I know, I know, that's the busiest time of year to go, but hear me out! Christmas sucks for us right about now! And we decided that instead of staying home and wallowing in our sorrow, we would go somewhere and try to keep ourselves busy. Christmas 2022 obviously sucked, but we were so numb at that point that it's all a blur. Then 2023 was horrific and felt like the first Christmas without Lily. Needless to say, I didn't feel like decorating nor celebrating, so we didn't do a whole lot that year. Last year, I still couldn't bring myself to decorate, but we tried to attend a few celebrations and ease back into things. My anniversary trip with Brian last year helped get me closer to remembering that I used to love Christmas and all the decorations, but I'm still not sure I would be able to decorate the house this year either, so now I won't have to worry about it too much! The boys don't necessarily want to go anywhere, but they grudgingly agreed to go with us when I promised we would make it as laid back and stress free as possible, which I know means we will miss seeing and doing a lot of things! As you can surmise from my picture, we are staying at Caribbean Beach again. I booked two (hopefully connecting) standard view 5th sleeper rooms. I am going to request to be in Trinidad again this year.
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Trip Report I May Have Done a Thing... (now the actual report)(and finished!)
- Thread starter TheMouseFan
- Start date
I know, I know, that's the busiest time of year to go, but hear me out! Christmas sucks for us right about now! And we decided that instead of staying home and wallowing in our sorrow, we would go somewhere and try to keep ourselves busy. Christmas 2022 obviously sucked, but we were so numb at that point that it's all a blur. Then 2023 was horrific and felt like the first Christmas without Lily. Needless to say, I didn't feel like decorating nor celebrating, so we didn't do a whole lot that year. Last year, I still couldn't bring myself to decorate, but we tried to attend a few celebrations and ease back into things. My anniversary trip with Brian last year helped get me closer to remembering that I used to love Christmas and all the decorations, but I'm still not sure I would be able to decorate the house this year either, so now I won't have to worry about it too much! The boys don't necessarily want to go anywhere, but they grudgingly agreed to go with us when I promised we would make it as laid back and stress free as possible, which I know means we will miss seeing and doing a lot of things! As you can surmise from my picture, we are staying at Caribbean Beach again. I booked two (hopefully connecting) standard view 5th sleeper rooms. I am going to request to be in Trinidad again this year.
We definitely would have played the summer course at this point if the wait hadn't been so long! Instead, we headed back to CBR for a break before heading to a park for the evening.
I wanted to go to Old Port Royale one last time and asked Brian to drop me off and I would just walk back to the room when I was done. Brian didn't want me to have to go by myself, so Logan and Owen took the car back to Trinidad while Brian and I headed in.
I wanted to go to Old Port Royale one last time and asked Brian to drop me off and I would just walk back to the room when I was done. Brian didn't want me to have to go by myself, so Logan and Owen took the car back to Trinidad while Brian and I headed in.
Attachments
We got back to the room at about 1:30 and relaxed for an hour or so before moving on.
Our last night was to be spent at AK. We caught the bus and were there in no time.
I went to take this first picture with my camera and the camera didn't work. I checked that I had turned it on and removed the lens cap. Both had been done. I tried again. Still not working. That's when the feeling of disbelief hit me. I opened the battery case and there was none! I had left the battery in the charger after I had unplugged it and put it away. The whole point of being at AK at night was to get some good pics of the lights and the Tree of Life Awakenings! Guess we were going to find out how good my phone would do.
We were in quickly, as there were more people leaving than entering at 3 in the afternoon! We quickly headed to our first LL as the window was going to expire shortly. Quick stop for Kevin!
The boys had no idea Kevin was a girl!
Quick stop for one of the Merry Menagerie as well.
I went to take this first picture with my camera and the camera didn't work. I checked that I had turned it on and removed the lens cap. Both had been done. I tried again. Still not working. That's when the feeling of disbelief hit me. I opened the battery case and there was none! I had left the battery in the charger after I had unplugged it and put it away. The whole point of being at AK at night was to get some good pics of the lights and the Tree of Life Awakenings! Guess we were going to find out how good my phone would do.
