Back From Coronado Springs Resort...

[mcco5543]

Hi All,

Here's my first trip report (sans pictures i'm afraid!) Bear with me, I've never written one of these before.


Cast of Characters:

Me (27) ..I should mention i'm a full time wheelchair user (it becomes relevent I swear)
DW (29)...full time walking person although for this trip I needed an ECV... my statements are in mixed in here and there...


We stayed at CSR for our honeymoon from 7/15-7/22

We flew non stop from Philidelphia International to Orlando on Air Tran and highly reccomend it. They were so friendly and made the plane ride easy! (DW comments: plus they have free XM radio with headphones in the armrests that is really great for someone like me that hates flying..)

Upon arrival at Orlando's airport we headed towards baggage. We took the Magical Express but since we needed our bag immediately we decided to pick it up ourselves. We then headed to Disney's Magical Express desk This was so very easy to find and clearly marked from the second we stepped off the plane all the way to downstairs on the opposite side of the airport. You can't miss it!

The magic started immediately when someone from Disney Cruises beckoned us over and told us to wait a moment. We were not going on a cruise mind you, just riding the Express. She then lead us to a gentlemen working the check in for the cruises and told us that as soon as he was finished with the current customer, he would help us!

We got checked in for magical express and were told to wait on the bench. A bus that had wheelchair access was being sent immediately and that they had been expecting us. We waited about 15 minutes and the bus arrived. The very friendly Disney Cast members personally saw us onto the bus and waved farewell as we were off to CSR!


The bus was quite comfy and air conditioned and the Disney music was very festive. The bus was not overly crowded and it was a very pleasant ride.

I should mention at this point I had begun to get very ill the night of my wedding with a fever that wouldn't quit and it was steadly getting worse....

So we got to CSR and immediately were greeted by all and every cast member that laid eyes on us. We checked in immediately around 2:30 with no problems. We picked up my wife's Rental ECV (If she had wallked the parks she would have knees the size of watermelons that very afternoon, she has no cartiledge in her knees from many years of sports, she also has severe asthma). The Cast Member who checked us in gave us a resort map and all of the usual check in paraphenalia. He also gave us "Just Married Buttons" that were so cute!



We were in Ranchos 7B and bustop 3 was directly behind my building. Literally! I can't tell you how wonderful it was to be so close to a bus stop! More on that later

We were on the DDP so before coming to the room we stopped at La Tienda to grab some food. My wife had a huge salad and a cookie, and a power ade (not on the plan) and swiped a counter service. I chose a snack of cereal and a power ade and we went to the room and crashed for 4 hours. We decided to cancel our Table service for Coral Reef that night (We were so bummed!
) but I was feeling pretty bad, (I was toying with the idea of the ER at this point but decided to see if i could sleep some of it off).

We woke up around 9:30 pm and I was working on a severe fever so after a frantic call to my doctor in Philly We decided to tour an extra Disney "Park" and go to Celebration hospital.

I must say if you must go to the hospital or the emergency room while in Disney, I would recommend Celebration Hospital in a heart beat! They gave me excellent and prompt care! (DW comments: We checked in at almost 11pm and got out of there by 4:30 am. Be careful using the cab system though. It was good and all but on the way to the ER we paid almost double what we paid on the way back!)

After that we came home and slept until morning.

On Monday 7/16 we decided to change our plan and instead of doing a park day, take our down day and try to get me better enough to party the rest of the week with Mickey and the gang.

We went to The Pepper Market for breakfast and it was AMAZING. We both decided to have scrambled eggs (cooked to perfection) biscuits and sausage and bacon (1 counter service each) along with a drink. There were so many things to choose from in the Pepper Market including a coffee bar, pastries, cereals, eggs, biscuits, sausage,bacon, fruit, eggs made to order, omeletts, bagels, mickey waffles etc... it was never ending. The bright and cheery atmosphere just made you feel good from the start.
We finished breakfast and bought the refillable mugs we had heard so much about (we bought the regular size). They held MORE than enough liquid for a couple hours at least .. I drink liquid like a fiend and so to find a cup that holds enough liquid for my liking is saying something! (DW comments: The cups are a lifesaver. They seem expensive at first but if you fill them at least once a day like we did, it saves you bundles! You literally just walk into the Pepper Market and say you are refilling mugs and they wave you right in..the soda and drink fountains are on your left as you walk into the entrance. Also everyone complains about the Pepper Market being confusing but I found it to be anything but comfusing. I guess it is because the college cafeteria that my wife and I went to was set up just like that, we were used to getting food like that. I loved it and would highly recommend the Pepper Market to anyone. I know we'll go again if we visit again.)

