Trip Report COMPLETED:The “who told him about the panoramic setting on his phone?” Surf n’ Turf Anniversary trip

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Trip Report Table of contents (this will grow as I add to the TR)
Our Room
MK day one
Flag retreat
Jiko
HS part one
HS part two
Watto's Grotto
HS part three
Brown Derby Lounge
AKL 1-bedroom, room 5135
A rainy Boardwalk
Shula's Steak House
AK part one
AK part two
Trails End lunch
MK again part one with Casey's
A Pirate's Adventure
Kona Cafe and The Dream at first sight
Disney Dream Boarding
Disney Dream room 7528
Setting Sail and room service
Dream Shopping and Mirror Mirror
Animator's Palate
Evolution Match Your Mate and Cabanas breakfast
Senses/Rainforest
Nassau from Senses
District Lounge Tequila Class
More DVC swag and meeting friends on the way to Palo
Palo
Pirates Night Fireworks
Castaway Cay 5K
Serenity Bay & BBQ
More of Castaway
Shopping and spouts
Midship Detective Agency
Royal Palace Dinner
Royal Palace Breakfast and Disembarking
Bay Lake Tower Room 7514
Citricos and Wishes from BLT
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All the covert pains in futility leading up to this ball of awesomeness can be had here:
Those banked points aren’t going to use themselves Part II: Code Name DMCA
You may or may not be happy to know that I’ve finally gotten past the pains of Operation DMCA failing at the hands of DCL. DCL’s inability to keep a secret allowed the DW to plan and draw out a long sense of anticipation and excitement, but I digress we’re here to move forward…right?

Flashback to September 15th, it’s time to blow this pop stand! I made every effort to load the car up as much the night before to reduce the scrambling we would have to do this morning. We had but two or three small bags to deal with still. While we were finishing up with the small bags the DD walks in and notices I’m packing the Magic Bands and TiW card. Mind you, she knew we were going on this cruise AND that we were staying at AKL before the boat. It wasn’t until this moment, though, that it hit her we would be visiting the parks too! She let out a “you’re going to the parks too!” which we delicately told her “yes we are”. I mean, hello! APs + three nights in AKL = “We going to the parks girl”. Obviously, I didn’t put it that way to her I was just surprised she hadn’t put it together that we would be visiting the parks. She would later call me that day to tell me that it “took her all morning to get over the devastation of us going to the parks without her”. Wow, punch in the gut right there! But moving on, the car is packed, we load up the DD, and head to the bus stop at 06:45 and wouldn’t you know the bus driver is early, almost as if that crotchety old guy knew we had places to be! So a quick hug and kiss goodbye and the DD is on the bus and the DW and I are Disney bound by 06:50, ten minutes ahead of schedule! The ATL, however, would soon squash my excitement. So after a QuickTrip visit in Dawsonville we got smashed in the face by probably the worst traffic east of California. What normally take 18 minutes, at 6AM, to get from North perimeter to south perimeter takes us an hour and twenty minutes! I was not happy to say the least but also not surprised, just foolishly optimistic. Once we hit 75 on the south side it was smooooth sailings all the way to the bubble! A few hours later and we were crossing the line:

Seeing this sign always triggers that “Final Countdown” feeling in my head while the band Europe starts jamming out subconsciously. I’ve noted this in previous TRs but it’s worth point out again; SunPass is awesome! I fully regret not adopting the SunPass a lot sooner. It can be hard to express the feeling of joy while one just cruises through all those toll stops, ahhhhh. While I was enjoying the ease of SunPass I got “The Text”! You know, the room is ready! So the final countdown was short and despite the high levels of excitement we had arrived at the bubble and it was soon that our gaze fell upon the sign:

I promise I was a good Disney citizen and did not stop to snap this picture. A few minutes later and we were arriving home!

I always love seeing this sign and hearing the CM’s welcoming us home when we arrive! Another thing I love, specifically about Jambo, is as soon as you pass through those sliding doors you’re hit with one of the most beautiful scents ever. The wood burning fragrance is all around you in the lobby and it works! Speaking of the lobby, I’ve been to all the deluxe lobbies and I still don’t think there is one that rivals AKL, I am biased of course

Coming up: $88 gets you what?

 

[Mom@disney]

What a great start to the report! Looking foward to reading more! Animal Kingdom Lodge looks amazing!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Great start!! Jambo house was amazing. I miss it every day!!

 

[lostpro9het]

If you followed along with the prequel you know that we jumped on an $8/point DVC rental special through TTS. So, armed with a set of Magic Bands and a text message of where our room was we were off to see our $88 AKL Standard Studio! According to our text message our room number was 5257. Along the way we noticed that right before we got to our room the carpets changed for about the length of two rooms, we did not notice this pattern anywhere else. This made us wonder if they were testing out some carpet patterns or if it was just always like this.

