Waite - MAy 2005 • WDW Trip Reports

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Waite - May 2005

The Waite Family – Bob and Mary – 40-Something Married Couple

A little background. In May 2004, Bob and I had gone on his first WDW trip ever We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. I had purchased an Annual Pass (AP) for me and we used it to get the AP discount on the room. Bob had suggested the trip at Easter and I scrambled to get the funds saved up and the arrangements all made.
Fast-forward to February 2005 and we are on our way home from Toledo where we have just spent a week visiting with Bob's family and are listening to a radio station outside of Davenport, Iowa when Bob hears a commercial for the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland and asks me about it. I told him about the 18 month celebration and he says he's ready to go back to WDW. Well, you don't have to ask me twice and I immediately started making plans that very week when we got back home. I decide that since my AP expires on May 29 that we will try for the week before Memorial Day.
I spend weeks agonizing over which resort to stay at – I've become sort of spoiled by staying at deluxe resorts the last few trips and I started Bob out with a stay at a deluxe. Bob wants to become involved in choosing a resort so he spends days on the Internet trying to choose a place for us to stay – he visits www.Disney.com several times as well as several other individual sites to become a better informed future Disney resort guest. He tells me he likes Grand Floridian (who doesn't?), Beach Club (BC), Yacht Club (YC), Boardwalk (BW), Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL), and Port Orleans – French Quarter (POFQ). He did consider the Polynesian, but didn't really care much for the guest rooms not being connected to the main building. I check prices and try to decide what we can afford. The AP rates finally come out and they are not as good as they have been in the past, but better than nothing. I had made a reservation at the Animal Kingdom Lodge the day before the rates come out for a standard room. On the actual day the new AP rates are released, I make three separate phone calls of at least 40 minutes each before I finally connect with a Cast Member (CM) who gets the AP rate applied to my AKL reservation for a standard view room.
I had narrowed our choices down to the AKL and POFQ, but all the time keeping in the back of my mind how much I would like to stay at the BW or BC because of the convenience to Epcot during the Flower & Garden Festival. I have my sister call the Central Reservations Office (CRO) and make a reservation under her name at the POFQ because I didn't think I could have two reservations in the CRO System.
I had even contacted members of the DVC list from www.disboards.com and had looked into renting points, but there was no availability at either the Beach Club Villas or Boardwalk Villas for a studio during our timeframe.
As the days went by, I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision about the AKL and had made reservations for us at the WL – Concierge level; Polynesian – Garden View; BW – Standard View; and BC – Standard View. When you book a room only reservation, you have 14 days to pay the first night's deposit. At one time, Disney had a lot of my money sitting on reservations before I finally made myself pick one resort and stick with that decision. Obviously, I did find out that you CAN have more than one reservation in the CRO System in your own name.
At the 7 day mark prior to our arrival, I cancelled all reservations except the AKL one – the first one I had made. I just wanted Bob to have a nice place to stay. If it had been me alone, I would have probably booked a room at the Pop Century without a second thought.
Air fare from Kansas City became a big ordeal as well. When I started looking, it was around $300 for a Round Trip ticket as it was near Spring Break time. After spending weeks searching for an acceptable air fare, I saw a fare on a Sunday afternoon through Midwest Airlines that I could live with. It wasn't great, but for a little over $425, we could both fly. Of course, a couple of days later – Tuesday – Southwest came out with fares that would have been $100 cheaper. And we could have had direct flights. I had just become too distracted and had forgotten that Southwest usually comes out with new fare rates on Tuesdays.
Because I had an AP, I was eligible to purchase the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card for $50. I placed a call on March 4 and ordered the card. I was told it might take as long as 6 or 8 weeks for me to receive the card and that it would expire at the end of April 2006. I received an e-mail that very evening notifying me of my membership and that a permanent card would be mailed to me. It took exactly 2 months for me to receive my card and I understand that DDE is no longer sending out e-mails to guests who sign up now as there were those who were using the e-mails and sharing them with family and friends by changing the name in the original e-mail. The e-mail was to serve as a "temporary" until one received their hard card. My membership did entitle Bob to have his own card as well.
I had seen that one of our list members had some of the Quick & Casual vouchers for sale through the Trading Post and I had contacted her about them. I was lucky that no one else had inquired about them and was able to pick up four of the vouchers from her at a price of less than what I would have paid for them directly from the Hot Wire Savings Club – if there had been any left to order.
I had found a rental car code through www.Mousesavers.com that allowed us to book a car through National (using the Emerald Aisle) for 6 nights at a little over $104 (taxes included).
I had called 1-407-WDW-DINE and had made several Priority Seatings (PS – now Advance Dining Reservations) several weeks before leaving home.
I went to www.USPS.com and had our mail stopped. What a great time- saver that was – not having to go the Post Office and fill out one of those Vacation Stop cards. And I could request when the mail would start up again and so I didn't have to go to the Post Office to pick up our mail.
I made arrangements for my sister and her three boys to take care of our two cats and the fish I had inherited from my college-aged daughter last Spring. (The fish never found their way back to school after coming home for semester break in Spring 2004.)
We were all set to go. Disney World – here we come!!

Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave Kansas City until 1:30 p.m., but I was wide awake at 5:00. I had a bowl of cereal and finished packing my suitcase and my carry-on tote bag.
Bob, being the anal husband about our yard that he is, went out to mow the grass one last time before we left. I finished up packing Bob's suitcase and was trying to figure out what he would need in the way of toiletries. When I had asked him about it earlier, he had told me it was taken care of and that he had everything he needed in his shaving kit. Fine, I thought – less work for me.
We had dropped our two cats off at my Sister's house the night before. I had tried to transport the two Tetra fish and Beta that my daughter had orphaned at our house last Spring to my Sister's as I felt bad about leaving them at the house without anyone to feed them this time. Last year, my Dad had stopped by every other day and fed the fish, but he was in Minnesota visiting his "lady friend." Well, apparently the shock of moving from the large aquarium to a smaller tank was too much for the Tetras as they both ended "belly-up" before we had even left the house. After having a "burial at sea," I put the Beta back into the aquarium with the algae eater (who is huge by the way) and figured he'd have to fend for himself for a week.
Bob had went on a cash run at the Bank and when he got back, had jumped into the shower. I was feeling pretty guilty about the Beta when I remembered that there are vacation feeders you can buy to place in aquariums. Knowing that the Target near our house would not be the right place to find one of these and the Super Wal-Mart was farther away than I wanted, I thought about the Earl May nursery which is about a mile from our house and knew they had some kind of obscure pet supplies. So with about 30 minutes to go before my Dad is to arrive at our house to take us to the airport (and with Bob in the Shower), I jump in my car and head over to Earl May. I got lucky as they had the exact thing I was looking for. Grabbed it, paid cash and headed back to the house.
For once in my Dad's lifetime, he was actually early. He said he had knocked, but no one had answered, and since Bob had put new doors on the front of our house and hadn't bothered to re-install our doorbell, it's nearly impossible to hear someone knock on the front door if you're upstairs.
I started dragging suitcases outside and my Dad started loading up his car. Bob finished up what he was doing and I assumed he had packed everything he needed in his large suitcase.
Bob is a smoker and I had been picking up books of matches whenever we dined at a restaurant that offered matchbooks so he would have access to "fire" before we could pick up a lighter for him. I saw a couple of books of matches on the kitchen counter and had put them in my purse before heading outside to wait for Bob.
Bob was finally ready and I got into the back of my Dad's car. The older my Dad gets, the scarier his driving becomes so I found it best to sit in the back and let Bob deal with Dad's driving. Plus, I had more room to spread and out and get my papers in order. I like to carry on my Passporter (the deluxe version) and I place all necessary papers inside the front cover like our airline itineraries, confirmation from WDW for our resort, car rental info and coupons, etc. I like being able to get my hands quickly on something that I may need the very first day.
We arrive at the airport about an hour before our flight and decide to do curbside check-in which was great. There was only one family of four in front of us. They had 6 or 7 bags and I could see they didn't tip the baggage handler. We checked four bags and I gave the guy a $5 tip. I wanted to make sure our bags got to Orlando. The TSC checker was there and he went through each bag. I had gone to Midwest's website and saw the limit was 50 lb. per bag. Bob used to work for Consolidated Freightways before they closed their doors and had a pretty good idea what 50 lb. was so he would pick up my bag and let me know ahead of time if it was too heavy. This can become a problem when the bag you're using probably weighs 15 lb. to start with. I love my Ricardo Beverly Hills luggage, but they are kind of hefty bags before you even begin to pack.
I go inside the airport to check on our flight status and see that our plane has been delayed. I wait awhile for Bob (who is outside the airport smoking) by the gate.
Kansas City's airport consists of three terminals with different airlines in each terminal. Each terminal is shaped like a circle with the parking lot in the middle of the circle. Of course, it's not a complete circle, but about three-quarters of one. So is very easy to get to your gate. You come in an entrance – there are several per terminal – walk across the hallway to the security entrance to your particular gate. There may be three or four different gates that share the same security entrance. And each security entrance has its own set of security screeners. Because of this close proximity to the entrance, I'm guessing that is why there is no need for smoking rooms at our airport, plus it is nice if you're meeting someone because you can see them enter the airport after just getting off their plane. By the same token, you can also watch someone go through the door to the jetway on their way to boarding a plane.
Knowing that Bob won't want to board the plane until the very last possible minute, I give him his boarding pass and tell him that I'm going to go through the security entrance and will wait for him there. Standing in the security line, I chit-chat with another female passenger and we are directed to a line where there is no one else so we can get through more quickly. We both place our bags and removed shoes into two or three bins each. There is a young man manning the x-ray machine and we both make it through the metal detector without any problem. Neither one of us are singled out for the "special treatment" either. We go over to get our items and there is a bunch of empty bins already on the rolling rack. I tell my "security" pal that I'll take care of the empty bins and start stacking them up. We giggle and I mention that I don't mind doing someone else's job. The guy at the x-ray machine asks if we are laughing at him and we both tell him – "No way. We would never laugh at you." And continue to giggle and then he starts to laugh. I stack up the rest of the empty bins and find a seat.
About that time, I hear an announcement about our flight being delayed about 20 minutes and if anyone has concerns to see the gate agent. Knowing that we had a short change-over of planes in Milwaukee, I had a concern. I spoke to the Gate Agent about it and she looked our reservation up and saw that our change-over time was the least of any of the passengers on our flight – about 20 minutes. I asked her what would happen if we did not make our plane out of Milwaukee. She assured me that it shouldn't be a problem that the airport in Milwaukee was quite small – at least from Midwest's gates and that we should have a short walk from our gate to the gate for the Orlando flight. She said that she would send a message to Milwaukee informing them of our delay in Kansas City and hoped that would help in our situation. We had a PS for `Ohana for that evening and had thought we had plenty of time to arrive in Orlando, pick up a rental car from National, maybe check-in at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL), and then drive over to the Polynesian to check-in and ask for a window table. I wasn't too optimistic about our catching the flight to Orlando and asked what would happen if we missed the plane, she assured me that they would send us out on another airline then. I knew we weren't in a situation like Southwest where no other airline will accept Southwest passengers, so I went back to the seating area and placed a call to Bob. I told him that our flight was delayed so he didn't need to hurry into the airport from outside. A few minutes later, Bob made his way through security and sat down with me.
Our plane finally arrived in Kansas City and after the passengers departed and the crew cleaned up the plane, the Gate Agent announced that boarding would begin. Families traveling with small children and passengers needing a little extra time were allowed to board the plane first and then passengers holding seat assignments for the back of the plane were allowed to board next. We were in seats 8C and 8D so we were in the last group announced to board the plane.
