2 resorts, 4 parks, 9 days and a 2 year old...a July trip report

So here I am not even 48 hours back in the DC area, and already missing the place..so I figured what better way to cure my post vacation mode than to start a trip report....

Lets do a quick reminder of who were are.

Andy, Aleisha and our little man, Logan....I did a pre-trip and by this point I am thinking most of you know who I am...so I won't go to into to much details...I will apologize for the size of the pictures. I can never figure out how to make them any smaller...

The 411: July 15-23rd.
We split the time between both of our home resorts, SSR and BLT...both were studios...

so lets get this trip report started.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I can't believe I'm so late to the party!

OMG! Logan is such a little heartbreaker! I was gonna say 'cutie' but I was afraid that word has lost it's luster since it's what everyone says. He's just as much a little heartbreaker so we'll go with that. :animwink:

Girl, you do look really great! So skinny-n-stuff! I hear ya on being self-conscious, tho. I can count on 1 hand the number of times we've gone swimming at WDW. Knowing we'll be swimming daily during our September trip has me pretty freaked out. I gained crazy weight when I carried the boys (50 & 75 lbs) which definitely left it's mark all over me from mid-torso down. Talk about self-conscious! Why can't women's swimwear be like super-retro???? Like early 1900s retro?! I could rock a knee length frock! Lol!

When I read reports with the little guys and how they take in all the little things it makes me wish we had taken our boys sooner. I was so insistent that I wanted to wait until they could walk the parks without a stroller. What was I thinking?!?! Lol! I love seeing your little man blossoming in his love of Disney. That's so awesome!

Kudos to you on date night! Killer that you keep it going even on vacation!

Ugh! Yeah, those 2 year transitions are so all over the place. I remember. It's cool that y'all just sorta roll with what Logan is up for and all. I hated nap transitions, too, mostly because I had to ween myself off them. Lol!

Can't wait to see more! Totally loving it!

 

[LeafsFanNL]

I am just loving your TR.

We have eaten at Artists Point twice. Easter of 2009 it was just about our favorite. Easter of 2010 it was the middle of the pack. Both times we had the salmon, which was good on both occasions, but the side dish on the second visit was not good at all.

Both times we were on a version of the DDP, I wouldn't pay OOP for it.

Your boy is so handsome. I can't imagine how it would have been if we had taken the twins at two. They were almost six when they first visited.

They are now ten, aadults accordiing to Disney,and are going with us in 14 days. It makes planning our free dining meals rather interesting.

 

[mamamouse]

It's so often the little moments,that make it magical,I've always been a Disney fan but it was when I had my first daughter that I knew this would have to be a part of our lives for as long as possible,you can't put a price on the happiness or feelings it brings.

 

[foreverbelle]

I am just loving your TR.

We have eaten at Artists Point twice. Easter of 2009 it was just about our favorite. Easter of 2010 it was the middle of the pack. Both times we had the salmon, which was good on both occasions, but the side dish on the second visit was not good at all.

Both times we were on a version of the DDP, I wouldn't pay OOP for it.

Your boy is so handsome. I can't imagine how it would have been if we had taken the twins at two. They were almost six when they first visited.

They are now ten, aadults accordiing to Disney,and are going with us in 14 days. It makes planning our free dining meals rather interesting.

I don't know if we would pay OOP again ourselves, we dif. learned a lot through this trip in regards to dinning plans and what not..

Yeah, believe me I know looking back we will think how the heck did we manage with a 2 year old. I can't even imagine what it would be like with twins!

It's so often the little moments,that make it magical,I've always been a Disney fan but it was when I had my first daughter that I knew this would have to be a part of our lives for as long as possible,you can't put a price on the happiness or feelings it brings.

I know those magical moments make me fall in love with the place all over again.

 

[brad9008]

i think we were at the parks at the same time

 

[foreverbelle]

Dinner this evening was at Coral Reef. We got to the park early, so we made our way to Mexico, were we rode 'the mountain ride.' Obviously Logan has a thing for boat rides.

