Noah's Helper
11-09-2011, 11:09 PM
CAST
Ben – me, Dad
Tina – wife and Mom
Julianna – DD, 14
Noah – DS, 11
Our most recent Disney trips were WDW in 2005 and Disneyland in 2006. We’ve been letting our Disney Visa Rewards accumulate, and now we need to use them before they expire. We’re also hoping our youngest is old enough to be more adventurous in selecting rides. We planned an October trip to take advantage of our schools’ fall break, and also because we like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the Food and Wine Festival.
DAY 1 – Saturday, October 15
I had booked a direct flight on Airtran, getting us to Orlando in just an hour and a half. This was our first experience with Airtran. When I checked in online, there were only 3 seats available for selection, and they were all scattered about. (I had not paid the extra fee to select seats in advance, because I don’t care for all the nickel and diming done by the airlines.) I decided to just skip the seat selection and resolve this at the airport, but when I printed the boarding passes we had four seats together. We were on the very back row of the plane, with no windows, but that was ok for a relatively short flight.
This was our first experience with Magical Express as well. We were very impressed with how smoothly the entire operation went.
Tina and Noah selected the Caribbean Beach Resort based on some online photos and info. The ME bus dropped us off at the Customs House, and we took an internal bus to our room in Martinique. We liked the resort and our room. The beds appeared to be smaller than full size at first glance, but that might have been an illusion. They were comfortable at least.
We walked over to Old Port Royale to check out the shops (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%20Resorts/slides/c111015_1384_edited-1.html) and restaurants, and then rented a surrey bike (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%20Resorts/slides/n111015_1619.html) and pedaled around the lake twice. Noah’s legs were not long enough to pedal, which the cast members warned us might be the case.
We had dinner reservations at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Before the bike ride, we called and changed our time to about an hour later to allow for the bike ride and travel time to AKL. On the call, the CM asked if we were celebrating anything special. I said no, but Tina reminded me afterward that our anniversary was just a couple of weeks away (more on that later).
The bus ride to AKL, with a transfer at one of the parks, went smoothly and we arrived at Boma before our original ADR time. They were able to seat us right away, and we had a wonderful meal. We’ve eaten here before, and it is one of our favorite restaurants, period. I especially enjoyed the bobotie, the fufu, and a salad with tomatoes and chickpeas (the name started with a “z”). Julianna was adventurous with her choices, but Noah mostly stuck with the kids’ fare. With both kids being charged as adults, I think this was the most we have ever paid for a family meal.
We checked out the animals on the savannah, saw a fantastic sunset (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%20Resorts/slides/n111015_1631_merged.html), then headed back to Caribbean Beach. Tina and the kids swam while I waited in the room for bell services to drop off our grocery order from Garden Grocer. I then joined the kids near the pool to watch the last part of Wall-E on the big screen there.
Day 2 (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=187048)
Ben – me, Dad
Tina – wife and Mom
Julianna – DD, 14
Noah – DS, 11
Our most recent Disney trips were WDW in 2005 and Disneyland in 2006. We’ve been letting our Disney Visa Rewards accumulate, and now we need to use them before they expire. We’re also hoping our youngest is old enough to be more adventurous in selecting rides. We planned an October trip to take advantage of our schools’ fall break, and also because we like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the Food and Wine Festival.
DAY 1 – Saturday, October 15
I had booked a direct flight on Airtran, getting us to Orlando in just an hour and a half. This was our first experience with Airtran. When I checked in online, there were only 3 seats available for selection, and they were all scattered about. (I had not paid the extra fee to select seats in advance, because I don’t care for all the nickel and diming done by the airlines.) I decided to just skip the seat selection and resolve this at the airport, but when I printed the boarding passes we had four seats together. We were on the very back row of the plane, with no windows, but that was ok for a relatively short flight.
This was our first experience with Magical Express as well. We were very impressed with how smoothly the entire operation went.
Tina and Noah selected the Caribbean Beach Resort based on some online photos and info. The ME bus dropped us off at the Customs House, and we took an internal bus to our room in Martinique. We liked the resort and our room. The beds appeared to be smaller than full size at first glance, but that might have been an illusion. They were comfortable at least.
We walked over to Old Port Royale to check out the shops (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%20Resorts/slides/c111015_1384_edited-1.html) and restaurants, and then rented a surrey bike (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%20Resorts/slides/n111015_1619.html) and pedaled around the lake twice. Noah’s legs were not long enough to pedal, which the cast members warned us might be the case.
We had dinner reservations at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Before the bike ride, we called and changed our time to about an hour later to allow for the bike ride and travel time to AKL. On the call, the CM asked if we were celebrating anything special. I said no, but Tina reminded me afterward that our anniversary was just a couple of weeks away (more on that later).
The bus ride to AKL, with a transfer at one of the parks, went smoothly and we arrived at Boma before our original ADR time. They were able to seat us right away, and we had a wonderful meal. We’ve eaten here before, and it is one of our favorite restaurants, period. I especially enjoyed the bobotie, the fufu, and a salad with tomatoes and chickpeas (the name started with a “z”). Julianna was adventurous with her choices, but Noah mostly stuck with the kids’ fare. With both kids being charged as adults, I think this was the most we have ever paid for a family meal.
We checked out the animals on the savannah, saw a fantastic sunset (http://home.hiwaay.net/~btdarby/wdw_2011/Disney%20Resorts/slides/n111015_1631_merged.html), then headed back to Caribbean Beach. Tina and the kids swam while I waited in the room for bell services to drop off our grocery order from Garden Grocer. I then joined the kids near the pool to watch the last part of Wall-E on the big screen there.
Day 2 (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=187048)