Proposing at the World & More! WDW/IoA/DCL - July 2011 -- UPDATE: 10/30/11

[LudwigVonDrake]

Oh, hello there!

Welcome to my trip report journal. I'll be discussing the experiences my girlfriend (now my fiancee) and I had on our recent trip to WDW from July 22 to August 2, 2011. This included, amongst other things, a private proposal dinner, a Keys to the Kingdom tour, a side-trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and a Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream. I'll skim over well-worn attractions, since you probably needn't hear a detailed recap of It's a Small World, and mostly focus on dining, theming and design, cool merch, and unique experiences to let you know what worked and didn't work for us, and what we found interesting.

This journal is, however, a just prelude to, if my DF has her way as she always does, a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding planning journal.

Our cast of characters:

Nicole (Disboards handle: LitteKittyMarie), a lovely, shy, smart and funny girl who loves cats and everything Disney. She's an historian and costume designer. Here's a photo of her in the Princess Aurora dress she made for herself:

Pretty, huh?

Little Kitty, a foul-mouthed, misanthropic and adorable French cat who followed us home from Disneyland Paris and has been with us on our world travels ever since. She wants me to write that she hates me for writing this trip report, and that you should go to her own travel blog at http:\\littlefrenchkitty.tumblr.com. Aww!

Chi, a sweet, soft-spoken kitten who adores eating fish and the Living Seas. She secretly stowed away in my suitcase just so she could see WDW. (Yes, we really love cats. It'll be a recurring theme.)

And I'm your sardonic narrator, Bryan. At times, I'll be insufferably academic about our Disney experience and everything else. I can be pretentious and tiresome, but my DF loves me, so I must be doing something right. I've been a Disney fan since I was a kid, and I still get that child-like giddiness when I'm there.

I'm not the pretty one on the right.

And away we go!

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

Table of Contents:

July 22:
Arriving at AKL and a Review (Page 1)
The Proposal, Part 1: The Forgetfulship of the Ring (Page 1)
The Proposal, Part 2: The Two Rings (Page 2)
The Proposal, Part 3: Return of the Ring (Page 3)


July 23
Disney's Hollywood Studios (Page 3)
Boardwalk Promenade and Kouzzina Review (Page 4)

July 24
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (Page 4)
Biergarten review and Illuminations (Page 4)

 

[MarriedToAPrince]

Congrats on your engagement! Can't wait to read more!

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

Shall I start with the hotel? We were whisked away from Orlando International Airport aboard the Magical Express to our hotel, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but not before stops at the Pop Century and Caribbean Beach resorts. The trip took roughly an hour.

Animal Kingdom Lodge doesn't reveal its charms immediately. First impressions were positive: rich browns accented by warm yellows and reds, but the storytelling present of the best WDW hotels took some time to surface. If the goal is to transport you to a safari in deepest Africa, AKL doesn't succeed as well as it should. The fundamental problem is an African safari theme is such as foreign experience to me that I could not insert myself easily into that narrative. For me, the best WDW hotels have an equal balance of the familiar and the strange. Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian do this well: I can imagine myself in a log cabin in Yosemite or a grand hotel at the turn of the 20th century, and I become a part of the story the hotel is telling. AKL didn't quite do this for me, because there was no familiar entry point I could use to insert myself into it--it was all new and unexplored--but it was not for lack of trying. Music, exhibits and art helped contribute to the safari fantasy, but it took a bit of time and exploration to find them.

The hotel is divided into two sections: Jambo House is the main building, and Kidani Village houses the DVC villas. Together, they make up the largest WDW deluxe resort, in terms of number of rooms. The layout of the Jambo House resembles a stout, rounded X, with the lobby at the intersection. We stayed in room 4355 (see map), a savannah-view room located about as far away from the theme park buses as one can possibly get. The five-minute walk through the resort was manageable, though it extended to seven or eight minutes at the end of a long day at the parks. The upside was a quieter room, away from the highly-trafficked main hallways.

The room was clean, well-maintained and quiet. Climate controls (a digital thermostat and ceiling fan) were incredibly responsive and efficient. We would raise the temperature while we were out to save energy, confident that we could cool the room within minutes upon returning. The bath and toilet were conveniently separated from the two sinks. Again, the aesthetic details of the room were interesting, attractive and unified: maps on the wallpaper, solid wood cabinetry and elaborately patterned carpet and sheets.

By far, the biggest attraction at AKL is the animals that wander the savannahs just outside your window. You'd be hard pressed to find more intimate interactions with such a variety of majestic animals anywhere else. At any given moment we could find giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and ostriches grazing outside our window. We would eat breakfast on the terrace of our room as the animals ate theirs—truly a unique experience. The hotel also did a good job of educating us on the nearly three dozen species in residence through signage and guides in the public animal viewing areas.

