A 2 Week Grand Villa Extravaganza! 2.5 Years Late... FINAL DAY!!
- Thread starter Duffy Lover
- Start date
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Perhaps it was the pool. I seem to recall it was the adults who were cranky and tired. I think poor Brie was not sleeping well on the pullout bed in the living room. It was still a great day, full of good food, fun family time and fun!
Coming along for the ride!I found your TR this weekend and just finished reading all the installments. Love all the pics!!
Welcome! I'm glad you like the pictures - some are better than others, but they all tell a good tale. I see you're from Colorado, too... I've been enjoying our sunny weather lately, how about you? We could use some more snow though.
Pirate Granny
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2007
Next time she should go sleep in Drea's room...and she slept with me a couple of nights when papa was golfing early the next morning....we love our Brie...she will get the couch this May at WLV...better than the little pulllout bed, and it is a free vacation after all for her
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Day 9: Sunday June 8 Resort: OKW Park: TL
Sigh. This next day is what vacations are made of. We had a full day planned at Typhoon Lagoon. We didnt rise super early, and enjoyed a leisurely pancake breakfast courtesy of Papa. For some reason, Papa was delayed leaving the villa, and he was on a different bus than us. Sadly, he forgot what waterpark we were heading to and ended up on a bus to Blizzard Beach. Oops. Besides that, the morning was idyllic and the weather was once again spectacular, with very little humidity.
This day was eagerly awaited by the adults as my Mom splurged and opted to reserve a cabana. The rental included the cabana with 6 chairs (some reclining), a locker, our own Butler to run and get us food and beverages, refillable mugs for all in the party, and a cooler stocked full of water. We paid a per person fee for the four extra people (the cabanas are typically reserved for 6 people) and requested a specific area and a specific cabana:
On the map, to the right of the wave pool there is a peninsula with a B on it. There are other Bs around it (these indicate the cabanas for rent), but the one that we wanted was the one on the peninsula. Luckily our request was granted! While we waited to check in, Caz noticed Lilo hanging out by herself. The kids and Caz enjoyed meeting her while the rest of us browsed the shop:
How adorable, right? We were escorted to our Cabana and we took in the sights:
I for one enjoyed this sight:
As soon as we were situated, we headed out to the Crushin Gusher water coasters. Emes growth spurt enabled her to ride (although they checked her and gave her a wristband), and Buszia and Brie took turns with the littles as they enjoyed the pool near the coasters. Talk about fun. We got a ton of PP pics, too!
What fun! Those coasters made the park, as to be honest, the other slide rides did not compare to the fun of the Blizzard Beach rides. Since it was the first modern day water park at WDW, Im sure they learned a lot and adjusted as they built BB. Either way, it was great!
We headed back to the cabana and enjoyed the sounds and sights of the beach. It was so lush and tropical, and I loved, loved, loved the music. Classic 60s beach tunes - including one of Buszias favorites (and mine to be honest) New Yorks a Lonely Town by the Trade Winds. I can close my eyes and be transported to that day just by thinking about that song.
The whole family decided to float along the lazy river, with the group splitting off eventually. Eme stayed with Caz and I and floated some more:
And the littles headed to the kiddy area with my Mom, where they caught the attention of a wonderful PP photographer:
The kids enjoyed the area immensely. Im not sure where Josh, Drea and Papa went, but I think Brie was laying out in the sun at the Cabana. We played around for a while here and there, and then a group of us went on the family ride and it was one of the longest waits of the entire trip. We waited for over 45 minutes for a much weaker family ride than our beloved Teamboat Springs. Oh well I'm out of image allotments, so I'll finish in the next post.
Sigh. This next day is what vacations are made of. We had a full day planned at Typhoon Lagoon. We didnt rise super early, and enjoyed a leisurely pancake breakfast courtesy of Papa. For some reason, Papa was delayed leaving the villa, and he was on a different bus than us. Sadly, he forgot what waterpark we were heading to and ended up on a bus to Blizzard Beach. Oops. Besides that, the morning was idyllic and the weather was once again spectacular, with very little humidity.
