WHAT A DIFFERENCE 6 MOS. MAKES (or how I learned to love MK) COMPLETE-WRAP-UP 12/29

[tinacaplan]

Ah...so we are back and now I can start my hotly-anticipated trip report! Welcome! I hope that I can keep you entertained and possibly share some of my insights with you along the way. And please...lurkers...please, please come out and say hi! I know how its sometimes easier to watch from the sidelines, but we love to meet you all! :wave:

Somehow, I feel the writing isn’t flowing quite as easily as it did on the days when I did it with the scent of the Beach Club in the air, but oh well. :cool1: Despite Max and I really wanting to, we cannot, apparently, live at the Beach Club so we had to come back to Connecticut.

This is my second attempt at a TR, as well as our second attempt at an outstanding family trip, and I am hoping that I will be a much better trip reporter this time, as I have since upgraded my camera and brought the lap top to Disney...not to live report, but simply as a great place to take some notes, etc, while we were there so that I can more accurately recreate our trip for you over a period of..well, however long I feel I can reasonably drag this out for, as our next trip is really up in the air right now. February 2013 might be the next most likely possibility (eek!), unless I can track down some ridiculously low airfare for this February, which I’m doubting as its President’s Week and prices are way too high... Sigh... With Disney already releasing their 2012 prices, I just cannot wait for Southwest to release their information for February, too. But we can discuss all of that in post at a later date.

Oh, and I also think its fair to mention, that unlike some of my Disboard peers, I don’t take a trillion pictures and will often be recreating scenes for you with words. Its not easy to fearlessly lead my husband anywhere, whilst pushing a stroller...add in taking pictures and its often a disaster. I’m just not that coordinated, Mark doesn’t take pictures at all, and Max hates posing for them. He fails to understand why Mommy wants to stop every seven seconds to take pictures of him in all sorts of ridiculous poses, pointing out all manner of objects.

We were at Disney from July 14 to the July 21 and stayed at...how did you know? The Beach Club! But more on that later...

[tinacaplan]

CHAPTER ONE: Introductions (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41964565&postcount=18)
CHAPTER TWO: Where and Why (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41969060&postcount=23)
CHAPTER THREE: The Original Plan (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41983950&postcount=31)
CHAPTER FOUR: The Journey Begins (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42026873&postcount=45)
CHAPTER FIVE: We're Almost There! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42049182&postcount=59)

CHAPTER SEVEN: How to get an upgrade...without really trying! (CHAPTER SEVEN: How to get an upgrade...without really trying!)
CHAPTER EIGHT: Making Our Way to Via Napoli! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42424161&postcount=128)
CHAPTER NINE: I Knew I Should Have Taken French! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42449115&postcount=151)
CHAPTER TEN: Waiting for the Rope to Drop (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42596803&postcount=189)
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Just Around the Corner is a Fantasyland! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42714100&postcount=214)
CHAPTER TWELVE: Look! I Found My Camera! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42743885&postcount=233)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Cape May Dinner and a Lovely Stroll (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42889132&postcount=262)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Morning at Animal Kingdom Part One (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42898235&postcount=271)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Rafiki! Morning at Animal Kingdom, Part Two (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2764450&page=19)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Getting Wet and Wild at the Boneyard...and What I Almost Did in the YC Lobby (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42967484&postcount=301)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Nightmare at the Magic Kingdom (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43019995&postcount=330)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Hollywood Studios! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43235402&postcount=371)
CHAPTER TWENTY: Magical MK Morning (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43543038&postcount=416)
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: Magical MK Morning, Part Two (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43545288&postcount=422)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Day Five -- The Shocking Conclusion (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43554071&postcount=437)

[tinacaplan]

Reserved for TOC, Part Two...yes, I am feeling ambitious tonight!

[dizneeat]

Welcome back, Tina! :hug:
This is the one trip report I definitely don't want to miss!!!!!!!!!!!

[tinacaplan]

Welcome back, Tina! :hug:
This is the one trip report I definitely don't want to miss!!!!!!!!!!!

Awww...thanks, Karin! :hug: You don't have long now, do you? We had a wonderful time and it pains me not to just tell you all about it right now! :rotfl: Max mentioned you and Tom frequently and wondered when we'd see you. :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

Awww...thanks, Karin! :hug: You don't have long now, do you? We had a wonderful time and it pains me not to just tell you all about it right now! :rotfl: Max mentioned you and Tom frequently and wondered when we'd see you. :goodvibes

We're gonna miss you there too! And I so hope we can go in February 2013 too, as I really want to see all of you again! :hug:

BTW, in three weeks from now we will be on our way to the airport! I got the last set of documents yesterday! We are all set to go! :thumbsup2

[annmarieda]

Welcome back!!! I am so glad you started your TR!!!! I can't wait to read all about your adventure. :goodvibes

[MEK]

Welcome Back! Looking forward to your TR, zillions of pictures or not! :rotfl: Funny your DH does not like pictures. The reason I started taking all the pictures was my DH would always take pictures with me in front of him. I got tired of looking at all my a$$ shots!

[glennbo123]

Subbing Tina! :wave:

[disneylovin24]

I love the Beachclub:goodvibes So im going to read along.

[Sherrkel]

Hi Tina,
I've been off the boards for a while, but would love to read you TR. I've been in my post-Disney trip depressed state since February, and with another trip not planned until Feb. 2013 - I really need some DW magic. Looking forward to your report. :goodvibes

[MiaBella05]

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

[BsAngel]

Cant wait to hear more

[bigal'sdaughter]

Totally in!
Cannot wait!

[KatMark]

Sorry I'm late, but didn't realize you had already started. But I am here now and ready to relive your trip with you.

[pinkxray]

I'm in:)

It sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed the BC. I can't wait to hear all about it.

You must be so happy you got back to CT to enjoy the record high heat wave.:sunny:

[tinacaplan]

We're gonna miss you there too! And I so hope we can go in February 2013 too, as I really want to see all of you again! :hug:

BTW, in three weeks from now we will be on our way to the airport! I got the last set of documents yesterday! We are all set to go!

Yay! It won't be long now! :woohoo:

Welcome back!!! I am so glad you started your TR!!!! I can't wait to read all about your adventure. :goodvibes

Thanks, Ann. I'm thankful I have some extra time to get readjusted to life in the real world again before I have to go back to work.

Welcome Back! Looking forward to your TR, zillions of pictures or not! :rotfl: Funny your DH does not like pictures. The reason I started taking all the pictures was my DH would always take pictures with me in front of him. I got tired of looking at all my a$$ shots!

Thanks! I'd like to say its good to be be back, but we all know how that goes. :rotfl: Too funny about the pictures.

Subbing Tina! :wave:

Hi, Glenn!

I love the Beachclub:goodvibes So im going to read along.

:welcome: Hope you enjoy my report!

Hi Tina,
I've been off the boards for a while, but would love to read you TR. I've been in my post-Disney trip depressed state since February, and with another trip not planned until Feb. 2013 - I really need some DW magic. Looking forward to your report. :goodvibes

:welcome: Thanks...I hope I can bring some magic your way. We might be back until 2013, either. :sad2:

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

:welcome:

Cant wait to hear more

:welcome:

Totally in!
Cannot wait!

Thanks!

Sorry I'm late, but didn't realize you had already started. But I am here now and ready to relive your trip with you.

You can't be late if you still made page one, Kathy! :lmao:

I'm in:)

It sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed the BC. I can't wait to hear all about it.

You must be so happy you got back to CT to enjoy the record high heat wave.:sunny:

Thanks, Diane. And call me crazy, but I still think Florida is hotter. The sun down there is BLAZING! Plus, we're out in the heat more down there than we are here. But yes, its been hot here, too.

[tinacaplan]

While many of you may beginning to tire of this information, allow me a few moments to dust it off again for those not so in the know. The travelling party for our trip consisted of me, my husband, and my beautiful (but at times exasperating) four year-old son, Max. Prior to experiencing this trip, I had written out some basic Disney facts on all of us, but this trip changed a lot in our minds (hence the title).

Mark -- Outstanding Husband/Father/ and Wearer of Charlie Sheen’s rejected shirts

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/July%202011/DSCN0288.jpg

Not any where near as emotionally invested in this as I am, but loves a lot of the movies and genuinely enjoys listening to Disney music when we’re out in the car as a family (and sometimes when he’s alone). Totally up for whatever I plan, with a minor modicum of complaining involved. This was his third trip with me. He went once with his family sometime in the primordial haze of the early 1980s and doesn’t remember much about that trip at all. Another fun fact: He’s the same age as Disneyworld, too, so I really liked scoping out all the fortieth anniversary stuff. And wow...it just dawned on me that his 50th birthday bash should be EPIC. Wonder if Disney’s planning something big for that one? :rolleyes1 He loves Star Wars and Beauty and the Beast might be his favorite Disney movie, ever. :rotfl:

Max -- Our four year old son

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/July%202011/035.jpg

Lover all things Disney, yet did not quite seem to “get” the parks when we first visited in February. He adored Coronado Springs, though, and was distraught when he found out we would not be staying there again. Did a week at the Beach Club change his mind? Hmmm...
He, like so many other young boys of his generation, loves Cars, even though he probably won’t quite comprehend the entire plot of Cars 2 for years to come. He began watching Peter Pan with some frequency right before the trip, as well. He also loves the Toy Story movies, the Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. He really gets into Disney music, too.

And me...Tina!
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/July%202011/DSCN0397.jpg

I so wish I had a cute Disboard moniker, but when I first signed up, I thought, for some reason, oh...its like Facebook, you just use your real name! Ha. Thus, my entirely original and clever Disboard username, which is, my actual, you know...name. Um, and yes, I can often be sarcastic and a bit snarky. I’m thirty-five and a teacher/grade level team leader, am super passionate about teaching and education, in general, and will be starting a leadership fellows program in the fall. (Gosh, I am going to desperately need that February break). I did not know how much love I had for Disney until Mark and I went for our anniversary in 2010. I mean, sure...Disney had been a huge part of my childhood. We went as a family twice and they reallly are some of the greatest memories I have of my childhood. My dad had always taken me to theatrical runs of the movies back when Disney still did that. I loved the Pixar movies I’d seen. But we went on a truly disastrous, adults-only trip in 2010 and we’ve been back with Max twice now.

My favorite movies are the Lady and the Tramp, Bambi, the Lion King, and Finding Nemo.

Up next...a bit more background information that I’ve probably shared already in my PTR, but felt like writing about again anyway. :goodvibes

[MAGICFOR2]

subbing - Welcome back!

[MickeyNicki]

I'm here! Late but still made it to page 2...cannot wait to hear all about your trip

Say hi to Mark and Max for us!

[amandaw]

Joining in! Can't wait to hear all about your trip! popcorn::

[tinacaplan]

subbing - Welcome back!

Thanks and :welcome:

I'm here! Late but still made it to page 2...cannot wait to hear all about your trip

Say hi to Mark and Max for us!

Hey, page two isn't really late! :goodvibes I'm just glad you're here.

Joining in! Can't wait to hear all about your trip! popcorn::

:welcome: Thanks!

[tinacaplan]

This July trip should not have happened. How could we afford it? How could we justify it? We had just gone in February, for goodness sakes. Long story short, we figured out that we could afford it , who cares about justifying it to anyone but each other, and I got a sweet deal on plane tickets. Throw in Disney’s deluxe-only discount and we were Beach Club bound, baby!

Quick side note on our resort selection... As I already mentioned, we stayed at Coronado Springs twice and loved pretty much everything about in on both visits. In fact, I had kind of assumed that for the foreseeable future, anyway, moderates would be the level we could comfortably afford and I just loved CSR’s landscaping, as well as its soothing, modern decor, amazing pool, and efficient bus service.

As a point of reference for all of this, you should know that I most want to stay at the Contemporary. I love, love, love mid- twentieth century modern architecture (yes, I covet the Brady Bunch house), of which the Contemporary is a stunning example. Also...the idea that the monorail goes right through the building? Does it get any cooler? I thought only celebrities and the super wealthy stayed there when I was a kid...I fear the same thing now whenever I try and price out a room there. YIKES!

Another important note...I know that some of us out there are reticent to stay at a resort whose theme is modeled on the place we actually live. For example, I could see how someone from say, the actual American southwest, might not love CSR’s theming. I always felt that way about the Beach Club and Yacht Club. I live within short driving distance of the charming seaside resorts the BC/YC are supposedly modeled after. So they never really appealed to me.

That was until I went there for the bestest Dismeet thus far, (to meet Mickeynicki and Diznneat) at Cape May Cafe. I took a look around and though, hey, I could stay here. Its so Disney and over the top, I can stop snickering each and every time I hear the phrase, “quaint seaside resorts of the Eastern seaboard...” Plus, have you heard about the pool there? Yeah, Storm Along Bay is that amazing. But I don’t want to give it all way up front...

When I realized that a deluxe stay was within our reach for this trip, I tried the Contemporary, but all that was left were tower, MK view rooms, which are lovely, but not necessarry for me to stay there and were too pricey, even with the discount. I am that person who would actually not mind staying in a garden wing room (sure I’d secretly hope for a crazy upgrade, but...seriously, I’d love to stay in the garden wing). My next thought was Animal Kingdom Lodge. My husband and I love it there and I think there is something awe-inspiring about that place. We’ve had two great meals at Jiko and have had nothing but wonderful experiences each time we have visited. Even my sometimes obtuse husband looked around there the last time we went and said, “Hey, this place is really cool...we should stay here sometime.” Yes, darling, we should! Enter my exasperating boy...who, despite loving all manner of dogs, is not a huge wild animal fan. Zoos? Not his thing, man. So I got worried about how much he’d get out of staying there at this point in his young life and thought that at four, he’d probably rather play in Storm Along Bay. As you will see later on, I knew, again and again, that I had made the right decision.

Sorry to yammer on about resort choices and such, but I think the resorts are a huge part of what makes Disney trips so magical.

[JolllyHoliday]

usually just a lurker, but joining in to say hi and looking forward to hearing about your trip. I agree with you that the resort is part of the magic of the trip.

[KatMark]

Great intros, Tina, and thanks for the explanation on the resort choice (we are secretly hoping to do two or three nights at the BC in 2013 when we take our big 30th anniversary trip).

[MEK]

Awesome that you were able to get a great BC discount! With your choices of resorts I have one comment - DVC! Then you can stay at all of them!

I love AKL too. It's a wonderful choice. And when I stayed at BLT I thought the garden view rooms at the Contemp looked very cool - especially the ones facing the lake.

Cute picture of your DH and son!

[janabananas]

I usually lurk, but this time I am joining in!! popcorn::

[annmarieda]

oh you are giving me hope!! You know I am one of those people you talked about....not feeling terribly excited to stay at a resort that is themed after a place similar to where we live...yet we are booked to stay in such a place. Course... similar or not... who couldn't fall in love with that pool!!! I cant wait to read more. I so wish we were staying at BC or YC or even BW!! My favorite area.. but the pool pushes BC and YC to the front of the line. :goodvibes

[bigal'sdaughter]

sounds great so far... I really really want to stay at BC/YC in the future... For some reason it just seems like it never works out to stay at Epcot area for me (exception - Dolphin). I can't wait to read more!!

[tinacaplan]

usually just a lurker, but joining in to say hi and looking forward to hearing about your trip. I agree with you that the resort is part of the magic of the trip.

Yay! :welcome: I love it when people come out of lurker-dom, even if just here and there to say hello.

Great intros, Tina, and thanks for the explanation on the resort choice (we are secretly hoping to do two or three nights at the BC in 2013 when we take our big 30th anniversary trip).

Thank you, Kathy. The Beach Club is beautiful and the Yacht Club was, too.
That whole area, really, is just a fantastic place to stay.

Awesome that you were able to get a great BC discount! With your choices of resorts I have one comment - DVC! Then you can stay at all of them!

I love AKL too. It's a wonderful choice. And when I stayed at BLT I thought the garden view rooms at the Contemp looked very cool - especially the ones facing the lake.

Cute picture of your DH and son!

Yeah, I certainly thought the discount was awesome. Loved the fact that it was only for the deluxes; the only way I could rationalize that kind of money. :lmao: And I'd love to buy DVC...someday.

I usually lurk, but this time I am joining in!! popcorn::

:welcome: I love new readers!

oh you are giving me hope!! You know I am one of those people you talked about....not feeling terribly excited to stay at a resort that is themed after a place similar to where we live...yet we are booked to stay in such a place. Course... similar or not... who couldn't fall in love with that pool!!! I cant wait to read more. I so wish we were staying at BC or YC or even BW!! My favorite area.. but the pool pushes BC and YC to the front of the line. :goodvibes

Storm along Bay was incredible and the Boardwalk area is beautiful, but I would have loved to have been closer to the Magic Kingdom, for reasons which should be pretty clear by the end of this TR! :goodvibes I think you'll like WL; you have boat access to MK and it will be gorgeous all done up for Christmas. :goodvibes

sounds great so far... I really really want to stay at BC/YC in the future... For some reason it just seems like it never works out to stay at Epcot area for me (exception - Dolphin). I can't wait to read more!!

Staying so close to EPCOT was fantastic. We went a lot in the evenings. I think it would be particularly cool for people with older kids and/or adult-only trips. Its a bit tough right now because Max is still too short for Soarin' and Test Track and there isn't a ton at EPCOT for the pre-school set, although we certainly had some wonderful times there on this trip. Still my personal favorite park. I could definitely see staying at the Dolphin or the Swan at some point; my husband and I are both teachers and their teacher rates (and their AAA rates, for that matter) can be excellent. It would be a great way to stay in that area again, for sure.

[tinacaplan]

I thought it would be fun to compare what we actually ended up doing on this trip with what I had planned on us doing on this trip, as I know we were pretty far afield from what I had originally intended.

Our Itininerary Called for the Following:

Thursday -- July 14 -- Arrival Day
Check - in
Storm Along Bay
Dinner at Via Napoli
Illuminations

Friday -- July 15
8:20 ADR at CP
Conquer Fantasyland
Storm Along Bay
Naptime
Dinner at Cape May

Saturday -- July 16
8:00 ADR at Tusker House
Tour AK -- Safari, Rafiki, Kali River Rapids, FOLK, the Boneyard
Storm Along Bay
Naptime
Wishes! Dessert Party

Sunday -- July 17
Rope drop at DHS
Writer’s Stop for breakfast
Back at SAB for lunch
Dinner at Nine Dragons
Solo EMHs for me at MK

Monday -- July 18
Rope Drop at EPCOT
SAB
Naps
Dinner at 50’s PTC
Mark solo EMHs at DHS


Tuesday - July 19
Resort Day -- nothing scheduled

Wednesday July 20
DHS

Thursday -- July 21 -- Departure Day
MK
Lunch at the Plaza


And a note about the TR title...

So, obviously going to Disney in July as opposed to February is different for a lot of reasons. It was something I thought about quite often when we were there. But what amazed me, time and again, were all the differences in Max. I don’t want to give it all away, as all will be revealed in good time, but when we went in February, Max was just starting to be toilet trained (and ended up in pull-ups almost the whole trip), was still struggling to drink of out of a regular cup, was still sleeping in a pack and play. This trip he had conquered all of those things and travelling with him was infinitely easier because of it. He’s also getting close to outgrowing his stroller and I can see the day when we will be going to Disney sans stroller. Ah...yes...my baby is growing up!

[tinacaplan]

First of all, we took Max to see Winnie the Pooh today. It was great. We loved it and Max laughed so hard, particularly anytime Tigger was on the screen. And while its brevity might annoy some people (after all, you're paying full price for a movie that's sixty three minutes long), it was perfect for a four year old. :goodvibes

Second...I actually go back to school (I hardly ever refer to it as work, which I suppose is a good thing). :scared1: YIKES! Where'd the time go? Back at the end of June, five weeks felt like it was going to be long time and, as it turns out, it's not. :sad2: I wouldn't mind not going back for another week or two. Oh, well. We have the next three weeks for meetings and planning time and then the kiddos are back mid-August and it will all start up again. I teach at a charter school and its nothing like working at a traditional public school (which I did for eight years prior and that was tough for many reasons, too). Its rewarding and amazing in so many ways, but we have a significantly longer school day (by almost three hours!), a longer school year, and I've taken on leadership responsibilities, as well. Its the type of job that can quickly become all-consuming and I'm still trying to figure out how to balance a job that demands so much time and energy with my life outside, my family, first and foremost. I'm also one of the oldest members of the staff (at 35 :rolleyes1 crazy!) and only a few of us are parents, or even married, so there aren't a lot of people to look to for guidance on this.

Thankfully, the Dis provides me with a wonderful diversion/escape when I need it! :thumbsup2

[Moira222]

Sorry I missed your send off...can't wait to read how your trip went, from the title sounds like it was good!!:goodvibes

[KatMark]

That is great about Max and the stroller, the pull-ups and the pack and play. It sure makes life a lot easier.

[tinacaplan]

Sorry I missed your send off...can't wait to read how your trip went, from the title sounds like it was good!!:goodvibes

Don't worry! I have quite a bit of catching up to do around here myself! :goodvibes And it did go well, but like everything, it had its ups and downs.

That is great about Max and the stroller, the pull-ups and the pack and play. It sure makes life a lot easier.

Yes, it does. Its great to be leaving all of the baby stuff behind and watching him become a little kid. :thumbsup2

[natebenma]

I wormed my way into your PP pictures. I figure I might as well join you on your trip, too!

Subscribing!

:)

Dee

[MAGICFOR2]

I was just reading your notes on choosing resorts. It's funny, I thought the same thing. Being from the Pacific NW, I didn't think I'd want to stay at VWL, until we went over to eat at WCC and walked around a little. Now it's on our "must stay" list. What I loved - it felt like a quiet piece of "home" in the middle of the chaos! :rotfl:

[eandesmom]

Oh, and I also think its fair to mention, that unlike some of my Disboard peers, I don’t take a trillion pictures

Hey! I resemble that remark!

:rotfl:

I can't wait to read more :goodvibes And to see Winnie the Pooh (hoping it's on the cruise)

[kansasdisneygal]

Very excited to read your trip report. I lurked on your CSR trip mostly because I saw that you went during february, which is when I will be going this February of 2012! I've just started doing the DIS thing and quickly becoming addicted!! I am an avid planner like you seem to be--Yes, I make spreadsheets --thus, I am enjoying reading your more experienced details as this Feb. 2012 will be only my second time. I always go with my best friend, since I'm not married, don't have kids, and recently graduated college--but, we have a blast!!!

[annmarieda]

I was just reading your notes on choosing resorts. It's funny, I thought the same thing. Being from the Pacific NW, I didn't think I'd want to stay at VWL, until we went over to eat at WCC and walked around a little. Now it's on our "must stay" list. What I loved - it felt like a quiet piece of "home" in the middle of the chaos! :rotfl:

I for one am happy to read this!


See Tina... your TR is putting my mind at ease more an more. :goodvibes

[shan23877]

Hi! Lurker subscribing! I have a four y/o girl, so I'm really interested to see what your little man thought of everything.

[GrammyJudy]

Looking forward to reading your TR as I read and enjoyed your last one and all your planning for this trip.

Have you checked out JetBlue out of BDL for Feb...they are great, nonstop, free bag and snacks, TV screen on each seat and you can reserve your seat when you book for free.

[PirateKate]

It sounds like Max was at a much easier age this trip. I can't wait to hear how everything went! :goodvibes

[tinacaplan]

I wormed my way into your PP pictures. I figure I might as well join you on your trip, too!

Subscribing!

:)

Dee

Thanks, Dee! Glad to have you here! :goodvibes

I was just reading your notes on choosing resorts. It's funny, I thought the same thing. Being from the Pacific NW, I didn't think I'd want to stay at VWL, until we went over to eat at WCC and walked around a little. Now it's on our "must stay" list. What I loved - it felt like a quiet piece of "home" in the middle of the chaos! :rotfl:

Thank you. And I bet it does seem quiet and a little cozy. :thumbsup2

Hey! I resemble that remark!

:rotfl:

I can't wait to read more :goodvibes And to see Winnie the Pooh (hoping it's on the cruise)

:rotfl: At first I was, like, Cynthia...Winnie...cruise...what the heck is she talking about? Then I put it all together. It would be great to see on your upcoming cruise (which I can't wait to hear all about; that's one that's definitely on our someday list, Mark really wants to see Alaska). The movie is pretty short, though.

