WDW - Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. – My August 2011 Trip Report

WDW - Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. – An August 2011 Trip Report

Welcome to my trip report! First, about the title. Reading the WDW boards lately one would think that Disney World was coming apart at the seams; Overrun by vicious gangs of Brazilian tour groups, Pop Warner boys and cheerleaders. Filled with broken down, outdated rides run by snarly cast members. The resorts infested by bedbugs, nasty housekeepers, and moldy shower curtains. The Restaurants serving up Dogfood burgers and steaks served with the leather hides still attached. The fireworks shows reduced to open fire pits and a few boxes of sparklers.

To be totally honest and sarcasm aside (kinda), I was really getting concerned about this trip. I had gone to great lengths and compromise ( see my Pre-trip report) to make this trip a reality. Now I was worried that once my family would see first hand the crumbling vestige that was once our favorite place on earth; this would seal this trip’s fate as our last one to the World. Well, I’m happy to say, with photos as proof – the rumors of Walt Disney World’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

First Day and intro to our family;

Our countdown was over. The paper chain in Toni’s room that started at day 178 was now down to day zero. It was 4 in the morning on August 6th and I woke up Toni and we tore up that last chain and started to get ready for our trip. By 4:30, Toni and her brother Sterg, were ready and waiting.

I have a good friend that happens to own a limo business, so we hired him to drive us to Philadelphia International. The limo came at 5:00am. This is my wife Val and my oldest child, Alexandra, getting spoiled in the limo.

Sterg and I on the other seat…

While Toni caught a few z’s.

Everything was going fine. We were making great time on the Turnpike until we were detoured off of it an exit too soon. Unfortunately, this was only the first of our several delays that morning.

 

[WDW_Princess24]

I'm in for the journey! Your kids are too funny, reminds me of how my sisters make fun of me for my (un?) healthy obsession with all things Disney! Can't wait to read more!

 

[fractal]

I freakin' love teenagers! This sounds like a whoooole lotta fun! (((you don't even wanna know what auto correct just gave me for the word 'whoooole'...good Lord, I'm glad I caught that one!))) Bring on the laughs! I'm ready!

Yes teenagers. I tell them I can't wait till they're human again.

I love the back stickers! Awesome!! :lol:

Can't wait for more!

Little monsters.

hey "fractal" are u getting excited???lol I've been anticipating this report the most,glad its here ,I'll need this to help get me through my 38 days of wait time

Lol! Then it was "lookout, fractal is getting mad!" It was tough keeping a straight face! Wishing I was back to counting down.

I'm in for the journey! Your kids are too funny, reminds me of how my sisters make fun of me for my (un?) healthy obsession with all things Disney! Can't wait to read more!

They're monsters I tell ya!

 

[foreverbelle]

Great start. I agree there was so many rumors and I was a little worried myself this past July, but I am happy to say for I found them not to be true.

Cute family by the way. What a great way to start a vacation, limo ride to the airport how awesome would that be!

And ok, the dude in front of you was complaining? The vacation hadn't even started yet and he was already complaining? Umm ok, something about that just annoys me I agree. I mean seriously, I hate people like that.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[fractal]

Arriving at The Beach Club

Offsetting Dr Doom on his cell phone behind me was a nice group of vacationers in front of us already sporting their Mickey ears. When the ME video came on they all started hooting and hollering. There we go! Now that’s my kind of people. I also started clapping while Val just smirked and rolled her eyes.

The bus stopped at the Boardwalk to let off Dr. Doom and his poor family. I was actually thinking how his trip here could make for a nice movie. The all business, cynical Dad on the ME express bus arriving transforms into the carefree Disney lover with his arms around his kids on the ME express bus departing. Again, I wished him an extra dose of pixie dust.

Finally we arrived at The Beach Club. We were greeted immediately by a friendly cast member and taken by her to the front desk. She was very pleasant and stayed with us until somebody was ready to check us in, which wasn’t long. The check in went smooth until we were asked if we were celebrating anything. “No not really” I replied. The CM asked again “Are you sure there is nothing you are celebrating?”

