Have Pen, Will Travel: A Solo Trip Report--Includes Dining and CSR Reviews and Photos! About This Page:

[niccole]

My oldest will be in school till the 20th before any make-up days. and the past few years we have had more flood days then snow days. We will see. She got a trailer classroom this year since there were to many kindergartners so she has central heat and A/C. Lucky kid.

[dutchdisneyfamily]

I'm loving your TR too! I'm a teacher and I'm married with kids. However, I'd love a solo trip to Disney! Oh to dream.... Good for you, even if it was a bit of fun work in the process.

[elbodans]

Originally Posted by niccole

My oldest will be in school till the 20th before any make-up days. and the past few years we have had more flood days then snow days. We will see. She got a trailer classroom this year since there were to many kindergartners so she has central heat and A/C. Lucky kid.

As a teacher..... How do feel about kids missing school? does it matter the type of student/ grades they get? Is before or after vacation better? and does it help if the missed work is passed in before they leave? ODD is missing all A's by 1 point. I asked for the missed work so we can do it during April vacation and pass it in Monday before we leave. (Tues. A.M.). I also have her do fun things while there to keep her thinking. like in Epcot we give them (mostly her) a gift card with $25 they have to find some thing in each country that represents it and stay in budget. She asks questions and learns about the country and has to do math so she knows the tax too.

without getting too much into my own personal philosophy of school vs. travel, let me just say that according to said personal philosophy (short version is 'travel is learning, so taking kids out of school to travel is encouraged'), what you are doing is great--i love the gift card budget idea! that's fantastic! kids can 'still' learn when having a good time on vacation! and those lessons are often very practical--they are building skills they will use forever (who doesn't budget, right?) they may also be building an interest in something that will lead to later learning--say they fall in love with the france pavillion in epcot, and then decide to take french in high school because of it? or visit paris and study art? i could go on...but i won't.

as for the before or after vacation question, at least in my school it is better to go away before a vacation--particularly any long break. things always sort of wind down (esp. before x-mas break) so all they'd be missing would be 'fun stuff'. but my actual answer to the question is 'you should go on vacation whenever is best for your family'. after all, you're the parent--you decide what is best for your child.

final note--it is sometimes hard for teachers to give work far in advance, but there should be no reason why your child can't have all of his/her work given to her at least a week in advance. again, there are different policies at different schools, so this will vary.

[elbodans]

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

I'm loving your TR too! I'm a teacher and I'm married with kids. However, I'd love a solo trip to Disney! Oh to dream.... Good for you, even if it was a bit of fun work in the process.

i strongly encourage all those wishing for a solo disney trip to take one. it almost makes me want to try to organize some sort of mass solo trip--but then it wouldn't be solo then, now would it? i'm picturing WDW filled with people all waving to each other but not talking, the single rider lines surpassing the standby lines! ha!

strange thing about me--i tend to have the most fun when i'm doing work, too. i'm odd, i know!

[niccole]

Thanks for your truthful answer. I edited my post and started a thread (for other moms that may wonder too)

This year she will miss a whole week but in the past it we normally are back (and her in school) the Tuesday after break. But the deals just didn't line up. Her teacher is very good and tends to have his general lesson plans posted for the month on the school site. I know that it can be shifted due to the flow of the class "getting it" or flying through it. He also give them all their homework for the week on Monday and tells them how many points each thing is worth then they decide what grade they want. I like how he is teaching responsibility to them in this way.

[elbodans]

Originally Posted by niccole

Thanks for your truthful answer. I edited my post and started a thread (for other moms that may wonder too)

This year she will miss a whole week but in the past it we normally are back (and her in school) the Tuesday after break. But the deals just didn't line up. Her teacher is very good and tends to have his general lesson plans posted for the month on the school site. I know that it can be shifted due to the flow of the class "getting it" or flying through it. He also give them all their homework for the week on Monday and tells them how many points each thing is worth then they decide what grade they want. I like how he is teaching responsibility to them in this way.

he sounds like a fantastic teacher! your daughter is very lucky! and i hope you have a magical trip!!!

