MandaLynn & MeganLeigh's Boardwalk May 2014 Trip Report!

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MandaLynn & MeganLeigh's Boardwalk May 2014 Trip Report!

Hello all! We have gathered most of our photos from our trip and wanted to share them with you! We got back on Sunday evening and it was definitely a whirlwind weekend!

We left on Thursday morning and met our Mom at the Orlando Airport (she flew down from Ohio). We were all so excited to take the Magical Express for the first time!


Got a nice start on the plane Smile






Well that was fun! Only thing that wasn't awesome is that the little TV above our seats didn't seem to have enough pixie dust :/ Not a huge deal though!

Next we checked into our home for the weekend...the Boardwalk Villas! We rented DVC points and it was so worth it. There was a concierge waiting for us when we got off the bus ("Erb family?" Why yes we are!). He escorted us right to the front desk and we were told that our room was ready and waiting for us! So off we went to check out the room and unpack...then we were ready to hop on a bus to Downtown Disney Smile





View from our balcony


Waiting for the bus to DTD


Basin at DTD...great store for bath/spa products!


Anybody have $37,500 laying around? I could use a glass model of Cinderella's Castle!

This was from Arribas Brothers at DTD...beautiful glass ornaments, gifts, etc. We watched something being made, but we couldn't figure out what it was! The process looked very cool though and it was impressive to see the control of the glass and flames.
We shopped around in the World of Disney and some other shops on our way to our reservation at Raglan Road. Next up...dinner!





Delicious Guiness reduction to dip the bread into. Tasted like honey Smile




We look like total weirdos in this pic, but it was the only one that showed our food!! haha

We had an absolute BLAST at Raglan Road!! The food was amazing...My Mom and I had the chicken pot pie and Meg had the fish and chips. WOW!! So good. And we loved the Irish band. We were clapping along with the music between courses! We have a lot of Irish blood in our veins, so we were in our element...haha! Then the dancing started and we were sitting right between the 2 stages...so fun!!

After dinner we went back to the hotel to freshen up and then we were off on our adventure with mrhub, scrappy, and Jessi! More on this next time... Smile

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Can't wait to hear more! Pictures are great and love the view from your room. Glad you were able to meet up with mrhub and scrappy - such a great couple. How did you enjoy the Boardwalk?

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Looks like a great start to the trip. Looking forward to reading more.

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JanJ wrote:
Can't wait to hear more! Pictures are great and love the view from your room. Glad you were able to meet up with mrhub and scrappy - such a great couple. How did you enjoy the Boardwalk?

We loooved the Boardwalk! We didn't get to spend too much time exploring since we were only there a couple days(still haven't made it to Jellyrolls! Gotta check that off my list at some point!). I'm just obsessed with the fact that Epcot is such a short walk- it was great to be able to come back to the room in the middle of the day to chill out for a few minutes without taking a huge chunk of time out of your day on travel time.

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Great pics, looks like you had a blast!!!

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You look like you are having such a good time! Can't wait to hear more!

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Love the personality in your photos! So fun! Remind me again where you rented DVC points through. Did you have any issues or have any advice for someone renting for the 1st time? We're planning on renting at AKL for our Dec 2015 trip. What size room did you 3 stay in?

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Great report! Looks like you had a blast! awesome

That 37K castle is unreal. I tried to convice Jan we needed it, but she wasn't falling for it. LOL.

Raglan Road is a favorite of ours. Really great food there.

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Allie wrote:
Love the personality in your photos! So fun! Remind me again where you rented DVC points through. Did you have any issues or have any advice for someone renting for the 1st time? We're planning on renting at AKL for our Dec 2015 trip. What size room did you 3 stay in?

Ha! We are definitely goofballs! silly

We rented from The DVC Rental Store(they have several reps- I dealt with Lindsay, who was great). We didn't have any problems, and would do it again for sure! The only tiny thing was that our Magical Express tags and info didn't get to us the first time(They had our street name wrong, but only by ONE letter, so I'm not fully convinced that was the reason). I just emailed Lindsay and she contacted Disney and had them resent- we got them 3 days later so it ended up being totally fine. We actually had decided not to use them anyway- we thought we'd want our bags sooner than the ME could get them to us(we were really glad we made that decision, by the way).

