Our First Trip “Home” and DD’s 4th Bdy
Dates: November 16 – 21, 2004
Resort: Beach Club Villas
The Cast:
DH – 40, Me – 38, MIL – 60+, DD6-1/2 and DD-who turned 4 during our trip!
Background: The 5 of us had visited WDW in May 03 – the girls’ and MIL’s 1st trip to the World. While we were there, we celebrated my oldest’s 5th bdy and we stayed at VWL which we loved. After taking the DVC tour, DH & I decided to join DVC once we returned home (to NJ). Our intention was to visit WDW every other year but we suddenly found ourselves with DVC points that had to be used or lost. So...we decided to plan for a trip around our youngest’s 4th birthday. Only 5 nights and 4 full touring days, but we were excited to try out our home resort, the BCV! DH and I took lots and lots of pictures so I hope to add some to the report as I go along and figure that whole thing out!
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - Travel Day
We had a 5:45pm flight scheduled out of Newark Liberty Airport so the girls went to school and DH to work as usual. To start the day off right, I had ordered an Enchanted Princess Phone Call (
www.disney.go.com/princess) from Cinderella for that morning. Since my DD6 isn’t big on surprises, especially when she’s sleepy, I told her that someone special was calling this morning. I had both of our cordless phones near us as we got ready for school when the call came in. I knew I had to “activate” the call so I answered it, followed the instructions and then handed a handset to each girl. Well, DD3’s wasn’t working so she had to listen in with DD6. I have no idea what Cinderella said to them b/c as soon as it was over and I asked them, they said they forgot!
Still, they were very excited about it and it put us in a “magical” frame of mind!!
I had arranged for a van to pick us up at 3:30pm to get us to the airport with enough time allotted for security and also to have a bite to eat. We got home from school/work around 2:30pm and we ran around the house getting together any last minutes items. The van showed up 15 minutes early so I headed out the door thinking that I’d definitely forgotten something (didn’t! LOL) The girls were very excited as DD3 had never flown before and DD6 hadn’t been on a plane since she was 8 months old. DD3 fell asleep about 5 minutes before we arrived at the airport but woke right up again as we got out and got our stuff. We checked in at the curb and headed for security and then dinner. The wait for the security check wasn’t too bad and nothing eventful occurred – thankfully! We then walked near our gate and found a food court – McDonalds beckoned! Especially since they have The Incredibles toys!! Jack-Jack was the hit of our meal!
We boarded the plane on time but then spent an hour at the gate as they tried to cool the plane’s cabin off – something technical happened and it was so warm and uncomfortable in there. Finally, it cooled off and we all settled down. DD6 loved taking off and looking out the window; DD3 was just happy to be up in the air so we could pull the tray down and she could color!! I had gotten them Incredibles coloring books and Princess playing cards so they kept busy and were very good during the flight. We were actually served a mini-meal (turkey sandwich, carrots and a chocolate candy) so we could have skipped McD’s – who knew? It just said snack and I assumed that meant pretzels or peanuts.
Anyway, despite our delay in leaving, we landed at MCO only 15 minutes later than scheduled.
Now, DH walks FAST! We caught the monorail type thing that brings you to the baggage claim area very quickly. Our luggage wasn’t coming out for another 15 minutes. I looked for our Quicksilver driver but didn’t spot him right away – DH took off towards the baggage carrousel and when he realized that our flight’s luggage wasn’t out yet, he headed back to the bottom of the escalator and sure enough found our driver. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name but he was friendly and helped us carry our bags to the van. He brought the van around and had a Tom & Jerry DVD playing which the girls absolutely loved!! DD6 laughed so much and DD3 was just thrilled.
I kept looking out for signs of Disney when all of sudden there was the archway and our driver said, “Welcome to Disney!” DD3 started to squeal, “Are we really here at Disney World??” LOL It seems to be our tradition that DD6 is the first to spot Spaceship Earth and soon we were at the Beach Club. It is absolutely beautiful!! I can’t say enough about this resort! The colors, the décor, the whole package is beautiful and to top things off, there were holiday decorations galore!! We got our luggage and said good-bye to our driver. A bell attendant took our bags inside as we ooh’d and ahh’d in the lobby over the big Christmas tree and made our way to the Front Desk. It was about 9:45pm and there was no line whatsoever.
Robyn and Jake took care of us. Jake asked if the girls liked to color and handed them little Timon and Pumbaa coloring books with crayons and some Mickey stickers. Jake also noticed that DD3 was celebrating a birthday during our stay and he asked about her favorite characters and said that perhaps something special would find its way to her. I was thrilled by the attention they both gave to us and the girls, especially regarding the birthday as nothing had happened for DD6’s 5th bdy at the VWL even though the CM there had confirmed that info when we checked in. I have to interject here, though – nothing was ever sent to our room here at the BCV either – more on that later
We then walked over to the BCV and up to our room, 557. And a walk it was; W-A-Y down the corridor; however, when we looked out our balcony and saw Spaceship Earth, we knew it was totally worth it!! Beautiful view!!
