GeorgiaTiggerGirl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2004
Cast: Me, 43 year old big kid; DS, 16; and his best friend, also 16.
I'll briefly mention that the first half of our trip was spent at Sanibel Island. They are still recovering from last year's hurricanes, but we still had a great time. I've never seen so many shells, sand dollars, star fish, etc. It was a beautiful beach, with clear turquoise water, not crowded. Just a nice relaxing time.
Now I saved the best for last!
5/25: We arrived at the BCV (about 3.5 hours from Sanibel; I took the scenic route) around 2:30. They were really busy and we had to wait about 40 minutes for our 1BR, but no problem. We were on the 4th floor (447). The room was in excellent condition, and I really enjoyed the balcony. We were starving so we went to Beaches N Cream for an early dinner. At 4:30 the place was not crowded. We all enjoyed the cheeseburgers & fries. DS had a chocolate shake, and I had the cholocate cake/ice cream. Yum! We headed for Downtown Disney, did some window shopping, and saw Return of the Sith!
5/26: We slept in a bit, since this was still to be a semi-relaxing trip. I beat the boys at Fantasia Gardens and then we drove to WL for a personal pizza. The cast member working the DVC desk had a fit over my DS (6'2"/240 lbs.) Said he would make a great tight end for football and that I should find him a speed coach! Well, DS had made his own choice years ago, chose band over football, and had no intention of giving up his trombone, baritone, and tuba playing. Still, he was tickled for the guy to make such a fuss over him. I enjoyed an afternoon swim and the water slide at Stormalong Bay. Loved the sandy bottom. By late afternoon, we decided to go to Epcot, but we needed a treat! Back to Beaches N Cream for a Kitchen Sink. Since there were 3 of us, we finished most of it. Now we can say we tried it! We headed for the World Showcase, which was a good thing since we could walk off some of our ice cream! DS bought a how-to-draw book from the Japan pavillion, and his buddy bought a German pullover (he was born in Germany). We separated for a bit, so I went to the United Kingdom. When I got to the back of the store, there were 2 families in line for a character, which they said was Winnie the Pooh. Being the kid I am, I lined up as well. We were some lucky people, because we got to see not only Winnie the Pooh, but also Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet all together. I had my picture made with the 4 of them! Met back with the boys, and we enjoyed the WS and decided to stay for the EMH that evening. We got our wristbands about 8:45 and went straight for Mission Space. We had no wait and a fun ride - love the take-off! By that time, Test Track was a 30 minute wait, but we wanted to ride anyway. Soarin was a 90 minute wait, so we passed on it this time. This was my first time at the extra evening hours. Based on just this one time, I think the early morning hour is better. Epcot was packed with folks. I think most folks would rather stay late than get up early!
5/27: MGM for Star Wars Weekend. This was our first time but not our last! We arrived at 8:30 and it was crowded at the gate, but it seemed just like another busy day. Loved the Stormtroopers on the roof! After the gates opened, we chose the line for a celebrity autograph instead of the limited edition merchandise (had to make the choice). We waited about 30-40 minutes and were lucky to get a fastpass for the 4:00 session (time of 4:10-4:25) with Peter Mayhew. There were lots and lots of folks still in line and would be out of luck, so the advice to get there early could not be more true! We rode Star Tours, and the merchandise shop was packed! A cast member stood with a light saber to mark the end of the checkout line. I bought a mug, but that was it. The boys thought they wanted a light saber, but changed their minds. Got really lucky at Sci Fi. I walked up at 10:15 to see if anything was available. They were booked until 9:00 that night. But we were able to be seated in the "stretch limo" at 11:00, so we grabbed that opportunity. The BBQ chicken sandwich was good. After lunch was spent getting photos with the Star Wars characters. We had a blast! All the lines really moved quickly (maybe 15-20 minutes at the most) with the longest wait being 50 minutes for Darth Vader! There was always a character available. For example, Chewbacca was out for a long time. When he left for a break, an Ewok took over in his place. Same for the others! It was really, really crowded, but very organized (I would have expected nothing less). The MGM cast members in the area had the schedule for the characters, so if you were looking for someone special, you could find out the times. Anakin was really popular, as was Chewbacca. Some characters just roamed around such as clonetroopers, stormtroopers, tuscan sand raiders, etc. Finally it was time for our autograph session with Peter Mayhew. It was a thrill to see him, and he was gracious to pose for pictures, too. After a day at MGM, we decided to order room service and relax the rest of the evening.
5/28: Ate breakfast at Cape May Cafe before the drive home. It was super busy, but the food was delicious. I made Clayton's picture with Art in the lobby of the BC before we left.
It was a great trip. We really loved the BCV (VWL is home). Gee, maybe I should add on. I could really use the points. Don't think 150 will be enough. We're going back to VWL for Thanksgiving week, so at least I will have that trip to look forward to. And we want to go to another Star Wars Weekend next year. Love DVC!
