Why wait till September when we can go now? **FINAL THOUGHTS UPDATED 8/23**

[alliebelle3]

I know what you mean about Pizza Planet...The food isn't great, but it's PIZZA PLANET, so that makes everything better. Oh, how I love Toy Story!!

I can't wait to see the Nighttastic fireworks!! I like Wishes, but I'm ready for something different. And the fact that everybody keeps raving about them is making me even more excited.

I know...Pizza Planet isn't amazing, but I still love it! You will love the Nighttastic fireworks. They really were the best fireworks I've ever seen!

Just joining in! Great trip so far, and the room pictures look amazing! Hope the new job is going well. Can't wait to read more!!!

Glad you're joining in! The new job is great, thank you! Another update coming tonight!

Joining in

The boardwalk looks like a beautiful resort and your room is amazing.

Can't wait to see what your new room looks like

Thank you for reading!!! The room really was spectacular, I loved every bit of it!

 

[alliebelle3]

I think it's safe to say that I am not good with updating quickly! I want to change that, however, because I feel like I am going to start forgetting details. I have just been super busy with my new job (which I love, btw, and thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and wishes!) and I am moving this weekend. I want to finish my TR this week! Let's see if that happens. Anyway...time for another update

When I last left off, we had finished our first full day in the parks. Saturday morning I had every intention of getting up around 8:30 or 9 and getting a run in, either on the Boardwalk or at the Muscles & Bustles fitness center. Well, after getting in late the night before, and just being beat from the heat and touring, I was pooped! I slept until about 10 and then woke everyone up. We had to check out of our room at 11 and check into our new room.

The plan was to hotel hop and check out some resorts while we waited for our new room. Our first stop was Animal Kingdom Lodge for lunch. We took a bus to one of the parks (I can't remember which one!) and then took a bus from there to AKL. I really wanted to try some zebra domes! It was my first time visiting the lodge, and it was g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s. It was so majestic. For some reason I cannot find my pictures of it... Hmm?

We headed down to the mara for some zebra domes. I think I had the cheese flatbread too. Both were really good, but I was not expecting the liquor-taste. I know this might not get good reviews from zebra dome fans...but I could take 'em or leave 'em.

Next we went to the MK and took the monorail to the Poly. I love, love, love the Polynesian! Here's me and Vinnie in the lobby:

Isn't it beautiful?

We bypassed the GF for the time being because I wanted to show my sister and the boys my DVC home, Bay Lake Tower. Luckily a DVC rep was there and let me show them the demo rooms. Everyone loved them. I can't wait to stay there one day! Vinnie and I are hoping to stay there next December (2011) when we go for a Christmas trip! We looked at the pool:

And then went up to the walkway to the Contemporary:

What a view!

I got a text that our room was ready, so we walked over to the MK and took a bus to the Boardwalk. We spent a lot of time on Disney transportation this day!

I am not going to re-post room pix because our room was identical to our first room, except for one thing. LOOK AT THIS VIEW:

It was AMAZING. This is NOT on zoom! At all!! You know the big souvie shop on the BW? We were directly above it, on the 2nd floor. At night there was a performer swallowing swords right below us. What a great room!!

Kiki and Tim went to the pool for a bit while Vinnie and I took a nap. Then we went to Community Hall and played table tennis and air hockey for about a half hour. It was really nice to enjoy some of the DVC amenities. Soon enough it was time to go to dinner. We headed down to Downtown Disney.

Years and years ago we ate at Wolfgang Puck Express, and I can't remember why we didn't like it. I think it was my mom who didn't, mostly cause of the price. Well when you're on the dining plan and pricing isn't a factor...head to WPE!

The pizzas are huge!!! Tim and Vinnie each got a pizza:

Kiki had the warm turkey melt with sweet potato fries. Delicious!

I had the mac & cheese. Highly recommend it!

The clouds in the sky were quite ominous, but gorgeous.

We headed over to Raglan Road for a few drinks. There was an Irish Step Dancer performing. It was really cool in there.

After dinner and drinks, we decided to head back to the Boardwalk.

We thought about going to Jellyrolls (never been, but really want to check it out) or Atlantic Dance Hall...but we were all pooped! We had brought some wine and other treats, so we headed to the room to hangout.

