IRIIIIE MON! CBR Thanksgiving Trip Sans In-laws!

[mikkiwikki]

Who: Hubby -37 - Recent "convert" to the ways of the DIS.
Myself -38 -Type A overplanner.
Aidan DS - 7 - Tomorrowland /Astrology / BuzzLightyear Addict
Sandy DD - 5 - Princess in every way.

When : Thanksgiving the week before * And* After! 11-19-07 to 12-02-07

What: Dining Reviews & Pics of - Shutters, Cosmic Rays - 1900 Park Fare, Planet Hollywood, Main St. Bakery, Kona Cafe, Artist Point, Pizzasaffari, Garden Grill - The Land, Askershus, SanAngel Inn, Crystal Palace....LUAU SPIRIT OF ALOHA, Cape May Cafe Buffet, Hollywood & Vine, Concourse Steakhouse...and MORE

Why: Never stayed at CBR before - and we were hoping a trip to the Disney 'Islands' would prepare us for the long Northeastern Winter we would face on our return.

Last year for Thanksgiving - (2006) we traveled with Inlaws. Now we had never vacationed with them before, and on that trip - had decided to stay offsite. Let me just say...that we missed them *** so00ooo000 *** much on this trip...no really ...no really we did. Clearing my throat. Ok we did not miss them at all ...... I wanted to miss them but.... anyhoo

=========================================================

Pull up a Hammock and sit a spell while I wax and wane on the Topic of CBR.


After months and endless months of reading and compling lists of pros cons of the various resorts...as a family we came to the conclusion on the resort we wanted to try. I was 'raised' on the Poly so we toyed with the idea of staying there...but we also really wanted to go for 14 days, and at 400 a night, the Poly just wasnt in the budget. We also toyed with the idea of a split stay, but to be honest, I really dont want the hassle of re-packing mid vacation. I dont want to look at my bags again until I depart. SO .... Therefore, we finally ended up picking CBR. We liked the cheery colors, and the Island motif, the steel drum music, and the laid back feel. 14Days at Disney's CBR! Here we come!

The Journey:
In the early morning hours I loaded my happy family onto a JetBlue flight ...The flight was uneventful, so I will just report that we landed on time - and flew through to Disney's ME Level 1. Of course after a few potty breaks, we were on our bus, with no waiting at all. Is it me or am I the only person who gets all teary at the corny Mickey video? Loaded on my bus - didnt have to touch our bags...heaven.

Our haven:

Here is a video of lobby - but its very dark.



Now Ill post a pic of the Building to which we were assigned. - BUT...it was QUITE a journey before we saw this lovely sight. What could have happened? How far could the room be from the lobby? Find out more in my next installment.

 

[safetymom]

I see you are in Jamaica. Now to find out which building.

 

[catbertdave99]

I can't wait to hear more and see more!

 

[mikkiwikki]

SafetyMom - We were assigned to building 41 - Thanks for Subscribing!
CatbertDave - Nice to see you!

So As I said we arrived November 19th via the Magical Express bus stop, and a short jaunt and we were at the lobby. I was quickly greeted, and handed my arrival folder complete, with details about my ressie, and Tradewinds leaflet that had a nice FAQ section quests might have (ie. towel/soap misc details, express checkout details etc., )

NOW - We arrived around 11:30am that day. As everyone knows the rooms are not ready until 3:00pm. The reservation agent at the front desk was very nice, and mentioned that she saw I had requested Jamaica on the reservation. I loved the blue and yellow color scheme, and the location across the bridge seemed nice. Not too far, not to close. (Quiet was very important to us, as in 2005 at POR we were woken up by pool noise).

The reservationist further stated if we wanted to get in quicker she could talk to housekeeping right away. She then went onto make a phone call and mentioned she could get us in right away in building 13 (Barbados).

For some reason I had it in my head that I wanted Jamaica, so told her we would wait.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/cbrmap.htm

Looking at the map now I guess either would have been fine - I had just remembered someone saying the walk over the bridge to OPR in the morning was divine. Therefore, for better or worse we decided to wait for my (I mean our ) original pick. We were also given a phone number to call to check on when the room would be ready. Now here is where the error in our judgement occurred.

I look at the map and decide - Wow we we are here - finally - Wouldnt it be nice to walk around a bit and get our bearings?

We had the kids swimsuits in our bags, and we figure we can go hang out by the pool until we can get into our rooms.

The resort was lush, and foliage gorgeous, but unfortunately we were still carrying our 'heavy carry on' luggage. Word to the wise people. TAKE THE INTERNAL SHUTTLE. After checking in..... whereever you want to go. Just dont attempt to walk the entire resort (like we did) whilst dragging 100lbs of carryon luggage around. It wouldnt have bothered us at all without the luggage tho

After we got into our room - we were much happier.