This day was eagerly awaited by the adults as my Mom splurged and opted to reserve a cabana. The rental included the cabana with 6 chairs (some reclining), a locker, our own Butler to run and get us food and beverages, refillable mugs for all in the party, and a cooler stocked full of water. We paid a per person fee for the four extra people (the cabanas are typically reserved for 6 people) and requested a specific area and a specific cabana:
On the map, to the right of the wave pool there is a peninsula with a B on it. There are other Bs around it (these indicate the cabanas for rent), but the one that we wanted was the one on the peninsula. Luckily our request was granted! While we waited to check in, Caz noticed Lilo hanging out by herself. The kids and Caz enjoyed meeting her while the rest of us browsed the shop:
How adorable, right? We were escorted to our Cabana and we took in the sights:
I for one enjoyed this sight:
As soon as we were situated, we headed out to the Crushin Gusher water coasters. Emes growth spurt enabled her to ride (although they checked her and gave her a wristband), and Buszia and Brie took turns with the littles as they enjoyed the pool near the coasters. Talk about fun. We got a ton of PP pics, too!
What fun! Those coasters made the park, as to be honest, the other slide rides did not compare to the fun of the Blizzard Beach rides. Since it was the first modern day water park at WDW, Im sure they learned a lot and adjusted as they built BB. Either way, it was great!
We headed back to the cabana and enjoyed the sounds and sights of the beach. It was so lush and tropical, and I loved, loved, loved the music. Classic 60s beach tunes - including one of Buszias favorites (and mine to be honest) New Yorks a Lonely Town by the Trade Winds. I can close my eyes and be transported to that day just by thinking about that song.
The whole family decided to float along the lazy river, with the group splitting off eventually. Eme stayed with Caz and I and floated some more:
And the littles headed to the kiddy area with my Mom, where they caught the attention of a wonderful PP photographer:
The kids enjoyed the area immensely. Im not sure where Josh, Drea and Papa went, but I think Brie was laying out in the sun at the Cabana. We played around for a while here and there, and then a group of us went on the family ride and it was one of the longest waits of the entire trip. We waited for over 45 minutes for a much weaker family ride than our beloved Teamboat Springs. Oh well I'm out of image allotments, so I'll finish in the next post.
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Day 9: Sunday June 8 Resort: OKW Park: TL
Hi all, I'm back to wrap up day 9.... It was just before noon at this point so we all met back up at the cabana and ordered lunch. Just a tip - expect to wait about an hour for any food orders . Granted we had 10 lunches, but plan ahead. In the end, Papa never received his lunch. He survived and was able to munch on the kids leftovers. Still. We tried to tip the CMs who staffed the cabanas, but apparently it wasnt allowed. For the price we paid to be honest that seems fair. After lunch we spent time lounging while the kids played the sand:
It was still gorgeous, but there were some clouds rolling in. We all took turns hanging at the cabana and playing with the kids in the wave pool. I love the loud whooshing sound the wave machine makes as it prepares to launch the big wave. The crowd always responded with screams of delight (and apprehension). Caz would toss Eme into the air as the wave passed, and she would be launched almost 50 feet away from Caz, even as he rode the wave too. The big kids are really strong swimmers, but please heed the many signs around the wave pool telling you to be cautious. This wave is not to be trifled with, and you can get scraped by the pool. The littles liked the wave, but at a much further position, and for the most part Clara and Ryan stuck to the sand at the cabana.
Later that afternoon, Caz, Josh, Eme, Papa and I tried out the shark snorkeling tank. It was amazing. Caz says it was by far the most immersive, unique and unexpected experience hes ever had at WDW. Eme and Josh enjoyed it, but the snorkeling (it was their first time) was a little off putting. Eme, Caz and I went for another tour. I loved it too. Ill be sad if the rumors are true and it will be closed in the near future.
The clouds thickened, and eventually a thunderstorm rolled in. It had been quite a few days since we last had a true rain storm and for that we were grateful. I didnt mind. It was about 4:30 pm and Papa and Brie left about 40 minutes before the rest of us as they needed to get dinner started. We showered the kids (OMG. Clara had an insane amount of sand, not on her, but, well ) It was crowded at the bus stop and we squeezed on the first bus that arrived shortly after we queued up. It turns out Papa and Brie were on that same bus- they were waiting that whole time!
We got home and had a nice lasagna dinner and enjoyed relaxing as a family as it poured buckets of rain outside:
After dinner, my sisters, my mom and I geared up in the Maleficent shirts my mom got us to go and watch the movie at the DTD AMC:
I loved that experience, and we all had a dessert and a drink (some of the coffee variety, and some of the alcoholic vien). It was a fun movie and a great way to end the night. Thanks to Caz and Papa who put the darling babies to bed - which is never tricky after a day spent at a water park! I hope you enjoyed our day at Typhoon Lagoon. Caz still talks about how it was the best day of the trip and exactly what a vacation should be.
See you real soon!
