Trip Report Oct 8-15 (really long)

[AkiraRaptor]

Got back last week, took a few days to finish off the report. Sorry if this is way to long, but when I get to rambling, I just don't know when to stop. I'll break it up into seperate posts, and have included an introduction and conclution.

Hope it not too much reading :lol:

Cast Of Characters:

- John (me, 34 years old) – Frequent WDW visitor
- Dianne (my wife, 34 years old) – Semi-Frequent WDW visitor

Trip Dates: October 7-15, 2002
Travel: Drive
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge (Concierge Level)


Introduction:

I love Disney. And I make it a point to get there as much as possible. I’ve been there several times when I was younger with my family. After school, I began going on my own or with friends every two years or so.

When I got married, I finally got my wife to go, so I had a few years slump of not going before the honeymoon. But we ended up going during the WDW 25th Anniversary celebrations, so it was well worth the visit.

After that, because of my job, I was traveling to the Orlando/Tampa area quite frequently for the next 3 years. So I got to spend a bit a time there by myself. Needless to say, never call your spouse from Pleasure Island, they will not appreciate you have so much fun on your “business trips”.

In 2001, we returned again for our 5 year wedding anniversary, and stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL). But we decided to do something different this time. Instead of walking the parks all day, we would do some of the tours. We did Gardens of the World at World Showcase and Backstage Safari at Animal Kingdom. Both were wonderful. We even did the VIP tours at Sea World, Universal, and the Trainer program at Discovery Cove.

So I talked the wife into another Disney vacation this year, but this one will be 100% devoted to WDW, and all the tours we could do. So this trip out we are going to be pampered. Four tours, concierge level at AKL, and the Discovery Magic package to go along with this all.

I also used all my wits to get the best prices and costs for this trip. We used codes from MouseSavers.com to get great room and package rates, Disney Club to get discounts off the tours, US Air points to get free airline tickets, and Marriot points to get a free 8 day car rental.

Unfortunately, US Air kept changing the flight times on us every week. I’m guessing because of cutbacks from the Chapter 11 they filed. This caused our flights to be scheduled at ungodly times, with huge layovers. We decided that this was just not acceptable to us, especially since our last day, we got scheduled for a 7:00 AM flight out, thus killing all hopes to spend some of the day at Disney. So we opted to drive instead, and stay at a hotel in Jacksonville on the way down. I did however get the room for free, again with my Marriot points.

I also added the Discovery Magic plan to our trip which gives us 2 wishes per day per person, so we get one tour free, and our dinners and other things we wish to put them toward.

Since we are driving now, I’ll be able to bring along items that normally I would have left at home, like the laptop. So I’ll be writing this trip report like a daily log. I think I’ll sit out by the pool every night and write the days events.

The report will be formatted the days planned activities, what really happened that day, the high point of the day, and the low point of the day. I’ll finish the report with some on my thoughts about the trip in a conclusions section at the end.

This should be a relaxing and fun vacation.


Day 1 – Tuesday October 7

Planned Activities:
• Travel to WDW
• Check-In at Marriot Courtyard in Jacksonville

What Really Happened

Got on the road at about 7:50 AM. Hit a bit of traffic in D.C. construction and another in North Carolina. Stopped to eat dinner at a Crackle Barrel in South Carolina, and then continued on to Jacksonville. We arrived at about 10:15 PM at our hotel in Jacksonville. A pretty uneventful day.

Low Points

Other annoying drivers going 85mph in a 65mph zone, flashing their lights to make you move over.

High Points

Watching said annoying drive say hello to the North Carolina State Patrol. That was a nice touch.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

continued

Day 2 Tuesday October 8

Planned Activities:
- Finish travel to WDW
- Check-In at Animal Kingdom Lodge (Concierge Level)
- Dinner PS - Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom (Character Dinner)

What Really Happened

Had a nice breakfast at the hotel, then got on the road by 7:30 AM. Took a detour off I-95 to A1A to see the beaches and ocean, then back onto I-95 to I-4 at Daytona. Arrived at Animal Kingdom Lodge at about 11:15 AM.

