Completed TR: CBBR 5 nts, 3 PTP from a 60 yo couple

[peabody58]

60 year old retired couple who are Disney addicts and DVC members sharing real-time their first US/IOA trip staying at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

Pre-Trip: Drove down from south Atlanta area and spent 2 nights with my retired brother/SIL in Polk City (35 min west on I-4). Last night the 4 of us drove into Kissimmee and visited Old Town as they had their week end old car show/cruise going on. We had our little dogs with us to enjoy the fun (they slept well last night). Very family (and pet) friendly. Wow - what a nice place Old Town is becoming. I really want to go back and try the Go-Carts, as well as check out the shops in depth. We had a great time just walking around, looking at the cars, grooving to the live band, checking out the shops, eating ice cream and having our puppies (aka: ice breakers, chick magnets) attract all the little kids for petting.

Day 1: Checked into CBBR 2 hrs early and the room was ready. The check-in staff were very friendly, helpful and a joy to interact with. Excellent standard room in the Americana wing bldg 5, 7th floor which is close to the elevators, Lazy River Pool, shuttles and Bayliner Diner. The room had a sanitary smell (good thing I’m sure) when we entered which quickly diminished once we turned down the AC (which is very easy to control). Room is very clean and in good condition with lots of outlets, 120V and USB. I even like the standard view of the new Aventura hotel being built. We can see the coasters of IOA and Old Town from our window. Started out the trip with a visit to the Atomic Tonic Cabana Pool Deck bar. Great friendly service and the drinks were not watered down. Split a basket of Chicken Strips and Fries w/DW, which to my surprise was very moist, tasty and not too much breading. WiFi is up and running well on our laptops and phones. The resort does not seem crowded at all, and there were plenty of lounge chairs open in the pool area. The weather is perfect this week, low 80’ day and mid 60’s at night. DW is resting for a full day at the parks tomorrow as well as the Walking Dead on TV. I love the 60’s theme, but to my surprise the DW is not digging it so much. I think she will warm to it once the pre-trip stress has passed.

 

[Jennasis]

Hey there! We check into CBBR tomorrow! Maybe we'll bump into you! Looking forward to your reports!

 

[peabody58]

Day 1 - evening’s update: While DW chilled out in the room, I walked the Garden Path to the Parks and City Walk. Took about 15 minutes at my pace (I walk the dog daily). It was a very nice early evening stroll with mild temperatures. I imagine the experience would be much different in the heat and humidity of the day. The vibe and energy at City Walk was invigorating with a flashback feeling to the ‘90’s Pleasure Island adult play ground sensory experience. Although I haven’t yet experienced Disney Springs in the evening, I really liked the set-up and food/drinking/entertainment choices better at City Walk. We will defiantly be back to City Walk this trip. I returned to CBBR via the shuttle, which at park closing time is actually a large motor coach (very nice) which continues on a very timely 10 minute schedule. Loved, loved, loved the moving walkways and escalators between the parking garage/shuttles and City Walk. At any age, it’s nice to just move along without any effort. I will make sure DW uses them to help conserve her energy for the parks.

As expected. DW was hungry when I returned around 8 PM. The Bayliner Diner ‘To-Go’ did not disappoint. I had a freshly made Hawaiian Pizza (huge) and she had Spaghetti and Meat Balls. Food staff were super friendly and I felt the prices were very fair compared to the portion size and to Disney prices. One of several deciding factors for picking CBBR over the other on-site resorts for the food options. So far we are very pleased with CBBR food.

Call us old fashioned if you want, but DW and I have found that when there at 2 beds in the room, we are now more than not, sleeping in separate beds. It just seems that while on vacation or travelling, we get better rest having our own bed to sleep on. Plus I’m still nursing a nasty pinched sciatica nerve from a couple weeks ago and I really want to stretch out all I can. That’s not to say that we don’t rest well in the DVC Studios which have 1 queen bed and the sofa bed (except OKW), it’s just that we optimize what is provided for our comfort. And on that note I’ll close by saying that the beds in CBBR are very comfy!

