A Celebration Trip Full of Surprises - May 2015 PTR (New 9/15 - New TR Link!)

[SimplyGoofy]

Day 14
Friday, June 5th

ADR of the Day:
Le Cellier, 5:25pm

Fastpass+ Attractions:
Meet Mickey Mouse, 1:30 – 2:30pm
Meet Anna & Elsa, 2:40 – 3:40pm
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, 3:45 – 4:45pm

IT’S KEYS TO THE KINGDOM DAY!



When I booked this ridiculously long trip, I decided this was the perfect trip to finally go on this much-talked-about tour. I’ve read about it on many trip reports and can’t wait to experience it first-hand. As a bonus, our tour starts at 8:30 so we can get into the Magic Kingdom early!

Along with hearing tidbits and trivia and going backstage, I’m also really excited that the tour includes lunch at Columbia Harbor House! We ate here several years ago, but I’m looking forward to trying one of the sandwiches I’ve heard so much about. I think it should be a great first tour for us, especially now that we've been on quite a few trips.

After our tour we have Fastpasses that I’M really excited about… Anika, not so much. I did warn her that I booked these characters Fastpasses (and I think she’ll forgive me after the Universal and Grand Floridian surprises ).

Up first is our meet with (hopefully talking! ) Mickey Mouse! Given our opportunities to ride plenty of headliners throughout the trip, I wanted to make sure we met talking Mickey. Our next Fastpass is the hardest to obtain in Walt Disney World – we’ll be meeting with Scandinavian royalty! As we’re Scandinavian ourselves, I thought it was only right to meet Princess Anna and Queen Elsa. It helped that this Fastpass was near the end of our trip – I had my pick of times, and as you can see, it is right after our meeting with Mickey Mouse. If we’re there right on time and get through the line quickly, we may sneak through to Frontierland to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade again.

My third Fastpass of the day is for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – I picked this both because I wanted another chance to ride it and also because it’s a short ride once you get through the line. We’ll need to boogie out of Magic Kingdom quickly to make it to our Epcot ADR!

Dinner tonight is another Anika choice, Le Cellier. Our appetizers were great last time, but it will be fun to try a steak. I think we’re planning to split a steak so we can also order a few appetizers.

It’s extra magic hours at Epcot tonight, so we’ll likely stick around for a bit. We may skip out on watching Illuminations in order to ride a few attractions (especially since we’d seen it just two days before). I’m hoping to ride either Test Track or Soarin’ this evening – maybe both!

I’ll also make sure to knock a few of the must-do snacks off the list tonight , including hitting up the caramel shop in Germany. It seems to be much more quiet during extra magic hours than during the day. As a plus, the caramel treats shouldn’t melt immediately as it won’t be 90 degrees! (At least, I hope not!)

Once we’ve had our fill of snacks and attractions and wandering, we’ll head out for the night.

Up Next for 2015: Day 15 Plans

 

[pkondz]

I also called the Disney Cake Hotline to order a Glass Slipper Dessert during for our California Grill dinner.

I didn't even know about this. Sounds good though!

On a final humorous note, my mom reported that Anika saw a commercial for Universal Studios on TV last night and was so disappointed. She said she wishes we were able to go to Universal while we’re in Orlando since we’re so close – she’d love to see Diagon Alley. When my mom asked why she assumed we weren’t going (dangerous and gutsy move, Mom!), Anika told her I said there was no way as it would be too expensive.

We’ll start with a tasty breakfast at Whispering Canyon Café,

Do they do all the crazy stuff at breakfast too? Or is that just a later meal kinda thing?

Anika apparently has no interest in the shark reef (which I don’t understand as she’s a far stronger swimmer than I am!).

If you haven't done it.... you're not missing much.
You stand in line. Finally get your turn.... and have to swim straight across with no stops.
One of my least favourite experiences.

IT’S KEYS TO THE KINGDOM DAY!

Woot! Can't wait to read all about that!

and I think she’ll forgive me after the Universal and Grand Floridian surprises

You would think so!

including hitting up the caramel shop in Germany.

 

[afwdwfan]

YOU INCLUDED A PICTURE OF FOZZIE BEAR!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!

I thought you might appreciate that one. It just seemed appropriate.

A few more things were crossed off the list today! I called Disney Dining to confirm celebrations are noted for the ADRs around Anika’s birthday, as well as confirming the reservation number for our Disney Tour. I also called the Disney Cake Hotline to order a Glass Slipper Dessert during for our California Grill dinner. I’ve always wanted to try one of those and thought Anika’s birthday would be the perfect opportunity. They should be including “Happy Birthday Anika” on the rim of the plate – I spelled out her name for them, so I hope they copied it correctly.

