3 Generations! 2 Resorts! 10 Days! DxDp! 3000 Pictures! - Saying Good-Bye!

[JessiLynn015]

Looking forward to more! Your profile caught my attention.. I live in Richmond Hill so I had to check out a "neighbors" trip report

 

[amandaw]

I finally made my way over here! And I'm all caught up! You & I are so much alike...from the planning to being places very early! Okay, so just to show you how much of a dork I am...I actually took notes on what I wanted to comment on since I was starting from the beginning. Oh, I'm so glad Ed is asleep so he can't make fun of me!

Okay, on to my notes!

Your kids, and parents, are adorable!

I love, love, love all your pics! And, even more, I love all the graphics & borders you put on them. And the captions, too. They had me !

I really enjoyed reading about the Chip & Dale Campfire Sing a long. It looks like a lot of fun & I love how they played with the kids!

The idea of giving each kid 2 hours to choose what to do is just genius! I think that's so great & will totally steal that idea for when Reid (& any other child we may have) is older.

I was so excited to see your pics of the CR. The room looks so spacious! After my (1 and only) complaint about WL being that the rooms are tiny, I REALLY want to stay at CR! And while I think the MK view would be great to have at least once, I have to say that I also love waking up to the sunrises over Bay Lake. That was one of my favorite things about our view at WL.

I think when Reid is older I will try to see if he would be interested in taking the Hidden Mickey book with us on trips. Hopefully, he'll want to do that. I have started training him on our last trip. When we would be walking the halls at WL, I would be showing him the hidden mickey's in the carpet & wallpaper. He started pointing them out to me on his own after the 1st day! Ed just shakes his head & laughs at me for trying to make my child a Disney dork like me.

I'm officially subscribing now & can't wait to read more.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

That's probably all I need to see of DQ. . So glad Stephen loved it and I'm sure they all enjoyed guy time.

 

[hstrickland]

Okay...bare with me through all of the multi quotes And listen...if you really want to learn the art of multi-quoting....check out the Resort Changers Thread...they have taught me well!!

Wow I was busy the past few days and so I got to read 2 updates all at one time.

First: I love all your CR pics from the morning. What a beautiful morning and I agree that is the best time at the resorts. So calm and peaceful.


There is another morning that I will make a post on with more shots of the lake, resort, etc....I think I spent an hour walking around outside by the lake and Garden Wing...the rest of my family was fast asleep!!


Chef Mickeys: This to me is more about the atmosphere and characters than the food. We did breakfast twice now and I think next trip we may do dinner. The kids just loved that place.....what kid doesnt like to swing around the napkin a bit. and not have there mom yell at them. Your pics are so cute and its so nice that you get everyone out of there seats for pics with mickey and friends.


You are so right!!....all about atmosphere. If we ever go back, I will request to be sitting out in the main part...I liked it much better than being in the back.


Disney quest: That is quite a price for a few hours of video games but I guess hearing the joy in DS9's voice must have been worth it. Im sure that will be a memory that will stick with him....that is a great way to spend time with your dad and grandpop. I will need to keep this in mind for our trip too. DS will be 9 and him and his daddy love video games.


If I told Stephen we were going back to DQ today, he would be THRILLED. My husband, not so much...he did make the comment that he thought it was a bit pricey for what was there. Maybe when the DS4 and DD5 are older, we will return.


How are you feeling???? are you back to running yet? BTW you will be in your glory in FEB because the busses start running at 3am to get to the starting area for the race. I laugh everytime I read your comments about being early because we are so much like that to. Actually Dh sets his car clock 20 min later so he isnt so early all the time. Who the heck does that???? Usually people set it ahead so there not late. We are of a different breed I guess.


3am!!!! Yep! That's early!! Holy cow! Running is coming along...not great but not bad. DH is out of town for a week, so it makes it a bit difficult to run when there is nobody to watch the kids. No biggie though....I'll get there. Thanks for asking! How about you??...You still up and at it!?

Okay....cracking up at the 'setting the clock later' deal!!?? Never heard of that until now!!!


Cant wait to read more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for another update! It was interesting to hear about Disney Quest since I will most likely never go there!

Thanks to both of you. Wow - somehow I had missed the fact that Mickey isn't there. Ugh - I had heard such great things about it from my Epcot-resort-fan friends, but no one mentioned that Mickey didn't make an appearance. As usual - assuming something is never a brilliant idea. Hmmm - starting to wonder if we should go back to Chef Mickey's instead.

I didn't realize he wasn't there either?? Characters are subject to change, but I believe Trish(cdolta) was there last summer, and she's a huge planner like me...she would know. Aren't yall staying at BWV or was that someone else??? If you are over in that area, there is another character meal at the Swan or Dolphin...I think??? But not sure if Mickey is there or not. For us...since we like to eat...character meals are the way to go because you don't have to stand in those dang lines Check out this link...you actually may already know about it....has all the character meals and a ton of other info as well.

