Cayetano Reunion 2006 Day 3

The following morning we check out of the Contemporary Resort (Saturday 6/24/06). We have bell services transfer our luggage to our new resort, Caribbean Beach Resort. We do not have a car and trying to drag all of our luggage on the bus with 2 kids is not an option. When we check in to Caribbean Beach Resort, the case of Deer Park water bottles that I ordered from Office Depot before we left was waiting for us. I ordered this just a couple of days before we left because I knew buying water inside the parks would be too expensive (ordering online still came out cheaper). We will be staying in Martinique building 25. The resort has different buildings named after the Caribbean islands. I paid for a preferred location so we could be close to the food court (Old Port Royale) and the main pool area. It is a beautiful resort - very relaxing and has a laid-back atmosphere with calypso music gently playing in the background.

Well, this is our first day of the reunion. Kathy and family are arriving today. After we check in, we eat lunch at the resort's food court, Old Port Royale. The way it is set up made it look like an outdoor market in the Caribbeans. Very decent food selection compared to the food court at Contemporary Resort. (I will be talking a lot about food because we were on the Disney Dining Plan where I prepaid for the all the meals during our stay). With the Dining Plan, each of us is allotted a snack (anything under $4), a Counter Service (Fast Food - includes entree, desert and drink), and a Table Service meal (a sit down meal - includes appetizer, entree, desert and drink) for each night of our stay. We plan to use the snack credits for our breakfasts and the Counter Service meals for lunches and the Table Service meals for dinner. Everywhere we plan to eat, I will always try to choose the most expensive item because I want to get my money's worth! It is exciting just thinking about all the new restaurants that we will get to try!

So, after lunch, we take at nap in our room. Feeling energized after our nap, we head over to the Polynesian Resort for our dinner at Kona Cafe (this is the same place we had breakfast yesterday). I am so excited about finally stepping foot inside the parks, so much so that I forget to bring my camera. I go to the gift shop and buy a one time use "digital camera". I thought it was a real digital camera but it was only a disposable camera with the photo cd option. Kathy and family are supposed to meet us for dinner here but they arrive late so they will not be able to make it to dinner with us. Dinner is great. For appetizers, we have pan-seared lump crab cakes with Asian tartar and pineapple relish and crispy sticky wings in a garlic glaze with a tangy mustard drizzle and toasted sesame seeds. Sheila has the Beef Teriyaki and I have the Char Crusted Medallions of Filet Mignon for our entrees. For desert, we have the Caramel-Banana Crème Brulee, Kilauea Torte (chocolate volcano cake), and the Kiddie Kone for Lauren (Maddie has ice cream with sprinkles).

After dinner, we take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Yay! Finally the girls will be able to step foot inside the parks! The first ride we go on is It's A Small World. The last time we were at Disney, this ride was closed for refurbishment Well it is much brighter and more colorful than what I could remember. The girls love it! After the ride is over, we sing It's a Small World all the way to Dumbo. After Dumbo, Maddie spots Cinderella's Carousel. By the time we finish this ride it’s getting late so we head back to our resort.

Cayetano Reunion 2006 Day 2

Friday morning we take the monorail to the Polynesian resort for breakfast at Kona Cafe. Sheila has the Eggs Benedict served with home fried potatoes. I have the Big Kahuna - pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, home fried potatoes, ham, bacon, and sausage. The girls have the Mickey Cake - buttermilk pancakes shaped like Mickey with a side of bacon and fruit. After breakfast, we explore the Polynesian resort. When the girls start getting antsy, we head back to our resort for a dip in the pool. After about an hour, and both girls are now as dark as dark can be, we go back up to our room to shower and take a nap.

After our nap, we take a bus to Disney Boardwalk, stroll around, and see the sights. Disney Boardwalk is like a small version of Atlantic City’s boardwalk. Lauren gets a hair wrap while we are there. It only costs $1.50/inch so what the heck right? Well, Lauren's hair is really long (it ended up costing $21 - needless to say, she will keep that hair wrap on until we get our money's worth!). That night, we eat at a restaurant on the Boardwalk called Spoodles. Spoodles is a Mediterranean style restaurant featuring coastal cuisine favorites from such locales as Greece, Italy, Spain and North Africa. We do not have a reservation but they take us in anyway. The chef came out to let us know which foods are okay for Maddie to eat since she has food allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. Our server seems nervous because of this and keeps looking on to make sure Maddie is not eating something she is not supposed to be eating. For starters, we have the Four Cheese Flatbread with roasted garlic puree and sage. Unfortunately, Maddie is not allowed to eat this. The bread they use is from an outside company. They cannot guarantee that it will be totally peanut and nut free. It is delicious though. We try to eat it when Maddie is not looking (sorry Maddie). Sheila has the Rigatoni with mild Italian sausage, tomatoes and Portobello mushrooms and I have the Lemon Chicken with toasted couscous, baby spinach, tomatoes, and capers. Lauren has the Grilled Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes and vegetables and Maddie has the Mac and Cheese.

