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

[gracer9977]

Ahh I love your nice relaxing night with the more laid back dinner at San Angel Inn and then fun time in the pool.

Adorable picture of the kids in their big Sombrero's! I also adore that picture of Alexa all curled up fast asleep in the stroller.

How great that you could see Illuminations while you were in the pool. Sounds perfect that the kids got to swim and you and Brandon could just chill out and enjoy some cocktails.

Tough time on your last morning. I think everyone has a low point and when the things just keep piling up and then of course add in another rain storm and poof out comes the not so magical moment of the trip. Glad that you went to 50's Prime Time and got an awesome waitress that dropped some pixie dust on all of you and got you back in the magic.

Also got some great pictures with Sophia, Mike and Sulley.

So sad that it is your last day.

 

[littlenellbell]

How sweet of you to squeeze that family in out of the rain! As I get older I try not to let negative people (like the lady behind you) get to me. You did a nice thing.

Love the pictures with your daughter and Sofia, very cute!

I just felt so bad that they were getting so drenched when we were a few inches away nice and dry. It didn't hurt to squeeze them under the rope for a few minutes. Some people are so uptight about things!
I loved the Sofia pictures too! It was worth the wait.

Catching up and enjoying every moment of your TR! Alexa is so photogenic. What some awesome memories you have!! I feel silly adding my Dream Suite tour to my TR since you actually LIVED this dream.

Thanks for your sweet comments on Alexa! She does love to pose for pictures. I've said it before....NO WAY should you feel silly! I can not wait to read about your tour!!! The Dream Suite is so awesome, I'm sure you agree!?!

Such cute photos of Alexa meeting Sofia, the long wait was definitely worth it

Thank you! The Sofia character is adorable. I heard that Sofia and Doc McStuffins are now coming to Hollywood and Vine character meal. I'm sorry we missed that....Alexa would have loved that.

Wow, what an incredible experience! A stay at the Yacht Club, a night in the castle, a private parade, and a VIP tour of MK with a walking FP... sounds like heaven.

Oh yeah, and it's free, even better!

50's PT is my favorite, sounds like you made the perfect ADR for a night when a little Disney exhaustion started to show.

It was heaven! We are so lucky it happened to us! And yes free makes it so much better! Although I'm afraid to see what the prize will do to our tax return this year.
50's was just as fun as I remembered going as a teen. We did hit a little bit of a low point and it really boosted our mood! Very FUN memory.

Oh wow, that set is really awesome!! I'll have to keep that in mind for Donovan's birthday in March.

That really stinks that you had your castle PP pics went missing - especially since those were the ones that meant so much to you! Our hitchhiking ghosts pics from MNSSHP were missing on our PP account. I had emailed them about it and was told that they looked for them but they were gone. I was SO disappointed. But then one day, right before I ordered the PP CD, there they were! -on my account! It was some kind of miracle! I have no idea how or when they found them... but they were there and I was literally jumping up and down. I'm so sorry that they never found yours.

Ahh, if you guys headed over to Wilderness Lodge we may have crossed paths at the MK boat dock, haha! But I totally understand changing plans to a more laid back reservation- especially after such a busy day. And I'm so glad that you did! San Angel looks fabulous! We got a peek of it when we were on the Grand Fiesta ride. I really think we are going to try it next trip.

Oh no! No bags! Thankfully they found them or that could have made for a terrible ending to your day!

Oh yes- I remember that rainstorm that morning. Luckily we were inside The Land building! Glad you and Alexa could take cover too! And yay for getting to meet Sofia! She is so adorable and you got some great pics! Looks like Alexa loved her so it was definitely worth the wait!

I think everyone has those "low" points of their trip... it's when the stress & exhaustion finally hit you. At least you had a great time at 50's and it brought everyone's mood back up!

