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

[ursalita]

Welcome to my Trip Report!

Hello. I'm Colleen and I'll be your guide on this journey from frozen Rhode Island to the tropical paradise that was Walt Disney World's Yacht Club this spring. We had an absolutely fantastic time at Disney and I can't wait to share it with you! There were some definite highs and lows but overall it was best family vacation we've ever taken and we can't wait to go back!!



Here are the deets:

Who: Me and the Fam
What: Spring Vacation 2015
Where: Yacht Club
When: April 21 - April 27, 2015​

Introductions:

I am Colleen, the planner and photographer. I became obsessed with Disney when DS1 was 2 and I wanted to go on vacation somewhere we all would enjoy. I researched Disney World and planned our first trip to the Wilderness Lodge in the fall of 2008.

I vividly remember the first boat ride with Aidan (he was 2 1/2 at the time) from the lodge to the Magic Kingdom. I was hooked.

DH enjoys Disney and grudgingly allows me to plan a trip every couple of years or so.

Aidan is 9 and Sammy is 6. I was going to write some brief descriptions of them but I think you'll get to know their personalities as this TR evolves.

Thinking about the TR I'm about to write, I have a few disclaimers:

1. They each saved all of their birthday and Christmas money this year to purchase Disney gift cards which were used to purchase their souvenirs. There were many.

2. There will be many mentions of Sammy's bad moods because they often derailed my plans. He's actually a really fun and funny kid but when he's cranky he's really cranky.

3. The Florida humidity was not kind to my hair.

If anyone is interested in how this trip came to be you can check out the Pre-Trip Report.

Stay tuned for departure day.

Day 1 Part 1 Travel Day
Day 1 Part 2 Stormalong Bay
Day 1 Part 2 Illuminations
Day 1 Part 4 Summary

Day 2 Part 1 Earth Day at Animal Kingdom
Day 2 Part 2 AK Maharajah Trek
Day 2 Part 3 Kilimanjaro Safari
Day 2 Part 4 Gorillas!
Day 2 Part 5 Last of AK
Day 2 Part 6 bluezoo​

Day 3 Part 1 Magic Kingdom!
Day 3 Part 2 Rainy Morning
Day 3 Part 3 Goofy & Donald and Lunch Break
Day 3 Part 4 Rides and Merida
Day 3 Part 5 7DMT
Day 3 Part 6 Main Street Electrical Parade​

Day 4 Part 1 Breakfast in France
Day 4 Part 2 Flower & Garden pics
Day 4 Part 3 Future World
Day 4 Part 4 World Showcase Pt. 1
Day 4 Part 5 World Showcase Pt. 2
Day 4 Part 6 Dinner at Biergarten
Day 4 Part 7 YC Hidden Mickeys & Summary

Day 5 Part 1 Hollywood Studios
Day 5 Part 2 Jedi Training
Day 5 Part 3 Star Tours
Day 5 Part 4 Animation Station
Day 5 Part 5 Fantasmic!
Day 5 Part 6 ToT

Day 6 Part 1 MK Crystal Palace Breakfast
Day 6 Part 2 Pirate Adventures
Day 6 Part 3 Anna & Elsa
Day 6 Part 4 BOG
Day 6 Part 5 FoF Part 1
Day 6 Part 6 FoF Part 2
Day 6 Part 7 FoF Part 3
Day 6 Part 8 Bye MK!
Day 6 Part 9 Last Night

Day 7 Part 1 Epcot Last Day
Day 7 Part 2 Test Track
Day 7 Part 3 We go home​

​

 

[Elevationist]

I'm here, I'm here! Can't wait to read your adventures!

 

[pkondz]

Hello. I'm Colleen

Hi Colleen!

the tropical paradise that was Walt Disney World's Yacht Club

"Was"???? What do you mean "was"???

What did you do to it?!?!?

overall it was best family vacation we've ever taken and we can't wait to go back!!

Great!

I vividly remember the first boat ride with Aidan (he was 2 1/2 at the time) from the lodge to the Magic Kingdom. I was hooked.

Love that little tidbit right there.
Always like to hear how people got bit by the Disney bug.

DH enjoys Disney and grudgingly allows me to plan a trip every couple of years or so.

Sounds like my DW.

Stay tuned for departure day.

Sounds good!

 

[401Disney]

You hooked me in just because your a fellow Rhode Islander!!! Can't wait to read more!!!!

 

[SarahDisney]

Hi Colleen!

I'm glad to hear it was the best family vacation ever (despite Sammy's crankiness, which I can understand because I'm the same way sometimes). I'm looking forward to reading all about it!

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi Colleen!

I'm here and looking forward to the TR. I've always said Beach/Yacht Club are near the top of the list of places I want to stay, if only because of Stormalong Bay! I'm looking forward to the TR, and of course, I look forward to seeing what exactly the Florida humidity did to your hair.

 

[ksl5f123]

Ohh! You're back! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Hooray a new (and seriously recent) TR to read.

 

[TheLittleKatie]

YAY, I'm here, of course

 

[CaseFace5]

I'm here!! Going back to read!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Joining in! After this winter I think all us "northerners" deserved a bit of a trip to paradise. Glad to hear your trip was the best one yet.

Definitely want to stay at beach club/yacht club one trip for the pool and proximity to EPCOT ... But mostly the pool

 

[ursalita]

I'm here, I'm here! Can't wait to read your adventures!

Yay! Thanks, Billie! I can't wait to write about my adventures.

