Yeah and it Smells Like Hotdogs...A January 2017 TR *Completed 10/27*

[ashw100]

Last nights are always so hard!!!!!

I know, they're the worst

Fair enough. The Tiki Room isn't necessarily my number one favorite or anything, but I hope it doesn't go away. I remember it from when I was little and I know our kids have always been fascinated with it. They need attractions that can handle capacity that are family friendly!

It's at least once a trip type of thing now. It's one of DS6's favorites though. It seems like for now the location is safe, but as we all know that can change at the drop of a hat.

Totally understand. Wishes just always had a way of bringing all those feelings out.

I know doesn't sound like I'll have the same problem with HEA though

Not a bad way to end it!

It doesn't always work out, but I try and make this the last ride of each trip if I can

The things we do for our kids...

Wait! Enchanted Tiki Room is rumored to be going away? I am not sure I know how I feel about that...

At the time of the trip it was heavily rumored to be going away to replace it with a restaurant I think and then later to a Moana meet and greet. The rumors seemed to have gone away, but from what I have observed, if something is rumored to be going away it probably will but it might take awhile.

 

[ashw100]

Wishes o'clock. Love this!

My favorite time of day. Happily Ever After o'clock doesn't have the same ring to it.

Uggh! Kids! haha

Oh my gosh! He's so sweet. A very serious pilot.

Just gotta keep the family safe

He's so done!

He had been over taking pictures for a couple days at this point, oh well

Leaving is always so hard, especially when you don't know when you'll be back again.

I know Thankfully everything worked out for the best, and we're much better off now and I get to go back in less than three weeks, but at that time everything looked so bleak

Last nights are always tough, especially when you don't know when your next trip will be I can understand why you got emotional! But it sounds like you squeezed in a lot of final rides, and ending the night with a dole whip is a great treat!

It's always hard when you are having a great time, but in the back of your mind you keep thinking about it being the end of your trip . I held it together for the most part, but Wishes just unleashed it all.

 

[ashw100]

Day 8
That's a Wrap

We've now come to the part of this TR that has been 10 months in the making, the end .

For the first time all trip I slept in. My body really didn’t want to leave Disney. We got everything packed and said goodbye to AKL and our beautiful view.

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We dropped our bags at the airline check in, along with our stroller at bell services.

We drove over to the Contemporary for our final Disney meal.

We always end our trip at Chef Mickey’s, it always feels good to be able to say good-bye to Mickey. While we were driving in, we saw this tram being delivered which was backing everything up, but pretty cool to see.



We checked in at Chef Mickey’s and got our picture taken.



We were seated in the back by the window. First we saw Pluto.



And then we had the next three all in a row it was quite hectic.



[

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Finally the big cheese himself.

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After brunch we had some time to kill and we didn’t want to spend it at the airport so instead we got on the monorail for one last ride of the trip.

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We rode it around twice before finally peeling ourselves away from the magic and back into our rental van to drive to the airport. Our trip back was uneventful, but we left with amazing memories and hopes that we wouldn’t be gone for too long.

I will wrap up this TR with some final thoughts soon.

Last Post​

 

[ariane37]

So, SO behind........

Stand-by wait is…3P???

LOL! "3 people"??

Even the cheetah was out this morning, we never get to see him

Lucky! I love all kitties big and small, and after 500 rides on the safari (well, ok maybe not 500) we've NEVER seen that boy or his friend/lover/sister/brother moving.

We had so much fun doing all the WE stops on the trail and of course seeing the gorillas.

I wish they'd started this before my boys were too old to care! It looks and sounds so neat but they never had any interest in doing it. I think when it started Chris might have done it, if Ricky wouldn't have teased him about it Yes, big brothers can be awesome!

And the dad said to the son, how would you like to leave two days later than planned. The boy was so excited, it was awesome to see.

Whoo! Best parent ever!

We had some time, so we walked along the Tree of Life trail. This was a first time doing this.

Some of my favorite carvings can be seen along this trail

He said he actually enjoyed the ride, but didn't want to ride again with me when I used the rider swap.

Ha, I used to always giggle when my boys said this after trying a ride for the first time. "Yeah I liked it!! No, don't want to ride it again!!"

