Help with reluctant traveler!

[SamnDawn060304]

Yes!!!! We just made our last payment on our Vacation. We are going 10/17 -10/22 staying @ CSR. This will be my second time staying on property and my first time at a moderate resort.

The haves: My mother and I have been numerous times
The have nots: My sister-n-law has not been since the 70's

It has only taken me 3 years to convince her that things have changed and that she will really love it. I want to make this very memorable for her (I want her to want to come back and not wait 30+ years to do it again)

We leave at 4:15pm via SWA out of BWI. This first night that we are there Epcot has EMH and I wanted to take advantage of these. I tried to get ADR for the Coral Reef booked everything was booked. (I waited til last minute:lookaroun) After some searching we are eating at San Angel Inn. I am not a big fan of Mexican food but oh well here goes. Can someone give me some info if they have eaten there and not been a big fan also Thanks! I think that the atmosphere will be relaxing enough. Do not want to push everything too much DSNL is on the 3rd shift that week and gets off at 7am on the day we leave .

I have done everything possible to get her pumped up for this trip watchin ride videos etc... so far the only thing she is excited about is Universal Halloween Horror Night and the Hotel. HELP!!! what else can I do? :hammer:

I will post more later and a full trip report when we return.

Thanks in advance!:wave:

 

[DisneyJoe]

Tell her about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

You may just want to take it easy the first night.

What hotel are you staying at?

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Yes I plan to take it easy the first night we are staying at Coronado Springs.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I guess what I meant to say was you may want to skip a park altogether that night.

If your flight leaves BWI at 4:15pm and lands at 6:35pm, by the time you get to Coronado Springs to check in it will be at least 7:35pm. Check in can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes..putting you around 8pm before you can catch a bus to Epcot... if your SIL finished her shift at 7am that day, I would personally want to hang around the resort and get a good nights rest, after eating some dinner and maybe a drink or a swim.

But we are morning people, you may be better at staying up late...

 

[Eyorefan]

Yes!!!! We just made our last payment on our Vacation. We are going 10/17 -10/22 staying @ CSR. This will be my second time staying on property and my first time at a moderate resort.

The haves: My mother and I have been numerous times
The have nots: My sister-n-law has not been since the 70's

It has only taken me 3 years to convince her that things have changed and that she will really love it. I want to make this very memorable for her (I want her to want to come back and not wait 30+ years to do it again)

We leave at 4:15pm via SWA out of BWI. This first night that we are there Epcot has EMH and I wanted to take advantage of these. I tried to get ADR for the Coral Reef booked everything was booked. (I waited til last minute:lookaroun) After some searching we are eating at San Angel Inn. I am not a big fan of Mexican food but oh well here goes. Can someone give me some info if they have eaten there and not been a big fan also Thanks! I think that the atmosphere will be relaxing enough. Do not want to push everything too much DSNL is on the 3rd shift that week and gets off at 7am on the day we leave .

I have done everything possible to get her pumped up for this trip watchin ride videos etc... so far the only thing she is excited about is Universal Halloween Horror Night and the Hotel. HELP!!! what else can I do? :hammer:

I will post more later and a full trip report when we return.

Thanks in advance!:wave:

Well, if it makes you feel better, San Angel Inn does NOT have real Mexican food. Its not even Tex-Mex. Its been my experiance, that the less you know about Mexian food and Tex-Mex, the more you enjoy the food at San Angel.

A big plus for the place though is that their margaritas are great, and the atmosphere is really awesome (if not a little dark). I think you will enjoy it.

 

[KingStefan]

Don't push too hard. And don't oversell. Let her discover the magic for herself. If you oversell, she is bound to be disappointed. The magic is different for everyone. And no matter how much you have planned, allow flexibility to do the things she is most interested in.

 

[DisneyJoe]

It has only taken me 3 years to convince her that things have changed and that she will really love it.

Like KingStefan said, don't push too hard. Some people just don't "get" Disney and never will.

 

[markjohns1]

I typically find going to DTD is a nice way to spend a first day, especially when arriving in the late afternoon or evening. It can be a nice bridge between the "real world" and the Disney experience, and you can take it at whatever pace you want to go. If you do head to Epcot the first night, I would just take it easy, enjoy dinner, grab a drink, and find a good spot to catch Illuminations.

My biggest suggestion, as KingStefan pointed out, is to be flexible and allow her to pick what she would like to do. Some of the fun of going with someone who has rarely been to WDW is seeing them light up and discover the parks. Especially if she is going to be exhausted at the beginning of the trip, try to let her pick the pace to begin with.

 

[kjd469]

Well, if it makes you feel better, San Angel Inn does NOT have real Mexican food. Its not even Tex-Mex. Its been my experiance, that the less you know about Mexian food and Tex-Mex, the more you enjoy the food at San Angel.

A big plus for the place though is that their margaritas are great, and the atmosphere is really awesome (if not a little dark). I think you will enjoy it.

