Is That Real Chocolate? (May 2016 Trip Report)- UPDATE-2017 INVITE!

[luvflorida]

Typhoon Lagoon- evening event

Once again, we were in a hurry and left our room in kind of a mess. We seriously didn't think there would be another "room drop". Well...there was! But, I'll start at the beginning of our evening event...

DSMMC attendees and family members boarded busses at the Convention Center that took us to Typhoon Lagoon (the park was closed to the public). Let me just say...Disney knows how to throw a party! This was my favorite event of the conference/celebration! The beach party was held on the sand, the food was fabulous, the entertainment was great (live band playing beach/summer songs) the character meet and greets were lots of fun, and there was a very neat surprise toward the end of the evening.

I love the beach, so this party was right up my alley!

On the pathway to the beach.

Pretty much the story of my life!

Being from Maine, I had to take a picture of this abandoned Maine lobster boat.

At the end of the pathway, we were greeted by the sight of dozens of large, round tables and chairs set up on the sand. The tables were covered with blue and white checkered tablecloths with beachy/flowery centerpieces.

This event was sponsored by GOGO Squeez, and the little green packets were all over the place! They were on the tables, in boxes and in buckets, and everyone was encouraged to take as many as they wanted.

We had a table very close to the band/live entertainment and all the activity. There were beach games and trivia games for the kids, and dancing for all.

Kids' conga line. That's Vanessa in the pink shirt. Carter and Harry weren't interested in dancing. But, Vanessa, she loves a good time!

 

[luvflorida]

Typhoon Lagoon evening event- continued

In addition to the dancing, singing and other activities, there were characters on hand to greet everyone. Harrison loves Goofy, so he was delighted to see him!

I love Goofy's swim trunks!

Harry is literally jumping for joy!

Harry and Megan with Donald and Daisy Duck.

Chip and Dale in their beach attire.

On to the food! The event was set up buffet-style. I don't remember all the food that was served, but I do remember that everything I ate was very, very good! I know I had some delicious BBQ ribs and some very tasty ham covered in a pineapple sauce. There were serving stations loaded with tons of food choices, including entrees, appetizers, desserts, and of course, GOGO Squeez pouches!

The dessert stations! Mickey Bars, chocolate Mickey hats (brownies), Mickey Rice Krispie Treats, ice cream, cotton candy, assorted fruit...all you could eat! As soon as a tray was empty, it was replaced with a full one. The desserts seemed endless!

Carter and his cotton candy beard.

 

[luvflorida]

As the evening turned to night, an announcement was made that we were about to be treated to a fireworks display. A very unusual fireworks display! Special viewing glasses were distributed to everyone.

This is what we saw. The sparks appeared as Mickey Heads! How cool is that! I wish my pictures showed the effects better than they do. The Mickey heads were much clearer than they appear in the pics.

There were a lot of oohs and aahs! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful night!

After the event, there were busses waiting to take people back to the Beach Club or over to Hollywood Studios for a viewing of Symphony in the Stars. Megan, Carter and Vanessa wanted to go to Hollywood Studios, so they boarded a bus headed in that direction. I took Harrison back to the Beach Club. It was late and he was tired, and I didn't mind at all going back to the room and relaxing!

Next up: Another amazing room drop!

 

[ariane37]

That was awesome And the food sounds delicious! Love the fireworks effects, kind of reminds me of how certain aspects of the Osborne Lights looked last year (their last year ) with the special AP holder glasses they gave out.
We've never done either Disney water park. I know my boys would enjoy them but......I'm not a water park fan lol. I enjoy seeing the pictures though whether it's of the rides or just the atmosphere!

 

[luvflorida]

That was awesome And the food sounds delicious! Love the fireworks effects, kind of reminds me of how certain aspects of the Osborne Lights looked last year (their last year ) with the special AP holder glasses they gave out.
We've never done either Disney water park. I know my boys would enjoy them but......I'm not a water park fan lol. I enjoy seeing the pictures though whether it's of the rides or just the atmosphere!

We have the holiday glasses, the ones where you see Santa faces or bells or similar holiday things, when you look at Christmas lights with them on. These, with the Mickey Heads, were pretty neat!

I'm not a fan of water parks, either, so this was my first time at Typhoon Lagoon. I loved the theming!

