CR/Yacht Club, No ADRs and ONE KILLER UPGRADE!!! UPDATE on the upgrade!

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks for joining me!! I haven't seen a report for a MK family, I'll have to find one. Epcot family of the day was just awesome! It was such a great start to our trip, we didn't think it could get better! But wait for the next installment! It was our first day there, so we were at the CR when it happened. The sad thing is that we got the VIP seating for illuminations, but we couldn't make it. In all the times we've been there I've only seen illuminations twice! Oh well, that means we have to keep going back!

We loved CR. So many people complain that it isn't disney enough. We liked it. It's an original, and just a different type of theme. Plus, nothing compares with that view!!! Although I do have to admit, I'm not sure I would like it as well if we were staying in a garden wing.

Thanks again for reading, and stay tuned!

Oh you have me on pins-n-needles waiting for this next installment! LOL!

I forgot to mention that I think it was totally awesome for you to go off and do the Keys tour solo. Hubby & I did that tour in May '08 and loved it. I think the different guides would truly lend a redo-ability to the experience. One of the mornings while we're there next month my guys have an early fishing excursion scheduled. I'm *not* a fishing kinda girl. I'm thinking I'll go do something solo...wondering just what I'll do. I wonder if I'll feel nekkid running around without anyone with me. It'll be strange to say the very least. LOL!

Can't wait for more!

 

[roxiepenguin]

LADIES....PLEASE PUT YOUR BREASTS AWAY! THIS IS A FAMILY PLACE!!! I have never seen so much cleavage pouring out of shirts in my entire life!! So many people expect a small piece of cotton to do much work! Wear a bra, tuck them in, you can wear your bikini at the pool.

AMEN!!! I can't tell you how many times I was thinking that exact thing while we were there!!!!!

 

[cjnix29]

We grabbed dessert from the lounge when we got back. Sat on the balcony one last time, watching the boats, the water parade, and the fireworks....eating yummy chocolate desserts and drinking my heineken. Oh what a night! I managed to get just about everything packed up, kept out our clothes for the morning. I had packed a small carryon suitcase that we would take with us, while the rest of our luggage went to bell services in the morning for transfer. We went to bed, although I tried to enjoy our view as much as I could that night, again, watching the castle turn colors throughout the night. Probably would have been easier if they weren't working on something at the bus depot, and working on the castle lights at night. They had big spotlights, which became quite annoying. I figured out a place to sleep whereby they were blocked by the railings on the balcony. just perfect!!

When we get up, we take our time getting ready and getting breakfast. I hadn't taken any pictures of the room yet, so I snapped a few. I'll include those now, as well as the rest of the pictures of our spectacular view!! (pardon our mess!) OMG...Can't believe I almost forgot!! what a perfect way to end our stay at the CR....when I woke up on Saturday, there was a rainbow over the castle!!! Spectacular! Not sure my picture does it any sort of justice, but hopefully you can make it out.

 

[cjnix29]

More pics for you from the Contemporary!!

Ok, we have to say goodbye to that room sometime, right?! Honestly, we were Ok with it. Before we started our vacation, we worried that we really would be sad to leave, and it would all be a big disappointment after. But at the time we were checking out, we were fine. We had closed that part of the trip, but now got to start a new part. It was almost as if we were getting two vacations in one week. We were ready for something new. I think it helped that our next resort was an Epcot resort. We were looking forward to that. So....we gathered up our bags, and headed to the concierge desk to check out. Got my bill...actually was pleasantly surprised. We charge everything back to the room. Easier for us. My bill was pretty small for the week. Love the Club level food. Saved us a bundle! Well, not really, since we paid big bucks for the room, but that was already paid for. So seemed as if we saved $$! yippee!! It's all about personal perception, right?!

Headed down to bell services with our bags. They took the ones we were going to have them transfer, and we took our carryon and headed to the bus stop. The CM in charge of the buses noticed we had a bag and asked us where we were going. We told him the Yacht Club. He said he would get us a bus, since the one that drops off from there doesn't apparently pick up from there. We waited for about 10 minutes or so, and our chariot had arrived. Off we go....the bus stopped at the Swan and Dolphin for pick up first, and then we finally arrive at the Yacht Club, our home for the next three nights!

 

[cjnix29]

We get to the Yacht Club, and are greeted by a CM at the front door. She asks us if we are checking in. We tell her yes, and she checks her list. SHe tells us that she sees we are staying club level, so she will call up to the fifth floor to see if they are ready for us. We wait in the lobby, looking around. It's lovely. The ceilings are low, but I wondered if that was supposed to give you the impression you were on a ship. I liked it! It is a beautiful hotel! So the CM comes back and tells us that they are busy up on the 5th floor, but that they can check us in there. Ok, that works for us. The nice cm's begin taking our info, credit card, etc. We hadn't done online check in. I tell them that our park tickets were on our previous KTTW cards, and they take those so they can transfer them. The CM behind the desk then asks us what has been the best part of our trip so far. We tell her it was being Epcot family of the day, although there have been so many great parts of the trip so far!! Ethan was exploring the lobby, he had found the kids area.

