Our 9 days at CSR and our first trip to WDW

[B9erSteve]

I've been planning this trip for over a year now. Today I find myself concluding my second day in WDW. Here's my thoughts about the trip so far.

1. Delta Airlines--Disney Partner and part of our trip. The aircraft were crowded with the smaller 737 having more leg room than the larger 757. (curious) I agonized, like many, over the possible pilots strike. Everything ran pretty smoothly with no real issues. I dropped off our luggage and hoped I would someday see them again.

2. Disney's Magical Express-- I thought that this would be much more complicated than it really was. The checked luggage was tagged properly and I left it in the gloved hands of the mouse. Upon arrival at Orlando, I also worried that I would have a difficult time finding DME. Not to worry, It's easy to find and we did not get lost. While on our way through the airport I got a look at the Hyatt which we will be spending a night at when we do our cruise next year. Very Cool. The DME staff were curteous and asked that I have my DME folder and luggage reciepts ready. Turns out that I really didn't need the luggage reciepts because I tagged the bags apropriately. Once checked in at the counter we were shown the the waiting queue. Everyone was sorted according to their resort. As the Buses arrived the staff allowed each line to move into the bus accordingly. As it turns out our bus was shared by Pop Century (Hooray, I was considering this resort and would be happy to get a look at it.), Coronado Springs Resort (Ours) and Animal Kingdom lodge. Dropping off would be in that order. Wouldn't you know it, just before they are ready to board our line, My son announces that he needs to use the facilities. We get out of line thinking that I would need to wait for the next bus. But the Disney people hold up for us and we are soon cruising to our resort. Hardly any wait at all Now comes the best part about DME. It was quite a drive from airport to the parks. And more than a few opportunities for me to take the wrong turn and right into fustrationville. I was gratefull to just kick back and relax. A bit surprise to us in the bus, was continuously looping classic Mickey cartoons. With the subtlety of slapstick never being lost on my 5 year-old son, he was soon laughing uproariously. You'd never know he had been 6 hours couped up on an airplane. My daughter on the other hand was only mildly amused at 2 years-old she was not happy to be once again confined to a chair.
Here's my only gripe, and it doesn't really reflect too much on DME. When we got our luggage, we only got two suitcases (we left 4!) We called guest services and was told "Let me connect you to someone who can explain this to you better." Does that not sound ominous? Turns out that Delta took the liberty of splitting up our luggage into two different flights and the final two peices were recieved much later than we had. Disney was sure to deliver those bags just as soon as they got ahold of them.

3. Coronado Springs Resort-- Got off the bus, and immediately my nose was filled with the wonderful aroma of a barbecue. Now let me preface this with the fact that we got on the road from home at 3:30 AM (California time) to make a 6:20 flight, we made it with only a few minutes to spare and didn't get enough time to eat. The planes only serve snacks now so we only had the food that we brought and the airline snacks to tide us over to this point. So here it was 5:30 PM (Florida time) and we were starving. We checked in, Quick and efficient with no line. And then... SCORE! Cabana's 9B (just what I requested) and an upgrade to a waterview with no extra charge! This is starting out well! So we went to find our room. CSR is much greener than I had anticipated. Being from California, I was almost loathe to choose a resort with a south-western theme. Im surrounded by that every freaking day! But I was convinced to give it a try by the many posters to DIS. I was glad I did. This resort is beautiful. After settling in we strolled to the PepperMarket. The food is great. I had the BBQ chicken that I had smelled coming off the bus. (Just a Hint of curry, which I hate, but used this lightly it was a pleasure) Now let me tell you the nature of the PepperMarket is that it is a cafeteria/market setting. You get your food then the servers stamp a reciept that allows them to charge you for your purchases later. Problematic because some dishes take longer than others and my kids were finished eating before we had a chance to get our food. The four of us (2 adults and 2 preschoolers) ate for a bit less than $50. (Yes, pricey.)
Next stop was the pool. We packed our swim suits in our carry-ons so we would have something to do while waiting for the luggage to arrive. The Dig site was cooler than most of the pictures that I had seen previously. I thought that Mayan head in the sand was between 3-4 feet high and it was actually more like 7 feet. Equally, the pyramid is far more impressive in person than it is in pictures. The water was warm and very fun and we had a great time. Life vests are available, but, you need to get them at the marina which is only open bet. 10am-5pm We're out hitting the parks during those hours. I need a vest for my son (I assumed that they had them avail and didn't pack one.) I'll have to make it a point to be here at some point during our stay. The sun had set on our first day by the time we were done swimming, and the resort was even more beautiful than before. CSR was definately the right choice for us.

