1st time F&W, MNSSHP, Africa Trek & no kids! (Updated 5/11/14)

[saintstickets]

After our fantastic tour that left us salivating, we had planned to go to Downtown Disney but instead headed back to the BCV to take it easy and walk around. We ended up stopping at Beaches and Cream for lunch. This was another 1st for us and again we were very pleased. No, we didn’t get the Kitchen Sink but a table next to us did



In case you didn’t know, this monstrosity has scoops of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee and mint chocolate chip ice cream with all the toppings they have and a whole can of whipped cream! They say it feeds four but I see four bad ice cream “brain freezes” happening if only 4 tried to tackle this thing! We were a bit more sensible. DW had a turkey club sandwich with fresh fruit



and I had their Rachel sandwich which is pastrami on marble rye with sauerkraut, arugula, swiss cheese and Peppercorn Russian dressing with a side order of onion rings



Believe it or not, we did not opt for any dessert! I know, what’s wrong with us? This is an ice cream parlor for goodness sake! We do have an excuse. Tonight we are going to MNSSHP and we have dinner reservations in a few hours at Be Our Guest restaurant. We were trying to not be total pigs.

For a quick service meal, Beaches and Cream gets a very solid B rating. Real good food and we will definitely go back. If we had tried a dessert, I suspect we might have given B&C a B+ rating! They do honor the TIW discount but as a side note, Beaches and Cream has begun to take advanced dining reservations. The last I heard you could still walk up to for take-out but I’m not sure if you will be able to get in during peak hours since there isn’t that many tables inside.

Afterwards, a quick stop in the gift shop for a BCV pin



And then back to our room to get ready for Be Our Guest and MNSSHP!

 

[saintstickets]

I just clicked on the link for your November 2010 TR and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't know you took the back stage tour. It does sound really cool. I think I am about due for another tour. Have you ever done the Steam Trains tour? I think that would be really cool. I'll have to try to talk Denny into it.

Anyway - I didn't finish it yet, but what an excellent TR. What a great way to spend your anniversary trip. And V&A's - nice! I am sad they are dropping it off the TIW card. Figures. Boo!

We really enjoyed the Back Stage Tour. I'd rate it right behind Wild Africa Trek. We have not tried the train tour yet but it is on our bucket list. We have to do tours when it is just DW and I...the kiddos aren't into that kind of stuff yet or maybe it's I don't want to have to pay for them too!!

As for not paying for the children to attend an event, tour or special dining...V&A is on that list as well!! We LOVED V&A and were planning on going back this coming October but DS1 & DDiL decided to join us. Oh well, we'll have to "settle" for Remy's on the Disney Dream when it will be just DW and I. Settle...hrumph...life is so hard!!

 

[MEK]

the kiddos aren't into that kind of stuff yet or maybe it's I don't want to have to pay for them too!!

Tell me about it! Having extra kids to pay for adds up fast!

I just remembered something else. The only time we went to CP we also saw John O'Hurley. He was a fantastic narrator.

So on to your most recent update. Cool tour of the VGF. I completely forgot you did that. That grand villa looks totally amazing! WOWSA. I have about enough points for what 4 nights there? I mean all my points. Does anyone have that many VGF points? I'm afraid to even look at that point chart. A media room, seriously? You are in Disney World - I hope you will be at the park and not watching movies all day.

Now that I am looking at your pictures I think the reason Denny probably agreed to a small purchase was that mirror TV. He is OBSESSED with TV's and probably on some subconscious level he really wants to be in front of a mirror and watch TV.

Our measly 50 points will not take us far. We are doing 3 nights in October. Then I may bank and do a longer stay there in 2 years. I also thought it would be a cool wedding present to send my kids there on their honeymoons with banking and borrowing. The question is am I really THAT generous to give them my VGF points. That will require a lot of soul searching. Fortunately there are NO imminent wedding plans.

 

[khertz]

Those units at VGF are insanely beautiful! Very cool that you were able to tour them. I think I would have had a hard time saying no to buying a contract if I would have seen that in person!!!

B&C is somewhere I still really want to eat and haven't made it to yet, but I definitely couldn't get out there and not have some dessert! In fact, if we ever do go, it would probably be for ONLY dessert.

Can't wait to see how your MNSSHP went!

 

[saintstickets]

Tell me about it! Having extra kids to pay for adds up fast!

I just remembered something else. The only time we went to CP we also saw John O'Hurley. He was a fantastic narrator.

It's hard to believe it's been over 3 years since we saw the CP. Every time I think about it I want to go. It's on our list for Dec, 2015.

