She's Adding All The Extras, a January 2022 Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge Split Stay Trip Report (Updated 4/24)

[GrandCalifornian]

I got up at 7am then went for a walk to take some pictures. It was pretty cloudy so the sunrise wasn't anything spectacular but I had a nice walk over to Yacht Club along the water.




I had sent him on a mission to buy the Tervis from Yacht Club since the one from the Festival of the Arts was sold out.

It was a worthy mission and I was successful. I also got a mug refill and got some pictures of the Yacht Club lobby.



I also had him pick up the Beach Club Tervis because we were staying there, and I didn’t want the Yacht Club one to be lonely.

Then I walked back to Beach Club and got some lobby pics there and the accompanying Tervis. I also picked up a Larry Dotson print from Beach Club because we have them for the resorts we've all stayed at.

I got back to the room by 8:00 and played with pictures as everyone got up.

We didn’t have to be up super early but we did have a much anticipated brunch reservation at… wait for it… drumroll please.....

Homecomin’!


This was one we have tried for and failed before, since they only do it on weekends. This time the stars aligned and we got it. I also got a text that our taxi was there at 8:55, which was 15 minutes early but got us moving out of the room and down to the front of the resort.

We got there right on time and got right in the van that was waiting for us.


This was a great way to get directly to Disney Springs in the morning without having to stress over waiting for a bus. Now that Marshall is out of a carseat travel like this is a ton easier too.

I had been hesitant to use cabs before (except after we couldn't get a Minnie Van one time on the way to a fireworks cruise from AKL) but I will be the first to admit that getting to Disney Springs in under 10 minutes at 9:15 in the morning was well worth the $15 price of the cab.

It dropped us off at the East side of Disney Springs by the old bus stops.

Since the taxi is outside the bubble, we had to go through a security check which was new for us at Disney Springs. It went super easy though just like in the parks.

It was interesting to us thsat it was more thorough thasn you get when you arrive on a Disney bus.

It was a super chilly morning and we were right on time for our reservation so we headed straight to the restaurant. On the way we saw a huge line of crazy people waiting for Gideons cookies.


We were third in line to check in for brunch and were seated right away, which was great because it was freezing outside.

The food was great, and was exactly what we expected. We had a lot of it, including three orders of mini donuts since they brought the wrong ones the first time. The Maple Bacon Pecan ones were the best donuits I have ever had, and I have had a bunch of donuts in 42 years.


He really has eaten a lot of donuts, take his word for it. The maple bacon donuts were really something else though. Incredible.

The entrees were great too, and I loved the pimento cheese on the chicken. We ate a bunch and left totally stuffed.



I can absolutely see why this reservation is so sought after and hard to get.

After we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant we had a promise to Marshall we had to keep.


Jon and Brandy went and did some shopping on their own.

Our destination was the Lego store. I was shocked that even at 11AM there was a line just to get in the door. We had no way out of it though, Marshall was determined to make it in the store.


The boys looked around and shopped. Paul wanted the Raptor pickup and Marshall took his time deciding on a crane truck.


I had tried to get a reservation to build mini figures like we did last year, but they were all filled up for our entire trip online. I was excited to hear that they alsot take walk up reservations, so we signed up for a call back in about 2-3 hours. This was fine though because we could go shop elsewhere at Disney Springs and come right in when our spots were ready.

The boys settled on getting the crane truck and a set with the Ford GT and Bronco while we were here and then I ordered the Raptor and two sets of the Mickey Mouse dots art to be delivered after we got home.


It was really convenient not to have to haul all of the legos with us, and it we would still have souveniers waiting for us at home.


Marshall also picked out a cool little pull back and go motorcycle, and that was something he could play with right away.

After we checked out at the Lego store we headed over to the Art store.

The kids found a Pooh print they both really liked but we were still looking for something different.


We did pick up two more matted castle prints though.


I made it a three castle stop by getting the 50th anniversary edited version of the Greg McCullogh castle from last year.


