kimmar067
TAGS?? It's all about the 'likes' now!
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2001
Friday, July 26~~
Well, it's here at last...we are on our way to WDW!!! Various members of our family were getting up in time to be greeted by the limo driver at 5AM, so we could head to JFK and our non-stop flight aboard JetBlue. No traffic, so it was smooth sailing to JetBlue's new terminal. The staff was EXTREMELY nice, polite, and helpful ~ within 15 minutes, our luggage was thru the x-ray machine and we were on our way to be "x-rayed" ourselves!! That line was a little bit lengthy, but no problem - we'd have to get used to it, after all, we were heading for WDW, the queue capital of the world!! (LOL) Our flight was very smooth (maybe 5 minutes or so of turbulence). The seats were leather-covered, not stain-filled cloth, like OTHER airlines! We were given complimentary earsets to watch our individual tv screens, located directly in front of us (21 channels from which to choose!). Our flight arrived 25 minutes ahead of time (nothing like puttin' that "pedal to the metal") Temperature was about 86 degrees, not a cloud in sight, and lower humidity than I had expected. We caught a taxi (van) to CBR, which cost $53. Not bad for 7 passengers and 13 peices of luggage/carry-ons!
I wish I could say that check-in was a breeze, but it was NOT! First of all, it was confusing when we arrived. There wasn't the standard "bell services" as at other resorts. You must unload your belongings yourself; after you actually check in, you receive a card from the CM at check-in, and give the card to bell services, and THEN they take your luggage. We were not the only ones who experienced this ~ there were a few guests who also were kinda confused about what to do. Well, once inside (we were 3rd on line), we waited to be called. The CM was NOT friendly, and certainly NOT accomodating. She also had trouble speaking English, which only made matters worse! We had requested Martinique 24, 25, or 26, and specifically asked for connecting rooms, since our DS's would be staying in the 2nd room. Not only were there no rooms to be had in Martinique, but there were NO connecting rooms (we had 3 rooms total). She couldn't even put us in rooms on the same floor! Finally, after trying to locate us SOMEWHERE, we were given Aruba 56. It wasn't near ANYTHING, except the parking lot!! In fact, our room overlooked the parking lot. Now, I know that I paid for "std view rooms", so I wasn't expecting to look at the lake, or even the pool, but com'on...gosh darn it, the guests checking in on either side of us WERE getting Martinique rooms (it was only 11:15AM).
Once inside (all 3 rooms were ready), we unpacked a few essentials. Remember, we were only staying until Tuesday. We checked out our quiet pool, which was quite lovely, AND quiet, continued along the lake to the bridge, crossed over to the island, and onwards to OPR. Boy, was that pool CROWDED! It also was ALOT smaller than in photos. We never did get to go swimming at this pool. Once inside OPR, we checked out the arcade (not too bad), the shops and the food court. Since it was now around 2PM, we decided to purchase the CBR mugs and grab something to eat. What a dissappointment! DxL food court blows this place outta the water! Even the Pepper Market had more variety (although I'm not crazy about the automatic 10% [or is it 15%?] gratuity charge) We headed back to our rooms, feeding the ducks along the way. The bridges to and from the island have those bubble gum machines that give out the little pellets so you can feed the fish (and other animals). My oldest DS thought that the bridges were really cool - he loved skateboarding off of them! Since we had been up "before the sun", we decided to relax for a little bit, checking out the Disney channels for the daily activities, along with the Weather Channel.
We had PS's for Boma for 7PM, but decided to head out to AKL early to take in the sights and sounds of this resort. Since there are no buses that run from resort to resort, we waited for the AK bus, so we could transfer to an AKL bus, once at AK. We didn't even have a 5-minute wait! In fact, we never waited more than 6 or 7 minutes to go anywhere from CBR! Anyhoo, there were a total of maybe 12 or 13 guests (including the 7 of us) who were heading to AKL. The bus driver changed the sign on his bus to "SPECIAL" and drove us directly to AKL!!! (cool, eh??) For those of you who have never visited AKL, put it on your "must-do" list. What a magical place!!! As soon as you enter the lobby, you are whisked away to another part of the world. With the exception of WL, *** (continued)
I don't believe that....
