OUR BEST DISNEY VACATION YET(8/22-9/1) At the BEACH CLUB w/ MORE pics-NOW COMPLETE

[mommykds]

I had to reply...I love your trip report. The first time we took our kids to WDW in 1998, we gave them both disposible cameras too. My DD, then age 7, did the same thing at the partners statue!! She took pictures of each of the small statues around it....and I had never noticed them before I got the film developed!!!

This was the first time I gave them cameras...it was so much fun for them.
Thanks for reading!

 

[mommykds]

Lodgeman - That is my only peeve about the BC was that the pool closed at 8pm. Other than that it was absolutely perfect!!!!

Redheaded Mama - Thanks! The kids are very happy at Disney..now they are back in school so they are not as happy anymore!

 

[mommykds]

DAY 9 - AUGUST 30
We woke up late around 9 am. Outside was gray but they had said that Ernesto was going to be affecting us the night before but there was nothing…not even a sprinkle yet. I turned on the T.V. to see what the latest was on the tropical storm. (The Beach Club staff was great. They informed us that if the storm was bad that they would have characters & activities for the kids in the lobby.)
So, anyway…I turn on the T.V. & they have the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie playing. We all watched it for a while & were in no hurry to get up. Finally we did get up & get dressed & had our usual breakfast at the lounge. Every morning as we went into the lounge we were greeted with “Good morning!” & smiles from the concierge staff. We chatted with them awhile to check on the latest storm news. They said that SWA had cancelled all it's flights for the day. Thank heaven we flew Jet Blue & that we weren’t leaving today! The kids went in & helped themselves to their cereal & juice & took their seats at the kiddie table & watched Little Einsteins. Since the weather was unsure we decided to just hang at the Beach Club & see how it went. After breakfast we did some pin trading in the lobby & chatted for awhile. There are DVC desks at the resorts & we decided to take a look. Well the look turned into getting an appointment to see Saratoga Springs at 12:10pm! We had about an hour to pass to we took a walk on the Boardwalk. We had been meaning to check out the Boardwalk area since we arrived but never had the chance. I love the Boardwalk & the Beach Club area!!

Beach Club from the BW

We checked out the Boardwalk lobby & Bellevue room. What a lovely place. I’d love to stay there someday but our stay at the Beach Club has been soooo great how can anything else compare!?

Our van comes to bring us to SSR. Once there the kids were brought to the child care area. I was nervous about leaving them but they saw the video games & ran! I was O.K. with leaving since we were all on the same property & seeing them happy we left with our guide/salesman. We viewed the sample studio, 1 bedroom, & 2 bedroom villas & toured the grounds. The rooms were very nice. The whole tour took a little more than 2 hours. DVC ownership is something we are thinking about but have not made our minds up yet. ..maybe if they build one at the CR?! So we head back to the kids (I was missing them!) & when we got there they asked if they could stay & play! Well at least I didn’t have to feel guilty about leaving them. The DVC van dropped us back at the BC & now it was starting to rain.

We got our ponchos on, covered the strollers & walked over to EPCOT at 3pm. We rode Soarin which was empty. Test Track was closed due to the weather. Rode M:S (green version) again...Daniel can’t get enough of this ride! So glad they offer the tamer version now. Of course we had to go to Innoventions & Figment again.

Here is Sophie's own creation from Image Works (After Figment.)

Katie's creation..she loves Pugs.

We had a Biergarten dinner adr so we started our way up to world showcase…now it was pouring! But it was great…no one was there!!!! At one point we were the only people in the entire Japanese pavilion!
Daniel's photo of the Koi pond in Japan.

The kids wrapped up making their masks & passports & received their certificate of completion in Morocco. We rode Rio del Tiempo & Maelstrom with no wait. Dinner at the Biergarten was great. We were seated right away (5:30pm) right by the dance floor. We have been here several times & have always enjoyed it. DH loves their liter size beers! We ate chicken schnitzel, sauerbraten, red cabbage, bratwurst, cheese & the delicious pretzel bread which my kids make a meal of. The show started with some German music & playing of the big horn (sorry I forget the name) but its so cool. This was a last minute adr & I am glad we made it. We had a really nice meal, good music, & an attentive server. I know some people don’t like to sit with other families as is customary at Biergarten & I think they miss out. It’s a fun dining experience. We didn’t have dessert because we were saving ourselves for Beaches & Cream.

It was still pouring so we headed over to the Chinese pavilion to see Reflections of China. I love this film. You really get an appreciation of the beauty & vastness of China through this film. We also got to see O Canada. After touring the countries we stopped at the IG bridge at 8:55pm to see Illuminations. Even in the pouring rain it was still fun.. We were all tired & silly & swaying back & forth to the music.

After Illuminations we jumped the puddles back to the BC for dessert at Beaches & Cream. We waited a few minutes & as I looked in, I couldn’t believe how small the place was! I think there are 3 or 4 booths & maybe 5 tables. A few tables had ordered the kitchen sink & they flickered the lights off and on while announcing the dessert at the tables. However we didn’t think we could polish that off so we all got sundaes…DH loves peanut butter so a No Way Jose for him.

