3 Generations! 2 Resorts! 10 Days! DxDp! 3000 Pictures! - Saying Good-Bye!

[Sweetpeamd]

I'm finally subbing! Just found your report and I am so excited! I love to read about your trips. Thanks so much for taking the time!

 

[hstrickland]

I'm finally subbing! Just found your report and I am so excited! I love to read about your trips. Thanks so much for taking the time!

Hi So glad you joined in!

I have a question for you...I see y'all stayed at SSR a couple of times. Do you think that it's too far away from everything? Bus waits? Just riding by the place, it looks really really big...very spread out. The bigger my kids get, the more room we need. At some point, the deluxe resorts that sleep 5 are going to be too crowded...probably going to have to move to a villa.

Heather

 

[hstrickland]

Continued…The Pirates League – Part 2
Reservations – 10:45am
Day 5​

Basil Hirecastle (Jesse) and Emily Hulbiter (Faith) have been deemed true pirates now….it’s finally time for Will Treasurehound (Stephen) and Lawrence Yellowbellow (Pop) to be initiated. First up…..

Will Treasurehound….

This pirate empress was giving Stephen a hard time about his shoes…he laughed, and she kept going with the pirated slang!

Time for the makeup…..and let me say…I’m not sure how they get it so perfect??!! Last year for Halloween, I did Stephen and Jesse’s face…and well….let’s just leave it at that!

And look who stopped by….again! I wish I could remember his name. He said he was part of Captain Jack’s crew…I think. Last year, they did not have a pirate walking around like that.

Will’s almost done….

Finally…the sacred pirate’s oath.

Will Treasurehound is NOW officially part of Capt. Jack’s crew!

While all this was going on, here sits DH ……last year the pirates gave him a fit because he didn’t want to become a pirate with the boys. So, they kept calling him …

Again, very cool theme throughout…Disney thought of every pirate detail that you can imagine.

Last, and certainly not least….we have the eldest of the group….Lawrence Yellowbellow…

Pop likes to be adventurous, but he did decide AGAINST the full pirate costume….THANK GOODNESS! We had enough stares and comments with just the t-shirt and make-up!

It doesn’t matter how old you may be…you still have to recite the sacred pirate oath…and do it with pride or they’ll make you do it again; the veteran pirates take this very seriously.

And here you have him….Lawrence Yellowbellow…the oldest, but wisest crew member on the Black Pearl!

If you ever decide to go, ask for Lonnie! He worked with Jesse last year and did an incredible job with him. When we arrived at the PL, we couldn’t remember Lonnie’s name…actually, we did ask for him but had the name completely wrong. As the boys were getting there makeovers, mom spotted Lonnie! He’s top notch!

After completing the oaths, there was still more to come….believe it or not! I’m telling you…it’s an experience! All 4 pirates were then taken to another section of the PL where they were given sashes and swords. With the sword came a command…these new pirates were not to slash, poke, jab, prod, cut, or carve their siblings, parents, strangers, birds, animals, or Disney property. They were then asked if they would like to see Captain Jack’s secret treasure room….but there was one condition…no taking any pictures and never reveal what goes on inside the inner sanctum. So, basically, this was the photography session that came with the package.

Here you have them….Captain Jack’s newest crew…..

The pirate photographer told Jesse to give us his meanest pirate face!

They told Stephen to look the part…he was now a pirate!!

A little blast from the past….

And now the present!

So…do you think we had a good time or what??!! This is an experience that I would highly recommend for any child…girl or boy. But do go with an open mind…and enjoy the role playing by the Disney cast members; immerse yourself… it will only add to the entire experience.


Up next….a very short afternoon at the MK….then off to the Hoop-Dee-Do Review...dressed like pirates!

 

[onelilspark]

Those pictures are awesome. I love it!!

 

[disneylovin24]

Just started reading your TR and I LOVE it! I think now that I am caught up Im going to go and read your last one

 

[hstrickland]

Just started reading your TR and I LOVE it! I think now that I am caught up Im going to go and read your last one

Welcome! Thanks for following along...I see you're a FW fan You have lots of experience at the campgrounds! Since you read my TR, then you know we finally bit the bullet and did our first stay there...now I'm hooked! I would really like to go back for a long weekend and just hang out and relax...with a golf cart, of course Do y'all camp or do the cabins?

Heather

 

[hstrickland]

Those pictures are awesome. I love it!!

When y'all have kids, it's a must do!

 

[disneylovin24]

Welcome! Thanks for following along...I see you're a FW fan You have lots of experience at the campgrounds! Since you read my TR, then you know we finally bit the bullet and did our first stay there...now I'm hooked! I would really like to go back for a long weekend and just hang out and relax...with a golf cart, of course Do y'all camp or do the cabins?

