Escape from the North - A Week at the Yacht Club - April 2015- Complete* 1/5

[ursalita]

Despite the trees...that's still a nice view!! Can't wait to hear more We are staying at the Beach Club in 5 weeks!

Oh, it was a great view. I didn't really phrase it well in my initial post but I liked having an obstructed view. I didn't mind not being able to see all of the pool and the proximity was ideal. I loved the look of the Beach Club, maybe we'll try that next time.

Yep, totally feel ya on the sunscreen fiasco. We are seasoned travelers and our last trip down south, not only did I pack the tubes in our carry-on, I actually bought them at the Airport-right before going through security. DOH!!! So a huge amount of money down the drain, when I definitely know better. Glad the rest of your start was smooth!!!

I am so happy to hear that. Not happy you lost your sunscreen but glad that even a seasoned traveler would make that mistake. Now I don't feel quite so bad. I brushed it off pretty easily because I was so excited about going to Disney.

Don't beat yourself up too much about the sunscreen thing. As far as Fails go, that's really a small one!

As for me, I kinda like Southwest and their casual laid back attitude. Maybe it is sarcasm, but I'm a sarcastic person myself, and like birds of a feather...

I love your room at the Yacht Club! That looks so comfy!

That's really great that you were so close to the quiet pool, even if you couldn't see the action from your room!

Thanks, Billie. I don't feel too bad about it. It stunk to lose it but easy enough to get another (overpriced) bottle when we got here.

I don't know what it is about Southwest. I don't mind the the sarcasm, their pre-flight spiel is really funny. It's afterwards they don't really seem friendly.s I get this sense that they are barely tolerating the passengers if that makes sense. It just makes me uncomfortable. But as I said I don't fly very often and I'm probably overly sensitive and uncomfortable with the process in general.

The room was so great! The boys still talk about it. Just this morning as we were walking to school Sammy told me that he wished we could live in our room at the YC with all our stuff.

I didn't mind the trees in the way. I didn't really need to see EVERYTHING at the pool if you get my meaning.

 

[ursalita]

Excited to read your TR! I love re- living everyone else's vacations with them almost as much as I love taking my own!
Your room at YC looks very nice!
Can't wait to hear more

Hi Kelly! Thanks. I'm the same way, love reading the TRs and living vicariously through them. The room was so great.

I am in......

So happy to have you along.

I am on board..And a fellow Rhode Islander

Another Rhode Islander! Thanks for stopping by.

That's so sweet of you to ask about my mom! She is doing great! She doesn't have to wear the "boot" or any braces and is down to PT once or twice a week. She is slowly building her walking stamina so she will be ready for our trip in October!
Love reading along about your awesome vaca! Have a great weekend- I hope we get some nice weather here

I'm glad to hear she's doing better and you've been planning another trip. October is such a great time of year to go. I heard we're supposed to get some nice weather finally. I was freezing walking the kids to school this morning.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm not nearly a frequent flyer so I made the mistake of packing the sunscreen (2 large tubes and 2 aerosol cans) in the carry-on. I didn't realize it was considered a liquid so it was confiscated by TSA right then and there. $30 bucks worth of sunscreen gone.

Ouch. I hate when that happens. At least it's something they sell at Disney (even if they overcharge)

The plane was full but we were able to find seats together at the back of the plane since I'd gotten us a pretty good boarding position.

I'm glad you got a good boarding position ... that's why I refuse to fly Southwest, I hate not having an assigned seat.

I'd put the Magic Bands in the carry on but I didn't want to stop to pull them out so I handed the CM the Magical Express booklet. She responded, "Look at this relic!" Apparently they've stopped sending out the booklets so she was surprised to see it.

Really? I'm pretty sure I saw someone use one in February. Weird ...
The last few trips we've used the MagicBands, but brought the booklet just in case.

Great picture!

I liked that we were close to the pool but the view was obstructed by the trees.

I love the room pictures! And the view looks nice ... you can see a bit of the pool but not too much.

What did we do first? Stay tuned...

I can't wait to read all about it!

