Rock Chalk Jayhawks and 6 nights at the CSR...

[danceteachermom]

So, I am going to try a trip report since I have lurked on other's reports over the last several months while in anticipation of our trip.

The cast: Me (42), my DH (42), DD (12), and DS (4)

We live in Michigan and head to Disney at least every other year. Our resort of choice is CSR. This year we escaped to WDW for our spring break. We did not tell our son until one month before departure and I made a Disney Countdown calendar to hang in our dining area. Each morning the kids took turns covering the previous day with a Disney Sticker until our last morning. It was fun and really helped us talk each morning over family breakfast about what we wanted to do and what we were most looking forward to experiencing.

My DD is pretty spoiled. She has been to Disney 7 times in her twelve years and this is the first time in awhile I really felt she was joyfully looking forward to a trip. She is a great kid. She works hard at school earning all A's, sings in the school choir, and dances three times a week. Her dad and I split when she was 4 and she is primarily with us. But she is at her dad's place one night a week for dinner and every other weekend. We also share break time. This means she is constantly on the go so on vacation she would choose to just be at home, visit with friends, and enjoy a lot of TV. She likes Disney but it would not be her first vacation choice. Her favorite thing to do at Disney is visit Club Cool at Epcot but this trip she really found a new pleasure and completed three Kim Possible Missions. We also got her on some first experience rides and made sure to include a lot of room and pool downtime for her.

My DS is a big fan of Disney and often asks to go. He knows mom and dad have to work hard to save money for such a trip and he was really excited about visiting again. He LOVES Toy Story, Cars, and almost any ride he tries. He does hate the heat and extensive sun exhausts him. He was most looking forward to Toy Story Mania and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. He tried many new things in this trip and gave us a lot of comic relief.

My DH and I met in our mid thirties when I had sworn I would never get married again. I had a very heartbreaking divorce and a 4 year old girl. He came in our lives and swept me off my feet. He had been to Disneyland but never WDW. After we married and he went on his first trip with us he began to understand my obsession with Disney. Now that our son is in love with WDW and we are in love with CSR...I imagine we will return many times.

So why the "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" in the title? We are HUGE Kansas Jayhawk fans and when we planned this trip in December we had no idea what this college basketball season would bring us. We certainly at that point were more worried about making the NCAA tournament than playing the last weekend of March Madness. But our Jayhawks amazed with an unbelievable season and a trip to the final four which was during our trip. So this trip included lots of Jayhawk talk, game anticipation, watching two games, and reflection on the season. Had we known the Jayhawks would be in the final four we may have been in New Oreals instead of WDW. We had fun touring the parks in our Jayhawk gear and talking college basketball with other guests. Our Jayhawks did not win the championship but we were beyond proud of their run.

More later..this is my first report so I am not sure if I will try pictures but I will tell you about each day, give some restaurant and attraction reviews, and explain the highs and lows of our most recent CSR experience. I do not expect many to follow. I am happy with lurkers.

 

[danceteachermom]

So when webegan planning...these were our goals.

1. Exclusive Family Fun time since when we usually go to Disney I am "working."
2. Some old favorites and some new experiences.
3. Relaxation and down time.
4. Florida Sun!

Another goal became..
Watch and enjoy the final four and then the championship game. Go Jayhawks!

Read on to see if we met our goals. Relax? Downtime? In Disney?

 

[danceteachermom]

The Friday before our departure I was working late and looking forward to getting home, going out to eat with my DH and then settling at home for some Jayhawk tournament basketball. DD was at herr dad's for the night and DS had a movie night at his pre-school. Then...my plans changed.

Less than a mile from home on a two lane road I had stopped to allow the person in front of me to turn left into a driveway and CRASH...I was hit from behind...hard....and then again. Stunned I was able to drive my car to the next street and pull over to assess damage. I was just rear ended but it was bad. My van door was completely damaged, window was out, bumbler bent, both taillights broken....ugh. Starting to get mad I proceeded to walk to where the car that hit me had pulled over and out pops one of my favorite students in tears. Yep...one of my students hit me and then one of my alumni hit her and she hit me again. I jumped into mom mode gave her a big hug and said "We are all ok."

