The way We do a Disney Re-Do ~~ Beach club Aug 13-22 - FINISHED!!! 1/20 About This Page:

[KMB733]

Sorry about the meal. What a nightmare!

[DMA]

What an awful time at Captain's Grill. Seems odd that they wouldn't let you sit at a larger table since you had reservations too!
I just recently added this to our list of possibilities for our trip in August. The rate and review at allears gave it high marks.

[sc507]

The 19th was HOT! We were at AK that day and DH joined other dads cooling off in the 'waterfall' at the Boneyard I'm off to read more of the TR......

[sc507]

All caught up! We were at DHS the day you were at MK - it wasn't busy at all, now I know why!! And your rainy last day was our BBB and PL day at MK - that was loads of fun trying to stay dry in I'm so glad that this trip overall was far more magical than your first - what a great do-over!

[Cam22]

So sorry that the rain fouled up your day's plans. And what a horrible dining experience!

[benjiboo25]

[QUOTE=sc507;3541239]All caught up! We were at DHS the day you were at MK - it wasn't busy at all, now I know why!! QUOTE]

LOL!

About all the restaurant comments: I know any restaurant can have an off day. But our experience so soured us to captains Grille that we are unlikely to return.

[benjiboo25]

This was the day we would be returning to reality. DME was coming for us at about 11:15. We were up by 7 am. We told our SIL not to eat breakfast, as we had many meal credits remaining and wanted to have one last meal with them before we left.


We met them in the lobby at 8:30. They had already eaten breakfast (they were staying concierage) and were hoping to get an early start to DHS before heading home themselves (although they are season pass holders, they still wanted to make the most of their long weekend at WDW). We said our good-byes and got some more pictures.


Now about those meal credits…


Before this trip, DH was concerned about having enough food. He is a big eater (6’5” with a teenager’s metabolism) and last trip we had the DxDDP (during free dining). This trip we had the regular DDP and I had done lots of advance planning to seek out restaurants and food items that would give us the most “bang for the buck.” In addition to finding large portions, I often shared a meal with DD(5) who has “very grownup tastebuds.” That plan was to ensure a few extra meal credits so DH would not feel limited to 2 meals a day.


Somehow, we had not revisited that plan after actually arriving at WDW, and he saw my “conserving points” as a sign he should as well —many times when he was off with kids and they ate, they too, split meals! We had not realized until that morning just HOW MANY meal credits we had remaining: 16! In his/our defense…the heat and humidity also make us feel less hungry than I would have expected (so I explained my 7 pound weight gain as water retention from all the humidity!!)


We ordered 5 breakfast items from the Cape May café—and then returned for 3 more. YUMMY!!! DH asked why we had never eaten breakfast in the room before?


I was not phased by our 8 remaining credits. Last trip, we had some remaining credits that we were able to exchange at the CSR shop for snacks for the journey home.


So about 30 minutes prior to DME pickup, I went to the café…where I was told I could only use QS credits on QS meals. I was told the policy changed.


Okay…I would get a few sandwiches for the trip…

but it was still breakfast time and the sandwiches would not arrive until after Hurricane Hanna’s opens and makes sandwiches for Cape May…By now a manager-type was listening and he could check with HH to see if they had started the sandwiches. WDW CM’s ROCK!!! He asked what I would want and I said "5 of anything"...really—whatever was ready…and off he went. I collected 5 QS meal side items, fruits and drinks, and waited for his return. He came back about 20 minutes later with 5 sandwiches. I thanked him profusely and ran toward the lobby. DME was pulling into the driveway.


This time we did not have the DME bus to ourselves, but it was not even half full. We made it to the airport in plenty of time to take some pictures to mark the sad day we were leaving WDW:





Uneventful flight home. We arrived around 5pm and my FIL was waiting for us outside baggage claim as we started looking for our bags. We had five suitcases. It seemed that we were among the last people at the baggage area when our bags started appearing…..1…..2….3….4……..no more……


We have not flown much, but we have never lost a bag. I know it “happens all the time” but it was a first for us. I had to wait in line at a customer service desk….with other folks from WDW also missing bags. About 45 minutes later, I had given all the necessary information and we were on our way home.


We were walking through our own door about 7:30pm that evening. I dumped the clothes in the laundry room and unpacked the bag of “necessities”. The rest would wait for another day, as we had to get the kids bathed and ready for bed.


The next morning we would be returning to work and daycare. For me, it would be my first day back to work after most of the summer at home. For the kids, first day back to daycare after a summer off and gearing up for the start of school in 2 weeks. For DH, first day back to work after a whirlwind vacation at WDW.


Seemed like a crazy idea-- certain to create undue stress and anxiety…Did it?


No! I was so thankful that we extended our trip by one day.

If you read the PTR, you may recall that we made the decision after our airline changed out flight times (we would be arriving in WDW 2 hours later on the first day and leaving 4 hours earlier on the last day). A friend advised us to fly out on Sunday morning instead of Saturday morning.