Very excited to read your trip report. I lurked on your CSR trip mostly because I saw that you went during february, which is when I will be going this February of 2012! I've just started doing the DIS thing and quickly becoming addicted!! I am an avid planner like you seem to be--Yes, I make spreadsheets --thus, I am enjoying reading your more experienced details as this Feb. 2012 will be only my second time. I always go with my best friend, since I'm not married, don't have kids, and recently graduated college--but, we have a blast!!!

Yay! :welcome: I love when people stop for a second and introduce themselves. I know it all can seem a little bit overwhelming at times and I often find myself just wanting to read and not comment.. :goodvibes I have to say that I'm totally jealous of your freedom to travel. Not that Disneyworld is the ultimate destination with kids, because it is, but there were times when I would have given almost anything to be on my own, with a good friend. :goodvibes

I for one am happy to read this!


See Tina... your TR is putting my mind at ease more an more. :goodvibes

:hug: Its the least I could do!

Hi! Lurker subscribing! I have a four y/o girl, so I'm really interested to see what your little man thought of everything.

Thanks for coming out and saying hello! :welcome: I really need to do an update... hopefully, over the weekend. It was a great trip in many ways, but frustrating in others. :goodvibes

Looking forward to reading your TR as I read and enjoyed your last one and all your planning for this trip.

Have you checked out JetBlue out of BDL for Feb...they are great, nonstop, free bag and snacks, TV screen on each seat and you can reserve your seat when you book for free.

Thank you! I've looked at JetBlue and, oddly, they're always much more expensive than Southwest. I tend to look at both airlines and compare.

It sounds like Max was at a much easier age this trip. I can't wait to hear how everything went! :goodvibes

Hi! He was...and he wasn't! :rotfl: Certain things went really well and I could see this incredible change, while he was still very much a pre-schooler at other points in the trip. But, definitely, leaving all the baby baggage at home this time was AWESOME. :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

Despite any fears on my part, we did not miss our wake-up time. Mark and I leapt out of bed at three thirty and the three of us were in the car within fifteen minutes; an all-time record.

Here’s Max, in the car. I had to post this picture not because its particularly good, but its so funny! I know he was just super excited, but he looks just a little bit crazy in this picture. Oh, and fear not, I'm not about to win the Britney Spears Bad Mom of the Year (dis)Honor, he was securely fastened into his carseat before the car began to move.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0440.jpg

Driving in the car, I tried to take a picture through the windshield. Didn’t quite work out as well as I might have liked...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0442.jpg


The drive to the airport took about forty minutes and we parked and took a shuttle to the near-by air port.
Max had no trouble charming the entire shuttle-full of people, as he gleefully announced, “We’re going to Disneyworld!” He rambled on about what we would be doing and told everyone that we were staying at the Beach Club.
Because our airport is relatively small, check-in and security were a breeze. I had originally planned on just stopping at Dunkin Donuts for a quick breakfast, but as soon as Max saw the golden arches, or Mic and Donalds as he calls it, he wanted to stop. Apparently he recalled the positively delicious pancakes he had there in February, as that was the last time he had breakfast at a McDonald’s. I also ordered a hashbrown and a sausage biscuisit, reasoning I’d be better off with something in my stomach. I had a bite of sausage and maybe half a hashbrown, before handing it all over to Mark. Yuck.
I didn’t take any pictures of our delicious breakfast because Max was having his first mini-meltdown of the day. First, when I suggested we go to DD instead of McDonalds, he freaked out. Then, he grew rather impatient with the giant line I had to wait in to get him his pancakes. Oh well.

Here’s Max pushing his own stroller, something else he did a fair amount of on this trip. He’s going right past these cool wall displays that move when you touch them, but it was SO EARLY they actually weren’t turned on yet!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0445.jpg

We walked down to the gate and sat for awhile. This time I remembered to chew the Bromine and swallow the Dramamine, rather than chew that, too. Last time, when I chewed the Dramamine, my whole mouth went numb for a few minutes. Scary! The planes occupied Max for a while, but he lamented the lack of a potential playmate, as he had made a fast friend at the airport in February.
Our plane was barely more than half full, so there was no problem with the three of us sitting together. Mark chose the very first set of seats, not realizing this meant sacrificing tray tables. We all slept for awhile and I slept even longer, the Dramamine knocking me out. Max was OK for the most part, but began to get restless during the last hour. We brought my laptop so that he could watch a movie, if necessary, but didn’t think about the headphones we had brought. We brought our usual ear buds, which are much too large for little four year-old years. Oops. We put in Peter Pan, per Max’s request, but the ear bud situation soon frustrated him a bit too much, and he chose to watch nothing and played with a Cars sticker book he had received as a gift for his birthday.

[MAGICFOR2]

I for one am happy to read this!


See Tina... your TR is putting my mind at ease more an more. :goodvibes

Glad I could help! :goodvibes


:rotfl: At first I was, like, Cynthia...Winnie...cruise...what the heck is she talking about? Then I put it all together. It would be great to see on your upcoming cruise (which I can't wait to hear all about; that's one that's definitely on our someday list, Mark really wants to see Alaska). The movie is pretty short, though.

I was thinking the same thing - Pooh on the cruise? :confused3 Then I got it!:hippie:

[MAGICFOR2]

I see you're off to a bright-eyed, bushy tailed start! Too bad about the ear buds, but it sounds like Max handled it just fine. He is a cutie, BTW.

[dizneeat]

Yeah! You are on your way to WDW! :woohoo: (just only in your trip report, but at least we can all relive the adventure. ;))

Isn't going to WDW the best incentive to get up at 3.30am? :lmao:

Love the photos of the sweet little Max! I will miss my little friend in a few weeks (and his mom and dad too ;)).

Sorry about the earplugs but you can see Max is a big boy now, he played with his Cars book instead.

Can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2



On a side note? Are you going back to school next week? :scared1: I cannot believe how FAST time has flown by!

[kansasdisneygal]

Yes, I am trying to take advantage of flexibility of my schedule while it lasts! My best friend, Sam, that I mentioned before and I are both teachers---teachers without jobs! :confused3 --so over this next year we are substituting, which allows for the flexibility!

When do you find that the best rates for airfare are usually available?? Any pattern you have noticed on when prices drop??

I love that you included the crazy picture of Max!! Gave me a good laugh to see how excited he was!! :goodvibes

[MEK]

Finally on your way!!!!! :woohoo::woohoo: Poor Max. He was probably cranky from getting up so early. I hope he enjoyed his McD's pancakes. They actually are quite good.

Looking forward to more!

[KatMark]

I knew you wouldn't sleep through the alarm.

McD's or DD's? Actually, I'd choose neither one. I can't stand the smell in DD...I try to hold my breath whenever I go in there to get Mark's coffee) and McD's is just too greasy and their coffee is not very good.

Max was probably just tired and excited and wanted to get the show on the road.

[eandesmom]

:rotfl: At first I was, like, Cynthia...Winnie...cruise...what the heck is she talking about? Then I put it all together. It would be great to see on your upcoming cruise (which I can't wait to hear all about; that's one that's definitely on our someday list, Mark really wants to see Alaska). The movie is pretty short, though.


Actually I was talking about your bazillion pictures comment :rotfl:

3:30????? UGH. I just can't do that anymore, I wouldn't have even been able to sleep at all.

[annmarieda]

Great start!! I can't believe how early you got up.

[natebenma]

Yay, you are on your way!

Small airports are great, aren't they! I love when we can fly out of Manchester NH instead of Logan.

Sorry to hear about the breakfast meltdown. That actually sounds like a yummy breakfast selection- the meltdown. Travel days are hard. I hope the excitement of the day helps to improve everyone's moods.

[Sherrkel]

I'm impressed you were up and out the door in 15 minutes - WOW!
I still can't decide when the best time is to fly for vacation: early in the morning, or later in the afternoon. With morning flights; I never sleep for fear I won't wake up in time. For the afternoon flights; I still seem to get up early, then it just seems to take forever until we leave for the airport! :confused3

[tinacaplan]

I see you're off to a bright-eyed, bushy tailed start! Too bad about the ear buds, but it sounds like Max handled it just fine. He is a cutie, BTW.

Thanks...we think he's pretty adorable!

Yeah! You are on your way to WDW! :woohoo: (just only in your trip report, but at least we can all relive the adventure. ;))

Isn't going to WDW the best incentive to get up at 3.30am? :lmao:

Love the photos of the sweet little Max! I will miss my little friend in a few weeks (and his mom and dad too ;)).

Sorry about the earplugs but you can see Max is a big boy now, he played with his Cars book instead.

Can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2



On a side note? Are you going back to school next week? :scared1: I cannot believe how FAST time has flown by!

Yup...I'm back full-time on Monday. YIKES! Just in time for the month when I wish I had been able to go on vacation. Traditionally, we'd always gone away in August. Oh...well.

I wish Max had acted a bit more grown-up at some other points during the trip... :rolleyes1

Yes, I am trying to take advantage of flexibility of my schedule while it lasts! My best friend, Sam, that I mentioned before and I are both teachers---teachers without jobs! :confused3 --so over this next year we are substituting, which allows for the flexibility!

When do you find that the best rates for airfare are usually available?? Any pattern you have noticed on when prices drop??

I love that you included the crazy picture of Max!! Gave me a good laugh to see how excited he was!! :goodvibes

Oooh...sorry you haven't found jobs yet. The job market in general is tough, but its been really tough for new teachers. Although, flexibility is always a good thing. :thumbsup2 I subbed for a year while getting my master's and I really enjoyed it.

I have no idea about when/how to find the best airfare. I booked about four months out for this trip and was able to use Southwest's low fare calendar, because it was the summer, and I could travel any day of the week, so that helped. I do know that if you see a fare you think is reasonable, jump on it!

Finally on your way!!!!! :woohoo::woohoo: Poor Max. He was probably cranky from getting up so early. I hope he enjoyed his McD's pancakes. They actually are quite good.

Looking forward to more!

Yes, he did. And you're right...they're not that bad! :rotfl:

Actually I was talking about your bazillion pictures comment :rotfl:

3:30????? UGH. I just can't do that anymore, I wouldn't have even been able to sleep at all.

:rotfl2: Got it! As for 3:30, we just went to sleep very early. I believe I was asleep before everyone else that night. :rotfl: I get very sleepy around seven-ish, usually, and I can either go to sleep for the night or wait and get my second wind and be up all night.

Yay, you are on your way!

Small airports are great, aren't they! I love when we can fly out of Manchester NH instead of Logan.

Sorry to hear about the breakfast meltdown. That actually sounds like a yummy breakfast selection- the meltdown. Travel days are hard. I hope the excitement of the day helps to improve everyone's moods.

Yes, small airports are the best.

And you're right the meltdown DOES sound like some sort of delish breakfast concoction. Maybe that's an idea you should run with? :rotfl:

I'm impressed you were up and out the door in 15 minutes - WOW!
I still can't decide when the best time is to fly for vacation: early in the morning, or later in the afternoon. With morning flights; I never sleep for fear I won't wake up in time. For the afternoon flights; I still seem to get up early, then it just seems to take forever until we leave for the airport! :confused3

We can be super quick, when need be. But we had everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, set the night before so there was very little to do once we rolled out of bed, save for throwing some (pre-arranged) clothes on. :rotfl:

How long is your flight to MCO? We're under three hours, so going early makes a ton of sense; we get a full day in Florida (more or less) that way.

[MickeyNicki]

When we drive up to WDW in the early am Todd has to get both...Dunkin Donuts coffee and a donut and breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds...I just get an ice tea and stare in horror as he woofs down 1500 calories :lmao:

[tinacaplan]

When we drive up to WDW in the early am Todd has to get both...Dunkin Donuts coffee and a donut and breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds...I just get an ice tea and stare in horror as he woofs down 1500 calories :lmao:


:scared1: :rotfl2: Wow! That's a lot...but its gotta be fun watching him.

[tinacaplan]

[COLOR="Navy"]Before we knew it, we were descending and I laid my eyes on my first palm trees. One of the first things to greet us after our ride on the mini-monorail was a Starbucks, where we smartly stopped for some caffeinated fortification, possibly the last good coffee we’d drink for a week. I spied an electronics kiosk next store, where I bought “headphones for kids.” Yay!
We quickly made our way to a practically empty Magical Express queue and were swept onto a DME bus.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0459.jpg

It was a real Mickey bus!

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http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0463.jpg


It amazes me the way the video starts at just the right point to conclude just as you enter Disney property. And I have to admit that the new video, which starts out with footage of real families telling their kids they’re going to Disneyworld, chokes me up just a bit. OK, it chokes me up a LOT.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0462.jpg

We were seated toward the back of the bus, so I knew that with my limited camera skills, there would be no momentous shot of the sign. Sigh. I was right:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0469.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0482.jpg

While we were on the bus, Max wanted to know who else would be joining us this week.
“Who’s meeting us here? Is Grammy meeting us here? What about Meghan? Is she?”
“No Max, I think Meghan has to work… “
“But she’s my girlfriend!” Ha. Meghan and I taught together for a year before she moved to NYC to become a big-time PR whiz. OK, she’s not that big time, but still... She’s young and lovely and Max just adores her. When we visited her earlier this summer, Max decided that Meghan was his “girlfriend,” and he refers to as such quite often. Its so super cute!

Unlike our previous trips to CSR, the Beach Club was the last stop on the loop, but I did take some pictures of both the Caribbean and Pop, neither of which I’d ever seen before. Pop really does look cool, with the over-the-top themeing, but I couldn’t wait to get to our new home for the week.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0486.jpg[/B]gia"][B][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Navy"]

[MAGICFOR2]

Nice you could stop for that last cup of "real" coffee!:goodvibes

Yay for being "almost home.":yay:

[dizneeat]

Yeah, almost home!!!!!!!!!!!! ............ at the Beach Club, that is!

Can't wait to hear where your room was located. My friend Mary Ellen loves the BC too and she has had a few amazing room locations!

Sorry you go back to school on Monday. :scared1: Your vacation was over far too quickly!

[annmarieda]

Great idea getting the starbucks. I think I will put that on my to do list. Oh.. well, we will be getting in fairly late. Maybe it would not be such a good idea. It is still good advice though since coffee... good coffee can be hard to come by.

[natebenma]

Almost there! I can hardly wait!!!

I can't believe how early school is starting for you.

We don't start until after Labor Day (but then again, our last day of school was June 24 this year)

[Sherrkel]

How long is your flight to MCO? We're under three hours, so going early makes a ton of sense; we get a full day in Florida (more or less) that way.

Our flight is a little over three hours; we've flown from Manchester and Boston; I definitely like Manchester (Southwest) :thumbsup2 , the airport is easy to navigate. When we fly in the evening; we like waking up to a full first day ahead at the parks.

[glennbo123]

No matter where you stay...."your" stop always seems to be the "last" stop. :laughing: You're almost there!

[KatMark]

Glad you found REAL coffee when you got to the airport! :laughing:

Happy you found Max earphones and that you are almost at your destination.

[MEK]

What a cute picture of you and Max on the bus!

Almost there now! :woohoo:

[eandesmom]

Stopping at that Starbucks has become a requirement for me! You are almost there!!!!!!!!!!

[brookelizabeth]

I am finally here! I'm soooooo thrilled that the Beach Club was a hit! I can't wait to hear all about it!!!! :yay:

And I so know the McD's/DD meltdown. Henry is the SAME way. For some reason the kid thinks McD's is the most fabulous food on Earth. :laughing:

[tinacaplan]

I feel like I'm way behind on my own thread! :lmao: How embarrassing. But I'm back at work and the beginning of the new year always means that I'm super busy. Maybe I can get an update done tonight?

Nice you could stop for that last cup of "real" coffee!:goodvibes

Yay for being "almost home.":yay:

Tip I picked up from Cynthia! In my haste to always get to DME, I think I've just run through MCO and not noticed that Starbucks is there.

Yeah, almost home!!!!!!!!!!!! ............ at the Beach Club, that is!

Can't wait to hear where your room was located. My friend Mary Ellen loves the BC too and she has had a few amazing room locations!

Sorry you go back to school on Monday. :scared1: Your vacation was over far too quickly!

:thumbsup2 Oh...our room location... that's a whole story unto itself. :rotfl:

Great idea getting the starbucks. I think I will put that on my to do list. Oh.. well, we will be getting in fairly late. Maybe it would not be such a good idea. It is still good advice though since coffee... good coffee can be hard to come by.

Yes, it can. Unfortunately. Don't understand why...but that's how it is

Almost there! I can hardly wait!!!

I can't believe how early school is starting for you.

We don't start until after Labor Day (but then again, our last day of school was June 24 this year)

I teach at a charter school. Regular schools around here don't start until very late August/beginning of September.

Our flight is a little over three hours; we've flown from Manchester and Boston; I definitely like Manchester (Southwest) :thumbsup2 , the airport is easy to navigate. When we fly in the evening; we like waking up to a full first day ahead at the parks.

I love that we can catch that flight out of Hartford and be in Orlando by nine a.m.

No matter where you stay...."your" stop always seems to be the "last" stop. :laughing: You're almost there!

:rotfl: So true.

Glad you found REAL coffee when you got to the airport! :laughing:

Happy you found Max earphones and that you are almost at your destination.

Gotta get that last run into Starbucks! :lmao:

What a cute picture of you and Max on the bus!

Almost there now! :woohoo:

Thanks...I thought so.

Stopping at that Starbucks has become a requirement for me! You are almost there!!!!!!!!!!

Yep...got that move from you Cynthia.

I am finally here! I'm soooooo thrilled that the Beach Club was a hit! I can't wait to hear all about it!!!! :yay:

And I so know the McD's/DD meltdown. Henry is the SAME way. For some reason the kid thinks McD's is the most fabulous food on Earth. :laughing:
We loved it! It is an amazing place.

Max went through a phase where he loved McDonald's, but apart from the incident in the airport, he never asks for it anymore. He doesn't like french fries, if you can believe that! :confused3

[tinacaplan]

And finally...we pulled into the Beach Club! My first glimpse of the Beach Club:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0506.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0508.jpg

I apologize for sharing such blurry photos...but they are all I have.

Before we are off the bus, Mark turns around and oh-so-nonchalantly says, “Hey, there’s the ball.” And I turned and sure enough...there it was! Spaceship Earth, symbol of all that is EPCOT, visible from my resort. Really? Yes, really!

The excitement was building as we made our way off the bus. Excuse me, the motorcoach. As a frequent guest on Disney transportation, I swear, I can hear that announcement in my head so clearly right now and it brings me right back and makes me yearn to be at Disneyworld for some reason I don’t even understand.



Check-in:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0521.jpg

We were quickly greeted by a friendly CM who escorted us into the lobby and over to check-in. We were warmly welcomed by numerous CMs and the CM at check-in was also wonderful. In fact, the first thing she said to me was, “You’re here celebrating your anniversary and your son’s birthday?” and handed over our pins. Next thing I know, she’s handing me my folder and KTW cards and mentions nothing about contacting me when our room would be ready. It was around eleven at that point, so I had no hope that our room was ready.

“Um...is our room ready now?” I asked, tentatively, as I did not want to come across as demanding or expecting something that I had no rightful reason to expect.

She smiled sweetly and said, “Yes, it is!” Hallejulah!

So far, we were off to a fabulous start! Would there be more pixie dust when we got into our room...or just dust?

[amandaw]

I just love it when the room is ready so much earlier than you expect it to be! :yay:

Can't wait to hear more about Beach Club.

[Missyrose]

[FONT="Georgia"][B][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Navy"]
While we were on the bus, Max wanted to know who else would be joining us this week.
“Who’s meeting us here? Is Grammy meeting us here? What about Meghan? Is she?”
“No Max, I think Meghan has to work… “
“But she’s my girlfriend!”

Joining in! Max is too cute! Can't wait to hear all about your De-luxe stay :cool1:

[annmarieda]

aHHHHH I want more. Great update. I can't wait to hear all about your room. How cool to have it ready right when you got there. :thumbsup2

[MAGICFOR2]

:cheer2: for Pixie Dust right away!!!:yay::yay::yay::yay::yay:

[natebenma]

Beautiful description of your arrival at the Beach Club! I'm excited! Glad to hear your room was ready. I think.

[brookelizabeth]

Max went through a phase where he loved McDonald's, but apart from the incident in the airport, he never asks for it anymore. He doesn't like french fries, if you can believe that! :confused3

I can, because Henry isn't a big fan of them either! He'll eat maybe 2. He prefers the apples. :yay:

What a perfect arrival at the Beach Club! A glance of Epcot, and a room that is ready....:wizard:

[tinacaplan]

I just love it when the room is ready so much earlier than you expect it to be! :yay:

Can't wait to hear more about Beach Club.

Thanks! It was pretty cool!

Joining in! Max is too cute! Can't wait to hear all about your De-luxe stay :cool1:

:welcome: I think Max is pretty cute, too!

aHHHHH I want more. Great update. I can't wait to hear all about your room. How cool to have it ready right when you got there. :thumbsup2

It was fantastic!

:cheer2: for Pixie Dust right away!!!:yay::yay::yay::yay::yay:

Yup!

Beautiful description of your arrival at the Beach Club! I'm excited! Glad to hear your room was ready. I think.

It was ready right away. I was shocked.

I can, because Henry isn't a big fan of them either! He'll eat maybe 2. He prefers the apples. :yay:

What a perfect arrival at the Beach Club! A glance of Epcot, and a room that is ready....:wizard:

I know...it was perfect! And Max is just like Henry with the apples. :rotfl:

[tinacaplan]

Feeling fine, the three of us set out to find our room, which was on the fourth floor, in the last hall of rooms in the building, as you walk towards EPCOT. I was thrilled to walk in and discover a beautiful room, with the obligatory Mickey head towel on the bed, something I’d not seen before.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0522.jpg

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My one request had been for a full balcony and, YAY..we got one!

But wait...there’s a man on our balcony! Uh-oh. A very nice man, doing some sort of construction work. Max made fast friends with him, too. We asked about what was going on and the very nice man said he’d be done by four. Um. OK. At the time, we didn’t think much of it. Our luggage wasn’t there yet, so the only thing to do was get our suits out of our carry-on and head to Storm Along Bay and Max’s much anticipated pirate ship.

Our first stop was for a little lunch at Hurricane Hanna’s. I bought a refillable mug, which I made great use of on this trip. Mark and I split a wrap and fries and Max had a hot dog. It was good, for what it was, the wrap was light and crisp and flavorful. Perfect for such a hot day.

At first, I have to admit, the pool seemed a bit overwhelming. I mean, its huge! And there are places you have to walk out to get to other sections of the pool and a lot of it is hidden from clear view. I will say, though, that it wasn’t super crowded at all.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0531.jpg


Max took one look at the sandbar and was enthralled, so that’s where we headed.

Now, I should stop for a moment to say that one of the more amazing things that had happened in the six months since we were last at Disney, was that Max has learned to swim. OK..that’s taking it too far, but he’s learned to not be terrified of water, that his little life vest thing will actually keep him afloat, and now swims like a little tadpole, all on his own! The first time he swam on his own this summer was a truly momentous occasion for me. I swam competitively for several years as a kid (don’t get too excited...I wasn’t great at it, but it was mine for awhile), and have always felt like water was my true natural habitat. Until this summer, Max seemed to be indifferent to the whole swimming/beach/pool thing at best, downright terrified at worst. This was breaking my little beach bum heart! So, when he began swimming on his own...well, I’ve had fewer moments thus far when I’ve been more proud of him!

The sand bar area was really cool. Max enjoyed digging and playing in the sand, trying to build sand castles with sand that was far too wet for such applications. Mark and I enjoyed lolling about in the two feet of water. At some point, I snuck off to do a little exploring and found myself floating along the lazy river, which I loved. I felt completely relaxed and peaceful. It was my first moment of, yeah, we’re REALLY on vacation.

I also set out to locate the kidding slide, which is actually the back of the entrance to the big slide and across the main walkway from the rest of the pool. A bit odd, but nothing that was too big of a problem. I returned to the sand and grabbed Max to go and check out the pirate ship, the very ship I had been telling him for weeks would he HIS VERY OWN. He was rather impressed with the whole thing and, much to my pleasant suprise, went straight for the kiddie slide. And then he did it again...and again...and again. It was truly magical to be in a pool that was more or less sticking out into that lake, the view of the Boardwalk and the lighthouse so close, while my son was having the time of his life on the slide.