Was greeted by a baggage handler, and they took us up to the concierge level, showed us around, then on to our room on the 5th floor, room 5303. A very nice view of Arusha savanna. Dropped our stuff off, returned to the concierge desk and got all of our check-in stuff out of the way, then continued on to Magic Kingdom.

MK was not too crowded. The park was open till 8:00 PM, so we had plenty of time as well. We got in PotC, Tikki Room, Train Ride, Buzz, Alien Encounter and Presidents all in before dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. Mmmm, love that place. Chip, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie were there. We never saw Dale. Chip is such a riot. He was doing slides across the floor, hitting on every girl. He was fun.

We also did Casey¡¦s for lunch, I love those hot dogs.

We then did a ride on the Jungle Cruise at night. A lot better than the day, and finished off with fireworks over the castle. Nice ending to a good day.

Low Points

The guy interrupting every word into Spanish behind us at the Hall of Presidents.

High Points

Chip at the Liberty Tree Tavern. He was just a riot. He grabbed my wife from behind and did a kissing gesture. He was defiantly having fun with some of the other girls too. We always have a great time at that dinner. I highly suggest all to do dinner there. Chip made our evening.


Day 3 Wednesday October 9

Planned Activities:
- Backstage Magic Tour
- Dinner PS - Rose and Crown at England/World Showcase

What Really Happened
Ok, this was a really long day.

Got down to Boma¡¦s from breakfast. What a great place to eat breakfast. We ate there every morning except for three mornings. Then off to EPCOT to start our tour.

The tour began at 10 AM. Big group, I think it was 21 people, plus the guide and bus driver. You get a small Mears bus that takes you around to the three parks (EPCOT/MGM/MK). Our tour guide was Bonnie.

I¡¦m sure I¡¦ll miss a few things we did here, it was a 7 hour tour.

They start you out with EPCOT. We visited the American Adventure, and went behind the scenes to show you how the show works. Very impressive, then on to Body Wars, we got to see the ride in action from backstage. Let me tell you, most people would think twice about riding BW if they would see how far that platform really moves.

Then on to MGM where we had lunch at Mama Vita¡¦s. Nice spread of food. Then we went to the costuming department. Then on to the shops where they make everything. We toured the metal shops, wood shows, painting and fabrications. The area were the make and repair the audio-animatronics, and we even walked through the area were they are putting the new attraction, Mission:Space together. This ride looks like it will be fun!

Then over to MK, where we first saw the 3:00 parade. Then a tour of the Utilidor system. Then we went over to the parade area and saw the parade prep area. Let me tell you, it¡¦s un-nerving a bit to see the character ¡§heads¡¨ hanging on a wall. I think this is why you have to be over 16 to do this tour. ƒº

Then we were taken back to EPCOT and the tour ended. It was after 5:00 PM when we got back, and my feet were killing me. We met a few people on the tour, some that were staying at our resort.

We then did Spaceship Earth, no line. Journey into Imagination, no line. Loved the new figment ride. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, again no line. Late afternoon is the best time to do Future World, no people at all. We also stopped by The Sea for a bit then walked up to England for dinner at the Rose and Crown. We wanted an outside seat so I could see the fireworks show, but alas, we were seated inside. So we ate up and then found a good spot for the show.

Then back to the resort. Since we are on Concierge, we have unlimited access to the lounge, were they serve food (snacks) and beverages until 10 PM. I made it a habit of stopping by every night to pick up a glass of African Smoothie. Man that stuff is good.

High Points

The waiter at Rose and Crown only charged us one Magic Wish for dinner instead of two. So we had an extra wish to spend!

Low Points

My feet are killing me!

