The Lovebirds and their parents?! A PTR

[cathie1327]

Hey Cathie,

Just something for you to think about.....though we did our up front Monorail trip that first night and it was "Magical" and it turned out to be a great start to our week!! I notice you are going to be there longer than we were, so you may find time during your extended stay, that I didn't think we would. Anyway, we rode the monorail a couple of other times during that week, because we park hopped. I don't know if y'all are getting hoppers, but if you are and you have a split day between MK and Epcot.....you could go and request to ride up front then, without having to intentionally leave the park to do it, if you don't get around to it on that first night. We even on one trip took the boat over from the TTC after leaving Epcot for the MK on the monorail. Just so we could say we did that too!!

No, it's not childish (of course I reckon Disney brings the kid in all of us out!! ), anyway, they are sort of cute and would be great for a scrapbook!! They say if you ask the bus drivers for trading cards they will give them to you as well. However, anytime my two girls would ask, the particular driver wouldn't have any???? My girls eventually quit asking. Though, the drivers were really nice about it and did seem to know what we were talking about at least......so you may be able to pickup a few of those as well??????

Oooo I didn't think about the bus trading cards, that's also a great idea!!!!

See, the thing about the monorail, is that MIL is very....um....meticulous when it comes to using all your time up when you've paid for it. When going with her we NEVER leave the park unless it is to hop to another and never ever leave before closing. That's the type of commando she is, so I'm thinking that she wouldn't want to take a monorail ride during the rest of the trip (unless of course, like you said, we are hopping from Epcot to MK, then it is a perfect opportunity!) And since it is their first time there, I really can't blame her. So the first day I think will be the best opportunity to make sure we get a monorail ride in. We also have the day that we are taking off so I'm thinking maybe that day.....we're going to sit down this weekend and talk about some of the "non-park" things we want to do during our trip, mostly on that day off, so I'm going to bring this up to her for sure!

 

[cathie1327]

I LOVE food. I love GOOD food. AND I love trying new things...

theeeeereforrrrre.........

I Love the Disney Dining plan!!!!!

And going for free dining only makes it that much better!!!

Here are some of the restaraunts we are considering:

Table Service
Animal Kingdom
Yak and Yeti-We've been sort of apprehensive about this place, since we're not really sure what the food will be like, but given the lack of choices at the Animal Kingdom and the fact that we are going to that park at least a day and a half out of our trip, we figured we needed a table service for this restaraunt, so, we're going to be adventurous and try it!!!!

Hollywood Studios
Sci-Fi Dine In Theater-We ate here last year, and actually really enjoyed it! Carlos LOVES horror movies and his mom likes the idea of the drive in movie atmosphere so this is one we're definitely excited to go to!!!
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano-Kathy and I both REALLY love Italian food, so we knew we had to go to at least one Italian place while at WDW. We also really wanted to do the Fantasmic package while we are at DHS, and I DID NOT like Hollywood and Vine and the only other option is 2 table service credits, so this is our only option left!

Magic Kingdom
Plaza Restaraunt-We ate here last year, and while we found the selection on the menu to be a little sparse, the food was DELICIOUS! And the dessert....oh heavens, it was....was....HEAVENLY!!!! Definitely want to go back for another go round.
Tony's Town Square-We ate here last year as well, and while Carlos thought it was good (not great, but good) I found it to be kinda...well....meh. I really didn't like the sauce they put on my spaghetti and I tried Carlos's lasagna and didn't care for it either. And I LOVE tiramisu, but wasn't too impressed with it. We will probably eat here only if we really need an extra ADR at the MK.
Crystal Palace-As a diehard Winnie The Pooh fan, my family knows better than to ever suggest we wouldn't go here!!! Plus, we found the food to be pretty good!
Liberty Tree Tavern-We ate here last year, and it was one of my favorite meals. While the food was really good I thought, the reason I liked it so much was the interaction from the characters (remind me later and I'll tell ya a funny story about how I "met" Goofy). So imagine my disappointment when they took away the characters While we did enjoy the food, it's really nothing that special that we couldn't get at a Village Inn back home, so if we eat here, it will also be on a 'need an ADR' basis. (Although I must admit, I like the food here much better than Tony's Town Square!!!!)

