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

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

When we got to the Beach Club, we decided to check the wait time at Beaches & Cream. We were told that it would be “about an hour,” and we didn’t want to wait. We headed inside and were wandering around, trying to figure out where to have lunch, when a CM from the restaurant in the Yacht Club flagged us down. She asked how we were doing, and if we were coming in to eat. We told her that we hadn't been planning on it, but we were, indeed, looking for a place to eat lunch. We checked out the menu, and found something that everyone would enjoy. The fact that it accepted the Tables in Wonderland card sealed the deal, so we headed in to a practically empty Captain’s Grille.

Since we were not on the DDP, I ordered two appetizers: clam chowder and Hand-cut Salt and Vinegar Fries with roasted shallot mayonnaise. The rest of the family ordered various sandwiches, and DD7 chose the Grilled Beef Kabob. Unfortunately, our waitress was standing behind DD13 when she took her order, and called her “young man.” You may be able to imagine how DD13 felt about that, and it almost ruined everyone’s lunch. Fortunately, the food came quickly and we were able to distract DD13 with lunch. For the first of many meals, DS fell asleep right after we fed him.


The waitress must have felt very badly about her mistake, because she brought us a complimentary dessert at the end of the meal. We all had a couple of bites, except DD7, whose kids meal came with its own dessert. We enjoyed our meal but probably wouldn’t rush back. It was relatively inexpensive, and we saved $15.44 with TiW.



After lunch, we all headed back to the room. DH and DS took a rest, DD13 played on the computer, and the younger two girls got ready to go to enjoy Stormalong Bay. Unfortunately, the minute we got down to where they check IDs, they closed the pool down because of lightning in the area. We were not pleased, but heard a nearby guest mention that they don’t usually close the quiet pools, so that’s where we headed.

Our room is right above the tree on the right hand side, and includes the two windows to the left of that big balcony

It did rain while we were there, but the girls didn’t mind, and since I had a book and an umbrella to huddle under, I didn’t, either. I did a little souvenir shopping at the Marketplace, and saved a little money with my AP discount. Sadly, one of these items did not make it home.


We went down to the dock just after a boat had left BC/YC


The boat was headed to the Boardwalk, so we ran over to catch it at the Swolphin.


We arrived at the Studios about 6:30. The only thing on the agenda was the family’s first showing of Fantasmic; everything else was just frosting on the cake. We checked out the Lines app to scope out the wait time situation, and decided to get FPs for Tower of Terror (return time 7:10-8:10). We saw Muppets next – our first time as a family – and then watched a bit of the Jedi training academy for the first time.

The wait time for Star Tours was low, so DH took the girls while DS and I grabbed some food at Backlot Express. (Side note: the last time we ate here, which was 2001, a seagull swooped down and grabbed a French fry from my tray!) The two older girls split a Bacon Cheeseburger, while DH and I shared the Grilled Turkey & Cheese on multigrain ciabatta with arugula and red peppers. I bought the Power Pack for DD7 (yogurt, apple wedges, carrot sticks, goldfish crackers, apple-cinnamon snack bar, and choice of low fat milk or small water.) She wasn’t thrilled with it, but I knew she’d be getting plenty of fries over the next 10 days, so I went with the healthy stuff.

We’d gotten six FPs for ToT, and didn’t have enough time to use them all before they expired, so DH took the older girls. They used the PP+ card to get another great ride photo. I forget what we non-riders did while waiting. Afterwards, DH and the girls bought some ice cream from Hollywood Scoops. We brought it into Fantasmic so they could enjoy it while waiting for the show to start. I was the only one in the family who had ever seen Fantasmic. I had never wanted to take the kids because of the crowds, and the long wait, plus we are almost never at the Studios at night. There were two shows that evening, and I knew that the second show would be less crowded, but we didn’t want to stay up that late on our first full day. We bought our ice cream at 8:30, and went directly into the theatre, where we were directed to stay to the right and when we got to the top of the ramp, a CM would assist us to h/c accessible seats. It was all very easy, and we really didn’t have much time to wait before the show started.

