Boo to the Halloween on the Highs Seas Crew

[rndmr2]

Nice start to the trip! Love the pic of Claire with the luggage in the back!

Glad that lady wasn't able to get away with all of her seat saving and overhead bin saving. She probably should have called beforehand or asked (nicely) at the check in desk and they may have accommodated her with the broken leg, but instead she had to be all rude instead.

Sorry the guy reclined his seat. I usually don't care when they do this because with my weight, I can't use the tray table most of the time anyway and then I'll just recline mine (I never go as far back as it allows) but one time I was assigned the last row of the plane (I think it was Air Tran at the time when they had assigned seats) and they offered us another row at check in but stupid me declined that offer. Well, that last row (at least on the plane we were on) had no window and the seat didn't recline, but the seat in front did... WOW I never realized how that small of a recline really does cut into the space of the person behind you! Of course, I'm too nice to say anything and just dealt with it. Thank goodness the ladies across the aisle moved to that other row and my DH moved across to those seats so we each ended up with a row to ourselves (i think I had 2 and he had 3)

 

[jenseib]

I'm in! Loving all the family drama as always. But I KNOW you weren't surprised by ANY of it.

Yep, we always have it. I wish sometimes I had a normal family. hahaha

High five to your mom for holding her ground on your dad's last minute change of heart.

I am glad too. He really needed to see we can't cater to him every time.

It sounds a lot like our house where nothing is ever settled if it hasn't happened yet.

yep! I like to have a plan in place and when people take their good sweet time it drives me insane....but if I take my time...well that's ok. hahaha

Love the photo of Claire barely fitting in beside all that luggage!

She really had more room than it looked but it was a funny picture.

Love the story of the lady trying to hold the seats. And the overhead bin space? LOL. I'm so glad she was unsuccessful! I usually keep my backpack on the floor under the seat in front of me, but I might have had to put it up in the bin when I realized what she was up to.

I am glad she was unsuccessful too. At first I was nice, but then when I saw what a piece of work she was I was hoping nothing would work out for her.

That pic of Claire in the back seat with all of the luggage reminds me a little of you on the way to the port when we cruised last year

LOL! YES!

That woman saving seats and overhead bin space takes the cakes!!!

Yes, there are words for people like that, but it will be xd out on Dis. lol

Some people just feel like the world owes them something, I know a few like her I am SO glad she didn't get her way! Too often, luck favours them

She also wanted off the plane first and they told her to remain seated so she told her family they had to wait too. LOL.

No wonder we get along, we are so similar! I would have done the same thing, chatted loudly about not saving seats and bin space LOL! And then, just like you, I would become extremely clumsy all of a sudden and accidentally hit my tray table over and over again I think airlines need to disable the recline on ALL seats!!!

I hope they hear me when I say these things, but I am pretty sure she is clueless. Evidently the guy in front of me was tired because he never seemed to get the clue that I was bumping him...sometimes hard.

That second pic of the coast, that is Daytona Beach, I would have loved to fly over DB, that's where we used to stay when I was a kid. We always come in the other side so we never get to see that coast

Cool. I can never tell what things are.....except for when I flew over Castaway Cay! LOL.

 

[jenseib]

That is some precision packing. I love the blue DCL carry on. This looks like my DCL Dooney pouchette.

I have the cross over in that pattern. I love it.

I did not know that you can actually subscribe to TSA pre-check on its own.

Yes, In the US there is an option it's only $15 less than Global Entry so I went with that instead.

I can't believe this kind of selfish behaviour.

Some people really feel entitled.

I am glad that she did not get away with this stunt.

Me too!

You must have every clueless passenger in the area on that flight. This just makes me cringe.

I attract them I swear!

This area looks completely different.

Every time I have come through here it looks different. They must change it regularly.

Bummer. I totally get it, but I do love your reports.

I'll have to see how things go. I still never wrote my Jamaica report, but all those pictures are edited. I then am going to Universal in Feb and hopefully to WDW in late May, so I just don't have the time to do them all anymore.

This sounds like my husband.

LOL.

I totally do that. So helpful.

I usually try to but I was in such a hurry to catch that shuttle.

I can't even decide what to say about the lady on tour flight.

Yeah, some people just don't get it.

Keep it up! Great report so far.

Thanks

 

[jenseib]

Following. I LOVE your trip reports and hope you reconsider continuing to write them. I think you could write for a travel magazine!

Aww thanks. It all really depends on time for me. I always feel bad when it takes me forever at a good time to get these finished and now a days it takes even longer.

Nice start to the trip! Love the pic of Claire with the luggage in the back!

She didn't mind though...she was going to be missing some school...worth it to her!