 

[AkiraRaptor]

continued

Day 4 - Thursday October 10

Planned Activities:
- Hidden Treasures Tour
- Lunch PS – Garden Grill (with Hitching Ceremony)
- Horse Drawn Carriage Ride – Fort Wilderness
- Dinner PS – Artist’s Point at Wilderness Lodge (with friends)

What Really Happened

My feet still hurt, and I knew this was a 3 hour walking tour. It was going to be another long day.

We did Boma, then back to EPCOT for the tour. We saw Bonnie again getting another Backstage Magic tour going. I cannot remember our guides name, but she was fun. A person from Tuesday’s tour, Debbie, was on this tour, so we had someone to talk to right away. One couple, John and Stacy, I later found out that I had conversed with on one of the Disney forums I follow. They were celebrating there wedding. We actually ran into them on several occasions.

The tour was how Disney built World Showcase, and why they did certain things. Very informative, and if you ever want to know that kind of info, this is a good source for it.

The tour actually ran 3 1/2 hours, so we had to rush over to the Garden Grill for lunch. I surprised my wife with the re-hitching ceremony they do. We even got a little cake for desert. I never told her about the Garden Grill reservation, so it was surprise.

We decided to take a rest at the resort for a couple of hours, then we drove over to Fort Wilderness. My wife could not figure out why we were there. Then she realized I was taking here strait to the horse a carriage. The carriage ride was fun. This was another surprise that I didn’t tell her was planned.

We then went over to Wilderness Lodge and met up with my fried for dinner. Another very good meal. I took my friend back to AKL, and gave him a tour. My wife stayed at the room, while took him back to his car at WL. Then I returned and crashed into bed.

High Points

Seeing our friend for dinner. Watching the one guy on the tour drive one of those motorized carts. They were great people. Him and his wife had just go married. He was getting real good at driving that thing to. But I did see him run over the wife’s feet at one point.

Low Points

OK, I need new feet, these old ones are just plane worn out!

Day 5 - Friday October 11

Planned Activities:
- Wild By Design Tour
- Dinner PS – O’Hanna’s at Polynesian Resort

What Really Happened

We skipped breakfast because the tour included one. My feet felt a little better, but this was going to be another 3 hour tour, all walking. I was seriously thinking about renting one of those motorized things.

We walked up to the tour area outside Animal Kingdom. And there was John and Stacy again. They were going on the Backstage Safari tour. We did that one last year. There was a huge crowd too. They called for the BS tour people to gather up, and the whole crowd moved away, leaving just me and my wife alone. Our guide, Trina I believe, walked up to us and said you must be John and Dianne. We were the tour. This was great, a personal tour.

She gave us these headsets, and she had a microphone, so she never needed to talk loud, and we didn’t get any “other” people trying to listen in tour the tour we had to pay for. I hate that. They really should do this for all the tours. The AK tours are done by the AK Education department, where all the other tours are done by the Disney Institute. So they don’t do things the same.

The tour was very informative. People really have no idea how much detail Disney has put into AK. I wish they would. It really is the best themed park of the four in my opinion. I bet most people don’t even realize that all those props in Asia are real, not Disney built items. Some of them could be considered antiques, especially the stuff in the Kali River Ride queue line area.

I bet you also didn’t know why AK always feels like it the hottest park. Well, it is. To get there zoo accreditations, them must have certain stop gap measure to keep the animal in, and people out of area they are not to be in. One of them is a hill built all the way around the park. In essence, AK is in the middle of a bowl if you saw it from above. The hill tends to block normal breezes, thus the park seems hotter. I did see they now have those fans with water mist going all over the park. Last year, they were only in Africa.

We stopped in Africa for a like breakfast, were our guides were then swapped. Our guide gave blood the day before and she had fainted. She still wasn’t feeling well, so one of the Education mangers filled in for the remainder of the tour. They really do put on a happy face, because we never new she wasn’t felling well. We ran into her the next day. She was in plane cloths as a guide taking her family around the park. She was a very nice person and I hope we get her on another tour whenever we return.

