Trip Report Our 20th Anniversary Trip to the Caribbean...December 2018 COMPLETED

Caribbean Beach Resort, that is!!

Well, we've been back awhile, and the Disney Blues have hit me really hard this time for several reasons to be discussed later, so I have put off starting this report, but I am finally ready. I had arthroscopic surgery on my shoulder this past Friday and took this whole week off, so hopefully I can finish before I go back to work!

If you didn't catch my semi-live report, my husband (Brian) and I (Amy) were at WDW from December 16-20 celebrating our 20th anniversary.

Sunday, December 16, 2018
We had an early (6:00am) flight from Columbus, OH which is about an hour from our house, so we had a very early wake up call! My mom had come over the night before since she was staying with the kids while we were gone, so we quickly got ourselves ready and were out the door with minimal fuss.

I had my nails done up to match my new MagicBand!

We had an uneventful trip to Columbus and got checked in and through security very quickly. One of the gate agents had lived in Florida for years, and spent a good bit of time talking to us about WDW which made the time go faster. We got to see the sun come up while we were in the air.

It was very foggy in Orlando, and we thought we were still making our descent through the clouds, when all of a sudden we were on the ground! It was quite a shock, but luckily it was very smooth since Brian is not a good flier!

We were quickly in the main terminal and admiring this:

Had to stop to get a picture of:

Also had to stop in the Universal store to see if they had anything Harry Potter for Lily.

 

[TheMouseFan]

Just finished! I'm so sorry your trip seemed less than magical this time Our last trip we kind of felt the same way. Feels like the magic is slowly slipping away at times....

But anytime you want a travel buddy, you can join me, my sister and my Mom! We love Disney and the more the merrier!!!

We still had some good times, but it was just disappointing knowing we wouldn't be back for awhile! It seems quite a dew people are starting to feel disappointed with their experiences, and that makes me sad! I would absolutely love to join you guys! Maybe someday our paths will cross!!

 

[Maelstrom Troll]

I love that you guys love resort hopping as much as we do. We go the week after Thanksgiving almost every year and looking at resort Christmas decorations is a tradition. This past trip was a short one and we didnt make it to see anything beyond YC & BC and it didnt feel right at all.
I understand your feelings of disappointment between the meal service, lackadaisical cast, etc. We have been spending our park money on DCL and find the service to be above and beyond....how the parks used to feel to me. Maybe a trip to DL is what we need ad well...
Anyway, congratulations on your 20th Anniversary! This year is 15 for us and we are debating a week at YC or another cruise

 

[TheMouseFan]

I love that you guys love resort hopping as much as we do. We go the week after Thanksgiving almost every year and looking at resort Christmas decorations is a tradition. This past trip was a short one and we didnt make it to see anything beyond YC & BC and it didnt feel right at all.
I understand your feelings of disappointment between the meal service, lackadaisical cast, etc. We have been spending our park money on DCL and find the service to be above and beyond....how the parks used to feel to me. Maybe a trip to DL is what we need ad well...
Anyway, congratulations on your 20th Anniversary! This year is 15 for us and we are debating a week at YC or another cruise

Thanks for reading along! The resort hopping this time was a nice break from our typical go, go, go trips we take with the kids. Another cruise is definitely on my list of things to do. We have been on the Dream and the Wonder, so looking into trying one of the others. Congrats on your 15 years! I would choose the cruise if I were you!!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

We still had some good times, but it was just disappointing knowing we wouldn't be back for awhile! It seems quite a dew people are starting to feel disappointed with their experiences, and that makes me sad! I would absolutely love to join you guys! Maybe someday our paths will cross!!

It’s certainly disappointing to see things not up their former glory. I think Disney is really catering to the once in a lifetime guest who won’t notice if they’re not getting the same pixie dust as on previous trips or they might not notice audio animatronics not working on certain rides. For what they charge guests for park tickets, food, souvenirs, they should be giving us the pixie dust we’ve always experienced.

 

[MegRuss626]

Thanks for reading! The line was definitely crossed this time, especially since all three of my kids are now "adults". I don't mind taking them and paying a lot, as long as we are treated well. I'm hoping to make our next trip be to California.

It is hard to overlook things with the cost of a trip. I’ve been pricing a 2021 trip and my daughter will be above the “free” age and my gosh what a difference just adding one child makes! I can't even imagine 3 “adult” kids.

 

[TheMouseFan]

It is hard to overlook things with the cost of a trip. I’ve been pricing a 2021 trip and my daughter will be above the “free” age and my gosh what a difference just adding one child makes! I can't even imagine 3 “adult” kids.

Yes, the "adult" part is hard to swallow, especially for the 11 year old!

 

[TheMouseFan]

It’s certainly disappointing to see things not up their former glory. I think Disney is really catering to the once in a lifetime guest who won’t notice if they’re not getting the same pixie dust as on previous trips or they might not notice audio animatronics not working on certain rides. For what they charge guests for park tickets, food, souvenirs, they should be giving us the pixie dust we’ve always experienced.

I absolutely agree!