4 Night Trip to BWV for Labor Day

[Buzzandthemermaid]

Hi all,

I don't post very much but enjoy reading when I can. We returned three weeks ago from a trip to BWV. My wife and I joined DVC (AKV-Kidani Home Resort) shortly after DD was born. This was our 2nd DVC and DD trip, 5th for me and DW. DD is 18 months old. She is very cheerful, social, mobile, and doesn't like to sit still for any period of time. She is also a good sleeper and eater. We planned this trip about 1.5 months in advance and were able to land a BWV studio Garden/Pool View. We stayed at BLT in December and loved the convenience of walking to a park, so thought trying out an Epcot resort would be great.

Friday, August 30
DD did well on the flight. We arrived on Magical Express in the early afternoon and had no problems. I had requested a pool view, high floor and we got it. We had a great view of the Clown slide. You could also see the canal that goes to HS, the Tower of Terror, and lights from Fantasmic. We were very pleased with all aspects of the room. DD had a bit of a hard time sleeping in the provided Pack 'n Play this trip. I think she is getting a little big for it and the stimulation of Disney World probably didn't help either. We might request a crib next time if she is not able to use the sleeper sofa by then.

We decided to walk over to EPCOT. We didn't do Spaceship Earth on the last trip and I wanted to see what DD thought of it. The three of us got in the ride car and I selected English. Right before the countdown ended, DD started messing with the screen and selected another language right when it was too late to change it back. So we heard the whole ride in Chinese, which none of us speak. It was very fun and made for a great memory. We then went on The Seas with Nemo, which DD loved last trip and this trip. We then went to Turtle Talk with Crush. We used the aquarium at the Living Seas quite a few times on this trip. DD loves staring at fish and running around in there. It was never busy so she had a great time. We then went on Living with the Land, another of DD's favorites from last time. We took a lap around the World Showcase trying to find a TS to eat at for dinner. We didn't make any advance ADRs for this trip, probably will make a few next time. A restaurant in Italy let us in. It was pretty good, I think we all shared something with red sauce and something with cream sauce. We had picked up fastpasses for Soarin' earlier in the day and traded off going on that individually. DD and I went to the Epcot Character Spot while DW was on Soarin'. It was getting late so she wasn't into it, no biggie, we left after Soarin'.

We all walked back to the studio and tried to turn in. It's great not to have to put up with a bus ride when you know the kid has had enough for the day. She actually had a hard time winding down when we went to the room so we put her back in the stroller and walked around for a while. For some reason, this worked like a charm the whole trip. The Boardwalk put her to sleep. We toured the Beach and Yacht Club, got some ice cream, and just enjoyed the resort area while DD slept away. Back in the room, she went right in her Pack 'n Play and all was well.

Next: Saturday August 31, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

Saturday August 31

We woke up and decided to go to Magic Kingdom. We had gotten a delivery from WeGoShop so used that for breakfast most of the trip. We had heard the horror stories of the buses from the Epcot resorts and wanted to use them as little as possible. We had pre-planned not to go to AK or DD on this trip since we knew we'd be back. We wanted to concentrate on the walkable parks and a little MK. So we decided to give the walk through Epcot to the monorail way a go. This was a mistake. All was fine until we got to the TTC. The lines for both monorails and the ferry were very busy. It's then I realized that you're in a bottleneck at the TTC if you get there at the wrong time. Everyone who drove or rode a bus from an off-site resort is there too, trying to get to where you're going. No big deal though, DD enjoyed the ferry ride once we got on it.

We entered MK, got fastpasses for Pooh and Mermaid (used hotel keys and PAPs), and went on the teacups. Then we went to Dumbo. The small play area in the middle of the big top was great for DD. We actually didn't ride Dumbo as our fastpass time was coming up and DD wanted to keep playing as long as possible. We used our fastpasses on Mermaid and Pooh. We ate lunch at Village Haus, then rode Small World (DD's favorite ride by far) and exited the park via Frontierland and Adventureland. DD was getting tired for her nap and cried some on the bus home, but we were the only ones on the bus. We had a great conversation with the bus driver who had a 2 year old of his own about letting the kids run around for a while before taking them on rides. It's a great strategy and the parks have places for them to do it, like Dumbo.

