The ABCs of a New 'Ohana Adventure-G is for: Greetings From Teppan, Good-Byes, and Good News!!! - COMPLETED 1/7

I saw that and enjoyed it! But yes, I do know what you mean. Longest year ever!
It feels like it's still going. This isn't 2021... it's 2020, part II.
:rotfl2: It's Disney's newest animatronic. They call it the Let's-Sell-More-Snacks Machine.
Makes me wonder... are all squirrels at Disney animatronic??
Hmmm, yes, but their trimesters are only 14.6 days long. She was oh, hmm, I'd say 42 days along. Ravenous little thing.
See? I knew you'd know.
Well, now I suppose that is one theory. Harsh, but plausible.
Sorry! Just kidding!
I know! Only the very best trip reporting here. :rolleyes:
::yes::
A quick snap and a candid one at that.
And Doc filled in the rest. :)
I watched a few times and was good. But now that it's gone, it'd be nice to see it "one more time".
Ah. I can understand that.
Do your kites have the cool lights too?!
I can fly them when it's cool and they're light enough to be held aloft with a wind, sooo...

Yes.
They slow you down and are crowded and gross. But yeah, really can't be avoided.
I suppose. Not sure about gross... but definitely crowded. At least the HP ones.
You need to pay them more.
What? Even more twigs????
 
C is for: Cabins, Chateaus, Casitas, or Cabanas?

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when, when it was time to make our choice for our resort, we had a big meeting. I presented a few suggestions consisting of a short list of resorts I would want to stay at. Honestly, they don’t care where we stay anyway, and because I’m the one doing ALL the work to plan our trip, I get to choose. Mostly. I mean, I did listen to their thoughts for a few seconds. And then chose our resort. (No really, I promise, they really don’t care where we stay.)

As you may know, I’m on a quest to stay at all the Disney resorts so gave the options of Caribbean Beach or Coronado. For 2 reasons: Values are too small since I have my son who needs a 5th sleeper (which will clog up floor space), and Deluxes are too expensive. Also, both are resorts I’ve not gotten to stay at yet. I described both, gave the pros and cons, location, etc… and in the end, they all chose CBR.

What am I most excited about in staying there? Hmmm…. Let’s put some organization to these ramblings of mine, shall we?


  • Who doesn’t love a tropical beach-y themed getaway? I LOVE the pastel colors and, as Meghan described it, village-feel.
  • The pool looks like a lot of fun, although I don’t imagine we’ll be in it a lot.
  • I LOVE that it’s on the Skyliner, and I am hoping beyond all hope it’s running some soft openings while we’re there, at least to DHS for SWGE. Interestingly, F&W begins the same day as SWGE opens (Aug. 29th) and it’d be equally awesome if it was open to the IG at EPCOT as well.
  • I’ll be able to get yet another mug for my Resort Mug collection. (It’s the little things.)

What I’m not excited about:

  • It’s YUGE!! I’m a little afraid of the long walk we may be doing after a long day in the parks.
  • The internal bus system gives me trepidation. I’ve done that at Ft. Wilderness and just hope wherever we’re put is the first stop in the morning. I have heard of folks not getting on during morning rush hour.
  • The construction, or tail end of it anyway, could mar the beauty and tranquil feeling I hope to find there.

Regardless, I’m going to give it a try just to say I have and let you all know what impressions I come away with. That way I have something to write about in this trip report. Otherwise, I’ll just have to make some stuff up and use old pictures. However, if I throw in some exploding helicopters, it’ll all be good, right?

But wait, that’s not all! For low price of only the rest of your savings account, Steppe, you too can be the proud owner of a stay in a Deluxe resort for 2 bonus nights! Just call 1-800-ALL-OFIT for a special water view room at the Polynesian Resort!! Hurry now; deals like this will only get more expensive with each passing day!

Yep, I did it. I splurged for a 2-night stay at the Poly for the kids (for the kids... :lmao:)and I so we could take a whole day and eat at Captain Cooks, go to Trader Sam’s, use the volcano pool, see the Electrical Water Parade, and hang with the Tiki’s. I see at least one order of the Pulled Pork Nachos in our future. This is not the first time I’ve stayed there, the first and only other time being in 2010, when the old (and far better) lobby was still intact. I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say they “wrecked it”, but it was way cooler in its first iteration. I miss the waterfall.