At the end the ghosts held up signs that said Michigan here we come and sadly this was very true .

Oh man! I've wanted them to do this for us since they added this feature but no go, they never want to come visit us in NY

I was so sad to miss Wishes, but I knew this was something DS6 really wanted to do and to be fair I had seen Wishes a lot during the time I held my AP.

The things we do for our kids, right? But in the end we feel good that we made the decision to do what they wanted. Usually. There have been times I forego what I want to do in Disney to satisfy them and then want to kick myself later when they show their complete lack of appreciation

You guys had a great trip and I enjoyed reading about it even though I was always 10 steps behind Look forward to your wrap-up.

 

[missangelalexis]

So sad saying goodbye to AKL Chef Mickey's is a nice last day tradition! Cute pics!

 

[Stasieki]

We try to start our trip with Chef Mickey but love the idea to end it. To be able to say goodbye and thank them for the memories.

 

[MeghanEmily]

We always end our trip at Chef Mickey’s, it always feels good to be able to say good-bye to Mickey.

Aww I love this tradition!!

Always sad to say goodbye, especially to the beautiful AKL!!

 

[afwdwfan]

For the first time all trip I slept in. My body really didn’t want to leave Disney.

I can understand that!

And then we had the next three all in a row it was quite hectic.

Definitely hectic, but it is always nice to get the characters out of the way so you don't have to worry about missing out while you head to the buffet.

After brunch we had some time to kill and we didn’t want to spend it at the airport so instead we got on the monorail for one last ride of the trip.

That sounds risky. Playing monorail roulette before you have to catch a flight. Never know when you'll get stuck "waiting for traffic" or whatever it is.

We rode it around twice before finally peeling ourselves away from the magic and back into our rental van to drive to the airport. Our trip back was uneventful, but we left with amazing memories and hopes that we wouldn’t be gone for too long.

I'm glad this turned out to be such a good trip for you! You needed a good one!

 

[ashw100]

I am so excited to share that I have a new countdown and and new PTR.



We're going to Disneyland in February, so if you'd like to follow along on the planning here is the link.

I'll be back to finish up this TR tomorrow.

 

[ashw100]

So, SO behind........

It's okay

LOL! "3 people"??

I wish

Lucky! I love all kitties big and small, and after 500 rides on the safari (well, ok maybe not 500) we've NEVER seen that boy or his friend/lover/sister/brother moving.

I wish they'd started this before my boys were too old to care! It looks and sounds so neat but they never had any interest in doing it. I think when it started Chris might have done it, if Ricky wouldn't have teased him about it Yes, big brothers can be awesome!

Oh I hate that, thanks to big brother DS4 no longer likes princesses It was bound to happen eventually I guess

Whoo! Best parent ever!

I know is he adopting??

Some of my favorite carvings can be seen along this trail

They are so good, I am glad we made the time here

Ha, I used to always giggle when my boys said this after trying a ride for the first time. "Yeah I liked it!! No, don't want to ride it again!!"

They've got different thinking, that's for sure

Oh man! I've wanted them to do this for us since they added this feature but no go, they never want to come visit us in NY

Maybe that's a good thing

The things we do for our kids, right? But in the end we feel good that we made the decision to do what they wanted. Usually. There have been times I forego what I want to do in Disney to satisfy them and then want to kick myself later when they show their complete lack of appreciation

I so feel you there, that's like the whole vacation DS6 is pretty good about it though

You guys had a great trip and I enjoyed reading about it even though I was always 10 steps behind Look forward to your wrap-up.

No problem, thanks for reading along

So sad saying goodbye to AKL Chef Mickey's is a nice last day tradition! Cute pics!

I know, we loved that resort. Chef Mickey's is a bitter sweet dining location for us, but it definitely makes leaving sting a little less.

 

[ashw100]

We try to start our trip with Chef Mickey but love the idea to end it. To be able to say goodbye and thank them for the memories.

I like that idea too. I think on our first trip that's just when it fit in and we liked it so much it's tradition now.

Aww I love this tradition!!

Thanks, it always ends the trip on a positive note.

Always sad to say goodbye, especially to the beautiful AKL!!

I know

I can understand that!

