TV availability at parks (esp. AK)? Let me explain...

[Gerald McBoingBoing]

I guess you could say I'm doubly blessed next weekend. I'll be making my first ever trip to the World (leaving Thursday!), and the Saints, who I've been following all my life, will be playing in the NFC championship game (one game away from the Super Bowl!!)

This as you might imagine presents a dilemna. Our plan is to be in Animal Kingdom on Sunday. I was wondering if there might be some kind of restaurant / lounge type of place that maybe has a TV on sports events so I can at least check in on the game every now and then. Also, we're planning on dining at the Concourse Steakhouse that night (we're staying at Contemp), so the same question applies there.

I don't plan to sit and watch the entire game, but I would like to catch a few moments, esp the end. Given the number of Disney fanatics on this board, I realize that I'm opening myself up to some flames for even posing this question (i.e., how could you want to watch a football game when you're at Disney World?). That's OK - if you're not a big sports fan or don't know much about the Saints, I wouldn't expect you to understand. Trust me when I say this is BIG and I will be kicking myself forever if I missed seeing the Saints win this game. Thanks!

 

[xyzabc33]

Not flaming and not a big football fan, but I have a suggestion. Stay home or in your hotel room, let your family go enjoy their day without you. You are going there to spend time with your family not to sit on your duff and watch TV. Besides the AK is an animal theme park not a sports bar. I would advise if you are that desperate to be a couch potato that you purchase one of those horribly expensive handheld tv's and watch it on a teenie tiny screen. Or better yet for gosh sakes, have someone record it for you. You see they invented these things called VCR's that actually remember what was on the TV and you can watch it later, kinda like a cassette plays back music.
DUDE, enjoy your time with your family and worry about the game later, perspective thing going here. LOL

 

[3for Me]

I really don't know of anyplace in the AK, other than maybe??? Rainforest Cafe. I don't ever remember seeing a TV, but surely someone somewhere will be checking on the score.

I think it might be easier at the CR - the Outer Rim may have a TV (??can't remember?? )

The Saints were established the year I was born (YIKES! ) so I DO understand what you are going through. My family has our entire lives on hold for next weekend. In fact, my husband is in the other room as I write this trying to figure out if he's going to Chicago next weekend or if we're staying here. What a fabulous thing this has been for our city!

Good luck in your quest for the TV! Oh, and GEAUX SAINTS!

 

[3for Me]

Not flaming and not a big football fan, but I have a suggestion. Stay home or in your hotel room, let your family go enjoy their day without you. You are going there to spend time with your family not to sit on your duff and watch TV. Besides the AK is an animal theme park not a sports bar. I would advise if you are that desperate to be a couch potato that you purchase one of those horribly expensive handheld tv's and watch it on a teenie tiny screen. Or better yet for gosh sakes, have someone record it for you. You see they invented these things called VCR's that actually remember what was on the TV and you can watch it later, kinda like a cassette plays back music.
DUDE, enjoy your time with your family and worry about the game later, perspective thing going here. LOL

Not to flame you either, but unless you are from this city, football fan or not, you just would not understand what this team has done for the soul of our citizens. It really is like nothing you have ever seen or felt before. Perspective is in the eye of the beholder...

Honestly, no sarcasm involved here, it's just, as usual, it's a New Orleans thing that most other people just don't understand. We are a different breed down here.

 

[M 'n C]

the bar at Pop Century will have the game on.

 

[gigi1313]

i'm going to skip the "in between" posts and just answer your query... the rainforest cafe at the entrance to AK is the only likely spot to get the score... at the CR, esp if you are staying there, you can watch in your room obviously, as well as very likely at the bar (outer rim?)...

another option, and probably the one i'd go for, is to bring a small transistor radio, just like the "good ol' days" and listen on that... of course, find your station in advance (if it's not being aired, i am sure a FAN type radio station will give frequent score updates) 'cause you don't want to be standing in AK searching for a station...

yet another thought would be to have a friend who's watching the game text message the score to your cell phone frequently... or at least at the end of every quarter...

and if none of that works, i can PROMISE you it will be on in my house, just pm me and i'll send you my telephone number... please know, although we're not living it, we UNDERSTAND! (both football and the new orleans thing!)

