It's Not a Doughnut, But It Will Do! UPDATE 1/24/15!!!!!!!!

[jash08]

Hi all! It is cold out and will be sleeting and snowing soon, so I am curled up on the couch under a blanket. What better way to warm up than reliving a trip south?

Jeremy and I headed south to visit my Dad and Jackie for a week this past spring. Honestly, I wrote 0 notes down as I was just having a good time. I can tell you that we went to the WWII museum (if you get the chance, GO!), French Quarter, played board games, watched movies, and ate. I mean ate like it was our job. I love visiting home so my whole trip ends up revolving around eating seafood.

This report will basically be just pictures as I cannot remember what we did everyday and in what order we did them.

We were flying from Nashville on Monday afternoon and flying home Saturday afternoon. Just so happens the day we flew down was the day there were tornados from here to Mississippi. Pretty much our flight path. My worst nightmare people. Needless to say, it was a long and bumpy flight.




Looks like fun, huh?




Almost there! This is the south shore.




Getting ready to land.





Whew, made it!


It was humid when we landed because of the storms. The rest of the week was not bad. Hugs all around!


Now just a photo tour with a few comments. Enjoy!








My family lives on the North Shore so we have to take the Causeway to get to the South Shore and the city. It is a bridge about 25 miles long across Lake Pontchartrain. That is Downtown coming into view.











Superdome!!!!!








Blue Dog!

 

[jash08]

There is so much to do at the WWII Museum. There are veterans that sit in the lobby that you can speak with, there is a movie called Beyond All Boundaries, a submarine simulator about the final mission of the USS Tang, living histories, a John Besh restaurant. Guys, I could go on and on and on. We were at the museum for 6 hours or so and I could have spent so much more time here. Do yourself a favor and go to this museum. It is so great and moving. I didn't want to leave. Here are my pictures.



































My grandfather's brick outside.








Here come Dad and Jackie!

 

[jash08]

Here are some pictures from the Garden District,




















We went to a local pub called The Barley Oak. It is right on the lake shore. It was not the same day as the museum.

 

[jash08]

Here are the pictures from our last full day. We went back to the French Quarter, ate at one of the awesome neighborhood joints, played mini golf at City Putt in City Park, and saw family. Here are the pictures from that day.



































Mr. Bingle!!!!!!!

 

[jash08]

Our flight left Saturday afternoon. We went and ate some breakfast then headed to the airport. We ate at Louie and the Red Headed Lady. It was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Here are the pictures from breakfast.














This is one of my favorite quotes of all time. I totally geeked out when I saw it.

After this, we headed to the airport. We had a Lucky Dog for lunch and soon got on the airplane. We had an uneventful flight home.





Think the city is proud of winning a Superbowl This is in the airport!




















We had an awesome trip, but it was over way too soon. We were so glad to get to spend time with them.


Up Next: What's Coming Up!

 

[MEK]

Thanks for the mini bonus TR to NOLA! Very cool! I did not know that was your home. I have never been there, but it is on my bucket list of places to visit. It looks like a really cool place.

I would love the WWII museum. Denny would probably love it even more than me since my attention span is not as good as his.

Cute mini golf course.

Sounds like you had some wonderful meals.

Looking forward to hearing about your future plans!

 

[jash08]

Thanks for the mini bonus TR to NOLA! Very cool! I did not know that was your home. I have never been there, but it is on my bucket list of places to visit. It looks like a really cool place.

I would love the WWII museum. Denny would probably love it even more than me since my attention span is not as good as his.

Cute mini golf course.

Sounds like you had some wonderful meals.

Looking forward to hearing about your future plans!

Born and bred in the bayou! I would go back in a second. If the timing is ever right, I am heading south! Go! I am completely biased, but there is no other city like it.

It is so awesome. Standing in the Boeing building and seeing all of the planes suspended it just amazing.

I have lots to share!

 

[jash08]

Hi all!

Just checking in quickly. I am on the road right now for work so I do not have my plans with me to share. I will have some time this weekend to share some park plans and our meal plans. We actually book our fast pass + reservations on the 30th, so those will be shared soon as well.

