It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!!

Disney Mommy 3

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Oct 18, 2006
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Hi everybody!:wave2: Well, I decided to go ahead and do a small trip report for you!! We have been several times...definitely not our first Disney trip....but exciting and much anticipated none the less. Most of you know us already,but here's a pic just in case!
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Well, we decided last Dec (09) that we would not do the first week of December again...we love that time of year,but last year we hit Pop Warner week and that just didn't work for us! We had a few issues with it, so we takled to some CMs and got their feel for slow times of the year. Mike had a couple of them tell him the full week before Thanksgiving was now the slowest time, and had awesome weather. We had been in Nov back in 02 when I was pregnant with dd and I knew that the trip then had been awesome. So...I did some research and we found that yep...it got good reviews that week!!! So, we decided that would be when we would go back.November 13-21 is the magic numbers for this trip! Also, we had received a pin for 40% off a Deluxe room!!:woohoo: We knew we wanted to go back to the Beach Club for the next trip....haven't been there in a couple of years, and not since the rooms had been redone.
Well...after all the planning, cleaning, packing and anticipating...it was time to go!!!! Our flight out this year was super early...7:30 a.m.!!!! We have never done a flight like that before because we live about an hour and a half from the Houston airport...we have a smaller airport that we could fly from and connect in Houston (it's a lot closer), but it would tag about $500 onto our airfare cost.:sad1: YIKES!! So, Mike decided that we would just stay in one of the hotels right down the street from the airport and they would let us leave the suburban there for the days we were gone...save us on airport parking and from having to be gone from home at 4 a.m.!!! Also,they shuttle you to and from the airport for free!! yep...it worked out great!!
So..we left Houston around 7:30 and got to Florida around 10 their time...flight was about an hour and a half or so... This time, the ME line was set up differently than before. It had the long line that weaved to the counter, then they had a shorter line and asked if people had their ME booklets and were ready to get in it...which we did! Went straight to the lane for Beach Club and waited about 10 minutes and our bus came! We stopped at a few resorts along the way, and after about 45 minutes to an hour, we were at the BEACH CLUB!!!! Got to the front desk and guess what? They had a room ready for us!!! Now, the only request I made was that we could be closer to the quiet pool/laundry area..as I did plan on doing laundry, and it is closest to the Epcot entrance. I don't remember saying anything about balconey's, but our room had a full balconey! We got room #2622..it's an awesome room!!! right up the stairs, 3rd door to the left!!!! Wasn't that close to the pool/laundry, but we had a great view to the back and it was pretty and quiet. I loved our room!! We knew our luggage wouldn't be there for a while and we were starving,so we decided to hit DTD!!
Ok..room pics!! I couldn't get Photobucket to download all of them for some reason,but I will try to explain 'em as they are listed. when you walk in the room immediately to the left is a dresser in a nook in the wall, and right past it is the closet...on your right is the bathroom. This is all in a little hallway area.
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As you walked into the room from the little hall/entry area, the beds were to the right. The first bed is the one in the pic, as you can barely see, there is a little shelf attached to the wall next to the bed on the right, and a nightstand on the left, to the left of that was the other bed. The clock is actually a dock/charger for ipods!
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Okay, back to the left was an open area that we kept our shoes,backpacks and stuff in with a shelf with pegs above it. I put the kids backpacks up on the shelf and we hung jackets and caps on the pegs. Right past it was the dresser with the flat screen hung above it...and then the daybed. Where my older son slept all week..dd finally got it the last night and she was thrilled!! LOL!
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Now, across from the daybed and by the 2nd bed was a desk and chair..and then the window/door to the balconey.The bedding,headboards, and curtains were all new since our last stay here...and we loved 'em!!!
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We waited for about 20 minutes on the bus to DTD. We wanted to eat at Earl of Sandwich..man!! Was that line long or what!!!!!! I have never seen it like that! I tried to remember and keep up with all our meals..some pics got taken, others got eaten before I could whip out the camera!! Mike got the Earl Club, I got the All-American, the kid got the Montague, and 2 kids Turkey and Cheeses.We all loooooved what we ordered! Next up was the Lego store!! My little 11 yo man is a Lego maniac!! He is in 7th heaven in this place:cloud9:... We didn't stay too long...all of DTD was BUSY!! I forget what they were hosting, but it was crowd attracting for sure! I know they had people there doing chalk on the pavement and some of those pics were totally unbelievable. So...we did do the Hot Air Balloon!!! we tried last year, and the weather was unfavorable. But,...we did it and it was amazing!!!!
At the busstop:
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As you can see, my eldest is at the stage where taking pictures is akin to death...lots of shots like this during the trip:rolleyes1
Continuing in the next post!
 
