Sorcerers, Spies and Superbowl Adventures - A February Trip Report

This trip began a very long time ago. In fact, over 15 months ago, I assumed that this trip would be our first trip back to WDW in over a year. But that hasn't been the case! Never the less - we were super excited to join my husband in Orlando for a conference Feb. 6 - 11. The reservations were made for the Beach Club (conference rate.) My husband's ticket was purchased for Tuesday and we were all set........ or so I thought.

Two weeks ago, my husband called and said he wanted to go to an additional 'meeting' in Orlando on Tuesday - the day he was supposed to arrive. He said we should all just drive down together on Friday.........so that he could go to the meeting on Tuesday...........hmmmmmmmmmmm.......... a meeting he 'had' to go to..... that we 'had' to arrive 3 days early for...... sounds like someone figured out they'd get more park time by arriving early! So we booked the Caribbean Beach at a great rate and added on a few more nights.

Friday, we left home, stopping overnight in Georgia. On Saturday, we pulled onto Disney property promptly at 3 pm. We only had time to check in quickly and throw our bags into the room, before we had to rush off to my son's 4:30 haircut appointment at the Barbershop in the MK!

Hey! I know that place:

We were getting ready to walk out the door when my daughter spilled a bottle of water on her outfit. She insisted she HAD to change clothes, so I told my husband and son to head on to the bus stop without us and to get on the first MK bus. I told them we'd be right behind them.

They were right on time to their appointment, but sadly, I missed the whole thing. It took my daughter and I a good hour to catch up with them with the whole outfit changing, waiting for the bus, etc.

(Pictures of haircut to come - all are on my husbands phone at this time.)

It was a perfect evening in the MK though, so who can be sad???

 

[erstwo]

Definitely excited - after tomorrow it'll all come together. Last midterm, and another one of my midterms is moved until the Friday we get back (so I write W/TH/F instead of W/W/TH) which makes a huge difference! There's so much packing and cleaning to be done - eep! Thanks for the luck, it's always appreciated =)

I'm sure my professor wouldn't find it as funny that I'm reading this in class (always the same class, too - silly Clinical Psychology, why aren't you as interesting as you should be?). Mom tells me all her stories about getting someone to type her papers with a type writer (definitely indicates her age!) - no computers then either! Funny how fast technology picked up - I'm scared to see what my kids will have for tools when they're in university, ick! The world moves too fast.

Cutest Chip and Dale pictures! Also regretting not making the time for the DHS parade in the last few trips - I actually don't remember the last parade I saw in full other than MSEP/Spectro. Definitely a waste, I want to see those Monsters!

Can you imagine sending one teddy through Bell Services - the fact taht they'd do that is magical!

Can't wait for more + pictures of the resort, eeeee.

We must have posted at the exact same time, because I didn't see this before!

Hope it all goes well tomorrow and then no blizzards until Monday, when you will be nice and warm in LA/ on the cruise!

I certainly consider Bell Services magic after my experience. Everything was in perfect condition when we got it back. Not a scuff or scratch on it! And considering we go through suitcases like tennis shoes - a new one every 3 to 6 months - thanks to airport handlers, that's saying something!

 

[mamamouse]

i hope you're not offended by my nemo comment comment i think its cute,loving your tr keep it coming :wave:

 

[Sarabell]

I´m loving yout TR as always! and I really can´t get over how pretty your kids are, specially your girl and her bows! you guys are a lovely family!

can´t wait to read the rest! :wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You know - I never thought about how lucky we are to be able to use our cell phones, but you are right! The funny thing is, I am the world's most notorious 'never have your cell phone when you should have your cell phone' person. The joke is - if I'm at home, my phone is in my car (in the garage) and if I'm in the car, the phone has somehow magically appeared in my house. So there have been quite a few times that my husband and I have had to use the old fashioned 'I'll meet you at this lamp post in exactly 35 minutes' meet up method at Disney. Drives my husband bananas as he can't imagine being without his phone for even 5 minutes. So sorry you can't use your phones - I guess you've looked into all the options - prepaid US, etc. - and it just isn't worth the hassle/ expense?

Sooooooo funny to me that you can read this TR in class! When I went to college they issued me my first EVER email address and I remember thinking "I'll never use this!" :lookaroun:lol: We only used our computer for printing typed papers, etc. My how things have changed! (In defense of my age, I will say by the end of my 4 years, I couldn't imagine life without the internet or my email address. )

I know these responses were to Kenzie but I had to comment. LOL! Newfiefan actually had me pick up a Go-Phone and some prepaid cards for her before we left on our trip so she could communicate with her folks during their trip. They arrived just after us. It was cool to be able to help out a friend especially when they have different parameters to work around because they don't live in the US. Not something I ever thought about either!

