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Trying to Keep My Pants on at Halloween

I love cute dress up, but dislike any scary part of Halloween.

Halloween scares the pants off of me.  Always has. Probably always will.

When I was in elementary school, I literally hid under my desk in terror, as one of the second grade teachers would visit our classroom in her full witch gear.

You see.  We were told she was a witch, and the week of Halloween, she would start to turn green.  The first green mark was on her hand then her arm then her neck, and then her cheek.  You get the idea.  By Halloween, she was all green, and literally scared the pants off of me as she rode into my class on a broomstick. 

This was the 70s.  Think Dorothy.  Toto. Wicked Witch!  Yeah, ugly scary.

It was all in fun, of course.   She meant no harm, but I sometimes wonder if I would not have turned into such a scaredy cat if that didn’t happen to me in my so-called formative years.

 I eventually faked illness on Halloween so I could miss school.

My mom knew my fears.   She let me.

I try to make a conscious effort today not to transfer my Halloween anxiety onto my kids. 

I cringe at places like Party City when the scary ghouls and goblins are out in full gear.  It doesn’t seem to phase my two though, but I also think that is because we protect our kids more, and they don’t see trailors for “Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Friday the 13th.”

Halloween to them is Scooby-Doo.  It’s whimsical.  It’s fun!  They get candy!

What's not to love?

I’ve bought my candy this year.   It’s by the door now with uncarved pumpkins.

I bought my favorites, too.  Peanut Butter Cups and Kit Kats. If it is your most dreaded holiday of the year, you might as well eat what you like.  Right?

My wizard and witch are ready.


And the nice thing about having children is that I don’t have to stay home, and answer the door. 

That’s a blessing!

I used to just hide in the back of the house when we were childless.

Hearing that doorbell, and knowing masked people were on the other side, well, you guessed it. 

It scared the pants off me, too. 

Now, I ring someone else's door. 



Linking this post up with:



#SOCsunday



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Itsy Bitsy Spider Cookies for a Spooky Snack

United States
Updated: October 22, 2025 
This post update is brought to you by Counter, my favorite skincare brand. Check out the 2025 Holiday Collection.  I wrote this post in the very first year of my website. During this time in my life, I would write late at night or during a child's naptime. The early days of my blogging were a special time that I look back on fondly. 


Baby Diva came home from preschool with eight additional legs.


I love the creativity in her preschool.

I don't sew, and truthfully, I don't glue well either.  I'm not a craft mom, but I love to "ohh and ahh" over what she made somewhere else.

I am a whiz, though, at Internet surfing, and look what I found from our grandmother's friend, Betty Crocker.




Even though I'm not a gourmet baker, I could pull these little bugs off.


 


Black string licorice
20
orange creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies,
teaspoon chocolate ready-to-spread frosting (from 16-oz container), 
40
miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces.
For each cookie, cut eight 1 1/2-inch pieces of licorice for legs. Insert pieces into the filling on each side of each cookie.


With frosting, attach 2 miniature chocolate pieces to the top of each cookie for eyes.


Now that's a spooky good treat!


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Remote-Control Romance

Do you watch TV once the kids go to bed?  You all are going to feel sorry for my husband, but I put TV watching ahead of any romance.



Yeah, that’s right. 

At the end of a day, I want to curl up on the couch with an afghan and see the latest fall TV show lineup instead of heating things up.



You see, during a typical eight-hour day, I’ve had sticky fingers crawling up my pants legs.

I’ve held and kissed 25 pounds of “pure sugar” while trying to make dinner. 

I stepped over or on top of 15 Legos, 10 blocks, and four dolls and even slipped on one pint-sized ball throughout my day. 

I’ve had to use my pilates ball with someone’s full weight on top of me and have had to go to the bathroom with an audience.  And let me just clarify in case your mind is wandering: My husband is at work during the day.

