[Roop]

We're back & couldn't have had a better experience! Well, maybe a little better but overall - our most memorable family vacation. We were there from Fri 8/20 - Fri 8/27.

Douglas from Quicksilver was our driver to & from AKL - excellent service, polite & helpful.

AKL - standard room, savannah view, queen size bed, bunk beds (daughters 7 & 8) & Pack n' Play for 8 month old son. Views were perfect, the food at the Mara was great, the pool was fun, we didn't get to enjoy a fraction of the ammenities/ attractions there as we were so busy.

Disney Bus System - excellent. The times posted in the Unofficial guide were way too conservative, we only had to wait more then 5 miutes for a bus once & that was when leaving Typhoon Lagoon in the mid afternoon - to be expected.

Magic Kingdom - We went Friday afternoon once we got our bags checked at AKL - hot, crowded, long lines, we learned to master the Fast Pass & Child Swap & salvaged the afternoon.

Epcot - Princess Breakfast at Akershus - highly recommended for anyone with daughters. Matt got 3 HUGE red kisses from Mulan, Jasmin & Sleeping Beauty - he had a blast as well. The characters spent as much time as we desired with us. Food was great for adults, OK for kids. Test Track, Mission Space, everything else was great! We went back a few nights later for the fireworks/ light show - we weren't that impressed.

Animal Kingdom - Donalds Breakfast - great food - buffet style so be prepared to wait or wrestle as the crowd dictates. The characters each did a quick stop & that was it. I'd give the food a 4.5 on a scale of 1-5 & the character interaction a 2.5. The safari, river rapids, Dinosaur, dino-twirl, bugs life, tarzan rocks, simba's show all were beyond expectaions! Rain closed the Pocahontas show.

MGM - AWESOME!! I hit the Tower of Terror while my wife & kids got FP for the Rockin' Roller Coaster, after Cathy rode TOT we headed for the coaster & learned it was broken down. Cruised the rest of the park and had a blast, Star Tours, Arielles show, Indianna Joes was a big hit with all 3 kids, Muppets, everything was great. We finally got on coaster - great ride!
Lunch at the Sci-Fi drive in: I was not expecting much due to seeing it get trashed by multiple people. I had the ribs - very good, wife had a burger - good, kids had shakes, burgers & dogs - all were happy! Plus a beer in the middle of a hot day really hit the spot. Another great experience!
We stayed for Mickeys show that night, it started raining just before the show started, My wife, youngest daughter & baby left me and the oldest there - we stayed in the rain & enjoyed the show. WORD OF ADVICE - when my wife left a few other parents were heading out to get their rain gear from their strollers - they were not allowed back in!

Typhoon Lagoon - Everyone had fun.

Magic Kingdom - We were able to ride Buzz Lightyear 3 times in a row, right after another while we waited for our Space Mountain FP. Space Mountain was great, while I waited for the girls & my wife to come off I finished negotiating a position with a new firm!! We went on to the Tea Cups, the carousel, Snow WHite, Mickey's Philharmagic was the best 3D we saw! a few more rides and we headed back to AKL for a swim & nap! Woke up at 6:00 cleaned up & headed back to MK for Wishes, burgers & ice cream while we waited - this was the best night time show we saw!

Thursday was kids choice so we hit Epcot first thing in the AM, then MGM, then dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe at AK. I would not recommend the RFC to anyone - paying a little too much for a burger in the park is one thing but paying that much for so-so food is rediculous. B ut the kids were hapy so we dealt with it.

Friday AM in the pool, lunch at the Mara & we met DOuglas from Quicksilver out front at Noon as planned.

We did not encounter any rude or unprofessional staff anywhere in Disney. Some were slow but hey, deal with it. The food was above what we were lead to expect. The crowds at Magic Kingdom & the behavior of people was disappointing. The crowds are to be expected, the rude people we used as an example to our children how not to behave.

Definitely worth the time & money - we will be back in 2006.

We brought our stroller & were glad we did - the plastic ones looked too uncomfortable for the little guy. Plus we had purchased a rain shiled for the stroller needed it almost every day. We also brought a soft sided cooler which fit under the stroller along with our rain gear. We stopped at a Publix on the way there & bought bottled water, juice boxes & Powerade, cookies, granola bars & cereal & a few bottles of wine - a great service offered by Quicksilver!

Thanks to all for your help -sorry for the lengthy report.

Roop

[joseph3947]

Hey, Great report! Hope you are now converted to WDW nut! AKL is an awesome resort. Glad your family had great time, now start preparing for your next WDW trip! Joe

[ilvminnie]

Great job! Thanks for sharing. Looks like you went into it with the best attitude...It's not going to be perfect, but we'll have a blast anyway! I've found that wherever you go anymore you encounter rude people & poorly behaved kids. You just have to learn to make the best of it & it sounds like you did a wonderful job at that!

Thanks again!

[BuzzLightBeer]

Great report! And congratulations on the new job!

[llama]

Thank you so much for your report! I mostly enjoyed your sensible, reasonable views to WDW. I'm glad that over-all you had a marvellous time and will be returning. What an upbeat report! It just made me feel good!

[trilliumB]

Thanks for the great trip report! I really enjoyed reading it, and I especially enjoyed the way that your positive attitude infused the whole thing! I would never have guessed you encountered rude people. Way to go not letting it interfere with your wonderful vacation! Congrats on the new job!

[disneyguy]

I am glad WDW topped your expectations. I have been looking at pictures of resorts that I have never been to, included in that list is AKL. Glad you had a great time!!

[chiasgirl]

Glad to hear that you and you r family had a fabulous trip!

[hiner]

Enjoyed reading your report. Glad you had a good time and are planning on returning. We were just talking about when we will return and it also looks like 2006. Guess we'll be planning together ha ha ha.

Oh and congrats on the new job!

[mickaholic4077]

It sounds asa if you had a wonderful time. I'm glad that you're going back.

[Dana]

You sound as though you all enhoed your first taste of the magic. I ma so glad that you didn't let a few rude ones ruin it for you. Thanks for the heads up on the RFC...I have alwasy wanted to but have shyed away due to reviews like yours. Thansk for sharing your report and no worries on the length. The longer the report, the better in my eyes..lol Again thanks!

[EmpressJenny]

Great report, and I'm so glad you and your family had a good time. I'm also very impressed how you used the rude people as an example to your children, rather than just be grumpy about them.

Give me a few weeks and I'll have my report up too!