Victoriasmom98
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2009
Hey there, hi there, ho there! Why am I back writing a pre-trip report? Oh, I dunno
.maybe, just maybe Im going on yet ANOTHER trip 2 Disney. Yep this will be trip #2 to Disney in 2014! This past March I took my 16 year old daughter Victoria and her (now ex) friend Kali to Playlist Live Orlando 2014. You can check out that trip report in my signature, if you are curious. For those of you who havent read it, needless to say it was a less than magical experience and my husband Peter was missing from the trip so that left an empty spot in the trip. It did take some tweeking and begging, but Peter agreed to a family trip in September. 
We had gone in August before and it was so dripping-with-sweat hot that we decided to avoid it at all costs. One other condition of the trip was that we must have the Free Dining promo that usually comes out for the Late Summer/Fall season. Ok, I can live with those conditions --- that makes September the month to go. 
Then began the waiting for Free Dining
.and waiting
..and waiting
.tick, tock, tick, tock. By this time as well my 180 day window for ADRs had since passed. Great! I was thinking Free Dining with no availability at any restaurants was what we were going to end up with. Knowing that I could book ADRs without having a ressie in the books, I went ahead and did just that --- at 160 days out. Its ok, though, as I got everything I wanted. Ok, well, maybe I didnt get an ideal time for Chef Mickeys (our ressie is for 7:15am on September 19th --- our departure day and our flight isnt until 3pm or so), but I keep looking every day for something later. 
During the wait for the promo I joined a really great group of Free Dining on both Facebook and the Dis and the excitement in the group was infectious! Of course the promo released to the Disney Visa holders first (nope, I dont have one, so I had to wait) and then to the rest of us peeps. I was kind of deflated when I read that Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter were excluded from the promo, but I had been prepared for that possibility and chose Coronado Springs resort.
You know what really irks me (and a lot of people on the Dis) is when people reserve the rooms in anticipation of Free Dining. Joe Black, one of the administrators of the group states that why should Disney bother including a resort which is already pretty booked to the promo. The promo is supposed to fill in an otherwise less than full resort. He believes POR and POFQ are full as people booked those resorts prior to the discount. I was also in various threads that once the promo hit and those resorts werent included that people were cancelling their ressies and moving to other resorts. I was so worried that this was going to make Coronado full, but thankfully I was able to get it.
Now the dates of our trip changed a few times prior to being able to book. I knew I wanted this trip to include our anniversary date (September 18th) but other than that I was pretty flexible. I printed out Joshs EasyWDW September calendar and started planning.
At first I had the trip worked out as September 11 through the 21st. It felt a little weird to me to plan to fly on September 11th, but I would do it. I was trying to schedule the trip to include the lowest crowd days I possibly could. One thing I learned from the Playlist trip was that I hated large crowds! After all, isnt Disney MY KINGDOM?? Thats right, it is and people need to know that!! I was all set with days/ADRs in my notebook when hurricane Victoria blew in ..
What is that, you say? What does hurricane Victoria mean? Oh friends, you know my child ..she seems to find alternate things to do for any plan I make. She found out that Little Mix (a girl band who has a singer, Perrie, engaged to One Directions Zayn --- I knew this was important to you to know this!!) was playing in Orlando at the House of Blues on September 12th. She R-E-A-L-L-Y wanted to go to this concert and started her campaign for Peter and I to give in to her. Anyone with teens or tweens know what Im talking about ..the promises to do chores, earn money, behave, etc. Being the wonderful Mother I am, I looked up the venue and discovered it was the House of Blues in Downtown Disney that they were playing at! I shared this knowledge with Victoria and told her a great big YES as neither Peter nor I have a problem with her going to this concert if its right in DTD!! In fact I bought the ticket as soon as I found out. So, September 12th will be the day spent in DTD! And the Little Mix ticket is also for the Meet & Greet!! Shes so excited!!!
Ok, now I have to re-look at the schedule to see what I can switch around. Knowing that Animal Kingdom is Victorias least favorite park, I wanted to schedule that park for the 13th --- the day after the concert as shes going to be tired and cranky and will not want to go. We made an agreement that she will go to Tusker House for breakfast and go on EE, Dinosaur, and Kilimanjaro Safaris with us and then take the bus back to the resort. Im making the Fast Pass selections for the am and that will leave Peter and I some alone time just walking around. It works out perfectly. But in order to get all my days to my liking via crowd calendars/EMH/MNSSHP I had to move the days up a bit to September 9th through the 19th. I like this schedule much better!!
