From Fantasyland to the Fantasy: We came, we saw, we kicked it's AFT! UPDATED 1/10!

[livingis2me]

Originally Posted by dizney-cruiser

...Is Brendan now taller than Ron?

Not yet!!! I've still got a few inches on him... I'm sure he'll have me beat in a year or two... And he just turned 13 on sunday!!!

Ron

[podsnel]

So the CM gave you a stern lecture? Did ya tell him you were late for your FPs because Disney's rides kept breaking down?? That just doesn't seem right. Shame on him!

Oh....I am sooo glad you liked that waffle- I was DYING to try it in May, but it just never worked out- for SURE I am having at LEAST one this trip! I hope the slaw is on mine, though- I love arugula, but the slaw is what has me sold (I am obviously not from the south, so I am GREAT with the asian theme. ) Tyler's all jazzed up about the nutella/fruit one, too!

Only 15 days til we're there! And we are still not sure who exactly will be coming from Pods' bro's family- he's talking about leaving one of the boys home- Pods has talked to him 3 times about it, saying this is just a baaaaad idea, but he still hasn't figured it out. I don't think I mentioned that my SIL has brain cancer- she is recovering from a craniotomy and the first round of radiation and chemo, so,VERY sadly, will not be coming to WDW with us. She's going to be ok, just not feeling so good right now. I think my BIL is overwhelmed by the thought of having all 3 boys by himself- but we keep telling him we are there, too- achhh...I hope he makes the right decision...

[Misskitty3]

Looks like you all had so much fun!! Interesting about the Dumbo no- queue! Queque. Wish they could do something like that for the Princess Meet and Greet at DLR!

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by mouseears1

Jen,

I love your trip report! Alan and I are anxiously awaiting your next entry. We miss all of you but are really grateful we were able to sail with you on the Fantasy in September. I love seeing pictures of your beautiful family.

Alisia

Hi Alisia! I’m so happy to see you following along!
We are so grateful for all of the fun events you had a huge hand in planning for our group! They really made our cruise so special! I know I’ve told you that before…LOL!

Thanks again so much for sharing your gorgeous suite with us, I am sure the readers will love getting a peek at it!

It was so great to meet you and Alan and I hope we get to cruise again together!

Originally Posted by anewmac

1) have I taught you NOTHING, napkins in the shoes LOL

LOL, Ron did that. ;P She was still close without them but she was just always compensating for the extra height by bending her knees or leaning over. Hehe

2) I really want to ride in the CLAW over the castle.. maybe even bungy jump from it. now that would be cool

Yeah! And you would do it, with all of your jumping out of planes and stuff!

3) is ron doing call me maybe in the splash mountin pic lol

Scary, isn’t it?

4) faceplant lady.. I lmao I would so have done it out loud too... ya I have karma witch written all over me!

Oh yeah, just wait. Karma comes back to bite me.

5) your video from the People mover, it will always be that to me from Dland freaks me out.. i kept waiting for something to jump up and scare me like those crazy videos people send LOL I know Im crazy!

You know what is funny? It was originally people mover here too and I always called it that until reading on the Dis and other sites, I got used to TTA, and now they have changed it back again! GEEZ!

6) I know its faster to get to the rides from the hub. Fronterland.. but then again im using Dland milage.. its what I know better LOL

I’ll have to come over there and see how it is done at the OG! We were going to in 2013 but Ron isn’t ready to take a year off cruising. Of course now we have 2 cruises planned for next year. (yes we still plan on doing the 5/5 one. We just need to catch a FRR)

7) ohhhhh chicken and waffels YUMMY darn you i now have a craving for some Rosco's famous.. and its way to far from where I live now. Hmm I do have a walmart rotissory chicken and some eggos.. but doubt they are the same LOL.

Er…uh..yum? I guess? Hehe!

QUOTE=DLW8;46422870]I hear you on the martini tasting, Jen....and i stayed to do movie trivia and had more REGULAR size martinis! [/QUOTE]

Oh wow, I don’t know how you did it! Those about put us on the floor. And it seemed like we actually had so much more quantity wise at Mixology and the Tequila tasting. I think it might have been about the mixing the boozes thing. Gin, Vodka and Rum…oy!

