[chiasgirl]

Day 1 - Saturday Dec 18
I won't bore you with the flight and airline details - suffice it to say we landed ontime just before 1 pm in Orlando. We decided to divide and conquer with me going to the baggage claim and DH heading down to Alamo. My bags came out fairly quickly once United decided which baggage carousel they were using. When I headed downstairs, DH had just made it to the front of the 50 person long Alamo line and got our paperwork. We headed out and chose a brown Impala from the fullsize line. Everything went smoothly until we actually decided to leave the lot. A gentleman had obviously never driven an automatic before and seemed to be blocking the intersection of two aisles as he tried to figire out how to operate his vehicle. Once we finally got past him and made it to the exit another fellow decided to park his car and go chat with his buddies while blocking our exit lane. This seemed to be the beginning of a week of people just stopping wherever, whenever not in the least concerned about whom they blocked.
Finally we were on the road! We headed south and stopped at the Albertson's on Orange Blossom Trail picking up necessities for breakfast.
We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge around 2, found a great parking spot and went to check-in. Although we were about an hour early it appeared that they had NO rooms left on the Arusha savannah. During the time that the check-in CM next to us checked in two families we watched our CMdawdle over the rooms that were left until there were almost non left to choose from. Finally she picked one on the Sunset Savannah and we headed off to our room. One look out the window at the people pen and it was back down to the lobby for us! Our second room was no better and I was starting to get upset. I wouldn't have minde overlooking a big patch of fenced in groun if I had paid for a standard room and been upgraded but I was disappointed to pay for savannah and overlook a people pen. On our third try, the check-in CM miraculously found a room on the fourth floor overlooking the Arusha savannah. It was near the end of the corridor but we really didn't mind the walk to be away from some of the traffic. We were really happy with our room and glad that we kept trying for a better one. I just felt sorry for the families arriving later in the day...

[chiasgirl]

After dropping off our bags, we headed down to Mara to grab a bite to eat. DH and I each ordered a pizza and watched it go in the oven. We felt as though we had impeccable timing as the CM then left without taking anyone else's order. Our pizzas were done about 5 minutes later and she finally took the next person's order!
The pizzas were actually pretty good and I liked the tandoori chicken alot.
We then headed up to the Christmas Station to pick up our candlelight processional package. This was another frustrating experience that left me wondering if we were insane to even try Disney the week before Christmas. We waited over 20 minutes to see the CM (there was 1 gentleman ahead of us in line). All of the other guest relations CMs were standing around chatting because apparently he was the only one that could give us our envelope.
Finally at 4:10 we hustled out to get a bus to Epcot in order to make it to the 5:15 check-in for Dive-quest. Well, there was one other family waiting at the bus stop. Thirty-two minutes later when our bus arrived and we boarded it was standing room only. (This was partly due to the kids that were lying across three seats forcing pregnant women and a gentleman with a cane to stand.)
We made it to Epcot at 5:12 - 62 minutes after arriving at the AKL bus stop! DH ckecked in and we waited for the Divequest staff to come and get us.

[chiasgirl]

Divequest was a really great program and well worth doing. (I had to spectate as I can't dive due to being pregnant.) They give you a backstage tour of the aquarium area and you get to spend about 45 minutes in the water. There is lots to look at and DH enjoyed interacting with the kiddies whom were watching. After the dive there are hot showers and refreshments and a chance to watch the video recorded of your dive. We ended up buying a copy and look forward to watching it again. The staff (Jackie, Roy and Justin) were fabulous and it looked like things were finally starting to head our way!
After the dive they release you out into the park. We decided to head over to TT and M:S as these were both new since our last trip. DH was able to ride each in the single rider line in a total of about 45 minutes including wait times, pre-shows and rides. It was great to get these done so that we didn't have to rush to them first thing in the morning on our Epcot day.
Around 9 we made it to Cantina de San Angel for dinner. DH had the wet burrito and I had the Tacos al Carbon. Both were alright - nothing special but tasty enough. We then headed out and find a great spot to stand and watch Illuminations. It was fabulous and the holiday ending was a nice touch. As soon as it was over we zipped down to the bus stop and waited for a bus to AKL. Again, we were not impressed with the bus service but we did get home eventually.

