Trip Report Caribbean Beach Spring Break Trip - Lounging Around

DisneyJeff · May 3, 2017

prfctlyximprct said:
I love that you said hi to the cast member! I follow so many, especially from stalking Rivers of Light, j bet they all steer clear of me when they see me in the parks! Lol!

I also follow this one guy who makes vlogs all the time and he used to have a girlfriend who was a princess and now he has a new girlfriend who's princess Anna.. and wow, I better stop. I am encroaching into the disney circle lol!

You mean he was with someone who was "friends" with a princess and a "friend" of Anna.

Actually, I think I know who you are talking about and I follow them too.

Mrhappyplace · May 3, 2017

sheriffwoody said:
I still don't love that it's sooooooo huge and I can't see the whole resort without taking an hour long walk, but I get that it would be appealing to some. The atmosphere in the Jamaica area was quite nice.

I thought I was going to hate the size of the Caribbean Beach resort and the multiple bus stops but the resort being so spread out really makes it feel more secluded. Once we leave the bus stop area we rarely see anybody else around the resort, comparing that to walking around say Wilderness Lodge where it seems you can't avoid seeing other guest well I've got to say I am enjoying my first stay at a moderate!

sheriffwoody · May 3, 2017

Doc Disney said:
Right?! Its the music! Thats what worries me about the new fireworks. I'm sure the actual display will be great, but I hope the music is good too From the brief previews I've heard I fear not...

Music makes a HUGE difference. I hope it's good! I'm not giving up hope yet, but I guess we'll see.

Mrhappyplace said:
I thought I was going to hate the size of the Caribbean Beach resort and the multiple bus stops but the resort being so spread out really makes it feel more secluded. Once we leave the bus stop area we rarely see anybody else around the resort, comparing that to walking around say Wilderness Lodge where it seems you can't avoid seeing other guest well I've got to say I am enjoying my first stay at a moderate!

So glad you're enjoying it! I know people have different priorities in resort experiences, so it's good there are different types. What area are y'all in?

sheriffwoody · May 3, 2017

Day 5 continued - Skipper Canteen dinner

We took a bus back to Magic Kingdom for the evening. I don't remember ever waiting more than 20 minutes for a bus, and it was usually more like 5-10 minutes. They did a good job of keeping them coming!

We made it to MK with a decent amount of time before our Skipper Canteen reservation, so we decided to go through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. R had never done it! I don't really see the point in it other than to kill time, but oh well.

A light fixture for you @Doc Disney

Nice view from up there! It was pretty busy, so it was a slow climb up. On the plus side, I had time to pause and take pictures.

Little ant people

We got done with that and still had at least 20 minutes before our reservation. I think I went ahead and checked us in, even though they always act so annoyed when you're early. There had been people waiting a while apparently because some guy was complaining that his kids were famished. The cast member sent off for some bananas for them. :joyfull:

. I'm guessing they were a walk-up because we were seated within about 15 minutes.

We were seated in the large dining area.

Our server was a little weird, but she was nice enough.

We started with this bread that I can't for the life of me remember the name of. I think she said it was a traditional South African bread? I am probably way off. I feel like it was coriander bread. It was definitely very herby and you dipped it in a honey sauce. It was just ok.

We also decided to order an app. R thought the S.E.A. Shu Mai sounded good, so we went with that.

It was indeed quite good! I could have just eaten a couple of orders of this

I'm glad I decided to order an entree though because my "Tastes like Chicken" - because it is! was AMAZING. Anything with hoison sauce can go ahead and get in my belly, but the chicken itself was also super delicious. Man, this stuff was yummy. So glad the server recommended it because I was going to get something else until she said the chicken was her fav.

My mouth is watering right now.

R got Nile Nellie's Noodle Bowl with Duck, which I personally thought was super bland. He liked it though.

He also had his eye on the Kungaloosh! so we got that. The lighting was bad in our little corner, but here ya go...

It was pretty good! I was so full that I only ate a little bit.

I was overall very pleased with our first experience at Skipper Canteen! I love love love the silliness of the Jungle Cruise, so it was right up my alley. Our server didn't behave like a skipper AT ALL, so I'm hoping next time we'll get one that plays up the puns.

Up next: Finishing up MK

Mrhappyplace · May 3, 2017

sheriffwoody said:
Music makes a HUGE difference. I hope it's good! I'm not giving up hope yet, but I guess we'll see.

So glad you're enjoying it! I know people have different priorities in resort experiences, so it's good there are different types. What area are y'all in?

