Oh It's A Jolly Holiday With Katie! - Beach Club / Grand Floridian

[Leshaface]

(Fun Fact: I can play this on the piano )

Stop now! Self taught?? DH and I were literally talking yesterday about getting a keyboard to teach DS and if ends up liking it, getting him a piano when he's older...mainly so he can play Disney background music while I cook and stuff

When they eventually let us in along the back/top of the seating area, we realised that they had started letting the standby line in ALONG THE FRONT - BEFORE US?!

It was weird and kind of annoying. Like, having a Fantasmic fastpass seemed to be a disadvantage today?!

What the heck? I would have been so annoyed and irritated!

But you got this view, for reals?!

‘Play that funky music whiiite boy!’

Oh my. This song reminds me of every family event i've ever been to in my life. Ever. This and 'Celebrate' by Kool and the Gang.

The doors opened and we walked into our ship, and the woman decided that her and her kids were the centre of the galaxy, and sat them all down right in the middle of the front row, leaving seats empty on the other side.

Oh my gosh. I can't express how hard i'm rolling my eyes. So annoying!

(“Then they played that song from the 80s, Day Bow-Bow.”)

DH and I sing this song all the time!

But filming with the flash on?

ARE YOU SERIOUS??!!

You’ve just ruined the whole ride for everybody.

I'm shocked that nobody turned around and said something to her!

On Hollywood Boulevard a GROWN MAN was jumping into photopass pictures of other families, with his arms in the air pulling stupid faces - MULTIPLE TIMES.

.....


Are you sure this wasn't my DH?

(hiding behind my shades)

He does this randomly sometimes. But please trust that I do scold him from time to time.

WE’RE CHECKING IN AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN!!!!!!!!!

Knowing that has got to make up for some of those terrible people you ran into that evening!

 

[pkondz]

Oh my. This song reminds me of every family event i've ever been to in my life. Ever.

I want to go to Alicia's next family event!

 

[dancingtodisney]

Hey!! I find your trip report the other day and LOVE IT! So many pictures and all your videos are hilarious!

I'm from Dublin and currently planning a trip in January to hopefully OKW and definitely AKL! I'm SO FRICKEN JEALOUS that you stayed at Beach Club and THE GRAND FLORIDIAN!!!!! We're looking to book OKW this month when the free dining offer comes out. I would much prefer either of your hotels but they'll be a lot more expensive as OKW tends to be discounted for free dining too offers too.

Ok so first off.... Premium Economy with Virgin (again jealous) sounds great! We're booked with Virgin for January and have paid for exit rows seats right at the front so that's our little treat to ourselves!

USA = Fries
UK = Chips​

I've been to Orlando so many times and STILL this one gets me every now and then! Got me in TRex last time! Seriously, who eats a burger and CRISPS?!

I HEARD THE DRUM BEAT.

I thought, ‘No.. IT CAN'’T BE.”

The beat started steadily increasing..

I sat bolt up right and stared at the closed curtains over the balcony doors.

I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS.

​

Love the illuminations moment! We had a similar exciting room moment in Animal Kingdom Lodge, we hadn't booked a Savana view so weren't expecting to see any animals but when we went out on our balcony we saw zebras! It was sooooo cool!

Your bag is BRILLIANT! I was looking at a similar type Olaf bag that I might get for our trip

Gaston is my favourite character to meet, he's so funny! (and gorgeous!)

It's great that you and your boyfriend love Disney, I've been twice with mine but I think he's had his fill for now

We really enjoy going to Universal as well, especially now with the Harry Potter areas, I don't feel like a trip is complete without a visit.

We got stung by taxi costs too! I couldn't believe how expensive they were.

Really excited for the next part of your TR and I see you're going back this year too... YAH!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

I love fantastic! So glad you got good seats and were able to enjoy the show. Sorry about the rude people in the park. That stinks, but it looks like you still had a great time. Love all the pictures even if they are blurry!
Lindsey

The seats were great, front AND center! And thankfully we both managed to see the funny side of getting wet from the water projection
Looking back, the only really annoying incident (of the whole trip actually) was the woman on ToT, and I think that made me extra annoyed at everybody else. I do not get annoyed easily at Disney, so if this was the worst thing that could happen, I think we did pretty well
Thanks! Yeah my camera doesn't do night shots too well!!!

My sweet friend - this is why we need to be @ WDW together sometime...I have NO problem letting the rude people know they are being rude and obnoxious! Ya'll are too nice, I definitely would have said something. ESPECIALLY to that dummy who thought it was a-ok to film the entirety of the ToT ride Not cool at all! Better yet, I would hit her over the head with my pickle ornament

But anywayyyyyyyyy - I love the Fantasmic photos! I love that show and I missed it the last time we were there. No one else wanted to see it with me Next time, that's not an option even if I have to see it by myself!

You have such gorgeous pictures of Beach Club!! I can't wait to see the ones of Grand Floridian, I'm sure they will have me in total resort envy Looking forward to the next installment!

You sound like a great person to have around!!!! She definitely needed telling! I would've said something (politely) if I'd been sat next to her, but we were on the front and she was on the back.. So I just kinda hoped someone else would say something. If something similar happens this year I'm going to message you while I'm still on the ride like, "OMG, WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THIS PERSON." SELFIE STICKS. I bet I get annoyed if I constantly have a selfie stick in front of me at the parades/shows/fireworks

YES there is nothing wrong with doing things by yourself! I would not hesitate to see fantasmic on my own if no one wanted to come with me!! As we got towards the end of our trip, Jamie enjoyed getting some down-time by the pool, while I was still GO GO GO around the parks This is why you need to come in September. We'll keep each other company at Fantasmic and go pickle shopping

Thanks!! I know, both resorts are very photogenic! I must remind you though, that check-in is not until 3pm, so there are a few more updates before we get to the Grand!! I've started to think people are expecting it in the next update I'll try to get through the morning/early afternoon updates quickly!!!! I'm super excited to post the photos too!

That Fantasmic FastPass. Oh that Fantasmic Fastpass. Waste. The walk in is a tad shorter, but, waste. In January it was better though since they actually had special sections that were actually good.

