The Greatest Hits: A Trip Like This Needs a Soundtrack!-A July 2012 TR Upd. 5/5!

[IheartDDuck]

The title of your latest update totally had me up and dancing. "Hey hey!"

Okay, that's weird about the crab walk kid. Just strange. I don't know how I would have reacted. Likely would have just giggled like an idiot.

I am never patient enough to wait for something like the perfect picture. So I'm there with you too. But I've been lowering my expectations since 1981.

OMG agreed! Savory needs to balance the sweet out totally.

Grrr, two sets of tour groups in front of you in the FP lane? Horrible. Just horrible.

Can't wait to hear about Cape May.

 

[sunnysideup3]

Yay Joni, you're back!!! Great update!

I'm with John on the teenage girl tolerance. We've always gone during Pop Warner week, and I don't think the crowds are bad, but when they gather, it's all giggly, over-hyped teenage girls.... Whew! Takes a special kind of patience

 

[beachphotog]

I'm with you on needing to balance out sweets with savory. I love me some cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, etc., but I really need to have a pretzel or something else to keep me going!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Oh my gosh, that must've been funny. And it's interesting how you mentioned the Spider Walk from The Exorcist because I was picturing that when you said "freaky Crab walking kid". Horror fanatic, guilty as charged! lol Boy do I need to hang around the telephone booths in WS. Poor John getting spooked by teenagers, we are truly scary creatures muahahaha (;

to riding Nemo! Sorry, you didn't enjoy your little snack at Sunshine Seasons, but I agree you really need a balance. And sorry about running into the evil tourist groups. I must be somewhat lucky that I haven't run into them yet or it's just because my lack of trips has allowed the Disney gods to give me some sympathy :/

Love your pictures leaving EPCOT and at the BC! Disney is much too pretty for words.

Can't wait to hear about your little tour around the resort!

P.S. Love the choice of song! Shamefully un-DISlike you know though lol

 

[cocofifi]

Another entertaining installment. The Beach Club - aaaaaaah! Wish I was there right now. Hope John's deployment is going smoothly. Thanks for your and John's service and sacrifice. So excited for you on your trip to AoA with your sis! I'm ready to reserve a room there for a mother/daughter trip, but can't decide between May or next November. Would love your input. Take care!

 

[alliebelle3]

Soarin' really is the epitome of a magical Disney attraction isn't it?! The sights, the sounds, the smells... Ahhh, perfection!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[marDgreen88]

Omg, that kid sounds insanely weird. The way I see it, he had two entirely different options:

A.) Walk BEHIND John.

Or 2.) Just wait the extra three seconds until the picture is taken.

(Uncle Jesse reference btw.)

KIDS THESE DAYS!

Thank God for that random smiling CM or this review might have been reduced to a Django.

I actually like to blame Sunshine Seasons... at least their breakfast. Basically it has been decided that their breakfast is what made me sick in December so BLAME THEM ALL YOU WANT! And also, I probably won't want to eat there next year. Just so you know.

AHHH SOARIN'!!! That ride is just amazing and magical and lots of other words that basically mean good but sound cooler than just saying good.

Walking to your resort from Epcot must be wonderful!!! Someday I will do that. (Wink wink. Nudge nudge.)

 

[amandaw]

Okay, that is so strange about the crab walking boy!

Sorry your snack was just ok.

As for those tour groups in the FP line....I'm with you....! But, I'm glad you were able to ride.

I hope you had a great trip, and I hope you didn't get too hot!

Thank you! We definitely had a good trip but man.....it was hotter than the sun!

 

[therussells08]

LOL @ the crab walking kid!!! What on earth. That is too funny. I've never taken pictures in the phone booth, that will have to change when I'm there in 7 DAYS!!! I can't believe my trip is so close either. I am totally on the verge of losing it. AHHHHH.

I am totally with you... I need to eat in a sweet, savory, sweet, savory pattern or I feel sick and suddenly have a distaste for everything. I've heard that Strawberry Shortcake is amazing though, so I really wanna try it! After eating something savory, of course.

Ahh the Beach Club really is so stunning. I can't wait to stay there someday!!!

AHH I still can't believe how close your trip is!! I'm so excited for you!

