Smiles, Sand and Sunstroke!! A May 2012 Beach Club Trip of a Lifetime

[luvpoohandcompany]

Love that you got some alone time at MK

 

[Pinkgirl]

Oh, I was sooo far behind! But, I'm all caught up now

Wow - you have a pet mouse Felt so sorry for your DS, I know what its like to to ill on holiday - I spent a day in bed and had to have the doctor back in 2008.

Loved your AK pictures - my DD wants to add that you had very few "bum" shots lol *** I always manage to take photos of bottoms!

Fab that you get to spend some "me" time at MK. Looking forward to your next installment.

 

[Feckless]

Day 10 - Part 2: Magic Kingdom avec la famille! Plus a fun surprise in Fantasyland

So, I was shopping around on Main Street and I got a text from DH - they got to the park, and DS didn’t have his KTTW card! Imagine! I guess my control freak tendencies were missed when they were getting ready. LOL Anyway, Guest Services re-issued DS’s card, no trouble, which was great. Next thing you know, we were all together again! The kids were a bit put out that I had this adventure without them, but they had to suck it up.

The kids were most interested in doing Space Mountain again, so we headed straight to Tomorrowland. Walked straight on, and had another great ride. After that, we had our first ride on the Peoplemover. Loved it! Here we are:

I loved that it changed speed during the ride, and I loved the view.

After Peoplemover, we did Buzz Lightyear, which was so much fun. DH must have been reading the tips on Disboards because I was kicking his butt for most of the ride, but then he hit a large score target and beat me! Cheater McCheater Pants! LOL After that, we went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. The pre-show is SO long, but we were really happy we went. It was hilarious. They didn’t use our joke - too random! Our joke was: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to your house. Knock Knock. Who’s there? The chicken.

This was one of our favourite attractions - hopefully they keep making fun of people who are in the audience and nobody sues them for intentional infliction of emotional distress and ruins the fun for the rest of us! LMAO
When we left, the kids wanted to go here:

DH and DS didn’t do this ride last time, as they were holding our spots for the evening parade, so DS wanted to try it. Love this picture - sibling harmony at its best!

You can really see how much sun DS got in this picture:

We got to the main part of the ride, and DH wanted to walk right out. He doesn’t deal well with enclosed spaces! He ended up staying and was fine. The kids didn’t much enjoy the bouncing on top of the restraints part, and found that it hurt their shoulders. So, don’t think we will be going back! No big loss, right?

Next we headed over to Fantasyland, for the kids’ first and last ride on Snow White’s Scary Adventures. When we were waiting in the line (it was only 15 minutes, no big deal), there was a saxophone band playing to keep the guests amused. DH and I play in a community band and DD plays clarinet in her school band, so we got a big kick out of this and gave all the guys in the band big applause and thumbs up. We all enjoyed the ride, and when we were coming out, guess who was waiting for us? The band! They said, “LEAD THE WAY!” and we had our own personal parade and musical accompaniment on our walk across Fantasyland! I passed my DH the camera and he did the following video (ignore my big behind! OMG. DH needs some work on his camera technique. LOL The video was too good not to share though.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hgKZi0_ciA&feature=plcp

It was a really an awesome moment! When we got to Peter Pan’s Flight, the boys in the band waved and broke away from us to entertain those people in the line. It was fabulous.

DS wanted to ride the Jungle Cruise, so we headed to Adventureland. First stop, DOLE WHIPS. DS enjoyed it, but couldn’t finish because his stomach wasn’t back to normal. DD LOVED hers, as did DH and I. We headed to the Jungle Cruise, but it had about a 45 minute wait. The FP time was about an hour away, so we opted for FP! Easy choice... LOL DS caught sight of the boats to pilot outside the Jungle Cruise queue, and he decided that he wanted to spend his wait time there. DD wasn’t interested, so I checked my Lines App and discovered that there was only a 10 minute wait for Pirates, so off DH and DD went. Here is DS and his boat #10:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=1l0HeIuNb_8

