just got back.... cant get enuff!

[Jrabbit910]

Hi All;
We just returned from a week’s vacation at our favorite place in the world and I wanted to give you our trip report and what we thought
The Characters of our trip: Me & DF (Jessica; 5 months pregnant & Jason who hurt his knee on the job right before we went away! ).

Our trip started on Saturday; September 9th. We flew out of Newark Airport in NJ at about 8 in the morning and arrived at MCO at about 10:30ish. When we arrived we waited about 5 minutes in total from checking in at the Magical Express desk to jumping on the bus. When we were on the bus we were lucky enough to catch the Space shuttle in the air so that gave us something to watch as the dvd & tv’s were broken .
The bus ride seemed like it was only 20 minutes until we arrived at Disney’s Coronado Springs (first time staying there)…

Checking in we had a great CM- we asked for a room upgrade and we were going to take it until we found out where the room was (way to far for a walk to the main building) so we took our original room which was at Casita’s 1. It was 2 minutes away from the main lobby; which was great.
Okay so I want to talk about the hotel first…. It is beautiful~~ absolutely breath taking BUT it takes a lot more to run a resort then it is to make it look so pretty. The room was your basic room set up, it was very clean just like all of WDW resorts.. very well kept.
We thought that the pepper market was horrible- the food was disgusting. There wasn’t one time that we ever got our food hot & asking for a basic egg dish for breakfast seemed like a chore in itself. We compared eating here to eating in a mall food court.
We went to the pool one day; long walk but they do have people going around in carts, if you can find one, good luck… We got to the pool and they asked everyone to get out for an unscheduled cleaning... good to know they are keeping everything so clean. It also seemed that there was more convention people there then there were families. All in all, we think DCS was beautiful but it wouldn’t be our first choice when we return.
Buzz I love that your so dedicated to this hotel but for us it wasn’t our cup of tea…

Day 1: We didn’t do much besides hang around the resort and relax. We had reservations at 6:00 in Epcot at Alfredo’s so we knew we had the whole day to loaf. Being pregnant and him w/ his knee killing him really did give us a chance just to enjoy our surroundings. We arrived at Epcot around 4ish and walked thru the countries. When we got to “Italy” it just started to drizzle but it wasn’t anything bad. Checked in at the desk and they ask ur name and if u were on the DDP (which we were). We waited about 10 minutes before we were seated and had an excellent waitress. This was our first time eating there and we thought it was great. For the appetizer, J had the fried Calamari and I had the Caesar Salad…. main course: I had to go w/ the original Alfredo dish and he went w/ the vodka and shrimp pasta… he loved his but I thought there could have been a little more alfredo sauce in my dish. If u go, ask for more sauce on the side… I didn’t but wished I did. It did however have a great taste to it… dessert- J had the Tiramisu & I had the chocolate moose… OMG- AMAZING for both…. we loved it; loved it; loved it. When they came out w/ the dessert tray everything looked wonderful but we went with our favorites and were very happy that we did. Jason must have told the waitress that it was my birthday (reason for the trip) and when she returned w/ the dessert she showed up w/ a singing “choir” they sang happy birthday in Italian and it was great!! First day ended wonderful. I will come back in a little bit w/ our other days!

 

[OhMari]

Glad you are doing a Trip Report. I think the C.S. is considered a convention hotel.

You are the 3rd person I am asking, can you please tell me what Tiramisu is.

Thanks.

 

[GOOFYsince71]

I'm glad that the Disney Magic kicked in at the end of the day for you.
It must have been very hot,and uncomfortable for you, being pregnant.I was there at the same time and found it really humid!!!!!!!!Can't wait to hear the rest of the story!!!

 

[zoesmama]

You are the 3rd person I am asking, can you please tell me what Tiramisu is.

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

It's pure yum....it's a sponge cake or ladyfingers soaked in coffee/expresso I think? and coated with cocoa powder and marscapone (?)cheese. It's very light if made correctly, but packs a yummy punch.