Oh yeah, the Steamboat Willie section is the BEST!!! Character overload!!!! LOVE IT!!!!! I remember my April 2013 trip, my first solo one. And the crowd went INSANE when the characters appeared on that boat. Absolute Rock Stars!! I will never forget that.

Hahaha, when you said second row, I said... Uh Oh. YOU'RE GONNA GET WETTTTTTTTT!!!! YEAH!!!! (I really did say that... out loud).
But I also have to add that I did a Google Image Search for "Disney stacey you're gonna get wet", and guess what one of the photos was...

No lie.

Uggh, I swear if I had a dime (or 10 pence, tax included ) for every inconsiderate "person" in Disney, all my trips would be paid for. Move all the way down just does not apply to some, clearly.

HAHAHAHA, I love that It's Always Sunny episode. Then again, I love them all. I just want more!!

AHHHH, you got the 13 minute wait. They don't always do that I've come to realize.

See the thing people need to realize is that some rides have ride photos so they can be called out and pinpointed exactly as you just did here. Seriously, who does that???? Disney's pretty good about photos and videos of things, but there is a reason why they don't allow "external video lighting". Oy, some people need to be smacked.

But here's the thing about annoying and rude guests. They do make me laugh so there's your positive spin.

I won't be getting the Fantasmic fastpass again I don't think! It would be nice if I knew there would definitely be a reserved seating area, but this was definitely a waste of time!!!
And I love how excited everybody gets at Fantasmic!!! I find that as the finale begins everyone always gets really enthusiastic! And the majority are adults too! Further proof that Disney is not just for kids

Rob, please know that your Stacey quotes do not go unnoticed, and are certainly appreciated. ("YOU'RE GONNA GET WETTTTTTTTT!!!!") I read it in Stacey's voice before you even mentioned it was Stacey
OMG NO! This did not just happen...

It makes me so happy that you love Sunny!!! As I've mentioned before, it's not popular at all over here in England, it's just on Netflix, so nobody really knows about it. I LOVE that I can throw in Sunny references and people actually GET them!!! They've supposedly signed for another 2 seasons, so that's something to look forward to!!

Hahah I know, call me pathetic, but I LOVE to name and shame if someone really ticks me off Part of me clings to the tiny possibility that she may have read that update but seriously, WHO DOES THAT? I'm slightly worried that this years annoyance is going to be selfie sticks... I have no problem with people using them, just PLEEEEASE don't hold them up in front of me at the parades / fireworks I'm glad to hear Disney have banned them on attractions now OMG I sound like a bitter old man !!!!!!!!!!! To be fair though, it takes A LOT to annoy me when I'm at Disney

And I'm glad you've laughed at the rudeness! That does make things better I guess

To those people you encountered in HS:

View attachment 86766

(I think it's the second one...)

OMG, how did you know - I LOVE that film, and I love Emma Stone more! She's my number one woman crush applying that scene to this situation has seriously made me feel better about it all hopefully I'll think about it if I run into any more rude encounters!!

Despite your encounters with rude guests, it sounds like you had a nice night in Hollywood Studios.

I love your Fantasmic picture of Mickey holding out the sword.

Of all of your encounters, I think I would've been most annoyed with the video taping woman for two reasons: (1) Tower of Terror is my FAVORITE attraction in Disney World. Don't mess with my Tower experience, lady! and (2) As someone that owns a video camera, that external light is BRIGHT. How obnoxious.

The Beach Club lobby sure is pretty.

Onto the Grand Floridian!

It was a good night overall! Let's be serious, seeing rude people at Disney is better than seeing nice people any where else (to some extent anyway )

The woman on ToT was definitely the most annoying. I actually don't think I would've been that phased by any of the other people if it wasn't for her. Like, she bugged me so much that every other annoying thing multiplied in my mind.. If that makes sense!? OMG Jenny, it was SO bright. SO OBNOXIOUSLY BRIGHT. And like, keep in mind that the whole ride is practically PITCH BLACK. It was so bad. I'm so surprised no one said anything. Unless they did, and she ignored them.. I wouldn't put it past her!

Grand Floridian will be coming soon!! As I've said above, we had to wait until 3pm to check in, so there are a few more updates beforehand, but I'm really excited to post the GF pictures, so hopefully I'll post the prior updates pretty quickly / all at once

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Hey Katie! I'm so glad you wrote about Fantasmic! It's one of the things I'm looking forward to most this trip. I think I might have an old friend who's living in FL join us that night. We even got the Fantasmic! package at Mama Melrose's so I don't have to worry about the FP+ or standby lines. I'm so happy I made that decision after reading your experience. Also it's great after your evening that you were able to look back on it positively.

Poor Jamie. He seems to be getting injured a lot.

Loved the Lucille Bluth faces. I miss that show. I also thought it was funny that you would associate that song with Sunny more than Ferris Bueller. I love Sunny but would never think of anything but Ferris Bueller when I hear that song. I was obviously an 80's child.

Another thing that will also make me sound old is how annoyed I get by entitled people. I could go on and on but I will spare you. I can't believe the flash story. I am so paranoid when I take photographs in a public place, I check and re-check my camera then take a photo of the floor to make sure I have the flash off. I hope I don't encounter too many annoying people to harsh my mellow. At least I will try to laugh at it like you did.

Can't wait to see how you guys liked the Grand Floridian!

Colleen, your night sounds brilliant! I enjoyed Mama Melrose a lot, and then Fantasmic for dessert?!!? Sounds great to me!! I think sometimes the Fantasmic fastpass is useful... Maybe? I don't know. But certainly not this time, and I won't be booking it again for this September. I'm glad you're so excited to see Fantasmic though, I love love love it

Jamie did get pretty beaten/bitten/bruised up! Surprisingly, neither of us got any mosquito bites for the whole two weeks?! I don't know if that's to do with the time of year or something? But when I would go as a kid I ALWAYS got itchy bites all over me, even with bug repellent. So maybe Jamie's clumsiness cancelled that out

I do love that scene from Ferris Bueller, where he takes the car, right?! But we've watched Sunny soooo many times, and we were able to spout off so many quotes from that episode

Entitled people are also my pet peeves! I do the same thing with the flash on my camera, I always check and double check. When it's dark and people are very close to me, I even get paranoid about the LED screen. I don't like to come across as the guy who draws attention to all the negative experiences, so I should note that we encountered SO many lovely, polite people too It really stood out to us how well behaved so many of the children were, which we were really happy to notice I hope you don't come across any rude people

I have an umbrella. I call it looking away and moving on.
Just because you are miserable doesn't mean you're going to make me!
Ain't gonna rain on my parade!