Flying Midwest from Kansas City was really great. The seat sizes were similar to first class – two leather seats on each side of the plane with a armrest-table in between. It was a fairly short flight – about 70 minutes. During the flight, we were given a small bag of mini-pretzels and an entire can of soda – not a partial one – and then two warm chocolate chip cookies. We ran into a touch of bad weather which delayed our arrival into Milwaukee even further than what was announced at the gate in Kansas City.
We arrived in Milwaukee at 3:15 and our flight to Orlando was scheduled to leave at 3:10. I was sure that we had missed the flight. After all, who holds a plane for just two people? I found our gate and herded Bob towards it – no smoke break for Bob – we found the Gate Agent waiting for us. They had actually held the plane for us. What a great feeling – to think someone thought we were important enough to hold a plane for. We were in the 24th row and were the last ones to board the plane. I have no idea if it was announced that they were holding the plane for us, but it sure was nice to have an assigned seat at this point. There was even room in the overhead bin for our one tote.
We had to wait a few minutes longer because they were waiting for our luggage to be moved from the plane from Kansas City to the plane on its way to Orlando. I know this because one of the Flight Attendant made a point to tell me. I guess it was to reassure me that our luggage had indeed made the flight with us.
The plane from Milwaukee to Orlando was no where as nice as the plane from Kansas City to Milwaukee. The seats were cloth and kind of itchy. There were two seats on one side of the plane and three on the other – we had certainly been spoiled on the first flight. Bob doesn't like flying over the wing so we had chosen seats that we thought were "wing-free" but didn't take into consideration that the wings of the plane stretch pretty far back so we did end up over part of the wing.
I am on Midwest weekly e-mail list and had received an e-mail a few weeks prior to our flight about something new Midwest was offering its passengers on flights of more than two hours in duration. They were offering digEplayers – a device that allowed passengers to watch movies or television shows during the flight. About a week or so before our scheduled departure, I had contacted Midwest to ask about the movie selections on the digEplayer and received an e-mail that stated:

Dear Mrs. Waite,
Thank you for contacting Midwest Airlines Online Customer Service.
The digEplayers will offer recently released movies that are not yet on DVD, favorite television shows, popular music videos, and a wide range of music selections – from Pavarotti to Pink Floyd to Pearl Jam.
The units will be available from flight attendants for a $10 rental fee – $12 with a second pair of headphones and splitter. We will stock 25 digEplayers on each flight, initially purchasing 310 units. They will be updated every two months with a new entertainment selection. The digEplayer offers superior audio and video quality compared to an average portable DVD player, and the battery lasts about 10 hours. The audio/video content can also be customized with airline information. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to contact us again.
We look forward to welcoming you aboard your future Midwest Airlines flights.
Sincerely,
Judy
Online Customer Service
Midwest Airlines

Once on the plane out of Milwaukee, I checked the flyer in the seat pocket in front of me that told all about the digEplayer. It listed the cost for a single passenger and the additional charge to share the player with another passenger. This is the list of movies and programs available for viewing: Movies – After the Sunset, Cellular, Fat Albert, Cheaper by the Dozen, Ice Age, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Notebook, The Incredibles, Mr. 3000, Princess Diaries 2k and First Daughter; Television Shows – Friends and Dharma and Greg; Cartoons – Disney's Aladdin, 101 Dalmatians, Ducktales, The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, and The Flintstones; and various Music Selections, Music Videos and Airline Information.
In my mind, these choices were not first-run anything. Certainly not first-run movies or television shows. We did end up renting the digEplayer and did watch Mr. 3000 as it was the only movie we had not seen. It did make the time go quicker, but it was very difficult to hear the movie over any announcements and sometimes the engines of the aircraft. I think the idea is a great one, but was very disappointed in the choice of selections available.
Because this was a "Signature" flight, there were three dining options available for purchase –
Mushi Rolls – Grilled fajita chicken with roasted peppers and onions rolled in a tortilla with avocado lime cream cheese. Served with tortilla chips and salsa for $5.00. Fresh Tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with Grilled Beef Tenderloin. Served with fresh bread and a fruit garnish for $10. Soy Ginger Glazed Salmon Filet with Wasabi Cream, Asian Noodles and Stir-Fried Vegetables. Served with Napa cabbage salad for $10.
Because we had a Priority Seating for `Ohana at 9:10 p.m., we chose to forego the dining on the flight. We were offered a bag of mini pretzels, beverage, and two chocolate chip cookies. I stored the bag of pretzels in my bag, drank a Diet Pepsi and did have the cookies. We never did have lunch unless you want to count the bag of pretzels and two cookies from the earlier flight as lunch and I did have that bowl of cereal when I got up at 5:00. We wanted to be sufficiently hungry for our dinner.
Because our plane was late in arriving in Kansas City, subsequently making our arrival in Milwaukee late and causing our departure time from Milwaukee to be pushed back, we were about 20 minutes later than originally scheduled for our arrival in Orlando. We arrived in Orlando a little after 7:00. On our way out of the concourse, I noticed an Outback Restaurant – just like the one back home – not the one that is in one of the Downtown Disney hotels. Tried to make a mental note of that for future travel. It was located in Terminal B near gate 84 – Delta and Midwest fly out of this concourse – just in case someone may be looking for more of a bite to eat than Burger King or McDonalds while at the Orlando Airport.
Retrieving our luggage was a pretty painless process. I grabbed a luggage cart for $3 from the rack and Bob headed outside for a smoke. By the time, he returned, our first bag was coming around the carousel. We placed all our bags on the cart and because I had reserved a car through the Emerald Aisle, we bypassed the counter and walked across the street to the National lot.
Unfortunately, there were no cars on the Emerald Aisle. In fact, there were hardly any cars in any of the slots of the National lot. There were quite a few cars on the Alamo side of the lot. And we saw plenty of cars being brought in by National employees and being parked on the Alamo side.
After about 15 minutes of waiting with no cars being placed into the Emerald Aisle, Bob went to talk to one of the employees that were shuttling cars for Alamo. He told Bob there was a Sebring convertible on the lot that he could take, but then changed his mind and told Bob that our luggage wouldn't fit in the trunk. So then the employee told Bob he could take one of the mini-vans for the same price. Bob walked over to the only one, but it looked as if it was already being used by someone else because there were cans of soda and other items in it. And sure enough, a few seconds later, a guy came up and got into the mini-van. Bob came back to where I was standing with five other National customers, and I told him that I was surprised that there were no cars on the National side as we had made a reservation for a car. I realize that it was a Saturday evening, but even if you plan to pick up a car off the Emerald Aisle, I do believe you have to have a reservation ahead of time, so it wasn't like the five of us waiting for cars just decided at the last minute to fly to Orlando and get a car from the Emerald Aisle at National without any kind of reservation. Plus, there was no one in the National booth to assist us. I'm guessing those employees were out shuttling cars for Alamo as well – either that or out on a break. I did find it strange though that the booth was unmanned. I've never seen that in all my years of flying to Orlando. Bob went back to the Alamo side of the lot and talked to another employee and told him that there were several of us waiting for cars for the National side – Emerald Aisle to be exact – and we weren't seeing any come in. The employee told Bob to pick a car from an Alamo full size slot and that would be okay. Bob chose a gray Malibu and drove around to where I was and told the others that were waiting to head over to Alamo and they would help them get a car.
We loaded up our luggage and headed to the National exit booth. I handed Bob the paperwork I had printed off several weeks ago with our reservation on it as well as a $20 off the weekly rate coupon I had. The cashier asked to see Bob's Driver's License and the Credit Card we were using. Bob asked her why as we had reserved a car through the Emerald Aisle. She told him that there had been a lot of fraud going on with Emerald Aisle reservations and she needed to confirm his identity. She then told us that we couldn't have the Malibu because our reservation was for an Intermediate car. I told her that it was for an Intermediate car from the Emerald Aisle, but there were no cars on the Emerald Aisle to choose from and that one of the National employees that was parking cars at the Alamo lot had told Bob to take a full size car from the lot. She checked her computer and said we could have a Sebring convertible. I told Bob that would be fine as there's only the two of us so if we have to put some bags in the back seat, it's no big deal. Before Bob could tell her fine, she took off from the booth. She still had his Driver's License and credit card inside the booth and there was no way Bob was going to back up and leave it there so we could move to the Sebring. After a few minutes, she came back and punched some keys and told us that everything was fine. She handed Bob back his cards and we were off. It was now nearly 8:00 pm.
I had printed off the directions for leaving the Orlando Airport that Terrie from the list had provided to me back in April (Thanks Terrie.) Because our schedule was off from every single aspect of our trip so far, we didn't have time to stop at the AKL before heading to the Polynesian.
We left the rental car parking lot and took the South Exit and got on 417 South. I had my dollar bills handy and handed them to Bob as we passed through each toll booth – there were two. We took Exit 6, but am thinking there might have been a better one. This exit placed us near the Caribe Royale and it took us a little while to get to the Magic Kingdom toll booth. There wasn't anyone at the Magic Kingdom toll booth so we just drove on through to the Polynesian. Having stayed at the Wilderness Lodge last May helped Bob to remember how to get to the Magic Kingdom resorts once you pass through the Magic Kingdom toll booth.
When we arrived at the guard's shack for the Polynesian, Bob told the guard that we were there to dine at `Ohana and told him my name. The guard gave us a three hour pass and we headed off to the self-parking lot. After parking, we headed to the Great Ceremonial House. After making our way to the second floor, I stood in the long line waiting to check in for `Ohana. It was now 9:00. There was only one person checking in guests with PS's and turning those away without them. The line was moving fairly well until the man and his small daughter in front of me got their turn. He told the Cast Member they had a 9:10 PS and were a party of four. The CM searched and searched and couldn't find their name anywhere. Then the wife came up and said she had called the previous evening from their room for the PS. The CM then checked the previous night's PS and found their name. (Mental note to self – when making a PS (or ADR) make sure the CM repeats back the exact date or it could be disastrous.) Luckily for them, they were able to squeeze them in. Then it was my turn. I told the CM that we would like a table by the window and wouldn't mind waiting if we had to. Wishes was at 10:00 and I was hoping we could see it from our table. He told me that as late as it was that it was doubtful that we could have a table by the window and that most folks that were there now weren't leaving until after 10:00 even though they may have already finished dining. I was a little disappointed, but then he told me that he thought they could seat us as close as five feet from a window and I said that would be fine. He handed me a beeper and I sat down on a bench near the bar area where a performer was trying to be overheard over the noise of the bar/restaurant area. I could barely make out a Jimmy Buffet song.
When our beeper went off at 9:40, we were led to a table near the window, past a row of kids participating in a hula hoop contest. We were placed at a table for two in the second row of tables from the window facing the Magic Kingdom.
There was an entertainer (the Big Hawaiian Guy) playing a ukulele near our table – he played "Hawaiian Roller Coaster" and "Somewhere over the Rainbow" while we were seated. When he finished playing, the hula hoop contest ended and the kids went back to their seats.
Our drink order was taken and we stated off enjoying the pineapple bread. We received our starters (or appetizers) which consisted of a tossed salad with a honey lime dressing, fried rice, stir-fried green beans with onions, honey-barbeque chicken wings, and shrimp and vegetable wontons, along with three dipping sauces – fruit, peanut and cilantro ginger. We dug right into the appetizers as we were really hungry.
Three-foot skewers containing marinated sirloin steak and mesquite- seasoned turkey were brought to our table. We had a couple of pieces from each. Bob really loves the steak – it is so tender you can cut it with a butter knife. The turkey was juicy and I loved trying out the different combinations with the dipping sauces. Then the grilled tiger shrimp and barbecued pork loin skewers were brought to our table. I had a couple of pieces of pork and some shrimp. Bob is not a shell fish eater, so he passed on the shrimp and went for the pork. We received refills on our beverages (coffee and Diet Coke) and the lights were dimmed down because it was nearing 10:00 and time for Wishes. The soundtrack was piped in and we were in heaven. Dining at `Ohana and viewing Wishes at the same time.
