Live-ish blog. My thoughts and observations April 7-13

Staying at AKL Jambo House...

I am gonna try and just hit some bullet points here. We will start off with post 1, night one...

We arrived at MCO at 9:12pm. Headed straight to Magic Express, boarded a waiting motor coach. We then proceeded to wait for approximately 45 minutes to leave. They packed the bus to bursting, and people were standing in the back(against policy, but I guess efficiency beats safety) we were the 3rd stop and didn't arrive at our resort till a little after 11.

We were then woken up at 2am by a call from bell services asking if they could deliver our luggage. This was after I spoke to them at 11, and specifically asked them not to call or knock that night. I was infuriated. Also, despite talking to the front desk and bell services, I was basically given a "we're sorry" shoulder shrug. Which, believe it or not, doesn't help with my 3 year olds lack of sleep.

Anyhoo, that's day 1. Good start.

 

[Disney4family]

I don't know where my response went. -
In terms of quality of experience, cost, food, etc., it is fair to compare a day at either place. I always tell people that WDW is the best "bang for the buck".
As a DVC member who is able to visit WDW once a year, I do compare the quality of my daily experiences. I prefer the all-encompassing magic and time spent at WDW. However, I am not able to go as often as others on this board. I do try to do other things with my kids. I know it's not the same money-wise overall, but I do compare. Sorry for being human.
I was only commenting on how sad it is that, based on your comments, the quality of such things at WDW has declined.
WDW is the "gold-standard". You've stated how it's been tainted. I wasn't making it any less than what we all believe it is.
Whatever. No need to be so rude.

 

[xdan0920]

I don't know where my response went. -
In terms of quality of experience, cost, food, etc., it is fair to compare a day at either place. I always tell people that WDW is the best "bang for the buck".
As a DVC member who is able to visit WDW once a year, I do compare the quality of my daily experiences. I prefer the all-encompassing magic and time spent at WDW. However, I am not able to go as often as others on this board. I do try to do other things with my kids. I know it's not the same money-wise overall, but I do compare. Sorry for being human.
I was only commenting on how sad it is that, based on your comments, the quality of such things at WDW has declined.
WDW is the "gold-standard". You've stated how it's been tainted. I wasn't making it any less than what we all believe it is.
Whatever. No need to be so rude.

It's not rude. Man sometimes trip reports are tough sledding with you folks.

Listen. Six Flags is a regional amusement park. It costs less to go there every day for a year then it does to go to any WDW theme park for a day. WDW is the Vacation Kingdom of the World. How on earth is it in a catagory with a roller coaster park in central New Jersey?

 

[Bandini]

WDW is the "gold-standard"

Yup, it takes a few bars to pay for a vacation there!

 

[Disney4family]

It's not rude. Man sometimes trip reports are tough sledding with you folks.

Listen. Six Flags is a regional amusement park. It costs less to go there every day for a year then it does to go to any WDW theme park for a day. WDW is the Vacation Kingdom of the World. How on earth is it in a catagory with a roller coaster park in central New Jersey?

I was just commenting on how you said the quality of food has declined at WDW. I also thought better of it than what you experienced. That's all. No more, no less. And since this is a discussion forum, I (mistakenly) added to the conversation with a recent park experience. It is comparing apples to oranges. You will get no argument from me there. I was only discussing the topic on a discussion forum.

 

[21stamps]

Last May, I took a bus over to AKL (hadn't been there in years, and I just wanted to look around). Went to The Mara, and I was impressed with their QS menu options. Although I wasn't in the mood for the stew that particular day, I did get an excellent, (generous size) turkey sandwich (and the turkey was freshly carved--not the pre-packaged junk), with some sort of mayo/cranberry spread. For dessert, I got the Zebra Domes.

From observing what others had on their trays, I'd say that the food there looked much better than most of the QS locations in the parks. So I just wanted to mention here that it's not just the "offbeat" stuff that's good.

That's good to hear!

Sad to read this. We just spent a day at Six Flags NJ and in comparison thought WDW was so much better in terms of food quality, price, service & taking care of tons of people at once.
The service at Six Flags had 2 speeds - slow and reverse.
The table was a middle school science lab experiment - so filthy.
It cost $22.11 for an inedible hamburger, fries & bottle of water.

Were you there when the ride got stuck? That was crazy!! I read about it a couple of days ago.

I was at Kings Island Friday for Gold and Platinum Passholder Preview night. Wait times for rollercoasters ranged from 60-180 minutes. Food lines were so long that we didn't even eat. We waited 30 minutes for the Coca Cola Marketplace to get a drink. Prices for food and beverages are much higher than Disney. The overall cost- 1 day vs 1 day at Magic Kingdom or a regional amusement park, if you buy a Fast Lane Pass and play games, is much higher at a regional park.