Yup. Pretty much.
Actually, years ago, there was no tax.
It was then brought in as a "temporary" measure rotfl:Oh man! Too funny!) for WWI.
So it made sense to just tack it on afterwards I guess.
Now... yeah. It's not so funny anymore.



No way! Cool!

I should hope so! I hear some people can even play it on the piano.

Are you joking?
Then why waste a FP on it???

That bites. I hope they do something about that in the future.

Awwww... Poor Katie.

Words not usually heard in the same breath.
"What is emotional wreck and So good, Alex."

Oh? I thought the dragon came out every night.
Too windy?

I was going to repost your wet picture, but Rob beat me too it!

Uh, oh.



I usually try to walk past people like that.
And I try to step on as many toes as I possibly can.

Love that song!
I do the bass part (Oh.... Yeah...) all the time.
Not that I'm very good at it.

Did not know... and... nice!

Whoops!

Exit ride. Walk up to nearest CM. Ask if you could possibly ride again since it was ruined by that (point to idiot with the vid cam) self centered, incredibly stupid person.

Silver lining.

Lovely. Why do people think this is funny?
Go for a long walk off a short pier.

Too bad your night was less than stellar.
But remember... Your in Disney World!

Why thank you! Don't mind if I do.

<phew> You had me worried there for a bit.

Can't wait to read all about it!
Thanks for the update!

YES me too, whenever I see people looking miserable I just think "HOW can you not be completely in your element here? You're in DISNEY!"

Wow that tax thing is not funny.. So is it the same in Canada? You guys should just come to the UK. The sign says it's £9.99? Pay with a £10 note. It saves me running around hotels scrounging around the room for coins

I'm glad you appreciate that I can play Fantasmic on the piano, no one here knows what it is or where it's from.. (FOOLS!)

EXACTLY. It was kind of annoying because obviously (if we'd have wanted to) we couldn't get a 4th / 5th fastpass, as Fantasmic was at the end of the night. I'm sure they'll do something proper with the fastpass in the busy seasons, but I won't be booking it again for this September!

The "emotional wreck" that I speak of is of course overwhelming happiness!!

Yeah I thought the dragon came out every night too. I'm not sure what was going on, we figured there was a technical issue of some sort. It's OK though, it gives me an excuse to see it again this year

Oh dear.. with reference to my Kali River Rapids photo, check out my reply to Rob's comment, in my above post..

Haha, maybe I'll try the toe-stepping next time it happens all the time at things like Muppetvision and Philharmagic.. it annoys me because the CMs are trying to hard to get people to "move down to the end of the row" and people just ignore them. I hate the thought of these CMs getting in trouble!

Oh cool! Maybe if we ever run into each other at Disney, we'll do a "Day-Bow-Bow" duet

Ugh I know. As I've said earlier, if I'd have been sat next to her I would've said something, but I couldn't really since I was on the front row and she was on the back. It was so irritating, but if that was the worst thing to happen to us, I guess we did fairly well

"Go for a long walk off a short pier" Being a Back to the Future lover, I very much appreciate this saying

Ahh yes, when I read the update back to myself I realised I'd complained A LOT it really wasn't a bad night at all! The ToT woman just really bugged me and I let it irritate me more than it should have! But I saw Fantasmic, so how could I complain really?!

Oh, fantasmic.....we haven't seen that in years. I miss it....

I hate it when people are so wrapped up in their trip that they fail to realize other people are trying to enjoy theirs. I mean, I know you paid big bucks to go to Disney and have your dream vacation, but, oh wait......SO DID EVERYONE ELSE! Karma is coming.....

I'm glad you got to finish the day at your mansion and all was well!

I love Fantasmic! I remember seeing it as a kid and being terrified!!! But thankfully I can really appreciate it now

Ugh I know. Just think about the fact that ToT is practically pitch black throughout the entire ride, then think about how bright the flash light is on your phone.. SO RUDE!!

Ahh yes, it was GREAT returning to our mansion We could just kick back and relax in the comfort of our own home (I can dream, right?!)

Rude people suck. That is all.

I am glad you still viewed it as a great day!

Ugh I know right. At least Fantasmic was SO good, so in hindsight it kinda negated the rudeness

Also, as a side note, Jamie and I FINALLY got to see the new Cinderella tonight, so I just gazed at your avatar pic for a good 15 seconds love it!

Hi Katie

What an awesome TR, we go this September...so glad to see small queues still. We first went September 2003, and it was the same then!!

That's great, have an amazing time in September!!! I hope it's just as quite this year What dates are you going? We'll be there again from September 22nd - October 6th

I always say WDW would be so much better with no people in It sounds as though you encountered lots of rude people in such a short space of time!!!

I'm pleased you enjoyed Fantasmic though

Haha I know!! Thinking back to that night, the other two people weren't THAT rude.. Like, I probably wouldn't even have mentioned them.. But that woman on ToT bugged me so much, everything multiplied and I let it get the better of me, and labelled that night as 'the night everybody was rude' Thankfully Fantasmic was so good, it kinda negated the bad experiences

Fantastic update, rude people and all!!! Love your attitude and all the photos!

Thanks so much!! I guess, I was at Disney, so it couldn't have been THAT bad You find rude people everywhere, so I guess if you HAVE to deal with them, it may as well be at Disney, where everything else outshines them!

Another reason you get a senior position in the lame squad is because you love It's Always Sunny!! I live right outside of Philly so some of the episodes are especially great! And ugh rude people! Hopefully this was your only experience with so many of them. The flash thing gets me On my first trip with Ricky some guy sat on Small World with his giant professional camera and just snapped away. I had bursts of light in front of my eyes for so long after. Who even films with a flash?!