I also have to say we saw very few internal shuttles (when I say this I mean the LITTLE ZIPPY GOLF CART THINGS...not the buses labeled internal shuttle) there while on our stay, but my husband commented he really thought that to be a plus more than a minus. Reason? When we stayed at POR in 2005, we were almost clipped by the zippy trams on the winding paths internal to the resort. Due to CBR resort layout, it seemed the trams ran more on the external (parking lot) paths, rather than the internal more scenic paths. This cut down on the tram noise, and gave the resort a more serene feeling to us.

Here is my little family on the beach. You can see a little bit of the construction behind us (which didnt bother us at all btw)

 

[tinabheart]

Thanks Mikki for this detailed trip report -- I feel like I've just arrived again -- can't wait to hear more!!

Your kids look adorable!

 

[mikkiwikki]

I gave a few details about our arrival day, and finally have a moment to elaborate. So we checked in at the desk, got our welcome folder, and a phone number to check back in.

After looking at the maphttp://www.allearsnet.com/acc/cbrmap.jpg
We decide that building 41 isnt that far away, and we will just take a quick jaunt over - WITH our carry on luggage. WRONG. When you are carrying bags the walk from the custom house is quite a walk. Actually, it probably would not have been that bad had we not traveled clockwise around the lagoon - which we did. What was I thinking. It was a beautiful walk though.

By the time we got to Old Port Royale, my shoulder was breaking, and we decided to go inside sit with the kids and get beverages, and maybe a snack. I didnt take photos of our snacks, because we basically got sodas, and my daughter got chicken fingers (although I did take pics of this type of meal later on in our trip).

In sum, after our snack we went outside by the pool bar, and called the phone number we were given to check on our room. Hooray - it was 1:30pm and our room was ready. Here is pics of the kids in the room, and the courtyard outside.

That evening I had made dinner reservations at the only sit down restaurant at CBR - Shutters. I had rightly deduced we would be too tired to go anywhere else.
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/cbr207.jpg We went to the podium and were given a beeper, which went off in less than 2 minutes. We were seated immediately, and the waitress launched into our dining options on the DDP.
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_shut.htm

I had the Char-grlled 10 oz. Top Sirloin Steak with chimichurri sauce and Shutter's potatoes & Caesar Salad with shaved pecorino Romano Cheese both very good. My husband had the prime rib, which was also cooked rare like he ordered, and he reported was very tasty. The kids got the pirate punch ( with the light up tinker bell, and captain cook) and the waitress was quick to point out they were not on the DDP. I said it was ok I would pay for that oop. The kids had pizza http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_shutk.htm

It was an ok meal, but not someplace I would feel I ''had' to go to again.
For the purpose, it served us well.

We were just thrilled to finally be at Disney, and anxious to start or next day at the Magic Kingdom! Stay tuned for more Pics!

 

[mikkiwikki]

Thanks Mikki for this detailed trip report -- I feel like I've just arrived again -- can't wait to hear more!!

Your kids look adorable!

tINAbheart - thanks for subscribing. Im just humbled to have some readers!

 

[catbertdave99]

Im just humbled to have some readers!

This is a GREAT trip report - please keep it coming!!!

 

[mikkiwikki]

This is a GREAT trip report - please keep it coming!!!

Nice to hear from you! Your photos inspired us to try CBR & we are so glad we did! So Thank you!!!!

I have LOTS of photos, and much more to post. I plan to keep this up, as its allowing me to relive such a fun trip for us. We would go back to this resort again in a heartbeat!

 

[catbertdave99]

Nice to hear from you! Your photos inspired us to try CBR & we are so glad we did! So Thank you!!!!

I have LOTS of photos, and much more to post. I plan to keep this up, as its allowing me to relive such a fun trip for us. We would go back to this resort again in a heartbeat!

Thanks! Your photos are inspiring me to return too!! I'll be watching for more of yours!

 

[mikkiwikki]

Ok - Before I launch into my next day - I thought I would refute, or confirm some of the things I heard on the "DIS" - prior to my departure, that sent me worrying about my CBR choice.


Here we go - as Letterman would say .....

CBR Rumor #1 - The beds at CBR are really squeaky.

Although I clearly didnt test every bed at this resort - (They would not let me) The beds to which we were assigned - were not squeaky in the least. Actually - I made it a point to try to make our beds squeak - (oh behave! - not what your thinking! ) Nevertheless - I would definitely not call our beds noisy or squeaky.

CBR Rumor #2 - The resort is REALLY SPREAD OUT, Oh my legs & aching back.

