disadventurer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2009
Hi Everyone. Wanted to give my trip report of CSR. Sorry so late, but computer was not cooperating. Its going to be in partshope not too long. Enjoy!!
Got in 7:30 pm- April 12th, at All Star Music as we wanted to try the Values because we have never stayed there before. No one was at check-in, so we received immediate service. Congratulated DD on her upcoming graduation from high school and gave us "I'm Celebrating" buttons, nice touch!! Also, when making our reservations, we had noted that we wanted the Jazz section with a view of the pool. They put us on the 3rd floor in Jazz 2655 which was a corner room overlooking the piano pool. Just beautiful and quiet with 5 different towel animals waiting for us!! Our room also overlooked a beautiful fountain which reminded us of POFQ. Got our mugs at the Intermission Food Court and had dinner. (Note: The refillable mugs are more expensive here than at CSR.) Made-to- order Chicken Caesar Salad was great. On to check out the resort and take pictures of their larger-than-life statues etc. Walked to both the Movies and Sports and did the same. Must say Music is the best of the three IMHO. Swam in the pool at midnight and boy was it warm--sure beats January. Only drawback for the one night was the double bed-but, whats one night, Right!! The room was spotless, everything in working order. Didn't have to check out in the morning--just walked our luggage to Bell Services to be transported to CSR--even the laptop. They gave us a ticket and said it would arrive after 1pm at CSR. Had breakfast and sat outside in the warm, beautiful FL sunshine. Yes!! Walked over to the uncovered queue where an attendant was there making sure things were moving along. Only 5-minute wait btw. Off to Winter/Summerland on the Blizzard Beach bus to play mini-golf. About 10 am now. After getting beat by DH by 10 (ouch) strokes, we walked to CSR on the sidewalk -didn't want to wait for a bus. No big dealpretty walk.
Arrived early at CSR-- 12:30ish. Went to the Registration area and only had to wait a few minutes. The CM there gave us our packet and said Cabanas 9a Room 9229. Did they not see our request for Ranchos courtyard view made at the time of reservation?? At first I said we might want to try something new, but then I asked her exactly where the room was located and what it faced. She said it faced the parking lot. At that point, I said, "NO." Really didn't care for that section at all as it reminds me of CBR and is my least favorite section of the resort. She checked her computer again and this time she said room 6647 in Ranchos 6B. It was a corner room with a beautiful view of the cactus gardens and streambeds on the second floor right down from the elevator. Only drawback that I could see was that it was near the designated smoking area. It was close to Bus Stop 3 and a short walk to the Dig Pool. Okay we are a go!! No mention of DD's graduation; but after the room request, I didn't expect any acknowledgment. It appears our room assignment was just generated and the request ignored. Glad it wasn't the first night. No luggage yet. Now we head over toward Ranchos and just as we cross the bridge, it starts to rain, so we duck into the Dig Site and have some lunch at Siesta's Pool Bar. DH & I have margaritas and DS and DD have a little something to eat. Franciso was the bartender. Nice guy. Margaritas not that great-seems premade in a machine. DS heads for the arcade while we wait out the short rainstorm. Checked out the hot tub on the way to the room. Nice walk from the pool to the Ranchos section. Went past 6A where we stayed for the Grainger Convention. Nice section, but I must say 6B with such a pretty view of the 7a gardens was much better. Definitely worth asking for and so glad we were accommodated for our original request. Beautiful room as well!! Okay, now to call for the luggage which has arrived. We walked to luggage services (where you pick up the Magical Express) and retrieved our luggage--no problem--easy as pie. Suppose we could have used Bell Services, but the kids now got to see the Casistas section. After the luggage drop at the room, back to Concierge to update our tickets and then off to EPCOT and dinner at Teppan Edo. We walked to Bus Stop 1 from there, and waited only a short time. We are off to EPCOT. Just loved all the flowers and topiaries at the EPCOT entrance. Next up, the World (as I call it)Siemens exhibit. Almost always our first stop there, unless we come in by boat. Always a good meal at Teppan Edo and quite the show!! I want to know how long the chefs practice before they get the shrimp tails in their chef hats, and at what age do they start learning how to handle the knives they use? Must have the green tea (cold) there. Bus back to CSR, no problem. Dropped us off at Stop 3 and walked to the room. No big deal. Glad I didnt have to walk from El Centro (Bus Stop 1).
