Trip #8; But Was It Great? A WDW MAYcation with a side of LegoLand & Celebration, FL!

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I CANNOT believe the difference in atmosphere from the YC/BC pool area to the BWI. Honestly----- SAB looks like my idea of vacation hell. I am so so so glad that you had the idea to walk over to BWI (and see Clarence--he's so cool!!) and finally feel that relaxation "aaaaah" moment that we all so desperately want and need and dream about on vacation.

The boys looked so cute and happy roasting their marshmallows. I'm sure it was fine that they went and did it-- it looked like no one else was interested.

That pizza looked wonderful too--- good to know it was just as good as last time! I love that pizza box!!! So adorable!

Your landscape pic of the BW area is gorgeous--- you could use that for a ticker pic in the future!!


So sad your last day is coming up-----

It was a total difference -- like night and day. Yes, SAB would be your vacation hell!! You would hate that place so bad!!

Yeah, I'd say we hung at the BWI pool for about 2 hours and they had maybe 7-8 people roast marshmallows the entire time, including my kids. I'm not sure they had many more people than that in their pool either.

Oh that's a good idea for a ticker! I think we may be staying at the BWI the next WDW trip after the December one. Which won't be until 2014, since 2013 should bring DL!!

I don't remember SAB being that crowded I guess we were lucky.
BWI did look much more relaxing!! That pizza did look good! The box was cute too. We never ordered pizza there before... good to know.
I think I'd like to stay at BWI next time too.
We LOVE the BW at night with the performers...He's our favorite too!!! I wish I could think of his name but can't!!

The BWI pool is much more quiet and relaxing. Much more 'vacation-y' and way less 'waterpark-y'! And the BW pizza is a great and cheap dinner!!

Isn't that BW guy awesome?? We just love him! Both the kids were in one of his shows when we stayed there in 2010. I can't think of his name either....

What a nice way to wrap up the evening! Too bad about SAB. It just seems so chaotic! When we stayed at BC it was July and it was so warm in the pool it just wasn't refreshing! The one afternoon we did tie dye shirts the sweat was dripping in my eyes! Otherwise they would close the pool in the afternoon because of storms. The best part for us was the little slide area across the path. My kids were good with that and it wasn't as busy.

Boardwalk pizza looks good!! I might have to try that! We really like Clarence too (I didn't know that was his name - thanks Jo!). I bet you wished you could pool hop to BW, don't you!?

The boys did enjoy that little slide & pool across the path one evening. They are way too big for it, but no one else was there so they had a blast!

Well I'm not sure if Clarence is his official name - just one that Jodi & I kind of gave him when I stayed there.

Yes, we've never been tempted to pool hop until that night. Had we had our swimsuits with us I might have asked one of the lifeguards if we could. There were so few people there that I really don't think they would have cared!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I just hate that the SAB area was like that your whole trip!! It definitely has to be the time of year!! Like I said before, we hardly ever have other people there..and never to that extent!!! But, we are off peak so that must be why...Glad you finally got to relax down at the BW though!!!
And dang that pizza looks good! I am starving and it made me hungrier! LOL!

IDK what it was, but that place was crowded all the time. Both resorts must have been nearly booked solid. I never thought May was a peak season.

I could go for some of that pizza right about now too!!

What a bummer that Stormalong Bay was so busy again! It sure seems like ya'll had some bad luck with it being so crowded. Aren't you glad that ya'll decided to order the pizza on the Boardwalk and then snag a table at a non-crowded sitting area. From the pictures, I can certainly understand how you felt more relaxed at BWI than at YBC.

We did have some bad luck with SAB. And the BC altogether really. I doubt we will ever stay there again.

I'm so glad we decided to skip the parks that evening because it ended up to be a great night at the BW!

The pool being that crowded would frustrate me too, but I guess one of the main reasons people stay at the BC/YC is for the pool. It's definitely an appealing feature.
Unfortunately, for me, DH would probably never agree to stay at the BWI, because of the clown slide. If I did somehow trick him into staying there, he probably wouldn't go in the pool.
I can't wait to hear about your stay at the Poly!

It was frustrating to say the least! I guess SAB is a big draw to the YC/BC for a lot of people, but it is the main reason that we will stay away in the future.

Tell your DH that Clarence isn't scary at all!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is awesome!!

 

[lala3291]

It looks like it was a great evening! I had no idea that the BWI had a campfire at night- that must be new! I just love the BWI- it's so relaxing!

