Ben and Beth's trip to CBR

[Jessiana]

So after months of planning and heartaching DBF and I hit the World. We left MSN (Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, WI) at around 7:30 am. We had a layover in ORD(O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL) which gave us enough time to grab some food and nibble at it(but with our overadreanalized bodies we didn't eat much). We came into MCO at around 1:30 pm EST and got our bags and rushed to get our rental car from ALAMO. We waited for about a half an hour only to be treated rudely. ALWAYS HAVE A CREDIT CARD WHEN YOU TRAVEL!!!!! We were not really prepared to drop $150 in our hard saved cash to put a refundable deposit on our car, but Western Union in Crossroads Shopping Center saved us there. Well, after the car fiasco, we cheered up and drove into the World. Checked in at CBR, no wait, great friendly service, and best of all, everything was correct. We stayed at Aruba building 51 room 5101, not a water view, but still a cozy little carribbean style room. The only complaints we had about the resort was the lack of cold water and our inability to find the ice machine(we didn't look all that hard but we followed the signs to the ice machine all the way around the building til we gave up. We had to rush cause silly me set our first PS at 4:30pm at Nine Dragons at Epcot World Showcase: China. We went a running though Epcot, pointing stuff out to DBF on the way. We were on the Silver Package with 16 wishes to spend between the two of us. We walked into an empty Epcot and an empty Nine Dragons. We ate sparingly due to our still hyperactive bodies, but the food was absolutely fantastic. Our waiter was polite and friendly and very prompt. We had food within 5 minutes of ordering, we had potstickers and the appetizer sampler for starts. We both had the peppersteak(sorry Disney I forgot what you called it) and DBF had this little chocolate cake which was decorated with chocolate chopsticks some gold dusted accents with a dragon stamped on the plate with chocolate(way cool!). After dinner we were given farewells from the entire staff it seemed and we strolled our way through Epcot back to the parking lot, with a quick peek at Ice Station Cool. I tried the ginger soda and the Itailian cola "Beverly", The Ginger Soda was wonderful, "Beverly" however is certainly differently, I wouldn't reccomend that one. We next made a stop back to our room to pick up jackets(it was getting down to 55 degrees that night) then drove to Magic Kingdom. DBF was dazed by this place as I was the first time, parade line up was beginning early because there were some high school marching bands playing before Spectromagic. We cut through the Main Street stores(thank you tips board) and hopped onto Space Mountain with only 15 minutes wait. Space Mountain dissappointed me though because instead of the old scary Space Mountain with no lights cept for the stars has now become almost twighlight level lighting, it was frustrating watching the actual beams going over my head. DBF thought it was awsome though so I'm glad for that. We then caught the last bit of SpectroMagic and then hopped onto the Teacups in Fantasyland. DBF wanted to make me loose my dinner on this ride so he spin us so fast that even the CM running the ride was laughing at us. I however have a fairly solid stomach for rides so all he accomplished was making himself a little woozy. We decided atfer this to go find a smoking area and maybe be lucky enough to get a good Wishes spot there. The one smoking are that I like turned out to be the VIP Seating Area for Wishes and we didn't bring our vouchers from the package, so we had our smoke and watched from just outdie of the roped off area. Wishes was spectacular! The music was put together well and the fireworks choreography was perfect! This is a must see!!!! After the grueling push out of the parks(thanks again tip board for that shortcut info) we took the CM advise and hopped on the FerryBoat back to the TTC. This was really fast and romantic(DBF and I watched the park float away from the back of the second floor of the Ferry. We drove back to CBR and found the joys of Disney resort TV, we spent about 2 hours watching a Japanese Soap Opera(in Japanese).
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[pumba]

thanks so much for the great report......and also the food ...yummy

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Thanks for posting your report.

