So Many Celebrations! A June 2013 trip report - Updated 11/6 -MK Day 2 About This Page:

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

We are back, and we had a wonderful time! I am committed to finishing this TR in the next five weeks. Feel free to give me a hard time if I start to slack off! If you haven't read the pre-trip, I'll sum up: this is our first family trip as DVC members. The family includes DH and myself, and our four children: DS18, DD13, DD11 and DD7. The "so many celebrations" of the title refers to our son's 18th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary, in addition to our oldest daughter's completion of middle school. Now that you're all caught up, on with the show!

Day one – June 14
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:22 a.m., so we left the house at 7:30 and arrived at the airport about 8:30. We used curbside check-in and headed for the security line just for wheelchairs. It always takes a little longer for my son to get through security, as they have to give his wheelchair a thorough once-over. Fortunately, he’s pretty tolerant and doesn’t give the TSA agents any trouble. Although we didn’t have much time to wait around once we got to the gate, my younger daughters got themselves invited to play a game of UNO with another Disney-bound family.

Delta is always good about loading those with special needs first, and for the first time, we were offered a transfer chair so we didn’t have to carry our son to his seat. The only drawback with getting on first is the long wait while the rest of the plane fills up, but the kids were good and before long, we were on our way. DD7’s birthday was one month from the start of our trip, so I surprised her with an iPod nano. She was thrilled, as she’s been asking for an “electronic” for a long time. It kept her occupied on the plane and she didn’t touch any of the things she’d packed in her to-do bag!

We landed at 12:30, 26 minutes early, and headed towards Magical Express.


Here is what we found:

I love DME on a Friday afternoon in June! We’ve never seen it look like this!

We walked right to the front of the the line and were led almost immediately to a bus with a lift. A few more families joined us, and we were on our way about an hour after our plane landed.


We headed to Caribbean Beach first, followed by the Boardwalk. Less than two hours after landing, we arrived at the Beach Club! A fantastic young CM named Seth met us right at the bus with our check-in packet, as well as the great news that our room was ready! He even led the way to the lobby of the Villas. On the way, we chatted about his former job at Cedar Point, which is an amusement park near us. He told us that the roommate he had there was from the same town as we are! As we were saying good-bye, I started to reach into my bag, and Seth said, “Oh, no, we can’t accept tips! Don’t even try!” He was pleased that it was a CM appreciation card that I was reaching for instead, and seemed to enjoy it.

Our room was on the second floor, number 228. It was exactly the same layout as the room we stayed at in 2007, although this was a h/c accessible room. When we arrived, the kids knew that I needed to take a bunch of pictures before we got settled, so they stayed back and let me go to town! I noted that the room seemed smaller than it was the first time we stayed here. DH said it must be because the kids are bigger.

The studio portion of our 2-bedroom lockoff


Kitchenette in the studio


Kitchen in 1-bedroom portion


Balcony off of the studio


Balcony across the 1-bedroom


View from our balcony


Apparently, I didn't get any photos of the master bedroom, but here is one of the master bath


This washer/dryer came in quite handy during our trip

We waited for our luggage to arrive and unpacked a little bit, but we were itching to go to Epcot! One of the reasons we were so excited to stay at the Beach Club was the easy walk to the International Gateway. We found a back way, which led along a path that went past guest rooms and out a gate right near the IG. We would get lots of use out of that path over the next few days!

We arrived at about 4:30, and had some business to take care of before we were able to enter the park. I needed to pick up the AP that I’d purchased for DD13 before we left on the trip. I also wanted to purchase the Tables in Wonderland card, plus change all of our cards over to the new ones with RFID technology. We had a wonderful CM named Meredith, who took care of all of our needs with a smile. We thanked her with an appreciation card, and she was so touched that she gave us a “magic” FP good for any attraction in any park.

We were able to use our new RFID cards to enter the park, but it always seemed like at least one of us had some sort of problem with our cards. There was always a CM with a tablet device nearby to sort out the issue and we were usually walking into the park without much delay.

Our first stop was the American Adventure pavilion. We wanted to hear the Voices of Liberty and see one of my favorite attractions. Just like in January, VoL was singing outside the main doors of the building, and we wondered why. The set seemed shorter, as well, but we enjoyed them as much as always.


We also saw a familiar face: a member of one of the barbershop quartets that won both the college quartet competition and the international competition several years ago. (He's the one in the center.) Neither DH nor I could remember his name, but we approached him afterwards and chatted briefly before heading in to the attraction. He knows another friend of ours, Myron, who sings with the Dapper Dans at MK. Once we were inside, we realized why the interior area was closed. It appeared that they were setting up for a private party. How fun to be able to have a private party inside the American Adventure pavilion!


Afterwards, it was about time for us to check in for our ADR at Rose & Crown, so we headed towards the UK.

Sharp-eyed DD11 noticed a Hidden Mickey in this Van Gogh painting

DH and I had eaten at Rose & Crown for the first time after the marathon in January, but the kids had never been here. Being Anglophiles like their mom, they were all very excited! Our table wasn’t quite ready, so we explored the area a bit while we waited.