...we will be staying here again. On the "plus" side, the rooms were extremely clean, and you could tell that they had recently been refurbished. Also, the transportation system here was much better than WL. I don't know if it was because of the proximity of our rooms to the bus stop, but it seemed as if we never waited more than 5-8 minutes for a bus!! Also, Since we stayed in Aruba, the way the buses were running, they entered through the service entrance, so the first stop was Jamaica, followed by Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, OPR, Trinidad North and South. We were the 2nd to get on and off the buses. The buses would actually make 2 rounds around CBR. When they came from a specific destination, the sign would change to "Internal". Guests coming from their destination would get off at their "village", as well as guests boarding the bus to go to another part of CBR (like OPR, for instance). It would go around the complex once more, this time with the "Internal" sign changed back to its original destination. So, other guests could now get on this bus to head to a park, or wherever else they were going.
As for the pool, it was WAY TOO CROWDED for us (at all hours of the day and night) so we stayed near the quiet pool and relaxed there, instead.
Aruba 56 was the VERY last building of this village, so it was a lengthy walk to go to the food court, which was definitely NOT worth the walk! It almost wasn't worth it to purchase the CBR mugs because we just didn't want to walk that far for some free soda....
(*** continued here)
I think this is the best-themed resort at WDW. (BTW-make sure you rub the carving on the wall as you exit the lobby ~ it brings you "good luck" on your journey! ) We walked straight across to the other side of the lobby ~ a hug wall of glass towered in front of us. As you wander around, your taste buds begin to awaken from the aromas eminating from Boma and Jiko's. It's hard to describe - it's sort of a spicy, garlic-y, woodsy, earthly, well, let your imagination roam wild!! Well, we descended the stairs, out the doors, and found ourselves at Arusha Rock, where we viewed giraffes, ostriches, and antelope. The CM's were extremely helpful, and seemed to really love their jobs (if you can call it a job! ). They offered interesting little tidbits of information about the various different animals, as well as some of the plants and trees in the area. Back inside, we wandered to the left (as you face the large glass window) to a secluded "alcove", where we found several children sitting in a circle on the floor making some sort of arts-and-crafts project. The CM there was showing them how to make a beaded necklace (I think); we stepped outside the glass doors and viewed several more giraffe and ostriches.
Now ready to eat, we headed towards the "sign-in" podium to let the maitre'd know we had arrived. We were seated at a table right near the buffet line and our server was Debbie, from Tennessee. She was wonderful, even though she poked fun at the way we said "coffee" (she kept saying, "KAWWWW-fee"!) BTW, you sure get your money's worth at Boma. While not a place for those who are NOT adventurous eaters, there IS a huge selection of food and, with a buffet, it's all-you-can-eat. The desserts alone are worth a try!
Some of my favorites included carrot-curry soup (up to 4 or 5 different kinds!), grilled chicken salad (yummy!) encrusted prime rib, salmon wrapped in banana leaves, pap (a white corn meal-type dish served with tomatoes), mashies(?) (sweet and white mashed potatoes),hummus (several different kinds - I liked the sun-dried tomato the best!) roasted sliced yams, and for dessert ~~ COCONUT TIRAMISU!!! (Wow, unbelievable!!)
After our sumptuous meal, we wandered into the store to browse and headed back to CBR. My 2 older DS's wanted to play some games at the arcade, while we returned to our rooms to get ready for bed and a good night's sleep. After all, we needed to be up early for our 7:45AM PS at Chef Mickey's......
DAY TWO The Marinos Take on MK
DAY THREE Have You seen the Pedones?
DAY FOUR Surf's Up!
DAY FIVE WL, Here We Come!
DAY SIX Water Fun or Football?
DAY SEVEN We're Gonna LEARN Something?
