Booked Vero but then...Beach Club counts as a beach vacation, right? (Sept '15)

[twinsouvenirs]

I think I've burned out my husband.

I've obsessively discussed every detail of each of our recent four or so Disney trips with my husband and his eyes glaze over each time. I think I'm risking burning him out and the ink is still wet on our DVC contracts, so you all will have to sit in as proxy.

Another sign that I've burned him out? He wanted to go to Vero for our September trip. Or anywhere but a park. I gamely started planning the trip while my heart tugged and tugged towards Magic Kingdom... and Epcot... and yes, Animal Kingdom. I still have NEVER ridded Kali River Rapids or Expedition Everest. And there are few people in this world who have visited WDW more than I in the last few years.

So I researched Vero; got all the details about area activities, started calculating airfare, looked into car rental, etc.

Our challenge: We have three kids, all under three. At the beginning of September, we'll have two three year olds and a one year old as long as we keep them alive till then (which is the plan, of course). With preschool germs this has proven harder than first anticipated It's been a long cold (and virus-ridden) winter here in Cleveland.

So flights were looking expensive and would still result in us needing to rent a car if we wanted to do anything but sit on the beach. We are super pale, and the beach is only an option before ten and after two for purposes of avoiding sunburn. Thus, we would definitely want to plan activities which I understand are limited on-site. We do not have a minivan or SUV, so to fit three kids plus luggage and carseats we'd need to rent one of those monsters regardless.

I was starting to get a headache just thinking about it.

One of the BIGGEST reason I love WDW resort trips is that you just show up. Even with babies. They have the high chairs, the pack n plays, the refrigerators, etc. We have an owners locker with pajamas, swimsuits, toiletries and rum, so we really just need a change of underwear and weather appropriate clothing. Since the 1 Brs and above have a washer and dryer, the only reason we'd really need more than one set of clothes is for the pictures

So I started checking out what was available on-site without telling my husband, and to my delight the highly coveted Beach Club Villas had a one bedroom open. AND they are due for a full refurb this summer prior to our trip. So I went to work on my husband. I mentioned my concerns and said "why not just try the Beach Club?"

Within a day, he agreed. But his one reservation was that he didn't want to go to the parks. He wants to relax, and he doesn't want to pay a bunch for tickets.

I happily said "you do NOT have to go to the parks. We can just relax at Stormalong Bay, take the kids over to the community hall at Boardwalk, and get ice cream at Beaches & Cream. It'll be just like a beach vacation, but with fresh water and more entertainment options on site"

That doesn't mean *I* can't go to the parks, right?

 

[clambert1273]

hahahaha You are so like me LOL

I say - yep it is like a beach even with sand! Get kids meals at Hurrican Hannah's and they get buckets to dig in the sand with My daughter LOVED that pool... she spent an entire day in it last week... I love it there

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Get kids meals at Hurrican Hannah's and they get buckets to dig in the sand with

That is pure GENIUS!!! See?! We don't even have to bring those!!!! We made the right call, obviously

 

[clambert1273]

I'm just sayin....

 

[clambert1273]

Oh and while you are laying pool side... make sure and order Moscato Colada.... HEAVEN!!!

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Oh and while you are laying pool side... make sure and order Moscato Colada.... HEAVEN!!!

Consider that done My husband and I loooove the 'not driving' aspect of these trips too

 

[twinsouvenirs]

DINING.

I'm thinking that planning a no-plans vacation is going to take nearly the same effort as a park-centered vacation. And if we get to relax, I think I'm going to plan one non-villa meal a day--since I should get a little relaxation too, right?

I try to keep our dining somewhat tied to the 'region' of the world we're inhabiting for the trip. This trip I am hoping to try:

-Beaches and Cream for dessert (I am dying to try the Kitchen Sink, but I may wait till all the kids are a little bigger for the help)
-Cape May Café for the seafood buffet (I am a sucker for crab legs!)
-Yachtsman Steakhouse (for a night with the husband, if our regular sitter is available--she's having a baby this April!)

We're huge fans of Epcot dining, and I wanted to get us into Monsieur Paul's last trip but it didn't happen. We did Tutto Italia instead and OH MY LORD was that delicious. We split the Grande Antipasto Misto and a bottle of wine... between that, the focaccia and the fresh olives, I do not know whether I've had a more immersive experience! So I suppose I'm seeking a bit of inspiration when it comes to an Epcot dining evening. We've done Biergarten, Marrakesh, Le Cellier, Spice Road Table, Via Napoli....

If I can trick him into another AP (it actually WOULD make a lot of sense...) or even just more than one park day, we could just graze around the world one day. I also am a huge fan of the fish & chips.

Any other must-dos dining on the Seven Seas Lagoon? I definitely like to do a character meal every trip for the kiddos, but I am almost thinking of something like Mickey's Backyard Barbeque instead this time.

