WIZARDS, REAL AND AMAZING, CHRISTMAS PARTIES AND CANDLELIGHT- PTR - Page 17 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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. December 6th-Day 4. Our Disney adventure begins!!
You guys!!! WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD AGAIN!!!!! AND AT CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN!!!!
Today we are planning on getting up bright and early and taking a cab to Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!!!! This is honestly my favorite resort on the planet and I cannot believe that we are going back!!!!! : love:
Those of you that have been to Disney with me know how much I adore AKL!! Especially at Christmas time!! This will be my 7th stay here and Muffin"s 4th. We spent our first Disney trip with Logan here and I think it formed his Disney affection for life!!
This is the most beautiful, exotic resort that I have ever stayed at. Seriously. We have been lucky enough to stay at many beautiful resorts all over the world but there is no place quite like AKL. Where else can you wake up to see a giraffe walking by your balcony?! That is just mind blowing to think about!!
Not to mention the resort itself is gorgeous!! We have stayed at many of the deluxe resorts over the years but none have been quite as all encompassing as AKL. We the Grand Floridian for its elegance and close proximity to the MK. We the Polynesian for it's incredible South Seas theming, we the Wilderness Lodge for it's amazing lobby complete with rocking chairs. We the Yacht Club for it's easy walk to Epcot and the awesome Stormalong Bay. However!!
In my book, the beauty and peace of AKL, the exotic atmosphere and the amazing restaurants are second to none. Not to mention the Savanna!! The uniqueness of this resort wins hands down for me.
Muffin, on the other hand, prefers the WL. I also love that resort but I just don't think it compares to AKL. Fortunately for me, the WL has been under construction of some form or another for the last three trips we have taken.. While I am more than sure that we will be back there someday, I am happy to say ( and I mean no disrespect) that this year it will not be in the cards.
It has been four years since we last stayed at AKL, so it is long overdue!! I miss the lobby Christmas tree. I miss the decorations. I miss the Zawadi Marketplace and I miss Victoria Falls!! The smells alone wafting up from Boma are incredible! I miss Boma. I miss Jiko. Heck, I even miss the Mara!!. It is time to go back.
For today we plan to visit AK (which happens to be my favorite park). We have fast passes as follows:
We purposefully made them for later in the day as we enjoy just strolling this park and stopping wherever we please. I hope to get lots of animal pictures.
For right now, the park is closing at 7:00 PM which makes our 7:55PM dinner at Boma perfect. After dinner, we plan to go to Victoria Falls for a nightcap and maybe get some night vision goggles and check out the Savanna.
Should Rivers of Light happen to be up and running, we will definitely stay for that and try for a later dinner at Boma. I have a really really good feeling that this may be the case. We shall see.
Either way, we end our first Disney day exactly the way we want to!!
We are there with you on enjoying just walking around in AK to try and take it in We likewise are looking forward to seeing AKL lobby in it's holiday splendor
Just tuning in, Tara. What a fabulous and fortunate planning adventure! In spite of all the hurdles and changes, it sounds like you have an incredible trip ahead. And to pay for so much of it with your cruise winnings is icing on the cake!!!
AKL is our favorite resort, too. We fell in love with it right from the start. As much as we love WL and the Poly, you just can't beat having coffee (or wine) overlooking the savannah. The resort is magnificently themed and offers a relaxing, peaceful oasis away from the park frenzy. I am excited for you and Muffin!
Great plans for your first day at WDW! Love the smell of AKL!
Thanks, Marnie!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeL
We are there with you on enjoying just walking around in AK to try and take it in We likewise are looking forward to seeing AKL lobby in it's holiday splendor
You guys sound like you are pretty laid back with touring, as we are. I sure hope you get to see it!! As you know, the lobby tree is amazing!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mousestruck
Just tuning in, Tara. What a fabulous and fortunate planning adventure! In spite of all the hurdles and changes, it sounds like you have an incredible trip ahead. And to pay for so much of it with your cruise winnings is icing on the cake!!!