I know about the reading online in class! So true! Computer lab in grade school we had Apple boxes. I took a DOS applications class and a MS Works class in college. At the time my then-new-sis-in-law had a desktop w/a flashy laser printer because her hubby used it heavily during law school. I remember being wow'd by this because I didn't know anyone else who had a computer in their home. I think it was probably around 1997 before we got our first desktop computer and dialed-in on the internet. Remember the beeping sound when it connected??? That sound totally cracks us up nowadays. LOL! And to think that there are high schools now who have laptop-driven course structures. My boys do all their course-work on laptaps at home (Language, Science, History/Geography, Pre-Algebra/Algebra, and German). It's a Godsend in the homeschooling realm. Truly.



So loooovin the report! I'm only thru the end of Day 3 and had to stop to comment before I forget again.

The kiddos are adorable as ever. Definitely gettin' big. The Sorcerer's game at the MK looks cool. I'll have to put that on my list of things to do when I get there again someday.

I love that your son got to indulge his football love. That's sweet. I watched the interview. Very good stuff! Your hubby is a celebrity now! Woot! :sohappy:

Mmmmm...love the Brown Derby. One place I really do want to go back to. No grapefruit cake??? I thought it sounded quite odd when we went and prob'ly wouldn't have ordered it had it not been for the hype surrounding it when we had our meal there. I'm not that big on grapefruit. It was quite a unique flavor combination. I thoroughly enjoyed it. That's such a pretty restaurant. Seriously. Very elegant in an understated sense.

Yes! Eat up the Playhouse Disney/Junior Disney/whatever it's called now while you can! One of my big regrets is not taking the boys when they would've freaked to meet the characters they loved. Even now, if we could go meet Rollie Pollie Ollie or the PB&J Otters the boys would just love it. I can still here Chandler's excited little squeals and his pacifier babble calling out "Ollie Ollie Olliieeeeee!" It was his favorite. Unfortunately, they've been gone from Playhouse Disney for a loooong time.

Gotta ask. I know your mom does the sweet custom dresses for your daughter and tees for your son. Does she have an embroidery machine she uses for the appliques or is she managing that on a sewing machine with a satin-stitch? I'm curious. I love my sewing projects and would love to have the good applique ability. I'm just very hesitant about making the jump to a full embroidery machine because of cost (obviously, the machines are expensive) and the terror in having to learn that technology (many of those machines are driven by computer software via USB).

Okay. On to day 4 and the Beach Club. I do so looooove the Stormalong Bay resorts now.....

 

[sweetpee_1993]

D
I'm sure my professor wouldn't find it as funny that I'm reading this in class (always the same class, too - silly Clinical Psychology, why aren't you as interesting as you should be?). Mom tells me all her stories about getting someone to type her papers with a type writer (definitely indicates her age!) - no computers then either! Funny how fast technology picked up - I'm scared to see what my kids will have for tools when they're in university, ick! The world moves too fast.

Oh! Wish you could have a Psych professer as interesting as mine was. I took General Psychology class twice because it was so fascinating. He explained things via example so you could truly visualize things. And he was a good story-teller.

Thanks! I'll go ahead and tell you - we LOVED the Beach Club. The pool can't be beat. And the decor is totally 'me.' So much more me than the Poly (although I do love the Poly for sentimental reasons.) Most of my house is white - furniture, slipcovers, etc. so the light and airy look seemed so home-y to me.

I will say that you might consider Beach Club over Yacht ONLY because it felt more child friendly AND the Yacht Club doesn't have any type of food service. You have to walk over to the Beach Club for any type of hot breakfast. Lunch and dinner too, unless you want to eat at Beaches and Cream or Yachtsman or other sit down on the Boardwalk. Also (and I'll get to this later in the TR,) the Beach Club has the Sandcastle Club which we used to have some adult time. It was great! Yacht is beautiful though and very, very calm and quiet. Beach Club is quiet and relaxing too, but Yacht is even more so.

Oh! Slipcovers! I'm down with that! Best investment ever was my Pottery Barn stuff that I can throw the covers in the washing machine. The stuff has held up well, too. Had mine for going on 10 years now. Love it! You're mighty brave to have white/light with kiddos. Sheesh. Now that would never work with the boys and the pup. LOL!

No wait! The Yacht Club has the Captain's Grill which is awesome! It's my "new" hidden gem. Solid table service food for not-so-inflated prices. Pleasant non-super-sized breakfast buffet for $15.97/adult. Beats the pants off the chaotic overkill character breakfasts at $23-$30-something bucks for our family nowadays. We didn't make it for lunch or dinner but the menus look decent. There's also a little coffee bar spot just off the lobby at the Yacht Club (don't know the name) but they have pastries and smaller fare that's easily grab-able on the way out the door.

