CaleCakes
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2016
I wasn't going to do a trip report because there are so many really good ones on dis but I just wanted to do a mini version about our experience the first week of December. The likes, the dislikes, etc. So as a foreground I will say that this was first trip in 21 years (since I was 14) and my husband’s trip first trip since he was around 7. We took our 17 month old son. This mini review will be mostly about the restaurants we tried, a little about the parks, and a little about the hotels.
We arrived around 9am to MCO and got our rental car from Hertz. A Dodge Journey or $201 for the week. By 11am we were at the Shades of Green Hotel. The staff was very friendly. The starbucks was terrible (stale muffins, bad coffee). We left our number with the front desk to call us when the room as ready. We explored the grounds a little then drove over to The Campsites at Fort Wilderness for our lunch reservation at Trail Ends'. We parked and took the internal bus to the restaurant. We were seated fairly quickly but it took a good 10 minutes before the waitress came for our drink order. We had been up since 230 am (thank you tsa for the ridiculous lines) and it was now 1pm so we were tired and hungry. The food choices were limited but what we had was pretty good. The turkey was surprisingly very moist (better than any thanksgiving turkey i've ever had) and the hash was absolutely awful- terribly strong smoky flavor. The mac and cheese was a big hit with the baby- a trend that would last all week. We got a call during lunch that our room was ready so after lunch we headed back to SOG. After settling in we drove to Disney Springs for a 7pm ressie at Raglan Road. We had some trouble finding it and were late, but I called to tell them and it wasn’t a problem. My son slept all through dinner despite the dancers 2 feet from our table. Dinner was great. I had the braised beef and a salad and my husband had the bangers and mashed or something like that. I ordered the chicken fingers for the baby to go but by the time he woke up they were cold and nasty (I think they were cooked in fishy oil) so they got tossed. We stopped by Amorette’s Patisserie for dessert and then to Blaze Pizza to get my son dinner. Even though we were full from Raglan we tried the pizza and it was so delicious. We got the meatball and cheese on the thicker dough. Blaze was jamming so we found a quiet bench nearby to enjoy the pizza. From there we stopped by World store which was very crowded and so big to navigate we ended up leaving without any purchases. We had valeted the Journey (high class, I know- haha) so we were out of there and back to SoG in no time.
A little about SOG- it is a very large spread out resort. Our room was quite a walk from the lobby up on the 5th floor on the Palms side. The room was very spacious and comfortable. The beds were comfortable but it seemed like a large person spent a lot of time on the left side of my bed because it sunk down. I didn’t love the bathroom set up. The tub and toilet were separate and it was a tight squeeze trying to close the door. Our only issue was with the room safe. On the 2nd night we were running late to a reservation and could not get the safe open. Security came right up and fixed it. Our package included breakfast and we had it 2 out of the 3 mornings. Selection was decent and the mini muffins were very yummy. We had room service pizza once and some sandwiches another time. Both were fine. The mickey pool was nice but cold and my son really liked the splash area (until it was closed because someone pooped in it). The walkway to the Polynesian was just at the end of the drive way. Take a left and follow the path to the Polynesian lobby to catch the monorail. The lobby at SoG was fully decorated for Christmas and one night they had Santa and Mrs. Claus and cookie decorating for the kids. We stayed here for 4 nights and it was totally worth it. If we ever go back we will stay the whole time here.
We tried Kona cafe for breakfast. Had a reservation for 7:45 am and despite numerous empty tables we weren't seated for about 20 minutes. I had the tonga toast and my husband had the loco moco. The tonga toast was very dry and uneventful. My husband didn't say much about his meal. The baby picked at some fruit and that was about it. From there we took the monorail to MK. We had our first fast pass for 10:30. The lines for entering the park were long and I was concerned it was a prelude to what the week might be like. I was only half right. Inside it was busy. Lots of people on main street getting castle pictures and lingering. We made our way to Fantasy Land where we rode Winnie, the carousel, Tea Cups, meet Donald and Goofy, and rode on Dumbo. I have to complain briefly about the Dumbo queue. They had a play area inside that's "included in the wait time". They have you go in there and get a buzzer so they buzz you when it’s your turn to ride. Well my son didn't want to leave. He cried hysterically when our buzzer went off. I don't want to spend all day in the play area of dumbo and I think for his age group it's confusing. From there we went to lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern which we really enjoyed. We had a reservation but still waited at least 30 mins to be seated. We did the family style and it offered a lot. We weren’t on the dining plan and I’m glad we weren’t because for us we can only eat so much. It included dessert but I also ordered the toffee dessert and it was amazing. We didn’t see the afternoon parade and instead went to a haunted mansion FP+ then over to Aladdin and the Tiki room. My son hated tiki room and was trying to leave as soon as we sat down. We rode the train back to fantasyland and back tracked to peter pan for our last FP around 530pm. We left the park after Peter Pan because we had Pirates and Pals Fireworks for 8:30pm. Pirates and Pals was a lot of fun and I’m so glad we did it even though the baby slept through most of it (which he seemed to do most of the trip).