Something very strange happened before the show. The pre-show was going on, where the CMs get the audience involved in songs and games. My girls were getting all riled up with all the hullabaloo. There was a couple sitting in front of us, and in the midst of this, while our section was making gorillas noises, the man turns to us and hollers at the kids, “Now, that’s enough!” My jaw must have hit the ground, and I was so shocked that I couldn’t even speak. The wife quickly turned around and said, ‘Oh, he’s just joking. He’s a teacher.” Then he laughed and joked and I laughed along, but I really couldn’t believe it. Not long after that, maybe even before the show started, they both left. It was so bizarre.

Everybody enjoyed the show, especially the mist coming off the water since it was still warm.


I was concerned about the mass exodus after the show was over, and we did have a bit of trouble staying together, but we made it out okay (even though a girl walked right in front of the wheelchair and practically got knocked over!)


I love the palm trees

We made it to the long queue at the boat dock by 9:45 and only waited 15 minutes for another boat to arrive. 20 minutes later, we were back at the Beach Club and I was in bed by 11:20. The next day was Father’s Day, and I told everybody they could have the morning off.

The weather today was hot.
The best thing today was making it to the Studios for am EMH.
The worst thing today was not being able to swim at Stormalong Bay!
Today we tried Fantasmic. The result was enjoyable, but probably not a must-do every trip.
The most magical moment was when the Animation Academy CM gave DS her drawing.

[dutchdisneyfamily]

Great update! I'm glad you were able to get some lunch after all. Weird about that couple at Fantasmic. Very weird. Looks like a great ending to a day!

[disney_duke]

The savings are starting to add up already from your TiW card. Even with the server's blunder, it's nice to enjoy a family lunch in a non-crowded restaurant though. My DD (older one, 11 y/o) gets mistaken from time to time due to her tall height, being super skinny, and short hair. Plus she dresses like a tomboy, she is NOT a girly girl. Yep, it's frustrating.

Bummer about SAB being closed! Grrrr. Glad you got some swim time in though. And DHS turned out to be a successful evening! People are strange though. "He's a teacher," as if that explains everything??

[Colexis Mom]

Great pictures and lunch didn't sound too bad! Sorry about SAB being closed!

[lauriep]

I agree with your assessment of Captain's Grille. The food is fine and it'll do if you're hungry, but there's nothing memorable about it. Just a hotel restaurant. Glad you all got to see Fantasmic! The comments from the couple in front of you are just plain weird!

[chezp]

Whoa, that was a weird experience before Fantasmic! I love the way the Cast Member encouraged you to try Captain's Grille - good marketing on their part, even if the waitress did make that faux pas.

[Cam22]

Glad you managed to squeeze a little swimming time in in spite of the rain. I have a fear that your mug didn't make it home. Great evening at DHS, except for the grumpy old man. Your picture of the boat at the end of Fantasmic has confirmed something I felt when we saw the show last month. The boat was not lit up well the night we saw the show, so the characters were all in shadows. That's usually one picture that I get that turns out well. But all I got this year were some dark characters lurking on the boat.

[buzzspal2]

Sorry the weird guy hollered at you. Fantasmic is my favorite.

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

Originally Posted by Wolfy6688

Love your TR! I still haven't gone to Rose & Crown but your pics may have convinced me to give it a try

Definitely go! We will eat there again in the future, I'm sure.

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

Great update! I'm glad you were able to get some lunch after all. Weird about that couple at Fantasmic. Very weird. Looks like a great ending to a day!

The mayo for my fries was particularly good. I ate all the fries only so I could eat all the mayo!

Originally Posted by disney_duke

The savings are starting to add up already from your TiW card. Even with the server's blunder, it's nice to enjoy a family lunch in a non-crowded restaurant though. My DD (older one, 11 y/o) gets mistaken from time to time due to her tall height, being super skinny, and short hair. Plus she dresses like a tomboy, she is NOT a girly girl. Yep, it's frustrating.