I’m not sure where we’re going to put that one yet, it’s the last one of the trip to get a home.

I just wanted something special from the 50th, and I love that painting anyway.

There was a sketch artist working while we were there and Marshall was just facinated by it. I think he was more intrigued by how the camera was showing what she was drawing but he stood and watched for a long time.

It must have really interested him because he doesn't stand still for much.

After that we went ot the Christmas store which was as full as we have ever seen it.

The place was a zoo with lines at all of the registers. We’ve never seen it anywhere close to this busy.


For some reason I had it in my head that Disney Springs was more crowded at night and poretty dead in the mornings, but this sure was not the case now.

We had looked for a 50th ornament but they didn't have any, so we picked a different one and had it personalized for my birthday trip.


We picked out our ornament to commemerate our trip and then waited about 20 minutes in line to have it personalized and shipped home.

Once we made it out of there we shopped our way towards World of Disney, starting with the spice store.

I picked up some spices and some teas to bring home for friends and family. It was pretty funny, I got some catnip for my aunt’s cat, he’s a fancy cat, and this is some fancy organic cat nip. Well I mentioned that it was actually for a cat and the guy who rang me up informed me that people can use cat nip too. Apparently it has seditave properties. Who knew? I didn’t try it though. The cat loves it by the way.

It was only appropriate to bring the cat something fancy, and he probably wouldn't be willing to share with you.

Next on the loop was the toy store. This store just gets more and more disappointing, is it just me?


It really used to be cool, and now being smaller it just doesn't seem to have anything unique. It doesn't even have all of the toys that you can get elsewhere. Oh well

Marshall found a shield and a sword though, but we somehow convinced him he already had blown his budget for the day.


We then moved on to a jam packed World of Disney.



There was no kind of crowd control or capacity limitation, not that I’m complaining but wow there were a lot of people. It made it really hard to shop at all.

Just as we got to the back of the store, we got the text from the Lego store that our appointment window was open, so we turned around and headed back out.

Both kids had a ton of fun designing, redesigning, and designing again their minifigures until they were exactly what they wanted them to be.



Basically they get to use computer to make custom printing for the bodies of the lego figures, so it looks like they are wearing custom shirts. They also get a brick with their name on it, which is cool.


The dogs ate Marshall's from last year so he needed another one. It was a fun activity and I'm glad that they were able to do it.

Check out the rest of our day in our next update...

 

[rdkeim]

Looks like a wonderful brunch. We've eaten at Homecomin a couple times but I believe both were lunch. Good food and good service! Nice you were able to snag a reservation. A fun shopping day - my grandson would love the Lego experience. Especially designing his own figure. A nice souvenir. We visited DS on a Sat. in March 2021. It was really jam packed! So crowded that it felt uncomfortable so we took care of business and got out. Didn't seem like there was any limit to capacity. Anxious to hear how the rest of your day went - hope it warmed up!

 

[suse66]

It was a worthy mission and I was successful. I also got a mug refill and got some pictures of the Yacht Club lobby.

I love the picture of the solarium at the Beach Club all lit up. I am not the biggest fan of the new lobby look at the Yacht Club, especially those carpets.

We didn’t have to be up super early but we did have a much anticipated brunch reservation at… wait for it… drumroll please.....

Homecomin’!

Yum!!

The food was great, and was exactly what we expected. We had a lot of it, including three orders of mini donuts since they brought the wrong ones the first time. The Maple Bacon Pecan ones were the best donuits I hav ever had, and I have had a bunch of donuts in 42 years.

Brunch there is so, so good!

Our destination was the Lego store. I was shocked that even at 11AM there was a line just to get in the door. We had no way out of it though, Marshall was determined to make it in the store.

Such a fun place to shop. Who doesn't love Lego?

I’m not sure where we’re going to put that one yet, it’s the last one of the trip to get a home.

I just wanted something special from the 50th, and I love that painting anyway.

You guys have quite the Disney art collection!

