My Feet Are Killing Me and I Want a Lollipop 6/17-6/24 (Complete 7/24)

[DisneyDoc5]

David's Vacation Rentals was great. Everything worked like a charm. I printed out all of our receipts just in case, but we never needed them because it was all there in Disney's trusty computer. I would book as early as possible, though. And keep in mind that you have to pay everything in advance. It is still waaayyyy cheaper than paying rack rates through Disney. 3 kids in a one bedroom would be fine. The sofa folds out into a queen size bed and they also have a chair that folds out into a twin bed. So plenty of room for 3 kids. Do it !!! You will not regret it !! Happy 4th to you and your family as well.

I just spent the last hour pricing out David's for a 1 bedroom at OKW and even BLT, with dining plan, and 7 day hopper - no comparison when comparing to rack rates for the DVC - huge saving. When I compare to all of us in say BC or Poly with the same DD and 7 day hop - still a savings! It's getting unaffordable to pay 'full price' and I can't imagine staying at Port Orleans in 1 room for a week with 5 of us (it's perfect for shorter stays). I think this is what we will do. It will be awhile before I have to think about it since I have this August's trip planned (just me and DS12) and then the cruise (Fantasy - 7 night eastern caribbean for my 40th) in 2012, so likely 2013 or God forbid 2014 before I can get DH back to the World. I can see myself with a kid or two and my mom popping in for a short stay while visiting FL. Oh, the planning, always thinking of the next trip and running the numbers!!! I'm sure you are doing the same!

 

[jecskc]

I just spent the last hour pricing out David's for a 1 bedroom at OKW and even BLT, with dining plan, and 7 day hopper - no comparison when comparing to rack rates for the DVC - huge saving. When I compare to all of us in say BC or Poly with the same DD and 7 day hop - still a savings! It's getting unaffordable to pay 'full price' and I can't imagine staying at Port Orleans in 1 room for a week with 5 of us (it's perfect for shorter stays). I think this is what we will do. It will be awhile before I have to think about it since I have this August's trip planned (just me and DS12) and then the cruise (Fantasy - 7 night eastern caribbean for my 40th) in 2012, so likely 2013 or God forbid 2014 before I can get DH back to the World. I can see myself with a kid or two and my mom popping in for a short stay while visiting FL. Oh, the planning, always thinking of the next trip and running the numbers!!! I'm sure you are doing the same!

Always ..... always ......

 

[Shoopdeedoo]

I love your sense of humor! You are a great writer.

And we were at WDW from June 19 through the 26th... but I don't think our paths crossed at all

 

[jecskc]

I love your sense of humor! You are a great writer.

And we were at WDW from June 19 through the 26th... but I don't think our paths crossed at all

And Thanks !!! Bummer that we missed each other. Where did you stay ?? I would love to hear about your trip

 

[jecskc]

This was going to be the ONE day where we slept in. Our plans for this day included lunch at LeCellier, pick-a-pearl in Japan and then maybe some pool time. But NOW, we had thrown a DVC tour into the mix and that kinda messes with our “rest” day. So we got up at 8:00 AM, which really was a sleep in day, but I so could have slept longer. We ate breakfast in the villa and at about quarter ‘til nine, we headed over to Saratoga Springs. They REALLY wanted to pick us up in their van and drive us over, but we wanted to be in control of the situation. Plus, we had 11:30 Am ressies for LeCellier.

This resort is lovely. I loved the horsey theme. It was very nice. Here is the DVC center.

We dropped the kids off at the kids club.

And headed back to the reception area. There was tea and coffee and juice.

I loved this room. It was octagonal and it had these murals in each panel. It was just beautiful.

A room off to the side

This place was very elegant. We waited a bit and finally our DVC agent came out to meet us. She was very nice and cheerful and answered all of our questions. We started the tour.

Saratoga Springs

Aulani Model

Treehouse Villa Model

I just love a good scale model. I have made a few myself and although tedious, they are super fun to create. Especially when you get paid to do it.

 

[jecskc]

The first actual room model we saw was an Aulani studio

It was nice, but seemed kinda small.