So call me crazy (which I think I am) , but we are thinking about a Christmas week vacation (12-27-1/1) instead of our January trip! I am actually frightened by the idea, but my nieces would be able to come on the trip if we went then. My older DD's don't go back to college until 1/22, but my oldest niece goes back 1/4 I think. And, of course, my nieces want us to go over Christmas/New Year's week! My nieces mean so much to me, so I want to make them happy, but I am so scared of the crowds for that week!

I guess the trip would be more about just being in WDW rather than going to every ride/attraction, since we have been so many times. I just don't even know if it could be enjoyable!

Well, I'm off to the WDW and JetBlue website to get prices...wish me luck!

 

[T*Bird]

Great update, Shelly! Looks like y'all had a very nice evening- especially after you "hopped" over to the BW. I can't believe the difference in the 2 pools! I don't care how neat a pool is, if it's jam-packed, that's no fun!

That pizza looks really good! It doesn't look like a typical theme park pizza (which to me means too much tomato sauce and a soggy crust). I'm glad I just ate lunch, or else I would be craving some pizza right now!

The Boardwalk looks like such a fun place to be. We've never visited any of the Epcot resorts before, so I've never even seen it.

Clarence The man has no idea he has a new name!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

It looks like it was a great evening! I had no idea that the BWI had a campfire at night- that must be new! I just love the BWI- it's so relaxing!

So call me crazy (which I think I am) , but we are thinking about a Christmas week vacation (12-27-1/1) instead of our January trip! I am actually frightened by the idea, but my nieces would be able to come on the trip if we went then. My older DD's don't go back to college until 1/22, but my oldest niece goes back 1/4 I think. And, of course, my nieces want us to go over Christmas/New Year's week! My nieces mean so much to me, so I want to make them happy, but I am so scared of the crowds for that week!

I guess the trip would be more about just being in WDW rather than going to every ride/attraction, since we have been so many times. I just don't even know if it could be enjoyable!

Well, I'm off to the WDW and JetBlue website to get prices...wish me luck!

The campfire at the BWI/BWV is definitely somewhat new - they weren't doing it when we stayed there in Nov 2010. The kids had a lot of fun. It was a nice evening!

Well, I think I am going to have to call you crazy, going during Christmas! Are you sure you can't bump it up a few weeks and go when we will be there?? Jodi can tell you all about going during/right after Christmas. She doesn't make it sound too pretty. As soon as she said 2 hour waits to use the restrooms in the parks I was out!!

But it definitely would be fun for you to take all the nieces and enjoy some resort time....would it be at the GF?

Let us know what you decide and how the airfare search went.

Great update, Shelly! Looks like y'all had a very nice evening- especially after you "hopped" over to the BW. I can't believe the difference in the 2 pools! I don't care how neat a pool is, if it's jam-packed, that's no fun!

That pizza looks really good! It doesn't look like a typical theme park pizza (which to me means too much tomato sauce and a soggy crust). I'm glad I just ate lunch, or else I would be craving some pizza right now!

The Boardwalk looks like such a fun place to be. We've never visited any of the Epcot resorts before, so I've never even seen it.

Clarence The man has no idea he has a new name!

Thanks Teri! It was a nice evening. Nice and quiet and slow-paced. No hurry to do anything or get anywhere and a nice quiet pool to sit by.

You've got to visit the Epcot resorts (and Clarence ) next time you go to WDW!!

 

[monica23535]

Your dinner at The Boardwalk looked lovely! I really love the look of that resort and very nearly picked it over BC for October, but there were only studios and one bedrooms left.

I sure hope SAB isn't that crowded like last time we were there in October 2010, although, I suppose we can always use the quiet pools if it is

Do your kids like the Disney Universe game? I was thinking of buying it.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Your dinner at The Boardwalk looked lovely! I really love the look of that resort and very nearly picked it over BC for October, but there were only studios and one bedrooms left.

I sure hope SAB isn't that crowded like last time we were there in October 2010, although, I suppose we can always use the quiet pools if it is

Do your kids like the Disney Universe game? I was thinking of buying it.

It was a nice little dinner!!

We didn't realize how much we love the BW until we were stuck across the lake from it!

I hope you don't have a crowded pool in October.

Yep, the kids really like the Disney Universe game.

 

[monica23535]

It was a nice little dinner!!

We didn't realize how much we love the BW until we were stuck across the lake from it!

I hope you don't have a crowded pool in October.

Yep, the kids really like the Disney Universe game.

Thank you Shelly!

Will be buying that game lol

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Thank you Shelly!

Will be buying that game lol

You're welcome! Hope you guys like it too.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Day 8: Saturday May 5



We were up and ready early this morning. And found this under our door. Dum Dum Dum.....The Envelope of Doom.