Our server checked on us throughout our meal, but did so without interrupting our viewing. All too soon Wishes was over and we were becoming quite stuffed. I saw the young boy at the table next to ours finish off his family's fresh pineapple and caramel sauce and then ask the server for more. She brought him the same size portion as ours. And being the trooper that he was, he finished it off.
When Bob had his fill of the beef skewers, our server brought us the fresh pineapple – approximately one pineapple cut in fourths with several smaller portions cut into that with wooden skewers to spear the pineapple with and dip it into the caramel sauce. We had been given warm damp clothes for our sticky fingers and mouths.
All too soon, we received the check and I was able to use the Disney Dining Experience card for the first time. We saved $10.65 on our two meals ($10 plus $.65 sales tax).
We wandered through the resort a bit and made our way back to the car. Headed off to find the Animal Kingdom Lodge. With all the great signage at WDW, it wasn't a problem to find our resort -- even in the dark.
Drove to the guard shack and I handed Bob the confirmation I had received in the mail. The guard looked at it and compared it to his list and sent us on our way.
We pulled up under the canopy where we were met by a member of Bell Services who began loading our luggage onto a cart. I went inside the resort to check us in while Bob headed off to the self-parking lot.
At 11:00, I got in line behind two other guests. I waited less than five minutes before it was my turn to check-in. I had made a reservation for a standard view room and had planned on asking about an upgrade if it was at a reasonable price. When I inquired about an upgrade, the CM looked and said that we had already received a complementary upgrade to a pool view room. I asked if it was on the Giraffe Trail as I had stayed on that trail twice before and she told me that it was on the Zebra Trail, near the Uzima Savanna. She did ask to see my Annual Pass which was a first for me as I had never been asked to show my AP even though I have always had one for an AP rate. She started putting brochures together for me and I told her to give me a copy of every piece of paper she had on the resort and the Parks, and she did.
I had made our reservation using my debit card and I didn't want that particular card tied to our resort credit card. When she asked if I wanted to keep that Visa card on file, I told her no that I wanted Bob's American Express card on file instead, but he was out parking the car and asked if we could apply that card the next day without any problem. She told me yes. But that wasn't really an issue as Bob came up to me in line and we got that taken care of right away. All documentation was signed and we were given two room keys with a map of the resort with our room number noted on it. We were given directions on how to get to our room – room 3668 – which was on the same level as the lobby – down a couple of hallways from the lobby fire place.
When we walked into the room, I had a hard time finding a light switch. When I finally found one, I was surprised to see that we had been given a King-size Handicap room. The light switches were lower than usual and were placed in different places than what I was used to. There were two light switches for the bathroom one right outside the doorway and one inside near the toilet area.
When we walked into the main area of the room which consisted of a king-size bed, an armoire containing a television, a night stand, a refrigerator that was contained inside a taller than usual nightstand, a table, two chairs, and a twin-size sofa sleeper, I could see that the bedspread on the bed was disheveled and the remote was laying on the bed. That really disturbed me. I wasn't sure if the bedding had changed or not at that point. I have never walked into a Disney resort room before where the bed was not made and the remote control either on the nightstand or on top of the television.
I attempted to call the front desk and sat on hold for over 30 minutes. I finally sent Bob down to the front desk to talk to someone. When the CM at the front desk tried to call the room, she told Bob that the line was busy and he told her, of course, it is, she's on hold trying to get someone down here to answer the phone. Bob called my cell from his cell (thank goodness for cell phones) and told me to hang up and they would call me back. I did and the CM called me and I told her of the problem. She said they would send someone up. About 10 minutes later, two housekeeping staff members came up with fresh sheets and pillow cases. I asked that the bedspread be changed as well. They did as I requested and were very nice and pleasant about it. And acted shocked when I told them how we had found the room upon our arrival.
Looking back at the incident, I'm pretty sure that the room was originally assigned to someone else and when they came in, they decided they didn't want that particular style of room so they asked to be moved. The room then went back into the central pool of rooms and unfortunate for us, we got it. What should have been done is that when the room went back into the pool of available rooms, someone from housekeeping should have come by and made sure the room was presentable to the next guests. Unfortunately, that is not what happened and we got stuck with a room that really upset me. Even the housekeeping staff members were upset that we had been given a room that was not freshly made up.
Bob had gone exploring while I was dealing with the housekeeping issues and came back to the room and asked if I wanted to go to the bar and have an arrival drink. I was in the middle of unpacking, but went down to the bar with him. Unfortunately, the bar was already closed. It must have closed at midnight. It was a little strange to us as the bars in Kansas City stay open until at least 1:00 or 3:00. Actually, we're not big bar people, but because we were on vacation, I thought it would be nice to have a drink in our resort for our first night.
So instead of having an arrival drink, we walked around the pool area and over to where the flamingos were squawking, and I pointed out the hot tub areas to Bob. We checked out the arcade and then found that the door near the arcade led to the laundry room and the Cub's Den and also to an elevator that would take us to the hallway that led to our room.
I finished unpacking and we finally got to bed around 1:15.
TOTAL spent on food today -- $42.58 (without tip).

I woke up at 6:00 – way before the wake up call I had scheduled for 6:45 and find that Bob has already gotten up. He's been sitting out on the balcony enjoying the sereneness of being on vacation. He tells me he'll head down to Mara and buy us the refillable mugs and will be back. I know this will give him a chance to smoke outside as we have a non-smoking room. (Even if we didn't have a non- smoking room, he would never smoke in the room with me.)
While Bob is gone, I head into the bathroom – our large bathroom – and discover that there are several really long black hairs on the tiled floor near the toilet. I hate to admit it, but this really grosses me out as my hair is neither long nor black and Bob's hair is neither as well.
I start to get around and take my shower. I discover how dark it really is in our room and how much I miss the standard room set up. I miss the two sink vanity area as well as the separateness of the toilet and tub from the two sinks. I miss the full length mirror that is usually on the door that leads into the tub area. I really notice these small details when putting on my make-up. I wear glasses and am used to using the full-length mirror to put on my make-up because I can see what I'm doing. With the set up in our room, I have to step around the single vanity and try to peer around into the mirror or try to put on make-up using a very small compact. I really notice the lack of lighting when trying to pick out clothing to wear for the day. The closet seems to be smaller due to the fact that half of it is geared towards making it more accessible to one in a wheelchair. (Bob got that half of the closet.) And with the ironing board and iron inside the closet as well as the pak `n play, the lack of extra space is pretty noticeable. I end up moving the pak `n play to an area outside the closet during our entire stay.
Bob comes back with our morning beverages and he starts to get ready. While he's in the shower, I apply sunscreen and accidentally spill some on the floor, and when I bend down to wipe it up, I'm shocked to find the tissue is pretty black. Gross-out number two for the morning. The housekeeping staff from the night before had told me that I should speak to a manager about the condition of our room. With this second incident, I have made up my mind that I will speak to someone before leaving the resort for the day.
I have made a PS for us at Biergarten in Epcot for 12:05 and because of that, we chose to stop at the Mara for a very light something to get us by. I end up choosing a Paw Print brownie and Bob has the yogurt cup with granola. We use our refillable mugs for coffee and Diet Coke.
Bob had placed the car keys in the safe the night before and it's a little difficult to drive a rental car without them, so he heads back to the room for the keys while I head off to the front desk to ask to speak to a manager.
After a wait of less than five minutes, I get to the front of the check-in line and ask to speak to a manager. A female CM named Sharon comes out from behind the "secret" door and I tell her of my previous night's experience – of the disheveled bed and the 30 minutes on hold. Susan acted as if she was writing down everything and seemed to be shocked that I had waited 30 minutes on hold without anyone answering my call. I then told her of my additional disappointment that morning with our room and the conditions of the bathroom area -- while getting ready that morning, I noticed several long black hairs on the floor in the bathroom and since I don't have black hair and Bob's hair is cut pretty short, I was certain that neither one of us were the owners of these stray hairs. Plus, while applying sunscreen I had spilled a little on the tiled floor and when I went to wipe it up, I discovered that the floor was quite filthy. That really bothered me as I didn't feel comfortable walking on the floor after getting out of the shower. She shook her head and continued to "write" something down.
I told Sharon that we were on our way to the Parks and that I would really appreciate it if someone from housekeeping could be informed of our problems with the bathroom and that we would like to return to a bathroom that had been swept of any stray hairs and mopped clean. She assured me that it would be taken care of.
I met Bob in the lobby and we drove over to Epcot. I had purchased Bob's hopper ticket from AAA and we had a Diamond Parking pass. I handed it to Bob when we got to the Parking lot and he showed it to the parking attendant who told us to follow the green line to the AAA parking. We found a space on the third row and walked to the Epcot entrance. Getting through the security line was maybe a 5 minute experience. It was made easier by making sure that all my zippers were undone on my fanny pack before getting to the security guard.
We stopped to take photos of the Flower and Garden (F&G) exhibits along the way. I wanted to pick up some F&G AP pins so I stopped at Pin Central and sent Bob off to the smoking area near Mousegears. Picked up some pins for myself and one of my co-workers. The four Spring Princess pins had come out on Friday and so I was able to get two of them from Epcot.
Stopped in Ice Station Cool for some refreshing soft drinks and then headed to Innoventions West to see some of the exhibitors at the F&G. Saw some of David Doss' prints, but chose not to purchase any this trip. Maybe next time. Headed towards the World Showcase and stopped to watch Kristos. It's amazing what these four individuals can do with their bodies.
We started into World Showcase going counter-clockwise from Mexico, stopping along the way to take photos of the various F&G exhibits. My grandfather came to the U.S. from Norway as a young boy of 16 -- so the Norway pavilion always holds a special place in my heart. I love the shop(s) and the Stave Church there. And the entertainment reminds me of our family get-togethers in Minnesota with my Dad's cousin who played the violin and the music he used to play. Such nice memories.
Eventually, we make our way to Germany and we head into the Biergarten to check-in for our Priority Seating (PS). We're a few minutes early, but have less than a 10 minute wait. My name is called and we were escorted to a table where we end up seating with a family of three from Tampa that has just moved to Florida a few months earlier from Columbus, Ohio and another family (who was seated at the end of our table, but we never get an opportunity to interact with them). Bob is from Toledo so he had a nice conversation with the Tampa family.
Bob orders a Optimater Beer (dark beer) and I order a glass of the Sparking Wine. What the heck, we're on vacation. The buffet has several cold salads – such as a really great potato salad – some assorted coldcuts and cheeses, a really good chicken soup, several bread choices which includes a pretzel bread (similar to LeCellier – but on a smaller scale). On the hot side of the buffet, there's rotisserie chicken, roasted pork, schnitzel (breaded chicken breast strips), potatoes and spaetzel, sauerkraut and several other bratwurst items. Apple strudel as well as pudding and some other dessert items were available as well as regular apples.
Unfortunately, we were too early for the band to be playing on this visit, but nonetheless, it was a nice place to dine and the food selections were very good. It made me felt as if I was in a small Bavarian village at twilight or in the early evening. Very peaceful (without the band) and most of all – very cool in the hot weather. A nice respite from the heat and the crowds. We had dined here on our last trip and it was one of the places Bob had asked that we dine at again.
With the DDE card, we saved $9.50 on our two lunches and two alcoholic beverages. Bob did say that the beer had given him a buzz. I told him the Sparkling Wine did nothing for me. LOL!
I had heard that Eiswein was no longer being served in Germany so I had to find out for myself. And sad to say, it is true. You can no longer sample Eiswein, but you can purchase a bottle of it. But, if I recall correctly, the price of a bottle was either $56 or $58. So I had to pass on that. I did have a glass of the Auglese Wine for $6.57 and then added the souvenir glass for $5 more. I think the glass alone is $9, so it was worth it to purchase a sample wine at the same time as the glass. Because Bob wasn't with me, I could only purchase one glass of wine. But Bob told me he did not like to mix wine with beer so he wouldn't have wanted a glass anyhow. I did show him the cute green glass I did get and I said we'd have to come back later to get him one – so we'd at least have a set of two.
