Boo To You and The Castle Suite Too! – A September 2013 TR

[jenseib]

You guys made great time getting there. Claire would still be fighting me about waking up and you already transported to the resort and did some park time!
I have yet to try the new test track out. I need to get down there.

 

[JKSWonder]

You guys made great time getting there. Claire would still be fighting me about waking up and you already transported to the resort and did some park time!
I have yet to try the new test track out. I need to get down there.

This past August was the first time both of my kids agreed to do it. And more than once too!

Allison, as I have mentioned before, is a total chicken. Michael gave it a try last year. He didn't love the last speedy part too much, but not so much that it put him off it this year.

Personally, I liked this version better. The creating your own car thing was cool. And the kids loved the stuff you can do after you exit the ride where you can create your own commercial featuring the car you designed and race your car against others on a video game set up they have.

 

[littlenellbell]

Joining in! Can't wait to read more!

Thanks for joining in!

I knew you were going to leave us hanging!!!!!!!

Sorry Didn't mean to leave you hanging. I hope to get another update in tomorrow.

Wow you did make amazing time from your airport hotel to Epcot

You've had a lovely morning, how funny that your DS didn't want to miss out on the Alice interaction after all

That was the best experience ever with the Magical Express! It pays to get there early I guess. I know, my DS cracked me up how he was trying to be cool about the characters. It becomes a theme throughout the trip. An extra magical experience totally won him over in the end.

following along.........

Thanks for following along!

lovely photos - including the walkway to YC!

Thank you! We loved that beautiful walk along the beach to Epcot!

Oh my goodness! This is so cool! I can't wait to see what your room assignment is... SUSPENSE!
I'm now going to be searching for any and all Disney giveaways!

You can't win if you don't enter. Mousesavers website has a link to current Disney Sweepstakes.

You guys made great time getting there. Claire would still be fighting me about waking up and you already transported to the resort and did some park time!
I have yet to try the new test track out. I need to get down there.

I know we made awesome time. I'm still shocked we made it to Epcot before opening. The stars were all aligned on that one. The kids will normally whine about getting up early, but NEVER if they know they are visiting a Disney park. Somehow they have the ability to pop right out of bed if Disney is involved. I can't believe you've never been on the new Test Track? We've never been on the old one so I don't have anything to compare it to. But we love this version....you do need another trip

This past August was the first time both of my kids agreed to do it. And more than once too!

Allison, as I have mentioned before, is a total chicken. Michael gave it a try last year. He didn't love the last speedy part too much, but not so much that it put him off it this year.

Personally, I liked this version better. The creating your own car thing was cool. And the kids loved the stuff you can do after you exit the ride where you can create your own commercial featuring the car you designed and race your car against others on a video game set up they have.

It is fun to create your own car, and I like the competition with the other cars throughout the ride. We missed the commercial somehow? I bet my kids would have liked that. We played the video game in February, so we skipped it this time, but we enjoyed it before. The whole thing with creating your car to the games at the end, makes it more of an experience, not just a ride.

 

[gracer9977]

Congratulations on winning such an amazing trip and especially with all the wonderful extras that kept getting thrown in.

So looking forward to reading about your adventure.

Your kids are adorable and look like they are having so much fun, glad Carson decided it was cool to be in a picture with Alice.

My DD screams like a banshee on any and all rides. She is such a tiny little thing and people are always surprised by how much noise can come out of her. She LOVES rides but she also loves to scream on them.

I grew up going to Cedar Point. I LOVE it there!!!! We were only 2 1/2 hours away so it was where we went for school trips, family vacations, band competitions, etc. Now we go every year. My parents still lives in PA and every July we go visit for 2 weeks and always go to Cedar Point for 2 days. I even spent my honeymoon there because my DH didn't think that any park could beat out Six Flags. He was so wrong!!!

Anyway looking forward to your next update.

 

[littlenellbell]

Congratulations on winning such an amazing trip and especially with all the wonderful extras that kept getting thrown in.

So looking forward to reading about your adventure.

Your kids are adorable and look like they are having so much fun, glad Carson decided it was cool to be in a picture with Alice.