I took photos of the girls in the phone booths, and had them recreate a photo that I took of the three of them back in 2008, sitting on the curb across from the phone booths. The girls also took off to see if there was any new Doctor Who merchandise in the shops, and were pleased to find that there was!

When our buzzer went off, we were happy to be led to an outdoor table overlooking the water.


We weren’t planning on staying for Illuminations, but I told the family what a nice spot this would have been to watch it from. Our waitress was called Philippa, even though her name tag said Holly. She was a lovely young lady from Ireland, who had a couple of weeks left of her time on the college program. We asked her if she watched Doctor Who, and she said she didn't, but her mum did. She actually reminded us of Clara, the current companion, so we told her to ask her mum if she could see the resemblance, too.

DH and DD11 ordered the fish & chips, and DD13 and I went with the Vegetable Pie & Mash, which I’d had in January. I'd enjoyed it so much the first time, I'd had to switch this ADR from lunch to dinner, because it wasn’t offered on the lunch menu! DD7 chose the salmon and some kind of soup which she didn’t eat. (Allears menu is woefully out of date, so I can’t check to see what kind it was.) We also ordered desserts to split, choosing Sticky Toffee Pudding and Mandy’s Mess (freshly baked pound cake with berries and Ribena syrup) on Philippa’s recommendation.


We saved $20.54 using our new Tables in Wonderland card. It was a lovely meal, and we will definitely go back. When we done eating, we explored the UK pavilion a bit, and DD7 picked up a Duffy-on-a-stick to take around to the KidCot stations. She chatted with CM Neil, who complimented her on her coloring job. We asked him if HE watched Doctor Who (we have to ask every Brit that we meet...) and he said no. Surprisingly, that's the answer that most British people give us, despite the fact that it's supposedly one of the most popular British shows ever.

We decided to use the magic FP that Meredith had given us to bypass the 75 minute stand-by line at Soarin’. DS had been on this attraction only once before, but he’d absolutely loved it, squealing with delight as we lifted up into the air. We knew that it would be the perfect ride to start off our family vacation. We all enjoyed it, as always, and headed out of the park after disembarking. We made the short walk back to BCV, and the kids were in bed by 10 pm. Our plan was EMH at the Studios the next morning!

The weather today was beautiful.
The best thing today was finally arriving at WDW for the first time as a family since 2010.
The worst thing today was NOTHING!
Today we tried the Tables in Wonderland card, and the result was a savings of $21 right off the bat.
The most magical moment was being met at the bus by CM Seth, who led us right to our room.

[chezp]

What a great start to your trip! I love how quickly you made it to the Beach Club and how much time you were able to get in Epcot as a result.

[lauriep]

An easy, on-time flight and no line at DME! That's the way to start a trip. Popping in to Epcot for dinner is what makes staying at BCV so wonderful. Your DVC unit looks wonderful and the balcony for the studio is huge!!

[crythomas]

Very great start to your trip. Can't wait to hear more

[B.M.]

Great start!

[rlb38]

Great first day ! How wonderful to get the magic FP

[dutchdisneyfamily]

Nice star to your trip! You were just arriving as we were leaving. The Beach Club looks beautiful! Your meal sounds yummy too.

[disney_duke]

Holy balcony, Batman! Your trip sure started out on the right foot, which is very nice to hear! From your photo, it looks like your room is in an excellent location. Kind of close to the lobby and yet close to that walkway out to IG. I've never stayed there, but I've walked around that hotel a bunch - so I'm just guessing! Maybe Dr. Who is not for the younger college age kids? I don't know.

[buzzspal2]

Off to a great start.

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

Originally Posted by chezp

What a great start to your trip! I love how quickly you made it to the Beach Club and how much time you were able to get in Epcot as a result.

It was an easy breezy trip to the resort! We were very pleased.

Originally Posted by lauriep

An easy, on-time flight and no line at DME! That's the way to start a trip. Popping in to Epcot for dinner is what makes staying at BCV so wonderful. Your DVC unit looks wonderful and the balcony for the studio is huge!!

We didn't get as much use out of the balcony as I'd hoped, but it was great to have it!

Originally Posted by iwonathomas

Very great start to your trip. Can't wait to hear more

Thanks for reading.

Originally Posted by B.M.

Great start!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by rlb38

Great first day ! How wonderful to get the magic FP

We don't give those CM appreciation cards out to get anything back, but we certainly didn't turn those FPs down!

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

Nice star to your trip! You were just arriving as we were leaving. The Beach Club looks beautiful! Your meal sounds yummy too.

I'm looking forward to reading about your trip!

Originally Posted by disney_duke

Holy balcony, Batman! Your trip sure started out on the right foot, which is very nice to hear! From your photo, it looks like your room is in an excellent location. Kind of close to the lobby and yet close to that walkway out to IG. I've never stayed there, but I've walked around that hotel a bunch - so I'm just guessing! Maybe Dr. Who is not for the younger college age kids? I don't know.

I really enjoyed BCV! The CM in the UK was probably around my age; we've actually met Brits of all ages and very few of them watch! I know Cheryl does, though!