I did place a call to my Dad at that point to let him know that we had arrived and were at Epcot. I had tried to call him from inside Biergarten, but I couldn't hear anything so I wasn't sure if the call had actually gone through or not and I didn't want him to worry if he saw our name come up on his caller ID and hadn't been able to talk to us.
We made our way to Italy and browsed through the shops and checked out the various sights. We made our way to the U.S. pavilion in time to catch a showing of The American Adventure. This is one of my favorites – it brings tears to my eyes every time – and I love a couple of the songs. Unfortunately, it didn't touch Bob as much as me as he slept through quite a bit of it. I know – the coolness of the theatre and the beer finally caught up with him.
I was thirsty and recalled reading about a soft drink being served at the Liberty Inn and wanted to try it. It was called a Stars and Stripes drink and was made of Sprite with blueberry and cherry syrup layered into it. It was a very pretty drink and quite tasty. I got Bob a coke. He was off to the smoking area and so I was left alone to improvise for him. I called him on his cell phone and we caught up and made our way out of the U.S. and headed towards Japan.
We made it to Japan and watched the Drummers. Did I mention that we had to stop at every single smoking area around the World Showcase? If you are not used to traveling with a smoker, this is a very hard thing to get used to – at least it was for me. It was harder the first time and almost as hard this time.
We kind of skipped by Morocco and headed towards the backyard gardening exhibit put on by Home Depot. The CMs were handing out child-sized Home Depot aprons and I was able to get a few freebie souvenirs for some of the younger members of our families. The aprons were orange with the F&G logo on the top of them as well as the Home Depot logo. Very cute!
A cooking demonstration was about to start and was to be given by a Disney chef that works for the Special Events Department. The demonstration was about grilling with different types of foods, so I persuaded Bob to sit through it with me. Of course, he didn't really pay attention as it was, apparently, a good opportunity for him to catch up on some sleep. Oh well. At least he didn't snore. I was surprised that this Disney chef said it was perfectly acceptable to cook with regular Olive Oil as most Rachel Ray's fans know that she always cooks with EVOO – extra virgin olive oil – and so do I. I just find it to be much better than regular olive oil, but to each their own.
We took several photos of the F&G exhibits along the way through the countries. Sort of skirted through France and made our way to the International Gateway where Bob had another smoke break and where I switched the disc on my digital camera. I was taking out the disc and replacing it with a new one when I noticed an older family watching me. When they saw me noticing them, they said they had never seen a camera like mine and was fascinated by what I was doing. It was kind of a strange feeling, but I told them that it was a Sony Mavica and I liked it because it did store photos on mini- discs and found it to be much more convenient for me than the digital cameras that store photos on memory cards or sticks. Bob made his way back to me from his smoke break and we headed towards the UK.
Took photos of the Pooh topiaries and then headed towards Canada where we had just missed Off Kilter perform. Took photos of the Bambi topiaries and made our way towards the rose garden.
I had planned for us to go back to the resort for an afternoon break and then head over to Disney-MGM Studios to catch a little bit of the Star Wars weekend stuff and then have dinner at the Prime Time Café, but things don't always work out the way you plan them so it's always good to be flexible.
Rare Earth was performing during the F&G and I had planned for us to see them on Monday, but we decided to stay at Epcot and catch their first performance so we made our way around the World Showcase again via Mexico, Norway, etc., back to the U.S.A.
We made our way to the theatre just as they are rolling up the ropes and pick out a couple of seats. Bob, of course, goes in search of the smoking area. On his way out, I ask him to see if he can use the bottle cap for a free soda that I have brought from home at one of the carts outside the theatre as I see they are selling the same type of sodas with the same green caps on them. When he comes back, he says they took the cap but said it would be for a smaller size bottle – the cap was for a one liter bottle of soda and they were only selling the 20-ounce bottle. Not a problem – a free soda is a free soda.
Rare Earth came out and put on a very good show. This is one of the bands that I didn't see in concert in my youth, but I did know a lot of their songs. I was very surprised to find out that they were one of the very few Caucasian bands that had a contract with Motown records and that they wrote quite a few songs that were performed by other Motown artists. All too soon, it's over and it's back to the World Showcase stroll.
Once again, we walk towards Japan and this time, Bob smells funnel cakes being made. We stop and order a plain one. The CM inside the booth tries to tease me about the price of the funnel cake and then accidentally (at least I hope it was) only gives me change back for a $10 bill and not the $20 I handed him. I remind him that I gave him a $20 and he becomes all embarrassed and apologizes and gives me back the additional $10. Not a problem. We head off to a bench and enjoy our funnel cake. Kind of messy and I was glad I had some extra wipes in my bag.
We make our way back to France where we check out the perfumery gardens in the back of France as well as the shops. I was surprised to see a bottle of wine in the window that I had purchased at Sam's Club a few weeks ago. It was a wine that I hadn't been too fond of so Bob had finished the bottle off. This same wine was listed as their feature wine in France. I had told the CM that I hadn't been too fond it the first time, so he suggested I had it with some Kir Royale (sp?) which I did and it was much better. Of course, by this time, Bob had foregone his no beer with wine rule and had most of the glass himself which was fine.
We made our way through World Showcase, stopping several times to take photos of families for them. I love walking up to people and asking if I can take a photo of their "entire" family for them with their own camera. Everyone always acts so surprised and then grateful. Apparently, Bob can see how much it means to provide a little magic to others, that I catch him doing it quite frequently as well.
We make our way to Farmer Mickey's Maze and take quite a few photos. The scarecrows are really cute as well as the Mickey and Pluto topiaries. We continue on and head towards Mousegears so I can see if there is anything I can live without. Just a quick stroll through and I don't see anything I need.
Bob tells me he's really tired and so we head towards the Exit. At the Exit gate, I tell Bob that he might want to get his hand stamped just in case we do make it over to DS-MGM because they are open until 1:00 a.m. that night. The CM asks if he came in with a ticket that he used a finger scan on and if that is so, then he doesn't need a hand stamp. That was good to know.
We walk back to the rental car and head back to the AKL. I love the feeling of walking through the doors to the lobby. It's like entering an entirely different world. The dark woods, the comfy chairs and sofas, the pieces of artwork, and so on – it just all comes together so well and makes me feel so relaxed – almost like being home.
Upon our arrival in the room, I discover that none of the things I had asked to be done were done in the bathroom. I was really upset at that time. I placed another call to the front desk and asked to speak to a manager. This time, my wait wasn't nearly as long. I was transferred to a housekeeping manager and told her of my problems upon our arrival the previous night and of my discussion that morning with Sharon. I told her that I guess there must have been a communication problem because my bathroom floor was still filthy and the stray hairs were still there. I was polite and not yelling or anything. I tried to stay cool and calm, but when I got off the phone, I told Bob he would have to deal with housekeeping when they got here because there was no way I was going to. The person I talked to on the phone was very pleasant and very apologetic and acted that she was shocked that we had undergone such treatment.
Bob dealt with the housekeeping staff and I sat on the balcony enjoying the night air. They scrubbed and swept the floor, replaced our towels, and sprayed some type of room freshener. She was very apologetic and wanted to make sure that we were satisfied with the rest of our room.
All the problems we had with the room occurred within our first 24 hours, but after that, our stay was what we had hoped for. And I didn't let these incidents spoil our trip for us.
Because we were so tired, we decided to get some dinner from Mara and use a couple of the Quick & Casual (Q&C) vouchers. We headed down to Mara and both ended up choosing the Rotisserie chicken dinner. It came with cous-cous and some roasted veggies. I asked if I could substitute the macaroni and cheese for the cous-cous and veggies and the manager who was working behind the counter said I could. I told her that we were using the Q&C vouchers and I wanted to know if I could get a carton of milk instead of the soda and she told me I could get a small carton of milk. I thought it would just be easier to ask the manager since she was there instead of waiting to get to the cashier and have them yell across the way to the manager to ask the same question. We got our dinners to go, picked up a couple of small cartons of milk and then I picked up the package that contained three zebra domes and two mousse crunch cakes in it for my dessert choice. Bob picked up a piece of pecan pie. By using the Q&C vouchers, we saved $10.61 on our dinners.
We got back to our room a few minutes after the season finale of "Desperate Housewives" had started so I was able to see that. I had a zebra dome and was in heaven. I put the rest of my "dessert" into the fridge as well as the two cartons of milk.
During "Grey's Anatomy," there was a knock at the door and it was housekeeping again and she wanted to turn down our bed. I was surprised as I hadn't requested turn-down service, but it was a nice surprise. She arranged our pillows and left a chocolate heart with the AKL logo on it as well as a card that contained an African proverb on it. She checked to make sure we didn't need any more towels and took away all our trash – even our dinner containers.
Bob headed off to the Zawadi Marketplace (the gift shop) to look around and I took a shower before bed. Unfortunately, the gift shop must have closed at 11:00 because Bob came back fairly quickly. After he took a shower, it was lights out.
TOTAL Spent on Food - $120.22.

Mickey calls at 6:30 and we are already up. We have PS for Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom for 8:05. The MK doesn't open until 9:00 so I was excited to be able to walk down Main Street without a crowd.
Bob makes a beverage run to Mara and I start to get ready. He comes back and showers and gets ready as well.
Because it's easier to ride the bus than drive one's vehicle to the Magic Kingdom, I tell Bob we're going to be bus riders that morning. It's Bob's first experience riding a Disney bus. We get to the bus stop about 7:50 (later than planned) and find there's one other family there. A couple of other folks join us and the bus comes fairly quickly. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the bus stop, we are at the Magic Kingdom.
There's a couple on the bus with an older version of Pal Mickey. I strike up a conversation with them and they tell me they've had him for a couple of years and that they bring him on every trip. They did mention that they're afraid that they may be asked to purchase a child ticket for him next year as he will be three. We have a nice giggle about that.
We make it through Security without a problem and are directed to the line next to Guest Relations. I am quite surprised as no one checks a list to see we are on a list for a breakfast. We make it through the turnstile and make our way down Main Street. Bob stops to take photos of the storefronts and pictures of the Castle without anyone else in them. It is so peaceful and almost like a dream. Walking down Main Street all alone.
We head over to the Crystal Palace and check-in. We are about 15 minutes late, but that doesn't seem to be a problem because they call my name after a few minutes and we are escorted in. I spot Piglet near the entrance to the buffet lines.
Once we are seated, our server comes to take our beverage orders and pours us a glass of fresh orange juice. We order our usual – coffee for Bob and a Diet Coke for me. Before we can head off to the buffet line, I see Eeyore making his way into our half of the restaurant. He stops at our table and we take photos and then head off to the buffet.
There are Pooh and Friends waffles on the kids buffet. There are several selections of fruit and yogurt as well as bacon, two kinds of sausage, hash browns and scrambled eggs on the buffet. There is a made to order omelet station. The best tip I can offer here is to stand in line to order an omelet and then get the rest of your food. If you choose to hit the buffet first and then order your omelet, the rest of your food will more than likely be cold before you get back to your table. Bob came through the line and didn't want to wait for an omelet so I sent him back to the table and I ordered the omelets for both of us. There is a yummy French toast dish here that is to die for (at least in my opinion). It is deep fried French toast which is then rolled in cinnamon and sugar – yummmmmm!!
There is also a station with breads – coffee cake, bagels and a very yummy breakfast lasagna which has blueberries and bananas layered amongst what seemed to be like a bread pudding. It was very yummy as well.
Throughout our meal, we were also visited by Tigger and Pooh and we were privy to the children's parade through the restaurant. Adults could participate, too, if they wished. I chose to forego it this year. LOL!