My makeup is smeared, and my hair looks as if I stuck my finger in an electrical socket, and if it didn’t before my son’s bedtime then it certainly does after I have to get under the covers and hear some crazy tale.

Some nights, I wish I could just fall asleep and stay there.

But, as 9 p.m. rolls around, I need to clean up the 15 Legos, 10 blocks, and the one pint-sized ball.  The dolls? Well, they went to bed with the diva. She cleaned those up for me.

The kids are finally asleep.

It’s just my hubby, me, and our big HDTV.  Our night is finally carefree!

It's a supreme moment!




Each week, at least six hours of fall TV shows are recorded on our DVR.

Six freaking hours!  Are we crazy?  We only have an hour or so on any given night before we really should get to bed ourselves; yet the cycle continues each week. Episodes pile up on the DVR.

Then the darn DVR starts to erase things we haven’t had time to see unless we tell it otherwise.

We tell it to stop, but then so much is scheduled to record the next week that it tells us our capacity is at its limit.

It’s a vicious cycle, but we never stop the recording each season.  Sometimes, favorites go off the air, and we just add new ones to replace them.  “Modern Family” and the new drama “Person of Interest” are the first to be watched this year on the DVR list. Some shows get carried over to the next week until we get so behind we just stop viewing those shows altogether.

There are probably days that we wish we could go back to our life before kids, when we sat down in front of the TV after work with dinner at the coffee table and knocked out about two or three shows in one sitting. 

That’s especially true for those nights now when we can’t agree on which show to watch during our hour of free time.

Oh, man, did we waste some time back then?

But, for us, there’s just something about keeping up with the fall TV lineup that is comforting and perhaps reminds us of our carefree thirties.

We had time for TV and romance.




Oh, the time we must find, but somehow we find it.  We sit hand in hand, have a little conversation as the commercials fast-forward, and appreciate our time together in front of the telly.


And just in case you are wondering, nothing on our DVR list is animated.  Nada. Zip. 



Yes, it's a real love story! We love our TV.

Linking up today with a blog hop from a great blog I follow called, "Mess for Less."   Vicky has great ideas on projects for children that don't require a lot of mess or money.  She is so clever.  If you are visiting from the Blog hop today, welcome.  I don't have one craft bone in my body, but hopefully, I can provide you with a laugh, a trip idea, and perhaps a good meal from time to time.


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You Can't Scare Me....

Occasionally, my mom comes to my house bearing gifts.   Her latest find came from Raleigh's Cameron Village in the form of a pillow.

It's little saying is priceless during one of the scariest months of the year.  Don't you think?



Speaking of those precious little children, it will soon be time for them to dress up for that one big night of the year.  This is when they will get more candy in one hour than they will ever be able to eat while living under our roofs.

We know you spent a small fortune buying Halloween costumes, precious time trying to find that costume that is constantly sold out at the Disney Store, or spent countless hours making a special costume for your little goblin.   Go ahead, admit it.  It's fun!   I think it's time to show off our parental creativity, and get our money's worth out of these costumes.

Upload your child or pet in their costume on the Hines-Sight Blog's Facebook Page

That's why I'm going to host the 2011 Hines-Sight Blog Facebook Costume Parade for Children and Pets.   Just upload your costume photos onto the blog's Facebook page for us to see now through November 1, 2011.   I thought it would be fun for us to show our Halloween photos this year, and don't forget to show us costumes for your four-legged friends, too.  The costume aisle for pets is growing daily, and let's just admit that a small dog looks cute between a hot dog bun.

I can't wait to see Rapunzel (heard it was the most popular Disney costume this year), ghouls, goblins, witches, superheros, princesses, and perhaps even a hot dog or two on my page.

So, go ahead! Put the finishing touches on that costume, get your camera ready, and give us a little treat this Halloween.

In order to thank you for your efforts, one of my Facebook fans will receive a latte on me.   I will draw one name at random from individuals who participate in the parade either by submitting parade photos or by "liking or commenting" on the photos submitted during this time period. Anyone's name can be drawn.   If you don't have a costume to share this year then just participate by telling us how cute our photos are because we all like some comment love.   It will be a fun week!

