"We Will Not Be Braking for Pedestrians!" "Oh my God DUUUCKKKS!"-An October 2011

[bellebookworm9]

There were only two other people on the bus when we pulled up, and as soon as we stepped off there were two CMs waiting with a big “Welcome Home!”. They escorted us to the front desk, where we picked up our packet-I had done online check in. Since it was only 10am our room was not ready. However, they did not even give us a room number; we had to wait until that afternoon to find out. We traveled the few short feet to Bell Services and dropped off our bags. We looked around the lobby briefly. I now know what all the Yacht & Beach Club DISers mean: The lobby does smell awesome. If you’re wondering, the scent is aloe.

Our next stop was the Marketplace. Mom peeked around in there for a bit and we picked up our refillable mugs, hers blue, and mine pink. I believe I got the awesome White Tea with Citrus and Mom chose some Hot Chocolate. It took her awhile to get actual hot chocolate, as several of the dispensers were just hot water.

Lunch was scheduled for Beaches and Cream, and although it was early, around 10:30, we decided to head over there and wait. We exited the back doors and started to walk. I thought that the hallway behind Cape May Café was actually part of the restaurant and so didn’t think we could go in it. So we walked around the back of the pool up toward the lake and were not seeing any way to get over the Beaches & Cream. We finally asked the CM at the entrance to Stormalong Bay and she nicely directed us through the pool area to the patio area right in front of the restaurant. We looked over our info packet while we waited for the rain to stop, and took some pictures.

Right at 11am, the servers came out and since we were the first customers we got to “open” the restaurant. Basically, this involved a lot of cheering and clapping. We were given a booth and our menus. We pretty much knew what we wanted to get, so we ordered our food and Mom took pictures of the cute restaurant.

Mom caught me zoning out there (keep in mind that I’d slept for maybe two hours out of the last 36). One of my friends saw this picture and said it looked like I was saying, “Dear God, please let the food come and let it be delicious.” Our food did show up not too long after that. We chose the “Burger Heaven” single patty with a side of fries. This burger was GIGANTIC.

It was also juicy and delicious. The fries were seasoned and they were awesome too. I polished off my half in no time and when Mom said something about it, I reminded her that since dinner at 5pm the previous night, I’d had exactly three bites of pumpkin scone and a bag of Lorna Doone cookies.

For months, we had been planning on getting the No Way Jose, so that’s what we went with.

This may have been the biggest sundae I’ve ever seen in my life. Mom was clearly shocked.

It was sooooo good. Chocolaty peanut buttery deliciousness. We couldn’t finish it! As a side note, our server for the meal was Dolores and we really liked her.

After lunch we headed back into the resort to pick up our swimsuits so we could take advantage of the pool! From the restaurant we simply followed the signs back to the lobby. We stopped in one of the restrooms and took a picture of the baskets of hand towels available.

You know you’re in a fancy place when…

 

[IheartDDuck]

I love Beaches and Cream! And you got what I get there every time! Making me so hungry right now.

You're right, you know it's a fancy place when there are no paper towels.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Oh my god, that update is making me so hungry! I have got to get to Beaches and Cream. That burger looks amazing! And so does the sundae. Yum.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I love Beaches and Cream! And you got what I get there every time! Making me so hungry right now.

You're right, you know it's a fancy place when there are no paper towels.

Well, really, what else is there to get?! Everyone raves about those burgers and so many people love the No Way Jose that we just had to get it.

They actually did have paper towels too!

 

[bellebookworm9]

After the fancy bathroom, we headed back to Bell Services to pick up our suits and the noodles from the Yacht & Beach Club Noodle Swap. Mom decided she actually did not want to swim, so she went to buy a book from the Marketplace. While I was waiting for her in the lobby it started POURING. It let up a little, so we headed out and I went into the bathrooms next to the Health Club to change. When I came out it was still raining, so we claimed another table in front of Beaches & Cream and waited for it to let up.

The rain was not letting up and it was now beginning to thunder as well. The lifeguards left their posts and started being door openers at the arcade. We decided to head over to the villas to wait for our room. We walked into the villas lobby and chose the Breezeway, as there were people in the Drawing Room.

