She's Collecting Castles and Staying at Copper Creek, a January-February 2021 Trip Report (Completed 5/7, Updated 5/17)

[GrandCalifornian]

Love reading about your Disney trips. Sometimes traveling with a group doesn't work out but it seems to work well for you. You had so many great moments that will be memories to look back on. Marshall's standing ovation - so cute! The 2 bedroom at the BC looks so nice. Great location for sure. We were there early March and boots lady was missing - I was confused. Not sure what the plan is for Spaceship Earth? Anyway, really enjoy your TR's!

Yeah, when they first announced the upcoming refurb it didn't appear we'd be back before it started, but then the world changed and one positive side effect was we got to see the current version one more time. We'll see if/when they proceed with the refurb, but at least we got to see the current version again.

We did have a great trip, and everyone in the group had a wonderful time. Part of the fun of doing the trip reports is getting to go over all the great little moments, and Marshall's standing ovation was definitely one of them. Part of the key to success for us though is having time for everyone to do their own thing. This day we wound up as a party of four for a bit because we had things that only us and the kids wanted to do, like hopping back over to HS.

Thanks for following and commenting, and we're so glad that you enjoy the reports.

We haven't stay in the 2 br villa since it has been remodeled. It looks really nice. Is this the first time you toured it?

Yes, this was our first time seeing one of the BC rooms in person. We had done the online 3D virtual tours, but getting to see it in person was great.

That is a really short wait. I guess that the crowds really thin down near closing time.

Yeah, it had relatively low wait times during most of our trip, but this was one we just had to take advantage of. I think it was showing like 20 minutes, but it turned out to be shorter than that.

The Friendship boats are great when you are tired and don't want to walk anymore. But they are not as nice as the boats they use at WL.

We like the size of the friendship boats, and appreciate their unique propulsion system where the propeller "pod" can rotate 360 degrees. They use the same hull as the fireworks cruise boat that we have gotten to ride occasionally between WL and MK, although the enclosed cabin of the friendship boats is prettier. Our biggest issue with them at the Epcot resorts is it is slow to go back and forth between the resorts, but this night we were in no hurry and stayed on for the whole trip.

That is high praise for the Bison Burger. We love the food at Geyser Point. My favorite is the smoked turkey sandwich. We might be going to Geyser Point for dinner next week, so it is good to know that we can mobile order if the restaurant is crowded.

The burger was excellent, but we do have to clarify one point. We were not able to Mobile Order, we had to stand in line near the bar to place a to go order at the bar, which we then waited to pick up once it was ready. The effect was the same, but instead of being able to order in the app like any other quick service restaurant, we had to wait in a physical (and socially distanced) line to place the order with a person and thne hang around the general area to wait to pick it up. We still highly recommend it as we had food before we woudl have been seated otherwise.

You can pull the desk chair in from the master bedroom for a sixth chair. If you are serving a meal then just pull the three chairs to the table and six can fit comfortably. We have also squeezed four people on the bench. There is a high chair in the closet which can be used for a toddler or small child and fits at the end of the table. We have held two birthdays parties with 7 adults at that table.

That is neat, and good to know. I don't know if we would all sit at the table at once, as we likely would have a couple of us at the bar anyway, but we still might want to bring in the chair if we all have breakfast at the same time.

Well, I am very late to the party here! But wonderful trip reporting again! I can not get over how grown up Marshall is looking!

Welcome, and thanks for joining in! We can't believe he is already 5! He is such a ball of energy, but can see amazingly mature, like when he talks to us about what he thinks would be a good opportunity for us. He is also amazingly outgoing, as he will pretty much talk to anybody...

Again, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for stopping by to comment, and for following along, whenever you got started. You caught up to us, although we do hope to have another update with the start of the last day soon, but life is keeping us extra busy right now. We always can't wait to share more of the trip, and plan for the next one.

 

[eliseisawkward]

I swear I posted a reply a while ago, but it disappeared. Oh well.

Beach Club is on my short list for point rentals on my next trip. I’m hoping to do a split stay, but with renting points I’m not 100% sure how that will go. I’ll have to keep an eye out for your future report to see how you like it!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We stopped at Geyser Point for lunch today and saw a man place his alcoholic drinks to go order with the bartender. There was a line to get a table at 12:30 and we had to use the dining app to place a walk up reservation. We only had to wait about five minutes and the food was good as usual.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Hi everybody! We have been extra busy this week with life, but we will get the next day of pictures done and post an update very soon.

