Mom said I had to go! The "Melting in May with Mom" Report! Updated 11/9 - EPCOT!!

[*dreamit*doit*]

You saw the zebras AND the giraffes??!!! They're my favorites! We had never been to AKL and went this summer, mostly because I wanted to see the zebras. Well, I saw some wayyyy off in the distance and zoomed as much as I could to get some pics. But, saw no giraffes, at all. We did see them on the safari later on. That's funny about your mom and the drums - I didn't even notice. It's a beautiful resort; you're right, you do feel way out in the middle of Africa somewhere. I would love to stay there, sometime. Sigh.

So, I just went to look up the menu for Boma...I think I could see that in our future.

 

[mom2mek]

Day 4- May 18, 2010 Contd....BOARDWALK....


We left the AKL and attempted to make our way to the Boardwalk for a little exploring. We did manage to get lost, even with our GPS, but made it over there eventually. We parked in Timbuktu which, in hindsight, we should have just done valet considering how uncomfortably full we were still feeling from Boma (I swear the food expands once you swallow it).

The walk ended up not being that bad though and before you know it we were heading towards this:

We walked out onto the Boardwalk and enjoyed the lovely and scenic Crescent Lake and looked over it to see the beautiful Beach and Yacht Club Resorts. The lovely little seaside resort feeling was abundant and although I have never been to Coney Island, this is what I picture it looking like.

It was bustling with activity but not so crowded that you couldn’t really enjoy yourself either. Mom had been down a couple weeks prior with my step-dad and they had wandered over to the Boardwalk during the day while they were at Epcot, but she much preferred being there at night. She said they could see how pretty it was, but it was so blazing hot during the day on that boardwalk that it was hard to enjoy it. Nighttime was definitely more enjoyable she said.

I loved the lights that were strung around, the nighttime entertainment, the surrey bikes with their bells ringing and the games being played all around us. It was such a fun little place.

We stopped to watch a couple of performers like this juggler and a magician a little further up the way that was getting lots of applause as we walked up. We actually missed the bulk of his act, but just caught the tail end of it. Then we did a little bit of shopping!

When we came out of the gift shop, we could hear fireworks. Well low and behold, right over Crescent Lake you could see Illuminations.

How fun!!

Then we made our way down towards Jellyrolls! I was so excited to finally be able to check this place out. We paid our cover charge and found a table inside and ordered up a couple of soft drinks (party animals that we are) and thoroughly enjoyed the show. What talents these guys are! I attempted to video tape a bit of their set, but it doesn’t come through very well. (Click on the image to see the video.)


It was so cute because at one point a guy put a napkin up there explaining what song he wanted and why. He and his wife were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and he said that they requested this song for their first dance and the band never learned it in time. The song was "Sea of Love" and at first I could not place it in my own head and thought for sure the piano man couldn’t either because he kept vamping and talking to his partner about how he hadn’t played this song in like 25 years….when he learned it for a wedding! LOL! Eventually he broke out into the song and of course we all instantly recognized it. Here is a sample:


Towards the end, he had the couple come up and dance on the stage.

Really, these guys were so much fun to watch. The whole place is just a lot of fun! We weren’t even there when I’m sure it gets crazy – only about 1/3 of the tables were filled, but the atmosphere is just fabulous and I can’t wait to go back again. We stayed probably about an hour and then left as we were pretty darn tired.

On our way back out to the car, we decided to just check out the Boardwalk hotel lobby and explore a little bit. The resort is beautiful and the nighttime atmosphere is just bustling with charm! I was loving that we were getting to check out so many resorts on this trip! We had been to The Contemporary, AKL, and now the Boardwalk. But we were still head over heels for our Poly so that is where we headed to next….laying down our heads for another day of classes and more evening fun tomorrow!!


Sara

 

[mermaid764]

Boma looks amazing and is one i'm really looking forward to trying.

Jellyrolls looks like a really neat place to spend a night and wow those guys are talented.