We didn't even go to the Marketplace food spot during out YC stay. I'm in agreement with the majority that thinks the Yacht & Beach need some better counter options. Seriously. They really need to revisit this topic.

My personal opinion of Value vs. Moderate is that it's not worth the money to upgrade (unless the upgrade is minimal cost) because besides an extra sink and a few extra square feet, now that the values have privacy curtains, there's really no difference in the rooms. Both Values and Moderates have a long walk to the food court - depending on your room location. Both Values and Moderates have crowded food courts - especially in the morning. The pool at CBR is MUCH better than the pool at a Value (as far as having slides and hot tubs) but we rarely swim.

Now, the difference between a Value and a Deluxe? Especially this Deluxe? Huge. Huge I tell you! You definitely get an upgrade for your money at a Deluxe. Especially at the Epcot resorts. Monorail resorts seem so busy and crowded. Which makes sense, with all the popular character meals and how easy it is to resort hop from the monorail. Epcot resorts seem so calm and laid back, even with the Cape May Cafe breakfast crowd.

That's my $.02. It's probably worth about what you paid for it though! :lol:

Love this desk set up. That round white table underneath is on wheels, so you can push it over to the 'couch' and let your kids eat breakfast on it.

First of all, I guess it has been a long time since I stayed at a value. I know the POP rooms have been redone since we stayed there in 2007. They have a privacy curtain now? That's awesome!

Ditto on the perks to being in an Epcot resort vs. a monorail one. I've stayed in monorail resorts 3 times and an Epcot resort once. Especially with the scaled-back monorail hours, it's just not as great a perk anymore. Plus, think about the Contemporary platform during meal times. Chaos! I hate having to go car to car in search of enough room to wedge in. The short, relaxing stroll at the Epcot resorts is waaaaay better to me. Then the resorts themselves, the public areas are waaaaay busy throughout the day just because of the popularity of the restaurants and the fun of resort hopping. No arguement there. I enjoy those things, too. But to have a peaceful respite definitely appeals to me. I think I'm dooone with those old monorail resorts for now. Seriously. Loooooove for the Epcot resorts! :kiss:

Um, lovin' that coffee pot on the desk, too. I would use that one vs. my refusal to use the 4-cup models at other resorts. Even if someone used the thing to wash their drawers or socks they're doing so in individual cups so my chances of getting a semi-clean cup are better. Actually, I'd prob'ly use disposable cups but that's just me. LOL! I wonder why your coffee maker wasn't over on the chest by the closet like at the YC? Hmmm. Curious. And, yes, I love the furniture/decor at the Beach Club, too. Haven't stayed there yet but even with the darker woods they pair them with lighter colors as an accent so they don't darken the room so much like the Poly, AKL, and WL. I love this! That's my style!

I was exceptionally glad we weren't on the third floor. My kids would have scaled that Juliet balcony for sure! (And no, I don't usually allow my children to climb on balcony furniture. She's just always been my climber and was determined the the view must be much better when unobstructed by the annoying handrails, etc. I made her get down immediately.)

The one thing that bugged me about this room? No privacy curtain! Were there doors here at one time? As the mother of a growing boy, even with the bathroom turned away from the room, it was difficult to get dressed privately (the tub/ potty area was rather small.) If I remember correctly - at the Poly, the entire bathroom - including double sinks- is behind a door. That would have been so much better.

Ugh! Those Juliet balconies are one of the big perks to the YC over the BC. Who would be happy stuck with one of those over a full balcony?! I haven't looked at the room categories/pricing structure at BC but I wonder if the Juliets are a category to themselves with a slightly smaller price tag. If they aren't, they should be. I'd be miffed if I got one and would likely request a different room if available. Ya know?

Yeah, as the mom to 2 teen boys who reaaaally don't wanna see Mom's junk the privacy curtain would also be a great addition for the deluxes that don't have the larger bathrooms that are more conducive to dressing-in. I hate dressing in the little spaces right after showering because it's steamy in there. Heaven forbid you get a room that doesn't have a strong fan. We do a lot of calling around the corner for the boys to "stay over there so Mom can get dressed". They're happy to comply. :lol:

 

[erstwo]

i hope you're not offended by my nemo comment comment i think its cute,loving your tr keep it coming :wave:

NO! You absolutely did not! I agree- if we're talking about the same photo, where he's turned to the side and making a funny face - he does look a little Nemo-ish!

Besides, you are not the first person to mention his big eyes to me (or him!) Many people mention it because combined with his inability to gain weight, they'll tell him that big/ sunken/ bug eyes can be a sign of a thyroid problem and they ask if he's ever had his thyroid checked (which he has. ) I mostly think it's because he's nearly 40; doesn't age and doesn't gain weight, and they'd all like to know why! (I'd like to know why too! Wouldn't that be nice? :lol

I´m loving yout TR as always! and I really can´t get over how pretty your kids are, specially your girl and her bows! you guys are a lovely family!

can´t wait to read the rest! :wave:

You are so, so kind! Thank you so much! Hoping to post more soon.