WOW! Those came out quite large!! Don't know what happened...same settings I always use..oh well, bear with me..maybe I can fix it!!.. Also, noticed that in the pic of the bed, it's the one closest to the desk, not the one next to the wall with the little shelf attached!
Ok...so we are headed to the Hot Air Balloon...if you haven't done this, you should!! it's a bit pricey, but I guess for the experience it's not crazy. It was $80 ish for the 5 of us...dd I think was the only one considered a child:sad2:
This particular balloon goes up to 400 feet! We could see all around Disney! Epcot ball, Mk in the distance, Contemporary Resort, Tower of Terror, Cirque de Soliel....and all of DTD...It was a strange feeling being up there...at one point the 'conductor/worker' man, stops the balloon and tells you to feel free to walk around...but it did make the balloon shift a bit as everyone went to the same side for some reason...that was strange...we didn't move as my older son doesn't really like heights and it was getting to him being up there and the balloon was moving and leaning:sick: I noticed he went completely white at one point! Poor kid!
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By now we were feeling the early morning and all the travel setting in..we decided to head back to the BC...bus ride was about 45 min. When we got back, the luggage was in the room and the kids wanted to hit Storm Along Bay, and Mike went to the Hot tub. So...it was also time for a Dis meet!!!! I finally got to meet Mama Snowbird herself!!!!:goodvibes Miss Shelly!!! She is soooo sweet!! Her hair is actually waaaaay longer than it looks in her pics too! she was so sweet, she brought us some Penn. Chocolates and a fridge magnet...where it's hanging right now, and most of the candy is eaten!!! LOL...Her boys are just as cute as they can be!!! they had came over to eat at Beaches and Cream,so it was perfect! Just wish we could have visited longer!!!But, at least we finally met!! I felt like I have known her forever we have been on here chatting for over 2 years now!!!!!
After they left to eat, my kids went back to change and we decided to stay on property and eat at the Capts Grille...Well...I have to say we were very disappointed. I couldnt believe it!! We were very tired and just wanted a quick dinner and then to bed.....didn't happen! It took FOOOOOOREEEEEVVVEEEEERRR!!! And they weren't that busy at all...maybe 3 other tables. DS14 got a mahi mahi that didn't taste like we were expecting, kids got nuggets and pizza and neither one of them were impressed, and Mike and I told the waitress we wanted to split the chicken dinner. It was almost $20 and I ordered a house salad :happytv:($6)...thank goodness I did!!! That chicken looked like the size of a wing!!!! It was soooo tiny we thought they had split it in the kitchen for us...but no, that was it! We asked her and she said "yeah, that's what we call and airline Chicken breast, it's cut along the bone differently'..REALLY!!! I may be missing something, but I have never seen a chkn breast that tiny in my LIFE!!! I just let Mike have the majority of it...I couldn't believe that she didn't explain it when we ordered it would be that tiny. And slow...man the service was unreal...we didn't see her again until we were almost completely finished and we needed refills for a good 20-30 min before she showed up. and it wasn't just her...I didn't see anyone else on our side either!!! I was going to grab the next server for refills and no one ever came. Then...the bill. With our tip it was over $80:scared1::eek: I was sick. we had 2 kid meals(we didn't start our DDP til the next day), and 2 reg meals because Mike & I split ours. I would never recommend that rest. to anyone. I was sad too, because I had really been looking forward to it. I have read mixed reviews,but the majority was to give it a go.....maybe we just got a really bad night...but I figured with it being a Sat it would have been better, but I guess not. Well, that's one place we will not go back to- I still feel sick thinking about $80 wasted. OH! And my younger son had gotten the nuggets and he told her Ketchup,...she brought it back AFTER the refills!!!! Right before the bill!!! it was just odd, the whole experience. Didn't get pics, as I had left my camera in my room...By now, we were ready for bed...so, I unloaded all the suitcases, got Mike to hang my over-the-door shoe bag n the closet, and we were ready for bed!!! Next up...our first park day!!!!:yay:
 
Hey Shawnna!!! :hug: I'm glad to see you're doing a TR. I'm sad we never saw each other on the trip, but I didn't see ANY DISboard Turkeys :( Your room was beautiful :banana: I'm heading to bed, but I'm looking forward to reading about your vacation.
 
