Exclusive Baby Gorilla Photos! (plus bonus Trip Report) - June '15 - completed 10/23 - Page 31

[KatMark]

I'm here...I'll be back to catch up later.

 

[rndmr2]

Found your newest TR today, fun read so far!

Love your new room in Aruba, Score on the nice view

 

[nilla]

We used to have a dog who didn't run, but she wandered away. And she wandered FAST. At some point, we just decided instead of chasing her, we'd just let her come back whenever she wanted, since we adopted her when she was 9 years old and she only responded to her name when she wanted to. She always did, we're not 100% sure where she would go.

We've wondered that as well! She does seem to come back when we're at the lake...eventually.

I'm here...I'll be back to catch up later.

Welcome! Great to have you here, as always.

Found your newest TR today, fun read so far!

Love your new room in Aruba, Score on the nice view

It was fantastic! And I have lots of pictures coming up.

Right now.

Next update.

 

[nilla]

We head over to the pool.

I said, WE HEAD OVER TO THE POOL.



C'mon, get up! Let's go!

We make the walk from Aruba to the bridge.



Hey, is that...

Jurassic Park?



No, it checks out. Dinos moved on to Universal.

Alright, let's explore the island!





There's the pool!



So awesome! And so closed. What?

The lifeguard gives us some song and dance about "chemical levels" in the main pool, but my theory is that someone crapped in it. My theory about the plane maintenance that day was similar - that someone clogged the toilet. That's usually the root cause.

So back we go, to the Aruba quiet pool.

 

[nilla]

More photos!











I'm loving this resort! More photos!





Kristin and the kids hit the quiet pool, and I head over to Caribbean El Centro again, to refill my mug.

More photos!





When I reach the main pool, it's open! I go back to the quiet pool, we all make way to the main pool for a swim. Oddly enough, we don't take any pictures.

The pool is fantastic. The big slide isn't nearly as fun as the one at Coronado, but it's good enough, and the theming, shape, and sloped entry make it every bit as nice as CSR's.

Back to the room, eventually. I see bell services delivered three of our bags. Ok....but we brought four.

The fourth, as we find out with a phone call, is at the Custom House, and will be delivered shortly. Alright. Not sure how they got separated, but at least it's being rectified.

 

[nilla]

While the rest of us get ready, the kids lay out in the hammocks and beach chairs. In their absence, someone else shows up.





Emily returns, and has no idea what's happening until she turns the corner and comes to a complete stop.



She makes it past, and our friend carries on. See you later!

Back inside, I can't connect the laptop the free, in-room wi-fi. I call tech support, but the problem seems to be with the laptop, since I can connect with Dylan's iPad. Ok, so what's wrong with the computer?

No time to worry about that now - we have to get to Hollywood Studios!

 

[nilla]

Over to the Aruba bus stop. Time to see if the hysteria is true! The DISboards assures me that the busing problems at CBR are overblown, so I'm optimistic.

Emily breaks into the 2014 pose, now with shades and attitude.



Dylan's thing is idiotic faces.



It gets old, fast.

The bus arrives reasonably quicky. On we go!



Can't believe we're really here! It feels like we never left, but feels like we haven't been here in forever, too. If that makes any sense.

We arrive at DHS around 6:00, and it's right back to 50's Prime Time Cafe for our first ADR of the trip!

This is a first for us, and the place looks really neat. TVs everywhere, with some sort of classic TV loop. Sort of like Sci-fi, but without the Amazing Colossal Man or the Catwomen from the Moon.



We just got here in this next photo:



How do I know? We're still smiling.

That doesn't last long. Well, it does, but not as long as the wait does. The waiting area is backed, and they're evidently behind on reservations.

I take more photos to pass the time.





Eventually, our attitude becomes thus:



FINALLY, they call our name, and moods brighten instantly.





Even this lady is pleased:



The theming here is great! It's like you're in someone's kitchen.

Hey, hidden WD!



Not really hidden, but anyway.

One more theming shot...



And our waiter's here!

 

[nilla]

He's really nice, and he runs down the whole deal about Mom not liking if your elbows are on the table or you pass on your vegetables. Got it. And yes, we'd love shakes.



Dylan, Kristin and I all got Peanut Butter and Jelly shakes with chocolate ice cream. Wow. So. Good.

Emily, ever adventurous, got a vanilla shake. Also good, but doesn't compare.

We place our meal orders, and Kristin and I get Mom's Sampler:



Meatloaf, fried chicken, and pot roast. All really good! The highlight for me was the potatoes, but all of it was great, and it took care of my fried chicken craving, in lieu of the Hoop Dee Doo Revue.