When we got to the room, we could see fireworks from MK!

Blurry, but still nice! It was a fun, relaxing day. We needed it after our crazy touring day the day before, and would need it for what came tomorrow.

Up next-- Epcot & Animal Kingdom, I get soaked, and Chefs de France!

 

[Tracy161]

Wow, what a GREAT view!!! It must have been amazing staying there, I would love to some day myself! Good luck with the moving!

 

[heaven2dc]

Nothing beats that Boardwalk view!! We had room 3041 on our last trip and loved it (I got moved from rm 2001 to 3041 because of the long walk to the elevator since I was on a foot brace plus it was so noisy my first night since it was right next to Jellyrolls). Can't wait for our boardwalk view this next trip - I showed your view to my DS17 who will be going the first time and all he said was "wow!" I think he's getting excited!

Isn't it great to hop from resort to resort? BLT looks so beautiful and modern - and you can't beat the views and walk to MK!!

 

[mermaid764]

Wow that's an incredible view and the food at WPE looks really good.

I'm looking forward to hearing how your meal at Chefs was

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't crazy about zebra domes. They just didn't live up to the hype for me.

What an amazing view! I am definitely planning on some time to check out the Boardwalk on our disneymoon! We've never been but it looks and sounds like lots of fun!

 

[alliebelle3]

Wow, what a GREAT view!!! It must have been amazing staying there, I would love to some day myself! Good luck with the moving!

It was an amazing view Thanks for the good luck...moving is such a pain, but exciting!

Nothing beats that Boardwalk view!! We had room 3041 on our last trip and loved it (I got moved from rm 2001 to 3041 because of the long walk to the elevator since I was on a foot brace plus it was so noisy my first night since it was right next to Jellyrolls). Can't wait for our boardwalk view this next trip - I showed your view to my DS17 who will be going the first time and all he said was "wow!" I think he's getting excited!

Isn't it great to hop from resort to resort? BLT looks so beautiful and modern - and you can't beat the views and walk to MK!!

You're right -- nothing really beats the BW view. If you're staying there, you gotta do it! Your DS17 will love it!

I do love resort hopping. Everything resort is so different and I love experiencing the different hotels, even if we don't get to stay at 'em all! BLT is gorgeous. I can't wait to stay there someday!

Wow that's an incredible view and the food at WPE looks really good.

I'm looking forward to hearing how your meal at Chefs was

WPE was great...and Chefs is even better! Coming up next!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't crazy about zebra domes. They just didn't live up to the hype for me.

What an amazing view! I am definitely planning on some time to check out the Boardwalk on our disneymoon! We've never been but it looks and sounds like lots of fun!

Glad you have the same sentiments about zebra domes! I found them a tad overrated.

You have GOT to visit the BW on your disneymoon! There's so much to do and see. I suggest going by at night...it's kinda magical all lit up!

 

[alliebelle3]

Day #4-- Our 2nd Park Day! Animal Kingdom & Epcot

Today was our second, and last, park day for the trip, so we had a LOT to accomplish. Epcot had EMH from 8am-9am, so we planned to walk over there from Epcot, get in the big thrill rides, then bus-ride it over to AK for it's 9am opening. It was a bit ambitious, but I was confident that we would be able to get it all in.

We stopped for breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery around 7:15ish, and were soon on our way to Epcot. I just love the five minute walk. I have to say this is probably my favorite perk of staying at the Crescent-Lake area hotels...this walk. It's so short and pleasant.

Park opened and we were on our way to...SOARIN' of course

I love how they decorated this monorail with a Tron advertisement! We were walking behind a really cute family with two little kids who were in amazement with all the fountains. It was adorable.

The plan was: grab FPs for Soarin', ride Test Track, then maybe the guys would do Mission Space. Then we'd ride Soarin', and head over to AK.

I ran inside the Land while the others waited for me. The FPs were for 9:30ish I believe, and we didn't plan on being at Epcot at that time, so we saved them for later. Test Track was surprisingly busy for 8:15am! We had to wait about 10 minutes. Usually it's a walk on for us at that time. The guys loved it. It really is a great ride!