Glad that lady wasn't able to get away with all of her seat saving and overhead bin saving. She probably should have called beforehand or asked (nicely) at the check in desk and they may have accommodated her with the broken leg, but instead she had to be all rude instead.

Me too. It just amazes me that she thought that was OK.

Sorry the guy reclined his seat. I usually don't care when they do this because with my weight, I can't use the tray table most of the time anyway and then I'll just recline mine (I never go as far back as it allows) but one time I was assigned the last row of the plane (I think it was Air Tran at the time when they had assigned seats) and they offered us another row at check in but stupid me declined that offer. Well, that last row (at least on the plane we were on) had no window and the seat didn't recline, but the seat in front did... WOW I never realized how that small of a recline really does cut into the space of the person behind you! Of course, I'm too nice to say anything and just dealt with it. Thank goodness the ladies across the aisle moved to that other row and my DH moved across to those seats so we each ended up with a row to ourselves (i think I had 2 and he had 3)

It's amazing how much that little incline invades your space. I really wish they would take the reclining option just totally away.

 

[jenseib]

Soon we were pulling into Coronado Springs! Yay!!!!


csr11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This was our first time staying here.


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I am trying to stay at each resort at least once, so this was another one under my belt now. I had toured the resort a few years ago, but only a small area so now I was going to be able to do more exploring and experience it first hand.


dme10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We got off the bus and grabbed our carry ons and went in to check in. I had done the online check in so I got in that line.


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And waited……and waited.


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There were 2 other families in front of me, but there was only one person working the online check in line. That kind of annoyed me as this is supposed to be the faster line. That being said, the regular line only had 2 people working it and it wasn’t moving either. What really annoyed me the most was the fact that both families in front of me had no clue about anything and asked lots of questions, needed to get bands, need help with dining, etc. If you need these things, this is NOT the line for you!


csr24 by Jenseib, on Flickr


After a bit of standing there impatiently, another CM came out and directed me over to the concierge desk to take care of me there.


We rolled our stuff over there and she quickly took care of us. However, I had to get my documents, and she had to go hunt those down and it seemed to take a while for her to find those.


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I took pictures as we waited.


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I was worried she would come back and say they weren’t there, as I have heard others saying the CSR is famous for NOT getting your documents, or at least brushing you off like you don’t need them, which in most cases you don’t, but she did come back with them. She also had a letter for me, which included free putt putt passes. GREAT! I had actually planned to use the free putt putt passes from my docs this trip, but now we had extra so if we wanted to, we could play 2 free games.


Once checked in we headed outside.


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We stopped and just absorbed the resort and also made some calls home. Dad was already waiting for Moms call.


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This guy stopped and asked if we wanted a ride but we declined.


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My phone call was faster than Moms. Dad was already having anxiety about her being gone and he had friends that weren’t helping the matter. One told him how a friend of theirs suffered a heart attack from anxiety and he was pretty sure his level was just as high. He had decided it was best for him to visit the Dr. and get some meds and made an appointment for the next day.

Hopefully they help!!! This was going to be a long week and a half for him if they didn’t.


We then set off to find our room. I had booked a preferred and the lady made it sound like we were pretty darn close to El Centro. So we set off looking at the map and following signs and zigged and zagged and up and down walk ways. This seemed pretty darn far in my opinion.

Finally we found our room (and the next day after we got the lay of the land better released a much faster route).


When you are 11, magic bands are pretty darn cool, so Claire opened our door with hers.


Claire and my Mom both know I take pictures, so they kind of stayed out of the way somewhat while I did some quick clicking.


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These sliding doors are nice as I often get up early and I could close off the sink area and do my thing without disturbing them too much.


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I did notice the actual bathroom was not top notch and could use some extra cleaning.


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The rooms are now getting refurbed so hopefully they update the bathrooms and then that inspires them to clean them a little more thoroughly. I ended up taking a washcloth and wiping down some areas that needed a better cleaning.


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Mom can’t sit still long and she was already organizing and impatiently waiting for our main luggage to arrive.


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They had bug spray sitting in our room, which was really nice as the Zika Virus scare is real and it was a nice extra touch.


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I had actually packed a can, but that was in the checked luggage and we all sprayed up with this one during our stay so I didn’t have to dig for it later.

 

[chamberlain]

As always, enjoying your latest trip report! Just curious, out of all of the resorts you have stayed at which ones are your favorites? We have stayed at four of them (CBR, Poly, WL and BW) but if we go again I'm always interested in trying something different.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm so glad there's another trip report to read from Jen. I always love your reports.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Love your reports. Thank you!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am trying to stay at each resort at least once, so this was another one under my belt now.

