Frozen Fun at the Beach Club!Our First Disney Trip Dec. 3- 11*Update 5/1*

[boys938]

Enjoying your report. We are very anxious for our April trip when we are staying at BC. Love the family pics and especially the shirts!

 

[TheDreamsComeTrue]

Glad to hear you liked Le Cellier! It has always been one of my family's favorites!

 

[onescgirl]

I'm glad you were able to get some alone time by your pool. People watching is one of my favorite things to do, but usually always too busy to take the time.
I love your girls shirts that they are wearing - too cute!
I'm glad you enjoyed your Le Cellier meal. We are not steak eaters, but I would love to go just for the pretzel bread & cheese soup! It makes me so hungry everytime people post pictures of it on thier TR's!

 

[counselormom]

HOORAY for snagging the dining reservation at Le Cellier! Great time, too! We had meals there our last two trips, and everyone loves it. I made the cheddar cheese soup for supper last Saturday night and I have been snacking on the leftovers all week!

Hey, did you know you can call the phone booths? You can call from your cell phone while you are there, and freak out your family or total strangers, or you can call from home if you need a Disney fix.

Phone numbers for booths in United Kingdom

Right Booth 407-827-9861
Left Booth 407-827-9862
Center Booth 407-827-9863

Canada is reportedly 407-827-9884.



Too bad the KP mission was not more enjoyable. I can totally see that happening.

I can not believe I didn't know about the phone numbers before our trip! I'll be filing those away to use for next time, thanks!

The KP mission was not one of our better moments. Luckily, they did not repeat the behavior during the rest of the trip.

Oh, Wow. I need that cheese soup receipe. Please, Please!

 

[obxlover]

I have enjoyed reading your report!!! Its my dream to stay at Beach Club someday.

I love your Life is Good Mickey shirts!!! Did you have those made or are they purchased?

 

[counselormom]

Enjoying your report. We are very anxious for our April trip when we are staying at BC. Love the family pics and especially the shirts!

Thank you! April is not too far off, I hope you have so much fun!

Glad to hear you liked Le Cellier! It has always been one of my family's favorites!

I can see why it is a family favorite. I'm always surprised when it doesn't get a good review from everyone.

I'm glad you were able to get some alone time by your pool. People watching is one of my favorite things to do, but usually always too busy to take the time.
I love your girls shirts that they are wearing - too cute!
I'm glad you enjoyed your Le Cellier meal. We are not steak eaters, but I would love to go just for the pretzel bread & cheese soup! It makes me so hungry everytime people post pictures of it on thier TR's!

Thank you about the shirts, I found them at Old Navy right before we left. Hey, see in natebenma's post above that I now have the phone numbers to the phone booths in England at Epcot. Now I can call guys with yellow shorts on too!

 

[counselormom]

I have enjoyed reading your report!!! Its my dream to stay at Beach Club someday.

I love your Life is Good Mickey shirts!!! Did you have those made or are they purchased?

Thank you so much, I hope you get to have your dream!!

We had alot of fun with those shirts, it was a great way to meet people because they would stop us to comment on them. I made the shirts, the logo is from here on the disboards Creative DISigns Board. I believe it is a Marion's (Rustmanfan) design. I bought the blank shirts at Old Navy and printed and ironed on the logo. Very easy and it was the only "matching" t-shirt my husband would agree to wear.

 

[obxlover]

Thank you so much, I hope you get to have your dream!!

We had alot of fun with those shirts, it was a great way to meet people because they would stop us to comment on them. I made the shirts, the logo is from the here on the disboards Creative DISigns Board. I believe it is a Marion's (Rustmanfan) design. I bought the blank shirts at Old Navy and printed and ironed on the logo. Very easy and it was the only "matching" t-shirt my husband would agree to wear.

Thank you!! we have a trip planned with friends this summer, I would like to surprise them with some shirts (its her children's first trip).

 

[natebenma]

Oh, Wow. I need that cheese soup receipe. Please, Please!

