Kidani, HRH & BLT in 6 nights- Yes! We are THAT crazy!! Nov 4-10,09 OBX updates 4/13

[Mysteria]

One thing I love about AKL, now I see at AKV too, is the lounge areas. They are so inviting. I just want to sit there with some friends and a glass of wine.

Hey they even put in a hdden mickey mug!

[tinytreasures]

loving your report, can't wait to read more

[areck]

It certainly has been a great day for your family. When I'm on vacation with the kids, "going with the flow" is the best strategy. Very enjoyable and relaxing. Smiles all around!

We rented vacation points before and loved having the extra room . At some point we need to have time away from each other, even if it's only for a few minutes.

[podsnel]

We were on our way to the bus stop, hoping our bad-bus-timing had run out and we'd be hopping on a bus to Magic Kingdom quickly.

While we waited....







We were in luck!! We wanted to go to MK, and there was a BUS actually going to MK!!! Yippee for us! Soon we were there, and so, so happy to be in the park.



The first ride we went to was Buzz Lightyear....Sean just loves him, and well, so do we all!







The tea cups were still closed (they were scheduled to open SOMETIME this week) so that was sad because it's another of Sean's favorites, but we were able to ride the two mountains that were open (SM was stll closed) and a few others that Sean enjoyed (he won't go on those mountains anymore).



After a couple of hours, it was back to AKV for dinner at BOMA- yum....
We sat in the back of the bus, all 3 of the boys were in the last seat having a laugh attack!!





Don't you love it when all your kids are laughing together? Now, I thought I was clear on the buses- they all stop at Kidani first, Jambo second, except for DTD which does the opposite. We were headed to Jambo. So in the back there are no windows, you can't really tell where you are. The bus stopped, almost everyone got off, we drove, and stopped again. We all went to get off at Jambo, except...we were at Kidani!! I asked the bus driver, "Don't all the buses stop at Kidani first?" And he said yes- except when they come from MK they stop at Jambo first. But he said not to worry, he'd be happy to take us to Jambo. I still don't know what's going on about this, but it all worked out I guess.

There is such a contrast between Jambo and Kidani! Jambo is soooo impressive, so hustle bustle, soooo dramatic. Kidani is much more quaint and relaxing, but I think very, very beautiful as well. I do love both atmospheres, though. I also think it's very appropriate that the DVC building IS more relaxed, because I think DVC vacations tend to be more relaxed. We know we're going back, what's the rush- right? Anyway, we didn't spend alot of time taking in the grandeur of the lobby- we were HUNGRY!! On to BOMA!

The best thing about a buffet? Lots and LOTS of french fries for Sean!! We all got something to eat right away. Here's a few of our plates-



Love the soups there, this was a seafood one-



I think this was a Magic Star?



More soup for you!





And how could we eat at Boma without hummus? And more of that yummy falafel? Yes, I know they look like little turd balls- but those are the yummiest turd balls around!! (Not that I really can compare....)



T&T piled up their plates with zebra domes and other desserts, and after finishing up, we decided to go to outside to check out those night vision goggles. On the way, we passed the playground, which Sean just had to go explore-



We also passed a couple in a secluded hot tub that was having a little too much fun. Walk fast kids!! The night vision was a BIG hit with T&T, they loved it. Glad there were lots of animals for them to check out!! Also glad they didn't point in the direction of the aforementioned hot tub.

We decided to walk back to Kidani, and I have to say, that walk looks MUCH worse than it really is. It was probably 5 or 7 minutes- piece of cake! A couple pics of the library-





Before we headed back to the room where we all fell fast asleep...except for Pods. Who ended up out on the couch, while Sean, Timmy & I snoozed away together in that great big bed! Poor, poor Pods!! Actually, he said the sofabed was very comfy, so don't feel too bad for him.

In the morning- it was time to leave Kidani. Oh No!! We don't wanna go!! I'm sure you are asking, well, why ARE you going?? WHY oh WHY would anyone stay in 3 places in 6 nights???

Stay tuned to find out....

[MEK]

Great update! Lovely evening at MK. Great animal pics from the balcony.
And dinner - yum! So nice that the bus driver took you back. And the walk home was probably lovely. We were so lazy this summer that we kept taking the car back and forth because it was soooooooo blazing hot! So glad that Sean is continuing to have a great time. All the pics of the "4" boys are great!

