I finally saw the lights! Our super special anniversary trip! NEW 2/2 pg.18

[heaven2dc]

Oh I so hope you decide to go Club Level!! I would love to stay at Beach Club on our next trip (since we've only stayed at BWV). If we could get a discount like you did, I might consider it (we have rented points the last 3 trips and can't beat the boardwalk view compared to the Beach Club Villas DVC view).

I can't wait to find out what you decide to do!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I personally think that you made a great decision to stay on-site at Disney rather than at Universal. Universal just isn't as fun as Disney and that's all there is to it. One day is PLENTY. I'm sure the boys will have a lot of fun but it's not as fun for adults. You don't feel transported into a different world like you do in Disney. I'd actually go early on in the trip (like maybe Vistana check-in day or the day after so that you can spend the rest of the time in Disney).

I think you should go for club level. If only b/c I want to live through you.

Your DH sounds like he is starting to enjoy Disney more and more each trip. That's great. I get sad when I hear about DHs who are sick of Disney. I suppose it's not for everyone, though.

I had a feeling you might feel this way Rachael! Reading your TR swayed me a bit in my decision. And honestly we mainly want to go to WWoHP - the boys won't know any of the characters over there either. We've been to Bush Gardens & Six Flags & they always want to leave early. If they love it, we can always go back on another trip.

The secret to keeping DH happy is in his stomach!

YAY for Club level, that sounds absolutely wonderful to me and what a cool surprise!

So much for a surprise... I already told him! I was talking to him about certain ADRs during that time & was acting all weird trying to explain why I wanted to be at the resort one night (to try the dinner time offerings) & he called me out on hiding something! I'm a bad liar!

Oh I so hope you decide to go Club Level!! I would love to stay at Beach Club on our next trip (since we've only stayed at BWV). If we could get a discount like you did, I might consider it (we have rented points the last 3 trips and can't beat the boardwalk view compared to the Beach Club Villas DVC view).

I can't wait to find out what you decide to do!

I won't leave you in suspense - I changed our reservation today!! We are officially booked in a garden view club level room!! (Garden view was only $20 more than standard view for all three nights so that was a no-brainer.) Now I just have to figure out what all the benefits of club level are so we can take advantage of them!!

I was surprised to find Beach Club in the 30% off category with the spring room only offer! And I agree - BWV standard view is an amazing deal!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Club Level at the Beach Club! That's way cooler than the Hard Rock Hotel in my opinion!

 

[halleous]

I have just sat and read the entire TR and am now subscribing!! Loving it so far!

Vickyxx

 

[Susan121302]

I LOVE those Expedition Everest T shirts you got!

We are staying at the BC in Sept. I cannot wait. I will keep an eye out for your TR from your April trip....

 

[DisMomAmy]

Club Level at the Beach Club! That's way cooler than the Hard Rock Hotel in my opinion!

I completely agree Jackie!

I have just sat and read the entire TR and am now subscribing!! Loving it so far!

Vickyxx

Glad to have you along!

I LOVE those Expedition Everest T shirts you got!

We are staying at the BC in Sept. I cannot wait. I will keep an eye out for your TR from your April trip....

Howdy neighbor!! I'll definitely have a TR started shortly after we get back!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

After our morning at AK & our long bus ride back to the boardwalk, we walked through the lobby so Alex could ask for a celebration pin. He was very interested in them & was becoming a bit obsessed. The CM made an “I’m Celebrating” pin for each of the boys, adding “Mom & Dad’s Anniversary”. Alex was thrilled. Then we stopped in the gift shop (Dundys Sundries). I got picked up a few souvenirs. I got a new pouch for my lanyard, refrigerator pins for me & my friends Laura (we stayed at BWI last year), a Boardwalk pin, a pixie dust pin to send to Julie (mousescrapper) to help get her through her DH's surgery,a luggage tag, and a magnetized memo pad for the fridge. The boys each got a notebook.

Then we headed up to the room for a little down time before we had to turn around & head out to DHS for our 4:35 ADR at 50s Prime Time Café.

After a little break, we grabbed the boat at the Swan/Dolphin over to DHS. The boat came right up & we arrived at DHS around 4:15. Our ADR was at 4:35 so we headed straight there.

We were early but didn’t have enough time to do anything else so we checked in. The wait was FOREVER! Alex was even starting to cry & say “this is ridiculous” louder & louder because it was so hard for him to wait that long. He did a really good job not completely freaking out but it was hard for him! We weren’t seated until around 5:10! We bumped into Kathy & Billy while we were waiting. They came in to use the restrooms. We didn’t really get to chat because luckily we were seated before they came back out. Because it’s so hard for Alex (and often Zach too) to wait, we always try to make ADRs for off times. We figured 4:35 would beat the rush but they must have been behind from lunch.

A few pictures from our wait, before things got ugly!

Finally seated, we had a great server (James?) who played with the boys just the right amount to have fun but not freak them out. When Alex said he just wanted chicken, James brought him 11 chicken nuggets! Before it came out, James came by & asked if we needed anything else (drinks, etc.) and Alex said, “chicken!” and James said, “I need to catch it & pluck it!” It was so funny!