Heather

We camped a few times back in the late 90s but our most recent trips have been the cabins. I 100% agreed with you when you mentioned that its like your so far away from it all (or something like that). Having stayed at other resorts you still get the feeling anywhere in WDW that you are in a different world but FW makes it more so.

I can understand why you felt it was alittle cramped though. When we went to FW we usually were a group of 6 (technically could get one cabin) but we always got 2 because it makes it easier with room and all.

 

[hstrickland]

We camped a few times back in the late 90s but our most recent trips have been the cabins. I 100% agreed with you when you mentioned that its like your so far away from it all (or something like that). Having stayed at other resorts you still get the feeling anywhere in WDW that you are in a different world but FW makes it more so.

I can understand why you felt it was alittle cramped though. When we went to FW we usually were a group of 6 (technically could get one cabin) but we always got 2 because it makes it easier with room and all.

If we were to go back with my parents, then we would certainly have to do 2 cabins. Our family of 5 would be fine in one...4 adults, though, was just too much. I'm hoping to go back soon and just RELAX!!!

 

[emma212010]

GREAT pics from the PL! It looks so fun! The kids, and Pop, look great!

 

[Yellowbellow]

Pirates League - do it again? !? !? !? In a heartbeat ! ! ! ! We have 2 more Grands in Glastonbury, CT - can't wait to be a Priate again.
Just waiting on "Too Cool for School Dad" to join us.

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Those pictures are just the creme de la creme of Disney photos - exactly why we go and spend the money - memories that will last a lifetime!!!!!

Lawrence Yellowbellow…the oldest, but wisest crew member on the Black Pearl!

Who had the MOST fun at PL???? I wonder!

Heather, you asked if DD has done BBB....we had an appointment the last trip in October for it, and we went and she didn't want to do it, it was the strangest thing! I had already told her she could do both the PL and BBB (she wanted to be with the brothers), but we got to the Castle and she didn't want to. I was slightly bummed, but I'm all about not spending money on something she doesn't want to do! But the cutest part of this story was my DS12 lecturing her, 'Josie, Mom is going to be so sad if you don't do BBB, she has been dreaming about you doing this for so long'. I probably should have just had the princess makeover myself!

 

[hstrickland]

GREAT pics from the PL! It looks so fun! The kids, and Pop, look great!

Thanks!!!!

Pirates League - do it again? !? !? !? In a heartbeat ! ! ! ! We have 2 more Grands in Glastonbury, CT - can't wait to be a Priate again.
Just waiting on "Too Cool for School Dad" to join us.

Okay Sister...you heard that...Pop wants Jonah to be a pirate!! Stop procrasticnating and take your kids to WDW

Those pictures are just the creme de la creme of Disney photos - exactly why we go and spend the money - memories that will last a lifetime!!!!!

You are right! Ya pay an arm and a leg, but soooo worth it! I told DH years ago to just not look at the price...or he'd get sick

Who had the MOST fun at PL???? I wonder!

I wonder The things you do for your grandkids!?

Heather, you asked if DD has done BBB....we had an appointment the last trip in October for it, and we went and she didn't want to do it, it was the strangest thing! I had already told her she could do both the PL and BBB (she wanted to be with the brothers), but we got to the Castle and she didn't want to. I was slightly bummed, but I'm all about not spending money on something she doesn't want to do! But the cutest part of this story was my DS12 lecturing her, 'Josie, Mom is going to be so sad if you don't do BBB, she has been dreaming about you doing this for so long'. I probably should have just had the princess makeover myself!

Ok...I'm but not laughing! She didn't want to do it??!! What in the world? But hey...aren't you glad y'all didn't fork out $200 then she not enjoy it?! Your son cracks me up!!!! That's actually very sweet of him to say that. My son would have been yelling at his sister.

Did y'all do the PL for MNSSHP??? I know you went in October, but couldn't remember if you did the party or not. We saw a TON of pirates and princesses at the party....tons and parents dressed up, too. I can only imagine how packed BBB and PL are on the days of the party, but then they're always packed aren't they??! I'm thinking that if we do the party again, I might have to dress up

Heather

 

[DisneyDoc5]

We had done MNSSHP 2 times before so we decided not to do it this past Oct. trip. We watched Hallowishes from the Poly beach several nights! I LOVE that show. I was a little bummed we didn't do it this time, but overall it was ok. We have worn funny shirts and hats for MNSSHP while the kids have of course gone full costume in the past. I love the entire families that have a theme and dress up. The best pirates were at the Pirate and Princess Party we went to a few years ago! I am planning on bringing the pirate gear for all of us on the cruise for pirate night - that will be a blast!

 

[Sweetpeamd]

Hi So glad you joined in!

