Disney's CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT Information & Questions

Just got back from a trip. Our dates were 10/14-10/20 and it was me and my husband. Here's my quick report on our stay.

Wednesday 10/14 - Arrival and Disney Springs

We landed at MCO at 12:45 pm. There wasn't much of a line for DME and we were the first stop once we arrived on Disney property. Our room was ready so we headed there to drop our bags and refresh a bit. We had a preferred room and ended up in Barbados, Building 33, Room 3330. Our location was perfect, super close to the bus stop and a 5 minute walk to both the Skyliner and the Food Court. We caught a bus (18 minute wait) to DS, shopped, had dinner at Polite Pig and were back in the room by 7 pm.

Thursday 10/15 - Hollywood Studios

We got in line for the Skyliner around 7:30 am and were 6th in line. We made it to HS around 9:10 am and got in line for temperature check which hadn't opened yet. As we stood there, we saw the cars being led into the parking lot so we beat everyone coming by car. The line for temperature check seemed huge to us but once it opened it moved super fast.

We went straight to MRRR and got in line. The ride was already running and we were on and off by 9:30 am. We found a place to sit after that because my husband had a work call. At 10 am I tried to get us a boarding pass but failed. I used every trick I had read here on the DIS and had been practicing from home but no luck.

We then headed back to Galaxy's Edge and waited 20 minutes for MFSR, did some shopping, ate lunch at Docking Bay, had a12:40 pm ADR at Oga's, 5 minute wait for AS2 and 10 minute wait for TSM (did that one twice). In between AS2 and TSM we managed to snag boarding group 90 at the 2 pm drop.

After TSM, we did some shopping and waited 30 minutes for TOT. Then we had a 4:05 reservation to build lightsabers. That was by far my favorite thing of the entire trip. The build ceremony gave me goosebumps more than once.

As soon as we finished with the Lightsabers, our Boarding group was called. Once we were in line, it took forever to get to the first preshow. We even stopped at one point for about 20 minutes, either a cleaning cycle or it was down for a while. Once we made it through all the preshows and were loaded into our vehicle, it wouldn't start. They unloaded us and took us behind the scenes to another loading room where we finally got to ride. The whole process took about an hour and a half but man is that ride worth it!

After ROTR, we had to hurry to our 6:10 ADR at Sci Fi. After Sci Fi the park was closed so we headed out and waited about 10 minutes for the Skyliner.

Friday 10/16 - Epcot

We left the room around 9:15 am to head to the Skyliner and were about 50 families back in line. I wasn't in any hurry to get there because we planned to start with Food and Wine right at 11 am. A CM came around and offered us a "golden Skyliner pass" if we were willing to allow another party of 2 to board with us at Riviera. We took the offer which allowed us to jump to the front of the line. We were asked to sit facing each other at the far end of the car. Once we go to Riviera though, there wasn't another group to place with us so we continued to Epcot by ourselves.

We ate and shopped around the world, rode LWTL, Soarin' and SE, dinner at Rose and Crown at 6:10 pm then headed back to the resort. There was no wait at all for the Skyliner when we left the park around 7 pm (closing was 9 pm that night but we were tired).

Saturday 10/17 - Animal Kingdom

We were out the door by 6:45 am (AK opened at 8 am) and walked right on a bus. We were in the park and in line for FOP by 7:20 am. Rode FOP (about 50th in line) then NRJ with a 15 minute wait. Got a notice that EE would be down all day. As we left Pandora, the line for NRJ stretched all the way back to Tiffin's.

Hit up the Safari with a 20 minute wait then took the train back to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Participated in the 10:45 drawing class, drew Dumbo. Train back and then lunch at Flame Tree. After lunch headed to Dinosaur and waited 45 minutes (wait time said 75 minutes). The lack of EE that day really affected the wait times. We hit up some stores after Dinosaur and then exited the park around 2 pm.

Relaxed in the room and then got dinner at the food court and drinks at the pool bar. The long hot days caught up to us and we ended up falling asleep at 8 pm that night.

Sunday, 10/18 - Hollywood Studios

This trip was mostly about Star Wars stuff so we did a second day at HS. Followed our first morning pretty closely. At the Skyliner at 7:30 am, 4th in line this time. Headed straight to MRRR again and was done with that and in line for Slinky by 9:40. We waited about a half hour once Slinky opened. We were still in the Slinky Dog line at 10 am and once again failed to get a boarding pass for ROTR.