The next day we went to Grand Floridian to see the tree and the gingerbread house and to have brunch with Tigger, Pooh, Alice, Mary Poppins, and Mad Hatter. Food selection was decent and the characters were cute. Of course my son was shy with them. I think if he had 10 minutes to warm up to them he would have been better because he chased after Pooh when he walked away. After brunch it was down pouring so we took the monorail back to Poly and walked back to SoG. We rested for a little while then headed back out around 3pm for MVMCP. We got to MK around 3:40 and they let us in. I was concerned it would use a park hopper day because it wasn’t quite 4pm yet, but I asked a CM and she said not as long as we entered through the special events gates. Easy Peasy. Main street was crowded as usual but people were starting to leave already. We had FP to meet talking Mickey which was a lot of fun. Then we did Jingle Cruise. The boat driver was very funny and many of the jokes went right over kids heads. My son slept. From there we road pirates of the Caribbean and headed to Fantasyland for dinner at Be Our Guest. What a let down. Service was slow and the food was terrible. My husbands steak was shoe leather, the braised beef was so salty my rings were stuck on the next morning, and the French onion soup was taste less. So expensive for a bad meal. I got my son the meatloaf which he didn’t even touch. That was the last time I ordered him his own meal. We skipped dessert to have the “free party snakcs” (another mistake). From BOG we rode a few more things (small world, peter pan, under the sea, dumbo again, Winnie twice) and looked for the snacks. I was under the impression (I’m not sure why) that all the special treats were free. So when I went to Gaston’s Tavern to get the tree cupcake only to learn it was not free I was disappointed. The only free cookies were those sugar cookies with the fluorescent sugar and ginger snaps. Not special. The hot cocoa was good as was the cider. We caught the lighting of the castle and fireworks near liberty square and then headed to leave but found a good spot at the top of main street to watch the parade so we waited it out. A few observations about the parade- I am amazed a better solution hasn’t been thought of besides the masking tape to keep people limited to safe space- which went by the weigh side as soon as the parade starts people were encroaching over the tape. Also I was amazed to see the woman in front of us changing her 3 daughters into their pajamas right on the street. They weren’t babies, probably 5 or 6. Totally inappropriate. Which reminds me of another point I want to make and that is about the changing stations in almost all the bathrooms in all the parks. They are at the front of the bathroom right where people walk by, in and out, wash their hands, etc. There were a few “companion rooms” that I tried to use whenever possible. I don’t like the idea of my son hanging out in public. There are a lot of bad people in this world and I think Disney needs to revisit the placement of these stations. Back to the party- after the parade we hit up the Emporium in search of a jiminy cricket pin (which we looked for all week and never found). Upon leaving the park we learned the monorail was down so we had to take the large ferry to TTC and catch the SoG but. I was easy and the CM’s were very helpful pointing us in the right direction.