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But, alas, after two hours it was time to get out of the Florida sun and head back to our room. Of course, with Max so excited about the slide and showing no signs of fatigue, this involved a small bribe in the form of the very first Mickey bar of the trip! Which his dear mother promptly proceeded to open incorrectly and dump on the ground at Hurricane Hanna’s. Another super friendly CM was right there, though, to not only take care of the mess, but get Max another one, right away.
But there was more pixie dust in store for all of us!

[KatMark]

I am so glad that Max enjoyed the sand, pirate ship and the slide at SAB. :thumbsup2

[amandaw]

Sounds like y'all were off to a great start! That pirate ship looks like so much fun!

[dixie lolly]

Loving your TR so far!!! :goodvibes The Beach Club is amazing, we stayed there our last trip to the World for 10 days and had a blast!!:yay: Being so close to EPCOT is the best! :thumbsup2 Cant wait to hear more !!! !

[annmarieda]

I love, love LOVE your room! I stayed at YC once and we never ate there at all. Hurricane Hannah's was closed and well Yachtsmen.. :sad2: I think that is the ONLY downside I saw to staying there (the lack of food choices that trip)

Glad to hear Max enjoyed himself and :thumbsup2 for being such a brave guy with the slide.

[natebenma]

Glad to hear your room was ready so you could unload and then get immediately ready for a dip in the pool. Sounds like between the sand area and the small kiddie slide, Max was having a great time. Where there many/any others using the small slide?

I didn't even know it was there until after my last visit and posters on the FAQ thread talked about it.

I'm glad you got to explore a bit of the pool, too!

[Moira222]

Oh you are making me really really want to stay there! but I am popcorn:: waiting to hear about the man on the balcony. Sounds like there's a story coming!

So cool that Max has discovered the water. I love that too!

[glennbo123]

:yay: for Max learning to swim! I'm glad he enjoyed Stormalong Bay...I'm eager to try it out myself someday, although I'll probably skip the kiddie slide. :laughing:

Looking forward to hearing what the "more pixie dust" is all about.

[Missyrose]

Of course, with Max so excited about the slide and showing no signs of fatigue, this involved a small bribe in the form of the very first Mickey bar of the trip! Which his dear mother promptly proceeded to open incorrectly and dump on the ground at Hurricane Hanna’s. Another super friendly CM was right there, though, to not only take care of the mess, but get Max another one, right away.
But there was more pixie dust in store for all of us!

Gotta love that Disney service! Can't wait to hear about the other Pixie Dust pixiedust:

[MEK]

Beautiful rooms. I hope they redo the villas in a similar theme. So pretty and relaxing.

So glad that Max had a wonderful time at SAB. sounds like you all had a blast.

Please tell me the construction worker was gone when you got back to your room.

[eandesmom]

Tip I picked up from Cynthia! In my haste to always get to DME, I think I've just run through MCO and not noticed that Starbucks is there.
Yep...got that move from you Cynthia.


Well I'm glad to have contributed!


But wait...there’s a man on our balcony! Uh-oh. A very nice man, doing some sort of construction work. Max made fast friends with him, too. We asked about what was going on and the very nice man said he’d be done by four. Um. OK. At the time, we didn’t think much of it. Our luggage wasn’t there yet, so the only thing to do was get our suits out of our carry-on and head to Storm Along Bay and Max’s much anticipated pirate ship


Oh dear. Oh dear dear dear. Foreshadowing....

At first, I have to admit, the pool seemed a bit overwhelming. I mean, its huge! And there are places you have to walk out to get to other sections of the pool and a lot of it is hidden from clear view. I will say, though, that it wasn’t super crowded at all.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0532.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0536-1.jpg


It IS over whelming! How cool are those pics of the kiddie slide, I never even saw that area. And I've been there twice now. That's just how huge it is! Very cool in the mickey bar replacement.

[MAGICFOR2]

Good for Max - becoming a little fishie!!! :banana: I'm so glad he enjoyed swimming and the water so much. That pirate ship and the slide always look like so much fun - and I love the sand beach there! I'm hoping we can get the BCV on our next stay with the grandkids!:banana:

[pinkxray]

Your room at BC looks beautiful and very relaxing. The guy on the balcony doesn't sound good though. Why would they tell you your room is ready with someone working on it?:confused3

:banana:Yay for Max finally loving the water. It must have made your trip so much more enjoyable.

[LoriH91]

Ok, subbing!! And now I can't wait to hear about the man on the balcony. :rotfl: Our littlest one is 4 now, so I love hearing about how kids his age handle Disney!!

[PirateKate]

I love that picture of Max in his car seat, ready to go. He looks crazy excited. :goodvibes Carter has that Mickey shirt, too. It's one of my favorites. It looks cute on Max, as well.

The Beach Club looks so beautiful! It must have been heavenly to be able to watch Max sliding happily, with that incredible view. I think you made a great choice with the Beach Club.:thumbsup2

[brookelizabeth]

:yay: this is the PERFECT start to the trip...minus the whole man on the balcony thing! :scared:

[tinacaplan]

I am so glad that Max enjoyed the sand, pirate ship and the slide at SAB. :thumbsup2

He really did...SAB really lived up to all the hype!

Sounds like y'all were off to a great start! That pirate ship looks like so much fun!

It is...Max got really into pirates right before the trip so it was perfect!

Loving your TR so far!!! :goodvibes The Beach Club is amazing, we stayed there our last trip to the World for 10 days and had a blast!!:yay: Being so close to EPCOT is the best! :thumbsup2 Cant wait to hear more !!! !

Thanks...and 10 days...wow! Being so close to EPCOT was incredible. I just had to smile every time we walked past the International Gateway sign. :)

I love, love LOVE your room! I stayed at YC once and we never ate there at all. Hurricane Hannah's was closed and well Yachtsmen.. :sad2: I think that is the ONLY downside I saw to staying there (the lack of food choices that trip)

Glad to hear Max enjoyed himself and :thumbsup2 for being such a brave guy with the slide.

I would happily stay at the YC, too. Our room was great. Loved it. No complaints at all...except for balcony man! :rotfl: But I totally agree with you on the lack of food choices. I missed not having an on-site option that was quick and open late, but still had food I really wanted to eat.

Glad to hear your room was ready so you could unload and then get immediately ready for a dip in the pool. Sounds like between the sand area and the small kiddie slide, Max was having a great time. Where there many/any others using the small slide?

I didn't even know it was there until after my last visit and posters on the FAQ thread talked about it.

I'm glad you got to explore a bit of the pool, too!

Dee, I have to say that SAB never felt crowded. We never had a hard time finding a chair near where we wanted to be and the kiddie slide area never had more than a few people in it.

I was glad that I searched it out, because Max loved it. One thing I will say is that it looks a lot bigger and more confusing on the maps than it actually is in real life. Which is not to say it isn't amazing...because it is!

[tinacaplan]

Oh you are making me really really want to stay there! but I am popcorn:: waiting to hear about the man on the balcony. Sounds like there's a story coming!

So cool that Max has discovered the water. I love that too!

The Beach Club is amazing and I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you love EPCOT. The pool is a huge bonus, as well.

And, yep, there is definitely a story coming! :rotfl:

:yay: for Max learning to swim! I'm glad he enjoyed Stormalong Bay...I'm eager to try it out myself someday, although I'll probably skip the kiddie slide. :laughing:

Looking forward to hearing what the "more pixie dust" is all about.

Seriously, Glenn, I am not exaggerating when I saw that Max learning how to swim (or do the doggie paddle...close enough) was perhaps THE highlight of the summer.

And yes, SAB is amazing. You should get there someday. :thumbsup2

Gotta love that Disney service! Can't wait to hear about the other Pixie Dust pixiedust:

:goodvibes We'll have to see...

Beautiful rooms. I hope they redo the villas in a similar theme. So pretty and relaxing.

So glad that Max had a wonderful time at SAB. sounds like you all had a blast.

Please tell me the construction worker was gone when you got back to your room.

The rooms are beautiful. Loved the white linens and the calming color scheme. Felt very beachy...as in, I didn't feel awkward walking around in my cover-up. :lmao:

And, as for the construction worker...we'll see what happens with that.

Well I'm glad to have contributed!



Oh dear. Oh dear dear dear. Foreshadowing....



It IS over whelming! How cool are those pics of the kiddie slide, I never even saw that area. And I've been there twice now. That's just how huge it is! Very cool in the mickey bar replacement.

Definitie foreshadowing, Cynthia. The slide is across the main walking path, so its really cut off from the rest of the pool. I did have to seek it out that first day because I knew that Max really wanted to check out "his" pirate ship. :lmao:

Good for Max - becoming a little fishie!!! :banana: I'm so glad he enjoyed swimming and the water so much. That pirate ship and the slide always look like so much fun - and I love the sand beach there! I'm hoping we can get the BCV on our next stay with the grandkids!:banana:

I hope you get to stay there, too. It is great. The swimming thing really was super important to me. I love water!

Your room at BC looks beautiful and very relaxing. The guy on the balcony doesn't sound good though. Why would they tell you your room is ready with someone working on it?:confused3

:banana:Yay for Max finally loving the water. It must have made your trip so much more enjoyable.

Him loving the pool certainly added another dimension to the trip.

There was construction going on in that part of the resort. It wasn't specific just to our room, so I'm assuming that's why they put us there.

Ok, subbing!! And now I can't wait to hear about the man on the balcony. :rotfl: Our littlest one is 4 now, so I love hearing about how kids his age handle Disney!!

:welcome: Max was excellent at times and there were other times he was...uh...less excellent. :rolleyes1

I love that picture of Max in his car seat, ready to go. He looks crazy excited. :goodvibes Carter has that Mickey shirt, too. It's one of my favorites. It looks cute on Max, as well.

The Beach Club looks so beautiful! It must have been heavenly to be able to watch Max sliding happily, with that incredible view. I think you made a great choice with the Beach Club.:thumbsup2

Seems Carter and Max have a lot of the same clothes. :rotfl: I can't resist the five dollar Mickey shirts at Target when I see them.

And yeah, SAB was pretty heavenly. There were several moments there where I just though, wow...I am truly on vacation. :cloud9:

:yay: this is the PERFECT start to the trip...minus the whole man on the balcony thing! :scared:
It was a perfect start! :goodvibes

[tinacaplan]

I have been neglectful in my Dis duties, it seems. I've been back at school for training and planning since August 1 and I've been super busy with that. I'm usually so tired by the evening, that I can't even keep up with replies on my own thread, let alone write thoughtful comments on anyone else's, though I have been reading. :thumbsup2

I'm hoping to get an update up at some point over the weekend. I wrote a LOT of the report while we were there, as we took the laptop, but uploading and sorting through pictures can be a time consuming task.

I'm sorry if I haven't been keeping up with your threads, either. My crazy schedule should slow down after September 1st and I should be settling into a more regular schedule. Hopefully!

In the meantime, thanks to everyone for sticking around. :goodvibes

[MAGICFOR2]

We will still be here when the dust settles, Tina! Just take care of what you need to:hug:

[annmarieda]

I agree with Tammie, we will be here... :goodvibes

[MEK]

I have been neglectful in my Dis duties, it seems. I've been back at school for training and planning since August 1 and I've been super busy with that. I'm usually so tired by the evening, that I can't even keep up with replies on my own thread, let alone write thoughtful comments on anyone else's, though I have been reading. :thumbsup2

I'm hoping to get an update up at some point over the weekend. I wrote a LOT of the report while we were there, as we took the laptop, but uploading and sorting through pictures can be a time consuming task.

I'm sorry if I haven't been keeping up with your threads, either. My crazy schedule should slow down after September 1st and I should be settling into a more regular schedule. Hopefully!

In the meantime, thanks to everyone for sticking around. :goodvibes


I know the tired feeling so I can relate to barely being able to get caught up. You will. I'm waiting for your updates. No rush!

[lbuzz52]

Joining in!

what a beautiful resort! i'm not sure i would be able to get my kids out of that pool, even with the promis of a mickey bar. Your ds sure had a lot of energy for already having a long day!

[dizneeat]

I have been neglectful in my Dis duties, it seems. I've been back at school for training and planning since August 1 and I've been super busy with that. I'm usually so tired by the evening, that I can't even keep up with replies on my own thread, let alone write thoughtful comments on anyone else's, though I have been reading. :thumbsup2

I'm hoping to get an update up at some point over the weekend. I wrote a LOT of the report while we were there, as we took the laptop, but uploading and sorting through pictures can be a time consuming task.

I'm sorry if I haven't been keeping up with your threads, either. My crazy schedule should slow down after September 1st and I should be settling into a more regular schedule. Hopefully!

In the meantime, thanks to everyone for sticking around. :goodvibes

Hi Tina!

It's unbellievable that you are already back to school! :scared1:

How fun to read that my friend Max learned to love the water and used the kiddie slide a lot!
Stormalong Bay is wonderful, isn't it! We loved our stay at the Yacht Club in 2006.
I had to LOL when you said you bribed Max with a Mickey bar - great idea! Can't wait to read more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't been on the DIS myself much lately (check my pre-trip report for reason please) but I can only tell you .............


we leave for WDW tomorrow and we are going to MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Missyrose]

I have been neglectful in my Dis duties, it seems. I've been back at school for training and planning since August 1 and I've been super busy with that. I'm usually so tired by the evening, that I can't even keep up with replies on my own thread, let alone write thoughtful comments on anyone else's, though I have been reading. :thumbsup2

I'm hoping to get an update up at some point over the weekend. I wrote a LOT of the report while we were there, as we took the laptop, but uploading and sorting through pictures can be a time consuming task.

I'm sorry if I haven't been keeping up with your threads, either. My crazy schedule should slow down after September 1st and I should be settling into a more regular schedule. Hopefully!

In the meantime, thanks to everyone for sticking around. :goodvibes
Take care of what you need! Us faithful readers will still be here when you get back. :goodvibes

[tinacaplan]

Some of you may remember that on the very day of Max’s birthday party, Mark ended up in the ER with a kidney stone; his first ever. Needless to say, it was super painful for him and he and I spent the better part of the day hanging around the local ER. My mom graciously stepped in and purchased Max an ice cream cake, as I hadn’t been able to bake him the one I had promised. Bad mommy.

I had a fair amount of guilt building up as I paced around Mark’s private room. (Yep; small-ish hospital and it has private rooms in the ER) So I did what any (in)sane Dismom would do in a similar situation; I called the Disney florist to ensure that Max’s first day at Disney would be as magical as possible.

Mark and I were really excited to come back the room from SAB and see whether or not the Disney florist fairy had visited...and in fact...they had!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0542.jpg

Max ran to check out his special, suprise birthday gift.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0545.jpg

Look at this precious face:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0547.jpg

I wish I had taken more pictures, particularly of what was wrapped up in there, but I was too busy enjoying the moment of pure joy that was unfolding in front of me. Max was thrilled and completely convinced that Lightening and Mater had come all the way from Radiator Springs to deliver his birthday gift. It was so wonderful. I should add that the woman I spoke with at the Disney florist was awesome and super helpful in helping me put together a gift tailor made for Max.

Once we had unwrapped the gift, though, Mark and I realized that we had a problem. A noisy one. Remember the balcony guy? Well, he had moved off of our balcony onto an adjacent one and it was really noisy. Noisy enough that I was fairly certain we’d have a hard time getting Max down for an oh-so-necessary nap. Now, if it had been me, I probably would not have said anything, but Mark was not having it. He wasn’t upset, particularly, but he wanted to know when the construction would end. So he called the front desk.

And, in the end, Mark had them give us a new room. A new room with a new view and an entirely new location. While Mark was at the front desk (thanks to whomever -- and Kathy -- I’m pretty sure it was you -- who pointed out that if you really want something accomplished at the resorts, your best bet is to go down to front desk), I started packing us back up again and Max amused himself with his new cars.

Eventually, bell services showed up to move us to our new digs. Max couldn’t stop talking to the bellman, which I’m sure he just loved, but he was quite happy to talk to Max and listen to his four year old, nonsensical ramblings. We made our way down to our new room and a new location that was truly not to be believed.

We were on the third floor, just to the left of the lobby. We had a direct waterview of the lake and Boardwalk. A-MAZING! But..a couple of things...we only had a standing balcony and no dresser! All in all, it was a huge upgrade; the view was beautiful, and we were super close to the elevator and the Marketplace. I got great use out of my resort mug on this trip because of that.

I unpacked us for the second time, we rested, and then it was time for our first ADR of the trip...Via Napoli! Would we like it?

[tinacaplan]

We will still be here when the dust settles, Tina! Just take care of what you need to:hug:

Thanks, Tammie. I appreciate that. :hug:

I agree with Tammie, we will be here... :goodvibes

:goodvibes

Joining in!

what a beautiful resort! i'm not sure i would be able to get my kids out of that pool, even with the promis of a mickey bar. Your ds sure had a lot of energy for already having a long day!

:welcome: The BC is gorgeous, truly. He had a TON of energy that day.

I know the tired feeling so I can relate to barely being able to get caught up. You will. I'm waiting for your updates. No rush!

Thanks, Mary Ellen.

Hi Tina!

It's unbellievable that you are already back to school! :scared1:

How fun to read that my friend Max learned to love the water and used the kiddie slide a lot!
Stormalong Bay is wonderful, isn't it! We loved our stay at the Yacht Club in 2006.
I had to LOL when you said you bribed Max with a Mickey bar - great idea! Can't wait to read more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't been on the DIS myself much lately (check my pre-trip report for reason please) but I can only tell you .............


we leave for WDW tomorrow and we are going to MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, Karin! I checked in on your PTR, several times now, and am really enjoying your live updates. So much fun and you and Tom look so genuinely happy. :hug:

Take care of what you need! Us faithful readers will still be here when you get back. :goodvibes

Thank you! :goodvibes

[KatMark]

Way to go, Mom. Neat surprise for Max for his birthday.

And Mark did awesome (and, yes, it is ALWAYS best to go to the front desk because when you call, you are NOT getting the front desk at the resort).

Glad they were accommodating and moved you.

[tinacaplan]

Way to go, Mom. Neat surprise for Max for his birthday.

And Mark did awesome (and, yes, it is ALWAYS best to go to the front desk because when you call, you are NOT getting the front desk at the resort).

Glad they were accommodating and moved you.

Thanks! It was really neat. Another serious benefit of reading the Dis! ;)

I was happy, too. Mark was not pleased and I have to admit that when I thought about what we were paying...

[MickeyNicki]

Love Max's little face! What a great mom and dad you are to have Mater and McQueen visit just for his special day!

Congrats on the upgrade....nothing like noise to ruin a vacation....my big kid (Todd) would have been upset too, he can never miss a nap ya know :goodvibes

[amandaw]

Awww, Max is so cute opening his birthday surprise! :goodvibes

And good for y'all getting another room! Disney trips are not cheap (especially the deluxes) and you should get what you pay for! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read about Via Napoli. We were going to have dinner there one night on our last trip but we decided to try Rose & Crown instead.

[shan23877]

Great report so far. Huge :thumbsup2 on the upgrade! On our last trip we told DD4 that Cinderella's fairy godmother had hand delivered her "invitation" to BBB while she was sleeping, and now she tells everyone that! I bet that people will be hearing about Mater and McQueens road trip too :laughing: Priceless! :goodvibes

[natebenma]

What a great surprise for Max! I'm glad that you were able to get a room that was better suited to you. Sounds like a really nice view and location!

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip when you have time to write.

[MEK]

I really wish I could see your pictures now because I am sure they are absolutely adorable! Be back later for that. Wonderful surprise for Max!

I was kind-of wondering what you were going to do about the guy on the balcony. I am so glad you were able to change rooms and get at upgrade at that.

Great Mojo! :thumbsup2

[annmarieda]

Oh the look on Max's face is priceless! How fun.

And the move.. how awesome is that. Course, I have to ask... you had no dresser? And what is a standing balcony? I assume it didn't have room for chairs? Do we get to see pictures of your view??

[denise4disney]

Joining in. Sounds like lots of fun so far.

[dizneeat]

Hi Tina!

Tom and I had discussed your "man on the balcony" and hoped that he would "go away" soon, but the new room sounds amazing! A water view is always nice, isn't it!
And well done on the Disney Florist gift! Max looks soooooooooooo happy with his gifts!

Missing you here at the wonderful world of Disney! :hug:

[PirateKate]

Max looks absolutely thrilled with his gift. What a great idea!

Your new room sounds really cool, even if it isn't exactly perfect. I'm sure there are pictures of the new view coming up, right?

[eandesmom]

I love it! What a wonderful wonderful surprise for Max...and a lovely new room to boot!

[Missyrose]

Some of you may remember that on the very day of Max’s birthday party, Mark ended up in the ER with a kidney stone; his first ever. Needless to say, it was super painful for him and he and I spent the better part of the day hanging around the local ER. My mom graciously stepped in and purchased Max an ice cream cake, as I hadn’t been able to bake him the one I had promised. Bad mommy.

I had a fair amount of guilt building up as I paced around Mark’s private room. (Yep; small-ish hospital and it has private rooms in the ER) So I did what any (in)sane Dismom would do in a similar situation; I called the Disney florist to ensure that Max’s first day at Disney would be as magical as possible.

Mark and I were really excited to come back the room from SAB and see whether or not the Disney florist fairy had visited...and in fact...they had!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0542.jpg

Max ran to check out his special, suprise birthday gift.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0545.jpg

Look at this precious face:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0547.jpg

I wish I had taken more pictures, particularly of what was wrapped up in there, but I was too busy enjoying the moment of pure joy that was unfolding in front of me. Max was thrilled and completely convinced that Lightening and Mater had come all the way from Radiator Springs to deliver his birthday gift. It was so wonderful. I should add that the woman I spoke with at the Disney florist was awesome and super helpful in helping me put together a gift tailor made for Max.

Once we had unwrapped the gift, though, Mark and I realized that we had a problem. A noisy one. Remember the balcony guy? Well, he had moved off of our balcony onto an adjacent one and it was really noisy. Noisy enough that I was fairly certain we’d have a hard time getting Max down for an oh-so-necessary nap. Now, if it had been me, I probably would not have said anything, but Mark was not having it. He wasn’t upset, particularly, but he wanted to know when the construction would end. So he called the front desk.

And, in the end, Mark had them give us a new room. A new room with a new view and an entirely new location. While Mark was at the front desk (thanks to whomever -- and Kathy -- I’m pretty sure it was you -- who pointed out that if you really want something accomplished at the resorts, your best bet is to go down to front desk), I started packing us back up again and Max amused himself with his new cars.

Eventually, bell services showed up to move us to our new digs. Max couldn’t stop talking to the bellman, which I’m sure he just loved, but he was quite happy to talk to Max and listen to his four year old, nonsensical ramblings. We made our way down to our new room and a new location that was truly not to be believed.

We were on the third floor, just to the left of the lobby. We had a direct waterview of the lake and Boardwalk. A-MAZING! But..a couple of things...we only had a standing balcony and no dresser! All in all, it was a huge upgrade; the view was beautiful, and we were super close to the elevator and the Marketplace. I got great use out of my resort mug on this trip because of that.

I unpacked us for the second time, we rested, and then it was time for our first ADR of the trip...Via Napoli! Would we like it?
A little kindness when you have to complain can go a long way, yay for the fab new room! :woohoo:

[pinkxray]

Aw, Max looks so happy.:goodvibes

Your new view must have been fabulous. The whole Bc/Bw area is so pretty, especially at night.Who needs a dresser when you have a great view anyway?

[tinacaplan]

Love Max's little face! What a great mom and dad you are to have Mater and McQueen visit just for his special day!

Congrats on the upgrade....nothing like noise to ruin a vacation....my big kid (Todd) would have been upset too, he can never miss a nap ya know :goodvibes

Naps while on vacation are imperative! :rotfl:

Awww, Max is so cute opening his birthday surprise! :goodvibes

And good for y'all getting another room! Disney trips are not cheap (especially the deluxes) and you should get what you pay for! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read about Via Napoli. We were going to have dinner there one night on our last trip but we decided to try Rose & Crown instead.

Thanks...I was happy that they were able to move us and did so without a problem.

Great report so far. Huge :thumbsup2 on the upgrade! On our last trip we told DD4 that Cinderella's fairy godmother had hand delivered her "invitation" to BBB while she was sleeping, and now she tells everyone that! I bet that people will be hearing about Mater and McQueens road trip too :laughing: Priceless! :goodvibes

Thanks....I'm trying, albeit soooooo slowly. Oh, Max totally believes that they came to see him! :rotfl: Oh, to be that young!

What a great surprise for Max! I'm glad that you were able to get a room that was better suited to you. Sounds like a really nice view and location!

