Jambo! –Welcome Home: Our first DVC trip. - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
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Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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Day 1 Part 2: DME and AKL -Jambo. Will we have a savannah view?
Since we were at the very back of the plane (2nd to last row), we knew we would be among the last to get off of the plane. We decided to just sit and relax until everyone had de-planed and then we would get up to grab our bags from overhead. Hakuna matata. And do you know what? It couldn’t have been a difference of more than a minute or two doing it this way. No more rushing to de-plane for me! We made our way to the main terminal and then down to the DME area. We were loaded onto a bus right away (which filled rather quickly) and we were off! We had a few stops before AKL. Josh got a real kick out of the old cartoons they were showing on the bus. I got a kick out of the fact that he was getting a kick out of them. Generally he considers himself too big for that stuff but the look on his face was pure joy. He was loving it!
First we stopped at CBR. I’m sort of glad that we did as I had never seen this resort before (not that I got to see much of it from the DME bus). From there we headed to Pop where a CM had a bubble gun blowing bubbles to welcome the guests arriving via DME. I thought that was really fun! She sent a burst of them onto the bus for us just before we left. We did get a glimpse of the new Art of Animation resort as we drove by it on our way to AKL.
We pulled in to Jambo house shortly after 10:00am. This was about the time I had estimated when I had done our on-line check–in. The cast member out front said, “Welcome Home!” and led us into the lobby. I got goose bumps looking at that magnificent lobby and I’ll admit that I was very close to tears.
The CM told us to have a seat while she got our packet and she was back in a minute with the magical words, “Your room is ready!”
We got our room number and we made our way up to the 5th Floor. I was trying really hard not to get my hopes up for a savannah view. As we headed down the hallway, it was pretty clear that our odd numbered room was going to be on the left side of the hallway –the opposite side of the savannah. And alas, the view from our balcony was …..parking lot. However, we loved everything else about our room. The bathroom was very spacious, the kitchen was well equipped and the living room area was perfect for relaxing. It was the perfect size for the three of us. I do wish we had a closet in the bedroom rather than a wardrobe but it wasn’t a big deal.
We unpacked our carry-ons and decided to explore the resort for a bit.
First stop was the Arusha Overlook. We enjoyed watching an ostrich trying to get into the items in the back of the keeper’s pick-up truck!
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From there we stopped at the DVC kiosk in the lobby to get our free gift (a nice Aulani print). I figured our luggage would be delivered around noonish so we headed to the Mara for an early lunch. I had the falafel pita with cous cous, Ted had the chicken Caesar salad and Josh had a burger.
The cous cous was a cold salad and it was delish! I enjoyed the falafel as well but it could have been a little crisper. It was very tasty, however. We had elected to sit outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather. After lunch we stopped at the resort shop for a few items (eggs, milk, half and half, etc.) Back at the room around noon and our luggage was there! We unpacked and Josh decided that he had to try out the Jacuzzi tub! I was hoping he would take a nap. We all relaxed for a bit but once it was clear that no one was going to nap, we headed out for the AK around 2pm.
Up Next: A late afternoon at AK. A boon or a bust?
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I didn't catch your PTR, but I'm happy to be able to follow along on your 1st trip home!
The 6 adults, older teens and a toddler all boarding together is a bit much. We've traveled with our children (who are 1.5 & 4) with 4 other adults (grandparents) before, but the grandparents board separately from us.
Southwest is great for getting their on time or even early! Score that you made it 30 minutes before you were supposed to!
I love all the AKL pictures! We'll be "home" in 28 days!!
Did you read the Disney Food Blog article about someone going and ordering the least ordered menu items? If not, your lunch was one she had.
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