Our WDW Vacation (We Drove & Stayed at CBR)!

[mm6mm6]

Our first big time family vacation for my wife and I and our 5 1/2 year old daughter. Little Lauren has all the Disney movies and knows them well which was great for the characters. We drove from Chicago, leaving at 5am on a monday. Took our time (speed limits of 70 and 75 really help compared to 55 in the past years) and stopped for lunch in Mammoth Cave, KY and took a half hour cave took of the Onyx Cave. Very fun. Back on the road and stayed at a lousy Ramada Inn Limited in Chattanooga, TN (thought Ramadas were good, see the place before you book it). We used our Mobil Auto Club discount for all hotels. We left around 8am tuesday and got to Orlando around 6:30pm. We stopped at the Florida Welcome Center for our free orange juice (wow, what a welcome center!) and picked up some brochures. Then we stopped at the "Exit 82" place that you see all the HUGE billboards for on the highway. They claim you can "See Disney for Free" and "Discount tickets for Sea World." All we wanted was a hotel room 15 minutes from WDW because we were ahead of schedule and didn't expect to get to Disney one day early. This turned out great though. They got us a room on the 14th floor of the Radisson twin towers across from Universal Studios. Only $57 for the night!!!!!! The room was normally $129 but the lady at "Exit 82" told the guy on the phone, "Do want an empty room or do you want this nice couple with their cute daughter staying there and making you a few dollars?" Terrific! We had pizza and watched the Universal fireworks at 10pm out our window. We got up at 7am wednesday, had a shower and dressed in our clothes for Disney (comfortable stuff to walk in) and had a big breakfast buffet. The drive to Disney was 15 minutes and we followed the arrows to the Caribbean Beach Resort. There was no one there at 8:30am on a wednesday besides us for check in. Only one window was open and the girl was very friendly and helpful. She gave us everything we needed including our keys. She told us to call them after 3pm from any house phone to find out our room number. We drove over to the Jamaica parking lot and parked the minivan. Never to be moved again for seven days thanks to Disney's outstanding bus, boat, and monorail services. We took the bus to Magic Kingdom for a full day there as we were dressed for our first day. This was a great way to do it as we got our money's worth of that first full day. I would say if you fly, stay somewhere the first night and get to your resort in the morning for check in. The Jamaica stop is the first one for the bus so it was always empty coming to us which gets you a seat (request Jamaica!). We arrived at MK around 9:45. As we walked in we took pictures and Daisy Duck was right there. The Goofy statue on the bench was a great pic too but seeing people scream when the statue suddenly lets out Goofy's HYuk HYuk laugh was even more fun! The new show at 10am at the Castle was awesome. We just happened to be walking in when it started. Don't miss it! All and I mean all of the good characters were there until Donald opened the apple present and then all the bad characters did battle. Peter Pan took on Captain Hook! Mulan took on the bad guy from that movie! My daughter knew them all and my wife and I literally cried watching how happy she was! We did all of the rides and attractions and got pics with lots of characters. We didn't do the autograph thing, the pics were enough. I had last been at WDW in 1975 at age 10. My wife loved "It's a Small World" which was amazing to her. My daughter loved absolutely everything, every day. We had brought a large , shoulder strapped cooler, guzzler, water bottle thingy. Filled it will Hawaian Punch and ice. It worked great every day. We had a small snack for lunch and watched the Snow Globe parade. Little Lauren loved it as she had looked forward to seeing it after watching the Disney World presentation video at home. We called to get our room number and took the bus "home." The Caribbean Beach Resort rules! Seven pools, a 45 acre lake, Parrot Cay island to watch the Epcot fireworks from, white sand beaches, hammocks, playground equipment and ducks, fish and turtles to feed? Awesome! Our room was super clean and we loved the decorations. The table was great to eat breakfast at and we loved the double sinks. The room was bigger than I expected. Our lake view was beautiful! The white sand, the hammocks......just breathtaking. Like being in the Caribbean (which I suppose is the idea!).... We bought one of the $9.99 free refill cups. Used it everytime so it was a good deal. I had brought a 50 quart cooler on wheels and 24oz plastic bottles of soda pops (12 six packs!) for on the road and on the trip (we went to Daytona too after Disney for four days and drank it there too). This really saved us alot of money. The CBR ice machines were fast and full and close. We bought a half