Have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[jash08]

Hello all! We have done our online check in and made our fast pass reservations. I thought I would share some of our plans.

We will be in Disney January 29th - February 7th. We are staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and I could not be more excited about that. I thought in this update, I would share our fast pass reservations.


January 29th:
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Meet Cinderella and Rapunzel
Meet Talking Mickey

January 30th:
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Toy Story Midway Mania
Tower of Terror

January 31st:
Kilimanjaro Safari
Festival of the Lion King
Dinosaur

February 1st:
SEVEN DWARVES MINE TRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Under the Sea
Meet Anna and Elsa

February 2nd:
Test Track
Turtle Talk with Crush
Meet Disney Pals at the Character Spot

February 3rd:
Tower of Terror
Toy Story Midway Mania
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing Along Celebration

February 4th:
Kilimanjaro Safari
Dinosaur
It's Tough to be a Bug

February 5th:
Soarin'
Spaceship Earth
The Seas with Nemo and Friends

February 6th:
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin



I know what you are thinking, you booked a lot of character meets at the Magic Kingdom. There was a method to this madness. First, you can now get extra fast passes so we can get those if we want. Second, the time of year we are going is less crowded. If we get there at park opening, we can pretty much do everything we want without much wait.

I will share our dining plans next time!

 

[MEK]

Nice FP line up! I bet you're glad to get that all taken care of. I need to buy some tickets myself so I can make some FP's for myself for late February. I will be missing you by about 3 weeks.

 

[Kari0180]

We'll be there the same time as you again, we'll be there January 30th-February 6th. I'm counting down the days at this point, can't wait!!

 

[MEK]

 

[jash08]

Nice FP line up! I bet you're glad to get that all taken care of. I need to buy some tickets myself so I can make some FP's for myself for late February. I will be missing you by about 3 weeks.

Man, fast pass selection is a science for sure! I felt like I was back in college taking a final! One year we will sync up on our trips!

We'll be there the same time as you again, we'll be there January 30th-February 6th. I'm counting down the days at this point, can't wait!!

This is our favorite time to go. Maybe we will see each other while we are there! I am about ready to get my suitcases out so I can put my shorts in it. Lord knows I do not need them at home right now!

This is so cute! I hope you had a wonderful Holiday with the boys!

 

[jash08]

Y'all, I am almost at a month away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


I can hardly contain myself. I am so excited. Think it is to early to start packing?


So since we have the play, stay, and dine discount and are staying at a moderate, we have the dining plan with 1 snack credit, 1 quick service meal, and 1 table service meal a day. We don't plan out what snacks we want (other than at least one Mickey ice cream) or counter service meals. We just eat when we are hungry and whatever sounds good. So I will just share my list of dining reservations.


January 29th: Dinner at Crystal Palace- this is a first for us!

January 30th: Dinner at The Rose and Crown- a repeat of a favorite!

January 31st: Lunch at Beaches and Cream- this is a first for us!

February 1st: Lunch at Tony's- last time we ate here it was on our honeymoon!

February 2nd: Dinner at Boatwright's- this is a first for us!

February 3rd: Lunch at Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package- this is a double first for us. We have never eaten here AND Jeremy has never seen Fantasmic. It has been 15 years since I have seen it!

February 4th: Lunch at Chef's De France- We have had dinner here once before and enjoyed it.

February 5th: Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare- this is a first for us!

February 6th: Dinner at the Biergarten- repeat of a favorite!

February 7th: Breakfast at Whispering Canyon- this is a first for us! We tried last year and the illness changed our plans. I think this will be a great way to end our trip!


That sure is a lot of firsts! I can't wait. I sure am hungry now.


I will share more in a little bit!

 

[MEK]

You certainly have a nice selection of meals planned. Sometimes a nice lunch is better than a sit down dinner because it frees up time at night. I can't believe Jeremy has never seen F! I watched it on our last trip with a FP and the seats were really good. And I took a ton of pics. No surprise there!