He quite enjoys the ride...

With some time to kill, we walked through MouseGears, where we learned that its hard to do just a walk through to look around with a kid who sees and wants everything. I had to remind the hubs that we hadn't gotten him anything yet, and he isn't a kid to really beg for things. Yet. Thankfully we managed to leave there with a minimal amount of damage. The good news, he had something now to keep him occupied during dinner.

Finally we made our way to Coral Reef and checked in.

We were seated pretty much right away, a surprise since we had technically checked in early, but this seemed to be a common theme, check in early, in hopes that maybe we get seated early, which turned out to be wonderful for Logan. I will say this, we got an awesome hostess. She was great. Roxanne. We originally were going to be sat in the back of the restaurant but one look at Logan who was still a little wound up and she immediately turned around and said she would be right back. When she returned she said she had gotten us a better seat. And so she did, right next to this wonderful gentleman:

The moment saw him, he stopped and started to cheer. Roxanne even asked if she hold him, which we said of course, and she took him to get a closer view of the shark swimming not to far! When he returned to his big boy chair, he was happy and smiling and so excited!!

In fact, he started giving me his 'show how happy you are look'
Which equated to this:

We would work on this smile, but it was the first time this trip he actually smiled on command..it wouldn't be his last.

Coral Reef is always one of the places that the experience is probably better than the meal itself. It was clear how much Logan agreed with it, I mean the kid was in love with the turtle, the sharks and the fish...

And the food was as expected not to bad. I had the Mahi Mahi....yeah.

yum Yum..

Andy had the ravioli, I don't really think he thought it was spectacular but I did notice it was gone rather quickly:

lobster ravioli.

With dinner over, we decided to head back to the resort before the major rush of park-goers had the same thought. Obviously we didn't really ever stay in the parks much past dinner. I think we would have really liked to but it was what was best. Besides tomorrow was moving day, and so we needed to make sure we gathered things up before then.

And now, for some sweet moments:

On the way home, Logan began serenading the entire bus with Its a Small World followed by Winnie the Pooh. To which the entire bus seemed to enjoy. The older couple kept looking at him, and telling us to enjoy the time, that how quickly these years will fly by.

I wanted to tell them I already knew this for it has already flown by but smiled and thanked them.

And then came another one of my favorite memories of the trip, as we settled Logan into bed this evening. I laid in bed with him and had a full conversation. Not just a few words, but several sentences. He kept saying. 'Mommy do you remember that or remember that mommy...I want to ride the boat ride again but not Winnie the Pooh, that's to scary for little Logan.' He continued this with me for several minutes before finally settling in for the rest of the night. I laid there for several moments after feeling much like I had earlier in the morning...feeling the same precious moments fleeting. And wanting to bottle them up for as long as I could.

Up next...its moving day! BLT here we come.

 

[foreverbelle]

July 19, 2011

Day Five

Ah this was the day! The day we were 'leaving' Saratoga an saying hello to Bay Lake. While we had stayed at SSR a few times, this would be our first time we would get the chance to stay at our other home resort and so we were naturally excited to check it out.

We had made reservation with bell hop service to transfer our bags at 10:30. I think we hoped Logan would once again sleep in. He didn't. So needless to say we were up and fully ready to go by 9:00. With a little time on my hands I called home to check in before taking Logan out for some photo ops while Andy waited for bell services:

A future model in the making?

Waiting to be transferred.

Once everything was loaded, the CM asked us where we were headed. With this now being our halfway point, we had nothing planned. At least no park. With dinner at O'Hanna's the really is no reason to head anywhere anyway. We wanted to just hang out, get settled back in and enjoy the day, whether it be at BLT pool or wherever. With it still being early, we doubted our room would be ready and so we mentioned DTD, we hopped on the cart and he drove us right up to the boat dock, he even stopped the boat for us! What magic...

