Magic Happens, and Then You EAT: Our Gluttonous *Year of the Dragon* COMPLETE!!

[jabead]

I'm here, I'm here! And I'm ready and anxiously waiting for your reviews to begin.

I hope you have an awesome trip! Oh, and your dining plans look great, by the way.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Found my way over!

Love your rating system! Not sure I am thank creative. Maybe I will think of something before our trip.

Your trip is so close to ours, I may not allow myself to read your reviews so I don't make any very last minute changes!

 

[emmysmommy]

Very smart decision to give your $ to Dis for a longer stay than JetBlue! As for ASMu resort, I really like the idea of a food court... I'm a snacker so a food court being anywhere near my room would make me completely happy!

Looking forward to counting your trip down with you!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Hi iloveeeyore! Can't wait to read your report. DH and I will be there the same time as Ya'll. We have ressies at a lot of the same places. You may get our tables at Narcoossee's and Cali grill. We should be finishing up when you are arriving. Hope your trip is fabulous!

Thank you so much for your well-wishes! I hope yours is fabulous, too! We are organizing some mini DISmeets on August 5 and 10, Tambu Lounge, around 6ish? The details are still a little sketchy, but there is a thread on the countdown board called "Who will be at the Poly in August." I see you aren't staying at the Poly, but if it fits into your plans, you are welcome to join us! I will PM you as we get closer to the dates and times with more details. Hopefully, Princess Betsy will join us, too. I carry a small Eeyore-colored purse with my lime green Mickey head attached, so hopefully I will be easy to spot in the parks and restaurants. I will post a photo of that as we get closer!

Awesome!! I love Eeyore, so of course I also love your rating system. Can't wait to read your reviews! ​

Thank you for joining in MrsB1228, and welcome! Thanks for the compliment about the rating system. My family has never used one before, so this will be fun to work it out together! Eeyore totally rocks the world! I'm so glad you're reading!

I'm here, I'm here! And I'm ready and anxiously waiting for your reviews to begin.

I hope you have an awesome trip! Oh, and your dining plans look great, by the way.

Thank you so much for joining in! Of course, I love reading your amazing reports, and I hope you enjoy reading mine as well! Our dining plan feels so decadent! I am starting to feel full already. Trying to drop a few more pounds before the trip, as I know I'll be putting a few on while there!

Found my way over!

Love your rating system! Not sure I am thank creative. Maybe I will think of something before our trip.

Your trip is so close to ours, I may not allow myself to read your reviews so I don't make any very last minute changes!

Hi, and thanks for joining in my thread! I really can't take creative credit for the rating system. I have borrowed pieces of the idea from the DRs of so many other awesome DISers who write beautiful Dining Reports. All I did was put a little personal spin to it by choosing different images of my favorite character. I'm sure you can come up with something fun! The real challenge for us will be using the rating system in a meaningful way.
I think we're up for it!

I have seen your lineup and it looks fantastic!! No, don't change it based on my reviews! Stick the the fabulosity you've already got!

Very smart decision to give your $ to Dis for a longer stay than JetBlue! As for ASMu resort, I really like the idea of a food court... I'm a snacker so a food court being anywhere near my room would make me completely happy!

Looking forward to counting your trip down with you!

Thanks for joining in my countdown emmysmommy! 48 days from today!! Summer is our favorite season, so I hate to wish half of it away. We will focus on enjoying every day bewteen now and then!

I'm looking forward to reading your August lineup as well. Late August seems like a more popular time for DISers than early August. Is that because we are more educated about crowds at Disney? We've been to Disney in late August several times and we love it! We can't go late August this year because DD has orientation at her university starting 8/26, and DS plays varsity football, which starts sometime around the 20th.

I'm not generally a fan of food courts, but oddly enough, I'm really looking forward to enjoying one at ASMu! EVERYTHING is better in WDW!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Late August seems like a more popular time for DISers than early August. Is that because we are more educated about crowds at Disney? We've been to Disney in late August several times and we love it! We can't go late August this year because DD has orientation at her university starting 8/26, and DS plays varsity football, which starts sometime around the 20th.