 

[ashw100]

Ah, how did I miss that you started this? Sounds like a smooth travel day which is all you can hope for. I have to agree with the Southwest sassy flight attendants, I had one last month that took it too far and was rude. That's interesting about the ME because we got a booklet only a few weeks ago so they must still be sending them out . Yay, that you room request but sorry about the view . Can't wait to read more.

 

[ursalita]

Day 1
Travel Day/Epcot Part 2

I forgot to mention in my last post how the Magic Bands worked. When we got to the room we each tried our MBs a few times but they didn't work. Just as I was about to take the long walk back to the lobby Jamie's band opened the door. I don't know if they hadn't activated right away or we were doing it wrong but once they opened the door we didn't have any trouble with the bands the rest of the trip. They worked perfect for Fast Passes, paying for items or meals, and using Memory Maker.

I had made a couple of FPs for the afternoon at Epcot but the boys wanted to go in the pool. I couldn't blame them after the winter we had so that's what we did. We changed into our suits and headed down to Stormalong Bay! At the entrance they scan your Magic Band to verify that you are staying at the hotel and give you an orange wrist band for the water slide.

The pool is awesome! We checked out the sandy area and then headed over to the lazy river. They have single and double tubes but they were all being used. At some point we were lucky enough to get one from somebody who was leaving. The water is really deep - about 6 feet - in areas of the lazy river so it's good to have the float. There wasn't much of a current so you really have to kick to keep moving. So not all that lazy after all.

There was a volleyball net and the lifeguards were leading some activities but we didn't participate. To get to the water slide you have to exit and walk across the path that leads to Epcot and the Boardwalk which I guess is why you need the wristband. Neither of the boys wanted to try it but they did the smaller slides.

We were yelled at by the lifeguards on several occasions. I shouldn't say "yelled" because they were really nice about it but I still felt like a kid who got in trouble at school or something. They have a lot of rules. Some we broke off the top of my head: carried drink into pool, entered where we were supposed to exit, went down the slide the wrong way, etc. It was funny. It was pretty hot so Jamie and I split a margarita from Hurricane Hanna's. The bartender was kind enough to give us two cups.

I didn't bring my camera but I took some pictures of the pool later on before dinner and again on our way back from Epcot.







After a couple hours we headed back to the room to change and get ready for dinner. We had some time to spare so we headed down to the gift shop. I noticed that a couple of CMs had pins so I pointed it out to them. They decided they wanted to trade so Jamie went back up to the room to get their pins. In the meantime they each picked out an Oswald pin to buy and Sammy got a plastic pirate sword. I don't know where their pins are right now but I grabbed some pics off the internet:




They were both really nervous about trading at first but they warmed up quickly. All the CMs were so friendly and patient with them. The lanyards I brought had little zippered pouches so they kept their pins in the pouches to avoid losing them which worked out really well. But it took some extra time for them to sort through and pick out the ones they wanted to trade.



And some more trading at Beach Club Marketplace:



Then it was time to head over to Beaches and Cream for our dinner reservation. We checked in a few minutes early so they gave us a buzzer. We grabbed a spot to sit and I snapped the photos of the pool that I posted. Aidan spotted a Hidden Mickey. He was great at spotting Mickeys. I'm not even sure if it was deliberate but there was a splotch of white paint in the shape of Mickey. It's in the center of the photo about 1/3 of the way up:



Dinner was great. If you want to know more about the meal and see some pics they are over at my dining report. The No Way Jose was the best part of it. We absolutely destroyed it and nearly fought over every bite. Sammy looks like he wants to dive in here:



Next we were headed to Epcot and Illuminations...
​

 

[ursalita]

Ah, how did I miss that you started this? Sounds like a smooth travel day which is all you can hope for. I have to agree with the Southwest sassy flight attendants, I had one last month that took it too far and was rude. That's interesting about the ME because we got a booklet only a few weeks ago so they must still be sending them out . Yay, that you room request but sorry about the view . Can't wait to read more.

