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.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

The last parade float went by us at 11:45 so we walked as quickly as possible over to Space Mountain. I’m so glad we were able to ride this because riding it in total darkness was amazing. I liked it so much more than the normal ride.

Before leaving we actually went into the Emporium. My attempt to shop early in the night was not a total success. Star Traders had the shirt I wanted but not the size I wanted. I bought it anyway but decided to fight the crowds at the end of the night to see if the Emporium had my size. They did and thankfully I was able to exchange it. They needed to see the card I used to purchase the first shirt and this was when I discovered my backpack was definitely not water proof Not only was my wallet soaked but the cards inside my wallet were also wet

Two last pictures on our way out.

So as you can probably tell, our night was not successful. It was really hard to enjoy things when we were soaked to the bone and literally running with our heads down from one thing to the next. I was especially sad and disappointed that I didn’t get to meet Jack and Sally and that I didn’t get to see the Headless Horseman

When we got home, I posted about my experience on this page in the Halloween party thread. Someone responded saying they heard Disney was offering compensation for that particular party. On Sunday, I called and after being on hold for about 45 minutes, I was given 3 options. Tickets to another party, which obviously we couldn’t accept since we were already home in Massachusetts, one day tickets that could be used anytime in the next year, this also wouldn’t work since our next trip isn’t until November 2025, or, a full refund. I chose the refund.

Of course I was very happy Disney offered this but we would have much preferred to have just enjoyed the party.

I did learn a lesson though, in the future, I will likely never save the party for our final day. If we would have went to the party early in the week, perhaps we would have been allowed to go to another party while we were still there. I already told Aria that when we go to the Christmas Party next year, we definitely won’t be saving it for our last night.

 

[Tuvalu]

Been there, done that twice - and it’s AWFUL - never thought to contact Guest Services. Glad you were refunded because those two parties with my son (two different years) were exactly your experience. Complete waste of money!

Foolish enough to try MNSSHP later with my husband (twice) during monsoon season. We never made it through the turnstiles either time. Instead we went directly to Guest Services outside the entrance, because by then I’d read you could exchange your tickets for another night (which we did not due to weather forecast) or exchange tickets for MNSSHP to MVMCP. What I did not know (the first time) was there is a substantial price difference in the parties - $40-50 per ticket - so it was an expensive upgrade!

 

[meggo819]

Sage hasn’t let me live it down.

Wait, how was this your fault!??

 

[Tuvalu]

Wait, how was this your fault!??

I thought the same thing.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Wait, how was this your fault!??

I thought the same thing.

It was totally my fault because I forgot to go back at the end of the night.
This is my actual life

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Been there, done that twice - and it’s AWFUL - never thought to contact Guest Services. Glad you were refunded because those two parties with my son (two different years) were exactly your experience. Complete waste of money!

Foolish enough to try MNSSHP later with my husband (twice) during monsoon season. We never made it through the turnstiles either time. Instead we went directly to Guest Services outside the entrance, because by then I’d read you could exchange your tickets for another night (which we did not due to weather forecast) or exchange tickets for MNSSHP to MVMCP. What I did not know (the first time) was there is a substantial price difference in the parties - $40-50 per ticket - so it was an expensive upgrade!

Yeah I’ve noticed the Christmas party is more expensive, I think because the time frame it’s offered is shorter? So it’s a more exclusive event? I don’t know

I honestly wasn’t expecting a refund. Maybe a credit towards a future ticket purchase. But to get our money back in full was a nice surprise.

 

[luvinthemajik]

Ok guys, Halloween Party time

This was Sage’s first Halloween party and my first since 2008. My husband and I went once before the kids were born and I actually didn’t have the best time. I foolishly assumed we would have time to do everything we wanted and didn’t really plan anything. It was so crowded and I made the mistake of prioritizing the rare character meet and greets. We spent so much time in line and were literally running from one thing to the next. It was really stressful.

So this time around, I made a solid plan. I looked up times for all the shows and special party happenings and had everything carefully planned out.

