The Tenth Honeymoon is the Best One of Them All! - May '14 TR - COMPLETED 4/19

[WishnDisney]

As you can see, the pool's pretty much empty now. Wait - there's someone in the pool! No - some...thing. What the heck is that?

Oh no, it's a roach! Or some sort of beetle! And it's HUGE! The lifeguards get it out, and now you get to enjoy it as well.

Lol! All I could think of is rally bar. But maybe you are too young for the reference!

 

[courtneybelle]

Joining in! I love the Disney tattoos, I've been thinking about getting a Disney tattoo myself this summer. And I've been laughing this whole TR, so

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Which college? Moravian? Lehigh? We love Bethlehem, too, which is why we've never left! Well, unless you consider living in Allentown for a few years "leaving".

We both went to Lehigh (I'm '00, she is '02) and then we were married in Packer Chapel on '03 (reception was technically in Easton at the Bank St. Annex). We usually get back there at least once a year (for Lehigh/Lafayette if nothing else - those this year it is at Yankee Stadium)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

wow, that pool does look nice. I assume the big fake branches across the pyramid are to prevent one from climbing up?

You guys are way more organized than we are ... our goal is to get everything in some sort of suitcase and go from there. Also, I think I am more the other way in that I would want to wear an EPCOT related shirt to EPCOT - though I guess that does kinda make me "the guy that wears the band's t-shirt to the concert". Oh well, I've been called worse

 

[rndmr2]

Glad to have found your newest report! Can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[Momoftwins+1]

Great report so far!! Is great to see pics from CSR that are really recent. 3 more days and we'll be going to CSR for the first time and can't wait!!! The kids are very excited about the pool and loved the pics. Look forward to reading the rest!

 

[Clarf]

That pool at CSR does look pretty cool! If we can ever get our kids to agree, hopefully we can try CSR one day. Though if we ever come into more money, Poly is our dream resort.

You asked about the busses. The couple of times we used them they were great. Never a wait more than 5 minutes, and stopping at the other "villages" around the resort didn't take long at all. We drive to Florida from Wisconsin though, and since we have the car, we almost always drive it to where we're going. We did the "late night with a stroller and 2 sleeping kids" thing once and weren't fans, so we've stuck to our car since then. Seeing the busses go through the resort though, they seemed pretty frequent for all places.

That roach thing in the pool may have been a palmetto bug. My DH spent a lot of time in Florida as a kid with his grandparents and says palmetto bugs were big and gross and everywhere. And I thought love bug season was September. Sounds like it's maybe May-September.

Man you guys are organized with the clothes. We're like someone else said. We just feel lucky we got everything IN the suitcase!

 

[dramadrew]

We stayed at Coronado Springs too and loved it there! I agree the pool is awesome and we went down the slide many times, even if we were the only adults that did it!

 

[chenbru]

following along, this is great.

 

[Momoftwins+1]

That pool at CSR does look pretty cool! If we can ever get our kids to agree, hopefully we can try CSR one day. Though if we ever come into more money, Poly is our dream resort.

You asked about the busses. The couple of times we used them they were great. Never a wait more than 5 minutes, and stopping at the other "villages" around the resort didn't take long at all. We drive to Florida from Wisconsin though, and since we have the car, we almost always drive it to where we're going. We did the "late night with a stroller and 2 sleeping kids" thing once and weren't fans, so we've stuck to our car since then. Seeing the busses go through the resort though, they seemed pretty frequent for all places.

That roach thing in the pool may have been a palmetto bug. My DH spent a lot of time in Florida as a kid with his grandparents and says palmetto bugs were big and gross and everywhere. And I thought love bug season was September. Sounds like it's maybe May-September.

Man you guys are organized with the clothes. We're like someone else said. We just feel lucky we got everything IN the suitcase!

That bug appears to be a water bug like we had in Louisiana when we lived there. It is definitely not a palmetto bug...they are rounder and red and normally when seen, much larger.

 

[ebhcole]

OK, so I'm seriously impressed by the Ziploc-organized, coordinated outfits. I showed that pic to my husband who gave me a "look". I think he sees Ziploc-ed, organized coordination in his future and I'm not sure he's lovin' it as much as I am. Enjoyed seeing all the pool photos...not so excited about vermin.

