Jumping, Dancing & Jamming Our Way Through Walt Disney World! I'm With the Band Now!

[PittypatBR]

Oh, my, two heart attacks in one installment! I didn't REALLY think you were pregnant, but one never knows what surprises God has in store for us! And I surely hope those are imaginary bed bugs you are talking about - I would hate to have to worry about THAT in WDW!!

 

[MissLiz]

There was no way in heck that I was going to believe that you were pregnant! Why? Because I have a feeling that you are saner (is that really a word?) than that!!!!

Glad you got your trip booked! That is awesome! New PTR!!!!!!




and bed bugs? Really?!?!?!? Ugh!

 

[aprilisis]

Don't DO that!!! You totally got me!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Ok, you TOTALLY cannot do that to me! The pregnancy joke I can take, but don't leave me hanging on the bed bugs!!!!!!!!!! We are planning to stay at CBR and you are freaking me out!

 

[deedeew80]

Totally got me Lisa!!! I don't like this hint about bed bugs!!!!

 

[Happy Elf]

Ok, you TOTALLY cannot do that to me! The pregnancy joke I can take, but don't leave me hanging on the bed bugs!!!!!!!!!! We are planning to stay at CBR and you are freaking me out!

I agree! We are supposed to stay at CBR next month! Please don't leave us hanging!

 

[MEK]

Wait - how the heck did I miss the start of this one (two weeks ago) Oh brother. I have no excuse. Welcome Back!

 

[mickeystoontown]

OH! no --don't like the sound of that!

too funny about the maze to the room; but, I bet after all the riding it probably felt good for a little walk around the beautiful CBR!

We didn't mind the little bit of extra walking at all. We had been on the road for a long time and it felt good to walk.

I don't like the sound of that either.

As for going all around for nothing, we did the exact same thing when we were at CBR 2 years ago. Went all the way left and gith and left and right, only to find out we could have gone straight then up the stairs.

We went all around the buildings to find our room but at least it was a pretty walk.

You had language barriers at check-in too, huh?! Hmmm... Yay for arriving to your resort!!!

Glad to hear your garden is growing despite this atrocious heat and dry weather we have been experiencing!! But currently we hear thunder and little sprinkles of water!!

Yeah, there were language barriers and, as I said, it went both ways. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes for the two of us to understand each other.

I am soooo glad that it is raining here. It's been so hot and dry that our yard was beginning to turn brown.

Oh boy...I don't like the sound of that cliffhanger at all ...

Update is coming up soon!

Lisa, glad you got your request of ground room floors and close to each other...I know you feel better having Mama ont he first floor and close by. Too funny that you walked the long way around (I've done that at CSR on an occasion or two ). But being the mean mama I am, I would have told the kids the long way around.

I don't like the sound of "what keeps biting me?"

Mama was happy to learn that we were in Jamaica because we had stayed there before and was even more pleased when they said we were in ground floor rooms.

Oh you are so mean!

Sounds like a good room location, even with the confusing signage that made you take a little scenic tour

As a human bug-magnet, I am kinda scared by the "what keeps biting me..."

The room location was fantastic. I took tons of pictures from outside our door because it was so pretty.

 

[KatMark]

Well, I have to say the pregnancy thing did NOT get me...I think I know you well enough.

But the bug thing is driving me crazy. And I tend to think it is not bed bugs, but something else.

 

[mickeystoontown]

We stayed in Jamaica last month and did the same thing with taking the long path at arrival. We were happy to be on that early bus stop on a few occasions though.

The pathways at the CBR can be a bit confusing at first but, once you get a hang of it, it's not that bad. Jamaica is a great location.

I got a chuckle out of this because it sounds exactly like my boss. I always make a daily folder for him containing his calendar and any documents he needs for his meetings and put it on his desk. On a daily basis he bellows (as you say) "where's such and such?", to which I always reply "it's in your folder" (where it is every day). Bosses, I swear!

The picture of Mama watching cartoons is so cute!