Wow, that is an ambitious plan. I am planning to stay at every DVC resort once and even that is proving a touch ambitious.

She also had a letter for me, which included free putt putt passes. GREAT! I had actually planned to use the free putt putt passes from my docs this trip, but now we had extra so if we wanted to, we could play 2 free games.

That sounds like a nice bonus.

They had bug spray sitting in our room, which was really nice as the Zika Virus scare is real and it was a nice extra touch.

I thought that this was a nice touch, too.

Corinna

 

[Gilland18]

We stayed at Coronado Springs in March. We really liked it. It's pretty spread out, tho'! Sounds like your trip is off to a great start!

 

[Majordis]

I always enjoy you're reports and the wonderful pictures you take. Since the Canadian dollar took a dive we tend to stay at the moderates but have never been to Coronado Springs. Looking forward to reading about your experience and seeing the resort through your pictures. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Woth2982]

That lady on the plane sounds delightful! I had a cast on my foot in 2015, but did not cause a ruckus lol. I did however ask the southwest gate if my friend who was traveling with me, could bring her son on the plane with us as she was my guide. I was on crutches and couldn't carry anything, and we really couldn't leave her kid alone in the terminal. They were pretty good about it. Makes me gloat a little that the attendants ignored her! haha

I stayed at Coronado last February. I am curious what your thoughts overall will be. It WAS my favorite moderate, until my stay last year. I also had a preferred room and didn't think it was as preferred as it was supposed to be. I much prefer preferred at Riverside.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

So glad you are doing this TR! I loved your previous TRs for Universal and cruise. I hope you can keep doing them, but life happens. I love SW but the other passengers can be stressful.

 

[wiscbugs]

Unfortunately you are not allowed to stop writing reports...they are my absolute favorites!!!! I always like keeping up on the latest trip shenanigans from your dad and Skip!!!

 

[jenseib]

As always, enjoying your latest trip report! Just curious, out of all of the resorts you have stayed at which ones are your favorites? We have stayed at four of them (CBR, Poly, WL and BW) but if we go again I'm always interested in trying something different.

Thanks!
I have a few I really enjoyed. Poly was fabulous because of being right on the monorail. We have stayed at Pop several times and it was the first onsite place we stayed, so that is always special to me. I really liked both POFQ and CBR in the mods, both of those were great. But I would probably say the Animal Kingdom Lodge has been our favorite, but we only stayed one night so maybe if I had been there longer I might not have liked the bus situation. But it worked for us that one night and we really enjoyed hanging out at the pool and resort.

I'm so glad there's another trip report to read from Jen. I always love your reports.

Thanks!!!!

Love your reports. Thank you!

Thank you!

Wow, that is an ambitious plan. I am planning to stay at every DVC resort once and even that is proving a touch ambitious.

It will take some time and many will probably be refurbished by the time I make it through all of them. LOL.

That sounds like a nice bonus.

It's a perk with my job....and as I see, your job now too!!! Congrats.

I thought that this was a nice touch, too.

It really is.

We stayed at Coronado Springs in March. We really liked it. It's pretty spread out, tho'! Sounds like your trip is off to a great start!

It was very spread out. I will say it's my least favorite mod so far. They did nothing wrong at all really and they helped me with an issue I had, but I just wasn't a big fan of the them I guess. It didn't give me the vibe I like but I would stay there again.

 

[jenseib]

I always enjoy you're reports and the wonderful pictures you take.

Thanks! I wish they weren't so time consuming but I am always happy when I have them to look back on.

Since the Canadian dollar took a dive we tend to stay at the moderates but have never been to Coronado Springs. Looking forward to reading about your experience and seeing the resort through your pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Ugh! My wonderful friend and co-worker Cass was supposed to come to FL with me in Feb., but one of the reasons she had to cancel was because of that darn dive. I will miss her so much.

That lady on the plane sounds delightful! I had a cast on my foot in 2015, but did not cause a ruckus lol. I did however ask the southwest gate if my friend who was traveling with me, could bring her son on the plane with us as she was my guide. I was on crutches and couldn't carry anything, and we really couldn't leave her kid alone in the terminal. They were pretty good about it. Makes me gloat a little that the attendants ignored her! haha

She was such a pain. She had a cane and I think her daughter must have helped her on, but they must have not let the other 2 come on with her (I am betting she argued about that too). I'm all for her boarding first and getting her spot, but the fact that she thought it was ok to hold space, both overhead and seats when she had to have know they were going to be one of the last ones on the plane just seemed ridiculous.

I stayed at Coronado last February. I am curious what your thoughts overall will be. It WAS my favorite moderate, until my stay last year. I also had a preferred room and didn't think it was as preferred as it was supposed to be. I much prefer preferred at Riverside.