Yay for an Always Sunny lover! It's officially on the list of criteria for joining our lame squad That's cool that you live near Philly! I think I read that Mac actually has a bar in Philly or something?! I love that so many people on the boards are into It's Always Sunny. It's on our Netflix here in the UK which is where Jamie and I watched it, but hardly anyone here knows about it!
Ugh I know, I can't handle it. I really don't mind if someone takes like one picture with the flash.. But all the way through is just as annoying as filming with the flash. That sucks that you've had the same kind of thing on It's A Small World. Disney really should enforce some rules against it !

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Stop now! Self taught?? DH and I were literally talking yesterday about getting a keyboard to teach DS and if ends up liking it, getting him a piano when he's older...mainly so he can play Disney background music while I cook and stuff

What the heck? I would have been so annoyed and irritated!

But you got this view, for reals?!

Oh my. This song reminds me of every family event i've ever been to in my life. Ever. This and 'Celebrate' by Kool and the Gang.

Oh my gosh. I can't express how hard i'm rolling my eyes. So annoying!
DH and I sing this song all the time!

I'm shocked that nobody turned around and said something to her!

.....

Are you sure this wasn't my DH?

(hiding behind my shades)

He does this randomly sometimes. But please trust that I do scold him from time to time.

Knowing that has got to make up for some of those terrible people you ran into that evening!

Hey girl!!

You should totally get Calvin a keyboard, I think it's a really great skill to learn!! I had piano lessons from when I was about 11 through to like 18, and I've continued to play and teach myself songs since then! There's a lot of good sheet music online I LOVE the thought of Calvin playing Disney songs for you while you cook haha!

Yeah, our Fantasmic view ended up being really good, I've no idea how!!!

Oh wow, can I come to your family events..?! We have a bar in my town that plays cheesy 70s / 80s / 90s songs like that. When I want to get my drunken dancing shoes on, it's the BEST. PLACE. EVER.

I definitely would've said something to that woman if I'd been sat next to her, but since I was on the front row and she was on the back, I felt like I couldn't.. But as I said earlier, a little part of me really hopes that by some tiny chance, she's read that update and feels terribly about herself

Hahaha OMG this guy. He would jump into the background of a photo, and laugh at himself while his family looked mortified, then they'd try to take another, and he'd jump IN FRONT of the camera. The photographer was just like .. then further down Hollywood Boulevard he would do the exact same thing to a different family/photographer.. Like DUDE. GET THE HINT. It's 11:30pm and no one is amused If the family / photographer were laughing along with him, it wouldn't have bothered me at all, but they were clearly very unimpressed

Yeahh, I got over the events pretty quickly!!! Nothing keeps me down when I'm at Disney!

I want to go to Alicia's next family event!

My thoughts exactly!

Hey!! I find your trip report the other day and LOVE IT! So many pictures and all your videos are hilarious!

I'm from Dublin and currently planning a trip in January to hopefully OKW and definitely AKL! I'm SO FRICKEN JEALOUS that you stayed at Beach Club and THE GRAND FLORIDIAN!!!!! We're looking to book OKW this month when the free dining offer comes out. I would much prefer either of your hotels but they'll be a lot more expensive as OKW tends to be discounted for free dining too offers too.

Ok so first off.... Premium Economy with Virgin (again jealous) sounds great! We're booked with Virgin for January and have paid for exit rows seats right at the front so that's our little treat to ourselves!

I've been to Orlando so many times and STILL this one gets me every now and then! Got me in TRex last time! Seriously, who eats a burger and CRISPS?!

​

Love the illuminations moment! We had a similar exciting room moment in Animal Kingdom Lodge, we hadn't booked a Savana view so weren't expecting to see any animals but when we went out on our balcony we saw zebras! It was sooooo cool!

Your bag is BRILLIANT! I was looking at a similar type Olaf bag that I might get for our trip

Gaston is my favourite character to meet, he's so funny! (and gorgeous!)

It's great that you and your boyfriend love Disney, I've been twice with mine but I think he's had his fill for now

We really enjoy going to Universal as well, especially now with the Harry Potter areas, I don't feel like a trip is complete without a visit.

We got stung by taxi costs too! I couldn't believe how expensive they were.

Really excited for the next part of your TR and I see you're going back this year too... YAH!

Hey! I'm glad you're here Thanks so much, I'm really glad you're enjoying it!

That's so cool, I always say that if I don't go in September I'd probably go in January. Low crowds and much less heat and humidity! It sounds like a great trip to me!! I've never even visited OKW, but from the pictures it looks like a really beautiful resort! And AKL will be amazing too

I'm such a big fan of extra leg room on flights! I think the exit row seats should definitely be worth the extra money It's such a long trip from over here too, it's just nice to have a bit more space to stretch out Premium Economy was really really lovely too, and there are a LOT of free alcohol offerings, which we enjoy very much

HAHA, I know!!! That's exactly what i said at the time, "who serves a burger and CRISPS for an evening meal?!" It got me again at our second visit to Universal! We speak the same language, yet I still feel like I need a translator with me sometimes

The illuminations moment was sooo good! I hadn't got my bearings so I couldn't really figure out which way our balcony was facing.. I never imagined we might be able to see the fireworks!! Your view from your room at AKL sounds so perfect too! I think Jamie would love to stay there, he's loves animals so much. We're having dinner at Boma this year, and I think when he sees the rooms overlooking the Savanna he'll really want to stay there!

Haha thank you!! I think it's totally acceptable to wear a bag like that at Disney I bought it off ebay, but before I bought it, I spoke briefly to the guy who was selling it (about the size and stuff) and he told me his 5 year old used it as her school backpack From one 5 year old to another!!!!