Next up was the AKL studio

And then the one bedroom AKL villa.

Very nice.

Next up was Bay Lake Tower - studio

This sink was right across from the little kitchenette and it just seemed like bad design. Our DVC agent explained that the idea was to have a sink separate from the actual bathroom so one person could get ready while the other is taking a shower … or otherwise occupied (code brown !!).

Our DVC agent said they had begun retrofitting this at the resort and changing the design back to something more sensible. I’m not sure what that is. I can’t see how this set up passed the initial design development stage, but … there ya go.

DH liked the simple, retro design of this unit and I did, too. The colors were soothing and restful and the décor was simple and uncluttered.

One Bedroom Unit for Bay Lake Tower

 

[jecskc]

Wouldn’t it be so nice to lay in bed and watch the fireworks every night ?? They told us that you could go to the top of the tower and watch and if you had a theme park view, you could get the Wishes music on your TV in the room.

At this point, we are getting very worried about making it to our Le Cellier lunch ressie. We still had to run back to OKW and get our annual passes and it was already 11:00 AM. So we went and fetched the kids who were eating ice cream.

\

We were in such a rush, that we didn’t even get the fast passes that they promised us. We enjoyed the tour and should have scheduled it for when we had more time. When they tell you that it will only take about an hour or your time, they are incorrect. It takes up more time than you think.
We rushed back to OKW and get our park passes and headed to the Boardwalk where I thought would be the quickest way to get to Le Cellier. I figured we could park at Boardwalk and enter Epcot through the International Gateway and head over to have our lunch. Here is where we grossly underestimated how much time it would take to get there.

Some Boardwalk photos

It was very hot on this day and even though we are used to the heat, the kids were really dragging. We were in the HUGE hurry and we had to stop and wait a couple of times for them to catch up. DD seemed especially tired and we had to urge her along.

When we got to the International Gateway, there were a few people in front of us, but the line wasn’t moving at all. We waited about 10 minutes and there began to be some grumbling near the front of the line about how long it was taking. Finally, another CM came and opened up another turnstile and we got right through. When we left, the same people were still holding up the other turnstile. I don’t know what the problem was.

So we finally arrive at Le Cellier at noon. 30 min. late for our reservation. The hostess said that they were seating walk-ups, so it wouldn’t be a problem at all for us to get in. YAY !! We went down the path to the restaurant and waited in the very cool and dim and soothing reception area. It wasn’t long before we were seated. Finally ….

DH ordered a Moosehead and the rest of us got cokes/diet cokes.

Our servers name was Courtney and she was very nice and gave good service. We asked for just pretzel bread and that is what we got.

There were four pieces all together, BTW.

DS and I dug right in, but DD still remained tired and whiny. I know that a part of it was that she was hungry and that if I could just get her to eat something, she would be better. But she was having none of it.

We ordered her the kids pizza

Once she got going on this, she really gained momentum and finally ate everything on her plate. Where upon, her mood improved greatly. Thank goodness.

DS got the burger

Those fries were awesome !!

DH got the filet

You see his hidden Mickey ?? LOL. He said the steak was really good, but like most people who eat here, he remarked that the risotto was a bit salty.

I ordered the Cheddar Cheese soup.

I thought it was super yummy, but I couldn’t eat it all. I think I would have been more into it on a colder day. This was just kind of heavy on this hot day.

For dessert DD got the Chocolate Moose

She was a little skeptical when she saw it, but once she got going, there wasn’t a crumb left on her plate. I think DS had a bite or two.

DS was too full for dessert, so we asked if we could have a water instead. I figured it would come in handy later on and it did.

DH ordered the Chocolate Whiskey Cake (you can’t taste whiskey at all)

This was delicious !!

During dinner, I put my socks on DD’s feet because her new crocs were giving her blisters.

We enjoyed our meal here very much, but I think the rush to get there left us a little undone. We plan to go back for sure.

I just love the garden here. It really is breathtaking.

 

[jecskc]

Since we were so tired and it was so hot, we decided it was best to take the boat over to Morocco and then just walk to Japan from there.

Next up ?? Pick a Pearl for me and DD in Japan !!

