Team Renfroe's 2nd Trip Report - 1,500 pictures, dining reviews, and DISmeets!

[sunnygirl8503]

Hi Alan,
Joining in on the fun. Great trip report so far can't wait to hear more!

[alan_renfroe]

Originally Posted by NWOhioAngela

I think you just convinced me to upgrade from Pop to Coronado.

I'm telling ya....CSR is AWESOME!! Wait until you see the next two chapters. I've got Coronado Springs pictures o' plenty!

Originally Posted by Michelle_and_Aaron

Great start to your TR Alan! I can't wait to read more of your adventures!

Hi Michelle! Glad to have you along for the ride!

Originally Posted by Sweetpeasmommy

Hi Alan! So happy to see you are posting your trip and I'm catching the beginning of it! We were at WDW at the same time (May 16-24) and we actually caught a glimpse of you all in Animal Kingdom. Would've said hi but you were high-tailin' it to (Dinosaur? Everest? Eat? LOL!) somewhere fast! Every one of you had a smile on your face ~ despite the rain! So here's that HI! Looking forward to your new trip report! ~ Tara

Oh cool! You were there the same week as us! And you even SAW us? That is TOO funny!! When you saw us, where you like, "Hey! There are the Renfroes!" That is TOO FUNNY!!! It makes me wonder what we were so high-tailin' it for! Couldn't have been Dinosaur....maybe Everest or Yak & Yeti!!!! Was it raining?

Originally Posted by brookelizabeth

A day late and already 5 pages!
I haven't gotten caught up yet, but looking forward to reading it all!

Hi Brooke! Glad you found your way over to the trip report!

Originally Posted by brookelizabeth

Caught up now-thanks for the quick links!
Loved that you could rock out during the drive!! Sounds like a REALLY great CD. I love me some 80s rock.

I loved all the pics up until the resort, I could feel the excitement building and building. That is a fantastic picture of the WDW sign!

Thanks. I was trying to recreate the excitement we were ALL feeling as we approached the resort! It is truly a magical feeling after waiting SOOO long to finally arrive!

Originally Posted by ckdsnynt

Okay Alan,now I understand how you came out with 1500 pics! I came home with 105 - we took so few because we did so little this trip (sickos in the family )
I may need to borrow Julianna for my next trip. She takes awesome pictures!
CSR looks fabulous! Nice resort and the food doesn't look bad either!

I guess I am the only person here that doesn't mind driving through Atlanta It's been a few years since I was there but when I go through there it is usually on my way to relatives and a trip to the beach and when we hit Atlanta, it means we only have 4 more hours to drive that day! Maybe that's why I don't mind Atlanta - after you've driven 18 hours, 4 hours seems like you're almost there
Enjoying the report so far Alan! Now when are we planning another one?

There is NO WAY we would have had 1,500 pictures if it had not been for Juliana's pictures! In fact, there will be more pictures from HER camera than from mine featured in this trip report! Also, we did the PhotoPass thing....so some of the pics are photopass pics.

Hey, I understand about Atlanta. Actually, unless there is an accident or construction (which is MOST of the time,) going through downtown Atlanta is not that bad. I just always seem to pass through at the WRONG time!

Originally Posted by 2xcited2sleep

You've arrived! Now everyone's looking a little more awake and excited! Happy Anniversary! Can't wait to hear if your buttons garnered you any special treats! I hope so!! Hurrah for a refurbbed room AND one close to the bus stop! Things are off to a good start!

Yeah, it's funny how arrival at Disney World will wake those children RIGHT up!!! Thanks for the anniversary wishes! More on the refurbed rooms coming up.

Originally Posted by dvc4life

Just seeing your pictures is making me so excited!!!!! We leave in 8 days!!!!! So I need more pictures, quickly!!!!

YAY! Just a matter of days!!!! Hope you all have a WONDERFUL time!

Originally Posted by CRdisMom

love TR's the always give me motivation to keep going. I'm only a year and half away from our next trip. Keep the pictures coming

I know it sounds funny, but it will be here before you know it....and then you'll get to live YOUR magic!

Originally Posted by lindseynleah

so excited to read this report!! I really enjoyed your TR from last time and was wondering when a new one would come along!!!! Great start and can't wait to read more...by the way..your pics are beautiful!!!!