The next morning we spent at Epcot. FP for living with the land and nemo (which my son slept through both) and then off to explore the countries before lunch at Biergarten. We stopped at the Wethers bakery and had a caramel shortbread cookie. So delicious. Biergarten was so good. One of the best meals we had. Great selection. My husband had the beer flight. The baby ate a ton and lots of desserts too. The entertainment was just enough and the people at our table were nice enough. The first people we were seated with we rolled our eyes at but the next 2 that came were very nice. The server was attentive. No complaints here. We would absolutely eat here again. After lunch we back tracked to Norway for out Frozen FP and then hit up the bakery for school bread. Frozen was cute but I would never wait more than 30 mins to ride it. They take your picture on the ride and that was fun to see show up on the photopass. School bread is good and worth the calories. Continuing around the countries we got slush from Japan and teas form England. We couldn’t eat another bit and didn’t want to see the shows so we headed out about 5pm. Overall Epcot is a nice leisurely day but can be boring I think. I picked up a few ornaments and Mickey Ears for the baby on the way out. Monorail back to TTC and then I was “lost”. Nothing looked like it did the night before at midnight. Amazingly my husband remembered where the SoG bus was. When we got back to SoG we swam for a bit but the heater in the pool was broken so it was frigid. We ordered some sandwiches from room service then packed up our stuff because we were moving to Animal Kingdom lodge the next day.
Up early to have breakfast and get to Animal Kingdom for our bugs life FP we grabbed quick service from SoG. We parked at AK and walked to the entrance. We didn’t have to pay for parking because the guy at the booth looked us up and saw we were checking in later in the day. We had FP for bugs life, the safari and then had Tusker House for lunch. Tusker was another major let down. We had a ressie but waited at least 30 mins past to get seated. The food was poor quality and the only thing I liked was the turtle brownies which I should have taken more than 2 walking out the door. This was a very expensive meal for what was offered. I wrote a little something about our experience at AK and AKL on the dis thread so I’m just pasting it here:
1)We booked a pool view room and I did the online check in and called to confirm the 2 requests: upper floor and king bed. We spend the day at AK park and by 3:15 I still didn't get a text that the room was ready so we just showed up. When I got to the desk of course the room was 2 queens but the hostess was able to get us a king room. Very much appreciated. We are on the 4th floor zebra trail close enough to the elevator and convenient to the pool and Mara. Great location. But it ends there. I do love the feel of the lobby being dark and traditional, I do not like that the rooms are the same. The lighting is terrible. The room is small. The pillows are flat as newspapers. No counter space on the double sinks and what room is there is always wet. And the bathroom is so small it's almost impossible to close the door. The water pressure is amazing though.
2) something is making us itchy. It might be the detergent on the sheets or towels but my son has a mild rash and something bit him on the cheek in his sleep.
3) we've eaten at Mara 4 times. Twice for pizzas and twice for breakfast. It's quick and convenient at Disney prices.
4) we used the buses twice. Once to and from Hollywood studios and once to AK part. Both return trips stopped at KV first. No big deal they were easy to navigate. We have a rental car but the buses were easy.
5) I was surprised to return to the room today after 3pm to see it wasn't tidied up yet. We grabbed our bathing suits and headed to the pool. Housekeeping came by while we were gone.
6) After experiencing AKL I'm not in a rush to book again. I'd try somewhere else but I am happy I went pool view over Savannah view. There are plenty of places to see the wildlife around the resort
7) Finally, and not really a lodge comment but more of a AK park comment. We were there on Thursday and there was several large groups called Mezza Fun or something along those lines chanting and dancing in the streets. It was extremely annoying and disruptive. It totally ruined our day there and by 3pm we were running to the exit to get away from them. I don't see how security allows that behavior.
The major sticking point for us at AK was the groups I spoke about in point 7. It was horrible. I complained to guest relations and the girl at the window actually agreed that she doesn’t go into the park then they’re there. That should tell you something. We ended up back at AK then next afternoon for dinner and focused on Dinoland. It was so boring. Like a carnival. My son rode triceratops spin and played in the boneyard for a little while then we at Yak and Yeti for dinner. Yak was fine- nothing special at all. Expensive for what we got.
After checking in to AK and getting some stuff put away we took the bus over to HS for the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam party. By no I’m sure you have read many reviews about the party and whether it was worth it or not. I guess it’s an individual opinion. We had a fine time. I wasn’t amazing and it wasn’t a totally let down. The offerings were fine. I had seen Goofy so many time through the trip already I could care less to see him again. The best part for me was the special glasses party goers got. I don’t even know what the show was about. Just our 2 hours at HS convinced us that we didn’t want to go back the next day which was our planned day for that park. I cancelled brunch at 50’s and grabbed a few FP for MK. MK in our opinion was the best park. Despite the crowds even my husband liked in there the best. He actually asked me to cancel HS and go back to MK.
