Trip Report A trip of Firsts

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

Checking into Yacht Club (left Orange Lake at 7:40 am)
I fully expected to just pull up, drop our bags, and then head off to the park. It's a good thing we left Orange Lake as early as we did, because it actually took a good 15 minutes or more to get checked in. Since we were staying club level, I had contemplated grabbing a light breakfast in the lounge, but DH and I weren't sure if they'd let us use the lounge since we weren't technically checked in yet.
Let me back up a minute. I'll come back to breakfast

I dropped everyone off (including my siblings who decided to ride with us because they wanted to get an early start in Epcot too). DH ran inside to check-in (even though we had done online) while I handled the luggage outside. He handed the cast member his ID and credit card, and the CM quickly ran off. DH said he was scared his card was declined or something bad had happened. The CM came back and said "Congratulations, you are family of the day!" We weren't entirely sure what all that would include, but they started giving up all kinds of goodies: Nemo bath toys for the kiddos, a sailor hat, and then whisked us off for a picture with the Captain in front of the yacht in the lobby. We were pretty sure that was all this included (aside from the pins as well), until we later went to the pool:

After the picture, we all boarded the elevator up to the 5th floor for club level check in. While checking in, they offered to let us eat at the lounge (remember, we had debated this?) We had already grabbed Dunkin Donuts on the way in, so we declined so we could quickly head over to the International Gateway for rope drop.
I had come up with a last-minute plan the night before. Me, DD, DS, and my two sisters would first go to meet Elsa and Anna at the Royal Summerhus since I knew the lines wouldn't be too long yet with everyone rushing to FEA and because we were already back in the World Showcase. We were the first ones in line and this turned out to be a good plan. We had a FP for FEA at 4 this day (more details to come on that later), so we skipped the ride for now. We ran over to Soarin' (my favorite ride in Epcot). DH and my brother had gotten a head start while we met E and A, so they were already in line for Soarin'. My sisters took DD and hopped in line (only 30 minutes at this point), and I took DS to meet Mickey and pals. My sisters were under strict instructions to get me a Rider Swap for Soarin' so I could go on when they finished. The wait for Mickey and friends at the character spot was 25 minutes, so I figured the times would work out perfectly. We got finished in time to do a quick diaper change, and have some milk, while waiting on everyone else at Soarin'. My 4yo DD did NOT like Soarin', so now I was at odds with who I was going to ride it with, and how. I guess I should have just gone by myself because I never got to do it :arghh:

My siblings had FP for Test Track at 10, so they were off to catch that. DH, myself, and the kids kind of strolled around before deciding to go ahead and head for The Seas with Nemo since it had a short wait.
I need to mention that during this time the weather was PERFECT for June in Florida. It was cloudy and overcast, so the skies weren't beautiful, but it was a breezy 77 degrees. I could not have asked for anything better. Combined with the fact that I had gotten the 2nd parking spot at YC, and we got Family of the Day, I knew this was going to be a great day! And it proved to be one of our best days of the trip. Notice the skies in the picture.

21stamps · Jun 11, 2017

How exciting! I didn't even know there was a "family of the day" at the resorts!

Can't wait to read more!

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

Neither did I! Imagine my surprise!
Day 1 (Epcot) Part 2
After Nemo, we headed off to the World Showcase since it was open and we had a lunch reservation at Akershus at 12:20. A side note, my DD is terrified of the "big" characters, like Mickey, Minnie, etc, the characters in full costume. She absolutely LOVES the princesses. We learned on our last trip, after reservations at Crystal Palace and Tusker House, that those were a no-go for her. Another side note is that DH never liked Epcot. Unfortunately, on a previous trip with my family, my brother dragged us ALL OVER the World Showcase looking for a souvenir. We went from Canada, to France, back to Canada, and then one more time to France, for him to give up completely and not get anything. That one trip ruined Epcot for DH, and that was 7 years ago, so this was our first return trip to Epcot, and he had been dreading it. Although we were of-age on that trip, we didn't partake in any of the drinking around the world, so I enticed him with that little nugget, coupled with the fact that we were in WALKING distance of Epcot and it would be a travesty not to do it. Plus, we had to do Akershus and FEA.
We grabbed drinks at the Joy of Tea in the China Pavilion as everyone was crowded around Norway. I had the Canto Loopy and DH has the Mango Gingerita. Both were perfectly refreshing. We were on the dining plan and hadn't used any snacks yet, so DH wanted to use one, even though we were about to go to lunch, so we had the Pork Egg Rolls. They were such a good value, you get two, and they were really good. DS approved as well.
I forgot to include this picture earlier of DS running to Mickey, and then backing away. From afar, he was so excited to see him, but up close, a little more hesitant. We made it through with no tears, but a little skepticism.