Lines were insane after we finished Slinky so we went to the Frozen show then had lunch at Baseline (giant pretzel and a California Sunset, yum!). Muppets was next and we waited through two shows before we got in, probably about 30 minutes. Then I found a place in the shade while my husband rode Star Tours (makes me very sick). He was on and off in under 20 minutes.

It was almost 2 pm at that time and threatening rain so we found a spot under an awning to try for a Boarding group. Got 94 this time then we headed back to Galaxy's Edge. Hubby wanted some different color Kyber crystals so we waited in line to get into Dok-Ondars. It poured for about 5 minutes while we were waiting, just long enough for us to get soaked.

Next was our 3 pm reservation to build droids. That was a lot of fun, I build a BB-8 unit and the hubby went with a R-5. We already knew we wouldn't have room for them in our suitcases so we had them shipped home. You can do that now right from the Droid Depot. It cost $34.95 to ship the 2 droids.

From there we went back to TSL and rode TSM again. We love that ride and are very competitive. I won this trip with 2 wins to 1. When we finished there, I checked the Boarding status and they were at 89. We headed back that way and after a few PP stops and a restroom stop they were at 93. At that point we did not think we would be able to ride and make our 5:20 ADR but decided we would rather ride ROTR and skip dinner if necessary. So we went to the ride and I keep refreshing and refreshing but they never did move to 94 and then the ride went down.

Disappointed, we made our way to 50s Prime time for our ADR. We ended up at the same exact table that we sat at during our Honeymoon 22 years before! This turned out to be my favorite meal of the trip so I am glad we made it to the ADR. Right as our entrees were delivered we got a notice that our Boarding group had been called and we had until 6:38 pm to get back which was an hour. Not sure if it's an hour all the time now or if it was just because it was the end of the day?

We finished dinner then headed back to Galaxy's Edge and got in line for ROTR. The line moved soooo slowly this time. We would move one line then stop, then one line and stop. This went on for 40 minutes and we were maybe two or three rooms from the first preshow when all the lights came on, the fire alarm went off and we were quickly evacuated to a backstage area. We were escorted back into the park near the Muppets theater as we heard fire trucks coming in. Still have no idea what happened.

The park was closed at that time so we headed out. The line for the Skyliner was a lot longer than the first day but still only took 10 minutes. It was spitting rain and I discovered that the Skyliner is not rain proof. We were pelted by rain the whole way back to Caribbean Beach through the air vents.

Monday 10/19 - Magic Kingdom

Finally my favorite park! Unfortunately this day did not go well at all, I made a huge mistake not listening to the people on here that recommended catching a bus at the Martinique stop. I think I had a false sense of security from how smoothly our AK day went. I had us head out to the Barbados stop around 7:30 am for a 9 am opening. Unfortunately the buses that day didn't even start running until about 8:15. By that time the bus stop was packed and there was zero order to it, some families were pushing their way to the front, disregarding the "stand here" lines. Plus once the buses started coming, they were full by the time they made it to us so they passed right on by.

After the 7th bus passed us without stopping, we ordered an Uber which came in about 10 minutes. The buses were finally loading at that point but I'm really glad we weren't dealing with the free for all that the bus stop was at that point.

With all that mess, we didn't make it into the park until well after rope drop. We still managed Space Mountain (20 mins), Buzz Lightyear (10 minutes) and Pirates (32 minutes) before our lunch ADR at The Plaza. After lunch it was threatening rain so we hit up Big Thunder (20 minutes, Jungle Cruise (20 minutes including a cleaning cycle). While on the Jungle Cruise the skies opened up and it rained off and on the rest of the day. We skipped HM because the line was all the way back to the shooting range in Fronterland and headed to Small World (20 mins), Peter Pan (20 minutes) and Dumbo (5 minutes). It started really raining at this point so we hit up some shows, COP, Tiki Room and Country Bears and then headed out via the Emporium and a few other stores.

A bus came very quickly and we made it on and were back at the resort quickly. We got dinner at the food court again and packed.

Tuesday, 10/20 - Departure

Our DME bus was at 7:45 so we were up and out the door by 7:15 am. We were the first pickup and only one other family got on the bus with us. We made stops at both Yacht Club and Riviera but no one got on at either stop. So we had a semi private trip back to the airport.

