Preggo, pennies, and pastries!!! **FINAL UPDATES 4/25**

[photographymom517]

I love arrival day updates, the anticipation leading up to Disney, arriving at MCO

Luke is such a sweety, great shots of him with Goofy and Mickey statues Bless him that he checked to see if anyone was taking photos, not many kids do that

I can't believe you have 12 weeks to go, so exciting Sounds like everything is coming along just nicely too

It was so much fun reliving our arrival day when I posted it here!!!

Some of my favorite moments of our trip occurred on that very first day! I cannot describe in words watching a child arrive on Disney property & completely understanding they are finally THERE!!! It's just magical!!!

I'm down to less than 11 weeks now -- I can't believe my pregnancy has flown by so quickly! I'll post a quick pregnancy update before my next Disney update!

I'm in! Sounds like a lovely start so far! And I totally agree with you about SW over AT.. I only fly SW

Luke is such an adorable boy!

Glad to have another SW supporter!!! Stephanie (Stephielela) and I both LOVE Southwest!!!

I guess that everyone has good and bad experiences no matter what airline they use, but I've always had positive experiences with SW. So next trip, we'll definitely be flying SW again!

Enjoying your TR! I have ttrip planned in December and I will be almost 6 months pregnant. Interested to hear how your pregnancy affected the trip!

I'll try to write up some pregnancy advice for you before your December trip! With the speed that I write TR's, you'll be lucky if I make it to our second day before your trip!

I would say that my #1 piece of advice is to drink water, drink water, drink water!!! If you stay hydrated, you should be fine. I also ate smaller meals throughout the day instead of just 2-3 huge meals.

Basically just listen to your body & your trip will be great!! If you feel like you need to take a break, sit on a bench with a frozen lemonade or sit inside an air conditioned QS restaurant while the rest of your family rides one of the thrill rides you can't ride due to being pregnant!

Oh, and take some extra spending money with you too! I'll go through my pictures & PM you some of the cute merchandise & where it's located! Ironically I didn't buy much, but boy did they have a lot of cute stuff for infants!!! Do you know what you're having yet ??

What wonderful sights!

There is such a special feeling to the very beginning of a Disney trip!

When I land at MCO, I honestly get more excited than most of the kids on the plane!!!

It's just such a magical day! First the arrival at MCO, then driving through the Disney property gates, and finally arriving at the resort!!!

I LOVE the pumpkin spice latte. I love everything relating to spices and pumpkin. Yet, I don't remember ever trying pumpkin pie hehe Yep, the lines at Starbucks can be long but they do go fast. I give praises to the workers there. They are efficient.

Awe Luke is so sweet. I love that picture of him looking out the window.

Monday I learned that they actually have a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Gloria Jean's as well! I didn't try it because I have to have my Madagascar Carmel Vanilla Chiller everytime I visit a Gloria Jeans -- but someone ahead of me got the Pumpkin Spice & boy did it smell good!!!

I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie unless it has a ton of whipped cream on top. I actually am not a huge fan of anything pumpkin flavored -- except for lattes and pumpkin rolls with cream cheese! YUM!!!

That's one of my favorite trip pics of Luke too -- mostly because everytime I look at it, I relive our ME ride to the BC!!!

There is nothing like that welcome at the Beach Club!!!!

I couldn't agree with you more!!!

Great start, Hope!! I especially love Luke's description of what is on the floor of the bus! We train them so well!!

Yes we do!

I wish I would have taken the time to write down more of the cute things Luke said throughout the trip. I know I wrote down some of them, but I should've taken more videos!

 

[Megablocks]

Meghan I think we need to share packing lists!!!

I have my checked bag and carry on separated on my list too! I actually have bold titles at the top that lists each person's bags...and then underneath I write what goes inside that bag. I also am not sure if I included this or not, but I take pictures of everything as I put it in the suitcases. It's a good way to remember what I've packed plus it makes me feel better about giving someone else my suitcase to take care of! You have no idea how hard it is to give them my suitcase & trust that it will get there. I definitely live by the motto "If you want something done right, do it yourself" and it's sooooo hard to give up control with things like this!

The BEST part about staying at the BC is the walkway to Epcot!!! Wait until you read about it!!

I think our lists look very similar! I type "clothes" in bold, and then list every article of clothing I'm bring underneath. Then there's "carryon crap," "other stuff in suitcase," etc. Kailyn doesn't bother making packing lists because she always loses them, and it boggles my mind! I was with Charles when he was packing to go to Hawaii, and he just had a small piece of paper with some things written down. Then he'd ask me if I could think of anything and I'd just start naming things. I make my packing lists so far in advance that I can't imagine making them last minute. It's actually bothering me a little not to have my Disney list made already, since I have no idea what the weather will be like, and I know I'll be getting new clothes between now and then

 

[Tink9721]

I think our lists look very similar! I type "clothes" in bold, and then list every article of clothing I'm bring underneath. Then there's "carryon crap," "other stuff in suitcase," etc. Kailyn doesn't bother making packing lists because she always loses them, and it boggles my mind! I was with Charles when he was packing to go to Hawaii, and he just had a small piece of paper with some things written down. Then he'd ask me if I could think of anything and I'd just start naming things. I make my packing lists so far in advance that I can't imagine making them last minute. It's actually bothering me a little not to have my Disney list made already, since I have no idea what the weather will be like, and I know I'll be getting new clothes between now and then