Toni could not contain herself. Literally. She stepped up stood on her tiptoes and proclaimed that it was her birthday soon. “No, it’s not honey” I said, somewhat embarrassed. “When is your birthday?” the CM asked.

“In September” Toni replied confidently and with a beaming smile.
“Well, that’s close enough” he replied and gave her a birthday pin. That really made her day and she loved the extra attention during the rest of the trip.

There is a distinct scent to the Beach Club that you notice as you walk in the lobby. It’s not overpowering. It’s not really feminine or masculine. It’s more of a clean, fresh type of scent. This goes extremely well with the bright feel of the beautiful lobby. If they would can the scent I would buy it by the case.

Our room wasn’t ready yet so we decided to head to Epcot for some lunch. But first some quick pictures from the Beach Club lobby.

 

[fractal]

We walked out of the cool BC lobby and into the courtyard leading to the path to Epcot. It was now around noon, so the sun was at it's peak and bearing down on Central Florida. We knew it was going to be warm. The forecast called for mid 90's temp w/ scattered T-storms. With the humidity and the high sun, it was more than warm - it was steaming hot!

It was the kind of heat and humidity that causes your body to immediately sweat. You don't even have to move, your body's self defense system kicks in to try to cool you off. By the time we reached the International Gateway we welcomed the relief provided by the shaded areas of Epcot. Our general plan to deal with the heat was to hit the parks early and late and the pools or water parks in the early afternoon. Not today though. We needed food and Epcot was calling.

As I entered World Showcase I really started to take it all in. I was back at the World with my family! My two years of planning and compromising had paid off. We skipped vacation last year to make this summer's trips possible. It sure was hot, but it was also hot in Pennsylvania and I couldn't think of a better place to be sweating.


This was our family's fourth trip to the World ( Toni's third ) and one of the things I wanted to accomplish was to do thing we never did before. All of our dinner reservations were at places we've never eaten before. Likewise, I wanted to try different quick-service spots. I wanted to get away from the typical choice of burgers, chicken and salad. This is were the vast combined knowledge of WDWMagic members helped out. I learned about the "hidden" quick serves and planned for them; so it was off to Japan for lunch.

Japan is really a gorgeous pavilion. One which we never spent much time in before. I could have spent more time to explore the gardens and Pagodas, but lunch and air conditioning were calling our names.

We had lunch at the Yakitori House. I had the sushi platter, iced green tea and ginger cake. The sushi was tasty and I thought perfect for a hot day. The green tea was much more refreshing than it looked, but the ginger cake was a bit disappointing. I was expecting an overwhelming flavor but instead it was pretty bland. My sushi...

Everybody else had either the chicken teriyaki or the combo platter. I was impressed by the amount of food. The only complaints I heard was from Sterg that there was too much teriyaki sauce. Toni loved it. Although it wasn't her favorite ( chicken fingers and fries), she loves soy sauce. She puts soy sauce on almost everything so she ate up her chicken, veggies and rice. We made a deal with her that she could only order her fried favorite twice during the week, so she was very happy she found something she liked.
Sterg did manage a thumbs up.

After lunch, I took a few more pics in the gardens.

Up next - taking on a WS Adventure for the first time.

 

[fractal]

Great start. I agree there was so many rumors and I was a little worried myself this past July, but I am happy to say for I found them not to be true.

Cute family by the way. What a great way to start a vacation, limo ride to the airport how awesome would that be!

And ok, the dude in front of you was complaining? The vacation hadn't even started yet and he was already complaining? Umm ok, something about that just annoys me I agree. I mean seriously, I hate people like that.

Can't wait to read more!

We live about 50 miles west of Philadelphia so the cost of a limo is not much more than driving down and paying for a week of parking. Plus its much more convenient and the kids love it.

I've accepting in my mind that "Dr. Doom" was meant to be on this trip and somehow his WDW vacation changed him. Thanks for following along!