 

[MEK]

So there was a 2013 trip that never made it to the DIS boards?

I heard you were in WDW the same week I was, but, alas, our paths never crossed. In fact, I had to text KatMark to find out what your DIS name was since I could not remember. But she knew! All I could remember was Jon and Kristin.

Dylan got so tall!

Looks like your trip is off to a great start. Looking forward to reading more.

Kristin - you look great!

Now don't disappoint me. I hope you finish this TR!

 

[Clarf]

That bug appears to be a water bug like we had in Louisiana when we lived there. It is definitely not a palmetto bug...they are rounder and red and normally when seen, much larger.

Oh! Thanks! I was just guessing. What do I know? I'm from Wisconsin. We don't have bugs that big here because our never ending winters would kill them all.

 

[nilla]

Well I guess this explains why I sent Dan to 8126!!! And here I thought I was wrong (impossible!!) -- so good to know that I was just misinformed! I'm just glad nobody answered that door when he went a-knockin'!! LOL

Sorry about that! Next time, ask Kristin!

Wow, CSR's CS options are really good! Those fish tacos look excellent.
I'm glad while your original room request wasn't offered, you still good an excellent location!

We actually like this location better now

Yay! A Nilla report. Your last ones led to a great first trip to WDW last summer. We stayed at CSR and loved it.

We go again in 3 weeks but I have felt like you. Dragging my feet with all of the FP+ angst. Magic bands came and it's time to pull up my big girl pants and get excited about this trip.

Gotta say...it's not fair to refer to events from the unwritten 2013 report. Kristin and stairs, hmm?

Your kids look great and I can't wait to read more. Keep you writing mojo going!

Lynne

Glad we helped! KatMark and FlightlessDuck got us to stay at CSR, so we're happy to share the love!

More on FP+ to come. Hopefully before you leave!

The Kristin stairs story will precede Day 2.

Lol! All I could think of is rally bar. But maybe you are too young for the reference!

I must be. Is it the candy bar?

Joining in! I love the Disney tattoos, I've been thinking about getting a Disney tattoo myself this summer. And I've been laughing this whole TR, so

Disney tattoos are the best! My advice is "do it"

We both went to Lehigh (I'm '00, she is '02) and then we were married in Packer Chapel on '03 (reception was technically in Easton at the Bank St. Annex). We usually get back there at least once a year (for Lehigh/Lafayette if nothing else - those this year it is at Yankee Stadium)

We were at a wedding there last year. Absolutely beautiful place!

wow, that pool does look nice. I assume the big fake branches across the pyramid are to prevent one from climbing up?

You guys are way more organized than we are ... our goal is to get everything in some sort of suitcase and go from there. Also, I think I am more the other way in that I would want to wear an EPCOT related shirt to EPCOT - though I guess that does kinda make me "the guy that wears the band's t-shirt to the concert". Oh well, I've been called worse

Yes, the fake branches are to deter climbing. They somewhat work.

My thinking is that I need to tell people at Hollywood Studios how wonderful Epcot is, and vice versa. As if they don't already know!

I'm nowhere near this organized outside of Disney. 98% of it is Kristin.

Glad to have found your newest report! Can't wait to read more about your trip!

More will be posted tonight!

Great report so far!! Is great to see pics from CSR that are really recent. 3 more days and we'll be going to CSR for the first time and can't wait!!! The kids are very excited about the pool and loved the pics. Look forward to reading the rest!

Are you there now? It's too late for math

That pool at CSR does look pretty cool! If we can ever get our kids to agree, hopefully we can try CSR one day. Though if we ever come into more money, Poly is our dream resort.

You asked about the busses. The couple of times we used them they were great. Never a wait more than 5 minutes, and stopping at the other "villages" around the resort didn't take long at all. We drive to Florida from Wisconsin though, and since we have the car, we almost always drive it to where we're going. We did the "late night with a stroller and 2 sleeping kids" thing once and weren't fans, so we've stuck to our car since then. Seeing the busses go through the resort though, they seemed pretty frequent for all places.

