Well, this trip was....different. UPDATE - 9/1!

[merbobear]

We stayed in a 2BR at OKW this year! The resort really is beautiful, we had a really pretty view of a large fountain from our patio. I agree the bathroom decor is a little dated compared to the rest of the room (I actually really like the bedspreads and the color scheme of the okw rooms!) but having a nice spacious area where your butt doesn't bump the door when you turn around sure is nice!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Ok...OKW is not what at all what I expected and does look comfortable! And with lots of room. Interesting! Beaches and Cream looks delish! Adding to bucket list.

Ha! Just corrected my spelling on 'comfortable'!! funny!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Glad you guys made it over to beaches and cream, that is a must when staying at the beach club! I love the no way jose too, and wish I could have one right now!

I completely agree about switching resorts. Disney does make it as easy as possible, but I still feel like you loose a whole day to the process. Maybe it would be easier without kids, but still I know that DH wouldn't enjoy it.

Glad you liked OKW, I wasn't a huge fan, but that is why there are so many resorts, there is something for everyone. Glad you got your room ready before MNSSHP, that would have been frustrating!

 

[pas130]

One of my favorite things about okw is the Mickeys in the railings..glad you guys liked it and very glad they found you a ready room!

 

[afwdwfan]

Interesting assessment of the resorts. One of these days I'd love to stay at either the Beach Club or Yacht Club for Stormalong Bay. It is a disappointment that there is some disrepair in some of the deluxe resorts though. I've always thought about doing a split stay just as a way to experience some of the other resorts in a more economical fashion. It would definitely not be a really convenient thing to have to spend part of a day checking out/in.

The No Way Jose looks awesome. Maybe you guys should have just skipped the actual meal and ordered a couple of them?

 

[holleypie]

Have you done other Disney races?

No, not yet. We were actually there last year during the Wine and Dine half but I was seven months pregnant and not running anywhere except to the bathroom.

OKW isn't really as enticing as the other resorts (we stayed there because it was cheapest!), but we've been there twice now and really ended up loving it. The resort is so peaceful and relaxing, the rooms are large, and it's especially convenient if you're bringing a car.

 

[marDgreen88]

Beaches and Cream is so fun! YAY, FIRST FAMILY OF THE DAY! That No Way Jose looks and sounds completely amazing. Chocolate and peanut butter is the best, most genius combination ever.

I used to just be in love with the Beach Club, and it is a great and beautiful resort. Lately though, the Boardwalk has just been at the top of my list. For some reason everything about it just seems so perfect. Even though I definitely still want to stay at BC someday, your review made me realize that Boardwalk is definitely # 1 for me now, in terms of where I want to stay in the future!

That's annoying that the room took a lot longer than it was supposed to, but it seems like it worked out great after all! I might have to work on a "mean mommy stare" of my own! Now if only there was a baby I could borrow...

 

[emma212010]

Your meal looks delicious, and that No Way Jose.... WOW! Just beautiful!

OKW sure is pretty! I really want to stay there sometime. Your room is very nice! And spacious!!

I can't wait to hear about MNSSHP!

 

[KatMark]

Phew............I was so afraid that you were not going to like OKW from something you had said earlier, especially after I told you how much we loved it and it is now "our home." I'm sorry you had trouble checking-in, but at least you got your roo a whole lot sooner than we did (I guess I should try the mean mommy face next time).

It really is a beautiful resort; I agree, the bathrooms should have probably been redone, but they are spacious and I really like that.

 

[amandaw]

Now I'm getting nervous. Your review of BC coupled with the pics of OKW make me think that maybe I'm just a mod girl at heart? I really, really love the outdoor spaces at the mods. OKW looks lovely. I've always thought it'd be nice to stay there.

GRRRR to the CMs giving you the run around, but YAY for the Mommy glare working like a charm!

Can't wait to hear more!

I was really expecting to go on this trip and end up loving Beach Club and really hating OKW. But, it was quite the opposite. Well, that's not completely true. I didn't HATE Beach Club. I just didn't love it. Know what I mean? Anyway, I would say they worth checking out at least once. Beach Club definitely it you want lots of pool time.

Unfortunately, I have to use the Mommy glare quite a lot at home, so I have perfected it.

