Can't Think of a Better Way to Celebrate 5 Years!~A May 2015 PTR!-Update 5/16-New TR Link!

[kgoodb00]

So...we changed our resort again...We had to change our trip to the week before (I am not complaining!!!) so we are now at the Boardwalk Inn! We have never stayed there before, so we are pretty excited! And we absolutely love the Epcot resort area!! Those are awesome choices for your ADRs!!
Since we changed the dates of our vacation, we are now there for the last day of Star Wars Weekends. I was randomly trying to find ADRs and they had one for the Jedi Mickey Hollywood & Vine dinner @ 8:30 pm, so I snagged it. My 14 yr old step-son is pretty excited for it!! I have always wanted to eat at O'hana, but me and my DH have tree nut/peanut allergies, so it always makes me nervous to actually eat there. That bread pudding looks amazing though!!! I can't wait to hear your review on Yachtsman! The food looks delicious there. We made an early evening ADR at Narcoosee's on one of our MK days. I have heard mixed reviews on it, so I am interested to see if it is good or not! I keep thinking about changing it to Le Cellier...but then I stop myself!! lol Can't wait to hear about all your must do's!

 

[Nermel9]

Nice choices, Jen...and I hope you STICK with them. I really think you will like Yachtsman (as you know we prefer it by a lot over LeCellier for the steak; unfortunately, they don't have cheese soup). Unfortunately, we had an awful meal at Ohana and it won't go back on the list (much like Whispering Canyon Café will never reappear), but we do love Raglan Road and Beaches and Cream. I was trying to fit Saana in for October, but with Food & Wine it just won't work so guess that will wait until 2016.

Thank you! I hope so too, haha! I am going to try to stick with Yachtsman, I think I'll be able to, I've wanted to go there for SO long, and it just seems like the perfect time to finally do it! That's too bad about 'Ohana, I love it there! The only thing I don't like is that obnoxious entertainment chick, I wish she would go away!

I actually have no idea where I'm squeezing in Raglan Road, Beaches and Cream, or Sanaa, but I have to find room, because I love them so much! The ONLY one I might be able to give up is Beaches and Cream, but the other two are must do's!

The meal choices look great!

Thank you!!

I didn't know you started a PTR! I checked your signature and saw it, so I figured I would hop on board! I'm sad that we're missing each other by a little bit. But someday we'll be there at the same time.

Yay, glad you're here! Yeah, I didn't really advertise myself too much with this PTR, haha! I feel like a new DIS'er since I've been MIA for so long!

I know, we're always missing each other by like, a week or two! Someday we'll be there at the same time!

 

[Nermel9]

LOVE LOVE LOVE your meal plans!!!
You should not change that Yachtsman ADR! You'll regret it! The food is delicious!

We are trying that SSW H&V meal, as well! You'll have to let me know how it is! I'm especially excited to surprise Ry with it, and see characters all dressed up!!

I know you, you'll find somewhere to squeeze Beaches and Cream! Maybe as a lunch?

Thanks! Haha, ok, I'll try not too! But Le Cellier...

I don't really know too much about the food at H&V, I'm just going for the characters! I think they are just sooo cute, so as long as the food is edible, that's good enough for me!

I hope I can find a spot, I'm guessing lunch would be best, maybe after Epcot or DHS! I don't know, it's so hard!

I'm getting hungry now...LOL
It is so hard to fit in all the ADR's you want to...I never can
you have a good plan so far!

Haha, me too!

I know, I wish I could just move to Disney and eat Disney food whenever I felt like!

Ahhhh, so many great choices!!! There are so many on your list that I want to hit up as well! It's so easy to obsess over Disney food forever because it's just amazing... but narrowing down the list... not so easy The good part is: you can't go wrong!

Thanks! Haha, that's true! I really have to sit down and work on fitting things in, I've been putting it off because it's frustrating, but hopefully I'll figure something out!

 

[Nermel9]

Joining in, Jen!

Your resort choices sound great! I've yet to see the Wilderness Lodge (although I love its similar resort, the Animal Kingdom Lodge!), but it sounds like the perfect, nostalgic choice! Port Orleans Riverside is LOVELY - and that boat to Downtown Disney is so nice!

I LOVE your ADR choices! California Grill is one of my favorite restaurants! I also recommend that you give Yachtsman a try - the food is great and the onion rolls are to die for! I'm very excited to try all three of your "no ADR yet but must eat" restaurants on our upcoming trip! I hear great things about all three of them and your endorsement makes me even more excited to try them!

Yay, welcome!

Thank you! OMG the WL is perfect, I love it so much! It is very similar to AKL, just more Wilderness-y! I'm so excited to go back to POR, and the boat ride will be great, so we don't have to deal with the parking situation at DTD!