After a very short walk from elevators we arrived!

Here is the wallpaper in the bathroom area:

Finally here is our standard room view!

We had plenty of animals in view of our room! Sorry for the poor quality, the humidity outside was high and my phone is garbage

During the evening there was no less than 3 giraffe just hanging outside our balcony. I think our area is where they came to sleep. Again, garbage phone so no pics of that. So now that we have the room pleasantries out of the way it was time to hit MK for an hour or so before our Jiko ADR.

Up next: The pumpkins are out and the flag is coming down.

 

[Mom@disney]

Wow! What a great view. I would say you really lucked out on that deal.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Great start! Can't wait to read more. I am bound and determined to stay at AKL one day!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

It's gorgeous!!! I loved our view of the pool, but that view is awesome!

 

[wdisney9000]

Yesssiiiir! This is gonna be a fun read! And oh ya, SB!

 

[wdisney9000]

Abita Jackamo IPA, and in my fav. Terrapin jug!

 

[lostpro9het]

Abita Jackamo IPA, and in my fav. Terrapin jug!View attachment 112821

Oh my! I like that glass and that is a dark IPA. I've got a SB rebound coming your way real quick like...

 

[cfry06]

Wahoo! You started your report! Looking forward to this one. I have a sneaking suspicion you had wonderful weather on the cruise .

What a great room! And for $88!! Absolutely going to try that trick for a future trip!

Can't wait to read more about your park days!

 

[wdisney9000]

SB, Restoration Ale. If memory serves (which is rare) this is/was a F&W beer

 

[lostpro9het]

... I have a sneaking suspicion you had wonderful weather on the cruise ...

I have a sneaking suspicion you may be making an appearance in this TR .

 

[lostpro9het]

So with a couple hours to pass before Jiko we decided to hit up MK, at a minimum to just walk around but we did have a few FPs for SM, BTM, and Buzz. Additionally, the DW wanted to take in the flag retreat that happens every day at 5:00 so we planned for that as well. A short bus wait and ride later and we had arrived:

It was a little damp out, more a heavy mist than a rain, so we left the ponchos in the bag and made our way around to tomorrow land via adventure land

After a fun trip on SM, a spin with Buzz, and some people watching on the TTA we had some singalong time with our favorite family of progress

Around this time it was getting close to 5:00 so we made our way to the train station to get some good seats for the flag retreat.
While we waited I nabbed these:

It was at this point the DW said “Why don’t you just use the panoramic option on your phone?” I was like, “Panawhat?” Then the announcement for retreat came over the PA and didn’t give it a second thought.

whelp...it turns out I've exceed the max of picture I can have in a post so ill have to continue this on the next post!

 

[lostpro9het]

A little back story, the DW and I work for the University of North Georgia (UNG) which is one of only six senior military colleges in the country. We have one of the top corps of cadets in the nation. We even had the honor of having the top cadet in the nation two years ago. While we do have the cadets they only make up about 4.5% of our student population. I say all this, though, because UNG has a long tradition of Reveille and Retreat every day! This means every morning at 07:00 the bugle plays, a cannon fires, and the flag goes up for reveille and, of course, at 17:00 the bugle plays, a cannon fires, and the flag comes down. One might think it to be a mundane and annoying feature of a place to work but it’s the opposite in fact. It’s a point of pride and privilege to be part of the tradition. So, on to retreat!

As you may be able to see, Disney honors a guest with the privilege of carrying the flag off at the end. Today’s honoree was an active serviceman, I did not make note of which branch. With that, my teary eyed DW and I made for the busses so we could freshen up and change for our Jiko ADR.

Coming up: The cooking place

 

[wdisney9000]

A little back story, the DW and I work for the University of North Georgia (UNG) which is one of only six senior military colleges in the country. We have one of the top corps of cadets in the nation. We even had the honor of having the top cadet in the nation two years ago. While we do have the cadets they only make up about 4.5% of our student population. I say all this, though, because UNG has a long tradition of Reveille and Retreat every day! This means every morning at 07:00 the bugle plays, a cannon fires, and the flag goes up for reveille and, of course, at 17:00 the bugle plays, a cannon fires, and the flag comes down. One might think it to be a mundane and annoying feature of a place to work but it’s the opposite in fact. It’s a point of pride and privilege to be part of the tradition. So, on to retreat!

As you may be able to see, Disney honors a guest with the privilege of carrying the flag off at the end. Today’s honoree was an active serviceman, I did not make note of which branch. With that, my teary eyed DW and I made for the busses so we could freshen up and change for our Jiko ADR.