Then decided to go to the Dig site to see what it was all about. Pictures do not do the resort justice and the dig site was no exception. There were a lot of people there but the pool is so large everyone seemed to have their own mini pool to themselves. There were lifeguards posted on every side of the pool and I felt quite safe in that respect. The Siesta Pool bar was a great open air spot to sit in the shade and still see the pool. Wheelchair users and people of short stature will be happy to hear that an entire side of the bar is lowered to wheelchair-user height. I actually got to sit at the bar in my chair without the counter and set my drink down like everyone else. There was also enough room for my wife to pull up in her ECV next to me!!!

Jesus and Max were friendly the bartenders were friendly and fun to watch.

We then headed to Boma for dinner. Although my fever had gone down I had a terrible reaction to the antibiotics and had shortness of breath so my DW will have to fill you in on this meal. However, I'll tell you what I remember.

I wasn't really able to eat much but when we arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge we approached the carved wooden doors. Magically, they slid open to reveal the most amazingly beautiful lobby I have ever seen. All dark wood, a fire pit, and a floor to ceiling window at the far end overlooking the African Savannah. I heard a gentle male voice all of the sudden and turned around to see a very tall man in Emerald African Robes and hat and a walking staff carved into a giraffe. He had the most beautiful dark skin and shining eyes. I thought he was an African king. Turns out he was a gentlemen from Namibia and he gave the distinct impression you just should sit and listen to him speak forever! He directed us to Boma and we were on our way.

Boma is impressive all around but most impressive is the ceiling with African tapestry hangings and a large thatched roof. I can't even describe the unique lighting hanging from the ceilings but I assure you it was beautiful.

The lighting was quite dim, but it suited the atmosphere. We were seated almost immediately and our waitress described what was in the buffet that evening. She took our drink orders and my DW went to get our dinners for the evening. I let my wife pick out things for me based on what she knows (i'm a pretty predictable eater, I like what I like). I ended up trying the Peanut rice, and the potato bacon soup, and some watermellon. I'm aware, quite a pitiful meal considering we were in Africa and in Disney but I was very very sick and couldn't really eat.
The peanut rice was an interesting concoction. It tasted like rice that was very sticky, kind of like when you cook it with to much water....but it was good. It tasted like it had peanut butter in it, but there was no peanut butter to be found! I'm still not sure if I liked it or not, but I defintiely didn't DISlike it at all. The Potato Bacon soup was Delicious! It tastes like regular baked potato soup, but instead of bacon bits, they literally grind the bacon into a powder and mix it in, so the soup is very gritty. Not the sensation we are used to eating in this country but the taste was wonderful!
The watermelon, although I realize is a traditional food we eat in this country was the freshest, juiciest watermelon I have ever tasted and went a long way in hydrating my body. * TIP: IF YOU GO TO DISNEY IN THE HOT SUMMER MONTHS, EAT WATERMELON WHENEVER YOU GET A CHANCE, it's hydration without drinking!

My wife will have to fill you in on dinner that night. (DW comments: This was one of the best dinners food wise that I've ever had. The chicken, prime rib, potatoes, rices, everything I tried was awesome. It was so good that I convinced my wife that we had to go back for more later....)

I was, it seemed, sicker than before although finally without a fever. I ended up calling my Dr. back and I ended up borrowing my wife's Asthma medication as I wasn't breathing very well. After that I seemed to magically get better and the rest of the trip was full tilt...... Day 3 to come...

 

[Mickey'sMainMami]

Wow, I am the first to comment! Cool! Just wanted to drop by and say I am really enjoying your report and I can't wait to read more!!

 

[randy4au]

What a bummer to become so ill at the beginning of your Disney honeymoon. My family and I were there during the first two days of your trip. Look forward to reading the rest of your trip report!

 

[Marion]

Looking forward to hearing more! How awful to be sick while on holiday... and Honeymooning!

 

[mcco5543]

Ignore the title..this was Day 3


Well after Boma and some fiddling with medication, we went to sleep and woke up the next morning fully recovered!