We decided to pass on Mission Space. I really wanted Vinnie to go on, but he didn't want to go on alone. After my motion sickness from Star Tours the other day, I didn't want to risk it (last time I rode MS years ago, I was sick for hours!), and Kiki and Tim felt the same.

So, somewhere around 8:40ish, we headed to the bus stop. It was quite funny, leaving the park so early, when there where hoards of people trying to get in!

We waited at the bus stop for what seemed like forever! For the first 10 minutes or so we were the only ones there, but then were joined by probably five or six other groups. The bus came around 9, and we were on our way!

At around 9:15, we pulled up and headed in. Shortly we were seeing this:

Apparently everyone wanted to be at AK today. It was pretty packed for just opening at 9. We headed to Everest! Vinnie had really been looking forward to this and I was so excited to ride it with him

He snapped this pic on our rush to Everest...kinda funny how he got all of us in!

5 minute wait at Everest...yes please! We rode it TWICE in a row, for a total of MAYBE 25-30 minutes. We were making great time. It was super hot so we decided to pick up some FPs for Kali River Rapids for later on. We were sweating already and it wasn't even 10am.

We made our way over to the Safari, but first we took this picture:

And then we ran into DiVine! I was so excited - I have seen pictures of her on the DIS and was hoping to see her in April, but we had no luck. This time, we did!!

She attracts a LOT of attention! Everyone was crowded around her in awe. It really was cool.

We made it to the Safari. I haven't stood standby for this for a while, but we didn't want to wait to get FPs for later on...we had to get back to Epcot for our 1:30 lunch ressie at Chefs de France! The posted time was about 20 minutes, and that's pretty much how long we waited.

The safari was typical, except for some REALLY cute baby giraffes...I was so excited to see them, they're my favorite animal!

AND...baby ELEPHANTS! PLAYING IN THE WATER! They were adorable.

I was jealous of them in the water. The heat was starting to get even more oppressive. By the time we were out of our safari, it was time to use our Kali FPs!

Well...my prayers were answered, and we got WET. REALLY WET! Me and Vinnie - Kiki and Tim were completely DRY!

I was by far the most drenched. Take a look at this picture- it shows my ONE dry spot. I looked like I had jumped into a pool. It was unbelievable!

At least I cooled off for a bit!

We had two more rides on our hit list before we went back to Epcot: Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur. Primeval Whirl tends to get a bad rap in the WDW community, but we love it. It's just an all around good, fun, ride. The guys loved it.

Now it was time for the ride I was dreading 2nd most (to Star Tours): Dinosaur. I hate this ride. It's mostly just because I'm afraid of Dinosaurs, not so much for the motion sickness. I rode it a few times when it first opened, but the past several trips I have been the sit-on-a-bench-or-roam-the-stores lady while the family rides. However, I promised Vinnie I'd ride..so I did

I kept my eyes closed the whole time! I have to say - I still don't like it!

At this point it was almost 12:30 and we were cutting it close to our ressie time. I really wanted to go back to the room and change, since I was still soaked, but we didn't know if we'd have time. Plus, we were starving!

So what did we do? Hmm...stay tuned!

 

[alliebelle3]

I'm on a roll so I'm going to keep going tonight!

Day 4 continued...

We had just finished everything at AK and were heading back to Epcot for our lunch reservation at Chefs de France.

We went to the Boardwalk/Beach Club/Yacht Club/Swan & Dolphin bus stop, because we wanted to enter the park through the International Gateway instead of getting in at the front of the park and having to walk all the way through Future World and over to France. We just didn't think we'd have enough time. Of course the bus we need to get on pulls away as we're walking up to the stop! We wait about 10 minutes and another one was on its way.

Much to my disappointment, we did not have time to stop back at the room to change. At this point I was mostly dry, except for my behind, which was covered by my shirt, so we were good to go.

We were right on time for our reservation, and couldn't wait to enjoy the food and air conditioning. It was our first time at this restaurant and were very excited!

Tim, Kiki, and I decided to go for the prix fixe menu. Kiki and I started with the onion soup.

This was amazing. Even though it was 95 degrees out, it was cool inside, and this was very delicious!

Tim had the lobster bisque, and declared it to be quite tasty as well.

