Chunkymonkey & Chubbyhubby's Year of Disney PTR! NEW 12/27 THE END and New TR Link!

[chunkymonkey]

I know what you mean about Disney movies they always make me cry too.

I would go in thinking, oh this won't make me cry...but it's like I can't help it!!

I'm doubting that ROL will be ready yet for our trip too especially now that it's so close.

Yeah...so unfortunate...if they do start it, then great! But I may just skip and attend next year after they work out all the glitches.

Have fun! We leave right around when you get back, and I can't wait to see Christimastime at Disney!

Yay! Have a great trip too!

Yea!!! 4 more days!! We are staying the night in Denver on Friday night, our flight is Saturday morning @ 8:00. We should get in around 5:30 because we have a layover in ATL. We also have a FP for BTMRR but it starts @9:30am. Maybe BTMRR meet up if I don't see you earlier ??

Yeah we should totally meet at BTMRR or around there. I'll let you know when we do get to MK! I may see if we could squeeze in 7DMT if we get there early enough, or a ride on PP, but I am also thinking multiple rides on BTMRR sounds like a good way to start MK day too!

I'll send you a text either Saturday night after we get checked into WL or Sunday morning, we plan on being at MK for rope drop, do you guys usually get there early? Can't wait to meet you and Steve!

Have a safe travel day!

Sounds like a plan! Have a safe trip and can't wait to meet you and Bob and your daughter! We usually try to get to MK before RD but it's easier said than done. Hehe. especially since we're not on a monorail resort this time.
I just realize I have nothing to wear to MVMCP...do people dress up for this? COMPLETELY forgot about an outfit. Maybe I will just buy some Christmas Minnie ears when I get there.

See you guys soon!

 

[ArielSRL]

Yay! So close!! I can't wait to read all about it when you guys return. I will definitely be watching for your PizzeRizzo review as I haven't really seen any yet and as you saw in my PTR, I have this planned for June.

Plans look great! I used to go around this same time frame back in my college days and even took off work one year. Its so beautiful with all the decorations and so festive! And usually really nice weather. I am sure you will enjoy it!

 

[dizneeat]

Well, time definitely flies! I could not believe it was only 4 more days until your trip - but I am SOOOOOOO excited for you! Plans look really good - you hit quite the highlights. Have you had brunch at the top/Contemporary before? We did it this summer and it was AWESOME!!
As for something boring at Disney - well, .......... we did Jungle book alive with magic and one time was MORE than enough - interesting, but it got "old" pretty soon.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Oh my goodness I have been so behind! What is wrong with me???

LOL, don't worry, we all are behind. It's the holidays!

So excited about your year of Disney- we actually just made ADRs for a May family trip as well, which was super duper fun We don't have too many, but Will and I may end up adding one for just us, we'll see.

Oh how fun! Is it a big family trip! I am excited to show my family Disney but planning for so many people is so daunting.

I can't believe you'll be there so soon - we took a short December trip last year and it was really wonderful. I think the holidays at Disney are something really special - so exciting that you'll get to do the Christmas Party and the Dessert Party, even if there aren't Star Wars fireworks :/

Looking forward to seeing all the decorations! I can't believe it's so soon! I'm so excited to be visiting WDW in the same calendar year. I've surprisingly never done this before. It's always been just once a year.

Also very excited about the February trip and DisMeet! I think Trader Sams is a distinct possibility if it's not insane to get in - I love that place

I'm so excited! It'll be so much fun! Are you running the half? GOOD LUCK and WOW!
I'd love to actually sit inside Trader Sams...it's always so crowded!

Can't wait to read more and to see some Hawaii pictures!

thanks! Coming up soon!

Yay! So close!! I can't wait to read all about it when you guys return. I will definitely be watching for your PizzeRizzo review as I haven't really seen any yet and as you saw in my PTR, I have this planned for June.

Thank you! I'm excited to eat at PizzeRizzo too. I really liked the pizza at Toy Story PP so I hope that it is the same. I think so from the looks of it.

