Escape From Craziness Part II to Fireworks, Food and A DVC Tour - A June 2018 Trip Report - Completed 3/30

[cstorm65]

Hopping over from your last trip report. Looking forward to reading more about your adventures. The Yacht Club is my favorite resort. Hope you loved it .

Thanks for following along! I don't want to give too much away about our thoughts on the Yacht Club, so let's just say...We didn't hate it! haha!!

Joining in!

Thanks for coming over! Glad to have you following along!

 

[jhoannam]

Joining the fun! Another Oklahoman here, but we’re in Tulsa.

 

[cstorm65]

Joining the fun! Another Oklahoman here, but we’re in Tulsa.

Thanks for joining and following along!!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 1 - Part 2 - MY FAVORITE DISNEY QUICK SERVICE MEAL

We had just touched down in Orlando and let me say the nonstop flight was very, very nice! We don’t have that luxury very often from our airport, but if it’s available in the future it is definitely worth it for us. We were off of the plane by 5:50 PM and the boys enjoyed the ride that for most of us signifies the beginning of our vacation.

Why don’t you get a little more relaxed boys!

After getting off the train we were excited to get to the Disney so we hurried down to baggage claim to get our bags. Since we were staying at the Dolphin we weren’t taking Magical Express which was kind of a bummer, but we would make the most of it. As I searched options for transportation to the resort I knew there was an Alamo Car Rental desk at the Dolphin. We’ve used it before while at Disney. I ended up finding a one day rental for about $60 which is pretty cheap considering we were picking up and dropping off at separate locations and that usually carries a pretty hefty penalty. In this case it was way cheaper than any other transportation option and we’d get to stop at the grocery store and get some groceries.

We found that car at Alamo by 6:35 and were gone. We made a quick stop at Target which I guess we were so excited that we didn’t take any pictures of this part of our day. We were finished by 7:45 and headed over towards WDW. We had some friends that had checked in that morning and we were going to meet up with them as we offered to grab them a few things at Target. They were staying at Port Orleans Riverside. They were going to be at the parks for about 30 more minutes so we thought what the heck, let’s go to one of our favorite quick service spots for dinner.

But first, we had to arrive on property and it was so worth it to have the rental car because we got some of the best arch pictures than we’ve ever gotten and the sunset makes it even better!

We arrived at French Quarter at about 8:00 and headed in for dinner. DS6 had to relive his great memories playing around these fountains. What a great trip we had here last summer!

If you read our trip report from last summer you all know exactly what I ordered for dinner:

Yes, the Shrimp Po’ Boy - Shrimp or Catfish dressed with lettuce, tomato, and remoulade. It was as great as I remembered. And of course I remembered my extra side of the remoulade sauce. To add some to the sandwich and I loved dipping those fantastic fries in it. This is so good and was a great way to start our trip!

DS6 had the Mac ‘n Cheese which the boys loved here the summer before and he loved it again.

DS2 got chicken nuggets and he ate a few. He was kind of in a phase where he ate a lot for breakfast and lunch, but not much for dinner. So I think DS6 cleaned up the rest of the nuggets!

DW got her favorite meal from here the Chicken Biscuit - Fried Chicken Patty with Voodoo Sauce and Pickles and choice of two: french fries, coleslaw, potato chips. She had it a couple of times last summer and it was good once and the other time was a little dry, but this time it was great for her!

We came back outside by about 8:30 and the sun had gone down as you can tell!

We pulled the car over to Riverside around our friends room and spent about 30 minutes seeing them and dropping off some groceries. By 9:05 or so we our plans set to meet up with them in the parks over the next couple of days and got on our way over towards the Dolphin.

Up Next: WDW Dolphin Arrival and Room Tour​

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I followed along on your last TR but I am terrible at commenting! I am determined to join in more on people's TR's that I read

We always stay at Beach Club and we love, love, love Stormalong Bay. Definitely the best part of being at YC/BC! You can't beat it plus the close proximity to Epcot & HS.