It is my least favorite Mod. I haven't stayed at Riverside and that is on my bucket list. In fact, I wanted to stay there for the possible May/June trip we may be taking this year, but my older daughter and granddaughter will be coming and I decided to go with ASMusic in a suite so that they had a separate area. Since Gracie is only 2 1/2 she'll still need some quiet time and I figured they can have the bedroom and if Claire and I come and go early or late we won't disturb them.
CSR did nothing wrong at all. I just wasn't "feeling" it like I do with some other resorts.

So glad you are doing this TR! I loved your previous TRs for Universal and cruise. I hope you can keep doing them, but life happens. I love SW but the other passengers can be stressful.

Thanks for reading! I hate that I am so slow with these, but I will try to get as much done as I can before I head to FL in late Feb.
I like having them to look back on, so maybe I'll try to do some and not all of my trips. Or do them really late. hahaha.

Unfortunately you are not allowed to stop writing reports...they are my absolute favorites!!!! I always like keeping up on the latest trip shenanigans from your dad and Skip!!!

hahahaha!! Ok then, it's settled...I'll keep writing them! Honestly I will try but it just takes a lot of time. I have some days/weeks where I barely have time to go to the bathroom and then other spurts where I am twiddling my thumbs.

 

[jenseib]

We were now starving for dinner. We headed up to El Centro and went to the food court to make our choices.


Claire got the nachos and she had a choice of adding meat and she said no. I later ( 2 days later) found out she didn’t realize what I meant and would have liked meat. Oh well.


csr68 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I got Alfredo pasta with chicken and broccoli.


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It was good, but I have had similar dishes at the Value resorts and theirs are better there.


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Mom got some tacos. Really she should have shared with us. She always has big eyes but eats like a bird, so she barely made a dent in her meal.


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As we sat enjoying our meal, mom mentioned how reasonable it was. I told her I didn’t even pay attention to the cost and I had just handed over a gift card to pay with. I had to add some change to finish it off but I hadn’t even paid attention which card I pulled out or how much was on it. Claire and I also got refillable mugs since we would have 3 days here so I knew mine would be more. I pulled out the receipt and realized I had paid with a $25 gift card and my total for 2 mugs, 2 meals and a dessert was just over $25. Wow, that can’t be right and I scanned over the receipt. Aha….she never charged me for the mugs…..but they worked. I will just count that as Disney pixie dust. I spend a lot of money there so I think I can handle a freebie once in a while. LOL.


I had also gotten churros for Claire and I to share. She had eyed them right away and asked what they were. She has had them before at Universal, but she seemed to forget what they were.


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She liked them and was worried I would eat more than she would and had to be sure she divided it up equally. LOL!


I took some pictures while we were there as well.


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My crazy kid.


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There are several stations with different food options and then you pay before you head to your table.


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The mug choices were scarce with not many color options. I wanted purple and so did Claire. We both had gotten the purple bands this trip as well (since they were still semi new and neither of us had gotten before). I was the nice mom and let her get the purple lid cup and I chose green so we would have different colors and not mix them up. Sadly they only had the mugs with no handles, which I do not like.


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After we were nice and full we headed back to our room…..again sort of getting lost on the way back.


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We heard fireworks going off and we went in search of a view of them.



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I believe they were from Hollywood Studios.


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We found a better spot to watch but they weren’t up high enough for us to see most of them.


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And then I believe they ended as we couldn’t hear the pops anymore.


We headed back towards our room once again, taking a long route unintentionally.

 

[kittymamma]

Always enjoy your TR's...thanks for taking the time. What is startling is how much Clair has grown over the years as we have watched her go from little girl to lovely young lady....time flies for sure.

 

[TLC371]

Hi Jen....I am here to follow along...I always enjoy reading your trip reports, but I don't think I have really posted in them. Well, maybe your trip to Williamsburg/Busch Gardens since I live near there, but that is about it. Can't wait to read more about this trip!

 

[dolphingirl47]

It's a perk with my job....and as I see, your job now too!!! Congrats.

Thanks. My perks will be of a different kind as I will just sell cruises and products associated with them. I am looking forward to being a travel agent though. I have always been a planner and being able to make sure that people will have magical trips rather than just selling them flights was a big pull.

I pulled out the receipt and realized I had paid with a $25 gift card and my total for 2 mugs, 2 meals and a dessert was just over $25.

That was a real bargain.

Aha….she never charged me for the mugs…..but they worked.

Even without the mugs, this was a pretty good deal.

Sadly they only had the mugs with no handles, which I do not like.

I was glad that they had some with handles when I got mine in November.

Corinna