 

[PoohIsHome]

So glad you seem to be enjoying your trip so far! Is there anything better on vacation than discovering that the beds are comfy? Bliss, total bliss. With DH in his early 50's and me knocking on 50's door, we haven't quite migrated to separate beds yet.....but I can definitely see where getting his elbow out of my ear at night would help the sleeping situation.

We check into the HRH on the 18th and I can't wait to get there!!

 

[mjhtvchick]

Great report of your trip so far - looking forward to following along!

 

[schumigirl]

Nice start........glad you’re having fun so far.......

Looking for next update.......

 

[peabody58]

Day 2: Nice breakfast at Bayliner Diner, then off to US by 9:20. Shuttle was ready to go when we walked up. Very easy processing into the park. Went straight to HP Diagon Alley. DW was in heaven. Escape from Gringotts was A+ with the queue as well as the ride. No motion sickness issues at all. And then it went downhill from there for me. Spent most of the following rides with my eyes shut to due the onset of motion sickness: Simpsons, Transformers and HP Forbidden Journey. DW only had issues with the Simpsons, and she loved Transformers and HP-FJ, go figure. I’m afraid I over did the 3D Thrill rides and won’t be trying anymore this trip. May feel differently Thursday, but going to take it easy tomorrow. Animal Actors and Blues Brothers were a lot of fun for both of us. Really enjoyed the Hogswart Express, still need to ride it in the IOA to US direction. We both love the detail in the HP lands, Crowds were manageable and wait times were 15 - 30 minutes on most rides. And yes, DW got an interactive wand from Ollivanders. We called it an early evening and had a nice tasty dinner at Bayliner Diner.

On a side note, WiFi does slow down in the evening when everyone returns from the parks. WiFi in the parks was sufficient to check the US app, post pics and check email.

 

[HM]

Get some Dramamine from the Cabana Bay gift shop. Take it before you go to the parks. Helps me and my DD a lot.
So many of the attractions have parts that affect equilibrium. I couldn't do the parks without it now.

Love your short but sweet updates. I miss CB and US/IOA.

 

[peabody58]

Day 3: Slept in a little today and finally got to IOA by 11 pm. Crowds were low and wait times very manageable. DW was moving in low gear as the previous day finally caught up with her. Skull Island was fun ride. Jurassic Park River Adventure although short was good. DW didn’t want to do any water rides though. The attractions/shows in the Lost Continent were very under whelming. Can’t believe we waited 35 min for the Seuss Trolley Ride. High light of IOA was eating at Mythos. Great food, service and prices. Called it an early day and on the way out DW totally blew the budget with a Gryffindor robe, matching tie and a Minerva McGonagall (headmistress) hat. I at least got a Duff QA Inspector shirt. Food and drinks are dangerously adding up but we knew this would happen. DW is starting to realize USF is not what she would consider a ‘magical’ vacation, even with HP lands. If we were 20 years younger I’m sure we’d feel differently. That’s not to say USF is not good, it’s just that we feel for our age, motion sickness tolerance and ride/show tastes, we get better bang for our vacation bucks at WDW. Tomorrow is our OFF day and we plan on sleeping in (still enjoying separate beds), enjoying the pool, and then having dinner with my DB/SIL from Polk City at Toothsome Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen. Our last day Thursday will be dedicated to DW using her wand in both HP lands.

Service and staff at CBBR continue to be outstanding. The staff really perk up when you use their name and compliment them on something/anything. One thing I would recommend to anyone staying at a USF hotel - walk around and check out all the areas. Here at CBBR the bowling alley is fabulous, and don’t miss out looking through the Jack LaLanne Fitness Center. Aside from the great fitness equipment, the walls are full of Jack LaLanne memorabilia, sort of a mini-museum. Very interesting indeed.

 

[Lisa0620]

That’s not to say USF is not good, it’s just that we feel for our age, motion sickness tolerance and ride/show tastes, we get better bang for our vacation bucks at WDW.