Hi all, I'm back to wrap up day 9.... It was just before noon at this point so we all met back up at the cabana and ordered lunch. Just a tip - expect to wait about an hour for any food orders . Granted we had 10 lunches, but plan ahead. In the end, Papa never received his lunch. He survived and was able to munch on the kids leftovers. Still. We tried to tip the CMs who staffed the cabanas, but apparently it wasnt allowed. For the price we paid to be honest that seems fair. After lunch we spent time lounging while the kids played the sand:
It was still gorgeous, but there were some clouds rolling in. We all took turns hanging at the cabana and playing with the kids in the wave pool. I love the loud whooshing sound the wave machine makes as it prepares to launch the big wave. The crowd always responded with screams of delight (and apprehension). Caz would toss Eme into the air as the wave passed, and she would be launched almost 50 feet away from Caz, even as he rode the wave too. The big kids are really strong swimmers, but please heed the many signs around the wave pool telling you to be cautious. This wave is not to be trifled with, and you can get scraped by the pool. The littles liked the wave, but at a much further position, and for the most part Clara and Ryan stuck to the sand at the cabana.
Later that afternoon, Caz, Josh, Eme, Papa and I tried out the shark snorkeling tank. It was amazing. Caz says it was by far the most immersive, unique and unexpected experience hes ever had at WDW. Eme and Josh enjoyed it, but the snorkeling (it was their first time) was a little off putting. Eme, Caz and I went for another tour. I loved it too. Ill be sad if the rumors are true and it will be closed in the near future.
The clouds thickened, and eventually a thunderstorm rolled in. It had been quite a few days since we last had a true rain storm and for that we were grateful. I didnt mind. It was about 4:30 pm and Papa and Brie left about 40 minutes before the rest of us as they needed to get dinner started. We showered the kids (OMG. Clara had an insane amount of sand, not on her, but, well ) It was crowded at the bus stop and we squeezed on the first bus that arrived shortly after we queued up. It turns out Papa and Brie were on that same bus- they were waiting that whole time!
We got home and had a nice lasagna dinner and enjoyed relaxing as a family as it poured buckets of rain outside:
After dinner, my sisters, my mom and I geared up in the Maleficent shirts my mom got us to go and watch the movie at the DTD AMC:
I loved that experience, and we all had a dessert and a drink (some of the coffee variety, and some of the alcoholic vien). It was a fun movie and a great way to end the night. Thanks to Caz and Papa who put the darling babies to bed - which is never tricky after a day spent at a water park! I hope you enjoyed our day at Typhoon Lagoon. Caz still talks about how it was the best day of the trip and exactly what a vacation should be.
See you real soon!
Pirate Granny
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2007
What a great day, and the cabana was well worth it!
Mrs Doubtfire
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2006
The cabanas look really nice, for some reason I thought they were canvas 
It really seems like you are having a great vacation with all your family. Sadly my mum and dad and even my sister won't take the 9 hour flight and we would love to share the joy of WDW
It really seems like you are having a great vacation with all your family. Sadly my mum and dad and even my sister won't take the 9 hour flight and we would love to share the joy of WDW
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Next time she should go sleep in Drea's room...and she slept with me a couple of nights when papa was golfing early the next morning....we love our Brie...she will get the couch this May at WLV...better than the little pulllout bed, and it is a free vacation after all for her
Too true, too true... I do feel bad that just because she doesn't have kids she gets stuck sleeping in the living room....
Yes, I love all the sun in Colorado! I've lived here many years now, but am originally from the Chicago area and just love the weather here. I agree we could use more snow!
Just a bit of a change from Chicago, I bet!
I can't believe we still haven't gotten any snow. Apparently this January will go down in history as the least snowy-est EVER! At least here in my corner of Colorado...What a great day, and the cabana was well worth it!
So, so, so worth it!! Best. Day. Ever!
The cabanas look really nice, for some reason I thought they were canvas
Nope, not canvas. Maybe the ones at Blizzard Beach are canvas? It was such a great day and well worth the money...
It really seems like you are having a great vacation with all your family. Sadly my mum and dad and even my sister won't take the 9 hour flight and we would love to share the joy of WDW
I'm so sorry your family won't fly that far away! That is a HUGE bummer. There is nothing better than enjoying family time at WDW...
It's almost Friday, folks! Eme turns eight this weekend. Where does the time go?!? Good thing she's got her 8th trip planned for this May/June. I've had a lot of fun helping her, my nephew and Mom plan that trip... I honestly don't think I'll have time to post an update, but you never know...
