Trip Report August 2024- Now With Half The Whining!

Hello everyone! My daughter Sage and I were in Disney from August 17th-24th so I thought I should finally get going on this trip report!

I have done several trip reports here over the years so I apologize if this is repeat information but, just to give you a quick refresh, I am married and have two girls, they are 13 and almost 9. We have been to Disney many times as a family. Unfortunately my kids are very high maintenance and both tend to have behavior issues. They also fight constantly. Yes, even in Disney. Our last family trip was in March of 2023. After that trip, my husband decided he wanted to take a break from Disney. This was absolutely out of the question for me; Disney is my one true love (and also my job) and I could never give it up. I knew there was no way I could handle both my kids on my own so I decided to take them separately. Hence why this trip report only has half the whining

Sage and I planned our trip first for two main reasons. One, she is starting to like bigger rides whereas Aria does not. And two, she could hang out briefly by herself if there was a ride I wanted to do but she didn’t, and Aria definitely isn’t old enough for that yet. We decided on August because she doesn’t like to miss school. I also thought it would be fun to do the Halloween Party. I am planning to take Aria in November 2025 and we are planning to do the Christmas party.

For this trip, I really wanted to focus on things I haven’t done before. And that started with our resort. I have stayed in almost every value resort (some multiple times) and a few deluxe resorts. But, I had never stayed in a moderate. I had also never used the Skyliner so of course, we decided to stay at Caribbean Beach.

Before I dive in with day one, here is a picture from our last family trip in March 2023.

 

[fractal]

First and looking forward to the report! I like the "things I haven't done before" approach.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Day 1- Saturday 8/17



We had a 6:30am flight out of Providence and the airport was a bit rough. Sage set off the full body scan alarm and we were brought into a private room. The TSA agents wanted to pat her down but she was really scared and started crying. So they said they would just swab our hands instead. Sage’s swabs were fine but mine triggered an alarm. So I ended up getting the full body pat down and my backpack was thoroughly searched. First time this has ever happened to me. And one of the many reasons I NEED to be super early whenever I fly



Our flight was smooth and we successfully navigated the craziness that is MCO.

I took this picture more for the time stamp- we checked into Mears at 9:52am! Not bad at all.

And at exactly 10:23, we were entering Disney World!

We arrived at CBR at about 10:30 and since I hadn’t received a text, I went to the front desk to ask about our room and it was ready!!
Officially in our room at 10:51am! I love when that happens.

A few random room pics:

We were given a 5th sleeper even though it was just the two of us.

Hidden Mickey in the curtain

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We booked a preferred room and we were in Martinique. After unpacking, we explored a bit before making our way to the quick service for lunch.

The view from our room.

And a few more pictures walking towards the main building.

Love this fountain area

For lunch at Centertown Market, I got the jerk chicken bowl. It was great!

Inside Centertown Market

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We walked through the pool area just to check it out.

The kids splash area is so cute!

Selfie from our balcony because why not

We then decided to ride the Skyliner (for the first time!) over to Pop and AoA.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

A few pics from Art of Animation. I’ve never been over to this resort

We didn’t make it very far because Sage was already dying from the heat. Insert eye roll here

I am 99% sure Aria and I are staying at AoA next year, in the Little Mermaid section. We did not make it over that far but that’s ok, Aria and I can discover it together next year.


We then went over to Pop for one main reason- tie dye cheesecake. Sadly, the food court was completely closed for renovation. There was a small grab and go section set up in the arcade but no tie dye cheesecake We settled on some frozen treats instead. And let’s be honest, Mickey bars are pretty darn good. Still a win!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Sage really wanted to swim so we went back to the room to change. She decided to lay down “just for a minute” and fell asleep I briefly woke her and told her I was going to walk around a bit. She mumbled she was staying to nap.

I again walked down toward the pool area and through Caribbean Cay. This part of the resort is really beautiful though a little much in the 90 degree heat and humidity

I also walked over and found our bus stop since we would be utilizing it bright and early the next morning!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I eventually went back and woke Sage and we got changed for dinner. Well, I got changed. Sage decided she didn’t actually like the dress she brought and changed back into her shorts. Teenagers are fun.

Off to Sebastian’s Bistro!

The inside of the restaurant is really pretty and our table had a nice view overlooking the water.

Our server was amazing, so friendly and attentive and made sure we had everything we needed and wanted. For the life of me I can’t remember his name but I did give him a cast compliment in the app.