Since we had accomplished almost everything we wanted to on our MK day, we didn’t feel the need to arrive prior to 4. We got to MK a little after 4, used the restroom outside the entrance and at about 4:20, walked right in.

We were a little disappointed that Cruella wasn’t out greeting guests like I’ve seen others post.

We first stopped to take a picture in front of the castle. I was already so hot and sweaty
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We then started walking towards Adventureland and I noticed the spring roll cart had a short line. Since we hadn’t really eaten anything since Topolino’s, we stopped for what ended up being our “dinner”. We shared the two spring rolls (one cheeseburger and one pepperoni) and while they were very good, it’s hard to justify the $10 price tag.

We then went over to Tiki Room. This was one of the things we missed our first day. Always a favorite.
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As we were walking by Pirates, there was a short posted wait so we figured why not.
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We then went over to Haunted Mansion.
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As we were exiting Haunted Mansion, Sage bent down to pick up her bag from the floor of the doom buggy and somehow dropped her sunglasses over the side onto the track. I told the cast member as we were exiting and he told us to tell the cast members out at the podium. We stopped to tell them and they told us the tracks are cleared every half hour or so so to come back in about an hour. I won’t keep you I suspense- we never got them back and Sage is still salty about it. We went back an hour later and they still didn’t have them. They said to come back at the end of the night but because of the chaos that was soon to come, we never made it back. I filed a lost and found report online and a week after, I got an email that they were never found and our case was closed. Sage hasn’t let me live it down.

Anyway, after Haunted Mansion, we started walking towards Carousel of Progress, the only other thing we missed our first day. As we were walking past Star Traders in Tomorrowland, we noticed they had the Halloween party merch out. We decided to stop and do our shopping then instead of saving it til the end of the night.

Once we had our goodies, we walked over to CoP only to find it was already closed. Apparently it closed at 6 so they could set it up as a trick or treat trail. Sage was way more upset about this than I was expecting her to be

It was probably about 6:45 at this point so we figured we’d see if Space Mountain had switched to the party overlay yet. This was high on our must do list. When I asked the CM standing outside, all she said was no, it wasn’t running yet.

We decided to check out Mad Tea Party to see if that party version was running. It was but since it was still light out, you really couldn’t see the extra lightning effects. So we passed on that for the time being and walked back towards Space. It was now 7 so I figured it must be ready. When we went back over to ask, we were told Space was down for technical difficulties and likely would be for a while Step one of my plan was already messed up

We decided to walk over to Princess Scarytale Hall to see Maleficent and the Snow Queen.
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This was definitely a highlight of the night. It was pretty much downhill from here

You know what is said, "The best laid plans.....often go..."
Did Sage drop the glasses, or you?
Pre teens can be so mercurial.
I hope you had some fun on this party night, it's WDW and Mom and daughter together in a magical place makes for some wonderful memories.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

You know what is said, "The best laid plans.....often go..."
Did Sage drop the glasses, or you?
Pre teens can be so mercurial.
I hope you had some fun on this party night, it's WDW and Mom and daughter together in a magical place makes for some wonderful memories.

Sage 100% dropped her own glasses. But my kids literally blame me for everything

We did have some really great moments but the Halloween Party was rough. Not our best night. The fireworks were definitely a highlight!

 

[luvinthemajik]

Sage 100% dropped her own glasses. But my kids literally blame me for everything

We did have some really great moments but the Halloween Party was rough. Not our best night. The fireworks were definitely a highlight!

I was so happy for you about the refund, fingers crossed for your next trip& party.

 

[Tiggerish]

I'm so sorry your Halloween party turned out so poorly. Glad you enjoyed the fireworks, and you got.some.great.photos.

Thirding the whole "who dropped the sunglasses". That was a real eye roller for me. Hopefully that'll get better with age.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

A few last pictures from Friday night. Because of the location of our room/bus stop/ skyliner, we never walked through the pretty courtyard at night and I wanted to see the lanterns all lit up. So we took a little detour. Definitely worth it

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Day 8- Saturday 8/24

Alright, let’s see if I can wrap this up

This was our check out day. Because we got back from the Halloween party so late and I was so exhausted, I made a rookie mistake. I forgot to latch the door. At 8:45am while we were still asleep in bed, Mousekeeping came barging in I could understand if it was 10:30 or even 10 but really?!? 8:45?!?