After dinner, we take the bus to the Yacht Club to try to find Beaches and Cream for some Ice Cream. After walking around in circles, we finally find it! It is a small little diner with lots of Ice Cream to choose! One of their famous items is the Kitchen Sink - scoops of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee and mint chocolate chip, smothered in every topping they have for $21.99. This thing is huge! It is literally the size of a small kitchen sink! While we are there, someone orders the Kitchen Sink and when they bring it out to the table, they have the lights flashing on and and off and a spotlight on the table. Everyone looks and gawks at it and cheers the family on as they try to eat it all. It's no wonder it is so busy here, so we decide to just get our order to go and eat outside on the patio. Seems like we end each day with an ice cream doesn't it? Another great day at Disney!

Cayetano Reunion 2006 Trip Report Day 1

Well, It has been a month since we got back from the Cayetano Family Reunion;) Attendance was okay, but hope to see more of you in the future (only other attendee was Kathy and family).

We had a great time. The weather was great! Sunny and not too humid? Just unbelievable! We flew down to Orlando on Southwest Airlines just like we did the last time but we did not take the car seats for this trip because we will use Disney Transportation exclusively so we did not need to rent a car. We were allowed to preboard because Maddie was under 4 years old so we were able to get great seats towards the front of the plane (first on, first off). As our plane lands in Orlando on Thursday, June 22^nd, the girls start to get excited about going to Disney. Since we are staying at a Disney resort (Contemporary Resort), they provide transportation from the airport to our resort. They call this Disney’s Magical Express. They show a short video on the bus that gets everyone in a Disney mood. We also did not have to worry about our luggage – they would deliver it directly to our room. I guess it is much like going on a cruise where your luggage goes directly to your cabin.

When we finally get to our resort Sheila checks in while the girls and I lounge around in the lobby soaking in that Disney magic. Well some pixie dust must have blown our way because when Sheila tells us we are staying in one of the Tower Rooms facing the Magic Kingdom, I could not believe it. WOW! Our room is on the 8th floor of the tower building facing the Magic Kingdom. The room has been recently renovated with a flat panel TV and all. This is one of the hotels that have the monorail going right through it. The view from the balcony is unbelievable - we can see Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain! I just wanted to keep the curtains open to enjoy the view. Sheila does not have much time to enjoy the view because she has a class she needs to attend so as soon as we drop off some of our belongings in our room, we head back downstairs to grab some lunch at the Food and Fun Center. I order a Cuban sandwich, Sheila has a bacon cheeseburger, and the girls have chicken tenders and a hot dog. The Food and Fun Center really needs to be remodeled because it is like an outdated, small school cafeteria. Lauren even mentions she does not like eating there. After lunch, Sheila attends her conference and I take the girls back upstairs to our room for a nap.

After our nap, we head down to the pool. Nice pool. The water is just right. I can just walk right in without having to get used to the water temperature. We do not have tickets to the parks yet so we plan to spend most of our time at the pool and at Downtown Disney (shopping area).

When Sheila finishes with her conference for the day, we take a bus to Downtown Disney. When we get there, Sheila heads straight for the World of Disney store while I take the girls to the Lego Imagination Center. We meet back at Earl of Sandwich for dinner. It was crowded there that night. The girls and I manage to get a table while Sheila stands in line to order our food. Sheila orders me the Full Montague sandwich - roast beef and turkey with cheddar and Swiss cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato and mustard sauce. Sheila has the Earl's Club - roast turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato. The girls share a pizza. The sandwiches are delicious - much better than the Food and Fun Center at the Contemporary Resort. After dinner, we head back to the resort. Before we go upstairs to our room, I get a craving for ice cream so we get some Mickey Ice Cream Bars to take upstairs to our room while we watch the Wishes fireworks display. Maddie is a little scared of the fireworks so she stays in the room while Sheila, Lauren and I enjoy the fireworks from our balcony. What a great 1st day at Disney!