WHAT A DIFFERENCE 6 MOS. MAKES (or how I learned to love MK) COMPLETE-WRAP-UP 12/29

[tinacaplan]

Ah, and here is where things get super sketchy. I have virtually no notes beyond Downtown Disney. I have a few pictures of our meal. And that’s about it, though I do recall what we did that night.

Clearly, we slept in and must have done something about breakfast. I believe that we made our way over to downtown Disney around eleven. Now, I know that I am in the minority on this one, but I just don’t get downtown Disney. While I enjoyed our meal at WPE, I’m not sure what else we did. We did a bit of shopping and Max cruised through the Lego store, which I’m certain he enjoyed. He did come out of it with some new legos.

Our meal at WPE was quite good. I’d say its another thing at Disney that lives up the Dis-hype. I cannot believe the quality of food that you can get for a CS credit. Even without being on the DDP, which we weren’t, it was still a great value.

I had a delicious carbonara:

Mark had the meatloaf. Again, delicious:

Max had pasta and it was also good. I would highly reommend WPE.

Originally, I had wanted to take the boat over to the POFQ for a little fact finding mission. The overall theme of POFQ really appeals to me, especially now that the refurb has happened. My only hesitation is the bus service. Way back in 2010, my husband and I had taken the boat from Downtown Disney to POFQ. We walked around a bit and then decided to hop on a bus to EPCOT. The bus ride took FOREVER, especially compared to how quick we had found the bus service at CSR. So, who knows if we’ll ever stay there?

Bottom line, we were a bit cranky and I couldn’t find the boat dock, so we headed back the BC.

Undoubtedly some pool time and some nap time were involved, after which we headed back here:

We had no dinner plans, no touring plans, no agenda whatsoever. We did our usual loop of Nemo and SE. By the time were done there, it getting close to time for Illuminations. We walked back toward England claimed a not-so-prime viewing spot. Max made friends with a cute little girl whose family was standing near ours. The two of them occupied themselves for awhile until the show began.

Max is not a big fan of fire and was getting crankier by the second, so we headed back to the Beach Club. We tried Beaches and Cream, but the wait was ridiculous. I then walked over to Captain’s Grille, but they closed at nine. ACK! We were stuck with almost no options. In hindsight, there were two things we could have done: taken a cab to a resort with a food court or gone over to the Swolphin to one of their places. I think there are a couple places there that are open past nine.

But, alas, I did not think of either of those options. We perused the offerings at the Marketplace and found them seriously lacking. So, we splurged and order room service. It was lovely. We had a delicious dinner and great service without even leaving the room!

There was no swimming that night. We relaxed in our room, packed, and got ready for our last day at Disney.

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like y'all had a really nice night. We tried WPE on our last trip & loved it!

Okay, I have a couple of questions about BC & the Epcot area resorts.

1. How was the bus service to/from MK?
2. If you didn't do SAB, would you have still felt like it was "worth it" to stay at BC?
3. Do you think if you stay at one of the resorts in that area, that a park hopper is almost a "must" or at least gets more use? I hope I'm making sense here.

We've decided for our trip next Dec., that we want to do a deluxe again instead of the mod I had booked (POFQ). But, we are having quite a time picking one. I don't want to break the bank & I want to choose the best option for us. We don't usually get park hoppers, but it sounds like they may be more useful (for us) when staying that close to Epcot.

 

[All7OfUs]

That's what I had at WPE as well- SO, SO yummy! But WAY too much food! I hear B&C is like that- either too busy to get in, or not at all. Nice last evening all in all, I'd say

 

[annmarieda]

I love WGPE. It is one of my favorite uses of a cs credit. Course, with the Pepper Market now doing a full buffet for cs...it is a toss up depending on if I am in the mood for buffet.

 

[natebenma]

Sounds like you had a nice, laid-back day. I'm not a huge fan of DTD either. We always have to make at least one trip there (Lego Store) and we have had a couple of enjoyable meals at T-Rex. But *confesses*: I am not a shopper.

I hear so many great things about WPE! I'd love to try it sometime.

Funny about the buses at POFQ- we seriously dislike the bus FROM DTD to the Beach Club (or any other resort), so we take the boat and catch a bus from one of the DTD resorts. We have done this with OKW (pretty ride) and Saratoga Springs.

