Resorts, Relatives & Restaurants - and a 3 day cruise!

[Pluto_fan]

WOW that's a long drive! But hooray for an extra Disney Day!

The Swan looks beautiful--I've never really thought about staying there, but it looks very nice, great location, and they do seem to offer some good discounts. Might have to think about that in the future!

Your girls are lovely! Great leaf story, too

 

[kcandbella]

The Swan looks really nice! Can't wait to read about your time in the parks!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I had some major catching up to do! I cannot believe you did all that driving. My goodness! You guys are troopers!

The Swan looks great. I have never seen anyone's TR with the Swan in it so that was nice to see. It is in a great location. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

OMG what awesome pictures!! Thanks so much for sharing them.

I am very determined to stay in the BW area next trip!

Cute leaf story!

Very excited for more!

Thanks! I love the BW area too!! So close to Epcot and WS (my favorite place!)

Another great chapter!

Those beds look amazing! I sudden;y felt so sleepy just looking at them!

I am in the midst of planning a dream trip (totally in my head and nowhere placed in reality) for me and DH where we get to spend a whole day just wandering around that area! It sounds like so much fun! Can't wait to see some pics!

Poor Sarah! My 8 yr old is totally fearless on any thrill ride. Her one ride that she is currently refusing to ride again - Haunted MAnsion!

Keep it coming Sheree!

Yeah, those beds were awesome! I would love a trip where DH and I could roam the BW/BC/YC area and World Showcase! Lots of good pics to come!
I even got Paige to go on and enjoy HM!!!

The leaf thing is cracking me up!!! Too funny!! Your room is beautiful! And what a great view you had!!

Yeah, we got a lot of mileage out of Sarah's leaf fear! The room was so nice - it seemed huge! Too bad it was only one night. We were even able to see some fireworks from Illuminations.

What a super comfy looking bed at the Swalphin! Perfect for after driving FOREVER!!!
Great view of TOT!
Funny leaf story!

Tracy

Maybe that's why that bed seemed so awesome! I had just spent over 24 hours in a car! LOL

SO, was that like 26.5 hrs on the road??? Are my calculations correct? We did 18 and that was MORE than enough for me. Don't know if I could do it again. (20 on the way back but that's a whole other story)!!

The girls are adorable! I would've never noticed they were wearing the same clothes!

That cracks me up about the leaf! Reminds me of when my neice was little (really little) she had a fear of fuzz...we took full advantage of that to entertain ourselves! Terrible people, we are!!

Yup, your calculations were correct. It was a really long time!
I love the fuzz story! Let's face it - we have kids to entertain ourselves!

WOW that's a long drive! But hooray for an extra Disney Day!

The Swan looks beautiful--I've never really thought about staying there, but it looks very nice, great location, and they do seem to offer some good discounts. Might have to think about that in the future!

Your girls are lovely! Great leaf story, too

Thank you. I love bonus days at Disney!! The Swan/Dolphin is really nice - it has a lot of pros and only 2 cons. No ME and no DDP. But you can get really good deals. It's a deluxe and you can get it for less than $200 per night.

The Swan looks really nice! Can't wait to read about your time in the parks!

Can you believe we don't set foot in the park until Sunday evening??? Don't worry I have lots of stuff to entertain you on Saturday and Sunday morning. Including animals, surprises and a Kona review!!

I had some major catching up to do! I cannot believe you did all that driving. My goodness! You guys are troopers!

The Swan looks great. I have never seen anyone's TR with the Swan in it so that was nice to see. It is in a great location. Can't wait to hear more!

Yeah, I think we deserve an award for long crazy driving trips. My husband is big into driving (he can control the time and route etc.) and he really likes to actually drive. So I don't do much driving, but I can't read in the car, so I get bored.
I think I have a few more pics from the Swan to share.

 

[Cory's Gal]

Hi Sheree!! Another Minnesota girl here!! LOVE the Wild jerseys by the way!! And go Vikes!!!!
Anyways, love your TR so far!! It is so cool to stay at 3 resorts in one trip, I would LOVE to do something like that someday!! And a cruise too for that matter! Glad to know the drive wasn't so horrible from the Twin Cities, DH and I would love to that with our kids when they are a little bit older AND I would have to agree that the toll booths in Illinois are awful! We have eaten at the McD's in Tomah before many times on our way to visit DH family in eastern Wisconsin! It's always fun to read a TR from people from MN!!!! Can't wait to read more!!! Stay warm, tomorrow is supposed to be a real cold day!!!
~Beth

