Day 1472: Caribbean Beach

One of my goals is to stay in each of the Walt Disney World resorts at least once, and surprisingly enough, I'm checking them off one right after the other lately. In January of 2015 I stayed at Saratoga Springs for the first time, in June 2015 it was Wilderness Lodge, in August I'll finally stay at the Polynesian (if only for one night), and in September I'll stay at Art of Animation for the first time as well. This January, however, I checked another of the resorts off my list: Caribbean Beach. 

This moderate resort is currently in the process of being renovated, but when I was there not long ago it was calm and quiet, at least as calm and quiet as it gets when you're staying at one of the largest resorts on property. Since I grew up staying at primarily Old Key West, the spaced out buildings and multiple bus stops did little to confuse me, but I have to say that perhaps Caribbean Beach was a little too big for me to handle. 

The rooms themselves are nice, very similar to the accommodations I enjoyed while staying at Coronado Springs last July, which fits two people well and is situated much like a typical hotel room. I feel as though it might be a bit cramped for four people, but it's certainly doable and really, what hotel room isn't a bit cramped with four people in it? 

But it wasn't really the rooms that bothered me. Used to five bus stops at Old Key West, the eight or so bus stops that didn't seem to have a consistent order was overwhelming. It took me a couple of days to figure out which bus stop was actually closest to my room, mostly because not one of the bus stops was actually all that close, meaning that if you're using the bus as your primary mode of transportation you'll probably want to request a room close to the bus stop (we did and still had to walk quite a distance to catch the bus). 

In addition, where Coronado Springs, which is probably the best comparison resort to Caribbean Beach, included building locations that felt thought out and purposefully placed, the main buildings at Caribbean Beach seemed scattered. Typically with the Disney Resorts, everything you need - check-in, food court, main restaurant(s), gift shop, etc. - is in one building or location, and typically this area is situated in a central location in comparison to the rest of the resort buildings. I've included the Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach Maps below to give you a better idea the layout for each: 

On the Coronado Springs map above, note that while it's a further walk to the convention center and main building, the Rachos area of the resort is significantly closer to the Dig Site Main Pool, and regardless, it's roughly only a half hour walk to get all the way around the lake (or about a 10-15 minute walk from Casitas to the Dig Site). Everything is easily accessible to all guests regardless of where your room is, and additional pools are placed strategically to provide additional options for guests. 

On the other hand, at Caribbean Beach, the resort is so big that you pretty much have to take a bus from some of the resort rooms to get up to the main building in a decent amount of time (and even then you may be waiting a considerable amount of time for an internal bus if your bus stop is in the wrong location on the stop schedule). Likewise, the main pool is hardly walking distance for most guests of the resort (although the same could be said for Old Key West here), and the distance of these amenities to most rooms is hardly efficient if you're looking to grab a bottle of water before heading to the parks or head to the pool at the conclusion of a long day. Additionally, Check-In is mysteriously off in a corner, which creates a bit of a hassle on its own, and the sheer number of bus stops means that your bus may take upwards of 20 minutes just to get through the resort stops, much less to the park of your choice or back to your own stop at the end of the day. 

Of course, it's all a matter of personal preference. Obviously many guests enjoy staying at Caribbean Beach, as is evident by the plans for expansion and the number of rooms that already exist. Like every Disney resort, the design of the resort is phenomenal, the cast members are spectacular, the rooms are nice, and the amenities (once you get to them) are up to the Disney standard. But for me, I'm just not sure that Caribbean Beach is my type of resort, and that's alright. We all have our preferences, and that's why some resorts are better suited to some people and not others, but I honestly don't think I'll be staying at Caribbean Beach again anytime soon...if only because I have more resorts to stay at for the first time!

If you've ever stayed at Caribbean Beach, what were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

Have a magical day!

Day 1245: Saratoga or OKW

With so many various DVC Resorts out there now, I know just how hard it can be to choose the right one for your vacation. But when it comes down to distinctly DVC Resorts, there's some debate going on: which is better? 

I'll start out by saying that Saratoga Springs and Old Key West are drastically different resorts...in some ways more than others. We'll start with what they have in common though. Both Resorts are usually open even closer to your vacation date, although that may be due to the higher number of DVC Member rooms available compared to other resorts. They both have decent rooms and are split up between various buildings over a large "campus" that includes multiple bus stops rather than just one for the whole resort. In addition, they both are near Disney Springs and provide boat transportation, have quick service and table service restaurants, and are rather lightly themed in comparison to some of the other hotels on property. 