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Thanks! I'm so glad they haven't cut the PP photographers completely from less profitable areas like the waterparks. I shouldn't be as busy this weekend so I'm hoping to get some updates done. And with this new layout it *might
That's a great compliment about my scrapbook pages, considering your talents! I am pretty pleased about my scrapbook pages turned out...
And now, the moment of truth. I am going to try to see how this new picture uploading works, with a wintery picture of my girls....
Wow. I’m kind of blown away by this new layout…. This is going to make doing my trip reports so, so much easier! I am really excited!!! See ya'll real soon!!
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
A 2 Week Grand Villa Extravaganza! Day 10: Lazy Morning at Epcot & Le Cellier
Day 10: Monday June 9 – Resort: OKW – Park: Epcot and HS
Howdy Friends! I hope you had a good week. As usual, we are (and were) very busy… Say, what do you make of the new layout of the Disboards? It’s kind of awkward, but I have a feeling once I’ve been using it for a few months, it will be brilliant… I particularly like not having to link my photos to photobucket. I actually write all my posts on a google doc and then copy them over, and I can insert the pictures right into the doc, and then copy it all and the pictures show up. How about that!
So now we are to day 10, or the the ⅔ point of our amazing vacation. We slept in this morning and slowly made our way to Epcot. The weather was once again sunny, and quite hot. Even with sunscreen, my sisters, mom and I had developed a light rash, so I wore a more covering top and higher sunscreen to recover from two water parks in three days. We had FP+ reservations at HS later in the evening, so this morning’s goal was to do attractions that had no wait times. Our first stop was Ellen’s Energy Adventure. We got most of the way through the pre show (Stupid Judy), and then the playback stopped. Apparently there was a problem with the ride portion of the show, so they cleared us all out. Oh well, another time, I suppose… We decided to do something in uncharted territory and headed over to Innoventions. The kids loved Habit Heroes and Storm Struck, even if the latter was a bit scary...
We also toured the Vision House. All together we killed over an hour in Innoventions. We had a late lunch scheduled at a highly anticipated restaurant: Le Cellier, but before that we had just about an hour to kill. So we headed towards the UK:
We stopped just past the pavillion to grab a pic on the bridge looking into France. Where was Brie?!?!
And then we took on a Phineas and Ferb Adventure, yet another first for all of us:
But before we could help Agent P foil Dr. Doofenshmirtz, it was time to head over to Canada for our Lunch (our ADR was for 1pm):
We were seated in two tables near each other, which irked us slightly as there was a nearby table that could’ve fit all of us. Oh well. At this point we all went a little picture crazy…
The pretzel bread was thoroughly enjoyable...
Then the parade of delicious food and beer began…
Although the poutine was a little different than what you’d find on the street in my childhood hometown of Ottawa, ONT, it was none the less delicious and went well with the amazing Canadian beer. I went a little overboard with the food pics, but since I took them, why not? I’m not sure what each was, though - sorry!
We all enjoyed dessert…
We were pleasantly full, and I managed to avoid being totally stuffed and uncomfortable like I was after the Yachtsman Steakhouse. Whew. We had planned it as the big meal of the day, and it worked out perfectly! Alrighty then… Next weekend I might be able to update a couple of times - I have Friday and Monday off! Yee Haw! See you real soon!
Day 10: Monday June 9 – Resort: OKW – Park: Epcot and HS
Howdy Friends! I hope you had a good week. As usual, we are (and were) very busy… Say, what do you make of the new layout of the Disboards? It’s kind of awkward, but I have a feeling once I’ve been using it for a few months, it will be brilliant… I particularly like not having to link my photos to photobucket. I actually write all my posts on a google doc and then copy them over, and I can insert the pictures right into the doc, and then copy it all and the pictures show up. How about that!
So now we are to day 10, or the the ⅔ point of our amazing vacation. We slept in this morning and slowly made our way to Epcot. The weather was once again sunny, and quite hot. Even with sunscreen, my sisters, mom and I had developed a light rash, so I wore a more covering top and higher sunscreen to recover from two water parks in three days. We had FP+ reservations at HS later in the evening, so this morning’s goal was to do attractions that had no wait times. Our first stop was Ellen’s Energy Adventure. We got most of the way through the pre show (Stupid Judy), and then the playback stopped. Apparently there was a problem with the ride portion of the show, so they cleared us all out. Oh well, another time, I suppose… We decided to do something in uncharted territory and headed over to Innoventions. The kids loved Habit Heroes and Storm Struck, even if the latter was a bit scary...
