March Break at the Yacht Club! - UPDATED 07/21

[JanetMom]

Hi there! I love your trip report so far... it's my ideal -- Disney with some home reno mixed in! Love it!
Oh my, that limo incident would have sent me into a tizzy. Thank goodness it worked out for you so quickly.

Looking forward to reading more.


p.s. I think your pics are great so far!

Thank you for complimenting my pictures. I have a good eye for composing pictures (some days) but I don't operate my camera as well as I would like. There are so many inspiring Dis photographers around these boards that I always wish my pictures were a better quality. I have come to the realization that I have too many hobbies already and I should let the photography aspirations go for now, because like all things in life learning to take a good picture takes some experimentation and practice.

Okay, enough of me moaning and groaning about my photography skills. For future posts I promise to include many pictures - both good quality and mediocre quality.

 

[JanetMom]

Normally (I love that I have been to Disney enough times to be able to use the word “normally” here), I like to write my trip reports in chronological order, but today I am going to jump ahead to a moment in the Japan pavilion.

Japan has the best store in Epcot. I’m amazed at how big it is and by the variety of things they sell. My boys aren’t big shoppers but they were both up for spending time in this store when I told them they could find Miyazaki merchandise.

As a family, we like Japanese anime and my husband’s favourite amine artist is Hayao Miyazaki. The reason I write about this today is that this morning we treated ourselves to a big screening viewing of Howl’s Moving Castle at the TIFF Lightbox Theatre.

TIFF is the Toronto International Film Festival. When the festival first began it was a simple 10-day local event. Now it is recognized internationally and has become a massive organization. The celebrities flock to our fair city each September and it is all everyone talks about. Throughout the rest of the year TIFF run other more specialized festivals and events. Something this major needed more office and theatre space and so the Reitman family (as in Ivan and Jason Reitman) donated a prime piece of land downtown and built a beautiful new facility – The TIFF Lightbox Theatre.

The theatre is gorgeous and it was a great place to see the movie, which was part of a tribute to the films of Studio Ghibli.

Back to Disney… At the Japan store they had some great Miyazaki merchandise. We would have loved to buy one of these paintings of the anime cells, but at more than $700 they were out of our budget.

My husband did buy a book on the artwork of Howl’s Moving Castle and a deck of cards from Princess Mononoke. The cards are beautiful with a different image on every card. The book is also beautiful but likely much cheaper from Amazon. Doesn’t matter though, it is a great souvenir.

The Japan store also has many other interesting items for sale.

Well that is enough prattling on for one day. Next up, back to Epcot.

 

[kelleigh1]

I was just researching Japan because we want to do the Pick-a-Pearl and I'm trying to find pictures of the settings. When I started to read your post, I got excited, but quickly realized, your Japan shopping was very different.

Love the cellulite waist and the detox stuff. LOL

 

[JanetMom]

I was just researching Japan because we want to do the Pick-a-Pearl and I'm trying to find pictures of the settings. When I started to read your post, I got excited, but quickly realized, your Japan shopping was very different.

Love the cellulite waist and the detox stuff. LOL

It was so crowded when we were there that I didn't get too close to the pick a pearl settings. There were a couple of drum celebrations when we were there though.

There is also a pick a pearl at the YC, on the walkway between SAB and the beach. It had some nice settings there, but I didn't get any pictures to show you.

 

[Feckless]

Janet, thanks for posting about the Ghibli stuff! DD is going to be in heaven in that store. I'm just thinking about how much money she needs to bring!!

 

[shellbelle76]

Loving the pictures! You've convinced me to explore Japan more thoroughly when I visit next month.

 

[JanetMom]

Now that we had checked out the room, my husband wanted to relax a bit but my son wanted to get to a park, so we all went down to the lobby where my husband headed to the pool bar for a drink and my son and I were off to Epcot.

First we checked out the lobby and took a picture of the globe.

The world seems to have changed a bit since this map was created.

And then we were off to Epcot. I loved walking out of the lobby with this view. I never got tired of seeing it. So beautiful!

It was fun to be close enough to Epcot that we could just wander over for a short time with no pressure to see and do it all.

Just past Canada we saw these two men working on a sand sculpture for the movie Chimpanzee, so we watched them work for a bit.

Next up, my son was on a mission. He needed to get to Club Cool for some payback. On our 2010 trip I managed to get my husband and son to try Beverly. I also managed to avoid trying it myself. This time, my son was determined that I was starting the trip with a sample of Beverly. While not at my most beautiful, my son did a good job of capturing my Beverly face.