I swear I posted a reply a while ago, but it disappeared. Oh well.

Beach Club is on my short list for point rentals on my next trip. I’m hoping to do a split stay, but with renting points I’m not 100% sure how that will go. I’ll have to keep an eye out for your future report to see how you like it!

Yeah, we have always thought the Epcot area had a lot of appeal, but never have stayed there. For us the point rental was an easy way to do a split stay, since we were able to book Beach Club at the 11 month window, and used our points for the Copper Creek portion, also with the 11 month booking priority.
We are looking forward to next year’s trip, and will start a PTR at some point. We have some other cool stuff coming up that we will share too.

We stopped at Geyser Point for lunch today and saw a man place his alcoholic drinks to go order with the bartender. There was a line to get a table at 12:30 and we had to use the dining app to place a walk up reservation. We only had to wait about five minutes and the food was good as usual.

That’s neat. Getting to visit Geyser Point is so nice, especially since that means you are at WDW, and particularly WL! We can’t wait to be back.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I got up on Saturday at 6:30 and took a shower, then Marshall got up and we watched the 7AM Geyser form the balcony before heading out together.


We went by the front desk to apply another gift card, but the card had been charged already at 1AM, so they did a refund and re-charge, thus adding to the room bill confusion.

They made something so simple so complicated.

We walked all around and saw the 8:00 Geyser from up close, and took some more resort pictures then got back to the room at 8:30.







Melissa decided she wanted one last round of Mickey Waffles, so the kids and I went down to pick them up from Roaring Fork. On the way we took some more pictures.




It was a gloomy grey chilly morning and you could tell a storm was coming in. It didn't help the going home day mood.

We ate breakfast in the room and finished packing and cleaning up. Grandpa came by about 9:45 as Grandma dropped off her scooter in the lobby. We called Bell Services to come pick up our bags, then sat in the room for a bit and talked about the great trip. We started our meal planning for next year...



I went down and took some pictures of the kids on the balcony from the courtyard.




Since everyone else had earlier flights than us we said our goodbyes and left them all at the resort. The four of us still had a couple of things to check off the list before we headed to the airport.

We finally left our room at 11:15, and said goodbye to Jon and Brandy there. They were just going to hang out at the resort and stayed in the room just a little bit longer. We then went down and said our goodbyes to Grandma and Grandpa in the lobby.


After leaving everyone else we headed over to Magic Kingdom.


We got on the bus at 11:23 and got to MK at 11:28.


We got in the park at 11:34, and the app showed 10 min for Tomorrowland Speedway and 20 min for Barnstormer, so we started towards the speedway.




I rode with Allie and she drove but then didn't want to push on the gas, I told her that was the whole point of driving.


This really is a nice fun ride, and Marshall is old enough that he loves it now. He was very proud of the job he did steering the car.


As we got off the ride the crowd was getting noticeably more crowded, but we continued to Barnstormer.



We got in line at 12:10 and placed our mobile order for Tomorrowland Terrace which had the food from Colombia Harbor House. We also saw the construction of the Tron coaster, which will be cool someday.


Marshall really enjoyed Barnstormer although he was disappointed it was so short. He's nothing like Allie as far as enjoying thrill rides that's for sure. He's already outgrown it.


We got off of Barnstormer at 12:31 and started towards lunch. On the way we saw soft serve at Auntie Gravity's, and decided we needed a brownie sundae. Why not have dessert first?


We carried it with us over to Tomorrowland Terrace where we picked up our lunch that we ordered.

I really wish we had known about the food over at Tommorrowland Terrace earlier in the trip. We really love it and it would have been a better option than Pecos Bills. Either way I still got to have my fish and hushpuppies so overall it was a win.


This was the best quick serve at MK as far as I was concerned, and it rivaled the Epcot Fish and Chips plus had a nice inside place to eat. This came in handy since it started sprinkling just as we finished up our dessert and lunch.


Check back in our next update as we said goodbye to MK, WL, and WDW before heading to MCO. Whew...

