Amy's Fabulous Split StayTrip Report!!!! (Finally)... - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Please fasten your seat belts, put your seat backs in their upright positions, and keep your arms and legs inside the ride vehicle at all times....here we go................
The destination: WDW of course!
The dates: April 27 through May 5
The resorts: 6 days at CBR in a Pirate Room, 3 days at AKL in a Savannah View Room
The Characters: Me- mom (Amy) age 35, DH (Tony) age 39
DS15 (Michael), and DS7 (Matthew)
So, we were way too excited to sleep Sunday night! Tried desperately to keep the boy's normal routine for bedtime, as if it were a school night, but it was really hard. Matthew kept yelling down the stairs with tons of questions "MOMMY! Did you pack my ____?" Fill in the blank, he wanted to take the entire house with him, every toy he owned, all of his drawing supplies, all of his books, dvd's, even our cat! I had to explain that cats do not travel well and that he could only take what he could fit in the one small tote bag that I allotted him to carry on the plane to keep him busy during the flight. I also reminded him that if he took up too much space in the suitcases that he wouldn't have room to bring any souvenirs home. He said "sure I will - Daddy can just carry them on the plane for me!" Little stinker!!! Then there's Michael, being 15 has it's own set of challenges. He wanted to just stay up all night playing xbox360. His theory is that he wasn't gonna be able to sleep anyway, so why even bother trying - he'd rather be playing a game, than staring at the dark ceiling all night! I told him nice try - and lights out!
DH and I eventually got to bed after 11:00 but I don't think either of us fell asleep before 12:30.....
Then beep-beep-beep....4:00AM!!!!! It's time!!!! Everyone jumped up at once! It's finally here! It's Disney Day! We all got up, dressed, cleaned up, too excited to eat, figured we would just do that at the airport. Thankfully the Buffalo airport is only 15 minutes from our house, so we don't have far to drive. We just went through our check list of what to close up, turn off, pack up, oh - feed that darn cat too! (woops!) Luckily we have good friends close by who care for him while we are away, and they do a great job with George (our cat) and the house. We always feel better knowing that they are in good hands!
We are very lucky that there are non stop flights on Southwest from Buffalo to Orlando, and it only takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes to get there! Our flight took off at 7:15am and we got there about 9:40am! It was a very smooth flight, and I had gotten up at 7am Sunday morning to check in online, got us A17-20 boarding passes, so we sat in rows 4-5 on the plane.
When we got to the DME counter at 9:55, there was a LOOOONG line! I have never encountered that before! It was very disappointing, since we expected to just pick up and go! The entire roped off area was filled with people, and the whole seated waiting area was filled with family members waiting for those in the line. And there were only 5 CM's at the counter, which did not help things. I was chatting in line with a lady from Canada, and she informed me that the Canadian 7-4 deal had just begun last week? I was surprised to hear that, I just assumed that the discount was the same for everyone, can't see why it would start so late in the year for Canada? Anyhow, it took about 20 minutes to get through the line, but after that we got right on a bus. Our first resort for our stay was CBR, and we were on a bus with people going to CBR, CSR & POP. CBR was the first stop! We arrived about 10:45, and it was pretty busy there at check in time, however we only waited about 5-7 minutes before we were called to check in. I opted NOT to do online check in for CBR or AKL on this trip for a few reasons: 1. because of all the stories I heard about those lines actually being longer than the regular check in lines, 2. because I had some specific room requests that I wanted to be sure I could get, 3. because these were both resorts I'd never stayed at before and I wanted to get a feel for them right from the start at check in.
The online check in area had about the same wait time as the regular check in area did while I was there, by the way.
The Custom House at CBR is really nice, but very tucked away from everything else, and the only time we saw it was to check in! Our room was not ready when we got there, so they gave us a card with a number to call after 3:00 to get our room number. We took our carry on bags to the bell service counter and they stored them for us - later that evening when we got to the room I called them and they brought them right over within 10 minutes - no problem!
So, after check in we decided to hop a bus over to Hollywood Studios. The one thing I didn't like is that you can't catch a bus from the Custom House, you have to walk over to Barbados bus stop to get the bus. Which isn't so bad, it's just 2 minutes walk, and a cross a small street. We waited about 10 minutes for the bus. The bus will stop at every "island" and also at Old Port Royale before leaving CBR and heading to it's destination/park/DTD/water park, etc. Some people might think that would be a pain or take a long time, but it really does not, usually 5-10 minutes max - and that's no longer than it would take if for example you're staying at Boardwalk/Beach/Yacht (actually that takes a lot longer) for the buses to get to all of them before you head to a park, or Wilderness Lodge/camp, or now AKL & Kadani share buses too! Oh, and most definitely it is a lot less time than it takes to stop at the All Stars. So, CBR actually takes less time. And, staying in Trinidad South, we were very lucky in that we were the last stop to be picked up 90% of the time - so they would pick us up at the bus stop and then head straight out to the parks! And, coming back to the resort, we were usually the 3rd or 4th stop to get off, they normally start at Barbados or OPR and then go around from there. So, we normally never waited more than 5-10 minutes for a bus, and we usually got to the parks in the same amount of time. I clocked Magic Kingdom one morning and it took 14 minutes.
