Most Wonderful Time Of Year - NY, Universal, DW - we are back!

[AussieTink]

Wow. What a wonderful upgrade, and a great start to your birthday!

I loved HP world at Universal, they had it just right and the little details were just amazing.

Looking forward to the next installment.

Thanks Jevs! Yes wasn't HP world just fantastic!! Every nook and cranny was themed, like you say details were amazing.

Fantastic trip, the room sounds amazing.

Happy Birthday BTW!

Thankyou!

What an amazing upgrade. Sounds like you are having a great time. I was surpised you didn't ride Gringotts in Diagon Alley - you would have loved it. Ride-wise its a track similar to Transformers - not really a coaster at all - a few dips and bends - stressing dips not big drops.

Ahh see I wasn't sure what to expect really, even though I had watched a youtube video. Sometimes I don't do too well with big video screens and 3D. It did look like an amazing ride though!!

 

[AussieTink]

Lets see if I can get some photos to work, photobucket was playing up this morn.

This is to the left of the entrance, the dining room, entrance way with tree and main lounge:


This is the master bedroom:


And the view from the main area:

 

[Zosha]

Wow how good is the upgrade?!?!

 

[LivingforDisney]

Wow, totally jealous lol.
Are you guys dvc members? Or did u just book a room on Disney site?

 

[LivingforDisney]

What is the name of the car service please?
Are they expensive
Ty

 

[AussieTink]

Wow how good is the upgrade?!?!

Absolutely fantastic that's for sure, felt incredibly lucky.

Wow, totally jealous lol.
Are you guys dvc members? Or did u just book a room on Disney site?

Hi! No we are not dvc members, just booked a room from the Disney site. Think they are doing renovations over at the dvc side though atm, so maybe that's why they might have been bumped over to the normal Beach Club.
The car service we used is FL Tours - found it as an ad on the disboards years ago and have always been happy with their service. I think it's about $70 per transfer, and think you can opt for a free grocery stop on your arrival transfer.

 

[AussieTink]

Thursday 10/12 was Epcot day. We firstly had breakfast reservations over at the Yacht Club at Captains Grille. We sort of picked things to do that was walking distance for the days staying here.

Didn't take long to walk to our 9:00am booking. Seated and it wasn't too busy but it was very loud. DSis and I ordered the gluten free Mickey Waffles and DMum and dark chocolate waffles - woah it was like eating dessert for breakfast.... We agreed not to order something heavy for breakfast again, they were yummy but just heavy.

We walked over to Epcot and headed to our first FP for the Character Spot, today was Mickey, Minnie and Goofy - they were all upbeat and happy and had some great interactions. Headed over to Figment which was only a 5 minute wait - we found some hidden mickeys to tick off the app too!

It wasn't too crowded at Epcot today, a fair amount but not completely packed, and it was HOT, and not much shade. It was coming up to our ride on Test Track. I had not seen the updated version, and DMum had never been on. Was about a 20 minute wait with FP, and woohoo what a rush!! I sort of miss all the old elements that they took away though.

After that we started to walk around the countries. In Mexico we visited the Three Caballeros with the updated animatronics. Then we sort of just strolled our way down, as it was really hot by now. We stopped for a photo with Mulan and she was really nice! As we got the Memory Maker we have been trying to stop and get photos as much as possible.

Was about 2:00 and we were hungry so we stopped in at the American pavilion. We asked for the allergy menu (so convenient they have rolled these out everywhere) and got 2 lots of the chicken tenders and fries - takes about 15-20 minutes as they have to cook them separately, which is great as they are always hot and taste super good.

We had pretty much finished for the day, but we wanted to stop by the patisserie at France to grab some dessert for later (but I pretty much gobbled mine up as soon as I hit the hotel room!!). DMum got the special holiday chocolate roll and I got the Chocolate Mousse, I had been dreaming of it since I had this at Le Chefs with DDad couple years ago - oooooooh yummo!!! I contemplated walking back to get another serve it was that good!! DSis thought maybe the London pavilion would have had Curly Wurlys but they sadly didn't.

