***Updated***A rather brief trip report...or so I thought..**Day 4 now up**

[Dav2205]

Got back this morning about 7:30am so after a wee sleep I decided to do a short trip report about my trip from 6/9 - 13/9 at AKL for free dining before I forget everything .

Those who went on this trip were myself (19), DM and DB15.

Thursday 6th September

We were flying on MyTravel 045 from Glasgow at 10am, so were up round 6. Me being the student that I am decided to go out the night before so I must have had around hours sleep the night before which I thought might work out better for the flight but that logic was flawed as I didn't sleep at all.

Anyway the flight was on time and we landed at Orlando Sanford around 1:30pm. After a rather lengthy bus transfer we finally reached the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We'd already visited it on a previous trip, and it's always been DM's dream to stay there ever since she saw the artist's impression in a brochure a good few years ago. The original plan was to go next June, but the Free Dining promotion meant we could go sooner due to of course the saved money on food.

Side note 1

We LOVED the dining plan. It wasn't confusing to use at all. There was only one mistake made with a snack being charged to the room instead of being taken off the DDP, but the cashier immediately recitified this with minimal fuss. It was just so convenient and we never suffered any of the bad service that people fear with the guaranteed DDP tip. It was even better when free, we couldn't believe the quality of some of the food! I'll also say that we didn't use DDP credits based on value, just on what we wanted.

Anyway, we checked in really quickly, and were in Zebra Trail room 1466. We had booked a standard view room but had ended up on the ground floor at the pool side which was great because I had feared being above the buses or something .

As I don't eat plane food the first stop was the Mara for a QS meal. I had a bacon double cheeseburger which while yummy kind of sat in my stomach, probably because I hadn't eaten anything all day. I'm a bit afraid to say this but I didn't really care for Zebra Domes, but hey I gave them a try! I much preferred the cheesecake I had later on in the holiday. We also grabbed our refillable mugs, a godsend if you're at a Disney resort for any real length of time!

The original plan was to go to Magic Kingdom that night, mainly because we were only there for a week and we wanted to make the most of the time. Well this plan was quickly scuppered because we were all really tired and decided just to head to Virgin at Downtown Disney for a quick look and then an early night as we had a full day planned at AK the next day.

Friday 7th September - Animal Kingdom and Epcot

We were up about 8am (we aren't incredibly early risers by nature, so this was a struggle!), used our snacks for 3 fruit cups at The Mara then were on our way to Animal Kingdom.

I really don't understand why people seem to think this is only a 1/2 or even 1/4 day park. Even with the tiny crowds (for Disneyworld anyway), we managed to put in 9:30 to around 4pm in at the park and still missed some stuff! First stop as always was Expedition Everest, which was a walk on. I love September!! . As DM doesn't like rollercoasters it was just myself and DB that went on and as always it was fantastic.

Then it was onto Kali River Rapids, which was perhaps a one minute wait. Great stuff! What I'll say about Kali is that while it's not as thrilling as say *cough* Popeye *cough*, it is much better themed and is truly a joy to ride through. Got quite wet, but not uncomfortably so.

Next trip was Kilimanjaro Safari and whats this, a 40 minute wait . We decided to get fast passes for this, do Bugs Life then get some lunch and come back. I did notice on this holiday that the crowds all seemed to be at one ride at once, like there would be one ride with a 30 minute wait at a time while everything else was 5-10 minutes.

Next we did it's tough to be a bug, which I enjoy but nowhere near on the scale of Philharmagic or Muppets. The Muppets is more because I just love the Muppets than because it's a better quality show. Parents should really heed the warnings for this attraction though, because it can be very dark and quite frightening at times. A few small children had to leave the attraction while I was there.

Due to the closure of Tuskey House as a CS (Why, Disney, why?????), we went to Pizzafari for lunch as the Flame Tree BBQ menu didn't really appeal. It was all fine, with the exception of DM's Caesar Salad which she proclaimed as excellent! We then used our fastpasses for an oddly rough ride round KS. I don't remember it being that rough , ah well it was still lots of fun!

It was then time for my second favourite show at WDW, Festival of the Lion King. I just love everything about this show, and it is certainly helped by the quality of the songs from the Lion King film. I always come out it feeling so upbeat, it has the power to do that to you .

Our last stop at AK was the Finding Nemo show which was definitely unique! I thoroughly enjoyed it, but DB was less sure. I don't think he 'got' it.

It was then onto Epcot for our 7:30 ADR at San Angel Inn. We had tried to get in here as a walk in on a trip last year, oh how naive we were. It was completely booked up. Thankfully we had an ADR this time.

It was...not bad. I dunno, I probably expected too much. The service and everything was fine, but the food was a bit bland and my steak was tough as old boot even though I asked for it to be cooked medium.

