Is there a such thing as "relaxed commando" touring? Our Sept/Oct trip report.

[Cree629]

I have always wanted to write a trip report... Started a pre-trip report for this trip, but I never follwed through. But we had a great trip, and since I can't stop talking about it, I thought I might as well go ahead and write about it!

My husband Keith and I took our two daughters (Lucy- almost 3, and Sophie- 6) to the World from Sept 27th-Oct 4th. We were very excited about staying at CSR for the first time. We were also excited for MNSSHP, lots of character meals, the BBB for the girls, and the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage on the night of MK's 40th anniversary!

Okay, so, here we go!

We woke up early on Tuesday Sept 27th for our 8:30 flight out of Boston. I was even more excited than the kids, I think. When you put SO MUCH planning into a trip, it's almost unbelievable when it finally arrives! Here are me and my girls (in some of the cute shirts I made for them with the help of the amazingly talented ladies on the Disign board!)at the airport:

Our flight was uneventful (yay!), and in a couple of hours we were finally in Orlando! It was hot and humid, but we had been having an unusually warm stretch of weather in Boston, anyway, so it actually didn't feel like such a shock to the system.

This was the first time we didn't rent a car, so it was also our first time on the Magical Express. We found it to be very convenient-- a bus was waiting when we got there, and within about 15 minutes we were on our way to CSR. Not having to deal with our luggage was so great, too! My girls on the ME:

CSR was the first stop. It was about 1:00pm when we were dropped off, so I wan't sure if our room would be ready. I was extremely anxious to check in and find out where we would be. I really, really wanted to be in the Cabanas section. I love the beach theming, and the location seemed perfect. I had requested Cabanas 8A or 9A months ago, but I knew from experience that requests are not guaranteed. I had talked myself into being okay with Casitas if we were put there, but I really did not want to be in Ranchos. It is quite a hike from El Centro and the theming is just not my cup of tea. So, I am sure you can guess where I am going with this...

We were assigned a room in Ranchos. I politely asked the CM if there was ANY possibility than ANYTHING at all was open in Cabanas. She made a phonecall, but the person on the other end apparently told her that no, nothing was open. I, again politely, expressed that I really was hoping to be in Cabanas, but that even Casitas would be preferred over Ranchos. She continued to talk to whomever was on the other end of the phone for what seemed like forever. Finally, she said she did have a room in Cabanas, but it wouldn't be ready for a while. I thanked her profusely and told her we would gladly wait! We finished up the checking-in process, and wouldn't you know it, the room WAS actually ready!

I have no idea how or why we got so lucky, but we ended up in a ground-level, corner room in Cabanas 8A. It was absolutely perfect. We were less than a 2-minute walk to the Dig-Site, very near the bus stop, and a gorgeous 5 minute stroll to El Centro. Perfect!

Thanks to my compulsive planning, we had lots of things waiting for us when we arrived. We had a double stroller we'd rented from Magic Strollers (that was money VERY well spent!), some groceries for our room that we'd ordered from Garden Grocer, and a big box I had shipped from home with all kinds of snacks, light sticks, ponchos, our sunblock, shampoo, etc. Everything was waiting just as it should be, so we brought it all to our room and got settled.

We didn't have a park planned for that first day, but we had ADR's for dinner at Cape May, so we decided to go swim at the Dig Site for a couple of hours before heading to dinner. We loved the pool and had a great afternoon, but the love bugs were brutal! They were all over the place! All over the chairs and tables... Really pretty annoying actually really did affect our enjoyment of the pool that afternoon. However, over the next week we never really had a problem with them again. We would see a couple randomly flying here or there, but nothing like that first afternoon at the Dig Site. Here are my husband and girls enjoying the pool:

We headed back to our room to get ready for our dinner at Cape May. We decided to take a cab, figuring it would be a lot easier than any of our other options for getting from CSR to the BC. There was a cab waiting outside El Centro, so that was easy enough. Somehow, though, the cab driver didn't seem to know what I was talking about when I was telling him we wanted to go to the Beach Club. I told him Cape May, the Boardwalk, the Yacht Club, the International Gateway-- hoping that something would ring a bell. At a red light, he showed me a clipboard with the names of all the resorts and he pointed to CBR. "This beach club?" he asked. NO! I then found the actual Beach Club on his list and pointed to it. He nodded, but I still was not convinced he knew where he was going. Somehow, though, we ended up getting there fairly quickly- and for under $10 (he seemed almost as surprised as I was when he pulled into the lot). He had to ask the guard at the gate where the taxi stand was, so I guess it was his first time there. The whole thing was just kind of funny... but I still think taking a cab (that night and a couple other times during our trip) was a smart idea.

