How I Survived 11 Days at WDW with a Disney-Resistant Husband **2/20 THE END **

[cdotla]

Trying to get caught up here. The MK rope drop pics are CLASSIC!!! LOVE them!!

I am for sure scheduling a CP breakfast on our next trip.

Thanks! You can't go wrong with CP for breakfast! Great way to start the day!

Enjoying your TR. Love all the photos!

Thanks so much!

In Ottawa here, Just found your TR and I love it...

Thanks and Welcome!

I can't believe it took me this long to get to your TR. But I'm now all caught up! I have lots of comments but it's taking me awhile to formulate my thoughts.
I've totally been there with the hot, whiny kids! That's why we bring 2 strollers with 3 seats!
I love, love, love the idea of splitting up DME and car rental. Perfect!!!

Amanda

Hey Amanda! Glad you are here!

Strollers in the parks are a godsend, aren't they???

Found your TR a little while ago & am now all caught up. This one is very interesting & honest. I like that.

My DH is a Disney resister also. This year he wants to go to Vegas, so that is where we are going. I will be taking my granddaughters in Sept of 2011 & I told him that he could come or not. He does want to go which is nice. He likes Disney after he is there, but does not want to go when I suggest it. Usually I do all of our vacation planning, so I do have some say as to where we go.

Thanks so much for posting and joining in!

Another one with a Disney resister...what is it with these men? I am sure once your DH gets to the parks with his grandchildren he won't regret it!

 

[judowoman]

Great thread! I have enjoyed reading it and look forward to more!

 

[pinkle]

....................please continue.....................I'm waiting..............

 

[petals]

Wow the pics of MK so quiet in the morning never seen it like that! Really wanted to eat at Crystal Palace this year but mam not into the character dining at all so no go

 

[nat1234]

You should get a metal for that trek through Epcot to the Beach club with the kids in the heat. I'm loving your pictures. I've just bought my first entry level SLR, also a Canon, but a XS. I'm really liking it. And after looking at your pics, I can't wait until I get to go back to Disney to take some more pictures. Looking forward to more trip report.

 

[ladybugmom]

Oh my!! What a miserable trek to the BC!! But once you got there--WOW!! What a view! It looks like such a beautiful resort!!

 

[disneycruising]

I can picture you walking with your little angels to BC. We have all been there! Doing anything we can... to just get them to walk... a few more feet.

 

[taymacsmom]

Big fan of the stroller here myself! Took one in 2009 for my barely 4 year old and plan to take one again in 2011 for my 5 year old. There is nothing worse, IMHO, than a tired, hot, whiny kid. Makes it miserable for Mom and Dad and the child. Plus DS is more active and up much later than at home, so he usually takes a little nap in the stroller during the day too. Makes for a much happier trip!

 

[MadiMouse]

Wow!!! Now that was a major walk in the heat with whining kids. I would have fainted! Lol. This just cracked me up:
Within 2 minutes of leaving the air conditioned sanctuary of Club Cool, I was once again subjected to a full-on attack from two whiny, cranky kids.

 

[kaysmommie]

Your writing is great! I felt like I was on that agonizing walk with you from FW all the way to Beach Club. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has these kinds of moments in Disney but hoping the rest of your day goes much better!

 

[CdnCarrie]

Just wondering why you didn't have Bell Services move the luggage from Contemporary to the Beach Club?

Don't you LOVE the BC!! It's my fav. That walk sounded awful! Sometimes things look like a great idea on paper and in reality just don't work out. We had days like that on our trip.

 

[podsnel]

Soooo....we MUST have crossed paths, or just nearly passed them- Joan & I arrived at BCV on the 30th too, and were in Epcot probably right when you were dragging the kids through! And it WAS hot that day- but all the days were REALLY hot, weren't they? Joan & I were back to BCV around 2 I think for some pool time before we did our spa stuff- so close to a DISmeet, yet, soooo far!

 

[MouseTriper]

Can't wait to read more!!!!

 

[cdotla]

Oh goody! We're here! At the Beach Club!! I was alternately laughing (with you, of course) and cringing at your description of the walk over. Did you really carry both of them? Well at least you made it!