After dinner we headed to Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster.

Then Alex said he’d ride ToT with me! Zach & Tim rode RnRC again & we decided to meet up at the DVC booth on Sunset Blvd. Tower of Terror was AWESOME! We could see the Osborne Lights in the distance! It was so cool! Alex & I headed to the DVC kiosk but Tim wasn’t there yet so we went to the popsicle stand & got him a “#6”. We met up at DVC & signed up for a tour first thing the next morning!!

Having made the DVC appointment, I was in a great mood, and we headed off to FINALLY see the lights!! It was the first night & it was extremely crowded as we approached the Streets of America. We had no idea what to expect so we just wandered through. I was trying to take photos & video and Tim was trying not to lose the boys. It was amazing but brief. I was happy we would have a chance to go back on Saturday night now that we knew what to expect.

I also have two short videos from my phone. I'm sorry I held my phone the wrong way so they are tall & skinny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZajhqYBq_c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOloCc1YPx4

There are lots of other videos on youtube if you want to see more! I also took more pictures when we returned a couple days later!

I'll try to get the rest of Disney Day 3 posted later today!

 

[eandesmom]

UGH on the long wait at PTC. We had to wait forever there as well the last time we went. Those lights are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! Love love the luggage tag.

 

[MEK]

That is a super cute luggage tag.

Sorry you had to wait so long for dinner. That's tough when you know the boys can't wait that long. It makes every minute seem 5 times as long. So glad you had a wonderful server. That must have helped make the boys feel better sooner.

I never thought about seeing the lights from ToT, but that must have been pretty cool. Of course, I usually have my eyes closed half of the time so I may miss them anyway.

Your light pictures turned out great!

 

[mousescrapper]

Getting caught up again

Love that you had a wonderful Safari...we had a good one too(that will be coming up next in my TR) did you LOVE the lights? They are amazing..love your pictures

So great about the Club level..have fun w/ that!

And thank you so much for my Tink pixie dust pin...it truly brought a wonderful smile to my face

 

[MEK]

Congrats on the BC club level rooms! That's wonderful. Enjoy (and take lots of pictures! )

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Ugh on the wait for dinner, glad you got seated before things got too bad. That is the one thing that makes me nervous about ever doing sit down meals with the boys at Disney which we haven't yet, we have walked out of many restaurants because of it (not at Disney). Glad the meal ended up being fun though and that you got a good waiter.

WOW on those lights, you got some great pictures too. Hope I'm lucky enough to see them one year

And for your morning appt with DVC the next day, can't wait to see how that went.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Beach Club! Sounds like a good decision...can't wait to see if you decide to go Club Level.

Holy cow.....those safari pics are awesome! That giraffe was so close...amazing!

Yay for ToT with Alex. I bet seeing the park all lit up for Christmas was just beautiful.

Hmmm...DVC? Looking forward to hearing about that!

 

[Chicago Mo]

OOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DVC....
I can't wait to hear about it!!!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Beach Club and Club Level---! I think those are perfect choices. Stormalong Bay looks like so much fun. I am sure your boys would enjoy it.

I love the lights! They were so pretty this year. The LED was fabulous!

Oh, I can't wait to hear about the DVC tour. We bought over the phone without the tour so I am anxious to see what we missed.

 

[skier_pete]

We waited a good 1/2 hour for 50PTC on our DHS day, and we had a 12:45 PM ADR. The whole process there was really slow with how long we were there, taking almost 90 minutes to eat, so I can picture where they are always behind if they don't give people a LONG time.

Glad you FINALLY got to see those lights! They are awesome, aren't they.

 

[DisMomAmy]

UGH on the long wait at PTC. We had to wait forever there as well the last time we went. Those lights are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! Love love the luggage tag.

The PTC wait was awful! Fortunately, they aren't usually that bad!

The lights were awesome!

That is a super cute luggage tag.

Sorry you had to wait so long for dinner. That's tough when you know the boys can't wait that long. It makes every minute seem 5 times as long. So glad you had a wonderful server. That must have helped make the boys feel better sooner.

I never thought about seeing the lights from ToT, but that must have been pretty cool. Of course, I usually have my eyes closed half of the time so I may miss them anyway.

Your light pictures turned out great!

I love the luggage tag! It was one of those things that you just know you have to have when you see it!

It was very cool to see the lights from ToT...

The wait at PTC...

Getting caught up again

Love that you had a wonderful Safari...we had a good one too(that will be coming up next in my TR) did you LOVE the lights? They are amazing..love your pictures

So great about the Club level..have fun w/ that!

And thank you so much for my Tink pixie dust pin...it truly brought a wonderful smile to my face

The lights were fabulous! Something you can't even imagine until you see them in person. I hope I get to see them again someday.

I hope Club Level is as great as I think it will be.

Your welcome for the pin. I just knew I had to send it to you when I saw it.