So, we go into the Beach Club and check in for our 5:45 ADR. There was a CM in the lobby with pins, and since Sophie was eager to trade pins for the first time, we asked if he would mind. He was great, and she took great care choosing just the right pin to trade. So cute.

About 10 minutes after we checked in, our table was ready. We really enjoyed Cape May, especially the crab legs and the clams. Sophie is a big seafood fan, so it was a big hit with her. And as long as there is mac and cheese, Lucy is happy, so all was good!

We didn't have definite plans for after dinner, but we were out of there pretty early, and everyone was in a good mood, so we decided to walk over to EPCOT for a bit. We walked around World Showcase and ran into Belle, which the girls loved.

We also stopped in Japan to let the girls pick their pearls (a tradition we have done every trip!).

After we left Japan we decided that we wouldn't push it and try to stay for Illuminations. We had been up since 4:30am and were losing steam quickly. Also, we didn't want to have to fight the crowds on the way back to CSR. So, after the long walk through Epcot (and a stop to let the girls ride Nemo), we headed out to the bus stop and boarded an almost empty bus just as Illuminations was starting.

It was a LONG day, but a great start to our trip! We were planning our first full day at Magic Kingdom the next day! I was hoping to make rope drop, but I had promised Keith that I wouldn't be crazy-commando every day... Yeah, we'll have to see how that turned out!

Thanks for reading if you've made it this far! I'll be back soon with more!

 

[KatMark]

Chrissy, I'm joining in. Your daughters are adorable. Glad they were able to move you to a room in the Cabanas at CSR. We loved our location in Cabanas 8A last year.

Looking forward to more.

 

[Cree629]

Chrissy, I'm joining in. Your daughters are adorable. Glad they were able to move you to a room in the Cabanas at CSR. We loved our location in Cabanas 8A last year.

Looking forward to more.

Thank you! Yes, Cabanas 8A was perfect for us. My husband was just glad I got what I wanted so he didn't have to deal with what I might have been like if I hadn't.

 

[Cree629]

I woke up bright and early on Wednesday morning, but the rest of the family; not so much. I would have loved to make rope drop, but since we had had such a long day on Tuesday and I had promised my easy-going husband not to be all psycho commando, I let them all sleep a while (although I might have opened the curtains a bit and made a little bit of noise while getting myself ready to kind of help the waking-up process along...)

By the time everyone was up and dressed, we still had time to maybe make it to MK by 9:00 for rope drop. However, Keith said he wanted to sit down and have breakfast at the Pepper Market. I probably should have sat down with him ahead of time and asked him about what he wanted to do in terms of meals each day... We had mostly early dinner ADRs, and I had gotten some breakfasty type things from Garden Grocer (yogurts, bananas, cereal, milk, etc), so I guess in my mind I was thinking we would have a little something in the room, then get to the park and end up having an early lunch. But, as it turned out, he wanted to do a substantial breakfast before heading to the parks in the mornings, so that kind of threw me off a little bit. Here is Lucy having breakfast at the Pepper Market:

We did like the Pepper Market. We were on the dining plan, and Lucy isn't three yet, though, so sometimes we had to buy her meals out of pocket. Other times she shared off our plates. Once or twice we used one of our counter service credits for her meal, too, which was probably not the best idea since we ended up running out of CS credits a little early. It was fine, but sometimes it was confusing figuring all that out.

After breakfast, we waited for the bus to Magic Kingdom. We had neer relied on Disney transportation before-- we rented a car on both of our previous trips. For the most part, the buses were fine. Average wait time for a bus over the week was probably between 5 and 20 minutes. This morning, if I remember correctly, we ended up making it to Magic Kingdom by about 10:30am or so.

The first thing I noticed was the sign for MNSSHP! We were going on Friday night and I was so excited for it!

There were lots of other Fall and Halloween decorations around. So pretty!

