Sunday, May 17: Welcome Home!
Miles walked today: 3.44 miles
Best thing today: Finally staying at our DVC Home resort with our “wild” neighbors
Worst thing today: Getting little sleep the night before.
The wake up call came early (for us) at about 7:45. Neither of us had slept great. (Maybe it's the “we're too excited to sleep!" factor). We showered, got ready and headed downstairs to the lobby of the Wingate Inn by Wyndham near the airport. There was free breakfast, and a free shuttle to the airport. As it turns out, nothing in this life is truly “free.” More about that later.
We had already printed our boarding passes, and there was no line, so we just checked our luggage in with the friendly AirTran folks and waited for our flight after a quick trip through security. Neither of us were tagged by security this time. The first leg to Atlanta was uneventful, and the connection to Orlando was a breeze.
Because we used Magical Express, we didn't have to pick up our bags at the airport – we just proceeded down to the shuttle buses and were on our way. It was a pleasant ride – and THEN the movie that came on as entertainment was “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” Tragically, we didn't get to see the end of this fine cinematic achievement.
(OK, it wasn't as bad as we had thought it would be, but I don't think we'll be adding it to our Netflix list anytime soon. )
We dropped off some people at Jambo House (the new name for the original AKL resort) – and then we were the only ones left on the bus. The driver looked at us curiously, and we told him we needed to be dropped off at Kidani Village. He said he hadn't been there yet, so he was interested to see it, too.
Driving up to the resort, it was bigger than we expected. The first sight we had on our drive up was a sort of blank brown/green wall. Part of the resort facing the parking lot is stark and industrial. Maybe as the trees grow a little, that will get better.
We were super-excited. Getting off the bus and heading into the Porte Cochere and lobby, we had big smiles on our faces – they really got it right.
The Imagineers really captured the flavor of the main lodge, but made it more intimate and personal.
The huge picture window onto the savanna, so familiar from Jambo House, is still there, but maybe 2/3 as big. Still grand.
The African artifacts, the proverbs painted on the wall, the fabrics and the furniture were all just right.
We had a quick, pleasant check-in. “Welcome Home!” the cast member told us.
What happy words! She wished us a happy anniversary, and gave us “Happy Anniversary” pins and we got a great map with both resorts, and all of the quick info with hours, services, phone numbers, etc.
We headed up to our room - #7550, facing the Sunset Savanna. It was on the fifth floor, she told us. So we started walking. And walking. Turns out, it was a quarter-mile from the lobby to our room – but it was also very close to the end of the hotel that was closest to Jambo House. (From the 1st floor elevator in Kidani to the lobby of Jambo House, it was about a quarter-mile, too.)
Coming next: More exploring in the lodge
Miles walked today: 3.44 miles
Best thing today: Finally staying at our DVC Home resort with our “wild” neighbors
Worst thing today: Getting little sleep the night before.
The wake up call came early (for us) at about 7:45. Neither of us had slept great. (Maybe it's the “we're too excited to sleep!" factor). We showered, got ready and headed downstairs to the lobby of the Wingate Inn by Wyndham near the airport. There was free breakfast, and a free shuttle to the airport. As it turns out, nothing in this life is truly “free.” More about that later.
We had already printed our boarding passes, and there was no line, so we just checked our luggage in with the friendly AirTran folks and waited for our flight after a quick trip through security. Neither of us were tagged by security this time. The first leg to Atlanta was uneventful, and the connection to Orlando was a breeze.
Because we used Magical Express, we didn't have to pick up our bags at the airport – we just proceeded down to the shuttle buses and were on our way. It was a pleasant ride – and THEN the movie that came on as entertainment was “Beverly Hills Chihuahua.” Tragically, we didn't get to see the end of this fine cinematic achievement.
(OK, it wasn't as bad as we had thought it would be, but I don't think we'll be adding it to our Netflix list anytime soon. )We dropped off some people at Jambo House (the new name for the original AKL resort) – and then we were the only ones left on the bus. The driver looked at us curiously, and we told him we needed to be dropped off at Kidani Village. He said he hadn't been there yet, so he was interested to see it, too.
Driving up to the resort, it was bigger than we expected. The first sight we had on our drive up was a sort of blank brown/green wall. Part of the resort facing the parking lot is stark and industrial. Maybe as the trees grow a little, that will get better.
We were super-excited. Getting off the bus and heading into the Porte Cochere and lobby, we had big smiles on our faces – they really got it right.
The Imagineers really captured the flavor of the main lodge, but made it more intimate and personal.
The huge picture window onto the savanna, so familiar from Jambo House, is still there, but maybe 2/3 as big. Still grand.
The African artifacts, the proverbs painted on the wall, the fabrics and the furniture were all just right.
We had a quick, pleasant check-in. “Welcome Home!” the cast member told us.
What happy words! She wished us a happy anniversary, and gave us “Happy Anniversary” pins and we got a great map with both resorts, and all of the quick info with hours, services, phone numbers, etc.
We headed up to our room - #7550, facing the Sunset Savanna. It was on the fifth floor, she told us. So we started walking. And walking. Turns out, it was a quarter-mile from the lobby to our room – but it was also very close to the end of the hotel that was closest to Jambo House. (From the 1st floor elevator in Kidani to the lobby of Jambo House, it was about a quarter-mile, too.)
Coming next: More exploring in the lodge
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