I Can't, I'm Not Wearing a Princess Dress! - New TR link!!!!

[pkondz]

Zeebra domes........ OMG.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm just impressed with your ability to juggle all that crap and still take a selfie.

 

[afwdwfan]

I took not one single picture today. Literally feels like I'm herding squirrels here. I turn my back and 3 or 4 people take off opposite directions. I'm lucky that everyone just seems ok going along with what I want to do essentially, but i want input!

Anyway, good day today. Accomplished a lot despite an unpleasant early surprise. But again...i took 0 pictures. ThisTR will suck in ways only imagined in the past.

Kids have done relatively well but we did 2 long park days back to back and hit the meltdown point for DD. I admit i pushed hard, but my strategy is always go hard early, knock off as many must dos as we can then take the last part of the trip at a more leisurely pace. Tomorrow we visit Pandora and have breakfast... maybe use a couple of FPs and then i think we'll take a nice long break and let the kids swim.

 

[vrajewski10513]

Wow, I'm so glad everything is ok with the little guy! I can imagine with all of his health concerns how anything coming up out of the ordinary at the MD's office can be stressful. I hope you and your other DS are doing better too! I recently had a sinus infection that just lingered for over a month. It really stinks when there's so many things to do in the summer and you're not feeling 100%.
I can't believe this so your first taste of Zebra Domes!! SOOOO GOOD!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Literally feels like I'm herding squirrels here.

That's definitely gives an interesting picture!

I'm lucky that everyone just seems ok going along with what I want to do essentially, but i want input!

I totally understand. But atleast everyone is ok with your plans... I had nobody giving me any input, then complaining about our plans on our trip last year

 

[missangelalexis]

Don't worry about the TR! Just as long as you guys are having fun!

 

[afwdwfan]

I highly recommend the touringplans room request fax tool. This was taken from my balcony just a few minutes ago. Hard to tell in the picture but there is a giraffe there.



Gotta say I might have some thoughts on this trip that don't really line up with the Disney community. I love AKL, but I can't say that I'd scramble to come back here (at least not at this point). Transportation has frankly been worse than I ever imagined. I know it us far from everything but I really expected better bus service to help make up for the 20-25 minute drives. We've tended to mostly drive to the parks on recent trips but as far as taking the bus goes, AKL has been consistently longer waits than what I've waited for anywhere else.

And this morning was my first time in Pandora. Ill save the detailed review for the TR, but I'll just say Everest is still the reason I'm going to AK. The detail is phenomenal in that land and I can't take away from the job they did on it... But at the end of the day it is a world I just can't get into. I guess it is my stubbornness shining through from just not liking the movie maybe.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Transportation has frankly been worse than I ever imagined. I know it us far from everything but I really expected better bus service to help make up for the 20-25 minute drives. We've tended to mostly drive to the parks on recent trips but as far as taking the bus goes, AKL has been consistently longer waits than what I've waited for anywhere else.

I'm sorry to hear this!! Maybe we just were wearing rose-colored glasses since it was the first deluxe we stayed it, because I've heard a lot of people with the same complaint as you, but we seemed to remember having mostly good luck with busses. We only waited more than 20 minutes once the whole time we were there. We were fans, but that may change some when we've stayed at other places...

And this morning was my first time in Pandora. Ill save the detailed review for the TR, but I'll just say Everest is still the reason I'm going to AK. The detail is phenomenal in that land and I can't take away from the job they did on it... But at the end of the day it is a world I just can't get into. I guess it is my stubbornness shining through from just not liking the movie maybe.

Interesting!! I'm really looking forward to seeing it, but I'm kind of going in with tempered expectation.

Hope you're all having a great time!

 

[Dugette]

I totally get the transportation issue at AKL. We stayed there WAYYY back in 2010, but it was lousy then too. Of course, I don't know if that is just the way Disney transportation is going - our Dec. stay at Pop was awful transportation as well - in fact, so bad that this you-don't-need-a-car-at-WDW advocate is going to get a rental car when we go back in October. But I'm glad you got a good room! We really loved AKL itself and our "ideal" stay there would be for a non-park-heavy trip (someday if we didn't have tickets and were going to a cruise maybe?), we'd have a savannah view room, and eat at all the restaurants. That would be lovely.

Interesting to hear your initial thoughts on Pandora. I didn't care for the movie either, but am going to try to re-watch with an open mind prior to our trip (it's been a long time since I saw it and I don't recall a lot). But, to me, new rides are new rides, so I know I'll enjoy it at least to some extent.

Hope the rest of your trip goes well and someone in that massive herd of squirrels is taking some pictures!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hey Andy, first I'm sorry to hear about the pre-trip scare but glad it turned out OK in the end. Hope you are all feeling better.

I can sympathize with you and trying to organize a large group. I went with my family and parents one year and found that bad. It seemed like someone always needed to go to the bathroom! And that was only 6 people.

Transportation has frankly been worse than I ever imagined. I know it us far from everything but I really expected better bus service to help make up for the 20-25 minute drives.

I wonder if there's some bigger picture problem with transportation. DW and DD just came back from WDW yesterday (they were down for a dance school trip, I couldn't go due to work). They stayed at CBR (booked before the construction announced) and had problems with the buses several times, waiting 30 minutes or more for a bus to Epcot & Disney Springs. DW almost was late getting to Epcot for their dance parade performance because of the bus. I personally haven't had that long a wait before - including a stay at CBR several years ago. I wonder if something else is going on...

 

[afwdwfan]

Life is good.

 

[amazingact21]

Thanks for the updates! Making me look forward to the TR, regardless of the photo amount. I think all us parents on here know too well the struggle of remembering to take photos and keep up with the kids.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Transportation has frankly been worse than I ever imagined. I know it us far from everything but I really expected better bus service to help make up for the 20-25 minute drives.

That is basically what keeps us from trying to stay there. I don't think you are all alone.

Hope you are having a great trip, regardless.

 

[MissMaryQC]

You got on RnRC!!! I fully expect a ride photo; pics or it didn't happen.

 

[afwdwfan]

@MissMaryQC This means I'm counting on photo pass to not screw up... we'll find out how reliable that is!

 

[Steppesister]

YUS!!!! You got on!!

Have fun, Andy; been a long time comin' this trip!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Transportation has frankly been worse than I ever imagined. I know it us far from everything but I really expected better bus service to help make up for the 20-25 minute drives.

Not that I have a great idea because it was only once but when we waited for a bus to MK from AKL after our Boma dinner it took forever to show up.. and from the crowd at the bus depot it looked like everyone had been waiting quite a while.

And this morning was my first time in Pandora. Ill save the detailed review for the TR, but I'll just say Everest is still the reason I'm going to AK. The detail is phenomenal in that land and I can't take away from the job they did on it... But at the end of the day it is a world I just can't get into. I guess it is my stubbornness shining through from just not liking the movie maybe.

It's not everyone's cup of tea. You're the guy I'll go to for a review when Star Wars land opens!

 

[missangelalexis]

YAYY! Thank goodness you got on your favorite ride!!

 

[MeghanEmily]

We're all doing a RnRC happy dance for you! Trip priority = check!

 

[franandaj]

Great you got the FP for RnRC, but I hate to ask what event they were making up for by giving you that!

Nice limited view room! I've always remembered the bus service to be pretty slow there, but I think that's also sort of true from all the "bus only" resorts I've stayed at.

I hope you continue to enjoy your trip!