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip when you have time to write.

Thanks! It was an absolutely prime location.

I really wish I could see your pictures now because I am sure they are absolutely adorable! Be back later for that. Wonderful surprise for Max!

I was kind-of wondering what you were going to do about the guy on the balcony. I am so glad you were able to change rooms and get at upgrade at that.

Great Mojo! :thumbsup2

Yup...we were having a pretty great first day.

Oh the look on Max's face is priceless! How fun.

And the move.. how awesome is that. Course, I have to ask... you had no dresser? And what is a standing balcony? I assume it didn't have room for chairs? Do we get to see pictures of your view??

We had plenty of storage, as it turned out, just no dresser. There is a large piece of furniture that the t.v. is on that has a ton of storage, though.

A standing balcony is one that you can only stand on, you can't fit chairs out there. Oh well. And amazingly...I'm not sure I got a single pic of our view! :scared1:

Joining in. Sounds like lots of fun so far.

:welcome: Thanks for joining!

Hi Tina!

Tom and I had discussed your "man on the balcony" and hoped that he would "go away" soon, but the new room sounds amazing! A water view is always nice, isn't it!
And well done on the Disney Florist gift! Max looks soooooooooooo happy with his gifts!

Missing you here at the wonderful world of Disney! :hug:

Thanks...Max loved it! Hope you guys are having an absolute blast!

Max looks absolutely thrilled with his gift. What a great idea!

Your new room sounds really cool, even if it isn't exactly perfect. I'm sure there are pictures of the new view coming up, right?

Yeah...um...about those pictures... :rotfl: How did I not take any? Not sure.

I love it! What a wonderful wonderful surprise for Max...and a lovely new room to boot!

It was fabulous. Truly. I am a total BC convert. I also wouldn't mind staying at the YC, either. Equally as beautiful, if in a different way. Love that whole area, actually!

A little kindness when you have to complain can go a long way, yay for the fab new room! :woohoo:

Yes, it did!

Aw, Max looks so happy.:goodvibes

Your new view must have been fabulous. The whole Bc/Bw area is so pretty, especially at night.Who needs a dresser when you have a great view anyway?

I love the BW area. It is AMAZING. So amazing that I often consider the Swan or Dolphin...and then think I'd miss Magical Express too much! Is that crazy, or what??? :lmao:

[tinacaplan]

Hello, faithful readers! Apologies for how long its taking me to crank this thing out. If only posting pictures were easier. Sigh.

However, I have some promising news... I am THIS close to convincing Mark that we should go back in February. I'm pretty insistent that a trip to warmer climes is a necessity for us during our February break. We both have the week of Pres. Day off every year. Standard here in CT. Not sure why when this doesn't seem to be the case anywhere else in the country...

And FD is calling my name. I know I didn't do the dining plan this time, but I've run numbers and I sort of feel like Disney is giving us free money in a sense. I think I want to stay at POFQ, but we could just as easily end up back at CSR, too.

Fingers crossed it all works out!

[MEK]

I really hope it works out for you. It's a perfect plan!!!!!

[PirateKate]

I hope your February trip works out. It sounds like a great idea to me. :goodvibes

[amandaw]

Hope your plans work out for a February trip! In Louisiana, we have time off that week as well....but not because of President's Day....it's for Mardi Gras. I couldn't pass up the FD offer either & talked DH into a very short December get-away around our anniversary!

[PlutosRHM55]

Joining in! Great TR so far! I love reading about your experience at Beach Club and Stormalong Bay since I've always wanted to stay at one of the EPCOT resorts. Can't wait to read more! :mickeyjum

[annmarieda]

Fingers crossed for February!

[tinacaplan]

I really hope it works out for you. It's a perfect plan!!!!!

Hope your plans work out for a February trip! In Louisiana, we have time off that week as well....but not because of President's Day....it's for Mardi Gras. I couldn't pass up the FD offer either & talked DH into a very short December get-away around our anniversary!

Joining in! Great TR so far! I love reading about your experience at Beach Club and Stormalong Bay since I've always wanted to stay at one of the EPCOT resorts. Can't wait to read more! :mickeyjum

Fingers crossed for February!


Thanks everyone. We survived Hurricane Irene and sustained no damage to our house, which has convinced Mark that, yes...we DO deserve a trip in February! :woohoo: I really would like to purchase the plane tickets I found today, but we'll see... I've also changed my mind about our resort, I think, but more on that when I actually commit to something.

I hope that everyone else fared as well with the hurricane. :goodvibes Oh, and I hope to have an update up this evening, too!

[tinacaplan]

We walked out of our room into a Florida evening that was so steamy it clouded up the lens of my camera:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0549.jpg

By the way, our room was to the right of the lobby. And, no, I don’t think I took a single picture of the view from the balcony. I know, I know... I’m hanging my head in shame even as I type this.

Our way toward the International Gateway, looking back at the beautiful, beautiful Beach Club:

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http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0551.jpg

Yes, it was THAT steamy:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0552.jpg

There...I wiped off my lens...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0553.jpg

The approach...
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0555.jpg

Oh, hello, France:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0556.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0557.jpg

In front of the sign:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0557.jpg

And I assure you that Max was far happier than he appears in this picture.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0562.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0564.jpg

Making our way to Italy for dinner...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0565.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0566.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0567.jpg

And we’re here!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0573.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0574.jpg

And we’ll be by-passing all these silly folks without ADRs...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0576.jpg

For anyone who paid close attention to my February TR, you might recall that Via Napolil was not our best meal. You might be wondering why I could be so eager to return that I would make it our first night’s meal. Well... here’s the thing. I love Italian food and pizza and I just wondered if, perhaps, I didn’t have the best experience chiefly because we’d eaten there on our last night...our last night of the deluxe dining plan. I suspected that our opinion was more than bit colored by our utter lack of enthusiasm for any and all restaurant food at that point. Plus, I had read far too many positive things about the place not to give it another shot.

So, we did. Were we dissapointed?

We were sat pretty quickly almost right in front of the ovens. I zeroed in on the pitchers of Sangria, so Mark and I ordered one.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0591.jpg

Max, I’m sure, ordered apple juice.

A pretty picture of one of the giant lights. I really do think Via Napoli is a very pretty, inviting restaraunt and perfectly casual for a family with small children.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0592.jpg

We ordered one of the signature pies, but I can’t find the exact name of it on All Ears. It was a white pizza with more than one type of delicious Italian cheese and artichoke hearts (carciofi, which might have been the name of the pizza) with a drizzle of truffle oil to finish it. It was unbelievably delicious. The pizza was buttery with a hint of earthiness from the truffle oil; an outstanding, yet understated, meal. We also ordered the house salad that you can only get with the pizzas. Why? I don’t know. It could have used more dressing, but we loved the marinated mushrooms, peppers, and pepperonicini.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0594.jpg

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Sorry...we started eating before I remembered to take a few shots!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0596.jpg

We were seated near the kitchen and I noticed one of the managers watching Max devour his spaghetti. He came over to our table and we chatted a bit and he just loved Max! He was from New York and we talked about that little. It was fantastic. Definitely one of the best meals of the trip.

And when we were done, I remember thinking how much I loved not being on the dining plan. We ordered exactly what we wanted, .nothing more or less. Perfection!

It was still early and there was an Illuminations show I wanted to see...will we make it? Will a trip to Karamel Kuche be in our future?

p.s....anyone else having trouble with Photobucket? Everytime I post pictures that I've resized or rotated (and I promise I did both with the pix in this post) they take a while to show up that way! :confused3

[KatMark]

Great pics on the way to Epcot of the Beach Club; and then the pics once inside of World Showcase are spectacular--you did girl (no, I've not had any trouble with photobucket lately).

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at Via Napoli. It was on our list for next month, but I cancelled it. Pizza and red sauces just aren't agreeing with me lately so I figured it best that we bypass it. :sad2:

[PlutosRHM55]

Glad to see you enjoyed Via Napoli this time around. That's the thing with Disney restaurants, they always deserve second chances, because it could be just your mood that you didn't like anything, who knows? :confused3 And the food looks delicious there, I might have to try it out :teeth:

Great pictures of the Beach Club and Yacht Club, even though it was all fogged up, still looked nice (: I also like your pictures of Morocco on your way to Via Napoli, very nice :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more! :mickeyjum

[annmarieda]

looks like your dinner was a yummy success. Love the shots of BC! Funny how fogged up the lens got.

[natebenma]

What a great first night of your trip! It was a great idea to have your first meal at a World Showcase restaurant- a nice walk from the Beach Club with so much to see (and photograph) along the way.

Looks like a fantastic meal at Via Napoli! The food is very tempting, but that is weird that you can't just order the salad! I'm glad that you enjoyed the meal after giving the restaurant a second chance. You are probably right, the last dinner at Disney is always bittersweet, usually everyone is overtired and overstuffed by that point and depression about leaving has started to set in...

I hope everyone has fueled up enough to keep you in the World Showcase for a bit.

[MickeyNicki]

How weird is it that be both had disappointing meals at VN this past Feb but had great meals this summer?

I love love love not being tied down to a dining plan....my poor husband could never be that structured LOL! Plus he would blow through the snack credits on day 1 :rotfl:

[tinacaplan]

Glad to see you enjoyed Via Napoli this time around. That's the thing with Disney restaurants, they always deserve second chances, because it could be just your mood that you didn't like anything, who knows? :confused3 And the food looks delicious there, I might have to try it out :teeth:

Great pictures of the Beach Club and Yacht Club, even though it was all fogged up, still looked nice (: I also like your pictures of Morocco on your way to Via Napoli, very nice :thumbsup2

Can't wait to read more! :mickeyjum

Its true about the restaurants, to some extent. There are places where you just know you'll never come back, your meal was that bad. But with Via Napoli, I definitely thought it was our bad mood and the fact that I ordered wrong the last time.

Great pics on the way to Epcot of the Beach Club; and then the pics once inside of World Showcase are spectacular--you did girl (no, I've not had any trouble with photobucket lately).

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at Via Napoli. It was on our list for next month, but I cancelled it. Pizza and red sauces just aren't agreeing with me lately so I figured it best that we bypass it. :sad2:

Thanks, Kathy. Its so easy to take good pics in WS....its so beautiful and there's so much to look at everywhere.

That's too bad about Via Napoli because its so good, but there are so many great places to eat at Disney.

looks like your dinner was a yummy success. Love the shots of BC! Funny how fogged up the lens got.

Thanks, Ann. The lens fogged up the second we stepped outside. It was really funny. And Via Napoli was great. So much fun and the food was great, too.

What a great first night of your trip! It was a great idea to have your first meal at a World Showcase restaurant- a nice walk from the Beach Club with so much to see (and photograph) along the way.

Looks like a fantastic meal at Via Napoli! The food is very tempting, but that is weird that you can't just order the salad! I'm glad that you enjoyed the meal after giving the restaurant a second chance. You are probably right, the last dinner at Disney is always bittersweet, usually everyone is overtired and overstuffed by that point and depression about leaving has started to set in...

I hope everyone has fueled up enough to keep you in the World Showcase for
a bit.
It was wonderful to be able to walk to EPCOT from the BC, especially that first night. And we'll see about the rest of our evening. Let's just say those weren't my last pictures from that day. :rotfl:

How weird is it that be both had disappointing meals at VN this past Feb but had great meals this summer?

I love love love not being tied down to a dining plan....my poor husband could never be that structured LOL! Plus he would blow through the snack credits on day 1 :rotfl:

Nicki, I think it really had to do with our own mood in February. I also ordered a pizza then that I didn't care for and the truffle oil on this one put it over the top.

Too funny about the dining plan. :lmao: Personally, we loved not having it and I can't see us going back to it for a long time. I was changing so many things that last week. Disney has a new mobile site that makes changing your ADRs on your smartphone really easy (and tempting) while you're there. :thumbsup2 Let's just say that I used it more than once!

[tinacaplan]

I can't believe it...BUT WE'RE GOING BACK!!!! We'll be there February 21-February 25. :banana::banana::banana: My husband promised that if we made it through Hurricane Irene unscathed (which we did, thank God), we could make a reservation. I got a good (OK, decent...but it is President's Week) deal on a direct flight through Delta at the time I like (first flight out in the morning, gets us to MCO by ten) and I am booking a Bay Lake view in the tower at the CONTEMPORARY!!!! :dance3: I was going to save my mod vs. deluxe debrief for later on my trip report, and I still have quite a few things to say about it, but let's just leave it that, yes, I did get spoiled by my first deluxe experience. And, as you can tell from my TR title, we love MK now and know we'll spend most of our time there. So, yes, I can honestly say that the Contemporary makes the most sense for us. We loved the Beach Club and don't have a single bad thing to say about the place, but when given the option, I decided to go for the Contemporary and follow my dream! :cloud9: I can't wait! Now I just have to try and not tell Max for awhile...I actually want to keep it a secret until Christmas.

[KatMark]

Congrats on booking, Tina. I know how much you've wanted to try the Contemporary and am glad you are finally going to do it.

[natebenma]

HOO-RAY!!! How nice to have that to look forward to!

[annmarieda]

I can't believe it...BUT WE'RE GOING BACK!!!! We'll be there February 21-February 25. :banana::banana::banana: My husband promised that if we made it through Hurricane Irene unscathed (which we did, thank God), we could make a reservation. I got a good (OK, decent...but it is President's Week) deal on a direct flight through Delta at the time I like (first flight out in the morning, gets us to MCO by ten) and I am booking a Bay Lake view in the tower at the CONTEMPORARY!!!! :dance3: I was going to save my mod vs. deluxe debrief for later on my trip report, and I still have quite a few things to say about it, but let's just leave it that, yes, I did get spoiled by my first deluxe experience. And, as you can tell from my TR title, we love MK now and know we'll spend most of our time there. So, yes, I can honestly say that the Contemporary makes the most sense for us. We loved the Beach Club and don't have a single bad thing to say about the place, but when given the option, I decided to go for the Contemporary and follow my dream! :cloud9: I can't wait! Now I just have to try and not tell Max for awhile...I actually want to keep it a secret until Christmas.


:woohoo: How exciting!!!!

[tinacaplan]

Congrats on booking, Tina. I know how much you've wanted to try the Contemporary and am glad you are finally going to do it.

Thanks, Kathy! And I'm not backing out this time, either. :lmao: Its really happening. I can swing it this time because our trip is going to be shorter, which I'm completely OK with. A week is tough with a small child. :goodvibes

And how knows? We might hate it compared to the BC, which is where Mark wants us to stay... and he might persuade me yet...but I doubt it. I'd be more inclined to agree with him if we were going in the summer, but February is so hit or miss with weather so it seems silly to base our decision largely on a pool that we might not get to use at all.

HOO-RAY!!! How nice to have that to look forward to!

I know! They've done studies proving that having a vacation planned can impact your overall sense of well being for months in advance. :goodvibes Something I think all of us know a little too well.


:woohoo: How exciting!!!!

Yep...kind of can't believe I did it. Or, more to the point, I can't believe that Mark agreed to it. :rotfl: I was just watching airfare get higher and higher, so when I saw the Delta price, I figured I should jump on it. Still about three hundred dollars higher than a similar itinerary on Southwest was a week ago. :headache: Oh well. I can't wait!

Overall, I just feel incredibly blessed to have another trip in the works.

I'm going to try and not tell Max 'till Christmas...we'll see if I make it! :rotfl2:

[annmarieda]

Thanks, Kathy! And I'm not backing out this time, either. :lmao: Its really happening. I can swing it this time because our trip is going to be shorter, which I'm completely OK with. A week is tough with a small child. :goodvibes

Ok, I read it ;) no backing out.

And how knows? We might hate it compared to the BC, which is where Mark wants us to stay... and he might persuade me yet...but I doubt it. I'd be more inclined to agree with him if we were going in the summer, but February is so hit or miss with weather so it seems silly to base our decision largely on a pool that we might not get to use at all.

Ya know this is the thing that swayed me against it too...not just the cost. If December was to be warmer I would want to spurge for the pool. Since I don't even know if we will be able to use it...then why splurge?

And btw.. "he might persuade me yet" :rotfl: see my above comment.




I'm going to try and not tell Max 'till Christmas...we'll see if I make it! :rotfl2:

I would not be able to wait. I wish I could do surprises, but I get too excited. I hope you can wait.:goodvibes

[amandaw]

I can't get over the steam in your pictures!

It sounds like y'all had a wonderful meal at Via Napoli. That's great that you decided to give it a 2nd chance. After reading your review, I think I'll definitely put it on our ADR list for October 2012.

And a big "YAY!" for booking your February trip! :yay: I hope you do a TR for that trip so I can hear what you have to say about staying at Contemporary. I have us booked there in a Bay Lake view Tower room for October 2012.

[PirateKate]

Congratulations on booking! I know I always feel better with the next trip securely booked. The Contemporary sounds like a great choice. With a little kid, having the Magic Kingdom so close by would be perfect!

Via Napoli looks great! I'm glad to hear that it's friendly to families with small children.

[tinacaplan]

Ok, I read it ;) no backing out.

:rotfl2: I'm just not thinking about the money...but I have a very clear plan for how I'm going to pay for it all this time and I'm not going to think about how much cheaper it would be to stay at a mod.

Ya know this is the thing that swayed me against it too...not just the cost. If December was to be warmer I would want to spurge for the pool. Since I don't even know if we will be able to use it...then why splurge?

Well, the Contemporary is actually more (by quite a bit :rolleyes1...might have left that detail out when talking to my husband) than the BC, but I didn't feel that super strong pull knowing that it will be anyone's guess whether or not we use the pool. Plus, I'm just all over being THAT close to the Magic Kingdom, especially given how (relatively) short this trip is going to be.


And btw.. "he might persuade me yet" :rotfl: see my above comment.
I would not be able to wait. I wish I could do surprises, but I get too excited. I hope you can wait.:goodvibes

He won't really grasp that we're going again until it gets a lot closer and I think he just assumes that we're going again, and that we're going again really soon. :rotfl: Trips to Disney are absolutely one area that Max is spoiled about!

I can't get over the steam in your pictures!

It sounds like y'all had a wonderful meal at Via Napoli. That's great that you decided to give it a 2nd chance. After reading your review, I think I'll definitely put it on our ADR list for October 2012.

And a big "YAY!" for booking your February trip! :yay: I hope you do a TR for that trip so I can hear what you have to say about staying at Contemporary. I have us booked there in a Bay Lake view Tower room for October 2012.

I know, right? It was so humid out, but it didn't bother me, to be honest. I'm used to humidity...the strength of the sun down there is another matter entirely, though.

We liked Via Napoli so much that this might not have been the only time we ate there this trip! :rotfl:

Wow...can't believe you've booked there, too! I've wanted to stay at the Contemporary since my very first visit to Disneyworld, way back when I was eight or nine. I thought it was so cool that the monorail came right through the building. I also thought you must have to be really rich or some kind of celebrity to stay on-site. Back then, there was only the Contemporary, the Poly, and the golf resort (which very few people knew about). And I actually LOVE the architecture. I would be thrilled if my house were that cool looking.

But I couldn't bring myself to pay the extra money for an MK view room. I know it would be amazing, but for me, staying at CR will be amazing enough in and of itself. And I won't be thinking about the view while we walk (or take the monorail) over to the Magic Kingdom. :rotfl:


Congratulations on booking! I know I always feel better with the next trip securely booked. The Contemporary sounds like a great choice. With a little kid, having the Magic Kingdom so close by would be perfect!

Via Napoli looks great! I'm glad to hear that it's friendly to families with small children.

Thanks, Kate! Its so funny, but I'm thrilled to have another trip booked! It was looking more and more likely,. but until there's some money on the table, it isn't totally real yet.

And yes, Via Napoli is a great TS place with little kids. Very kid friendly menu and it is a pizza place, after all. :thumbsup2

[amandaw]

I know, right? It was so humid out, but it didn't bother me, to be honest. I'm used to humidity...the strength of the sun down there is another matter entirely, though.

I hear ya! Being in south Louisiana, we NEVER get a break from the humidity. :sad2:

We liked Via Napoli so much that this might not have been the only time we ate there this trip! :rotfl:

:laughing: Can't wait to see if it was just as good the next go round!

Wow...can't believe you've booked there, too! I've wanted to stay at the Contemporary since my very first visit to Disneyworld, way back when I was eight or nine. I thought it was so cool that the monorail came right through the building. I also thought you must have to be really rich or some kind of celebrity to stay on-site. Back then, there was only the Contemporary, the Poly, and the golf resort (which very few people knew about). And I actually LOVE the architecture. I would be thrilled if my house were that cool looking.


I've also always been in awe of the Contemporary. And, it just so happens that I really do like contemporary architecture & design. The other deciding factor for me was that it is the only resort in all of WDW that my DH has any true interest in staying at. He could care less about every other resort. But, he is just dying to stay at the Contemporary....mainly because of the monorail going thru it. And I do think our DS (he'll be 4 next Oct. when we go) will love seeing the monorail all the time as well!

But I couldn't bring myself to pay the extra money for an MK view room. I know it would be amazing, but for me, staying at CR will be amazing enough in and of itself. And I won't be thinking about the view while we walk (or take the monorail) over to the Magic Kingdom. :rotfl:


Me neither! :eek: We'll be there 7 nights, with 6 days of tickets & the DDP. The price tag on our package is already enough to make me :sick:! But, I am secretly planning to do some sort of an upgrade (either club level or MK view) if I can get some sort of room discount next year! Here's to my wishful thinking! :wizard: :laughing:

[tinacaplan]

Hey...I went and checked out your TR and your son is adorable. Also glad to hear that Max isn't the only preschool-aged boy prone to tantrums! :lmao:


I've also always been in awe of the Contemporary. And, it just so happens that I really do like contemporary architecture & design. The other deciding factor for me was that it is the only resort in all of WDW that my DH has any true interest in staying at. He could care less about every other resort. But, he is just dying to stay at the Contemporary....mainly because of the monorail going thru it. And I do think our DS (he'll be 4 next Oct. when we go) will love seeing the monorail all the time as well!

I know what you mean...awe is a great way to describe it. I actually really love the architectural style, so that and the monorail are enough of a "theme" to me. We really loved the Beach Club and I'd stay there again in a heartbeat, especially in warmer months and/or when our son is older and there's more for him to do at EPCOT. Until he's at least tall enough for Test Track and Soarin' it can be tough to make a full day of EPCOT, even with Max loving Nemo and Spaceship Earth.

I know Max will love the monorail, too! I also think, despite how the lobby appears, that its a great resort for kids. When we visited, I remember being struck by the sheer number of kids running around. They also have a really big arcade and while Max doesn't do a great job with any of the games, he loves pretending and playing some of them, too.



Me neither! :eek: We'll be there 7 nights, with 6 days of tickets & the DDP. The price tag on our package is already enough to make me :sick:! But, I am secretly planning to do some sort of an upgrade (either club level or MK view) if I can get some sort of room discount next year! Here's to my wishful thinking! :wizard: :laughing:

:rotfl: Believe me...I know! We could have stayed a lot of other places for a lot less but I figured if I can go for it this time, why not? And not to give too much away about our July trip, but my husband and I have basically decided we'd rather spend the bulk of our Disney dollars on the resort rather than food.

And if a discount comes out that I can use, we will be a in a MK view room..and I might upgrade us anyway! We'll have to see... :goodvibes

[PlutosRHM55]

I can't believe it...BUT WE'RE GOING BACK!!!! We'll be there February 21-February 25. :banana::banana::banana: My husband promised that if we made it through Hurricane Irene unscathed (which we did, thank God), we could make a reservation. I got a good (OK, decent...but it is President's Week) deal on a direct flight through Delta at the time I like (first flight out in the morning, gets us to MCO by ten) and I am booking a Bay Lake view in the tower at the CONTEMPORARY!!!! :dance3: I was going to save my mod vs. deluxe debrief for later on my trip report, and I still have quite a few things to say about it, but let's just leave it that, yes, I did get spoiled by my first deluxe experience. And, as you can tell from my TR title, we love MK now and know we'll spend most of our time there. So, yes, I can honestly say that the Contemporary makes the most sense for us. We loved the Beach Club and don't have a single bad thing to say about the place, but when given the option, I decided to go for the Contemporary and follow my dream! :cloud9: I can't wait! Now I just have to try and not tell Max for awhile...I actually want to keep it a secret until Christmas.