Dylan went for just chicken:



I got to eat half of it, and wasn't passing on that opportunity.

Emily went mac & cheese:



She loved it.

The meal was great, and a nice ending to our travel day. We didn't have any shenanigans like people being force-fed green beans, but one of the waitresses did tell another family the date of the "family reunion"

 

[nilla]

But wait - our day's not done yet! We have three FastPasses! Thanks, FP+!

Up first is Star Tours, with 7:30 FPs.





We're in!



We get on the ride, and it kicks off with the Imperial Droid hassling us, then on to Hoth to give AT-ATs the business. Princess Leia drops by to say, "hello", then it's off to blow up the Death Staa...aa....r....

~~~~~~~~

Ride's down. Vader got away. We lose.

The doors open, and the CMs tell us it should be a quick fix, and we'll get to ride again immediately, once it's back up. Yes!

We wait about 5-10 minutes, and we're back in. The rile up the wookies on Kashyyk first, high-five Yoda, and then it's back for another run at the Death Star!

This time, we blow it up, and everyone in the galaxy loves us. Victory.

We exit the ride, via the gift shop. Just keep walking just keep walking just keep walking...

Lots of awesome stuff here, but I don't get the "I'm the Rebel Spy" shirts. I mean, if you wear it, you're a pretty crappy spy, right? The Empire knows on first glance. Ill-advised, to say the least.

Upon exit, it's right over to Tower of Terror for our 8:40 FPs. Crappy night camera in effect!



Emily's terrified of this ride, and no amount of bribery will get her on it. So Kristin and Dylan ride, while Em and I wait in the gift shop.

Lots of cool stuff in here!











Talky Tina!



Kristin and Dylan's ride ends, and Dylan takes Emily's MagicBand for another ride, this time with me. He complains that she won't ride, but he then gets to ride twice. What's the problem?

This is Kristin's favorite ride. I like it, too, but not nearly as much. The drop doesn't do much for me. I like the rest of it, though.

Kristin gets some final pictures...





...and we're out!

 

[nilla]

We decide to pass on Fantasmic for tonight, since we'll se it later in the week anyway, and head back to CBR. Bye, Pluto!



At the bus stop, there's a really cool little kid (probably 3 years old) who LOVES the Vikings. So we shoot the breeze for a bit. Good conversation.

We get back to CBR, then I head down to Caribbean El Centro (Centertown) for a trip to Caribbean Panchito's (Calypso Trading Post) for milk.

Later in the week, I agree to start calling it "Centertown", but I'm not budgind on "Caribbean Panchito's". That's what it is.

Back to the room around 10:00, and the wi-fi isn't working on any device now. Another call to tech support, and they say they'll look into it. Good.

We're not planning on making rope drop at Magic Kingdom, but got up really early today, so it's off top bed. Emily and Duffy are Murphin' it tonight.





Well, at first, anyway. Then, the lights go out, she gets scared, and Dylan takes over the Murph. That means I get the bed to myself! Sort of irrelevant, though, since I still stay to the left side of the bed, taking up only about 2 feet of real estate.

Good night!

(Up next, Day 2 and the Magical Kingdom!)

 

[Clarf]

Love the resort pics! Such a beautiful resort. Sorry the pool was initially closed, but glad it opened soon after! Never having been on the slide at CSR, I have nothing to compare the CBR slide to, but I'm glad it didn't disappoint too much.

The busses seem okay so far! Hope that continues.

Prime Time cafe looks really fun, but we have yet to eat there. Jason and I used to work at a restaurant very much like that one, so it's not high on our list since we've "been there, done that," but I think our kids would like it. We had to dance too, at ours.

So does Dylan eat now? He must. He's huge! He looks like an adult! And though they may get annoying, I enjoyed the idiot face. We get a lot of that in our house and we've learned just to accept it, as long as we get a decent pic once in a while.

2 rides on Star Wars! Awesome! We just started watching Star Wars with our girls and they are loving it, so the ride will be that much better for them this year!

I love the Murphy bed. So cool! Too bad Emily was scared, but lucky for Dylan!

Great report, so far. LOL at Caribbean El Centro.

 

[KathyM2]

What a great day!! I don't do ToT...but I'm thinking of walking through the queue this time just to see it since everyone raves about that. Glad you finally got luggage! Your dinner looked awesome...though a ton of food!

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

I know what you mean when you say it feels like you were just there yet if feels like forever since you’ve been there. That’s how we feel every time we go to Disney.

CBR looks beautiful! Great pictures.

Wow lots of “glitches” so far …. plane, luggage, pool, wi-fi, Star Tours …. at least they were short-lived!

Emily now with shades and attitude. Ha! I remember those days. What am I saying? My Emily will be 18 next month and we still have some of those days! (By the way, she leaves for Europe on Monday and I’m starting to freak out a little bit! )

