Steve Russo - November 14-20, 2015, Bay Lake Towers and AKL (Jambo House)

November 14-20, 2015
Off-site, Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Lodge

Participants
• Steve – As always, your humble narrator.
• Barb – My faithful traveling companion.

You: Didn’t you just return from a three-week trip to the World in January and a one-week trip in April/May?

Me: Shut up!

Planning

It wasn’t long after completing our May trip that we were “jonesing” for another visit. It happens when Walt Disney World is your prime vacation destination and you have a few DVC points in the bank. By early-July, I began poking around to see what might be do-able in the October-November timeframe. Unfortunately, if we don’t book our “home” DVC resort, the Boardwalk, well in advance we’re at the mercy of what’s available – and that’s typically Saratoga Springs, which is my least favorite DVC resort.

I opened a couple of browser windows and attempted to marry room availability with reasonable airfare sometime during autumn. While we always enjoy the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, that’s not the primary draw for us. However, we didn’t want it too late in the year because we’re traveling down in January with daughter Stephanie and her family. We were mostly striking out when we came up with a Sunday-Friday trip in November. Airfare was actually reasonable (as in $238 pp/round trip) and I could do it splitting the stay between Bay Lake Towers and Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House). I couldn’t get a Savanna view but that’s OK – there are plenty of animal viewing areas at the resort. It would also put us there for the last two days of Food & Wine – again, not a reason for the trip but a nice bonus. I booked the resorts and waitlisted the Boardwalk – likely just dreaming on my part but what the heck.

I would check back periodically (i.e. – almost every day) to see what might be available but other than a day here and there, there was nothing outside of Saratoga Springs that was useful – and I much prefer Bay Lake Towers and Jambo to Saratoga Springs. Eventually, even Saratoga Springs was completely booked. I also periodically checked the price of a rental car. It’s become a real luxury for us because, quite honestly, I actually like Disney’s Magical Express. I’ve come to consider it a part of our vacation.

Anyway, about three weeks prior to leaving I caught a rate on Alamo that was very good. It was an Insider’s rate of $80/week for a mid-sized car with a free upgrade to a standard. That’s $119 after you add in all the ridiculous taxes and fees but still pretty good. This happened to coincide with receiving a voucher for a free room from Marriott so… I quickly checked with Barb, verified I could change our flights without a fee (it was actually $8 cheaper to fly Saturday) and we now had a Saturday – Friday trip. The only thing I enjoy more than planning a trip is changing those plans.

A word here about renting from Alamo, and I include this because it’s happened to me more than once. You should check their rates for your timeframe daily – even multiple times per day. I had been doing that and found the rates to be too high, as in $250/week and higher, until one day… bang, $80! I booked it but kept trying and found that later the same day, and subsequent days, the rates went up and stayed up.

We likely won’t do much on our arrival day. While we may visit Disney World, we’re just planning a check-in, some grocery shopping and a trip to the Disney Outlets. The car will let us get to Bay Lake Towers at the crack of dawn on Sunday and will come in handy for the resort moves, of which we now have (ugh!) two.

I should probably also mention that for the first time ever we’ll be celebrating an event at Walt Disney World - actually two! Barb’s birthday is November 17 and we’ll be celebrating our 43rd wedding anniversary on the 18th. I asked what she wanted to do and we came up with a birthday (late) lunch at Fulton’s Crab House (a place we’ve always wanted to try) and an anniversary dinner at Jiko – The Cooking Place (a favorite of ours that we have no problem repeating).

Day 0

As I mentioned, I check Alamo rates almost daily and today, I rebooked. I changed the term to cover the first three/four days only at a rate of $94 (including taxes and fees). This will still cover our one night off-site, both resort moves and shopping. I set it up to return the car at the Dolphin and we can use Disney’s Magical Express for our return to the airport, so I won’t need to drive us there during Friday’s evening rush hour. I call that a win-win.

Day 1– Saturday, November 14, 2015 – Nothing propinks like propinquity.

We’re up at Stupid-thirty. Actually, at 3:00 and neither of us slept very well. It seems we never sleep much the night before a trip. Some might say that’s due to the excitement but I think it has more to do with the internal clock and knowing we have to be up at the crack of middle-of-the-night.

We make it to the airport at 5:10. I’ve toyed with the idea of parking in the Economy lot for $5/day (versus $12/day in the garage) but neither of us was keen on waiting outside for the shuttle on the return trip. We don’t get in until 11:30 pm and I’m pretty sure we’ll appreciate a quick walk to the garage rather than a late-night shuttle to a peripheral lot.

TSE PRE rocks! I remove nothing and simply drop my backpack on the Security conveyor built and we’re through. We take up seats by the gate and are soon joined by a large French-speaking family who spends 20-minutes taking cell phone photos of each other in various groupings.

As you may know, Southwest flies only 737s and, from Albany, we typically get the -200 or -300 versions, occasionally the -700. Today, we boarded a 737-800, which was obviously newer, longer and sported some very cool interior blue lighting. Even though our Boarding Passes had us at B1 and B2 (meaning we board after Business Select, pre-boards, A15-A60, and families with young children – roughly 600 people in total) we are still able to snag the exit row for two. This plane sports two exit doors per side so it offers an increased number of exit row seats (over the older models).

The flight is mostly uneventful, as I prefer mine to be, and we land early at 9:50. It takes about 10 minutes for our luggage to show (I miss Magical Express here) and we’re off to pick out our rental car. I’m an Alamo Insider and have set up the reservation to bypass the counter. All we need to do is find the row with the size car I reserved, pick one out and drive away (after showing ID and credit card at the exit).

When you reserve a car, the classes include Economy, Compact, Mid-Size, Standard, Full-Size, Luxury, SUV, etc. The reality of the lot shows Compact, Mid-Size and Full-Size. I assume the Standards will be mid-size so we head there, hem and haw for a bit and settle on a blue Elantra. Barb drives an Elantra and I figured it would be familiar and I know I can get our two oversized suitcases in the trunk. We looked the car over for any obvious damage and headed out.

What I learned later was that I should have looked closer. I hadn’t noticed the car had New Jersey plates – in Florida. That implied a certain amount of wear and tear. I learned en route that, unlike Barb’s car, this Elantra didn’t offer Bluetooth capability so we were forced to search for a decent radio station and had no hands-free cell use. Even worse, after our first stop I became aware there was no fob for remote entry. I had to manually, with a key, lock and unlock the doors. The horror! Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever had a rental so devoid of features that are pretty much common in 2015.

So, we’re off. Barb digs out my GPS but, for some reason, it can't get a signal. No satellites. Luckily, we’re staying in the Marriott Village where we spent one-night in January, so I have a pretty good idea of how to get there and we manage to find it with little difficulty. Of course, once in the parking lot the GPS begins to function normally. That long of a delay searching for satellites has only happened to me twice – both times in Florida. I’m not sure what to make of that.

We attempt to check in to the Fairfield Inn but are told our king room is not ready. The desk clerk asks if she can upgrade us to a king suite at the Springhill Suites. Uh… yes, please. Those two hotels, and a Courtyard by Marriott, comprise the Marriott Village and the three are clustered together so it’s a very short walk from one to another.

We unload the car and bring in our luggage, have a quick freshen-up, and are out the door for lunch. It’s only 11:15 but we’ve been up since 3:00 and haven’t eaten yet.

In January, we had dinner at BJs Brewhouse and enjoyed it very much so we decided to head there for lunch. It’s a short walk and we were seated quickly. Barb had a coffee and I indulged in a Hopstream IPA. We each had a combo of a cup of soup (broccoli cheddar) and sandwich (grilled turkey, ham and bacon). It was pub fare but very good.

Feeling a bit better, we drove over to the Character Warehouse and shopped. I was able to find a Walt Disney World t-shirt that I liked for $14.95. Unfortunately, there was little else of interest. By the way, the place was mobbed which I suspect is normal for a Saturday afternoon. It was an adventure (and about 15-minutes) just to find a parking spot.

