Arnold van Beverhoudt, Jr. -- December 2015 -- Animal Kingdom Lodge
Travel Dates: December 26 to 31, 2015
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village
Accommodations: Two Bedroom Villa
Ages Represented: 5th Grader through Senior Citizens
WDW Experience: Veteran (annual visits since 2003)
Comments: A Surprise Christmas Week Visit
Cast of Characters:
Arnold, 65 (trip reporter) -- 19 WDW trips since 1973 and 1 Disneyland trip in 1985
Helena, 66 (wife) -- 18 WDW trips since 1982 and 2 Disneyland trips in 1972 and 1985
Selene, 38 (daughter) -- 13 WDW trips since 1982 and 1 Disneyland trip in 1985
John, 46 (son-in-law) -- 9 WDW trips since 2001
Jaidyn, 10 (granddaughter) -- 7 WDW trips since 2006
Advance Planning:
For the first year since 2003, in 2014 Helena and I had to forgo a visit to Walt Disney World, because of stretched finances that were caused by a combination of unexpected home maintenance expenses and increased healthcare costs as we get older and have to deal with chronic medical conditions. I banked our 2014 DVC points in the hopes of a Disney vacation in 2015.
As it turned out, our 2015 financial position wasn't really much better than it was in 2014, but I made the decision to plan a short visit to Walt Disney World in December 2015, with the understanding that there would be no park time. We planned to visit some of the different Disney resorts over a 6 day period, having lunch at a different one each day. We invited our daughter Selene, son-in-law John, and granddaughter Jaidyn to join us. After Selene checked into Jaidyn's school schedule for December, we all settled on a Christmas week visit – checking-in on December 26 and checking-out on December 31. However, Jaidyn knew nothing of our plans, as we were hoping to keep the trip a secret until Christmas Day.
When the DVC "home resort" window opened, I went online to make reservations at Saratoga Springs Resort for a 2-bedroom villa. When the "alternate resort" window opened four months later, I went back online and changed our reservation to Animal Kingdom Lodge, requesting a villa at Kidani Village with a savannah view. Thankfully, I had no problem getting that reservation.
As we approached the six-month dining reservation window, I got together with Selene to choose resort dining options that would best accommodate hers and Jaidyn's food allergies. Again, I had no problem making reservations online and got all of our first choices for the normally busy Christmas week. For the first time, I used the My Disney Experience app on the iPhone to make those dining reservations and everything went smoothly.
Since Helena and I would be traveling to Florida for our annual medical checkups, I had already made airline reservations through American Airlines, using accumulated frequent flyer miles to purchase our tickets. A surprise was that on the return leg from Miami to St. Thomas, I was able to get business-class seats at the same frequent flyer point value as coach seats! I also reserved a compact car through Hertz.
With all of our travel arrangements and medical appointments made, by late summer it was just a matter of sitting back and waiting for our travel dates to arrive. Our trip itinerary looked like this:
- Thu 12/17: AA Flight from St. Thomas to Miami / Drive to Deerfield Beach / Hampton Inn Check-in
- Fri 12/18: Morning Mammogram for Helena / Afternoon Eye Exams for Both Helena and Me
- Sat 12/19 and Sun 12/20: Visiting with My Sister and Her Family in Deerfield Beach
- Mon 12/21: Morning Lung Doctor Checkup for Me / Afternoon Breast Exam Followup for Helena
- Tue 12/22: Hampton Inn Check-Out / Drive to Selene's Home in Port St. Lucie
- Wed 12/23 to Fri 12/25: Prepare for Disney Road Trip and Celebrate Christmas
- Sat 12/26: Drive to Orlando / AKL Kidani Village Check-In / Dinner at Boma
- Sun 12/27: Visit Polynesian Village Resort / Lunch at Kona Cafe / Visit Grand Floridian Resort
- Mon 12/28: Visit Yacht Club Resort / Lunch at Captain's Grill / Visit Beach Club and Boardwalk
- Tue 12/29: Magic Kingdom / Visit Wilderness Lodge / Lunch at Whispering Canyon
- Wed 12/30: Visit Contemporary Resort / Lunch at The Wave
- Thu 12/31: AKL Kidani Village Check-Out / Visit Disney Springs / Lunch at Paradiso 37 / Drive Home
- Fri 1/1 to Sat 1/2: Family Time with Selene and Family
- Sun 1/3: Drive to Miami / AA Flight from Miami to St. Thomas
What Actually Happened:
Thursday, December 17:
The Plan: AA Flight from St. Thomas to Miami / Drive to Deerfield Beach / Hampton Inn Check-In
We had some last-minute errands the day before we left St. Thomas, but somehow managed to get almost everything packed by the evening before we departed. We ended up with the suitcase being a few tenths of a pound over the 50-pound allowance American Airlines gives passengers, but really couldn't stuff anything else into our backpacks.
The alarm woke us at 4:30a and we got dressed, had a light breakfast, finished packing a few last-minute toiletries, secured the house, and drove to my brother's home. We transferred our bags to his car and drove through the light morning traffic to the airport. We arrived there by 6:30a to find a few other passengers already at check-in. We used one of the self-service kiosks and quickly went through the process. I was a bit surprised to find that, although we were using our AA points, we had to pay a $25 baggage fee for our one suitcase. On the last trip, we didn't have to pay any baggage fee at all. At least, we were assigned priority access boarding and also no longer had to fill out a U.S. Customs declaration form. U.S. Customs only checked our passports. I was flagged by the x-ray screening and subjected to a pat-down. I have no idea what showed up on the x-ray. The x-ray scan of our carry-ons also caught a roll of quarters in Helena's backpack, which she had to remove.
We stopped at the airport cafeteria and had a more-filling breakfast – a beef pat for Helena and a cheese and egg croissant for me, both with coffee and orange juice. The time before boarding went quickly, as we chatted and checked Facebook and email on our iPhones. We got onto the plane in the first, priority access, group and had our backpacks stowed and ourselves comfortably seated without any hassle. The plane (AA's customary Boeing 757) left the gate pretty much on time and we were soon "Soarin' Over ..." St. Thomas. I tried to find our house as we flew over the island, but we were at a wrong angle. Most mornings, I hear the 757 passing overhead and I wish we were onboard heading to Florida. Today it was our turn to be headed stateside!
The flight was completely smooth and I passed the time listening to music on my iPhone, while Helena read on her Kindle. After touching down at MIA, we quickly arrived at baggage claim, but it took quite a long time (close to 30 minutes) before the bags came off from our flight. Then it was the long hike to MIA's rental car facility. For some reason, the walk pulling the suitcase and carrying our backpacks seemed to go quicker than usual, but I'm sure it was the same distance. At least, since Hertz has upgraded me to Gold status, we didn't have to get in line to check-in for the rental car. We just had to check an electronic board to see which stall our car was parked in, then load up and be on our way.
After the accident I had leaving MIA a couple years ago, I'm very cautious getting out of the airport traffic and onto I-95. The drive from Miami, past Fort Lauderdale, and into Deerfield was as crazy as ever. That's especially true getting out of (and later coming back into) Miami because of the many lanes of traffic, each with different toll signs depending on whether the lanes are express toll lanes, car pool lanes, and so on. I absolutely HATE the Miami segment of our drives from and back to MIA, but the alternative is that instead of our direct STT-MIA flight, we'd have to fly to San Juan by commuter airline and then transfer to an American Airlines flight from San Juan to Fort Lauderdale. That would be more costly and also more of an overall hassle with the change of flights both going and coming back home.
We arrived safely at the Hampton Inn in Deerfield, and were all checked in within a few minutes. The manager remembered us from last year and upgraded us at no cost to a better room with a view of the pool. We usually try to get a suite, which has a comfortable king-size bed and a separate sitting area with couch for relaxing and watching TV. Complimentary breakfast and wifi service come with every room. As has become our routine on these stopovers in Deerfield, after we had unpacked, we went out for a quick dinner at Boston Market – a tradition which Helena especially loves for the tasty rotisserie chicken, sweet potato casserole, and fresh cornbread muffin. Adding drinks and chocolate chip cookies to our two orders, the cost was still under $25.
After dinner, we stopped at a nearby Walgreens to pick up a few toiletry items and then headed back to the Hampton Inn for the night. I called my sister, Marion, to let her know that we had arrived safely and made arrangements to visit with her and the family over the weekend.
Friday, December 18:
The Plan: Morning Mammogram for Helena / Afternoon Eye Exams for Both Helena and Me
We were up by 7:00a, got dressed, and went downstairs for the complimentary breakfast, which included egg and cheese omelettes, bacon, a variety of breads and pastries, fresh fruits, juice, and coffee. The drive to the Bethesda Women's Health Clinic in Boynton Beach was uneventful. Last year, the GPS in the rental car was unable to give us directions and we had to use Google Maps on Helena's iPhone to show us the way. Boynton Beach is a short distance north of Deerfield Beach and, in past years, we had been able to stay at a quaint but comfortable timeshare resort called Gulfstream Manor using our points with the Bluegreen Vacation Club. However, last year and again this year, Gulfstream Manor had absolutely no vacancies during the month of December. That's why we had to stay at the Hampton Inn at an additional expense.
The staff at the Bethesda Women's Health Clinic seem to be quite efficient, and Helena was done with her mammogram screening in less than an hour although there were quite a few patients there before her. Helena was given a CD with the digital mammogram images and given the preliminary verdict that she had no apparent need for concern. With the rest of the morning now free, we headed towards the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton. However, being the week before Christmas, the roads leading to the mall were an absolute madhouse of traffic with last-minute shoppers headed there. We decided that we didn't want to get caught up in that mess, given that we had eye exams scheduled for later in the day. So, we headed to a nearby Chili's for lunch. Even there, the traffic was awful, but we eventually found a parking spot and had a nice lunch. Since we don't have a Chili's back at home, I love to go there for the chicken fajitas, while Helena likes the ribs with a side of corn on the cob. Today she went with a healthy salad, but we did share a decadent skillet chocolate chip cookie with ice cream.
When we were finished at Chili's, the time was approaching for our eye exams. As planned, we were just a very short distance from the Florida Eye Care Center, where we have been having our eyes checked each year for quite some time now. The staff there are always pleasant and take good care of us. Although there are qualified eye doctors on St. Thomas, who we visit when necessary, we also have this eye exam done in Florida each year because of the more comprehensive and sophisticated testing equipment that's available. For example, we have high resolution photos of our corneas taken to screen for macular degeneration, we undergo a test to measure changes in our field of vision, and so on. This year I didn't need new glasses as there was very little change in my prescription. Helena also didn't get new glasses because we know that she has to have cataract surgery on both eyes sometime within the next year, so getting new glasses at this time would have been a waste of money.
Saturday and Sunday, December 19 and 20:
The Plan: Visit with My Sister and Her Family in Deerfield Beach
Both weekend days Helena and I slept in a bit, but we were still up early enough to make use of the complimentary breakfast at the Hampton Inn. On Saturday morning, we headed out to the Pompano City Centre shops, where Helena wanted to look for some tops and a pair of dressy shoes at Sears and JC Penney. We again had lunch at a Chili's, which was located just across the parking lot from Sears. Helena had a burger and fries, while I had a steak with baked potato and corn on the cob.
Later in the day, we headed over to my sister Marion and brother-in-law Richard's home. They had invited us to come over to visit on Saturday afternoon and to return for lunch on Sunday. We spent most of the time both days catching up on family news, talking about family history, and watching a bit of TV in between. Richard has a healthy sense of humor and we always enjoy our visits. In the late afternoon, Helena and I accompanied Marion and her daughter Olga to Saturday afternoon mass at the nearby Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. Marion is a communion minister at the church and, after the mass, we went with her to the home of an elderly member of the congregation so that Marion could give her Holy Communion. The lady was so sweet and lively, as we spent some time there with her.
On Sunday, we returned to Marion and Richard's home to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal with all the trimmings. Their daughter Olga and son Michael were there and other members of the family dropped in for quick visits while we were there. So, it was great to see some of our nephews and nieces, who we hadn't seen in quite a while. I had my laptop computer with me and was able to show Marion and Richard some of the old family photos that I had turned up in my family history research. We spent a great afternoon talking about the "good old days" and catching up on news of family members and friends, both near and far. Marion also helped my to draw out the floor plan of the house back on St. Thomas where our family was living at the time that I was born in 1950.
I've been heavily involved in researching Helena's and my family trees and overall family histories. Several years ago, I wrote and self-published my autobiography as a way of trying to document our family histories. More recently, I was able to accumulate a wealth of additional family history information and I'm in the process of putting together a greatly expanded version of the book. Marion was able to confirm some of the information I had and provide additional details about our parents' lives before I was born.