We got up and got ready to go to the O'hana breakfast with Lilo and Stich....
A bus driver stopped to see if we needed to get on his bus, we did not, but he got out of the bus anyway and announced loudly "It's the year of a million dreams" ....he pulled 2 pins out of his pocket, sparkly tinker bell pins that read "dreams come true" and said that only cast members that had been with the company more than 20 years could give these out. He gave on each to me and my wife, got on his bus and rode away.

A word about Disney transportation... We walked around our building and the bus that we needed was pulling up as usual. For most of the time that we needed a bus, The bus was either there, pulling up, or about 5 minutes away. It was TRULY magical. All but one of the busses we needed were wheelchair acessable and we got right on either with a lift or a ramp. All but 2 of the Disney Cast member bus drivers were well versed in locking down the wheelchair and ECV and were completely friendly and happy to do it! (I guess the one guy was just having a bad day, although he knew what he was doing, and the other guy, although sweet as Disney pie, had no clue what he was doing).

We then took the Tram from the Magic Kingdom to the Polynesian (it took 15 minutes total from disembarking on the bus, to entering the Polynesian). A Disney Cast member is always waiting for you with a portable ramp to embark and disembark on the Tram and it was like clockwork!

Upon arriving at O'hana we were seated immediately and told that O'hana meant family and here we'd be served family style by our "Cousin".

We were given beautiful pink Hawiann Leis, given to all those celebrating a special occasion and someone over a loud speaker reminded everyone to congradulate anyone with a Lei becuase it was their special day!

We were immediatley served with Pineapple bread (tastes like Chala Bread with real chunks of pineapple) and Cinnimon/raisen bread (tastes like a cinnabon only better).

Although I was not quite a fan of the breads, my wife still wants to go back to the Polynesian for the bread alone. We were also served this delicious tropical juice (tastes like a juice my mom bought when I was a kid but I can't remember which juice). tasted kind of like an Orange/pineapple,mango/guava mix and it was HEAVEN!

We had Eggs and Bacon and Sausage and Potatoes and Biuscuts and Mickey waffles brought out to us in a shallow skillet. It was the best scrambled eggs I have ever had, the most amazing home made bite size waffles (with adorable mickey faces on them) and deliciously doughy busicuts. The Bacon was also crispy (I prefer it that way, so I liked it very much) and my wife, who had the sausage said it was delicious and not to spicy. Everything came with plenty of butter and syrup and our "cousin" was friendly and attentive. As an extra magical moment, our "cousin" saw our refillable mugs (that we filled whenever we left the resort) and offered to refill them for us. This was magical because the only place that you can refill your mug for free is at the resort. But our "cousin" said he wanted to add some extra magic to our day and he certainly did!


After we stuffed ourselves silly at O'hana we headed to the Magic Kingdom.

I felt well enough to try some of the Magic Kingdom so we went for a bit. We walked in just when Pluto and some other Disney townsfolk and characters were doing the patriotic Salute. What a fantastic way to start a Disney Honeymoon!

We headed straight for a shop to purchase Mickey and Minnie Bridal ears. I went straight for the Minnie Veil but my wife had to try on the groom ears and the veil before deciding she is definitely a top hat kinda' Gal.

We walked out and immediatly stumbled upon the "Dreams come True" Show in front of the castle. We both bawled at how magical it all was. Disney was finally real after dreaming about it for months!

We rode attractions and rides at whim until we decided to hit the Main Street Bakery for lunch. We had the Tomato,Basil Mozzerella Sandwiches and I had the Cherry Turnover (my wife chose apple) and we got 2 waters (2 counter services and enough food for 4 people).

Then we decided to head back to the resort, I have forgotten to mention that the day we arrived, bell services called to say they were delivering a package to our room, we already had collected the package we had sent down a week earlier of our belongings and had our luggage with us. not 5 minutes later someone knocked on our door and handed us a letter and a manilla envelope. Inside was an invitation for a complimentary champagne toast celebrating our marriage at the Laguna Bar out side of El Centro. (This is the temporary bar in lieu of Francisco's while Francisco's is being refurbished). So after the MK we decided to go have our toast.

The bar tender was sorry he was out of chamagne glasses but gave us 2 serviceable plastic cups and 2 bottles of champagne. We sat at the outside bar overlooking the lake, under the stars and toasted our union. After we each sipped the chamagne (which neither of us care for) we decided to go with a Frozen Margarita for my wife and a Dirty Martini for me. Then we Truly toasted and enjoyed ourselves immensly.