So, let me start with some pics and reviews of CBR:
This is the curtain that divides the bathroom area from the sleeping area!
The cool table & chairs. very "Piratey", don't cha think?!
The view from one of our TWO! corner windows. We asked for a first floor room in building 35 facing the lake, and that is exactly what we got....Trinidad South, building 35, first floor facing the lake, room #3501....it was absolutely perfect! The view we saw every morning when we opened the curtains was of the lake, the beach, and the play ground. There was a family of ducks - a dad, mom and 3 babies that waddled past us every day. The room was spotless, and Mousekeeping was really good - no towel friends, but the room was very clean with plenty of towels and supplies and she was very sweet and friendly every time we ran into her. We were just around the corner from the pool, laundry & bus stop in our island, but far enough away that we didn't catch any traffic or noise at all. All of Trinidad South was full during our stay, but we did not hear any noise! Not even from any neighboring rooms - no flushing, no tv's, no voices - it was so wonderfully peaceful! We just loved the feel of CBR, very happy, laid back, and I love the calypso music they play all over OPR and the pool area, you can't help but be happy and have a bounce in your step!
The Flying Dutchman is actually carved into the shower wall! I mean, they really left no stone unturned in these Pirate rooms! Every little detail was thought of. The carpet looks like plank flooring. It's really amazing - the iron faucet fixtures, the wallpaper in the bathroom, the bedspreads with their "treasure" motif....we just fell in love with it!
Okay, starting from left to right... there is a nice long shelf at eye level - you can see a little bit of it, it has 4 hooks underneath too that you can hang purses, totes etc on as well. Underneath that shelf is a large trunk, I have my big red suitcase on top of it, the trunk has a big slide-out drawer, which I fit about 6 days of clothes inside. Next to that is the giant whiskey barrel, which houses the fridge. You can see the beautiful 32" flat screen tv on top of the 4 crates - those are actually individual dresser drawers, they are all nice and deep and roomy too. Then the table & two chairs. There was an outlet on the lower wall between the tv & the table & chairs, we brought a power strip so we could plug in all of our cell phone chargers & camera stuff all together so it wasn't scattered about the room, and it worked out quite well. Next, you have the front door, and we had a "connector" room, so there was another door over there too. We brought a twin air mattress, so that fit quite comfortably between the bed & the front door, no problem, the boys took turns sleeping on it because they didn't want to sleep together, and it worked out well.
Here's a closer look at the details on the barrel and the crate/drawers! And, you can also see some of the carpet/plank floor too!
From landing at MCO at 9:40 am, to check in at the hotel, to hopping on the bus, we were happily in the park by 11:30am!!! Not bad at all ...
Our first stop...Toy Story Mania, of course! The park was a little crowded, and there were evening EMH that night until 10pm, but no Fantasmic scheduled, although I had heard they actually added one that night - not sure if they did, as we hadn't planned to stay for it. Anyhoo - off to TSMM!
Take a look at that wait time! that was by far the longest we saw the entire 9 days we were there....and when we got inside, it was definitely NOT 90 minutes, I would imagine the wait was more like 60 for those who had to wait in the regular queue line. The rest of the week we typically saw max waits of 40 minutes, but the fast passes would still be gone by noon each day. We were at DHS 3 times that week.
My family and I do not usually go through the regular queue lines, because we utilize a Guest Assistance Card. My son and I both have heart conditions which cause complications when it comes to standing for long periods of time, especially in heat and humidity, and my DS7 can actually pass out from it, so we end up getting sent through the fast pass line, or through the assitive access areas. It's not always faster though, we've sometimes had longer waits, but atleast then there is a place to sit down.
Michael and Tony, ready to go again! Michael's high score on TSMM is 245k! Mine is 180k, Tony's is 165k, and I think Matthew has gotten up into the 100k's as well. Not too shabby! (we are much better at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin- as you will see later on in this Trip Report )
Not our best scores, but not our worst!
__________________
~Amy~
Last edited by Buffalogirl18; 05-08-2009 at 07:37 PM..