I absolutely love that painting and it is SO much bigger in real life than I thought! Mom sat down in one of the chairs and promptly fell asleep. I went walking through the building, decided pretty quickly that the hallways were long and would be easy to get lost in, and turned around. I quickly got bored with just sitting around (I knew if I fell asleep, I would be out for a while), so I walked out the Dunes Cove pool with the intent of using the hot tub but there were already people in it and I didn’t want to be awkward. The rain had calmed down so I headed off towards Stormalong Bay. I gave Mom my phone and took hers, and told her to text me if the room should become available.

I took a noodle, found the entrance, got my bright orange wristband (this started a collection that I’m still wearing) and put my stuff down on a chair. I know I floated around the “lazy river” on the noodle, and used one of the hot tubs. I chilled out in the deeper area that adjoins the sinking sands part. I also used the slide once and almost had a wardrobe malfunction. The slide also kind of hurt from the seams that link the section together. The sun was out a bit by now so I walked over to the beach and laid in the sun for a little bit. I was periodically checking the phone about the room, only to discover I had no cell service. So I packed up and went back to the Breezeway. No Mom and still no cell service. I walked outside, still nothing. After a few minutes service returned, and she had texted me to say that Villa 321 was ready.

 

[bellebookworm9]

We took a lot of pictures of the studio, but not all on the same day, so I’ll be posting them on the days we took them.
I took the elevator up to the third floor and easily found our room. It was in the shortest hallway (only six rooms total) and right off the elevator area.

This studio was connected to a one bedroom, and either there was no one in the 1BR, or they were really super quiet since we didn’t hear anyone until the last day. There was a dedicated 2 BR on the other side of us.

Our foyer:

The vanity:

The bathroom:

The closet:

View of the room:

Queen Bed:

Sofa bed:

View looking straight:

View looking left:

View looking right:

More room views:

One thing we quickly noticed about the room was that when both the bathroom and closet doors were open, the vanity area became very cramped and hard to walk in/out of. Not a big deal but a little annoying. We thought the room was very nice, it was clean, and the furniture was not worn very much at all. I had requested a higher floor and we did get that to some extent. I had kind of been hoping for an Epcot view so we could see IllumiNations from our room, but this was a beautiful view as well, and great for people watching. We actually saw a bride walking into the villas! After exploring I took a shower and then it was time to head down to dinner at Cape May Café.

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

I'm Here! I can't believe it's been so long since I've checked in on your trip plans, and now you're back and writing your report! I haven't read a word yet but plan on doing so in a minute. Just wanted to let you know I will be following along!

Edit: I am all caught up now! You guys are having a great time already and haven't even gotten to a park yet. Looking forward for lots more!

 

[tink52937]

" As a side note, our server for the meal was Dolores and we really liked her. "

Dolores is our favorite favorite favorite CM at disney. Did I mention FAVORITE? lol
We met her about 3 years ago and we we go back every time to see her. She has really great receipes, frosted flakes and chocolate milk, Coke with hershey syrup etc.

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Our ADR was for 5:30 and we headed down a little before that. We checked in and were given a buzzer. I realized my sunglasses were missing and that I had them when I was changing in the bathroom earlier in the afternoon and then couldn’t remember seeing them again. We went out to check to see if I had left them there, but no dice. I asked a CM where I would go to find them and she told me I would have to call Lost & Found. I didn’t want to deal with all of that so we walked back into the lobby. We went up to ask if we had been buzzed since we expected we had gone out of range, but we hadn’t been called yet. Another guest carrying a beer and not wearing any shoes came in and started talking to the CM manning the check in booth. He was really loud and obnoxious and Mom was pretty grossed out by the no shoes thing. Apparently he had lost his wife somewhere around the pool. But anyway, we were soon buzzed to be seated.

The hostess told us our server would be Karen, but after several minutes with no Karen, another server named Sarah came over. Sarah was the one who took care of us for most of our dinner, with Karen stopping by occasionally. Manager Kiersten also stopped by to chat; she was very personable and talked with us for about 10 minutes. She said she’s been with Disney for about 7 years and at Cape May for about 1; they like to rotate the managers around every 1-2 years to keep things fresh and get new ideas.