There's no sleep at Disney except on the last night

Definitely hectic, but it is always nice to get the characters out of the way so you don't have to worry about missing out while you head to the buffet.

True, I hate having to time your buffet trips with the characters

That sounds risky. Playing monorail roulette before you have to catch a flight. Never know when you'll get stuck "waiting for traffic" or whatever it is.

Okay I never thought about it like that, but no I am scared to do this again

I'm glad this turned out to be such a good trip for you! You needed a good one!

Thanks, it was bound to happen at some point, right??

 

[ashw100]

Final Thoughts

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This was by far, the best family vacation to Disney we’ve had so far. I can finally see that they are all getting to the age where there is more fun and less tantrums. That’s not to say it was a perfect trip, they each have their own thing that sets them off, but we had much less meltdowns than we have had in the past. The one thing I love about our Disney trips is that in day to day life it can be hard to see how much they’ve grown, but at Disney you really notice it. Next time we go back DS2 will be big enough to ride the 40” rides, which is crazy since his first trip was when I was pregnant with him. On a side note, last weekend we took the boys to the Texas State Fair and followed a similar Disney touring plan and they did so awesome. We made it the whole day with no meltdowns and no stroller.

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AKL & DVC

We LOVED AKL so much. It is my second favorite hotel, only to be surpassed by Polynesian. I would highly recommend staying there, even though it is farther away then the other resorts. It feels like a bubble within the Disney bubble. It is so much less chaotic than all the other resorts. We loved all the food options they had there, especially The Mara. And even though the savannah view rooms were pricey, I definitely think it is worth it. I never got over seeing the animals from the balcony and neither did the kids. We rented DVC points this trip and I wasn’t sure how it would go, especially the limited maid service. It was never a problem though, we made sure to throw our trash out everyday and it was fine. We rented through David’s DVC and the process was smooth and I felt secure knowing there would be no issues with the reservation. You absolutely cannot beat the pricing, I believe we paid the same amount for a savannah view DVC room as it would cost for a rack rate standard view non-DVC room. We only rented 7 months out because there is no way I could completely commit to a trip 11 months out. I would definitely go the DVC route in the future if there is availability at my chosen resort again.

Overall, we had an amazing trip and I cannot wait to take everyone back for our next one. Thank you to everyone who read this TR and those that commented. I hope you had as much fun reading along, as I did retelling it. My next Disney World trip is next week and it will be a totally new experience for me. I should have a TR up for that one in a few weeks. Also a new Disneyland PTR is in my signature. See ya real soon!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Awesome photo montage!!

I really enjoyed reading along on this TR! I hope you have an awesome trip coming up so soon, and I can't wait to hear about it when you get back!

 

[rdkeim]

I enjoyed following along! Glad you had fewer meltdowns. It looked like you made lots of fun memories. Of course I love WDW but I really like Disneyland! I need to get busy and get a Disneyland trip on the schedule. Thanks for sharing your trip!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Awesome report! The boys are darling!!!

 

[ashw100]

Awesome photo montage!!

Thanks

I really enjoyed reading along on this TR! I hope you have an awesome trip coming up so soon, and I can't wait to hear about it when you get back!

Thank you, I will be sure to post about it when it's over, hopefully it's a good one.

I enjoyed following along! Glad you had fewer meltdowns. It looked like you made lots of fun memories. Of course I love WDW but I really like Disneyland! I need to get busy and get a Disneyland trip on the schedule. Thanks for sharing your trip!

Thanks, we are super excited about Disneyland, I am sad about the lack of planning with it though. Regardless it will still be an awesome trip I'm sure.

Awesome report! The boys are darling!!!

Thank you

 

[Dugette]

So glad you had such a wonderful trip!

We really loved AKL too - and, like you, the Poly is our fave.

Will hop over to your new PTR - yay for Disneyland!!

 

[ashw100]

So glad you had such a wonderful trip!

We really loved AKL too - and, like you, the Poly is our fave.

Will hop over to your new PTR - yay for Disneyland!!

Thanks for following along Dugette

 

[Stasieki]

Loved your TR. Have fun on your solo adventure!!!

 

[ashw100]

Loved your TR. Have fun on your solo adventure!!!

Thank you