Was in the Bahamas (the amazing Atlanti$ re$ort) for company paid trip and being from So Cal, didn't know when we would get to the East Coast again. Felt like a great opportunity to add a few days to our trip and visit WDW (our 3rd trip since 2006, first without our daughters). We literally had 1 month to plan and book the trip from when I found out we were going to Nassau.
Arrived just before 6pm on 3/22 (our 17th wedding anniversary btw) and used Magical Express. Had a reasonable wait to board the bus though it seemed like a longer wait from what I remember about our previous trips. We staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort for the first (and likely last) time and fortunately that was our first stop after wading through quite a bit of surface street traffic.
Check in at CBR was simple and painless. Waiting for the internal bus was a bit more challenging. You'd think they would run more than one bus but alas, one bus, arrives every 20 minutes. Finally got on the bus and made it to our room in the Jamaica building. We had a King bed which was one of the reasons we chose CBR...could not find another moderate with Kings available. The rooms were ok, very simple but felt outdated. At the end of the day, we spent do little time in them that they worked for our needs. Would we stay here again, not likely but not just because of the rooms.
I probably don't have to tell most of you but this place is massive and there are many bus stops, one for each section of the resort. As we were already running late for our Narcoossee's 9pm reservation (due to waiting for the internal bus) we quickly got dressed and ran down to the Jamaica bus stop. Had to wait a bit for a Magic Kingdom bus to arrive but once on, it got us there quickly and we took the small resort boat over to the Grand Floridian. Had a drink at the bar (very friendly bar staff) and were seated ahead of our 9pm reservation. The great thing about Narcoossee's is the view of the Electrical Water Pageant and Wishes, both of which we enjoyed during out meal. As for the meal, I'd give it an 8/10. I had the Filet which was perfect while my wife had the 2lb lobster which was slightly overcooked. Wait staff was very attentive and even gave us complimentary champagne for our anniversary. With that, we took a taxi back to the CBR ($25) versus dealing with the crowds leaving the parks. And that ends day 1.
Day 2 is Magic Kingdom Day. Had a quick breakfast (muffin, bagel, coffee) and were able to get on a bus with plenty of time to arrive and see the welcome show. Despite reading advice to the contrary, we booked FP+ Splash & HM for early in the AM. Thankfully we did not use either of them as the crowds were very light at 9am. This is where I really liked the whole FP+ thing. We easily made multiple changes throughout the day changing FP+ rides and/or times using my iPhone. I will say my experience with FP+ was very positive, despite my initial concerns about it and having to preplan our trip. Getting back to the light morning crowds, we were able to ride BTMRR, Splash, HM, Pirates, Country Bears, Tiki Room, Aladdin's Carpets & The Jungle Cruise all before our 1:30 lunch reservation at Be Our Guest.
As for Be Our Guest, getting a reservation was just pure luck. We received an e-mail from Disney a couple of days before we arrived asking if we wanted to participate in a test where we could order our meal in advance via our iPhone/Mobile device and we'd essentially have FP+ return time. Tried to make a reservation a few times but nothing worked...until we arrived at the MK that morning and I tried again and there was now a time slot available for 1:35-2:35. We took it and arrived around 1:30 and were immediately let in, went to a register where they asked is if we wanted to make any modifications to our meal. After that, we were quickly seated and out food was out within 5-10 minutes. I had the Turkey Sandwich and my wife had the Roast Beef. Both were good, not great. We both much prefer the Turkey and Road Beef at Pacific Wharf at DCA. I will say that food in general at the MK is terrible when compared to Disneyland or DCA...by miles. WDW really has to step it up in this area.
By now, the crowds were really starting to pack the place. Thankfully, we had knocked out all of our priorities early in the morning so the second half of our day we did the following: Small World, Philharmagic, Peoplemover, Stitch, Carousel of Progress, & Tomorrowland Speedway (my wife's choice despite me telling her how much is sucked, especially compared to Autopia...she agreed after the ride that it did indeed suck). Wanted to ride Space Mtn but it was broken down. We also staked out a spot in front of the Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square and watched FOF parade. It was good but I think I liked Soundsational quite a bit more.
Had dinner at Pecos Bill's (wife liked the taco salad, I thought the burger was ok at best) and then boarded the train in Frontierland for a trip to Main Street. One quick aside, while Storybook Circus is clearly better than Toontown Fair, it really didn't do much for me. Maybe not having kids with us this time changed by perception or maybe my expectations were just too high. Anyways, after getting off the train at MSUSA, we walked through the shops, picked up a few gifts for the kids and made our way to the FP+ seating for the MSEP. I've seen this parade a multitude of times so while it's my wife's favorite, I really didn't have much desire to see it again. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and the FP+ seating was great right at the top of the hub. While I really didn't want to waste a FP+ on a parade, it was totally worth it to be seated 20 minutes before the show and be right up front row. Stayed in our spot and watched the very cool Celebrate the Magic castle show and then got out of the MK (via the backstage path) before Wishes started. Both of us were tired and ok missing it as we've seen it a couple of times and were able to watch it from Narcoossee's the night before. Got right on a bus and were back in our room very quickly. And so ends day 1.