Monday, December 21:
The Plan: Morning Lung Doctor Checkup for Me / Afternoon Breast Exam Followup for Helena
After breakfast at the Hampton Inn, Helena and I were on the road for my checkup with the lung specialist who had originally diagnosed my pulmonary sarcoidosis way back in 2001. Thankfully, the effects of this lung disease seem to be stable, although my chronic cough has become somewhat more persistent over the years. The doctor strongly believes that a combination of the sarcoidosis and acid reflux disease are what's causing my cough. That means having to give up some things I love to eat – like pasta dishes with tomato-based sauces and chocolate, among others. That's going to be hard to do, but I'm trying.
After my doctor appointment, we had some time to kill. So, we headed back to the Town Center Mall, which was much less crowded than it was on Friday. Except for Helena finding a couple more dressy tops, we basically walked around the mall more for the exercise than the shopping. Later in the afternoon, we headed over to the Boynton Beach area for Helena's appointment with the breast cancer specialist. The doctor gave her the good news that her mammograms and his examination showed no signs of anything to worry about. Leaving the doctor, we stopped at a nearby Olive Garden for dinner before heading back to the Hampton Inn.
Overall, we had a very pleasant and relaxing time in Deerfield Beach – visiting with family, getting mostly good news from our doctors, doing some shopping, and just relaxing away from the stresses of island life. (Yes, island life can be very stressful sometimes!)
Tuesday, December 22:
The Plan: Hampton Inn Check-Out / Drive to Selene's Home in Port St. Lucie
Helena and I were up early to pack our stuff, catch the complimentary breakfast, and check-out of the Hampton Inn. After a quick stop to fill up the rental car's gas tank, we were on the road headed north on I-95. The traffic was relatively light and we arrived at Port St. Lucie within about 90 minutes. We drove directly to Selene's home and were so happy to see her, Jaidyn, John, and the kitties after a full year away. We unpacked some of our things in the guest room and spent the rest of the day just catching up on family news and enjoying the company.
Wednesday, December 23 to Friday, December 25:
The Plan: Prepare for Disney Road Trip and Celebrate Christmas
On Wednesday, Helena and I went to the Treasure Coast Mall to get a few remaining Christmas gifts. We stopped for a combination lunch and dinner at Ruby Tuesday in the mall. We then drove to a nearby Honey Baked Ham outlet to get a pre-cooked ham for Christmas dinner.
On Thursday, we went to Publix to buy some grocery items we'd need during our stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
On Friday, Christmas Day, we had a traditional day at home, opening the gifts and cards and just enjoying each others' company on this special day of the year. Jaidyn was happy with the gifts she received from Santa and from family members. One package in particular was a complete surprise to her – it was a Walt Disney World box with five Magic Bands inside! (I had the bands sent to Selene's home address through the My Disney Experience app.) Jaidyn was overjoyed by the news that we were going to Walt Disney World the very next day and that we would be staying at her favorite Disney resort – Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, we explained to her that, although we would be visiting Walt Disney World for about five days, we would only be able to go to a theme park one day because of the cost. Given the choice, she decided that we should go to the Magic Kingdom. She understood that we would still be able to have fun on the other day at Animal Kingdom Lodge and using the monorail, ferryboats, and buses to visit some of the other Disney resorts to have lunch and see all of the beautiful Christmas decorations.
Going to a theme park one day of our Disney visit was a last-minute decision that was made early on Christmas Day. Later in the morning, I used the My Disney Experience app to link the tickets, which were bought online, to our accounts. Believe it or not, at that late date we were easily able to get FastPass+ reservations for Goofy's Barnstormer, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain on Tuesday, December 29, the day we were planning to have lunch at the Wilderness Lodge.
The rest of Christmas Day was spent enjoying each others' company, enjoying a delicious Christmas dinner (thanks to Selene, John, and Helena), and preparing for our road trip to Orlando the following day.
Saturday, December 26:
The Plan: Drive to Orlando / AKL Kidani Village Check-In / Dinner at Boma
The morning was organized chaos as we all were busy packing, going to the gas station to fill up the tanks on both cars, picking up a few last-minute items from Publix, and taking Selene's two kitties to the vet for safekeeping. We finally had everything loaded into the cars and were on the road to Orlando by 1:30p.
We headed out together in the two cars – Selene, John, and Jaidyn in theirs and Helena and I in our rental. Helena and I took the entrance ramp to the Florida Turnpike about a minute before Selene and family. (The rental car had a SunPass transponder, while John had to stop at the toll booth.) John soon caught and passed us on the Turnpike. About a half-hour into the drive, it started to rain, which became heavier as we continued traveling north. Eventually the rain eased off and then stopped as we got nearer to Orlando. I guess the adrenaline from the stress of the rain kept me alert, but for whatever reason, I didn't need to make a rest stop at the mid-point in the drive like I usually do.
Eventually, we arrived at the Osceola Parkway exit from the Turnpike and were soon on the final stretch of highway towards Walt Disney World. Selene and Helena were texting back and forth during the drive, keeping tabs on each other's progress. Selene was using Google Maps to direct them to Animal Kingdom Lodge, while I was relying on the Hertz NeverLost GPS (which we nicknamed "Sarah" many years ago). But, as happens every trip, "Sarah" wanted to put us on I-4, while I know my way along the Osceola Parkway. I stuck to my preferred route and "Sarah" eventually gave up on trying to route us to I-4.
The sun was setting by the time we drove under the "Magical Archway" and we soon were driving up to the security stop at the entrance to AKL. A quick check of my driver's license, and we were on the last leg of the road trip. Helena and I parked in the temporary lot and joined Selene and family at the Kidani Village lobby. They had arrived about 10 minutes earlier and were waiting for us. The cast member at the check-in desk took care of us quickly and gave us the customary map and welcome package with our room number – 7652.
Selene, John, and Jaidyn headed to the room, while Helena and I moved our car to the underground parking area. We found a spot right next to the closest elevator to our room and, later, John moved their car next to ours. Lugging suitcases and almost a week's worth of breakfast items took a couple of trips, but we eventually had everything out of the cars.
By now, it was already time for our dinner reservation at Boma, which is over in the Jambo House section of AKL. Thankfully, there's a shuttle van that goes back and forth between the two buildings ever 15 minutes or so. We soon arrived at Jambo House and went directly to Bomba to check-in. I let the cast member know that two members of our group (Selene and Jaidyn) had food allergies, and this was noted on the table ticket.
Boma is a buffet-style eatery with an amazing spread of delicious and exotic dishes to choose from. Our server was Maureen, and she soon had our drinks delivered and also asked one of the chefs to come over to discuss available options for Selene and Jaidyn, given their food allergies. We all had a great time and left Boma with stomachs filled and wallet a bit emptier. The total cost, including gratuity was $253!!
In the weeks leading up to our visit to Walt Disney World, I had been in contact (through Facebook) with fellow MousePlaneteer Stacey Brown Zitto. She and her family were also staying at AKL, and we had made arrangements to meet after our dinner at Boma. Back upstairs after dinner, I immediately recognized Stacey and we had a warm first face-to-face meeting. After the initial greetings, Selene, John, and Jaidyn went on to our room, while Helena and I stayed to have a wonderful conversation with Stacey. It's nice to meet fellow MousePlaneteers in real life. Helena and I have also had the pleasure, over the past few years, of meeting Jennifer Baldovinos and her family and Jan DeVries and her husband during their stopovers at St. Thomas as part of Disney cruises.
Once back at our room, we took a few minutes to look around the 2-bedroom suite to see where everything was and what amenities were available. We've stayed at AKL Kidani Village in the past, so we knew what to expect, and we weren't disappointed. A plus of the 2-bedroom suits is that they have 3 separate bathrooms, the third being for the convenience of guests who might be sleeping on the pullout beds in the living room. There's also a stacked washer/dryer in a small closet. The bedroom and connected bathroom areas were all nicely appointed and spacious. We were very happy with our home-away-from-home for the next few days. Just one thing was missing ... we didn't get a towel sculpture from housekeeping.
Overall, this was a great first day of our Animal Kingdom Lodge getaway.
Sunday, December 27:
The Plan: Visit Polynesian Village Resort / Lunch at Kona Cafe / Visit Grand Floridian Resort
At home, I'm usually the early riser and that's the same when we're on vacation. Today's morning routine pretty much set the pattern for our days at AKL. I was the first one up and went into the living room so as not to disturb Helena. Going out on the balcony to look out onto the savannah, I saw that we had a wide panoramic view which, this and most mornings, was partly hidden by fog. That cleared up quickly and, when AKL staff brought the feed out, the animals started to make their appearance. There seemed to be a different mix of animals each day, but over the days of our stay, we saw zebras, giraffes, elephants, wilderbeests, Ankole cattle, antelopes, ostriches, storks, and other large birds.
I had a chance to really take a look at the channel lineup on the in-room TV service and was quite impressed by the upgrade since our last Disney vacation a couple years ago. All of the old favorites (including Stacey) are still there, some with updated graphics, but now there's a full slate of the more popular networks and cable channels. At home and on vacation, CBS is our preferred news source and where some of our favorite shows are, but it's still nice to have options.
Our plan for today was to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and, from there, take the monorail over to the Polynesian Village Resort and later to the Grand Floridian. The bus to the Magic Kingdom arrived at the Kidani Village stop at about 11:30a, and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom bus depot a couple minutes before 12:00p. Although we weren't going to the park, it was immediately obvious that this was going to be a very crowded day at the Magic Kingdom. Scores of visitors were arriving on the buses, ferryboats, and monorails. We also noticed that there was a much heavier presence of law enforcement personnel than we had ever seen at the parks. There were four police cruisers parked very near the entrance turnstiles, some marked as canine units. Other law enforcement vehicles were parked nearer to the ferryboat landings, and uniformed officers were visible at different locations.
We bypassed the crowds as best we could and headed to the monorail station. Walking up the monorail ramp was difficult for Helena, because of her bad knees, and this was a concern throughout our trip. Going downhill wasn't a problem, but the uphill walks were tough for her. Monorail Green pulled up within minutes of our arriving at the station, and we were soon on our way. The passage through and stop at the Contemporary is always a treat (we'll visit there another day) and then we were off to the Polynesian.
This was our first time seeing the newly remodeled lobby at the renamed Polynesian Village Resort. I know a lot of people really loved the original waterfall in the lobby, but I'm okay with the new look, which seems so much more open and airy. The large tiki god statue and planters are still inviting.
We took some time to walk around the resort, taking in the scenery, with special interest in the new DVC bungalows. I wish we could have seen inside one, but didn't want to schedule a DVC visit. Is it me or have the bungalows really cut down the size of the Polynesian's beachfront? I can imagine that the smaller beach means overcrowding by persons wanting to view Wishes from there.
Heading back inside the Ceremonial Greathouse, I took special interest in some of the Polynesian-themed exhibits on the ground floor. In addition to the statues of Minnie and Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the album cover art for a vinyl album by the "Walt Disney World Adventureland Steel Band" caught my attention. Given that Calypso music and steel bands are a part of everyday life in the Caribbean islands, I wonder if the music from that album is available anywhere online?
By this time it was nearing our 1:00 pm dining reservation time, so we headed back upstairs and checked in at the Kona Cafe. We had about a 5-minute wait before being seated against the back wall of the restaurant. The overall atmosphere was certainly much more quiet and relaxing than the hectic pace when 'Ohana is open for business.
Lana was our server and, as at Boma, she had one of the chefs come over to our table to go over the allergy-free options for Selene and Jaidyn. John had a steak salad, Helena had Asian chicken and pasta, Selene had a gluten- and egg-free steak salad, Jaidyn had gluten- and soy-free grilled chicken, and I had a steak platter. The total bill was $107 including drinks and gratuity. Jaidyn's meal was charged at a "kid's meal" price.
After a filling and relaxing meal, we stopped at the gift shops on the upper level to look around a bit. I bought a Stitch pin that Jaidyn had her eye on for her collection. We did notice that some of the souvenirs and clothes had really outrageous prices. I saw a shirt or two that I liked, but the prices chased me away!
I was expecting to find a display of Polynesian-themed gingerbread cottages somewhere in the Ceremonial Greathouse, but I looked around and didn't see any. I was somewhat disappointed by that. Maybe I should have asked a resort cast member, but didn't think of it at the time.
We eventually headed out to catch the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. I don't believe that John and Jaidyn had ever visited the Grand Floridian before. I know that Selene visited that resort with Helena and I way back in 1997, when Selene was still in college.
The Grand Floridian certain is "grand" and a bit intimidating. Helena and I are very casual dressers and, although you can see all levels of dress in the common areas, we'd feel out of place in some of the more elegant eateries there. Regardless of that factor, the Grand Floridian certainly is a beautiful and imposing resort. Everything is impeccable, even the gift shops. I imagine this is where the "1 percent" would go to enjoy a Disney vacation. I don't want to leave the impression that I dislike the Grand Floridian, because it looks magnificent. It's just that Helena and I would feel out of place staying there.
