The “”I Don’t Have to Cook for 10 Days" TR - Aug 17-27, 2010 - COMPLETED 11/2! - Page 33 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Our alarm woke us up at 8:00 today. We got up slowly, ate breakfast, got ready, and finished packing by 9:30. We relaxed until bell services knocked at 10; Dave went with them to check our bags and I took one last sweep of the room to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind.
We headed downstairs in the elevator. When the doors opened, I started laughing. Standing there was a co-worker who I knew would be at the resort for the last two days we were there, but never expected to run into! We chatted for a few minutes, and then they left for their day at MK.
I took the kids over to the arcade and playground to kill time until our 12:30 DME pick-up, taking some pics along the way.
They played on the slides and swings for a few minutes, and then decided they were too hot, so we headed into the arcade. They played a few games, and then spotted the air hockey table – they love air hockey, so away they went! 40 minutes later, we left the arcade to meet Dave in the lobby, with me taking more pictures.
We grabbed lunch at the PM, after which we headed into Panchito’s where we did more souvenir damage! Why is that I always say I’ve bought enough, but when it’s time to leave I find a million more things to buy??!! I bought myself a darling little dress – it’s black, smocked at the top, and covered with animal print Mickey heads I plan on wearing it as my cover up next year on the cruise, so watch for it in that TR Dave bought a Disney book on leadership, Alex got a POTC skeleton gun, Sabrina got 2 charms, and we bought a salt & pepper shaker set for my SIL. Oh, and a cookie cutter for us! LOL!
I creatively rearranged the luggage we had left with us so I could fit this all in, and we boarded ME at 12:45. When we got to the airport, we browsed the shops (and bought the 4 Parks, 1 World CD!), then headed for security. We were through a fairly long line pretty quickly and were sitting by our gate at 2:15, waiting for our 3:40 flight.
"But we don't want to go home!!"
We took off a few minutes late, but ended up landing on time. The first half of the flight was bumpy as we flew through Florida’s afternoon storms and a few others, but the second half was pretty smooth. The car service driver was waiting for us at luggage claim and he helped Dave load the car and away we went towards home.
An interesting site along the drive – the driver of a transport truck carrying a load of new vehicles seemed to have misjudged the height of a bridge and had successfully turned several of the top cars into convertibles He’s going to be in some trouble I guess!!
We made it through the border with no issues and were home in good time. The kids were wound up and we still hadn’t eaten dinner, so Dave went to grab a pizza while I tried to sort a few things out. Unpacking would wait until tomorrow!
Up Next: Final Thoughts....
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
Great pictures around the resort on your last morning! I can't believe your trip is over though! It really has been fun to read about your family's adventures.
Great final evening! Love those castle shots especially. And I know all about those last-minute purchases. I often end up carrying on more than I expected to on my return flight home! LOL
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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What fun at Chef Mickey's, the perfect way to end the trip. Ilove the pictures you took on Main Street, those are great. Glad everyone had a great time on BTMRR - we love it in the dark, it dfinitely is like a different ride. Can't wait to hear your final thoughts, I so enjoyed reading your TR and sharing in your wonderful trip.
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Great pictures around the resort on your last morning! I can't believe your trip is over though! It really has been fun to read about your family's adventures.
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Originally Posted by rhinohunter
This has been a lot of fun to trek along with you and your family. Looking forward to your closing thoughts.
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Originally Posted by chezp
Great photos from your final morning. Sorry to see this come to an end.
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
What a great last day! Love the pictures! Looking forward to your final thoughts!
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Originally Posted by scrappyjae
What a great trip, thanks for letting us tag along!
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Originally Posted by mcc0313
What fun at Chef Mickey's, the perfect way to end the trip. Ilove the pictures you took on Main Street, those are great. Glad everyone had a great time on BTMRR - we love it in the dark, it dfinitely is like a different ride. Can't wait to hear your final thoughts, I so enjoyed reading your TR and sharing in your wonderful trip.
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Originally Posted by mommapants
Over so soon - bummer.
Sounds like a nice relaxing last day at the resort. Can't wait for the final thoughts
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Originally Posted by disneyfreeeak
Glad your trip home went smoothly...sad that your trip is over though! I've had fun reading along
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Originally Posted by lazanya
Sorry your trip has come to an end. Can't wait for final thoughts.
everyone! I've had a lot of fun writing it (even though life got in the way and I didn't get it finished as fast as I thought I would!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
Great final evening! Love those castle shots especially. And I know all about those last-minute purchases. I often end up carrying on more than I expected to on my return flight home! LOL
I always swear I am travelling light and am NOT going to jam the kids activity backpack with stuff, which of course, I never accomplish!
Quote:
Originally Posted by benjiboo25
Love the new sig pic. I am also a big fan of the pic that shows your son looking through the Mickey (plate holder?) at CM. So artsy!
Thanks! I think it was the napkin holder, but I'm not sure LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
I can't believe its all over with! Great pictures from your last morning. And I know what you mean about finding stuff to buy at the last minute!
We all have that last minute shopping addiction I'm afraid!
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
The Resort: Coronado Springs
We had a great deal of difficulty choosing a resort this trip. We originally booked at Pop, but when the Free Dining offer came out, we decided to upgrade to a Moderate, but couldn’t decide where. We had stayed at POR and didn’t care for our 10 min+ walk to get to the food court, so that was out. It was between CBR and CSR. The queen sized beds and newly renovated rooms won us over.