Both kids had a ton of fun desgning, redesigning, and designing again their minifigures until they were exactly what they wanted them to be.

Those are adorable!

 

[Wood Nymph]

The Maple Bacon Pecan ones were the best donuts I have ever had, and I have had a bunch of donuts in 42 years.

That donut looks absolutely delicious. I would be tempted to go to Homecoming just for that donut.

I made it a three castle stop by getting the 50th anniversary edited version of the Greg McCullogh castle from last year.

That is a beautiful painting. He is a very prolific artist.

For some reason I had it in my head that Disney Springs was more crowded at night and pretty dead in the mornings, but this sure was not the case now.

I guess things really changed during the pandemic because it used to be pretty dead in the mornings and early afternoon.

Basically they get to use computer to make custom printing for the bodies of the lego figures, so it looks like they are wearing custom shirts. They also get a brick with their name on it, which is cool.

Those are really cute and I can see why the kids love the store. The reservation system worked out well in the end.

 

[KEK1]

I love the 3rd castle painting-wow. Can you show the Larry Dotson one? Really like his work- got the train station on my wall.

 

[AliceNDinah]

Curious: do you know much about making a LEGO reservation? I'd love to do that with my son in August....do you call the store directly to set it up or something? Obviously I have no clue, lol. Looks like fun though!

 

[snikki]

Oh boy. I’m planning 1-2 mornings at Disney Springs since I heard crowds are much lower than at night. I haven’t been there in about 14 years but the 16 year old DD wants to go see the place (she means shop!) It looked very crowded in your pics! But a very productive day. I’ve always been intrigued by the Disney art work and may have to get a print next trip.

 

[Stasieki]

Happy to catch up. Love your family TR's! I was at Disney when you started it and am still in my Disney Blues stage. Love the updates. I do recall when we were getting ready for our trip (for cheer), reading about how cold it was at Disney. I think a few days were colder than where we were in Tennessee.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Looks like a wonderful brunch. We've eaten at Homecomin a couple times but I believe both were lunch. Good food and good service! Nice you were able to snag a reservation. A fun shopping day - my grandson would love the Lego experience. Especially designing his own figure. A nice souvenir. We visited DS on a Sat. in March 2021. It was really jam packed! So crowded that it felt uncomfortable so we took care of business and got out. Didn't seem like there was any limit to capacity. Anxious to hear how the rest of your day went - hope it warmed up!

We loved Homecomin for dinner, but this was even better. It is a great restaurant. I think the down side of it though is that it only happens on the weekend, which is also when Disney Springs is crowded during the day. We would totally go for the brunch anyway, but would plan our shopping for midweek. We had a great rest of the day, and will post it shortly.

I love the picture of the solarium at the Beach Club all lit up. I am not the biggest fan of the new lobby look at the Yacht Club, especially those carpets.

The carpet is a little dark, but both resorts are still pretty.

Brunch there is so, so good!

Yes it really lives up to the hype.

Such a fun place to shop. Who doesn't love Lego?

Exactly, Lego is such a wonderful universal toy.

You guys have quite the Disney art collection!

Yes, it has grown over the years, and now our house is thoroughly Disney. It is fun though, and we all love it.

Those are adorable!

They are a great idea, and apparently have become quite popular.

That donut looks absolutely delicious. I would be tempted to go to Homecoming just for that donut.

I would be tempted to go to Florida for that donut! Really though, they were great.

That is a beautiful painting. He is a very prolific artist.

He has some neat prints out there, and the castle has gotten really popular for the 50th. He's also a really nice guy, like so many of the Disney artists.

I guess things really changed during the pandemic because it used to be pretty dead in the mornings and early afternoon.

I am not sure how much of it was the pandemic and how much was the fact it gets busy on weekends. I'm sure it would have been quieter midweek, but then we wouldn't have had the brunch. Oh well.

Those are really cute and I can see why the kids love the store. The reservation system worked out well in the end.

It did all work out, and we were fortunate that they save some of the slots for walk up (in store) reservations. We tried to book it online a few days earlier and they were booked way far out.