4. Wild Animal Kingdom--Originally, I thought that this park would be a half day at best. I not a real nature-lover. We ended up closing the joint down. First up was the Safari. I had learned from these boards to do this early as possible. As many of the animals are active in the cool mornings. This is true. The kids loved it and were crazy interested in all of the wildlife that they saw. Next up: We wanted to take in Expedition: Everest. FP's get taken up quickly so we wanted to get there early in the day as well. Now let me tell you, it's true--WDW is far more spread out than DL. Walking from location to location is a real undertaking. Everest is clear across the park from the Safari. Once we got there we found that the ride was down. Kali River Rapids was nearby so we diverted to there. It was DOWN too! Just as soon as we started to walk away, they reopened and my son and I were nearly first in line. Cool ride but far shorter and not as cool as the Grizzly River Rapids that we are used to in DCA. All of us did get soaked, though. At Lunch we ate at Tusker House Restaurant. (yes, back clear across that huge park!) It was great. Disney's Dining Plan (which I will speak of in another posting) was great. We got everything promised and it turned out to be a lot of food that fed us all. We took in the Lion King show. Fantastic! And even, Finally, got onto Expedition: Everest. This will be a great crowd pleaser for Disney. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I did the singe rider line (New to me, DL does not have such an animal) and cut my wait time from the 30 minute stand-by estimate to about 12 minutes. Then my wife got on with a switch pass equally as rapid. We closed out the day watching the parade and went back to the resort for a much needed nap.

More to come...

 

[cdntourguide]

Fantastic review, I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to your next report.

I have spent the last three winters in San Diego and agree with you about the scenery being the same at CSR.

 

[calstitcher]

Great report! Can't wait to read more.

 

[JoAnnPan]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[fizz13]

Fantastic report had me hooked as I am staying at CSR in October, know how important 9B can be so well done to you! Sounds like you're having a great time, will definately be looking for more soon,
Claire xx

 

[Buzz2001]

Cabana 9b is awesome! Glad you got your request and are having a great time!!

 

[Buzz2001]

Equally, the pyramid is far more impressive in person than it is in pictures. The water was warm and very fun and we had a great time. Life vests are available, but, you need to get them at the marina which is only open bet. 10am-5pm We're out hitting the parks during those hours. I need a vest for my son (I assumed that they had them avail and didn't pack one.) I'll have to make it a point to be here at some point during our stay.

Is this new? The vest used to be available at the pool by the towel station next to Siestas.

 

[tinawv]

Sounds like the beginning of a great trip.

 

[B9erSteve]

Buzz,
Must be. I looked about the pool for a while, as the life vests at the Disneyland Hotel are located at poolside. I finally asked a lifeguard were they could be found. I was told that the lifevests needed to be fitted and that must be done at the marina.

 

[B9erSteve]

Rewind to 6 months ago. I had planned out our trip Itinerary and now was calling Disney Dining to make our reservations. The person that I got on the line was very helpful and pleasant. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to clear her previous customer's information from her computer and while I busily gave her our needs, she preceded to make all of the reservations in this persons name. (I'll call him Roy) Now, Roy was planning to go in April and he did not have near the number of reservations that we did, at least, before I had control of his social calendar. Now he was booked solid. Let me clarify, in the dining castmembers defense, she did read back each reservation to me. and she kept referring to this Roy guy, but she spoke quickly and had an accent, I wasn't sure what she meant and I know that each time I gave my CC# she got my name, so I didn't correct her right away. But after a while I had to speak up and ask her what Roy had to do with my vacation plans. The mistake was found and corrected. Or so I thought.

Wild Animal Kingdom was fun but it closes at about 5pm (I actually thought that we would be out of there between 1 and 3pm but we liked it more than we thought) The kids still needed a nap so we decided on a late dinner at Downtown Disney which turn out to be a familiar dinner at McDonalds. By the time we returned to the room it was well after 11pm and I needed to verify the Restaurant Akershus Princess Breakfast reservations as well as learn when the earliest bus would be here to pick us up. Once again Kudo's to the staff at CSR. A CM named Kristen who often works Concierge was working the check-in desk after the concierge desk closed. She was happy to go out of her way to help us out and soon I had a print out of all of my reservations. Trouble was, there was no Princess breakfast listed. Kristen searched the system and found that I had reservations last April but not for May 8th. I hope that Roy enjoyed the breakfast. Well, for us it meant that there were no reservations available. Good thing my daughter is only 2 years old, she'll never know the difference. Then once I consulted my Palm I realized another problem Our reservations for L'Originale Alfredo di Roma were also missing. And here's the Monkeywrench, I had all of my Table service meals planned out and now I had to figure out some way to spend these two meals.