I must conclude Folks -that as long as you are not toting heavy luggage the resort is really *not* that 'spread out'. I guess it depends on your perspective. In relation to what? the WL where all rooms are on top of one another - yes it is more spread out than that. We found that as long was were were not toting heavy luggage, the layout was ideal for keeping down foot traffic noise.

CBR Rumor #3 - There are lots of bed bugs are creepy crawlies around this resort. And the rooms are filthy, and gross.

No, No, No, and No. The beds were very clean and void of 'bugs' We did not - as was reported by some - get any "elusive rashes" pointing to the existence of bugs, detergent, or other possible foreign objects residing in our linens. We saw the occasional Lizard and bunny...but never even saw a mosquito ...to my surprise. The room was clean well appointed, and the only 'wear' we noticed was the rug when we moved a bed against the wall (so my son would not fall out of bed - which happened one evening). You could then notice how brilliantly green the rugs once were, but the trafficed area was not filthy, just worn a bit. The counter top of the sink, had a few worn marks, but nothing of concern.


CBR Rumor #4 - The food court isnt that good.

No and no. We found the food court to have a nice variety, and was not limited to fast food.


CBR Rumor #5 - The large pool is too crowded.

Well I would have to say that we did have some days where the 'main' pool seemed crowded. However, they are working on expanding it, so this soon will no longer be a complaint!

Finally CBR Rumor #6 - The bus service is not timely

During our entire 13 day stay we never waited more than 14 minutes for a bus. I timed it! And that time I was convinced we were going to wait a while because a MK bus had just pulled out from the Jamaica bus stop, ...but another came along in 14 minutes! And the busses in general were not crowded. There was *one* night returning from MK that was simply atrocious...(I had to sit on the floor with my daughter - and my son had to stand, i thought he would freak, but he handled it well. Other than that one incident we always got a seat upon entering the buses.

Thats all the CBR rumors I can recall for now. I hope you enjoyed.

My next Installment will be about our trip to the Magic Kindgdom.

Now I have to report, that my son is on the spectrum, and for the past 6 months has been insisting that he go on Space Mountain. He loves computers, and saw a YouTube video ...Therefore, we are on a MISSION tomorrow morning...a MISSION that I have been hearing about for 6 months....My son has been pestering me with the persistence that only someone on the autism spectrum can..so are we ready? YOU BETCHA!!!

 

[safetymom]

Thanks for refuting the rumors.

 

[tinabheart]

Based on my two visits to CBR in the past few years - I totally agree with your consensus.

I think that the resort is spread out - but it is a good thing! When I was there the first time, the resort was full, but felt like we were almost the only ones there. That's really cool! It's just a completely different experience instead of staying in a typical high-rise hotel. I disagree with the 'my aching back' comments in that there are buses that will take you anywhere. And I'm pretty sure that the distance between any room and a bus is shorter than the distance then the bus stop to some of the rooms on the far end of AKL!!!

I think the pool is fine -- and I even went swimming this year for the first time in about 10 years. It was great! And...we saw no bugs, inside OR outside!

The foodcourt is great -- lots of options and reasonably priced compared to any other area at WDW. This last trip - we started ordering kids meals instead of regular entrees because they seemed to be the right amount - and were much less expensive too!

Looking forward to the rest of your report...

 

[catbertdave99]

CBR Rumor #2 - The resort is REALLY SPREAD OUT, Oh my legs & aching back.
We found that as long was were were not toting heavy luggage, the layout was ideal for keeping down foot traffic noise.

And the Final CBR Rumor #5 - The large pool is too crowded.

mikkiwikki, I really appreciate your report. I've found that the spread out nature of the resort makes it really quiet near the rooms, even if there are a lot of people at OPR.

I have to say that we've found the main pool too crowded for us -- we spend a lot of time in the quiet pools, almost none in the main pool. This probably, like you said, will change with the pool refurbishment. It sure hasn't kept us away from CBR though, because the quiet pools are always almost empty when we've been there!

Keep the reports coming!

 

[mikkiwikki]

This is it. Finally - Aidan will get to go on Space Mountain. Every day I heard when he woke up "Mom, can we go on Space Mountain now?" When he came home from school, while he was eating breakfast, and dinner, Every day.... for about six months before our trip. Whenever the thought popped into his head, he would ask. Needless to say I was besides myself that he finally would be able to go.

On this day the first thing we always do, walk directly onto Main Street USA, and then into Town Hall to take care of some needed paperwork. Anyways - while I was getting this accomplished. My husband was taking pics of the kids with Goofy.

First on our way to Tomorrowland,
we stopped to take more pics in the rose garden.

We then went off towards the direction of Tomorrowland. Little did I know - the Town Hall gave me the wrong pass!! Stay tuned. Will mommy have a meltdown?