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of course we couldn't miss a chance to see our favorite Pixar Pals, across the way from TSMM is where Buzz & Woody now hold their audience, I was really disappointed in that new building, because you'd think that with the huge "Pixar" sign going up...
I thought maybe they would make a lot more of this area, like put ALL of the Pixar characters here, and maybe a quick service restaurant, you know, really do it up right?
But, instead it's this really narrow walk- through, much like the outside corridor. The inside is just some props that you can take pics with and bide your time until you get to see Buzz & Woody and then they shoo you back outside again. There is a small snack stand outside under the over-hang that serves soda, slushies, popcorn and stuff like that as well as a small gift stand with Toy Story merchandise.
Here are some pics that we shot...
After we took our pics and had a snack, we decided to check out the Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian attraction. We really loved the Narnia books, and the first movie...the second movie not so much, I really felt they could have done better to have chosen one of the other books to have made into a movie, and Caspian was one of my least favorites. The attraction itself is a very brief, very disappointing walk-through with a very short 5-7 minute film clip / montage of the movie & making-of sequences with the creators. There are a couple of costumes, and the stone table, that is it! Not worth the wait in line if it is long. I didn't bother to snap any pictures, there really wasn't anything to take pics of, and it was pretty dark in there too. There's no place to sit, it is small, and you stand the whole time, so little kids won't see much.
We had lunch at Sci-Fi Diner, one of our must-do traditions, we just love it there, and any of you who are regulars to Sci-Fi know the song I am going to mention now from the movie clips...."Beware of the Blob", well it is now my ring tone on my cell phone! and here's a link to the youtube clip if any of you need a little reminder:
I couldn't tell if Matthew was exhausted and ready to pass out in his milkshake, or if the milkshake was so good that he was hugging it!
can you tell that by 2pm, being up at 4am with only about 4-5 hours of sleep was starting to take it's toll?!
So, being on the Deluxe Dining Plan has it's advantages, and it's disadvantages. We learned last year to pace ourselves, but in the beginning of the trip it's really hard to do - see my VERY bloated belly?! That is NOT what it usually looks like!!! That was after a milkshake, a full glass of water, onion rings, spinach & artichoke dip, a huge burger, AND this awesome peanut butter chocolate cake ala mode!!! Boy, we are not at all used to eating like that at home.
We had a reservation for dinner at Hollywood & Vine for 7pm that night, but none of us were even close to being hungry, and we were tiring out fast, and the boys were eager to get back to CBR to see their Pirate room too! So, we milled about, did Muppets 3D, Star Tours, all the usuals, and by 7pm, we were ready to head back to CBR. There was a bus at the CBR stop at DHS at that time, no wait at all, and CBR is stop #7, a short sweet walk. It takes 5 minutes to get to CBR from DHS. We were the 3rd stop at CBR, the bus stopped at OPR, then Trinidad North, then us - Trinidad South. We got to the room, unpacked, settled in. About 8:30 we got hungry, so we decided to walk down to OPR and eat, figured we would just do quick service at OPR, but when we got there Shutters caught my eye and it smelled soooo good! The place was full and hoppin', but we only waited 5 minutes and they got us right in! The food was fantastic and so was the service, and everyone around was also raving about what they ate too! I wish I had taken pics of food for my TR, but that's about the only thing I Didn't take pics of!
At Shutters...
Appetizers we had: lettuce wraps w/pork & plantains for two (by the way on the DxDDp any of the App's that are "for two" you can still order, you just split it among two people on the plan for your app allottment) The lettuce wraps were terrific, and DH loved the plantain chips and the cilantro mayo dip that came with.
habanero chicken wings- DS15 loved them! and we are from Buffalo so that is saying a lot!!!
Entrees:
Me- Char-crusted NY strip steak with pico sauce; loved it, the char was awesome and had a terrific sweet/smokey spice to it.
DH- tamarind glazed chicken; he said it was very good, moist, great flavor, didn't care for the plantains that came with this dish, they were mashed (more like mafungo) , not fried like the chips - but it's a textural thing with him.
DS15- Caribbean Pork Ribs - he loved them, he loves all ribs, but he said the glaze on these was great, it was like a tangy bbq sauce but with a kick and he thinks it had some tamarind in it too. DS15 is very adventurous with his eating as you will see later on. He had black beans & rice with his & ate all of them - said they were awesome.
DS7- he had a burger with fries and an ice cream sundae, right up his alley, and he loved everything.
Dessert:
we were so full from dinner, and it was so late 9:45 by then, that we decided to take it to go, they put it in really nice containers with all the plastic ware in a really nice heavy duty paper bag with handles, so we could take it back to the room for later.
we got chocolate cake & two key lime tarts. They were fabulous, when we ate them a day or two later for a late night snack.