Epcot--I had come to realize that Epcot is a love it or hate it thing. Everyone has a different opinion of it. I went into it with an open mind and tried to be free of any expectations. I've concluded that Epcot was enjoyable. The Test Track was a great deal of fun. We missed Mission:Space (I wanted to hit this one but didn't get a chance to.) The flower festival that goes on in May is great! We enjoyed the dark rides in the World Showcase. Athough, I thought that the Maelstrom would be great but it was just okay. The soundtrack was hard to understand and as a result I didn't get much of the story. But after the ride you watch a short movie on Norway and my wife concluded that she was ready to go. We avoided the CircleVision theater's as they have always made me motion sick. The American Adventure show was excellent, but then again, I always get a bit emotional about the story of our country. We ate in Japan which got thumbs up from both my wife and my son. Later Dinner in Sunshine Seasons which had a great selection of good food. The night was concluded with "Reflections of Earth." Which was oddly familiar to me. I saw a very similar show at DCA when it first opened. It was a flop and was replaced with the discontinued Electrical Light Parade. I liked it but after "Wishes: Nighttime Spectacular" at Disneyland everything pales.

Pal Mickey--After we bought Mickey, we found that he only would utter two different phrases. In AK we asked a Castmember why he was not working properly, and she "re-booted" him by removing the batteries and re-installing them. Mickey now uttered more phrases but they were unrelated the land that we were in. After we returned to our room I replaced the batteries and now he works like a champ. My kids fought over him but like I said my daughter is only 2 so we replaced him with a smaller identical non-Pal Mickey version and she was happy (I won't be able to get away with that trick much longer) My 5-year-old son loves him. He listens to everything that Mickey has to say and laughs at all of his jokes. $65 well spent.

 

[B9erSteve]

Woke up this morning to the peel of thunder. Looked out of the room to find not just rain but a regular downpour. Today was supposed to be a day of rest for us at Typhoon Lagoon but instead we waited inside our room waiting for the rain to end. (Actually, my first response was "Cool! On a rainy day the waterparks are bound to be empty!" My wife put and end to any such talk right there.) At about 10am the rain had stopped and soon the pathways dried up. I encouraged the family that we could still make a day of it and we all dressed up for the waterpark. Now that we were so late in getting out of the resort we decided to stop by the Marina and get a lifejacket for my son. We were informed that the waterparks did not open today because of the mornings downpour. Well, off to the resort pool then. It was a Blast! I have read many postings on the DIS about crowded pools and I thought that since there was a rain today, it was possible that many who were headed out to the water parks would be at the resort pool. I readied myself for a crowd. And when we got there... Nothing. Yes, there were swimmers in attendance but a couple of handfulls at best. Empty beach chairs as far as the eyes could see. Being at a Convention Resort again works to our advantage.

PepperMarket--Staff was very friendly today and the place was sparsely populated. Food was good. By this time I had some tired cranky children, so I wanted to get lunch over quickly because they needed a nap. Tonight is Hoop-de-doo so we'll be up a bit late. Here's my Grrr! for the day: PepperMarket only allowed cookies for desserts on the Disney Dining Plan! Everywhere I have gone so far has not differentiated their desserts.

 

[Makeminemusic]

Great report Steve! We will be staying at CSR in August. Requested Cabanas so here is hoping. If circlevision makes you sick, best stay off mission That toasted me and I can sit all day in circlevisions

Ken

 

[Cynt]

PepperMarket--Here's my Grrr! for the day: PepperMarket only allowed cookies for desserts on the Disney Dining Plan! Everywhere I have gone so far has not differentiated their desserts.

I sure hope this isn't true. I'll be there Sunday and only cookies for dessert will become old quick. Oh well, I guess this will give me more reasons to eat at other places. I'm so excited only a few more days.

 

[Buzz2001]

Buzz,
Must be. I looked about the pool for a while, as the life vests at the Disneyland Hotel are located at poolside. I finally asked a lifeguard were they could be found. I was told that the lifevests needed to be fitted and that must be done at the marina.

Thanks for the info

 

[Buzz2001]

I sure hope this isn't true. I'll be there Sunday and only cookies for dessert will become old quick. Oh well, I guess this will give me more reasons to eat at other places. I'm so excited only a few more days.

It is true, only cookies or a muffin

 

[TLinden16]

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip! I walked around the parks with my niece when she had a Pal Mickey, and she sure had a lot of fun with them. I want them to come out with a Pal Goofy.

Thanks for posting!

 

[Cynt]

It is true, only cookies or a muffin

Oh well, cookies it is then! 4 Days to go and I'm not even packed yet!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your report ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[jhcantor]

I have read many postings on the DIS about crowded pools and I thought that since there was a rain today, it was possible that many who were headed out to the water parks would be at the resort pool. I readied myself for a crowd. And when we got there... Nothing. Yes, there were swimmers in attendance but a couple of handfulls at best. Empty beach chairs as far as the eyes could see. Being at a Convention Resort again works to our advantage.