God bless! and GO SAINTS!

 

[xyzabc33]

Not to flame you either, but unless you are from this city, football fan or not, you just would not understand what this team has done for the soul of our citizens. It really is like nothing you have ever seen or felt before. Perspective is in the eye of the beholder...

Honestly, no sarcasm involved here, it's just, as usual, it's a New Orleans thing that most other people just don't understand. We are a different breed down here.

SO a football team is more important then spending time with your family? I actually do understand what the Saints have done for the morale of a city stricken by such tragedy (I live with a huge football fan and have had it explained to me manytimes over) and I think it is wonderful. But I would tell you that if my football fan would have to watch tv rather then watch the delite in his daughters eyes when she interacts with the characters or sees an elephant then I would not be taking any future vacations or even trips to the grocery store with him. That is the perspective that I am talking about. The team may make the playoffs again sometime, the children will never be that age they are again. That is something that you cant record or ever get back.

 

[gigi1313]

have you considered that the op's family is equally interested in the outcome of the game? i know if it were us, i'd be haunting dh to go find out the score as the game progressed... yet i'd not want to spend precious vacation hours parked in front of a tv in a hotel room... there's plenty of opportunity to do both, keep up w/the game and enjoy a disney theme park, including watching the delight in my child's eye when they heard their team was WINNING!

 

[xyzabc33]

have you considered that the op's family is equally interested in the outcome of the game? i know if it were us, i'd be haunting dh to go find out the score as the game progressed... yet i'd not want to spend precious vacation hours parked in front of a tv in a hotel room... there's plenty of opportunity to do both, keep up w/the game and enjoy a disney theme park, including watching the delight in my child's eye when they heard their team was WINNING!

Actually yes I did but I was going by his OP in that it stated the "he" wanted to see the game and not his family. If the whole family was that into the sport then they would not have scheduled the day at AK and instead would go hang out at the ESPN place on the Boardwalk. And he also wants to get up occasionally during dinner at a nice restaurant to go see(not hear) parts of it in particular the end. Even if they had planned this in advance, plans could be changed (if majority rules of course )

That would be a good suggestion if his family would agree to it, take the day and instead of going to a park for the first time, go to the ESPN Club and spend the day and have dinner there. IF there was a sporting event on that I just had to know the outcome of I would have to carry a radio and be content to hear it and not watch it then you could have the best of both worlds but that is not what the OP stated. He wants to SEE the game, there are some things you just HAVE to make a choice over and NO sport is more important then your kids. Or Mickey Mouse for that matter

Oh and good luck to the players of the Saints. Hope you do well in your game.

 

[Gerald McBoingBoing]

Not flaming and not a big football fan, but I have a suggestion. Stay home or in your hotel room, let your family go enjoy their day without you. You are going there to spend time with your family not to sit on your duff and watch TV. Besides the AK is an animal theme park not a sports bar. I would advise if you are that desperate to be a couch potato that you purchase one of those horribly expensive handheld tv's and watch it on a teenie tiny screen. Or better yet for gosh sakes, have someone record it for you. You see they invented these things called VCR's that actually remember what was on the TV and you can watch it later, kinda like a cassette plays back music.
DUDE, enjoy your time with your family and worry about the game later, perspective thing going here. LOL

Thank you for NOT flaming.

To all who offered constructive advice (and understanding), thank you. I'll probably just go the old radio route so I can at least get some score updates.

GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!

 

[71010]

Vacation mean different things for different people. If my DH wanted to watch the game while we were at WDW, I would hope he would go to the ESPN club or stay and the room and relax and do that, and meet up with us later.

 

[xyzabc33]

Thank you for NOT flaming.

To all who offered constructive advice (and understanding), thank you. I'll probably just go the old radio route so I can at least get some score updates.

GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!