I love the 3rd castle painting-wow. Can you show the Larry Dotson one? Really like his work- got the train station on my wall.

The Greg McCullogh castle is really nice, and has a ton of hidden items in it. The Beach Club Dotson is neat, and here it is:


We love Larry Dotson's resort paintings, and have a wall in the house dedicated to his paintings.



(There's a later acquisition from the trip up there in that picture, but we'll get to it later in the report.)

We also have his castle fireworks print there, and he autographed it for us in 2016, and was our first piece of autographed Disney art.

Curious: do you know much about making a LEGO reservation? I'd love to do that with my son in August....do you call the store directly to set it up or something? Obviously I have no clue, lol. Looks like fun though!

We now know more about the reservations than we did before. You can book them online here, but they also keep some spots in reserve for signing up in store, which is what we did this time. The online site was booked out several weeks, but by signing upon store we got in within a couple of hours, and we were able to go shop elsewhere while we waited. It is a neat thing.

Oh boy. I’m planning 1-2 mornings at Disney Springs since I heard crowds are much lower than at night. I haven’t been there in about 14 years but the 16 year old DD wants to go see the place (she means shop!) It looked very crowded in your pics! But a very productive day. I’ve always been intrigued by the Disney art work and may have to get a print next trip.

We would recommend doing Disney Springs midweek, but some of the stuff is on the weekends only. It is still fun no matter when. There are so many different Disney prints you can find something you love. It is a slippery slope though...

Happy to catch up. Love your family TR's! I was at Disney when you started it and am still in my Disney Blues stage. Love the updates. I do recall when we were getting ready for our trip (for cheer), reading about how cold it was at Disney. I think a few days were colder than where we were in Tennessee.

Ahh, well welcome back home, I hope you had a great time. I know returning to reality is tough, but hanging out on the DIS helps keep a bit of WDW in daily life. It is so strange to have cold weather in Florida, but it is nice and different from the usual hot an humid weather.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

After we were done at the Lego store we met back up with Jon and Brandy over at Luxury of Time. Brandy really enjoys watch shopping.

We popped in to say hello despite feeling a little out of place. After saying hi, I walked over to the Citizen Disney watch display and saw a very cool Mickey Watch.


A very nice sales lady offered to show it to me, and I loved it. It has Mickey wearing a racing helmet on it. How perfect! It became my first purchase from there, which was really fun.


That watch is just about perfect for you. The sales lady was so cute, it was only her second day there and she did such a good and through job.

You’re right though I always kinda feel like a country bumpkin in that store and I’m not sure why.

Probably because many items in there cost more than our cars. Fortunatley my watch wasn't one of them.

So we left the boys there and headed for the buses. We got to the bus stop at 3:12, and the couple ahead of us left so we were first in line. A line formed and Jon and Brandy showed up too.

A bus came at 3:28, and loaded up pretty full.


Then we got to Yacht club at 3:39 and Beach Club at 3:41. We went to the room and they went to the bar.


Allie had homework to do and I had some work to get done. It was really nice to just chill in the room for a while.


Jon texted showing us they had Tater Tots at Martha's Vinyard, and he offered to bring us some back to the room.


They were great.

It’s really hard to turn down loaded tater tots.

Eventually Melissa got bored so we headed out of the room to do some exploring.


It was time for an adventure. We started heading over to Boardwalk and checked out the gift shop there.


The kids wanted to share a bubble wand, but Melissa held the line with a firm no.

They were really workin it hard but I did not want a repeat of the bubbles in the face from last year.

They would let the bubbles fill in the canopy of the stroller then push the canopy back and launch the giant bubble blob. It was a pain to dodge all day long. So no, they didn’t get a bubble wand this year but I did buy them lego candy things from the bulk candy bin.

Then we walked through the Wyland gallery.


We saw some cool Tim Rogerson originals and a Yacht Club paintng, but knew if we had to as we couldn't afford them.