So, I really am curious - why 3 resorts in 6 nights? I just assumed it was because you booked late and that's what was available. You must be very organized to keep up with all that packing and unpacking.

Anyway, looking forward to the next stop on the Disney resort tour bus! Great trip so far!

[Mysteria]

Woohoo finally into MK! Glad you finally had some luck with the bus.

That first plate of food looks like mine from Nov. You sure you didn't sneak a pic of my plate?

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

What a lovely day you had! Too bad you didn't get to stay longer at Kidani but it seems like you made the most of it!

Originally Posted by podsnel

We cashed it in right before the trip- and the amount was $137 !!! Thanks Nikki for that tip!!

[MAGICFOR2]

You ARE a lucky girl! Pods was a blond, too! My DH was a blond when I met him - after the AF cut it all off, it came back in brown. Your youngest looks just like Pods!

I love all your animal pics from your SV! Isn't it amazing to be out there that close to all those beautiful creatures?

Oh! I was behind a post - looks like a great meal at Boma! I love how your family was able to laugh and take time to just enjoy being together! So Sweet! Which rides did Sean like at MK?

[praisehisname]

Originally Posted by podsnel

Here are some old scrapbook pages from that first trip with Sean & Tyler.

Loved all the pages!

Isn't front row on EE awesome?

I've always been really leary of the menu at Sanaa, because I'm not adventurous, but your food looked like something I might like. I'll have to give it a try sometime.

Originally Posted by podsnel

And when i noticed the Maji bar had Tangerine Dreams, i ordered one to share with Pods- to me, this is the BEST frozen cocktail, it is not too sweet, and it tastes like a creamsicle. MMM!!

I tried one of those on our trip, and it was good!

Originally Posted by podsnel

So pretty at night!

Your Boma dinner looked good! And about the hot-tub couple...awkward...

[podsnel]

Originally Posted by Mysteria

One thing I love about AKL, now I see at AKV too, is the lounge areas. They are so inviting. I just want to sit there with some friends and a glass of wine.

Hey they even put in a hdden mickey mug!

Originally Posted by tinytreasures

loving your report, can't wait to read more

Hi! And thank-you!!

Originally Posted by areck

It certainly has been a great day for your family. When I'm on vacation with the kids, "going with the flow" is the best strategy. Very enjoyable and relaxing. Smiles all around!

We rented vacation points before and loved having the extra room . At some point we need to have time away from each other, even if it's only for a few minutes.

You're right, even just a few minutes of alone time goes a long way. And we thought we didn't need the extra room- HAH!

Originally Posted by MEK

Great update! Lovely evening at MK. Great animal pics from the balcony.
And dinner - yum! So nice that the bus driver took you back. And the walk home was probably lovely. We were so lazy this summer that we kept taking the car back and forth because it was soooooooo blazing hot! So glad that Sean is continuing to have a great time. All the pics of the "4" boys are great!

So, I really am curious - why 3 resorts in 6 nights? I just assumed it was because you booked late and that's what was available. You must be very organized to keep up with all that packing and unpacking.

Anyway, looking forward to the next stop on the Disney resort tour bus! Great trip so far!

I booked at Kidani at 11mos on the dot! Then switched everything- I'll explain it in the next post. And thanks for riding the bus!

Originally Posted by Mysteria

Woohoo finally into MK! Glad you finally had some luck with the bus.

That first plate of food looks like mine from Nov. You sure you didn't sneak a pic of my plate?

Yes, that's your plate all right...don't you remember when I ran in and said "LOOK! GEORGE CLOONEY!" and you looked away from your food? THAT"S when I took it!

Originally Posted by NikkiLovesWDW!

What a lovely day you had! Too bad you didn't get to stay longer at Kidani but it seems like you made the most of it!

Yes, we made the most of all of the resorts we stayed at. Even HRH, which is coming up next....

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

You ARE a lucky girl! Pods was a blond, too! My DH was a blond when I met him - after the AF cut it all off, it came back in brown. Your youngest looks just like Pods!

I love all your animal pics from your SV! Isn't it amazing to be out there that close to all those beautiful creatures?

Oh! I was behind a post - looks like a great meal at Boma! I love how your family was able to laugh and take time to just enjoy being together! So Sweet! Which rides did Sean like at MK?