 

[Ariel484]

We'll be staying at the Beach Club in January for the first time, so I'm loving your photos of the lobby. That last one, with all of the light streaming in, is especially gorgeous.

Good call on trying some new restaurants...I think it's extremely easy to get stuck in a dining rut at Disney (we sure do). I'm looking forward to your reviews! :wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

The BC pics are gorgeous! I wonder if your BC greeter was Teena. She's a sweet lady.

The Yakitori House was a surprise hit for us last trip, too. I also loved the sushi I ordered. I was particularly pleased that it was cooked beef in there. :lol: I'm with you on the ginger cake. It's still hard to put words to exactly what it is it lacks but there's just something not there that leaves you sorta 'meh'.

Yep, I'm trying to push outside our dining favorites on our upcoming trip, too. It's been amazingly difficult to do. Some of our favorite places I pushed to different meal times. It's hard to give up the good stuff!

Can't wait to see more. Very much enjoying!

 

[disneygirl1]

BC looks amazing. Hoping to be able to stay there before our cruise in April. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[usd2bmd]

Can't wait to read about your trip!!!:wave:

 

[foreverbelle]

I have never stayed at the BC, though I hope to one of these days. Your pics are amazing. Makes me want to book there right now.

I love the Japan pavilion, its down right gorgeous. Truly it is. I think to many people fly through them without taking time to appreciate the pavilions.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

:ROFLOL:Love the TR so far! Your kids are a total RIOT! I'm cracking up as I'm reading and thankful my kids are too young to read and get any ideas! :ROFLOL: Great pics of Beach Club as well. It's on my short list for our next trip.

Can't wait to read more! :wave:

 

[fractal]

By the way - World Showcase looked awesome! Nothing on the ground, the buildings great and the landscaping impeccable. These are the things that I really appreciate about WDW. I've been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and it is a beautiful park, but it cannot compare to the grandeur that is WS and Epcot. I took this picture while walking out of Japan. Everything is right in the World.

We started walking toward America. I was enduring the heat while battling the questions and whining.

"Why is it sooo hot?" - Well, it's August and we are in the subtropics.

"When is our room going to be ready" - Check in is not till 3pm but they will text me if its ready earlier.

"Can we go back to the pool?" - Let's just go up here to America - there is an air conditioned ride we've never done that I would like to try.

"C'mon Big Pops! We want to go to the pool!" (Big Pops is the nickname given to me by the annoying teenagers).

"Yeah Big Pops, we want to go to the pool!" (Great, now the 9 year old is calling me Big Pops ).

Just then we spotted the Fife and Drum Corps. "C'mon" I said. "The Fife and Drum guys"

So we went over, watched the ending of their performance and got in line for pictures with them. Toni was the only one who jumped at the chance for a picture. The teenagers were "too cool" for that sort of thing. So I got a nice picture of the one remaining human child I have with the Epcot Fife and Drum Corps.

I then found out to my excitement that The Voices of Liberty's next performance was in 10 minutes. This was something on my to do list. It was also something the rest of the family had no idea about so I had to sell it hard.

In the end, we walked into a practically empty rotunda and were directed to sit on the floor in the middle of the room. It was the best place for the acoustics - the air conditioned room and the cold marble floor was another strong selling point. The kids and I sat on the floor, while Val opted to watch from a bench despite our beckoning.

What can I say? They were great! They sang for about 15 minutes or so and we were all impressed. Even Alex and Sterg!

 

[NewfieFan]

This trip report is a lot of fun already! Good job! I've smiled at quite a few comments. It's interesting to hear about traveling with big kids too... mine are still young and it gives me hope that we'll be dragging teenagers around the parks one of these days!

 

[fractal]

We'll be staying at the Beach Club in January for the first time, so I'm loving your photos of the lobby. That last one, with all of the light streaming in, is especially gorgeous.

Good call on trying some new restaurants...I think it's extremely easy to get stuck in a dining rut at Disney (we sure do). I'm looking forward to your reviews! :wave:

You are going to love BC!

The BC pics are gorgeous! I wonder if your BC greeter was Teena. She's a sweet lady.

