We are Soarin' to Disney;We're back! TR started! LINK pg 127

[MadilynnsMomma]

Great dates Connie!!! I will be sure to give you a great detailed report when I return in December on CBR and our overall Disney experience that time of year!

YAY for nailing down a date!!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Great dates Connie!!! I will be sure to give you a great detailed report when I return in December on CBR and our overall Disney experience that time of year!

YAY for nailing down a date!!!

NOW, I really can't wait to follow your TR! when you come back...
I'll need to know everything; crowds, WEATHER, and fun things going on...
and don't forget to get lots of pics of your resort

 

[chicagoshannon]

YAY! You're going to love seeing all of the Christmas decorations! As for resorts that's tricky.

POFQ- small so not a lot of walking, plus they have the boat that goes to DTD (LOVE IT) Also you can use POR pool so you'd have 2 slides to choose from. I'd probably pick this one.

CSR- Queen beds, need I say more? YOu do have to pay tips at the counter service restaurant though

CBR- Pirates or Nemo theme, great kiddie pool

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

NOW, I really can't wait to follow your TR! when you come back...
I'll need to know everything; crowds, WEATHER, and fun things going on...
and don't forget to get lots of pics of your resort

Oh you don't have to worry about that! I plan on being the picture taking queen!!! How old is "Peter Pan"? Madi just went for her 2 year well child check up and she is 38.75 inches. I literally said "YES!!!" as the nurse measured her and wrote it down

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Good morning Connie. Hope you have a grand day. I see you were up earlier. Not me. It is my late day so I slept till 7:30. Give my little Peter Pan a big hug and kiss please.

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Congratulations! The dates are now picked. Those are almost the same exact dates that we went in 2006, and the crowds were great! And the Christmas lights were so beautiful...

As far as PP growth, Mitchell has grown 3 INCHES since March, so he'll be able to ride almost everything there, I bet you anything!

I don't have any advice on where to stay - I've only ever been to WL and SSR. Both were lovely, but my absolute favorite is Wilderness. Their Christmas decor was absolutely spectacular. I'd give anything to go back during that time. My parents are going there again the week of Thanksgiving (I think w/out Step-sis and Niece in tow, wonder beyond wonders!) and they've invited us to go. DH said we could go without him, but no TN vacay, so of course I picked the TN vacay to be with him!

I'm so happy we now have dates picked! Can't wait to hear the plans.

Our MVMCP didn't turn out so hot, and we felt that we had wasted our money, but that's just my opinion. Maybe others on here can share their experiences with that and let you know the scoop!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Oh you don't have to worry about that! I plan on being the picture taking queen!!! How old is "Peter Pan"? Madi just went for her 2 year well child check up and she is 38.75 inches. I literally said "YES!!!" as the nurse measured her and wrote it down

Peter Pan is three!

Good morning Connie. Hope you have a grand day. I see you were up earlier. Not me. It is my late day so I slept till 7:30. Give my little Peter Pan a big hug and kiss please.

Good Morning! I was up waiting for Princess C to get here. She has been with her grandmother Mon & Tue and has returned to me with a cold! Thank goodness I have her next week so we can shake this thing before her surgery. I'm sure its her allergies from the weather and grandma and her dad's ciggies I'll get her cleared up by Wed.

Congratulations! The dates are now picked. Those are almost the same exact dates that we went in 2006, and the crowds were great! And the Christmas lights were so beautiful...

As far as PP growth, Mitchell has grown 3 INCHES since March, so he'll be able to ride almost everything there, I bet you anything!

I don't have any advice on where to stay - I've only ever been to WL and SSR. Both were lovely, but my absolute favorite is Wilderness. Their Christmas decor was absolutely spectacular. I'd give anything to go back during that time. My parents are going there again the week of Thanksgiving (I think w/out Step-sis and Niece in tow, wonder beyond wonders!) and they've invited us to go. DH said we could go without him, but no TN vacay, so of course I picked the TN vacay to be with him!

I'm so happy we now have dates picked! Can't wait to hear the plans.

Our MVMCP didn't turn out so hot, and we felt that we had wasted our money, but that's just my opinion. Maybe others on here can share their experiences with that and let you know the scoop!

