2400 pictures! Beach Club, Universal, and Bay Lake Tower Grand Villa-COMPLETE!

[dr&momto2boys]

The Deluxe Dining Plan includes an appetizer, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic drink with each meal. I had the chili and DH had a ceasar salad for our appetizers. We both got a Coke with cherry syrup for our drinks.

The chili was really good. In the future I would just order that as my meal and save more room for dessert! DH said the salad was "good." He's a man of few words! I always hate to waste calories on drinks, so a drink has to be really good for me to like it. The soda fountain Coke with cherry syrup didn't taste much better than a plain old Cherry Coke so I wouldn't order it again. Someone had mentioned trying chocolate and cherry syrup. I might do that.

I had a single cheeseburger and fruit (to give Ella) as my entree. DH had a veggie wrap with onion rings. And the kids each had a hotdog, with carrots, grapes, and milk.

I had to include this picture because I think it's funny that my baby loves tomatoes. Here she is stealing one off of DH's plate when he wasn't looking.

DH said the veggie wrap was "good." The cheeseburger was just okay. I had heard they were better than average here, but I don't think they're anything to write home about.

Finally, the reason we decided to eat here...dessert!
The waitress said since we had 4 people in our party we could order the Kitchen Sink Sundae for dessert and it would be covered under the meal plan! It was tempting because I would never order something like that in "real life" and I'm sure it would have been memorable! But I was there for the "No Way Jose" Sundae, so we declined. The kids got to choose the icecream flavor they wanted for their Mickey Mouse Sundaes. I had the "No Way Jose" of course, and DH ordered the "Milky Way Sundae."

Mickey Mouse Sundae: Cute! Can you see the tail?

Milky Way Sundae: There is a big chunk of candy bar in there and a quarter of a muffin as garnish to give you an idea of how ridiculously decadent this thing was!

DH said it was...you guessed it..."good." I would just say it wasn't as good as mine!

No Way Jose: A huge sundae with chocolate and vanilla icecream topped with hot fudge, peanutbutter, whipped cream, chocolate and peanutbutter chips, and a cherry.

This definately lived up to all the hype on these boards! It was fantastic! It should certainly be shared by two or three people though!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Very cute pics so far!!

Thank you! I've got MANY more!

I was excited to try B&C this trip too, after reading such great reviews about it and I have to say, there is nothing special about it...I wouldn't recommend it either. I was very disappointed by it...I'll probably have a whole section in my TR dedicated to B&C because it bothered me so much!

I'm sorry to hear that. I think the hype on the boards builds it up too much. Overall I did like it, but mostly just because of the ice cream!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

After dinner we decided we really needed to take a walk! We strolled along the boardwalk taking a few pictures and looking in a few shops.

My kids have a knack for being hungry right after dinner. So we used our first snack credit for a box of popcorn.

We stopped to watch an entertainer along the way. He was balancing golf clubs on top of each other and balacing a sword on a knife in his mouth. He even layed down flat on the ground and got up again all with the sword balanced on the knife in his mouth.

He selected my son Max to teach him a trick. He held a spinning plate on a pole with one hand and one leg lifted. (Missed that picture.) That was the highlight of Max's trip! He's convinced he can do it at home now!

We watched a couple of other spontaneous performers because Jacob wanted to be a volunteer too! No luck. We caught the tail end of the campfire sing-along at the Beach Club when we returned.

My OCD self has to remember how fun these spontaneous adventures can be and not plan every minute of every day! I'm making note for our December trip!

 

[mermaid764]

I'm subscribing! It sounds like you guys had an awesome vacation and I love the pics. Your kiddos are adorable and I can't wait to hear more about it. The pool at the beach club looks amazing and it must have been nice to relax in! Can't wait for your next update.

 

[dd50]

Love your tip about the bracelet with phone number.

Your kids are so cute. Never ate at B&C but my girls want to go for the kitchen sink. Hopefully we will be able to do that.