I'm not an adventurous eater and I'm not crazy about most seafood, but Mom really likes crab and doesn't eat it very often, so she was very excited. Our first trip to the buffet consisted of mostly salads.

Salad with cheese, croutons, and ranch; cantaloupe with some sort of dressing and green stuff; peel and eat shrimp.

Cantaloupe, Cape May Potato Salad, Peel and Eat shrimp with cocktail sauce. We both liked the shrimp and cantaloupe. My salad was good; it's a salad and you can't really go wrong with that. Mom did not care for the potato salad, it was unlike any other she had eaten before, not what she was expecting, but she couldn't really define a taste.

My second plate was really pretty boring.

Chicken nugget (there were two but I had eaten one), mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread with butter, corn on the cob, and fried cod. I really liked the potatoes, the mac and cheese, the corn, and the cod. The potatoes were very flavorful, the cheese on the pasta was delicious, and the corn was sweet. The chicken nuggets were just alright, they were flattened and didn't really have a lot of taste. The cornbread was not very sweet and a bit dry.

Mom's second plate:

Fried cod, corn on the cob, drawn butter, cornbread, crab legs. She LOVED the crab legs. She also loved the corn, thought the cob was pretty good, and enjoyed the corn bread.

We shared four mini desserts: Key Lime Tart, (Raspberry) Cheesecake, Brownie, and the famed Oreo Bon Bon.

Our favorite was the key lime tart. It was not too tart and the whipped cream added an appropriate amount of sweetness. The cheesecake was kind of blah. It didn't really have a raspberry flavor. The brownie was chewy, most, and chocolaty. The Oreo Bon Bon was sooooo rich and sweet. I could only eat two bites of it! Mom liked the top part with the mousse, but not the bottom cookie part (she doesn't like Oreos though).

Our plan for after dinner was to stroll over to the Boardwalk, rent a surrey bike, continue walking around the lake stopping at the Yacht Club to look in their gift shop, then come back to the room...

 

[natebenma]

Another guest carrying a beer and not wearing any shoes came in and started talking to the CM manning the check in booth. He was really loud and obnoxious and Mom was pretty grossed out by the no shoes thing. Apparently he had lost his wife somewhere around the pool.

She was probably hiding from him.


Thanks for your review of the Cape May. We have dined there twice and enjoyed it.

Hope you are able to find your sunglasses.

Great pictures of the villas in your previous update!!!

 

[bellebookworm9]

She was probably hiding from him.


Thanks for your review of the Cape May. We have dined there twice and enjoyed it.

Hope you are able to find your sunglasses.

Great pictures of the villas in your previous update!!!

She probably was! I never did find my sunglasses, but for the next two days I didn't even need them.

 

[bellebookworm9]

We exited through the lobby and started walking toward the Boardwalk. Mom took a few pictures on the way.

That is SeaBreeze Pointe, and I fully intend to get married there someday. It’s absolutely beautiful.

See that beautiful sunset over the Dolphin? Well, coming in from Epcot was a huge, dark cloud. I really hate thunderstorms and was like “Mom, I don’t like that cloud…I really don’t like that cloud!” I was pretty much having a panic attack. So Mom told me to go inside, and I headed for the arcade. She met up with me shortly.

We didn’t stay in the arcade for long, and made our way up to the lobby. It was obviously a MNSSHP night because there were people in costume all over the place. Just as we got inside it started to POUR. We sat just inside the front entrance for a while and then went to explore inside. We passed one of the Boardwalk acts as we were wandering; he was on the stairs juggling. Eventually we camped out in some chairs by the world’s slowest elevator and this plate display:

Families would just come in from the rain all decked out in their ponchos and then attempt to take the elevator up. One family got in, pushed the button, the doors closed, it waited a second then reopened! They started to get out and the Dad went, “Oh wait, we didn’t go anywhere!” After about 25 minutes we scurried back outside, trying to keep along the building edge, over to the main gift shop. We browsed there for a bit, and I bought my autograph book and new ring, which I have pictures of later. I looked for a Dooney wristlet but they didn’t have a pattern and color I liked. Next up was Seashore Sweets. I had read somewhere that they sold M&M chocolate covered pretzels, but didn’t see them. Mom used the restroom there, and while I waited for her, I discovered that their floors are very much waxed! I was leaning against the pay phones and just slipping right down!