So on to your most recent update. Cool tour of the VGF. I completely forgot you did that. That grand villa looks totally amazing! WOWSA. I have about enough points for what 4 nights there? I mean all my points. Does anyone have that many VGF points? I'm afraid to even look at that point chart. A media room, seriously? You are in Disney World - I hope you will be at the park and not watching movies all day.

Now that I am looking at your pictures I think the reason Denny probably agreed to a small purchase was that mirror TV. He is OBSESSED with TV's and probably on some subconscious level he really wants to be in front of a mirror and watch TV.

That place was to die for! I guess you could use the media room during a rain day or to watch the Saints?

Our measly 50 points will not take us far. We are doing 3 nights in October. Then I may bank and do a longer stay there in 2 years.

There is a 50 pt VGF (and our UY too!) on the resale market already and it was all I could do not to put in a bid. It's currently listed at $145/pt which is too high. Why pay the closing costs and go through ROFR when you can pay $10 more per point, buy direct from Disney and get it now! We were thinking about a 50 pt contract too. With banking & borrowing, we could stay at VGF during the first part of December, in a studio, for a week every 3rd year or stay 5 nights (Sun-Thurs) during the same time period, same room, every other year. VGF at Christmas time?!?! Sighhhh

I also thought it would be a cool wedding present to send my kids there on their honeymoons with banking and borrowing. The question is am I really THAT generous to give them my VGF points. That will require a lot of soul searching. Fortunately there are NO imminent wedding plans.

We gave our daughter enough points to visit Aulani for her honeymoon a couple of years ago. I have had a deal with all 3 kids that if they did a real simple wedding, I would pay for their honeymoon. DS1 didn't take me up on it. DD did and she wanted to go to Hawaii. It worked out great for both of us. For DD, a free trip to Hawaii. For me, no stress from DW and DD getting stressed out, an excuse to buy more DVC points that I will be able to use for years to come and I ended up saving money as well!!!

Those units at VGF are insanely beautiful! Very cool that you were able to tour them. I think I would have had a hard time saying no to buying a contract if I would have seen that in person!!!

Trust me when I say, it was all I could do to walk away without jumping in with both feet. If you're going to WDW on a regular basis anyway (every 3rd year or more often) and you will stay at deluxe resorts too, DVC makes perfect sense. There are a few quirks like the need to make reservations 7-11 months out to get the desired resort, you don't get mousekeeping service every day and it's not to your benefit to make last minute changes. With that said, if we compare what the rack rates would have been for the 6 trips (including 2 to Hawaii) we have taken since May, 2010 to the total costs we have spent, we are at a break even point after our next trip. From then on our only costs are the annual maintenance fees and those are a LOT less expensive than room rates for the trips we have planned. Unless of course we get "addonitis" again and purchase more points!

B&C is somewhere I still really want to eat and haven't made it to yet, but I definitely couldn't get out there and not have some dessert! In fact, if we ever do go, it would probably be for ONLY dessert.

We are staying at BWV in June with DD & DSiL and BCV in October with DS1 & DDiL. I have a strong suspicion I see a Kitchen Sink in our immediate future!

Can't wait to see how your MNSSHP went!

It's coming soon. I took 264 pictures that night! I promise I won't post them all.....well.....maybe!

 

[annmarieda]

I am not sure how you resisted the addonitis bug! I think you may have been a carrier... because I think I may have caught it from those pictures!!! Seriously beautiful pictures. And... I had the opportunity to book a single night in a studio recently but though that a move just for one night would be too much a hassle. Now I am kinda regretting that decision.

 

[ElenaJane]

Yay for TR updates! VGF pics were great! I think you should not of even commented on the eyeball in the spoon and just see if people noticed it or not!

I can't wait to see the Bungalows when finished. I think you guys were smart to wait! They are going to have the most amazing views of the fireworks. Surely there will be some room on your porch there to let fellow DISers bring a sleeping bag....you won't even know I'm there....

 

[saintstickets]

I am not sure how you resisted the addonitis bug! I think you may have been a carrier... because I think I may have caught it from those pictures!!! Seriously beautiful pictures. And... I had the opportunity to book a single night in a studio recently but though that a move just for one night would be too much a hassle. Now I am kinda regretting that decision.

It took strength I wasn't sure I had to resist adding on!
Earlier this month, at the 7 month window, I was checking daily to see if anything was available at VGF for our October trip. We have a room at BCV for F&W and I kept telling myself I would be crazy to move to VGF when BCV is only a short walk to the World Showcase for F&W...but I kept checking. After all, it was VGF!! I think I've convinced myself to not switch or put in a waitlist request....I think I have.

Yay for TR updates! VGF pics were great! I think you should not of even commented on the eyeball in the spoon and just see if people noticed it or not!

That would have been a good idea to not mention it. I'll admit when I first saw it that I was a bit hesitant to put it on my plate. But then I saw the card that said what it was and then I had to decide if I wanted to put 2 on my plate!!