I usually get all choked up the first time I walk down Main Street and see the castle, but for some reason, it didn't happen this morning. I was wondering why, and I am still not sure. Don't get me wrong, I was so excited to be there, but I didn't get overcome with emotion the way I have in the past. Maybe because we got there later in the morning than usual... the rope drop ceremony/show itself gets me emotional, so maybe it's the leftover emotion from that that usually spills over to that first walk down Main Street. Also, it was HOT and HUMID this particular morning. Like, walk-out-the-door-and-start-sweating-immediately hot and humid. And then there was the big crane next to the castle. I should have expected it; I had read about it here on the DIS. But, and I know it sounds ridiculous, it really bothered me and took away, I think, a bit of the magic of walking up Main Stret that morning. Boo-hoo, I know, I sound like a crybaby, but I'm just trying to be honest. Anyway, here we are that first morning in the Magic Kingdom:

As you can see, crowds weren't too bad. We headed to Fantasy Land and were able to do most of those rides before the kids started getting hungry/hot/tired and were in need of a break. We stopped at Columbia Harbor House at about 1:00, but Sophie didn't like any of her choices, and I had been dying to try Pecos Bill's, so we headed over there, instead. This was a mistake. Columbia Harbor House hadn't been busy at all, but Pecos Bill's was packed. We used the automated ordering machine, which was fine, but we couldn't even find a place to sit! It was insane! We finally found a small table and squeezed there. I couldn't believe how many people brought their strollers in the restaurant, though. It made it extremely difficult to walk around. It was not a very relaxing lunch, and I wished we had stayed at Columbia Harbor House. Oh well.

After lunch we tried to ride Haunted Mansion, but it was closed due to technical difficulties. We watched the Country Bears, Sophie rode BTMRR for the first time (she loved it!) and then we caught the parade. The girls (especially Lucy) loved it.

After that we did the Jungle Cruise and rode Aladdin's carpets.

We had ADR's at Chef Mickey's for dinner (at 5:35, I think) so we started to head out after that. As we were leaving Liberty Square, I caught sight of the cart where they cut out those adorable silhouttes. I had been wanting to get one of the girls, and we had a few minutes, so I decided we would do it.

The girl was so nice, and the whole process was incredible. A pair of scissors, some black paper, and about 10-minutes was all it took... I don't know HOW she did it! I absolutely love the way it came out. It really does look just like my girls. We got two (framed!) copies for something like $33. I feel like it was an incredible deal for a one-of-a-kind souvenir.

After we finished, we headed out and walked to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's dinner. It was pretty crowded, but we only waited about 15 minutes for a table. The characters started coming right away, and the girls absolutely loved it.

Lucy was such a mess after a long, hot, sweaty day in the park-- I learned that night that I should bring a change of clothes for her if we had dinner ressies after a day in the parks (especially a character meal with lots of pictures!).

The food was just okay. But, honestly, at a character meal buffet, I am not expecting an amazing meal. That is not what it's about, as far as I am concerned. It is about the kids and the experience. We all ate a decent meal, and they loved every minute of it, so I was happy.

We finished dinner by about 7:00, I think, and decided to call it a day. The girls were hoping to do a little swimming at CSR before bed, so we took the monorail back to MK to catch a bus back to the resort. It was getting cloudy (and maybe it had rained a little while we had dinner... not sure?), but there was a gorgeous rainbow over the Magic Kingdom! Pictures didn't do it justice, but here is one anyway.

We went back to CSR and did take the girls for a swim, and then it was time for bed! Plan for the next day: EPCOT and a princess dinner at Akershus! The girls couldn't wait (okay, so neither could I)!

 

[KatMark]

Great update, Chrissy. I remember that morning...we went to the Studios at 8:30 a.m. and it just slammed in your face; I had on a thin t-shirt and it was pretty wet on the back after a couple of hours.

I hear you on the crane. It's been in our pictures the last couple of years and really drives me nuts.

The girls looks like they are having a blast; I love the pictures, and especially Lucy's reaction to the parade.

 

[Cree629]

So, our plan for Thursday, September 29th was Epcot for the day. We had already been there for a little bit on Tuesday night, so we didn't feel the need to rush to get there super early. So, we slept in a little bit and headed to breakfast at the Pepper Market at about 9:00am. We really enjoyed our morning walks around CSR. What a beautiful resort.

We had breakfast and hopped the bus to Epcot after a short wait (maybe 10 minutes?). We got to Epcot a little before 11:00am. We rode Spaceship Earth first; the girls were dying to ride "the golf ball ride." I don't remember the exact order of things, but I know we also rode Nemo again, and dis Turtle Talk with Crush. We also rode Living With the Land after grabbing fast passes for Soarin'. We had a late breakfast and would be having dinner at Akershus at around 5:00, so we didn't want a big lunch, but the kids were hungry, so we did grab a few snacks at Sunshine Seasons. We got a cheese plate, a couple bananas, and a strawberry shortcake that we all shared. It was just enough to hold us over until dinner.

