I have debated long and hard about whether to write out my true final thoughts about this trip because they are going to come out sounding whiny and entitled. I have decided that they are my true feelings and if anyone is going to understand, it will be you guys! Please try not to be too judgmental when reading them!!
I have been to WDW enough times to know that it is not perfect, but there was just something missing this time. The extra little bits of "magic" just weren't there.
Let's start with CBR: I love CBR, and have since we honeymooned there, but I really don't think I am going to like having Riviera right beside it. I feel like it is going to take away the intimate, tropical feel I always got at CBR. I will definitely wait to pass final judgement until everything is complete. The CM that helped us with check in was okay, but I'm used to exceptional! I did appreciate that he found us a room that was available right away, but did let us know that the room we were actually assigned to was a corner room in Jamaica which is what we had originally requested, and let us decide which room we wanted. He did note that we were celebrating our anniversary, but didn't ask how many years or offer to write it on our buttons. In fact, he just kind of threw the buttons at us over the counter. There was nothing really wrong with our interaction, it just wasn't what I'm used to experiencing. I really wanted a Christmas mug, so when I didn't see any of them out, I politely asked if there were any elsewhere. The Cm said,"nope". I asked if she knew when more might come in. She said, "nope". I then asked if she knew of any other resorts that had them, She again said, "nope", and turned her back on me. Now, I understand that she was giving me honest answers, I just feel like she could have done it more politely! A simple "I'm sorry, we don't have any and we don't know when we'll get more until they actually arrive" would have been a good enough answer for me! I am part of a Facebook Caribbean Beach group where people had been reporting that people staying in Jamaica and Aruba were getting Skyliner pins because that is where they are still working on the big, ugly poles for the gondola system. One afternoon, as we were walking through OPR, I stopped and asked a CM about the pins. She immediately got really snotty with me and said, "we don't have those here, and even if we did, they would be for the managers to give out for "magical moments". Once again, a simple, "I'm sorry, we don't have those right now" would have sufficed. It was just the presentation both times that bothered me! Here is the first thing that will sound entitled: Lots of people on the Facebook group were posting pictures of balloons and cards, or chocolate, or even bags full of goodies that they had received in their rooms for birthdays, anniversaries, and some weren't celebrating anything. We got a cute card from Minnie and Mickey for our honeymoon, and I was just hoping for something little like that for our anniversary. It didn't ruin my trip or anything, but just a little disappointing!
On to meals: We had several first time experiences this trip: Trail's End, Sanaa, and California Grill. Trail's End was good and we will be back at some point. 'Ohana was fantastic (thankfully, since so many of you have been reporting less than stellar experiences!!). Sanaa is one we most likely will not be returning to unless it is just for the bread service. Kona was a very disappointing experience even though we enjoyed our Tonga Toast. Despite the delicious food, California Grill just wasn't the experience I wanted it to be! And I am soooo disappointed that we missed out on Storybook Dining at Artist Point!! Except for our last meal at CBR, we enjoyed all of the quick service meals we ate. I do think some of the prices are getting a bit outrageous, though! It wasn't so bad being just the two of us this time, but when we have all 5 of us and the 3 kids are all "adults", it adds up fast! Next thing that is going to sound entitled: Everyone always reports about the welcome back XXX family cards they have on their tables, or the confetti that is waiting on their California Grill table, or something similar. With the exception of 'Ohana, and my "birthday cake" at CG, we didn't even get any acknowledgement from our servers that it was our anniversary. In fact, we had more guests wish us a happy anniversary than we did cast members this trip. It has never been that way on our past trips. We ate more than enough, so it wasn't the extra desserts I was looking for, a simple congratulations would have worked.
Christmas decorations: LOVED THEM, especially the Christmas Tree Trail!
MVMCP: We really enjoyed ourselves, but I don't know that we will pay to go again. I am glad that we did the dessert party, as it made the fireworks much more enjoyable! That is one thing that I will continue to be willing to pay extra for!!
In my opening post, I stated that the Disney blues had hit me especially hard this time. Let me explain! I truly have no idea when we may be back. For one thing, the kids are getting so busy with all of their extracurricular activities that it is hard to plan vacations anymore. And they would really rather go to Universal anyhow! Not that I blame them at their ages, but it's a hard pill for me to swallow! Logan may have an opportunity to travel to Spain with a group from his high school, and if he does, Brian and I are considering going with him, which would seriously eat into the vacation budget!! This summer, the kids want to spend a few days at Cedar Point, then we are going to take them to Niagara Falls, so no Disney (or Universal!) this year!! All of you lucky gals who get to take mother/daughter trips are so very fortunate. My mom has already said she has no desire to go to the parks again, and my daughter is a Harry Potter freak right now, so no Disney trips with her in the foreseeable future! And those of you who have spouses who enjoy Disney with you should count your lucky stars! Brian and I were fussing at each other about something after getting home, and he flat out said to me,"I don't like Disney!" He's never said that before and it kind of took me by surprise. I knew it wasn't his favorite place to go, but I didn't know he felt that strongly about it. So, unless I can eek out a solo trip at some point, my chances of a Disney trip in the near future are pretty bleak!
I didn't mean for this final post to be such a downer! Sorry!! We really did have a lovely time and I was happy to get to spend some alone time with Brian for our anniversary! It doesn't happen very often with it being so close to Christmas! Thank you all for following along, and I can't wait to continue reading about everyone else's trips and living vicariously through you all!!
Our last trip we kind of felt the same way. Feels like the magic is slowly slipping away at times....