THANK YOU! I'm glad I'm not alone. The strawberry shortcake is SUPER good though! I highly recommend it!

It really is such an amazing resort! I love it!

Love the update!!! That kid sounds hilarious!! My husband and I would giggle about that all day as well.
I'm down to 27days for my trip and this trip report just gets me more excited!!

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Haha yeah, that kid was weird.

Yay! That's so exciting that your trip is so close! Congratulations!

Great update...as usual. I LOVE Beach Club, especially decorated for Christmas. At least crab-kid was trying to get out of the way of your picture taking. Most people don't care and walk right in front of you regardless! Looking forward to more of your TR.

Thanks! I've never seen BC at Christmas, but I'm sure it's gorgeous! Haha you're right about that. At least crab-kid had some manners!

The title of your latest update totally had me up and dancing. "Hey hey!"

Okay, that's weird about the crab walk kid. Just strange. I don't know how I would have reacted. Likely would have just giggled like an idiot.

I am never patient enough to wait for something like the perfect picture. So I'm there with you too. But I've been lowering my expectations since 1981.

OMG agreed! Savory needs to balance the sweet out totally.

Grrr, two sets of tour groups in front of you in the FP lane? Horrible. Just horrible.

Can't wait to hear about Cape May.

Haha I couldn't think of a better song, so I just went with some good ol' fashioned Def Leppard. That's wholesome, right?

He was SO WEIRD. Seriously, I don't know what was up with that kid.

Haha I'm glad I'm not alone! Yay for being mediocre!

THANK YOU!

Yeah, I don't know what we did to deserve that. They were driving me crazy!

Yay Joni, you're back!!! Great update!

I'm with John on the teenage girl tolerance. We've always gone during Pop Warner week, and I don't think the crowds are bad, but when they gather, it's all giggly, over-hyped teenage girls.... Whew! Takes a special kind of patience

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Yeah, he doesn't have very high tolerance for giggling. He wouldn't last one day in my classroom!

I'm with you on needing to balance out sweets with savory. I love me some cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, etc., but I really need to have a pretzel or something else to keep me going!

Right? It makes me so sick if I don't have a combination of the two!

 

[therussells08]

Oh my gosh, that must've been funny. And it's interesting how you mentioned the Spider Walk from The Exorcist because I was picturing that when you said "freaky Crab walking kid". Horror fanatic, guilty as charged! lol Boy do I need to hang around the telephone booths in WS. Poor John getting spooked by teenagers, we are truly scary creatures muahahaha (;

to riding Nemo! Sorry, you didn't enjoy your little snack at Sunshine Seasons, but I agree you really need a balance. And sorry about running into the evil tourist groups. I must be somewhat lucky that I haven't run into them yet or it's just because my lack of trips has allowed the Disney gods to give me some sympathy :/

Love your pictures leaving EPCOT and at the BC! Disney is much too pretty for words.

Can't wait to hear about your little tour around the resort!

P.S. Love the choice of song! Shamefully un-DISlike you know though lol

That part of the Exorcist scared me SO BAD. Ughhh, I hate that movie!

I am so glad your trips haven't been tainted by tour groups. They are seriously teh bane of my Disney vacation experience.

I know, Disney is SO photogenic! It's ridiculous!

Haha yeah I know...Def Leppard is a little less than savory...

Another entertaining installment. The Beach Club - aaaaaaah! Wish I was there right now. Hope John's deployment is going smoothly. Thanks for your and John's service and sacrifice. So excited for you on your trip to AoA with your sis! I'm ready to reserve a room there for a mother/daughter trip, but can't decide between May or next November. Would love your input. Take care!

Thank you! Isn't the Beach Club amazing? I miss it so much! Thank you! His deployment is going alright so far. I really appreciate your kind thoughts! That means so much to both of us!

Hmm...both of those times are amazing, so really I think it would come down to whether you'd like to see the Flower and Garden Festival, or the Food and Wine Festival. I personally prefer May, because F&W only runs through the beginning of November usually. Both are great times though! I can't wait to hear what you decide!

Soarin' really is the epitome of a magical Disney attraction isn't it?! The sights, the sounds, the smells... Ahhh, perfection!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

YES! I love it so much!