Hey I did put LOL at the end and believe it or not I do understand.
Enjoy your day at the AK, dont forget to take time to watch some of the live performers and dont miss The Lion King show. My fav there. Tip: if you have a small party(4 or so), sit on the VERY front bench of a section and someone may be picked to something special.
There is my constructive advice for the day and you are welcome

 

[elastigirl]

Not flaming...

I'm guessing you don't really know what flaming means. Maybe brush up on your message board lingo before labeling condescending sarcasm as "not flaming".

OP - The only place I really know you would be able to catch the game would be at the ESPN Club at the Boardwalk. I hope you find something that works out, even the old radio route, I completely understand what you're going through. Good luck to your Saints.

 

[NotAmused]

Yeah, I don't think there are any other places to catch the game other than what has already been suggested. And don't listen to the criticism about how it's wrong to catch the scores while you are there. Everyone in my family is a football fanatic. I didn't care for football when I was younger and I would have been more upset if one of my parents decided to stay in the room to watch something while the rest of us went to a park. So there is nothing wrong with getting updates either by catching it on a tv or having a friend call ya. You get the best of both worlds....football and Disney

If only my teams were in the playoffs, but seeing as how I like Miami and Tampa Bay, I don't think that will happen for a long time


Have fun!!

 

[Sammie]

I understand completely, Go Saints!

That said, sorry there will not be any TVs at AK park or Concourse Grill. There will be TV's at ESPN or the resort lounges.

I suggest that you bring a radio or as said get updates from your phone. Personally I would simply plan my day to be near a TV at the end of the game, which will involve all of about 15 mins. and by then everyone might need a break anyway.

That way you can enjoy two very special events without taking away from the other.

To xyzabc33 if you truly did "understand" you would not have given him such a hard time.

 

[Gerald McBoingBoing]

Hey I did put LOL at the end and believe it or not I do understand.
Enjoy your day at the AK, dont forget to take time to watch some of the live performers and dont miss The Lion King show. My fav there. Tip: if you have a small party(4 or so), sit on the VERY front bench of a section and someone may be picked to something special.
There is my constructive advice for the day and you are welcome

It's all good. The point of my post was that I'm trying to maybe catch a few minutes here and there while enjoying the park with my family and not disrupting our plans too much, because I want to be with them. Thanks for the tip.

 

[cara76]

Least your trying to be considerate of the rest of the family. DH would be like "Bye see ya" there is no way he would be at AK while the game was on. No way in heck. Actually if we were there we would probably be at the ESPN Club with DS all together.

I'm glad your trying to find a compromise. If you can't , it's just 3 hours out of your week!!!!

GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[OKW Lover]

How about bringing a small radio with you that has a headset jack? You can then listen to the game (I have no doubt it will be on a radio station that covers the WDW area) while enjoying the parks.

 

[Susan555]

I sure hope you're able to keep up with the game, either by radio or through your phone. I'm a lifelong NOLA resident, and believe me, if we were at WDW next Sunday dh and I would also be itching to know how the game was going. If he couldn't find a tv he would most certainly be calling a friend at home every 45 or so minutes for an update!

There's NOTHING wrong with spending vacation time with your family AND wanting to check in on something like a football game, particularly when it's the most important football game thus far in the history of your team! When we went on a cruise out of NOLA in December they had to move the broadcast of the Saints game from the sports bar to the huge show lounge because so many people wanted to watch. There were at least 400 people in the lounge cheering for the Saints, having a blast. Sure they were taking time out of their "family vacation" to enjoy the game - and what's wrong with that? A vacation should be for every member of the family - not just the kids or one spouse. Everyone should get to do things they enjoy - and if that takes an hour, or three hours, or a whole DAY away from "Family Time" - then so be it. I don't see the problem at all, and I'm sorry you were given a hard time by one of the posters in this thread. If you're a Saints fan, you'd be NUTS to not care at all about next week's game!

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

I have no idea how long is a football game, but maybe there is a bar or something at the AKL where you can see part of the game.

Personally I wouldn´t mind if dh took 3 hours of our vacation to watch the game, and AKL is pretty close to the AK.

Julie