Bummer about SAB being closed! Grrrr. Glad you got some swim time in though. And DHS turned out to be a successful evening! People are strange though. "He's a teacher," as if that explains everything??

I know; he spends his day with high schoolers, so it's okay to be a jerk?

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great pictures and lunch didn't sound too bad! Sorry about SAB being closed!

We will keep trying to get in to both Beaches & Cream AND Stormalong Bay!

Originally Posted by lauriep

I agree with your assessment of Captain's Grille. The food is fine and it'll do if you're hungry, but there's nothing memorable about it. Just a hotel restaurant. Glad you all got to see Fantasmic! The comments from the couple in front of you are just plain weird!

It was nice to start out with a relatively inexpensive meal, but that's about the best thing I could say about it.

Originally Posted by chezp

Whoa, that was a weird experience before Fantasmic! I love the way the Cast Member encouraged you to try Captain's Grille - good marketing on their part, even if the waitress did make that faux pas.

I actually felt bad for them and their empty restaurant!

Originally Posted by Cam22

Glad you managed to squeeze a little swimming time in in spite of the rain. I have a fear that your mug didn't make it home. Great evening at DHS, except for the grumpy old man. Your picture of the boat at the end of Fantasmic has confirmed something I felt when we saw the show last month. The boat was not lit up well the night we saw the show, so the characters were all in shadows. That's usually one picture that I get that turns out well. But all I got this year were some dark characters lurking on the boat.

Strange about the Fantasmic boat. I won't be able to tell you whether or not you're right about the mug until I get to the part about our trip home. Stay tuned!

Originally Posted by buzzspal2

Sorry the weird guy hollered at you. Fantasmic is my favorite.

I enjoyed Fantasmic, and I'm glad the kids got to see it. My son, especially, really seemed to like it!

[ilovedisney247]

Great time at Fantasmic. I'm sorry about your server's blunder, but trust me it happens on both sides. I'm a little chubby and you can imagine my delight when a customer asks me when the baby is due.

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

Great time at Fantasmic. I'm sorry about your server's blunder, but trust me it happens on both sides. I'm a little chubby and you can imagine my delight when a customer asks me when the baby is due.

That has happened to me a couple of times, too. I have learned never to say anything about a woman's pregnancy until it appears that she is days away from delivery!

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

Day 3 – June 16 – Father’s Day

Since we had been out late the night before, I let everybody sleep in. It wasn’t in the original plan, but sometimes you have to go with the flow. It was also Father’s Day, so I figured DH would appreciate a morning off. At 9:11 a.m., I posted this on Facebook: “We've only been here for a day and a half, and apparently, everybody already needs a morning off. They're still sleeping at 9:00. I'm going to cook some bacon to see if that will wake them up!” (This relaxing-on-vacation stuff is new to me, but I was trying!) It worked for everybody but DD7.

Even though the 2-bedroom villas at BCV can sleep up to 8, there are not enough beds for my family of 6. My kids do not like sharing beds, so the little one usually takes the couch cushions and makes up a bed for herself on the floor. Fortunately, she was able to get her own bed when we got to OKW, but for now, this would have to do.

We had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, and surprisingly, I didn’t mind cooking on vacation. After breakfast, we took our time getting ready, and eventually made it out the door towards the International Gateway, arriving at 11:30. We stopped at the Agent P booth to get a FP for later, but the CMs told us that unless we were ready to do the mission right then, we didn’t need one. This is different from the way they did it when it was Kim Possible. We weren’t planning on helping to defeat Doof until after lunch, so we moved on.

First order of business was picking up a FP for Test Track. DH and I had not tried out the new version when we were here in January, and the kids hadn’t been here since they updated it, so it was a priority for us. DS and I were the FP Runners, so we made a left at the bridge between UK and France. On the way to Future World, I called my dad to wish him a happy Father’s Day. I was still on the phone while I got the FPs, so I was handling all the cards and FPs with one hand, setting them on top of the machine while I worked. A CM came over and took my pile of cards and FPs and stacked them all nice and neat for me. Still on the phone, I handed him a CM Appreciation card and he seemed to be tickled. I don’t remember the exact return time of our FPs, but I think it was much later in the day.