gallon of milk at the Port Royale shop and kept it in the ice for breakfast. We brought Rice Crispies and had them along with donuts in resealable bags for breakfast. The Jamaica pool was right down the stairs and always clean, warm and uncrowded as was the laundry. We brought Tide and Bounce sheets from home in shampoo bottles and ziplock bags. We went to the main pool one day with its water cannons, waterfall, slide and hot tub but my daughter prefered the uncrowded Jamaica pool. Day two we went to Animal Kingdom and had a blast. Hold your wallet on the Dinosaur ride so you don't lose it like I did and have to wait nervously to see if they can find it on the ride (they did find it, phew!). The Tarzan show was amazing! It's Tough To Be a Bug was hysterical! The safari is not to be missed. How come those animals can't get at you? I saw no barriers, it was like being on safari in Africa! It rained hard and we got soaked (it was still 85 degrees so who cared?) and we got back to our resort around 4pm. We changed and went to Downtown Disney. We looked in the shops and bought a Minnie Mouse dress at the Disney Store. Our Disney Club card got us the discount there but hardly anywhere else. It was still the best $29.99 we ever spent as it saved us $350 on our Resort Magic stay and we used the Entertainment card at home many times at our favorite restaurants before we even went to Disney. We had dinner at Fulton's Crab House ($123 for lobster bisque (2), King Crab legs, shrimp pasta and fried shrimp, well worth it) which was outstanding and our "big" meal. Downtown Disney is really cool. The Christmas shop is fun. The bars are neat (but we couldn't get in with our daughter). Friday we had the Minnie character breakfast at MGM's Hollywood and Vine. The food was beyond compare. Eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, toast, bagels, locks, Mickey waffles, pancakes, french toast, you name it! The character was a blast. My daughter wore her Minnie dress and it was just magical. Be sure to see the 50's cafe that is attached past the washrooms. The bar and living room are really cool! We took lots of pictures during our seven day stay (12 rolls of 24!). I highly recommend this character breakfast, specially as an alternative to Cinderella's breakfast. Book this one in case you don't get Cinderella. My daughter loved Minnie! We saw Cruella DeVille and had a picture taken. She is so mean. Which is great! She would yell at people to "hurry up and take the picture already!" which was fun. You can't have Cruella being nice you know. She turned to me and looked at my daughter in her Minnie dress and then asked in a drippingly disgusted voice, "Why would you dress your daughter like a little rat?" Hysterical! I found MGM to be my favorite. The movie studios tour and the Indiana Jones show can't be missed. The movie history tour is great fun! No line at all, I think people miss the Oriental theatre and don't know it's a ride. We got a picture of Little Lauren and Minnie in their matching dresses which is now the official "5 year" picture on our picture wall at home. Perfect! Day four saturday was Epcot as we had dinner at Chef Mickey's which allowed us to take the monorail to the Contemporary for the dinner. Epcot was fun and we wore matching Minnie/Mickey at the beach dresses for my wife and daughter and the button down collared shirt for me. They are on the last page of the Disney mail order catalogs. Alot of people first noticed our matching outfits and then saw that they were Mickey and Minnie too. Very fun. The Chef Mickey's dinner was awesome (all I ate was peel and eat cold shrimp and cocktail sauce, I think I had 60 of them!) with the music and dancing and napkin twirling. My daughter made cupcakes and we took some great pics of us with the characters! We had these enlarged and framed for grandparents and aunts and uncles when we got home. The next day was sunday and we went back to Magic Kingdom. My wife thought we missed alot but I don't think we really did. We didn't go until mid afternoon though. We spent the morning renting water mice for our lake and the family bike and lounging on the hammocks on the white sand beach. Ahhhhh! Then we could stay for the fireworks late at MK. A really nice young (23 and 19) couple let us in next to them for the parade (hard to get a spot to see if you don't start to camp out an hour ahead of time) and the parade was wonderful. I had read online a hint to follow the wire that Tinkerbell uses to fly on to start the fireworks (see it during the day) to the Cafe. There is a place to sit at tables on comfy chairs at the Cafe to see an unobstrucked view of the castle and fireworks. This tip was great! We went there right after the parade and it wasn't crowded at all. Tinkerbell flies right over your head and there are no palm trees or umbrellas to block your perfect view of the fireworks and the lit up castle. Magical! Day six