The Magical Whirlwind Adventures of 4 Disney Loving, Pool Sliding, Jellyrollers

[DisneyDreams21]

Welcome to the wonderful world of our Disney trip report! The story begins with a backstory and ends with a bang. So hold on to your Mickey bars, orange slushies, or whatever you fancy, and enjoy the tour.

THE BACKSTORY

The cast for this adventure met last Spring, on our very own disboards. In a strange twist of irony, I (Robin)found myself chatting with another single Disney fan who happened to live about 2 miles down the road (Tracy). Tom and Darcy were 2 other Disfriends we met on the disboards, and last May Tracy and I took a Disney trip to a larger dismeet, where we met Darcy (who will always be our favorite Cali girl, since she hails from California, of course).

So over the course of the last 1/2 year or so, we have made some great friends, right on the disboards, where dismeets and mini-dismeets are always in the works. This adventure began when I was talking to Tracy one day and we were suffering from post-Disney trip melancholy. Tom and Darcy had a trip planned to meet up in September, the Adventurers Club was closing, and we missed Jellyrolls. These factors all play into how we pulled off a last minute trip to our favorite place on earth.

Throw in a random, out-of-the-blue statement from myself, "Hey, we should take a trip for Food and Wine." Tracy's response was, "OMG let's do it!" Yeah, this is what tends to happen when we throw out ideas...lol

Here's where the pixie dust comes in....It turns out that Tracy has Southwest airfare credits to use and there are good flights available. It also turns out that she has a few days off in Sept. which coincide with the closing of Pleasure Island and the start of Food and Wine. Mind you, this is exactly 2 weeks from when we plan to go.

Here's the part where I break out in song and sing "I Love My DVC" to the tune of the old 80's song, "I Want My MTV." Be careful with that song getting stuck in your head, btw... Anyway, the next day, after Tracy pressed the "book now" button at Soutwest's easy to book flights website, she came over armed with a large iced coffee and we plotted. As she sat wide-eyed and giddy on the coffee, I made the call.

Despite seeing no availability online for DVC and it being 2 weeks away, I called and was able to book....we need a drum roll here....1 night at Beach Club Villas and 2 at Boardwalk Villas (one was a cash night with AP discount)! Shock doesn't begin to describe the state we were in realizing we managed to book villas in the Boardwalk area during the start of Food and Wine.

Pixie dust was falling from the sky as we planned this adventure. The next day we went on a shopping mission and raided the racks for some new Disney clothes (required mission for all Disney trips). Let's just say that we both made out like bandits and found summer tops for $1!

When we finally completed the pre-trip bookings and shopping trip, we were able to sit down and realize that we were very lucky. We already knew that Darcy and Tom were 2 of the coolest people to do a Disney tour with (we had toured with Darcy in May and had read about Tom's previous Disney adventures). The next 2 weeks were spent posting dancing bananas and men in black on the single Disney threads...lol Oh the joy of pre-trip countdown bananas!

Ok, the cast is up next....but for now I must attend to a meeting at college. Stay tuned.

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

 

[DisneyDreams21]

It's time to meet the cast of the Whirlwind Adventure trip...

Robin (aka me, trip reporter)

Big fan of Disney resorts and waterslides, sitting by the pool with a tropical drink, and trying new Disney restaurants each trip. In real life, I should be working on finishing my dissertation instead of writing Disney trip reports, but hey...which is more fun? lol

"Welcome to Orlando International Airport"

Tracy

Tracy also hails from Niagara Falls, NY and lives down the road from me. Tracy loves the magic of Disney and has been known to sometimes tear up at Wishes. She also has the best "WhooHoo" at Jellyrolls, (undisputed fact), and loves adventures, especially at Disney. Tracy is also known as the trip photographer (though when referred to as paparazzi, she now thinks of mosquitos, thanks to Tom's Italian translation )

"YAY! We made it! We made it"

Darcy

Darcy is our West Coast Disfriend, who lives in Las Vegas. Darcy is a DL expert and has branched out in the past year to include multiple Disney World trips. I first met Darcy when she was building a slushie tower in France at EPCOT Darcy is also our connection with the outside world and Disfriends who didn't make this trip.