Chocolate ice cream & hot fudge for me…the kids all got plain ice cream & Katie got fries. The ice cream was delicious & we ate every bite. Don’t know how it happened (I may have tried to give DH a bite of my dessert) but I accidentally got a glob of chocolate ice cream in Daniel’s hair. Being tired & silly this struck us as hysterical . So much so that people around us saw us laughing & why & began laughing too. It was about 10:45 pm by now & we were all punch drunk. We were all just cracking up & just couldn’t stop laughing. Told you we were tired & silly. (& wet!)

It was so cool to just walk right back up to our room since it was still pouring like mad outside. We all fell asleep after 11:30pm. Wow our vacation had flew by...tomorrow was our last full park day at WDW.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Anne Marie-great report!!! Sounds like a very magical trip!

 

[monte]

Anne Marie, this is one of the best, if not the best, trip reports that I have ever read. I can't wait to read your next entry...thank you so much for taking the time to write it. You and your family look so happy together..what a blessing.

 

[mommykds]

Anne Marie-great report!!! Sounds like a very magical trip!

Thanks!

 

[mommykds]

Anne Marie, this is one of the best, if not the best, trip reports that I have ever read. I can't wait to read your next entry...thank you so much for taking the time to write it. You and your family look so happy together..what a blessing.

Wow, I am flattered!!!! How kind of you to say that..I am so glad you enjoyed reading so far. Thank you for posting.

My family is truly a gift from God. Both my DH & I don't have family we can count on & that makes our little family of 5 so much closer.

 

[kurt90]

Subbing!

 

[FortWildernessCamper]

Love your trip report..the best I have read so far...very well written and I love all the pictures. I keep going back to yours and especially liked the shirts for your kids. A very lovely family.

 

[connorsmom911]

Just finished reading beginning to end in one trip and I'm really enjoying your report! Thanks so much for posting! Makes me even more excited that we're leaving in a month!!

I hope we'll get to try BC on our next vacation...saving our pennies like mad!!

So, key question is...did you cave and buy into DVC yet??

 

[mommykds]

Love your trip report..the best I have read so far...very well written and I love all the pictures. I keep going back to yours and especially liked the shirts for your kids. A very lovely family.

Thank you..thank you!!

 

[mommykds]

Just finished reading beginning to end in one trip and I'm really enjoying your report! Thanks so much for posting! Makes me even more excited that we're leaving in a month!!

I hope we'll get to try BC on our next vacation...saving our pennies like mad!!

So, key question is...did you cave and buy into DVC yet??

Than you so much!
Nope, we didn't buy into DVC for a variety of reasons. I liked SSR alot but our biggest issue (since the kids are still young) is proximity to a park (or ease of getting to a park with no bus headaches). We may look into BC resale but right now we are doing o.k. with the deals Disney has been offering. We were lucky enough to have free dining last October & this past August. Thanks for reading!

 

[averill94]

Wow I am holding my breath for your last day

I think for the next trip I will hold out for Beach Club - I really liked it after seeing it on the travel channel put your TR has really tipped the scale!

Some people tear up at wishes but you Fantasmic desciption really got me- nothing like Steamboat Willie and the whole gang.

Only 6 more days

Thanks

 

[mommykds]

Wow I am holding my breath for your last day

I think for the next trip I will hold out for Beach Club - I really liked it after seeing it on the travel channel put your TR has really tipped the scale!

Some people tear up at wishes but you Fantasmic desciption really got me- nothing like Steamboat Willie and the whole gang.

Only 6 more days

Thanks

I tear up at Wishes, Fantasmic & Illuminations! Thanks!!!

 

[mommykds]

DAY 10 - AUGUST 31
I woke up at 6am & just could not go back to sleep again. The kids & DH got up to Stitch & Mickey’s wake up call at 6:50am. Over breakfast at the lounge we discussed where we should go on our last full day at Disney….We decided to do EPCOT in the morning & Magic Kingdom in the afternoon/evening.

