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2 Sep 19, 02:02 PM
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Thread Starter
Apprentice Imagineer
 
Join Date: Apr 14
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Off To See a Man About a Pig 🐽
Today started a little later at 7 but that was more out of comfort than actually being asleep…the beds at the Rosen hotels are phenomenal.
More acid coloured cereal for breakfast and a cup of peppermint tea to appease the healthy eating gods. We quickly packed up and checked out of the Rosen, as we’re officially moving to Disney today…yaaaaaaaaaaaaassssss  More changes to our itinerary though (I will stop tinkering soon I promise!) - we’re at Animal Kingdom until 5th Sept. We switched our Polynesian stay until later in the holiday and swapped Kidani for Saratoga on the 11th. But back to the day…how fab is it to drive under this?  Less fab is when someone doesn’t follow the roadsigns and we see this…  Words were had. Stoney silence was felt. Finally, we got to this...  Check in was smoothish - they’ve combined the concierge and check in desks so the queue was long with people wanting to ask questions that could’ve been a google search. I think my resting witch face made an appearance at some point 😒  We are in a Value studio which costs 8 points per night and is more elusive than the jalepeno cream cheese pretzel if you’re not an owner here but thanks to Dorian, there’s been quite a bit of availability pop up. There are only a handful of these rooms and they’re all located on the 5th floor in Jambo. Despite being ‘standard’ view, some have pool or savannah views and some have the dreaded car park views. We got lucky and got a savannah view.   We’d been able to add the dining plan the day before which I don’t believe is usual practice but goes to show they do have the means to add it last minute. So we hopped off to collect our refillable mugs and spent a good 20 minutes weighing up the pros and cons of each colour before I made a decision to pick the 2 black ones to match my soul.  Also...Magic Band upgrade! I finally got my mitts on a IASW one a few weeks ago and I love it!  Coffee and nuclear Fanta sourced, we got to the pool about 10am and grabbed the only umbrella chairs. It was such a hot day, I guess they’d started to take the umbrellas in early in case the winds came but it left many disgruntled and lobster tinted guests without shade. Around 1pm, our room was assigned so we headed upstairs for the grand unveiling. It’s a lovely room, not as big as usual DVC studios but we haven’t really noticed the difference. I need to pole vault onto the bed though. I’m 5ft 5 so hardly vertically challenged but still, I almost got a nose bleed up there.    Lunch was our usual sandwiches and crisps but more elegantly styled on plates this time, out on our balcony.  Once again, the nap monster struck and I had to go for a siesta. Bear took himself off to the gym at Kidani, not realising there was a huge one here at Jambo until he got caught in a rain storm. Karma. I’m not sure what for but there’ll be something he’s done wrong…like leave my sour cream in the bag with the turkey slices at Walmart. An indiscretion I’ve only just discovered. My tummy is not coping well with the reintroduction of carbs and sugar but I plough on regardless in the name of the Disney Dining Plan. We decided to head to Disney Springs this evening for a Polite Pig as I believe we’ve not eaten a vegetable since we left the UK. The bus came as soon as we arrived and we were there in 20 minutes. It’s really very quiet here right now! I got the cedar plank salmon with the brussels sprouts - wowwwwww. The hype over the sprouts is so justified. I claim to like sprouts when in reality I think I was just being a bit of cow as a teenager in making them a feature of our Christmas Dinner despite the rest of the family wanting to vom at the sight of them. But the Polite Pig version is incredible. Chewy and crispy and none of the boiled-the-≈≈≈≈-out-of-them flavour. The slaw was citrusy which I’ve never come across before but was delicious. I didn’t think much of the salmon to be honest…it was very…fishy. Almost like smoked haddock? It’s not that it wasn’t nice, the fishiness wasn’t something I was expecting though.  Bear had the brisket with roasted cauliflower. I have a love/hate relationship with cauliflower, its the texture of it when boiled that makes me gag but unfortunately its the vegetable of choice when keto so I’ve eaten a lot of it recently. None of my creations have tasted like this though, it was amazing! The brisket was lightly smoked and there was plenty of it. Towards the bottom of the tray, the taste got a little more vinegary which might not appeal to some.  Bear tells me the jalepeno cornbread was delicious too. Accompanying our dinner were the cocktails. Bear doesn’t drink and is happy with water so I got to pick the Sangria and the Mango Bourbon Slushy. Both were amazing but I think the slushy wins!  