After DD's nap, it was time for dinner. We walked over to the Dolphin and ate at a restaurant near the front. I had the Buffalo Chicken Salad and it was quite good. The prices were reasonable for Disney (used AAA discount) and we had a nice meal. We then got on a Friendship Boat to go to Hollywood Studios. I surprisingly really liked the Friendship Boats on this trip. DD enjoyed the boat ride and although we had to take her out of the stroller, we didn't have to fold it up. They just told us to park it in the back and we could put the brake on and have a seat. We arrived and went to the Animation Courtyard to see if any characters were around. Unfortunately, they had just closed for the evening. We went in a gift shop near there. DW had started a search earlier in the day for a Baby Minnie, the one wrapped in a blanket. We went to several shops and found Mickey and everyone else, but no Minnies. We chatted with the CMs for a while as DD walked around. At one point she bolted out of the store with a doll in her hand, little thief. She got about 5 steps out before daddy caught her. We bought her a small toy from there and went to the Toy Story area. Toy Story Mania said a 45 minute wait I believe. We knew it had an interesting line and decided to go for it. It went well, she enjoyed the ride. She sat in-between us and I held onto her mostly instead of playing the game. She even kept the glasses on some. As we exited the park was closing and it started pouring rain. We waited it out near a restroom and walked home to BWV. DD was asleep by the time we got to the room.

Next: Sunday, September 1 Studios, EPCOT, and Baby Minnie del Rio

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

Sunday September 1

We woke up and went down to the Boardwalk. DW and I love med food and wanted to eat at Cat Cora for dinner. So we made a same-day ADR there for later in the day. We took a Friendship Boat to HS so that DD could go on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. She loved that place. I think we spent at least an hour there. Small World is her favorite ride but that might be her favorite attraction. It was hot that day and it's not terribly cool there so that was the only letdown. DW let me go on Star Tours while DD was playing. Love the new version of that ride and the short lines it always has. I could ride that ride 5 times in a row since it always changes. We caught the Disney Junior show after that. DD watches Clubhouse and Jake so she had a good time. She went and ran around in the Animation Courtyard for a little bit. Then we went to ABC Comissary for lunch. I think we had salads, it was OK, HS quick service, what are ya gonna do?

We walked back to BWV for DD's nap. Then we went to the BW pool. There's a playground right beside the kiddie pool so she had a great time going back and forth. I got to go on the Clown Slide. That is a great water slide, you really pick up speed at the end. We went back to the room, got dressed, and went to Cat Cora. Really enjoyed it, I forget what we ordered.

We walked over to EPCOT and finally found Baby Minnie at the big gift shop at the entrance to World Showcase, in-between Canada and Mexico. I think DD sensed this was a big deal as she wanted to hold Baby Minnie the rest of the evening. A ride DD missed last time that I thought she would enjoy was the Mexico boat ride. So we went in the pyramid with Baby Minnie in tow. It was a walk-on but right when we got there the ride stopped so we had to wait right at the gate. It was at that time DD decided to throw Baby Minnie into the river. There she went. Floating away. Baby Minnie del Rio. We talked to the CM and he said we could check back at lost and found the next day. Well the ride starts and we had the whole boat looking for Baby Minnie del Rio. This was not a ride. It was a rescue mission. About halfway through the ride, we found her, floating face down. Fate smiled on us and she rolled up right by the boat. The first row grabbed her and returned her safe and sound, though wet and dirty. She's at home with us now all clean. I will never forget seeing that doll roll down the river. Precious memories. We went on Nemo again and DD played in the Seas Pavilion again. We wanted to ride Figment but he closes too early. DD fell asleep on the walk home and we turned in.

Next: Monday, September 2 Typhoon Lagoon and MK

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

Monday, September 2

We woke up and decided to go to Typhoon Lagoon. DW is not a fan of heat and we thought it would be a great way for DD to play without having to go on rides. DW and I enjoy snorkelling and wanted to try the Shark Reef. We took the bus there and it went well. We entered the park. We set our things down at Ketchakiddie Creek, the kiddie play area. That place is awesome, they have all kinds of safe stuff for little ones. It's nice and secluded as well. DD loved the hilly part with the water running under her feet and the sand. We did the big Lazy River. It's nice that they let any age on that, I just held her in my tube and avoided the waterfalls. We went over to the Shark Reef and switched off. I enjoyed it as I was in a small group and got to go over to an area by myself and see the sharks, rays, and fish. DW didn't get so lucky and got in a big group of splashers so couldn't really have a snorkelling moment. We went back to Ketchakiddie Creek for a while and watched DD play. She made some friends over there. Around lunch time we left. The first bus stop was the Dolphin so we got off there and ate at Fresh. They had a limited menu but it was good. Back to the room for DD nap.