on monday we went to Typhoon Lagoon. I picked it over Blizzard Beach because of the Shark Reef. I went through it twice. I love to snorkle and being in that huge tank with the fish and sharks and undersea decoraction was so much fun. No line at all. Got out and went again. The big wave pool with the 4 1/2 wave was alot of fun. The slides were great and my daughter loved them all. The lazy river around the whole park was a dream. The waterfalls, bridges, palm tree were so serence and easy going. We went around a few times and my daughter liked that they had little inner tubes that fit her. So she could go by herself. We brought a waterproof camera from home (cheaper at Wal-mart or K-mart) which we used at the water park and on other water rides. My wife carried a back pack everyday (I put my wallet in there after losing it on that dang Dinosaur ride...almost losing it I mean) to put the camera in. Along with a change of clothes for our little girl. We then went to Fort Wilderness via the boat for the Hoop De Doo (still singing that refrain of chorus!) Revue. The rain was pouring so we took off our shoes and socks and held them under our ponchos (the yellow Mickey ones that did last all seven days of use, they're tough!). We walked in the streaming rain puddles an inch deep but it was still 80 some degrees outside so it was fun. We liked the Hoop De Doo (but some people think its super and we just liked it) and the food was okay. My daughter got the spot light put on her and made to sound like she yelled "Yahooooo" in a deep voice and they all pointed at her from the stage. She loved the attention up on the balcony and she shouted out, "It wasn't me! I'm only five!" She got a huge laugh from the crowd and the actors! Day seven we got up and packed the van and went to Magic Kingdom one last time. We really had done everything and we felt we were sort of "Disneyed out." We know we missed some things but we were ready to drive the short hour to Daytona where we stayed on the beach for four days to relax and have a vacation from our vacation and then drive back home. All in all it was great. Some other advice or comments: The Living Sea at Epcot has great food for lunch! And the aquarium is pretty cool. The drinking fountains at Epcot that talk to you are fun to hang around and watch people's expressions. The Xerox 2 minute show nets you a nice free color family picture. My daughter didn't want to go on Test Track because she thought they crashed you. The line said 95 minutes was the wait. I went in the single rider line and got on in under 10 minutes. Even if you are in a group and can go in the single rider line, do it. So you don't sit next to each other for one ride, no biggie, meet up after and talk about it then. I didn't buy a single pin trading pin but I wanted every one of them. Don't get started, it's a money pit but alot of fun. I am a magnet guy. I wanted a magnet from every ride we went on. Most are relatively cheap. I didn't get them all but I got some. Preplan your pictures for your photo album. I love pictures. I knew the Hallmark vacation album I wanted. I knew it held four 4x6 pics per page. I kept a mental note of taking vertical or horizontal pics as I went so they would display well on the pages (example: two vertical pictures of Cinderalla's castle at night, then took two more vertical pictures of us watching the fireworks. Equals a full page of four verticals in a row chronologically. Makes it easy to view without excessively turning the album back and forth....okay, I obsessive compulsive, I admit it). The resort room cleaner folded stuff like towels into neat shapes for us and lined up my daughter's stuffed animals every day. Even put them in the window with the shade slightly up with a note saying, "we missed you and hope you had a fun day." Very cute. Leave a tip for your housekeeper. Rent the water mice on the big lakes. The engines are 9hp instead of 3hp on the small lakes. Price is the same but speed is fun. We had so much fun at Typhoon Lagoon that I wish we went to Blizzard Beach instead of MK three times. Try to see as many shows as you can in the parks. They're all great and air conditioned. Bring the biggest cooler you can if you drive. It's great on the drive as well as at the parks. I bought those 24 oz bottles of pop for only $2.50 a six pack at home. Saved a small fortune by not buying pop at the parks. Caribbean Beach rocked and I would go there in a heartbeat next time if we don't decide to go upscale with a luxury resort. Try it, you'll like it. Also, we wouldn't have used the open early park deal (scrapped when we went) but we really like having the characters at the resort. This is Disney's replacement benefit for staying at the resorts. We got 23 character pics with my daughter. She loved everyone of them and hugged them all (Balloo from Jungle Book wouldn't let her go and she just about giggled herself silly). Have fun!

