You Get a Suite! You Get a Suite! Everybody Gets a Suite! December 2023 Trip Report! (RL Update 10/6!!)

[VAtink]

Love AKL, especially at Christmas. The tree is gorgeous. You are really selling me on staying club level but I'm afraid I will love it so much that I want to do it every time. That's what happened to me with DVC, first stay in a one-bedroom and now I am disappointed if I have to stay in a studio. So spoiled!

Haha, I hear you, we originally had booked just standard rooms for our September trip, but have since upgraded them to club level. It's hard to go back to non-club after staying club!

 

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Day 3, Part 2: Exploring AKL!​

We last left off with us enjoying the club level lounge at AKL after moving over there from the Boardwalk.

A bit after noon we decided to head downstairs to check out the lobby, and show dad the overlook area.

We got a ton of pictures of the tree and the gingerbread animals.









We also swung by the store to browse a bit, but didn’t purchase anything just yet.

Finally, we made our way back out to the overlook and spent some time watching the animals, and dad found a CM out there to chat with and ask questions, which he really enjoys, we probably could have left him out there asking questions for the rest of the day!

We then spent some time sitting in the rocking chairs by the firepit just relaxing. While we were sitting there we were pretty cold, but then suddenly, seemingly miraculously, it suddenly warmed up. It was so weird, and then a few moments later it got super cold again. What on earth?

Well, it turns out that every time the doors behind us opened a blast of warm air came out, but once they closed it obviously got cold again. It took us like 10 minutes to figure out what was happening.

After hanging out at the overlook for a while we headed to the pool area to check that out as well. We loved the pool here the last time we stayed here, and were hoping it would be warm enough this week to take a dip at some point!

We also checked out the flamingos back here.



Anyone remember when they used to have flamingos at Epcot?!?

Finally around 2pm when our room was still not ready, we decided to just head out to Animal Kingdom.

We made our way down to the bus stop and got super lucky since a bus arrived about 2 minutes later!

It was a super quick trip to AK, and soon we were getting pictures in front of the tree!









Up Next: Animal Kingdom Time!​

 

[Wood Nymph]

We got a ton of pictures of the tree and the gingerbread animals.

We stopped at the AKL in December and I really liked the gingerbread animals. They were very cute.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I remember the EPCOT !! AKL is so beautiful and I just adore how many nooks and crannies there are to sit and relax as well as all the animal observation opportunities and other small exhibits they have set up. I've had some of the best conversations with CMs there. You have got me thinking about a little club level staycation there in the near future! Now that you are an expert, I will be interested in your comparison between the club levels (not including the suite!) and if you saw any major differences or pros/cons.

 

[jcc0621]

Thanks for all the pics of AKL. I hope there are more. That is where we are staying in July! It will be our first time.

 

[suse66]

Love your party within a party at MVMCP! The parade pics are so fun, even if you did miss the toy soldiers. Can't wait to see your room at AKL. You definitely went all out on this super special trip with both your parents. So many precious memories are being made!

 

[VAtink]

We stopped at the AKL in December and I really liked the gingerbread animals. They were very cute.

They are so cute, and I'm amazed they're made of gingerbread!

 

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I remember the EPCOT !! AKL is so beautiful and I just adore how many nooks and crannies there are to sit and relax as well as all the animal observation opportunities and other small exhibits they have set up. I've had some of the best conversations with CMs there. You have got me thinking about a little club level staycation there in the near future! Now that you are an expert, I will be interested in your comparison between the club levels (not including the suite!) and if you saw any major differences or pros/cons.

I wonder what happened to the Epcot flamingos, I remember as a kid I used to love watching them whenever we went to Epcot.

AKL is such a stunning resort, and we also had some amazing conversations with the CMs there. One of our days we ended up chatting with one of the cultural representatives for like 45 minutes, he was so amazing and so engaging, we couldn't pull ourselves away!

Haha, club level is certainly nice, and as a bit of a spoiler, we had things we liked and disliked about each. At Boardwalk we loved the location of the lounge compared to where our room was, whereas at the AKL the walk between the room and the lounge took about 5 minutes, which was just excessive and made popping over to the lounge a bit annoying. Beach Club was a middle ground for location, close, but more than just a few doors down. We also really liked that during dinner and desserts, the Boardwalk had self pour wine and cordials whereas both AKL and the Beach Club a CM poured, and some CMs gave pathetically light pours (although on the flip side some gave massive pours!). Of the three lounges, we found AKL to be the most peaceful/less crowded, BUT all the CMs there did tell us they were light on club level bookings that week, so I'm not sure if that's the norm. Beach Club was by far the most chaotic lounge. Food-wise, we liked the food at the Boardwalk and AKL the most, although AKL had some items that wouldn't be great for less adventurous eaters. I think if the rooms at AKL were closer to the lounge it would have been our favorite of the three, we loved that it was open between food service to just hang out, and the CMs there were amazing, but in the end Boardwalk came out on top.

 

[VAtink]

Thanks for all the pics of AKL. I hope there are more. That is where we are staying in July! It will be our first time.