AKL is our favorite resort, too. We fell in love with it right from the start. As much as we love WL and the Poly, you just can't beat having coffee (or wine) overlooking the savannah. The resort is magnificently themed and offers a relaxing, peaceful oasis away from the park frenzy. I am excited for you and Muffin!
Can't wait to hear more about your plans!
Aimee!!! Oh my goodness, how are you?! I am so glad to hear that you understand what I mean about AKL!!!
Nice going with the AKL booking! It's also one of my favorite resorts.
Glad you liked my AC story as I enjoyed sharing it, even if a bit long!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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Yay! Arriving at Disney! Can't wait to stay at AKL someday!
It can't be missed and you'd love it, even if for one night, but that is not nearly enough!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I think most mornings, we will either grab breakfast at the Mara or eat it at a park. We aren't big lunch people but we do enjoy a good breakfast in the morning. I also love the routine of filling my mug up and coming back to sit on the balcony and sip coffee while checking out the Savanna.
Today, we plan to start the day at DHS!! We have these Fastpasses scheduled:
Toy Story Mania!
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
We are hoping to get here at park opening and ride TSMM before our FP time and then do it again!! We are not huge DHS fans, so we can usually do what we want to here in one day. That being said, we will so miss The Osborne lights this year. In any case, we will stay as long as we feel like it after our FP's are used up and then head back to AKL for a bit.
The more we go to WDW, the more we are enjoying our resort! We"ve been incorporating more and more resort time into ur plans and it really is nice. We could seriously spend the afternoon animal watching and taking pictures and shoppping at the Zawadi Marketplace.
For our evening plans, we have a 7:40 PM dinner at the Cali Grill. We love this restaurant and have yet to have a bad meal at this wonderful eatery. This is a late dinner for us but we hope to see Wishes from here!! We've done this a few times and the view is wonderful!!
Our plan is to head to MK after dinner. Even if we don't ride anything, we will stroll around and get lots of pictures. If it is super crowded, we will head back to AKL and just enjoy the rest of the night there.
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I am so with you about the Studios... we spent just a couple of hours there on our most recent visit and I agree about the California Grill. I don't know how many times we've eaten there and we've never had a bad meal that I recall.
Hi Tara!!! Yes, I know I've been away from the boards for a while... but I miss them... and all my Passporter friends! So I am happy to be back!
I totally understand what you mean about more resort time. Now that we have so many trips under our belt, we enjoy a much more relaxing pace and spending lots more time at the resort... especially AKL!
Cali Grill is a fantastic choice! We've only been there once with our family, but it was awesome. The food is delicious and the views are magical! Definitely stretch your meal to see Wishes!
Sounds like a great plan for the day! And it's making me very homesick to be back there!
You should come!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I am so with you about the Studios... we spent just a couple of hours there on our most recent visit and I agree about the California Grill. I don't know how many times we've eaten there and we've never had a bad meal that I recall.
We do love TSMM, but I honestly could ride that all day and be happy. I am so hoping that the Star Wars land will add some magic. As for the Cali Grill, we can't wait to eat there again!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mousestruck
Hi Tara!!! Yes, I know I've been away from the boards for a while... but I miss them... and all my Passporter friends! So I am happy to be back!
I totally understand what you mean about more resort time. Now that we have so many trips under our belt, we enjoy a much more relaxing pace and spending lots more time at the resort... especially AKL!
Cali Grill is a fantastic choice! We've only been there once with our family, but it was awesome. The food is delicious and the views are magical! Definitely stretch your meal to see Wishes!
Thanks, Aimee!! . I come and go here, too but that's what's great about these boards!!
About This Page: 
. While I am more than sure that we will be back there someday, I am happy to say ( and I mean no disrespect) that this year it will not be in the cards.
. It is time to go back.
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Aimee
I sure hope you get to see it!! As you know, the lobby tree is amazing!! 
It's also one of my favorite resorts.
In any case, we will stay as long as we feel like it after our FP's are used up and then head back to AKL for a bit.
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