Trip Reports
02-21-2007, 01:16 PM
Lisa Willis - July 2004 - Port Orleans French Quarter, Animal Kingdom Lodge
Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: POFQ, AKL
Accommodations: Standard room
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: Lisa and family make a July visit and get to decide if summer heat is better than spring break crowds. It is a tough decision to make.
Lisa Willis -- April 2004 -- Walt Disney World (POFQ, AKL)
This is Lisa's fifth trip report on MousePlanet. Her other reports can be found at:
November 1999
May 2000
Novemver 2000
April 2004
The Cast
Kerry, age 34, hubby, fellow Disneyaholic, 9th trip to WDW
Lisa, age 33, trip planner & report writer, 12th trip to WDW, been to Disneyland once
Brittani, age 15, daughter, 8th trip to WDW
Amber, age 15, daughter's best friend, 1st trip to WDW
Matt, age 13, son, 8th trip to WDW
Justin, age 11, son, 8th trip to WDW (sort of - I was pregnant with him during his 1st trip!)
DAY ONE, MONDAY, JULY 5th
We had planned to leave home around 5 am, but got a later start at 6 am. We had a very easy drive to Valdosta where we stopped at Shoney's for the breakfast buffet. It was busy in there, but the wait wasn't too bad, and we enjoyed a nice meal ($48). We topped off the gas tank ($28) and got back on the road.
We arrived on Disney property at 2:10 pm and had a quick check-in. We were assigned a first-floor room (a first for us, I believe) in Building One. Being on the first floor was a really nice perk for us, and there really isn't a bad building at this hotel. We unpacked our luggage and got settled in the room, then we all headed over to the pool for a relaxing swim. I had bought a Sponge Bob beach ball for us, and we had a blast playing volleyball and keep-away with it!
When our stomaches started growling, we headed back to the room and got dressed for dinner. We had really enjoyed the deep dish pizza at Uno's years ago, so we decided to give it another try. The pizza was absolutely delicious, and I found that I could only eat a slice and a half!!! DS Matt got a quesadilla appetizer, the girls and DS Justin got kid's meals, and DH and I shared a Chicago Classic ($54).
Even though we were stuffed, we decided we could still find room for the delicious ice cream at the Marble Slab Creamery. DS Justin, the girls, and I shared two cheesecake ice creams, DS Matt got Key Lime ice cream, and DH Kerry just hung out and watched us pig out ($12) !!!
We dropped the girls off at Downtown Disney on the way back, giving them some "teen" time shopping. The rest of us went to play miniature golf at Blizzard Beach's Winterland side ($21). We had a great time playing, especially me who came from behind and won with four holes-in-one and a total score of 41.
We got back to the room around 9 pm, only to see the girls walking to the room at the same time we were coming in from the parking lot (they had taken the boat from Downtown Disney). We each got showers and settled in for a good night's rest.
DAY TWO, TUESDAY, JULY 6TH
We were up by 6:30 am and out the door by 7:30 am, headed for MGM Studios (we drove). We don't normally do a lot of Early Magic Hours, but we wanted to show our guest as much Disney as we could. DH went straight to Guest Services to add a day to Amber's 4-day hopper ($32).
Once inside the park, we were stopped briefly by the rope drop, but we were soon on our way towards the FP machine for ToT. After a 10-minute wait in the standby line, we introduced Amber to her first Disney thrill ride, Rock-n-Roller Coaster. She loved it! We hung out a bit, waiting for our ToT FP time to start, got more FP's for later in the day, then went to ride using our first FP's. Amber looked apprehensive at first, but of course, she enjoyed it.
After our fall, we were sweating like piggies, so we made a pit stop in Starring Rolls for some ice water. We did Muppets 4-D, then stopped for a nutritious snack (3 orders of fries & ice waters) at ABC Commissary ($8). While I was in line for the snacks, DH went to get FP's for Little Mermaid.
My memory's not so good about what all we did, but I know that it included a visit to Millionaire (all of us but DS Matt were on the board one time or the other), Little Mermaid, Great Movie Ride, and another ride on the ToT.
We had lunch at Prime Time ($70), and this place really shocked Amber. She was paranoid for days afterward that every waiter at Disney was going to harass us!!! Amber got teased about her elbows on the table, DD Brittani had to put her nose to the wall for taking her napkin off of her lap during the meal, DS Matt was shamed by us all for not putting his napkin in his lap, and I had to sing "I'm a Little Teapot" to the restaurant (complete with exaggerated motions) because I left carrots on my plate and then lied about it. Our waiter (cousin) wasn't pleased with my first performance, so I had to sing it again. HUMILIATING, but fun!!! It would have been ten times funnier had it been someone else, though.
We left the park around 4:30 pm and headed back to the resort for an afternoon swim. Due to storms, we weren't able to stay for long. Around 7 pm, we headed over the bus stop to catch a ride to the Magic Kingdom. The park was fairly crowded (although not even close to the crowds we saw during Spring Break), so we just continued on through the castle and Fantasyland, then had dinner at the Columbia Harbour House ($42).
After dinner, we rode Haunted Mansion (10 minutes standby) and saw Philharmagic (10 minutes standby). At Philharmagic, I got the biggest shock of the trip. The inside queue was FILTHY NASTY. Trash was everywhere, in every corner of the entire room. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever see anything like this in a Disney park. I don't even know what else to say about it, other than I just couldn't get it out of my mind.
There were technical difficulties with the actual show, and we had to listen to Goofy tell everyone to move all the way down the row about 50 times (or possibly, it was more like 5 times). Anyway, it is an incredible show.
The kids all took off for a ride on the teacups, and DH and I went searching for a bench to relax on. We just happened to notice after we sat down that we were probably in an excellent location to see Wishes, and luckily the kids showed up right before the show started. It ended up that where we were was in fact a great location (although we never saw Tink), and we were able to see Wishes for the first time. It was as great as everyone has said!!!