When we finished the meal (every morsel of food put in front of us), the waitress came by and said "You obviously enjoyed this meal. Here are some of the recipes" and she handed out 3 preprinted cards with recipes for Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Mushroom Risotto and Maple Creme Brulee. They are printed like postcards on the back, if someone requests the recipe when they get back home.

There are other versions of the recipe- this is the one we received in July, and is listed on All Ears as most updated. Best if you have a Canadian Beer, Moosehead is best I think, but all I had at home was Corona and Dos Equis, so I used the Dos Equis. So it was Canadian Soup with a Mexican Flair:

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

5 cups milk, warmed
½ pound bacon
10 tablespoons butter
1 cup celery
2 each red onions, finely chopped
1 ½ cups flour
1 quart chicken stock
1 pound cheddar cheese, shredded
To taste – kosher salt
To taste – freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons Tabasco sauce
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces slightly warm ale

Method of Preparation:

1. Slowly heat milk.
2. Brown the bacon first, then render until crisp.
3. Add the butter and melt.
4. Add celery and onions, cook until translucent.
5. Add flour and mix thoroughly to form a roux.
6. Add chicken stock and simmer for three minutes.
7. Add warm milk and stir vigorously to thicken.
8. Cook out roux until thickened (it should not have a starchy taste).
9. Reduce heat to low, add cheese, and stir until melted.
10. Season with kosher salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce.
11. Just prior to serving, add warm ale.
12. Garnish with cooked bacon and fresh chives.

Cook's note: When re-heating soup, do not bring to a boil, as it will break down.

 

[natebenma]

Enjoying your report. We are very anxious for our April trip when we are staying at BC. Love the family pics and especially the shirts!

If you haven't been over to the Beach & Yacht Club FAQ thread yet, check it out! Just follow the link in my signature.

 

[counselormom]

When we finished the meal (every morsel of food put in front of us), the waitress came by and said "You obviously enjoyed this meal. Here are some of the recipes" and she handed out 3 preprinted cards with recipes for Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Mushroom Risotto and Maple Creme Brulee. They are printed like postcards on the back, if someone requests the recipe when they get back home.

There are other versions of the recipe- this is the one we received in July, and is listed on All Ears as most updated. Best if you have a Canadian Beer, Moosehead is best I think, but all I had at home was Corona and Dos Equis, so I used the Dos Equis. So it was Canadian Soup with a Mexican Flair:

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

5 cups milk, warmed
½ pound bacon
10 tablespoons butter
1 cup celery
2 each red onions, finely chopped
1 ½ cups flour
1 quart chicken stock
1 pound cheddar cheese, shredded
To taste – kosher salt
To taste – freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons Tabasco sauce
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces slightly warm ale

Method of Preparation:

1. Slowly heat milk.
2. Brown the bacon first, then render until crisp.
3. Add the butter and melt.
4. Add celery and onions, cook until translucent.
5. Add flour and mix thoroughly to form a roux.
6. Add chicken stock and simmer for three minutes.
7. Add warm milk and stir vigorously to thicken.
8. Cook out roux until thickened (it should not have a starchy taste).
9. Reduce heat to low, add cheese, and stir until melted.
10. Season with kosher salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce.
11. Just prior to serving, add warm ale.
12. Garnish with cooked bacon and fresh chives.

Cook's note: When re-heating soup, do not bring to a boil, as it will break down.

Thanks, so much for typing all of that out for me, I've printed it and will be surprising my family with it this week!

 

[counselormom]

Day 4- Magic Kingdom and Pirates League

Today would be a Pirate Themed Day. After arriving back from Epcot the night before, Ashton and Avery were greeted by a Pirate basket in our room.
The blue basket is the "Welcome to the Beach Club" basket we received when we arrived. The other one is the "Pirate Basket" they received the night before our Magic Kingdom Day. The Pirates basket includes: a pirate costume for each of them, Pirate Mickeys, "A Little Pirate, A Little Princess" T-shirts with their names on them, Pirate accessories and an invitation to the Pirates League and Wishes Cruise later in the evening.

