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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Just got back from 5 nights/ 6 days in disney.
We had a wonderful time and I figured since so many of you were so helpful I would post some info from our trip.
HOTEL: Animal Kingdom Lodge
ONE WORD- AMAZING! What a gorgeous placer to stay. We had a pool view but there were TONS of common places to sit and watch the animals on the savanna. DD got a real kick out of seeing all of the animals. Especially the giraffes and zebras!
Our room was bigger than our room when we stayed in the Caribbean last year but not HUGE. That is the only downfall. but it was clean, nicely decorated, double sinks in the bathroom were a plus!
We did Magic Kingdom the day we arrived. We had a 730am flight with 230 reservations at the Royal Table and I was so stressed that the times were too close, and we had MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME! We landed at 1020am, got RIGHT ON the Magical Express, checked in and room was ready, dropped our bags and were at MK by 115!. Worked perfectly!! and we werent even rushing.
CRT was amazing as it was last year. DD really enjoyed once again.
The new Fantasyland is amazing but we arrived on a saturday and it was PACKED. It definitely was the most crowded section in the park.
We did dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern that night. It was good, not great but good.
I'd go again.
Day #2 we did Animal Kingdom which I have to say WE LOVED! so glad we chose to go there. We spent the ENTIRE day there. We did Tusker House for breakfast. IT was a little slow and I am personally not a huge fan of buffets, especially this year bc everyone there was SNEEZING and COUGHING more than ever. That was the ONLY buffet we did the whole time we were there.
We lunch at Flame Tree BBQ which was good for a Quick Service place and dinner that night back at our hotel at Saana and that WAS AMAZING!!! DD even enjoyed. She just got pizza but it wasnt that gross disney pizza, it was on flat bread and it was great for her.
Next day we went to Whispering Canyon for breakfast in the Wilderness Lodge and let me tell you, while I ALWAYS recommend Whispering Canyon we were SO DISAPPOINTED!! It was nothing like it used to be. Not sure if we caught it on a bad day or what but they didnt have the parade for the kids, or the horses or anything cute like they did last time. I doubt we will return unless we stay again at Wilderness Lodge, but I wont go out of my way to go there.
So sad bc we were looking forward to it.
Dinner that night was Ohana and it was awesome, only thing we disliked was the shrimp it was TERRIBLE. But everything else was great and it was a nice night.
Funny enough but next day we did Ohana breakfast and loved it. Definitely our favorite breakfast meal. Plus Mickey took DD to be the leader with him in the parade so she had an EXTRA special time! The dont rush you but at the same time it was not as slow as Tusker House which we liked!
DD was afraid of Stitch and he did a great job with giving her extra attention and by the end she loved him
We spent that day in Epcot. Had a great Pizza in Italy and did dinner in Italy as well. DD enjoed the nemo ride, the crush show, the acts in fron of each country and we saw some more characters. But to be honest I was a little bored for her there. Next time maybe a half a day. not sure.
Our last full day we went to Kona Cafe in the Polynesian for breakfast and it was great! Would go back.
Did Magic Kindgom again, got to ride more rides in Fantasyland, did the 2 parades and saw a bunch more charachters, rode more rides in rest of park.
But poor DD came down with a feverl late that day.....MY WORST FEAR! 
BUT I was lucky bc I was able to get it right down with Motrin. We had dinner reservations at the Grand Floridian but cancelled and went back to the hotel that night. Once Motrin kicked in she was ok so we ate at the AKL's Quick Service Place and I have to admit it was not bad at all! Id eat there again! It worked perfect for us that night.
Last day we spent in Downtown Disney, had lunch at Wolfgang Puck Expess which was great! We ate outside and had a nice day.
We had a late flight out.
SO if you got this far reading this I would 1000000% recommend Animal Kingdom Lodge! We would go back there again for sure. It was very special. But of course the 3 hotels on the Monorail line are SUPER convenient and I would like to try one of them in future...no question, but if you are choosing between bus resorts (non monorail resorts) I would completely recommend AKL! I am not sure why people make a big deal that it is out of the way. We timed it a few times. 17-20 min to MAgic Kingdom. Thats all. And we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus! Expept for park closings where EVERYTHING was crowded, INCLUDING the monorail.
We had no trouble traveling to the other resorts (we traveled mostly to Magic Kingdom resorts) and in fact one morning the bus driver drove us directly to the Wilderness Lodge after making the MK stop which I thought was nice.
Few other things- We ordered from Garden Grocer and they were great. Food delivered no issues.
Weather was perfect, actualt warmer than last year at this time. WE were HOT a lot! lol
It was an AMAZING TRIP!! Had a great time, DD REALLY TRULY enjoyed every single thing!!! We are disney fans for sure!!!
Already planning the next one!!!!
Message edited 1/12/2013 9:59:04 AM.
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Posted 1/12/13 9:53 AM  |
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Long Island Weddings
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15657 total posts
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We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
So glad you had a good time! Sorry about the fever, that is always my worst fear on vacation too!