Thank you! Everyone keeps telling me to stick with Yachtsman, so I guess I better keep it! I'm sure it will be amazing, I know people love it! Haha, yes, those 3 places are amazing! I need to find room to fit them in!

Ooh good choices!! We also tried Raglan Road last September, and we loved it. It will mosT definitely be on our must do when we finally get to reTurn. And we love CP and Boma for bfast, so yummy!

Thank you! I love Raglan Road, I can't believe it took me so long to go there! Ugh, breakfast ADR's are the hardest ones for me to make for this trip, there are so many I want to go to and so little time!

So...we changed our resort again...We had to change our trip to the week before (I am not complaining!!!) so we are now at the Boardwalk Inn! We have never stayed there before, so we are pretty excited! And we absolutely love the Epcot resort area!! Those are awesome choices for your ADRs!!
Since we changed the dates of our vacation, we are now there for the last day of Star Wars Weekends. I was randomly trying to find ADRs and they had one for the Jedi Mickey Hollywood & Vine dinner @ 8:30 pm, so I snagged it. My 14 yr old step-son is pretty excited for it!! I have always wanted to eat at O'hana, but me and my DH have tree nut/peanut allergies, so it always makes me nervous to actually eat there. That bread pudding looks amazing though!!! I can't wait to hear your review on Yachtsman! The food looks delicious there. We made an early evening ADR at Narcoosee's on one of our MK days. I have heard mixed reviews on it, so I am interested to see if it is good or not! I keep thinking about changing it to Le Cellier...but then I stop myself!! lol Can't wait to hear about all your must do's!

Ooh, the Boardwalk will be lovely! That was my first choice for this trip! The Epcot resort area is awesome, I love it there! I'm excited about the Jedi Mickey dinner, it looks like it's going to be so much fun!

'Ohana is so good, but I can see how it would be a challenge to eat there with allergies...I'm sure you can tell them though, and they can make sure you'll be ok! The bread pudding is to die for!

I've always wanted to try Narcoosee's, I've heard mixed reviews too, but I'm sure it's good, it's a signature restaurant at the Grand, how can it possibly be bad? Some people are way to critical of Disney restaurants sometimes!

Haha, it's going to be so hard for me not to add Le Cellier!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Enjoying the vibe of this PTR, and totally get you on changing resorts and ADRs. What's funny is that this is my first "adult" trip and I have changed my resort 3x and lost count of the food reservations. LOL! Yachtsman, BOG and Sanaa are the only constants, but I've never actually eaten at any of them. I think it may be even harder to commit to a choice when you really aren't sure what you're getting OR what you're missing. Stoked to hear more about your plans.

 

[courtthib]

Hiiiiiii!

I just read your December 2013 TR and I loved following your trip! I'm planning a girls trip/college graduation trip for this December so I'm obsessed with December TRs lately! I've been a few times in Dec. and I actually did my college program at the Boardwalk Resort from May 2011- Jan 2012 so I know how amazing Disney is during the holiday, but a few of the girls have NEVER been to WDW (shocking, I know ) so I am trying to make this trip as magical as possible for them!

Anywayyyyyy, I'm also planning a trip for May 2015 with my DH and my mom, dad, and siblings! We are staying at POP, but my DH and I also had a Disneymoon and we stayed at the YC! I can totally relate to your sentimental feelings for WL!

Ok, enough rambling. I'm in!

 

[Nermel9]

Enjoying the vibe of this PTR, and totally get you on changing resorts and ADRs. What's funny is that this is my first "adult" trip and I have changed my resort 3x and lost count of the food reservations. LOL! Yachtsman, BOG and Sanaa are the only constants, but I've never actually eaten at any of them. I think it may be even harder to commit to a choice when you really aren't sure what you're getting OR what you're missing. Stoked to hear more about your plans.

Hi, and thank you! I'm glad people understand the appeal of changing resorts and ADR's, haha! It's just so hard to commit when there are so many beautiful resorts and so many yummy restaurants! I can't speak for Yachtsman, but I have eaten at BoG and Sanaa and they are both great, especially Sanaa! And I'm surprised at that one, because I'm very picky and not adventurous at all when it comes to food, and I was always so afraid of Sanaa, but it's really really good!

Hiiiiiii!

I just read your December 2013 TR and I loved following your trip! I'm planning a girls trip/college graduation trip for this December so I'm obsessed with December TRs lately! I've been a few times in Dec. and I actually did my college program at the Boardwalk Resort from May 2011- Jan 2012 so I know how amazing Disney is during the holiday, but a few of the girls have NEVER been to WDW (shocking, I know ) so I am trying to make this trip as magical as possible for them!

Anywayyyyyy, I'm also planning a trip for May 2015 with my DH and my mom, dad, and siblings! We are staying at POP, but my DH and I also had a Disneymoon and we stayed at the YC! I can totally relate to your sentimental feelings for WL!

