Family of LSU Tiger Fan's stay at CSR 3/7-3/12.....*Day 6 finally completed!* About This Page:

[LSUtigerfan]

Ok, back to Day 3!

The WL's rooms were nice. Our friends had a corner room on the 5th floor, overlooking the courtyard/pool area, it was beautiful. I really liked this resort, but dh & I prefer CSR! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Really, we do. Their room had alot of furniture in it, so it actually seemed like our room was bigger. Plus the bedframe corners (under the mattress) were pointed and stuck out quite a bit...very dangerous for little ones! (Can you tell I'm an ER nurse? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] ) Don't get me wrong, the bathroom was larger, but it wasn't a huge difference to me. We also disliked the hustle & bustle of the busy lobby. You could tell this resort was crowded...which was the complete opposite of CSR, due to it's widespread layout. Our friends who stayed at WL said they liked it but preferred AKL (their fave!). They liked the rooms better and said the pool was alot bigger. They also loved waking up to the giraffes outside their balcony. The one thing they did like better about WL was the ferryboat to MK. Dh & I decided that the only reason for us to stay at a deluxe would be for the monorail, otherwise, we love CSR!

Enough of that! We were stuffed from WCC & we decided to call it a night. The CM at the front desk told us we would have to catch a bus to DtD, then transfer to a CSR bus. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Wow, did that DtD bus take us around the world, apparently WL's DtD bus is shared with Ft. Wilderness. It took forever to get to DtD. We finally transferred to our bus & made our way back to our room.

Dh & I took a walk to the gift shop and the pool area after we put the girls to bed...gotta love those connecting rooms with the grandparents next door [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ! We both agreed we were too tired to actually swim or get in the hot tub, but we would check it out for future use. They were both very big, and the playground area was wonderful. There was a mother & son there who had buried the dad in the sand, all but his face! It was too cute. This resort is just as beautiful at night, everything reflects off of the lake. It's very romantic [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] ...so we tried to snag a hammock on the beach, only to find they were still wet and covered with sand from the torrential downpour today [img]graemlins/pout.gif[/img] . Can't say we didn't try. We called it a night because we wanted to get up early for EE tomorrow at AK!

Magical Moments for today: The CM at ToT & the attention she showed the girls. Princess Face's reaction to Hercules.

Next: Day 4 at Animal Kingdom and dinner at Boma! [img]graemlins/yuma.gif[/img]

[baileygirlsmom]

I am loving this trip report. I helps me with my pre-trip jitters. DH just called to inform me that we may go to VA thursday night, as he has a meeting down there Friday morning from 7-11am. That would put us 2 hrs closer and since he was going to leave work at noon on Friday and double back here, we wouldn't have started until 1pm. BUT-that means I have to be ready by Thurday night instead of Fri afternoon!!! [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img]

Send pixie dust quick!

Jennifer

[LSUtigerfan]

Jennifer, so glad to see that you are enjoying my trip report...I hope it's not too long but I ca't imagine leaving anything out...it throws my whole thought process off [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] ! How excited you must be about leaving earlier!!! Wave to my Dad for me when you're in VA (he lives near Galax in the southwestern portion of VA), as I miss him dearly. Hope y'all have a fantastic time, your dd is just beautiful, she reminds me of my own [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] . Feel free to ask me any questions!

My best tip is to bring a scarf or ribbon to tie around your stroller handle. I know this isn't the first time you've heard this but it is very helpful!!! My dh even commented on how easy it was to find our stroller...and I loved watching him push a stroller with a BIG pink scarf with white polka dots tied to it [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] , it was really masculine!

Thanks for the feedback on the TR! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[LadyBelle]

Hi there!! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]
I too am loving your trip report. I have a son who is 19 months old. We leave on Sunday so I need all the tips I can get!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] He is very active so I worry about standing in line with him.
That is so funny what you call your little girl. Grumpy has been my son's nickname since he was born.
If you have any helpful hints on ways to keep him occupied, let me know. Much thanks, and can't wait for day 4!!

[LSUtigerfan]

[img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img] Hi, Ladybelle! As far as tips go for a 19 month old...I would definetly bring a stroller if you are traveling by plane. MCO airport is very crowded and the airport security check point for departures had the longest line I've ever seen!!! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I am not kidding. The line appeared to be about 45 mins. to an hour long. My dh, MIL & FIL stood in this line for about 5 mins. without moving more than 2 paces [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] while I brought the girls to see the fountain in the lobby area. Luckily, an employee saw me join my family in line, she said, "Hey, you with the stroller! This is the stroller line." So, we very quickly left the LLLOOONNNGGG line that rivaled the Great Wall of China and she let our entire party go through this checkpoint. We felt guiltier than we did at the Winnie the Pooh ride with a fast pass!
Other tips:
-If you have a Baby Bjorn, bring it.
-Have your ds's favorite snacks in a backpack, and don't give them to him for a few days before the trip! He'll be so excited when you break them out during a meltdown.
-Crayons and bubbles are lifsavers.
-Grumpette's favorite parks were AK and MK, although she did enjoy the rides at Epcot and the Living Seas.
-Don't forget Motrin.
-Be sure to check out the Carnation baby stations for changing diapers, etc. When it came time to change a diaper, I took the toilet seat covers (about 20 of them) and covered the changing area. I didn't like to put my personal changing pad on that germ-ridden area & then put it in my backpack.
-But the best thing for waiting in line is the Fast Pass [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Good Luck, it wasn't that bad! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[maggieworkman]

