The Darling Family June Beach Club Trip:Hugging Ewoks and Finding Peter Pan

[Stefy]

Great update, am loving the pics

What is the opening show at AK?

 

[dismagiclover]

We were in Dinoland and just completed Dinosaur Dumbo. There is no question that the next stop would be the Boneyard. Remember that it was June and it was hot. So I told the kids we wouldn’t play too long. I let them loose and they had a grand time. I snapped this shot at one point

Pretty soon Wendy and DH showed up. Wendy is preparing to leave the nursery and didn’t have as much fun at the Boneyard as she has in years past. She is always good for a picture though

It was time to leave and it was tough to get the boys out of there. Michael actually had to be chased down which made for some unhappy parents. I think he could stay there all day.
We decided to head over toward Camp Minnie Mickey because I wanted to see the Lion King show. It was a bit after 10:00 and I was hoping the line to meet Pooh and Friends would be short. We walked down the path, but decided to turn around. The line looked about 15 minutes and the CM said it was the shortest it would be all day, but no one wanted to wait.
So we made it over to Camp Minnie Mickey. They were getting ready to seat for the next show. We happily headed into the air conditioned theater. We did have to wait a few minutes for the show to start, but it was cool so I don’t think anyone minded. We’d seen this show on our first trip but I’d forgotten how great it was! It really is one of the best shows in Disney World. Michael adored the acrobat monkeys. I didn’t take any pictures, but I’ve seen plenty on this board.
After the Lion King, John wanted to meet some characters. The lines were pretty long, however, and Wendy wasn’t feeling very good. So we just picked one of them. Which one?

Notice Michael didn’t even want to get out of his stroller. I think he was feeling a bit charactered out. He actually fell asleep shortly after this.

I would have loved to see more characters. I just love the safari outfits, but Wendy really started complaining at this point about not feeling good and her stomach was hurting. We decided she must be hungry so we headed to lunch. We walked right by Daisy with a pretty short line. I really wanted Wendy to stop (she had a Daisy shirt on), but she said she was feeling sick. So we didn’t meet Daisy this trip. (I just love her Sarari outfit too.)
Lunch was at Pizzafari which was normal Disney pizza. Here I finally discovered we could get large drinks on the dining plan. Better late than never I guess. The best thing about this CS is the eating area is inside. Though I would have liked to try Flametree, the air conditioning won out. Wendy hardly ate anything at lunch and I was starting to really worry about her. Maybe she really was coming down with something. (I’ve read all the flu at Disney threads). Towards the end of the meal she told me she felt like she was going to throw up. I figured I would take her outside while DH and Michael finished up. (Michael had just woken up and still needed to eat.) So Wendy, John and I headed out and found an empty walkway to sit on. At this point I finally discovered what was really wrong with Wendy. She didn’t want to ride Kali River. She didn’t want to ride it so bad that she had made herself sick. Earlier in line with DH she had heard screams and saw the big hill going up and it scared her to death. I knew she had no reason to be afraid and I also knew she needed to get on that ride ASAP. I’m a big believer in not letting fear control you! So I called DH and told him if we were going to ride Kali we needed to do it now. The walk over was painful to Wendy. The poor girl was literally terrified. Michael and even John (who is usually scared of his own shadow) couldn’t quite figure out why. They were having a grand time. On the way to Asia DH made a restroom stop with Michael. John spotted a photopass guy and starting begging for a Baby Simba picture.

Wendy was feeling too sick. Michael caught up with us and was a tad bit upset that John had already gotten his Baby Simba picture. (This was something we promised him earlier). We reassured him we’d find another Photopass later because we needed to get Wendy on Kali ASAP.
The wait in line even with fastpasses seemed long, but that was mostly because I was feeling bad for Wendy. We all hopped on the ride and were off. We made it to the top of the hill and instead of plunging to our doom (like Wendy thought) we went through a geyser and got soaking wet. At that point Wendy realized what the screaming was about and finally relaxed and felt better. The rest of the ride went great with the perfect amount of mini thrills for all. And boy did we get soaked!!!!! The verdict when it was all over: Wendy thought it was the best ride in Disney World and was upset she couldn’t ride again! The boys liked it too. Oh those crazy kids! Wendy was miraculously cured so where should we head next?