We are in Aruba 53. Super convenient in regards to the bus stops with both the Jamaica and Aruba stops being about the same distance from us and the Jamaica one seeming like it is usually both the first to be picked up and dropped off. Everything I had read prior to our trip seemed to indicate that if you were picked up first you would be dropped off last.

sheriffwoody said:
Day 5 continued - Skipper Canteen dinner

We took a bus back to Magic Kingdom for the evening. I don't remember ever waiting more than 20 minutes for a bus, and it was usually more like 5-10 minutes. They did a good job of keeping them coming!

We made it to MK with a decent amount of time before our Skipper Canteen reservation, so we decided to go through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. R had never done it! I don't really see the point in it other than to kill time, but oh well.

A light fixture for you @Doc Disney

Nice view from up there! It was pretty busy, so it was a slow climb up. On the plus side, I had time to pause and take pictures.

Little ant people

We got done with that and still had at least 20 minutes before our reservation. I think I went ahead and checked us in, even though they always act so annoyed when you're early. There had been people waiting a while apparently because some guy was complaining that his kids were famished. The cast member sent off for some bananas for them. . I'm guessing they were a walk-up because we were seated within about 15 minutes.

We were seated in the large dining area.

Our server was a little weird, but she was nice enough.

We started with this bread that I can't for the life of me remember the name of. I think she said it was a traditional South African bread? I am probably way off. I feel like it was coriander bread. It was definitely very herby and you dipped it in a honey sauce. It was just ok.

We also decided to order an app. R thought the S.E.A. Shu Mai sounded good, so we went with that.

It was indeed quite good! I could have just eaten a couple of orders of this

I'm glad I decided to order an entree though because my "Tastes like Chicken" - because it is! was AMAZING. Anything with hoison sauce can go ahead and get in my belly, but the chicken itself was also super delicious. Man, this stuff was yummy. So glad the server recommended it because I was going to get something else until she said the chicken was her fav.

My mouth is watering right now.

R got Nile Nellie's Noodle Bowl with Duck, which I personally thought was super bland. He liked it though.

He also had his eye on the Kungaloosh! so we got that. The lighting was bad in our little corner, but here ya go...

It was pretty good! I was so full that I only ate a little bit.

I was overall very pleased with our first experience at Skipper Canteen! I love love love the silliness of the Jungle Cruise, so it was right up my alley. Our server didn't behave like a skipper AT ALL, so I'm hoping next time we'll get one that plays up the puns.

Up next: Finishing up MK

Glad you enjoyed the Canteen! Walking up is a option for us tonight though we will likely go with something quick serve instead.

mousefreak · May 3, 2017

Love your TR. The wife (@SweetEvangeline ) and stayed at CBR in Feb and loved it.

SSH · May 3, 2017

I would only admit this within our safe virtual walls, but I actually LIKE the treehouse - how disney geeky is that?

My DH - who loves Disney otherwise - thinks I'm loopy. I made him walk it with me two trips ago and he huffed and puffed and complained (in a kidding way) through the whole thing. I love the kitschy charm, the views, the fact that it's something I can do without waiting in line or getting an FP - and figure I'm burning some dole whip or pretzel calories to boot - what's not to like? :cat:

sheriffwoody · May 4, 2017

Mrhappyplace said:
We are in Aruba 53. Super convenient in regards to the bus stops with both the Jamaica and Aruba stops being about the same distance from us and the Jamaica one seeming like it is usually both the first to be picked up and dropped off. Everything I had read prior to our trip seemed to indicate that if you were picked up first you would be dropped off last.

Glad you enjoyed the Canteen! Walking up is a option for us tonight though we will likely go with something quick serve instead.

We were the first dropped off every time except once...and that time we got off before we realized it was the wrong one :hilarious:

. Did you end up going to Canteen? I hope you're going to do a report when you get back!

SSH said:
I would only admit this within our safe virtual walls, but I actually LIKE the treehouse - how disney geeky is that? My DH - who loves Disney otherwise - thinks I'm loopy. I made him walk it with me two trips ago and he huffed and puffed and complained (in a kidding way) through the whole thing. I love the kitschy charm, the views, the fact that it's something I can do without waiting in line or getting an FP - and figure I'm burning some dole whip or pretzel calories to boot - what's not to like?

It's totally geeky, but that's a good thing! haha. I actually enjoy the Tarzan treehouse at Disneyland, so maybe the issue is that I have no connection to Swiss Family Robinson. I've never seen the movie. :cautious:

sheriffwoody · May 4, 2017

Day 5 continued

I had to beg R to use these sweet passes on Splash Mountain since the line had been so long earlier. He finally consented and that's what we headed for first after dinner. I also made us a Jungle Cruise FP on the app earlier in the day, and that would come a little later in the evening.

