"We Will Not Be Braking for Pedestrians!" "Oh my God DUUUCKKKS!"-An October 2011

[bellebookworm9]

Hello everyone! I'm Gretchen and :welcome: to my trip report. This is the third one I've done and they are always very fun to write. My mom and I went down over Columbus Day weekend, from the 7th to the 11th. Our resort was Beach Club Villas; we rented DVC points and stayed in a studio. We visited Epcot and the Magic Kingdom this time around, plus Downtown Disney and spent some time at the resort as well. I have a completed Dining Report in my sig, but I'll be inserting those reviews here as well.

So, who are we?
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That's me. I am 20 years old and a college student in Western Central New York, studying Communcative Disorders and Sciences with a focus in Audiology. This was my fifth trip to Disney. My favorite character is Belle, my favorite rides are Soarin' and Tower of Terror, and my favorite night time show is IllumiNations.

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That's my mom, Debbie. She's 54 and also a college student in our hometown of Buffalo. She is earning her Human Services certificate and her Associate's degree in Social Sciences. This was her seventh trip to Disney. I don't know for certain who her favorite character is, but after this trip I think she really likes Flynn Rider! Her favorite rides are Mission: Space, Soarin' and Big Thunder Mountain. She also loves IllumiNations.

So come along with us and stay tuned for lots of pictures, lots of rain, lots of fun, lots of food, some sunshine, and occasional bouts of annoyance and frustration. :rotfl: Let's go!

Day 1
Prepping for the trip & plane ride (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42943988&postcount=4)
Traveling through the Orlando airport & Magical Express (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42944181&postcount=7)
Lunch at Beaches & Cream (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42954817&postcount=21)
Attempting Stormalong Bay (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42977235&postcount=25)
Exploring the Villa (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42977250&postcount=26)
All You Can Eat Crab Legs! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43001513&postcount=29)
"I really don't like that cloud..." (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43026412&postcount=32)

Day 2
A Very Early Morning (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43042894&postcount=34)
Potted Umbrellas Blowing Over! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43067911&postcount=38)
Future World Fun (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43088261&postcount=42)
Club Cool (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43106305&postcount=45)
How much wetter can we get?! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43135262&postcount=51)

Day 3
"I didn't bother to do my hair..." (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43154148&postcount=54)
More eating around the world (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43180008&postcount=58)
Cranky times ahead (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43195168&postcount=62)
"I'm really concerned for the safety of that tree..." (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43219099&postcount=63)
Chilling at the Villas (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43243170&postcount=67)

Day 4
A Morning on the Boardwalk (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43263001&postcount=69)
“She really just wanted to talk to you because she likes your dress…” (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43284762&postcount=73)
"Is this an eating fork?" (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43324155&postcount=74)
Why aren't we moving? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43341031&postcount=79)
“A lot of these people don’t have wristbands…” (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43356694&postcount=83)
Let's Get This Party Started! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43381661&postcount=84)
"MINE, MINE, MINE!" (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43396806&postcount=88)
"Of course it's nice to meet me, I'm me!" (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43408459&postcount=94)

Day 5
The Beginning of Our Last Day (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43422103&postcount=97)
The Trip of 1000 Stops (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43434459&postcount=98)
"Breathe Like You've Never Breathed Before!" (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43451982&postcount=103)

Final Wrap Up (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43465898&postcount=106)

[Motocross Tink]

Hi! :wave2: I'm here to read sounds like fun!

[tlenzendorf]

I'm in!

[bellebookworm9]

Our trip actually starts on Thursday, October 6th. That morning at 6am, I checked us in for our flight on Southwest, and we had Boarding Passes A45 & 46, I think. I never went back to sleep. Mom came to pick me up from school around 4pm and we made the hour and a half trek back home. My grandma came over for last minute instructions, since she would be taking care of our dog and cat while we were gone. There was also, of course, all of the little things left to do with packing. I wanted to go to bed around 7, but of course that didn't happen! I think it was more like 10. After about five hours of very fitful sleep, I finally got up at 2:45, fifteen minutes before the alarm went off.

Here are our suitcases, all ready to go.
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Crossing off the last day of the countdown calendar:
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LET'S GO!
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We were out the door shortly after 4am. The drive to the airport doesn't take too long, maybe 20 minutes. Our decision was to park in Long Term Lot B, something we had never done (we've never actually parked at the airport). Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult to find, and there was a parking spot right near a shuttle pick up location. When we got over to the shelter, there were several other people already there and they had already paged the shuttle, so it showed up within a few minutes, and shortly after that, we were pulling up to the terminal.

We walked inside and right up to the Southwest counter, checked our bag (weighing in at 36.5 pounds :thumbsup2) and headed for the security line. It wasn't bad at all, maybe a 5 minute wait, but I was prepared for the worst. The X-ray machine weren't running, just the metal detectors, so I didn't get to experience that. After we had regrouped, put our shoes back on and our liquids back in our bag we headed for Gate 18.

There was basically no one else there when we arrived. However, as it got closer to departure time it started to fill up. We ate items I had purchased the day before from Starbucks. Berry Coffee Cake for Mom and a Pumpkin Scone for me. The scone was waaaay sweet and I only ate a few bites. I think Mom also purchased a muffin or something from one of the stands at the airport.

Around 5:30 we took this picture.
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Mom gave me an anti-anxiety pill because I hate flying, and I have to say, it really helped. She took the same thing, plus Dramamine and Benydryl (for allergies). This was a big mistake, because she was in a lethargic stupor for a good portion of the rest of the day. :laughing:

When we boarded shortly before 6, we took our usual seats on the left side of the plane (facing the front), fifth row from the back. I took the window and she took the middle. It was a completely full flight, because not only was it direct to Orlando, but many people were laying over there, plus it was continuing on to Austin! We took off precisely on time.
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We had never taken off in the dark before, so that was a new experience. Mom fell asleep, but I stayed awake and listened to my iPod. I also took a bunch of pictures of the sunrise and the clouds.
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I had an apple juice on the flight and they also served us Lorna Doone cookie 100 calorie packs. The whole thing was very uneventful, and we actually ended up landing 15 minutes early-it took only 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there. We sat and waited for almost everyone else to deplane, then headed out. A bathroom stop was first on our list, and I also put my contacts in so I could wear my sunglasses because it was really sunny even at 8:30!

[msmith1026]

I'm in!! Can't wait to hear about your trip. I didn't realize we were so close, I'm in Rochester during the week. you can try some of my cupcakes!!

[Bethislucy]

can't wait to hear all about your trip.

[bellebookworm9]

After our restroom stop, we followed the signs to the "monorail" shuttle that would take us to the main terminal. It was only a few minutes wait, and then we were on our way.
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Mom was tired.
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But I was ready to go!
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Palm trees!
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We arrived at the Main Terminal and headed for Magical Express, stopping to take a few pictures along the way.
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It didn't take us long to arrive at the Magical Express area, and it was the first time we'd done so without getting lost! (Last time we had trouble finding our way out of security.) There was NO line, just like last time. Like security, I always expect the worst, but it never is! We were in line B5.
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There was a brief wait to be put on a bus, and then out we went. It was a real Magical Express bus this time, not a cruise bus!
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When we got on the bus, we sat. And sat. And continued to sit for about 15 minutes. There was a small boy in the row behind us and he was adorable. His dad asked him if he missed Mickey and the boys said, "Yes, but we'll be there to see him in a jiffy!"

I took the window seat so I could get pictures. We passed a lot of road signs.
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Here comes the arch!!
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Our first stop was Port Orleans Riverside.
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Most people got off there, but I think there were about 5 families left. Here's the Tower of Terror in the distance!
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Next up was the Boardwalk.
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I think the next stop would have been the Yacht Club but there were no guests, so on to the Beach Club it was!
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Mom slept for pretty much the whole trip! The ride was really pretty quick; it took approximately an hour from the time we stepped on the bus to the time we arrived in front of our hotel.

[lmc318]

Yay! I'm in! :thumbsup2

[Kat in GA]

I am reading along with your dining report - so I am looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip. We are staying at the Beach Club for the first time in February - cannot wait!

Oh, and many thanks for sending me over to the October facebook page!!

[LMO429]

Loving your report so far! We leave in 10 days and reading about your trip is making me even more excited. I don't like to fly either so it was comforting to read about your flight. If you can do it I can do it! :thumbsup2

[hardingk]

Hi Gretchen!
Signing on for ur TR!

[natebenma]

I'm here! Can't wait to hear all about your trip and see the fantastic photos!!! Also looking forward to the dining reviews! Great start!!!

[kraeurb]

Great start. Looking forward to more.

[wdwgirl03]

I'm here! Love the pictures from the ME ride. It's always so exciting to start seeing all those familiar places. :goodvibes

[WyldLynx]

I can't wait to read more...:surfweb:

[brookelizabeth]

I'm here!!! I have to read yet - saw your first pic, super cute pic of you!

Okay, going back to read now. :goodvibes

[brookelizabeth]

I don't know for certain who her favorite character is, but after this trip I think she really likes Flynn Rider!

Hmmmm....why is this??? :lmao: :love::love::love:

[IheartDDuck]

I'm here! Can't wait to hear more.

[bellebookworm9]

Woah, readers! This is crazy! :rotfl:

I'm in!! Can't wait to hear about your trip. I didn't realize we were so close, I'm in Rochester during the week. you can try some of my cupcakes!!

Oh, wow, I'd love to try some cupcakes-the pictures are always amazing! :goodvibes

I am reading along with your dining report - so I am looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip. We are staying at the Beach Club for the first time in February - cannot wait!

Oh, and many thanks for sending me over to the October facebook page!!

No problem! The Beach Club was really nice and I'm sure you'll like it.

Loving your report so far! We leave in 10 days and reading about your trip is making me even more excited. I don't like to fly either so it was comforting to read about your flight. If you can do it I can do it! :thumbsup2

10 days! That's great! We are at 90 until our one night stay at Old Key West and 87 (I think) until we actually head to Florida.

I'm here! Love the pictures from the ME ride. It's always so exciting to start seeing all those familiar places. :goodvibes

Believe it or not, that's really the first time I've seen most of those places. In 2007, it was dark out when we arrived, and last year it was pouring rain and visibility was terrible. It was exciting though and I'm glad I finally got some decent arch pictures!

I'm here!!! I have to read yet - saw your first pic, super cute pic of you!

Okay, going back to read now. :goodvibes

Aw thanks, I like that picture a lot. I was going to put the one of me trying the Beverly, but decided to wait on that one. :laughing:

Hmmmm....why is this??? :lmao: :love::love::love:

Hee hee you'll just have to wait until Day 4 to find out!

I'm here! Can't wait to hear more.

Welcome! I just went over to check on your PTR, I can't believe you had to cancel the trip just hours before you left. I would have been crying for hours too! But I'm glad to hear you'll be able to make it down before the festival ends. :goodvibes

[jenbear123]

I'm here I'm here! Can't wait to see where your room was at BCV :banana:

[bellebookworm9]

There were only two other people on the bus when we pulled up, and as soon as we stepped off there were two CMs waiting with a big “Welcome Home!”. They escorted us to the front desk, where we picked up our packet-I had done online check in. Since it was only 10am our room was not ready. However, they did not even give us a room number; we had to wait until that afternoon to find out. We traveled the few short feet to Bell Services and dropped off our bags. We looked around the lobby briefly. I now know what all the Yacht & Beach Club DISers mean: The lobby does smell awesome. If you’re wondering, the scent is aloe.

Our next stop was the Marketplace. Mom peeked around in there for a bit and we picked up our refillable mugs, hers blue, and mine pink. I believe I got the awesome White Tea with Citrus and Mom chose some Hot Chocolate. It took her awhile to get actual hot chocolate, as several of the dispensers were just hot water.

Lunch was scheduled for Beaches and Cream, and although it was early, around 10:30, we decided to head over there and wait. We exited the back doors and started to walk. I thought that the hallway behind Cape May Café was actually part of the restaurant and so didn’t think we could go in it. So we walked around the back of the pool up toward the lake and were not seeing any way to get over the Beaches & Cream. We finally asked the CM at the entrance to Stormalong Bay and she nicely directed us through the pool area to the patio area right in front of the restaurant. We looked over our info packet while we waited for the rain to stop, and took some pictures.
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Right at 11am, the servers came out and since we were the first customers we got to “open” the restaurant. Basically, this involved a lot of cheering and clapping. We were given a booth and our menus. We pretty much knew what we wanted to get, so we ordered our food and Mom took pictures of the cute restaurant.
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Mom caught me zoning out there (keep in mind that I’d slept for maybe two hours out of the last 36). One of my friends saw this picture and said it looked like I was saying, “Dear God, please let the food come and let it be delicious.” Our food did show up not too long after that. We chose the “Burger Heaven” single patty with a side of fries. This burger was GIGANTIC.
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It was also juicy and delicious. The fries were seasoned and they were awesome too. I polished off my half in no time and when Mom said something about it, I reminded her that since dinner at 5pm the previous night, I’d had exactly three bites of pumpkin scone and a bag of Lorna Doone cookies.

For months, we had been planning on getting the No Way Jose, so that’s what we went with.
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This may have been the biggest sundae I’ve ever seen in my life. Mom was clearly shocked.
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It was sooooo good. Chocolaty peanut buttery deliciousness. We couldn’t finish it! As a side note, our server for the meal was Dolores and we really liked her.

After lunch we headed back into the resort to pick up our swimsuits so we could take advantage of the pool! From the restaurant we simply followed the signs back to the lobby. We stopped in one of the restrooms and took a picture of the baskets of hand towels available.
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You know you’re in a fancy place when…

[IheartDDuck]

I love Beaches and Cream! And you got what I get there every time! Making me so hungry right now.

You're right, you know it's a fancy place when there are no paper towels. :lmao:

[wdwgirl03]

Oh my god, that update is making me so hungry! I have got to get to Beaches and Cream. That burger looks amazing! And so does the sundae. Yum.

[bellebookworm9]

I love Beaches and Cream! And you got what I get there every time! Making me so hungry right now.

You're right, you know it's a fancy place when there are no paper towels. :lmao:

Well, really, what else is there to get?! Everyone raves about those burgers and so many people love the No Way Jose that we just had to get it.

They actually did have paper towels too!

[bellebookworm9]

After the fancy bathroom, we headed back to Bell Services to pick up our suits and the noodles from the Yacht & Beach Club Noodle Swap. Mom decided she actually did not want to swim, so she went to buy a book from the Marketplace. While I was waiting for her in the lobby it started POURING. It let up a little, so we headed out and I went into the bathrooms next to the Health Club to change. When I came out it was still raining, so we claimed another table in front of Beaches & Cream and waited for it to let up.
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The rain was not letting up and it was now beginning to thunder as well. The lifeguards left their posts and started being door openers at the arcade. We decided to head over to the villas to wait for our room. We walked into the villas lobby and chose the Breezeway, as there were people in the Drawing Room.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LoUpxehKtBc/TpB8KxAeWmI/AAAAAAAAGko/UzExHiQL2iU/s640/DSCN0204.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FGKEs0HFrqY/TpB8LcPKJ4I/AAAAAAAAGks/UK0zWmv3HI8/s640/DSCN0205.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-okWBASpZW_8/TpB8Lz5t70I/AAAAAAAAGkw/2u119jC8H8Y/s640/DSCN0206.JPG
I absolutely love that painting and it is SO much bigger in real life than I thought! Mom sat down in one of the chairs and promptly fell asleep. I went walking through the building, decided pretty quickly that the hallways were long and would be easy to get lost in, and turned around. I quickly got bored with just sitting around (I knew if I fell asleep, I would be out for a while), so I walked out the Dunes Cove pool with the intent of using the hot tub but there were already people in it and I didn’t want to be awkward. The rain had calmed down so I headed off towards Stormalong Bay. I gave Mom my phone and took hers, and told her to text me if the room should become available.

I took a noodle, found the entrance, got my bright orange wristband (this started a collection that I’m still wearing) and put my stuff down on a chair. I know I floated around the “lazy river” on the noodle, and used one of the hot tubs. I chilled out in the deeper area that adjoins the sinking sands part. I also used the slide once and almost had a wardrobe malfunction. The slide also kind of hurt from the seams that link the section together. The sun was out a bit by now so I walked over to the beach and laid in the sun for a little bit. I was periodically checking the phone about the room, only to discover I had no cell service. So I packed up and went back to the Breezeway. No Mom and still no cell service. I walked outside, still nothing. After a few minutes service returned, and she had texted me to say that Villa 321 was ready.

[bellebookworm9]

We took a lot of pictures of the studio, but not all on the same day, so I’ll be posting them on the days we took them.
I took the elevator up to the third floor and easily found our room. It was in the shortest hallway (only six rooms total) and right off the elevator area.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BUyJ8L-KN0Q/Tph-SHI8ZZI/AAAAAAAAHRY/bEz3uiChguQ/s640/Untitled.jpg

This studio was connected to a one bedroom, and either there was no one in the 1BR, or they were really super quiet since we didn’t hear anyone until the last day. There was a dedicated 2 BR on the other side of us.