We were in quickly, as there were more people leaving than entering at 3 in the afternoon! We quickly headed to our first LL as the window was going to expire shortly. Quick stop for Kevin!
The boys had no idea Kevin was a girl!
Quick stop for one of the Merry Menagerie as well.
I thought my phone did a good job with the pictures from the bridge, but wasn't sure how it would do on the safari. I was pleasantly surprised that I got some decent shots!
Next up was Zootopia. We didn't really need our LL, but I wasn't sure whether we would or not and I wanted to be sure to check it out.
These next couple of pictures would have been better if I could have stopped or at least slowed down to take them, but we had people right on our heals that didn't seem too patient!
Please excuse Brian in this next pic! Once again, pushy people behind us and he wasn't happy when I asked him to wait a second so I could get the flamingo that I had never seen before!
Sorry if anyone here enjoyed this, but the boys both said it was lame. I kind of have to agree! We will not be back to see this again unless it is really slow and I am able to stop at will in the queue to take pictures of the Tree of Life.
Please excuse Brian in this next pic! Once again, pushy people behind us and he wasn't happy when I asked him to wait a second so I could get the flamingo that I had never seen before!
Sorry if anyone here enjoyed this, but the boys both said it was lame. I kind of have to agree! We will not be back to see this again unless it is really slow and I am able to stop at will in the queue to take pictures of the Tree of Life.
We had a little time to kill before dinner, so checked out some of the shops again and stopped for a few to see some more Merry Menagerie.
Owen needed a potty break, so we found a seat here and waited for him.
Then on to dinner.
Owen needed a potty break, so we found a seat here and waited for him.
Then on to dinner.
We ordered the pot stickers and egg rolls to share as an appetizer, but I apparently forgot pictures. Logan ordered some sort of pineapple alcoholic beverage and Brian got an apple sake.
Owen got the Cantonese pork belly bowl
Brian got the Hibachi steak and shrimp
Logan got chicken lo mein
And I got the coconut shrimp
Everyone enjoyed theirs except me. The coconut flavor was just too overwhelming for me. The rice and veggies were good and I ate a little of Brian's fried rice, but I just couldn't make myself finish my shrimp.
A bad pic of the sign on the way out since I forgot on the way in.
Next up was a night time ride on EE. I was very excited about this since I had never been on after dark!
Owen got the Cantonese pork belly bowl
Brian got the Hibachi steak and shrimp
Logan got chicken lo mein
And I got the coconut shrimp
Everyone enjoyed theirs except me. The coconut flavor was just too overwhelming for me. The rice and veggies were good and I ate a little of Brian's fried rice, but I just couldn't make myself finish my shrimp.
A bad pic of the sign on the way out since I forgot on the way in.
Next up was a night time ride on EE. I was very excited about this since I had never been on after dark!
So much fun!! I really hope I have the opportunity to ride at night again.
Then we headed back to the front to catch the Tree of Life Awakenings.
A set was just ending as we walked up, so we found a spot to stand and wait for the next round.
My back and leg were killing me at this point, so we decided to just go back to CBR instead of heading to Pandora.
Aww, thanks! I like trying to find new details each trip!
cgersic
Well-Known Member
I just love watching kids' faces with the Merry Menagerie 
I seem to see that same girl in several trip reports doing the Polar Bear, and she always has such a big smile on her face! The safari photos are superb and I haven't done Animal Kingdom at night in awhile, so I think it's time.
I seem to see that same girl in several trip reports doing the Polar Bear, and she always has such a big smile on her face! The safari photos are superb and I haven't done Animal Kingdom at night in awhile, so I think it's time.
Brief break before I finish this report up to share some cute cat pics!
I couldn't figure out why this basket kept hanging out from under my bed. Found someone hiding amongst my Disney Veras!