Well that turned out to be a bit longer than I intended it to be. :rotfl: If anyone has any questions, ask away!

Thank you this was so helpful! What time did the Skyliner start running each day for Epcot and HS?
 
What's the best Disney transportation TO each park for rope drop with minimal amount of wait time? Here's my thinking so far:

1. MK, bus
2. Epcot, skyliner
3. HS, uber to speedway and walk
4. AK, uber or bus if the wait is minimal

Are they checking for ADRs at the resorts? If not, I would change #1 to Uber to Contemporary and walk, #2 to Uber to an Epcot resort and walk.

TIA
 
What's the best Disney transportation TO each park for rope drop with minimal amount of wait time? Here's my thinking so far:

1. MK, bus
2. Epcot, skyliner
3. HS, uber to speedway and walk
4. AK, uber or bus if the wait is minimal

Are they checking for ADRs at the resorts? If not, I would change #1 to Uber to Contemporary and walk, #2 to Uber to an Epcot resort and walk.

TIA

I would switch #3 to Skyliner, much quicker. The others I agree with.
 


What's the best Disney transportation TO each park for rope drop with minimal amount of wait time? Here's my thinking so far:

1. MK, bus
2. Epcot, skyliner
3. HS, uber to speedway and walk
4. AK, uber or bus if the wait is minimal

Are they checking for ADRs at the resorts? If not, I would change #1 to Uber to Contemporary and walk, #2 to Uber to an Epcot resort and walk.

TIA
It’s hit or miss on ADRs at the gate. We had a breakfast at chef Mickeys and drove over and the guard checked my ID but didn’t look for a dining reservation. Maybe he recognized the name from looking at a list earlier, IDK but the lot was fairly empty so that’s likely why.

When we went to GF, they checked ID and scanned my MB. Parking lot was definitely more full than CR but not overflowing.

Regarding #3, I think that only holds on opening times. The rest of the day, it’s a breeze leaving CBR on the skyliner to DHS and I’d say that other than PPO and around park open, the skyliner is the fastest method to DHS. Given the change to ROTR boarding passes, I suspect some PPO crowding will now level out. I’m sure it will still be busier than other parks with MMRR but the new boarding pass rule is a welcomed change IMO.
 
Quick question: when you check in, does the resort put a hold on your card? If you use your Magic Band to pay for purchases in the park, these get charged to your room and you pay at checkout right?
 


Quick question: when you check in, does the resort put a hold on your card? If you use your Magic Band to pay for purchases in the park, these get charged to your room and you pay at checkout right?

Yes, When a guest checks in, a $100 hold, plus whatever remaining balance they have on their reservation before checking in, will be placed on their credit card.

So at checkin, a $100 authorization hold is placed on your credit/debit card. And anytime you spend over that $100 another hold is placed on your card I believe in $100 increments. We always use gift cards and haven’t used our mb very often but on our trip this past August, I never even looked at our cc until we got back since I remembered we had to charge our meal at riviera since I forgot our gift cards. Our meal was only $50 but the pending dinner amount was there plus the room check in and I think it took about a week until it cleared and showed as processed.

So if you plan to use your mb, you’ll want a card with enough credit or your debit card, make sure you have the cash. There’s been tons of threads on the dis about this with more detail. See below. As far as when you need to pay at checkout, I think that depends on the length of your stay. I don’t know as I’m not as familiar with that part of the process.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-credit-card-authorization-holds.3729383/page-80#post-61276972
 
Yes, When a guest checks in, a $100 hold, plus whatever remaining balance they have on their reservation before checking in, will be placed on their credit card.

So at checkin, a $100 authorization hold is placed on your credit/debit card. And anytime you spend over that $100 another hold is placed on your card I believe in $100 increments. We always use gift cards and haven’t used our mb very often but on our trip this past August, I never even looked at our cc until we got back since I remembered we had to charge our meal at riviera since I forgot our gift cards. Our meal was only $50 but the pending dinner amount was there plus the room check in and I think it took about a week until it cleared and showed as processed.