 

[Paulaparm]

I love Wilderness Lodge...it's so peaceful. I forget I'm so close to all the excitement!
How fortunate you are to be able to make plans for the next trip as you are finishing this one

 

[Wood Nymph]

I rode with Allie and she drove but then didn't want to push on the gas, I told her that was the whole point of driving.

I had to push the gas pedal for my grandkids. It was too far away for them, and it took a lot of force to do it.

We got in line at 12:10 and placed our mobile order for Tomorrowland Terrace which had the food from Colombia Harbor House.

I really wish we had known about the food over at Tommorrowland Terrace earlier in the trip. We really love it and it would have been a better option than Pecos Bills. Either way I still got to have my fish and hushpuppies so overall it was a win.

I didn't know that Tomorrowland Terrace had the food from Columbia Harbor House until I read it here. The move isn't very well advertised.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I love Wilderness Lodge...it's so peaceful. I forget I'm so close to all the excitement!
How fortunate you are to be able to make plans for the next trip as you are finishing this one

Yes, we love the combination of quiet seclusion and proximity to all the activity of MK. It is our perfect resort.

We find that planning the next trip is always a fun activity, ad starting before we leave makes going home easier.

I had to push the gas pedal for my grandkids. It was too far away for them, and it took a lot of force to do it.

I didn't know that Tomorrowland Terrace had the food from Columbia Harbor House until I read it here. The move isn't very well advertised.

Yeah, those pedals are kind of stiff. I pushed it for Marshall and he was happy to focus on the steering.

The CHH food enhancement at Tomorrowland Terrace wasn't well publicised, but that's ok, it might be part of why it wasn't over-crowded. We'll take it...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, we had just finished lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace and it was starting to rain. It didn't make it any easier to leave, but we knew it was time to make our way out of the park.

We went in the Emporium and shopped. While Melissa had the kids in one section, I picked up two surprise Nuimos to take home for Allie, so that Mickey and Minnie could join the others as a Valentines present once we were back home.


We also picked up some gifts for Allie's friends back home at the Emporium and then we headed over to the camera shop.


We almost bought Allie a phone case there, but decided not to and then went outside and watched the Rainy Day Cavalcade.


We then headed out of the park, leaving at 1:57, then got right on a big boat at 2:01. The boat was almost empty, and we got to chat with a CM.



He was great and pointed out a bird on the water bridge. He told us her name and said her mate was nearby and he didn't have a name. We worked up a name for the other bird (cannot remember either birds names) and then started chatting about DVC. He is also a DVC member and really enjoys Aulani.

It was a very nice conversation, and made us feel so much at home and showed how much so many CMs love their job. We made it back to WL at 2:15. We then got one last round of mug refills from Roaring Fork and sat outside and let Marshall run around for a bit.


The flight from Orlando to LA is a long one so it was nice to have him burn off some extra steam. He's a busy guy.

We went up to get our bags at 2:55, and they offered to take the to the DME bus for us, but we decided to go through them ourselves so we could pack things for the flight.


We chatted with a nice couple in the lobby whose Grandson calls the ramp at WL the carpet mountain, which seemed so cute.

I think that's what we'll call it from now on too. They also are DVC members and said it was one of the best purchases they've ever made. It's so great to hear stories like that from other people who took their kids to Disney year after year and are still confident in that decision.

It seems we meet another similar couple every year. How does Disney arrange that?

We walked outside at 3:35 and the bus driver was already waiting. We loaded onto the bus and left at 3:40. I got the perfect leaving picture, the saddest pic of the trip...



Our driver John was nice and funny. He made jokes about Disney making sure that we didn't go home with any discretionary income. After a stop at the Poly until 3:50, we made it to the airport at 4:22.


I assure you we spent all of our discretionary income.

At the airport we went and dropped off checked bags for the first time, which wasn't a big deal at all.


We had enough extra time that we decided to get dinner before going through security.

Much of the center mall area was still closed, and the only meal options were Sbarro, McDonalds, Panda Express, and Chick Fil A.


The airport part is pretty boring. We had dinner at Chick Fil A and then were able to get through security. One of our bags was flagged but it was no big deal and we were through in no time.

It was super nice to have TSA Pre. Even with the extra process at security we were through in a couple of minutes by 5:25.