After Club Cool we wandered through the butterfly display that was part of the Flower and Garden festival.

I was determined that this trip would involve thoroughly shopping through each country’s store, so we decided to start with Canada. On the way to Canada we passed by the other side of the Chimpanzee sand sculpture.

In Canada we had a good look around. The first thing that comes to mind is why do the poor Canadian CMs have to wear those awful uniforms. I really don’t know anyone in Canada who wears the red and black flannel shirt, or the corduroy skirts (well maybe I do, but not together and not in the hot Florida sun). Seriously, those have to be the worst uniforms on site.

We were amused to see the display of chocolate bars which does in fact look like the display at every corner store in Canada. I don’t get why Aero and Coffee Crisp are special enough for the Canada gift store.

My son was intrigued by the rocks so he bought one. I was amused that the rocks were made in Brazil (and sold in almost every country.)

Next up we were headed back to the YC for dinner. On the way back I snapped these two lovely shots of the BC and YC.

Well that is enough prattling on for one day. Next up, dinner and another park.

 

[shellbelle76]

Love your expression - too cute. And the sand sculptures are amazing!!

Can't wait to read the next installment!

 

[JanetMom]

Love your expression - too cute. And the sand sculptures are amazing!!

Can't wait to read the next installment!

Thanks!

I'm overdue for another installment, so your comments are a good incentive to get back at it.

 

[kelleigh1]

Oooh....can't wait for another installment.

 

[JanetMom]

Once back at the YC we headed to the CL lounge for some chips and dip as a quick snack before supper. We would repeat this many times over the trip. Those chips and the dip are soooo good.

For our first night ADR, we chose the Yachtsman Steakhouse. We haven’t always made the best choices for our first night, but this time we got it right.

In 2007 we made reservations for the Polynesian Luau the first night. We thought it would be fun to start our vacation off with dinner and a show (it wasn’t.) We stayed at the WL and once we checked in we couldn’t wait to get to the MK. We made our way to the park with plenty of time before dinner but when it was time to go we were at the back of the park and it was parade time so getting out efficiently was a challenge. After we got to the Polynesian it started to rain which made us all a bit miserable. We had great seats, right up front, but they were not under the roof so we were getting wet while we ate. All in all it wasn’t an experience we would want to try again (I recommend the Luau, just not on a rainy first night.)

In 2010, we thought it would be better to just make a reservation at the Liberty Tree Tavern, since we were staying at the CR. We booked it a bit early and barely had enough time to get to the hotel and then head out to the park. We had to get the concierge to change our reservation to a later time so we didn’t have to rush over after checking in.

So for this trip we picked a restaurant at the hotel at a nice relaxing time, booking the Yachtsman for 6 hours after our flight landed. It was a great decision and the meal was very good.

I was fascinated with the butcher room at the entrance of the restaurant.

While our meal was very good and we would happily return to the Yachtsman, it wasn’t the best steak we have ever had and I don’t know if we would put it at the top of our must return to list, but we still really enjoyed the meal. I do have to say that my mashed potatoes may be the best mashed potatoes I have ever had (and I make a mean mashed potoato).

After supper we were all refueled, reenergized and ready to head over to the Magic Kingdom. Really, how can anyone stay away from the MK on the first day of the trip? We decided to get there via a walk around the YC, a brief stroll through Epcot and a ride on the Monorail.

I loved walking around the YC at night. They do such a nice job of lighting the grounds, including the ship in front of the pool slide.

I love the way the Epcot sphere looks at night (and in the day – I have many, many pictures of the Epcot sphere.)

So nice to arrive at the gates to the MK, and so pretty at night.

First up in the MK was Space Mountain, followed by the People Mover. I think we all love the People Mover and would put it at the top of our must do rides. After Tomorrowland we headed over to Small World. I know my boys find that ride painful, but we all still love riding it as soon as possible at the beginning of our trip.


After Small World it was an obvious decision to go explore the Haunted Mansion. This was our first time seeing the new queue. I think they did a great job with the queue and made our favourite ride even more fun. (Note that it is definitely our favourite ride – it may come up again in this trip report.)

I love the look of the castle at night. I didn't take nearly enough pictures of it this trip.

After a long day of travelling, a short time at the MK hit the spot and we decided to head over to the bus stop and back to the YC.

Well that is enough prattling on for one day. Next up, a day of rain and an escape from WDW (and Teena!).