I love the boat ride. I don't know why but I love sitting there with nothing but the fact that I am on vacation...I wasn't thinking of work, or about my recent surgeries or anything. It was fabulous...

Our first stop was at World of Disney. Probably not the best idea with an adorable only child. Who we had only gotten one small thing the night before. The moment we stepped in, he wanted everything...thankfully he was satisfied with a few cars and some figurines, and as much as I could have shopped more, we didn't want to push our luck and so we said we would come back. Instead we checked out, and headed out of there.

All that shopping had worked up an appetite. It was time to find some lunch! Now lunch meant that it was finally time to hit up one of my favorite places:

Double yum. I seriously want to force them to open a store in the DC area. Please...

As usual the place was packed and while it was a million degrees outside, it was packed inside with no shot of getting a table any time soon. Not only was it packed with your average tourists, there was also your businessmen. Yes I tend to forget that while I am on vacation, there are plenty of people that weren't. And so we had to sit outside....

It was super hot....

And what did we have. Andy had the full Montegue, I had the turkey minus most everything...and Logan..well you guessed it. a PB&J sandwich....

After lunch we hit up the Christmas store were we bought our annual ornament, this year to celebrate 5 yrs..

With the ornament ordered and the clock blinking 2pm, we figured it was time to officially check-in to BLT!!! We thought, or maybe hoped that our room would be ready. Andy was banking on it since it was now Tuesday. I was a little more skeptical but hoped anyway.

It was a weird thing, hoping on the bus to Contemporary. I had always viewed the resort as the unattainable. And yet here we were, heading to the place.

We were pulling away when this family jumps in front of the bus. Literally, they just stood right there, the bus driver had to break pretty fast. They got a talking to when the boarded said whatever and than sat down. As we were pulling into Typhoon we start hearing the family complain about the fact it was taking to long to get to the Poly.

They were told the buses ran every 20 minutes, which they took as though that meant it took less than 15 minutes to get from the parks/DTD to the resorts. Turns out they were staying at the Nick Hotel and had arranged for a bus to pick them up at Magic Kingdom so they were trying to get there.

Say what you will. We know people are going to use the buses whether they are staying on property or not. I get that. But what got me was the fact that the entire time they complained about the fact it was taking them way to long to get to MK....

as we got off the bus I heard them mention they were going to complain to someone because they thought that the whole bus ride was wrong....and call me horrible but I didn't offer to inform them that they could get off at the Contemporary and walk or take the monorail from there.

Next up: Our check in to BLT, and our first thoughts....

 

[mamamouse]

yay!!!!!!can't wait to see pics of blt

 

[disneygirl1]

Awesome update!!! I have to say that I agree with Kelly, you look GREAT!!! I get what your saying about the whole self conscious thing... I too had belly issues so between the scars from surgery and the loss of weight after, I too prefer to keep myself covered up as much as possible!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on BLT. I so want to stay at CR one day!

 

[olinecoach61]

Really enjoying your report, what a cute family! Where in DHS did you see Jake? My daughter is obsessed and we are going next summer.

 

[WDW_Princess24]

I love Logan's "Mommy's Hunk" shirt! He is too cute! Can't wait to hear what your thoughts on BLT!

 

[plaz10]

That picture of Logan in the green outfit...the "model" shot = most adorable picture!! I'd frame that one! Love it.

Glad to see you guys were having a great time! Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[alj11980]

I don't blame you for not informing them about getting off at the Contemporary. Serves them right! I would have totally done the same thing! You go girl! Maybe they should try to be nice next time and then people would be more willing to help them out!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

OK, so, the part about watching the parade made my eyes water.... It really is special moments like that which make us remember exactly why WDW is so magical.... I can't wait to take my children there someday!!

And ugh, the people complaining about the busses really needed a swift kick in the behind it sounds like. Seems like these days no one is ever happy with anything... I will admit though, we are guilty of using Disney transportation sometimes when we're not staying on property but never at busy times like park closing. We usually drive our own car. But I'm sure a lot of people who aren't staying on proparty are using the busses at peak times..