 

[luvflorida]

It was late when Harrison and I got back to our room and we were tired! We were in the room for a little while before I noticed a black bag with Mickey Mouse designs on it sitting by the pillows on one of the beds. I had even gotten Harrison in his pajamas and in bed before I noticed it! I peeked in the bag and figured I should leave it until Megan and the older two grandkids got back to the room so we could all see the contents at the same time.

No, I couldn't wait! I was just too curious! So I emptied the bag, knowing Megan wouldn't care. Look at all the goodies!

There were a lot of princess items to go along with Disney's Dream Big, Princess campaign. Vanessa loved the princess doll, princess Tervis cup and soft, fleece princess throw.

There were books, stickers, cookies, sunglasses and a notebook.

The tote bag was pretty cute, too.

After checking out all the goodies, I put everything back in the bag, so Megan could have fun going through it when she returned from Hollywood Studios. They returned shortly after, and had fun emptying the bag of all the special surprises. Vanessa couldn't wait to get into her pajamas and snuggle up with her new princess fleece blanket! And Carter put away one of the cookies for the next day.

Another busy day tomorrow!

 

[1983DisneyFanatic]

Wow! What an amazing trip! I'm loving your report!

 

[luvflorida]

Wow! What an amazing trip! I'm loving your report!

We had so much fun on this trip! It was definitely different from any trip we've ever taken to WDW!

Thanks for following along!

 

[luvflorida]

DAY FOUR! Saturday, May 7th-

We were up very, very early on this beautiful Saturday morning. Well, I should say, SOME of us were up very early! This morning was the DSMMC Family Fun Run/Walk at Epcot. When looking at the schedule of events before leaving on our trip, we had decided to leave this particular event open and not commit to it. We wanted to wait and see how tired the kids (or adults!) would be on this morning. The family run/walk event started at 5:30am in the World Showcase in Epcot.

Megan had already decided the night before that she was participating, so she set her alarm for 5. I woke up and saw that all three grandkids were still sound asleep, so I told Megan I would stay with them (and go back to sleep!). So, Megan got dressed and met up with some friends in the hotel lobby. All the participants walked over to Epcot and got ready to walk or run around the World Showcase.

Megan really enjoyed this event! She said it was just so neat to be in the World Showcase so early in the morning. So quiet and serene! Daylight was just breaking through.

All participants were given medals. They deserved one just for getting up that early!

Megan taking a selfie with her medal.

The grandkids ended up sleeping until around 7, so they got a much needed night of sleep! We were up and getting dressed when Megan got back from Epcot. After we were all showered and dressed, we walked over to the convention center to board busses that would take us to this morning's DSMMC event.

We were off to Disney Springs for a special breakfast event.The boys are very excited...and hungry!

Vanessa enjoying the passing scenery.

 

[luvflorida]

This morning's breakfast event was held at the AMC theatre complex in Disney Springs. It was a picnic-style affair! Upon entering the theatre lobby we were directed to an area set up with long tables. The tables held rows of green plastic bags packed with breakfast items and as we filed past the tables, everyone was handed a bag. After picking up our breakfast bags, we had two choices. One theatre was showing Alice Through the Looking Glass (geared more toward the adults and older kids) while another theatre held a special Doc McStuffins event for the younger crowd. We headed into the Doc McStuffins theatre.

Before entering the seating area, we came upon a sea of Doc McStuffins toy doctor kits. Each child was given a kit, along with a name tag- Dr. So-and-so. The kids loved this!

We found some seats and settled in to eat our breakfast, while clips from Disney cartoons and movies played on the big screen. Each bag contained fruit, muffins, chips, milk, apple juice, water, and other food items I can't remember! And yes, I realize that we're sitting in seats reserved for wheelchair companions, but we were not taking them from people who needed them. If that was the case, we certainly wouldn't have sat there! We actually parked Harry in his stroller there for part of the time. It was easier for him to eat while seated in his stroller.

Trying to eat and check out the items in their doctor kits at the same time.

In addition to movie clips being shown on the screen, there were kids-sized tables set up with coloring/activity books, and there were cast members engaging the kids in singing and dancing. Vanessa loved learning the dance moves to this song about washing your hands!

Carter was a little on the older side for this event, but he had fun, too. It was kind of a repeat of the Jake meet and greet at Hollywood Studios- "Been there, done that when I was four, now I'm over Doc McStuffins." And speaking of Doc McStuffins, the doc was there to meet the kids.