"Cheers to Polish Wine Cocktails!"

Tom

Tom is our Boston representative for the trip, avid golfer, waterslide daredevil (whips down slides at breakneck speeds), and the king of rope drops. Tom has been known to break into dance every so often.

"Tom and the Big Blue Bus"

Little Tom

Little Tom is the trip mascot and was discovered in our room, ready to join the fun. Big Tom instantly took a liking to this little towel creature, and we decided to name him Little Tom to represent the other Tom when he wasn't around. Little Tom is mischievous and likes to drink little bottles of fruity vodkas.

"Little Tom the Towel Man"

 

[libertybell7]

Ok Im in....Keep it coming...

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

Hahahaha Great descriptions!!! LOL

 

[disneykip]

Great start to the adventure!!

And yes, I do have that song in my head now - but like "I love my DVC" better than the original.


Looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[DisneyDreams21]

On Our Way

No matter what time my flight leaves for the World, I am always too hyped up to do much of anything other than be preoccupied with Disney thoughts. Our departure for this trip wasn't until 6:55 pm, so the day seemed especially long... Word came via disboards that Darcy had arrived (Tues. PM) and Tom arrived early Wed. The adventure had officially begun.

Team Darcy and Tom set out on an all day adventure at the parks, followed by a dinner at Brown Derby (which they report was excellent). About this time Tracy and I were doing the unthinkable and eating Mickey D's from the drive thru on the way to the airport. Sad. lol But in the name of time, and the fact that Tracy worked all day, we managed to ingest our Mickey D's without incident.

Tracy is known for her arms length close up photos, and so we took a quick one sitting in her car at the airport parking lot. Call this the before picture, because later in the night we are wearing the same outfits but our expressions are just a bit more animated...

"Sitting in the airport parking lot"

The Flight

Our airplane ride was interesting. Who knew that you could fit 8 minis (airplane sized liquors) in the airplane safe ziplock baggies??? Ok, well about 2 days before the trip we figured this out. Enough said there, except that we only made it through 2 of them with our free orange juice before we almost knocked out the stewardess with our combined breath that smelled like bananas and oranges, sort of like one of those Dole fruit blendy juices. Pleasant and all, but we smelled like a fruitbowl at that point.

Turbulence happened for about 30 minutes while we both pretended we were on a ride and took a quick semi-nap. The flight from Buffalo to Orlando took only 2 hours and 10 minutes! This quick and direct flight is also the reason for multiple trips each year. Anyway, we reported in to Tom and Darcy when our feet hit land and proceeded to head for the Mickey Bus (Magical Express).

We Made it HOME!!!!

Our first stop was at the Beach Club Villas for the night. I love this resort. Check in was smooth and in under 3 minutes we had our room (255) and the giant welcome home folder.

Beach Club Resort

We proceeded to our room, which looked like this--

Jellyrolls Here We Come...

After oohing and ahhing a bit, and realizing that we were finally home, we attempted one last "mini" in the room. Darcy and Tom were sitting over at POFQ at Scat Cats listening to the jazzman, and both were a little on the tired side (after Tom's magical adventure of going from 5am until 10 pm LOL). So we decided to meet up at Animal Kingdom in the morning but promised no rope drop...lol

We were happy before we even headed out to Jellyrolls that night. Disney magic had hit straight on. Here are a few examples...

"In the Room"

"Let's Take a Pic by the Sink Picture"

"I Loooooooove Disney!LOL"

On our way to Jellyrolls, which is just a 7 minute walk around the Boardwalk, we stopped out back by the BCVillas at this little spot. It faces the back Beach Club Canal and is one of my favorite "quiet" spots at the BCV "quiet pool" area. You can watch turtles in the water over here, and if you get really lucky you may spot a gator (which I did 2 summers ago).

"Favorite Quiet Spot at Beach Club Villas"

After stopping at the quiet spot and planning to enjoy a morning coffee there the next day, we marched forward...on to Jellyrolls!

NEXT SEGMENT: "Can they actually stay out until 3 and make it to Animal Kingdom in the morning?"

 

[nurse.darcy]

No they cant. Tom and Darcy managed to make rope drop without trying but the girls. .well, they can be forgiven since they were out so late. . .

