7 AM Extra Magic Hours? We're in!...NEW 12/27 p. 31

[wdwgirl03]

Hey Sarah! I'm subbed and in

Great first update! There's nothing that can compare to the feeling of finally landing in MCO and hopping on the ME! Where is Chic-Fil-A in MCO? I've read almost all of your TRs and heard people raving about this place for years now...I need to try it!!!

Can't wait to hear more. That picture of the WDW entrance gates just drew tears from my eyes!!

Hi Kristen! Glad you're here.

Chick-Fil-A is located in the food court in the main terminal (where they have a bunch of shops and restaurants). I am not sure what side your flights usually come in from, but looking at the map, it is closer to the east side, which is gates 60-129. I found this map on the MCO website: just scroll over Chick-Fil-A and it shows you where it is.

Orlando International Airport

Sounds like a smooth arrival day so far! Yay for getting a real Magical Express bus!!!! Aww...there is nothing better than seeing the Walt Disney World sign! Love it! You got a great picture too! I still haven't got a good picture of it. Hopefully next trip!

Can't wait for more!

I just love seeing that sign. I was surprised the picture turned out as well as it did since I was in the middle of the bus. I guess having a good zoom helps.

Just saw this pop up on the man TR page and so I clicked on it and now that I know that this is your TR of course I have to subscribe sorry i didn't see this or subscribe sooner but i'm hear and can't wait to hear about this trip

Yay, glad you're subscribed!

I'm here! I didn't even see you started this! Now gotta go read!

The DIS has been so bad at notifications

Hey Carey. Welcome!

another of your TR's! Isn't seeing that sign Disney sign for the first time the best feeling?!

I am really looking forward to your pictures of the Boardwalk! We have 5 months til we stay there and I'm counting on you to get me through

Hi Dawn.

Oooh, did you change resorts? I thought you were staying at the Contemporary.

Yay Arrival day! Glad the weather for the week looked good, I'm hoping for the same forecast in 2 weeks! I love arriving in MCO, I always want to stop and look around, but I'm in too much of a hurry to get our bags and our car and get to Disney already!

Love the pictures of the welcome sign! I can't wait to be there soon!

Hi Jen! Hopefully the weather will be nice for you-I know you've had a lot of rain on your last couple trips too. LOL, yeah, I get that-we usually don't do anything other than get our lunch before going to get the Magical Express!

I'm jealous your trip is coming up-man, I have a problem, I just got home and am already wanting to go back. I told my sister if she goes back for another DCP I am going with her.

Great so far. I agree to Walt Disney Arch NEVER gets old. I just love it.

Thanks! I love the arch too. When you see that you know you're home.

YAY for your arrival day! I can't wait to see some pics of your room at Boardwalk and the view from it!

Sadly I don't have any pictures from the room itself but I have plenty of our view!

I'm here!!! I'm so excited! Is it weird that I thought of you when I had Chick-Fil-A the other night? Hahah I seriously did. I'm sorry I'm such a creeper. (That new clown guy looks like a creeper too.) Whatever hahah, anyways, I'm excited to hear all about it!

PS. I would have been excited to see the resorts for the first time too! Can't wait to see pics of the Boardwalk!

haha, well, if you're a creeper then I am too because I think of certain DISers when I see things too.

Another update coming soon. I can't wait to share the pictures from the Boardwalk. I still can't believe I finally got to stay there!

I'm joining in! We might be staying at the Boardwalk for the first time in the fall so I'm excited to read all about it.

Welcome! That is exciting you might get to stay at the Boardwalk. It is such an amazing resort. Glad you're joining in.

I'm here.

I love the Boardwalk. Love love love. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Hi Danielle!

Really, what is there NOT to love about the Boardwalk?!

 

[dawnbu40]

Hi Dawn.

Oooh, did you change resorts? I thought you were staying at the Contemporary

We were doing a split stay between the BW and the CR. We just changed it though and we switched the GF for the CR

 

[wdwgirl03]

We were doing a split stay between the BW and the CR. We just changed it though and we switched the GF for the CR

Oh, OK. That sounds great! I would love to stay at the Grand Floridian some day (maybe when they get the DVC units done).

 

[wdwgirl03]

Saturday, April 7, 2012 cont'd (part 2)

So after making our one stop at Port Orleans, we were shortly pulling into the Boardwalk. I remember a few years ago, our Magical Express bus was picking people up on the way back to the airport and I was thinking how it must be so nice to stay there. I have always enjoyed visiting the Boardwalk and was SO excited to finally get the chance to stay there. I couldn't wait to get off the bus!

