Disney Day 1: Arriving at Beach Club
If you haven't done so already, please be sure to read my Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Disclaimer! Publishing this series of Disney posts is really scary for me, and I want you--my friends--to know where I'm coming from when writing these posts!
As the first snowfall of the season drifted gently from the sky, our family was all excitement, nerves, energy, and adrenaline. The day had finally come. For more than a year and a half, THIS is what we had planned for. This is what my children tried to imagine, but really had no idea. This is what Dan and I had scrimped and saved for. And it was finally happening.
5:00 AM - Wake-up time! Theo was the last to wake, which almost NEVER happens, shortly before 6:00.
6:00 - Yummy continental breakfast! I had scrambled eggs, bacon, Greek yogurt, strawberries, and blueberries.
7:00 - Took a shuttle to MKE airport.
While Dan and I remembered to tip the shuttle driver (a friend advised us to tip "everyone who touched our bags"), we got lost in the chaos of check-in and neglected to tip the guy who actually transported our bags from the check-in area to the plane. I immediately began imagining the horrible things that would happen to our luggage and briefly considered chasing him down to give him his tip, but Dan told me to quit worrying and let it go. Keep reading to see how this *might* have come back to haunt us later!
We probably arrived at the airport too early, but better early than late! We killed time wandering around the airport. General Mitchell museum was neat. Dan forgot that his contact solution bottle is more than 3 oz, but luckily he had less than 3 oz in it, so security allowed it! The kids were getting antsy, so we bought a couple of pretzels at Auntie Anne's. Snacks always help.
9:30 (shortly after) - We boarded the plane. It took a long time for people to be seated. (People with "lap" children seated their kids in ticketed seats. For more on this, scroll down to my section: "Don't Be Dopey.") The plane had to get sprayed with de-icing fluid, so we finally took off at 10:40.
The boys did great on the plane! (Shane was the only one who had flown before, and he had been so little he had no memory of it.) Theo pointed to his ears a couple of times during the descent, but he was never upset. I nursed him as we were landing. He was just really squirrely by the end!
2:00 EST (shortly after) - The plane landed, and we headed directly to Disney's Magical Express. We had to wait a while to board and then wait some more for the coach to load more occupants. Thankfully, the boys were kept occupied and happy by the several screens presenting classic Mickey Mouse "shorts."
TIP: To ride Disney's Magical Express, you need to be wearing your MagicBand, so the attendants can scan it and make sure you have access to this service. This means that YOU NEED TO PACK YOUR MAGICBANDS IN YOUR CARRY-ON. DO NOT PACK YOUR MAGICBANDS IN YOUR CHECKED LUGGAGE.
What is a MagicBand? Not only do MagicBands give you access to Disney's Magical Express, but they also work as a hotel key! The boys loved scanning their MagicBands to open our room. When we entered the parks, our MagicBands were scanned to show that we purchased tickets and allowed us to use our FastPasses. I wasn't sure what MagicBands were at first, but our family concluded that they are rad!
Guests at Caribbean Beach were dropped off first, and then the bus headed to our resort, Beach Club. Beach Club is darling!! It has a light blue exterior with white trim. Teal interior doors. Vintage beach theme.
The room was adequately sized, but tight for six people. (Typically, Disney only allows a maximum of five to a room, but since Theo was only two years old [and "Mickey's Special Guest"], he didn't count as a "person," so we could stay in one room.) The next time we visit Disney, we will have to stay in two rooms. Although it will cost more [punch to the gut!], I think we'll all enjoy the extra space and the additional bathroom!
We called the front desk, and they brought our Amazon Prime Now delivery to our room. [Note: I would not use Amazon Prime Now again, unless in a pinch. The service doesn't allow you to place an order more than 24 hours in advance, and I didn't have the time/opportunity to really mess around with it much while we were in Milwaukee. When we received our order, we noticed we were not given several items we ordered. This was probably because I had loaded my cart a couple weeks beforehand and then "checked out" while we were in Milwaukee. In the meantime, items went out of stock or were otherwise unavailable. Next time, I will use Garden Grocer. It's a bit more expensive, but I think it will be worth it.]
Dan had to go to a nearby resort business & conference center to retrieve the boxes of supplies we mailed to ourselves (ponchos, autograph books, paper plates, etc.).
5:20 - Dinner reservations at Cape May Cafe. Just a buffet, but WOW! WHAT A BUFFET! Crab claws, crab legs, clams on the shell, clam chowder, salmon, three types of salads, foods for kiddos (pizza, mac & cheese). Desserts were to die for. Flourless chocolate cake looked like truffles with
Note: This was definitely one of our most expensive meals, and this price was (blessedly) not common on our trip. Most meals came in well under $100 for our family of six.
We returned to
OK, so remember above when I hinted at how not tipping the guy who transported our bags to the plane might have come back to haunt us? Upon discovering that some of our bags (and the contents of them) were soaked, my first inclination was to blame Disney's Magical Express, hence the phone call to the front desk. However, upon further reflection, it WAS snowing in Wisconsin, and it was perfectly dry in Florida the day we arrived. In retrospect, I think Southwest is probably responsible for the soggy loggage. Our bags might have been left out in the snow (or they might have endured one of the horrible fates I imagined when we forgot to tip). I was never given an explanation, but the front desk and Beach Club was wonderful in handling our dilemma.
Dan took the big boys to the AMAZING pool, while I tried to put Theo down to bed (unsuccessful) and unpack/organize (mildly successful).
9:00 - Lights out.
A Word on Beach Club Resort. Our family
Don't Be Dopey!
We flew on Southwest Airlines, and their policy is that you do not have to buy a ticket for your child if she is under the age of two. However, if you do not buy a ticket for your infant/toddler, she needs to sit on your lap and does not get her own seat. There were three people who had tickets for our flight and could not find seats, and they were NOT happy. (One of them even started yelling at the flight attendant!) It was finally discovered that THREE separate families with infants/toddlers (whom they had not purchased tickets for) had their babies occupying seats! One of them even had a car seat hooked up into the seat. This whole process delayed our already late flight. Friends, please don't make the same mistake. If you didn't purchase a ticket for your child under two, don't have her occupy a seat you didn't pay for. Just think of it as extra cuddle time with your little one!
Other Disney posts:
