Third BLT DVC trip mixed with some CR time - Updated 4/10/2013

[DVC_Dreamer]

DD and DW checked our 144 points left from last year and noticed we could do a 1 bedroom in BLT in March for 4 nights. In November, we added one night in CR and then a month before the trip, we added two nights in CR. Ahhh... that felt better to have 7 full nights.
I hope you enjoy my document of our third DVC(and some CR sprinkled in) BLT trip.
We had our latest flight ever and our smallest group ever. Four adults on a 6:20 pm flight out of CT.
Late night Magical Express
DW and DSIL

Me and DD

Arrival at CR

Our first night was on the 6th floor of the CR. We asked for a higher floor and they gave us an option for night 2-3 to stay on 10th floor. We accepted.
It was late when we finally got to our room and our key didn't work. Wasn't too long before our tired bodies were in the room after CM had to come up and assist. Nice digs for first night and they only got better as the trip progressed.
Some pics of inside CR, in room and out our balcony.

The room is spacious and has a pull out couch for a fifth person. It worked for the four of us.

Even with a late arrival, we were excited to get to MK for rope drop and check out new FantasyLand.
Our week started with some crazy cold weather and crazy FL news. I don't even want to watch the news when I go to FL. Can you believe the sink hole that sunk a house while a man was in his bed?
One day was a record cold and I heard the weather person say the wind chill is making the air feel like 42 degrees. Well, better than home. We put on our fleece and made our walk to MK.

We love to open the park.

Check out the new sneaks... Shnazzy!

Veterans that we are, we knew to beeline it to Belle's Enchanted Tales in new FantasyLand.

We were the second group in and good thing. The line was crazy long after we came out. (like an hour wait)

Ariel's new ride is cute and the queue was beautiful and quick.

Next, we checked out Gaston's and had a brew.
How do I measure up?

DD fell head over heals in love with Gaston as all young ladies do...

We meet the real Gaston.

The day is half over and lots of fun left. Stay tuned...

 

[disfanforlife]

Love the pics with Gaston!

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

Love the pics with Gaston!

We were lucky to see Gaston and get pictures. DD also asked him to do a video message for her friend from home. He did a great job! I really enjoy the extra's the parks add. Thanks

 

[disfanforlife]

I hope to see him in November! The only problem is my two daughters will not be with me on our next trip. They are sad.

 

[cvjw]

Following along - love a trip report full of pictures!!

 

[Disney Princess]

Looks like a great start to your first day. Can't wait to read more.

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

After our fortunate meeting with Gaston, we take advantage of a FP for Peter Pan and Mickey's Philharmagic. Wow, it's crowded now. Best strategy for parks is to get in early and do the attractions you prioritize first. I was amazed at the crowds in March. I had no idea it would be so crowded that we were caught in bottle necks twice in the middle of the day.
We make our way over to the Circus and Dumbo area with hopes of riding Dumbo. There's a 60 minute queue. Uh...I'll pass. We check out the new Big Top with shopping and sweets. DD and I try pin trading for first time and we really have fun chatting with CM's and trading. I like how the CM's have some creative ways to display their pins. In Pirates, a CM had a small treasure chest with pins inside and at the Big Top we noticed this creative display.

I always enjoy the street acts. We stop to check out the clowns goofing off.

We make our way over to Columbia Harbor House for lunch but first get stuck in a people log jam in FantasyLand. We have to bypass Small World because the line is too long. The lobster roll has overtaken my usual tuna sandwich at CHH. It's good and I feel they've actually added more lobster.
After lunch, we have to bypass Haunted Mansion due to long line. HM has traditionally been our first stop when we get in the park around Noon on our first day. It turns out we don't get in till much later in the week. We do wait in one of the longest lines at Pirates. It's the one that starts at the front of the building and wraps around many times before you actually enter. This line does go fast at least. Next, we do Tiki Room and walk right in. We get FP for Big Thunder Mountain. Between BTM and FrontierLand street we get stuck in our second bottle neck. This one is worse than the first and nobody's moving. CM's have to orchestrate the movement.
It's late afternoon and time for a drink. We head out of MK to the Poly Tamboo Lounge. It's one of our favorite spots next to the Mexican pavilion at EPCOT.
MK on our way out.

