43rd Anniversary of our Honeymoon trip....a week at Beach Club, Sep 12-18. A day by day report.

[zdad59]

Hi all. I like doing a complete trip report every time we get back from WDW. So here we go....

Background. We are mid 60s empty nesters. No grandkids so the Disney trips are adult only. This trip was Sep 12-18 and was celebrating the 43rd anniversary of our honeymoon trip to WDW
We love staying at either Wilderness Lodge or Beach Club. For this trip we chose Beach Club. It's proximity to EPCOT and the Food & Wine Festival, the Skyliner, and Hollywood Studios makes it an ideal location. Plus we love the vibe at Beach Club. Laid back but still somewhat refined.
I usually build a very detailed itinerary and did again this time. It's My way of getting the planning out of the way before we get there, so I can just put my brain in the safe for the week. In the end, it's a guide, not an absolute.

Day 1.... While we live in the Philly area, we hate the Philly airport with a passion, so we tend to fly out of Baltimore which has a much nicer airport. So we drove down the night before our flight and stayed at a BWI area airport. We also left our car at the hotel for the week. The price for the room and car parking was close to the same as prking in a covered space at the airport.
Anyway, our flight was first our at 6:15am. We were up at 4am. 4:30 shuttle to the airport. No fuss, no muss getting ticketed and thru security. The flight was easy and we were in Orlando by 8:15. We Ubered to Beach Club (a good rate of $41 plus tip for the trip in Uber XL) and arrived around 9:15-9:30. As, expected our room was not ready. We had park attire in the front of out luggage and used the lobby restroom to change. Left our luggage at the bell station and headed to Magic Kingdom.
We went to Magic Kingdom since it was a 6pm close day (MNSSHP night) and research said the park was less crowded that day. That was so true. Hardly any line waits for any ride. I think TRON was our longest wait at 40 minutes. It was wonderful having no or limited waits all day. TRON is clearly our favorite ride in MK, followed by 7DMT and Haunted Mansion. We hit a lot of rides before a necessary monorail trip to EPCOT.
After the monorail ride, we walked to our dinner reservation at San Angel Inn. We don't do the dining plans and we only had 2 sit down dinners scheduled for this trip. San Angel Inn is one of our favorite restaurants. Great vibe, great food, great service. While we were having dinner, it rained outside. When we were done and wanted to head to Beach Club, the rain had stopped. A casual walk to our hotel and room ended the day. We got room 2579. Not the 2585 we had hoped, but only three doors down. We think this run of rooms are the best in the resort. Full balcony, shady balcony in the morning for a wonderful AM coffee, near the back elevator and quiet pool, fantastic and quiet view.
Below are our Day 1 pics....

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Following and thank you for including your excel I like planning and seeing other planning

 

[footballmouse]

 

[zdad59]

Day 2.....Our plan for the beginning of the day was to rope drop Hollywood Studios. We were up nice and early. A quick stop in the Beach Club Marketplace for a breakfast sandwich and some yogurt and then we headed for the boat to HS. When we do an early morning at HS, we always take the boat and avoid the Skyliner. We LOVE the Skyliner generally but in the mornings it can get pretty congested at the transfer station. Plus the boat is a peaceful ride.
Rope drop was easy peazy. Crowds weren't that big so things went quickly and we were hopeful that queues weren't going to be too bad. We headed directly for Slinky Dog. In all our times at WDW and HS, we have never ridden Slinky. When we got there is was a 30 minute wait. Not bad. (NOTE: We noticed all week that the posted wait times were pretty spot on. Sometimes the wait was less than posted but most waits were withing 5 min of posted time.) WE LOVED SLINKY DOG. It's a great starter coaster for the young ones, but still fun enough that adults enjoy riding it. Plus all the theming in the queue was awesome. After Slinky Dog, we walked to Toy Story Mania. It was a walk on!! Always a fun ride but sadly mama outscored me and I'm still hearing about that. Next up was going to be Rise of the Resistance. It was down though, so we headed to another favorite...Mickey's Runaway Railroad. Then we headed for Tower of Terror. I don't like ToT and mama does. I like Rockin' Rollercoaster and mama does not. So she went right and I went left. We enjoyed both rides but I will say that RnR is still kind of a rough ride on the head. As we age it may be time for us to retire that ride. We were near the Villain's Show so we jumped in line for that. WHAT A GREAT SHOW. We were quite impressed with the whole thing. This is a definite Must-Do. At this point we looked at Rise again and it was open, with a 120 min wait !! So we passed on that and headed to the Skyliner.
It was early so we headed to EPCOT. Walked directly over to Guardians. It was a 90 minute wait but we got in line anyway. We are gonna ride this ride SEVERAL times during the week. The line moved nicely and the ride was awesome as usual. We got Conga for our song. Test Track had a 90 min wait so we passed, and went to Frozen. We added Soarin' and then decided it was time to head in for our nap.
A good nap and we decided to walk back to EPCOT for the fireworks.