 

[amandaw]

We stayed in a 2BR at OKW this year! The resort really is beautiful, we had a really pretty view of a large fountain from our patio. I agree the bathroom decor is a little dated compared to the rest of the room (I actually really like the bedspreads and the color scheme of the okw rooms!) but having a nice spacious area where your butt doesn't bump the door when you turn around sure is nice!

The space definitely can't be beat at OKW! And I'm with you - I like the bedspreads, too! Even if they just painted the tiles in the bathroom it would help. That pink is just yuck!

Ok...OKW is not what at all what I expected and does look comfortable! And with lots of room. Interesting! Beaches and Cream looks delish! Adding to bucket list.

Ha! Just corrected my spelling on 'comfortable'!! funny!

Beaches and Cream was so, so, so good!! I'm really glad we made a point of going there. Definitely worth it!

OKW wasn't what I was expecting either. It was so nice to have so much space for all of our stuff, especially after spending the previous 2 days living out of suitcases.

Glad you guys made it over to beaches and cream, that is a must when staying at the beach club! I love the no way jose too, and wish I could have one right now!

That No Way Jose is ridiculously good!! I'm really glad we made a point to go there.

I completely agree about switching resorts. Disney does make it as easy as possible, but I still feel like you loose a whole day to the process. Maybe it would be easier without kids, but still I know that DH wouldn't enjoy it.

It really is just a nuisance. That being said, I am working on a possible 2nd vacation for us in 2013 right now. And if works out, it would involve a split stay. I'm willing to do it if gets me more time at WDW. We shall see.....

Glad you liked OKW, I wasn't a huge fan, but that is why there are so many resorts, there is something for everyone. Glad you got your room ready before MNSSHP, that would have been frustrating!

Absolutely! I will say this....I don't know if I would love it if we didn't have our car. We ended up driving almost every day because it was so much easier than the buses....especially with a small child.

One of my favorite things about okw is the Mickeys in the railings..glad you guys liked it and very glad they found you a ready room!

The railings are so cute! I want a fence like that in my front yard!

Interesting assessment of the resorts. One of these days I'd love to stay at either the Beach Club or Yacht Club for Stormalong Bay. It is a disappointment that there is some disrepair in some of the deluxe resorts though. I've always thought about doing a split stay just as a way to experience some of the other resorts in a more economical fashion. It would definitely not be a really convenient thing to have to spend part of a day checking out/in.

Given the amount of foot traffic seen at WDW, I truly don't expect everything to look perfect. But, it really is disappointing when you're paying very high room rates (even with our RunDisney discount) to see things dirty and in a really worn out state.

The No Way Jose looks awesome. Maybe you guys should have just skipped the actual meal and ordered a couple of them?

OMG! That thing was awesome indeed!! Next time I think we will go just for dessert. But, I will say that the burgers were worth trying also! They were very yummy....and the fries, too!

 

[amandaw]

No, not yet. We were actually there last year during the Wine and Dine half but I was seven months pregnant and not running anywhere except to the bathroom.

I definitely remember how that feels!

OKW isn't really as enticing as the other resorts (we stayed there because it was cheapest!), but we've been there twice now and really ended up loving it. The resort is so peaceful and relaxing, the rooms are large, and it's especially convenient if you're bringing a car.

Yeah, I don't know if I'd want to stay there without a car. But, with our car, it was really nice. And maybe because I went in with really low expectations it helped me to like it more.

Beaches and Cream is so fun! YAY, FIRST FAMILY OF THE DAY! That No Way Jose looks and sounds completely amazing. Chocolate and peanut butter is the best, most genius combination ever.

It was so fun when the lights were going off & they were cheering for us. You should definitely go back to try the No Way Jose!

I used to just be in love with the Beach Club, and it is a great and beautiful resort. Lately though, the Boardwalk has just been at the top of my list. For some reason everything about it just seems so perfect. Even though I definitely still want to stay at BC someday, your review made me realize that Boardwalk is definitely # 1 for me now, in terms of where I want to stay in the future!

Glad I could help! Our first night there, when we were on the Boardwalk, part of me was really sad that I had switched us to Beach Club and not back to Boardwalk. But, I can cross BC off my resort list now. I think Boardwalk will be at the top of our list for 2014.

