Very Scary, Not so Scary, and Everything In Between! 🎃 Updated 12/9. Last day**

[disneyAndi14]

I love the AKL rooms, although did they update the lights in the bathroom over the sinks? I remember they always looked a little yellow.

The rooms are really nice! The bathroom lighting was much better than the old setup!

I guess the positive to the comb incident is that you got Mousekeeping every day. (I think I remember you and Andi switching resorts after 3 days to ensure mousekeeping. Maybe I'm confusing my DISers, though. Too early in the morning for my brain to work.

Haha yes that was us, August 21 we originally had two resorts and ended up in 3 because of the shower mishap at CR. The comb was not a big deal overall just makes you feel a little gross looking at it, especially if you hate stray hair in the shower!

You definitely go to Oga's for the experience, not for the prices!

Yes, you can’t worry about the cost or you wouldn’t go!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Definitely give it a shot! The ride is so smooth that it doesn't feel as intense as other, shaky coasters. You get pulled around a lot, but never in such a way that you pull your neck or anything. Plus, that soundtrack had us singing gleefully every ride!

I think it will be fine and I really want to experience it. I may wait until Andi is with me. I have read so many horrible reviews about it ruining the rest of people’s day and of course that sticks in my brain!

Great timing! This is now one of my girls' favorites, too

It really is an enjoyable ride! I do miss GMR but MMRR is a nice replacement!

What a great feeling! Especially for a longer trip.

It really was. I am always so nervous about the room we are assigned!

I love the Frozen show! I finally did MMRR this summer and LOVED it!

I plan to do the Frozen show in December. I want to do more shows since I will be solo!

I love Sci-Fi! Really hoping I can get a reservation there when I take the boys next summer.

This is always a favorite of ours!

The rooms look great. The DVC side is looking a bit dingy and needs a full refresh TBH.

I really liked the room and the changes made!

You really need to bring your own blankets with the terrible Disney bedding.

Yes, I always bring a blanket from home. I have so many cute plush Disney blankets from the old purchase with a purchase! I wish Disney still offered these deals!

Such a fun evening! I have never been a pilot butI enjoy this ride. I think Stu and Jamie will love it!

It really is fun. I know my Jack would love it. He would be a great pilot

Oga's is fun but so pricy! Even worse for us Canadians with the 30% exchange. I just try not to look at the bill sometimes, lol!

Wow, the exchange is really bad isn’t it? Ugh! I don’t worry about the cost at Disney! One place I just don’t!

 

[disneyAndi14]

What a great evening! Good food, great drinks and fab company- can’t really wish for more! HS has so much going for it now and there’s nothing better than strolling through an empty park at the end of a great night.

It really was! DHS is usually very crowded and can get you in a sour mood at times! We didn’t experience that at all today. It was a wonderful afternoon and evening. It is rare nowadays I see an empty park and it was awesome

 

[disneyAndi14]

Pretty much the perfect ride for a SW lover.

I agree! Rise has it all for the SW fan. Donna really liked this. She immediately asked if we could go again!

Great timing!

It worked out really well. Walk on for the MMRR was perfect

Ew. I get how it could be missed, I guess, but...

I agree. The thought of someone’s comb is more gross than the actual comb just hanging there!

Bathroom looks really nice! Really like the colour scheme.

Thank you, we still have some finishing touches to do, winter projects when it is 20 below!

That's great! You'll have a ball.

Thank you! I’m excited to tour just for me! It will be more relaxing than go go!

 

[Skywatcher1206]

Loving your report and so exciting about the solo trip in December! I hope you do a trip report for that as well! I am in the very beginning of planning a potential solo trip (my first) for Christmas 2023 and I could use some tips .

 

[disneyAndi14]

Loving your report and so exciting about the solo trip in December! I hope you do a trip report for that as well! I am in the very beginning of planning a potential solo trip (my first) for Christmas 2023 and I could use some tips .