You do realize you're ruining every future trip she'll ever take to Disney World, right? There is no way to ever top all the special treats and surprises she's getting on this one!

A question for those of you that have used Memory Maker – they sent me a card to use, but can’t we just scan our Magic Bands? Do they send the card just in case we wouldn’t have bands? I’ll bring the card with us (it’s not like it will take up much room), but I want to make sure we aren’t required to use it.

You won't need the card. Just make sure you use the number on it to link it to your online account so that you can use the Magic Bands. I think I took our card along just in case, but it just stayed in a folder in our room the whole time. We never needed it for anything.

The cool thing though... you scan your band with the PP photographers, but you don't even need to scan it for the rides. Seriously. I was blown away by that. Most of the time we didn't even scan our wristbands and the ride photos would still show up.

When my mom asked why she assumed we weren’t going (dangerous and gutsy move, Mom!), Anika told her I said there was no way as it would be too expensive.

She's playing with fire! But definitely helping sell it. You've got to be nervous about someone slipping up.

We’ll also probably split a milkshake (we need to compare it to the 50’s milkshake due to trip reporting duties, after all! ).

I think all of your readers would appreciate that.

I’m really excited to see the inside of this restaurant – it looks so cool from the pictures!

It's been several years since I've been there, but I really like it! Something different, and I LOVE just sitting in that dark, air conditioned dining room to relax for an hour or 2 during lunch. Especially if it is a hot, sunny day. Just a great way to kind of recharge.

Anika apparently has no interest in the shark reef (which I don’t understand as she’s a far stronger swimmer than I am!).

Sharks are apex predators. I don't care how strong of a swimmer she is, she can't outswim a rogue shark.

Although we’ll still go to the amphitheater in plenty of time, it will be nice to not worry about getting a decent seat. This is our first time using the Fastasmic package and I’m rather looking forward to it!

I think you'll be happy with it. I'm not sure we'll ever go back to not using the dining package for Fantasmic!

IT’S KEYS TO THE KINGDOM DAY!



When I booked this ridiculously long trip, I decided this was the perfect trip to finally go on this much-talked-about tour. I’ve read about it on many trip reports and can’t wait to experience it first-hand. As a bonus, our tour starts at 8:30 so we can get into the Magic Kingdom early!

I'm excited about a lot of the things you have planned. But seriously, this is near the top of my Disney Bucket list.

After our tour we have Fastpasses that I’M really excited about… Anika, not so much. I did warn her that I booked these characters Fastpasses (and I think she’ll forgive me after the Universal and Grand Floridian surprises ).

I think she can let it go.

Yeah... that was weak. Anyway, I think it will be fine. Talking Mickey is a unique character meet. And A&E are great. I'm sure she'll have fun with it.

I’ll also make sure to knock a few of the must-do snacks off the list tonight , including hitting up the caramel shop in Germany. It seems to be much more quiet during extra magic hours than during the day. As a plus, the caramel treats shouldn’t melt immediately as it won’t be 90 degrees! (At least, I hope not!)

Hmmm... I've never thought about it like that. But it makes sense.

 

[heathsf]

You have SO many exciting plans and you are going SO SOON!!!!!!

On a final humorous note, my mom reported that Anika saw a commercial for Universal Studios on TV last night and was so disappointed. She said she wishes we were able to go to Universal while we’re in Orlando since we’re so close – she’d love to see Diagon Alley. When my mom asked why she assumed we weren’t going (dangerous and gutsy move, Mom!), Anika told her I said there was no way as it would be too expensive.

That is too funny!!! You must be just exploding inside with excitement! Good thing you don't have to wait too far into the trip before surprising her!

I also called the Disney Cake Hotline to order a Glass Slipper Dessert during for our California Grill dinner.

I don't know what this is. I'm debating whether I should google it or just wait for your TR

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I didn't even know about this. Sounds good though!

It looks really tasty - I'm quite excited to try it!

Isn't that just great?! She's going to keel over when she realizes we're going there!

Do they do all the crazy stuff at breakfast too? Or is that just a later meal kinda thing?

I think they do some of the crazy stuff at breakfast - we're going more for the food than the antics, but we'll take them if delivered.

If you haven't done it.... you're not missing much.
You stand in line. Finally get your turn.... and have to swim straight across with no stops.
One of my least favourite experiences.

That's good to know... if the line is too long, I won't bother.