 

[Jessiana]

Day two started wonderfully! We had a PS for the Cape May Cafe Character Breakfast. We were greeted by a lovely CM and were given our pager. Immeadiately inside was Minnie, in beach gear, greeting guests. I got a pic and then we wondered outside to the buttlerfly garden, where we saw a beautiful hedge sculpted into a butterfly. We got paged and entered the restaurant, which was soft and breezy in styling, and gobbled down OJ, sausage, bacon, eggs, mickey waffles, and tons of fresh fruit. After our rough first day our bodies really craved the nutrients. We were visited by Chip during our coffee and we got a few good pics. After Breakfast, we wondered around the boardwalk area and found a stand where we could buy an oyster to hunt for a pearl. I knew that this was going to be a money draining attraction, but I wanted to get something nice on this trip. So I found a huge, very white pearl, then we got hit with the sales pitch for settings. Lucky for me I can cut through and just get what I want with sales people. I got a neat setting that shows off the pearl surrounded by dolphins, in a white gold pendant. This cost me a total of $140, but I love the heir loom peice. After our walk, we drove to Epcot and began our adventure at Living Seas. I loved this, the Finding Nemo additions really brighten this attraction, go see it again! Next we went to The Land Pavillion, we went on the Living with the Land boat ride. What can I say, I loved to see plants growing without soil and the 6 pound lemons. And then, the ultimate ride, Mission Space! We rode this with two enthusiastic young girls. The weightlessness you experience is so amazing! Somewhat unnerving, but this ride is a must do, just to experience a flight to Mars! We also went on Spaceship Earth and meandered around France, Morrocco, and Japan. Morrocco is fun, like wandering through hidden alleyways! Plus I got to get my picture taken with one of my favorite heroes, Aladdin! We had this evening's PS at the Teppanyaki grill, certainly an exciting prospect. This wonderful Japanese restaurant will just floor you with it's friendliness and its great food! We got a wonderful show from an awsome Japanese cook, lots of juggling, fire tricks and stand up comedy. After our wonderful meal of grilled seafood and steak, we wondered outside on the balcony of the restaurant. Here we had a great veiw of Illuminations. This was a great romantic ending to was great day!

Check out my pics page! http://www.geocities.com/jessiana80/Dispics.html

 

[Minniespal]

Great report ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[Jessiana]

Day Three we skipped breakfast to do a quick bite as an early lunch out at MGM. We first went on the classic Great Movie Ride, which I always enjoy, DBF was sort of ho hum about it. We then meandered to Star Tours, which was probably the most crowded of all the rides we went on the entire trip, which was amazing, concidering we did go on Mission Space, but had very little wait there. I always love Star Tours so it was a must do, DBF liked it alot, though, don't go on Mission Space til last if you plan on doing any of the other Simulator rides at the World, Star Tours especially loses something after Mission Space. Next we went to Toluca Legs Turkey Co. for a quick early lunch, definately a great stop, inexpensive for the amount of food you get, and darn good too. Last we did the Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster combo, which I must say both of these rides are spectacular. DBF really couldn't stop raving about Tower of Terror for a few hours. I enjoyed Rockin Roller Coaster because after the dissapointment of the better luminated Space Mountain, I was happy to be on a coaster that was fast and quite dark. Then we rested a little before checking in to our PS at Hollywood and Vine for our Fantasmic dinner package. Hollywood and Vine was probably the one meal that Disney did not impress me with. The food was mediocre, the service was the same, and well, the atmosphere just doesn't sit right with me. Plus it's just too noisy compared to the other restaurants. After our abrupt dinner(we ate as quickly as possible) we took a quick break in our room, then returned for our seating time at Fantasmic. Now I previously said that DBF was raving about Tower of Terror for a few hours, this is because we had not yet seen this show. Both DBF and I were floored by this spectacular event, movie screens made of water, a lake on fire, characters in boats, giant puppets, and SORCERER MICKEY!!!!! My Favorite Character! I really was into the fireworks show finales before FAntasmic, but I have seen the light. We didn't do nearly as much on this great day, but it was probably the one we had the biggest smiles on our faces afterward.

Check out my pics page! http://www.geocities.com/jessiana80/Dispics.html

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Sounds like you had a great day. enjoyed reading your post.