Off to Akershus we went. I really didn't keep track of how long it took to be seated, but it wasn't long. In fact, some family of 4 ran right past us checking in with the CM and jumped in line ahead of us, only to realize they never checked in, so we got to go ahead of them anyway. They were really accommodating and allowed us to bring our double stroller inside the restaurant and park it near the restrooms, as DS was asleep at this point. He was happy to wake up and meet Belle. It seemed to be at least 15 minutes that we sat before the princesses began to come around. DD was getting anxious, but they showed up just on time. She did the princess parade reluctantly, but bowed out a little early when she came back by our table.
DH was nervous about the menu. He had checked it out earlier (he's super picky and not an adventurous eater) and he kept telling me that he didn't think he'd like anything there. He ordered the pasta because it seemed the safest bet. It was actually really good. I had the braised beef, which was so tasty! Very tender, and the mashed potatoes were really good too. DS ate some of my beef, some fruit from the appetizer buffet, and some of his sister's mac n cheese. It turned out to be a really nice meal, and DH even commented that it was really good and he was glad we went. It was nice to have knocked out the other princesses and not have to stand in line to meet them later.
At this point, we were starting to get a little tired and restless. DD had spied the pool when leaving YC, so she kept asking to go check it out. It was probably about 1:30 at this point, so we figured we'd walk back to the resort and check on things. Worst case, we'd hop in the pool for a bit. I took some pictures as we walked back. I was totally blown away by the beauty of the entire BoardWalk area. It's been a dream of mine to stay there, so I was kind of star-struck.

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

Day 2 part 3
Navigating the pool with the double stroller proved a bit tough. I had to run into bell services to go through our bags because I'd made the rookie mistake of not packing our suits separately. I forgot a shirt for DH to change into afterward, and flip flops for us to wear, but we had suits, so we were temporarily happy! DD and DS loved all aspects of Stormalong Bay. They were, at first, surprised by the sand bottom, but really excited. We live near the beach, so it was the best of both worlds for them. We weren't in the pool for maybe 30 minutes before my text came through that the room was ready. After much coaxing, we convinced DD to head upstairs with us to check out the room, freshen up, and rest shortly. We had 4:30 FP for FEA and a 5:45 reservation for San Angel Inn.
We had the newly refurbed rooms which were AWESOME! They are a bit generic, but felt so upscale, and new, that we were thrilled. Besides, DD and DS have never stayed on site, so they didn't really know what to expect. The CMs on club level at the YC totally made this trip for us. They helped resolve a few issues for us and just, in general, really made us feel like we were always top priority, well taken care of, and like we were really coming home. We felt like royalty! And the beds! They were sooooooo comfortable! We had packed our own pillows but did not even need them. Theirs were so much better.
We got a late start headed back to Epcot for our FP. I don't think we actually left until 4:30 or 4:45, but we were headed straight to Norway for FEA, and then with dinner being right next door, I wasn't too concerned. That was until I saw the line for FP at FEA. Oh, we had also grabbed beers at the club lounge before heading out. DH almost forgot and tried to go into Epcot with his and got scolded