Originally Posted by livingis2me

Wow Darcy!
Those were my first martinis ever. The class was fun! That was the first time on the cruise that I could really feel the effects of the booze.
Ron

Hehe, we weer a little tipsy for sure. Much more so than when we went to the Drunkity Drunk Drunktique (yes that is an upcoming title!)

Originally Posted by JKSWonder

Hehe! Little innocent Sarah lulling another child into a false sense of security!

Nope, no warning from any of them. Just a quck "Mommy, I feel weird" and that was it. And Michael gave no warning whatsoever. Neither did the dog! We had to pull over on the middle of the Taconic Parkway. So glad we had been camping so I had paper towels, wipes, plastic bags and towels for them to sit on in the car until we got home.

Oh man! Did the smell ever get out??? YUK!

We had the same thing happen to us on the TTA....lights all on inside Space Mountain. That was August 26th. I guess they are having some problems? I told the kids to pay attention as we were going through because they might never see it that way again.

Yeah I had seen videos of it online but they do it no justice- it was really cool to see in person. I remember thinking how impossibly tight some of the clearance seemed between two pieces of track. Ironically, Ron put his hands up during the ride and got smacked by some overhead track. He’s lucky his rocket wasn’t going too fast ot he could have had a serious injury.

Originally Posted by jenseib

I love the "wild" ride picture. I took one similar in March with a port a potty in the air like that too. We laughed so hard.

Too funny! I like that better. Of course I’d be terrified to be right under it. One little tilt….

I think it might be fun to be stuck on the rocket...at least for a short time. I would love to see it with the lights on too.

Yep, agreed. It stinks for him that he was stuck in such a boring area (loading).

Originally Posted by JustTJ

SARAH rode Thunder Mountain? Don't tell my kids that If they knew that, then won't ever let me forget that Little Sarah isn't afraid to ride it, yet "I" AM Gee, perhaps, maybe, now, I will try it if we ever make it back to WDW

YES Judy! Absolutely you should! It really isn’t bad. It’s quite jiggly and it will make you slide from one side of your seat to the other but it is so fun! I LOVE it, especially at night!

Originally Posted by amandaw

I'm joining in!

My family just stayed at OKW last week for the first time, too! It was a nice, quiet resort. I also loved that they were always playing Jimmy Buffet music.

Sounds like y'all were off to a great start at MK that day!

Welcome aboard! So glad to have you reading along!

Looking forward to hearing about the cruise. We have our 2nd Disney cruise booked - June 1st, Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy. Very interested to hear what kind of excursions y'all did - especially with your youngest daughter. Our son will be 5 when we sail.

Fantastic! You will LOVE the Fantasy! It was so awesome!
We did both of our excursions on our own, we took a taxi to Magens Bay Beach in St. Thomas (cheaper and more flexibility on arrival and departure times than through DCL), and in St. Maarten we went on a sailboat/snorkeling charter on the Random Wind. We loved that! We have been on the Eastern a few times before though so if you had any excursions in mind or anything like that just let me know. We also definitely recommend the Turtle Cove sail and snorkel (on the pirate ships) in St. Thomas and also visting St. John (either through DCL or on your own). If you have any specific questions let me know I am happy to help!

Originally Posted by podsnel

I have been on TTA with the SM lights on, too- like, 100 years ago! It IS really cool to see it, huh?! So where were they stuck on the ride? Or did you say and I missed that?

Yep it is cool! They were stuck up by loading, I think in the last stop before the turn and you are released into the ride. Ho hum.

Very proud of my little girlfriend being so brave on all those rides! Better luck next visit on SM.

Oh yeah she is definitely not afraid! At least not yet. I actually am not sure if she would have liked space anyway, she is going through an afraid of the dark phase. So maybe it’s a good thing she didn’t make it.
PS- at Epcot last weekend we were singing the single riders song and thinking of you guys! :-) We still plan to join you in May….hoping for a FRR!