Originally Posted by buzzspal2

Off to a great start.

More coming up!

[Cam22]

Wonderful first day of vacation! The IG is a big draw for staying at BC. I think we used the same path when we stayed there in 2010.

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

Day 2 – June 15
Today was morning EMH at the Studios. I’d told the kids that it was important for us to get up early enough to get to the park before it opened, otherwise there wasn’t any point in going to the park with morning EMH. They got up with no complaints, and we were out the door by around 7:15. I told them that we could take a boat if there was one in the vicinity, but if there wasn’t, then we’d walk to the park instead. I’d never walked from the Beach Club, so I wasn’t exactly sure where to go, but I figured we’d find it if we needed to.

There wasn’t a boat in sight when we got down to the dock, so we headed over the bridge toward the Boardwalk because I remembered that the marathon course goes right by there on the way to the Studios. The kids complained, and it was more of a walk than I’d anticipated, but we made it just as the gates were opening.


I sent DH and the girls through the no-bag line and told them we’d meet them after they rode Rock n Roller Coaster. It always takes me a while to get through the bag check line. DS and I both carried backpacks, plus I always carried a cooler full of water bottles. It’s always easier just to send the others in ahead.

DS and I stopped at Guest Relations to pick up a birthday button for him, and while I was there, I got anniversary buttons for Wednesday. After that, we went into the photo shop to exchange our voucher for the Photopass Plus card, and had our first PP picture taken. DH made note of the RnRC ride photo number so we could add it to the card. It was DD7’s first ride on RnRC, so we definitely wanted to get photographic evidence! Her thoughts on her first ride: “It was epic!”

The girls and I went off to ride Tower of Terror next, which is one of MY favorites.

I love that the theming of this ride extends to areas that guests aren't even allowed to use!

We met a lovely couple named Donald and Lauren while we waited in line. When we came to the spot where we had to choose to go straight or turn right, DD7 wanted to stay with them. It wasn’t yet 9:00, but the LINES app indicated that FPs were already being given out for Toy Story Mania. DH and DS went to pick some up, and while they were there, a CM suggested that we get a Guest Assistance Card. We’d never gotten one before, since we’ve always felt like his special need is obvious. As it turned out, I’m glad we got one, and we probably didn’t even use it as much as we should have.

After we met up, we headed over to Star Tours. This is one of DH and my new favorites, and we are not even big Star Wars fans! I think it’s the fact that you can ride it over and over and get a different story each time. We had to take DS out of his wheelchair so we could all ride together. He prefers to stay in his chair for rides, as it makes him feel more secure, but we wanted to give him the opportunity to ride as many attractions as he could.

One our way to Star Tours, we’d seen a sign for a sneak peek of the new Lone Ranger movie, so we decided to check out the first showing at 10:00. I thought it was very cool, and it made me look forward to seeing the movie even more. (It hasn’t gotten great reviews, but I prefer to make up my own mind about movies, so we are still planning on seeing it.)


We headed to Starring Rolls for a snack when we were done. DH and I split a Red Velvet cupcake, while the older girls split a Butterfinger cupcake and DD7 got a cinnamon roll. Apparently, we were all too busy enjoying our cupcakes to get any photos.

Up next was another favorite: the Animation Academy! DH and I try to take this class every time we come to the Studios, but it had been a long time since we’d taken this class as a family. DD7 had never done it, and I was a little worried how Miss Perfectionist would do. We had a lovely instructor who noticed that it was our son’s birthday, so at the end of the class, she brought him the drawing she’d done during the class!

DD13's drawing


My drawing


Our instructor's gift to our son

After the class, I took DS to First Aid so he could get out of his chair for a few minutes, while DH and the girls hung around the Animation building.


DD7 and DH met Mickey, and they were all waiting in line to see Wreck-it Ralph and Valliope when we came back. The CM allowed us to join them when they got to the front of the line, and we got a few great photos. We showed Ralph the sticker of him that our son has on his tray, and he got very excited, so he indicated that he wanted a picture with just DS. The smile on our son’s face was priceless!

It was time to use our TSM FPs, and then the plan was to head out of the park for our afternoon break. There is a special vehicle that can be adjusted so our son can stay in his wheelchair to ride, but there can often be a wait while the vehicle makes its way through the attraction. Once is usually enough for our family.


Everybody enjoyed the ride, and I believe DH beat us all soundly! We resisted doing “one more ride” and were on the boat to the Beach Club by 1:00.


It started raining on the way back, and we were afraid that we might not be able to enjoy Stormalong Bay during the afternoon break! Would we get to swim? Tune in next time to find out!

[chezp]

Great start to the day! I love your Minnie - you're obviously very artistic.

[lauriep]

Your family made good use of EMH and did all the big rides! I think the way the adapted ride vehicle on TSMM opens up to allow chairs to roll in is wonderful. You all did really well with your drawings of Minnie. Already a few special moments, with your DS getting the animator's drawing and the special photo with Ralph!

[B.M.]

Great time at the Studio's!!
Wow, all of your Minnie pics look really good; way better that I've ever done with that class....