The wind is starting to pick up here now so once I’d peeled my mane of hair out of my lipgloss, we waddled around the Marketplace area of DS for an hour. We didn’t make it into World Of Disney tonight so will save that for another time. We obviously made time to visit Ghirardelli for some samples…chocolate fudge squares if anyone is interested. Yum. As we’re glued to the weather channels at the moment, we decided to heed the advice of Brian Shields and Tom Terry and ‘be prepared’...with a visit to Goofy’s Candy Co. I got a giant Mickey cookie and Bear got a custom Rice Krispie Mickey head to see us through any potential curfews ☺️ I'll take some photos of these tomorrow...Bear has hidden them somewhere to stop early snack attacks   Back home to Jambo around 11pm, we just made it onto a bus and got back inside before the rains came again. Tomorrow is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and I cannot tell you HOW EXCITED I AM about the Hades Nachos and the Wedding Cake…stand by for snack overload! 🍿🍪🍩🍭 Total Spent: 2 QS credits (6 remaining) 2 Snack credits (6 remaining) ...also, sorry for the super dark photos, will do better today! The flash on my phone is so bright I'm worried someone will think we've been struck by lightening if I use it! Edited at 07:32 PM. |
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2 Sep 19, 02:09 PM
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Thread Starter
Apprentice Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 14
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Great start! Fingers crossed the weather stays good for you. I am amazed how many hotels you have - it looks like our road trip itinerary! Cannot wait to see what you think of each hotel 
Not wishing your holiday away or anything but I can't wait! 
looking forward to more|
3 Sep 19, 07:34 PM
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VIP Dibber
 
Join Date: Sep 14
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Can’t wait to see the Hades nachos! Polite Pig looks good, sounds like you are all settled at Disney.
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3 Sep 19, 08:53 PM
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Imagineer
 Join Date: Feb 18
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I loved the driving to Disney and back out again moment, very funny.
Hope everything is ok with the storm passing nearby and your supplies last! |
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4 Sep 19, 05:02 PM
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Thread Starter
Apprentice Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 14
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The Blustery Day(s) ☔️
Sorry for the delay with this one…I’ve been struck down with the snuffles and sore throat for the last 48 hours, booooo.
Monday Bright and early and scuttling about for coffee at 6am. The lobby looked so beautiful and quiet this morning. I love Animal Kingdom Lodge but have never really warmed to staying here since we’ve always been in Kidani but I LOVE being in Jambo so much 🦁  The Mara was empty when I got down there to get coffee and the breakfast items were a bit unappealing (just the usual Bounty Platter and Mickey Waffs) but I took some pictures of the Grab & Go lunch items…these were actually sold out by lunchtime so I think you have to get in early for the salad bowls!    Back up to the room for an hour on the balcony watching these birds pick a fight with two pelicans that we’ve lovingly named Pecos Bill and Phil.  Breakfast was, once again, a bowl of sugar.  We spent the morning by the pool watching the storm clouds roll in before heading upstairs for a little cat nap ahead of MNSSHP which was still going ahead despite the weather. Bear had his Haunted Mansion tshirt and I was Binx.    We got to Magic Kingdom around 4pm (guests with MNSSHP tickets can enter the park from 4pm and make fast pass selections up to 6pm) and were straight through security and into the park - I was so surprised at the lack of queues! We were directed to the walkway behind Main St to pick up our treat bags and make our first treat stop of the night. From here we headed to Frontierland to use our FP for Splash, BTM and Haunted Mansion. Unfortunately, Splash broke down multiple times whilst we were on it and they switched the main lights on inside which completely ruined the experience…Bear also got drenched so it wasn’t very pleasant at all 😬 BTM was a walk on despite the FP and provided a lovely breeze…I can’t begin to describe how hot and muggy it was tonight! After this we headed to our final FP, Haunted Mansion…Bear’s favourite. This also broke down but not until the very end. It meant we didn’t get to take a Hitchhiking Ghost home with us though, booooooo. I think they must’ve updated this ride since we last visited, the graveyard scene has loads of new characters in it. By the time we came off HM, the party had officially started and all the treat stops opened up. We walked around collecting treats and