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hi Sheree!! Another Minnesota girl here!! LOVE the Wild jerseys by the way!! And go Vikes!!!!
Anyways, love your TR so far!! It is so cool to stay at 3 resorts in one trip, I would LOVE to do something like that someday!! And a cruise too for that matter! Glad to know the drive wasn't so horrible from the Twin Cities, DH and I would love to that with our kids when they are a little bit older AND I would have to agree that the toll booths in Illinois are awful! We have eaten at the McD's in Tomah before many times on our way to visit DH family in eastern Wisconsin! It's always fun to read a TR from people from MN!!!! Can't wait to read more!!! Stay warm, tomorrow is supposed to be a real cold day!!!
~Beth

Hey Beth!
It's always nice to hear from other Minnesotans! Where do you live? I'm in Oakdale.
I see you have a trip coming up - I'm going to have to check out your PTR! You stay warm too!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Hey Beth!
It's always nice to hear from other Minnesotans! Where do you live? I'm in Oakdale.
I see you have a trip coming up - I'm going to have to check out your PTR! You stay warm too!!!

No way!!! I grew up in Oakdale and now live in Woodbury!! Love the eastside I am trying to "feel warmer" by reading trip reports!! Looking forward to an update!!

 

[drakes]

Schwan (lol) Yay for you. that view is very cool of MGM/ DHS !
The rooms there are nice, beds do look super comfy!
Glad the drive went so smoothly for you!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

No way!!! I grew up in Oakdale and now live in Woodbury!! Love the eastside I am trying to "feel warmer" by reading trip reports!! Looking forward to an update!!

Well you really are a neighbor!! I'm in Woodbury all the time. Used to live there before I got married too. Do you know where Imation is? Hwy 5 and 694? I live about a mile from there.
I'll try to get an update up soon - might not be til Saturday.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Phew!!! All caught up now! Can't believe my hubby got to it before I did!

WOW!!! Sheree, you are an amazing woman! Planning for 12 people!

We have Canadian Rednecks up here too! People who drive nasty old beat up broken down pick up trucks with beautiful brand new snowmobiles on the back and a big ole dog hangin' out the window!

Love all the pre trip stuff, can'twait to hear how the actual trip went!!! Particularly the drive down and arrival at AKL!!!

ha!!! how funny!!! I guess they are everywhere, right?

SHEREE!!!! This TR is amazing!!!!!You should have done our pre-trippie!!! I read the first couple of pages before I took my computer in...but I am all caught up now...I thought I had posted earlier, but I guess not. Anyhoo....so many things I wanted to comment on! First...I have had the privelege of meeting Sheree twice!!!! She is totally awesome!! If we were closer, she would be my best friend! Our kids got along great--mine kept talking about the girls all week----these are super kids and they are gorgeous!!! Sarah does look exactly like Sheree and Paige looks like Dave....funny...my little Gracie has LuLu for a nickname also!!!!!! I have called her that since she was teeny tiny...don't know why...it just stuck.
Loved the ***** I couldn't figure out why you were doing it tho' Thought it was some new thing...
Love your Passat! My neighbor has a VW...I think it's the Passat, but it's not a wagon...I loooove that car! I am a big ole suburban girl! I have 2 big growing boys and I need all the room I can get!!! I think I would die if I had to ride for 26 hours in a car!!! Dave is awesome!!! Mike and Dave have hit it off both times they have got to 'meet'....Mike always says " I love that guy" when we talk about them...and ds14 says, Me too...he's so cool!!! Ha!!! Dave--you have a fan club!!!!
As far as bringing family: Forget it...ain't gonna happen. I think I would slit my wrists...... we are not that kinda family...I know some people do it and LOVE it...that would just be a sort of extended torture for me. I think if I had a sister...maybe that would work...but I like to do my planning and no one in my family would cooperate...so that's out!
Oh...love the Shwan thing!!! I could just hear him saying that ...okay....keep those updates coming! I am reeeeeaaaaally enjoying this!

 

[BlueBayou]

Still loving your trip report. I can't believe you survived 26 hours straight in a car.

I can't see both of our girls (ages 9 and 6) surviving that long They do like to push each others buttons. We do okay with 6 hours or so... but longer...

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Dang it, I had a post almost ready and accidentally hit something else and POOF! It was gone. So I start over.

So we packed up our belongings and loaded up the car in case we weren't back before check-out at 11. Even though it was drizzly, we didn't really need rain coats, but it was cool. So we walked over to

We walked along the boardwalk and Sarah made friends with a duck swimming along. She loves ducks! One even tried to walk down the dock ramp to one of the boats! We went in the back way to the Boardwalk Inn.

It seemed busy and crowded in the lobby. Of course it was a Saturday morning around checkout time, but I think this was why:

Look at that silly Donald!!
We spent about 15 minutes trying to find the hidden Mickeys and found all but one! The detail on this stuff is amazing!
Isn't this pretty?

For LL

More to come...

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Next up: Beach Club
Oh is this a beautiful resort!! I know some of you have stayed there - LUCKY! We really loved this place and the decorations made it even more beautiful!

All this and we hadn't even gotten inside yet!

