3rd Annual We are "NEVER" going to Disney in the summer again"

[natebenma]

LOL!

Our trip to the Beach Club isn't until September 2013 (down to 3 years whewhoo!) We're taking my parents & 2 brothers... our last family trip was in '98 so we're long overdue... my parents & brothers have never stayed on Disney property so after changing our minds a million times my husband & I decided on the Beach Club - we sent my parents a slide show of SAB so they are really looking forward to staying there, although after seeing the pool they wondered if they would ever want to leave and go to the parks, LOL.

I love that you have a great family vacation to look forward to. It is so nice to be able to do things together as a group, and then to have some solo time. The BC will be a great place to do that because there are things for guest of all ages to enjoy, plus the easy access to EPCOT plus the convenient restaurant choices at Y&B and nearby!!!

 

[natebenma]

If you read through the short report of my 2009 trip, today’s agenda is very similar to our Day 2 plan last year.

As I do every morning, I woke early (5:15 am), made coffee and headed to the balcony to read. After the rest of the family was up and dressed we had breakfast at Concierge lounge. Teena (the BC greeter) had posted a month or so before our trip about some exciting new additions to the CL breakfast: oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, yummy Danish and breads that changed daily. If you want to see the full display of foods we enjoyed at the CL, click on this link- go a few posts down the page:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2280631&highlight=concierge&page=187

I’m not going to post them all here. But I will post “Danish of the Day”

Sunday- cherry Danish:

Also available this morning a yummy orange macadamia bread

We were through the International Gateway entrance to EPCOT a minute or two after 8 AM, early entry for WDW resort guests. No Soarin’ Stampede. We had a quiet, but brisk walk toward Soarin’ through an empty UK and Canada.

Mark pulled Fast Passes (time was sometime around or after noon) and we got into a 15 minute or so stand-by line.


Next, the cross park walk to Test Track. We arrive around 8:45 and have a short line before riding.

2009 & 2010- Look at the clothing. I did NOT intentionally dress Ben in the same color scheme for these days!

On of Ben’s EPCOT favorites is Mission Space so after Test Track, we walked next door.

Orange (more instense) or Green (wimpy)?

We all got into the green line. Can’t remember who was the engineer, navigator, commander and pilot. At one point Ben pushed the wrong button. “My bad!”

Givin’ it up for Mission Space Orange (Warning: Graphic update not for the faint of stomach)

My husband has always wanted to try Mission Space Orange, the more intense experience but we have always been on green. I don’t do well on spinny rides, so I wasn’t going to attempt it, and Nate had stomach issues on a previous trip, so he wasn’t willing to go, but Ben, our 9 year old daredevil, was game to accompany my DH.

Nate and I waited for them in the game area near the exit of M:S.

After about 20 minutes, I see Mark and Ben walking triumphantly towards us. Ben has a huge smile on his face.

“I puked! 3 times!!!”

Our apologies to their two unsuspecting shuttle-mates, who exited on the opposite side from Ben. On the plus side, apparently Ben successfully utilized the barf-bags provided in the ride vehicle.

Time: 10:15 Our next stops were a little kinder and gentler: Space Ship Earth and The Living Seas. Somewhere in here we got FP for Test Track. Either after M:S or after SSE.

Our next few activities were located at the land. We wanted to ride Livin’ with the Land, have lunch at Sunshine Seasons, use our FP for Soarin’ and get a FP for Soarin’.

Our timing turned out to be good. Not much of a line for LWTL. Sunshine Seasons was manageable when we arrived, but as we were finishing up our meal, the tour groups started to arrive. It was gonna get loud and crowded in there!

Lunch- Sunshine Seasons (Pork chop, Roast Chicken, Salad with goat cheese and beets, Kid’s Chinese Dinner) I think I am going to max the photos on this post, and I forgot to upload these picture to photobucket, so I will have a separate post with the food photos tonight.

After we finished eating, we went on Soarin’ with Fast Pass from the morning, and then pulled FP for Soarin’ for later. Much later.

We went into Club Cool to sample a couple of fine beverages around the world. I have a video of Ben drinking the Beverly, but I don't think I will post it because I don't want to offend anyone with a 9 year old saying cr*p a number of times.

Our final destinations in Future World were using our FPs for Test Track and signing up for a Kim Possible mission. We were instructed to report to Norway.

