Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

Great view, I laughed when you assumed one group of animals wasn’t playing nice as that’s exactly the thought that I’d had. Must be a mum thing for sure:rotfl2:
Nice to know how you came about your trip report title. I’m betting you were very happy not to be doing that walk with the kids. Worth the walk for the view of animals :goodvibes

The way the little animals were looking forlornly across the fence, I have seen that same face on my kids when I've had to take away a toy because they were fighting over it. So habit took my mind straight there. :rotfl:

I'd gladly make that walk everyday if it meant I had exotic animals out my window!



When I saw the circle on the map my first thought was, "that's gonna be a long walk..." I'm glad you didn't have the kids in tow for that part of it!

I always underestimate how big the Disney resorts are when I first arrive. You'd think by now I'd remember their scale, but nope. I saw the little semi-circle and just thought, "Ehh, won't be too bad.":sad2:
Heaven help me if I ever stay at the Boardwalk and their infamous long hallways...


But on the other side of the coin, "Hey, no kids! I can sleep without worrying about somebody waking me up! I'm going to bed!"

When we got to Minnesota and didn't have Disney time to contend with, I slept in every morning. My poor SIL would be exhausted with the new baby and I'd roll into the kitchen bright eyed and bushy tailed. :laughing:



It's so magical to stand in the AKL lobby! It is often packed with people (although the middle of the afternoon sometimes allows some good mostly people-free shots), but it's so nice, anyway.

It seems like AKL is one of the more crowded deluxe lobbies. I guess the GF is pretty packed during the holidays, but it still seems quieter than AKL. I wonder why that is...
 
Hi Alicia! I've read so many of your reports and have loved watching your kids grow up. They are adorable! Joining into this one rather late...

They are growing up so fast, it seems!
Thanks for joining in; I'm glad I caught your report early on before I had to play catch-up and felt weird replying so late in the game. :goodvibes


There is so much to quote, and well, since I took most of the weekend doing other stuff and NOT catching up, I'm having to simply read and enjoy. BUT, it sounds like you had an uneventful travel day. And sometimes those are the BEST kinda of travel days.

Your days have sounded very hectic. I'm really glad you have a vacation coming up in a few weeks to catch a little bit of break!
After a long international flight, I was really appreciative of our easy travels to get to Orlando. Very relaxing.


AKL looks fabulous! Though, yuck about the coffee pod. I would love to do an adults only trip. Sigh.

Now, the adults only part of Disney feels like a dream. I keep having to reassure myself that, yes, Alex and I did indeed get some time in Disney without the kids. Goodness knows the next time that is going to happen!


Disney really needs to install ways to get out to those rooms without walking the long halls! lol Did you book Savanna view or were you upgraded??

We were upgraded! Since this was such a long trip, I decided to take whatever room AKL gave us. I figured being in the resort was good enough. So it was a really nice surprise to have that view.



Nice to see you're out and about in England! So much to see and explore! We're planning a trip to England when my DH retires in about a year. One area I want to see is the Cotswolds. That might not be your style and too slow for a family with kids. But, it looks so quaint.

Spending a couple days at AKL kid-less - what a treat for you! Looking forward to reading about your adventures!

I want to see and explore as much of the U.K. as possible while we're here. As soon as I got Landon's school schedule for the year and Alex's long weekends, I created a calendar, saw where the days off coincided and started planning road trips! :laughing:
We're actually driving through the Cotswolds this October on our way up to the Lake District. Don't all those little villages look beautiful?? So picturesque...I really hope you get to come over once your husband retires and experience the area yourself. And if you do, I'd love to hear about where you go and your adventures in the locations!
 
Yes, indeed. Alex and I were headed down to Orlando to bask in our childless millennial inner selves.

:rotfl:

She only catches one about once a year, but whenever she does it always turns into croup.

Oh no. Poor Evie.

She could have cared less if I were in the room. By this point in her life, injecting medicine for a barking cough was just routine for her. This was the fourth time it had occurred; Evie probably thinks this sort of thing is part of having a cold.

Aww. Kids are resilient. I'm sure it doesn't make it any less scary for you but at least she wasn't stressed!