I like the Wyland gallery it’s a nice hidden gem and I enjoy sharing the art with the kids.

Outside on the boardwalk there were some juggler perfomers.



They were makin me nervous standing on a giant ball while juggling and hula hooping. It was madness.

It did draw quite a crowd, and was exactly the exciting boardwalk attraction you hear about.

We continued on towards Epcot, and texted the guys about 7:00.


We walked in to the park and checked out some festival of the arts booths.

Ok I’m hoping here it’s not just us but it is dark in World Showcase at night now. I mean I know we’re getting older but I’m pretty sure they’re shutting off extra lights.

They seem to leave it as dark as it was when dimmed the lights for a show.

It made me nervous trying to keep track of Marshall without the stroller. Allie can fend for herself but it was just hard to see the kids in the dark. So if you’re going with kiddos make them wear neon reflective gear at night.

Maybe we are just getting old and don't see well at night...

Speak for yourself birthday boy.

We met up with Jon and Brandy, who also were in the dark, and headed towards UK. Jon had the great idea of Fish and Chips for dinner.


Melissa got coffee and it came in a Disneyland cup.


There wasn’t a whole lot of light there either but the food was great as usual.

I really could go for some good fish and chips right now.

That is the problem with sitting at home and writing this, we really miss some of the food at WDW.

I could see the tacos I ate tonight though.

Anyway, after dinner we were cold so we hopped over to the shop in the UK pavillion to warm up a bit.

While there, Marshall decided he needed a Corgi. This was what he wanted to spend his gift gard money from Grandma and Grandpa on, so we couldn't say no.


He later named the corgi Toot, which was so funny. He’d make the dog fart and then roll over in a fit of giggles. Oh to be 6.

We do have two real Corgis at home, so perhaps he missed them, or their odor...

We then walked around a bit more, and checked out the upstairs area at Canada, which was still empty.


On one of the doors it says that the shop is closed or something like that, does anyone here know what used to be up there? Allie and I just discovered this area on our May trip and everything was closed then too. I’m just curious if its a recent closure or what used to be there.

It is a really pretty spot.

It’s crazy we have been so many times and still find new places even in the parks that we’ve never been before.

It was getting really close to fireworks time and I wanted to get out before the show. I’m pretty sure they were gonna make it even darker.

We got to the gate just as the fireworks started, and continued on towards our room.


We couldn't really see them from anywhere along the way, including our room's balcony.

Even though it was late we had one more reservation for the day.

An insanely late ADR for Beaches and Cream.

A bucket list item for us was to visit there during our stay, and this was the only time we could get during our entire trip. That's ok though.

Our ADR time was 9:40, and when we got there nobody was sitting outside.


Inside it was a different story though as the place was full. Once a big enough table opened up they called us inside.

It’s never too late for icecream though and we were all looking forward to it.

We all only ordered icecream. Allie and I split the Mickey sink again, subbing the pineapple for Marshmallow sauce. It was so yummy.


I got the fudge brownie sundae and loved it.


The Oreos were not soggy, and the brownie was excellent.

Marshall just shared with everyone. He barely made it through without falling asleep but managed to walk himself back up to the room.



We got back to the room at 11PM and started packing up after putting the kids to bed.

I was surprised at how much stuff we had acquired up to that point, but was glad that bell services would move our stuff between resorts.

Oy the split stay. We didn’t do too bad though, it’s just a lot of work to move 6 people in the middle of a 10 day trip.

That was all something for the next day though, as we had plans coming up for Hollywood Studios. Check it out as we try another new restaurant and discover the best stroller locator.

 

[Wood Nymph]

It was really nice to just chill in the room for a while.

Some of our favorite family memories are the time spent in a 2br villa.

Jon texted showing us they had Tater Tots at Martha's Vinyard, and he offered to bring us some back to the room.

We had these once and they were good, and very filling for two people. There are a lot of hidden gems in the Epcot resort area.

Eventually Melissa got bored so we headed out of the room to do some exploring.