 

[Jessiana]

Day four was absolutely insaine. We started out our day at Animal Kingdom. DBF and I had pretty much left this park for last because we didn't find a whole lot of rides and attractions in Animal Kingdom worth standing in line for. But that DOES NOT mean we don't LOVE Animal Kingdom. DBF and I were entranced from moment one of walking into this park, first, of course we ran into some characters outside the entrance. We have a great pic with Timone and Rafiki, which are from one of our favorite movies! Then we wondered around the park, literally, we just took the nearest trail and found surprises everywhere. Everything from the Black Swans to the Tigers, just the most amazing creatures all hidden in the lush forest. We made it our priority to go on the Kilaminjaro Safari because well it's one of two things that Animal Kingdom is all about in my opinion. We hopped on the Simba One and took our adventurous tour through the plains. We got so many breathtaking pictures, it was wonderful, the animals were almost close enough to touch. Definately a ride not to miss. The other thing animal kingdom is all about, is It's Tough to be a Bug! in the Tree of Life. The tree of life is a spectical in itself and you get a GREAT view of it from the line going into the show. The show however is even better! Starting with the curtain of butterflies, the smelly stink bug, the attacking bees, and the buggy surprise just before you exit. If you don't like bugs, don't worry, there are no real ones in this show, but your littlest ones may get a bit scared, I jumped a few times myself, but DBF loved it! After our visit to Animal Kingdom, we made our way to Magic Kingdom for our last PS Character Dinner at the Crystal Palace. Here was my most favorit disney moment of the trip, while sitting and eating this great buffet and waiting for Tigger and Eeyore to come visit us(Pooh and Piglet had already come by and DBF would have been really dissappointed if he didn't get a picture with Eeyore and I would have been sad not to get a picture with Tigger) when Eeyore was at this table next to us, there was this adorable little girl in a high chair and Eeyore had kneeled behind her without her noticing and suddenly she slightly jumped when she saw him, then fell onto his BIG nose in a hug. (DBF was quite overcome after seeing this magical sight) After dinner we finished our tour of Magic Kingdom by going on Haunted Mansion and to see Mickey's PhilharMagic. Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite oldies at Disney World, and the 999 spooks entertained DBF as well. But the best thing to happen to Magic Kingdom would have to be the musical stylings of PhilharMagic! The music from some of the best Disney Movies, 3D scenes from the movies that make you feel like your in the flick, and some special magical antics from Donald, don't forget to smell the Apple Pie! You must go see this show! Finally we followed our way out of the park, slowly, as SpectroMagic set up was going on. Our last visit was to Downtown Disney, we combined 2 hours of DisneyQuest(never enough) with our 9pm seating at Cirque Du Soleil. DisneyQuest of course is the Video game addicts dream, we played Ride the Comix and the Mighty Ducks Pinball, plus some of the regular arcade games. After our much too short trip into DisneyQuest, we found our seats for Cirque. Cirque Du Soleil is definately something to see, it combines ballet, acrobatics, music, Biking, and juggling. IT's tough to explain to someone who hasn't seen the show, but the performers who are centerstage are constantly being backgrounded by small acts by the rest of the cast, so there are so many things going on at once. All I know is that I will never be able to get that French Soul singer and those cute Asian yo-yo acrobats out of my head. After the show we stumbled out weary from our marathon day, and what a great day it was.

Check out my pics page! http://www.geocities.com/jessiana80/Dispics.html

 

[MandaMom]

thank you for the trip report

MandaMom

 

[Jessiana]

Well, our last day was pretty uneventful, but still fun. We woke up and packed. We walked through the resort and dug our toes in the sand. We spent a little time on the aviary island ine the middle of the lagoon. We fed the birds with the food in the little candy machines on the bridges. It was great, I had wild birds eating out of my hand. We got back to our room and found that our maid had left us a note saying that we could keep the towel swans she had left us. We painfully left the world and headed back to the airport. Again, I can't stress enough how I will never use Alamo rental cars again. We had to wait forever to get our deposit back. We hopped on our plane and headed home. We had a ton of fun and hope to do it again soon.

Check out my pics page! http://www.geocities.com/jessiana80/Dispics.html

 

[catnik]

Thanks for the report....glad you both had such a great time!

 

[p-nut]

Enjoyed your reports Did not know they had an aviary at that resort. Might have to check that out next trip.