Woot! Can't wait to read all about that!

I'll do my best to write down the details after the tour so I remember!

You would think so!

I think I should be in the clear.

I'm very excited about the caramel shop - would you believe I've never been in there?

I thought you might appreciate that one. It just seemed appropriate.

It was much appreciated!

You do realize you're ruining every future trip she'll ever take to Disney World, right? There is no way to ever top all the special treats and surprises she's getting on this one!

I hope not!

In all seriousness, this will definitely be a special and unique trip, so I'm sure she'll forgive me if every trip doesn't involve 1001 surprises.

You won't need the card. Just make sure you use the number on it to link it to your online account so that you can use the Magic Bands. I think I took our card along just in case, but it just stayed in a folder in our room the whole time. We never needed it for anything.

The cool thing though... you scan your band with the PP photographers, but you don't even need to scan it for the rides. Seriously. I was blown away by that. Most of the time we didn't even scan our wristbands and the ride photos would still show up.

Thanks - I purchased Memory Maker through my MDE account and confirmed it shows up under My Reservations. I believe I should be good to go!

That's good to know about the ride photos! I think I may still scan the bands on the ride photos we want to make sure are included (if they're especially good).

She's playing with fire! But definitely helping sell it. You've got to be nervous about someone slipping up.

You have no idea.

At least the story proves she doesn't know the plans, yet!

I think all of your readers would appreciate that.

I do what I need to do.

It's been several years since I've been there, but I really like it! Something different, and I LOVE just sitting in that dark, air conditioned dining room to relax for an hour or 2 during lunch. Especially if it is a hot, sunny day. Just a great way to kind of recharge.

We found that the air conditioned restaurants really saved us during our last trip in May. It really gets hot in Orlando!

Sharks are apex predators. I don't care how strong of a swimmer she is, she can't outswim a rogue shark.

True.

I think you'll be happy with it. I'm not sure we'll ever go back to not using the dining package for Fantasmic!

It seems many people enjoy it - I think it should be nice!

I'm excited about a lot of the things you have planned. But seriously, this is near the top of my Disney Bucket list.

It was definitely on mine! I'm excited that I'll be able to cross it off the list!

I think she can let it go.

Yeah... that was weak. Anyway, I think it will be fine. Talking Mickey is a unique character meet. And A&E are great. I'm sure she'll have fun with it.

Yes, but appropriate for an Anna and Elsa M&G!

I think she'll be just fine.

Hmmm... I've never thought about it like that. But it makes sense.

It was dead in there during our last Epcot EMH - it always looks nuts in there during the day.

You have SO many exciting plans and you are going SO SOON!!!!!!

I KNOW! Less than TWO DAYS!!!

That is too funny!!! You must be just exploding inside with excitement! Good thing you don't have to wait too far into the trip before surprising her!

I am pretty close to exploding! I hope her reactions in real life are as great as the ones I've imagined in my head!

I don't know what this is. I'm debating whether I should google it or just wait for your TR

Feel free to Google away (there are quite a few images of it!) as I won't get to it for a while on my TR. You can still look forward to reading if they spelled Anika's name right!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Day 15
Saturday, June 6th

We’re in the home stretch – just two more days!

All I have left to do is pack my suitcase and carry-on – the laundry is done and all the items that are going into the bags are set and ready to go. I have everything printed and ready for my travel documents folder (or ready to be hidden in my suitcase ). After seeing some chatter on the car rental boards the other day I checked the Alamo rates… I managed to upgrade another car class AND drop by bill by twenty bucks! I’m glad I did it on Tuesday as the rates more than doubled today! Just in the nick of time!

Onto our last few days!

ADRs of the Day:
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, 8:15am
Tokyo Dining, 12:00pm
1900 Park Fare, 6:25pm

Fastpass+ Attractions:
Soarin’, 10:30 – 11:30am
Epcot Character Spot, 1:30 – 2:30pm
Spaceship Earth, 2:30 – 3:30pm

We’re finally starting our day at Epcot! It’s very possible that this will be our second Epcot morning if Anika elects to come here right away the previous Wednesday morning (but the pull of another park or soaking up some Grand Floridian ambiance may be too strong! ). I’m excited to return to Akershus for breakfast as we had a great time here back in 2012. The food was all very good and I’ll be thrilled to eat another bagel with lingonberry cream cheese.

After we wrap up our breakfast we’ll plan to hoof it over to Test Track and Mission Space. Other than our Fastpass for Soarin’, I’m pretty open to riding anything this morning. We may even ride (watch?) the Universe of Energy as we haven’t seen it in years.