Epcot-Deciding where at what to eat here will be TRICKY! At most, we will be in Epcot for two and a half days, and so will probably only have 5 ADR's at the most here (and even then, that's a LOT of food every day!) There are several places here we'd like to go to, so let the decision making begin...hmmmm...
Coral Reef-We ate here last year and enjoyed it. The atmosphere was nice, but not as exciting as I expected it to be. (I know everything at Disney can be over the top and some enjoy a break from all the "in-your-face magic" but not me! lol ) The food was really good, we thought. Now, I don't like sea food. AT ALL. But I did get the New York Strip Steak and LOVED it, and have no problem getting that again. Plus, it seems like a good use for a table service credit, since it's a bit pricier than some of the other restaraunts we may go to.
Biergarten-This is one we will likely go to, though we haven't been here before. Tony and I love trying new foods, and I am telling myself this year just like I did last year that if I am going to be in a place like World Showcase that offers diversity, then by God I am going to take advantage of it!
Le Cellier Steakhouse-This is one Carlos and I would like to try, as we didn't go here last year, but Kathy and Tony aren't TOO excited about. I will probably only try to get an ADR here if others are booked up.
San Angel Inn-Despite the general consensus on the boards, I really really liked the food here! Carlos wasn't extremely impressed, but he LOVED the ambiance so he's all for going back! I like the idea that they have "traditional" Mexican food and that I get to try something new! And the atmosphere is definitely relaxing when you've been going non-stop all day long!
Teppan Edo-Last year we didn't try any of the Asian food at WDW, and this year I'd like to. Kathy and Tony have given this place a green light, but Carlos is a bit apprehensive. He's pretty picky about his Asian food. (Did I mention he was a picky eater, period?!) This is a maybe.
Akershus-This is one is pretty much a for-sure! I LOVED this place last year, and not just because of the princess-palooza but also because I got to try some new food, and REALLY liked everything I had! I like the little buffet they have before your meal, I think it's a neat way to have an appitizer without having to order one. I had the kjottake (still can't pronounce it!) and liked it. I also was suprised by the picture we got with Belle to take home, as I didn't know we got one of these. Kathy is also excited for this place (there's a little princess in all of us!) so I thik the boys will have to give us this one lol.

Other places-There are a couple of other places we'd like to go that are not in the parks, so I'm going to have to try to find a time to fit them in as well!!!
Planet Hollywood-We went here last year just to have a drink and appitizer after a day at the parks (I had a 15 dollar voucher lol) and because we wanted to see what the inside was like. It was cool, and I have no qualms about going back, but it's not a must do for me. CARLOS, on the other hand, being the big movie buff he is, loves it here so it looks like we're going back! (Planet Hollywood in exchange for lunch with the princesses? Okay, I'll take it )
Chef Mickey's-This is really the only resort restaraunt that I REALLY want to go to! In my three years of Disney park going, I've never met Mickey because none of us really want to wait in line. So I figured this is the best way around that! Hopefully we can find a time to fit it in!

So there it is! Anyone have any suggestions on which would be better than others! I'll list the counter service places we're interested in later, but we figure that those will probably just be a matter of when we're hungry and what's nearby when we are!

128 days and counting!!!!

 

[cathie1327]

Okay everyone you are allowed to commence the flogging for me not updating....

Really, I'm sorry. I have been so unbelievably busy lately but it's starting to die down now, and with only 52 days to my trip, I gots to get crackin on this thing!

Okay, so we have all our ADR's made, and contrary to what I had been hearing for free dining, we had nooo problem at all getting any of the reservations we wanted. We didn't have to change times or anything around. I was DEFINITELY excited

Okay so here's the run down day-by-day; may take me a few days to get through them all, but I'm gonna try.

Friday Sep. 11th
The plane leaves Denver at 10:15 am this day. We should be in Orlando around 4. Since this seems like a waste of a ticket, we are going to spend this day REEEELAXING! (whether his parents want to or not haha). Every trip we have been on, we have gone to Rainforest cafe the first night. Soooo after we get settled into the hotel, it'll be off to Downtown Disney for dinner! After that, we'll probably browse around DTD a while, it would be impossible to get Kathy back to the hotel without browsing through the Christmas shop first. Then it's back for maybe a short swim, and some rest for the next day!!!!