 

[erstwo]

I know these responses were to Kenzie but I had to comment. LOL! Newfiefan actually had me pick up a Go-Phone and some prepaid cards for her before we left on our trip so she could communicate with her folks during their trip. They arrived just after us. It was cool to be able to help out a friend especially when they have different parameters to work around because they don't live in the US. Not something I ever thought about either!

I know about the reading online in class! So true! Computer lab in grade school we had Apple boxes. I took a DOS applications class and a MS Works class in college. At the time my then-new-sis-in-law had a desktop w/a flashy laser printer because her hubby used it heavily during law school. I remember being wow'd by this because I didn't know anyone else who had a computer in their home. I think it was probably around 1997 before we got our first desktop computer and dialed-in on the internet. Remember the beeping sound when it connected??? That sound totally cracks us up nowadays. LOL! And to think that there are high schools now who have laptop-driven course structures. My boys do all their course-work on laptaps at home (Language, Science, History/Geography, Pre-Algebra/Algebra, and German). It's a Godsend in the homeschooling realm. Truly.



So loooovin the report! I'm only thru the end of Day 3 and had to stop to comment before I forget again.

The kiddos are adorable as ever. Definitely gettin' big. The Sorcerer's game at the MK looks cool. I'll have to put that on my list of things to do when I get there again someday.

I love that your son got to indulge his football love. That's sweet. I watched the interview. Very good stuff! Your hubby is a celebrity now! Woot! :sohappy:

Mmmmm...love the Brown Derby. One place I really do want to go back to. No grapefruit cake??? I thought it sounded quite odd when we went and prob'ly wouldn't have ordered it had it not been for the hype surrounding it when we had our meal there. I'm not that big on grapefruit. It was quite a unique flavor combination. I thoroughly enjoyed it. That's such a pretty restaurant. Seriously. Very elegant in an understated sense.

Yes! Eat up the Playhouse Disney/Junior Disney/whatever it's called now while you can! One of my big regrets is not taking the boys when they would've freaked to meet the characters they loved. Even now, if we could go meet Rollie Pollie Ollie or the PB&J Otters the boys would just love it. I can still here Chandler's excited little squeals and his pacifier babble calling out "Ollie Ollie Olliieeeeee!" It was his favorite. Unfortunately, they've been gone from Playhouse Disney for a loooong time.

Gotta ask. I know your mom does the sweet custom dresses for your daughter and tees for your son. Does she have an embroidery machine she uses for the appliques or is she managing that on a sewing machine with a satin-stitch? I'm curious. I love my sewing projects and would love to have the good applique ability. I'm just very hesitant about making the jump to a full embroidery machine because of cost (obviously, the machines are expensive) and the terror in having to learn that technology (many of those machines are driven by computer software via USB).

Okay. On to day 4 and the Beach Club. I do so looooove the Stormalong Bay resorts now.....

So - that phone thing - such a reminder to always be thankful even for the little things, isn't it?! You are so awesome to help out Newfie!
Kenzie makes me feel old, but I'm so glad she shares her trips with us! - it's fun to see how WDW and Disney Cruises are traveled by the younger set.

I think by the time you get back to WDW, the Sorcerers of the Kingdom game will be all set and I have a feeling your boys will love it! There were kids their ages at all of the portals in the evening trying to trade spell cards. They were trying to get all 70 cards. Evidently this game can get pretty complex.

No Grapefruit Cake! You didn't tell me!!!!! Kidding. I usually go with the first thing I see that says 'Chocolate' In this case I saw Dark Chocolate dipped biscotti (which really read Creme Brule WITH Dark Chocolate Dipped Biscotti) and at that moment I was sold. I'll take one of those! But NEXT time I'll know. My husband really liked the birds nest dessert thingy (I'm such a foodie, can you tell???)

Superbowl Parade was awesome. One of those 'we'll never be here for this again, so lucky we get to see it now' moments. It was an interesting day to be at WDW that's for sure! I forgot to mention - there were people who bought tickets to the MK JUST to see the parade. There was a lady sitting next to us (opposite side of the CP CM's) who had done that. My son started talking to her about WDW and mentioned Pirates. And she said to her husband - 'Pirates of the Caribbean? Did you know it was a ride too?' She must have been between 60 and 70. Just blew me away.

Trying to hold on to the Playhouse Disney as long as I can!

My mom makes everything the old fashioned way - but she's been sewing since 1960 something. She's got one of those fancy machines that cost more than my first car, but it's all computerized and she refuses to learn much about computers. So she uses it - to sew. Which she could have done with her Kenmore from 1982. LOL!