 

[serendipity]

Thanks so much for the start of your report. I had never really had interested in CBR before, but after seeing your pictures my interest is definitely peaked. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[mikkiwikki]

Thanks so much for the start of your report. I had never really had interested in CBR before, but after seeing your pictures my interest is definitely peaked. Looking forward to reading more!

Its official I have 4 subscribed users. Thank you for reading! I too never considered CBR, that is until I ran into SafetyMom, catbertdave99, and other avid CBR fans, that convinced me that this resort had what it took to make a great vacation destination!

I'd love to add more details but will have to sign off for now.
Chew on this...6months of waiting, we are at the rope drop...(Aidan didnt see the point of waiting at rope and kept asking attendants to enter tomorrowland...it was funny the first 5 times) finally at rope drop.....run/walk to space mountain..literally holding Aidan back from a full gallop....

AND!...WHAT HAPPENS?!?!?!?

Or better yet - what doesnt happen.!?!?!...Youll have to tune in to my next installment.

 

[twinsmamma]

Great start. I too have been apprehensive about CBR, but it looks nice. I hope the pool is done when we go it says sept 15 and we will be there 27th. I originally thought I had booked CSR which I love and then when I get my info in mail it says CBR tried to change but no rooms left at the bounceback promo.

Cna't wait to hear about your trip.

CHristine

 

[mikkiwikki]

11/20/2007 My family stands poised at the gates of Tomorrowland.

(Actually first we stoppped for a few photos in the rose garden)

(BEFORE anyone yells at me - my daughter claims she did not pick that flower and that it was lying on the ground -we certainly would not encourage defacing the beautiful rose garden! I almost got into it with her - telling her that you may not pick flowers - otherwise no one else will be able to enjoy their beauty. She looked very pitifully at me , sensing my distrust of her answer, but she assured me she did not pick it.)

After exiting the rose garden, we proceeded to the Tomorrowland gate. This was actually my (and my entire family's) very 'first' rope drop. I have to say it was a little frightning to a first timer. First as you stand there you notice little staff members dressed in their dashing Tomorrowland uniforms..'appearing' in the distance. They slowly fan out, and it appears they are 'stationed' to herd the crowd!

Next the head honcho - Mr. Important Tomorrowland Cast Member, is given the duty of addressing the crowd. And he says and I quote "Good Morning, we will be dropping the rope at 9:00am and not a minute more. When the rope is dropped you will WALK no faster than myself for 100? yards. You may NOT RUN. If you RUN you will be asked to leave the park."

At this point Im realizing the crowd behind us has grown considerably. and that we are at the front of a stampede!

I'm just amazed at how fast some people can walk...the agility! Don't get me wrong, I run, excercise, take care of myself, but I cannot walk as fast as these expert rope droppers. I silly me - thought we were *really* supposed to WALK ...and somehow all these people got ahead of us..and we were like the first through the rope...Hmm...

Anyways - so we go up to the fast pass entrance. I twirl around and the line for Space mountain is like 150 people long. Should I get a fast pass? There are people lining up for the fast pass machines already. Meanwhile Aidan is beginning to lose it...repeating "Can I go on Space Mountain Now?" Jumping up and down over and over. The attendant saw but was indifferent. So I did what any good mommy would do..I turned to Aidan and said. "If you want to go on space mountain we are going to have to wait - Aidan can you wait in line with all these nice people???" He agrees!

So we line up as #151 in the space mountain line, and I TEXT my husband that this might take a while, and to take my daughter on something she enjoys. Thankfully the line moved very fast, and as soon as we got into the Mountain there was lots of astrology pics to entertain. Aidan's special interest is astrology, and he can tell you facts about space you just dont want to know! We jump in the rockets and I sit in the front seat, thinking if Aidan really freaks out I can at least turn around to comfort him..

This was his favorite part of the ride.

The rest of the ride, I personally had the sensation that my head was going to be lopped off any minute, because I could 'feel' the roller coaster tracks whizzing by but could not see anything. When the ride was over - Aidans first statement was "Mom, I was very afraid to go on that ride!" Further he didnt want to go on it again for the rest of the trip! Oh well - at least I put an end to the incessant questioning. haha. As we exit the ride, we were both given DREAM FAST PASSES! Hooray !

 

[twinsmamma]

Congrats on the FP's. It is too bad about the GAC, I hope you got it settled. It is unfortunate that people do not have any sympathay for those who need special attention, but then again they probably see alot of people trying to misuse the system. I am not saying that yu are doing this, nor am I condoning the CM's actions but mearly I am stating that they probably get alot of people try to skirt the rules. That beng said I love your report, your kids are adorable and I can't wait to hear more.

Chrisitne