It was confirmed a few days later my van was in fact a total loss because it was just too old and had too many miles to repair. Had we known this would happen we would not have booked a trip to Disney. But the trip was paid for and it was no refundable two days prior so off we would go.

Felt better later in the weekend when I was packing Sunday night while watching my Jayhawks beat NC. I never anticipated KU going so far in the March Madness. I was super excited to wear my Jayhawk shirts at Disney later in the week. So despite the loss of my all time favorite and paid off van...to Disney we went.

 

[danceteachermom]

Our flight was for 6am and we are about. 1/2 an hour from the airport so we had to leave at 4am. Alarms were set for 3:15 and we tried to get to bed early. Of course any other night I would LOVE to be asleep by 9 in fact I often fall asleep while reading to my kids at their bedtime. But this night none of us could sleep. I think the kids went to bed at 8:30 but did not fall asleep until 10ish. My hubby hit the sheets about 11 and I lay there wide awake, tossing, and turning. Finally I grabbed my iPad and went downstairs to lay on the sofa, watch the news, surf the net and hopefully bore myself to sleep. I am sure it was about midnight but I finally nodded off on the coach and before I knew it heard the DH upstairs getting ready and joined him.

Both kids willing jumped out of bed and were ready before us. We actually hit the road a few minutes early after good-byes to our dog and cat. Airport was smooth and we were in the air onetime. After a layover...we arrived at MCO at 11:15. Fun ride on the fake monorail and in line for the ME took just a few minutes and smooth sailing ended there. ME was very crowded. They had tons of employees and buses lined up outside but they were loading slowly. We waiting about 40 minutes to get on a bus but then we were lucky the first stop was CSR.

LOVE THE CSR....feels like our vacation home. I wish I could say that check in was perfect but it was not. No line in the online check-in. I thought it would take 5 minutes. No such luck. For some reason I saw three families use regular check-in and leave with keys and there I stood. Finally I asked if there was a problem. The CM said she was trying to get our room changed because we were assigned to Ranchos and she noticed that I had requested anywhere BUT the Ranchos. We also requested first floor and got second. She said she could not change it because they were full. Just took it in strife because hey we still were at one of our favorite places on earth. So off to the Ranchos we went. Plan for day one was lunch at the pool, sun, swimming, and play. Then off to DTD for dinner.

Then we saw something we had never before seen at the CSR...

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I always fear that something will go wrong with one of our vehicles or the kids will get sick right before Disney. So sorry that your were hit but thankfully you weren't hurt.

I hope you had an amazing trip. I'm coming along for the ride.

 

[danceteachermom]

I always fear that something will go wrong with one of our vehicles or the kids will get sick right before Disney. So sorry that your were hit but thankfully you weren't hurt.

I hope you had an amazing trip. I'm coming along for the ride.

It was a very unwelcome surprise but you are right everyone is OK and that is what is important.

Today we are car shopping and I can't help but think how much easier it would be if we had all the money we spent on the trip. We are super responsible financially and have a monthly payment in mind and we could look at much nicer vehicles with that $5000 we spent on vacation. But it is what it is. We had a great trip and you just can't put a price tag on our memories of that time we spent together.

Thanks for coming along. I am surprised to have a reader. I am a dancer not a writer.

 

[danceteachermom]

So after settling our carry-on luggage in our Ranchos room we got in our suits and headed straight to the Dig Site. We have stayed at the Coronado 7 times - 6 in January and one in late March/early April (last year). We knew it would ecrowded this year with Easter the next week but WOW. Most chairs were taken...the pool was quite full of kids and there was a line at the slide. Not our usual Coronado with mostly conventioneers and a few families. That being said, everyone looked to be having fun and we were ready to jump right in. First priority was food because it was nearly 2 pm and we had not eaten much at all except snacks on the planes.