We also toured the Vision House. All together we killed over an hour in Innoventions. We had a late lunch scheduled at a highly anticipated restaurant: Le Cellier, but before that we had just about an hour to kill. So we headed towards the UK:
We stopped just past the pavillion to grab a pic on the bridge looking into France. Where was Brie?!?!
And then we took on a Phineas and Ferb Adventure, yet another first for all of us:
But before we could help Agent P foil Dr. Doofenshmirtz, it was time to head over to Canada for our Lunch (our ADR was for 1pm):
We were seated in two tables near each other, which irked us slightly as there was a nearby table that could’ve fit all of us. Oh well. At this point we all went a little picture crazy…
The pretzel bread was thoroughly enjoyable...
Then the parade of delicious food and beer began…
Although the poutine was a little different than what you’d find on the street in my childhood hometown of Ottawa, ONT, it was none the less delicious and went well with the amazing Canadian beer. I went a little overboard with the food pics, but since I took them, why not? I’m not sure what each was, though - sorry!
We all enjoyed dessert…
We were pleasantly full, and I managed to avoid being totally stuffed and uncomfortable like I was after the Yachtsman Steakhouse. Whew. We had planned it as the big meal of the day, and it worked out perfectly! Alrighty then… Next weekend I might be able to update a couple of times - I have Friday and Monday off! Yee Haw! See you real soon!
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WeDreamDisney
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2015
Just subbing in...Your trip looks like a wonderful time was had by all! The food looks delicious. The girls clothes were so well thought out and darling. I think that it is amazing that you get to have an amazing vacation with your family!
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Welcome to the Disboards and thank you!! I really did plan out those outfits carefully. I love dressing them alike, and as long as they are willing, I will continue to do it! It was a pretty wonderful vacation, and writing this report has really allowed me to extend the magic. I'll keep the good times rolling....
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
A 2 Week Grand Villa Extravaganza! Day 10: Roller Coasters and Stoic Expressions
Day 10: Monday June 9 – Resort: OKW – Park: Epcot and HS
Hi all! I hope you’re staying warm out there people… I hear it’s quite cold in the midwest. It’s cooler here in Colorado today, but we enjoyed temperatures in the mid-fifties this weekend! It was epic…
And now onto more important things… Disney! I tried to add a trip ticker for our grownup girls only trip this September, but the three images were a bit big, so alas, no ticker for that trip. My last post ended with a decadent meal at Le Cellier, and happily full, we strolled over to the friendship boats to catch a ride to the Boardwalk. My mom stopped at the ticket booths and bought tickets for her friends for MNSSHP in September, which ironically she and I ended up attending as well. As we enjoyed the boat ride, the clouds started rolling in, which wasn’t horrible as many of us were still recovering from lots of sun at the water parks.
We took a quick dip at the Clown Pool (remember we’re DVC members and have pool hopping privileges at certain pools), and everyone was tired and cranky. The kids enjoyed the pool games again - no pictures this time, though. We didn’t stay long as we had LOTS of FP+ scheduled at DHS, but long enough to cool off and swim away our grumpiness. I really got creative with the rides at DHS to maximize their few fun attractions. When we got to the park it was already time for our first FP+ at TT:
My dad, Brie and I rode this time. According to my notes, we didn’t get any additional baby swaps because we still had a bunch left over from our DHS day on 6/6. The rest of the group was scheduled for Voyage of the Little Mermaid (and to be honest, do you need a FP+ for that?). Speaking of FP+ and the lack of attractions at DHS, we had originally planned on using a FP for TGMR, but Caz of all people forbade it. Seriously, he was like, NO. Although he’s not a huge Disney aficionado, he still knows enough and was appalled at the idea of “wasting” a FP on that ride. Ok, no problem. No one really likes that ride anyways. After riding TT the three of us booked it over to the Little Mermaid and were able to join our group - no FP needed! As soon as the show was over, we squeezed into Disney Jr Live! The littles really enjoyed it, and even the bigs loved the Doc McStuffins portion. I have some really blurry pictures from the show, but I’ll spare you… Instead, how about a darling selfie:
Our next FP+ was at 6pm, and we needed to get to it ASAP, so we’d have enough time to get to the last show of BatB, which according to our notes was at 6:45pm. So off to Star Tours we went. Once again it was a huge hit, and Caz was impressed - it was his first time riding it since it was amped up. Oddly, they didn’t even measure Clara once unlike the last time when they measured her like ten times. Go figure. We got done, and headed over towards Sunset Blvd. Good thing the park is small, we were criss crossing it like crazy.