Gaston is definitely my favourite character to meet too! He was hilarious, I can't remember a lot of the stuff we talked about, but I know I laughed a lot. And very charming!! There were a lot of giggling girls around (myself included ) I like meeting the characters who have a bit more personality to them, so I'm excited to meet Anastasia and Drizella this year too!! They look like a lot of fun

I feel really lucky that Jamie was completely open minded about going to Disney the first time we went in 2012. I know too many guys who think they're "too cool" for Disney Jamie was excited to go, and has loved both our trips, which I appreciate SO much Well, it's good that your boyfriend has been with you twice already!!! I bet he won't be able to stay away for too long entice him with all the new things!! I recently showed Jamie some youtube videos of Trader Sam's that's just opened at the Polynesian (where we're staying this year) and he got SO excited by it!! Maybe try the same kind of thing with your guy

I'm glad you like Universal too! I'm exactly the same, I wouldn't go all the way to Florida without paying a visit to Universal! I just wish there was an easier way to get there from Disney, but obviously, they don't want to make it easy for you to leave the Disney bubble Someone's suggested using Uber, which I'm going to look into for this year

Thanks again for reading!

 

[pkondz]

You guys should just come to the UK. The sign says it's £9.99? Pay with a £10 note. It saves me running around hotels scrounging around the room for coins

Actually, when we go to Europe (No, haven't been to your neck of the woods since I was.... 10?) I love not having to fish for change.
"How much? Five Euros?.... Here's Five Euros. And not E5.65."

I'm glad you appreciate that I can play Fantasmic on the piano, no one here knows what it is or where it's from.. (FOOLS!)

Oh dear.. with reference to my Kali River Rapids photo, check out my reply to Rob's comment, in my above post..

I saw that!
You're famous, Katie!
You're Famous Katie!

Oh cool! Maybe if we ever run into each other at Disney, we'll do a "Day-Bow-Bow" duet

I'd like that!

 

[Sockgap]

That's great, have an amazing time in September!!! I hope it's just as quite this year What dates are you going? We'll be there again from September 22nd - October 6th

We're there just before you, 6th to 20th September. Thought the kids may be bored of us talking about it all the time but they're lapping it up. It's the youngests 7th birthday while we're there too , he's decided on Harry Potter, the Diagon Alley section for the day and mini golf at night.

 

[bbak30]

Can't believe I'm just now finding this TR! 2 weeks at Disney--so jealous!!!!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

We're there just before you, 6th to 20th September. Thought the kids may be bored of us talking about it all the time but they're lapping it up. It's the youngests 7th birthday while we're there too , he's decided on Harry Potter, the Diagon Alley section for the day and mini golf at night.

That sounds great! I hope your youngest has a great 7th birthday Diagon Alley is a great choice

Can't believe I'm just now finding this TR! 2 weeks at Disney--so jealous!!!!

Hey and !! I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 8
(September 9th 2014)
Moving to the GRAND FLORIDIAN!
Part 1 – Goodbye Beach Club, Hello Magic Kingdom!

It's moving day!!!

I was a little sad to leave the Beach Club.
I really LOVE this resort!
(I’ll do a mini report at the end of this TR!)

But I was BEYOND excited to move to the Grand Floridian!
My family and I would always visit 1900 Park Fare at the Grand on every trip and we LOVED the resort.
We would always take the time to look around and sit on the beach.
So I had practically been waiting for this day for my entire life!

And we had so much fun at Magic Kingdom while we were waiting to check in.

So let’s begin!

We had a late night last night. We showered and packed and didn’t get to sleep until around 1am.

But we were up and at ‘em bright and early, and dragged our luggage down to the lobby by 8:30am!

Jamie ran back to the room to grab a couple more things, and I sat in the lobby and took some pictures.

I had a really nice conversation with the old sailor guy who hangs around the Beach Club lobby!
I don’t remember exactly what we talked about, but I told him I was leaving today and he asked me if I had enjoyed the resort, and wished me a happy stay at the Grand Floridian

Jamie arrived and we checked out, we said goodbye to the resort, and left 6 bags with bell services.
SIX.
Thank you, bell services. And sorry.
(Three were small bags, but still.)
They were moving our luggage straight from the Beach Club to the Grand Floridian for us, which was SUPER handy!

GOODBYE BEACH CLUB! I LOVE YOU!

The bus came right away and we arrived at Magic Kingdom at 9:20am!

The first thing I wanted to do was grab some Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom cards!
For anyone who might not know, these are super cute, FREE souvenirs that you can pick up from the Fire Station in Town Square

There are 70 different cards to collect, and you can get one pack of 5 cards per person, per day (as far as I’m aware).

These were the cards we got!

The woman at the fire station taught us how to play the game, and as we thanked her she said,

“Oh you guys are an adorable couple, I can’t STAND it!”

She was so sweet!

But I could tell Jamie was fighting the urge to tell her we were brother and sister...
You know, just to be an awkward jerk.

Thankfully he didn’t.

We walked out onto Main Street and noticed that the dreaded CRANE had made an appearance behind the castle!!

Thankfully, I have a friend who is pretty nifty with photoshop, so she graciously edited the crane out of a bunch of photos for me

We made our way over to Frontierland, but noticed that Tiana was meeting in her gazebo!
I HAD to meet her.
The Princess and the Frog is one of my favourite Disney films!

She said I looked like I was going to a party, so I told her I was on my way to her restaurant!
She said she’d cook me up some Gumbo!

I also told her that Jamie was a frog until I kissed him

She was so lovely and pretty, and we had a great chat.

Next up, we went to do some sorcery in Frontierland over by the Country Bear Jamboree.

This was a lot of fun!...When we could actually get it to work!
Sometimes it wouldn’t register our spells which was kind of infuriating

We completed this location, and moved to another spot nearby and played again. But we didn’t do anymore after that.

It’s fun, but I’d rather be doing the attractions and taking in the atmosphere!
I really like the cards as souvenirs though

Now if you know me at all, you know that there is NO WAY I can go through Frontierland without visiting Splash Mountain.

So that is where we went!

On this ride through we had a good giggle at how much of an exhibitionist Br’er Bear is..!

Once we’d noticed it, THIS pose was just hilarious.

…And one more, for good measure.

Best ride at Disney!!!!!
Honestly...

Click for Day 8, Part 2!​

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Splash mountain! I love that ride, but I might have to argue with you that the best ride is right next door--I really adore big thunder mountain railroad!