After our mini-lunch, we rode Journey Into Imagination. The girls loved Figment, and they also had fun playing with all the interactive exhibits at the exit of the ride. Sophie even bought her first Vinylmation and then did her first trade:

I think we went and rode Soarin' next. For some reason, this day's details are a little foggy for me. I do remember it was BLAZING HOT out, and that Lucy had a temper tantrum when we made her leave the little water spray area she was playing in for a while. She fell asleep in her stroller shortly after that, thank goodness. At that point, we headed over to Norway. Sophie had been wanting to try a Kim Possible mission, and we had signed up for one earlier in the day. So, we figured while Lucy napped in the stroller, we could hae some fun completing the mission. The CM who gave Sophie her Kimmunicator was super enthusiastic. But Sophie was being really odd. I thought she was just being shy, but even after we left the CM and started our mission, she was being weird. Keith and I were trying to get her excited, but she just wasn't into it at all. She just kept saying "This is not what I thought it was going to be like," and that she didn't want to do it (whih is not at all like her; she is usually very agreeable and up for just about anything). We started to get a little impatient with her negative attitude about it, but then we realized that it wasn't a big deal-- if she didn't want to do it, she didn't have to. Sometimes it's hard to do that as a parent when you know it's somethng your child will enjoy... but Keith went and returned the Kimmunicator and Sophie was happy.

I was regretting the snacks we had, as they were having the preview day for the Food and Wine Festival that was starting the next day, and everything looked and smelled SO GOOD! Lucy continued to nap in the stroller and Sophie and I rode Maelstrom. The wait was about 20 minutes-- one of our longest ride waits all week, which I thought was odd. In Norway's gift shop she colored a Duffy bear at the kid's station. I think she would have stayed there all day if we let her (she is the kind of kid who can entertain herself for hours with a box of crayons and some paper).

After that, Lucy woke up and it was getting close to our dinner ADR at Akershus. I took the girls and got them changed into some cute dresses for dinner (which turned out to be a very good idea- they were so sweaty and yucky from the VERY HOT day in the park). We ended up checking in a few minutes early, and after a short wait (15 minutes maybe), a table was ready.

The girls loved meeting Belle right away and getting their picture with her.

We were seated and ordered our meals. I got a really cool (and yummy!) drink with one of those color-changing plastic ice cubes in it. The kids got a real kick out of that (okay, so did I). The cold buffet was good-- we all managed to find something we liked to snack on while we waited for dinner. The actual entrees were just okay. We are not picky eaters, but I just didn't think the food here was great (with the exception of the desserts!). But it was fine, and as usual, I am not really doing it for the food, I am doing it for the character experience for the girls. And they LOVED it. Ariel was their favorite, but they loved all of the princesses.

Also, Lucy was not on the dining plan (not three yet), but we did order her a pizza off the kid's menu, which I assumed we would pay for. But we weren't charged for it at all, which was a nice surprise (most of our other meaks were buffets and not a single restaurant charged us when we ordered a drink for her either, even though she wasn't covered on our dining plan).

After dinner, we walked around World Showcase. The girls got their faces painted, ad they came out so cute!

It was turning into a very pleasant evening, as it had cooled off a bit. We stumbled upon Jasmine and Aladdin, and the girls really wanted to see them. We waited in line about 20 minutes, and the girls made some friends in line, too, so that was fun for them. Waiting for Aladdin and Jasmine:

After that, we kept walking. World Showcase was packed. I don't remember ever having seen it so crowded. I spent a little time in the gift shops in France, and then we made the decision once again to head out before Illuminations. There were some clouds moving in, and it looked like it might rain (although I'm not sure it ever did... maybe after we went to bed?), so we figured we would be better off going back to CSR, since the girls were tired anyway. Of course, once you make the decision to leave World Showcase (while in France), it is still a bit of a hike to the front of the park and then to the bus stop. But, we made it, and ended up back at CSR and all in bed before 10:00pm, I think.

Looking back on the trip, I guess this was my least favorite day. It was a combination of a bunch of things: the relentless heat, Lucy's two meltdowns (she had another one before dinner that I forgot to mention), Sophie's negativity while we were trying to do the Kim Possible mission, Akershus's so-so food, the huge evening crowds in World Showcase...). Not to say we didn't have a good day, but when I look back, I just think all of our other days turned out better, you know?

The next day, though, I was SO EXCITED for! The plan was to sleep in, hit the pool for a couple hours, and then head to Magic Kingdom for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique appointments, and then dinner at 1900 Park Fare before heading back to MK for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! Would the day live up to all the expectations? I'll be back soon to tell you all about it!