I have to say that overall I thought the resort was fine. Am I going to book there again? Probably not since it didn’t bowl me over.
We were in Casitas 5 – very close to Bus Stop 2 which was nice, and midway between the pool and the main building (about 5 min in either direction). I was happy with our location. They were however re-painting our building and it really stunk when we walked to our room, but thankfully, we couldn’t smell it in the room. I’m sure it’s because we went in value season, and I know it has to be done, but I still wasn’t a fan
The service there was fabulous – we had a few minor issues with a CM when we called about our Garden Grocer order, but everyone else we encountered was wonderful.
On the whole though, we just weren’t that impressed, which leads me to believe that we will try another resort next time.
The Food: Pepper Market
This may have contributed to my blah feelings about CSR. I liked not having to find a seat, but this was really the only plus here. I am sure the servers have been stiffed before, but the CONSTANT reminders that tip was not included (sometimes several times in a meal) got to be a bit much. The food was good, but we found their dessert selection limited compared to other resorts we have stayed at. Can’t say that we were fans of the PM!
Le Cellier (x2)
Loved it!! We liked dinner far more than lunch, but I am still undecided whether that had to do with the meal we ordered or the fact that it was dinner rather than lunch
Hollywood & Vine
We have eaten here 3 times now; the food is average, nothing to write home about. It is however, the only place beside Sci Fi at HS that appeals to us as a family. Since we had planned Sci Fi for dinner (although we didn’t make it!), and my DH would hate the 50s Prime Time, we’ve tried Mama Melrose and disliked it, and we don’t want to use 2 credits at BD, H&V it was! We had great service here and enjoyed our character interaction.
Cinderella’s Royal Table dinner
This was our first time at the castle for dinner – we’ve been here twice before for breakfast and enjoyed it, but wanted to try something new. The atmosphere at dinner is magical, and the food was fine – but really, who goes here for the food?
Donald’s Safari Breakfast
This is one of our favourites. We love the food here and we especially having an 8:00 reservation and being finished right around park open!
Planet Hollywood
This was a first for us and we were pleasantly surprised. The service was great and my kids loved looking around the restaurant. Our food was good too. I don’t know if we’ll be back, but only because there are other places we want to try.
O’Hana’s
Another first! We loved this breakfast; however, we didn’t love the wait to get in. I think if we go back, we’ll try for an early reservation to maybe avoid that wait....
Crystal Palace
A 4-peat for us We generally enjoy the food here and meeting out Pooh friends, but every year we leave and say how noisy and crowded it was. I think this may actually be our last year there for a while (or maybe we’ll try breakfast)
Cape May
A first! This was another first that we thoroughly enjoyed. It gave us the opportunity to explore BC a bit and enjoy a yummy breakfast.
Chef Mickey’s
First time for dinner – no complaints again. The chef did take me through the line to show me what to avoid, but I’ve been reading in other TRs that some haven’t been doing that here lately
Our Firsts:
We had a crazy amount of first this trip, many due to taller and braver kids! Some due to the fact we had 10 days to enjoy the World:
Dole Whip, Haunted Mansion, Opening at Epcot, Test Track, Kim Possible, Pangani Exploration Trail, AK Parade, TOT, Indiana Jones, meeting Lotso, Chip and Dale Campfire Singalong, Pirate’s League, BBB, Captain Jack, Princess Meet and Greet in the tent, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Meeting a PPer ( Heather!), MSEP, American Idol show, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground, meeting Marie, Captain EO, Kodak Imageworks, meeting Beast, Rope Drop at MK, eating at Main Street Bakery, Astro Orbitor, meeting Jesse
Actual Final Thoughts
Each year that we go brings new memories and experiences to our family; so to say one trip is better than another is difficult. This year though was probably my favourite due to the more relaxed pace we set for ourselves. We took so much more time to simply ‘be’ there that we ended up experiencing more than we normally would have.
My absolute favourite morning was our last at MK. Sitting at a table on Main Street, enjoying some delightful cinnamon buns and watching the goings-on of Main Street was truly magical. It still brings a smile to my face as I remember the feeling of pure happiness I had while sitting there.
I am going to miss our trip to WDW next year, but am looking forward to new experiences on our first ever cruise! Watch for that PTR sometime in June!
Thanks to everyone for reading along and for all the kind words and encouragement. I wasn't so sure about trying to write a TR when I started, but am thrilled now that I did. I will definitely be printing this out for my scrapbook (thanks again Cam!!) and all the ‘little’ memories will be preserved as well as the big ones that stand out to us.
And with that, I declare this TR complete!! LOL!
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
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I bought myself a darling little dress – it’s black, smocked at the top, and covered with animal print Mickey heads 
I plan on wearing it as my cover up next year on the cruise, so watch for it in that TR 
Dave bought a Disney book on leadership, Alex got a POTC skeleton gun, Sabrina got 2 charms, and we bought a salt & pepper shaker set for my SIL. Oh, and a cookie cutter for us! LOL! 
He’s going to be in some trouble I guess!!
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Sorry to see this come to an end. 
My normal everyday computer routine!
Holly: 
everyone! I've had a lot of fun writing it (even though life got in the way and I didn't get it finished as fast as I thought I would!)
LOL!
Heather!), MSEP, American Idol show, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground, meeting Marie, Captain EO, Kodak Imageworks, meeting Beast, Rope Drop at MK, eating at Main Street Bakery, Astro Orbitor, meeting Jesse
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