Saratoga Springs is themed on the real Saratoga Springs, bringing the Victorian, horse racing style to Central Florida right from New York. The resort is split into five sections: The Grandstand, The Paddock, The Carousel, Congress Park, and The Springs. The downfall here is that the 18 very large buildings that house the rooms can get to be quite the distance from the main building, and while a major benefit of staying at Saratoga is the walkway that takes you directly to Disney Springs, such a walk can take over a half hour depending on where you are at the resort. On our last trip we even stayed in the middle of the resort, near the Carousel bus stop, and the hike took about 30 minutes. When we stayed at the Grandstand before that, it was nearing 45 minutes. Meanwhile, you can take a bus (if it comes immediately) and be there within 10 minutes. Still, the rooms are all a decent size, although they are a bit smaller than rooms at similar resorts. 

Meanwhile, the rooms at Old Key West, which takes the gingerbread architecture of the conch republic to the Walt Disney World Resort, are the largest on property. As the original DVC Resort, you'll consistently meet fellow visitors who travel to WDW time and time again, which almost gives it an extra homey feel. Like Saratoga, the resort is split into five sections: The Hospitality House, Peninsular Road, Old Turtle Pond, South Point, and Millers Road. While still spread out into over 50 different buildings, the entirety of Old Key West is easily within walking distance, as it's only a short walk from the furthest South Point buildings back up to the Hospitality House. 

All in all, the comparisons really come down to room size and amenities. Old Key West's large, spacious rooms easily beat out Saratoga's, especially now that they've been refurbished. However, the food selection at Saratoga greatly beats out Old Key West with the Turf Club, although Olivia's provides a nice middle option that's not available at Saratoga. In addition, if you're looking at swimming, the pools at Saratoga are themed well and are much larger than the few scattered at Old Key West. 

Still, and maybe it's because I'm bias, I'd much rather stay at Old Key West. Despite the fact that it's not connected to Disney Springs, the entire resort seems much more convenient. If necessary, you can walk to the front within minutes, and since the rooms are much larger, you have an incredible amount of space to spread out. The rooms at Saratoga, in comparison, feel cramped. 

Which resort do you prefer? 

Have a magical day!

Day 1051: Hospitality

Do you ever have those phrases or words that just automatically bring you back to Disney? Like if someone says pineapple maybe you think of a dole whip, Aerosmith takes you to Rock'n Roller Coaster, and discussions about The Twilight Zone end in Tower of Terror. For me, there's any number of these kinds of things, but a few in particular are worse than others.

In one of my classes this semester we talked a lot about hospitality, and after a while I realized that every time I came across that word, whether it was in a reading assignment, test, or class discussion, I ended up adding "house" to the end of it, so instead it would be "hospitality house." For those that don't know Disney (and even those who don't know Old Key West), this probably makes no sense, but for a girl who considers OKW her home, Hospitality House is the only thing that comes across. In fact, all of OKW is about hospitality (as are most Disney resorts), and that's one of the things I love most about it.

There's something about the atmosphere at Old Key West that's just calming, and you can frequently find me there even when I stay at a different resort. In fact, there's not a trip I can remember that I didn't return to OKW at some point, even if it was just to transfer to a different park or Disney Springs (because sometimes taking the first bus you see can help a lot).

And so, somehow, any time someone says "hospitality," I think of Old Key West and suddenly get a bit calmer. Kind of like when someone mentions the printing press and I start thinking about Spaceship Earth. I wonder how many other "trigger words" I have for thinking about Disney?

Do you have any? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 26).

Day 887: Two Armadillos in the Bush

Guess who's finally back from trips with edited pictures and plenty of blog posts to write? ME!

It's been almost three weeks now since I last blogged, mostly because I've been traveling all over the place and haven't had time to think or make my proper morning coffee much less sit down to write blog posts, but that's alright. Over the next few days I've got everything from trip updates from both Walt Disney World and the Band Trip I just went on (where Disney ran rampent as well!) to cupcakes and YouTube Videos, so now it's just a matter of getting them all finished and posted! So stay tuned as I make things up and get back on track!

Now then, let's get started with going through my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, which started on the day this blog post would have originally been published. Per usual, I spent my time focusing on Disney while I was down there instead of blogging, and where better to start than the resort we stayed at?

Previous to this trip, I'd never actually stayed at Wilderness Lodge, and to be honest I hadn't spend much time there at all. Well..that hasn't really changed because I'm fairly certain that a portion of me doesn't even believe I stayed there. Even with sleeping I'm pretty sure I spent more time at Magic Kingdom on the first day than I did in our room the entire trip. Then again, normally I spend a bit more time at the resort, but because this was such a short trip it got a little cut off, but that's alright. I do know that in the future I'll be hanging out there more often, especially since I spent five days there and have a total of about 15 pictures to prove I was actually staying at Wilderness Lodge.

Luckily the rest of my family took a few pictures (mainly my Dad), so I have some evidence of my stay there. Officially, we took up residence in the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, AKA the DVC portion of the resort. DVC is one of the world's greatest inventions if you ask me, and I'm honestly not sure what my family would do without it. It makes it possible to travel the way you like, whether that be on one larger trip every few years (you could probably go for weeks depending on how many points you have) or a few shorter trips each year. It's brilliant. 