Lunch today is at a new spot for us, Tokyo Dining. We’ve eaten at Teppan Edo (and it’s previously named counterparts) several times, so it will be fun to try the other restaurant in Japan. Anika and I are both big sushi fans so I’m sure that will be on the menu for us. I’m also interested in trying the ginger cake or the green tea ice cream. I think it would be especially fun to be seated near a window and look out over World Showcase!

We’ll enjoy some time in World Showcase before making our way back to the front of the park for our remaining Fastpasses. Character Spot is a “may-do” – I want to do either that or the Visa meet to meet a classic character or two (of course, I’m hoping for Goofy ). We’ll also do a last spin on Spaceship Earth if we didn’t ride it in the morning. If we did ride in the morning, we may switch it out for another mission to Mars.

After our afternoon break we’ll be heading back to the Grand Floridian for dinner. Right now, we have 1900 Park Fare booked (which we may keep), but I’m also leaning toward switching it out for Citricos. We’ve never been to Citricos and the food sure looks appealing there. Another possible switch option would be Kona Café, as we’ve never been there for lunch or dinner.

Once we’re done with dinner we’ll be heading into Magic Kingdom for a full evening and extra magic hours. We’ll grab a Fastpass for later and then ride something that doesn’t have a crazy line. We’ll likely enjoy Wishes again (and possibly the Main Street Electric Parade, as well). I would also like to cross off a few more Magic Kingdom snacks this evening if I still have some remaining.

I’m very excited about extra magic hours – we were very successful during the evening hours at Magic Kingdom last time. I’m sure we’ll ride Dumbo and the Barnstormer again, as well as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and a ride on the Peoplemover. We’ll supplement Fastpasses when we can. We can stay all night until closing if we’d like, as we don’t have any plans until lunch the next day. I’m really looking forward to lots of nighttime wandering in the Magic Kingdom!

Once we’ve had our fill of attractions we’ll head home for the night.

Up Next for 2015: Day 16 Plans

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Day 16
Sunday, June 7th

ADR of the Day:
The Plaza, 12:00pm

Fastpass+ Attractions:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, 1:00 – 2:00pm
Splash Mountain, 2:00 – 3:00pm
Space Mountain, 7:00 – 8:00pm

It’s the day everyone dreads – the last full Disney day.

I don’t have any set plans for our morning due to our late night the night before. If we are up and at it we may head to a park this morning or we may spend the morning at the pool. We’ll also have to spend some time today packing up our suitcases in preparation for our departure in the morning.

I made our Fastpasses for Magic Kingdom as I’m sure we’ll want to spend some extra time here. We may or may not keep our lunch at the Plaza – we may elect to eat at our resort or another resort restaurant instead. Once we get into Magic Kingdom we’ll be hitting all three mountains, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash, and Space. I made our Space Mountain Fastpass for the evening so we could take a break in the afternoon if we need it.

I have no clue what we’ll do for dinner this evening, so we’ll decide that day or the day before. I wouldn’t mind going to another Epcot restaurant (although we’d probably push Space Mountain back a bit) or perhaps try the Plaza for dinner. As we’ll have already eaten at our must-do restaurants, it will be nice to have some flexibility on our last night.

I realize we do have Fastpasses and an ADR scheduled for our last day, but we’ll switch it all around if we decide we’d rather go somewhere else. Anika may want to return to Hollywood Studios for some more Star Wars Weekend experiences or we may elect to go back to a waterpark. The nice thing is that we can decide to do whatever we want (as long as I cancel that ADR by midnight the day before! ).

Whatever we decide to do, I’m sure we’ll find a good way to cap off what was hopefully an excellent and wonderful vacation.

Up Next for 2015: Day 17

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Day 17
Monday, June 8th

Today will be our departure day. It’s never easy to leave Disney, but I hope it will be less painful than usual as we will have enjoyed so many days of fun.

Our flight is at 8:50 in the morning so we can expect a Magical Depress pickup around 6:00. This will be the earliest pickup we’ve ever had. The good thing is we should have time to check in our suitcases at the airline check-in desk before we go. This is a Disney resort perk that I really like!

We’ll have to grab breakfast from the airport once we get through security. Assuming our initial flight and connection are on time, we should be home around one in the afternoon. That will give Anika plenty of time to drive home and get a good night’s rest before returning to work the following day. It will allow me the same thing without the drive home!

I can only imagine the mountain of laundry we’ll have after 17 days of vacation…



(I've always wanted an excuse to use that smilie!)