Hi lindseynleah! Thanks for the great comments! I've got LOTS of pictures to share coming up!

Originally Posted by mickeystoontown

Yeah! You're finally there!

Finally!!!! After one full year, it was so awesome to finally be back at Coronado Springs!

Originally Posted by crocko

Managed to find this TR just now....glad I made it while your are still on "Day 1" of your trip. Look forward to the rest!

(by the way, love that they have a store (I believe) called Panchito's! I like seeing some of the lesser-known characters get billing when the theme fits.

Isn't that cool? Coronado Springs has a lot of theming around the Panchito's character and Donald Duck. We LOVE CSR!!!

Originally Posted by nassau812

Hi Alan, read your last trip report and can't wait to hear how this trip went. We live in Jacksonville, FL and I felt bad for ya'll being at Disney will all the rain. It is still raining everyday just not ALL day.

No worries about the rain. As you will read, we certainly made the BEST of it!!! The rain cannot stop the Renfroes!

[alan_renfroe]

Originally Posted by jmamom

Joining in, sounds like a fun TR!

Hi jmamom! Glad to have you along for the ride! Welcome aboard!

Originally Posted by Kellyh123

It's going to be quite a long time until we go again. I feel like I am beginning a trip reading right along with you! Thanks!

Cool! Glad to have you along for the ride!

Originally Posted by Cinderelly5507

Great start! I can't wait for the food porn!!

Food porn is on it's way....beginning with Whispering Canyon.

Originally Posted by Kalamazoo Dutchman

Hi Alan,

It's been a while since I chimed in but letting you we're still along for the ride. As, for the drive, thank goodness for portable DVD's and Mp3 players (with headphones) for long trips. Keeping the kids entertained is the hardest thing to do. I too, get to control the radio all the way. I love my Sirius radio!

Hi Kalamazoo!! Glad to have you along with us! You are right.....Sirius rules!

Originally Posted by kschafer

I'm am SO hoping to stay at CSR on the next trip. You pics remind me why...it is so beautiful and looks wonderfully relaxing. I can't wait for more!! Question: does CSR have their own resort mugs? I have only seen the generic ones.

Oh man....CSR is Soooo beautiful. The landscaping is so lush that you really feel like you have transformed into another place entirely. We are most definitely CSR people! And proud of it!!!

Originally Posted by NWOhioAngela

Hijacking to answer, yes, they have their own mugs.

Yep, sure do. And they are cool!

Originally Posted by bucci818

Hi Alan,
I'm so glad I found your new TR. We stayed at CSR in December, in building 3, and we all loved it. Just seeing your pics and reading so far make me want to go back! Hopefully next year. Can't wait to read more....

Hey! Welcome to our 2nd report! We definitely loved CSR. I've got TONS of pictures to share on the way.

Originally Posted by disneyhockeymad

love the updates! Colorado Springs looks like an amazing resort!I definately want to try it out one day! Glad you got a refurbished room too

It really is an amazing resort. It just fits the personality of our family very well. I've got LOTS of pictures on the way!

Originally Posted by NWOhioAngela

I hope you're happy Team Renfroe. You made me drink the Coronado Kool-Aid. We just switched over there. So excited!

YAY! Drink that Kool-Aid! I guarantee you'll be glad you did!! We LOVE CSR!!!

Originally Posted by KatMark

And here is a picture of CSR's mug:

Nice, Kathy! This is a PERFECT picture of the refillable mugs at CSR. I'll have some pictures at some point...but for now, thanks, Kathy!

Originally Posted by ph-mtl

Hi Alan,

Loving your trip report. We were also at Disney the same time we had stayed at Pop Century. We had ran into Rosie a few times and also had a meet with her on the Wednesday at Pop. I agree with you with regards to the rain. It did not stop us from doing anything. We just put on our Ponchos and off we went. We had done more this trip then last year as the lines were not not as long except for Soaring which was a 80 minute wait, which gave us time for our feet to dry out a bit. Looking forward to reading and seeing more of your family's pics.

Gail from Montreal, Quebec Canada

Ponchos rule...rain is no problem!!! Did you all enjoy meeting my pal Rosie as much as we did? Love ya, Rosie!