Plans look great! I used to go around this same time frame back in my college days and even took off work one year. Its so beautiful with all the decorations and so festive! And usually really nice weather. I am sure you will enjoy it!

I'm so excited! I'm going to take so many pictures!!!

Well, time definitely flies! I could not believe it was only 4 more days until your trip - but I am SOOOOOOO excited for you! Plans look really good - you hit quite the highlights. Have you had brunch at the top/Contemporary before? We did it this summer and it was AWESOME!!
As for something boring at Disney - well, .......... we did Jungle book alive with magic and one time was MORE than enough - interesting, but it got "old" pretty soon.

I know...4 more days! I am pinching myself!
No, we've never had brunch at the Contemporary before...really excited about that as it looks so good!
LOL, well then I'm glad they did away with the Jungle Book show afterall!

 

[bcwife76]

I can't believe you're already leaving this Friday!! Woohoo the time is gonna fly by!!

Can I ask you a question about the SWDAS cruise? I went back and re read your TR but I still must've skipped the part where you pre ordered your SW merchandise - do you remember how far in advance you did that? Because we are now less than 50 days out from our cruise and we have received no notification regarding preordering merch. Perhaps they aren't going to do it for the 2017 cruises.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I can't believe you're already leaving this Friday!! Woohoo the time is gonna fly by!!

As long as the time until the trip flies by, I'm ok. When I'm on the trip I want it to be a slooooow crawl.....hehehe. I will probably not want to leave!

Can I ask you a question about the SWDAS cruise? I went back and re read your TR but I still must've skipped the part where you pre ordered your SW merchandise - do you remember how far in advance you did that? Because we are now less than 50 days out from our cruise and we have received no notification regarding preordering merch. Perhaps they aren't going to do it for the 2017 cruises.

I think it was around the 90 day mark that we got the presale. I got a link via email. I don't know if they will do it this year. From what I gathered they had EVERYTHING I pre-ordered in the store so there really was no point, just made it a little easier to have it all packaged up for you ready to go. The only thing that was limited were the pins but those were back-ordered even before the cruise began and I literally received them this summer months, after the cruise. I'm not even a pin collector, hahaha.

I wonder if they are keeping the same logo? You're right I haven't heard much about the next set of SWDAS cruises so not sure how much they are keeping and what will be new. So excited for you guys! Take LOTS of pictures!

 

[KathyM2]

Wow, so close!! I'm so excited for you as well as jealous of course!!! Wish I could escape reality for a bit right now!!! Have a great time...and I can't wait to see and hear all about it after!

 

[cinderkelly]

I may see if we could squeeze in 7DMT if we get there early enough, or a ride on PP, but I am also thinking multiple rides on BTMRR sounds like a good way to start MK day too!

We usually head straight to either PP or 7DMT right off the bat also, the 7D line moves pretty quickly first thing in the morning

I have nothing to wear to MVMCP...do people dress up for this?

I'm sure they do, I've seen in pics and on YouTube people wearing Christmas Jammie's or ugly Christmas sweaters. I think we are going with anything red we can muster up in the closet

 

[LindseyJo22]

Oh how fun! Is it a big family trip! I am excited to show my family Disney but planning for so many people is so daunting.

It's semi-big, at least for me! We are going with my in-laws and brother and sister-in-law, so 6 people. We've done one trip like that, and it was really fun, but it's definitely more people than I'm usually dealing with. Thankfully, the whole family is huge into Disney, so everyone likes the planning and kind of knows what goes into a Disney vacation, which makes everything a lot easier!

I'm so excited! It'll be so much fun! Are you running the half? GOOD LUCK and WOW!
I'd love to actually sit inside Trader Sams...it's always so crowded!

Woo hoo! And yes - I am super excited for the half - I'm still trying to figure out a semi-costume that still incorporates actual running clothes.

