Best Disney Trip Yet!

[son3disfan]

Just back from our 2 week Florida vaction...
The best yet!
We flew from Buffalo March 1st , Southwest , on a $54 one way , non stop .
Great deal . We usually drive , and I can say I really do enjoy the drive .
The flying was faster , but it really was a lot of work with the kids.
This year we did a split stay. 4 days at POR ( package with free water parks and hopper passes with the dining plan) and 2 days at CSR. room only .
POR was wonderful. Very clean and no problems with mousekeeping. I loved the carrige ride around the resort.. my boys loved it to. And the boat to DTD was a great way to travel to Disney Quest and for some shopping.
We also LOVED CSR. What a beautiful resort. Again, very clean and well maintained. We spent the day , just walking around the resort , swimming and playing ... we even started a game of volleyball with another family!
Now , The Dining Plan.
Wow . SOOOOOO much food , 3 days of the plan lasted 4 days for us.
We ate at CP, Maya Grill and Boma for dinners , and WP express, Pepper Market and Blizzard Beach for lunch. We used snack credits for some breakfast stuff ( MK bakery is awesome!). The dining plan is great for a shorter trip , but I can't imagine eating like that for a whole week! (IMO).
Also , we rented our suv from National . They were just wonderful to deal with. Everything went so smoothly.

Now , for the Year of a Million Dreams:

In our 6 days at Disney, we did not see one dream handed out. Not one .Until , at AK ,on our last day, they pulled us aside form the line up at It's Tough To Be A Bug..( with about 10 other people ) and we were given the mickey ears.( After a big speech about our dreams are coming true.. right NOW! ) I have to say, my son was so excited. He wore them all day!
I did see some people walking around with fast pases or ears or lanyards, but I never saw anyone receive them . My advice is don't expect to see much. I think they really try to hand out things secretly.I wish I saw more of the dreams happen.
That's it for now. I'm still working on the unpacking..
Let me know if I can answer anyone's questions.
I'm already wishing to go back , again. What a magical place!

 

[laura001]

WElcome home, glad you had a great trip!!!

 

[dolphinmom]

I thought the green face was jeolous - oh well. I am not too jealous because we are heading down in 35 days. yeh!

Anyway, we are staying 11 days at CSR and I would love to hear a bit more about how you found this resort. The main things I am wondering about are the main pool area, the slide, the pyramid - like how far up were people going?
the arcades.

we will have two teenagers with us(13 and 14 yrs old).

tia

dolphinmom

 

[kristieleeoz]

Whohoo

Sounds so fun. What are the year of a million dreams things?? Never heard of it.
We go in a month, so I guess we will see.

Thanks for sharing your story!

Kristie

 

[son3disfan]

Whohoo

Sounds so fun. What are the year of a million dreams things?? Never heard of it.
We go in a month, so I guess we will see.

Thanks for sharing your story!

Kristie

Disney is granting special " DREAMS" to people , randomly over the year.
You could be stopped at anytime and given a surprise. From special silver mickey ears , lanyard , pins , stuffed animals ,or all day fast passes , to a night in the castle , or free dining , or trips.... you never know!
I'm so excited for you! Have a great trip. Don't forget to come back and tell us how MAGICAL it was!

 

[son3disfan]

You will LOVE CSR!
It is a very spread out resort with 3 different areas. We stayed in the Castias.
There is Ranchos ( the one we wanted..) and Cabanas. All the rooms are the same size and ammenities, just themed differently. The Cabanas are close to the pool. We were close to the main building and small pool.
The arcade close to the large pool was open ( but small , about 10 games) and the larger arcade in the main area (called El Centro ) was closed for referbishment. Hopfully it will be ready when you arrive.
The pool slide is awesome ( I went down many times!)
As far as the pyramid , you can sit on the first 6 or so steps. Great for photos. Lots of chairs. There is a volleyball court there too.
Plan to walk around alot, the resort is huge. It's so beautiful though, the walk is lovely.
Have a wonderful time. I think I should be the one who is jealous! I want to go back!

 

[drag n' fly]

The YOAMD reps must come in waves because we saw lots of them and won lots of neat things when we went

 

[disneyfan2]

how were the crowds the first week of march. How far in advance did you book flights at that awesome deal?

 

[son3disfan]

how were the crowds the first week of march. How far in advance did you book flights at that awesome deal?

The parks were busy, but not too bad. Using fast passes and EMH, we waited no longer then 10min on rides( fastpasses for all the big stuff.. EE, SpaceM, BTM ect.) It was a great time to go.Even at the water parks, we waited 5 to 10 min on the tube rides.
I booked my flight in Dec. ( around the 27th or 28th ) for March 1st. It was an internet SPECIAL , not a ding. I was waiting for a ding fare... nothing came for the first week of March. Also , keep in mind that was from Buffalo to TAMPA. ( Walt Disney World is only about a 50 min drive away if I recall ).
Hope that helps.