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| Posted 1/12/13 10:02 AM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by BargainMama
So glad you had a good time! Sorry about the fever, that is always my worst fear on vacation too!
Me too! Especially with a big trip! I was a little upset then said I should be thankful it didn't amount to anything more. It was very strange. Out of no where temp 100.5 then up to 102.2. Then broke and nothing.
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| Posted 1/12/13 10:28 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
I didnt realize you just went! Glad you had a great time! So sorry your DD got sick! How long did that last?
So overall, would you say you prefer AKL or WL? Curious what you think about that.
Glad you had a great time at Ohana (dinner and breakfast). Glad your breakfast experience was better than ours was.
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| Posted 1/12/13 11:01 AM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by Goobster
I didnt realize you just went! Glad you had a great time! So sorry your DD got sick! How long did that last?
So overall, would you say you prefer AKL or WL? Curious what you think about that.
Glad you had a great time at Ohana (dinner and breakfast). Glad your breakfast experience was better than ours was.
Hey yeah we went early this year! It was very strange she woke up FINE actually really fine. She came down with fever at around 600pm Wednesday have Motrin it came down to 98.2. Then spiked during night to 102.2 and by morning nothing. So I guess 12 hours.
I REALLY liked AKL. I would say WL is great Bc of the boat directly to MK. But AKL was amazing for all other reasons. But I do like WL too. I'd be torn.
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| Posted 1/12/13 11:50 AM |
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GioiaMia
Let's Go Rangers!
Member since 1/07 14818 total posts
Name:
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We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Thanks for the review! I'm so excited! You also reminded me to pack some medicine. I know you can buy it anywhere but I feel better having it with me just in case!
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| Posted 1/13/13 10:25 AM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
We LOVE the AKL to us it is just so unique and fun. We stayed at the poly last 2 trips for convience but missed the AKL. Glad to hear you loved it too.
Happy to hear what time you made it to the MK we were thinking of heading over there but wasn't sure how long it would take. Our flight lands 945 and a different hotel so we could probably make it by around 1 then.
Which TS in Italy did you eat at?
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| Posted 1/13/13 10:39 AM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by GioiaMia
Thanks for the review! I'm so excited! You also reminded me to pack some medicine. I know you can buy it anywhere but I feel better having it with me just in case!
So funny Bc I packed tylenol, motrin and an ear thermometer. That morning I threw the ear thermometer in my park bag but didn't take the meds. Lol. I don't even know why I took the thermometer that day.... Maybe mommy's instinct ! So when she spiked I wound up not having the meds but I went right to the baby care station and got everything I needed! Those places are great!
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| Posted 1/13/13 10:54 AM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by Lillykat
We LOVE the AKL to us it is just so unique and fun. We stayed at the poly last 2 trips for convience but missed the AKL. Glad to hear you loved it too.
Happy to hear what time you made it to the MK we were thinking of heading over there but wasn't sure how long it would take. Our flight lands 945 and a different hotel so we could probably make it by around 1 then.
Which TS in Italy did you eat at?
For lunch we ate in Via Napoli and we LOVED it. For dinner we did tutto ??? The other TS place. That was good too. DH loved both. I liked Via Napoli a little better. The pizza was great!
And yes the timing working out more than perfect. We almost switched the castle to the last full day for lunch and I'm glad we didn't Bc at that time is when she came down with fever. Lessons learned- do the important things in the beginning of the trip! So glad we did that!
Message edited 1/13/2013 10:58:46 AM.
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| Posted 1/13/13 10:56 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
We loved our food from Via napoli also! Tutto was not open when we went but I wanted to try it.
Message edited 1/13/2013 12:20:41 PM.
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| Posted 1/13/13 12:20 PM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by Goobster
We loved our food from Via napoli also! Tutto was not open when we went but I wanted to try it.
Yeah we thought it was great!
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| Posted 1/13/13 12:23 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by Serendipity
Posted by Lillykat
We LOVE the AKL to us it is just so unique and fun. We stayed at the poly last 2 trips for convience but missed the AKL. Glad to hear you loved it too.
Happy to hear what time you made it to the MK we were thinking of heading over there but wasn't sure how long it would take. Our flight lands 945 and a different hotel so we could probably make it by around 1 then.
Which TS in Italy did you eat at?
For lunch we ate in Via Napoli and we LOVED it. For dinner we did tutto ??? The other TS place. That was good too. DH loved both. I liked Via Napoli a little better. The pizza was great!
And yes the timing working out more than perfect. We almost switched the castle to the last full day for lunch and I'm glad we didn't Bc at that time is when she came down with fever. Lessons learned- do the important things in the beginning of the trip! So glad we did that!
Great right now we wanted a "cheaper" option for dinner and yhought we would try the pizza place. DD is allergic to milk and doesn't like pasta but loves at home going to grimaldis and getting a pizza w/ sauce and chicken or pepperoni w/out cheese. So thought it might be fun to try.