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Ever since Logan was born Andy and I have made it a point to enjoy an adult only evening at least once during our stay.

Adult time during each trip = GENIUS!!! I wish DH and I had learned of this option years ago on our first trip(s). We had really young ones for a long time(so it seemed) and it would have really been the ticket for everyone, adults and kids!

I loved this picture you took on your boat ride to the MK. I LOVE the shuttle boats that go through the resorts and MK. And your description...just being on vacation, not thinking about this or that...perfectly describes exactly the way I feel riding those boats! I mean it's not an "attraction" per say, but when you get down to it, you can simply soak up the beauty of being on vacation. And AAAAHHHHHHH...its the best!

Loving your report! :sohappy:

 

[foreverbelle]

i think we were at the parks at the same time

Awesome....did you have a great time??

yay!!!!!!can't wait to see pics of blt

They are coming!!

Awesome update!!! I have to say that I agree with Kelly, you look GREAT!!! I get what your saying about the whole self conscious thing... I too had belly issues so between the scars from surgery and the loss of weight after, I too prefer to keep myself covered up as much as possible!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on BLT. I so want to stay at CR one day!

Thank you. I know I need to get over it. LOL
The review is coming I promise!

Really enjoying your report, what a cute family! Where in DHS did you see Jake? My daughter is obsessed and we are going next summer.

Ah yes, Jake is at the Disney Jr. show. I dif say go see it. It is fabulous and a lot of fun....

I love Logan's "Mommy's Hunk" shirt! He is too cute! Can't wait to hear what your thoughts on BLT!

Its one of my favorites that he owns! Hang on for my thoughts on BLT

That picture of Logan in the green outfit...the "model" shot = most adorable picture!! I'd frame that one! Love it.

Glad to see you guys were having a great time! Can't wait to read the rest!

Thats a great idea....I think I will do just that.

I don't blame you for not informing them about getting off at the Contemporary. Serves them right! I would have totally done the same thing! You go girl! Maybe they should try to be nice next time and then people would be more willing to help them out!

I know people do it, and I think it bothered my husband more than it did me. I just didn't like the fact they complained the entire time...

 

[foreverbelle]

OK, so, the part about watching the parade made my eyes water.... It really is special moments like that which make us remember exactly why WDW is so magical.... I can't wait to take my children there someday!!

And ugh, the people complaining about the busses really needed a swift kick in the behind it sounds like. Seems like these days no one is ever happy with anything... I will admit though, we are guilty of using Disney transportation sometimes when we're not staying on property but never at busy times like park closing. We usually drive our own car. But I'm sure a lot of people who aren't staying on proparty are using the busses at peak times..

It was one of my favorite moments of the trip. Believe me. It was....
I was actually really happy with everything and I try not to complain about much of anything but I know what you mean. And shh I won't tell anyone if you dom't. lol.

Adult time during each trip = GENIUS!!! I wish DH and I had learned of this option years ago on our first trip(s). We had really young ones for a long time(so it seemed) and it would have really been the ticket for everyone, adults and kids!

I loved this picture you took on your boat ride to the MK. I LOVE the shuttle boats that go through the resorts and MK. And your description...just being on vacation, not thinking about this or that...perfectly describes exactly the way I feel riding those boats! I mean it's not an "attraction" per say, but when you get down to it, you can simply soak up the beauty of being on vacation. And AAAAHHHHHHH...its the best!

Loving your report! :sohappy:

Wow Genius! Thats pretty awesome compliment I have to admit!

It is so true, when you are on vacation you shouldn't have to be thinking about any of that...its just you and your relaxation and time....thats what you should enjoy.

