Trip Report "I'm COLD!" : Our chilly (to me!!) & then hot April TR!

It’s so hard to believe we’re back already! All the planning and waiting and thinking about your trip and then the trip comes and goes so fast it’s like you blinked and it’s over. Just like that you are waiting for your next trip again! It’s fun to re – live however, so here is my trip report for our trip from 4/8-4/16 at Caribbean Beach Resort!

You can read my PRE TRIP Report here: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/we-have-to-go-back-april-2016.906141/

CAST:
Me- Brittany aka Mom!
AJ- My Husband
Harper- Our princess 21 months.
Gigi- My mom
Pappy - My step dad

Where: Caribbean Beach Resort

When: April 9th - April 16th


Thursday 4/7

After I left work on Thursday night, I decided that I’d get my “Disney nails” done tonight rather than going in the morning since I’d agreed to take my mom’s dog to the vet to be boarded because they worked until lunch time on Friday. So I zipped out to the mall and got my nails done in what seemed to be record time, and got back home while Harper was still awake. I remember she was up late this night and sat with us watching cartoons. We didn’t care since we didn’t have to get up early in the morning.

Friday 4/8
I think we woke up around 6:45am on Friday. Harper woke up really early and I remember being bummed because I didn’t want her nap time to be before we left and have to wake her up to leave (luckily, this wasn’t an issue). Most of my stuff was packed up so I left around 8:15am to go over and take my mom’s dog to the vet. Mom was still there so we chatted a bit before we went off our different ways. Since I was taking her car, I went straight home after dropping him off.


This part is all kind of a blur, but we packed the car, moved the car seat, and attached her DVD player. We also finished cleaning up around the apartment and made sure nothing was on, and made sure we turned the air off before we left. Before we knew it, we were headed over my mom’s house to meet my parents there to leave together! (something we decided to do fairly last minute)

First thing we did before leaving town was getting some coffee’s from Dunkin! It’s not a road trip without drinking coffee on the way out of town! We ended up getting on the road RIGHT around 1:30pm which is exactly what we planned on! We were taking a new route this year! We took I-81S to 77 (and eventually I-26) which was a BEAUTIFUL ride. I could not stop taking pictures over the mountains.

Good thing I wasn’t driving! J One big difference this year on the trip? IT WAS COLD! Every time we stopped, I was freezing. I am NOT used to this!

Most of the drive was uneventful and easy. When Harper took her nap eventually, I read some of my book and stared out the window! We stopped somewhere in NC for dinner at K&W Cafeteria. These places are pretty cool and made for a pretty quick stop. Harper wasn’t real interested in eating, but she was happy running around a little bit. I think it was about 8pm when we were done dinner and we tried to decide how much further we thought we could go. After last year when we WAY overdid it, we decided that we’d only drive until 11pm and then stop for the night. My mom made reservations at the Hampton in Orangeburg, SC. When we got there the place was BOOKED and the parking lot was full. They said it was because of the Master’s. The room was gorgeous, and modern. The bathroom was bigger than ours at home, and had a nice spacious tub.

We went right to bed though, and woke up early the next morning.

 

[pirategal]

Following along! You are so on the ball! My family had a WDW vacation the first week of March and I'm still sifting through pictures. Thinking about a trip report myself...

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Following along! You are so on the ball! My family had a WDW vacation the first week of March and I'm still sifting through pictures. Thinking about a trip report myself...

Thank you!! and thanks for reading!

I have to do them right away or I start forgetting stuff, and then I'm too lazy to attempt a TR at all! I have to do it while I'm still suffering the Disney depression!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Yay!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip! It stinks that you guys are sick again, but at least it was after the trip!!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Saturday 4/9
After we woke, Harper really wanted a bath, so she got a bath in the nice big tub and we got ready for the free breakfast down in the lobby. These are always pretty decent and keep us from having to stop again once we leave. It wasn’t long before we checked out, and were on our way. Soon after getting on I-26 we came across some activity on the side of the road and saw something covered up. Little did we know that the road would be closed down RIGHT after we passed until mid-afternoon (it turned out to be a body.. EEK!) Luckily we just made it by!

We stopped in GA for a bathroom break and it was STILL COLD! This rest stop was being renovated and so the bathrooms were set up in these cargo containers. Very odd!

We started thinking about lunch and settled on the SAME five guys as we went to last year in FL. While at Five Guys we met my husband’s second cousin and her husband for a beer swap! (beers from their region we can’t get and vice versa) so it was nice to meet them for the first time. They live 1.5 miles from the beach, so maybe we can visit them sometime. We said our goodbyes and got back on the road!

