We will be at CBR for Thanksgiving too! What are your dates?

We’ll be there Nov 23-29. Ended up choosing Cape May for Thanksgiving dinner because my husband’s a weirdo who doesn’t like turkey? Anyways, it sounds like there will be a balance of traditional Thanksgiving food for me and seafood for him. My last trip was in 2014, his was in 2003, and this is our two year old’s first trip!
 
We’ll be there Nov 23-29. Ended up choosing Cape May for Thanksgiving dinner because my husband’s a weirdo who doesn’t like turkey? Anyways, it sounds like there will be a balance of traditional Thanksgiving food for me and seafood for him. My last trip was in 2014, his was in 2003, and this is our two year old’s first trip!
We’ll be there Nov 23-29. Ended up choosing Cape May for Thanksgiving dinner because my husband’s a weirdo who doesn’t like turkey? Anyways, it sounds like there will be a balance of traditional Thanksgiving food for me and seafood for him. My last trip was in 2014, his was in 2003, and this is our two year old’s first trip!

We will be at CBR at the same time. We arrive at WDW on November 19th (staying at Movies the first night) through the 29th (we'll be at CBR the 20th through 29th) If you see me, be sure to stop me!
 
I'm finally caught up! Yay!

So you know we were at CBR during all the refurbs. I didn't realize they removed an entire village! I just had to look that up.

We were okay with it, and in the food tent, Maura had the "best hot dog she's ever eaten." I agree they did a good job of still making it feel not like a tent. We can't wait to see it when it's done!

But like someone mentioned in their TR (lvcourtneyy) said, I hate that when they're updating all the rooms at various resorts, that they're taking the "Disney" out of them. They are becoming just plain, ordinary hotel rooms now. I think CBR is better than CSR, but I liked them better the old way.

But I digress. I'm loving your report and am glad to be back on the Dis after a hiatus! Can't wait to hear the end of this report and tag along for your new one!
 
all caught up! Looks like you guys are having a nice time with just the 2 of you. I bet it seemed weird at times too.

I love via napoli....it is one of my absolute favorites
 


**Up next: Hopping to it!
all caught up! Looks like you guys are having a nice time with just the 2 of you. I bet it seemed weird at times too.

It felt so odd not to have any kids with us.
I love via napoli....it is one of my absolute favorites

It is one of our favorites too!

I'm finally caught up! Yay!

So you know we were at CBR during all the refurbs. I didn't realize they removed an entire village! I just had to look that up.

Yep all of Barbados (or what used to be called Barbados is gone.

We were okay with it, and in the food tent, Maura had the "best hot dog she's ever eaten." I agree they did a good job of still making it feel not like a tent. We can't wait to see it when it's done!

John and I went back over during our 2018 trip and It looks so different than before.

But like someone mentioned in their TR (lvcourtneyy) said, I hate that when they're updating all the rooms at various resorts, that they're taking the "Disney" out of them. They are becoming just plain, ordinary hotel rooms now. I think CBR is better than CSR, but I liked them better the old way.

I agree! I with they weren't so "generic".

But I digress. I'm loving your report and am glad to be back on the Dis after a hiatus! Can't wait to hear the end of this report and tag along for your new one!

I, too, am glad that you are back. I read your last update and forgot to post. I'll head back over and actually comment.
 
Hopping to it!

As I mentioned 2 million and 72 days ago when I started this trip report, in order to book free dining, we had to purchase hopper tickets. We have had them in years past but, quite honestly, we didn't utilize them enough to justify the cost. But, when you have a long trip and Disney is offering some free grub with a hopper purchase, then you get 'em. Get 'em and use 'em. Today, we would be hopping for the second? third? time this trip. I can't remember and don't expect any of you to either. Let's pretend that it is the third time.

We left Epcot and were going to do a quick freshening up before we headed to our destination for the evening.

IMG_4766.JPG

IMG_4768.JPG

IMG_4769.JPG

After a semi-short rest, we headed back to the bus stop and caught a bus to our evening destination. The lobby at Art of Animation is so bright and colorful and cute. I made a pit stop before we got in the line and John snapped a picture while I was walking back to meet him. It was blurry so he made me stop and take another which wasn't much better.



UGH!!!!! I get a minute to post and the darn Dis is screwing up. I'll try again tomorrow.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4768.JPG
    IMG_4768.JPG
    60.6 KB · Views: 4


I am still hanging around. All caught up, and glad you are going at a slower pace. My Dis breaks are just not as frequent as days gone by....
 
Hopping to it!

Let's try this update again. We left off with us leaving Epcot, going back to Art of Animation and were about to hop for the evening. But first (channeling my Julie Chen Big Brother voice) we had to stop for a picture in the Art of Animation lobby. It's so bright and colorful and cheerful.