We only had time to do Test Track before we were too exhausted to go on. It was fun as always, and for the first time didn't break down once while I was on it!

That'll do for now, coming up next MGM and a Magic Kingdom/Epcot marathon day!

 

[KayleeUK]

Great Keep them coming

 

[irongirlof12]

great. can;'t wait to hear next instalment

 

[Minniespal]

Excellent start, looking forward to reading more.

 

[BRobson]

Excellent start Look forward to reading some more

 

[Dav2205]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone .

This isn't a full update, I wanted to do this in the first post but forgot. Just my thoughts on the hotel and the flights.

AKL Opinion

First of all, I know there was a lot of worrying over construction noise at the lodge due to the DVC rennovations. I have to say that in the week I was there I heard one drill and saw one construction worker. Maybe we got lucky in our room placement, and I think it was the Sunrise Savannah that was closed as they're constructing near it. We still saw lots of animals though, and it didn't intrude on the holiday at all.

The resort itself is gorgeous. The only disney resort we'd stayed at previously was Port Orleans French Quarter which itself is a very picturesque resort. It didn't compare to AKL though. It can be quite hard to describe exactly what it was that impressed me so much, but it's like nothing I've ever experienced. Every cast member we dealt with was more than helpful as well, and the pleasantness of everyone came as a shock at first . All the other brits should know what I mean.

Flight Opinions

Our original plan was to go with flyGlobespan because we'd used them twice before and found that while they were basic they were affordable and had got us there on time. However just before we booked the flight we found that flyGlobespan had pulled our flight. This sent us into a bit of a panic as not many companies fly regularly from Glasgow to Florida especially on a thursday in September. Fortunately we found a flight with MyTravel who rather shockingly to us were even cheaper than flyGlobespan. This made us a bit wary but after some research it seemed they were ok so we booked.

First of all, from the way it's advertised it looks like all flights to Florida have personal seat back in flight entertainment. Or at least that's how I interpreted it. This however is not the case. It turned out that only the Airbus planes have seatback televisions, the 767 we had (which seemed pretty darn old lol) just had the older arrangement of a Television every few rows.

Films were good (Spiderman 3, Blades of Glory, Shrek 3), service was iffy in places (they kept missing us out with meals and coffee pourings etc and weren't especially pleasant when we told them their mistake!).

Overall, they wouldn't be my first choice of airline but both flights landed early which in the end was all that mattered to us.

I'll do Day 3 later today .

 

[Dav2205]

So, later today turned into tomorrow. Sorry, jetlag caught up with me and I was working all day .

Anyway, onto day 3.

Saturday 8th September - Disney MGM Studios

Some of this day is a bit hazy, so I may not describe attractions in the correct order .

MGM is another park where I can't understand why people say it's a 1/2 day park. We can easily put a full day in here. The main disappointment was that RnR was in rehab while we were here. There was plenty more to do though.

The day started in The Mara, like most days, where we used a snack credit on some fruit cups for breakfast. We would use our snacks most days for breakfast, either on fruit or a pastry. It may not have been the most bang-for-buck way of using the credit, but as I said before due to the free DDP we were just using the credits for what we wanted. We're not big breakfast eaters either so these were plenty to get us through to lunchtime.

When we arrived at MGM we headed straight to Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. We wanted to make sure we saw this in full this year because every time since our first trip (1997) it had started to rain and they had to cut the show short. We just missed the first show so decided to watch the High School Musical Pep Rally.

It was quite good fun, but I can't understand why they didn't do Breaking Free? I mean is it not the most famous song from the movies. That did puzzle me at first, and I do wonder how they'll update it for High School Musical 2. I'm assuming they will as it's looking to be just as popular as the first.

We had time to fit in Star Tours before Indiana Jones, as it was a 5 minute wait . It was good fun as always, but I do think it's about time for an update.

Then we went to Indiana Jones and finally got to see it again it's entirety! It's my favourite stunt show so this nearly made my day (Fantasmic took that accolade ). It's just so fun and as a huge Indiana Jones fan it's even better. The bits with the 'plant' are still hilarious even after you've seen it so many times.

It was then time for our 2pm ADR at Sci Fi for lunch. This is a restaurant that gets a lot of bad press which after visiting it I can't understand. We didn't go expecting gourmet food, because of course it's 50's themed so I expected lots of burgers, fries etc and we had a lovely meal. I had the Chili to start, followed by a burger with fries and a yummy cheesecake to finish. Seriously, everything was cooked as I asked for, and the food was basic but great for what it was. It doesn't claim to be anything more than it is, and if you're paying OOP it's not that expensive either. They were turning away almost all walk ups by the way, the curse of free dining I suppose.