Down on the lower level of the grand lobby, we took special notice of the huge and elegantly trimmed Christmas tree and the wonderfully decorated, life-sized gingerbread shop. That really is an amazing structure! I wonder how long the gingerbread siding would last if the cottage was left in place beyond the Christmas season?
Outside the front entrance on the ground floor of the Grand Floridian, a couple of vintage vehicles caught our attention and we stopped there to look them over and take some photos. One is a beautiful, all white horse-drawn carriage (without the horse, of course, of course). The other is an equally beautiful, all white vintage Cadillac limo.
Heading back up to the second floor, we caught the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, where we walked over to the bus depot for the ride back to AKL. We left the Magic Kingdom bus depot just after 3:00p and were back at AKL by 3:35p. I took the opportunity to walk around the lobby area at Kidani Village to take a few photos before heading back to our room.
That evening (and most evenings of our visit) we just relaxed in our Kidani Village suite, resting up for the next day. Most evenings either Selene or Helena also did a load of laundry so as not to get too far behind in that chore.
Monday, December 28:
The Plan: Visit Yacht Club Resort / Lunch at Captain's Grill / Visit Beach Club and Boardwalk
This was one of the sunniest mornings of our trip, with very little, if any, fog out on the savannah. There was also a greater variety of animals out this morning. We went through our morning routines and were at the Kidani Village bus stop by 11:45a. The day before, I hadn't noticed the monitors that are now available at the resort bus stops to keep riders informed on the estimated arrival time of the buses to the various parks. This is a very welcome improvement and, although the arrival times change (I suppose based on GPS tracking of the buses), the information gives riders a rough idea of how long their wait will be. Now, I'd like to see similar monitors added to the bus depots at the various theme parks. This morning we had less than a 10 minute wait for the bus to Disney Hollywood Studios, where we would get off to take the ferryboat to the Echo Lake resorts.
We arrived at Hollywood Studios at about 12:10p, and decided to wait for the Friendship ferryboat instead of walking to Echo Lake. Being mid-day and with the Florida weather warmer than usual, the walk didn't sound too appealing. The Friendship soon arrived and we were on our way. Including a stop at the Swan and Dolphin before our stop, we arrived at the Yacht Club Resort's dock by 12:30p. We walked around the lobby of the Yacht Club Resort, and the intricately detailed model railroad display caught my attention. There was so much to look at in the miniature snow-covered village scenes. Mickey's Village and the Frozen scene were my favorites. We checked in at the Captain's Grill ahead of our 1:00p reservation time and had to wait about 5 or 10 minutes until we were seated.
I was impressed by the size of the Captain's Grill dining area, but there wasn't a large gathering of diners. Perhaps it's more popular at dinnertime. Our server was Dewey and, like our previous servers, he had the chef come over to our table to go over allergy-free options for Selene and Jaidyn. John had a roast beef sandwich, Helena had crab cakes, Selene had a gluten-free salad with scallops, Jaidyn had a gluten-free "kid's meal" grilled chicken, and I had a chicken sandwich. All of the servings were rather large, and everyone enjoyed their meals. The total tab, including gratuity, was $105.
After lunch, Selene, John, and Jaidyn returned to Kidani Village to take a swim in the pool there. They were lucky to catch a bus at Yacht Club that took them to the Animal Kingdom park and then continued directly to Animal Kingdom Lodge. That saved them lots of time versus the Friendship boat ride back to Disney Hollywood Studios and then a bus ride to AKL.
Helena and I wanted to continue sightseeing around Echo Lake, so we stayed behind. We first went to check out Stormalong Bay, which is an amazing swimming area, and then looked around the Beach Club Resort. The gingerbread and chocolate carousel in the lobby and, especially, the detailed horses really were works of art. While there, we made sure to stop at Beaches and Cream for delicious ice cream cones. Helena had a chocolate sugar cone and I had a strawberry waffle cone, total cost $9.50. We took the opportunity for the ice cream after Selene, John, and Jaidyn had left because Jaidyn's food allergies make it almost impossible for her to tolerate the sweet desserts that are generally available. So, we usually forego desserts as part of any restaurant meals when we're all together. At home, Selene is very creative in making desserts that are allergy-safe for Jaidyn and still tasty for the rest of us.
After the ice cream, Helena and I continued across the bridge that leads to the Epcot side of the Boardwalk. We made a quick stop at a Christmas display in front of the Boardwalk Resort, but didn't go inside the resort. We just took a leisurely stroll, stopping occasionally to take a photo or two. We eventually arrived at the Swan and Dolphin side of the Boardwalk and got in line to wait for the next Friendship ferry back to the Hollywood Studios park. Once there, we took the bus back to Kidani Village. Selene, John, and Jaidyn were still at the pool when we arrived at our room and came back shortly after.
I remember that one evening Selene and John went out to visit Disney Springs, with Jaidyn staying at Kidani Village with Helena and I. However, I'm not sure if this was this evening or later in the week. Regardless, after watching TV with us for a while, Jaidyn got ready for bed and, after goodnight hugs and kisses, went to bed without any fuss.
Tuesday, December 29:
The Plan: Magic Kingdom / Visit Wilderness Lodge / Lunch at Whispering Canyon
During Christmas week, all of the theme parks were opening at 8:00a, with the Magic Kingdom opening at 7:00a with Extra Magic Hours. To get a decent head start on the crowds, we had to get up very early. We were up by 6:00a, rushed to get dressed and eat breakfast, and be out the door to the bus stop as early as possible. Wouldn't you know it ... today was our longest wait for the bus to arrive!
Even so, we got to the Magic Kingdom by 7:10a and were met by rather short lines at the bag check and the turnstiles. Unfortunately, I must look like a terrorist, because I was singled out by security for a pass through the x-ray scanner and wanding (because of my belt buckle). Even so, we were walking down Main Street USA by 7:20a.
We didn't stop for pictures along Main Street, but headed directly to Cinderella Castle with a mission ... to get in line for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as quickly as possible. We did make a very quick stop in front of The Partners statue for a couple photos with Walt, Mickey, and the Castle then continued on our mission.
By the time we arrived at the ride entrance to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the time was 7:30a and the standby wait time was already posted as over 40 minutes. However, the actual wait was only about 23 minutes. (A photo I took as I boarded the train was time-stamped at 7:53a.) A big surprise was that Helena, who never rides roller coasters, came along on this ride and actually enjoyed it. I must admit that the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is one of the tamest coasters at Walt Disney World. Even the Barnstormer (considered a kiddie ride) does things with my vertigo that didn't happen on the Mine Train. I'd definitely ride this one again in the future. Two thumbs up!!
We next headed over to Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. It really surprised me how short the standby line was for this relatively new ride. It was a direct walk-on without any wait. We enjoyed the ride and the great music as always, but I had my camera set incorrectly and only got blurry ride photos. Better luck next time.
We wanted to get a ride with Peter Pan next to see the recent upgrades to the attraction, but the standby line was already over 90 minutes. So, we skipped that and continued on to "it's a small world" which was another walk-on. This is such a classic that I never get tired of it ... not even the song.
After we exited "it's a small world," we headed over towards Liberty Square and noticed that the Haunted Mansion was a walk-on, so we went for a thrilling ride with the happy haunts. I got a few pretty good photos this time around, considering my rather inexpensive camera. But I was disappointed that my attempt to capture the hitchhiking ghosts at the end didn't come out as expected. Another one for next time.
Jaidyn would probably have been bored by the Hall of Presidents, so we skipped that and headed over to the Liberty Belle steamboat, which was just getting ready to depart on another cruise around the Rivers of America. The Belle was almost empty, and we had a great view from the forward top deck. I was able to capture some of my nicest photos ever of the various sights around the river. It was a very quiet and relaxing cruise.
We wanted to take in the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jingle Jungle Cruise next, but the Pirates were down (all day, actually) with some major problem and the Jungle Cruise had almost a 2-hour standby line at 9:45a! At this point, Selene, John, and Jaidyn went to try get onto Big Thunder Mountain on standby. In the meantime, Helena and I took the opportunity to stop at Aloha Isle for a couple of Dole Whips. Delicious! We then took our time cutting through the growing crowds towards Storybook Circus, where we all had 10:30a FastPasses for the Barnstormer.
When Selene, John, and Jaidyn rejoined us, we all rode the Barnstormer. This ride reinforced my feeling that the Barnstormer, as short as it is, is more of a vertigo inducer for me than the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The standby lines for Barnstormer are always so long that I'd never even consider riding it without Fastpass.
By this time, we had to start heading towards the park exit in order to make our dining reservation at the Wilderness Lodge. Trying to "swim" against the rush of people entering the park was really a struggle, especially through Tomorrowland and down Main Street USA. We finally exited the Magic Kingdom around 11:20a and headed over to the ferryboat dock to catch the next boat over to Wilderness Lodge. We all enjoyed the nice and quiet ride across the Seven Seas Lagoon and into Bay Lake.
We arrived at the Wilderness Lodge within about 15 minutes and took our time walking to the Lodge's main lobby. Helena and I recalled to the others how, a few trips back, we had been caught completely by surprise when the geyser erupted while we were standing nearby and soaked us completely to the bone! We had to go to the gift shop to buy ourselves dry shirts and try to wring out our wet jeans in the restrooms. We laugh about it now, but that was a disaster!
Although we were about a half-hour early for our lunch reservation at the Whispering Canyon, we were seated within minutes of the restaurant opening for lunch that day. The place soon filled up with other patrons and everyone started to get into the swing of the raucous goings on. Of course, there were several calls for ketchup, the little ones paraded around the room on wooden horses, and other such antics. At one point, Helena innocently asked for a napkin and was presented with a large white table cloth to cover her entire body in case of any spills. I have the photo to prove it!
Steph, our server, played along with the antics but also was on the ball, bringing whatever we needed. The chef came over to discuss possible options for Selene and Jaidyn, which included fresh salmon for Selene and a "kid's meal" chicken breast and carrott sticks for Jaidyn. Helena, John, and I shared the big "all you can eat" lunch platters. Even the drink containers were super-sized. Including gratuity, this country feast cost $135.
We took the ferryboat back over to the Magic Kingdom and were ready to re-enter the park by about 2:00p. I'll give you one guess what happened next ...
... that's right, I was again pulled aside for extra security screening and this time Helen had to come with me. Do we really look like terrorists? Sheesh!!!
Once inside the park, we realized that, as bad as the crowds were when we left for lunch at Wilderness Lodge, they were even worse now. It seemed like every square inch of walking space was occupied by people. The five of us tried to keep together as much as possible as we navigated our way up Main Street and then through Adventureland. The Jungle Cruise had a standby line that reach all the way to the main Adventureland walkway and Pirates of the Caribbean was still down, with a crowd waiting hopefully for it to reopen – it never did that day.
It was still too early for our FastPass on Splash Mountain, so we talked Jaidyn into taking in a showing of the Country Bear Jamboree, which she and John had never seen before. Jaidyn was somewhat noncommittal afterwards, but we think she liked it. This was the first time that Helena and I had experienced the shortened version of the show and the change was very noticeable to us. It's still a fun attraction, but not worthy of a long wait to get in.
We continued through the crowds towards Splash Mountain, for which we had 3:30p FastPasses. Helena doesn't do Splash Mountain, so she waited for us in a nearby seating area. The standby line was unbelievably long and I certainly would never even consider getting into a line like that, no matter how much I liked an attraction. Our FastPass line kept moving forward and we were seated in our log within about 15 minutes. Selene and I were in the last row, with John and Jaidyn right in front of us. I have to say that I got some of the clearest on-ride photos that I've ever gotten of Splash Mountain (or any other dark ride). I think I've finally found the perfect settings to use on this camera in the future. The big "splash" down the mountain was a tame one, with none of us getting wet to any degree.
We were next going to try to get onto Big Thunder Mountain in the standby line, but when we got there, we learned that Big Thunder was down for the rest of the afternoon. We were given the opportunity to switch our 4:30p Fastpasses to another ride and decided on Splash Mountain again. But Selene wasn't up to another big plunge, so she sat out this one, as did I. I sometimes suffer from back pain and all of the walking and standing was beginning to take its toll.
John and Jaidyn took up the offer and used their Fastpasses to get a second ride on Splash Mountain. They were going to ride again a third time, but Splash Mountain also went down around 4:45p, before they could get on. That was a lucky thing, because riders already on the mountain had to be evacuated on foot.