I had bought a necklace for myself and DD on Ebay. It is a carriage that opens up and put the pearl inside. So I was really excited about this.

We went into the shop and there was just one group in front of us.

Then it was our turn

DD looking for a good oyster.

The girl at the counter was very cheerful and sweet. She made it more fun. She had us count down in Japanese. Sun, Nee, Itchy. That is the phonetic version. I’m too lazy to look up the correct spelling. You get the idea.

Here are our two oysters

Opening them

Digging out the pearl

Oyster #1 – 6 ¾ mm

Oyster #2 – 7 mm

Both of them together. DD wanted the bigger one, so I said OK. Here is how they look in the necklaces.

We really enjoyed this. I think I enjoyed it more than DD did, but it was still a cool experience.

After we were done, DS wanted a slushie from the kiosk near Morocco.

Can you guess what color it was ???

And I had to get a Grey Goose slushie from France

DD with the parasols

We got a photopass picture

 

[nessz79]

subscribing!

 

[jecskc]

subscribing!

 

[SnowWhite607]

My daughter, my mom and I also did the pick a pearl on our trip in March. W also got the cages on Ebay but ours are princess crowns.

LOVE those Grey Goose slushies!! Also the orange ones! YUM!

We were in Orlando the same time as you were (June 16-26) but at Seaworld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove. Disney must have more shade cause I found the heat to be unbearable and I am from Louisiana!

Sounds like you had a great trip and I cant wait to read more. Especially love the tip about OKW......never thought about renting points before! Last time the family went in the summer, we stayed at Beach Club but it is so darn expensive!!

 

[jecskc]

My daughter, my mom and I also did the pick a pearl on our trip in March. W also got the cages on Ebay but ours are princess crowns.

LOVE those Grey Goose slushies!! Also the orange ones! YUM!

We were in Orlando the same time as you were (June 16-26) but at Seaworld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove. Disney must have more shade cause I found the heat to be unbearable and I am from Louisiana!

Sounds like you had a great trip and I cant wait to read more. Especially love the tip about OKW......never thought about renting points before! Last time the family went in the summer, we stayed at Beach Club but it is so darn expensive!!

I would love to see a picture of those princess crown cages !!

We were hot at times, but we were used to it. My hubby and I play a lot of tennis, so we were used to being out in the heat. So we were fine. And there always was a cool spot just around the corner if you needed to cool off. We drank lots of slushie drinks !!

I love the Grey Goose lemon ones. I haven't tried the orange ones. Maybe I will in September when we go again. So many things still to try and do !!

I would check into renting points if I were you. I did a spread sheet for my hubby showing him the difference between rack rates and renting DVC points and the difference in price really speaks for itself. But with renting DVC, you have to pay it all up front where I think with Disney, you have time to pay it off. It is still expensive, but much LESS so renting DVC for sure.

We loved OKW !!

 

[juttawdw]

I love those carriages !! How did you find them on ebay??

 

[DisneyDoc5]

LOVE the blue tongue (that is SO my boys!) and the pick a pearl is a great idea - I haven't ever seen pictures of that process - very cool, I may have to plan on doing that (may I ask where you ordered the necklaces or do they sell them there? Disney.com?) I would really like to to the DVC tour, mainly for DH to 'suck' him in, but I have never set aside the time to do it. Your lunch looked yummy, but I understand how that 'rushed' feeling can put a damper on things. Great update, have a wonderful 4th!

 

[jecskc]

I love those carriages !! How did you find them on ebay??

I just went to Ebay and typed in "pearl cages" in they came up. They were about $5. Aren't they the coolest ???

LOVE the blue tongue (that is SO my boys!) and the pick a pearl is a great idea - I haven't ever seen pictures of that process - very cool, I may have to plan on doing that (may I ask where you ordered the necklaces or do they sell them there? Disney.com?) I would really like to to the DVC tour, mainly for DH to 'suck' him in, but I have never set aside the time to do it. Your lunch looked yummy, but I understand how that 'rushed' feeling can put a damper on things. Great update, have a wonderful 4th!