DD has a yummy raspberry pina colada.

I have a Yuengling beer. I like this beer and I don't believe we have it in CT even though it's from PA. We have a nice chat with a retired couple who moved down to FL about 13 years ago. I like to talk to people who have made the move. I often wonder if it would be a place for us in a few years.
DW has two of her favorite drinks. That's a lemon drop, twice. Wow, they are strong and we giggle a few times.

Since this is really a bonus day and we had not originally booked a dinner, the girls have a surprise for me. My first thought was O'hana since it's one of my favorites. Or, California Grill, because I often comment how I've never tried it and I'd like to try new restaurants. My third thought was maybe the Hoop De Doo Revue. They would not give in to my constant queries. We got on the Monorail and stopped off at MK. We made our way to the buses. Now, I'm confused. It's not O'hana or California Grill(which is under construction anyway, dummy me). We get on a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I think I know it now, Boma.

We haven't been to Boma in a long time and canceled one time in between. It's yummy with lots of selections with flavor. I was in the mood for ribs and this fits the bill. First plate...

Cool we were able to get in with only a couple weeks notice.

Stuffed and tired, we get on bus to MK so we can walk back to room. A very nice bonus day to start our week.
Sunday is EPCOT...lots of pics.

 

[Disney Princess]

What a great surprise! I hope you enjoyed your dinner at Boma. We've always wanted to try it, but then things get in our way. We were able to take the tour there in the afternoon when we stayed at BLT. We were able to sample a few items, and they were delicious.

I've never had a Lemon Drop. Your wife must approve if she had a second one. I'll have to check those out next time!

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

What a great surprise! I hope you enjoyed your dinner at Boma. We've always wanted to try it, but then things get in our way. We were able to take the tour there in the afternoon when we stayed at BLT. We were able to sample a few items, and they were delicious.

I've never had a Lemon Drop. Your wife must approve if she had a second one. I'll have to check those out next time!

Boma is one of my favorites. They have the best soups and salads on property. It's a good place to taste a little of everything.
DW does not drink, only on vacation. I had a sip of her drink. The lemon drop has very little lemon and a lot of booze. Two was plenty and she hardly remembers the Monorail ride.

 

[franandaj]

Glad to join in! Good times!

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

Sunday is our first EPCOT day. We're looking forward to our first ride on the refurbed Test Track. We're enjoying our MK view from the 10th floor of the Contemporary.

The room is refurbed with all new soft goods including carpeting and bed linens.

I like the view from inside the CR too. You can look down and watch the monorail go by. Through the large glass window, you can see out to Wilderness Lodge and EPCOT.

Like the weather person told us, it's unseasonable cold for FL. Here we're waiting in line to open EPCOT. Young man is wearing a blanket.

We head straight to Test Track. Funny, CM's don't queue people up after entering gate like they used to.
We get in standard queue so we can check out the new Test Track digs.

I'm really liking the "new" stuff including FantasyLand and now Test Track. I really feel a sense of "newness" even after my 15th trip. I can't figure out how much of the track was changed by the new ride. It's fun and I enjoy the design aspect.
I really like to sit in my dream car!

DD runs over to Soarin' to get us some fast passes. We make our way to The Living Seas. We finally spend some quality time at this attraction. It seems when we were in a large group, I've not been able to spend much time at the aquarium. I enjoy watching the fish and mammals. We're lucky to see divers in the tank feeding the fish.

I listen to a CM who's explaining the larger ray is a female mom and the smaller ray is her daughter. She mentioned their names but I've forgotten.
The divers carry this tube of food and the rays know to come up and feed from it right out of the divers hands.

The sea turtles have a breakfast of salad off the bottom. The tube running below is the Nemo clam ride.

I enjoyed watching the manatee's as they played and rolled in the water. They're such beautiful creatures.