That's enough to ruin your last full day!!

We went down and headed out to the bus stop to go to our last park. We always leave this day up in the air and we decide the night before. It's always either MK or Epcot. We felt like we had been to Epcot enough times and with Test Track down we weren't too interested in going again. So, we were headed to MK. We did this last summer too (went to MK on Sat morning) and it was very empty and a great day to be there, so we hoped for the same thing again.

On the way to the bus stop ~

We didn't have to wait very long on a bus and we were to MK in no time! Bright and early. It wasn't even 8:30 yet!

We took a look across the lake to see what was up over at the GF.

And then went through security and all that and got up in front of the train station.

Pretty soon the opening show started! It was nice to see that they hadn't done away with this one, like they have the rest of them.

And we were off! We headed straight to Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan. When we were at MK on Wednesday night that was the only ride with a long line so we hadn't been on it yet.

I didn't take any pics on main street since Big Blue was still there.

Of course we had to stop and try to pull the sword up. Again. With no luck. Boys!

The crowds had seemed kind of heavy at opening and on main street, but it always seems that way at rope drop. When we got back to Fantasyland there didn't seem to be too many people around, so we were hopeful we would have a good day.

Peter Pan was great as always. Sorry, I didn't take any pics during the ride this time.


Up Next: More MK!

 

[TinkyCheeks]

Your night at the BW sounds so nice and relaxing. I don't think I'd have enjoyed SAB, either. Love that guy from the BW. He pulled my oldest son in last fall, and the boys watch the video ALL THE TIME. Have a banana is their favorite phrase now!

Ugh, the envelope of doom. So unmagical. Just starts the day off with that yucky feeling.

We've never made it for the opening show yet, but I hope to next trip. It looks so fun. I'm scared they're going to get rid of it.

Excellent castle pics!!!

 

[lala3291]

Oh no, the envelope of doom! What an awful thing to see first thing in the morning! But, it looks like a nice morning in MK! The Peter Pan wait was crazy on this past trip for us...the wait was always around 85 minutes! We had to FP it one morning in order to ride it.

And it looks like a no go for the Christmas/New Year's week trip, and I'm actually pretty relieved! We have a crazy Italian family, and every Sunday my whole side of the family has dinner at my mom and dad's house. Well, it turns out this weekend that my nieces said some not so nice things to my kids (not just silly things, they were down right mean!), and when I confronted my sister, she went off on me. So needless to say, there will probably be no trip with them! We are going to stick with our November and January GF plans. I actually am very happy about that because it will be much better crowd wise! Plus, it was extra-expensive to travel between Christmas and New Year's.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Your night at the BW sounds so nice and relaxing. I don't think I'd have enjoyed SAB, either. Love that guy from the BW. He pulled my oldest son in last fall, and the boys watch the video ALL THE TIME. Have a banana is their favorite phrase now!

Ugh, the envelope of doom. So unmagical. Just starts the day off with that yucky feeling.

We've never made it for the opening show yet, but I hope to next trip. It looks so fun. I'm scared they're going to get rid of it.

Excellent castle pics!!!

It was a nice night at the BW. That guy is so dang funny! The kids just love him!

I just hate getting that envelope. It's like -- thanks for coming and spending all your money here, but now it's time to GET OUT!!

I'm thinking the same thing -- how long until they do away with the MK opening show??

Glad you enjoyed the pics.

Oh no, the envelope of doom! What an awful thing to see first thing in the morning! But, it looks like a nice morning in MK! The Peter Pan wait was crazy on this past trip for us...the wait was always around 85 minutes! We had to FP it one morning in order to ride it.

And it looks like a no go for the Christmas/New Year's week trip, and I'm actually pretty relieved! We have a crazy Italian family, and every Sunday my whole side of the family has dinner at my mom and dad's house. Well, it turns out this weekend that my nieces said some not so nice things to my kids (not just silly things, they were down right mean!), and when I confronted my sister, she went off on me. So needless to say, there will probably be no trip with them! We are going to stick with our November and January GF plans. I actually am very happy about that because it will be much better crowd wise! Plus, it was extra-expensive to travel between Christmas and New Year's.

It was a nice morning at MK. Unfortunately it wasn't long until it was unbearably hot and crowded.

Sorry to hear about the blowout with the family. That's too bad that your nieces had to be like that. But now you know when you are going and can start to plan. And yes, it will be way less busy and way less expensive.

 

[JoBird]

Dum Dum Dum... the ENVELOPE of DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

Piece of garbage that it is....