Coming up: The cooking place

Awesome pics and thanks for the background info. We visited Carmel and Pebble Beach and were able to hear the Retreat and Reveille at the nearby Presidio. They also played Taps at sundown. It was a great experience.

Whats upsetting about your pictures is how many people are just walking by and not taking a moment out of their day to pay respect to the tradition. I know not all people support the military and we live in turbulent times but how hard is it to take a brief moment to pay respect to the Flag and the brave Men and Woman who have served our country and enabled us all to be able to take wonderful vacations and not have to worry about the very freedom they are all enjoying? There was time in this country when every man woman and child on Main Street USA would have stopped in their tracks to pay respect when the ceremony began. Now, most people probly dont even know whats happening when they see it.

 

[lostpro9het]

...Whats upsetting about your pictures...Now, most people probly dont even know whats happening when they see it.

So oblivious, in fact, that many kept trying to walk into the center of the hub! When CMs stopped them and turned them away they acted all surprised and confused. Anyway, it is cool that Disney does this each day regardless of what is going on.

 

[fractal]

Never saw the flag ceremony - now on the "to do" list.

 

[catmom46]

Awesome pics and thanks for the background info. We visited Carmel and Pebble Beach and were able to hear the Retreat and Reveille at the nearby Presidio. They also played Taps at sundown. It was a great experience.

Whats upsetting about your pictures is how many people are just walking by and not taking a moment out of their day to pay respect to the tradition. I know not all people support the military and we live in turbulent times but how hard is it to take a brief moment to pay respect to the Flag and the brave Men and Woman who have served our country and enabled us all to be able to take wonderful vacations and not have to worry about the very freedom they are all enjoying? There was time in this country when every man woman and child on Main Street USA would have stopped in their tracks to pay respect when the ceremony began. Now, most people probly dont even know whats happening when they see it.

I noticed the same thing! Even though I hate fighting, I totally support those who serve our country and would have stopped to watch the ceremony. I certainly wouldn't have tried to walk through it!!

 

[lostpro9het]

We made great time getting back to the hotel despite some pop up showers. A short walk to our room and we decided to enjoy a few minutes on the balcony before cleaning up and heading to dinner, the fuzzy pictures above are what we saw. Still with a little time to go we made our way down stairs and headed for Jiko. Figured they may get us in early.

We checked in, received our beeper, and were told it would be a few minutes. We set up camp at the bar and looked over the wine menu, it was extensive to say the least. We asked the bartender what his favorites were as we planned on starting a glass before dinner. He knew his wines well and made a few recommendations, one of which included this blend from Africa:

The Red Jasper was a blend of 85% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.5% Petit Verdot, 2.5% Merlot. The wine sounded very interesting to us and we asked if we may sample it before we buy. The bartender was more than happy to oblige. He gave us our samples and headed to the back. We sipped the samples and really enjoyed it and were ready to get a glass when our pager went off. We waited a minute for the bartender to come back but he must have been busy when our hostess came to direct us to our table. We were promptly seated and had some decent privacy from our table

Soon after being seated, our hostess returned with warm towels that smelled like they have been soaking in rose petals all day, very nice! Shortly thereafter we were greeted by our waiter armed with menus and requesting a drink order if we like. We opted to skip the glasses of the Red Jasper and jumped at the bottle!

It wasn’t long before our server returned with water, bread, and our bottle:

We thought we knew ahead of time what we were going to get until we noticed the “Enhancements”! The DW likes herself some lobster tail and had never had warm water lobster. Myself, I had every intention of going tapas with the wild boar and cheese plate until I saw the makings of the best mac & cheese I may have ever had! The Braai Mac & Cheese was a blend of Provolone, Fontina, Gruyere, and Asiago mixed with house made sausage and Chakalaka. It….was….amazing!! So, the DW and I each grabbed a mac & cheese then she got the lobster and I the wild boar.

The Braai Mac & Cheese

Warm Water Lobster Tail

Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin

NOTHING about this meal was bad, it was all amazing! We were also vary grateful that we were staying in Jambo because that bottle of Red Jasper had some kick to it and making our way to 5257 was an adventure! When we returned we immediately made our way to the balcony and was greeted with 5 sleeping giraffe!

See! Can’t you see them!?!? Stupid phone.... Anyway, we had been up about 17 hours now and it was time to get some rest as we had an early day tomorrow. We would be competing in the Toy Story Midway Mania Rope Drop .5K! Not since the days of paper fastpasses have we had to do this but we were saving our FP+ for EC later in that day.

Coming up: TSMM, more Star Wars than you can shake a turkey leg at, and probably the best lunch HS has to offer!