After the fireworks, DH and I rode Snow White (now I know that I had not been missing much by not riding this the last few trips), then we decided to head back to the resort. The kids stayed until closing. They rode Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear and got back to the room about an hour and a half after we did. After such a long day, it didn't take long at all for everyone to fall asleep.
DAY THREE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 7TH
We slept in a little later today, ate breakfast in the room, and left for the Magic Kingdom. We headed towards Frontierland to get FP's for Big Thunder, then walked over to ride PoTC (walk-on). Then we rode Big Thunder, got FP's for Splash Mountain, and went to have lunch. DH, DS Matt, and I got our lunch at El Pirata y El Perico ($18), and the girls and DS Justin got their lunch at Pecos Bills ($16). We ate together in one of the covered seating areas between the two restaurants.
We rode Splash Mountain after lunch (after spending quite a while standing on the bridge trying to get wet), then headed up the stairs to the railroad station. We were able to get immediately on a train, and enjoyed relaxing for a bit. We rode a complete circuit, then got off at the Toontown Station. DH, DS Matt, and I took the "hidden" path over to see the Carousel of Progress (no wait), while the girls and DS Justin went to ride the Teacups again. The Carousel of Progress experienced quite a bit of technical difficulties as well, and somewhat ruined the show.
The only way to cure a bad experience is to create a good one, so we ended up trying our first Dole Whip. YUMMMMMMY!!! DH got a pineapple float, I got the Dole Whip, and DS Matt got a Rootbeer float ($9). We sat for a few minutes with our treats, since the Dole Whip was melting faster than I could stop it. It seemed like everyone walking by was drooling at the cool treat!!
We left the park before 3 pm to head back to the resort. It started raining pretty hard while we were on the bus, and it was pouring by the time we got to the resort bus stop, so we just sat on the benches and relaxed. We got a call from DD; she, Amber and DS Justin were already in the room and wondering where we were. We waited until the rain let up a bit, then set off for the room. We were pretty drenched by the time we got to the room, but it felt GREAT to me!!!
Everyone got into dry clothes, and I volunteered to go get some necessities at the drug store ($23) and pick up dinner from Subway ($22). After dinner, DH, the boys, and I drove to Downtown Disney to see The Terminal at AMC Theatres ($29). The girls stayed at the resort and spent some time at the pool.
As usual, we had no trouble falling asleep before 11 pm.
DAY FOUR, THURSDAY, JULY 8TH
Today was a pretty exciting day for us…we were checking into the Animal Kingdom Lodge!!! We ate breakfast in the room, packed up the van, let the kids catch a bus to Epcot, checked out of POFQ, and drove over to AKL. We got some help with our luggage ($6 tip), and had our van valet parked. Though we had quite a wait to check in, it was all worth it when we were given a complimentary savannah-view upgrade!!
We had such a nice guy from Bell Services show us to our room and help us with our luggage ($10 tip). The room was gorgeous, and DH and I spent some time watching the animals and checking out the room. We stopped by Mara to purchase a refillable mug (I'm usually the only one that drinks cokes), then went to the bus stop to catch a ride to Epcot. We plotted at the bus stop to keep the savannah view a secret from the kids.
At Epcot, DH ran over to Mission Space to get FP's for us two, then we stopped in Innoventions West to pick up the kids. They were supposed to have gotten themselves FP's for Mission Space, but had not, so we sent the girls over to get theirs and we all met up in Ice Station Cool. Our first order of business was to tell Amber how great the Beverly was….she was not pleased with our trick!!! In fact, we had quite a bit of convincing to do for her to try any of the other drinks!!
Next, we tried to see an early showing of the Asimo exhibit, but the show was cancelled and we were told to come back to the 2:30 pm show. So there was nothing left to do but drag our scorching, sweating bodies over to Japan for lunch ($39). After lunch, we shopped a bit in Mitsukoshi ($8). We bought some Shrimp Chips for DS Matt which totally grossed out the girls, a couple of other small snacks, and a pair of chopsticks for DD to wear in her hair (how convenient…mobile utensils!!).
We headed back over to the United Kingdom to watch the World Showcase Players. The girls stopped on the way to use the restroom, so DH told DD to catch up with us in the United Kingdom when they were done. The World Showcase Players ended up moving their show to the back courtyard where there was more shade, and even moved benches over to where they were setting up. The show was just about to start when DH's cell phone started ringing. One of the Players came over and asked for the phone. The call was from DD who definitely didn't know who in the world was talking to her, but we all got a BIG kick out of the Player teasing her. When DH finally got the phone back, DD told him that she had no idea where we were. The girls had passed the United Kingdom and were almost in Future World. We thought DD would know the park better than that by now, but DH directed her and the girls showed up about halfway through the show.
It was then time for Asimo, so we headed over to the World Showplace Pavilion. The show was INCREDIBLE and Asimo was soooooo cute!!!
We saw Honey I Shrunk the Audience next, and boy, did we get a kick out of Amber's reaction to the mice!!!! I was proud of DD, as she normally sits with her legs up in the seat the entire show, but she left them down this time so we could trick Amber!
After the show, the kids went into Image Works to create funny pictures to e-mail while DH and I rode Journey Into Your Imagination. When we got off the ride, the boys wanted to ride Journey, so DH and I sat down and rested for a bit until everyone was back together again.
We then caught a bus to AKL and had to dodge the "did we get a savannah upgrade" question. The kids loved the room (especially the bunk beds) and were very excited to find out we had indeed gotten a savannah view room.
After some relaxing in the room, we went to Mara for dinner ($40). We had to wait a bit for the pool to re-open (there had been lightning earlier), but we were able to get in around 9 pm. DH and I also had a chance to enjoy the hot tub. After our swim, DH and I picked up a package in Mara that had Zebra domes in it, plus a carton of milk ($5). We took it back to the room for a late night snack.
Everyone but me fell asleep around midnight; I stayed up a bit longer to read some more in my book, Disney: An American Original.