We then drove to a nearby Publix for some grocery shopping for the week, and then returned to the hotel for a much-needed nap. We heard lots of slamming doors from the hallway, surprising because our room was right off the elevators, between the ice machine room and the guest laundry - not another guest room nearby.

We had talked at length about visiting a park today. Our choice would have been Epcot but, all reports had World Showcase as extremely crowded on the weekends – and this was the last Saturday of the Food and Wine Festival – so we decided to hang out here, have some dinner and call it an early night. Hopefully, we’d be fully rested and ready for a full day tomorrow.

We set out walking the area to find some place for dinner. Our fallback was BJ’s which we like but we’d already had lunch there. We came upon Carrabba’s Brothers Italian Grill. We have one near home but have never been. I have heard some good things about it but, after reviewing the menu, it seemed like any other chain Italian restaurant. We stopped for a bit in the Golf Discount Warehouse but I could find nothing I needed or wanted. We did chat with the owner who told us he’s driving to Glens Falls soon. That’s about 45-50 miles north of us in New York. He wasn’t looking forward to it.

As we neared BJ’s and were almost resigned to dining there, we spied the Bahama Breeze. It looked interesting so we put our name in for a table and headed to the bar. We chatted with the bartender who happened to be from the Bronx. What brought him to Florida? “My mother.”

Barb had a Margarita while I perused the drink menu. It’s no secret that I enjoy the occasional beer and glass of wine but my cocktail tastes are limited to Manhattans (my go to drink) and an occasional Martini or Scotch – oh, and an annual Bloody Mary. I’ve never been big on fru-fru drinks or anything served with a straw or an umbrella. I branched out here and, at the bartender’s suggestion had my first Mojito (a coconut-flavored one to boot). It was OK but I doubt I’ll ever have a second.

Soon we were at a table where we shared a chicken quesadilla appetizer and each had the jerk chicken with mushrooms, asparagus and bow tie pasta. We each ordered the smaller (lunch-sized according to our server) of two versions. It was spicy, very good and more food than either of us could eat. Barb brought back half of hers and I boxed about a third of mine. I can’t imagine what the larger version looked like. I also enjoyed a Fat Tire Amber Ale. It’s a favorite that I can never seem to find in our area. Barb stuck with water here.

Back at the room, we tossed our leftovers into the mini-fridge, watched a little TV and called it an early night. I think we were lights out around 9:45 and likely asleep within minutes.

Things I Think I Think – I think I like the 737-800. I think I like the fact that I get upgraded at just about every Marriott. I think the Marriott Village is a nice, comfortable place to stay – close to Disney World with ample dining within walking distance. I think we’re ready to move on-site tomorrow. As Barb said, “I hate being so close without going to a park.”

Day 2 - Sunday, November 15, 2015 - “Albany? Isn’t that in Canada?”

Yesterday had been about 19 hours long so, somewhat exhausted, we hit the sheets earlier than normal. That led to a fitful sleep and waking earlier than normal. We decided to take advantage and got up early, had our coffee, packed up the few things we unpacked, skipped Marriott’s free breakfast and headed out at 7:00. We made it to Bay Lake Towers at 7:15. When I came through the Security gate, the Cast Member (CM) asked where we were from. When she heard, “Albany” she replied, “Albany? Isn’t that in Canada?” She was from New York City and like a typical New York City resident, she thinks anything north of 155th Street is Canada.

Our room is not ready which, at 7:30, is not a surprise. When I did the on-line check-in, I indicated we’d be arriving at 9:00. We walked over to the Contemporary and the Contempo Caf. I grabbed a blueberry muffin and got in line at the checkout to pay for it and a coffee. You pay for the coffee and the cashier hands you a cup which you can fill yourself at the dispenser. I was behind two women, one older, and an older man – I took them for daughter and parents. They were, evidently, on the dreaded Disney Dining Plan and, as is normal, were involved in a very complex transaction. Amidst comments like, “I can’t get that for a Snacks Credit?” and “Well, how many credits do I have?” the “dad” brought two items back to the counter and I waited patiently for five minutes to pay cash for a muffin and coffee. Have I mentioned that I hate the Dining Plan?

After a very good blueberry muffin and a god-awful tasting coffee we walked to Magic Kingdom. The coffee tasted a lot like the now-deceased Nescafe but came from a dispenser that did brew its coffee. I saw a CM carry away the basket that would likely hold 2-3 pounds of ground coffee.

In case you were wondering, I turned on my phone’s pedometer and clocked .54 miles from the ground floor of the Contemporary to the security area at the Magic Kingdom. That’s just about on par with the Boardwalk lobby to the International Gateway.

There was a big crowd at the Magic Kingdom and Barb had her purse. She refused to leave it in the trunk of the car with my backpack so she needed to go through bag check. Here’s a new Park Peeve: the person in front of Barb comes through the bag check pushing a stroller with multiple bags on the stroller and his body. Once cleared, he moves six inches forward and begins to close and reposition all the bags. This occurs as Barb has been cleared and is now standing behind this guy waiting and ineffectively saying, “Excuse me” until he’s done. Move forward, people!

Our current Annual Passes (APs) will expire on January 4 and, in order to reserve Fastpass+ for our trip in January, we needed to upgrade them. I did that from home and we decided to pick up the physical media while we’re here. Disney recently restructured the Annual Passes and we’ve “upgraded” to the Gold passes. Even with the DVC discount, the increase is substantial but… we now get a few blackout dates (that are not really important to us) and unlimited downloads of PhotoPass photos – something we’ve never taken advantage of and, honestly have little interest in. Nevertheless, if we have it, we’ve paid for it and I’m going to use it. While it technically doesn’t start until January, I’m wondering if it might be available on this trip. We’ll see.

We get our AP upgrades from a young Chinese girl we can barely hear through the glass or understand due to her being a low-talker with a heavy accent and the opening ceremony for the Magic Kingdom taking place just yards away. Even though I came prepared with our Will Call #, all she needed for the transaction was a Magic Band (along with our IDs and a DVC card to verify the discount).

We entered the Magic Kingdom and decided to ride the trolley down Main Street, something I don’t think we’ve done since our first trip in 1984. The very nice woman at Bay Lake Towers had given us each buttons saying “Happy (43rd) Anniversary” and a “Happy Birthday Barbara” for Barb. We dutifully pinned those to our shirts and were now regretting it as we were hearing many happy anniversary and birthday wishes from CMs and guests alike. It was very nice and we always said, “Thank you” but after the first 15-20 times, it starts to get a bit old. We decided we’d ditch them when we got into our room and only wear them on the actual dates.

Our original plans had us flying in today so our advance Fastpasses were for later in the day at Epcot. Taking advantage of being in the Magic Kingdom at opening, we hustled back to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and rode with almost no wait at all. Next up was something we’ve never done before, the Jingle Cruise, which is essentially the Jungle Cruise with a Christmas overlay. Many of the scenes had been modified to incorporate wrapped Christmas gifts, Santa hats, etc. We had a great skipper who delivered all the standard jokes with a bunch of new Christmas-themed humor. I’ve visited before in December but have never seen this before. Is it the first year?

Next, we decide on Pirates of the Caribbean. On the way in, I overhear a guy behind us tell his kids, “Do you remember seeing the movie Pirates of the Caribbean? It's about pirates… uh… in the Caribbean.” Can’t make this stuff up. We actually got a bit wet in Pirates during the battle scene. Some of those cannonballs toss up a pretty good splash.

After Pirates, the Tiki Room was just letting people in so in we go. It’s still fun but doesn’t need to be an every trip thing for us.

We cut through the restroom area into Liberty Square and walked up to Fantasyland to see Mickey’s Philharmagic. I should mention here that I recently subscribed to the Touring Plans web site, which also gives me their Lines app. The app offers real time wait times for all the parks and I wanted to check it out for accuracy. I checked it here and was alerted that Philharmagic was reported as “down” four minutes ago. Thanks for the heads up. We were in front of “it’s a small world” so we went in for a ride. The Lines app said it had a posted wait of 10 minutes, which it did, but indicated we should be on the ride in 4 minutes. I checked my watch and their estimate was right on.