I got the necklaces on Ebay. Like I said above, only $5. They came with a chain as well. But at the pick a pearl station there in Japan, they have all kinds of setting you can pick out and even though they aren't $5, like the ones I got, they didn't seem to be super expensive. So I am sure you could find something neat.

My son loves those blue slushies. We have to get him one every time we go to Epcot. We have lots of photos with blue tongues.

Just you wait until you see what happened on our DVC tour ..... I was shocked !!! Seriously, I am still blown away ....

I hope y'all have a wonderful 4th as well. We plan on some BBQ and fireworks. Should be a good day.

 

[mimiecp]

Finally catching up. Great updates. I love the pics from the Lego store. It's incredible what they can do with Legos. It's also incredible how much dogs love to chew them up. Or, how when you step on them, it really hurts. Thanks so much for getting in the 2nd code brown reference. I really liked the Bay Tower model the best too. Grey Goose slushie=yum. The necklaces are beautiful. What a nice memory to have with your DD. Look forward to reading more. I thought of your dog yesterday as Charlie was chewing up some plastic thing he found in the yard. Have a great Fourth!

 

[jecskc]

Finally catching up. Great updates. I love the pics from the Lego store. It's incredible what they can do with Legos. It's also incredible how much dogs love to chew them up. Or, how when you step on them, it really hurts. Thanks so much for getting in the 2nd code brown reference. I really liked the Bay Tower model the best too. Grey Goose slushie=yum. The necklaces are beautiful. What a nice memory to have with your DD. Look forward to reading more. I thought of your dog yesterday as Charlie was chewing up some plastic thing he found in the yard. Have a great Fourth!

OK. When I saw this post, I thought to myself, "I think that was the THIRD code brown reference, wasn't it?" So I scrolled back and noticed that I had left two TR posts completely out !!! How the heck did THAT happen ??? I think it was because my modem was acting up and I tried to post and they just didn't make it before my modem bailed. I have a new modem now.

I am so glad you said that, because in those posts, I had our California Grill dinner. Go back to read if you want. It start on post #47.

 

[jecskc]

OK. I am not entirely sure how this happened, but the last two posts from day three didn't get published. I had been having a lot of trouble with my modem and thought I posted them, but it didn't happen. I have a new modem now, so hopefully this won't happen again. If you want, go back to post #47 and read from there. I totally can't believe that I left out our California Grill post !!! Note to self ... proof read Trip Report.

 

[jecskc]

We were just getting finished with a Photopass photo ……….
And headed to the boat at the International Gateway.

It was about 2 PM at this time and the kids and I were exhausted. So we rode the boat back to the Boardwalk instead of walking. Thankfully the first stop was the Boardwalk. DH went ahead to get the car and pick us up out in front of the Boardwalk. It was pretty far out to where we parked so I was very thankful that DH was doing this so we could stay in the AC and rest a little. As we passed the store, DD began begging for candy. There was a pack of lollipops that she had seen and she saw that they were a snack credit. I said no and we looked around a bit more.

I completely love the Boardwalk. Almost as much as I love the Grand Floridian. I just love that early 20th Century feel to those resorts. I took a bunch of photos inside the lobby area.

I totally want to stay here one day. I tried to rent points here for this trip, but all I could get was OKW. Which was fine because we loved OKW.
This was a very hot day and when DH got to the porte-cochere to pick us up, I noticed this as I got into the car …. And I had to get a photo and share

Yep. 103. DH said that it read 107 when he first got into the car. And by the time we pulled up to our villa at OKW, it read 102.

And on the way out to the car, DD said …..




wait for it ……..






you guessed it ………




“My feet are killing me, and I want a lollipop”.

She was just so sweet and tired. I knew it would make the perfect name for our trip report.

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Oh, I just LOVE it! What a great way to get your trip report title! Holy hottness, that's just plain miserable!

PS: Sorry I had missed the post about ebay and the pearl carriages, I hadn't noticed the 'next page' until after I posted my question to you, but thanks and I will look into that for sure!

Just read the missing reports - what a perfect table for your special dinner, looked fabulous! Too bad about the mac and cheese!