[elbodans]

Day 3 Part 3--Festival of the Lion King vs. Cirque, plus how this was the least productive day of my trip (with a ‘review’ of Pepper Market and CSR in general)

So...this brings me back to The Festival of the Lion King. I almost got out of line twice. Once because it seemed I was in the wrong line--the ropes led me to an area far off to the left of the crowd. Again because it seemed I would be waiting for far too long--I was wrong again. Fortunately I met some very nice people in line...in case you cannot tell, this has become somewhat of a theme for this trip--awesome people in line save the day (case and point, the women in line for the boat to WL, the people I met in line for rope drop at Epcot, that nice gay canadian librarian/teacher couple in line at the louvre...oh wait, that wasn’t this trip. Let’s just say I have very good line luck!) Said people were DVC owners, and later I found out that they only live one county away from me (and share a love of Disney and Vegas--it must be a PA thing!)

Anyway, needless to say, FotLK (did I get that acronym correct?) was amazing.



I’ve seen three Cirque du Soleil shows--Ka, Zoomanity, and LOVE--and FotLK was equal in impressiveness to the first two (LOVE is just out of this world, and I’ve found nothing deserving of its comparison). Ok--maybe the moving stage part of Ka is more impressive, but Ka lacks a story line--so FotLK wins.

I also took many, many notes during the show. It was very productive.

After FotLK, I located a restroom that wasn’t mobbed, which required a bit of a trek. Amazingly, I discovered that said trek deposited me right outside of Everest. Imagine! And the single rider line was right there, totally open...so I rode Everest again. Sans queue, which I needed to do again for my research.

Ah well.

After Everest, I continued on to Nemo, having decided that clearly, I like the shows the most.



I was wrong. Nemo was boring. Sorry. I completely realize this may be because I was beginning to crash at this point. I will try it again in May, and report back. But I used my time in the theatre wisely--I thought about my goals for the rest of my trip (which was quickly winding down). I came to several realizations regarding the limits of my time (long story really--and rather dull) and realized that there’s no way to do all I need to do in one trip, nor was that the purpose of the trip.

So...I rode Everest again (my third time ever AND that day--and I didn’t think I’d like it! Ha!) Again, yay for the single rider line--I was on and off in less than ten minutes. And then I shopped for a good half hour. I purchased a lanyard and a pin for my mother (to present to her on the plane on our way down--see the PTR I’ve not yet written about our mother-daughter trip) and contemplated a zebra striped shirt, also for my mom. And then I took the bus...back to my hotel.

The plan for the end of my time at AK was to take the bus directly to Epcot. But I knew the projected crowd level for that day (not good) and I knew how tired and burnt out I was becoming...and I got back onto the bus to CSR. My plan was to rest for a bit, and then contemplate making the trip to Epcot for EMHs until midnight.

I never made it to Epcot.

Up next--will I EVER find a corkscrew, or will I bash open my bottle of wine on the edge of the bathtub? Plus--Pepper Market, the good, the bad, and the strange.

[Colexis Mom]

Glad you enjoyed FoLK! Sorry Nemo was a disappointment!

[B.M.]

Glad you enjoyed FOTLK; Sorry you did not enjoy Nemo; They are both two of my favorites

[mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince]

Oh, I'm sorry you didn't like Nemo! That is my very favorite WDW show! I love the music, the presentation, the costumes... The soundtrack for that show is part of what I call my "happy music." When I'm home and feeling depressed for whatever reason, I either put on the Finding Nemo: the Musical soundtrack or Illuminations, and I am usually happy again before too long. Quotes from that musical have made it into our every day conversations, THAT is how much my family loves it!

Please give it another go in May; perhaps at the beginning of your day instead of at the end?

[elbodans]

I don't know how to quote multiple people, but to everyone above--I will be seeing Nemo again in May, and I'm sure I'll be in a better mindset then. That really was the beginning of my melt down slash burn out. Plus I'll be with my mom, who will surely love it, and thus so will I!