Hi Ashley! I have your report up in a tab on my browser so I can catch up. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who finds them rude. I was afraid I was being overly sensitive or something. Maybe most people use the MBs so that's why she remarked about it. Weird. Oh, I really liked the view. I realize that I phrased my comments wrong. I liked the proximity to the pool and not being able to fully see it.

Ouch. I hate when that happens. At least it's something they sell at Disney (even if they overcharge)

I'm glad you got a good boarding position ... that's why I refuse to fly Southwest, I hate not having an assigned seat.

Really? I'm pretty sure I saw someone use one in February. Weird ...
The last few trips we've used the MagicBands, but brought the booklet just in case.

Great picture!

I love the room pictures! And the view looks nice ... you can see a bit of the pool but not too much.

I can't wait to read all about it!

I guess that's what happens when you rarely fly.

Seating worked out ok, it could have been way worse. I hate the idea of being separated from my kids on a plane. It happened to a guy who boarded right behind us. His two kids were sat next to me and the guy was behind us. I think he was angry that I didn't switch seats with him but I wanted to be able to see my boys.

Maybe most people just use the bands now. I actually didn't think I'd need it on the way back and it cause a bit of a problem. More about that later in the report.

Thanks, we really lucked out being the last ones on the bus.

Those were my exact thoughts about the view. I didn't really articulate that well but I very much liked the view.

 

[cstorm65]

I just found your report and subscribed. What a great and relaxing start. Can't wait to read about your dinner and IllumiNations!

 

[KathyM2]

Sounds like such a relaxing afternoon at the pool! So funny about all the rules! I'd be breaking them too lol! Wow, the airlines really scam you into paying for every little thing. Our Canadian airlines just started charging for luggage and it's outrageous...but we still get assigned seats at least...Funny story though if I may digress...on our last flight with the kids, we couldn't get seats together with our DS who is 12...when we got on the plane someone offered to trade and DH and I were all "no that's ok" lol. He tends to behave and be really polite to strangers...and we all had a great flight lol

 

[Sailormoon2]

Pool before Parks???!!!! LOL! I don't know if I could commit to that...but it would probably DH's ideal. Pool shots look lovely!!! You are getting me sooo excited for August!!! Heading over to check out your dinning report asap!

 

[irene_dsc]

Following along! I'm not sure how I missed your PTR - I ended up reading the whole thing. Yay for more Pokemon fans! (My dd is a big Pokemon fan).

 

[kastoney]

Yacht club looks great. And that "pool," my daughter would be in absolute heaven.

You rebel you in the lazy river. Drink (check), enter the wrong way (check), having to kick and not be lazy (check). And the sunscreen to boot. Someone is living on the wild side this trip ; )

How much fun for the boys to start pin trading. Looks like the CM really helped them get into it

 

[TheMaxRebo]

bummer about the sunscreen. I was at an airport recently (Columbus, OH I think) where they had this stand that you could mail things back to yourself rather than just having to throw things out. I am sure it was kind of expensive so perhaps not worth it for sunscreen, but thought it was a good idea for expensive things or things with sentimental value

glad the flight went pretty well and score with those front row seats on the ME! Great picture - dead bug and all

Glad your request was granted with the room!

the pool area does look awesome and is a big reason I want to stay at Yacht/Beach Club some day

Yeah, that lazy river doesn't sound so lazy. Your trip is off to a great start!

 

[ursalita]

Day 1
Travel Day/Epcot Part 3

We left the restaurant and walked over to Epcot for our Illuminations FP. It was a beautiful evening and I took some pictures of the beach area and the Boardwalk across the lake:



They were setting up for a private event on the beach. They had torches along the water and tables set up on the beach.



I love Aidan's face in this photo. He looks so happy! You can see the sword Sam purchased at the gift shop.



I liked this photo because you can see the boats going both directions across the lake.

We entered Epcot through the International Gateway and got our first family photo of the trip:



I'm not sure how I feel about Memory Maker. I purchased it before the price went up so I paid $149. I tried to get as many photo opportunities as possible. Some of the photographers were better than others but I look at most of the photos and think I could have done better with my camera and I'm not even that good with it. In most situations where I was taking pics with my camera along with the PP photographer I prefer my photos. But the fact that I can be in the picture is priceless and most of the photos are really very good. I'm glad I got it for this trip but I'm not sure if I will purchase it again.