The kids ran to check out the playground, DH went to the bar to get our favorite poolside drinks and I got in line for food. DH was served quickly and with Piña Colada and Planeter's Punch in hand he cleaned off and saved an umbrella table. While I, waited and waited and waited. UGH. About 45 minutes later we had burgers for the boys and nachos for the girls. The pool restaurant and ability to refill mugs would be a continuing frustration on this trip. They simply need more help there during busy weeks. CM Kiara was on her own to both take and fill orders with cooks in the back. She was clearly doing her best and it did not help people were constantly complaining to her...not her fault at all. Our food was delicious and the Dig Site was awesome as always.

We had a few hours of pool time, layed in the sun, watched the kids swim, went down the waterside a bunch of times, and observed the pool party entertainment. I could spend my entire vacation at the pool.

Eventually the sun tired out my DS so we headed back to the room. Next up DTD....and plans for our first park day.

 

[danceteachermom]

After cleaning up we headed out to the bus stop to catch a ride to DTD. We had good bus luck this time and a not full bus picked us up within 5 minutes. I can't remember the exact time but I was surprised DTD was not too crowded. That changed quickly. The plan was shopping for some new toys followed by dinner. We had reservations at Captain Jacks but I called and cancelled. We just were not looking to spend a lot for a so-so meal and we had only made the reservation as back up. After eating lunch late we decided to browse, shop, then eat at a quick service location.

Our first stop was WWD where our DS loves the spitting Stitch. He was promised a few new things to enjoy and he picked two new cars and a big Lotso. This is our third Lotso...the first we think got left behind on our summer vacation to Mackinaw Island and the second we have torn the entire house apart looking to find. This Lotso is much larger so we do expect to lose him. He traveled with us to all the parks and went on every ride. DD did not surprise us and selected a nice bag. She has gotten some sort of bag or purse on every trip. I found out here that you get 10% off if you use your Disney Visa.

Then we went to Team Disney and I got the best Disney souvenir ever...a Mickey Mouse Kansas Jayhawks shirt. I usually do not buy for myself but my husband encouraged me and I gave in. Love this shirt.

We finished the evening at a first for us...Wolfgang Puck Express. Dinner was delicious, service was quick, and the wine was nice. I had Mac and Cheese and it was great. I never make it at home because the rest of my family does not like it so it was a real treat. My hubby loved his pizza and the kids enjoyed their meals.

We walked through the twinkling trees to the bus and ended day one. Bedtime was easy and plans were to rope drop at...

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Hi there! I was reading through the trip report titles and you had me at Rock Chalk!
We are KU fans as well!
Total family of Kansas born Jayhawkers!!!

Anyway totally enjoying your trip report, we were down over our Spring Break as well. Some of the games my DH had to find on the laptop as they weren't on the television. We were staying at Boardwalk so I suppose we could have walked over to ESPN and watched the game there....

Looking forward to your next update!

 

[danceteachermom]

Hi there! I was reading through the trip report titles and you had me at Rock Chalk!
We are KU fans as well!
Total family of Kansas born Jayhawkers!!!

Anyway totally enjoying your trip report, we were down over our Spring Break as well. Some of the games my DH had to find on the laptop as they weren't on the television. We were staying at Boardwalk so I suppose we could have walked over to ESPN and watched the game there....

Looking forward to your next update!

Yay to having a Jayhawk reader! Rock Chalk!

You must have been there earlier in the tournament when games were also on TrueTV. My hubby would have freaked if he could not get the game in our room. He can't watch his Jayhawks in a public place. what a fun tournament we had...to think at the start of this season that this team would be in the final four...wow. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.

I loved wearing my KU shirt at WDW and getting the occasional Rick Chalk or even good wishes from people who wanted to see us beat Ohio State or Kentucky.