After watching the two kids play for almost half an hour, my mom turned to Alex and said, “Get her out of here before she makes me go crazy.”

:rotfl: :rotfl:

Eventually, we were approaching the iconic arches. Alex looked over at me and raised an eyebrow.

“Aren’t you going to take a photo?”

Lolol you've taught him well.

Her glare isn’t reserved just for Disney; she breaks it out in front of the British Museum in London, as well. So much for a fun Saturday outing.

:rotfl::rotfl:She definitely reminds me of my little sister when she was little- her glare came everywhere also.

When we entered the lobby of Animal Kingdom Lodge, I was swept away by the grandeur and intimate beauty of the lobby. It was a stunning sight.

Ugh it definitely is stunning.

The process was quick and painless, and we were gifted a savannah view room.

Awesome upgrade!

Every minute or so Alex would call out: “Way out here, eh?”

:rotfl::rotfl:Disney's definitely good at making us walk

Alex gave me a hug. “Well, good news. For a few days you don’t have to be in Mom mode. You get to just be Alicia. On vacation with her husband.”

Woo :dogdance::dogdance: Glad you guys got to fit in some alone time!
 


She definitely reminds me of my little sister when she was little- her glare came everywhere also

At this point, I think I'd be more surprised if Evie smiled in pictures. :rotfl:


Disney's definitely good at making us walk

Ain't that the truth. I use Disney as a motivator for my workouts sometimes. Back when I lived in Germany and in the mountains with huge hills, I would tell myself "Pretend this is the ramp to the Epcot monorail. I gotta get up that bad boy without looking like I'm dying.":rotfl2:
 


June 1st, 2019 Part 3:


After checking into our room at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Alex and I returned to our car and drove to Disney Springs. It began pouring on the way over – a classic Florida afternoon thunderstorm where the bottom dropped out of the sky and the wipers weren’t making a dent against the heavy raindrops.

I loved it.

I grew up on summer storms and really miss them when I’m in Europe. Life is a lot easier when I’m contending with the light drizzle that is common in Germany; I can still take the family out and do stuff so long as we have rain jackets and boots. But what’s old and familiar, what reminds me of home, is a good old fashioned rainshower.


Don’t worry, everyone, the universe heard my prayers and delivered this in kind on our trip.

I got my fill of rain this trip.

Ask and ye shall receive.



While driving, Alex was trying to ask me which Disney Springs parking garage dropped us off closest to the stores we wanted.

Man might as well have been asking the clock on the dashboard.

I had no idea.

Still don’t.

The revamped Springs is still new and foreign to me. I was just along for the ride, fulfilling Alex’s first activity of every Disney trip. A tour around the stores…


He took a guess a parked in Lime:

429959

Which proved to be the winner.


It was still raining pretty hard when we parked and walked to the escalator area; we waited a few minutes but eventually decided to make a break for UniQlo.

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Last year, Alex had found a few really cool Marvel shirts from this store, and we had high hopes for finding another gem collection. We browsed the entirety of the store, simply because we didn’t have kids and we could! No navigating a stroller, no holding a reluctant hand, heck we stand and look at specialty shirts from Hawaii for ten minutes and not hear a single complaint!

Okay, I lied.

I grumbled.


As I get older, shopping has gone way downhill on my priority list. To be honest, I sort of hate needing to buy new clothes, and since my kids outgrow their stuff every season, I feel like I’m always in a store, buying them new socks or leggings without holes.
Shopping at Disney Springs is one hundred percent Alex’s red wagon. And while I wasn’t crazy about doing it, I wanted him to get his fill. I picked the resort, the ADRs, even the Fastpasses for our Adults Trip…the least I could do was allow him one hobby.


Done at UniQlo, Alex and I made the dash to the re-designed World of Disney. I know there’s been some debate over whether the changes they made to the interior are better, and while I think they took a lot of the “Disney” look out of the shops, man is it so much more accessible now!


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Mind you, I loved playing Marco Polo with my wandering husband as much as the next guest. But being able to see into the different sections is so much easier now. Especially with my tall husband; he can actually find me in the crowds versus the messaging back and forth that was our lot in years past.
I’m a fan of the changes.