[alan_renfroe]

Originally Posted by kschafer

Thanks friendly Disers! Interesting...do any other resorts have their own? (like I said, I've only seen the 1 desgin this year) I think it's cool to have different ones!

I am not sure, but I don't think Disney actually owns CSR. That may be why there is a difference.

Originally Posted by karajeboo

So the casitas are out the back door to the left, right? No, left! Yeah, right. Anywho, here I am cracking myself up laying who's on first... all alone....

When we were there in November, we were in I think the casitas, out the back door to the left,right? No!!! Not again! And the rooms were not redone yet. Then in March we were in the cabanas, I think. Out the back door to the right..... Those were done. Just trying to clarify.

Love CSR!!!!!!

Yep, if you walk out the back door, the Casitas would be to the LEFT and the Cabanas to the right. I don't know about the Cabanas, but the Casitas have been refurbished, buildings 1-4, and they are currently working on building #5.

Originally Posted by lovedonaldduck

Finally, I am reading while you are writing! This week I've read your first trip report and your pre-trip report and I kept finding myself wanting to reply and then reminding myself that what I was reading was a year old so you probably didn't need my thoughts I am so glad to be caught up!

Hey lovedonaldduck!!! Glad you are all caught up to speed and you can now follow us in "real time!" Feel free to comment as you wish!

Originally Posted by NWOhioAngela

They used to "back in the day" but now they are the same for all of the other resorts :-(

I thought so. Yay CSR!

Originally Posted by sunnygirl8503

Hi Alan,
Joining in on the fun. Great trip report so far can't wait to hear more!

Welcome aboard, sunnygirl8503! More on the way...

[inkedupmomma]

Hey Alan, thanks for the awesome CSR pics!! I was showing my DH last night, and we both are REALLLLY starting to get excited (if it is possible to get even more excited)! These pics are exactly what he needed to see! Good looking out ;> I look forward to your review of CSR and the food!

[ph-mtl]

Originally Posted by alan_renfroe

Hi jmamom! Glad to have you along for the ride! Welcome aboard!



Cool! Glad to have you along for the ride!



Food porn is on it's way....beginning with Whispering Canyon.



Hi Kalamazoo!! Glad to have you along with us! You are right.....Sirius rules!



Oh man....CSR is Soooo beautiful. The landscaping is so lush that you really feel like you have transformed into another place entirely. We are most definitely CSR people! And proud of it!!!



Yep, sure do. And they are cool!



Hey! Welcome to our 2nd report! We definitely loved CSR. I've got TONS of pictures to share on the way.



It really is an amazing resort. It just fits the personality of our family very well. I've got LOTS of pictures on the way!



YAY! Drink that Kool-Aid! I guarantee you'll be glad you did!! We LOVE CSR!!!



Nice, Kathy! This is a PERFECT picture of the refillable mugs at CSR. I'll have some pictures at some point...but for now, thanks, Kathy!



Ponchos rule...rain is no problem!!! Did you all enjoy meeting my pal Rosie as much as we did? Love ya, Rosie!

Really enjoyed Rosie she is such a great Lady. It would have been nice to meet you guys at Epcot, but we only arrived that Sunday. Sounds like like you guys had a blast.

Gail

[dawz1026]

I am a fan from trip report 1...cant wait to hear the rest of 2!

[Sherrkel]

Hi Alan:
I haven't logged in a few days, but am psyched to see you started your trip report. Sorry I missed the pre-trippie thread; been on the boards a little less lately - I think I'm too jealous of everyone else taking their trips when I have to wait another 633 days to be back at CSR

I'm looking forward to seeing all your pics and hearing about your trip, very happy for you and your wife being able to celebrate your anniversary.

[DisneyBarlans]

Hi Alan,

I followed you over from Cammie'sTR and the DisMoms Gone Wild TR.

Love the TR so far! I feel your pain about the Atlanta traffic-we are in the suburbs of Atl. and traffic is always a nightmare.

Love your pics of CBR so far-we hope to stay there in the next couple of years. Can't wait to see that food porn everyone's been talking about!

[alan_renfroe]

Originally Posted by inkedupmomma

Hey Alan, thanks for the awesome CSR pics!! I was showing my DH last night, and we both are REALLLLY starting to get excited (if it is possible to get even more excited)! These pics are exactly what he needed to see! Good looking out ;> I look forward to your review of CSR and the food!

