No Wait Times & Crying at the Beach Club- A February 2012 trip report!

[hollyrose]

Hi! I'm Holly- and I'm going through a severe case of "PDD"- Post Disney Depression. I just got back from an amazing trip about 20 days ago, and I'm already missing all the fun involved with planning a Disney trip- SO what to do?

A TRIP REPORT OF COURSE! (My first!!!) Maybe it will help me re-live some of the great (and not-so-great!) memories and give you some advice for your trips along the way.


Sooo....I'm uploading 300+ pictures to photobucket as we speak-- don't worry I won't show them ALL!

Here we goooo......

 

[hollyrose]

Do I just keep replying to my own thread to continue the posts?

I consider myself a computer nerd, but apparently DIS boards are complicated to me.


ANYWAY. This is me, Holly and my boyfriend of 3 years, Will. We are from Charleston, SC.

Here we are at the Charleston airport very early in the morning on February 4, 2012!!! So excited to leave for our Disney trip.

 

[danimaroo]

Hi! I've decided to pop in and follow along. My husband and I just stayed at Beach Club Villas in late January (I'm on Day 7 of my TR!).. Anyway, thought I'd pop in and let you know I'm following along. And yes, you do reply to yourself (it's kind of weird but the only way)

! I think the best way to do it is write out a post with around 20 images in your post (vs. just doing one photo per post). The max amount of images you can have in a post is 25, so I like to do 15-20 so I have 5 left over for any smileys and stuff.

I also like to break the posts up into "chapters". Not to self-promote, but I think the way I have my TR set up is pretty nice and easy so people can just jump in and start reading, and skip comments if they want to, ya know? Feel free to check mine out. It's my first TR but I think it's going pretty well!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to following along with yours.

 

[hollyrose]

So, our flight from Charleston to Atlanta was wonderful and fast, then we boarded the plane from Atlanta to Orlando, settled in, started reading/playing angry birds,etc. THEN I decided we should have a celebratory drink to kick off our Disney vacation- Will got out his wallet to pay for the below drink....

AND THEN- we think he must have slid his wallet into the pocket of the seat in front of him and YES, forgot about it. Either that or it fell out of his pocket when we were getting off the plane- REGARDLESS- we board the magical express, get to the Beach Club resort, then when we get off the bus Will goes to get his wallet out to tip the bus driver and realizes it is nowhere to be found.

He starts freaking out which leads me to freaking out, and by the time I had gotten the room keys (while he's literally tearing through our carry-on bags in the middle of the beach club resort beautiful lobby to look for his wallet) I was holding back serious tears.

Then as we walked to our room on the 3rd floor the tears started gushing.

"I've been planning this trip for 6 months and everything was supposed to be perfect- and I wanted you to walk into the hotel and be so surprised and happy and amazed- not tearing through our suitcases looking for your wallet- and- etc. etc. etc"

Will felt really bad at this point and I did too but I didn't know what else to do. I pulled out my laptop as soon as we got into the room, called the airport, Delta, you name it and let everyone know what happened. There was nothing else we could do at this point.

It was about 2:30 p.m. now and I was planning on getting to the hotel at 2 and walking into the epcot by 2:30 at the latest- it was our only day in Epcot so we had to make the most of the time we had- not to mention get the most use our of park tickets!!!!

You won't believe how the day turned out.....DOES WILL FIND HIS WALLET? DOES IT RUIN OUR WHOLE VACATION?

Stay tuned to find out.....

 

[hollyrose]

Ooh thank you for the advice and following along!!! I will have to check out your trip report as well- and organize mine like yours as well! Thank you!

 

[danimaroo]

Ooh thank you for the advice and following along!!! I will have to check out your trip report as well- and organize mine like yours as well! Thank you!

Hey no problem! It sounds like your TR is going to be great!

I am SO sorry that you guys experienced losing Will's wallet. Walking into the BC lobby is quite a wonderful experience (I was so over-the-top excited when we did!), so to be freaking out (and understandably so!) about losing his wallet is just such a bummer. I hope you guys get it back really soon so you can really start to enjoy your trip!

Great started to your TR; you've already got me on the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next! (And my fingers are crossed that everything turns out okay soon for you guys!!)

 

[hollyrose]

So....determined to make the most of our vacation, LUCKILY I had all the park tickets and debit card that had all the spending money for the trip in MY wallet. Will had some cash and of course all his cards and ID in his so it really would be more of a pain for him when he got back to Charleston or heaven forbid if someone STOLE the wallet and was using his cards-- SO....