Ok, enough rambling. I'm in!

Hi, !

OMG thanks for reading my TR! Isn't Disney in December amazing? I love it so much! And wow, college program at the Boardwalk? That must have been so much fun! I regret not doing the college program when I was in college, but hey, I guess I can always just move to Disney and work there right?

I think this May is a popular time to go to Disney, seems like a lot of people will be there! I love Pop, it's probably my favorite value resort, although I have yet to stay at AoA for a decent amount of time! And I've always wanted to stay at the YC!

 

[Nermel9]

Animal Kingdom Must Do's!

Hi guys! So I think I mentioned that I'm not going to do a day by day itinerary for this PTR, I just wouldn't have enough time for one thing, and I'm not even sure what I'm doing on certain days anyway, so I thought instead I would just go through each park and talk about what we absolutely HAVE to do while we're there! I'm starting with Animal Kingdom first because although I do love it, it's my least favorite and we never really spend a lot of time there!

(That's my niece in that picture, not just some random girl, in case anyone is wondering! )

So usually on Animal Kingdom days, we:

A. Go to early morning magic hours and

B. Eat breakfast at Boma. Almost every single time.

Well, not this time. We might go to Boma, but I was almost thinking Tusker House?

I went there on the trip I took with my sister and my niece, so Brandon has never been there, and I think he would really like it, it's a very good breakfast. And the characters are super cute. But do I really want to do another character meal, considering we're doing the Jedi Mickey one AND I'm thinking of adding Crystal Palace also? 3 character meals in one trip might be too much. And Brandon loves Boma, because he loves making his own omelet, which they don't have at Tusker House. But it would also be nice to be in the park before it opens...

Oh yeah, we decided to not do magic hours this time, because we're trying to stay away from the most crowded parks for once. So we're skipping morning magic hours at Animal Kingdom AND Epcot! (Epcot is gonna kill me, I know it! But I always force Brandon to go to the early magic hours and he hates it, so I thought this ONE time I'd listen to him and try a different strategy, haha!)

(Oh, and there's no way I'm skipping DHS or MK early morning magic hours. )

So once I figure out what we're doing for breakfast and we're in the park, we have to go on Expedition Everest, hopefully multiple times.

Then we'll have to go to Kilimanjaro Safari, to see my giraffes and hopefully lions!

We absolutely must see Festival of the Lion King on this trip!

We tried a few times in September, and we could never get in! The line was always so long, and it was way too hot to stand out there for an hour to be sure we would get in! Crazy, we never had a problem getting in before they moved the theater!

We might do the Maharajah Jungle Trek, because the tigers are so cute!

And I'll probably have to get a Jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel, because for some reason, even though you can get them in the other parks, I swear they taste the best in Animal Kingdom!

So those are our absolute must do's of this park, not very many, I know, but like I said, I'm not a big fan of AK. I do love it, but I only need a few hours there, and I'm good. Brandon loves the bird show, so maybe we'll do that. I was considering Kali River Rapids if we had time, and on our way out, because if I get drenched, I want to know at least I'll be leaving right after . I'd like to see the new Tree of Life carvings and walk around the trails, which is something I've never done. I can't say I have any interest in the Nemo show, or It's Tough to be a Bug. Dinoland, I can take it or leave it. It's ok, but if we don't make it over there, whatever. What I WOULD love to do, is go one night where the park is open until 8 and ride Expedition Everest at night, this is another thing I did on the trip with my sister and my niece, it was SO much fun! I've been wanting to get Brandon there at night, but we just never have time! So we'll see if we can squeeze it in on this trip, even if we just run over there, ride EE a few times, and then leave!

So that's it! What do you guys think? Is there anything else you think I really have to do at Animal Kingdom? Is it anyone's favorite park? Let me know if I'm missing out on anything!

Up next...Hollywood Studios must do's!
​

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Joining in ! Loving your pre trip report! Since we've never been some of your dining choices I've never even heard of before so I get to do some more research Your AK day makes me excited to go there, way more to do than I thought! Can't wait to keep reading!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

your plans sound similar to ours. we aren`t huge fans of ak either.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Animal Kingdom is probably my least favorite park, too, but I think I like it more each time we go. It has such a different (more laid-back) vibe than the other three parks. There's still a bit of rushing to attractions, but I think I enjoy AK more when I wander and saunter around rather than rush.

I would highly recommend the trails - I really like wandering on both trails in Animal Kingdom. They're very peaceful and SO well themed! I think the Africa trail was under some major construction, but I believe it should be done by the time you go?

You're planning to hit my two favorites (Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari), but I also really like It's Tough to Be a Bug. Perhaps it's my love of all things Pixar, but I can't imagine a trip to Animal Kingdom without stopping by to say "hi" to my friend, Flik.