Omg, that kid sounds insanely weird. The way I see it, he had two entirely different options:

A.) Walk BEHIND John.

Or 2.) Just wait the extra three seconds until the picture is taken.

(Uncle Jesse reference btw.)

KIDS THESE DAYS!

Thank God for that random smiling CM or this review might have been reduced to a Django.

I actually like to blame Sunshine Seasons... at least their breakfast. Basically it has been decided that their breakfast is what made me sick in December so BLAME THEM ALL YOU WANT! And also, I probably won't want to eat there next year. Just so you know.

AHHH SOARIN'!!! That ride is just amazing and magical and lots of other words that basically mean good but sound cooler than just saying good.

Walking to your resort from Epcot must be wonderful!!! Someday I will do that. (Wink wink. Nudge nudge.)

RIGHT? I still can't figure that kid out. I wish we would've taken his picture.

Yeah, it was dangerously close to Django territory. I'm a tough critic.

I'm totally fine with not eating there! It's good, but definitely not my favorite!

Haha I totally agree!

Yes...someday you will...

Okay, that is so strange about the crab walking boy!

Sorry your snack was just ok.

As for those tour groups in the FP line....I'm with you....! But, I'm glad you were able to ride.

Thank you! We definitely had a good trip but man.....it was hotter than the sun!

Hahaha yeah he was really weird!

That's okay! I just needed some real food!

UGH, I know. They're so annoying! It throws off the entire Disney system to travel in such huge packs.

I bet it was hot! I'm glad you had fun though!

 

[therussells08]

"Shake Your Bon-Bon"-Ricky Martin​

July 8, 2012

Oh shake your bon-bon,
shake your bon-bon​

When I left off, John and I had just made it back to the Beach Club for an afternoon nap. We were having an extremely productive first day, so I was totally fine with resting for a little while. Unfortunately my brain was still kind of in OH-MY-GAHHH-IM-IN-DISNEY mode, so I was only able to nap for about twenty minutes. John didnt have any problems falling asleep or staying asleep, so while he snoozed I went out on our glorious full balcony and read some of The Help and listened to the sounds of music drifting over from the World Showcase.

After an hour I couldnt stand it anymore, so I went back inside and woke John up. He got a shower while I watched Stacy. I was so anxious to get out and explore the resort some more, and to EAT. I hadnt had anything substantial on my belly all day (considering my disgusting breakfast at the not-Disney hotel that morning didnt really count as a meal) so I was pretty much starving.

When John was finally ready we headed out of the room to explore our resort a little bit more. There was so much to see, I had to stop and look at everything! I even paused long enough to take a picture of this:

I made a mental note to get up early and take full advantage of the exercise facility at the Beach Club.

.......................

Did you catch that? I was just making sure you were paying attention. I DONT EXERCISE.

John had one mission and one mission only: nerdin it up at the arcade. Im sure you all remember my past TRs and complaints about Johns arcade addiction. Hes drawn to those things like moths to a flame. It took him about ten seconds to use his spidey senses to sniff the place out, and before I knew it he was fully immersed.

He was trying to win a keychain. Check out the intensity.

He finally found some racing game that he liked, so he settled in for awhile. In the meantime, I hung out behind him, sighing loudly and complaining under my breath.

I practically had to drag him out of the arcade, but eventually I succeeded and we continued our exploration. I found Beaches n Cream and got SUPER excited about our plans to eat there later in the week. Would it live up to my expectations? Youll have to stay tuned to find out later in the TR!

We were pretty much done exploring outside, so we made our way back inside to the Beach Club Marketplace. At this point we were totally just killing time, and I was trying to ignore the fact that my stomach was eating my spine. I busied myself with merchandise pictures!