While we are waiting, two other CM's come out from behind the desk, and ask us where Ethan is. We call him over. The CM's then come out with balloons and a certificate....and tell us....WE ARE THE YACHT CLUB FAMILY OF THE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have been upgraded to a suite! Ok, it takes a moment to sink in. I tear up, I really can not believe this is happening to us!! How does one family get family of the day on two separate occasions in one trip?! Impossible! But apparently not, because it is happening to us!!!!!!!!! Another very kind Cm brings me tissues, because I am really crying at this point. Unbelieveable!!!!! I turn to the Cm that had asked me what the best part of our trip was....I had to revise my answer...It's this, I tell her. This is the best part! The other CM's tell us to go out and buy a lotto ticket, this may be our week! Things do happen in 3's.

Side Note: things do happen in 3's. I had failed to mention, that on Thursday, my DH had gotten an offer for a new job. We had been waiting for it. And the offer was actually for more money than he asked for! Turns out, our 3 had already happened!

They take our picture, complete with the balloons and certificate.

They tell us that our room is not ready yet, but take my cell phone number so they can call us when it is ready. I think I really am still shaking! They help us get our bags to bell services and we give them our transfer tag. And we are whisked away to the club lounge to check things out. A CM comes with us, and again, I can not remember her name. But she is with us in the pic on the left. So very kind! She shows us around the lounge, and wishes us well.

We...still in shock, hang out in the lounge for awhile. We are going to head to Epcot for the day, but we really still need to calm down from the excitement! We call my sister, and DH's mom. They are stunned too...how does all this happen in one vacation!

Ok...gotta go. Took Ethan to Kings Island today, and I'm tired!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Wow, what a great surprise. You are certainly very lucky!

Enjoying your report, thanks for sharing

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Wowzers! What a dream come true! Amazing! Big, big, big congrats to y'all! I'm so excited for you! And jealous, of course! We've always wanted to stay at the Yacht Club. Every time we've booked it something has come up that's cancelled or postponed our trip so we're almost afraid to try to book there anymore. But we sooooo wanna stay there someday. Maybe we need to stop by there on our next trip and ask the CMs to rid us of our bad ju-ju so we can attempt to book it for next time. LOL!

Can't wait to hear all about your sweet suite!

((OH! Had to tell ya...hubby just saw me scrolling thru your report and he caught the pics from the Contemporary. He's belly-aching again over not getting to stay there this go around.... Silly man! There's not even any availability under the discounts! ))

 

[disneyorvegas]

Wow! I love your TR! It's making my Disney itch even bigger!

 

[ronnmel]

Wow! Amazing! You were one lucky family that week!!

 

[cjnix29]

After we finished with drinks in the lounge, we decided we were going to head to Epcot. So we take the leisurely walk to the International Gateway. This was a great day!! It's not quite 11 yet, so the World Showcase was not open. We decide to head to see Captain EO. We had never seen it before, so why not check out some MJ. All the while, I kept checking my phone. We were dying to see our room!!!

I really had no idea what to expect with Captain EO. But I guess for the eighties, it was good. Made me want to get out my legwarmers, and blue eyeshadow, that was for sure! Surprisingly, Ethan liked it. Next up...Figment. Not sure why we have to do this, but I will say, atleast it is better than the old figment. Ethan's not to thrilled. He keeps asking if world showcase is open, because he is dying to get to Japan. He thinks the store is the best. He has money burning a hole in his pocket! He really likes pokemon, and they have a good selection of stuffed ones. Of course, it always takes us a half an hour to get him out of the store....DH and I are in no hurry to get to Japan! Figment it is! There was a family in front of us with a little girl. So very cute. She was probably around two. It is so fun to watch them at that age take it all in!
After we were done with Figment, we were starting to get hungry. We head to the world showcase for food. Honestly, I have no recollection what Ethan at that day! Dave and I went to Lotus Blossom for the egg rolls and potstickers. They were actually pretty good. It is here that we remember one of the great things....free ice water!