So if you plan to use your mb, you’ll want a card with enough credit or your debit card, make sure you have the cash. There’s been tons of threads on the dis about this with more detail. See below. As far as when you need to pay at checkout, I think that depends on the length of your stay. I don’t know as I’m not as familiar with that part of the process.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-credit-card-authorization-holds.3729383/page-80#post-61276972

Perfect, thank you so much!
 
Getting to and from Disney Spring from CBR by Disney bus. Is it time consuming or a hassle? I know when we went from POR it seemed to take forever.
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What's the best Disney transportation TO each park for rope drop with minimal amount of wait time? Here's my thinking so far:

1. MK, bus
2. Epcot, skyliner
3. HS, uber to speedway and walk
4. AK, uber or bus if the wait is minimal

Are they checking for ADRs at the resorts? If not, I would change #1 to Uber to Contemporary and walk, #2 to Uber to an Epcot resort and walk.

TIA
We were there last week and took Uber to MK. It dropped us off at TTC, but we were on the monorail to MK before the first bus even arrived at MK. Obviously it will depend on timing of everything, but buses didn't start until about 8:30, and that's about what time we were on the monorail, and then let right into the park.

For DHS, we did not want to walk from the Speedway, mostly because it was SO hot last week. I decided to try our luck with the Skyliner and was so glad we did. We did it both DHS days and it worked out well. We got in the Skyliner line around 8:10, and they let us up to the platform about 8:30. On the first day, they started running right before 9am and we were in the MMRR line by 9:30am. On the second day, they started running about 8:45. We had about a 10 minute wait to get into the park when we arrived, but still managed to do Slinky Dog, Aliens, and Smugglers Run all before 10am. We also got boarding groups both days.

For AK, we took an Uber around 8:15 to make sure the parking lot was open and we didn't have to have the Uber driver wait in traffic. We were in the park by about 8:50 and had about a 30 minute wait for FOP.
 
Getting to and from Disney Spring from CBR by Disney bus. Is it time consuming or a hassle? I know when we went from POR it seemed to take forever.
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We went to Disney Springs three times last week. Because bus capacity is unpredictable and we had dining ADRs to get to, we opted to Uber to DS which was quick and easy. We did take the bus back all three times. In one instance, there was room to spare on the bus, another time we had to wait about 25 minutes for a second bus when we didn't fit on the first one, and the third time we got the very last section on the bus. The actual commute time once on the bus is not bad at all.
 
So we booked Caribbean Beach for June 10-14. We'll be staying at Yacht Club earlier in the week as my soon to be husband is attending a conference.

We booked CBR through a travel agent friend. There were so many resorts to choose from and I hope I made the right pick. What section should we request? I've seen Jamaica listed a few times. Help a girl out..first time going to Disney as an adult. Boy, this is stressful lol
 
Just back from an amazing stay last week at CBR! This thread was helpful in my planning, so wanted to share some thoughts and experiences.

It was just DH and I, no kids. We were there 10/25-10/30.

DME:
We arrived at the DME area in the airport around 11:45am on Saturday 10/25. Luggage came out super quick so even though its a hassle to lug it to DME, at least its coming out quickly and there's fewer people in the airport to navigate through. We were the first in line for the CBR bus, which was shared with Riviera. We had about a 25 minute wait, and were boarded with assigned seating from the back to the front of the bus. The seating was assigned staggered to ensure no one was in the rows directly around us. It was tricky because the rows weren't numbered, but everyone caught on to the staggering of the seats. I received an alert from MDE that our room was ready when we were about 10 minutes out from the resort. CBR was the first stop.

On the way back, the DME driver did not assign seats and did not advise people that they should sit socially distanced. As a result, we did have people all around us while there were several open rows in the back. Not sure if our driver was just a dud or if its been typical to not have assigned seats on the way back. We also stopped at OKW after CBR to pick up more guests.

Room:
Our room was in Jamaica 42 (room 4264). It was a corner King room on the second floor. There are no elevators, but luckily DH managed to lug both our suitcases upstairs. I was initially disappointed in the room location because I had requested Aruba 51 or Jamaica 45 for proximity to OPR. Jamaica 42 was very close to the Skyliner, but a decent walk to OPR and the main pool. If this was "normal" times, DH and I would have visited the food court every morning for coffee, a mug refill, and a quick breakfast and the room location would not have been conducive to this. Especially if it was a DHS or Epcot day and we had to go the opposite direction for the Skyiner. But, the resort food court is a whole different vibe right now with the mobile order factor. We only went there twice for meals, and had no desire to go there any other time. We actually ended up preferring the options at the Joffrey's stand at the Skyliner, which was a closer walk from Jamaica 42.