[elbodans]

Day 3 Part 4--My search for a corkscrew, Pepper Market Review, CSR Review.

Instead of heading to Epcot for EMH until midnight, I decided I needed a break, and that this break should include wine, food, crappy TV, and some writing time. I’d been going nonstop since 6am Tuesday morning--it was Friday night. I needed some down time. Additionally, I thought that using my evening to organize my notes would be helpful in preparing (and planning) my last day in the parks. So I set out on what was to become an epic search for the first two required items--wine and food.

Correction--I wasn’t looking for wine. My Florida friend brought me two bottles, from the much-cheaper-than-Disney grocery store. But I as I’d only packed in a carry-on, I didn’t have a corkscrew. This was problem number one.

Problem number two was that I knew I needed dinner. Despite my awesome meal at Y&& that afternoon, I knew I shouldn’t combine wine with no dinner. But when I’m cranky--and at this point I was cranky--I get very picky about food and, inconveniently, money spent on food. So while I did take a good ten minutes gazing longingly at the room service menu, I decided to save a few bucks and venture out on my own in search of something tasty.

It would have been easier to go to Epcot.

I first walked to El Centro, which took about 10 minutes at this point, as I had developed a fairly noticeable limp after sprinting about the parks for three days. When I arrived, I visited the gift shop first. I was ok with paying for a corkscrew--but they didn’t sell them. My next stop was the takeaway counter. I’d purchased a bottle of wine on my first night there (now long gone--sorry, I like a couple of glasses of wine at the end of the day. It’s a writer thing...I swear!) and they’d opened it for me after I purchased it, so I assumed they had corkscrews.

They wouldn’t lend me one, but told me instead to ask at the front desk.

Attempt three led me to the concierge desk, where I inquired, and a very helpful woman DID take a good long time looking for one in every single cabinet behind that desk. Alas, there were no corkscrews to be found. Trying to be helpful, she said she’d contact housekeeping to see if they have any that they could deliver. At this point I wasn’t holding my breath.

Mission one was unsuccessful. Mission two--dinner. It is up to you to judge whether you think this mission was accomplished.

Against my better judgement, I went to Pepper Market. I really should have tried the sit-down restaurant, but it has been given such consistently terrible reviews I decided to skip it. Thus, Pepper Market was my only other option.

I was seated immediately, and the lovely waitress explained how everything worked even before I could read the explanation on the back of the ticket. I ordered a glass of merlot (I was going to have that wine no matter what!) and ventured into the stations area of the food court.

Please know that I’m an admitted food snob when I say this...nothing, absolutely nothing, looked good. Wait--that’s a lie. The desserts looked good. But I didn’t think a cupcake was a good choice for dinner (though it would be a good choice for breakfast the next morning...more on that later!) After circling the stations several times--which looked rather insane, as I was the only person there at the time, and all of the chefs were staring at me--I came to a decision. Here is my dinner...



Yes, that’s right. I had a glass of merlot and a chicken finger kid’s meal. And do you know what? It was damn good.

As I finished up my ‘meal’--complete with little tubs of BBQ sauce--I noticed the waitress watching me out of the corner of her eye. As she came to take my tray, an actual little chuckle escaped her lips. I said--you’re laughing at my kids meal and wine, aren’t you? She replied--I think it is awesome.

I’m glad she was amused. I know people always talk about ‘great CM interactions’ in trip reports, and I’ve got to say that I don’t really look to interact with Disney employees--but if I did, this would rank right up there as one of the best.

Side note--this was the least expensive meal of my entire trip, including the next day’s breakfast. It was less than the cost of one margarita from Cava de Tequila in Epcot. So it may not have been fancy, but it was fiscally responsible!

