I’m back home, but wanted to share the rest of my report
Day 4 - AK, HS, and EP
We opted for slow start this morning and low key day focusing more on the sights and less on the rides. We explored some of the trails at AK on the way to our safari FP. Safari was great, as always! After our EE FP, we had a very good lunch at Yak and yeti. DH and the kids rode EE again as single riders. DSis and I were waiting to get the kids near the exit when DH texts to say the ride broke down. Momentary panic sets in as I imagine one of the kids having to be walked down. Thankfully the issue was quickly resolved and no evacs were needed. They were also all apparently on the same train, so at least they were stuck together. Really makes you think 2x about what it means to let your kid single rider. Could they evac without you??
Next up was lion king - our 1st time! I’m so glad we finally made time for it, it was a great show and DH was picked to help “lead” the warthogs at the beginning. I was loosing it as the performer pulled him up to the mic to make warthog sounds. He’s generally a serious kinda guy.
Our FoP FP wasn’t for another hour (no luck modifying it at the 11:01 or 1:01 drop) and the kids were ready for a break so we cancelled the FP and headed back to the hotel (we rode 2x earlier in the trip).
After a short break, we skylinered to HS to use a SDFP for TSM (FP grabbed at 2:31 drop) and explore GE (kids really liked the play app in that area). We rode ROTR for a 2nd time using the FP from the previous day’s breakdown. I assumed it just gave us the right to stand in line with that day’s BG, but the CM scanned our bands and we basically walked on.
Off to EP via the Skyliner - this was our 1st time with PH so it was very exciting to hit 3 parks in one day. We just wandered the countries to eat and drink for a few hours. DH and the kids went back to the hotel early so DSis and I enjoyed some time together. We stopped at Les halles for yummy breakfast pasties on our way back to the hotel. We watched the fireworks on the Skyliner ride home - beautiful show, I’m sure it would be even better in the park, but the quiet aerial view was a nice end to the day.
Day 5 - last day - HS and EP
Our departure day is here, but we had a few hours in the park before tragical express. We started at HS where DH and DS did the Droid building experience - they had a blast. Rey came to talk with them while they were testing the Droid - she took them by surprise and DS had no idea what to say!
Meanwhile, DD, DSis and I browsed the shops. DD is Kylo Ren obsessed and was madly searching the gift shops for merch. She picked up and (thankfully) discarded several things that I knew would be at the bottom of the closet by the end of the month. The decision was easily made when she saw the millennium falcon Pandora charm. A little more $, but a better souvenir in my opinion.
We rode TSM and ST with FP and then DH + kids watched the SW stage show while I tapped to clear out the beauty/beast FP. We headed to EP via the Skyliner for lunch and hoped to catch some SDFP. No luck on any of the headliners at the 11:31 drop but we did get SE (my old school fav). We waited standby for LWTL, I forgot how much I love the greenhouse area, so many clever planting systems. The kids grabbed their last Mickey bars and we jumped on the Skyliner to meet tragical express…
Summary
CBR - We really enjoyed the resort and will very likely return. The convenience of the Skyliner cannot be understated. It is a large resort, but it is quiet and relaxing outside of the main pool/food court area. The food options are good and the theming is conducive to a relaxing tropical vacation. The 5th sleeper is good for 5’ or so and under height person.
Park hopper - this was our 1st trip with park hopper and we loved it. It made the BG process at HS so much less stressful. We used the Skyliner to get to HS a few minutes late knowing that we’d get a BBG, and then hoping it would get called in the late afternoon/evening. If it didn’t, try again the next day - Skyliner access + PH made that easy. I would definitely think twice about PH with young kids, especially if looking for places to trim $, but with tweens+ and easy park access, it was a no-brainer.
Galaxy’s Edge - this land is so immersive. My SW fans were not put off by the fact that it wasn’t a specific location from the movies. DS did point out a few “errors”, but otherwise my nerds were all in. The CMs were awesome. DD bought a Kylo Ren stuffed doll in one of the gift shops and the CM stocking the shelves gave her such a hard time (he was resistance). Rey approached DH and DS when they played with their Droid, but they said she walked away when other guests started to gather and ask for pics/autographs. It seems like the best chance for interactions with the costumed staff is when you are just interacting with the environment (Disney play datapad games, etc) - they will find you :).
Favorites - I have a new fav ride, FoP. DH is holding strong with HM, DD13 says ROTR, and DS11 says MF. Favorite park overall this trip was HS (100% due to GE). Favorite meal was probably yak and yeti, but we didn’t do a lot of TS.
Cast Members - AMAZING!!! What wonderful people who truly seem invested in making your trip magical. There were bumps in the road - delayed buses, overcrowded buses, broken rides - but for each of these, CMs responded promptly and generously. The managers at CBR were very responsive to my bus concerns at the beginning of the trip and we saw immediate improvements as well as a little pixie dust “for our troubles”. We never asked for anything, we took the approach of politely stating the facts… “good morning! It’s been 45 minutes since a bus to X has stopped. Would you be able to send a bus our way?”… If they don’t know there’s a problem, they can’t fix it. I was surprised to see that the complimentary HS ticket for ROTR is valid for 2 years! Guess it’s time to start planning the next trip…