This is where I can't remember the order we did attractions in, however I do know what they were so I'll give my thoughts on them.

Muppets 3D - It's a classic. Maybe not as technically impressive as some of the other shows out there, but it's a hoot nonetheless. It's a tribute to Jim Henson how timeless these characters have become.

Animation Tour - It's still a nice and entertaining show, but it could do with an update methinks. Perhaps an update with a character from Ratatouille or even Cars would make it feel a bit refreshed. I also felt the tour had a lot more relevance when there was a working animation studio at MGM. It really is a shame this was closed down and I hope they see sense and reinstate it soon because not only does it give the park a more ' working studio ' feel it was also cool to see people working on the animations as part of the tour.

Backlot Tour - This is another attraction I feel needs an update, but that may just be because I'm a repeat visitor. It's not so much Catastrophe Canyon that needs updated, it's the Pearl Harbour stuff at the start. It can't have been changed in years, and people would maybe enjoy the ride more if it was of a more up to date film .

Great Movie Ride - This a ride I haven't been on since 1997, so my memory of it isn't very good. It was fun enough, the interaction between the CM and character was entertaining and the ending was fun if predictable .

Beauty and the Beast - Funnily enough, we have NEVER seen this show before. Fifth time lucky I guess, because I made a point to see this having recently seen Beauty and the Beast on DVD. I nearly enjoyed the preshow as much as the main show, those guys are fantastic. They could have a show all to themselves! I read that the show itself is based on the broadway show, and it shows. It really is a joy to behold and is my third favourite show at Walt Disney World.

Which neatly brings me onto my all time favourite thing at Walt Disney World - Fantasmic. I've always loved Sorcerer Mickey and a show including him is fantastic. We got there about 45 minutes before the show and got great seats in the centre about 3/4 of the way back. It was brilliant as always. Disney nighttime shows are all well done but I feel Fantasmic incorporates live action, water and fireworks better than anything I've ever seen. If the opinions are accurate and the show at DL is even better I've got to see that one of these days .

After the show there was the usual rush to the exit. We got out fairly quickly and didn't have to wait too long for a bus. I felt sorry for the poor people in the All Star and Port Orleans queues. It seemed they would be there for a long, long time. The waiting times for the buses far outweigh the cost and convenience of a car if you intend on remaining on property for the vast majority of the time imho. DM refuses to drive in the US anyway so our mind was made up for us .

We had only snacked between Sci-Fi and getting back to AKL, so a counter service was needed. The Mara supplied just that, with a perfectly fine Pepperoni Pizza and a surprisingly delicious Cheesecake to follow. I was falling in love with the AKL eating options, and we hadn't even been to Boma yet! The resort was also fairly quiet so the wait for CS was never long. It was then off to bed as we had an early rise the next day for a Chef Mickey Character Breakfast .

Coming up...Day 4 - MK/Epcot A Disney Planner's Nightmare

 

[Dav2205]

Disney planners look away, you may find yourselves shocked at how disorganised this day was .

Sunday 9th September - Magic Kingdom/Epcot

First of all a bit of explaining needs to be done. We've been to WDW a few times before, but I wasn't a member of the DIS until after my last trip (August 2006) so we were newbies when it came to the whole 'make your ADRs' etc that comes with using the Dining Plan.

As DM was quite worried at how well the CMs would understand her on the phone while making ADRs, she put this off until I had to force her to call. This was eventually done in early May. My must try after reading these boards was of course Le Cellier in Epcot. And, because we hadn't phoned 180 days out it was all booked up for dinner, and the only day we could get a decent ADR for lunch was today (2:30pm). However, we already had an ADR scheduled for Chef Mickeys at 9:10am for a character breakfast. Hence the reason for this marathon day!

So our day began at Chef Mickey for a Character Breakfast. Our last Character Breakfast was a long time ago (2001) at Hollywood and Vine in MGM, long before it was Playhouse Disney-themed. DB had been a bit apprehensive before this, given the age he is at (15). I soon reminded him that his friends were thousands of miles away and just to enjoy himself. He soon relaxed and was having his picture taken and interacting with the characters like a natural. I'm past the age of getting embarrassed of stuff like that, so I was right into it all. I even got a kiss from Minnie Mouse . The food was typical breakfast buffet fare, but I had to try the vegetable lasagna, even out of curiosity. It was nice, but a tad strange as breakfast food! I'm not sure on gummy bears for breakfast either....