I couldn't figure out why this basket kept hanging out from under my bed. Found someone hiding amongst my Disney Veras!
Day 9 Sunday, Dec. 28 departure day
Nothing exciting to report for this day! We were up early, packed the car up, and were on our way home. We decided not to stop at the first two Buc-ee's we passed as the cars were backed up all the way down the highway exit ramps to access them. We did, however, stop at the one in Richmond, Kentucky. The Christmas displays had been replaced.
We made pretty good time getting home with no major delays. I think we set a record getting through Atlanta!! Absolutely no slow downs or stopping! The cats were thrilled to see us when we got back to Dayton. The weather was still warm that day, but dropped down into the 20s the following day. Welcome back to reality!!
Final thoughts: Overall, we had a great trip and I am glad we did something different this year. Will I go back this same week in the future? Not anytime soon!! The crowd was not as bad as I had anticipated and I knew how to avoid most of the crowds anyhow, but we still missed out on doing a lot of things. Part of that was the crowds, and part of it was the boys not being as enthusiastic about the trip as they have been in the past! So now I still have to see the Villains show, the new Little Mermaid show, Disney Starlight, and I haven't watched Fantasmic! in forever. I still didn't get to see any of the Storytellers in Epcot, so need to go back again for Christmas. I didn't get to see the Christmas parade, but I have at least seen that in the past. I did, however, get to meet Santa Stitch AND Santa Goofy which made me very happy!! I know it isn't a popular opinion, but we love CBR and it will forever be my favorite resort! I just love the tropical vibes and the easy access to Epcot and DHS! I do wish that they would refurb all of the rooms to match the ones in Trinidad though! Not to say we won't stay elsewhere, but we will always return to CBR. Another unpopular opinion, but MK is my least favorite park at the moment. I might feel differently once Big Thunder reopens, but this trip I definitely wanted to spend more time in all of the other parks. Unfortunately, Owen and Logan both made it clear that they are about done with WDW for now. So looks like any future trips will be just Brian and myself. My next goal is to get there for Flower and Garden!
Thank you all for following along!
Nothing exciting to report for this day! We were up early, packed the car up, and were on our way home. We decided not to stop at the first two Buc-ee's we passed as the cars were backed up all the way down the highway exit ramps to access them. We did, however, stop at the one in Richmond, Kentucky. The Christmas displays had been replaced.
We made pretty good time getting home with no major delays. I think we set a record getting through Atlanta!! Absolutely no slow downs or stopping! The cats were thrilled to see us when we got back to Dayton. The weather was still warm that day, but dropped down into the 20s the following day. Welcome back to reality!!
Final thoughts: Overall, we had a great trip and I am glad we did something different this year. Will I go back this same week in the future? Not anytime soon!! The crowd was not as bad as I had anticipated and I knew how to avoid most of the crowds anyhow, but we still missed out on doing a lot of things. Part of that was the crowds, and part of it was the boys not being as enthusiastic about the trip as they have been in the past! So now I still have to see the Villains show, the new Little Mermaid show, Disney Starlight, and I haven't watched Fantasmic! in forever. I still didn't get to see any of the Storytellers in Epcot, so need to go back again for Christmas. I didn't get to see the Christmas parade, but I have at least seen that in the past. I did, however, get to meet Santa Stitch AND Santa Goofy which made me very happy!! I know it isn't a popular opinion, but we love CBR and it will forever be my favorite resort! I just love the tropical vibes and the easy access to Epcot and DHS! I do wish that they would refurb all of the rooms to match the ones in Trinidad though! Not to say we won't stay elsewhere, but we will always return to CBR. Another unpopular opinion, but MK is my least favorite park at the moment. I might feel differently once Big Thunder reopens, but this trip I definitely wanted to spend more time in all of the other parks. Unfortunately, Owen and Logan both made it clear that they are about done with WDW for now. So looks like any future trips will be just Brian and myself. My next goal is to get there for Flower and Garden!
Thank you all for following along!