100_0518.JPG



100_0519.JPG

We were lucky with the buses this trip and didn't wait very long at all to any destination. Tonight was not different. In no time at all, we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom. Our bus driver reminded us that they were dropping us off at a different resort spot and that we would go to bus stop # (whatever it was) when we left for the evening. Anyone who has read my trip reports before knows that I make a jillion tinkle stops and tonight was no different. They had recently installed the new restrooms near the bus stops and I made a beeline for them since I figured they would be less crowded than the restrooms in the parks. And I was right. No one other than me in the restroom so it was a quick in and out.

IMG_4772.JPG

Once through the tapstiles, we walked down Main Street USA at a leisurely pace as we had nothing planned. Just enjoying being in our favorite park. My mama likes little glass figurines so we popped into one of the stores and the glassblower was doing a demonstration and was making Christmas ornaments. There weren't many people who stopped to watch and I find that a little sad. I like this kind of thing....stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the busy park to watch something "different".

IMG_4773.JPG

These were the type of ornaments he was making.

IMG_4776.JPG

We watched him for quite some time before we moved on to see if I could find something that Mama would like. Some of the glass creations were gorgeous.

IMG_4778.JPG

IMG_4777.JPG

I didn't see anything that I thought Mama would want so we left and walked towards the castle. Again, no real plans. The castle decorated in millions of lights is absolutely gorgeous even from a distance.

100_0520.JPG

Getting closer

100_0521.JPG

Closer still
100_0522.JPG


**Continued in next post
 
Hopping to it!
We continued on down Main Street USA and were soon standing at the entrance of Cinderella Castle.
100_0522.JPG

IMG_4779.JPG

IMG_4780.JPG

IMG_4781.JPG

My bad attempt at a picture as we were walking through the castle:

IMG_4782.JPG

and a picture of the castle from the Fantasyland side:



IMG_4783.JPG


IMG_4784.JPG


**Up next: Magic Bands are scary!
 
Magic Bands are scary!

We had no plans. Actually, we did. Our plan was to find an attraction with a short wait time (if that was even possible) and hop in that line. It's a Small World fit that bill. After waving at the cast member in the control booth, we were off. I'm going to go ahead and apologize because my pictures are out of order. I was taking pics with my phone and with my point and shoot and the quality of some are pretty bad.
100_0523.JPG
Every single trip, I try to take a picture of the hidden Mickeys in the leaves in the jungle section of the ride. Almost every time, my picture turns out like this next one.


100_0524.JPG

100_0526.JPG

100_0527.JPG
100_0528.JPG

IMG_4786.JPG

IMG_4787.JPG

IMG_4789.JPG

Disney added an element at the end of the ride that can kinda sorta freak you out if you aren't ready for it. Your magic band tracks you and you sometimes see your name at the end of the ride. Look! Magic Bands are scary!


IMG_4794.JPG

**Up next: Not sure yet
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4792.JPG
    IMG_4792.JPG
    46.8 KB · Views: 1
Do you have your feather ready?

Once we were done with It's a Small World, we walked towards two "classic" Magic Kingdom attractions. Goofy's Barnstormer. Wait, hold up a sec, it's now called The Barnstormer.

IMG_4797.JPG

and Dumbo. Actually, given that there are two, I guess you could say Dumbos. The wait time was short enough that we had time to hop on the back of an elephant, tuck our feathers in our trunks and soar high above the land. We wound our way through the semi-new queue and were soon waiting our turn.

IMG_4798.JPG

IMG_4799.JPG


IMG_4800.JPG

Once we were done, we figured that we better start making our way to the front of the park. We had some feastin' to do. Instead of walking to the front of the park, we hopped on the train.
IMG_4802.JPG

IMG_4803.JPG

And got off at the Main Street USA stop.

IMG_4804.JPG

**Up Next: Meat! Meat! and more Meat!
 
Meat! Meat! and more Meat!
As the majority of you here know, getting a reservation at Ohana can be difficult to book. Finding a reservation that will put you in the restaurant during the Magic Kingdom fireworks is even harder to book. I was lucky enough to get both. If you have ever had a dining reservation at Ohana, you probably remember having to wait for quite some time even after you check in. Tonight was no different for us. We looked around for an open space to sit and there was none. Finally, we found a chair and a ledge in the lounge/bar area and waited. Eventually, our buzzer went off and we were greeted by our hostess who stopped for our loaf of delicious bread and we were seated near the grill/kitchen area of the restaurant.
IMG_4805.JPG

IMG_4807.JPG

Our table wasn't near the windows but when the family beside us moved, we had a good view of Space Mountain. Not that you can really tell from the craptastic picture.


IMG_4808.JPG

The view was pretty darn good but the food starting coming and it was amazing. Like um um good amazing. Okay so the salad looks kind of plain in the picture but it's the dressing that makes it so good.
IMG_4809.JPG


Our server brought out the dipping sauces just before the next platter came to our table.


