I hope we love it! I am sure we will! Uh no - we don't! Mickeystoontown's 16 day trip! Updated 9/5!

[mickeystoontown]

I’m confused by the title of your thread…you don’t love it?

We love Walt Disney World but I will get to the don't love it part later in the report.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Mama, I'm comin' home!

We started towards the front of the park with the thought of doing a little window shopping. Look who we saw along the way!



John and I went through all the stores on the left side until we made it to the front of the park. It was still early in the trip so we didn't buy anything. We were more about scoping out what we might want to purchase later on.

We made a spur of the moment to leave the park and go "home". Those who have read my previous reports know that home is Caribbean Beach Resort. It was our first onsite resort and quickly became our favorite of all that we have visited or stayed in. The Skyliner wasn't busy at all and in just a few minutes we were at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

John decided to take a minute and call his parents to check in with them. He found a nice bench along the promenade in the Jamaica area. I asked if he wanted a cup of coffee and he, of course, said yes. So, I left him to make the call and walked over to Old Port Royale. I took some pictures along the way.

The bridge which connects the two sides of the resort. This is the view from Jamaica.


Jamaica and you can see the Skyliner soaring overhead


Aruba and Skyliner cars above:


When I was on the bridge, I turned to take a picture of John sitting on the bench. I should have zoomed in a bit but you can spot him in the white shirt.




Caribbean Cay (the island in the middle of the resort lake:

Walking through the island towards Old Port Royale:

And looking a bit to the right towards the main pool:


The main pool:


Standing outside of the main pool and looking towards Aruba:



Too many pictures for this post. Continued in next.

​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Mama, I'm comin' home! continued

Let's continue our tour of Caribbean Beach shall we? The outside of Old Port Royale from the main pool/Banana Cabana side:





A few years ago, Disney did a major overhaul of Old Port Royale and the whole feel is different but beautiful.









Pictures done, I went to the food court where i was greeted by a cast member. We chatted a minute and I told her that I was getting my husband a cup of coffee. Somewhere in the conversation, she asked if I wanted to purchase a refillable mug and I told her that we already had but they were at Coronado Springs. She walked over and came back with a cup of coffee and said there was no charge. I thanked her and said that I hoped she had a great rest of her day.

Walking out of Old Port Royale:




Just ahead and to my left, there were a couple of people playing ping pong.



Looking toward the main pool:


I took a right towards Banana Cabana. There was a refillable mug station in the same building as Banana Cabana:


Again, too many pictures for one post so I'll continue on in the next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Mama, I'm coming home! continued

This view is so pretty! I'll admit when they announced the Skyliner station would be located at Disney's Caribbean Beach, I was nervous that the gondolas would take away from the resort's beauty. It did no such thing. It simply added another element to the resort.


Almost back to my hubster!


He said that his mom and dad were doing well and were glad that we had called to talk for a minute. Since we were just outside of the Jamaica quiet pool, I decided to take advantage of the restrooms that are located beside the pool.




Bathroom break done, we walked back to the Skyliner station and took the Hollywood Studios line back to the park.

**Up next: Yeehaw! Let me show you how to do this!​

 

[Clarf]

Of course I love the CBR pics! We'll have to go visit it this year, since we'll be missing it too.

 

[MsHershey]

Hi Lisa, I'm so excited to see another trip report in the works. I absolutely loved the video you and John made. So adorable! And the note he left you is absolutely precious! I love that you are trying a new resort and all of the little details that you include. Looking forward to your next installment.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Of course I love the CBR pics! We'll have to go visit it this year, since we'll be missing it too.

I knew you would. It's such a pretty resort.

Hi Lisa, I'm so excited to see another trip report in the works. I absolutely loved the video you and John made. So adorable! And the note he left you is absolutely precious! I love that you are trying a new resort and all of the little details that you include. Looking forward to your next installment.

Hey! Thank you, thank you. I think that John is a keeper.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yeehaw! Let me show you how to do this!

Our tour of our home away from home done, we walked back to the Skyliner station and were soon back at Hollywood Studios. The sun was starting to set which made for a pretty pic of Jessie the Cowgirl wrangling in the Christmas lights.
​

Slinky Dog Dash wasn't our destination though. We were about to get our competition on! Once inside, we were required to don our masks. I asked John to smile and this is what I got....silly man!
​

The props in the Toy Story Mania queue are adorable and I wish that I had taken more than this one picture.​

I didn't have time to take more because our ride arrived!