The rain had let up a teeny bit so we walked back the way we came to the Beach Club, ducking in the “super secret step saver entrance” (thanks Y&BC DISers!). I don’t know if it ever really saved us any steps, but it did keep us dry! I really like the carpet in the hallways.

Eventually we made it to the Beach Club lobby, where Mom wanted to rest for a moment. She’s wanted a picture of herself in one of these chairs since she saw a photo of them over a year ago!

After our short break, it was on to the Yacht Club. Of course, we got a bit lost walking over there, but we made it eventually, with the help of a friendly lifeguard. Fittings and Fairings was our destination, and we browsed a bit there as well. They also sold Dooneys, but still nothing I was crazy about. However, I did buy my 2011 hoodie there, and the 4 Parks, 1 World photo album. We meandered back to the Beach Club, stopping at the rocking chairs between the two resorts. Unfortunately, this was also the smoking area so we didn’t stay for long. We caught glimpses of IllumiNations but didn’t get any good pictures. I know we stopped at the Marketplace to get snacks, and then headed back to the room. I got ready for bed and passed out. Mom said I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and then I didn’t move at all.

 

[natebenma]

I know exactly that dark cloud you are talking about!!! It always seems to be hanging around EPCOT! We have had two incidences when we were returning back to the resort and spied a seriously scary dark cloud. Once we had just finished dinner at Le Cellier and the cloud was over Italy. In 2010, we were at Ellen's Energy Adventure and really had to book it back to the BC, barely making it to the super secret step saving entrance before the sky opened up and a HUGE lightning storm started.

It sounds like you probably have not seen the last of the rain.

Very pretty pictures of the BC/YC grounds, the BW and the BC lobby!

 

[bellebookworm9]

I woke up suddenly at 5:45am on Saturday. I think Mom must have let out an extra loud snore or something, but I popped up and couldn’t fall back asleep. I decided to get ready and head over to the Boardwalk Bakery (I didn’t know the Marketplace sold bagels). I was out the door shortly before 6:30. It was still dark, but not yet raining. There was almost no one else outside, just a few runners.

When I got to the Bakery, there were about five other people waiting outside. At promptly 6:30 they opened, but the CM that came out told us the register person had to go get a till and we couldn’t actually buy anything until he got back. Several people ordered coffee while we waited. When we were finally allowed to, I bought a cinnamon raisin bagel and an apple juice. I wanted a fruit cup, but despite it being on the menu I didn’t see them anywhere. So I simply stopped at the Marketplace on the way back-and discovered that they had bagels. *Bangs head against palm*

Mom was happy to see breakfast was there when she woke up.

While she got ready for the day, I took some more pictures of the room-things we had missed yesterday.

Kitchenette:

Cupboard with plasticky/paper plates and bowls, real mugs and glasses.

Cupboard with paper towels, toaster, and plastic ware tray (plus a corkscrew and can opener)

Inside the fridge.

Under the sink.

The television/dresser.

We wanted to make rope drop and we were out of the room by about 8:30. The walk to Epcot was even quicker than I imagined. By this point the rain had picked up, so we used the 1501 door again. A F&WF sign by England!

When we got towards the front of the park I thought we missed rope drop since there were no people waiting. I ran ahead to get FPs for Test Track and the park was EMPTY. The times board said everything was still closed except Soarin’, which had a 20 minute wait. I was very confused, but headed to Test Track. The machine wouldn’t give me my FP so I had to get a CM to help me. The ride was closed due to rain, and in the 30 seconds it had taken me to get from the Times board to the ride, the FPs had been pushed back to 10:05am.