Food photos in the next post!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Overall, the food here is great. The standouts for me were the salad, the rolls and guava butter and of course the dessert. The main entrees were fine but not spectacular. The dessert is coconut pineapple bread pudding and Sage is not big into coconut. She tried it but didn’t like it so our server brought her a giant bowl of the vanilla ice cream

I would definitely recommend trying Sebastian’s Bistro if you are staying at CBR but I don’t think you necessarily need to go out of your way for dinner here.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Before I continue on with day two, a few quick things to know about me. One, I am a planner. I had a plan for each day and a general order of how I wanted to go about the park. Sage helped with these plans. She told me her must dos and things she definitely did not want to do. I made several rough drafts and ran them all by her.

Two, I am a rope dropper. I love getting up early and arriving at the park prior to opening. I like to do as much as possible before leaving for the day. While I do occasionally stay late for night time shows, I do not like staying late every night. Again, Sage knows this. And for the most part, she was on board. On our last family trip in March 2023, she had no problem getting up early and was often the first one ready. For whatever reason though, that was not the case this time around. Maybe because she was still in summer mode or because she’s just older now. But literally every single morning, it was like waking a bear. And every single morning, we left later than I wanted to. It was extremely frustrating. But anyways…


Day 2- Sunday 8/18

This was our Animal Kingdom day! Early entry was at 7:30 and even though we left later than I wanted to, it ended up being ok because thankfully the CBR buses only do a half loop before leaving for the parks in the morning. This was a pleasant surprise and a huge relief considering how big the resort is.

Empty Tree of Life Selfie! Literally everyone took off running. Including Sage Great time for photos!

Our first stop was Navi River Journey.

I did not purchase multi pass for this day but did purchase a single pass for Flight of Passage.

After Navi (and another selfie) we started making our way towards Safari.

Interestingly, we were not allowed to use the back path from Pandora to Africa. It was completely filled with the FoP standby line so we were told we had to walk back out towards the tree of life. Boo to extra walking.

This seems like an appropriate time to quickly mention the crowds. We’ve been planning this trip for a while and I followed wait times pretty closely for this exact week the year prior. Based on the previous year’s wait times, I was so excited to visit during such a slow period.

Well, I think it’s safe to say, late August is no longer a slow period. It was pretty darn busy. At times it felt more busy than our previous trip in March. I will say, a large percentage of the guests had accents. A lot from the UK and I heard a lot of families saying they were from Brazil. So maybe school schedules are different and the word got out that late August was a good time to go.

Anyways back to our Safari! Wait time was basically as long as it took to walk through the queue.

Not a whole lot of activity but I think that’s to be expected in the heat. Funny side note, our driver pointed out as we were approaching a baby zebra and mama. The baby was jumping all around, it was super cute. Once we were close enough, I started to take a video. The instant I hit record the baby stopped and started peeing
Video deleted.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

After our Safari, we walked through the Gorilla Falls Trail.

Some nice artwork for the Lion King anniversary

And another selfie

Walked around the back of the tree and stopped for some photos

We then walked the animal trail in Asia and unfortunately the tigers were pretty well hidden

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

So at this point, it was about 9:30am. We had an 11:25 ADR at Boma and I knew I wanted to be walking towards the exit by 10:15 and make it to the bus stop by 10:25, giving us a full hour to get there.

Even though I had a plan to ride Dinosaur later in the day, Sage really wanted to ride more than once if possible since it might be her last time ever to ride it. I checked the app and the wait time said it was a 10 minute wait. So we quickly made our way over.

Once we arrived at the entrance, we noticed the line looked way longer than 10 minutes. There was a CM out front saying it was more like 30-45. We decided to get in line thinking we would still be ok. I honestly didn’t realize how big the extended queue was! We snaked through switchbacks for ages before even getting inside the building.

Thankfully, our wait was closer to 30 and we made it to the bus stop in plenty of time. I kept checking the app while we were line and eventually, the wait time jumped to 60 minutes. It pretty much stayed in the 45-60 range all day. I guess everyone wanted one last ride.

We made it over to AKL in plenty of time. We looked around the lobby a bit, checked in on the app, and then poked around the gift shop.

11:25 came and went and our table still wasn’t ready. We sat in the closed lounge area for a bit then went down to the check in station just to make sure we were really checked in. We were told we were and that unfortunately they were about 30 minutes behind schedule. I really didn’t mind just sitting and relaxing in the AC but 1, I was starving and 2, it was a little frustrating after being so worried about being late.

But finally we were seated, I got some coffee and lots of delicious food!

Overall we really liked Boma. We liked taking a break from the craziness of the park and the food was great, but honestly I don’t know if I would do it again. I feel like food wise, Tusker House is just as good. And the hassle of walking back and forth and taking the bus, not really worth it in my opinion. But happy to check another restaurant off the bucket list!