Enjoying your report! My DH and I feel similarly, our kids prefer Universal to Disney and we love the pace and ease of it and love the Uni hotels, but the Disney rides are really more our speed. We go to Uni 2 to 3 times as often as Disney at this stage, it will be interesting to see how that changes over time.

 

[peabody58]

Day 4: This was our OFF day to sleep in really late. After breakfast (BTW - the biscuits and gravy is really good, lots of sausage in the gravy and very tasty), DW got some alone time to do whatever woman do, and I went out to tour the other USF hotels. It was fun taking the water taxies from City Walk to Royal Pacific and Portofino Bay Resorts. RP was very nice with dining options which were not too much more expensive than CBBR. I would consider RP if the price was right. PB was over the top - great place when $$ is no object. Took the Garden Path back to Hard Rock Hotel and City Walk. HRH didn’t impress me that much, but it was just a quick fly bye. A lot of business mini-conventions/meetings going on at the 3 top hotels. I did like the HRH Butterfly Garden on the Garden Pathway. I observed that the Garden Pathway between PB and City Walk is wider, has more benches, has numerous viewing stations and is better landscaped than the Garden Pathway between City Walk and CBBR. However the entire pathway is a great place to jog, walk and enjoy the outdoors.

DW and I enjoyed a couple hours in the pool with the lazy river. I tried the lazy river, but without spending $$ on a tube, it’s not so lazy. The hot tub was nice and hot. DW’s calves were healed by the soothing therapeutic waters.

Dinner at the Toothsome Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen was fantastic. No wait for a table at 4:45 pm. Portion sizes are huge and the food selection is very unique as well as sensually pleasing. A lot of specialty drinks which made it really hard to chose as they all sounded so good. Breakfast Brunch items are available all day. If you plan on having desert (which you really should), then plan on spitting one with your mate. They are huge! You get a lot of bang for your buck at his restaurant.

Tomorrow is our last full day with plans to do both HP lands again.

 

[peabody58]

Final Day 5: Back to IOA for more fun. DW exchanged her Minerva McGonagall (headmistress) hat for the display model which actually fit her and had a feather. I took it back to the hotel while she went to ride HP-FJ again. She used single rider option and was done 5 minutes before I made it back. At this point she informs me that she forgot her wand back in the hotel room. So we just watched other people enjoying their wands. Hopped back over to US via the HP train and did the awesome Gringotts ride again. More wand watching and Butterbeer. Enjoyed both the Flying Fish and Beat Builders street shows. The Horror Make-up show provided a nice appetizer before catching an early supper at Margaritaville. Used their $10 off offer to get some more t-****s in the gift shop. Then back into the park for Shrek and the Minions. We both opted for stationary seating on the Minions and are glad we did with my past motion sickness issues. All in all it was a nice non-rushed day.

As this TR was from the perspective of 2-60 year old seniors, Disney addicts and 1st time USF visitors, allow me to summarize our experience in the hopes it will help other better plan and assess their vacation.
- Of the two parks, I preferred US due to the street shows and less intense rides.
- CBBR is an excellent resort. I would not hesitate to stay here again.
- USF was on our bucket list to-do, and we can now check that off as ‘glad we did it’. We are both in agreement that for our age, ride tolerances and vacation style; there is no need to return. I would recommend anyone who is on the fence, to at least try it out.
- We overspent on food and drinks. At WDW we use our DVC accommodations to help curtail food costs. Here at USF, no outside food or drinks are allowed in the pool areas.
- I missed having a balcony as part of our hotel room.
- The Park to Park ticket option is marketing genius, and having now used it only to experience the HP train, I would not use it again.
- We miss our WDW, but pity us not , we’ll be at BWV in May!

Thank you for following, and in closing, I have found that writing TR’s are a PITA. Cudo’s to all of those who do as they certainly help the less informed among us.

 

[macraven]

Nice you shared your experience with us
Sounds like you did have fun