I think that this is the reason we keep returning to the YC/BC - plenty of things to do within walking distance.

We started heading over to Boardwalk and checked out the gift shop there.

This is our second favorite gift shop. The Mercantile at WL is number one, of course.

They were really workin it hard but I did not want a repeat of the bubbles in the face from last year.

The bubbles are cute but they can be really annoying to walk through.

Outside on the boardwalk there were some juggler perfomers.

It's nice to see the return of the night time entertainment.

Ok I’m hoping here it’s not just us but it is dark in World Showcase at night now. I mean I know we’re getting older but I’m pretty sure they’re shutting off extra lights.

it is definitely darker than it used to be. Maybe it is an attempt to tone down the rowdy behavior.

We couldn't really see them from anywhere along the way, including our room's balcony.

One of my favorite things about staying at the Beach Club was watching Illuminations from the balcony of the resort room. It doesn't look like the fireworks from Harmonious would be as easy to see from the resort as Illuminations was.

Oy the split stay. We didn’t do too bad though, it’s just a lot of work to move 6 people in the middle of a 10 day trip.

We've done a few split stays and packing up and unpacking again were the worst parts of it.

 

[AliceNDinah]

Awwww, just love your adventures! They Wyland Gallery is so cool, and that's funny about the Disneyland Cup!
Also, Allie and Marshall are just adorable, they look like they get on so well together. Fun times, can't wait to read about Hollywood Studios!! Keep the good times coming

 

[suse66]

hat watch is just about perfect for you. The sales lady was so cute, it was only her second day there and she did such a good and through job.

You’re right though I always kinda feel like a country bumpkin in that store and I’m not sure why.

Probably because many items in there cost more than our cars. Fortunatley my watch wasn't one of them.

Some of those watches are so expensive! Love the one you picked out!

It was time for an adventure. We started heading over to Boardwalk and checked out the gift shop there.

It's always fun to explore along the Boardwalk.

Outside on the boardwalk there were some juggler perfomers.

So glad that entertainment is returning!

Ok I’m hoping here it’s not just us but it is dark in World Showcase at night now. I mean I know we’re getting older but I’m pretty sure they’re shutting off extra lights.

They seem to leave it as dark as it was when dimmed the lights for a show.

Weird.....

While there, Marshall decided he needed a Corgi. This was what he wanted to spend his gift gard money from Grandma and Grandpa on, so we couldn't say no.

Those are cute!

Inside it was a different story though as the place was full. Once a big enough table opened up they called us inside.

It’s never too late for icecream though and we were all looking forward to it.

We all only ordered icecream. Allie and I split the Mickey sink again, subbing the pineapple for Marshmallow sauce. It was so yummy.

Love Beaches and Cream!

Oy the split stay. We didn’t do too bad though, it’s just a lot of work to move 6 people in the middle of a 10 day trip.

It is a lot of work for sure. I do love split stays all the same.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Some of our favorite family memories are the time spent in a 2br villa.

We can definitely relate to that. They are wonderful.

We had these once and they were good, and very filling for two people. There are a lot of hidden gems in the Epcot resort area.

We were super happy with the food options.

I think that this is the reason we keep returning to the YC/BC - plenty of things to do within walking distance.

It is a great area, and walking to Epcot is great too.

This is our second favorite gift shop. The Mercantile at WL is number one, of course.

We agree about WL, the Mercantile is the best of all. We have grown to love the Beach Club marketplace too, and often visit it when we don't stay there.

The bubbles are cute but they can be really annoying to walk through.

Yes, and even more annoying to watch the kids fight over.

It's nice to see the return of the night time entertainment.

Yes, back to the Disney we knew and loved.

it is definitely darker than it used to be. Maybe it is an attempt to tone down the rowdy behavior.

You might be on to something there.

One of my favorite things about staying at the Beach Club was watching Illuminations from the balcony of the resort room. It doesn't look like the fireworks from Harmonious would be as easy to see from the resort as Illuminations was.