Now with that song etched into my brain, we stopped at Philharmagic and found it had indeed gone down, was still down, and the CMs could offer no estimate of when it might be back up.

I checked the app again and we were off to ride Buzz Lightyear with a 20-minute wait that proved accurate. I won 224k to 19k. Barb always accuses me of knowing where all the high value targets are but, honestly, I don’t. I remember reading something a few years ago but all I can recall now is something about Zurg’s elbow… or is it his shoulder? I do know that the targets on the volcano are good ones to hit.

Next a ride on the People Mover, AKA Wedway. There is not a better place to rest and catch your breath on the planet.

I’ve been stalling here hoping to get the text that our room was ready. It would be a short walk back to Bay Lake Towers to move in our luggage and unpack. It was about 11:30 so we decided the text wasn’t coming so we head to Epcot via the monorail. We shared our car with a young man, wearing headphones, who played a mean air guitar the entire trip. I mean he was really into it – fingers flailing madly across an imaginary guitar’s neck. I had no idea if he was a real guitarist who was simulating the notes for some heavy metal tune or he was just wiggling his fingers really fast while listening to Rainbow Connection. I believe it was the latter but I could be wrong. In either case, his face showed the strain of his work.

Naturally, once we reach Epcot, I get the text for our room, number 7328. Ah, well.

One thing I notice here is that the parking lots are crowded – not full but crowded – and they’re bringing cars up near the entrance to park there on the grass. As a card-carrying member of the Crescent Lake Snobs, I normally use the International Gateway entrance to Epcot so I have no idea if this is normal or is today an exceptionally large crowd?

Bag check is absolutely mobbed and Barb still has her purse so we agree to meet on the other side. We use our Fastpass for Spaceship Earth and then head to the Land pavilion for lunch. At Seasons, we opt for the grab-and-go and I get a tuna sandwich while Barb has a Southwest chicken wrap. Both were good but my tuna sandwich came “unassembled”. If you have to build your own sandwich, they should offer a discount.

We used our second Fastpass for Soarin’ at 1:00, canceled the remaining Fastpass for Mission: Space and left Epcot. On the way out, we decided to pose for the PhotoPass photographer at the entrance. We posed in front of the Food & Wine Festival signage and, after taking several shots, he asked us to pose “cheek to cheek”. We immediately turned away from each other, assumed the twerking position and put our butts together. He laughed and we then assumed the more traditional “cheek-to-cheek” pose for a few shots. When he scanned my MagicBand he was still laughing and said it was the first time he’d seen that. I said, “You’re kidding! I would think you’d get that 20 times a day.”

“Nope. You’re the first.” So we have that going for us… which is nice (Caddyshack reference).

We ride the beams back to the Contemporary and I head to the car to retrieve the backpack while Barb heads to the room and calls for our luggage. We unpack and watch a little football. I check My Disney Experience and see our photos (he didn’t shoot the cheek-to-cheek pose) but they’re still grainy and watermarked. Apparently, our Golden APs won’t kick in until January. (Note: A few days later, the photos were clear, no watermarks and I was able to download and share them.)

A word here about our studio at Bay Lake Towers. We had one night here on our last trip but the two nights here should give us a better flavor. I like the room a lot and its layout is quite dissimilar to other DVC studios. It makes different, maybe better, use of the available space. As you enter the room from the hallway, the bathroom (with a sliding entrance door) and kitchenette (galley style) are in separate rooms on your left. Across are the adjoining room door (located to the hallway side to minimize noise from the adjacent room) and closet. When the closet doors are open, they intrude into the hallway. Toward the back is the bedroom area with a queen-size bed, queen-size sofa bed, table and two chairs and a dresser (with six large drawers) and TV. The balcony is a bit larger in depth than those at the Boardwalk or Beach Club, and sports a small table and two chairs. Our standard view provided the Contemporary to the left and the Magic Kingdom to the right (Space Mountain and Cinderella’s Castle were in clear sight). The monorail beams were directly in front of us. A spectacular view and, what I learned, was the park view rooms are considered Standard View (fewer points needed) on floors 1-3 (we were on 3) and Preferred View (more points needed) on floors 4-15.

We used the microwave and warmed up the leftover jerk chicken and pasta. One of my many quirks is that I like to stop the microwave with one second to go. It makes me feel like a bomb defusal expert. Anyway, the chicken was just as good as last night but at least for me, was not quite filling enough to constitute “dinner”.

We headed off to the Magic Kingdom. I brought my camera and took a bunch of photos of the Christmas decorations now up on Main Street. We also went up to the train station, which was closed for refurbishment, for some additional photos.

Our primary goal tonight was to view and photograph the Frozen Holiday Wish – a stage show with the Frozen characters that culminates with the lighting of the castle’s “ice lights”. That was to take place at 6:15 so we walked up Main Street scouting for a spot and tried the new areas in the hub that are designated for Fastpass viewing of Wishes. They were fine but offered views that would have some minor obstructions like lampposts. We moved further up and blended into a large crowd by the Partners statue.

Naturally, with about 5 minutes to go, the last-minute crowd came snaking through. I told Barb to watch for it and it was almost comical: the instant the show started, you could see children being hoisted onto shoulders across the entire crowd. My complaint is that this creates an 8’ “person” to see over. If parents would just hold the child on their hip, the child’s head would be level with the parents offering a fine view and not obstructing those behind - but that never happens.

The woman on my right used the show starting as a cue to move closer and slightly in front of me. She was so close I felt her hair on my arm and couldn’t lift my elbow to take a photograph without hitting her. I just looked at her and said, “Seriously?” She moved on, snaking through the crowd further toward the front.

The show had a few funny moments with Olaf but was really just a way to build suspense for the lighting… which was spectacular. I took photos using the camera as well as my cellphone (our kids had requested photos and, without the laptop, I had no easy way to get them to the phone or tablet for texting so…).

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party would be starting at 7:00 so we waddled out with the others who felt that $74 for a ticket to the Party was a rip-off.

We were looking forward to viewing the Party’s fireworks (including the 360-degree barrage) from our balcony. Fellow-RADPer Caren Bachman commented on Facebook that she once had a view similar to ours and suggested better viewing at the Top of the World lounge. While I think we’d be able to see them fine from the balcony, I’m always willing to defer to the voice of experience.

Today was NFL Sunday and the Giants were up 20-17 on the Patriots late in the game. We went to our room to catch the closing minutes and saw the Pats luck out again and win by a point on a last second Field Goal. Brady should have been picked with two minutes to go but the defender dropped it and that’s why they’re the Patriots.

After the game, we used the stairs to go down to the lobby, checked in and were escorted, with another couple, to an elevator that would take us to the 16th floor and the Top of World lounge. We quickly grabbed the last remaining window table. Barb ordered an Amaretto and I had a Manhattan. We ordered the Beef Tenderloin sliders to share and by “share” I mean I ate both of them. They’re very good but are difficult to eat – they’re small but come with very thick bread. At 9:30 we went outside and grabbed a spot by the railing and the fireworks were really spectacular. You lose the symmetry that you would have viewing them from in front of the castle but it’s still impressive – especially when they’re fired from the perimeter of the park.

Not patient enough to join the long line for the elevator, we walked down the 13 flights of stairs to our room and turned in for the night.

Things I Think I Think – I think I like the Bay Lake Towers rooms but there are a few shortcomings – bathroom shelf space and an overall claustrophobic feel. I think I really like the view and proximity to the Magic Kingdom. I think I also like the Top of the World lounge. I think the coffee at Contempo Caf is awful and reminiscent of Nescrappe. I think people who get the Dining Plan should take a minute to understand what they purchased. I think I’m getting older and more curmudgeon-ly but the antics I continually see at parades, shows and fireworks are becoming more and more upsetting. I need to “just live with it” as Barb says. I think the Castle lighting and the Christmas Party fireworks are both spectacular and well worth seeing. I think it’s nice to be on-site.