Before I dug in, I remembered to take pictures of our food. The waiter came by to give us more bread (we had DEVOURED the first loaf. It was so fresh and yummy!), and saw me with my camera out, and offered to take our pic:

For my entree I had the ham & cheese sandwich. One word: wow. If you like cheese...this is MADE for you! Tons of cheese oozing out of the inside, and even more on top! Vinnie was quite jealous and wished he had got this. I shared

Kiki, Tim, and Vinnie all had the mac and cheese. It was a lot different than your regular ol' mac and cheese. A great choice:

For dessert, me and Kiki went with the creme puffs. Again...wow. Just delicious!

Tim had the creme brulee. This was just as good. I prefer chocolate though, so I was happy with the creme puffs!

We all really loved the meal. I don't remember the exact cost, but for all of the food, plus a beer for Vinnie and a cocktail for me, our total was around $100 with tip. DVC members receive 20% off of lunch!

After lunch we were stuffed and tired. It was time to go back to the BW for a nap. We figured we'd head back around 4pm.

Well...around 5pm, we woke up! We didn't want to waste any more time on our last full day in Disney, plus we had those Soarin' FPs burning a hole in our pocket...so we headed back to Epcot!

Our first stop was for a picture with Donald, Vinnie's favorite character! This was our first character meet of the trip. He had a short line, so I insisted that we stop. I am really glad that we did.

Soarin' is one of my favorite rides ever, so of course we enjoyed it. We did Living with the Land and Nemo (no wait for either) and then did a little souvenier shopping at Mouse Gears (love that store!).

Before we knew it, it was nearing 7. We wanted to start to stake out a seat for Illuminations at 8, so it was time for a whirlwind trip around the World Showcase! We started in Mexico (stopped for souvies for our sister Mollie), America (for some beer & ice cream & popcorn), and pictures in Italy.

We were starting to worry about the weather, too! Look at these skies!

We saw a lot of lightening in the distance, but hoped and prayed any kind of storm would hold off till after Illuminations. We took our time in the UK, and we were able to secure seats in the outdoor open area near Rose & Crown. We took turns sitting there while others shopped, and vice versa. It turned out to be a GREAT place for the show.

I love Illuminations. It always overwhelms me with emotion, and I almost started to cry, thinking it was our last night in my favorite place on the planet.

After the show, we were all exhausted and headed back to the BW. I did some laundry (LOVE those washers and dryers in the room!), packed, and we got ourselves settled. We watched the crowds below us on the BW and just enjoyed our last night.

Oh, I almost forgot, we used some of our final snack credits at the BW Bakery, and picked up this little guy:

Inside: cake. Yummy funfetti-type cake! MMMMhm!

We went to bed shortly after cause we just couldn't stay awake. We were all dreading tomorrow, of course.

UP NEXT: Our last day

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Wow! I can't believe you made it from Epcot, to AK and then back to Epcot all before lunch time!

Your lunch at Chefs look sooo yummy! I can't wait for our lunch there in November. I know I'll definitely be getting the French Onion soup. Now just to decide between the mac & cheese or the ham & cheese....

 

[alliebelle3]

Wow! I can't believe you made it from Epcot, to AK and then back to Epcot all before lunch time!

Your lunch at Chefs look sooo yummy! I can't wait for our lunch there in November. I know I'll definitely be getting the French Onion soup. Now just to decide between the mac & cheese or the ham & cheese....

We were on a mission that morning!

Chefs really was great. I was so happy to finally try it. Definitely don't miss that soup!

 

[tksbaskets]

Looks like you packed in a ton of fun on your last park day. We've never eaten at that restaurant in France. Looks delish and we'll try it on our next trip in December Thanks for sharing!

 

[mermaid764]

You guys sure accomplished a lot with all the park hopping.

That's too bad you didn't have time to change before lunch, but your lunch looked amazing, especially the dessert.

Did they bring Remy around while you were there?

I love the pics of you guys in Italy and can't wait to hear more

 

[Tracy161]

Chefs de France has always been a restaurant I've really wanted to try and your pictures just convinced me that I will have to do it sooner than later! I know... I hate last nights and last days at Disney! I wish vacations wouldn't go by so fast!!!