 

[KayleeUK]

What a great read. Sounds like you had a fab time

Kaylee

 

[goofyandmore]

Excellent trip report and great tips! Your description of how happy your daughter was and how magical your trip was really warms the heart. One question...do you think you will fly or drive next time? I live in NJ and have been debating this. thanks, Carolyn

 

[jennymouse]

Loved your report! Your DD sounds adorable..."I'm just five!" Too cute! Thanks for sharing!

 

[mm6mm6]

Hi there GoofyandMore!
My wife didn't like flying prior to September 2001 and now she really doesn't like it.
The total cost of gas and three hotel stays from Chicago to Disney and back was $349. The best deal I could find on the airlines was $222 round trip for the three of us which would have been $666. Plus we would have had to rent a car for our trip over to Daytona.
I am a car enthusiast anyway and I love to drive through our country and see the sights. The open road calls my name! My wife bought some magnetic books and magnetic cutouts my daughter played with in the van for hours. And we had the tv/vcr to watch her favorite Disney movies too. As long as we went into the drive telling ourselves we would stop whenever anyone was hungry or needed a washroom, we were okay. The higher speed limits really make the trip alot easier. When the limit is 70, you can go 75 or so on cruise control without being nervous of getting a ticket. I remember going 70 in a 55 and making my blood pressure rise a hundred points by fearing a ticket. We had no problem on the drive there or back. I did a major checklist for the van but everything was perfect. We took the third row seat out and had a ton of room for luggage and the BIG cooler full of pop and ice. I'd drive next time in a heartbeat, it was easy. Plus in Daytona we drove on the beach which was a blast!

 

[DisneyFan09]

I loved reading your trip report. We live about 2 hours west of Chicago and have been thinking about driving next time to save some money, there are 4 of us so flying is about $900. My dd's are 6 and 7 and I'm terrified that the drive would be horrible. Your driving experience appears to have gone wonderful, it has given me some courage!! Did your dd go on the Dinosaur ride? I wasn't sure if my girls would be ready or not?

 

[mm6mm6]

I think if we drove in a tiny car it would have been alot tougher. But we have a Ford Windstar with lots of room. We made sure Little Lauren understood that the drive would take two days. But we promised to stay overnight at hotels with indoor pools so she really looked forward to that. We also stopped around 5pm so we had time to eat and swim and relax before bedtime. The tv/vcr is also a godsend!
She did go on the Dinosaur ride but that was the one ride she didn't like. Scared her alot. But not to give her nightmares, she loves to tell people that it scared her. The haunted mansion didn't phase her a bit. Snow White's Scary Adventure did just what they say, that witch got her!
Go for the drive, make it "an adventure!"

 

[swankybeth]

Great report! I enjoyed reading it and your enthusiasm really shined through, making it a most excellent report.