View from our room
The room is nicely decorated and seemed more spacious than the VWL but I think that’s just a perception thing (I had expected VWL to be bigger so they appeared “small” to me; and here I was expecting these to be small, and they felt bigger this time around LOL) As I unpacked, the girls were just excited and all over the place – bedtime?? What’s that? LOL They were searching for Hidden Mickeys everywhere (we found them in the carpet in the hallways of the resort, on our bedspread and curtains – look inside the flowers, on the armoire doors and the backs of chairs, in a few of the pictures on the walls and under the little bar-like table opposite the kitchen sink).
We needed milk and some cokes to drink so I volunteered to walk over to the Atlantic Wear and Wardrobe Emporium in the main building. Now it’s nighttime – there are twinkling lights around, holiday wreaths and trees in the lobbies. Ooooh – there’s the Ariel statue by the entrance to the BCVs! I am so happy that I start to mist up but I’ve got the biggest grin on my face!!! We’re really here!!!! LOL
The shop is busy even at 10pm and the CMs are super friendly. I get my beverages and just quickly glance around to see what’s available here. I’m proud of myself for showing some restraint and not buying any souvenirs just yet!!
DH and the girls fall asleep and I continue to unpack and organize my backpack for our first day at the parks and for DD’s birthday. Before I know it, it is midnight and I see fireworks off in the distance! It can’t be Illuminations – too late; we’re not faced towards MK plus the park closed early today. Could it be Pleasure Island?? I can see spotlights in the distance and figure that’s what it must be? We only visited PI once, way back in ’91 – do they still celebrate New Years Eve every night at midnight? Otherwise, I’m not sure what I saw! LOL Anyway, I set us up for a 7-ish wake up call and fall into bed.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004 - DD's 4th Birthday!!
Mickey and Stitch wake us up at 7am (or 7:01am as I followed a tip that I might have read here, not to request an on-the-hour time to ensure that we get the recording and not a real live CM). I can’t find the Speaker Phone button so I pass the phone from one girl to the next and they start giggling as they recognize both Stitch and Mickey’s voices! It’s DD’s birthday and we have a 9:35am PS for CRT. We have some cards waiting for her but she’s supposed to get a package from Gifts of a Lifetime to be delivered later in the morning (that’s a package, not an “event” – those sound so cool, but they’re so expensive
). The girls put on their princess dresses (DD6-Aurora, DD4-Cinderella), DD4 wears the Princess Badge I got for her but DD6 declines.
The girls with Ariel at BCV entrance! and Birthday Girl
DD6 and her Prince
We head out to the bus stop after 8am. The girls ooh and ahh over the fountain and the fish in the stream alongside the bus stop. We arrive at MK about 8:30am – security check is a breeze; we head towards the turnstiles on the left side. I decide to ask a CM about activating our APs. She first tells me that we don’t need to do anything special – it happens at the turnstile. This doesn’t seem right to me but she assures me it is. As I walk back to DH to ponder this info, she calls out to me a few minutes later. She asks if I’ve ever used my APs before and if she can look at them. She then directs me over to Guest Relations all the way to the right
. I had read over and over where to activate them but just wasn’t sure at which point that would take place – before the turnstile or after.
Anyway, the CM tells me that only I would need to go to Guest Services and that DH and the girls can stay where they are. I head over to GR and there isn’t a line but two families are at the two open windows. Embarassing Mom Moment Ahead: Since there’s no line, I decide not to follow the zig-zag queue but I wait in front of that zig-zag exit figuring I’ll be next any minute. Well, it’s taking a bit of time, and people are lining up behind me! Not in the queue!! I’m so embarrassed that I started that mess! LOL
After a bit, a window opens up at the left side and I am taken care of by Jim. He’s super-nice and after he checks my ID, he asks for all of our birthdates. I tell him DD’s which is today and he tells me that’s a great day b/c it is his birthday too! He hands me a Birthday Button for her and I wish him a Happy Birthday and then head over to my family. Now people were allowed to enter the turnstiles way to the right, right near GR and I figured it was for early PSs. While I was on line at GR, they allowed everyone through the turnstile but my family had to wait for me. The CM at that turnstile, Manny was so wonderful – the girls were upset that everyone was going through but them and he kept asking them questions and tried to cheer them up. He made a big deal when I arrived and was so nice when he let them through. I had a hard time with the finger scan for my AP – it worked but I just kept putting too many fingers inside the scanner! LOL
DD4 doesn’t want to wear the Birthday Button (just like DD6 didn’t wear hers last trip *rolling eyes* LOL). Finally we’re through but are now waiting to be released into Main Street. A woman behind me notices the girls’ princess dresses and asked if we were eating at CRT. When I said we were, she said that we should have walked over to the right hand turnstile areas and tell them about my PS. I explain to her that our PS is at 9:35am and they probably wouldn’t let us in early for that. She then told me that the day before they were allowed to enter before 9am and their PS wasn’t til 10am! (Do they normally let you through that early for such late PSs? I didn’t even think this was a possibility.) I’m thinking we’ll have to fight this huge crowd to get over to that area but DH says it’s not worth it so we stay put.