I had an alarm set for 9:30 so we would have an hour and a half to get ourselves ready and pack. It will come as a shock to no one that Sage still wasn’t ready at 11.

A few random rooms pics- I call these “things that bugged me”

Clearly the 5th sleeper was added after the wall art but the artwork was never moved. So the top of the furniture slightly covered the art work but only on the left side

Also, the doors that closed across the vanity area actually didn’t fully close. Not helpful when changing.

Anyways, we were finally packed and brought our bags down to bell services. We then went and got a quick lunch at Centertown Market. I got the pulled pork and very much enjoyed it. The food at CBR is definitely a highlight of the resort.

We had a few hours til Mears was scheduled to pick us up so Sage asked if we could go to Wilderness Lodge. She has never been over there and was eager to check it out.

I have been to Wilderness Lodge once before, I had dinner at Artist Point on my solo trip back in January 2022. I am OBSESSED with this resort and it is at the top of my bucket list! I find it so calming and peaceful. If I ever do another solo trip, this is where I want to stay.

Sage loved it too.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

A few more from WL

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We made our way back to CBR and saw the character bus parked out front. We went inside and sure enough- Daisy!

We also Chip and Dale but they were definitely leaving so we just got a few pictures as they were walking by.

So stinkin cute!

We waved to them and waved goodbye to our trip.

This is my last photo

Chip and Dale leaving Caribbean Beach, just like us.

Our flight was at 6:05pm and our scheduled Mears pick up was at 3:15. The email said to be outside waiting 15 minutes prior to our pick. We were actually outside a little before 3.

At about 3:05 a bus pulled up but I figured it wasn’t ours. I went to check and he told me this was the 2:45 bus and that they were running a bit behind.

A few minutes later I got a text that our driver was on his way. There was a link you could click and see where he was on the map. We watched as he slowly made his way towards us. We saw him at Pop Century and they all of it sudden, it said route ended, status unavailable

By now it was 3:45 so well past our pick up time. About 5 minutes later I got a phone call. It was Mears saying unfortunately our driver forgot to pick us up

They said we could cancel our reservation and find another way to the airport or they could “try” to send a van to get us. I have never used Uber or Lyft and wouldn’t even know where to begin. And at this point, our flight was only 2 hours away so I really didn’t have the time to try and figure it out. So I asked for the van.

Thankfully one arrived within a few minutes. At some point during all this, I got an in-app notification from Southwest that our boarding would begin at 5:35. By the time we arrived at the airport, that gave us less than an hour to check our bags and go through security. We made it but it was super stressful.

I did contact Mears after the fact to try and find out what happened. I also let them know how rushed and stressed we were to make our flight. It literally took them 10 days to respond to my message. And they were not super sympathetic. They basically said the driver made an error but that we were still at the airport in an appropriate amount of time. They gave us a partial refund as a “goodwill gesture”.


So that’s it, that’s the end of our adventure! A few final thoughts.

Caribbean Beach is a beautiful resort. The grounds are really pretty. We loved the pool, we loved the food and the overall vibe of the resort. Bus service was great and super convenient. However, I wasn’t super impressed with the skyliner. It was just too far from our room despite us being in a preferred location. The resort itself is just too big for my liking.

And the rooms are in desperate need of a full refurbishment. They are old, dated, not super clean and lacking with things like storage and outlets. I much preferred the newly refurbished rooms at the All Stars. I’m not saying I would never stay at CBR again but I would only consider if the rooms are fully renovated.


Overall this trip was good. I am not kidding when I say Sage whined literally every day about how hot she was. That was definitely hard to deal with. And we left later than I wanted to every single morning.

But, we did accomplish A LOT. Way more than I was expecting. Our days were jam packed. And for the first time, she did totally fine waiting in line. That was one thing she never complained about. So that was a big improvement from past trips.