Originally Posted by DynamicDisneyDuo

It's a Small World for any longer than 5 minutes. We were stuck in there for about 10-15min one time. As much as the song drove me nuts in there, I have it on my Zune and listen to it from time to time.

Hehe, it is backed up at the end of the ride every single time – no fail- and Ron is so sure that we will be stuck there for hours. It hasn’t happened yet, thank goodness. I love that ride but yeah, spend sny extrs time in there and it borders on torture!

Originally Posted by DLW8

I was not a fan of the gin martini (gin and I are not friends), but loved the others.

Us either. I drank it though, Didn’t want to be wasteful!

When we stayed for trivia, we had the bartenders make 2 of the ones they showed us in class. I had planned on going back to the room to take a little siesta after that, but noooooo, I ended up taking the kids to the show instead!

Oh wow- how did you manage the rest of the night? LOL! We went up to Satellite Falls after wards and I think we were regretting it. The boat was rocking and the current was stiff up there. I was getting sloshed all around the little pool. No pun intended!

I agree, Ron - there are much worse places to be stuck for 25 minutes...especially WORK!

Can't wait to read more.... (hint hint, Jen!)

I will have more soon- I hope this afternoon, tomorrow at the latest! I have had one wild and crazy week!

Originally Posted by livingis2me

Yeah, c'mon Jen! J/K she's had a couple of very busy days! Plus we are going to O town tonight and hitting Food and Wine at Epcot tomorrow.
Ron

Oh wow, I am way behind.

Originally Posted by DLW8

Yeah, yeah, rub it in that you guys live so close to WDW and I do not!

Enjoy Food and Wine

F&W was great! Food spectacular, especially Canada! As usual we tried to do too much in one day. We were paying for it until at least Wednesday!

Originally Posted by kelly1275

We will be on this cruise to, can't wait!!!! Did the Dream this year in March and it was the best vacation ever!

Hope you have an awesome cruise next summer! If you have any questions at all please let me know, I am happy to help you plan! Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by micheleq

Subbing! I loved your previous TRs and am looking forward to details about the Fantasy! Looks like you had a great time at WDW

Cheers!
Michele

Hi there Michele! Thanks so much! I’m so glad you liked my previous TR’s! I hope this one will be just as good. I have a better camera now, and more cameras overall, so hopefully that will show in the picture department! Haha!

Originally Posted by amandaw

Yay! I'm really looking forward to this cruise. We did just a 3 night cruise on the Dream last year to see if we would like it or not. Those quick 3 nights made us fall in love with Disney cruising. So excited to do a longer cruise!

I don’t think we could go back to a 3 night. We are probably going to go on a quickie on a Dream in May but I am so glad that is a 4-night! Still too short but better than a 3 night!

Originally Posted by davale4

Loving your trip report!!! Can't wait to hear more

Thanks so much! I am glad to have you reading along!

Originally Posted by jedijill

Ok, I'm back so you can start updating more now.

Jill in CO

LOL Jill! So how was it? Tell all! :-)

Originally Posted by dizney-cruiser

Where the heck did Jen go???

Originally Posted by JustTJ

I don't know where Jen went but I hope she's back soon. I'm almost out of popcorn and chips

Originally Posted by dizney-cruiser

I didn't even know we were allowed to eat Popcorn & Chips together!!

Bwahahaha! I think I have a few excuses. They are pretty good ones. SORRY ...this week has been nuts! We’ve had Food & Wine, three sickos, two appointments, a new commitment, 52 new jobs for me to choose from, and one car that won’t start, And a partridge in a pear tree!

Originally Posted by MagicMe

Jen headed over to Orlando for the weekend and spent Sunday in Epcot for the Food and Wine festivities!! She's probably in a food/liquor coma!!!!

Oh my, yes. It was touch and go there for awhile! Haha!

Originally Posted by lucas

Waiting for more!

I’ll try to not make you wait so long for the next part!