I didn't realize your trip was so long. How exciting. And, no, it is NOT too early to start packing. Break out those summer clothes now!

 

[courtneybelle]

Your plans look great! You are going to love Beaches & Cream. Also, I can't believe Jeremy has never done Fantasmic!

 

[jash08]

You certainly have a nice selection of meals planned. Sometimes a nice lunch is better than a sit down dinner because it frees up time at night. I can't believe Jeremy has never seen F! I watched it on our last trip with a FP and the seats were really good. And I took a ton of pics. No surprise there!

I didn't realize your trip was so long. How exciting. And, no, it is NOT too early to start packing. Break out those summer clothes now!

This is kind of how we do our mid day break. A nice lunch and a rest. We were excited to try some new places or new meal times at favorites.

I know, crazy huh? We always end up doing something else. I think he will love it. You take awesome pictures.

I am so blessed to take such a long trip. If we are going to take a break from life, we are going to do it big!

Your plans look great! You are going to love Beaches & Cream. Also, I can't believe Jeremy has never done Fantasmic!

I thought they did too! Trying to switch things up a bit. I have always wanted to go to Beaches and Cream, but didn't really want to devote all the time to waiting and uncertainty of wait times. When I saw it was available for ADR now, I snapped it up. I know! Mr. Park Commando hasn't done it. I think it was the prospect of waiting for 90 minutes plus to make sure you got into the theater. Way to much park time!

 

[jash08]

Hey all! Just wanted to pop in quickly and say hello. Also, did you see my ticker? Just under 3 weeks!!!!!!!!!

I am having a little anxiety right now. I am sure you all have realized that I can lean a little towards, well, being a Type A personality. I know, shocker right? There is not really a nice way to say this, but I am a planner. There are a few things I should share with you that will help explain the anxiety. I am a Taurus, so I am head strong and take a leadership role in situations. I have a management job, so I am used to being the one calling the shots and making decisions. I am also a touch OCD. Jeremy would say more than a touch. I say I just like things done a certain way.

Currently I am traveling regularly for my job. Like gone from home for 3 days and 2 nights every week. EVERY WEEK PEOPLE! So when I am lying in the hotel bed, I think about what I need to do before vacation. Make a packing list, pick up items, get the suitcases out, locate our summer clothes, etc. And then I think about hey, I have less than 3 weeks and have done none of this except make the packing list. And then my skin starts to crawl, and I make frantic notes on my phone. Then I go relax, you have time. And then remember I still have to travel the next week. So now Jeremy is going to get honey do lists to work on so I can chill.

I just feel like I am so behind. I know it will all work out, I just need to breath.

On an awesome note, I was able to get us an awesome hotel deal in Nashville! Last year, our flight left at 6:40 in the morning. We decided to drive down the morning of our flight. That made me nervous. To understand why, see the paragraph above! This year, that same flight is at 5:50 in the morning. This would mean getting up at midnight. I told Jeremy the drive was not happening the same day. So I decided to leave work at noon on Wednesday and come on home. We will head to Nashville shortly thereafter. So now I needed to find a hotel. Parking at the airport is $90 for the amount of time our car will be there. I knew a decent hotel room would cost around $120. Add in $30 in taxes and we were looking at around $240 for a room and parking. That was a little steep, so I started scouring the deals. I found Park, Stay, and Fly deals at several hotels. But most of them only had shuttles that started at 5. That is not going to work. So we started thinking about a taxi to the airport. Y'all, I lucked out. I found a park, stay, and fly deal at a Holiday Inn Express with a 24 hour a day shuttle on demand about 2 miles from the airport. And the best part? The cost with taxes was $185!!!!!! That is a savings of $55. I was sold! I snapped that right up and we are now good to go. We drive the day before and can take our time. I have 2 miles to go instead of 140 miles. And I can get some more sleep. A win-win in my book!

I will check back in before we leave!

 

[jash08]

Alright friends, one last check in before we leave! We are all packed (except for last minute things) and ready to boogie. All that is left is to print out boarding passes and head to the airport. I will definitely be writing a trip report and have already packed my notebook.


See ya real soon!