My DD screams like a banshee on any and all rides. She is such a tiny little thing and people are always surprised by how much noise can come out of her. She LOVES rides but she also loves to scream on them.

I grew up going to Cedar Point. I LOVE it there!!!! We were only 2 1/2 hours away so it was where we went for school trips, family vacations, band competitions, etc. Now we go every year. My parents still lives in PA and every July we go visit for 2 weeks and always go to Cedar Point for 2 days. I even spent my honeymoon there because my DH didn't think that any park could beat out Six Flags. He was so wrong!!!

Anyway looking forward to your next update.

Thank you for your sweet comments about my kids. Too funny about your DD! What is it about girls and screaming?! Sounds like you have great memories from Cedar Point. We went over the weekend for Halloweekends. It was fun. It's now closed for the season. Thanks for following my report.

 

[littlenellbell]

When I left off we were headed to the lobby to find out our room assignment. During the planning, Disney didn't tell me what type of room they booked us in, just that we were staying at The Yacht Club. Normally, I spend time analyzing room views and if it’s worth it to upgrade or not. I also research the best room locations in whatever category I book and send in my requests etc. My research usually pays off and my room requests are normally met. This time I wasn't sure what kind of category we were booked, so no requests were made. I was so happy to just be at the Yacht Club, any room would have been fine. But, I was still very anxious to find out.
When we arrived back at the lobby I went to the front desk and got the same nice CM that checked us in. Her name was the same as mine and spelled the same way, because there are so many ways to spell it we chatted a bit about this and she remembered my name the rest of the week. Anyway, I told her I got a text that said to go to the front desk. She showed me our room location which had a water view but was far away from the lobby, almost as far down to the Swan/Dolphin as you could get. She asked me if I’d rather be closer to the lobby and elevators? Of course I would! She changed our room number and we headed up to room 3161. Our room was just an elevator ride and a few steps away from the lobby. We were just a few doors down from the turret by the main walkway. Coming from the Moderate Level where it is such a hike to get anywhere, this was so convenient! Here is the picture of our room.





And our awesome view!!! We really enjoyed the balcony and this view the entire week. We did a lot of “can you believe we are actually here” out on the balcony at this point.







We were extremely happy with our room!! We especially loved the location and view! We still could not believe our luck!

The kids took a little rest and watched “Disney Must-Dos” as we unpacked. Some rooms have a day bed but our room had a chair and ottoman. DD immediately claimed this area as her own and ended up sleeping in this little chair the rest of the trip. It was perfect for her and she loved having her own little bed. She and her brother don’t sleep well next to each other because DS moves around so much when he sleeps and hogs the bed.





Soon the bellman was delivering our luggage and the groceries I ordered. We were not on the dinning plan this time and meals were not included in our prize, so I ordered some drinks, snacks and breakfast items to keep down the cost. We had still planned to eat out, but it’s the little things that add up. I used Strollers and Groceries and they had a coupon that if you order a stroller from Kingdom Strollers then you get free delivery with your groceries. I was happy with both companies! The stroller also came with a cooler bag to keep our drinks cold and a rain cover. It worked out great for the week. We were so glad to have the rain cover because unfortunately it got plenty of use.

Next we decided to go enjoy that gorgeous pool!



My little sailor girl fit right in with the Yacht Club theme.






As you can see by the pictures there weren't too many people around. I had read how it was always so busy and you could never find a chair. We never found that to be the case during our stay. I didn't take any pictures but we did the slide over and over with no wait. There is another slide for the little ones, and the kids enjoyed that as well. I didn't have my camera, but while we were climbing the steps to the slide, we noticed a horse drawn glass carriage come by with a wedding couple. DD claimed she wanted to have her wedding here someday and take a ride on that. We’d better start saving.
Next the kids wanted to do some pool games. The staff at the pool is extremely friendly and fun. The kids also made a lot of friends during the week by joining in on the games.





It started to lightly rain during the games but they were still having fun.