So back to the room to eat our yummy desserts. DSis had a nap, and DMum and I went to the laundry to wash - weirdly the Beach Club only accepted credit cards, will be an expensive wash and dry with those international fees being charged!! In between waiting for it to wash and dry we walked to the Yacht Club and down to the Boardwalk.

About 6:30 we headed out to Hollywood Studios to go see the very last showing of the Osborne Lights, so sad to see it go because it is a great sight to see. Very very crowded and packed in together to go down to the lights, but once you were in the street it was a bit less packed. It was so fantastic, stayed for a couple of songs and photos then decided it was bed time - though not before watching the Illuminations fireworks from our balcony! 10:30pm and it was time to call it a night. Tomorrow it is our first day at MK!! Steps: 22,500.

 

[PrincessInOz]

We then went up to the Club Level to check out DMum and DSis room that they got upgraded to. We walked down the hall, and started to get confused when got to double doors. They had been upgraded to the Newport Presidential Suite!! We were all absolutely gobsmacked!! We opened the doors and our mouths were just hanging open - a big entrance with a massive lounge and dining room. We were walking around stunned. So many rooms! A kitchenette and bar, a main bedroom with a massive master bathroom, second bedroom with seperate lounge and its own bathroom, and all with balconies to sit on and look out. We had been massively pixie dusted!! Now we actually had 3 beds, and could fit myself in their reservation!

some photos

WOW! Congratulations. That room is amazing.


Your trip sound wonderful so far.

 

[AussieTink]

Hello!! I hope my trip report isn't too boring without photos - I'd love to put photos up but I have to wait until we are home to download all the photos off my camera.

Friday 11/12: MK day!!! DSis and I had bought a disney shirt from Jay Jays to wear on our first day for some fun - hers was an Olaf shirt and mine had Mickeys all over. We firstly had a 9:35am breakfast reservation at Kona Cafe! We got there just in time and checked in, noted our allergies and waited for our beeper. Was hardly any wait and we were whisked inside and greeted by our lovely server. Our meals were really nice, and we were happy to have another reservation here later.

We hopped on the monorail to the MK. Today we were meeting up with a friend that DSis worked with while she was over here. We had a FP for Peter Pan, then lined up for the Haunted Mansion - this poor little toddler completely freaked in the elevator room and was absolutely terrified, kept screaming I don't want to ride over and over but was still taken on - they were in the doom buggy next to us and he was hysterical, poor kid. So we tried to enjoy the ride even with the scared kid. Another FP for Thunder Mountain this time, super fun! Wonder why they don't have a ride photo on this one?

We were just waiting around for our last FP, so we rode The Little Mermaid and then it was time for Seven Dwarfs! That was fun, but wow it felt short! The ride photo/video is cute too. It was time for lunch, and we chose Cosmic Rays, but the gluten free option was a letdown so we crossed that off our list to go back to.

We didn't really have a plan of what to do, other than waiting for our 5:50pm reservation at BOG. I think we rode the Peoplemover and Buzz, got some photos and did a spot of shopping and browsing and looked at the new Dumbo area. 5:50 rolled around, and I think we waited about 20minutes for a seat.

Wow wow wow the Ballroom where we were seated was amazing, the atmosphere and music - it was like a dream. Dinner was really good and our server was a laugh. After we took some photos in the other rooms and got in line to meet the Beast, gee he is tall!! It was a MVMCP night so we had to wait for our escort out of the park, well escorted to the castle and told to exit.

Was a little chaotic getting out, then a massive line for the monorail - I had to go back to the Poly to buy a new suitcase (to fit my shopping in haha) and I had only seen the design I liked at Poly, so after a longggggggggg wait and crowded carriage we got there, bought the luggage and hightailed it back to Beach Club. We had grand plans of watching Illuminations, but it was late, we were exhausted and we had to pack as we were transferring to Art of Animation tomorrow. So we opted to stop club and grab some dessert and watch the fireworks from our balcony. It was about 11pm by time I went to bed. Steps: 14,000 (i think!)