 

[yepod]

Thanks for the great report! It was interesting to hear the drive vs. fly perspective!

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

Sounds like a great trip. I have often wondered about driving down...I'm still iffy, but I appreciated reading about your adventures as it made me lean a bit more towards driving.

Carolyn, I don't live to far from you. You wanna do a girl's only drive down sometime!?

 

[scarlett873]

i love reading everyone's trip reports!! especially when it's mom and dad taking their kids for the very first time...i love reading about how excited and teary parents get at their kids reactions...i can not wait until we have kids of our own...i just know that i will be one of those moms crying her eyes out when my child gets to experience that "disney magic" for the very first time!!

 

[mm6mm6]

I have to say we're lucky that our daughter is rather well behaved. But she has her moments. She was 100% flawless at Disney. She never cried or even whined once. She was simply entranced with it all. I talked with friends who went with older kids and they said the kids would argue with each other or with their parents about where to go next or what to do next. At 5 1/2, Little Lauren was just like, okay, whatever you say. She had total trust in us and Disney never disappointed. She was great waiting in the lines but most of the rides have enough distractions that parents can keep the kids entertained by pointing stuff out. I wish I could post pictures here with my WebTv because I love taking pictures of her sleeping. I took three morning pics where the room at the CBR is brightly lit, it's 8am, and she is out cold from the day before. Cuddled with her Minnie, Jessie, and other Disney stuffed animals in bed. I think 5-6 is a magical age. When we saw the Castle show on day one, my wife and I couldn't even see due to the tears of joy. I'd get them wiped away and then another character would come out and Lauren would smile and yell, "Mulan!!!! There's Mulan!!!!" and the tears would well up again! My sister doesn't let her son watch tv at all (he's 3 1/2) and she asked me if I thought he'd like Disney. I told her it would be a waste of money. Kids gotta know the characters! This was pretty funny: we went to see the morning send off of characters at the Port Royale and Timon, Rafiki, and King Louie were there. A woman kept asking her child if he wanted to see "The Lion King" or "the monkey?" She had a high pitched, whiney voice and was driving everyone standing in line nutso. My daughter walked up to her and said politely, "Excuse me. That is Timon from the mooooooovie Lion King. He's not THE lion king. And that is Rafiki from the mooooooovie and he's a baboon. That's King Louie from Jungle Book." The whole crowd applauded and laughed and the woman was verrrry embarrassed. Then Lauren asked us why everyone was cheering her. Ahhhh Disney!

 

[scarlett873]

too cute!!! but if my children will be anything like their mother or their father...we will get the same reactions about knowing the disney characters! i look forward to the day...

 

[kathymc]

great report - sounds like a wonderful trip!

thanks for posting

 

[goofyandmore]

Hi AnnieandHallie'smom! Are you in NJ? I would love to drive down to disney sometime with you but the kids would kill me! I am really thinking about it. I am just afraid that 10 hours into it, the kids' rear ends would be in pain and that's all I would hear. Also, I think the ride back might be too depressing for them. ON the other hand, it is much cheaper, you have a car, and then if all goes well, I can talk my hubby into going more times in one year! Carolyn

 

[Credit Man]

Great report!! Thanks for posting.

 

[Bunchkin]

Great trip report! And it sounds like you had a wonderful time!!
I'm glad to hear that the drive down went really well. We live in the Chicagoland area too and plan driving down to WDW next year. We have a mini van as well and also bring along the 13" tv/vcr for our DD for all our long road trips. It really does the trick for when she's bored with all the other activities we bring along.

 

[Poohshoney]

Thanks for the report! The non-Disney stuff was as fun to read about as WDW!

 

[Patio]

Thanks for your terrific report, I enjoyed reading it so much. I'm a CBR lover and am happy you liked it there. I've made the drive 3 times, took the train once and flew twice, and I really enjoyed the drive, even when my kids were younger.