From Europe to Africa in America - A Sisters' Expedition

[Flossbolna]

Welcome to our trip report! These are the tales of flossbolna's and nodnol's trip to Walt Disney World in January and February 2010.

We are two sisters from Germany and stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge – I guess that should explain the title sufficiently!

Since one of us is a relatively frequent traveler to WDW and the other is a first time visitor, we hope to provide some insights from those different perspectives as well. My (flossbolna) writing will be this lovely royal blue you see now, nodnol will write in dark red.

We wrote a pre trip report (PTR) and had a lot of fun with that. It really helped us to keep motivated during the seven or so months that we waited for our trip. We „met“ a bunch of really lovely people during the process and hope to have all of you as well as any new readers along for the trip report as well!

If anyone would know more about our planning process, the PTR can be found here.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Who? (next post)
Chapter 2: When, Where and Why? (post below Chapter 1)

Day 1 - January 27:
Chapter 3: The Fun of Traveling Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Chapter 4: Arriving at AKL
Dining Review Introduction
Chapter 5: Dinner at Mara
Chapter 6: The Fun (or Not) of Jet-Lag

Day 2 - January 28:
Chapter 7: An early morning at the Animal Kingdom Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 8: Breakfast at Tusker House Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 9: So much to explore at Animal Kingdom!
Chapter 10: When will we make it back to AKL?
Chapter 11: An interesting Bus Ride and an Evening at DTD

Day 3 - January 29:
Chapter 12: Starting to get wild... Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Chapter 13: Continuing on the Wild Side Part 1 Part 2 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37262636&postcount=383http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37262636&postcount=383http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37262636&postcount=383
Chapter 14: Dipping into DHS on the way to the Top of the World
Chapter 15: Dinner at California Grill

Day 4 - January 30:
Chapter 16: A Future Morning
Chapter 17: Conquering the World (Showcase) Part1 Part2 Part3
Chapter 18: Whirlwind Tour of the Boardwalk
Chapter 19: Dinner at Flying Fish
Chapter 20: Window Shopping around the World Part 1 Part 2

Day 5 - January 31:
Chapter 21: We thought Florida was warm!!
Chapter 22: Where is the magic today?

Day 6 - February 1:
Chapter 23: A warmer day at the MK? Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 24: Resort Exploring
Chapter 25: Even More Resort Exploring - And a Dinner Part 1 Part 2

Day 7 - February 2
Chapter 26: The Deluge Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 27: Drive-In Lunch
Chapter 28: A DHS Afternoon - With a Break Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 29: I Really Love Buffalo

Day 8 - February 3
Chapter 30: Happy Birthday Katharina!
Chapter 31: Beware: Tantrum ahead! Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 32: A Birthday Tea
Chapter 33: The First Last Visit Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 34: Dinner at Narcoossee's

Day 9 - February 4
Chapter 35: Another Deluge? Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 36: Even more successful shopping! Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 37: A Meal and a Meet

Day 10 - February 5 - Departure Day
Chapter 38: Starting the Last Day in Style
Chapter 39: The Last Last Park Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Chapter 40: Time to Travel Home...

Final Thoughts


Bonus Features

Bonus Feature: Airport Barbecue
Another Bonus Feature: Berlin Bike Rally
Bonus Feature: Castles in Southern Bohemia
Personal Update: Moving from Berlin to Nuremberg
Bonus Feature: London pictures
Bonus Feature: Nuremberg DISmeet and Hiking in Franconia
10/03 Not a real update...
New Ticker!
Bonus Feature: A Weekend in Munich
Next Trip Booked!
DLP Pre-Trip Update
Bonus Feature: Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Bonus Feature: Tea at Hotel Adlon in Berlin

 

[Flossbolna]

Chapter 1: Who?

In case you haven't been around for the PTR, here is a brief introduction of the cast:

Flossbolna – known as Magdalene in real life

I am 38 years old and the „fan“ of the two of us (well, you would be able to tell that by my number of posts on the DIS as compared to nodnol's). This was my fifth trip to WDW since 2004. In the recent years I had travelled with a friend and came to really like the late January/early February time frame at WDW. I was really looking forward to showing WDW to my sister who had never been there and who used to be my first travel mate when we were teenagers. In everyday life I am a lawyer and normally live in Nuremberg in Bavaria. At the moment my employer, the state of Bavaria, has „lent“ me to the federal government of Germany in Berlin (the German capital and largest city) for a few years. Therefore I am living and working in Berlin at the moment while I still have an apartment in Nuremberg. The great thing about Berlin is that my sister Katharina (i.e. nodnol) lives here, too. We see each other quite a lot and meet for lunch at least once a week – until recently these were our weekly planning sessions for our WDW trip!