Allears.net

Looking forward to more! Your profile caught my attention.. I live in Richmond Hill so I had to check out a "neighbors" trip report

Howdy 'Neighbor'!! We live about 35 minutes north of Savannah in the country....glad you joined in!!! Are you originally from this area?

I finally made my way over here! And I'm all caught up! You & I are so much alike...from the planning to being places very early! Okay, so just to show you how much of a dork I am...I actually took notes on what I wanted to comment on since I was starting from the beginning. Oh, I'm so glad Ed is asleep so he can't make fun of me!


You sound like me!!!! DH would be rolling his eyes if I did that...which I would, by the way!


Okay, on to my notes!

Your kids, and parents, are adorable!

I love, love, love all your pics! And, even more, I love all the graphics & borders you put on them. And the captions, too. They had me !


Thanks! I'm very blessed to have a wonderful husband, kids and parents!!...and all of them love WDW


I really enjoyed reading about the Chip & Dale Campfire Sing a long. It looks like a lot of fun & I love how they played with the kids!

The idea of giving each kid 2 hours to choose what to do is just genius! I think that's so great & will totally steal that idea for when Reid (& any other child we may have) is older.


We REALLY liked FW...just not the double beds...but would go back in a heartbeat. I bet your son would just love the place and Chip and Dale!! My little ones had such a great time with those guys!!! It's a must-do for smaller children!


I was so excited to see your pics of the CR. The room looks so spacious! After my (1 and only) complaint about WL being that the rooms are tiny, I REALLY want to stay at CR! And while I think the MK view would be great to have at least once, I have to say that I also love waking up to the sunrises over Bay Lake. That was one of my favorite things about our view at WL.


You get such differing opinions about which side of the Tower is better...I like the idea of looking at the Castle, but not big on looking at that parking lot. We just prefer Bay Lake. If you want the monorail and bigger rooms, the Poly is another terrific choice!!! Great theme, great atmosphere...and you can actually get a bigger room at the Poly if you request Tahiti or....well....I forgot the name of the other Longhouse. And I say 'bigger'...but not like a huge difference or anything...still bigger


I think when Reid is older I will try to see if he would be interested in taking the Hidden Mickey book with us on trips. Hopefully, he'll want to do that. I have started training him on our last trip. When we would be walking the halls at WL, I would be showing him the hidden mickey's in the carpet & wallpaper. He started pointing them out to me on his own after the 1st day! Ed just shakes his head & laughs at me for trying to make my child a Disney dork like me.

Well...too late...your child is probably on his way to becoming an official Disney Dork like the rest of us I pride myself in the fact that my kids love it...and find Hidden Mickeys wherever we are!!!!


I'm officially subscribing now & can't wait to read more.

Hope y'all could follow all of those 'multi quotes'! Long, I know...sorry!

 

[hstrickland]

That's probably all I need to see of DQ. . So glad Stephen loved it and I'm sure they all enjoyed guy time.

I'm assuming then that you WON'T be going to DQ any time soon?! I think it's time that Disney did some renovations...just sayin'

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I am still running at least 3 times a week but I am only doing 30-45 min runs for now. I found as I really increase my mileage I had a hard time loosing weight. So right now I am focusing on getting more weight off. I dont have any halfs I am scheduled for so I think I will keep the shorter distances for awhile. Good luck on getting in the runs. It is very hard when you are home by yourself. You are right you will get there.

 

[hstrickland]

I am still running at least 3 times a week but I am only doing 30-45 min runs for now. I found as I really increase my mileage I had a hard time loosing weight. So right now I am focusing on getting more weight off. I dont have any halfs I am scheduled for so I think I will keep the shorter distances for awhile. Good luck on getting in the runs. It is very hard when you are home by yourself. You are right you will get there.

Good for you!!! Keep going! Have you thought about ramping it up a bit, switching your routine around? Maybe some strength training in between runs? It's strange how your body becomes accustomed to workouts, ya know.

Happy Training!
Heather

 

[Yellowbellow]

This is Pop again - the first Generation Disney Dork -
Disney Quest is 1,000,000 cubic feet of viedo games from my generation of PinBall Machines to all kinds of stuff I cannot even discribe. For me - Heather is correct, I just wanted to hang out with the guys, and it was my idea to begin with and of couse my Grandson thought it was a wonderful idea. I really had a good time - sort of bringing back memories from my days with a pinball machine to Pac Man & Frogger. Had a slight headache when we left - WOW lots of noise but we all enjoyed it. When Stephen realized we were going to lunch and NOT return, he became really sad but back at the CR pool he came alive again. Do it again? ? ? maybe when the 4 year old is 9 or 10, before that - I'll Stay at the Pool with my Kindle

 

[JessiLynn015]

Howdy 'Neighbor'!! We live about 35 minutes north of Savannah in the country....glad you joined in!!! Are you originally from this area?