The next hours were spent with me literally sprint walking (I call fast power walking the "mom in the mall at Christmas time" walk!! lol!) and Will trailing behind me as he is on the phone with all of his bank cards/credit cards canceling all of his cards!!!!!

We walked to Epcot from the Beach CLub and I knew my first order of business was to get Fast Passes to Soarin'- the ride wasn't built the last time I had been to Disney so it was really my MAJOR must do of the entire trip.
By this time it was around 3:45 so I knew my chances were getting slim. I RAN (yes just went ahead and RAN to the Soarin' fast pass center with Will trailing behind). I was trying so hard not to be completely angry that we weren't even enjoying the beautiful Epcot scenery and just the whole park vibe because Will had to be on the phone canceling his cards.


I got the fast passes and then walked outside to breathe. (Will was still on the phone). I started aimlessly walking around and found the finding Nemo ride- there was a 0 minute wait so I dragged Will through the winding maze of a line (or lack thereof) until his phone fell out of range out of service when we boarded the clam!!! lol!!

We then went on Mission Space then wandered to Mexico- by this time all his cards were cancelled and we at least had the piece of mind that no one was stealing his identity.

We went on the Mexico boat ride and the Norway ride (both had about a 10 minute wait max). Keep in mind that Will's whole mood was just ruined despite my maximum effort to assure him everything would be ok.

He put on the best happy face he could as we heading to our ADR at the Biergarten.

The LITER of beer helped too.

By this point we were just exhausted from the traveling, the wallet losing and walking around Epcot like chickens with our head cut off because I was on a "have fun or die" mission and Will was on a "protect my identity or die" mission!!! We just wandered around some shops and enjoyed the scenery of the countries as we found a spot near the International Gateway to watch the fireworks.

We barely got any pictures of Epcot or many rides accomplished because of the craziness of the day. Slightly defeated, we wandered down the 5 minute walk back to the beach club and got back to our room. Will hopped in the shower and I plugged my blackberry into charge- it had been dead.....5 mintues later a missed called and message popped up from.....

DELTA AIRLINES AT THE ORLANDO AIRPORT!


THEY HAD WILL'S WALLET!!!!!!!!

I burst into the bathroom and screamed, jumping up and down, scaring Will to death but it was worth it. He was so happy.

"Let's go get it!!!!!" he yelled.


I called a cab and off to the airport we went to retrieve the wallet. Now, as great as that news is- here lies a piece of advice- the cab ride to the airport and back was a whopping $125!!!! (Including the $20 tip.) It was rediculous but worth getting everything in the wallet back.

We were emotionally and physically EXHAUSTED when we got back to the hotel room. I was starving so we ordered a chicken sandwich and chicken noodle soup from room service- SO GOOD by the way- then collapsed promptly after.

I knew the rest of the vacation was going to be WAY better than how it started.....Do you think everything got better???? Stay tuned to find out!!!!

 

[hollyrose]

Oh, silly me- I forgot to add in that day of craziness that we DID make it on Soarin'- we headed back over after dinner with our fast passes- and as we made our way into the fast pass line we saw it wasn't moving- come to find out one of the sections of the ride's film had stopping working so they had to close one side and redirect everyone to the other section!!! We ended up having to wait about 35 - 40 minutes to get on the ride, after all that running to get the fast passes!!!!

It of course, was worth it, we both loved the ride. But just had to add that little gem of info. in there to add to our insane first day of vacation.

 

[hollyrose]

Before I start describing Day 2, I should stop to explain that I started planning this trip 6 months prior as a present to Will for graduating Graduate school! (He is now a proud MBA!!)

and also as a Christmas present to each of us from each other- we just put money in the Disney savings account for Christmas and my birthday in December as well. Will had never been to Disney world, while I had been 4 times prior. I wanted to introduce him to all the fun and magic Disney World offers- so it was a REALLY fun trip planning experience for me. I had so much fun looking up tips on the Dis boards and planning every detail.

So now that the crazy Day 1 was over, we had Will's wallet and a great night's sleep- I woke up on Day 2 around 6:30- rubbed my eyes, remembered where we were and ran to the window to pull back the curtains and look out at the Beach Club Resort's pool.

"Good Morning Disney World, I love you!" I said with a laugh. Will laughed too. The day was already off to a better start.

I had tried to tell him about the details as I was planning them over the past 6 months, but he just kind of nodded his head and said "Whatever you think will be fun, I'm just along for the ride." But now that we were really HERE, he was excited to see what I had up my sleeve for each day.