Saturday Sep. 12th
Today we are going to the Magic Kingdom!!!! They open at 9 am, and we will probably be there right when they open. This usually happens the first few days of vacation then winds down after that haha! We are going to go into Adventureland and Frontierland and hit a few of the big rides, then we have an ADR for Crystal Palace at 11:30 AM. I love this place, since I love all things Winnie-The-Pooh And the food is not bad either. After lunch we'll ride some more before settling down for the 3 o clock parade; Celebrate A Dream Come True. We're not big parade people but it's a fun way to get pictures of the characters, and I usually end up using them for scrapbook fodder. After the parade we'll venture off into Tommorrowland and fantasyland, then find a spot for Spectromagic. This is my exception to not liking parades. This is definitely one of my favorites. While a couple of us save spots, the other two will run off to a nearby counter service and grab some dinner! And finally, to end the night, what could be better than sticking around for Wishes. Then, back to the hotel for some much needed rest

Sunday Sep. 13th
Today we're making our way to Hollywood Studios. They also open at 9, and AGAIN, we'll try to be there at 9. First things first, my favorite ride ever, Rock N Roller coaster! After this we'll probably ride Tower of Terror then run off to grab some later fast passes for Toy Story Mania. We have a lunch ADR at Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre. I didn't really mind the food here, I could take it or leave it, but we really loved the atmosphere here and are sure his parents will get a kick out of. We'll try to catch Block Party Bash (if we don't I won't be crying), ride our little heads off some more, then off to Fantasmic at 8:30. Not really sure how early we'll get there, but likely if we are there early, we'll have a couple run and get food again. If not, we'll find somewhere to eat before Fantasmic. After Hollywood studios, we'll probably either go to DTD to shop some more, or just go back to the hotel for a nice swim.

Monday Sep. 14th
Today we are going to my FAVORITE park, Epcot!!! I love this park for so many reasons. First of all, I like the different rides and areas in Future world. I was loving GM's sponsorship of Test Track, and in the show room they had my car, the Pontiac G6!!! Okay so it was a year newer but I was still tickled that the car I drive was kinda sorta not really but it's okay we'll pretend part of a Disney attraction I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the World Showcase. I think they've done a WONDERFUL job making each country feel unique and bringing the feel of the country there. I also love the shopping, it's very refreshing from what you find elsewhere on Disney property. So anyway, back to the master plan Since future world opens at 9, we'll go in and do a few of the bigger attractions. One thing we learned last year is that the line for Soarin' is ALWAYS long! So I think this will be the first ride we go on. Once world showcase opens we'll meander over there, as we have an 11:55 lunch reservation for Akershus. I love me some princesses! See, look how psycho crazy creepy happy I look from last year!

Then, after going back to Futureworld and having more fun there, we'll have dinner at San Angel Inn at 5 pm. Despite what people are always saying, I really LOVE the food here!!! I think it's different, and I think the atmosphere is really romantic also. Then we'll close out the day with Illuminations....and possibly a Mickey Ice Cream Bar

Okay well that's enough for today I believe, I'll come back tomorrow and post some more!!!!

 

[cathie1327]

Without any hesitation....onward with the plans!!!

Tuesday Sep. 15th
Today is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! The tickets for the party let us in at 4, but we're not sure about the beginning of this day. We did buy a ticket in case we DO want to go to the parks, but between all of you and me, and my boyfiend.....okay between me and everyone but the future MIL....I'm staying behind at the pool with a book and margarita no matter what everyone else decides to do! lol By this point I KNOW I'm going to be getting exhausted so I'm going to take some R&R time for myself! I will be dressing up, but I'm not sure what as, yet. I want it to be something easy that I can shove in my bag and change into within 5-10 mins tops, since the party doesn't start till 7 and we're arriving at the park at 4. Don't wanna run around and scare people