That's good that you were able to get your lost pictures back. I kept logging in and checking for mine, but they never came up. We did have such a fabulous trip, so if that's the worst that could go wrong it's not so bad. And we did get some fantastic pictures before park opening from our February trip, so at least we have those.
I still want to get to the Wilderness Lodge to eat or stay there one of these days, but I'm glad we went to San Angel. It ended up being perfect!
Alexa LOVED meeting Sofia, so worth the wait.
We really had a nice trip, but for that one moment we just hit our low point. 50's was the perfect way to cheer us up!

I found my way over here from Brenda's trip report - what a phenomenal experience to get to stay in the castle! It's always fun to read trip reports of the folks who win a Disney vacation - it makes you think, "Wow, people actually do win!"

I look forward to reading more!

Thanks for coming over from Brenda's report! I'm so excited to read what she thought of the Suite and see her pictures!!
I still can't actually believe this happened to us?! I've never won anything in my life before this. It still sort of feels like a dream. It was awesome! Fill out those sweepstakes...you never know.

Ahh I love your nice relaxing night with the more laid back dinner at San Angel Inn and then fun time in the pool.

Adorable picture of the kids in their big Sombrero's! I also adore that picture of Alexa all curled up fast asleep in the stroller.

How great that you could see Illuminations while you were in the pool. Sounds perfect that the kids got to swim and you and Brandon could just chill out and enjoy some cocktails.

Tough time on your last morning. I think everyone has a low point and when the things just keep piling up and then of course add in another rain storm and poof out comes the not so magical moment of the trip. Glad that you went to 50's Prime Time and got an awesome waitress that dropped some pixie dust on all of you and got you back in the magic.

Also got some great pictures with Sophia, Mike and Sulley.

So sad that it is your last day.

A relaxing night at San Angel and the pool is exactly what we needed! All the excitement surrounding our Castle stay took a lot out of us. It really was the perfect night.
Thank goodness we had 50's that morning to get us out of our not so magical mood.
I'm not complaining, because this trip was so amazing, but it did go so fast. Hard to believe I'm already writing about our last full day!

 

[threedisprincesses]

Hi! Found your tr from emmysmommy's thread.
What a WONDERFUL trip for you and your family. I am really enjoying reading along. I've even found myself very close to Disney tears a few times. It's nice of you to share your magic with us!

We LOVE the Beach Club! It's to the point now where as much as I think I would like to try some other resorts, I'm not sure it would be as fun as BC (pool, convenience, boardwalk....), When I ask my girls where we should stay, they say BC.

There would have been no way I would have been able to go to sleep in the castle! I would have spent all night in that tub!
BTW-YOU LEFT THE CHOCOLATE!

I have been sharing bits and pieces of your story with my DH. He isn't quite as obsessed with Dis as I am...His last comment was "Give it up. It's never going to happen."
To which I replied, "I know. That's why I read disboards!"

Thanks for writing! I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment!

 

[Stefecatzz]

Hello I stumbled upon your TR searching for something on the forums that was in no way related to it but I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed reading it & seeing all of your great photos! I think I may have felt almost as excited as you all were when you checked into the suite & stayed that night! You did a great job writing it. I'm excited to read more!

You & your family are so photogenic! I especially Love the pics of your MNSSHP night at MK & seeing the pure joy on your faces was so awesome. Alexa & Carson were Adorable in their costumes, too!! Keep up the great work & I look forward to the rest of it.

 

[beebeeryan]

Phew! All caught up, I've been DIS MIA for awhile.

So funny that mix up with the FP and Thunder. It's not everyday someone has stayed in the castle suite. Lol

I was so nervous about San Angel Inn, I booked it for our first night of our August trip and it ended up bring our favorite meal and restaurant on the whole trip.

Seriously, what happened with your bags!?!? It's not like they have tons of castle suite guests everyday. Crazy!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I've spent all morning reading your TR. You do a good job telling your story. I would have laid awake the night I spent in the suite, too, both wanting to get up and go out into the park, while at the same time afraid to do it. It is too bad that is was pouring rain and you didn't get any photopass pictures.