 I look forward to seeing you on my Facebook page.  You all will have a front row seat for the parade.

Have a great weekend!


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Wednesday's Wish We Were Here: Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, NC

Fall can be spellbinding in the mountains of Highlands, North Carolina.  The beautiful autumn colors that surround a town known for being storybook quaint can provide leaf lookers a magical experience.



Situated at 4,118 feet above sea level in the southern plateau of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the mountain village of Highlands is a destination that surprisingly was only 12 miles from where I grew up in the little town of Cullowhee.  But let me be the first to tell you that was the longest 12 miles ever for a little girl who was prone to motion sickness.

The road that leads to Highlands has hairpin curves and cliff drops that can make you weak in the knees if you look out the window.

Unfortunately, I don’t remember much about my earlier visits to Highlands because it’s been well over 20 years.  A lot of times, I just saw an inside of a gymnasium when our high school basketball team played the town school’s team.  Sometimes, we even saw a few snowflakes as the van carrying car-sick cheerleaders slowly got us back down the mountain.

Now that I’ve grown up and have developed a taste for the finer things in life, I wish I had paid more attention to this little mountain village that welcomed affluent southerners who made the trip in their horse-drawn carriages to escape the South’s scorching heat.


The quaintness and charm of the town makes me want to take a Dramamine and experience the luxury of a mountainside escape at the Old Edwards Inn and Spa first-hand.

***
My Savvy Spending Lodging Choice

As you know, I always try to find my readers a savvy spending hotel (under $200 per night) choice as well any time I talk about a travel destination on this blog.  The catch is that I will only mention the hotel here if I would consider staying there myself.   I found a lot of other great properties, including some vacation homes for rent by owner, in Highlands, but all of these properties would be in my splurge category.  There are some less expensive options in Highlands, but none met my personal criteria. 

I didn’t give up, though.  Instead, I extended my hotel search into a neighboring town, which is just as beautiful as Highlands. 

The Laurelwood Mountain Inn is located in Cashiers, North Carolina, which is 11 miles away from Highlands.
This inn would be a perfect budget-friendly base for your family to explore the mountains.  It’s a family-owned hotel, and it is very obvious by reading the reviews that they take great pride in their inn.  They have standard and deluxe rooms for under $100 a night.  Suites and log cabins are priced under $200 per night.  The inn requires a two-night minimum stay during peak times.  It’s a great savvy spending choice for families who want to visit this fall and early winter.


See you in the mountains.  If you go, let me know!


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Strolling Around Cameron Village: The Playhouse Parade

It was an absolute gorgeous weekend in Raleigh.  While many families spent time at the North Carolina State Fair, my family chose to go in another direction.  We strolled the sidewalks of Cameron Village, listened to one of our favorite children’s band, ate a gourmet lunch, and explored some dreamy playhouses built for charity.

The Playhouse Parade at Cameron Village

It was a dream day, indeed.  Yard work and chores were put on hold. We didn’t have a care in the world.  It was like we were tourists in our own city.


Can you imagine having this pirate ship in your backyard?



Or this fire station?



I’m particularly fond of the chicken coup.

  
Lilly fans, I bet you would drool over this Lilly Pulitzer inspired playhouse. I did. 

  
The playhouses were on display at the upscale shopping destination, Cameron Village, for two weekends as part of a fundraiser. On October 22, the playhouses will be auctioned off to benefit the Sassafras All-Children's Playground.  These playhouses are remarkable.  You can view the professional photos of these gorgeous playhouses here..  Get ready to swoon. 

It was such an awesome family day.

We had lunch outdoors at Village Deli and Grill.


We ran into some celebrities.

Durham Bulls Mascot Wool E. Bull

Ronald McDonald

We ended our journey with some cookies from my favorite little grocer, the Fresh Market.