There was a discussion before we left about stopping by a FL beach on the way in just to check it out. My mom asked what I was thinking and since this beach was only 3 miles from I-95, I said “let’s do it!” So off we went to Flagler beach! I love the beach, so this was a great little pit stop! However, IT WAS COLD! (seeing a theme here?) The wind down by the ocean was pretty chilly, but I still couldn’t help running full steam into the water! Harper didn’t really know what to think at first since she had just woke from a nap, but when it came time to go, she was NOT happy! She loves the beach.

I think at this point we had about 2 hours left or so until we arrived in WDW, so we set off on the last leg of the drive. No rain this year, but we still hit some mild traffic in Orlando. Soon enough we were approaching the Disney World sign and my heart was pounding in my chest with excitement. It’s always an awesome moment after two days in the car to finally see that sign!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Saturday April 9th (continued)
Before we knew it, we were pulling into CBR!

Unlike Animal Kingdom Lodge, you have to get out at the “Customs House” and check in and then drive to your building. No one hauls your luggage for you, so that is definitely different from the last trip! It didn’t take too long to check in and we were all so glad to be there and out of the car!

We were happy to hear we were in Jamaica which is where we wanted, and our rooms were “beside” each other. I say it like that because we both had King rooms and they are on the ends of the buildings. So we were in room 4228 on the right hand corner and they were down a longish outside hall on the other corner of the building in 4229. Finding the room at first was kind of confusing, but by the end of the week we finally got it figured out!

My first reaction to the room was “wow!! It’s huge!” The room was seriously the most spacious room I’ve stayed in in a hotel/resort. My mom assured me that it was the same size but because there was only one bed, that it seemed bigger. I don’t care. I didn’t feel cramped like I normally do, and that’s an awesome feeling! We unpacked everything, and decided to go check out the resort. We were in building 42 which I think on our end may have been the furthest to the bridge (the bridge took you over to the central “island” where the big pool, the kiddie pool, the playground, and the food/bar/shopping was). It was probably a 10ish minute walk (not toddler speed.. that is more like 25 minutes..) to get over to the main part.

First order of business was dinner. I checked out the gluten free menu and go the turkey BLT. YUM. It was goooood! I was surprised though that when we got there it was STILL COLD! Now, I'm talking 60 degrees or so but the wind was whipping and I could not believe how cold I was. I was seriously mad at myself for not bringing a jacket or pants!

 

[Figgy1]

You're off to a great start

 

[ScarletBegonias]

4/9 Continued...again...

More pics of our resort.

This was looking across from where we were staying! So pretty

the closest beach to us!

Our quiet pool !

Looking back towards Jamaica from the bridge!

The view from our room!

 

[Zipadeelady]

I'm in!!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

4/9 More...

inside of Old Port Royale (the main building). It was very pretty and colorful in here!

Directional sign on the main island which if my memory serves me right is called Caribbean Cay!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I'm in!!

Thanks for reading along!!!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Sunday 4/10

Today is Animal Kingdom day! I was a little unsure of how it would feel not starting the trip off with Magic Kingdom, but as it turned out, it was a great day and a little less overwhelming to start in a smaller park!

After getting ready, we wondered over to Caribbean Cay to fill our mugs with coffee to get us awake for the bus ride to AK(which we weren’t supposed to be drinking on the bus… oops!). Harper walked along beside the stroller since we had time to kill. She was still a little tired from having to be woken up by the alarm. It’s breezy and cool this morning! What’s new?? We didn’t wait long for our bus to show up (a GOOD theme this week!) and the new screens that tell you how long to wait are AWESOME!

(hilarious face on the bus!)

We got to AK, get off the bus, and my husband cannot get the stroller open. It’s stuck shut and all I keep thinking is how far away we are from the front of the park, and that we are going to miss our ADR! (on the first day?!) Just about the time I tell him he’s just going to have to carry it (what else can we do??) it busts open! Whew. As we’re walking up to the bag check, I see we are right behind my parents! Harper is freaking out, so she goes to my mom for a bit while we get into the park. We arrived before the park opened, and my parents did not have an ADR, so it was time to part ways. I was a little stressed out because it was so crowded and I had no idea where we get into the park to bypass the crowd. My mom asked a CM for us and she pointed the way. This is where the meltdown started. Harper did not want to separate from my parents so she is screaming bloody murder and refuses to be held, OR be put in the stroller. When we put her down to walk in an EMPTY AK, she just stands and screams. Wonderful. To make matters worse, I have No idea where Tusker house is. Last year we were with my parents for everything, and we just followed them around. I apparently am a “I’ll wing it” person and not a researcher so I’m trying to find my way while my child is screaming and hubby is trying to wrangle her. To make it less painful to read, the meltdown did not stop until we were in Tusker House and food was on the table and she saw Donald walk by.

(Her face when she saw Mickey!! )

(hmmm... not sure at first!)

(excited face when she saw Goofy! I could have cried!)

 

[ScarletBegonias]

4/10 Animal Kingdom - Ctd.

