Trip Report from January, 2012: Boardwalk Resort, continued...

Monday 1/9
Up early as usual, because of course, there's no sleeping in on vacation, and off to Epcot for rope drop. They didn't let us International Gateway folks in until a bit after 9:00am. Nick and I went right to Soarin, and then had breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. (If you're reading this, get the croissant wild berry bread pudding.)
We headed over to Test Track, which was up to a 40 minute wait, so we got FastPasses and went into Mouse Gear. Nick was looking at the Vinylmation section, where we met another couple, and Nick and them talked about their vinyl collections. Star Wars vinyls were in, so Nick bought one. An impromptu vinyl session broke out, as they opened two that he wanted, so he picked out two and traded. Amazingly, the two Nick picked were ones they wanted. Then another couple joined in, and he wound up doing some trading with them! Awesome morning.

The last couple he traded with even gave us their FPs for Test Track, as they were heading out, so we rode with their passes as it was for an earlier time, and gave ours to another couple.

We headed back to the room to drop off all the Vinyl. I wasn't feeling so well, so decided to rest. Nick waited in the lobby for John and Kandi, and after they arrived, they headed over to Epcot, to meet up with some of the Peacocks (the marathon running team). Robyn, Scott, Clarissa and Matthew met them in front of Germany, and they ran into Beth, Noel, Carlos, and Eileen. They all walked around World Showcase, having drinks randomly as we went along.

They picked me up, to go to dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. It was a good buffet, with The Prince, Cinderella, her stepmother and stepsisters.

We then went over to Bay Lake Towers for Scott's birthday party. This was an amazing party, with fun and interesting people, and we can't stress enough how generous and lovely Scott and Robyn are. This was a raucous party, and it was Disney Magic that security never came to break it up. Nick was a bit inebriated!

A great day!

Trip Report from January, 2012: Boardwalk Resort, continued...

Sunday, 1/8
We got up and had an early morning swim. It was cool out, and it was actually warmer in the heated pool. We also spent some time in the hot tub, and jumped back into the pool. Back and forth. We got ready and called our friend John, as Sunday was the day of the Walt Disney World Marathon, and his wife and our friend, Kandi was running. He was going to different locations along the route to see and assist her in any way needed. He came and picked us up, and we were able to catch her at a couple of spots. We then picked her up at the end, triumphant, having run both the Half Marathon on Saturday, and now, the full. That's called the Goofy Challenge.

We then went back to their room at the Animal Kingdom, Kidani Village, and we explored the Resort while Kandi showered and got ready to head to Celebration, a town just south of Disney World that the Disney Company built, and, until a few years ago, owned, to have lunch. We happened upon a farmers market in the town center, and we wound up just getting sandwiches at a cart. Look at the stuff that happens there. Cats on bikes. Horses pulling carts for fun!

We came back to the Boardwalk, changed, and headed out to Downtown Disney. We had 6:30 reservations at The Turf Club, at Saratoga Springs Resort. We got a boat over, and checked in.

About 20 minutes later we were seated. John and Nick had the steak, which was okay, but not great. I had a pork chop which was really good. Kandi had a couple of appetizers. Afterwards we headed back over to the Downtown Disney area. We stopped at Raglan Road to meet the Peacock running team, and many members of the DVC News Forums. After spending a little time chatting, the four of us headed off to the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours. We rode Big Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion, then walked around a bit, winding up at The Main Street Bakery for dessert. Fresh Cinnamon rolls.

We closed the park, and called it a night. Can you believe we closed the park?

Trip Report from January, 2012: Boardwalk Resort

Saturday, 1/7
As told by Barbie and Nick, photos by Barbie.
We flew out of Philadelphia , and arrived in Orlando and we immediately took Magical Express, which took us right to Boardwalk Villas. A room was ready! It is a standard view studio, looking towards the main entrance of the Boardwalk Resort.

We unpacked, and headed over to Disney's Hollywood Studios, where we had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Mama Melrose's. We were a little early, so went to Muppetvision, and afterwards the Muppet shop. Lunch was at 2:30pm, and we were seated soon after we checked in. Nick had the Chicken Parmesan and I had the Chicken Campanella. Both were good, but my dish was outstanding.

We then headed over to Star Tours, where the wait was 30 minutes. We got FastPasses, and headed down Sunset Blvd. to check the wait time on Tower of Terror. It was 50 minutes, so we decided to just check out shops until our Fast Pass time for Star Tours came up. As we walked, a Streetmosphere show was just starting. It was either the Most Interesting Citizen of Hollywood, or Funniest Citizen Contest, either way, it was great. The "host" would ask a random guest what they did for a living, and a tool they used for their job, and the "citizens" would then have to tell a joke based on that item. Nick was one of the random people asked, and he said "screwdriver," for instance. Each round of jokes, a citizen would be eliminated based on the audience reaction to their jokes.

If you ever get a chance to see one of these shows, stop, and take the time to do so, it is one of the best things at this park. By then, it was time to ride Star Tours. The standby line was only 10 minutes, so we got in that, then rode again using our FastPasses. Afterwards, we headed back to the resort, and discovered that they roast marshmallows by the pool every evening. Free food! On a stick! Nick's dream come true. He immediately sat and ate a few, then headed back to the room for the rest of the evening.

Professor Ludwig Von Drake

What better way to learn your ABC's, 123's or your colors than with the Professor Ludwig Von Drake Chalkboard?

Sculptures in The Hub

The After Christmas Mess

Here it is after Christmas. The mess that needs to get lovingly packed back into original boxes, jig-saw puzzled safely into multiple large tubs and stored in the basement and attic. As much of a chore as it is, we both enjoy looking over the ornaments again and talking about where we found them. (There are still more on the tree, it's a multi-day affair.)

Trip Report from November, the end

Wednesday, Nov. 16:
We made rope drop at Disney Hollywood Studios and went right on Toy Story Midway Mania. Josh and Nick headed over to Rockin Roller Coaster, while Jill and I went pin trading (i.e. vinylmation trading for Nick!). Nick and Josh then rode Tower of Terror, and we met them in the giftshop afterwards, and had cupcakes for breakfast at Starring Rolls. Featuring Peanut Butter and Red Velvet for our breakfast.

We rode Star Tours next. Jill opted out. By now, it was around 11:00am, so Nick and I had to head back to the cabin to finish packing. Josh and Jill stayed two more nights. We got off the bus at the Wilderness Lodge and I grabbed a burger at Roaring Forks. We had a 1:20pm Magical Express pick up, which meant that Disney's hired bus service took us to the airport, gratis. It is a terrific service. One less thing to worry about on the trip back home, which is usually a little sad and quiet, unless we are actively planning for the next trip!

Trip Report from November, continued...

Tuesday, Nov. 15:
What can I say about today except it wasn't Disney related at all. Well, nobody's perfect. We each drank a gallon of Butter Beer and we were nowhere near Disney World.