Omg Meg I do the same thing I have to list every shirt, etc. My mom thinks I'm nuts This is slightly pathetic; I was tempted to make a packing list for January and I don't even know if I'm going yet...I think I have a disease

 

[photographymom517]

I think our lists look very similar! I type "clothes" in bold, and then list every article of clothing I'm bring underneath. Then there's "carryon crap," "other stuff in suitcase," etc. Kailyn doesn't bother making packing lists because she always loses them, and it boggles my mind! I was with Charles when he was packing to go to Hawaii, and he just had a small piece of paper with some things written down. Then he'd ask me if I could think of anything and I'd just start naming things. I make my packing lists so far in advance that I can't imagine making them last minute. It's actually bothering me a little not to have my Disney list made already, since I have no idea what the weather will be like, and I know I'll be getting new clothes between now and then

Omg Meg I do the same thing I have to list every shirt, etc. My mom thinks I'm nuts This is slightly pathetic; I was tempted to make a packing list for January and I don't even know if I'm going yet...I think I have a disease

I love how all three of us think so far in advance!!!

I just keep my packing list saved on my computer & "awhile" before a trip, I print it out & then go through it. I delete things I don't need anymore & add things that need added. (I say "awhile" because that could be 6 weeks or 6 months in advance -- or sooner! lol!)

Like I said, I take pictures of everything before putting it into the suitcases. Last year everyone made fun of me, but this year, my mom was all proud of herself & told me that she took pics too! Apparently a lot of my travel habits are rubbing off on her!!! She also had lists made of everything -- and they were more specific than my lists!

You know? All of this talking about packing lists makes me think that I better start a new one. I think I need a "Disney packing list" and a "non-Disney packing list." Hmmm...better get working on that after my update!

 

[stephielela]

Did you say update? Yes please!

 

[photographymom517]

Did you say update? Yes please!

Coming right up!!!

I have over 15 pages typed up in Word & just have to add the pictures! I'm going to make an attempt to post the entire first day here even if its in 5 separate updates!

I've been following your blog -- but need to catch up on your report too!!!

Oh, one more thing -- you need to go to F&W next year!!! Hint, hint!!!

 

[photographymom517]

When I last left off, we were just arriving at our “Home” for the next 10 days.

Before I go any further, I have to add some tips from our flight from home to MCO. Honestly, this just depends specifically on you & your own needs. Each person knows what they will and will not need during a flight and I’m sure it also depends on the time it takes to get to MCO. If we had a layover, were driving down to Florida, or our flight was longer, then this would definitely be different!

Normally I live by the philosophy when traveling that it’s better to have too much than not enough. But when traveling with young children on a flight, I think it’s better to take what you absolutely need and pack the rest in your checked bag.

I learned a lesson for next time – and that is that I will pack one large carry-on bag and then a smaller bag for Luke. The large carry-on will be stored in the overhead bin & I won’t see it again until we land. The smaller bag for Luke will only have my camera, my cell phone, a few snacks, the DVD player with one or two movies, maybe 1 book for me, and wet wipes. This past trip, I had sooooo much stuff in my carry-on bag and I didn’t even open it once except to get my camera out right before we took off and right when we landed.

Again I do not suggest this for everyone. I personally get very nervous on flights and also have slight motion sickness. I do take books to read, magazines, crossword puzzles, etc. but 9 times out of 10, I read 2 pages and put the book/magazine away! I definitely will take books with me because I like to take about a half hour or hour each evening to relax & read a book – but they can go in the checked bag next time!

Also, just a little forewarning! I am honestly NOT one to complain about much. I really try to understand that everyone has an “off day” and just go with the flow. But throughout this report, I am going to be blatantly honest & therefore you will hear complaints here & there! Please try to keep in mind, these are just my opinions based on the experience I had this time around!

Ok – back to our arrival at the Beach Club!!!

I don’t have my notes again as I’m typing this update so I’m basing this info off my pictures & time stamps from those! I only took really specific notes the very first day so I probably will just update from now on using my pics as a reference! For those of you who followed my last TR, I did a break-down at the end of my report of our experience with the Quick Service Dining Plan. This trip, we got the regular Dining Plan and I saved every single receipt again, so I’ll do another break-down at the end!

According to my pictures, we arrived at The Beach Club at 11:04 am. It was so beautiful to see again!!! For those who followed last June’s report, you will remember that we did the Private Photo Session at the Beach Club! Since we took the boat over, I hadn’t seen the front entrance of the BC until this moment!!!

Pulling into the resort – straight ahead is where the ME bus drops you off, to the right is the walkway to the bus stops.

And to the right:

I love the feeling of seeing the resort for the first time! There’s something so magical about it & it truly makes you feel as if you’re here to relax & have fun!!! We got off the bus, waited for the bus driver to get out the stroller, tipped & thanked him, and entered the resort! There was another surprise as we walked through the entrance.

Those of you who have never been inside the resort or who have never entered from the front will think I’m nuts – but there is this amazing beach smell as you walk in!!! I honestly stalked this little room for air fresheners or something that was releasing the smell at certain intervals, but I never did find it! I’m assuming they hide them behind the couches. I’m telling you, the smell was amazing & sometimes I think I miss it more than I miss the resort!!!