I'm going to put my ADR's below as I pick them.

Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

 

[clambert1273]

The breakfast at Cape May was excellent for character interaction - my daughter loved it. I LOVE Beaches & Cream - even just the food lol Yachtsman Steakhouse was EXCELLENT when I ate there. I didn't get to eat around the world last time

But your list there gave me some ideas for this trip

 

[twinsouvenirs]

SOOoooooo.....

We changed weeks. I know, I know. Crazy. But we've switched our week so that our kids are ALL under three for the first day of the reservation, which I've been told keeps them free for the whole week. The only tricky part of these dates are that we've been told that the weather is BRUTAL in Aug/September, but we've done it before. The other great thing is that we'll be there for our twins birthday! They will be turning three and believe it or not, this will be their second birthday in WDW. You could call that ridiculous, but I'm pretty sure everyone on this board will call it awesome

When I switched the reservation, we had one day outstanding--a Friday night. The way DVC works is that there are only so many rooms open, and they are reserved in a two tier first come first serve manner. In other words, if Beach Club Villas were our home, we could reserve 11 months out. They are not. Any resort that is not our home starts reservations at 7 months out. Theoretically, every room could be reserved by Beach Club owners, but that is nearly 99.99% impossible--except for peak times like marathon weekend, in which some resorts are completely full in the 11-7 month windows (i.e. enough of the owners want to stay that weekend that the whole place is booked). Disney has some rooms in these properties available for cash reservations, but heck--if we wanted to pay out of pocket we'd never have joined DVC

Back to our dilemma. We waitlisted the Friday night. Sometimes waitlists never come through. Usually, far enough out, they do. Our last trip on a marathon weekend, we had a night at Bay Lake Tower waitlisted from the 7 month mark. It never happened.

This time--we were on the waitlist for about two days. At 1pm today, I got an email thanking me for my reservation--the waitlist came through! We're golden. Set for a glorious week at the Beach Club in weather sweltering enough to really justify Stormalong Bay We also know that we love the Boardwalk's kiddie pool, so we can head over there if Stormalong is too crazy. We'll probably head over there regardless at some point because of the community hall--lots of fun crafts and games for little ones!

Next research points will be to find the grills and playgrounds at Beach Club. Although I fully intend to visit a park or two, not gonna lie, I'm hoping we have some lazy days poolside and at the playgrounds. My husband is a fantastic grillmaster as well, so that will be nice. We are the type that eat mostly in our villa with maybe once a day at a restaurant. I have to make the new reservations with our new dates and hope they'll all be there!

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Totally did NOT book any dining reservations. But had a fun conversation with my husband this morning. I asked him what kind of vacations he would really enjoy--and told him I was worried that I was burning him out on WDW. He explained that he didn't really want to go anywhere that he hoped the kids would remember until they were 5 (that's a few years away still--pretty much 4 years given that our youngest hasn't hit a year yet.) Until then, he said, he thought Disney would be good. He's comfortable with it, he knows how to get around, etc. He just doesn't want to go to the parks so much.

LE SIGH.

So that's good and bad, right? Because I totally do want to go to the parks. I am hoping I can take some or all of the kids and he'll be happy enough chilling out by himself that it will be no problem.

I stayed at the Yacht Club once, back in 2000 I think. I've stayed at the Boardwalk twice now, and we LOVE it. I've stayed at the Swan/Dolphin two or three times as well and that was great too. So I know the 'neighborhood', if you will. Somehow, though, Beach Club feels totally new and exciting.

I think, weather permitting, I'm going to plan our first lunch or dinner at Hurricane Hanna's so we can get the nifty pails. Especially if we get in before check-in. I haven't booked our flights yet but when I do we'll have a better idea of whether we're looking at lunch or dinner.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

The dogsitter is booked, and heck, I'm ready to go. It's going to be a LOOONNNGGG summer waiting for this trip. Last year we hit Star Wars Weekends for memorial day just to break up the wait. A little wrinkle has emerged, though. I thought that the refurb of Beach Club Villas was scheduled to be completed in August, but according to the CM I talked to yesterday, not so much. They aren't starting the refurbs till May 31st, and they don't project being done until December 16th. They're also working little bit by little bit on Stormalong Bay. I made my husband a little list of all the other resorts that still have full availability for a 1 BR for our trip. Believe it or not, it was an extensive list! For the most part, all resorts had at least partial availability and only about two didn't have full availability (BCV, where we've already booked and GFV). Too bad the Poly doesn't have 1 BRrs... or alternatively, a full kitchen in the studios.

He did not respond to said list.