With most of the big rides down or with hours-long standby lines, we decided to call it a day and started to head out of the Magic Kingdom. The crowds were truly amazing, and we had to struggle against the rush of people coming in as we were trying to get out. Eventually we made it to the exit and headed over to the bus depot for the ride back to Kidani Village. We arrived at about 6:00p.
Overall, we had a very satisfying, if tiring, day at the Magic Kingdom. Considering the enormous crowds, we got a lot done with only three Fastpasses each.
Wednesday, December 30:
The Plan: Visit Contemporary Resort / Lunch at The Wave
I was the first one up at about 7:15a. It was another very foggy morning out on the savannah, with several wildebeests and Ankole cattle out and about. We all went through our morning routines, had breakfast, and just relaxed until close to mid-day. We caught the bus to the Magic Kingdom and switched over to the monorail. The one we caught today had black stripes (is there normally a Monorail Black?) and window overlays with a Star Wars theme. The Millenium Falcon was on the door through which we entered. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Contemporary Resort.
It was already almost 1:00p, which was the time for our lunch reservation at The Wave, so we headed down to the 1st floor to check-in. We had about a 5 minute wait before we were seated. We had another, longer, wait before our server Ashley came over, but she was pleasant and got the chef to come over to our table to go over allergy-free options with Selene. We settled on a safe burger for Selene, grilled chicken and potatoes for Jaidyn, a steak salad for Helena, and loaded burgers for John and I. The final tab, including gratuity, was $122. I have to say that eating at Disney is much more expensive now that I remember it being in the recent past!
After the expensive but tasty meal, we headed back up to the main floor to look around a bit. There was a 2-dimensional Frozen-themed gingerbread display just below the Mary Blair mosaic art. It included a large ice castle, a smaller Norwegian Stave Church, and some of the main characters from the story. Off to the side there was also a 3-dimensional sandcastle with Olaf, a Nemo pale and shovel, and a traditional snowman nearby.
We spent quite a while browsing through the huge selection of items at the Fantasia store. Not surprisingly, they had a large section with Star Wars toys and souvenirs. I was particularly interested in the selection of Disney books, videos, and music, but didn't see anything I felt compelled to purchase. We also looked around the other eateries on this level of the Contemporary, including Chef Mickey's. That was an option we had considered for lunch today, but the menu seemed to be less "allergy friendly" than The Wave. Maybe we can give Chef Mickey's a try sometime in the future.
It was almost 3:00p when we finally headed out of the Contemporary on the monorail. We split up at this point. Selene, John, and Jaidyn headed back to the Magic Kingdom stop to catch the bus back to Kidani Village. They were going to hit the swimming pool again. Helena and I got off at the Transportation Center and transferred to the Epcot monorail. I wanted to ride the monorail over to Epcot and make that grand loop around the Future World pavilions. I lucked out and had the perfect seat to capture a photo of each pavilion and the American Adventure across the World Showcase Lagoon. We got off the monorail at the Epcot stop so that I could get a couple shots of Spaceship Earth and then headed to the bus depot to catch the bus back to Kidani Village. Unfortunately, we had about a 20 minute wait for a bus, but I'm still glad that we made that side trip to Epcot.
Thursday, December 31:
The Plan: AKL Kidani Village Check-Out / Visit Disney Springs / Lunch at Paradiso 37 / Drive Home
We all slept in a bit, but couldn't delay too long because of the 11:00a check-out time. After breakfast, John and I, with some help from Jaidyn, took all of our stuff down to the cars and packed them away in the trunks. Housekeeping was already there, ready to clean up for the next guests, so we did the best we could to quickly vacate the room.
Today, we headed over to Disney Springs. The bus made a stop at Typhoon Lagoon to drop off a group who were going to enjoy the waterpark and then continued towards our destination. I was surprised at how much road construction is still going on all around Disney Springs. In fact, the bus took the long way around from Typhoon Lagoon to Disney Springs, detouring onto the road that passes by the Old Key West and Saratoga Springs Resorts and then past the Hotel Plaza shopping area before arriving at Disney Springs' Marketplace bus stop.
Our first stop was at the Art of Disney store, where we spent quite some time just admiring all of the beautiful Disney-themed art pieces – paintings, character sketches, character figurines, and so on. I saw many pieces I would love to have in our home, but almost everything was priced beyond what we could afford to pay.
The next stop was Pin Traders, where Selene, John, and Jaidyn spent some time looking through the assortment of pins for a few that were missing from their Stitch pin collection. We then went on to Once Upon a Toy, spending some time looking over the huge collection of Star Wars toys, models, and other collectibles. We continued on with stops at the Lego Store and, of course, the World of Disney. That store alone must cover many thousands of square feet. At one point, Helena and I got separated from Selene, John, and Jaidyn and had to give Selene a call on the phone to find out where they were! We bought a couple items, including a Minnie dress for my new niece back at home and another Disney baseball cap for me (I'm everlastingly losing them). I also surprised Jaidyn by buying a Stitch/Yoda plush toy that she had her eye on.
We eventually arrived at the former Pleasure Island section and stopped for our scheduled lunch at Paradiso 37. We were seated in a rear section that had floor-to-ceiling windows on the waterside with a great view out to Saratoga Springs Resort on the opposite side of the lake. Ricardo was our server and had the chef come over for Selene and Jaidyn. Selene had a Chilean-style salmon, Jaidyn had a "kid's meal" chicken dish, Helena had a Caesar salad, John had a Paradiso cheeseburger, and I had steak platter. Total cost, including gratuity, was $129.
After the filling meal, we continued towards the West End section of Disney Springs, stopping at a Star Wars store and a connected Super Hero store. On the return walk back to our starting point, we also stopped at the store inside the T-Rex restaurant, where Selene bought a pretty quartz paperweight. One of our last stops was at Goofy's Candy Store, where Helena got a pound of licorice jelly beans. We had a short wait for the bus and were soon on our way back to Kidani Village to pick up our cars and start the long road trip back to Port St. Lucie. On the way, I was finally able to catch a decent photo, from the moving bus, of one of the floating mountains being constructed for the new Avatar/Pandora section at Animal Kingdom park. I'm sure that new "land" will have some amazing things to see and ride when it's completed.
We were on the road by 4:30p. Again, the GPS in our Hertz rental wanted to route us through I-4. So, I ignored "Sarah" and followed my instinct, staying on the Osceola Parkway until the exit onto the Florida Turnpike. Selene and family must have been guided to a slightly different route by Google Earth, because they hit more toll plaza's on Osceola than we did. We're still not sure why that was. Throughout our drive on the Turnpike, Helena and Selene texted back and forth tracking our relative progress. We remained slightly ahead of them all the way down to Port St. Lucie, with them catching up and passing us only after we had exited the Turnpike onto local roads. We ended up arrive at Selene's home together. The later part of the drive down on the Turnpike had been a bit difficult for me because it was completely dark by that time and the steady stream of highlights of the cars in the northbound lane was giving me a bit of eye strain. Thankfully, we all arrived safely.
Although we were somewhat tired from the long day and drive, we stayed up to welcome in the New Year. The TV was tuned to the New Years Eve festivities in New York City and I also had my computer logged in to the Disney Blog for a videocast of the Magic Kingdom's New Years Fireworks. We toasted the New Year with Martinelli Apple Cider and turned in for the night.
Friday, January 1 to Saturday, January 2:
The Plan: Family Time with Selene and Family
We all slept in a bit longer than normal on New Years Day and just relaxed most of the day. Helena and I called loved ones back at home to wish them and to confirm that we would be flying back to St. Thomas on Sunday.
On Saturday, Helena and I made quick stops at Walmart and Publix to get a few last minute items. We also stopped at Olive Garden for an early dinner, bringing takeout for John. We packed up all of our stuff in the suitcase and backpacks, except the clothes and toiletries we'd need the next morning. We also packed a box with some items to be mailed home to us, and Selene went online and made arrangements for pickup by the U.S. Postal Service.
Sunday, January 3:
The Plan: Drive to Miami / AA Flight from Miami to St. Thomas
We were up early, showered and got dressed, and packed away our last few items. By about 10:00a we sadly bid farewell to Selene, John, and Jaidyn and thanked them for everything during our stay with them. We packed our stuff in the rental car one last time and headed out towards I-95 and the 90-minute drive to Deerfield Beach.
We had planned to make a rest stop in Deerfield to have lunch and top off the gas tank in the rental car so that it would be (essentially) full when we returned it to Hertz. As on our arrival day, we ate at Boston Market, which is a favorite of Helena's. We gave my sister Marion a quick call to say our goodbyes and then again hit I-95 for the last leg of our drive to Miami and MIA. We arrived at the Hertz depot just before 2:00p. We had driven a total of 720 miles and the rental charge was a whopping $2,164! I really need to shop around before our next trip to Florida. I'm the type who tends to be brand-loyal, but almost $2,200 for a compact car for 18 days is really expensive.
Anyway, we got our stuff out of the trunk and started the long trek to the MIA check-in terminal. As usual, there was chaos at the American Airlines (AA) check-in area. It seems that on every trip through MIA, the configuration and assignment of counter space for the various categories of travelers changes. We finally did get directions from an AA service rep and checked in at one of the self-service kiosks. One unexpected plus was that, although we were expecting to have to pay a big penalty because our suitcase was 5 pounds over the 50 pound limit, we were told that because we were traveling in business class, the weight limit was 70 pounds.
After we checked-in the suitcase, we proceeded to the TSA security check, where we were pretty much just waved through because our boarding passes were labeled as "TSA Precheck." I'm not sure how we got that designation, but I wasn't going to complain.
Thankfully, we had a short walk to our departure gate and found lots of available seating in the waiting area. We just spent the time talking, checking Facebook on our iPhones, and people-watching. When it was time to board, we were among the first onto the Boeing 757. This was only the second time we had ever flown in business/first class, the first time being on a 15-minute hop from San Juan to St. Thomas many years ago. My overall impression was that the business class service and food was what the airlines used to serve in coach class during the 1960s/70s, but without the fancy napkins and dishes. How times change!
Our flight was completely uneventful (the best kind), and we landed at St. Thomas pretty much on schedule. My sister-in-law Myrna and nephew Steven met us at the airport, and we made our way to the baggage claim area. We caught up on family news while waiting for our one suitcase to arrive. We had a bit of a wait, but at least not as long as when we had arrived in Miami. After the drive home, we brought our stuff inside and settled in for the night. Another Florida/Disney vacation had come to an end.
Conclusion:
Overview:
When we were originally planning this trip, we had absolutely no intention of visiting any of the Disney theme parks. In fact, we made it a point to tell family and friends who inquired that "we're not planning to go to the Disney parks this year." That was completely true, although we didn't volunteer that we planned to spend a few days at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge on DVC points. The one-day visit to the Magic Kingdom was completely a last-minute decision made mostly for Jaidyn's benefit.
Overall, we had a wonderful time relaxing in the 2-bedroom suite at Kidani Village, visiting some of the other Disney resorts each day for lunch, riding on the various Disney transportation systems, and the surprise visit to the Magic Kingdom. Although the park was absolutely packed and several of the most popular rides were down later in the day, we still enjoyed the attractions we were able to ride. We were completely surprised, in a good way, at being able to make Fastpass+ reservations at almost the last minute and that our MagicBands worked without any hitches.
The Highs:
- The weather was pleasant, being mostly in the 70s and with no rain.
- Our suite at Animal Kingdom Lodge's Kidani Village was very comfortable and quiet, although we did have a very long walk between our room and the lobby. Having the animals right outside our balcony every day added to the illusion of being in an exotic location.
- Our waits for the bus were 10 minutes or less, with only a couple exceptions.
- We thoroughly enjoyed riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for the very first time and having Helena join us for her first Disney roller coaster ride.
- Visiting the various Disney resorts, most of which Selene and family had not been to before, and enjoying lunchtime meals each day was a relaxing change of pace for a Disney vacation.
- We had no rude guest encounters.
The Lows:
- Not getting to see Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade at the Magic Kingdom.
- Not being able to visit the other theme parks.
What’s Next:
Right now, we have no plans for another visit to Walt Disney World. Given that we're DVC members, the hope is that we'll be able to use our points at some time during 2016. However, our personal finances will eventually dictate our vacation plans.