 

[photographymom517]

Immediately as you walk in, there is someone waiting to greet you. The man noticed all of our luggage & asked if we were there to check-in. He said “Welcome Home” and pointed to the right to show us where the check-in desk was located. It’s very easy to find at the Beach Club – honestly to your immediate right as soon as you walk in the double doors! Bell Services is right across from the check-in desk and Concierge Check-In is to the left & is very well marked.

The lobby is absolutely beautiful! I wish I would’ve spent more time here, but unless it was an odd hour, it was mostly crowded as there was a convention going on at the time of our trip. More about this later!

I went to the check-in desk with my carry-on bag since that’s where I stored all of our trip paperwork and my driver’s license. I told the girl my name & she immediately found my folder & printed our room keys. She asked me if I had ever stayed on property before & opened up the packet to give me an overview of what was included. I told her I was familiar with most of it so she said if I had questions, I could always stop back at the desk or call downstairs from my room phone.

She also pulled out a birthday button for me!!! I was shocked and thrilled! It immediately brought a huge smile to my face!! I’m still trying to figure out who called & told them it was my birthday because I never put it on any ADR or on our initial reservation!

You can see the entrance doors in this picture & the check-in desk is directly to the right. If you can see that blue desk way at the end of the hall, that is where you can find maps for the BC/YC and all of the parks (including the water parks and DTD).

Behind the Check-in Desk

She then got a map of the resort & pointed out where the elevators were located & told me to go to the third floor. This process took less than 10 minutes as we were in Room 3588 by 11:16am. Here are some pictures of our first room (more about that later too!)

As you walk into the room, this is to your left.

2 Queen Beds, desk with chair on the left of the beds

I was looking forward to sitting on this couch at night to write in my journal or read a book while the boys watched tv. We had one at AKL and I loved it! They don’t look comfortable at all but they actually are pretty comfy!

TV and dresser (small fridge is in the right-hand side of the dresser)

Bathroom area

Vanity area

Umm…interesting view from our room (this didn’t thrill me at all to say the least! I was disappointed but if you don’t pay for an upgrade, you don’t really have “a view” at the Beach Club Resort. I knew this ahead of time so considering, this wasn’t the worst view in the world!)

You can tell a little better from this picture. The “balcony” was large enough for us to take turns standing on. We couldn’t sit on it & I was terrified Luke was going to fall off. We decided immediately the door would stay locked – regular lock and deadbolt.

I will also note that the Beach Club was getting a lot of work done during our stay. It was never loud, but at times there were portions of the resort blocked off. Here are the initial pictures of the construction we saw upon arrival.

We spent a little bit of time checking out the room & I made sure to take pictures before we unpacked anything. The entire time Luke is asking “Where is Mickey Mouse? Is this his house? Does he live here? When can I see him?” We explained to him that we just got there and we would see him very soon! We also told him that we weren’t inside Mickey’s House but we were at a resort. Like I said before, I gave up trying to explain what a resort was so we just started telling him it’s our hotel.

I noticed the light was flashing on the answering machine so I picked up the phone to listen to the message. I thought it might be Bell Services or something regarding our luggage. It was actually a message welcoming us to the resort! It was from Mickey Mouse and it was really cute! I never heard it before & really wanted to put the message on speakerphone and record it so Luke could listen to it when we got home. Ok, that’s a completely lie – I wanted it for myself!!! LOL!!! I never did end up recording the message and you will find out why around 2am on the first day of our trip!

After months of planning the trip & trying to talk Disney to my DH almost every evening, I finally gave up & we decided I would just tell him our plans as the trip progressed. We were getting frustrated with each other because I wanted to tell him the entire 10-day itinerary and he only wanted to know the basics. We finally compromised. I knew what would happen though. He wouldn’t listen to my planning details ahead of time & then we’d get on property and he’d have a thousand questions. Meanwhile I just want to follow my schedule (since it’s literally burned into my brain months in advance down to the last detail!!) without having to explain everything five times first. Our difference in planning definitely accounts for some stress on our vacations, but I was bound and determined it wouldn’t stress me out this time! I would be patient, explain the plans for the day, and answer questions without getting my feathers ruffled!

Believe it or not, this actually did work out fairly well. I also went with two plans – one was more specific and listed about 10 “must do’s” and 10 “want to do’s” because last year we missed a lot. The second plan only listed what park we would visit each day, our dining reservations, and a few brief “must do’s.”

I will also say that I had way too much paperwork with me on the trip – and I barely looked at any of it! I printed the menus from AllEars.net for each restaurant we were eating at (and some that we were thinking of adding later), maps of all the parks, lists for MNSSHP (character locations, show times, etc), and just a lot of specific lists of what we wanted to do. I will honestly say that I maybe looked through the information once & I don’t regret that at all.

I vowed that on our next trip, I would take one basic list for each park (a list of must do’s, character greetings, shows we want to see, etc) and then a one-page schedule that lists our ADR’s, show times, park crowd levels, etc. I am now thrilled to report that I got an early Christmas gift from my DH (an iPhone!!!) so I literally won’t be taking ANY paperwork on our next Disney trip!!! I have everything I need on it! So my suggestion is – if you have a Smartphone, iPhone, iPad, or any electronic capable of keeping track of a schedule, just use it!