Our last Disney day was as mentioned in MK. We rode a few things again and again and checked out Tomorrowland. Laugh floor was a huge waste of time. We had Friar’s Nook Mac and Cheese for lunch. I could have even 2 bowls. I got the BBQ chicken and shared it with the baby. It was delicious. I washed it down with a hot chocolate. Then we had the cinnamon roll from Gaston’s Tavern which was horrible. It was the size of a quarter piece of bread but it was dry and tasteless.
The last full day we were in Orlando we spent at Universal. We got the 1 day park to park pass. It was pricey of course and I definitely should have done more research on where stuff was. We basically saw some of Dr. Seuss stuff and went right to Harry Potter-ville. It was fun to see. The train was lame. We at ate at Toothsome and had the peanut butter indulgence milkshake which was amazing. The food was boring- chicken sandwich and a burger. Were at the parks for less than 5 hours and back to the hotel to pack up and swim a bit in the ice cold AK pool.
Overall we found Disney to be very tiring. Despite being crowded it didn’t really bother us other than the day at AK because that group was so obnoxious. We chose not to wait in long lines. If the line was to long we skipped it and tried again later. I was disappointed with the food. I understand it’s theme park offerings, but somethings were ridiculously expensive for what you got. I never tried a dole whip or a Mickey ice cream bar. I never got ice cream even though the Ample Hills Creamery was on my Disney bucket list. I won’t be rushing back to the parks any time soon. We’ve done cruises for the past 10 years so maybe that has my idea skewed a little but after a week in Orlando I came home exhausted. I think just the airport alone is exhausting then add a toddler with a stroller and car seat plus 4 suitcases (way over packed) to the mix and I was tired before we left. Our next trip is a Disney cruise for May 2017- which might be cancelled since it leaves out of Puerto Rico and I just found out I am pregnant so it might not be worth the zika risk. My son got a cold halfway through the week which probably contributed to all the sleeping. But he was a trooper and still had a good time- at least the parts he was awake for.
This review was way longer than I intended and I hope I didn’t bore anyone too much. I’m sure if it was boring you wouldn’t have made it this far. If you have any questions I’ll try to answer them. It was a few weeks ago and with Christmas in full swing I don’t remember much else than what I wrote.
We arrived around 9am to MCO and got our rental car from Hertz. A Dodge Journey or $201 for the week. By 11am we were at the Shades of Green Hotel. The staff was very friendly. The starbucks was terrible (stale muffins, bad coffee). We left our number with the front desk to call us when the room as ready. We explored the grounds a little then drove over to The Campsites at Fort Wilderness for our lunch reservation at Trail Ends'. We parked and took the internal bus to the restaurant. We were seated fairly quickly but it took a good 10 minutes before the waitress came for our drink order. We had been up since 230 am (thank you tsa for the ridiculous lines) and it was now 1pm so we were tired and hungry. The food choices were limited but what we had was pretty good. The turkey was surprisingly very moist (better than any thanksgiving turkey i've ever had) and the hash was absolutely awful- terribly strong smoky flavor. The mac and cheese was a big hit with the baby- a trend that would last all week. We got a call during lunch that our room was ready so after lunch we headed back to SOG. After settling in we drove to Disney Springs for a 7pm ressie at Raglan Road. We had some trouble finding it and were late, but I called to tell them and it wasn’t a problem. My son slept all through dinner despite the dancers 2 feet from our table. Dinner was great. I had the braised beef and a salad and my husband had the bangers and mashed or something like that. I ordered the chicken fingers for the baby to go but by the time he woke up they were cold and nasty (I think they were cooked in fishy oil) so they got tossed. We stopped by Amorette’s Patisserie for dessert and then to Blaze Pizza to get my son dinner. Even though we were full from Raglan we tried the pizza and it was so delicious. We got the meatball and cheese on the thicker dough. Blaze was jamming so we found a quiet bench nearby to enjoy the pizza. From there we stopped by World store which was very crowded and so big to navigate we ended up leaving without any purchases. We had valeted the Journey (high class, I know- haha) so we were out of there and back to SoG in no time.