I was very happy with Tusker House. The food was good enough, and the characters came quickly. Harper really lit up this year when she saw Mickey, but even more so with Goofy! We really think this trip he might have been her very favorite (other than chip and dale!) She ended up staying in her high chair the entire time and also drenching herself in the awesome juice they give you! Once the characters stopped coming, she started getting cranky again, so it was time to get out of there.

She really just wanted to walk around, so we let her. It was pretty crowded, but I stayed very close to her and let her burn off some energy. We loved seeing all the little lizards all over the place! We also stopped and played the drums for a little bit. We found a quiet spot in front of the tree of life, and sat for a while just hanging out. I love the moments when we don’t have to rush to be anywhere.

Our first FP was for EE, and we had met back up with my parents who watched harper while we rode! She was asleep in her stroller, so we took advantage. I love EE. It’s so fun! While harper was still sleeping, I stopped and got one of my iced coffee’s that I love so much, and we found a quiet shady spot to hang out while she napped.

We had a FP for It’s Tough to Be a Bug, but after talking to my parents we decided that it was probably going to scare harper, so we skipped it, and decided to give Rafiki’s Planet Watch a try. Aside from the train ride, it was Eh. Not too much to do out there and she wasn’t too interested in watching the animals, so we came back. Next we hit up The Boneyard for Harper to play. She loves running around in there and usually gets in the stroller willingly after that! At some point in the day we also did the garden thing, not sure what it’s called. That was neat, I’ve never done that before and loved the room with all the birds even if I got POOPED ON!

Towards the end of our AK day we stopped in Zuri’s and got Harps a GIANT Mickey head cookie, which she loved! After that we did the Safari and then made our way out for the day so we could rest for a bit. We are going to Magic Kingdom tonight!!

 

[TheMouseFan]

Glad to hear they have the screens showing bus arrival times at CBR now! They weren't there in September when I stopped in. Can't wait to read more!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Sunday 4/10 Cont’d…

We left AK and happened to run into my parents on the bus back to CBR. Harper was really tired, and so was my mom, so they volunteered to take her for a nap, while AJ and I got a late lunch and explored the resort a little bit. It was nice to sit in the cafeteria and just be able to relax and eat and look at our phones for a little bit and post some pictures.

We still hadn’t heard anything from the napping group, so we grabbed a hammock and relaxed a little bit just taking in the pretty sights of our resorts. Eventually I abandoned the hammock for a more sturdy chaise and drank my coffee on the beach next to my hubs in the hammock. It was quite peaceful!

Once everyone was up we boarded a bus for Magic Kingdom! I think we got there about 7:45pm. The first thing we did was take the train from the station for a ride. I had never been on it before and my mom said that it was closing the next day or so and wouldn’t be open for the rest of the week, so we hopped on. Harper loved the “choo choo!” and when we got off it was time to start getting ready for MSEP! I’ve never seen this either, so I was super excited. We had to wait about 25 minutes but we got amazing spots right in the square with nothing blocking us. We squeezed into a corner between the ropes and the CM was kind enough to let us stay as long as we moved the stroller. Keeping harper occupied during the wait proved to be interesting, but we couldn’t move at all or people tried to steal our spot. Luckily we were so close to the beginning of the parade and once the lights dimmed and the music started, Harper was into it! I loved it so much. I couldn’t stop clapping and smiling through the whole thing.

After that we went over to the bridge by Sleepy Hollow (is that it?) to watch Wishes. I actually got to see the REAL person Tinkerbell fly from the Castle. I’ve never seen this and it was soooo cool! ( I was so mesmerized I didn't get a single picture! Sorry!) Again, I was so cold I was shivering!! I looked for a long sleeve shirt I liked this evening, but I never found anything. Brrrrrr

We decided to stick around and rode several rides before closing down Magic Kingdom on the FIRST DAY! We did Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, It’s a small world, and the carousel! Harper managed to stay awake the entire night and was still awake when we got back to the resort. We were so glad we didn’t have an early ADR or FP because we were whooped! We put in nearly 11 miles on the first day. Yikes!

Goodnight Beautiful!!

Tomorrow… DHS! ( I will post tomorrow! I am done for today!)

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Glad to hear they have the screens showing bus arrival times at CBR now! They weren't there in September when I stopped in. Can't wait to read more!

It was wonderful. I am so glad they have this now. Helps a lot!

 

[Figgy1]

I almost laughed when you said AK was your first park. We're starting there on out trip this summer. Great minds LOL Haper is so cute eating her cookie I guess the rule about eating anything bigger than your head doesn't apply at Disney

 

[MinnieM123]

I'm really enjoying your TR and you took some great pictures, too. For some reason, the one that really caught my attention was the picture of little Harper looking over to the mammoth Tree of Life. I thought that was such a cute picture!!!

 

[Disney Shib]

Following along. Your daughter is absolutely adorable.

 

[tholm4]

Great TR. Making it too, without love in the dream, it'll never come true.