That's why I said "comparatively" Disney's prices aren't as shocking. It's fair to compare the 2 if we are comparing Disney food to slices of pizza not inside a sporting or entertainment venue.

The irony in my experience Friday night, and my overpriced room at Great Wolf Lodge this week.. is that I cancelled a WDW trip during the same time period.. because I thought the crowds would be too much.lol. Oops!

 

[Disney4family]

That's good to hear!


Were you there when the ride got stuck? That was crazy!! I read about it a couple of days ago.

I was at Kings Island Friday for Gold and Platinum Passholder Preview night. Wait times for rollercoasters ranged from 60-180 minutes. Food lines were so long that we didn't even eat. We waited 30 minutes for the Coca Cola Marketplace to get a drink. Prices for food and beverages are much higher than Disney. The overall cost- 1 day vs 1 day at Magic Kingdom or a regional amusement park, if you buy a Fast Lane Pass and play games, is much higher at a regional park.

That's why I said "comparatively" Disney's prices aren't as shocking. It's fair to compare the 2 if we are comparing Disney food to slices of pizza not inside a sporting or entertainment venue.

The irony in my experience Friday night, and my overpriced room at Great Wolf Lodge this week.. is that I cancelled a WDW trip during the same time period.. because I thought the crowds would be too much.lol. Oops!

We weren't at the park where the ride was stuck. I believe that was in Maryland.
I'm sorry you missed out on a WDW trip! I hope it makes the time you get to go that much sweeter!

 

[21stamps]

We weren't at the park where the ride was stuck. I believe that was in Maryland.
I'm sorry you missed out on a WDW trip! I hope it makes the time you get to go that much sweeter!

This report has actually helped me. I think next time- I won't cancel!
Crowds were the biggest reason, but there were a few others. I do think that Disney handles crowds much better than any other park. Had we been at WDW then we probably would have been able to do more than 2 attractions in 7 hours.

Maybe for people who frequent amusement parks the WDW food prices don't seem so bad.. because we're used to seeing insane food prices all spring and summer. It's pretty sick that we've been conditioned this way lol.

 

[Laketravis]

Op, thanks for taking the time to post your trip report. I always appreciate reading an unbiased account of someone's current visit.

Sorry it seems a few posters are intent on turning it into a conversation comparing food prices, quantity and quality to other incomparable venues.

 

[Disney4family]

Op, thanks for taking the time to post your trip report. I always appreciate reading an unbiased account of someone's current visit.

Sorry it seems a few posters are intent on turning it into a conversation comparing food prices, quantity and quality to other incomparable venues.

Sorry to read this, too. That's what I love about this site. It's a discussion - wow - great to hear! wow - sorry to hear! - wow! news to me! - This is what I experienced...This is what I hoped to experience...
I read so many WDW sites (as I assume so many pixie dusters here do). It's refreshing and fun to communicate with others. Conversation is wonderful. That's what I look for when I read the threads on this forum. That's why I joined.
As I said for this particular thread - it's hard to compare apples to oranges, but it is sad when we all expect so much more from WDW to hear that it may fall amongst the apples of another entertainment venue - especially when we all know it's incomparable.
I appreciate and value the opinion of the OP.
Until I get to go back to WDW, I live vicariously through the trip report thoughts & observations, which is why I worried that it seemed less than what the OP expected and what I expected - even to the point of being "on par" with a place that is not "on par" with what we all believe WDW should offer for the price and expectations.

 

[Laketravis]

As I said for this particular thread - it's hard to compare apples to oranges, but it is sad when we all expect so much more from WDW to hear that it may fall amongst the apples of another entertainment venue - especially when we all know it's incomparable....

In a previous comment you made a cost comparison to a meal at Six Flags. That really is apples to oranges, because you could have offered the same comparison to a Six Flags Gold Dining Pass, which provides a snack, lunch, dinner, and unlimited beverage refills on every visit at any park in the country for an entire year. For around $80.

So when the op makes a comment about the soaring food costs at WDW and others counter that the cost of food at WDW is "somewhat reasonable compared to prices or portion sizes elsewhere" they either don't know what they are talking about or they are making a false comparison on purpose.

 

[Disney4family]

In a previous comment you made a cost comparison to a meal at Six Flags. That really is apples to oranges, because you could have offered the same comparison to a Six Flags Gold Dining Pass, which provides a snack, lunch, dinner, and unlimited beverage refills on every visit at any park in the country for an entire year. For around $80.