I don't remember ever seeing these trees in bloom. I posted a picture on FB, wondering what kind of trees these are and it prompted much discussion! (They're crepe myrtle, in case you were interested...)

We had 12:00 reservations at Biergarten, DH’s favorite, with it being Father’s Day and all! We met the rest of the family in Germany, where they were checking out the Rapunzel merchandise in the gift shop. (Did you know that Rapunzel was a Germany story? I didn’t!) DD7 was asking the CM if she realized that Rapunzel’s married name was Rapunzel Fitzherbert! She also pointed out an error in Disney marketing:

If this is Rapunzel on her wedding day, shouldn’t her hair be short and brown?

It was time to check in for our ADR, so I made my way to the podium at Biergarten. I chatted a little bit with our host about the time I spent living in Germany, and may have wowed him with the “nur ein bisschen Deutsch” (very little German!) that I can still speak. Have you ever noticed that the male CMs wear very thin, short neckties? DD7 did, and asked our host about them. He said they had to choose between long ties with uncomfortable leather pants and short ties with comfortable leather pants. He’s really glad they made the choice that they did! He was delightful, and we gave him a CM appreciation card to thank him for his delightfulness.

We hardly waited at all before our name was called and we were led to our table. We have come here several times in various confirgurations (we took my parents during our first marathon weekend; DH, DD13 and I went with friends during last year’s marathon weekend; the six of us went on our last family trip.) We always enjoy the food, and this time was no different.

DD7's plate of mostly salad and butter

And, of course, we always enjoy the band!


DS, for the second day in a row, fell asleep after having his lunch. My FP friends got a kick out of the pictures I was posting of DS sleeping every day. Silly boy wouldn’t take a nap during our break time, just during meals!


Unfortunately, DD7 had a bit of a stomachache towards the end of the meal, so she and I spent a bit of time in the restroom. I felt badly for her, but also for me: I missed my favorite part of a meal at Biergarten: “Tiki-Taki, Tiki-Taki, Oi! Oi! Oi!” (We were in the town of Frankenmuth, Michigan, this past weekend and actually heard a band do this, so that kind of made up for it.) With Tables in Wonderland, we saved $23.59 on our lunch, and another $2.70 on DH’s beer!

After our lunch, we said “See you next time!” to the Biergarten. The girls went to save the world with Agent P while I went to meet up with a friend that I met during my time in Germany. She lives in Gainesville now, and is a big Disney fan, so she and her husband come to WDW every few weeks or so. She and I got to spend some time together when I ran the 2012 Princess, but she came to town this time so I could meet her husband and she could meet my family.

DS and I left DH and the girls to chase Doof in Norway, and met up with my friend in Canada. We made our way back around World Showcase to China, where the girls were having their next Agent P adventure, chatting and laughing the whole way. My friend and I had a great time, and the guys found stuff to talk about, as well. When the girls were done helping Agent P, they convinced DH to take them on Maelstrom. DS and I hung out with my friend and her husband at the covered outdoor seating of the Kringla Bakeri og Cafe because it was so incredibly hot out.

We decided that, due to the heat, DH would take DS back to the resort for a break. They ran into Merida hanging out near the International Gateway on their way back to the room! The girls and I went to ride Spaceship Earth with our friends.


DD7 insisted on riding SE with my friend, and I'm sure she talked her ear off the whole time. I ended up riding by myself, which meant that my future included a random dude!

[buzzspal2]

I don't mind cooking either. It sure save money, that I save for the next trip.

[chezp]

Great start to the day! I love the way your DD sorted herself out - if she's happy and able to sleep like that (I know I couldn't! ) then I guess it works!

[B.M.]

Sounds like a great way to start Fathers Day!