Originally Posted by disneycruiser22

I've been following your TR. LOVE IT! so detailed and entertaining. You're getting me excited for my WDW/ DCL western Caribbean cruise next may on the Fantasy

Thanks so very much for your kind words, I am so glad you are enjoying ii! I hope it gives you lots of inspirations and information to help you plan your cruise next spring! We hiope to be cruising in May too, on the Dream!
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m happy to help!

[QUOTE=lucas;46467377]Great installment![QUOTE]

Thanks! We are getting closer to getting on the ship, where the REAL fun begins!

Originally Posted by amandaw

Sounds like y'all had a busy day in MK!

That chicken sandwich looks really good! I wish I had found the time to try one of those on our recent trip.

We did, it was the perfect start to our trip!

Oh my gosh yes the sandwich was so good! You will HAVE to try it next time! So tasty!

I love the whole new Storybook Circus area. I think they did a really great job with it....especially now that there are 2 Dumbos. I agree completely with you about the play area for Dumbo - nice that it has AC but such a pain trying to get your child out of there!

Yeah, we got lucky that Sarah was easy to reach. One time when Savannah was little she got up in one of those tunnel tubes at Chuck E Cheese and would not come out. Ron had to go in after her. So ever since then we’ve been a little skittish about those! LOL!

Originally Posted by anewmac

wow you did cover a lot of ground for not being there RIGHT at rope drop you became the family of the day, got signed on to be part of their website peeps, rode tons of rides after getting stuck a few times had some good food and still saw a parade LOL You did well!!!

Thanks girl! We were hoping to catch some of the new Fantasyland but none of it was open when we were there. The previews of Storytime with Belle had opened and closed the week before. So close, yet so far away!

Originally Posted by DLW8

Great update, Jen!

Loved the photos of Storybrook Circus and the new Dumbo area. We won't be back to WDW in quite a while, so I will rely on you and future TRs and photos to keep me updated.
Anxiously waiting for the CRUISE portion of the trip!

Me too! Hehe! Just have one day in Port Canaveral to get through and we’ll be there. I’m working on it!

Originally Posted by Cheryl726

Great update, sounds like a great day in MK! Looking forward to reading about the cruise portion, my favorite!

Thanks! I’m excited for it too because it was just that good! (I could never write a novel, I’m always spoiling the ending!)

Originally Posted by 3Adevas

Love reading your trip report ~thanks for sharing~

You are so welcome, I am so glad you are enjoying it!! Thanks so much for reading!

Originally Posted by dizney-cruiser

I'm loving this story!!! I'm hoping it is finished before I have to get on the Fantasy . . .

Oh, I don’t know..I’ll sure try! I need to pick up the pace though. I’m hoping- REALLY hoping this week was an anomaly.

Is Brendan now taller than Ron?

Not quite but he passed me up a while ago!

Originally Posted by tinkerbelltwins

Hey Jen, Loving your pictures. Thanks for the how tos about putting rhinestones on t-shirts. I know two eight year olds that will love this on their diva'd up clothing!!!!!

Absolutely Beth, the girls would LOVE it! Would look so pretty on them! You are very welcome! I cant wait to see what you create!

Originally Posted by podsnel

So the CM gave you a stern lecture? Did ya tell him you were late for your FPs because Disney's rides kept breaking down?? That just doesn't seem right. Shame on him!

Yeah, he was kindof a jerk. It had me second guessing myself if there really was a 15 minute grace period. Luckily CM’s like him were few and far between on this trip. We did encounter one more CM that had a bit of an attitude , on the ship… but this guy must have realized he acted out of character because he literally spent the rest of the cruise making it up to us. I can’t wait to share that story!

Oh....I am sooo glad you liked that waffle- I was DYING to try it in May, but it just never worked out- for SURE I am having at LEAST one this trip! I hope the slaw is on mine, though- I love arugula, but the slaw is what has me sold (I am obviously not from the south, so I am GREAT with the asian theme. Tyler's all jazzed up about the nutella/fruit one, too!

Yeah, I asked for no slaw so I would think you can still get it. I was surprised at the greens though because we asked for it plain but not a big deal at all! I want to try all 3 but I know that is going to be hard because I will want to get the chicken one each time too! HAHA!