Day 3 – Monday, November 16, 2015 - The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

I’m awake at 2:58 and finish writing these notes at 4:12. I then went back to bed and slept until 6:00. One thing I learned, the hard way, is that the shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room – and it works very well.

I’m not sure why but I’m not sleeping well on this trip. Barb always says it’s because I worry about things but…. hey, worrying works! Most of the things I worry about never happen so…

Barb complained that the shower spray was too strong for her and actually hurt. It took me all of three seconds to spot the lever that controlled the water flow. Women!

Today we were again off to the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hour mornings. We haven’t visited an early morning park in some time but we’re trying to take advantage of the Bay Lake Towers’ proximity to the Magic Kingdom.

It was crowded and we walked immediately back to Fantasyland to try for a ride on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The wait was 50 minutes at 8:15 am... what?

We instead saw Mickeys Philharmagic and then headed off to the Haunted Mansion. The stretching room didn't stretch which was very weird considering the Ghost Host was asking, “Is this room really stretching?” Uh… no, it’s not.

We rode standby on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with a 5-minute wait. It was now 9:15 so we shopped for a bit in the Briar Patch and then used our Fastpass for another ride on Big Thunder at 9:45 (they let us board at 9:40).

By the way… a word on the weather. It had been hot and humid here for weeks but the advance forecast for this week had been beautiful: less humid with highs 78-81 and lows in the 60s. Apparently, that went out the window because since we arrived, it’s gotten hotter and more humid each day. Today we’re looking for mid-80s and humidity of 80%. It’s getting uncomfortable by 9:00 am.

We shopped our way down Main Street then once again rode the monorail to Epcot. At the Transportation and Ticket Center, the monorail arrived from Epcot and we boarded a car where a family of five or six remained on board. I thought it odd they were going to ride back to Epcot when one of them overheard a comment and asked, “Is this going back to Epcot?” Uh, yes? They exited in a hurry. I’m guessing they didn’t know you had to transfer at the TTC, although the on board announcements are pretty clear.

Soarin’ standby is listed at 105 minutes so we’re not going near it. We were on a mission to get some Nemo stuff for grandson Jack so we went to the shop at the exit of Nemo and friends. Nemo must be a pass character because he seems to be non-existant anywhere on property except here. We did find a plush and a set of bath toys so we needed to check with daughter Michelle to see which one she wanted us to get for her to use as a Christmas gift for Jack. I have no idea if that sentence makes any sense but I’m moving on anyway.

We walked back to World Showcase for our first look at the Food and Wine Festival – on the Festival’s last day. It’s only about 10:50 when we reach Canada with the intent of getting the filet but there was already a huge line – maybe 25 people – and the Festival wasn’t even officially open yet.

We passed on that line and headed to the Rose and Crown for a beer and fish and chips. Unfortunately, they don’t open until 11:30 (really?) and we were shooed out so we waited outside at the door, with 6 or 7 others. I want to ask why, with the Food & Wine festival going on, will people queue up and wait at the Rose and Crown? I would have asked that except I was one of those people so I guess it’s perfectly fine.

Just around 11:30, someone spied guests inside (Dammit! They came in the other door while we weren’t watching) so in we went. I took up a spot at the bar and ordered a Half and Half for me, Carl’s Combo for Barb and fish and chips – and was told the kitchen doesn’t open until 11:45. Sheesh! The bartender asked if I wanted to leave a tab open but I said I would return.

Barb had grabbed a table so I brought our beers there and we sipped and watched as the bar grew to four-deep. I don’t think I’m heading back there for fish and chips.

Soon, another couple asked if they could share our table. We enjoyed a nice chat and found they had homes in Maine (on a lake in the western mountains near New Hampshire) and Bradenton and they were also members of the Marriott Vacation Club. They were staying at the Fairfield Inn where we were supposed to stay the other night. I also noticed the Passholder add-on on their MagicBands.

We heard some screams and commotion from the bar and found there was a gecko (I think it’s actually called an anole but, you know, one of those little lizards that seem ubiquitous at Disney World) on the floor by the bar. One guy was laughing, bent over and trying to encourage the lizard to move away. He looked up at me still smiling and I said, “He can get you 15% off on your car insurance.” The smile faded and turned to a look of confusion and soon changed to bewilderment. I fear the younger generation has lost its sense of humor.

We said our goodbyes to our new friends and headed out, deciding on the Big River Grill and Brewing Works for lunch. We each had the cheeseburger, reinforcing my claim that this is the best burger on property. When we go out, Barb will almost never finish a complete sandwich – burger or otherwise. She finished her burger today.

Why is it that here, when I mention I have the Tables in Wonderland card, they don’t need to see it? Our server actually said, “I trust you.” In other spots (e.g. – the Belle Vue Room) they need to call a manager to approve it, take fingerprints and conduct a body cavity search. I don’t get it.

We shopped a bit at the Boardwalk, still buying nothing and then caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom. I noticed that the Boardwalk and Contemporary have joined Kidani Village in sporting those bus stop monitors that list the ETAs of all incoming buses. It’s a really nice and welcome touch.

We walked to Bay Lake Towers and took a brief respite in the room.

We were out again at 4:15 and heading to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We walked with another couple to the Contemporary’s bus stops where I see the bus display but see no time listed for the Studios’ bus. Hmmm. The guy who walked over with us had a man bun. I tell you this because I now call him “Man Bun” and our daughter Stephanie recently sent, as a joke, a link to a site that sells Clip-On Man Buns and, when I saw the link, I have to admit my first inclination was to think of man buns as something considerable lower than the head.

Anyway, I see Man Bun walk over to talk to a recently arrived driver and, while I think he may be asking about a Studios’ bus, he’s telling the driver about a fairly large puddle under his bus. It was left by a previous bus and I’m used to seeing puddles of water everywhere here so I thought nothing of it. When the bus drove off, however, I noticed the liquid splashing up was pinkish, which I think is likely brake or transmission fluid. I’m now hoping I don’t hear about a bus accident tonight. I hope that that driver called it in and they were able to quickly identify the bus in question.

The bus finally arrives and it’s a crowded ride to the Studios. We ride Star Tours. The Times app said the actual wait should be 20 minutes but it takes 32 before we’re in the boarding area. There was an announcement of a new scene, from the new “The Force Awakens” film, that would be included in December. Well, it’s here now and, as I later learned, it’s the first scene after the light speed flight on all rides. It is pretty cool and features the new character, BB8, enlisting our help. The new scene also includes a chase with the Millennium Falcon.

Next up was a visit with the Osborne Lights, which, unfortunately, are going dark after this year. There is nothing more impressive than when they first throw the switch and the entire street illuminates in an instant. It’s awesome and will be missed.

We stayed for a few songs and then made our way out and walked to the Boardwalk for dinner at ESPN. We each had water and shared three appetizers for our meal: chili, nachos and dingers (boneless Buffalo wings). It was actually more food than I expected and we didn’t finish it all.

We hung out on the boardwalk for a while watching a show by comedian, Coney Island Chris. He always gets me with his closing bit with the bed of nails and the sledgehammer. I won’t spoil it for anyone but, if you catch his show, stick around for the end.

We then caught a bus to Magic Kingdom and walked to Bay Lake Towers. I stopped in the lobby and paid our bill with Disney Rewards cards we had purchased from Target (5% off with the Red Card). Before processing, the CM asked, “Do you want to know how much you owe?” I looked at him a bit funny and he explained that many people ask not to be told.

Things I Think I Think – I think Big River still has the best burgers on property – maybe (gasp) the best anywhere. I think all bus stops need the “Bus Arrival” monitors. I think I’m sorry to see the Osborne Lights go.