No, DH is military. We've been here 3 years and are secured to be here for another 4. We love it down here The 4 hour drive to WDW is nothing to complain about

 

[hstrickland]

No, DH is military. We've been here 3 years and are secured to be here for another 4. We love it down here The 4 hour drive to WDW is nothing to complain about

I always feel guilty when I complain about our 4 1/2 drive to WDW...there are people who drive 20 hours!! We're very fortunate!

I'm jealous...you have 2 trips set up before the end of the year! Halloween and Christmas!! Lucky you...I would love to do the Christmas Party.

Also, thank your husband for his military service!! Is he at Ft. Stewart or Hunter?

Happy Planning!
Heather

 

[RGirl]

I didn't realize he wasn't there either?? Characters are subject to change, but I believe Trish(cdolta) was there last summer, and she's a huge planner like me...she would know. Aren't yall staying at BWV or was that someone else??? If you are over in that area, there is another character meal at the Swan or Dolphin...I think??? But not sure if Mickey is there or not. For us...since we like to eat...character meals are the way to go because you don't have to stand in those dang lines Check out this link...you actually may already know about it....has all the character meals and a ton of other info as well.

Thanks! I have checked out allears, but I am clearly going to have to do some more research. I thought I had everything so well planned out. . Maybe I'll just ask my daughter if she really cares about Mickey being there - the lure of seeing everyone else in beach attire may be enough to overcome the lack of Mickey. And then we can try the new fastpass Mickey greet at MK.

 

[cdotla]

Thanks to both of you. Wow - somehow I had missed the fact that Mickey isn't there. Ugh - I had heard such great things about it from my Epcot-resort-fan friends, but no one mentioned that Mickey didn't make an appearance. As usual - assuming something is never a brilliant idea. Hmmm - starting to wonder if we should go back to Chef Mickey's instead.

I just double-checked both AllEars and the Disney Food Blog to be sure I didn't steer you wrong. Sure enough - there is no Mickey. Just Minnie, Goofy and Donald. Still a worthwhile character meal, but if you specifically wanted a breakfast with Mickey, I would go with either Chef Mickey's or O'Hanas.

 

[cdotla]

Thanks for the update on Disney Quest Heather.

The jury is still out for me on that. I am not into videogames in the slightest, but ya know, one nite we popped into the old CR Arcade Room and we all had a blast. Whodda thought? I assume DQ has to at least be as good as the old CR arcade, right?

Even so, I probably won't be rushing over there. In the event we need a rainy day activity though I will keep it in mind.

 

[RGirl]

I just double-checked both AllEars and the Disney Food Blog to be sure I didn't steer you wrong. Sure enough - there is no Mickey. Just Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. Still a worthwhile character meal, but if you specifically wanted a breakfast with Mickey, I would go with either Chef Mickey's or O'Hanas.

I just checked too - I can't believe I made such an assumption. I am going to guess that my daughter will be much more concerned about meeting Minnie, so Cape May should be fine. But it looks like Pluto isn't at Cape May either! I'm not sure I can live with that. We may go back to Chef Mickey's after all, although I'm not sure how to get there from BWV without a car.

Okay - I am totally done hijacking this wonderful TR. Sorry! I should probably start my own PTR to deal with my angst.

 

[cdotla]

I just checked too - I can't believe I made such an assumption. I am going to guess that my daughter will be much more concerned about meeting Minnie, so Cape May should be fine. But it looks like Pluto isn't at Cape May either! I'm not sure I can live with that. We may go back to Chef Mickey's after all, although I'm not sure how to get there from BWV without a car.

Okay - I am totally done hijacking this wonderful TR. Sorry! I should probably start my own PTR to deal with my angst.

opps...sorry, meant to say Donald, not Pluto. Good luck figuring things out!

 

[hstrickland]

You aren't highjacking RGirl ...that's what TRs are for...information, questions and answers! Trish(cdolta) is a wealth of knowledge!.....Trish, I haven't decided, yet,...who loves Disney more?? me? or you??

Not sure what time your ressies would be for Chef Mickey's, but there are a couple of options for transportation....take the bus to the TTC and ride monorail to CR. Or, you can take the bus to MK and ride monorail or walk over to CR. If buses aren't running yet, guess the resort could call a cab for you. Does anyone else have suggestions??? And I'm assuming this is correct...I've never stayed at BWVs.

By the way...the meet n greet for Mickey and Minnie at MK was great. In fact, we ate at Tony's Town square for lunch and decided we would stand in line for it since there was only a 10 minute wait!!!! I think it's kinda hidden in the corner (by Tony's), so people don't really know it's there. There was a line for princesses, too....just didn't have time for that...we were ready to get back to the CR!!!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Mornin' Heather! I fell behind on your TR, but I'm back up to speed now. I've been on DD's summer schedule for a week now - you know how that is. And, our trip is sneaking-up on me fast and I still have many lists to make. Must-have-my-lists!

