FOOD, WINE, AND SANDERSON SISTERS OH MY!

[vamassey1]

Andi and I felt the same way about CBR, we have only stayed once and not in a hurry to stay there again!
The spread out feeling and for us and the bus situation was a real negative.
We found the buses to be very packed every.time! Also long routes for the buses.
The Skyliner wasn’t open yet when we stayed there.
We had a room in Jamaica as well.
Maybe staying closer to Riviera and Skyliner would be a good spot now.

The bus routes are very long and even longer now I think due to having to go through Riviera. I had more time on the bus then Dennis and Danielle due to my daily stops to get more water bottles.

I really did like having the Skyliner and being near the central hub.

I originally wanted Aruba but after seeing how the full the bus was before getting to the Aruba stop I'm thankful for Jamaica.

 

[vamassey1]

Well, of course! They know they have you hooked without a code. Him, with an old email, they don't think he's visited in a decade so they'll throw him a bone to hook him back in. They know what they're doing. You just outplayed them.

I felt I had used this to me advantage too, thanks for confirming for me. I'm still salty that I have never gotten one. I helped my cousin and niece book trips using my address and have gotten PIN codes for them in my mailbox, but never for me.

Honestly, that couldn't have been more perfect!

It really was!

Hmm... thanks for that info. Actually changing my Touringplans room request based on this. I originally was thinking of going for Aruba to be closer to RIviera, but if that makes it challenging to get on the bus, maybe the other side might make more sense.

We really liked staying in the Jamaica section when it came to transportation. The only drawback was Disney Springs. We used the bus for breaks and went back to the parks in the afternoons and it was rough to see Aruba get shut out at times.

Agreed. That resort is HUGE. Even bigger than it looks on a map. However, it has become our go to in a sense. The kids like the pool and I love the Skylner access.

I think it's a great resort for kids. My nephew and his family are staying there the week before we go. The Skyliner access is the best.

 

[vamassey1]

Great photos. We stayed at CBR back in December 1998. I know it has the skyliner now but it was a one and done for us for some of the cons you outlined. I felt far from everything though I have often thought I can’t fairly judge it as a favourite uncle from home passed away just 2 days after we arrived and I was upset about that and worried about my dad ( Tommy was his eldest brother). Your review has kind of confirmed to me that my opinion was correct.

ETA I think we stayed in Martinique

I'm so sorry you lost a family member while there. That would color your stay.

I won't say I'll never stay there again but if I have other options I'll go with them. When Danielle uses her discount the options are very limited. I have a feeling I may miss having access to the Skyliner some this trip. We really enjoyed it our last trip when staying at AOA.

 

[vamassey1]

Skyliner CON

I forgot one our cons for the Skyliner while staying at CBR. The route to Epcot was closed down our last morning there. We had an early lunch at Beaches and Cream and had planned to use the Skyliner to get there. I planned to take the Skyliner to Studios and then the boat to Beach Club. Everyone else also planned the same thing and the line for the boat was backed way up. I had given us plenty of time to get there but ended up getting a LYFT and made it in plenty of time. The LYFT pick up area wasn't too far from where the boat line ended.

If the Skyliner is ever down or under maintenance its a real pain for all the Skyliner resorts. Lightning is bad too.

 

[dalmatian7]

I feel the same about CBR. We stayed there wayyyy back in the day in 2008. It was a hike to get to food from Jamacia and it was a long walk across a parking lot from the bus stop. The whole "lobby" of check in being so far away was crazy. We had to walk it for checkout with luggage because we were having issues with buses and waiting for ME.

The resort itself is so pretty and peaceful, it is just not a place to stay if you are doing a lot of park time.

 

[pkondz]

We were pretty close to both the Skyliner and 1st bus stop.

That’s a big plus in my books.

I'm going to share a few photos of the room and resort

Thanks for all those. Haven’t seen much of CBR so those were great.

Another Pro was having the ceiling fan. Dennis likes to sleep with the sound of the fan.

Huh. I’ve never thought of that… might have to in the future.

This pic cracks me up.

We felt the resort as a whole was too spread out

Yeah… it looks massive. For that reason I’ve never had the desire to stay there.

that's saying a lot since we love Port Orleans.

And yet, even POR doesn’t seem that big in comparison.