April 14thBig day for DS14 & I--lunch with the Imagineer at DHS. Walked to El Centro absolutely beautiful in the morning, and had a snack & coffee/drink for breakfast. We received the Free Quick Service Dining Pin and upgraded to DDP for $10pp pd. First time in all these years (since its inception) and we decided to try it. First, it is very convenient. Just bring your KTTW card and it takes it off and counts down so you always know where you stand. Each person did not have to have their card. One person can pay for all meals. Well that was super easy. After breakfast, took DHS bus at Stop 1 and we are off. As we are there early, first stop is, you guessed it, Rock N Roller Coaster. Now this coaster I do not mind at all. Line moves fast and you are inside before you know it. DS loves Aerosmith. Its amazing lots of our kids listen to the music we grew up with. DS loves Beatles. He plays alto & bari sax and is teaching himself electric guitar and keyboard. Hopes to play Disney with HS band someday. Well see. Now that I have caught my breath, its time to take it away again with the Tower of Terror. Short wait. Used to watch The Outer Limits in high school, so to hear and see Rod Serling again, really brings me back a bit. Its that darn eyeball that gets me every time. They say every ride is different. Well, there was no getting used to the dip this time. Seemed like we were up at the top and dropped the full length every time. Thank God it was now time for lunch with the Imagineer. (See separate trip report already posted.) The Hollywood Brown Derby is my favorite dining spot in all of the World. Now DH & DD17 have just arrived and are already on the Backlot tour. So we decide to see our favorite action showIndiana Jones. Love the giant boulder and the fight scenes and how they take a punch. But, I must say, the best of all was a stunt guy who actually rolled on the crown of his head and lives to tell. I would like to know if he takes an IMPACT test daily or after every performance?? What a Company man!! Hats off to you!! Now DD17 & DH have to see the Lights, Action Show. DD17 wants a mini cooper. Boy is her Bucket List long!! Next up is DD17s pictures with the UP characters. She saw the movie while she was on a college visit in IL. Since then, its her favorite. She certainly had good times with nice kids on a college soccer team!! Tried to find UP merchandise around, but alas after many questions to CMs, no one knew!! Personally, one of my favorites as well. Little Mermaid show is nextalways packed. DS14 now bored to tears. So onto the Animation show. What a great show. Interesting tidbits on the Dragon(Mushu) from Mulan. It is also nice to see live animators at work. Do they feel like they are in a fishbowl?? Glad to be able to see them at work though!! Had a Disney Rewards card and decided to buy the The Princess and the Frog for the plane ride home. Surprise, Surprise!! To save the day for DS14--The Great Movie Ride. It is always on our list and this time, no waiting front row!! Love the Wizard of OZ , Mary Poppins, the gangsters, Alien(yikes). Last, but definitely not the least, is Beauty and the Beast--DD17s favorite princess. This performance is just spectacular and we never miss it. When the kids were young DD17 played the clock, and DS21 played Gaston in a little theatre just to the right of the MK Castle. Priceless memory!! What a nice way to finish up this park.
Have a special dinner planned at California Grill at 9:15 for DD17 graduation celebration. Made sure we would be there in time for Wishes. Thank God for the late show as lunch was definitely dinner for me. DS14, of course, eats like a horse and doesnt gain an ounce!! We decided to take the boat from DHS and check out the Yacht Clubs Crews Cup Lounge to see if we might have dinner there on another trip. It is right next to the famous Yachtmens Steak House and no one is inside. Very intimate and it appears no reservation is necessary. Will try next time. Walk past the SAB pool slide. Now this is on my Bucket List sometime in the future. Crossed over to the Board Walk and checked it out. Had a glass of wine outside there and you could see the Yacht Club in the distance. Nice time to reflect on the days events all together!! Time to rest was over and we decided to walk over to EPCOT and cut through (the beauty of a hopper pass) to catch the monorail to the Contemporary for dinner. Its about 7:30 now so we wanted to leave plenty of time to get there. Took our time and switched over to the Resort monorail. They seemed to have a problem that day as they shut down for a minute and started up againalmost like a self-check. It happened at the Poly and again at the GF. Next up CA Grille. First, you must check in downstairs, then take a special elevator up. Boy was this place busy for dinner and it was 9:15 pm. Had some drinks before we were seated. They recognized Colleens celebration by sprinkling Mickey confetti all over the tablecloth. We ordered dinner and they held it so we could enjoy the show on the observation deck. We ate about 10:30. Wishes was great from the deck. Another priceless memory for us. DD17 really enjoyed it. FYI, this counts as 2 table service meals. Her special celebration came to a close, and it was time to find a way back to our homebase CSR. We went to the TTC by monorail and to our surprise there was a bus there that said AK. Now it was after 11pm. We went up to that bus and asked him if he would take us to CSRHe said, Sure and we were the only ones. He even dropped us at Bus Stop 3. Now thats service.