Things I’m most excited about:


  • The dining options!
  • Sitting by the pool with a nice cold pina colada
  • The amazing gardens and photos with Tikis
  • Trader Sam’s!
  • The beach to watch the parade and fireworks from

What I’m not excited about:

  • The indoor hallways which make every slamming door 1,000 times louder.
  • The distance to AK which is the only park we’re going to while staying there. Yes, bad planning on my part.
  • There is literally nothing else to not be excited about.

In the end, Folks, I chose 'C' for Caribbean Colonial with a side of Captain Cook’s and Coconuts. Hopefully, lots of fresh new photos and stories will be coming your way!

Meantime… My favorite resort? Tough one! POFQ for Mod; too soon to judge for Deluxe, but so far, Boardwalk or AKL, for different reasons. Boardwalk is close to parks and fun! AKL is beautiful and “other-wordly”… just very immersive with loads to see. Values? AoA. Maybe someday, I’ll stay in the Cars Section.

Secrets for each? Not really secrets, but fun stuff:


  • AoA: You can still do an Animation Academy here! They may have trashed it at DHS, but you can still do it at AoA (and now in AK as well at the re-imagined Conservation Station at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. All aboard the Eastern Star Railway!
  • POFQ: Beignets. And live jazz in Scat Cat’s.
  • Boardwalk: The Bellvue Lounge has a nice Continental Breakfast (not complementary) and looks like a superb late evening hang out for a nightcap. Also, take time to read the captions of the historic photos regarding the elephant hotel and roller coaster in the lobby.

And now… it’s your turn!

Do you have an arrival day tradition or what is the thing you look forward to doing first and why? In other words, what gives you that feeling of, “I’m finally in Disney!”

As I get ready for my upcoming trip, I'm reading your TRs because they make me happy and get me more excited to go.
I was fortunate to stay at AKL in 2019 and really enjoyed it - the bus travel time to all the parks, not so much.

So for my arrival day tradition, which is not happening for my future trip :sad2:, is having dinner at 'Ohana on our first night. I LOVE the Poly and hope to stay there one day - I also really love Moana so I'm digging the additions - and it just screams 'VACATION!' to have a relaxing meal with a great view and a Lapu Lapu.
 
C is for: Carefree at Caribbean Beach


For those of you who are just joining, or don’t remember, I’d left on this trip with yet another SteppeScavengerHunt. In years past, I’ve done several of these fun little adventures including Drinking from A-Z and Disney Objects A-Z. This year I went with something a little different and chose to find places or areas around the Disney Properties that begin with the Letters of the Alphabet. In most cases, I tried to take a selfie (because I’m so good at that…. Not. :rolleyes: ) just for fun. Surprisingly, my kids even got involved to a small extent and offered to take my photo on occasion or would blurt out, “Hey Mom, do you have Letter (?) yet?”

Obviously, some were super easy and I have multiples such as Adventureland and Asia; others were nearly impossible. But I got creative and found workable solutions that satisfied my highly technical and stringent game rules which were: find a place for each letter and take a photo. It was even okay if some of the places were places within places because sometimes these games can begin to simply bog you down and cease to be fun.


So far, I’ve written Chapters ‘A’ and ‘B’ and included the airport (yes, I have more official ‘A’s that I’ll post) and ‘B’ for Batuu. Now... let’s get on a bus, because we couldn’t get on a Skyliner because it wasn’t open yet, even though I’d booked that resort in high hopes it would be :rolleyes2 ) and travel to the Caribbean Beach Resort!!



(With the usual early morning lens fog that happens in Central FL)​

Here is some background music for you to play while you read this drivel.


In my quest to stay at all the Disney resorts, I chose Caribbean Beach, not only to knock one more off the list, but because it was in our price range and, as I said, is on the Skyliner. We arrived to the easy-going, utterly relaxing vibe of Calypso music, soft colors, and friendly Cast Members at Old Port Royal where we checked in.




Our room was ready and was beautifully situated exactly where I had requested. No! Even better! I almost always ask for a top floor because I like the view and it tends to be quieter. I wanted a corner room and someplace near an umbrella’d patio because I think they are charming.


(to the right)​

Instead, we were given exactly that with a stunning water view. It was pure Heaven being greeted each morning to views like this:


(to the left)




The Welcoming Committee was large and impressive as well!