When you’re hauling that much luggage and you don't know where your room is, it really is that FAR.

Oh I totally get that.

It was NOT easy hauling all that luggage up the stairs because CBR has no elevators.

Never really understood why there aren’t any elevators…

My brand new Minnie suitcases ended up with scuff marks that airport baggage did not put on them.

Well poop

 

[pkondz]

Skyliner CON

I forgot one our cons for the Skyliner while staying at CBR. The route to Epcot was closed down our last morning there. We had an early lunch at Beaches and Cream and had planned to use the Skyliner to get there. I planned to take the Skyliner to Studios and then the boat to Beach Club. Everyone else also planned the same thing and the line for the boat was backed way up. I had given us plenty of time to get there but ended up getting a LYFT and made it in plenty of time. The LYFT pick up area wasn't too far from where the boat line ended.

If the Skyliner is ever down or under maintenance its a real pain for all the Skyliner resorts. Lightning is bad too.

Hadn’t thought of that. It’s why I’ve stayed at Pop

 

[vamassey1]

I feel the same about CBR. We stayed there wayyyy back in the day in 2008. It was a hike to get to food from Jamacia and it was a long walk across a parking lot from the bus stop. The whole "lobby" of check in being so far away was crazy. We had to walk it for checkout with luggage because we were having issues with buses and waiting for ME.

The resort itself is so pretty and peaceful, it is just not a place to stay if you are doing a lot of park time.

Glad to know others have the same impression. I think I would have liked it more if I had more down time.

 

[vamassey1]

That’s a big plus in my books.

A big plus for me too.

This pic cracks me up.

Typical Danielle.

Yeah… it looks massive. For that reason I’ve never had the desire to stay there.

It really is big.

And yet, even POR doesn’t seem that big in comparison.

I've walked around POR a few times and don't find it near as big.

Never really understood why there aren’t any elevators…

POR Alligator Bayou doesn't have them either. They are both only 2 floors and when they were built, elevators weren't required.

Hadn’t thought of that. It’s why I’ve stayed at Pop

Skyliner down is a headache.

 

[vamassey1]

Pre-trip Update

We got great news from Danielle today. Her vacation time for when we come has been approved as well as her vacation time around the time Michelle is due. She will actually be home for Mother's Day! I'm trying to get Brent to come from Austin so we can all be together.

Getting all the days she needed for our trip was a little tricky. Her regular days off up until this past week was Wednesday and Thursday so when to she put in for time off she didn't ask for those 2 days. Her days off changed to Tuesday and Wednesday after she had put in for our trip. She had to request Thursday off and got work today it was approved.

She also found out this past week she will be attending the CM special preview for HEA to be held afterhours. There was a lottery CM had to enter if they wanted to attend. She didn't win but 2 of her friends did win so she will be going.

I'm still waiting for the HEA Dessert parties to be released. I called Friday to pay off our resort reservation and asked if they knew when it would be released. I was transferred to dining reservation and they couldn't see when it would be released either.

May 2021 Recap- the Food

Time to get back to May 2021 recap.

I already posted about the snack we had at CBR when we arrived. We only had a snack because we knew we would be eating big at our first TS reservation, T-Rex. This is a favorite for Dennis. I don't really think it's the food but the fun atmosphere he enjoys. It's not your average place to eat. I find it very loud but he loves it. I had purchased the Landry Club membership before our trip. I wasn't able to get an ADR through Disney for T-Rex or Yak & Yeti but was able to get both with the Landry membership. I called both restaurants directly and made the reservations over the phone. I did have to give my Landry Card membership number. The membership can be purchased online. I paid $25, I'm not sure if it's still the same price. You automatically get a credit of $25 to spend at one of their restaurants so it pays for itself right away. You also get $25 to spend on your birthday. It also helps with getting a seat at the restaurants. I've never used the walk up option but I have read where others have used their membership to get a table with no reservations. There is no discount given when eating there with your membership but the amount you spend goes to towards a credit. You also can't use the $25 credit and/or the credit towards future credit and an AP discount, no double dipping. I elected to use my AP discount here and save the $25 credit until we ate at Yak & Yeti. I did use a $25 birthday credit and $25 earned credit on our last trip, $50 off a meal for 2 was really nice. You have 3 options of restaurants at WDW to use the Landry Card-TRex, Yak & Yeti and Rainforest Cafe.