We had heard the grounds of Coronado Springs were just as, if not more spectacular at night so we decided after our toast, to walk around the resort and take pictures and see the nighttime sights. We saw beautiful landscapes and fountains and lights and people watched as we strolled.

Around midnight we were heading towards the 2nd side of the lake when, in between street lamps I got DRENCHED by the ground sprinklers that were under cover of darkness. I heard a shriek behind me and knew my Dear Wife got soaked as well. We ran for it and were soaked by several more sprinklers that we could not see. Coronado is well lit from above and the pavement is easy to see, but the grassy areas are totally dark. TIP ** They water the grounds from around 11pm until 1am at Coronado and there is no ground lighting to alert you to the silent sprinkling system.**[/B. Luckily the digital camera made out ok and my DW and I (although sweet) are not sweet enough to melt. We headed back to the room and got dried off.

I called the front desk to alert them of this, not becuase I was angry, but becuase I knew that if it had happend to someone else, that someone else might be very angry, and it's something that can be fixed with a simple sign that alerts people of when sprinklers are in use or by better groud lighting. As an aside I also informed the front desk that the transporation golf carts used to transport guests (while wonderful and plentiful) make a habit of driving at high speeds, when no one is in the cart but the driver....I nearly had been run over on more than one occasion and thought perhaps someone should be aware. I am a wheelchair user and quite small, but not as small as a small child. So If I almost got hit than a little child could certainly be hit as well. So Tip: walk on the side of the street and do not let little kids run ahead and slow down around all corners. The front desk said they'd call the grounds people immediatley to inform them about the drivers and would make a note of the sprinkler situation, they were very kind and not in the least upset I had called. They also inquired if my camera was ok and it was. So no harm done!

 

[mcco5543]

Before I get to Day 4.. a word on character breakfasts...being that we are 2 adults, although we love children, they are a lot to handle first thing in the morning, so we scheduled the O'hana breakfast for 10:50 thinking maybe the little kids might not be in such full force and we were right. So Tip: if you're looking for a less toddler filled crowd i'd schedule a late breakfast.....The fact that we had an early breakfast at Chef Mickeys on day 4 is what made me think of this little tip. (How's that for a Seguey...)


We awoke on a glorius morning and headed to El Centro to fill our mugs, then we caught the Magic Kingdom Bus and transfered at MK to the Tram and went to the Contemporary.

The whole process again only took about 20 minutes total from boarding the bus at CSR to getting off at the Contemporary. We went downstairs to Chef Mickeys and were seated immediatly with a "Happy Honeymoon!" like we had recieved everywhere we went thus far. The staff gave us special place mats with drawings of all the characters on it and their "signatures" with a "It's my special day" banner on the bottom. Very cute! ...The place was teeming with families and children and cast memebers and characters. Goofy was on Lobby duty taking pictures with each person in line. Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto were making the rounds among the tables.



We were seated and brought drinks and then we got up to peruse the buffet. Chef Mickey's buffet goes on FOREVER and ever and ever! Every kind of breakfast food was there including pastries,fruits, cereal, eggs, waffles, pancakes, desserts, pb and j pizza, quiche etc... and all of it was divine! I had my standard eggs, buiscuts, sausage and bacon and more watermellon (remember what I said about eating watermellon!?)....

half way through the meal a cast member brought out a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting and mickey confettie all over it, and a lit candle in the middle, and to top it off, what we thought was a plastic decoration of mickey's face. Well, when I went to remove it I realized it was made entirely of chocolate! What a truly sweet ending to a lovely breakfast.

After getting all our pictures with the characters (who do the most wonderful job of communicating without being verbal I might add), we explored the resort some and then headed to MGM.


My wife had not been to Disney since her Senior trip in High School, her last day of her Senior trip was in MGM, but she was sunburnt and exhausted so she found a bench and slept the day away. She missed MGM totally! So, we wanted to get there as soon as possible in our trip so that she would remember it! ....So we arrive in MGM on what I swear was the hottest day in the world. We chatted with a friendly cast memeber for a bit and then headed to the great movie ride. My wife is a movie buff and I wanted this to be her first experience. She loved it! and I of course loved it as usual....We went to Muppets 3-D and to no avail tried to find Drew Carrey's Sounds Scary Show, but I swear it's as we say in Harry Potter language "unplottable" becuase we coudnt' find the entrance. We then went on some more rides and decided to do lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet.