We haven't seen Turtle Talk with Crush in a long time. I really enjoyed this show and Crush was funny and cute with the little kids. "Hey kids, say Dude all day and your parents will love it.", says Crush.
We ride Soarin' from the front row. Nice. Love Soarin' and it never gets old.
DSIL arrives in park and we get FP's for Test Track. It's past 11am and that means World Showcase.
Signs of the Flower and Garden Festival are all around the park. The festival officially opens on Wednesday.

I catch a cute picture of DW making her way to one of her favorite spots on Earth.

It's a chilly morning but we have nacho's and our first margarita.

Inside the Mexican pavilion, before our boat ride, we check out the tequila bar. Fran, a very nice bartender, convinces us to try a shot of tequila. He "trains" us in the art of tequila. He also explains all the different styles, tastes and smells of tequila. It was very interesting and I enjoyed his warm hospitality. Love Disney!

You know it's a busy time at Disney World when the line for the Norway boat ride is too long. We get a FP and enjoy a bakery treat. CM recommends the chocolate pretzel for DD and I have the cream puff.

We split up after Norway. DD goes for some shopping in China. An elder CM shows DD some incense for meditation. DW and DSIL go off to France and I get a beer in Germany. Very relaxing to cruise around World Showcase.
I get excited with this sign as they are getting ready for F&G Festival.

We ride Norway boat with FP and then go to Test Track and Mission Space. DSIL and I skip Mission Space. My last experience was a bit shaky. Wait for Test Track was long due to a breakdown. Seems the refurb didn't repair the constant breakdowns on Test Track.

Topiaries are up and cute.

We make our way over to Boardwalk area for our reservation to Flying Fish. I've long wanted to try this restaurant.

I've got to say that this is now one of my absolute favorites. Our server was awesome and the food to die for. We have a couple surprises too.

We joked with our server that we learned how to do shots of tequila in EPCOT. She surprised DW with another shot ... of apple juice and lime. We laugh...

I'm over my picture limit but I have to share the food pictures...continue on next post.

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

The soup, the cheese spread, the steak, the signature potato wrapped salmon and the desserts. Are you kidding me? This place was great.

My DD's free dessert for Dean's List.

The steak was fantastic and I loved the glaze. DW and I both loved the wrapped fish. DD eats vegetarian and she loved the special spread they did for her. The atmosphere is great for me too. It's a little casual and a little formal. If you like that type of restaurant, you'll love this place. The CM's were great too !!! I'll be back.

We had great aspirations to do Illuminations or Fantasmic. It's cold. My feet and legs are in pain. We take the bus to MK and walk back to BLT. As usual, I relax for about 10 minutes and I'm sound, Disney World kind of asleep.
Next, our Monday is for Animal Kingdom and some more Magic Kingdom...

 

[disney1474]

Excited to read another one of your trip reports!
We're leaving May 1st for a split stay at BLT and BCV!
This will be our first time at both resorts. BLT looks great!

 

[disfanforlife]

Flying fish looks great! I have never been there either. For the dining plan does that count as 2 meals?

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

Excited to read another one of your trip reports!
We're leaving May 1st for a split stay at BLT and BCV!
This will be our first time at both resorts. BLT looks great!

BLT is great. I like your plan to stay at BLT and BCV ! First Time !!! You are in for an incredible treat. If location is important to you, you will love both resorts. I've stayed at BC three times and YC once. I think the combination of the two is a fantastic idea. You can play at MK and the resorts around the MK with ease while staying at BLT. Then, do the same at EPCOT, Boardwalk and HS while you stay at BCV. Sprinkle in a little Animal Kingdom and it's a winner!
I think we'll always stay at BLT even if we do split.

Bonus pictures for you.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

Flying fish looks great! I have never been there either. For the dining plan does that count as 2 meals?

Yes, Flying Fish is a Signature restaurant and would cost you 2 meals. Although, I've never used the meal plan. I looked it up. We debated whether to get the Tables In Wonderland discount card this year. With the whole week and all our table restaurants, we did get the TIWL card. It's $100 for DVC members. We used it for drinks too.
Enjoy!