I would love to stay at WL! but, I just cannot bring myself to spend that extra money on a place to sleep! that is why I figured we meet in the middle! I have a feeling mom & dad will probably want to join in on this trip! she wanted to go last time! but she will need a scooter to do it! Dad did not like MVMCP when they went told me it was a total waste; he said he thought $80 for a cup of hot coccoa and a cookie was a bit much!

Wow! three inches!!!!Peter Pan has grown about 3" since his surgery and gained about 5#'s. So, I expect him to do a slow down
we'll see!!! Now, that he gets the correct amount of oxygen and able to eat better who knows...he is tiny and has a little catching up to do!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

YAY! You're going to love seeing all of the Christmas decorations! As for resorts that's tricky.

POFQ- small so not a lot of walking, plus they have the boat that goes to DTD (LOVE IT) Also you can use POR pool so you'd have 2 slides to choose from. I'd probably pick this one.

CSR- Queen beds, need I say more? YOu do have to pay tips at the counter service restaurant though

CBR- Pirates or Nemo theme, great kiddie pool

Good Morning! Shannon
I think Danny really would prefer to go POFQ, again! when we went in May we walked through, it was the only resort we visited to ride the boat to DTD!

CBR ?!? it looks so beautiful; and I believe I would love to try something different! Peter Pan would love the Nemo rooms; I'm not interested in the Pirate rooms(cause we have to request a King bed- and I'm sure the pirate room does not have kings?!?)

CSR ?!? I'm afraid of it; because of the conventions...???it does look beautifully themed, too!
tip at counter service--that is a little extreme. Do they bring you your food to the table after you order it?!?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hip Hooray! You've finally settled on dates. We went to Disney World during Thanksgiving in 2000. Back then, they didn't start decorating for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. It was the neatest thing to be in the park on Thanksgiving with everything in Fall colors and then the next morning have the park transformed into Christmas. Absolutely beautiful!

You know where I am going to suggest you stay....CBR! I really think ya'll would like the theming there since your family likes the beach.

In 2008, we were set to stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort, then switched it to the Wilderness Lodge and later switched to Pop Century because we had family who were coming along with us and they needed a value resort. We ended up having to cancel the whole vacation when I switched jobs at the end of May.

When they came out with a great room only rate, I booked our August, 2008 stay at the CBR. We visited both Pop Century and Wilderness Lodge during that trip. I can honestly say, I am glad we saved our $1,000.00 and did not stay at the WL. It is absolutely beautiful but not worth a grand over the CBR (or any moderate for that matter). Pop Century was a super cute resort but we worried about the bus transportation, crowds, etc.

I just talked with jensieb about my detailed CBR information. I am going to update it and send it to her. If you want me to, I can post a copy of it here for you. Just let me know.

Have a fantastic day,

Lisa

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Well, it certainly sounds that PP is on the right track!

Mitchell has not gained weight hardly at all in the last two years. He's been hovering around 40 pounds, but he keeps getting taller, so he's getting skinnier! Having trouble with the pants being long enough but still fitting in the waist. Good thing they've invented those adjustable waist pants.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Good morning! Lisa
I would like all the information I can get! I was just telling Pam on her thread that I believe I am going to book in Dec so we can start paying on it! So, Danny & I will need to make a decision by than....

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Good morning! Lisa (second time I'm writing this--don't know where the first one went )

Yes, I would very much appreciate all the information I can get!!!!
I was just telling Pam on her thread that I believe I am going to book our room & tickets package in Dec. so we can start paying on it! So, we need to get an idea where we want to be!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

It is so going to storm here later today. Even is cold. Boo Hiss. I don't like cold. Thank you for the Birthday greeting to Austin. I put some pictures on my thread. I hope he likes them.

Have a good day. Take care of the princess and get her all better. And keep my Prince well.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Good morning! Lisa (second time I'm writing this--don't know where the first one went )

Yes, I would very much appreciate all the information I can get!!!!
I was just telling Pam on her thread that I believe I am going to book our room & tickets package in Dec. so we can start paying on it! So, we need to get an idea where we want to be!

Give me a minute and I'll find it and post it here for you.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

WOO HOOOOO TRIP DATES


Wow, Disney at Christmas, it must be gorgeous!!! And with both of our trips around a year out (well 10 months for me) We can have fun planning together all year.

Yay, A Christmas trip for you!!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

It is so going to storm here later today. Even is cold. Boo Hiss. I don't like cold. Thank you for the Birthday greeting to Austin. I put some pictures on my thread. I hope he likes them.