Well thats all for today. Stay tuned for more and cross your fingers the computer is virus free!!
Got in 7:30 pm- April 12th, at All Star Music as we wanted to try the Values because we have never stayed there before. No one was at check-in, so we received immediate service. Congratulated DD on her upcoming graduation from high school and gave us "I'm Celebrating" buttons, nice touch!! Also, when making our reservations, we had noted that we wanted the Jazz section with a view of the pool. They put us on the 3rd floor in Jazz 2655 which was a corner room overlooking the piano pool. Just beautiful and quiet with 5 different towel animals waiting for us!! Our room also overlooked a beautiful fountain which reminded us of POFQ. Got our mugs at the Intermission Food Court and had dinner. (Note: The refillable mugs are more expensive here than at CSR.) Made-to- order Chicken Caesar Salad was great. On to check out the resort and take pictures of their larger-than-life statues etc. Walked to both the Movies and Sports and did the same. Must say Music is the best of the three IMHO. Swam in the pool at midnight and boy was it warm--sure beats January. Only drawback for the one night was the double bed-but, whats one night, Right!! The room was spotless, everything in working order. Didn't have to check out in the morning--just walked our luggage to Bell Services to be transported to CSR--even the laptop. They gave us a ticket and said it would arrive after 1pm at CSR. Had breakfast and sat outside in the warm, beautiful FL sunshine. Yes!! Walked over to the uncovered queue where an attendant was there making sure things were moving along. Only 5-minute wait btw. Off to Winter/Summerland on the Blizzard Beach bus to play mini-golf. About 10 am now. After getting beat by DH by 10 (ouch) strokes, we walked to CSR on the sidewalk -didn't want to wait for a bus. No big dealpretty walk.
Arrived early at CSR-- 12:30ish. Went to the Registration area and only had to wait a few minutes. The CM there gave us our packet and said Cabanas 9a Room 9229. Did they not see our request for Ranchos courtyard view made at the time of reservation?? At first I said we might want to try something new, but then I asked her exactly where the room was located and what it faced. She said it faced the parking lot. At that point, I said, "NO." Really didn't care for that section at all as it reminds me of CBR and is my least favorite section of the resort. She checked her computer again and this time she said room 6647 in Ranchos 6B. It was a corner room with a beautiful view of the cactus gardens and streambeds on the second floor right down from the elevator. Only drawback that I could see was that it was near the designated smoking area. It was close to Bus Stop 3 and a short walk to the Dig Pool. Okay we are a go!! No mention of DD's graduation; but after the room request, I didn't expect any acknowledgment. It appears our room assignment was just generated and the request ignored. Glad it wasn't the first night. No luggage yet. Now we head over toward Ranchos and just as we cross the bridge, it starts to rain, so we duck into the Dig Site and have some lunch at Siesta's Pool Bar. DH & I have margaritas and DS and DD have a little something to eat. Franciso was the bartender. Nice guy. Margaritas not that great-seems premade in a machine. DS heads for the arcade while we wait out the short rainstorm. Checked out the hot tub on the way to the room. Nice walk from the pool to the Ranchos section. Went past 6A where we stayed for the Grainger Convention. Nice section, but I must say 6B with such a pretty view of the 7a gardens was much better. Definitely worth asking for and so glad we were accommodated for our original request. Beautiful room as well!! Okay, now to call for the luggage which has arrived. We walked to luggage services (where you pick up the Magical Express) and retrieved our luggage--no problem--easy as pie. Suppose we could have used Bell Services, but the kids now got to see the Casistas section. After the luggage drop at the room, back to Concierge to update our tickets and then off to EPCOT and dinner at Teppan Edo. We walked to Bus Stop 1 from there, and waited only a short time. We are off to EPCOT. Just loved all the flowers and topiaries at the EPCOT entrance. Next up, the World (as I call it)Siemens exhibit. Almost always our first stop there, unless we come in by boat. Always a good meal at Teppan Edo and quite the show!! I want to know how long the chefs practice before they get the shrimp tails in their chef hats, and at what age do they start learning how to handle the knives they use? Must have the green tea (cold) there. Bus back to CSR, no problem. Dropped us off at Stop 3 and walked to the room. No big deal. Glad I didnt have to walk from El Centro (Bus Stop 1).