[chiasgirl]

Day 2 - Sunday Dec 19
This was the only day we planned to hit the EMH park so we headed out to the bus stop around 7 to get the bus to MK. Again, buses were jam packed and did not seem to be running frequently enough. We decided to do this EMH as there are enough attractions open early to spread out the guests and you can also then hit Space and Splash when they open thus avoiding most of the lines. I can't remember the order we did all of the rides but here is an overview of our day:
EMH (8-9)
Space, Winnie, SW and PP. We also grabbed fastpasses to do Buzz later on. We then headed over to the rope drop for Splash.
In the next three hours we rode: Splash, BTMRR, JC, Pirates, HM, Buzz x2, Mickey's Philarmagic and had a dole whip float. We seemed to do a great job of staying ahead of the crowds but that is partly due to the fact that we were just two adults and we used our fastpasses well.
Lunch was at WCC, and we took the ferry there and back. This was a nice break from the parks as MK was pretty busy by this point. Just to give you an idea of how busy it was, PP had a 50 min wait and the strollers (aka battering rams) were everywhere!
For lunch, we each had the skillet at WCC and enjoyed it very much. our waitress was good and the antics were entertaining. (Especially since the picked on DH alot!)
The only thing that I didn't like was our waitress brought us seconds of everything. I wish she would have asked what we wanted more of so that we didn't end up wasting so much food!
After our couple hour break we headed back to MK. Again, I can't remember the exact order but we hit Swiss Family Roibinson Treehouse, Pirates, JC, Splash, BTMRR, Space, Buzz x2, TTA x2, CoP, Timekeeper and HM ebfore heading to Main Street for Spectromagic. It was a little chilly and it had been a long day so we decided to skip Wishes and headed back to AKL after Spectromagic. Well, our bus didn't come for a good half hour so we might as well have stayed to watch Wishes as it would only have made a few minutes difference!
Oh yeah, we did eat dinner that night at Pecos Bill's. I had the chicken wrap and DH had the pulled pork sandwich. Both were quite good and definitely hit the spot. I think we also got Mickey Ears in Tomorrowland sometime in the afternoon.

[chiasgirl]

Day 3 - Monday Dec 20
Well, by this point we decided to heck with Disney Transportation. We drove ourselves to DMGM and got a great parking spot. We had about the same distance to walk to the fornt gates as some of the bus stops. Not to mention the fact that our car was warm, ran on our schedule and we both got to sit!
Our timing for ths shows etc seemed to work out just right and we never ended up waiting more than a few minutes for anything. I think our longest wait all day was around 15 - 20 minutes for the Great Movie Ride.
Our day went like this: ToT, RnR, WWTBAM (I got to 9 and DH to 8.), Little Mermaid, Great Movie Ride, Lunch at Backlot Express (I had the 1/2 grilled turkey and cheese while DH had the cheeseburger. Again, neither were anything special but they were tasty enough.)
After lunch we saw Beauty and the Beast, Muppetvision 3-D and Indiana Jones.
For dinner, we did the Fantasmic dinner package at Mama Melrose's. We both really enjoyed this meal. We had a tossed green salad with a balsamic vinagrette to start, followed by the Four Cheese Wood Fired Flatbread. For our entrees, DH had the Spicy Italian Sausage pasta dish and I had the Wood-Fired Chicked Pipette. Thesewere both very good and neither of us were able to quite finish them. For dessert we each had the most amazing chocolate creation. It was a warm chocolate truffle cake that words cannot do justice.
After dinner, we hit Star Tours and wandered over to Oscar's to get into Fantasmic!
This was by far the coldest night of our week. DH and I were bundled up with toques and gloves as well as several layers of clothing including long-johns. Despite all of this and a nice hot, watery cup of hot chocolate I think I still left part of my hiney frzen to the metal bench. The show was wonderful and afterwards we headed back to see the Osbourne Lights.
There were actually not as many people back here as I had expected. We enjoyed looking at the lights and when it was over we giggled at the people waiting for buses, hopped in our nice warm car and were in our rooms in no time!
Just a quick note here - we used our car almost everyday and never had to hunt for a parking spot at AKL. I had read complaints about 15 min walks to find a parking spot but we were never more than 3 or 4 minutes from the lobby.

[mickaholic4077]

So you weren't that impressed with the buses? Funny,but the PC buses always came quite quickly when I was there last(the 21st).

[chiasgirl]

Day 4 - Tuesday Dec 21
Once again we opted to drive thrental rather than deal with Disney Transportation. We got another great parking spot and were waiting at the gates for Epcot to open. Having just ridden TT and M:S on Saturday, we decided to grab FP later that day and beat the crowds to a bunch of the other attractions. So at park opening I zipped over to grab FP at Living with the Land while DH rode Star Tours. We then met at Spaceship Earth and rode it. Then it was off to grab FP for Honey I Shrunk the Audience, followed by Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment and Living with the Land. We saw Honey, visited Ice Station Cool and grabbed FP for TT and M:S for later in the day. After this we went into the World Showcase and wandered around Mexico including a boat ride and headed over to Morocco for our PS at Restaurant Marrakesh. I had a Jasmina Salad to start and DH had the Harira Soup. I enjoyed my sald and he adored the soup. ( I took his word on how wonderful it was as I don't eat lamb.) For our maincourses, I had the Chicken Kebabs and he had the Sultan Sampler with the beef. As always, I helped myself to a sample of his chow and we both agreed that the Beef Brewat Roll and Chicken Bastilla were fabulous! We also had dessert here, the Crepes Casablanca which were also great.
Oh yeah, somewhere in there we did Universe of Energy. Cute but if I was pressed for time I could easily skip it as it was rather time consuming!

[chiasgirl]

After lunch, we continued exploring the World Showcase. We especially enjoyed wandering around the UK as this is where DH is from (he moved to Canada when he was 15). We picked up some chocolate (Curly Wurlies - Yum!) and bought a baby Pooh and a baby Tigger for our little one. I don't know if anyone has seen these but they are hilarious with enormous heads - just like real babies!!!
We also spent some time in Canada as we are both feeling a little homesick after being a way for a half year. I love the falls but it really is time that the movie was updated - it's almost a little embarassing how out of date it is!
Once we got to the bottom of the showcase we took the boat back up to Morocco and finished it off in a counterclockwise direction. I think we got another Mickey head up around the top - it's calcium so it shouldn't even really count as a snack or dessert!
We got to see Miyuki making candy in Japan and the living statue in Italy. We hit Germany a couple minutes before the hour so we saw the boy and girl come out on the clock and enjoyed the Christamas decorations on the little train set village. CHina was beautiful as always and the movie made me want to go back. It really is a gorgeous country with wonderful people. We rode the Maelstrom in Norway and enjoyed the solitude of the Staves church. We also both really enjoyed the treelighting. (Even though a man over 6 feet tall decided to stand right in front of me and kep swinging around hitting me with his backpack - My DH finally said something to him.)
We ate dinner at Kringla Og Bakeri and we both had the Smoked Ham and Jarlsberg Cheese open faced sandwich. I had a berry tart for dessert and Dh had the raspberry cheesecake. This meal was really good and about the right amount of food given our big lunch. We also picked up a couple of danish here for breakfast the next morning. They were also wonderful and still tasted remarkably fresh the next day. (Up until now our breakfasts had been muffins and fruit from the grocery store that we kept in our room fridge.)
After dinner, it was one more go at TT and M:S and then we headed back to AKL for the night.

[chiasgirl]

Time to take the dog for a walk - the last three and a half days will follow soon!

[lisalovesmickey]

Can't wait. Thanks for posting your TR.

I am sorry to hear that the transportation did not work out for you. I have never had a problem but I have heard from others that they also did not like the service at AKL.

Lisa

[mistikbunny]

Great Report so far! Sounds like you got to do a lot even with the Christmas crowds. Can't wait to hear more.