I'm enjoying your report so far. Could you talk a little bit about the resort? Like how you liked your location in relation to El Centro and the pool? Would you stay in another location (9A??) We are going to CSR in June. We have also requested 8B. There aren't many trip reports about CSR, so I am soaking yours up.

Maggie

[tikibird]

I think that Princess Face had a most excellent birthday! Also glad you enjoyed WCC so much!

Great installments - ready for the next one! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[LadyBelle]

Many thanks for all the tips!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
I KNOW they will come in handy!!!
One of the good things about my son is he is a great sleeper. So, I am not to worried about going back to the room. I think he will fall asleep in the stroller. He does this at the mall all the time.
Did you use a harness "leash" on her? I got the kind that fits like overalls, not the arm kind. I have never used them before, I feel like the terrible parent, but I am more worried about him running off in a crowd.
Can't wait to hear the rest of your report!

[LSUtigerfan]

Day 3, Disney/MGM Studios, dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, & Hercules sighting!!!

We decided to sleep in this morning...no wake up call from Mickey. We woke up around 9 am, but could have slept til noon. We slowly got dressed and ate muffins, etc. in the room that dh picked up this morning from the Pepper Market. He likes his walk to El Centro to get the USA Today. So we all decide to go to MGM/Disney Studios since this will be a short day. One last check of the weather reveals a 40% chance of rain for today... yikes! Don't forget those ponchos!

We hop on our bus and I hear a couple near the back of the bus say something about my Passholder pouch. Well who else would notice this from afar but another fellow PassPorter? So, I ask if they are on the boards, and they reply yes, and that their username is MickeyNme (hope I spelled it right!). [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img] Hello, again if you are reading this TR! Hope y'all had a great trip too.

We approach the entrance to the park and dh is filming us ( and not paying attention to where he is walking ) and Boom! He runs into a concrete planter or something. It was funny when we watched it on the video, but his poor knee still has a nice brush burn on it. Got a B-day pin at guest svcs. and it's the same one as MK has. Hollywood Blvd. seems crowded today (Sunday), but we make our way through the sea of people very easily. We were trying to decide where to eat lunch before the 12:00 rush when I spotted a crowd near the Echo Lake area...There was Hercules! Princess Face quickly grabbed her autograph book & pen and got in line. Hercules sure did put a twinkle in her eye [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] . He told her she had the prettiest blue eyes and she just giggled. He stood in his flexed muscle stance for pictures, and seemed to be quite a "ham." He was very "good looking" but I thought his wig didn't look right, either (maybe he and Aurora have the same costume designer).

We have a quick bite at the ABC Commissary. The food was ok. Dh placed the order while I grabbed FP's for Voyage of the Little Mermaid (stand-by= 35 min wait). I rush back to eat my Cuban sandwich which would have tasted much better if they would've left the pickles off. I love pickles, but these were terrible, and the juice soaked into the bread. FIL & I both had the Cuban, and both disliked the pickles. Dh & MIL had burgers (she finally fulfilled that craving!) and loved them. Princess Face had chicken nuggets (if my memory serves me corectly) with fries...thank goodness I brought a small can of green beans with me because that is all Grumpette wanted to eat for lunch. I put some cans of green beans (with a pop top lid)in my UPS package to myself, Grumpette loves cold green beans! ABC Commissary earned a 7.5 out of 10 rating from the LSU Tiger Fans. The restroom here was very clean too!

Voyage of the Little Mermaid was next (FP'S!) and we all loved this show. Although, Ariel didn't have the "give you the chills" voice that I remember from prior visits. Neverless, my dd's loved her. Upon exiting the show, Princess Face spent some of her birthday money on an Ariel figurine playset and Ariel necklace. She actually agreed to sending the pkg. to our resort! Well wonders never cease...but she did wear the necklace.

We met up with our friends again today (love those cell phones!) We joined them in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. I decided today that I do not like this playground. They let entirely too many people in at one time, which makes it unbearably hot and actually quite dangerous. It would have been alot better if it was less crowded. I felt like I was always searching frantically for my dd. But the children love it and we could barely pry them away. We were all very hot and ready for something cold, so we got ice cream and smoothies. They were all very good, especially the strawberry smoothie that I had! Yummy!!! I ended up finishing Princess Faces ice cream cone for her but I didn't mind.

Next, we all wanted to try Millionaire. We saw Pluto on our way, so we stopped for a picture & autograph. Forgot to mention we had FP's for Millionaire and a **word of caution: When I was getting the FP's it was very windy outside and one of them blew out of the plastic dispensing area. I yelled to my dh, but it was gone. The CM's did not have a problem letting all of us in the FP line, thanks again to such great CM's! Grumpette fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn carrier during the long preshow/queue area. This made the fast finger thing very hard for me to do. This has to be the reason why I didn't get into the top 10! [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] I kept answering all of the questions correctly and quickly, but apparently not quick enough. Oh well, I'll buy my own pin lanyard! We all had a great time and I can see how I could spend an entire day repeating this attraction over and over. I love trivia.

Our friends entered the park early this morning, so they had seen all of the shows before 12:00! They really wanted to ride ToT with us and we were really dying to ride it! We grabbed FP's for this while I rode Rock'n'Roller Coaster all by myself. Everyone else waited for me, it only took about 15-20 minutes. I loved it! In the picture, I had a huge smile on my face. When I came out of the ride the skies looked alot darker.

We headed back to ToT for our FP time. MIL, FIL & I rode first, while dh & our friends stayed in the gift shop to watch the 4 kids. I loved this ride even more! I giggled and laughed the whole time, it was wonderful. In the preshow area the CM was excellent...he stood right behind me & stared down the back of my neck! It was so creepy [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] ! We exited the ride and then dh, our friends & I rode next, while MIL & FIL watched the 4 girls. My dh's best friend didn't lower the bar all the way down so we caught alot of air time! My dh loved this ride too. The drop sequence on my 2nd ride was much better than the 1st. On the 2nd ride, we had fewer but much longer drops, during one drop it was hard to tell if we were going up or down! While we were on this ride it began to pour outside...we didn't know it until we went up to the top and the doors opened, that was a strange sight! The pic at the end didn't even come out because it was covered in rain drops. We exited the ride to find that a sweet CM [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] , Maria (I think) had been showing our dd's alot of attention. She gave each of them lanyard pins and personalized Magical Moments certificates. We thanked her graciously then put our ponchos on and braved the rain. We were all hungry and it didn't look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon (it was lightening too) so I suggested we try to eat at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Our friends were staying at the Wilderness Lodge and we really wanted to check it out! We called the WCC and tried to get in but they didn't have an opening for another 2 1/2 hrs.! So we hopped on a bus for WL, all 10 of us.

The WL was beautiful. The lobby & its huge totem poles and tepees that were hanging from the ceiling were really awesome. I was disappointed that the fireplace didn't put out any heat, but I guess that would be alot of trouble for Disney if it were a real wood-burning fireplace. Come to think of it, it would be rather silly to have a wood-burning fireplace in balmy Florida year round! (Sorry for the blonde moment [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] ) The men sweet talk their way into being seated within 15 mins. of our arrival. I can't say enough about this restaurant. We had the best time here. I think it was my 2nd favorite meal of the trip. We all ordered the all you can eat skillets, with the exception of my dh. He completely shocked me by ordering a pasta dish, which he said was wonderful. The meat was delicious, smoked perfectly and very, very tender. Now, I am extremely picky about the meat that I eat. If it has fat in it, I will not eat it. I ate my entire $21.99 worth of brisket and sausage. The first set of ribs were very good--no fat at all. The 2nd set were tough & had too much fat for my taste, but everything else was yummy! With the skillets we received: cornbread (sweet), fluffy biscuits, baked beans, chicken, sausage, ribs, & brisket. The BBQ sauce was on the side, and was very good. The girls ate PB&J sandwiches and chicken nuggets. There were stick horse races for the kids, and we did ask for ketchup which was hilarious! Our waiter was super...his name was El Bachir (sp?) he was very loud & animated, which was a great match for our table. After one of the stick horse races he brought me the stack of certificates to pass out to the kids. He stuck the microphone in my face and asked my name...of course my mouth was very full of food! Then, it seemed as though hundreds of kids were standing at my table with their hands out for their certificate. It was so much fun, we all laughed so hard! When we exited the WCC, he had our table stop and lead the whole restaurant in the Hokey Pokey! We then checked out their room...more on that later! I have to go pick up my dd from school! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[Colexis Mom]

Great trip report Lea!! Enjoying every installment, and especially the toddler tips. These will come in handy for our May trip!!

[LanieLovesDisney]

I'm soooo sad that we missed you! I kept thinkin we'd run into you at any moment!

And it's so funny that you mention using 20 toilet seat covers on the changing table. I'm a complete germ-a-phob and DH kept making fun of me and how I'm going to be when I bring our little ones to the parks! Can't help it though! [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

[baileygirlsmom]

Sorry, I messed up!

[ 03-19-2003, 02:14 PM: Message edited by: baileygirlsmom ]

[baileygirlsmom]

I am still loving all this detail! Great trip report! Thanks for the picture tip on the safari ride! Well, we are back to leaving Friday. DH is probably going to get the whole day off since he has worked so much overtime lately, so we can leave early Friday morning instead of 1pm. Watch out "World" here we come! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[LSUtigerfan]

Day 4, Part 2: More of AK, dinner at Boma! Let the drooling begin!

Before the FOLK, MIL & FIL called us on the cell phone, they finally made it to AK...well sort of ...they were at Rainforest Cafe having a belated lunch. They didn't wake up until 12:30. I've wondered for the past 5 years when I would be able to sleep past 8am again, my MIL says not until your kids are married... So, maybe when I'm 50 something I can go to WDW and sleep that late and not have to worry about getting to the parks for my dd's to see everything. But I digress! [img]graemlins/dizzy.gif[/img] On with the trip report! Dh agrees to meet them after FOLK, no, he does not ask what they are wearing nor does he set up a meeting place, and he thinks they were just about to be served. Needless to say, I wanted to tie that pink scarf with white polka dots around his head, so that MIL & FIL would at least have a snowballs chance at finding us! In the meantime, there is a CM standing at the entrance of the Pocahontas show yelling, "Come on in folks, the show is about to start!" Princess Face is pulling my right arm off and dh is looking amongst the ~650 people that just exited FOLK for his mom. My dd loves Pocahontas and really wanted to see this right now! We told her we had to find her Gi-Gi and she needed to eat lunch (it was around 2pm). Obviously, we didn't find them, they were still at Rainforest Cafe (we would find that out later). Pizzafari was the closest thing and she loves pizza, so she added to the final total of 4 big thumbs up! I forgot to mention how obscenely crowded this place was by the time we finished eating here earlier. Wow, it was still just as crowded, so we sat outside on a bench. Big Mistake! (Can you feel the impending **Complaint?!?) The gnats & those small pesky fruit flies were everywhere. I'm itchy just thinking about it. Pricess Face finishes her pizza...all but 3 bites, and she tells me to have a bite that it's, "Sure to put a smile on my face." Well, I sure did have one but I think it wasn't the pizza that gave it to me [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] !

Since she finished her food, we took her to the Pocahontas show. She sat on the 2nd row while we sat behind her in the section to the left. She was absolutely fascinated with this show, she loved the animals. I was glad we were sitting where we could see her facial expressions. Princess Face declared that this was her favorite thing at AK, my dh didn't have the same sentiment. I thought it was cute & Grumpette was quietly amused, no raving on her part.

MIL & FIL caught up with us after this, they called dh on his cell phone from the RC before they left & got our exact location. We thought they'd enjoy Kili Safari so we head in that direction...after a Simba paw print & Dasani water (which were free with the coupons we received with the kids meal deal at Pizzafari!). Now the parade was starting so we had to rush, while eating ice cream! We made it to KS and we got to see the first 3 floats of the parade. Now I remembered reading the tip about timing this perfectly & you'd get to see the parade at the end of the route just as you get off of KS...and guess what? It worked!!! KS was great, again. MIL & FIL really loved it, and we saw different animals than we saw this morning. But thought the morning ride was better, the animals were more active. Upon exiting, we caught the parade at the beginning, float #3 to be exact. This was a great parade with many familiar faces from FOLK. Grumpette was dancing in my arms to the jungle beat and yelling "Mouse, Mouse" whe she saw Mickey. I liked this parade better than the afternoon one at MK.

We then rushed over to try to ride Dinosaur before the park closed at 5pm. We made it in time with maybe a 3 min. wait. Princess Face really wanted to ride this one & she was tall enough. With lots of begging, we said ok. MIL 7 FIL kept Grumpette (we used the parent swap system...worked great!) while we rode with our brave dd. **Caution: This ride almost took off without me being buckled in! We loved the ride & dd did okay through the first half, then closed her eyes for the rest. We think she did great and rewarded her with souveniers in the gift shop [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ! MIL & FIL loved it and couldn't believe she made it through without any tears. After this ride the park was closing so we made our way to the front taking LOTS of pictures along the way. The ones we took in front of the Tree of Life were the best!

Up Next: Boma! Boma! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Enjoyed hearing about your day at AK! I like to call the "something just wasn't right" about Chester and Hester's dino area the "cheese factor" Doesn't seem like it belongs in a Disney park to me either!

Can't wait to hear about Boma! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]