Perhaps it's not the mexican food they serve in Texas, but I LIVE in Mexico, and can tell you that it is very authentic...San Angel Restaurant is a very famous restaurant in Mexico City, and many of the items on the menu at EPCOT are directly from there. Americanized mexican food bears little resemblance to what you will get in most parts of Mexico...especially the further you get from the U.S. border. We always enjoy the food, and atmosphere at San Angel - if it's the spices that you worry about, don't - there is nothing really spicy on the menu there. Go with an open mind, and enjoy...try the chilaquilles...they're delicious!!

 

[SamnDawn060304]

I do plan on not planning too much I am not worried about her seeing everything. Just the big ticket things to start. We are just having dinner and then back to the hotel or a leisurely stroll, dip in the pool (weather permitting) nothing major. I am sure that the food will be delicious (as long as it is not too spicy) and the Mar. will be refreshing:slurp:.

Important:

SIL just told me that she is getting off early that day so that she can get at least 6-7 hours sleep before we leave for BWI.

Told here about post on here and she wanted me tell everyone that she is excited about the.... POOL. :shrug:

 

[DisneyJoe]

What time is dinner on your arrival day?

 

[SamnDawn060304]

What time is dinner on your arrival day?

9:00 pm I think that gives us enough time. We have rental car so we can just drive on over and not have to wait on a bus or anything. The way everyone has been talkin I am glad we are getting a car and not waiting on the buses I never had a problem when we stay at AS Movie but you never know.

 

[Crazy4WDW1]

My best advice is to not push. I'm sure your sister-in-law will find her own magic. Epcot is a beautiful park at night. Enjoy a leisurely stroll around World Showcase after dinner. With the F&W going on, you can sample a nice glass of wine and a dessert during your stroll.

 

[Burning Metal]

My suggestion for your first night since you are getting in later in the day would be to enjoy the resort. My wife, stepson and I jus got back 2 weeks ago from our first stay at Coranado Springs and we loved it! You should definitely go for a swim in the main pool...it was great! In my opinion it's the best pool out of any of the resorts..the slide is fantastic! My stepson and I spent hours going down the slide, it was a blast. Hope you have a great trip...

 

[KingStefan]

Two comments:

(1) It's true what others have said - the pool at the CSR is really beautiful. They have the biggest hot tub on property. And the slide is great, even for adults.

(2) If you're leaving 4:15, by the time you get to MCO I imagine that doesn't leave a heck of a lot of time to get your car, check in, and get to Epcot. What time do you arrive at MCO?

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but maybe you should consider staying at the resort.

And, if you don't mind my asking, did you ask for room preferences at the CSR and if so what were they?

 

[SeaBreeze]

(2) If you're leaving 4:15, by the time you get to MCO I imagine that doesn't leave a heck of a lot of time to get your car, check in, and get to Epcot. What time do you arrive at MCO?

I agree. I personally would feel stressed flying in, trying to get to my hotel and rush right to a park to meet a reservation time. Since she's so excited about the pool (and it is quite nice), maybe just take a relaxing dip in the pool and explore the resort? Just my thoughts.

 

[MattyFresh]

Another vote for staying at the resort. It sounds like its going to be maybe not rushed, but its not going to be a relaxed pace from airport to resort, to dinner. Try the food court and then you won't have to worry about fighting crowds in and out of the park.

Another suggestion like someone mentioned would be DTD. Lots of really good places to eat there, plus its not full on Disney, she can ease her way into it.

But the big thing, would probably change the Epcot night when you get there, you really won't have much time to enjoy the atmosphere and if your ADRs are at 9:00 you will completely miss Illuminations.

But just my .02

 

[SamnDawn060304]

Two comments:

(1) It's true what others have said - the pool at the CSR is really beautiful. They have the biggest hot tub on property. And the slide is great, even for adults.

(2) If you're leaving 4:15, by the time you get to MCO I imagine that doesn't leave a heck of a lot of time to get your car, check in, and get to Epcot. What time do you arrive at MCO?

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but maybe you should consider staying at the resort.

And, if you don't mind my asking, did you ask for room preferences at the CSR and if so what were they?

I did not ask for a room preference. Is there one part better than the other. I upgraded to this hotel from the pop when the rates came out last week or so.

I think you all are right I might just cancel the ADR and eat outside the park we have some personal items to pick up anyways not 3oz stuff LOL. Maybe we will eat in Celebration at Joe's Crab Shack that is one of my Fav's. thanks to everyone for their suggestions. :sohappy:

 

[MouseearsDeb]

What does SIL like to eat? Maybe someone can recommend a place to eat that she and the rest of the party would enjoy. Also, I've seen check-in take even longer than 30min. Just depends on the time of year. I would also vote for exploring the resort. When we stayed at POP a couple of years ago, we had a blast looking at all the stuff they had hanging on the walls.

 

[a2grafix]

If you or your sister-in-law loves beer, or at least enjoys the taste of it, I suggest walking over to Germany and getting the Oktoberfest lager and a Bavarian pretzel.

My last two times at WDW and Epcot (Oct. 2007 and Aug. 2008 - last week) I had a German beer and a preztel. So tasty.

And if you go off-Disney and spend a day at SeaWorld, I highly reccomend you walking to the back to the Budweiser pavllion and drink a few FREE Bud brands of beer.