Annnd we were off! The competition was on! I have never been much of a gamer player and I'm pretty uncoordinated, but that doesn't stop me from trying my best.



Well looky there! John didn't beat me by too terribly much. Yeehaw!



I took a couple of pictures on our way out.






Next, we rode Alien Swirling Saucers and all of my pictures turned out blurry so no need to post them. Usually, I'll put one or two in to prove what we did but these are really bad because I didn't take any until we started the ride and it was also dark and I hadn't mastered taking pictures in the dark with my phone.

We made a stop in the bathroom before heading out of the park, we had plans for the evening.

**Up next: Carrousel of Goodness! ​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Carrousel of Goodness!

We had dinner plans at Disney's Beach Club Resort and we wanted to get there early enough to see the Christmas displays and decorations. Years ago, we walked from Hollywood Studios to Beach Club and it was hot so it seemed longer than it was. That memory still clouds our mind even though we now travel during the cooler months. Our mode of transportation this evening was the boat. We arrived in plenty of time to look at the beautiful chocolate carrousel and Christmas decorations. I took pictures of each of the horses:
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It is hard to believe that the entire carrousel is edible! Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm!

**Up next: I'll take that with cheese, please! Now, let's split!​

 

[rdkeim]

You two are too fun! Fun you could take a ride on the Skyliner to your happy place. Nice you had enough time to enjoy the boat ride from HS. Wonder if dinner is at Beaches and Cream??

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'll take that with cheese, please! Now, let's split!

We walked through the hallway of Disney's Beach Club to Beaches & Cream. If you ever tried for a reservation at Beaches & Cream before their major refurb, you know how hard it was to get in. Once they reopened, it was quite a bit larger and reservations were easier to come by. We checked in and they said they would let us know when our table was ready.

I took this picture, posted it to Facebook and tagged my friend, Dee. She maintains the Beach Club thread on the Dis. and has stated there numerous times.
​

You may notice that there were no swimmers but the lifeguards were still walking back and forth around the pool's perimeter. It had gotten quite chilly so, even though the pool was heated, it would still be quite cool when swimmers got out. So, I could see why no one was in the pool.

We received a text that our table was ready and we were soon seated at a small table for two.






Our server took our drink order and we also decided to order an appetizer. I can't remember the exact name of the appetizer but it was tater tots with cheese, cheese, cheese, bacon and onions, oh and cheese.


I don't order tater tots often because I only like them when they are crispy. None of the soggy tots for me. They were delicious. As I said, it was a bit cool that evening and a warm bowl of tomato soup and grilled cheese sounded good to both of us. If love tomato soup and the soup at Beaches & Cream is fantastic.



Even though we both finished our bowls of soup and most of our sandwiches, we knew that we couldn't leave without having one of their desserts. The decision of what to order was an easy one....we went for the classic banana split.




**Up next: Let's try these babies out! Maybe the second time will be the charm?​

 

[DisneyMama811]

reading through I was confused for a minute... why is wdw decorated for Christmas in July? then I remembered this trip took place in November

we're coming in January from Ontario which will likely be blanketed in snow, have been trying to explain to our littles there won't be any snow at all in Florida, they can't even fathom it and think we are tricking them

 

[disneyAndi14]

Enjoying your report! We love taking a break from DHS and heading over to Riviera on the Skyliner! Love all the pictures!

 

[MsHershey]

Toy Story Mania is one of my favorite rides in HS. I haven't been to Disney in 5 years and many new rides have been added so that favorite may change in the future. That carousel looked amazing. Can you imagine working with all of that chocolate and not sneaking an occasional bite? I completely forgot they did a refurb on Beaches and Cream. They definitely needed more room. It's so hard to choose only one dessert there. And their food is pretty good too. Looking forward to your next installment.

 

[mickeystoontown]

reading through I was confused for a minute... why is wdw decorated for Christmas in July? then I remembered this trip took place in November

we're coming in January from Ontario which will likely be blanketed in snow, have been trying to explain to our littles there won't be any snow at all in Florida, they can't even fathom it and think we are tricking them

Yeah, I'm a little late starting the report.

You are going to love the warmer weather! I'd love to see the look on their faces when they realize you weren't tricking them.

Enjoying your report! We love taking a break from DHS and heading over to Riviera on the Skyliner! Love all the pictures!