 

[Jrabbit910]

Hi Ohmary....
Tiramisu is a lady finger sponge cake soaked in expresso then layered w/ a mascarpone cheese/whipping cream frosting... its then layered again w/ the lady fingers then toped off w/ some cocoa powder...if done right its absolutley YUMMY!!! They made it wonderful... one of the best we have ever had... I think they might have even made the whipping cream chocolate.


Hi Goofy,
Hope you had a great stay... As you can imagine w/ the humidity it was bad but going in and out of the stores to get releif was my great.. Waiting for the parades to start was hard but I pulled thru it.. my df kept on telling me that I looked like sebastian from the Lil Mermaid... my face was so red and my hair was going crazy....

I will be back w/ day two...

 

[Jrabbit910]

Hi All…. I am back w/ Day 2…

September 10th… my birthday
This day I didn’t do any of the planning so it was all up in the air and I didn’t know what was to come… We ended up going to the ANIMAL KINGDOM and omg, it was hot… The last time I was at AK it was during the month of July and I couldn’t stay then because of the heat but this time around I was determined to see a few things. We got to the park nice and early just when everyone was getting there; and for September crowds it wasn’t bad. The first attraction that we ended up going to see was The Bugs Life.. It was adorable… an attraction that I think is perfect for kids and grown ups alike… If you haven’t seen it; make it a must… the walk up to the attraction was great because it’s in the tree of life and we got to admire the carvings up close. After leaving there we went over to the Dinosaur attraction, J got to ride that for the first time (this was his second time to Disney and is now a big fan; thank god); he said it was great and again there was hardly any wait for him, seeing his face on the TV was priceless…. he had no idea about the dinosaur jumping out at them… so it was great for me to see. For anyone going that doesn’t ride on rides, if you don’t know, the exits to each attraction pretty much has a store and it’s a great spot to hang out until they get off the ride…while there it’s nice to enjoy the air conditioning. After this we walked over to Mount Everest… well…. the ride was down and from what I heard it was down most of the day. I was so upset cause I had that free coupon for the 5x7 picture and I know J was really looking forward to it. After that we just pretty much wondered around taking pictures of characters and enjoyed some shows…. I noticed that the DDP feature on most of the snacks were posted so it was easy to use and I felt like I didn’t have to bother anybody w/ a ton of questions…. IMO; get a soda float and pop a squat at any one of the shows they have going on… we did and it was great + you get a crazy straw w/ it so it becomes a souvenir.

After that we ended up going back to the hotel; took a nap and got ready for dinner.
Jay had made reservations at the California Grill in the CR and boy was I happy w/ this.
If you never ate here before there is a process to getting up to the 15th floor…. you have to check in at the desk on the 4th floor; then they have a special elevator that takes you up to the restaurant. We ended up waiting about 20 minutes to be seated but our seat was incredible… The view of the castle from here was beautiful. Jay had planned it so we got to see the fireworks during dinner…. imo: It’s a plus for anyone that is planning a romantic evening… This dinner was covered by the DDP but it took two table service meals. Appetizer: I had a BLT Panini & J had the sushi platter, both were excellent recommendations from Walt (our waiter); Main course: I had a filet mignon w/ mashed potatoes and J had the Pork dish w/ Polenta…again…. we couldn’t go wrong… they were both cooked to perfection… Dessert- J had some kind of strawberry cheesecake & I had a chocolate lava type cake w/ raspberry sorbet & raspberry sauce (pictures to come soon). Again my favorite part of the meal was outrageous. I didn’t think I was going to like the raspberry anything but I did and would go back for thirds… this meal we thought was one of the best by far. Everything was so great and you cant believe the view. If you haven’t gone to this restaurant try and go you won’t be disappointed. I am upset that it had to take two table service meals because the price of our bill was just as much as Alfredo’s in Epcot and that only took one. Great night and would go back over and over again

 

[Jrabbit910]

 

[Eeyore's Tiara]

I can't wait to hear more about your vacation. Love the pictures so far but what is that dish with the mickey head and m&m's? Keep writing - I want to hear more about your trip. It's great that you felt up to doing it while you were pregnant. Love the bug glasses!

 

[Glendamax]

HEY! we are at Animal Kingdom on the same day! That was the day I ran into Eeyore's Tiara and MickeyGirl! Sorry I didnt see you!