We then finished off the tour, and began doing a bit of the park. We did the Bird Show and the Conservation Station…err Rafiki’s Planet Watch now. We saw John and Stacy leaving from there tour, and saw Paul, the tour guide we had last year for the Backstage Safari tour. We went up to him, let him know who we were and thanked him for the great tour last year. He said that he was supposed to do our tour that day, but since Trina wasn’t feeling well, he’d swap tours. We talked for a while. Paul is such a great guy. We forgot to get his last name, and would love to send Disney an email or letter praising his work. After we left Paul, we walked about the area, and then we felt a tap on our shoulders. It was Paul again. He gave us two pins for the Backstage Safari tour. We got two last year, but they changed them this year, and he though we’d like to have the new ones too. That was so thoughtful of him. This is the Disney Magic at its best!

We also picked up the new $1 pin. The money goes to the conservation fund.

My feet were just not letting up. So we called it a day, and went back to the resort to rest.

Then off to O’Hannas for dinner, and we were sat at a table right next to…John and Stacy. They accused us of stalking them. We agreed.

They were doing the Not So Scary Halloween after dinner. We decided to pass. I wish we didn’t, we heard later it was fun. Oh well, next time.

Since we drove over to eat, we decided to visit a few of the other resorts. We drove over to the Boardwalk resort. Walked around the boardwalk a bit. I finally found a Stitch pin, and my wife got a Mike pin (from Monsters Inc).

Then back to the resort to sleep. We had an early rise for the Sunrise Safari tour.

High Points

The tour. We just love AK, and can’t get enough, and of course seeing Paul again.

Low Points

Pushy people. Man, some people can’t figure out that a vacation means slow down and enjoy yourself. Being rude to people is just not good. AK was the most crowded of the four parks on our visit, but people can still be nice, you know.

And my feet…

 

[AkiraRaptor]

continued

Day 6 - Saturday October 12

Planned Activities:
- Sixth Year Wedding Anniversary
- Sunrise Safari Tour
- Dinner PS – Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom

What Really Happened

Up early. Needed to be in the lounge at 7:00 AM. Bus left for AK at 7:40. They took us in the backstage way, all the way up to a back entrance to the Safari Ride. We then split the group into two smaller groups, each getting on one of the ride trucks, each having one of the tour guides. Ours was Steve, an animal handler/manager from the Lodge.

This tour is amazing. It is basically the regular ride everyday park goers see, except no real theme is going on. No poacher story, just the guide pointing out the animals, their behaviors, and how Disney does stuff. The bus stops and stays stopped regularly throughout this tour.

I don’t remember how long the regular ride is but I don’t think it’s over 10 minuets. This tour lasted over 50 minuets, and we saw just about every animal that is out there except the Zebra, but we have them at AKL, so no big loss.

When the tour is over, we are all brought over the Tusker House for a huge all you can eat breakfast. This was as good as Boma’s breakfast. The guides stayed with us, and ate at our tables so we could continue to ask them questions.

We sat and ate with, you guessed it, John and Stacy. They too were on this tour. This was there last day at AKL, and were resort hopping to the Boardwalk that night.

We then enjoyed the rest of the day at AK. I got to see Tarzan Rocks for the first time. A very nice show. After AK, we returned to the resort to rest before heading over to MK for dinner.

OK, now my only real issue with Disney. The buses from AKL to points around WDW is usually very good. They usually run every 20 min or less. We had a 8:00 PS for the Castle at MK. We got down to the bus station at AKL at 7:00, and there was at least 2 to 3 bus full of people waiting to go to MK. We knew we’d never make it. So we hopped on to the EPCOT bus, jumped on the monorail, which was delayed in the EPCOT station because someone with a wheelchair was to close to the door and it took them 10 minuets to figure it out and get the monorail going. We then had to change monorails at the TTC. Then that monorail stopped 10 outside the MK station, so we were delayed there too.