IMG_4810.JPG

Man does that food put my PB&J sandwich that I had for lunch to shame.


IMG_4811.JPG

Not long after, the meats were served. I passed on the steak because it is never cooked enough for me. But the chicken and the shrimp. Yes siree, I had those!

IMG_4812.JPG

IMG_4813.JPG

At some point, music was piped in and the fireworks started over Cinderella Castle. My fingers musta been sticky and I musta been hungry because there's not a single picture of the fireworks in my camera roll. And that's okay because sometimes it is best to just watch and take them in.

Just when we thought that our britches would burst at the seams, along came our server with this beauty. Lawd have mercy! I have never been a bread pudding fan (I know! I know! I'm from Louisiana where bread pudding is a staple.) until I tried it at Ohana many years ago. Now, I love it especially the one served here.


IMG_4815.JPG

**Up next: How do I know? Let me show you!
 
How do I know? Let me show you!

My clients with the dining plan often ask me "how do I know?" which could mean: How do I know what is considered a snack credit? Or How do I know how many credits I will use when I eat at (insert restaurant name here)? I took the following pictures to use as a dining plan tutorial of sorts. If any of you are new to the dining plan, these may be useful to you as well.

Side note:

I once had a client that purchased the Disney Dining Plan for herself, her mother and her children. I explained everything in detail both in emails and in her printed itinerary and even face to face. Imagine my surprise when she text me from Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios and said "I cancelled all of our remaining dining reservations. It is too expensive.". Y'all I almost passed out. I, literally, put my face in my palm and said "NO!". I immediately tried to call her. No answer. I text her and said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Call me immediately!". She calmly said "my phone is about to die" to which I replied "call me on your Mama's phone ASAP". Even though I had explained how the dining plan worked, that she had prepaid for everything, she still didn't get it. That was a stressful day for me. I was able to rebook all but one of her dining reservations.


Back to our regularly scheduled trip report:

Once we were done with our meal, our server brought our ticket. You can clearly see the price of the meal on the ticket and the suggested tip.

IMG_4817.JPG


IMG_4818.JPG

She scanned our Magic Bands and we were then presented with the ticket below which shows what the total would have been had we not had the dining plan. This is the one that you sign and the server retains.



IMG_4819.JPG




IMG_4822.JPG


IMG_4821.JPG


The other set of tickets is the one that the guest keeps. It shows a zero balance and how many credits were used.

IMG_4820.JPG

You will also notice that right underneath where it says CHANGE: 0.00, there's a notation "2 AD TBLSV". That's how many table service credits we had remaining on the dining plan.

Since that visit, they have upgraded the My Disney Experience account and you can now track your credits that way. Do I ever suggest that my clients rely on My Disney Experience? Nope. While it's a handy dandy tool, who is to say when it might crash or isn't working properly. Always always keep that paper trail folks!

While I was doing some research, I thought that it was a good time to ask a question of our server. We had her cash tip in hand but could have added it to our ticket/charged to our room. I always wondered if the servers had to wait on their tips if you added it to the ticket or if they got it the same day. Why not ask? And ask I did. She said that they normally get their tips within 24 hours but it can sometimes take a little longer depending on the time of day/credit card clearance, etc. So if you've ever wondered about that, there you go.

John and I were so full from the meal and it was worth every little weeble wabble shuffle and moan and groan out of the restaurant. 'Ohana, you never let us down!


IMG_4823.JPG

Of course a trip to any Disney resort means a look around in the gift shops. You never know when you might find that treasure that you've been searching for. The resort was decked out in its Christmas finery.

IMG_4824.JPG

Oops, that's not very Christmasy. Let's try that again.
IMG_4825.JPG


**Up next: Planes, Trains & Automobiles remake!
 
I once had a client that purchased the Disney Dining Plan for herself, her mother and her children. I explained everything in detail both in emails and in her printed itinerary and even face to face. Imagine my surprise when she text me from Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios and said "I cancelled all of our remaining dining reservations. It is too expensive.". Y'all I almost passed out. I, literally, put my face in my palm and said "NO!". I immediately tried to call her. No answer. I text her and said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Call me immediately!". She calmly said "my phone is about to die" to which I replied "call me on your Mama's phone ASAP". Even though I had explained how the dining plan worked, that she had prepaid for everything, she still didn't get it. That was a stressful day for me. I was able to rebook all but one of her dining reservations.
That was well... um, no offense, but this couldn't have been made clearer. It makes me wonder if she read them, or listened, didn't care, or was just not very bright. ?? Did she PAY for all of those meals??? did she think she was putting them on a room tab? I mean certainly a server could have, and probably tried to, explain it along the way as well. Sorry, just really baffled at this.

O'hana is pretty decent, but so very expensive. Love those shrimp!! And that nom nom salad~
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top