I was able to use the DDE card here and we saved $7.67 on our breakfast. Bob headed off for the nearest smoking spot outside while I made a pit stop.
We were headed towards Fantasyland when I saw that the Castle had been roped off for the first showing of Cinderellabration so we cut back to Liberty Square, stopping in a shop along the way before making our way to Fantasyland. Unfortunately, Peter Pan was down for refurbishment so we had to skip that attraction. I was a woman on a mission – a mission to see Philharmagic without waiting 40 minutes in line for. The standby line was about 10 minutes. We walked through the que and into the waiting area outside the doors to the theatre. This show was Bob's very first experience with a 3- D movie last year and is the one thing he always tells others about. The only downfall is that he always refers to the 3-D attractions as "Smell-a-Vision" shows. The first time he mentioned a "Smell-a-Vision" show to me, I had no idea what he was talking about, but finally figured it out. When we came out, I pulled Fast Passes for us so we could see it again later.
Bob headed to the smoking area near Tink's Treasures and I went into Tink's Treasures. I had to ask the CM about waking Tink. I wanted to know what actually went on. She told me that most mornings there are people lined up outside the door waiting to get in and then there is almost a race inside the store to be the one to wake Tink. She said there are some mornings when it gets pretty intense. I looked around the store and made a mental note of some items that I might purchase later. Went outside and found Bob and could hear Cinderellabration going on in front of the Castle.
We made our way over to the Snow White ride which had a very short standby line. The girl in front of me asks if I will take her photo in front of the Snow White mural when we get to where we are to enter our ride vehicle. I tell her sure. During Snow White, our ride vehicle stops several times. I have to be honest and say that stopping so many times and having the lights come on does take away from the magic of the ride.
We walk towards the Pooh ride and see the line is pretty long so I pull a Fast Pass for that as well. The Fast Pass I had pulled for Philharmagic had already started to run so I was able to pull my next one without any problem. The plan then was to head towards the Buzz Lightyear ride. I was going to get in line while Bob headed off toward the Speedway for the smoking area near that ride. On the way to Buzz though I am sidetracked because I run into Push the Trashcan. I watch as he interacts with other guests – especially the kids. I can see Push's handler and am very impressed with how he tries to blend in with the crowd. I finally make my way to Buzz and can see that the standby line is pretty long (nearly an hour wait) and because we have just pulled Fast Passes for Pooh which can't be used for about an hour, I cannot pull a Fast Pass for Buzz yet.
Did I mention how crowded Tomorrowland is on a Monday morning? It is very crowded – almost as if all the Monday morning guests have no other goal in mind other than to ride very single attraction in Tomorrowland by noon. Bob calls me on his cell and tries to find me. I finally ask him what he is near and I hook up with him.
I did want to see Cindrellabration so we head off to the hub. It has become quite hot this morning and I head off to find us a couple of bottles of water while Bob goes in search of – you guessed it – a smoking area. We meet up and he takes his bottle of water and heads back to the shade of the smoking area while I catch the third showing of the day of Cinderellabration. I did see on the schedule that there are only three showings in the a.m. and the afternoon showings don't start until 4:35. I would imagine that it's because of the costumes and how much of an impact the hot weather would have on the performers.
Bob calls me on my cell after the show is over and tells me he tried to get up to where I was standing, but the crowds were pretty large so he decided to hang back. We make our way back to the Buzz ride and pull a Fast Pass.
We head over to ride the Pooh ride and enter the Fast Pass line. We then head over to Philharmagic and used the Fast Pass entrance. The Fast Pass entrance concept at this point was confusing to Bob because he thought we should be able to walk right in and see the show. I told him the Fast Pass on this attraction allowed us to bypass the standby line and got us into the waiting area a lot quicker.
After Philharmagic, I need to make a pit stop. The restrooms near the Speedway are packed so I head over to Cosmic Ray's and use the restroom there. I go in search of Bob but don't see him in the smoking area and call him on his cell phone. He's in the shop near Auntie Gravity's. We decide we need ice cream cones and I get in line behind a large tour group. I order chocolate for Bob and a vanilla cone with sprinkles for me. We pick up our cones and head over towards Buzz and finish up before getting in the Fast Pass line. The cost for our cones was $5.95.
Once inside the actual building, the Fast Pass line didn't move very quickly. The standby line wasn't moving either. I'm not sure if the attraction had broken down or what as no one made an announcement or anything. We were at a standstill for a good 15 minutes. But once we were able to start moving, I was thankful that we were in the Fast Pass line as we sure got on a lot quicker than those in the standby.
It was getting pretty hot and I had discovered that cotton mixed with lycra is not a very cool fabric and I had brought three button- down sleeveless shirts that were made of this fabric with me. We decided to head back to the AKL. Went out to the bus stop and had a five minute wait at the most.
We walked through the gift shop. I looked at the Pin Trading book and saw a pin I wanted to trade for. I removed the pin I wanted from the book and replaced it with one I had brought from home. A very quick and easy pin trade. I tried to "purchase" a bottle of Diet Coke with one of the "freebie" bottle caps that I had brought from home and the CM told me that they had been instructed not to take the caps in trade even though they were selling bottles of Coke products that had these bottle caps on them. He told me that the problem is that the bottle caps are for a free one-liter bottle of soda and they don't sell any bottles of that size in the Parks or at any of the resorts. He also told me that the CM at Epcot the day before should not have taken my bottle cap. He did tell me that they do carry the one-liter bottles at Seven-Eleven and other convenience stores in the area.
Back in the room, we opt for showers and fresh clothes. Ahhhhh. Gotta love that air conditioning. I did want to mention that there is a sensor on the thermostat in our room. So no matter how low we set the thermostat, if there no little or no motion in the room, then the air conditioner does not run at a constant level. There is a ceiling fan in the room, so that does help to keep the air circulating, but if you're like me and like it frigid in the room while sleeping, this may be a problem.
I remember that there is a Culinary Tour starting at 3:45 in Jiko's and it is something I've wanted to do on past trips, but have yet to do until this trip. We head to Jiko and I am surprised to find that we are the only ones for the tour. We are directed to a table in the bar area and wait a few minutes. I almost feel as if I should go out into the area between Jiko and Boma and try to persuade other guests to come in and join us. After about 10 minutes, a hostess comes to escort us into the main room of the restaurant. She points out the wine room and tells us that Jiko probably has the largest selection of African wines in the entire United States. She tells us that some guests prefer to have a private dinner in the wine room. She points out the bangles on the columns and likens them to the bangles that some African women wear on the necks. She tells us about her homeland and then seats us at the counter where we are greeted by Chef Jeff.
Chef Jeff (CJ) is great. He starts out by bringing out the Taste of Africa appetizer for us. And because we were the only guests for this day – we were allowed to sample the entire appetizer by ourselves. He described the three bread selections as well the three "sauces" that go along with the breads. He tells us which is his favorite and Bob actually tries all three breads and sauces and really enjoys this. CJ then goes over the menu and describes nearly all the entrees in great detail. It was very informative. CJ tells us that the menu does change from time to time to accommodate seasonal selections. He asks if we have any particular questions and I ask about the oak-grilled filet mignon with macaroni and cheese. He says the mac and cheese is made with 4 different types of white cheeses – way different than your normal mac and cheese. He said the red wine sauce takes three days to make. I pretty much do all the talking and asking of questions of CJ while Bob enjoys the appetizer. LOL!
CJ said that he has worked at several Disney restaurants on property. I mention to him that we have the American Restaurant in Kansas City and Chef Selena who is the head chef there used to work at WDW and was wondering if he had ever worked with her. What a great question that was. CJ spent several minutes telling me about Chef Selena and how great she is and how wonderful she was to work with. I then tell him of a cooking school dinner I had attended at the American Restaurant last September where Chef John State was brought in from the California Grill. We had a great conversation and it was over too soon as we were then escorted by the hostess over to Boma to meet with a Chef there.
We were handed off to a hostess from Boma who told us about her homeland. I asked her how long she had been at Boma and if she missed her family. She said she was an only child and that her Mother really missed her. I told her I could so totally relate to that. She had Chef David come out to greet us.
Chef David was great as well. He chatted with us for awhile and then we head down to the beginning of the food stations (the carving station) where he went into great detail about every single dish that will be on the line that evening. He lets us know which foods are there every night and which are rotated in and out. They always have Prime Rib. They have a chicken choice and a fish choice each evening.
The children's buffet has chicken fingers, spaghetti and other kids- friendly choices available. There are probably 4 or 5 different soups every night. Six or seven different salads to choose from. There are always Zebra Domes on the dessert buffet as well as a few other items every evening. Having Chef David tell me exactly what was in each item was a great help. I can be a somewhat picky eater but once I knew what each dish consisted of, it really helped me to be a little bit more adventurous in my dining experience at Boma. He told us which foods were his favorites and I told him which ones were mine so far. He asked if we were dining that particular evening and I told him that we had a PS for the next evening (Tuesday) and so he told me what the particular choices for Tuesday would be. Before we left, he told us to let him know when we came in the next evening and to say hello. He did say that a lot of guests come and take the Culinary Tour on an evening when they are dining at Boma or Jiko. So if you have an early PS for either restaurant, you might want to consider taking the Culinary Tour prior to your PS.
We went back to the room for a short while so I could call and arrange for turn-down service for that evening. Bob then informs me that he is running out of matches and so we head towards the car so we can go in search of "real fire." Last fall, I had asked for directions to the closest grocery store to the AKL and someone on the list (I think it was Terrie again) told me that if I turn right at the light after exiting AKL onto Sherbeth (sp?) Road and after a mile or so, I would come to a busy street and would be able to find a grocery store.
So Bob and I head that direction and sure enough, we came to Irlo Bronson Boulevard in Kissimmee. I could see a few restaurants to the left, but nothing that looked like a grocery store so we turned right and found a Walgreens. This particular Walgreens is open 24 hours a day in case anyone needs to know that for a future trip. We did purchase Bob a lighter and I picked up a couple of cans of Pringles and a bag of Combos for the room and was able to use my bottle caps here. They carried the one-liter bottles of Diet Coke so I picked up three to place in the fridge in the room. The Pringles were on "sale" at 2 cans for $3 and I got the Diet Coke bottles for free. So we did save $5.36 at Walgreens on our purchase.
It was getting close to 6:00 when we left Walgreens and we decided we getting quite were hungry. We decided to stop at Bob Evans instead of heading into one of the Parks for our dinner. The place wasn't too crowded so we were seated right away. We both ordered the chicken and noodles dinner which came with a salad and hot rolls. Our server was very attentive and we never lacked for beverage refills or hot rolls during our entire meal. Our meals with drinks was only $16.85. And we left totally stuffed.
We had decided to head back to Epcot for the evening so Bob could see Illuminations. We choose to forego the AAA parking lot this time and parked about 8 rows from the entrance plaza. We walked in and decided to ride Test Track. I had pulled Fast Passes for Test Track last year and had placed them into my sunglass case but we had never used them. I decided to see if what I had read was true about Fast Passes – you can never be early, but you can be late – almost an entire year late. The starting time for the Fast Pass had already gone by and the CM didn't look at the date so we were allowed to enter using the Fast Pass line. But at this time of the evening, it didn't really give us much of an edge as they were loading all three of the pre-show areas and we were directed to the #1 pre-show door. And they had yet to let pre-show #2 and #3 in yet. So we had to wait until those groups were let in before we were and by that time, we could have probably gone through the regular line and ended up at the same spot in the same amount of time.
When it came time to enter our car, I got in first so I could be on the outside with Bob in the middle. We were in the front of the car. Surprisingly, Bob did like the ride and loved it when we went outside. When we arrived back to the main building, I was trying to be nice and not step on the seat when climbing out of the car and in doing so, scraped the heck out of my left leg on the cement wall. I could see it was turning red, but just tried to brush it off. We saw out ride photo and the look on Bob's face was priceless, but we chose to not purchase the photo.