We milled around a bit checked out the pool, and the food court area, the gift shop and such. I just really love the feel of Caribbean Beach Resort. It's very layed back, relaxed, happy. You don't feel rushed or frienzied when you're there - ever! There's calypso or reggae music playing all the time, there are ducks and bunnies roaming around on the paths by the water, kids digging in the sand on the beaches and their parents on a lounge chair or in a hammock beside them, in the morning you'll see people taking their morning jogs, and everyone smiles and says hello as they pass by. We were in Trinidad South, what is supposed to be one of the farthest sights from Old Port Royale, but it only took us 5 minutes to walk there, and it was a lovely, leisurely walk filled with beautiful scenery on a path along the lake, and it didn't even feel like 5 minutes most of the time. I can't tell you enough how much I loved it there! To me, it was such a huge step up from a Value resort where you feel so closed in, and there's noise, and crowds, at CBR you just don't feel any of that. At each island of CBR you have a "quiet pool", incase you don't want to go to the main pool. You also have a laundry in each island, so you're not sharing one laundry facility with 2000+ people, you've got 7 laundry facility for 2000 people! Not to mention, the laundry facility is a LOT closer to your room too. The bus stop is also very close to your room, and our bus was never full, going to the parks, and I think DH & DS15 only had to stand on a bus 2 times going back at night. I know that had a lot to do with the week that we went and the crowds being lower, but it also had to do with the resort being more spread out and the good timing we had with when we chose to go to & from the parks as well.
I wish I would have taken pics so I could show you, but the whole eating area at CBR is so well planned out and efficient it is wonderful - and very clean and well run!
The area where you get juices, muffins, quick stuff is separate, and has it's own cash out area with two cashiers, so you don't have to wait in the hot food line to cash out if you don't want to!
There are 3-4 other stations for hot food choices and they do not "run" into each other, they are in a row, not a circle or half circle where there can be a traffic jam, and the cash out is across from it, there is plenty of seating inside and out, and during peak eating time 8-9am on two different mornings we had no problem getting food or table, and the food was hot, tasty, the drink stations were clean, not sticky, there were several cm's I saw constantly cleaning off tables, saying hello to guests and offering assistance with trays and such. Nothing seemed chaotic, it was all very orderly and friendly.
I just have to say, the $300-400 more for an upgrade for 7-9 days to go from a Value to a Mod is totally worth every penny!!!! We are now permanently converted, and I think that CBR will probably become our "regular" resort.
Don't get me wrong, Values serve their purpose, and I adore some of them, particularly All Star Movies, and if it were the only way we could afford to go to Disney then of course we would stay at a Value resort, but I would rather sacrifice some souvenirs, or even go down to basic dining from deluxe in order to stay at CBR!
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I have never encountered that before! It was very disappointing, since we expected to just pick up and go! The entire roped off area was filled with people, and the whole seated waiting area was filled with family members waiting for those in the line. 
And there were only 5 CM's at the counter, which did not help things. I was chatting in line with a lady from Canada, and she informed me that the Canadian 7-4 deal had just begun last week? I was surprised to hear that, I just assumed that the discount was the same for everyone, can't see why it would start so late in the year for Canada? 
Anyhow, it took about 20 minutes to get through the line, but after that we got right on a bus. Our first resort for our stay was CBR, and we were on a bus with people going to CBR, CSR & POP. CBR was the first stop! We arrived about 10:45, and it was pretty busy there at check in time, however we only waited about 5-7 minutes before we were called to check in. I opted NOT to do online check in for CBR or AKL on this trip for a few reasons: 1. because of all the stories I heard about those lines actually being longer than the regular check in lines, 2. because I had some specific room requests that I wanted to be sure I could get, 3. because these were both resorts I'd never stayed at before and I wanted to get a feel for them right from the start at check in. 
So, CBR actually takes less time. And, staying in Trinidad South, we were very lucky in that we were the last stop to be picked up 90% of the time - so they would pick us up at the bus stop and then head straight out to the parks! And, coming back to the resort, we were usually the 3rd or 4th stop to get off, they normally start at Barbados or OPR and then go around from there. So, we normally never waited more than 5-10 minutes for a bus, and we usually got to the parks in the same amount of time. I clocked Magic Kingdom one morning and it took 14 minutes. 
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the pictures!
I didn't bother to snap any pictures, there really wasn't anything to take pics of, and it was pretty dark in there too. There's no place to sit, it is small, and you stand the whole time, so little kids won't see much. 
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