DAY FIVE, FRIDAY, JULY 9TH
DH woke up early to do some laundry (he said he had the place to himself). I met him downstairs and we snuck away to Mara for breakfast by ourselves ($17). We let the kids eat breakfast in the room (I'll be looking for our Parents of the Year award). When we got back to the room, the kids were up so we headed to the van and drove to Animal Kingdom.
Since I didn't take any notes during the trip, I can't remember the exact order, but I know we rode Kali three times, the Safari, Dinosaur, and Primeval Whirl (and virtually none of these had lines, although we did end up getting several FPs). Dinosaur ended up being one of the most fun things we did this trip. DH hadn't ridden this in quite some time, and enjoyed screaming like he was dying to freak everyone out. Also, Amber was scared out of her wits and covered her eyes almost the entire time. HA!!!! We were laughing so hard when we got off the ride, I demanded a potty break!! Too much information, eh?
We had lunch at Tusker House using the Meal Deals ($64) which are even MORE of a good deal during the steaming hot summer! We also saw It's Tough to Be a Bug, but Amber missed the really good effects because DD was practically sitting in the floor during the show, so Amber figured out pretty soon that some weird stuff was going to happen. Boo, hiss DD!!
We left the park around 4 pm to give us plenty of time to relax and refresh before 'Ohana. Back at the resort, we all swam for a while, and discussed DD's plans for the evening. She had no desire to go to 'Ohana since she has been a vegetarian (or partial one, anyway) for quite a few months and would in no way eat enough to justify the price.
DD and Amber decided they would go back to Downtown Disney, so we gave them money for dinner at McDonald's ($10) and went over the bus stop information with them again. The rest of us drove over to the Polynesian a little early for our PS, but spent our time waiting in the comfy chairs in the lobby. As entertainment, we got to watch a large group of folks have tray after tray of food brought out to them from 'Ohana right there in the lobby. It was like an 'Ohana picnic!!!
Our meal was just as incredible as always ($100). We had the same server (Danyele) that we had in April and got a really nice table away from the coconut races (yeah!). I think DS Matt might have put 'Ohana into bankruptcy. If they charged by the pound, we definitely couldn't afford to take him there anymore!!!! The rest of us weren't shy eaters either; we were all piggies. I call 'Ohana "meat on a stick" and I usually start chanting that weeks before we leave, just to make sure everyone knows how much I love it!
After stuffing ourselves, we rode the monorail over to the Contemporary. I had read that the Contemporary's arcade was incredible, so I had saved up quite a bit of change to give the boys.
As soon as we got on the monorail, DH said it smelled horrible in there. I told him that I had also read a trip report from someone who complained about the terrible smell, but it wasn't too offensive to me.
Anyway, as soon as we got off the monorail as the Contemporary, I took the lead. I was going to show off the tidbits I had learned; one of which was that the elevator had character voices, and the other regarding the lookout area where you can watch Wishes. Well, pride cometh before a fall. The elevator didn't speak, and I thought the lookout tower was on the top floor. I kept pressing the button, but it wouldn't light up. We finally just got off on another floor and looked around for someone to ask, but noone was around. We could see outside, however, where some folks were standing on the outside staircases, so we headed out there and watched Wishes from there (all the while looking DOWN on the lookout area).
Afterwards, we headed down in search of the arcade. It was really big, and I knew the boys would have a ball in there. To me it stunk like crazy in there, so I decided to hang out near the registration desk instead in one of those futuristic, highly uncomfortable chairs to people watch. I was extremely unimpressed with this resort, and I don't think I'd pay $10 a night to stay there (the areas I saw where dirty and didn't smell very good).
Once the boys (and DH) had spent their money and redeemed their tickets, we headed back to the Polynesian to retrieve the van. And here's where it gets good….DH unknowingly took a wrong turn leaving the Polynesian, and we ended up passing Shades of Green, then the Grand Floridian, then the monorail repair station, then the swamps of Florida. We had almost NO gasoline, but we kept thinking that in the next few minutes, we'd see bright lights and be back in an area we recognized. Nope. After we had gone so far, I was worried that we couldn't make it back the way we came without running out of gas, so we kept driving thinking we'd have to see a gas station in any second (that's Atlanta folks for ya). Finally, we gave up and turned around. I prayed like a priest that we would make it back, and luckily, we did. We pulled up to the Magic Kingdom Hess station at 12:04 am and it took an all-time high of $34 to fill up the thirsty van. Whewwwww, crisis averted!
We slept soundly that night.
DAY SIX, SATURDAY, JULY 10TH
Our "day off" had arrived; no parks for us today! We slept late, then went swimming for a few hours. We ate some snacks in the room, but never actually ate lunch (told ya we ate like pigs at 'Ohana).
We drove to the Rainforest Café at the Animal Kingdom for dinner at 5:30 pm. We were seated immediately, but didn't see a server for at least 10 minutes. DH was starting to get mad, and I had to calm him down! We didn't enjoy our dinner too much (it was just so-so), and though the atmosphere is always interesting, we had seen enough animatronic animals! Our dinner was $111, and this was with us sharing meals.
After dinner, we drove over to Downtown Disney. The boys went to see Anchor Man, and DH and I saw Two Brothers ($29). The girls shopped for about an hour, then caught the bus back to AKL. DH and I met up with the boys after the movies, and got some pretzels and lemonade at Wetzel's Pretzel ($18) and a icecream for DS Matt at Haagen-Dazs ($4).
We got back to the room around 10 pm and everyone was in bed shortly after.
DAY SEVEN, SUNDAY, JULY 11TH
We decided to head back to the Magic Kingdom today. We drove and were in the park by 7:30 am. We wanted to ride the Fantasyland rides before the park got too crowded, but the lines were already pretty long. We went ahead and rode Peter Pan (20 minute wait) which was really cute. I had not ridden this in so long, it was almost like the first time! After we got off, we decided to wait for rope drop in order to get Splash Mountain FPs. Of course, after 1.2 seconds of standing in the heat, the princesses (the girls and I) decided we needed air conditioning, so we made plans to meet up at the Haunted Mansion, then ran into the nearest store to "shop."