Baby Diva has great taste.  She loves to window shop at Cameron Village.     



Want to visit Cameron Village, too?  It is one of the oldest shopping villages in the heart of Raleigh. It has tree-lined walks, one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants and cafes.  It’s located inside Raleigh’s beltline off of Oberlin Road.

On October 30, Cameron Village will host a Monster Dash, and costume contest.  


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So, What Do I Do All Day?

That’s a good question.  A lot of days, I wonder the same thing.  As I crawl into bed later and later each evening, I sometimes ponder if I accomplished anything at all.

I like to support my fellow North Carolina bloggers, and Melissa at Adventuroo is hosting a “Week in My Life” segment on her blog.  Throughout this week, bloggers have been capturing daily lives with photos, sort of like an online memory book. 

Since my daughter’s baby book is completely empty, I thought, “Why not give this a try?”  It will be fun to look at when she’s 20.

So, what do I do all day?  You can read this online diary and think one of two things.

1.     Wow, she accomplishes nothing. I get so much more done than she does.

Or

2.    Hmm, I’m glad I’m not that crazy woman. 

Here’s a Day in a Week of My Life!

6:00 a.m: Beep. Beep. Beep.  After the last beep, I get a tap on the leg from my husband.  Guess he thinks I didn’t hear it.

Every morning until about 6:30 a.m., I pack snacks, lunch, and bookbags and wait for my first cup of tea. It’s English breakfast tea for me daily with milk and sugar.  Can’t start my day without it. If not, I’m one cranky witch (also rhymes with the name of a female dog).


6:30 a.m: This is where I take a WRONG turn in life most days.  I should take my tea upstairs, shower, and get completely ready before I have the children start their morning, but I can’t seem to make myself do it.  I need that time to sit, read, and connect with all of you.

From 7:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. is utter chaos in my house as we rush to get dressed, eat breakfast, and get to school (about a 12-minute commute) on time.



On this day, I had to wake both of my sleepyheads. I let them sleep as long as I can most days, which in some ways feeds the chaos.  My husband helps with some shoe tying, hair detangling, and car-seat buckling.  I’m lucky, I know!

Our school bell rings at 9:10 a.m.  We’ve cut it close a few times but do not have a tardy on our record.  We are also very blessed with a late start time.


Baby Diva fusses daily when we drop off Mr. Cool.  I must not be as fun as he is, but she can fuss all she wants because she’s stuck with me for the next six-and-a-half hours.

What to do?  What to do?

As any mama knows, it’s much easier to entertain your child out on the town rather than at home for your own sanity.

Today was “Mommy and Me” gymnastics.


She’s getting better at her skills, whereas I look forward to the day that there is no mommy in the title of the class.

Mid-morning, we learned about colors in Old Navy as we purchased a few basics for the kid’s fall wardrobe.

She likes pink, blue, and purple but tossed the white T-shirt back on the shelf.  My dropping $115 on basic tees, running-type pants, socks, and pajamas is just a little reminder of how expensive it is to raise a family these days.  They could use a few more pairs of jeans, but we’ll just do more laundry until the next budget cycle.

She and I then went to our local CVS for an errand. No photography here, and it’s a shame, too.  She wanted to remove all the peanut butter cups from the pharmacy.  As I tried to pay and contain her at the same time, she put all of her weight on the floor and screamed loudly.

I swooped in with my best football tackle and ran to the end zone with her under the arm as the lady at the counter handed me my purchases.

She gasped, "you don’t even have to sign it. I did everything for you.”  Now that’s customer service.

Touchdown!


She’s still rowdy at home as I try to get her to eat lunch.

1:00 p.m. is a special time in our house.  It’s naptime for Baby Diva, and it’s my time to write, meet deadlines, update social media, read, pay bills, make phone calls, exercise, and do laundry.


I’ve really got to try to find some birth control for my laundry because every morning the pile gets bigger.

