[kathione]

Some of you have already heard about my first day. The Magical Express delivered our luggage 9 hours later and none of my birthday gifts got delivered because they had all hands on deck delivering luggage. DH and my mom were in a fury because combined they had spent $450 on flowers, champagne, balloons, etc. So they vaca didn't start great but we'll pick up from there and move on....

Day 1:
We arrived at CBR at 11:30AM and they had a king room ready
Room 4245 in Jamaica with a water view, great location close to the quiet pool. The room was very clean, had a bit of a weird musty smell but after a while we didn't notice it so much. The water pressure and temperature in the shower was A+. We really liked the grounds of the CBR, saw lots of bunnies and baby ones too!
Spent almost the whole day in the room waiting for my gifts to arrive (which at the time I didn't know about). After my DH asked me to go outside for the 3rd time so he could call someone he ended up telling me what our wait was for ....they had told him that we had to be in the room for delivery. So we wasted the day for the most part and when the flower portion of the gift arrived at 9:30pm the tulips were just about dead. DH called the florist and the front desk to complain, never got a call back. Not a great first impression of Disney customer service for DH who has never been. It didn't help that we had been up since 3:30AM and no sleep makes for Grumpy DH. He loved all the Grumpy T shirts and hats they had in the gift shops. He ended up buying the pump up the grump shirt .....very cute.
That night we left around 10PM and headed for Downtown Disney just so we could say we got out for a bit. We ate at Earl of Sandwich ...yummy, yummy, yummy! We walked around and browsed and were very impressed with the Lego sculptures. It started to pour and thunder so we headed for the buses and turned in around 12:30AM.

Day 2:
We vowed not to let the bad stuff of yesterday ruin our whole time so we adjusted our attitudes and headed out to Animal Kingdom around 9:45AM. Now my original itinerary had us up and out the door so we'd be at the parks for opening but they never seemed to work out and that was ok. The weather was very cloudy and cool in the AM but then it brightened up in the afternoon. We didn't wait in any lines at all, in fact we had our own boat on the Kali River Rapids ride. We met all of the main characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy) and got our pics taken with them. The parade was very colorful and festive. We got a great shot of Mickey pointing right at me from the float. I hope to post pictures once we get them all organized. Goofy knocked my sunglasses off my head for a good laugh when we posed with him. We ate at the Tusker House, average but very clean and no wait. I enjoyed the petting zoo alot because I am a serious animal lover. We left Animal Kingdom right as it closed and returned to CBR for some swinging time in the hammocks. That was one of my favorite things as was feeding the ducks on the bridge!

Day 3:
We departed for MGM Studios bright and early and actually got there for park opening. We were able to make reservations for 50's Prime Time cafe that morning. Weather was hot and sunny and we forgot to throw the sunblock in the bag so DH was a little burnt on the back of his neck. Once again, we rode just about everything with no lines at all. In fact we rode the Rock n Roller coaster twice in a row....that initial takeoff was something else! The food at 50's was awesome, I had the meatloaf and DH had the pot roast...highly recommend them. Of course, we had vanilla milkshakes too! What a fun atmosphere, the waiter spoon fed my husband his vegetables that he had left on his plate while playing the kazoo. We laughed alot! We left MGM around 3:30 and went back to CBR to sit by the quiet pool. I got quite a burn on my shoulders and neck but it's turning into a tan now. Had something quick to eat at the Old Port Royale. Made reservations for tomorrow night at the Yachtsman Steak house and reserved a Mears shuttle to Sea World for the next day.

Day 4:
We got our Mears shuttle van outside of Port royale to Sea World at 8:35AM. $14 cash per person round trip. They pick you up every hour and then you can call them 90 minutes before you wish to return from the park or you can schedule a pick-up time. Pretty good deal considering the cabs want to charge you $40-$50 for the same ride!
I studied to be a marine bioligist when I first went to college so this was probably one of my favorite days. I could have spent the whole time at the dolphin lagoon. I got some great pics of me feeding them and I got spit on twice by the same one (the trainer told me he had a bit of a crush on me!).
We both enjoyed Kraken the roller coaster alot and Journey to Atlantis was fun but you don't get as wet on it as you do on Splash Mountain. We saw the sea lion show and the Shamu show. The park got very very crowded in the mid to late afternoon but we were getting picked up at 5:30 so we could make it to the Yacht Club anyways. The day was very very hot and sunny, and although I had SPF 50 on my already burnt shoulders they suffered even more.
Our meal at the Steak House was phenomenal. The downside is that I got a bit of heat stroke that evening so I wasn't feeling great. My DH ate both of our prime ribs! I had a few bites, and when we go back that will definitely be on our list of repeat dining experiences. We were originally supposed to stay at the YC so it was bittersweet to see the hotel and the grounds there. What a totally different atmosphere than CBR. Where you stay definitely has an impact on your overall impression and experience at WDW. CBR was way more laid back and relaxed which I liked but the front desk staff there really lacked in service skills and general knowledge.

Day 5:
Today was my 30th birthday and given that I was feeling a little under the weather the night before we opted to sleep in and take it easy in the morning and then venture to MK in the afternoon. We got up around 9:30 and had some breakfast at Old Port Royale. I sat out in the pool for 2.5 hours (with my shoulders covered up this time). DH had to do some work unfortunately so he stayed in the room and got caught up on phone calls and email. The weather once again was very hot and sunny.
We left for MK around 3PM and started out in the 'lands' clockwise. I think the longest we waited for a ride was 40 minutes and that was Splash Moutain. We got through about half of the park and then got ourselves situated for Wishes. What a great show that was , particularly the bit about Tinkerbell ( I won't spoil it for those of you who may not have seen it yet). but this was probably by far my favorite fireworks show of the week. The worst part of the day was trying to exit MK because they were taping America's Funniest Home videos near the entrance and they had that all blocked off with two narrow passageways for everyone to squeeze through.
We got back to CBR and had a cocktail at the banana cabana pool bar and DH decided to top off my 30th with a cigar. (I learned how to smoke them in Aruba, not very ladylike I know but every once in a while they are enjoyable) We laid in a hammock on the beach at Jamaica and just relaxed, it was so peaceful.

Day 6:
Today was a very full day. We slept in a bit and got to Epcot World Showcase for 11AM. Once again, we saw a number of characters on their world tour bus and got a picture with Pluto (one of my faves).
We started in Mexico and made our way around the entire world. Walked right in for lunch at the San Angel. Food was great, and the candlelight atmosphere was pretty romantic. No waits for any of the country attractions. We browsed through most of the shops. Weather was partly cloudy but still hot.
From epcot, we took the monorail over to the Contemporary so that DH could ride it. Well, we got to sit in the front with the driver twice! That was pretty neat.
From the Contemporary, we took a bus to Downtown and ate at Wolfgang Pucks. We opted to sit at an upright table so we could avoid the 50 minute wait. Full menu there , food was unbelievable. Another repeat dining experience for next time. We had the spinach and cheese dip and some sushi. Just awesome.
After dinner with our bellies very full, we went over to Disneyquest and played some games for about 3 hours. DH loved that place...equated to heaven. "where else can you walk in and play just about every video game you've dreamed of without paying at the machine" I had fun too but after the 1st hour I was just enjoying watching him. we left here at about 10:30 and headed over to Pleasure Island. We hopped from club to club just to check the situation out. The dance clubs were very empty but we found a good crowd and a good live band at the Beach club so we stayed there for about an hour and then headed outside for the fireworks at midnight. Departed for CBR after that and slept like rocks.

Day 7:
Since we had a late night, we opted to take it easy again this morning and head to epcot Future World in the afternoon. I was able to make a 7:45PM reservation at Alfredo's in Italy that morning.
Sounding like a broken record here, but again it was hot and sunny! I sat out in the pool for most of the morning and we left for Epcot around 2PM because I realized Future world attractions close at 7PM!
We rode just about everything except for the Universe of Energy. Mission to Space was good, but I was expecting much worse given all the warnings of motion sickness. It didn't really bother either of us at all. Test Track was neat but by far the best was Soarin. The part I liked best was the scents they use while you are flying. It was just a neat experience.
At around 6:30, the skies opened up and it absolutely poured for about 3 hours. We had to run to the nearest shop and get ourselves some Mickey ponchos. We made our way over to Italy and had a great meal. I had the dish with the 3 different pastas on it (great for people who can't make up their minds like me) and DH had some sirloin thing wrapped in bacon. The cappacinos were awesome and the tiramisu (my favorite) was delicious! We left there and got ourselves in place for Illuminations. It's just amazing and so pretty how they incorporate all the countries into that show. I did, however, think that Wishes was much better. The good part about the downpours is that most people headed home and so the park was pretty empty by the time 9PM rolled around.

Day 8:
This was our last full day, the weather cooperated again.
We departed to see the remainder of MK at about 9AM. We had hoped to be there for the park opening but no such luck. We started out in Tomorrowland and got to see everything. Had our own car on space mountain....
I thought Stitch was very well done and I got to tickle Dale's belly because he thought he'd be cool and lay down on a bench in the shade. DH got a good picture of that
We had some ice cream in Fantasyland and then rode the train from Mickey's toon town back to Main Street to do some last minute souveneir shopping. Then, I got sucked in. I had seen the DVC Membership kiosks all over in the parks and had thought of going and seeing what the deal was. Well, we succumbed so instead of sitting by the pool for our last few hours we went to the open house and toured Saratoga springs. IT's kinda funny because they tell you no pressure at all but once they get you in there , they did try to make us sign up by Saturday at the latest. We were just getting back home on Saturday and we haven't made a decision yet. I need to think about the pros and cons some more and if anyone who is a member has any input or comments they are much appreciated. You do get free ice cream after the presentation though and then they gave us vouchers to eat for free at the Old Port Royale so that wasn't bad.
We got back to CBR around 5:45PM and I called the front desk to ask them how I ship items home. They told us to bring everything to the front and they could do it. So we packed everything up in tissue paper and some boxes that I had gotten from a shop in Magic kingdom and lugged the bags on the internal bus. we got to the front at Guest Services and the girl told us she didn't know how to do the shipping but that she'd get us someone who did. Well that person informed us that they couldn't do the shipping from the front desk and that the person who told me that was obviously misinformed. DH got really angry because throughout the week we had just very bad experiences with the CBR front desk. So he decided it was a good time then to also tell them that the balloon and card they told him they'd be sending over on the 9th never showed up. The girl told us she's make sure a manager made it up to us. They never called us.
So we hiked over to the Port Royale gift shop with the bags and thankfully they told us they could ship for us. After that we ate some dinner and then went back to the room to pack. Went to bed at a decent time and woke up early for our trip home.

Day 9:
I had enough of the Magical Express on the arrival so I booked a Tiffany town car to take us back to MCO. They picked us up right on time at 8:15 at our Jamaica building and we were on our way! Got to Boston around 1:00 and went to the NIN concert that night ....fantastic show if anyone is a fan. And we got home yesterday , Saturday. since then, it's been all about laundry and giving the dog lots of love. He missed us alot or so we are told by our pet sitter. Looks like we missed a powerful storm here in MA, we have some siding damage on our house so it really is back to reality! bummer. DH is outside now mowing the lawn and I have 672 emails in my work inbox.

Sorry this was so long, but that was the trip in a nutshell. I would be happy to answer any questions for someone making the trip soon. We hope to go back soon, but we are heading for Aruba in september so it'll be at least a year away.


Kathi

[cinderbella]

sounds like a good time

[DisneyTeacher]

Even with a few bumps to start your trip it sounds like you had a great time. Your meals sound great!

[Dana]

The trip, other than ME and CBR's screw-ups, sounds like it went great. I think your positive attitude and the way you allowed the little things to roll off your shoulders contributed to the overall success. I am so glad that you had a good trip and your description of Soarin makes me want ot try it even more than I did alrady. Thanks for sharing your trip. I can't wait to see your pictures.

[Disneyfever]

I am glad you had a good trip the majority of the time! It must have been great to go on the rides with such short lines. And with such good weather, it sounds like you went at a perfect time! Thanks for the great TR!!

[jk8]

Great report. Thanks for sharing. I would like some warm and sunny days, too!

[missy H]

Great report! Glad things settled down after a rocky start!

[inluvwithdisney]

EVen with the rough start it sounds like a great time!!

[Dopey]

Enjoyed your report very much. It's good that you see things with a positive twist, you had a good time despite some bumps in the road.

[kathione]

Must keep the positive attitude. DH did wear his Grumpy T shirt the second day though just to symbolize his frustrations. :)

I forgot to mention that in DisneyQuest we built a roller coaster and then rode it. That was such a neat thing to do and you get more motion sick on that than you do on alot of the real Disney rides! We built one called Turbo Shredder and on the scream factor scale we were a 3 out of 5. I figured that wasn't bad, boy was I wrong. That simulator really throws you around! Lots of fun for adults and older kids though!

I am trying to post picture but they are all much too big. So I am trying my best to make them smaller.

[Amelia's Man]

Kathi, it looks like you had a great time (despite the front desk staff at CBR !)!
I'm very glad for you! As far as the enjoyment you got from feeding the dolphins at sea world, here's a little story for you:
Back in 2003, my wife, children, and I went to Sea World as part of our Disney vacation! They were doing "Operation Salute", which was free admission for my family and I, due to my being in the Air Force! Well, i absolutely needed to go and feed the dolphins! (the last time I did this was in 1975, so it was looong overdue!!) While my sons and I were feeding these magnificent creatures, and my wife taking lots of pictures, someone dropped one of those paper trays from the fish into the dolphin pool! One of the dolphins grabbed it into his mouth! As the dolphin swam past me, I didn't even have time to think, I reached down and pulled the tray from the dolphins mouth! I then went to a park official and told her what had happened, and that they should have more folks there watching the crowds! The park official thanked me for quite possibly saving the dolphin's life!
Well, this left me with quite a good feeling let me tell you!

Anyway, sorry to go on and on, but as an animal lover, I'm sure you would like that story!!

Glad you had a great time, and sorry you have to get back to the "real world"! Start planning for your next trip!

[Dopey]

Originally Posted by kathione

Must keep the positive attitude. DH did wear his Grumpy T shirt the second day though just to symbolize his frustrations. :)

I forgot to mention that in DisneyQuest we built a roller coaster and then rode it. That was such a neat thing to do and you get more motion sick on that than you do on alot of the real Disney rides! We built one called Turbo Shredder and on the scream factor scale we were a 3 out of 5. I figured that wasn't bad, boy was I wrong. That simulator really throws you around! Lots of fun for adults and older kids though!

I am trying to post picture but they are all much too big. So I am trying my best to make them smaller.

We did the roller coaster thing too and our boys, both 11, built one and rode it and we bought the VHS tape (no CDs --imagine that!). It is so much fun to watch.

[kathione]

While we were at Sea World, the same thing happened. Someone dropped a white fish paper tray into the water and a dolphin grabbed it. Now, they have about 4 trainers out there watching all the time and the trainer immediately blew her whistle and gave a command to the pod. They then began to dive and retrieve all the paper scraps and bring them to the surface, depositing them into her hands!!!

They are so intelligent!

Since you are in the Air Force, it's also worth noting that they showed that TV ad by Anheiser Busch where the service people walk through the airport to great applause. They played it prior to the Shamu show and then asked the crowd to participate with all members of the armed forces standing. Everyone gave a standing ovation, it brought tears to my eyes.

[daisyd]

Thanks for the trip report! I'm glad to read the ME mess at the start of your trip didn't ruin your week :)

[Amelia's Man]

Originally Posted by kathione

While we were at Sea World, the same thing happened. Someone dropped a white fish paper tray into the water and a dolphin grabbed it. Now, they have about 4 trainers out there watching all the time and the trainer immediately blew her whistle and gave a command to the pod. They then began to dive and retrieve all the paper scraps and bring them to the surface, depositing them into her hands!!!

They are so intelligent!

Since you are in the Air Force, it's also worth noting that they showed that TV ad by Anheiser Busch where the service people walk through the airport to great applause. They played it prior to the Shamu show and then asked the crowd to participate with all members of the armed forces standing. Everyone gave a standing ovation, it brought tears to my eyes.

I'm so glad to hear that they now have more trainers by the dolphin pool! And that the dolphins pick up the paper in the tank.....BRILLIANT!! Dolphins are so intelligent!
Sea World did such a great job in honoring service men and women back in 2003, and I'm sure they are continuing that tradition this year! My one regret, is that we will not be able to get to Sea World this year! I really love that place!!