I’ve heard the fried chicken and pot roast at Prime Time are really good. We’ve never eaten there. We were supposed to eat there in 2011 because my MIL was traveling with us and she wanted to try it. Well, she & Steve got a stomach bug so we missed a lot of meals that trip. Hmmmm…..we are going to DHS on our departure day (yes, we’ll have that hanging over us-boo!) maybe I’ll see if we can grab a lunch ADR. Oh, and Emily’s still sticking to mac & cheese, huh?

 

[melduckie]

I'm really glad you guys are liking CBR. I totally understand favorites, as the bf is in love with CSR as well!! I think he's really just in love with Rix Lounge

 

[Britbrie]

Ugh your pictures of 50's Prime Time Cafe make me sooooooo hungry!!! I absolutely LOVE that restaurant! I love all of the pics so far, keep 'em coming!

 

[nilla]

Love the resort pics! Such a beautiful resort. Sorry the pool was initially closed, but glad it opened soon after! Never having been on the slide at CSR, I have nothing to compare the CBR slide to, but I'm glad it didn't disappoint too much.

We had a blast once the pool did open, so we quickly forgot about the closure. No worries. Just clean out the cra- um, I mean, get the chemical levels right and let us know when we can swim!

The busses seem okay so far! Hope that continues.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

Prime Time cafe looks really fun, but we have yet to eat there. Jason and I used to work at a restaurant very much like that one, so it's not high on our list since we've "been there, done that," but I think our kids would like it. We had to dance too, at ours.

It was our first time there, and it was a lot of fun. Surprisingly great food, too. We've ignored this place for years, but it may be a new "hidden" gem for us. I love restaurants with gimmicks!

So does Dylan eat now? He must. He's huge! He looks like an adult! And though they may get annoying, I enjoyed the idiot face. We get a lot of that in our house and we've learned just to accept it, as long as we get a decent pic once in a while.

He eats on and off, but really not enough to warrant his size. He's sustained himself for the past 5 years on peanut butter.
There are diminishing returns on the comedic value of the faces.

2 rides on Star Wars! Awesome! We just started watching Star Wars with our girls and they are loving it, so the ride will be that much better for them this year!

Kristin and Emily both want to see the Star Wars films now, but balked at joining in on Dylan's and my plan to watch all six in a single day this Fall.

I love the Murphy bed. So cool! Too bad Emily was scared, but lucky for Dylan!

And lucky for me! Dylan tends to sleep diagonally.

Great report, so far. LOL at Caribbean El Centro.

No better way to describe that place, IMO

What a great day!! I don't do ToT...but I'm thinking of walking through the queue this time just to see it since everyone raves about that. Glad you finally got luggage! Your dinner looked awesome...though a ton of food!

I like the queue and theatric build up on the actual ride of ToT more than the drops. Not that I mind the drops, but they don't really do a lot for me, except for the few times I was able to spot the ghost family, who are very hard to see in the dark.

I was a bit nervous about the luggage, after the gate switches at the airport, but it all worked out.

I know what you mean when you say it feels like you were just there yet if feels like forever since you’ve been there. That’s how we feel every time we go to Disney.

It's almost surreal. I feel "at home", but it's still a very stark contrast to our actual, non-Disney home.

CBR looks beautiful! Great pictures.

Thanks! It was stunning. Like Coronado, I was put into a good mood just by walking outside!

Wow lots of “glitches” so far …. plane, luggage, pool, wi-fi, Star Tours …. at least they were short-lived!

You forgot the "ugly" water view room
Yep, very minor, for the most part. Let's hope they stay that way!

Emily now with shades and attitude. Ha! I remember those days. What am I saying? My Emily will be 18 next month and we still have some of those days! (By the way, she leaves for Europe on Monday and I’m starting to freak out a little bit! )

We have friends whose son just got back from Europe. It was a great opportunity for him, and everything went well!

I’ve heard the fried chicken and pot roast at Prime Time are really good. We’ve never eaten there. We were supposed to eat there in 2011 because my MIL was traveling with us and she wanted to try it. Well, she & Steve got a stomach bug so we missed a lot of meals that trip. Hmmmm…..we are going to DHS on our departure day (yes, we’ll have that hanging over us-boo!) maybe I’ll see if we can grab a lunch ADR. Oh, and Emily’s still sticking to mac & cheese, huh?

Not to give too much away, but Emily getting mac & cheese was NOT an isolated incident.
Another thing I left out was that we paid out-of-pocket for that meal, since our existing ADRs already covered all of our DDP credits. It was expensive, since it's a Disney restaurant, but not horrible. Certainly one of the cheaper ones of the trip. Maybe because I passed on getting a beer?