It came back in BROWN???? Pods' hair (what's left of it ) is dark now, but it's that blonde turned dark kind of hair. That's crazy your DH's turned BROWN!!!

I'd tell you which rides Sean likes at MK, but then I'd have to shoot you. Actually, that's part of the next installment or so.... But he definitely knows which rides he will go on and which he won't!

Originally Posted by praisehisname

Loved all the pages!

Isn't front row on EE awesome?

I've always been really leary of the menu at Sanaa, because I'm not adventurous, but your food looked like something I might like. I'll have to give it a try sometime.

That was the first time I have ever ridden in the front row of a coaster (unless you count BTMRR, but I don't because of the engine in front of you). I'm not really a roller coaster kind of a girl....but I am different about Disney rides, I guess. It was AWESOME!!!! Scared the CRAP outta me!!
With food, however, i am VERY adventurous- what is it you think you wouldn't like at Sanaa?




I tried one of those on our trip, and it was good!

The BEST!!


So pretty at night!

Your Boma dinner looked good! And about the hot-tub couple...awkward...

Boma is an excellent buffet- something for everyone.

[podsnel]

As usual, the morning came too quickly, and I had to finish packing us up. Today we were checking out of Kidani after only 2 nights, and were moving over to the dark side ...aka, Universal....for the weekend. ANd then coming back to WDW and BLT on Sunday night. Why oh why were we doing this????? Well....originally, at 11 mos out, I had booked Kidani for 5 nights followed by 2 nights at HRH (Hard Rock Hotel), traveling Sunday to Sunday. We had planned to go to Universal because Tyler LOVES the roller coasters there, we thought Timmy might get brave on this trip and love them, too, and Sean sometimes loves all the DR Seuss stuff. We also always take a 1/2 day off from the parks to go out to Spring Hill (on the west coast) to visit Pods' Aunt Irma. ANd for that reason we need a car. Then we would just fly home from Tampa (which is about an hour from her). So the car + Universal fits together. But....this was NJ week. And Continental (the only direct flight to MCO out of Newark Airport) is very, very aware that it IS NJ Week, when the teachers convention (that no teachers go to) takes place and we all take off as a result. Airfares are over double the usual price, just like it's Easter or Christmas. I kept hoping they would come down, but they never did. So.....we had a change of plans. If we went down on Weds, and came home on Tuesday, we would save $1000. That's a LOT of Mickey bars!! We wouldn't be able to stay as long, and we still wanted to hit Universal on the weekend...because of the higher points needed for a weekend at Kidani. It would STINK for me, having to unpack and pack 3 times, but to save $1000 I could live with it. I just never unpacked our clothes- and I put the WDW clothes in one piece of luggage, and the Universal stuff in another. That made it a little easier. Although, FWIW, now that we have more points (from adding on at BCV) and the points have been reallocated making weekend stays a little less insane, we would just stay at WDW the whole time, and rent a car for a couple of days for Universal and to visit Aunt Irma. Ok...enough talking! On to some photos!!

On this morning, Pods & T&T were going golfing at Osprey Ridge. T&T were SO excited, because they had never played 18 holes before. I was spending the day with Sean, we were going to go wherever he chose, based on the options given to him in his "book". While waiting for bell services to get the luggage to store for the day, I took some last minute room pics-





















Sean waited on the balcony-







The bellman took our luggage and we were on our way to DTD- Sean had a VERY strong preference for where we would spend the day. He wanted to hit those Golden Arches of McDonald's!



The bus stop being constructed-



A bus for DTD came almost immediately!! Looks like we weren't the ones in our family with the bad bus karma!! 4 large fries later....





Back in a bit with all the fun we had!

[CRdisMom]

you guys had the 2 bedroom villa right?

Looking into renting points for this October. Have an offer for an off-site condo for $500 for the week. 3 bedrooms 2 bath. I know horrible. I'm doing all in my power to stay on site, thus looking at points.

Love that Sean picked McDonalds. Looking at the photos I'm having a craving for them too. Hee-hee

[MEK]

I probably would have changed resorts twice to save a grand, too. But now that you've done that, me thinks it will probably be a long time until you do it again!

Anyway, I am looking forward to hearing about your HRH adventure! I haven't been to Universal in a long, long time and I would like to go again before I am too old to ride the coasters. Plus, I've heard that simpsons ride is pretty good.