We strolled up to the BatB theater to see that the last show was at 5:45pm! Planning fail on my part - 6:45pm was the last show on the weekends, and it was Monday. I felt super bad - Drea hadn’t seen the show and was looking forward to it. She still hasn’t seen it - hopefully it will still be showing when we go in 2017. Seems unlikely, but with all the rumours about DHS, it may still be there as they focus on larger scale projects. We all settled into the tables on Sunset Blvd, and the kids enjoyed a power pack filled with jammy sammies, yogurt, goldfish, carrots, grapes and water. We got cosy, as we had strategy to discuss…
I only got FP+ for RnRC for Papa and Brie, and we planned to get baby swap for everyone else who wanted to ride. This meant the rest of us could do TSMM with FP. Brie wasn’t feeling well, so she headed home early. I used her band, and Dad presented Clara and Andrea presented Ryan with me, and we were able to get a whole bunch of baby swaps! In the end we only used half of them and gave some away. Both Eme and Josh were considering riding, and in the end, Eme was the one who gave it a go. She wants to be a pilot when she grows up and Caz told her the ride was like pilot training. She took the bait, and nervously waited with her dad:
To be clear, she was nervous, but really excited as well. I love that we get pictures on this ride, and this ride photo made Memory Maker so worth it! She was so brave and stoic. Or maybe petrified…
After this ride, Dad, Caz and I got in two more tours on TT with our baby swaps:
I just love that ride! Despite the swiftness of the baby swaps, it was growing late and it was time for our last ride at DHS: TSMM! All but Dad and Brie had FP+ for it (if you recall, I didn’t ride earlier in the trip so that we could do RnRC more than once) and since Brie went home, only Papa missed out this time. That is a super fun ride!
We strolled out of the park and captured a final PP picture looking down towards the Mickey Hat, never guessing it would be our last family photo in front of the icon. Not that any of us has a specific attachment to the hat, it is just the end of an era…
I think we got home and everyone just vegged out on the couch and enjoyed the Duffy Bear bedtime story:
The kids crashed out quick, and Brie slept in our room with the girls for the night, while Caz and I crashed on the couch. It was another peaceful and sultry night at OKW….
Caz and I headed out around 10:15pm to get a snack at Goods to Go, but it was closed! Geez. That is one of the downsides to OKW, at least compared to all other resorts where the quick serves are open until midnight. Instead we grabbed some ice cream from the gift shop and drinks from the bar. I wasn’t feeling good anyways, and in the end Caz had to finish the Turtle Crawl drink I got from the Gurgling Suitcase (even with the Dramamine, I think the rides took a toll on my stomach). We snuggled on the couch, watched some hockey and then crashed out. It was another amazing day at WDW. Up next, a full day at DAK. See you real soon!
Day 10: Monday June 9 – Resort: OKW – Park: Epcot and HS
Hi all! I hope you’re staying warm out there people… I hear it’s quite cold in the midwest. It’s cooler here in Colorado today, but we enjoyed temperatures in the mid-fifties this weekend! It was epic…
And now onto more important things… Disney! I tried to add a trip ticker for our grownup girls only trip this September, but the three images were a bit big, so alas, no ticker for that trip. My last post ended with a decadent meal at Le Cellier, and happily full, we strolled over to the friendship boats to catch a ride to the Boardwalk. My mom stopped at the ticket booths and bought tickets for her friends for MNSSHP in September, which ironically she and I ended up attending as well. As we enjoyed the boat ride, the clouds started rolling in, which wasn’t horrible as many of us were still recovering from lots of sun at the water parks.