Walking around the store, I got my first look at the snack series merchandise.

429962


I love that Disney snackage is a trend now. Does anyone remember a time when snacks weren’t that well known? When Alex and I first started going to Walt Disney World, the Dole Whip was this hidden gem over in Adventureland. I had no clue about it until I joined the DIS and learned where to go to get one of them. Now, though, I can lay my head on a stuffed snack of my choosing.

And again, I’m a fan of this. The more popular the snacks are, the more Disney will make and the more accessible they will be. Keep dropping Dole Whip stands around property; I never know when the mood for ice cream will hit.



Alex still believed we were in Downtown Disney and that absolutely nothing had changed, so after World of Disney he walked us over (in the rain) to where the old Guest Services building used to be.
“Where are we going?”
“Let’s go ahead and activate our tickets while we’re here.”
“Okay. But Guest Services isn’t over here anymore.”
“You sure?”
“Pretty.”
“Well, let’s just go check and see.”
:rolleyes2

I was so convinced Alex was stuck in the past that I chose to wait outside in the drizzle while he was told the same information.

429963


But in typical Alex fashion, what should have been a two minute exchange and morphed into five, forcing me to go in and track him down. As I suspected, he had found a friendly Cast Member in the Photopass shop (NOT the guest services building) and was chatting away. I think they were looking at a map of Disney Springs and discussing the best route to get to…the Guest Services location. Then Alex asked where we could find some nice dish towels for the kitchen, and she directed right across the hall to the Co Op.

I had mentioned before the trip that I would like some Disney towels, and Alex suddenly became distracted by the diversion.
Ticket activation forgotten, we were in another store, moving around the four corners with eyes on lookout for the kitchen section.


We ended up not finding any that we liked but did spot a couple of other nice items that were worth noting.


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I wish I had a place for that Jungle Cruise artwork.




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Alex loves hats and thought this one was nice, but he said it fit his head weird. Albeit, he’s got a giant head so it’s possible. But I think he regretted not getting it as the trip wore on.


By this time, I was becoming hungry and told Alex we needed to put a pin in shopping and find food. So we left the Co Op and fortunately the rain was almost gone, but that also meant all the Friday night crowds had assembled.
We had a bit of struggle finding walkway space in the crowds, and with my hunger building, I knew we needed to find someplace to eat. Fast.

Alex and I came up to the Polite Pig and quickly decided that would suit our needs just fine.

Barbecue is always a winner in my book.
The line to order, though, was astronomical. It would have taken fifteen minutes just to reach the cash register. Lucky for us, two seats at the bar became available as we stood near the entrance debating our options.

“Want to sit here?”
“We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because we have kids. Oh. Wait.”
We DIDN’T have kids. We were two adults. We could grab seats at the bar if we wanted.
“Heck yeah, let’s take them!”
:cheer2:


Photographic proof that sitting for a meal was that easy:

429966


And like any carefree adult on vacation….we ordered waters.

:rotfl2:
Going crazy at Disney Springs!

We hadn’t drank enough water up to that point, and I am always on high alert for dehydration headaches in Florida. So it was boring old H2O for us.

Alex placed our order with the bartender and the food arrived in less than five minutes. It was unbelievably fast! I’m pretty sure we would have still been waiting to order our food had we been in line.
Talk about a great idea. Alex and I got the pulled pork sandwich and an order of fries to split:

429967


The food was good. It wasn’t over the top amazing and not a large portion for what you pay, but it was a nice snack for us to share.

The best part?

Without needing to ketchup another’s plate or cut a chicken strip into thirds or wipe down a messy face, we were finished with our meals in less than ten minutes!

“Alex, we were in and out of that place in less than half an hour.”
“I feel like we skipped something. Did we forget anything?”
“So this is what dinners as adults are like. I forgot.”

How much time have we lost in the parks over the years just from our kids eating their meals???

Anyone have that math?