You're welcome! I do have some more, and some videos I'll be posting. That's so exciting you're staying there in July! It is such an amazing resort, there are so many areas to explore and hang out, I hope you have an amazing time!

 

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Love your party within a party at MVMCP! The parade pics are so fun, even if you did miss the toy soldiers. Can't wait to see your room at AKL. You definitely went all out on this super special trip with both your parents. So many precious memories are being made!

The parade was so awesome! It was a bummer to miss out on the toy soldiers, but the rest of the parade was great!

We really did go all out on this trip, it was definitely one of those once in a lifetime trips, and I'm so happy I got to experience it with my parents! We had the most amazing time, so amazing even my dad wants to start going to Disney on a regular basis again!

 

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Day 3, Part 3: Animal Kingdom Time!​

We last left off heading into Animal Kingdom!

Of course we took pictures on the way in!





After getting pictures on the bridge heading from the Oasis into the park, I noticed that the Merry Menagerie was about to come out! What amazing timing!!!! We really wanted to see them!



They were so awesome, we loved them, especially the polar bears. Also, I got my favorite picture of mom from this trip with them…



We also got a bunch of other pictures!





We spent some time interacting with them, before heading to the shops to see if there was anything we wanted to pick up. I did end up getting the Merry Menagerie ornament, and then got the Merry Menagerie shirts for both myself and my mom.

After shopping we stopped for some pictures in front of the ToL!





Once we had our fill of pictures, it was into our time for the Safari, so we headed back that way.



It was a nice ride, but there weren’t many animals out this time around. Oh well.

Next we headed over to Pandora. On the way in, we stopped for pictures in front of the Merry Menagerie mural and were getting pictures, when a couple saw us and offered to get pictures of us together! Thanks awesome couple! (we returned the favor of course)



After getting the pictures we made our way into Pandora, which was completely new to my dad! He was in awe of that land, he thought it was so cool! We of course got pictures!



We headed over to our other prebooked DAS for Navi.

This is not one of my favorite rides, but dad enjoyed it, and he was very impressed with the animatronic at the end!

Once off Navi, we had a choice, we could either ride FoP with the ILL I had booked earlier, or we could go ride EE.

We decided to head to EE, even though it meant running back and forth across the park, but mom really didn’t want to ride EE after dinner, so it just made sense to ride it then.



Dad decided not to ride this, last time he was here he thought it was too rough, so we left him at the overlook to wait while mom and I rode. Of course, dad being dad, by the time we got off the ride, my dad had found a new best friend and wanted to keep talking and not head to our ILL for FoP!

Finally we did drag my dad away, and we headed back across the park for our ILL for FoP!

Dad LOVED it, he thought it was amazing, although he admitted he still thought Soarin is the best ride in WDW!
https://www.disboards.com/threads/y...rip-report-updated-2-10.3935559/post-65320402
Next up: Dinner at Tiffins!​

 

[suse66]

After getting pictures on the bridge heading from the Oasis into the park, I noticed that the Merry Menagerie was about to come out! What amazing timing!!!! We really wanted to see them!

I love them too!

Next we headed over to Pandora. On the way in, we stopped for pictures in front of the Merry Menagerie mural and were getting pictures, when a couple saw us and offered to get pictures of us together! Thanks awesome couple! (we returned the favor of course)

No photopass photographer there? There was one when Caroline and I were at the park. Your pictures came out cute!

Dad decided not to ride this, last time he was here he thought it was too rough, so we left him at the overlook to wait while mom and I rode. Of course, dad being dad, by the time we got off the ride, my dad had found a new best friend and wanted to keep talking and not head to our ILL for FoP!

Haha!

Dad LOVED it, he thought it was amazing, although he admitted he still thought Soarin is the best ride in WDW!

Interesting choice with Soarin'. I love it too but best ride category is high praise!

 

[Wood Nymph]

It was a nice ride, but there weren’t many animals out this time around. Oh well.

There weren't very many animals out when we rode the safari about a week before you did. It was rather disappointing.

Of course, dad being dad, by the time we got off the ride, my dad had found a new best friend and wanted to keep talking and not head to our ILL for FoP!

That's one of the best parts of WDW - making new friends.

 

[VAtink]

I love them too!

They are so cool! We really loved interacting with them.

No photopass photographer there? There was one when Caroline and I were at the park. Your pictures came out cute!

Nope, not this afternoon. And thanks!

Haha!

My dad LOVES making friends wherever he goes. Back when he used to come with us to Disney on a regular basis there were times he was almost sat with other families on rides since he was so engrossed in conversation with them the CMs didn't realize he was with us instead!

Interesting choice with Soarin'. I love it too but best ride category is high praise!

Right? I don't agree with his assessment, but to him, Soarin' tops everything else!

 

[VAtink]

There weren't very many animals out when we rode the safari about a week before you did. It was rather disappointing.

I was pretty surprised there were so few, especially since it was a beautiful day.

That's one of the best parts of WDW - making new friends.

That is true. I'm still in touch with some of the people I've met on solo trips, it's kind of awesome how Disney can bring people together!

 

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Quick RL update! I may (big may) be going to Disney in April!