After we got our pictures taken we asked a CM where the Illuminations FP viewing area was. We walked along past the UK and Canada before we found it. There was a pretty long line that we waited in for a few minutes before they started letting everyone in. As we were walking towards the FP area we passed many spots that seemed to offer a good view of the show. I remember thinking it was weird that we had to wait in line for a spot when there were first row spots available elsewhere.

We were eventually let in and we were early enough to get a spot in front right along the rope. I think the draw of this FP is the fact that the ground slopes upwards so if you arrive later and get a seat at the back you will still have a good view. I was happy with our spots but since I'd never seen the show I'm not sure how much better the view was from anywhere else along WS. The FP worked out since we didn't do anything else at Epcot that day but if we had a full day planned I might have skipped it.

I didn't have the foresight to bring glow sticks so the boys wanted some toys that lit up. It was their money so Jamie brought them over to the cart and Sammy picked out a sword (of course) and Aidan chose a spinning thing.

We waited about a half an hour for the show to start. The boys were tired so they sprawled on the ground and played with their new toys while we waited for the show.



Some pictures that came out alright:









I couldn't believe how much heat was coming off that fire in the beginning. It felt like my face was melting. I enjoyed the show and was glad we saw it but it's probably my least favorite behind Wishes and Fantasmic!

I've reached my picture limit so I'll post some photos I took on the way back to the hotel and a summary of day one in the next post.

Onward...​

 

[KathyM2]

That seems like a perfect first day to me...some relaxing and a show at Epcot!! I haven't seen that show in years....we never seem to be able to make it to the night shows....I appreciate your review of the FP though because I always wonder about that. Also, same for the memory maker...it does seem like a lot of money....but it is good that you are IN some of the pics...because I have that problem too...although if you have time/nerve to ask people to take your picture you can still get them...although they may not be as good...it's a tough call.

 

[ursalita]

Day 1
Travel Day/Epcot Part 4

After the show we followed the crowd out of Epcot. I took pictures of some of the topiaries we passed by. Over the week I tried to get shots of all of them, I'm not sure how I did. I'll have to find a list somewhere and compare them.







I also got a photo of the globe in the empty lobby of the Yacht Club:



We got back to the room and went to bed early because it was going to be an early morning at Animal Kingdom.

I thought it would be interesting (for me which means you guys have to suffer through it ) to compare what my plans were for each day and what we actually did. Here is the itinerary I wrote up for day 1 in my PTR a few days before we left:

Tuesday, April 21 - Epcot

We are scheduled to arrive at MCO at 12:20. I'm guessing we'll get to YC around 2 or later. There's a decent chance that the room will be ready but we'll have suits in our carry-on for the pool anyway. We have fast passes for Spaceship Earth at 3:40 and the Seas at 4:40 which we may or may not use. I think this afternoon will go one of two ways: the boys will see the pool and we won't be able to drag them away or they will be lured to Epcot to spend their gift cards in the Japanese store. I'm fine either way. At 6:40 we have an ADR for Beaches & Cream where we will split a No Way Jose. Lastly we have a FP for Illuminations to close out the day.

The flight was a little early so we rolled into YC around 1:30 and our room was ready. I kinda knew the boys would want the pool so I wasn't too disappointed to not head right to the park. I didn't try too hard to get them to go to Epcot, sometimes I have to pick my battles. We got the sundae and closed out the day with Illuminations. We were pretty close to what I'd planned for the day.

Animal Kingdom is next...
​

 

[KathyM2]

So your plans went....pretty much as planned I love those topiaries at Epcot!! Wish I had a chance to see them!

 

[ursalita]

I just found your report and subscribed. What a great and relaxing start. Can't wait to read about your dinner and IllumiNations!

I'm glad we took it easy that afternoon because it got a lot busier as the week went on!