We were in WDW the first week of Feb, too, and had the crane in our castle pictures. How ironic it was that you had the crane once again.

We usually stay at the BC but have been at YC and BWI, too. We love that area. One of my goals is to watch the fireworks while relaxing in the SAB pool one night. What an awesome way for you to relax after such an exciting two days.

 

[jenseib]

We have had some tense moments on our trips too. Uusally because the "man" messes up with something! You know we are always right and if they would just listen things would be perfect.

 

[PrncessA]

Your photos have me so excited to stay at the Yacht Club! Great updates.

I am debating 50's Prime Time Cafe right now. All the reviews I see are great for the food, but I don't know how my kids' will react to it.

 

[DisneyMomLJ]

I've loved reading this report! I found it funny that at first I thought you were upset by your experience because of the "Boo to you and the Castle Suite too" title!

 

[suzyq0626]

I've spent the last day reading your tr, how fun and exciting! We are heading to WDW in 10 days and I'll have a new appreciation for what is behind those castle windows! Your kids are adorable, and I love hearing about what worked and went over well with your family. My kids are almost 8 and almost 5, and a 1 year old, but my oldest is a girl, and my almost 5 year old is a boy. But still fun to make comparisons. The castle stay sounds absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for sharing it. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your report!

 

[suzyq0626]

Double post. Sorry!

 

[RatherBeInAK]

I'm still working on getting caught up on your TR. What a wonderful experience in the castle suite!!! How amazing. You'll probably never watch Cinderella the same again. And you'll certainly be able to relate to how she felt when the clock struck midnight! I look forward to reading the rest soon.

 

[littlenellbell]

Hi! Found your tr from emmysmommy's thread.
What a WONDERFUL trip for you and your family. I am really enjoying reading along. I've even found myself very close to Disney tears a few times. It's nice of you to share your magic with us!

We LOVE the Beach Club! It's to the point now where as much as I think I would like to try some other resorts, I'm not sure it would be as fun as BC (pool, convenience, boardwalk....), When I ask my girls where we should stay, they say BC.

There would have been no way I would have been able to go to sleep in the castle! I would have spent all night in that tub!
BTW-YOU LEFT THE CHOCOLATE!

I have been sharing bits and pieces of your story with my DH. He isn't quite as obsessed with Dis as I am...His last comment was "Give it up. It's never going to happen."
To which I replied, "I know. That's why I read disboards!"

Thanks for writing! I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment!

Welcome! I'm glad you found my report! It was such a wonderful trip and I've enjoyed writing about it and reminiscing our wonderful memories.
You are so right about the BC/YC I just LOVE that whole area!!! I know what you mean about trying new resorts, but I would stay at BC or YC every time if we could.
It was really hard to sleep that night in the castle...it's just so surreal being inside like that! I was so bummed I forgot about the chocolate carriage. We wouldn't have brought it home with us on the plane, but it would have been nice to snack on or just look at the rest of our trip. At least we did get to enjoy some of it that night in the castle.
Too funny how your DH told you to "give it up"! You never know....I never in a billion years thought we would win something like this!

Hello I stumbled upon your TR searching for something on the forums that was in no way related to it but I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed reading it & seeing all of your great photos! I think I may have felt almost as excited as you all were when you checked into the suite & stayed that night! You did a great job writing it. I'm excited to read more!

You & your family are so photogenic! I especially Love the pics of your MNSSHP night at MK & seeing the pure joy on your faces was so awesome. Alexa & Carson were Adorable in their costumes, too!! Keep up the great work & I look forward to the rest of it.

Hello! Thanks for joining in. I'm so glad you found my report. Isn't funny how you can totally be searching for something else then you find another thread that gets you hooked for a few hours?
Thanks for your sweet comments regarding my family. I feel so lucky we won this trip.....but I feel even more lucky that my kids were at just the right age to really believe in the magic of Disney!