 

[buena vista]

Great TR so far Robin!!... I can't wait to find out what happens next..

 

[DisneyDreams21]

JELLYROLLING

Back to the first night adventure... So we wander over to Jellyrolls after our stop at the Beach Club Villas pool area and notice how beautiful the lake and the general area looks at night, this night in particular. The warm Florida air was perfect for a stroll.

Since the whole trip had an extra pixie dust feeling to it from the beginning, it should not have been a surprise to walk into Jellyrolls at 11 pm and see a front row table waiting for us, despite the fact that it was pretty busy. An entire 3-deep man wall was already formed along the side bar, and all the other tables were filled. Tracy was in autopilot the minute we spotted the table, and we pulled up a seat in front of where Tommy and Ray would be playing for the night.

The Jellyrolls pair ups for the night were Tommy and Daniel, and Ray and Scotty. We like all of these pianomen and were excited to be at Jellyrolls again after a brief visit in August during Tropical Storm Fay. We started the night with the JR 32-ounce special called Kool-Aide. Potent concoction, to say the least... This is slightly surprising, but the drinks were strong the first night.

"Welcome to Jellyrolls"

It didn't take long to realize that people at the tables, especially in the first few rows, are encouraged to participate in the many "dance routines" at JRs. Before we knew it, we were bending, moving, and shaking to dances like the "Chicken Dance," and one about a tree and a bird or something...lol

Tracy and I tend to have a really good time when we go out, and apparently, Tommy the pianoman noticed. Just about the time Tracy and I were starting to laugh about how bad the self-portrait pictures were turning out (close up of my eye, half of our heads cut off, etc...) Tommy jumps up while Daniel is playing and takes Tracy's camera to offer assistance. He laughs and takes a picture of Daniel smiling before taking our picture.

"The Photo Tommy Took of Us at JRs"

"Tommy"

Later in the night, Tommy announced to the whole bar and pointed at us saying, "I like those two right there (points at us), there are 3 large drinks on their table and only 2 of them!" It was true. Our waitress was quick with the refills that night, so there were times when it looked like we were having quite the party at the table.

Due to our up close spot at JRs, we had an amazing view of the pianomen. In fact, when Scotty came to the front of the stage to whoop it up for one of the dances, Tracy was right there, camera pointed, to catch him in action.

"Scotty Gets Wild"

We love the pianomen and Jellyrolls. This was the thought running through our minds near the end of the night. We had such a good time. Anyway, the story doesn't quite end here...around the time of last call, Tracy took leave to make her last call in the ladies room.

As I sat there watching the pianomen alone, I felt a tap on the arm. It was our new friend Josh, a bouncer at JRs who was now off work. He asked me to take up a request, so I glanced at it and did a running leap for the stage with napkin and $20 bill in hand. LOL It was not exactly a running leap, but more of a calculated lunge in little heels to make it on the stage and to Ray's piano, and back down again.

Tracy witnessed my act of song requesting and looked at me with an expression that said, "whatever have you done?" I briefed her on my new friend and next thing you know the song request is playing. It was "California Girls." We chatted with Josh the bouncer while Scotty played some Disney songs, which really added some Disney magic to the night.

"Our New Friend Josh the Bouncer"

The night was oficially over as the bright scary lights came on in JRs. Somehow, I may have mentioned that we planned to go in the hot tub before going back to the room at BCV...lol So we strolled back to BCV with our new friend Josh.

"Last Call Smile"

The hot tub area was really quiet, so we tried our best to be too. We dipped our feet in and it felt amazing! So amazing in fact that before all was said and done, I thought it would be a good idea to get in completely clothed. Tracy decided to lounge on the lounge chair and take a series of self-portraits of her face and her feet. Yes I said feet...lol

"Just 1 of Several Self-Portraits at 2 am by Hot Tub"

We sat outside by/in the hot tub for about 15 minutes or so before we decided it was time to go in. I directed Josh the bouncer where to go and we made our way to the room. Tracy carried her boots and I wrapped my drenched clothes in 2 towels.