We were seated in the Ice Cave area. We have eaten here quite a few times and have been seated in this room all but one time. The room is dark and changes colors from blue to red when the meteor shower happens. My photos of our food are not good due to this.



Dennis had NY Strip char-grilled, topped with steak butter, red skinned mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Danielle had her go to meal, Triassic Trio- Dino-mite shrimp and scallops, shrimp skewer, chimichurri sauce, char-grilled sirloin steak, steak butter & Raptor rice.



I had Tuscan Chicken- Balsamic and Tomato marinated char-grilled chicken breast, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes an honey Dijon mustard sauce.



Everyone enjoyed their food. Dennis and Danielle had regular boring drinks but I had a Caveman Punch in a Souvenir glass, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, DE Kuyper Banana liqueur, DE Kuyper Peachtree Schnapps and tropical fruit juices.


We all stuffed ourselves for our first meal of the trip. We walked around Disney Springs for awhile and shopped. Danielle ended up buying Michelle a birthday gift at Every After Jewelry and we ran into the Dapper Danielle who I follow on TikTok and Instagram. This was my first Disney Influencer sighting. She was working in the store and helped us with the purchase. She was a Disney CM for years but has since stopped working for Disney. I love all the interesting facts and history she shares. We made several purchases in World of Disney and ended our night with desserts from Ghirardelli. We had to scan a code and get put on a list to come back to order our desserts, more Covid restrictions. I'm sorry but I don't have photos of our food, but I did use my AP discount. We also picked up some sweets from Amoretti's to bring back to the room.


Food Day 2

Our second day was our first park day. We started in Magic Kingdom and ended our day at Epcot.

I don't remember what Dennis and Danielle had for breakfast but I had a Cat Tail from the Lunching Pad. These are normally found at Cheshire Cafe but due to Covid protocols, Cheshire was not open on this trip. I love these. Try to get it warmed if your can.



Lunch was at Liberty Tree Tavern. This was a first for Dennis and a repeat for Danielle and I. We went way back in 2009 so the menu was different for us. It was a really heavy meal for lunch and for the heat but we enjoyed it. It was also way too much food for just the 3 of us. When we checked in I requested we be sat in the original restaurant, they were seating overflow in the Diamond Horseshoe next door. We were seated in the Ben Franklin room.





The meal started with Salad and bread.


We were soon served Roasted Turkey, Pot Roast, oven-roasted pork, mashed potatoes, green beans, herb stuffing and macaroni & cheese.




Everything was good but the dessert was the best. Oooey Gooey Toffee Cake with vanilla ice cream.

 

[vamassey1]

I could go for some of that right now.
I love the early American theming in here and we had a lovely table with a window view.

This is what you see when you first enter.

We went back to CBR and freshened up before heading to Epcot for the evening. It was really nice taking the Skyliner there.
I'm sorry I don't have more photos but we did pick up a Pecan Cluster and cookie in Germany. We also got toasted pretzel bread w/ham & cheese. I did get a photo of this but sadly it was not good. It looked like it had been sitting out for awhile and was hard. I have had it in the past where it was really good and hope to try it again next month.

We didn't eat much this evening after our big lunch. I have lots of pretty pictures of the the park but not much of the food.
Here are Photo Pass pictures of us from our morning in MK and evening in Epcot, and look no masks.

 

[Paulaparm]

We love Liberty Tree Tavern! I was lucky enough to find a recipe for ooey gooey toffee cake and made it a few weeks ago. It was almost as good!!

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm glad that Danielle was able to swing the days off she needs!!!

Thanks for the food recap to make me hungry. LOL I can't wait to get back to Liberty Tree Tavern. When we went on NYE, the server brought us dessert for 4 even though there were only 2 of us. I had to roll out the door, but since it is served family style, I assume they'll bring us more if we ask anyway? I might have to try doing that next time.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm still waiting for the HEA Dessert parties to be released. I called Friday to pay off our resort reservation and asked if they knew when it would be released. I was transferred to dining reservation and they couldn't see when it would be released either.

I'm anxiously waiting, too!! Rob and I are sneaking a just the two of us trip in the week HEA returns. I really want to do the post-fireworks dessert party, so I've been stalking the site like crazy, too!