I am here to tell you, that the Pizza is every bit as good as everyone says it is. My wife got a Cheese Pizza Combo with drink, Salad and cookie, and I got the same, only the pizza was Veggie and my dessert was a bag of chips. My only negative thing to say about Toy Story Pizza planet was that there was no elevator to the upstairs seating that we could find, and our friendly cast member didn't know of one either. That doesn't mean there wasn't one, it just means we never found it. ...anyway we sat outside under the shade of the building and the umbrella and it was wonderful just the same.

After, we headed toward the other side of the park and got hoplessly lost for an hour after realizing that Mickey Ave (a main road at MGM was closed for refurbishment). We found a cast member at one point and asked, but still remained lost until someone from Disney's wonderful clean up crew redirected us and we made it out of the MGM "Bermuda Triangle". I don't know why, but there were not many cast members to be found on the MGM streets that day which I found unusual and frustrating.

We watched the stars and motor cars parade from the begining of the parade route in the middle of a pretty heavy summer shower. We just pulled out our mini umbrellas and enjoyed the show! It was so colorful and fun!

We decided after some window shopping to go back to the MK and finish what we had started. We watched Spectro Magic and Wishes that night. (we viewed wishes from the excellent vantage point of Casey's Corner on the side of the Castle). then we headed home. Tip: I reccomend viewing spectromagic and Wishes on seperate evenings, fighting the crowds from our spot for Spectromagic to our spot for Wishes was a nightmare, particularly in the dark)



Then we went back to our resort. and my wife swam at the Dig Site while I sat pool side. Then we went back to the room and called it a night.

 

[mcco5543]

We woke up, got ready and got straight on the bus to go to Epcot, when we got there we were starving and found the Electric Umbrella. It was crowded. We each ate A cheeseburger, fries, sodas and a brownie and cookie for dessert. DW really liked it and I just thought it was typical fair...yummy but nothing to write home about. We sat along a huge picture window in the Electric Umbrella and watched the people go buy as we ate with our backs to the crowded resturaunt and it was quite pleasant.

We toured future world for most of the day. We found a "car wash" type place that had sprinklers that drenched you from head to toe, unlike the night we were drenched at Coronado, it felt HEAVENLY to be drenched on such a hot day. We headed to Club Cool to try the Soda's from around the world and found out which camp we belong to in terms of the Beverly. WE ARE NOT FANS! My DW is making a barfing noise as we speak. We both enjoyed the gingerale however. Then we toured the rest of future world and then we made our way to the world showcase to get to Italy for our Alfredo's reservation. On our way we got a frozen Margarita from the Margarita stand in Mexico and it was "YUM" as my DW likes to say. We made it to Germany before the Florida Daily Rainstorm hit. This storm however, was a doozy and hit hard right from the start. No sprinkles to warn us. So, with wet behinds, we, the drowned rats, waited out the storm in germany for as long as we could, donned our raingear and bravely made it to Italy and Alfredo's.

We were seated instantly at Alfredo's and dinner was very good. The fresco's on the wall were beautiful as was the voice of the guitar player who serenaded me! I had the Tomato Caprese and it was heaven, and the Alfredo. I wished the sauce was a bit "saucier". My DW had Calamari to die for (so she says) and roasted chicken with Rosemary and potatoes and it was "uber yummy". She says. For Desert I had the chocolate mouse that I wanted to drown myself in, it was so good and My DW had a chocolate cake with a raspberry sauce that she says was good, but she preffered my mousse.

After alfredo's the skies had cleared and went on the hunt for the EMH wristbands for Epcot that night. When I say we went on the hunt, we literally had to hunt. We asked a couple where they got their bands and said they had gotten them right along the pathway in Mexico, so that's where we headed...we passed up and down Mexico 3 times and could not see the EMH people anywhere! We thought we were crazy until we asked someone else, since the rain began, the EMH people moved to the Baby/First Aid Center. We found them immediately. So be aware: If it rains in Epcot, the EMH wristband brigade moves from Mexico to the Baby/First Aid Stand.


After getting out bands we decided to not see Illuminations, but instead do the rides and tour more of the World Showcase Countries. We stayed until they pracically carried us out!.