After everyone got back together, we rode the Haunted Mansion. Then we spent some time looking for the "embedded wedding ring" we had read about. DS Justin told us he found it, but when he showed it to us, none of us believed that was really it. We finally bribed one of the kids into asking a cast member where it was, and the cast member confirmed that what DS Justin found was correct. Don't you think that he let us forget this, either! ?
We walked over to have breakfast at the Main Street bakery, but the line was out the door. Rather than wait, we decided to let the crowds die down some (the park had just opened), and we went to watch Steamboat Willie in the theatre behind Tony's. We had the theatre to ourselves, and had a great time watching the cartoons.
After cooling off, we braved the heat again and had a delicious breakfast at the bakery ($17). Then we took off to use our Splash Mountain FPs, once again stopping on the bridge for a "preview"! We ran up the stairs to the train station after the ride and rode the train around to the Main Street station.
We rode the monorail over to Epcot, and DH headed straight to Test Track for FPs. We met up at Ellen's Energy Adventure and basically walked right in. After Ellen's, we stopped off at every misting station on our way to Mexico. We rode the boat ride in Mexico, then visited the vikings and trolls in Norway (both rides were walk-ons).
We were actually hungry by this time (2 pm), so DS Justin and I got a snack of Egg Rolls in China ($3), gave DS Matt money for him to go get Mexican fast food ($8), and everyone else got meals at the Liberty Inn ($34). After lunch, we watched the Voices of Liberty perform. They were incredible, and I especially enjoyed how much the kids liked their performance. They were smiling the entire time!
We saw the American Adventure, and I believe this was the first time I watched this and didn't cry! I made DH sit on the first row, and would not let him fall asleep (he's never seen the entire show because he always falls asleep). After the show, it looked like the sky was about to open up. The kids were antsy to go back to Innoventions, and DH and I were antsy to do absolutely nothing, so we let them loose. DH and I decided a nice dessert would hit the spot, so he went to get a funnel cake for me and an apple pie for him ($7). We stayed in the Liberty Inn and enjoyed our desserts while watching the rain come down in buckets. We had hoped that it would clear up enough for us to see the next show of Vybe, but after a while, we could tell that wasn't going to happen. We also knew our Test Track FPs were probably worthless!
After sweating buckets all week, I was excited to walk in the rain, so DH and I took off in the drizzling rain around the World Showcase. We stopped by Innoventions to firm up plans with the kids (and gave them the Test Track FPs just in case), then DH and I made the trek back to the resort.
Once in our room, DH and I got on dry clothes and relaxed with the balcony door open listening to the rain. It was absolutely heavenly and one of my favorite vacation moments. About 1 minute after I dozed off, the kids were knocking on the door. HA! No nap for Mom!
DH, the boys, and I left soon after for dinner at Red Lobster ($71). The girls wanted to stay back at the resort and swim, so we gave them money for dinner at Mara ($13). Dinner was incredibly good, and we had the best server of the entire week.
Sadly, we started packing up some when we got back to the resort.
DAY EIGHT, MONDAY, JULY 12TH
We took our time getting up this morning, finished the packing, and went ahead and loaded the van. Then the girls split an Ice Cream bar for breakfast ($2) and the boys and I split the Zebra domes dessert and a slice of cheesecake ($8). One more reason to love vacation!
DH checked out while I shopped in Zawadi-Dak (AKL gift shop). I bought an African mask, a 12" giraffe, an AKL magnet, and a keychain for mother-in-law ($31).
We took a few pictures, then piled in the van for another Downtown Disney stop. This time was different, though. We were actually going to buy something!! We first dropped DS Justin off and let him buy his souvenir at Magic Masters ($16). Then we stopped in the World of Disney where we purchased another Mickey antennae topper for the van (someone had stolen ours during the week) and another Grumpy decal for my decked-out-in-Disney Jeep ($12). Next up was Once Upon a Toy where I bought two attraction vehicles, the Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean ($13). On our way out, we stopped by Ghiradelli and bought several chocolate squares ($4).
The chocolate squares held us over just long enough to get to the nearest Golden Corral. We had the lunch buffet ($50) which was pretty good. After lunch, we drove over to the Character Warehouse at Belz and bought a couple of desk accessories, a t-shirt, a necklace, and a pin ($35).
We got on the road headed for home at 5 pm. We made a stop for dinner ($10) and gasoline ($23) in Valdosta and pulled in our driveway at 11:50 pm.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was another wonderful trip. The crowds were WAY better than they were during Spring Break, but the heat was intense. I am a freak sweater; and no, I don't mean the kind you wear in the winter. I mean the kind that looks like someone turned on a faucet at full speed underneath my pores. I had to immediately confiscate napkins upon entering the parks, and I used them so much and so often they disinigrated in front of my very eyes. I was pleasantly surprised, though, that the heat didn't make me sick. That's not to say that my intense sweating didn't make others sick though. Ha!
We don't see too much appeal in the Early Magic Hour. I could understand it at the Magic Kingdom since they have quite a bit of rides available, but I definitely can't see myself getting up early for it at any of the other parks.
We loved POFQ, and as I said earlier, the first floor room was a treat. We saw rabbits right outside of our room several times. I still think the rooms at this resort are beautiful and its small size is one of its best assets.
We were definitely impressed with AKL. However, I didn't get too spoiled. I still love the All-Stars and would stay there again in a heartbeat! Our room at AKL was about as far away as you can get from the lobby, but it didn't seem to be a bad walk at all to me. The bunk beds were a big hit with the kids.
I would definitely NOT let the kids invite anyone along again. DD is probably one of the most respectful, sweet, obedient teens on the planet, but she was a little devil sometimes during this vacation. She has been best friends for 10 years with the girl she brought, and this friend is also a sweet, respectful girl. However, there is something about a teen with a friend that is a recipe for a parent-teen nightmare.
We are planning our next trip for late September, and have lots of things planned that we have never done before. I will try to write the next report as I go (like I did for our Spring Break trip), so hopefully it won't be as boring as this one.
