Downtown Disney Makeover

As often as I go, I was hoping that some changes would be made there sooner than later. Changes are coming! D.D. will be getting a new attraction that will be a giant, tethered balloon ride that will take you 300 feet into the air to see the views of WDW resort.


Last fall, T-Rex opened and it is absolutely amazing! There are so many things to look at there, you almost forget that you should be eating. The food is great there too, better than Rainforest Cafe in my opinion. Dont forget to take your camera if you go...you can walk around and take pictures after you eat and you will want to. Each room there is themed differently and they are equally entertaining.

There are also going to be more stores and restaurants added this year and older restaurants are going to be refurbished. Sadly, Virgin Megatore will be closing May 31st. I loved their accesories and tee shirts, but I am sure it will be replaced by something good. Each time I have been there in the past few months, I have noticed that it is still just as crowded as usual.

Hopefully the makeover at Downtown Disney will bring in more people to keep everything open and thriving.

Countdown to Disney World!

So we leave in 3 days for our trip to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! I cant wait because I plan to take a lot of pictures this time. Well, I did take a lot the last time too, but if youve read my other posts then you know that I deleted them all on my memory card during reformatting. Dont remind me!

I do need some tips on shooting good parade pictures. I have a Canon Powershot S5 iS and have not really had the opportunity to take good parade pictures with it. Ive tried using the nightime setting, since the parades take place past 6 pm, but it doesnt have the quality I want. I guess I will have to play around with it. Any tips, send them my way, please!

Until Monday... Then I should have pics up!

Review of Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

This is my personal experience from our visit to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort in August '08. We arrived on a Sunday and stayed through Tuesday for a weekend getaway. Our trip also included a visit to The Magic Kingdom. The main pool was closed for renovations during this time.

Guestrooms

We checked in early at the main house at about 12:00 and were able to get our room since it was available. Our room was located in the "Aruba" section of the resort. It was very quiet and empty when we arrived, due to school being back in session. (Perfect time to go, by the way!) The little villages were cute and colorful in pastel colors. Our room was near the lake and not too far from the pool in Aruba. The rooms are your average size hotel room with two double beds, a shower/bath combo and a sink/vanity area.

If you stay in Aruba, you have a little bit of a walk to get to the restaurants and Main pool area. We didn't mind this because it was a nice, scenic walk by the lake and through the gardens. If walking or convenience is an issue though, I would stay at a Preferred location.

Transportation

Every village has its own bus station for catching your ride to the parks. We never waited longer than 10 minutes each time we rode. The bus stop was very close to our room, just a short walk across the parking lot. You have to wait on your specific bus to arrive for wherever you are going, including Downtown Disney.

Overall, its very easy getting around Disney World with their system. The buses run often and hold a lot of people per bus. They are also wheelchair accessible.

Resort Activities

We enjoyed the pool in Aruba since the main pool was closed for remodel. It was large enough that people were not right on top of you, but the pools that are in the villages are just your basic pool, nothing fancy. The pool area had patio tables and lounge chairs. Across from our pool was a "beach" with sand and hammocks overlooking the lake.

You can also rent boats at the main area near the restaurants, which I do not recommend. We have rented them before at Downtown Disney, which allows you to go further and actually see things. The ones at Caribbean Beach Resort will only allow you to go around the lake and then under the main bridge to the other side of the lake. We got tired of it after about 10 minutes and returned back to the dock. I believe it was about $45.00 for 30 minutes, but I am not sure on the price. So, I would recommend renting a boat at DD if you want to take a boat ride, you will have a much better view and be able to go more places for the same price.

The main pool was being renovated during our stay, but it sounds like it is very nice!

There was a family movie night in the garden area. The movie is shown on a big screen in the gardens, with beach chairs by the lake.

There is also live entertainment at the main area, near the shoppes and food court. There are patio tables setup around so you can sit and enjoy the music or have a drink at the outdoor bar area.

