January 2009. . . Calling all Snowbirds ~ Part V - Page 102 - The DIS Discussion Forums

jenjolt · 01-30-2009, 10:20 AM

I think it was hit and miss for a lot of us!! Some days I had no waits...other days it just seemed crowded and then it was time for me to hop somewhere else!!

Either way I had a great time...and now I have some trips in the works that I'm planning and having a great time with LOL

MelXThree · 01-30-2009, 10:33 AM

Hi everybody! I am back and finally have time to post! My boys got sick the day we got back so - busy, busy!

Sorry Shelly I didn't make it to the CBR meet but I dropped my gift card in the laundry room that night and this lady picked it up (right in front of me) and kept it...so I had to go to Downtown Disney to cancel it

I just wanted to cancel it before she got to use it! I didn't get back to the hotel until 12:30am

As for crowds...I thought it was super busy as well...but we didn't wait more than 15mins for a ride. We used fastpass, baby swap, and early mornings to get stuff done! We also missed a ton - but that's what happens when you have small kids too!

I am glad that everyone had good trips!!

Momof2Disneyboys · 01-30-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelXThree

Hi everybody! I am back and finally have time to post! My boys got sick the day we got back so - busy, busy!

Sorry Shelly I didn't make it to the CBR meet but I dropped my gift card in the laundry room that night and this lady picked it up (right in front of me) and kept it...so I had to go to Downtown Disney to cancel it

I just wanted to cancel it before she got to use it! I didn't get back to the hotel until 12:30am

As for crowds...I thought it was super busy as well...but we didn't wait more than 15mins for a ride. We used fastpass, baby swap, and early mornings to get stuff done! We also missed a ton - but that's what happens when you have small kids too!

I am glad that everyone had good trips!!

Welcome back!

I can't believe someone stole your gift card right in front of you.

How did you like CBR? Where was your room?

I am doing a report on it here ~ http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2074555

Hope the kids are feeling better!

sarbah77 · 01-30-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurainsem

Even with all that, i'm so thankful for all the wonderful memories we made on this trip. I'm thankful i'm okay and no one else was hurt. It may also be a real blessing as i've been thinking about getting a new car anyways. I really don't have the money but the car was having troubles even before the accident!

Lesson learned: always check the weather back home before leaving Florida!

I'm glad that you seem okay. Perhaps not perfect, but okay! And I'm glad you had a great trip!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by crzyred

Morning everyone.

Wow, all this talk of crowds is amazing. When I was there, the only time it was "busy" was during marathon weekend. But even then it wasn't really that busy.

Our whole trip we never had a wait that was more than 30 minutes

.

Well I'm off to face this cold day...

See, in 2005, we went the same week. Place was much MUCH busier (with the exception of restaurants!) the whole week, no matter where we were. However, in 2005, we never waited for anything. There were also no tour groups. If a wait said 20, you could expect 10 minutes, not 60+

I'm mostly disappointed in how poorly managed the advertised waits were! Otherwise, I've been there when it's more crowded and worse weather!

distherapy · 01-30-2009, 11:39 AM

Hey all - So sorry about the sicknesses and car accident. Yowza... Laura - so glad you're okay!!!

We're getting settled back at home - just started my trip report - would love if someone would share how to make the hyperlink for the trip report in my siggie...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2075477

MelXThree · 01-30-2009, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

How did you like CBR? Where was your room?

I was in Barbados and it was a really good location - I had asked for Jamacia or Aruba but was happy with where they put me

The grounds are beautiful and the pools are great! but the mousekeeping - well SUCKED! The first night we went to pull the blanket back to put the kids to bed and there were muddy foot prints on the sheets, the mirror looked like it had never been cleaned. Most days the garbages were not emptied so by the end of our stay we had garbage all over the bathroom floor - we ate breakfast in the room so we had bannana peels, cereal, ect.

Also the bed are just too small

There were some goo things: The food court was great! All the CM's at the hotel was amazing! The buses were SO SO SO good. (that was the one this I was really worried about) NEVER waited more than 5 mins.

All in all I don't think I would stay there again, mostly because of the beds

but It wasn't to bad

Momof2Disneyboys · 01-30-2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelXThree

I was in Barbados and it was a really good location - I had asked for Jamacia or Aruba but was happy with where they put me

The grounds are beautiful and the pools are great! but the mousekeeping - well SUCKED! The first night we went to pull the blanket back to put the kids to bed and there were muddy foot prints on the sheets, the mirror looked like it had never been cleaned. Most days the garbages were not emptied so by the end of our stay we had garbage all over the bathroom floor - we ate breakfast in the room so we had bannana peels, cereal, ect.

Also the bed are just too small

There were some goo things: The food court was great! All the CM's at the hotel was amazing! The buses were SO SO SO good. (that was the one this I was really worried about) NEVER waited more than 5 mins.