Future World was pretty empty for 1-1 1/2 hours after park opening. The kids got to ride & do their favorites one last time. (Innoventions, Mission Space & the M:S training lab, Test Track, Opportunity City, Figment, Where’s the Fire) While we were playing in future world, DH & I realized that we had visited all the countries in world showcase except America! How'd that happen?? We just had to see the American Adventure before we left as this is a family favorite. So as we approached the rose garden between FW & WS it started to POUR. Instead of walking we jumped on the boat that takes you up to World Showcase. (another 1st for us). Very convenient in the rain & a nice ride over to Japan. We walked over to the American Pavilion & were able to catch the Voices of Liberty singing in the rotunda. For anyone who has not seen them they are the a cappella group, dressed in 18th century attire & who sing patriotic songs. They are just wonderful to hear. Even the kids stopped to listen & enjoy them. After the performance we were allowed into the theater. We went up through the escalators & under every flag that has stood over our country in U.S. history. There wasn't a huge crowd so we decided sit in the first row. The show gives me goose bumps. We have been to Colonial Williamsburg, Philadelphia, & Boston many times & DH is very interested in 18th century history so seeing Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, & George Washington “alive” is very cool to us. I looked over & saw my Daniel with tears in his eyes during the civil war segment. He was saddened by the loss of the one brother. I also cannot hold back my feelings when I see Ryan White on the screen in the collage of faces. Or Jim Henson who I grew up with as a child of Sesame Street & who’s end came too fast. The kids saw Billy Jean King in the montage whom they had met at the Arthur Ashe Tennis stadium in NY last year. Katie is a huge Elvis fan so she loves to see him on the screen..And of course that warm feeling of admiration & appreciation when you see Mr. Walt Disney. The people shown on that scene while the song “Golden Dream” plays in the background makes us, the audience feel happy…proud…sad…nostalgic...& excited all at once. I find it powerful & moving. That’s the only way I can explain it.

Katie's photo of the American Pavilion.

And here is Daniel's.

Well after that my DH needed a beer. So we hit Germany & England for some on our way down to the camera store by the front gate to pick up our photo pass picture CD. We got 48 pictures of our family & 2 pictures of some one else’s kiddies. We should have used the photopass system more. Our Crystal Palace adr time(which concierge had made for us that morning) for dinner was fast approaching so we had to hustle & get the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.

We had to wait for the monorail & once off we ran through Main Street & arrived 30 minutes late for our adr but they took us in right away. There were only 2 other families on line at 4:30pm when we arrived.
Again, like earlier in the week at Chef Mickey’s we were seated at out “usual” table...Well, it was the same table we had in October! Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, & Eeyore all came by rather in a rush. Just snapped a picture & poof they were gone but my kids didn’t seem to mind.

Sophie joined in the parade.

Dinner was yummy. DH & I sampled the Mediterranean pasta salad, mixed field greens with ranch and zinfandel dressings, tropical slaw, garlic mashed potatoes, prime rib, turkey & wild mushroom and chicken pasta with asiago cream sauce. MMMMMM. The kids had their usual...pizza & chicken strips. I tried to get some broccoli on their plates but they weren’t having any of it. Hey, it’s vacation right? The kids all liked making their own sundaes but DH & I were stuffed & I honestly don’t remember eating dessert that night...which is a first for me! When we left about an hour or so later the line to get in was all the way down the porch to the end of the building & all the benches were filled.

After dinner we went to Adventureland & Frontierland for some more last must dos. BTM 2x & Splash 2x (no FP needed, just walked right up!). We shopped, I bought more pins...I love Disney pins!!! Off to Buzz which we did twice walk up. Tomorrowland Transit Authority was next. It was now getting dark & Tomorrowland & the castle were all lit up beautifully. We didn’t have plans to see Spectro again but since it was 8:30pm we headed on over to watch. Made our way down Main Street over by the firehouse. My thinking was we would watch Spectro from there & Wishes from the train station so as soon as the fireworks were over we could dash to the buses & be able to get outta MK fast (well that didn’t happen which I’ll get to in a minute). Spectro started promptly at 9pm since we were right at the beginning of the parade. So as soon as it was over we ran over to the train station, grabbed some popcorn & waited for Wishes. DH put Daniel on his shoulders & Sophie was on mine. The view from the train station is nice but it did get more crowded so we didn't have an unobstructed view, however the vantage point from there was good. O.k. the last “bang” & we were ready to go, get the kids off our shoulders, get in the stroller & lets ride! Right! Wrong!!! Just as we turned to leave a CM with a clipboard stopped us & asked if we wouldn’t mind doing a survey. We politely agreed although we really wanted to just get on the bus….Anyway 10 minutes after that we decided no point in rushing now. We eventually got on a pretty crowded bus back to the Beach Club & tucked in for the night by midnight. Boy, we got a lot in today & no one wanted to go home tomorrow, but we were very blessed to have each other & very lucky to have had such a magical pixie dust filled trip. It was truly more than we could have asked for. I planned a farewell breakfast at Cape May for tomorrow so we could squeeze in a little more Disney fun before we had to leave.

 

[mommykds]

I am finally scanning in the rest of my pictures into the computer today. I will be updating all 10 days with more photos & completing our departure day. Again, thanks for reading my report & posting your comments.

 

[JPDisney]

Great report. My wife and I have been mulling over trying the BC for our next trip. I think your report may seal the deal.

 

[mommykds]

Great report. My wife and I have been mulling over trying the BC for our next trip. I think your report may seal the deal.

Thanks!

I hope you try it & you like it.

 

[mommykds]

Just added more pictures throughout the report.

 

[vanillasoftserve]

Hi! I really enjoyed your trip report! Im going in December and staying at the Beach Club Villas. Your TR made me more excited to go!!!