Its funny how 2 days can really make a difference. Im truly glad not to be flying on 9/11. Now will this work with making our reservation with Coronado Springs? I had a few days to sweat it out before I could call.
Finally it was here .the wonderful day that I could make the reservation! Yeah!! I didnt get up any earlier or get all weird about it, but I did start calling at 7am while attempting to go online and do it that way. I was able to get Coronado reserved online even before I had gotten through to the reservations desk. Yeah! I was now booked standard view from September 9th through the 19th with Free Dining and 8 day passes (non-hopper) for Disney!
Well, you know me, I started thinking about which village to be in, which is closer to the pool or quiet pool, closer to the food court, etc. I started reading up on Business Class. Now all the Business Class rooms are in Cabana section 9-B. I like the selection! Also Business Class has a longue for members only which provides a continental breakfast served in the am and drinks/snacks served in the evenings. BONUS!! No need for a Garden Grocer order! Heres a list of the amenities I found on the site:
CSR offers Business Class rooms for vacationing guests. Business Class level rooms includes access to the Coconino Lounge that offers a continental breakfast from 7am to 10am and evening snacks, beer, wine and soda from 5pm to 10pm.
Coconino Cove Lounge the new Business Lounge at Disney Coronado Springs Resort will provide a variety of exclusive amenities and upgraded services to our Guests.
Located in the Cabanas, building 9B, Coconino Cove is a semi-exclusive gathering place for networking, relaxing, working or playing.
Guests with Coconino Cove access will enjoy upgraded, semi-exclusive services and amenities, including:
Use of in-lounge iMac and PC stations, computer gaming consoles and flat screen televisions
Electronic device charging stations & boarding pass printing
Areas suitable for small groups to gather and meet in a relaxed setting
Assistance with dining reservations, ticket information and other special requests
Food & beverage offerings throughout the day
Conveniently, all Guests with Coconino Cove access will be located in building 9B during their stay. Guest rooms will be close together near the lobby and convention center.
Coconino Cove is open 7:00 a.m. 10 a.m., 7 days a week for breakfast and 5:00 p.m. - 10 p.m. for evening service.
Breakfast (7-10am): Cold cereals, bagels, fresh fruits, and either muffins, cinnamon rolls, or danish (they alternate those). The coffee machine makes espresso and lattes; they have regular and decaf coffee, a nice selection of teas, milk and juice.
Evening Service (5-10pm): Soft drinks, Perrier, beer (Heineken/Bud Light/Yuengling), wine (white/red/zinfandel), and sangria. Crackers, cheeses, veggies, hummus and several dips. Tortilla chips, potato chips and veggie chips. At 7pm they bring out chocolate covered pretzels and a spicy nut mix.
Items subject to change
There are only 66 rooms in cabana 9b available to access the Coconino Cove. Its not the entire building.
43 king
23 standard
All Business Class level rooms have two queen-size beds or one king-size bed, desk and chair, vanity area with sink, a ceiling fan and a bathroom. All rooms are non-smoking as well. This rooms are also 314 sq ft. Rooms are equipped with a mini refrigerator, coffee maker, and an I-Home clock radio and docking station which is included in the cost of the room.
Additional amenities for business class rooms:
Upgraded mattresses
Plus lounge chair with ottoman
Tile flooring in vanity area
Additional shelving in vanity area
Wood crown molding throughout room
DVD/Blu-ray player
Bath robes
Now that Ive read all that, I really, really wanted Business Class so I started using myDisneyExperience to see if it was available. I check several, and I mean several times throughout the day with no availability
. Finally around 9pm I saw Business Class Standard online and called praying it was still going to be available by the time the castmember got on the phone. It was about 10 minutes before I was connected and guess what --- it was still available, so I booked it, replacing my other ressie! Yay!! Joy!! Celebrate!!! Yahoo!!!!! 
Yes, its a bit more expensive (like $500 for the entire 10 days) but for the location, Im happy!!! One little itty bitty tiny issue ----- I have yet to tell Victoria that September is Love Bug month. Let her enjoy the planning for now! 