We stayed in a studio, and had a Queen bed and a pullout couch(which was actually not bad, as pullout couches go).

KenJ wrote:
Great report! Looks like you had a blast! awesome

That 37K castle is unreal. I tried to convice Jan we needed it, but she wasn't falling for it. LOL.

Raglan Road is a favorite of ours. Really great food there.

Raglan Road is AMAZING! Definitely a new favorite of ours, too!

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Fun TR so far clapping

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Keep it going, keep it going!

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JanJ wrote:
How did you enjoy the Boardwalk?

As Meg said...we LOVED the Boardwalk!! Such a great atmosphere and location. The room was comfortable and plenty large for our party of 3. The decor was really nice and theme-appropriate (not screaming "DISNEY!", but more subtle and lots of hidden Mickeys!). The corridors to the rooms were long and a little maze-like, but this didn't bother us....although one family was so lost, they had to follow us back to the lobby! haha Smile All in all...thumbs WAY up! Walking to Epcot and the nearby resorts was definitely a luxury that we look forward to doing again!

Thanks JoAnn C, JMed, Miss Mikki, and AnnielovesDisney! More to come soon Smile

Allie wrote:
Love the personality in your photos! So fun! Remind me again where you rented DVC points through. Did you have any issues or have any advice for someone renting for the 1st time? We're planning on renting at AKL for our Dec 2015 trip. What size room did you 3 stay in?

Thanks Allie!! I think Megan answered most of your questions, so I will just reiterate that the process was so simple and pain-free that we will definitely be doing it again in the future! (Hopefully the NEAR future! haha)

KenJ wrote:
That 37K castle is unreal. I tried to convice Jan we needed it, but she wasn't falling for it. LOL.

HA! What is Jan thinking?! Of COURSE you need this!! laugh

mrhub wrote:
Keep it going, keep it going!

It's coming!! But we wanted to give you a chance to talk about your adventure on Thursday evening before we posted about it! haha

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Fantastic TR love reading it!!!!!

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MandaLynn wrote:
mrhub wrote:
Keep it going, keep it going!

It's coming!! But we wanted to give you a chance to talk about your adventure on Thursday evening before we posted about it! haha

How did I know you were going to say that! biggrin

Scrappy hurry up!

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I posted our adventure so it now your turn waiting

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mrhub wrote:
MandaLynn wrote:
mrhub wrote:
Keep it going, keep it going!

It's coming!! But we wanted to give you a chance to talk about your adventure on Thursday evening before we posted about it! haha

How did I know you were going to say that! biggrin

Scrappy hurry up!

haha!! wink

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Well that was quick scrappy!! You are on the ball....ok, if you haven't already read mrhub & scrappy's TR, check it out for the background info of our adventure on Thursday evening! ...

Ok, a couple more quick pics from early in Day 1...



We were very excited about our first Magic Bands!!

After dinner Thursday, we went back to the Boardwalk to freshen up and grab a light sweater and then made our way over to the Grand Floridian. We were planning on meeting mrhub and friends (and surprise scrappy!) around 9:00 pm, but we actually arrived at around 8:15 to explore the resort a bit. After wandering around (and almost into a swanky al fresco dinner party!), we headed to the marina for the evening festivities! Mrhub graciously invited the 3 of us to join him and scrappy, Jessi and her friend Lily, and a couple CM friends on a Wishes cruise...on, none other than, the Grand One yacht!! Wow! We had such a great time chatting with everyone, eating tuxedo strawberries, and feeling like all around VIPs! We cruised around a bit and were first treated to an up-close viewing of the Electrical Water Pageant, with music piped into the cabin and on the decks. Later it was time for Wishes. I mean...no words. It was unbelievable!! We were all ooohing and aaahing at the music and the castle view with the beautiful fireworks! It was truly a special evening with new friends mickey







super fuzzy, sorry!!


It was truly a once in a lifetime experience, and we can't thank mrhub and scrappy enough for inviting us into your special celebration!

So that was our exciting adventure on Thursday evening!! Now, back to the Boardwalk for some sleep and an early breakfast ADR at Cape May Cafe!