Oh, Tiana! She's so pretty! When we met her, Naveen was with her and our youngest was seriously tounge tied. Our oldest adored them both. They were an awesome meet! (You know this I'm sure, but Naveen is with her if you go to meet them after 4 I think--just FYI for future reference )

Can't wait to hear about grand Floridian--you lucky kids!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 8
(September 9th 2014)
Moving to the GRAND FLORIDIAN!
Part 2 – The dinner here is never second best.

(Warning: Slight Parental Advisory later in this update!)

We exited Splash at 10am, and who was stood near the exit..?

BARBARA!

Doing a little jig and clapping for everyone who walked past!

In case you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Barbara:

It was so great to see her in her usual high spirits!

We continued on round to Big Thunder Mountain

It was a walk-on and super fun as usual.

Then we headed towards Fantasyland!

To ride…

IT’S A SMALL WORLD.

YAY NO LINE.

(PARENTAL ADVISORY!)

So, there’s this really bizarre show here in the UK that’s usually showing in the dead of night, called The Mighty Boosh.

And THIS is part of a sketch...

(Yes, it is exactly how it looks…)

…So whilst riding It’s a Small World, I had a great laugh at THIS girl!!

(I refuse to include that madness in my trip report, but for anyone wondering, just search for ‘Old Gregg’ on Youtube...)

This ride never gets any less weird, but, in the words of Queen Stacey, it’s a “Ca-las-sic”.
So you HAVE to ride it at least once.

We had a lot of fun mimicking the robotic dances.

Next we walked around to Tomorrowland.
It was 10:40am and it was EMPTY!

We went for a quick game of Buzz!

Jamie was getting super irritated that I was hitting the big targets!
So I finally shared the very last one with him!

There was no line at all, so we rode again and I showed Jamie ALL of the big targets!

We still didn’t do great though.

Then it was time for Be Our Guest!

On our first day we enjoyed our lunch so much, that night I went searching for another fastpass, and I found an 11am opening!

Jamie loves to pose with the statues…

So I told him to whip his shirt off and pose with THIS one (below), you know, because that’s obviously the one who looks most similar to him

We found a nice little spot in the corner of the ballroom.
I LOVE the ballroom.
It really goes against my beliefs to sit in the west wing / gallery.

We both had the turkey sandwich this time, and it was just as good as before!

I had mine with fries and Jamie had his with green beans (but still ate some of my fries )

(For some reason I didn’t take a picture of our food, so here’s a picture of the turkey sandwich I got on our first visit!)

We had a really nice time at Be Our Guest again!
I love how magical the ballroom is.
It’s by far my favourite lunch option in the parks!

We left the restaurant at around 11:30am…

Only 3.5 hours until check in!

Click for Day 8, Part 3!​

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I've never played Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (or its Epcot counterpart, whatever it's called now). I find it difficult to tear myself away from the attractions!

We rode Splash Mountain for the first time in 2012, and although we liked the attraction it didn't top our other favorite MK attractions. We also had a bad experience on it in 2013 so I hope I can convince Anika to ride at least once! (I do hold a Fastpass+ for it, though! )

I love the picture of you standing with Zurg.

I thought Be Our Guest was beautiful when we ate there for dinner. I'm not sure I'll ever get there for lunch as Liberty Tree Tavern always wins, but I would love to try the Master's Cupcake. (The brownie just doesn't look as tasty to me.)

This may be preemptive, but did you like the delivery service to move your luggage? Is it as easy as telling the front desk that you're moving to "X" hotel? I was planning on keeping our rental car through all three hotel switches in order to drive myself to the resort, check in, and move the luggage, but perhaps I should just let Disney take care of it?

 

[beckyx3]

Yay for an Always Sunny lover! It's officially on the list of criteria for joining our lame squad That's cool that you live near Philly! I think I read that Mac actually has a bar in Philly or something?! I love that so many people on the boards are into It's Always Sunny. It's on our Netflix here in the UK which is where Jamie and I watched it, but hardly anyone here knows about it!
Ugh I know, I can't handle it. I really don't mind if someone takes like one picture with the flash.. But all the way through is just as annoying as filming with the flash. That sucks that you've had the same kind of thing on It's A Small World. Disney really should enforce some rules against it !

Yes! It's called Mac's Tavern. My family and I love it there, the food is great. It was one of the stops during my birthday festivities last year When the show first came out here people quoted it nonstop. It's died down a bit. The coolest part is in the beginning where they show all of the different places we know where it is and, of course, Ricky and I are Philly sports fans so the Invincible episode and the World Series Defense (my personal favorite!) are pretty cool too! I wonder if Disney will start enforcing no flash more since they banned the selfie sticks, I guess we'll see!

So we do the same thing with Sorcerer's. We're always like "Yeah, this is going to be great!" And then we get lost trying to find portals or can't get the spells to work. But I agree that the cards are a great souvenir! And Old Gregg! I have a friend who used to be obsessed with Old Gregg in high school. I couldn't get into it! But a few weeks ago someone tweeted about it and we reminisced about it all over again The Dis is not somewhere I thought Old Gregg would pop up but the comparison is hilarious

 

[pkondz]

It's moving day!!!

You seem excited. Most people don't like to move.
Odd.

My family and I would always visit 1900 Park Fare at the Grand on every trip and we LOVED the resort.
We would always take the time to look around and sit on the beach.
So I had practically been waiting for this day for my entire life!

Awwww... That's really nice.
I can see why you're so pumped.

We showered and packed and didn’t get to sleep until around 1am.

You partiers you!

I sat in the lobby and took some pictures.

And such nice pictures too!
Thanks!

I had a really nice conversation with the old sailor guy who hangs around the Beach Club lobby!

Is this a regular? Like the Teddy Bear lady at GF? Never heard of him.

Jamie arrived and we checked out, we said goodbye to the resort, and left 6 bags with bell services.
SIX.
Thank you, bell services. And sorry.
(Three were small bags, but still.)

The first thing I wanted to do was grab some Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom cards!