nodnol – known as Katharina in real life

I think I let her introduce herself:

I am 35 years old and a first timer to WDW. I’m a kind of sceptical type of person and wasn’t really too keen when Magdalene and my aunt planned the trip to Disneyland in 1992. But I think after one hour in the park I was very glad they took me there. Even though I enjoyed the trips to DLP, I wanted to return to DL or see WDW, DLP lacks a little bit of the atmosphere you find in DL and WDW. I work as a press and public relations officer for a cultural institute in Berlin and was very happy that my boss allowed me to take off ten days of work at a time, when we are not supposed to take a “long” vacation. Our programme and activities are all year round, except for July and August, and that is, when we are supposed to take the big vacation. And I had to work a lot of overtime before we left in order to prepare for my absence. I have to admit I was quite exhausted before we even left.... Talking about leaving... I left my DH, we call him Remy on the Disboard, behind, who hasn’t even been to DLP yet, but I hope to take him there soon.

This is a picture of the two of us from our trip:

Katharina is on the left in the yellow shirt and I am on the right with the blue shirt. Don't tell us that we look alike, we think we don't, it's just the similar hairstyle!! But people kept asking us whether we were sisters all the time at WDW! I really don't know where they got that idea from????

 

[Flossbolna]

Chapter 2: When, Where and Why?

The logistics are quite simple to tell:

January 27th until February 5th at Animal Kingdom Lodge
We were really lucky that we got the 40% off discount code to work for us. Our 9 night package came down quite a bit in cost. We had park hoppers for 9 days, but not the water park option. We had planned to just pay for the entrance to the water park for one day since the one day admission was cheaper than the option.

But why is there a why in the title of this chapter? Of course we chose WDW to have fun together – but there was more to it. The trip has a bit of a story behind it. I told it on the PTR, but I really want to include it here as well. So here it is:

The Story behind this Trip:

Katharina and I have travelled a lot together, starting with a trip to a summer camp when we were kids, youth groups trips to Scotland and then our big trip: six weeks to the USA after my high school graduation, visiting relatives and family friends. On that trip my aunt took us to Disneyland which had been a dream for me ever since I first heard that such a place existed! We spent two days in Disneyland and one day at Universal Studios. We loved Disneyland but did not enjoy Universal.

This is a page fro our photoalbum form the trip to DL in 1992 (more can be found in the PTR):

1992 was the year Disneyland Paris, then EuroDisney, opened and of course after having been in DL, I really wanted to go there next!! This year my sister gave me a number of guide books for EuroDisney which I read again and again! She even included a “gift certificate” which said that she would travel with me to EuroDisney – if I paid for it!! One of the guidebooks btw was actually a EuroDisney version of the Unofficial Guide!

We finally made it to EuroDisney in 1995.

And returned in 1997 when we stayed at the Newport Bay Club Hotel:

In 1998 I discovered Disney sites on the internet: allears.net (then it was still wdwig) and especially Brian Benett's trip report archive (became later part of mouseplanet.com). At that time the trip reports were just text, no pictures!! Katharina and I, along with a friend of Katharina's, started planning a big trip to the USA again for September 1999: three weeks through the Southeast including 5 days at WDW. Well, in spring 1999 I had a new boyfriend and we ended up cancelling USA and boyfriend and I went to Namibia in Southern Africa instead while Katharina and her friend went on a holiday to Southern France. Namibia was wonderful, really a trip in a lifetime. However, it still left me feeling rather guilty towards Katharina and I will never ever cancel a trip with her!!

We returned to Disneyland Paris in 2003 (haven't scanned those pictures in yet) with the friend who was supposed to go to WDW with us and had a lot of fun. And in 2004 I finally got to go to WDW with a friend of mine: two weeks in Florida including five days at WDW, one of those was my birthday!!

Since that first trip I was really sad that Katharina was not there with me since she had been my Disney buddy for so long. After 2004 I got to see quite a lot of the Disney parks, but only one trip included Katharina, once again Disneyland Paris in 2007:

Life just did not work out in a way that it would have made sense to go on a trip to WDW together, even though we continued to travel together all the time, for example hiking with my father along the coast in Cornwall in England.

In early June 2009 there suddenly came some unexpected financial luck and we decided that now it was finally the right time to go to WDW together! So my tentative solo trip in January 2010 became a trip for the two of us!!