Around 3:15 p.m. is when I start to get us ready for school pickup.  I feel that those two hours without a child by my side are over in a flash.  Yes, I certainly have room for improvement in the time management area, but it’s so nice to have a break.

Carpool pickup at 3:45 p.m. is my favorite and most dreaded time of the day.

How can that be? I love seeing my son.  His sister is overjoyed.


But temperaments aren’t always the best, especially as it gets closer to 5:00 p.m.  My son is tired.  My daughter is, too.  They fight.  There are a lot of tears.

 I try to keep them occupied as best as I can and still get dinner on the table by 6 p.m.  It’s not an easy time of the day.   In this photo, he's praying that the camera is not broken after he was goofing off, and let his sister throw it on the floor.  


Today, we tackled pumpkin muffins and a very easy dinner.


My husband helps out a lot during bath time.  This is his time to be with the kids while I clean up the kitchen.  On this particular day, though, I was solo so he could have some quality time with friends he doesn’t see often.

Got one child to bed, then worked on the next one.  About 8:30 p.m, I kissed my son goodnight, and sat down in front of my computer before doing any more cleanup.

It wasn’t long, though, before I heard, “Mom!”

Finally, all was quiet in the house at 9:00 p.m.

There was still laundry to fold.

What did I do?

I shut the door to the laundry room.  After all, tomorrow is another day. 
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$60 and One Excruciating Car Ride Home Later: Is It Worth It to Take Children on Day Trips?

We were gone for just half a day.

We traveled only 40 minutes from our house for our kids to have a little fun with us.

Yet our return trip was the longest 40 minutes in our lives.  We were trapped in our car with screaming banshees.

One was mad because we were on the way home too soon, and the other was fussy because we stayed too long. The combination of the two together was a lethal trip killer. 


My husband and I could barely talk over the noise of unhappiness and complaining coming from the back seat.

“I’m mad. You are bad parents. We didn’t get to see the entire museum,” wailed a very spoiled and self-centered Mr. Cool.

Baby Diva wasn’t talking.  Fussy babble was all that came out of her mouth.


My usually quiet and frugal husband managed to get a word in despite the chaos, and jabbed the planner of this family outing with these stinging words: “We just spent $60 in less than four hours, and this is what we have to listen to on the way home.  Is this really worth it?”

It is astonishing to think that one car ride home can totally erase the lovely four hours you just spent with your children and even make you question if you should have gone in the first place.

But when you are a parent, emotions can run high. 

The finale isn’t always fun. 

But, let’s rewind and start at the beginning.

Our morning at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science was full of pleasure. 

We saw dinosaurs.
NC Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC 

We sifted for fossils.

We rode a train.

We learned about butterflies.

We had a delightful family lunch over yummy food.

We played instruments.



We spent fabulous quality time with our children before our oldest became a slave to a new public school schedule. 

The time was special.

Our memories are now priceless.

The car ride home is now a distant memory.  

Believe it or not, we are now ready for an encore trip.  There was a lot we didn’t get to see.

Want to go:  The Museum of  Life and Sciences is located at 433 West Murray Avenue in Durham, N.C.  It is one of North Carolina’s top attractions.  Situated on 84 acres, the interactive science park includes a science center, a butterfly conservatory, and landscaped outdoor exhibits, which are safe havens for rescued black bears, lemurs, and endangered red wolves.

The Museum's Dinosaur Trail takes visitors on a journey through the Late Cretaceous period. Other attractions include a Farmyard, Ellerbe Creek Railway, Contraptions – a hands-on exhibit for older children and adults, a sailboat pond, The Lab in Investigate Health!, Play to Learn – an exhibit for children under six, more than 60 species of live animals and so much more.  Admission is $14 for adults and $10 for children 3 to 12.  Train rides are $3 per person.

There is a restaurant on site called Grayson’s Café. The food selection is wonderful, and it is the only food allowed inside the park.  Families are welcome to bring their own lunch and picnic in the area outside the museum.   The museum is closed on Mondays through December 13.