Wednesday Sep. 16th
Today we are going to the Animal Kingdom. They open at 9, but who knows what time we'll get there. I'm not a big fan of Animal Kingdom, but there's a lot we didn't do last year because we weren't sure if it would be cool or not, and I decided that this year I want to see/do EVERYTHING, just to say that I have. Oh. EXCEPT for the bug's life show. Seen it at Disneyland and once was enough. Yeah, um, did I mention I have a HORRENDOUS fear of spiders!!!! Yeah. HATE that show!!! WE want to go on the safari first thing in the morning so maybe we can catch the animals that like to come out before it's too hot, and we'll probabyl do it again later in the day. We have an 11:30 am reservation at Yak and Yeti for lunch soooo we'll see how that goes. Not overly excited for the food but Animal Kingdom sort of lacks table service options. They have evening extra magic hours this night that we'll be staying for, and we're goign to see how many times we can ride Expedition Everest!!!!!!! Carlos and I LOVE this ride, I think it may be my favorite. If it wasn't for EE, I may not bother going to Animal Kingdom at all. After we leave Animal Kingdom, we have a 9:30 reservation at Planet Hollywood. Carlos and I went here last year for a snack cuz we had a voucher....and...well I could take it or leave it. Not a big deal to me but the 'rents want to see it sooooo... after this probably more shopping!!!

Thursday Sep. 17th
Back to Hollywood studios. Open at 9, close at 7. Afterwards we may go do putt-putt golf. Last year we tried the Fantasia Gardens one and thought it was a lot of fun, and we go putt-putting all the time at home as it is. Or, we may go shopping. Who knows!!!!

Friday Sep. 18th
Back to Epcot!!!! Today we will focus on exploring the world showcase. We have a lunch reservation at noon for Biergarten. I have to say, I'm WAY excited for this restaraunt, being over half German myself. I am excited to see how the food compares to Grandma's traditional German food. Dinner is at Coral Reef at 7:25. We will likely miss Illuminations, but will have already seen it so no biggie. I know everyone LOVES Illuminations....but ya know, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Just weird I guess *shrug*

Saturday Sep. 19th
Let's see what are we doing today..... umm...hmmm.... oh yes, today is THE DAY OFF!!!! We may go shopping, swimming putt putt, who knows, but I know that if anyone bounces my butt out of bed before 9 am they will be IN MAJOR TROUBLE!!!!

Sunday, Sep. 20th
Today We are going back to the Animal Kingdom for a bit to redo allthe rides we really enjoyed. Probably only until lunch time or so, when we will head over to Epcot, most likely to squeeze in our favorite rides there. Then, we will take the monorail to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's!!!! I'm SOOOOO excited for this restaraunt. See, the reason I love character dining places is because I'm a giant kid and really want pictures with the characters....but I'm also an impatient giant kid and I refuse to wait in a 2 hour line to see Mickey!!! Voila, character dining!!!! Gives me a chance to meet them, enjoy food, and no lines!!!! After this, we'll go back over to the Magic Kingdom, which has evening extra magic hours.

Monday, Sep. 21st
Today is our last day We're spending it at the Magic Kingdom, because what better way to say goodbye to WDW? We have lunch at the Plaza Restaraunt at 11:35 and dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern at 7:10....I am aware there are no more characters at LTT which I thik is STUPID!!!!!!!!!!......however, the food wasn't that bad, and it was either LTT, or Tony's Town Square. We'll stay for Wishes, so I can officially bawl my eyes out over leaving, then crawl our way back to the hotel to get ready to leave.

Sunday, Sep. 22nd
Today we leave. Now, how today will work, I'm not sure. We will be checking out at 11, and eating lunch in the food court, but our plane doesn't leave until 4:30 so I'm not sure what time to expect the magical express bus? We will probably browse around the shops and maybe take some pictures at the hotel to pass the time. Back to home, work, housework blahhhh blah blahhhhhh blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh oh and pets Will actually be happy to see them.

So there it is!!!!! Not really what else to put in here so if you want to know anything AT ALL, ask away!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Yay for taking a day off, you will enjoy it so much! I can't wait to see what you think of Biergarten, we ate there in March and I really liked it. We are taking our German exchange student there in December if we can get the adr.

 

[cathie1327]

Hello all who had been following my PTR...

My PTR has begun!

You can find it here:
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2313993