Onto MK, and I'll probably get lynched for this, but it's the park we spend the least time in. We spent a bit more time in it this time because of a few attractions either I or other family members hadn't tried (POTC and Monsters Inc). First stop at MK was Pirates of the Caribbean, as we had decided to work our way round kind of clockwise. I had already seen the changes to the ride from my trip in August '06, but the rest of the family hadn't. They really enjoyed it. The changes were significant to make the ride feel fresh but not too intrusive that they ruined the original feel of the ride that made it so enjoyable. We walked onto this by the way.

Next was a mountain double header, Splash followed by Big Thunder. Splash Mountain was posted as a 10 minute wait but we walked straight on. A fary cry from our first trip to WDW in July 97 where we waited 70 minutes to get on! It was great as always. Maybe not the most thrilling water ride in the world, but it's certainly the best themed IMHO.

We acutally fast passed BTM, and did it last after a visit to Fantasyland where we did Philharmagic and Tomorrowland where we did Buzz Lightyear and Monsters Inc. My Buzz Lightyear scores for the week were 222,000 , 254,000 and 275,000. I came first each time out of my family, and my ultra competitive brother wasn't very happy . Monsters Inc was a nice surprise. The interaction with the crowd blended with the new technology gave it an edge over other attractions and it was a very enjoyable show.

Big Thunder Mountain was the classic it always was and always will be. It isn't as good as the version in DLP but it is quite a bit older so that is to be expected.

By this time it was 1:30 (yep we did everything we wanted in MK in around 3 hours) and we decided to head to Epcot so we were in good time for our ADR at Le Cellier. 45 minutes and a longer walk than I remembered later , and we checked in about 2:20. We were seated at 2:50 and DM was getting restless with the wait after our ADR time, probably because of the heat. She was doing the usual "this better be worth the wait!" and oh my was she eating her words when we ate. We all loved everything, nothing at all disappointed.

I had the Beefsteak Tomato Stack (delicious and not too heavy, a perfect starter imo), the 5oz Filet Mignon (I realise this isn't as big as the dinner one, but after such a filling breakfast it was more than enough. It was large enough that I felt nicely full after eating it.) To finish I had the Chocolate Moose which was nicely presented and gorgeous to taste. With Le Cellier, I experienced a restaurant that was well worth the hype. It's a restaurant I wouldn't hesitate paying OOP for. Walk ups were a no-no as seems usual for Le Cellier, and I heard the hostess say to someone they were booked up til January! I don't know if this was just for dinner or for dinner and lunch though.

We were then pretty tired, so headed back to the hotel for a few hours rest before an evening in Disney Quest. DB went to the pool while DM sat poolside with a drink from the pool bar. I spent my time either sleeping or in the arcade, and we headed out again around 6:30pm if memory serves me right.

Before Disney Quest, DM and I were feeling a little bit peckish (shocking I know after the meals we'd had today.). I decided to take my only chance to try Wolfgang Puck Express as it wouldn't be possible again this trip. It was great for a Counter Service credit. My Pepperoni Pizza was cooked from fresh, as was DM's BBQ Chicken Pizza. I had Carrot Cake which was excellent but I was too full to finish and DM had Key Lime Pie which she proclaimed as excellent! DB was still to full to eat anything, but he still had half a box of cookies in the hotel room that he munched on when we got back.

After entering Disney Quest, I was then again reminded why I love September in Florida. It was really, really quiet! Unlike times before where it had been a rammy to get a go on anything there, this time there was loads of empty machines available and if someone was playing it would only be a short wait to play. I also used this opportunity to use the free Internet in the cafe and email/message some of my friends back home, mostly to rub in how good a time I was having . Again, in the cafe I got a seat straight away with web access, whereas on previous visits I've had to prowl for ages to get one!

After many hours spent on arcade games new and old, and a fun go on the Rafting simulator, we headed to Virgin Megastore as I was seeing if the new iPods were available (they weren't yet ) and then headed back to the room. We were tucked up in bed by around midnight, which was OK as we had a relatively quiet day planned for tomorrow. No theme parks at all .

That's all for day 4, hope you enjoyed reading!

Next - Day 5 - A quiet day by Disney standard

 

[KayleeUK]

Gret keep them coming

 

[florida sun]

Great reports, looking forward to more.

 

[mark&sue]

Great so far. So good to stay on site. Even better to stay in style at AKL.

Look forward to more



susan

 

[Dav2205]

Just to say, I've not updated in a while due to working and then I've been struck down with the flu for the last few days.

Will finish the TR soon.

 

[florida sun]

Just to say, I've not updated in a while due to working and then I've been struck down with the flu for the last few days.

Will finish the TR soon.

Hope you feel better soon and looking forward to more of your TR

 

[KayleeUK]

Get well soon....

 

[jjpenguin]

Great report so far!

Hope you get well soon. I'm just over the flu so I know how you feel.