For joining in! This will be my sort of first solo trip! I met quite a few ladies in 2019 for an Epic trip and it was awesome. We mostly did things as a group, however, I did have some solo time! Im excited to try it out!
I think the best thing is I can do whatever I want when I want! That will be something very new for me!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Timon is Tricky!

Happy Halloween to Everyone! All I can say is wow, where did October go! It is crazy how fast time flies by!



We had a wonderful first night at AKL. I slept very well and didn’t hear a thing, (thank you earplugs!).

We didn’t rush this morning. Our balcony was calling us. We sat out there for a little while and enjoyed the Savannah. We had cold brew coffee, yogurt, and a banana

I didn’t purchase Genie+ today, I did purchase FoP fancy ride for us later in the evening.

Our plan was to spend time at AK park this morning, take an afternoon break, and return to AK for our Savor the Savannah tour!

We entered the park around 10am. Kevin was walking around!

D loves the movie UP and was thrilled to see Kevin!

Our first ride was, wait for it…any guesses….Dinosaur!

Those of you out there, who didn’t guess that, shame on you!

We rode twice, it was a walk on! D really enjoyed this ride.

It was a blast to go get the Dino

We saw Pocahontas and Meeko on our way to Dinosaur Land!

We slowly walked around the park towards Satuli Canteen in Pandora. We decided to have an early lunch. I did the mobile order for us. We got a kid’s chicken bowl with the creamy herb dressing and the hot dog kid’s meal. I love ordering off the kid’s menu. It comes with 2 sides and a drink. We didn’t wait long and our order was ready.

It was still fairly early for lunch and the restaurant was quiet.

We found a nice area to sit and enjoyed sharing the two meals.

Both choices were a hit! This continues to be a favorite QS option at AK.

We saw Russell and Dug! The boat cavalcades at AK are wonderful.

We decided to head over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch after lunch.

I thought D would enjoy the animation experience. She loves to draw. We took the train over and had no problem getting into the next class. We sat up front close to the animator.
Animator’s drawing

We were drawing Timon! It really was a fun time. Here is my finished project! I didn’t get a picture of D’s masterpiece, I thought I had. Her drawing was better then mine.

Sorry for the big old shadow on the picture

We decided to head back to the room to lounge around until our tour.

The weather was threatening storms and heavy rain later in the day. I was bummed especially because our tour was right at that time.

Stay tuned for our tour, was it a wash? Was it amazing? Did we even go? These exciting questions will be answered soon!

 

[pkondz]

I agree! Rise has it all for the SW fan. Donna really liked this. She immediately asked if we could go again!

Now there's a resounding "yes" vote for it.

I agree. The thought of someone’s comb is more gross than the actual comb just hanging there!

True!

Thank you, we still have some finishing touches to do, winter projects when it is 20 below!

You mentioned the "w" word!!!

We entered the park around 10am. Kevin was walking around!

I have no idea how they do that. Pretty incredible.

Our first ride was, wait for it…any guesses….Dinosaur!

No. You? Who woulda thunk it?

Here is my finished project! I didn’t get a picture of D’s masterpiece, I thought I had. Her drawing was better then mine.

I think you did quite well.

Stay tuned for our tour, was it a wash? Was it amazing? Did we even go? These exciting questions will be answered soon!

 

[Paulaparm]

That's a great drawing of Timon
I have never done one of the drawing classes but I think I'm going to have to put that on my must-do list for next trip!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Bathroom looks beautiful. You did a great job on it- very relaxing vibes.
Congrats on the solo trip. Sounds like you have lots of fun planned.
Guessed dinosaur as your first ride ‘cos , duh, it’s you . Looks like a gorgeous morning. Hope the tour happens

 

[suse66]

We didn’t rush this morning. Our balcony was calling us. We sat out there for a little while and enjoyed the Savannah. We had cold brew coffee, yogurt, and a banana

The best way to start the day!

We entered the park around 10am. Kevin was walking around!

I love Kevin!!

We rode twice, it was a walk on! D really enjoyed this ride.

You are the Queen of Dinosaur.