 

[danceteachermom]

Well as many times as we have been to Disney it is still hard to set an alarm on a vacation. But especially being there during Spring Break we knew rope drop was not an option if we wanted any non-crowded time in the park. So I setmy phone alarm and we called for a letter wake up call for the kids to answer.

Turns out I was too excited and got up on my own. Our tradition at Disney is that I sneak out while the family sleeps and bring back coffee, baked goods, and chocolate milk to go with cereal we brought from home. I always say that Disney is the only place we have chocolate for breakfast. Thie girls got chocolate croissants and the boys wanted chocolate chip muffins. This just tastes Disney to us and it is something we look forward to doing. Usually we just have oatmeal, cereal, eggs, and/or yogurt for breakfast so it is really a treat.

We were up and ready at the bus stop at 7 am for an 8 am opening at MK. After making it through security and then the gate we still had about a half an hour wait to see the opening show. We scooted over far left and positioned ourselves for a brisk walk to Tomorrowland. The family behind us was also from Michigan but it was our first day and their last. It is always fun to chat with other guests.

The plan was for the girls to get FP to Space Mountain and then head back to Buzz for a ride with the boys. When we rode SM the boys would do Buzz again. This worked well and kept everyone happy. Then my DS declared he needed to do the Tomorowland Transist Authority...I wasnted to say no because I knew we could easily do it later. My mind kept thinking we should rush to get to rides that would have big lines later. But I reminded myself that we were there for the kids and we needed to let them move at their own pace a bit. We had a great ride. Then we did a new attraction for us...Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. This was awesome and my non-theme park DD loved it. We would return two more times on this trip. We laughed every time. Twice they used jokes sent in by my DD.

Next we got smoothies from Auntie Gravities and headed to Frointeerland...

 

[danceteachermom]

I am having a tough time typing this report because our computer at home is badly in need of service. We have a virus of some sort. I do not feel comfortable getting my pics loaded until it is fixed and I have not taught myself how to get pics on my posts anyway. So that is the reason for no pictures. However I hope that after the computer is fixed that will change as I have great photos to support my stories.

That being said I do feel odd posting family pics for public view. I post on FB but I close my wall and block the general public. I love looking at other's trip reports and pics so I am going to try and get over this and post a few.

With the computer down I am tying this report on my IPad which is a big pain. I keep finishing a new post only to lose it. For the time being I think I can avoid this with short updates so that I do not feel extremely irritated if I lose one in the midst of finishing it.

We did not take our laptop this time but did use the IPad a lot. Next time I am not sure what we will do...the IPad does not play flash video and we missed out on getting to watch links of NCAA press events. Yet the IPad is so much easier to transport.

Internet at CSR was inconsistent for us...worked most of the time but not all and at times slow.

On another note...we bought a new car yesterday. Bad news is we now have 5 years of car payments....good news is we have a new CRV. I am still not over totaling my beloved old van but this helps a bit. I am actually going to drive my hubby's old car now and he will primarily drive the new one because he travels farther to work. I was able to put our car mess out of my head while on vacation...thank God.

Happy Easter. I hope everyone has a blessed day.

 

[danceteachermom]

So the plan was to get fast passes for Splash Mountain and then to back track and ride Haunted Mansion and Pirates before using the fast passes. I was super excited because we almost always go to WDW in January and Splash Mountain is always closed for refurbishing in January. Last March when we tried to ride it our DS was too short so this would be a first for us as a family although I did ride it about 15 years ago.

But we were to be disappointed...Splash was down and they were not sure for how long so they were not giving fast passes. Disappointed we figured we would try later. We went to Pirates and it too was down. ugh! Then we went on Haunted Mansion which was a first for our kids. DS liked it but DD did not. I can take it or leave it. By then it was time for lunch so we hopped on the monorail just as the park was getting very crowded and went to the Poly. We had a reservation at Kona Cafe and this was a first.