I'm happy you got your room requests met, even if it was Jamaica, but like you said it was probably best in the long run since Mama is used to and knows her way around from that particular "island" location.

I hope you have a good day! Looking forward to more.

Isn't it funny how the bosses can completely miss something that's right in front of them? If they want something off our desks, we are supposed to know right where it is. Of course, my desk looks tons better than his does. His is a mess!

I was a little disappointed when the castmember said we were in Jamaica. I wanted to try another location but I wasn't disappointed for long. Mama knew her way around from that village and it really is a great location to be in.

HI Lisa,
Yeah, you have arrived!
The CB lobby looks beautiful...it kind of reminds me of a train station..??

Glad you like your location...looks like the room assigning gods knew what they were doing - LOL

Yikes, I agree...don't like the sound of your cliffhanger....

It does look like a train station doesn't it! I hadn't noticed that before.

An update is coming up soon so you don't have to wonder for too much longer.

yeah, you have arrived!

We stayed in Jamaica one time, too! Sounds like it's really convenient for the busses.

Hmmm, I sure hope it's not bed bugs!

I was so happy to finally get to the resort. I always forget just how pretty the resort is.

Yea for the safe arrival home! Good job on the pics, Hunter. We need to see you as you are doing things like check-in, not just hear about it. You are training him right in the way of the trip report!

Hunter is the one who tolerates my picture taking the best and will always offer to take pictures of things for me.

I love the pictures of the resort, one day I'm going to stay there.

You definitely should give the CBR a try. Like I said, I really thought we'd try another resort next year but John loves it so much that he doesn't want to change.

I have read your other reports and y'all are a hoot! Can't wait to read about the latest adventures.

Thank you so much! I hope that I can keep you laughing again with this trip report.

 

[mickeystoontown]

LOL about the maze to the room. Isn't that how it always works? Just walk right by something then take 30 minutes to find it, when it was right there. But, it sounds like a good room location, since you've enjoyed that area for awhile And I love the picture of the entrance to Caribbean Beach, it looks so nice! Can't wait to read the next chapter, sounds like an interesting title!

The signs were definitely pointed in the wrong direction if you ask me. The room was actually to the right but they had you going left and then right. At least we found an easier way around later on in the day.

Uh-oh...I'm interested to hear what was biting you!
I love the photos! I think Mama is watching that Disney cartoon.

I'm betting Mama was multi-tasking and doing both. She loves to people watch as much as John and I do.

I'm glad you were able to get your room requests. Your mom was probably glad to be in the same location as last year. We stayed in Jamaica twice and loved it!

Too funny about the maze to your room...sounds like something I would do!

The most important request was the ground floor request. At 77 years old, I knew climbing up stairs would be a task for Mama.

for getting what you requested! Although, you have already stayed in Jamaica, it sounds like it worked out and being close to the buses is always a good thing!

Oh no....on the cliffhanger.

I quickly got over my room assignment disappointment when I remembered how great the village of Jamaica was.

I've done the long way around too. On our last trip with Skip to Pop, I swear we parked about as far away as we could, and I just wasn't in the swing of things yet to know my way to the room right off the top of my head.
So glad the room location worked out ok.

My brother-in-law got lost as a goose when they stayed at Pop Century. He went to fill up their mugs and got turned around. Of course, he didn't take his cell phone with him and couldn't call his wife to get directions. She had walked out of their room and was standing on the balcony/walkway thing and saw him walking around and called his name. There's no telling how long he would have walked around if she hadn't seen him there.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Well, I have to say the pregnancy thing did NOT get me...I think I know you well enough.

But the bug thing is driving me crazy. And I tend to think it is not bed bugs, but something else.

You do know me well! No more babies for me....waiting on those grandkids to spoil one day though.

Wait - how the heck did I miss the start of this one (two weeks ago) Oh brother. I have no excuse. Welcome Back!

I haven't posted too much about the trip yet so you're not that far behind!