Only 15 days til we're there!

So excited for you guys! It will be such an amazing trip! Are you getting to do passholder previews for Fanastyland (or do you MYW for each trip)?

And we are still not sure who exactly will be coming from Pods' bro's family- he's talking about leaving one of the boys home- Pods has talked to him 3 times about it, saying this is just a baaaaad idea, but he still hasn't figured it out. I don't think I mentioned that my SIL has brain cancer- she is recovering from a craniotomy and the first round of radiation and chemo, so,VERY sadly, will not be coming to WDW with us. She's going to be ok, just not feeling so good right now. I think my BIL is overwhelmed by the thought of having all 3 boys by himself- but we keep telling him we are there, too- achhh...I hope he makes the right decision...

Oh I hope so too, I’m sure whichever boy stays behind would be devastated! I’m so sorry to hear about your SIL, but I am so glad it sounds like she is recovering. Brain cancer is a biggie, I so hope that her treatment gets it under control and she goes into remission (or better yet is totally cured! )

You all are going to have a total blast coming up! I’m excited for you!!!

Originally Posted by Misskitty3

Looks like you all had so much fun!! Interesting about the Dumbo no- queue! Queque. Wish they could do something like that for the Princess Meet and Greet at DLR!

Yes it is ingenious and was so nice to just sit back and take a break! I absolutely think ideas like that should be implemented anywhere they can- Princesses for SURE!

[jenseib]

I'm excited to see the new Dumbo waiting area. When I went in March it was just the old basic kind of queue. I know Claire will really enjoy this new themed area.
You guys did so much that day I think, even with all the running around. I hope we see your "Disney style" pictures pop up somewhere. That would be so cool.

[MrsKP]

Looking forward to the cruise part of the TR! Going on a Med cruise next year but I am thinking of Fantasy in 2014

[nenner1]

By the time we left WDW property, it was going on 7 PM. Our next destination was to find a nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant for dinner .
Luckily there was one just a few miles up US 192/Irlo Bronson!



(This picture is representative of Cracker Barrel’s as a whole, not specifically this restaurant. Yes, there were things I actually did not take a picture of! In any case, seen one Cracker Barrel, you’ve seen ‘em all!)



And we were glad to see they weren’t too busy. Glad we didn’t have to wait, even though I really enjoy looking through the quaint country store.
We were seated quickly and commenced to do the one thing that is mandatory inside a Cracker Barrel:

Play the peg game!





Yes, once again we are EG-NOR-A-MOOSES!



Service was quick and it was mere minutes before we were served. We all chose to have breakfast dinner.



Ron’s Blueberry Pancakes:



Brendan’s Old Timer’s Breakfast, two eggs over easy, bacon, and strangely cut toast.





My Pecan Pancakes:



Savannah had a kids’ scrambled eggs meal. Not sure why we didn’t get a picture of it. She probably wouldn’t allow it.

Sarah’s very large Kid’s Meal Pancakes:



Our meal was quick, delicious and very filling. After we ate, and were sitting outside in the rocking chairs, something happened that we had totally forgot we had scheduled :

Our call from Goofy! You can see what Sarah was more interested in….

(Video: click to play!)



You can do this online in your Reservation- click the link that says “Have our characters call your characters” and fill out the form with your phone number, date and time of call. It will even tell you the phone number the call will come from so you can program it in your phone and not ignore it like you do all those other strange numbers that call!

So we headed out towards the Beachline (aka Greenline, Beeline, 528, etc.) We got turned around and had a hard time finding our way to the exit to get on the road but eventually made it. As we did the skies totally opened up. We were glad we were in our van and not out at WDW still.

When I was a teenager and took road trips with my family, my mom used to pick on me relentlessy about the numerous "____ Miles to Ron Jon" billboards that littered the interstates and turnpikes. 100 miles to Ron Jon, 20 miles to Ron Jon, etc. Oh she was a sarcastic one, having fun with the fact that I would be missing my Ron Jon, as she called him. None other than my then-boyfriend, now husband Ron. Of course the signs were talking about the Surf Shop, not the resort but still...that is the first thing I think of when I hear "Ron Jon". Hehe.