 

[viaggiamo]

What an amazing upgrade! Love it when stuff like this happens. YAY! I am loving your TR even without photos. Thankyou x

 

[AussieTink]

What an amazing upgrade! Love it when stuff like this happens. YAY! I am loving your TR even without photos. Thankyou x

Aww thanks viaggiamo I'm glad you are likin it even without photos!!

 

[AussieTink]

Ok trying to stay on top of what we do during the day! Lunch/Dinner is a nice break to write when I don't get time of a late night.

Saturday 12/12: Well today we said goodbye to our wonderful Presidential Suite at the Beach Club. We loved the space of the rooms, the view, the whole experience. Was truly such a magical upgrade!!!

Woke up at 8am, got our suitcases taken by Bell Services to transfer over to Art of Animation, and grabbed a quick breakfast from the Club. Some last minute photos of the suite and we were saying goodbye as we walked to the buses.

Animal Kingdom was on the agenda today. Our bus took a while to arrive, and was standing room only. We got to AK with 15 minutes to spare until our FP for Kilimanjaro Safari was to expire. So we walked super fast, weaving in and out of crowds and made it to our FP.

The safari is amazing and love how the animals are in their mostly natural habitat. Today AK was a crowd level of 6, and it was probably pretty true to that level. After the safari we were due for Expedition Everest. DSis and I rode that, pretty much walked on the ride with FP, screamed and laughed our way to the end, and picked up our ride photo on out Memory Maker.

We had an hour or so until our Dinosaur FP, so we picked Flights of Wonder as we hadn't seen that before. It was ok, but we wouldn't see it again. We slowly made our way through the crowds to Dinosaur and walked onto that. We sort of said it was pretty tame even though I remembered it being a thrill ride.

Now it was just coming up to our Rainforest Cafe lunch reservation, though I didn't really find anything on the menu that appealed to me, so I left DMum and DSis there and went to find the allergy food friendly cart. I got some gluten free doughnuts and sat in the cool and enjoyed my "lunch".

I then went and walked the Pangini trail and went down to the train to the conservation centre by myself while I waited for them to finish lunch. Wandered around and saw Chip and Dale (my fav!!) decked out in holiday gear, so I got in line for them. Such a super cute interaction with them, they were great! You wouldn't think they would bother with just 1 adult other than take a photo, but I was hugged and welcomed and then whisked away by Dale, down the road while swinging arms. It was hilarious. Chip was not happy and "reeled" us back in where he scolded Dale. Just fantastic characters.

I found DMum and DSis and we left for the bus. Argh JUST missed the bus back to Art!! But as soon as we got to the queue (that no one was in) an Art bus pulled up again!! Yay!! We hopped on, and soon pulled away with just us - bonus!!

Wasn't too far to Art and we were soon checking in. DMum has not stayed here before so she was taking it all in, it is such a fun resort. We got top floor in the Cars section, unpacked, and DMum and DSis had to quickly get ready to head out to Cirque. They left and I wandered to the gift shop then walked over to Pop. Got some great sunset photos on the way back. DMum and DSis brought gluten free pizza back to the room, and then it was bed time. Steps: 15,650

 

[LivingforDisney]

Loving your report, even without photos.
We leave Wed, getting nervous lol.
Can you just confirm something for me?
We have memory maker, so when we get off the rides that take photos/videos do we have to scan our bands or is it just automatic?
Thanks

 

[AussieTink]

Loving your report, even without photos.
We leave Wed, getting nervous lol.
Can you just confirm something for me?
We have memory maker, so when we get off the rides that take photos/videos do we have to scan our bands or is it just automatic?
Thanks

Hi LivingforDisney! Wow you leave soon!! Are you just doing Disney or??
Memory Maker - the rides that have photos/videos you have to scan your magic band. So when you walk down and see the screens with photos it will usually have the mickey scanner under your photo to scan your band. The only one we haven't had to do that is Seven Dwarfs. Make sure all your bands are linked to the memory maker, and we have been checking each night to make sure they are there. A tip though - cast member told us that checking photos on internet explorer/safari etc is not as "buggy" as the app as they are still working some kinks out. I hope that helps?!