Phew! All caught up, I've been DIS MIA for awhile.

So funny that mix up with the FP and Thunder. It's not everyday someone has stayed in the castle suite. Lol

I was so nervous about San Angel Inn, I booked it for our first night of our August trip and it ended up bring our favorite meal and restaurant on the whole trip.

Seriously, what happened with your bags!?!? It's not like they have tons of castle suite guests everyday. Crazy!

Welcome back! It's so hard to keep up with the Dis over the holidays!
Looking back the Fastpass mix-up was hilarious. I don't know why I lied and told him that we used our magic bands to get in? You're right, it's not everyday you get to stay inside the Magic Kingdom and I had to keep reminding myself that it actually happened to us! It's weird to think we just came down the elevator and we were right in the middle of it all.
I agree with you on San Angel! I never thought we would like it as much as we did!
Who knows what happened to our bags? While we were trying to figure it out, I jokingly told the Manager at the Yacht Club that I would volunteer to go back to the castle suite to look for them. She volunteered to go back with me.

I've spent all morning reading your TR. You do a good job telling your story. I would have laid awake the night I spent in the suite, too, both wanting to get up and go out into the park, while at the same time afraid to do it. It is too bad that is was pouring rain and you didn't get any photopass pictures.

We were in WDW the first week of Feb, too, and had the crane in our castle pictures. How ironic it was that you had the crane once again.

We usually stay at the BC but have been at YC and BWI, too. We love that area. One of my goals is to watch the fireworks while relaxing in the SAB pool one night. What an awesome way for you to relax after such an exciting two days.

Thank you for reading along!!
Looking back I should have just called down to see if I could have gone out during the night to take a few pictures! There is so much pressure because you know that you will never be in that situation again, so you want the night to be perfect and have no regrets. Yet, you want to just enjoy and not stress over it. Overall, besides a few lost photo opportunities, it couldn't have gone more perfectly. We had a blast!
That darn crane! For as much work and time it takes to put those lights on and off, you'd think they would just leave them on all year! We were just talking about how it's been almost a year since our February trip.....February is a good time to go to beat the winter blahs!
Watching the fireworks from SAB is amazing and so relaxing! Plus we practically had the pool to ourselves.

We have had some tense moments on our trips too. Uusally because the "man" messes up with something! You know we are always right and if they would just listen things would be perfect.

I totally agree with you Jen!

Your photos have me so excited to stay at the Yacht Club! Great updates.

I am debating 50's Prime Time Cafe right now. All the reviews I see are great for the food, but I don't know how my kids' will react to it.

I'm so jealous you get to stay at the Yacht Club! It's so awesome!
We really liked 50's. The waitress we had was very good. I think depending on who you get can make or break the experience. My kids thought it was great, but Alexa was a little nervous that she would get in trouble. Our waitress was good and picked up on that and was so sweet to her. We were just talking about 50's the other day and how much fun it was, but when I asked the kids if they liked Sci Fi or 50's better, they both said Sci Fi. While Brandon and I both liked 50's better.

I've loved reading this report! I found it funny that at first I thought you were upset by your experience because of the "Boo to you and the Castle Suite too" title!

Too funny you thought that about the title! When I was trying to think of a title, I knew I wanted something to do with the Castle Suite and Halloween. Boo To You parade was our favorite part of the Halloween Party, plus we were singing that song for weeks after our trip, so that's why I picked it. I never thought of it as booing our experience in the Castle, but now that you point it out, I can see why you thought that. Trust me, our experience was quite the opposite!!! We LOVED it!

I've spent the last day reading your tr, how fun and exciting! We are heading to WDW in 10 days and I'll have a new appreciation for what is behind those castle windows! Your kids are adorable, and I love hearing about what worked and went over well with your family. My kids are almost 8 and almost 5, and a 1 year old, but my oldest is a girl, and my almost 5 year old is a boy. But still fun to make comparisons. The castle stay sounds absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for sharing it. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your report!