Even with the passes we waited about 20 minutes.

No exiting here!

It was golden hour :inlove:

so I was taking pictures during the outdoor part of the ride.

Trying to take some "before" selfies on my phone...I'm good at it.

Well, I tried to keep smiling and look cute for the picture, but it's just a split second too late for me to keep my cool, so this happened.

It's the one ride I can't manage to pose on! Tower of Terror is that way for me too. I've only managed it once.

Here's the after:

He hates it when we go by that waterfall, and we almost stopped right beside it. :joyfull:

We really didn't get that wet! Thankfully it was all splashed on our top half, and we didn't get any pooling water in the seats. That's the worst, when you get off the ride and have a wet bottom for the next hour.

After we got off Splash, we headed to Adventureland for the Jungle Cruise. I already mentioned that I love all the puns, but R doesn't, but he puts up with it for me

The light was still TO DIE FOR, so I was being a creep and taking pictures of the cast members.

Skipper Victoria was totally on board with my photo-taking

I made that joke on Instagram, and no one laughed... You guys get it though, right?

She ended up being our Skipper, and I was the one who sat right next to her at the front. She was a great skipper! She did almost all the normal jokes that I expect, but she added a few little quips that I hadn't heard. It was a great cruise to end the day on!

Poor quality selfie, but I love getting a picture at the train station every trip.

Since we didn't have anything else we wanted to do in MK, and we'd watched Wishes the night before, we decided to go check out Disney Springs. We waited a little while for a bus, but we finally made it there. I was so lost the entire time. Everything was so new, and I never got anything resembling bearings while I was walking around. Oh well! It was fun to explore and just hope we could find our way back.

The new shopping area is beautiful! We went in a couple of stores, but it was crowded, and I hate shopping in crowded stores. I looked around Uniqlo, but I didn't find anything. I was a little chilly, so I wanted a sweatshirt, but I talked myself out of the one I was thinking of buying. I'm good at doing that...

The Beauty and the Beast store was really neat! I think I read somewhere that the theme there will change periodically, which is really cool. Gives you a reason to come back to check it out again.

We meandered around and found ourselves back at World of Disney and the area we knew a little better. We went in the art store and ran into a cast member who went to the college where I work. I've seen him in there before, but for some reason I thought he was working somewhere else now! It was a nice surprise to run into him and we chatted a bit.

R and I decided to head back toward the bus stops, but we wanted to get a drink first. We ended up at the Planet Hollywood bar, Stargazers (I think that's what it was called). We sat at the bar and watched the Preds game on tv. They're doing pretty awesome in the playoffs! I don't keep up with hockey, but the Preds are the team closest to us, and I've been to a game with my good friend who is an uber-fan. It was fun to watch the game while we were just hanging out. That bar is outdoors, so the atmosphere is pretty chill.

I was hungry, but we didn't end up passing anywhere else with food (the bar didn't have a menu, and I didn't ask like I should have). I really wanted some of the poutine from the new poutine place, but I couldn't remember where we'd seen it, and I didn't want to get lost again.

We found the bus stop without much difficulty and made it back to the resort after midnight. We were both pretty tired, and this was about the latest we'd stayed up at Disney in a while! We're usually early-birds.

Up next - Festival time!

sheriffwoody · May 4, 2017

Day 6 - Epcot

So like I said, don't remember much as far at details because I didn't take notes. I know we got there after the park opened, and I think it was around 9:30. It was already pretty busy! Test Track was the only ride we thought we might ride standby, but the wait was already 30+ minutes, and neither of us wanted to ride bad enough to wait.

I had R take some pictures of me in my new floral ears. This was supposed to be a Moana disneybound, but I never could find a top that really worked for the character, so I just wore a plain red one.

He doesn't understand why this doesn't work for me...so many shadows! I was too impatient to try to find a spot that was totally shaded, so we moved on.

Cute little Stitch topiary!

Much better. The girl who makes the ears has some great ones! makingsofadreamer on Etsy if you want to check her out. They're pricey, but I feel like they're worth it!

We decided to check out the Festival Center, but it didn't open until 10, so we checked out the passholder merch, and I bought a pin.

We waited outside the center for a bit before it finally opened.

I was hoping a monorail would go by here, but it never did.

Headed in!

We just looked around a little bit and didn't stay long. I just wanted to check for ears for @prfctlyximprct but no luck. They said they probably wouldn't be restocking them.

On the way out, we saw a photographer with Buzz.

These are some of my favorites of the trip.