 

[dismagiclover]

Great update, am loving the pics

What is the opening show at AK?

We saw the AK opening show back in November 2006 so it may have changed, but a few of the characters are on a couple of floats and do a short skit. Then in 2006 the floats led the crowds back to the respective rides (one went to Everest and one went to the Safari.) We were right up front that first trip and walked right behind the float so it seemed like they were personally escorting us to the ride. It really was fun, but I'm not sure if they do that anymore or not. Does anyone know?

 

[Stefy]

Aww bless Wendy, glad she overcame her fear in the end. Kali is a cool ride, have only been on it once and got absolutely soaked. Must have been nice for all you to cool down on such a hot day

Love the baby Simba pic, so cute and the boneyard ones are v cute as well

Can't wait to read more

 

[Stefy]

Oh we might have seen this on our first trip, we were waiting for the park to officially open by the Tree of Life and Mickey and co were on a bus waving and such. Maybe that was it

 

[Villainess]

The AK opening sounds neat - will have to try to get there to see it! Poor Wendy! I'm glad it was only nerves and not the flu, and in the end she discovered a new favorite ride!

 

[carissanboys]

Awww - poor Wendy. Kali is, if not my favorite, definitely high on my list of rides att WDW. (It always changes each trip.) I definitely don't find it scary at all and glad she got to realize how fun it is.

 

[liznboys]

Heeeeey again...

8/5 update:
I love your new mugs, when we saw them last week at multiple places I thought of you!

How sweet Wendy bought you pens.

8/6:
Dh and ds#1 played on those ping pong tables by Stormalong Bay.

BOROCCO!!!! LOL!!!

8/7:
You really do love you some TROY!!!

Cute hair band on Wendy.

8/9:
Great fairy pix!

8/11:
Yay! More time with the Disney family!

8/12:
That one of Wendy and the boys in the jail with Zurg is soooo funny, she is so far away!!!

Aww, John...

8/13:
MMM, Le Cellier!

Haha, that one of John leaning sideways is really cute.

Yay, you found Nemo at last!!

I love your new Beach Club ornament! I usually buy those at each resort we stay at, but I couldn't do that this trip....that would have been 5 of them. YIKES. lol They are not cheap, as you know! (I think they are very overpriced to be honest. But I still want them.)

8/15:
I didn't know you love gorillas.

Baloo and Louie!! fun!

Never seen Jungle Book?!? I wish you were next door so I could lend it to you.

Today:
Lion King show is really the best, isn't it?!

What an emotional rollercoaster for Wendy! Glad it all ended well!!



i'm all caught up

 

[Angies1274]

The picture of John and Baby Simba is too cute!!!!

I'm so glad that Wendy overcame her fear and rode Kali!!--and even better that she loved the ride!! That's awesome!!

Love all the pictures with Mickey, if we had to pick one character to get our picture with--he would be it!!!

 

[dismagiclover]

Aww bless Wendy, glad she overcame her fear in the end. Kali is a cool ride, have only been on it once and got absolutely soaked. Must have been nice for all you to cool down on such a hot day

Love the baby Simba pic, so cute and the boneyard ones are v cute as well

Can't wait to read more

Kali was very much appreciated on such a hot day. Baby Simba pictures almost always turn out cute I think.

The AK opening sounds neat - will have to try to get there to see it! Poor Wendy! I'm glad it was only nerves and not the flu, and in the end she discovered a new favorite ride!

The AK opening is fun, but IMO not near as good as the MK opening. DH, however, disagrees.

Awww - poor Wendy. Kali is, if not my favorite, definitely high on my list of rides att WDW. (It always changes each trip.) I definitely don't find it scary at all and glad she got to realize how fun it is.

Wendy was scarred a bit from Splash I'm glad she ended up loving it. We would have been in deep trouble if she hadn't since we forced her on it.

Heeeeey again...

I love your new Beach Club ornament! I usually buy those at each resort we stay at, but I couldn't do that this trip....that would have been 5 of them. YIKES. lol They are not cheap, as you know! (I think they are very overpriced to be honest. But I still want them.)

Never seen Jungle Book?!? I wish you were next door so I could lend it to you.

i'm all caught up

Those ornaments are overpriced. But what are you gonna do And I wish you were next door too

The picture of John and Baby Simba is too cute!!!!