The Yakitori House was a surprise hit for us last trip, too. I also loved the sushi I ordered. I was particularly pleased that it was cooked beef in there. :lol: I'm with you on the ginger cake. It's still hard to put words to exactly what it is it lacks but there's just something not there that leaves you sorta 'meh'.

Yep, I'm trying to push outside our dining favorites on our upcoming trip, too. It's been amazingly difficult to do. Some of our favorite places I pushed to different meal times. It's hard to give up the good stuff!

Can't wait to see more. Very much enjoying!

The greeter was not Teena. I was looking for her but we didn't see her at all. On our last trip she told Toni that kids don't get lost at WDW, parents do - so if you lose your parents look for a CM and they will find them. She was great.

We also met Art last trip -wonderful man. He's retired since. here is a photo of Art w/ Toni from 2009.

It was tough giving up some of favorites, like Ohana's, Yak&Yeti and Wolfgang Pucks, but we were happy to try new things!

BC looks amazing. Hoping to be able to stay there before our cruise in April. Can't wait to hear more!

More on the way!

Can't wait to read about your trip!!!:wave:

Thanks!

I have never stayed at the BC, though I hope to one of these days. Your pics are amazing. Makes me want to book there right now.

I love the Japan pavilion, its down right gorgeous. Truly it is. I think to many people fly through them without taking time to appreciate the pavilions.

Book it!

:ROFLOL:Love the TR so far! Your kids are a total RIOT! I'm cracking up as I'm reading and thankful my kids are too young to read and get any ideas! :ROFLOL: Great pics of Beach Club as well. It's on my short list for our next trip.

Can't wait to read more! :wave:

I kid a lot but they are really great kids. Just annoying sometimes.

BC won't disappoint.

 

[fractal]

After the Voices of Liberty we were directed upstairs to the American Adventure. Are you kidding me? I never knew this existed before this trip. Walking up the grand stairway of flags certainly got you in the mood.

The theater itself is impressive. Statues of "virtues" flanked both sides.

The seats were big and comfy - maybe too comfy. Sterg was out cold 5 minutes into the show. If you are a history buff, the show is great. Alex and I loved it. The rest of the crew either slept through it or started getting antsy about half way through.

I was really impressed with the way they changed sets. I would love to see how that looks below and behind the stage. The Audioanimatronics are great. At first, Alex and Toni thought they were real actors. They were a few moments that put a lump in your throat. They also touched on our treatment of the Native Americans so it wasn't all sugar coating.

After the show we headed outside for some pictures.

Look how deceivingly sweet they appear...

By the time we hit Japan again I received a text that the room was ready. Sterg and Toni wanted to go to the room while Val, Alex and I wanted to check out France.

I gave Sterg instructions and sent him off with his 9 year old sister. I don't know if I could have done that if we were not in WDW.

I got Val a Grand Marnier slushie and a Grey Goose Citron Lemon Slushie for myself. Man did they hit the spot! Val actually liked my drink better ( so did I ) so I decided to swap with her. Oh, the sacrifices we men must make.

Alex, Val and I watched the chef and waiter act at France. Another first for us and was well worthwhile. These guys are really talented.

Up next, The Room, The Pool, My Camera and dare I say - some competition for the Beach Club?

 

[roydavid7771]

You have a beautiful family, glad you had such a great time! We're spending the second half of our honeymoon at WDW and we're spending our first three days at the Beach Club before moving to a suite at the Swan. October 7th cannot get here soon enough!

 

[tink65]

Loving your TR and can't wait to read more! Thanks for sharing!

 

[bmarkelon]

Your trip report is tons of fun! I really had wanted to finally try one of those Grand Marnier slushies this trip but didn't get to...next time I guess! I did somehow get to have to of my favorite lime slushy margaritas in Mexico. :slurp:

 

[disneygirl1]

Loving the update... Isn't funny how safe you feel when you are in Disney? I don't think you could have done that anywhere else.

Oh I can not wait for a Lemon slushie and a margarita!!! 1 more week to go!