Up Next for 2015: PTR Final Thoughts

 

[cajunfan]

You might want to double check that the airline check-in will be open that early...bell services and airline check-in were not open at 6:30 am when we left the resort last Sunday. (maybe because its a value resort?)

 

[cajunfan]

I need to go back and get caught up on your plans since your departure is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!

 

[KathyM2]

Wow...great plans!! I vote for Kona Cafe...especially since you said you like sushi...yum...and there are some really great food choices that are a bit different. Again...SO jealous of the long trip....I can't imagine being in the bubble for so long. It's going to be amazing...but also really tough to get back to reality after that...what? No one to drive us around? What? Magic bands don't open the door?

 

[pkondz]

We may even ride (watch?) the Universe of Energy as we haven’t seen it in years.

Last time I rode it.... Ellen wasn't a part of it.

I would also like to cross off a few more Magic Kingdom snacks this evening if I still have some remaining.

I love that "if I still have some remaining"!

It’s the day everyone dreads – the last full Disney day.

Yuck. The worst.

It’s never easy to leave Disney, but I hope it will be less painful than usual

I'm going to go out on a limb and say.... nope.

(I've always wanted an excuse to use that smilie!)

And now you have!

 

[afwdwfan]

All I have left to do is pack my suitcase and carry-on – the laundry is done and all the items that are going into the bags are set and ready to go. I have everything printed and ready for my travel documents folder (or ready to be hidden in my suitcase ).

Oh yeah... definitely don't want all the documents right there together where she might happen to stumble across them.

Although if she does look at the documents from the known parts of the trip, do you think it would raise any red flags when she notices certain dates missing from resort reservations?

I’m excited to return to Akershus for breakfast as we had a great time here back in 2012. The food was all very good and I’ll be thrilled to eat another bagel with lingonberry cream cheese.

Come on. We weren't born yesterday. You're using the food to get Anika to let you see the princesses, aren't you?

We may even ride (watch?) the Universe of Energy as we haven’t seen it in years.

I don't even know the last time I rode/watched this one with my eyes open.

Once we’re done with dinner we’ll be heading into Magic Kingdom for a full evening and extra magic hours. We’ll grab a Fastpass for later and then ride something that doesn’t have a crazy line. We’ll likely enjoy Wishes again (and possibly the Main Street Electric Parade, as well). I would also like to cross off a few more Magic Kingdom snacks this evening if I still have some remaining.

Perfect evening. Love spending evening EMH in MK.

Whatever we decide to do, I’m sure we’ll find a good way to cap off what was hopefully an excellent and wonderful vacation.

I'm sure you will. I always hope to get the must do's done early on and have some flexibility available on that last day to do what I want.

But like your plans, MK almost always ends up being the center of those plans...

That will give Anika plenty of time to drive home and get a good night’s rest before returning to work the following day. It will allow me the same thing without the drive home!

Wow. Jumping right back into the real world and going to work the day after returning from that epic trip. Brutal.

I can only imagine the mountain of laundry we’ll have after 17 days of vacation…



(I've always wanted an excuse to use that smilie!)

Well played.

 

[cajunfan]

Only ONE MORE SLEEP!!!!! (Yeah right, like anyone actually sleeps the day before Disney! lol!)

If I don't get a chance to get on tomorrow...

Have a MAGICAL trip!!!

Lynn

 

[SimplyGoofy]

You might want to double check that the airline check-in will be open that early...bell services and airline check-in were not open at 6:30 am when we left the resort last Sunday. (maybe because its a value resort?)

I've always seen them open at 5:00am, but perhaps that's changed. If we're not able to check them at the hotel we'll just bring them to the airport - no big deal either way.

I need to go back and get caught up on your plans since your departure is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!

SO CLOSE!!!

You can read leisurely while we're gone so you're all ready for the trip report upon our return!

Wow...great plans!! I vote for Kona Cafe...especially since you said you like sushi...yum...and there are some really great food choices that are a bit different. Again...SO jealous of the long trip....I can't imagine being in the bubble for so long. It's going to be amazing...but also really tough to get back to reality after that...what? No one to drive us around? What? Magic bands don't open the door?

I'm really leaning toward Kona - I've always heard great things about their lunches and dinners. We'll see what we're in the mood for that weekend.

It will be rather bizarre to be out of the Disney bubble after being in it for more than two weeks (with the exception of the Universal days). I like driving, but it would be nice to have a regular chauffer!

Last time I rode it.... Ellen wasn't a part of it.