We stayed at the Swan once in the past and we enjoyed it but definitely not as much as BC I would imagine the Dolphin is probably pretty similar to the Swan.

Looking forward to reading more about ya'lls trip!

 

[cstorm65]

I followed along on your last TR but I am terrible at commenting! I am determined to join in more on people's TR's that I read

Thanks for being here and commenting! I am the same way. I get so behind sometimes and it's all I can do to read some peoples updates. Anyway...welcome!!!

We always stay at Beach Club and we love, love, love Stormalong Bay. Definitely the best part of being at YC/BC! You can't beat it plus the close proximity to Epcot & HS.

I know! I am excited to write the second half of this trip report so I can relive our time at Yacht Club!!

We stayed at the Swan once in the past and we enjoyed it but definitely not as much as BC I would imagine the Dolphin is probably pretty similar to the Swan.

I think they are very similar. I think the Dolphin is a bit bigger, but they share boat transportation, share a pool, share some other things so I think very much the same.

Looking forward to reading more about ya'lls trip!

Thanks for being here!

 

[Daisy1940]

Following along. I’ve enjoyed your other trip reports and this trip looks like it was just as much fun as your others!

 

[cstorm65]

Following along. I’ve enjoyed your other trip reports and this trip looks like it was just as much fun as your others!

Thanks for reading along! It is going to be fun re-living this one!!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 1 - Part 3 - WDW DOLPHIN ARRIVAL AND ROOM TOUR

We had just finished up meeting with some friends before heading over and getting check in at our resort, the WDW Dolphin. We arrived at about 9:15 and the first thing we did was unload the rental car. Since it was after hours the bell services workers just take the car since it was an Alamo rental and turn it in for us. It was a super easy process and the next morning when the Alamo desk opened they processed our return and sent me an e-mail receipt. It was all a really easy process and I’d certainly recommend it assuming you can get a good rate like we did on a one way rental.

Before long we were in this beautiful lobby getting ready to check in.

I’ll have plenty more pictures of the Dolphin in the days to come. Check in was easy and the worker was super friendly. We were staying for six nights here and we didn’t pay a dime. We had Starwood Points that covered our entire stay, of course Starwood Hotels is gone now since they got bought out by Marriott, but you can still get some good deals here on Marriott points.

Anyways, the guys upgraded us to a theme park view room since we were Starwood Preferred Guest members and they had the availability. We didn’t know what a theme park view room here entailed, but we found out soon after opening the door as the time was just about perfect for the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular at Hollywood Studios. We dropped our things and watched this for the next few minutes:

It was an awesome view of these and the theme park upgrade was definitely a nice touch. This is where part of the title of the trip report came from as DS2 became obsessed with Fireworks or as it sounded when he screamed it, “Dar-works”. He loved each night we got to watch these and even starting loving the fireworks when we were in the parks. That was indeed a highlight of the trip for him.

Anyway, I did manage to get a few pictures of the room while the show was going on and everyone was relatively still.

Overall, the room was nicely furnished and the size was pretty comparable to Disney deluxe rooms except they were double beds instead of queens. Meanwhile, the family was still catching the fireworks as they finished:

We finished up the show as they delievered DS2’s crib and got everyone ready for bed by about 10:30. It was a little late, but again, the nonstop flight we had that got us down a little late was worth it. It was a nice travel day and everyone was ready for tomorrow!

Up Next: My Beloved Chocolate Croissant​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Why don’t you get a little more relaxed boys!

I mean it is a long ride...

After getting off the train we were excited to get to the Disney so we hurried down to baggage claim to get our bags. Since we were staying at the Dolphin we weren’t taking Magical Express which was kind of a bummer, but we would make the most of it.

This is honestly a big negative for me.

Check in was easy and the worker was super friendly. We were staying for six nights here and we didn’t pay a dime.

Well, that is the best!