Restaurants

We ate at the food court for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a "market" style setup with several different choices of food types. We had burgers at one of the quick service's and they were the same as you would find in the parks. Overall, good choices for everyone in your family.

We purchased a souvenir thermos to use for the weekend at the resort, which allows you to have free refills anytime you want. You pay around $14.00 for the cup, but its worth it.

Shutters is the only table services restaurant here at the resort. The atmosphere of the restaurant is a little loud and not so "beachy". Its casual, and a little noisy and crowded. Wouldn't recommend for a romantic evening for a couple. We did have a nice view from our table, which faced the lakeside.

I ordered a seafood pasta dish, which was surprisingly good. My husband loved the steak he ordered, too. The prices were decent, average prices for a sit down place. Our waiter was very attentive to our needs and made sure we were happy with the food. A very good Cast Member. :)

Overall Experience

We both had a great time here, and unless you are looking for the real Caribbean, I would suggest it for a family getaway or a romantic weekend. It will not make you feel like you are in the Caribbean, there are just touches of "the islands". It offered us a relaxing weekend, and like most things with the Disney resort, it lived up to the service and quality that its known for. We will definitely go back in the future.

If you would like to ask me any questions about this resort, please email me here.

An Unexpected Surprise!

I am so excited right now because me and Justin just booked our trip to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at MK. Of all the times I have been to Disney, I have never been to this. Im looking forward to walking down Main Street with the snow flurries falling and Christmas lights all over my Castle, err, I mean Cinderella's Castle. Well, for now.

Have you ever been?

I thought that we wouldnt be going back until next year for my birthday. So, this is really exciting! I was kinda having a little depression/withdrawls knowing thats so far away. The weather should be nice and crisp too, it gets pretty miserable in the hot, hot, summer days here. So I am ready for the cold weather.

For my birthday in April, I am going to take the "Keys to the Kingdom" Behind the scenes tour at Disney World. I have been researching it and it seems to be pretty cool. I want to see the Tunnels. I remember the first time I found out that The Magic Kingdom was the 2nd story..I was blown away! I couldnt believe there was actually an underground world, haha! I look forward to that.

All I have is memories.

I am back from my Animal Kingdom trip with my family. It was awesome! This was the 20th Anniversary of my grandparents going back to Disney with me. I was 5 when we went last and they are now in their 80's, so this was a very special trip.
So, I should be posting pictures, right? No. Because I got stupid at the theme park and deleted them all by reformatting the memory card!(I had no idea what formatting meant when I did it!) Excellent. I erased everything on my memory card, including the awesome footage from my grandpa on the Safari and the footage of elephants bathing themselves in mud- right next to our vehicle. I was sad at first, then I decided to just take more pictures to make up for it before leaving the park.
When we got back home, I was looking for the (erased)pictures, hoping that they were not gone but just moved. So, I started messing with it again and realized that the formatting had erased them because I erased the other ones too. OMG. After crying and boo-hooing, I remembered that I had the Disney PhotoPass and we used it quite a bit, so I do have those, which have to be ordered from their website. Its pricey...but I will have nothing to show from this trip if I dont buy them. Disney saved the day! :)
Until then,

The Obsession Started Long Ago...

My first visit to Disney World's Magic Kingdom was when I was 3 weeks old. My parent's didn't waste anytime did they? It is one of my all time favorite places to go and bring's back warm, fuzzy memories, which is why I am still so fond of it.

(Thats me on the far right, standing next to my brother, Ryan)

There is literally no other place like it, it sounds like I should work for Disney World. I sat in on one of their Vacation Club seminars and learned that Disney is the #1 tourist destination in the world. I know its a huge deal to most kids and families, but I didnt know it was THE place to go.

I will admit that I am totally obsessed with this place. My heart starts racing when I think about returning in the fall, its so exciting and makes me want to do my happy dance (You'd probably not want to see that). I guess I am still a kid at heart. <3