The drive to Ron Jon took about an hour. We had no exciting cruise ship views as we approached, since it was nighttime and no ships were there. The next night there was a ship to see though. More on that later.

First, let’s discuss our home away from home for the next two pre-cruise nights: the Ron Jon Cape Caribe Resort. This is a resort I’ve read little to nothing about on the DIS and I am quite surprised it is not more popular with planners here. It is quite nice with large villa suites and also studio rooms, and has a fantastic pool area. In fact we LOVED our stay here and I hope that by sharing this info this will inform everyone of this great location in Port Canaveral to stay at before your cruise!

We pulled into the Ron Jon at a little after 9 PM. We were surprised at the location of the resort, it is REALLY close to the port. In fact it is one of the closest resorts to the port and Jetty Park that you can get.
Here are two maps that show you how close you are:





Now some might be surprised to discover that the Resort is nowhere near the famous Ron Jon Surf Shop. They share the same name, but in other regards this resort is totally separate and located quite a distance away.
We pulled in at night as you know, but I will share photos I took of the resort during the day, since obviously they show it much better.


















Ron went in to check us in. We had requested one of the ocean view rooms, which are located on the left side of the property with a view of the channel the cruise ships sail into and out of port from. It should be noted that this resort has two separate buildings. It has the main “Pool” building (which is what we were in and what I am describing above) and there is a smaller, satellite building the “Ocean” building, which is right on the beach. The Pool building is not located directly on the beach, there is about a 7-8 minute walk to get to the beach and/or the Ocean building. I’ll describe going between buildings a little more in a later installment.

In any event, we were not granted our request. In fact, we ended up having a room as far away from the channel-facing rooms as possible, on the far right side of the building.

Here is a property map with our room colored in lime green and the lime green arrow pointing at it.



We were so disappointed at first but this room did not end up being bad. In fact we had a great surprise in regards to our location the next evening that was very exciting!

Here are some photos of the large, spacious lobby:

[nenner1]

It definitely had a warm, island feel with bold tropical colors, dark woods, and this beautiful fountain:



There is even a very small version of the Ron Jon Surf shop located in the lobby. In addition to the souvenir staples like T-shirts, hats, and swimwear, it also has general interest items like paperback books and sunscreen as well as a decent selection of (pricey) sundries and grocery items.






We headed for the central elevator bank and up to our room on the fourth floor. #1405A



This part of the resort (Pool building) is a bit older and has outside walkways. They are all covered and even the entire path to the parking garage is covered so you wont get wet if it is raining. There are bellman/luggage carts available.

We had a One Bedroom Villa Suite. At 820 square feet, it was quite large. In fact that is larger than our first three apartments we lived at! We loved having the space, it was fantastic!

Ron Jon also has small studio rooms and 2BR villas available. The studios are very small and only have one outside walkway facing window. In order to create the 2BR villas, there is a connecting door between the Studios and 1BR Villas that is unlocked and then the Studio portion becomes a Master Suite off of the main room. I think I would love having the 2BR even more- and we LOVED the 1BR! (Keep in mind if you book a 2BR you could be in either the Main (Pool) building or the Ocean building. Im sure you could request one or the other if you prefer, although as you know requests are not guaranteed. It is also possible the 2BRs might be slightly different in layout or décor on the Ocean building).

We decided to give the Ron Jon a shot after the price of the Country Inn and Suites went WAY up. We purchased our room through Travelocity with a AAA Rate for $130.50 per night. Considering that our old favorite the CIS was well over $100/nt for a Kids Suite Room- when you compare the rooms, amenities of both the rooms themselves and properties as a whole, and location it wasnt even close for us. In fact some times of the year (like May for example it is cheaper to stay at RJR than CIS- crazy!) Also, a big plus- parking at Ron Jon for the duration of the cruise is totally free!

Here is the floorplan of the 1BR Villas. The first image (lableled) is the floor plan of the rooms that had layouts opposite ours. As you can see, our villa included a full bedroom two double beds and flat screen TV, a pullout sofa bed, balcony, full kitchen and separate living room.



