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.


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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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!
Thank you so much, I definitely agree with that. Being a mom to difficult kids has made me so much more empathetic to others. I also never judge not only public behaviors but also parenting styles. It’s nice to know there are people out there who feel the same 🤗
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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 throw 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 25 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!
Thanks so much!
I have a lot of respect for people who do foster care and adopt older children. That’s amazing. For you and them.
Thank you very much for your compassion. What I’ve learned through the years is that it is very easy to post smiling pictures on social media and pretend you had a great day. I never lie when it comes to issues with my kids. If we had a rough day, I say we had a rough day. I’ve discovered that people often appreciate the honesty. I know for me, it’s very comforting to feel like I’m not alone and that someone else is often going through something similar. And I hope that by me being honest, someone else might think, wow I’m glad it’s not just me feeling like this 🤪
And also
Donald is my number one guy. He’s often grumpy like me 😉
I definitely didn’t drop the glasses 🤣
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
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.
All rooms at CBR have been renovated within the last 9-18 months. From your experience it sure sounds like Disney missed the mark - big time!
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
All rooms at CBR have been renovated within the last 9-18 months. From your experience it sure sounds like Disney missed the mark - big time!
Yes, that’s true, I guess I should have clarified more. The rooms in Trinidad were fully gutted and given an Under The Sea theme. The other rooms within the resort were only given a “refresh”. From what I’ve read, they swapped out the flooring and repainted. So yes, a small but not a full upgrade. The rooms just felt old and dated.
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Awesome Trip Report!! Looking forward to your next one. It's great that you are choosing to dedicate a trip to each kiddo. Oh - if it makes you feel better, your MNSSHP night was a million times better than ours ... 🤣 🤣 🤣 I'm so glad you were able to get a refund!
Thank you! The next trip will be different for sure. There’s no way Aria will be able to handle the long days. I’m already planning for it to be a more laidback trip 😎

Ok I need to know, what happened at your MNSSHP?!?
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
What a great TR!! And let’s face it-perfect trips are few & far between & really, most aren’t. I appreciate your “call it like you see it” style!!
I can still remember how much I enjoyed a TR you did way back when Sage was little. I’m thinking it might have been her first trip? Anyhow, time sure flies!!
Thank you for sharing!!
 

luvinthemajik

Well-Known Member
Thanks so much!
We took Sage for the first time when she was almost 4, Aria wasn’t born yet. And I did do a trip report for that so good memory 😁
This will always be one of my favorite pics from that trip. Merida is my fav and this particular one was so sweet.
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What a beautiful smile from Sage, such a sweet pic, thank you for sharing a lovely memory.
 

cgersic

Well-Known Member
Thanks so much!
We took Sage for the first time when she was almost 4, Aria wasn’t born yet. And I did do a trip report for that so good memory 😁
This will always be one of my favorite pics from that trip. Merida is my fav and this particular one was so sweet.
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Merida is also my favorite and Sage in this is just adorable! She sure looks like you!
 

Figment Forever

Well-Known Member
Thank you! The next trip will be different for sure. There’s no way Aria will be able to handle the long days. I’m already planning for it to be a more laidback trip 😎

Ok I need to know, what happened at your MNSSHP?!?

Cant wait to read that TR!

Let's just say our MNSSHP was very "wet". lol A complete wash out... (Hopefully, I'll get to that TR one day!). But kudos to Disney, they gave a refund and I didn't even have to ask.
 

Minnie1986

Well-Known Member
Next up, Muppet Vision! A must do for both of us.

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We then saw the Frozen Sing a Long. I am actually not super fond of the Frozen movies but I LOVE this show. The historians are hysterical.
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I am actually not super fond of the Frozen movies but I LOVE this show. The historians are hysterical.
SAME!!! Also, I'm sure Molly from Mammoth Club would be very proud that you "packed your patient pants," and decided not to run at early entry.
 

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