Although they knew we would be going to the Magic Kingdom today, the Pirates League and Wishes Cruise were a surprise. They loved their baskets, the pirate Mickeys were their favorite. So after packing our stroller full of costumes, snacks, drinks, blanket etc. for the day we headed down to the bus stop, it wasn't until we got down there that I realized I was going to have to take everything, that I had just packed so neatly in the stroller, out to fold it up and get it on the bus. So, after loading everyone down with things to hold Robert got the stroller on and in just a short time we were at MK and towards the front of the line. They had activities for the kids to pass the time.

and the required pic at the entrance...

While waiting we came up with our game plan. Robert and Ashton would head to Space Mountain to ride and get fastpasses for later and Avery and I would head straight to Fantasyland to ride Dumbo. I was so excited to be showing Avery Fantasyland for the first time! Our adrenaline was pumping as the pre-show finished up and they let us in, we walked down Mainstreet together and wished Robert and Ashton luck as they ran towards Space Mountain. Avery kept pointing at the castle, saying, "Are we going through there"!? As we headed into Fantasyland she just keep pointing and saying," Look Mama! Look!". So sweet! I have to admit it brought a few happy tears to my eyes. We arrived at Dumbo in time to be first in line for the second round.
Avery claimed the pink elephant as "hers" and I snapped this picture while everyone was loading. I love this one, it's my screensaver at work.

We rode the carousel next and then met up with Robert and Ashton. They said they liked Space Mountain, but Ashton thought it was going to be a "bigger" roller coaster. I reassured her that the big "thrill" rides would be coming at Animal Kingdom and HS. We continued following our touringplan and rode Peter Pan's flight and several others with very little wait (5 min.). Our return time was up for Space Mountain but thanks to the dis I knew we could go back anytime(best tip ever!!!) so we grabbed FP for Winnie the Pooh and went to see Mickey's PhillharMagic. I really didn't want to waste time with "shows" but I'm was so wrong! The show was adorable, I'm so glad we didn't skip it. We decided to head to Main Street for a snack at the bakery and as we left Fantasyland we noticed the wait time for Peter Pan was at 46 minutes, I pointed out to my family that this was the reason we got up early and gave a little thanks for touringplans and the disboards.

We hit the Haunted Mansion on the way to Main Street.

Can you see my Diet Coke and chocolate crossiant? Yum.... I wish they were low cal. and that could be my breakfast every morning! Robert looks kinda annoyed but I think he just had his mouth full and I got him by surprise. Who could be annoyed eating a great big cinnamon roll?!

After our little snack we spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon in Tomorrowland.

Notice my red sweatshirt, it is a good thing it was new and I liked it alot because I would be wearing it all week. I knew it might be a little cold and I would need it but I ended up having to wear it everyday to keep from freezing. It started out at about 35 degrees that day and didn't warm up much.

Robert and Ashton had grabbed Space Mountain fastpasses for all four of us even though Avery couldn't (or wouldn't) ride it, so Ashton and I were able to ride it and then Ashton and Robert, again. When Ashton rode it with me, I told her to just forget it not being the "biggest', "wildest" ride and just appreciate the "atmosphere" of it, I don't know if that did any good but we laughed and screamed the whole way through and I thought it was great!

Our Pirates League appt. was for 3:15, the last appt. of the day, so we headed back that way and stopped to eat at Pecos Bill's. I hadn't researched counter service restuarants as much as table service and I paid for it with this meal! It was very, very crowded and after standing in line to order we fought our way through the crowd to find a seat and then again to the "fixin's" bar. The food was just okay, but mostly I think we didn't enjoy it because it was so much work just to get it. We had been instructed that if we brought our own costumes for Pirates League we would need to change before we got there, so I took the girls into the equally crowded bathroom to get them changed. Robert ( lucky dog) went outside to get the stroller and wait on us. Oh my goodness, who would have thought that changing into a costume woud be such an ordeal. We were shut into a tiny stall and between getting all their clothes off, making sure nothing dropped into the toilet or onto the dirty floor and getting the "fifty" pieces of the costumes
on them I was sweating and cranky. When we emerged 25 minutes later Robert had the nerve ask what had taken us so long.
The cool outside air and the kids excitement over the Pirates League calmed my nerves and we got checked in and sat to wait our turn.