Day 4 – Tuesday, November 17, 2015 – “Rodeo Clown Caught With Gun in Luggage”

It’s Barb’s (coff, coff) -rd birthday. Given the choice of a birthday meal somewhere on property, she chose lunch at Fulton’s Crab House – a place we’ve never before dined… or so we think. I have a recollection of dining there in the early 1990s, with our children. It was after it was known as the Empress Lily and, I think, was then called Portobello’s (which is now next door). Can anyone confirm this or is my memory totally gone? I’m suggesting it became Portobello’s prior to the switch to Fulton’s.

Each morning I read our local paper on-line and today, a headline tells me “Rodeo Clown Caught with Gun in Luggage”. I want desperately to offer a funny comment here but anything I say would pale to that headline.

It’s going to be 85 today with more humidity. We head out early, load the car and head off to our next, and final, resort – the Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House. We drive over and are in a fairly long line to pass through the Security gate. One of the two CMs there, an older guy, wants to be playful and is asking, “What took you kids so long to get here?” I say, “We got here as fast as we could” and he’s continuing with this when he’s quickly cut off by the young girl he’s working with who is cognizant of the line of cars behind us. She did it nicely and with a smile but there was no mistaking her intent.

We pulled up to the front door and, somehow, I thought I was at Kidani. The resorts are very similar but if you’ve been to both (and I have) the differences are apparent. Another senior moment. In any case, the CM there assures me we’re at Jambo and I unload the luggage and send Barb along with it while I park the car.

I catch up with Barb at the front desk as the CM is explaining, with a map, the location of our room. “The room is ready?” I ask excitedly. No such luck.

We head out to the car and drive to the Speedway gas station (formerly Hess) by the Boardwalk and fill the tank. From there it’s a short drive to the Dolphin. Returning the car is simply giving the keys to a Valet. He checks the mileage and hands you a receipt and you’re on your way. Unfortunately, I needed to go inside. When I reserved the car, the total cost including fees and taxes was $94. The estimate given to me at the airport was $119. I was able to straighten that out inside. Apparently, I reserved the car for a noon pickup but actually picked it up at 10:30. That extra hour is $14 plus taxes and fees. However, because I returned it before 10:30, the cost should revert to $94 when I’m billed (it did).

Next was breakfast and we thought about Picabu but they’re still on my “no-fly” list. I like Picabu but I hate that they sneak in a “service charge on all food and beverages”. Come on. If it’s added to everything, just list it as the price. The fact that that notice is hidden on a very busy chalkboard at the entrance just seems sneaky to me.

We instead opt for Fresh for breakfast and enjoy eggs over easy, coffee, sausage and toast. Karen (from Honduras) is our server and she’s noticed Barb’s birthday button so… after breakfast, she brings out a small chocolate dessert and insists that she and I “sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Barbara” – and we do with Karen adding the “cha-cha-cha”s after each line. It was appreciated but, really, does anyone need a mound of chocolate mousse and syrup after breakfast?

We took a little walk around Crescent Lake and wandered through the Yacht and Beach Clubs. Eventually we made our way to the bus stops and caught a bus to Disney Springs. There is a LOT of construction along the way (presumably additional access roads and ramps?) and at Disney Springs. The new parking structure and associated bridges and walkways are impressive. We shopped for a bit, buying souvenirs for our grandsons.

At 12:15, I received a text from Animal Kingdom Lodge stating our room was ready but there was no room number with it. That was confusing so I called the resort and was told our room (#5382) is ready. I’m not sure why the room number wasn’t in the text but stay tuned.

We walked around a bit more, through the old Pleasure Island area and the West End. The construction here is massive. I can no longer recognize the area where the Comedy Warehouse and West End Stage were located. The BET building is gone completely and the Adventurers Club has been stripped down to its steel frame. It appears they’ll reuse the frame for whatever is going in there next. The Comedy Warehouse wasn’t so lucky. It’s gone completely and replaced with a much larger structure, built closer to the walkway, that will house the STK steakhouse.

Fulton's was next. I checked us in and then joined a short line for seating. Our server was Roxanne from the Ukraine. We began with a Riesling for Barb and a Bloody Mary for me. I know I said I only have one annually but I’ll be starting a new year soon so… this one came with a lime and two shrimp and was very spicy and good. For lunch, we each had a Caesar salad – Barb’s with shrimp and mine with chicken.

Similar to breakfast, Roxanne also noticed Barb’s birthday button and, at the end of the meal, she brought out a huge slice of chocolate cake. Thankfully, she spared our fellow diners from my singing (and, potentially, her “cha-cha-chas”). We were both full after the huge salads and had declined dessert but… I’ll digress for a moment. When our son lived in Rhode Island, we visited a small chain restaurant called Gregg’s. Gregg’s was a fine restaurant but had an even better bakery attached. That bakery had many, many wonderful items but they offered a Death by Chocolate cake that was absolutely decadent. It cost $40 and was 10 pounds of moist, chocolate-y goodness laced with little chocolate chips and a creamy chocolate frosting. We tried to always have one handy for holiday meals. I told you all that to say that this slice of chocolate cake from Fulton’s was only a slight notch below the cake from Gregg’s. It also had a touch of raspberry sauce and, even though we were both full, we devoured 2/3 of this very large slice.

More than satisfied, we waddled out to the still confusing Disney Springs bus stops. Our stop was 4A and it was also the stop for Coronado Springs. I learned this because there was a Coronado Springs bus there when we walked up. The bus had been loaded but wasn’t going anywhere because it was due for a driver change – and the new driver hadn’t yet shown up yet. Soon, an Animal Kingdom Lodge bus pulled in behind it. Now we have a bus full of people going to Coronado Springs that can’t leave, a queue full of people waiting to board an Animal Kingdom Lodge bus that can’t pull up to the stop, and a bus load of people from Animal Kingdom Lodge that want to get off the bus and get shopping – but no one can move because a single bus driver is late for work.

Eventually (in 5 minutes), he shows up and endured the stares of potential passengers burning holes in his head while he slowly walks around the bus conducting the driver change inspection. He finally reviews and signs whatever release document is on the clipboard he carries. He then boards and takes a good three minutes adjusting his seat and mirrors. I think the crowd was almost ready to drag him off for a sound beating when he finally put the thing in gear and, ever so slowly, pulled away.

When we reached Animal Kingdom Lodge, we went into the Zahari shop for a bit more shopping. Barb is looking at watches and has found one she likes but isn’t quite ready to pull the trigger. One of the CMs calls her over to the counter and tells her she has a phone call. Barb looks confused but is soon listening to Goofy singing Happy Birthday to her. He sounded only marginally better than I did.

We stop at Bell Services and ask for our luggage to be delivered to the room. We head to our room and discover our MagicBands won’t open the door. I call down to the front desk, explain the problem and I’m put on hold while they do a little research. In the meantime, our luggage shows up and the Bellman lets us into the room. Unfortunately, he brought our two suitcases and my backpack but neglected the two bags we had refrigerated. He sets off to retrieve them and, after 15 minutes on hold, I’m told we’ll need to stop at the front desk to have our PINs reset for the MagicBands to work. “No hurry. Whenever you’re going out.”

Two minutes later, I get a text that tells me our room is ready only this time it lists the room number. Now that’s interesting. I try and, sure enough, my MagicBand will now open our door – but Barb’s still doesn’t work.

Eventually, the rest of the luggage shows and we spend a few minutes unpacking. I’m not in love with the room. We’ve stayed once before at Jambo on DVC points and once more in a regular (cash) hotel room – and thought both were fine. When DVC first came to Animal Kingdom Lodge, they remodeled hotel rooms on the 4th and 5th floors, converting them to DVC studios. Apparently, what was done was to gut the closet to make way for a small kitchenette. Without the closet they placed an armoire into the bedroom, then added the typical DVC Studio furniture: queen bed and sofa sleeper, table, chairs, etc.