Soon, it was our time for FPs. DH and DD came back from Pirates and we got onboard. The kids enjoyed the ride - unfortunately I had the same boat captain as the morning, so it was “deja vu all over again” as they say. LOL Afterwards, DS and I wanted to ride Pirates again too, so we all headed over and had another ride as a family. Since my first ride was dampened (so to speak! LOL) by a texting line jumping jerk, I was happy to ride it again. DS loves the queue as well, with all the cannons and weaponry, so we dawdled a bit in the line even though it was a straight walk on. After Pirates, the kids wanted one more ride on Space Mountain, so we headed back over there. One more ride, wahooo! It was walk on again, so we went straight on. When we came out, DS wanted to check out the arcade, so we hung out there for a while. DD picked out a cool Disney hoodie in the SM gift shop, and spent the last of her money on it. Sounds like I might have made a crazy Disney convert, hey???? LOL

After our last SM ride we were all toast, so we decided to head back to the resort and SAB. We were caught on one side of the parade, which I really enjoyed.

Soon we were back at the resort, and the kids wasted no time getting back in SAB. I think we had a pretty fantastic day, and it wasn’t over yet!

Next up: Last evening - Chefs de France and a crabby pants, and a big scare at DHS

 

[333disneymom]

What a nice day you had at Magic Kingdom. How great that you had some alone time and got yourself some nice souvenirs.

 

[natebenma]

Wow!!! You seriously did a lot at MK, by yourself and once your family arrived.

We LOVE the People Mover!

Your joke made me smile.

You VOLUNTARILY went on Stitch?!? Please reference my TR.

Your personal parade was very very cute.

We tried to do the remote controlled boats once. Ben found $1 when we exited Jungle Cruise. We added a dollar and he put it into the controller. And we lost it. Didn't work. No CMs nearby.

Pirates, and Jungles and Space, OH MY!!!

Sounds like a wonderful day so far!

 

[JanetMom]

Great update!

I was happy when I saw the picture of your husband and daughter - yay, he made it to the park.

But the picture of your son alone looks so sad - those eyes are too cute.

Love the personal band. That would have made the trip for me. Such a great experience!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

What a great day at Magic Kingdom Love that you had you're own personal parade

Cant wait to hear what happens next!

 

[Ninja Mom]

Very nice report! You get extra credit for the inclusion of the videos! I'd write more but I'm having a crappy day....


~NM

 

[Feckless]

Very nice report! You get extra credit for the inclusion of the videos! I'd write more but I'm having a crappy day....


~NM

I hope it gets better! I had a terrible one yesterday (as you could see from the YC/BC thread) Today is somewhat better and I hope the same for you.

 

[Feckless]

What a fantastic way to spend your morning, a little "me" time is always great!

Getting to the park early is really the best feeling ever. We still haven't seen the opening show (hopefully next trip), but that's because we get the first breakfast reservation of the day in the park and walk out to fantasyland right after - usually just as the park is opening.

Great pictures, as well!

We did that our first MK day and it was great. Will totally do that again. Looking back, although I was a bit guilty and felt a little bit freaky by myself, it was one of my favourite vacation moments for sure.

Love that you got some alone time at MK

Everyone should have some!!! Just make it happen on your next trip!

Oh, I was sooo far behind! But, I'm all caught up now

Wow - you have a pet mouse Felt so sorry for your DS, I know what its like to to ill on holiday - I spent a day in bed and had to have the doctor back in 2008.

Loved your AK pictures - my DD wants to add that you had very few "bum" shots lol *** I always manage to take photos of bottoms!

Fab that you get to spend some "me" time at MK. Looking forward to your next installment.

Well, I'm not happy with other people taking pictures of MY butt, so I try to follow the golden rule! LOL

 

[Feckless]

What a nice day you had at Magic Kingdom. How great that you had some alone time and got yourself some nice souvenirs.

I sure loved it! Thanks for following along!

Wow!!! You seriously did a lot at MK, by yourself and once your family arrived.

We LOVE the People Mover!

Your joke made me smile.