The queue actually moved pretty quickly, and we were right near where you enter the last room to board the boat, when we heard the character (is it Oden? the store owner from the movie?) "Hoo hoo! We are having a problem, but it will be solved right away." Then, we heard the CM coming over the speaker to instruct guests not to stand up and that another CM was coming to help them. I started to get a little worried at this point. It was 5:25 (eek!) and we hadn't boarded. I told DH I'd give it till 5:30. Then, we noticed people pushing past us. They were headed to the exit where another CM was handing out FPs so we could return later. We gladly accepted and were off to San Angel. We had to explain to DD, who was clearly upset, that we would try again after dinner. Surely, it would be resolved by then.
I had originally reserved Via Napoli, but a friend had convinced me to do San Angel. I wish I had listened to my gut and gone with San Angel. San Angel was by far our longest wait with a reservation. There were plenty of open tables. I'm glad we did wait, though, because we had a lovely table right next to the river. I had forgotten just how dark they made it inside, and DH joked throughout dinner about how dark it was. The food was just okay, and the service was really slow. We had done San Angel before, but probably won't return. The ambiance is nice, but there are too many other good options in Epcot. *Side note: we're going to go back to BoardWalk area June 2018. Then, our kids will be 3 and 6. What are your favorite restaurants?*
We had checked FEA throughout dinner. It remained Temporarily Closed for most of dinner, but by the time we were closing out, it came available. We dashed back over with our paper FPs this time and hopped in line. Again, the queue moved quickly, and we even got a few steps ahead of where we were the previous time. I had joked with DH that we made it farther, things were looking up, when we heard the voice again. "Hoo hoo"

Same exact series of events. At this point, EVERYONE began abandoning ship (pun intended). We got more paper FPs on our way out, but by this point DS was ready for bed, and DD was almost inconsolable. I've never had the ride issues that we had on this trip on any other trip. Maybe I've just been lucky, but this wouldn't be our last problem. We got DD an Elena lollipop in Mexico and she quickly forgot the debacle. We were off to YC again, with 8 paper FP for Epcot in hand, and no way to use them because we had no more Epcot days

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

I've got to take the kids to the pool for a bit, so Day 2 will hopefully come later this evening. Thanks to all who are following along! Just recapping it has me ready to go back *sigh*

susan lees · Jun 11, 2017

How unlucky for FEA stopping twice :arghh:

luckily at that age they do tend to forget quicker.

Roknrollrghostr · Jun 11, 2017

So glad you tried the Canto Loopy, it's my favorite Epcot drink- so great on a hot day. I'm glad to hear you are having a great club level experience, we are staying AKL club level this fall, I'm really looking forward to it!
That stinks about FEA, every time we've gone to ride there have been problems as well. Hopefully we will both get to ride on our next trips!
Speaking of your next trip, have you guys ever done the Biergarten? It's DH's favorite and we have to do it every trip. The little ones always seem to love it and it's a lot of fun for adults too. IMO the food is always great as well.
Can't wait to hear more!

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

Roknrollrghostr said:
So glad you tried the Canto Loopy, it's my favorite Epcot drink- so great on a hot day. I'm glad to hear you are having a great club level experience, we are staying AKL club level this fall, I'm really looking forward to it!
That stinks about FEA, every time we've gone to ride there have been problems as well. Hopefully we will both get to ride on our next trips!
Speaking of your next trip, have you guys ever done the Biergarten? It's DH's favorite and we have to do it every trip. The little ones always seem to love it and it's a lot of fun for adults too. IMO the food is always great as well.
Can't wait to hear more!

You'll have to share your report on AKL when you go. When we go back, my in laws are coming and now really want to try club. The Canto Loopy was sooo good. Maybe one of my faves all trip. We have not done Biergarten. I'm tempted to get the park hopper this time so we can do dinner in Epcot. There are so many places I want to try.

bee · Jun 11, 2017

Enjoying your report! Sorry to hear about your FEA mishaps. I'm sure it wasn't easy to console your DD!

mdubm said:
*Side note: we're going to go back to BoardWalk area June 2018. Then, our kids will be 3 and 6. What are your favorite restaurants?*

I've never had stellar experiences at San Angel Inn! Of course the atmosphere is wonderful, but I've found the food to be bland and the service is always slow. Here are some places I like better:

La Hacienda-WAY better service and better food than San Angel, and personally I prefer the bright atmosphere to the darkness at SAI
Biergarten-Buffet with plenty of choices for adults AND kids, and a show included!
Via Napoli-I know some people on this forum hate it but I've been there about five times and have always had great service and great (Italian-style, NOT American-style!) pizza.
Spice Road Table-great atmosphere and the option to go tapa-style or get full-sized entrees (though I've never used the dining plan so I'm not sure how it works there). We've sat inside and outside and enjoyed both.
Coral Reef-admittedly I haven't been in several years so I can't comment on current service or food, but the atmosphere is really cool if your kids are into fish!

amjt660 · Jun 11, 2017

Loving the report so far
Tough break on FEA (2 times on the same day is tough on the little ones)

Following along

"Abandoned ship" (love the puns)!!!!

Max

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

bee said:
Enjoying your report! Sorry to hear about your FEA mishaps. I'm sure it wasn't easy to console your DD!

I've never had stellar experiences at San Angel Inn! Of course the atmosphere is wonderful, but I've found the food to be bland and the service is always slow. Here are some places I like better:

La Hacienda-WAY better service and better food than San Angel, and personally I prefer the bright atmosphere to the darkness at SAI

Biergarten-Buffet with plenty of choices for adults AND kids, and a show included!

Via Napoli-I know some people on this forum hate it but I've been there about five times and have always had great service and great (Italian-style, NOT American-style!) pizza.

Spice Road Table-great atmosphere and the option to go tapa-style or get full-sized entrees (though I've never used the dining plan so I'm not sure how it works there). We've sat inside and outside and enjoyed both.

Coral Reef-admittedly I haven't been in several years so I can't comment on current service or food, but the atmosphere is really cool if your kids are into fish!

Thanks for the suggestions! Biergarten and Via Napoli are definitely on our list for next time. I'll do a little research on the others.

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

Day 3 and some notes on YC
I first want to add how impressed I was with the thoughtfulness of YC. The outlets in the bathroom had tiny nightlights that came on in the dark. I traveled with a nightlight, but this made life a lot easier. We also had enough room in the first section of the bathroom (with the double sinks) to put our son in that area in his pack n play. He goes to bed by 7:30 at the latest, so by letting him sleep in there, we were able to hang out in the room a little longer, watch TV, lay clothes out for the next day, without disturbing him. There was also enough room still to access one sink and slip into the second part of the bathroom (toilet and shower) without waking him. There were also several USB ports, as well as electric outlets, so no shortage of spaces to charge a phone.
Day 3 was...

Oddly enough, this is DH's favorite park. He loves the Rockin Roller Coaster and Toy Story is his favorite movie. He is so excited for Toy Story Land and keeps researching when it will be opening so we can hopefully catch it on our next trip, which is actually June 2019 (I think I misquoted the year in a previous post).

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

Sorry, my computer was going really slow during the last post. Back to Hollywood. We took the boat over, which was really crowded going, but we all managed, several double strollers deep.
I almost forgot to mention, the other perk to Family of the Day was 3 extra FPs for EVERYONE in our party and they showed up in MDE, which I had never seen before. We weren't totally sure how they'd work, so DH tested them first on Rockin Roller Coaster, which we hadn't FPed because we FPed Toy Story Midway Mania. It worked, so he was off to do Rockin Roller Coaster at park open. He was one of the first ones on. While he went to that, I took the little ones in the shop on the corner down Sunset Blvd (the name escapes me), and DD made her first purchase of the trip- an Ariel doll. One other thing I did prior to this trip was open a Disney Vacation Account. We received $20 in Disney gift cards for each $1000 I saved, so I gave DD the gift cards to use for her souvenirs.
Next was Voyage of the Little Mermaid. DS was getting really squirmy while we were in line, so I was nervous he wouldn't sit still, but the moment the show started, he was mesmerized. DD as well, but Ursula scared her a little. DS had no fear.
I booked this trip as part of the Disney Jr package. I'm not even entirely sure what all the requirements were, but I think dates had to be Sun-Thurs and there had to be a child on the trip. The price turned out to be the same as the summer deal, but we got an extra FP to Disney Jr, and an extra FP to Ariel/Dumbo/Philharmagic in MK. So, we used our paper FP for Disney Jr and headed over to that show. If you have kids, it's such a great show! Both of mine loved it, but gosh, it's tough to sit on that floor for the length of the show. I did it once at 24 weeks pregnant, and it was only slightly less brutal this time. But, it's all for the kids, right?
I can't remember if it was on the way out or on the way in, but we ran into the Storm Troopers.