That roach thing in the pool may have been a palmetto bug. My DH spent a lot of time in Florida as a kid with his grandparents and says palmetto bugs were big and gross and everywhere. And I thought love bug season was September. Sounds like it's maybe May-September.

Man you guys are organized with the clothes. We're like someone else said. We just feel lucky we got everything IN the suitcase!

Interesting about the bug! It did actually look more beetle-ish than roach-ish. We may try CBR at some point, but we're the same way - if not CSR, it'll be Poly or Boardwalk. But it's CSR for now

The organized clothing makes it REALLY easy in the morning. Also prevents a lot of fights with Emily.

We're still happy with Disney transportation (MUCH easier now that we have zero strollers), so thanks for the bus info!

We stayed at Coronado Springs too and loved it there! I agree the pool is awesome and we went down the slide many times, even if we were the only adults that did it!

I like when there are parents at the bottom waiting to catch their kids, and here I come. "Move!" Glad to have another CSR lover reading!

following along, this is great.

Thanks! It's fun reliving it, too.

That bug appears to be a water bug like we had in Louisiana when we lived there. It is definitely not a palmetto bug...they are rounder and red and normally when seen, much larger.

Hmmm...time for a Google image search!

OK, so I'm seriously impressed by the Ziploc-organized, coordinated outfits. I showed that pic to my husband who gave me a "look". I think he sees Ziploc-ed, organized coordination in his future and I'm not sure he's lovin' it as much as I am. Enjoyed seeing all the pool photos...not so excited about vermin.

We have old ziplocs that we used for other things that we pack, and they show the names of the park and restaurant, so it brings back memories, too

So there was a 2013 trip that never made it to the DIS boards?

I heard you were in WDW the same week I was, but, alas, our paths never crossed. In fact, I had to text KatMark to find out what your DIS name was since I could not remember. But she knew! All I could remember was Jon and Kristin.

Dylan got so tall!

Looks like your trip is off to a great start. Looking forward to reading more.

Kristin - you look great!

Now don't disappoint me. I hope you finish this TR!

I absolutely will finish it! I'll have a lot of time once summer hits.

The TR never got off the ground last year. I typed a little in Notepad, but quickly fell behind and eventually forgot the details of the trip. Not a recipe for a good trip report!

I saw you were down there as well, but the parks didn't seem to be matching up! I think that was at the end of the trip. There will be a 'meet someday!

Oh! Thanks! I was just guessing. What do I know? I'm from Wisconsin. We don't have bugs that big here because our never ending winters would kill them all.

Here's what I found out:

"There were a lot of Giant Water Bugs (Lethocerus americanus) on the surface of the river. They were swarming near the docks. These insects are aggressive predators and will sometimes bite when molested. However, generally, they will flee from humans and/or play dead if encountered on land, before biting. In Florida they are also known as toe-biters, electric-light bugs and Alligator Fleas. Their bite is considered one of the most painful that can be inflicted by any insect though the bite causes no long term medical problem for humans."

http://majikphil.blogspot.com/2012/11/floridas-giant-water-bugs.html

Glad they got rid of it!

Thanks for reading! Now, the updates.

 

[nilla]

After giving Dan and Jeanette the wrong room number, we finally met up outside our building. They got M&M-covered Mickey Rice Krispies treats on sticks for Dylan and Emily! We get a picture of our fellow CSR lovers with the kids:



It's then back over to the pool. While we got in the pool and talked, Dylan went down the slide and Emily swam. After a few minutes, I looked over at the bottom of the slide and saw Dylan walking around, as if he were looking for something. I swim over...it's his Magic Band. Somehow, it came off, and he can't find it. Having earlier handed a pair of goggles to the lifeguard, I knew where the Lost and Found was - hanging from the lifeguard's umbrella. And there it was - Dylan's Magic Band. Crisis averted!

Meanwhile, Dan got something to eat, and he sits down - there's a squirrel on the table! Get out of here! He runs away, and now Kristin and Jeanette are back. Kristin sits down - the ducks are back!







The ducks leave when they find out we're not feeding them, but other ducks take their place - ouch! One of the mid-sized ones just bit Kristin in the toe! Must've thought it was a fry or something. These animals are nuts!