As you can see in the picture, there was another ME bus at the stop (probably picking people up) so we had to wait a few minutes for that bus to pull out. Once the bus was gone, we hopped off, thanked our driver, and went to get our Welcome packet from the front desk. Dad had done online check-in beforehand so we were able to get our stuff pretty quickly. Though even if we hadn't done the online check-in, it wouldn't have taken that long because there were maybe a couple other families at most checking in at the same time. One of the CMs welcomed us and we chatted for a few minutes. I don't exactly remember how the conversation got started but we mentioned how Emma had done the College Program in the fall and worked at Hollywood Studios, and the CM was telling us how his daughter also worked there at the American Idol Experience (jealous). He was also telling us about Toy Story Mania and how it's so popular and that we'd need to get to the park early if we wanted to ride. Being the old pros we are, obviously we knew that but it was still fun talking with him for a few minutes. Then it was time to check out our room!

Our room was on the third floor, #3029. Once we found it, the first thing we did was check out the view. So we open the curtains, slide the door open, step outside and see...

HEAVEN. That's looking toward the right and then directly across Crescent Lake was a great view of the Beach Club.

I love how there were two Friendship boats crossing paths too. Below our balcony were a couple of the Boardwalk games.

Since I can't do a panoramic picture, how about a panoramic video? Just click to play.


Don't you just wish you could transport yourself there right now? I do! Dad asked me if I was satisfied, and boy was I ever. Let me tell you, that view never got old the whole week. Amazing!

Once we were done admiring all those wonderful sights (atleast for the moment) we went back inside. I got a text from Emma so I sent her a picture of the view too to give her a little Disney fix. We also called home to say that we made it to the resort. After a brief conversation Dad wanted to go explore the resort a little bit and get our bearings. Sadly I do not have any pictures from that.

The next order of business was to get our Annual Passes! We had both ordered them at home so we just needed to turn in our vouchers. We asked if they could do it at the resort, which they couldn't. They told us we'd need to go to one of the parks. No big deal, since we had two choices right within walking distance. So off to Epcot it was! The walk over to the International Gateway was perfect-the sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. Such a great way to start the trip.

It took a while for the CM to finally get our passes-I think she said she scanned one of the vouchers and then scanned the same one again, and then she entered all of our personal information in case the APs were somehow misplaced. But, eventually we had those new APs in hand and we were eager to use them right away. Both of us had issues with the finger scanner which was annoying considering they were brand-new tickets. Luckily, we didn't really have any other problems the rest of the trip.

Part of the reason we chose to go to Epcot was because I wanted to see some of the Flower and Garden Festival displays. We were also hoping to do some of the lesser Future World attractions that don't get huge waits in the late afternoon. As we made our way toward Future World, we spotted the Disneynature sand sculpture for the new movie, Chimpanzee.

I love all the Disneynature movies and definitely hope to see this one. The little baby chimp, Oscar, is too cute.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the Flower and Garden Festival? It is just amazing how Epcot becomes a different park with all of the bright colors. One of my favorites is always the big floral arrangement around the water. And then those little floating flower beds. How do they get those in there?!

As we continued on our way, I pointed out the Butterfly garden. Even though butterflies sort of freak me out, we went inside.

In addition to lots of butterflies, there are plenty more colorful flowers.

A sign in case you want to try to identify any of the butterflies.

The only ones I can identify are monarchs.

The garden was brimming with all sorts of flowers, plants, and of course, Bambi!

Shout-out to marDgreen88 right here because she just mentioned the Bambi topiaries in her TR from December. It's funny how they can mix the same topiaries with different plants to create two completely different displays!

Even though I've been to the F&GF several times now, I can never get over how gorgeous the displays actually are. Everything is just so vibrant and cheerful.

As we were leaving, I saw a butterfly sitting on one of the flowers. There was one guy taking a picture and I thought that I would try too. Here is my lame attempt at an artistic picture. I think the blurriness is a combination of the butterfly fluttering away, and also me running away because I was afraid it would land on me.

But now it was time to do some rides. Any guesses on what our first attraction would be?

 

[Maestra99]

Beautiful pictures! The Boardwalk is so lovely, and that's one heck of a view you had!! All the photos of the F&G festival is really making me want to plan a spring trip sometime to check it out!

And for a guess for the first attraction, since you said you wanted to try some of the lesser FW attractions with little waits, I'm going to guess Living with the Land!

 

[xoktenox]

O.M.G. Heaven is an accurate description of that view...wow, you are so lucky to have been able to see that for a whole week!!

Wow, the Chimpanzee sand sculpture is crazy! I love how they do that every year for their new Disneynature film.

My guess for your first ride...this is a total guess but maybe Journey into the Imagination?

 

[MHTeacher]

Beautiful view from your room!

YAY for getting those APs. I love having those---Just knowing you have one means a trip can be around the corner at anytime!

As far as some low wait time FW attractions, I think you may be heading to Imagination/Figment! It's the first thing you're going to come to in FW coming from International Gateway!

 

[jenbear123]

I totally missed out when you started this one! I'm here now to follow along :good vibes

Fantastic view of the Boardwalk! You could've have dreamed of a better view! You got right to business once you get there, already going to Epcot! What a great way to start the trip. Beautiful pictures of the flowers. I wish our weather up here would decide what it's doing so we start seeing flowers like that. One day it's 70F the next it's 45F! So annoying. I'd like to put away my winter jacket for good!