Afterwords we went back to CSR and went to bed.

 

[mcco5543]

On Day 6 we got up and decided to have breakfast at the Pepper Market again. We had our usual Eggs, Buiscuts, Sausage and Bacon and filled our mugs. We then headed out to the Animal Kingdom.

We walked around and saw It's Tough to be a Bug, looked around the Tree of Life and went on the Panganini Trail where we saw all sorts of exotic birds and animals. Along the way Cast members were there to suppplement the wooden placards that told us about the animals we were seeing.

Afterwords, We got Fastpasses for Kilamanjaro Safari's and took refuge at the Dawa Bar becuase it was the hottest day yet and there truly is VERY LITTLE shade at the AK. It is also true that it is extra humid do to the vast amounts of vegitation.....
Alas, it was too early and too hot to imbibe at the bar so we enjoyed the people watching instead. when all of the sudden 5 or 6 strapping young men in Leopard Print costume and black biking shorts came into the yard of the Dawa Bar. They removed a matt from a trunk that was up against the side of the building and laid it out. They began drumming on a bongo, turned on some music, and began dancing and whistling through their teeth. Then they began an acrobatics and tumbling show like no other I have ever seen! What made it extra amazing is that none of the men were small in stature or weight or fit the typical build and height of a tumbler/acrobat. The show went on for 10 minutes and we all clapped and hollered. Then, as quickly as they came, they exited... What a treat!

As the acrobat/tumblers left We spotted an "outdoor showering Post" You stand under it and pull a rope and water comes drenching down on you! It felt like heaven on that hot humid day!

Then it was time for Kilamanjaro Safari! We headed over and I boarded the car right in my wheelchair. I decided to transfer to a regular seat becuase I heard the Safari could be bumpy and my balance is not that great. Also I've had major back surgery and have much metal from my neck to my tailbone and so I felt sturdier in a regular seat. A nice cast member removed my chair from the car and my wife climbed in. We enjoyed this Safari very much, sadly we did not have any "close encounters" but we were closer than we will ever be to many many animals. We saw baby elephants, and zebras, giraffe's and rhino's...the lions were sleeping but if we looked hard enough we could see those too! I am not sure how I would have felt about the bumpiness if I were in my wheelchair during this trip, and if I did not have full use of my upper body for stability. However, from the seat of the truck, it was no bumpier than riding up the mountains to my mountain house as a little girl. My wife and I enjoyed it very much and our driver played her part wonderfully!

After Kilmanjaro we decided it was just too hot and our personal fans and constant flow of liquid were not cutting it. We didn't get a chance to get our personal Misty Mates before Disney, so we broke down and bought the Disney Misting waterbottle/fans. It was the SMARTEST THING WE EVER DID. They felt great and were not cumbersome in the slieghtest since we had the ECV basket to carry them.

we got snacks from a snack stand (a popsicle for me and a chocolate covered bannana with nuts for my wife, her favorite)


Then it was time for Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade! We asked a friendly cast member (which can be found everyhwere in AK I might add) and she took us to the VIP seating for wheelchair/ECV users and their parties. We were alone in a roped off box until a father, his 2 children and a grandfather decided to watch the parade from the next roped off box over. The Cast Member gaurding the observed area had walked away for merely a moment. As the family climbed over the rope, the poor grandfather caught his food on the rope and fell face foward onto the pavement, catching himself with his hands..and his face. Cast members came rushing over as he sat down on the bench that was right there and got him a wheelchair and took him to first aid. THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER CLIMB OVER A ROPE! Also, this is the time to note, the roped off areas along a parade route are for people in ECV's Wheelchairs or those with special needs. Please do not enter those areas unless directed by a cast member. People like me can not see over average sized people who are standing in front of them and it's nice when everyone can see the parade and participate in the fun! (ok i'm off my soap box, thank you for listening).
anyway, since we ended up the only people in this particular roped off area, almost every single float/person/character in the parade came over to us to say congradulations and give hugs and kisses! It was like having our own parade just for our honeymoon!