Also, as far as room location, DH and I decided we aren't really sure what location we'd want to be in on a future trip. The pirate rooms are most definitely the furthest. But a case could be made for any of the other sections. They all have pros and cons and IMO, there isn't one section of the resort where the location is preferable for all aspects.

The room itself was fine. Smelled extremely clean when we entered, found nothing in disrepair. We were very happy with everything. Housekeeping came every other day to remove trash and replace towels (twice during our 6 night stay). I also made a request for extra towels through the chat function on the app, and they were at our room within 20 minutes. We found the layout of the building to be confusing with many twists and turns, and I think we constantly went the wrong way when trying to figure out the best flight of stairs to take down depending on whether we wanted to get to the parking lot for Uber pick up or the path to the Skyliner. Also, whenever we called Uber, we had them pick us up at the circle marked for buildings Jamaica 41-43 and it was never an issue. Saved us from having to haul all the way to OPR for pick-up.

Centertown/Banana Cabana:
For Centertown (food court), you had to have a mobile order ready for pickup to enter but they did permit you in to refill mugs. They are still filling up paper cups and handing to you to fill your mug. Any fountain drinks or coffee are also filled at the drink station rather than the mobile order pick up station. Food options are very limited, and we found indoor seating to be pretty limited as well. There was more outdoor seating, but those big white birds were abound and some parents were letting their kids throw food at them which drew more. So, we sat inside. There is also not a way to re-enter the food court once you sit outside and will have to walk all the way back around through the CMs if you needed more napkins or a utensil.

Banana Cabana had limited seating and no bar seating. They had a roped off area for a queue for walk-up service, which was fine for the time we were at the pool. I can't compare to the usual menu, but found the food options were very limited but the drink options were good.

Main Pool:
Absolutely loved the main pool. Spent two afternoons there. One day, we got there around 4:30pm right after a passing shower and had no issue getting two lounge chairs under an umbrella. On the second day, we got there around 1:30pm and got the same chairs. All the chairs are spaced well and there seemed to be a lot of availability. We noticed the pool gets a little more crowded late afternoon/early evening as people return from the parks, but it was never busy where we felt uncomfortable or couldn't get chairs. It was a really enjoyable experience.

Skyliner:
For our Epcot day, we got to the Skyliner around 9:50am and it was already running. We were in line for Test Track by 10:20.

We did two DHS days. I struggled deciding if we should Uber somewhere, but ultimately decided to take the Skyliner and I was glad we did. On the first DHS day, I got in line at 8:07am and the line was backed up just before the Skyliner bus depot (the Skyliner gates just past Joffrey's had not opened yet). They opened the gates and brought us up on the platform around 8:30am and started running the Skyliner at 9am. We were arriving at DHS at 9:18am, and got right through temp checks and the entry gates. We were in line for MMRR by 9:30 at the latest, and it had a 45 minute posted time. It was exactly 10am as we were boarding MMRR, and I know this because I was obtaining a ROTR boarding group as I was putting my leg into the ride vehicle! lol! Ended up with boarding group 11, and had a 30 minute MMRR wait when it was posted at 45 minutes. So, a successful morning.

On DHS day two, we got to the Skyliner at the same time but the line was just past the bus depot this time. Again, we were brought to the platform at 8:30 and this time, they started running the Skyliner at 8:45. When we got to DHS, we had to wait outside because it was not open yet. We were in the park by 9:15 and managed to do Slinky Dog, Aliens, and Smugglers Run all before 10am. We were exiting Smugglers Run at 9:55 so we waited in GE to get our boarding group, and got group 15 this time.

Overall, our Skyliner experience both days was good. I know the ROTR boarding group procedure is changing which lessens the importance of being in the park by 10am, so hopefully that helps with the Skyliner DHS lines. But even if it doesn't, I would say its not necessary to Uber elsewhere for DHS if you're staying at CBR. Just use the Skyliner.