I went up on the bridge to take a few more random pictures of the beautiful Stormalong Bay. The only minor downside was the pool is so huge; it’s a little hard to keep track of your kids. Alexa loved the sand area, but Carson always wanted to be by the slide. These are on opposite ends of the pool. Plus, you couldn't always see your stuff from where you were swimming. At least we had the waterproof MagicBands, so we didn't need a key card or wallet to keep track of. Despite the massive size we loved exploring this pool. We learned to start on one end and stay together as a family then gradually get to the slide.








Then the skies really opened up and it was pouring rain. As we were gathering our things they closed the pool due to thunder and lightening. We were ready to go in anyway because we needed to get cleaned up and ready for our night at Hollywood Studios. We were hopeful the rain would clear up by then.

 

[jenseib]

When I stayed at Yc I was in the furthest possible room I believe. All the way to the end, corner room with water view. But we found walking outside to the main building was faster and I sure didn't complain, I was happy to be there. But it cracks me up when people complain about the walking they do at the Values because the deluxes are just as big too.

 

[JKSWonder]

When I stayed at Yc I was in the furthest possible room I believe. All the way to the end, corner room with water view. But we found walking outside to the main building was faster and I sure didn't complain, I was happy to be there. But it cracks me up when people complain about the walking they do at the Values because the deluxes are just as big too.

We were at the Beach Club and I think we were only three rooms away from the furthest room they had in that wing. We had to go up an elevator, down one hallway, walk through a little sitting area and go all the way down another hallway before we reached the room. We have a photo of the kids collapsed outside the door of the room (they were joking, of course, but it is still a pretty freaking funny photo).

Littlenellbell, love the little bed your daughter created for herself. Looks like it was a perfect fit.

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

Love reading about your magical trip. Look forward to your next trip report!

 

[DisneyJo]

Great room location and I love your view!

Your DD looks so snug in her little sleeper chair

Looks like you had a fun afternoon swimming, I'm desperate to stay at either the Beach or Yacht club but my DD said she won't swim in the pool because of the sandy bottomed bit!!

 

[scholastica]

I can't wait to read more! How awesome that you won, amazing! I live in MI and we loooove Cedar Point, it is so much fun if you are into roller coasters. If I lived any closer I would totally love a season pass.

I'm loving your report so far!

 

[BarbP]

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! What a dream trip. Looking forward to hearing about everything. And your reporting is wonderful!

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

I'm so glad I found your TR!!! Cant wait to read more!

 

[littlenellbell]

When I stayed at Yc I was in the furthest possible room I believe. All the way to the end, corner room with water view. But we found walking outside to the main building was faster and I sure didn't complain, I was happy to be there. But it cracks me up when people complain about the walking they do at the Values because the deluxes are just as big too.

The Yacht Club was much bigger than I thought it would be, so I was really happy with our room location. I think it helps though that everything is all in one building instead of being so spread out. Although we always enjoyed walking through the landscaped paths at CBR and POR.

We were at the Beach Club and I think we were only three rooms away from the furthest room they had in that wing. We had to go up an elevator, down one hallway, walk through a little sitting area and go all the way down another hallway before we reached the room. We have a photo of the kids collapsed outside the door of the room (they were joking, of course, but it is still a pretty freaking funny photo).

Littlenellbell, love the little bed your daughter created for herself. Looks like it was a perfect fit.

Sounds like a maze to get to your room! DD did love that little bed. Mousekeeping arranged it so cute each day too!

Love reading about your magical trip. Look forward to your next trip report!

Thanks for following along!

Great room location and I love your view!

Your DD looks so snug in her little sleeper chair

Looks like you had a fun afternoon swimming, I'm desperate to stay at either the Beach or Yacht club but my DD said she won't swim in the pool because of the sandy bottomed bit!!

Thanks! We really loved our room. It was perfect! Too bad your DD won't try out the pool at BC/YC. She could always just float on top of the water in a tube so she doesn't have to touch the sand!

I can't wait to read more! How awesome that you won, amazing! I live in MI and we loooove Cedar Point, it is so much fun if you are into roller coasters. If I lived any closer I would totally love a season pass.

I'm loving your report so far!