 

[foreverbelle]

And now...its time to check into BLT

When I last left, we had just been dealing with the family looking to catch the bus, we don't think they ever did but of course we will never truly know...It was now 2:30 we headed up to the counter, happy as can be and were surprised to find that our room wasn't ready. So we hung around and waited. We waited for two hours before Andy decided to go down and check. Obviously check in was at 4, and with it now 4:30 surely it should be ready.

It was.

We were given room 8432 on the 14th floor...

They must have known! This greeted me as the elevator doors opened....I couldn't think of a more perfect floor for us!

We unlocked the door, and roamed the place, and here are some thoughts, pics of the place for your viewing enjoyment:

The room was clean, and still had a touch of that new place smell to it. Andy liked the openess that it seemed to have, and I liked the fact that it was bright...This was the cleanest it will ever be. And it didn't last long. Before long it was more than lived in.

This was probably our favorite thing about the studio and the best kitchenette that we have encountered yet. We loved the fact it was more of a small kitchen than anything else. We felt it gave the room a larger feel because of it..Though I will say, you don't realize how much you bring on vacation until you are sitting in a room staring at the mess around you.

This was our view, Andy was a little bummed since we 'paid' for a lake view, and while we could see the the lake, it was more of the CR pool and the lawn which they played movies at night. It was still nice, and technically we could see the lake, I think Andy was expecting a lot more out of the view. I did enjoy the fact that you could see Epcot, AK and DTD from there

Sometimes you feel like a nut....

I will say if there was a drawback room wise, it was the bathroom. I do have a slight disability-Cerebral Palsy to the right side. Which means I can't use my right hand. It usually never really bothers me and I can adapt to most places easily. Especially since I don't need any accommodations to speak of. Anyway, the bathroom lock is weird. You had to hold the door with one hand, and lock it-which is across the door on the other side, with the other hand. Not so easy to do with the use of one hand. I had to get Andy to help out in order to do so.

We hung around long enough to have the bags brought up and unpack, to give us even more living space before we made our way to Poly and one of my favorite meals...O'Hanna's. What can I say, as always its a wonderful wonderful meal. I loaded up on shrimp and for the first time actually given chicken from there, which was amazing....but that wasn't the best part of it.

THIS WAS!!

Now I am in no way a dessert person, mainly due to my food allergies, and at home it isn't really easy to get dairy free, egg free desserts. I usually just skip them. But of course this is Disney, where Magic happens which means, I get dessert...and what do I get, the most amazing chocolate chip cookie I have ever had. Along with the dairy free ice cream! And yes I have snuck in one in or two before. Andy and Logan where given there dessert and I was expecting to get the sorbet like normal but what a surprise. I know this is silly and I am raving about a cookie, but it has been years. I made Andy who was skeptical have one. Oh how I wish I had taken a photo of his face. He was amazed. This cookie that had no dairy, no egg, no nut, no gluten...no anything was the best he had ever had. And yes it took him a lot to say that since he wasn't expecting anything out of it...

And because we had stuffed our faces silly, we headed back to the resort. Just in time for another surprise. We could see Illuminations from our balcony! Logan may like fireworks but only from a distance at the moment, so this was a perfect way to end the night.

I will have more thoughts on BLT has the report goes on. So stay tuned.

Next Up Breakfast with Mickey!

 

[HollyBelle]

Now that's what I'm talking about! Fabulous mirror shot, my friend!

It makes me so happy to hear that Ohana came through for you like that.

Love the shots of BLT! Brett and I were lucky enough to stay in the Contemporary tower three years ago, and were surprised by how much we really loved it. I can't wait to see more.

And because it can't be said enough... Logan is downright ADORABLE.

 

[diddy_mouse]

Aww....I loved the story about watching Logan during the parade. And, even though I don't have kids, I can totally understand the feeling of seeing someone get the "Disney face." It's that moment of "yes! Disney magic!"

BLT looks amazing! The Contemporary tower is on my list of places to stay and if we ever decide on DVC I think I'd want BLT or the WLV...decisions, decisions :lol:

Great report so far!