Hi Shawna! I'm glad you decided to do a trip report! :yay:

Your room looks lovely. I'd like to stay at the Beach Club some day! Sorry you had such a bad experience at dinner. :sad2: But hooray for meeting Mama Snowbird! :woohoo:
 

Hey Shawnna!!! :hug: I'm glad to see you're doing a TR. I'm sad we never saw each other on the trip, but I didn't see ANY DISboard Turkeys :( Your room was beautiful :banana: I'm heading to bed, but I'm looking forward to reading about your vacation.

Hey!! Your first!!! Glad you made it! I know...even when the parks are low, it's still hard to find people!! I kept trying to keep my eyes peeled,but it is a lot to take in, tend to kids and people watch....mealtimes are good for that! I did see one lady with her Nov Turkey!! but we were in a moving line and I didn't get to stop..then I saw her again, and went back and she was gone! I will ask on the Nov thread who it was!!!
Hi Shawna! I'm glad you decided to do a trip report! :yay:

Your room looks lovely. I'd like to stay at the Beach Club some day! Sorry you had such a bad experience at dinner. :sad2: But hooray for meeting Mama Snowbird! :woohoo:

glad you found it!!! And woooo hoooo! You made it 2nd!:laughing: It was a very nice room...as far as decor and being peaceful, the BC is the best! I was going to book the YC this year-just for something diff because we had been to the BC 3 other times...but the pin code wouldnt show an available room for 5 at that time. But, that's fine,....we really love the BC. It's wonderful being able to walk to Epcot and ride the boat to DHS.
 
Okay..it's Sunday Nov 14th and our official first park day!:woohoo: I know MK is crowded on weekends...but this was also the last day of F&W over at Epcot so that was not an option. Also, Tour Guide Mike had suggested that today would be fairly good for MK even though it was EMH in the evening. Now,...I normally don't do a park that has EMH-ever! But, it was our first day and we reeeaaalllly wanted to get over there! I didn't know if we would make Rope Drop, since our Sat had been traveling day and we were super tired that night, but we did manage to get up earlier than I expected. The park was opening at 9 and we got there by 9:45...not too shabby! We went thru the bag check, turnstiles and under the tunnel into the Place of All Places!!! We were there!!!:wizard: Ahhhh,...nothing like finally getting under that tunnel!! It is a feeling that you always have-no matter how many trips, and it's so hard to describe. Kinda like you have been holding your breath...then you can sigh and let it out...taking in the Disney feeling!:love: Don't we love it?
Well...we headed toward Frontierland.We went to BTMRR first...line said 15 min I think...we were in a numbered lane to enter car in 3 min!!!!:woohoo: Can you believe that?!! Never have I done that before!! It was awesome..so we did it 3 times in a row! And let me give y'all a tip---do NOT sit in the first car behind the little engine. Rough is NOT the best word...me and dh sat together in that one and it was so rough it made it a totally diff ride. Next time, I would ask them to not put us in there...closer to the back is better...it makes the drops a whooooole lot better in the back. Of course, some of my group wanted to do Splash mtn. I did not. We saw people getting off drying their hair with Beach Towels!!! their clothes were completely soaked...I am NOT comfortable getting totally doused like that!! Mike said he would mention to a CM that they didn't want to be soaked..not sure if he did or not, but they came off a little damp...not drenched. DS11 stayed with me-he said "I'm not risking it"!! :rotfl: We went into the Brer Store...got the little 2 a new pin to trade..the older one is beyond that now:sad1: Poor mom! Anyhoo...we did Pirates of the Car., Jungle Cruise,Tiki Room *which we will NEVER do again*...sorry to all of you who love that, but I see now why we have skipped it every trip.
Next was lunch time!!! Our ressies were for right around 12:20, but we got there early, I took dd to the restroom with me so she could wash her hands, and when we came out they were calling our name! We love Tony's. I honestly have never gotten a bad meal there. So, what did we order? Mike got Butternut Squash soup as an app, and Baked Ziti for the meal...I had the eggplant Stack..it was surprisingly great!!! DS14 had a panini, DS11 got Chicken Parm *fabulous!!* and dd got cheese pizza. Yep, she's adventurous.All the entrees were wonderful...our waitress was Nancy and she was excellent!! We really enjoyed her..she didn't hang around too much, nor did she ignore us...and she really knew about the food and made good suggestions. Now for dessert!!! We had Tiramasu, Lemon Walnut layer cake,and Ice Cream bomb. We all kinda tried each others...the ice cream bomb was great and so was the cake...I do NOT like tiramasu. DD got the standard kid dessert they offer...
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If you look closely on the plates, you can see they did some magic!
After lunch we went over to Toontown..Mike and the kids did Goofy's barn stormer and I walked around in the big store. The line for this was kinda long, compared to everything else we did that day...after that, the lunch hit us and we were tired! We went back to the BC for a tiny nap, and Mike went for a massage. He said it was very good-then we went to the BC gym to check it out and get a pass for the week. I think he may have worked out a little bit that day,not sure. But, after that, we were ready to head back to the MK for the evening.We did tomorrowland, fanasyland, and saw the end of Wishes.. we ate CS on this evening...Me, Gracie and Kipper went to Caseys, and Mike and Saylor went to Columbia Harbour House. We did the Haunted Mansion a few times too!!! While me and the kids were eating, we met the cutest little British girl! She and her brother were watching the 'toons while their parents shopped. She said they were from Nottingham....loved her little accent! Could've talked to her all day- I could tell the kids were fascinated with her as well....Gracie kept repeating what she had said all evening-in the British accent of course. Too cute!!! After all this, we headed in...we had ridden all the rides, some multiple times...got some good pics, and were ready to pack it in. We didn't wait too terribly long for a bus..maybe 10 min.!!
How gorgeous is this?
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My younger two are quite the best of friends..like twins really.They tend to do everything together...
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Tried to get a pic of Mike and Gracie in their car, but it didn't happen!
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So...that's day 1. We had a blast! It was warm all day, got a tad breezy at night, but not unbearable or anything...Crowds were good..I didn't expect it to be empty since it was EMH...so for that, I would say the crowds were small.And seeing all the Christmas decor is wonderful!!! It really is beautiful..so if you have never seen it and you are considering this time of year, I say go for it!!!
 