The armoire is only about 3’ wide and split in half. The left half has a closet rod but it’s only 18” wide while the right side is used to store the iron, ironing board and a comforter. The large bottom drawers of the dresser have been replaced with a storage well for the Pack ‘n’ Play crib. The result is there is not a lot of storage for clothing. Additionally, we had no clock radio at all. I also think the bathroom is small and the vanity is located in there with the toilet and tub/shower – an inconvenience. It’s also a single vanity with very limited shelf space. Not major stuff but enough minor things that I consider it disappointing. I make the mental note to always stay at Kidani, where I really love the rooms.

The room also has the connecting door in the living area – next to the armoire and directly across from the bed. We could hear children talking in the next room. As a matter of fact, we once heard the entire family on a “conference call” (using the speaker phone) with a relative, attempting to explain the Dining Plan. That was fun.

On the plus side, our Standard view room was located in the crook of the “V” at the very end of Jambo and offered a fine view of the Arusha savanna. We took a beer out to the balcony and spent some time watching cranes, deer, a red river hog and several stork (Storks? Storki?). Later we also saw giraffes, more than a few zebras, ankoli cattle and wildebeests. I’m really not sure why this is a Standard view (or maybe we were upgraded and no one told us?).

At 5:00, we headed to the lobby and explained our MagicBand problem to a very nice woman at Guest Concierge. Apparently, Barb’s MagicBand was still tied to our room at Bay Lake Towers. She had us reset the PIN and that seemed to get everything working. What’s interesting is that I didn’t receive an email with our final bill from Bay Lake Towers nor have I been charged for what I didn’t pay with the Rewards Cards (about $22). Hmmm.

We caught a waiting Epcot bus and were soon in the park and under a sprinkle that seemed to come from a single cloud over Spaceship Earth. We rode Soarin’ using a Fastpass. A family next to us in the pre-show was asking “is this the ride?” This was a bit sad in that it’s our last ride on Soarin’… ever. It will be closed in January and reopen later in 2016 with a new film.

We then went to Nemo’s gift shop and purchased the Nemo plush and bath toys for Jack. For some reason Barb wanted to ride the Nemo and Friends attraction so in we went. That queue has to have the most switchbacks of any queue of any theme park on the planet. I don’t envy the folks negotiating all those turns, in the dark, in scooters.

Next up was Mouse Gear for more “grandson” shopping - looking at Star Wars characters from the new film. Based on the number of items with his image, I’m guessing that BB8 is going to be very popular.
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To World Showcase and China to share potstickers and egg rolls. While here, we decide to forgo Illuminations and head out. Not only are we Crescent Lake Snobs but we’re evidently SPOILED CLSs. We’re so used to just walking back to the resort after fireworks that the thought of a crowded bus ride puts us off. “We’re back at the Beach Club in January – we’ll just see it then.” I could almost slap myself.

It’s a crowded bus stop with three folks waiting with motorized scooters. Only two can ride at one time so the poor third person had to wait for the next bus. Back at the ranch we hit the Victoria Falls Lounge for a Tanqueray and tonic (Barb) and my usual Makers’ Mark Manhattan which was really just Makers’ on the rocks – the bartender barely passed the Vermouth bottle over the glass. There was no room at the bar so we took our drinks at a table. There were two girls at the end of the bar drinking water. They kept leaving the bar, one at a time, for 5-10 minutes. When one returned, the other would go. I had no idea where they were going but Barb suggested they might have paid for one dinner at Boma and were taking turns hitting the buffet.

After the one drink, we called it a night.

Things I Think I Think – I think we’ve heard enough birthday wishes to last a lifetime. That said, it is kind of nice to hear it from CMs and fellow guests. I think I need to stay at Kidani rather than Jambo. I think Fulton’s Crab House was very good and we may try it for dinner next time. I think I like Victoria Falls Lounge. I think those two girls were tying up three bar stools (their two and a single one on the end) while drinking water with only one of them present at any time. I think my level of Crescent Lake Snobbery has gotten out of hand.

Day 5 – Wednesday, November 18, 2015 – “Forty-three years? In a row?”

Today is our 43rd wedding anniversary and it’s Mickey Mouse’s 87th birthday. Coincidence? I think not.

I’m up at 5:45. It’s very quiet and dark here. We’ve heard nothing from the next room at all which is a relief. A quick check from the balcony and I see zebra and giraffe. Nothing beats that first cup of coffee with this view.

We’re out at 8:00 and find a waiting bus for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’ve been extremely lucky with buses this trip – excepting the debacle with the driver change yesterday. We’re allowed in to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 8:30 and held for rope drop at 8:45. A CM using a microphone to direct traffic on Hollywood Boulevard wishes us a Happy Anniversary (yes, we’re wearing the buttons) and says, “I’ll bet that’s the last time you hear that today”. I sense the sarcasm dripping from that comment.

Tower of Terror is a walk on and it’s great as always. We caught airtime at least three times and I swear one of them seemed like 5 seconds. We then walked back to Toy Story Midway Mania for our 9:05 Fastpass. After we boarded and were waiting to go in, the car facing us had a mom and a crying little girl. She wanted no part of the ride and was trying to climb out from under the lap bar while her mom tried desperately to reassure her it would be fine. We were facing them again after the ride and I asked the mom how she had done. The girl was smiling now but her mom indicated it had been “just OK”.

Star Tours was next and we saw the new film again. This is when I realized it must be part of every ride now.

We then walked to the back of the park for the 10:00 showing of the Frozen Singalong. As we neared the theater, a CM asked if we were Cast Members. “Uh, no”. The theater was being used for a CM function. Unbeknownst to us, the Frozen show had moved to the Hyperion Theater (where American Idol had been) in June.

OK, I really like this show. I like the music and the actors playing the Arrendale Historians are top notch. I hear new jokes every time so there’s a degree of ad libbing going on here. The Hyperion seems to offer a bit more room, better sound quality and a lot more snow at the end. There was a girl of about 12 seated next to Barb and she was very excited when Elsa came out for the finale. So much so, I was reminded of the scenes of screaming girls at the Beatles early concerts. She was really into it.

We took one more ride on Star Tours using our Fastpass and then hit Pizza Planet for lunch. I know they’re only frozen pizzas but I think they’re darn good. To me, a Caesar salad and personal pizza is a great lunch. And remember… any pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself. I think you could also apply that logic to any zoo being a petting zoo.

On the way out there was some Streetmosphere. A woman, in 1940s Hollywood garb (evening gown and wide hat) and WAY too much makeup stopped us. She was standing on a box with her name on it… Divine something or other. She was interacting with the crowd and had noticed our Anniversary buttons and started a barrage of questions. “Oh, my god. 43 years? In a row? To the same person? Darling, I was once married for 43 minutes.” There was a guest nearby who was recording the entire exchange.

She then asked me, “Darling, what's the secret to staying together for such a long time?” I thought for a moment and said, “Two DVRs.” Her reply was, “Darling, don't be funnier than me.”

We caught a bus back to Animal Kingdom Lodge. There was a group of two families in front of us at the bus stop. Apparently, they thought they were heading to Animal Kingdom because they were very surprised when we got to Kidani.

We exited at Kidani for taffy and zebra domes and then made the walk back to Jambo. I later ate one of the zebra domes and planned to bring the rest home as a surprise for the family at Thanksgiving. I have a small backpack cooler and I hoped to put the domes in there, still in their plastic case, and pray they’d survive the trip in my luggage. (They didn’t. I wound up with a blob of four domes stuck together. They still tasted good but bore no resemblance to zebra domes.)

It was 88 degrees and humid so we changed to swimsuits and spent some time by the pool. The pool is very nice here but I still prefer the quiet pool at DVC resorts. Here there was the normal African background music playing and over the top of that was the Disney pop tunes the CMs were playing as part of the games and entertainment for kids. It’s just loud and boisterous when I prefer quiet and serene.

