Eight is Enough - A July 2014 TR with cousins, club level and more Updated 3/29 DHS and Frozen Fun About This Page:

[jackid2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jackid2
Sounds like a great day so far. We are always go go go when we get to Disney. Can't wait to hear about Boma, we have a ressie in Jan.

It was nice to just hang out at the resort. Is this your first time at Boma? Is it for dinner or breakfast?


Yes, this will be our first time at Boma and my husband wants to go for dinner.
Sorry it wasn't the best, I hate when you go to place because you love it and then its off. We've had that happen before. Glad to hear they gave you a discount too bad it was after the fact.

[SharonK0527]

So sorry you didn't enjoy your dinner at Boma. It's always been one of our favorites but I understand it's not for everyone. I'm really glad you emailed Guest Services and that they took care of half of your bill!! I would have been very upset too if I had been told not once, but TWICE, that I could use a discount and then the time comes and they say No. Good for you for not settling for that!

Can't wait to hear more!

[lissybri]

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

The shuttle was a white van - it would pick up at the front entrance of the Resort.

At Kidani we ate at Sanaa - one night Scott took shuttle over to Jambo and brought food back from the Mara. I was walking around resort quite a bit - so you may have seen me! Sunday the 6th, we spent quite a bit of time in the resort (there was a lot of rain that day) and Em & I went to Community Hall to paint pottery Or you could have seen us on a bus?

Oh, I did see the shuttle then. I just didn't know it was the shuttle. Let me look at my notes and see when I was at Community Hall. That's probably where I saw you. Do you know when you were there?

Originally Posted by Jambo

So sorry the Boma dinner was a disappointment. Honestly, I love eating there, but I am not a fan of zebra domes. I'm pleased you spoke up and received a refund on the meal. Way to go!

Glad you enjoy Boma. I know it is a favorite for many. I wish we would've liked it.

[lissybri]

Originally Posted by Happymommy

Loving your trip.report! Sorry you didn't like Boma. It is one of my faves but my husband and sons don't love it either. Glad you got your phone!!!

Thank you. Glad you like Boma.

Originally Posted by Cam22

So sorry you all were disappointed by dinner at Boma. We've had one time similar to yours where all the food seemed off. And it took us awhile to go back, but it has been good since then. I can totally relate to how tired you were by the end of this first day.

Maybe we will try Boma again some day, but not any time soon. I was exhausted.

Originally Posted by MayraLR

Sorry you were disappointed with your meal at Boma. I wanted to try it for dinner but we never got around to it. We loved The Mara though.

As for DDP, I pretty sure that on our next trip I'll use it. We saved money without it but that was because we limited ourselves. We only had 7 TS meals (we were there for 12 days), we hardly ever had dessert, not that many snacks, we didn't buy the refillable mugs. If you think about it, if we had eaten as though we had the DDP I think we would've break even. I like the DDP because everything is prepaid. Next time I go, I'll have all Disney "adults" and I must add those boys EAT. Their stomachs are bottomless pits.

I feel the same about the DDP. Yes, we saved money, but I was hungry most of the time. I just really like the convenience of it. Aidan doesn't eat very much, but Jared is a bottomless pit.

Originally Posted by xwewhisper

So glad you were able to get a resolution about boma but how awful to have to deal with that! Sorry you didn't enjoy the main dishes there

It's ok. Thanks.

Originally Posted by mousestruck

So sorry you had a bad Boma experience. That is one of our favorites... we've probably eaten there a dozen times and never had a bad meal. At least you got a nice refund. It pays to speak up... Disney really does try to make things right. Hope you have an amazing first day in the parks!

I've never spoken up before if we've had a bad experience, but I didn't think it was fair. Glad you like Boma.

Originally Posted by mcc0313

Sorry dinner was not up to par at Boma. We have had some wonderful dinners there, one year there were a few things that just were not up to par, thankfully there were other things we enjoyed.

We actually cancelled our dinner there for our upcoming trip when we changed some of our plans but are going for breakfast (which we have never tried there).

Glad that you emailed Guest Relations and that they took care of a refund for you.

I would have been exhausted by the end of the evening you had a long day. I am sure a good nights rest will feel wonderful.

I love Boma breakfast. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

Sorry that dinner was such a disappointment - and then to have the discount issue on top it Glad that Guest Relations was able to refund the discount for you.

Thanks. All was good in the end.

[nursemom]

Just joining in. Looks like an exhausting first day! Looking forward to your next installment.

[Soarin829]

Hello! Just joining in

I feel pretty identical to you on Boma. I've been for dinner. It was fine. The desserts were, without a doubt, my favorite part. But my husband and I just went for breakfast for the first time our last trip and we LOVED that! Mmmm... returning for breakfast on our trip in October!

