COMPLETE- "We're Never Coming Back!...Until October" FEB '14 Princess Half Marathon

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100_7104 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_2300 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I love how the syrup packets make the pancakes into a Mickey

 

[annmarieda]

Split stays are hard. Great if you want to experience a different resort, not so great if you live kinda frantically out of your suitcase. Even 2 nights is rough.

I find the baseball game on the tennis court to be kinda funny... but I do wonder if it as not intentional.

Yum on breakfast!

 

[disneyhorselover]

Split stays are hard. Great if you want to experience a different resort, not so great if you live kinda frantically out of your suitcase. Even 2 nights is rough.

I find the baseball game on the tennis court to be kinda funny... but I do wonder if it as not intentional.

Yum on breakfast!

If I did a split stay again I think I would try to pack a little better.....as in try to get everything I needed for the first day on the top of the suitcase rather than mixed in everywhere. My suitcase was busting at the seams already-I am an overpacker by nature, and having to bring race costumes, running accessories, and normal vacation clothes? Packing light was NOT happening

 

[annmarieda]

If I did a split stay again I think I would try to pack a little better.....as in try to get everything I needed for the first day on the top of the suitcase rather than mixed in everywhere. My suitcase was busting at the seams already-I am an overpacker by nature, and having to bring race costumes, running accessories, and normal vacation clothes? Packing light was NOT happening

I am an overpacker too! It definitely complicates a split stay. I am also prone to thinking I want to wear one thing on certain days of the trip and then deciding against it on those days. (hence why I need way more than I should for a trip)

 

[appleorchard]

Because I was so paranoid about my shoes or running clothes getting lost someplace, I had one carry-on and then my regular large suitcase. I NEVER thought I would need it -- but they were both completely full. Four pairs of shoes take up a lot of room, plus the completely unnecessary throwaway sweatpants and shirts.

The good thing was, I had room in my carry-on for race clothes and one change of clothes, plus pajamas, so I was good to go for one night. even if my luggage had gotten misplaced(which it didn't). I really considered doing a split stay. I was so nervous about Pop, I kept trying to figure out how to squeeze a few days in at BW(our DVC home) but I knew it would be really hard to change hotels. And I ended up really liking Pop, so glad I didn't.

 

[disneyhorselover]

Because I was so paranoid about my shoes or running clothes getting lost someplace, I had one carry-on and then my regular large suitcase. I NEVER thought I would need it -- but they were both completely full. Four pairs of shoes take up a lot of room, plus the completely unnecessary throwaway sweatpants and shirts.

That sounds like the way to go! I took a chance and put my running clothes in my checked luggage....then spent most of Thursday panicking that my luggage was lost when it took longer that 3 hours to arrive on ME.

Also, I had brought 2 throwaway sweatshirts that I was saving for the half, and my suitcase was so full that I told Emily that we were bringing them to the half and dumping them even if we didn't need them, because I ran out of room to take them home

The good thing was, I had room in my carry-on for race clothes and one change of clothes, plus pajamas, so I was good to go for one night. even if my luggage had gotten misplaced(which it didn't). I really considered doing a split stay. I was so nervous about Pop, I kept trying to figure out how to squeeze a few days in at BW(our DVC home) but I knew it would be really hard to change hotels. And I ended up really liking Pop, so glad I didn't.

So glad you liked Pop! It is one of my favorite Disney resorts, though I was impressed by how much I also like All Star Sports. Which section did you stay in? I was in 90s when I was there and loved the computer pool.

We stayed at BWV for the first time (rented points) and now I never want to stay anywhere else....if I owned there I would definitely never leave!

 

[emilyindisney]

I love how the syrup packets make the pancakes into a Mickey

Good catch! Didn't even notice that until you mentioned it!

 

[jdd]

Good catch! Didn't even notice that until you mentioned it!

It's a sickness - I see Mickey everywhere....it's rubbing off on my kids too

 

[emilyindisney]

Completing the All-Star Trifecta

When we hit the end of Center Court, we made the short hop, skip and jump over to All-Star Music (AKA we walked across the parking lot.) We approached through the Rock Inn which definitely had a 1950s/Grease feel to it. I did think their major use of pink and blue was a little strange but hey- still cute.

We stopped at the piano pool for a picture with my best girl!


100_7111 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Our destination was Melody Hall to see the pin board so we hung a left and cut through the Jazz Inn. This section was really cute- sort of like a cornier (in a good way!) POFQ. We actually just decided to stay at All-Star Music in October and I think this is the section I want to request.


100_7113 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Doesn’t this fountain look just like the one in the POFQ lobby?