Would you be willing to PM me the room requests you made? Where/how did you research this? And one more question... did you/your MIL do online check-in? I always wonder whether that impacts one way or another getting your requests.

Almost forgot.. the Beverly pictures are priceless!

Christine - just realized that I forgot to answer your question as to whether we did online check-in. I went back and edited my response, but just in case you missed it, here it is:

Because we were transferring in using an RCI trade, we were not able to do online check-in. However, we did online check-in at both the Contemporary and the Polynesian. Worked beautifully! We got the exact rooms that we requested, and we had very specific requests.

While there are a lot of people worried that online check-in will compromise their ability to have their room requests honored, this is not my experience at all. As I understand it, room assignments are made a couple days before arrival anyway.

I was a little nervous with the online check-in because there is no where on the form to note specific room location requests. However, if they are on the original reservation, my experience proves that they are not deleted by the online check-in process.

So I say - do it!!! The less time in lines and dealing with things like check-in during your vacation the better!

 

[cdotla]

Great thread! I have enjoyed reading it and look forward to more!

Thank you for posting! Hope you stick around!

....................please continue.....................I'm waiting..............

Sorry!

Not sure if I can commit to more than 1 or 2 updates at this point, usually on the weekends. But if I can throw one up mid-week every now and then, I will!

Wow the pics of MK so quiet in the morning never seen it like that! Really wanted to eat at Crystal Palace this year but mam not into the character dining at all so no go

It is really something walking down a fresh, quiet Main Street first thing in the morning! But if you are not into the characters (or attending BBB), I agree - it may not be an option. At least you won't miss the opening show. We miss that everytime we are at the MK because we are always in either CP or CRT for 8am!

You should get a metal for that trek through Epcot to the Beach club with the kids in the heat. I'm loving your pictures. I've just bought my first entry level SLR, also a Canon, but a XS. I'm really liking it. And after looking at your pics, I can't wait until I get to go back to Disney to take some more pictures. Looking forward to more trip report.

I have been to WDW 2 times without the kids, and one of the best things about those trips was being able to stop to take as many pictures as I liked! I did not get a chance to take half as many photos as I would have wanted because I didn't want to hold up the family. (A constant feature in my photos, as you have seen/will see in this TR, is my family's backs as I was always running to catch up with them whenever I would stop to take a picture!)

Have fun with your camera!

 

[cdotla]

Oh my!! What a miserable trek to the BC!! But once you got there--WOW!! What a view! It looks like such a beautiful resort!!

Hey Becky - yes, the Beach Club was really fantastic. Once we arrived!

I can picture you walking with your little angels to BC. We have all been there! Doing anything we can... to just get them to walk... a few more feet.

Glad someone else can relate! I was looking to trade mine at that point! In retrospect, it really was my big mistake coming up with that plan in the first place! Good in theory perhaps, but in 100 degree humidity - not so much!

Big fan of the stroller here myself! Took one in 2009 for my barely 4 year old and plan to take one again in 2011 for my 5 year old. There is nothing worse, IMHO, than a tired, hot, whiny kid. Makes it miserable for Mom and Dad and the child. Plus DS is more active and up much later than at home, so he usually takes a little nap in the stroller during the day too. Makes for a much happier trip!

Yay! Stroller fans unit!!!

Wow!!! Now that was a major walk in the heat with whining kids. I would have fainted! Lol. This just cracked me up:
Within 2 minutes of leaving the air conditioned sanctuary of Club Cool, I was once again subjected to a full-on attack from two whiny, cranky kids.

Let's just say I definitely won't be making that trip again without a stroller until the kids are in their teens.

Your writing is great! I felt like I was on that agonizing walk with you from FW all the way to Beach Club. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has these kinds of moments in Disney but hoping the rest of your day goes much better!

Oh Nichole - you came to the right place if you are looking for someone with some no-so-magical moments to share about their report. I've got a bunch!

Just wondering why you didn't have Bell Services move the luggage from Contemporary to the Beach Club?