I am here...........You have a beautiful family, I never pictured you as a blond, I guess because of your snow white pic. It was nice that you had a full balcony, not getting one was one of my worries when at first we planned on staying BC next year. I love the decor at BC.

The balloon ride looks great , you got some awesome pics it seems expensive but being how unique it is I think it is totally worth it , I can not wait to ride in it, last time we were at Disney , March of 2009 we saw it at DTD but it was not operating yet.

I would have been upset too with that meal and totally agree with you, about the server saying about the size when you mentioned spliting the meal.

I have a question? You mentioned your DP did not start to the next day, we have never done the DP but are planning to our next trip- I was under the impression the DP credits were on your KTTW cards and you could start to use them as soon as you checked in?
 
I'm still waiting for my 20 year old brother to grow out of the "no pictures" stage. The 13 year old just entered it, so we have the funniest picture of both of them throwing their arms over their faces in exactly the same way.
 
I'm here!! :yay:

Thanks for the link, I didn't even know you were going to do a TR!

You are so very lucky to have gotten a full balcony! Your room looks great. We had such a nice time meeting you guys. I wish there would have been more time to chat!

I love the hot air balloon pics! :goodvibes Every time we were at DTD the dang thing was closed due to high winds. :sad2: Maybe next time! :wizard:

I'm sorry you were disappointed in your meal at Captain's Grill. Makes me glad we decided not to go there.

I will see if I can find our DIS Meet pics and post them for you. :cool1:

I think I am going to get my TR started today!!
 
I am here...........You have a beautiful family, I never pictured you as a blond, I guess because of your snow white pic. It was nice that you had a full balcony, not getting one was one of my worries when at first we planned on staying BC next year. I love the decor at BC.

The balloon ride looks great , you got some awesome pics it seems expensive but being how unique it is I think it is totally worth it , I can not wait to ride in it, last time we were at Disney , March of 2009 we saw it at DTD but it was not operating yet.

I would have been upset too with that meal and totally agree with you, about the server saying about the size when you mentioned spliting the meal.

I have a question? You mentioned your DP did not start to the next day, we have never done the DP but are planning to our next trip- I was under the impression the DP credits were on your KTTW cards and you could start to use them as soon as you checked in?