I think it depends on the room location, and some might still see something nice with Harmonious, but ours just didn't.

We've done a few split stays and packing up and unpacking again were the worst parts of it.

It is a necessary evil to get to stay in a couple different awesome locations.

Awwww, just love your adventures! They Wyland Gallery is so cool, and that's funny about the Disneyland Cup!
Also, Allie and Marshall are just adorable, they look like they get on so well together. Fun times, can't wait to read about Hollywood Studios!! Keep the good times coming

Well, Allie and Marshall have you fooled, because they can fight like cats and dogs... We don't take pictures of the fighting over so many silly little things, but they are typical siblings and really do love each other.
We enjoyed the boardwalk area, and aging able to walk around and see different things so close to the resort was great.

Some of those watches are so expensive! Love the one you picked out!

Thanks, I love it too. I always look at the different watches at Disney gift shops, and had never seen that one anywhere before.

It's always fun to explore along the Boardwalk.
So glad that entertainment is returning!

Yes, it is a really great thing about the Epcot area resorts.

Love Beaches and Cream!

We are so glad that we finally got to eat here. We would love to try the actual food sometime too, but would also be happy to return anytime for ice cream.

It is a lot of work for sure. I do love split stays all the same.

So do we for the benefits of getting to experience two different and yet wonderful resort locations. It really worked great for us this trip.

 

[keh422]

Coming out of lurkdom to say hi. I love the way you two write your reports. It actually reminds me of how my husband and I wrote our engagement story (back in 2001).

We took an adults-only trip back in November and ate at Beaches and Cream for the first time. I fell in love. I really hope we’ll be able to take our kids this summer.

Your pictures of the Epcot resort area make me want to stay there even more. We are also DVC members, and our home resort is BLT. Ever since we took a fireworks cruise a few years ago, I have wanted to stay back there. Someday!

 

[tara595]

Such a fun report! Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[ambula603]

Love reading along! We leave in one month (yay!) and I wish I had a Homecomin' brunch or a Beaches and Cream night booked - but we are only there for 4 days before our 3-day cruise, so I had to prioritize. But now I am regretting my choices! Too bad things are already booked up, my mouth sure is watering reading this!!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Coming out of lurkdom to say hi. I love the way you two write your reports. It actually reminds me of how my husband and I wrote our engagement story (back in 2001).

We took an adults-only trip back in November and ate at Beaches and Cream for the first time. I fell in love. I really hope we’ll be able to take our kids this summer.

Your pictures of the Epcot resort area make me want to stay there even more. We are also DVC members, and our home resort is BLT. Ever since we took a fireworks cruise a few years ago, I have wanted to stay back there. Someday!

Welcome, and thanks for joining in. We are glad that you enjoy our unique approach. We always enjoy visiting the Epcot resort area, and finally getting to stay there was really neat.
We really enjoyed Beaches and Cream, and would like to go back for a meal, if we can get in at a reasonable time.

Such a fun report! Can't wait to read the rest!

Thanks! We are glad that you are enjoying it, and we have more great stuff to come.

Love reading along! We leave in one month (yay!) and I wish I had a Homecomin' brunch or a Beaches and Cream night booked - but we are only there for 4 days before our 3-day cruise, so I had to prioritize. But now I am regretting my choices! Too bad things are already booked up, my mouth sure is watering reading this!!

Aww, whatever you wind up doing will be great, since you'll be at Disney World, while we'll be sitting hereat home... For ice cream there is the new place on the Boardwalk, which we didn't get to try but it seems much easier to get into. Either way, you'll have 7 days of Disney Fun. Enjoy it!
Thanks for joining in, and we hope our report helps pass the time before your trip.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I began our resort transfer day by waking up at 6, but I stayed in bed typing up trip notes until about 6:35, then I got up and headed out.


I went out before 7 and got some sunrise pictures along the lake.





It was a chilly morning, and there was frost on the grass and roofs.


I walked over the bridge by Epcot towards Boardwalk and was over there to see the Friendship boats heading out for their first run of the morning.