Love how close EPCOT is to the BC- my family doesn't go wild about fireworks shows, so usually 2-3 times during a trip, I will go see the show solo.

Too bad about your dinner dilemma. What we do quite often is takeout from the World Showcase (Tangierine Cafe, France, Sunshine Seasons) and bring it back to our room.

I'll be interested to hear your answers to Amanda's questions, and I will just butt in a little...

Totally need park hoppers if you are staying at the BC. It is great to pop into EPCOT at night, or watching Illuminations before bed, or getting lunch or dinner there. Sometimes we like to come back from the MK via monorail to EPCOT. It is such a nice ride.

I think BC is worth it, just for the location (quick walk to EPCOT and walk or boat ride to HS). Stormalong Bay is awesome, and if you are hardy and get a warm day in December you may get to use the pool. But the tradeoff in December is the beautiful decorations at both BC and YC.

I have had no issues with the bus service to MK.

If you are interested in doing some hard-core research, I invite you over to the BC FAQ thread to check out the first page. You can get to it by clicking on the link in my signature.

 

[amandaw]

I'll be interested to hear your answers to Amanda's questions, and I will just butt in a little...

Totally need park hoppers if you are staying at the BC. It is great to pop into EPCOT at night, or watching Illuminations before bed, or getting lunch or dinner there. Sometimes we like to come back from the MK via monorail to EPCOT. It is such a nice ride.

I think BC is worth it, just for the location (quick walk to EPCOT and walk or boat ride to HS). Stormalong Bay is awesome, and if you are hardy and get a warm day in December you may get to use the pool. But the tradeoff in December is the beautiful decorations at both BC and YC.

I have had no issues with the bus service to MK.

If you are interested in doing some hard-core research, I invite you over to the BC FAQ thread to check out the first page. You can get to it by clicking on the link in my signature.

Thank you so much for all of that helpful info! I did wander over to the BC thread last night for a little while. But, I'm sure I'll be over there more soon. I'm having such a hard time picking a place to stay. But, that's a good problem to have!

 

[MEK]

Thank you for reminding me about WPE. That will be a nice option for me this summer because I made surprisingly few ADRs.

Did you say you just don't "get" DTD? So, perhaps I am not the only one who can only take DTD in small doses. I love the margarita stand and I do enjoy the shops, but when it gets crazy crowded there I feel a little overwhelmed.

Good for you for ordering room service. If the food was good and you didn't have to deal with meltdowns then I think it was a smart move. I often forget about the CS places at the Swolphin, but perhaps I will try one this summer. See- you are giving me all kinds of good ideas!

 

[tinacaplan]

DAY EIGHT--DEPARTURE DAY

While it pains me to admit this, by the time our last day rolled around, we were looking forward to going home. I suppose that’s one of the nice things about being vacation; it does make where you came from seem much more attractive. Our flight out was not until almost 8:00 p.m.. Mark was less than thrilled with this. Booking a late flight had seemed like such a good idea when I had first made the plans. Oh, well.

We woke up and finished up our packing, checking out, etc. and decided we would spend the day close to the Beach Club so we went to EPCOT.

We were headed here:

I would like to say it was to get a FP for Soarin’, but Max still doesn’t make the height requirement. Instead, we had breakfast at Sunshine Seasons and then took a ride on Living with the Land. I do love this ride.

After that, we headed here:

I realize that Max is standing some place he should not have been...oops.

After our last ride in a clamshell, we journeyed over to one of Max’s favorite rides:

I love this ride, too!

Then it was over to Club Cool for some liquid refreshment and a truly hillarious picture of Mark:

Next stop: Innoventions for some time on a fire truck:

Before we knew it was time for our ADR at Via Napoli. We loved it so much the first time, we decided to do it twice! Seriously, the artichoke pizza with the truffle oil really is that amazing. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it!

We had a very funny (meaning super cute) server who was constantly confused about things, but in the most charming way possible. We had another great meal, but we still had a lot of time on our hands.

I thought about going to the American pavillion as I hadn’t seen the show there since I was a kid. The singers were amazing and so was the show! I cannot believe that I had gone so long without seeing it again. What do I more than Disney-fied animatronic history?