Besides new cars, General Motors has an exhibit called Dream Chasers that we chose to see. It was less than a 10 minute wait. I had never done this before and found it to be a cute show, but something I wouldn't wait longer than 20 minutes for. We did stop to look at the new cars and then headed out.
Bob headed towards the nearest smoking area and I headed towards the ladies room. When I was coming out, there was a poor woman there who had sit down in some gum and was trying to get it off the back of her shorts. I told her that I had read that ice is supposed to help and she might want to try that when she got back to her room. You need to apply ice to the gum and that is supposed to help freeze it so you can scrape it off with a plastic knife or something similar.
At this point, my scraped calf was really stinging so we decided to head to First Aid to see if they could apply an antiseptic spray or something similar to the wound for me. As we walked by the Odyssey building I could see there was a Grand Gathering going on with a couple of characters in attendance. We make it to First Aid and I sign in and sit down behind the desk where the receptionist/nurse cleans my scrape and then applies an antiseptic cream to the wound. She then applies a huge bandage to the area and gives me some antibiotic samples and bandages to take with me and we are on our way. Less than a five minute ordeal. The cream does help and I am able to think about something else besides my leg.
We head towards the Showcase Plaza and see there is a somewhat uncrowded area near the wheelchair viewing area near the boat dock. Bob goes in search of a cup of coffee and I wait. Our view was going to be pretty unobstructed from this spot and rather than walk around and maybe not find anything as good, we chose to stay here. Families with wheelchair members are let into the viewing area by a Cast Member who guards the area with a rope gate. A few minutes before Illuminations is to start, the Cast Member who is in charge of the rope tells those of us around the rope that if we don't run or get all excited, he will let us into the wheelchair area to view Illuminations and that we have to sit on the ground. I walk in and pick a spot to the right side near some pine trees and wait for Bob. A few minutes later, Bob comes in and joins me. There is an iron fence around the area and we end up sitting on it. I could hear the guests that had attended the Grand Gathering in their private viewing area on the other side of the trees.
Before the Illuminations starts, Bob tells me that he is capable of doing rides that are more intense than Snow White and more like Test Track. I laugh and tell him that is good to know and I'll try to steer him towards more of those types of attractions.
Once Illuminations was over, we made out way out of Epcot. Since we were so near the entrance to the World Showcase, we were able to get out a lot quicker than those who had watched Illuminations from the USA pavilion.
It was close to 10:00 when we arrived back in our room and we hadn't received the turn-down service. I start to watch "Medium" and after a few minutes there was a knock on the door and it was Housekeeping. She apologized for being late and said that she was the only one doing turn-down service that evening. She emptied the trash, turned down the bed, fluffed our pillows, and placed chocolates with an African Proverb on the bed. She took away our used towels and replaced them with fresh ones. In the middle of turning down the bed, there was a knock on the door and it was a gentleman from Housekeeping who had come to help out our Housekeeper. He did assist her and then left before she did. She said that he's really great and comes to help out whenever or whomever he can. Nice to know that the Cast Members even look out for each other as well as the guests.
Bob had gone down to Mara for beverages refills and in search of Zebra Domes from the dessert case, but there were none.
We get to bed around 12:00.
TOTAL Spent on Food - $61.33 (includes Walgreens)

I woke up around 7:00 and decided to let Bob sleep in. I had quite a few postcards to write so I get out the mailing labels I prepared at home and start designating the postcards I had bought in the gift shop the day before and start assigning labels to certain characters.
Bob wakes up and says he will help me. I do appreciate the help, but in the time it takes me to write out 20 postcards, Bob has written two – one to his parents and one to his son. Let me say that when I do postcards, I can do them fairly quickly. Everyone pretty much gets the same message and then you move on. Bob, on the other hand, writes a total book in the small space allowed on a postcard. LOL!
While I finish up, Bob heads down to Mara for beverage refills and comes back with a container of Zebra Domes and Chocolate Crunch Mousse Cakes. One of the perks of staying at the AKL – Zebra Domes for breakfast.
We slowly get around and finally leave the room around 12:00. I had placed the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door the night before and removed it before leaving the room. Actually, I placed the sign on the door each night before we went to sleep as I prefer not to be disturbed before I'm ready to leave the room.
We stop in the lobby and I ask at the Bell Desk where I can find a mailbox to drop the postcards in. I am directed to the other side of the lobby – to a hallway around the corner from Guest Services – where I find a metal plate in the wall with an etching of a huge hippo with its mouth wide open for receiving mail. (Just a little side note here – I mailed more than 20 postcards from this location and not a single one showed up at their intended address for nearly two weeks which was really weird.)
I then stopped at Guest Services because I was told that was the "Lobby Concierge" desk to see about upgrading the ticket I had purchased from AAA for Bob (a Four-Day Magic Your Way Hopper - Expiring after 14 days) to a Ten-Day MYW Non-Expiring Ticket. When the CM looked up the ticket on her computer, she could tell that I had purchased it from AAA and told me that she could not upgrade the ticket there and that I would have to do it at one of the Parks. Not a problem as we would head over to a Park the next day.
I catch up with Bob who has been out on the Arusha Rock Savanna Overlook checking out the animals. We make our way back to the lobby. On our way out the front door, we see kids and their parents sitting on the floor doing Crayola etchings from the giant medallions of animals in various spots of the lobby with Cast Members. This is one of the activities that is listed on the Activities Board.
We drove over to the Beach Club and at the Guard's Shack, the Guard glances at our AKL parking pass and just waved us on through. We parked near the Beach Club Villas. We walked by the BCV pool and then through the lobby of the BCV. We took the walkway over to the main building of the Beach Club. We went into the new Marketplace and looked around. We saw that they had fresh Gelato inside the freezer case and the Cast Member behind the counter offered us a sample. I chose Raspberry and Bob had Chocolate. She told us that they made it fresh there every day. It was quite tasty. We looked through the shop and then moved into the lobby area.
In the lobby, I saw Art the Greeter. Those that have seen the Beach Club show on The Travel Channel may remember Art. He salutes everyone and is the nicest guy. He wears a blue jacket with white pants and captain's cap. When I approached him, he saluted me and said "Good Day to the Lady." And then "Good Day to the Gentleman" as Bob approached. I told Art that he was famous and that I had seen him on The Travel Channel. He just grinned and told me that he was a very "humble" man. We both laughed and I told him I wanted to trade pins with him. Art had on two pin trading lanyards – one for all guests and one only for children. Art and I trade pins and then Bob and I went on our way.
I showed Bob Storm-A-Long Bay and we made our way to Beaches and Cream (B&C). We were going to use the last of the two Quick & Casual Vouchers here. We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table inside. You could either wait for a table inside or place an order to go and take it with you or eat at one of the tables outside. It was pretty humid and I didn't really want to sit outside. Plus, those that were going to the take-out side had almost as long a wait as those who were waiting just to sit inside.
When our beeper went off, we were seated at a booth. There is a jukebox inside B&C and those that were seated at booths had one of those mini juke boxes that are tied to the big jukeboxes that you could choose songs to play from the main jukebox. The jukebox was free and so Bob set about choosing just about every single song that was offered. LOL!
We were waited on by Maria and I think she waited on my sister and her family a couple of years ago. I ordered a chicken sandwich with cheese and bacon and a Cherry Coke and Bob had a regular hamburger and regular Coke. Both our sandwiches came with fries. For dessert, I had the No Way Jose Sundae and Bob had a Banana Split. When we rolled ourselves out of B&C, I discovered that we had saved over $26 by using the vouchers. Of course, if we didn't have the vouchers, we probably would have shared a dessert instead of each having our own. But sometimes, it is nice not to have to share.
On our walk over to the Yacht Club, we could see that there were doing some repainting outside the two resorts. It did look as if the work was being done by an outside company and not Disney employees. I have not stayed at the Yacht Club yet, but the lobby is quite a bit different than the Beach Club – at least my feeling of it was. More folks in suits and dress clothes than at the Beach Club and there just seemed to be a slight air of stuffiness there. But that's just my take on it. I'm sure it's a nice place to stay and I will stay there one day, but it was just more quieter and serene than at the Beach Club.
As quiet and peaceful as the lobby was, I made sure that wasn't the case in the gift shop. While looking around, I overheard one of the other Cast Members telling another Cast Member of her experience in mailing her mortgage payment from the resort. She said that she had dropped it into the mailbox slot in the lobby and that it took nearly three weeks for her payment to be received by the mortgage company and that no one should ever mail any important letters or bill payments from any of the resorts or from any mailbox on the Disney property for that matter because who knows when the mail will actually go out. I told her of my past visits and how long it took postcards to reach their final destinations and wondered who was holding on to all this Disney mail and how many postcards does someone need to read in order to figure out that they all say the same thing in the summer – "Having a good time. It's hot! See you when we get back." We all started laughing rather loudly. And then she went on to tell a story of being in a hurry one morning to get to work, but having to stop at the gas station. She comes into work but is having a hard time seeing on the drive in to work. When she gets to work, one of the CMs asks her what is wrong with her eye. And she is wondering what they mean and when she looks in the mirror, she discovers that she has lost one of the lenses from her eyeglasses and that explains why she is having such a hard time seeing on the drive in. We laugh and carry on. And then I tell the story of the night I was in the bathroom at home and had flushed the toilet and had bent down to pick up something when one of the lenses from my glasses had fallen into the toilet and before I could do anything, poof it was gone. We laughed and carried on and then I told them about how embarrassing it was to go to Lens Crafter that very night and to try to explain to them why I needed to order one lens. LOL! We all laughed until we cried. I guess we were too loud at that point because some managerial CM came into the shop and kind of glared at us. I got myself under control and we moved on. Nothing like a group of women cracking each other up.
Bob and I head out towards the boat dock so he could check out the Boardwalk. We look in the shops and I pick up a few things for my daughter. I saw that antennae toppers were now $4. I think they used to be $3 – at least the last time I bought any they were. We checked out Seashore Sweets and saw photos of all the Miss Americas on the walls. That sure gave off a nostalgic feeling. We headed into the Bakery for a looksie. Bob saw this fabulous fruit tart that he wanted to pick up on Thursday when we were scheduled to have breakfast at Spoodles. I checked out the Peanut Butter Bar cake and the White and Chocolate Pretzel that I had heard so much about. Saw a fabulous Mickey Birthday cake in they case. But we were too stuffed from B&C to try anything, so we headed over to the ESPN Club and looked in at their Arcade. I was looking for a Denver Broncos cap for my nephew, but they didn't carry any Denver Broncos merchandise – at least none that I could see.
We strolled over to take a look at the Keister pool. What a way cool pool for kids – okay for adults, too. Bob thought he could do that coaster. LOL! At this point, I knew there was no way we could eat at Boma at 7:00 and even be somewhat hungry. So I got on my cell phone and called Disney Dining and asked for a later time for that evening. We ended up with a 9:00 PS. While I was on the phone, I made a PS for Thursday evening to eat at Jiko's. I had requested an early seating for us.
We made our way back to the boat dock and rode the boat over to Epcot. There was a family of six on the boat with us who were asking about getting to the front of Epcot to catch a bus back to the Fantasy Villas (I think) where a car would be meeting them to take them to a dinner show. The captain of the boat wasn't really sure what they were asking about, but told them to check with Guest Services and hopefully they would be able to assist them. They all got off the boat and we stayed on the boat and waited for a few more guests to get on before heading back to the Boardwalk dock and then the Beach Club/Yacht Club dock. We also swapped out drivers for our boat. Before we left the dock, the family of 6 adults got back on the boat and the "spokesperson" for the family a female was very loud and quite rude and didn't hesitate to let everyone on the boat know what she felt about Disney and their Guest Services. Apparently, Guest Services could not help them get to the front of Epcot unless they had a ticket to go through the Park. And she went on and on about how they weren't going to be able to meet their service and all. The rest of the boat was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. (I felt so bad for them that if we had a bigger vehicle, I would have offered to take them to the front of Epcot, but with the Malibu, Bob would have to make two trips and being such a Disney newbie, he might get lost in trying to get back to pickup the rest of the group, not to mention me.) The co-captain told them that it sounded like their only solution was to go to the entrance of the Boardwalk and take a cab over to the entrance of Epcot. There are no buses from the Epcot resorts that go to the front of Epcot. You either walk in or use the Friendship boats. I am still puzzled as to how these six individuals got to where they were. Did they come from Disney Studios or what? How did they even end up at the Boardwalk? Obviously, I'll never know. Oh well. Hope they made it to where they needed to be.