Once through security we stopped and picked up bottles of water and Paul caved and bought Marshall a NASA plane with a shuttle.

It was one of those times when I wanted the toy, and Marshall gave me the perfect excuse to get it...

We then headed to our gate and when we got there at 6:00 our plane was already there. The kids sat and played together nicely, which was pretty nice after 10 days of togetherness.


While we waited we chatted with Katie and Matt, a young couple from Glendora who were finishing up a week in Orlando.

They were so sweet and Marshall being his outgoing self made fast friends.

They reminded me so much of the two of us on our honeymoon.

Next we boarded the plane, and the process went super fast since the flight attendants helped load the bags. It was a plane full of largely Disney families, which felt nice. Everyone was well behaved after following Disney mask rules for their trips.


It was a quiet flight Marshall fell asleep pretty quick and Allie is fairly self sufficient so I got to enjoy some downloaded Netflix and listening to my audiobook.

I took advantage of the internet I had bought for the trip there and played online between naps.

As we were getting ready to land Marshall woke up and said "I can't believe I survived this without snacks!"

It truly was a miracle.

We landed on time, then had no issues picking up our bags. On the way to baggage claim Marshall saw Katie and Matt and remembered her name. He is such a people person.

Somehow we got all the luggage to fit back into the car after some Tetris like maneuvers.


After un-nesting the bags we took with us it was a snug fit. Nothing wound up on the roof though so we were good. We had a nice trip home, and made it home before too late that night, or at least before midnight...

It was a great trip even with all of the new COVID modifications. None of us got sick which was my biggest worry, we didn't even come home with a sniffle. I might make mask wearing on planes mandatory from now until eternity.

It was the first trip I can recall without some post-trip sickness, so all of the hand washing and masks did their job. Best of all it still felt like Disney, and left us waiting to go back as soon as possible.

Stay tuned for our trip wrap up.


We will sum up our experiences and what we thought of the COVID changes, as well as show our updated Disney art wall now that we are home.

 

[Wood Nymph]

He is also a DVC member and really enjoys Aulani.

Do you think you will schedule a trip to Aulani in the future? I would be worried that Aulani would be too Disney and not Hawaiian enough.

It seems we meet another similar couple every year. How does Disney arrange that?

The nicest people tend to stay at WL.

Our driver John was nice and funny. He made jokes about Disney making sure that we didn't go home with any discretionary income.

That's a good one.

It was one of those times when I wanted the toy, and Marshall gave me the perfect excuse to get it...

That's one of the perks of having kids.

It was a plane full of largely Disney families, which felt nice. Everyone was well behaved after following Disney mask rules for their trips.

They were probably all tired, too, if they had a final day that was as busy as your day was.

It was a great trip even with all of the new COVID modifications. None of us got sick which was my biggest worry, we didn't even come home with a sniffle. I might make mask wearing on planes mandatory from now until eternity.

We haven't gotten sick from our trips, either. The mask wearing really pays off. It will feel odd when the mask mandate is over. I won't be surprised if a lot of people continue to wear them for awhile.

 

[pinkxray]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip!

We are new DVC members and haven’t been to Copper Creek yet. (Stayed at BR before Copper Creek was around). Our 7m booking window opened today and I was shocked to see a 2 bedroom at Copper Creek for our 3 nights in Nov. I grabbed it and after seeing your pics I am super excited to stay there!
Your room looks perfect. Do you make a room request?

I love how you spend time at Fort Wilderness. I haven’t been there yet but plan to take our kids(4 and 6 ) to check out the playground and let the little one do horseback riding.

Thanks again for all the helpful ideas for our next trip!

 

[ambula603]

As always, I have thoroughly enjoyed your trip report! I cannot believe how much the kids are growing. It looked pretty chilly in some of your pictures this time!

 

[cajunfan]

As usual, I have enjoyed your journey! Can't wait to read the wrap up and see that ART WALL!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Do you think you will schedule a trip to Aulani in the future? I would be worried that Aulani would be too Disney and not Hawaiian enough.

We would like to try it sometime, and it might be a good way to get us more interested in Hawaii. We figure if it is done "DIsney RIght" it would be worth seeing. We aren't willing to pass up on a WDW trip for it yet, though

The nicest people tend to stay at WL.