Hi Colleen!

Hi, pkondz!

"Was"???? What do you mean "was"???

What did you do to it?!?!?

Despite our best efforts it was still standing when we left.

Great!



Love that little tidbit right there. Thanks!
Always like to hear how people got bit by the Disney bug.

Me, too. I never thought I'd be bitten the Disney bug. It was definitely having kids that got me started but I can say I love it now even if it wasn't for the kids.

Sounds like my DW.



Sounds good!

You hooked me in just because your a fellow Rhode Islander!!! Can't wait to read more!!!!

Another Rhode Islander! I've met quite a few on here. I hope to get more up soon!

 

[ursalita]

Hi Colleen!

I'm glad to hear it was the best family vacation ever (despite Sammy's crankiness, which I can understand because I'm the same way sometimes). I'm looking forward to reading all about it!

HI Sarah! It was really great. Sammy definitely had some cranky moments that caused some of the plans to change but he had a great time and was so happy most of the time. That's why I wrote the disclaimer, I didn't want to give anyone the idea that he's not fun or didn't have a good time. It was probably not necessary because he's smiling in so many of the pictures. I'm looking forward to sharing it.

Hi Colleen!

I'm here and looking forward to the TR. I've always said Beach/Yacht Club are near the top of the list of places I want to stay, if only because of Stormalong Bay! I'm looking forward to the TR, and of course, I look forward to seeing what exactly the Florida humidity did to your hair.

We loved the Yacht Club. Stormalong Bay is amazing. We didn't spend as much time there as we wanted to but we all loved it. The location is also fantastic with the walk to Epcot and the boat to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Oh, my hair was a wreck for most of the trip. I'll share some pictures despite the embarrassment.

Ohh! You're back! Can't wait to hear all about it!

I'm back and can't wait to start reliving the trip here.

Hooray a new (and seriously recent) TR to read.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to get an update up soon.

YAY, I'm here, of course

Hi, Katie! Thanks for joining in!

I'm here!! Going back to read!

Hi Casey. Thanks for joining in.

Joining in! After this winter I think all us "northerners" deserved a bit of a trip to paradise. Glad to hear your trip was the best one yet.

Definitely want to stay at beach club/yacht club one trip for the pool and proximity to EPCOT ... But mostly the pool

Glad to have you along. The pool is amazing. Aidan said it was like having a water park at the hotel. He's not wrong.

 

[KathyM2]

Hi Colleen!! I'm here!! OMG I can SO relate to a kid that can be super cranky...it can be a challenge!!! I look forward to reading about how it all went!!

 

[nutz2notz]

I'm joining in too. Looking forward to your report.

 

[TravelE]

Can't wait to read more! I have always wanted to stay at the Yacht Club.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

There seem to be two copies of this thread?

 

[kastoney]

Woohoo, a new dining report and a trip report. It's my lucky day. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

 

[ursalita]

Day 1
Travel Day/Epcot Part 1

For past trips I've always booked the earliest possible flight out. But since we would be staying 7 days I booked the 9:20 flight to avoid the pre-dawn alarm. I got up at 6, hopped in the shower, put the last items in the suitcase, said goodbye to the cat, and we were on the road to the airport by 7. These guys were excited:







We are lucky that the airport is only about 10 minutes from our house. It's a small airport so we were through the ticket and security lines in no time. It was here that I had my first FAIL of the trip. 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.



I got over it pretty quickly because, you know, going to Disney!! I'll just buy some when I get there.

We hit Dunkin' and grabbed donuts for the boys and coffee for us. It wasn't long before our plane arrived.



The flight was easy and uneventful. 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. The boys had enough entertainment on the flight that the time passed quickly. The Southwest flight crew were their usual sarcastic selves. I'm probably in the minority but I'm not really a fan.

Before long we were landing and getting on the faux monorail. Sorry but I forgot to take a picture. This time we did not get lost trying to locate the Magical Express. 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.

We arrived just in time to get the last spots on the bus heading to Yacht Club. We were seated in the first row that is normally reserved for guests with disabilities so I got this unobstructed view:



Well, except for the giant dead bug on the windshield.

Yacht Club was the last stop on the trip following Caribbean Beach, Boardwalk, and Beach Club. Just as we were pulling into Yacht Club I received an email and text informing me that our room was ready. We had room 3048 so I knew my request was granted - a higher floor.

We were greeted by name by a CM as we exited the bus. She gave us an information booklet and we were soon on our way up to the room. It was a bit of a hike from the lobby but we were very close to the quiet pool which came in handy during our stay. Here are some pictures.









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

What did we do first? Stay tuned...


​

 

[pkondz]

said goodbye to the cat,

Did the cat do the cat thing and pretend not to care?

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.

That's a mistake you'll probably only make once.

The boys had enough entertainment on the flight that the time passed quickly.

Just curious. Was this entertainment brought along? Or does SWA have seatback TV?

Sorry but I forgot to take a picture.

What? No faux monorail pic?

I'm really going to have to consider whether or not to continue following this TR.






Still thinking.






Hang on.







Ummm....











Okay. I'll stick around.
But no more slip ups!

I handed the CM the Magical Express booklet. She responded, "Look at this relic!"

However... What do they use if they don't use the booklets anymore, I wonder?

I got this unobstructed view:

Nice!

Well, except for the giant dead bug on the windshield.

Jimminy!

What did we do first? Stay tuned...

Standing by...
Thanks for the update!