I previously mentioned the digging area at the bone yard in AK. You definitely do not need kids to enter. As soon as I took my shoes off and walked around, I realized I found a little piece of heaven. It's not sand, but tiny polished stones. I sat on one of the rocks and dug my feet in deep. As I sat there, I could feel the blood in my tired feet pounding. This was like a spa treatment to rub my feet around in these stones. I wish I could have the stones in my own backyard somewhere.
After another good night's sleep, DD and I woke up and cleaned up. We made our daily stroll to the Pepper Market for fresh croissants and juice. My DD loved the whole fruits available, and I often bought extra to take with us for snacks. I enjoyed shopping around Panchito's gift shop, and ended up purchasing the most unusual little clay doggie. He was looking at me from the window, which brought to mind that song, "how much is that doggie in the window". This dog will probably scare the pants off me when I pull him out of the box when he arrives via fed ex. He was biting on a corn cob. This will be one of those items that you just have no idea why on earth you bought it.
We talked about how much we enjoyed the boat ride, and decided to do it again. We filled up a cup with duck food, and boarded our boat. This time we went out for an hour. The time just flew by. There were two boys fishing from the pier, and we enjoyed watching them. I think we inspired a lot of people to rent boats. We noticed quite a few families pointing and then marching to La Marina for their boats. DD played in the sand by the hammocks, and I watched a photo shoot at the next hammock. It was something to see, you know, models, photographers, lots of ego stroking. I laughed a lot. DD wanted me to bury her in the sand but I realized that just a couple of inches under the sand was dirt. Not enough sand to bury even her feet. Definitely man-made area, but nice, just the same.
Following our boat ride and sand play, we took a bus to Wilderness Lodge where I had a PS for 8PM. I figured we could walk around for a couple hours and explore the resort. Well we were quite hungry when we arrived, so we got on the waiting list. About ten minutes later, we were called. I was quite surprised. We did have a chance to explore a bit. This resort is breathtaking. Lots to look at both inside and out. Anyway, after we were seated, I decided to order the all-you-care-to-eat bbq. DD had macaroni and cheese. I wish I hadn't ordered the entree I chose. The meats were not what I expected, and the veggies were few. I did like the salad that came with the meal, and we decided to splurge with the free refill milkshakes. They were good. Lots of calories packed into this meal. There is an entertaining environment here. They pick on certain tables, and embarrass people. I was praying that they wouldn't pick on me. They didn't. About half way through the meal, all the children were called to the center of the room. They rode wooden horses around the restaurant, then received certificates for riding the "pony express". What fun for them! Paid the bill then walked to the boat dock. We took the boat to the Contemporary and walked around there a few minutes. Monorailed to the MK, and then bussed back to CSR. It was cold and rainy, but I remembered to pack the Mickey rain ponchos. We made our nightly trek around the lake, and took in the beauty of the lights reflecting on the lake for the last time. The cacti at the ranchos stood tall in the moonlight. The water of the fountains at Casitas rushed loudly as the lights of the fountain shined on the water pouring over the pottery in the fountains. Back to the room to pack. Oh my goodness, how am I gonna get all these souvenirs in the suitcases. There is only so much room for these dinosaurs. I heard a trick that really worked: don't fold your clothes, roll them up. It works! They take up less room somehow. I managed to fit everything with just one disney plastic bag extra to carry.
Mickey woke us up at 5 AM. Bell services was prompt at picking us up. Mears was right on schedule. This vacation was perfect. I was happy to have stayed at CSR. No other resort could have met our needs the way this one did. I wanted a lot of room to walk, and a beautiful atmosphere. I wanted to be treated well, and not spend a lot on good food. I wanted ease of transportation, and a nice room. We got all of this at CSR. I have stayed at GF three times before, BWV twice, Disney Inst, Shades of Green, and once at BV Palace (I think that's the name). Besides the turndown service, I wonder why I had spent so much money on deluxes. Well there are more reasons than turndown service, but I certainly didn't feel like I was missing out on anything at CSR. It was great!
Because of the cold night weather during our trip, I went home with a whopping case of bronchitis. Take your jackets please......
Next visit will be to AKL and then VERO. If anyone has questions about this trip to CSR or the next, I will be more than happy to answer.
