there were other siting’s of them at MK that day, so she Googled A Rod and said, “Yup, that’s him” Funny thing that, seeing Hollywood Stars and Hollywood Studios!!

We did some more rides and the girls wanted to do the character meets and the animation thing so we did that. Our ADR for Brown Derby was at 4:30pm, A little early for me, but we had the 8:30 Fantasmic show so it was all good. My DW had the Chicken with Polenta and DD had the Chicken with Mashed Potatoes. DD’s friend had the beef and I had the Sterling Silver Pork Chop! We all loved it!.....I have to say the services, food and ambiance was really great and it was one of our favourite meals of the trip. For dessert, DW had the Grapefruit Cake, DD and I had the Berry Cobbler, and DD’s friend had the Crème Brulee. It was all very good. I tried some of DW’s Grapefruit cake, it was AWESOME!

After dinner, we walked around a bit in the shops, did the movie ride and then headed over to Fantasmic. We had great seats!.....the show was awesome and my DW really enjoyed it. After the show, my DD and her friend went to use their FP for Toy Story and then it was time to head home. What a wonderful Day!

 

[KyCruisinSusan]

Great trip report! Look forward to hearing more Didn't you worry about leaving 2 15yr olds alone at WWOHP?

 

[alldiz]

Great report....

what is WWOHP....Is a store about Harry Potter????
Thanks
Kerri

 

[BigEeyore]

Great report....

what is WWOHP....Is a store about Harry Potter????
Thanks
Kerri

"Wizarding world of Harry Potter" - the new HP land they built at Universal.

Enjoying the TR!

 

[thebigman65]

Great trip report! Look forward to hearing more Didn't you worry about leaving 2 15yr olds alone at WWOHP?

Not at all.....they are good girls.....know their limits and have cell phones. Compared to what I was doing at 15.....this was nothing!

 

[SLM]

What a great trip you had! Look at that beautiful blue sky behind you and your wife-it's 40 degrees and raining here today!
Looking forward to reading more.

 

[thebigman65]

March 16, 2011 – Ohana Breakfast and Animal Kingdom!

We had 10:15am ADR for Ohana Breakfast. Our DD’s friend was really looking forward to this as she is a huge Stitch fan. The Ohana breakfast holds a special place in all of our hearts as it was the very first thing we did the very first time we went to WDW. So in fact, we were all looking forward to it. We were seated pretty much right away and had a very nice server…..food was the usual…hot and fresh. Pluto, Mickey, and Lilo came by, but nothing compared to when Stitch came by….just look at the face:

Anyway, we had a very nice breakfast and took a bit of a walk around the Poly…..we LOVE the Poly…..gotta stay there one day! We took the monorail over to the GF so DW could shop at Basin’s then we walked back to the Poly and drove over to the AK.

We got to AK around 1pm and did the 1:30 bird show. My DD loves this show. We then went and stood in line for Baloo and King Louis, then Terk and finally Flick! We made our way over to the Gorilla’s and then took the train over to Rafiki and the petting zoo.

Once we were done with that we tried to make the 4:30 show of Lion King, but by that time the parade had started and if you’ve ever been at AK during the parade it is almost impossible to get from one end of the park to the other! So we missed the show. We decided to make it an early night and have a CS dinner at Mara and hit the hot tub and the pool. When we got to the pool, they were showing Tarzan. It was nice to swim and watch a movie at the same time. Hit the sack early….we were going to MK in the morning!

 

[TinksApprentice]

Cute girls! They could be twins. Sounds like a fantastic vacation!

I stayed in a room near the buses. It was convenient for catching the buses and after a long day in the park, wasn't noisy at all. It's people in the halls that are noisy, no matter where the room is.

 

[thebigman65]

What a great trip you had! Look at that beautiful blue sky behind you and your wife-it's 40 degrees and raining here today!
Looking forward to reading more.

Yes, it was 75-80 all week and sunny....I hear you, we got the biggest snow storm of the year today

hopefully spring will be here soon!

 

[thebigman65]

March 17, 2011 – MK and Tutto Italia!

We started the day a little late and had some snacks in the room. We wanted to go to Pecos Bills for Lunch. We got to MK around 11am and hopped on the train to go to Frontier land, we got off the train and the girls waited in line to see Woody and Jessie. I went to get a table inside Pecos Bills and about 20 minutes later, the girls joined me. DW and I had the burger and DD had the Taco bowl. DD’s friend had the Chicken Caesar. It was good, and I always enjoy the burgers there, but the topping line drives me around the bend. I don’t know why it is that people don’t realize there is a line and it goes one way! Anyway, it was a good lunch regardless.

We did Tom Sawyers Island, we had never been over there. The caves were kind of neat. We then went over to see if we could get in the line for Tiana, too long and then we went to see if we could get into see Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder…..Way too long…..We decided that we would get up extra early the next day and come back specifically for those 2 and FP Space Mountain at the same time.

After that we did the usual MK stuff, including my nap time favourite, The Carousel of Progress! LOL…… We ended the day off with Pirates and headed out to make our 6:40pm ADR at Tutto Italia. That is when the fun began…………

We had parked at the TTC in the morning and were going to take the monorail over to Epcot. As we were walking up to it, a lady who was coming off told us it was not working. Well we saw the side going to the resorts and TTC was workin, and we went up to the platform. The CM there escorted us on to the next train when it pulled in and then we sat there for 10Min. They finally told us that the Silver Monorail was on the opposite track and it was stuck with a mechanical problem. I honestly don’t know why we couldn’t go when the problem was on the other track but I guess it’s a safety thing.
So we got off and went down to the boats, I was thinking we could take the boat to the Poly and a bus to Epcot. Well by that time, the boats were packed and I thought it would be faster to walk over to the Contemporary and take the bus from there….so off we went. When we got there, I guess a lot of other people thought the same thing. The buses that were marked MK were all going to the TTC, but the problem was they arrived packed!.....I just about lost my cool then and decided to walk over to the front of the Contemporary and get a cab. The nice Porter there got us a cab and my DW noticed there was another family wanting one too. She asked them where they were going and they said Epcot…so since we had one of the Van taxis, we told them to hop in and we shared the ride to Epcot. We made it in just enough time for our ADR.

We got to Tutto around 6:40 and the guy outside asked us if we wanted a table outside. We said no we preferred inside. He showed us to the other check in counter. We got seated right away at a very nice table for 4. A young gentleman came and gave us bread and Olive oil, etc. The girls started giggling and I wanted to know why. Well I guess I was really tired by then, because they both looked at me like….”Duh, he’s cute dad!”…..15 year old girls….what else is there to say!..lol…..anyway our waiter was Leonardo….a very nice gentleman and a great waiter. We all had some water and soda and I had the Insalata Mista….It was really, really good, with a light citrus vinaigrette. No one else had apps. For the main course, I had the Pasta “Casarecchi”, a nice Cavatelli pasta with a Sausage Ragout and some Parmesan cheese. My DW had the Lasagne and both my DD and her friend had the Cannelloni….they all enjoyed it immensely. My DW even stated that this restaurant was now her new Favourite! For dessert I had a triple layer cake (not sure of the name), my DD and her friend had the Dessert Trio, which was Cannoli, a mousse of some sort in a tiny chocolate cup, and a small piece of cake. My DW had the Lemon Ricotta Torte:

We all enjoy the day very much and headed back home so we could go to bed early and get an early start for MK tomorrow!

 

[Mickeydad]

Bigman65... where did you buy/find those white hats???

Mickedad

 

[LIFERBABE]

Following Along!