Of course, being the Wisconsinites we are, the first thing we did was curl up in front of the fire, room not quite ready yet, despite the fact that it was about 100 degrees outside (alright, so not quite that bad, but it felt awful for those of us used to about 60 degree weather). However, it was cold inside, and sitting by that fireplace was one of my favorite things about staying at Wilderness Lodge, as I spent more time there later in the trip as well. 

A big bonus, especially for my Dad and Brother, was the Iron Spike Room, where you can find railroad cars from Walt Disney's own Carolwood Pacific. I only walked over there once unfortunatly, again due to time, but the pure knowledge that such an important piece of Disney history was in the same building felt right.

While we waited by the fire, Dad made sure to catch some pictures of the lobby and the rest of the grounds, which I passed every day, multiple times per day, but never actually got around to taking pictures of myself. 

Just a couple of pictures from inside our room. We had a one bedroom, as you can see from the pictures. It wasn't long after we finally got into our room that I ended up facetiming Frank, who accompanied us on our trip in January. She was currently situated at the dunk tank to support our High School Band back home, so while we shared our room with her, she was sharing live action dunking of our friends. 

However, previous to actually getting into our room, we had a bit of an issue concerning our Magic Bands. We've never really had any problems before, but for some reason it just didn't work on this trip, although it sounded like Wilderness Lodge in general was having some issues that day. They worked fine towards the end of the trip though. So while the parents headed back down to the front desk, Jonny and I stayed up at the door, on the floor of course. Nothing like being locked out of your room!

And that's about it when it comes to Wilderness Lodge...except for one thing...that title. Two Armadillos in the Bush. On our first night at Disney, my Dad, brother and I headed back to the resort around one in the morning (and by the time we got there it was probably almost two), where at night, things get a little spooky. So as we made our walk back from the boats to the Villas, I stopped, curious by the something that was moving in the bush. One flashlight feature on my phone later, we discovered that it wasn't squirrels or something, but rather two little Armadillos searching for food. Not sure if they would attack or anything if approached further, we left in a hurry, but not before jumping at the owl that was making noises too! Leave it to Disney to give you your first wild armadillo encounter.

If you've stayed at Wilderness Lodge, what were some of your thoughts? I greatly enjoyed my stay there, although I think it definitely still ranks lower than both Old Key West and the Contemporary, for sure. Regardless, I can't wait to stay there again in the future!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on June 22 due to Travel).

Day 199: The First 24 Hours

A couple of weeks ago I talked about the night BEFORE your trip, but I feel like it's just as important to talk about the night AFTER! I mean, as exciting and amazing as the night before was, the night after is just absolutely depressing. Honestly half of us probably lay in our beds crying our hearts out because our room doesn't smell like a Disney Resort, and then, in those first 24 hours, we feel like doing absolutely nothing because it just doesn't compare to anything we did at Disney. But at the same time, we want to try and find things that remind us of our home, with limited success.

In my first 24 hours after I got home from Florida, I did most of what I just talked about. I got home late in the evening, so my first 24 hours was started mostly by sleeping. Luckily, as soon as I get home it means I get to see my cat, which is always great. I mean, isn't she just adorable?

Not the greatest quality, I know, but I took it as soon as I got home. It's like the first picture I took that wasn't something on my vacation (because yes, the flight home counts too!). She's normally mad at me for like ten minutes and then follows me around the house obsessively to make sure I won't leave again.

Generally I unpack right away, because everything smells like Disney and I love Disney...and a bunch of stuff I bought is in there, so of course I want to open it and get it all out! I kind of put some of it away, make a pile of everything I bought, and just kind of go from there. My clothes go in the laundry, and my pillow and blanket go on my bed.

Normally I stay at Old Key West, and that means that no matter how many airplanes my pillow was on the way home, it still smells like my wonderful home resort. Sadly for me this time, Bay Lake Tower wasn't quite as strong (then again I was there for three less days too!), so my pillow just smelt like airplane. But don't fear, my blanket still smelled like the wonderful Bay Lake Tower. (And as of the beginning of August, it's still faintly there because I don't touch it for anything other to smell it, and then I fold it back up).

But what else happens in those first 24 hours? Lots of nothing actually. I think I spent a large portion of mine just laying on my bed doing absolutely nothing because I couldn't figure out what it was I wanted to do. My brother had Epcot music playing through the entire house (ok, I gave him the idea). It's just that when you leave Disney...everything else seems so...boring and awful.

Probably because it is compared to the awesomeness that is Walt Disney World.

Here's today's Disney History: 1965: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opens to the public (the day after its official dedication) at the new and specially constructed Opera House on Main Street USA at Disneyland.

Have a magical day!