And I just saw that you are doing brunch at the top at CG! We were just reading about this in Disney Files and were talking about potentially adding it to the May trip. I'll be looking forward to hearing your review, since it's a little above our usual meal budget.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Wow, so close!! I'm so excited for you as well as jealous of course!!! Wish I could escape reality for a bit right now!!! Have a great time...and I can't wait to see and hear all about it after!

Thank you! I will post pics on FB!!

We usually head straight to either PP or 7DMT right off the bat also, the 7D line moves pretty quickly first thing in the morning

Cool! So excited!

I'm sure they do, I've seen in pics and on YouTube people wearing Christmas Jammie's or ugly Christmas sweaters. I think we are going with anything red we can muster up in the closet

Haha I don't own anything Christmas-y so I'll have to go look for something red or green (or both!) to wear too! I keep trying to figure out the weather. I was worried as it looked like rain a few days ago but now it looks like Sunday will be ok. It's also a lot warmer than I thought it would be, so I guess I can put back a lot of the fleeces I was planning to bring and just bring lighter cardigans. I'm glad for the warmth though!

It's semi-big, at least for me! We are going with my in-laws and brother and sister-in-law, so 6 people. We've done one trip like that, and it was really fun, but it's definitely more people than I'm usually dealing with. Thankfully, the whole family is huge into Disney, so everyone likes the planning and kind of knows what goes into a Disney vacation, which makes everything a lot easier!

Oh sounds like fun! It sounds like a fraction of the work I'm gonna have to put in. potentially 20 people including 6 kids...almost all of whom are Disney newbies. HELP.

Woo hoo! And yes - I am super excited for the half - I'm still trying to figure out a semi-costume that still incorporates actual running clothes.

Yay that's awesome!! Good for you!! I too have no idea what to wear. I barely can work out in half-decent clothes much less look like a princess. I got DH an "My favorite Disney Princess is my Wife" t-shirt so he's all set, LOL. I want to run as Belle, but I'm not sure how that's gonna work. I have ordered a yellow running skirt and that's about it!

And I just saw that you are doing brunch at the top at CG! We were just reading about this in Disney Files and were talking about potentially adding it to the May trip. I'll be looking forward to hearing your review, since it's a little above our usual meal budget.

I'm looking forward to this too! But yes, super pricey...I'm not sure it's worth it. It sounds like it's only worth about 50 bucks but of course at Disney it's even more $$$. But I do want to try it and I think it'll be a nice treat. I'll do a dining review for sure!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hawaii November TR Part 1: Beaches

Thought I'd share some pictures of our recent trip to Hawaii with friends. It's rainy and gloomy here in NYC and I could use the pick me up! Our group of seven adults was a mixture of beach and non-beach people, foodies, and athletic/outdoorsy types. I, of course, was the planner and tried to do stuff that would appeal to everyone but it was challenging. Overall everyone had an AMAZING time and they now understand why we go to Hawaii so often!

Here was our itinerary for the week including places we ate at:

Friday (arrival day) - went supply shopping at Don Quijote (it's like an Asian Walmart), and tried Hawaiian food at Highway Inn in Kaka'ako for dinner.
Saturday - Honolulu Fish Auction, KCC Farmer's Market, Waikiki Beach, Pig and the Lady dinner.
Sunday - Diamond Head Hike, Koko Head Cafe brunch, Pearl Harbor, and Side Street Inn dinner.
Monday - North Shore day which got cut short due to bad weather. We got to visit Byodo-In Temple, Pali Lookout (no views as completely cloudy), decided to call it a day and went to Ala Moana Mall instead.
Tuesday - Sunrise at Sandy Beach, Koko Head Crater hike (difficult but what a view!), brunch at Over Easy and beach in Kailua, Dinner at Cafe Lani
Wednesday - Supposed to be a Waikiki beach day but ended up on a re-do to the North Shore since we hadn't gone yet. We made multiple stops including Kualoa Beach Park, Hukilau Beach, Kahuku shrimp trucks, Sunset Beach, and Haleiwa Ali'i beach (turtle basking!). Had to have Matsumoto shave ice, drove back down and had a delicious fine-dining dinner at MW Westaurant. My friends and I finished the night souvenir shopping at Don Quijote (it's open 24 hours)
Thursday - breakfast buffet at the Royal Hawaiian hotel, my friends flew back to cold NYC but DH and I went back up north, going by Central Oahu, stopping at the Dole Plantation. We spent the afternoon at Mokuleia Beach (so pretty and where LOST was filmed). We went back to Haleiwa to walk around for a bit and then returned to Kahuku to get some poke and to try Polynesian curries at Fiji Market (delicious!)
Friday - Breakfast at Cafe Lani, DH went stand up Paddleboarding while I did some shopping on Waikiki beach. Lunch at Marukame Udon, and spa treatments at the Outrigger Reef Hotel (bought groupons for this!)
Saturday - our departure day, we went back to the KCC Farmer's Market one last time and then departed back home.