Harry did not want to visit with the Doc, but Vanessa and Carter happily chose a few props and posed with her!

 

[luvflorida]

After meeting Doc McStuffins, we headed out of the theatre, and again, each child received a gift. There seemed no end to the surprises at this conference!

Each bag contained a set of Doc McStuffins toy figures. Cute bags, too!

There were also mini cupcakes to enjoy before leaving.

There was a nice display in the lobby of several of the costumes from Alice Through the Looking Glass. You can't see it in the picture, but the costumes were being closely monitored by several security guards!

 

[luvflorida]

After the breakfast event, we had several hours until Megan had to meet up with the other social media moms for a "Behind the Walls" tour of a few of the places in Disney Springs not yet open to the public.

Time to shop!

Carter's favorite window display!

Stopping to say "hi" to the Lego sea serpent.

Carter with his "Mickey ears"!

Vanessa and Harry with Buzz.

"Hey, put me down!"

I was very excited to take the grandkids to this toy store in Disney Springs. Every time I visit WDW, I stop in here and pick up Mr. Potato Head pieces to take back home to them. They have quite a collection of potato bodies and body parts that they love to play with. I've told them all about the different stations that hold tons of potato head pieces, and I was excited for them to actually see it for themselves.

We picked out the newest accessories (not really a lot that they didn't already have, but found a few things) then Carter and Vanessa had fun building a potato guy.

We spent some time in a few more shops, then it was time for Megan to head over to her tour. So the grandkids and I had about an hour and a half until we'd meet up with her for lunch. I figured we could spend at least a half hour at the Lego Store!

 

[ariane37]

I have to say this, and I don't want to sound like I'm down on Disney because I certainly am not. In the past year and especially the last few months there have been so many things going on that make people feel negative towards Disney. Many people feel Disney does not have a "guests first" attitude any longer and now is all about money and nothing else. There are lots of complaints of quality going downhill, customer service going downhill, and that Disney doesn't seem to care.
Whatever ones thoughts are regarding all that, it is so incredibly special to see how they're treating the DSMMC conference participants! They really treated Megan great and what's more impressive is how they treated the participants' family members. All the stuff the kids kept getting!!! How wonderfully organized and fun all the events were! Each one so different. It's very nice to see all that Disney did for you guys. Even though the majority of us didn't get to take part in that, just knowing those things still happen is awesome

 

[CaliTex]

I'm really enjoying your trip report--what fun! I'm a grandmother of 4, and we love taking the grands to WDW, with or without their parents! Your family are all beautiful.

It's great to read this and see some effort put into guest relations...proves Disney still knows how. I confess to some trepidation as our December trip approaches--I'm afraid if things are as bad as some report it will be sometime before we go back, but I'm hoping for the best and will keep an open mind.

Looking forward to more of the report!

 

[Rozz]

Joining in!
I'm not caught up yet but wanted to check in.

 

[pucknasty]

Count me in! You have beautiful grandkids! This event looks way cool!

 

[luvflorida]

I have to say this, and I don't want to sound like I'm down on Disney because I certainly am not. In the past year and especially the last few months there have been so many things going on that make people feel negative towards Disney. Many people feel Disney does not have a "guests first" attitude any longer and now is all about money and nothing else. There are lots of complaints of quality going downhill, customer service going downhill, and that Disney doesn't seem to care.
Whatever ones thoughts are regarding all that, it is so incredibly special to see how they're treating the DSMMC conference participants! They really treated Megan great and what's more impressive is how they treated the participants' family members. All the stuff the kids kept getting!!! How wonderfully organized and fun all the events were! Each one so different. It's very nice to see all that Disney did for you guys. Even though the majority of us didn't get to take part in that, just knowing those things still happen is awesome

Yes, this was definitely a very special trip and a unique experience! We've told the grandkids not to expect this kind of VIP treatment on future trips to Walt Disney World or Disneyland! And the funny thing (to me, anyway!) is that every social media person at the conference is already a big fan of all things Disney, so it wasn't like Disney needed to win us over. We're already fans of the Parks! I just feel really lucky that I got to attend such a wonderful event, and that my grandkids got to experience WDW in such a special way. And, you're right. All the events were so different!

I'm really enjoying your trip report--what fun! I'm a grandmother of 4, and we love taking the grands to WDW, with or without their parents! Your family are all beautiful.