Once we got into MK, they had the front of the Castle roped off, so we had to work out way behind the Castle, to get to the restaurant. Sometime, I really hate strollers. We ended up being 10 minuets late. If they just sent a couple of extra buses to AKL it would have been fine.

Usually, the bus situation if fine for AKL, but for being one of the more expensive deluxe resorts, you’d think they’d be a bit more considerate of its guests.

Dinner was fine. We caught the fireworks again after leaving the restaurant. We then returned to AKL. Stopped at the lounge for some Smoothies, then back to the room for some much needed rest.

High Points

The tour and breakfast. What a treat to do.

Low Points

Disney’s buses.

Day 7 - Sunday October 13

Planned Activities:
- Dinner PS – Narcoossee’s at Grand Floridian

What Really Happened

OK, no more tours. My feet thanked me.

Decided to do Downtown Disney today, and put off MGM until Monday. MGM is my least favorite of the four parks, and we always end up there on a weekend, thus we never get to see any animators working.

So, we had our breakfast at Boma’s, then took a bus to DD. Walked around the shops. Found these cute Stitch stuffed animals, and bought two, we both wanted one for our work desks.

Stopped over at DisneyQuest and burned an hour in there. After doing the Comix VR game, we noticed a “star” in line behind us waiting with his kids. Well I’m pretty sure it was Dave Thomas from SCTV fame. The CM even said it was him too. My brush with greatness I suppose.

We then ran over to EPCOT, and did lunch at China. Great meal. Then continued to tour the rest of the World Showcase. We finished off from China back to Mexico, then went back to the resort to pick up the car to drive over to the Grand Floridian. I find it much easier to drive to other resorts, otherwise to get back to our resorts, we’d have to jump buses at a park or at Downtown Disney.

It then began to rain. The first rain of our trip. And man did it pour, and it never stopped for the rest of the night. We made it over to the GF and parked the car. Narcoossee’s is at the far side of the resort, so we had a long walk. What a great restaurant. Best seafood I’ve had a Disney so far, but I’ll admit, I’ve never eaten at the Flying Fish yet.

During desert, the fireworks began at MK, so we got a great view of them from our table. They even piped in the music into the restaurant and dimmed the lights for the show. I’ll be going back to this place on our next trip.

Also, just like Rose and Crown, they messed up our wishes. Narcoossee’s is supposed to cost 2 wishes per person, but they only charged us 1 each. So now we have 3 more wishes than we should.

It was still raining so we returned to AKL and called it a night.

High Points

Narcoossee’s was such a wonderful place to eat.

Low Points

The rain.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

continued

Day 8 - Monday October 14

Planned Activities:
- Dinner PS – Le Chefs de France at France/World Showcase

What Really Happened

Our last full day. We woke up to a flashing message light on the phone. My wife asked if that was there last night, and it wasn’t. It was the concierge letting me know they got me into the Princess Breakfast Meal for 10 AM that morning. This was to be another surprise for my wife, but alas I could never get a reservation. I had asked the concierge after we arrived to see if they could still continue to try for me.

There was a last minuet cancellation, so we were in. We high tailed it over to EPCOT, and walked over to Norway. This was a great character breakfast. We had Snow White, Belle, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, and Jasmine. They each stopped at our table and we got pictures. We were the only people there without kids, but I didn’t care, we were having fun.

After breakfast, I stopped over at the Norway store and bought the Heller Hanson winter coat I saw there earlier in the week. I needed a new winter coat and this one is great. We decided to return to the resort to drop off the coat, and then off to MGM we went.

It then started to rain.

OK, the only thing we wanted to accomplish at MGM was to see Stitch and get a picture with him. We missed his first meet and greet, so we went on the Animation tour. Well guess what, I forgot Monday was Columbus Day, and most of the animation staff was not in. There were a few people in working, so I did get to see a few animators at work. They were finishing up work on Treasure Planet and also working on the new film Bears.