"Good Night! Tracy Carries her Boots Back to Room"

In the end, it was a fantastic night and we finally managed to get to bed about 3:30 am, tired but still a little wound up from all the sugar in the Kool-Aides. We set the alarm for 7:30 am so we could get up and have early coffees by the pool before checking into our next resort in the morning, Boardwalk Villas.

NEXT SEGMENT: A Beautiful Day Awaits

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

As I read this report, I am dazzled by Robins attention to detail, her humorous point of view of the events of the evening and the total and complete lack of pictures of her... so I will add in a few of my own

The beautiful walk to the Boardwalk from the Beach Club...

Robin really really liked her drink...

In the hottub they went!!! lol

And my beautiful feet! lol

And finally... Robin walking through the Beach Club in her very obviously wet clothes from going in the hottub at 2am...LOLOLOL

 

[DisneyDreams21]

Nice work! Gotta love the candid ones, and the awkward, "what the heck was she doing ones"....and those cute little piggies pic!

You noticed there were more pics of you this time???lol

Luckily we have Tom and Darcy joining us in the next round of pics....

 

[DisneyDreams21]

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW

OK, who bet that we wouldn't get up in the morning?? Well, though we "never promised a rope drop," we were up at 7 something in the morning after our 3:30 am lights out. Tracy says that I looked comatose but managed to utter something of an "uh huh" when she asked if I was getting up. Our plan was to linger at the Beach Club for awhile and spend some time there before checking into the Boardwalk Villas. We would then take the Boardwalk bus to Animal Kingdom to track down our Early Bird, rope dropping, friends.

Nothing Beats Early Morning Coffee Watching Turtles

The first task of the day was to roll out and make our way to the Beach Club store to refill our mugs with high-octane coffee (ok maybe high caffeine). When we took the back door out we saw this wonderful view to start the day...

"Beach Club Villas and Quiet Pool"

After we refueled (a favorite phrase I often use to describe refilling my coffees), we proceeded to take in the scenery and walk over to the little white gazebo-type area by the BCV pool. As we stood there peering at the turtles swimming in the canal, we had one of the many "all is right with the world moments," we would have on this trip. We had sunshine, we had coffee, there were turtles, and we woke up early. All very good things.

"The Perfect Coffee Spot"

After getting ready for the next adventure, we said goodbye to the Beach Club and went out front to take a few photos. We befriended a man who offered to take our picture for one of the shots. The Beach Club beach area is a nice place to just sit and relax, but after a few pics, we were ready to do the Boardwalk stroll and check in.

One of the best parts about this trip is how we were able to slow down and enjoy all the details, despite having days and nights filled with activity.

"Beach Club Resort and Some Guy in Our Way"

"Enjoying Our Walk to Boardwalk, by the Beach Club Beach"

"Tracy the Happy Girl"

We took this picture after we were around the lake, but it is a nice one of the Beach Club waterfront and I did actually give a little salute to the Beach Club as we stared at it with a glimmer in our eyes from across the lake. I always say goodbye to my favorite places when I leave, and always add a "be back soon," for extra luck.

"Last Look at Pirate Ship Slide and Beach Club"

I have to add that both Tracy and I look rather bright this morning, in our orange and yellow tops. This is refreshing for me as the trip reporter because frankly, I was getting a little dizzy looking at our first day outfits after posting so many pics of us in the same outfits....That, my disfriends, was a random thought...lol My outfit from the night before was actually still wet and stuffed in a plastic laundry bag after the late night hot tubbing incident.

Back to topic...so we took a nice walk over to Boardwalk and took a few more photos along the way.

"All Roads Lead to Boardwalk"

"Welcome to Boardwalk!"

Check in at Boardwalk was a breeze and we were given one of the best rooms in the resort (though we didn't know it at the time). This does not include Boardwalk view rooms, of course, but our studio (3066) turned out to be absolutely perfect--the first room off the elevator, with the studio plus day bed, and overlooking the clown pool area.

We looked around the Boardwalk lobby for a few minutes and then headed for the bus stop for Animal Kingdom. Tracy made a call to Tom to check on their progress at AK. Turns out they had already been on Everest 4 times in a row! Tom and Darcy were at the rope at rope drop ready to go. We decided to catch up with them for the 11:15 Finding Nemo show, so we had plenty of time to bus over and wander for awhile before meeting up.