I'm glad you found my report! How awesome you are going to Disney soon!
I also enjoy reading reports of kids similar ages as mine to get tips and see what works for them. I've learned so much from reading reports!
We went the first week of February last year and it is an awesome time to go! Have a great time!

I'm still working on getting caught up on your TR. What a wonderful experience in the castle suite!!! How amazing. You'll probably never watch Cinderella the same again. And you'll certainly be able to relate to how she felt when the clock struck midnight! I look forward to reading the rest soon.

Thank you!
Yes, I can totally relate to how Cinderella felt at midnight. We had the most amazing time, but it feels like it was a dream sometimes.

 

[khertz]

Oh goodness, I was behind!!

I love Alexa's photos walking around with Dumbo. So cute!! And I laughed at imagining the CM's face when you said you hadn't used your tickets to get it because you'd stayed the night in the Dream Suite. I'm sure he was thinking, "Sure you did, lady..."

Alexa's photos with Sofia are PRECIOUS!!!

Glad y'all had a good meal at 50's. My DH came with us on a trip when we were just dating, and our server did the same thing when he drank his Coke in just a few minutes. He wanted to drink all of the refills just to spite her, but he couldn't do it! They are very in tune to who they can play around with and who they shouldn't, which is what I really love about that place. Well, that and the fried chicken!!

 

[littlenellbell]

Oh goodness, I was behind!!

I love Alexa's photos walking around with Dumbo. So cute!! And I laughed at imagining the CM's face when you said you hadn't used your tickets to get it because you'd stayed the night in the Dream Suite. I'm sure he was thinking, "Sure you did, lady..."

Alexa's photos with Sofia are PRECIOUS!!!

Glad y'all had a good meal at 50's. My DH came with us on a trip when we were just dating, and our server did the same thing when he drank his Coke in just a few minutes. He wanted to drink all of the refills just to spite her, but he couldn't do it! They are very in tune to who they can play around with and who they shouldn't, which is what I really love about that place. Well, that and the fried chicken!!

Thanks Kristy! Yes, Alexa sure does love that Dumbo! She has to always have at least one of her babies with her wherever we go.
I had that poor CM so confused. He was so shocked when I showed him the key to the suite.
The Sofia pictures are awesome! Alexa is a HUGE fan, so it was worth the wait to see her so excited over meeting her.

Too funny that your DH also got a bunch of refills! You're right, they do such a good job picking out who can play along and who would be offended. That fried chicken is the best! I could go for some right now!

 

[littlenellbell]

When I last left off, we had just finished a yummy and very fun meal at 50's Primetime Café! Carson was dying for me to go on Tower of Terror with him! I have to admit I was a little nervous to try it. I don't mind rollercoasters but I don't really like things that drop straight down. However, I knew it would make Carson happy, so we headed that way. He was so excited I agreed to do it and I was excited for some alone time with him.
We stopped to document our ride on TOT with a photopass picture in front of it. The photopass photographer was having issues with her camera, so we didn't get any. But, she did take one with my camera.



I snapped a few more pictures through the line.













I was really impressed with the queue! Such awesome theming and all the little details were amazing. We only had to wait about 15 minutes in the standby line and it was our turn. I was a little nervous, but Carson was so proud to take me on this ride! He was holding my hand and telling me it would be fun and reassuring me it wouldn't be scary. It was so cute. Here is our ride picture! I love how Carson is looking at me to make sure I'm okay.