We headed back to the Beach Club a bit early for our ME bus and ran into one last bit of pixie dust along the way. In fact, the pixie dust was hidden almost, near the International Gateway. Had we not been returning to the Beach Club, I have no doubt we would have missed it.

Yes! The one and only Tinkerbelle! And she had been standing there, no crowd around, nothing. Max had experienced only one face character before and I think this just floored him.. There was Tinkerbell, TALKING...TO HIM. This particular CM was great with Max, asking him about his Duffy bear and getting down to his level.

We floated back to the Beach Club on a cloud of pixie dust...

 

[tinacaplan]

The Big ‘Ole Wrap-up...FINALLY!

There is only word to describe this trip: magical. Truly. It was. There were moments that were truly miserable, but the moments that were amazing far outweighed those. Whereas Max had seemed overwhelmed and slightly confused by it all back in February 2011, he was amazed this time around. I got the chance to see Disneyworld through his eyes and it was incredible.

I had never been a big MK fan. I never got that great feeling when I first saw the castle. I usually got that feeling when I saw SE at EPCOT. This trip has completely changed my mind on that.

The Resort...
Our resort certainly had a huge impact on our trip. We had a great room in a fantastic location. The cast members were warm and welcoming from the moment we stepped off the bus. I had not experienced this in my Disney visits thus far. I loved pretty much everything about this resort. From the second I walked into that gorgeous, grand lobby and got my first sniff of that wondrous scent (which is nothing like how a New England beach smells..a good smell, but totally different), I loved this place. There is simply no denying its beauty.
Compared to the average size of a room at the moderates, the rooms were HUGE. I loved having a balcony, even if it wasn’t a full one. Walking through air conditioned halls in the middle of the summer was a real bonus, as well, but if you request (and are lucky enough to get) a room at a mod that is close to a bus stop, it isn’t that big of a benefit. Back in February, when the low eighty degree temps felt positively heavenly, I was actually happy to have the chance to walk outside as much as possible.
The double sinks in the vanity area felt luxurious to a girl like me. We had a day bed in our room, another nice touch, although we found we didn’t spend a lot of time sitting there. I could see that being a big bonus as Max gets older, though.
Each every single CM we encountered was helpful, kind, and particularly generous with my son. They stopped to have rather lengthy, often nonsensical, conversations with him and never appeared the least bit annoyed or hurried. Even the lifeguards were friendly.
Storm Along Bay is just as amazing as everyone says it is; but at the same time, I’m not sure I’d pay for that alone. We used it every day, whether in the afternoon or at night. As for where it was crowded or not, we never found it to be excessively so. We had no problem snagging a lounge chair, for example, nor was Max fighting for real estate on the sand bar. He loved, loved the kid’s slide and it was truly perfect for him and his burgeoning interest in both swimming and pirates. The sand areas were incredible and Max thought he was at the beach. Super cool!
As for the location…for someone who was so excited to be a five minute walk into EPCOT, I can’t say it came in all that handy. Weird, right? But one of the biggest take aways from this trip is that little kids love the Magic Kingdom (and with good reason), so the Beach Club didn’t have a ton to offer in that regard. We never had a problem with transportation, but I can see why the parents of small children, in particular, are so keen on staying at one of the monorail resorts. I’d love to stay at (wait for it…this will come as a huge SHOCK to all of you who have ready my prior reports) the Contemporary or BLT someday for that very reason. At the same time, as Max gets older and the flow of our touring changes, I could see this location being amazing. Oh, and I like it enough that I’m even more open to the possibility of staying at the Swolphin because there’s just no denying how pretty this little corner of the World is.
My only complaint is the lack of QS dining in the area. Because it was summer, we often found ourselves in need of a later dinner and would have liked to have eaten at our resort, as EPCOT was already closed. I suppose if we return without the DDP, we’ll have to check out some of the options over at the Swolphin, as I believe they have a few that are open a bit later. Beaches and Cream is a great option, but it can be nearly impossible to get into.

I did not notice any issue whatsoever with the busses, but then again, I never do. I enjoy the bus service.

Souvenirs:

I’m not a huge Disney shopper. While I’m more than happy to wear Disney paraphernalia at Disney, I’m not a huge fan of wearing a lot of Disney stuff at home. I have a subtle pair of earrings I got way back in 2010 that I wear a lot, but you have to look pretty closely to figure out what they are.

