The Brits at the Beach Club RE-VISITED! THREAD 2 COMPLETE! About This Page:

[chezp]

Saturday 21 December – part six: an Illuminating end to my birthday celebrations!

During the whole trip from our table at 1900 Park Fare back to our room at the Beach Club, people were admiring my Eeyore goodies. I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for them, as a number of them obviously thought that’s what everyone with a birthday was automatically presented with by Disney. I was just very lucky!

We retrieved our car from valet parking and drove back to the Beach Club, ready for one final special installment of my birthday celebration – an Illuminations cruise. Of course, we had to stop off at our room to drop off my newly acquired beanie, balloons and card.

We would be sharing this cruise with two other families, Shelley and Nic, who came from Wales, and Cliff, Cindy and their three children – sadly I don’t remember where they were from. We’d been very lucky and literally only joined this boat a few days before we flew out to Disney, after seeing the spaces advertised on the Internet on the DIS boards. I guess it was meant to be, having seen this cruise advertised once before by Shelley, but the first time I was just a bit too late and she’d already offered the spaces to another family, who then dropped out. Their loss was very definitely our gain!

We did the Illuminations cruise in 2000 with friends, so we knew what to expect and it just as good as I remembered. We took a spin down towards MGM first and I got some great video footage – despite the constant talking from our fellow passengers but then again, we couldn’t really say too much, as we were on their boat.

Then we moored up, ready for the show. It never ceases to amaze me how you can feel the heat from the fireworks on the boat and see all the images on the globe. Until we took the cruise, I’d never seen the images on the globe – a part of the show I’d always missed. The show was superb as always and we got yet another video recording of it – one day I will get the perfect recording and then I won’t need to bother again – hmmm right… I can’t really ever see that happening!

After the show, we headed back to the Yacht Club marina, paid for our part of the cruise and said our goodbyes to the others and then headed back to the Beach Club.

The day ended with a quick cocktail at the Riptide Lounge, where we were served by the same Cast Member as two years ago. It was wonderful to go back and see some of the same people still there – and even more amazing, she remembered us straight away. We were soon chatting away like old friends.

All in all, I don’t think this could have been a more perfect 30th birthday and it’s one I’ll always treasure the memories of.

The weather today was sunny and warm, but temperatures were in the 60’s during the evening, but it was warmer during the evening than last night.
The best thing today was all the Eeyore birthday treats I got from my parents.
The worst thing today was the Living Seas - bring back the ride!
The funniest thing today was having Happy Birthday sung to me by the staff at the Crystal Palace.
Today we tried 1900 Park Fare
And the result was we loved the food and my mom and dad made it a truly magical experience for us by getting Eeyore out to see me and paying for the meal.
The most magical moment today was Eeyore “singing” Happy Birthday to me at 1900 Park Fare.

Pedometer: 8.8 miles

Next: hitting the wall, a Japanese wedding and changing accents!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great ending to your birthday Cheryl

[DawnDenise]

What a wonderful ending to your birthday!! Can't wait to read the next installment!

[Tara O'Hara]

What a magical way to end your birthday!! Great installment!!

[Jillybean]

Wow! I didn't know that you had an Illuminations cruise schedule also! How wonderful!

And then to end the perfect day with a cocktail!

Jill

[lauren-roxy]

Sounds like a perfect 30th birthday to me Cheryl!! How wonderful to end it with a cruise!! Can't wait to read more!!

[LSUtigerfan]

Wow, Cheryl! I'm just catching up on your TR, and it's wonderful. Sounds like you really had a great birthday. I'm sure your dh will have a great 40th too! Can't wait for the next installment !

[Joy J]

What a perfectly brilliant birthday celebration you enjoyed! I'm sure it's one you'll never forget.

Joy

[Cinderbrella]

What an awesome way to celebrate your 30th birthday at Disney, Cheryl!! Your parents were able to surprise you and your Illuminations cruise sounded like fun!

[chezp]

Saturday 22 December - part one: hitting the wall, a Japanese wedding and changing accents!

I’ve heard about hitting the wall at Disney and I think today we crashed into it. Neither of us wanted to get out of bed, so we had a lie in and then a leisurely breakfast, only just making it in time, before Riptide shut for the morning. There wasn’t a lot of choice left by 10.30 a.m.! I guess by now we had achieved a lot in our first week and could afford to take it a bit easier – and anywhere, the most important day, my 30th birthday, was now over. I guess that’s another reason why I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning, but there’s still plenty of fun and excitement awaiting us this vacation.

The plan was to head for MGM today, as we had a Fantasmic dining package at the Hollywood and Vine. I use the word dining loosely, as it was hardly dinner when the meal was at 3.30 p.m. We had tried to change it yesterday at guest services, but with no luck. (I guess other people had already taken the later slots, as I now know that they open up a few weeks beforehand)

We walked over to the Yacht Club marina to catch the boat over to MGM. On the way over on the boat, I was busy shooting video footage (as usual) when Mark spotted a Japanese wedding taking place outside the Swan. What a lovely place to get married. I would love to have had our wedding out here and so would Mark, but alas my parents weren’t keen on the idea and there would’ve been people who wouldn’t have been able to attend, so it wasn’t really ever an option for us.

As soon as we got into MGM, we got our photo taken by Scott, who then explained that he came from Hull in England. The way he could change between British and American accents was something worth hearing! And he wasn’t a bad photographer either:



After getting our photos taken, we made a beeline for Beauty and the Beast, as we’d never seen it, stopping to get a couple of shots on the way:



We’d never seen the Hunchback show either and of course that’s now gone, so I didn’t want the same thing to happy with Beauty and the Beast. (remember at this time, crowds levels were down at Disney and as a result, a lot of things had suddenly closed, park hours had been reduced etc. and everyone was waiting for the next attraction to go. )

I don’t think there’s much chance of that happening, as it’s a superb show, with extremely high quality performances. I love the way that Disney can turn a whole film into a show lasting less than half an hour. The costumes were stunning and I loved the way that all the bottles, plates etc. moved from side to side in the cupboards during “Be My Guest”. It’s the little touches like that which make it Disney!






We walked back up Sunset Boulevard to the Sorceror’s Hat and grabbed a couple more photos around the Great Movie Ride area:



Next we headed for the Magic of Disney Animation, wonderful as ever, but of course, as it was a Sunday, there wasn’t a single animator at work, which was a shame. We learnt a lot about animation and Disney’s plans for the future, with new pictures up previewing what’s in the pipeline. I can’t remember the name of it, but the one involving the bears looks particularly cute and I can see those characters becoming popular ones in years to come. [i](I guess that will be Brother Bear then – interesting thought, as I wouldn’t say this ended up being one of Disney’s more successful films and the characters aren’t even seen out at meet and greets any longer I guess I can be wrong sometimes! )

Next: stars and their motorcars!

[LSUtigerfan]

Great pictures, Cheryl! I can't wait to see Beauty & the Beast also. We miss it everytime we go to MGM too. I have seen it "On Ice" and it was simply wonderful! It is a must for our Sept. trip!

Can't wait to hear more....hope you don't hit another wall!

[Jillybean]

Beauty and the Beast is a must for us now!

I agree with you about Brother Bear. We saw the movie for the first time on DCL and truly loved it! The story is just timeless and unforgettable.

Jill

[lauren-roxy]

Wonderful update Cheryl and your pictures were really good!! My daughters just love Brother Bear, they would love to meet Koda!!! Can't wait to read more!!

[MontiMouse]

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite shows!

[DawnDenise]

Another great update!!! We Beauty and the Beast too!!