All in all I don't think I would stay there again, mostly because of the beds

but It wasn't to bad

Glad you enjoyed CBR, other than the mousekeeping issues. . . I hoped you complained and got it taken care of!

We had great mousekeeping. But we only had them come in twice during the whole week. After reading so many things on the DIS about doors being left open and germs and so on (at all WDW resorts) we thought the less people in the room the better.

The beds are full size, not queen if that's what you are used to. The kids slept on an air mattress so DH and I each had our own bed!

Yes the new pool is fabulous!

How about them buses??? That was amazing!! We've never experienced such excellent bus service! We had one morning we had a long wait for the Epcot bus, but other than that just like you said 5 minutes or less!

pamouselover · 01-30-2009, 02:16 PM

Hello snowfriends!
I assume everyone's snow is slowly melting like ours here!
Welcome home snowbirds, returning from WDW.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

debbieandroo · 01-30-2009, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

Yes, absolutely you at least need to start planning your next trip!

If Mama Snowbird says I should, then it's a go!

Thanks, Mama S!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarbah77

I'm glad that you seem okay. Perhaps not perfect, but okay! And I'm glad you had a great trip!!

See, in 2005, we went the same week. Place was much MUCH busier (with the exception of restaurants!) the whole week, no matter where we were. However, in 2005, we never waited for anything. There were also no tour groups. If a wait said 20, you could expect 10 minutes, not 60+

I'm mostly disappointed in how poorly managed the advertised waits were! Otherwise, I've been there when it's more crowded and worse weather!

We noticed that, if the wait was listed as 10 minutes, we generally waited 20-25. If the wait was listed as 30-45, the actual wait was also 20-25 minutes. Go figure....

Quote:

Originally Posted by distherapy

Hey all - So sorry about the sicknesses and car accident. Yowza... Laura - so glad you're okay!!!

We're getting settled back at home - just started my trip report - would love if someone would share how to make the hyperlink for the trip report in my siggie...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2075477

How 'bout that snow when you came back home? Or was it melted already? We had a teacher with us who could only take a couple of days off so he went back on Monday only to get Wednesday off as a snow day - bummer.

And I'd like to know that hyperlink thing too. Can't wait to read everyone's TR!

Hey, did any rides break down on y'all? We were on Splash Mountain when it broke down, waited for 30-45 minutes before being evacuated and never got to ride it [this was our last day and it was out of commission the rest of the day]. Some of us were waiting for Space Mountain and, just as our group was about to get on, the ride broke down and stayed that way for the rest of the day. TTA pooped out for a little while but started running again in time for me to ride it a second time [I do like that one a lot - so futuristic/retro, all at the same time]. The Carousel of Progress broke down so I got to hear the 'It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow' loop several times as well as that first segment. It was revived so I did get to see the end but not before that song was permanently implanted in my head. One of our group was riding the monorail and a car broke down ahead of him - he spent 45 minutes bonding with a Spanish family while they fixed it. All in all, just part of the adventure - I'm just glad we didn't break down upside down on the RNRC or in the ToT elevator -

I think my trip caught up with me today - my day off from work and all I've done is make Mickey pancakes, DIS, and watch one of the WDW programs I had recorded a while back. Now, it's time for a nap!

debbieandroo · 01-30-2009, 03:08 PM

I don't know what Sharadoc's experience was but we loved the All-Star Music Family Suites. They were much larger than we had expected and the front desk provided us an extra rollaway bed so that we each could have our own bed. Everything smelled clean and Mousekeeping came every day, as far as we could tell. It was quiet in our area, too.

I'm sorry to hear about the CBR's beds. I would have loved to do more resort-hopping but time got away from us. We did visit Wilderness Lodge, the Contemporary and Grand Floridian - gorgeous!

debbieandroo · 01-30-2009, 03:12 PM

One thing was odd - we did want to do a photopass. Because there were several of us, we could split the cost fairly reasonably. I had read that it would be a good idea to wait to 'pre-purchase' the photopass after the trip in case you didn't like your pictures. So we went that route and it was a good thing we did - we rarely saw a photopass photographer, perhaps only a handful of times. Wouldn't that have been a ripoff?

Did y'all feel like you used your photopass?

trixiequilts · 01-30-2009, 03:43 PM

I was very surprised by the lack of Photopass photographers. I guess I wrongly assumed they would be ALL over the place. I'm entering my numbers tonight, so we'll see what we get!

crzyred · 01-30-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by debbieandroo

Hey, did any rides break down on y'all?

Expedition Everest! We were almost done with the ride. After the big drop, then you circle around a few times, go inside then come out again. That's where we stopped, just before you go inside and see the Yeti. We could hear the other "trains" still going though (

) but I figured they couldn't stop them in the middle of the drop

. We sat there for probably about 5 minutes. Then when we started going, we went around the corner very slowly, which really just ruins the "mood" of seeing the Yeti. You don't realize how tilted they have to have the track when you're going so fast, but you're basically sideways.