DAY EIGHT So I Want to be a Millionaire - Or Act Like One
DAY NINE A Soggy Day, or, the Bus Trip From H*ll
DAY TEN
Well, it's here at last...we are on our way to WDW!!! Various members of our family were getting up in time to be greeted by the limo driver at 5AM, so we could head to JFK and our non-stop flight aboard JetBlue. No traffic, so it was smooth sailing to JetBlue's new terminal. The staff was EXTREMELY nice, polite, and helpful ~ within 15 minutes, our luggage was thru the x-ray machine and we were on our way to be "x-rayed" ourselves!! That line was a little bit lengthy, but no problem - we'd have to get used to it, after all, we were heading for WDW, the queue capital of the world!! (LOL) Our flight was very smooth (maybe 5 minutes or so of turbulence). The seats were leather-covered, not stain-filled cloth, like OTHER airlines! We were given complimentary earsets to watch our individual tv screens, located directly in front of us (21 channels from which to choose!). Our flight arrived 25 minutes ahead of time (nothing like puttin' that "pedal to the metal") Temperature was about 86 degrees, not a cloud in sight, and lower humidity than I had expected. We caught a taxi (van) to CBR, which cost $53. Not bad for 7 passengers and 13 peices of luggage/carry-ons!
I wish I could say that check-in was a breeze, but it was NOT! First of all, it was confusing when we arrived. There wasn't the standard "bell services" as at other resorts. You must unload your belongings yourself; after you actually check in, you receive a card from the CM at check-in, and give the card to bell services, and THEN they take your luggage. We were not the only ones who experienced this ~ there were a few guests who also were kinda confused about what to do. Well, once inside (we were 3rd on line), we waited to be called. The CM was NOT friendly, and certainly NOT accomodating. She also had trouble speaking English, which only made matters worse! We had requested Martinique 24, 25, or 26, and specifically asked for connecting rooms, since our DS's would be staying in the 2nd room. Not only were there no rooms to be had in Martinique, but there were NO connecting rooms (we had 3 rooms total). She couldn't even put us in rooms on the same floor! Finally, after trying to locate us SOMEWHERE, we were given Aruba 56. It wasn't near ANYTHING, except the parking lot!! In fact, our room overlooked the parking lot. Now, I know that I paid for "std view rooms", so I wasn't expecting to look at the lake, or even the pool, but com'on...gosh darn it, the guests checking in on either side of us WERE getting Martinique rooms (it was only 11:15AM).
Once inside (all 3 rooms were ready), we unpacked a few essentials. Remember, we were only staying until Tuesday. We checked out our quiet pool, which was quite lovely, AND quiet, continued along the lake to the bridge, crossed over to the island, and onwards to OPR. Boy, was that pool CROWDED! It also was ALOT smaller than in photos. We never did get to go swimming at this pool. Once inside OPR, we checked out the arcade (not too bad), the shops and the food court. Since it was now around 2PM, we decided to purchase the CBR mugs and grab something to eat. What a dissappointment! DxL food court blows this place outta the water! Even the Pepper Market had more variety (although I'm not crazy about the automatic 10% [or is it 15%?] gratuity charge) We headed back to our rooms, feeding the ducks along the way. The bridges to and from the island have those bubble gum machines that give out the little pellets so you can feed the fish (and other animals). My oldest DS thought that the bridges were really cool - he loved skateboarding off of them! Since we had been up "before the sun", we decided to relax for a little bit, checking out the Disney channels for the daily activities, along with the Weather Channel.
We had PS's for Boma for 7PM, but decided to head out to AKL early to take in the sights and sounds of this resort. Since there are no buses that run from resort to resort, we waited for the AK bus, so we could transfer to an AKL bus, once at AK. We didn't even have a 5-minute wait! In fact, we never waited more than 6 or 7 minutes to go anywhere from CBR! Anyhoo, there were a total of maybe 12 or 13 guests (including the 7 of us) who were heading to AKL. The bus driver changed the sign on his bus to "SPECIAL" and drove us directly to AKL!!! (cool, eh??) For those of you who have never visited AKL, put it on your "must-do" list. What a magical place!!! As soon as you enter the lobby, you are whisked away to another part of the world. With the exception of WL, *** (continued)
I don't believe that....