Don’t bog yourself down with tons of paperwork on vacation…keep it simple!!!

 

[photographymom517]

Back to our arrival day! We sat down & started talking about our plans for the afternoon/evening. I wasn’t planning on arriving at the resort until around noon or later. We only had an ADR scheduled for Captain’s Grill at our sister resort, The Yacht Club, this was for dinner at 5:45pm.

I assumed when making the schedule that we would be too tired from traveling to visit a park on our first day. I figured we could explore the resort, maybe head over to the Boardwalk for a snack, swim at Stormalong Bay, take a walk, or just relax. At this point, Luke was still begging to see Mickey Mouse.

We decided to cancel our ADR and head over to Magic Kingdom! We would just grab QS later as we weren’t very hungry anyway.

I really wanted to change my clothes but our luggage hadn’t arrived from ME yet since we had only been to the resort less than an hour! I started to think that I wished I had thrown out the paperwork & books and put a change of clothes in the carry-on instead! The bus stops at the BC are at the front entrance. For those who don’t know this, you only take a bus to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, the water parks, or Downtown Disney. You can walk or go by boat to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.

We left the BC at 12:23pm and arrived at Magic Kingdom at 12:49pm.

It was so much fun to see the Halloween décor!!! My parents traveled to Disney last year at the end of August so I was able to see it in their pictures. But there’s nothing like seeing it with your own two eyes!!! Of course I immediately take out my camera to get as many pics of the décor as I could!!! Our next MK day wasn’t scheduled until the night we went to MNSSHP on the 20th so we had a while to wait!

We walked into MK and the first stop was at Main Street Theater! There was only a 5 minute wait for Mickey and Minnie!!!

I wasn’t sure what I’d think about this new character location or the Fast Passes, but I really liked it! Of course we didn’t need a Fast Pass at this point and we walked right in! They hold you at a closed door & communicate with other CM’s through a walkie talkie system. There’s a small room where about 4-5 families stand and wait behind another closed door.

After that, they let 2 families in at a time to see Mickey and Minnie. One family gets their picture taken while the second family stands behind a large cabinet waiting. Even though it wasn’t crowded at all, the CM’s seemed very adamant about only having a certain amount of people in each “holding area.” I actually think it’s a very good system. The line moves along smoothly & fairly quick, yet you still have plenty of time with Mickey and Minnie. I didn’t feel rushed at all.

Luke was hesitant at first, but I expected it as his last Disney trip was over 15 months before this! The photographer took a bunch of pictures with her camera and then two with mine. I think it’s one of the best pictures we got the entire trip!!! It also made me think of the very first time Luke saw Mickey & Minnie when he was 10 months old! Love those memories!

We decided while we were so close to the Main Street Station, we would take a ride on the train. Luke wanted to sit on the end, which made me super nervous. I prefer him to be in between us but I didn’t want to start an argument, so after asking him to sit in the middle three different times, I gave up. I just told him he needed to be super careful, keep his arms/legs inside the train, not to stand up, etc. He ended up doing very well and didn’t even stand up when the train stopped in the other lands.

We also stopped right in front of this! I was happy to have my first on-site look at the construction!!! I’ve seen tons of pictures and have read lots of other people’s reports/blogs, but it’s so much better to see it “live”!

We walked towards the Fantasyland/Tomorrowland area past Cosmic Ray’s and showed Luke different rides as we walked. He wasn’t interested in anything except the Tomorrowland Speedway. I think it had a 15 minute wait, so we parked the stroller and got in line. We waited less than 5 minutes. Luke decided to ride with his dad and I rode in front of them alone. I took a few pictures of them and the Fantasyland construction as I drove my car!

 

[photographymom517]

They were starting to get hungry and I needed a drink, so we decided to go to one of our favorite Quick Service restaurants, Cosmic Ray’s!! I swear I got pictures of the food, but they aren’t in my folder so I guess I didn’t. I think Luke got the kids chicken meal with a chocolate milk and grapes, I got a sweet tea and my DH got the BBQ Pork sandwich with fries and a tea. After we ordered, Luke and I went to find a seat while my DH waited for the food. It was super crowded which I found to be odd considering it was an “off time” to eat. At this point it was 2:35pm.

As many of you know, they are enclosing all of the outside seating at Cosmic Ray’s. I was really upset about this because we have so many family memories sitting outside on the balcony. We would listen to the street parade or just sit outside in the quiet basically by ourselves while everyone else was packed inside the restaurant! Last year I think we ate on the balcony twice with only 1-2 other families. It’s so peaceful & a great way to relax! I made a point to tell my Dh we needed to take a lot of pictures from the balcony & of us on the balcony since next time, it would be either under construction or completely enclosed. However, this wasn’t happening today! It was way too hot & we just wanted to sit in the air conditioning! Now I think I get why they’re enclosing it!

Luke and I found a seat up in the front by Sonny Eclipse. This was a first for us – the first of many “firsts” we’d have on this trip!!!

After about half an hour, we left Cosmic Ray’s and headed for Adventureland.
It was REALLY nice to see this!!! How many opportunities do you think I’ll ever have to see an EMPTY castle front ???