That's awesome you got another trip booked! I was looking into those days for my next trip, but I think I'm going in April instead (if I go). And I'm totally jealous of you booking Contemporary, monorail and walking to MK :goodvibes YEEESSS... well have an awesome time! (:

[All7OfUs]

I am finally here, Tina- better late than never! :eek: thanks for the link- I'd likely have missed it altogether as I'm just not around as much as I want to be....

Dinner is ready, so I'll have to come back either in the AM or later tonight :)

[tinacaplan]

That's awesome you got another trip booked! I was looking into those days for my next trip, but I think I'm going in April instead (if I go). And I'm totally jealous of you booking Contemporary, monorail and walking to MK :goodvibes YEEESSS... well have an awesome time! (:

Thanks...I'm really excited. It will get me through the next six months! :rotfl:

I am finally here, Tina- better late than never! :eek: thanks for the link- I'd likely have missed it altogether as I'm just not around as much as I want to be....

Dinner is ready, so I'll have to come back either in the AM or later tonight :)

:welcome: I'm so glad you're here, Liesa! I had missed you! :hug:

[amandaw]

Hey...I went and checked out your TR and your son is adorable.

Thank you! And I appreciate you going over to check it out.

Also glad to hear that Max isn't the only preschool-aged boy prone to tantrums! :lmao:

Oh no, Max is most definitely not alone in the tantrum department! And, of course, they always do it at the most inopportune time & place, right?!? :sad2:

I know what you mean...awe is a great way to describe it. I actually really love the architectural style, so that and the monorail are enough of a "theme" to me. We really loved the Beach Club and I'd stay there again in a heartbeat, especially in warmer months and/or when our son is older and there's more for him to do at EPCOT. Until he's at least tall enough for Test Track and Soarin' it can be tough to make a full day of EPCOT, even with Max loving Nemo and Spaceship Earth.

Yeah, I definitely want to check out the Epcot resorts once Reid is older. Beach Club & Boardwalk are both on my list. We just spend so much time in MK right now that CR really makes a lot of sense for us.

That's too funny that Max also loves Spaceship Earth....I thought Reid was the only pre-schooler who loves that ride! :lmao: Maybe it's a boy thing. :confused3 Then again, I've always liked that ride, too. In fact, tonight Reid was looking at a picture I have framed in the house of him on the teacups. Well, he was talking about how much fun the teacups are & then he busted out with how great "Golfball Earth" (as he calls it) is.

I know Max will love the monorail, too! I also think, despite how the lobby appears, that its a great resort for kids. When we visited, I remember being struck by the sheer number of kids running around. They also have a really big arcade and while Max doesn't do a great job with any of the games, he loves pretending and playing some of them, too.

My only fear with having the monorail always in sight is that Reid will probably always want to ride it. And I have a feeling that it'll be quicker to walk to MK & then ride the monorail back at night. Oh, let the tantrums begin! :lmao:

You know the best thing about pre-schoolers & arcades? You don't have to pay for them to play. Just let them push buttons, steer, whatever & they think they're really playing! Wonder how long I can get away with that? :rotfl:

:rotfl: Believe me...I know! We could have stayed a lot of other places for a lot less but I figured if I can go for it this time, why not? And not to give too much away about our July trip, but my husband and I have basically decided we'd rather spend the bulk of our Disney dollars on the resort rather than food.

I know....I had also priced a pirate room @ CBR & a princess room (yes, for me :laughing:) at POR. WOW! You talk about a price difference! But, I'm like you....if we can afford it right now, let's just do it. Who knows if we'd be a position again to do this. And if somethings happens between now & Oct. 2012, I'll downgrade & be just as happy just to be at Disney. But, I really am hoping it all works out like I'm planning because we are really excited to try CR!

And if a discount comes out that I can use, we will be a in a MK view room..and I might upgrade us anyway! We'll have to see... :goodvibes

I keep telling myself that if a discount comes along, I'll be able to save some money. But, I know myself all too well! :rotfl2: There will be no savings I will most definitely use my "savings" to upgrade somehow, someway. I can also see myself, once it's closer, upgrading to the MK view even without a discount. I need help! :rotfl:

[Pimama]

Thanks for taking the time to share, I'm so thankful for all these TRs. It sure looks like a lot of work.

Another great looking restaurant! It is so hard to deciide where to eat with so many amazing options.

We're in the middle of planning our first trip and the DP is making me feel tied down already. I couldn't pass up "free" food though and we will definitely eat better than if we were paying OOP. (and more, a lot more!)

Don't tell me 3 year olds have tantrums!! No, I'm still dreaming of pixie dust perfect attitudes for a week. I'm actually most worried about my 5 year old- he has some issues....

Congrat on your Feb trip and the Cont- very cool!

[tinacaplan]

One thing I did not get to do during our February trip was see Illuminations at EPCOT, which is by far my favorite fireworks display in all the world. Thus, if we were staying that close to EPCOT I was determined to see it, even if that meant seeing it solo.

While we never made it then, but I had a plan this time. First of all, we somehow got Max to do something during this trip that we had failed at in February: he napped! In February, I had made ADRs in the five o’clock range, thinking that best for a three year old. Which it was, in theory. As it happened, the weather was brilliant and we spent our afternoons in the pool at Coronado, not leaving a ton of time for naps.

I did not make that same mistake during this trip and had made much later ADRs, say more in the seven o’clock range. By the time we were done with dinner, we didn’t have nearly as much time to kill before Illuminations. And, as I said, I did have a plan.

And this plan included a stop here:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0598.jpg

Oh, how I love this place!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0599.jpg

And so does Max, obviously! There are so many amazing things to choose from, each more delicious than the last. We’ve not sampled a number of their delicacies and not a bad one in the bunch. Who am I to complain about fresh caramel and chocolate?

I believe we ordered our favorites from February: a rice krispie treat drenched in chocolate and caramel and a bag of fresh, warm caramel corn. Treats in our posession, we started walking toward Spaceship Earth.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0605.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0606.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0607.jpg

And we arrived at our destination:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0612.jpg

Like so many things at Disneyworld, I am not entirely sure why I love this ride as much as I do. It is a mixture of nostalgia and hope, I suppose. Nostalgia for those trips we took in 80’s, when EPCOT seemed a beacon of all things futuristic. I remember being a perpetual state of wonder back then that I would be alive for the year 2000. It was also one of my dad’s favorite rides, and what he likes forever seems to affect my judgement. As a history buff, there is something about taking a journey through time, via Disney animatronics, that I just LOVE, no matter how much artistic license they often take. What perplexes me even more, though, is how much Max loves this ride. Weird, right?

Max waiting for us all to catch up:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0613.jpg

I apologize for how blurry this picture is, but this shows you how empty the queue was:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0614.jpg

For some reason this was the one and only time they let all three of us sit together on this ride. And we made a grave error. We somehow were not paying attention and let Max start using the touch screen. Needless to say, he had no clue what he was doing and before we knew it, we were launched into a world where all communication would happen in...FRENCH! Wha??? I do not know a single word of french (OK, aside from food terms, but that doesn’t count). It ended up being pretty funny, but I spent the ride wishing we could just do it again and make up for our mistake.

I would love to think this is what our future will really look like...sigh...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0631.jpg

Once we were off the ride, it was getting closer to that time, so we made our way back to the lagoon.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0646.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0654.jpg

We found a spot behind the Passport shop and Max made fast friends with a woman near by. Since she was sitting on the ground, he decided that it would be a good idea from, as well. He was quite enamored of his new light saber.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0655.jpg

I was amazed that he was still in great spirits, particularly given how early we’d woken up that day.

I am certain that this picture was taken mid-sentence:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0656.jpg

Our not so prime viewing location:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0657.jpg

“Get me down, Mama.”

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0661.jpg

For some reason, Max has developed a profound fear of sitting on Mark’s shoulders, which is too bad, particularly in situations like this. He got down pretty soon after I took this and spent the remainder of the night perched on my shoulder like a parrot.

And soon enough, the fire was extinguished and we were looking into the sky:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0664.jpg

We were tired and had a full Disney day under our belts. We went to bed that night feeling blessed and showered with pixie dust. Our vacation was off to a wonderful start!

[tinacaplan]

Thank you! And I appreciate you going over to check it out.



Oh no, Max is most definitely not alone in the tantrum department! And, of course, they always do it at the most inopportune time & place, right?!? :sad2:

You're welcome! Oh, do I have a story coming up involving Max having a tantrum at the MOST inopportune time possible. :rotfl: I can laugh about it now, but then...well, I ended up in tears, too. :sad2:



Yeah, I definitely want to check out the Epcot resorts once Reid is older. Beach Club & Boardwalk are both on my list. We just spend so much time in MK right now that CR really makes a lot of sense for us.

I think they'll be great with slightly older kids or when you go at a time when the pool will be a major bonus. The area is so beautiful. I loved it, truly, but being that close to EPCOT made me think it would be amazing to be that close to the MK!

That's too funny that Max also loves Spaceship Earth....I thought Reid was the only pre-schooler who loves that ride! :lmao: Maybe it's a boy thing. :confused3 Then again, I've always liked that ride, too. In fact, tonight Reid was looking at a picture I have framed in the house of him on the teacups. Well, he was talking about how much fun the teacups are & then he busted out with how great "Golfball Earth" (as he calls it) is.

Glad to know that Max isn't the only one! :rotfl:

My only fear with having the monorail always in sight is that Reid will probably always want to ride it. And I have a feeling that it'll be quicker to walk to MK & then ride the monorail back at night. Oh, let the tantrums begin! :lmao:

True enough but I think that's one argument I'd let Max win. But that walk to the CR is really quite short. Not that much farther than you walk from the resort busses. I was shocked when I first made the walk last February.

You know the best thing about pre-schoolers & arcades? You don't have to pay for them to play. Just let them push buttons, steer, whatever & they think they're really playing! Wonder how long I can get away with that? :rotfl:

So true!

I know....I had also priced a pirate room @ CBR & a princess room (yes, for me :laughing:) at POR. WOW! You talk about a price difference! But, I'm like you....if we can afford it right now, let's just do it. Who knows if we'd be a position again to do this. And if somethings happens between now & Oct. 2012, I'll downgrade & be just as happy just to be at Disney. But, I really am hoping it all works out like I'm planning because we are really excited to try CR!

I keep telling myself that if a discount comes along, I'll be able to save some money. But, I know myself all too well! :rotfl2: There will be no savings I will most definitely use my "savings" to upgrade somehow, someway. I can also see myself, once it's closer, upgrading to the MK view even without a discount. I need help! :rotfl:

I'm afraid that I might have been totally spoiled by our first deluxe stay. Oops! I think my husband was, too, to be honest. Not that CSR isn't great and I'm sure POFQ is lovely, too...its just that the deluxes have a lot going for them!

And if my payment plan works out there will most likely be an upgrade in our future! :woohoo:

Thanks for taking the time to share, I'm so thankful for all these TRs. It sure looks like a lot of work.

Another great looking restaurant! It is so hard to deciide where to eat with so many amazing options.

We're in the middle of planning our first trip and the DP is making me feel tied down already. I couldn't pass up "free" food though and we will definitely eat better than if we were paying OOP. (and more, a lot more!)

Don't tell me 3 year olds have tantrums!! No, I'm still dreaming of pixie dust perfect attitudes for a week. I'm actually most worried about my 5 year old- he has some issues....

Congrat on your Feb trip and the Cont- very cool!

:welcome: I love new readers! I actually wrote a good bit of this while I was there in July, so the only tough part is adding the pictures. Its really fun to relive the trip, though, and share it with my Dis-friends!

I have to say that after three trips in a year and a half, we're making even fewer ADRs than ever this trip. There just aren't that many places I want to pay that much for, relative to their quality. Free dining seems to be a great deal if you're staying at a mod or value, but we'll get a lot more mileage out of a room discount, should one ever come! :rolleyes1

I have to say that a good bit of bribery can be effective, particulary while on vacation. Such as promising lollipops and stickers! :thumbsup2 You'll be fine and have a wonderful time. Even though Max threw some epic tantrums, I wouldn't trade our memories for anything. He loved so much of it, it definitely overshadows anything negative about the trip.

[annmarieda]

I am so glad you got to see illuminations!! I love that show. Course, I love all the shows.

Too funny about the Spaceship Earth getting switched to french. :rotfl: At least your picture looked good. I can't even look at mine I look so horrid. I am not sure if it was last September, or the trip in February, but I was so pale and I kinda snarled. I really looked like a vampire. :rolleyes:

[amandaw]

Great end to a great day! :thumbsup2 So glad that Max was able to stay up to watch Illuminations with you. Excited to hear about what y'all did the next day!

[eandesmom]

:cool1::cool1: you got to see Illuminations!

I have to admit though, I'm trying to picture how Max could be perched on your shoulder like a parrot.

:rotfl:

[glennbo123]

Like so many things at Disneyworld, I am not entirely sure why I love this ride as much as I do. It is a mixture of nostalgia and hope, I suppose. Nostalgia for those trips we took in 80’s, when EPCOT seemed a beacon of all things futuristic. I remember being a perpetual state of wonder back then that I would be alive for the year 2000.

This is so true! To think we'd actually see the year 2000 seemed incomprehensible.

I'm glad you got to catch Illuminations.

[kimbo0569]

Loving your TR, so envious that you got to stay in one of my favorite resorts (BC)...would love to stay there someday.

And Max is tooo cute!!!

[brookelizabeth]

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/DISNEY%20JULY%202011/DSCN0547.jpg



:lovestruc Look at that face!!!!! What a fantastic idea and a wonderful moment!!

Henry too is a huge fan of Spaceship Earth. He requests to ride it anytime we are in Epcot-which is just fine with me! Though, we haven't yet ridden it in French. :rotfl:

And CONGRATS on going back again!!! And staying at BLT!!! You'll love it! We had a perfect lake view during our stay there in March-I will eventually get there on my TR, hopefully BEFORE this March. :laughing: I so wish I could say we are going to be there as well during that time, but it's looking more and more like we won't. :sad1: 2013, same time, same place? :teeth:

[PlutosRHM55]

Mmmmm... Caramel... I must go check that place out now, reminds me a lot of Ghirardelli in DTD :cloud9:

Oh, I just love SE too. History has slowly become my favorite class in school and I think this ride helped propel that. First, there is the fact you are on a ride inside of the EPCOT ball then there is the possibility of you shooting off far into some galaxy (though it's really just back in time on Earth). I also think Dame Judy Dench does a darn good job with her narration, I always seem to be intently listening by the middle of the ride. And glad to see Max enjoys it, a sure sign he truly enjoys WDW. Haha @ the little French mistake :lmao:

That's awesome you guys got to see IllumiNations after missing it before. I don't think I could ever miss that on any trip, it's such a spectacular show and really brings WS to life. The deep meaning behind the show is also great :goodvibes

Can't wait to read more! :mickeyjum

[tinacaplan]

I am so glad you got to see illuminations!! I love that show. Course, I love all the shows.

Too funny about the Spaceship Earth getting switched to french. :rotfl: At least your picture looked good. I can't even look at mine I look so horrid. I am not sure if it was last September, or the trip in February, but I was so pale and I kinda snarled. I really looked like a vampire. :rolleyes:

Thanks, Ann. I'm trying make myself look better in photographs. Ironically, I have found that smiling helps. :rotfl: Go figure. But you're right, those flashbulbs do nothing for your complexion. :goodvibes

Great end to a great day! :thumbsup2 So glad that Max was able to stay up to watch Illuminations with you. Excited to hear about what y'all did the next day!

I was thrilled he made it to Illuminations. We go the Magic Kingdom on Day Two, so lots to share about that trip!

:cool1::cool1: you got to see Illuminations!

I have to admit though, I'm trying to picture how Max could be perched on your shoulder like a parrot.

:rotfl:

Cynthia...you're back! I can't wait to hear about your cruise. :goodvibes

Very glad we saw Illuminations and were able to cross that off the list so early in the trip.

As for Max, he will sit with his butt on one of my shoulders, but won't sit on Mark's shoulders? Apparently I make him feel safer! :rotfl:

This is so true! To think we'd actually see the year 2000 seemed incomprehensible.

I'm glad you got to catch Illuminations.

Hi, Glenn. Weird, right?

Loving your TR, so envious that you got to stay in one of my favorite resorts (BC)...would love to stay there someday.

And Max is tooo cute!!!

:welcome: The Beach Club is totally worth it; beautiful resort, wonderful castmembers and it smells incredible!

:lovestruc Look at that face!!!!! What a fantastic idea and a wonderful moment!!

Henry too is a huge fan of Spaceship Earth. He requests to ride it anytime we are in Epcot-which is just fine with me! Though, we haven't yet ridden it in French. :rotfl:

And CONGRATS on going back again!!! And staying at BLT!!! You'll love it! We had a perfect lake view during our stay there in March-I will eventually get there on my TR, hopefully BEFORE this March. :laughing: I so wish I could say we are going to be there as well during that time, but it's looking more and more like we won't. :sad1: 2013, same time, same place? :teeth:

Yes, it was great, Brook. A bit over the top, but great.

And that was the first and last time that I let Max start touching that touch screen before I do! :rotfl:

We're staying at the CR...I know my ticker is slightly misleading. That's the only shot of the CR they have. :confused3 Am I only the only one who thinks that resort is beautiful??? Either way, I am really looking forward to hearing about your stay there.

Mmmmm... Caramel... I must go check that place out now, reminds me a lot of Ghirardelli in DTD :cloud9:

Oh, I just love SE too. History has slowly become my favorite class in school and I think this ride helped propel that. First, there is the fact you are on a ride inside of the EPCOT ball then there is the possibility of you shooting off far into some galaxy (though it's really just back in time on Earth). I also think Dame Judy Dench does a darn good job with her narration, I always seem to be intently listening by the middle of the ride. And glad to see Max enjoys it, a sure sign he truly enjoys WDW. Haha @ the little French mistake :lmao:

That's awesome you guys got to see IllumiNations after missing it before. I don't think I could ever miss that on any trip, it's such a spectacular show and really brings WS to life. The deep meaning behind the show is also great :goodvibes

Can't wait to read more! :mickeyjum

Thanks...the German carmel shop is unbelievably delicious. You have to try it!

I love Judy Dench's narration, too.

[amandaw]

I was thrilled he made it to Illuminations. We go the Magic Kingdom on Day Two, so lots to share about that trip!


Yay! Excited to hear about MK! We (Reid & I) love MK. Ed is learning to love it more now that we have a little one. :laughing:

[pinkxray]

It looks like you had a great day at Epcot. I love that picture of Max looking at all the treats in the caramel shop.

Your new ticker is beautiful. I dream of staying at a monorail resort on day especially if we ever have more children. It seems so convienent to get to MK.

I can't wait to see how your MK day goes since you learned to love it this trip. Mk is my favorite park:lovestruc

[MEK]

What an awesome evening at Epcot! It looks like a fabulous evening weather wise! Max leading the way to Spaceship Earth is precious!

I, too, love spaceship earth. The first time I road it I knew it was a keeper. there is something so magical about going back in time while heading up, up, up!

French, huh? I am usually such a spazz I ended up making our location out in the Pacific somewhere. I can never seem to hit my home! :rotfl:

Glad you got to see Illuminations!

[tinacaplan]

Yay! Excited to hear about MK! We (Reid & I) love MK. Ed is learning to love it more now that we have a little one. :laughing:

It was not my favorite trip up until this trip and now I don't want to spend much time anywhere else. Although if it were just an adult trip, EPCOT would go right back to the top of my list!

It looks like you had a great day at Epcot. I love that picture of Max looking at all the treats in the caramel shop.

Your new ticker is beautiful. I dream of staying at a monorail resort on day especially if we ever have more children. It seems so convienent to get to MK.

I can't wait to see how your MK day goes since you learned to love it this trip. Mk is my favorite park:lovestruc

Thanks.

I'm soooooooo excited that we get to stay there. Not spending a lot on food and cutting the trip down to only four nights made a big difference in terms of being able to afford. And given the amount of time that Max wants to spend at MK, I can totally see how proximity has some value, esp. at his age.

What an awesome evening at Epcot! It looks like a fabulous evening weather wise! Max leading the way to Spaceship Earth is precious!

I, too, love spaceship earth. The first time I road it I knew it was a keeper. there is something so magical about going back in time while heading up, up, up!

French, huh? I am usually such a spazz I ended up making our location out in the Pacific somewhere. I can never seem to hit my home! :rotfl:

Glad you got to see Illuminations!

It was...overall, we had an amazing first day. :thumbsup2 And, yep...FRENCH! :rotfl: I knew it would make for an amusing story afterwards.

I was happy to be able to cross that off the list, especially so early in the trip. Although I knew that staying so close to EPCOT, no matter what, I'd get to see it, even I saw it solo. But I'm glad I didn't have to do that.

[tinacaplan]

So, with how slooooooowly I'm working my way through this report, its likely I won't have time to do a full PTR for our February trip. :rotfl: Oh well.

But I had to share this with you: I woke up this morning to a rather upsetting e-mail. Delta had changed our itinerary. OK, I thought, no big deal, probably means they just adjusted the time a bit. NOPE. They had added a stop to our flight. No. No. NO! I know for many folks a stop isn't a big deal. However, our flight is a mere three hours (sometimes less), plus Mark and I don't exactly love flying, so nonstop is pretty much a MUST for us. The money I might save otherwise always seems insignificant, compared to the convenience of a nonstop flight.

I called Delta right away and I must admit they were OK on this front: they did agree to refund my money; with minimal fuss. :woohoo: I was relieved. Only problem is that I'm going to have to wait a while for the refund to process. :mad: Oh well...

On the plus side, we might get to fly Jet Blue now, which my husband is excited about. And it might mean another positive change, too, but I'll wait to see if that materializes before I share it!

Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend. Personally, I'm going in to work in a bit to try and catch up from the chaos that was the beginning of the school year...so much to do. I have recently begun questioning my decision to leave a traditional public school in favor of a charter school. While I'm far happier at the charter, on a number of levels, the sheer amount of work is really wearing on me. I had been under the (misguided) assumption that this year (my third at this school; my tenth in teaching overall) would be easier than the last two. It isn't that I mind working hard, but I'm putting in ten -eleven hour days, regularly (think 6 a.m. till 5 p.m.). Our school day is three hours longer, for one thing, plus the expectations for our planning is much higher, all of which is good, but its a schedule that seems better suited for young kids right out of college who don't have families and houses and lots of other things filling up their time. And let me be clear that teaching is a tough, time-consuming job, no matter where you do it, but I am putting in a ton more time here than I ever did at my previous school and I was never, ever a slacker.

Sorry to complain... but its something I'm thinking a lot about lately. I have a fantasy about chucking it all, moving somewhere much warmer, and going back to waitressing. :rotfl:

[natebenma]

I loved the update from your evening at EPCOT. Beautiful pictures!!!

Even though my boys are a lot older, I had to devise a way to drag my feet through the World Showcase in order to keep my family there until Illuminations. When we stay at the Beach Club, I usually go into EPCOT solo to watch the show a couple of nights since it is so easy!

Yum on Karamel Kuche! I think this opened after our last trip. Can't wait to check it out on our next visit.

Looking forward to more, when you have the time!

Sorry to hear about how hard this school year has been so far. Thank you to you, and other caring teachers, who put in so much effort for salaries that do not adequately compensate for all you do!!! :worship:

[tinacaplan]

I loved the update from your evening at EPCOT. Beautiful pictures!!!

Even though my boys are a lot older, I had to devise a way to drag my feet through the World Showcase in order to keep my family there until Illuminations. When we stay at the Beach Club, I usually go into EPCOT solo to watch the show a couple of nights since it is so easy!

Yum on Karamel Kuche! I think this opened after our last trip. Can't wait to check it out on our next visit.

Looking forward to more, when you have the time!

Sorry to hear about how hard this school year has been so far. Thank you to you, and other caring teachers, who put in so much effort for salaries that do not adequately compensate for all you do!!! :worship:

Thanks, Dee. I think this weekend I might have been able to get caught up again.

I got the Photopass CD, btw, and I'm going to get in the mail this week. Sorry its taken me so long.

[MEK]

Well - I hope your change to a Jet Blue Flight means more Disney time.

I know that the charter schools here have a much longer school year and a much longer school day, so I am not at all surprised that you are working incredibly long hours. I think teaching is an incredibly hard job because not only do you have a lot of prep work, you are always "on" and that is fatiguing. I really hope things start to level out for you. Just keep focused on February.:thumbsup2

[amandaw]

Glad to hear that at least Delta is going to refund your money. Hopefully, you'll find a flight that works out better for y'all!