I'll briefly mention that the first half of our trip was spent at Sanibel Island. They are still recovering from last year's hurricanes, but we still had a great time. I've never seen so many shells, sand dollars, star fish, etc. It was a beautiful beach, with clear turquoise water, not crowded. Just a nice relaxing time.
Now I saved the best for last!
5/25: We arrived at the BCV (about 3.5 hours from Sanibel; I took the scenic route) around 2:30. They were really busy and we had to wait about 40 minutes for our 1BR, but no problem. We were on the 4th floor (447). The room was in excellent condition, and I really enjoyed the balcony. We were starving so we went to Beaches N Cream for an early dinner. At 4:30 the place was not crowded. We all enjoyed the cheeseburgers & fries. DS had a chocolate shake, and I had the cholocate cake/ice cream. Yum! We headed for Downtown Disney, did some window shopping, and saw Return of the Sith!
5/26: We slept in a bit, since this was still to be a semi-relaxing trip. I beat the boys at Fantasia Gardens and then we drove to WL for a personal pizza. The cast member working the DVC desk had a fit over my DS (6'2"/240 lbs.) Said he would make a great tight end for football and that I should find him a speed coach! Well, DS had made his own choice years ago, chose band over football, and had no intention of giving up his trombone, baritone, and tuba playing. Still, he was tickled for the guy to make such a fuss over him. I enjoyed an afternoon swim and the water slide at Stormalong Bay. Loved the sandy bottom. By late afternoon, we decided to go to Epcot, but we needed a treat! Back to Beaches N Cream for a Kitchen Sink. Since there were 3 of us, we finished most of it. Now we can say we tried it! We headed for the World Showcase, which was a good thing since we could walk off some of our ice cream! DS bought a how-to-draw book from the Japan pavillion, and his buddy bought a German pullover (he was born in Germany). We separated for a bit, so I went to the United Kingdom. When I got to the back of the store, there were 2 families in line for a character, which they said was Winnie the Pooh. Being the kid I am, I lined up as well. We were some lucky people, because we got to see not only Winnie the Pooh, but also Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet all together. I had my picture made with the 4 of them! Met back with the boys, and we enjoyed the WS and decided to stay for the EMH that evening. We got our wristbands about 8:45 and went straight for Mission Space. We had no wait and a fun ride - love the take-off! By that time, Test Track was a 30 minute wait, but we wanted to ride anyway. Soarin was a 90 minute wait, so we passed on it this time. This was my first time at the extra evening hours. Based on just this one time, I think the early morning hour is better. Epcot was packed with folks. I think most folks would rather stay late than get up early!
5/27: MGM for Star Wars Weekend. This was our first time but not our last! We arrived at 8:30 and it was crowded at the gate, but it seemed just like another busy day. Loved the Stormtroopers on the roof! After the gates opened, we chose the line for a celebrity autograph instead of the limited edition merchandise (had to make the choice). We waited about 30-40 minutes and were lucky to get a fastpass for the 4:00 session (time of 4:10-4:25) with Peter Mayhew. There were lots and lots of folks still in line and would be out of luck, so the advice to get there early could not be more true! We rode Star Tours, and the merchandise shop was packed! A cast member stood with a light saber to mark the end of the checkout line. I bought a mug, but that was it. The boys thought they wanted a light saber, but changed their minds. Got really lucky at Sci Fi. I walked up at 10:15 to see if anything was available. They were booked until 9:00 that night. But we were able to be seated in the "stretch limo" at 11:00, so we grabbed that opportunity. The BBQ chicken sandwich was good. After lunch was spent getting photos with the Star Wars characters. We had a blast! All the lines really moved quickly (maybe 15-20 minutes at the most) with the longest wait being 50 minutes for Darth Vader! There was always a character available. For example, Chewbacca was out for a long time. When he left for a break, an Ewok took over in his place. Same for the others! It was really, really crowded, but very organized (I would have expected nothing less). The MGM cast members in the area had the schedule for the characters, so if you were looking for someone special, you could find out the times. Anakin was really popular, as was Chewbacca. Some characters just roamed around such as clonetroopers, stormtroopers, tuscan sand raiders, etc. Finally it was time for our autograph session with Peter Mayhew. It was a thrill to see him, and he was gracious to pose for pictures, too. After a day at MGM, we decided to order room service and relax the rest of the evening.
5/28: Ate breakfast at Cape May Cafe before the drive home. It was super busy, but the food was delicious. I made Clayton's picture with Art in the lobby of the BC before we left.
It was a great trip. We really loved the BCV (VWL is home). Gee, maybe I should add on. I could really use the points. Don't think 150 will be enough. We're going back to VWL for Thanksgiving week, so at least I will have that trip to look forward to. And we want to go to another Star Wars Weekend next year. Love DVC!