I ordered the fancy drink in a pineapple...can't remember the name. It was great. The kids each got the special cups...one tinker bell and the other buzz filled with punch. They loved the cups but really disliked the punch so we also ended up getting them milk. My DH had a fancy drink...maybe a picture will follow when the computer is fixed. They meal was great. I had fish tacos and both DH and DD had the seared tuna Sandwhich. DS enjoyed a hot dog and he must have been hungry because we did not even need to bribe him to finish. We also tried their creme brûlée which had chocolate on the bottom and cartelized bananas on the top. It was amazing.

After lunch we went back to MK and tried Splash again....closed. Tried Pirates....got in line and then they shut it down again. So we went back to the CSR. My son was getting super tired of the sun so he needed some R & R in the room.

We enjoyed pool time. When we went back to MK later we did finally get to Pirates and also rode Small World. It was quite crowded. We did Laugh Floor again and then headed back to the hotel,just as the nighttime parade was starting. We really needed to beat the crowds and just get back to CSR. It had been a full day and the MK was now crazy crowded.

It did not take long for everyone to get to sleep...love the CSR beds...lots of pillows and pillow top bed covers. I think the kids and I were out by 9PM. Next up....EPCOT.

 

[danceteachermom]

Well it is back to work for. Me today. I have five dance classes to teach and a slew of paper work to catch up with. Time to power through the rest of this school year. I am a dance teacher at a public school. Fun fact...my most advance group, Dance Ensemble performs at Disney every other year. Our next trip is January of 2013. This is why I say when in Disney I am usually working and chaperoning 35 wonderful kids. To call it work is probably unfair because it is so much fun. I have amazing students. In fact two of my former students now are performers at Disney.

Well, back to our most recent trip... alarm again and we were off to Epcot. Once again we were through security early and were about the fourth in line to enter. We had fun in line playing Simon Says. The plan was fun for me...my DH was going to do the mad dash to get Soarin fast passes and then we would meet him there after moving slower with the stroller. We did this...got to ride with no wait and then had a fast pass to ride again. In between we rode a family favorite...Nemo and got Kim Possible tickets and played in Innoventions.

This was our son's first time on Soarin and it was such fun to share our favorite ride with him. He loved it but seemed scared at the golf ball shot and at the fireworks part. He still wanted to ride again...and we did.

More later..I have three minutes to get out the door and drive my daughter's middle school car pool. Then off to work I go.

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Dance teacher at a public school.....
I'm curious.
We don't have them here in Kansas, that I know of.
I just teach plain old second grade. We dance a little in class, nothing fancy though!
Do you teach in a high school?

I think the only ride we rode at Magic Kingdom this trip was Haunted Mansion. I remember this because my dh dropped my iPhone and shattered the screen out by the statues.

Loving your report, so many details!

Oh and my 13 year old son needs a padded room to watch a KU game. He is just a mess!!!

 

[KatMark]

I am joining in, but need to come back later to catch up.

 

[Disneychix]

Great report so far! Sorry about your accident right before your trip. I would be a mess!

We loved CSR beds when we stayed there! Sooo comfy!! How did you like the Ranchos section?

 

[JayhawkFans]

Really enjoying your trip report. Couldn't help but check it out when I saw reference to the Jayhawks. What an exciting year. So sad to see it end but what a run they had. My DH is a big NC fan so that was a fun game (for me) to watch.

So sorry to hear about your accident right before your trip. Love your positive attitude through it all.

Would love to try CSR but don't think I'll ever talk DH into staying onsite. The two times we have been together we have stayed offsite in a condo. He needs the extra space. Me ... I'd sleep on a bench at the MK if they'd let me. LOL

DD prefers to stay onsite so maybe if we get another mother/daughter trip that's what we will do.

Looking forward to the rest of your updates.

 

[abcangie87]

Another Kansan checking in to say hi! Not a diehard jayhawk or basketball fan, but did watch their last two games, it was fun to have Kansas in the finals!

Good start to your TR.

wigdoutdismom-- my hubby would have had an aneurism if one of us shattered our iphone. ugh

 

[irishsharon]

Enjoying your TR