 

[Jrabbit910]

Hi Eeyorestiara- thanks.... the picture of the mickey head was a birthday cupcake that came from Primetime cafe... (day 3)...

Hi Glendamax.... I was so upset that I didnt run into anyone... I had my green "mickey Head" on my bag & I didnt see one person... I did however run into a "mickey head" at the hotel but it was in someones window,... We will meet up next time....

 

[Jrabbit910]

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

This is my favorite park and I knew we were going to be spending the whole day there.
As soon as we got into the park J ran over to the guest services & got me a birthday button and just like you would think, everyone was so great wishing me a happy birthday. It was really cute. Along Main Street if you looked into the windows you saw all the Halloween pumpkins getting ready for the Halloween fun. I think we are going to have to take the baby for the first time to Disney during Halloween, it just looks like it would be great. Also, I looked all over Main Street for that telephone to listen in but I couldn’t find it… if someone knows exactly where it is please help me out…
Again, not much of a crowd…
Our adventure started at the Haunted Mansion; I was trying to tell Jason the story behind the ring in the ground next to the horse drawn carriage when a CM walked over to us and showed us where it was and ruined the fun by saying it was a pole (thanks). Anyway, we grabbed a hidden Mickey book for this trip so I can search out for things while Jay rode the rides; I tried so hard to find more on the rides that I could go on but I couldn’t find many. It is a great book though, imo; if you don’t have one get one; its good fun. We went on Dumbo/ it’s a small world/ Mickey’s Philhamagic/ Peter Pans Flight (you know all the kid rides that I could go on) but it was great. One of our favorites is Mickey’s Philharmagic, we went on it twice that day. The smell of the apple pie makes you want one. We then headed over to Toon town; again getting ready for Halloween; when you enter, there are two enormous Pumpkin Mickey Heads (so cute). We stopped for a little while to grab a snack & two little kiosks that we stopped at for something had the machines down for the DDP so we paid for our snacks. This happened a lot around all the parks so we ended up having a lot of snacks for the last day we were there. When we got into Toon Town we went straight over to Minnie’s House; I never noticed the fridge that opened w/ all the cheese; we thought it was hysterical. Then when we went over to Mickey’s house it was closed We did go into the judges tent for some pictures w/ the characters and there wasn’t any line for Minnie and friends or Pluto & Goofy but the line for the Princesses was crazy long. I think everyone in the park was there waiting to take a picture. I saw a million and one things that I wanted to buy for the baby but I don’t like buying things before hand. A CM did tell me however there is an email address to the warehouse on top of store receipts and you can email them and tell them if you want anything, if they have it in stock they will ship it to you, I thought that was a great tip to share in case anyone didn’t know. We got ate a quick service meal at Pecos bill, which we didn’t think was bad. By this time the Parade was about to start, so we got some ice cream and stayed on Main Street to catch it and OMG it was hot very hot… I had to keep running in & out of the stores to catch some cold air. While we were waiting the quartet of singers came over to me and sang happy birthday; it was great because not only did they sing to me there were two little girls that were next to me that there birthday was coming up and they added their names into the song it was very funny & very cute. I guess the button really does get some recognition. After the parade we had to leave for a nap & a cold shower. It was way too hot for me. We got back to the park hung out for a little bit. I wanted to see the Spectromagic parade. J was dying for a turkey leg so he got one & while I was waiting for him the guy gave me one as well for my birthday, I thought that was very sweet but I couldn’t eat it. Jay said it was great. I did run over to the baked potato stand in Liberty Sq and they are great. If you haven’t had one and love baked potatoes get one… yummy in your tummy; the girl also said it would have counted as a snack but for some reason I didn’t use my snack option. We sat at a bench in Frontier land and ate and waited for the Parade. It was a great seat and well worth it. The parade was beautiful. After that we went back to the castle to watch the fireworks on the bridge to tomorrow land and of course it was packed but the show was amazing like always.

 

[Jrabbit910]

 

[Jrabbit910]

Day 4- Disney’s MGM Studios

Today we woke up a little later then usual because we weren’t in a rush to get any early hours in and we knew we were going to be at the park late for Fatasmic; so instead of getting to the parks by 9 we got there by 10!!!!