[mommapants]

what a shame that you were disappointed with Boma - for the second time. and having the hassel of the discount on top of that. Glad in the end you got a refund but it just makes for a rough start to the trip

[phiedragon]

Looks like you guys had a pretty good arrival day and a fun day at the resort. Hopefully your future meals will be better than Boma.

[lissybri]

Originally Posted by disneydreamer33

Sorry you didn't like your dinner at Boma. Maybe it was just an off night! Glad you were able to get a refund. I would not have been happy either to be told by two different people that, yes, I could use the discount on July 4 and then be told after the fact that I couldn't!

Thanks. I'm really happy with the way they handled it.

Originally Posted by DawnK

I am sorry you didn't enjoy Boma...it is our favorite.

UGH...the 2 conditioners? Katie did that last time we were there, too! David kept hiding all the shampoos and he had to keep asking for more

I didn't realized it until I was in the shower either. Glad you love Boma.

Originally Posted by lindawdw

Just got caught up! So sorry about the whole experience with your cell phone and the family behind you on the line for the airport shuttle. I probably would have been flustered and done what you did with the whole phone thing too It sounds like from that point on though everything went smoothly for you! It's always nice when a room is available for you even if it's not specifically where you wanted to be located. We stayed at the AKLV for the first time in February but I didn't know they had such a nice community hall there! I'll have to check it out on a future stay. I'm not sure that I could have hung back and just enjoyed the resort my first day of arrival! Once I get settled into the room I'm so ready to hit the parks. Sorry you didn't have such a great meal at Boma. My DH and I love the look of the restaurant but we have our doubts that we'd actually like that type of food. It's an expensive meal but then to not enjoy it would be so disappointing. I was glad that Disney refunded you for part of the meal though! Looking forward to hearing about your first day in the Parks!

My boys love Community Hall. It's funny because we usually do go to a park on our first day and then I'm exhausted and wish we were at the resort relaxing, Then when we don't go to a park the first day, I always regret it.

Originally Posted by KMB733

Sorry you didn't enjoy your dinner at Boma. You're right though, everything did look good.

It really did look good.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Glad you made it to the resort (with your cell phone)! Sorry Noma didn't impress. Glad you were able to get the discount! More please!

Thanks Marnie.

Originally Posted by chezp

Sorry the meal at Boma wasn't great, but you're certainly taking your time to enjoy Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Yes, we really love AKL.

Originally Posted by TheAyers

Sorry you did not enjoy you Boma dinner, but I am glad you were able to get a refund

I've packed 2 conditioners before as well and to make matters worse, I didn't even realize until I tried to wash my hair while in the shower! LOL. I just laughed and we ended up going out to the Target to pick some up the next day. Was really funny. Now I make sure that I check everything twice when I pack it.

Can't wait to hear more! We will be staying at Kidani when we visit in October :-)

I hope you love Kidani. Will this be your first time there?

Originally Posted by melduckie

Bummer about Boma, but honestly, your reasons for not preferring it are why I've never tried it! I know some people have had great meals there, but from your review it seems you have confirmed my suspicions.

I guess I should've known better when I know how picky my boys and I are about food.

[lissybri]

Originally Posted by jackid2

Quote:
Originally Posted by jackid2
Sounds like a great day so far. We are always go go go when we get to Disney. Can't wait to hear about Boma, we have a ressie in Jan.

It was nice to just hang out at the resort. Is this your first time at Boma? Is it for dinner or breakfast?


Yes, this will be our first time at Boma and my husband wants to go for dinner.
Sorry it wasn't the best, I hate when you go to place because you love it and then its off. We've had that happen before. Glad to hear they gave you a discount too bad it was after the fact.

We used to be go go go, but have learned to stop and smell the roses a little more. I think after we joined DVC, we realized we will be going back a lot more and therefore don't need to see it all in one trip. Hope you enjoy Boma.

Originally Posted by SharonK0527

So sorry you didn't enjoy your dinner at Boma. It's always been one of our favorites but I understand it's not for everyone. I'm really glad you emailed Guest Services and that they took care of half of your bill!! I would have been very upset too if I had been told not once, but TWICE, that I could use a discount and then the time comes and they say No. Good for you for not settling for that!

Can't wait to hear more!

Thank you.

Originally Posted by nursemom

Just joining in. Looks like an exhausting first day! Looking forward to your next installment.

It was a long first day, but we weren't too exhausted. Next installment coming right up.

Originally Posted by Soarin829

Hello! Just joining in

I feel pretty identical to you on Boma. I've been for dinner. It was fine. The desserts were, without a doubt, my favorite part. But my husband and I just went for breakfast for the first time our last trip and we LOVED that! Mmmm... returning for breakfast on our trip in October!