"So what are we doing today?" he asked. I explained what rope drop was and why we needed to make rope drop for each of the 3 parks we had left- we had no kids to worry about so we really had no excuse not to get up and get moving in time to make rope drop everyday!!!

So we showered, packed our drawstring backpacks and headed down to the Beach Club Marketplace to buy our refillable mugs.

We ended up getting more than our money's worth out of these, by the way!!! Such a great purchase.

And then, armed with Nescafe coffee and newfound optimism- we got on the bus to MK. There were only maybe 5 other people on the bus with us. We made it in and waited for the welcome show- which I didn't even know existed until I saw a post about it here on the Disboards!

Afterwards, it really wasn't that crowded- and we literally ran to Space Mountain- we didn't push anyone or anything, it was really just wide open fun!!!! We got to space mountain and were about the 8th and 9th people in line. We walked right in and loved it!!! Will now says it was his second favorite ride.

Here's a few more pictures then I need to take a break- this is a lot of trip reporting for one day but it makes me feel so happy reliving all the moments.

 

[solana131]

Hi! I'm Holly- and I'm going through a severe case of "PDD"- Post Disney Depression. I just got back from an amazing trip about 20 days ago, and I'm already missing all the fun involved with planning a Disney trip- SO what to do?

I'm in the PDD club too. We were there from 2/4-2/11 (stayed at the Poly) it was our first trip (other than a couple 20 years ago when I was little). Hope to see us in the pics You're doing great so far!

The LITER of beer helped too.

Holy crap thats a big beer!

"Good Morning Disney World, I love you!" I said with a laugh. Will laughed too. The day was already off to a better start.

So we showered, packed our drawstring backpacks and headed down to the Beach Club Marketplace to buy our refillable mugs.

We ended up getting more than our money's worth out of these, by the way!!! Such a great purchase.

Glad you had put the bad day behind you and started fresh in the morning. And yes, those refillable mugs are a great deal! I got the pink one too Actually I am drinking out of it right now!

So needless to say, I am joining in. Check out my TR too, you might be in one of my pictures!

 

[abcangie87]

Jumping on the bandwagon! It's been 9 years since we did WDW without kids, so this will be fun to see the world from your (young!) perspective

And seriously, DH would have had an aneurism RIGHT THERE about the lost wallet. AND he'd figure out a way to make it my fault (he's one of those 'must find someone to blame') guys. It would have been my fault for suggesting we get a drink on the plane

 

[hollyrose]

Jumping on the bandwagon! It's been 9 years since we did WDW without kids, so this will be fun to see the world from your (young!) perspective

And seriously, DH would have had an aneurism RIGHT THERE about the lost wallet. AND he'd figure out a way to make it my fault (he's one of those 'must find someone to blame') guys. It would have been my fault for suggesting we get a drink on the plane

HAHA! Will basically did have an aneurism- you should have seen him tearing through stuff- and I didn't even mention that when we got in the room all of our bags EXPLODED everywhere with him making sure it wasn't tucked in a bag somewhere! LOL! It's only funny now because it's OVER and we found it. haha.

Also, I think the idea that it all started with me wanted a drink was entertained for a second but he knew better than to go forward with this thought if he wanted to live through the rest of the trip. hahaha.

Thanks for following along.

 

[natebenma]

I'm in!!!

I the Beach Club!

I'll go back and read later tonight, but first I need to make dinner. See you soon!

Dee

ETA: Great start!!! I see you decided to start right in with the drama. I'm so glad you got the wallet back that day. Did Will have to get new credit cards or were the companies able to reactivate his?

I think you were right not to let it ruin your first day- what else are you gonna do? Good thing Will didn't get carded in Germany.

Can't wait to hear more about your day at MK.

 

[hollyrose]

Ok- so to continue our Day 2 at MK….

We got off Space Mountain and headed through the castle then went on a rampage the next hour or so: there were NO CROWDS- it was so nice- so we literally got all the following accomplished in the next hour or less: Mickey's Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean! Plus we did some shopping and got our very first DOLE WHIPS! (Another thing I learned about thanks to the Dis Boards). Thunder Mountain was closed for refurb- so I think we got all of my favorites out of the way by 11 a.m. that day.

Pirates stopped for about 6 minutes right in the middle, so I was able to snap this:

Hereeee, kitty, kitty! haha.

The Haunted Mansion was my favorite ride when I was little- looking back I think it was because I was so proud of myself for going in the "scary mansion." It was decidedly less exciting this trip- but I still love it. There is something about knowing that you did that same ride when you were 5 years old that makes Disney World just that much more special.