Those are definitely some long days that you're logging! But, for being a teacher, I send this to you.....:worship:. I absolutely could NOT do it. I have zero patience. I admire anyone who can take on peoples' children (& the parents) to educate them and deal with all of the issues that come along with it!

[natebenma]

Thanks, Dee. I think this weekend I might have been able to get caught up again.

I got the Photopass CD, btw, and I'm going to get in the mail this week. Sorry its taken me so long.

No problem at all! I appreciate you sharing with me. Please include a return address so I can pay up!

[PirateKate]

It's funny that Max set your Spaceship Earth narration to French. Landon set Jeremy's to German last time. :laughing:

I'm glad you finally got to see Illuminations. That's one show that I can't seem to get my boys to sit through very well. They love it, until the fireworks stop and the globe spin. Does Max get bored during that part, too?

I hope you get all the details worked out with the flight. Jet Blue's a good choice, especially if it's nonstop.

[tinacaplan]

Let's play another round of what would you do... :lmao:

Well...since my "cheap" flight from Delta has evaporated....I have been thinking and reconsidering my trip. Again and again and AGAIN! :idea: And driving myself (and my husband) crazy in the meantime.

So, our original plan was to go down on Tuesday and stay till Saturday. However, I sort of feel, when I lay it all out, that that isn't really enough time and it would be better to go for an extra day, so five nights instead of four.
I feel like an extra day would give us more time to relax, rather than feel like we had a ton of stuff to try and cram in.

That would mean staying at Coronado Springs instead of the Contemporary (or the Beach Club, for that matter, as my husband is still pulling for the Beach Club! :rotfl:), which I loved....almost everything about! Great pool, decent food court, beautiful landscaping, white linens in the rooms. I've never thought much of the CMs I've encountered there, all are nice but in two stays I didn't encounter one who went the extra mile, though, and sometimes felt like...dare I say it...Coronado kind of lacks that special extra bit of Disney magic. But that does seem like a small thing to save money AND get another day at Disney.

That would be option one, I suppose.

Option two would be moving my reservation to the Beach Club, which would make up for the difference in plane tickets that I am going to have to pay. We would only be going for four nights, though. This is what my husband wants to do, although I have a feeling that IF I were to point out how much less we could stay at CSR for, he'd probably say we should stay there.

Option three would be to sit tight and see if any discounts come down the pike to make the CR a bit more affordable. This is where I really want to stay and I've been planning this trip in my head to be that close to MK and on the monorail resort loop. Because of our proximity, I'd also feel OK with only being there for four nights. My only hesitation is that I know that CMs I met at the BC were fantastic and I wonder if they would be as equally fantastic at the CR.

I suppose this is my way of dealing with everyday stress...start obsessing over the next Disney trip. :lmao:

I would love any and all opinions on this, though. :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

Well - I hope your change to a Jet Blue Flight means more Disney time.

I know that the charter schools here have a much longer school year and a much longer school day, so I am not at all surprised that you are working incredibly long hours. I think teaching is an incredibly hard job because not only do you have a lot of prep work, you are always "on" and that is fatiguing. I really hope things start to level out for you. Just keep focused on February.:thumbsup2

I'm trying to figure it all out, Mary Ellen, but thank you for your kind words. I appreciate anyone who gets how tough teaching can be. Unbelievably amazing, too. And yes, I must admit, that having a trip in the pipeline can make almost anything more tolerable. :rotfl:

Glad to hear that at least Delta is going to refund your money. Hopefully, you'll find a flight that works out better for y'all!

Those are definitely some long days that you're logging! But, for being a teacher, I send this to you.....:worship:. I absolutely could NOT do it. I have zero patience. I admire anyone who can take on peoples' children (& the parents) to educate them and deal with all of the issues that come along with it!

Thanks...I don't mean to complain, but it does get tiresome. Mostly the paperwork and stuff, not the kids. Love the kids.

I should be pretty happy that Delta is going to refund our money, because I'm not sure they have to. But...this means I am now re configuring this trip in a million different ways and driving myself CA-RAZY!!! :rotfl:

No problem at all! I appreciate you sharing with me. Please include a return address so I can pay up!

Thanks for being so patient, Dee.

It's funny that Max set your Spaceship Earth narration to French. Landon set Jeremy's to German last time. :laughing:

I'm glad you finally got to see Illuminations. That's one show that I can't seem to get my boys to sit through very well. They love it, until the fireworks stop and the globe spin. Does Max get bored during that part, too?

I hope you get all the details worked out with the flight. Jet Blue's a good choice, especially if it's nonstop.

German, huh? At least French sounds pretty. :rotfl: Max didn't get bored during Illuminations at all, a little freaked out by the fire, though. He does NOT like fire.

We'd love to fly Jet Blue for all the little perks, but not sure its going to work out. :confused3 Who knows?

[eandesmom]

Cynthia...you're back! I can't wait to hear about your cruise. :goodvibes

Very glad we saw Illuminations and were able to cross that off the list so early in the trip.

As for Max, he will sit with his butt on one of my shoulders, but won't sit on Mark's shoulders? Apparently I make him feel safer! :rotfl:



That sounds really painful! (due to it being on only one shoulder so uneven weight distribution).



I have recently begun questioning my decision to leave a traditional public school in favor of a charter school. While I'm far happier at the charter, on a number of levels, the sheer amount of work is really wearing on me. I had been under the (misguided) assumption that this year (my third at this school; my tenth in teaching overall) would be easier than the last two. It isn't that I mind working hard, but I'm putting in ten -eleven hour days, regularly (think 6 a.m. till 5 p.m.). Our school day is three hours longer, for one thing, plus the expectations for our planning is much higher, all of which is good, but its a schedule that seems better suited for young kids right out of college who don't have families and houses and lots of other things filling up their time. And let me be clear that teaching is a tough, time-consuming job, no matter where you do it, but I am putting in a ton more time here than I ever did at my previous school and I was never, ever a slacker.

Sorry to complain... but its something I'm thinking a lot about lately. I have a fantasy about chucking it all, moving somewhere much warmer, and going back to waitressing. :rotfl:

YAY for getting your $$ back but what a bummer about having to re figure it out, buying and finding flights always seems such an ordeal to me anymore.

On the job front...I wouldn't fantasize too much about waitressing. Unless you work nights you can't make that much and nights are impossible with a family. :rotfl: But the moving somewhere warmer does sound lovely.

I don't know what grade you teach at the charter school, but gosh the older grade teachers around here seem to put in those kinds of hours as do some of the primary (definitely not all and boy can you tell who does and doesn't!).

Balanceing work, and home is hard no matter what you do and I swear, just when I think I have it figured out, the kids schedules change and I have to re figure it out all over again! I spent at least 2 hours this weekend just getting our calendars updated to plan out all the various things and then even with that I was late to get Evan to something yesterday and am running the same risk today due to work things that come up at the last minute.

Whatever you do, it will work out, I'm sure the kids you teach are grateful you are there!

:hug:

[amandaw]

Hmmm....what to do for your February trip? I would probably just stay put at CR. You've dreamed of staying there & the location can't be beat with a little one! But, that's just my opinion. No matter what you decide, y'all will have a great trip! :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

That sounds really painful! (due to it being on only one shoulder so uneven weight distribution).

It wasn't bad, actually, he's small and I have pretty wide shoulders. :rotfl:




YAY for getting your $$ back but what a bummer about having to re figure it out, buying and finding flights always seems such an ordeal to me anymore.

It is, especially because I'm really picky about when/how I'll fly. I want to go direct, out of Hartford, and early in the morning and that's what I'll pay for. Not a flight with a change in Atlanta. But I am having to re-think my whole plan for February.


On the job front...I wouldn't fantasize too much about waitressing. Unless you work nights you can't make that much and nights are impossible with a family. :rotfl: But the moving somewhere warmer does sound lovely.

Doesn't it? But I waitressed through my 20s and wouldn't really trade in my current job! But sometimes I feel stressed out enough to think about it. :lmao:

I don't know what grade you teach at the charter school, but gosh the older grade teachers around here seem to put in those kinds of hours as do some of the primary (definitely not all and boy can you tell who does and doesn't!).

I teach seventh and eighth and I'm a team leader. Teaching is a lot of work, in general. I've always said (and I've been teaching for ten years) that teaching can be a really easy job, or a really hard one if you're doing it well. But I suppose that's anything?


Balanceing work, and home is hard no matter what you do and I swear, just when I think I have it figured out, the kids schedules change and I have to re figure it out all over again! I spent at least 2 hours this weekend just getting our calendars updated to plan out all the various things and then even with that I was late to get Evan to something yesterday and am running the same risk today due to work things that come up at the last minute.

Whatever you do, it will work out, I'm sure the kids you teach are grateful you are there!

:hug:

Thanks, Cynthia. :hug: One of the great thing about the Disboards is that I've been able to connect with a lot of moms who've been through these things before, whereas most of my friends in "real-life" have little kids, too, and are trying to figure out as much as I am. :hug:

[tinacaplan]

Hmmm....what to do for your February trip? I would probably just stay put at CR. You've dreamed of staying there & the location can't be beat with a little one! But, that's just my opinion. No matter what you decide, y'all will have a great trip! :thumbsup2

I'd tend to agree with you on the location, that's for sure. :thumbsup2 But the extra day is tempting, too. Still not sure, but I don't need to make up my mind right this second, either. And all this back and forth is a welcome distraction. Sometimes it can sound like we're really upset about these decisions, but its all just fun! :rotfl:

[KatMark]

I thought I commented on your Epcot Day and Spaceship Earth with the "french" version, but I guess I didn't. I love that Max picked another language; have to love our kids.

I'm glad you are getting your money back on the air travel, but what a pain in the butt. I'm not going to suggest what I think you should do as you will know my answer. All I will say is that we have had MUCH friendlier CM's at the Coronado than in any of our stays at the CR. I can't comment on BC as we've not stayed there (we were hoping to do so next year, but I have a feeling that I'm going to fall in love with OKW in two weeks and will find a "new home").

[tinacaplan]

I thought I commented on your Epcot Day and Spaceship Earth with the "french" version, but I guess I didn't. I love that Max picked another language; have to love our kids.

I'm glad you are getting your money back on the air travel, but what a pain in the butt. I'm not going to suggest what I think you should do as you will know my answer. All I will say is that we have had MUCH friendlier CM's at the Coronado than in any of our stays at the CR. I can't comment on BC as we've not stayed there (we were hoping to do so next year, but I have a feeling that I'm going to fall in love with OKW in two weeks and will find a "new home").

:lmao: Literally did that as soon as I saw your post. I am actually a bit nervous that CR would feel "cold" somehow. Not sure how to explain it, but the CMs at BC were so amazing, I'd feel let down if the CMs at CR were anything less.

We loved CSR, as you know. Loved the BC, too. But when I run the numbers (sounds illegal! :scared1:) and see that I can spend a whole lot less for five nights at CSR than for four nights at a deluxe...well...its tempting.

And a new home at OKW??? Oh, no! :rotfl: What will CSR do without you???? :lmao:

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Tina! Thanks for not racing ahead too far while I was gone!:goodvibes

I'm glad your dinner at Via Napoli was good this time around, and that you got to see illuminations!

French on SE :rotfl2: Sometimes I get so annoyed with the loud voice on the self check out machines, that I want to choose Spanish just for the fun of it - DH always stops me, thinking it will seem disrespectful to some. :lmao:

Wow! I'm excited by news of your Feb trip, but sorry you lost your most excellent flight plans. Sounds like you have alot of decisions to make - it will be fun to have more planning to do!:thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

Hi Tina! Thanks for not racing ahead too far while I was gone!:goodvibes

I'm glad your dinner at Via Napoli was good this time around, and that you got to see illuminations!

French on SE :rotfl2: Sometimes I get so annoyed with the loud voice on the self check out machines, that I want to choose Spanish just for the fun of it - DH always stops me, thinking it will seem disrespectful to some. :lmao:

Wow! I'm excited by news of your Feb trip, but sorry you lost your most excellent flight plans. Sounds like you have alot of decisions to make - it will be fun to have more planning to do!:thumbsup2

Hi, Tammie! I wish I had time to get ahead with updates, but that's just not happening. :rotfl:

Our first day was great. EPCOT was awesome, even if we did do SE in French. :lmao:

[annmarieda]

Let's play another round of what would you do... :lmao:

Well...since my "cheap" flight from Delta has evaporated....I have been thinking and reconsidering my trip. Again and again and AGAIN! :idea: And driving myself (and my husband) crazy in the meantime.

So, our original plan was to go down on Tuesday and stay till Saturday. However, I sort of feel, when I lay it all out, that that isn't really enough time and it would be better to go for an extra day, so five nights instead of four.
I feel like an extra day would give us more time to relax, rather than feel like we had a ton of stuff to try and cram in.

That would mean staying at Coronado Springs instead of the Contemporary (or the Beach Club, for that matter, as my husband is still pulling for the Beach Club! :rotfl:), which I loved....almost everything about! Great pool, decent food court, beautiful landscaping, white linens in the rooms. I've never thought much of the CMs I've encountered there, all are nice but in two stays I didn't encounter one who went the extra mile, though, and sometimes felt like...dare I say it...Coronado kind of lacks that special extra bit of Disney magic. But that does seem like a small thing to save money AND get another day at Disney.

That would be option one, I suppose.

Option two would be moving my reservation to the Beach Club, which would make up for the difference in plane tickets that I am going to have to pay. We would only be going for four nights, though. This is what my husband wants to do, although I have a feeling that IF I were to point out how much less we could stay at CSR for, he'd probably say we should stay there.

Option three would be to sit tight and see if any discounts come down the pike to make the CR a bit more affordable. This is where I really want to stay and I've been planning this trip in my head to be that close to MK and on the monorail resort loop. Because of our proximity, I'd also feel OK with only being there for four nights. My only hesitation is that I know that CMs I met at the BC were fantastic and I wonder if they would be as equally fantastic at the CR.

I suppose this is my way of dealing with everyday stress...start obsessing over the next Disney trip. :lmao:

I would love any and all opinions on this, though. :thumbsup2

so my opinion... not to change anything right now. I mean... I might have to give you a hard time if you change from CR to ANYTHING. ;) Hold tight... maybe a discount will come. :goodvibes

[tinacaplan]

I think that we settled it. I priced some things out today...and I think we're going to do six nights at Coronado! I really want to be able to relax and spend some time just hanging out at Disney. Running around at the parks because I'm worried we'll miss something isn't really our style. I realize that the way we tour is not how a lot of people do it, but we enjoy heading back to the resort in the afternoon, going to the pool, taking naps. :rotfl:

Oh, yeah, and there's the small matter that we're able to do this for less than four nights at CR. So there you go. Someday I will stay at the Contemporary...maybe if we go back in the summer of 2013 for Max's sixth birthday? :lmao:

[amandaw]

Congrats on booking Coronado for more days! :goodvibes Y'all are going to have a great trip. And still wanting to stay at CR one day gives you a reason (as if any of us here really need a reason) to go back to Disney! :laughing:

[annmarieda]

I think that we settled it. I priced some things out today...and I think we're going to do six nights at Coronado! I really want to be able to relax and spend some time just hanging out at Disney. Running around at the parks because I'm worried we'll miss something isn't really our style. I realize that the way we tour is not how a lot of people do it, but we enjoy heading back to the resort in the afternoon, going to the pool, taking naps. :rotfl:

Oh, yeah, and there's the small matter that we're able to do this for less than four nights at CR. So there you go. Someday I will stay at the Contemporary...maybe if we go back in the summer of 2013 for Max's sixth birthday? :lmao:

First, congrats. I can honestly say that I think going for longer and spending less is a great idea. I think you are smart.

However... ;) :rotfl: There... I officially gave you a hard time. ;)

I wish I could do what you are able to. I know that I should change resorts. Every time I think of how much it is costing and how much we could save if only I moved us...:confused3

[tinacaplan]

Congrats on booking Coronado for more days! :goodvibes Y'all are going to have a great trip. And still wanting to stay at CR one day gives you a reason (as if any of us here really need a reason) to go back to Disney! :laughing:

First, congrats. I can honestly say that I think going for longer and spending less is a great idea. I think you are smart.

However... ;) :rotfl: There... I officially gave you a hard time. ;)

I wish I could do what you are able to. I know that I should change resorts. Every time I think of how much it is costing and how much we could save if only I moved us...:confused3


Oh, I said I THINK we've figured it out. :rotfl: One thing I do know for sure is that I'm not spending that much on plane tickets and not staying for at least five nights. Don't know where those five nights will be, though. ;) I did, however, change my ticker so as not to have to keep changing it.

[MEK]

You will love Coronado Springs. Its beautiful and so photogenic! Seriously, you can get the best pictures there. 6 nights sound wonderful! Congrats!

[tinacaplan]

You will love Coronado Springs. Its beautiful and so photogenic! Seriously, you can get the best pictures there. 6 nights sound wonderful! Congrats!

We've stayed there twice already and we're big fans. :thumbsup2 Love the rooms, the grounds are absolutely beautiful, they have a nice playground for Max and the busses have been consistently excellent. Were I not afraid of the busses (and had they put in fluffy down comforters) I might have considered POFQ, as I think its lovely, but I'm not a fan of riding the bus through all the stops in POR prior to actually getting on the road.

[tinacaplan]

Where else would we head for our first full day at Disney but the Magic Kingdom? The park that when Mark and I went on our own, we never saw in daylight. Yup. Not once. We went after dinner at Cali Grill, stayed for EMHs, did everything I (thought) we should do there and that was that. In a seven day trip, that was our one trip to the Magic Kingdom. Fast forward to last February and we spent some more time there, but I still wouldn’t have walked away from that saying, “Wow, I LOVE the Magic Kingdom.” So what changed in six months?

Our original plan has us getting up for an 8:15 ADR at Crystal Palace. The day before I thought that we’d have to wake up too early and cancelled it and we’d just get up for rope drop instead. I know, not much of a difference, but it seemed significant at the time.

Well...as it turns out, we made it to MK with plenty of time to spare, but no ADR. Not the best decision, as it would turn out. So...we waited for rope drop. For close to an hour. And there is not much to do while you wait. I took some pictures.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0667.jpg

See...empty!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0672.jpg
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0673.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0674.jpg

Max started melting down. He was bored and the Florida summer sun was already beating down on us. And we waited some more. It was pretty miserable. We were so close to the entrance that we missed the opening show almost entirely, but we were also among the very first into the park.

And, for some reason, this is the first picture I took once we were inside:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0675.jpg

So...what would our first ride of the day be? Dumbo? Peter Pan? Winnie? Fantasyland was ours to conquer...

[KatMark]

Too bad you cancelled your ADR, but now you know for your February trip that you can do it as you had no problem getting there "early." I do not think we've ever been there that early to see an empty walkway from the monorail, etc.

I'm going to guess Dumbo. Well, I have to because of you know who. :lmao::lmao:

[amandaw]

Woo Hoo! A full day ahead at MK! I'm going to guess that the first ride was Dumbo. I guess I'm just saying that because that's what we do first: Reid & I ride Dumbo while Ed grabs FP's for Peter Pan. I can't wait to hear all about the fun y'all had in MK!

[MAGICFOR2]

Hmmm, I hope Max has a good day;) Funny to see the park so empty right away. I'm going to vote Dumbo too, because everyone knows if you don't get on it right away you'll wait for an hour.

[tinacaplan]

Too bad you cancelled your ADR, but now you know for your February trip that you can do it as you had no problem getting there "early." I do not think we've ever been there that early to see an empty walkway from the monorail, etc.

I'm going to guess Dumbo. Well, I have to because of you know who. :lmao::lmao:

I do...and is he excited for the newly expanded version?

Woo Hoo! A full day ahead at MK! I'm going to guess that the first ride was Dumbo. I guess I'm just saying that because that's what we do first: Reid & I ride Dumbo while Ed grabs FP's for Peter Pan. I can't wait to hear all about the fun y'all had in MK!


Hmm...wonder if you're right? :lmao: Wasn't the most exciting update, so I thought I'd add some intrigue with a cliffhanger.

Hmmm, I hope Max has a good day;) Funny to see the park so empty right away. I'm going to vote Dumbo too, because everyone knows if you don't get on it right away you'll wait for an hour.

So true! I love hitting MK for rope drop. You feel like you have Fantasyland to yourself for the first couple of hours which is a huge bonus at Max's age. :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

While I did change my ticker to reflect my indecision, I think I've come to a new conclusion about our upcoming trip; I'm going to keep it the way it is...Tuesday through Saturday at the CR. When I stop and really think about what we're going to do and what Max will enjoy the most, I think it really might be the best idea. I'm planning on doing mostly CS meals, so we'll save some money there and the flight out on that Tuesday are a LOT cheaper than at other times. Another big bonus is that we'll miss the actual Pres. Day weekend completely, so it will be a little less crowded.

Now, I'm not saying I won't change my mind a zillion more times...at least until I finally buy new airplane tix. :lmao:

[natebenma]

Woo Hoo! A full day ahead at MK! I'm going to guess that the first ride was Dumbo. I guess I'm just saying that because that's what we do first: Reid & I ride Dumbo while Ed grabs FP's for Peter Pan. I can't wait to hear all about the fun y'all had in MK!

What she said!!!

I'm going to keep it the way it is...Tuesday through Saturday at the CR. Now, I'm not saying I won't change my mind a zillion more times...at least until I finally buy new airplane tix. :lmao:

Keep us posted!!!

Wow, the pictures of the empty gate area at MK are amazing!!!

I think you are going to have a great day!

[MEK]

Can't wait to see your pictures! Bummer about canceling the ADR, but I admire you for doing it instead of just not showing up.

Poor Max - I remember Nicholas being a year or two older than Max and being near meltdown the first time we went to MK and waited an hour in the June sun! He just plopped himself down on the ground in the middle of everyone! Not good! :sad1:

[annmarieda]

I can't wait to read more about your first full day in MK!!!

While I did change my ticker to reflect my indecision, I think I've come to a new conclusion about our upcoming trip; I'm going to keep it the way it is...Tuesday through Saturday at the CR. When I stop and really think about what we're going to do and what Max will enjoy the most, I think it really might be the best idea. I'm planning on doing mostly CS meals, so we'll save some money there and the flight out on that Tuesday are a LOT cheaper than at other times. Another big bonus is that we'll miss the actual Pres. Day weekend completely, so it will be a little less crowded.

Now, I'm not saying I won't change my mind a zillion more times...at least until I finally buy new airplane tix. :lmao:

I think this sounds very reasonable. :goodvibes

[jaceraden]

I am replying to this now so that I can find it again when the kiddoes are in bed. Can't wait!

[tinacaplan]

I am replying to this now so that I can find it again when the kiddoes are in bed. Can't wait!

:welcome: I'm very slow with my posts, but I hope they're engaging. And we loved the Beach Club, btw! :cloud9:

[tinacaplan]

I promise that despite all evidence to the contrary, this is not becoming my February PTR. Promise. However, I had to share with everyone that some decision have been made:

1. We are going to stay at the Beach Club.
What can I say? We fell in love! :love: Even my spendthrift husband agreed and, in fact, pushed for it.

2. We are going to go down on Monday and come home on Saturday, which gives us five nights of Disney bliss. I realized that four nights just wasn't quite enough time. As it is, we are probably going to skip AK entirely. Max just isn't that into it, aside from the Boneyard. :rotfl:

3. I've purchased tickets for our outbound flight (early morning, direct out of Hartford!! :woohoo:) on Jet Blue! We're both excited, as we've been wanting to try them for awhile now. I'm waiting on buying our flights going home, as they're crazy expensive on every airline and I don't foresee them getting worse and am hoping they might come down a bit. I'm sure we'll end up flying on Southwest on the way home, though.

I am hoping to have an update up before the weekend...we'll see! Can't wait to share out MK day with you all... it really was magical. pixiedust:

Thanks for everyone who's hanging in there with me on the painfully slooooow TR!

[amandaw]

That's great that y'all will get an extra night! :woohoo: And at least you know that y'all will love the resort! :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

That's great that y'all will get an extra night! :woohoo: And at least you know that y'all will love the resort! :thumbsup2

Thanks, Amanda! I cannot say enough about how warm and welcoming the CMs and the whole atmosphere at the BC is. And the smell in the lobby...AMAZING! :goodvibes And I'm happy about the extra night; gives us two days at MK, a day at DHS, and one day to play around with, depending what we feel like doing. Because we're staying at the BC, we can spend our evenings at EPCOT. :woohoo:

[MEK]

:cool1: Woo Hoo on the Beach Club! that's awesome!!!!! I agree with you - 4 nights is just too short. I have found that anything 5 nights or more works well. 4 nights is a tease! :laughing:

[pinkxray]

Geez, I miss a few posts and you have gone from CR to CSR back to CR and now you're staying at the BC. Glad you found somewhere that you loved:thumbsup2 Five nights sounds much better than four too.