riding whatever we got to next…absolutely everything was a walk on and we managed to ride IASW, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid and the Carousel before heading over to Pecos Bills for my much awaited Hades Nachos. We did a Mobile Order and it was ready to pick up when we arrived. It’s such a good system now and lets you know exactly what you can order with your credits and gives you a live credit balance too. My beloved nachos…were awful. I can’t put my finger on the problem, the chicken was very meh, the cheese was a disturbing colour without any taste and the nachos had the consistency of cardboard. Bear enjoyed them so it wasn’t a complete waste…I just grabbed a load of salad from the toppings bar and stuffed myself with sour cream so all was not lost.   Around the same time, Disney made an announcement that the fireworks were cancelled which I was obviously fuming about. It can’t be helped of course but still. It’s a one night event and it’s the main feature so I was deeply unamused. We resolved to still have a fab night and set off for Tomorrowland.    On the way we picked up more treats and rode Magic Carpets, Winnie the Pooh (and the very Blustery Day...oh the irony!), 7DMT, Barnstormer, Dumbo and the Teacups. Again, everything was a walk on ☺️ Cast members were handing out free Mickey heads and slushes in Storybook Circus so we hung around for these in a bid to cool down. The sun had set but the temperature hadn’t changed at all, if anything it felt much hotter!   We headed over to the Speedway next and Bear got stuck in a super slowwwwwwww car, watching 5 year old girls overtake him in the other lane and with a huge queue of cars behind him. I laughed. Karma’s still got him on the list clearly. Next up was Space Mountain…to celebrate MNSSHP, they’d switched all the lights out on this. I love SM, it’s one of my fave rides but this was an experience I shan’t be repeating. It was TERRIFYING. I’m also convinced they sped it up too. I almost left my face behind in the loading area. We managed to ride Buzz (I won) and nip into Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (gathering even more treats!) before heading over to Casey’s for a snack stop and to watch the spooktacular. I got the Hot Diggity Dog of the Month (Fried pickles, cheese, roasted peppers and chipotle ranch) and a Coke Zero. I couldn’t take a picture because it was so dark and because I was quietly seething about the lack of fireworks I just shovelled it in my mouth like a comfort eating piglet. But here’s a google image.  It was just ok…the hot dog itself was lovely as always but the toppings were a bit much. I probably wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re pickle obsessed and really, who is? Stick with the normal hot dogs with a side of plastic cheese 🤤 The castle projections were visually amazing, but honestly the whole thing was flat without fireworks so I shan’t bore you to death with pictures. After the show, we hot footed it over to Pirates since they had a special overlay on the ride for the party. I say this in the loosest possible terms. It was two pirates talking to each other about needing a boat where the auction bit is. That was it 😐 I was expecting more I won’t lie! The second parade was due to start as we exited so we nipped over towards Haunted Mansion, grabbing some popcorn and having a mooch in the shops before settling down by Liberty Tree Tavern. I love the Boo to You music and the parade itself was fab, though it felt a lot shorter than previous years and had the Incredibles and Wreck It Ralph for some unknown reason…they weren’t in Halloween costumes either so it was a bit strange sandwiched between the Hitchhiking Ghosts and a skeleton band! We managed 1 last ride on Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan before the park finally shut at midnight.   I’m glad we got tickets as it was our only Disney park trip this year and we certainly got lucky with the super low crowds but it wasn’t as magical as I expected. I was starting to feel a bit ropey though so maybe I was just being a bit of a crank 😒 I think we probably broke even on the cost of the tickets against our haul 😂  Total Spend: 2 QS credits (4 remaining) 1 Snack credit (5 remaining) Tuesday Feeling like I’d been microwaved back from the grave this morning, I couldn’t even summon the strength to get up for coffee. I spent most of the morning in bed unfortunately, my throat was raw and there wasn’t a Strepsil in sight. We heard that the parks were closing early and decided to head out to the Polynesian for lunch as I needed some fresh air and Bear was craving sushi. We nipped to the front desk on our way to the buses as technically we were due to check out and back in again today on a separate reservation. We got to keep the same room and they merged our remaining dining plan credits with our new credits for this reservation (which is for 1 night again). So our new totals were; 8 QS credits 9 Snack credits …to be used by midnight tomorrow! We got a bus to Hollywood Studios and then one to the Polynesian as we’d just missed one to MK. It was a lovely hot day again and we picked Oasis Grill over Capt Cooks as the menu looked nicer but we did have to tail someone into the pool area. I’m sure if we’d asked a CM, they’d have let us in to eat though.  