Looking forward to more

 

[mom2mek]

You saw the zebras AND the giraffes??!!! They're my favorites! We had never been to AKL and went this summer, mostly because I wanted to see the zebras. Well, I saw some wayyyy off in the distance and zoomed as much as I could to get some pics. But, saw no giraffes, at all. We did see them on the safari later on. That's funny about your mom and the drums - I didn't even notice. It's a beautiful resort; you're right, you do feel way out in the middle of Africa somewhere. I would love to stay there, sometime. Sigh.

So, I just went to look up the menu for Boma...I think I could see that in our future.

Aww man....yes we saw TONS of animals all really close to the observation area that night! There were many giraffes out that night - many that were really camouflaged and the guide had to point them out to us.

Definitely try Boma - it's one of my all time favorites!!

Boma looks amazing and is one i'm really looking forward to trying.

Jellyrolls looks like a really neat place to spend a night and wow those guys are talented.

Looking forward to more

Thanks! Jellyrolls is fabulous and the set we saw was amazing. As we were leaving, they were switching out the piano players and the next two guys were sounding great as always! It's a great way to spend a kid-free night!

Sara

 

[vamassey1]

Beautiful early morning shots. They do look very calming.

Sounds like dinner was a hit. You have a lot better seating luck this trip then on your Feb trip. Lots of great animal pictures. We enjoyed our visit there when we went to Boma in 2007.

I'm so glad you made it over to the Boardwalk. We really enjoyed walking it around at night too. I've never been in Jelly Rolls but now I want to try it. I just have to ditch the kid. Michelle will be 21 before we make it back there.

 

[mom2mek]

Beautiful early morning shots. They do look very calming.

Sounds like dinner was a hit. You have a lot better seating luck this trip then on your Feb trip. Lots of great animal pictures. We enjoyed our visit there when we went to Boma in 2007.

I'm so glad you made it over to the Boardwalk. We really enjoyed walking it around at night too. I've never been in Jelly Rolls but now I want to try it. I just have to ditch the kid. Michelle will be 21 before we make it back there.

Yeah, we definitely were seated quicker as a party of 2 then we were as a party of like 14 in February!

Check out Jellyrolls for sure! I had never had an interest in going in since they allowed smoking in there, but now that it is a non-smoking place I'm definitely going to be going back again! Lots of fun!

Sara

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Love the pictures of the foggy morning at the Polynesian. I think early mornings at WDW are my favorite, so quiet and peaceful, just waiting for the hustle and bustle of the day.

Too funny about the drum sound at AKL. I never really noticed it before but I'm sure I will now. So glad your mom enjoyed Boma - yum!

Love the pictures of the animals too, especially the giraffe. It took me a minute to see the lizard in that one picture.

The Boardwalk is so pretty at night! I always seem to forget about that place but it's such a nice way to end the night. Jellyrolls looks like fun too! Definitely something I'd like to try someday. Reminds me a little bit of Yehaa Bob, something you wouldn't normally do at Disney but once you do you want to go back again and again.

 

[mom2mek]

Love the pictures of the foggy morning at the Polynesian. I think early mornings at WDW are my favorite, so quiet and peaceful, just waiting for the hustle and bustle of the day.

Too funny about the drum sound at AKL. I never really noticed it before but I'm sure I will now. So glad your mom enjoyed Boma - yum!

Love the pictures of the animals too, especially the giraffe. It took me a minute to see the lizard in that one picture.

The Boardwalk is so pretty at night! I always seem to forget about that place but it's such a nice way to end the night. Jellyrolls looks like fun too! Definitely something I'd like to try someday. Reminds me a little bit of Yehaa Bob, something you wouldn't normally do at Disney but once you do you want to go back again and again.

Yes, you could sense the excitement of the day just getting ready to start, Michelle! I only wish I had been able to stay instead of go to class! Like you said when I was making plans, that was definitely the hardest part about staying onsite - having to leave everyday.

LOL about the drums! I had never really noticed it either and I'm sure once you are in your room you don't continue to hear it. Hope it doesn't bother you next time you are there!

Yeah, I definitely want to get over to see Yehaw Bob next time I'm there! Plus the kids can go to that, so that's a bonus!!