I'm so glad that Wendy overcame her fear and rode Kali!!--and even better that she loved the ride!! That's awesome!!

Love all the pictures with Mickey, if we had to pick one character to get our picture with--he would be it!!!

More Baby Simba pictures coming right up and they are cute too I just love getting pictures of Mickey in all his different outfits

 

[dismagiclover]

Today's update is short.

We still had some Sarari fastpasses in our pocket so we headed back to Africa. This time I let DH sit on the side I was on last time because so many more animals were on that side. I handed DH the camera and we were off. It was almost 2:00 so there were fewer animals out than there had been in the morning. And the animals that were out were on my side. So once again no good Safari pictures. Here is one pathetic picture.

Poor DH. Despite my best efforts I always had the better animal view. We still enjoyed our African safari and were very happy to reunite the mother and baby elephant. (Michael really thinks they should fix that bridge!) After the Safari we were feeling quite hot and I was excited to get over to Saratoga Springs to meet the Disney Family for a swim so we headed out. But of course we couldn’t leave without stopping by one last photopass guy. Here are the shots. Too many shadows and they aren't centered very well.

Wendy and Michael finally got their Baby Simba shots.

I love these pictures of Michael

We said goodbye to Animal Kingdom. We didn’t get much time there this trip, but that just makes us want to go back, right? We headed out to the bus stop and hopped on to the bus for Saratoga Springs.

Brief background on the Saratoga Springs stay. Last winter I decided I’d really like to look into DVC. As I researched it a bit I realized if we were to buy we’d definitely go resale because the prices are so much cheaper than buying direct. And if we buy resale, Saratoga Springs seemed to represent the best value. I really thought we should stay there before we bought there so I rented points for one night from the DVC rental board. Plus it meant we got an extra night at Disney. So here we were months later on the bus ready to check out what could potentially become our “Disney Vacation Home.” What would we think?

 

[cjackearl]

I was so worried that Wendy was getting sick, like stomach bug sick. I'm glad it was just nerves that could be cured with a fun, water flume ride.

Aw, Michael's Simba pictures are adorable! I'm kicking myself for not insisting that the photopass photographer take some with the girls holding baby Simba. I think since Ian was so much smaller than the girls, he just naturally gave the pose to him. Oh well. Live and learn.

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of Saratoga Springs.

 

[Happy Elf]

Cute pictures of the kids with Simba! Our safari pictures are hit and miss....seems like we deleted more than we kept. You never know what you will get! Can't wait to hear about Sartoga Springs!

 

[Stefy]

Great updates, PP pics are adorable

Can't wait to hear about SS

 

[SunnieRN]

You could see thd difference on Wendys face, before and after KRR!!! Excited to hear where you stay at SSR and what you think!

 

[Angies1274]

Great pictures of Wendy and Michael with Baby Simba--very cute!!!

I can't wait to hear what you thought of SSR.

 

[dismagiclover]

I was so worried that Wendy was getting sick, like stomach bug sick. I'm glad it was just nerves that could be cured with a fun, water flume ride.

Aw, Michael's Simba pictures are adorable! I'm kicking myself for not insisting that the photopass photographer take some with the girls holding baby Simba. I think since Ian was so much smaller than the girls, he just naturally gave the pose to him. Oh well. Live and learn.

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of Saratoga Springs.

I was worried about Wendy too. Luckily she ended up just fine I found with the photopass guys we usually have to ask for the special effects. The only one this past trip they volunteered was the balloon picture in the Studios. Saratoga Springs is coming right up!

Cute pictures of the kids with Simba! Our safari pictures are hit and miss....seems like we deleted more than we kept. You never know what you will get! Can't wait to hear about Sartoga Springs!

I'm sure if we had a better camera we'd get better safari pictures, but oh well. And stay tuned for the Saratoga Springs report

Great updates, PP pics are adorable

Can't wait to hear about SS

I love me some Photopass SSR coming right up.

You could see thd difference on Wendys face, before and after KRR!!! Excited to hear where you stay at SSR and what you think!

I know you've been waiting to hear about the treehouses and I'm finally going to tell you

Great pictures of Wendy and Michael with Baby Simba--very cute!!!

I can't wait to hear what you thought of SSR.