A little about SOG- it is a very large spread out resort. Our room was quite a walk from the lobby up on the 5th floor on the Palms side. The room was very spacious and comfortable. The beds were comfortable but it seemed like a large person spent a lot of time on the left side of my bed because it sunk down. I didn’t love the bathroom set up. The tub and toilet were separate and it was a tight squeeze trying to close the door. Our only issue was with the room safe. On the 2nd night we were running late to a reservation and could not get the safe open. Security came right up and fixed it. Our package included breakfast and we had it 2 out of the 3 mornings. Selection was decent and the mini muffins were very yummy. We had room service pizza once and some sandwiches another time. Both were fine. The mickey pool was nice but cold and my son really liked the splash area (until it was closed because someone pooped in it). The walkway to the Polynesian was just at the end of the drive way. Take a left and follow the path to the Polynesian lobby to catch the monorail. The lobby at SoG was fully decorated for Christmas and one night they had Santa and Mrs. Claus and cookie decorating for the kids. We stayed here for 4 nights and it was totally worth it. If we ever go back we will stay the whole time here.
We tried Kona cafe for breakfast. Had a reservation for 7:45 am and despite numerous empty tables we weren't seated for about 20 minutes. I had the tonga toast and my husband had the loco moco. The tonga toast was very dry and uneventful. My husband didn't say much about his meal. The baby picked at some fruit and that was about it. From there we took the monorail to MK. We had our first fast pass for 10:30. The lines for entering the park were long and I was concerned it was a prelude to what the week might be like. I was only half right. Inside it was busy. Lots of people on main street getting castle pictures and lingering. We made our way to Fantasy Land where we rode Winnie, the carousel, Tea Cups, meet Donald and Goofy, and rode on Dumbo. I have to complain briefly about the Dumbo queue. They had a play area inside that's "included in the wait time". They have you go in there and get a buzzer so they buzz you when it’s your turn to ride. Well my son didn't want to leave. He cried hysterically when our buzzer went off. I don't want to spend all day in the play area of dumbo and I think for his age group it's confusing. From there we went to lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern which we really enjoyed. We had a reservation but still waited at least 30 mins to be seated. We did the family style and it offered a lot. We weren’t on the dining plan and I’m glad we weren’t because for us we can only eat so much. It included dessert but I also ordered the toffee dessert and it was amazing. We didn’t see the afternoon parade and instead went to a haunted mansion FP+ then over to Aladdin and the Tiki room. My son hated tiki room and was trying to leave as soon as we sat down. We rode the train back to fantasyland and back tracked to peter pan for our last FP around 530pm. We left the park after Peter Pan because we had Pirates and Pals Fireworks for 8:30pm. Pirates and Pals was a lot of fun and I’m so glad we did it even though the baby slept through most of it (which he seemed to do most of the trip).
The next day we went to Grand Floridian to see the tree and the gingerbread house and to have brunch with Tigger, Pooh, Alice, Mary Poppins, and Mad Hatter. Food selection was decent and the characters were cute. Of course my son was shy with them. I think if he had 10 minutes to warm up to them he would have been better because he chased after Pooh when he walked away. After brunch it was down pouring so we took the monorail back to Poly and walked back to SoG. We rested for a little while then headed back out around 3pm for MVMCP. We got to MK around 3:40 and they let us in. I was concerned it would use a park hopper day because it wasn’t quite 4pm yet, but I asked a CM and she said not as long as we entered through the special events gates. Easy Peasy. Main street was crowded as usual but people were starting to leave already. We had FP to meet talking Mickey which was a lot of fun. Then we did Jingle Cruise. The boat driver was very funny and many of the jokes went right over kids heads. My son slept. From there we road pirates of the Caribbean and headed to Fantasyland for dinner at Be Our Guest. What a let down. Service was slow and the food was terrible. My husbands steak was shoe leather, the braised beef was so salty my rings were stuck on the next morning, and the French onion soup was taste less. So expensive for a bad meal. I got my son the meatloaf which he didn’t even touch. That was the last time I ordered him his own meal. We skipped dessert to have the “free party snakcs” (another mistake). From BOG we rode a few more things (small world, peter pan, under the sea, dumbo again, Winnie twice) and looked for the snacks. I was under the impression (I’m not sure why) that all the special treats were free. So when I went to Gaston’s Tavern to get the tree