Thanks for reading!
Lisa Willis
Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: POFQ, AKL
Accommodations: Standard room
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: Lisa and family make a July visit and get to decide if summer heat is better than spring break crowds. It is a tough decision to make.
Lisa Willis -- April 2004 -- Walt Disney World (POFQ, AKL)
This is Lisa's fifth trip report on MousePlanet. Her other reports can be found at:
November 1999
May 2000
Novemver 2000
April 2004
The Cast
Kerry, age 34, hubby, fellow Disneyaholic, 9th trip to WDW
Lisa, age 33, trip planner & report writer, 12th trip to WDW, been to Disneyland once
Brittani, age 15, daughter, 8th trip to WDW
Amber, age 15, daughter's best friend, 1st trip to WDW
Matt, age 13, son, 8th trip to WDW
Justin, age 11, son, 8th trip to WDW (sort of - I was pregnant with him during his 1st trip!)
DAY ONE, MONDAY, JULY 5th
We had planned to leave home around 5 am, but got a later start at 6 am. We had a very easy drive to Valdosta where we stopped at Shoney's for the breakfast buffet. It was busy in there, but the wait wasn't too bad, and we enjoyed a nice meal ($48). We topped off the gas tank ($28) and got back on the road.
We arrived on Disney property at 2:10 pm and had a quick check-in. We were assigned a first-floor room (a first for us, I believe) in Building One. Being on the first floor was a really nice perk for us, and there really isn't a bad building at this hotel. We unpacked our luggage and got settled in the room, then we all headed over to the pool for a relaxing swim. I had bought a Sponge Bob beach ball for us, and we had a blast playing volleyball and keep-away with it!
When our stomaches started growling, we headed back to the room and got dressed for dinner. We had really enjoyed the deep dish pizza at Uno's years ago, so we decided to give it another try. The pizza was absolutely delicious, and I found that I could only eat a slice and a half!!! DS Matt got a quesadilla appetizer, the girls and DS Justin got kid's meals, and DH and I shared a Chicago Classic ($54).
Even though we were stuffed, we decided we could still find room for the delicious ice cream at the Marble Slab Creamery. DS Justin, the girls, and I shared two cheesecake ice creams, DS Matt got Key Lime ice cream, and DH Kerry just hung out and watched us pig out ($12) !!!
We dropped the girls off at Downtown Disney on the way back, giving them some "teen" time shopping. The rest of us went to play miniature golf at Blizzard Beach's Winterland side ($21). We had a great time playing, especially me who came from behind and won with four holes-in-one and a total score of 41.
We got back to the room around 9 pm, only to see the girls walking to the room at the same time we were coming in from the parking lot (they had taken the boat from Downtown Disney). We each got showers and settled in for a good night's rest.
DAY TWO, TUESDAY, JULY 6TH
We were up by 6:30 am and out the door by 7:30 am, headed for MGM Studios (we drove). We don't normally do a lot of Early Magic Hours, but we wanted to show our guest as much Disney as we could. DH went straight to Guest Services to add a day to Amber's 4-day hopper ($32).
Once inside the park, we were stopped briefly by the rope drop, but we were soon on our way towards the FP machine for ToT. After a 10-minute wait in the standby line, we introduced Amber to her first Disney thrill ride, Rock-n-Roller Coaster. She loved it! We hung out a bit, waiting for our ToT FP time to start, got more FP's for later in the day, then went to ride using our first FP's. Amber looked apprehensive at first, but of course, she enjoyed it.
After our fall, we were sweating like piggies, so we made a pit stop in Starring Rolls for some ice water. We did Muppets 4-D, then stopped for a nutritious snack (3 orders of fries & ice waters) at ABC Commissary ($8). While I was in line for the snacks, DH went to get FP's for Little Mermaid.
My memory's not so good about what all we did, but I know that it included a visit to Millionaire (all of us but DS Matt were on the board one time or the other), Little Mermaid, Great Movie Ride, and another ride on the ToT.
We had lunch at Prime Time ($70), and this place really shocked Amber. She was paranoid for days afterward that every waiter at Disney was going to harass us!!! Amber got teased about her elbows on the table, DD Brittani had to put her nose to the wall for taking her napkin off of her lap during the meal, DS Matt was shamed by us all for not putting his napkin in his lap, and I had to sing "I'm a Little Teapot" to the restaurant (complete with exaggerated motions) because I left carrots on my plate and then lied about it. Our waiter (cousin) wasn't pleased with my first performance, so I had to sing it again. HUMILIATING, but fun!!! It would have been ten times funnier had it been someone else, though.
We left the park around 4:30 pm and headed back to the resort for an afternoon swim. Due to storms, we weren't able to stay for long. Around 7 pm, we headed over the bus stop to catch a ride to the Magic Kingdom. The park was fairly crowded (although not even close to the crowds we saw during Spring Break), so we just continued on through the castle and Fantasyland, then had dinner at the Columbia Harbour House ($42).
After dinner, we rode Haunted Mansion (10 minutes standby) and saw Philharmagic (10 minutes standby). At Philharmagic, I got the biggest shock of the trip. The inside queue was FILTHY NASTY. Trash was everywhere, in every corner of the entire room. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever see anything like this in a Disney park. I don't even know what else to say about it, other than I just couldn't get it out of my mind.
There were technical difficulties with the actual show, and we had to listen to Goofy tell everyone to move all the way down the row about 50 times (or possibly, it was more like 5 times). Anyway, it is an incredible show.
The kids all took off for a ride on the teacups, and DH and I went searching for a bench to relax on. We just happened to notice after we sat down that we were probably in an excellent location to see Wishes, and luckily the kids showed up right before the show started. It ended up that where we were was in fact a great location (although we never saw Tink), and we were able to see Wishes for the first time. It was as great as everyone has said!!!
After the fireworks, DH and I rode Snow White (now I know that I had not been missing much by not riding this the last few trips), then we decided to head back to the resort. The kids stayed until closing. They rode Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear and got back to the room about an hour and a half after we did. After such a long day, it didn't take long at all for everyone to fall asleep.