You VOLUNTARILY went on Stitch?!? Please reference my TR.

Your personal parade was very very cute.

We tried to do the remote controlled boats once. Ben found $1 when we exited Jungle Cruise. We added a dollar and he put it into the controller. And we lost it. Didn't work. No CMs nearby.

Pirates, and Jungles and Space, OH MY!!!

Sounds like a wonderful day so far!

Glad you liked the joke!

As for Stitch, I think everyone should do every ride to see if they like it. You just don't have to go back, right???? LOL

If YOU think we got a lot done that day, then I'm totally proud of myself!!!!

Great update!

I was happy when I saw the picture of your husband and daughter - yay, he made it to the park.

But the picture of your son alone looks so sad - those eyes are too cute.

Love the personal band. That would have made the trip for me. Such a great experience!

Looking back on it, the personal parade was a total highlight. Even DH was excited. Even with his Grumpy shirt on.

DS was putting on his sad puppy face, don't be fooled. LOL

What a great day at Magic Kingdom Love that you had you're own personal parade

Cant wait to hear what happens next!

I'm dragging out this last day... Don't want the trip report to be over!!!

 

[JanetMom]

I'm dragging out this last day... Don't want the trip report to be over!!!

Ending a trip report can be almost as sad as ending the trip!

 

[Feckless]

Ending a trip report can be almost as sad as ending the trip!

Absolutely!! I am putting up the last installment shortly. I really didn't take enough pictures to make a truly good TR, but I was more focused on enjoying the moment than getting pictures taken. Also, as you will see from my last installment, there were a few things that I didn't want to remember about the last night!

 

[jenneth79]

The band moment is really just the coolest thing I have ever heard (and seen)! Talk about some serious (and FUN) pixie dust!!!

Great pictures from the parade. Love how Flynn ALWAYS has his "Smolder" look going...

 

[Feckless]

The band moment is really just the coolest thing I have ever heard (and seen)! Talk about some serious (and FUN) pixie dust!!!

Great pictures from the parade. Love how Flynn ALWAYS has his "Smolder" look going...

I know! What a great time. I like to think that we were throwing out good vibes (we were clapping and cheering the band when everyone else was ignoring them when we were in the queue - they were awesome musicians) so they came back to us.

I loved Flynn!!! He was perfect.

 

[Feckless]

Day 10 - Part 3
Chefs de France with a cranky pants, and a big scare at DHS

First, sorry there aren’t many pictures! I would have taken more, but as you will see from this installment, my mind was elsewhere during the end of the evening!

When I left off on my last installment, the kids were in SAB, having a last swim. We got them a snack since we hadn’t had lunch, and I headed back to the room to try to figure out our dinner ADR. I had originally planned Brown Derby prior to Fantasmic, but I knew that the other family used a TS every day up to now, and wouldn’t want to go to a 2 TS restaurant. I switched us to Les Chefs de Frances, but now I was worried that we wouldn’t make it to our 6:30 p.m. ADR since I knew that getting the kids out of SAB would be difficult and I had no idea where the other family was. Neil at the CL desk was super helpful, and found out that we could switch our ADR to 8:30, but of course that would mean no Fantasmic, and we wouldn’t have a chance to use our TOT FPs. I managed to corral the kids at SAB and let them choose - pool time, or DHS. They picked Fantasmic and DHS (they’re mine for sure!) so for once I put our family’s wishes first and decided to make a run for the 6:30 ADR.

I heard from the other family, and they were still at Blizzard Beach! The mom was upset because she fell asleep at Blizzard Beach and her DH didn’t wake her up in time to come back and get showered and changed before our ADR time. They were rushing back, and we told them that we would go on ahead to Les Chefs and hold the table for them. Fantasmic was at 9, and no ADR to this point took longer than an hour, so we figured we would be OK and not have to run to DHS to make Fantasmic. We hadn’t seen the show before, and I was really excited to see it. I thought having it on our last day would be a great way to end our trip.