I didn’t take photos of the room itself. It was a basic room with 2 queens and a pull down for our 5th sleeper. If you’ll recall, Karilynn shared our room for 4 nights, so she and I took one bed, my girls took the other, and Zach took the pull down. For 5 people it was adequate, but my kids are slobs and kept nothing inside their bags, so it basically looked like a bomb had gone off strewing crap all over the place for the week. But, this was vacation and I was at Disney, so I only got on their case once to do a tidy up and just…. Let it Go. What else can I say about the room? We did employ the coffee maker a few times which was nice saving us time on those early morings that we did RD at DHS, I liked that the tub was the kind you can lay back and relax in, and other than that, it was a typical Disney Mod and fit our needs. In the grand scheme of things, it was the resort location, pool, views, and general atmosphere that I enjoyed most about this place.


We were able to learn the bus service right way on our first day when we went to DTD and it didn’t take long to figure it out. Each of the 5 villages have their own stops like a few other of the Disney resorts. On our first morning to DHS however, we opted to take a Lyft, mostly because we were in a hurry and hadn’t bothered to find the Jamaica bus stop yet.


But coming home we did take the bus, got off at Jamaica, and used that one for the remainder of the stay. Well, except that one time... But that's getting ahead of myself (cue ominous music..)

Jamaica was the next to the last stop on the loop coming HOME from the parks. I have no idea where it ranked on the way TO the parks, but we never once had an issue with full or crowded buses going TO the parks each morning. Going home, there were a couple of times we had full buses but never so full we had to stand. Because I am poor and cheap, I did not upgrade to the VIP Transportation Package so there were a few long waits too. I know the size of this resort turns a lot of people off, and while I will say it is a pretty long walk (especially with blisters!!) from Jamaica to the pool or Old Port Royale, it is a lovely walk with great music, gorgeous landscaping, and water with turtles to stop and watch. It’s a resort that begs one to slow down and chill out.



Since we had a nice long vacation to work with, we did use the pool and hot tub quite a bit. Well, the kids never used the pool, but I sure did. Twice I went swimming and we all used the hot tub 3 evenings. There was always room in it and the view is a unique and fun one with the Skull and Crossbones and old Spanish fort theming. As for the pool, it’s pretty big with lots of room to spread out, but no matter how big the pool area is, there is simply no way to escape the ubiquitous and ever-present Dance with Miley Cyrus Hour that every Disney pool has, and whose volume is set to be heard the next county over. One afternoon I did lay around in a lounge chair but finding that lounge chair took me quite a bit of time. Yes, I was that chair stalker who hovered... waiting to swoop in for the kill. Here are the photos I took on my various visits to Fuente del Morro Pool. By the way, that means Fountain of the Nose in English. Please, will someone for the love of God tell me why they would name it that?! Are we swimming in snot? (The answer is probably yes and other body fluid as well, since it’s primarily used by kids.)












Banana Cabana is a pretty nice open air lounge right by the pool, which is both good and bad. It's close enough that you can grab a snack or drink and take to the pool area quickly and be with the kiddos, but it's also close enough to the pool area that if you don't want to be around the kiddos it's a bit noisy. But, it's bright and cheery with a fun color palette and well-themed decor.








Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a new favorite breakfast at Disney- Avocado Toast Caribbean-style. Well, okay, it’s not Cali Grill Brunch, but holy crap, this, given its supreme location, aesthetic gorgeousness, theming, and perfect portion size…. Wowza! This is (or quite possibly WAS, since I no longer see it on the menu) just an amazing presentation of a power breakfast that got me through an entire morning of park touring.



(Avocado, radishes, oranges, pickled onions, sundried tomatoes, sriracha mayo, and cilantro on whole grain toast)

Sadly, I was only able to get it once, but you can better believe I’m going to reproduce this here at home on occasion! I sat one unbelievably perfect morning away from the noise at 6:30AM on the outer edge of Banana Cabana looking towards the water and Trinidad beyond with soft steel drums accompanying my private reverie.


A few passersby noticed and commented on how good it looked too. I told them they could get it right around the corner in the Centertown Market where they also had 8 or 10 other nice looking dishes from the Classic “Bounty Platter” to healthier options like oatmeal and fruit platters. As for the other dining options at the resort, I never tried them. Why would I when the colors of this one matched the colors of the resort so perfectly?