Have a good day. Take care of the princess and get her all better. And keep my Prince well.

Peter Pan threw up a little earlier (started coughing and could not stop) this was the first time he has had a cough in quit some time...allergies...but all better now. Princess C is all nasally and dripping in her throat...gave her some Zyrtec. it is suppose to rain here with really bad weather tomorrow! so what you have we get tomorrow w/o the cold air just cool but the time it gets here! I have the AC running now to help with allergies!

WOO HOOOOO TRIP DATES


Wow, Disney at Christmas, it must be gorgeous!!! And with both of our trips around a year out (well 10 months for me) We can have fun planning together all year.

Yay, A Christmas trip for you!!!

Christmas is one of the main reasons we are going than...weather, crowds, and Christmas and Peter Pan should be tall enough to do everything I do by than.. all great reasons...only down fall it is 420 days away!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Here's the detailed CBR info I told you about earlier. I didn't do a spellcheck so disregard any typos. It's long but I think you'll find just about everything you need to know. If I left something out, let me know.

When I was planning our first stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort, I remember thinking that I really wished somebody would write a super detailed report. I wanted to know what the rooms looked like. I wanted to know what kind of food they served. I wanted to know how the buses rain. I wanted to know everything!

So, when I returned from our wonderful 10 day stay, I immediately came back and posted a thread that told everything. Since that first post, we’ve been back to the Caribbean Beach Resort three times and would return there in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, we are returning there in May, 2010.

Over the next three stays, I have “tweaked” the details because of changes and rehabs made to the resort. These changes have only made the resort even more enjoyable for it’s guests.

The minute we drove onto the CBR grounds, we fell in love. The tropical theming is carried out throughout the resort with the buildings being painted bright colors and the landscaping lush and gorgeous.

You will need to stop at the Guard Station and give them your name and show them an I.D. The guard will check you off the list and point you towards the Custom House where you will check in. Unless you have major problems during your stay, you will probably not go back to the Custom House until you are ready to check out. That being said, it is not necessary to request a room near the Custom House.

When you check in, you will be given a packet of information which includes a map of the resort, park maps, information on transportation and dining.

If you have made reservations for a dinner show, have dining questions or need Cirque de Soliel tickets, the Concierge Desk is where you need to go. The Concierge desk will print your show tickets and give you tips on transportation to and from the show(s). They can even print out an entire list of your ADRs for you. There is also a Concierge desk in Old Port Royale.

Also located in the Custom House is an airline check in desk. When you walk in, the desk is to the right of the Concierge desk(s).

Bell Services is located in the Custom House. If you arrive via Magical Express, you can request that Bell Services take you to your assigned building. Bell Services will deliver your luggage to you once it arrives at the resort. If you arrive late in the evening, you may want to get your luggage yourself because Disney won’t deliver your luggage until the next morning. This is the rule for all Disney resorts. You can also use Bell Services at check out to help you get you and your luggage to the Custom House.

Many people talk about just how large the Caribbean Beach Resort is. Yes, it is a big resort but this means that the guests are distributed evenly throughout the resort and you won’t feel crowded. We have been at the resort when it was at full capacity and we would have never known it had I not been chatting with the castmember who told me at check in.

The resort is made up of 6 villages: Barbados, Martinique, Aruba, Jamaica, Trinidad North and Trinidad South. All buildings in the village of Trinidad South have been redone with a heavy pirate theme. All other rooms in the resort have a slight Nemo theme. I’ll talk more about the room details later.

During our June, 2006 stay, we were assigned to Jamaica Building 41. Our upstairs room faced a beautiful courtyard. The walk to Old Port Royale was about 4 minutes and that was at a nice leisurely pace. The walk to the bus stop, the quiet pool and the laundry facilities took just 2 minutes. We especially liked crossing over the bridge and through the island to reach the main pool and food court.

During our June, 2007 stay, we were placed in a non-preferred Martinique building. The walk to all CBR destinations took approximately the same amount of time as our walk from Jamaica.

In August, 2008, we were assigned to one of the then new Nemo themed rooms. When I booked the trip, there were no standard room locations available and we had to pay for a preferred location. We were placed in Martinique 25 and, again, our walk was short and pleasant.