I know a lot of people think its boring or just don’t like it, but we really enjoy the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. It was under construction (which of course we knew before the trip thanks to my obsessive planning!) so I took a few pics and we kept walking. I will add that I definitely think the treehouse NEEDED a refurb so I’m glad they’re taking the time to update it!

We headed towards the Tiki Room because we wanted to see the new show. I believe the CM told us the next showing would be in 25 minutes. Aladdin’s Carpets had a 5 minute wait so we figured we would start there and hopefully make it to Tiki Room.

Luke thought the spitting camels were hilarious! He sat with his dad behind me and I kept hearing him laugh on & off throughout the ride. It was so nice to know he was enjoying the trip!!!

The skies looked like this – but trust me, it was still VERY warm!!! It was cloudy for a couple of hours but the sun came back out eventually!

The ride finished with time to spare so we left the stroller parked by the carpets and went into the waiting area at the Tiki Room. Luke really loved the birds & waterfall – I found throughout the trip, he enjoyed things most when he felt like the characters were actually talking TO him. I took a few pics of Luke before putting my camera away.

He sat in between us during the show & he laughed & asked me a lot of questions. He really liked the music & singing birds!!! He did get scared at the part when the lights go out & you hear the loud noise & see the fire. But I just put him on my lap & whispered to him to explain it was just a show & the lights would be back on in a few seconds. He was fine after that, but he did keep reminding me how he was afraid of the dark.

We then walked down the stairs towards Jungle Cruise. There was a 25 minute wait and I believe the Fast Pass return time was for 4:25pm (at this time it was 3:27pm)

We just waited in the stand-by line. The line seemed to move at an ok pace. Luke was starting to get antsy when we were almost at the beginning of the line. He wanted to climb underneath the ropes to see the different animals, snakes, etc. that they have in the queue. I told him we weren’t allowed past the ropes & he didn’t argue. He just pointed at the various things & would either tell me what they were or ask me questions about why they were there. I love the curiosity of a child!!!

Don’t get mad – but by the end of the ride, I really wasn’t impressed. I don’t understand why there’s always a long wait time for this ride. It was ok to do once but I was fine with not doing it again the entire rest of the trip!

We then headed towards Frontierland & saw these construction walls. As expected, there was a ton of construction throughout property on this trip. Considering September is “off season,” this completely made sense & we were expecting it. It may be a big deal to some people but it wasn’t to us. Just keep it in mind if you are traveling off season!

Crowds heading into Frontierland!!

At first I couldn’t believe my eyes. I think MK was a 2 or 3 for crowd level! This definitely didn’t look like a 2 or 3 to me! Then I noticed we were following a couple CM’s with a cart. They were cleaning up the posts from the parade that had just went through. The crowds were just trying to disperse after the parade!

We decided to head back towards Adventureland and let Luke play in the water for a while. He was having so much fun! After he let the camel spit on him for about 10 minutes, we decided to head back towards Fantasyland or Main Street.

We didn’t have plans at this point, we were just wondering around enjoying our first day! As we passed Aloha Isle, I decided that I wanted a Dole Whip – but the line was insanely crazy!!! I think there would’ve been at least a 20 minute wait so I decided to just get it another day. (Remember this! You won’t believe how many times on this trip I said “I’ll just do that later” and I never did!)

We showed Luke a few rides in Fantasyland but he said no to everything. It was our first day so it wasn’t a huge deal to us.

More construction pics:

This is Pinocchio’s Village Haus under construction.

We asked him what he wanted to do & he said he wanted to ride in the racecars again. So off to Tomorrowland Indy Speedway we went!

More Magic Kingdom coming soon!!!

 

[Tinkermom76]

if you arrive that early you have to hit a park geez.

I didn't really notice a lot of construction when we were there but it doesn't really bother me. The one thing we did notice was the crane they were using to put up the icicle lights on the castle. Every time we took a picture of the castle we would yell, there"s a crane in my picture. I know one friend said I should Photoshop it out but it's part of the memory of the trip so I like it there!

I also love the outside area of Cosmic Rays... it's nice in the evening. I didn't realize they were enclosing them

I also love the Treehouse and was very sad when I found out it was closed during our trip but that makes me look even more forward to it for next trip.

Did you know there are little power boats by the JC exit? I didn't know they were there and they are on the list for this trip

 

[DisKate]

Great updates Hope! I can't wait to hear more about your trip.

 

[PopArtGal]

By the way, you are traveling with a kid and are pregnant. You are allowed to complain hehe

I love the look of the Beach Club. It's really pretty.

I know what you mean about having too much paperwork. That is the basic reason why I want an iphone: to have my agenda with me (not just for wdw but for everyday life).

Jungle Cruise is a classic for me. And to me, it all depends on the cm you get. But I didn't do it last trip because of the long waits. While I do enjoy my jungle cruise, I don't think it's worth the long waits.

 

[Megablocks]

Beach Club looks GORGEOUS! I of course only saw the lobby and some of the grounds. Your room looks amazing! I do think that balcony would freak me out a little. If I ever went there with Charles, it would definitely stay closed, even if we didn't have a child with us. He's afraid of heights and if a railing or something is too low, like at his waist or below, it really bothers him (which is unfortunate because he's 6'5" and everything is low to him )

I love arriving early because it means you get the whole day. We always try for early flights so we can hit a park and have almost a whole extra Disney day

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[stephielela]

Coming right up!!!