Got the kids out of the pool, DD got a shower, combed out THE HAIR and got dressed up, and we all headed out to France. It was so convenient to have our last ADR there - it seemed like it was less of a walk than to Captain’s Grille! LOL When I got there, the gods smiled upon me, and there was only one person ahead of me at the drinks cart in France!! Finally, an orange Grand Marnier slushie was in my immediate future! Its refreshing goodness was not overestimated! We only had to wait a few minutes for our table, and thankfully they seated us before the other family arrived. Also, they were kind enough to let me bring my coveted OGMS to our table! We were at a long rectangular table, and the kids were all sitting together at one end. Unfortunately, right at that end was an elderly British couple eating together. Next to our ruffians! The kids were well behaved, but were having fun, and were laughing and not terribly quiet despite our reminders.

The other family showed up at about 6:50, and the other mom was super crabby. She was pretty annoyed that they didn’t get out of Blizzard Beach in time, was hot and rushed, and wasn’t quite feeling the Disney vibe! They were also very interested in maxing out their DDP credits, as they had four adult TS credits left. It turned out that they ordered stuff from the adult menu for both of their kids, but neither kid liked either of the adult meals. I had the braised short rib, and it was salty, stringy, and not very good. The other adults had the steak and they were MUCH happier with their choice. The wine was flowing, and the mood slowly improved. Here’s a picture of the more improved mood. I’ll leave out the one with the crabby mood in the interests of family harmony in case she ever finds this thread!

My kids started with the cheese puff pastry, but they both hated it. It was Gruyere or Brie and they aren't much into the soft cheeses. For a main, they had the chicken tenders, and declared them to be by far the best they had all trip. They really did look delicious, and I'm not a chicken finger girl. All four kids are in French Immersion at school, so we secretly asked the waiter to speak French to them to see how they would do. The waiter looked at bit doubtful, but he gave it a try, and he seemed impressed that they could all chat away... I was so excited because my DD in particular hates to speak French in front of me (I’ve heard from other parents that this is normal! LOL) and to hear her chatting away with the waiter really made me happy! The littlest DD (only in Grade 2) had the hardest time, but she gave it a good try.

The other highlight of the meal were the desserts. I got the creme brulee, which was really enough for two (or three!) people. I was expecting it in a small ramekin, but it was more like it was in a casserole dish!!! My tip is to share this one. The profiteroles were amazing, as was the strawberry short cake. I had room for dessert because my main course was not the best! Silver lining!

As an aside, especially where we stayed CL, seeing first hand at almost every meal how the DDP worked for the other family (who had the same configuration that we had - three “Disney adults” and one “Disney child”) made us very happy that we didn’t get the DDP for this trip. My DD had a kids’ meal at every. single. meal. with the exception of Sci Fi Cafe (and of course we paid the adult prices for her at the buffets), and DS didn’t want to order anything off the adult menu either. We had no trouble ordering kids’ meals at any restaurant we went to. I can imagine seeing the psychology of maxing out the credits (getting dessert at each meal whether or not you are hungry, for instance, and ordering adult meals for the 10 year old and then having to buy chicken nuggets OOP anyway, which happened a few times for the other family) interfering with your freedom of choice. I think the other family had a fridge full of desserts at the BCVs at the end of it! I didn’t add up everything we spent, but I think we saved money, and certainly felt like we had flexibility. I think my DH said that he was happy we weren’t “slaves to the Dining Plan” and I agree.

Anyway, we felt like the nice couple at the table next to us had to suffer through our kids laughing and chatting during their nice dinner, so we sent them a couple of glasses of champagne on us to have with their dessert. They were very lovely people, and we had a nice chat. They appreciated the champagne but said that the kids didn’t bother them - after all, if you expect to go somewhere and not see kids, Disney is not your preferred vacation destination! After dessert, I realized that it was 8:30. Not sure where the time went... Of course, after every other ADR taking only an hour, the one dinner that we had something to do afterwards took TWO. Argh. We quickly headed out, and got on the boat to DHS. Luckily we didn’t have to change boats - it went straight to DHS with the usual stops. DD was anxious to get there in time to use her TOT FP, and DS wanted to go on it with her. I took a few nice pictures of the Boardwalk area (my favourite panoramic ones wouldn’t upload to Photobucket, unfortunately!) on the ride over:

By the time we got there, it was about 8:45. DS decided he was brave enough to ride TOT with his sister, and so DD and DS went on with their FPs. The standby line was 50 minutes. The other family went in to get a spot - it was standing room only at this point. DH and I were waiting just outside the entrance for the kids to come back. There is only one walkway entrance/exit to TOT and we were sitting on the brick wall facing it, waiting for them to come back. DH said that there was no point for the two of us to wait, so he said for me to go in and he would come in with the kids.

I went in, and got a great viewing spot, standing room, but who cares? I told DH to text me once he got the kids and told him where I was. The show started and I expected to see DH and the kids any second. The CMs seemed to be directing everyone who came in to our area, so I wasn’t worrying, plus we were in contact with our Blackberry Messenger. The show started, and I was loving it, but I was distracted waiting for DH and the kids. At about 9:15 (park closed at 9) I was messenging DH, and he said that there was no sign of the kids! OMG. I knew that the ride was shut down by then, and I started getting upset, but DH was freaking. I was mostly upset that wherever the kids were, they might be frightened and unhappy. Long story short, DH (who is more of a worrier than I am) went down towards the entrance of TOT to check on them at the same time that the kids came out of the exit. When they saw nobody waiting where we were supposed to be waiting, they went in to Fantasmic to find us. Unfortunately, they were shown to a different spot... They did stay and watch the show (while we were freaking out looking for them!) After Fantasmic was over, they found a CM to help them find us. Since we had told other CMs to keep an eye out, and they sent around messages through their walkie-talkies, they reunited us very quickly. DH and I were pretty upset, and the kids were nervous (a couple of tears shed once we got back together by DS, but nothing serious), but they stayed together and asked a CM for help, which is what we told them to do. Of course, they asked for help AFTER the show, but you can’t have it all!!! All the CMs were very helpful, and told us that they would find them. We knew that they were in the park and we would get them back (well, I did! DH was a bit more freaked out than I was) but it was still nerve wracking. The sheer number of people exiting the show was unreal! I estimate that there were about 8,000 people in there.

I didn’t see the end of the show, but of course I didn’t care one bit about that - I was just happy that everyone was together. I know that things like this happening is definitely a chance you take giving kids more freedom. DD had ridden TOT at least 3 times prior to this one, so she knew exactly where she was going, and if DH had stayed where I told him to stay (LOL) then it would have worked out fine. However, the best laid plans sometimes fall apart. Firstly, the kids should have waiting at our meeting spot, or have found a CM right at that point. Also, I should have made DD take her cell phone with her that night. Lots of things to learn from. Oh well, “all’s well that ends in the well” as a friend of mine from India used to say!

After we got back together, we managed to get on the last boat leaving the park, which was a relief. We decided to use it as a teachable moment - for DH, to STAY WHERE THE KIDS ARE EXPECTING YOU TO BE, and for them to ask for help earlier! And for me to make sure that if I am giving them more freedom, they have a cell phone with them to make sure they can contact us if they have trouble. Enough fault all around for sure. We all agreed to not focus on this, because we didn't want one bad evening to ruin our memories of the vacation, so after we had our debriefing session, we didn't mention it again.

When we got back to the resort, the kids wanted a last swim, so we headed over to the other family’s room at BCV for a swim in their (soon to be not) quiet pool. The other family had left early because their son didn’t like Fantasmic (!!!!) and were chilling on their balcony. The kids had a great swim, which was awesome, and I got to have a vodka cooler and decompress, while procrastinating on the packing. Win/win.

We had to catch the Magical Depress by 10:15 a.m. the next morning, and I knew I would have an early morning to start getting ready. Oh well, isn’t it always better to put off until tomorrow what you should be doing today???? We maximized our enjoyment, and did a hasty pack in the morning.

