Trip Reports
06-09-2006, 12:21 PM
Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: CBR
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: Michelle and her husband Jim visited WDW for their third anniversary. The trip was planned on the spur-of-the-moment, so they only had 3 1/2 days to get ready. The couple stayed at their favorite resort, CBR.
Opening Comments
This trip was planned in 3 ½ days. During the trip we relaxed and didn't try to do everything, since we are returning in September. We are in our late 20's and we traveled without children. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort from April 24th-28th, 1997.
I pride myself on planning my WDW vacations far in advance. Well last week my husband asked me where I wanted to go out to eat for our 3rd anniversary and I said the San Angel Inn at Epcot. It was meant to be a joke but then I thought about it, why not! Jim, my husband already had some days off around the weekend and I knew I could get a couple of days off too. We made the decision to go on Monday, April 21 leaving us with 3 ½ days to plan.
First I made reservations through CRO. We knew we could only afford the value or moderate resorts and no rooms were available. I kept calling and calling that day until I managed to find 1 night available at All Star Sports (courtyard view) and 3 nights at the Caribbean Beach (standard view).
The plane reservations were easy. Southwest Airlines has a Friends Fly Free program with only 3 days advance purchase required. We bought two round trip tickets from St. Louis to Orlando for $398. Following the advice on RADP I called CRO at 7:00 am Tuesday, April 22nd and was able to get that first night at the Caribbean Beach also. We made sure the Caribbean Beach knew we wouldn't be arriving until 10:30 or 11:00 PM on the 24th. We were afraid our reservations would be considered a no show and given to someone else. They DO note your time of arrival on their computers and they originally had ours as 4:00 PM.
Since all our reservations were made so close to the day of departure, we had no confirmation letters. We did have confirmation numbers and we each kept those in our wallets. So now our plans were set and I spent the next 2 days counting the hours.
April 24th
Our flight left St. Louis at about 6:15 PM and about 30 minutes late but we were on our way. We landed in Orlando about 9:30 PM Eastern Time.
After getting our luggage we went directly to the Mears counter and were told the next shuttle would leave in 15-20 minutes. The airport and the Mears counter were very busy, especially with high-school groups. I guessed they were there for the Magic Kingdom Grad Nights. After waiting only 5 minutes they called our resort name and we were on our way to the Caribbean Beach. We arrived at 10:30 PM and check in was a breeze. With hardly anyone checking in at that hour it went very quickly. We were able to upgrade to a garden view in Martinique (Room # 2147). The resort was totally booked. A van took us to our room and a very friendly CM told us all about resort. I politely didn't mention that this was my third stay at CBR after all it was Jim's first. Our room was located at end of Martinique closest to Barbados. We were both starving and since Old Port Royale was open until midnight we grabbed our choice of refillable mugs and headed to the food court. We found only a couple of the restaurants were open at that hour. We got chicken fingers and fries, filled up our mugs, and headed back to the room. All the buildings in Martinique look alike so we got lost. It was a beautiful evening so we didn't mind. Some information to those of you who are planning on staying at CBR, Martinique is currently undergoing renovations. The pool, restrooms, and laundry facilities are closed. We were told to use the Barbados pool which was actually closer. The are also the exterior in Martinique. After watching the WDW info channel for a little while we called it a night at midnight.
April 25th
We awoke at 6:00 am and were having breakfast at Old Port Royale at 7:07 am. We both had the Old Port Royale Breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, and a biscuit. Real fruit juices and milk are not available at CBR in the refillable mugs but coffee is.
We caught the first bus to the Studios at about 7:45 am. We immediately went to Guest Relations located outside the gates to exchange our Annual Pass vouchers for the real thing. The real passes look exactly the same as our vouchers except they have your name and expiration date on them.
We sat down on a bench outside the gates to wait for them to allow guests inside. As we were waiting Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Pluto all came out to greet the guests. My husband was glowing after he got his picture taken with Hollywood Minnie.
They let us in about 8:30 am. We put our passes in the machine and stuck our fingers in the other machine. No problems, this time. For some reason we headed straight for the Great Movie Ride. No wait at all and we got the western scene. We then proceeded to Muppet-Vision 3-D and once again no wait. Then we went to Backstage Pass to "101 Dalmatians." This was our first visit to this attraction. We waited about 5 minutes. We loved it! We especially enjoyed viewing the sound stages for the HBO mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon" which is being produced by Tom Hanks. I think they said it would out summer of 1998? It looks very good. Next was the Backlot Tour. I must admit that I am getting a little bored with it. Just my opinion.
We had priority seating for lunch at Mama Melrose's at 11:45. Since we had a little time to kill beforehand we wandered around Sunset Blvd. We were seated immediately at Mama Melrose's and I enjoyed the Pizza of the Day, BBQ Chicken and Jim had the 4-Star Pizza. I admit I wasn't sure about BBQ chicken on a pizza but it was delicious! I gave it an A+. Jim gave his pizza a B+. We also both had a side Caesar Salad and ice teas. Our bill came to $30.74 without tip. After lunch we caught a bus back to CBR and spent a couple of hours in the pool and sipping tropical drinks. The temp. that day was about 83 with partly cloudy skies.
At 3:00 PM. we headed for the MK. I had trouble with the finger print machine at the gate but I finally got it right and we got in. We arrived just in time to get in the middle of the crowd leaving the curb from the "Remember the Magic" parade. A bit of poor planning on my part. The park seemed packed! We reluctantly got in line for the Haunted Mansion expecting to wait 45 minutes but it really only took about 20. Then we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean and waited in line about 20 minutes there also. We then headed over to Tomorrowland did Take Fight with no wait. Everything else in that land had tremendous lines. We walked through Fantasyland noticed that they were about to reopen Snow White, it has been closed earlier for some reason. We got on immediately.
The crowds were so huge that we decided to eat an early dinner and head back to CBR. Even the restaurants were packed. We finally settled on El Pirate Y el Perico which was strangely quiet. I had the taco salad and Jim had the nacho platter and with soft drinks it came to $13.20.
We then headed back to CBR. With only 3 full days to enjoy the parks this may seem a waste of time but we are returning in Sept. for 9 full days and we weren't worried too much about missing certain attractions. We were just happy to be in WDW. Later that evening we went over to the Disney Village Marketplace and were very impressed by the World of Disney Store. I also can't wait to try the Rainforest Cafe in Sept. It looks incredible from the outside!
We turned in early, about 10:30 PM. and slept very well in our quiet island of Martinique.
April 26th
We got up extra early on this day to take advantage of Surprise Morning at the Magic Kingdom. We woke up at 5:00 AM ate a breakfast of very tasty cinnamon rolls at Old Port Royale at 6:00 am and arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 7:00 am.
We were expecting them to let us into Main Street right away but this wasn't the case. The CM's at the gate didn't let anyone in, unless you had breakfast priority seating at the MK, until 7:30 am. Off site guests were let in at 8:00 and this supposedly was due to the MK closing early tonight for Grad Night.
We headed for Alien Encounter and got right in. This was our second time to experience this attraction. It isn't as thrilling the second time around since you know what to expect. Then we rode Space Mountain, Mr. Toad, and Peter Pan's Flight all with waits of 5 minutes or less.
The sky was very overcast on this day and rain was predicted. We bought our rain ponchos (about $4.00) on our way out of the MK at 8:30 am. Yes, we only stayed an hour and left as the main crowds were coming.
We took the monorail to the TTC and then to Epcot arriving just as it opened. By 9:10 am we were in the pre-show area for Ellen's Universe of Energy. We loved the change and found it quite humorous. Then we rode Horizons for what may be our last time. Yes it is showing it's age but I still love the scent of oranges...... Next was the Journey Into Imagination Ride which will always be one of my favorites. I know it is due for a rehab very soon but I hope they don't change it too much.
At this time it started to sprinkle. We quickly walked over to World Showcase which was about to open. We has 11:45 lunch reservations at the San Angel Inn to celebrate our anniversary. We browsed around the shops in Norway and Mexico until it was time for lunch. We were seated at the San Angel Inn at 11:45 PM and were seated right next to the water. Although Jim doesn't care for the dim lighting (he can't see the menu) I find it very romantic. I ordered the Plato Cominado (grilled tacos, cheese enchilada, and a flautas) and Jim ordered the Chilaquiles and two iced teas. I give my lunch an A and Jim gave his a B. The total bill came to $28.09 without tip. It was now raining very steadily outside so on went the ponchos. They work very well at covering the head and upper body but our lower legs and feet were getting very wet. We walked over to China and Germany and then it started to pour and thunder. We took the boat over to the entrance of World Showcase and then started to walk to the main entrance. We stopped to ride Spaceship Earth. Although it is still an excellent ride, I really miss "Tomorrow's Child" and Walter Cronkite's narration.
We then left the park at 1:00 PM. This is when we encountered our only bus problem. It took 45 minutes for a bus to arrive to take us back CBR while watched 4 come and go for Port/Dixie. We were cold and wet and not in a very good mood when we got back to our room at 2:00 PM. The rain continued for 2 more hours and when it started to let up we took the bus back to Epcot. Then it started to rain again so we went into Innoventions. This is when I posted to RADP from the Oracle booth. After we played around Innoventions awhile we ate an early dinner at the Electric Umbrella. We both ordered the marinated chicken sandwich value meal that came with French fries and small drink. The sandwich was a little dry but okay. We gave it a C+ and together they cost $14.84 with a large drink upgrade.
By this time the sky was clearing and it was about 75 degrees. It was turning into a beautiful evening. We walked around World Showcase starting with Canada and browsing along the way. Caught a little of "The British Invasion" show in the United Kingdom. That was fun being a Beatles fan. We stopped at France for dessert at Boulangerie Patisserie. Jim had a peach tart and I had chocolate mousse layered cake. They were delicious! A+!
We arrived at The American Adventure just in time to see a POP concert featuring the All-American College Orchestra and special guest Carol Channing. Very entertaining!
We browsed our way around the rest of World Showcase and finished our day at Epcot with one last ride on Journey Into Imagination. We decided not to see any of the nighttime shows like IllumiNations or SpectroMagic on this trip but to save them for Sept. so we headed back to CBR by 8:45 PM.
We had a late night snack of pizza at Old Port Royale and then went to bed.
April 27th
This would be our last full day at WDW so we decided to spend most of it at MK. The weather people promised more rain and possibly severe weather so we packed our rain ponchos in the bag. We had breakfast at Old Port Royale again and arrived at MK by 8:30 am. We wandered around Main Street until 9:00 am then went straight to Splash Mountain. We followed that with Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and It's A Small World. I was then ready for my favorite WDW snack, a Citrus Swirl from the Sunshine Tree Terrace. Sadly it was closed at 10:30 am. So I thought I'd try a Dole Whip but the Aloha Isle was closed too. Well I knew that Enchanted Grove was open so we walked over there to try a Strawberry Swirl. We both agreed that it was better than a Citrus Swirl. It is Strawberry concentrate swirled with soft serve ice cream. I can't wait to have another one.
We then took a monorail ride over to the Grand Floridian for lunch. We ate at the Grand Floridian Cafe at noon and did not make priority seating. I had a bacon cheeseburger and Jim had the Grand Floridian sandwich. Both were excellent and our meal with two soft drinks was $21.20 not including tip. Instead of taking the monorail back to the MK to catch the bus we took the boat launch. What a pleasant ride on the Seven Seas Lagoon.
It was a very hot and humid day and so far no rain. We decided to head back to CBR for and afternoon of swimming. We returned to the MK at about 4:30 PM. It really wasn't very crowded so we went to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The wait was about 20 minutes with both tracks running. This was Jim's first time on it and he gave it an A. He likes it better than Space Mountain. We though we would try Aunt Polly's for dinner. We took the raft over to Tom Sawyer's Island only to find Aunt Polly's closed. The island is a great quiet place to relax though. We decided to eat at Casey's Corner. Jim got the Grand Slam hot dog and chips, and I got the Great American hot dog and a brownie. With two large drinks the total came to $11.88. The hot dogs ranked among the best we have ever had.
After doing a little shopping we headed back to the resort and relaxed at the pool bar. We could see some of Illuminations over the trees.
We went to bed about 10:30 PM but at 10:45 I started to hear all kind of fireworks so I threw my clothes back on and went out to watch. I could hear music and see fireworks. It seemed to be coming from the Studios. It lasted about 10 minutes and at the end a voice said "Thank you viewing this special presentation of Sorcery in the Sky....." I found out from someone on RADP that the special presentation was for the crew of "From the Earth to the Moon" in production at the Studios. What a way to end our last night and we lucked out, no rain.
April 28th
Sadly it was our day to return home. We had bell services pick up our luggage and we went over to the Studios. The day was overcast so our ponchos came with us.
We rode on the Tower of Terror before the downpour hit. There was no line at all and we could of rode it twice in a row but Jim hated the double drop. I on the other hand loved it! I wish they add two more! We did a little shopping and then said a sad good-bye and took the bus back to CBR to wait for Mears. It rained until our plane took off and was above the clouds......
Final Comments
We took this trip knowing we would miss many attractions because 3 days simply isn't enough time. We just considered this trip a preview to our main vacation in Sept. which will be for 9 nights. Some people might criticize us for not seeing any of the parades or night time fireworks shows. We wanted to save those for our Sept. trip. A CM on the Backlot Tour told us that the Hercules Parade will start on June 27th, the day the movie premieres so the Toy Story Parade is in it's last days.
The Caribbean Beach is starting to show it's age. For example the carpet was wearing thin in our room and bare wall was showing in places behind the wallpaper. But it still is a very pleasant and beautiful place to stay. They are rehabbing Martinique and Barbados at this time. So maybe they just hadn't gotten to our room yet.
The resort was 100% book, yet it was very quiet except at the pools and in Old Port Royale. We could not hear people in the rooms next door or below us.
The refillable mugs are a great deal! We filled them at least 3 times a day. They added them to our final room bill and they cost $8.47 including tax. You can fill them with coffee, tea, Sprite, Coke, and other Coke products, water, and various fruit punches. I always kept them in my bag and brought a full cup on the buses, back to our room, and to the pool. I kept extra napkins in my bag to wipe them out once we finished the drink so the inside of my bag wouldn't get wet and sticky.
The transportation at CBR is excellent and efficient. We usually caught he bus at Calypso stop located at Old Port Royale. It is the second stop at CBR, Martinique is usually the first. Please keep in mind that buses are the only choice of transportation at CBR unless you have a car. The Studios is the shortest ride followed by Epcot, Village/Pleasure Island, and then the MK.
It was very easy to transfer our Annual Pass vouchers to the real thing.
Simply go to the Guest Relations desk at any of the three major parks. They will need to see a photo ID at the time of exchange. Make sure the CM gets the expiration date correct. We did occasionally have trouble with the finger reader machine. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't. Never once were we asked for a photo ID at the gates.
We ate alot of fast food because this trip was unplanned and not budgeted. We did vow not to eat another French fry for quite some time. We only spent about $350 on food and souvenirs in about 3 ½ days.
We tipped all servers at the full service restaurants 20% and the room housekeeper $3.00-$4.00 a day. Each day the housekeeper would artistically arrange our toiletries and put our souvenir stuffed animals in the window. We also got extra soaps and shampoos. I think the housekeepers do this even if you don't tip. We aren't saying everyone should tip like this it's just something I like to do.
All in all it was a wonderful trip and we can't wait to return in September! Thanks for all your help!
Michelle and Jim Haffer
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: CBR
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Frequent
Comments: Michelle and her husband Jim visited WDW for their third anniversary. The trip was planned on the spur-of-the-moment, so they only had 3 1/2 days to get ready. The couple stayed at their favorite resort, CBR.
Opening Comments
This trip was planned in 3 ½ days. During the trip we relaxed and didn't try to do everything, since we are returning in September. We are in our late 20's and we traveled without children. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort from April 24th-28th, 1997.
I pride myself on planning my WDW vacations far in advance. Well last week my husband asked me where I wanted to go out to eat for our 3rd anniversary and I said the San Angel Inn at Epcot. It was meant to be a joke but then I thought about it, why not! Jim, my husband already had some days off around the weekend and I knew I could get a couple of days off too. We made the decision to go on Monday, April 21 leaving us with 3 ½ days to plan.
First I made reservations through CRO. We knew we could only afford the value or moderate resorts and no rooms were available. I kept calling and calling that day until I managed to find 1 night available at All Star Sports (courtyard view) and 3 nights at the Caribbean Beach (standard view).
The plane reservations were easy. Southwest Airlines has a Friends Fly Free program with only 3 days advance purchase required. We bought two round trip tickets from St. Louis to Orlando for $398. Following the advice on RADP I called CRO at 7:00 am Tuesday, April 22nd and was able to get that first night at the Caribbean Beach also. We made sure the Caribbean Beach knew we wouldn't be arriving until 10:30 or 11:00 PM on the 24th. We were afraid our reservations would be considered a no show and given to someone else. They DO note your time of arrival on their computers and they originally had ours as 4:00 PM.
Since all our reservations were made so close to the day of departure, we had no confirmation letters. We did have confirmation numbers and we each kept those in our wallets. So now our plans were set and I spent the next 2 days counting the hours.
April 24th
Our flight left St. Louis at about 6:15 PM and about 30 minutes late but we were on our way. We landed in Orlando about 9:30 PM Eastern Time.
After getting our luggage we went directly to the Mears counter and were told the next shuttle would leave in 15-20 minutes. The airport and the Mears counter were very busy, especially with high-school groups. I guessed they were there for the Magic Kingdom Grad Nights. After waiting only 5 minutes they called our resort name and we were on our way to the Caribbean Beach. We arrived at 10:30 PM and check in was a breeze. With hardly anyone checking in at that hour it went very quickly. We were able to upgrade to a garden view in Martinique (Room # 2147). The resort was totally booked. A van took us to our room and a very friendly CM told us all about resort. I politely didn't mention that this was my third stay at CBR after all it was Jim's first. Our room was located at end of Martinique closest to Barbados. We were both starving and since Old Port Royale was open until midnight we grabbed our choice of refillable mugs and headed to the food court. We found only a couple of the restaurants were open at that hour. We got chicken fingers and fries, filled up our mugs, and headed back to the room. All the buildings in Martinique look alike so we got lost. It was a beautiful evening so we didn't mind. Some information to those of you who are planning on staying at CBR, Martinique is currently undergoing renovations. The pool, restrooms, and laundry facilities are closed. We were told to use the Barbados pool which was actually closer. The are also the exterior in Martinique. After watching the WDW info channel for a little while we called it a night at midnight.
April 25th
We awoke at 6:00 am and were having breakfast at Old Port Royale at 7:07 am. We both had the Old Port Royale Breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, and a biscuit. Real fruit juices and milk are not available at CBR in the refillable mugs but coffee is.
We caught the first bus to the Studios at about 7:45 am. We immediately went to Guest Relations located outside the gates to exchange our Annual Pass vouchers for the real thing. The real passes look exactly the same as our vouchers except they have your name and expiration date on them.
We sat down on a bench outside the gates to wait for them to allow guests inside. As we were waiting Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Pluto all came out to greet the guests. My husband was glowing after he got his picture taken with Hollywood Minnie.
They let us in about 8:30 am. We put our passes in the machine and stuck our fingers in the other machine. No problems, this time. For some reason we headed straight for the Great Movie Ride. No wait at all and we got the western scene. We then proceeded to Muppet-Vision 3-D and once again no wait. Then we went to Backstage Pass to "101 Dalmatians." This was our first visit to this attraction. We waited about 5 minutes. We loved it! We especially enjoyed viewing the sound stages for the HBO mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon" which is being produced by Tom Hanks. I think they said it would out summer of 1998? It looks very good. Next was the Backlot Tour. I must admit that I am getting a little bored with it. Just my opinion.
We had priority seating for lunch at Mama Melrose's at 11:45. Since we had a little time to kill beforehand we wandered around Sunset Blvd. We were seated immediately at Mama Melrose's and I enjoyed the Pizza of the Day, BBQ Chicken and Jim had the 4-Star Pizza. I admit I wasn't sure about BBQ chicken on a pizza but it was delicious! I gave it an A+. Jim gave his pizza a B+. We also both had a side Caesar Salad and ice teas. Our bill came to $30.74 without tip. After lunch we caught a bus back to CBR and spent a couple of hours in the pool and sipping tropical drinks. The temp. that day was about 83 with partly cloudy skies.
At 3:00 PM. we headed for the MK. I had trouble with the finger print machine at the gate but I finally got it right and we got in. We arrived just in time to get in the middle of the crowd leaving the curb from the "Remember the Magic" parade. A bit of poor planning on my part. The park seemed packed! We reluctantly got in line for the Haunted Mansion expecting to wait 45 minutes but it really only took about 20. Then we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean and waited in line about 20 minutes there also. We then headed over to Tomorrowland did Take Fight with no wait. Everything else in that land had tremendous lines. We walked through Fantasyland noticed that they were about to reopen Snow White, it has been closed earlier for some reason. We got on immediately.
The crowds were so huge that we decided to eat an early dinner and head back to CBR. Even the restaurants were packed. We finally settled on El Pirate Y el Perico which was strangely quiet. I had the taco salad and Jim had the nacho platter and with soft drinks it came to $13.20.
We then headed back to CBR. With only 3 full days to enjoy the parks this may seem a waste of time but we are returning in Sept. for 9 full days and we weren't worried too much about missing certain attractions. We were just happy to be in WDW. Later that evening we went over to the Disney Village Marketplace and were very impressed by the World of Disney Store. I also can't wait to try the Rainforest Cafe in Sept. It looks incredible from the outside!
We turned in early, about 10:30 PM. and slept very well in our quiet island of Martinique.
April 26th
We got up extra early on this day to take advantage of Surprise Morning at the Magic Kingdom. We woke up at 5:00 AM ate a breakfast of very tasty cinnamon rolls at Old Port Royale at 6:00 am and arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 7:00 am.
We were expecting them to let us into Main Street right away but this wasn't the case. The CM's at the gate didn't let anyone in, unless you had breakfast priority seating at the MK, until 7:30 am. Off site guests were let in at 8:00 and this supposedly was due to the MK closing early tonight for Grad Night.
We headed for Alien Encounter and got right in. This was our second time to experience this attraction. It isn't as thrilling the second time around since you know what to expect. Then we rode Space Mountain, Mr. Toad, and Peter Pan's Flight all with waits of 5 minutes or less.
The sky was very overcast on this day and rain was predicted. We bought our rain ponchos (about $4.00) on our way out of the MK at 8:30 am. Yes, we only stayed an hour and left as the main crowds were coming.
We took the monorail to the TTC and then to Epcot arriving just as it opened. By 9:10 am we were in the pre-show area for Ellen's Universe of Energy. We loved the change and found it quite humorous. Then we rode Horizons for what may be our last time. Yes it is showing it's age but I still love the scent of oranges...... Next was the Journey Into Imagination Ride which will always be one of my favorites. I know it is due for a rehab very soon but I hope they don't change it too much.
At this time it started to sprinkle. We quickly walked over to World Showcase which was about to open. We has 11:45 lunch reservations at the San Angel Inn to celebrate our anniversary. We browsed around the shops in Norway and Mexico until it was time for lunch. We were seated at the San Angel Inn at 11:45 PM and were seated right next to the water. Although Jim doesn't care for the dim lighting (he can't see the menu) I find it very romantic. I ordered the Plato Cominado (grilled tacos, cheese enchilada, and a flautas) and Jim ordered the Chilaquiles and two iced teas. I give my lunch an A and Jim gave his a B. The total bill came to $28.09 without tip. It was now raining very steadily outside so on went the ponchos. They work very well at covering the head and upper body but our lower legs and feet were getting very wet. We walked over to China and Germany and then it started to pour and thunder. We took the boat over to the entrance of World Showcase and then started to walk to the main entrance. We stopped to ride Spaceship Earth. Although it is still an excellent ride, I really miss "Tomorrow's Child" and Walter Cronkite's narration.
We then left the park at 1:00 PM. This is when we encountered our only bus problem. It took 45 minutes for a bus to arrive to take us back CBR while watched 4 come and go for Port/Dixie. We were cold and wet and not in a very good mood when we got back to our room at 2:00 PM. The rain continued for 2 more hours and when it started to let up we took the bus back to Epcot. Then it started to rain again so we went into Innoventions. This is when I posted to RADP from the Oracle booth. After we played around Innoventions awhile we ate an early dinner at the Electric Umbrella. We both ordered the marinated chicken sandwich value meal that came with French fries and small drink. The sandwich was a little dry but okay. We gave it a C+ and together they cost $14.84 with a large drink upgrade.
By this time the sky was clearing and it was about 75 degrees. It was turning into a beautiful evening. We walked around World Showcase starting with Canada and browsing along the way. Caught a little of "The British Invasion" show in the United Kingdom. That was fun being a Beatles fan. We stopped at France for dessert at Boulangerie Patisserie. Jim had a peach tart and I had chocolate mousse layered cake. They were delicious! A+!
We arrived at The American Adventure just in time to see a POP concert featuring the All-American College Orchestra and special guest Carol Channing. Very entertaining!
We browsed our way around the rest of World Showcase and finished our day at Epcot with one last ride on Journey Into Imagination. We decided not to see any of the nighttime shows like IllumiNations or SpectroMagic on this trip but to save them for Sept. so we headed back to CBR by 8:45 PM.
We had a late night snack of pizza at Old Port Royale and then went to bed.
April 27th
This would be our last full day at WDW so we decided to spend most of it at MK. The weather people promised more rain and possibly severe weather so we packed our rain ponchos in the bag. We had breakfast at Old Port Royale again and arrived at MK by 8:30 am. We wandered around Main Street until 9:00 am then went straight to Splash Mountain. We followed that with Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and It's A Small World. I was then ready for my favorite WDW snack, a Citrus Swirl from the Sunshine Tree Terrace. Sadly it was closed at 10:30 am. So I thought I'd try a Dole Whip but the Aloha Isle was closed too. Well I knew that Enchanted Grove was open so we walked over there to try a Strawberry Swirl. We both agreed that it was better than a Citrus Swirl. It is Strawberry concentrate swirled with soft serve ice cream. I can't wait to have another one.
We then took a monorail ride over to the Grand Floridian for lunch. We ate at the Grand Floridian Cafe at noon and did not make priority seating. I had a bacon cheeseburger and Jim had the Grand Floridian sandwich. Both were excellent and our meal with two soft drinks was $21.20 not including tip. Instead of taking the monorail back to the MK to catch the bus we took the boat launch. What a pleasant ride on the Seven Seas Lagoon.
It was a very hot and humid day and so far no rain. We decided to head back to CBR for and afternoon of swimming. We returned to the MK at about 4:30 PM. It really wasn't very crowded so we went to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The wait was about 20 minutes with both tracks running. This was Jim's first time on it and he gave it an A. He likes it better than Space Mountain. We though we would try Aunt Polly's for dinner. We took the raft over to Tom Sawyer's Island only to find Aunt Polly's closed. The island is a great quiet place to relax though. We decided to eat at Casey's Corner. Jim got the Grand Slam hot dog and chips, and I got the Great American hot dog and a brownie. With two large drinks the total came to $11.88. The hot dogs ranked among the best we have ever had.
After doing a little shopping we headed back to the resort and relaxed at the pool bar. We could see some of Illuminations over the trees.
We went to bed about 10:30 PM but at 10:45 I started to hear all kind of fireworks so I threw my clothes back on and went out to watch. I could hear music and see fireworks. It seemed to be coming from the Studios. It lasted about 10 minutes and at the end a voice said "Thank you viewing this special presentation of Sorcery in the Sky....." I found out from someone on RADP that the special presentation was for the crew of "From the Earth to the Moon" in production at the Studios. What a way to end our last night and we lucked out, no rain.
April 28th
Sadly it was our day to return home. We had bell services pick up our luggage and we went over to the Studios. The day was overcast so our ponchos came with us.
We rode on the Tower of Terror before the downpour hit. There was no line at all and we could of rode it twice in a row but Jim hated the double drop. I on the other hand loved it! I wish they add two more! We did a little shopping and then said a sad good-bye and took the bus back to CBR to wait for Mears. It rained until our plane took off and was above the clouds......
Final Comments
We took this trip knowing we would miss many attractions because 3 days simply isn't enough time. We just considered this trip a preview to our main vacation in Sept. which will be for 9 nights. Some people might criticize us for not seeing any of the parades or night time fireworks shows. We wanted to save those for our Sept. trip. A CM on the Backlot Tour told us that the Hercules Parade will start on June 27th, the day the movie premieres so the Toy Story Parade is in it's last days.
The Caribbean Beach is starting to show it's age. For example the carpet was wearing thin in our room and bare wall was showing in places behind the wallpaper. But it still is a very pleasant and beautiful place to stay. They are rehabbing Martinique and Barbados at this time. So maybe they just hadn't gotten to our room yet.
The resort was 100% book, yet it was very quiet except at the pools and in Old Port Royale. We could not hear people in the rooms next door or below us.
The refillable mugs are a great deal! We filled them at least 3 times a day. They added them to our final room bill and they cost $8.47 including tax. You can fill them with coffee, tea, Sprite, Coke, and other Coke products, water, and various fruit punches. I always kept them in my bag and brought a full cup on the buses, back to our room, and to the pool. I kept extra napkins in my bag to wipe them out once we finished the drink so the inside of my bag wouldn't get wet and sticky.
The transportation at CBR is excellent and efficient. We usually caught he bus at Calypso stop located at Old Port Royale. It is the second stop at CBR, Martinique is usually the first. Please keep in mind that buses are the only choice of transportation at CBR unless you have a car. The Studios is the shortest ride followed by Epcot, Village/Pleasure Island, and then the MK.
It was very easy to transfer our Annual Pass vouchers to the real thing.
Simply go to the Guest Relations desk at any of the three major parks. They will need to see a photo ID at the time of exchange. Make sure the CM gets the expiration date correct. We did occasionally have trouble with the finger reader machine. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't. Never once were we asked for a photo ID at the gates.
We ate alot of fast food because this trip was unplanned and not budgeted. We did vow not to eat another French fry for quite some time. We only spent about $350 on food and souvenirs in about 3 ½ days.
We tipped all servers at the full service restaurants 20% and the room housekeeper $3.00-$4.00 a day. Each day the housekeeper would artistically arrange our toiletries and put our souvenir stuffed animals in the window. We also got extra soaps and shampoos. I think the housekeepers do this even if you don't tip. We aren't saying everyone should tip like this it's just something I like to do.
All in all it was a wonderful trip and we can't wait to return in September! Thanks for all your help!
Michelle and Jim Haffer