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awesome You're very welcome and thanks for joining us! It was great meeting the three of you in person and looking forward to doing it again sometime. Keep that report coming.

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So much fun so far!

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So....After that whirlwind of a night, what could top it?! Probably nothing...but if anything could come close, it'd be our pals Minnie, Donald, and Goofy!
We got up bright and early to walk over to breakfast at Cape May Cafe. The day was already beautiful, so the walk over to the Beach Club was so nice. We'd never been to this resort so we were excited to take a look around. We checked in, got our buzzer, and went to explore. The lobby was beautiful and we had barely made it to the gift shop when we got buzzed.
The restaurant wasn't even half full yet(guess we were early risers- who'da thunk!), but it didn't take long until it got more crowded. Now on to the food....I personally, am of the opinion that a breakfast buffet is one of man's greatest accomplishments, so I was so ready for this meal. It did not disappoint. My plate was almost full just after the scrambled eggs(2 kinds!)! They had everything you could possibly want in a breakfast buffet, from cereal, fruit, and all kinds of breads, to chorizo, frittata, and french toast. And let's not forget those amazing little Mickey waffles(I would never!!)!
The greatest part of this meal, though, was definitely the company! I was chowing down on a beautiful breakfast, then I turn around and none other than Minnie Mouse herself is standing right behind me! We got overly excited for a couple of grown women, and got big hugs from Ms. Mouse. Did I mention that the characters at this breakfast are dressed is super cute beachwear? BECAUSE THEY ARE.
We also met Goofy and Donald, who Manda was Disneybounding as this day! I just had to tell him, and he was very flattered.


view from Beach Club back across the lake to the Boardwalk


lounging in the Beach Club lobby

Today was Epcot day, and we wanted to make the most of it, so we walked straight over there from the Beach Club. We got there about 20 minutes to 9, but they let us in at about 8:53. Since you can't get FP+'s for both Soarin AND Test Track, we chose TT, so the plan was to go straight to Soarin first thing. We got there, and waited maybe 10 minutes- mission accomplished! The Soarin exit basically spits you out right at Living with the Land, which is a must do for us (especially Manda!), so we walked right on to a boat there. As we exited The Land, we saw Garden Grille and all began talking about how we might need to modify our ADR's for our fall trip to include this restaurant!! We've all heard nothing but great things about it Smile We then got a quick caffeine fix at Starbucks, and headed over to WS to take in some of the foliage of the Flower and Garden Festival. All the topiaries were amazing, but we bad barely taken photos of two of them when we turned around and saw the most amazing photo opportunity- Spaceship Earth with the flowers and the lake and the monorail going right in front of it. I could't get it together quickly enough to take a pic right then, so I insisted on waiting there until another monorail came. We were there for another 10-15 minutes, making friends with some friendly Disney ducks. I decided that I shouldn't waste any more time waiting and turned to leave, and of course that was the moment that the monorail came! I took about 47 pictures of the whole scene as it went by, and it was worth it. Meet my new phone screen!

Next we headed over to Journey into Imagination with our fave...Figment! On the way, there was a butterfly garden that Manda and mom went through- I didn't participate because I think I probably would have freaked out at all the bugs flying around me.

We then decided it was time for a mid day break, so we headed back to the Boardwalk. On the way, we hit Canada and saw the Oh! Canada movie(I just love Martin Short). Then we went through the shops in the UK, and headed to the International Gateway. We had a little impromptu stroll with Alice on the way! She saw Manda's anchor shirt and wondered if she was a sailor- we said no, but we were about to get on a boat! She then headed away saying she was going to "get a spot of tea!" She's so cute!
We took a boat back to the Boardwalk and stopped in the Boardwalk Bakery for an afternoon cupcake to take back to our room. We each got a different one- Mom got lemon/bluberry, Manda got the Oreo cupcake, and I got strawberry. I didn't try theirs, but mine was DELICIOUS. I would get it again for sure! After chilling for about 30 minutes in the room, recharging our phones(and ourselves!), and freshening up a bit, we were ready to head back to the park.