Photo Album:
I've posted a selection of 225 photos from our visit to Walt Disney World on my Facebook page at the link below. You should be able to view the photos without having to log-in or otherwise identify yourself to Facebook. But you won't be able to comment on or "like" the images without logging in. Therefore, please feel safe taking a look even if you're not a member of Facebook. The link below will take you to a page with thumbnails of all of the photos in the album. Click on the first thumbnail image to open up a photo viewer window where you can click forward or backward to display the other photos.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=a859ad3f9f
For those who might be interested, I've put together a 260+ page book with full color photos from our family visits to the Disney theme parks from 1972 to 2014. If you'd like more info, please contact me privately. My email address is:
arnoldvb@islands.vi
Travel Dates: December 26 to 31, 2015
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village
Accommodations: Two Bedroom Villa
Ages Represented: 5th Grader through Senior Citizens
WDW Experience: Veteran (annual visits since 2003)
Comments: A Surprise Christmas Week Visit
Cast of Characters:
Arnold, 65 (trip reporter) -- 19 WDW trips since 1973 and 1 Disneyland trip in 1985
Helena, 66 (wife) -- 18 WDW trips since 1982 and 2 Disneyland trips in 1972 and 1985
Selene, 38 (daughter) -- 13 WDW trips since 1982 and 1 Disneyland trip in 1985
John, 46 (son-in-law) -- 9 WDW trips since 2001
Jaidyn, 10 (granddaughter) -- 7 WDW trips since 2006
Advance Planning:
For the first year since 2003, in 2014 Helena and I had to forgo a visit to Walt Disney World, because of stretched finances that were caused by a combination of unexpected home maintenance expenses and increased healthcare costs as we get older and have to deal with chronic medical conditions. I banked our 2014 DVC points in the hopes of a Disney vacation in 2015.
As it turned out, our 2015 financial position wasn't really much better than it was in 2014, but I made the decision to plan a short visit to Walt Disney World in December 2015, with the understanding that there would be no park time. We planned to visit some of the different Disney resorts over a 6 day period, having lunch at a different one each day. We invited our daughter Selene, son-in-law John, and granddaughter Jaidyn to join us. After Selene checked into Jaidyn's school schedule for December, we all settled on a Christmas week visit – checking-in on December 26 and checking-out on December 31. However, Jaidyn knew nothing of our plans, as we were hoping to keep the trip a secret until Christmas Day.
When the DVC "home resort" window opened, I went online to make reservations at Saratoga Springs Resort for a 2-bedroom villa. When the "alternate resort" window opened four months later, I went back online and changed our reservation to Animal Kingdom Lodge, requesting a villa at Kidani Village with a savannah view. Thankfully, I had no problem getting that reservation.
As we approached the six-month dining reservation window, I got together with Selene to choose resort dining options that would best accommodate hers and Jaidyn's food allergies. Again, I had no problem making reservations online and got all of our first choices for the normally busy Christmas week. For the first time, I used the My Disney Experience app on the iPhone to make those dining reservations and everything went smoothly.
Since Helena and I would be traveling to Florida for our annual medical checkups, I had already made airline reservations through American Airlines, using accumulated frequent flyer miles to purchase our tickets. A surprise was that on the return leg from Miami to St. Thomas, I was able to get business-class seats at the same frequent flyer point value as coach seats! I also reserved a compact car through Hertz.
With all of our travel arrangements and medical appointments made, by late summer it was just a matter of sitting back and waiting for our travel dates to arrive. Our trip itinerary looked like this:
- Thu 12/17: AA Flight from St. Thomas to Miami / Drive to Deerfield Beach / Hampton Inn Check-in
- Fri 12/18: Morning Mammogram for Helena / Afternoon Eye Exams for Both Helena and Me
- Sat 12/19 and Sun 12/20: Visiting with My Sister and Her Family in Deerfield Beach
- Mon 12/21: Morning Lung Doctor Checkup for Me / Afternoon Breast Exam Followup for Helena
- Tue 12/22: Hampton Inn Check-Out / Drive to Selene's Home in Port St. Lucie
- Wed 12/23 to Fri 12/25: Prepare for Disney Road Trip and Celebrate Christmas
- Sat 12/26: Drive to Orlando / AKL Kidani Village Check-In / Dinner at Boma
- Sun 12/27: Visit Polynesian Village Resort / Lunch at Kona Cafe / Visit Grand Floridian Resort
- Mon 12/28: Visit Yacht Club Resort / Lunch at Captain's Grill / Visit Beach Club and Boardwalk
- Tue 12/29: Magic Kingdom / Visit Wilderness Lodge / Lunch at Whispering Canyon
- Wed 12/30: Visit Contemporary Resort / Lunch at The Wave
- Thu 12/31: AKL Kidani Village Check-Out / Visit Disney Springs / Lunch at Paradiso 37 / Drive Home
- Fri 1/1 to Sat 1/2: Family Time with Selene and Family
- Sun 1/3: Drive to Miami / AA Flight from Miami to St. Thomas
What Actually Happened:
Thursday, December 17:
The Plan: AA Flight from St. Thomas to Miami / Drive to Deerfield Beach / Hampton Inn Check-In
We had some last-minute errands the day before we left St. Thomas, but somehow managed to get almost everything packed by the evening before we departed. We ended up with the suitcase being a few tenths of a pound over the 50-pound allowance American Airlines gives passengers, but really couldn't stuff anything else into our backpacks.
The alarm woke us at 4:30a and we got dressed, had a light breakfast, finished packing a few last-minute toiletries, secured the house, and drove to my brother's home. We transferred our bags to his car and drove through the light morning traffic to the airport. We arrived there by 6:30a to find a few other passengers already at check-in. We used one of the self-service kiosks and quickly went through the process. I was a bit surprised to find that, although we were using our AA points, we had to pay a $25 baggage fee for our one suitcase. On the last trip, we didn't have to pay any baggage fee at all. At least, we were assigned priority access boarding and also no longer had to fill out a U.S. Customs declaration form. U.S. Customs only checked our passports. I was flagged by the x-ray screening and subjected to a pat-down. I have no idea what showed up on the x-ray. The x-ray scan of our carry-ons also caught a roll of quarters in Helena's backpack, which she had to remove.
We stopped at the airport cafeteria and had a more-filling breakfast – a beef pat for Helena and a cheese and egg croissant for me, both with coffee and orange juice. The time before boarding went quickly, as we chatted and checked Facebook and email on our iPhones. We got onto the plane in the first, priority access, group and had our backpacks stowed and ourselves comfortably seated without any hassle. The plane (AA's customary Boeing 757) left the gate pretty much on time and we were soon "Soarin' Over ..." St. Thomas. I tried to find our house as we flew over the island, but we were at a wrong angle. Most mornings, I hear the 757 passing overhead and I wish we were onboard heading to Florida. Today it was our turn to be headed stateside!
The flight was completely smooth and I passed the time listening to music on my iPhone, while Helena read on her Kindle. After touching down at MIA, we quickly arrived at baggage claim, but it took quite a long time (close to 30 minutes) before the bags came off from our flight. Then it was the long hike to MIA's rental car facility. For some reason, the walk pulling the suitcase and carrying our backpacks seemed to go quicker than usual, but I'm sure it was the same distance. At least, since Hertz has upgraded me to Gold status, we didn't have to get in line to check-in for the rental car. We just had to check an electronic board to see which stall our car was parked in, then load up and be on our way.
After the accident I had leaving MIA a couple years ago, I'm very cautious getting out of the airport traffic and onto I-95. The drive from Miami, past Fort Lauderdale, and into Deerfield was as crazy as ever. That's especially true getting out of (and later coming back into) Miami because of the many lanes of traffic, each with different toll signs depending on whether the lanes are express toll lanes, car pool lanes, and so on. I absolutely HATE the Miami segment of our drives from and back to MIA, but the alternative is that instead of our direct STT-MIA flight, we'd have to fly to San Juan by commuter airline and then transfer to an American Airlines flight from San Juan to Fort Lauderdale. That would be more costly and also more of an overall hassle with the change of flights both going and coming back home.
We arrived safely at the Hampton Inn in Deerfield, and were all checked in within a few minutes. The manager remembered us from last year and upgraded us at no cost to a better room with a view of the pool. We usually try to get a suite, which has a comfortable king-size bed and a separate sitting area with couch for relaxing and watching TV. Complimentary breakfast and wifi service come with every room. As has become our routine on these stopovers in Deerfield, after we had unpacked, we went out for a quick dinner at Boston Market – a tradition which Helena especially loves for the tasty rotisserie chicken, sweet potato casserole, and fresh cornbread muffin. Adding drinks and chocolate chip cookies to our two orders, the cost was still under $25.
After dinner, we stopped at a nearby Walgreens to pick up a few toiletry items and then headed back to the Hampton Inn for the night. I called my sister, Marion, to let her know that we had arrived safely and made arrangements to visit with her and the family over the weekend.
Friday, December 18:
The Plan: Morning Mammogram for Helena / Afternoon Eye Exams for Both Helena and Me
We were up by 7:00a, got dressed, and went downstairs for the complimentary breakfast, which included egg and cheese omelettes, bacon, a variety of breads and pastries, fresh fruits, juice, and coffee. The drive to the Bethesda Women's Health Clinic in Boynton Beach was uneventful. Last year, the GPS in the rental car was unable to give us directions and we had to use Google Maps on Helena's iPhone to show us the way. Boynton Beach is a short distance north of Deerfield Beach and, in past years, we had been able to stay at a quaint but comfortable timeshare resort called Gulfstream Manor using our points with the Bluegreen Vacation Club. However, last year and again this year, Gulfstream Manor had absolutely no vacancies during the month of December. That's why we had to stay at the Hampton Inn at an additional expense.
The staff at the Bethesda Women's Health Clinic seem to be quite efficient, and Helena was done with her mammogram screening in less than an hour although there were quite a few patients there before her. Helena was given a CD with the digital mammogram images and given the preliminary verdict that she had no apparent need for concern. With the rest of the morning now free, we headed towards the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton. However, being the week before Christmas, the roads leading to the mall were an absolute madhouse of traffic with last-minute shoppers headed there. We decided that we didn't want to get caught up in that mess, given that we had eye exams scheduled for later in the day. So, we headed to a nearby Chili's for lunch. Even there, the traffic was awful, but we eventually found a parking spot and had a nice lunch. Since we don't have a Chili's back at home, I love to go there for the chicken fajitas, while Helena likes the ribs with a side of corn on the cob. Today she went with a healthy salad, but we did share a decadent skillet chocolate chip cookie with ice cream.
When we were finished at Chili's, the time was approaching for our eye exams. As planned, we were just a very short distance from the Florida Eye Care Center, where we have been having our eyes checked each year for quite some time now. The staff there are always pleasant and take good care of us. Although there are qualified eye doctors on St. Thomas, who we visit when necessary, we also have this eye exam done in Florida each year because of the more comprehensive and sophisticated testing equipment that's available. For example, we have high resolution photos of our corneas taken to screen for macular degeneration, we undergo a test to measure changes in our field of vision, and so on. This year I didn't need new glasses as there was very little change in my prescription. Helena also didn't get new glasses because we know that she has to have cataract surgery on both eyes sometime within the next year, so getting new glasses at this time would have been a waste of money.
Saturday and Sunday, December 19 and 20:
The Plan: Visit with My Sister and Her Family in Deerfield Beach
Both weekend days Helena and I slept in a bit, but we were still up early enough to make use of the complimentary breakfast at the Hampton Inn. On Saturday morning, we headed out to the Pompano City Centre shops, where Helena wanted to look for some tops and a pair of dressy shoes at Sears and JC Penney. We again had lunch at a Chili's, which was located just across the parking lot from Sears. Helena had a burger and fries, while I had a steak with baked potato and corn on the cob.
Later in the day, we headed over to my sister Marion and brother-in-law Richard's home. They had invited us to come over to visit on Saturday afternoon and to return for lunch on Sunday. We spent most of the time both days catching up on family news, talking about family history, and watching a bit of TV in between. Richard has a healthy sense of humor and we always enjoy our visits. In the late afternoon, Helena and I accompanied Marion and her daughter Olga to Saturday afternoon mass at the nearby Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. Marion is a communion minister at the church and, after the mass, we went with her to the home of an elderly member of the congregation so that Marion could give her Holy Communion. The lady was so sweet and lively, as we spent some time there with her.
On Sunday, we returned to Marion and Richard's home to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal with all the trimmings. Their daughter Olga and son Michael were there and other members of the family dropped in for quick visits while we were there. So, it was great to see some of our nephews and nieces, who we hadn't seen in quite a while. I had my laptop computer with me and was able to show Marion and Richard some of the old family photos that I had turned up in my family history research. We spent a great afternoon talking about the "good old days" and catching up on news of family members and friends, both near and far. Marion also helped my to draw out the floor plan of the house back on St. Thomas where our family was living at the time that I was born in 1950.
I've been heavily involved in researching Helena's and my family trees and overall family histories. Several years ago, I wrote and self-published my autobiography as a way of trying to document our family histories. More recently, I was able to accumulate a wealth of additional family history information and I'm in the process of putting together a greatly expanded version of the book. Marion was able to confirm some of the information I had and provide additional details about our parents' lives before I was born.