 

[cjnix29]

Fortunately for Ethan, we continue along the world showcase, and arrive at Japan. He starts shopping immediately. The pokemon are just too tempting, and he buys a Snorlax. I was told by the cm that it is rare, and can only be bought here and at a store in NYC. (well, probably ebay too, but let's not ruin the magic.). So we head out of Japan, and continue along in the World Showcase. I continually check my phone for a text. Dave and Ethan are wondering someplace, and I am checking out one of the shops, in Italy, I think. Can't remember exactly, but I get a call. Our room is ready!!!! I am so excited I don't even hear what the room number is. I rush out to find Dave and Ethan, and we briskly walk to the Yacht Club, all the while dreaming about what our room is going to look like! Giddy with excitement, I have to go to the front desk to get the number. 4209. Now....I have to admit, initially, I was a little disappointed, knowing it was on the 4th floor. We had paid for a standard view concierge, and the club floor was the 5th. So we weren't on the same floor as the goodies. Hmm....Ok, before you all start the pity party (yeah, I know, I know...suck it up!) we get to our room.

This was the door we came to...so we opened it up, and saw a room.

Then...I walked around a corner, and saw a MUCH MUCH bigger room!! Holy Cow!!!!

The view from ONE of the balconies!

The view from the other balcony!

We discovered the real doors to the suite!

We figured out we had this entire side of the floor. So from the first balcony, to the end of the building!! We couldn't get a good pic from the outside because of the trees, but we were above the gazebo like end of the building, on the 4th floor.

We were too stunned to do much else but sit on the couch in awe!!! Ethan thought he had died and gone to heaven. Because basically, he had an entire hotel room to himself. King size bed, his own flat screen, own bathroom, and own balcony. We could have never visited another park, and he would have been pleased as punch just to hang out in his room!!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Wow, okay -- you said to check out your TR...and I am in shock at what a fantastic time you guys are having on this trip!! From concierge to concierge: that, in and of itself, would be fantastic!

How do you top a trip like this? although, I've said before that a stay at Pop would be preferable to no stay in the World at all...

 

[cjnix29]

Wow, okay -- you said to check out your TR...and I am in shock at what a fantastic time you guys are having on this trip!! From concierge to concierge: that, in and of itself, would be fantastic!

How do you top a trip like this? although, I've said before that a stay at Pop would be preferable to no stay in the World at all...

We have said we aren't sure we can go back now...everything will pale in comparison! But hey, there are still resorts we haven't tried yet. And I have yet to see illuminations or have a dole whip float. So there is always something else to experience! Thanks for checking my TR out!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Talk about a beautiful room! It's absolutely gorgeous! I am sure that your initial disappointment of being on the 4th floor went right out the window.

 

[cjnix29]

Talk about a beautiful room! It's absolutely gorgeous! I am sure that your initial disappointment of being on the 4th floor went right out the window.

Yeah, out the window and into the lake! Actually, the club staff was so helpful. I would go up, stock up, and they would give me trays and bags to carry food and drinks back to our room. It worked out fine. The extra steps helped me use some of the calories I consumed while eating swedish fish on the way back to the room! If only I could have gotten a delivery of the chips in the lounge. Those were so yummy, and my DH would have lived just on those for the week!

 

[pigletforever]

What a magical trip!!!!!

 

[sbprincess]

I found you! Wow - you've posted a lot. In all your replies on my TR I never realized you had already started yours! You should try and figure out how to put a link in your signature. I'm sure my explanation wouldn't suffice but maybe someone else could help.

Anyway,
1. at your post regarding the breasts being covered! Totally agree!

2. Wow at all your perks and upgrades - lucky!! Your CR room view reminds me of our California Grill view, which I was in love with I may have to splurge sometime on a MK view room somewhere. And your room at the YC = I think there's more space in there than I had in my first apartment!

3. I'm glad you enjoyed the Keys Tour! It was such a highlight for me too.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[cjnix29]

What a magical trip!!!!!

thanks! we kept pinching ourselves because we couldn't quite believe it!

 

[cjnix29]

I found you! Wow - you've posted a lot. In all your replies on my TR I never realized you had already started yours! You should try and figure out how to put a link in your signature. I'm sure my explanation wouldn't suffice but maybe someone else could help.

Anyway,
1. at your post regarding the breasts being covered! Totally agree!

2. Wow at all your perks and upgrades - lucky!! Your CR room view reminds me of our California Grill view, which I was in love with I may have to splurge sometime on a MK view room somewhere. And your room at the YC = I think there's more space in there than I had in my first apartment!

3. I'm glad you enjoyed the Keys Tour! It was such a highlight for me too.

Can't wait to read more!

You found me! Loved the keys tour...thanks to you for reminding me of it for this trip!

The suite was amazing. We honestly spent more time in the room than we would have otherwise. Who wants to waste that!!

 

[ronnmel]

Talk about a NICE room!!! More like a condo actually... Wow!!!!!!!!!!