(Can anyone guess what forgetful fish I'm Disneybounding as? wink )


do you see something iiinnnteresting in this carpet pattern?

Up next...A couple more rides, a couple more countries, and, of course, more food!!

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Love your TR! Just wanted to put in another plug for Garden Grill--it's one of our favorites. We don't do a ton of table service, but we've done this one twice. The food is amazing and we're 2 for 2 on fantastic character interaction!

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Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.

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Those pics of the monorail and flowers are beautiful!! I think those cupcakes also sound amazing right about now awesome
Love the TR, ladies!

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Great shot with the monorail and all the flowers! I also tried the Oreo cupcake from the bakery - it was delish!! Can't wait to try some more in September. Loving your report. awesome

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alicemouse wrote:
Love your TR! Just wanted to put in another plug for Garden Grill--it's one of our favorites. We don't do a ton of counter service, but we've done this one twice. The food is amazing and we're 2 for 2 on fantastic character interaction!

Thanks alice! We're really considering switching from Coral Reef to Garden Grill. I don't think I really have too much of a preference(I'll have to do some more research), although I do love Chip n Dale! silly

Wonderland Katie wrote:
Those pics of the monorail and flowers are beautiful!! I think those cupcakes also sound amazing right about now awesome
Love the TR, ladies!

Thanks Katie! All from iPhones if you can believe it! That Panorama feature is really cool awesome
And yes, as I was looking at the picture of my strawberry cupcake, I think I may have drooled a bit on my keyboard! It really was delicious!!

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Fantastic TR girls you are making me very hungry with these pictures of cupcakes!!! Also loving the outfits! Keep it coming!

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alicemouse wrote:
Love your TR! Just wanted to put in another plug for Garden Grill--it's one of our favorites. We don't do a ton of table service, but we've done this one twice. The food is amazing and we're 2 for 2 on fantastic character interaction!

Super report girls! Question about Garden Grill - can you feel it moving? I would hate to feel even a little squishy while trying to eat.....I am such a wuss about motion.

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I have eaten that strawberry cupcake from BW Bakery......soooo good. muchlove

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disneydoc wrote:
alicemouse wrote:
Love your TR! Just wanted to put in another plug for Garden Grill--it's one of our favorites. We don't do a ton of table service, but we've done this one twice. The food is amazing and we're 2 for 2 on fantastic character interaction!

Super report girls! Question about Garden Grill - can you feel it moving? I would hate to feel even a little squishy while trying to eat.....I am such a wuss about motion.

The movement is slow and super smooth, Doc. Of course, you could luck out and have the restaurant not be rotating for the evening like it was for us last week sad. Although even without rotating through the Land scenes, I would eat there in a heartbeat!

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Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.

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alicemouse wrote:
disneydoc wrote:
alicemouse wrote:
Love your TR! Just wanted to put in another plug for Garden Grill--it's one of our favorites. We don't do a ton of table service, but we've done this one twice. The food is amazing and we're 2 for 2 on fantastic character interaction!

Super report girls! Question about Garden Grill - can you feel it moving? I would hate to feel even a little squishy while trying to eat.....I am such a wuss about motion.

The movement is slow and super smooth, Doc. Of course, you could luck out and have the restaurant not be rotating for the evening like it was for us last week sad. Although even without rotating through the Land scenes, I would eat there in a heartbeat!

Thanks Alice....will think about this one. mickey

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disneydoc wrote:
alicemouse wrote:
disneydoc wrote:
alicemouse wrote:
Love your TR! Just wanted to put in another plug for Garden Grill--it's one of our favorites. We don't do a ton of table service, but we've done this one twice. The food is amazing and we're 2 for 2 on fantastic character interaction!

Super report girls! Question about Garden Grill - can you feel it moving? I would hate to feel even a little squishy while trying to eat.....I am such a wuss about motion.

The movement is slow and super smooth, Doc. Of course, you could luck out and have the restaurant not be rotating for the evening like it was for us last week sad. Although even without rotating through the Land scenes, I would eat there in a heartbeat!

Thanks Alice....will think about this one. mickey

I don't notice the movement at all. I only notice when I look up and see a new scene mickey

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Great monorail shot mickey