Monday, December 21:
The Plan: Morning Lung Doctor Checkup for Me / Afternoon Breast Exam Followup for Helena
After breakfast at the Hampton Inn, Helena and I were on the road for my checkup with the lung specialist who had originally diagnosed my pulmonary sarcoidosis way back in 2001. Thankfully, the effects of this lung disease seem to be stable, although my chronic cough has become somewhat more persistent over the years. The doctor strongly believes that a combination of the sarcoidosis and acid reflux disease are what's causing my cough. That means having to give up some things I love to eat – like pasta dishes with tomato-based sauces and chocolate, among others. That's going to be hard to do, but I'm trying.
After my doctor appointment, we had some time to kill. So, we headed back to the Town Center Mall, which was much less crowded than it was on Friday. Except for Helena finding a couple more dressy tops, we basically walked around the mall more for the exercise than the shopping. Later in the afternoon, we headed over to the Boynton Beach area for Helena's appointment with the breast cancer specialist. The doctor gave her the good news that her mammograms and his examination showed no signs of anything to worry about. Leaving the doctor, we stopped at a nearby Olive Garden for dinner before heading back to the Hampton Inn.
Overall, we had a very pleasant and relaxing time in Deerfield Beach – visiting with family, getting mostly good news from our doctors, doing some shopping, and just relaxing away from the stresses of island life. (Yes, island life can be very stressful sometimes!)
Tuesday, December 22:
The Plan: Hampton Inn Check-Out / Drive to Selene's Home in Port St. Lucie
Helena and I were up early to pack our stuff, catch the complimentary breakfast, and check-out of the Hampton Inn. After a quick stop to fill up the rental car's gas tank, we were on the road headed north on I-95. The traffic was relatively light and we arrived at Port St. Lucie within about 90 minutes. We drove directly to Selene's home and were so happy to see her, Jaidyn, John, and the kitties after a full year away. We unpacked some of our things in the guest room and spent the rest of the day just catching up on family news and enjoying the company.
Wednesday, December 23 to Friday, December 25:
The Plan: Prepare for Disney Road Trip and Celebrate Christmas
On Wednesday, Helena and I went to the Treasure Coast Mall to get a few remaining Christmas gifts. We stopped for a combination lunch and dinner at Ruby Tuesday in the mall. We then drove to a nearby Honey Baked Ham outlet to get a pre-cooked ham for Christmas dinner.
On Thursday, we went to Publix to buy some grocery items we'd need during our stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
On Friday, Christmas Day, we had a traditional day at home, opening the gifts and cards and just enjoying each others' company on this special day of the year. Jaidyn was happy with the gifts she received from Santa and from family members. One package in particular was a complete surprise to her – it was a Walt Disney World box with five Magic Bands inside! (I had the bands sent to Selene's home address through the My Disney Experience app.) Jaidyn was overjoyed by the news that we were going to Walt Disney World the very next day and that we would be staying at her favorite Disney resort – Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, we explained to her that, although we would be visiting Walt Disney World for about five days, we would only be able to go to a theme park one day because of the cost. Given the choice, she decided that we should go to the Magic Kingdom. She understood that we would still be able to have fun on the other day at Animal Kingdom Lodge and using the monorail, ferryboats, and buses to visit some of the other Disney resorts to have lunch and see all of the beautiful Christmas decorations.
Going to a theme park one day of our Disney visit was a last-minute decision that was made early on Christmas Day. Later in the morning, I used the My Disney Experience app to link the tickets, which were bought online, to our accounts. Believe it or not, at that late date we were easily able to get FastPass+ reservations for Goofy's Barnstormer, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain on Tuesday, December 29, the day we were planning to have lunch at the Wilderness Lodge.
The rest of Christmas Day was spent enjoying each others' company, enjoying a delicious Christmas dinner (thanks to Selene, John, and Helena), and preparing for our road trip to Orlando the following day.
Saturday, December 26:
The Plan: Drive to Orlando / AKL Kidani Village Check-In / Dinner at Boma
The morning was organized chaos as we all were busy packing, going to the gas station to fill up the tanks on both cars, picking up a few last-minute items from Publix, and taking Selene's two kitties to the vet for safekeeping. We finally had everything loaded into the cars and were on the road to Orlando by 1:30p.
We headed out together in the two cars – Selene, John, and Jaidyn in theirs and Helena and I in our rental. Helena and I took the entrance ramp to the Florida Turnpike about a minute before Selene and family. (The rental car had a SunPass transponder, while John had to stop at the toll booth.) John soon caught and passed us on the Turnpike. About a half-hour into the drive, it started to rain, which became heavier as we continued traveling north. Eventually the rain eased off and then stopped as we got nearer to Orlando. I guess the adrenaline from the stress of the rain kept me alert, but for whatever reason, I didn't need to make a rest stop at the mid-point in the drive like I usually do.
Eventually, we arrived at the Osceola Parkway exit from the Turnpike and were soon on the final stretch of highway towards Walt Disney World. Selene and Helena were texting back and forth during the drive, keeping tabs on each other's progress. Selene was using Google Maps to direct them to Animal Kingdom Lodge, while I was relying on the Hertz NeverLost GPS (which we nicknamed "Sarah" many years ago). But, as happens every trip, "Sarah" wanted to put us on I-4, while I know my way along the Osceola Parkway. I stuck to my preferred route and "Sarah" eventually gave up on trying to route us to I-4.
The sun was setting by the time we drove under the "Magical Archway" and we soon were driving up to the security stop at the entrance to AKL. A quick check of my driver's license, and we were on the last leg of the road trip. Helena and I parked in the temporary lot and joined Selene and family at the Kidani Village lobby. They had arrived about 10 minutes earlier and were waiting for us. The cast member at the check-in desk took care of us quickly and gave us the customary map and welcome package with our room number – 7652.
Selene, John, and Jaidyn headed to the room, while Helena and I moved our car to the underground parking area. We found a spot right next to the closest elevator to our room and, later, John moved their car next to ours. Lugging suitcases and almost a week's worth of breakfast items took a couple of trips, but we eventually had everything out of the cars.
By now, it was already time for our dinner reservation at Boma, which is over in the Jambo House section of AKL. Thankfully, there's a shuttle van that goes back and forth between the two buildings ever 15 minutes or so. We soon arrived at Jambo House and went directly to Bomba to check-in. I let the cast member know that two members of our group (Selene and Jaidyn) had food allergies, and this was noted on the table ticket.
Boma is a buffet-style eatery with an amazing spread of delicious and exotic dishes to choose from. Our server was Maureen, and she soon had our drinks delivered and also asked one of the chefs to come over to discuss available options for Selene and Jaidyn, given their food allergies. We all had a great time and left Boma with stomachs filled and wallet a bit emptier. The total cost, including gratuity was $253!!
In the weeks leading up to our visit to Walt Disney World, I had been in contact (through Facebook) with fellow MousePlaneteer Stacey Brown Zitto. She and her family were also staying at AKL, and we had made arrangements to meet after our dinner at Boma. Back upstairs after dinner, I immediately recognized Stacey and we had a warm first face-to-face meeting. After the initial greetings, Selene, John, and Jaidyn went on to our room, while Helena and I stayed to have a wonderful conversation with Stacey. It's nice to meet fellow MousePlaneteers in real life. Helena and I have also had the pleasure, over the past few years, of meeting Jennifer Baldovinos and her family and Jan DeVries and her husband during their stopovers at St. Thomas as part of Disney cruises.
Once back at our room, we took a few minutes to look around the 2-bedroom suite to see where everything was and what amenities were available. We've stayed at AKL Kidani Village in the past, so we knew what to expect, and we weren't disappointed. A plus of the 2-bedroom suits is that they have 3 separate bathrooms, the third being for the convenience of guests who might be sleeping on the pullout beds in the living room. There's also a stacked washer/dryer in a small closet. The bedroom and connected bathroom areas were all nicely appointed and spacious. We were very happy with our home-away-from-home for the next few days. Just one thing was missing ... we didn't get a towel sculpture from housekeeping.
Overall, this was a great first day of our Animal Kingdom Lodge getaway.
Sunday, December 27:
The Plan: Visit Polynesian Village Resort / Lunch at Kona Cafe / Visit Grand Floridian Resort
At home, I'm usually the early riser and that's the same when we're on vacation. Today's morning routine pretty much set the pattern for our days at AKL. I was the first one up and went into the living room so as not to disturb Helena. Going out on the balcony to look out onto the savannah, I saw that we had a wide panoramic view which, this and most mornings, was partly hidden by fog. That cleared up quickly and, when AKL staff brought the feed out, the animals started to make their appearance. There seemed to be a different mix of animals each day, but over the days of our stay, we saw zebras, giraffes, elephants, wilderbeests, Ankole cattle, antelopes, ostriches, storks, and other large birds.
I had a chance to really take a look at the channel lineup on the in-room TV service and was quite impressed by the upgrade since our last Disney vacation a couple years ago. All of the old favorites (including Stacey) are still there, some with updated graphics, but now there's a full slate of the more popular networks and cable channels. At home and on vacation, CBS is our preferred news source and where some of our favorite shows are, but it's still nice to have options.
Our plan for today was to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and, from there, take the monorail over to the Polynesian Village Resort and later to the Grand Floridian. The bus to the Magic Kingdom arrived at the Kidani Village stop at about 11:30a, and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom bus depot a couple minutes before 12:00p. Although we weren't going to the park, it was immediately obvious that this was going to be a very crowded day at the Magic Kingdom. Scores of visitors were arriving on the buses, ferryboats, and monorails. We also noticed that there was a much heavier presence of law enforcement personnel than we had ever seen at the parks. There were four police cruisers parked very near the entrance turnstiles, some marked as canine units. Other law enforcement vehicles were parked nearer to the ferryboat landings, and uniformed officers were visible at different locations.
We bypassed the crowds as best we could and headed to the monorail station. Walking up the monorail ramp was difficult for Helena, because of her bad knees, and this was a concern throughout our trip. Going downhill wasn't a problem, but the uphill walks were tough for her. Monorail Green pulled up within minutes of our arriving at the station, and we were soon on our way. The passage through and stop at the Contemporary is always a treat (we'll visit there another day) and then we were off to the Polynesian.
This was our first time seeing the newly remodeled lobby at the renamed Polynesian Village Resort. I know a lot of people really loved the original waterfall in the lobby, but I'm okay with the new look, which seems so much more open and airy. The large tiki god statue and planters are still inviting.
We took some time to walk around the resort, taking in the scenery, with special interest in the new DVC bungalows. I wish we could have seen inside one, but didn't want to schedule a DVC visit. Is it me or have the bungalows really cut down the size of the Polynesian's beachfront? I can imagine that the smaller beach means overcrowding by persons wanting to view Wishes from there.
Heading back inside the Ceremonial Greathouse, I took special interest in some of the Polynesian-themed exhibits on the ground floor. In addition to the statues of Minnie and Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the album cover art for a vinyl album by the "Walt Disney World Adventureland Steel Band" caught my attention. Given that Calypso music and steel bands are a part of everyday life in the Caribbean islands, I wonder if the music from that album is available anywhere online?
By this time it was nearing our 1:00 pm dining reservation time, so we headed back upstairs and checked in at the Kona Cafe. We had about a 5-minute wait before being seated against the back wall of the restaurant. The overall atmosphere was certainly much more quiet and relaxing than the hectic pace when 'Ohana is open for business.
Lana was our server and, as at Boma, she had one of the chefs come over to our table to go over the allergy-free options for Selene and Jaidyn. John had a steak salad, Helena had Asian chicken and pasta, Selene had a gluten- and egg-free steak salad, Jaidyn had gluten- and soy-free grilled chicken, and I had a steak platter. The total bill was $107 including drinks and gratuity. Jaidyn's meal was charged at a "kid's meal" price.
After a filling and relaxing meal, we stopped at the gift shops on the upper level to look around a bit. I bought a Stitch pin that Jaidyn had her eye on for her collection. We did notice that some of the souvenirs and clothes had really outrageous prices. I saw a shirt or two that I liked, but the prices chased me away!
I was expecting to find a display of Polynesian-themed gingerbread cottages somewhere in the Ceremonial Greathouse, but I looked around and didn't see any. I was somewhat disappointed by that. Maybe I should have asked a resort cast member, but didn't think of it at the time.
We eventually headed out to catch the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. I don't believe that John and Jaidyn had ever visited the Grand Floridian before. I know that Selene visited that resort with Helena and I way back in 1997, when Selene was still in college.
The Grand Floridian certain is "grand" and a bit intimidating. Helena and I are very casual dressers and, although you can see all levels of dress in the common areas, we'd feel out of place in some of the more elegant eateries there. Regardless of that factor, the Grand Floridian certainly is a beautiful and imposing resort. Everything is impeccable, even the gift shops. I imagine this is where the "1 percent" would go to enjoy a Disney vacation. I don't want to leave the impression that I dislike the Grand Floridian, because it looks magnificent. It's just that Helena and I would feel out of place staying there.