 

[natebenma]

Note to Dee – don’t take this view picture for your collection. Wait a few days and I’ll post some better shots.

Fortunately, I have been really busy these past couple of weeks, otherwise I would be tempted to copy this view anyway!

 

[natebenma]

Great pictures of the amazing sand sculptures and I really love your butterfly series.

You nailed the very bestest thing about staying at the Yacht and Beach Club resorts- the proximity of EPCOT. It is really no effort at all to go for a little time or a lot. I remember visiting when the Swan and Dolphin were first built and thinking that it would be heaven to be in walking distance to our favorite park. I didn't have any idea that it could get even better than heaven!

Sounds like a good call on your arrival night dinner. We have learned that simple and close to "home" is the way to go.

Our first year at the BC, we ate at Cape May. It was close, and we really like that restaurant, but a buffet was not the way to go at the end of a long travel day. We enjoyed our meal at Captain's Grille for our arrival dinner much more for the first day the following year.

What a fantastic night at MK visiting some of your favorite attractions. Your night time pictures are gorgeous!

 

[JanetMom]

Fortunately, I have been really busy these past couple of weeks, otherwise I would be tempted to copy this view anyway!

We know your weakness for room view pictures.

Our first year at the BC, we ate at Cape May. It was close, and we really like that restaurant, but a buffet was not the way to go at the end of a long travel day. We enjoyed our meal at Captain's Grille for our arrival dinner much more for the first day the following year.

What a fantastic night at MK visiting some of your favorite attractions. Your night time pictures are gorgeous!

I know I would love Cape May but my family doesn't really like buffets so I try to limit those when I'm planning. I was disappointed that we didn't fit Captain's Grille into our plans. I think we would have liked it. (Sounds like a reason to go back!)

 

[natebenma]

We know your weakness for room view pictures.

Which is really ironic because I always book Standard View!

 

[JanetMom]

On Sunday we began our first full day at WDW, accompanied by a full day of rain. The day worked out okay and if you gotta have a rainy day, it is always better at the beginning of the trip, rather than the end.

We began our day by getting up and heading to the CL lounge for breakfast. I loved the oatmeal in the lounge and had it every day. I’m not sure why it is so good but when I got home and my boss asked me what was the best part of my trip the first thing I said was “walking down the hall to get some oatmeal.” I think she thought that was an odd highlight, but it was a great way to start each day. Mmmmm

We are a tight-knit family that usually does a lot together so when we travel we are used to getting up and eating breakfast together. But now we have a teenager… We quickly realized that the best breakfast routine was for my husband and I to head to the lounge while my son was left to sleep late and eventually get up on his own while we were eating breakfast. Since he is still my baby I did coddle him a bit and our routine included me bringing some chocolate milk back to the room for him. It was a morning routine that worked for all of us.

Since my son was moving a bit slower this morning we had some time to kill. First off I went out to the balcony to check out the view again. I was still okay with it, but not wowed. Here is what we saw on this rainy morning.

Next up my husband and I decided to go explore the resort and we made our way over to the BC Lobby. Since it was Sunday morning we decided to relax a bit and wait for Teena. We went over and introduced ourselves and she was as charming as everyone says. We chit-chatted for a bit and took a look at this flier I had seen for the missing pool noodles.

After enjoying that bit of fun, we spent a few minutes talking about noodles, Lily and upcoming wedding plans and then we left so she could return to greeting other guests. Thanks for being so gracious Teena! I could have spent all day talking with you.

Next it was time for the day’s plan to begin. We were headed offsite (gasp). In all of our trips to WDW we have never stepped out of the Disney boundaries. I always tell people we are “going to Disney” as opposed to saying we are “going to Florida”, since we never see anything that isn’t sanctioned by Disney. This trip we were going rogue! I convinced the boys that we need a trip to the outlet mall, so we hopped in a cab and visited the Orlando Premium Outlet mall on Vineland. For those who are wondering it was a $25 fare for the taxi (including tip).

The mall was as to be expected. A typical outlet mall with a good mix of fashion and bargains. It was a bit of a pain because of the rain, but for the most part we were able to stay under cover and keep dry. I found some good buys including a purse and some work clothes, and the boys bought some shoes. The only store I was disappointed in was Lulu Lemon. I was hoping to get some new yoga pants but the store didn’t have much to offer. They had the limited selection of an outlet store but all of the prices were the same as the full price here in Canada. If I’m going to pay $110+ I’d rather shop at the store down the street where I can choose from their full selection. I did find some good yoga pants at the Jockey store for less than $50 so I was still happy in the end.