DAY THREE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 7TH
We slept in a little later today, ate breakfast in the room, and left for the Magic Kingdom. We headed towards Frontierland to get FP's for Big Thunder, then walked over to ride PoTC (walk-on). Then we rode Big Thunder, got FP's for Splash Mountain, and went to have lunch. DH, DS Matt, and I got our lunch at El Pirata y El Perico ($18), and the girls and DS Justin got their lunch at Pecos Bills ($16). We ate together in one of the covered seating areas between the two restaurants.
We rode Splash Mountain after lunch (after spending quite a while standing on the bridge trying to get wet), then headed up the stairs to the railroad station. We were able to get immediately on a train, and enjoyed relaxing for a bit. We rode a complete circuit, then got off at the Toontown Station. DH, DS Matt, and I took the "hidden" path over to see the Carousel of Progress (no wait), while the girls and DS Justin went to ride the Teacups again. The Carousel of Progress experienced quite a bit of technical difficulties as well, and somewhat ruined the show.
The only way to cure a bad experience is to create a good one, so we ended up trying our first Dole Whip. YUMMMMMMY!!! DH got a pineapple float, I got the Dole Whip, and DS Matt got a Rootbeer float ($9). We sat for a few minutes with our treats, since the Dole Whip was melting faster than I could stop it. It seemed like everyone walking by was drooling at the cool treat!!
We left the park before 3 pm to head back to the resort. It started raining pretty hard while we were on the bus, and it was pouring by the time we got to the resort bus stop, so we just sat on the benches and relaxed. We got a call from DD; she, Amber and DS Justin were already in the room and wondering where we were. We waited until the rain let up a bit, then set off for the room. We were pretty drenched by the time we got to the room, but it felt GREAT to me!!!
Everyone got into dry clothes, and I volunteered to go get some necessities at the drug store ($23) and pick up dinner from Subway ($22). After dinner, DH, the boys, and I drove to Downtown Disney to see The Terminal at AMC Theatres ($29). The girls stayed at the resort and spent some time at the pool.
As usual, we had no trouble falling asleep before 11 pm.
DAY FOUR, THURSDAY, JULY 8TH
Today was a pretty exciting day for us…we were checking into the Animal Kingdom Lodge!!! We ate breakfast in the room, packed up the van, let the kids catch a bus to Epcot, checked out of POFQ, and drove over to AKL. We got some help with our luggage ($6 tip), and had our van valet parked. Though we had quite a wait to check in, it was all worth it when we were given a complimentary savannah-view upgrade!!
We had such a nice guy from Bell Services show us to our room and help us with our luggage ($10 tip). The room was gorgeous, and DH and I spent some time watching the animals and checking out the room. We stopped by Mara to purchase a refillable mug (I'm usually the only one that drinks cokes), then went to the bus stop to catch a ride to Epcot. We plotted at the bus stop to keep the savannah view a secret from the kids.
At Epcot, DH ran over to Mission Space to get FP's for us two, then we stopped in Innoventions West to pick up the kids. They were supposed to have gotten themselves FP's for Mission Space, but had not, so we sent the girls over to get theirs and we all met up in Ice Station Cool. Our first order of business was to tell Amber how great the Beverly was….she was not pleased with our trick!!! In fact, we had quite a bit of convincing to do for her to try any of the other drinks!!
Next, we tried to see an early showing of the Asimo exhibit, but the show was cancelled and we were told to come back to the 2:30 pm show. So there was nothing left to do but drag our scorching, sweating bodies over to Japan for lunch ($39). After lunch, we shopped a bit in Mitsukoshi ($8). We bought some Shrimp Chips for DS Matt which totally grossed out the girls, a couple of other small snacks, and a pair of chopsticks for DD to wear in her hair (how convenient…mobile utensils!!).
We headed back over to the United Kingdom to watch the World Showcase Players. The girls stopped on the way to use the restroom, so DH told DD to catch up with us in the United Kingdom when they were done. The World Showcase Players ended up moving their show to the back courtyard where there was more shade, and even moved benches over to where they were setting up. The show was just about to start when DH's cell phone started ringing. One of the Players came over and asked for the phone. The call was from DD who definitely didn't know who in the world was talking to her, but we all got a BIG kick out of the Player teasing her. When DH finally got the phone back, DD told him that she had no idea where we were. The girls had passed the United Kingdom and were almost in Future World. We thought DD would know the park better than that by now, but DH directed her and the girls showed up about halfway through the show.
It was then time for Asimo, so we headed over to the World Showplace Pavilion. The show was INCREDIBLE and Asimo was soooooo cute!!!
We saw Honey I Shrunk the Audience next, and boy, did we get a kick out of Amber's reaction to the mice!!!! I was proud of DD, as she normally sits with her legs up in the seat the entire show, but she left them down this time so we could trick Amber!
After the show, the kids went into Image Works to create funny pictures to e-mail while DH and I rode Journey Into Your Imagination. When we got off the ride, the boys wanted to ride Journey, so DH and I sat down and rested for a bit until everyone was back together again.
We then caught a bus to AKL and had to dodge the "did we get a savannah upgrade" question. The kids loved the room (especially the bunk beds) and were very excited to find out we had indeed gotten a savannah view room.
After some relaxing in the room, we went to Mara for dinner ($40). We had to wait a bit for the pool to re-open (there had been lightning earlier), but we were able to get in around 9 pm. DH and I also had a chance to enjoy the hot tub. After our swim, DH and I picked up a package in Mara that had Zebra domes in it, plus a carton of milk ($5). We took it back to the room for a late night snack.
Everyone but me fell asleep around midnight; I stayed up a bit longer to read some more in my book, Disney: An American Original.
DAY FIVE, FRIDAY, JULY 9TH
DH woke up early to do some laundry (he said he had the place to himself). I met him downstairs and we snuck away to Mara for breakfast by ourselves ($17). We let the kids eat breakfast in the room (I'll be looking for our Parents of the Year award). When we got back to the room, the kids were up so we headed to the van and drove to Animal Kingdom.