Our foyer:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8QwXQ_nfpiQ/TpB8MQ9rTLI/AAAAAAAAGk0/YrR-wb2hiX0/s640/DSCN0207.JPG

The vanity:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UcGCrrNoTQ8/TpB8M9Dq6iI/AAAAAAAAGk4/vKHZQCnCrIM/s640/DSCN0208.JPG

The bathroom:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hTWsNNFLcHU/TpB8Ndg0JbI/AAAAAAAAGk8/HmBGjatLGIs/s640/DSCN0209.JPG

The closet:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k7PqqY98kCw/TpB8Ofu1OLI/AAAAAAAAGlE/hnxpm5ePEsE/s640/DSCN0211.JPG

View of the room:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ge5pGOzHnBg/TpB8PQZC7lI/AAAAAAAAGlI/RWjy8snMM-k/s640/DSCN0212.JPG

Queen Bed:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-snwILWq0JKQ/TpB8Q4xP0II/AAAAAAAAHJc/cNxg8T-ufP8/s640/DSCN0214.JPG

Sofa bed:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YOCRvvZDXGA/TpB8RtFEseI/AAAAAAAAGlU/elx9beRSmDk/s640/DSCN0215.JPG

View looking straight:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7C9Yt1-yX9U/TpB8Ti8WhrI/AAAAAAAAGlY/Yg2_aRgN8YQ/s640/DSCN0216.JPG

View looking left:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JahwTEx0HnE/TpB8UzZ3L8I/AAAAAAAAGlc/CssbFx4H9Tg/s640/DSCN0217.JPG

View looking right:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lXLjsCVMjvE/TpB8WCP0qvI/AAAAAAAAGlg/WDfS1Rm5s-E/s640/DSCN0218.JPG

More room views:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uxOzWGJFekA/TpB8YgcYOcI/AAAAAAAAGlo/L2h3P4ENvpE/s640/DSCN0220.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tzUzxPOnV0A/TpB8ZQ3CfII/AAAAAAAAGls/w3FK8-JHHMw/s640/DSCN0221.JPG

One thing we quickly noticed about the room was that when both the bathroom and closet doors were open, the vanity area became very cramped and hard to walk in/out of. Not a big deal but a little annoying. We thought the room was very nice, it was clean, and the furniture was not worn very much at all. I had requested a higher floor and we did get that to some extent. I had kind of been hoping for an Epcot view so we could see IllumiNations from our room, but this was a beautiful view as well, and great for people watching. We actually saw a bride walking into the villas! After exploring I took a shower and then it was time to head down to dinner at Cape May Café.

[DancinDaisyDuck]

I'm Here! I can't believe it's been so long since I've checked in on your trip plans, and now you're back and writing your report! I haven't read a word yet but plan on doing so in a minute. Just wanted to let you know I will be following along!

Edit: I am all caught up now! You guys are having a great time already and haven't even gotten to a park yet. Looking forward for lots more!

[tink52937]

" As a side note, our server for the meal was Dolores and we really liked her. "

Dolores is our favorite favorite favorite CM at disney. Did I mention FAVORITE? lol
We met her about 3 years ago and we we go back every time to see her. She has really great receipes, frosted flakes and chocolate milk, Coke with hershey syrup etc.

Can't wait to read more!!

[bellebookworm9]

Our ADR was for 5:30 and we headed down a little before that. We checked in and were given a buzzer. I realized my sunglasses were missing and that I had them when I was changing in the bathroom earlier in the afternoon and then couldn’t remember seeing them again. We went out to check to see if I had left them there, but no dice. I asked a CM where I would go to find them and she told me I would have to call Lost & Found. I didn’t want to deal with all of that so we walked back into the lobby. We went up to ask if we had been buzzed since we expected we had gone out of range, but we hadn’t been called yet. Another guest carrying a beer and not wearing any shoes came in and started talking to the CM manning the check in booth. He was really loud and obnoxious and Mom was pretty grossed out by the no shoes thing. Apparently he had lost his wife somewhere around the pool. But anyway, we were soon buzzed to be seated.

The hostess told us our server would be Karen, but after several minutes with no Karen, another server named Sarah came over. Sarah was the one who took care of us for most of our dinner, with Karen stopping by occasionally. Manager Kiersten also stopped by to chat; she was very personable and talked with us for about 10 minutes. She said she’s been with Disney for about 7 years and at Cape May for about 1; they like to rotate the managers around every 1-2 years to keep things fresh and get new ideas.

I'm not an adventurous eater and I'm not crazy about most seafood, but Mom really likes crab and doesn't eat it very often, so she was very excited. Our first trip to the buffet consisted of mostly salads.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vkvaqGATlR4/TpB8aJZ4aRI/AAAAAAAAGlw/1912gGw6aOg/s640/DSCN0222.JPG
Salad with cheese, croutons, and ranch; cantaloupe with some sort of dressing and green stuff; peel and eat shrimp.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GtgG8I4WKig/TpB8a53yi_I/AAAAAAAAGl0/X8LuH7phxd8/s640/DSCN0223.JPG
Cantaloupe, Cape May Potato Salad, Peel and Eat shrimp with cocktail sauce. We both liked the shrimp and cantaloupe. My salad was good; it's a salad and you can't really go wrong with that. Mom did not care for the potato salad, it was unlike any other she had eaten before, not what she was expecting, but she couldn't really define a taste.

My second plate was really pretty boring.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Yafi8yxhai0/TpB8bTWKbLI/AAAAAAAAGl4/M5JhS0-lPNo/s640/DSCN0225.JPG
Chicken nugget (there were two but I had eaten one), mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread with butter, corn on the cob, and fried cod. I really liked the potatoes, the mac and cheese, the corn, and the cod. The potatoes were very flavorful, the cheese on the pasta was delicious, and the corn was sweet. The chicken nuggets were just alright, they were flattened and didn't really have a lot of taste. The cornbread was not very sweet and a bit dry.

Mom's second plate:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Tt-r72DLLxs/TpB8cOPt4nI/AAAAAAAAGl8/OOFX0TkPaDk/s640/DSCN0226.JPG
Fried cod, corn on the cob, drawn butter, cornbread, crab legs. She LOVED the crab legs. She also loved the corn, thought the cob was pretty good, and enjoyed the corn bread.

We shared four mini desserts: Key Lime Tart, (Raspberry) Cheesecake, Brownie, and the famed Oreo Bon Bon.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-s5hEVzQitMs/TpB8cis-gdI/AAAAAAAAGmA/aXX7Hn2hpYw/s640/DSCN0227.JPG
Our favorite was the key lime tart. It was not too tart and the whipped cream added an appropriate amount of sweetness. The cheesecake was kind of blah. It didn't really have a raspberry flavor. The brownie was chewy, most, and chocolaty. The Oreo Bon Bon was sooooo rich and sweet. I could only eat two bites of it! Mom liked the top part with the mousse, but not the bottom cookie part (she doesn't like Oreos though).

Our plan for after dinner was to stroll over to the Boardwalk, rent a surrey bike, continue walking around the lake stopping at the Yacht Club to look in their gift shop, then come back to the room...

[natebenma]

Another guest carrying a beer and not wearing any shoes came in and started talking to the CM manning the check in booth. He was really loud and obnoxious and Mom was pretty grossed out by the no shoes thing. Apparently he had lost his wife somewhere around the pool.

She was probably hiding from him.


Thanks for your review of the Cape May. We have dined there twice and enjoyed it.

Hope you are able to find your sunglasses.

Great pictures of the villas in your previous update!!!

[bellebookworm9]

She was probably hiding from him.


Thanks for your review of the Cape May. We have dined there twice and enjoyed it.

Hope you are able to find your sunglasses.

Great pictures of the villas in your previous update!!!

:lmao: She probably was! I never did find my sunglasses, but for the next two days I didn't even need them.

[bellebookworm9]

We exited through the lobby and started walking toward the Boardwalk. Mom took a few pictures on the way.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ElGuXCmPHt4/TpB8d_VcbLI/AAAAAAAAGmE/Vsonr_iWFqo/s640/DSCN0228.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ax7MdmLBdpM/TpB8eWw8FQI/AAAAAAAAGmI/pFMlI4kHFFA/s640/DSCN0229.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aqtdHvu6aT4/TpB8fjep7NI/AAAAAAAAGmM/y10PN3sTBYc/s640/DSCN0230.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BVhUOvkKySE/TpB8gLgONII/AAAAAAAAGmQ/aO0GX0rTg-Q/s640/DSCN0232.JPG
That is SeaBreeze Pointe, and I fully intend to get married there someday. It’s absolutely beautiful.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MX6sIKRZhO0/TpB8g4g_KcI/AAAAAAAAGmU/KJJq5FCppog/s640/DSCN0233.JPG
See that beautiful sunset over the Dolphin? Well, coming in from Epcot was a huge, dark cloud. I really hate thunderstorms and was like “Mom, I don’t like that cloud…I really don’t like that cloud!” I was pretty much having a panic attack. So Mom told me to go inside, and I headed for the arcade. She met up with me shortly.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hwdhRkSDQ4o/TpB8hhC-8YI/AAAAAAAAGmY/sRMfUoeX-to/s640/DSCN0234.JPG

We didn’t stay in the arcade for long, and made our way up to the lobby. It was obviously a MNSSHP night because there were people in costume all over the place. Just as we got inside it started to POUR. We sat just inside the front entrance for a while and then went to explore inside. We passed one of the Boardwalk acts as we were wandering; he was on the stairs juggling. Eventually we camped out in some chairs by the world’s slowest elevator and this plate display:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_BwgqOS30to/TpB8iVAat9I/AAAAAAAAGmc/JDjI5jcfMRQ/s640/DSCN0236.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pSa6WaHew1g/TpB8jBol3DI/AAAAAAAAGmg/GEfHax8si90/s640/DSCN0237.JPG

Families would just come in from the rain all decked out in their ponchos and then attempt to take the elevator up. One family got in, pushed the button, the doors closed, it waited a second then reopened! They started to get out and the Dad went, “Oh wait, we didn’t go anywhere!” After about 25 minutes we scurried back outside, trying to keep along the building edge, over to the main gift shop. We browsed there for a bit, and I bought my autograph book and new ring, which I have pictures of later. I looked for a Dooney wristlet but they didn’t have a pattern and color I liked. Next up was Seashore Sweets. I had read somewhere that they sold M&M chocolate covered pretzels, but didn’t see them. Mom used the restroom there, and while I waited for her, I discovered that their floors are very much waxed! I was leaning against the pay phones and just slipping right down!

The rain had let up a teeny bit so we walked back the way we came to the Beach Club, ducking in the “super secret step saver entrance” (thanks Y&BC DISers!). I don’t know if it ever really saved us any steps, but it did keep us dry! I really like the carpet in the hallways.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JPwYPhDtPDg/TpB8kYeudUI/AAAAAAAAGmk/LeL11zdeN-0/s640/DSCN0238.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HvXePYlccGQ/TpB8ljlDAAI/AAAAAAAAGmo/KzMJo8ch3nU/s640/DSCN0239.JPG

Eventually we made it to the Beach Club lobby, where Mom wanted to rest for a moment. She’s wanted a picture of herself in one of these chairs since she saw a photo of them over a year ago!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gIudIJ2WNbs/TpB8mm8L9SI/AAAAAAAAGms/rVjIoDP1UrE/s640/DSCN0240.JPG

After our short break, it was on to the Yacht Club. Of course, we got a bit lost walking over there, but we made it eventually, with the help of a friendly lifeguard. Fittings and Fairings was our destination, and we browsed a bit there as well. They also sold Dooneys, but still nothing I was crazy about. However, I did buy my 2011 hoodie there, and the 4 Parks, 1 World photo album. We meandered back to the Beach Club, stopping at the rocking chairs between the two resorts. Unfortunately, this was also the smoking area so we didn’t stay for long. We caught glimpses of IllumiNations but didn’t get any good pictures. I know we stopped at the Marketplace to get snacks, and then headed back to the room. I got ready for bed and passed out. Mom said I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and then I didn’t move at all.

[natebenma]

I know exactly that dark cloud you are talking about!!! It always seems to be hanging around EPCOT! We have had two incidences when we were returning back to the resort and spied a seriously scary dark cloud. Once we had just finished dinner at Le Cellier and the cloud was over Italy. In 2010, we were at Ellen's Energy Adventure and really had to book it back to the BC, barely making it to the super secret step saving entrance before the sky opened up and a HUGE lightning storm started.

It sounds like you probably have not seen the last of the rain.

Very pretty pictures of the BC/YC grounds, the BW and the BC lobby!

[bellebookworm9]

I woke up suddenly at 5:45am on Saturday. I think Mom must have let out an extra loud snore or something, but I popped up and couldn’t fall back asleep. I decided to get ready and head over to the Boardwalk Bakery (I didn’t know the Marketplace sold bagels). I was out the door shortly before 6:30. It was still dark, but not yet raining. There was almost no one else outside, just a few runners.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2X_ehqE_3iI/TpB8p9ddZxI/AAAAAAAAGm0/fh6rAA5MsvA/s640/DSCN0247.JPG

When I got to the Bakery, there were about five other people waiting outside. At promptly 6:30 they opened, but the CM that came out told us the register person had to go get a till and we couldn’t actually buy anything until he got back. Several people ordered coffee while we waited. When we were finally allowed to, I bought a cinnamon raisin bagel and an apple juice. I wanted a fruit cup, but despite it being on the menu I didn’t see them anywhere. So I simply stopped at the Marketplace on the way back-and discovered that they had bagels. *Bangs head against palm*

Mom was happy to see breakfast was there when she woke up.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rp4h05GcHgY/TpB8rGIaFYI/AAAAAAAAGm4/YA9J87b8Zew/s640/DSCN0249.JPG
While she got ready for the day, I took some more pictures of the room-things we had missed yesterday.

Kitchenette:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IBN5FEtueVI/TpB8rjqiL9I/AAAAAAAAGm8/6CLaSLdpGXM/s640/DSCN0250.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-t_w6ZKyURzc/TpB8scoUI_I/AAAAAAAAGnA/2Zq3CuwO4Ps/s640/DSCN0251.JPG
Cupboard with plasticky/paper plates and bowls, real mugs and glasses.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pUUH5ffwTGw/TpB8s2ZHi6I/AAAAAAAAGnE/nIUy3gdPklE/s640/DSCN0252.JPG
Cupboard with paper towels, toaster, and plastic ware tray (plus a corkscrew and can opener)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UaA1RvdiSGI/TpB8ttYwqhI/AAAAAAAAGnI/gv-O0MvOiZ4/s640/DSCN0253.JPG
Inside the fridge.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7dqabm_wGuM/TpB8udQqLDI/AAAAAAAAGnM/3Donw0Uecio/s640/DSCN0254.JPG
Under the sink.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2HvW65DH93w/TpB8vMLMmRI/AAAAAAAAGnQ/0JPzWEjIMSE/s640/DSCN0255.JPG
The television/dresser.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-v8oazgbCLbA/TpB8vVF_HkI/AAAAAAAAGnU/mwctgUzi35Y/s640/DSCN0256.JPG

We wanted to make rope drop and we were out of the room by about 8:30. The walk to Epcot was even quicker than I imagined. By this point the rain had picked up, so we used the 1501 door again. A F&WF sign by England!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s0URM92OIBc/TpB8wU3qJXI/AAAAAAAAGnY/imf3NRC0fsM/s640/DSCN0257.JPG

When we got towards the front of the park I thought we missed rope drop since there were no people waiting. I ran ahead to get FPs for Test Track and the park was EMPTY. The times board said everything was still closed except Soarin’, which had a 20 minute wait. I was very confused, but headed to Test Track. The machine wouldn’t give me my FP so I had to get a CM to help me. The ride was closed due to rain, and in the 30 seconds it had taken me to get from the Times board to the ride, the FPs had been pushed back to 10:05am.

I went next door to do Mission: Space. Mom hadn’t gone on it last time, but she wanted to give it a try. We went with the green (tame) version. Virtually no wait, and we were the only ones in our capsule. She LOVED it! She wanted to do it again, but we headed back outside and over to the Land. Much to my delight, Soarin’ was still at 20 minutes, so we got in line. I’ve never seen it with that short of a wait! And we definitely didn’t wait that long. We were assigned to B1 without even asking for it! I have to say, the safety video at the beginning gets more and more ridiculous every time I see it. Since we both had flip flops on, we rode barefoot-I’ve never done that before and the urge to dip my toes in the water was overwhelming! That ride just makes me so happy-I listen to the music and I am automatically calm.

When we got off, Mom was hungry so we stopped over at Sunshine Seasons for a snack, and while she paid, I got FPs for later.
Still a short wait!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XSUnczEnu-I/TpB8w-G2wII/AAAAAAAAGnc/fGHqiWP4-o8/s640/DSCN0258.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-476QNL2J2C8/TpB8xnr_LKI/AAAAAAAAGng/5PY0drEIDig/s640/DSCN0259.JPG

Mom chose Croissant Berry bread pudding for her snack and we each got a chocolate milk. She really liked the bread pudding, but I didn’t care for it much. I don’t really like bread pudding in general though.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p4mc0yzJH5Y/TpB8y9yjVcI/AAAAAAAAGnk/8uCTLSdeWcY/s640/DSCN0260.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kov3NuT-j7s/TpB8zXUfQJI/AAAAAAAAGno/forRVlQ5qz4/s640/DSCN0262.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YyyFKtdwCOg/TpB80DByvRI/AAAAAAAAGns/5flJR89Bahw/s640/DSCN0263.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ckG3LdgSgqA/TpB807IA3GI/AAAAAAAAGnw/6Yh80tqS3_c/s640/DSCN0264.JPG
For the first time, I realized that each of those balloons represents a season!

I was adapting our plans on the fly like crazy due to the rain, so since we had some time before World Showcase opened, MouseGears was up next. It was here that I finally found my Dooney & Bourke wristlet. I was debating between a 40th anniversary one or a White Sketch. I never did find a 40th anniversary wristlet anywhere on property. I looked through ALL of the sketch wristlets, and of course the one I wanted was on the top hook at the very back. I had to ask a CM for assistance. He was an older gentleman and when he handed it to me I thanked him and took it over to Mom who was looking at jewelry. We were planning to browse some more and make one big purchase at the end. However, the CM was literally following me around the jewelry section and actually said, “Why don’t you let me hang on to that until you’re ready to check out?” Seriously?! It had an anti-theft tag on it-it’s not like I was going to smuggle it out of the store! We looked around a bit more but didn’t find anything, so I went back to the older man and checked out. I asked for the bag to be sent to package pickup and he acted like it was a huge inconvenience, and then he almost forgot to give me my KTTW card. This guy was definitely the most (and pretty much the only) cranky CM we encountered. It was nearly 11, so we left and headed towards World Showcase.

[archdandy]

Great report so far! I'm glad that you found a wristlet that you liked but that CM could have been a bit friendlier from the sounds of it. It kinda stinks that it rained so much your first couple of days. I hope this didnt get in the way of you guys having fun!

[natebenma]

Loved this update!!!

GREAT detailed kitchenette photos! I'll be using some of those on the FAQ thread if ya don't mind!