 

[smidgy]

ella is just So cute!!!
we are renting points from friends, staying at beach club villas in july. (yeah, I know, hot, rainy, crowded, but the restaurant where I work closes that month so, why not? a few nights at vero beach, a few at beach club)
we have stayed at boardwalk villas. anxious to hear about your stay.
our granddaughter is 18 months and grandson is 4 years old, so I am finally listening to tips about Disney with litttle kids. (for when we get to bring them... we are used to going, just the 2 of us!)
so subscribing! and anxious to see your pics!!!

 

[Janny]

GREAT PICTURES!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for posting....your children are absolutely precious!!



I have to thank all of you for giving me so many recent hours of such fun reading your trip itineraries. I've enjoyed the pictures and spent time having such good laughs at the witty descriptions of each and every trip.....I had to sign on tonite to tell you all. As this is my maiden post, I will try to learn the tricks of the trade on how to post pictures etc. and make mine eventually as fun to read.
We haven't vacationed in a very long time as one of our daughters is comatosed and cannot travel. It will be 6 years in June that the little angel lapsed into a coma after a 106.8 fever that caused imminent seizures brought upon by encephalitis. Most probably from an insect bite. Source never was fully determined. Our 2 other children have been such troopers to have sacrificed vacations due to our situation. June 28th though, we are GOING TO DISNEY!!!!!! Our little one will be in the capable hands of my parents.....could only leave her with my mom who is also a Registered Nurse as am I.....She requires full time around the clock nursing care. I am a wreck about boarding a plane and leaving her behind, but our 2 other kids really deserve this trip. 4 nights at the Beach club.....10 years ago we stayed at the port orleans, but we decided this trip on a place closer to Epcot. DH insisted on the dining plan....don't know how we'll ever pay off this credit card, but God will provide. It is time for us to make some happy memories. Thank you all again for posting, as I am learning MANY great tips. Happy reading and everyone have a great Spring & Summer!! God bless!!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

Welcome Janny!!

Cant wait to hear all about your trip!! So glad u joined us! Tell us about your kids!

We will be at the BC for a trip in JULY!!! Cant wait! Bring on the fun!

 

[Janny]

Thanks for the warm welcome Mousekamaddi!!!!! Great to be able to "post" and talk back!!!!
We have 3 children, 17 y.o son (junior) 12 y.o daughter (6th grader) and our sweet angel (8 y.o.) The time flies. Just married 20 years....feels like yesterday!!! We had to choose this year....who knows what next year brings with a college bound young man!!! He is a varsity football and baseball player. All around great kid....honors and AP student....Our 12 y.o. is musically inclined. Great vocalist and piano enthusiast. How about yours?? Do you have a trip blog too? I'll eventually be able to commandeer these threads!!!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Janny! You sure deserve a magical trip! I wish the best for you and your family!

Mousekamaddi!

I'll add more to my TR tomorrow. Monday and Tuesday are long days at work!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Day 2
This morning we had an 8am ADR for Akershus...or so we thought! It was a beautiful morning and it's such a nice walk to Epcot. The boardwalk is beautiful in the morning.

We got to the World Showcase entrance at about 7:40am. We were the only ones there. They asked if we had breakfast reservations and said they'd open up as soon as they got word to do so. When they got the okay to let us in at about 7:55, the CM checked the ADR list and we weren't on it. I know we had an ADR and even had the confirmation number with us. The CM was going to make a phone call but the person in charge said to just let us go through.

We walked swiftly but took the time to snap a few photos of an empty Epcot.

Unfortunately we weren't on the list at Akershus either, but since they weren't full they never looked into why we weren't on the list. It just annoyed me a bit that they seated a whole bunch of people before us even though we were there before them. I tried to just relax and tell myself we don't HAVE to make rope drop at 9am (even though I really wanted to!)

While we were waiting in line for our photo with Princess Aurora, Max tripped over DH's foot and hit his head into the post that held the rope for the line. He hit his forehead quite hard and started crying. CMs offered him ice and he used it. We skipped our picture with permission to come back later to do it. Looks like we weren't going anywhere fast today!

 

[dd50]

Doesn't sound like that day got off to a good start. Hopefully it gets better.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Doesn't sound like that day got off to a good start. Hopefully it gets better.

Fortunately it definately gets better! And we all kept a good attitude even with all the hiccups on this morning.

