[Belle&Beast]

First off, we (DBF & DGF) would like say that we love this site!! It has helped us a great deal in planning our first magical trip to WDW. All the threads have been so interesting and addicting to read. We are planning to stay at the CBR July 3-6. We have a few questions to ask. What time does the pool and jacuzzis close at CBR? Are there free shuttles from the airport to the resort or would we have to pay? If so, how much is the fare? We were planning on visiting Epcot on the 3rd, MK on the 4th, MGM & AK on the 5th, and DD on the 6th. Is it realistic to visit both MGM and AK on the same day? Which should we allocate more time to MGM or AK? Does this plan sound good or can all you WDW experts give us a better plan. Thank you in advance for your help.

[DisneyAnne]

Welcome to DC Belle&Beast!!! We're glad to have your here.

I cannot answer the specific questions you have regarding CBR, but I can tell you that nothing is free in O'town...:) You will need to either rent a car while on your trip or pay for a shuttle from the airport. The shuttles are generally a towncar or a van with a bunch of other people. If you plan to rent a car, you might want to check out www.mousesavers.com as Mary works real hard to keep the latest codes and such available. Here is the link specifically to the transportation page.http://www.mousesavers.com/groundtrans.html One of DC's partners is Tiffany Town cars. They have a link that appears in the ad banner on the top right of the page. If you don't see it, click on refresh button - maybe someone else knows a different way... My mother used Mears Transportation a couple of weeks ago and she was very pleased. I think it was $28 round trip but that was offsite. Their link is http://www.mearstransportation.com

As to your plan to visit AK & MGM in one day...Yes...I think it is very do-able as long as you understand you will have to pick and choose your attractions. I would try to be at AK when they open in order to get in as much as possible.

Make sure you post a trip report when you return to keep us Disney junkies satisfied!;)

[mattomouseman]

Sounds like a great trip. As for transport to the resort you will have make your own arrangements. In the past we have used Mears. This time out (August trip to Poly) we are going to use Tiffany Town cars. They come hightly reccomended and the prices is comparable to Mears without the WAIT! The driver meets you at the luggage area and you go right to your resort. They will also make a 15 minute grocery stop at a convience store if you want also. For me it's worth it to cut out the extra stops at other resorts. It's also worth it if it saves some time. Sometimes you get right on the Mears and other times you can wait up to 20 or 30 minutes for teh shuttle. Mears is I think $28.00 per person. I just booked Tiffany for four to go from the airport to Universal's Royal Pacific with a pick up two days later at Royal Pacific to take us to the Poly and then the return trip to the airport. The price I was quoted was is $128.00 Seems pretty reasonable to me!

The pools are open failry late, not sure the exact time that they close. When we were at CBR back in 2000 I seem to remember walking to the food court around 9 or 10 and the pool was still open.

[mickaholic4077]

Welcome to DC. As to your doing MK on the 4th,BE PREPARED!! The park will most likely be closed to capacity by the afternoon. But,since you will be a resort guest,you are guaranteed to get in.

[PharroutRacing]

What kind of park passes are you going to get. I think you have to get at least a four day park hopper to go from one park to another on the same day. The days never expire so if you only plan on using three days you can use the other day on another trip.

[Park Hopper]

Be prepared for big crowds and long lines. July 4 is traditonally the second or third busiest time of the year next to Christmas and possibly Easter.

And if you've never experienced a Central Florida summer before, expect blowtorch heat and clothes-soaking humidity. Because you'll be spending more time exposed to the sun while waiting in lines, make sure you use a good-quality sunblock and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. You'll be glad you did.

[Willbegone]

Welcome to DC! The CBR is beautiful and a wonderful place to stay. We stayed there in March but I never really noticed what the pool hours are. I think around 10-11 or maybe even midnight. Check wdwig.com they may have the info. Have a great time!

[jmouse]

As to your doing MK on the 4th,BE PREPARED!! The park will most likely be closed to capacity by the afternoon. But,since you will be a resort guest,you are guaranteed to get in.

Resort Guests are not guaranteed admittance to a park that has been closed due to capacity limits. Park closures are done in stages. First, the parking lot would be closed. The second stage sees only resort guests being granted admittance. The final stage no one is admitted until someone inside the park leaves.

The MK has closed to all guests by 11am on the 4th of July the past few years. Get there early and plan on staying. The park will be as crowded as it can get. Well maybe not as crowded as the attendance is down so far this year. But it will still be packed.

The slide at the main pool will close when the lifeguard goes off duty. I am not sure if the remainder of the pool stays open or not.

The quiet pools are open longer.

[DisneyAnne]

Whoa! I apologize...I didn't pay enough attention to the details you have listed as to which park on what day...

I would avoid MK on the 4th and switch out for the AK-MGM day.

Reasons:

Everyone will be at MK on the 4th which means in all probability, they will be at other parks on the 5th (probably MGM since the 5th will be their early entry morning). Very seldom do folks return to the same park two days in a row. Go to MK on the 5th.

Early entry for resort guests to AK falls on Friday which is the 4th. This will allow you extra time to fit in the two parks in one day.

JMO... ;)

[ssn]

I agree with DisneyAnne: we will be at WDW for the week of the 4th also. We decided NOT to do MK on the 4th and instead will go on the 3rd. For the 4th we'll do MGM. The last time DH & I went we were alone (without DD) - as 2 adults I would definately say there is more to do at MGM than AK (with kids I think you linger around longer at AK). In my opinion AK can definately be done 1/2 day, but if you want to see everything at MGM you may need a full day. What we plan on doing is getting park hopper passes and doing 1/2 days at each park (MK in morning, Epcot in evening one day, next day MGM in morning, back to MK in evening, etc) That way you can take a break and go to your hotel when it gets too hot and you're tired from the heat!!!
As far as transportation - when we travelled alone Mears Shuttle was fine. One time we hopped right on, next trip we waited a while. This trip we are doing the Tiffany Towncar for a little more $, but the convenience factor is defiantely worth it!
Have a great trip!!!

[Belle&Beast]

Thanks everyone. We will definitely take your advice and switch to going to MGM&AK on the 4th and MK on the 5th. We originally chose MK for the 4th because we heard that they were gonna have an extra magical fireworks display. Do you think it would be possible to hop over to MK around 8pm on the 4th to catch the fireworks. We just love fireworks and can't get enough of them. Would other parks have fireworks?

One last thing, what building would you suggest we stay in at CBR?

Thanks

[tiggerlover1971]

hi belle welcome to dc guess what I am going to be at disney the same days as you but staying at all star music if you wear a blue ribbon I might see you there ( we have a DC tradition going on if you wear a blue ribbon them maybe I will see you there

[goofygal1975]

We'll be at all star sports 7/3-7/5 so hopefully we will run into each other. I'm not sure about going back to the parks that late, depending on how busy they are. I've heard that they can close it down at a certain time, and alot of people are going to want to be there for the fireworks!! Good luck. An alternative, if maybe you are resort hoping , and looking around the gift shops, maybe you 'd be around one of the monorail resorts, and if you go outside you might get a good view of the fireworks!;)

[tinkerbell]

Belle&Beast first welcome to DC .. you have already and will continue to get some wonderful info from everyone here to help make it a well planned trip to WDW.

now I do want to add one thing about the pools at CBR unless they have changed it .. the individual pools never really close and I have gone out to the jacuzzis as late as 2 am in the morning. I also believe the only thing that does close at the main pool is like jmouse posted is the slide.

I think you have a lot to plan in order to do as much as you would like in that short of stay, but as I said there is no doubt that you can get plenty of wonderful help right here.. my only other suggestion would be .. to stay longer *grin*