It's great to read this and see some effort put into guest relations...proves Disney still knows how. I confess to some trepidation as our December trip approaches--I'm afraid if things are as bad as some report it will be sometime before we go back, but I'm hoping for the best and will keep an open mind.

Looking forward to more of the report!

Thank you! Experiencing Disney and seeing the Parks through the eyes of your grandkids is such a joy! You're a grandmother, so I know you understand that joy! I hope you have a wonderful trip in December! I honestly believe that the good far outweighs any bad/negative things about Disney. You have the right mindset- look on the bright side, look for the positive!

Joining in!
I'm not caught up yet but wanted to check in.

Thanks for following along! It's nice to know I have readers! I appreciate it!

Count me in! You have beautiful grandkids! This event looks way cool!

Thanks so much! Yes, the grandkids are keepers! Thanks for following along!

 

[luvflorida]

I didn't get a chance to update over the weekend. It was a busy few days!

Our granddaughter had her end-of-year dance recital on Saturday. She danced in two numbers, tap and ballet. It was so cute watching the little ones dance!

Here she is with her mom and dad after the recital.

And with gramma and grampa.

And, this little cutie turned three today! Harrison, our youngest grandchild, celebrated with a birthday party on Sunday.

Okay, back to this trip report!
Some of you have mentioned how awesome it was that Megan (and the other social media moms) received so many nice gifts/freebies, and that reminded me of another giveaway session that I forgot to mention.

Hanes was another sponsor of the DSMMC and on Friday, when conference sessions were held for most of the day, they really outdid themselves! Hanes had filled a room at the conference center with socks, t-shirts and underwear in all sizes for women, men and children. They also had a ton of bras in all sizes and styles for the women. The attendees were told to go and help themselves when they got a break in the day. Megan said it took awhile before there was a break in the sessions. As soon as a break was announced, she said everyone jumped up and practically ran to the Hanes room. She said within minutes the racks and tables were emptied! The bras were a huge hit and went first. She said everyone was just having the best time helping each other find the sizes and items they were looking for. Megan ended up with several bras for herself, and underwear, socks and t-shirts for herself, Daniel and the kids. Thanks, Hanes!

 

[luvflorida]

Saturday, Day Four- continued

Okay, where were we?

Megan had to meet up with the other social media moms for the "Behind the Walls" tour at Disney Springs, so the grandkids and I had about an hour or so until we all met up for lunch.

We spent a good portion of that time at the Lego Store.

We walked around a few shops, then it was time to meet up with Megan. We decided on Wolfgang Puck's for lunch, and ate pizza outside while enjoying the beautiful weather.

Megan said the "Behind the Walls" tour led them to the new Town Center, where they got to see the restaurants and shops in that area. They weren't allowed to take any photos. She said the tour was interesting, especially when the guides were talking about how the rebranding of the "Springs" came about. I believe the walls came down a week or so after the tour.

It was now mid-afternoon and we were ready to head back to the Beach Club. We took the boat across to the Marketplace to catch the bus back to the resort.

I love watching these boats that look like vintage cars!

Carter and Vanessa were excited to get back to the Beach Club, because this was the afternoon they would spend at Stormalong Bay. I would take them swimming while Megan stayed in the room while Harry took his nap. Harry would get to spend some time at Stormalong Bay the following day.

Next up: Stormalong Bay!

 

[CaliTex]

Happy Birthday, Harrison! What an adorable little dancer--and hey, Megan's top is really cute.

What a coinkidink! Our youngest DGS turned 3 this weekend as well! We had his party last weekend because that set of grands live about 2.5 hours away so we have to coordinate schedules and guest rooms, lol.

Yes, seeing WDW through their eyes and experiencing things with the grands is wonderful. Grandchildren are magic, they are so much fun. I enjoyed raising my children (mostly anyhow, at least until about 14, ha ha) but nothing compares to the grands--nothing! Our kids call it the 'Mutual Admiration Society'.

WOW! Free underwear!!! Exciting! (I guess it is the little stuff for me these days...)

We are staying at BWV for part of our December trip. Can we take a boat to Disney Springs? And what did you think of the Lego store? My oldest DGS is all about Legos, is it worth the time to go to it?

I'm anxious to hear how Stormalong Bay was. I have always wanted to stay at the BC or YC, if only for that pool, but since we always go in December I get voted down. They claim the pool is not a big deal in December.