I made it back to the room by 8:00 and woke everyone up so that we could finish packing and have Bell Services come get our bags.


We shoved everything back into suitcases and sent it off to Wilderness Lodge.

We called Bell Services at 9:15 and they came quicklyand picked up 13 bags.

After the Bell guy left we realized we totally forgot the birthday balloons.

We tied them on the stroller and headed out for Hollywoood Studios, walking down the long hallway for the last time of the trip.



We figured they’d make it easy to find the stroller for the day.

We were headed over to Hollywood Studios so we decided to take the boat. The kids talked to a seagull on the dock.


As we got there the boat was at Boardwalk so we had good timing. It came and picked us up, then we got to Swan and Dolphin at 9:57, then Hollywood Studios at 10:05.

The boat was pretty full but we all got a seat.


At Hollywood Studios Marshall's finger wouldn't scan again, so we added Melissa's to his card.


It was an ongoing issue but we finally got it figured out.

The park was pretty busy when we got inside so we decided to just start by shopping a bit.

Jon and Brandy hopped in line at Starbucks while we cruised the shops.

We were looking for the castle Dooney for Melissa, hoping that it showed up at the shop where we got her wallet last year.

It wasn’t meant to be though.

We parked the stroller outside Runaway Railway, and with the balloons on it we could see where it was at from a long ways away.


The entire day we could just glance and make sure the stroller was still there. It was pretty funny.

Lines for everything were pretty long so we decided to start at the Beauty and the Beast Stage Show. We were able to enjoy our Starbucks during the show.


With all the park lines over an hour, it was perfect timing to walk in to the show. Melissa was able to take care of some work stuff on her phone during the show, so we were ready to continue the day after the show.

After that, we walked over to Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy at 11:36. The show was cute as always and Marshall really enjoyed it.



It was one of the things he really wanted to do this trip and I’m glad we made it happen.

After we learned how to be racecars we figured we’d head over to Indiana Jones but by the time we got there the auditorium was FULL!


The cast members said that in order to get in to the next show we'd need to arrive at least a half hour early. We filed that info and continued on looking for a lack of crowds. We decided to do Muppet Vision, which was fun.

That auditorium wasn’t full

Marshall had never seen that show and Allie didn’t remember it so it was almost like doing something new.

It was great and it had been a while since we did it. The timing worked well too, since we were able to see the show and then head over to lunch, arriving 15 minutes early for our ADR.


We were trying a brand new restaurant! I’ve wanted to try Brown Derby for a long time and we were finally getting to dine there.


I was excited about it, but slightly more reserved since I tend to prefer a less expensive meal, but it was time to give it a shot. By checking in 15 minutes early we were able to be seated just before our 1:00 ADR time.

The restaurant is very cool, super 1930’s Spanish Revival California architecture.

We got a nice seat in the corner of the main room, and our server was great.


We ordered scallops for an appetizer and Melissa went with the Fillet for an entree and I tried the burger, and Allie went with the Risotto.


Marshall got a very fancy Hot Dog.


Everything was excellent.




Even the little sourdough bread loaves were delicious. I’m not sure the scallops were worth the money as an app but they were super yummy. I really enjoyed the filet as well. It was a solid lunch choice.

Brandy particularly loved the bread, and asked for more of the little "alien babies" which we named them. My burger was great, one of the better ones of the trip. I tired the fillet too, and found it to be very flavorful and tender. I didn't love the hash that it came with, but Melissa enjoyed it. Both were great dishes.


For dessert, we got a creme brulee and a Grapefruit cake. I don't like grapefruit, and tasting the cake confirmed that, but everyone else thought it was ok.

None of us loved it and we probably won’t order it again but it’s one of those things we just had to try.


Overall it was a great meal, and not too crazy expensive for a Disney Signature meal. We will definitely be back.

Read more about the rest of our day in the next update.

 

[KEK1]

Oh my goodness you have outdone yourself with those sunrise BW pics! They really are special.