Looking forward to more!

[podsnel]

Originally Posted by CRdisMom

you guys had the 2 bedroom villa right?

Looking into renting points for this October. Have an offer for an off-site condo for $500 for the week. 3 bedrooms 2 bath. I know horrible. I'm doing all in my power to stay on site, thus looking at points.

Love that Sean picked McDonalds. Looking at the photos I'm having a craving for them too. Hee-hee

We had a 1bdrm. The 1 BDRMs at kidani & BLT have 2 bathrooms- a very, very nice addition, along with the pull-out chairbed, so beds for 5 instead of 4. Everyone showered in the master bath, but it was nice to have the other bathroom for OTHER purposes.

I would LOVE some McD's right now- I'm dieting post-holidays before I go to STJ and I am STARVING!!!!

Good luck with wherever you decide to stay! I know there are a LOT of great deals staying offsite- very hard to pass up in this economy. I feel very, very fortunate to have the points.

Originally Posted by MEK

I probably would have changed resorts twice to save a grand, too. But now that you've done that, me thinks it will probably be a long time until you do it again!

Anyway, I am looking forward to hearing about your HRH adventure! I haven't been to Universal in a long, long time and I would like to go again before I am too old to ride the coasters. Plus, I've heard that simpsons ride is pretty good.

Looking forward to more!

No, I will NOT be doing that again this year- although when we go on the cruise in October it will be 2 nights BCV, 7 nights DCL and 1 night Vero (hopefully). Ugh. At least it's a longer timeframe! It's actually a big part of why I don't want to add on more days in Sept with Pods- I want to actually UNPACK and relax!! Even when He & I went in Sept 09 we were in 3 different rooms (2 nights Vero, the 1st room at OKW, followed by the next room at OKW because our neighbors were too loud). So to say i am totally OVER the packing/moving/packing/moving/packing/moving/packing thing is an understatement!!

[podsnel]

Sean had his fries bag in-hand, and we were off to find something for me to eat. I have been DYING to try EOS, and this seemed like the perfect time. We opened the door, and HOLY CANNOLI BATMAN!!! That's a LONG LINE!!!



It started AT the DOOR!! I almost turned and left, thinking Sean isn't good with lines...but, he had his bag'o'fries, so i thought I would give it a shot- I could always leave if Sean was unhappy, right? Well...Sean was just fine!! And, surprisingly, that line moved VERY quickly- what an efficient, smoothly run system! Being this was my first visit, I ordered The Original 1762-Roast beef, creamy horseradish sauce and cheddar cheese served hot on an artisan loaf.



Opened up-



It was DELICIOUS!!! I know it looks like what's the big deal, but trust me!! It IS a big deal!! I will definitely be eating here again.



While I sat on a bench and ate my yummy sandwich, Sean got to explore the open and empty area- always, as we know, a good thing.



When I was finished, we headed over to Once Upon a Toy. Sean made a beeline for this guy-







And I was so happy to see that he STILL loves Buzz. We went inside, where Sean played with the Mr Potato Head computer-





Then checked out a few other stores, like WOD and TrenD-





Where he was an absolutely perfect window shopper- about a million times better than any of the other men in the family would be!!



A couple more pics outside for Mommy-





Can I tell you how AGREEABLE he was? He was soooooo wonderful! He was perfectly happy to do almost anything! Although he did NOT want to ride in the balloon!! So we skipped that. All-in-all, a wonderful time in DTD, a place Sean had never visited before. AWESOME!!!

We were just about done here, so we decided to hop on the bus and go over to MK for the rest of our day together. The bus to the Contemporary Resort was waiting, and we hopped right on. It was then that I checked my phone for messages- Karajeboo had texted me that there was a lunatic on a shooting spree in downtown Orlando and I-4 was closed while they were looking for him. I relayed the info to the other couple on the bus, and texted it to Pods, while we all waited for updates from Kara. This was the day after the craziness at fort hood- how awful it all was. Fortunately, Kara texted back that the two incidents were NOT related, and that this was NOT a terrorist act. Either way, it doesn't make for a happy ending for all those families affected by both of these horrible tragedies. But at least we all felt safe in the Happiest Place on Earth.

Next up...what does Sean like to ride in MK?? And what does he absolutely HATE, much like his brothers?? See you soon!