It was a great day. We did 25,000+ step, which is ~ 12-13 miles. So we are doing a 1/2 mrarthon a day !!! We need to learn how to ease up a bit as we age.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I was drawn to your trip report because we also recently celebrated our 43rd anniversary (1982)-back then we'd never been to WDW. I'm waiting for your anniversary dinner though! But I agree with you about where you're staying-BEST location for Food and Wine! And I'm glad to hear about how MK was on party day-hope it holds up for me next week.

 

[zdad59]

I was drawn to your trip report because we also recently celebrated our 43rd anniversary (1982)-back then we'd never been to WDW. I'm waiting for your anniversary dinner though! But I agree with you about where you're staying-BEST location for Food and Wine! And I'm glad to hear about how MK was on party day-hope it holds up for me next week.

We didn't do an anniversary dinner per se. We did two scheduled sit downs during the week. One at San Angel Inn and one at Skipper Canteen. We also did ice cream at the counter at Beaches & Cream, so maybe that counts.

Our 43rd anniversary was in January, but like back then, we didn't honeymoon until later in the year. Back then, 1982, we stayed at the Polynesian. Since then, we've been regulars every couple of years, including a stint living in Orlando and annual passholders in the mid 90s.

 

[zdad59]

Day 3....This is Sunday the 16th. The day we are hitting the MNSSHP. In all the times we've been going to WDW we have never done a late night party, so we were really looking forward to this.
We took it pretty easy in the morning and early afternoon. Hit EPCOT and HS for a few rides. Back to Beach Club around noon for a nap. We headed for the MK and party around 5pm. Some of our bus mates were all dressed as the characters in the portraits in the Haunted Mansion stretching room. It was very cute. We were amazed at how decked out so many people were. Some costumes were very impressive. Once inside the park they funneled the party goers off to a back road behind the right side of Main St. That was a good job of getting people into the park while not interfering with the folks leaving. Since we were on that side of the park we hit Space Mountain and TRON. Space Mountain was in 100% black out. It made the ride rougher than usual since you can't anticipate anything. TRON was awesome as usual and being in RED made it even cooler. Side note...I actually got to ride the bikes this trip. I've been on a weight loss journey and am down ~80lbs. Before I was restricted to the back seated cars, but now I can ride any ride and TRON bikes were no issue. YAY ME.
We meandered to Adventureland to get ready for the parade. We got a nice location on the wall just past the stockades. The parade itself was unique and fun. Floats were interesting and the Halloween specific characters were great. Immediately after the parade we headed for the Haunted Mansion, as did everyone else in Adventureland. It was a bit of a tussle but we got in the queue safely. It was a posted 30 minute wait but we got through in about 20 min. Frankly, I expected a little more from the Haunted Mansion during the Halloween party. It felt the the same old same old. Always a fun ride but nothing particularly special. After HM, we did Pirates and Jungle Cruise. Short waits there. We then wandered towards Main St. to find a place for the fireworks and castle show. We were funneled to the middle of Main St., only about 20 feet from the traffic circle in front of the castle. A perfect viewing area, even for my vertically challenged wife. When the fireworks ended we got to witness a marriage proposal. She said yes !
Since many folks were heading for the exits, we decided to head for 7DMT. We had about a 30 minute wait to ride, but when we did, it was time for some Pixie Dust. When it was our turn to board we got row 1. But that wasn't it. As we came back into the station, the cast member was waving and we energetically waved back. As we exited the car he came up and said "Want to ride again?" We said sure, and he directed us to the front of the line and we were in the next train. So we rode 7DMT twice in 5 minutes !!
With that, it was beginning to get late so we began our walk to the exit and the Beach Club bus. And wouldn't you know it, the folks dressed as HM characters were waiting for the bus too. All in all a very good time at MNSSHP. Also great weather.

 

[HappyGal]

Enjoying your report and terrific pics! The Villains show, where does it take place?

 

[Marrila]

I am enjoying your report.
Best wishes on your anniversary!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Congratulations on your weight loss. That's a big achievement.

We love both the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club, too. We've had a room at the BC that was near where your room was. I agree that was a convenient location.

I found it interesting that you were able to go to MK on the morning that you arrived. It looks like the crowds are low all morning long on a party day.

I hate the lobby bathrooms at the BC and YC. They are too small and often crowded. I've changed in the bathrooms in the BCV lobby. They are never busy.

We are taking a quick trip at the Beach Club this week. I'm looking forward to all the Food & Wine stuff.