We had gone in August before and it was so dripping-with-sweat hot that we decided to avoid it at all costs. One other condition of the trip was that we must have the Free Dining promo that usually comes out for the Late Summer/Fall season. Ok, I can live with those conditions --- that makes September the month to go. Then began the waiting for Free Dining
.and waiting
..and waiting
.tick, tock, tick, tock. By this time as well my 180 day window for ADRs had since passed. Great! I was thinking Free Dining with no availability at any restaurants was what we were going to end up with. Knowing that I could book ADRs without having a ressie in the books, I went ahead and did just that --- at 160 days out. Its ok, though, as I got everything I wanted. Ok, well, maybe I didnt get an ideal time for Chef Mickeys (our ressie is for 7:15am on September 19th --- our departure day and our flight isnt until 3pm or so), but I keep looking every day for something later. During the wait for the promo I joined a really great group of Free Dining on both Facebook and the Dis and the excitement in the group was infectious! Of course the promo released to the Disney Visa holders first (nope, I dont have one, so I had to wait) and then to the rest of us peeps. I was kind of deflated when I read that Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter were excluded from the promo, but I had been prepared for that possibility and chose Coronado Springs resort.
You know what really irks me (and a lot of people on the Dis) is when people reserve the rooms in anticipation of Free Dining. Joe Black, one of the administrators of the group states that why should Disney bother including a resort which is already pretty booked to the promo. The promo is supposed to fill in an otherwise less than full resort. He believes POR and POFQ are full as people booked those resorts prior to the discount. I was also in various threads that once the promo hit and those resorts werent included that people were cancelling their ressies and moving to other resorts. I was so worried that this was going to make Coronado full, but thankfully I was able to get it.
Now the dates of our trip changed a few times prior to being able to book. I knew I wanted this trip to include our anniversary date (September 18th) but other than that I was pretty flexible. I printed out Joshs EasyWDW September calendar and started planning.
At first I had the trip worked out as September 11 through the 21st. It felt a little weird to me to plan to fly on September 11th, but I would do it. I was trying to schedule the trip to include the lowest crowd days I possibly could. One thing I learned from the Playlist trip was that I hated large crowds! After all, isnt Disney MY KINGDOM?? Thats right, it is and people need to know that!! I was all set with days/ADRs in my notebook when hurricane Victoria blew in ..
What is that, you say? What does hurricane Victoria mean? Oh friends, you know my child ..she seems to find alternate things to do for any plan I make. She found out that Little Mix (a girl band who has a singer, Perrie, engaged to One Directions Zayn --- I knew this was important to you to know this!!) was playing in Orlando at the House of Blues on September 12th. She R-E-A-L-L-Y wanted to go to this concert and started her campaign for Peter and I to give in to her. Anyone with teens or tweens know what Im talking about ..the promises to do chores, earn money, behave, etc. Being the wonderful Mother I am, I looked up the venue and discovered it was the House of Blues in Downtown Disney that they were playing at! I shared this knowledge with Victoria and told her a great big YES as neither Peter nor I have a problem with her going to this concert if its right in DTD!! In fact I bought the ticket as soon as I found out. So, September 12th will be the day spent in DTD! And the Little Mix ticket is also for the Meet & Greet!! Shes so excited!!!
Ok, now I have to re-look at the schedule to see what I can switch around. Knowing that Animal Kingdom is Victorias least favorite park, I wanted to schedule that park for the 13th --- the day after the concert as shes going to be tired and cranky and will not want to go. We made an agreement that she will go to Tusker House for breakfast and go on EE, Dinosaur, and Kilimanjaro Safaris with us and then take the bus back to the resort. Im making the Fast Pass selections for the am and that will leave Peter and I some alone time just walking around. It works out perfectly. But in order to get all my days to my liking via crowd calendars/EMH/MNSSHP I had to move the days up a bit to September 9th through the 19th. I like this schedule much better!!
Its funny how 2 days can really make a difference. Im truly glad not to be flying on 9/11. Now will this work with making our reservation with Coronado Springs? I had a few days to sweat it out before I could call.Finally it was here .the wonderful day that I could make the reservation! Yeah!! I didnt get up any earlier or get all weird about it, but I did start calling at 7am while attempting to go online and do it that way. I was able to get Coronado reserved online even before I had gotten through to the reservations desk. Yeah! I was now booked standard view from September 9th through the 19th with Free Dining and 8 day passes (non-hopper) for Disney!