I hear you about the illness. I tell everyone to remember the baby care centers for pedialyte and medicines. We had both girls come down the last night of our trip but a bad stomach bug. Nothing like Happy 1st Birthday here is a stomach bug as your gift. Glad to hear it turned out to be nothing. I'm a bit stressed as we are going almost the same week. You touch all the rides, all the interactive things and no matter how many million times I say don't touch your mouth, don't touch your nose etc. They are still young. Glad you had mixed review on tusker house I had been gun ho an going and then realized I think we got sick from chef mickeys so we decided no buffets. I was second guessing myself but hearing you say the coughing etc makes me feel better with that decision. We have chef mickeys booked for our last morning but will probably cancel if we see mickey enough. But I figure we will at least be home by the time anyone gets something from there.
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| Posted 1/13/13 12:23 PM |
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Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Also..how old is your DD? Did you take any midday breaks? Tour until 3 or whatever then go back and swim at all? Or did you tour all day no break?
My girls will be turning 4, 2 days after we return home, and her sister turn 6 a month later. We will do things like go to the bronx zoo when it opens and stay until 4. But they are tired. Not sure if we are better to hit rope drop, go back for a swim and down time (neither has napped in years), then go back- some or every night around 4 for dinner and rides and some parades. Or some days tour until 4 or 5 return to the hotel swim and have dinner. I feel like we went from touring all day prekids with occasional breaks or hotel evenings, to breaks everyday bc they were under 3. Now I am not sure what the best approach is for us/them. I know we want rope drop bc long lines make my daughter very jumpy so we want to plan well. But my older one gets up early easily but my younger one does not. But younger one has more stamina and doesn't tire as easily or get cranky as easily.  We will be at POR this time so not as easy to just run back as it was at the Poly. We do have grandparents coming with us.
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| Posted 1/13/13 12:41 PM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by Lillykat
Posted by Serendipity
Posted by Lillykat
We LOVE the AKL to us it is just so unique and fun. We stayed at the poly last 2 trips for convience but missed the AKL. Glad to hear you loved it too.
Happy to hear what time you made it to the MK we were thinking of heading over there but wasn't sure how long it would take. Our flight lands 945 and a different hotel so we could probably make it by around 1 then.
Which TS in Italy did you eat at?
For lunch we ate in Via Napoli and we LOVED it. For dinner we did tutto ??? The other TS place. That was good too. DH loved both. I liked Via Napoli a little better. The pizza was great!
And yes the timing working out more than perfect. We almost switched the castle to the last full day for lunch and I'm glad we didn't Bc at that time is when she came down with fever. Lessons learned- do the important things in the beginning of the trip! So glad we did that!
Great right now we wanted a "cheaper" option for dinner and yhought we would try the pizza place. DD is allergic to milk and doesn't like pasta but loves at home going to grimaldis and getting a pizza w/ sauce and chicken or pepperoni w/out cheese. So thought it might be fun to try.
I hear you about the illness. I tell everyone to remember the baby care centers for pedialyte and medicines. We had both girls come down the last night of our trip but a bad stomach bug. Nothing like Happy 1st Birthday here is a stomach bug as your gift. Glad to hear it turned out to be nothing. I'm a bit stressed as we are going almost the same week. You touch all the rides, all the interactive things and no matter how many million times I say don't touch your mouth, don't touch your nose etc. They are still young. Glad you had mixed review on tusker house I had been gun ho an going and then realized I think we got sick from chef mickeys so we decided no buffets. I was second guessing myself but hearing you say the coughing etc makes me feel better with that decision. We have chef mickeys booked for our last morning but will probably cancel if we see mickey enough. But I figure we will at least be home by the time anyone gets something from there.
In tuskers I got grossed out. I was careful with the food I picked out. I watched first kids literally sneeze into their hands pick up a serving spoon in the tray them let the handle fall into the tray. It turnede off. I am not saying it wS particularly "tusker house" just the whole buffet concept in general. I waited for fresh trays to come out. The food there was actually ok but after the coughing and sneezing scene we decided to forget other buffets especially since of this flu scare right now.
So that was first issue with tusker buty real issue was the amount of time it took for re characters to come. We were there over an hour and still Mickey was no where near our section. Finally I said something and they grabbed it. It was sort of the same experience we had at crystal palace last year, however crystal palace was worse. I am sure it's just the luck of the day I assume. CRT and Ohana we had great experiences.
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| Posted 1/13/13 12:43 PM |
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yankinmanc
Happy Days!
Member since 8/05 18208 total posts
Name:
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We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Ive just booked breakfast at Tusker House for next month. Hopefully it will be okay.
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| Posted 1/14/13 11:11 AM |
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Serendipity
Summer!
Member since 4/07 7631 total posts
Name:
PrayingWishingHopingALOT
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Re: We are back from DISNEY!! MY REVIEW!!
Posted by yankinmanc
Ive just booked breakfast at Tusker House for next month. Hopefully it will be okay.
I am sure it will be fine! It wasnt JUST tusker it was the general set up of buffets there. We tend to avoid buffets anywhere so no different in Disney. TBH the food was good tho!
Message edited 1/14/2013 1:03:59 PM.
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| Posted 1/14/13 1:03 PM |
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