During our 2020 trip, we stopped at the Riviera many times and walked to our building. The resort is beautiful.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Toy Story Mania is one of my favorite rides in HS. I haven't been to Disney in 5 years and many new rides have been added so that favorite may change in the future. That carousel looked amazing. Can you imagine working with all of that chocolate and not sneaking an occasional bite? I completely forgot they did a refurb on Beaches and Cream. They definitely needed more room. It's so hard to choose only one dessert there. And their food is pretty good too. Looking forward to your next installment.

Mine too! 5 years?! There are so many new things for you to experience!

I said that same thing about the carrousel. I'd have to eat a bite, put a piece on the carrousel, eat a bite and repeat. It'd take me forever to finish it. LOL

 

[mickeystoontown]

Let's try these babies out! Maybe the second time will be the charm?


One of the things that draws us back to Caribbean Beach year after year are the beaches and hammocks. Knowing that there is just one area of Coronado Springs that has hammocks, I had put in a request for that area and was quite pleased when our request was granted. We slept in a bit and then made our way to the Cabana beach. It was time to try out the hammocks!

It was a gorgeous day and perfect weather for hammock lounging.







We lazed around for a while before our stomachs started telling us that it was lunch time. We had no lunch plans other than dining at the resort. We were hopeful that the first meal at El Mercado and the way the food was served was a fluke. We slipped on our shoes and started the walk to El Meracado. Along the way, I found a Hidden Mickey!



Well, I won't keep you in suspense. The food service was exactly like before. I ordered a pasta dish:



And John ordered a Disney staple....chicken strips and fries.



There were no covers, again. The guests could just slide out the food, look at it and put it back if they wanted. This was so bizarre to us. Why no covers? The food was good but nothing outstanding. Not that I expected it to be because it is food court food. We sat inside El Mercado because the tables outside were mostly taken. Once done, we tossed our containers in the trash and walked back to the hammocks, This time we shared one for a bit while we discussed our evening plans.



Decision made, John went to the hammock a little way down the beach. There were several speakers dotted around the beach and the music changed from Christmas themed music to a more Mexican style. After a while, I was ready to turn it off but I'm not one who listens to music all day long.





We saw the skyrider and watched him as he wrote in the sky.



**Continued in next post.​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Let's try these babies out! Maybe the second time will be the charm? continued


We would see him/her start to write a letter and then they would turn off the "smoke" or whatever it is. We would try to spot the plane in the sky and would guess where they would start back up again.
​

We had seen them before but it was still pretty neat to watch.

**Up next: It's snowing! It's snowing? In Florida!​

 

[mickeystoontown]

It's snowing! It's snowing? In Florida!

Our dinner reservations were in Disney Springs. We were at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. We didn't have to wait too long for a bus but it was a little longer than the typical 20 minutes that Disney says. (we know not to rely on the 20 minute rule) We arrived at Disney Springs to find it snowing!
​

It wasn't as pretty as real snow but it was pretty and everyone was happy and smiling to see snow in Florida. I mean, look at it, wouldn't you smile too?

The atmosphere was festive...music was playing, it was snowing and there was a beautiful Christmas tree.





See what I mean, John was smiling!



I gave our name at the podium which was near the table shaped like a boat. Cute. Before long, we were seated at a table beside the piano which no one was playing. It was being used to hold some silverware and napkins which was okay by us. If someone had been playing, it would have been right in our ears.



The last couple of years, John and I ordered their ribeye steak and it was fantastic so we already knew that we'd be ordering it again. But, when the menu was presented to us, it wasn't listed. Darn it! Our waitress made some suggestions and we went with them.

While waiting on our entrees, our waitress brought out the warm rolls and butter.



They were good but nothing as good as our steaks:




Continued in next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

It's snowing! It's snowing? In Florida! continued

The lighting was dim so the picture quality is pretty sucky



The steaks were perfectly cooked , juicy and tender. If we couldn't have the ribeye, this was a great substitute.

Before leaving the resort, we had grabbed our hoodies because it was suppose to be a little chilly out. You gotta remember, we are from the South so if the temperature drops to the 60s, it is chilly to us. And, apparently, it was chilly to another guest as well. She had complained about being cold and their waiter brought her an entire tablecloth for her to wrap up in.


During our conversations with our waitress, we said that we were celebrating our anniversary and when we were done with our entrees, she brought out an anniversary dessert. It was a simple cupcake but it was good and it was sweet of her to gift us with it.
​

We paid the bill and left a tip and bid our waitress goodnight. I took just one picture as we left.



We walked to the Coronado Springs bus stop and called it a night once we got back to the resort.

**Up next: Oh what a beauty she is!​