Well, you know me, I started thinking about which village to be in, which is closer to the pool or quiet pool, closer to the food court, etc. I started reading up on Business Class. Now all the Business Class rooms are in Cabana section 9-B. I like the selection! Also Business Class has a longue for members only which provides a continental breakfast served in the am and drinks/snacks served in the evenings. BONUS!! No need for a Garden Grocer order! Heres a list of the amenities I found on the site:CSR offers Business Class rooms for vacationing guests. Business Class level rooms includes access to the Coconino Lounge that offers a continental breakfast from 7am to 10am and evening snacks, beer, wine and soda from 5pm to 10pm.
Coconino Cove Lounge the new Business Lounge at Disney Coronado Springs Resort will provide a variety of exclusive amenities and upgraded services to our Guests.
Located in the Cabanas, building 9B, Coconino Cove is a semi-exclusive gathering place for networking, relaxing, working or playing.
Guests with Coconino Cove access will enjoy upgraded, semi-exclusive services and amenities, including:
Use of in-lounge iMac and PC stations, computer gaming consoles and flat screen televisions
Electronic device charging stations & boarding pass printing
Areas suitable for small groups to gather and meet in a relaxed setting
Assistance with dining reservations, ticket information and other special requests
Food & beverage offerings throughout the day
Conveniently, all Guests with Coconino Cove access will be located in building 9B during their stay. Guest rooms will be close together near the lobby and convention center.
Coconino Cove is open 7:00 a.m. 10 a.m., 7 days a week for breakfast and 5:00 p.m. - 10 p.m. for evening service.
Breakfast (7-10am): Cold cereals, bagels, fresh fruits, and either muffins, cinnamon rolls, or danish (they alternate those). The coffee machine makes espresso and lattes; they have regular and decaf coffee, a nice selection of teas, milk and juice.
Evening Service (5-10pm): Soft drinks, Perrier, beer (Heineken/Bud Light/Yuengling), wine (white/red/zinfandel), and sangria. Crackers, cheeses, veggies, hummus and several dips. Tortilla chips, potato chips and veggie chips. At 7pm they bring out chocolate covered pretzels and a spicy nut mix.
Items subject to change
There are only 66 rooms in cabana 9b available to access the Coconino Cove. Its not the entire building.
43 king
23 standard
All Business Class level rooms have two queen-size beds or one king-size bed, desk and chair, vanity area with sink, a ceiling fan and a bathroom. All rooms are non-smoking as well. This rooms are also 314 sq ft. Rooms are equipped with a mini refrigerator, coffee maker, and an I-Home clock radio and docking station which is included in the cost of the room.
Additional amenities for business class rooms:
Upgraded mattresses
Plus lounge chair with ottoman
Tile flooring in vanity area
Additional shelving in vanity area
Wood crown molding throughout room
DVD/Blu-ray player
Bath robes
Now that Ive read all that, I really, really wanted Business Class so I started using myDisneyExperience to see if it was available. I check several, and I mean several times throughout the day with no availability
. Finally around 9pm I saw Business Class Standard online and called praying it was still going to be available by the time the castmember got on the phone. It was about 10 minutes before I was connected and guess what --- it was still available, so I booked it, replacing my other ressie! Yay!! Joy!! Celebrate!!! Yahoo!!!!! Yes, its a bit more expensive (like $500 for the entire 10 days) but for the location, Im happy!!! One little itty bitty tiny issue ----- I have yet to tell Victoria that September is Love Bug month. Let her enjoy the planning for now! 
Yay, as I wasnt sure she would as I thought shed be nervous as she does suffer from some anxiety issues. She will be a junior in high school in the Fall. OMG!!! 
It worked out very, very well for our entire family! Peter likes to work on European sports cars such as MGs and Fiats (ok Fiat is Italian --- shoot me!) He loves our chickens (all 27 of them) and talks to them like they are his little babies! Its really cute to watch! 
Oh I dont mind walking the dog, but to actually exercise? Nah. I know it would be the best thing for me, but I just cant get myself to do it. I dont know. I think its a mental block or something. I love to scrapbook, but again, you cant exercise and scrapbook at the same time ---- somethings got to give, right? 