Arrived just before 6pm on 3/22 (our 17th wedding anniversary btw) and used Magical Express. Had a reasonable wait to board the bus though it seemed like a longer wait from what I remember about our previous trips. We staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort for the first (and likely last) time and fortunately that was our first stop after wading through quite a bit of surface street traffic.
Check in at CBR was simple and painless. Waiting for the internal bus was a bit more challenging. You'd think they would run more than one bus but alas, one bus, arrives every 20 minutes. Finally got on the bus and made it to our room in the Jamaica building. We had a King bed which was one of the reasons we chose CBR...could not find another moderate with Kings available. The rooms were ok, very simple but felt outdated. At the end of the day, we spent do little time in them that they worked for our needs. Would we stay here again, not likely but not just because of the rooms.
I probably don't have to tell most of you but this place is massive and there are many bus stops, one for each section of the resort. As we were already running late for our Narcoossee's 9pm reservation (due to waiting for the internal bus) we quickly got dressed and ran down to the Jamaica bus stop. Had to wait a bit for a Magic Kingdom bus to arrive but once on, it got us there quickly and we took the small resort boat over to the Grand Floridian. Had a drink at the bar (very friendly bar staff) and were seated ahead of our 9pm reservation. The great thing about Narcoossee's is the view of the Electrical Water Pageant and Wishes, both of which we enjoyed during out meal. As for the meal, I'd give it an 8/10. I had the Filet which was perfect while my wife had the 2lb lobster which was slightly overcooked. Wait staff was very attentive and even gave us complimentary champagne for our anniversary. With that, we took a taxi back to the CBR ($25) versus dealing with the crowds leaving the parks. And that ends day 1.
Day 2 is Magic Kingdom Day. Had a quick breakfast (muffin, bagel, coffee) and were able to get on a bus with plenty of time to arrive and see the welcome show. Despite reading advice to the contrary, we booked FP+ Splash & HM for early in the AM. Thankfully we did not use either of them as the crowds were very light at 9am. This is where I really liked the whole FP+ thing. We easily made multiple changes throughout the day changing FP+ rides and/or times using my iPhone. I will say my experience with FP+ was very positive, despite my initial concerns about it and having to preplan our trip. Getting back to the light morning crowds, we were able to ride BTMRR, Splash, HM, Pirates, Country Bears, Tiki Room, Aladdin's Carpets & The Jungle Cruise all before our 1:30 lunch reservation at Be Our Guest.
As for Be Our Guest, getting a reservation was just pure luck. We received an e-mail from Disney a couple of days before we arrived asking if we wanted to participate in a test where we could order our meal in advance via our iPhone/Mobile device and we'd essentially have FP+ return time. Tried to make a reservation a few times but nothing worked...until we arrived at the MK that morning and I tried again and there was now a time slot available for 1:35-2:35. We took it and arrived around 1:30 and were immediately let in, went to a register where they asked is if we wanted to make any modifications to our meal. After that, we were quickly seated and out food was out within 5-10 minutes. I had the Turkey Sandwich and my wife had the Roast Beef. Both were good, not great. We both much prefer the Turkey and Road Beef at Pacific Wharf at DCA. I will say that food in general at the MK is terrible when compared to Disneyland or DCA...by miles. WDW really has to step it up in this area.
By now, the crowds were really starting to pack the place. Thankfully, we had knocked out all of our priorities early in the morning so the second half of our day we did the following: Small World, Philharmagic, Peoplemover, Stitch, Carousel of Progress, & Tomorrowland Speedway (my wife's choice despite me telling her how much is sucked, especially compared to Autopia...she agreed after the ride that it did indeed suck). Wanted to ride Space Mtn but it was broken down. We also staked out a spot in front of the Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square and watched FOF parade. It was good but I think I liked Soundsational quite a bit more.
Had dinner at Pecos Bill's (wife liked the taco salad, I thought the burger was ok at best) and then boarded the train in Frontierland for a trip to Main Street. One quick aside, while Storybook Circus is clearly better than Toontown Fair, it really didn't do much for me. Maybe not having kids with us this time changed by perception or maybe my expectations were just too high. Anyways, after getting off the train at MSUSA, we walked through the shops, picked up a few gifts for the kids and made our way to the FP+ seating for the MSEP. I've seen this parade a multitude of times so while it's my wife's favorite, I really didn't have much desire to see it again. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and the FP+ seating was great right at the top of the hub. While I really didn't want to waste a FP+ on a parade, it was totally worth it to be seated 20 minutes before the show and be right up front row. Stayed in our spot and watched the very cool Celebrate the Magic castle show and then got out of the MK (via the backstage path) before Wishes started. Both of us were tired and ok missing it as we've seen it a couple of times and were able to watch it from Narcoossee's the night before. Got right on a bus and were back in our room very quickly. And so ends day 1.