I don't know why my photos are showing up so huge! I reduced the size of all of them and only one showed up right? I'll figure it out later!

 

[sjs314]

Isn't it just awful when you have made plans so far in advance and things don't go right I am glad it all turned out well with breakfast and DS little mishap....loved the pics of an empty Epcot

 

[dr&momto2boys]

This was our first experience with Akershus. Since we were on the DxDDP, we tried some places we wouldn't normally try and that was the fun of it! It was quite nice. There was a buffet line with yogurt, bagels, pastries, and fruit that you help yourself to. Then the server brings a plate of hot food to your table to serve family style. The hashbrown casserole was delicious! I even enjoyed the scrambled eggs because they weren't runny or overcooked. I liked the sausage links which are thicker than normal, but the bacon wasn't crisp enough for my taste. The fruit on the bar was perfectly ripe and delicious and I enjoyed the pastries too.

Shockingly we didn't get great pictures with the princesses. Max didn't really want to do any. He was quite shy and just shaken up after hurting himself. This is the best picture we got and Ella just wouldn't look at the camera.

When Snow White came by, Max had his head hidden in the chair. She said something like, "I see my friend Bashful over there." Jasmine asked, "Did you get here by magic carpet too?" The whole experience was cute.

We did get a picture with Aurora before we left. Max wouldn't get in it so we just had a picture taken with Jacob and Ella. They snapped it really quickly not even attempting to get Ella to look at the camera. I think they could have at least tried. She's actually usually quite cooperative.

Enough complaining! We left in time to join the crowd just as the rope dropped to let us into Future World!

We rushed to Soarin'...like everyone else!

DH went ahead and got in the line for Fastpasses to use later while the kids and I trailed behind a bit. We met up just as he had the FPs and then told a CM that we wanted to do babyswap. I took the boys on first while DH waited with Ella. Jacob has been on Soarin' many times on our trip to Disneyland. It was his favorite ride by far. This was Max's first time to go on and he was really looking forward to it! He liked it. DH used the babyswap pass to go through the FP line and he could have taken both boys again, but Max didn't want to ride a second time. DH and Ella had gone on The Land ride while I was on Soarin' with the boys. I thought that was a good idea and decided to do that to. Max, Ella, and I were just exiting The Land at exactly the same time DH and Jacob exited Soarin'. Perfect!

DH took lots of pictures on The Land ride. *yawn* Here are a couple.
Ella was a bit leery of the darkness of the ride until she saw these parrots. She loves animals, especially birds, so she enjoyed her two times on this ride.

See the Mickey pumpkin?

Next we were off go on Nemo and see Turtle Talk.

 

[dawnbu40]

Nice updates!
What a treat to go through an empty World Showcase!

Sorry to hear they lost your adr, that happened to us in March at the Ohana breakfast, but glad they got you in anyway!

 

[Nermel9]

Love your Epcot pics! I'm considering making an ADR at Akershus, but I feel kinda weird at a princess breakfast...characters are one thing, because they can't talk to you, but princesses can, and I feel like they would be wondering why we were there with no kids! Did you happen to notice if any adults were there without kids?

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Nice updates!
What a treat to go through an empty World Showcase!

Sorry to hear they lost your adr, that happened to us in March at the Ohana breakfast, but glad they got you in anyway!

Thanks! It made me feel like we were trying to pull something, but I know it wasn't our fault. They handled it quite well really.

Love your Epcot pics! I'm considering making an ADR at Akershus, but I feel kinda weird at a princess breakfast...characters are one thing, because they can't talk to you, but princesses can, and I feel like they would be wondering why we were there with no kids! Did you happen to notice if any adults were there without kids?

Definately! There were plenty of tables with no kids. This is Disney...everyone's a kid!

 

[Nermel9]

Definately! There were plenty of tables with no kids. This is Disney...everyone's a kid!

Really? Well that makes me feel a little better...but I still feel weird! I wouldn't know what to say to the princesses...I mean, I'd obviously have to talk to them as their characters...I guess make movie references or something?