100_7115 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

What Caitlin calls "the awkward senior picture pose"

We passed the guitar shaped pool and found ourselves in the Calypso section.


100_7116 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

This was by far my favorite! It was so colorful and bright! As with Sports, I thought that the sections in Music were definitely newer/nicer looking the closer you got to the main hall. I guess that makes sense seeing as they charge more for those ‘preferred’ rooms.

Once we made it to Melody Hall we went into the gift shop where I made my first pin trade of the trip!


photo(1) by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Taking a right from Melody Hall, we were right in the Mighty Ducks section of All-Star Movies. Caitlin is a big Bruins fan so we stopped at the pool for a picture with Hockey Goofy.


100_7117 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I didn’t take many pictures at this resort and I think it’s because none of the sections really spoke to me. The Dalmatians section was cute but looked like it needed a little cleaning up. The Fantastia section, which was closest to Cinema Hall, didn’t have anything I was really familiar with even though I think it was one of the nicest sections. We paused at the outdoor seating behind Cinema Hall to regroup before we refilled our mugs and stopped in the gift shop to see the pins. I made a quick trade here before we decided it was time to head to the Boardwalk!​

 

[emilyindisney]

Our first deluxe stay adventure begins

We hopped on a bus at All-Star Movies bound for Hollywood Studios.


IMG_2302 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Did it make me a little sad to see Tower from the parking lot and not be able to ride? I can’t lie- yes. However, it makes me more excited to run a whole race dedicated to it in October! Here we ran for the docked friendship boat hoping to make it. The captain must have taken pity on us (and thought we looked a little crazy) so he waited and we got right on!


100_7120 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Once we were on the boardwalk (which is the last resort stop before the International Gateway) we walked up the back stairs that lead from the boardwalk to the hotel lobby and checked in. Our room wasn’t ready but I signed up for the text alert and made sure our charging privileges were ready to go because those magic bands were itching to be used!


DSCN0019 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Stopping for our first picture to commemorate our fancy surroundings!

On our way back out, I snapped some pictures of our new surroundings.


100_7122 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7121 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7123 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

With food on the brain we headed back down to the boardwalk and made a beeline for the Boardwalk Bakery. My plan was to just indulge in some type of delicious baked good but I was pleasantly surprised to see there were other choices as well.


100_7124 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The choices in desserts were aplenty so I opted for the strawberry cupcake. Caitlin bargained with me and we decided to split that cupcake, and an eclair. She opted for the kid’s meal macaroni and cheese and gave me some of that as well. MJ had a wedge salad which was so good I think we all ended up ordering one over the course of the trip.


100_7125 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7126 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7127 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Everything was absolutely delicious! Sitting on the boardwalk with a nice, warm breeze to eat lunch was super relaxing and made for an enjoyable meal. While we were sitting I got the text that our room was ready! We decided to head up but stopped for a picture at Margarita Joe’s.


100_7129 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

MJ vowed to return here later!​

 

[annmarieda]

What a neat way to say good bye to one resort.. I love the little tour.

Very cool the boat captain waited for you!

The cupcake looks amazing. Strawberry all the way through?

And yay for your room not taking too long to be ready. I can't wait to see pictures!!!

 

[LB1122]

YEAH I made it to your trip report...

Looks like it was amazing so far. I am not really a runner and did not know there was a 5K....so so so want to do this now someday with the whole family...my daughter would love this

Can not wait to read the rest

 

[emilyindisney]

What a neat way to say good bye to one resort.. I love the little tour. Very cool the boat captain waited for you! The cupcake looks amazing. Strawberry all the way through? And yay for your room not taking too long to be ready. I can't wait to see pictures!!!

Yes- it was yellow cake with a strawberry filling. Very tasty!

I was excited the room was ready that quick because check-in was listed online as being 3PM! I have a hunch that they probably usually don't make people wait that long, though.

 

[emilyindisney]

YEAH I made it to your trip report... Looks like it was amazing so far. I am not really a runner and did not know there was a 5K....so so so want to do this now someday with the whole family...my daughter would love this Can not wait to read the rest

Yay- welcome!!

The 5k was a ton of fun! People really got into it with the costumes. There was a family who had all Peter Pan costumes and another big (maybe extended) family who were all dressed as Finding Nemo characters!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Somehow the Boardwalk Bakery eluded me in October even though I had meals at Kouzzina and Flying Fish. Looking at your dessert pictures from the Bakery, I'm kicking myself even more.

That's awesome you got to stay at the Boardwalk! I'm a huge fan of the Epcot Resort area and once the kids have a few more years on them that's where we'll try to stay for our future Disney trips.