When we checked into the resort in August, 2009, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we had been given a free upgrade to Martinique 26 even though we had paid for a standard location. Martinique 26 was the closest building to Old Port Royale meaning our walk was super short. As a matter of fact, we were so close to Old Port Royale that we used their bus stop instead of the Martinique bus stop.

There are four categories of rooms at the CBR.

Standard location rooms: These are located in the villages of Barbados, Jamaica, Aruba and some buildings in Martinique and Trinidad North.

King bed rooms: These are scattered throughout the resort but not in Trinidad South.

Water view rooms: Disney’s version of a water view room (at any resort) can mean you’ll either be looking at a swimming pool or a lake. They even consider it a water view if you have to look way over to one side so you can get a glimpse of the water. In my opinion, I’d save my money and not book a water view.

Pirate theme rooms: These are all found in the village of Trinidad South. Some complain about the walk from Trinidad South to Old Port Royale but I timed my walk and it was less than 7 minutes walking at a leisurely pace.

The rooms at the CBR are a bit larger than the other moderates at 340 square feet. Believe me, when you start getting all of your people and all their luggage into the room, you’ll be glad you have the extra space.

Most rooms have two double beds but there are some that have a king size bed. There are no king size beds in the pirate themed rooms.

The pirate themed rooms have beds that look like pirate ships, the dresser stacked crates, the nightstand is a barrel and the table is a compass. The privacy curtain has a large skull and cross bones on it. There is also a bench in the room.
Even the carpet is themed to look like boards.

In the Nemo themed rooms, the furniture is more traditional in style but includes the same pieces as the pirate themed rooms. Everything is bright and colorful with Nemo characters on the bedspread. The wallpaper border has Nemo characters on it as well. The privacy curtain is a light orange color.

In both type of rooms, there are two sinks in the sink/closet area. The closet has a long closet rod with about a dozen wooden hangers. I usually bring along more and just leave them there when we leave. There is a small safe in the closet area. It’s pretty slim but we have been able to store a portable DVD players, my son’s PSP, a wallet, all of my husband’s epilepsy medications and a set of keys in the safe.

All rooms come with a hairdryer, iron, ironing board, refrigerator and coffeemaker at no extra charge.

The bathrooms are the typical hotel/motel bathroom size. The bathrooms in the pirate rooms have the Flying Dutchman etched into the shower wall. The bathrooms in the Nemo rooms have a pretty flower etched into the shower wall.

Mousekeeping has always been great. We have gotten several towel animals during each of our four stays. The trash was taken out and our floor vacuumed daily. We were always supplied with fresh towels, washcloths , shampoo and soap. They also replinished our coffee supply each morning. I tip our mousekeeper(s) by leaving an envelope on the nightstand.

I can honestly say that the CBR rooms are really quiet. As with just about all Disney resorts, you can occasionally hear the “power toilets” flushing next door but it’s not bad at all. We hardly ever heard our neighbors. If they were walking by and were talking loudly, we would hear them. Most times, it was just quiet.

Each village has their own quiet pool. During the hot months, they can become a bit crowded but that’s to be expected. That being said, we have also gone to the quiet pool and found ourselves all alone. Laundry facilities are located near each village quiet pool. You can swim and do laundry at the same time!

The CBR does not share transportation with any other resort. Each village has their own bus stop which are covered. The bus stops have several benches, cola machines and newspaper machines. Buses have always ran efficiently during each of our four stays. The only time we have had a semi-long wait (less than 30 minutes) was for a morning bus to Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney. Should you encounter troubles with any bus at the CBR, simply pick up the phone at the bus stop. There’s a directory near the phone telling you which option to push for assistance.

Because the CBR is centrally located, it wont’ take you long to reach any Disney destination. Yes, the CBR buses do stop at each bus stop before heading out of the resort. But, it really doesn’t take as long as you would think to leave the resort. When we stayed in Jamaica, I timed our trip to Hollywood Studios. From the time we sat down on the bus, made our way around the resort, left the resort and pulled into Hollwood Studios bus stop, it took just 11 minutes. The drives to other parks were short and sweet too.

Even though we have a car at our disposal, we don’t drive it. We let Disney do the driving for us!

If you are in the resort and don’t want to walk to your village or to Old Port Royale, simply go to the nearest bus stop and wait for the Internal Shuttle bus. It makes stops at each village.