He wisely pointed out that it may be better to “unwind” from our vacation with a day at the resort while still on vacation.

He also said that it will be hard to come home no matter what, and possibly harder with chores looming.

When his wife walked away—he added that the day after vacation he would rather be crabby around co-workers than around an even crabbier wife!


That point sealed it for me—if we had spent all of Sunday at home, I would have been stressed about getting ALL the laundry done and everything unpacked and put in its place before we returned to work. Given that the schedule did not allow for that, I was able to relax any self-imposed timelines. Before we left, I had outfits ready for the first three days of work/daycare, so there was no need to rush.


I was amazed at how well we all reintegrated into our lives, especially our dear "Aspie". As I reflected on that over the next weeks, I became even fonder of our travel timeline. Every fall, the transition back to school is very rough for Hannah. It was the case even before she was in school, as the family dynamics were changing with mom going back to work (and it always seems like she does not adjust to that transition in the first place until the end of June).

Usually her behavioral concerns/anxiety/meltdowns/temper tantrums/ self-stimulating behaviors escalate from early August through the first 2 weeks of school. During much of that time, we were preparing for WDW and at WDW, so the anticipation of school was not front in her mind. Since our return plunked her directly back in a school-schedule routine, we missed about half of the pre-transition stress—the emotional equivalent of “ripping the band-aid” off quickly!


In thinking of how things would have been different if we had a week or 2 between our WDW vacation and the start of school, I think that would have been very difficult for her to transition from WDW….to summer life at home…to full day daycare…to school. We eliminated one of the stressful transitions and shortened the whole phase!

Next up: final Thoughts

[B.M.]

Glad you were able to use up the last of your credits!

Looking forward to your final thoughts....

[sc507]

That makes perfect sense how it helped Hannah with the transition - just more Disney magic at work! So, going the same time next year??

[benjiboo25]

Originally Posted by B.M.

Glad you were able to use up the last of your credits!

Looking forward to your final thoughts....

Thanks!

Originally Posted by sc507

That makes perfect sense how it helped Hannah with the transition - just more Disney magic at work! So, going the same time next year??

I *wish* we could make it a yearly trip. For a while I had been trying to find a way to make it work. Then we realized we did not yet have the last trip paid off before the 6 months of 0% interest expired....we need to be resposible and save before the trip instead of paying it off after. I am working on a trip for summer of 2012...Hoping for 12 days

[benjiboo25]

For a while it seemed like I would never get to the end of this TR!!! Thanks for hanging in here with me!

Moderate vs. Deluxe resort
I think I did more research than “typical” before our first trip. I had lurked a bit here and at some of the other big WDW info sites (although it was a bit overwhelming for a newbie lacking the context of experience). I knew about the resort levels and pegged myself as a “moderate” kind of girl. I thought the values would be too over-stimulating, the deluxes too stuffy and the mods happily in the middle.


Our first experience at CSR was wonderful. The resort and pool were beautiful, the room nicer than many other hotels we have experienced, and the CMs we encountered were all very friendly and helpful. I could imagine, that if we were still considered a family of 4 by WDW, we would have opted to stay at CSR again. That said…

I adjusted quickly to deluxe J

I appreciated the many “extras” which are probably typical in the deluxe category. The CM’s were always exceptionally friendly and accommodating. They were able to provide guidance and answers, often before I even realized what I needed (like when we were waiting for a taxi and must have looked lost…). They opened doors for us as we left or entered the resort. If CMs were engaged in a personal conversation, it immediately ceased when a guest approached. (In most such situation, I expect good employees would quickly wrap up their personal conversations and then turn to help the guest/customer.) From our first interaction, being greeted by name and walked through the doors, to the final farewell, they made us feel special and appreciated.


There were even differences in check out. When we stayed at CSR, we had to arrange for bell services to get our luggage a couple hours in advance of when it needed to be in the lobby. When I called the morning of checkout to arrange for our luggage to be moved down stairs I was told someone would be up in 5 minutes. Ummm….we were not quite ready, could I arrange it for later? The CM laughed and said just give them a call when we were ready and someone would be sent immediately to get the bags.


Beach Club:
We loved the Beach club. We were on the side of the resort closest to Epcot. From the time we closed our room door, it was literally a 5 minute walk to the Epcot gate. We spent parts of three days at Epcot. It was the favorite park for me and our oldest two kids. Hubby ranked MK a bit higher because of the rides, and the littlest was in her "favorite place" wherever she was! It was amazing to be able to walk "home" to take a break when ever we need it.


The proximity to Epcot allowed us to sleep in, go home to swim, and once even to take an evening swim before returning for fireworks. The pool was beyond amazing. I could not imagine staying anywhere else. Although...we are drooling over the idea of renting one of the Villa rooms to have a kitchen and real bedroom...