Magnets! Okay so I have a really random/funny story about magnets. Once when I was a teenager my parents took my sister and me on vacation to Niagara Falls. We were in this one gift shop, and there was this super touristy family right next to us. The dad was clearly running on fumes and kind of in a bad mood, but his wife seemed to have a lot more pep and she wasnt done shopping. He grabbed her arm and started to drag her out of the store, but she saw a display for Niagara Falls magnets and goes, "Look Honey...MAGNETS!" She said it like they were the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. Her husband barely glanced back, and said, "COME ON, you can buy magnets anywhere. COME ON!" But he said "come on" in this really crazy voice that sounded more like "CERM ERNNNN!" so now anytime were in a hurry somewhere my dad and I always say that to each other. For example, if we're at a restaurant and one of us wants dessert, we're like "CERM ERNN, you can get apple pie anywhere, CERM ERNNNNN!" It's not that funny, but its a long standing family tradition.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my life story. Back to the trip report. While we were browsing through the gift shop I decided now was as good a time as ever to go ahead and get my customary resort pin. I always buy a pin representing the resort Im staying in on my trips, and this time would be no exception!

John noticed they had a Vinylmation trading station in the gift shop and we still had a few minutes before dinner, so we went back upstairs to grab a Vinylmation for him to trade. I tried to be really consistent with photographing his trades, but since this was the first one and I didn't take a picture of it, I clearly failed.

Our dinner reservation was for 5:30, and we checked into Cape May Café at 5:25. If youre keeping up with Disney refurb schedules (I know we all are, don't lie) then you may remember that Cape May closed to the public on July 9th for renovations. Which means we were eating there the LAST DAY before it closed. I was super pumped about it, because I had heard so many good things about the menu. Specifically, about the OREO BON BONS.

Anyway, we got our buzzer thing and made our way back into the lobby to wait.

There was a ton of people milling around waiting to be seated. I wonder if its always that crowded, or if it was just because it was closing the next day? Whatever the reason, we waited, and waited......and waited. UGH. John was not a happy camper.

We were so hungry! We amused ourselves by sending each other awkward texts and trying not to laugh, and finally at 5:50 our buzzer went off and we were seated!

Here's our view from the table!

I love the décor! It was so beachy! I guess you could go so far as to say it was..beachin'. SNORT.

Our server was Piu from Orlando. She came, took our drink order, and sent us on our way to the buffet. IT'S GO TIME.

I took my camera so I could document my first trip to the buffet. I was pretty excited.

Fooood! It took me a while to realize that the buffet wrapped around both sides, but served the same thing on each side. Once I figured that out getting my food became very easy, and I hardly had to wait in line at all!

So, here's my first plate!

Let's go clockwise, shall we? At the top we have fresh crab legs (YUM), a roll (soft and delicious), pork loin with some kind of sauce (tender and fabulous), some sort of pasta salad with shrimp (eh, not my favorite), broccoli (it's broccoli, so nothing too exciting there), and, drum roll.....steamed red bliss potatoes. AKA, THE MOST AMAZING FOOD ON THE WHOLE STINKING BUFFET. I kid you not, those potatoes were so freaking good. Oh, and lets not forget my melted butter in the middle. I think that was pretty much intended for just my crab legs, but I got creative and dipped almost everything in it. Including my napkin, which I promptly ate.

Here's Johns first plate:

Hes got crab legs that are burying clams and mussels, pork loin, a roll, prime rib, aaaand.....cheese cubes. Overall, he was very happy with his first plate.

Before I could finish my first plate John was back with his second:

Let's see: more clams and mussels, another roll, the seasonal fish du jour (I can't remember what it was), and more CHEESE CUBES. Why did this boy decided to gorge himself on freaking cheese cubes that I could've bought at the grocery store back home for $2.50? I have no idea, but he acted like they were God's gift to this buffet. Oh by the way, I think he's got some popcorn shrimp buried in the back of his plate.

Sidenote: John didnt get anymore crab legs because he was getting frustrated that he didnt know how to crack them. I was really good at it, but his manly pride couldn't take me pulling the meat out and handing it to him, so he just pretended he didnt like them.

When I was ready for my second plate I came back with this:

There's some salmon that I wasnt too crazy about, shrimp that were just okay, delicious prime rib with horseradish sauce (YUM YUM YUMMM), more of those magical potatoes, and more crab legs.

When John went back for his third plate the guy at the table next to me struck up a conversation with me. His son was having a really hard time getting into his crab legs, and the dad looked over at me and said, "These little skinny crab legs are not worth all that trouble, AM I RIGHT?!" Apparently he didnt see the piles upon piles of annihilated crab legs surrounding me, so I just nodded politely and continued digging into the crab leg that I had been holding in my hand the entire time.