Was DQ included in your ticket or did you pay OOP?

 

[hstrickland]

Mornin' Heather! I fell behind on your TR, but I'm back up to speed now. I've been on DD's summer schedule for a week now - you know how that is. And, our trip is sneaking-up on me fast and I still have many lists to make. Must-have-my-lists!

Was DQ included in your ticket or did you pay OOP?

One would think that summer slows down! Ha! Not here, either. Bill was supposed to be out of town for a week but surprised me and came home last night...and leaves again tomorrow So...I had to get up really early to get in my morning run before everyone got up...now it's off to Bible School.

Your trip will be here very quickly! I'm sure all your ADRs are made, ect. Where did yall decide to eat this trip? Any new places???

Our tickets did not include DQ...paid OOP. In fact, this trip we didn't even add park hoppers. We have always had them, but I decided to see if we could get along w/o them...and surprisingly enough...we were good! Since everything was completely planned out (shocking, I know) we never needed the hopper option. And as far as DQ goes, we will probably go back when the younger two are 9 and 10...no need to waste money before then or like cdolta said...a rainy day option.

Get busy packing
Heather

 

[hstrickland]

Contemporary Pool! Part 1
Day 4​

After the boys left for Disney Quest, we donned the swimming suits and then it hit me…I left the sunscreen at home! Sure…I can buy it downstairs for a price…a big price. I believe I paid around $15 for a small bottle…oh well.

With camera in hand, we headed for the pool!!! The CR was so NOT crowded…guess they were all at the parks…it is Memorial Day Weekend, so that might explain it??? The kids were so excited they could hardly stand it.

We immediately searched for the life jackets…super easy to find. Last year at the Poly, we had to check them out at the Marina. The CR has them out for all to grab…much easier! Just make sure you get one…later in the afternoon there were very few.

Without hesitation, I started looking for great places to get pictures…then I spotted…

Obviously, with a 4 and 5 year old this would not be advantageous for us to do….no relaxing at any point with Jesse and Faith. But that’s okay…I’ll have years to relax…I won’t have years of the pre-school age.

And when I can relax, you can bet that we will rent one of these! Looks like a great place to have a fruity drink, chitchat, and soak up a Magical day.
I was surprised that none of the Cabanas were occupied! It seems like they would be rented at all times…especially on a weekend like this

Check out all the great activities they have scheduled at the pool!!!! I knew that Stephen would love this!!!

Needless to say, the waterslide was an absolute hit! The actual waterslide itself wasn’t ‘themed’ or anything like that…very plane, but the kids could have cared less. If they went down once, they went down 1000 times!!! Luckily there were very few people, so the kids didn’t have to wait long.

We did have a small issue with Jesse….he didn’t particularly like standing in line. So, I guess he thought it was appropriate to jump ahead of everyone! He had to have a ‘time out’ from the slide until he could get himself under control.

The Splash Area for the kids was really cool…very ‘Contemporary’. I wasn’t expecting the kids to like it…kinda appeared to be for smaller children. Well….I was WRONG! It didn’t look as if this was going to be a 5 minute deal, so I finally pulled up a chair and relaxed…kind of.

Once again…the area was not crowded at all! I think there were a total of 4 children playing, two of which were mine. If it had been crowded, I think they would have lost interest quickly.

Mom and I decided that we had been in the pool long enough, and it was time for those super-fast Sea Racers! Oh…did I say super-fast??? My bad….I should have said SUPER SLOW!! We were quite aware that these boats weren’t fast…we’ve done them before, but Jesse and Faith wanted to ride.

I really had planned on taking the camera and snapping a few shots….however…the guy told us that no cell phones and no cameras allowed….Oh well.

Mom did snap a couple of quick shots…shame on her. I really wanted to take pictures of the old River Country and post them. It simply amazes me that Disney lets that place sit there looking the way it does…I don’t get it??!! You can even see the old Discovery Island remnants…old dock, old nets for animlas…once again, I don’t understand. Who knows?!!

After 45 minutes of cruising around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon, it was time for a quick bite to eat, and perhaps try and get Jesse to lie down and rest! We went to the Contempo Café and grabbed a quick snack…didn’t want to eat too much. California Grill ressies were at 7:30pm!!!! Then, off to the room for a break!

To be continued....more fun will be had when the boys return!!!....Stay tuned!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Your pictures of the pool area and etc look amazing. Also one thing I like about their pool is that it's shapped like Mickey Mouse ears and I say you can't get more Disney then that. So even though it's not a heavily themed like Stormalong Bay I am sure the people who truly enjoy it like fact and how many of their other onsite resort pools are designed like that?