I'm really glad you guys are liking CBR. I totally understand favorites, as the bf is in love with CSR as well!! I think he's really just in love with Rix Lounge

Plenty of alcohol on just about all Disney properties, so that shouldn't be an obstacle
It was a lot of fun trying something new, and we really grew to love this resort. Wi-fi was better at CSR, though.

Ugh your pictures of 50's Prime Time Cafe make me sooooooo hungry!!! I absolutely LOVE that restaurant! I love all of the pics so far, keep 'em coming!

The chicken and pot roast were fantastic, the meatloaf was really good, and the potatoes were absolutly amazing. That's not even getting into the PB&J milkshakes! Surprisingly good food, and a really fun place to eat!

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

Not to give too much away, but Emily getting mac & cheese was NOT an isolated incident.
Another thing I left out was that we paid out-of-pocket for that meal, since our existing ADRs already covered all of our DDP credits. It was expensive, since it's a Disney restaurant, but not horrible. Certainly one of the cheaper ones of the trip. Maybe because I passed on getting a beer?

Disney food is SO expensive. Last year Emily got a chicken nugget meal at the QS place at the GF and brought it back to the room. The meal cost $9.99. We had the TV on in the room --- not on the WDW info channel (blasphemy I know) --- and there was a commercial for Burger King advertising a $2.99 chicken nugget meal. Crazy!

When Emily & I go out to eat without Steve our bill is always so much cheaper. Not only because we are paying for one less meal but because Steve always has at least 2 beers whenever we eat out. I usually just get an iced tea and Emily gets water. I'm not a big drinker mainly because I think I might have an allergy to alcohol; it only takes one drink and I'm feeling pretty lousy. It's a bummer. Steve used to home brew but he gave that up because he didn't keg the beer, he had to bottle it which was a major hassle. He didn't keg because I wouldn't let him take over the garage refrigerator with beer kegs. Bad wife.

 

[rndmr2]

Nice update! I love the resort pics. I have stayed at CBR a few times, usually in Martinique but once in Jamaica. I always liked the color scheme in Aruba.

Fun evening at HS. I would like to try 50's Prime time. That Fried chicken looks really good.

Glad to hear that Dylan has been eating more at times, funny about the peanut butter. My nephew has sustained himself for many years on pizza and bread. Luckily he is a cross country/track and field athlete so he can burn it all off. He only recently has branched out to hamburgers, LOL.

 

[KathyM2]

When Emily & I go out to eat without Steve our bill is always so much cheaper. Not only because we are paying for one less meal but because Steve always has at least 2 beers whenever we eat out. I usually just get an iced tea and Emily gets water. I'm not a big drinker mainly because I think I might have an allergy to alcohol; it only takes one drink and I'm feeling pretty lousy. It's a bummer. Steve used to home brew but he gave that up because he didn't keg the beer, he had to bottle it which was a major hassle. He didn't keg because I wouldn't let him take over the garage refrigerator with beer kegs. Bad wife.

OMG I had to comment about the alcohol allergy...because I have the EXACT same thing. I like to have just ONE drink and that's enough to give me a slight buzz. But any more than that and I feel downright sick. Not fun at all. I wonder if that's a real thing...not that there's much to be done about it I'm sure other than not drinking much lol. I'm in the same boat with my DD though...it's a lot less when we go out because we get just starters usually as meals and don't have drinks or usually dessert.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

OMG I had to comment about the alcohol allergy...because I have the EXACT same thing. I like to have just ONE drink and that's enough to give me a slight buzz. But any more than that and I feel downright sick. Not fun at all. I wonder if that's a real thing...not that there's much to be done about it I'm sure other than not drinking much lol. I'm in the same boat with my DD though...it's a lot less when we go out because we get just starters usually as meals and don't have drinks or usually dessert.

Oh it's awful! Many years ago I went out to dinner with some friends and had a couple drinks before dinner was served. That was the first time I noticed it - I remember feeling so sick plus I start sweating, my heart was racing and it felt like I had shards of glass in my stomach. One of my co-workers has the same problem and she said it has to do with the lack of an enzyme needed to break down alcohol. Sometimes I'd love to tie one on but it's not worth how I'll end up feeling. Oh well....my friends & family always have a designated driver when we go out!

BTW - I'm so jealous you are going to Disney in October (I'll check out your PTR). That's when we usually go and we L-O-V-E it! DD is starting college this year so we are going in August instead. I'm still super happy we are going this year but I sure will miss the Food & (i can't drink) Wine Festival!