Wow, it's been a few years!

I love that "if I still have some remaining"!

My snack list has grown even since my snack post - darn you people and your trip and dining reports!

Yuck. The worst.

Always.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say.... nope.

Yes, probably not, but I'm attempting to be optimistic.

And now you have!

Oh yeah... definitely don't want all the documents right there together where she might happen to stumble across them.

Although if she does look at the documents from the known parts of the trip, do you think it would raise any red flags when she notices certain dates missing from resort reservations?

She knows she's only going to be hearing plans 1-2 days at a time, so I don't think it should surprise her too much. She's also aware that we're staying in four different resorts, so my four resort envelopes (each of which contains the next resort destination), shouldn't be surprising, either. As long as I have the documents and the Universal items under wraps before she arrives tonight, I should be in the clear!

Come on. We weren't born yesterday. You're using the food to get Anika to let you see the princesses, aren't you?

Perhaps. However, the food IS very good, so I have that going for me, too.

I don't even know the last time I rode/watched this one with my eyes open.

This would be the prime place for a nap...

Perfect evening. Love spending evening EMH in MK.

It's just fabulous - I'm really looking forward to doing it again!

I'm sure you will. I always hope to get the must do's done early on and have some flexibility available on that last day to do what I want.

But like your plans, MK almost always ends up being the center of those plans...

As it's Anika's favorite park and my second favorite, I'm not surprised that it will take a lot of our time.

Wow. Jumping right back into the real world and going to work the day after returning from that epic trip. Brutal.

A little brutal, but it should be okay. Thankfully the client I go to upon my return is a local client I visit a lot (so they're pretty low-stress). As least I don't have to arrive home and then travel right away!

Well played.

Why, thank you.

Only ONE MORE SLEEP!!!!! (Yeah right, like anyone actually sleeps the day before Disney! lol!)

If I don't get a chance to get on tomorrow...

Have a MAGICAL trip!!!

Lynn

Thank you, Lynn! I'm going to try VERY HARD to sleep tonight as I don't want to start the trip sleep deprived! We'll see how well I do!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

One Day to Go!
a.k.a. One More Sleep Until Disney!!!

I can't believe it... tomorrow is the day! After months of planning and scheming (and lying! ) the time has finally come! Come tomorrow morning...

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!



We're all checked in for our flight tomorrow. Thanks to Southwest's early bird check in, we have the fantastic boarding positions of A20-21 to Chicago and A29-30 to Orlando. I believe that early bird check in fee just paid for itself!

I believe this will be my last update for a while - Anika will be arriving later this afternoon and I don't want her to catch wind of my pre-trip report. I may stop in during our trip, but I tend to fall off the rails during vacation (doesn't everyone?!) so please forgive me if you're in the dark until our return.

I want to thank each and every one of you that joined in and read along, and a special thanks to those of you that commented along the way. I loved each and every one of your comments, and it was wonderful to "meet" several of you through this report. I had a great time sharing my plans with all of you and it really helped build excitement for what I hope will be an epic trip.

x Infinity (and beyond!)

I promise to take tons of pictures, catch the big reveals on video, and document every morsel of delicious food that crosses our paths on the trip. I can't wait to share everything with you on the trip report - please stay tuned for the link upon our return!

Thanks again for stopping by and see you on the flip side.

 

[pkondz]

Wow, it's been a few years!

One or two... decades.

My snack list has grown even since my snack post - darn you people and your trip and dining reports!

 

[pkondz]

I can't believe it... tomorrow is the day!

Woot!!!

After months of planning and scheming (and lying! )

I believe this will be my last update for a while - Anika will be arriving later this afternoon and I don't want her to catch wind of my pre-trip report.

Good idea.

I may stop in during our trip, but I tend to fall off the rails during vacation (doesn't everyone?!) so please forgive me if you're in the dark until our return.

That's the way it should be. Go enjoy! Have fun!

and it was wonderful to "meet" several of you through this report.

The feeling is mutual.

I promise to take tons of pictures, catch the big reveals on video, and document every morsel of delicious food that crosses our paths on the trip. I can't wait to share everything with you on the trip report - please stay tuned for the link upon our return!

Can't wait to see and read all about it!

Have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[KathyM2]

Have an amazing time!!! I can't wait to hear all about it after...how all the surprises went especially!!!

 

[afwdwfan]

Have a great time!!!! I can't wait to see how it all went down when you get back!

And, you know, after the surprises are no longer surprises... tell Anika Happy Birthday from your Dis friends.