Congrats on the BC club level rooms! That's wonderful. Enjoy (and take lots of pictures! )

Thank you!! I will take lots of pictures!

Ugh on the wait for dinner, glad you got seated before things got too bad. That is the one thing that makes me nervous about ever doing sit down meals with the boys at Disney which we haven't yet, we have walked out of many restaurants because of it (not at Disney). Glad the meal ended up being fun though and that you got a good waiter.

WOW on those lights, you got some great pictures too. Hope I'm lucky enough to see them one year

And for your morning appt with DVC the next day, can't wait to see how that went.

We usually don't have to wait that long! Generally, we try to eat on the early side. We always aim for the first lunch ADRs of the day or dinner ADRs at 5:00 or earlier. I'd recommend early lunch ADRs for your first ones. And maybe somewhere like Hollywood & Vine, Crystal Palace or other character meal (unless you think that would be too overwhelming for them).

More on DVC soon!

Beach Club! Sounds like a good decision...can't wait to see if you decide to go Club Level.

Holy cow.....those safari pics are awesome! That giraffe was so close...amazing!

Yay for ToT with Alex. I bet seeing the park all lit up for Christmas was just beautiful.

Hmmm...DVC? Looking forward to hearing about that!

I did it! We are going club level!

The safari was the best one we've been on. If we could have seen the lion better, it would have been perfect!

Seeing the lights from ToT was a huge surprise!

More on DVC soon!

OOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DVC....
I can't wait to hear about it!!!

Beach Club and Club Level---! I think those are perfect choices. Stormalong Bay looks like so much fun. I am sure your boys would enjoy it.

I love the lights! They were so pretty this year. The LED was fabulous!

Oh, I can't wait to hear about the DVC tour. We bought over the phone without the tour so I am anxious to see what we missed.

I can't wait to stay at BC & to get to experience club level! I'm most excited to explore SAB with the boys!

The lights were absolutely gorgeous!!

The DVC tour was mixed... but you'll have to wait to hear about it.

 

[DisMomAmy]

We waited a good 1/2 hour for 50PTC on our DHS day, and we had a 12:45 PM ADR. The whole process there was really slow with how long we were there, taking almost 90 minutes to eat, so I can picture where they are always behind if they don't give people a LONG time.

Glad you FINALLY got to see those lights! They are awesome, aren't they.

We've eaten there many times & it's never been that bad before. I think we usually have an early lunch ADR though... so they don't have a chance to get behind yet! It definitely takes a long time to eat there.

Loved, loved, loved the lights!!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Having seen the gorgeous Osborne Lights, we moved on. While we were over that way, we decided to ride Star Tours. It was so fun to ride for the second time & get a totally different story! We stopped in the gift shop (again) for more Star Wars souvenirs for both boys (I can’t tell from the receipt exactly what they got). Next was the Great Movie Ride. Best Ride Ever! While we didn’t get the cowboy, we got to ride in the first row!

It was so much fun, especially when the gangster highjacked the tour & started messing with Alex! Alex was sitting closest to the driver & jumped out of his seat & moved between me & Tim.

Zach ate it up & took Alex’s seat. (Totally the opposite of how they usually are… normally Zach would be scared & Alex would want the spotlight.)

You can sort of see how close Zach is here:

Alex also thought the gangster really died when he grabbed the Indiana Jones stone & couldn’t understand until we explained it over & over! Poor thing!

I'll spare you from having to look at the rest of my GMR pictures since they are always the same!

Now it was around 8:15 so we decided to beat head out. There was a HUGE line for the boat so as tired as we were, we decided to walk back. We got to see some of the Fantasmic fireworks over the trees as we walked! Since we didn’t get a chance to swim earlier, we took the boys to the pool for about 15 minutes before bed.

These are fuzzy but you can tell that they had a fun game of "Daddy throws the boys":

Then we were treated to Illuminations… from bed! What a great way to end a great day!!

Up next: 11/11/11 & a visit with DVC!

 

[exwdwcm]

Hi there- just read your whole TR! We are going this time next year, so was interested to read similar time frame trip reports! Looks like you guys had a ball and your boys are just so cute!

and love that you have a DVC appt! Can't wait to hear what happens. My DH surprised me on our trip in 2009 the same way. We were on a 10 day trip with our whole extended family at WL. It was the first time we took our son, who was 2 at the time. My DH is not a huge Disney fan, in fact, I think he sort of held a grudge against them since I left him for a semseter to go work on the college program. We stayed together that whole time, but did the long distance relationship and I think he hated Disney for taking me away! Anyhow, fast forward 15 years from that and he had taken a few trips with me, but it wasn't until we had our son (after years of trying) that I think he finally "GOT" the magic. Nothing like seeing it through your child's eyes. On that trip, he mentioned we should maybe go check out DVC. I was in pure shock. I had never even considered it, since DH is a financial professional and super cheap. If it isn't a stock or real estate investment with a financial return, then no way. So this shocked me!!! We did the tour and he was all into it. A few months later, we bought and now are proud owners at BLT! I never dreamed it possible. I hope the same happens for you!!!