We continued on toward World Showcase since it would be opening soon. I think we walked through Mouse Gear, but I didn't buy anything.

Up next - Visiting the booths

amjt660 · May 4, 2017

Sherriff
The skipper Victoria picture and pun were great

But your ride pic on Splash!!??!!
I cannot find the words - I literally laughed out loud when I saw that pic (sitting here having lunch at my desk)
If you had not explained it I was sure it was staged.

Loving the report (as always)

Max

amjt660 · May 4, 2017

And.... the floral ears are really cute

Max

sheriffwoody · May 4, 2017

amjt660 said:
Sherriff
The skipper Victoria picture and pun were great

But your ride pic on Splash!!??!!
I cannot find the words - I literally laughed out loud when I saw that pic (sitting here having lunch at my desk)
If you had not explained it I was sure it was staged.

Loving the report (as always)

Max

I knew you would get the joke, Max! You're my fellow pun-fan on the boards. And yeah the Splash picture is something else :hilarious:

. Pure, raw emotion right there!

sheriffwoody · May 4, 2017

Day 6 continued - F&G

So on the way into Epcot earlier, I picked up a map for the Eggstravaganza. Since we got to World Showcase before it opened, we headed to Norway since we could walk around there and look for the egg. Y'all we looked...and looked...and looked. I finally asked a cast member for a clue and he told me which courtyard it was in. Still no luck. I finally looked up clues online, and that didn't help because I was looking at the wrong year. :hilarious:

I didn't figure that out until later.

We decided to head back in the opposite direction and go around WS starting in Canada.

On the way we stopped at The Berry Basket for

Lamb chop with Quinoa Salad and Blackberry Gastrique – $7.25
Founders Raubeaus Pure Raspberry Ale - $4.25
Island Grove Blueberry Moscato – $5.25

It was all delicious! The lamb was soooooo good, and I love quinoa so it was perfect. I remember liking the moscato quite a bit too.

After that, we continued around toward Canada. It was at this point that I figured out I was looking at clues for the wrong year of the egg hunt, so I found the right thing. I found text clues instead of picture clues, which I liked better.

On the way to Canada we stopped at Pineapple Promenade for the item R was most looking forward to

Spicy Hot Dog with Pineapple Chutney and Plantain Chips – $7.50
Pineapple Mana, Maui Brewing Company, Hawaii – $4.25

He LOVES hot dogs. I tried it and it was actually pretty good.

I love the design on the outside of that kiosk.

We noticed the little cut-through area had a kiosk, so we headed up there. There was also a kids play area that seemed pretty cool. The kiosk up there was Urban Farm Eats and we ordered

Watermelon Salad with Pickled Onions, B&W Gourmet Farms Baby Arugula, Feta and Balsamic Reduction (GF) (V) – $4.00
Seared Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Ragoût, Spring Vegetables and Fingerling Potatoes – $6.25

THAT. SALAD. THOUGH. It was so so so good. I love fresh foods, and this was amazing. The tenderloin was very good as well, but the salad was just so perfect for that warm day.

Our next item, I am not 100% sure of. I THINK it's from Northern Bloom.

Nanaimo Bar – $4.25

This was R's thing, and I just tasted it. It was good, but super tiny. If that's not what is pictured, let me know! That's the only thing I can find that it could be though...

Beautiful Canada :inlove:

I used my word clues to find the egg.

Up next: more World Showcase and EATINGGGGG

LeighM · May 4, 2017

I love those Mickey ears!!! I might have to buy one for my trip next March

IAmMoana · May 4, 2017

sheriffwoody said:
Day 6 - Epcot
Much better. The girl who makes the ears has some great ones! makingsofadreamer on Etsy if you want to check her out. They're pricey, but I feel like they're worth it!

I was going back and forth about getting ears like this for my upcoming trip. I think you just convinced me (not like that was a difficult task -I love buying Disney things)!

rshell68 · May 4, 2017

Love your Ears as well. My daughter and I just made ours for our next trip. We've become obsessed with making more LOL

21stamps · May 4, 2017

sheriffwoody said:
Day 1 continued: let's ride!

My first fastpass was (apparently) Haunted Mansion. It's my favorite, so of course I had to squeeze it in on my solo day!

I think this was around 6. The bottleneck after the stretching room was alive and well . I HATE that area. I wish they'd put people through the stretching room slower to avoid it. I'd rather wait in the regular line outside longer than sardine pack myself in with 100 sweaty strangers trying to squeeze through that tiny space.