...we will be staying here again. On the "plus" side, the rooms were extremely clean, and you could tell that they had recently been refurbished. Also, the transportation system here was much better than WL. I don't know if it was because of the proximity of our rooms to the bus stop, but it seemed as if we never waited more than 5-8 minutes for a bus!! Also, Since we stayed in Aruba, the way the buses were running, they entered through the service entrance, so the first stop was Jamaica, followed by Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, OPR, Trinidad North and South. We were the 2nd to get on and off the buses. The buses would actually make 2 rounds around CBR. When they came from a specific destination, the sign would change to "Internal". Guests coming from their destination would get off at their "village", as well as guests boarding the bus to go to another part of CBR (like OPR, for instance). It would go around the complex once more, this time with the "Internal" sign changed back to its original destination. So, other guests could now get on this bus to head to a park, or wherever else they were going.
As for the pool, it was WAY TOO CROWDED for us (at all hours of the day and night) so we stayed near the quiet pool and relaxed there, instead.
Aruba 56 was the VERY last building of this village, so it was a lengthy walk to go to the food court, which was definitely NOT worth the walk! It almost wasn't worth it to purchase the CBR mugs because we just didn't want to walk that far for some free soda....
(*** continued here)
I think this is the best-themed resort at WDW. (BTW-make sure you rub the carving on the wall as you exit the lobby ~ it brings you "good luck" on your journey! ) We walked straight across to the other side of the lobby ~ a hug wall of glass towered in front of us. As you wander around, your taste buds begin to awaken from the aromas eminating from Boma and Jiko's. It's hard to describe - it's sort of a spicy, garlic-y, woodsy, earthly, well, let your imagination roam wild!! Well, we descended the stairs, out the doors, and found ourselves at Arusha Rock, where we viewed giraffes, ostriches, and antelope. The CM's were extremely helpful, and seemed to really love their jobs (if you can call it a job! ). They offered interesting little tidbits of information about the various different animals, as well as some of the plants and trees in the area. Back inside, we wandered to the left (as you face the large glass window) to a secluded "alcove", where we found several children sitting in a circle on the floor making some sort of arts-and-crafts project. The CM there was showing them how to make a beaded necklace (I think); we stepped outside the glass doors and viewed several more giraffe and ostriches.
Now ready to eat, we headed towards the "sign-in" podium to let the maitre'd know we had arrived. We were seated at a table right near the buffet line and our server was Debbie, from Tennessee. She was wonderful, even though she poked fun at the way we said "coffee" (she kept saying, "KAWWWW-fee"!) BTW, you sure get your money's worth at Boma. While not a place for those who are NOT adventurous eaters, there IS a huge selection of food and, with a buffet, it's all-you-can-eat. The desserts alone are worth a try!
Some of my favorites included carrot-curry soup (up to 4 or 5 different kinds!), grilled chicken salad (yummy!) encrusted prime rib, salmon wrapped in banana leaves, pap (a white corn meal-type dish served with tomatoes), mashies(?) (sweet and white mashed potatoes),hummus (several different kinds - I liked the sun-dried tomato the best!) roasted sliced yams, and for dessert ~~ COCONUT TIRAMISU!!! (Wow, unbelievable!!)After our sumptuous meal, we wandered into the store to browse and headed back to CBR. My 2 older DS's wanted to play some games at the arcade, while we returned to our rooms to get ready for bed and a good night's sleep. After all, we needed to be up early for our 7:45AM PS at Chef Mickey's......
DAY TWO The Marinos Take on MK
DAY THREE Have You seen the Pedones?
DAY FOUR Surf's Up!
DAY FIVE WL, Here We Come!
DAY SIX Water Fun or Football?
DAY SEVEN We're Gonna LEARN Something?
DAY EIGHT So I Want to be a Millionaire - Or Act Like One
DAY NINE A Soggy Day, or, the Bus Trip From H*ll
DAY TEN
Last edited:
Krissy
). Also, on Tuesday, joining the 7 of us were my DMom-in-L, another DSis-in-L, her friend, and her friend's dad, sister, and niece.