The while sandy beaches in each village are swept clean each night. It’s so nice and relaxing to just sit in a beach chair or laze in a hammock. Several of the beaches have small playgrounds for the kids to play on.

The walk around the promenade is very pretty. You can get a real feel of the resort by walking the 1.4 mile promenade. At one point, you will walk on wooden walkways through a wooded area. The flowering trees and bushes are everywhere. Plenty of picture taking opportunities along the way.

The newly refurbed main pool can get crowded in the Summer months but, like at all Disney resorts, that’s to be expected. The pool is now zero entry and has water slides for all ages. There is a play area just for kids which is really cool. There’s a slide and water tumbles out of a huge bucket. Really nice!

Also located near the main pool are two new hot tubs, a hair wrap station, umbrella tables and a pool bar.

At the resort marina, you can rent pontoon boats, canoes, watermice, bicycles and surrey bikes. For the kids in your group, there’s a pirate adventure cruise at a price that won’t kill your pocketbook. The kids are taken out on the resort lake in a pontoon boat and they search for pirate treasure. Lunch is included in the pirate cruise price.

Old Port Royale houses the store, the food court, a Concierge desk and the arcade. The store is divided into two sections with one side selling Pirates of the Caribbean, Caribbean Beach Resort and tropical merchandise. They even sell coconut postcards that you can mail home to friends and family. The other side of the store sells the more traditional Disney merchandise such as snowglobes, t-shirts, purses, watches, hats, scrapbooking items, etc. One corner of the store has a small selection of over the counter meds., magazines, breads, baby food, drinks, chips, etc.

Old Port Royale is also where package pickup is located.

The arcade is not super large but it had plenty of games and room to keep up with the crowds.

The food court is set up in sections. You simply go to each station, order and get your food and then go to a central cashier. Easy to do.

The grab-n-go section has fresh made sandwiches, salads, yogurt, fresh fruit, pies, cakes, veggies and dip, lots of fresh baked breads and pastries and other items. At the pizza station, you will find pizzas, pastas and fresh tossed salads. Burger, chicken strips and hot dogs are served at another station. The kids’ chicken meal is served in a plastic sand pail with a shovel that the kids get to keep. Comes in real handy on the beaches. Yet another station has rotissiere chicken, roasted turkey, vegetables and hot sandwiches.

At breakfast, an assortment of breakfast meats, Mickey waffles, fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns and omelets are served.

Shutters is the full service restaurant located on property. You check in at Old Port Royale.

The food court seating area is large and we have never had a problem finding a table. The self serve drink area goes in a circle with several drink stations. On the condiments bar, there are hot tea bags, honey, assorted jellies, parmesan cheese, hot pepper sauce and fixings for burgers. There are also a couple of microwaves and toasters available for use.

If you want to take your items to go, just tell the CMs who are plating your meals. They will provide you with tops for the dishes. At the register ask the CM for a bag. They will give you a large brown bag with handles which makes for easy carrying.

Hopefully, this will help out those who were like me when I was planning our first stay at the CBR.

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Those poor babies. I know you will take extra good care of them. I love your dates by the way. Will Dayne go to and miss school? If it is by chance just the three of you one room with a king bed would be great. Little man will be too big for a crib in the room at that point. Those rooms at POR have the trundle but save them for 5 people to a room. And they are only in rooms with 2 double beds, not queens. The choices you are going to have to make. Wish it was me

 

[disney<333]

We're going thanksgiving 2010 too!
I think my mother and grandmother will come too. She'll be 101 though
We need to meet up for sure. But before I plan the 2010 trip I need to know when we're going this year before our passes expire probably nov 10-16. but

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Lisa~ this will certainly help!!!

Ginny~I don't think Dayne will be going to school next year (he keeps telling me he is --but, not making any decisions about where or what for...)
if he and Gwendolyn go they will both have to miss school. But, Gwendolyn will just do her schedule on Tue and Thur for that semester if they decide to go!

Ginny, you and the girls need to plan a long weekend and join us!!! we will be in WDW Tue - Sat! I'll post a proable itinerary so anyone making plans can see what I have in mind!

Barbara~ our dates will be the week AFTER Thanksgiving (hopefully everyone will have gone home by than ) and we will have a sparselly filled park! that is the reason we are picking that week! But, a meet would be a lot of fun if ya'll are there at the same time