I'll have to ask, but I would assume she used a stitch you could do on any standard machine. That's just her style. And it's how she learned to applique anyway. She hand drew the faces on with a fabric marker. I know that's not the popular way to do it now (most are blank, solid Mickey/ Minnie heads) but I loved the way they turned out. They were totally her creation - she actually designed them based on a picture from a coloring book! (Unless that is a copyright infringement, in which case she totally did not do that. :lookaroun)

Oh! Wish you could have a Psych professer as interesting as mine was. I took General Psychology class twice because it was so fascinating. He explained things via example so you could truly visualize things. And he was a good story-teller.





Oh! Slipcovers! I'm down with that! Best investment ever was my Pottery Barn stuff that I can throw the covers in the washing machine. The stuff has held up well, too. Had mine for going on 10 years now. Love it! You're mighty brave to have white/light with kiddos. Sheesh. Now that would never work with the boys and the pup. LOL!

No wait! The Yacht Club has the Captain's Grill which is awesome! It's my "new" hidden gem. Solid table service food for not-so-inflated prices. Pleasant non-super-sized breakfast buffet for $15.97/adult. Beats the pants off the chaotic overkill character breakfasts at $23-$30-something bucks for our family nowadays. We didn't make it for lunch or dinner but the menus look decent. There's also a little coffee bar spot just off the lobby at the Yacht Club (don't know the name) but they have pastries and smaller fare that's easily grab-able on the way out the door.

We didn't even go to the Marketplace food spot during out YC stay. I'm in agreement with the majority that thinks the Yacht & Beach need some better counter options. Seriously. They really need to revisit this topic.




First of all, I guess it has been a long time since I stayed at a value. I know the POP rooms have been redone since we stayed there in 2007. They have a privacy curtain now? That's awesome!

Ditto on the perks to being in an Epcot resort vs. a monorail one. I've stayed in monorail resorts 3 times and an Epcot resort once. Especially with the scaled-back monorail hours, it's just not as great a perk anymore. Plus, think about the Contemporary platform during meal times. Chaos! I hate having to go car to car in search of enough room to wedge in. The short, relaxing stroll at the Epcot resorts is waaaaay better to me. Then the resorts themselves, the public areas are waaaaay busy throughout the day just because of the popularity of the restaurants and the fun of resort hopping. No arguement there. I enjoy those things, too. But to have a peaceful respite definitely appeals to me. I think I'm dooone with those old monorail resorts for now. Seriously. Loooooove for the Epcot resorts! :kiss:

Um, lovin' that coffee pot on the desk, too. I would use that one vs. my refusal to use the 4-cup models at other resorts. Even if someone used the thing to wash their drawers or socks they're doing so in individual cups so my chances of getting a semi-clean cup are better. Actually, I'd prob'ly use disposable cups but that's just me. LOL! I wonder why your coffee maker wasn't over on the chest by the closet like at the YC? Hmmm. Curious. And, yes, I love the furniture/decor at the Beach Club, too. Haven't stayed there yet but even with the darker woods they pair them with lighter colors as an accent so they don't darken the room so much like the Poly, AKL, and WL. I love this! That's my style!




Ugh! Those Juliet balconies are one of the big perks to the YC over the BC. Who would be happy stuck with one of those over a full balcony?! I haven't looked at the room categories/pricing structure at BC but I wonder if the Juliets are a category to themselves with a slightly smaller price tag. If they aren't, they should be. I'd be miffed if I got one and would likely request a different room if available. Ya know?

Yeah, as the mom to 2 teen boys who reaaaally don't wanna see Mom's junk the privacy curtain would also be a great addition for the deluxes that don't have the larger bathrooms that are more conducive to dressing-in. I hate dressing in the little spaces right after showering because it's steamy in there. Heaven forbid you get a room that doesn't have a strong fan. We do a lot of calling around the corner for the boys to "stay over there so Mom can get dressed". They're happy to comply. :lol:

Yes. Love slipcovers! I've got some sort of awesome white fabric that makes the white possible with small kids. (but notso much with the black dog and black cat )

We didn't go to the Captains Grille, but we will next time. Good to know! The marketplace was nice too. You ate in 'THE Solarium.' Which made me feel like I was living in the Biltmore! Ha!

I laughed out loud at the wash their drawers comment! So funny. I don't like those 4 cuppers either. I don't trust them. I also don't trust that hotel room glass glasses or cups are clean either (watched a terrible Dateline one time that showed how the maids never actually clean them, just rinse and dry with a dirty towel and put them back - GAG!) But I have seen Mousekeeping with glasses rattling down the hall, so I'm assuming they actually have a station to wash their glasses??? Anyway - single serve coffee maker was great. I poured it into my refillable mug and was good to go!