When I made it to my doom buggy, I made sure to sit on the left side of it so I didn't end up in a @TrolleyFollower91 situation

After Haunted Mansion it was almost time for my Big Thunder FP! I had some time to kill though so I took some pictures and hung out near the ride. The only place I could find to linger was in the smoking section, but it wasn't too bad.

The worst part was the group of teenage boys talking WAY too loudly and cursing. I know they're just immature, but that doesn't mean I can't get annoyed

When my FP time finally rolled around, I got in line. It passed by pretty quickly, and soon I was on my fav wild ride!

Took that one on my phone. Isn't is the best view?!

After that I had a lot of time to kill before Wishes. It was only about 7:30 I think, and Wishes was at 10. I walked back toward Main Street to access the train station situation and get a coffee.

Saw my favorite Duck on the way

Mmmmm yes please

The castle at dusk is AMAZING. It's beautiful always, but especially at dusk.

There were several people set up already to take pictures of Wishes, and I didn't want to just wait around for 2 hours, so I had a decision to make. Should I find some other stuff to do and wait for Wishes, or just go ahead and leave? I decided to just leave. I know that's crazy, but I'd been up since 6:30am and had an hour and a half drive ahead of me.

So I said "See ya real soon" to MK and got on the monorail back to Epcot. I chatted with another family on the way back, and pretty soon I was back at my rental car (which I miraculously found).

I stayed with one of my best friends who lives in St. Petersburg, so I went strait there and made it by about 10. She lives in a little bungalow down there and we just sat on the porch and talked for a couple of hours before going to bed. As much as I love Wishes, I was glad I got to her house earlier and had some time to catch up.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning were all spent between Tampa (work) and St. Petersburg (where I was staying). I was photographing a group of students from the school where I work. Our school sends out teams of students each spring break and summer on mission trips of sorts. This group was working with a church plant in Tampa. They did some manual labor at the church, surveyed students at the University of Tampa and worked at a cafe downtown that serves the urban poor. It was a REALLY great trip, and the kind of work that I find most rewarding. In these kind of situations, I'm able to shoot a little but also put the camera down and help some. I love it!

On Tuesday I made it back to St. Pete in time for a quick beach trip to watch the sunset.

It was a PERFECT evening.

Had to say goodbye the next morning

Getting older stinks, y'all. All my friends have moved away. But at least I have cool places to visit!

Ok, now back to Disney!

Up Next: Back to the world with my favorite dude.

How did I just see this thread now????

Your photos are amazing!!! Looks like fun, can't wait to read more!

sheriffwoody · May 4, 2017

IAmMoana said:
I was going back and forth about getting ears like this for my upcoming trip. I think you just convinced me (not like that was a difficult task -I love buying Disney things)!

Oh gosh I'm the same way! I love buying Disney-related things

rshell68 said:
Love your Ears as well. My daughter and I just made ours for our next trip. We've become obsessed with making more LOL

I wish I could make them! I am mildly crafty, but I'm not good enough to make ears.

21stamps said:
How did I just see this thread now????

Your photos are amazing!!! Looks like fun, can't wait to read more!

Thanks for following along!

PrincessL · May 4, 2017

sheriffwoody said:
Day 6 - Epcot

So like I said, don't remember much as far at details because I didn't take notes. I know we got there after the park opened, and I think it was around 9:30. It was already pretty busy! Test Track was the only ride we thought we might ride standby, but the wait was already 30+ minutes, and neither of us wanted to ride bad enough to wait.

I had R take some pictures of me in my new floral ears. This was supposed to be a Moana disneybound, but I never could find a top that really worked for the character, so I just wore a plain red one.

He doesn't understand why this doesn't work for me...so many shadows! I was too impatient to try to find a spot that was totally shaded, so we moved on.

Cute little Stitch topiary!

Much better. The girl who makes the ears has some great ones! makingsofadreamer on Etsy if you want to check her out. They're pricey, but I feel like they're worth it!

We decided to check out the Festival Center, but it didn't open until 10, so we checked out the passholder merch, and I bought a pin.

We waited outside the center for a bit before it finally opened.

I was hoping a monorail would go by here, but it never did.

Headed in!

We just looked around a little bit and didn't stay long. I just wanted to check for ears for @prfctlyximprct but no luck. They said they probably wouldn't be restocking them.

On the way out, we saw a photographer with Buzz.

These are some of my favorites of the trip.

We continued on toward World Showcase since it would be opening soon. I think we walked through Mouse Gear, but I didn't buy anything.

Up next - Visiting the booths

LOVE your ears!! You are a celebrity as your pic is on her etsy site

I'm in the process of deciding which ones to get myself! Soooo cute that you and R's shirts coordinate with your Moana ears too!!!