Bear picked the sashimi and I got the fish tacos. Both were absolutely gorgeous. We got a Frosty Pineapple (Dole Whip with rum) and a Niue Rita (Tequila and Cointreau with Jungle/POG/Lilikoi juice). I love me some Dole Whip. I didn’t quite manage to finish either but my throat sure felt good afterwards!    The rains came so we sat out under the canopy for a while before deciding to head inside the main building for a mooch about. We needed to spend some snack credits so wandered up to Kona Island to see if they had any sushi left. We picked up a Spicy Tuna and a California roll with a Stitch dome (chocolate cake) and a Unicorn dome (confetti cake) instead of drinks. We’ll eat these for lunch tomorrow so I’ll take pictures then! Due to MK closing early, we had to grab a bus to Disney Springs to catch the bus back to Jambo. I think it took us about an hour in total but the air con was bliss and I was asleep for most of it! Feeling all kinds of rubbish again, I took myself off to bed and Bear spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. He woke me up at 7 and we went for a wander around the hotel. A quick conga around the lobby soon sorted me out and we decided to head over to the Mara for tea.   I got the ribs with fries and Bear chose the chicken with cous cous and African vegetable stew. He got a butternut squash as his side and I got a frozen jungle juice.     Wowwwww, both meals were so good! The meat on the ribs was incredible, it just fell right off and it wasn’t dripping in sauce either. Bear said his was incredible too, the stew with the cous cous was such a nice change from fries. I wasn’t a fan of the soup as it was heavy on the cinnamon but once Bear added a packet of chilli flakes from the mini toppings bar, he enjoyed it. The frozen jungle juice was delicious too! Bear got an ice cream in a bid to shift some snack credits and we wandered around the main shop looking at all the African artefacts and playing on the drums ☺️ Back up in the room we noticed the rain…oh my god was it bouncing down! I love Florida rain but this was something else, we couldn’t even see the trees outside our room. In a moment of stupidity (on my part anyway!) we decided to go for a swim…we hurried downstairs, hoping they hadn’t closed the pools yet and were greeted by three sodden life guards who confirmed they were still open! I think we had about 20 minutes in the completely empty pool before a huge crack of lightening lit up the sky. No need to blow the whistles, we shot out of the pool like we’d actually been electrocuted. A quick coffee refill in the Mara to warm us up, we also picked up breakfast for tomorrow - an Uncrustable for me and a granola/berry parfait for Bear. Total Spend: 6 QS credits (2 remaining) 3 Snack credit (6 remaining) |
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4 Sep 19, 06:17 PM
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waiting impatiently...!
Join Date: Apr 09
Location: The moving walkway
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Glad the conga sorted you out
 ... seriously, hope you're feeling better, nothing worse than feeling rubbish on holiday.We'll be at MNSSHP on the 24th, it's also our only visit to a Disney park so hoping we get to do a few rides on the night. |
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4 Sep 19, 06:32 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Feb 18
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A great update, hope you’re feeling a lot better now. What a shame about the fireworks, hope you get to see some 1 night from the Poly beach perhaps.
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4 Sep 19, 07:24 PM
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Serious Dibber
 Join Date: Apr 13
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Loving following along on your trip, hope you feel better soon x
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4 Sep 19, 08:06 PM
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VIP Dibber
Join Date: Sep 14
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Great update, hope your feeling better soon.
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5 Sep 19, 03:38 PM
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Excited about Disney
 Join Date: Nov 17
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Loving the report so far! Staying at AKL next year, so its been nice to see some of the food options available!
__________________
DLP - 1997 (SF), 2002 (HC), 2004 (SL) & 2005 (DLH) FL - 2003 (I-Drive), 2017 (I-Drive), 2018 (ASMu), 2019 (Endless Summer) & 2̶̶̶0̶̶̶2̶̶̶0̶̶̶ ̶(̶A̶̶̶K̶̶̶L̶̶̶)̶ 2021 (Endless Summer) |
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