Transportation to the parks was frequent, though AKL is the most isolated hotel from the rest of WDW, particularly from the Magic Kingdom. Buses were shared with both Jambo House and Kidani Village, and with the exception of Downtown Disney, buses arrived at Kidani Village first and Jambo House afterwards. As the most populated resort with no alternate travel means available, buses were frequently filled to capacity. The crowd awaiting to leave from the Magic Kingdom on one evening was six buses deep.

Bus travel times:

Magic Kingdom 25-30 min.
Epcot 15-20 min.
Hollywood Studios 15-20 min.
Animal Kingdom 5-10 min.
Downtown Disney 25-30 min.

Dining options at AKL were varied. The Mara was a typical quick service restaurant, and I'll give a detailed account of our dinner at Jiko in a later post. We did not dine at Boma, the buffet in Jambo House, or Sanaa, the Indian restaurant in Kidani Village.

My summation of the AKL experience would be this: it was definitely worthwhile to try and worth the money to do so, but I don't think we will be staying there again due to the inconvenient location.

Pros:

• Plentiful and varied animals right outside your window (with a savannah view)
• A unique experience from all other WDW hotels
• Dedicated bus service

Cons

• A savannah-view room is expensive, but essential—a standard room at AKL is letting its greatest attraction go to waste
• Far from the parks, except Animal Kingdom
• Buses frequently crowded
• Gift shop has less selection than most other resorts (this will be important in the next post)

Next up: The proposal. "Ahem, funny story..."

 

[BookTrout]

Great start, Bryan. I especially enjoyed the kitty introductions and I noticed in one of your fabulous photos that Mousekeeping left your traveling cats a towel mouse to interact with. Sweet!
Sharon

 

[Lucille1963]

I'll admit, I had to stop reading your trip report to go shop for that Sleater Kinney shirt. My husband is a huge fan! He's even been teaching our 3 year old to sing "Little Babies"!

 

[precious pixie]

great start, can't wait to read more!

 

[sstewart]

Joining in....can't wait to hear about the proposal!!

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

Congrats on your engagement! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you! I think I crashed after the vacation and caught a cold a couple of days ago, so this TR might be completed sooner than I expected.

Great start, Bryan. I especially enjoyed the kitty introductions and I noticed in one of your fabulous photos that Mousekeeping left your traveling cats a towel mouse to interact with. Sweet!
Sharon

Thanks! I`ve got a photo of the mouse with one of the cats I`ll throw up.

I'll admit, I had to stop reading your trip report to go shop for that Sleater Kinney shirt. My husband is a huge fan! He's even been teaching our 3 year old to sing "Little Babies"!

That`s great! `Little Babies` deserves new life as a kid`s song. I`m a huge fan, and still hoping they re-form.

great start, can't wait to read more!

Thank you! There`s certainly much more to write about.

Joining in....can't wait to hear about the proposal!!

Thanks! It`s actually a funny story... It certainly didn`t go as planned. I`m writing it up now and I still can`t believe it.

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

I'll be following along as well.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

Great start and cograts on the engagement. Disney weddings are the way to go if you ask me... not that I'm biased or anything (we got married at the wedding pavilion in Jan '10)

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

Great start and cograts on the engagement. Disney weddings are the way to go if you ask me... not that I'm biased or anything (we got married at the wedding pavilion in Jan '10)

Thank you very much! It certainly looks like a Disney wedding is the direction we're going.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

I did say that this was an engagement trip. Here is the proposal story. I've decided to make it a full-on trilogy of posts, because like Star Wars Episodes IV to VI, the story begins with hope, descends into tragedy and despair, and finally ends in happiness and order being restored.

And like all good trilogies, I'll lay on some thick exposition right at the outset. Try to imagine Cate Blanchett narrating, and it classes it up a lot.

My DF and I have been going out for five years, and even though I've been certain she's the girl for me for some time now, I made the definite decision to propose in March of this year. I purchased the ring, and set about planning a memorable proposal at her favourite place on Earth, WDW. I'm not the kind of person to propose in public, so I was looking to organize a surprise private dining event for my girlfriend and me, preferably with some fireworks involved. I contacted Disney Private Dining and was promptly connected with an event planner. We discussed plans for a potential Illuminations dining event in Epcot, and even at the outset, she informed me they were no longer doing small parties in the parks, but she would check anyway. A few days of nervous waiting later confirmed that they would not allow such a party. Perhaps I could have been more insistent, but the event planner suggested a private dining event during Wishes at the Grand Floridian and connected me with a Private Dining rep at the GF to help me plan it.