We slowly walked around the park towards Satuli Canteen in Pandora. We decided to have an early lunch. I did the mobile order for us. We got a kid’s chicken bowl with the creamy herb dressing and the hot dog kid’s meal. I love ordering off the kid’s menu. It comes with 2 sides and a drink. We didn’t wait long and our order was ready.

I really love the option of kids meals. They are the perfect serving size.

We saw Russell and Dug! The boat cavalcades at AK are wonderful.

So fun to see Russel and Dug out!

We were drawing Timon! It really was a fun time. Here is my finished project! I didn’t get a picture of D’s masterpiece, I thought I had. Her drawing was better then mine.

You did an awesome job with your drawing!

 

[vamassey1]

Enjoyed reading about your first Disney park day at DHS. You really had a great day. Sounds like D really enjoyed it too. You're so lucky Kylo was working. Your empty park pictures are gorgeous. I really need to try and stay lake in GE one night.

Bathroom looks great! Lots of hard work that paid off.

Ak day sounds really good so far. Your Timon is much better than I could ever do.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Now there's a resounding "yes" vote for it.

I don’t know about you but this attraction is amazing! I love seeing the reactions of first timers on Rise! It ranks way up there as a favorite of mine

You mentioned the "w" word!!!

Ugh! Nastiest word in the vocabulary! We have had a beautiful warm week! I am trying to savor every minute of it!

I have no idea how they do that. Pretty incredible.

Kevin is very cool. I love watching children gather around her in amazement

No. You? Who woulda thunk it?

Haha No fooling you, Dinosaur is the best!

I think you did quite well.

Thank you! The animator goes quite quickly, that is the hardest part in my opinion. I tend to go slow and get behind!

 

[disneyAndi14]

That's a great drawing of Timon
I have never done one of the drawing classes but I think I'm going to have to put that on my must-do list for next trip!

I really enjoy doing this class. I will probably do it again in December.
It is a good solo activity.
I would definitely put it on your list for your next trip!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Bathroom looks beautiful. You did a great job on it- very relaxing vibes.
Congrats on the solo trip. Sounds like you have lots of fun planned.
Guessed dinosaur as your first ride ‘cos , duh, it’s you . Looks like a gorgeous morning. Hope the tour happens

Moira! We still have some touch ups to do! I do like the colors and compared to the ugly wallpaper and almond tile 1000x better!
I’m getting more excited about my solo adventure. At first, I was a little nervous but the more I plan the more excited I feel.
Of course Dinosaur! You got that right!
Stay tuned…..

 

[schumigirl]

Going back a bit, your bathroom makeover is lovely, what a difference, you must be thrilled with it!!

The Animation Experience looks a lot of fun....your drawing is good!!! I do love the look of your kids chicken bowl and the hotel and view are beautiful.

Glad to hear you`re doing a solo trip too, sounds fabulous!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

The best way to start the day!

AKL balconies are wonderful! It is like two separate vacations!

I love Kevin!!

Same! I turn into a little kid when I see the characters! This is exactly how we should feel

You are the Queen of Dinosaur.

I really love the option of kids meals. They are the perfect serving size.

I do as well. In fact my solo December trip will consist of kids meals and small bites! My favorite way to eat!

So fun to see Russel and Dug out!

D was in heaven! I love the AK continues to do the cavalcades on the water!

You did an awesome job with your drawing!

I really enjoy this class.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Enjoyed reading about your first Disney park day at DHS. You really had a great day. Sounds like D really enjoyed it too. You're so lucky Kylo was working. Your empty park pictures are gorgeous. I really need to try and stay lake in GE one night.

Bathroom looks great! Lots of hard work that paid off.

Ak day sounds really good so far. Your Timon is much better than I could ever do.

We started out on a good foot on our first day!
I was really happy to see Kylo was working so D could experience the attraction in its full glory!
GE at closing time was really cool to explore!
I like cleaning the bathroom now that it is updated, lol
Nice chill morning at AK was perfect!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Going back a bit, your bathroom makeover is lovely, what a difference, you must be thrilled with it!!