I do not know where the time went! Your trip has seemed so short!! sigh. They all come to an end and they all make you want to cry.


The pic of DS13 behind the wheel of the truck with DS10 waving made me laugh. They looked like two milkmen going out to deliver the milk in the 1900s!


Okay now, look at that first pic of the GF, sad as it is to see it in all it's disarray.
See it??
Look reaaaaaaally close and there's a white covered section with the red roof- kind of small-ish, close to the water on the right hand side. Do you see it??

Yes???

IN 110 DAYS WE WILL BE RIGHT THERE THAT MORNING HAVING COFFEE AND MTN DEW WATCHING THE MK OPEN UP!!!!

Yay us!!!!

It's our future selves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I will be broken hearted if they ever do away with the opening show at the MK. The best thing in the world is to watch/hear it from the GF in the mornings.

Love the pics of the castle too--- esp the one you took just as you walked into the entryway.

More please!

 

[monica23535]

The last day sucks!

At least it's not long until you are there again, GF looks awesome even with the crane lol

Can you really hear the opening show at MK from there?

 

[JoBird]

The last day sucks!

At least it's not long until you are there again, GF looks awesome even with the crane lol

Can you really hear the opening show at MK from there?

Oh yeah. It's my favorite thing about the mornings at the GF! You hear the Entrance music for an hour before hand and then the opening ceremony. I love to take coffee down to the boat dock and watch the people all running around while I'm trying to wake up.
Then I get up and go get ready for the day after the show!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Dum Dum Dum... the ENVELOPE of DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

Piece of garbage that it is....

I do not know where the time went! Your trip has seemed so short!! sigh. They all come to an end and they all make you want to cry.


The pic of DS13 behind the wheel of the truck with DS10 waving made me laugh. They looked like two milkmen going out to deliver the milk in the 1900s!


Okay now, look at that first pic of the GF, sad as it is to see it in all it's disarray.
See it??
Look reaaaaaaally close and there's a white covered section with the red roof- kind of small-ish, close to the water on the right hand side. Do you see it??

Yes???

IN 110 DAYS WE WILL BE RIGHT THERE THAT MORNING HAVING COFFEE AND MTN DEW WATCHING THE MK OPEN UP!!!!

Yay us!!!!

It's our future selves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I will be broken hearted if they ever do away with the opening show at the MK. The best thing in the world is to watch/hear it from the GF in the mornings.

Love the pics of the castle too--- esp the one you took just as you walked into the entryway.

More please!

The envelope of doom is a piece of garbage!!

You are right -- they do look like milkmen from 100 years ago!

Ooohh yes, I do see where you are talking about. I can totally see our future selves right there. It will be awesome! And listen to you with your 110 days! You are doing SO much better than me with keeping up with the trip countdowns and planning and everything. What is this world coming to when you are the planner and I am the procrastinator??



Glad you enjoyed the pics, more to come!

The last day sucks!

At least it's not long until you are there again, GF looks awesome even with the crane lol

Can you really hear the opening show at MK from there?

The last day does really stink with the thought of it all being over hanging over your head all dang day!

I agree, the GF looks awesome even with the crane.

I guess you can hear the opening show from the GF! You can from the Poly too!

Oh yeah. It's my favorite thing about the mornings at the GF! You hear the Entrance music for an hour before hand and then the opening ceremony. I love to take coffee down to the boat dock and watch the people all running around while I'm trying to wake up.
Then I get up and go get ready for the day after the show!

Can't wait!!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

It looks like your boys need to try my technique at removing the sword from the stone.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Oh that dreaded envelope!!
Looked like you had a great morning at MK. It's always really nice early in the a.m.
Hope it stayed somewhat that way.

Well I got 2 rejections so far. Still waiting to hear from 2 more.
Just applied to a couple more positions- HOPING to get another interview this week!!! and another one next- who knows!??
It's been such a frustrating summer I wish I was going to Disney!!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

It looks like your boys need to try my technique at removing the sword from the stone.

Did it work???

Oh that dreaded envelope!!
Looked like you had a great morning at MK. It's always really nice early in the a.m.
Hope it stayed somewhat that way.

Well I got 2 rejections so far. Still waiting to hear from 2 more.
Just applied to a couple more positions- HOPING to get another interview this week!!! and another one next- who knows!??
It's been such a frustrating summer I wish I was going to Disney!!!!

It was a nice morning at MK. So far. Too bad the crowds didn't hold off for long.

I'm so sorry you haven't gotten a job yet. That really stinks. Hang in there!