Before I knew it John was back with round 3:

More mussels and clams (which he clearly loved), some more prime rib, another roll, and MORE CHEESE CUBES.

I didn't have it in me to go for a third plate. After all, I had bigger fish to fry (heh, get it?). I was ready for DESSERT!

Check it. Two, count em, TWO, Oreo bon-bons, a little cheesecake, a little key lime pie, and some random brownie bar that I grabbed and ended up not even touching.

Allow me to paint a picture for you of how excited I was to try these Oreo bon-bons. I had been reading about them on the DIS for months, I had changed our vacation reservation for the sole purpose of eating at Cape May before they closed so I could get some of them, and the night before I had DREAMED about them. I wish I were joking.

So, did they live up to the hype?

Um......

YES.

Those things are SO GOOD. It's an Oreo, with Oreo flavored mousse on top, and then the whole thing is rolled in chocolate and topped with MORE CHOCOLATE. Need I say more?

John was pretty full from his cheese cube party, so he kept his dessert pretty small.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself at this point, because I had eaten like a cow, but unlike my usual trips to a buffet I had managed to stop myself before I got sick. Then Piu came back with this, bless her heart.

John refused to touch it because he was too full, but I felt guilty not eating any of it. I ate a few bites, and it was really really good. It was a really creamy mousse, which I love, but I was just too full. I spread some around on the plate, and I said to John, "I spread it around so it will look like we ate a lot of it." To which he sarcastically replied, "You must've spread it around pretty good, because it looks like you ate quite a bit." HAR HAR. Yeah, maybe I did eat a little bit.....like over half of it. Sue me.

A few minutes later Piu was back with our check and some salt water taffy!

We gave her the TiW card, settled the bill, and headed out on our merry little way! I made a note that the TiW card saved us $16.00 at Cape May Café!

So that's that- our first ADR of the trip! Ready for a little dining review?

Service: Despite having to wait a while, Piu was fantastic! She was very friendly, attentive, and efficient. Also the anniversary dessert and salt water taffy were a very sweet touch!

Atmosphere: I loved the atmosphere at Cape May Café! The décor fit perfectly with the theme of the resort. It was very casual, but still obviously a nice dining experience. It was a lot quieter than the character buffets as well, which is nice.

Food Quality: FANTASTIC! Everything was good, but my favorite items on the menu were the crab legs, steamed red bliss potatoes, and the Oreo bon-bons. I was really impressed with the selection on the buffet as well. Everything was constantly being refilled, so nothing ever ran out, even the highly popular crab legs.

Overall Dining Experience: It was wonderful! We werent too thrilled about having to wait to be seated, but in reality we only waited about thirty minutes, which we would do any Friday night at Outback Steakhouse without thinking twice. In the end the meal was well worth the wait, and it was the perfect first ADR for our trip!

In conclusion, our dinner at Cape May Café receives the following rating:

Category 1- Remy​

This was the perfect ADR! We couldn't have been happier with it, and I totally recommend Cape May Cafe! Even if you don't love seafood, there's a ton of other delicious selections. Also, I would love to see what it looks like since the refurb!

Up Next: Its off to the Magic Kingdom for an evening of fun! Stay tuned!

 

[Nermel9]

Hiiii!!! I'm so behind on so many TR's, but I'm trying to get caught up! Ugh, don't you hate waiting for husband to nap when you want to just get out and explore Disney??? So annoying! I swear, next time I'm waiting around for Brandon to wake up, I'm just going to go to a park without him, he always cuts into my valuable Disney time!

Haha, Brandon loves arcades too, and I always have to drag him out! Go to an arcade at home, again, wasting precious Disney time!

AHHHH Cape May Cafe!!! I'm SO glad you liked it, I know I always talk about how great it is, so I was nervous reading your review, thinking maybe you wouldn't love it, but how could you not? It's amazing!!! I can't wait to go there again! Did you hear the Oreo Bonbons are gone? Yep, I repeat...the Oreo Bonbons are GONE! I've read that you can still get them at the BC Marketplace, but seriously, ***????

ps-I started a PTR for my November trip if you ever want to come over...