Don't you LOVE the BC!! It's my fav. That walk sounded awful! Sometimes things look like a great idea on paper and in reality just don't work out. We had days like that on our trip.

I certainly considered having the luggage transferred by bell services. But ultimately I decided not to because:

1. I am cheap. Did I mention how much stuff we had? Cause we had A LOT!!! By the time I would have tipped bell services at the Contemporary and then bell services at the Beach Club, we would have paid more in gratuities than I paid for our supper that evening at the Brown Derby.

2. The kids and I were actually looking forward to taking the 1st monorail ride of our trip. Obviously that turned out to be a big mistake, but we didn't know that at the time.

3. I was a little concerned doing the transfer because technically we weren't SUPPOSED to be at the Beach Club that day. Just my MIL was checking into her studio unit that day. We weren't checking into our 1 Bedroom unit until the next day. I certainly didn't want to alert the Disney police to the fact that we were breaking the rules by sleeping 5 people in a 4 person studio unit for the night.

As it turned out, the 4 of us carting the luggage down to the rental car (and then DH carting it from the car to our room at the Beach Club) was a piece of cake. No problem at all, and saved us a ton in tips. It was my poor decision to walk through Epcot as opposed to taking a bus from the Magic Kingdom that derailed things.

Soooo....we MUST have crossed paths, or just nearly passed them- Joan & I arrived at BCV on the 30th too, and were in Epcot probably right when you were dragging the kids through! And it WAS hot that day- but all the days were REALLY hot, weren't they? Joan & I were back to BCV around 2 I think for some pool time before we did our spa stuff- so close to a DISmeet, yet, soooo far!

I am going to have to scan my photos to see if you guys are in the background...I am sure we probably crossed paths and were literally on top of each other at the pool on both April 30 and May 1.

Can't wait to read more!!!!

Thank you! I will update as soon as I can!

 

[cdotla]

A Taste of the Good Life at the Beach Club & Stormalong Bay!

While our arrival at the Beach Club was not as refined and dignified as I had envisioned, once we stepped into our beautiful air conditioned room and checked out the incredible views of Epcot from our balcony, we were back in the "Pinch me..I am dreaming" stage once again.

Views from our Balcony:

First on the agenda was Lunch. The plan was to hit Hurricane Hanna's at Stormalong Bay. I did some research and knew that the kids' lunches would be served in a sand pail with a shovel, which I figured would be a great thing to have for our week at the pool.

The kids each got a cheeseburger meal. My MIL also got a cheeseburger, and, in keeping with his healthy eating kick, Chris got the vegtable wrap. I just ordered a drink as I knew my family would not be able to eat all of this food, and I was right. I ended up having a little taste of the cheeseburgers, some grapes, and some of Chris' veggie wrap and coleslaw.

Cheer up Chris...we're in Disney!

After lunch, we immediately headed back to our room to change into our bathing suits so that we could hit Stormalong Bay!

Although I had stayed at the Yacht Club for a conference back in 2008, I never actually got to experience SAB. All day I was dressed in a suit attending the conference, and then in the evenings, I had dinners to attend. (Hard life, I know!) By the time I would get back to the resort, SAB would always be closed. But I did enjoy the quiet pool into the wee hours of the morning!

Having seen SAB on past visits, and of course, hearing all the hype about it, I was very anxious to try it for myself. Since the water slide was going down for a month-long rehab in two days, we were also quite anxious to get as much time on it as we could.

To get to the top of the slide at SAB you actually have to leave the pool, crossover the boardwalk around Crescent Lake, and head toward the beach where the kiddie pool is located. From there, you climb up about 3 storeys into the mast of the pirate ship, and then ride through a tube slide which takes you back over top of the boardwalk and through the pirate ship, landing in the SAB pool.

Climbing up those stairs for the first time with the kids, I wasn't sure that they were going to be brave enough to try it. It is mighty high up, and this was only their second time trying a waterslide. The first time either of them had ever ridden down a waterslide was only hours ago at the Contemporary!

Well, in the space of about 3 hours my kids became waterslide fanatics. As soon as they splashed into the pool at the end of the pirate slide, they were out of the pool lickity split, heading over to do it again. And Chris & I were not far behind them. The slide was that good!