I also have to say that Disney characters are licensed all over the place and why would I pay over thirty dollars for a character t at Disney that I could get Max at Target for five? Thus, my rule about apparel: it must have some park insignia on it somewhere.

That said, we found a neat sweatshirt for Max and I picked up a weird track jacket thing celebrating the 40th anniversary. I love it...in theory. I don’t wear it much and the inside is scratchy. One of these days I’ll find a soft, zip up sweatshirt that I really want.

I did finally get a Disney charm for my Pandora and went with the dangling Tinkerbelle. I love this!

I also got the postcard set from Shagg and its now framed and hanging on the wall of my living room. I love the vintage-y feel of these postcards.

Max also got a bunch of toys, including a 40th anniversary truck.

I’m still trying to decide when it’s a better time of the year to visit. The weather is certainly a factor in favor of February. While I realize you can be chilly or be hot (and we’ve experienced both ends of that spectrum), either way it’s still a respite from a freezing, gray, snowy Northeast winter. I really love being able to get away for that February break and having a chance to really relax in a way that I don’t necessarily need when I have five weeks off.
Having said that, going in the summer gives me flexibility in terms of when we fly, which generally means cheaper flights. I also have more time to prepare. Max is on a vacation schedule already, so that’s not so jarring for him. Also, the crowds did seem smaller at this time of the year than in February. In a perfect world, we’d be able to go in February and in the summer. But, as we all know, the world isn’t perfect…yet.
But as we all know, Disney is often about as perfect as it gets.

Thanks to all of you who followed this and responded. I truly appreciate it! Thanks for staying with it when there were lengthy periods with no updates whatsoever.

And yes...I’m going to start a PTR for our February trip ASAP...anyone got a good title?

 

[glennbo123]

What a great last day and wrap up, Tina!

Max looks cute wearing Mark's hat, and what in the world could Mark have been saying when approaching Club Cool?

That's fantastic that Max got to meet Tinkerbell (with no line) on his way out of the last park of the trip!

Lots of good insights in your "big ole wrap up". Thanks for your report!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

So sad your trip is over Tina!

Great wrap up. I'm so happy that you found so many magical moments with Max. Thanks for the take on kids and Beach Club. I was thinking about how my DS28 loves Epcot, but didn't really think about the little ones wanting to be at MK more.

Oh, your next trip is right around the corner! Let's see, with your quote:

But, as we all know, the world isn’t perfect…yet.
But as we all know, Disney is often about as perfect as it gets.

"In pursuit of perfection"???

 

[annmarieda]

Sad that this was you last update... but happy to hear you will be doing a PTR!

Your last day looks awesome. So often we push ourselves on our last day and find that we get to our DME time JUST on time.

 

[dizneeat]

You really pushed out those last few updates, Tina! I wish I could do that too!

Great last days and wrap up! And now on to your PTR ...... hm, that means I have to get on with mine too, I have only posted planning up to half of my trip!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Awww I'm sad to see your TR is over, I really enjoyed reading it!!! Can't wait to read your PTR!!

Your trip definitely does sound like it was magical! How cool that Tink was just hanging out basically waiting for you guys to come along! I love those magical moments!

 

[natebenma]

Great finale and wrapup Tina!

Loved your take on the Beach Club!

That is really cool that you had a private meet & greet with Tink. I had heard over the summer that there were a bunch of surprise characters in that spot. I think there was a reason, but I can't remember now. It may have had something to do with training. Jack Sparrow was there on occasion, I believe.

I'm guessing no photopass photogs there, though?

I'll be interested in hearing about how the trip goes with Max this February. A year at his age can make a big difference, and I suspect you will all have a fabulous trip.

Will February 2012 fascinate or faze your 4 year old?

 

[tinacaplan]

Sounds like y'all had a really nice night. We tried WPE on our last trip & loved it!

Okay, I have a couple of questions about BC & the Epcot area resorts.

1. How was the bus service to/from MK?
2. If you didn't do SAB, would you have still felt like it was "worth it" to stay at BC?
3. Do you think if you stay at one of the resorts in that area, that a park hopper is almost a "must" or at least gets more use? I hope I'm making sense here.

WPE is great!

To answer your questions -- bus service was very good. You do stop at the EPCOT resorts, but I found the stops to be pretty quick. It also helps that you're essentially driving from EPCOT to MK, so they're closer than the mods, I think.

