I just got back from a week of resort and park hopping. These items may not be “news” anymore, as I have been unable to read these boards as much as I would like lately, but I am sure it will be news to some folks.
Pop Century
I regret to say that the once usually broken Icee machines in the food court have now disappeared completely. And in their place they have been replaced with …. Tea machines of some type. The Icee machines set this resort apart, and their presence, personally, made the $13 refillable mug worth the price. Even though they were down a good bit before, not having them at all hurts.
AKL
The Mara is using a new process for ordering that I had not heard about before. Guests go through a line to a cast member standing in front of the service counter, but behind some ropes. You give them your order, they write it down on carbon paper, and send one copy to the food prep people behind the counter. You get the other copy and a beeper. Then you can get your cold items, pay for your entire meal, or go get a table. In the meantime, they fix your entrée order and beep you when it is ready. It went pretty well.
Sidenote: Is it just me, or has the recipe for Zebra Domes changed since 2006? I seem to remember the coloring being darker on the inside(it is now the color of peanut butter), and I don’t remember the cake-ish base(I remember it being more of a cream or a mousse).
I explored Kidani, ate at Sanaa, and swan at the pool. Kidani’s feel is smaller. The Lobby is beautiful, and has the same feel, but it is much smaller. The size of the pool is noticeably smaller too. Of course, its number of rooms is smaller also, so its needs are as well. The rooms themselves are bigger. I have stayed in a 1 BR at Jambo, and you can tell a difference in the 1 BR in Kidani. It is definitely wider in the LR. Back to the pool, it was quite fun, in spite of its smaller area. The play area is fantastic. The slide is far superior to Uzima Springs. It is in the ball park of the slide at Boardwalk in terms of speed, length, and curves. The pool side bar is not accepting the DDP, but the menu looked good. I would prefer Kidani over Jambo as a DVC member if I had younger kids in my party. The pool’s smaller size is an advantage for them, so is the play area, and superior slide. Very family friendly. Sanaa was a great experience. We ate at lunch, and it was nearly empty. I don’t expect it to stay this way when word gets out. Food was off the beaten path and a nice break from “Disney” Food. Quality was great, but service was even better. This restaurant offers Animal viewing from your table, as no other does on property. We had Zebras and Giraffe’s eating along with us, right outside the window beside our table. Even though I stayed at AKL for 5 nights, this was the best Animal viewing experienceI had all week! It is real cool.
Crowd levels were light. The unofficial guide had been revised recently to change the crowd level indicators from 5 and 6 to 8 and 9. The original was much more accurate. For instance, Soarin was only 45 minutes at 1 PM, with FP available. TSM had FP available after lunch still. BTMR was a walk on on a Saturday at dusk.
Speaking of BTMR, I read some posts in the past about “smacking the possum”. It appears the possums are now mechanically rotating around the branch constantly.
I was glad to see the angler fish working again at The Seas. It had most of last year off.
Some of the Bill McKim video screens in TT were missing early in the week, and were replaced with mere speakers. At the end of the week, they were back in though.
That’s all that’s coming to me now.
Pop Century
I regret to say that the once usually broken Icee machines in the food court have now disappeared completely. And in their place they have been replaced with …. Tea machines of some type. The Icee machines set this resort apart, and their presence, personally, made the $13 refillable mug worth the price. Even though they were down a good bit before, not having them at all hurts.
AKL
The Mara is using a new process for ordering that I had not heard about before. Guests go through a line to a cast member standing in front of the service counter, but behind some ropes. You give them your order, they write it down on carbon paper, and send one copy to the food prep people behind the counter. You get the other copy and a beeper. Then you can get your cold items, pay for your entire meal, or go get a table. In the meantime, they fix your entrée order and beep you when it is ready. It went pretty well.
Sidenote: Is it just me, or has the recipe for Zebra Domes changed since 2006? I seem to remember the coloring being darker on the inside(it is now the color of peanut butter), and I don’t remember the cake-ish base(I remember it being more of a cream or a mousse).
I explored Kidani, ate at Sanaa, and swan at the pool. Kidani’s feel is smaller. The Lobby is beautiful, and has the same feel, but it is much smaller. The size of the pool is noticeably smaller too. Of course, its number of rooms is smaller also, so its needs are as well. The rooms themselves are bigger. I have stayed in a 1 BR at Jambo, and you can tell a difference in the 1 BR in Kidani. It is definitely wider in the LR. Back to the pool, it was quite fun, in spite of its smaller area. The play area is fantastic. The slide is far superior to Uzima Springs. It is in the ball park of the slide at Boardwalk in terms of speed, length, and curves. The pool side bar is not accepting the DDP, but the menu looked good. I would prefer Kidani over Jambo as a DVC member if I had younger kids in my party. The pool’s smaller size is an advantage for them, so is the play area, and superior slide. Very family friendly. Sanaa was a great experience. We ate at lunch, and it was nearly empty. I don’t expect it to stay this way when word gets out. Food was off the beaten path and a nice break from “Disney” Food. Quality was great, but service was even better. This restaurant offers Animal viewing from your table, as no other does on property. We had Zebras and Giraffe’s eating along with us, right outside the window beside our table. Even though I stayed at AKL for 5 nights, this was the best Animal viewing experienceI had all week! It is real cool.
Crowd levels were light. The unofficial guide had been revised recently to change the crowd level indicators from 5 and 6 to 8 and 9. The original was much more accurate. For instance, Soarin was only 45 minutes at 1 PM, with FP available. TSM had FP available after lunch still. BTMR was a walk on on a Saturday at dusk.
Speaking of BTMR, I read some posts in the past about “smacking the possum”. It appears the possums are now mechanically rotating around the branch constantly.
I was glad to see the angler fish working again at The Seas. It had most of last year off.
Some of the Bill McKim video screens in TT were missing early in the week, and were replaced with mere speakers. At the end of the week, they were back in though.
That’s all that’s coming to me now.