Upon entering the park there is this one ticket attendant that I think is great… Her name is Betty- she is a cute little woman that belongs in this particular park. She looks like an old movie actress and every time I go I tell her the same thing & she always says the same thing which is “you made my day”- the last few times I went I had her at the gate and she makes my day!

So the first thing J wants to go on is TOT; but this time I walk up w/ him all the way to the elevator & take the service elevator down w/ one of the CM’s & again I wait at the exit but the good thing about this ride is that there are seats to wait for the thrill seekers. I think that this is great for anyone that doesn’t want to ride but still see the attraction. I asked on almost all the rides if there was a “chicken” way out & w/ most there were. Of course after leaving there we went over to RR- his face on this ride was also priceless and waiting for him in here was great too cause you got to listen to Aerosmith play on the radio. Showers were on and off most of the day but mainly off. We headed over to the lil’ Mermaid show, which I never saw before but thought it was very cute. For all w/ kids, I think this is a must see. One thing we thought was horrible and hopefully they will get rid of it real soon is the Narnia thing; all you do is watch a movie trailer in a room filled w/ frosted trees. Don’t get me wrong it was very pretty but not worth the time or the wait. Believe me when I tell you this, its nothing more then a movie trailer. I think it would be great if they made some kind of Narnia ride or 3d show but who am I? J We then walked into the story of Walt and we both thought that it was great. Stay for the movie at the end, its well worth it. Its so sad he isn’t around anymore. L We also went to the animation theatre and that was so much fun. It’s a show then into a room where you can play. There is one computer to tell you which Disney Character you are like. We took the three or four question test and I was most like Tinkerbell & J was most like Garson! J hahahahaha What a couple! Even better then that, you get to meet the Incredibles. Again, it’s a great place for the kids to play, meet up the incredible family & enjoy the air conditioning. We walked over to the backlot tour & were picked to be the actors in the “movie”.. I guess it was because we were the first on line! J For lunch we grabbed a quick bite at the Italian place and neither one of us thought it was worth it. The Panini that I had at California Grill compared nothing to the one I had there and J had some kind of open chicken sandwich. Save your money and go to Planet Pizza, the food is pretty much the same. They closed the Miss Piggy fountain down L which I was very upset about. They said something new was going to go there L. For Dinner we went over to Prime Time Cafe. What a blast that place was. When we walked into that place I thought I was walking into my grandmothers old kitchen. It was great. We had “sister” Patty as our waitress. Maybe it was an off night for her but she really wasn’t into character like some of the other waiters were but she was still great. There was this one waitress who made a man stand in the corner for not eating everything on his plate, it was hysterical. We heard another waiter as a “brother” make fun of this one couple for sharing. It was all in good fun. For dinner the appetizers that we got were Onion Rings & some kind of stuffed cheese thing, main course- Jay had the fried chicken, which I tasted and was very good and I had the meatloaf. I would have much rather have eaten the chicken as the meatloaf was a little too peppery for me; dessert- J had the smores and I had the brownie Sundae but sister patty came out w/ a great decorated cupcake for me and a card.; she passed it to all the people around us for them to sign. It was so funny. We would go back there in a heart beat cause it was so much fun. After that we went over to the theatre for Fatasmic and the crowd piled in. Great day, night and great show

 

[Glendamax]

Walt's story is the one thing I keep missing! Hopefully the next time I'll get to do this. I'm glad yo reported on Narnia. Thanks to my fellow DISers, I made no effort to do that attraction.

Waiting for more . . . .

 

[GOOFYsince71]

Thanks for such a truthful and honest Trip Report...It's hard to believe, but true, that everything at WDW isn't perfect or amazing!!!After all they are only human!?!? Or are they!
Welcome back Glendamax!!!
Did you end up buying a new mouse.....or did your butterknife work it's wiley ways!!!!
3 A.M. post! Go to sleep Girl!!!!!

 

[Glendamax]

Did you end up buying a new mouse.....or did your butterknife work it's wiley ways!!!!

The Mouse is still not working. I'm going to try to get one today! Some jobs are just too big for a butterknife!