Paige's favorite Princess - Belle!

Off to the Yacht Club next! They didn't have a big gingerbread thing, but it was still cool to check out what they did have...
Continued in next post...

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Oops - found some more Beach Club pictures:

While we were wandering around toward the gift shop at BC -we saw the place where they do portraits. We spotted this picture and had to snap a shot - See the dog on the left? This is Cody!!! (Only better groomed!). We've always wanted to have the girls' portrait done. Someday before they get too big! It costs around $200 though!!

Okay now the Yacht Club - I love how the Christmas decorations on the tree reflected the theme of the resort too.

So the Yacht Club set up this village with a train running around it and all kinds of cute little buildings and even Santa's workshop! There's lots of references to places around Disney and the YC!

Look at the characters swinging around! And the Mickey ears water tower!

Santa's workshop

Eventually we made our way back to the Dolphin and Swan. During our tour we were playing a game with the girls. Sarah was wondering, if our relatives were meeting us the next day, Sunday, and we were all staying at BLT, where were we sleeping tonight? So we said it's a surprise. They begged and begged. So we gave them clues.
The first was - We had never stayed there before. We'd stayed somewhere different on all our visits, so that took a few out of the running.
We gave them a clue every hour.
They kept asking what time it was!
The second clue was - We have a great view.
The third clue was - Cody would like it.
The fourth clue was - it will be wild.

They didn't guess it!!

Some more walking around pictures before we hopped in the car to see if we could check in at the mystery resort:

cont...

 

[Mndisneygirl]

More Swan pictures:

There was this HUGE revolving door that fascinated the girls. The special thing was there was a Christmas tree IN it!! It was so fun to rotate the door!

Isn't this pretty?

Here it was about 11:30 and we thought we'd see if we could check in early, knowing full well it was a Saturday and there was NO WAY we would have a room ready. I figured the kids were dying to know where we were headed, so we piled into the car (remember it's still LOADED!) and started driving. They kept guessing, and Sarah, being the smarty pants, is reading the road signs trying to see which way we were headed. As soon as she saw us follow the one that said Animal Kingdom, she guessed - ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE!!!!
Well, she was right.
Of course I took a picture at the gate.

While I got in line, Dave and the girls looked around. I was talking to a lady in front of me and I don't remember what their specific issue was, but they had to do something special (maybe switching rooms, or re-checking in). But she was a little older, and her kids were adult age. She noticed my LGMH tag on my purse and asked if I was a DISer!!! Her kids looked at us like we were from Mars, and she told them that's where she read someone's TR about AKL - she mentioned a couple names that I recognized too!!! It was so fun!
So needless to say, our room was not ready, but we got all checked in and they were going to text me with the room number later.
I'll post more pictures of AKL in another episode. I have TONS of them and frankly, I'm getting tired of posting pictures!!

We decided to head to DTD for lunch and shopping. It was clearing up outside, but still chilly. We were going to get our usual Christmas ornament, and I was looking for some gifts too. We knew we had a discount at World of Disney if we used our Disney Visa (that thing got a workout!) So off we went...

And where would we eat?? I'd heard good things about so many places...

 

[Charleston Princess]

What a beautiful resort tour, Sheree! I think the Christmas decorations at the Epcot resorts are some of my favorites, and I love all the gingerbread creations! How fun to just enjoy all of them!

Yippee for AKL! How I love it there! Looking forward to seeing the Christmas decorations!

 

[manntra]

Yes, it was a beautiful resort tour! I especially liked the YC decorations....I don't think I have seen that yet in anyones TR. So much detail there.
I was laughing at the tree in the revolving door! That is not something you see every day!!
Looking forward to your AKL pictures....my favorite! I just love the smell as you walk through the lobby....

Tracy

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Well THERE YOU ARE!!! It is so nice to finally see what you look like! What a sweet picture of you and the girls!


Just curious...how long did Sarah wear those pants?

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Oops.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Thank you all! I really fell in love with the decor and the Christmas decorations of those resorts. I must be destined to stay in a deluxe resort! HA!

Kim - Thank you - I'm usually not in too many pictures, I'm behind the camera more. I'm in a lot of photopass ones, I'm just waiting on the CD. Anyone know how long that takes? I ordered it last weekend.
Sarah only wore those awful pants that day. It seems like longer because of all the pictures, but really it was only our first day after arrival! Plus it warms up! Those pants are in a better place now. Not in our house!

I wanted to mention something else fun about our trip. On Saturday morning I started getting texts from my friend Shawna. You all know her on the DIS as Disneymommy3 from Texas. She was leaving to go to WDW that morning - the day after they had SNOW in TX!!! She kept me posted with messages like "we're at the airport" "we're delayed"!! We knew we would be in the same parks on certain days of our trip, so we had planned to meet up. It was fun to keep track of her travels. There would be many more texts as the week went on!