As for the Beach Club being worth it without SAB...not sure about that one. Can I get back to you after we stay at the Poly? I will say this: unless we fall head over heels in love with the Poly, I am planning our next summer trip for the Beach Club, primarily because we loved SAB so much.

The CMs at the Beach Club are fantastic and the rooms are lovely. The beds have the white cotton linens (a HUGE plus for me) and they all have double sinks, unlike the Poly. Another plus is that BC is a lot cheaper than the Contemporary. For the record, the Grand Floridian does not appeal to me at all.

Also, check out the Poly picture threads and tikiman pages (website dedicated to the Poly...I think the link is actually www.tikimanpages.com). That was what really sold me on the Poly for this trip.

We've gotten parkhoppers for every trip we've gone on. My plan is to usually spend the morning/early afternoon at one park and then the evening at another. I know this isn't important to everyone, though. And I have to agree with Dee; if you stay at the BC parkhoppers are a MUST. It is amazing how short the walk to EPCOT is.

That's what I had at WPE as well- SO, SO yummy! But WAY too much food! I hear B&C is like that- either too busy to get in, or not at all. Nice last evening all in all, I'd say

It was lovely. WPE is a lot of food, but it was one of the meals I thought was worth it, even without the DDP.

I love WGPE. It is one of my favorite uses of a cs credit. Course, with the Pepper Market now doing a full buffet for cs...it is a toss up depending on if I am in the mood for buffet.

We're not huge buffet fans so... I'd probably still go to WPE, but only if were planning on going to DTD anyway.

Sounds like you had a nice, laid-back day. I'm not a huge fan of DTD either. We always have to make at least one trip there (Lego Store) and we have had a couple of enjoyable meals at T-Rex. But *confesses*: I am not a shopper.

We really did have a nice, relaxing day. I could see the Lego Store being worth the trip, though. I wish I could say I'm not a shopper!

I hear so many great things about WPE! I'd love to try it sometime.

I know I've said this several times during this TR, but I think there are a lot of places that get hyped on the boards. WPE is one of the places that deserves the hype. It really is that good.

Funny about the buses at POFQ- we seriously dislike the bus FROM DTD to the Beach Club (or any other resort), so we take the boat and catch a bus from one of the DTD resorts. We have done this with OKW (pretty ride) and Saratoga Springs.

I hadn't thought about doing that. Makes sense.

Love how close EPCOT is to the BC- my family doesn't go wild about fireworks shows, so usually 2-3 times during a trip, I will go see the show solo.

I should have done that at least once! But there's always next time...

Too bad about your dinner dilemma. What we do quite often is takeout from the World Showcase (Tangierine Cafe, France, Sunshine Seasons) and bring it back to our room.

I figured that by ten of nine they had stopped serving and I never bothered to check, but you're right, that would be a good idea.

[/QUOTE] Totally need park hoppers if you are staying at the BC. It is great to pop into EPCOT at night, or watching Illuminations before bed, or getting lunch or dinner there. Sometimes we like to come back from the MK via monorail to EPCOT. It is such a nice ride.

Totally agree.

I think BC is worth it, just for the location (quick walk to EPCOT and walk or boat ride to HS). Stormalong Bay is awesome, and if you are hardy and get a warm day in December you may get to use the pool. But the tradeoff in December is the beautiful decorations at both BC and YC.

I have had no issues with the bus service to MK.

If you are interested in doing some hard-core research, I invite you over to the BC FAQ thread to check out the first page. You can get to it by clicking on the link in my signature.

I also agree.

 

[tinacaplan]

What a great last day and wrap up, Tina!

Max looks cute wearing Mark's hat, and what in the world could Mark have been saying when approaching Club Cool?

I have NO idea, but is sure made for a funny picture!

[/QUOTE]That's fantastic that Max got to meet Tinkerbell (with no line) on his way out of the last park of the trip!

Lots of good insights in your "big ole wrap up". Thanks for your report![/QUOTE]

It really was. I wonder what she was doing there?

You're welcome!

So sad your trip is over Tina!

Great wrap up. I'm so happy that you found so many magical moments with Max. Thanks for the take on kids and Beach Club. I was thinking about how my DS28 loves Epcot, but didn't really think about the little ones wanting to be at MK more.