I can't believe the not-so-long wait on Soarin'- love the way you captured it in the picture with the FPs. The blueberry bread pudding looks good to me! I've never been to SS for breakfast.

I didn't know that about the balloons! Thanks for the great trivia!

[bellebookworm9]

Great report so far! I'm glad that you found a wristlet that you liked but that CM could have been a bit friendlier from the sounds of it. It kinda stinks that it rained so much your first couple of days. I hope this didnt get in the way of you guys having fun!

Loved this update!!!

GREAT detailed kitchenette photos! I'll be using some of those on the FAQ thread if ya don't mind!

I can't believe the not-so-long wait on Soarin'- love the way you captured it in the picture with the FPs. The blueberry bread pudding looks good to me! I've never been to SS for breakfast.

I didn't know that about the balloons! Thanks for the great trivia!

The rain definitely didn't ruin the fun-and it absolutely kept the crowds away!

Feel free to use the pics on the FAQ thread.

I've been to Sunshine Seasons at least once per trip on the last three trips-and taken a picture of those balloons every single time. You think I would have realized that before!

[bellebookworm9]

As we were walking, it was raining harder. I chanced taking the camera out to take this picture.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yljrs8bWUlM/TpB811ZdgTI/AAAAAAAAGn0/hUjLy_cGmMc/s640/DSCN0266.JPG

Since Australia was right there, that’s where we went first. Before we ordered, I asked about the free passport that you can get stamped and I was told I had to get that at the DVC booth…which we had just walked past. I told Mom to stay put (if you recall my last trip report, we have a terrible habit of losing each other) and ran off to get the booklet. When I returned, I found Mom sitting on a bench right near where I’d left her. Yay for Mom for listening to instructions! At most booths we ordered one item, some we went with two, and here our item of choice was the Shrimp on the Barbie with a Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WRVlKgnTau0/TpB82d3MqgI/AAAAAAAAGn4/dwxKlZUAEmw/s640/DSCN0267.JPG
It was really good and had a nice flavor. The shrimp were a decent size. We attempted to eat outside, but now it was really raining and huge gusts of wind were blowing. A potted umbrella near Australia actually blew over! So we hustled into the little store right there, the one with all the Duffy stuff. We ate while taking shelter in there, and many other people had the same idea-the floor by the door was a small lake, since they are the automatic doors and the water was just blowing right in. It was getting kind of crowded and someone in an ECV knocked into a display of glass; we didn’t see it but we definitely heard it. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The rain was not letting up but we decided to go brave it to get to the next booth. I know we skipped Brazil because nothing there really appealed and we also skipped the Beef Empanada from Argentina, which I had wanted to try until I heard it was spicy. The Caribbean booth was next in line. Here we chose to order the Ropa Vieja (Braised Beef) with White Rice and the Dragon Berry Colada (my first *ever* alcoholic drink).
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7DWlnTwCyHg/TpB83hHI_nI/AAAAAAAAGn8/zNHc8WOVxOs/s640/DSCN0268.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T3O3A37DjFM/TpB84trfHhI/AAAAAAAAGoA/UtX4iV0HaQk/s640/DSCN0269.JPG
I was originally a little wary of the beef dish because it literally means "Old Clothes" in Spanish. However, it was really good! There was a little spice to it but we couldn't identify the specific flavor. As for the Colada, I liked it. It kind of tasted like a fruity yogurt in slushy form. Mom said she could taste the rum, but since I didn't know what I was supposed to taste, I didn't. At this point the weather was what I imagine a monsoon to be. We power walked to the outdoor seating of Cantina de San Angel-hey, it’s covered! A lot of other people were doing the same thing. We ate there and then decided to head back to the hotel. We were soaked and there was no way it was even possible to get any wetter.

On the way, we encountered the Duffy meet & greet. There was absolutely no one there! So I ran up to meet him. I was informed that I would have to take off my poncho if I wanted a hug from Duffy, since otherwise he would absorb the water and weigh 175 pounds by the end of the night. No problem, since I also had to dig out the autograph book and marker, the camera, and the Photopass Card. I let a few people go ahead of me while I was looking for that stuff.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xjbbUKgnb0Y/TrHViRLCdgI/AAAAAAAAIIM/mghV3_QH3p8/s640/Photo0425FourBySix.jpg
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https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qzUhKJbBMTw/TrHVkv_c9FI/AAAAAAAAIJE/PIs6YZy0OJU/s640/Photo0433FourBySix.jpg

I think his pumpkin costume is just so cute! Once my poncho was back on, our trek back to the International Gateway began. It was no fun, squishing along. Super-secret step saver entrance was our friend. My flip flops squeak anyway because they are old, but with the added water, they were just downright obnoxious, and Mom made fun of me the whole way back. When we got back to the room, we took some pictures of how absolutely drenched we were.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NG0OLRFe3og/TpB8-OznhQI/AAAAAAAAHLY/eo7PA4gKEs8/s640/DSCN0274.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hkG96CGOImY/TpB8-rf3-wI/AAAAAAAAHLc/B56G1Fu3j4I/s640/DSCN0275.JPG
I was literally wringing water out of my sleeves there.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p6K7ZdPKQaE/TpB8_De2OXI/AAAAAAAAHLk/7U4E0D9F6W0/s640/DSCN0276.JPG
“I am cold and I’m wet.”

This was around noon. We dried off and Mom napped for a bit. I don’t think I slept, but I did use the computer for a bit. I also realized when we got back to the room that my ticket was missing! I went down to the concierge desk and Grace (I think that was her name) was able to help me out by canceling the first ticket and printing me a new one.

Mom wanted to wait some more to see if the rain had stopped. Nope, it wasn’t stopping so around 3:30 we headed back out. We slogged our way back through the park, up to Future World, into The Land, and went straight for Sunshine Seasons. We always get the Turkey Focaccia, but Mom thought the Reuben Panini looked good as well. My eyes were bigger than my stomach at that moment and I said we should get one of each and share. We also got a strawberry shortcake. I got a kid’s drink and Mom and adult, but we were charged for two adult drinks.
Reuben Panini:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uEtlfVvlC8Y/TpEHi5l_SWI/AAAAAAAAGog/efNzz_d4nMA/s640/DSCN0277.JPG
Turkey and Monterey Jack Cheese on Focaccia with Chipotle Mayo:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UNI2Fg6E1Xw/TpEHjeneISI/AAAAAAAAGok/bcUFCrwCQqA/s640/DSCN0278.JPG
Strawberry Shortcake:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Zz0nQG_Hqxo/TpEHkPYaH5I/AAAAAAAAGoo/L6UHyDXQOcA/s640/DSCN0279.JPG
The turkey sandwich had jalapenos on it, which I don't remember from years past, making it a bit spicier than I cared for-I ended up picking them off. Mom liked the reuben, and the few bites of it I had were good. I don't care for the potato salad (the only side offered at this station), but Mom likes it. The shortcake was light, fluffy, and delicious as always. However, neither of us could finish our sandwiches. Mom was mad that I wouldn’t eat more, but I joined Weight Watchers over the summer and am learning that you don’t have to finish everything on the plate. Mom actually took a picture of what we threw out.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hmU3aDB19L4/TpEHmZIjEnI/AAAAAAAAGo0/VMA0g93IrPw/s640/DSCN0282.JPG

We got into a minor argument and she took the camera out and snapped a picture of me acting like a petulant child.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PJI4TQLaNvw/TpEHkzQxO1I/AAAAAAAAGos/l38imMdzMo0/s640/DSCN0280.JPG
So I returned the favor:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qa5Sy7z2urU/TpEHl9J5-4I/AAAAAAAAGow/uM3yGXjRNHc/s640/DSCN0281.JPG
By that point we were laughing, so we threw out the rest of the food and went off to have some (preferably non-rainy) fun!

[IheartDDuck]

Oh man, I know what it's like to have to ring yourself out! We had a week at WDW in May '09 where it seriously rained that way like every day. Not fun. But, you make the best of it!

[wdwgirl03]

Yuck, gotta love having to wring out your clothes. :rolleyes: That's like what happened to us this past March. I totally agree that it is no fun squishing around in the parks.

On the bright side...Halloween Duffy is really cute and it looks like you made the best of the rainy weather.

[bellebookworm9]

Oh man, I know what it's like to have to ring yourself out! We had a week at WDW in May '09 where it seriously rained that way like every day. Not fun. But, you make the best of it!
Yuck, gotta love having to wring out your clothes. :rolleyes: That's like what happened to us this past March. I totally agree that it is no fun squishing around in the parks.

On the bright side...Halloween Duffy is really cute and it looks like you made the best of the rainy weather.

Everyone we talked to said this was not normal weather. They all said that it will rain like that for 15 minutes in the afternoon, but even for them, 3 days of that nonsense and they were all like :scared1:. In fact, when I had my CP interview earlier this week, I mentioned that I had been there a few weeks ago. The interviewer asked if I had fun and if I had gone to MNSSHP. I said yes, despite all the rain. Her reply? "Ohhhh, you were here the week we had all of that rain!" :sad2:

I agree, Halloween Duffy is so darn cute!

[bellebookworm9]

Our Soarin’ FPs had been good for several hours now, so we went right over there next. I think the stand by line was about 75 minutes and we had about a 20 minute wait with the FPs. The stand by line games were open, so we got to listen to those for a bit. This was also the first time I had seen Concourse 2 open-every single time we’ve gone on, including this one, we’ve been in Concourse 1. This time we were assigned to A2-our first time not being in B1. I understand what people mean now about the feet in front of you kind of ruining the experience a bit, and not being in the center also makes the screen curve more obvious.

After our adventure over California, we walked back outside into some more rain. I checked the Times Board and saw that Test Track was still down. However, Spaceship Earth only had a 5 minute wait, so I said I was feelin’ that and we headed up to the front of the park. It really was a short wait and we were soon heading into the communications of the past. For our “future” we decided we would alternate answers and pick really crazy things, so in the end we were athletic risk takers concerned about health and interested in high tech stuff.
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When we went back outside it was still raining, so ducked into the store that is nearby, Gateway Gifts, maybe? We browsed in there for a LONG time. Finally I’d had enough and decided that by gosh, we came here for the Food & Wine Festival and we were going to go enjoy it! Back out we went. Then we came to Innoventions. I really wanted to try the Great Piggy Bank Adventure. We ducked into Innoventions East and realized that was the wrong side so walked across the way to West, and followed the signs. There was a bit of a wait. Then we were given our piggy and off we went! Saving for college was our choice, since we are both students. I thought the pig was adorable.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-13HDQWlTNtI/TpEJ9p-NzGI/AAAAAAAAGp8/2i2rejAoZD0/s640/DSCN0295.JPG
Mom was disappointed that he was empty-she’s shaking him here to no avail.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Bh6jgQFhl3I/TpEJ_IvIfGI/AAAAAAAAGqA/Z1Qqw58Nb_4/s640/DSCN0296.JPG

The game was a lot of fun, even though we didn’t reach our goal. We sat on a bench under the covered area between Innoventions and the Character Spot-we wanted to meet the characters but the wait was 40 minutes. Our next stop was Club Cool.

[natebenma]

Loving your updates!!! Sorry to hear about all of the rain. But I applaud you for making the best of it!

I have my own Disney in a Downpour episode- August 2008, Tropical Storm Faye. It rained constantly from Tuesday until Friday. I don't think our sneakers ever dried in between trips to the park.

Loving all your pictures and descriptions of the food, both at the F&W booths and the restaurants. Sunshine Seasons is one of our favorites. Love all of the varied choices there. But the pick for dessert for me is the amazing strawberry shortcake, too! :love:

Great interaction between you and your mom. You both seem like a lot of fun!

[bellebookworm9]

Loving your updates!!! Sorry to hear about all of the rain. But I applaud you for making the best of it!

I have my own Disney in a Downpour episode- August 2008, Tropical Storm Faye. It rained constantly from Tuesday until Friday. I don't think our sneakers ever dried in between trips to the park.

Loving all your pictures and descriptions of the food, both at the F&W booths and the restaurants. Sunshine Seasons is one of our favorites. Love all of the varied choices there. But the pick for dessert for me is the amazing strawberry shortcake, too! :love:

Great interaction between you and your mom. You both seem like a lot of fun!

I hate the rain almost as much as I hate snow. I am never moving to Washington state and I'm trying my hardest to get out of Northern US!

Sunshine Seasons is probably our favorite CS. I would love to try all of the options there eventually!

Haha thanks, we like to think we're fun!

[bellebookworm9]

We had never been to Club Cool before, but of course I’d heard stories about the Beverly, so that was first on our list. Mom thought I might like it since I liked lemons when I was little. I made her go first.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4DgbMJTz-uw/TpEKAHW8c3I/AAAAAAAAGqE/fjfTbunS5cg/s640/DSCN0297.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SlscxwJVlr8/TpEKBEPawTI/AAAAAAAAGqI/Jvfkdi4AyEM/s640/DSCN0298.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ft5DI-IlGq8/TpEKBygXPNI/AAAAAAAAGqM/WaYXxGnwGhw/s640/DSCN0299.JPG
My turn!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Jx798fBrFdc/TpEKDvjS3yI/AAAAAAAAGqQ/I7KuarxHnX4/s640/DSCN0300.JPG
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https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-j9w9yVg0HBs/TpEKG5iMtSI/AAAAAAAAGqc/NfmkrSUk5hQ/s640/DSCN0303.JPG
GROSS! Okay, we’ll go with the “Fanta Frescas” from Costa Rica now.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8Kg5yQan53g/TpEKJr50_NI/AAAAAAAAGqg/98YIXf1U7SM/s640/DSCN0304.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Omwh3SIClIs/TpEKKeMNIEI/AAAAAAAAGqk/jhzrH6t7NVA/s640/DSCN0305.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4LAlPnJoOC8/TpEKMbRPIcI/AAAAAAAAGqo/3qwjIIc4_Is/s640/DSCN0306.JPGP
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BB0sc9iK2jM/TpEKQYRCXnI/AAAAAAAAGqw/gGoujjnSt1Q/s640/DSCN0308.JPG
That one was a little better. Hmmm…I pick the Mezzo Mix from Germany.
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I liked that one, Mom didn’t. She thought it just tasted like flat Coke. Our last choice was the Ginger Ale from South Africa.
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We both thought that one was just okay. Now it was finally time to head back into the festival!

[IheartDDuck]

Ah, Beverly. You know what's funny about that drink? It's actually a palatte cleanser, so it's supposed to taste bitter. It's supposed to cleanse your taste buds so you can go on eating and have everything taste good. :lmao:

[lilwitch646]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BVhUOvkKySE/TpB8gLgONII/AAAAAAAAGmQ/aO0GX0rTg-Q/s640/DSCN0232.JPG
That is SeaBreeze Pointe, and I fully intend to get married there someday. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Me too!! (There or one of the court yards at BWV)

Mom was mad that I wouldn’t eat more, but I joined Weight Watchers over the summer and am learning that you don’t have to finish everything on the plate. Mom actually took a picture of what we threw out.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hmU3aDB19L4/TpEHmZIjEnI/AAAAAAAAGo0/VMA0g93IrPw/s640/DSCN0282.JPG

My parents have the same complaint, so you're not alone. I try to order kids meals in Disney if I can because the adult portions are SOO huge, but turkey sandwiches get boring after awhile. :(

[bellebookworm9]

Ah, Beverly. You know what's funny about that drink? It's actually a palatte cleanser, so it's supposed to taste bitter. It's supposed to cleanse your taste buds so you can go on eating and have everything taste good. :lmao:

You know, i suppose *anything* would taste better than that! It also looked different than I was expecting-since it's supposed to be Cola, I thought it would be brown, not clear. I was also disappointed to see that the watermelon drink from China (I think?) was out, because I really wanted to try it!

Me too!! (There or one of the court yards at BWV)

My parents have the same complaint, so you're not alone. I try to order kids meals in Disney if I can because the adult portions are SOO huge, but turkey sandwiches get boring after awhile. :(

Haha I've got my whole wedding planned out! My second choice is the Yacht Club Gazebo, then I want a brunch reception in a ballroom at either Y&BC or Boardwalk, and a dessert party in the UK! (I need a boyfriend before any of this happens, obviously, but a girl can dream, right?)

Mom and I normally share all of our CS meals and TS too (unless we're at a buffet), but if I were ever to go by myself, I think kid's meals would be the way to go...or having lots of leftovers!

[msmith1026]

Haha I've got my whole wedding planned out! My second choice is the Yacht Club Gazebo, then I want a brunch reception in a ballroom at either Y&BC or Boardwalk, and a dessert party in the UK! (I need a boyfriend before any of this happens, obviously, but a girl can dream, right?)


mmmm....dessert party. Best part of any party would be the dessert!!! I think the brunch reception sounds good too!!

[bellebookworm9]

mmmm....dessert party. Best part of any party would be the dessert!!! I think the brunch reception sounds good too!!

Dessert and IllumiNations...doesn't get any better than that! And I prefer breakfast over all other meals, so a brunch reception sounds perfect to me!

[bellebookworm9]

I received our Photopass CD today, so those pictures will be included from here on out. I have also gone back and inserted them into the "Potted Umbrellas Blowing Over!" post for the meet & greet with Duffy!
******************

We decided we would make a right and start working our way back to International Gateway, so our first booth has Hawaii. The whole booth was pretty much a giant advertisement for Aulani, and there was a kiosk for it right next to the booth. We wanted to try the Kalua Pork Slider with Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayo.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GRNvN9eN5GE/TpEKZPw__dI/AAAAAAAAGrY/5nKXTmbS9os/s640/DSCN0318.JPG
We sat down on a bench across the way to eat it. This was really good! There was a tiny kick to it, but not too much, the pork was well cooked and the pineapple added an unusual twist.

I think we took a bathroom break next, and as I was going to take my poncho off, it ripped. It was $2 at WalMart, and the opening for my head just ripped right down the chest. Well, it wasn’t like I could get much wetter-I was wringing water out of sweatshirt number 2 for the day!