I went next door to do Mission: Space. Mom hadn’t gone on it last time, but she wanted to give it a try. We went with the green (tame) version. Virtually no wait, and we were the only ones in our capsule. She LOVED it! She wanted to do it again, but we headed back outside and over to the Land. Much to my delight, Soarin’ was still at 20 minutes, so we got in line. I’ve never seen it with that short of a wait! And we definitely didn’t wait that long. We were assigned to B1 without even asking for it! I have to say, the safety video at the beginning gets more and more ridiculous every time I see it. Since we both had flip flops on, we rode barefoot-I’ve never done that before and the urge to dip my toes in the water was overwhelming! That ride just makes me so happy-I listen to the music and I am automatically calm.

When we got off, Mom was hungry so we stopped over at Sunshine Seasons for a snack, and while she paid, I got FPs for later.
Still a short wait!

Mom chose Croissant Berry bread pudding for her snack and we each got a chocolate milk. She really liked the bread pudding, but I didn’t care for it much. I don’t really like bread pudding in general though.

For the first time, I realized that each of those balloons represents a season!

I was adapting our plans on the fly like crazy due to the rain, so since we had some time before World Showcase opened, MouseGears was up next. It was here that I finally found my Dooney & Bourke wristlet. I was debating between a 40th anniversary one or a White Sketch. I never did find a 40th anniversary wristlet anywhere on property. I looked through ALL of the sketch wristlets, and of course the one I wanted was on the top hook at the very back. I had to ask a CM for assistance. He was an older gentleman and when he handed it to me I thanked him and took it over to Mom who was looking at jewelry. We were planning to browse some more and make one big purchase at the end. However, the CM was literally following me around the jewelry section and actually said, “Why don’t you let me hang on to that until you’re ready to check out?” Seriously?! It had an anti-theft tag on it-it’s not like I was going to smuggle it out of the store! We looked around a bit more but didn’t find anything, so I went back to the older man and checked out. I asked for the bag to be sent to package pickup and he acted like it was a huge inconvenience, and then he almost forgot to give me my KTTW card. This guy was definitely the most (and pretty much the only) cranky CM we encountered. It was nearly 11, so we left and headed towards World Showcase.

 

[archdandy]

Great report so far! I'm glad that you found a wristlet that you liked but that CM could have been a bit friendlier from the sounds of it. It kinda stinks that it rained so much your first couple of days. I hope this didnt get in the way of you guys having fun!

 

[natebenma]

Loved this update!!!

GREAT detailed kitchenette photos! I'll be using some of those on the FAQ thread if ya don't mind!

I can't believe the not-so-long wait on Soarin'- love the way you captured it in the picture with the FPs. The blueberry bread pudding looks good to me! I've never been to SS for breakfast.

I didn't know that about the balloons! Thanks for the great trivia!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Great report so far! I'm glad that you found a wristlet that you liked but that CM could have been a bit friendlier from the sounds of it. It kinda stinks that it rained so much your first couple of days. I hope this didnt get in the way of you guys having fun!

Loved this update!!!

GREAT detailed kitchenette photos! I'll be using some of those on the FAQ thread if ya don't mind!

I can't believe the not-so-long wait on Soarin'- love the way you captured it in the picture with the FPs. The blueberry bread pudding looks good to me! I've never been to SS for breakfast.

I didn't know that about the balloons! Thanks for the great trivia!

The rain definitely didn't ruin the fun-and it absolutely kept the crowds away!

Feel free to use the pics on the FAQ thread.

I've been to Sunshine Seasons at least once per trip on the last three trips-and taken a picture of those balloons every single time. You think I would have realized that before!

 

[bellebookworm9]

As we were walking, it was raining harder. I chanced taking the camera out to take this picture.

Since Australia was right there, that’s where we went first. Before we ordered, I asked about the free passport that you can get stamped and I was told I had to get that at the DVC booth…which we had just walked past. I told Mom to stay put (if you recall my last trip report, we have a terrible habit of losing each other) and ran off to get the booklet. When I returned, I found Mom sitting on a bench right near where I’d left her. Yay for Mom for listening to instructions! At most booths we ordered one item, some we went with two, and here our item of choice was the Shrimp on the Barbie with a Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze.