I have over 15 pages typed up in Word & just have to add the pictures! I'm going to make an attempt to post the entire first day here even if its in 5 separate updates!

I've been following your blog -- but need to catch up on your report too!!!

Oh, one more thing -- you need to go to F&W next year!!! Hint, hint!!!

No hinting!!! That's so not fair! My TR is the basically the same as my blog, so if you read one, you have read them both pretty much

 

[stephielela]

I totally agree, less is more when traveling with a child!!! Jack only ever uses about 1/3 of the stuff I pack for him anyways!

As for the Beach Club scent, in our hotel we pump a scent through the ventilation system. That's probably why you couldn't find the source!

What a nice first day at MK! I really want to have a relaxing long trip someday...

 

[jenseib]

great update. Loving the relaxed pace you are taking. Sounds like Luke was having a ball...just hanging out with Mommy and Daddy.
I never did get a chance to go to the refurbed tiki room. It was already closed the one night we tried. Just not enough time last trip for everything.

 

[Tink9721]

I really wanted to change my clothes but our luggage hadn’t arrived from ME yet since we had only been to the resort less than an hour! I started to think that I wished I had thrown out the paperwork & books and put a change of clothes in the carry-on instead!

I did that in Feb. Since I was coming from RI in the winter, I was wearing warmer clothes. I packed a pair of shorts and a different shirt. I changed in the airport bathroom because it was hot and I was so excited to get to wear shorts in February My carry-on usually just has a book or two, a change of clothes, my mp3 player, headphones, and my planning stuff(schedule, park hours, ADR's, packing list). My mom packs the Magical Express stuff in her bag.

I'm gonna love having a smart phone the next time I'm in WDW. I already downloaded the park app. I had it on my old phone too, which wasn't a smart phone, but it's sooo much easier to use on this one!

Luke is so cute!

 

[photographymom517]

if you arrive that early you have to hit a park geez.

I didn't really notice a lot of construction when we were there but it doesn't really bother me. The one thing we did notice was the crane they were using to put up the icicle lights on the castle. Every time we took a picture of the castle we would yell, there"s a crane in my picture. I know one friend said I should Photoshop it out but it's part of the memory of the trip so I like it there!

I also love the outside area of Cosmic Rays... it's nice in the evening. I didn't realize they were enclosing them

I also love the Treehouse and was very sad when I found out it was closed during our trip but that makes me look even more forward to it for next trip.

Did you know there are little power boats by the JC exit? I didn't know they were there and they are on the list for this trip

You are so right!!! It's definitely a "must do" to visit a park when your arrival time is earlier in the morning or afternoon! If we have the park days available, I actually don't even mind just heading out to a park for a few hours on arrival day. But traveling with Luke makes things different for sure. I learned this trip more than ever before that traveling with a toddler = going with the flow, not going with the plans!

If I had it my way, I'd just head over to Epcot every single night & sit on a bench eating a delicious dessert from either Norway or France to enjoy Illuminations

I know what you mean about the construction. It really didn't bother me this trip because I couldn't do a lot of things due to being pregnant. Normally it would only bother me if it was a ride that I really, really LOVE! But even with that, I know it will be there next trip so I don't let it bother me much! I was really trying to spot construction for clients traveling more than for myself. I wanted to make sure to be informed from a business aspect!

As of right now (as far as I know) the enclosure of the outdoor seating area at Cosmic Rays is only a rumor...but it's from a very reliable source. I would imagine construction will start soon. I'll make a note to tell you for sure once (or if!) I find out an exact date.

I didn't know about the boats by Jungle Cruise! Thanks so much for the heads-up! I'll make sure to look for them next trip!!!

Great updates Hope! I can't wait to hear more about your trip.

I'm posting another update today! Promise!!!

By the way, you are traveling with a kid and are pregnant. You are allowed to complain hehe

I love the look of the Beach Club. It's really pretty.

I know what you mean about having too much paperwork. That is the basic reason why I want an iphone: to have my agenda with me (not just for wdw but for everyday life).

Jungle Cruise is a classic for me. And to me, it all depends on the cm you get. But I didn't do it last trip because of the long waits. While I do enjoy my jungle cruise, I don't think it's worth the long waits.

Thanks for saying I'm allowed to complain! I appreciate that!

The Beach Club & surrounding area is soooo beautiful! I have a ton more pics to share! Unfortunately we didn't spend as much time outside as we would've liked due to a busy schedule & the conference at the BC/YC while we were staying on property.

There are some awesome Disney apps for the iPhone so definitely let me know when you get one!

I agree with you about Jungle Cruise. It's ok but I wouldn't wait in line very long for it unless my kids wanted to ride it!

Beach Club looks GORGEOUS! I of course only saw the lobby and some of the grounds. Your room looks amazing! I do think that balcony would freak me out a little. If I ever went there with Charles, it would definitely stay closed, even if we didn't have a child with us. He's afraid of heights and if a railing or something is too low, like at his waist or below, it really bothers him (which is unfortunate because he's 6'5" and everything is low to him )

I love arriving early because it means you get the whole day. We always try for early flights so we can hit a park and have almost a whole extra Disney day

Can't wait to hear more!