And as an unexpected bonus, we saw DiVine on our way back into AK

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Following along, how lovely to spend time with just you and your daughter.

I eventually went back and woke Sage and we got changed for dinner. Well, I got changed. Sage decided she didn’t actually like the dress she brought and changed back into her shorts. Teenagers are fun.

Sounds just like my 15 year old. Her clothes become unfashionable overnight

Well, I think it’s safe to say, late August is no longer a slow period. It was pretty darn busy. At times it felt more busy than our previous trip in March. I will say, a large percentage of the guests had accents. A lot from the UK and I heard a lot of families saying they were from Brazil. So maybe school schedules are different and the word got out that late August was a good time to go.

Late August has always been a popular time for those of us from the UK. Schools here start back at the beginning of September

 

[cgersic]

Yay!!! How fun to see you doing another report and I'm feeling some foreshadowing of teenager behavior!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

So once we returned from our Boma brunch, we knew our focus had to be on the shows and Rafiki’s Planet Watch since those ended earlier than park closing. And for the record, Sage had the train and Rafiki’s Planet Watch on her must do list, I definitely did not

First up was the bird show, Feathered Friends in Flight. While I do like this show, it’s almost always word for word from one show to another and I do wish they would mix up the “jokes” a little bit more.

Poked in a few shops before heading to Festival of the Lion King.

Texted a picture of this pin to my husband.

Night time is a big (unfunny) joke at our house as our almost 9 year old Aria still doesn’t sleep through the night. Never has and probably never will. She was diagnosed with insomnia by a sleep specialist and our hope is that as she gets older, she learns to deal with it on her own. And not disturb my slumber.

We then went to Festival of the Lion King which is a show that I find very entertaining, I absolutely love the Lion King music but for me, I wouldn’t call it a must do. I’ve been thinking a lot about why that is and I think I finally figured it out. It’s those horrible benches They are just so beyond uncomfortable and I hate how the cast members constantly force you to squish together so you are shoulder to shoulder with strangers, knees in each other’s backs. The show is just too long for that style of seating.

After the show we took the train over to Rafiki’s.

We were planning on our visit being brief so we could catch the last Nemo show of the day but Sage decided that instead of that, she would like to fully explore and do the Animation Experience. A first for us and definitely fun to do. But probably a one and done.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

It was then time for our Flight of Passage lightning lane! The first time rode this back in early 2020, I actually didn’t like it. I found the fan blowing in my face to be too intense and distracting. So the next time I went on, I covered the fan with my hands and now that’s what I do every time The ride has definitely grown on me and I love it now. This was Sage’s first time riding and she said she was scared and shaking but that she loved it too.

Quick photo stop

We then walked back towards Everest so I could ride. Sage did not want to so she hung out in the gift shop while I did single rider.

We quickly got some frozen treats as this special Dole Whip was on the top of my must try list

It’s dole whip lime with sprite, coconut syrup and blue curaçao syrup. It was perfection.

Back to Dinoland for our last ride of the night.

Of course, we had to end with Dinosaur.

I LOVE this ride and I actually love Dinoland and all the details that went into the land and backstory. I will miss it all for sure.

It was now a little past 7pm, the park was closed, I took one last pic on the way out.

And if you thought this was the end our day, just like I had meticulously planned, well, we’d both be wrong.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We had a Magic Kingdom day planned for Tuesday, a party day so we could hopefully take advantage of some lower crowds. But that of course meant no fireworks. I personally was ok with that as I have a love/hate relationship with MK fireworks. Sage was not ok with it and was insisting we go to MK to see them after leaving AK. I was so exhausted, and so hot and sweaty, all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel and shower. Especially since this was one of my few pre-planned early nights.

But, alas, the things we do for our kids.

I told her we could go but that we were going to the top of the train station, my all time favorite spot for viewing the fireworks and just sitting there until show time.

We arrived at about 7:55 and Sage was like, are you really going to sit here and do nothing for an hour?!? Why yes, yes I am. She legit wanted to go sneak in a ride or two. She ended up walking around Main Street and poking in some stores. But yes, I sat for an hour.

As an added bonus, we got to see this amazing cast member in action

And the wait was worth it because absolutely no other location is as perfect as the top of the train station for fireworks. And that’s a hill I will die on. Sure you can’t see the projections as well but I don’t care. You have a perfect unobstructed view and an easy out after.