The Desserts and Champagne is right next to the bathroom, so that was where we went. I think this is the only booth where we got all 3 items; Top left is the Lemon Chiffon, bottom left is the White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls, and on the right is the Tres Leches Verrine.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2HKaDiFypcA/TpEKaMa4_1I/AAAAAAAAGrc/5NDc7dy3jdw/s640/DSCN0319.JPG
The Lemon Chiffon was our least favorite. It was a little too tart. The Mousse was our second favorite. I liked the combination of flavors. And the Tres Leches Verrine was our favorite, one of the best things we ate! We still don't know exactly what it was, but it was soooo good. It seemed like some sort of a cake soaked in something. Sorry, that's a terrible description!

Continuing on our way we came to Greece. Here we ordered the Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey and the Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JM-TIt0-72k/TpEKb0SzVbI/AAAAAAAAGrk/DAbOrJClYBA/s640/DSCN0321.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BUrr0u0R1oM/TpEKbSL7QCI/AAAAAAAAGrg/tKqZsqrkAhQ/s640/DSCN0320.JPG
These were both...interesting. The cheese would have been good on it's own or with the pistachios, but the honey was too sweet for the cheese. It was also sticky to eat with fingers, but difficult to eat with a knife and fork. The chicken and pita parts of the souvlaki were good but the sauce tasted overwhelmingly of dill.

We sat on a bench partially covered with a big umbrella. A few people came over and were kind of sharing the bench but one or two of them were standing and we weren’t sure if they whacked the umbrella or what, but a torrent of water came down. Some of it went in one of the guy’s drinks and he took a sip and said, “Hmmm…I think that was acid rain, but it tastes great!”

We moved on not long after that, skipping Canada and heading to Ireland. On our way there we saw this HUGE line of people and I thought it was for the booth because I know it’s popular. But as we got closer we saw that they were all lining up to stop at a small white tent thing. At the time I thought maybe it was to meet the guy from Cake Boss, but now I’m thinking it was for the 3D Dessert Party. We wanted to get all the items at Ireland, but were getting full so we just got the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Bailey's Irish Cream Ganache. (Unfortunately, we never got back to the booth for the other choices).
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MO8T0eIOay0/TpEKdI5gLrI/AAAAAAAAGro/lNt1XEub6P8/s640/DSCN0322.JPG
This was tiny, but very rich. It was fine that we shared. Mom said the Bailey's also made her feel warm. This was a very good choice!

From Hawaii to Ireland was just about half an hour. I wanted to stay for IllumiNations but Mom didn’t want to wait for two hours and we were cold and wet again, so we walked back to the villas. It was around 7:15 at this point. When we got back and dried off, Mom did some math homework and I went to the fourth floor to put my stuff in the dryer. I was going to stay up there with it but it was really, really cold. A little girl and her mom came in during the few minutes I was sitting there, and they had the TV on: Monsters Inc was on ABCFamily. The little girl told me how it was on in her room and she hadn’t been feeling well in the bathroom so they came back to the hotel to watch TV. Gotta love little kids!

So I went back to the room and took pictures. Here is the sofa bed, with my stuff on it. It’s a bit messy-there’s a picture of it clean coming later.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UdHaWJZE3OQ/TpEKdn2QyTI/AAAAAAAAGrs/wXOXBZiIvBA/s640/DSCN0323.JPG

I also took some pictures of my new wristlet.
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https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PrajhDF1VIA/TpEKfm-RxOI/AAAAAAAAGr4/lw8bRl3VX5A/s640/DSCN0331.JPG

And my new ring from the previous night. I have a similar one on my left pinky (this one’s on my right ring finger). The left hand one I got last May and it’s just one spiral with a silver G on the top and a “diamond” Mickey head on the bottom.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QxJfBpNAkkI/TpEKgCKphTI/AAAAAAAAGr8/_fEBGpx_LWg/s640/DSCN0339.JPG

A bit later my laundry was dry so I went to grab it and then called it a night. We were praying that the rain would stop in the morning. I wanted to make rope drop, but only so we could ride Test Track. However, we knew if it was raining it would still be closed (it hadn’t opened at all today) and we could go a little later.

[wdwgirl03]

We tried the white mousse and lava cake too-both were yummy! Love the wristlet-I am still hoping to get one of the little crossbodys (I think you have one of them?). They are so cute!

[bellebookworm9]

We tried the white mousse and lava cake too-both were yummy! Love the wristlet-I am still hoping to get one of the little crossbodys (I think you have one of them?). They are so cute!

I don't think you can go wrong with Disney desserts! Yes, I have a purple cross body and it's perfect for keeping just a few things in.

[bellebookworm9]

Sunday morning I was up around 7, and much to my dismay it was still raining. I went down to the Marketplace to get breakfast, and came back with a Lemon Cranberry Scone for Mom, and a Blueberry Muffin and carton of milk for myself.
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Mom had several of the scones over the previous few days, and she said they were really good. The muffin was moist and filled with blueberries.

Since it was still raining pretty hard, we knew Test Track would be closed, so no big hurry to get over to the park for rope drop. If you recall, my poncho had ripped the previous evening, so I went back down to the Marketplace before we left and bought one of those Disney ponchos so I would now look like everyone else. (I still have it; it’s hanging in my “closet”.) We were headed over to Epcot a little after 9, and it was raining even harder than the day before. The walkway to Epcot was like a small lake. Just before we got to the turnstiles it started raining even harder, so we hung out by the ticket windows for probably 10-15 minutes waiting for it to let up, and took some pictures and video in the meantime.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Vrw8RL9pwSA/TpHs7ZLqJ2I/AAAAAAAAGsI/cqkz2IrUthA/s640/DSCN0344.JPG
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Mom was not amused. She hadn’t even bothered to do her hair since she knew it would just get ruined anyway!
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Torrential Rain at Epcot (28 seconds) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sivJrFj-RmM)

Finally, it let up just a little and we wandered up to Future World. One of my goals for this trip was to watch the Fountain of Nations, and it just happened to be going while we were walking. It was playing to Yanni’s “Standing in Motion” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyiwBDT1Buw “). This is a song that I had grown up with, because my parents used to have it on cassette tape. It’s a pretty epic song, and as the fountain came to its especially epic conclusion, the rain began drenching us again. I just had to stand there and laugh for a minute because it was just so utterly ridiculous.

We were right near the Character Spot, and although the wait said 40 minutes we went in anyway-hey, we’d be dry-ish for 40 minutes! Me waiting to meet the characters, absolutely soaked.
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It definitely did not feel like it was 40 minutes even though it was. We chatted with the mother and young daughter in front of us. This was the first time I actually convinced Mom to be in the pictures with the characters, and she had a great time!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ruGL90j7LjY/TrHVyN0sn2I/AAAAAAAAILM/lZt9f0odSQ8/s640/Photo0434FourBySix.jpg
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https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2reX2g0ZNsE/TrHVtsN-xnI/AAAAAAAAIJs/MQn9uL__N2g/s640/Photo0452FourBySix.jpg
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After our character fun, we checked the Times Board. Mom wanted to go do Mission: Space again, but there were still Soarin’ FPs left for early afternoon, so I told her to head over to M:S, I’d get the FPs and meet her there. Since she knew where she was going, I hoped she would be there! No problem, the FPs were good for about 1-2pm, and Mom was taking pictures when I arrived.
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https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qmDO5QwKHeI/TpHuSlpcEmI/AAAAAAAAGtE/-I_NP0NHxhE/s640/DSCN0362.JPG
(Hey look, it’s me, walking towards her in the clear poncho!)
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Again, there wasn’t much of a wait. This time our capsule was full, as we were paired with a Dad and his younger son. They were adorable; the son wanted a protective helmet so Dad put an invisible one on him, and my mom said if there was an emergency they’d have to take care of it since they had their space helmets on and we didn’t! I was the engineer this time, I think, and Mom might have been the navigator. It was just as much fun as the first time!

[natebenma]

Love your character spot pictures!!! So glad your mom decided to join in on the fun.

I can't believe all the rain you had to deal with!!! That can really wear on your nerves, but it seems like for the moist part, you went with the flow (puns intended).

Hey, I have a BCV question to ask you. Can you tell me what size the coffee maker is in the studio? Is it a 4 cup drip or a 10 cup drip machine? I'm working on a FAQ about the coffeemakers at the resort.

BTW- I have added some of your room pictures to the first page of the thread!

PS- Is it ok for me to add the picture of you with the noodles to the noodle post? We haven't received any pictures of guests enjoying the noodles during their trips.

[Belle83]

I'm new to your TR and love it! Fabulous pictures of Beach Club, and your new wristlet is really cute. Your pictures from Cape May look so good, now I'm craving crab.

[bellebookworm9]

Love your character spot pictures!!! So glad your mom decided to join in on the fun.

I can't believe all the rain you had to deal with!!! That can really wear on your nerves, but it seems like for the moist part, you went with the flow (puns intended).

Hey, I have a BCV question to ask you. Can you tell me what size the coffee maker is in the studio? Is it a 4 cup drip or a 10 cup drip machine? I'm working on a FAQ about the coffeemakers at the resort.

BTW- I have added some of your room pictures to the first page of the thread!

PS- Is it ok for me to add the picture of you with the noodles to the noodle post? We haven't received any pictures of guests enjoying the noodles during their trips.

The character spot was a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it! :lmao: the puns.

I'm not sure what size the coffee maker was because we didn't use it. I didn't really pay much attention to it, but if I had to guess I would think it was a 4 pot. Yay! I'm famous on the front page of the thread! :rotfl: Sure, you can use that picture; I wanted to get a Sunken Treasure and take a picture with that and the noodles, but we didn't get to it!

I'm new to your TR and love it! Fabulous pictures of Beach Club, and your new wristlet is really cute. Your pictures from Cape May look so good, now I'm craving crab.

Welcome! Thank you for reading! I love that wristlet. Cape May was good and I recommend it.

[bellebookworm9]

It was shortly after 11 when we finished our mission to Mars and World Showcase was calling to us. The rain was letting up just a little, but Mom tried to get a picture of the sea of ponchos. Trust me when I say there were waaay more than this.
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The Earth globe was out and open!
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We skipped Brazil and Argentina again, plus Mexico, so our first booth of the day was Scandinavia for some Rice Pudding with Driscoll's® Only The Finest Berries.
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We both really liked this. The strawberries were sweet and the rice pudding was smooth and creamy.

Our plan was to alternate every other booth for the time being, so we walked past China for now and went to South Korea for the Bolgogi Beef with White Rice and Kimchi.
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This was probably our least favorite item. It was super spicy and that was something we don't like and weren't expecting. The rice helped to neutralize the beef a bit, but the kimchi was just over the top spicy. Of course, when I got home and told my Vietnamese housemate what I had eaten, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, because she knows I can’t eat spicy, and she was just shaking her head at me.

Skipping over South Africa (which we never came back to), Cheese was up next. I wanted the Cheese Fondue with Sourdough Bread and Mom decided that she would rather have the Artisan Cheese Selection with Sweet Gras Dairy Thomasville Tomme, Delice de Bourgogne, PC Wyngaard Chevre Affineurs Goat Gouda (neither of us can actually pronounce most of those names!).
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https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GNM3Yu-hmII/TpHuY4cMYMI/AAAAAAAAGto/iow4wiSYN4I/s640/DSCN0374.JPG
The cheese on the left was a stronger cheese and that's honey drizzled over it. This was just okay. The middle cheese was our favorite and it was a goat cheese with cranberries, I think. The end cheese was more of a spreadable kind, and we have no idea what the brown stuff is, but it was very sweet. The fondue was not smooth; it was a little bit chunky. Mom said she tasted a mix of cheeses in it. The sourdough was very good. We stood at one of those awkward tables they have set up and I took a picture of this cool detail by the Africa Outpost.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uESohaP-GT4/TpHuadeifkI/AAAAAAAAGts/mEe6FWbD5-8/s640/DSCN0377.JPG

We wanted to take a brief break from eating so we wandered into Karamell Kuche in Germany. Everything in there looked awesome and I couldn’t decide if I wanted a caramel apple, a chocolate and caramel covered strawberry or something else! Mom couldn’t decide either, so we decided we’d come back later and moved onwards. First we took some picture of the miniature train village-I never realized how far back it goes!
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They even have their own Food & Wine Festival-I love it!
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The Poland booth was on the edge of Germany so that was our next stop. We got the Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream.
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The pierogie was good, but as others have said, tasted like something from the freezer aisle at the grocery store. The kielbasa seemed to be grilled and was kind of crunchy on the outside, a new style of it for us (we normally boil it). We found a bench sort of near Italy to eat and when we had finished, Mom wanted something sweet. I knew that Hops and Barley was nearby and they had Pumpkin Mousse with Ocean Spray Craisins and Orange Sauce, so I suggested that and off we went.
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OMG the mousse was hands down the best thing we ate at the festival. I love pumpkin and I like cranberries. There was some sort of brown sugary cake thing in between the layers. It was just sweet and delicious and I could rave about it for hours. Try it if you get the chance! The outdoor seating near Liberty Inn was deserted due to the weather, but the rain had let up a lot and we managed to find a relatively dry table. We also found a champagne glass that someone had obviously stepped on under the table as well, but that’s another story.

I wanted to see the American Adventure show, and the next one was at 12:45. We wandered into the rotunda and grabbed a seat on one of the velvet benches. Everyone was being asked to take their rain gear off. Pretty soon the Voices of Liberty came out to perform.
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Voices of Liberty-“Carolina Moon” (2:16) (”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO275y5l3w4”)
Voices of Liberty-“The Star Spangled Banner” (2:07) (”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1voxdLO6mw”)
They were amazing! The last time we visited we only caught a brief listen. When they were finished we all lined up to go into the Corridor of the Flags. I didn’t remember that from last time, but then I recalled that we hadn’t seen it because we went up in the wheelchair elevator!
Before the show started, I took a picture of this really cool chandelier.
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When the show was over (and I’d cried during Golden Dreams like I always do) we went back outside to find that the sun had made an appearance! Mom now decided that she wanted the Lobster Roll from Hops and Barley, so that’s where we went. After I got our food we found a picnic table by the Kidcot stop.
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The lobster roll was very good. Mom says it was a quality lobster piece. I've never had lobster before and I liked it. The roll was a toasted garlic bread.

Look, no rain!
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We decided to make two more stops before heading out for the afternoon. The first was New Zealand, where Mom got the Seared Sea Scallop with Kumara-Red Curry Puree and Apple Radish Salad and I chose the Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney.
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The slider was really good! There was a little too much of the tomato chutney but overall I really liked it. Mom enjoyed the scallop, but I didn't care for the tiny bite I had.
Our final booth before our break was Belgium. Here we ordered the Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream and the Chocolate Seashell Truffles.
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The waffle was smaller than I expected but fresh and delicious. I don't know what the fruit was but it was a teeny bit tart. The truffles were very good and Mom identified them as having a hazelnut taste.
On our way out, we obviously passed through France. I pointed out the wine booth that is always there for the Grand Marnier slush (keep this in mind, it’s important later!) and Marie from the Aristocats was supposed to be out meeting and greeting. We searched for her but weren’t successful in finding her, and when we asked, we were told that she was up at the Character Spot because of the rain. Well, we were not trekking all the way back up there now, and besides, the wait would probably be atrocious. Our original plans called for us to leave at 3 and be back around 6, but I told Mom since it was before 3, we’d come back before 6, and Marie was supposed to be meeting again until 5:35…

[tlenzendorf]

I am so jealous of all of your food and wine stops! We had planned on doing more, but then we had so much fun with the people we were hanging out with that we didn't end up doing any stops, lol.

Yay for the sun finally!

[natebenma]

Thanks so much for all of your great pictures of the selections at the Food & Wine booths.

Looks like you had a few F&W winners! I agree with you, the pumpkin cranberry thingy looks and sounds really good! Yum on the lobster roll.

Kimchee is probably the worst thing I have ever eaten. Now, I am a very adventurous eater, I'll try almost anything. But I was working at a restaurant with a woman from Thailand, and she made a batch of kimchee and gave some to me to try. Man, that stuff smelled bad and tasted worse!

I'm so glad the sun has finally decided to peek out. I hope it sticks around!

[bellebookworm9]

I am so jealous of all of your food and wine stops! We had planned on doing more, but then we had so much fun with the people we were hanging out with that we didn't end up doing any stops, lol.

Yay for the sun finally!

We wanted to do more than we did as well, but between the rain and our stomach limits we didn't do nearly as much as we planned! I'll make a list of what we skipped at the end.

Thanks so much for all of your great pictures of the selections at the Food & Wine booths.

Looks like you had a few F&W winners! I agree with you, the pumpkin cranberry thingy looks and sounds really good! Yum on the lobster roll.

Kimchee is probably the worst thing I have ever eaten. Now, I am a very adventurous eater, I'll try almost anything. But I was working at a restaurant with a woman from Thailand, and she made a batch of kimchee and gave some to me to try. Man, that stuff smelled bad and tasted worse!

I'm so glad the sun has finally decided to peek out. I hope it sticks around!

Most of the F&WF items were really good; the kimchi was the only really bad thing. There were a few items that we didn't care for, but nothing truly awful. The sun will stick around!

[bellebookworm9]

As we exited the park, I took this picture. Go back and compare it to the picture from this morning…
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Blue skies! No pouring rain!