Dan tells us they ate at Via Napoli and loved it, but we won't remember an important detail in the near future. More on that later.

After a great time with Dan and Jeanette, it's off to dinner. They're heading home tomorrow, so we say our goodbyes. Until next year!

 

[nilla]

Now, we have the walk to El Centro for dinner at the Pepper Market, which is just as fun as the pool!





Wait, Emily's in trouble! She's being attacked by the stone snake thing!



Better help h- no, no need. She's got it under control, I think.



Meanwhile, I'm hunting for turtles.



Now everyone's looking.



We did find a BIG turtle with a long neck...not sure what type that is, and it's too late to be bothered with those details. I may get a photo later. Oh, wait - here's one now!

 

[nilla]

We reach El Centro and we go to the lobby for...something. I don't really recall what. Kristin will probably, though. While we're there, I take a photo of the Coronado Springs logo.



Whoa - Hidden Mickey! You really couldn't see it that well without the camera, but even the LCD screen showed it like it does in the photo. Amazing!

Better get another fountain picture before we eat...

 

[nilla]

...and then, it's to the Pepper Market. We're doing a Quick Service meal tonight so we can do Artist Point on Tuesday. We ARE big fans of the Pepper Market, though. This guy is, too.



Something's not right here, though. You still get those stamp cards, but there are no waiters anymore to get you your drinks. You have to get your own. That's fine, since the old method was a bit bizarre and made tipping complicated, but I purposely didn't bring my mug because I didn't think I'd be able to use it at dinner. So it's a paper cup for me.

The food choices were also severely lacking tonight. No burritos? That's odd. I get the Azteca burger, which has some sort of ancient Aztec sauce on it or something. And lots and lots of peppers. Good burger!



The fries were really good, too. Kristin got the Philly cheesesteak pizza (since ALL cheesesteak-related items in the world are labeled as "Philly" cheesesteaks). Her assessment? "Pizza really good, meat really bad". Really fatty.



Dylan got nachos. That's nutrition!



Emily got mac and cheese.



Later in the week, we will be eating at the Maya Grill. One great thing about MG is that they accept the Disney Ding Plan.



While that's all happening, I forget to take a picture of the desert (red velvet cake) until it's almost gone.



Pepper Market seems to have taken a step back. Hopefully, it's only temporary. The food wasn't quite as good, and the choices weren't as extensive as in the past. Shame

 

[nilla]

After dinner, I get a shot of Rix, where we've never been.



We go to Panchito's next. The "celebration" board is filling up!



Emily finally gets her Sully outfit for Duffy and Duffy jibitz for her Magic Band, then it's back to the room. But first, two more photos!





I love CSR. In case you didn't know that

As we turn the corner near Station Number One, we run into Dan and Jeanette again! After second goodbyes, it's back to the room, where Emily dresses Duffy...



...and it's still early, so I get a jump on my Trip Report. I almost get all the way through Day 1. If I can keep writing, it'll make it much easier when it's time to post it!

Of course, I first have to (1) copy the day's photos from the camera to the laptop, (2) resize each photo individually in Paint.NET. I've mastered a CTRL-R/CTRL-A/CTRL-V combo that helps me get through it pretty quickly, unless I open too many and lock the machine up. If that happens, it's reboot and try again. Then, (3) I updload them to PhotoBucket. This is one thing that absolutely must happen every night, since Kristin's Mom is looking at the photos from home. But we're talking over 100 photos per day!

All that done, Kristin gets a wake-up call and I set the alarm on my phone. Yes, the flip phone from the Emily/Sully Duffy photo! It does more than just make calls! But now, it's time for bed. Magic Kingdom morning Extra Magic Hours tomorrow. What better way to kick it off?


[POST=51536852](next update)[/POST]

 

[POLY1985]

Just found this TR this morning and I am subscribing. I am from a suburb of the city "East" of you . We fly Jet Blue out of Newark direct to Orlando. Even though Philly is closer, it is easier and quicker for us to get to Newark. I wish LVIA would get another direct flight. It's really a pain to do Sanford!
I'm interested in reading about CBR since its one resort I would like to stay at.