April 14thBig day for DS14 & I--lunch with the Imagineer at DHS. Walked to El Centro absolutely beautiful in the morning, and had a snack & coffee/drink for breakfast. We received the Free Quick Service Dining Pin and upgraded to DDP for $10pp pd. First time in all these years (since its inception) and we decided to try it. First, it is very convenient. Just bring your KTTW card and it takes it off and counts down so you always know where you stand. Each person did not have to have their card. One person can pay for all meals. Well that was super easy. After breakfast, took DHS bus at Stop 1 and we are off. As we are there early, first stop is, you guessed it, Rock N Roller Coaster. Now this coaster I do not mind at all. Line moves fast and you are inside before you know it. DS loves Aerosmith. Its amazing lots of our kids listen to the music we grew up with. DS loves Beatles. He plays alto & bari sax and is teaching himself electric guitar and keyboard. Hopes to play Disney with HS band someday. Well see. Now that I have caught my breath, its time to take it away again with the Tower of Terror. Short wait. Used to watch The Outer Limits in high school, so to hear and see Rod Serling again, really brings me back a bit. Its that darn eyeball that gets me every time. They say every ride is different. Well, there was no getting used to the dip this time. Seemed like we were up at the top and dropped the full length every time. Thank God it was now time for lunch with the Imagineer. (See separate trip report already posted.) The Hollywood Brown Derby is my favorite dining spot in all of the World. Now DH & DD17 have just arrived and are already on the Backlot tour. So we decide to see our favorite action showIndiana Jones. Love the giant boulder and the fight scenes and how they take a punch. But, I must say, the best of all was a stunt guy who actually rolled on the crown of his head and lives to tell. I would like to know if he takes an IMPACT test daily or after every performance?? What a Company man!! Hats off to you!! Now DD17 & DH have to see the Lights, Action Show. DD17 wants a mini cooper. Boy is her Bucket List long!! Next up is DD17s pictures with the UP characters. She saw the movie while she was on a college visit in IL. Since then, its her favorite. She certainly had good times with nice kids on a college soccer team!! Tried to find UP merchandise around, but alas after many questions to CMs, no one knew!! Personally, one of my favorites as well. Little Mermaid show is nextalways packed. DS14 now bored to tears. So onto the Animation show. What a great show. Interesting tidbits on the Dragon(Mushu) from Mulan. It is also nice to see live animators at work. Do they feel like they are in a fishbowl?? Glad to be able to see them at work though!! Had a Disney Rewards card and decided to buy the The Princess and the Frog for the plane ride home. Surprise, Surprise!! To save the day for DS14--The Great Movie Ride. It is always on our list and this time, no waiting front row!! Love the Wizard of OZ , Mary Poppins, the gangsters, Alien(yikes). Last, but definitely not the least, is Beauty and the Beast--DD17s favorite princess. This performance is just spectacular and we never miss it. When the kids were young DD17 played the clock, and DS21 played Gaston in a little theatre just to the right of the MK Castle. Priceless memory!! What a nice way to finish up this park.
Have a special dinner planned at California Grill at 9:15 for DD17 graduation celebration. Made sure we would be there in time for Wishes. Thank God for the late show as lunch was definitely dinner for me. DS14, of course, eats like a horse and doesnt gain an ounce!! We decided to take the boat from DHS and check out the Yacht Clubs Crews Cup Lounge to see if we might have dinner there on another trip. It is right next to the famous Yachtmens Steak House and no one is inside. Very intimate and it appears no reservation is necessary. Will try next time. Walk past the SAB pool slide. Now this is on my Bucket List sometime in the future. Crossed over to the Board Walk and checked it out. Had a glass of wine outside there and you could see the Yacht Club in the distance. Nice time to reflect on the days events all together!! Time to rest was over and we decided to walk over to EPCOT and cut through (the beauty of a hopper pass) to catch the monorail to the Contemporary for dinner. Its about 7:30 now so we wanted to leave plenty of time to get there. Took our time and switched over to the Resort monorail. They seemed to have a problem that day as they shut down for a minute and started up againalmost like a self-check. It happened at the Poly and again at the GF. Next up CA Grille. First, you must check in downstairs, then take a special elevator up. Boy was this place busy for dinner and it was 9:15 pm. Had some drinks before we were seated. They recognized Colleens celebration by sprinkling Mickey confetti all over the tablecloth. We ordered dinner and they held it so we could enjoy the show on the observation deck. We ate about 10:30. Wishes was great from the deck. Another priceless memory for us. DD17 really enjoyed it. FYI, this counts as 2 table service meals. Her special celebration came to a close, and it was time to find a way back to our homebase CSR. We went to the TTC by monorail and to our surprise there was a bus there that said AK. Now it was after 11pm. We went up to that bus and asked him if he would take us to CSRHe said, Sure and we were the only ones. He even dropped us at Bus Stop 3. Now thats service.
Well thats all for today. Stay tuned for more and cross your fingers the computer is virus free!!