I'll separate out my posts into 3 categories: BEACHES, FOOD, ACTIVITIES

Today we'll look at the beaches we visited since I am in beach-withdrawal mode.

Here's a faint view of some of Oahu from the air as we were arriving in Honolulu:

One of the pathways to Waikiki Beach:

Famous Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head crater in the background:

Here was a beach from an overlook that we stopped at near Diamond Head:

This is sunrise from Sandy Beach Park. One of the best places to watch the sunrise on Oahu:

Lanikai Beach, one of the prettiest on Oahu:

Kualoa Beach Park, across from Kualoa Ranch:

Hukilau Beach, a great place to stop by on your way to the North Shore:

This is Sunset Beach on the north shore, it is amazing driving by as the swells were high that day and the waves were rolling...it was just gorgeous. A great place to catch surfers although it was pretty scary that day so not for the beginners!

That guy was walking around with a metal detector! Guess there was treasure to be found or else he lost something of value in the sand!

Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park. Not a great swimming beach as kinda rocky, but amazing place for basking sea turtles. And the scenery can't be beat:

Mokuleia Beach, also on the north shore but further west than Haleiwa. Parts of LOST, especially season one as well as the pilot with the plane's fuselage were filmed here:

I wish I was here right now!!!

Coming up, FOOD!!​

 

[KathyM2]

OMG that is SO COOL that you got so up close and personal with a sea turtle!!! Everything else looks fantastic as well, but that is really amazing!!!

 

[Raeven]

The beaches look so pretty! And I love Lost, it would be so cool to see places it was filmed.

 

[soniam]

Ah, Hawaii. Great photos! Good composition

I am hoping to go back in Summer 2018. I want to stay at Aulani and on Maui. We have been to Oahu but want to explore more and actually see the Arizona this time. Our tour got canceled due to wind. We have never been to Maui though. Man, I need a vacation soon. Xmas isn't soon enough.

 

[ArielSRL]

I really would love to visit Hawaii. I messed up though bc my SIL has lived there twice since I've been with my DH (her hubby was military) and I had opportunity to go, but I didn't. It's so beautiful. I'm a total beach person, so just looking at those photos really calms me and puts me in a relaxed and stress free state of mind! Thanks for sharing!

 

[chunkymonkey]

OMG that is SO COOL that you got so up close and personal with a sea turtle!!! Everything else looks fantastic as well, but that is really amazing!!!

Yes! We see them all the time on Oahu as we know the specific spots they usually bask in. We've also been lucky enough to swim with them. On Maui at the beach in front of the Sheraton Blackrock, you can always count on turtles swimming around there, and they are surprisingly not afraid of us and will swim pretty close!

The beaches look so pretty! And I love Lost, it would be so cool to see places it was filmed.

It's really cool! There are spots all over the island the series was filmed. A great tour to go on is the Movie and Film Sites tour at Kualoa ranch. We did the ATV version one year and played "golf" on Hurley's Golf Course. Sadly we didn't have time to do it on this trip.

Ah, Hawaii. Great photos! Good composition

Thanks!!