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Must. have. Oreo. BON BONS! Yay for Cape May....sooooooo good!

John is so cute in the arcade...boys will be boys!

 

[__disneygirl]

Oh, boys and their arcades and cheese cubes! When will they ever learn?

Your updates always crack me up...even tangents including your life stories, so keep em' comin!!

AHH THOSE BON BONS are so good. I've had them before, but not at Cape May, though I'm pretty sure they were the same thing. They look exactly the same! I could go for one (or 50) of those right now. That's why the Wishes Dessert Party is so genius: all the desserts at a buffet without that pesky "meal" part to fill you up!

 

[beachphotog]

Great dining review!! I swear Disney sprinkles pixie dust on their potatoes, because I have yet to meet a Disney potato I haven't liked!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hahaha, you're so funny saying you're going to work out.

I hate it when my stomach eats my spine. That's not a pleasant feeling.

CERM ERNNNNN!!! I love it!

From what I've seen, Cape May seems to be crowded all the time. It's definitely a popular place.

I can identify with John, I have to admit that crab legs just irritate the heck out of my, so I also pretend like I don't like them to avoid eating them.

OMG, the cheese cubes on every plate. Hilarious.

It has been sooooo long since I've had an Oreo Bon Bon. Gaahhhh, I want one!

 

[amandaw]

I love how intense John looks trying to get that keychain.

Sounds like y'all had an excellent dinner at Cape May! I would love to try dinner there. I love seafood!

 

[disneylover04]

Those crab legs and the pork loin look so good! I've been wanting to try Cape May Cafe for a while. This only gives me more incentive to make an ADR for the next time we are in Disney. Thanks for sharing the photos! I love your trip reports!

 

[danimaroo]

I love your trip report so much just because it's at Beach Club and I just love seeing photos of that resort. It brings me to my happy place. Seriously.

And OMG, I started laughing SO hard over here at the "CERM EEERRRRN!"

Have you seen this internet "meme" yet?! Your story IMMEDIATELY made me think of it!

BAHAHAHA, there are way more, too!

ANYWAY... CAPE MAY BUFFET! We may or may not have eaten there 3 times during our last trip, twice for dinner and once for breakfast... Hahaha, we were a little obsessed. But it's so good!

However, I've heard some terrible rumors that the Oreo Bon Bons are no longer served there! I'm hoping it's not true; we're eating there our first night of our trip!

Your food looks amazing though; I was in LOVE with those potatoes, too! That and those rolls were amazing, and obviously the Oreo Bon Bons. YUM.

Oh, and random but.. Tour Groups just need to go away. I feel the Tour Group pain every January when we go. If they didn't exist, Januarys would be so much quieter in Disney World, haha.

 

[marDgreen88]

TWIN! You're updating two days in a row?! Am I dreaming????

HAHAHAH SPIDEY SENSES. Spiderman is the best, am I right? And no, I did not see the new movie because I'm still upset that anyone thought that was necessary. Even though Andrew Garfield is hotter but STILL. Oh, but even Tobey's version of Spiderman has been replaced by Thor... for obvious reasons.

What is happening here? I'm really sorry.

Hahhaa... magnets. Right? Magnets. CERM ERNNNN.

Not that this is a surprise because of our twin status, but I DO THE SAME THING. (Buying the resort specific pins, that is. BOARDWALK PIN GET AT ME!!!)

By the way, the Beach Club merchandise is all so precious! I wish the Contemporary had that much selection!

It's so funny that you mention the refurb schedule, because originally on my trip I'd really wanted to eat at Cape May for breakfast! HOWEVER... the day it opened was, you guessed it, the day AFTER we left! How coincidental! I'm really glad yall got to go though!

On your second plate you forgot to mention more butter. It's important, I thought you knew? Can I just say those rolls look too good to be true?! Why do they look so good though? I hate to say it, but I can't do seafood! It looks like John went and got his plates at the beach but stopped being creative with the types of seashells he picked up.

I literally think I'd go to this place and eat rolls and Oreo bon bons. And who would stop me? WHO?