Next up: Saving the World at the age of 9~ That's gonna look good on the resume!

 

[natebenma]

Here is what we ordered for lunch:

Ben ordered the sweet and sour chicken kids meal, which Mark ate.

Mark ordered the tofu and vegetable noodle bowl (soup) which Ben ate. We all tried it- it was really really good!

Nate had the pork chop with two sides (mashed potatoes and rice)

I had the roasted beet and goat cheese salad, which I love, love, love!!!

Strawberry shortcake, chocolate cake and creme brulee for dessert.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I had to laugh when you said Ben proudly proclaimed that he had barfed three times on Mission Space. Isn't it funny what boys are proud of?

 

[natebenma]

I had to laugh when you said Ben proudly proclaimed that he had barfed three times on Mission Space. Isn't it funny what boys are proud of?

I just hope when he goes for a job interview and they ask for some of his greatest accomplishments that this incident is not part of his list!

So glad I could put a little laughter into your night.

 

[eandesmom]

VERY cool on the fireworks! It's so funny, I have no idea if we could have seen Illuminations from our balcony at the YC or not as we were never in our room at that time of night!

Night owls, my crew.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

I loved seeing those empty street pictures you got walking through England & Canada so early in the morning. How great to be able to not be mobbed at SOARING - that's an EMH dream come true.

I have to say, I'm surprised Ben wanted to try the Beverly after puking at MS He must have a stomach like a billy goat

 

[natebenma]

I have to say, I'm surprised Ben wanted to try the Beverly after puking at MS He must have a stomach like a billy goat

That did not even occur to me!!! He DOES have the stomach of a billy goat and he had tried Bev before so he knew what he was in for. But there was a wee bit of "trick photography" here.

The photo I posted, and I'm guessing the video I have, is from a stop at CC later in the trip. The boys shirts are different. So I think I mis-remembered him drinking the Beverly at this visit, he probably just had some of the other sodas.

Astute catch!!!

 

[natebenma]

VERY cool on the fireworks! It's so funny, I have no idea if we could have seen Illuminations from our balcony at the YC or not as we were never in our room at that time of night!

Night owls, my crew.

Yes, we would be two families passing in the night. Actually, not. My family would typically be in bed when you folks are just getting started!

 

[jmskinner]

That is so cool about the fireworks view.

And can't believe Ben recouped so quickly. I'm like you, no spinning rides. Seems a lot of women are like that.

The "cr*p" video sounds like it was very entertaining.

 

[natebenma]

That is so cool about the fireworks view.

And can't believe Ben recouped so quickly. I'm like you, no spinning rides. Seems a lot of women are like that.

The "cr*p" video sounds like it was very entertaining.

It doesn't get more convenient than going out onto the balcony to view the shows!

Ben definitely bounced right back, but I don't think we went back on M:S again during the trip.

I used to be able to go on any ride I wanted. I can't remember exactly when the spinny rides started to bother me, but I'm going to say it was after the boys were born. Yup, I'm blaming the kids!

 

[natebenma]

During this year’s trip, we discovered or rediscovered a few shortcuts or secret paths. One of these we used today was the passage from Future World to World Showcase via the closed Odyssey restaurant (which is now a special event/baby care/uncrowded bathroom location) Saves a few steps.

We crossed the border from Future World into Mexico and rode the Gran Fiesta Tour. I liked this ride so much better before they added the cartoon ducks!

We then sampled some fine Mexican cuisine: Churros!

Next up: We picked up our Kimmunicator at the Kim Possible field station

We had about an hour-long rainstorm on Sunday while at Norway, but it didn't stop us. We were on a mission. Literally. Our first Kim Possible mission and Ben refused to let some rain prevent him from saving the world!

We were able to convince Ben to take a break so we could go on the Maelstrom ride, but everyone else who was caught out in the rain had the same idea! The ride time said 15 minutes and the FP time was maybe 20 or 25 minutes, so we decided to pull a FP and complete our mission before riding. After we had solved our caper, there was a woman standing around with a clipboard and she asked Ben if he would take a few minutes to answer some survey questions about the Kim Possible adventure. He did and she gave him some stickers.

We used our FP for Maelstrom.


Our next mission brought us back to Mexico and a lot of the activities took place inside, so we were able to dry out a bit.