It really seems to be true!

That's one of the perks of having kids.

We do have more chances to buy the cool toys...

They were probably all tired, too, if they had a final day that was as busy as your day was.

I know they didn't have any more fun than we did!

We haven't gotten sick from our trips, either. The mask wearing really pays off. It will feel odd when the mask mandate is over. I won't be surprised if a lot of people continue to wear them for awhile.

Yeah, there really does seem to be some benefit to everyone being more careful.

Thank you so much for sharing your trip!

You are most welcome! Thanks for following along and letting us know you enjoyed it.

We are new DVC members and haven’t been to Copper Creek yet. (Stayed at BR before Copper Creek was around). Our 7m booking window opened today and I was shocked to see a 2 bedroom at Copper Creek for our 3 nights in Nov. I grabbed it and after seeing your pics I am super excited to stay there!
Your room looks perfect. Do you make a room request?

Congratulations on the DVC membership, and on snagging a CCV reservation. We really love those rooms.

I love how you spend time at Fort Wilderness. I haven’t been there yet but plan to take our kids(4 and 6 ) to check out the playground and let the little one do horseback riding.

It is a great area, and worth the trip over, even if the boats aren't running. It continually amazes us how much the kids enjoy simple things like a basic playground.

Thanks again for all the helpful ideas for our next trip!

You're welcome. Let us know how it goes!

As always, I have thoroughly enjoyed your trip report! I cannot believe how much the kids are growing. It looked pretty chilly in some of your pictures this time!

Yeah, they sure do seem to grow up fast. I guess that's what happens when we keep feeding them. It was different being there in colder weather, but most of us really loved it. Allie prefers September, but it was still great for everyone.

As usual, I have enjoyed your journey! Can't wait to read the wrap up and see that ART WALL!

Thanks! We will write a wrap up soon, but life has gotten super busy. We will post a real life update next with the status of the Disney Wall...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Real life Update: So, since things weren't chaotic enough between Disney trips, a few weeks ago we started looking at larger houses with more land. Currently we live in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath 960 sq ft house, but as the kids get bigger another bathroom sure would be nice.

Two weeks ago we put an offer in on a house a little way away from where we are now. It had some land and a pool and most importantly two bathrooms. We were really excited at the possibility of moving to this home. Unfortunately the market is just nuts and our offer wasn't accepted. However that was just the beginning.

The next weekend we saw another one, closer to our current house and were able to put an offer in on it that was accepted, contingent upon the sale of our current house. That kicked off a whirlwind of cleaning, moving furniture, and staging the house that just came to a close with the house being shown this weekend.

Unfortunately, one of the first parts of the staging process was removing the pictures from the Disney Wall. So, here is how it looked for the few months since we got the art before putting it all into storage:




It really was lovely for a while though.

And it will be awesome when it has a new home. We are debating about spreading it out or having a Disney wall again, but we'll have some time to figure that out.

We are going to have SO MUCH MORE wall space it's crazy. We hope, we're in escrow but as they say it's not over til it's over.

We are optimistic and have done everything we can do to help the process along.

This weekend is the first weekend of showings for our current house so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly and we'll be moving in a little over a month.

We should be able to get this report finished just in time to pack the rest of our stuff...

 

[princessbelle2015]

Hoping your showing goes great and you sell your house quickly.

 

[Wood Nymph]

This weekend is the first weekend of showings for our current house so fingers crossed everything goes smoothly and we'll be moving in a little over a month.

I hope your house sells right away. It is such an inconvenience to keep the house clean, especially when you have kids.

Your Disney wall looks great. It will probably look even better in the new house.

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Congrats on your new house!!! And love your Disney wall!!!! Good luck this weekend!!! Fingers crossed you get an offer or two!!!

 

[rdkeim]

What a great Disney trip - it really sounded almost perfect. We were there in March after a 3 year absence. Plan on going again next year now that we're both retired It was so great spending a couple weeks out of the Midwest winter. Wow, a new house! Hope your showing goes well and you get some interested buyers!

 

[cajunfan]

Wow! Congratulations! I do not envy you dealing with the housing market! Here in Nashville it is absolutely bonkers. I would not want to buy a house here right now (unless I won a lottery jackpot and had lots of cash laying around).
Good luck with the showing.