When we made it back to the car at the Beach Club, we headed towards the Premium Outlets so I could visit the Disney outlet. We picked up a couple of polo-type shirts for Bob for $12.99 each and I picked up a t-shirt for a "friend" and some candles and a few other items for myself. Bob did stop in a shoe store to look at some sandals, but didn't find any to his liking.
We drove back to the AKL. While walking from the parking lot, we strike up a conversation with a couple from the UK. They tell us that it's their last night and they wanted to eat in Boma one last time. They had been at WDW for two weeks. They said they didn't have a PS, but since they didn't have anything else planned for that evening they were willing to wait. I told them that they might want to head to a pay phone inside and dial -- *88 – which would connect them to Disney Dinning and maybe they could get a last minute PS that way. They told us that they didn't know about *88 and was glad to know it and would certainly remember it for future trips.
We head back to our room and take showers and head off to Boma for our PS. We arrived about 10 minutes early. I did hear the Cast Members at the podium turning away walk-ins even at 9:00 at night.
We were seated within a couple of minutes of checking-in. Our server's name was Dilly and he was very knowledgeable about the wines and alcoholic beverages available. He steered Bob towards a glass of Brampton Cabernet which is a Merlot from Stellengosch. I had a sip. Not to my liking, but Bob said that the Prime Rib really brought out the flavors in the wine. I settled for a Cape Agulhas drink which consisted of Absolut Citron, Peach Schnapps, Blue Curacao, Sour Mix and Sprite. It was a very blue drink. LOL!
I started out with a couple of salad selections while Bob went for the soups. He brought a small bowl of the butternut squash soup to the table which was totally incredible. As he brought his other soup choices to the table, I would try each one to see if I wanted the same. I did end up with a small bowl of the butternut squash soup and the chicken corn chowder. We took our time eating and enjoying all the wonderful flavors. Bob even had some of the salmon. I tasted it, but once again, not my fave. This was Bob's second time at Boma and he loved it as much as the first time – more so due to the fact that we had gone on the Culinary Tour the day before. Dilly was a great server, always there to remove plates and even brought Bob some coffee at the end of our meal. We said we were dining at Jiko on Thursday and he said that was too bad as he was going to be working there on Wednesday and not Thursday.
I did ask for Chef David and he came out and said hello and once again reminded me about all the different choices on the buffet for that evening – almost like he was reassuring me how great all the choices were. Like I needed any reassuring. LOL!
I was able to use my DDE card here and we saved $14 on our meal including the alcoholic beverages.
After dinner, we headed off to a viewing area to use the Night Vision goggles. The Cast Member was really sweet. She said worked she behind the scenes at the Animal Kingdom and dealt with the elephants and I mentioned how sad it was that the female elephant had died a few days earlier and how very sad it was that her fetus had died inside her prior to its birth. She said it was quite upsetting for everyone as well. She did add that the two youngest elephants of the herd that were born last year and the year before are so much fun and they had been so looking forward to a new member.
Back to the room where we had received turn-down service and after some late night television viewing. Off to sleep.
TOTAL Spent on Food for the Day -- $77.27

We are up a little after 7:00 and shower and get around. On the way out of the room yesterday morning, I had dropped one of the many postcards I had written inside the room and our housekeeper had found it and placed it on the table. So I needed to make a stop by the Hippo mailbox so I could drop it in the mail before leaving. (Surprisingly, this single postcard made it to its destination within five days while the ones I had mailed the previous day took nearly three times as long to make it to their destination.)
I was surprised to find a "Magical Express" envelope attached to our doorknob when I exited our room. There was a letter inside that stated we had not made a reservation for our return to the airport. It had our names on the letter so I'm sure it definitely was for us. I hadn't asked for Magical Express service so I'm not sure why we received the envelope and letter. I don't know if it was an automatically generated letter for all guests departing in a couple of days. The letter said to call a toll-free number to schedule our departure time. Since we didn't use the Magical Express service to arrive at AKL, and didn't have any intention to use it to leave from the AKL, I decided to ignore the letter.
We hop into the Malibu and make the short drive over to the Animal Kingdom. It is hot and muggy this morning. We decide to park in the AAA parking lot and are able to snag a spot on the first row next to handicapped parking. I was hoping we'd arrive in time for the Opening Ceremony, but it was 9:10 and we were too late. Not a problem. Maybe next time.
We were stopped by the Disney photographers and agreed to have a few photos taken. We got our first Photopass card. Going through security is a breeze, just like every time, and we make it through the turn-style without any issues there. This was Bob's first trip to the Animal Kingdom. He stops to take photos of the various birds and animals in the Oasis.
We make our way from the Oasis and went down the path to Dinoland. Even though I had brought what I thought was cool enough clothing with me, I was constantly fanning myself with a guide map throughout the days. Bob stopped at the tub outside of Disney Outfitters and bought me one of the cooling fans. With tax, it was $17. It was a very sweet gesture, but honestly, the fan was not that cooling. I could create more cooling air with the guide map fan. It was nice though to have the cool water spray to spritz yourself with every once in awhile.
Because he had told me he could handle rides that were a little more intense than Snow White, I steer him towards Dinosaur. There was no line whatsoever, it was a total walk on. Bob and I had the front row of the car to ourselves. Bob didn't utter a single word on the entire ride. And he didn't say anything when we got off, but he didn't say he wanted to ride it again either. LOL!
We made our way out the Exit to the walkway that puts you on the back side of Chester & Hester's Dinosaur Treasures. Along the pathway, there is a Dino statute and Bob stops and poses in front of the statute with his arm around it. He tells me to take a photo so his son and my daughter can actually see Bob being out of character. And if you know Bob at all, this is so way out of character for him. LOL! The fact that he was actually willing to pose with Tigger and Eeyore and Pooh at the Crystal Palace on Monday was almost a miracle and here he's posting with a statute. Well, it's almost more than I can take.
Bob heads off to the smoking spot near Chester & Hester's Treasures and I look through the shop. Soon I hear a pounding of steps and can see it's Lucky the Dinosaur coming through the gate between the shop and Primeval Whirl (or Hurl as I like to call it). He is pulling a cart and has at least four Cast Members who somewhat guard him as well as the Scientist who in charge of him. Lucky walks the path through Dinoland and comes back to the Institute. Along the path, he stops and interacts with some of the guests. He laughs, shakes his head, sometimes burps, signs autographs, among other things. All interaction with Lucky is through the Scientist. One cannot go up and expect to interact with Lucky – you have to be invited by the "scientist" to interact with Lucky. It's not like interacting with the other characters in the Parks. We were able to see Lucky when he came out from behind the gate and right before he went back in behind it.
We left Lucky in Dinoland and walked towards the Tree of Life and then down the entrance to It's Tough to be a Bug. Bob's next "Smell- a-Vision" show experience. While waiting to enter the main theatre, there was a family with some really young children next to us. I asked if they had seen the show before and they said they hadn't, I tried to be helpful and say that some young kids find the show pretty intense and they might want to sit at the end of a row just in case their kids become upset and they need to make a quick get- away. As it was, we were seated at the end of a row which I didn't really like because I didn't feel like we got the full enjoyment of the show. I've seen this show probably four or five times and I have to admit I take great pleasure in taking in newbies for the first time. Their reactions always bring me to tears from laughing so hard. This time was no exception. ATTENTION – Possible Spoiler – When the Wasps attack, Bob has no idea and jumps and then does start to laugh and then at the end when the humans are told to stay in their seats while "others" are allowed to leave the theatre – Bob stood straight up. I laughed so hard I did start crying. The CM opening the doors from the outside started laughing because I was laughing so hard. Actually, she thought I was crying from fear of the show and I had to tell her that I was crying from laughing so hard at Bob. Bob was laughing at himself. I finally got myself to quit laughing before we got to the top of the exit path.
We make our way down the path towards Africa in search of the smoking area, but before we reach it, I spot Devine and Bob is mesmerized. Of course he is. LOL! He follows her for awhile taking photos and eventually comes back to where I am waiting. We discover a path that is unoccupied by any other guests and are able to take a few photos of the Tree of Life from a different angle.
While Bob heads to the smoking area, I head over towards the Kilimanjaro Safaris and pick up a couple of Fast Passes for us. I catch up with Bob and we head towards Africa. We stop and watch some performers outside of the Tusker House and then decide to head in and get some lunch. It's a little after 11:00 and we were starving.
I made a point to check the board outside of the Tusker House to see if they were still offering the Meal Plus Vouchers and they were. I saw a cashier that had several persons on one side of her line and got in line on her other side. When she finished waiting on the guest to her right, she turned to me and waited on me next which made the next person on the right a little upset. She told him that was what she was instructed to do and that all cashiers are instructed to wait on guests in that manner. I hated to do it, but rules are rules. Anyhow, I told her that I wanted to purchase two of the Adult Meal Plus Vouchers and that I wanted to use part of the voucher now. The cost of the two vouchers was $25.54. The next guest in line, once hearing what I had ordered (the Vouchers) and then that I could use them instantly, asked the cashier to explain the Vouchers to him. It was very obvious that not all guests are aware of the Vouchers.
The Voucher is split into three separate parts. The first part entitles each guest to one counter service entrée plus a beverage. The second portion of the Voucher allows each Guest to a bottle drink (either water or a soft drink). And the third portion of the Voucher allows the Guest to either a box of popcorn or an ice cream treat. The Voucher can only be used on the day it is purchased and the four "restaurants" that the Vouchers can be used at are Tusker House, Flame Tree Barbecue, Restaurantosaurus, and Pizzzafari. The price for a child's voucher is $6.38. Of course, the child's voucher would only allow you to get a child's entrée and beverage at the counter-service restaurant. In my opinion, the best value for these vouchers is to use them at either Tusker House or Flame Tree. At the Flame Tree, you can pick up either a Smoked One-Half Chicken Dinner ($7.99) or the Half-Slab of St. Louis Ribs dinner ($8.49) for your entrée choice. At the Tusker House, there is a One-Half Rotisserie Chicken dinner ($7.99) or Grilled Salmon Dinner ($7.99) which makes these Vouchers a great value. Plus you get a large beverage ($2.29). A bottle of water is $2.50 and an ice cream treat can be as much as $3.00. So we always get these Vouchers when dining at the Animal Kingdom.
I ordered two of the Rotisserie Chicken Dinners for us as well as two large sodas. Without the Voucher, we would have paid $21.90 alone for these two meals. The Chicken dinner comes with garlic mashed potatoes and some of the best green beans I have ever had. We chose a table in the back and enjoyed the coolness and quietness of dining so early. By the time we were done though, the seating area had become quite crowded. Bob finished way before me and headed off to the smoking area – naturally. I finished up and waited for Bob to return and then I went to wash my hands. While I was gone, an African Chief walked through the seating area and Bob caught him on the digital. We headed outside and caught up with the Chief and asked the Cast Member with the Chief take our photo with him.