It was a little before 3:00 when we finished our mission and we decided it would be a good time to return to our room at the Beach Club and hang out for an hour before our next destination:

Dining with Dinos!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Your last couple updates were great! Great pictures!
I can't believe the size of that Pork Chop!!!
Too funny about the proud barf-boy!!
I agree with you about the Mexico ride - it seems so silly now. Rather unnecessary if you ask me.

 

[natebenma]

Your last couple updates were great! Great pictures!
I can't believe the size of that Pork Chop!!!
Too funny about the proud barf-boy!!
I agree with you about the Mexico ride - it seems so silly now. Rather unnecessary if you ask me.

Hi Sheree!

Thanks for the nice words about the report.

The pork chop is REALLY that big!!! My DH and I are not wild about pork, but we liked the tastes that we tried.

I wish I would have taken a picture of Ben with his big smile! I was just so stunned with his news.

Glad to have company in missing the old, peaceful, romantic ride in Mexico (El Rio de Temps?). My Spanish is lousy. We even skipped a ride this year at one point. There was a line! There's NEVER a line!

 

[kaysmommie]

All caught up. Sorry about your plumbing issues, not fun if it messes with vacation plans right? I just love the Captain's Grill for a quiet dinner or breakfast. It's always on our list when we stay at Yacht or Beach. about your son proudly announcing he barfed on MS orange version. I can only ride the green version so I understand. I love the early morning pics of the countries in WS. We loved that nice quiet walk into Epcot, so much better than the craziness at the front gate right?

 

[natebenma]

All caught up. Sorry about your plumbing issues, not fun if it messes with vacation plans right? I just love the Captain's Grill for a quiet dinner or breakfast. It's always on our list when we stay at Yacht or Beach. about your son proudly announcing he barfed on MS orange version. I can only ride the green version so I understand. I love the early morning pics of the countries in WS. We loved that nice quiet walk into Epcot, so much better than the craziness at the front gate right?

Hi Nichole! Thanks for the sympathy about the sewer. Fortunately, the issue is resolved and the insurance company will be paying for most of the expense. Of course, not until I pushed it and asked the right questions!

We really enjoyed the Captain's Grille! It was the perfect choice for our arrival dinner (good job Mark and Nate). With Le Cellier becoming a 2 TS Credit restaurant, we would have no problems substituting GC for dinner at LC.

As soon as Ben made his proud pronouncement, I knew that would make it into the TR! I can't even describe how wide his smile was. We are fortunate that he recovered so quickly!

The International Gateway is great, but I'm also glad that we find a few ways to come in through the EPCOT main gate during our stay (monorail from MK, bus from one of the other resorts).

 

[natebenma]

Just want to say sorry for taking so long between updates! The fall is a very busy season for us! School has started, and with it PTA meetings and activities, the Middle School parents group is promoting a fundraiser and events, flag football season has begun (I’m proud to say Nate’s team is 3-0, Ben’s is 2-1), both boys are in rehearsal for Schoolhouse Rock Live, guitar lessons for Nate, and Mark continues his exhausting commute and long work day. I have worked a few times at the farm since the start of school (an amazing program on archaeology for middle schoolers and a day at the farm for preschoolers). Our trip to DC is in a week and a half and we are celebrating “Hallowgiving” on Sunday. This is a holiday we made up so we could cook a Thanksgiving dinner for our families before Mark’s grandparents head south for Florida in November.

As I was writing parts of this TR over the summer, I thought “Man, we were busy on this trip!” But now I realize that we are just busy all the time! As I am sure all of you are!

I finally had time to write, I hope you have time to read, so ON WITH THE SHOW!

 

[natebenma]

We walked out to the Beach Club bus stop around 4:00. We waited about 15 minutes for a bus that was going to Downtown Disney- one of our longer waits of the trip. It was about a 15 minute, uneventful ride.

As a family, we are not shoppers so we don’t spend much time in any of the gift shops. We walk through World of Disney, because we think we should, but we never stop very long to look at anything or buy anything.

Our souvenir dollars belong to the Lego Store!

This was a pretty quick visit for us. The boys had a pretty good idea about what they wanted. Ben was looking at a Star Wars set when we were in the Mission Space gift shop earlier that day, but it was one of the small sets and it was $20!!! We found it at the Lego Store for around $15. Ben also got an Atlantis set with a sea monster. Nate got a Prince of Persia Desert Attack and Indiana Jones Ambush In Cairo. Into the shopping bag for the trip back to our room: One of the great things about staying at Club Level at the Beach Club is the items you purchase at the parks, or DTD stores, are delivered right to your room by the next afternoon!