[KatMark]

We've come to realize that four nights is just not enough; glad you added an extra night.

[annmarieda]

I promise that despite all evidence to the contrary, this is not becoming my February PTR. Promise. However, I had to share with everyone that some decision have been made:

1. We are going to stay at the Beach Club.
What can I say? We fell in love! :love: Even my spendthrift husband agreed and, in fact, pushed for it.

2. We are going to go down on Monday and come home on Saturday, which gives us five nights of Disney bliss. I realized that four nights just wasn't quite enough time. As it is, we are probably going to skip AK entirely. Max just isn't that into it, aside from the Boneyard. :rotfl:

3. I've purchased tickets for our outbound flight (early morning, direct out of Hartford!! :woohoo:) on Jet Blue! We're both excited, as we've been wanting to try them for awhile now. I'm waiting on buying our flights going home, as they're crazy expensive on every airline and I don't foresee them getting worse and am hoping they might come down a bit. I'm sure we'll end up flying on Southwest on the way home, though.

I am hoping to have an update up before the weekend...we'll see! Can't wait to share out MK day with you all... it really was magical. pixiedust:

Thanks for everyone who's hanging in there with me on the painfully slooooow TR!

:woohoo: 5 nights is much better... and I too have wanted to fly Jet blue.. I can't wait to hear how you like them. :goodvibes

[eandesmom]

Having been over President's weekend, missing it is a VERY good thing and worth planning around if you can.

As today draws to a close and we put Evan's first week of middle school to bed I just have to say

:worship::worship::worship:


What a bummer about cancelling the ADR, it was very considerate of you though and I'm sure you made someone's morning.

[Moira222]

Hi Tina! When I clicked in tonight I found that I was 6 weeks behind.:scared1:
Not sure how that happened but I was happy to see that your first day turned out well, and the construction man was not a bad story after all.

I am not convinced cancelling your ADR was a bad thing - My DH is in love with the DP for the prepaid meals. I am not completely sure. I am wondering what your family's eating style is w/o DP - do you eat a sit down daily anyway? or not so much. Do you find that when you do sit down that you feel a bit of sticker shock? just wondering!
How exciting to go back in Feb & to the BC! Speaking personally, I don't mind at all if this TR is a TR/PTR all together. more fun to go round!

[brookelizabeth]

:rotfl: I was catching up and it went CR, CSR, CR, BC! Regardless where you end up, I'm excited for you and I hope that return flight DROPS in price!!!

I'm looking forward to hearing all about your MK day!

[dizneeat]

All caught up again ........ FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

4 weeks of Disney travelling sure gets ME out of the loop! :rotfl2:

Okay, and may I tell you, young lady ........ you are giving this OLD lady a heart attack with your resort changes! :rotfl2: :lmao:
My heart skipped when I read CR and I thought, yeah, we are going to be neighbours and we could "steal" cute little Max for an hour or two, then you mentioned CSR and my heart just FELL - too far away! :sad2: and within a few minutes it was back to CR again and I was like dancing around the room, just to find out you are now going back to the BC :scared1: - hey that IS far away! Remember we are staying BLT for our "all so short" visit!
But maybe you'll change your mind again ........ ;)

Otherwise I loved your updates - I had the same pizza you had with the artichokes and LOVED it! And for Karamell Kuche - may I recommend the chocolate covered strawberries? :cloud9:

And to comment on CM friendlyness - you know that we had a very sobering experience at CSR last time and when we discussed resorts for next years trips, we were both sure we did not want to return there. Sorry! :sad2:

We have found exceptional CMs at the AKL, the YC and OKW! I might be biased with OKW, as they make me teary eyed every time they say "Welcome Home" when driving through the gate! :rotfl2: :love:

But I guess you won't be disappointed with the BC ;) I know you loved it this year! :thumbsup2

Can't wait for more! popcorn::

[tinacaplan]

:cool1: Woo Hoo on the Beach Club! that's awesome!!!!! I agree with you - 4 nights is just too short. I have found that anything 5 nights or more works well. 4 nights is a tease!

I agree, Mary Ellen...four nights IS a tease! :rotfl: We probably could see most of what we want to see, but we wouldn't have a lot of time for much else and this is our mid-winter get away and I want some time to relaxing, hopefully pool-side!

Geez, I miss a few posts and you have gone from CR to CSR back to CR and now you're staying at the BC. Glad you found somewhere that you loved Five nights sounds much better than four too.

We did love it there! :love: The CMs were fantastic and SAB cannot be beat!

:woohoo: 5 nights is much better... and I too have wanted to fly Jet blue.. I can't wait to hear how you like them. :goodvibes

We're very excited about the tvs! :rotfl:

Having been over President's weekend, missing it is a VERY good thing and worth planning around if you can.

As today draws to a close and we put Evan's first week of middle school to bed I just have to say

:worship:


What a bummer about cancelling the ADR, it was very considerate of you though and I'm sure you made someone's morning.

Thanks, Cynthia. I love middle schoolers, actually. Watching all of their changes are so interesting. One minute they're kids and the next they're like full-fledged teenagers.

Hi Tina! When I clicked in tonight I found that I was 6 weeks behind.
Not sure how that happened but I was happy to see that your first day turned out well, and the construction man was not a bad story after all.

I am not convinced cancelling your ADR was a bad thing - My DH is in love with the DP for the prepaid meals. I am not completely sure. I am wondering what your family's eating style is w/o DP - do you eat a sit down daily anyway? or not so much. Do you find that when you do sit down that you feel a bit of sticker shock? just wondering!
How exciting to go back in Feb & to the BC! Speaking personally, I don't mind at all if this TR is a TR/PTR all together. more fun to go round!

Hi Moira! I will say this about the DDP... if you like buffets and want to do character meals, its totally worth it. However, we don't love them and having done a lot of them once already, we're happy to move on. Honestly, a lot of the CS meals we had down there were just as good as what we had at TS meals and Max is at an age where sitting through a prolonged TS meal isn't his first priority. Maybe we'll go back to it when he's a bit older. I loved having the flexibility, to be honest.

We can't wait to go back in February. I can't face the next six months without knowing we have a trip on the horizon! :goodvibes

:rotfl: I was catching up and it went CR, CSR, CR, BC! Regardless where you end up, I'm excited for you and I hope that return flight DROPS in price!!!

I'm looking forward to hearing all about your MK day!

Thanks, Brook! Who knows...we might end up at CR after all. Doubtful...but who knows? Thus, my nondescript ticker.

All caught up again ........ FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

4 weeks of Disney travelling sure gets ME out of the loop! :rotfl2:

Okay, and may I tell you, young lady ........ you are giving this OLD lady a heart attack with your resort changes! :rotfl2: :lmao:
My heart skipped when I read CR and I thought, yeah, we are going to be neighbours and we could "steal" cute little Max for an hour or two, then you mentioned CSR and my heart just FELL - too far away! :sad2: and within a few minutes it was back to CR again and I was like dancing around the room, just to find out you are now going back to the BC :scared1: - hey that IS far away! Remember we are staying BLT for our "all so short" visit!
But maybe you'll change your mind again ........ ;)

Otherwise I loved your updates - I had the same pizza you had with the artichokes and LOVED it! And for Karamell Kuche - may I recommend the chocolate covered strawberries? :cloud9:

And to comment on CM friendlyness - you know that we had a very sobering experience at CSR last time and when we discussed resorts for next years trips, we were both sure we did not want to return there. Sorry! :sad2:

We have found exceptional CMs at the AKL, the YC and OKW! I might be biased with OKW, as they make me teary eyed every time they say "Welcome Home" when driving through the gate! :rotfl2: :love:

But I guess you won't be disappointed with the BC ;) I know you loved it this year! :thumbsup2

Can't wait for more! popcorn::

Sorry, Karin! I'm still holding out hope that we could be at CR for our trip. Part of the problem is that the only rooms that are left are TPV, which I'm not totally sure I want to pay for. We'll see how the next couple of months play out. I might go for it, after all! It would be great to be neighbors again.

Truthfully, Karin, had the CMs at CSR been a bit nicer, I wouldn't think of booking anywhere else. I truly love everything else about that resort, especially the rooms and the busses. The bus service, actually, is what scares me off of POR/POFQ. But... we were treated so much better at BC! You can't compare it, you just can't.

My really frugral, no-frills husband actually has been pushing for the BC. He loved SAB, as did Max (OK, I did, too) and the super comfy rooms and the really friendly CMs.

Hopefully I'll get an update up before the end of the month..that would be nice! :lmao:

[dizneeat]

Sorry, Karin! I'm still holding out hope that we could be at CR for our trip. Part of the problem is that the only rooms that are left are TPV, which I'm not totally sure I want to pay for. We'll see how the next couple of months play out. I might go for it, after all! It would be great to be neighbors again.

Truthfully, Karin, had the CMs at CSR been a bit nicer, I wouldn't think of booking anywhere else. I truly love everything else about that resort, especially the rooms and the busses. The bus service, actually, is what scares me off of POR/POFQ. But... we were treated so much better at BC! You can't compare it, you just can't.

My really frugral, no-frills husband actually has been pushing for the BC. He loved SAB, as did Max (OK, I did, too) and the super comfy rooms and the really friendly CMs.

Hopefully I'll get an update up before the end of the month..that would be nice! :lmao:

No pressure, Tina, I really understand about you loving the BC, but I would just love having you as our neighbours as well! ;)

As for CSR - you know, the room situation, as much as we laughed it off was really getting to me and the CM at check in didn't make us feel welcome at all. If it only were for the resort, which is beautiful we would love to go back.

We loved POR and would love to go back rather sooner than later, but I can't comment on the buses - never used them as we prefer to drive.

I just wanted to let you know that I had, well, Tom and I had such a laugh with all your changes, because we are exactly the same way! I came home with 2012's vacations all planned out and we have thrown our plans out a few times already and I still have nearly 11 months to go ... should be fun! :lmao:

[tinacaplan]

I swear I am THIS close to have a new update completed. Promise it will be up before the start of the weekend. I'm terrible about updating. Blame my aversion to Photobucket.

Anyway, I've had quite the rollercoaster ride with plane tickets and resorts for our February trip. I think I've had four or five different plans at various points over the past few weeks...thus the nondescript ticker. :rotfl: But..... I think I've nailed it down, once and for all!

I really did want to extend our trip, but in my indecision prices for plane ticekts have done nothing but go up, up, up. :headache: Particularly for a Saturday return. Blasted school vacation weeks. :rotfl: I don't even want to talk about how much cheaper tickets are the following week. Oh well...

I cannot bring myself to pay over four hundred bucks a person one way for plane tickets that Saturday. That would bring our total for plane tickets up to an absurd number (think in excess of two thousand dollars). And I tried nearly everything I could think of; every airline, flights with layovers, even flying home into a different airport and nothing.

So..bottom line...we'll be flying down on Monday, February 20 on Jet Blue. :woohoo: So excited to try them out! And Magical Express will be taking us to....our TPV room at the Contemporary. :woohoo: I'm going for it! Especially if our trip is going to be a bit shorter, staying at the CR sweetens the whole deal. :woohoo: And if I ever get around to updating this TR, you'll know why I want to be so close to MK. ;)

Yes, its a shorter trip than I'd like, but we'll be flying out fairly late on Friday on Southwest, so we can do rope drop at a park that day without a problem. And...um....did I mention we're staying at the CONTEMPORARY!!!??? :dance3:

And...for even more exciting news...Karin and Tom (aka Dizneeat) are also going to be at Disney for part of that week, too! :yay: We met them (and Mickeynicki) last year and had a great time together. One of the things missing from my July trip, for sure, were any Dismeets, so I'm thrilled that we'll get to see them again.

Now...I promise...no more changing my mind! Now that plane tickets have been purchased things should be pretty set. I'd say that I can't wait for February, but the fall brings so many wonderful things: apple picking, Halloween, Thanksgiving and then there's Christmas! So lots of good stuff happening between now and then...its February that's the killer month, as far as I'm concerned, and spending five days of it at Disney will certainly help ease the pain! :lmao: :cool1:

[tinacaplan]

When last we spoke (which some of you might not even remember at this point), we had walked right down the middle of Main Street, USA and around the corner into Fantasyland. What to ride first? The greatest thing about getting to MK at rope drop is seeing this:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0684.jpg

A pretty empty Fantasyland!

While many of you suspected that our first ride of the day would be Dumbo, you would be wrong. Its a natural choice, given how long the line gets, but between February and July, Max had come to adore Peter Pan. This was a ride we hadn’t even ventured on in February and come July it was the very first ride we wanted to go on.

I wish there was some way for me to truly capture how amazing experiencing this with Max truly was. I really was seeing it for the first time, through Max’s eyes. Our wait was blessedly brief (and we had FPs in hand already for ride two) and before you could say pixie dust, we were sailing away over the lights of London. Max’s sense of wonder and excitement was palpable. We waved as we passed the characters by and made our way through Neverland and back to London.

Oh, and the other thing I wish I had...MORE PICTURES!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0678.jpg

I think we parked the stroller in the parking area by the Peter Pan FPs and I managed to leave my camera sitting in the tray. And, if you can believe this, it was still there quite a while later. Truly magical, in my opinion.

Next, we got on Dumbo after the briefest wait. I spied the construction over the wall and got a great look at Beast’s castle. I cannot wait for this to open! Mark has decided that Beauty and the Beast is his favorite Disney movie, so I’m sure we’ll be making a bee line for this once its open. And to think we weren’t going to go back until summer of 2013.

After Dumbo we were off to check out Winnie the Pooh. Max fell in love with the play area which is great, on the one hand, but not so great on the other. Its nice for him to have a spot to run around in, but it also means forgoing FPs for this ride, as he would be devestated if we didn’t wait.

And again...a ride that six months ago did not interest me all that much suddenly became the most magical experience as the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down and finally...the party! So much fun. Max loved it and again was pointing out his favorite characters and waving and otherewise being enchanted by the whole thing.

It was finally beginning to dawn on me...oh, yes...THIS is what Magic Kingdom is all about. I was falling... A run-in with an English nanny, some pirates and some pixie dust and a trip around a very small world just might seal my fate!

[amandaw]

:woohoo: What great updates! :woohoo:

First of all....TPV at Contemporary?!? :yay::yay::yay: Y'all are going to have such a great vacation in February! Don't forget to let me know when you start your TR for it - I have to know what you think of CR & if the TPV was worth it! :thumbsup2

And what a magical morning in the most magical place in the world! I got all teary-eyed reading about your experience with Max on Peter Pan. I so know how you felt! Funny thing is I never liked Peter Pan as a kid, but now that I see how much Reid loves it & I see it all thru his eyes, I love it!

Can't wait to hear about what other fun y'all had that day!!!

[natebenma]

Well, Tina, this has been quite a rollercoaster ride on your resorts! Sounds like you have some decent reasons for staying at the CR. But I haven't put it in pen yet in my head!

May I echo what Cynthia said about teachers!?! :worship::worship:
Last year, I told two of my son's 7th grade teachers "Bless you for what you do!"

Great start at MK- an early start in Fantasyland really makes such a difference in the crowds. I'm sure you will find that staying at the CR will make it very easy and convenient to get to MK early.

Love your choice of Peter Pan first thing- this is what we usually do. This is one of my family's favorite rides but we won't wait standby later in the day- the lines get sooooooo long!

The WTP play area is so cute!!! How does it work? Is someone in line while the kid(s) play and they rejoin you later. Or is it like a deli, where you get a number?

Yeah, on not losing your camera!!! Everyone was probably so busy dashing to PP and WTP and Dumbo that they didn't have time to scoop it up. Oh, what I mean is "Doesn't that really restore your faith in humanity?"

[MEK]

Well - your trip keeps getting better and better and you will absolutely love TPV at CR. When I had a view of the castle every morning while staying at BLT, it was breathtaking - morning, noon, and night!!!!

Glad you were able to nail things down with the plane tickets!!!!

Very fun kick-off to your MK day!

[GrammyJudy]

We fly JetBlue out of Hartford and LOVE it...in fact they are my #1 choice.They are so nice and so on time!

[KatMark]

Terrific update, Tina. I'm glad you found the "magic" of the Magic Kingdom.

[annmarieda]

I swear I am THIS close to have a new update completed. Promise it will be up before the start of the weekend. I'm terrible about updating. Blame my aversion to Photobucket.

Anyway, I've had quite the rollercoaster ride with plane tickets and resorts for our February trip. I think I've had four or five different plans at various points over the past few weeks...thus the nondescript ticker. :rotfl: But..... I think I've nailed it down, once and for all!

I really did want to extend our trip, but in my indecision prices for plane ticekts have done nothing but go up, up, up. :headache: Particularly for a Saturday return. Blasted school vacation weeks. :rotfl: I don't even want to talk about how much cheaper tickets are the following week. Oh well...

I cannot bring myself to pay over four hundred bucks a person one way for plane tickets that Saturday. That would bring our total for plane tickets up to an absurd number (think in excess of two thousand dollars). And I tried nearly everything I could think of; every airline, flights with layovers, even flying home into a different airport and nothing.

So..bottom line...we'll be flying down on Monday, February 20 on Jet Blue. :woohoo: So excited to try them out! And Magical Express will be taking us to....our TPV room at the Contemporary. :woohoo: I'm going for it! Especially if our trip is going to be a bit shorter, staying at the CR sweetens the whole deal. :woohoo: And if I ever get around to updating this TR, you'll know why I want to be so close to MK. ;)

Yes, its a shorter trip than I'd like, but we'll be flying out fairly late on Friday on Southwest, so we can do rope drop at a park that day without a problem. And...um....did I mention we're staying at the CONTEMPORARY!!!??? :dance3:

And...for even more exciting news...Karin and Tom (aka Dizneeat) are also going to be at Disney for part of that week, too! :yay: We met them (and Mickeynicki) last year and had a great time together. One of the things missing from my July trip, for sure, were any Dismeets, so I'm thrilled that we'll get to see them again.

Now...I promise...no more changing my mind! Now that plane tickets have been purchased things should be pretty set. I'd say that I can't wait for February, but the fall brings so many wonderful things: apple picking, Halloween, Thanksgiving and then there's Christmas! So lots of good stuff happening between now and then...its February that's the killer month, as far as I'm concerned, and spending five days of it at Disney will certainly help ease the pain! :lmao: :cool1:

I am going to get confused at some point with all your changes...so you will have to forgive me. But...right now i am not confused right? You are staying at the CR??!!??!! :woohoo: I know how much you want to do this.

Your update was awesome btw. Love that you enjoyed MK - fantasyland. It is a magical area!!!

[pinkxray]

Theme park view at CR sounds awesome!

We tried Jet Blue last year and it was really nice. Caitlin loved the tv. I don't think she made a peep the whole flight. (She used the portable dvd on southwest and it just wasn't the same) Plus, they have better coffee and snacks:thumbsup2

The only thing I missed about SW was the singing and jokes but an entertained kid is far better.

[tinacaplan]

:woohoo: What great updates! :woohoo:

First of all....TPV at Contemporary?!? :yay::yay::yay: Y'all are going to have such a great vacation in February! Don't forget to let me know when you start your TR for it - I have to know what you think of CR & if the TPV was worth it! :thumbsup2

And what a magical morning in the most magical place in the world! I got all teary-eyed reading about your experience with Max on Peter Pan. I so know how you felt! Funny thing is I never liked Peter Pan as a kid, but now that I see how much Reid loves it & I see it all thru his eyes, I love it!

Can't wait to hear about what other fun y'all had that day!!!

Thanks, Amanda. I love sharing them!

It will be interesting to see if the TPV was worth it. I went into our BC stay doubting that staying deluxe would be worth it at all....well...um...yes, I think it might be. :lmao:

It is amazing to share these things with our kids, isn't it? It was just the most amazing morning. We had a wonderful, magical time.


Well, Tina, this has been quite a rollercoaster ride on your resorts! Sounds like you have some decent reasons for staying at the CR. But I haven't put it in pen yet in my head!

:lmao: Yes, it has been...mostly because of plane fare and what I am willing to pay. To my way of thinking, I'd much rather give my money to Disney than to an airline. It kills me to see such high prices on Saturday and see it go down to under $100 a few days later. I know why they're doing it but... So because we're going for less time, I'm going for the CR! :woohoo:

May I echo what Cynthia said about teachers!?! :worship::worship:
Last year, I told two of my son's 7th grade teachers "Bless you for what you do!"

Thanks, Dee. You have no idea how much a simple thank you means to us teachers.

Great start at MK- an early start in Fantasyland really makes such a difference in the crowds. I'm sure you will find that staying at the CR will make it very easy and convenient to get to MK early.

Love your choice of Peter Pan first thing- this is what we usually do. This is one of my family's favorite rides but we won't wait standby later in the day- the lines get sooooooo long!

If we're going to go for such a short trip, I want to be right there at the MK so we don't waste any time. I got spoiled being so close to EPCOT while we were at the BC and I realized how truly amazing it is to be that close! If were going to be able to go for a slightly longer trip or it was summer, I'd be back at the Beach Club in a heartbeat.

Didn't realize how amazing PP was until I rode it with Max! :thumbsup2 The Dis has taught me to never wait in a line for more than twenty minutes. :rotfl: That's why I love rope drop!


The WTP play area is so cute!!! How does it work? Is someone in line while the kid(s) play and they rejoin you later. Or is it like a deli, where you get a number?

The Pooh queue is so much fun! Believe it or not, Winnie wasn't all that busy any time we were there. Once you get beyond the tree house section, the play areas kind of run along with the line itself, if that makes any sense. When it was busier, Mark or I would hold our place in line for a bit while Max played.

Yeah, on not losing your camera!!! Everyone was probably so busy dashing to PP and WTP and Dumbo that they didn't have time to scoop it up. Oh, what I mean is "Doesn't that really restore your faith in humanity?"

So lucky! And, yes, it should restore my faith!

Well - your trip keeps getting better and better and you will absolutely love TPV at CR. When I had a view of the castle every morning while staying at BLT, it was breathtaking - morning, noon, and night!!!!

Glad you were able to nail things down with the plane tickets!!!!

Very fun kick-off to your MK day!

Thanks, Mary Ellen. It will be a shorter visit, but each and every second will count. And I should take a look at your TR for your BLT stay.

We fly JetBlue out of Hartford and LOVE it...in fact they are my #1 choice.They are so nice and so on time!

Glad to hear it. I'm looking forward to it.

Terrific update, Tina. I'm glad you found the "magic" of the Magic Kingdom.

Aww...Kathy, I'm touched that you stopped by here on your way out!

I am going to get confused at some point with all your changes...so you will have to forgive me. But...right now i am not confused right? You are staying at the CR??!!??!! :woohoo: I know how much you want to do this.

Your update was awesome btw. Love that you enjoyed MK - fantasyland. It is a magical area!!!

I know, Ann...this has been CRAZY! We are staying at the CR! :dance3: I'm so excited. Its beautiful and has been my dream resort. I hope it lives up to my expectations.

Theme park view at CR sounds awesome!

We tried Jet Blue last year and it was really nice. Caitlin loved the tv. I don't think she made a peep the whole flight. (She used the portable dvd on southwest and it just wasn't the same) Plus, they have better coffee and snacks:thumbsup2

The only thing I missed about SW was the singing and jokes but an entertained kid is far better.

I think that the sole reason my husband wanted to fly Jet Blue was because of the t.v.. :lmao: We had the singing and jokes on SW in February, but not in July. :confused3 Weird, right?

I think CR is going to be awesome! I truly can't wait! :yay:

[Bellefan22]

Thank you for your trip report! I had so much fun reading it, and your vivid descriptions transport me to the middle of the magic, too. And isn't that a wonderful place to be? :cloud9:

[tinacaplan]

Thank you for your trip report! I had so much fun reading it, and your vivid descriptions transport me to the middle of the magic, too. And isn't that a wonderful place to be? :cloud9:

Thanks and :welcome: I love it when new readers introduce themselves. Makes me feel like I'm not talking to myself! :rotfl: I have no choice but to write well, as I'm not the greatest photographer and forget to take them half the time anyway. :lmao:

And yes, it sure is a wonderful place to be...isn't that why we love the Disboards?