I was at the pool on Tuesday as well (late morning) and it was empty compared to the previous Thurs-Friday in the afternoon (3pm-5pm). On those days it was packed with conventioners. On the weekend the crowds thinned a little and it was much more relaxing.

 

[B9erSteve]

Hoop-Dee-Doo--Wow! We really enjoyed this. The BBQ chicken was some of the best ever. For the uninitiated, the transportation that we had to use was Bus to the MK and then boat to Fort Wilderness. I was exicted to use the boats. Contemporary was SO much bigger than I had ever imagined and the Grand Floridian was as magnificent to look at as the Hotel Del Coronado which it borrows it's design. I had planned on doing some resort sight-seeing, but I had no clue to the size of WDW. It takes quite a while to get from place to place. When added up the various transit times, I concluded that we just would not have the time. I did wander about Fort Wilderness though. As an avid RV'er I was interested in what the park looked like. Mostly back in sites that I saw, The hook-ups were first rate and the area was heavily wooded. Appeared to me that campers could rent golf carts to get around, that would be handy. One day I would like to make the drive to FL and stop here with my 5th wheel. Well, I digress. Hoop-dee-doo is a bawdy old-west vaudville show. The jokes never get too out of hand for the younger members of the audience. My son, once again, loved the slap-stick aspect of the show while my 2 year old daughter was enthralled by the music (Okay, so a music critic, she'll never be.) This was the first opportunity for TS on the DDP that we had. It was credits well spent.

Magic Kingdom-- Next on my itinerary was MK. My wife pointed out to me early on in the trip that it was wierd not knowing were to go on a theme park vacation. We've been to Disneyland more times than I care to count and moving from place to place is about as effortless as moving around our own house. This part really was a shock. It was slightly familiar but completely different. Again I say, this place is big. I've been trying to get better about management of location. Rather than jumping from one place to another in the park we're trying to just stay put in an area until we are ready to move on. We picked Toontown Fair. (Or I should say my son did.) This area was very cramped compared to DL (a stark contrast from other places in WDW) The kids enjoyed it but my wife and I thought that we preferred the CA version. Fantasyland was crazy busy and we quickly passed through it. This land gets busy in CA but never this bad. I was gratefull for seeing the FP at the Peter Pan ride. we then crossed into Adventureland through the hub. Spash Mountain Rocks here with it's side-by-side seating and extra show elements. Liberty square is about as lame as Frontierland in DL. The HM was also very cool. Architecturally, it does not appear very haunted. Inside it has just enough differences to be interesting. I was disappointed that the Madame Leota does not have the same recent upgrade that the CA version did. (Floating) But by and large, it was a pleasure. It's a Small World is just bizarre. Even my son was thrown aback by the indoor construction. A sentiment that did not extend inside the ride as I was shown excitedly each and every scene. Toward the end of the night we looked back at the amount of real estate that we had travelled and were appalled by the number of rides that we still had not hit and the fact that we never once stepped foot into tomorrowland. Thank goodness, I planned a second MK day! We ate dinner at Tony's Town Square. Amazing! The food was wonderful. But more so, the service was wonderful. I had worried about some of the stories of DDP patrons not being treated well. Not so here. Our waitress, kept our drinks filled, was interactive with my children and made appropriate suggestions for dining decisions. She earned an extra tip above the 18% the DDP gives.

Disney/MGM Studio--Just got back. We nearly hit everything we wanted to see here. We missed the afternoon showing of the stunt car show because of an afternoon downpour. The next showing was scheduled right when we were to be eating. Backlot tour was about 1/8th that what you get at Universal Studios CA and I thought that they could have pretty much done away with it and we'd never miss it. Next, we went on the new Chronicles of Narnia show. Again, I felt that it was lame. I was beginning to think that I'd regret this day. (I had been looking forward to the studios) We proceeded to the Little Mermaid show and were rewarded with an enjoyable experience. Then the Rockin' Roller Coaster. WOW! I'm not much of an Aerosmith fan, but I really enjoyed this ride. Now the park is looking up! My son enjoyed the Jedi training camp next to Star Tours (I got tape of him putting the smack-down on Darth Vader) We ended up the day with dinner at Hollywood and Vine with a Fantasmic Package. Once again, I heard a CM tell a guest that he was terribly sorry but all reservations were booked and that there would be a long wait for a table. All the while thinking, that poor sap could have been me if not for the DIS! Priority Seating reservations are the way to go! Service was not quite as good here. The waitress was either very overworked or just not attentive. Finally, Fantasmic. I'll try to keep this short. I think the show looks much better in CA. The intimacy as well as the use of the Columbia and Mark Twain makes a far better show. That said, The ability to 1) sit on benches and 2) take advantage of a Fantasmic Dinner Package, makes all the difference in the world! Sitting on hard pavement for two hours to reserve good space (can't call them seats) is painful.