Down on the lower level of the grand lobby, we took special notice of the huge and elegantly trimmed Christmas tree and the wonderfully decorated, life-sized gingerbread shop. That really is an amazing structure! I wonder how long the gingerbread siding would last if the cottage was left in place beyond the Christmas season?
Outside the front entrance on the ground floor of the Grand Floridian, a couple of vintage vehicles caught our attention and we stopped there to look them over and take some photos. One is a beautiful, all white horse-drawn carriage (without the horse, of course, of course). The other is an equally beautiful, all white vintage Cadillac limo.
Heading back up to the second floor, we caught the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, where we walked over to the bus depot for the ride back to AKL. We left the Magic Kingdom bus depot just after 3:00p and were back at AKL by 3:35p. I took the opportunity to walk around the lobby area at Kidani Village to take a few photos before heading back to our room.
That evening (and most evenings of our visit) we just relaxed in our Kidani Village suite, resting up for the next day. Most evenings either Selene or Helena also did a load of laundry so as not to get too far behind in that chore.
Monday, December 28:
The Plan: Visit Yacht Club Resort / Lunch at Captain's Grill / Visit Beach Club and Boardwalk
This was one of the sunniest mornings of our trip, with very little, if any, fog out on the savannah. There was also a greater variety of animals out this morning. We went through our morning routines and were at the Kidani Village bus stop by 11:45a. The day before, I hadn't noticed the monitors that are now available at the resort bus stops to keep riders informed on the estimated arrival time of the buses to the various parks. This is a very welcome improvement and, although the arrival times change (I suppose based on GPS tracking of the buses), the information gives riders a rough idea of how long their wait will be. Now, I'd like to see similar monitors added to the bus depots at the various theme parks. This morning we had less than a 10 minute wait for the bus to Disney Hollywood Studios, where we would get off to take the ferryboat to the Echo Lake resorts.
We arrived at Hollywood Studios at about 12:10p, and decided to wait for the Friendship ferryboat instead of walking to Echo Lake. Being mid-day and with the Florida weather warmer than usual, the walk didn't sound too appealing. The Friendship soon arrived and we were on our way. Including a stop at the Swan and Dolphin before our stop, we arrived at the Yacht Club Resort's dock by 12:30p. We walked around the lobby of the Yacht Club Resort, and the intricately detailed model railroad display caught my attention. There was so much to look at in the miniature snow-covered village scenes. Mickey's Village and the Frozen scene were my favorites. We checked in at the Captain's Grill ahead of our 1:00p reservation time and had to wait about 5 or 10 minutes until we were seated.
I was impressed by the size of the Captain's Grill dining area, but there wasn't a large gathering of diners. Perhaps it's more popular at dinnertime. Our server was Dewey and, like our previous servers, he had the chef come over to our table to go over allergy-free options for Selene and Jaidyn. John had a roast beef sandwich, Helena had crab cakes, Selene had a gluten-free salad with scallops, Jaidyn had a gluten-free "kid's meal" grilled chicken, and I had a chicken sandwich. All of the servings were rather large, and everyone enjoyed their meals. The total tab, including gratuity, was $105.
After lunch, Selene, John, and Jaidyn returned to Kidani Village to take a swim in the pool there. They were lucky to catch a bus at Yacht Club that took them to the Animal Kingdom park and then continued directly to Animal Kingdom Lodge. That saved them lots of time versus the Friendship boat ride back to Disney Hollywood Studios and then a bus ride to AKL.
Helena and I wanted to continue sightseeing around Echo Lake, so we stayed behind. We first went to check out Stormalong Bay, which is an amazing swimming area, and then looked around the Beach Club Resort. The gingerbread and chocolate carousel in the lobby and, especially, the detailed horses really were works of art. While there, we made sure to stop at Beaches and Cream for delicious ice cream cones. Helena had a chocolate sugar cone and I had a strawberry waffle cone, total cost $9.50. We took the opportunity for the ice cream after Selene, John, and Jaidyn had left because Jaidyn's food allergies make it almost impossible for her to tolerate the sweet desserts that are generally available. So, we usually forego desserts as part of any restaurant meals when we're all together. At home, Selene is very creative in making desserts that are allergy-safe for Jaidyn and still tasty for the rest of us.
After the ice cream, Helena and I continued across the bridge that leads to the Epcot side of the Boardwalk. We made a quick stop at a Christmas display in front of the Boardwalk Resort, but didn't go inside the resort. We just took a leisurely stroll, stopping occasionally to take a photo or two. We eventually arrived at the Swan and Dolphin side of the Boardwalk and got in line to wait for the next Friendship ferry back to the Hollywood Studios park. Once there, we took the bus back to Kidani Village. Selene, John, and Jaidyn were still at the pool when we arrived at our room and came back shortly after.
I remember that one evening Selene and John went out to visit Disney Springs, with Jaidyn staying at Kidani Village with Helena and I. However, I'm not sure if this was this evening or later in the week. Regardless, after watching TV with us for a while, Jaidyn got ready for bed and, after goodnight hugs and kisses, went to bed without any fuss.
Tuesday, December 29:
The Plan: Magic Kingdom / Visit Wilderness Lodge / Lunch at Whispering Canyon
During Christmas week, all of the theme parks were opening at 8:00a, with the Magic Kingdom opening at 7:00a with Extra Magic Hours. To get a decent head start on the crowds, we had to get up very early. We were up by 6:00a, rushed to get dressed and eat breakfast, and be out the door to the bus stop as early as possible. Wouldn't you know it ... today was our longest wait for the bus to arrive!
Even so, we got to the Magic Kingdom by 7:10a and were met by rather short lines at the bag check and the turnstiles. Unfortunately, I must look like a terrorist, because I was singled out by security for a pass through the x-ray scanner and wanding (because of my belt buckle). Even so, we were walking down Main Street USA by 7:20a.
We didn't stop for pictures along Main Street, but headed directly to Cinderella Castle with a mission ... to get in line for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as quickly as possible. We did make a very quick stop in front of The Partners statue for a couple photos with Walt, Mickey, and the Castle then continued on our mission.
By the time we arrived at the ride entrance to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the time was 7:30a and the standby wait time was already posted as over 40 minutes. However, the actual wait was only about 23 minutes. (A photo I took as I boarded the train was time-stamped at 7:53a.) A big surprise was that Helena, who never rides roller coasters, came along on this ride and actually enjoyed it. I must admit that the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is one of the tamest coasters at Walt Disney World. Even the Barnstormer (considered a kiddie ride) does things with my vertigo that didn't happen on the Mine Train. I'd definitely ride this one again in the future. Two thumbs up!!
We next headed over to Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. It really surprised me how short the standby line was for this relatively new ride. It was a direct walk-on without any wait. We enjoyed the ride and the great music as always, but I had my camera set incorrectly and only got blurry ride photos. Better luck next time.
We wanted to get a ride with Peter Pan next to see the recent upgrades to the attraction, but the standby line was already over 90 minutes. So, we skipped that and continued on to "it's a small world" which was another walk-on. This is such a classic that I never get tired of it ... not even the song.
After we exited "it's a small world," we headed over towards Liberty Square and noticed that the Haunted Mansion was a walk-on, so we went for a thrilling ride with the happy haunts. I got a few pretty good photos this time around, considering my rather inexpensive camera. But I was disappointed that my attempt to capture the hitchhiking ghosts at the end didn't come out as expected. Another one for next time.
Jaidyn would probably have been bored by the Hall of Presidents, so we skipped that and headed over to the Liberty Belle steamboat, which was just getting ready to depart on another cruise around the Rivers of America. The Belle was almost empty, and we had a great view from the forward top deck. I was able to capture some of my nicest photos ever of the various sights around the river. It was a very quiet and relaxing cruise.
We wanted to take in the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jingle Jungle Cruise next, but the Pirates were down (all day, actually) with some major problem and the Jungle Cruise had almost a 2-hour standby line at 9:45a! At this point, Selene, John, and Jaidyn went to try get onto Big Thunder Mountain on standby. In the meantime, Helena and I took the opportunity to stop at Aloha Isle for a couple of Dole Whips. Delicious! We then took our time cutting through the growing crowds towards Storybook Circus, where we all had 10:30a FastPasses for the Barnstormer.
When Selene, John, and Jaidyn rejoined us, we all rode the Barnstormer. This ride reinforced my feeling that the Barnstormer, as short as it is, is more of a vertigo inducer for me than the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The standby lines for Barnstormer are always so long that I'd never even consider riding it without Fastpass.
By this time, we had to start heading towards the park exit in order to make our dining reservation at the Wilderness Lodge. Trying to "swim" against the rush of people entering the park was really a struggle, especially through Tomorrowland and down Main Street USA. We finally exited the Magic Kingdom around 11:20a and headed over to the ferryboat dock to catch the next boat over to Wilderness Lodge. We all enjoyed the nice and quiet ride across the Seven Seas Lagoon and into Bay Lake.
We arrived at the Wilderness Lodge within about 15 minutes and took our time walking to the Lodge's main lobby. Helena and I recalled to the others how, a few trips back, we had been caught completely by surprise when the geyser erupted while we were standing nearby and soaked us completely to the bone! We had to go to the gift shop to buy ourselves dry shirts and try to wring out our wet jeans in the restrooms. We laugh about it now, but that was a disaster!
Although we were about a half-hour early for our lunch reservation at the Whispering Canyon, we were seated within minutes of the restaurant opening for lunch that day. The place soon filled up with other patrons and everyone started to get into the swing of the raucous goings on. Of course, there were several calls for ketchup, the little ones paraded around the room on wooden horses, and other such antics. At one point, Helena innocently asked for a napkin and was presented with a large white table cloth to cover her entire body in case of any spills. I have the photo to prove it!
Steph, our server, played along with the antics but also was on the ball, bringing whatever we needed. The chef came over to discuss possible options for Selene and Jaidyn, which included fresh salmon for Selene and a "kid's meal" chicken breast and carrott sticks for Jaidyn. Helena, John, and I shared the big "all you can eat" lunch platters. Even the drink containers were super-sized. Including gratuity, this country feast cost $135.
We took the ferryboat back over to the Magic Kingdom and were ready to re-enter the park by about 2:00p. I'll give you one guess what happened next ...
... that's right, I was again pulled aside for extra security screening and this time Helen had to come with me. Do we really look like terrorists? Sheesh!!!
Once inside the park, we realized that, as bad as the crowds were when we left for lunch at Wilderness Lodge, they were even worse now. It seemed like every square inch of walking space was occupied by people. The five of us tried to keep together as much as possible as we navigated our way up Main Street and then through Adventureland. The Jungle Cruise had a standby line that reach all the way to the main Adventureland walkway and Pirates of the Caribbean was still down, with a crowd waiting hopefully for it to reopen – it never did that day.
It was still too early for our FastPass on Splash Mountain, so we talked Jaidyn into taking in a showing of the Country Bear Jamboree, which she and John had never seen before. Jaidyn was somewhat noncommittal afterwards, but we think she liked it. This was the first time that Helena and I had experienced the shortened version of the show and the change was very noticeable to us. It's still a fun attraction, but not worthy of a long wait to get in.
We continued through the crowds towards Splash Mountain, for which we had 3:30p FastPasses. Helena doesn't do Splash Mountain, so she waited for us in a nearby seating area. The standby line was unbelievably long and I certainly would never even consider getting into a line like that, no matter how much I liked an attraction. Our FastPass line kept moving forward and we were seated in our log within about 15 minutes. Selene and I were in the last row, with John and Jaidyn right in front of us. I have to say that I got some of the clearest on-ride photos that I've ever gotten of Splash Mountain (or any other dark ride). I think I've finally found the perfect settings to use on this camera in the future. The big "splash" down the mountain was a tame one, with none of us getting wet to any degree.
We were next going to try to get onto Big Thunder Mountain in the standby line, but when we got there, we learned that Big Thunder was down for the rest of the afternoon. We were given the opportunity to switch our 4:30p Fastpasses to another ride and decided on Splash Mountain again. But Selene wasn't up to another big plunge, so she sat out this one, as did I. I sometimes suffer from back pain and all of the walking and standing was beginning to take its toll.
John and Jaidyn took up the offer and used their Fastpasses to get a second ride on Splash Mountain. They were going to ride again a third time, but Splash Mountain also went down around 4:45p, before they could get on. That was a lucky thing, because riders already on the mountain had to be evacuated on foot.
With most of the big rides down or with hours-long standby lines, we decided to call it a day and started to head out of the Magic Kingdom. The crowds were truly amazing, and we had to struggle against the rush of people coming in as we were trying to get out. Eventually we made it to the exit and headed over to the bus depot for the ride back to Kidani Village. We arrived at about 6:00p.