I am hoping to go back in Summer 2018. I want to stay at Aulani and on Maui. We have been to Oahu but want to explore more and actually see the Arizona this time. Our tour got canceled due to wind. We have never been to Maui though. Man, I need a vacation soon. Xmas isn't soon enough.

I wish we got to stay at Aulani but this wasn't the trip for that. I went with my non-Disney friends and they really just wouldn't get it. LOL. Also we were out so much that we would have had barely enough time to enjoy the resort. I was thinking of doing a day trip to grab a character breakfast after they left, but there were no more reservations but the time I checked. I'd also never want to leave if we went. I'm thinking of going back again with our niece Maddie. I think she'd really enjoy it! 2018 sounds like a good year to go!

2 more days for me! You will have to let me konw how the crowd levels are at WDW. I think NYE at WDW is something I'd be interested in doing once but I have to be mentally prepared for it...Haha.

I really would love to visit Hawaii. I messed up though bc my SIL has lived there twice since I've been with my DH (her hubby was military) and I had opportunity to go, but I didn't. It's so beautiful. I'm a total beach person, so just looking at those photos really calms me and puts me in a relaxed and stress free state of mind! Thanks for sharing!

Oh that's too bad. Having family in Hawaii is the perfect reason to go. I get asked all the time if I have family or a timeshare in Hawaii but I don't! We just really love to visit and it's easy and relatively cheap for us since we use miles, and stay at condos which provide parking and more amenities than a fancy hotel. In fact, my friends came over all the time to use our washer and dryer. You really go through so many clothes and instead of bring more we try to find a condo where we can do laundry so we can pack less.

I know what you mean when looking at beach photos...really puts you in a serene state of mind. Seeing the ocean and the waves really makes me happy.

 

[cinderkelly]

How do you manage to look so georgeous on the beach?? I always look like a drowned rat. Beautiful photos!

 

[KathyM2]

you can always count on turtles swimming around there, and they are surprisingly not afraid of us and will swim pretty close!

Wow that's really incredible. As if I didn't want to go to Hawaii enough already lol

 

[cinderkelly]

may see if we could squeeze in 7DMT if we get there early enough, or a ride on PP, but I am also thinking multiple rides on BTMRR sounds like a good way to start MK day too!

I just checked the times schedule and it looks like MK is having an early morning magic ( or whatever they call it) special ticketed event on Sunday morning, so those folks who fork out another $65 can get into MK at 7:45am and only PP, 7DMT and Pooh will be open for them, so there may already be lines at PP and 7D by the time they do normal RD at 9:00. I'll check the wait times when we get there, but if Fantasyland looks busy we are planning on heading to BTMRR first thing and just doing multiple rides until our FP window opens

I keep trying to figure out the weather.

Ugh, me too, but the latest forecasts look pretty darn nice. I thought it was going to be colder also

I was worried as it looked like rain a few days ago but now it looks like Sunday will be ok.

Sunday looks like it's going to be beautiful!


Have a great travel day tomorrow

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hawaii TR Part II: Food 1.0

**Warning - copious food porn**

We ate really well on this trip. I have always said it and I will say it again, Oahu has the best food out of all the islands. If you are a big foodie, you will have a great time on Oahu. The other islands, although less developed, do not have as much variety or as much competition than Oahu which has a true metropolitan city, Honolulu. Therefore you're going to get a lot of good local eateries and cheap eats, in addition to fine dining and regular touristy beach-front restaurants.

SNACKS

We love getting some fresh taro chips and the Hawaiian Chip Co has a storefront near the airport. It is usually our first stop if our flight arrives in time, and we stop there before heading home to get a box for family (and ourselves). Taro is the root they make poi with but it is nothing like poi. Taro chips are really crunchy and they hold dip well. Apparently taro is more nutritious than potatoes as well. You place an order for either taro or purple sweet potato chips or a blend of both. I definitely prefer just taro, and they are fried fresh and served in either a bag or a box depending on what size you get. It's so delicious and they have a seasoning station that you can add various flavors like garlic salt, spicy mix, bbq, japanese furikake, or even cinnamon sugar if you have a sweet tooth.
https://www.hawaiianchipcompany.com/v/factory_outlet.asp