Thanks, I still can't believe I actually won this! CP is so much fun for coaster lovers. It was a little hard for us this year because DS was in to the big coasters, but DD isn't tall enough, so we had to split up a lot. We love Disney for the family rides that everyone can enjoy together.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! What a dream trip. Looking forward to hearing about everything. And your reporting is wonderful!

Thank you for your sweet comment on my reporting. This is my first trip report and I was so nervous my writing would be awful and not very interesting.
Thanks for joining in!

I'm so glad I found your TR!!! Cant wait to read more!

I'm glad you found it too!

 

[gracer9977]

Looks like you got even more Pixie Dust with such a perfect room. Not only was it easy to get to but what a beautiful view you had.

I love your DD's little bed, so cute and just her size.

At least you got to spend some time in the pool before they closed the pool.

Really loving your TR and look forward to the next update.

 

[spiritsim]

It was nice of them to move you closer to the lobby. I always like to be by the lobby for snack runs..lol

 

[suzimar57]

your daughter is the perfect "fit" for her "bed"!

and what a wonderful view from your balcony!!!

 

[littlenellbell]

Looks like you got even more Pixie Dust with such a perfect room. Not only was it easy to get to but what a beautiful view you had.

I love your DD's little bed, so cute and just her size.

At least you got to spend some time in the pool before they closed the pool.

Really loving your TR and look forward to the next update.

I know I couldn't believe the Pixie Dust on that room! We loved the view and location. I was happy to spend a nice afternoon at the pool and glad the storm held off until we were ready to go in.

It was nice of them to move you closer to the lobby. I always like to be by the lobby for snack runs..lol

I thought it was so nice of that CM to move us closer, I certainly didn't ask for it. What we liked most about being close to the lobby was being close to transportation...quick walk to the bus and boat dock.

your daughter is the perfect "fit" for her "bed"!

and what a wonderful view from your balcony!!!

She really did fit perfectly on that little bed. I was happy it worked out so everyone could get a decent nights sleep.

 

[littlenellbell]

Our plans were to walk over to the Boardwalk and eat at ESPN Grill before HS. We also wanted to wander around and check out the Boardwalk. After changing out of our swimsuits, we headed back to the lobby. Here is a picture we took of our bands waiting for the elevator. We found the bands to be comfortable and kept them on the whole week without any issues or complaints from anyone. You can see we removed the outer grey band on Alexas to make her band smaller.



A random elevator picture of the boys.



Once we got down into the lobby Carson wanted to find Florida on the globe and Alexa just wanted to pose with her new Figment.




It was still pouring down rain and it didn't look like it was going to let up. So we put our ponchos on, got the princess situated under her glass carriage and headed over to the Boardwalk.



It was like a monsoon and I couldn't even see 2 feet in front of me. We entered the Boardwalk area on the opposite end of the ESPN Grill, so we decided to just go into the Big River Brewery so we didn't have to walk further in the rain. We were seated right away, which was nice, but it was so dead in there. Our meal was good, no complaints, but it was nothing special. I think we would have enjoyed the atmosphere of ESPN a little better. We should have just walked a little further. Oh-well! One thing that I got that was very yummy was the beer cheese soup! I was wet and cold from the rain so it hit the spot. Otherwise we got basic burgers and fries, and Im sure DD got chicken nuggets&nothing fancy. Brandon and I also shared the beer sampler of all the beers that they brew and we enjoyed that. It was fun to try different ones. Im not one to take food pictures, but here are a few pictures during our meal.



Why is it that even though she has her own drink, she always has to drink mine?



The brewery



During our meal I was explaining to DH that we could either walk or take a boat to HS. I told him that I had read that the walk was about 15 minutes. We were hoping that by the time we were done eating that the rain would let up a little so we could take a nice walk and explore the Boardwalk a little more. No such luck, it was still pouring rain! Ponchos back on and we headed for the boat to Hollywood Studios. I took this picture as we waited for the boat. We would love to rent one of these, but never make the time for it.





We were hoping the rain would clear up for our night at Hollywood Studios. Stay tuned to find out.

 

[jenseib]

Bummer. The rain really does suck. But I am glad you just kept going. so many just hide out during the rain. might as well make the best use of your time.