Next: Chapter 3: The Fun of Travelling Part 1

 

[All7OfUs]

It's great to be in the same hemisphere as you- that way I can be first!!

I can totally see the "why" in your trip!! It's been a long time coming for the two of you, and I'm so happy that you could share those 10 days of Disney Bliss together!

I will say you've had some lovely, lovely trips together, but nothing is the same as Disney. Different than most anything else.

I love your title! I don't think I had too much to do with it, but glad you stuck with the "sisters" aspect


That castle at Euro is quite something. I'd love to see that someday!

Looking forward to much, much more!!!!!!

Liesa

 

[Flossbolna]

It's great to be in the same hemisphere as you- that way I can be first!!

I can totally see the "why" in your trip!! It's been a long time coming for the two of you, and I'm so happy that you could share those 10 days of Disney Bliss together!

I will say you've had some lovely, lovely trips together, but nothing is the same as Disney. Different than most anything else.

I love your title! I don't think I had too much to do with it, but glad you stuck with the "sisters" aspect


That castle at Euro is quite something. I'd love to see that someday!

Looking forward to much, much more!!!!!!

Liesa

Hi Liesa, welcome as our first poster!!

You encouraged us to keep the sisters aspect and therefore we tried to combine the continents and the sisters.

 

[RachelTori]

Hi Magdalene and Katharina!!

I'm happy to see you have started your TR! Life has been crazy busy here and I may not say "hi!" often, but I will be reading along for sure!

 

[nodnol]

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that the first Cornwall picture was not approved by me

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that the first Cornwall picture was not approved by me

Ah, I think you look rather cute on that picture! Albeit very young! It's from 2002...

 

[kschafer]

Yay, the TR has started! Can't wait to hear all about your adventures!

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi Magdalene and Katharina!!

I'm happy to see you have started your TR! Life has been crazy busy here and I may not say "hi!" often, but I will be reading along for sure!

Hi Laura, great to have you along! I know those times when there isn't any time for posting!

 

[Flossbolna]

Yay, the TR has started! Can't wait to hear all about your adventures!

Hi Katie! Welcome to the TR!

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[tiggrbaby]

Hooray! Looking forward to hearing about your adventure!

 

[PNO4TE]

You started your TR!!!!

 

[heaven2dc]

This should be a fun trip!

 

[All7OfUs]

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that the first Cornwall picture was not approved by me

Oh no! It's a great picture! It gives "feeling" and depth to the situation. It made me wonder if the weather was a typical UK chill, or if you were startled by the photographer, or??? Anyhow, I love the more candid shots!

 

[glennbo123]

Great! You've started!


I'm logging in and going back to read.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Yeah!! You guys started!! You're off to a great start and the pictures look lovely (Katharina!)

I thought it was funny about the "not" looking like sisters comment. I at first thought you did, then something said how different you are! You can definitely see you're related, however! Don't worry, the same is said about me and my sister! You are both are very adorable

Looking forward to more...

Heather

 

[manntra]

Yeah!!!!! You started!!! Can't wait to read all about the trip!!!

Tracy

 

[Flossbolna]

joining in

Hooray! Looking forward to hearing about your adventure!

Glad to have you here!

You started your TR!!!!

Hi Elin!

This should be a fun trip!

We hope it will be fun!

Oh no! It's a great picture! It gives "feeling" and depth to the situation. It made me wonder if the weather was a typical UK chill, or if you were startled by the photographer, or??? Anyhow, I love the more candid shots!

I think we were having fun posing with the orange flowers behind us. They are crocosmia which in German are called Montbretien. We took that name and because it kind of sounds similar started calling them "mountain pretzels"

Great! You've started!

I'm logging in and going back to read.

Great to have you here, Glenn!

Yeah!! You guys started!! You're off to a great start and the pictures look lovely (Katharina!)

I thought it was funny about the "not" looking like sisters comment. I at first thought you did, then something said how different you are! You can definitely see you're related, however! Don't worry, the same is said about me and my sister! You are both are very adorable

Looking forward to more...

Heather

Hi Heather! Thanks for the compliment!

Yeah!!!!! You started!!! Can't wait to read all about the trip!!!

Tracy

Hi Tracy! Great to have you along!

Not TR related but Disney related: Katharina and I saw Alice In Wonderland yesterday (in 3D) and loved it. It is a great film and we agreed that it really helps if you have seen the Disney film. It is kind of a sequel.