Sounds like such a relaxing afternoon at the pool! So funny about all the rules! I'd be breaking them too lol! Wow, the airlines really scam you into paying for every little thing. Our Canadian airlines just started charging for luggage and it's outrageous...but we still get assigned seats at least...Funny story though if I may digress...on our last flight with the kids, we couldn't get seats together with our DS who is 12...when we got on the plane someone offered to trade and DH and I were all "no that's ok" lol. He tends to behave and be really polite to strangers...and we all had a great flight lol

It was a really nice start to our vacation. The CMs were all so nice about it but it seemed like every time we turned around we were breaking another rule.

Southwest charges 12.50 each way to be among the first to board. Or you can check in up to 24 hours before the flight to get in the next group. It worked out for us but next time I might just pay the extra $$ to not have to worry. At least the airline doesn't charge for luggage so that's a positive. If my kids were older I might be ok with not sitting with them but I know they'd be nervous if they couldn't see us.

Pool before Parks???!!!! LOL! I don't know if I could commit to that...but it would probably DH's ideal. Pool shots look lovely!!! You are getting me sooo excited for August!!! Heading over to check out your dinning report asap!

It didn't bother me too much because I knew we'd have 2 more days at Epcot. If the trip was shorter I would not have spent the afternoon at the pool. Stormalong Bay is like a water park in itself.

Following along! I'm not sure how I missed your PTR - I ended up reading the whole thing. Yay for more Pokemon fans! (My dd is a big Pokemon fan).

Yeah, the boys love Pokemon. The Japanese store in Epcot has a lot of Pokemon merch.

 

[ursalita]

Yacht club looks great. And that "pool," my daughter would be in absolute heaven.

You rebel you in the lazy river. Drink (check), enter the wrong way (check), having to kick and not be lazy (check). And the sunscreen to boot. Someone is living on the wild side this trip ; )

How much fun for the boys to start pin trading. Looks like the CM really helped them get into it

The pool is like it's own water park. Yeah, I'm a rebel all right.

The boys loved trading and the CMs were so nice about it. It really helped them start conversations with people. I think it brought Aidan out of his shell a little. I've noticed he's striking up conversations a little easier now.

bummer about the sunscreen. I was at an airport recently (Columbus, OH I think) where they had this stand that you could mail things back to yourself rather than just having to throw things out. I am sure it was kind of expensive so perhaps not worth it for sunscreen, but thought it was a good idea for expensive things or things with sentimental value

glad the flight went pretty well and score with those front row seats on the ME! Great picture - dead bug and all

Glad your request was granted with the room!

the pool area does look awesome and is a big reason I want to stay at Yacht/Beach Club some day

Yeah, that lazy river doesn't sound so lazy. Your trip is off to a great start!

That's nice that they will do that for you. They offered to have someone escort me out to see if I could have it put in my checked bag but it seemed like more trouble than it was worth. They wouldn't even let me touch it. I love the picture. The bug could be a bird if you didn't know. We got a great room and the pool was amazing. I wish we'd gotten to spend some more time there.

That seems like a perfect first day to me...some relaxing and a show at Epcot!! I haven't seen that show in years....we never seem to be able to make it to the night shows....I appreciate your review of the FP though because I always wonder about that. Also, same for the memory maker...it does seem like a lot of money....but it is good that you are IN some of the pics...because I have that problem too...although if you have time/nerve to ask people to take your picture you can still get them...although they may not be as good...it's a tough call.

It was a perfect day. It's good to see it if you can but I'd see Wishes or Fantasmic! first if you had to choose. I think the PP photographers will take your picture with your camera if you ask.

So your plans went....pretty much as planned I love those topiaries at Epcot!! Wish I had a chance to see them!

Yup. I don't know how we did the rest of the trip, we'll have to see.

 

[pkondz]

When we got to the room we each tried our MBs a few times but they didn't work.

Frustrating, especially when you think you're going to have to make the trek back to the front desk.
But how happy were you when they all started working???

I don't know if they hadn't activated right away or we were doing it wrong but once they opened the door we didn't have any trouble with the bands the rest of the trip.