To help you visualize how our room flows, here is the same image flipped (but without the labels) so it is identical to the setup of our particular room.



The door opens into a large foyer, plenty of room to bring in and store large amounts of luggage if you so desire.



Looking back at the door- deadbolt and chain lock:



Here to the right of the front door is the connector door that opens into the Studio/Master Bed Suite if you are in a 2BR:



Another look down the hallway from further into the foyer:




We found all of our luggage fit in this big hall closet (not all of our luggage we had with us is shown here, but it did all fit easily!)



The first room on the left is the bedroom, with the two double beds. The room has a window that faces the outside walkway.

View from the hallway:









Sorry I didnt get a better picture of the TV. It is a flat-panel LCD/plasma, at least 25 inches, probably bigger. You can see it here on the top of the dresser.



The bedroom also has a decent sized closet with hangers provided:






The beds were firm, but adequate. Doubles are a little smaller than we are used to, so Ron and I chose to have our own beds Fred and Wilma style but it worked out fine.

The next room on the left was the bathroom. It was a decent size. It does not have a tub (the Studios and 2BRs have a garden tub) but a shower was totally fine for us!

[nenner1]

Ive read that, due to the fact that this is a Time-Share resort, you wont always get any toiletries (you also dont get housekeeping for short stays). We actually did get some, but they are nothing to write home about, in either quantity or quality.









One thing I can say about this shower- you will NOT complain about water pressure. The shower head in this bad boy has one setting: Fire Hose! Its pretty crazy. The funniest thing about it too is how LOUD it is. You seriously cannot hold a conversation though this shower. It sounds like a freight train. Gets you plenty clean though, and thats what matters, right? Skin is overrated.

One thing we loved about this room is this pocket divider door in the hallway secluding the bed and bath from the rest of the suite.



Across from the bathroom, is a stackable washer and dryer. They even left us two packets of Tide and a pack with two sheets of Bounce!

Washer and Dryer closet on the right in this pic:











They had pretty decent capacity for stackables. We did three pretty large sized loads during our stay and both appliances worked great!



At this point, the hallway opens up into the kitchen. This is a full galley-style kitchen totally stocked with everything you could think of.














Full-sized stainless steel double sink with disposal (yes, there is a dish dryer rack too!)



But who wants to wash dishes by hand? Dishwasher baby!



Stovetop Range with electric burners and oven and stovetop Microwave:



Full-sized fridge with icemaker, we found our basket full of ice just waiting for us. Leftovers not included!






There is a 12-cup Mr. Coffee coffeemaker with 2 packs of coffee provided (1 regular, 1 decaf plus cream and sweeteners), a multi-slot adjustable width toaster, and this beauty ready to blend up some Margaritas! Its 5 O Clock somewhere!



We were also left a small supply of dish soap, paper towels, and dishwasher detergent. It was the perfect amount for a 2-night stay!

[nenner1]

The cabinets and drawers are stocked with anything you might need to cook full meals!

















Across from the kitchen is this Bakers Rack.



We used it to store our small supply of snacks.



Next to that is a small pantry with dishes, cups and other miscellaneous items:



One thing to note is the basket with towels at the bottom of the pantry. These are your pool towels. There is no supply of towels at the pool, you need to bring and use these. Also, supposedly you may be charged if you lose your towels or leave them at the pool. They are supposed to be left in your room when you check out. Im not sure if you can change in your used pool towels for clean ones at the desk. Since we were only there for two days we did not need to switch out our towels. (There were also plenty of bath towels in the bathroom)



On the other side of the kitchen is a small dinette. It is booth style seating on one side, chairs on the other, and in my opinion only comfortably seats four.



Little Ron-Jon touch in the mirror on the wall:



The final part of the villa is the living room. It is spacious with a decent amount of seating:









Inside the armoire is the other TV. This is an older tube-style TV, probably 27 or so:





Here is the sofa bed pulled out:



Through here is a huge balcony. HUGE!



Our balcony had 4 chairs and a small end-type table.