MelXThree · 01-30-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by debbieandroo

One thing was odd - we did want to do a photopass. Because there were several of us, we could split the cost fairly reasonably. I had read that it would be a good idea to wait to 'pre-purchase' the photopass after the trip in case you didn't like your pictures. So we went that route and it was a good thing we did - we rarely saw a photopass photographer, perhaps only a handful of times. Wouldn't that have been a ripoff?

Did y'all feel like you used your photopass?

Quote:

Originally Posted by trixiequilts

I was very surprised by the lack of Photopass photographers. I guess I wrongly assumed they would be ALL over the place. I'm entering my numbers tonight, so we'll see what we get!

I saw photopass photographers EVERYWHERE! We got over 100 photos (without editing) and I felt like I wasn't doing enough!

MelXThree · 01-30-2009, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by debbieandroo

Hey, did any rides break down on y'all?

Test Track broke down when we were in the cold room

It started back up in about 5 mins but it could have broke down anywhere else in the ride and it would hav ebeen much better

01-30-2009, 10:20 AM	#1516
jenjolt Loves All Things Disney! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Home in Florida and Texas Posts: 8,157	I think it was hit and miss for a lot of us!! Some days I had no waits...other days it just seemed crowded and then it was time for me to hop somewhere else!! Either way I had a great time...and now I have some trips in the works that I'm planning and having a great time with LOL __________________ *My Magical Trips to Disney:*6/2012,1/2012,10/2011, 6/2011, 5/2011, 1/2011, 5/2010, 1/2010, 10/2009, 5/2009, 1/2009, 3/2007, 5/2005 , 10/1992: First Trip to Disney (Thanks Dad!)

01-30-2009, 10:33 AM	#1517
MelXThree DIS Veteran Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 548	Hi everybody! I am back and finally have time to post! My boys got sick the day we got back so - busy, busy! Sorry Shelly I didn't make it to the CBR meet but I dropped my gift card in the laundry room that night and this lady picked it up (right in front of me) and kept it...so I had to go to Downtown Disney to cancel it I just wanted to cancel it before she got to use it! I didn't get back to the hotel until 12:30am As for crowds...I thought it was super busy as well...but we didn't wait more than 15mins for a ride. We used fastpass, baby swap, and early mornings to get stuff done! We also missed a ton - but that's what happens when you have small kids too! I am glad that everyone had good trips!! __________________ Me(30) , DH(32) , DS(7) , DS(3) , DS(3) WDW: Jan 2009 @ CBR & Jan 2010 @ SSR DLR: Oct 2010, Sept 2001, June 1998 & lots as a kid!

01-30-2009, 11:39 AM	#1520
distherapy DIS Veteran Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mid-South Posts: 1,058	Hey all - So sorry about the sicknesses and car accident. Yowza... Laura - so glad you're okay!!! We're getting settled back at home - just started my trip report - would love if someone would share how to make the hyperlink for the trip report in my siggie... http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2075477 __________________ Planning June 2014! Previous Trips: May 2012 - Yacht Club October 2010 - Wilderness Lodge Jan 2009 - Wilderness Lodge Feb 2008 - Grand Floridian

01-30-2009, 02:16 PM	#1523
pamouselover “Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Pa. Posts: 3,194	Hello snowfriends! I assume everyone's snow is slowly melting like ours here! Welcome home snowbirds, returning from WDW. Hope everyone has a nice weekend! Last edited by pamouselover; 01-30-2009 at 02:22 PM.

01-30-2009, 03:08 PM	#1525
debbieandroo DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: West TN Posts: 2,061	I don't know what Sharadoc's experience was but we loved the All-Star Music Family Suites. They were much larger than we had expected and the front desk provided us an extra rollaway bed so that we each could have our own bed. Everything smelled clean and Mousekeeping came every day, as far as we could tell. It was quiet in our area, too. I'm sorry to hear about the CBR's beds. I would have loved to do more resort-hopping but time got away from us. We did visit Wilderness Lodge, the Contemporary and Grand Floridian - gorgeous! __________________

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01-30-2009, 03:12 PM	#1526
debbieandroo DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: West TN Posts: 2,061	One thing was odd - we did want to do a photopass. Because there were several of us, we could split the cost fairly reasonably. I had read that it would be a good idea to wait to 'pre-purchase' the photopass after the trip in case you didn't like your pictures. So we went that route and it was a good thing we did - we rarely saw a photopass photographer, perhaps only a handful of times. Wouldn't that have been a ripoff? Did y'all feel like you used your photopass? __________________

01-30-2009, 03:43 PM	#1527
trixiequilts DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3,075	I was very surprised by the lack of Photopass photographers. I guess I wrongly assumed they would be ALL over the place. I'm entering my numbers tonight, so we'll see what we get! __________________ My Trips: January 2009, October 2010, August 2011, February 2012, December 2012.

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