It had stopped raining and the sun was back out.

We then did Muppet 3D. I love that show. Then the parade began so we watched that, then we made our way to Star Tours. After that, it was back to the Stitch meet and greet. We got a picture done, but it would be 90 minuets before it would be ready, and we had to get back to World Showcase for dinner, so we decided we would return to MGM the next morning to pick up the picture.

Chefs de France was good, as usual. We then made our way back through the rest of the world pavilions that we missed, but scooted out before the fireworks to avoid the crowds and ran over to do some last minuet shopping at Downtown Disney. We picked up the interactive “Aloha Stitch”, some shirts, and some miscellaneous gifts.

High Points

Stitch. I just love Stitch. He was cute. Did I say how much I love Stitch?

Low Points

Knowing this was the last night at WDW.

Day 9 - Tuesday October 15

Planned Activities:
- Check-Out
- Travel Home

What Really Happened

Boma for breakfast for the last time. I’m really going to miss that place. Quick run over to MGM to pick up our Stitch picture. It came out great. Then back over to AKL to burn off the last of our wishes since we had 3 more than I had planned for. Picked up some of the extra items you can use wishes on.

Ran up to the lounge to ask for a bell hop, and to get my last drink of Smoothie. Then packed up, got the car and we were out of there by 11:00 AM.

We ate on the road, so it only took 15 1/2 hours to make it home.

High Points

Stitch picture and Boma.

Low Points

Saying goodbye to WDW and to AKL in particular. That is one heck of a resort. I think we will continue to go to AKL from now on.

Conclusion:

It was a good vacation. No major issues. A little bit of magic like Paul giving us the pins. All the tours, while very tiring, were great. I would recommend highly for those that frequent WDW to do a tour vacation instead. It makes for a totally different kind of vacation at WDW. We never even missed that we decided not to do the “other” Orlando parks. I know my feet thank me that I’m home now though…

 

[Horizons38]

Hi, Chantal here i am also from Pa; Doylestown in Bucks County ! I have 2 questions for you ! Great trip report BTW ! I am going there this friday and wanted to know which tour you would recommend most ? I never did the tours before and have been at Disney 24 times ! My fav resorts are Epcot and AK. I guess i want to know the one you enjoyed the most and since i can only do one tour which you think would be good to start with ? I also love Stitch ! Had my picture taken with him last July , it was great ! My second question is , is the AK concierge worth it ? What are the differences with the regular rooms besides the view ? Thanks a lot !

 

[hockeymom]

Wow! great trip report! Really great details on the tours. thanks for sharing!
:sohappy:

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey there Akira!!! Fabulous trip report!!!! Amazing job!!! Belle

 

[orangefan15]

Great trip report!! Thanks for all the info on the tours....I've always wondered about thatm.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Originally posted by Horizons38
Hi, Chantal here i am also from Pa; Doylestown in Bucks County ! I have 2 questions for you ! Great trip report BTW ! I am going there this friday and wanted to know which tour you would recommend most ? I never did the tours before and have been at Disney 24 times ! My fav resorts are Epcot and AK. I guess i want to know the one you enjoyed the most and since i can only do one tour which you think would be good to start with ? I also love Stitch ! Had my picture taken with him last July , it was great ! My second question is , is the AK concierge worth it ? What are the differences with the regular rooms besides the view ? Thanks a lot !

Thanks!

Well, there are 3 for Epcot. 1) Undiscovered Futureworld - I've never done this but others have said it very good. 2) Gardens of the World- Did this one last year. It's all about the plants of World Showcase. I rather enjoyed it, and we had a very good guide. 3) Hidden Treasures - the one we did this year.

Out of them, I either do Undiscovered or re-do Gardens. While I liked Hidden, it's not one I'd do again.

But...

Since you said you like AK, I would highly recommend Backstage Safari tour. We did this one last year. Behind the scenes of AK and how they take care of the animal. I think it's the best tour they do, but I am partial to AK over the other parks.