That's annoying that the room took a lot longer than it was supposed to, but it seems like it worked out great after all! I might have to work on a "mean mommy stare" of my own! Now if only there was a baby I could borrow...

If you can't find a baby, just get a baby doll. Put it in poses like it's doing mischievous things and then glare at it with a look that says, "You will regret even thinking about doing that!"

Your meal looks delicious, and that No Way Jose.... WOW! Just beautiful!

It was beautiful! I just stared at it for a moment before I could even dig in. That meal was really great!

OKW sure is pretty! I really want to stay there sometime. Your room is very nice! And spacious!!

Loved all the space we had. And the resort is very lovely!

I can't wait to hear about MNSSHP!

Hoping to start with that in a day or two!

Phew............I was so afraid that you were not going to like OKW from something you had said earlier, especially after I told you how much we loved it and it is now "our home." I'm sorry you had trouble checking-in, but at least you got your roo a whole lot sooner than we did (I guess I should try the mean mommy face next time).

Definitely try the Mommy glare! We really did love the resort. I will say this though: if I based my review completely on the check-in CM's, I don't think I'd like it as much. And not just because of my check-in experience. I'll have story about our checkout day as well.

It really is a beautiful resort; I agree, the bathrooms should have probably been redone, but they are spacious and I really like that.

I was very happy to have a studio with that much space. And to have a studio with 2 queen beds. You really can't beat that!

 

[pas130]

The railings are so cute! I want a fence like that in my front yard!

Oh, me too

 

[MEK]

We tried to each at Beaches N Cream in October. It was around 1pm ish and forget it. The wait was 45 minutes. Much too long. So we went to the Captains Grille Instead.

I agree that the YC looks like an awesome place to stay. It's one of the resorts that makes me a little sad that I am DVC. I do love the Boardwalk. Like it even more after my second stay.

So glad you liked your room at OKW. What a pretty view. I agree that changing resorts definitely slows down the day.

You have a lot of nice pics in your last update.

 

[amandaw]

We tried to each at Beaches N Cream in October. It was around 1pm ish and forget it. The wait was 45 minutes. Much too long. So we went to the Captains Grille Instead.

Yeah, I can see where the waits get long there. The place is so tiny. If we ever eat there again, we'll try to get there for opening again.

I agree that the YC looks like an awesome place to stay. It's one of the resorts that makes me a little sad that I am DVC. I do love the Boardwalk. Like it even more after my second stay.

I was so surprised that we like the decor of YC more than BC. I really didn't think that resort would appeal to me. But, I think Boardwalk is really at the top of our list....with Contemporary.

So glad you liked your room at OKW. What a pretty view. I agree that changing resorts definitely slows down the day.

Thanks! After being so hesitant to stay there, I was really relieved to get in the room and be pleasantly surprised.

You have a lot of nice pics in your last update.

Thank you!!

 

[amandaw]

Around 4 pm that afternoon, we got ready for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party that night. The party starts at 7 pm but I knew (from the wonderful DIS peeps) that we could get into MK with our party tickets starting at 4 pm. We decided just to drive our own car and we made it to the TTC parking lot rather quickly. We were parked in the “Zurg” parking lot. As we were walking to wait on a tram, a lady behind us kept saying, “Who is Zurg? I don’t remember a Zurg from any movie.” After saying it a couple of times, Reid decided to turn around & inform her who Zurg is. He then proceeded to talk her ear off about Toy Story. As we were waiting for a tram, she was kind enough to take a picture of us:



It wasn’t long before a tram picked us up. Once at the TTC, we were able to get on a monorail right away. We made it through bag check at MK and made it to the ticket turnstiles. I had printed out our party tickets at home and handed them to the CM. She had so much trouble scanning our printed party tickets, I really felt bad for her. But, she was really nice about it and finally got them to scan. Once we were through the turnstile, we were stopped by a CM to put on our party bracelets. And then as you enter the park, you are given your bag for trick-or-treating. We were in the park for about 5 pm.