All in all, I did not love Pepper Market. While the chicken fingers were good (and that cardboard-looking cookie wasn’t bad, either), all chicken fingers are good. I mean, come on--this is a food even McDonald’s can’t mess up. None of the actual entrees being served looked as good as the food served in the cafeteria in my middle school. Though the cafeteria in my middle school doesn’t serve wine, so at least Pepper Market has that going for it!

Fortified by breaded chicken and potato chips, I made my way back to my room...to find THIS...



Yay! Housekeeping came through! Yay housekeeping!

The only problem? I didn’t know how to use it! I did what anyone would do with such a device, and ended up working myself into an actual sweat trying to pry the cork out of the bottle. It literally took a good 20 minutes of trying, and resting, and then trying again...but finally...

(Photo of wine, netbook, and TV that wouldn't paste for some reason?)

SUCCESS! I had a glass of wine, my netbook and, miracle of miracles, the wheel of fortune! Say what you will about the magic of Disney, and about how much TV sucks and is a waste of time whilst on vacation (because I’ll say all of those same things) but the channels available on Disney Resort television are woefully inadequate.

I managed to organize all of my MK notes on my netbook, and then created this list of ‘must-dos’ for the second part of my final day...



...written in my notebook for easy access in-park. I then drifted off to sleep, with my netbook still on my bed. I woke up with it in the morning...VERY early in the morning.

As this was the day during which I spent the most amount of time at the actual resort, I felt it was the correct point to review CSR itself. On a scale from one to ten, what do you think I will rate it? Go ahead. Guess.

Are you guessing?

Guess now. Quick, guess before you scroll down!

My overall rating is a 6 out of 10. Here’s why.

Pros:

-The amazing bus service.
-How pretty it is.
-My good fortune in getting a first floor room near a bus stop.
-The housekeeping person who brought me my corkscrew.

Cons:

-Having to walk 10 minutes to get to anything (other than the bus).
-After having waked 10 minutes, still only having access to a crummy takeaway shop, a crappy food court, and an insanely overpriced gift shop.
-Soundproofing or, rather, a lack thereof. I heard everything that went on around me, whether it was next door, above me, or outside. This typically doesn’t bother me, as I frequently travel in noisy cities. But after being out and about for 14+ hours in the parks, I’d like some peace and quiet at the end of the day.
-The housekeeping person who cleaned the room. There was hair in my bathtub that was there when I arrived, and there when I left.
-The lack of wireless internet (I’d be fine with paying for it, but even that’s not available)
-The price, given all of the above. I consider myself a moderate traveler--meaning I travel more than some people but less than some people (ok, I travel more than most people and less than some travel writers)--and I’ve stayed in much nicer places for similar or lesser amounts of money. Though you really cannot put a price on being in WDW. And the buses were fantastic. Did I mention the buses?

Wow. Now I’m rethinking that 6 out of 10. It seems like with all of that, it should be lower. But really, some things rank higher than others. For example, I care more about good bus service and, well, pretty palm trees than I care about noise or hair in the shower. So I stand by my 6 out of 10. Yes. Yes I do. I’d even go back, if the price was right. Though my next stay--that is, after my trip in May to AKL--will be at the Dolphin. Because Epcot’s World Showcase is closer to the Dolphin than Pepper Market was to my room at CSR. Ok--that may be an exaggeration--but not by much!

Next installment--Can you say PARK HOPPING??? Three parks, one day. Seriously.

[lfredsbo]

So happy you were delivered a corkscrew!!! Nothing like having a nice glass of wine to wind you down for the evening!!!

I am sorry that you didn't care for the Pepper Market.........DH & I stayed at CSR back in 2006 and we really enjoyed it - hopefully it was just a matter of being over-tired and hungry.....I know when I get to that point - nothing works

Can't wait to hear about your 3 parks in 1 day!! I know how crazy it is!!! DD & I did that one trip!!! IT was CRAZY but so much fun!!! But then again.....we weren't "working"!!!

[oddboysmum]

Oh no a hair in the tub .. yuck! And what a scrumptious looking meal that was! LOL
I can't wait to hear your next TR about AKL.

[Cam22]

Great update!