After cooling off at the pool, we spent time on our balcony watching some ankoli cattle, wildebeest, and an ostrich. I was fascinated by the ostrich drinking from a trough. He’d bend his neck and stick his beak in the water twice. He’d then stretch his neck to its full length and swallow. Rinse and repeat. He couldn’t be getting more than an ounce or so with each iteration. If I was very thirsty, I couldn’t stand drinking that slowly. Who am I kidding? I couldn’t drink that slowly at any time.

Between the savanna and the hotel, the foliage is dotted with these V-shaped antennae. They’re electrical and designed to keep the animals on the savanna side. I know cranes often get through but today, we had an eland walking around on our side. He’s either figured a way through or he stumbled through and is now too chicken to cross over again.

Here’s another Peeve (Jeez, Steve, another one?)… When you’re on your balcony here, it’s very quiet. So quiet, you feel compelled to speak very low – almost in a whisper. A few rooms away, down to our left, a little girl began yelling at the animals. She was then joined by an adult male, presumably her father, also yelling. As if on cue, several wildebeest and all the cattle rise and start walking away. There are numerous warnings about this but I see it (or hear it) every time I stay here. I just don’t get the motivation. I can understand a small child but… an adult?

I’m checking email when I see a news flash about a monorail accident here with a service vehicle. The monorail was being towed or pushed and it separated and collided with the service vehicle. No injuries but the beam (or entire monorail system?) has been shut down until cleared.

Another story said that, on Tuesday, the All Star Music lobby was evacuated for a bomb threat. While I saw confirmation of the monorail incident, I never saw another word about the bomb threat. I’m wondering if that was real.

We freshened up and headed downstairs for our anniversary dinner at Jiko. Our plan was to stop first at Victoria Falls lounge for a cocktail. Once again, the bar was crowded. There were two open stools but they were separated by a family of four, sitting at the bar and not drinking anything. The two children (ages 8-10), on either end of the parents, were reading the cocktail menus. By now you know that I’m old and a curmudgeon – I readily admit to it. I have entirely too many pet peeves and people taking up bar space for no good reason is near the top of the list. This family was effectively taking up six bar stools when Victoria Falls probably has 12 total. I thought about asking if they could slide over so we could have the two stools together but decided it wasn’t worth it.

In a few minutes, as we were waiting to order, two people on the other end left so we sat there and enjoyed a single drink.

I checked us in at Jiko and we were seated by a very young (maybe teen-aged?) lady from Botswana that had only been here 3 weeks. Erin from Seattle was our server and she was only just OK (Lisa, she was no Nasser). When she suggested a wine, she went right to the top end of the price list, which is usually a red flag for me.

We did order a bottle of Stellenbosch cabernet. They have the coolest wine names here. Last trip we had a Goats Do Roam and this one was Warwick the First Lady. We shared a flatbread appetizer. I ordered the Oak Grilled Filet and Barb had the Harrissa Chicken. Everything was good. Is the filet worth $51? Likely not but, as I mentioned, after the Tables in Wonderland and Target discounts, I’m only paying about $39 for it so it doesn’t seem quite as extravagant.

Once again, we passed on dessert but ordered coffee. Erin insisted we have something for our anniversary and brought a single dessert with our coffee. It was chocolate, had two macaroons and she explained the inside had the consistency of a cannoli. It seemed much thicker than that to me – still good but not something I’d order. We did dig out a few spoonfuls and probably ate about half of it.

After dinner, we spent our time moving around the hotel – from the fire pit in the lobby to the one outdoors, to the savanna viewing area, the rocking chairs on the third level, etc. It’s amazing how much time you can spend at this resort just looking at “stuff”.

Things I Think I Think – I think I alternate between curmudgeon and 13-year old girl. I have my peeves but I really like the Frozen Singalong. I think I really like Jiko but the ever increasing prices have me rethinking it. At some point, it will cease to be “worth it”.

Day 6 – Thursday, November 19, 2015 – It was the best of rides, it was the worst of rides.

We’re out at 8:10. We’re going to Animal Kingdom and we see a huge crowd at the Disney’s Hollywood Studios bus stop. There are no arrival signs here but it looks like a Studios bus hasn’t been here in some time. To make matters worse, when it does arrive, it will stop at Kidani first. If there’s a similar crowd there, many of these people will be disappointed.

In the next few minutes, we see two Epcot buses, two Magic Kingdom buses and one for Disney Springs. Our bus stop is beginning to get crowded as well but a bus for Animal Kingdom is there in about 10 minutes. While boarding, we watched a Studios bus pull in and all but four people were able to board. I did feel sorry for those four but they seemed to be taking it well.

The turnstiles had already been opened when we arrived so we walked back to Kusafari for a Danish, a muffin and coffee. We thought about the Rainforest Caf but neither of us wanted a full breakfast. I had hoped for a breakfast sandwich but Tamu Tamu Refreshments hadn’t opened yet. We took our stuff to an outdoor table by the Tusker house. The African drummers began playing and dancing on the stage in the street so we had a bit of a dinner show… for breakfast.

Now… I left my camera back at the resort. Why? I told myself I have about a billion photos taken on the Safari and I really didn’t need any more. Naturally, this turned out to be the best safari ever… except for one screeching grandmother but I’ll get to her later.

On every prior Safari, when we get to the cheetah area, the comments are usually:

“There’s a cheetah.”
“Where?”
“Back there by the tree.”
“I still don’t see it.”
“Look at the big tree way in the back, then look down and slightly left. See his left ear sticking up?”
“Oh.”

Today we saw four cheetahs actually walking around. There were several mandrills in plain view, two showing their butts. Several hippos actually out of the water, elephants, a bunch of zebra and two lions. Not to mention Tommies, okapis and everything else. I took zero photos. I could have used my phone but, without a wrist strap on it, I was afraid it would fly over the side at the first bump.

Our guide/driver was also one of the best. Very informative and well spoken – I could hear and understand every word. He also had the right amount of humor when talking about the tiny brains of giraffe and ostrich. “The giraffe has excellent sensory abilities. He’s often the first to notice something out of the ordinary. However, with his tiny brain he’s just not sure what to do about it.”

Now for Grandma. She was three rows behind us and sounded like she was a four fingers of Bourbon and two packs of Luckys kind of gal. She was loud and had a very raspy voice and talked continuously. At first, she would just repeat what our driver would say.

Driver: “On your left, you’ll see some elephants.”
Grandma (loudly): “Look! There’s elephants!”

Sometimes, it was like she didn’t hear him at all.

Driver: “Look to your right and you’ll see several Sable Antelope.”
Grandma (loudly): “Look! Deer!”

Then, she was apparently at a loss for words.

Driver: “Up ahead is a black rhino.”
Grandma (loudly): “Hello, Mr. Rhino!”

And then there was this:

Driver: “The okapi is the last living relative of the giraffe.”
Grandma (loudly and very sadly): “Awwwwwww!”

Lady, he didn’t mean that specific okapi was the last… oh, never mind. With apologies to Dickens: It was the best of rides, it was the worst of rides. She didn’t shut up for the entire Safari, despite stink-eye stares from several passengers. OK, maybe it was just me. I told you I was a curmudgeon.

After exiting the Safari, we walked the Pangani Trail and spent a few minutes with the gorillas. After that, we used another Fastpass for the Festival of the Lion King. I always enjoy this show.

We decided to leave and head to Disney Springs to finish our souvenir shopping. I wanted to walk by the old Camp Minnie Mickey to check on the construction of the new Avatar: World of Pandora area. It’s coming along nicely and you can see some very large buildings going up. What caught my eye was a floating mountain suspended by a crane. I know one of the attractions will be a ride through a luminescent forest and the floating mountains are supposedly visible but… how are they going to keep these things floating? They’re huge and I doubt the cranes will be left around to support them

Getting to Disney Springs from a park is a minor challenge. You could bus to Saratoga Springs and walk over (which we’ve done previously) or bus to another resort and transfer. The question becomes which resort? I once did this by taking the first bus to arrive – the Contemporary. That was a mistake. I figure any one that would get us closer to Disney Springs would work. That would include any of the Crescent Lake resorts, Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs.