Since I didn't take any notes during the trip, I can't remember the exact order, but I know we rode Kali three times, the Safari, Dinosaur, and Primeval Whirl (and virtually none of these had lines, although we did end up getting several FPs). Dinosaur ended up being one of the most fun things we did this trip. DH hadn't ridden this in quite some time, and enjoyed screaming like he was dying to freak everyone out. Also, Amber was scared out of her wits and covered her eyes almost the entire time. HA!!!! We were laughing so hard when we got off the ride, I demanded a potty break!! Too much information, eh?
We had lunch at Tusker House using the Meal Deals ($64) which are even MORE of a good deal during the steaming hot summer! We also saw It's Tough to Be a Bug, but Amber missed the really good effects because DD was practically sitting in the floor during the show, so Amber figured out pretty soon that some weird stuff was going to happen. Boo, hiss DD!!
We left the park around 4 pm to give us plenty of time to relax and refresh before 'Ohana. Back at the resort, we all swam for a while, and discussed DD's plans for the evening. She had no desire to go to 'Ohana since she has been a vegetarian (or partial one, anyway) for quite a few months and would in no way eat enough to justify the price.
DD and Amber decided they would go back to Downtown Disney, so we gave them money for dinner at McDonald's ($10) and went over the bus stop information with them again. The rest of us drove over to the Polynesian a little early for our PS, but spent our time waiting in the comfy chairs in the lobby. As entertainment, we got to watch a large group of folks have tray after tray of food brought out to them from 'Ohana right there in the lobby. It was like an 'Ohana picnic!!!
Our meal was just as incredible as always ($100). We had the same server (Danyele) that we had in April and got a really nice table away from the coconut races (yeah!). I think DS Matt might have put 'Ohana into bankruptcy. If they charged by the pound, we definitely couldn't afford to take him there anymore!!!! The rest of us weren't shy eaters either; we were all piggies. I call 'Ohana "meat on a stick" and I usually start chanting that weeks before we leave, just to make sure everyone knows how much I love it!
After stuffing ourselves, we rode the monorail over to the Contemporary. I had read that the Contemporary's arcade was incredible, so I had saved up quite a bit of change to give the boys.
As soon as we got on the monorail, DH said it smelled horrible in there. I told him that I had also read a trip report from someone who complained about the terrible smell, but it wasn't too offensive to me.
Anyway, as soon as we got off the monorail as the Contemporary, I took the lead. I was going to show off the tidbits I had learned; one of which was that the elevator had character voices, and the other regarding the lookout area where you can watch Wishes. Well, pride cometh before a fall. The elevator didn't speak, and I thought the lookout tower was on the top floor. I kept pressing the button, but it wouldn't light up. We finally just got off on another floor and looked around for someone to ask, but noone was around. We could see outside, however, where some folks were standing on the outside staircases, so we headed out there and watched Wishes from there (all the while looking DOWN on the lookout area).
Afterwards, we headed down in search of the arcade. It was really big, and I knew the boys would have a ball in there. To me it stunk like crazy in there, so I decided to hang out near the registration desk instead in one of those futuristic, highly uncomfortable chairs to people watch. I was extremely unimpressed with this resort, and I don't think I'd pay $10 a night to stay there (the areas I saw where dirty and didn't smell very good).
Once the boys (and DH) had spent their money and redeemed their tickets, we headed back to the Polynesian to retrieve the van. And here's where it gets good….DH unknowingly took a wrong turn leaving the Polynesian, and we ended up passing Shades of Green, then the Grand Floridian, then the monorail repair station, then the swamps of Florida. We had almost NO gasoline, but we kept thinking that in the next few minutes, we'd see bright lights and be back in an area we recognized. Nope. After we had gone so far, I was worried that we couldn't make it back the way we came without running out of gas, so we kept driving thinking we'd have to see a gas station in any second (that's Atlanta folks for ya). Finally, we gave up and turned around. I prayed like a priest that we would make it back, and luckily, we did. We pulled up to the Magic Kingdom Hess station at 12:04 am and it took an all-time high of $34 to fill up the thirsty van. Whewwwww, crisis averted!
We slept soundly that night.
DAY SIX, SATURDAY, JULY 10TH
Our "day off" had arrived; no parks for us today! We slept late, then went swimming for a few hours. We ate some snacks in the room, but never actually ate lunch (told ya we ate like pigs at 'Ohana).
We drove to the Rainforest Café at the Animal Kingdom for dinner at 5:30 pm. We were seated immediately, but didn't see a server for at least 10 minutes. DH was starting to get mad, and I had to calm him down! We didn't enjoy our dinner too much (it was just so-so), and though the atmosphere is always interesting, we had seen enough animatronic animals! Our dinner was $111, and this was with us sharing meals.
After dinner, we drove over to Downtown Disney. The boys went to see Anchor Man, and DH and I saw Two Brothers ($29). The girls shopped for about an hour, then caught the bus back to AKL. DH and I met up with the boys after the movies, and got some pretzels and lemonade at Wetzel's Pretzel ($18) and a icecream for DS Matt at Haagen-Dazs ($4).
We got back to the room around 10 pm and everyone was in bed shortly after.
DAY SEVEN, SUNDAY, JULY 11TH
We decided to head back to the Magic Kingdom today. We drove and were in the park by 7:30 am. We wanted to ride the Fantasyland rides before the park got too crowded, but the lines were already pretty long. We went ahead and rode Peter Pan (20 minute wait) which was really cute. I had not ridden this in so long, it was almost like the first time! After we got off, we decided to wait for rope drop in order to get Splash Mountain FPs. Of course, after 1.2 seconds of standing in the heat, the princesses (the girls and I) decided we needed air conditioning, so we made plans to meet up at the Haunted Mansion, then ran into the nearest store to "shop."