We had lunch at the outlet mall food court which was a huge disappointment. The selection of vendors was the same as our food court at home and a bit mediocre. We were inside so it was a chance to escape the rain, but we could have had better food within the boundaries of WDW.

After the shopping adventure we headed back to the YC to nap.

Well that is enough prattling on for one day. Next up, MK EMH.

 

[HockeyMomR]

We had the same YC CL view a few years ago. It was nothing special but just love the convenience of CL! Love the pic with Teena. She truly is that nice Thanks for the nice pictures. I really miss Y/BC.

Wow you left Disney property. Agree about the "going to Disney"

 

[shellbelle76]

LOVE reading about your trip. Thank you for sharing, Janet!!

 

[JanetMom]

We had the same YC CL view a few years ago. It was nothing special but just love the convenience of CL! Love the pic with Teena. She truly is that nice Thanks for the nice pictures. I really miss Y/BC.

Wow you left Disney property. Agree about the "going to Disney"

LOVE reading about your trip. Thank you for sharing, Janet!!

Thank you both for reading my trip report!

I'll try to post another installment tonight.

 

[JanetMom]

We interrupt this trip report to bring you a RSA (Readers Service Announcement)… I’m headed out of town on a business trip this week, so after this post I will not be able to provide another update until at least April 21. I’ll miss the DisBoards while I’m away.


Back to the TR…

For our Sunday supper we had reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern so after nap time we hopped on a bus to Magic Kingdom and made our way to supper. We really like the meal at Liberty Tree. It is nice to have the family style and be able to eat the amount and foods that appeal to each of us. We love the salad, meats, stuffing, potatoes and of course the dessert. One little Canadian/American culture note. We don’t serve mac and cheese as a side dish in Canada (or at least not in Toronto), so we are always fascinated by the big bowl of mac and cheese that accompanies this meal.

After supper were too close to the Haunted Mansion not to go visit, so we rode the Haunted Mansion ride and then got back in the queue and rode it again. Here are some pictures from the queue area.

After Haunted Mansion we decided to split up. My son wanted to experience Magic Kingdom at night on his own. He is 15 and I figure if he can navigate the Toronto Transit System on his own he can manage to use Disney Transit to get back to the YC on his own. It was about 9 pm at this point and I asked that he not stay out too late – sure MK was open to 3 am, but I didn’t want him to stay that late since he is in a different country and I would be waiting up for him to return to the hotel room. He said he really just wanted to stay until Midnight. (How late do you think he stayed?)

My husband and I enjoyed strolling around the MK on our own at night. First up we went to check out Peter Pan. We had never been on it before and we were pleasantly surprised. We loved it! In case you are wondering, like many rides, there is no dancing or jazz hands allowed on Peter Pan.

Next up we went to Country Bear Jamboree. My husband had never seen the show and I hadn’t seen it since I was a child. We thought it was quite lame by modern day Disney standards. It was actually so bad it was cute and charming. Here is a shot of the finale.

My husband really wanted to ride the steam train and I really wanted to see if there were any views of the Fantasyland expansion, so off we went to the train stop behind Splash Mountain. Sadly, the train wasn’t running, but the night parade was coming by. The parade crowds made leaving the mountain area difficult, so we decided to relax and watch the parade.

We looked around for a good spot to spend our time and we found these great rocking chairs on the Tom Sawyer dock just in front of Thunder Mountain. This wasn’t the best full view of the parade (so not a good place to sit with children) but it was a wonderfully quiet spot to take in the sights of the Magic Kingdom at night.

Here is a shot of where we were sitting (this was taken on another day, in the daylight.)

And here are some of the parade views from our rocking chairs.

After the parade ended we visited Pirates of the Caribbean, walked around Tomorrowland, watched some of Wishes and then hopped on a bus back to the YC.

Once at the hotel, we headed over to the Crew’s Cup lounge for a drink. I tried the Antioxidant Cocktail. It was bitter, but good. By now my husband and I had wandered around enough and we thought we would head back to the room and relax a bit while we waited for our son to return from the MK. It was around 11:00 pm, so we thought we might still have to wait an hour or so for his return.

No wait was required; he had already been back in the room since at least 10 pm. He said that he rode HM a few more times and decided that was enough and left the MK. He was probably out of there before we were finished with the Peter Pan ride. That’s my boy, ever responsible and ever the home body.


Well that is enough prattling on for one day. Next up, Hollywood Studios.