Yes I was exhausted but, I made it
And THAT’S the end of our night

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Day 3- Monday 8/19

This was our Epcot day! And we had a plan for the day that was not entirely my own. Sage had requested a mid day pool break. The mid day break is not something I am a fan of. And yes, I know I’m probably in the minority. I much prefer to arrive as early as possible and just stay til I’m done. Sometimes that means I’ve done everything on my list. Sometimes it means I’m tired and just physically DONE. But I personally find the mid day break to be too time consuming. It takes far long to actually get back and forth. I’d much rather sit and have a snack, watch a show, etc. But, this was one of Sage’s ideas that I did agree to ahead of time. Our plan was to do World Showcase pre-break and the front of the park post-break.

The morning started off a little rough as the Skyliner did not open on time. This was our first time using it for rope drop so I’m honestly not sure how common it is. It was supposed to open at 7:30 and they didn’t let people start boarding until 7:55. I was a little bummed because this was our first time ever entering from the back of the park so we were going to rope drop Remy. We’ve always entered from the front so I was so excited to try this new strategy.

The timestamp on my first photo says 8:06.

So once we actually got on the Skyliner, it only took 10 minutes to get to Epcot and through security.

I love getting early morning crowd free photos!

There was already a pretty big crowd on the bridge, I’m guessing mostly made up of people who walked from Epcot area hotels.

We were let into the France pavilion a little before 8:30. I started my timer at 8:30, official early entry time, just to see how long it would take.

We were officially on the ride at 8:45. So a 15 minute wait even with the late start to Skyliner. Not bad at all.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

After Remy, we made our way over to Les Halles. This had been on my must do list for so long and every time, it was overlooked. So for this trip, we made it a priority. The last time I ate at Les Halles was when it was where the ice cream shop is now.

We arrived at about 8:55 and they opened at 9. There was already a looong line. Once we made it inside, Sage was a little frazzled. It was super crowded, the line was very long, and you couldn’t see the menu board well. I tried to pull up the menu on my phone but she wanted to wait until we were closer and she could see the items in the bakery case. I told her that was fine but that she needed to be quick so we didn’t hold the line up. Being quick in stressful situations is not easy for her at all. She was so stressed out, she wanted to leave but I told her I had been wanting to come here for so long.

I knew what I wanted. I definitely wanted the apricot pastry and I figured I would get one other thing to snack on later. I told Sage she could get two things as well.

So yeah, it took 20 minutes for us to get to the front of the line. We waited longer than we waited for Remy

I ordered my apricot pastry and the hazelnut beignet and after much grumpy hemming and hawing, Sage ordered a croissant and the 6 pack of macarons. Of course there were no tables open inside so we went outside and sat on the ground. I opened my bag to find…. A beignet. Nothing else. After all that, they forgot my apricot pastry. Which was the whole reason we went there It was way too crowded to go in and try and re-order it.

Sage very much enjoyed her macrons but that’s all the positive I can say. My beignet was pretty bad. It was like a super thick, dense donut with a tiny bit of Nutella. Sage’s croissant was pretty standard. We were for sure disappointed.

But yay for macarons!

After poking through France a little more, we made our way towards the UK.

Before we got too far, I quickly went into the app to check the character situation. Sage was pretty upset we didn’t get to meet any characters in AK the day before so I thought if we could quickly check one off on this day, it would take some of the pressure off. I gave her the choice of Winnie the Pooh, who was already meeting, or Alice who was coming out at 10:15. She chose Alice so we looked around the UK a bit before heading over to line up.

These Mary Poppins windows are so cute!

And let me just add that the whining was in full force this day. It was soooo hoooot. I’m soooo hoooot, why is it sooooo hot.

I just thought of this because I remember her dramatically throwing herself to the ground inside an air conditioned shop in the UK. And I’m sure that’s what I’ll think of every time I’m in that shop from now on

Anyways, we also met Alice

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Continuing on and into Canada. I love this section

A good chunk of the pavilion was walled off so there wasn’t much to explore. Sage kept insisting she wanted to find the waterfall and the way she was walking, I kept telling her the only thing back there was the movie. But lo and behold, she found the waterfall. It had a lovely misting effect that we enjoyed for several minutes.

I took a selfie and someone walking by offered to take a picture for us.

I just want to apologize for my overall appearance on this trip. I feel like when I turned 40 a few years ago, everything started changing and not for the good. I know I look old and frumpy and the sweaty, red face certainly didn’t help things. Some of these pictures make me uncomfortable but, they’re the only memories I have

Next up was Mexico, my second favorite pavilion (after Morocco). Love the ride, love the merch and the restaurant inside is definitely on my bucket list!!