Oh, your next trip is right around the corner! Let's see, with your quote:

But, as we all know, the world isn’t perfect…yet.
But as we all know, Disney is often about as perfect as it gets.

"In pursuit of perfection"???

Thanks! "In pursuit of perfection" huh? That's actually a good one! Its something I think about a lot on these trips. How can I plan things out so the trip is practically perfect in every way!

Sad that this was you last update... but happy to hear you will be doing a PTR!

Your last day looks awesome. So often we push ourselves on our last day and find that we get to our DME time JUST on time.

I love doing PTRs. Possibly even more than TRs. We had a good last day. We don't push ourselves touring the parks. I know that's not everyone's style, but it works for us, especially with a four year-old. No doubt that will change as Max gets older. And if he ever hits the 40" mark.

You really pushed out those last few updates, Tina! I wish I could do that too!

Great last days and wrap up! And now on to your PTR ...... hm, that means I have to get on with mine too, I have only posted planning up to half of my trip!

Thanks Karin! I really wanted to get this finished while I had the extra time. Besides that, I can't even think about working on a new thread while I have another one going. SO right back at you...

Awww I'm sad to see your TR is over, I really enjoyed reading it!!! Can't wait to read your PTR!!

Your trip definitely does sound like it was magical! How cool that Tink was just hanging out basically waiting for you guys to come along! I love those magical moments!

Thanks! I know. Tink was so cool.

Great finale and wrapup Tina!

Loved your take on the Beach Club!

That is really cool that you had a private meet & greet with Tink. I had heard over the summer that there were a bunch of surprise characters in that spot. I think there was a reason, but I can't remember now. It may have had something to do with training. Jack Sparrow was there on occasion, I believe.

I'm guessing no photopass photogs there, though?

I'll be interested in hearing about how the trip goes with Max this February. A year at his age can make a big difference, and I suspect you will all have a fabulous trip.

Will February 2012 fascinate or faze your 4 year old?

You're welcome. I know he'll be pretty into it. He talks about it all the time. He received luggage for Christmas and was super excited about it.

 

[amandaw]

Thank you so much for answering my questions about BC! I just can't decide where I want to be next Dec. DH was ready to bite the bullet & just book CR. But, I just can't bring myself to pay quite that much - even if we do have it. I just can't get over the sticker shock. So, we'll see where we end up.

I read your wrap up last night & meant to comment. But, I had taken some Nyquil & well, I guess I didn't make it long enough to comment.

Sounds like y'all had a really great ending to the vacation. I can't believe Tinkerbell didn't have a line! That's just incredible!

Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. I've truly enjoyed getting to tag along and getting to know you. Max is just adorable! I hope y'all have a great vacation in February. I'll be on the lookout for that TR!

 

[KatMark]

What a great final day and wrap-up, Tina. Thank you for sharing the trip with us.

Can't wait for the PTR.

Happy New Year.

 

[tinacaplan]

Thank you so much for answering my questions about BC! I just can't decide where I want to be next Dec. DH was ready to bite the bullet & just book CR. But, I just can't bring myself to pay quite that much - even if we do have it. I just can't get over the sticker shock. So, we'll see where we end up.

I read your wrap up last night & meant to comment. But, I had taken some Nyquil & well, I guess I didn't make it long enough to comment.

Sounds like y'all had a really great ending to the vacation. I can't believe Tinkerbell didn't have a line! That's just incredible!

Thank you so much for sharing your memories with us. I've truly enjoyed getting to tag along and getting to know you. Max is just adorable! I hope y'all have a great vacation in February. I'll be on the lookout for that TR!

Aww...thanks, Amanda! Our vacation did end rather well. Personally, if you can afford it and you want to stay there, go for CR. That said, I really think its only worth it with TPV room. Although the walkway to MK is a big deal, too. All I know is that I can see the castle from the Poly beach and jump on a monorail to get to MK, EPCOT, and a lot of good restaurants. We ate at 'Ohana last February and did some exploring and it really is beautiful.

I know that no matter where you decide, you're going to have a fantastic trip.

What a great final day and wrap-up, Tina. Thank you for sharing the trip with us.

Can't wait for the PTR.

Happy New Year.

Thanks, Kathy!