There is a conference down in Orlando that my boss wants someone from my group to go to, so of course I volunteered. Don't know if I'll be accepted, but if so, Flower and Garden here I come! I wouldn't have a ton of time for Disney based on the conference schedule, but it looks like I would have at least one day free and a few mornings, so it could be a perfect little trip to hold me over until our regular September trip. ​

 

[Wood Nymph]

Quick RL update! I may (big may) be going to Disney in April!

There is a conference down in Orlando that my boss wants someone from my group to go to, so of course I volunteered. Don't know if I'll be accepted, but if so, Flower and Garden here I come! I wouldn't have a ton of time for Disney based on the conference schedule, but it looks like I would have at least one day free and a few mornings, so it could be a perfect little trip to hold me over until our regular September trip. ​

We'll be at BCV April 7 to 11th.

 

[VAtink]

We'll be at BCV April 7 to 11th.

That's the same week I'd potentially be there! Still haven't heard back from management yet though, so I have no idea if I'll be able to go.

 

[VAtink]

Day 3, Part 4: Dinner at Tiffins!​

We wrapped up with FoP a bit after 5, but our dinner reservation wasn’t until 6. We debated what we wanted to do during that time. The animal trails had already closed for the day, we had already done our shopping, and there were no other rides we wanted to do, so we decided to see if we could check in early for dinner, so off to Tiffins we went!

At the check-in desk outside we requested an early seating, and the CM said she’d see what she could do, but it could be a while. No worries, we were super early! So she took my phone number, and then we went to go sit on the wall around the corner in front of Nomad.

I had considered seeing if we could get into Nomad, but I suspected if Tiffins was that booked we couldn’t get in early, that Nomad would also likely be a long wait. So we just sat on the wall and chatted and went through pictures we had taken.

I wish I could say we got seated early, but the text didn’t come in until right at 6! Ha! Oh well, we tried, and the wait went by pretty quickly. We spent a lot of time going through our pictures and people watching.

We headed back to the check-in desk and were ushered inside where we were brought to our table in our favorite room, the one with the totem poles, I think it’s the grand ceremony room?

It was actually a bit shocking to enter to find the restaurant almost empty! Like maybe four other tables were occupied, so a bit odd they couldn’t seat us early.

Once we settled in, we ordered the octopus to start, then spent some time perusing the menu.







We eventually figured out what we wanted, dad and I got the surf and turf, and mom got the veal. I also got the cab flight and mom got a beer.







Mom definitely won dinner this night, hers was sooooooooooo good! I was actually jealous of her meal! Not that mine wasn’t great, it was really good, but hers was just a level above.

It was a good dinner, and I’m happy to say that my dad enjoyed it! We were a bit worried about eating here with him, but the surf and turf was perfect for him!

There was one downside to dinner, and that was some very very bad parenting happening at a nearby table. This woman was at a table just on the other side of the totem poles from us with her daughter, and this woman was letting her daughter treat the dining room like a playground. This girl was trying to climb the totem poles, was throwing food at other diners and around the room, and kept running around the room screaming. The whole time the mother just sat there playing on her phone ignoring what her kid was doing. Multiple guests and the manager asked her to control her daughter, but the mom just made some snide remark that she’s “a kid so there’s nothing I can do.” Um, what?!?! I’ve seen some bad parenting, but this takes the cake! I get kids acting up from time to time and having tons of energy to burn, but to let your kid throw food in a restaurant, and at other diners, is inexcusable. Fortunately, they left about half way through our dinner, but they left a massive mess behind, I felt bad for the CMs who had to clean up after them. There was food all over the floor, all over the table, and all over the room from this kid!

Oh, and while eating we FINALLY got our room ready text, at around 7pm ! Yikes! We theorized the guests in the room before us didn’t want to leave the room on time since there was a large group of giraffes hanging out right in front of the room that afternoon so they tried to stay to watch as long as possible. (When we were out on the overlook earlier we saw this group of giraffes there and I guessed that would be our room since we knew we were on the Arusha savanna so there were only two locations our room could be!). Or it could just be it's such a massive hotel they took forever to finally get to our room to clean (although on our checkout day housekeeping was waiting outside our door by 10am for us to leave...) Oh well, at least we finally had a room!

After dinner we headed back into Pandora to see it at night!





Love being able to see it at night again, it’s been a while!

Next up: We Finally See Our New Home!​

 

[Wood Nymph]

Oh, and while eating we FINALLY got our room ready text, at around 7pm ! Yikes! We theorized the guests in the room before us didn’t want to leave the room on time since there was a large group of giraffes hanging out right in front of the room that afternoon so they tried to stay to watch as long as possible.

That was a really long time to wait for your room. The latest we ever had to wait for a room was at the Grand Floridian. I had gone to the front desk several times to see if the room was ready, but it didn't help. We finally got the room ready text at 5:40pm, while we were sitting at the bar at Mizners. They gave us the room was right next to the bank of elevators and we could hear the noise from the elevators moving up and down. I have a feeling that someone else had rejected that room and they had to clean it again to get it ready for us.

The bad parent will eventually pay the price when the kid becomes a teenager and makes her life hell.