After the parade we hopped back on the bus to CSR for our reservation at the Maya Grill. As usual we were seated instantly and suprisngly, almost had the place to ourselves. Our waiter who was from Columbia was very informative and attentive and timely. We had a delcious meal of shrim cocktail, fillet mignion, mashed potatoes, vegetables and soft drinks, we also ordered alchohol along with our meal and then we ordered desert. I had the chocolate murenge filled with chocolate mousse, surrounded by fresh berries and drizzled with raspberry sauce, my wife had a Bannana cake type thing with coconut ice cream that she raved about. We both agree our meal was fantastic! The presentation especially was quite special!

After the Maya grill we headed back out to MGM to catch Fantasmic, we were the last ones let into the current show and did not have to wait the hour and a half for the next show. We were very happy about this becuase we wanted to go back to the Magic Kingdom after this for EMH. Fanstasmic was...well...FANTASMIC!!! the artistry and magic was breathtaking as was the scenery. Something special to note, a cast member saw me watching the show and craning my neck to see around a little boy on his fathers shoulders a few rows directly in front of me on the bleachers. I am used to this type of thing happening and I did not want this little boy to miss anything so I was just making due and was totally fine. Well the cast member asked If i could see and I had to admit that I couldn't see very well. So the cast member climbed through the bleachers and asked the man to put his son down from his shoulders. Which he did gladly. I told the cast member I was worried the boy wouldnt' be able to see so the cast member got down on the boys level and told me that it was ok, the boy could see fine and to enjoy the show! It was a very sweet gesture on the part of the cast member and I thank him here very much!

After fantastmic we headed straight to the Magic Kingdom to get our wristbands (this time around we had to hunt them down again, they were hiding underneath the awning on the far side of city hall on main street). We then saw that Spectro Magic was starting and since we had seen it already, figured we'd go catch some rides and walk around fantasy and adventure land, which is what we had come for since we missed it the first time around. We tried to fight our way through the crowd but the parade seemed to follow us as did all the people. It was pitch dark and quite frustrating. TIP: If you're in a park at night, dont' try to pass the parade and the parade goers, just wait it out.
We finally fought our way through and rode on some great rides with no line what so ever. Again, since my DW and I can't find our way out of a paper bag, we got hoplessly lost in the dark of the MK. Once we righted ourselves out again and enjoyed the MK at night some more, we headed out with the rest of the crowd. We like the other EMH's we went to, closed out the park and stayed until the very end.....Day 7 to come..

 

[scottny]

great report. I might try CSR next time. Not sure but it sounds great.

 

[mcco5543]

Everyone, I'm SO SORRY the pictures are so huge. It's my first time posting pictures. I'm doing my best......

here are my General CSR Pics that won't make it in the trip report for those of you considering trying it:

 

[brendrek]

Great report, me and Jay just got finished reading it.

 

[scottny]

Thanks for posting the pics. The park ones r great and so r the hotel room pics. I may stay there. Thanks again.

 

[mcco5543]

On the morning of our last day we decided to get up and head straight for Epcots' World Showcase, we didn't see much of it due to the rain when we had dinner in Italy.
So after the usual filling of mugs at El Centro we headed to World Showcase.

It was wonderful to just leisurely walk around and look in all the shops and see all the towns/villages/cities. At one point we went through England and found Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that had come out in the U.S.A. the night before. We had a copy being mailed to our house (being the major Potter heads that we are) but Katie just couldn't wait (and come on, how can we both read at the same time with only one book huh!?) So we bought it.

I was proud of my DW who, being the bigger Potter head, put the book away and promised to leave it for the plane ride home the next morning.


We then headed over to Morroco for our 2pm lunch at Marakesh. As we walked in, we were stunned by the ornate beauty of every part of the resturaunt from floor to ceiling.

Sidways picture of the bathroom door


We caught the last 5 minutes of the Belly dancer and her accompaniest and she was wonderful and beautiful as was the music!

Then, we ordered our drinks and meal. I had the beef beerwat which was FANTASTIC and my DW had chicken wrapped in pastry (the name escapes me at the moment) which she enjoyed.

For lunch I ordred lamb with white rice and my DW had the beef Kabobs, also with white rice. I enjoyed the lamb and the rice, but was not incredibly fond of the sauce. My wife enjoyed her meal immensly!

For dessert I had the sampler and I liked 2 of the 3 pieces of what i was given. I have no idea what I ate i'm afraid but 1 piece tasted like greek baclava, one piece tasted similar only the center was more of a meat type flavor but quite sweet, hard to explain but delicous! and the 3rd tasted like something that was covered in something like marzipan and I did not care for it at all.