The pictures of Baby Simba are cute. Much more exciting though is the fact you leave in 4 days

 

[dismagiclover]

We pulled up to Saratoga Springs and found our way to the check in building. This is a lovely resort, but it was so big it was a bit confusing to us newbies. We checked in and they originally placed us in Carousel which looked to be far away from everything so I asked if there was anything closer to Downtown Disney because we were planning on walking over. There was a room available in the Paddock area right next to Congress Park so we said we’d take it. Granted we were only there one night, but this was a good location for us. It was a short walk over to the pool and to Artist’s Point. As they were printing our new room keys (which by the way actually said DVC Member. I liked the sound of that.) my phone rang. It was BDF. They were staying at the new Treehouse villas and had been waiting for us to arrive to go swimming, but the weather seemed to be turning so they were going to the pool now before the rain came. I told her we’d find our room and then come over as quick as we could.
After getting the room keys we walked out and attempted to figure out which way to go. I was turned around and really had no idea where we were going so we spotted a map and were attempting to decipher it. Who came walking up? It was the Disney family! BDFDH (got that? Best Disney Friend’s DH) offered to give us a ride over to our room. We found our room and boy were we excited. After spending a week in a hotel room this was spacious. The kids started checking everything out and expressed amazement at every turn. “Wow we have a real fridge and a stove.” “Look we have a couch and a balcony!” I was impressed with the washer and dryer. The best for the kids was the whirlpool tub. We don’t have one at home and you would have thought they found a full scale spa by their reaction. Next thing I knew John and Michael were naked and in the tub! They can’t stop talking about how much they love their “Disney Vacation home.” Sometime during this tour the rain started coming down and it was coming hard. So swimming was out for the moment. I called for our bags and they said they would bring them after it quit raining. So we just sat back and relaxed while the boys had the time of their life in the whirlpool tub. Eventually it quit raining enough for Bell Services to bring up our luggage. One of my favorite little details of the villa was the entry way. We could just plop the stroller and the luggage we weren’t using and whatever else in the entryway and we didn’t have to see it when we were in the main part of the villa.
The rain was letting up but not enough to open the pool. The Disney’s had been hanging out by the pool hoping it would clear up enough to swim, but since it didn’t look like that was happening they were heading back to their treehouse. The plan was for us to meet BDFDH at the pool and we’d walk with him over to the Treehouse. So we donned our ponchos and headed out. It was still raining and when we reached the meeting spot, BDFDH was waiting with a bus for us to take. The Treehouse villas are served by an internal bus that just circles SSR all day. They are usually empty and this was no exception. So we had our own private ride over to the Treehouses. We arrived and I was suitably impressed by the setting. Here is a shot BDF took earlier in the week.

It felt more like camping than Disney World. It was quiet, beautiful and remote. A world away from the busyness of the Boardwalk area. It’s amazing to me that there are so many different types of accommodations in Disney World. After admiring the beautiful exterior we stepped inside and WOW. This place was huge. I’m sure it’s bigger than lots of people’s houses! A nice sized living area with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. And it still had the new construction smell! It was very appropriately decorated in a woods like motif and BDF had even made all the beds for us to give it that model look. Here a few shot of some of the details.

Outside every window were large trees

Outside the master window you could see the river. (Again this picture was taken earlier in the week)

It was awesome and my kids didn’t think our 1 bedroom villa was looking that great anymore. They now started gushing about the Disney family’s “Disney Vacation home.” They made themselves right at home

Look at the view!


We had been hoping to ride the boat to Downtown Disney from the Treehouse, but it was still raining and they weren’t running. What should we do instead?

 

[cjackearl]

Gorgeous pictures of the villas!! I'd love to stay in a villa someday.

 

[hhockman]

Wow! How did I miss three updates? I'm so glad Wendy got over her fear and enjoyed Kali. I didn't think there was a drop but it's been so long I wasn't sure.

I LOVE the Baby Simba pictures. We will be requesting those! My poor kids are going to be SO tired of pictures.

Did Wendy ever get anything to eat?

The Treehouse Villas look awesome. I'd never really thought of doing the DVC through resale. Something to think about if the time ever comes that we can consider it.

I'm so glad you and your family got to spend so much time with your friends on this trip. It's obvious that seeing them made the trip special.