We returned to the hotel and I decided I was going to take advantage of the warm non-rainy weather and head to the pool. I forgot the noodles this time, but oh well. I just swam around; don’t think I went on the slide this time. After I was done, I wanted a snack so I stopped at the Marketplace. I was debating between a sugar cookie and a slice of cheesecake, and a CM walked by and said the cheesecake was her favorite food and she would eat it all the time if she could. Decision made!
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I had said to Mom that I wanted to leave by 5pm, but she wasn’t ready by then. I said Marie was only meeting until 5:35 and she thought it was 6, and didn’t understand that I’d wanted to get back earlier than 6. So I left her to bandage up her blisters and headed out. It was about 5:15, and when I arrived I high tailed it to France, only to find that Marie was still at the Character Spot. Sad face-no Marie for this trip. I walked back to the International Gateway to wait for Mom and she showed up not long after. We had a bit of a spat about me being mean and her not remembering anything. I had pre-ordered the Photopass CD and so we were trying to take advantage, but hadn’t seen many photographers. There was one on the bridge to France, but neither of us were in the mood to get our pictures taken, so we continued on, deciding not to stop at Ireland yet again.
Our destination was Soarin’ to use our FPs. The wait was not too long, and I believe there was only one concourse open again. While in line we discussed Mom’s lack of memory, and she told me to either write down what time we needed to leave, or make her repeat it back to me. When we finally got on the ride, we were in B2. Mom sat next to a young boy, who was so nervous that when we started to “take off” he grabbed anything he could, including Mom’s shirt! His mom talked him through the ride, and I think he liked it.
Test Track was FINALLY open, so we walked over there. I think the standby was at about 75 minutes, single rider was 30, and they did have a FP return time going. We decided to ride single rider, because we did want to ride at least once. We walked through the queue, and amidst announcements that the ride could close at any moment due to incoming inclement weather, Mom took a bunch of pictures.
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I knew there was a chance that we would be separated, but I was really hoping we wouldn’t be. There was a horrible moment where they sent me into the briefing room, but kept Mom at the turnstiles. They didn’t close the doors though, and they didn’t send people into the room after me. She asked the people in the FP line when they had gotten them and they said around 1-2 in the afternoon. Finally, after about 5 minutes they let Mom through too. We made it through the line pretty fast, and I don’t think it was quite 30 minutes.

We did end up in the same car, with me in the front row and her in the back. The other people were a family from the South with adorable ginger kids. I absolutely love this ride; it’s probably my second favorite after Soarin’ and Tower of Terror. I even put my hands up during the outside part! After we got off, Mom said she didn’t remember it being that intense.
We hurried to the photo area to scan our Photopass Card, and the other family in the car was already there. I hate that you’re only allowed like 12 seconds to scan it before it disappears, and even though the other family scanned first, it didn’t register on their card and they had to go see the CM in the store.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zHIeXCVbOWg/TrHVyvOOzWI/AAAAAAAAILY/2qJL9Bi_z_I/s640/Photo0464FourBySix.jpg

Walking through the show area, Mom thought this was a cool looking car.
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We were getting hungry again, so we wandered back to World Showcase yet again. I told Mom to go to China and order from the booth, and I’d go to Kringla Bakeri to get our School Bread. The line wasn’t too bad, and got through really quickly. I debated getting one of these Berry Cream Puffs; they were GIGANTIC, but I ended up going with the School Bread.
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I caught up with Mom near China. She was sitting on a bench with our food: Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles and Pork Pot Stickers.
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There were four shrimp, but Mom had eaten some before I got there. Both dishes were very good. We preferred the shrimp and noodle dish. It wasn't too spicy despite the name; there were *a lot* of scallions-probably too many. The pork pot stickers were average, and not necessarily worth the money. I prefer the ones from Ohana.

There was a Photopass Photographer set up right next to us, but by the time we had finished-maybe 10 minutes-he had packed up and left. No problem, on to Germany! The line here was surprisingly short, and we chose two out of three options: the Nuernberger Sausage in a Pretzel Roll and the Apple Strudel with Vanilla and Werther's Caramel Sauce.
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These were eaten at one of those awkward standing tables along the walkway. The sausage was really good! I still think it's the funniest looking thing ever, but it was very tasty. The pretzel roll was delicious. The apple strudel was just okay. The first bite was very sweet because there was a lot of sauce, but then it got kind of bland.

We were back to Karamell Kuche, so in we went. Mom was looking at some candies for my grandma, and we encountered a really nice couple from Boston. They were looking at the Toffifee, and the wife was encouraging the husband to sing the jingle. He had a glass of wine in his hand, and Mom encouraged him to “take a sip and sing!”- so he did. The song was something like “Toffifee’s too good for kids, it’s made for adults” or something ridiculous like that! We chatted with them for a bit, Mom decided against the candies, and we moved on to the case. After much back and forth, I decided on the Milk Chocolate Caramel Pecan Cluster and Mom the Chewy Caramel Bar. We didn’t eat them right then, for it was on to Italy! (Yes, by this point we were basically power eating).

The line here was probably the longest we encountered, but still moved very quickly. We got a bunch of stuff here: Baked Cheese Ravioli, Chocolate Cannoli, and the Primavera Smoothie.
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We found a bench outside the first shop to eat on. The smoothie was the real winner here. It was in a normal sized cup for only $3.50 and was fruity and delicious. The cannoli was okay. The chocolate coating made it a little slippery to hold on to, and there didn't seem to be extra stuff in the filling (chocolate chips, candied fruit) as stated in the description. The ravioli was the loser. Although it looks cheesy and delicious from the outside, the actual ravioli tastes exactly like Chef Boyardee. I was so disappointed.

It was now about 7:45 and IllumiNations would be starting at 9, so we went to find seats. We found a bench close to France, right at the area where Belle and Beast normally meat. I took a seat and sent Mom to France to buy the Grand Marnier Slush. In the meantime, I opened our Karamell Kuche treats.
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My milk chocolate pecan caramel cluster. It was soooo good. I just wanted to eat more of the caramel part. Mmmmmm now I'm daydreaming about it.
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Mom’s Chewy Caramel Bar. This was also very tasty. The bottom past was like a buttery cookie foundation, but I still don't know what the white stuff on the top is. The whole thing intrigued me but it was delicious as well!

As I was munching away, Mom called to say that she had found a table in France, so I walked over there. It was right next to the Grand Marnier and Ice Cream booths. This was on the table:
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Me: “Uh, that’s not the Grand Marnier Slush, that’s the Parisian Cosmo Slush…” Apparently, she didn’t realize they were too separate booths, and the girl at the France booth was really confused when Mom asked for the GM Slush. After skimming the menu, she saw that the Cosmo had Grand Marnier in it, so she assumed that was it. I tried a sip and almost spat it back out it was so strong. Mom didn't like it either and we ended up tossing it. So then she went to the correct kiosk for the Grand Marnier slush.
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Honestly, this was also pretty gross. It just wasn't what I was expecting, and if I had opted for this as my first alcoholic beverage (which was my original plan) I would probably never drink anything else ever again. We made it a few more sips through this and then it went in the garbage as well.

[bellebookworm9]

GREAT NEWS!!! I was accepted to the Disney College Program! I'll be doing Main Entrance Operations for Spring 2012 (January-May)! Will post more details when I have them. :cool1:
***********************

Mom had maybe 10 sips between the two drinks and she was buzzed. It was kind of funny. She was buzzed texting my dad (who we don’t have the best relationship with) and rubbing it in his face that we were at Disney. I actually threatened to take her phone away! Pretty soon the torches were lit, and there was one not too far away that looked like it was going to light a nearby tree on fire.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g3AVIJ0hhvY/TpJeG-Iok5I/AAAAAAAAGwA/rW64NxQQqak/s640/DSCN0427.JPG

We waited and waited, and Mom took some pictures of me.
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https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dBLcTM9ieao/TpJfA8eKHkI/AAAAAAAAGwU/HtN4qRyOlRQ/s640/DSCN0432.JPG
That’s my “rave dance” to “Our Life” (”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHioGHLCthU“) by Uttara Kutu.

In front of us there was a light pole. There were these giant bugs crawling on them, and Mom thought they were small cockroaches. These things were pretty big and I’ve never seen a cockroach, so I was going “Oh my God!”, but another woman came up and said they Palmetto bugs, a Florida thing, and that they are much larger than cockroaches. She also advised me to zipper my backpack and put it on the table so they wouldn’t crawl in and come back to the hotel.

Finally it was time for IllumiNations to start. All the lights dimmed, except for the one we were under, of course. This was a new vantage point for us, as we’ve always watched from the plaza by Future World. This was also the first time I’d been smart enough to bring earplugs (I have very sensitive ears), and it was so nice to be able to just sit and watch the show without covering my ears.
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I love IllumiNations. I really think I could watch it every night and not ever get tired of it. We stayed put and waited for the crowds to clear out, through “Promise” (which will be my wedding song) and “Celebrate You”, then started to walk when “Tapestry of Nations” began.

[wdwgirl03]

I saw your facebook post about being accepted for the CP...congrats! I'm sure you will love it. I think one of Emma's friends is doing main entrance operations but I don't know which park he's at.

[msmith1026]

Reading your posts makes me so hungry!!! We didn't even attempt any booths when we went to Epcot, going with a 5 year old doesn't really allow for that type of stopping--although i suppose one of us could have gotten the food while the other waited for characters.

Congrats on your acceptance!!! So excited for you.

[bellebookworm9]

I saw your facebook post about being accepted for the CP...congrats! I'm sure you will love it. I think one of Emma's friends is doing main entrance operations but I don't know which park he's at.

Thanks! I'm very excited. I have a friend who did MEO at Epcot in spring 2010 and she liked it. Apparently I could be at any park, and it's further subdivided into parking lot or turnstiles. There's also a possibility to be at the water parks, WWoS, or Cirque du Soleil as a ticket taker/seller/usherette.

Reading your posts makes me so hungry!!! We didn't even attempt any booths when we went to Epcot, going with a 5 year old doesn't really allow for that type of stopping--although i suppose one of us could have gotten the food while the other waited for characters.

Congrats on your acceptance!!! So excited for you.

That's understandable, and now that I think about it we didn't really see many kids around World Showcase that weekend.

Thanks! I started a blog about the process and will continue it while I'm down there. Link is in my sig!

[bellebookworm9]

Mom took these photos on the walk back to the Beach Club.
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When we arrived back at the villa, we realized that we hadn’t taken pictures of our door.
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Laundry needed to be done, so I volunteered to do it while Mom worked on some math homework. I took some pictures of the laundry room as well, since they seem to be in rare supply.
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Since it was around 10pm when I put the laundry in, it wouldn’t be finished until midnight. I stayed up until 11 to switch it to the dryer, and in the meantime, we shared one of the school breads.
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After the laundry was in the dryer, I set the alarm for 12:15 and fell asleep. Mom woke me up when it went off, and then she went to bed. I ran upstairs, put it in the suitcase, came back to the room, and just fell asleep again until the next morning.

[IheartDDuck]

Awesome being accepted to the CP. That's really exciting! :goodvibes

[bellebookworm9]

Just picked my dates for the college program: January 11th-May 11th! I'll be flying down on the 10th and staying one night at either Old Key West (if I can get the DVC reservation changed) or All Star Music. If you are going to be visiting during that time, let me know, I'd love to meet all of you!
**************


Monday morning I woke up around 8 or 8:30. We had debated doing room service for this morning, but after looking at the menu and the outrageous prices/taxes/fees, it was decided that I could be the room service for less than half the price. So I went down to the Marketplace-if I recall correctly, it was really pretty dead for being 8:45am-and ordered a bunch of stuff. Taking the elevator down, a big family got in on the second floor, plus there was already at least one other person in there with me. The family had matching shirts that said “Cam Fam Jam”, grandma had a literal case of water on her ECV for everyone in the parks, and when we arrived at the lobby, the youngest girl said “Well, that was a fun ride!”

After I ordered breakfast I found a teeny tiny tray to put it all on, cashed out, and headed back to the villa. A nice older man was standing outside the villas with his family and saw me walking back with all the food-plus I had our mugs but hadn’t refilled them since the tea was just water. He very nicely pushed the elevator buttons for me, but when I got back to the room I had to wrestle with opening the door myself.
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The ham and cheese omelet croissant was for Mom-as it turned out, she didn’t want the one with ham, but I didn’t realize that, so she just pulled the ham off. I had a few bites of the actual croissant and it was so fluffy and awesome! The French toast was for me and that was pretty good too, just slightly crispy. I would have liked bacon or sausage with it, but alas, ham was the only option so I went with a fruit cup instead.

After Mom was showered, dressed, and ready, we walked over to the Boardwalk. Since we hadn’t gotten to ride the surrey bike on Friday night due to the weather, today was our day! Thankfully, it was beautiful out-the sun was shining, it was very warm, and it was already kind of humid. On the way over, we passed SeaBreeze Pointe, and a wedding was just about to happen! The bride and her part of the wedding party were just coming over to meet with the officiant before the ceremony, and he said “I’m going to ask who blesses the marriage, and you have several choices: My mother and I, my father and I, my family and I (or something like that), or nobody.” Of course, they all cracked up at the last option, and so did we.

Diego was the CM who helped us rent the bike and he was very nice. The cost was $20 including tax for a two seater for 30 minutes, and I think we may have kept it over a little, but they didn’t charge us extra. We decided that I would drive it-Mom’s steering wheel was just for show, and I also controlled the brakes, and the bell. The first time around, we discovered the hills by Epcot and the Swolfin. We’d get halfway up and then just get stuck, and start rolling backwards. Several people laughed at us, and one gentleman gave us a tip to zig zag up the hills so it’s not as intense.

When we got close to the bike stand again, we took a short break and some photos.
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This picture captures the essence of Disney, I think. It’s just sunny and happy and innocent.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J6JzbZe3T30/Ts2r-bfYGDI/AAAAAAAAKCY/tZ8f0KpPEEs/s640/DSCN0486.JPG

We started on our way again and Mom decided she would take some photos.
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We passed the wedding again and they were on to the “Reception” included with the smaller wedding packages-basically just the ceremonial first dances, the cake cutting, and a champagne toast.
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We peddled, peddled, peddled super hard and still got stuck halfway up the first hill! A couple walked by and offered to give us a push but we declined. They said they had rented the bike once too, but their two sons were in the front basket part so they were just dead weight! At the top of the hill, Mom said “We are just going to coast down for as long as possible. We will not be braking for pedestrians, they are just going to have to move.” Okay, fine.
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I rang that bell like crazy and there were no people in the way, and we were coasting, coasting, picking up speed when…all of a sudden a family of freakin’ ducks walks into the road! I slam on the brakes and start yelling “Oh my God, DUUUUCCCCKKKKSSSSS!” Of course, we just start laughing and can’t stop. Mom got a picture of them-most of them crossed, but two of them had the nerve to turn around and go back the way they came!
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Finally, we managed to stop laughing and continue on, with Mom taking more pictures.
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https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VFSJCylGw74/Ts2tu6vdbkI/AAAAAAAAKEY/9NNBcweYT8Y/s640/DSCN0502.JPG
(That’s looking towards the Yacht Club Gazebo-my second choice wedding location.)
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The Eiffel Tower!

We took a break by the marina of the Yacht Club before attempting the second hill…and we pedaled hard and still got stuck again! Mom said, only half-jokingly, “Whose idea was it to rent this f***ing bike?!” When we returned to the bike rental area, she pretended to die.
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We debated taking the boat from the Boardwalk to the Yacht Club, but decided it’s probably a longer walking distance from YC to BC then it was to BC from Boardwalk. (In reality, according to Google Earth, it’s exactly the same-.37 miles.)
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https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-maUoi62jbSU/Ts2uiiOKq1I/AAAAAAAAKFY/v3lqQGF1_0U/s640/DSCN0510.JPG
Mom saw that little lizard and liked it, so she took a picture.

[wdwgirl03]

Yay for choosing your CP dates! I think my sister is done on the 6th so maybe you'll end up moving into her apartment. haha

My dad and I will be down the week after Easter so maybe we'll see you. :)

[goofy's_gurl]

Gotta love those bikes! Did them once and had the same problems going backwards down the hills!

[bellebookworm9]

Yay for choosing your CP dates! I think my sister is done on the 6th so maybe you'll end up moving into her apartment. haha

My dad and I will be down the week after Easter so maybe we'll see you. :)

It's possible, as I want a four or six person apartment, but I think I found a group of six, so probably not. I'd love to meet up with you if you have time after Easter!

Gotta love those bikes! Did them once and had the same problems going backwards down the hills!

Oh gosh, it was awful! But at least if there is a next time, now we know what not to do!

[bellebookworm9]

When we entered the villas building, I decided that I would run up and change into my swim suit and Mom would wait for me; she wasn’t going to swim today, just take a nap poolside. (As a note, this makes Day 4 with Mom not using the pool, which is really the main reason we were even staying here!) I went up, and as I expected, Mousekeeping was there for our Trash and Towel service. I obviously couldn’t change in the room, so I grabbed my suit and went downstairs-and forgot the darn pool noodles AGAIN! I changed in the public restroom off the villas lobby, so nice in there. I love the Beach Club public bathrooms!
While I was changing, Mom was waiting in the Drawing Room.
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As a side note, the public sitting areas all over this resort were super nice. We liked the ones at Kidani when we stayed there as well, but it seems like there were a lot more here.

We got out to the pool and Mom found a lounge chair in the sandy area between Hurricane Hanna’s and the pirate ship slide. She took some pictures of her view.
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I think we were down there for 30-45 minutes, then it was time to go back upstairs to get ready for lunch and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! I took a quick shower and put on my Minnie Mouse dress. Mom made it for me, and it’s pretty simple. Just the polka dotted fabric, and it’s sleeveless, but there’s a red string that goes through the neck, acts as the shoulder strap, and ties in the back. Before we left, I wanted to take a picture of the sofa bed made up after Mousekeeping visited.
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That was one thing I really liked here. I always get the sofa bed, and this set up was much better than the one at Kidani. This sofa was all one thing, so the cushions did not come off, and the pillows and blankets were stored in the bed. The coffee table was also on wheels, so it moved easily. At Kidani, there were like 5 giant cushions that had to come off every night, and two big coffee tables that needed to be moved, plus the table and chairs were bigger there too. At Kidani, we had to fold up the bed every morning so we could move, but here we didn’t have that problem-the bed stayed unfolded the whole time.

We headed out to catch the boat to DHS around 1:00. Just as we were walking down the dock, I saw the boat coming over from the Boardwalk. Perfect timing! We got on and took a seat inside. There weren’t very many people on it, and it was a big boat, much bigger than I was expecting. We stopped at the Swolfin and then it was on to DHS! The ride did not take very long at all, maybe 15 minutes. It was nice. When it docked at DHS, we were the last ones off. We meandered over to the bus stop, taking some photos along the way.
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Too bad we couldn’t stop here, just transferring to a bus! It looks like the Mater and Lightning McQueen topiaries from this year’s Flower & Garden Festival found a new home.
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This is the bus we want! Of course, since the boat had such perfect timing, we waited about 15-20 minutes for the bus! Mom sat on a nearby bench while I waited. There was no one else in line. This was one of those times where literally every other bus except the one you need comes by. As we waited, a couple walked up to me. The wife said, “I saw you get off the boat. Are you familiar with the transportation system?” (Ok, a little creepy since we had gotten off the boat 10 minutes ago, but whatever). I said yes, and they told me they just got off a cruise; they had parked at the Boardwalk and had lunch there and now wanted to go to Wilderness Lodge to look around; they had to be at the airport in a few hours, and would they have time to make it there and back? I told them it might be cutting it close, and was thinking it really would have been faster to just drive to WL as opposed to making two transfers!