I totally understand Charles' fear of heights! I am terrified of heights myself -- probably worse than he is because I won't ride ToT!!!

I definitely learned this past trip that I LOVE early arrivals! From now on, as long as its available & a decent price, I will ALWAYS go to Disney as early as possible!!!

No hinting!!! That's so not fair! My TR is the basically the same as my blog, so if you read one, you have read them both pretty much

I totally agree, less is more when traveling with a child!!! Jack only ever uses about 1/3 of the stuff I pack for him anyways!

As for the Beach Club scent, in our hotel we pump a scent through the ventilation system. That's probably why you couldn't find the source!

What a nice first day at MK! I really want to have a relaxing long trip someday...

Don't worry, I will keep you updated for sure! As soon as I have any semi-concrete plans, you'll be the first to get a text, you know that!!

I have no idea why but I've been having issues getting on DIS from my iPhone -- but I do keep up with your blog via cell. That actually reminds me -- I need some advice/help with Twitter from you & Brook. I'll email you both one day this week.

You are soooo right about "less is more" when traveling with a child! I ALWAYS overpack when it comes to Luke. We've been talking about getting a rental car next time, even if its only for part of our trip, so I could always just head to Super Target if I need anything or forget something!

Ooooh, the ventilation system! I'm ashamed that I didn't figure that out myself! Thanks for letting me know! I can STILL smell that scent. They really should sell airfreshners or candles -- they'd make a small fortune just from BC/YC guests!!!

Long, relaxing trip! I seriously when I read that! Wait until you read the whole report! I learned my lesson this trip -- next trip WILL be relaxing for sure!!!

great update. Loving the relaxed pace you are taking. Sounds like Luke was having a ball...just hanging out with Mommy and Daddy.
I never did get a chance to go to the refurbed tiki room. It was already closed the one night we tried. Just not enough time last trip for everything.

Since I know the entire TR already & you guys only know the first day, I have seriously been in shock that everyone thinks we're at a relaxed pace! Just wait & see! It gets much more interesting in the upcoming days!

Luke STILL talks about the Tiki Room every day! He sings the song in the car even when the CD isn't playing. I've tried to get it on video many times, but everytime I turn on the video camera, he stops singing & dancing!

I did that in Feb. Since I was coming from RI in the winter, I was wearing warmer clothes. I packed a pair of shorts and a different shirt. I changed in the airport bathroom because it was hot and I was so excited to get to wear shorts in February My carry-on usually just has a book or two, a change of clothes, my mp3 player, headphones, and my planning stuff(schedule, park hours, ADR's, packing list). My mom packs the Magical Express stuff in her bag.

I'm gonna love having a smart phone the next time I'm in WDW. I already downloaded the park app. I had it on my old phone too, which wasn't a smart phone, but it's sooo much easier to use on this one!

Luke is so cute!

Great idea about changing in the airport bathroom! I am definitely going to think about that for next trip! I try to always dress in layers but having a change of clothes would be even better!

I forgot you mentioned having some Disney apps on your Smartphone! I'm going to have to text you about a bunch of really good ones! I can't wait to have my phone at the parks either -- it will make things soooo much easier!

 

[photographymom517]

When I last left off, we were at Magic Kingdom. For some reason unknown to both of us, we skipped Tomorrowland the past two years. We didn’t ride one single thing in Tomorrowland either trip (yes, I’m serious!)

So since we originally didn’t have plans to go to a park, but we were at MK today, we figured this was a “bonus park day” so we might as well explore Tomorrowland!

We parked the stroller and walked over to the Carousel of Progress. I can’t remember how long the wait was, but we decided to do something else & go back later. Since we were standing right beside the entrance to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (or People Mover), we decided to take a little break!

We went up the walkway and Luke was talking the entire time. I think he was talking about Mickey Mouse or something about the cars. It was cute to hear the excitement in his voice. We got on the People Mover and Luke waved “bye” to all the CM’s.

It was ok at first. Luke would ask what everything was & I would tell him & my DH since neither of them had ever been to Tomorrowland before! (I have traveled previously with friends, my high school, and my family so I’ve been to Disney & FL many times in the past. Luke and my DH have only been in 2009 and 2010 and we skipped Tomorrowland both years).

Of course, with the luck we have, we stopped. Right in the middle of the dark area.

Luke is terrified of the dark. I took this into consideration whenever I was planning our trip. (He was ok last June on rides in the dark as long as he could sit on our lap...but he was also over a year younger)

We had stopped right in the middle of the Space Mountain portion of TTA. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see anything at all, but I felt Luke beside my leg. He got scared so he sat down on the floor. I picked him up and held him on my lap but he was crying & kept telling me “Mommy I am so scared.” I kept reassuring him it was only a ride & we were almost to the part where it was light again. He finally calmed down, but when we tried to wait a second time for Carousel of Progress, he insisted we were taking him back into the dark & he was not waiting in line. He had his first tantrum of the trip and we decided since it was our first day it wasn’t worth the argument. This was all I got to see of CoP.