Awesome that Danielle was able to get the time off for your trip! I started following her IG account you mentioned; she's the cutest living her best life at WDW!!

 

[pkondz]

Typical Danielle.

I've walked around POR a few times and don't find it near as big.

Glad I’m not the only one.

We got great news from Danielle today. Her vacation time for when we come has been approved as well as her vacation time around the time Michelle is due.

Great news!

T-Rex. This is a favorite for Dennis.

Never been. Don’t really have an urge to go. Too reminiscent of Rainforest Cafe. Been the way too often when the kids were little.

I find it very loud

Pass

Landry membership

Keep meaning to look into this and keep forgetting.

Dennis had NY Strip char-grilled, topped with steak butter, red skinned mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Mmm. I’ll have that.

Danielle had her go to meal, Triassic Trio- Dino-mite shrimp and scallops, shrimp skewer, chimichurri sauce, char-grilled sirloin steak, steak butter & Raptor rice.

Or maybe this.

I had Tuscan Chicken- Balsamic and Tomato marinated char-grilled chicken breast, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes an honey Dijon mustard sauce.

I’m hungry now

ended our night with desserts from Ghirardelli.

Stawwwwp

We also picked up some sweets from Amoretti's

I had a Cat Tail from the Lunching Pad.

I didn’t care for that. I think now maybe ours because it has semi-sweet chocolate?

Lunch was at Liberty Tree Tavern.

Oh boy. Been a few years but I sure enjoyed it.

Everything was good but the dessert was the best. Oooey Gooey Toffee Cake with vanilla ice cream.

That cake is pure heaven

We also got toasted pretzel bread w/ham & cheese.

That’s sounds good. After LTT I’m surprised you had room!
But…

sadly it was not good

Bummer

 

[vamassey1]

We love Liberty Tree Tavern! I was lucky enough to find a recipe for ooey gooey toffee cake and made it a few weeks ago. It was almost as good!!

That sounds so good. We enjoyed LTT enough to go back on our last trip.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm glad that Danielle was able to swing the days off she needs!!!

So are we! We're working on getting our son to come while she's here too. It's not that often that all 3 of the kids are together.

Thanks for the food recap to make me hungry. LOL I can't wait to get back to Liberty Tree Tavern. When we went on NYE, the server brought us dessert for 4 even though there were only 2 of us. I had to roll out the door, but since it is served family style, I assume they'll bring us more if we ask anyway? I might have to try doing that next time.

Good to see another fan of LTT. When we went in November we got more food but by the time dessert came we were too full to ask for more of it. I think it's all you can eat.

Are y'all going back this month?

 

[vamassey1]

I'm anxiously waiting, too!! Rob and I are sneaking a just the two of us trip in the week HEA returns. I really want to do the post-fireworks dessert party, so I've been stalking the site like crazy, too!

The stress of waiting is killing me!! I'm stalking the site and following several threads. Wishing you lots of luck.

Awesome that Danielle was able to get the time off for your trip! I started following her IG account you mentioned; she's the cutest living her best life at WDW!!

Thank you for following! She is really is a good place right now.

She doesn't call near enough and IG is how I keep up with her on some days.

 

[vamassey1]

Great news!

We're really happy it's going to work out.

Never been. Don’t really have an urge to go. Too reminiscent of Rainforest Cafe. Been the way too often when the kids were little.

I think it's a great place for kids .

Keep meaning to look into this and keep forgetting.

I have found it worth it.

Mmm. I’ll have that.

I like this too.

Or maybe this.

Gotten this one before.

I’m hungry now

And you said you didn't want to go there.

I didn’t care for that. I think now maybe ours because it has semi-sweet chocolate?

I like semi-sweet and dark chocolate.

Oh boy. Been a few years but I sure enjoyed it.

Time to go back?

That cake is pure heaven

Yes it is!

That’s sounds good. After LTT I’m surprised you had room!
But…

This was much later in the afternoon and was pretty much my dinner. It's much better when it's warm and the cheese is melty, not hard.

 

[pkondz]

I think it's a great place for kids .

‘nuff said

And you said you didn't want to go there.

Stop trying to change my mind!

I like semi-sweet and dark chocolate.

And I’m more milk chocolate.

Time to go back?

Always.