 

[AussieTink]

13/12 Can't believe it is Sunday already!! When you are in the Disney bubble it just seems like ever day is a Disney day and there is no actual days haha. Today our plans were to go catch our Toy Story FP at 10:00, then Epcot for lunch and touring the resorts later.

I sort of slept in this morn!! I was starting to wear down and get tired. But I jumped out of bed, and we were all ready at 9. Walked down to the buses and wow there was a lineup for HS!! Today it had emh at night, open 8-12!! We had just missed the packed sardine bus, but not to fear a brand new bus pulled up while the packed one was departing! Bonus!! It wasn't too long before we were walking into HS headed directly to Toy Story. I think this ride is always fun!!

We checked out the line for Buzz and Woody but it was at 35 minutes, so we just headed out to the boat to take a leisurely cruise over to Epcot. It was 12:00 by time we arrived, so we checked in and waited to be called for lunch. Rose & Crown was a very yummy!! Probably my best meal since coming here.

I just had to walk back to the France pavilion to get a chocolate mousse, and we stopped in at Germany to get a glass blown christmas ornament. We decided to go checkout Port Orleans resorts, so hopped on a bus and went to the French Quarter then Riverside. After looking at them we thought Riverside was more our style, the buildings and surroundings looked so pretty. Hopped on the boat and went to Disney Springs for a quick look at a few stores - we planned to go back later in the week for a real shop.

We got to the bus stop and lined up for AOA bus, but a POP bus pulled up so we decided to get on that to walk over to AOA. It was quite a long trip to Pop from Disney Springs, and was about 5pm when we arrived so decided to stop in the food hall and get some gluten free tenders and checkout their store and christmas tree.

We walked back to our room and showered and then headed out to the Cars pool area to put laundry on. After the washing machine ate my money without starting we finally got it all on, and wandered the resort, checked out their gift shop. We got back to fresh laundry, headed back to the room and got ready for bed. Tomorrow we are at HS for a Toy Story FP and to see Lights Motor Action. Then a dinner at LeCellier! Steps: 14,560

 

[ColinA]

We have memory maker, so when we get off the rides that take photos/videos do we have to scan our bands or is it just automatic?
Thanks

I think you will find that the rides like Splash Mountain and Seven Dwarfs have automatic read on the Magic Band when you pass the camera point. Seven Dwarfs has the video as well.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Enjoying reading about your trip as much as with pics. Can't get over how fantastic was your upgrade! I see despite having lots of time to explore the parks, you are still getting those steps up each day! Sounds like you are having a good time and mostly good allergy free food which is great. Keep having fun!

 

[AussieTink]

Enjoying reading about your trip as much as with pics. Can't get over how fantastic was your upgrade! I see despite having lots of time to explore the parks, you are still getting those steps up each day! Sounds like you are having a good time and mostly good allergy free food which is great. Keep having fun!

We feel like this trip has been much more cruisy, no rushing about and just going with the flow. I love it too that we are getting more than 10,000 steps in each day - my leg muscles are building but oh gosh my feet ache at night haha!!

 

[cmarsh31]

Didn't realize we were both at MK on the same day! We went into BOG at 7ish for our reservations - wonder if we crossed paths!

 

[AussieTink]

Didn't realize we were both at MK on the same day! We went into BOG at 7ish for our reservations - wonder if we crossed paths!

Oh wow we probably did cross paths!! How cool! Did you enjoy BOG?