Coronado Springs was the first to arrive so off we went. We were the only two on the bus and we had a delay at the Coronado Springs stop when the bus in front of us was dealing with a scooter or two. We chatted with the driver and learned he was from Michigan. He lives in a house on a lake (that’s becoming a theme) there for 6 months, then spends 6 months here in a double-wide while he drives a bus for Disney. I have to admit it doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

While waiting, he let us know that the bus queued behind us was for Disney Springs so we had only to exit, wait 30 seconds for his bus to clear, then board the next one.

At Disney Springs, we did the last of the shopping for some Star Wars themed stuff for the grandsons and then hit Ghirardelli for a Russo’s Rule lunch. I still had two $1.00 coupons from the Flower & Garden Festival so I used those for two Hot Fudge Sundaes.

We caught a bus back and I sat opposite a guy that looked to me like he was about to go off. He was with his family and was saddled with several shopping bags. He just had a look that said he was super PO’ed at something. Every so often he’d roll his eyes, shake his head and mutter something under his breath. At this point, I was just hoping he wasn’t armed.

Back at Jambo, we stopped again in Zahari. Barb has been eyeing a watch but, true to her nature, she’s been putting off buying it all week. Today she decides to pull the trigger and, naturally, it’s not in stock. She’s not keen on any of the watches that they do have so off we go. I tell her I’m reasonably certain I can find it on-line and I do. Now here’s a tip… I also searched for it on Amazon and found it (and one for me) for about 40% below the cost from Disney. I purchased both and we decided we will gift them to each other as Christmas presents.

The forecast has rain moving in for tonight and tomorrow morning and, right on schedule, it arrives around 4:00. By 5:30, it’s raining very hard and we decide that we really don’t need to visit a park tonight. We spent some time on the balcony watching the animals who seem not fazed at all by the downpour.

We decided on dinner at the Mara but first I stopped by the front desk to pay the remainder of bill using the Disney Rewards Cards from Target.

After dinner, we spent some time in the lobby looking at all the artifacts. Among the African sculptures, masks and shields we see a half-eaten apple on a coffee table, two partial bottles of water and an empty wine glass. What’s wrong with people?

We grabbed two coffees and sat for a bit by the fire in the lobby. When we finished the coffee we headed out to the viewing balcony and sat for a bit in the rocking chairs. I found and disposed of yet another partially filled water bottle here.

It was still raining hard at 8:45 when we decided on a little TV in the room before turning in.

Things I Think I Think – I think today’s ride on Kilimanjaro Safari was the best I’ve ever had… and also the worst. I think I’m ashamed of my fellow guests for the garbage they leave strewn around such a beautiful lobby.

Day 7 – Friday, November 20, 2015 – Let’s try not to sweat.

Our flight’s not leaving until 9:00 pm so we’re in a bit of a quandary. I would normally plan on spending at least a few hours in a park but today’s forecast is rain early, then hot and humid once it stops. We won’t have a room after 11:00 so there’s really nowhere to freshen up before a flight and I’d just as soon not be out sweating through my clothes all day, then boarding a flight. Can we occupy ourselves for a day at Disney World without leaving air conditioning?

We packed up our bags, scored TSA PRE boarding passes again and checked our luggage with Resort Airline Check-In. I checked my carry-on backpack with Bell Services. We then went outside and caught a bus to Disney Springs. The rain had let up and the sun was starting to show. When we reached Disney Springs, we caught a waiting boat at the Marketplace and rode it to the West End.

We then went to the AMC Theater and bought tickets for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Hey, I told you I was a part-time 13-year old girl. Here’s how this happened. Several years ago, I read a Time magazine article about the Hunger Games trilogy and it mentioned it would be made into a movie. The concept intrigued me but I have no recollection of it being labeled “teen lit”. A while later, I was given the first book to read and I enjoyed it. It was when I visited Barnes and Noble to buy the second two books, and found myself fighting for them with a dozen teenaged girls, that I discovered it was indeed “teen lit”… but I was hooked.

I asked for two tickets and was pleasantly surprised when the clerk said “$11.70.” I was expecting $15 (or more) each because today was the opening day for the film. I was also impressed with the stadium seating and the very comfortable, leather, reclining seats. If we had a theater like this near home, I’d go to the movies more frequently.

We’ve seen the previous three films and we both enjoyed this one and thought it was a good conclusion and stayed mostly true to the book. And we successfully killed almost three hours in comfortable air conditioning.

We walked out to the stops and boarded a bus to the Boardwalk. We exited at the Swan (it’s just quicker) and walked to ESPN for a late lunch. Linda is our server in name only. She’s apparently very busy, and apologetic, because she sends Jillian to take our drink order. She’s still busy because, after delivering our drinks, Jillian also takes our food order. A third server delivers the food and we eat. Linda does show up at the end to handle the check. She’s frazzled and remarks again, on how busy she is.

After our meal, we spent a few minutes on the boardwalk then caught a boat to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. From there it was a bus back to Jambo where I retrieved my backpack from Bell Services and we waited outside for our Magical Express bus. We were entertained while we waited by one of the cultural CMs there. He was from South Africa and all I had to do was ask, “What are the main differences you’ve found living here?” He then regaled us with stories for fifteen minutes until the bus arrived and we had to excuse ourselves.

The bus to the airport needed to make two additional stops so it was a bit slow. It now seems they only stop at the B terminal (they used to make stops at A and B). Honestly, this seems more practical and it’s only a short bit of additional walking for the passengers needing to visit the A airlines.

Our flight left on time and landed early. We had a very funny flight attendant that made numerous funny announcements. I’m guessing they were funny because she was laughing so hard at her own jokes, I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

Our luggage came off quickly, we found our car and were home right around midnight.

Things I Think I Think – I think today was a very relaxed day. I think Linda may be in the wrong line of work. I think we chose to stay away from the parks and were still able to enjoy Disney Word – just a bit differently.

Final Thoughts:
This trip was pieced together on short notice but was still great. I know many folks really dislike resort moves but it seems we’ve done it so many times, it’s not a big deal for us. It does require a little forethought in packing a suitcase, however.

We really like Bay Lake Towers. I think the rooms are great, but only for two people. I think the layout is not ideal for more than that – it would feel a little crowded. It’s great for the easy walk to the Magic Kingdom and for the Top of the World lounge.

I like Jambo House for many reasons but wasn’t thrilled with our villa. I think the studios at Kidani are much nicer.

While we were here for the final few days of the Food and Wine Festival, we really didn’t partake at all. We did get the added benefit of a few of the Christmas activities – the lighting of the castle’s ice lights and the Osborne Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is the last year for those and, while I’m glad we got one more viewing, I’m really hoping Disney can find a way to keep them around.

We also got our last ride on one of our favorite attractions, Soarin’. It will be in refurbishment in January and reopening with a newer technology (digital projection) and a brand new film.

Lastly (and here comes the curmudgeon again), a word about Walt Disney World dining. On each trip, we try to get a reservation at one or two of the World’s “signature” restaurants. We’ve really enjoyed meals at Narcoossee’s, California Grill and Jiko to name a few. That said, the price increases at these places have been incessant and it’s to the point where dinner for two is running $150-$200. I don’t have a real problem with that if it’s for a truly memorable experience. What I’m finding is that I’m just as happy after dining at ‘Ohana, Be Our Guest, Sci-Fi, Big River, etc. and it’s less than half the cost. There… I’ve vented and explained myself but it’s likely I’ll do nothing different in the foreseeable future except bitch some more about the escalating restaurant prices.

Our next trip is schedule for January at the Beach Club with our daughter Stephanie, son-in-law, and two grandsons. This will be their first ever visit and we’re really looking forward to showing them the World.

As always, thanks for reading.

Here are a few photos from the trip: https://picasaweb.google.com/srusso1...JWfmvvDm57e1wE