So when the op makes a comment about the soaring food costs at WDW and someone counters that the cost of food at WDW is comparable to that of other "amusement" parks, they either don't know what they are talking about or they are making a false comparison on purpose.

My post wasn't meant to make a false comparison. I have an annual pass to the regional park, however I do not have the gold dining pass. I never meant to be so technical in a friendly, conversational, discussion forum. Chit chat and wow, I feel your pain. That stinks. is only that.

I only meant to say -

Wow. Sorry to read in your report that things we have all enjoyed have declined (in your opinion). I just spent a day (and a lot of money) at a regional park and it stunk in comparison to what we usually experience at WDW. My experience actually reconfirmed why I appreciate WDW and the efforts of the CMs compared to such regional parks. So sorry to hear that WDW has declined (in your opinion) when I would obviously rather read how it has maintained or improved - especially since I have bought into the entire experience as a DVC member.

I could continue to say - I hope it was only one of those hit-or-miss things that we have experienced at WDW and not a sign of things to expect, especially since I have 2 trips planned for later this year.

Better?

 

[George]

Day 3 continued...

After nap we still had 3 FP for magic kingdom in the afternoon. So we headed back there.

The bus boards are pretty unreliable, they seem to just adjust back and back and back. We waited close to 15 minutes for this bus. Which is long seeming, but inside Disney's 20 min window, so, ok.

MK was extremely crowded, but we had our FP, so were able to navigate the lines.

So...

Up first was the wonderful Barnstormer, my sons favorite attraction in WDW.

Next was Buzz, eh, man it's hard to find something nice to say about this. It's so run down.

Columbia Harbour House for dinner. 6 thumbs up. Lobster roll was great. So was the clam chowder. The upstairs seating wasn't crowded, which made the low AC setting far more bearable.

Jungle Cruise looked very good to me. Hyenas aren't as cool as the rhino, but what's the point of complaining?

Citrus Swirl is a perfect snack. It's literally perfect. Down with Dole Whips, up with Citrus Swirls.

Watched fireworks from the train station. They were good. Excited for the new version though. Seen wishes 17 too many times.

Bus ride home was not memorable, so I assume it wasn't bad?

Did you ever have the strawberry swirl? It is now banished to the forgotten treats of yesteryear, but I found it to be divine.

 

[George]

They are cardboard, slathered in garbage sauce and cheap cheese. I couldn't even get my 3 year old to eat it. Instead he had a steady diet of $5 "Uncrustables".

I'm thinking of having a 6 uncrustable, 30 dollar meal in June just so I can review it.

 

[George]

The Mara was ok. More flatbreads, a cheeseburger, a hot dog, a chicken sandwich. Then there were a few more off beat choices.

Kids Menu was standard fare.

I love the African stew. We've even made it at home a few times.

 

[George]

By uncrustable number 4, I began to know the true meaning of joy. The peanut butter and grape jelly were perfectly paired and the white bread had a smushy, damp styrofoam quality that made it delightful. For those of you who think that 30 bucks is a bad deal for 6 uncrustables, I should point out that all 30 bucks gets me at Holiday World is a delightful holiday feast featuring about 2 pounds of turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes, corn, and dry stuffing. What a rip off! Anyway, I now purchased a chocolate milk for my fifth uncrustable and was delighted that Disney made my beverage affordable by accepting my aging BMW 5 series as collateral. Though many complained about the lack of AC, I found the 2.3 minutes to drink my chocolate milk before it curdled more than sufficient.

 

[xdan0920]

Did you ever have the strawberry swirl? It is now banished to the forgotten treats of yesteryear, but I found it to be divine.

I did not. I'm not a strawberry guy.

 

[xdan0920]

I love the African stew. We've even made it at home a few times.

Couldn't bring myself to eat a bowl of stew at the pool in 88 degree heat. Looked pretty in the picture though.

 

[George]

Couldn't bring myself to eat a bowl of stew at the pool in 88 degree heat. Looked pretty in the picture though.

If you look the recipe up on the internetz and stumble upon the one that says, "4 cups of soy sauce", they mean, "4 tablespoons of soy sauce"...not that there's anything wrong with soy sauce soup if your blood pressure is 18/7.

 

[George]

Couldn't bring myself to eat a bowl of stew at the pool in 88 degree heat. Looked pretty in the picture though.

"Eating stew by the pool" would be a good name for something. I really hope that AC is on a bit more when we are there in early June. It has been decades since I've been a local and I'm not acclimatized to the heat and humidity at all anymore.

 

[Bob]

I really hope that AC is on a bit more when we are there in early June. It has been decades since I've been a local and I'm not acclimatized to the heat and humidity at all anymore.

You haven't mocked the walking trails at DAK for years. As such, you should be safe.