I can't wait to see the Bungalows when finished. I think you guys were smart to wait! They are going to have the most amazing views of the fireworks. Surely there will be some room on your porch there to let fellow DISers bring a sleeping bag....you won't even know I'm there....

Sounds like a plan to me but since those are suppose to be the 3br villas, there's plenty of room so c'mon in!

 

[annmarieda]

It took strength I wasn't sure I had to resist adding on!
Earlier this month, at the 7 month window, I was checking daily to see if anything was available at VGF for our October trip. We have a room at BCV for F&W and I kept telling myself I would be crazy to move to VGF when BCV is only a short walk to the World Showcase for F&W...but I kept checking. After all, it was VGF!! I think I've convinced myself to not switch or put in a waitlist request....I think I have.

I am kinda in a similar boat. BWV during F&W... but I have one night that is waitlisted. I am hopeful it will come through...but if VGF were to open up that night instead... If I have to be at a different resort for one night anyway....

 

[khaleesi]

Started reading along because of the Wild Africa Trek portion of the title! Can't wait to read about that!!! Been enjoying reading along.

I'm a Bills fan and if I remember correctly, the game you referenced near the beginning was not a pleasant one from my perspective. Haha. It's been a rough week for us Bills fans, actually. I love team pride, so your pictures of the garden in France get a from me even if I'm not a Saints fan!

I was bummed that they did away with the appearance of Chef Remy and after seeing your pictures, I'm even more bummed. I would have loved to see that. I did wind up saving me money on food I wouldn't have really needed though!!

I have to tell you, it was REALLY good for a buffet and in case you are wondering about the item in the spoon…why it was a “spoonful of sugar” and it went down very well even without medicine!

I think it looks like a bloodshot eyeball! And I honestly don't know if I could have eaten it because of that!

Beautiful room pictures, especially that hardwood floor!! I'm a Value Resort girl, but I love looking at pictures of the places I'll never stay!

 

[saintstickets]

Started reading along because of the Wild Africa Trek portion of the title! Can't wait to read about that!!! Been enjoying reading along.

Glad you could join us for this little trip. The Wild Africa Trek is coming up and it was amazing!

I'm a Bills fan and if I remember correctly, the game you referenced near the beginning was not a pleasant one from my perspective. Haha. It's been a rough week for us Bills fans, actually. I love team pride, so your pictures of the garden in France get a from me even if I'm not a Saints fan!

Yes it was the Bill's game and as a Southern gentleman, I will not repeat the score! BTW, thanks for cutting free safety Jairus Byrd loose. He looks to be a great addition to the Saint's D!

I was bummed that they did away with the appearance of Chef Remy and after seeing your pictures, I'm even more bummed. I would have loved to see that. I did wind up saving me money on food I wouldn't have really needed though!!

I'm just glad I found out about it and we were able to add a last minute dining reservation in order to see him. Too often small things like Remy and even bigger things are no longer around and if you don't go to WDW often enough, you miss them. That sounds like a perfectly valid excuse to me to go more often!!

I think it looks like a bloodshot eyeball! And I honestly don't know if I could have eaten it because of that!

It does look like a bloodshot eyeball! Doesn't bother me...I'll eat anything!!

Beautiful room pictures, especially that hardwood floor!! I'm a Value Resort girl, but I love looking at pictures of the places I'll never stay!

That place is fantastic! It is nice to see how the other half lives from time to time....now if I can just win the lottery.....

 

[saintstickets]

It's time to get another update in this TR, so here we go...

This was our first MNSSHP. We were debating on whether or not we would get costumes for the party and after much debate, we decided to just do it! Our first costumes we ordered were Woody and Jessie. I could pass for an older, fatter Woody and DW is a cute little ole cowgirl so why not? We tried one place on Amazon and it was terrible. Those one-size-fits-all costumes are fine for my petite spouse but the male version is not for someone 6’3” and 200lbs! We tried another Amazon seller….nope. Costumes from both places did not fit and were very cheap looking. Okay, let’s rethink what we will wear. Next attempt was NASA flight suits. For the ladies reading this, you might have experienced what DW did in trying to find Halloween costumes. They are mostly intended for, shall we say, vixens! They are typically VERY short and will detail, with nothing left for the imagination, if the female is well endowed by her creator. For me (and probably most men) that was just fine but not for DW. In addition, the NASA flight suit for me was, again, one-size-fits-all. Not only were the pants length too short, since it was a flight suit, it wasn’t very long-waisted and I would have been singing falsetto the whole time if you get my drift!!!