As we were chatting, the husband piped up and said his wife really just wanted to talk to me because she liked my dress! I explained that we were going to the Halloween party that night and they thought that was cool.

The bus finally came, and there were only a handful of people to get on. As we sat down, I immediately recognized the music: Hedwig’s Theme…from Harry Potter! What’s wrong with this picture? I was just discussing this with someone else and they had mentioned to their parents that it was HP music. Her parents told her it was Star Wars music! Apparently it is common for the DHS buses to play this?

Pretty soon we were approaching this sign:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3TFu1AJePgg/Ts2vtKmzlNI/AAAAAAAAKGw/yNyzIvV68v4/s640/DSCN0521.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WcxSgGvZOXc/Ts2v4TiQmYI/AAAAAAAAKHA/n-9c-vCf-Bw/s640/DSCN0522.JPG
Love the Halloween decorations on the tolls!

We made a right on Timberline Drive and were soon seeing this sight:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-utI3lMReJak/Ts2v1yBoXLI/AAAAAAAAKG4/P-x7JBfwx20/s640/DSCN0523.JPG

[bellebookworm9]

After getting off the bus, the signs directed us towards the lobby. Upon entering, we discovered that Whispering Canyon Café is immediately on the right. Our ADR was for 2:15 and we checked in at 2:05. It took them almost 20 minutes to seat us despite an abundance of empty tables…not off to a great start. In the meantime, the small children playing at the Lincoln Logs table kept us entertained.
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Finally the buzzer went off and we were seated. Our waitress was Barbara. Much to my disappointment, I noted that each table had a bottle of ketchup already on it. We knew we wanted the Skillet, and we also ordered drinks: a Coke for Mom, and a water and chocolate shake for me.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yq6O6pyvrJw/Ts2wazou-lI/AAAAAAAAKHg/Q0iFT6AQ1i0/s640/DSCN0528.JPG
The shake was good, but almost too chocolaty with all the syrup. Of course, when Barbara brought us our drinks she threw the straws on the table…”Here’s another…and another…and have some extra for prosperity”. Our skillet arrived fairly quickly and we dug in.
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Before we started eating, Mom picked up her fork and realized it was really big…pretty much a serving fork. So she asked Barbara, “Is this an eating fork?” Barbara replied, “They’re all eating forks here!” and then went on to explain that it goes along with the theming: Back in the days of the pioneers, everyone brought whatever dishes and utensils they had, so nothing really matched or was the same size.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AC9MQ9u8lUU/Ts2wyE7QkfI/AAAAAAAAKIA/O8typsQQtd0/s640/DSCN0530.JPG

One thing that I thought was weird is that the cornbread and coleslaw were brought *after* we had begun eating. I don’t know, but I feel like those are kind of appetizers?
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I took a picture of my plate so you could see the food separately and not piled on top of each other-love the Mickey plates!
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We did not care for the pork sausage and I didn't really like the beans either. I really liked the chicken and Mom really liked the ribs. The mashed potatoes were outstanding. The corn on the cob was also very good and sweet. The skillet also comes with cornbread and coleslaw.

Mom dribbled some BBQ sauce onto her shirt…this is a regular occurrence with both her and my grandmother anytime they eat something. Barbara came over and asked if everything was alright and Mom said, “I have a complaint! You didn’t bring me a bib and now I have a stain on my shirt!” So Barbara made her a bib, even separating the napkin into one layer by peeling it apart!
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They tried to bring us another skillet, but we declined: We barely made it through the first one! Dessert was also declined, as there were many treats we wanted to get at Magic Kingdom. Mom needed a new shirt-I was not going to let her get pictures taken with the BBQ sauce stain! So we stopped at the restroom (another very nice one) and then went into the Wilderness Mercantile store. While she was browsing for a shirt, a CM came up to me and asked me where my ears were. I put them on and she said it was an adorable outfit. Then she asked if I had a Mickey, and when I said no she said I needed a sweetheart. She asked who I was with, I told her my Mom, and then she asked Mom what she was dressing up as…she wasn’t dressing up as anything, unfortunately. On our way out of the store, we caught this CM again (I wish I could remember her name, but I know she was from downstate New York) and chatted with her for a bit.

Eventually Mom went to change her shirt in the bathroom and I took some pictures of the lobby.
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Mom came back out and we started to head out to the boat dock. On the way we were stopped by a DVC sales rep. While he didn’t make an obvious pitch, he did start telling us about how he saw two guests fighting over a dryer and that if you stay DVC you don’t have to fight over dryers. Well, not in 1, 2, or 3 bedroom villas, but studios get the public washers and dryers. We told him we were already staying DVC at Beach Club Villas and then he left us alone, but we did talk to him for a few more minutes.

[wdwgirl03]

On our trip in March they played the Harry Potter music on the bus to DHS too. We thought it was awesome, even if it was sort of odd.

I can't see the pictures from your last two updates for some reason. :confused3:guilty:

[bellebookworm9]

On our trip in March they played the Harry Potter music on the bus to DHS too. We thought it was awesome, even if it was sort of odd.

I can't see the pictures from your last two updates for some reason. :confused3:guilty:

Sorry about that, I'm having some technical difficulties with Picasa, my photo hosting site of choice. I'm trying to fix it now!

ETA: Photos should be visible now!

[natebenma]

Woah! I was a few updates behind!

I congratulated you on the CP over on the BC thread, but just wanted to officially say over here- THAT IS SO COOL!

I will hopefully be headed to Disney a little after you finish up, first week in June, IF my son does not screw up anymore. He is on probation for his class trip for getting a 4 in effort in his Life Skills (Home Ec) class.

I'm glad that the sun is finally shining for your trip. I'm sure it made a huge difference in your enjoyment! I'm glad you finally were able to ride on Test Track.

Your snacks from Karamel Kuche look supper yummy!

I loved your viewing spot for Illuminations.

Once again, I appreciate all of your pictures, especially the ones at BC/YC and BCV. I have already used your laundry room ones, I will include your Marketplace breakfast in our Marketplace thread (I don't have any pictures of the French toast sticks) and I love your pictures of the Drawing Room, so that will make it onto the thread, too.

GREAT story leading to your trip report title. I love the fun that you and your mom have together.

I also enjoyed your pictures from the Wilderness Lodge. We have never been and we really would love to tour it sometime. It looks gorgeous!

Cute story about your shopping trip to the Mercantile. Can't wait to read about the Halloween party.

[bellebookworm9]

Woah! I was a few updates behind!

I congratulated you on the CP over on the BC thread, but just wanted to officially say over here- THAT IS SO COOL!

I will hopefully be headed to Disney a little after you finish up, first week in June, IF my son does not screw up anymore. He is on probation for his class trip for getting a 4 in effort in his Life Skills (Home Ec) class.

I'm glad that the sun is finally shining for your trip. I'm sure it made a huge difference in your enjoyment! I'm glad you finally were able to ride on Test Track.

Your snacks from Karamel Kuche look supper yummy!

I loved your viewing spot for Illuminations.

Once again, I appreciate all of your pictures, especially the ones at BC/YC and BCV. I have already used your laundry room ones, I will include your Marketplace breakfast in our Marketplace thread (I don't have any pictures of the French toast sticks) and I love your pictures of the Drawing Room, so that will make it onto the thread, too.

GREAT story leading to your trip report title. I love the fun that you and your mom have together.

I also enjoyed your pictures from the Wilderness Lodge. We have never been and we really would love to tour it sometime. It looks gorgeous!

Cute story about your shopping trip to the Mercantile. Can't wait to read about the Halloween party.

If possible, I may extend my program (depends on if I am asked and what I'm doing for grad school), so I might see you! I hope he is able to pull his grade up, because that would be super disappointing if he wasn't able to go.

Karamell Kuche was awesome! It's on my bucket list to try one of everything there.:thumbsup2

The ducks were definitely the highlight of our trip! It seems any stories I've ever read involving surrey bikes have something ridiculous happen, normally people losing their shoes-something I witnessed myself with a little girl and her dad, actually!

Wilderness Lodge was really nice. If the studio villas weren't so ugly, I'd definitely stay there.

[bellebookworm9]

After our conversation with the DVC guy, we walked out the back doors towards the boat dock. The whole courtyard back here was beautiful!
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Mom thought the pool looked kind of small, but after Stormalong Bay, what pool isn’t small? One of our favorite things about the Wilderness Lodge pool area was walking through the “cave” type things. Mom commented that the building itself looked like a log fortress castle. Walking in front of us down the wooden walkway was a family also heading to the Halloween Party. The father had on one of those Jack Sparrow hats and Mom was actually trying to figure out if it was his real hair or not!

When we arrived on the dock, the boat was there! We were able to get the last few seats, but much to my dismay, it was one of the smaller open side boats. Those make me a little nuts-I always feel like I’m going to fall out. Very soon after boarding we were on our way! The sailing was pretty uneventful, except when we got closer to the Magic Kingdom and a Bay Lake Patrol boat came flying out-Mom thought we were going to hit his wake, but our captain quickly turned our motor off. As it turned out, the big ferry was coming from the TTC, so I suppose the patrol guy was trying to get out of the ferry’s way.
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I think Mom thought Space Mountain was the Wedding Chapel for a moment!
It was around this point that I noticed the battery on the camera was getting low. I hadn’t been plugging it into the computer the last two nights or so because the computer wasn’t “reading” that it was attached-I was just sticking the memory card in to import the pictures that way. So I completely forgot that the camera wasn’t charging!
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At this point it was very close to 4pm, and according to widely known information, guests with MNSSHP tickets are allowed in at 4. A very large crowd was gathered at the right set of turnstiles, but not moving. We waited. And waited. Apparently there was some sort of issue with turning the admissions computer system over from normal tickets to event tickets. They finally let us in around 4:20. The evening was not off to a good start. Then of course, after we made it through the turnstiles, everyone gathered around the various CMs who were distributing wristbands. No lines, just groups of people. It was super unorganized and I was not impressed. A Photopass photographer was taking pictures in front of the train station.
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We brought our own treat bag, so did not have to stop and get one on the way in, but we did grab a map.
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I am so disappointed with that photo because it’s so off center and crooked.

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I love all the Halloween decorations!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SshgctI6vhs/Ts2osgpcOwI/AAAAAAAAJ8I/XrFw9Gcmy18/s512/Photo0472FourBySix.jpg
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I had made a touring plan, and the first step was to get a FP for Splash Mountain…until I realized we couldn’t get FPs with the Halloween Party tickets. So after checking the Times Board and realizing that everything had a super long wait, we ventured towards Pirates of the Caribbean, because the wait was only 15-20 minutes. Of course, as soon as we approach the doors to the building, the ride malfunctions and everybody has to exit the area. At this moment, I was cranky. It was hot. It was crowded-definitely not the 1.2 crowd level Touring Plans had predicted. Everything had a long wait. So we sat down on a bench near the CM only backstage gate next to Pirates to regroup and so I could take some motrin.

We sat there for about 10 minutes and then decided to go check the Times Board again. Buzz Lightyear had a pretty brief wait, only 10-15 minutes, so that’s where we headed. The line was not really far outside the building when we got there and moved pretty quickly. But of course, we got behind a family whose children were climbing on EVERYTHING and the parents also stopped about every 2 feet to take pictures of the kids and things in the queue.
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This picture is awful and I have no idea what our exact scores were, but Mom kicked my butt this time around-a major change from the last trip! (She does better at Toy Story Mania, and I do better at Buzz.) My biggest issue with this ride is that you really can’t tell what you’re definitely hitting.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UJBzcUndfcQ/Ts28yBvMXrI/AAAAAAAAKKw/xfWxbjigQiE/s640/DSCN0555.JPG
Really bad redneck ride photo.

[leshunlenese]

Hey! Ive been reading your TR in silence but i have fallen behind a few days. I have never been to food and wine but i hope to one day! I wanted to ask you how much was it to wash. we r renting DVC points next month and i was just curious. In other good news Congrats on your CP. You are going to have fabulous time! One of my CP roomies did front entrance at MK and she liked it, especially she like getting ERed or early release from work and the hours were not too bad for her.

[bellebookworm9]

Hey! Ive been reading your TR in silence but i have fallen behind a few days. I have never been to food and wine but i hope to one day! I wanted to ask you how much was it to wash. we r renting DVC points next month and i was just curious. In other good news Congrats on your CP. You are going to have fabulous time! One of my CP roomies did front entrance at MK and she liked it, especially she like getting ERed or early release from work and the hours were not too bad for her.

No cost to use the washers or dryers! I don't know if it's like that at all the DVCs (for some reason I think you have to pay at Old Key West) but it didn't cost anything at Kidani Village either. If you're staying in a 1BR or bigger, you will have the washer/dryer in your room; if it's a studio, there's normally a public laundry somewhere.

[natebenma]

If possible, I may extend my program (depends on if I am asked and what I'm doing for grad school), so I might see you! I hope he is able to pull his grade up, because that would be super disappointing if he wasn't able to go.



I will be majorly p*ssed if he doesn't get to go. It is an effort grade, so it is all up to him to step it up. But if he gets another 4 (the lowest grade) in effort or conduct in any other class or if he gets 2 3's in any one quarter, he is out.

But I will definitely be in touch with you at the beginning of May to see if you extend! It would be totally cool to look for you!

Beautiful pictures so far in your update. It looks like an amazing afternoon with a beautiful blue sky. But I'm a little worried about that dying battery!!! Most of my Disney nightmares revolve around forgetting my camera/charger/memory cards, etc.

Looking forward to hearing more about your evening at MK and the party!

[bellebookworm9]

After we saved the galaxy from the Evil Emperor Zurg, we walked back over to Adventureland, stopping to take some photos along the way.
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Next stop was Aloha Isle for our treasured Dole Whip Float. We grabbed a seat on the rock wall next door. We were disappointed to see that the tables and chairs located there last May had been removed. Mom took a random shot of people’s costumes.
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Since Pirates was right there we decided to try again and thankfully this time it was open. The right queue looked to have significantly less people than the left (a rarity!) and the CM was emphasizing that both sides were open, so that’s where we went. I think the wait was 15-20 minutes. As we snaked through the building I noticed that a lot of these people weren’t wearing wristbands, which made me hopeful that the park would start to clear out soon. We boarded our boat and sailed off! Right after the boat departed, we crashed into the side of the canal. Not supposed to happen! The whole boat kind of shrieked and Mom’s knee got hurt a bit from slamming into the side of the boat. After that the ride went the way it was supposed to and we disembarked without any more injuries. After a bathroom stop, we walked back towards Frontierland and Liberty Square. We’d been in the park for about an hour and a half and all we’d accomplished was two rides and a snack.

We meandered back to Liberty Square and saw that there was NO wait for the Haunted Mansion so we jumped in line. The new queue was kind of blocked off and not being used, but I did see some people exploring it, so I guess it was open if you wanted to look, but not needing to be open to hold guests. The wait was super short, basically just had to wait for the group ahead of us to exit the “library”. I didn’t recall there being two rooms before, but we somehow picked the right wall to stand by and so were first into the stretching room. I knew there was a portrait we needed to stand by to be first out of the stretching room, but I couldn’t remember which one. While we were still *outside* Mom remembered it was the lady holding the umbrella. I asked her how on Earth she remembers such trivial things like that, but not what time we need to be out of the room?!

Sure enough, that was the correct portrait and after meeting our ghost host (along with the beginning of IllumiNations, this is another thing I can narrate by heart) we entered the mansion building and got into our doom buggy. Every time I ride this I appreciate it more and more. We really liked the CMs special Halloween makeup. On our way out, we saw a girl probably a couple years older than me dressed in Belle’s peasant dress. She looked exactly like an actual character performer, with the exception of her shoes! I saw several more of that costume throughout the night, but this girl was a dead ringer!

On the way into the queue we had noticed Photopass people out front, so stopped there as we exited.
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Of course, we are not looking anywhere near where the ghost actually is…

Continuing into Fantasyland, the line for Cinderella’s Carriage was already open at 6:30 or so. Not just open as in people waiting, but open as in people actually getting pictures taken with it! So we hopped in line and after a very short wait it was our turn.
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Peter Pan’s line didn’t look too long, but it wasn’t on our must do list. We had planned to get dinner at Pinocchio’s Village Haus, but we were still full from lunch! Snow White’s Scary Adventure line was also short, but again, not a must do. I did want to ride Dumbo but the line was at least 15 minutes. A ha! Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh! I wanted to check out the new queue here, and the line was virtually non-existent so in we went!
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Since the line was so short we didn’t examine the fun stuff too much, but we did have a lot of fun with the honey wall! We were assigned to row 1, and the first car that came to us had no seats! The CM running the controls said he had turned away for 1 second that morning and Pooh got hungry and ate them! So we got the next car. That ride is adorable. We like how trippy the Heffalumps and Woozles part is. It was now approximately 7 and time to get the party under way!

[bellebookworm9]

Thankfully the park was obviously clearing out by now. I had read reports saying the park was packed during the party, but that was not our experience. I spotted Donald and Daisy in their costumes meeting right across from Winnie the Pooh, so that’s where I went. Mom went to rest her feet, and sat at a table near Dumbo. Our camera was dead at this point, so from here on out it’s pretty much Photopass Pictures.

The line for Donald and Daisy didn’t look too long. There was a family ahead of me that I chatted with-their daughter was fascinated with my costume, and I really liked her girly pirate mouse ears. Behind me there was another family with a daughter who was about two. This little girl was chowing down on popcorn like there was no tomorrow. She would hold out a kernel, give an evil grin, and then eat it. Her dad came by with an ice cream cone, told her she could have a bite, and she just grabbed the whole thing! Her mom said, “She used to be such a good sharer, I don’t know what happened!”