The bus ride was fairly quick, aside from those annoying stops (both ways) at Blizzard Beach. Tracy and I chatted with a couple on the bus about different attractions and helped them to decide which water park to visit later in the day. We are both chatters...meaning we tend to talk to random people at Disney when presented with the opportunity. In other words, we can be as cheery and friendly as any Disney Cast Member when we want to, even if we are from NY...

The Great Animal Kingdom Adventure

It was still too early to meet up with Tom and Darcy when we arrived at AK, so we decided to walk around the park and take some pics and take in the scenery. On most trips, we both tend to get caught up in trying to get on as many attractions as possible. This trip was very different, and we took the time to notice more.

Dinosaur is one of our favorite attractions, so we walked over to see what the wait was and it was a walk-on! We had a blast as we screamed and were tossed around like rag dolls because we insisted on keeping our hands in the air as if we were on a rollercoaster.

"Priceless...Tracy Scares the Dinosaur Back into Extinction with a Roar"

Our next stop was at the little area with the dinosaur statue that you can reach after exiting Dinosaur. We took a few pics and neither one of us tried to climb on top of the poor dinosaur, like I often see kids doing.

"Robin and the Dinosaur"

"Tracy and the Dinosaur"

About this time, Tracy got a call from Tom to say they had made it to the Finding Nemo attraction. We ventured on....

Next Segment: "Nemo, Darcy gets a Soaker, and Flame Tree BBQ is Finger Lickin' Good"

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

What a morning!!!
Tracy: Robin, it is 7... are you going to get up...?
Robin: aaarrgggooohhh
Tracy: ok

ten minutes later...

Tracy: Robin.. it is after 7, you want to get up?...
Robin: bllarrgg coffee..soon..

Tracy takes a shower

Tracy: Robin, want to go get some coffee?
Robin (eyes popping open) yeah lets go! lol

Not much by way of pictures to add to this entry....lol but here are a few...

A couple of beautiful shots from the beach at the Beach Club..

 

[DisneyDreams21]

What a morning!!!
Tracy: Robin, it is 7... are you going to get up...?
Robin: aaarrgggooohhh
Tracy: ok

ten minutes later...

Tracy: Robin.. it is after 7, you want to get up?...
Robin: bllarrgg coffee..soon..

Tracy takes a shower

Tracy: Robin, want to go get some coffee?
Robin (eyes popping open) yeah lets go! lol

LOL Sounds about right!

It's funny in a way how easy it was to grab a coffee, even when we were working on 4 hours sleep/night and I felt instantly awake and ready to go. Worked like a charm

 

[acm563]

Loving your trip report...I especially enjoyed the visual of you(Robin) jumping in the hot tub fully clothed and I can just see Tracy sitting poolside taking pictures of her pedicure and doing the myspace pose....

Will be looking for the next installment. It really sounds like y'all had a wonderful time

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

LOL Sounds about right!

It's funny in a way how easy it was to grab a coffee, even when we were working on 4 hours sleep/night and I felt instantly awake and ready to go. Worked like a charm

Yes and we had a long long long day ahead of us too!!!!

And Angy, I dipped my feet in the hottub for a while before Robin got in and the JR man started stripping down to his skivvies!!! LOL I think he thought maybe we would follow his lead but instead I got out completely and Robin just stayed fully clothed...LOL He was the only one stripping! Poor guy...lol

 

[DisneyDreams21]

FINDING NEMO, and DARCY AND TOM...
Ok, so after our wild, body shaking ride on Dinosaur and the quick break to pose with the dinosaur, it was time to go meet up with Tom and Darcy. Tracy had met both before, and I had met Darcy in May, so once Tracy spotted the pair, hanging out by the Finding Nemo line, she picked up pace.

Hugs and hellos were exchanged and our timing for Finding Nemo was perfect. I had never seen it before due to my own impatience with the wait times and lines on previous trips. This time, no lines, no waits. We walked right in and managed to sit for the show, with only a little whispering to catch up with each other.