I have a question for you...I see y'all stayed at SSR a couple of times. Do you think that it's too far away from everything? Bus waits? Just riding by the place, it looks really really big...very spread out. The bigger my kids get, the more room we need. At some point, the deluxe resorts that sleep 5 are going to be too crowded...probably going to have to move to a villa.

Heather

I'll start by saying that Saratoga is absolutely beautiful. The theming and grounds are gorgeous. The pool is fantastic. We have stayed at SS twice and both times we were in the same villa (coincidence only). It was clean and pretty and updated. I can see why the resort has such a loyal following.

Our family size requires that we stay in 2BR villas on Disney trips. We take our yearly trip in Oct. b/c our kids have Fall Break at that time and it turns our that only OKW and SSR are discounted typically during our wk. The price of a 2 BR villa for our 8-9 day stay at a villa close to the parks is WHEW! So, we tried SSR. We were used to the Beach Club so we were nervous about the location. Rightfully so, it turned out! We got so tired of taking the bus EVERYWHERE! We were used to walking to 2 out of the 4 parks. We are rope drop people so that meant super early mornings every day. The resort is very large. I think there are 5 or 6 bus stops within the resort. We stayed at the Springs to be close to the main pool and the restaurants. That was convenient for us but it was the last stop on the bus line. . . made for a long bus ride home each night. Being so far from the parks made us second guess returning to the resort for any reason. The trip back and forth sucked so much time out of our day, it was rarely worth it.

We stayed at SSR a 2nd time for a quick, last min. trip this past Jan. and said that we probably wouldn't stay there again. The location is just too inconvenient for us, at least while our kids are young. Like I said, I totally get the appeal of the resort, especially for locals. You really feel like you aren't in Florida.

During our Oct. trip last yr, we bought into DVC at Bay Lake Tower so we could stay closer to the parks. Since it was getting too difficult to find availability and affordability at villas close to the parks, we thought that buying in would insure that we could stay where we wanted. Granted, we will probably never find availability at BCV since we travel during F&W, but we think the location of BLT will suit us. I love seeing all of your CR pics, it's making me very excited about our upcoming trip!

Sorry for the VERY long winded answer (it's my style ). Please let me know if you have any more questions about SSR or villas in general. I can tell you once you stay in a 2 BR villa, you will never, never go back to adjoining rooms!

 

[WDWKOOK]

What a hoot - love it - so cute! Why can't you use those for your Christmas card?!

Side note: My Too Cool for School has the exact same Polo shirt. Maybe that shirt makes them shyer?

 

[hstrickland]

DisneyDoc5....good idea...we'll take our pirate stuff, too. I didn't think about Bill and I dressing up, but will do. Guess I'll have to find some adult pirate clothes!

Sweetpeamd....thanks so much for the info on SSR. I kinda figured that much...I know that the bus situation would get on my nerves! We actually tried to get a 2 bdr at BLT on this past trip, but no such luck. And I have a feeling that your are right...once we stay in a 2bdr, it will be no going back One day I'm going to sit through a DVC talk...one day!....and don't worry about the long post! I love any kind of Disney infor

WDWKOOK...gotta be the Polo shirt!! You don't think it will be a cheesy Christmas card with them dressed in Pirate gear? I could always send out a Halloween card!

 

[anl]

Your PL pictures are fabulous! Wow! Wish we would have done that last time. So fun. Yes, memories are priceless...and the kids having grandad join in is extra priceless.

Does it start at 3 or 4 yrs?

*making note to sign up for PL next trip.

 

[hstrickland]

Your PL pictures are fabulous! Wow! Wish we would have done that last time. So fun. Yes, memories are priceless...and the kids having grandad join in is extra priceless.

Does it start at 3 or 4 yrs?

*making note to sign up for PL next trip.

PL starts at 3. Last year I thought that my youngest might have been too young...he had just turned 3...but he loved it!! And sat still the entire time!

Have you gotten any farther with pinpointing a resort!? Don't feel bad...I usually book something and then make 2 or 3 changes...seriously!

 

[disneylovin24]

If we were to go back with my parents, then we would certainly have to do 2 cabins. Our family of 5 would be fine in one...4 adults, though, was just too much. I'm hoping to go back soon and just RELAX!!!

FW is definetely a good place to just relax! Don't get me wrong, I really love the secludedness of it and I loved all the times we stayed there but I am the reason we dont stay there any more Im not really a relaxer, well I guess I like to relax but not in normal ways.Im not someone would can just sit around and do nothing for long periods of time so after awhile (11 trips) FW became alittle boring because it got to the point where everyone just wanted to relax there and I didnt. I prefer being in places like SSR where DTD is right there with so much to do.