Length/timing of trip:
Our trip spanned 10 days, with eight full days at WDW. I could not imagine taking a shorter trip. As it was, there were many things we did not get to do, and could have used even more “down time.”


As for the time of the year---The only thing I would have changed about the trip was the weather--it was hot and humid like I could not have imagined. But we had barely any rain (as I understand it, our rainy day was the start of a rainy pattern—but we had mostly dry days).


We get pretty humid here in MN, with heat indexes close to and occasionally breaking the 100 mark in July and August. Every day in FL the heat index was over 100, sometimes over 115! I was reassured when locals told me that was even pretty hot for them.


BUT, there are not many times that we can fit a vacation in our schedule, since I am also contractually tied to the school calendar. Even if we could go at other times, it would certainly not be times considered “value” season. We spent about the same amount of money on our 10-day August vacation at the Beach club as we had on our 6 day Thanksgiving stay at CSR. To be able to stay at the Beach club in August for the same price we paid at a moderate at Thanksgiving--we would definitely do it again! Other than our last day at MK, the crowds were also more manageable than they were at Thanksgiving.


Restaurants
There are a few restaurants from this trip that will be definite ADRs for another trip:
LeCellier (maybe lunch if that is not 2 credits…)
Cape May Breakfast
1900 Park Fare dinner


A few that we would fit in if it worked, but not be heartbroken if it did not:
Cape May Buffet Clam Bake
Chef Mickey
SciFi-DH would like to cross it off the list, but I would like to give it another chance. The food was good and the atmosphere was neat. I think service just had an off day…J

And a couple that we will not visit again:
Captain’s Grill- Our poor experience with service/food quality were disappointing
Crystal Palace-the environment was too loud, crowded and generally over-stimulating for our kids. Combine that with mediocre food quality and characters our kids do not like and it was a recipe for disaster

GAC
If it were not for the GAC on that last day of the first trip, we NEVER would have been planning a return trip. That said, we hoped to not rely on it, and always felt a bit sheepish when we used it (because of our own pride, not in any way how CM’s treated us). We planned as much as we could about this trip to make our own accommodations for Hannah so that our family could have a great trip. We made use of EMHs and collected our fastpasses like everyone else. But planning for lower crowds and utilizing FPs and EMHs can only do so much in the heart of summer crowds and heat. We were grateful to have the GAC to use as backup.


Because of the GAC, we could experience more during our briefer stays at parks. There were two days where we had less than 3 hours in a park (first day at DHS where we did only TSMM and The Great Movie Ride; and the AK day where we were only there for the EMH pm). There were only two days of our trip that we spent the bulk of a day in a park. The remaining 4 days we spent less than half the open hours at the park. This allowed Hannah to remain relaxed and happy. Others with an ASD child in the family know how the mood of this one child can impact the entire family dynamic. When Hannah is happy…we can all be happy!


Pin Trading
We were surprised to find out how much our kids enjoyed pin trading. Our “Disney Grandpa Jim” got us started with pin trading after he sent us a few last year. I also bought a few on Ebay for the kids before the trip. This led to some really neat interactions with cast members, especially for Hannah-- It gave her something to collect and a reason to engage. It was neat to see. It was also fun to see what our kids were trying to "collect." I will definitely need to find some "tradeable" pins before our next trip!


Wrapping up:

This trip was beyond amazing.

I had built up this vacation to be more than a simple re-do of a trip that was less than ideal; it was turning into a metaphor for our family’s future.

• Could we work together towards a common goal (in this case, saving money for a vacation) with each member making individual sacrifices along the way?

• Could communication, insight, information and lots of planning successfully mitigate many of the stresses we would encounter?

• Could we set aside our desire to be a family “like everyone else” and be comfortable operating on our own, slower, schedule?

• Could we spend 10 days with each other with no alone time?

• Can we do things, like vacations, that so many other families are able to do without a second thought?

More important than the wonderful experiences we had at WDW, we found that we could answer yes to all of the questions above. That was the ultimate Disney Magic!

[lazanya]

Great wrap up! :appaluse: Thanks for sharing your TR! I really enjoyed following along!

[mcc0313]

What an amazing wrap-up Shelly. I am so glad that you were able to take what you learned from your 1st trip and turn this trip into the vacation of your dreams which it sure sounded like. I just loved seeing all the pictures of the kids especially with thier big smiles on their faces, and what was even better was seeing the smiles on you and your DH's face. I definitely agree about getting used to the deluxe resorts (especially those in the Epcot area)...while I love the POR after our stay at the BW I can so get used to the ease of walking to Epcot. Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us (and letting us get to know your kids ) will be looking forward to hearing all about the ideas you have for 2012.

[Colexis Mom]

Great finish Shelly! Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us!

[sc507]

Your wrap up made me sigh in happiness - so glad you got the trip you wanted and deserved. Looking forward to the TR in 2012 Maybe we'll overlap trips again and perhaps cross paths.....I'm hoping we'll be back in August of that year as well.