It has to be a day’s worth. If not the equivalent of a couple Fastpasses.
*sigh*


Leaving the Polite Pig, the two of us went into the (correct) Guest Relations building and waited to sort out our tickets. There was about a fifteen minute wait, but that was fine because there were empty couches and my mom FaceTimed while we waited.


429968

My babies!

Evie was acting fine with the exception of her cough.

Landon kept looking at the screen and squinting his eyes.

“Where are you guys?”


Uhmmmm.

So before we left, we told Landon were going up to Minnesota to visit his Aunt and her new baby. Which was absolutely true.

I just happened to leave out the entire truth.

“Are you guys at Disney?”

“Why would you say that?”

Landon looked highly suspicious. I don’t know how, though. Behind me on the screen was a wall with artwork of the Springs, nothing overtly Disney. Nevertheless, he was studying the area hard.

I remember making eye contact with my mom and both of us raising our brows.

How did he know?!

He probably sensed it.


SOMEONE IS AT DISNEY WITHOUT ME!


:rotfl:

Whether he figured it out or not, I’m not sure, but he decided to drop the subject, and we spoke for a few more minutes before our names were called.


The Cast Member who worked with us managed to activate all of our tickets, including the kids’ so we wouldn’t have to do that later on, and swapped our passes from childrens to adults. Alex had purchased our tickets through Shades of Green in order to get the Florida resident/tax free prices, and when they had sent them to us, they had given us Kids Annual Passes. Since they were the same price, it was just a matter of the CM correcting the error on MDE. Hallelujah.




Up Next…I’m Eating This For You
 
At nine o’clock, after twenty hours of travel, we were in Florida, exiting the gate and being greeted by my mom and dad. Watching Landon and Evie spot their Nana and Papi, running ahead so they could jump in their arms, was fulfilling.

But after a second I had to politely tell my kids to move over, it was my turn to get a mom and dad hug!
Yay! What a great way to end an exhausting travel day!
Not going to lie, this was probably one of the coolest DIS meet experiences I’ve had, if only because it was completely random and all based off luck.
Oh my gosh, that is awesome!
Ultimately, I didn’t want to put that kind of stress on my mom, so I made the call to get her the steroids she’d need now. With any luck, the medicine would open her airways and allow her to recover completely before she got to Disney.
Yes, definitely feel the Mom guilt. My twins always used to get croup when they got a cold and I know how scary it can be. I am sure your mom took great care of her.
Eventually, we were approaching the iconic arches. Alex looked over at me and raised an eyebrow.
The best!!
Back when Alex convinced me to stay at Disney for two nights, I knew we needed to commemorate the occasion with a deluxe stay. Fortunately for me, Alex was accommodating and willing to stay at one of my favorite places. I wanted these few days to evoke a sense of calm and relaxation (something that cannot be reached when vacationing with young children) and the resort that I feel most at peace at is Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Sitting out on a balcony with a cup of coffee and a giraffe in your peripherals will do that to a person.


So here we were: home.
I feel the same way....I adore AKL!
I didn’t bother taking any pictures, probably because I was trying to mentally photoshoot the people out of my view, and instead Alex and I went and checked in at the front desk. The process was quick and painless, and we were gifted a savannah view room.
Great view! I've stayed on Zebra both times I was at AKL and really like the location but it can certainly be a long walk down the halls. I was in 2346 my first stay in 2017 and 5348 (DVC) this July. I like the proximity to the Mara and the pool too.
Alex gave me a hug. “Well, good news. For a few days you don’t have to be in Mom mode. You get to just be Alicia. On vacation with her husband.”


*A moment of silence.*


Oh my gosh.


You’re right.


I’m at Disney.


Without the kids!

:cheer2:

I’m back to my roots, baby!

Kid-free, the way our adventures started.
Best feeling ever!!!
The Cast Member who worked with us managed to activate all of our tickets, including the kids’ so we wouldn’t have to do that later on, and swapped our passes from childrens to adults. Alex had purchased our tickets through Shades of Green in order to get the Florida resident/tax free prices, and when they had sent them to us, they had given us Kids Annual Passes. Since they were the same price, it was just a matter of the CM correcting the error on MDE. Hallelujah.
Perfect!
 