One last mishap! We managed to get everything thrown together in the morning (while the kids slept in), hit the Marketplace for a last few souvenirs, and got on the bus. The bus was about to leave when all of a sudden I realized that I left the passports in the safe!!! OMG!!! Luckily, it was before the bus left is all I can say. DH ran full out to the room, and happily his KTTW card still worked. Soon we were headed for the airport, and back home to a mound of laundry and the real world...

So, we have come to an end of this trip report! I am so sad to have finished. Thanks to all for following along... Until our next trip - aiming for 2014, AKL and BC split stay planned (with possible onsite stay on the Dark Side too...) Stay tuned!! Oh, one last picture from the Orlando airport to end us off (his Bart shirt says it all - I didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, you can't prove anything"):

Ciao, all!

 

[JanetMom]

What a great update, but so sad to see your trip end.

I can't believe the roller coaster of emotions you went on that day.

I think it is always good when kids get lost in a safe setting like you had, where all turns out for the best in the end. It is good to get a reminder that you have to use your brain and think things through to avoid getting lost in the future. I can only imagine how frustrating it was for you, dealing with the crowds and trying to reassure yourself that your kids are smart enough to take care of themselves. If I were in the same situation, my husband would have been going crazy too!

I remember losing my 4-year old son at the zoo once. We were in a pavillion and everyone was running around trying to find him, heading outside, looking all over the place. I just kept saying that there was no way he left the building. I knew he was smart enough to not go through any doors, but everyone wanted to look outside for him. Sure enough he was calmly sitting watching the penguins waiting for me to come get him. Such a relief once he was found.

I can't believe you almost forgot your passports. I would have been freaking out!

I've never eaten in France, but your dessert report makes me want to give it a try. Mmmmm. So nice of you to send champagne to that couple. A great gesture that I'm sure was a highlight of their trip.

Thanks for sharing your vacation with us. Counting the days until you can bring us your 2014 trip report.

 

[JoshMom5]

Thanks for sharing! Enjoyed your report all the way through! Glad you didn't allow the little negativity at the end cloud your trip. Also, glad you remembered the passports in the nick of time!

 

[Ninja Mom]

Such a GREAT trip report! I feel your sadness at it's end but I know with time another one will come and a pre-trip report can't be THAT far off eh?

I loved your assessment of the dining plan. You really do need to understand how you and the family are going to use it. I'm sure this assessment will help others when considering what to do for future trips.

You wouldn't be a parent with out the obligatory I've "lost" my children story. I know when I float around the parks at night taking pictures, that between all the hidden cameras (Night vision!), undercover security people and CM's and uniformed security people, the park is as well guarded as it possibly could be. I have had discussions with security and they have let me know that even though I may be in a deserted part of the park at night taking pictures they are watching over me to make sure ~ I ~ am safe. Security in my experience is awesome! Very caring and very patient and friendly!!

A while ago I read a post from a parent of a teen wondering if it would be OK to let her 14 year old off the leash and do some things on his own in the park. The resounding response was that even though Mom and Dad wouldn't have eyes on him Disney parks security would and to let him explore!

I think you handled the Fantasmic disaster perfectly and now everyone knows what to do the next time. My 13 year old recently learned he must carry his wallet and cell phone every time he leaves the house. He was driving me crazy so I had to lay down the law. Now it's automatic so I no longer have to worry about him if he should go off on some adventure. Gotta love those cell phones! Instant access....

Well, here's to a great trip report and here is to the future. I know you have the Disney Blues but that next trip will be here before ya know it! ..... And here's to more Disney dreamin!!

~NM

 

[natebenma]

Loved your report!!!

Sorry to see it ending, but you sure went out with a bang! OGMS, wonderful meal (well, desserts and isn't that what counts), lost kids and almost forgotten passports.

Sounds like you will have to have a do-over at Fantasmic where you won't have to worry about where the kids are!

Looking forward to you continuing to hang out on the FAQ board while you plan your next trip which I sincerely hope is sooner rather than later!