I’m so glad we did!!! We got to see the opening of MK! Last trip, we’d had an 8:05 PS at CRT and then we arrived early for EE at MK so we never saw this. Very cool – really got us into the magic of the trip! For those who haven’t seen it, the Mayor Main St comes out on top of the WDW Railroad Station. He’s joined by Townspeople who sing and dance – they have a family of the day that helps them open the park too. But the park can’t officially open without Mickey so we wait for him to arrive. All of sudden you hear the WDW RR’s toot! And soon all the characters are there on the train! What a great bonus!! We all counted down to zero and an explosion of pixie dust happens just inside the park; the girls tried to keep some but it either stuck to the pavement or blew out of their hands.
I was thinking that we would have enough time to ride something before our 9:35 PS but DH figured we should head straight to Cinderella’s Castle. DH and DD6 were rushing ahead of us. We took the path through Liberty Square to get there and since I didn't think we had to rush, I took some pics of DD4 near Cindi’s fountain and got some shots of the Castle.
DD4 at Cinderella's Fountain
The Partners Statue. I love this Castle!
There was quite a crowd waiting inside and as we were early, I figured we were in for a long wait. The girls didn’t want to meet the Fairy Godmother (although they should have – that line wasn’t “that” long yet and after breakfast when they really wanted to meet her, the line was super long – or seemed that way LOL) . However, within 5 minutes we heard the chimes and our royal family was announced!
Our server was Sir Tollie and he was excellent – he refreshed our drinks, brought more French toast to the girls and was just very attentive and friendly. He brought out a special card for DD's bdy for the princesses to sign and the table had Mickey confetti all over it. The food here is good but I just think it’s too much (although DH finished his plate!). There’s a bread/muffin basket, fruit bowl, OJ and coffee (just ask for milk or choc milk if your kids want it), scrambled eggs, 2 big sausage links, lots of bacon and yummy-yummy cheesey potatoes and some blueberry cheesey croissant thing that was scrumptious!!
Looking up inside the Castle! Waiting for the princesses!
We were seated on the lower level but on the edge of the floor near the steps where everyone enters so it was a busy spot but fine. As Snow White approached, I videoed the girls’ reaction – DD4 is too funny; she was eating but she saw SW out of the corner of her eyes. She didn’t turn her head, though, just darted her eyes to the side to watch out for her, very cute! Soon SW was at our table babbling away about how pretty the girls looked in their dresses.
Snow White
I asked where Dopey was and she told us that he was working with the rest of her friends but they would all join her for the parade later that afternoon. I love these character meals but it is hard on the parents who have to keep getting up and down to get photos and video. LOL Poor DH would have to squeeze between our table and another (thankfully, the table next to us was a very friendly group) and I was near those steps. The princesses would shepherd the girls over to the steps but I had to work my way from behind them – I was so certain that I’d bump into a Princess or two and knock them over!
Luckily, I didn’t (now that would have been a Super-Duper Embarassing Mom Moment! LOL)
Later on, we met Mary Poppins who was talking so fast (just like she should) that I didn’t really catch what she was saying, especially since I was trying to video and not knock her down. DD6 said MP said something about them standing on their heads. LOL
Mary Poppins
The girls had each drawn pics of their favorites (DD6 – Aurora and DD4 – Cinderella) to give to them. DD4’s picture was more green than blue so Belle asked her if it was a picture of Ariel and that just cracked DD4 up! Belle told the girls to say “Beast!” when they posed with her.
Belle
Aurora came next and told DD6 that she looked like her twin sister and loved her picture. She said it looked like she must have been picking berries in the forest; also she remarked about the colors used and how her Aunt Flora would just love it!
Aurora
Lastly, Cinderella made her way over and made a fuss over them in their dresses and over DD4’s picture.
Cinderella!
DD6 used her brand new autograph book too and a new Autograph Collector was born that day! As we finished eating, the girls would tell me that this princess or that had passed behind me and blew kisses or waved at them. All in all a magical morning!