 

[zdad59]

Enjoying your report and terrific pics! The Villains show, where does it take place?

The Villans show is where Lightning McQueens Racing Academy used to be. It’s back behind Rockin Roller Coaster.

 

[zdad59]

Day 4......

• Priority #1 was SLEEP IN. We got back to the resort around midnight. It was so late and we were so tired, we got off the bus at Yacht Club, not Beach Club. Now they are connected and you can walk from one to the other BUT at midnight when you're old and tired it's a longer walk than you want.
• Anyway, we set no alarm and decided to get up when we get up. I was up at 8:30 but mama was still sleeping. So I took advantage of the perfect room location and made a coffee and took it to the balcony to chill and watch the world go by. Mama got up around 9.
• We made plans that day to go to Animal Kingdom. Going a little late there was no issue with space on the bus or getting into the park. As is tradition, we headed for Avatar FOP as our first ride. I feel a personal connection to this ride in a little way. My childhood friend, Joe Letteri, won the Academy award for the CGI special effects for the movie Avatar. (He also won a couple Oscars for Lord of the Rings, King Kong, and the new planet of the Apes. He's a very smart guy.) So I always pay an homage to Joe when we go to AK.
• After FOP (which was another ride my weight loss helped. No issue fitting on the ride !!!) we decided to eat lunch. We went to Satu'li Canteen. We were super impressed with the food. Very flavorful. Good portion size. Quick service. We highly recommend this place as a great quick service meal.
• After lunch we headed for the Safari. At noon time a surprising number of animals were out. We even had a rhino walk up to the safari bus. This was a particularly got safari ride. We then did the train loop out to Rafiki's Didn't get off, just took the train ride for fun.
• Next on the agenda was the Lion King show and Everest. Time for a little more Pixie Dust. As we walked up to the Lion King venue it was 1:59pm. Too late we figured to get in. We stopped to see when the next show was and the cast member at the gate said "We can get you in." Sure thing!! She walked us in just as the show started and sat us in the 2nd row. Great seats. Always a fun show. A couple new things since we were there last. Always an uplifting half hour.
• Final must do on the list was Everest. But on the way there we made a stop at the Wonders of Flight show. Another highly recommended stop. A fun and informational show. Everest is a great traditional coaster. Rode it twice since the posted wait time was only 15 minutes. Actually only took 10 minutes. This is one of our favorite "traditional coasters" anywhere.
• We were still tired from the previous day so we decided to call it a day. When we got back to Beach Club, we split a turkey sandwich from the Marketplace and some Fritos. The premade sandwiches at the BC marketplace are VERY good. Good size and tasty. After we ate mama laid down and I hit the quiet pool jacuzzi for a bit. All in all a super day.

View 1 from our balcony. Room 2579.


View 2 from 2579




A random cast member that wanted to be in a picture.

 

[zdad59]

Day 5....

• We're getting to the back end of the trip so our detailed itinerary is way more a guide and certainly not an absolute. So we made some minor changes and decided to rope drop HS and hit the Star Wars rides we missed a few days earlier. As noted before, when going to early entry to HS, we always take the boat. It was a peaceful start to the day. Once we got in the park we headed straight to Rise of the Resistance. When we got there the posted wait was 30 minutes. We got into the first story room in about 15 minutes. The ride was excellent as expected. One Empire soldier was particularly stern. A good job by her playing her role.
• After rise, we decided to skip Millenium Falcon. Walked around the area a bit then headed to Star Tours. We remember when that was the PRIMO ride. Enjoyed it again, but not the top shelf experience it was years ago.
• Once again we did Mickey's Runaway Railway. Really like this ride. Mama is particularly happy in the Daisy Duck dance room.
• At this point we had a decision to make. We had a late lunch/early dinner reservation in MK, so we decided to head over there and do some more rides before our meal. Definitely hit TRON again. Also rode 7DMT, Pooh, Small World, and Haunted Mansion.
• At this point we were about an hour early for our meal reservation but we headed over to Skipper Canteen anyway to see if we could get in early. Luckily we got right in, and even more luckily got the Butterfly Booth, a highly desirable location in the map room. I had the pork chop and mama had the chicken. Both meals were delicious. As we finished, I jokingly told our server that a free Lightning Lane to Jungle Cruise should come with every entree. She laughed. Arrive PIXIE DUST. She returned with the restaurant manager who walked us to Jungle Cruise and put us straight on the next boat !!!! Very sweet of them.
• We strolled the park for a bit, did some shopping (I got a cool Pluto coffee mug), and sat and people watched a bit. Saw a cute little 3 float parade come down Main St. Then we headed back to Beach Club for a relaxing evening.