We decided to go to Magic Kingdom for the evening. We took the bus, had to wait a little bit, much better than the monorail hike and transfer though. DD had her nice Minnie Dress on so we went straight to Pete's Silly Sideshow. She had a great time meeting Daisy and Minnie in December and did this time as well. We went to the Dumbo play area to let her run around. Didn't ride it, again. She then found the circus splash area and got a little wet there. We got fastpasses for Peter Pan and went to Columbia Harbor House for dinner. That place is really good, I had the shrimp sandwich, yum. DD had never been on the Haunted Mansion and I was debating whether to take her on it but it was right there and had a short line so here we go. She did great, the ride even stopped at the part where the haunts are banging on the doors and she was fine. As a reward for doing so well on HM, we went on Small World, her favorite. Then it was time to use our Peter Pan fastpasses. As Chandler Bing would say "Could that ride be more overrated?" I digress. We then went on the carousel, Buzz, and tomorrowland speedway. DD is exactly 32 inches tall and we don't like that ride very much but it's the first ride she is tall enough for so we did it. DD does not like fireworks so we were trying to escape before Wishes but the Main Street Electrical Parade was happening as we were trying to exit. Wow, not gonna do that again, we had to walk through a bunch of standing people to get out. Our bus came fairly quickly and we were back home in no time.

Next: Tuesday, September 3, No Parks, Final Thoughts

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

Tuesday, September 3 (typo in title, sorry)

There was no time to visit a park as DME was picking us up at 1030 AM and we don't wake up until about 8 AM. We ate breakfast at Boardwalk Bakery, walked around and got on the bus. The plane ride home was pretty rough on DD. She had her own seat and had been on several flights before where she has done great. She just wanted to get down and run around the whole time. She didn't have a chance to burn off energy before the flight took off so that probably had something to do with it. We had plenty of snacks and things for her to do, it just wasn't enough stimulation. Back to the drawing board on airplane flights, though this may be our last for a little while, which brings me to...

Final Thoughts

BWV was great. The location is hard to beat. So far, AKV is my favorite resort by far, which is our home resort so that's good. It's just so unique and relaxing to me. But limiting the buses was really good for this trip. We may buy more resale points in the future as we only have 75 now and BWV standard looks like the best points deal on property to us so we would like that as our home resort. However, MK is going to be DD's park of choice for a while so BLT is very nice for that as well. We did mostly quick service again this trip and enjoyed the food overall. The AAA discount at the Swan/Dolphin is nice to take advantage of. It was September so wait times were down. We did the recommended parks on easywdw and it seemed to work out. We are not into doing all the rides, we wanted to make sure that DD's needs always came first and that she was having a great time and we accomplished that. Typhoon Lagoon was great for DD, I think we will be adding a water park day in the future if we have PAP or tix for it.

Our DVC $399 PAPs expire in December and we were considering squeezing in another quick trip. But after the plane ride home and already doing Disney twice in a calendar year I don't think we are going to. The plane ride is a little too far from Colorado and once we're in the parks we have a great time, it's just the getting there with DD in tow at this age makes it a little difficult. I think we are going to take a year or so off and let our points refresh for 2015. But overall we had a great time and are very happy with our DVC membership. Thanks for reading, feel free to ask any questions you might have.

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[jekjones1558]

How does someone with a little one even have time to post such a great report? Thank you! I love all of the DVC properties but most of our points are at BWV so that is where we spend a lot of time. Glad you liked BWV!

 

[Ms. WDW]

What a fantastic trip report!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

I have to admit, the Baby Minnie story had me laughing out loud. However, if I were in your shoes, I too would have been searching the river. Glad she was found!

Glad you liked the BWV. That's my "home" along with SSR. But for this particular time of the year you can't beat the close proximity of BWV to Epcot!!!

Thanks again!!

 

[deb010305]

Thanks for the great trip report. The Baby Minnie part had me laughing out loud!

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

How does someone with a little one even have time to post such a great report? Thank you! I love all of the DVC properties but most of our points are at BWV so that is where we spend a lot of time. Glad you liked BWV!

Thanks, I found the entire Epcot Resort area very lively but family-friendly at the same time.

 

[Buzzandthemermaid]

What a fantastic trip report!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

I have to admit, the Baby Minnie story had me laughing out loud. However, if I were in your shoes, I too would have been searching the river. Glad she was found!

Glad you liked the BWV. That's my "home" along with SSR. But for this particular time of the year you can't beat the close proximity of BWV to Epcot!!!

Thanks again!!

Thanks for the kind words. The other people on the boat saw the whole thing and were so nice about searching for Baby Minnie. No one had to jump out of the boat or even stand to get her, she rolled right up to the boat.