I wish I had taken more shots of us poolside, especially with the slide, but I didn't. Suffice to say, everything that you ever heard about SAB and that slide is absolutely, positively true - it is FANTASTIC!!!

Finally, after a couple of hours basking in the sun, splashing in the pool, and ensuring we got a week's worth of rides down that slide before it closed for rehab, we made our way back to our room to get cleaned up for dinner and our first night out on the town at Disney.



UP NEXT: Dinner at Brown Derby and Fantasmic!

 

[edk35]

A Taste of the Good Life...at the Beach Club

While our arrival at the Beach Club was not as refined and dignified as I had envisioned, once we stepped into our beautiful air conditioned room and checked out the incredible views of Epcot from our balcony, we were back in the "Pinch me..I am dreaming" stage once again.

Views from our Balcony:

First on the agenda was Lunch. The plan was to hit Hurricane Hanna's at Stormalong Bay. I did some research and knew that the kids' lunches would be served in a sand pail with a shovel, which I figured would be a great thing to have for our week at the pool.

The kids each got a cheeseburger meal. My MIL also got a cheeseburger, and, in keeping with his healthy eating kick, Chris got the vegtable wrap. I just ordered a drink as I knew my family would not be able to eat all of this food, and I was right. I ended up having a little taste of the cheesburgers, some grapes, and some of Chris' veggie wrap and coleslaw.

Cheer up Chris...we're in Disney!

After lunch, we immediately headed back to our room to change into our bathing suits so that we could hit Stormalong Bay!

Although I had stayed at the Yacht Club for a conference back in 2008, I never actually got to experience SAB. All day I was dressed in a suit attending the conference, and then in the evenings, I had dinners to attend. (Hard life, I know!) By the time I would get back to the resort, SAB would always be closed. But I did enjoy the quiet pool into the wee hours of the morning!

Having seen SAB on past visits, and of course, hearing all the hype about it, I was very anxious to try it for myself. Since the water slide was going down for a month-long rehab in two days, we were also quite anxious to get as much time on it as we could.

To get to the top of the slide at SAB you actually have to leave the pool, crossover the boardwalk around Crescent Lake, and head toward the beach where the kiddie pool is located. From there, you climb up about 3 storeys into the mast of the pirate ship, and then ride through a tube slide which takes you back over top of the boardwalk and through the pirate ship, landing in the SAB pool.

Climbing up those stairs for the first time with the kids, I wasn't sure that they were going to be brave enough to try it. It is mighty high up, and this was only their second time trying a waterslide. The first time either of them had ever ridden down a waterslide was only hours ago at the Contemporary!

Well, in the space of about 3 hours my kids became waterslide fanatics. As soon as they splashed into the pool at the end of the pirate slide, they were out of the pool lickity split, heading over to do it again. And Chris & I were not far behind them. The slide was that good!

I wish I had taken more shots of us poolside, especially with the slide, but I didn't. Suffice to say, everything that you ever heard about SAB and that slide is absolutely, positively true - it is FANTASTIC!!!

Finally, after a couple of hours basking in the sun, splashing in the pool, and ensuring we got a week's worth of rides down that slide before it closed for rehab, we made our way back to our room to get cleaned up for dinner and our first night out on the town at Disney.


UP NEXT: Dinner at Brown Derby and Fantasmic!

WE LUV SAB. We are DVC members and have stayed there twice the past two summers. Our kids (older) love that pool. BCV is so much fun. Can't wait to hear more about your trip. I sure hope Chris cheers up and actually smiles soon!!!

 

[lurkyloo]

ROOTS! Oh my gosh, Chris is so Canadian! Every single one I know owns something from Roots.

So far, this part of the trip sounds like bliss, and with evening plans like those, what could go wrong?

 

[irishdancer86]

I love Roots!

nice update...glad you all got good use out of that slide,i suppose it would have been a lot more difficult for you to enjoy if Declan or Katie had been too apprehensive and needed company in the pool! for daredevils!! the resort looks lovely...