Buses:
I struggled with deciding which mode of transportation to use for MK and AK. I decided to give the bus a try for our first MK day. We got to the Jamaica bus depot at 7:25am, and we were the third group there. The bus sign showed buses starting at 8:30am, and one of the other families told us that on their previous MK day, the buses showed up at 8:30am exactly so they believed the times to be accurate. We stood there waiting until about 7:50am, and by that time, about 5 other groups had showed up at the bus depot. Since there is not a formal queue, I was concerned about how people would be respecting who was there first. So, I made the decision to abort and we went back by our building and called an Uber. We were at the TTC ride share drop off point by 8:15. A small line had formed there with CMs letting us know where to stand and what the procedure would be. By 8:25, they let us into the temp check at TTC and there was maybe 50-75 people in line total. We were on the first monorail to MK, and we were in the park by 8:40. While we were waiting at TTC, we saw a whole group of bus drivers leaving to start their day right at 8:30. I believe we entered the park before the first bus showed up, so I was happy with our decision to Uber.

For AK day, I decided to call an Uber at 8:15 when I was pretty confident the parking lot would be open. I did not want to wait in the Uber in traffic, and I had another Uber driver tell me that he declines the rides requested when he knows the parking lots aren't open yet for drop off. We arrived at AK by 8:40am and had a bit of a line for temp checks, but we were in the park by 8:55am. We had a 30 minute wait for FOP with a posted 45 minute wait time.

For Disney Springs, we had ADRs to get to so we just opted to Uber there. We took the bus back. We went three times - the first night, the bus back had room to spare. The second night, a bus pulled up as we were getting in the queue but there was not enough room for us and we had to wait about 25 minutes for a second one. The third night, we were the last ones to fit on the bus.


I think that covers everything... happy to answer any questions! Our first stay at CBR was in 2012, so this was our second stay. We really loved how the resort has been re-configured and renovated since 2012. The only con of the resort (IMO) is the massive size of it, but we really liked everything else about it and would definitely stay again on our next trip.
 
We went to Disney Springs three times last week. Because bus capacity is unpredictable and we had dining ADRs to get to, we opted to Uber to DS which was quick and easy. We did take the bus back all three times. In one instance, there was room to spare on the bus, another time we had to wait about 25 minutes for a second bus when we didn't fit on the first one, and the third time we got the very last section on the bus. The actual commute time once on the bus is not bad at all.
Thanks for the info!
 
Just got back from a trip. Our dates were 10/14-10/20 and it was me and my husband. Here's my quick report on our stay.

Wednesday 10/14 - Arrival and Disney Springs

We landed at MCO at 12:45 pm. There wasn't much of a line for DME and we were the first stop once we arrived on Disney property. Our room was ready so we headed there to drop our bags and refresh a bit. We had a preferred room and ended up in Barbados, Building 33, Room 3330. Our location was perfect, super close to the bus stop and a 5 minute walk to both the Skyliner and the Food Court. We caught a bus (18 minute wait) to DS, shopped, had dinner at Polite Pig and were back in the room by 7 pm.

Thursday 10/15 - Hollywood Studios

We got in line for the Skyliner around 7:30 am and were 6th in line. We made it to HS around 9:10 am and got in line for temperature check which hadn't opened yet. As we stood there, we saw the cars being led into the parking lot so we beat everyone coming by car. The line for temperature check seemed huge to us but once it opened it moved super fast.

We went straight to MRRR and got in line. The ride was already running and we were on and off by 9:30 am. We found a place to sit after that because my husband had a work call. At 10 am I tried to get us a boarding pass but failed. I used every trick I had read here on the DIS and had been practicing from home but no luck.

We then headed back to Galaxy's Edge and waited 20 minutes for MFSR, did some shopping, ate lunch at Docking Bay, had a12:40 pm ADR at Oga's, 5 minute wait for AS2 and 10 minute wait for TSM (did that one twice). In between AS2 and TSM we managed to snag boarding group 90 at the 2 pm drop.

After TSM, we did some shopping and waited 30 minutes for TOT. Then we had a 4:05 reservation to build lightsabers. That was by far my favorite thing of the entire trip. The build ceremony gave me goosebumps more than once.

As soon as we finished with the Lightsabers, our Boarding group was called. Once we were in line, it took forever to get to the first preshow. We even stopped at one point for about 20 minutes, either a cleaning cycle or it was down for a while. Once we made it through all the preshows and were loaded into our vehicle, it wouldn't start. They unloaded us and took us behind the scenes to another loading room where we finally got to ride. The whole process took about an hour and a half but man is that ride worth it!