[tinacaplan]

As you all know my tale of woe when it comes to planning our February trip... had tickets on a non-stop with Delta. Delta decided to no longer fly nonstop out of Hartford. Got our money back. Then I watched flights go up..and up...and up some more. Played with the idea of a longer stay at CSR, staying at the BC, different days of the week to fly...and came back pretty empty handed.

Then I went to finally buy our return tickets tonight and the Southwest flight I'd been wanting to snag had gone up. ARGH. So I checked Jet Blue and while it wasn't really cheap, it was cheaper.

Long story short, we're flying round trip on Jet Blue for a total amount I don't even want to talk about. :scared1: But at least that's DONE! And I'm super excited about flying Jet Blue. Are they really as amazing as they sound? I've never flown them before; only Southwest, Delta, and Airtran.

We're flying into MCO at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, February 20 and checking into the Contemporary. Nope. Not changing that. :woohoo: And we leave at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. I wish we could have flown out on Saturday, but the fares were ridiculously expensive. :sad2: That said, we'll be able to get a full day in at the parks that Friday before the saddest drive ever returns us to the airport and reality. It will save us money on another night at the CR, too.

So, I feel good...GREAT...about this! :woohoo: We'll get five real days out of this and four wonderful nights to sit on our balcony and watch Wishes! :banana::banana: Hoping for lots of this: pixiedust:

And I promise this is NOT turning into a PTR...I really want to get another update up either later tonight or before the weekend is through! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. :goodvibes

[Missyrose]

What a magical morning of just truly ENJOYING the Magic Kingdom. Isn't it great when you can step back and realize how much fun you're really having?

The plans for the February trip seem to be shaping up nicely. Yes, JetBlue is as awesome as advertised. They're our go-to airline for most places we travel. Great service, nice planes and the TVs are awesome!

Sounds like you guys will have a blast at CR. I'm hoping for the same when we try CR for the first time in just 20 days! :yay:

[dizneeat]

First off, congrats on getting your airfare!!!!!!!!!!
We got ours last week too.and were pretty lucky with it!

I think I am as excited as you are about your stay at the CR!!! How awesome is it to have the MK view! :woohoo:

Your MK day sounds wonderful - I could just imagine, my little friend Max exploring the WTP play area and flying over London. Can't wait to see you ALL again!
Just 150 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tinacaplan]

What a magical morning of just truly ENJOYING the Magic Kingdom. Isn't it great when you can step back and realize how much fun you're really having?

The plans for the February trip seem to be shaping up nicely. Yes, JetBlue is as awesome as advertised. They're our go-to airline for most places we travel. Great service, nice planes and the TVs are awesome!

Sounds like you guys will have a blast at CR. I'm hoping for the same when we try CR for the first time in just 20 days! :yay:

It was amazing! I'll be looking forward to hearing all about your experience there, especially how the CMs and Mousekeeping are. The CMs at the Beach Club spoilled us...so warm and helpful. And Mousekeeping was great...came back to towel animals and thoughtfully arranged stuffed animals almost everyday! :woohoo:

First off, congrats on getting your airfare!!!!!!!!!!
We got ours last week too.and were pretty lucky with it!

I think I am as excited as you are about your stay at the CR!!! How awesome is it to have the MK view! :woohoo:

Your MK day sounds wonderful - I could just imagine, my little friend Max exploring the WTP play area and flying over London. Can't wait to see you ALL again!
Just 150 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks...I wouldn't say we were lucky, though. :headache: I think we flew round trip in July for what we're paying to go home in February. Cannot believe how much further the money goes in July than during Pres. Week.

Well...you definitely have to come and check out our view. I have four whole blissful nights of prime viewing for Wishes! And having experienced the crowds on Main Street this summer, I'm totally OK with being a little far away from the action. :thumbsup2

Oh, Karin...it was just...totally magical. And there's at least one more installment about our time at MK that day to come. :goodvibes

Believe me, we can't wait either! It really is the icing on our cake, for sure. Mark and I were just talking about you last night...all good stuff! Promise! :hug:

[annmarieda]

As you all know my tale of woe when it comes to planning our February trip... had tickets on a non-stop with Delta. Delta decided to no longer fly nonstop out of Hartford. Got our money back. Then I watched flights go up..and up...and up some more. Played with the idea of a longer stay at CSR, staying at the BC, different days of the week to fly...and came back pretty empty handed.

Then I went to finally buy our return tickets tonight and the Southwest flight I'd been wanting to snag had gone up. ARGH. So I checked Jet Blue and while it wasn't really cheap, it was cheaper.

Long story short, we're flying round trip on Jet Blue for a total amount I don't even want to talk about. :scared1: But at least that's DONE! And I'm super excited about flying Jet Blue. Are they really as amazing as they sound? I've never flown them before; only Southwest, Delta, and Airtran.

We're flying into MCO at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, February 20 and checking into the Contemporary. Nope. Not changing that. :woohoo: And we leave at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. I wish we could have flown out on Saturday, but the fares were ridiculously expensive. :sad2: That said, we'll be able to get a full day in at the parks that Friday before the saddest drive ever returns us to the airport and reality. It will save us money on another night at the CR, too.

So, I feel good...GREAT...about this! :woohoo: We'll get five real days out of this and four wonderful nights to sit on our balcony and watch Wishes! :banana::banana: Hoping for lots of this: pixiedust:

And I promise this is NOT turning into a PTR...I really want to get another update up either later tonight or before the weekend is through! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. :goodvibes

It is a good feeling to get airfare squared away.... even if is it more than what you wanted to pay.

[tinacaplan]

It is a good feeling to get airfare squared away.... even if is it more than what you wanted to pay.


Yeah, it is! :goodvibes It means your trip is really happening, you know? Disney reservations can always be modified, changed, or cancelled all together, whereas flights are usually nonrefundable. Not backing out now! :lmao: Although, we could probably all take bets as to whether or not we'll change our resort again. OK, no we won't. :rolleyes: Not with only four nights. That's how I'm justifying it. :rotfl:

[PlutosRHM55]

Too bad you didn't keep your ADR, you could've gotten cool pictures of an empty main street, though I love the ones you got of the entrance and the "Let The Memories Begin" sign! So nice without a ton of people put into the picture :thumbsup2 But you got in for rope drop at least! (:

I think you were definitely smarter in going on PPF versus Dumbo. How long that line can get... ride it when the line's short and your son wanted to ride it anyway, go figure :D I'm so glad your opinion of MK has changed your first few moments in Fantasyland, it is such a great park and has been my favorite from day one. The magical quality it possesses, it's real and really makes for a unique experience :goodvibes

Can't wait to read more! :mickeyjum

[PirateKate]

That's a lot of resort changes! I'll be very interested to see whether or not you stick with CR. I know airfare is booked now, but it's never too late to switch resorts.

Isn't it fun watching little guys on rides? They have the best time and it's pure magic to see the expressions on their faces when they see their favorite characters. I'm glad Max was having such a good time with the MK this trip.

[tinacaplan]

After Winnie, we backtracked a bit. We had a Peter Pan FP to get back to, as well as the obligatory ride on IASW and a spin on the carousel.

First up was the carousel. Mark rode with Max, while I hung back to take pictures. Something about going round and round doesn’t appeal to me all that much.

Here’s Mark and no Max. No idea how I got that picture!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0679.jpg

While Max and Mark rode the carousel, I got in line to meet Mary! Shouldn’t this really be her carousel? I mean, Cindy has an ENTIRE castle. Sheesh!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0687-1.jpg

I love getting to meet her, even if this particular one doesn’t look anything like Julie Andrews. She was great with Max, too.

“Are you shy?” she asked him, as he stood behind me, peering around my waist at this oddly dressed woman. “You’re doing a very good job of pretending to be. You can come out now. You know us nannies spend a great deal of time coaxing children not be shy.”

She was practically perfect in every way; never breaking character.

Next stop...London! Again! Here’s Max in the queue:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0690.jpg

I did not often get him took directly at the camera. Oh well...


From there, we continued on our way back to Peter Pan. But first we stopped for IASW, one of the few rides Max seemed to really enjoy on our last trip. Since then we’ve spent a great deal of time singing the song, as its one the Four Parks, One World CD we purchased back in February.

And, yes, out of all things I could have taken a zillion pictures of, I took a zillion pictures of this:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0697.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0699.jpg

And we’re off...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0702.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0704-1.jpg

When we were done here, we’d had enough fantasy for the morning and headed over to Adventureland! Along the way, Max had gotten hungry...had we eaten yet? Strangely, I don’t remember anything about breakfast that morning. I know that Max had a protein bar and some juice on the way out of the resort, but I’m not sure what Mark and I had done. I do know that being at Disneyworld gets me so excited that I don’t need coffee. Go figure...in the real world, I can barely function without it!

Along the way there are all the little carts on the path from Fantasyland as you walk through Liberty Square and on into Frontierland so we tried to find Max a pretzel. No dice! All of the pretzel selling carts were not open yet. Oh, and by the way, I hear tell of cream cheese filled pretzels in MK...where are they, exactly?
We procured a Mickeybar for Max and I think we must have gotten FPs for Jungle Cruise, otherwise the remainder of our MK morning doesn’t make sense, but no matter...

And another important thing I learned on this trip: yes, they really ARE that good. It had never even occurred to me before to try one. Sad, I know.

We did NOT go for a magic carpet ride. Alladin is the one Disney movie (OK...probably not) I’ve yet to see.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0714.jpg

Besides, Max had a Mickey bar to get all over his face!

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0715-1.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0718.jpg

“Sure, Mom, I’ll look right at the camera...now that I have chocolate all over my face!”

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0719.jpg

We stopped off at Adventureland stroller parking and I must have cleaned up Max’s face.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0720.jpg

And we headed for...

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0723.jpg

Everyone had suggested we see this movie before this trip. And we did! And Mark and I loved it! Max is still a bit young, although wants to be, in his words, “Captain Jack Sparrow,” for Halloween this year. And would you know? Disney has a great costume, including a wig/hat combo.

It was great to see how the movie had pulled things directly out of the ride and vice versa. It made a really great ride even better.

As we were getting off the ride, Max said, “Pirates was scary, Mama.” Max was distracted by the swords in the dump shop, so he AND Mark got swords, as well as a hook. They will come in “handy” later.

Now, I think we must have gotten FPs for the Jungle Cruise, because I know we did not wait in line and otherwise, why would we have gone to Pirates first? I don’t remember.

Getting aboard, we met a young ride operator who was from our hometown; he was very excited about that. One thing I’ve noticed is that it seems that the most enthusiastic CMs we met were either in the college program or appeared to be retirees who were working at Disney part-time.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0727.jpg

We were right at the front of the boat and had a great little journey through the jungle.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0730.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0731-1.jpg

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Now it was about 11:45 and we were HUNGRY. Knowing that we had better counter service options befoer we left the park, we strolled across the way and ventured in Tortuga Tavern. I liked this place a lot.

Mark had a beef burrito, I had the taco salad, and Max had a cheese quesadilla.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0741.jpg

It was very good and certainly hit the spot. I really liked heading over the toppings bar and loading up my salad.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0743.jpg

By lunch we had ridden Pooh and PP twice, Pirates, the Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, the carousel, and IASW. We were ready to head home. But not before I had my very first Dolewhip float! I know I should have photo documentation of this mometous event...but alas. There are a lot of things that get hyped on the boards, many of which have left me wondering what all the fuss was about. Not this. No way. Delicious. Refreshing. Amazing. Absolutely. Dolewhip in hand, we made our way to front of the park.

Once on Main Street, we watched this for awhile:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0744.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0745.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0746.jpg

And then we started to make our way to the busses. But, first...the men were prepared for battle:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0751.jpg

Told ya they would come in handy!

All told, it was an amazing, magical morning and by the end I was seriously in love with Magic Kingdom. When you’re with a small child, the place just can’t be beat. And now that I’ve seen it through Max’s eyes, I will never look at it the same way again.

[amandaw]

Yay! for a magical morning! :yay: I have yet to try Tortuga Tavern since they are never open when we are there. Oh well, maybe one day. I also have the Dole Whip on my "must do" list for next year. Can't wait to hear how y'all spent the rest of the day!

[dizneeat]

Great update, Tina!

You got a lot done that day! So, Max thinks POTC is scary ..... hm, maybe it is? ;)
I love the sword photo at the end ...... like father, like son! :lmao:

More updates, please! :thumbsup2

[MEK]

Please don't think I am insane for being up this early. I promised myself I would get right to work on my music ( I have to do an 8am mass and I am not well prepared - hence the early morning hours), but I saw you updated and had to comment.

first - yeah for airline tickets. Sorry they are so pricey. You certainly have a lot of choices for nonstop from Hartford. Not so much here in Philly and BWI. And no jet blue. boo!

Excellent update. Max is too cute with his mickey bar. What a great morning you had. You got so much done and this was summer. I'm impressed! How was the weather - was it ungodly hot?

Lunch looks yummy. That place is never open when I am there. I guess I need to go in July. I would really like to try it sometime. I know it won't be open in December.

Really fun pictures!!! Loved them! Ok - now I really have to get myself in gear hear.

[natebenma]

Great update. What a fantastic morning you had at the Magic Kingdom. The Mickey Bar photos are awesome!!!

Isn't it much better when the meltdown is the ice cream and not the toddler!

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

[annmarieda]

Great update. You sure did get a lot done that morning. I am impressed. :rotfl2:

And yay for trying the dole whip :thumbsup2

[tinacaplan]

Yay! for a magical morning! :yay: I have yet to try Tortuga Tavern since they are never open when we are there. Oh well, maybe one day. I also have the Dole Whip on my "must do" list for next year. Can't wait to hear how y'all spent the rest of the day!

You HAVE to get a Dole Whip. Really and truly one of the things that's not overrated on the Dis that everyone gushes about! Tortuga was good, but not necessarily anything to go out of your way for. :goodvibes

Great update, Tina!

You got a lot done that day! So, Max thinks POTC is scary ..... hm, maybe it is? ;)
I love the sword photo at the end ...... like father, like son! :lmao:

More updates, please! :thumbsup2

Thanks, Karin. And he's already requesting to ride it again...so he didn't think it was THAT scary. :rotfl: He also wanted to be, in his words, "Captain Jack Sparrow" for Halloween and Mark bought him the costume at the Disney Store yesterday. Haven't seen it on yet, but it will be adorable, I'm sure.

[tinacaplan]

In just a few minutes, or so it seemed, we were pulling into the Beach Club. Once we hopped off the bus, I took a few random pictures of the resort as we walked back.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0765.jpg

The Villas, which are a slightly different color than the rest of the resort:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0766.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0767.jpg

My happy boy, smiling after a magical morning:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0768.jpg

When we got back into our room, this was waiting for us:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0769.jpg

My first towel animal!!! I was so excited. They also arranged Max’s stuffed animals:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0770.jpg

We quickly got changed and hit Storm Along Bay. It really was just about perfect. We never had a problem gettting a chair, nor did we think it was ever too crowded. Busy, yes, but not overly so, which I appreciated.
After playing on the sandbar for a bit, during which time I floated along the lazy river on my back, we went over to the pirate ship so Max could use the kiddie slide. I think he went down about twenty times!

After a almost two hours at SAB we headed back to the room for naptime, which turned out ot be more sucessful than I had anticipated. We had a quiet night at the resort with an ADR for dinner at Cape May Cafe.

[tinacaplan]

First of all, can I just say that I'm terribly sorry about my pictures. I've been editing them (somewhat) and resizing them, yet when I post them here they look like they haven't been. Anyone know what's up with that? :confused3


Please don't think I am insane for being up this early. I promised myself I would get right to work on my music ( I have to do an 8am mass and I am not well prepared - hence the early morning hours), but I saw you updated and had to comment.

I did think you were up a bit early...but certainly not crazy! :lmao: Eight a.m. mass...that's dedication.

first - yeah for airline tickets. Sorry they are so pricey. You certainly have a lot of choices for nonstop from Hartford. Not so much here in Philly and BWI. And no jet blue. boo!

All I was doing was watching them go up, up, up! :headache: And we're lucky: Southwest, Jetblue, and US Airways all fly direct out of Hartford. I would have been willing to go non-direct on the way home, especially if it would have saved us some money, but it wasn't going to make a difference. Travelling that week is just expensive and there isn't really any way around it, unfortunately.

Excellent update. Max is too cute with his mickey bar. What a great morning you had. You got so much done and this was summer. I'm impressed! How was the weather - was it ungodly hot?

Thanks...I think he's pretty cute. Unfortunately, he doesn't often look directly at the camera. I went through a long period where I didn't have a great camera and had stopped taking many pictures, so I think he's out of practice. :rotfl:

We were only able to get so much done because we made rope drop, and the very front at that. It makes all the difference in the world. And with a little kid who wakes up early anyway, it makes sense to us.

It was VERY hot. People kept trying to tell me that it was hotter up in CT than in Florida. Um, no. While I suppoes that it was technically possible, the sun is a lot stronger in Florida, so when you're out in it, its awful. My face was sweating! :lmao: But it didn't really bother us. We spent the worst of the day in the pool or our air conditioned room. Park commandos we are not. Although maybe we'll be a bit more so in February.

Lunch looks yummy. That place is never open when I am there. I guess I need to go in July. I would really like to try it sometime. I know it won't be open in December.

It was good. A bit better than Taco Bell, in my estimation, which I enjoy occasionally. :rolleyes1 Loved the toppings bar.

Really fun pictures!!! Loved them! Ok - now I really have to get myself in gear hear.

Thank you... maybe someday I can be half as good as you are with a camera. Course, I'll need a better camera! :rotfl:

Great update. What a fantastic morning you had at the Magic Kingdom. The Mickey Bar photos are awesome!!!

Isn't it much better when the meltdown is the ice cream and not the toddler!

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Thanks, Dee. And so true...melted ice cream is much better!

Great update. You sure did get a lot done that morning. I am impressed. :rotfl2:

And yay for trying the dole whip :thumbsup2

We did get a lot done. Yay for rope drop! :woohoo: Dole whips are amazing and I can't wait to have another one in approximately four months...doesn't seem that long from now when you put it that way. :scared1:

[MEK]

Do you have a mac? Your mac will save both your edited and unedited pictures. It's possible that you are uploading the unedited ones by accident.

I guess the same thing can happen with a pc.

So glad Max had an awesome time at SAB. Sounds wonderful! I love the BC rooms so pretty - very different from the villa rooms.

[natebenma]

What a perfect afternoon! Some incredible pool time at SAB, a nap :) and anticipation of dinner at Cape May. Works for me.

[eandesmom]

What a magical magical morning! It really sounds perfect in every way, the whole day so far actually.

I don't know if it's the same Mary Poppins as I saw repeatedly in Epcot last spring but oh, she was amazing with the kids!

Yes, Mickey bars ARE that good. Welcome to the club!

[amandaw]

I just realized you did an update yesterday. I've been on the boards, but somehow missed it. Sorry about that - it's been a crazy bad week over here & guess I'm not firing on all cylinders. Anyway, it sounds like y'all really had a nice afternoon back at BC. The pirate ship for the kids sounds like so much. And after 2 hours at SAB, I bet Max was good & ready for a nap! :thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear about Cape May.

[tinacaplan]

Do you have a mac? Your mac will save both your edited and unedited pictures. It's possible that you are uploading the unedited ones by accident.

I guess the same thing can happen with a pc.

So glad Max had an awesome time at SAB. Sounds wonderful! I love the BC rooms so pretty - very different from the villa rooms.

I have a PC. Its weird. It seems to fix itself after awhile. :confused3 I've also never had this problem before, Strange.

Yep...those Beach Club rooms are beautiful. And so is SAB. I am seriously wondering if we shouldn't just change our reservation there. I think, for sure, if it was summer I would.

But I'm going to be able to see fireworks from my room! :scared1:

What a perfect afternoon! Some incredible pool time at SAB, a nap :) and anticipation of dinner at Cape May. Works for me.

It was perfect.

What a magical magical morning! It really sounds perfect in every way, the whole day so far actually.

I don't know if it's the same Mary Poppins as I saw repeatedly in Epcot last spring but oh, she was amazing with the kids!

Yes, Mickey bars ARE that good. Welcome to the club!

It was Cynthia. And the first time, strange as it may sound, that I feel like I really "got" the MK, at least since I was a kid, about a zillion years ago. :lmao:

The Mickey bar club is a good club to be a part of, for sure.

I just realized you did an update yesterday. I've been on the boards, but somehow missed it. Sorry about that - it's been a crazy bad week over here & guess I'm not firing on all cylinders. Anyway, it sounds like y'all really had a nice afternoon back at BC. The pirate ship for the kids sounds like so much. And after 2 hours at SAB, I bet Max was good & ready for a nap! :thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear about Cape May.

I hope everything's OK, Amanda. We had a great afternoon at the BC. SAB is amazing, especially for kids. I know the pool at the Contemporary won't compare, but it will be February, so its quite possible we won't even use it. Hope that's not the case, but it could happen. When we went in 2010 in February, it was the second week of the month, and it was not very warm in Florida. Highs never really hit 70. Granted. to us Yankees, it felt like a tropical paradise, but not great pool weather.

[Missyrose]

What a great day so far...park fun, awesome SAB time and a bit of relaxation! Heavenly! :cloud9:

Can't wait to hear about your dinner at Cape May.

[All7OfUs]

What a wonderful, magical morning! I can see how you fell in love with MK doing all that you had with your little guy! I like how you knew when to call it quits too, and headed back to get some pool time for Max- sounds like an all-around perfect day!

[brookelizabeth]

And Magical Express will be taking us to....our TPV room at the Contemporary. :woohoo: I'm going for it! Especially if our trip is going to be a bit shorter, staying at the CR sweetens the whole deal. :woohoo: And if I ever get around to updating this TR, you'll know why I want to be so close to MK. ;)

I personally am SO GLAD you have ended up at the CR!!!!!! It's an amazing resort. I haven't stayed in the Tower, but have done BLT back in Feb. Aweeeeeeeeeesome! You'll love it. Plus, you'll be fulfilling that dream of yours!

Being on the monorail with a stroller = priceless!

I had a chance to see the rooms when I was down there for TA training in August. They are stunning. And the view cannot be beat. The resort is just magical.


W
I wish there was some way for me to truly capture how amazing experiencing this with Max truly was. I really was seeing it for the first time, through Max’s eyes. Our wait was blessedly brief (and we had FPs in hand already for ride two) and before you could say pixie dust, we were sailing away over the lights of London. Max’s sense of wonder and excitement was palpable. We waved as we passed the characters by and made our way through Neverland and back to London.

And again...a ride that six months ago did not interest me all that much suddenly became the most magical experience as the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down and finally...the party! So much fun. Max loved it and again was pointing out his favorite characters and waving and otherewise being enchanted by the whole thing.

It was finally beginning to dawn on me...oh, yes...THIS is what Magic Kingdom is all about. I was falling... A run-in with an English nanny, some pirates and some pixie dust and a trip around a very small world just might seal my fate!

And cue the tears.

Yep. That.is.it! It's the best, isn't it? :love::love::love:

I'm grinning like a fool for you.

And I'm super excited about flying Jet Blue. Are they really as amazing as they sound? I've never flown them before; only Southwest, Delta, and Airtran.


I am a tough sell. A very tough customer. And I can honestly say I like jetBlue. So far, several flights with them, have been awesome. Nice snacks, kind stewards, roomy seats, TVs in the back of the seats (awesome for the kid!). Plus, if your price goes down you can get jetBlue credits - just like Southwest! You know that right? Use Yapta.com to track your flight! It's stinkin' slick.


http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0720.jpg


Oh my word! How cute is he?!

And, Henry has the same shirt. And it looks like Max is wearing camo shorts? I like to pair Henry's Star Wars shirt with camo shorts as well....and..... Mark had a beef burrito, I had the taco salad, and Max had a cheese quesadilla.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0741.jpg



This is the exact meal we had here in August. Henry cheese quesadilla, applesauce, cookie. Me, taco salad. Joe burrito.

:laughing: We liked it too!

Love the swords for the boys!!! I bet those come in very handy. Henry "bought" Joe a lightsaber in August for the sole purpose of them being able to fight together at home. :rolleyes:


My happy boy, smiling after a magical morning:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab206/tinacaplan/Disney%20July%202011%20Day%20Two/DSCN0768.jpg


Adorable! Love that Disney smile!

[jordanyosh]

peep