That's awfully foreboding regarding the rain during your trips! At least you got to... enjoy it? ;)

I haven't been to DTD/Disney Springs in four years, so I'm not sure I'd be able to remember how it looked to point out the changes to World of Disney. As long as I can still wander through a huge store of Disney stuff I'm happy!

YES! It's amazing how much easier (and faster!) meals are without kids! And being able to sit at any table (or the bar!) without waiting for a high chair or kid-friendly table is amazing! Eating with a thirteen-month-old means I spend most of my meal pulling out toys, distracting her, cutting up food, picking food off the floor... :faint: I'm looking forward to the time when I can begin eating my meal within ten minutes of receiving it - but perhaps I have a few years to wait before that will happen! :laughing:

Hooray for activating all of your passes! That will make things easier!

Landon, what a smart kid! I'm amazed you managed to distract him and not answer his (correct!) question about your location! :rolleyes1
 
I always love hearing how much Alex loves to shop, especially when it's usually the female who prefers browsing the gift shops!

I'm glad you were able to enjoy a quick, kids free meal!

That is so crazy that Landon sensed you were at Disney! He's definitely got Disney in his blood!
 
Sounds like a great night in DS! I'm with you and really like the new WoD. I think it was a much needed redesign and there are definitely some Disney touches sprinkled throughout!

The bar seats were a great snag at Polite Pig! I need to get back there. Dan and I split a trio the one time we went and we both really loved ONE of the sliders and the other two were meh lol I should have gone with one sandwich for myself!

So funny you mention time wasted from meals! When my family made the quick trip to DLP from Paris we forbid anyone for stopping for any food until the park was closed lol we were not losing precious time in the park eating!!
 
I totally feel you on the shopping thing. My hubby loves shopping, and I absolutely hate it 97% of the time!
 
Don’t worry, everyone, the universe heard my prayers and delivered this in kind on our trip.

I got my fill of rain this trip.

:rotfl:

While driving, Alex was trying to ask me which Disney Springs parking garage dropped us off closest to the stores we wanted.

I also can never figure this out, no matter how many times we've been to the new Disney Springs. For some reason I'm forever confused there now lol.

The more popular the snacks are, the more Disney will make and the more accessible they will be.

True!

SOMEONE IS AT DISNEY WITHOUT ME!

:rotfl::rotfl:#disneyradar
 
It began pouring on the way over – a classic Florida afternoon thunderstorm where the bottom dropped out of the sky and the wipers weren’t making a dent against the heavy raindrops.

I loved it.
I'm not from Florida, but it seems like we always drive through one of those showers on the way into Orlando and that is kind of always the moment when I realize we're there...
The revamped Springs is still new and foreign to me.
::yes::
I’m a fan of the changes.
I can't decide how I feel. I do miss the more overtly Disney theming of the store, but it does feel less claustrophobic in there now.
We DIDN’T have kids. We were two adults. We could grab seats at the bar if we wanted.
“Heck yeah, let’s take them!”
It's the little things...
Without needing to ketchup another’s plate or cut a chicken strip into thirds or wipe down a messy face, we were finished with our meals in less than ten minutes!

“Alex, we were in and out of that place in less than half an hour.”
“I feel like we skipped something. Did we forget anything?”
“So this is what dinners as adults are like. I forgot.”

How much time have we lost in the parks over the years just from our kids eating their meals???

Anyone have that math?

It has to be a day’s worth. If not the equivalent of a couple Fastpasses.
*sigh*
I just don't think I could possibly comprehend how much wasted time has been involved with dealing with incidents and children's needs during meals, nor do I think I want to!
So before we left, we told Landon were going up to Minnesota to visit his Aunt and her new baby. Which was absolutely true.

I just happened to leave out the entire truth.

“Are you guys at Disney?”
:eek: He's on to you! Hang up, fast!!!
The Cast Member who worked with us managed to activate all of our tickets, including the kids’ so we wouldn’t have to do that later on, and swapped our passes from childrens to adults. Alex had purchased our tickets through Shades of Green in order to get the Florida resident/tax free prices, and when they had sent them to us, they had given us Kids Annual Passes. Since they were the same price, it was just a matter of the CM correcting the error on MDE. Hallelujah.
I'm glad it was a quick and painless process!
 