Gonna throw in a packing tip here for Lego sets! I bring along extra Ziplock bags. When the boxes arrive in our room, we open them up and place the Lego pieces and instruction manuals from each set into its own bag. The boys like to keep the cardboard box top of the sets, so we fold down the boxes and put them on the bottom of a suitcase. Legos are light, so they don’t add much weight to our suitcases, and once you take them out of their original box, they are pretty compact, too.


By 5:15, the boys were actually done at Legos. Everyone was getting hungry. Unfortunately, when I made the reservation for T-Rex 180 days ago, I thought we could all wait until 6 to eat. Who knew!

I went to the check-in desk, let them know we had a reservation for 6:00, but were ready to be seated anytime. Less than 10 minutes later, they called our name and escorted us to our table. We were very happy with our location. We were seated near the open flame BBQ pit, and had a view of the ice room.

Didn’t take a pic of the firepit this year, I guess, so here is one from last year:

Main attractions of the restaurant:

Food was excellent as it was on our trip last year. Since this meal was out of pocket, we had a little flexibility in what we ordered.
Mark ordered the Asteroid French onion soup. He gives it 4 asteroids on a 1-5 scale.

I had the Lost World chicken salad croissant. When Mark ordered this last year, we split our meals and I enjoyed the half-sandwich. This time, it was too much of the same. 3 asteroids from me.

Nate- Anyone want to guess??? The T-bone. 4 ½ asteroids

YIKES! I just checked the meal receipt to confirm what everyone got. The steak was $29.99! What were we thinking???? He also got the $4.99 Discovery Blast drink in the big plastic bone. Nate is no cheap date!

Ben- Dexter’s corn dog nuggets. 4 ½ asteroids. He finished this pretty quickly and wanted another dinner, so we ordered another corn dog meal. So I guess his meal actually rated 9 asteroids! For dessert, Ben had the chocolate tar pit. I think everyone else skipped dessert.

* On the plus side, I had printed out coupons for Landry’s Restaurants (Rainforest Café) from the internet before our trip, and I asked our waiter Mike (who is originally from Boston) if we could use the kid’s meal discount coupons. He had to check with his manager, Sue, who approved the discount and removed $7.98 plus another $7.98 from our check.

After dinner, we once again chose to avoid taking a bus back to the Beach Club from DTD. We walked to the boat dock offering transportation to Saratoga Springs or Old Key West. A CM at the dock asked where we were going. We said “Where ever you are going”. He gave us a funny look, and we explained that we were just trying to get to a resort so we could take a bus to EPCOT.

We had a nice ride to Saratoga Springs, got off the boat, walked through the pool area and waited about 10-15 minutes for the bus. Just passing through!

We encountered a photopass photographer on our way in, so we stopped to have our picture taken. Check out Ben's dino shirt. He made this! The PTA does a Square 1 Art fundraiser where the kids make a drawing and you can put it on t-shirts, mugs, mousepads, etc.

We walked towards Spaceship Earth, saw that there was no line, so we went on.

You may recall, from earlier in the report, that we had pulled a Soarin’ FP so we enjoyed our third time on Soarin’ for the day. It was around 8:30 when we were done and I was tempted to stay behind and watch Illuminations but instead, we all returned to the Beach Club, stopped in at the lounge for cold drinks and some Oreo Bon-Bons. Mark and I watched Illuminations from our balcony and I stayed up to catch the Nightastic show that Mark told me about that morning.

Next up: LOST at Hollywood Studios!

Birth of a Rollercoaster Junkie- Loss of the fear of inversions
Lost Photopass pictures- Do as I say, not as I do!
Lost, Motor, Action!
We lost someone in the Twilight Zone

 

[Queila]

Great update! Your trip to DTD sounds a lot like our family's. Very little shopping. I love the tip for packing legos.

The Kim Impossible mission sounds like a lot of fun for your children's age group. I could tell your son was enjoying himself.

And the super at T-Rex sounds like fun.

Q

 

[jmskinner]

Great update. Love the idea for the Lego's. My DS can never not open them though. He has to put it together right away.

Love Ben's shirt.

We have got to try T-Rex. And I guess Ben will have to get a really good job one day to keep up those meals.