 

[sunnysideup3]

You're staying at my two favorite resorts! We will be at the Wilderness May 20-25th! Can't wait to read along!

 

[Tracy161]

I feel the same way about AK, I do love it but I don't require a ton of time there. I'm going to try to spend more time on my May trip to give it more of a chance. I mean, it's ridiculous some of the things I've never done there! I typically hit up EE, Dinosaur, ITTBAB, and then bounce! It's just hard when MK, EP, and DHS are competing for your time, right?!

I'd choose Boma again over Tusker House, but keep in mind that I've never been to either one laughing, just basing my opinion on other TRs and the fact that you are already doing other character meals.

Ahhhh, the jalapeno cheese pretzel! That's on my must-do at AK, too!!!

We're getting SO close to May!!!

 

[KatMark]

Well, even though I don't like EE, AK has moved up on my list to be tied with Epcot as my second favorite park. I'm sure you know which park I like the least.

If you want to add Tusker House and you also add Crystal Palace, Brandon can get his made to order omelet at Crystal Palace.

I'm not sure why the line was so long for you for Festival of the Lion King; the theater is certainly big enough to hold a LOT of people.

Since I don't do EE, I always do Dinosaur.

But overall, with it not being your favorite park, I think you've covered a good chunk of what to be done.

 

[khertz]

Made it over to your PTR! I am so excited for you to stay at WL again. I just love that place! I only got a taste of it last year, and I'm longing for the day we can go back and stay there. My favorite resort for sure. POR is another great choice. We have never stayed at Riverside, but loved French Quarter on our honeymoon.

Great list of ADRs! Lots of great choices and variety.

The only TR I have going right now is our ABD Viva Italia trip, but it does include Disneyland Paris, which I'm about to get to! And I'll have a DL one coming up as soon as that one is over. Then I guess I'll have to start the PTR for our October trip. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it all. lol

 

[Mrs T 2009]

Haha, you know you'll end up at Boma before going to AK
We rarely stay long there either. We do our faves and go.
Also, hubs ALWAYS ( never fails) to fall asleep during nemo ALWAYS!

You should get a rum-infused dole whip! Very yummy

And le cellier will be there next time! Don't cheat yachtsman out of your try! LoL

 

[stacy~**]

Hi! New follower here and I think I am new to your reports! I just started a PTR for myself so I figured it would be fun to follow along with some other PTR's. Glad I randomly clicked on yours!!

How perfect that you have so many amazing memories at WDW with your "Mickey"! Seems only right to celebrate 5 years there (Congrats!).

I can be a resort changer too! BUT it seems like you have landed on a great choice with WL and POR. We stayed at WL several years ago and really loved it. I am sure we will return someday. I've never stayed at POR (but have at POFQ). POR is on my list but darn it for rarely ever being part of the promotions. I usually feel like by the time I pay PO rates I could be at WL or AKL. Haha! Having the boat access to DTD is a great perk.

Love your ADR choices. Outside of the steakhouses (we are mostly vegetarian) you truly have picked many of my favorites.

We tried Boma for breakfast for the first time in February and I really enjoyed it. Since you have a character meal already I say...don't break tradition. Plus that juice.....

Hopefully all the construction really amounts to reasons for people to go to (and stay at) AK. Dinosaur is one of my absolute favorites so I can't imagine not going at all but I tend to see it as a one day park too. Although I haven't yet explored the trails, etc. and I really would love to do that!

 

[cajunfan]

Hi there! I didn't see actual dates for your trip, but looks like very early May ...we will be there 05/08/-05/17 at All Star Music Family Suites. Maybe our paths will cross. I also saw some other folks that may be there at the same time as me, that I was not aware of...have to go check out everyone's PTRs!

I LOVE Tusker House breakfast. It is one of my favorites. AK, not so much...too hot for me.

I also love WL. We go to Whispering Canyon Café every trip. I love just sitting by the fireplace...even though it is usually 100 degrees outside. Just the massiveness of the lobby is impressive. Great choices ...never stayed at POR, but have stayed at POFQ and loved it too. Both very romantic choices.

Lynn

 

[teekathepony]

Hi Jen! I'm late but I found you!

 

[amazingact21]

I have to say, I was a little surprised not to see Le Cellier on your ADR list! But the restaurants you do have look great. I think any trip that involves 'Ohana and Be Our Guest is a win. And Beaches and Cream if you can swing it.


AK is a hard park to describe. It doesn't have a lot to keep you in the park for long, but what it does have is AMAZING. So it's not like you can completely skip the park, because then you'd be missing some fantastic Disney attractions, like EE and FotLK.
But I do have to agree with you, riding EE at night is the best! It's unbelievable, climbing up the mountain and seeing everything lit up. It was one of the main reasons I ran the EE 5K race a second time.