[Dana]

Sorry to hear about the transportation issues. I never had them, but I didn't go at a busy week either. They should beef it up when the crowds come. I hope you enjoyed the AKL anyway. Excellent report. Can't wait to hear the rest and am so glad that you didn't allow the few "rude ones" to ruin it for you. The kids laying across the bus seat would have annoyed me. I would have asked them to move for you. I never hesitate to pass up my seat for a pregnant woman or older person. Sorry you had to deal with that mess.

[chiasgirl]

Originally Posted by mickaholic4077

So you weren't that impressed with the buses? Funny,but the PC buses always came quite quickly when I was there last(the 21st).

There are several reasons we decided to ditch the buses. For a start 17 minutes door to door for Epcot (in car) vs 62 minutes (with Disney) is a huge difference. As well, the parks were quite crowded and at the end of the day it was nice to just walk out the gates to our car and not have to worry about lining up for buses and then being shoved in like sardines. (I was sick of other people by then!) As well, I just felt safer in my own car with my seatbelt on then standing on a crowded bus. As I mentioned earlier, we were the second family at the bus stop and still ended up standing thanks to people shoving their way in front of us to board the bus. I suppose I am passive aggressive. I get all upset and angry but never actually say anything to the people at the time. Then I come home and vent in my trip report...

[Dana]

Originally Posted by chiasgirl

There are several reasons we decided to ditch the buses. For a start 17 minutes door to door for Epcot (in car) vs 62 minutes (with Disney) is a huge difference. As well, the parks were quite crowded and at the end of the day it was nice to just walk out the gates to our car and not have to worry about lining up for buses and then being shoved in like sardines. (I was sick of other people by then!) As well, I just felt safer in my own car with my seatbelt on then standing on a crowded bus. As I mentioned earlier, we were the second family at the bus stop and still ended up standing thanks to people shoving their way in front of us to board the bus. I suppose I am passive aggressive. I get all upset and angry but never actually say anything to the people at the time. Then I come home and vent in my trip report...

I feel your pain there. I always am good for the first few days, then totally lose my patience with people after that....then I say it..LOLOL Your way is much more polite. You rant all you want....we have all been there and thought that too.

[chiasgirl]

Originally Posted by Dana

Sorry to hear about the transportation issues. I never had them, but I didn't go at a busy week either. They should beef it up when the crowds come. I hope you enjoyed the AKL anyway. Excellent report. Can't wait to hear the rest and am so glad that you didn't allow the few "rude ones" to ruin it for you. The kids laying across the bus seat would have annoyed me. I would have asked them to move for you. I never hesitate to pass up my seat for a pregnant woman or older person. Sorry you had to deal with that mess.

Despite the transportation issues we really loved AKL. I just don't think I would stay there without a car. It was really beautiful and despite the fact that it was filled to capacity, it never felt crowded. We really enjoyed hanging out on our balcony (when it wasn't too cold). The only place that seemed really busy was in the waiting area around Boma and Jiko. I'm not sure if it is always like this or just at this time of year. I'm just really glad we had PSs for the two times we ate at the lodge!
The buses weren't the only time that we encountered rude children. Not having any of my own yet I don't want to be too quick to judge. However, I have taken 30 junior high students on a field trip and I think I kept a much tighter eye on them than some of the families we encountered. For example, in the waiting area for Honey, a little girl was holding her dad's hand and running around him in circles swinging her legs out and kicking anyone she could reach. I honestly believe that our society has lost a lot of its respect and courtesy towards others. I don't think that most people are deliberately rude but that they just aren't aware of others. While waiting for a table at Le Cellier (with about 30 other people) one couple sat on a bench that could easily seat 4 and put their jackets on the other half of the bench.
It seems like the bigger the crowds the more of these situations you notice. I have realized I have a hard time spending my days in such close proximity to others. As beautiful and wonderful as it was to go to WDW at Christamas I don't know if I would ever go the week before Christmas ever again.
That said, we still had a fabulous week. I include the negatives not because I had a horrible trip but because I want to write as honest a trip report as possible.