 

[alliebelle3]

Looks like you packed in a ton of fun on your last park day. We've never eaten at that restaurant in France. Looks delish and we'll try it on our next trip in December Thanks for sharing!

We did pack in a ton! We had so much to do in so little time! You should definitely try Chefs...the food was so tasty and the restaurant itself was beautiful. Thanks so much for reading!

You guys sure accomplished a lot with all the park hopping.

That's too bad you didn't have time to change before lunch, but your lunch looked amazing, especially the dessert.

Did they bring Remy around while you were there?

I love the pics of you guys in Italy and can't wait to hear more

Thanks so much for reading along!! I was a bit disappointed that they didn't bring Remy around. I had heard that he came out at certain times during the day, and we must have missed him. He looks so cute in all the pictures I've seen on the Dis....maybe next time!

Chefs de France has always been a restaurant I've really wanted to try and your pictures just convinced me that I will have to do it sooner than later! I know... I hate last nights and last days at Disney! I wish vacations wouldn't go by so fast!!!

Yay! Yes please try it! I can't believe that it was my first time there...I wish I hadn't waited so long! Last nights in Disney are so bittersweet! I hate how trips go by so fast

 

[alliebelle3]

I have dropped of the face of the Dis it seems! But I am back, and here to finish my trip report. I have been so busy with my new job, and I am moving in two weeks. I'm actually moving to the REAL Saratoga Springs, NY! I am so excited. It's close to where I'm living now, and if you haven't been to the real thing, let me tell you, it's such a charming city!

So I hope you're still out there reading. Here goes my last day

Day 5 -- our last day in Disney.

Our flight wasn't leaving until 7pm-ish, so we had a good part of the day to relax and enjoy our last day at a leisurely pace. We woke up around 9 and finished packing things up around the villa.

I decided that we should try out the airline check in from the hotel. It.was.awesome. If you haven't done it, do IT! It was so convenient and really easy. We rolled our luggage down to the front of the hotel and went to the Southwest desk. They gave us our boarding passes, and checked up in to the flight. Then they took our checked luggage and we didn't see it again until baggage claim in the Albany airport. No lugging around heavy suitcases, no nothing! We kept our carry on bags with concierge and decided to use our last counter service credit at Wolfgang Puck Express.

Before heading down to Downtown Disney, we snapped a few pictures in the lobby of the BW. Again, I cannot express how much I loved this lobby. It's elegant and comfy all at once!

We loved these big chairs. Here's Kiki and Tim:

And me and VInnie. You can see the whole chair in this picture:

Vinnie is a BIG Christmas-lover, so we had to take a picture with this at DTD. Does this say Christmas card to anyone else?!

And the guys in front of Once Upon a Toy:

Lunch was pizzas all around, with some frozen yogurt as our dessert. I forgot to take pictures! But like the ones we had eaten a few days earlier, they were really yummy, and a GREAT use of our last credit.

We walked around a bit, went to Goofy's Candy Co, and all dragged our heads and feet, complaining about how we didn't want to go home! It was very, very hot (again) this day, and by 2:30 we were ready to head back to the BW and sit around there and wait for our Magical Express pickup, which a 4:00.

We checked out community hall again, but it was packed. We went to the arcade for a few minutes and then spent a while dipping our feet in the pool. Before we knew it, it was time. Time to leave our favorite place

I took one last picture of the beautiful chandelier in the lobby. I.LOVE.THIS!

Our bus ride to MCO was uneventful. Before we knew it, we were in Albany, back to reality.

I'm going to do one more post, with a survey of our favorite meals, rides, and events. AND...as you could probably guess, I'm already planning the next trip back!

STAY TUNED! I am determined to finish this report this week!

 

[tksbaskets]

Still here and looking forward to the survey of your trip favs. Thanks for sharing. Hope the move goes smoothly

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I can't believe the trip is already over! But, I'm excited to hear what you're planning next! Good luck with the move!

 

[mermaid764]

Glad to see you back with another update, but sad that it means your trip is over

I'm looking forward to hearing your final recap

 

[Tracy161]

Good luck with the move! My best friend's wedding is in Saratoga Springs in October and I can't wait to see the town, I hear it's beautiful!