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Hi, My Name is Leigh and My Husband Says I'm Addicted to the Internet

I say it isn't so.



Do you do a lot of clicking in a day?

My husband doesn't know what he's talking about, right?  Or does he?

I'm guest posting at "We're All in This Together" talking about this very subject. So, click on over and check out:
Are you Addicted to Social Media and the Internet? Five Signs that Suggest You Could Be


Do you have any of the signs? Be sure to let me know.

I also thank Brenda, who blogs about her life in Northern Utah, for inviting me to share a little humor with her readers today. 

Have a great weekend! I'll click back up with you next week.



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For those "Pantless in the Carpool" Type Nights; Make Sure Peasant Stew is in the Crockpot

I don’t know about your house, but the hours between 4 p.m and 6 p.m. are definitely not the happiest hours of the day in the Hines household.  5 p.m. is far from happy hour.

Honestly, those hours have never really been that pleasant with small children, but, quite frankly, these hours have been extra annoying since school started.   

Once I wake BabyDiva from her nap to pick up her brother at school, the first of our troubles begins.  One day, she rode to school without her shoes because she refused to put them on, and I didn’t have one minute on the clock to struggle with her to produce a different outcome. 



Several days in a row, she actually rode in the car without pants.  Yes, she was pantless.  She would fight me as I tried to put them back on. Oh, and did I mention that she can be cranky and clingy from being awakened from a deep sleep?   

Frankly, the afternoon just continues to go downhill until bedtime.  Getting dinner on the table these days is no easy feat, either. I’ve got one yelling or crying, and one wanting to be held.  I’m finding that as we sit down to eat as a family, it’s a toss-up on which way the pendulum tilts.  It could be pleasant or not very “happy.”

I’m doing my best to stop the madness for my own sanity and put some happiness back in the afternoon.   I’m starting to look for more crockpot recipes so I have less food to prepare for dinner and less stress. 

I found one meal that is a pure delight, and it made us all happy.  It’s called “Peasant Stew,” but  I think it is good enough for royalty.  It’s delicious!  I made some changes to the original cooking light recipe. 

Photo credit: Kerry Hosford


Here’s my version of Peasant Stew.

Ingredients

·                 1 teaspoon ground cumin
·                         1/4 teaspoon salt
·                         1/4 teaspoon black pepper
·                         6 chicken thighs (Boneless)
·                         1 cup chopped onion
·                         1 (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeño peppers and spices, undrained
·                         1 (14.5-ounce) can of tomatoes with green chiles
·                         1 (14.5 ounce) can of regular tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies
·                         1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
·                         1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
·                         1 (15-ounce) can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
·                         1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro 
·                         1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation

·                         Combine cumin, salt, and pepper; sprinkle over chicken.
·                         Place chicken in an electric slow cooker; stir in onion, tomatoes, and chiles. Cover with lid;  cook on high-heat setting for 3 hours. Stir in beans. Cover; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour.
·                         Place 1 chicken thigh in each of 6 soup bowls; ladle 1 1/4 cups stew into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 teaspoons cilantro and 2 teaspoons sour cream.

Hats Pants off to the Crockpot!

I'm linking this recipe to  Kludgy Mom's I Love Fall Foods Post.  Peasant Stew is a great fall meal that can be served on nights even when the carpool lane is closed. Happy fall!

http://www.kludgymom.com/fall-recipes/


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Let's Talk Disney: Finding the Perfect Hotel at WDW

Do you remember the first time you experienced the magic of Walt Disney World?

Walt Disney World 
My first trip to Disney was in 1975.  I don’t remember much of it except the constant complaining from my dad about how crowded it was that day.  The park broke major records on our visit that year.

Walt Disney World has been providing its guests with a fairy-tale experience for 40 years now.  As a parent, nothing is more exciting than experiencing the magic of Disney through the eyes of a child. 