Juliet balconies = No.

Privacy curtains = Yes. (and also Privacy curtains = happier moms!)
And they do have the privacy curtains at Pop and all the All Stars now. I'm pretty sure they've finished all of the refurbs now? I'm sure someone on here will know if I'm wrong!

 

[erstwo]

Day 4 con't -

One of my goals for this trip was to do some of the things we are too rushed to enjoy on other trips. One of those things is enjoying the performers in/ around the World Showcase. I didn't have a times guide yet, so I decided we would just see what was going on when we got there.

My daughter spotted Marie from across the 'water' at the International Gateway, so we went toward France first:

And then, seeing that there was entertainment in the UK, we backtracked toward their pavilion.

This was such an adorable act - I believe it was entitled "Cyranose?"

And this was the best part. Y'all. I graduated from a small high school, in a small Alabama town. When they went out in the crowd to pick a 'hero' for the play, they picked this good old, country boy and I knew right away that he would have rather have been run over by his mud tires on his 4x4 than to be in this play, even though the crowd was small. He tried so hard to politely decline the actor's invitation to join them in the play. It was so sweet and so pitiful and his wife was laughing so hard.

I swear it was like they asked a shy George Straight to be in the play - can you see him in the right corner? Carhartt shirt and cowboy boots. Bless him. When they 'fed' him his lines at the end (he was just supposed to repeat the lines.) They asked him to say "Lady ???, you are wonderful. You are amazing. And nobody loves you......." BUT he didn't understand the "........." was in there (they were going to have him say, "But nobody loves you like me.") But he didn't realize that and he refused to say "But nobody loves you." and changed it to, "But somebody loves you." Which made us all roar with laughter and the actors explained the line was actually "But nobody loves you like me." And he finally said the line and finished the act.

It was fantastic. And I laughed so hard I cried.

We checked out the phone booths - a first for us!

I am absolutely calling this number one day when I am bored!

And then we walked around the gardens. What visit to the UK would be complete without visiting an English Garden?

Epcot is still about learning. See?

 

[erstwo]

We were still right by the International Gateway and I think due to the sheer novelty of it, the kids were dying to ride the boat to DHS. I knew we'd be back at Epcot later with my husband, so we headed toward the boat ramp.

Bye bye Epcot!

Hello DHS!

And 'they' say they don't advertise Star Tours enough. Pppffish.

I actually thought the sign was kind of neat. I had no idea that any other park at a Let the Memories Begin sign.

We really had no plan, so I made some suggestions and let the kids lead.

His hands are almost the exact same size as George Lucas'. He was so excited!

Then it was on to see Phineas and Ferb.

Muppets!

It was a long wait!

 

[erstwo]

Then it was on to one of my favorites!

My husband texted that he was almost back via the shuttle. I told him our room # (I had left his key at the front desk) and asked him to have Bell Services deliver our luggage.

We watched a few minutes of the show on the 'main' stage, before heading out.

My kids really love to dance to live music. I think they'll do okay in college. :lookaroun

We met up with my husband at the room. He was in love with it too. And we headed out immediately to Epcot to grab some dinner.

We saw Sleeping Beauty.

The kids and I had had some kind of snack at DHS and weren't really hungry yet. My husband was starving and we stopped in Japan so he could eat at (the newly refurbished) CS there.

The path lighting is super bright now

I sooooooo wanted to have one of these shaved ices!

They were at the food stand along the WS pathway in Japan. But I hadn't eaten dinner yet and needed to set a good example for the kiddos. (What a bummer huh? )

 

[erstwo]

I finally started to feel hungry and remembered how much I loved the food in Mexico, so we headed that way.

My husband and daughter stopped to meet Snow White while my son and I went on to order the food and eat.

After dinner we took a ride around Mexico

Before heading toward the Land to use those Fastpasses we had picked up earlier in the day!

I was willing to sit it out, since I rode earlier, but we explained that only 3 of us had fastpasses since my husband had been at a conference and unable to join us that morning and the CM was kind enough to give us a 'bonus' fastpass! Score! :sohappy:

Anyone else see these and mentally sing, "Winter, Spring, Summer or Faaaaaaallll, All you have to do is call"??? No? Just me? Huh.

There was almost no one there.

After Soarin, we 'swam upstream' trying to get back to the International Gateway with 1000000000000 people trying to exit through the front after the end of RoE. (Won't make that mistake again!) And headed toward our heavenly beds at the Beach Club - which we could WALK to! Amazing!

Up next - we put the Magic to the test. Can the MK deliver with TWO mountains down in one day???