After ROTR, we had to hurry to our 6:10 ADR at Sci Fi. After Sci Fi the park was closed so we headed out and waited about 10 minutes for the Skyliner.

Friday 10/16 - Epcot

We left the room around 9:15 am to head to the Skyliner and were about 50 families back in line. I wasn't in any hurry to get there because we planned to start with Food and Wine right at 11 am. A CM came around and offered us a "golden Skyliner pass" if we were willing to allow another party of 2 to board with us at Riviera. We took the offer which allowed us to jump to the front of the line. We were asked to sit facing each other at the far end of the car. Once we go to Riviera though, there wasn't another group to place with us so we continued to Epcot by ourselves.

We ate and shopped around the world, rode LWTL, Soarin' and SE, dinner at Rose and Crown at 6:10 pm then headed back to the resort. There was no wait at all for the Skyliner when we left the park around 7 pm (closing was 9 pm that night but we were tired).

Saturday 10/17 - Animal Kingdom

We were out the door by 6:45 am (AK opened at 8 am) and walked right on a bus. We were in the park and in line for FOP by 7:20 am. Rode FOP (about 50th in line) then NRJ with a 15 minute wait. Got a notice that EE would be down all day. As we left Pandora, the line for NRJ stretched all the way back to Tiffin's.

Hit up the Safari with a 20 minute wait then took the train back to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Participated in the 10:45 drawing class, drew Dumbo. Train back and then lunch at Flame Tree. After lunch headed to Dinosaur and waited 45 minutes (wait time said 75 minutes). The lack of EE that day really affected the wait times. We hit up some stores after Dinosaur and then exited the park around 2 pm.

Relaxed in the room and then got dinner at the food court and drinks at the pool bar. The long hot days caught up to us and we ended up falling asleep at 8 pm that night.

Sunday, 10/18 - Hollywood Studios

This trip was mostly about Star Wars stuff so we did a second day at HS. Followed our first morning pretty closely. At the Skyliner at 7:30 am, 4th in line this time. Headed straight to MRRR again and was done with that and in line for Slinky by 9:40. We waited about a half hour once Slinky opened. We were still in the Slinky Dog line at 10 am and once again failed to get a boarding pass for ROTR.

Lines were insane after we finished Slinky so we went to the Frozen show then had lunch at Baseline (giant pretzel and a California Sunset, yum!). Muppets was next and we waited through two shows before we got in, probably about 30 minutes. Then I found a place in the shade while my husband rode Star Tours (makes me very sick). He was on and off in under 20 minutes.

It was almost 2 pm at that time and threatening rain so we found a spot under an awning to try for a Boarding group. Got 94 this time then we headed back to Galaxy's Edge. Hubby wanted some different color Kyber crystals so we waited in line to get into Dok-Ondars. It poured for about 5 minutes while we were waiting, just long enough for us to get soaked.

Next was our 3 pm reservation to build droids. That was a lot of fun, I build a BB-8 unit and the hubby went with a R-5. We already knew we wouldn't have room for them in our suitcases so we had them shipped home. You can do that now right from the Droid Depot. It cost $34.95 to ship the 2 droids.

From there we went back to TSL and rode TSM again. We love that ride and are very competitive. I won this trip with 2 wins to 1. When we finished there, I checked the Boarding status and they were at 89. We headed back that way and after a few PP stops and a restroom stop they were at 93. At that point we did not think we would be able to ride and make our 5:20 ADR but decided we would rather ride ROTR and skip dinner if necessary. So we went to the ride and I keep refreshing and refreshing but they never did move to 94 and then the ride went down.

Disappointed, we made our way to 50s Prime time for our ADR. We ended up at the same exact table that we sat at during our Honeymoon 22 years before! This turned out to be my favorite meal of the trip so I am glad we made it to the ADR. Right as our entrees were delivered we got a notice that our Boarding group had been called and we had until 6:38 pm to get back which was an hour. Not sure if it's an hour all the time now or if it was just because it was the end of the day?

We finished dinner then headed back to Galaxy's Edge and got in line for ROTR. The line moved soooo slowly this time. We would move one line then stop, then one line and stop. This went on for 40 minutes and we were maybe two or three rooms from the first preshow when all the lights came on, the fire alarm went off and we were quickly evacuated to a backstage area. We were escorted back into the park near the Muppets theater as we heard fire trucks coming in. Still have no idea what happened.