Poke - the poke/sushi bowl trend is sweeping the nation! New York has a bunch of new poke shops but to be honest it is not real poke although they are pretty good. True poke has been marinated so that the flavors meld with the fish. there is one store in NY that just opened called Sweetcatch Poke which I'm dying to try because they use fish from Hawaii and marinated the proper way. Here's a sampling of the fresh tuna (ahi) poke we got all over the island:

Nico's Fish Market (Right next to the fish auction so fish is super fresh):

Ono Seafood:

Side Street Inn:

Kahuku Superette:

Maguro Brothers Waikiki: (this isn't a poke bowl, but a sushi bowl, but they do have poke as well)

KCC Farmer's Market - one of my must-dos on Oahu, every Saturday morning at the Kapiolani Community College there is a fantastic farmer's market which not only sells organic produce but there are food vendors which serve delicious eats sourced from all over the island. a great venue to sample different items! The Saturday market is the biggest and the best but there are other smaller markets around the island on other days of the week. go early (7am) to get the best produce and the best parking spots.

Check out the size of these shrimp! Steve really likes these shrimp but they are hard to eat, especially because you're walking around.

Takoyaki - octopus balls cooked in a savory pancake batter. These are soft and chewy at the same time. My friend who just came back from Japan, said that these were legit.

The newest craze in baked goods...the cruffin! A croissant-muffin. These happen to be filled with coconut.

Strawberry red bean mochi: This is really popular and delicious!

Shave Ice - We got shave ice all over the island. But my new favorite place is called Island Vintage and it's a kiosk in front of the Royal Hawaiian hotel. They have delicious natural fruit syrups and shave their ice atop frozen yogurt or ice cream. It's sooooo good!

This one is from Uncle Clay's house of Pure Aloha. It's located in Aina Haina about 15 minutes from Waikiki. Definitely worth the drive out there.

Hawaii is home of the SPAM Musubi! A popular cafe is called Musubi Cafe Iyasume and they make fresh musubi to go. It's the perfect pre- and post- hike or swim snack!

RESTAURANTS

Highway Inn - We tried some traditional Hawaiian food here for my friends who had never had it. We tried kalua pork on top of nachos (great), beef stew (good), lau lau (delicious), poi (they gave the sour kind which is more old school but trust me, it's not for everyone), and haupia (coconut pudding).

We had delicious eats at The Pig and The Lady, a popular Vietnamese fusion restaurant. Highly recommend for adventurous eaters! http://thepigandthelady.com/dinner
Here's some dishes from our dinner:

Laotian Fried Chicken: twice fried chicken wings, moeny $sauce, fried shallot, kaffir lime, roasted peanuts, herb salad

Black Truffle Beignets: prized mushrooms from France, cauliflower cream, chives

Bone Marrow Pho (sorry for the blurry pic): bone marrow, brisket, rare beef, fresh ginger, calamansi, scallions, sawtooth herb, fresh rice noodle

Balinese Fish Dish- reminds me of our trip to Bali a few years ago!

And for dessert, check out this Yuzu Semifreddo: cocoa coffee crumble, fresh strawberries, charred pavlova, sugar cured yolk, strawberry yuzu sauce. It looks like a sunny side up egg with ketchup!

We went to Koko Head Cafe for brunch, owned by Top Chef veteran Lee Anne Wong. The food was delicious!
http://kokoheadcafe.com/brunch-all-day/

Here's a breakfast bruschetta with fresh tropical fruit and macadamia yogurt:

And a breakfast skillet of garlic rice, luau stew, fried eggs, and tempura onions. This dish was amazing but oh so filling:

If you're ever on Oahu with a large group of people, Side Street Inn on Da Strip is the perfect place to go to. LARGE portions and local flavor. I recommend the Da Works fried rice and Island Pork Chops.
http://sidestreetinn.com/locations/side-street-inn-on-da-strip

continued in next post...
​