I agree! We are supposed to stay at CBR next month! Please don't leave us hanging!

Hoping to write up an installment as soon as I post replies.

Totally got me Lisa!!! I don't like this hint about bed bugs!!!!

At least I was able to fool somebody.

Ok, you TOTALLY cannot do that to me! The pregnancy joke I can take, but don't leave me hanging on the bed bugs!!!!!!!!!! We are planning to stay at CBR and you are freaking me out!

Bug update coming soon!

Don't DO that!!! You totally got me!

Girl, you should know that I ain't havin' no more babies!

There was no way in heck that I was going to believe that you were pregnant! Why? Because I have a feeling that you are saner (is that really a word?) than that!!!!

Glad you got your trip booked! That is awesome! New PTR!!!!!!




and bed bugs? Really?!?!?!? Ugh!

Saner is definitely a word....even if it's just a word that you and I officially recognize.

Even though I know we are going back to Disney every year, I still get the warm and fuzzies after a trip is officially booked.

Oh, my, two heart attacks in one installment! I didn't REALLY think you were pregnant, but one never knows what surprises God has in store for us! And I surely hope those are imaginary bed bugs you are talking about - I would hate to have to worry about THAT in WDW!!

Oh yeah, I know all about God's surprises. Hunter McBride was a BIG surprise!

I about fainted when I read that!

Oh no...bed bugs!

Here, smell of these smelling salts. That'll wake you up.

Oh no! Bed bugs are a HUGE fear of mine. DD had some (lots) almost a year ago at her mom's place (they've had such a hard time getting rid of it that they are still not back to sleeping there) and I've been scared to death that she could have somehow transferred them to our house ever since.

Congrats on booking your next trip!

Oh my word! I would hate to have bed bugs in my household.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Before I post the next installment, I wanted to provide the name and address of the awesome auto repair shop we used.

Al's Family Auto and Air
7075 S. Pine Avenue, Unit 1
Ocala, FL 34480


It's not often that you encounter such honest hardworking people as those who were at Al's. They not only worked us in (even though they were closing in less than an hour), but they were quick and didn't overcharge us like some others would have done when they saw how desperate we were to have the air conditioning fixed.

I would highly recommend Al's for any of you who are driving to Disney and experience car trouble along the way.

 

[mickeystoontown]

After wandering aimlessly around the buildings, we found our rooms. We were all anxious to get our things unloaded so we could officially start our Caribbean Beach Resort vacation. I handed one of the room keys to Hunter and he did the honors.

Ahhh, the lush green leaf patterned carpets! Wow, the bright and beautiful colors of the tropics! Ooh, the pretty tile flooring! Yay, the cute Nemo character wall paper border! Oww, the sting of a bug! What the? Ouch! Slap! Ouch! Slap! Ouch! Slap! What the heck keeps biting me?

There were little flying gnat size bugs flying in the room. If you stayed still for even a little while, they would light on you and bite you. Don't get me wrong, there wasn't a huge swarm of them in the room but they were there and they were making their presence known.

Hunter said he'd stay in the room and swat and kill the bugs while we went and got the rest of the bags from the van. He was trying to act like it was a valiant thing to do but, I personally, think he was just being lazy and didn't want to carry the bags. Didn't matter to me though because somebody had to stay and kill those pesky bugs.

I told Hunter to take the camera out of my purse and, in between swatting bugs, take pictures of the room.

Instead of trying to sort out Mama's stuff from our stuff while standing in the parking lot, we all started grabbing bags and took them to our room. We could sort them out there. Of course, Mama insisted that she carry something but we made sure we walked quicker than she did so she didn't have to make as many trips.

By the time we had everything in the room, the majority of the gnats had either flown out of the room or had become victims of a rolled up travel magazine. The remaining few were taken care of quickly and efficiently thanks to our group efforts at exterminating them. It was odd that they were in our room in the first place because we never did encounter those pesky little boogers again, either inside or outside.