I would say I waited maybe 20 minutes to meet Donald and Daisy, and it was worth it. While Daisy was signing my book, Donald decided to dance with me! He even twirled me, but because he’s so short, my ears got knocked off by his arm!
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When I had finished with them, I went over to meet Mom. She told me to go over to Storybook Treats, and get a soda with extra ice so she could put it on her feet-her blisters were really bad, despite the moleskin. So I did, and we sat for a few more minutes. Then it was on with the party! First up was the Werther’s Treat Stop at Pinocchio Village Haus. We checked out Dumbo again, but the line was at 15 minutes so we passed. Heading into Tomorrowland, we grabbed some more candy by the Speedway-Mom never knew that ride was there!

By this point I was feeling much better. The crowds had dissipated, the temperature was comfortable, and I was having fun. I saw that Space Mountain had only a 10 minute wait. Not my favorite ride, but with that length, why not ride it? So I handed off my ears and bag to Mom and literally skipped over…only to find out that it was down with technical difficulties. Okay, no big deal. The Tomorrowland Dance Party was happening, so we kind of danced through it. I know they had Cha Cha Slide going, and “California Gurls”-I was amazed at how much of that song had been edited out!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jQnkb1HjYLY/Ts29kxE4qNI/AAAAAAAAKLo/mU9fnZEkLrc/s640/DSCN0560.JPG
Spider projection on the side of Space Mountain:
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We stopped at another Tomorrowland Candy stop and then headed for Buzz Lightyear again-probably our favorite shared ride in Magic Kingdom. It was a walk on, and I kicked Mom’s butt this time! I hit one of the magic targets in the first room and immediately got 100,000 points. She was so mad! Our final scores were me: 537,500 and her: 54,590. That’s the highest I’ve ever scored! I don’t know why the pictures weren’t really turning out, as I’ve gotten much better ones before.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qjeyot2663Y/Ts2oVeUbKJI/AAAAAAAAJ7Y/vuRhxEUz7A0/s640/DSCN0564.JPG

We decided to head back over to Frontierland, stopping for another Photopass pic along the way.
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It was nearly time for the first parade and the Hub was super crowded. We managed to wind our way around, but we couldn’t cut through Liberty Square and were re-directed through Adventureland. There was a woman who had a small rolling suitcase and kept running into Mom with it. We cut through the breezeway into Frontierland, and I was hustling Mom along. I felt bad because I knew her feet hurt and she told me to just go, but I knew we would get separated because the parade was starting soon. Thankfully we made it over to the boardwalk just in time!

This is where I would have done things differently. We should have gone on Big Thunder Mountain first, but it looked completely dark, there were no people, and I didn’t hear any noise coming from it, so I thought it was closed. Mom went to the bathroom and to get candy while I went on Splash Mountain. I put my poncho on, walked through the queue and right onto the ride. I think I was in the last row by myself. I had forgotten they installed lap bars since I rode it last, but I like it-it makes me feel safer! I did get to see parts of the parade while we were winding through the ride.

When I got off, I intended to take a red neck ride photo, but alas, the pictures weren’t being sold and the screens were blank. I found Mom outside. She stopped at all three stops along the trail, and one of the CMs was very generous and gave her a ton of candy when she found out it was for the both of us! I did sneak a peek at the Dwarfs line but it looked a bit longer than I was willing to wait. We walked over to BTMRR, but by this point the parade had ended and it seemed that EVERYONE had the same idea. The wait time said 10 minutes, but the line looked like it was all the way out to that sign! Okay, not happening tonight.

A Sleepy Hollow funnel cake was calling our names, so we went back to Liberty Square. On the way, Mom stopped at one of the light up carts and bought some Halloween “hair”. At Sleepy Hollow, we ordered the one with whipped cream and strawberries, plus two bottles of water. Mom grabbed us a table behind the building and we sat and ate.
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We were able to catch part of the Villains show-there was one really loud firework that went off and I jumped! I liked that they used the beginning of “Thriller/Off with Your Head” from Glee for the Queen of Hearts. Mom took a picture of the moon behind the trees before we moved on.
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[tlenzendorf]

I always know where the door is going to open in the HM stretching room is by looking for the little red light on the wall :goodvibes

[brookelizabeth]

Loving your report Gretchen and SO EXCITED for you that you made the CP! I have your blog on my RSS reader now, so I will stay up to date on all that. :goodvibes

The whole ducks on the surrey bike thing was hilarious! :lmao:

Your dress is adorable!

[bellebookworm9]

I always know where the door is going to open in the HM stretching room is by looking for the little red light on the wall :goodvibes

I didn't even know there was a light...will keep an eye out for it next time!

Loving your report Gretchen and SO EXCITED for you that you made the CP! I have your blog on my RSS reader now, so I will stay up to date on all that. :goodvibes

The whole ducks on the surrey bike thing was hilarious! :lmao:

Your dress is adorable!

Yay! People are actually reading my blog! If your ticker is still accurate and you'll be down in February, I'd love to meet you and your family!

That duck story is one of those Disney memories that we will always laugh about. :lmao:

[bellebookworm9]

As we walked toward Main Street, we saw Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, Drizella, and Gaston, but kept moving. It was shortly after 9 and the fireworks would be starting at 9:30-I wanted to get a viewing spot for them and the later parade.
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We walked almost to the end of Main Street before Town Square, across the street from the Confectionary. We browsed for a bit in the Emporium but I don’t think we bought anything. Right before 9:30 I made sure we were in place, but I needn’t have worried-Main Street was dead. I’ve never seen it that empty. I was out in the middle of the street for the fireworks and there was no one around me! Unfortunately, I had forgotten my earplugs, so I had to cover my ears-both the music and the fireworks for this were WAY too loud. I prefer the Wishes music to Hallowishes, but I think these actual fireworks were more impressive. (Photos from Photopass)
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For some reason I thought that the second parade started at 10:15. We sat for a while. I debated going to meet the Pooh characters in Town Square because I had a friend who wanted Eeyore’s autograph, but for whatever reason I figured I’d meet them later. I walked over to the Confectionary and bought myself pumpkin fudge. While I was in there, a girl dressed like Kim Possible was talking to the CM at the register about how she had done the College Program this past spring and really missed it. That’s what set my desire to do it into overdrive. The pumpkin fudge was really good, but sooooo rich that I could only eat two little bites at a time.

The parade actually started at 10:30, and CMs were making sure that nobody had their legs in the road for when the Headless Horseman came by. Mom couldn’t sit cross legged for very long so she went to go shop some more. On one side of me was a couple dressed up in the best Jack Skellington and Sally costumes I’ve ever seen. They were actually (illegally) signing autographs! On the other side of me was a family with a 5-6 year old girl and a little baby. The dad went to Casey’s and came back with food. The daughter was going “Mine, mine, mine”, but I thought she was joking…until the dad gave her the food and she screamed “Where’s my ketchup?!” My jaw dropped and the dad said, “I’m on it.” I couldn’t believe the rudeness of this kid. Also at one point, Mom and I were both sitting on the curb and another young girl, probably 9 years old, came up to Mom and said, again very rudely, “What are *you* supposed to be?” After she left Mom looked at me and went “I’m a scary old lady!” with this horrible evil look on her face!

Not only didn’t the parade start until 10:30, but we were at the very end so it was nearly 11 by the time it got to us. While we were waiting, Mom came back and I went to Casey’s to get corn dog nuggets. I wasn’t super hungry and there were way more nuggets in that cup than I remembered! They were also a little too crispy for my taste and I ended up throwing a lot of them away.

Finally the parade came by, and these pictures are all courtesy of Photopass. We really enjoyed it!
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Despite the fact that I had my treat bag held up at the end, I got one measly sucker. Main Street was still pretty empty during the parade, though more full then it had been for the fireworks. We decided to head up to Town Square Theater to meet some more characters, and behind us was a crush of parents with strollers all heading for the exit. I have no idea where all these people had been hiding!

[natebenma]

What a great report about the Halloween Party. It is so on my Disney bucket list!

The pictures at HM with the ghost on the carriage are great! You got a lot of really decent photo pass pictures that night.

Too bad about your regular camera!

So you never got onto Dumbo that night? Confession time- I have never done Dumbo!

[tlenzendorf]

We totally loved the Boo to You parade! I wish that we could have gone back for a second party just for that and the villains show to do meet and greets with them. I need to download the music from the parade, I have the Boo to You song as my phone ringtone still.

[ortholablady]

Just found your TR today and just finished reading through it. Looks like you and Mom had a great time. I've taken numerous trips with my son through his middle and high school years (now he's in college) and have some great memories. My last trip actually overlapped yours. I was there Oct 8-11 at Pop and the 12th I was at the BW. The Epcot resort area is my favorite, especially YC.
Congratulations on the CP. My next trip will be during your CP time so maybe I'll spot you somewhere.

[bellebookworm9]

What a great report about the Halloween Party. It is so on my Disney bucket list!

The pictures at HM with the ghost on the carriage are great! You got a lot of really decent photo pass pictures that night.

Too bad about your regular camera!

So you never got onto Dumbo that night? Confession time- I have never done Dumbo!

The Halloween party was pretty fun-I also want to try the Christmas party, just to meet Belle in her holiday dress! We definitely got our money's worth in Photopass pictures that night. I was on Dumbo when I was 3 years old and I have no memory of it. By the time I get there in January, it will be closed; when it re-opens in February it will be back in Storybook Circus as the twin Dumbos.

We totally loved the Boo to You parade! I wish that we could have gone back for a second party just for that and the villains show to do meet and greets with them. I need to download the music from the parade, I have the Boo to You song as my phone ringtone still.

The Boo to You song is so catchy! I would do another party to meet characters and ride rides.

Just found your TR today and just finished reading through it. Looks like you and Mom had a great time. I've taken numerous trips with my son through his middle and high school years (now he's in college) and have some great memories. My last trip actually overlapped yours. I was there Oct 8-11 at Pop and the 12th I was at the BW. The Epcot resort area is my favorite, especially YC.
Congratulations on the CP. My next trip will be during your CP time so maybe I'll spot you somewhere.

Wow, we just missed you! Definitely let me know when you'll be down there-I'm very excited to meet DISers coming down!

[tlenzendorf]

Wow, we just missed you! Definitely let me know when you'll be down there-I'm very excited to meet DISers coming down!

When you first told us about the CP I didn't have a trip planned and now we do for February. It just clicked in my brain that's when you are doing your CP! Duh! lol

We will be there 2/4-2/10, definitely keep us posted where you are! I will stop by to chat :)

[bellebookworm9]

The princess line said 50 minutes, and Mickey’s said only 10 (at most) so we went with Mickey. It was not a long wait at all, and pretty soon we were meeting the mouse himself-and Minnie!
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Minnie and Mickey really loved my costume and it was a fun interaction! We found our way to the exit and went back in.

I asked the CM if the princess line was really 50 minutes and she said she didn’t think so because it started at the back of the room. Into the line we went! It was really only about a 25 minute wait. The couple behind us was really nice; the wife was dressed as Pocahontas and the husband as Carl, the old guy, from Up. His costume was fantastic: he had the grey suit and tie, the grape soda cap pin (that’s what gave it away to me), the walker with tennis balls, and balloons tied to it. I think you can see him in one of our pictures with Snow White.

Not only do you have to wait in the initial queue, but once you get called back you have to wait in the other room for the princesses! I was hoping Aurora would be back there because I had another friend who wanted her signature, but she wasn’t; it was Snow White and her prince, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, and Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Snow White and her prince were very nice. They asked where we were from and when we said New York, they asked if that was the Big Apple, which they had been told not to go anywhere near because bad things could happen! Snow White also told Mom that she could tell Mom was the leader of our group because she wears glasses; Doc wears glasses and he’s the leader of hers! (I wonder what would have happened if I had been wearing *my* glasses…)
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Next up were Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. They were a lot of fun, especially Flynn. As we were leaving he told Mom it was a pleasure to meet her and she returned the sentiment. He said “Of course it was! I’m me! Look at all these people lining up to meet me!”
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Last up were Cinderella and Prince Charming. They were super polite and formal! Prince Charming signed our book while Cinderella’s “wardrobe malfunction” was being fixed by her attendant. (The top hook on the back of her dress had come undone.) The prince called Mom “my queen” and Cinderella called me “my sweetness”.
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After those really fun meet and greets, we walked back outside. I was disappointed to see that Pooh & friends were gone, but it was nearly midnight so we just headed for the bus. On the way out we stopped for some more candy just past the turnstiles. I was relieved to see the bus sitting at the stop and started running for it, afraid it was going to leave without us. Mom was not happy that I made her hurry only to have it sit there for several more minutes. There were only a handful of people on it, maybe 10, and we took off not long after-this bus was only going to the Yacht and Beach Clubs.

One thing we hate about the Magic Kingdom is how long it takes just to get out of the freaking parking lot. Seriously, it takes like 15 minutes! Mom couldn’t believe it when we passed the sign that said “Now leaving MK parking”. But on the other hand, once we were out of there it didn’t take long to get back to the resort. Yacht Club got dropped off first, then Beach Club. We stopped at one of the benches to take off our shoes. My flip flops are at least 3 years old and my feet roll in, so my foot had a very bad indent from where it was rubbing against the plastic hook part. It was probably close to 12:30 by the time we got back (at least) so we went almost straight to bed, maybe did a little packing first. And I definitely charged the camera tonight!

[bellebookworm9]

When you first told us about the CP I didn't have a trip planned and now we do for February. It just clicked in my brain that's when you are doing your CP! Duh! lol

We will be there 2/4-2/10, definitely keep us posted where you are! I will stop by to chat :)

Actually, we might be able to have an actual meet-my mom is coming down to visit 2/9-2/12, so I'm going to try to get those days off!

[ortholablady]

I'll be there Jan. 29 - Feb 4. 4 nights at ASMusic 2 at BC!

[bellebookworm9]

Tuesday morning came too soon. We finished packing and took our bags down to Bell Services then walked over to Cape May Café to check in. Our ADR was for 9:45, and we waited maybe 5 minutes before we were seated…by the manager from Friday night, Kiersten! Our waiter was James.

We were seated close to the entrance, right next to the buffet.
Mom's first plate: Banana Nut Bread, Blueberry Bread, French Toast Bread Pudding, Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, Blueberry Muffin, Mickey Waffle with Syrup.
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My first plate: Cottage cheese and fruit
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My second plate: Sausage, Bacon, Breakfast Potatoes, French Toast Bread Pudding, Biscuit
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My fruit loops:
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My apple juice and Mom's orange juice:
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Hey look, it’s Beach Party Goofy!
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My third plate: Mickey waffle and syrup, croissant, cherry danish, and blueberry bread (or the crumb that was left anyway)
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Here comes Minnie!
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Mom's second plate: Scrambled Eggs, French Toast Bread Pudding, and fruit.
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And finally Donald!
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View of the buffet from our table:
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I’m fairly certain we were in and out of there in less than 45 minutes. Mom really liked the scrambled eggs and bread pudding. We both loved the fruit. The croissants were especially good; soft and flaky. All of the pastries in general were really good. The bacon was great, especially the fresh hot and crispy batch. The character interaction was fun as well.

After breakfast it was time to head to Downtown Disney.

[bellebookworm9]

We walked out front to the bus stop. There were only a few other people waiting at the Downtown Disney stop at that point. After waiting for nearly 20 minutes, having a CM come out to track transportation, and having a rather large crowd build up around us, the bus finally came. Despite us being among the first people there, we were the last two to load. I managed to find the last available seat in the back, and Mom sat up near the front. Of course, I got seated near the poorly behaved, screaming children. The bus made its traditional stop at Typhoon Lagoon and then continued on to the Marketplace, where we got off. The bus driver told us our return stop was number 2, and we headed over to Disney Days of Christmas.

I was looking for an ornament to go on my little Christmas tree but didn’t really find anything I liked. Mom finally picked out a new antenna topper and I think she went with the Cinderella Carriage one. After we cashed out there we went to our favorite store, World of Disney. We browsed in there for just over half an hour and made several purchases. I finally found tiny Mickey earrings for my cartilage piercings-I have bigger ones that just look too big, and I’ve been looking for ones about the size of the Mickeys on my rings for about a year, so I was very excited to find these! Mom also bought a pair of earrings, we both got a 2011 picture frame, a mug for grandma, an Eeyore plush for my friend, and a really cool magnet for my aunt! I also had a grand old time taking pictures of all the displays in the store.
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I think the John Smith one is a little creepy…
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Mom looked at the Dooneys but they were too expensive for her to justify buying one. Her feet were hurting really badly again so we went and sat out on a planter. She called my grandma and they chatted for a bit.

Our next stop was Earl of Sandwich. The line was kind of long so I waited while Mom went over to Goofy’s Candy Co. I think I waited about 20 minutes before our food was ready and then I went over to Goofy’s as well. I had heard great things about the Carrot Cake Cookie but much to my dismay it wasn’t in the case! So I ordered my traditional make your own pretzels instead. While I was waiting for those to be ready we had a bit of a snit again. I had heard awful things about the return trip from Downtown Disney to Beach Club and was really leaning against taking a bus, but Mom didn’t want to spend money for a cab. I told her to start walking towards the bus and I’d catch up with her.

After I paid for my pretzels I started heading for the stop, and could see the bus just pulling in, so I started running. I didn’t know if Mom had made it there or was still wandering around and I could just see us getting separated. She was there, thank goodness, but somehow couldn’t find the stop despite the fact that both the stop AND the bus had “Yacht & Beach & Swan & Dolphin & Boardwalk” on them. So we got on with about 5 other people and then were on our way. Of course, first stop was Pleasure Island, then Typhoon Lagoon. Over at the resorts we stopped at Swan and Dolphin (no one got off but one person got on), then Yacht Club, then Beach Club, and it was still continuing onto the Boardwalk. It wasn’t as bad as I expected and the whole thing took probably 45 minutes.

[msmith1026]

I was a couple of updates behind. I loved your MNSSHP report, it looks like you had so much fun--and I think we met the same Flynn! He was so funny, Zoey fell in love with him.