 

[sweetpee_1993]

My mom makes everything the old fashioned way - but she's been sewing since 1960 something. She's got one of those fancy machines that cost more than my first car, but it's all computerized and she refuses to learn much about computers. So she uses it - to sew. Which she could have done with her Kenmore from 1982. LOL!

I'll have to ask, but I would assume she used a stitch you could do on any standard machine. That's just her style. And it's how she learned to applique anyway. She hand drew the faces on with a fabric marker. I know that's not the popular way to do it now (most are blank, solid Mickey/ Minnie heads) but I loved the way they turned out. They were totally her creation - she actually designed them based on a picture from a coloring book! (Unless that is a copyright infringement, in which case she totally did not do that. :lookaroun)

So lemme get this straight. Your mom does the appliques of the Mickey silhouettes like in this top picture using just her standard satin stitch??? I need to learn applique the old-school way. These days you go into a specialty shop asking for these types of classes and they want to sell you the $6k machine designed to do that. I don't applique enough to spend $6k on another machine I really don't have room for anyway. Plus, um..hello, don't these women realize that's a mighty-nice Disney trip for that kinda money??? :lol: I may need to PM ya further about all this. I *think* I know basically where you live and if your mom lives anywhere near it wouldn't be hard to arrange to make it up that way for a short class w/mom. I'd totally pay her for her time. She wouldn't happen to know how to smock, huh? If she knows that I think I'll put in a formal request to be adopted. :lol: My gramma used to smock baby dresses but her hands are so bad with arthritis there's no way she could show me now. Oh if I'd only realized the treasures my gramma possesses when she was still able to teach me the good stuff. Like to waltz. I shoulda learned these things.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I loved the story about the little play in the UK and the good ol' boy participating. I could totally picture it. I grew up mostly in Orlando then moved to Monroeville, Alabama when I was 16. Talk about culture shock! I know the sweet, ultra-shy, quiet types with the super-thick drawl so well. I've got a few uncles like that. I could totally picture the guy dying of embarrassment trying to maintain the most genteel of manner when a lady is involved. :lol:

I am absolutely calling this number one day when I am bored!

Just dialed the number. I realize it's midnight so I didn't really expect anyone to answer. It only rang once before it went to the beepity-beeps like a modem or fax machine. I wonder if the number works during the day. If it does, next time one of us is down there we'll have to set an exact time to call each other. How funny would THAT be?!

And, wow! When did pay phone calls go up to $.50?! Weren't they only $.25???? Or has it been that long since I used a pay phone? I bet it's just been that long. Golly gettin' old is rough.

I can't wait to hear just how soooper-doooper comfy those beds were for ya. Our YC ones were so heavenly. Coming from a knock-off Tempurpedic owner, comfy beds away from home are hard to come by. :animwink:

Nighty-night! :snore:

 

[Herky]

I'm really enjoying your trip report. Especially cool to see the Superbowl parade! I may need to rethink my strategy of always going in November.

Keep it coming!

 

[Sarabell]

Just dialed the number. I realize it's midnight so I didn't really expect anyone to answer. It only rang once before it went to the beepity-beeps like a modem or fax machine. I wonder if the number works during the day. If it does, next time one of us is down there we'll have to set an exact time to call each other. How funny would THAT be?!

And, wow! When did pay phone calls go up to $.50?! Weren't they only $.25???? Or has it been that long since I used a pay phone? I bet it's just been that long. Golly gettin' old is rough.

Nighty-night! :snore:[/QUOTE]


Just called the number, it´s 10:24 am and it still beeps. bummer! it would´ve been great if someone had answered to tell them how jealous I am that they´re at WDW while I´m home dialing random numbers that someone else posted on a Disney forum (am I pathetic or what? :lookaroun)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

OK- you've officially made my room decision for next trip even more difficult! :lol: LOVE the room! I would be upset if I wound up with one of the Juliette balconies though. I can't seem to find anything showing those cost any less...but they totally should. Either way, the room is nice and bright!

Also nice deal on the Soarin' fastpasses!

 

[erstwo]

So lemme get this straight. Your mom does the appliques of the Mickey silhouettes like in this top picture using just her standard satin stitch??? I need to learn applique the old-school way. These days you go into a specialty shop asking for these types of classes and they want to sell you the $6k machine designed to do that. I don't applique enough to spend $6k on another machine I really don't have room for anyway. Plus, um..hello, don't these women realize that's a mighty-nice Disney trip for that kinda money??? :lol: I may need to PM ya further about all this. I *think* I know basically where you live and if your mom lives anywhere near it wouldn't be hard to arrange to make it up that way for a short class w/mom. I'd totally pay her for her time. She wouldn't happen to know how to smock, huh? If she knows that I think I'll put in a formal request to be adopted. My gramma used to smock baby dresses but her hands are so bad with arthritis there's no way she could show me now. Oh if I'd only realized the treasures my gramma possesses when she was still able to teach me the good stuff. Like to waltz. I shoulda learned these things.