cupcake only to learn it was not free I was disappointed. The only free cookies were those sugar cookies with the fluorescent sugar and ginger snaps. Not special. The hot cocoa was good as was the cider. We caught the lighting of the castle and fireworks near liberty square and then headed to leave but found a good spot at the top of main street to watch the parade so we waited it out. A few observations about the parade- I am amazed a better solution hasn’t been thought of besides the masking tape to keep people limited to safe space- which went by the weigh side as soon as the parade starts people were encroaching over the tape. Also I was amazed to see the woman in front of us changing her 3 daughters into their pajamas right on the street. They weren’t babies, probably 5 or 6. Totally inappropriate. Which reminds me of another point I want to make and that is about the changing stations in almost all the bathrooms in all the parks. They are at the front of the bathroom right where people walk by, in and out, wash their hands, etc. There were a few “companion rooms” that I tried to use whenever possible. I don’t like the idea of my son hanging out in public. There are a lot of bad people in this world and I think Disney needs to revisit the placement of these stations. Back to the party- after the parade we hit up the Emporium in search of a jiminy cricket pin (which we looked for all week and never found). Upon leaving the park we learned the monorail was down so we had to take the large ferry to TTC and catch the SoG but. I was easy and the CM’s were very helpful pointing us in the right direction.
The next morning we spent at Epcot. FP for living with the land and nemo (which my son slept through both) and then off to explore the countries before lunch at Biergarten. We stopped at the Wethers bakery and had a caramel shortbread cookie. So delicious. Biergarten was so good. One of the best meals we had. Great selection. My husband had the beer flight. The baby ate a ton and lots of desserts too. The entertainment was just enough and the people at our table were nice enough. The first people we were seated with we rolled our eyes at but the next 2 that came were very nice. The server was attentive. No complaints here. We would absolutely eat here again. After lunch we back tracked to Norway for out Frozen FP and then hit up the bakery for school bread. Frozen was cute but I would never wait more than 30 mins to ride it. They take your picture on the ride and that was fun to see show up on the photopass. School bread is good and worth the calories. Continuing around the countries we got slush from Japan and teas form England. We couldn’t eat another bit and didn’t want to see the shows so we headed out about 5pm. Overall Epcot is a nice leisurely day but can be boring I think. I picked up a few ornaments and Mickey Ears for the baby on the way out. Monorail back to TTC and then I was “lost”. Nothing looked like it did the night before at midnight. Amazingly my husband remembered where the SoG bus was. When we got back to SoG we swam for a bit but the heater in the pool was broken so it was frigid. We ordered some sandwiches from room service then packed up our stuff because we were moving to Animal Kingdom lodge the next day.
Up early to have breakfast and get to Animal Kingdom for our bugs life FP we grabbed quick service from SoG. We parked at AK and walked to the entrance. We didn’t have to pay for parking because the guy at the booth looked us up and saw we were checking in later in the day. We had FP for bugs life, the safari and then had Tusker House for lunch. Tusker was another major let down. We had a ressie but waited at least 30 mins past to get seated. The food was poor quality and the only thing I liked was the turtle brownies which I should have taken more than 2 walking out the door. This was a very expensive meal for what was offered. I wrote a little something about our experience at AK and AKL on the dis thread so I’m just pasting it here:
1)We booked a pool view room and I did the online check in and called to confirm the 2 requests: upper floor and king bed. We spend the day at AK park and by 3:15 I still didn't get a text that the room was ready so we just showed up. When I got to the desk of course the room was 2 queens but the hostess was able to get us a king room. Very much appreciated. We are on the 4th floor zebra trail close enough to the elevator and convenient to the pool and Mara. Great location. But it ends there. I do love the feel of the lobby being dark and traditional, I do not like that the rooms are the same. The lighting is terrible. The room is small. The pillows are flat as newspapers. No counter space on the double sinks and what room is there is always wet. And the bathroom is so small it's almost impossible to close the door. The water pressure is amazing though.
2) something is making us itchy. It might be the detergent on the sheets or towels but my son has a mild rash and something bit him on the cheek in his sleep.
3) we've eaten at Mara 4 times. Twice for pizzas and twice for breakfast. It's quick and convenient at Disney prices.
