Grand Gathering at OKW Grand Villa, Part 4

[Mammabruski]

Alright, after a break for massive amounts of school work for my master's class, I'm back with part 4....

Once again if you're interested in the cast check out part 1, and a link to the last part of the trip report.

So we woke to an overcast day, but no massive, ugly, rain clouds. This was a very good thing, as we had our very expensive photo shoot in Epcot. We managed to get to Epcot at about 8:15, and were in the park by 8:20 and heading for the bridge between UK and France. My DP went and got us all FP’s for Soarin’. We had two nice guys for our photo shoot, but I can’t remember their names. Overall they were pretty good, but certainly had no tricks up their sleeves when it came to trying to get kids to smile. We took all the pictures (an hour’s worth) in France. We took them in front of the fountain, in front of the Beast and Belle’s topiary and back by the bakery. We haven’t seen them yet, and I really hope we got some good ones. The kids wore coordinating outfits my DM bought them. They were red, blue and white printed dresses, the same print shorts for the boys, who also wore navy blue shirts. My DS’s family work navy blue t-shirts as well, my family unit had white shirts, and DM, DP my younger DS wore red shirts.

After the shoot we headed to Soarin’. DD1 LOVED it! Luckily she got to go again, since we used baby swap, and since we had two babies we had enough passes for everyone but DH and I to go again. We had lunch at Sunshine Seasons, and then headed over to “Figgie” who is a big hit with our family. My younger DS, who is the biggest Figgie Fan bought all the kids little plush Figgies since they were on clearance ($5 a pop)! Then we headed home for nap. I actually think I napped with the kids today!

After nap it was off to DHS and our ADR at Sci-Fi. I liked the ambiance, the theme was great but it was just a bit too dark at the tables. It was also kind of isolating sitting in the cars, but overall the experience was nice. I liked the Ruben, nothing to write home about, and the milkshake was nice. After dinner we took a Voyage with the Little Mermaid, everyone loved it – especially DD2, more “show” and “fishies”… For the end of the night we did TGMR, which was ok, seeing as we had to shelter the kiddos during the Alien scene.

After the kids went to bed DH and I hopped on the first bus to Hospitality House. We’d been having trouble with the DDP. Not everyone had meals on their cards, and the count was way off. Even with a good hour of figuring, multiple calls and at least one (maybe 2) visits to the concierge, my DM still couldn’t quite get it sorted. So my DH gave it a try since he had helped out my DM that afternoon as I had slept. This was the only time we had any interactions with the CM’s at OKW, and they really did go out of their way to be accommodating. So nice. I totally love OKW! I really enjoyed the hospitality house area, the marina was very pretty, the store was pretty basic, but you’re surrounded by stores at the parks, so what more do you really need? DH and I then went to the Gurgling Suitcase and had a beer. What a quaint (and small, I mean really, really tiny) bar! We met some other DVCers from New Jersey (I think) and had a nice chat. Then we walked home. It was really sweet to be able to get out like that. All we did was check out the resort and it felt like a date! Overall, today was a really good day, especially since it didn’t rain all day long!

Tomorrow is our first Grand Gathering event at Tony's in MK - very excited!

[faline]

So, did you you get your dining plan sorted out?

Gurgling suitcase really is very, very small!

Hope you got some great pictures!

[Jillirose]

Great idea for pics at WSC, we will do that next time! We chose BC and late morning, since it is usually freezing in FEB. My husband had the flu, temp at 102, and it was super hot by 10:00. Needless to say, our pics were so so. Hope yours are great!!

My dream would be a grand gathering with both my family and DH's, but I don't think everybody is as crazy about Disney as we are.

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[yjgirl32]

Thanks for sharing.

[DizNee143]

i hope your pictures come out nice!!!
sounds like you had another nice day..and im so happy to hear it didnt rain!!

[KylesMom]

I too am glad to hear it didn't rain on your photo shoot experience. You had enough bad weather the day before! I sure hope that the pics turn out & it ends up being worth the $ you paid. As I mentioned in your pre-trip report, I think this is a really cool thing - family portraits in the WS! Be sure to let us know after you've had a chance to view them how they turned out.

DD1 is sure hitting some milestones on this trip - very that she enjoyed Soarin'!

What an enjoyable way to end the evening. For the life of me, I don't ever recall hearing about the Gurgling Suitcase before! I hope your DP credit woes were taken care of & there were no further mishaps during the trip. Another great report - thanks for posting!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Thanks for the report

[BelleKP]

Great day! Hope your pics turn out . . . what a nice momento!

[princessgirls]

You guys had a great day in Epcot and DHS!!

Hope the photos turn out great.

Thanks for reporting!

Julie

[PrettyMinnie]

More time as adults only! That certainly is a nice addition to your family vacation! It must be nice to have so much family on your Disney vacation! Thank you for reporting and I hope the photo shoot pictures turn out wonderfully!

[Dopey's Girl]

I really like Sci fi, but it is really hard to see in there, and the cars are fun, but not the best for conversation!

Can't wait to read more!

[artyboy]

Gurgling Suitcase is the tiniest bar ever! I live in Key West, and I always laugh when I see OKW's version of a Key West bar!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!