Hey Sheila!! Glad you made it!!! I got tickled about the blonde thing!! I never thought about Snow White looking like me!! LOL...I just love her story and that she's the first one Walt did...I love them all and never can decide who to use for an Avatar...cinderella is a big fav too!! And Belle because I am such a Bookworm!!! Thanks! I love my little family!!
As far as the Dining plan...it starts whenever you check in, but I didn't plan to use it till Sunday because of the TS places we had picked...I never dreamed that Capt G would be so expensive for such a small amount of food!!! YIKES!!!!
I'm still waiting for my 20 year old brother to grow out of the "no pictures" stage. The 13 year old just entered it, so we have the funniest picture of both of them throwing their arms over their faces in exactly the same way.

Hey Becca!! I tried to find some good pics with the older one for our card and geez!!!! I only had like 3 out of hundreds where he isn't turning his head, covering his face, or stickin his tongue out. I was disappointed about that-Mike took a couple of pics for me of just me and him(DS14) at the Party, and one was kinda blurry and the other one was perfect---but he stuck his tongue out!!!!!!!!
I'm here!! :yay:

Thanks for the link, I didn't even know you were going to do a TR!

You are so very lucky to have gotten a full balcony! Your room looks great. We had such a nice time meeting you guys. I wish there would have been more time to chat!

I love the hot air balloon pics! :goodvibes Every time we were at DTD the dang thing was closed due to high winds. :sad2: Maybe next time! :wizard:

I'm sorry you were disappointed in your meal at Captain's Grill. Makes me glad we decided not to go there.

I will see if I can find our DIS Meet pics and post them for you. :cool1:

I think I am going to get my TR started today!!

Yeah...start that TR!!! But, you have lots of info already about your resort!!! I need to tell Jo to come look cuz she wanted to see a few pics of the BC...I need to see if I have any better ones of the grounds from our old trips for her...the rooms are decorated differently now, but same idea.
The hot air balloon was so cool!! And yeah, be glad you didn't do the CG..yuck!!
 
yay Shelly!!! Okay everybody!! This is me and Shelly, and Mike & Mr. Shelly!! The guys talked quite a bit!! It was funny to me to hear later what they discussed:business!!! So manly!! LOL...
And for all of you Shelly fans...her hair is beautiful! It's a lot longer than it looks in her pics! Made me jealous! LOL!!!
Thanks for posting those!!!
 
Yahooooo!!!! :cool1: I have been wondering whether you were gonna do a TR or not!!! :thumbsup2 Sounds like you had a GREAT time, so far!!! Keep it going, my friend!! Lovin' it!! :) :hug:
 
yay Shelly!!! Okay everybody!! This is me and Shelly, and Mike & Mr. Shelly!! The guys talked quite a bit!! It was funny to me to hear later what they discussed:business!!! So manly!! LOL...
And for all of you Shelly fans...her hair is beautiful! It's a lot longer than it looks in her pics! Made me jealous! LOL!!!
Thanks for posting those!!!



Well I don't know if there are any "Shelly fans" out there :lmao:, but thanks for the compliment!!

Yes, DH really liked your DH and wished they had more time to talk. He enjoyed their conversation very much!


Can't wait for more TR! popcorn::
 
Yeah...start that TR!!! But, you have lots of info already about your resort!!! I need to tell Jo to come look cuz she wanted to see a few pics of the BC...I need to see if I have any better ones of the grounds from our old trips for her...the rooms are decorated differently now, but same idea.
The hot air balloon was so cool!! And yeah, be glad you didn't do the CG..yuck!!


I started my TR! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2605751 Come on over! :cool1:

I will tell JO about your TR!
 
Cripes! I'm late!!! take a few hours away from DIS boards and look what happens!!! Crap, page 2!
Got to go sub and read!
 
Okay. All caught up now.

Awesome karma on having a room ready that early!!
I can't believe you all went up in that balloon - great views, but uh, no thanks. I think the Festival of the Masters might have been going on at DTD - art fair on the weekend.

Your room looks great - different with the daybed than ours was.

Oh, the castle lights!!! Ahhh - it takes me back! I'm so thrilled that you were having no lines for rides!! How awesome!

I am sad that you didn't have a good meal at Captain's Grille. Sounds like a really crummy server for sure. I think that most WDW restaurants are just coasting with those kids meals. They're nothing special for that amount of money. You'd think they could do better with a cheese pizza!

YAY for your DIS meet with Shelly!!!
Wish I could have been there too.
Might I say that your kids have changed a TON in the last year since we saw you!! Gracie is looking so much older! She is beautiful!!! You all look awesome!
 












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