Sara

 

[laashley]

How nice to wake up the fog over the lake, beautiful.

Ooh I’m telling, you didn’t cancel your ADR. JK, we did the same thing, shhh. I have wondered if disney will blackball you for that, no more reservations for you!! Haha, I did feel bad, does that make it better?

Boma is a place I would love to eat at. We stayed at AKL-Kidani and never made it over to Jambo house, now I really wish we had. Didn’t notice any drums at kidani. Totally agree about feeling like you are in Africa there. It was so peaceful there, and we loved to watch the animals.

The Boardwalk looks gorgeous at night. Jellyrolls seems like is was a lot of fun

 

[mom2mek]

How nice to wake up the fog over the lake, beautiful.

Ooh I’m telling, you didn’t cancel your ADR. JK, we did the same thing, shhh. I have wondered if disney will blackball you for that, no more reservations for you!! Haha, I did feel bad, does that make it better?

Boma is a place I would love to eat at. We stayed at AKL-Kidani and never made it over to Jambo house, now I really wish we had. Didn’t notice any drums at kidani. Totally agree about feeling like you are in Africa there. It was so peaceful there, and we loved to watch the animals.

The Boardwalk looks gorgeous at night. Jellyrolls seems like is was a lot of fun

I've wondered that as well (about Disney knowing how many ADRs you don't show up for....) - I've never really booked "extra" before this trip, and to be honest, I didn't really like it - it was too much to try and remember! I like having my plans done way ahead of time and then I pretty much stick with them. This trip was planned so quickly and I didn't really have a good idea what we would be able to do each evening, so I felt I had to get ADRs for when I could get them.

The Boardwalk was definitely a fun place to stroll around at night and Jellyrolls was great fun!

Sara

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

The Boardwalk is so much fun! We rented a three seat surrey bike once (6 adults & 3 kids)...we laughed so hard we could hardly pedal!!

Jellyrolls looks like a fun adults-only night out. Glad you and your mom were trying out different things!

 

[Dugette]

I guess I'm really late to the party here, but I just found your TR and read the whole thing! Let's see if I can remember all the things I wanted to comment on...

I totally relate to the whole writing-two-TRs-at-once thing! I'm doing it right now too!

Love those pics your DH took at the Poly (beautiful!) and the pictorial history of your childhood trips! So cool to have those! Not to mention a mom who loves WDW too!

We love the Poly (have only stayed there one night so far, but our December trip is booked there)! I'm glad you ended up with such a nice view. How cool to see the fireworks and EWP from your balcony! (Oh, and I read the links for that closed-park show...WOW!!!)

My DH does most of our picture-taking too, so if I were w/o him at Disney, I think my pics would be just like yours! Snapping while walking sounds about right!

Yak and Yeti sounds pretty good. That's one place we haven't gone to yet...might have to see if we can fit it in later this year...

Never tried The Wave either. Maybe I'll have to look into that too...

Adorable pic of the baby giraffe laying down!

Yum, Boma! I love Boma!

Boardwalk looks cool at night! Thanks for the video of Jellyrolls too, I was wondering what that was like. We'll have to check out the Boardwalk some evening, I think.

I also understand that whole forgetting to cancel an ADR thing...we might have done that once...with LeCellier...(running for cover now...)

Looking forward to more!

 

[mom2mek]

The Boardwalk is so much fun! We rented a three seat surrey bike once (6 adults & 3 kids)...we laughed so hard we could hardly pedal!!

Jellyrolls looks like a fun adults-only night out. Glad you and your mom were trying out different things!

That's too funny about the surrey bike - they really do look like fun!!

Yeah, it was fun to have those evenings to do some "other" stuff that we normally don't get to do!

I guess I'm really late to the party here, but I just found your TR and read the whole thing! Let's see if I can remember all the things I wanted to comment on...

I totally relate to the whole writing-two-TRs-at-once thing! I'm doing it right now too!

Love those pics your DH took at the Poly (beautiful!) and the pictorial history of your childhood trips! So cool to have those! Not to mention a mom who loves WDW too!