I'm not generally a fan of food courts, but oddly enough, I'm really looking forward to enjoying one at ASMu! EVERYTHING is better in WDW!

For us going in late August started as a fluke. DS didn't have summer day care that week so it made sense to take vacation then. Of course then free dining became an added bonus. So initially the lower crowds didn't play into it for us but it is sure an added perk.

I am not a food court fan at all but I do think the one at Art of Animation looks amazing. Debating taking a ride over there on Friday instead of eating at Mara. We'll see .... One way or any another, we will definitely be checking out that resort!

 

[DsnyMama]

How fun! I'm in! We have ADRs booked for many of the same places!

B: Kona Cafe
L: Biergarten
D: Raglan Road
D: Narcoossee's
D: Ohana
D: California Grill
B: Crystal Palace


Can't wait to see the reviews!!

 

[iloveeeyore]

For us going in late August started as a fluke. DS didn't have summer day care that week so it made sense to take vacation then. Of course then free dining became an added bonus. So initially the lower crowds didn't play into it for us but it is sure an added perk.

I am not a food court fan at all but I do think the one at Art of Animation looks amazing. Debating taking a ride over there on Friday instead of eating at Mara. We'll see .... One way or any another, we will definitely be checking out that resort!

We have taken advantage of free dining a few times and it is sooo amazing! I'm sad we won't be able to avail of it for several years in the future, but I'm confident new travel windows will open up as the kids get older.

Have you done Mara before? We loved everything that we tasted at Mara, and I think of all the CS options in WDW, it's definitely one of the most unique. I understand the attraction of AoA, though!

How fun! I'm in! We have ADRs booked for many of the same places!

B: Kona Cafe
L: Biergarten
D: Raglan Road
D: Narcoossee's
D: Ohana
D: California Grill
B: Crystal Palace


Can't wait to see the reviews!!

I have seen your lineup too and it is quite impressive! Thanks for joining in on my thread. I will do my best to give accurate and detailed accounts of all our dining for your pleasure and planning!

 

[ilovepete]

Just curious, instead of splitting meals, could you just pay for the least expensive one OOP? It looks like that might be the Plaza? That is probably what I would do, because we can never agree on a dish that we both want when we go out! LOL

 

[iloveeeyore]

Just curious, instead of splitting meals, could you just pay for the least expensive one OOP? It looks like that might be the Plaza? That is probably what I would do, because we can never agree on a dish that we both want when we go out! LOL

I know exactly what you mean! I'm afraid that this might be an issue for us. Aladdin is insistent at this point that we are not going to pay OOP for food of any kind (drinks are a different story), because on principle, we should be able to have plenty on the DxDP (I get his point, BTW). For me, it's not about the amount of food, it's about choices! I have very specific ideas of what I want to try, and I'm afraid my family won't really agree. Also, Hercules isn't a big food sharer...well, he doesn't mind sharing "tastes" in Disney restaurants, but he is a 15-year-old boy with a lightning quick metabolism who also works out hard all summer in football conditioning. He wants (and pretty much needs) all of his own food. Aladdin insists he wants to share, and Belle says she would, too, so in theory we could order two meals for the 3 of us to share (with maybe a taste from and for Herc). But what if we want to try different things? That is why I thought it would make sense to pay OOP for that first breakfast at Kona (I thought that might be cheaper than The Plaza because there won't be ice cream sundaes added). I guess we can use credits for that breakfast and kind of see how the week goes. If we can't agree on sharing, we will know that by the time we eat at The Plaza, so we'll be able to pay OOP for that one...or we'll decide to ditch our last lunch at Kona in favor of an OOP CS in MK or Captain Cook's. But I really want lunch at Kona!

Thanks for reading and for the great suggestion!

 

[MainStreetFireman]

DxDP = no OOP food expenses. A few shared meals will not break the trip. Anything we miss just goes on "the list" for trying it next time.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Our Magical Express package arrived over the weekend and we opened it on Sunday night when our family was all together. Aladdin and I had to reveal the surprise we've been keeping from Belle and Hercules for months!