We also ran into the Green Army Men, which are some of my favorites. I just love their interaction and humor.

And then we were on our way to Midway Mania. We had never done this ride before. The last time we went, we weren't able to FP it, so we were all really excited to try it this time. It was one of our family's favorites. So well done!
I really wanted to catch Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, but we saw it last time, and both kids were getting antsy, so we decided we had basically had our fill of Hollywood. We said we might come back later, but once getting back to the hotel and into the pool, that plan was nixed.
We got lucky and hopped into a boat almost immediately and it was hardly crowded. It was nice being the second stop both going and coming back. I snapped this picture from the marina. These were the skies we saw most of the trip.

We also poked in the new market, which looks really nice so far. Very clean and a nice variety of choices. The market is a new spot to fill your mug if on the meal plan (or if you purchased one), and they have a Coca Cola freestyle machine, so there are TONS of options for drinks.

mdubm · Jun 11, 2017

I quickly learned the DD would much rather hang out at Stormalong Bay than any of the parks. Everyday we'd ride rides, but she'd ask to come back to the pool. And we did. You cannot beat this pool!

amjt660 · Jun 12, 2017

mdubm said:
We also poked in the new market, which looks really nice so far. Very clean and a nice variety of choices. The market is a new spot to fill your mug if on the meal plan (or if you purchased one), and they have a Coca Cola freestyle machine, so there are TONS of options for drinks.
View attachment 209556 View attachment 209557

Hi
I was at YC in December and do not recognize the market from these pictures
Is this in YC or BC?
Was it recently refurbed?

We would walk over to the BC to fill mugs and get counter service.

Thanks
Max

mdubm · Jun 12, 2017

amjt660 said:
Hi
I was at YC in December and do not recognize the market from these pictures
Is this in YC or BC?
Was it recently refurbed?

We would walk over to the BC to fill mugs and get counter service.

Thanks
Max

This was the YC. It's their new QS. It's part of their refurb. You can now refill in there.

amjt660 · Jun 12, 2017

mdubm said:
This was the YC. It's their new QS. It's part of their refurb. You can now refill in there.

Very cool
Where is it?
I know Captain's grill is right off the lobby - is it close to it?

Max

mdubm · Jun 12, 2017

amjt660 said:
Very cool
Where is it?
I know Captain's grill is right off the lobby - is it close to it?

Max

Captains Grille is actually being refurbed right now and is in Ariel's over at BC. This is right by the elevators- to the right of the lobby.

mdubm · Jun 12, 2017

Day 3 continued
After enjoying the pool for a bit, we headed over to Cape May for dinner. I was nervous about the choice because I'm really the only one in the family who enjoys seafood. In fact, DD commented on how it smelled, but all that changed when we sat next to the sand castle.
Apologies for images. Actually doing this on my phone on the way home while DH drives.
After dinner, we ran into my old college roommate and her husband and kids, who DH knew from college as well. They were also staying at YC for the State Farm convention. Disney really is a small world. Every time we go, we run into people we know. While I chatted with an old friend, DH and DD went back in the pool.
At this point, my 4yo DD shocked the world by going down the big slide at Stormalong Bay! I was so surprised and proud. By the end of the night, she had gone down 12 times! That's 10 more times than I did.
We finally peeled her away from the pool to head up for the night. DH grabbed some wine from the club lounge and we started lounging on our balcony. It was this night that we realized we could view the MK fireworks from our standard view balcony and this totally made my night! I hadn't seen HEA yet, which of course didn't do it much justice, but it was one of the big things I wanted to do this trips.
More pics when I get back home to my laptop!
Thanks everyone for following! I'm loving sharing our journey as much as I love reading everyone else's reports.

Trip Report A trip of Firsts

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