Oh, I've got TONS of CSR pics coming up in the next couple of chapters! I will go ahead and tell you that we LOVE CSR!! I think we enjoyed the resort even more this year than last year.

Originally Posted by ph-mtl

Really enjoyed Rosie she is such a great Lady. It would have been nice to meet you guys at Epcot, but we only arrived that Sunday. Sounds like like you guys had a blast.

Gail

We enjoyed meeting Rosie as well....although I felt like I already knew her forever! We wish you could've made it on Sunday, but at least you got to meet Rosie! Our meet was a blast! More later.

Originally Posted by dawz1026

I am a fan from trip report 1...cant wait to hear the rest of 2!

hi dawz1026!! Glad to have you along for TR #2!

Originally Posted by Sherrkel

Hi Alan:
I haven't logged in a few days, but am psyched to see you started your trip report. Sorry I missed the pre-trippie thread; been on the boards a little less lately - I think I'm too jealous of everyone else taking their trips when I have to wait another 633 days to be back at CSR

I'm looking forward to seeing all your pics and hearing about your trip, very happy for you and your wife being able to celebrate your anniversary.

I know what you mean. Now that this trip is over, it is going to be a really long time before we get to go back as well. If it helps any, you can live vicariously through us and our report! Lots of CSR pictures coming up.

Originally Posted by DisneyBarlans

Hi Alan,

I followed you over from Cammie'sTR and the DisMoms Gone Wild TR.

Love the TR so far! I feel your pain about the Atlanta traffic-we are in the suburbs of Atl. and traffic is always a nightmare.

Love your pics of CBR so far-we hope to stay there in the next couple of years. Can't wait to see that food porn everyone's been talking about!

Hi DisneyBarlans! Welcome to the trip report. Any friend of Cammie's and the DISmoms is a friend of mine! More resort pictures...and eventually the food porn...is on the way!

[inkedupmomma]

Alan, that thrills me to hear this! Thank you!

[alan_renfroe]

As Chapter 3 ended, we were on our way to our room at Coronado Springs Resort. We were all very excited to be staying in the Casitas area for the first time. I had seen lots of pictures of the refurbished rooms at CSR, but we were about to experience them for ourselves.

Our room number was 4245. This was the view from our balcony.



Finally, it was time to check out our room!







The newly refurbished rooms at Coronado Springs are absolutely beautiful! Being a big guy, I loved having the queen-sized beds and it helped me get a good night's sleep every night of our trip. LOVE CSR!!

Okay, so what is the first thing you do when you arrive in your room at Disney World?

Yep! Time to watch some STACEY!! I've been waiting all year for this!



This year's show is a little different. Instead of being the "Top 7" like it was last year, this year's show was called, "The Disney Must-Dos." We missed some of our favorite memorable lines from last year's show, (like "Summit Plummet", and "look at all the lazy people in the lazy river,") but there were some new classic quotes from this year's show!!







Okay, enough laying around and watching Stacey.....time to get moving! We all brought in our luggage and everything for the week. It has been our vacation tradition for years that I take the kids swimming while Elizabeth unpacks. (This lets them get some of their energy out while giving Elizabeth time by herself to unpack and unwind.)

The kids and I changed into our swimsuits and headed out the door to walk to the dig site pool. This was a perfect opportunity for me to take TONS of pictures of the beautiful Coronado Springs Resort.

The quiet pool for the Casitas area:







Walking the path to the dig site...(you can see The Dolphin resort on the horizon.)











Coming up - LOTS more pictures of Coronado Springs, and the kids and I enjoy the Dig Site Pool! Later, dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe.

[Shir Kahn]

Woohoo, I'm in at (almost) the beginning! You had me hooked at 80's music and mentioning that there'll be a lot of pictures of food! Can't wait! Great job so far, I like your writing style!

[alan_renfroe]

Here are more pictures from our walk to the Dig Site pool:

























I love this picture! Both kids decided to go underwater for the first time this year at the same time!





The Jaquar slide:







A perfect May day in Central Florida!



Siesta's poolside bar and grille at the dig site: not today - but we WILL be back!



Coming up next - more CSR pictures, and getting ready for dinner.

[shannon47142]

awesome pictures!! the room does look good-loved the colors