Back to the drawing board. Instead of saving a few bucks by ordering online, we decided to visit a party store here in town. They had a large assortment of options but again, the female costumes were on the trampy side. We finally decided on Top Gun flight suits. DW would wear dark colored leggings, hose, spanx (whatever the heck you ladies call them) and it had an extra button to help cover her thoracic enhancements. As for my costume, I wouldn’t be singing soprano but closer to an Irish tenor! It will have to do.

Back to our trip. As we were making our way back to the room to change, it was very noticeable that the temperature had changed since this morning. Not only had it warmed up considerably…it was hot!! Once back to the room, we started to change. We both looked at each other and without a word, we knew, no costumes for us tonight. It would be too uncomfortable in the Florida heat and humidity. Alas, the costumes would have to wait for some other time. Finally dressed in more pleasant attire, it was time to head to Magic Kingdom for MNSSHP!!!



(Continued in next post)

 

[saintstickets]

(Continued from previous post)

Anyone like balloons?





We hit Main Street just in time to hear the Main Street Philharmonic band!





Next up we have FastPass+ for



And of course we got a ride photo


DW is enjoying this and I’m trying not to let the ride jolt my back!

We had 5:20 dinner reservations at Be Our Guest restaurant. A few pics from outside












(Continued in next post 2)

 

[saintstickets]

(Continued from previous post 2)

More from outside BOG. Awwww c’mon Disney, don’t you get enough of our money without having to take pennies from kids?




We only waited a few minutes and were shown inside. This place is fantastic. The main dining room







Maybe you can see the snow better in this one




In the west wing







(Continued in next post 3)

 

[saintstickets]

(Continued from previous post 3)

Now for our meal. While you are waiting, they bring you some mini-French bread rolls with sea-salt butter. Yummm. These are every bit as good as the rolls from Le Cellier IMO. For our meal, DW had the salad trio, rack of lamb, strawberry cupcake and a glass of Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvee Brut. I had the potato leek soup, shrimp & scallops, the Grey Stuff and a glass of Kronenbourg lager. We must have been starving because I have few pics of the food. Here is a brief description of what we had and pics if available…

DW salad trio – three individual bowls of 1) green bean, tomato & roasted shallot salad, 2) roasted beet, gold raisin & orange salad and 3) watermelon, radish & mint salad



My potato leek soup



DW entrée – herb crusted lamb rack with stone ground mustard demi-glace served with buttered celery root and seasonal veggies (no pic)

My entrée was sautéed shrimp and scallops with veggies in a puff pastry with creamy lobster sauce (no pic)

DW dessert – strawberry cream cheese cupcake



My dessert was the Grey Stuff



Here is a pic of the dessert cart they give you to choose from



During the meal, a special guest is announced with much fanfare and the Beast makes an appearance. He strolls through, stops sporadically and then exits for a meet-and-greet later.

Now for our dining grade.

I debated on whether this was an A+ or an A. The food was very, very good, if you like pseudo-French cuisine. They do Americanize it a bit for the multitude of kiddies that will visit here, so it wasn’t to die for like Bistro de Paris was in the France pavilion of EPCOT. The theming of the restaurant though is definitely A++! Even as huge as the main dining room is, it’s fantastic. I’ll have to give it an A+ if for no other reason than few restaurants immerse you into their theming like BOG does. We are going back in June so we’ll see then if the 1st-time-visit-wow-factor made it an A+ or not.

(Continued in next post 4)

 

[saintstickets]

(Continued from previous post 4)

After your fantastic dinner at BOG, you get to meet the honored guest that made a brief appearance earlier.




And then you enter the Suit of Armor room







I don't remember much about the room except the "Suits" were talking. Then as you leave




Belle’s castle at night




Around the corner is Gaston’s Tavern




Magic Kingdom takes on a whole new look at night especially during MNSSHP

 

[annmarieda]

Costumes are a tricky thing for sure! I think when dd and her sil went with me a couple years back..they had fun with their costumes. What they wore though was not appropriate for a more mature female like myself. Then there is the heat... the two times I have done the party, I have dressed up...and really tried to remember how warm it would be.

I cant believe you got right in for your dinner at BOG! We waited for EVER. They were behind and turning people away that were coming up 30 minutes before their adr to check in.

I do like that Beast is out for dinner. It is fun to see him even if he is a tad scary (he is VERY large)

 

[amytech]

Subbing in-just found your TR today and am really enjoying it! Dh and I are hoping to hit F&W for the first time this October and I am loving all your descriptions of what you and your wife did last year.
Hoping to be in your shoes in the future when we are empty nesters and able to several times a year to Disney, some with the family and some by ourselves

 

[Careree22]

Subscribing Great TR so far! Can't wait to hear about Wild Africa Trek

 

[Vernie822]

Subscribing Great TR so far! Can't wait to hear about Wild Africa Trek

Subscribing too. Your TR is great!