Overall, we had a very satisfying, if tiring, day at the Magic Kingdom. Considering the enormous crowds, we got a lot done with only three Fastpasses each.
Wednesday, December 30:
The Plan: Visit Contemporary Resort / Lunch at The Wave
I was the first one up at about 7:15a. It was another very foggy morning out on the savannah, with several wildebeests and Ankole cattle out and about. We all went through our morning routines, had breakfast, and just relaxed until close to mid-day. We caught the bus to the Magic Kingdom and switched over to the monorail. The one we caught today had black stripes (is there normally a Monorail Black?) and window overlays with a Star Wars theme. The Millenium Falcon was on the door through which we entered. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Contemporary Resort.
It was already almost 1:00p, which was the time for our lunch reservation at The Wave, so we headed down to the 1st floor to check-in. We had about a 5 minute wait before we were seated. We had another, longer, wait before our server Ashley came over, but she was pleasant and got the chef to come over to our table to go over allergy-free options with Selene. We settled on a safe burger for Selene, grilled chicken and potatoes for Jaidyn, a steak salad for Helena, and loaded burgers for John and I. The final tab, including gratuity, was $122. I have to say that eating at Disney is much more expensive now that I remember it being in the recent past!
After the expensive but tasty meal, we headed back up to the main floor to look around a bit. There was a 2-dimensional Frozen-themed gingerbread display just below the Mary Blair mosaic art. It included a large ice castle, a smaller Norwegian Stave Church, and some of the main characters from the story. Off to the side there was also a 3-dimensional sandcastle with Olaf, a Nemo pale and shovel, and a traditional snowman nearby.
We spent quite a while browsing through the huge selection of items at the Fantasia store. Not surprisingly, they had a large section with Star Wars toys and souvenirs. I was particularly interested in the selection of Disney books, videos, and music, but didn't see anything I felt compelled to purchase. We also looked around the other eateries on this level of the Contemporary, including Chef Mickey's. That was an option we had considered for lunch today, but the menu seemed to be less "allergy friendly" than The Wave. Maybe we can give Chef Mickey's a try sometime in the future.
It was almost 3:00p when we finally headed out of the Contemporary on the monorail. We split up at this point. Selene, John, and Jaidyn headed back to the Magic Kingdom stop to catch the bus back to Kidani Village. They were going to hit the swimming pool again. Helena and I got off at the Transportation Center and transferred to the Epcot monorail. I wanted to ride the monorail over to Epcot and make that grand loop around the Future World pavilions. I lucked out and had the perfect seat to capture a photo of each pavilion and the American Adventure across the World Showcase Lagoon. We got off the monorail at the Epcot stop so that I could get a couple shots of Spaceship Earth and then headed to the bus depot to catch the bus back to Kidani Village. Unfortunately, we had about a 20 minute wait for a bus, but I'm still glad that we made that side trip to Epcot.
Thursday, December 31:
The Plan: AKL Kidani Village Check-Out / Visit Disney Springs / Lunch at Paradiso 37 / Drive Home
We all slept in a bit, but couldn't delay too long because of the 11:00a check-out time. After breakfast, John and I, with some help from Jaidyn, took all of our stuff down to the cars and packed them away in the trunks. Housekeeping was already there, ready to clean up for the next guests, so we did the best we could to quickly vacate the room.
Today, we headed over to Disney Springs. The bus made a stop at Typhoon Lagoon to drop off a group who were going to enjoy the waterpark and then continued towards our destination. I was surprised at how much road construction is still going on all around Disney Springs. In fact, the bus took the long way around from Typhoon Lagoon to Disney Springs, detouring onto the road that passes by the Old Key West and Saratoga Springs Resorts and then past the Hotel Plaza shopping area before arriving at Disney Springs' Marketplace bus stop.
Our first stop was at the Art of Disney store, where we spent quite some time just admiring all of the beautiful Disney-themed art pieces – paintings, character sketches, character figurines, and so on. I saw many pieces I would love to have in our home, but almost everything was priced beyond what we could afford to pay.
The next stop was Pin Traders, where Selene, John, and Jaidyn spent some time looking through the assortment of pins for a few that were missing from their Stitch pin collection. We then went on to Once Upon a Toy, spending some time looking over the huge collection of Star Wars toys, models, and other collectibles. We continued on with stops at the Lego Store and, of course, the World of Disney. That store alone must cover many thousands of square feet. At one point, Helena and I got separated from Selene, John, and Jaidyn and had to give Selene a call on the phone to find out where they were! We bought a couple items, including a Minnie dress for my new niece back at home and another Disney baseball cap for me (I'm everlastingly losing them). I also surprised Jaidyn by buying a Stitch/Yoda plush toy that she had her eye on.
We eventually arrived at the former Pleasure Island section and stopped for our scheduled lunch at Paradiso 37. We were seated in a rear section that had floor-to-ceiling windows on the waterside with a great view out to Saratoga Springs Resort on the opposite side of the lake. Ricardo was our server and had the chef come over for Selene and Jaidyn. Selene had a Chilean-style salmon, Jaidyn had a "kid's meal" chicken dish, Helena had a Caesar salad, John had a Paradiso cheeseburger, and I had steak platter. Total cost, including gratuity, was $129.
After the filling meal, we continued towards the West End section of Disney Springs, stopping at a Star Wars store and a connected Super Hero store. On the return walk back to our starting point, we also stopped at the store inside the T-Rex restaurant, where Selene bought a pretty quartz paperweight. One of our last stops was at Goofy's Candy Store, where Helena got a pound of licorice jelly beans. We had a short wait for the bus and were soon on our way back to Kidani Village to pick up our cars and start the long road trip back to Port St. Lucie. On the way, I was finally able to catch a decent photo, from the moving bus, of one of the floating mountains being constructed for the new Avatar/Pandora section at Animal Kingdom park. I'm sure that new "land" will have some amazing things to see and ride when it's completed.
We were on the road by 4:30p. Again, the GPS in our Hertz rental wanted to route us through I-4. So, I ignored "Sarah" and followed my instinct, staying on the Osceola Parkway until the exit onto the Florida Turnpike. Selene and family must have been guided to a slightly different route by Google Earth, because they hit more toll plaza's on Osceola than we did. We're still not sure why that was. Throughout our drive on the Turnpike, Helena and Selene texted back and forth tracking our relative progress. We remained slightly ahead of them all the way down to Port St. Lucie, with them catching up and passing us only after we had exited the Turnpike onto local roads. We ended up arrive at Selene's home together. The later part of the drive down on the Turnpike had been a bit difficult for me because it was completely dark by that time and the steady stream of highlights of the cars in the northbound lane was giving me a bit of eye strain. Thankfully, we all arrived safely.
Although we were somewhat tired from the long day and drive, we stayed up to welcome in the New Year. The TV was tuned to the New Years Eve festivities in New York City and I also had my computer logged in to the Disney Blog for a videocast of the Magic Kingdom's New Years Fireworks. We toasted the New Year with Martinelli Apple Cider and turned in for the night.
Friday, January 1 to Saturday, January 2:
The Plan: Family Time with Selene and Family
We all slept in a bit longer than normal on New Years Day and just relaxed most of the day. Helena and I called loved ones back at home to wish them and to confirm that we would be flying back to St. Thomas on Sunday.
On Saturday, Helena and I made quick stops at Walmart and Publix to get a few last minute items. We also stopped at Olive Garden for an early dinner, bringing takeout for John. We packed up all of our stuff in the suitcase and backpacks, except the clothes and toiletries we'd need the next morning. We also packed a box with some items to be mailed home to us, and Selene went online and made arrangements for pickup by the U.S. Postal Service.
Sunday, January 3:
The Plan: Drive to Miami / AA Flight from Miami to St. Thomas
We were up early, showered and got dressed, and packed away our last few items. By about 10:00a we sadly bid farewell to Selene, John, and Jaidyn and thanked them for everything during our stay with them. We packed our stuff in the rental car one last time and headed out towards I-95 and the 90-minute drive to Deerfield Beach.
We had planned to make a rest stop in Deerfield to have lunch and top off the gas tank in the rental car so that it would be (essentially) full when we returned it to Hertz. As on our arrival day, we ate at Boston Market, which is a favorite of Helena's. We gave my sister Marion a quick call to say our goodbyes and then again hit I-95 for the last leg of our drive to Miami and MIA. We arrived at the Hertz depot just before 2:00p. We had driven a total of 720 miles and the rental charge was a whopping $2,164! I really need to shop around before our next trip to Florida. I'm the type who tends to be brand-loyal, but almost $2,200 for a compact car for 18 days is really expensive.
Anyway, we got our stuff out of the trunk and started the long trek to the MIA check-in terminal. As usual, there was chaos at the American Airlines (AA) check-in area. It seems that on every trip through MIA, the configuration and assignment of counter space for the various categories of travelers changes. We finally did get directions from an AA service rep and checked in at one of the self-service kiosks. One unexpected plus was that, although we were expecting to have to pay a big penalty because our suitcase was 5 pounds over the 50 pound limit, we were told that because we were traveling in business class, the weight limit was 70 pounds.
After we checked-in the suitcase, we proceeded to the TSA security check, where we were pretty much just waved through because our boarding passes were labeled as "TSA Precheck." I'm not sure how we got that designation, but I wasn't going to complain.
Thankfully, we had a short walk to our departure gate and found lots of available seating in the waiting area. We just spent the time talking, checking Facebook on our iPhones, and people-watching. When it was time to board, we were among the first onto the Boeing 757. This was only the second time we had ever flown in business/first class, the first time being on a 15-minute hop from San Juan to St. Thomas many years ago. My overall impression was that the business class service and food was what the airlines used to serve in coach class during the 1960s/70s, but without the fancy napkins and dishes. How times change!
Our flight was completely uneventful (the best kind), and we landed at St. Thomas pretty much on schedule. My sister-in-law Myrna and nephew Steven met us at the airport, and we made our way to the baggage claim area. We caught up on family news while waiting for our one suitcase to arrive. We had a bit of a wait, but at least not as long as when we had arrived in Miami. After the drive home, we brought our stuff inside and settled in for the night. Another Florida/Disney vacation had come to an end.
Conclusion:
Overview:
When we were originally planning this trip, we had absolutely no intention of visiting any of the Disney theme parks. In fact, we made it a point to tell family and friends who inquired that "we're not planning to go to the Disney parks this year." That was completely true, although we didn't volunteer that we planned to spend a few days at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge on DVC points. The one-day visit to the Magic Kingdom was completely a last-minute decision made mostly for Jaidyn's benefit.
Overall, we had a wonderful time relaxing in the 2-bedroom suite at Kidani Village, visiting some of the other Disney resorts each day for lunch, riding on the various Disney transportation systems, and the surprise visit to the Magic Kingdom. Although the park was absolutely packed and several of the most popular rides were down later in the day, we still enjoyed the attractions we were able to ride. We were completely surprised, in a good way, at being able to make Fastpass+ reservations at almost the last minute and that our MagicBands worked without any hitches.
The Highs:
- The weather was pleasant, being mostly in the 70s and with no rain.
- Our suite at Animal Kingdom Lodge's Kidani Village was very comfortable and quiet, although we did have a very long walk between our room and the lobby. Having the animals right outside our balcony every day added to the illusion of being in an exotic location.
- Our waits for the bus were 10 minutes or less, with only a couple exceptions.
- We thoroughly enjoyed riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for the very first time and having Helena join us for her first Disney roller coaster ride.
- Visiting the various Disney resorts, most of which Selene and family had not been to before, and enjoying lunchtime meals each day was a relaxing change of pace for a Disney vacation.
- We had no rude guest encounters.
The Lows:
- Not getting to see Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade at the Magic Kingdom.
- Not being able to visit the other theme parks.
What’s Next:
Right now, we have no plans for another visit to Walt Disney World. Given that we're DVC members, the hope is that we'll be able to use our points at some time during 2016. However, our personal finances will eventually dictate our vacation plans.
Photo Album:
I've posted a selection of 225 photos from our visit to Walt Disney World on my Facebook page at the link below. You should be able to view the photos without having to log-in or otherwise identify yourself to Facebook. But you won't be able to comment on or "like" the images without logging in. Therefore, please feel safe taking a look even if you're not a member of Facebook. The link below will take you to a page with thumbnails of all of the photos in the album. Click on the first thumbnail image to open up a photo viewer window where you can click forward or backward to display the other photos.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=a859ad3f9f
For those who might be interested, I've put together a 260+ page book with full color photos from our family visits to the Disney theme parks from 1972 to 2014. If you'd like more info, please contact me privately. My email address is:
arnoldvb@islands.vi