As you know, my husband and I were blessed with our little ones a little late in our life.  Some may even call us old farts who are set in our ways.  I’m not going to argue with that, but I will say that we had a set of unwritten rules when it came to a Disney trip. 

Honestly, my child was the last child in his playgroup to go to Disney. I almost felt a little guilty when all these children were off to see the mouse, but we held out and didn’t make the trip until Mr. Cool was four.


Here is why.
  • If we were going to spend thousands of dollars on a trip, we didn’t want to worry about naps and rigid bedtimes.  We wanted flexibility and some of the perks of having an older child. Luckily, our child was able to handle that flexibility without any issues at four.  He was actually really fun.  There was just one incident waiting in the long line for the Dumbo ride. 
Not happy in the Dumbo Ride line
LONG WAIT!
Next time we go, no Dumbo Ride for Baby Diva
We'll distract her and move on to something better.

Finding the Perfect Hotel Choice for Your Family

The great thing about Disney is that you can go to Orlando and stay at a resort off property, stay on resort property for under a $100 day, or splurge a little with your accommodations.  Um, make that splurge a lot.  Overall, Disney is expensive, but the memories are priceless, right?  Sure, let’s all believe that, and it will make us feel better about how much we actually spent for four nights of magic.

If you are a consistent reader of my blog, then you know I poured countless hours into trying to find the best deal in the deluxe category.  Would you have expected anything less? I had spread sheets.  I crunched numbers daily.  It was almost absurd, but so fun and perhaps even a little geeky.  

The  WDW Beach Club Resort

In the end, I chose the Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World. The monorail hotels were still more than I wanted to pay for this visit.  We went in the spring when rates were also in the peak season.

Check for Special Promotions Often

Truthfully, I had a hard time with the prices of the deluxe rooms at Disney because I believed the rooms and service would not be the same quality as in a high-end luxury hotel such as the Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton. However, the price was more than what these hotels sometimes charge per night. With that said, I wanted interior hallways, easy access to the parks, and full-service restaurant choices daily.   Those wants require your needs to be in the deluxe category if you are staying on property. 

I had stayed at the Westin’s WDW Swan several years earlier before having children and had liked the location, so my experience staying in the same area was a factor in my final decision on our hotel.  I only chose not to stay there again because the hotel is not on the Disney dining plan, and I wanted to experience something new. 

I wanted to experience the "magic" of staying on property

We originally booked our stay for the Yacht Club with the help of Small World Vacations, and what I like about this company is that they will rebook your reservation if new deals and specials come out before your vacation.  I think that is important because one tends not to go to WDW at the last minute.  Most families plan and book vacations several months in advance. I booked in October for an April vacation. 

Here’s an example. Disney is offering dining free right now with your hotel stay through March.  If that promotion was not available when you booked the first time, Small World Vacations would rebook your reservation so you could get your stay with the free dining plan.  Small World Vacations does not do air reservations, so you may find good deals with air and hotel together, but once you’re locked into that price, that will be your final price even if new deals come out.  It’s something to think about when you plan.

Since you all know I am obsessed with hotel searching and pricing things, I never stopped playing with the WDW site after our reservations were made.  A month or two later, I found new package prices on the WDW site that weren’t that easily found for the Beach Club Resort and other deluxe properties.  The Yacht Club was not part of the special. The Beach Club Resort is right next door to the Yacht Club, and they share amenities.  I called our representative immediately.  She rebooked us to the Beach Club, and we saved ourselves $800.
 
The beach at the WDW Beach Club Resort
The Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World

I was very happy with my choice of the Beach Club Resort for our stay.  It is a lovely property.  The magic of Disney really shines when it comes to their hotel grounds. In fact, the pool area has been touted as one of Disney’s best.  I would agree.