 

[emilyindisney]

Somehow the Boardwalk Bakery eluded me in October even though I had meals at Kouzzina and Flying Fish. Looking at your dessert pictures from the Bakery, I'm kicking myself even more.

That's awesome you got to stay at the Boardwalk! I'm a huge fan of the Epcot Resort area and once the kids have a few more years on them that's where we'll try to stay for our future Disney trips.

There were so many delicious looking choices I regret not going back to try something new!

 

[emilyindisney]

"It's settled, I'm never checking out!"

We were in a villa that luckily, as we requested was very close to the elevators! Some of those hallways seemed to go on forever so I think we were really fortunate in that.


100_7130 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The room next door had decorated their door with all sorts of Glass Slipper Challenge themed decor which made it easy to find out room!


100_7131 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

View from the doorway- there was a small table and mirror to the right of this picture.


100_7132 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Taking another step in and looking right we had our kitchenette. This was fully stocked with dishes, soap, sponges, towels, etc which was really convenient!


100_7134 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Across from the kitchenette was the vanity and sink.


100_7133 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The bathroom was to the left of the sink area.


100_7135 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Looking forward to the rest of the room.


100_7142 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The closet is across from the bathroom door. Clearly we were prioritizing the closet space!


100_7136 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The bed and the pullout couch.


100_7140 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Mickey towel!


100_7137 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

TV, table, and connecting door.


100_7139 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The view from the balcony. The front entrance to the resort, and the bus loop were just to the left of this picture.


100_7141 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Mickey heads in the carpet!

I’m ashamed to say that I had a moment of TR weakness- we went to the pool (which was awesome) and took no pictures. Zip. Zero. Epic fail!

Luckily, I’m sure there are some awesome pics online that you can look up! I was a little apprehensive about the pool when we booked because I’m not a clown person. Clowns totally freak me out so the thought of having a slide that shoots your right into the pool from a clown’s mouth is totally weird. However, it turns out to be a lot of fun!

Despite 10+ years of lessons, I am not a very confident swimmer, so but when I saw how cool the waterslide looked, I knew that I had to try it! So I did what any good sister would do...made my younger sibling go first! Seeing as Caitlin sinks more than she swims, I agreed to go with her even though I was adamant I didn’t want wet hair for dinner. Despite Emily’s claims that she didn’t want to get too wet, we both climbed the stairs and went down the slide-twice! I was very impressed with how fun it was for a hotel slide! And thankfully, the clown didn’t creep me out nearly as much as I thought it would. I definitely wish we’d gotten a chance to use the pool a little more, and go down the slide again. As we added more running miles over the weekend, I don’t know that I could climb the stairs to the top, though!

The whole pool has a light carnival/amusement park theme that was cute, and well done. We spent some time sitting in the hot tub too, which was a little over-run with kids but wasn’t bad. This was my only complaint about the pool area, and that's a parenting fail more than a Disney fail….Note to parents: The hot tub is not a splash pool for your children! People in the hot tub do not want to be kicked, splashed, or creepily stared at by said children while you are nowhere to be seen! Personally, I think unattended children should be fed to the clown….END rant!

The plan was to leave the room by 4:00 to get to dinner so when 3:45 rolled around we realized it was time to dry off and hustle!​

 

[annmarieda]

for getting your room near the elevator. I have heard about the halls... So you requested near an elevator and that seemed to cut down that issue of the long walk down the long halls?

View is nice! That is standard, correct?

Even with out pictures... your pool time recap was great! I think the slide (despite the clown) looks like it would be a lot of fun.

I don't think I would ever want to check out either!!

 

[Credit Man]

Great updates. The Boardwalk is my favorite resort, my "happy" place.

 

[emilyindisney]

for getting your room near the elevator. I have heard about the halls... So you requested near an elevator and that seemed to cut down that issue of the long walk down the long halls?

That's right. I extremely thankful that some of our RL (real life) Disney friends, and the DISers on the BWI/BWV thread suggested doing this. MJ walked down to the recycling room one morning and said it looked like the halls went on forever!

View is nice! That is standard, correct?

Yes. I was all excited because I thought we got upgraded to a water view, but then Cait reminded me there is no water view category here

Even with out pictures... your pool time recap was great! I think the slide (despite the clown) looks like it would be a lot of fun.

Despite the creepy clown I highly recommend it!

I don't think I would ever want to check out either!!

I was certainly sad to go, but so happy this was the place we decided to try this trip. It makes me excited to rent points and try more villas in the future!