Way way way back to your room upgrade - we had the same thing happen. We were so excited to be upgraded to Savannah view until we had to walk so far after being at the parks all day. A couple of times we rented a pool locker after eating breakfast at Mars to put our mugs on so we didn’t have to wall alllllll the way back and then they would be handy when we got back. Yes this is total laziness. Don’t ask what we did at CBR because of the multiple bus stops
 
Landon is sure perceptive that you were at Disney without him! I've been wanting to try the Polite Pig, but I always end up somewhere else! Glad you got to enjoy an adult meal! Hooray for having your passes figured out!
 
Yes, definitely feel the Mom guilt. My twins always used to get croup when they got a cold and I know how scary it can be. I am sure your mom took great care of her.

There's nothing more heartbreaking than hearing your little kid with that terrible barking cough. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they start to become less frequent as Evie gets older!


Great view! I've stayed on Zebra both times I was at AKL and really like the location but it can certainly be a long walk down the halls. I was in 2346 my first stay in 2017 and 5348 (DVC) this July. I like the proximity to the Mara and the pool too.

Being close to the Mara is really convenient. And unlike some of the other Disney resorts, at least having a long walk to the room at AKL comes with a wonderful reward. Getting to wake up to a savannah view definitely makes those extra steps worth it.



YES! It's amazing how much easier (and faster!) meals are without kids! And being able to sit at any table (or the bar!) without waiting for a high chair or kid-friendly table is amazing! Eating with a thirteen-month-old means I spend most of my meal pulling out toys, distracting her, cutting up food, picking food off the floor... :faint: I'm looking forward to the time when I can begin eating my meal within ten minutes of receiving it - but perhaps I have a few years to wait before that will happen! :laughing:

Meals are an exhausting ordeal when you've got kids, that's for sure. After cutting up their food and entertaining them, you're almost too tired to eat your own dish. I can say that it does get moderately easier as they get older. Landon is almost completely self-sufficient at six. The only time he needs help is when he's got a steak or chicken that's too hard to cut with his fork. Of course, now I'm contending with him shoveling everything in as quick as possible then asking for seconds and thirds. I think buffets and Dining Plans are in our future Disney trips. :rotfl2:



I always love hearing how much Alex loves to shop, especially when it's usually the female who prefers browsing the gift shops!

It is funny how Alex is the browsy one. He doesn't care if he buys anything or not, he just wants to see what's on the shelves.

That is so crazy that Landon sensed you were at Disney! He's definitely got Disney in his blood!

This kid is something else. A lot of my friends on their First Day of School signs put what their kid wants to be when they grow up...when I asked Landon that question he said, "A Cast Member.":rotfl:
 
So funny you mention time wasted from meals! When my family made the quick trip to DLP from Paris we forbid anyone for stopping for any food until the park was closed lol we were not losing precious time in the park eating!!

When you've got so little time at a new Disney park, you can't waste a minute! The first time Alex and I went to WDW together, we brought dinner with us into DHS so we wouldn't have to stop and eat. Of course, we also didn't realize we would return year after year!


They always have a way of finding those kinds of things out. LOL!

Landon probably knew his mom and dad well enough to know we would take any and all opportunities to sneak in some Disney time.


I totally feel you on the shopping thing. My hubby loves shopping, and I absolutely hate it 97% of the time!

It can be brutal, walking around shops but if that's what makes them happy....:confused3:confused3



:rotfl::rotfl:#disneyradar

I'm pretty sure when Landon grows up, he's going to be the one dragging me to the parks every chance he gets. We've done well converting him into a true Disney fanatic.



I just don't think I could possibly comprehend how much wasted time has been involved with dealing with incidents and children's needs during meals, nor do I think I want to!

I don't think I'll ever forget the shock at how little I accomplished the first time we took Landon to WDW. Everything takes so much longer with kids and you're 200 times more tired.
 

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