It has been awhile but I’m back. I can’t believe how long it is taking me to write this trip report. Sorry about that, but it just seems that work is getting to me these days and by the time I get home I’m exhausted and don’t have the energy for writing. I also started a blog this year and while it isn’t a great work of art, it is surprisingly time consuming. All that said, I’m not a person that doesn’t finish things, so if it takes me the rest of this year, I will share all my thoughts and pictures from our trip. So where were we….
After lunch at B&C it was time to check out the pool. My son was playing the teenager and decided he didn’t want to go to the pool (What! Are you kidding me! It is SAB, that’s Stormalong Freakin Bay!) Oh well, not to ruin our afternoon, my husband and I went to the pool without him. My husband isn’t a swimmer but loves a good sit by the poolside, so we loaded up a bag with books, iPods etc. and headed to the pool. Taking out another Dis tip, we went to the seating area on top of Hurricane Hanna’s. It is lovely up there.
We were at the BC/YC during the construction that left all of the pools open, but did cause a barrier down the centre. I know those of us who plan our Disney vacations for years and months in advance hate to see construction but hey, the property doesn’t stay so pristine without the occasional maintenance, and I’m always impressed by how unobtrusive the construction is. Truly, the worst part of the construction for us was that I couldn’t get some of the beautiful, expansive photos of SAB that I have seen from others.
Here is the construction zone
And as you can see, here are all the people still having a great time at the pool.
I had a great time at SAB. I checked out the pool areas, went down the slide (a bit bumpy, but fun), and then I headed to the lazy river portion. On the way to the lazy river I saw the cutest mama and baby ducks. They were paddling around in the pool and when it was time to leave she just walked them out the pool steps. She didn’t care that there were a bunch of people using the steps. You could just hear the mama duck saying “coming through, mind the babies, excuse us, coming through”. Everyone just stepped aside and let them go on their way.
Once at the lazy river two lovely little girls offered me their tube since they were done with it. I enjoyed myself and relaxed my way through a couple of laps of the lazy river. When I was done I saw a father and son asking someone where to get a tube so I said they could have mine. But I told them I was lazy and didn’t want to get too wet, so I would meet them at the stairs. Of course, when I tried to get off the tube and put my foot on the stairs, I slipped and plunged right into the lazy river. That taught me not to be a prima donna, and made me laugh.
After swimming it was back to our room. As we arrived on the 5th floor we saw some additional treats. The Mars Company was having a convention at the YC and many were staying on the CL. This meant that for much of our stay there were big bowls of Mars chocolate bars available for everyone. As if the CL lounge offerings aren’t enough, we now had unlimited chocolate bars available. Mmm
Our evening plans were to have supper at Epcot. Before supper I decided to head out on my own. I was determined that on this trip I would fully explore each country around the world. I found on previous trips when we stayed near the MK, we only visited Epcot a couple of times and each visit involved some time on the rides and a visit to one or two countries. It is too tiring to visit every country in one visit to Epcot.
I love exploring WDW on my own. My non-Disney friends always look at me weird when I tell them I would love to take a trip to Disney by myself. I enjoyed taking my time and checking out the YC as I ambled towards Epcot. Along the way I stopped for a nice glass of water (love the little touches like this around the YC and BC).
I stopped to admire some ducks.
And then I headed off to Epcot and turned right so I could start with France and work my way around the world until it was time to meet the boys for dinner. I’m always amazed at how expansive some of the countries are. I browsed through France, made my way through Morocco (I couldn’t believe how much space there was behind Morocco, and loved the way the shopping was set up like a bazaar), explored Japan (scoping out the things that my husband and son wouldn’t be able to resist, so I could sucker them into more shopping later), checked out America, Italy and Germany, and then it was time to head over to meet the boys.
Here are a couple of pictures taken while exploring.
Tonight’s dinner was Coral Reef. I hate to say it here, since I know so many are looking forward to (or love) Coral Reef, but we weren’t impressed. In theory we love Coral Reef – it is a beautiful room, the food is really good, and the aquarium is so much fun. In reality, it feels overcrowded and busy and I feel like I’m at a busy mall restaurant instead of the fine dining experience that Coral Reef should offer. I hate that we feel this way, because I really want to like the place.
Coral Reef has always been something we desire. On our first trip in 2004 we were cute little newbies (in other words, we had no idea you needed dinner reservations
) so we walked up to Coral Reef and couldn’t get in (thankfully we did get in to the R&C for that meal, so all was well). In 2007 we reserved a spot at Coral Reef but made the mistake of riding the original Mission Space just before our meal so we were all nauseous and didn’t enjoy our dinner. In 2010 we again booked Coral Reef, but we were too tired to make it to Epcot on our scheduled evening, so we cancelled our reservation. For this trip we were determined to make our reservation and not ruin our meal with any pre-dinner wild rides.
When we arrived at the restaurant we had to get our elbows up to hold our space in line at the check-in desk. Just like in 2007, everyone was scrambling to get to the desk in front of everyone else. I don’t understand why since the check-in area is very spacious and beautifully decorated. It should put everyone in a relaxed mood, but it seems to do the opposite. Once we made it to the desk we were greeted nicely and soon shown to our table. Although the restaurant is gorgeous the walkways are just narrow enough that it always feels like we are infringing on the other diners space as we walk by their tables.
We were given a table on the second level and had a great view of the aquarium. Like the last trip there were divers having fun and interacting with the diners. The problem with the divers is that they scare away the fish. Fortunately there were plenty of times when there were no divers, so we were able to see some great fish too.
While our service and food were good, we were surrounded by a few large families who gave the restaurant a general feeling of chaos. I think it is because the tables are so close to each other, all lined up for a great view of the aquarium, that the restaurant loses the relaxed dining feel I think it should offer. At the end of our meal we all agreed that we will likely not go back to Coral Reef on our next trip.
After supper we wandered through the sea pavilion and checked out all the displays. I loved seeing the manatees! And then we used our Soarin’ fast passes that we picked up in the morning. Thankfully my son is tall enough to ride Soarin’.
At the end of a full day, we headed back to the YC and went to bed early. Here is a sunset shot from our balcony.
This picture may look like a big black square, but the two white dots in the centre are Jupiter and Venus. I thought it was cool to be able to see them so clearly from our room.
Well that’s enough prattling on for one day. Next up, we try to make MK rope drop.
Not sure I'm missing much now so I dont feel too bad
Just caught up and subbing.
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But love how you let us readers know about your sons emotions about the trip it lets me know and plan for by 17 year brother and how he is going to act. Thanks about the post on the Coral Reef I have never eaten there however I have been curious and I now know dont give it a try if you want a relaxing meal !