We love the Poly (have only stayed there one night so far, but our December trip is booked there)! I'm glad you ended up with such a nice view. How cool to see the fireworks and EWP from your balcony! (Oh, and I read the links for that closed-park show...WOW!!!)

My DH does most of our picture-taking too, so if I were w/o him at Disney, I think my pics would be just like yours! Snapping while walking sounds about right!

Yak and Yeti sounds pretty good. That's one place we haven't gone to yet...might have to see if we can fit it in later this year...

Never tried The Wave either. Maybe I'll have to look into that too...

Adorable pic of the baby giraffe laying down!

Yum, Boma! I love Boma!

Boardwalk looks cool at night! Thanks for the video of Jellyrolls too, I was wondering what that was like. We'll have to check out the Boardwalk some evening, I think.

I also understand that whole forgetting to cancel an ADR thing...we might have done that once...with LeCellier...(running for cover now...)

Looking forward to more!

Wow! Thanks for reading and for all the comments! You should try Yak and Yeti - I was pleasantly surprised! The Wave too, but I already knew it was good since I had been there last year with Shawn!

I'm glad I'm not alone on the ADR thing - I swear I will try not to do it again!

I really appreciate you reading!

Sara

 

[cdotla]

Finally all caught up!

What a great Wishes fireworks boat cruise you received! It sounds like you had a couple of exhausting days...I have been in WDW for conferences too, and like you, I also burn it on both ends wanting to get as much of the Parks jammed into my stay.

Sounds like a great meal at Boma...I haven't been there yet. Definitely one I want to check out on a future trip!

 

[mom2mek]

Finally all caught up!

What a great Wishes fireworks boat cruise you received! It sounds like you had a couple of exhausting days...I have been in WDW for conferences too, and like you, I also burn it on both ends wanting to get as much of the Parks jammed into my stay.

Sounds like a great meal at Boma...I haven't been there yet. Definitely one I want to check out on a future trip!

Thanks Trish! Yeah, the days were exhausting...especially since the subjects of our conference classes just tends to be a little bit dry... It got a little bit harder each day to keep my eyes from shutting and my head hitting the desk! Luckily, only one more day of classes and then 2 FREE days! Woo-hoo!!

Sara

 

[mrsksomeday]

I love how you got a free Wishes cruise!! It is so wonderful to read about your spending this time at WDW with your Mom, such a blessed gift to have.

Bill and I will get to Jellyrolls one day. The Boardwalk at night looks so pretty. I can't wait to read more.

 

[TheNewMrsB]

Awesome report! Your pictures have me literally aching to get back "home" to the Poly in 18 days! Actually...workday's almost over...so it's practically 17. Right? Right???

 

[mom2mek]

I love how you got a free Wishes cruise!! It is so wonderful to read about your spending this time at WDW with your Mom, such a blessed gift to have.

Bill and I will get to Jellyrolls one day. The Boardwalk at night looks so pretty. I can't wait to read more.

Yes, it was a blessing! I hope to do it again someday with her (maybe without the work hanging over us too...)

You and Bill would love Jellyrolls! Great fun!

Awesome report! Your pictures have me literally aching to get back "home" to the Poly in 18 days! Actually...workday's almost over...so it's practically 17. Right? Right???

Woo-hoo!! That's great! Color me jealous! My husband's pictures from the Feb trip as well as our couples trip last May are better than my pitiful pics, so if you want to get more Poly fix, check those reports out too!! It'll help pass the next 17 days!!

I hope to get back to the Poly sooner rather than later!

Sara

 

[mommytothreeboys]

LOVE Boma!! I agree, the soups are to-die-for!

The boardwalk looks like a great little place to enjoy the evening. I've only been over there during the day....hmmm...something else to put on the list!

 

[stinkerbell007]

Thanks, Sara, for the info on JellyRolls. My sister and I were considering it for our upcoming trip. I believe we have it penciled in for one of our evenings. I think we will love it!

I'm so excited that our trip is in less than 30 days!! Woo Hoo!!

Linda