[nenner1]

Here is our packet of relevant paperwork for the resort. As you can see it has complimentary Wi-Fi but be warned, it’s pretty slow.





Activities Schedule for the week we were there:


These are the wristbands that you get to use the pool/waterpark. The pool facilities are huge and include a small waterpark for kids, a lazy river and a large slide. The pool is locked at all times and you must wear your wristbands. In fact you are supposed to wear the wristbands at all times on Ron Jon property.



The wristbands are dated and color-coded for the day you check out, and you need your key card to enter the pool area as well. Each member of your party will get a wristband:



So there is an overview of the room. We found it plenty spacious and definitely well stocked. I personally am not a huge fan of the décor. In my opinion it needs updating. But the room is clean and comfortable nonetheless. Did I mention how much we loved having all that space?

After we got all unpacked and settled in, everybody pretty much headed straight for bed. We were all exhausted, and we had a big day of relaxing scheduled tomorrow!

Up Next: You can check in, but you can’t check out!

[luvslikepi]

I love your TR's. I am in need of a vacation and can live vicariously through yours since they are so detailed. Thanks for sharing, can't wait for more.

[lucas]

WOW - Ron Jon looks great! I had no idea a resort so big and on the water was in that area. We are staying at Country Inn and Suites in November but I am going to check out the Ron Jon prices. We are only staying 1 night and arriving late so we really only need a bed.

Is breakfast included at Ron Jon?

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by jenseib

I'm excited to see the new Dumbo waiting area. When I went in March it was just the old basic kind of queue. I know Claire will really enjoy this new themed area.

You guys did so much that day I think, even with all the running around. I hope we see your "Disney style" pictures pop up somewhere. That would be so cool.

It sure would! I keep looking around from time to time but haven't seen anything yet.

Originally Posted by MrsKP

Looking forward to the cruise part of the TR! Going on a Med cruise next year but I am thinking of Fantasy in 2014

The Fantasy is so awesome, if you get a chance in 2014 do not hesitate!

Thanks so much for reading!

Originally Posted by luvslikepi

I love your TR's. I am in need of a vacation and can live vicariously through yours since they are so detailed. Thanks for sharing, can't wait for more.

Aw, thanks so much! That is why I love writing TR's, is reliving all of the fun and adventures! So glad you are enjoying it!

Originally Posted by lucas

WOW - Ron Jon looks great! I had no idea a resort so big and on the water was in that area. We are staying at Country Inn and Suites in November but I am going to check out the Ron Jon prices. We are only staying 1 night and arriving late so we really only need a bed.

Is breakfast included at Ron Jon?

No, unfortunately breakfast is not included. For one night you wouldn't really be able to experience the best of what that resort has to offer- the pool and activities! The prices are probably pretty similar so it might not be worth your while to change this time.

We did really like CIS when we stayed there in 2010. We especially loved the price which back then for us through Priceline was $79 or $89. Some people on our cruise back then ('10) got it for $59 but those days are long gone. Such a bummer it is so much more now. We priced both RJR and CIS for May when we are planning on going on the Dream. CIS was $189 and RJR was $183/studio and $203 1BR. (Both are high!!)

[lucas]

Originally Posted by nenner1

No, unfortunately breakfast is not included. For one night you wouldn't really be able to experience the best of what that resort has to offer- the pool and activities! The prices are probably pretty similar so it might not be worth your while to change this time.

We did really like CIS when we stayed there in 2010. We especially loved the price which back then for us through Priceline was $79 or $89. Some people on our cruise back then ('10) got it for $59 but those days are long gone. Such a bummer it is so much more now. We priced both RJR and CIS for May when we are planning on going on the Dream. CIS was $189 and RJR was $183/studio and $203 1BR. (Both are high!!)

We have been happy with CIS in the past. This time with a AAA rate, standard room for 2, we are paying $99.90 (not including tax). Originally I booked it for $123, but I watch it daily and it went down little by little, so I have either re-booked it myself or called the 800 # and they have done it for me. Right now the price has gone, so I'm glad for the $99.90.