Two locations were available: an outdoor location on the third floor balcony, just off the GF lobby, and an indoor fifth location, on the concierge level. The outdoor location had a slightly obscured view of Wishes whereas the indoor location had an unobstructed view of both the castle and the fireworks. It was a difficult decision, but I opted for the outdoor location. After trading emails, we confirmed a menu as well. The menu is prix fixe, with a choice of two to four items per course. I've posted the menu I chose below, and will post the full prix fixe menu at a later date:

DF
Appetizer: Mushroom Ravioli with Cream Sauce
Soup: French Onion Soup
Salad: Strawberry Salad with Field Greens, Crumbled Feta Cheese, Cashews, and Strawberry Vinaigrette
Entree: Pork Chop with Brown Rice, roasted Corn, Grape Tomatoes, Onion Frits, and a stone ground Mustard Sauce
Dessert: Chocolate Mousse Cake

Me
Appetizer: Assorted house-made Pates with Cumberland Sauce, marinated Berries, and English Stilton Cheese
Soup: Soup du Jour
Salad: Chevre and Tomato Salad with Red Pepper-Garbanzo Puree, Lavosh, Mache, and Balsamic Glaze
Entree: Fennel and Coriander scented seared Tuna with Spinach-Fennel Salad, Kalamata Olives,
and a Red Pepper Garbanzo Puree
Dessert: Key Lime Tart

The dinner cost $95 per person (drinks extra and an 18% gratuity fee) with a $75 fee for two hours of butler service and an extra $25 every hour afterwards. I set the start time for 7:30 p.m., and asked for an extra hour to carry the dinner through Wishes at 10:00 p.m. I did find that the extra hour wasn't necessary. It created a lull at the start of the dinner, because they precisely time the courses to come out over two hours; even though we started at 7:45 with pre-dinner drinks, the first course didn't arrive until about 8:15.

What followed was the best wedding proposal I've ever made! Ever! I can say that with the greatest confidence. Even though it turned out to be the most disastrous wedding proposal I've ever made, too...

The day of big trip arrived, and I'd managed to keep my intentions secret for several months, despite my poor skills at keeping secrets. Here's a pro tip for all you grooms-to-be: if you're neurotic on an regular basis like I am, your fiancee-to-be won't suspect anything if you're nervous about proposing. Like all trips, there are last minute items to be packed, transportation arrangements to the airport to be made, and a last check and double-check of passports. After all, you can get anything else you need at WDW, the passport is the only essential. My point is that the morning of the trip was busy and nuts with a million details to be paid attention to. I'm sure you can relate!

And that is why I forgot to pack the ring. Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, my fiancee hasn't yet murdered me in my sleep. In the mad, crazy rush of getting to the airport and worrying about details of the engagement dinner, I forgot the ring at home. Here's a dramatic re-enactment of how I felt when at that horrible, sinking moment of realization at the airport:

In addition to forgetting the ring, I had to suppress the feeling of panic to keep the proposal secret going. Sobbing uncontrollably in the fetal position in the middle of the check-in line would have given a little too much away. You know, when I used to watch Home Alone, I was incredulous at how they could leave Kevin at home, alone. “How can they forget their own son?!" I'd say. "Oh Hollywood! You and your nonsense!” Now I know: it's not outside the realm of possibility! Oh god, how I know... For my next engagement, the ring will accidentally board a plane to New York City and grift a room at the Waldorf Astoria.

Ringless and panicked, I had a three-hour plane trip to come up with Plan B.

 

[FortWildernessLoopy]

subbing

 

[precious pixie]

oh my-lanta you forgot the ring!!!! I think the home alone clip is probably perfect for how you were feeling. Remember how we all laughed at her in the movie at that moment, I kinda did just now too. Its just tooo funny to forget the ring.
I cant wait to hear what you did. Maybe had someone go into your place and pay to have overnighted to the hotel??

 

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

I can't wait to read part 2 of your proposal! It sounds like you planned a perfect night, I wish my DH could do something like that for me. So sorry you forgot the ring, but it gives the story more drama.

 

[heaven2dc]

Oh my goodness - I would have panicked too if I had been in your shoes when you realized you forgot the ring! Loving your TR - can't wait to read all about the proposal and your cruise

 

[Lucille1963]

I laughed out loud about the ring. Please write more!!

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

subbing

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy the rest.

oh my-lanta you forgot the ring!!!! I think the home alone clip is probably perfect for how you were feeling. Remember how we all laughed at her in the movie at that moment, I kinda did just now too. Its just tooo funny to forget the ring.
I cant wait to hear what you did. Maybe had someone go into your place and pay to have overnighted to the hotel??

It was pretty gut-wrenching at the time, but I'm glad I can laugh at it now. I thought about getting it mailed, but the dinner was planned for that very night.

I can't wait to read part 2 of your proposal! It sounds like you planned a perfect night, I wish my DH could do something like that for me. So sorry you forgot the ring, but it gives the story more drama.

As nice as a smooth, obstacle-free proposal would have been, the problems we had make the experience uniquely ours, and I don't think I'd change a thing if I had the choice.

Oh my goodness - I would have panicked too if I had been in your shoes when you realized you forgot the ring! Loving your TR - can't wait to read all about the proposal and your cruise

Thanks! I don't usually think so well on my feet, but managed to play it relatively cool.

I laughed out loud about the ring. Please write more!!

Thanks! There's definitely more to come. I hope you found that Sleater-Kinney shirt. They're hard to come by nowadays.

 

[kymmyk13]

I'm in. Dont feel so bad about forgetting the ring, my maid of honor forgot the ring at my wedding.