 

[IheartDDuck]

That was definitely a great view that you guys had. The Boardwalk is just perfect for it's location. The fact that it's walking distance from Epcot is my favorite thing.

I haven't been to F&G in years. So beautiful to see the pictures.

 

[wisblue]

Just for the record, our room number was 3029.

I had asked for a room on the 3rd floor because some of us (Sarah's Mom, sister Claire, and me) stayed in a 1 bedroom suite on the third floor on a trip in January 2010, and we loved the view we had from that room. I wanted to make sure we were up high enough to have a panoramic view, so I was pleased that the Boardwalk was able to satisfy that request.

I have a picture from the 2010 trip that shows exactly where our rooms were on that trip and on this one.

This picture was taken from one of the Friendship boats on Crescent Lake. Our room on the 2010 trip was on the third floor of the strip of rooms just to the left of the part of the building with the columns (the strip of rooms in yellow directly above the blue awning). Both of those balconies were part of that suite (one off the bedroom, the other off the living room).

Our room on this trip was in the exact same location on the right side of the part of the building with the columns; our balcony was the one further to the right. I couldn't have been happier with the location and the view.

 

[Caretames1]

WOW! What a view! I see that you really do get what you pay for! I so have to walk around the Boardwalk next time we are in Disney.

I just love seeing all the colorful photos from the Flower Festival. You took wonderful pictures!

 

[Angies1274]

What a beautiful view you had!!! Love your pictures of the F&G Festival!! We're hoping to see Chimpanzee as well! We really enjoy the Disneynature films.

 

[dawnbu40]

That view ! I don't think I'd want to leave the room! I love the Flower Fest and I'm disappointed we missed it this year (1 week too early) so I'm enjoying your pics

 

[OhMari]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear all about it!




Now you've got us all curious...if you decide to do a tr, let us know! And if you don't, will you tell us what happened? Inquiring minds want to know!

Sarah's first hi-jack-"Let's just say, they didn't like the resort we stayed at "Yacht Club", nor "Storm-a-Long Bay".


Great view of Boardwalk. On Wednesday we left Epcot and Walked over to the Brewery for lunch-we had "buy one get one free". They sent us an e-mail for my dh's birthday.

Love the picture of Bambi, Thumper and Flower. They did such a good job capturing their personalities, especially "Flower", he looks so mad.

 

[Vwdiva93]

Love your pictures from Epcot! The flower and garden festival is just so stunning, I love all the bright colors. That sand sculpture is so awesome too, I can't even imagine how they begin to make something like that!
And the view from your room is just breathtaking!! I would never close the curtains with a view like that!

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh my gosh, what an amazing view! WOW. I don't think I'd ever get sick of that either!

I'm jealous of yall's APs hahaha. That sand sculpture is extremely impressive! That kind of stuff just blows my mind.

YAY, a shoutout! I love how they re-use the topiaries too! It's a lot better than just using them once and wasting all the pretty flowers and things, ya know? Your pictures are so beautiful! Ahhh the butterfly house would probably freak me the heck out though hahaha! I'm impressed that you were able to stay in so long.

 

[Nermel9]

Your view of the Boardwalk is amazing! If I didn't love the BC soooo much, I would totally switch our resort and stay there in May, but I can't drag myself away from BC!

I'm so excited for the Flower and Garden festival! Your pictures are so pretty! I'm staying far away from the butterfly house though...ugh, terrifying!

 

[archdandy]

What a great view! I also didn't know that they had such awesome things like the butterfly room at the Flower and Garden festival. I'm going to guess Spaceship: Earth as your first ride?

 

[RachelNinja]

The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS when we were there! I was so thrilled to be leaving the chilly NY weather we had been having. I liked that I could start the morning off with a light jacket. Just the perfect temperature! I was afraid it'd be hot, which would mean the Disneymoon would be unbearable. Thankfully, it was wonderful!

Where is Chik-Fil-A? Since this is our first MCO experience, it's going to be a doozy trying to navigate the place! Some chicken and waffle fries just seems like the perfect first meal! We don't have any Chik-Fil-A restaurants near us; the closest is in NJ, so we've only had it once! Haha, it'd totally be a meal we'd eat thinking about you!

Oh WOW, that view that you guys had is AMAZING!!! I could sit there all day long and just people watch (with food, of course, haha).

I know how much you love the Disneynature movies. Chimpanzee is the first one that has REALLY tugged me. I canNOT watch that trailer without getting teary-eyed! It hits me when it's like, "but now ... he's all alone" ... oh man, then they show him walking alone? AHHH, I can't! Haha, I'm so excited to see it! We were at Rafiki's Conservation Station, and I was going crazy over the Chimpanzee book, so a CM came over to talk to us. She said Jane Goodall was gonna be there that night for the big event. The CM was so excited; she said that she taught about her and she hoped to just get a glimpse of her (she was working at the event).

 

[jwwi]

Hi Sarah, looks like you are off to a good start. What a great view that you have from your BWV room.