Our ME tags don't say "All Star Music." They say "Contemporary." We are staying in the Contemporary Resort, Theme Park View our first night!!! Won't that be magical!?

Al and I have been dreaming of staying in the tower, TPV since 1991, and while we really don't want to pay the kind of money to do it for a whole week, we decided to do it for this one night before our package begins. Our plan is to spend the afternoon unwinding from the trip, enjoy the pool and marina for a while, have a fun dinner, and spend LOTS of time on our balcony!

And...since it's right in our lobby...we will partake in our semi-traditional 1st night dinner...CHEF MICKEY'S!

For my readers who are disappointed that you won't be reading about the Intermission Food Court lunch or take-out pizza dinner, I sincerely apologize. I can imagine how this might be jarring...upsetting, even. Aladdin and I were starting to worry that Herc and Belle might get disappointed about not going to ASMu if we waited until we got there to tell them, as we know they were really excited to try it. I hope you will take some consolation in knowing that instead you will read about snack bar lunch (I don't even know the name of the snack bar at the CR?!) and Chef Mickey's dinner.

Mwahaha! We've been planning this all along. Aren't we devious?!

 

[MainStreetFireman]

Al and I have been dreaming of staying in the tower, TPV since 1991, and while we really don't want to pay the kind of money to do it for a whole week, we decided to do it for this one night before our package begins. Our plan is to spend the afternoon unwinding from the trip, enjoy the pool and marina for a while, have a fun dinner, and spend LOTS of time on our balcony!

And...since it's right in our lobby...we will partake in our semi-traditional 1st night dinner...CHEF MICKEY'S!

I guess that I will get to answer a question that has always plagued me -- Do the castle lights EVER go out?

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Congratulations on a night at the CR with the Theme Park View. We actually did that a couple of years ago, we spent 10 days at the French Quarter and spent our last 2 at CR with a Theme Park View and went to MVMCP. Loved watching Wishes from the balcony and listening to the music piped through the TV.

I'm sure the kids were so suprised.

 

[Tracerr00]

Congrats on CR!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[wilma-bride]

Just found your pre-trip report and I'm in

Looking forward to hearing more of your plans.

 

[MainStreetFireman]

Now that the final surprise has been let out of the bag to our DKs, a word about Chef Mickey's...

For me, this buffet represents an interesting dining experience, with the emphasis on "experience". The food has been good to very good in quality. But the fact that our family went here on a "first night" early in our Disney trip history is the paramount reason I return for subsequent first nights.

I'm not so sure it would be the same if the first time we were there was not as positive as it was for us. The food was very good, the service was excellent, the DKs loved the characters, we all did the napkin dance, and the monorail whisked by silently overhead. All pieces of an intricate puzzle that fell into place, cementing Chef Mickey's as a virtual must-do for future trips.

There are plenty of other Disney dining locations that would bring us back for the combination of food and service alone (CG, AP, CDF, to name a few). But Chef Mickey's (along with the Hoop Dee Doo Revue) holds a special place for us. Stripped of the characters, location and other uniqueness (where else can I get Mickey mac and cheese at home?), it might just be another meal.

But it never will be. It will always be the first place we celebrated the beginning of our first trip. At home, the dinner table is a place where we all relate the goings on of our days, a place where we reconnect with our family. Chef Mickey's was the family dinner table where we first sat down to celebrate Day 1's magical experiences. Just the mention of the name brings up that first night of memories, and quite a few first-night nights after that; the pictures "in front of the plate" marking the very growth of our DKs, and the journey of our family.

So, while, in the end, mashed potatoes are just mashed potatoes; the ones served at Chef Mickey's are special. They come mixed with memories of mileposts we have enjoyed together, a deliciousness that never fades.

I can't wait to taste them again.

If your family has a "first-night" place, I hope it is not too many days before you get to enjoy it as well!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

What an awesome surprise! The Magic Kingdom view from CR is beautiful - watching Wishes from your room is an amazing experience.