My wife had the fruit salad with mint ice cream and orange water and liked it very much, I tasted it and also liked it, except for the orange water which tasted to me like eau de toillette.....very odd!


Our waitress and the hostesses at the resturaunt were wonderful in true Disney fashion!



We left Marakesh and explored the rest of the world showcase on our way to catch a bus downtown.

We shopped downtown for a bit and headed to the west side to pleasure island and the Disney nightlife. It was lit up like times square and was (suprisingly) not to crowded. We had a blast just walking up and down the strips and looking at all the sites.

At about 1:30am we caught a bus back to CSR and packed for the flight the next morning and went to sleep.


The next day we woke up, finsihed packing and then called bell services, we had to deliver our ECV, our luggage and ourselves to El Centro, plus ship the box of "stuff" we had shipped down to Disney, back home. Bell services came immediately and drove our luggage and package back to El Centro while we followed on our own wheels. Bell services even dropped our package off at the mail room in the convention center business center for us! Talk about door to door service!

We mailed off our package with no problems what so ever and went back to the magical express bus stop to catch our bus to the airport.


There was a cast memeber there "shmoozing" with all the guests and he came over to us. He was so wonderful to talk to, told us all about how he had retired and decided he needed something to do so he decided to work for Disney and how much he loved it. He told us all about the Disney cruise he took last year and that he highly reccomended it. He was very sweet and kind and we enjoyed ending our vacation talking to him very much. The bus arrived but it was not equiped with a lift. So the driver of that bus called base camp and had a bus sent immediatley. We were told that a bus was coming especially for us and that it would be there shortly!

Remember I said I had one bus driver who was sweet but had no clue? Well he makes his appearance ....now!

The dear bus driver of the acessable bus couldn't work the lift, couldn't figure out where the straps for locking down the chair were etc... so finally we got all squared away and everyone else got ready to load. The bus driver informed everyone he could not take anyone else becuase he was slated to pick up from another hotel, but he had the handicapped acessable bus nearest to CSR when the call came in so he was only taking us (now I surmized all this later when we arrived at the next hotel, all the bus driver had told those folks back at CSR was that he wasnt' taking them), it was pretty rude the way he just said it and the folks waiting for the bus were not pleased. I felt bad for our nice Disney cast member friend who had to placate everyone, but i'm sure he got it all settled.

We arrived at the airport and leaving was as smooth as arriving. We can't wait go back and miss Disney every day!


Thanks for reading! Please post any questions and i'll be checking back soon! (pictures for this last day, to come)

 

[scottny]

Sounds like a great finale to your trip. I understand about missing Disney, so do I.

 

[Buzz2001]

Welcome back and thanks for sharing!

 

[Michelle2]

I really enjoyed reading your trip report! Sounded like you had a great time. I did have a question about the cabs though. You had said to careful about the cabs and that they charged you double one way. How can anyone prevent this? Were they a dishonest cab and did not use the meter? Or did they just tell you a bogus price? How can someone prevent this from happening?
I may use a cab or two on our next trip in a few days.

 

[lynn71092]

Great trip report and I LOVED your pictures.
I usually can't see pictures on my PC here at work (they do something to block them out) but I was able to see yours. Will we see pictures of the two of you in your hats?

 

[mcco5543]

About the cab fare situation, I think our first cab driver (the one who charged double) only knew a different way to get to the hospital. The 2nd cabbie must have known a quicker, shorter way. I don't think it was a case of getting swindled or a faulty meter, the cabbies just took two different routes..at least that's what I think happend. I was super sick still on the ride back from the hospital so I really wasn't paying attention if we were retracing our route. But I certainly didnt' feel like I was being swindled (and I know what too look for, i was raised street smart). So no way to avoid it that I know of. Sorry!

 

[mcco5543]

Great trip report and I LOVED your pictures.
I usually can't see pictures on my PC here at work (they do something to block them out) but I was able to see yours. Will we see pictures of the two of you in your hats?

So glad you could see the pictures for once! I hate it when I can't see pictures on my PC! It happens all the time to me and drives me nuts!

Unfortunately I will not be posting any identifying photos. I am in the middle of getting my teaching lisence (student teaching as we speak) and my wife works for a company founded by a religious instution. Since we are 2 married women, neither of us want to possibly lose our job. (And I dont' want to lose my lisence). So no pics of the hats! Sorry!