As we're already getting quite psyched about the trip, I sent a request in to member services to put us in a refurbed room if possible, and in a refurbed section, as our kids nap a good while each afternoon and it really makes them much more pleasant to be around After studying some maps of the Beach Club Villa views, it looks like they are all pretty decent and none are really something to write home about. I may still ask for a top floor, and I'm inclined to ask for a pool view because it is always fun seeing the splashing and fun, but it looks like few of the views are exceptional.

OUR FIRST ANTICIPATED MEAL....

I'm thinking our first meals will be at Hurricane Hanna's-- probably the "Kids' Mickey Check Meal - Turkey Sandwich on Goldfish Bread" served in a pail for the twins. Not sure what goldfish bread is but it sounds good It looks like it may look a bit like this:

YUM. Heck, I realize that there are age guidelines on these but I'm tempted to get one myself only in part for the pail.

Mostly I'm looking at the Moscato Colada, the Skinny Coconut Mojito, Black Cherry Lemonade.... well, really I don't want to rule anything out at this point. A Lobster, Shrimp and Scallop Roll, Hanna's 1/3 lb Bacon Angus Cheeseburger, or Chopped Field Greens Salad all sound like they'd cushion my beverages well also. My husband is likely to get the Pulled Pork Sandwich.

Of course, if it is raining... it's just too bad Beaches & Cream requires ADRs. We'll just have to wing it and see if we can get into Captain's Grill, Crew's Cup Lounge, Cape May, Martha's Vineyard or the Ale & Compass. Or heck, we could go to Big River Grille which is basically my husband's favorite. OR just get funnel cakes.

I'm thrilled about this location

 

[Sailormoon2]

Following along as we too will be at Beach Club (resort side) end of August-we can express our planning here and leave our husbands alone with their glazed over looks. Psyched to see all the meal plans you come up with and if you convince him to "park" for even just 1 day. I'm sure he'll love chillin by himself for you to take the kids and venture to MK.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Following along as we too will be at Beach Club (resort side) end of August-we can express our planning here and leave our husbands alone with their glazed over looks. Psyched to see all the meal plans you come up with and if you convince him to "park" for even just 1 day. I'm sure he'll love chillin by himself for you to take the kids and venture to MK.

I am counting on it! And thanks for visiting Thank goodness for these forums and like-minded people

 

[clambert1273]

Moscato Colada .. must do... I had 5 of them on our pool day LOL

 

[twinsouvenirs]

Moscato Colada .. must do... I had 5 of them on our pool day LOL

I like the way you think And by think, I mean drink

 

[Lidian]

Hello! I am along for the ride! The Beach Club sounds awesome! It's certainly on my list of resorts I'd love to stay at!

You could call that ridiculous, but I'm pretty sure everyone on this board will call it awesome

I certainly call it awesome!

 

[MissMaryQC]

Following along!!

Your pull with your DH is a lot better than mine is (he's not a huge Disney fan either). I'm trying to convince him to let me take our DD to WDW for her second birthday but he says 3 or 4 maybe... I may have to steal her away and take her myself!

Your plans sound so fun! I love the idea of a resort vacation, and hey, maybe you can go to just one park?

 

[twinsouvenirs]

GROCERIES!

Once I figure out how to make links to posts within posts, I'll organize this neatly so I can work with the list. We order from Amy at We Go Shop. I've been using her for 10 years and she always looks out for us, even scoring us freebies and such. She includes the original receipts too, so you never have to wonder if her prices are fair. And she bargain hunts for us.

-Cheerios
-Rice Krispies
-Marshmallows
-Butter (Unsalted)
-chocolate chip cookie dough
-vanilla ice cream
-Mexican cheese blend
-tortilla chips
-salsa
-Malibu rum
-pineapple juice

 

[twinsouvenirs]

DIY Disney Snacks

Thanks to our villa set up, we've got a stove. A stove means savings, because we can make meals and snacks in the room. We have some super simple and delicious staple meals like pesto chicken pasta and chicken nachos that are fast, and real crowd pleasers. We do delicious eggy breakfasts that fill up our toddlers too.

BUT... every once in a while, a vacationing parent needs to shove a treat at a toddler to get them to shut... er, share the magic!!!

To that end, I'm planning two batches of fun treats. One, what my girls call "mickey treats"... marshmallow crispy treats on a stick! Two, Mickey-Shaped Ice Cream Sandwiches. These are both super easy, especially if I make a big batch on the first or second day. Pop in our fridge, we are good to go. I plan to make them a little healthier by threading in some raisins and possibly even some peanut butter or nuts for protein. That way I can somewhat guiltlessly had the girls a mickey on a stick and we can jet out the door for rope drop somewhere.

Anyone else have any go-to treats for the parks? I'm trying to think of some fun savory options that might involve goldfish crackers---er, little Nemos

 

[clambert1273]

LOL nope... I REFUSE to cook or do anything while on vacation.. I do enough of that at home lol