Next up should be me and Aria in November 2025. We had previously discussed staying in a Little Mermaid room at AoA but much like CBR, that is also a long walk to the skyliner. So I may have to rethink that



Thanks for following along everyone

 

[Tiggerish]

Wow, those pics are definitely things that make you go "huh?".

What the heck, 8:45. Rude!

Wilderness Lodge is all that and a bag of chips. I'm so glad you had time to indulge Sage's wish, she looks so happy in her WL cubby!

Character bus!!! W00t!

Mears did you wrong!! Goodwill gesture, my behind, they owed you! Good thing they offered the van and it arrived promptly, but totally wrong of them to be so unapologetic for the driver "forgetting" you. Next time, just get on the first bus that comes when you're at the stop (I know you don't need me to tell you that)

Great wrapup, and loved the TR.

 

[erstwo]

I’m sorry your party night was a wash out.
I know its embarrassing to have a child have a fit in public, but I like to think one of the ‘good’ things to come out of the internet/ all this social media - is that people are more aware that everyone is different, some are neurodivergent, anxious, etc.
I try to never judge. If your teen is having a fit - I will wish you well ( telepathically )and try to catch your eye and give you the look of ‘solidarity in motherhood’ but no judgement!!
Loved the report - thanks for taking us along!

 

[Bullseye1967]

Especially since no one really knows my kids and their personalities. Sage deals with a lot of anxiety in her every day life. She also has trouble controlling her emotions, even in public. She doesn’t have the ability to be embarrassed by her actions and has no trouble acting in public in a way most people wouldn’t. Even though she looks like a teenager, in a lot of ways she doesn’t yet act like one. So while I was not surprised that she was lying on the floor crying, I’m sure the people around us were. And while she may not be embarrassed, obviously I was.

I certainly don't know your kids, or your life, but you seem like a spectacular mom! You have fifty or more pics in this TR with a huge smile on her face. I happened to notice there is also a smile on yours in most. Yes I am sure you pick the pics, but it looks like "half the sisters with mom" was a very good choice and she will have great memories of it. To the meltdown in public. At some point of insanity in our lives, my wife and I decided we need some more kids on top of what we had. We weren't going back to diapers, so we adopted. We got siblings from a drug addicted mother and they had some issues, but that was not on them. The youngest was 9 when we got them from foster care. We adopted them a year later. At, 9 because of the life she had gone through, developmentally she was about 6. Plenty of fun there, but we loved her and got through it. We moved to Central Florida when she was 16 and most times she acted 16 (or maybe 14) but; I can't count the number of times in the parks ( We were AP and went a few times a week) she had meltdowns on us when things didn't work out. Like you, not usually through our planning but just things life throws at you. It didn't help that she was a bigger girl and at 16 looked maybe 20. The long and the short of it is she is now 29 and a great mother to her 4 year old daughter. The leaps and bounds she taken in the the last few years have been huge. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it will be a bright one! My DM is always open if you need a sympathetic ear.

Forgot to add:

Love the Donald costume!
You didn't drop the glasses!
Glad you at least saw the fireworks!
Stop putting yourself down, you are a great parent and a beautiful person!
Biggest one TY for taking us on this great TR with so much good commentary and great pics!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Wow, those pics are definitely things that make you go "huh?".

What the heck, 8:45. Rude!

Wilderness Lodge is all that and a bag of chips. I'm so glad you had time to indulge Sage's wish, she looks so happy in her WL cubby!

Character bus!!! W00t!

Mears did you wrong!! Goodwill gesture, my behind, they owed you! Good thing they offered the van and it arrived promptly, but totally wrong of them to be so unapologetic for the driver "forgetting" you. Next time, just get on the first bus that comes when you're at the stop (I know you don't need me to tell you that)

Great wrapup, and loved the TR.

Thanks so much! I was really hoping Mears would at least give us a credit for the future. I have used them exclusively forever. Obviously we always used the Magical Express and since that has no longer been an option, we’ve used both Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer. I don’t think I would feel comfortable using a ride share especially as a solo traveler or a mom traveling with a kid. So for now, I will stick with Mears but I really hope that doesn’t happen again