The park was closed at that time so we headed out. The line for the Skyliner was a lot longer than the first day but still only took 10 minutes. It was spitting rain and I discovered that the Skyliner is not rain proof. We were pelted by rain the whole way back to Caribbean Beach through the air vents.

Monday 10/19 - Magic Kingdom

Finally my favorite park! Unfortunately this day did not go well at all, I made a huge mistake not listening to the people on here that recommended catching a bus at the Martinique stop. I think I had a false sense of security from how smoothly our AK day went. I had us head out to the Barbados stop around 7:30 am for a 9 am opening. Unfortunately the buses that day didn't even start running until about 8:15. By that time the bus stop was packed and there was zero order to it, some families were pushing their way to the front, disregarding the "stand here" lines. Plus once the buses started coming, they were full by the time they made it to us so they passed right on by.

After the 7th bus passed us without stopping, we ordered an Uber which came in about 10 minutes. The buses were finally loading at that point but I'm really glad we weren't dealing with the free for all that the bus stop was at that point.

With all that mess, we didn't make it into the park until well after rope drop. We still managed Space Mountain (20 mins), Buzz Lightyear (10 minutes) and Pirates (32 minutes) before our lunch ADR at The Plaza. After lunch it was threatening rain so we hit up Big Thunder (20 minutes, Jungle Cruise (20 minutes including a cleaning cycle). While on the Jungle Cruise the skies opened up and it rained off and on the rest of the day. We skipped HM because the line was all the way back to the shooting range in Fronterland and headed to Small World (20 mins), Peter Pan (20 minutes) and Dumbo (5 minutes). It started really raining at this point so we hit up some shows, COP, Tiki Room and Country Bears and then headed out via the Emporium and a few other stores.

A bus came very quickly and we made it on and were back at the resort quickly. We got dinner at the food court again and packed.

Tuesday, 10/20 - Departure

Our DME bus was at 7:45 so we were up and out the door by 7:15 am. We were the first pickup and only one other family got on the bus with us. We made stops at both Yacht Club and Riviera but no one got on at either stop. So we had a semi private trip back to the airport.

Well that turned out to be a bit longer than I intended it to be. :rotfl: If anyone has any questions, ask away!
I have a question! What did you do with your lightsabers once you made them and went on RoR? Can you take them? I want to make a reservation at Savi's but was wondering about carrying it around all day Thanks.
 
So, I'm taking my son for a solo Dad/Son trip in December. I was going to do Pop because we are focusing on DHS, but upgraded to CBR because I want to be at the Skyliner hub and not have to change. Was this a good move? I heard the rooms at Pop were renovated and now I'm having second thoughts. I've never stayed at CBR.
 
Curious to know where you ate in DS and what you thought of the food and value.
Our first night, we ate at Chicken Guy. It was our second time eating there. Its good, nothing great or special. It was not mobile order and the majority of the seating is outside. I like Polite Pig is a better QS option, but we had BBQ at Regal Eagle the day before and we also noticed the line at Polite Pig was quite long every time we went by it.

Our second night, we had an ADR at City Works. If this is of interest, I suggest booking on Open Table for more availability. We found it to also be good, but nothing to write home about. Your run of the mill sports bar. A good place to watch sports, and I would call the food bar food with a twist. Overall good experience, but not a must do for us on future trips.

Our third night, we were playing things by ear so I decided to go on Open Table and see what TS restaurants had availability. We decided on the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant and it was good! We were missing Wolfgang Puck Express, so we ordered the pizza and found it to be similar to what we remember from WPE. The restaurant was really pretty and service was good. Its directly across from Chicken Guy. We sat in the front room near the pizza oven and had a great people watching view.

We also had a sundae at Ghiradelli one night. Still a very busy place, and the seating is super limited. We had to eat on a bench which was not the easiest. We had drinks at the Boathouse and spent a couple hours at the outside bar at Splitsville enjoying the live music. Both were good.

Overall, we found the food and value to be pretty solid, good choices. Nothing stands out to me that we'll need to run back to next trip, but I do think Disney Springs is worth at least one evening for dinner and strolling around, especially since parks are closing early.
 

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