BTW, here is a picture of me at Disney World in 1990 with my Dad.

And another picture from 1990 with my favorite, Minnie, at Epcot.

But BACK TO 2012…..

Since we had gotten quite a bit accomplished so early and we were already starving, we had a DELICIOUS lunch at Columbia Harbor House in the MK- I had a hummus and veggie sandwich that I LOVED and Will had fried fish. We were both really happy with this meal. Then we decided we wanted to head to Downtown Disney to walk around a bit, then go back to the hotel to swim a little and rest, then shower and head back to the MK at night.

We ended up meeting a nice British couple on the bus from the MK to Saratoga Springs resort, where we could walk to Downtown Disney from and they said we should take a boat to Downtown Disney because it's a nice ride, so we ended up doing that.

Love this picture.

We just kind of wandered around Downtown Disney- I think we got a cigar for Will's dad at the cigar shop there, a Christmas ornament for us and a ornament for Will's mom, and I bought a huge bag of mixed candy from Goofy's Candy Co. (That I am STILL snacking on- it is in my desk drawer at work! lol!)

Will was getting crabby at this point- I could just tell so I knew it was time to go back to the hotel and get him in front of a tv to watch sports for a little while before his head exploded. haha!!!!

So we did just that….

and it is at THIS POINT forward I decided to go photo crazy- so stay tuned for MANY more pictures of the rest of our trip

 

[hollyrose]

Oh how could I forget! After Space Mountain- we did Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and I thought this picture was too funny not to buy.

Will takes competition SERIOUSLY! And he really kicked my...

OKOK! I know this is about 2 years (almost) too late- but here is a video summary I made of our 2012 trip I described in this trip report!
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ziH6tU0gz4&list=HL1381944964&feature=mh_lolz

 

[Avery&Todd]

LOVE the TR!!!

and I was biting my nails in the beginning wondering what would happen with the MIA wallet!

glad to hear that it all turned out great!!

we'll be at WDW from June 8-14 and our first dinner is at Biergarten too!! We didnt get to make it there on our last trip, so my boys (12 & 10) decided that on this trip, we're going there FIRST so daddy can finally eat there..(his family heritage is German, so they feel he's going back to his "roots"...)

Can wait to hear how your trip continues!!

 

[hollyrose]

LOVE the TR!!!

and I was biting my nails in the beginning wondering what would happen with the MIA wallet!

glad to hear that it all turned out great!!

we'll be at WDW from June 8-14 and our first dinner is at Biergarten too!! We didnt get to make it there on our last trip, so my boys (12 & 10) decided that on this trip, we're going there FIRST so daddy can finally eat there..(his family heritage is German, so they feel he's going back to his "roots"...)

Can wait to hear how your trip continues!!

That's so funny because I made reservations at the Biergarten because Will's family heritage is German! LOL!

I do want to warn you though- the seating is family style so they sat us at a table with a family with younger kids- looked to be about 8, 9,10- and they did NOT seem pleased with the food. The only thing that looked kid friendly was the mac and cheese, fruit and cheesecake! haha. If your kids are adventurous eaters you'll be fine- but even 27 year old Will is picky and he barely found anything he really wanted. I was fine- they had all kinds of salad and chicken, and I even put a few apples in my backpack for later! LOL! But it's pretty pricey- just Will and I spent $117 after the 2 dinner buffets and 2 huge beers (unnecessary- I barely made a dent in mine) and of course tip. It's a lot to spend on a meal you didn't just love. Just a little warning The atmosphere is so fun though.

 

[hollyrose]

I'm in the PDD club too. We were there from 2/4-2/11 (stayed at the Poly) it was our first trip (other than a couple 20 years ago when I was little). Hope to see us in the pics You're doing great so far!

Thank you! I started looking through your trip report- your son is so cute!!! That's awesome he's so well behaved.

 

[solana131]

Great update! Weren't the crowd levels awesome?! The only time we got noticed a big crowd was when we got stuck in the middle of the cheerleader/dance groups all around. A sea of teenage girls in pink all screeching at the top of their lungs was not fun. I thought I looked ahead of time to make sure we weren't there when they were, but I guess I missed something. Thank god we weren't staying at the same resort as all of them. Oy! That would've been too much

Anyway...keep 'em coming. Your TR looks good so far

 

[jenneth79]

I'm in! Need to go back and read the TR so far... but a good resort choice and I'm right there with you, PDD! (Feb 10-13th for us!)......looking forward to hearing all about it!