We decided to get something to drink since it was so hot/humid and wait awhile for him to calm down. I saw a snack stand where they were selling pretzels and decided to try a cream cheese pretzel. This was something I was really, really, really looking forward to. I’m not sure if it was just a bad batch of pretzels or if I just hyped it up too much before the trip, but I only ate maybe ¼ of it. I didn’t like it much at all. It was ok, but not spectacular

I vowed that I will try it again next trip because I believe in giving everything a second chance. Like I said, maybe it was just a bad batch? It seemed that way to me because the pretzel seemed slightly overdone & it was partially soggy in parts.

We found a concrete bench to sit on while Luke played in the fountain. He loves playing with other kids and doesn’t have a chance to much at home, so I wanted to give him every opportunity I could to play with kids. It was at this point that I took a minute to think of what we did our first day. It mostly consisted of us sitting and snacking while Luke played in water.

I started regretting my decision to get the park hoppers and not the water park option. We couldn’t afford both and we didn’t really have time in our schedule for a water park, but to this day, I regret my decision.

We let him play in the water for 20 minutes (I couldn’t believe it was that long but that’s what the time stamp says on my pictures!) and then headed back towards Fantasyland. I was bound and determined to ride something there. Luke said no to everything so we just decided that we’d get in line for something & figure out how to deal with it if he flipped out.

I choose Pooh since they have the new queue. I wanted to check it out for a number of reasons! First, this was my first time traveling to Disney since I became a Travel Agent. I was really seeing the parks from a different set of eyes! I was there for both research and fun!!! I also wanted to see the queue because I thought Luke would enjoy “playing” while we waited in line and I’m doing a Pooh theme in the baby’s nursery. I really wanted to take some good pictures to use in the nursery.

I was half right about my choice. Luke loved the queue. He had a really good time playing, but when he goes to play, he wants to stay there forever. It’s hard to get him away. Luckily they have the giant honey walls & as soon as I showed them to Luke, he immediately wanted to get back in line with us! He really liked how the characters disappear & reappear. He kept telling me to find Piglet or find Rabbit or whichever character he saw. (Sorry for the blurry picture!)

New Queue pictures:

I thought I made a good choice with the ride until we get into the honeypot and it starts to bounce. Luke freaked out at first, but started to calm down once he saw the characters. He was singing a Pooh song & talking about Tigger. I thought he would love the ride...and he did!

…until the lightning. He is scared to death of storms, lightning, and the dark. I don’t think I ever rode the Pooh ride before and if I did, I have no memory of it, so I didn’t know there was a storm! He cried for the rest of the ride & while the people sitting in front of us seemed sympathetic, I felt horrible for them. I don’t think they got to enjoy the ride because he was screaming & crying.

It was now 6:30pm and after we got our stroller, we had our first family argument of the trip. I don't remember details because I attempted to block it out, but I was very sad at this point. I had done A TON of planning -- not too specific but just a general day by day plan. I wanted to do a lot of things we had missed on previous trips. Every year my DH and I are shocked at how much we've missed! It was important to me to "catch up" on things but not for me, for THEM. And because they weren't having a good time, now I wasn't either.

We stopped somewhere in Frontierland for a restroom break & I just held Luke and rocked him. Yes, he’s three now and maybe he’s a toddler, but he is still just a little boy. We all have things we are afraid of and Disney can be overwhelming to young children. I don’t know why last year was fine and this year was a nightmare. I don’t know why he loved everything last year and this year everything terrifies him. But my heart was breaking that he wasn’t having a good trip. Yes I am the one obsessed with Disney. Yes I am the main person who wants to go on trips. But I plan it all for them. I take all of their likes and dislikes into consideration. I plan for us as a family, not for just myself. I just told myself it was the first day & maybe things would get better

For those of you who know me well, you will be able to tell exactly how upset I was! I put away my camera and didn’t take another picture the rest of the evening!!!

Luke ended up falling asleep a short time later so we decided to find a seat and wait for the Main Street Electrical Parade. This was the only time that we would be at MK at night (other than our MNSSHP night) so it was our only chance to see MSEP. I don’t have any pictures of the parade but I do have a video. It’s the entire parade so I will try to upload it to YouTube and post here for you to see!

After the MSEP, we walked out of Magic Kingdom exhausted from our travel day. Our luggage had arrived in our room, so I changed Luke into his pjs and then decided to just start unpacking. I needed something to do to keep my focus on looking forward to the next day instead of thinking of the current one. After all, the next day was our Epcot day & I had a lot of plans scheduled!!!

Not only is Epcot our favorite park, but I scheduled the Behind the Seeds Tour as a surprise for my husband!!! He loves to garden and it’s become a hobby for the entire family each summer. We also had a dinner reservation at Garden Grill! It was basically a day I had planned specifically for my husband. Before he went to bed, I told him not to worry about what had happened that day…I said “Tomorrow will be better, after all, it’s your day!!!”

I stayed up to unpack most of our things. I wasn’t sure when I’d have another chance to do it as we planned to stay at Epcot the next day (Thursday) until after Illuminations. And Friday was our only scheduled full day at Hollywood Studios. I wanted to stay until park closing if possible because the only other day we’d be at DHS was for 3-4 hours. I stayed up until around 12:30 midnight unpacking.

And that's when things got interesting on the Third Floor of the Beach Club. . . . .