 

[iloveeeyore]

I guess that I will get to answer a question that has always plagued me -- Do the castle lights EVER go out?

The castle lights absolutely never go out! Now we will be able to prove it to ourselves!

Congratulations on a night at the CR with the Theme Park View. We actually did that a couple of years ago, we spent 10 days at the French Quarter and spent our last 2 at CR with a Theme Park View and went to MVMCP. Loved watching Wishes from the balcony and listening to the music piped through the TV.

I'm sure the kids were so suprised.

Thank you! We figured, we are only on this earth once, and this view is on our list, so why not go for it since we have one free night. We tacked it onto the first end of the trip even though we technically could have saved a few bucks by putting it at the end (could have used dining credits for dinner that night instead of OOP for CM's). The only thing better to us than a night of CR TPV is a week at the Poly, so this way we won't be sad when we have to leave our CR room.

Do you remember the channel on the TV has the music for Wishes?

Congrats on CR!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Thank you. I can't believe it, but 8 nights from now, we will be there!! I will do a live TR and post about it on the Countdowns and Live Reports board. Once I start that thread, I will put the link in my signature.

Just found your pre-trip report and I'm in

Looking forward to hearing more of your plans.

Thanks for joining in! So glad to have you here!

Now that the final surprise has been let out of the bag to our DKs, a word about Chef Mickey's...

For me, this buffet represents an interesting dining experience, with the emphasis on "experience". The food has been good to very good in quality. But the fact that our family went here on a "first night" early in our Disney trip history is the paramount reason I return for subsequent first nights.

I'm not so sure it would be the same if the first time we were there was not as positive as it was for us. The food was very good, the service was excellent, the DKs loved the characters, we all did the napkin dance, and the monorail whisked by silently overhead. All pieces of an intricate puzzle that fell into place, cementing Chef Mickey's as a virtual must-do for future trips.

There are plenty of other Disney dining locations that would bring us back for the combination of food and service alone (CG, AP, CDF, to name a few). But Chef Mickey's (along with the Hoop Dee Doo Revue) holds a special place for us. Stripped of the characters, location and other uniqueness (where else can I get Mickey mac and cheese at home?), it might just be another meal.

But it never will be. It will always be the first place we celebrated the beginning of our first trip. At home, the dinner table is a place where we all relate the goings on of our days, a place where we reconnect with our family. Chef Mickey's was the family dinner table where we first sat down to celebrate Day 1's magical experiences. Just the mention of the name brings up that first night of memories, and quite a few first-night nights after that; the pictures "in front of the plate" marking the very growth of our DKs, and the journey of our family.

So, while, in the end, mashed potatoes are just mashed potatoes; the ones served at Chef Mickey's are special. They come mixed with memories of mileposts we have enjoyed together, a deliciousness that never fades.

I can't wait to taste them again.

If your family has a "first-night" place, I hope it is not too many days before you get to enjoy it as well!

You always manage to bring tears to my eyes! 8!

What an awesome surprise! The Magic Kingdom view from CR is beautiful - watching Wishes from your room is an amazing experience.

Thank you! I am too excited to sleep!! 8 more days, well 7.5! 4 more work shifts. I am going crazy!!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Here's a random question (unrelated to dining or resort plans) - are you flying out of Westchester Airport?

I'm just wondering, because your location says Westchester, and that airport is by far the most pleasant airport I've ever flown out of. So much less of a hassle than JFK, Laguardia, or Newark.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Here's a random question (unrelated to dining or resort plans) - are you flying out of Westchester Airport?

I'm just wondering, because your location says Westchester, and that airport is by far the most pleasant airport I've ever flown out of. So much less of a hassle than JFK, Laguardia, or Newark.

Yes, we are! We have done so on our last several trips, since JetBlue started flying direct to MCO from Westchester. We also love that airport! It is extremely pleasant, and also the closest to where we live, so it works out all around. It is always our first choice departure airport, but unfortunately, service is relatively limited. On the other hand, we like its small size, and adding more service would mean increasing the size of the airport, and I don't think we'd like that!

DDW, are you from the New York area?!