Avery's already practicing her scary pirate face.

In a few moments we were led in and Avery and Ashton were given new Pirate Names.

Ashton chose the "glamour" pirate and Avery the "scary" pirate. Robert and I weren't surprised a bit! The castmembers stayed in "Pirate" character the whole time and were so engaging and good with them.

Soon it was time to take the oath and become "real" Pirates.

We loved Pirates League, everyone was so nice and really did great job of engaging the kids and giving them a "real" Pirate experience. The price wasn't bad either, I paid $35 each and found their costumes before we left on sale for $12 each including shipping. I was a little nervous about checking-out because I had 5 Disney gift cards I had bought each time I went to Wal-Greens at home. They didn't even blink an eye when I handed them over though, they must do it all the time.
Now that they were real Pirates there was one thing we had to do... "Ride Pirates of the Caribbean" of course!

But first I stopped to see if that was really Johnny Depp??!!

No Such Luck....Moving on....

Our new Pirates received alot of attention in line at POC. People would just point and comment. I don't think alot of people know about Pirates League.

After the kids visted their comrades on the ride, we decided that even though it was still early we would leave the park and walk over to the Contemporary for the "Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise"

Up Next: Pirates and Pals Wishes Cruise (or so I thought!) and Dinner at O'Hana

 

[DrMomof3]

Good for you snagging that ADR at Le Celier! We've never eaten there.
We love Kim Possible but have major issues with fighting over the device. Maybe we should split up next time.
Love the Pirate League pics!

Amanda

 

[natebenma]

Nice job attacking Fantasyland and Tomorrowland! We always hit Peter Pan first, it is one of our favorites, but we never wait in line for it. The line is always long. The line is boring. The wait times posted lie. 20 minutes? HA! Try 45!

First thing or FP.

Pecos Bill is hit or miss. The boys like it so we have gone there for lunch on our first afternoon the last two years. I prefer Columbia Harbor House.

AMAZING photos of your pirate girls! I love the one in front of the canon. The Haunted Mansion photo was also great- you don't see many in that location, I loved the archway and the mansion in the background. I can also see why you love the Dumbo shot! Really captures the Disney moment.

Thanks for the review of Pirates League. Definitely sounds like a winner.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Would you mind telling us where you ordered your girls' Pirates Costumes, counselermom? They're too darn cute!
Got our grandson all decked out at the Pirate's League last year - best $35 we ever spent in WDW!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Love the girl's costumes...so cute! I can't get over what a great job they do on the makeup etc at the Pirates League....wow is all I have to say...the girls look amazing!! Sounds like such a fun day....can't wait to hear about the rest of it

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Love, love, love the Pirate Pictures!!!!!!

I wonder if I could get my DS to do this on our trip because I think brother/sister pics would be amazing. Funny because the BBB never appealed to me at all- but turn my daughter into a pirate and I am there!

Nice job with the touring!

 

[PrincessTaylorsMom]

Loving your report! We're booked at BC for October, so I'm glad to hear so many great things.

Love the Pirate League pictures. My girls tell me they are a little to "old" for the princesses (really?? ), but I think they might love the Pirate experience.

Oh, and I'm making the cheese soup for dinner tonight.

Looking forward to more.

 

[Jrabbit910]

The girls look awesome! WTG with your "pre vacation" goodies. Being so prepared makes the trip so wonderful, doesnt it?!?!? lol! I love this idea of the pirates leauge & will definitly do this on our vacation!

 

[MinnieMouse880]

Great update! Cute Pirates! The Pirates League looks like alot of fun!
I wish i was younger!! ha ha