That's good.
I haven't read a TR yet with someone having problems with their Magic Bands.
I know a lot of people were complaining when they first rolled out, but maybe they've got the kinks ironed out of them now.

I had made a couple of FPs for the afternoon at Epcot but the boys wanted to go in the pool. I couldn't blame them after the winter we had so that's what we did.

After seeing nothing but snow, melted water would be irresistible.

At the entrance they scan your Magic Band to verify that you are staying at the hotel and give you an orange wrist band for the water slide.

I wonder what they do if you have guests?

There wasn't much of a current so you really have to kick to keep moving. So not all that lazy after all.

Strenuous river.

We were yelled at by the lifeguards on several occasions.

Oh. So you're that kind of guest, hunh?

went down the slide the wrong way

That one always gets me.
I get "no standing"... but no going down head first or backwards... a little over zealous in the safety department don't you think?

They were both really nervous about trading at first but they warmed up quickly.

Good for them! Did they warm up enough that they'd ask on their own?

I really like that shot!

Then it was time to head over to Beaches and Cream for our dinner reservation.

Colour me jealous!
Probably #1 on my Disney bucket list.

I'm not even sure if it was deliberate but there was a splotch of white paint in the shape of Mickey.

Sure looks authentic... but it's in such an odd spot.
I'm thinking it's a lucky accident?

The No Way Jose was the best part of it. We absolutely destroyed it and nearly fought over every bite.

Good for you guys! I so want one...

Sammy looks like he wants to dive in here:

We left the restaurant and walked over to Epcot for our Illuminations FP.

I love that. Just "walked over". No busses, no boats, no monorail.

It was a beautiful evening and I took some pictures of the beach area and the Boardwalk across the lake:

Beautiful.

I love Aidan's face in this photo. He looks so happy!

Disney will do that, won't it?

You can see the sword Sam purchased at the gift shop.

How many times did he "stab" you with it while calling you a scurvy dog?

I liked this photo because you can see the boats going both directions across the lake.

Good shot!

our first family photo of the trip:

Hey! It's you guys!

I'm not sure how I feel about Memory Maker. I purchased it before the price went up so I paid $149. I tried to get as many photo opportunities as possible. Some of the photographers were better than others but I look at most of the photos and think I could have done better with my camera and I'm not even that good with it.

I knew going in that I'd only want a very few PP shots. So I just bought them a la carte later.
Saved about $100 that way.

But the fact that I can be in the picture is priceless

And that's the draw, right?
But you can ask them to take your photo with your own camera too, ya know.
That's what I did with my Tink visit.
And mine were just as good or better (taken by a nice CM) than the PP ones I saw.

After we got our pictures taken we asked a CM where the Illuminations FP viewing area was.

Where is it? Is it on that island between UK and France?

I think the draw of this FP is the fact that the ground slopes upwards so if you arrive later and get a seat at the back you will still have a good view.

What got me here was the word "seat". Were there seats?
Or do you mean places to sit on the ground?

I didn't have the foresight to bring glow sticks so the boys wanted some toys that lit up. It was their money so Jamie brought them over to the card and Sammy picked out a sword (of course) and Aidan chose a spinning thing.

"They spent over $330, but they were happy."

I couldn't believe how much heat was coming off that fire in the beginning.

Nice when it's cold out though.
Well, maybe not if it's face-meltingly hot.

Over the week I tried to get shots of all of them, I'm not sure how I did.

I don't know if you got 'em all, but what you got is pretty good.

I also got a photo of the globe in the empty lobby of the Yacht Club:

That sucker's huge!
I'm not sure if I've seen that before.

I thought it would be interesting (for me which means you guys have to suffer through it )

We were pretty close to what I'd planned for the day.

I'd say you were remarkably close! Almost eerily so.
Are you a fortune teller?

Wait... Shouldn't you be winning my contest?
Or are you being generous and letting someone else win?


Scary boo.


Thanks for the update(s)!

 

[irene_dsc]

Yeah, the boys love Pokemon. The Japanese store in Epcot has a lot of Pokemon merch.

Yes. Yes it does.