We headed over to the Safari area and made our way through the Fast Pass line to the point where the standby line and the Fast Pass line merged into one. There was a family with three young kids in front of us. While walking down the ramp to the loading area, I couldn't help but notice a woman who was wearing a very revealing top that was practically cut down to her navel. She was walking with an older woman – perhaps her mother – and two young kids. It was pretty obvious that she was very proud of what she had and made no bones about showing it (them) to everyone. I couldn't help myself. I said to the woman in front of me – "There is no way those things are real." She laughed and agreed and said that she knew hers didn't look that way after having her first two kids. I guess if I had spent that much money on a little "home improvement" I'd show them to everyone, too. LOL!
I love the Safari ride even with the somewhat lame storyline. It's just fun to see the animals. There was a guy in front of me with his father who really got into the Safari. I almost believe he thought it was the real thing. He was really interested in seeing some leopards and asked our driver about them. We got to see the two young elephants. We didn't get to see the lions. Bob did get a little frustrated with using the camera because by the time the camera was ready to take a picture, he had already missed the shot. I told him to relax and just enjoy all the animals.
Once we exited the Safari, Bob was ready for – another smoke break. He told me the smoking area was on the other side of the Dawa Bar and so he headed over there. I headed towards the Bar and thought I deserved a "fruity" drink of some sort. There were several folks in front of me and only one guy working the bar. Just like at Epcot, you could only order as many drinks as there were people in line with you. There was a family from the UK and they were trying to order one more beer than what they had in line and the bartender (Byron) wanted to know who the extra beer was for and the young man said it was for his father and Byron said he needed to see the father. The man pointed across the seating area and asked if Byron saw that really old guy over there, that was his father. He yelled at his father to wave and the guy did. The father came up to get his beer and of course I had to tell him that his son called him really old. We all laughed and he gave his son a short playful smack to the back of the head and said, "See if I ask you to come with us next time." LOL! When it was my turn to order, I asked Byron what was a good choice. He asked me if I was going to give him free reign to pick a drink for me. And I told him yes. Surprise me – but make sure that I can't taste the alcohol. LOL! Byron made me a Peach Breeze which was very tasty. Bob and I shared the drink while watching some dancers perform between the Dawa bar area and the entrance to the Tusker House.
We made our way along the path out of Africa, stopping to look through the shops along the way. I stopped at the pin cart at the Island Mercantile and found they had the Memorial Day pins out. I also was able to find quite a few other pins that I had thought were already sold out -- the two Mother's Day pins, the Tax Day pin, the April Fool's Day pin among others. I called my friend Lee Ann at the office and asked if she wanted me to pick up the Memorial Day pins for her hubby, Jim, as I knew he liked pins as much as I did. She told me to pick up those two pins as well and start a tab for Jim which I did.
At this point, the heat was really getting to us and we thought we'd head out, but wanted to use the rest of our Meal Plus Vouchers. I thought there was a cart that carried both bottled soda and water and ice cream treats on the way out of the Oasis, but Bob walked over there and said it didn't. So we went back down the path towards Dinoland, but before we got there, I spotted Flick all by himself and so we walked up and had the Cast Member take our photo with Flick. We started back down the path to Dinoland and I spotted a cart with ice cream treats as well as bottles of soda and water. We both choose the Nestle Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich and a bottle of water. We spotted a bench and sat down to enjoy our cool treats. Within a couple of minutes of sitting down, a band came out and put on a show right in front of us. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
By using the Meal Plus Vouchers, we were able to save $7.36 on lunch and snacks at the Animal Kingdom.
We make our way to the front and decide to stop in at Garden Gate Gifts and look at the photos that were taken that morning. I get in line and wait. When it's my turn, I hand over the Photopass card and our photos come up. We decide on one and I ask about getting a sheet with a 5x7 and four wallets. The cost is $19.95. I ask the CM if there is a discount on the photos with an Annual Pass – that I recall seeing something about a 20 percent discount in my latest newsletter. Here's where it gets kind of ugly. She tells me that she has no idea and that I will have to check with the cashier. Now the cashier CM is standing right next to her – why in the world, can she not turn to her right and ask him about the AP discount. So I'm standing there, not sure what to do so I get in line to ask the cashier. There's a couple of other guests in front of me and I'm waiting to ask about the discount. The CM who has brought my photos up on her screen snaps at me – Do you want these photos or not? I need to know so I can wait on the next person. I tell her if I can't get the discount, then no I don't want them but am waiting to find out from the cashier, who, by the way, has now disappeared. She gets all huffy and goes down to ask one of the other CMs who is showing other guests their photos and she shrugs her shoulders to indicate she has no idea if AP holders get a discount and my "special" CM heads off to ask another CM who tells her yes I am entitled to a 20 percent discount. At that point, I tell her that I do in fact want the photo as long as I'm getting the discount. She sends my photo off the screen to be printed in the back. And turns to the next guest in line. A totally different cashier comes in from behind the "secret" door and starts to ring up the folks in front of me in the line. When it is my turn, I tell the cashier that I have an AP – show it to him – and he gives me the 20 percent discount. I'm not sure if what I went through just to save $4 was worth it or not. It sure would be helpful (at least from my perspective) if the Cast Members that are working in a particular location knew about the discounts offered to the guests at that location.
We head out of the Animal Kingdom and walk back to our car and take the short drive back to the AKL. We head back to the room for showers and a short rest before heading down to the bus stop for the ride over to the Magic Kingdom.
Our wait is maybe 10 minutes and before we know it, we are at the Magic Kingdom and making our way towards the security entrance. We make it through the entrance and Bob wants to take a photo of the giant Mickey flower bed. I take a photo for a family with their camera and they reciprocate and take our photo with ours. It is an Extra Magic Hour evening at the Magic Kingdom so we stop and pick up our wrist bands across from the stroller rental counter. We both have to show our resort IDs.
We walk down Main Street and I make a point to stop in the Main Street Cinema because like some others on the list, I had the voucher for a free Pal Mickey pin. I work for attorneys and they know how much I enjoy going to WDW on vacation that they always gift me with Disney Dollars for my birthday, Christmas and Administrative Professional's Day. Even though I had already purchased the original Pal Mickey, I had planned to use some of my Disney Dollars to purchase the new version. Well, Pixie Dust was in order for me because I was given the Pal Mickey Pin and the AP Holders Pal Mickey t-shirt without even having to purchase a new Pal Mickey. I told the CM that I already had a Pal Mickey but did want to get the pin and t-shirt if I could. I did tell her that I was planning on buying one in order to receive the two "gifts." She called a manager over and he told her to just give them to me. He took my voucher and checked my AP and gave both the items to me. I said thanks and walked out.
We stopped and looked in the shops along the way and made our way over to Liberty Square. We had a Priority Seating (PS) for 8:35 at the Liberty Tree Tavern. We were about 40 minutes early, but the CM checked us in and handed me a beeper and told us to go inside and wait. We found a place to sit down which was very difficult as the waiting area was very crowded. We waited and waited and waited. We saw several groups that came in after us being called and seated – large groups even. I checked and was told 10 more minutes on two separate occasions. We were a party of two and as I later came to find out, there are very few parties of two that come to dine at the Liberty Tree Tavern. Also, it doesn't pay to be early for a PS – at least it sure didn't for us as we were not called to be seated until nearly 8:45. We were seated at a very small table for two against the wall. We were seated for nearly 15 minutes before we were even approached by our server who said he would be right with us. At that point, we probably should have gotten up and walked out. After five more minutes, Raymond came to take our drink orders. He did tell us that he was having problems with the computer which, in my opinion, was not a good enough excuse to let us sit at our table for so long without even coming by to greet us or have someone else greet us. He finally came back with our drinks and then told us he would be back with our salad. The character dinner at LTT is the same for everyone. Why he didn't bring the salad with our drinks is really strange because all he did was make more work for himself. I saw the other servers bring salad with the other guests' beverages. The salad dressing was quite tasty and the rolls with honey butter were very good. Spectromagic was starting at 9:00 and had made its way outside the LTT around 9:15 and I could make out some of the floats through the "hand-made" panes of glass in the windows. Our table was so small that when Raymond brought out our "platter" of turkey and ham and beef, Bob and I each had nearly one-third of our plates hanging off the edge of the table. It is truly a miracle that we did not end up with them on our laps. I have to say that the Mashed Potatoes was the best part of this meal besides the rolls. The beef was horribly dry and the ham was less than desirable. The turkey was okay, but not what I had imagined. It was more of a turkey roll turkey breast. After having the great green beans at the Tusker House, these were barely edible. I have to say that Raymond was one of the worst servers I have ever encountered at WDW. I could have probably died of thirst before he finally brought me a refill on my Diet Coke. When he finally returned to clear away our main dish plates and bowls, he told us that the cobbler for that night was Cherry. I knew that Bob does not like Cherry Cobbler and was surprised when he actually had some. He didn't have very much of it, but did try a little. Raymond finally brought our check to us at 10:00 and not only was I disappointed in our meal, the service we had received and the horrible table we had been seated at, I had to miss the beginning of Wishes and Bob was really upset at that point. If nothing else, I have learned to tell all the servers that we have dealt with that I have a Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card from the very beginning so we don't have to deal with a receipt being run twice. We were able to use the DDE card at the LTT and did receive a discount of $10.05 on our meals.
Throughout our meal, we were visited by Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale, and Minnie. Some of the characters came by more than once. We took photos of each other with the characters. After we were seated, there were two other couples seated in our area and neither one of these couples had to deal with being seated at such a small table. I honestly doubt that I will ever be able to get Bob to dine her again. If I were to dine here again, I would have to make a PS for a party of at least 3 and I hate to lie about my party size, but it was truly ridiculous that we were seated at such a small table and had to wait so long for a table for two.
We did get to see the last few minutes of Wishes but it wasn't from a spot in front of the Castle which is my viewing area of choice. Bob knows how much I love this show because I play the CD nearly every evening while cooking dinner. I tried to brush it off when he told me that he was upset that we didn't get to see the show by telling him that I had seen it several times before and I'm sure I'll have another opportunity to see it again in the future. But it was a little upsetting as I thought I had made a PS early enough that we could have a nice dinner and still be able to enjoy Wishes from in front of the Castle.
I have to mention that the weather this evening night was pretty cool for that time of the year. It was so cool that I was debating about buying a sweatshirt or even a jacket because I was chilly.
We browsed through a few shops and made our way over to the Haunted Mansion. I just prefer the HM in the evening. It just gives it an even "spookier" feeling in the evening.
We decided to forego the EMH and headed back to the bus stop for the ride back to AKL.
After a little late-night television viewing, we fell asleep.
TOTAL Spent on Food -- $70.85.

We have an 8:10 a.m. PS for Spoodles at the Boardwalk for breakfast. We are running a little behind and Bob has to stop at the Hess gas station near the Boardwalk for cigarettes. Once that is accomplished, we head over to the guard shack and with a quick glance at our parking permit from AKL, we are waved through. We park in the self-parking lot and walk through the lobby to the "Boardwalk."
When we arrive at the restaurant, I let the two hostesses know that we have a PS and are a little late – like 30 minutes. They tell us no problem and that they had noticed that one of their PS's had not shown up yet. The hostess shows us to our table and we are promptly greeted by Josh our server. Bob orders coffee and I decide to order a small glass of grape juice and a Diet Coke. I had read about the breakfast platter they serve at Spoodles and that was our main reason for dining here. I had never eaten at Spoodles and wasn't sure if Bob would appreciate the dinner menu and felt he could "tolerate" the breakfast menu a little easier.
We both ordered the breakfast platter which consisted of All You Can Eat scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, french toast, bacon, sausage and breakfast breads for $11.99. We were give two pastries to start out with – a cinnamon roll and Bob received a cheese Danish and I had an apple & cherry Danish. We weren't offered any choice, they were just brought out. Then we were brought out plates with the scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage and French toast. It was an all you can eat platter, but we were stuffed and did not ask for seconds on anything. We were able to use the DDE card and saved $6.33 on our meals.
This was a pre-plated meal and not served family style like some other places.
We had not ridden Soari