When we stepped onto Main Street, I couldn’t even take pictures. I was just so happy to be there. I was soaking in all of the fall decorations. Normally, I would have just been snapping away with the camera but I really had no desire to do that. I just wanted to be in the moment with my family. So, I apologize that I don’t have any pictures from our first moments in the park.

We stood there taking it all in for a moment, then we slowly started making our way down Main Street.



When we got closer to the castle, we could see that the Dream Along with Mickey show was going on but it was almost over. Nevertheless, Reid wanted to see it, so we watched the end.





After the show was over, I insisted that we get a few Photopass pictures.





Then, we started making our way to Tomorrowland. But, I made us stop for a few more pictures first.



Within a matter of seconds, the skies started to darken.



I was starting to worry about the weather for the night. But, there wasn’t anything we could do about it, so we continued on to Tomorrowland. I really wanted to eat dinner right away but Reid wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear. Since the wait was only about 5 minutes, I obliged him. We saved the galaxy from not only Emperor Zurg but also Captain Hook!



From there, it was on to dinner at Cosmic Ray’s. It was pretty busy in there but we were able to find a table. Reid had the chicken nuggets, fries and grapes. It must’ve been good because he ate well. Ed had the grilled chicken sandwich with fries and chocolate cake. He said it was fine. And I went with a turkey sandwich, apple slices and carrot cake. The sandwich and apples were very fresh and the carrot cake was moist and yummy!

When we left Cosmic Ray’s, Reid and Ed went over to the Speedway.





That last picture makes me laugh. Since Hook and Smee are used to being in a boat, it looks like they are having some difficulty figuring out the car.

When they got off of the race cars, Mr. Smee was having some difficulty with his muttonchops. So, he decided to make a restroom stop to see if he could straighten them out. Reid waited patiently:



Once the muttonchops were secure, we headed to the new Storybook Circus. I was really excited to see this area since all of the pictures I had seen looked great. Well, it didn’t disappoint!



We headed straight to Dumbo and were able to walk right on!







After Dumbo, I really wanted to head back towards the castle. My hope was that we could line up early for the first Villains Mix and Mingle show. I also wanted to see about going ahead and lining up to meet Captain Hook. For anyone that doesn’t know, the villains from the show do come down afterwards for quick meet and greets. They don’t sign autographs and are only out for about 15 minutes after each show.

When we got to the castle, hardly anyone was sitting up close. I went and asked a CM if we could sit up there and she told me yes. I also asked her where Captain Hook would be meeting. She showed me where his line would be in front of the castle and told me we could sit right there if we wanted to be first. Yay! My plans were coming together!

Or so I thought. We sat down right in front of the castle. With the threatening skies and the ominous lights on the castle, the setting was actually kind of spooky.



Reid was not liking it all! He started whining pretty much right away that he didn’t want to watch the show and that he didn’t want to meet Captain Hook. I kept trying to convince him that it was going to be fun but he wasn’t having any of it. All he kept saying was that he wanted to go do some rides. Ed and I kept talking to him, trying to convince him to just give the show a try. We were finally making some progress with him.....

when it started to drizzle. Reid wanted to get up and leave right away. But, I refused to give up our spot so quickly. I was really hoping it wouldn’t get any worse and would just blow over us. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very long before the rain really picked up. At that point, I knew we needed to get up and out of the rain. Everyone was trying to crowd into the little covered kiosks near the castle.

I quickly led my little family down into the Rose Garden under the covered pavilion. We were the only ones there for a little while. We tried to pass the time the best we could while the rain poured down.







I was really starting to get discouraged that we’d just have to leave.

Would the rain ever stop?!?

 

[marDgreen88]

Yall's costumes look so great!

Isn't Storybook Circus awesome? I haven't even seen the complete thing, and I love it. Hahaha.

OH NO... not rain! Oh man, I really hope it doesn't rain all night!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Bummer about the rain!! I hope it stops for you! And you all look amazing! The costumes turned out great!

 

[MEK]

Can I just say that Reid is SO stinkin' cute! Seriously, that costume is awesome. All of your costumes are, but that pirate costume is so cute.

Ugh - bummer about the rain. I really hope it stops and doesn't ruin the party for you.

Nice pics!

 

[jecskc]

I love your costumes !!! I hope the rain stopped for you.