We will definitely be back for breakfast.

Originally Posted by mommapants

what a shame that you were disappointed with Boma - for the second time. and having the hassel of the discount on top of that. Glad in the end you got a refund but it just makes for a rough start to the trip

Thanks Holly. Is that Diggerland in your sig pic? We've been wanting to take the boys there, but don't really know enough about it to know if they'd enjoy it or not. It looks cool.

Originally Posted by phiedragon

Looks like you guys had a pretty good arrival day and a fun day at the resort. Hopefully your future meals will be better than Boma.

Thank you. We enjoyed most of our meals, while some were not as great. However, the only really bad one for us this time was the Boma dinner.

[lissybri]

For some reason, I thought MK had magic hours this day and was very disappointed when we woke up a little later than planned. My plan was to take advantage of early morning magic hours for the first time ever (we are not morning people except for Aidan), but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen after all.

We got ready as fast as we could and had Pop tarts for breakfast to save some time (I brought them from home). I was worried that we were holding back my sis and her family, but they were also running behind schedule. We headed to the Kidani lobby when we were ready and waited for them there.


heading to the lobby

waiting patiently in the lobby






Before we knew it, we were all reunited and on a bus headed to MK. We were so excited to see New Fantasyland for the first time (my sis and her family had already experienced it).


waiting for the bus




Bus selfie with my niece. I take terrible selfies, lol

Just as we were pulling into the MK bus stop, my oldest niece began to feel very sick. She was sweating, pale, and felt like she was going to pass out. I’m not sure if it was something she ate, the heat, or what it was. We slowly made it to the MK entrance and a nice CM had my niece take a seat in a wheelchair. My sister stayed with her while I went and bought her some Pepto Bismol in the small store at the entrance. That’s when I realized I had made a mistake and there were no morning magic hours that day. I headed back over to join my family and we got to watch the MK opening show. Unfortunately, I couldn't really get any good pictures where we were standing.




proof that we could not get any good pictures where we were standing, lol

By the end of the show, my niece was feeling better and we were ready to head inside the park. My sister’s family breezed right in, but we were not as lucky. We tried using our magic bands for the first time, but they were not working. A CM tried helping us, but when we told her it was our first time using them, she directed us to Guest Services. We made our way over and figured out the problem. For some reason, I thought that scanning our magic bands would activate our annual passes, but that was not the case.

Not to worry though, the CM at Guest Services was able to help us and we were soon ready to start our touring. We asked her about a DASC (Disabled Assistance System Card) since we knew DH might have trouble standing in line with his Spinal Cord Stimulator and other health issues. She told us we needed to go to Guest Services inside the park for that. We decided to try making it through the day without it to see if he’d really need it. We didn’t get it right away, but the standing and waiting proved to be too much for DH and we ended up getting the card later on in the day. That worked out much better for us as he was able to sit down and take breaks while we waited.

Instead, we made our way through the crowds and headed over to Space Mountain.


needs no explanation



We were so bummed when we got to the ride and realized it was closed down for technical difficulties. We weren’t sure if we’d have time to do anything else before our first fastpass selection, but decided to check out the wait for Under the Sea.


on our way to New Fantasyland for the first time

The wait time was posted at 20 minutes and we decided to go for it since we still had about 40 minutes before our first fastpass would expire.

The wait ended up being more like 10 minutes. I was excited that we didn’t have to wait long, but bummed that we didn’t really get to experience the ride queue.











The ride was really cute. I especially loved the music. It really helped to set the mood for our magical, fun-filled day.
















sorry for the blurry picture

It was finally time for our first fastpass selection. We were all so excited because it was a first for all of us.

Up next: Can you guess our first fastpass selection? (I bet you can)

[chezp]

Thank goodness your niece was Ok - that must've been a shock when she suddenly felt like that. I can sympathise with your DH, as I can't stand for long periods of time either with my chronic fatigue. I hope the card helped him out for the rest of your stay.

[KMB733]

Glad your niece was feeling better and you were able to get everything straightened out with your Magic Bands. My dad also has a spinal cord stimulator and I've thought about having him get the DAS card when we go. Good to know to helped your husband.

[lissybri]

This isn't an update per se, but I want to try include how much we spent in Disney (for my own recollection and for anyone who may be interested in budgeting).

Here's what we spent on July 4 once we got to Disney:

Mara (3 meals and 3 refillable mugs) = $95.13

Johari Treasures (store at Kidani) - a pair of goggles for my niece and a pair for Jared = $30.78

Maji Pool Bar - 1 Pina Colava = tip = $10.76

Boma (before our reimbursement) = $164.54

Total = $301.21

[Cam22]

Little scary there with your niece, but thank goodness she felt better soon. Nice start to your MK day with Under the Sea!