Okay -no. THAT dress, I bought on etsy. And I bet it was made with an embroidery machine. But she made all the rest of them - including a pillowcase dress that looks just like it with just a regular stitch. I'll have to post some close up pictures on your wdwmagic 'wall!' She does smock! You can apply to be adopted, but I think they're only accepting grandchildren now. :lol:

I loved the story about the little play in the UK and the good ol' boy participating. I could totally picture it. I grew up mostly in Orlando then moved to Monroeville, Alabama when I was 16. Talk about culture shock! I know the sweet, ultra-shy, quiet types with the super-thick drawl so well. I've got a few uncles like that. I could totally picture the guy dying of embarrassment trying to maintain the most genteel of manner when a lady is involved.

Just dialed the number. I realize it's midnight so I didn't really expect anyone to answer. It only rang once before it went to the beepity-beeps like a modem or fax machine. I wonder if the number works during the day. If it does, next time one of us is down there we'll have to set an exact time to call each other. How funny would THAT be?!

And, wow! When did pay phone calls go up to $.50?! Weren't they only $.25???? Or has it been that long since I used a pay phone? I bet it's just been that long. Golly gettin' old is rough.

I can't wait to hear just how soooper-doooper comfy those beds were for ya. Our YC ones were so heavenly. Coming from a knock-off Tempurpedic owner, comfy beds away from home are hard to come by. :animwink:

Nighty-night! :snore:

I am slightly bummed that the number doesn't work! Maybe that's something that changed with the price increase???

I'm really enjoying your trip report. Especially cool to see the Superbowl parade! I may need to rethink my strategy of always going in November.

Keep it coming!

Thank you! It was really fun and a great time to go! As I write the report I realize more and more how many times the parks were nearly empty by the end of the night (and the parks were closing at 9ish, so it's not like they were open late.) which to me, means light crowds. And the weather was great too!

Just dialed the number. I realize it's midnight so I didn't really expect anyone to answer. It only rang once before it went to the beepity-beeps like a modem or fax machine. I wonder if the number works during the day. If it does, next time one of us is down there we'll have to set an exact time to call each other. How funny would THAT be?!

And, wow! When did pay phone calls go up to $.50?! Weren't they only $.25???? Or has it been that long since I used a pay phone? I bet it's just been that long. Golly gettin' old is rough.

Nighty-night! :snore:

Just called the number, it´s 10:24 am and it still beeps. bummer! it would´ve been great if someone had answered to tell them how jealous I am that they´re at WDW while I´m home dialing random numbers that someone else posted on a Disney forum (am I pathetic or what? :lookaroun)[/QUOTE]

That really does stink that it doesn't work! I was going to call and tell someone the same thing!!! (well, except the random person part.)

 

[erstwo]

OK- you've officially made my room decision for next trip even more difficult! :lol: LOVE the room! I would be upset if I wound up with one of the Juliette balconies though. I can't seem to find anything showing those cost any less...but they totally should. Either way, the room is nice and bright!

Also nice deal on the Soarin' fastpasses!

I'm sorry! Except, you'll love the BC if you decide to stay there!

I wish I knew who got the Juliet and who didn't - maybe you can just request a full balcony when you reserve? Thanks for still reading!

 

[erstwo]

Day 5 dawned bright, but not so early!

The beds at the Beach Club were awesome, so we slept well. We also discovered on the first night that the air conditioner works really, really well. We woke up in the middle of the night FREEZING. Not so much a big deal in Feb, but great to know if you will be visiting in the middle of summer, when good AC is important to a good nights sleep. We also had a ceiling fan! FYI

We were up, dressed and down to Mainsails rather quickly. Here's where breakfast at the Beach Club is 10000000 miles away from breakfast at Pop Century. THIS was our food court:

After a great breakfast, we headed to the bus stops to catch a bus to MK. I have to say, the bus service here was awesome. We rarely waited for a bus for over 10 minutes and we must have been the last stop for pick up, because we never stopped anywhere else for pick up. At drop off, we usually dropped off at the Yacht Club before our stop, but it was no big deal because the Yacht Club is literally just around the corner from the Beach Club.

When we got to the bus stop there was a group of kids playing Simon says and they let my kids join in

Such a pretty bus stop

 

[erstwo]

Soon enough we were in the MK.

They love each other I swear.

The goal today was to defeat villains in all 4 'lands' and finally be finished with the Sorcerer game. Little did we know.......
At the Kiosk

I guess it was because so many things (including MSEP) were down, but this parade was always out (or so it seemed!)

First stop - Tomorrowland to grab SM fastpasses

Then it was on to TTA