So what did I think? I LOVED the theming and walk through the hotel. I liked the first part of the ride. I didn't realize there was a little more to the ride than just going up and down?!? Although I still wasn't thrilled with the feeling you get in your stomach during the drops, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The best part was how excited and happy it made Carson that I rode it with him. It was totally worth it and I would do it again.
After our ride we met back up with Brandon and Alexa. Carson was excited to tell them about how scared I was and how he helped me through it. Of course I played along!
We checked the times guide for show times. I always think it's hard to tour Hollywood Studios because of coordinating your day with show times. We only had time to do one more thing at HS because we wanted some pool time, so we decided to split up. I took Alexa to Disney Jr, while Brandon took Carson to Lights Motor Action Stunt show.
Alexa was pretty disappointed during our February trip when the Disney Jr show was closed as they prepared to add Sofia and Doc McStuffins, so she was super excited this time to see it. She happily sang and danced along. We enjoyed our time there. I had to crack up looking around the room at all the parents singing along. You know they've all seen the Disney Jr episodes a gazillion times.
Photo bomb!















Meanwhile, the boys were watching the stunt show. Here are a few pictures Brandon took. I have never seen it, but they both said it was awesome.







Disney Jr show was done before the stunt show, so I texted Brandon we would just meet him back at the Yacht Club. As we were walking out we noticed some people taking pictures with an oversized frame. We thought it looked fun, so we got a few.





Alexa also wanted to stop for a picture in front of these monsters.

 

[emmysmommy]

How very nice of Carson to take care of mommy on the ToT ride! Definitely my favorite ride in all of WDW! I'm shameless in my love for every detail of the theming.

The framed photos with Alexa are adorable. I love that they have these props at all the parks now.

Your observation of all the adults singing along with the Disney Jr songs is a great image. I remember those days not too long ago.

 

[littlenellbell]

How very nice of Carson to take care of mommy on the ToT ride! Definitely my favorite ride in all of WDW! I'm shameless in my love for every detail of the theming.

The framed photos with Alexa are adorable. I love that they have these props at all the parks now.

Your observation of all the adults singing along with the Disney Jr songs is a great image. I remember those days not too long ago.

Thanks...Carson is so sweet sometimes! He was proud to help me out! LOL I do love the theme of TOT...it is so worth a few butterflies in your stomach!

The framed pictures were fun. It's nice to have something different especially when you've already had the same picture in front of the hat year after year.

All the adults singing along was hilarious. I don't think most of them even realized they were doing it. You just get so used to hearing those songs over and over you can't help yourself!

 

[littlenellbell]

Overall we had an awesome morning at Hollywood Studios, but I think we were all excited to have some pool time at Storm Along Bay.

On the way back to the Yacht Club, I took this picture. I added a circle to show our room. Perfect location!



We quickly changed and headed down to the pool! I only took a few pictures but we had awesome afternoon. The weather was cooperating and we had the best time. I would LOVE to be there right now. It's been a brutally cold winter here in Ohio so far. SAB seems like heaven.











All too soon we had to tear ourselves away from the pool! We had plans to spend our last night at WDW at Epcot! On our walk to Epcot, we noticed they were setting up an event on the beach. It looked like it was going to be quite a big party!



We saw a photopass stop as soon as we arrived through the International Gateway and decided to stop.



Thumbs up!


Then the photographer told the kids to cover their eyes while we kissed. I don't think the picture turned out as planned.


Alexa really wanted to meet Duffey, so we went to see if he was out. And he was!!! However, once we approached the CM told us the line was closed

We had a FP+ for Soarin coming up so we decided to walk in that direction. We walked by Figment and the kids begged to go on it again. I warned them that we didn't have tons of time, so we had to be make good decisions and since we had already been on it this week maybe we should pick something else. Nope! They really wanted to do this.....so we did. After all, Alexa had her new little Figment and she wanted to take him on the ride.










By now it was time for our FP+ for Soarin. They directed us to the front row. We were all so excited for this one.









We had an amazing flight over California!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I love how sweet Carson was! That was so nice of him to be so supportive! I feel like HS is so hard to do everything, all those shows take up so much time! The front row of Sorin' is awesome! I am glad you got the chance to enjoy it!