 

[disfanforlife]

Will probably wait for another trip to try it then. We are bringing friends with us for the first time and plan of having the dining plan.

 

[lindsayx14]

Hello!! DVC_Dreamer's daughter here.
I have some extra photos to add to my Dad's trip report from my iPhone and the Disney Photopass.

Mom & Dad before the morning show.

Mandatory Cinderella's Castle Photos!

"Isn't he dreamy?"

Waiting for Mission:SPACE, Commander and Pilot! We had our own "spacecraft", and we walked right on! Orange team all the way! Had to sit down for a bit afterwards, though.

Loved the Monster's University topiaries.

Aunt, Mom & Dad outside my new favorite restaurant!

We were the first ones at the Flying Fish for dinner, got this nice pic of Dad!

Not sure if my Dad shared this with anyone, but my least favorite resort (Disney or not) is the BWV. But, I do love the creepy chairs.

Dad posing with one of the new pillows from the CR.

Hope you don't mind me sharing, Dad! Uploading the slideshow to Youtube eventually...

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

Monday is the first day we see some warming. Animal Kingdom is on our agenda for extra magic hours and we have to be up early to check our bags(tonights our first BLT night) and catch the bus.
Here's the beautiful morning and view from our 10th floor CR/MK view room.

The building to the left is the new GF DVC. Cool, right?

The view of MK where we've watched Wishes for a couple nights.

Chef Mickey's is warming up the dish towels.

Opening the park and it's a beautiful, crisp, FL morning.

We struggle where to go first and we decide on the Safari. Again, the parks seem surprisingly crowded for this time of year. This was a good choice as the park fills up quickly and Safari is usually a long line.
I like this picture of an ostrich who was at a good distance to try my zoom.

We trek over to Everest and get on easy. I like to take shots at the top of the mountain. This one came out great even though I just stuck the camera out behind my head without looking.

From the top of the World and Everest. Typical blue sky that we experienced all week. Love it.

We rode Dinosaur with ease and getting a little hungry, we look for a pretzel. With no luck finding a pretzel, we settle for Pizzafari and a snack.
DD and I catch a CM with a cute critter in his hands.

I don't get a snack at Pizzafari and I get restless. I take a little walk on my own up to Africa. I get a yogurt parfait and enjoy a little of an African drum show till the girls call.

DD's favorit show is Lion King. She goes there alone and DW and I go over to see the Nemo puppet show. DSIL joins us. She sleeps in a bit some of the days.
After the shows, we all meet up near A Bugs Life and then split up again in three different directions. DD and DW stay in park a little longer and head to MK. I really want to walk the Asia and African treks.

I love watching the monkey's. The momma had a baby in tow but I didn't get a good shot.

I really catch some fun shots of animals and this walking tree growth, Devine.

I love animals. Isn't this little guy cute?

I really enjoy watching the gorillas. I did get to see the family and some of the bachelors.

I always like a shot of the Tree of Life.

I make my way out of the park alone and my gang is already on their way to MK. I just miss the bus and have a long wait. The long bus waits or constant stops remind me one of the reasons why I love BLT. It's so close to most of the fun.

I enjoyed my solo time taking the ferry to MK. A family with 3 older kids are excited and have not been to WDW long. I answer many of their questions. I enjoy chatting with first timers and watching they're excitement.

A closer shot of the new DVC at Grand Floridian.

Home Sweet Home from the ferry.

MK as we approach the dock.

Goal for this afternoon is to check out the Dumbo tent and ride Dumbo.

Stay tuned. I have to run out but when I post next, I finish the MK day and review our "interesting" dinner at The Wave in the Contemporary.

 

[Disney Princess]

Boma is one of my favorites. They have the best soups and salads on property. It's a good place to taste a little of everything.
DW does not drink, only on vacation. I had a sip of her drink. The lemon drop has very little lemon and a lot of booze. Two was plenty and she hardly remembers the Monorail ride.

We'll have to give Boma a try then. And your wife sounds like me. I had one Lapu Lapu and EVERYTHING was funny. I had to get straight to bed.