The picture you had of your Dole Whip made me crave one. My favorite snack of the trip!

We didn't get to see the parade this trip, Zoey was not a fan of it, but JP and I saw it when we went on our honeymoon--i really wanted to see it this trip because we loved it so much. Oh well, there's always the next trip.

I loved your Minnie dress, it was super cute.

[bellebookworm9]

I was a couple of updates behind. I loved your MNSSHP report, it looks like you had so much fun--and I think we met the same Flynn! He was so funny, Zoey fell in love with him.

The picture you had of your Dole Whip made me crave one. My favorite snack of the trip!

We didn't get to see the parade this trip, Zoey was not a fan of it, but JP and I saw it when we went on our honeymoon--i really wanted to see it this trip because we loved it so much. Oh well, there's always the next trip.

I loved your Minnie dress, it was super cute.

Flynn was awesome! I really hope I get to meet him again! It always makes me happy when you get characters that both look and act the part.

Everybody keeps saying "What's the first thing you're going to do when you get your company ID?" and I don't have a specific thing set yet, but getting a Dole Whip and watching Wishes are definitely towards the top.

I'm sorry about the parade-it was very cute! (I still prefer SpectroMagic above all).

[natebenma]

Great series of updates!

I love the pictures from your meet & greets with Mickey and Minnie and the princesses. It looks like a lot of fun.

I think the Cape May breakfast is my favorite character meal. The food is great and I love seeing the characters in their beachwear. But it is sad that Chip and Dale are no longer there!

Sounds like you had a nice trip to Downtown Disney. I'm glad you didn't find the ride there or back to be too miserable.

[bellebookworm9]

Great series of updates!

I love the pictures from your meet & greets with Mickey and Minnie and the princesses. It looks like a lot of fun.

I think the Cape May breakfast is my favorite character meal. The food is great and I love seeing the characters in their beachwear. But it is sad that Chip and Dale are no longer there!

Sounds like you had a nice trip to Downtown Disney. I'm glad you didn't find the ride there or back to be too miserable.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to about the CP is collecting character autographs and photos! I really want to meet Marie the cat and Thumper and Ms. Bunny.

Cape May was nice, but I think I prefer Crystal Palace. Though I did like seeing Minnie's swimming outfit from my childhood videos!

Nope, the trip was not anywhere near as bad as everyone over on the Y&BC thread makes it out to be. I could see how it would be worse if the buses were crowded though.

[bellebookworm9]

Upon returning to the resort we picked up the noodles from Bell Services and then took a seat in the Solarium to eat our lunch from Earl’s.
The last time we went we ordered "The Original 1762" (Roast beef, cheddar, and horseradish) with a side of coleslaw and this time was no different.
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The meal was just okay and not as good as I remembered. The coleslaw was dated the day prior (don't know if that actually meant anything) and seemed to be mostly cabbage. The sandwich was tasty, but the meat was very fatty. The whole thing was kind of a let down; next time we'll probably visit Wolfgang Puck Express instead.

I went to fill up our mugs and Mom took some pictures of our view and surroundings.
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We ate pretty quickly and then headed out to the pool so we could swim for a bit before Magical Express came to pick us up. We had heard that the changing rooms in the health club are much better than the ones at the pool so that’s where we went. We did have to ask where the changing room was once we entered the club, but the friendly CM showed us there with no problem. After we had changed and put our stuff in one of the fancy lockers we went to get our wristbands. They were orange again today, so now I had two orange, a blue and a pink. I know I went down the slide once again and we spent some time in the whirlpool area.
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That’s me with the Noodle family.

We spent about 45 minutes at the pool and then it was time to go change. I took a quick shower in the locker room (it was a really nice locker room) and then we went to Bell Services again to leave the noodles for the next person and pick up our own bags. I had a moment of panic when I couldn’t find my ID, but it did turn up in one of my other bags. Our bus showed up promptly at 4:10, and it was a cruise bus. There were already some people on it, but after our stop we headed right to the airport!

For whatever reason, Mom’s boarding pass had shown up under our door but it said they weren’t able to print mine and I would have to do it at the airport. Well that made me understandably nervous, but it was no problem at all. We did Early Bird Check In for this flight, but our numbers were the lowest we’ve ever had-B3 & B4. We put the suitcase on the scale and it was 4.5 pounds overweight, so we chose to redistribute amongst the carry ons. Then we headed to Chick-Fil-A for dinner, because I had heard so many people rave about it. Every other time we’ve eaten at the airport it’s been at McDonald’s since it’s at our airside terminal. I gave Mom the choice between the Chicken Sandwich or the Nuggets and she chose the nuggets. We opted for the meal deal and an extra drink.
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Honestly, we were kind of disappointed. The fries were delicious, but we didn't care for the chicken. We determined it was the breading that we disliked, possibly because it's fried in peanut oil. After that, we shared a soft serve vanilla with sprinkles in a waffle cone from Carvel. We don't have those around our house anymore, so we had forgotten how delicious the ice cream is and how colorful the sprinkles are!

After we finished eating, we pulled out our quart sized bags of liquid, the laptop and the bags of medications and headed for security. The wait was really short, like 5 minutes, and then we were boarding the faux monorail over to our terminal. We arrived over there with nearly an hour to spare, so Mom did some homework and I did some DISing. Our gate was the one closest to the monorail, so we didn’t have to walk all the way down the terminal! It didn’t seem like there were a lot of people waiting until they announced it was time to board. The flight was completely full. We managed to get two seats together in the fourth row from the back on the right side. There was a mom and daughter who, for whatever reason, didn’t take advantage of family boarding and so couldn’t sit together. The mom was pitching a fit and we couldn’t take off for 15 minutes until they finally agreed to sit across the aisle from each other.

As the flight attendant was giving the safety spiel about the oxygen masks, she gave us a bit of comic relief. We were told to “pull the mask over your mouth and breathe like you’ve never breathed before.” Then she went on to say, “You’ll be sucking in helium….no, that’s no right, oxygen!” I love the Southwest crews. :lmao:

Our flights down are always fine; it’s the flights back that are always no good. This flight was full of screaming children because it was a 7:15pm departure. The kid in front of me was sitting next to his dad and he spent the whole flight screaming for his mom while dad ignored him, and flopping against his seat so my whole tray was moving. We did experience a bit of turbulence, but still landed 15 minutes early-on top of the 15 minute late take off! After a bathroom stop we went down to baggage claim and then outside. The shuttle stop was right there and in no time at all we were back at our car. When we got home I took some more food photos.
Mom chose a caramel roll, chocolate fudge with nuts (for Grandma) and chocolate peanut butter for herself from Goofy’s. She said the chocolate peanut butter fudge was very good and the caramel roll just okay.
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My pretzels: All 3 are dipped in milk chocolate and drizzled in white chocolate, and individually dipped in mini m&ms, crushed Oreos, and crushed Butterfingers.
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And finally, my pumpkin fudge from the previous night.
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I sat down to do some reviews on allears and Unofficial Guide and fell asleep right in the middle of them! When I woke up the next morning I opened my computer to find the UG survey still up on the screen, but I had no memory of falling asleep or closing the computer!

[Lizziedog]

Great trip report!!!:cool1: I was wondering how comfortable the pullout was? We will be there in July and my mother was going to sleep on the pullout...What do you think about it? Did you sleep well? Thanks!! :thumbsup2

[bellebookworm9]

Great trip report!!!:cool1: I was wondering how comfortable the pullout was? We will be there in July and my mother was going to sleep on the pullout...What do you think about it? Did you sleep well? Thanks!! :thumbsup2

I'm always the one to sleep on the pullout! I slept on the one at Kidani Village for 11 nights, and this one for 4, and I've never had any problems with either. The mattresses are not super thick, of course, but they are comfortable enough; I don't recall feeling the bars or anything. Also, I tend to tire myself out so much that I'll fall asleep anywhere! :rotfl:

[bellebookworm9]

For the final wrap up (:sad2:) I have a few general reviews and notes for everyone!

Beach Club/Villas
•Check In: Check in was very easy, cast members were friendly and there was no wait. It would have been nice if the room was ready, but of course, we weren’t really expecting it to be at 10am.
•Cast Members: The CMs throughout the resort were pleasant. There was only one grumpy one, a mousekeeper, who we saw nearly every day in the seating area near the Marketplace. Grace at the front desk stands out in particular, for being so helpful and patient when I lost my park ticket.
•Villa: We really liked our room; it was bright and cheery. The view was lovely. I enjoyed the large foyer area. I loved that the pullout sofa was an all in one deal as opposed to Kidani, where the cushions needed to be stored elsewhere every night. We had enough room to move around even with the couch pulled out. We didn’t really use the kitchenette, but the fridge was nice to have. For the bathroom, I wish there was a little more counter space. I disliked the shower head as I felt it was a little too low, and I also didn’t particularly care for the “energy saving” light that started out extremely dim and slowly grew brighter. The room seemed very well soundproofed, to both the hallway and outside.
•Pools: Since we didn’t use the Dunes Cove (villas) pool, I can’t comment on that. I enjoyed Stormalong Bay, but to me, water is water, and I’d be happy with pretty much any pool. There were plenty of lounge chairs readily available every time I went to the pool.
•Transportation: I had heard some horror stories about transportation here, but we had no problems. Studios boat had no wait and we didn’t feel the ride was too long at all. The bus back from Magic Kingdom was waiting for us, and no one had to stand. Buses to and from Downtown Disney were adequate, and actually made the return trip more quickly than I expected.
•Location: The location was very nice. We loved being able to walk to Epcot and the short ride to the Studios. It was also great to be able to walk over to the Boardwalk and take advantage of the recreation over there.
•Restaurants: We recommend Beaches and Cream the most. Cape May was pretty good, but a bit expensive. The Marketplace was fine for breakfast and snacks.
•Public Areas: The Solarium was a nice place to eat lunch on our last day. It was never full when I walked through, although occasionally there were some families playing Wii on the big TV. The Drawing Room and the Breezeway were both lovely places to relax as well. The villas laundry room on the fourth floor was convenient, if a little chilly. The lobby was busy, but very cheery. The locker room and showers at the health club were clean and pleasant.

Overall, I highly recommend this resort. We had no serious issues on our trip, and while it didn't quite have the same "homey" feeling that Kidani Village offers, I would easily stay here again.

Food & Wine Festival
The F&WF was great! When I was younger it didn’t really appeal to me much (same with the Flower and Garden Festival) but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more interested in visiting during these special events. We shared everything which kept costs down and also allowed us to eat more. I wish we could have gotten to more booths, but the weather prevented that. I would like to take advantage of some of the special events during the festival in the future.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
The party was pretty fun. I think it was worth the price; it’s cheaper than a one day ticket for nearly the same amount of hours if you enter at 4pm. Of course, our experience entering that early wasn’t really a positive one. But the rides that we were able to do during the party had no wait which was really nice. The fireworks and parades were great, the ambience and costumes were awesome, and the characters were some of the best I’ve ever met. I recommend watching the fireworks from Main Street, as well as the second parade. The second parade is less crowded to begin with, but it seemed that a lot of people were watching it in Liberty Square and Frontierland.

Magical Express
As always, we had no problems with ME. It was almost exactly one hour from the time we arrived at the queuing are to the time we pulled up to the Beach Club, with stops at two other resorts. Our driver was friendly and the bus was not crowded. Our luggage was waiting for us in the room. On the return trip, the bus showed up right on time, still wasn’t crowded, went directly to the airport, and got us there with nearly two hours to spare.

Future Plans/Trips
As you all know, I will be doing the Disney College Program beginning January 11th! I will be flying down by myself on the 10th and staying in a studio at Old Key West for the night. I already have the Magical Express tags and booklet! I don’t really have any plans for that day, but I know that I will be meeting up with my roommate in Downtown Disney in the evening (she’s staying at Pop Century). I plan to take a lot of pictures of the resort though and will post a review on the DIS.

Mom is coming to visit me from February 9th-12th. Right now we are booked at Pop Century; we will probably still be staying there after I re-book with my Cast Member discount, but may upgrade to Port Orleans French Quarter depending on the price. Mom wants to visit Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, but she (and I) are disappointed that Big Thunder Mountain will be closed the entire time I’m there! We will also visit the Studios for a bit. We have ADRs at three places we’ve never tried before: Coral Reef (dinner), Sci-Fi (lunch), and the Plaza (dinner).

The link to my blog is in my signature; I’m posting any and all relevant content to the program there, so follow along! I also plan on doing a running dining review because there are so many places I want to try! Link for that is in my signature as well. If you plan on being in Disney between January 11th and May 11th, let me know; I’d love to meet my fellow DISers! Thanks for reading along and I’ll see you all real soon (literally)!

[lovethattink]

I am coming in late from your fb link. I've read the first few pages. Your poor mom looked so tired from her plane meds. Love the pics from the plane!

The Beach Club is the first WDW resort we stayed at, and we got hooked on Disney! You were very smart to share the hamburger. They are big. The No Way Jose looks great! YUM! Wish I could eat chocolate!

The food at the Cape May Cafe looks great!

[natebenma]

Last afternoon-

You made great use of your last day, with the visit to DTD and hanging out at the resort. Your lunch looked good, sorry it was a bit disappointing.

Thanks for your review of the locker room and showers. I haven't been in there but I had the misfortune to change into my swimsuit in one of the nasty poolside bathrooms one night. Yuck.

I finally added the picture of you and the noodles to the BC thread. BTW- a little backstory for some of your readers who not be familiar with the Noodle Family-

In June, one of the guests and frequent contributors to the Beach and Yacht Club FAQ thread, Marlton Mom, shipped 4 extra large noodles to the resort before her trip there. On the thread, we started a "Noodle Swap", much like the fridge swaps at some of the value resorts. Families sign up to use the noodles during their trips and then either hand them off to the next series of visitors or to Bell Services. The original 4 have been joined by a few smaller noodles and beach toys, but one of the 4 (Pastina, the mom) mysteriously disappeared and may or may not have come back from a stay in India studying yoga in a much skinnier form. The noodles have their own DIS account and occasionally post on the thread.

Some of the more demented posters on that thread have played "dress up" with the noodles, and if you haven't been over there recently, the noodles recently showed up on the thread again with heatherbabydoll1 (page 28).

Wrap Up-

I appreciate your great summary!!! Loved your thorough review of the villas, Food & Wine and the Halloween party, none of which I have experienced.

Thanks for sharing your trip and pictures with us!

I'll check in with you before the scheduled trip in June with my teenager. Hopefully you will still be around!

[GrammyJudy]

I loved your report and love that you and your mom are so close. My DD and I will be at ASMo from Jan 21-28 with her 2 sons. What will you be doing at disney for the college program? Have fun with it and maybe we will see you there!

[Lizziedog]

I'm always the one to sleep on the pullout! I slept on the one at Kidani Village for 11 nights, and this one for 4, and I've never had any problems with either. The mattresses are not super thick, of course, but they are comfortable enough; I don't recall feeling the bars or anything. Also, I tend to tire myself out so much that I'll fall asleep anywhere! :rotfl:

Thanks! She'll be sleeping on this for 9 nights! If she gets uncomfortable I'll switch out a bed for her. Thanks again for the TR it was very useful and makes me want to be there tomorrow!!:love:

[bellebookworm9]

I am coming in late from your fb link. I've read the first few pages. Your poor mom looked so tired from her plane meds. Love the pics from the plane!

The Beach Club is the first WDW resort we stayed at, and we got hooked on Disney! You were very smart to share the hamburger. They are big. The No Way Jose looks great! YUM! Wish I could eat chocolate!

The food at the Cape May Cafe looks great!

Better late than never! Yeah, Mom learned the hard way that mixing Ativan, Benydryl, and Dramamine is a terrible idea. :lmao:

Last afternoon-

You made great use of your last day, with the visit to DTD and hanging out at the resort. Your lunch looked good, sorry it was a bit disappointing.

Thanks for your review of the locker room and showers. I haven't been in there but I had the misfortune to change into my swimsuit in one of the nasty poolside bathrooms one night. Yuck.

The locker rooms were very nice; they were carpeted and the lockers were a nice wood finish with an electronic lock. The shower stalls were a little small, about the size of a communal dorm shower. I did change in one of the bathrooms near Beaches & Cream on the first day, and that restroom was clean, if not as plush as the changing room.

I finally added the picture of you and the noodles to the BC thread. BTW- a little backstory for some of your readers who not be familiar with the Noodle Family-

Yay! I'm famous!

Wrap Up-

I appreciate your great summary!!! Loved your thorough review of the villas, Food & Wine and the Halloween party, none of which I have experienced.

Thanks for sharing your trip and pictures with us!

I'll check in with you before the scheduled trip in June with my teenager. Hopefully you will still be around!

I hope you get to try the F&WF and MNSSHP sometime!

I loved your report and love that you and your mom are so close. My DD and I will be at ASMo from Jan 21-28 with her 2 sons. What will you be doing at disney for the college program? Have fun with it and maybe we will see you there!

I will be working Main Entrance Operations, which could be any number of things from working turnstiles or parking lot to selling tickets at the water parks to ushering at Cirque du Soleil. I've put in a request for the parking lots, but I won't know for certain until I check in on the 11th. I'm sure I'll have fun regardless. I've never stayed at ASMo but I'd like to!

Thanks! She'll be sleeping on this for 9 nights! If she gets uncomfortable I'll switch out a bed for her. Thanks again for the TR it was very useful and makes me want to be there tomorrow!!:love:

No problem! That's the one bad thing about reading trip reports-I always want to be there right now!

[tlenzendorf]

I will be working Main Entrance Operations, which could be any number of things from working turnstiles or parking lot to selling tickets at the water parks to ushering at Cirque du Soleil. I've put in a request for the parking lots, but I won't know for certain until I check in on the 11th. I'm sure I'll have fun regardless. I've never stayed at ASMo but I'd like to!



If you get the parking lot gig don't yell at people who don't want to drive over the cones! lol I had a guy totally yell at me to turn and I refused to drive over it and he finally stopped yelling, picked up the cone and THREW it in disgust!

And definitely come back and DIS while you are gone. I'd be up for a meet when we are there in February.