The rooms were nice, medium-sized, and comfortable, but I will go ahead and tell you now that they did not meet the same quality and standards of some other luxury-brand hotels I have frequented in the past.  When we arrived our TV remote was missing from the room, and housekeeping would forget to replenish our coffee/tea area daily.  When you pay over $300 per night, you want your coffee bar restocked.  These were little things, but when you pay big prices they seem annoying at the time.  I loved having two queen beds in the room. 

Our room at the WDW Beach Club Resort

In my opinion, when you stay at a deluxe property, you are paying for location, beautiful grounds, and resort amenities such as full-service restaurants.  We did not do any signature dining on this trip due to having a four year-old with us, but we did enjoy the character breakfast at Cape May in our hotel.  The regular restaurants at the Yacht/Beach Club resorts were just okay in our opinion, and we preferred the food in Epcot and at the parks over the hotel restaurants we tried.  We had room service on our last day, and it was such a treat for our sleepyhead.


Four days at a park can be a little tiring.

Would I Stay at the Beach Club Resort Again?

Absolutely. I really enjoyed our stay here, but, truthfully, I am saving our money for a monorail hotel stay for our next trip when my daughter is four because easy access to Magic Kingdom is a must at this age.  Yes, that now means I am willing to pay even more for location and perks. 

I think the Beach Club Resort is perfect when you want to spend a lot of time at Epcot and Hollywood Studios due to the location.  However, it is still a 20-minute bus ride with all the hotel stops to get to Magic Kingdom, not to mention that you have to WAIT for the bus.  It could be five minutes, or it could be 15 minutes.  It was a lot of waiting.  Also, at this location, the bus hits five bus stops to service the Beach Club Resort plus the WDW Yacht, Boardwalk Swan, and Dolphin hotels.

We are a leisurely family. (Remember that old fart comment I made in the beginning? We like to soak in the ambience and relax. We’re not a get-up-and-go family.  Eating is just as much fun as the parks to us.  It’s all part of the experience.)  By the time we had a 9:30 a.m. breakfast and waited for the bus at the hotel, it was almost noon by the time we got to Magic Kingdom.

Character Breakfast at Cape May Cafe at WDW Beach Club Resort

But, with all that said, I asked my son what he liked about our hotel today at lunch, and he said:
  1. The breakfast with characters
  2. The pool
  3. And the bus ride to the parks
So maybe the bus ride only bothers middle-aged old farts, right?  You can't go wrong with this hotel choice especially if your desire is to spend a lot of time eating in Epcot or on the Boardwalk.   They also have great activities for older children at night.  We ran out of time on our visit, and didn't make it to the Beaches and Cream Soda shop in the hotel.  It will be on my list for a future stay.

New Options for the Future

My daughter will be four at the end of 2013 so we may not make it down to Disney until 2014.  A lot will change in three years.   Luxury lovers received great news last month when the Four Seasons Resort announced that it is building a resort on the Walt Disney Resort property with a target opening date of 2014.  The property will include 444 resort rooms and 90 residence resort club units within the prestigious Golden Oak Community.  This new resort will have a rooftop restaurant with Magic Kingdom views.  I can’t wait to learn more about this future property and just how easy it will be to get to the parks.


For families needing some additional space, Disney is now taking reservations for the new Art of Animation Resort, which is slated to open with family suites in May 2012.  This hotel will be placed in the value resorts category, and from what I’m reading now the value hotels as well as the moderate hotels have tiers in which you pay more for preferred room locations.  These hotels are spread out with numerous buildings, so that is something you will need to factor in when choosing a hotel from these categories.  A lower-priced room may include a good walk to the bus stop, restaurant, or pool.

The choice of finding the perfect lodging for your family can be fun, exciting, and even magical.

Definitely listen to what past guests had to say on the website Tripadvisor, and let their reviews help you find the perfect match for your travel budget. 



There is so much to write when you talk about Disney. It’s certainly grown in the past 40 years.  Another time, I’ll share some things that I wish I knew before I took my trip.


Linking up with Whatever Wednesday today.

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