It was really good and had a nice flavor. The shrimp were a decent size. We attempted to eat outside, but now it was really raining and huge gusts of wind were blowing. A potted umbrella near Australia actually blew over! So we hustled into the little store right there, the one with all the Duffy stuff. We ate while taking shelter in there, and many other people had the same idea-the floor by the door was a small lake, since they are the automatic doors and the water was just blowing right in. It was getting kind of crowded and someone in an ECV knocked into a display of glass; we didn’t see it but we definitely heard it. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

The rain was not letting up but we decided to go brave it to get to the next booth. I know we skipped Brazil because nothing there really appealed and we also skipped the Beef Empanada from Argentina, which I had wanted to try until I heard it was spicy. The Caribbean booth was next in line. Here we chose to order the Ropa Vieja (Braised Beef) with White Rice and the Dragon Berry Colada (my first *ever* alcoholic drink).

I was originally a little wary of the beef dish because it literally means "Old Clothes" in Spanish. However, it was really good! There was a little spice to it but we couldn't identify the specific flavor. As for the Colada, I liked it. It kind of tasted like a fruity yogurt in slushy form. Mom said she could taste the rum, but since I didn't know what I was supposed to taste, I didn't. At this point the weather was what I imagine a monsoon to be. We power walked to the outdoor seating of Cantina de San Angel-hey, it’s covered! A lot of other people were doing the same thing. We ate there and then decided to head back to the hotel. We were soaked and there was no way it was even possible to get any wetter.

On the way, we encountered the Duffy meet & greet. There was absolutely no one there! So I ran up to meet him. I was informed that I would have to take off my poncho if I wanted a hug from Duffy, since otherwise he would absorb the water and weigh 175 pounds by the end of the night. No problem, since I also had to dig out the autograph book and marker, the camera, and the Photopass Card. I let a few people go ahead of me while I was looking for that stuff.

I think his pumpkin costume is just so cute! Once my poncho was back on, our trek back to the International Gateway began. It was no fun, squishing along. Super-secret step saver entrance was our friend. My flip flops squeak anyway because they are old, but with the added water, they were just downright obnoxious, and Mom made fun of me the whole way back. When we got back to the room, we took some pictures of how absolutely drenched we were.

I was literally wringing water out of my sleeves there.

“I am cold and I’m wet.”

This was around noon. We dried off and Mom napped for a bit. I don’t think I slept, but I did use the computer for a bit. I also realized when we got back to the room that my ticket was missing! I went down to the concierge desk and Grace (I think that was her name) was able to help me out by canceling the first ticket and printing me a new one.

Mom wanted to wait some more to see if the rain had stopped. Nope, it wasn’t stopping so around 3:30 we headed back out. We slogged our way back through the park, up to Future World, into The Land, and went straight for Sunshine Seasons. We always get the Turkey Focaccia, but Mom thought the Reuben Panini looked good as well. My eyes were bigger than my stomach at that moment and I said we should get one of each and share. We also got a strawberry shortcake. I got a kid’s drink and Mom and adult, but we were charged for two adult drinks.
Reuben Panini:

Turkey and Monterey Jack Cheese on Focaccia with Chipotle Mayo:

Strawberry Shortcake:

The turkey sandwich had jalapenos on it, which I don't remember from years past, making it a bit spicier than I cared for-I ended up picking them off. Mom liked the reuben, and the few bites of it I had were good. I don't care for the potato salad (the only side offered at this station), but Mom likes it. The shortcake was light, fluffy, and delicious as always. However, neither of us could finish our sandwiches. Mom was mad that I wouldn’t eat more, but I joined Weight Watchers over the summer and am learning that you don’t have to finish everything on the plate. Mom actually took a picture of what we threw out.

We got into a minor argument and she took the camera out and snapped a picture of me acting like a petulant child.

So I returned the favor:

By that point we were laughing, so we threw out the rest of the food and went off to have some (preferably non-rainy) fun!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Oh man, I know what it's like to have to ring yourself out! We had a week at WDW in May '09 where it seriously rained that way like every day. Not fun. But, you make the best of it!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yuck, gotta love having to wring out your clothes. That's like what happened to us this past March. I totally agree that it is no fun squishing around in the parks.

On the bright side...Halloween Duffy is really cute and it looks like you made the best of the rainy weather.