We passed up FG as mentioned earlier and headed to the restroom to change out of the princess dresses (DD4 decides she’s doesn’t want to wear her princess badge anymore - hmmm...that was money well spent LOL) and we head out to the rides. There was no wait for M’s PhilharMagic but the show didn’t start for a bit so we rode on Peter Pan first (so what’s the deal with the mermaid that looks exactly like Ariel? Was she remodeled to look like Ariel after the LM movie came out or was Ariel fashioned after her? Or is it just a coincidence?? Inquiring minds, you know! LOL)
On to M’s PhilharMagic, which we all loved from the beginning with Goofy talking around the theatre to the very end (I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it – but make sure you look behind you at the end of the show). We loved smelling the pies and the girls tried to reach out and catch some of the jewels – very well done. We had missed Pooh’s ride as it was being rehabbed on our last trip, so off to the Honey Pots we went. Very cute ride with a bit of line but it moved quickly. It’s definitely a bumpy ride, isn’t it?? LOL On to the Mad Tea Party – sorry, I sit this one out b/c I know better!! DH and the girls had fun spinning around!
Waiting for Mickey's PhilharMagic to start! Spinning and grinning!
The Carrousel and IASW were both closed for rehab so we headed over to Tomorrowland in search of Buzz Lightyear; however, we couldn’t walk by the Indy Speedway. I remembered that the line for this was pretty long last time and it seemed to be a bit shorter this time around – we hopped on.
Warning: another Embarrassing Mom Moment coming up - now DH had gotten a new digital camera and I had our digital video camera which also takes stills. We decided that he would do the stills and I would concentrate on video but I still would take a shot here and there. DH and DD6 got into the car in front of us and I thought I might be able to catch a pic of them but they took off quicker and DD4 and I had to wait for the next set of cars so I put my camera back into my backpack. We got in our car, backpack at my feet and DD4 bumped us around and we had fun. As we approached the finish line, I turn to my left and there is DH and DD6 and he is trying to take our pic.
The fateful picture that led to an Embarassing Mom Moment!
I figure there’s a big line in front of us, I’ll surely have enough time to get the camera out of the backpack and snap one of them, but just as I get it out, our line starts to move ahead. Trying to do too many things at one time, I mash the pedal thinking it’s the brake and of course, it’s the gas and we rear-end the car in front of us. There is a mom riding with her maybe 10yo old DD in the car in front of us and the mom gives me the dirtiest look alive – I apologized profusely and turned 10 shades of red. I felt so bad and being a survivor of 12 yrs of Catholic school and therefore no stranger to guilt, I continued to feel bad for the next 15 minutes or so – I felt like everyone around me knew that I was such a horrible and inconsiderate person (and stinky driver to boot!) So Mom and DD, if you’re out there reading this, my apologies once again!!
Well, DD6 had missed Buzz last year b/c she thought it would be scary but she wanted to try it this trip so that was our next stop. On our way there, we see PUSH, the talking trashcan! I think this is so cool – he talks to you and can “see” you as he was making comments about the kids and people around him: what they were wearing, who they were with. DD6 loved him but was too shy to go up to him. He tried to get a little boy to talk to him but he was too shy too, so he zeroed in a Dad and made comments about how he was wearing shorts and showing off his legs or something like that. Very funny.
Walking through the queue for Buzz, DD starts to change her mind again – she kept thinking it was a scary ride and we reassured her that it was like a giant video game. Well, she ended up liking it so much we rode it three times during the trip! LOL I was tempted to buy the ride pics but they were pricey, especially since we were in 2 cars. I decided to save my money for some nice family shots in front of the Castle and at Chef Mickey’s. This was DH’s first time on Buzz and of course, he beat us all – don’t remember the scores. It was about noon and the girls were starting to get a bit tired and we needed to head back to the BC to meet MIL but there was the COP and it was open. They were game and it was the only thing I specifically requested to ride this trip so we walked right in. I do love this attraction but was sorry to see so few people in there. The girls were tired and DD6 was somewhat interested – I hope it’s around for a few more yrs when they’re both old enough to really understand it.
We hopped a bus back to the BC and I called Quicksilver to confirm that MIL had been picked up. The girls and DH took pics by an old car that they have outside there.
And I did a little shopping for my Fairy Godmailer postcards and our Pal Mickey and scoped the place a little more for some inexpensive souvenirs for the girls’ classmates. I walked to the front and MIL had just arrived. So after hellos and hugs, we headed upstairs so that she could unpack. I was hoping that we’d see the Share A Dream parade at 3pm but didn’t know if we’d have enough time to get there and get some lunch as well; I didn’t want us to rush b/c I had “an agenda” LOL but everyone agreed that we should go to MK, get something to eat there and try to make the parade.
Up Next: Part Two of our 1st Day - sharing a dream, riding some mountains, getting spit on by a camel, dinner at Chef Mickey's and the L-O-N-G walk home!!
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