I thought about doing that game and decided not to.
I'm not a big collector of stuff so I didn't pick up the cards.
But now I'm thinking I should have, just for people like you who want them!

“Oh you guys are an adorable couple, I can’t STAND it!”

She was so sweet!

She's right, too.

But I could tell Jamie was fighting the urge to tell her we were brother and sister...
You know, just to be an awkward jerk.

That would've been awesome!
I think I like Jamie.

Thankfully he didn’t.

Too bad.

Thankfully, I have a friend who is pretty nifty with photoshop, so she graciously edited the crane out of a bunch of photos for me

Photoshop. It's a wonderful thing.

The Princess and the Frog is one of my favourite Disney films!

I've been hearing a lot of good things about that movie lately.
I haven't seen it. Guess I'll have to try and find a copy somewhere and check it out.

She said she’d cook me up some Gumbo!

mmmm... Ever had gumbo?
Yummy.

I also told her that Jamie was a frog until I kissed him

I believe you.
I'm pretty sure you have to be a princess to do it, so that makes sense.

Sometimes it wouldn’t register our spells which was kind of infuriating

I'm all for bringing in new technology to the parks... but shouldn't you have the kinks ironed out by now?

It’s fun, but I’d rather be doing the attractions and taking in the atmosphere!

I get that.

On this ride through we had a good giggle at how much of an exhibitionist Br’er Bear is..!

Never thought of it that way before!
I guess you just have to have a certain..... mind-set.

Even the kids in front of you had both hands in the air.
Just sayin'.

Best ride at Disney!!!!!
Honestly...

I believe you had a typo there.
Pretty sure you meant to say BTMRR was the best.

I'll forgive you this time.

In case you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Barbara:

I haven't met her, but I know of her!

We continued on round to Big Thunder Mountain

There ya go.
Now you're talking.

It was a walk-on and super fun as usual.

A walk on???
A WALK ON?!?!?!

To ride…

IT’S A SMALL WORLD.

Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

YAY NO LINE.

Too bad.
Maybe a line would've dissuaded you.

So, there’s this really bizarre show here in the UK that’s usually showing in the dead of night, called The Mighty Boosh.

And THIS is part of a sketch...

(Yes, it is exactly how it looks…)

Oh, man. That's hysterical!

…So whilst riding It’s a Small World, I had a great laugh at THIS girl!!

(I refuse to include that madness in my trip report, but for anyone wondering, just search for ‘Old Gregg’ on Youtube...)

Shoot. I'm at work so I can't.
It'll have to wait until later.

ETA Ok. Seen it now.

Would you like some Baileys?

So you HAVE to ride it at least once.

No.
No I don't.

We had a lot of fun mimicking the robotic dances.

Wish you'd video'd that!

25 years to life for being so darned adorbs!

On our first day we enjoyed our lunch so much, that night I went searching for another fastpass, and I found an 11am opening!

Score!

Jamie loves to pose with the statues…

So I see.

So I told him to whip his shirt off and pose with THIS one (below), you know, because that’s obviously the one who looks most similar to him

And.... did he?
"Nudist tourist escorted from Magic Kingdom. News at 11."

Day 8, Part 3 - Coming Soon!!

Can't wait! Thanks for the update Katie! :

 

[kroseycorn]

OMG The Mighty Boosh. When i request Bailey's Irish Cream for any reason, i just tell my husband i'd like some "creamy beige"! Ha! I'll never be able to ride small world again without thinking of it!

Also, hi... I've been lurking (i think... Maybe i posted before. Who knows!?).

Love your photo with Tiana. The green in her dress and the orange swag look really good together!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

You got another update in when I was commenting before--so.....I'm back!

I can't believe you saw Barbara! I always get a little teary when I see her video. She's just so dang happy and full of Disney Magic! Love it!

Jamie does a good impression of a statue. Next time, a great alternative pic would be



Yeah--she actually scolded us-the grown ups-that you're not supposed to pick your nose. But DH and I laughed and laughed over it. It's pretty sad when your then 6 year old is more mature then you are

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh Katie, I am obsessed with Resort Welcome Mats. Thanks for this.

This is the second TR I've read recently that had a resort change on the same say as Magic Kingdom. Gutsy.

I still don't understand why I haven't collected any Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom cards. They're cool, and free is totally within my price range.

Next up, we went to do some sorcery in Frontierland over by the Country Bear Jamboree.

... And then for some insane reason didn't go into Country Bear Jamboree.

Now if you know me at all, you know that there is NO WAY I can go through Frontierland without visiting Splash Mountain.

And for the second update in a row... YOU'RE GONNA GET WETTTTTTTTT!!!! YEAH!!!!

(Warning: Slight Parental Advisory later in this update!)

Darn.

... End comments.

Oh what the heck, I'll take the chance.

I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING BARBARA!!!!!!!!

Oh c'mon... Stop Teasing!!! Skipped for Small World???? Katie!!! That alone should have a parental advisory.

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Splash mountain! I love that ride, but I might have to argue with you that the best ride is right next door--I really adore big thunder mountain railroad!

Oh, Tiana! She's so pretty! When we met her, Naveen was with her and our youngest was seriously tounge tied. Our oldest adored them both. They were an awesome meet! (You know this I'm sure, but Naveen is with her if you go to meet them after 4 I think--just FYI for future reference )

Can't wait to hear about grand Floridian--you lucky kids!

Haha funny, both you and pkondz agree on Big Thunder! I do like it, but I prefer longer rides/attractions and if I can sing my heart out, then that's just perfect

I actually didn't know when Naveen comes out, so thanks for the tip!!! I love Naveen, so I'll be sure to keep that in mind for this year

I've never played Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (or its Epcot counterpart, whatever it's called now). I find it difficult to tear myself away from the attractions!

We rode Splash Mountain for the first time in 2012, and although we liked the attraction it didn't top our other favorite MK attractions. We also had a bad experience on it in 2013 so I hope I can convince Anika to ride at least once! (I do hold a Fastpass+ for it, though! )

I love the picture of you standing with Zurg.

I thought Be Our Guest was beautiful when we ate there for dinner. I'm not sure I'll ever get there for lunch as Liberty Tree Tavern always wins, but I would love to try the Master's Cupcake. (The brownie just doesn't look as tasty to me.)