“Dar-works”. He loved each night we got to watch these and even starting loving the fireworks when we were in the parks. That was indeed a highlight of the trip for him.

I love Dar-works!!! And Dar-works from your hotel room is even better.

Ohh, Starbucks!

ble to Disney deluxe rooms except they were double beds instead of queens.

Double beds! Yuck!

 

[cstorm65]

I mean it is a long ride...

I know! haha

This is honestly a big negative for me.

Yep, there were two big negatives to the Dolphin for me and this is the first one.

Well, that is the best!

This definitely made it to where I could at least deal with the two big negatives.

I love Dar-works!!! And Dar-works from your hotel room is even better.

Agree completely!

Ohh, Starbucks!

Yes, this was a nice positive.

Double beds! Yuck!

You found the second major negative to the Dolphin for me to. There were some other minor things that I would have enjoyed a little better, but overall double beds and no Magical Express are biggies.

 

[cstorm65]

Day 2 - Part 1 - My Beloved Chocolate Croissant

We were up and ready to go on our first Disney morning. DS2 woke us up at 7:00 as his normal cheerful self so DW and I got the three of us ready. DS6 is the opposite of DS2 and is totally not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination so it was 7:45 before we finally got him functioning.

Because of our great location we didn’t have to catch a bus anywhere today so we didn’t really need to be down early to catch a bus anywhere since we could walk to our park for the morning! Anyways, we stepped outside at about 8:00 a typical summer day in central Florida where the humidity fogs up your camera.

The camera finally adjusted and we got some nice shots of the Dolphin after we had walked across the bridge.

Before we headed to our park for the morning we were going to stop at one of our favorite breakfast spots from our stay four years prior at the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk was nearly empty at this time of the morning.

Anywhere around Crescent Lake may be my favorite place on property. I just love sitting and taking pictures and looking at the view across the lake and it doesn’t even matter which way I’m looking.

Anyways, back to the Boardwalk:

We stopped inside the Screen Door Shop,which is the bigger of the gift shops at the Boardwalk. I guess we were just shopping around this morning. This great Bicycle is always fun to look at inside, sorry for the lighting though!

Anyway, we had a great cast member while we were looking around. She was super talkative with the boys. DS6 was still kind of asleep, but DS2 was having fun with her. She gave both of the boys some sort of little light up toy. I think it was a tinker bell or something that they sell to clip on the side of cups or strollers or something, I don’t really know the function. You’ll see a picture later in this day on the trip report. I don’t know if she was just bored this morning since we were the only people shopping, but it was super nice of her to interact with the boys and even give them this little toy!

Back out on the Boardwalk we headed to the Boardwalk Bakery for what is always a nice quick service breakfast.

We got some assorted danishes, but I was after my beloved Chocolate Croissant. It is a pastry I ate about every day when we stayed here four years before and it was just as good this time.

DS6 was pointing out what he wanted.

Anyways, we settled in and enjoyed our breakfast, especially me and my chocolate croissant. It is such a simple danish, but so good! DS6 spent some time looking down into the water.

About 8:30 we walked towards Epcot, where we were going to spend our morning. Here comes a boat to drop people off.

And of course the Skyliner construction walls. I’m really excited for this the next time we go!

We got to the International Gateway at 8:35 and had to wait just a few minutes before they opened the park.

We were inside and waiting in the UK by 8:45 and they let us go at 9:00. We headed straight here:

DW and DS6 were going to take the first ride of the trip on Soarin’, after we grabbed a child swap pass of course. Stay tuned to see what DS2 and I did while they were on the ride!

Up Next: I’ve Never Seen All of These Obscure Plants​

 

[disneyAndi14]

What a great view of DHS and the SW fireworks! I love the Crescent Lake area and the resorts here! We have stayed at the 3 Disney resorts here.