We took a quick dip at the Clown Pool (remember we’re DVC members and have pool hopping privileges at certain pools), and everyone was tired and cranky. The kids enjoyed the pool games again - no pictures this time, though. We didn’t stay long as we had LOTS of FP+ scheduled at DHS, but long enough to cool off and swim away our grumpiness. I really got creative with the rides at DHS to maximize their few fun attractions. When we got to the park it was already time for our first FP+ at TT:
My dad, Brie and I rode this time. According to my notes, we didn’t get any additional baby swaps because we still had a bunch left over from our DHS day on 6/6. The rest of the group was scheduled for Voyage of the Little Mermaid (and to be honest, do you need a FP+ for that?). Speaking of FP+ and the lack of attractions at DHS, we had originally planned on using a FP for TGMR, but Caz of all people forbade it. Seriously, he was like, NO. Although he’s not a huge Disney aficionado, he still knows enough and was appalled at the idea of “wasting” a FP on that ride. Ok, no problem. No one really likes that ride anyways. After riding TT the three of us booked it over to the Little Mermaid and were able to join our group - no FP needed! As soon as the show was over, we squeezed into Disney Jr Live! The littles really enjoyed it, and even the bigs loved the Doc McStuffins portion. I have some really blurry pictures from the show, but I’ll spare you… Instead, how about a darling selfie:
Our next FP+ was at 6pm, and we needed to get to it ASAP, so we’d have enough time to get to the last show of BatB, which according to our notes was at 6:45pm. So off to Star Tours we went. Once again it was a huge hit, and Caz was impressed - it was his first time riding it since it was amped up. Oddly, they didn’t even measure Clara once unlike the last time when they measured her like ten times. Go figure. We got done, and headed over towards Sunset Blvd. Good thing the park is small, we were criss crossing it like crazy.
We strolled up to the BatB theater to see that the last show was at 5:45pm! Planning fail on my part - 6:45pm was the last show on the weekends, and it was Monday. I felt super bad - Drea hadn’t seen the show and was looking forward to it. She still hasn’t seen it - hopefully it will still be showing when we go in 2017. Seems unlikely, but with all the rumours about DHS, it may still be there as they focus on larger scale projects. We all settled into the tables on Sunset Blvd, and the kids enjoyed a power pack filled with jammy sammies, yogurt, goldfish, carrots, grapes and water. We got cosy, as we had strategy to discuss…
I only got FP+ for RnRC for Papa and Brie, and we planned to get baby swap for everyone else who wanted to ride. This meant the rest of us could do TSMM with FP. Brie wasn’t feeling well, so she headed home early. I used her band, and Dad presented Clara and Andrea presented Ryan with me, and we were able to get a whole bunch of baby swaps! In the end we only used half of them and gave some away. Both Eme and Josh were considering riding, and in the end, Eme was the one who gave it a go. She wants to be a pilot when she grows up and Caz told her the ride was like pilot training. She took the bait, and nervously waited with her dad:
To be clear, she was nervous, but really excited as well. I love that we get pictures on this ride, and this ride photo made Memory Maker so worth it! She was so brave and stoic. Or maybe petrified…
After this ride, Dad, Caz and I got in two more tours on TT with our baby swaps:
I just love that ride! Despite the swiftness of the baby swaps, it was growing late and it was time for our last ride at DHS: TSMM! All but Dad and Brie had FP+ for it (if you recall, I didn’t ride earlier in the trip so that we could do RnRC more than once) and since Brie went home, only Papa missed out this time. That is a super fun ride!
We strolled out of the park and captured a final PP picture looking down towards the Mickey Hat, never guessing it would be our last family photo in front of the icon. Not that any of us has a specific attachment to the hat, it is just the end of an era…
I think we got home and everyone just vegged out on the couch and enjoyed the Duffy Bear bedtime story:
The kids crashed out quick, and Brie slept in our room with the girls for the night, while Caz and I crashed on the couch. It was another peaceful and sultry night at OKW….
Caz and I headed out around 10:15pm to get a snack at Goods to Go, but it was closed! Geez. That is one of the downsides to OKW, at least compared to all other resorts where the quick serves are open until midnight. Instead we grabbed some ice cream from the gift shop and drinks from the bar. I wasn’t feeling good anyways, and in the end Caz had to finish the Turtle Crawl drink I got from the Gurgling Suitcase (even with the Dramamine, I think the rides took a toll on my stomach). We snuggled on the couch, watched some hockey and then crashed out. It was another amazing day at WDW. Up next, a full day at DAK. See you real soon!
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princess_momma
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2009
Great TR! I'm all caught up now!! Another Coloradan here too!! So great to be able to go with the whole family! I've really enjoyed reading along with your TR! Your mini-BC photo shoot makes me want one! The kids look adorable!
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
A 2 Week Grand Villa Extravaganza! Day 11: All Day at DAK
Day 11: Monday June 10 – Resort: OKW – Park: DAK
My wonderful husband and I had a conversation this morning about how this was the trip that won’t stop giving. My Mom and I planned it intensely for well over a year before the departure date, and every week I get to relive it with these posts. Nothing can brighten a cold February morning the way pouring over well over a hundred pictures of Animal Kingdom and our wonderful family can… I’m thinking this day will end up being at least three posts long based on the number of pictures alone. Let’s get to it!