Maybe I'll go see if there is anything available for November...although, I don't know how my DH would feel about dining with princesses...

 

[dr&momto2boys]

On the way to The Seas Pavilion, Max had to stop and talk to Donald's cousin. He also remembered the talking garbage can (in Tomorrowland) from our last trip so he scrutinized every garbage can he saw at every park on this trip!

The line to the Finding Nemo ride is dark, so Max freaked out. He was scared and I had to convince him and eventually carry a whimpering kid through the line and onto the ride--which of course he loved. Here's DH, Jacob, and Ella in their clamshell just before we exited the ride.

And Jacob had to pose inside Bruce before we moved on to Turtle Talk.

Turtle Talk with Crush is really a cute show. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it and am glad we did this again.

The temperature had to be above 90 degrees and it was quite humid! We definately needed a drink! So we sought out a frozen drink and the boys insisted on a pretzel too. There go two more snack credits. Considering we had 16 snack credits to use in 2 days at the park, we'd better pick up the pace!

Jacob and I decided to use our FPs for Soarin' now while DH and the other kids looked around Innoventions. Since Max didn't want a second ride on Soarin', DH skipped it too.

I don't think we did much more before it was time to head over to England for lunch. We had an ADR at Rose & Crown Pub. Another first for us. It was certainly a pretty walk with all the special topiaries and displays for the Flower and Garden Festival.

When we checked in at R&C, they gave us a pager and we walked around the surrounding shops for a few minutes before it went off.

They tried to seat us at an outside table for lunch. Yuck! It was way too hot! I had observed them trying to sit other people out there. When the party declined, they'd have the party wait another minute while they set an inside table. The inside wasn't packed, so I wonder why they did this over and over again. The whole time we were there I only saw three parties take outside tables.

Ahhh, it was nice and cool inside. Somehow, I didn't get a picture of the decor inside and it's beyond what I can describe. DH ordered a pint of beer and I had the pomegranate lemonade. I thought I was getting smart by ordering 1 milk and 1 bottled water for the kids. I had DH order a bottled water also since a drink is include with lunch. I thought I was being smart, figuring we could use the bottled waters later when we needed a drink around the park. Instead they brought out very fancy bottled water in glass bottles and poured them into a glass. The waiter made a comment kind of like, "oops, this is just what the kitchen gave me." I'm quite sure he was just trying to pad the bill for a bigger tip. The waters were $4.50 each!...and unfortunately didn't serve the purpose I had intended. I wasn't upset about it or anything. It's just an observation.

By the way, I didn't like the pomogranate lemonade, so I drank the fancy water instead.

For Jacob, I ordered cheese pizza which came with vegetables and fruit salad. Max wanted "sausage", so I ordered the Bangers and Mash for him. It came with potato leek soup and fruit salad. It was too sophisticated for his palate. So he pretty much didn't eat anything. Ella ate fruit and bits and pieces from our plates. DH and I each ordered a salad for an appetizer.

Here is Max's Potato Leek Soup and soda bread:

Here is my salad with "hot bacon" dressing. It was delicious! The best salad I had on this trip!

Here is DH's Apple Salad with apples, walnuts, and blue cheese

DH said, "It was gooood."
In case you haven't figured out his rating system yet, it seems to be: not good, good, and gooood.

DH had vegetarian Shepards Pie:
Had he known it would come with some salad, he would have ordered a different appetizer. He said, "It was gooood!"

I had the Cottage Pie:
I guess I didn't upload the photo, but it looks like the Shephard's Pie (above), but larger and no salad.
It was good. No, really just "good", nothing to do with DH's rating system.

Here is the kid's Bangers and Mash:

The kid's pizza meal:

I had the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert:
It wasn't as good as expected. Although the kids tore into, so I didn't get much of a chance to enjoy it. DH said "It was good."

DH had the lemon tart: "It was good."

Just outside the Rose & Crown Pub, a CM had drawn hopscotch on the street. Jacob can't resist that!

Next, we'll use the FPs we picked up in the morning for Test Track and Mission Space, then head back to the World Showcase to look around before dinner at les Chefs de France. Can we really handle a third sit down meal in one day? Stay tuned.