[This message was edited by a1a on 03-12-01 at 10:18 PM.]
[This message was edited by a1a on 03-13-01 at 12:57 PM.]
After another good night's sleep, DD and I woke up and cleaned up. We made our daily stroll to the Pepper Market for fresh croissants and juice. My DD loved the whole fruits available, and I often bought extra to take with us for snacks. I enjoyed shopping around Panchito's gift shop, and ended up purchasing the most unusual little clay doggie. He was looking at me from the window, which brought to mind that song, "how much is that doggie in the window". This dog will probably scare the pants off me when I pull him out of the box when he arrives via fed ex. He was biting on a corn cob. This will be one of those items that you just have no idea why on earth you bought it.
We talked about how much we enjoyed the boat ride, and decided to do it again. We filled up a cup with duck food, and boarded our boat. This time we went out for an hour. The time just flew by. There were two boys fishing from the pier, and we enjoyed watching them. I think we inspired a lot of people to rent boats. We noticed quite a few families pointing and then marching to La Marina for their boats. DD played in the sand by the hammocks, and I watched a photo shoot at the next hammock. It was something to see, you know, models, photographers, lots of ego stroking. I laughed a lot. DD wanted me to bury her in the sand but I realized that just a couple of inches under the sand was dirt. Not enough sand to bury even her feet. Definitely man-made area, but nice, just the same.
Following our boat ride and sand play, we took a bus to Wilderness Lodge where I had a PS for 8PM. I figured we could walk around for a couple hours and explore the resort. Well we were quite hungry when we arrived, so we got on the waiting list. About ten minutes later, we were called. I was quite surprised. We did have a chance to explore a bit. This resort is breathtaking. Lots to look at both inside and out. Anyway, after we were seated, I decided to order the all-you-care-to-eat bbq. DD had macaroni and cheese. I wish I hadn't ordered the entree I chose. The meats were not what I expected, and the veggies were few. I did like the salad that came with the meal, and we decided to splurge with the free refill milkshakes. They were good. Lots of calories packed into this meal. There is an entertaining environment here. They pick on certain tables, and embarrass people. I was praying that they wouldn't pick on me. They didn't. About half way through the meal, all the children were called to the center of the room. They rode wooden horses around the restaurant, then received certificates for riding the "pony express". What fun for them! Paid the bill then walked to the boat dock. We took the boat to the Contemporary and walked around there a few minutes. Monorailed to the MK, and then bussed back to CSR. It was cold and rainy, but I remembered to pack the Mickey rain ponchos. We made our nightly trek around the lake, and took in the beauty of the lights reflecting on the lake for the last time. The cacti at the ranchos stood tall in the moonlight. The water of the fountains at Casitas rushed loudly as the lights of the fountain shined on the water pouring over the pottery in the fountains. Back to the room to pack. Oh my goodness, how am I gonna get all these souvenirs in the suitcases. There is only so much room for these dinosaurs. I heard a trick that really worked: don't fold your clothes, roll them up. It works! They take up less room somehow. I managed to fit everything with just one disney plastic bag extra to carry.
Mickey woke us up at 5 AM. Bell services was prompt at picking us up. Mears was right on schedule. This vacation was perfect. I was happy to have stayed at CSR. No other resort could have met our needs the way this one did. I wanted a lot of room to walk, and a beautiful atmosphere. I wanted to be treated well, and not spend a lot on good food. I wanted ease of transportation, and a nice room. We got all of this at CSR. I have stayed at GF three times before, BWV twice, Disney Inst, Shades of Green, and once at BV Palace (I think that's the name). Besides the turndown service, I wonder why I had spent so much money on deluxes. Well there are more reasons than turndown service, but I certainly didn't feel like I was missing out on anything at CSR. It was great!
Because of the cold night weather during our trip, I went home with a whopping case of bronchitis. Take your jackets please......
Next visit will be to AKL and then VERO. If anyone has questions about this trip to CSR or the next, I will be more than happy to answer.
[This message was edited by a1a on 03-12-01 at 10:18 PM.]
[This message was edited by a1a on 03-13-01 at 12:57 PM.]
It's going to be tough staying focused on work until then.
