What a truly wonderful time we had!! I apologize in advance for no photos but my daughter is off tutoring today and I can figure out how to download the memory maker photos and I have no idea where the cable is for the camera to get those photos off! But really, after photoflight's photos I could not compete with his quality!!
But to begin, there were 6 of us, all adults. The "babies" are 23 and 24yo. We celebrated 2 birthdays while we were there. Ally's birthday (DD) was 2 weeks earlier and Erin's (niece #1) was 2 weeks later. We were joined by niece #2, her BF, niece #1's husband, and my sister stopped in for a day.
We stayed in a Finding Nemo family suite, first floor, looking out onto the Big Blue pool. I requested room 5509 and we got it! It was so fun to open the curtain in the morning and look out on the toddler splash area. The room was clean and comfortable and there were no issues having 6 adults staying in the suite. Everyone was satisfied with the comfort of the various mattresses. Having 2 bathrooms was certainly key especially when we were getting ready in the morning.
We were there from April 13 - 20. We purchased the DDP. I certainly wouldn't have chosen that week or the DDP but I went with the group. My concerns had to do with cost and crowds. While the costs were very high the crowds were completely manageable.
Since we drove down, we didn't make any park plans for Sunday but I did make reservations at Ragland Road for dinner on Sunday night. We arrived at AoA before noon and in a few short minutes we were checking out our home for the week. The theming is wonderful at the Nemo building but truly, my favorite was the Lion King! I took more photos of that area then of Nemo but you won't be disappointed with any of the AoA buildings. The Big Blue pool was so relaxing and we spent an hour or two each day swimming and sipping cocktails pool side. Great way to chill in the middle of the day!
So, with our bags in the room, we did some exploring, and each went our own way with plans to meet later at DTD for dinner. DD and I decided to go to the bus dock and take the first bus that arrived. MK it is!! We had plans to be at MK the next day so as the bus headed in that direction we decided we would take the ferry to Wilderness Ledge and have lunch over there. There were less than 6 people on the bus and DD and I were the only passengers on the ferry! We didn't wait more than 5 minutes for either. So these horrible crowds I was dreading certainly weren't anywhere near us.
We had the DDP (I would not recommend this for anyone except folks who can eat like frat boys!) and chose Whispering Canyon for our first meal. We had no reservations but were seated immediately. We were seated on the perimeter of the restaurant overlooking the Wilderness Lodge lobby. If Gaston lived on property this would be his home!! Rustic, oversized, and lovely! And this was the first (but certainly not the last) time when we realized we could never eat the amount of food we were expected to order! We began with appetizers of western chips and assorted dips and a bowl of cheddar cheese soup. Both very generously portioned and very tasty. We knew we had an entree and dessert coming so we try to go easy on the appetizers. DD just had to eat all the soup because it was so tasty! But it was my entree that stole the show! The Grilled Salmon BLT was magnificent!!! The bacon jam was delish! DD thought her burger was very good. Again, very generous portions. I ate all the salmon and bacon jam but didn't touch the bread and just nibbled on the greens. And now we're expected to eat dessert?? We asked that one be boxed to take out and we shared one at the table. The apple caramel pie was good but we really had lost all interest in food by then and left most of it on the table.
Since we had time, we strolled around the Lodge. It was peaceful and lovely. I would be happy to spend a week in this location. We eventually stumbled upon the boat dock so decided to take the ferry back to MK. This time we shared the boat with one couple. It was a beautiful ride and it was so nice floating up to MK. We took a bus back to our room, put the dessert in the fridge, made a cocktail, and headed over to Big Blue. We had no difficulty getting 2 chaise lounges together and relaxed for a couple of hours before heading to the only disappointment of the trip... Raglan Road!
But to begin, there were 6 of us, all adults. The "babies" are 23 and 24yo. We celebrated 2 birthdays while we were there. Ally's birthday (DD) was 2 weeks earlier and Erin's (niece #1) was 2 weeks later. We were joined by niece #2, her BF, niece #1's husband, and my sister stopped in for a day.
We stayed in a Finding Nemo family suite, first floor, looking out onto the Big Blue pool. I requested room 5509 and we got it! It was so fun to open the curtain in the morning and look out on the toddler splash area. The room was clean and comfortable and there were no issues having 6 adults staying in the suite. Everyone was satisfied with the comfort of the various mattresses. Having 2 bathrooms was certainly key especially when we were getting ready in the morning.
We were there from April 13 - 20. We purchased the DDP. I certainly wouldn't have chosen that week or the DDP but I went with the group. My concerns had to do with cost and crowds. While the costs were very high the crowds were completely manageable.
Since we drove down, we didn't make any park plans for Sunday but I did make reservations at Ragland Road for dinner on Sunday night. We arrived at AoA before noon and in a few short minutes we were checking out our home for the week. The theming is wonderful at the Nemo building but truly, my favorite was the Lion King! I took more photos of that area then of Nemo but you won't be disappointed with any of the AoA buildings. The Big Blue pool was so relaxing and we spent an hour or two each day swimming and sipping cocktails pool side. Great way to chill in the middle of the day!
So, with our bags in the room, we did some exploring, and each went our own way with plans to meet later at DTD for dinner. DD and I decided to go to the bus dock and take the first bus that arrived. MK it is!! We had plans to be at MK the next day so as the bus headed in that direction we decided we would take the ferry to Wilderness Ledge and have lunch over there. There were less than 6 people on the bus and DD and I were the only passengers on the ferry! We didn't wait more than 5 minutes for either. So these horrible crowds I was dreading certainly weren't anywhere near us.
We had the DDP (I would not recommend this for anyone except folks who can eat like frat boys!) and chose Whispering Canyon for our first meal. We had no reservations but were seated immediately. We were seated on the perimeter of the restaurant overlooking the Wilderness Lodge lobby. If Gaston lived on property this would be his home!! Rustic, oversized, and lovely! And this was the first (but certainly not the last) time when we realized we could never eat the amount of food we were expected to order! We began with appetizers of western chips and assorted dips and a bowl of cheddar cheese soup. Both very generously portioned and very tasty. We knew we had an entree and dessert coming so we try to go easy on the appetizers. DD just had to eat all the soup because it was so tasty! But it was my entree that stole the show! The Grilled Salmon BLT was magnificent!!! The bacon jam was delish! DD thought her burger was very good. Again, very generous portions. I ate all the salmon and bacon jam but didn't touch the bread and just nibbled on the greens. And now we're expected to eat dessert?? We asked that one be boxed to take out and we shared one at the table. The apple caramel pie was good but we really had lost all interest in food by then and left most of it on the table.
Since we had time, we strolled around the Lodge. It was peaceful and lovely. I would be happy to spend a week in this location. We eventually stumbled upon the boat dock so decided to take the ferry back to MK. This time we shared the boat with one couple. It was a beautiful ride and it was so nice floating up to MK. We took a bus back to our room, put the dessert in the fridge, made a cocktail, and headed over to Big Blue. We had no difficulty getting 2 chaise lounges together and relaxed for a couple of hours before heading to the only disappointment of the trip... Raglan Road!