Beyond this, I can’t give you a more thorough review of the resort. I can say that the new Riviera tower does jarringly mar the view and takes you out of the village-y and isolated feel of the resort overall. Other general observations: the Skyliner is basically silent. Other than some baffling melodic jingle that chimed fairly regularly from the cars themselves as they glided over the resort, you’d hardly notice they were there. I do think that the Skyliner is going to add a massive appeal to this resort and I’d stay there again just for that. However, Jamaica would the wrong building to ask for; it was a long way from the station. Overall, I’m glad we chose this resort. It was clean, very pretty, close enough to never feel like we had long bus rides, and had a room big enough for the 5 of us.








Now, it's YOUR turn: What's your favorite form of Disney transportation to get around with? I'll leave it open-ended, so interpret anyway you want, but I am kinda thinking more along the lines of getting from resort to park or park to park. But hey, if you wanna share what your favorite one WITHIN a park is as well, by all means... :)

I would like to stay at Caribbean Beach some day, but definitely in a preferred room so I could be closer to the main buildings.

My favorite mode of Disney transportation, so far (I haven't used the skyliner yet), is by boat. I once took a boat ride from MK to Poly and it was so relaxing. It was warm but the breeze was cool.
 


As I get ready for my upcoming trip, I'm reading your TRs because they make me happy and get me more excited to go.
I was fortunate to stay at AKL in 2019 and really enjoyed it - the bus travel time to all the parks, not so much.

I'm glad you are enjoying these TRs! I hope they are helping to get you in the mood and ready! I'd agree... AKL can be a dud for buses at times. But I"ve been to other resorts wth with worse luck too. It's always so random!!

So for my arrival day tradition, which is not happening for my future trip :sad2:, is having dinner at 'Ohana on our first night. I LOVE the Poly and hope to stay there one day - I also really love Moana so I'm digging the additions - and it just screams 'VACATION!' to have a relaxing meal with a great view and a Lapu Lapu.

I don't see 'Ohana opening up for a while yet. Maybe you could go to Kona and get some mobile order and take it down to the beach? Gets you to the Poly at least? I would agree, the Poly is very vacation-y feeling for sure and to add a fun drink to the mix.. voila!!

I would like to stay at Caribbean Beach some day, but definitely in a preferred room so I could be closer to the main buildings.

It can be quite a long walk from Jamaica or Aruba but it is a pretty walk. Especially in the early mornings with the fog/mist over the water.

My favorite mode of Disney transportation, so far (I haven't used the skyliner yet), is by boat. I once took a boat ride from MK to Poly and it was so relaxing. It was warm but the breeze was cool.

I think you're gonna LOVE the 'Liner! So easy and fast! Boat is lovely if you want the scenic, slow-down-and-enjoy route! There are some very lovely boat trips all over property. Have you done the one between EPCOT and DHS?
 
I'm glad you are enjoying these TRs! I hope they are helping to get you in the mood and ready! I'd agree... AKL can be a dud for buses at times. But I"ve been to other resorts wth with worse luck too. It's always so random!!

Yes, it really is luck of the draw.

I don't see 'Ohana opening up for a while yet. Maybe you could go to Kona and get some mobile order and take it down to the beach? Gets you to the Poly at least? I would agree, the Poly is very vacation-y feeling for sure and to add a fun drink to the mix.. voila!!

i figured i wouldn’t make it back to the poly until next year - sad the monorail down too

I think you're gonna LOVE the 'Liner! So easy and fast! Boat is lovely if you want the scenic, slow-down-and-enjoy route! There are some very lovely boat trips all over property. Have you done the one between EPCOT and DHS?

i haven’t yet but that’s a plan for this trip. We’re going to try the sky liner and def take a boat from DHS to Epcot.
 


Hi Liesa! No, don't adjust your set. It is me, the ghost of Disboards past. Much like yourself, I took a rather extended hiatus from the boards, although unlike yourself I did not have as good an excuse as a BSN (very belated congrats on that!) to explain my absence. My work did get a bit hectic the last few months which I guess is the main reason I haven't been around much (I dare not complain though since at least I still have work to keep me busy). If I'm being honest, I needed a bit of a break from social media in general the last while. The boards were a side effect of that break I suppose. Anyway, I am making an attempt to re-connect with the boards, so I wanted to let you know I did catch up on this thread of yours. I hope all is well. I will join your newest report and try to update myself on your latest goings on.
 

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