So, for those of you who had earlier feared that I was referring to bed bugs, worry no more! There were no bed bugs in our room!

**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

We sorted through all the bags and separated Mama's from our's and took her's to her room which was, by the way, gnat free. Hum, what now? I'm not one who likes to relax on vacation. At least not while on a Disney vacation. I want to drop my bags in the room and take off. I have to do something, anything!

The sound of my rumbling stomach in a semi-quiet room was a message sent from God. The message that we needed to quickly go to the food court and find sustenance. If we happened to stop in the store and do a little shopping along the way, well that would be fine too.

Because our first two nights were booked as a room only reservation, we weren't on the dining plan yet. Free dining would start on May 27th when we started our package reservation. I grabbed my purse and camera and we were off!

Pathway from our room:

Just a tip for those of you who have upcoming trips to Caribbean Beach and don't know your way around, always look for the beach. Once you make it to the beach, you will be able to find your way to Old Port Royale. There is a promenade that goes all the way around the resort. Old Port Royale is, roughly, in the middle of the promenade.

More pictures of our walk to Old Port Royale:

Pathway to the beach:

View of the main pool from the Jamaica beach:

The bridge from Aruba and Jamaica to Old Port Royale:

Hello, my fine feathered friends:

The new playground on the island:

Main pool (taken from the walkway through the island):

The fountain in the courtyard outside Old Port Royale:

Old Port Royale (taken from the pool side):

Inside Old Port Royale:

Now, I know that I took more pictures of the inside of Old Port Royale and of our food but I can't find them. For dinner, Hunter had a cheese pizza as did Lacey. I had a Philly Cheese Steak with homemade chips. John had a Reuben sandwich with homemade chips. Mama had a Turkey BLT with homemade chips. For dessert, we had a huge chocolate cupcake, carrot cake, key lime pie and a big chocolate chip cookie. Everything was really good except for my order of homemade chips. They must have given me the last bit of chips in the container because they were a bit greasy and had a lot of seasoning on them. John's and Mama's were good though and they came out of the same container.

***Up next: Should we unpack or should we live out of our suitcases just in case.......

 

[lbuzz52]

i'm so glad to hear that they were only gnats! I bet someone had left some nasty food in there before you
your pictures are making me wish i was there right now!

 

[KatMark]

Lisa, so glad it wasn't bed bugs (although I'm sure you would have moved rooms really quickly if it had been). I've read of those gnats and people getting bit by them, but curious how a "swarm" of them got in the room.

Your pictures of the CBR and the grounds are, as always, really pretty.

 

[aprilisis]

Awesome update! Your photos are making me want to stay at CBR again! We stayed there one year when the whole family went & I loved just walking around the resort.
I'm SO glad that you didn't have bed bugs!!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

i'm so glad to hear that they were only gnats! I bet someone had left some nasty food in there before you
your pictures are making me wish i was there right now!

We thought the same thing because they were gone in no time and we never saw them again.

Lisa, so glad it wasn't bed bugs (although I'm sure you would have moved rooms really quickly if it had been). I've read of those gnats and people getting bit by them, but curious how a "swarm" of them got in the room.

Your pictures of the CBR and the grounds are, as always, really pretty.

If it had been bedbugs, we would have been outta there! I wouldn't really call it a "swarm" of them but it was quite a few and they were annoying as heck.

Awesome update! Your photos are making me want to stay at CBR again! We stayed there one year when the whole family went & I loved just walking around the resort.
I'm SO glad that you didn't have bed bugs!!!

Every time I see the pictures of the resort, I remember why we keep going back. It's so pretty. I'm not a full-on beach vacation kind of girl but a stay at the CBR gives us a taste of the beach and a Disney vacation all in one.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

CBR really looks beautiful. I wish we could stay there with our family of 5....**sigh**

I so did not fall for the "i'm pregnant" gag!

Yay for a new vacation! SO exciting to have a new trip to look forward to....we're still working on that here.