The Animation Experience looks a lot of fun....your drawing is good!!! I do love the look of your kids chicken bowl and the hotel and view are beautiful.

Glad to hear you`re doing a solo trip too, sounds fabulous!!

It is so much better than before! We do have some finishing touches to work on but it does feel good to have the majority of the work done!
I wasn’t sure if I would like the animation experience because an artist I am not but it really is a fun experience!
The chicken bowl at Satuli is really yummy. They are grilling the meats when you walk in and it smells amazing
I was a little nervous about the solo trip at first but I am getting really excited about it now!

 

[disneyAndi14]

AK Evening

I ended the last post with a couple riveting questions related to our Savor the Savannah tour! Was it a washout?, Did we go?, Was it amazing?

Well…..if you guessed it was a washout and it was amazing, you are correct!

I was watching the weather and knew at some point it was going to rain! We made sure we had our rain gear and headed to AK. Our tour was scheduled for 3:15-5:15.

You can reserve the tour online and on the day of the tour, you check in at a booth area close to the Safari. We went to check in and found out the tour goes no matter what the weather! It looked like we had a group of 12, plus our tour guide.

Our group headed to our private Safari truck I was happy it had a rooftop for the looming rain.

Our tour guide was Josh and he was amazing! The tour starts out like the regular Safari ride except we venture off to areas the regular trucks do not.

Our first stop was an area with the giraffes and zebras. We spent time talking to with a CM, she is on the feeding crew for the giraffes. She knows all the giraffes very well. She talked about how nervous giraffes are and how they actually hate the rain. They often run to shelter areas when it rains. The area we pulled off in had 3-4 giraffes grazing. It started to rain at this time and got more intense with a few thunder boomers. The giraffes took off running to shelter.

We continue on and saw several zebras along the way. It was pouring out at this time. The rain, thankfully, did stay straight up and down so we didn’t get very wet. We had put our ponchos on.

This tour consists of a light dinner and drinks on the Boma. We headed over to the Boma. This is out on the Savannah close to the elephant and flamingo areas.

The truck pulls right up to the Boma and the Boma has a roof. It is open on all sides. It was still raining hard but again we stayed pretty dry. The rain wasn’t coming into the Boma!

There was a beautiful spread of food set out for us. The food is made at the Tusker House. The choices were several salads, my favorite is the chicken curry. There was several different types of prosciutto and salami, cheeses, tandoori shrimp, fruit, fig bars, pita, crackers, and red pepper hummus. It is all you care to enjoy with beer, wine, and juice.



The food was amazing and the tour guides continue to talk about the Safari and encouraged questions.


I had a couple glasses of wine with my food and the rain mattered no more, lol

We did see the elephants briefly, flamingos, and wildebeest.

The meal time is about 1 hour before you head back on the Safari truck for the rest of the tour. The meal ends with several rich desserts! We tried all 3 of the desserts and loved all of these. A s’mores, a rich chocolate cake bar, and a guava one.


We headed back out on the Savannah and the rain was lighter now. We saw the lions and the one of the most amazing things happened.

The female and male lions started roaring back and forth! This was very cool. This is unusual to see! Most of the time the lions are snoozing or maybe walking around but rarely roaring!

This tour was wonderful, rain and all! We learned about the enrichment program that Disney uses for the animals. The animals are very well cared for at AK and AKL!

I finally learned why the fake ostrich eggs are out on the Safari. I just thought it was a prop, however, the eggs do make the ostriches feel comfortable to lay there eggs! During the egg laying season, the Ostriches lay up to 20 eggs a week and 1 ostrich egg = 24 chicken eggs.

Sadly, it was time for the tour to end. We are dropped off in the same area the Safari ride lets out. We all received a wooden coaster which says Savor the Savannah, now I have 2 of these!

I highly recommend this tour! It is wonderful, educational, relaxing, and the food and drinks are delicious!

This definitely was a highlight of our trip and I will do this again without hesitation!

The rain was pretty much done at the end of the tour!

Stay tuned right below this for the rest of our evening in Pandora.