Is the AK concierge worth it? Hard one. At full price, no, I would never pay that much. I think full price is like over $500 a night. At the discount price I got it at (41% off using codes), yep.

The rooms are just deluxe rooms, which you can get without concierge, but there are only 58 rooms assigned to concierge. So the amount of people that you'll run into in the lounge is small. You will be a small select group. And they will do almost anything you request of them. They are really good in getting you reservation to sold out stuff. If you do concierge, you may as well do the Sunrise Safari. It's only offered to concierge guests, no one else.

Two things to remember tho... 1) You don't get to pick your room, and 6 of them are pool view only. You can request a savanna, but they will not garunty it. But the 6 pool views are smoking rooms, so say NO Smoking, and you probebly get a savanna view. Most are on Arusha savanna. 2) The Sunrise tour does cost $39 extra to do.

I think the suites are part of concierge as well, but if you afford them, well I'd love to tag along. I got a peek in one of them one day. Wow, what room to have! I think they cost ove $1K a night tho. :zipit:

Can't wait for the Stitch DVD!

Have fun...

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Originally posted by hockeymom
Wow! great trip report! Really great details on the tours. thanks for sharing!
:sohappy:

Thanks, you're very welcome! :sohappy:

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Originally posted by wannabeBelle
Hey there Akira!!! Fabulous trip report!!!! Amazing job!!! Belle

Thanks! So much to write about, and I'm sure I'm forgeting things we did as well. It all come back to me. I did get the whole Sunrise Safari tur on video, with the guide nariating the whole thing. Need to transfer that to DVD soo.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Originally posted by orangefan15
Great trip report!! Thanks for all the info on the tours....I've always wondered about thatm.

Thanks!

The tours are really worth it. Not sure I'd do so many in a row again. Maybe spread them apart a bit more. My feet were really hurting after a few days. :lol:

BTW, for others thinking abut the tours, they do fill up quite quickly except for Wild by Design, nobody knows about it 'cos it's new. Most require 16 year and above ages, and some are only done 1 or tice a week, others 3-5. They also range in costs from $40 up to $200 a person. But you can use Wishes and Disney Club discounts on most of them to less the costs.

 

[GHOST1000]

Great trip report!!Really sounded fun. Another Bucks Co., PA native leaving 37 days!:sohappy: Driving also this time. Have fun Horizons38!

 

[Horizons38]

Originally posted by GHOST1000
Great trip report!!Really sounded fun. Another Bucks Co., PA native leaving 37 days!:sohappy: Driving also this time. Have fun Horizons38!

Thanks Ghost1000 ! I plan to eat my way around the world showcase ! Not long until your trip as well ! :sohappy:

 

[Horizons38]

Originally posted by AkiraRaptor
Thanks!


But...

Since you said you like AK, I would highly recommend Backstage Safari tour. We did this one last year. Behind the scenes of AK and how they take care of the animal. I think it's the best tour they do, but I am partial to AK over the other parks.



Can't wait for the Stitch DVD!

Have fun...

Thanks so much for the help ! The AK tour will be the one i choose ! :sohappy:

 

[GenerationX]

Great trip report, Akira! Thanks for solving the mystery of why AK is the hottest park. I have always wondered about that!

 

[JJHale]

Incredible report! We've wanted to take a couple of the tours but always manage to change our minds. Next time (please hurry up and get here) we do the tours!

BTW, isn't October a wonderful time to be at WDW? We honeymooned there 19 years ago (today, it's our anniversary!) and fell in love with everything.

Thanks for the report, what a great time!

 

[Badger Brent]

Thanks for the trip report. My wife and I can't wait to do some of the tours. Our kids are turning 10 & 12 so we will wait a couple more years before we let them try touring on their own. Your trip report kept me wanting to read on. So I guess your trip report was a hit!!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Excellent report :sohappy:
Thanks for taking the time to include so much :king: