Amuch needed Disney fix - Trip report

[meldobe]

Planning to beat the post Florida blues by doing a trip report just hope i have enough fun pictures to make it enjoyable - this is my first try

Dates for this trip Wednesday 25th Sep - Saturday 12th Oct
Staying at Caribbean Beach Resort with QS dining plan and 14 day tickets.

Cast for this trip

Me - mel 34 and i love my Disney holidays, first trip was in 1992 with all the family then didnt go back until 2000 when i got a job at Disneys covent garden store and got 50% off of Disney hotels i no longer work there but the Disney trend had begun and we now try to go back every 1 -2 years.

Ma - aka my mum Linda 59 and loves her Disney trips.

Scott - my brother aka Cheif Bad focus (you will see by some of his pics why he is called this ), 30 and just loves holidays full stop.


First important holiday thing to do was to drop my dog off at the dog boarders on tuesday 24th sep, she is 2 years old and i had never left her before, im a dog walker/pet sitter and she comes everywhere with me even on my house sits so i was so worried as to how she would get on with out me and me without her
Mertha aka Merf the smerf


Travel Day
We live in Kent so its a pretty quick trip to the airport our flight was at 1pm so we left home at 9.15, we checked in online the night before and there was not much of a queue at the airport, we always like to guess the weights of our suitcases and guess whose is going to be the heaviest - sad i know but it keeps us happy actual weights were Mine -13.5 ma's -14.8 scotts 13.8 no idea how we kept them so light!!! but i won with my guestimates.

Breakfast at Frankie & Bennies was our first stop


One of cheif bad focuses shots


You can tell by looking at us that we need this holiday soooo bad we look worn out before we have gone anywhere
Spot of shopping after breakfast, suncream, books and magazines which we would not get round to reading until we got home
Flight took off pretty much on time but they had problems with their ground generater so they had plugged into the airports electric supply but would need to wait for engines to get going fully before we would have lights and entertainment - no big deal, loud banging and rattling on take off not sure what that was ???
I love the ability to pause the films so much better then the old system i managed to watch 3 films.


We landed and the pilot told us there was a BA flight that came in just after ours so he would try to hurry so that we got into the arrivals hall before them so that we would hopefully have shorter queues - it kinda worked we beat the BA plane but was still waiting for 20 - 30mins, we did get a lovely friendly passport checker though which makes a change - he SMILED

On the Magical express at last


Got to the resort at 8pm ish, we had Jamaica block 46 room 4631
even though all the blocks are the same i have to admit Jamaica is my fave as its bright yellow and is a lovely walk over the bridge to Old port royale.
We had ordered from Garden grocer (first time) just water, beer, wine and a couple of snacks,and the bell hops brought our order along with our suitcases, and a roll away bed too.

We got changed into shorts then went over to Port royale for food and to get our cups.

Worn out already




TOMORROW - EPCOT

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[meldobe]

Day 1 - Epcot - 26th Sep, Temp 89

Awake at 7.30, showers etc and Old port royale for breakfast - strawberry parfait for me , cereal for the others, we ate outside and then the rain shower arrived we went in the arcade and shop for 20 mins to let the rain pass before heading to Epcot






Chief bad focus


We picked up a fast pass for Soarin and then into the shops


Soarin time and we got 1st row, i was so happy about that as i hate seeing everyones feet waving about.

The fountain that goes up not down which these two claimed never to have seen before??? think they must have been walking round with their eyes closed on previous trips.


It was lunchtime by now so we got a fast pass for test track and headed into sunshine seasons for lunch

Chicken noodle


Turkey sandwich


Beef and Blue


It was lovely can't remember all the desserts but know i had a strawberry shortcake.

A quick ride on living with the land, i like this ride its simple but for some strange reason i like looking at the growing techniques they use, most i have grown is sweetcorn and tomatoes.

Now for a walk round the world and a look in the shops and of course we had to try on any new hats too, we went clockwise today starting with Mexico and a ride on the Three Cabelleros








Should add at this point that i really hate having my photo taken so have always been the one behind the camera but evryone kept moaning that i wasn't in any pictures so this time around i said i would make an effort to be in the photos more

Pretty hot by now so a quick stop in America for a frozen drink after watching the American Adventure - i thought this show didn't actually teach me anything and i came out rather confused.


Test track time so we headed back that way for our first go on the new version - we thought it was great fun and this was our car


Did the photo options after test track emailing the results to friends, then decided to head back to the resort to chill.

TOMORROW - Hollywood Studios

 

[meldobe]

Day 2 - Hollywood Studios - 27th Sep - Temp 89

Got to the bus stop and first one to arrive was Hollywood studios - perfect start to a great day.

First stop to pick up a fast pass for Toy Story Midway Mania of course then on to The Great Movie Ride we got the gangster version, my mum loves this ride.



Round to Muppets and onto Star Tours.

Lunch at ABC commisionary, Burgers with a seasonal cupcake for dessert and strawberry parfait - wow that is alot of food.



We queued for Backlot Tours and one of the cast members was walking the line stopped at us and said he was looking for two ladies to take part in the show - we have seen this show so many times before but never been picked and had it been on a previous holiday i would have said no but this was a holiday of firsts so we said YES !!!!

I was to be the engineer, Ma was the captain and a lovely scottish lady called Rosanna was to be a deck hand.























Chief bad focus took the pictures and they were not too bad for him it was great fun and if you ever get the chance to do it go for it - just one thing though the boots are huge you wear your own shoes inside the boots! and those suits are not fully waterproof i had a rather wet bum afterwards.

Continued on next post

 

[Tony Bush]

Following along ! - although some of your pics seems to be missing

 

[Tinkerbell1989]

Loving the step-by-step pictures on Backlot Tour! Awesome! X

 

[meldobe]

Day 2 Continued
After getting wet we continued on the tour - i like the ride but am always dissapointed at the lack of props, im sure there used to be things like houses etc.
We didn't get an award for our acting but thought we should should pose with some oscars anyway


No monsters at Monsters university unless you count these two!!!


We went in to see the pirates exhibition - we were pleasently surprised and actually enjoyed the little show, we had seen the narnia one before and were not keen on it.
Toy story fast pass time


Great ride we all love it, i won with 136,000, next up RnR and then on to ToT



Had a look in some shops and took some pictures along the way



We could see a likeness here and my ever obliging mum happily posed for a pic




Back to the resort at about 9pm, time for a snack from old port royale, a couple of drinks from the pool bar couple of games of cards then off to bed.

TOMORROW - Downtown Disney and Boma

 

[meldobe]

Following along ! - although some of your pics seems to be missing

Darn it - my first time doing a trip report so no doubt i have messed up somewhere , i can see all the pics - are there lots missing?

 

[meldobe]

Loving the step-by-step pictures on Backlot Tour! Awesome! X

Thanks we really did enjoy it and would do it again.

 

[pampat]

I've got loads of pics missing, but I am enjoying the trippie anyway! Keep it coming!

Pam

 

[meldobe]

Worked it out i accidently deleted the pics from photobucket so hopefully having re added them they will magically reappear here

 

[Wills Mom]

Enjoying your TR Cant wait to read more!

 

[meldobe]

DAY 3 -Downtown Disney and Boma - 28th Sep - Temp 89

We usually avoid the parks at weekends if we can help it except for maybe popping in for meal or to go on one thing otherwise its too busy for us.

We had Boma booked for 7.35 tonight so decided on a lazy day of shopping in DTD, arrived at bus stop just as a DTD bus pulled in perfect timing,




Got to DTD at 11ish had a bit of a wander to see what was new and also my 6 year old nephew had asked for a red mickey tshirt with his name on it so we popped into the tshirt shop to see what we could make for him.


Lunch was at Wolfgang pucks ( you will soon notice that we go here every time we are in DTD ) We had a pizza each although none of us managed to finish them, i only have pictures of the pizzas when we are finished as Ma and Scott did not really understand the need for food pictures even when i said it was for people to drool over!!
I had the four cheese, Scott Pepperoni, Ma barbecued chicken and Fro-yo's for desert.




While we were in Wolfgangs a lady approached our table and asked us if we would like 4 fast passes for Magic Kingdom they were valid until Monday (the day we were planning to visit MK) and could be used on any ride, really nice of her and of course we said yes straight away.

Carried on looking in the shops, into the christmas shop where i picked out a stich tree ornament and had it personalised with Merfs name and the year - on my tree i have baubles for each of my pets over the last few years - crazy and a little bit wierd probably!! My mum always has one made for my nephew each year since before he was born to go on her tree - first one says "under construction 2006" on one side then "Completed 2007" she wanted to do the same for our niece born last year but disney has changed their personalisation service and you are only allowed names and dates now was really dissapointed with that.

Still it didn't get Ma down as you can see


You can see by my face i was saying to Scott "do we relly have to hold all of this!"




Honestly we do take normal photos too


In the Lego store




Set the camera on timer for this one and placed it on a bollard


Back to the resort to chill for a while before getting ready for Boma, we decided to get a bus to either Epcot or Animal Kingdom and then change buses for Animal Kingdom Lodge




Its changed since 2 1/2 years ago though and after getting on the Animal Kingdom Lodge bus we got off too soon at Kidani Village after asking inside we were told we could get a resort shuttle to take us to the lodge and Boma - found out after that we could have walked which would have been nice but anyway off to see the animals first.





Inside which is so relaxing




In the shop (before they had a drink would you believe)






Food was lovely as always although i keep forgetting i really don't like boboti evry time i get it thinking it looks nice until i taste it Bluergh! Dessert selection is fabulous in fact i could probably skip dinner and just have humous then deserts! Apologies for the lack of food pictures, bill came to $133 + 22.49 tip for the three of us, off home with full bellys and smiles on our faces - we got a taxi back to resort.

TOMORROW -Resort + Epcot

 

[meldobe]

Day 4 - Resort + Epcot - 29th Sep - Temp 89

Decided to hace a quiet day at the resort today and head out to Epcot later on.

Got up and had a lovely wander around the resort looking at all the beaches and just enjoying the sunshine.

Set my camera on timer for the shots with us all in - not sure why but i always feel like i need to be changing poses for each shot on the timer which is usually 3 -5 so please excuse any odd poses as they were probably in a sequence of shots but don't want to bore everyone too much prefer everyone to just think we have a screw loose or something

















Lunch in the resort we had Jerk chicken sandwhich, Fish sandwhich and Chicken nuggets - not sure Ma has enough sauces for hers though


Then we walked back to room to get changed and sit by the pool then in for a swim.




No Ma's were hurt in the taking of this photo!!!


After a swim back to room then off to Epcot at 4pm nice empty bus stop which gave us too much time to mess around








Continued on next post

 

[meldobe]

No plans to do any rides at Epcot today so headed to the Uk for a drink




Then for a look around, we also went on the Norway ride and got a couple of tasters from the F&W stalls.









Before we knew it it was time for illuminations so we found a bin to put the camera on and then just enjoyed the show











Back to the resort for a drink at the pool bar and a game of cards.

TOMORROW - Magic Kingdom

 

[meldobe]

Day 5 - Magic Kingdom - 30th Sep - Temp 91

Arrived at 10.30 and got a fastpass for Splash mountain (show show show us your balls ) please note i now know they do not sing that but the first time i heard it that is what i thought it sounded like so it has stuck as our little splash song

Onto Pirates which had a 10 min wait had a look around adventureland then back to ride splash it was great and only scott got wet.

Lunchtime and we headed for Columbia harbor house where we all had shrimp and cobblers yum!





Went for a look round the new Fantasyland and thought it was very nice although my mum was disappointed that Peter pan was closed, Next up was a ride on Carousel of progress - great way to cool down and to hear a song that will stick in your head.

Squeezed the 3 of us into one car for a go on buzz Ma and Scott went on Space mountain - we went and got a fast pass for Ariel and had a wander in the shops and in the different lands





Ma is squashing Jimminy cricket as she thinks he is a know it all !!!???








The queue for Be our guest was crazy - we had thought about getting lunch here as its just counter service but on each of our visits the queue was longer then the rides!!!







Into Monsters inc laugh floor - we had never done this one before so didnt know what to expect, Ma thought it would be rubbish and didn't want to go on but she ended up enjoying it and laughing along


Onto transit authority - people mover



Got a drink in Cosmic Rays


Fast pass time - I really liked the Ariel ride and thought Ursulla was great - its a simple ride but done well.

We used the fast pass we had been given in Wolfgangs yesterday to go on the Haunted mansion, into Philharmonic - when we came out the clouds wre looking heavy and we were worn out so Me and Ma had a look in the shops whilst Scott enjoyed some popcorn


Back to the resort at 8pmish picked up our mugs then off to old port royale for - me Salmon,broccoli,rice and corn bread with ice cream, Ma and Scott - Turkey, broccoli, mash and corn bread with ice cream.

Played some quizzes on the ipad whilst sitting at the pool bar enjoying cocktails.

TOMORROW _ Hollywood studios + Sci fi

 

[meldobe]

Day 6 - Hollywood studios -1st October - temp 89

Yes we are back to Hollywood studios again today as we have an ADR for Sci fi

First things first we arrived in the park and headed straight to TSMM for a fast pass

This of course is not a photo of TSMM but its close by and i liked it

As we had done the rides on our first visit we decided today would be a show and character day apart from TSMM, we had a walk around and Ma met Mike + Sully



Ma and Scott met Lightning mcqueen and Mator please excuse the fuzziness we have photo pass pics but i have not downloaded them yet.


Scott thinks he looks like Gonzo


Had a wander




And then Ma met Wreck it ralph and Venelope


And we discovered Ma's personality was that of the Queen of hearts "Off with their heads!!!!!


We then went into "One mans dream" i love looking around this and almost shed a tear at the film
These were models of the new Fantasyland



Time for lunch - i enjoy the Sci fi its a fun set up and the food is nice


We had a lovely server who had moved from the isle of wight to florida, she took this photo for us


After a lovely but very filling lunch of burgers for all of us and an oreo cookie milkshake for scott we went into the Indiana jones show which was good fun, then into American idol - only two contestants but it was still very enjoyable and the one we liked got voted through to the next show.

We stopped off for a drink in backlot express - i look like a chipmunk


Then it was fast pass time Ma won with 132,400 and when we came out we met a green soldier






We had a slow walk out of the park, went to our room and packed a bag for our move to Hard rock hotel for 1 night, found some chocolate coins in our room and it said they were a 25th anniversary clebration

then across the bridge to Old port royale for some food and cocktails.

TOMORROW -Hard rock hotel + Universal studios

 

[meldobe]

First off my apologies for the delay in finishing this trip report - christmas and celebrity big brother got in the way

Day 7 - Hard Rock hotel and Universal studios -Temp 88

We got a cab from CBR over to the Hard Rock hotel and arrived at 10am they let us check in straight away and gave us room 4110 on the 4th floor, the hotel is lovely definitely has a hotel rather then a resort feel, very spacious.

Couple of pictures of the room









The view


We dropped off our bag and then went downstairs to get our Universal Express pass, they have a machine that takes your photo and then prints off the pass, the best bit is you get a pass for the day you check in and for the day you check out!!!

 

[meldobe]

Universal studios was just a short walk along the river




We headed to Shreck first then round to Men in Black passing by dispicable me


Saw the new position of JAWS - We really miss that ride



and round past the building works for the New Harry Potter addition



Once we had been on Men in Black ( my fave ride) we had a good look around the new Springfield





Ma got to meet Krusty and Sideshow Bob



We had lunch in Krusty burger - from the outside it looks as though there are a couple of different places to eat but inside there are about 6 counters all serving different food with two seating areas, the seating all had reserved on so you had to queue for your food then go through to be seated - we saw servers approaching children that were sat waiting for parents at the table being told they would have to move and only come back with food even though the place was less then a 1/4 full.

Food was ok.

After lunch we went back on Men in Black, had a go on Disaster, then onto Transformers which was fantastic!!!!! i suffer from motion sickness but only had to close my eyes at one point on this ride unlike the Simpsons which turned me green.

Ma and Scott rode Rip, ride, rocket before we all went on Dispicable me it was a fun happy ride which leaves you smiling - i was a bit worried about the Motion sickness on this ride but again i was fine although i did remember to take a travel sickness tablet this morning so im sure that helped.





Ma had a photo with Bumblebee - these costumes are great and the look on the kids faces when they see them are priceless.



Next we went on Terminator, and got a Flaming Moe from Moe's, the theming for the bar is really good, think the drinks were $7 or $8 and you can keep the glass








Outside for a couple more photos




Another go on Men in Black - did i mention this is my favourite ride Ma and Scott rode Rip,ride, rocket again and we all went back on Transformers.

Then Ma met Optimus Prime


We were all thirsty so stopped at Mels drive in for a drink


On the way out i put my empty cup in the bin and my camera banged against it which made the lens cap pop off and go straight in the bin!! Ma was almost having to climb in the bin searching for it bless her it had slipped to the bottom but she found it eventually, so in case you were there the crazy lady bin diving was my mum


It was closing time at the park so we headed out had a wander around City walk then into Bubba Gumps for dinner, we had never eaten here before but the food was great - big portions we ordered three meals but could easily have shared just two between us - mmmmmm coconut shrimp is lovely, they are super fast on service the sign on the table has two sides and you flip it over when you want a server - "Run forrest Run" means dont stop and "stop Forrest Stop" means stop Scott decided to test it out and litrally as he turned it someone stopped to ask if we needed anything!

We were not very good at the quiz but would definitely eat here again




Had a lovely walk back to the hotel


Had a drink at the hotel bar then off to bed.

Tommorow Islands of Adventure

 

[meldobe]

Day 8 - Thursday 3rd - Islands of Adventure - Temp 88

Today we checked out of the Hard Rock hotel, heres a pic of my mum with her $13 bottle from the mini bar - we just kept asking her how much did you pay for that??? mini bar was not too badly priced for snacks but the alcohol was fairly pricey.


Check out was simple and they were happy to keep our bags for us so that we could go into the parks, we popped downstairs to the food area and got a warm coissant with egg and cheese to eat on our walk to the park - yum.



I don't remember what time we got into the park but it was nice and early so as you can't use the express pass on Forbidden Journey we decided to head round there first, i didnt ride this on our last trip as i was worried about the motion sickness but decided to give it a go this time as Ma and Scott had said it was great - i enjoyed it although it did make me feel a bit green in places so i had to close my eyes but all in all a pretty good ride.

We carried on walking round taking some photos and looking in the shops, we knew we would be riding Spiderman etc after lunch so the morning was spent enjoying the sun and the theming through the lands.



We tried to do Posidons Adventure a couple of times during the day but somehow we kept missing the start of a show by 5 mins


Hmm i think someone gets easily bored waiting outside the toilet for me and Ma










We went on Jurassic Park and then into The Burger Digs for lunch




We bought a few Thing 1 and Thing 2 bits for my Niece and Nephew then Scott and Ma rode Hulk, we all went on Spiderman and toyed with the idea of going on the water rides but as we have done them on previous visits and we know just how wet you get we gave it a miss til next trip.

Scott and Ma rode Hulk again and we had a slow walk out the park doing a bit of shopping , out onto city walk for a wee look in the shops there too and we checked out the cinema to see if there was anything worth watching but nope.

We got the boat back to Hard Rock which was very nice




We collected our bag and then asked for a cab back to CBR - well didnt we feel like a rock star when this huge black 4 x 4 pulled up as our cab it was so plush inside and the driver was lovely, did cost a bit more then our journey to the Hard Rock but only by a couple of dollars.

Back Home at CBR


Had an evening meal then of course cocktails at the bar.

Tomorrow - Animal Kingdom