We have explored The Dolphin and The Swan, both look very nice. How awesome to have the stay free with your points, wow! I have never had that happen despite being a great traveler haha!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I ended up finding a one day rental for about $60 which is pretty cheap considering we were picking up and dropping off at separate locations and that usually carries a pretty hefty penalty.

I think at least in Florida they can't charge fee for different pick-up/drop-off.

But first, we had to arrive on property and it was so worth it to have the rental car because we got some of the best arch pictures than we’ve ever gotten and the sunset makes it even better!

Lovely shot!

 

[cstorm65]

What a great view of DHS and the SW fireworks! I love the Crescent Lake area and the resorts here! We have stayed at the 3 Disney resorts here.

Yes, Crescent Lake is definitely one of my favorite places on property. We've done Boardwalk and now the Dolphin & Yacht Club and loved the location!

We have explored The Dolphin and The Swan, both look very nice. How awesome to have the stay free with your points, wow! I have never had that happen despite being a great traveler haha!

Yes, it was a nice benefit. Starwood at the time also gave you a free night for ever four nights you book on points. So really we paid points for five nights with points and got the sixth for free.

I think at least in Florida they can't charge fee for different pick-up/drop-off.

That may be why this one is always so reasonable. I've done this multiple times at this Alamo counter including when we did a cruise, so it is a good option.

Lovely shot!

Definitely made the rental car a benefit here. I've never got a picture like that from on Magical Express!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 2 - Part 2 - I’ve Never Seen All of These Obscure Plants

DW and DS6 had just gone off to take a ride on Soarin’. After I grabbed the child swap pass for later DS2 and I headed off to take a spin on Living with the Land. This is so convenient so that we still get to do something while waiting on the others to do Soarin’. I know we aren’t far off from DS2 being old enough (he is 3½ now) and tall enough to do more so child swapping won’t be as much of an issue for us in the future, but it was a good way to pass the time when we were worried about it.

Anyways, I got a bunch of pictures of the rides and it seemed like there were more obscure plants on this ride than I’ve ever seen before. Maybe I just don’t remember or pay very good attention, but I just kept taking pictures because it was some fun looking stuff like the Fluted Pumpkin, Amaranth, Pandan, Snapdragon, or Balloon Flowers. Anyways, we had a fun ride!

This would be the best job ever for the science teacher in me.

When we got finished DW had texted me a few minutes before that they were in the pre-show, so we settled into our normal meeting place after Soarin’ in the back corner of the Sunshine Seasons seating area.

This picture’s for you @StarWarsMomofGirls! I need some lessons on photographing ceilings!

I got the water bottles all filled up at Sunshine Seasons while we waited and DS2 spent some time playing with the light up toy the cast member had given him at the Screen Door store earlier that morning. That was still such a nice piece of magic and it was for no reason at all, which makes it even better!

We only had to wait a minute or two and the DW & DS6 showed up. DS2 acted like he hadn’t seen them in two years, which is normal for him! haha

We headed out of The Land at 9:50 and over here:

It was time for a ride with Figment. I love this queue area!

We were finally ready to board:

It was a great ride as it usually was and the morning was off to a great start!

Up Next: Fish & Chips Denial​

 

[therealdisney01]

Joining in!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

This picture’s for you @StarWarsMomofGirls! I need some lessons on photographing ceilings!

Ha! I am going to perfect my technique next trip and have a guess where we are going next game!

DS2 acted like he hadn’t seen them in two years, which is normal for him! haha

I love it. Such love.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Seems like a great morning so far!

The picture of the boys and DW after Soarin is adorable!!

 

[cstorm65]

Joining in!

Thanks for stopping by and joining!!

Ha! I am going to perfect my technique next trip and have a guess where we are going next game!

That sounds fun for sure!

I love it. Such love.

He is like this all of the time. He doesn't ever want us leaving him!

Seems like a great morning so far!

The picture of the boys and DW after Soarin is adorable!!

Thanks for dropping by. It was a nice first morning of the trip for sure. Not real stressful at all, just doing some of the things we love!