Pixie Dust, July Heat and 700+ Pics - Our First Magical Disney Vacation

[EclecticWAHM]

Well, it's been a few days since we returned from our fabulous vacation, so I guess it's time for our first trip report! We were there from Wednesday, July 21 through Monday, July 26...er...well...sort of. Really the 27th...but more on that later!

Cast of Characters:
My wonderful husband of 16 years, experienced traveler, fastpass runner and overall great guy!
Our daughter, age 14, artist and chief photo-taker.
Our son, age 12 on Day 1 – turned into a teenager on Day 2!
and me - the shortest one in the family

This was our first Disney trip. My husband and I had both visited over 30 years ago before there was Epcot, DHS and all that, so it was obviously a brand new Disney World for all of us!

We were booked at the fabulous Boardwalk Inn for five nights in a standard room with standard view. We ended up with a surprise night elsewhere too. Read on to find out where and why!

Hope you'll join me

p.s. I promise I won't post all 700 pics....just the really good ones ;-)

 

[EclecticWAHM]

I had been staying over at the Marriott World Center (gorgeous place, by the way!) since Saturday for a business convention that ended Tuesday night, so DH and the kids flew in Wednesday. I checked out of the Marriott around 10:00 AM Wednesday morning and got a taxi over to the Boardwalk to check in and begin the excruciating wait for Disney’s Magical Express to deliver my family in the afternoon.

From the moment I arrived, I was feeling the Disney magic! The resort was just stunning and everyone I encountered was friendly and helpful. I had checked in online and there was no line at the online check-in window. The CM was just delightful. As we went through the check-in process we chatted quite a bit (good thing there was no line behind me!) She was from Puerto Rico, had done the Disney College Program and had since been with the company for 15 years. It was obvious she loved her job. She asked if we’d visited before and I told her it was our first trip, and it was in fact our first real family vacation and that my kids were on their very first plane ride at that moment.

She saw from our reservation that we were also going to be celebrating our son’s birthday during the trip. She then got a pixie smile on her face and said “just a moment, let me check something” and started fiddling on her computer. Moments later, with a big grin she said “we’d love to offer you an upgrade to Boardwalk view!” I about cried right there! Of course I told her how much we appreciated it and that I couldn’t wait for the rest of the family to arrive.

The room wasn’t ready yet, but knowing what we had to look forward to, I didn’t mind a bit. I checked my bags with Bell Services and set out to find some breakfast and explore the resort while I waited for DH and the kids. I grabbed a ham, egg and cheese croissant and some coffee at the Boardwalk Bakery and found a seat outside to take in the view.

After that, I walked around the Boardwalk for a bit, scoped out the gift shop, and took a look at the pool.

It was pretty hot, so I found a nice shady spot on the porch and just kicked back for a while.

After a while, I decided to catch the boat over to see the Yacht Club/Beach Club. Walked around there for a bit, then it was close to the time my family would be arriving, so I caught the boat back to the Boardwalk to wait for them. FINALLY my husband texted me that they’d landed in Orlando and were on their way to the Magical Express. Moments later I got my text from Disney that the room was ready with the room number. I grabbed my bags and headed up to see the room. It was a bit of a walk once I got off the elevator, but boy was it worth it! The room was beautiful!

And the upgraded view….WOW!!!!

And coming up…the family arrives, dinner at Cape May and the REAL fun begins

 

[Tiggeye]

Can't wait to read more. I love the boardwalk, especially the bakery.

 

[EclecticWAHM]

Can't wait to read more. I love the boardwalk, especially the bakery.

Thanks for joining in! We absolutely LOVED the Boardwalk! We want to stay there again. We'd also like to try the Beach Club.

 

[EclecticWAHM]

My husband and kids were texting me throughout their Magical Express journey as I waited in the gorgeous lobby of the Boardwalk Inn. After seeing the room and the wonderful view, I found the CM who had checked me in and went over to thank her again and let her know how happy I was to have such an incredible view.
Finally, I looked up and there was my family entering the lobby!

They were all smiles and the kids had fun telling me about their very first plane ride. They’d hit a little turbulence on the way, but nothing major. They both loved flying.

I led the way to our room, keeping the upgrade a surprise. We made our way down the long hallway and finally to the room. I had kept the curtains closed so they wouldn’t see the view right away. They put their suitcases down and looked around. Everyone was happy with the room. Then I gathered them by the balcony and told them about checking in and what the nice CM did for us, and I pulled back the curtain. The kids literally jumped up and down and DH gave me a huge hug. What a way to start our first vacation!

Everyone was eager to get out and check out the Boardwalk a bit before we headed to dinner. We went downstairs, looked at the pool, walked around the Boardwalk then looked in the gift shop where the kids and I got lanyards and our first pins, and the boys had fun trying on mouse ears!

Pretty soon it was time to head over to the Beach Club for our 5:00 PM reservation at Cape May Café for the buffet. Of course my son, being almost 13 and LOVING to eat, was quite excited about a seafood buffet! We hopped on the boat across the lagoon and walked over to the BC to find Cape May. The kids looked at Stormalong Bay and thought it was really cool. We may stay there next time! The Beach Club is another lovely property!

I don’t have any pics of Cape May or the buffet, but suffice it to say it was excellent. We checked in about 15 minutes before our reservation and were seated right at our reseveration time. The service was great and the food was quite good. We all tried crab legs, clams, mussels and other deliciousness. Just what we needed to fuel up for our first night in the parks….

Which leads me to the upcoming installment: our first glimpse of the Magic Kingdom via Epcot and the Monorail.

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Hey! Joining in! We checked out of Boardwalk the day you checked in! I am so excited about your magical upgrade! We stayed in a boardwalk view on the villas side- it was heavenly!

I am glad everyone is okay!