4) we used the buses twice. Once to and from Hollywood studios and once to AK part. Both return trips stopped at KV first. No big deal they were easy to navigate. We have a rental car but the buses were easy.
5) I was surprised to return to the room today after 3pm to see it wasn't tidied up yet. We grabbed our bathing suits and headed to the pool. Housekeeping came by while we were gone.
6) After experiencing AKL I'm not in a rush to book again. I'd try somewhere else but I am happy I went pool view over Savannah view. There are plenty of places to see the wildlife around the resort
7) Finally, and not really a lodge comment but more of a AK park comment. We were there on Thursday and there was several large groups called Mezza Fun or something along those lines chanting and dancing in the streets. It was extremely annoying and disruptive. It totally ruined our day there and by 3pm we were running to the exit to get away from them. I don't see how security allows that behavior.
The major sticking point for us at AK was the groups I spoke about in point 7. It was horrible. I complained to guest relations and the girl at the window actually agreed that she doesn’t go into the park then they’re there. That should tell you something. We ended up back at AK then next afternoon for dinner and focused on Dinoland. It was so boring. Like a carnival. My son rode triceratops spin and played in the boneyard for a little while then we at Yak and Yeti for dinner. Yak was fine- nothing special at all. Expensive for what we got.
After checking in to AK and getting some stuff put away we took the bus over to HS for the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam party. By no I’m sure you have read many reviews about the party and whether it was worth it or not. I guess it’s an individual opinion. We had a fine time. I wasn’t amazing and it wasn’t a totally let down. The offerings were fine. I had seen Goofy so many time through the trip already I could care less to see him again. The best part for me was the special glasses party goers got. I don’t even know what the show was about. Just our 2 hours at HS convinced us that we didn’t want to go back the next day which was our planned day for that park. I cancelled brunch at 50’s and grabbed a few FP for MK. MK in our opinion was the best park. Despite the crowds even my husband liked in there the best. He actually asked me to cancel HS and go back to MK.
Our last Disney day was as mentioned in MK. We rode a few things again and again and checked out Tomorrowland. Laugh floor was a huge waste of time. We had Friar’s Nook Mac and Cheese for lunch. I could have even 2 bowls. I got the BBQ chicken and shared it with the baby. It was delicious. I washed it down with a hot chocolate. Then we had the cinnamon roll from Gaston’s Tavern which was horrible. It was the size of a quarter piece of bread but it was dry and tasteless.
The last full day we were in Orlando we spent at Universal. We got the 1 day park to park pass. It was pricey of course and I definitely should have done more research on where stuff was. We basically saw some of Dr. Seuss stuff and went right to Harry Potter-ville. It was fun to see. The train was lame. We at ate at Toothsome and had the peanut butter indulgence milkshake which was amazing. The food was boring- chicken sandwich and a burger. Were at the parks for less than 5 hours and back to the hotel to pack up and swim a bit in the ice cold AK pool.
Overall we found Disney to be very tiring. Despite being crowded it didn’t really bother us other than the day at AK because that group was so obnoxious. We chose not to wait in long lines. If the line was to long we skipped it and tried again later. I was disappointed with the food. I understand it’s theme park offerings, but somethings were ridiculously expensive for what you got. I never tried a dole whip or a Mickey ice cream bar. I never got ice cream even though the Ample Hills Creamery was on my Disney bucket list. I won’t be rushing back to the parks any time soon. We’ve done cruises for the past 10 years so maybe that has my idea skewed a little but after a week in Orlando I came home exhausted. I think just the airport alone is exhausting then add a toddler with a stroller and car seat plus 4 suitcases (way over packed) to the mix and I was tired before we left. Our next trip is a Disney cruise for May 2017- which might be cancelled since it leaves out of Puerto Rico and I just found out I am pregnant so it might not be worth the zika risk. My son got a cold halfway through the week which probably contributed to all the sleeping. But he was a trooper and still had a good time- at least the parts he was awake for.
This review was way longer than I intended and I hope I didn’t bore anyone too much. I’m sure if it was boring you wouldn’t have made it this far. If you have any questions I’ll try to answer them. It was a few weeks ago and with Christmas in full swing I don’t remember much else than what I wrote.