This may be preemptive, but did you like the delivery service to move your luggage? Is it as easy as telling the front desk that you're moving to "X" hotel? I was planning on keeping our rental car through all three hotel switches in order to drive myself to the resort, check in, and move the luggage, but perhaps I should just let Disney take care of it?

Hey Jenny! Unfortunately that's exactly how I felt with Sorcerers. I thought the technology was a lot of fun, but it's not something I want to focus myself on when I'm in the Magic Kingdom!

Oh man, I'm so sad to hear you aren't really into Splash Mountain!!! I have a serious childhood attachment to it, and I LOVE the songs, so I feel very strongly about it What kind of bad experience did you have with it in 2013?! I hope you have a better time this year

I actually haven't eaten at Liberty Tree Tavern before! It was on my list of 'maybe's in preparation for ADR day, but it turns out it will be closed for refurbishment during our trip I think Be Our Guest is a great lunch option, I can't get enough of that turkey sandwich! And the Master's cupcake was soooo good. I preferred it to the triple chocolate cupcake. You should try it this time!

We had absolutely no issues with the bell services moving our luggage! Prior to the trip I had been worrying about how to move all our stuff. But it was super easy. We just dragged everything down to the lobby (although I'm sure they come and get it if you need), told them we were moving to the Grand, and they attached some labels to each bag and took everything off our hands When we checked into our room at 3pm we had a note saying that our bags were downstairs, and to call a number on the room phone to let them know we were ready for it. Then someone game up to our room with all of our bags!! Like I said in my update, there were 6 bags, and Jamie's backpack was left in the luggage room at the Grand, but we told the guy and he ran straight back down to get it and brought it to us I would definitely do it again/recommend it

Yes! It's called Mac's Tavern. My family and I love it there, the food is great. It was one of the stops during my birthday festivities last year When the show first came out here people quoted it nonstop. It's died down a bit. The coolest part is in the beginning where they show all of the different places we know where it is and, of course, Ricky and I are Philly sports fans so the Invincible episode and the World Series Defense (my personal favorite!) are pretty cool too! I wonder if Disney will start enforcing no flash more since they banned the selfie sticks, I guess we'll see!

So we do the same thing with Sorcerer's. We're always like "Yeah, this is going to be great!" And then we get lost trying to find portals or can't get the spells to work. But I agree that the cards are a great souvenir! And Old Gregg! I have a friend who used to be obsessed with Old Gregg in high school. I couldn't get into it! But a few weeks ago someone tweeted about it and we reminisced about it all over again The Dis is not somewhere I thought Old Gregg would pop up but the comparison is hilarious

That's so cool!!! Omg, the World Series Defence is BRILLIANT! I just need to throw this in here..

Hahah I know, before I took the trip I never expected Old Gregg to make an appearance in my trip report That's funny that you know it though! Even some of my friends here in England don't know that the show exists

You seem excited. Most people don't like to move.
Odd.

Awwww... That's really nice.
I can see why you're so pumped.

You partiers you!

And such nice pictures too!
Thanks!

Is this a regular? Like the Teddy Bear lady at GF? Never heard of him.



I thought about doing that game and decided not to.
I'm not a big collector of stuff so I didn't pick up the cards.
But now I'm thinking I should have, just for people like you who want them!

She's right, too.


That would've been awesome!
I think I like Jamie.

Too bad.

Photoshop. It's a wonderful thing.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about that movie lately.
I haven't seen it. Guess I'll have to try and find a copy somewhere and check it out.

mmmm... Ever had gumbo?
Yummy.

I believe you.
I'm pretty sure you have to be a princess to do it, so that makes sense.

I'm all for bringing in new technology to the parks... but shouldn't you have the kinks ironed out by now?

I get that.

Never thought of it that way before!
I guess you just have to have a certain..... mind-set.



Even the kids in front of you had both hands in the air.
Just sayin'.

I believe you had a typo there.
Pretty sure you meant to say BTMRR was the best.

I'll forgive you this time.

I haven't met her, but I know of her!

There ya go.
Now you're talking.

A walk on???
A WALK ON?!?!?!



Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Too bad.
Maybe a line would've dissuaded you.



Oh, man. That's hysterical!



Shoot. I'm at work so I can't.
It'll have to wait until later.

ETA Ok. Seen it now.

Would you like some Baileys?

No.
No I don't.

Wish you'd video'd that!

25 years to life for being so darned adorbs!

Score!

So I see.

And.... did he?
"Nudist tourist escorted from Magic Kingdom. News at 11."

Can't wait! Thanks for the update Katie! :

I was a little sad because I LOVED the Beach Club, but I ordered the resorts this way around because I knew I was most excited about the Grand!

That's funny, because I've never heard of the Teddy Bear lady at the GF..?! Yeah this sailor guy always seemed to be mingling around the lobby! He was really sweet and it really added to the beach/yacht atmosphere seeing someone in full sailor gear!

Yes you should pick up the Sorcerer's cards! They're a really nice souvenir, I intend on picking up some more this year

Haha thanks!!! And I wouldn't be surprised if Jamie had said we were brother and sister, although I would certainly scold him for it afterwards..!! He is not allowed to ruin any magic at Disney

Yes you need to see the Princess and the Frog! It's so great, with really beautiful background art too. You MUST watch it

"I'm pretty sure you have to be a princess to do it, so that makes sense." - YES! Obviously

"I guess you just have to have a certain..... mind-set." - Well I'm not completely innocent or anything, but Jamie is definitely the bad influence!!

Ha, nothing will ever beat Splash Mountain for me!!! As I said before, it was my favourite ride as a child, and I love the fact that it's a good 10 minutes long and that music just evokes pure happiness in me!

Haha oh nooo you watched it!! I hope your mental well-being is ok after witnessing that Just to clarify, that show is NOT typical of UK television!!

We had a lot of fun mimicking the robotic dances.
Wish you'd video'd that!
- I did actually get a funny video of Jamie doing it later that night when we were back at the hotel!! I'll be sure to include it