After we Found Nemo and the show was over, we decided to introduce Tom to our prehistoric friends at Dinosaur, after realizing that he had never had a Dinosaur experience before. From all accounts and some photographic evidence, he appears to have enjoyed it, even following our hands-in-the-air, body like a rag doll routine.

"Tracy, Tom, Robin, & Darcy: Dinosaur Daredevils"

We stopped at our little Dinosaur spot afterwards. From my spot on one of the benches, it appeared that the dino was going after Darcy for lunch. (couldn't resist the photo op, Darcy!)

"Darcy and the Dinosaur"

Luckily Tom arrives in time to provide some back up.

"Darcy, Tom, and the Dino"

The Blue Bus, a Flame Tree BBQ, & a Soaker

After our Dinosaur encounters, we headed over to take the token blue bus shot. Many of our fellow Disers had started to take this picture, so we wanted to add our own blue bus photo. And here we are...

"The Infamous Blue Bus Group Shot"

Our next adventure was at Kali River Rapids. The last time I had been rafting was in August, on a day when it was a downpour on and off (Tropical Storm Fay) and I ended up soaked like a wet washcloth, shivering on the air conditioned bus ride back to the resort that day. Still, it was hot and sunny and I was ready to get waterlogged. That is until...

We were walking through the line, winding in towards the Kali boat entrance when out of nowhere I spot my Prince with Plastic Raincoat! There he was, waving around one of those cheap red raincoat things from the Dollar Store, offering it up like an umbrella from Heaven. Memories of the cold, wet, chill sensation and being soaked lingered in my mind so I shouted to the man, "Me! Me! Pick Me!" I suppose I didn't notice that I was the only one begging for the plastic shelter, but all the same, the scene (in my own mind at least) was straight out of a Disney fairy tale.

Turns out that I made the right move on securing that somewhat ripped and wet raincoat, because Darcy is a water magnet. lol If you've ever been on Kali, then you know that there is always at least one or two people on the boat who get totally doused with water. Yep, that was us. Tom and Tracy got their share, but they fared much better than Darcy and her soaked denim, or what I would have been without that red raincoat thing.

"It figures I wore denim." (Darcy)
"Yeah, that really holds in the water" (me)
"Yep!" (Darcy)

So after we shook ourselves off like wet dogs...Ok, I am getting carried away with the visuals here. Let me reword that. After we dried off a little, we suddenly had that sense of hunger you get after a good swim. The verdict was for lunch at Flame Tree. Yum!

Tracy and I did the usual, "hmmm what should I order" routine in line. I couldn't decide between the ribs or chicken and she was stuck on the sandwich or chicken. Chicken won out for both of us, and it was a darn good choice!

Tom secured a table for us while we waited for the chickens. The lunch experience was fun. You have to remember the company I was keeping though... Before it was over, I managed to get a few pictures.

"Tracy Chair Dances at Flame Tree"

Tracy got in the spirit and at one point it looked like she was ready to start dancing. Go Tracy! (As referenced in above photo)

Tom, it turns out, is the master of a 100 funny faces. Try not finding him entertaining while you have a mouth full of chicken... So this lovely photo was snapped while he was caught in the act and I was trying to keep the food in and not laugh open-mouthed at least. And for the record, Tom, we both look pretty silly in this pic, so I posted it.

"Tom Making Silly Faces & Me Trying Not to Laugh"

Our day at Animal Kingdom was complete after our finger lickin' lunch. We headed for the buses and decided that it was a great day to hold Tom to the Bobo the Clown Slide challenge at the Boardwalk pool. Darcy and Tom headed back to Port Orleans French Quarter, and Tracy and I waited for the BW bus. We called our little room card and were thrilled to learn that our room was ready! YAY! Tom and Darcy planned to return to Boardwalk with their suits.

The next segment will continue the adventures, starting with some pool slide action and topped with cocktails at the pool bar. See y'all soon!

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

First off, I was not dancing, I was laughing...lol I just happened to look like I was dancing.

lol

 

[DisneyDreams21]

First off, I was not dancing, I was laughing...lol I just happened to look like I was dancing.

lol

LOL Yeah we must have been laughing a lot at Jellyrolls too! We just looked like we were chair dancing and holding up lighters when they played Bon Jovi songs!

It SO looked like you were dancing...lol