Caz and I slept on the pull out couch, yet somehow I have in my notes that we slept in until 8:30, which is quite a feat considering our exuberant children and nephews. There was no rush to get to DAK for rope drop, for we had a good touring plan, courtesy of FP+. I once again will say that FP+ was our friend on this trip, but I think it was made quite a bit easier by the fact that we had 15 days at WDW. I can see how FP+ is a challenge when you have a fraction of that time to spend at the World, much like the trip Eme is taking with her grandparents, aunt and cousin later this year. They luckily have APs for their ten day adventure, and they were needed when we realized that they didn’t have enough days at MK in order to guarantee hitting all the headlining rides. Back to the current report, though…
We were out the door by 10:10, and off to the Hospitality House bus stop.
The kids posed for some pics:
We’d been waiting for what seemed like forever, so I went to the corner to scope out the busses as they turned down Miller Rd, before they came to the HH stop.
It was once again a spectacular day:
About 25 minutes had passed (as well as busses for all the other parks) before I spotted, not one, but two busses whose destination was DAK. I scurried back to my impatient family and told them we should skip the first bus and get on the second. That strategy worked out flawlessly, as the first bus was standing room only, and the second was practically empty. I know I enjoyed the seats, but I know the kids enjoyed them even more:
We headed directly for our first FP+ of the day as our window was nearing its end, despite leaving plenty early (basic WDW touring tip: when traveling by WDW transportation, give yourself plenty of time). Drea captured some great pics of her boys and their grandparents:
We were in such a rush, we didn’t stop for PP pics in front of the Tree of Life, but we figured we’d get one at the end of the day… We arrived in Africa, and boarded our bus for our two week tour of the African Safari:
After wrapping up our first attraction for the day, the kids enjoyed playing the drums as we exited Africa:
I love the number of adults taking pictures…
We strolled towards Asia, as we had some time until our FP+ for Nemo…
Where was Brie?!?! This next one cracks me up, as Stitch finally appeared (as opposed to us pointing at Yeti pee):
What a cutie:
We settled into into the Theater in the Wild, for everyone’s favorite ocean adventure:
After Nemo, which was a big hit with all the kids, especially once again the littles, it was time for lunch. We sent a contingency to get pizza and such from Pizzafari, and the rest of us ordered and then settled into Flame Tree BBQ:
While we ate, a large group of “plain-clothed” CMs (so upper management) were scoping out the seating area next to the river. I was so tempted to bombard them with questions, but in the end we just speculated that it was all about redesigning the space for the new night time entertainment. It is now currently under refurb, as they cover more eating spaces, and put a roof over more of the area, including pathways. I’m sure the CMs noticed the need for this improvement as it began to rain while we ate our lunch.
Ok, folks - that’s all I have for today… I hope you have a great week and I’ll see you real soon!
Lisa29
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2010
I'm going to come back later and read your last update.
Great other updates. Your posts are so informative and you have great photos. Your meals at Le Cellier looked delicious. Did Josh have his glasses on back to front on those pictures?!
Considering it was August you all managed to get so much done.
The planning is usually a really fun time, at least I find it is.
Thanks for the mentioning Goods to Go doesn't open late. We are staying there in October so that is helpful to know.
Great other updates. Your posts are so informative and you have great photos. Your meals at Le Cellier looked delicious. Did Josh have his glasses on back to front on those pictures?!
Considering it was August you all managed to get so much done.
The planning is usually a really fun time, at least I find it is.
Thanks for the mentioning Goods to Go doesn't open late. We are staying there in October so that is helpful to know.
Duffy Lover
What?!?!? No!
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
Thanks for reading! It was the most amazing vacation. I can tell you that the mini photo shoots are well worth the money, we have another one coming up later in the trip report... I'm sort of bummed winter decided to arrive here in Colorado - how about you?
Right on! I'm glad the report has helped you in your planning. It looks like from your ticker that you have quite an adventure coming up, two resorts AND a cruise - wow! We actually were there in early June, and the crowds weren't bad. I'll also say that FP+ worked great for us, but again, we did have 10 park days so that helped.
I love planning just as much as the trip, because the trip goes so fast, but planning goes on for months. Speaking of planning, check out my new ticker! My mom and sisters and I are doing an adults only trip in September, and we were able to score a lakeview deluxe studio at the new Poly DVC!!! Squee! It took some work, I was waitlisted for a whole day and had to call twice, poor me
but we got it! I have a bunch of school work to do, but I should be back later with an update. Have a great weekend!Share this page
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