After everyone got back together, we rode the Haunted Mansion. Then we spent some time looking for the "embedded wedding ring" we had read about. DS Justin told us he found it, but when he showed it to us, none of us believed that was really it. We finally bribed one of the kids into asking a cast member where it was, and the cast member confirmed that what DS Justin found was correct. Don't you think that he let us forget this, either! ?
We walked over to have breakfast at the Main Street bakery, but the line was out the door. Rather than wait, we decided to let the crowds die down some (the park had just opened), and we went to watch Steamboat Willie in the theatre behind Tony's. We had the theatre to ourselves, and had a great time watching the cartoons.
After cooling off, we braved the heat again and had a delicious breakfast at the bakery ($17). Then we took off to use our Splash Mountain FPs, once again stopping on the bridge for a "preview"! We ran up the stairs to the train station after the ride and rode the train around to the Main Street station.
We rode the monorail over to Epcot, and DH headed straight to Test Track for FPs. We met up at Ellen's Energy Adventure and basically walked right in. After Ellen's, we stopped off at every misting station on our way to Mexico. We rode the boat ride in Mexico, then visited the vikings and trolls in Norway (both rides were walk-ons).
We were actually hungry by this time (2 pm), so DS Justin and I got a snack of Egg Rolls in China ($3), gave DS Matt money for him to go get Mexican fast food ($8), and everyone else got meals at the Liberty Inn ($34). After lunch, we watched the Voices of Liberty perform. They were incredible, and I especially enjoyed how much the kids liked their performance. They were smiling the entire time!
We saw the American Adventure, and I believe this was the first time I watched this and didn't cry! I made DH sit on the first row, and would not let him fall asleep (he's never seen the entire show because he always falls asleep). After the show, it looked like the sky was about to open up. The kids were antsy to go back to Innoventions, and DH and I were antsy to do absolutely nothing, so we let them loose. DH and I decided a nice dessert would hit the spot, so he went to get a funnel cake for me and an apple pie for him ($7). We stayed in the Liberty Inn and enjoyed our desserts while watching the rain come down in buckets. We had hoped that it would clear up enough for us to see the next show of Vybe, but after a while, we could tell that wasn't going to happen. We also knew our Test Track FPs were probably worthless!
After sweating buckets all week, I was excited to walk in the rain, so DH and I took off in the drizzling rain around the World Showcase. We stopped by Innoventions to firm up plans with the kids (and gave them the Test Track FPs just in case), then DH and I made the trek back to the resort.
Once in our room, DH and I got on dry clothes and relaxed with the balcony door open listening to the rain. It was absolutely heavenly and one of my favorite vacation moments. About 1 minute after I dozed off, the kids were knocking on the door. HA! No nap for Mom!
DH, the boys, and I left soon after for dinner at Red Lobster ($71). The girls wanted to stay back at the resort and swim, so we gave them money for dinner at Mara ($13). Dinner was incredibly good, and we had the best server of the entire week.
Sadly, we started packing up some when we got back to the resort.
DAY EIGHT, MONDAY, JULY 12TH
We took our time getting up this morning, finished the packing, and went ahead and loaded the van. Then the girls split an Ice Cream bar for breakfast ($2) and the boys and I split the Zebra domes dessert and a slice of cheesecake ($8). One more reason to love vacation!
DH checked out while I shopped in Zawadi-Dak (AKL gift shop). I bought an African mask, a 12" giraffe, an AKL magnet, and a keychain for mother-in-law ($31).
We took a few pictures, then piled in the van for another Downtown Disney stop. This time was different, though. We were actually going to buy something!! We first dropped DS Justin off and let him buy his souvenir at Magic Masters ($16). Then we stopped in the World of Disney where we purchased another Mickey antennae topper for the van (someone had stolen ours during the week) and another Grumpy decal for my decked-out-in-Disney Jeep ($12). Next up was Once Upon a Toy where I bought two attraction vehicles, the Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean ($13). On our way out, we stopped by Ghiradelli and bought several chocolate squares ($4).
The chocolate squares held us over just long enough to get to the nearest Golden Corral. We had the lunch buffet ($50) which was pretty good. After lunch, we drove over to the Character Warehouse at Belz and bought a couple of desk accessories, a t-shirt, a necklace, and a pin ($35).
We got on the road headed for home at 5 pm. We made a stop for dinner ($10) and gasoline ($23) in Valdosta and pulled in our driveway at 11:50 pm.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was another wonderful trip. The crowds were WAY better than they were during Spring Break, but the heat was intense. I am a freak sweater; and no, I don't mean the kind you wear in the winter. I mean the kind that looks like someone turned on a faucet at full speed underneath my pores. I had to immediately confiscate napkins upon entering the parks, and I used them so much and so often they disinigrated in front of my very eyes. I was pleasantly surprised, though, that the heat didn't make me sick. That's not to say that my intense sweating didn't make others sick though. Ha!
We don't see too much appeal in the Early Magic Hour. I could understand it at the Magic Kingdom since they have quite a bit of rides available, but I definitely can't see myself getting up early for it at any of the other parks.
We loved POFQ, and as I said earlier, the first floor room was a treat. We saw rabbits right outside of our room several times. I still think the rooms at this resort are beautiful and its small size is one of its best assets.
We were definitely impressed with AKL. However, I didn't get too spoiled. I still love the All-Stars and would stay there again in a heartbeat! Our room at AKL was about as far away as you can get from the lobby, but it didn't seem to be a bad walk at all to me. The bunk beds were a big hit with the kids.
I would definitely NOT let the kids invite anyone along again. DD is probably one of the most respectful, sweet, obedient teens on the planet, but she was a little devil sometimes during this vacation. She has been best friends for 10 years with the girl she brought, and this friend is also a sweet, respectful girl. However, there is something about a teen with a friend that is a recipe for a parent-teen nightmare.
We are planning our next trip for late September, and have lots of things planned that we have never done before. I will try to write the next report as I go (like I did for our Spring Break trip), so hopefully it won't be as boring as this one.
Thanks for reading!
Lisa Willis