I'll Call Steve: A Wilderprincess PTR! (Aug 2015) *COMPLETED*

[Newsies]

Come one, come all!
Attend my second PTR here on the DIS!​

"When stars are born, they possess a gift or two. One of them's this, they have the power to make a dream come true..."​

Hello everyone!

My name is Kaitlyn, and I'll be your PTR director ​

You'll just have to guess which one is me.​

Some of you may recognize me from my previous hits here on the DIS- my groundbreaking July 2014 TR, "You're definitely feeling and not concealing!", and it's respectful PTR, "So whatever happens, let's begin". For those of you who don't know me-

HI!

You'll get to know more about me later. I promise. For now, all you need to know is this:

This trip took me completely by shock. Two weeks ago, I told my mother that I wanted to go back to Walt Disney World for my high school graduation gift. So she told me she'd call Steve, our AAA Travel Agent that we've been working with since our first WDW vacation in 2010. In these past, short two weeks, our plans have changed from a club level stay at the Polynesian, to a club level stay at The Wilderness Lodge, to a club level stay at the Contemporary, to a standard room at The Wilderness Lodge, to a standard room at The Wilderness Lodge with the dining plan, to a standard room at the Contemporary. Finally, my mother just said she'd call Steve this week to get a price range. He was out of his office for a week, but then I got this text from my mother:

The whole top row of emojis sums up how I feel right now perfectly. Minus the dog, I guess.​

This morning, my mom officially called Steve to book the trip. They had to play phone tag for a little bit, but eventually, we BOOKED OUR FIRST OFFICIAL STAY AT DISNEY'S WILDERNESS LODGE!

​

While we're at a disadvantage booking 154 days out (no BOG for us this time around!), this vacation marks a major first for our family. It's our first time not staying at a monorail resort. We're very excited to give the Wilderness Lodge a try. However, it's also a very sad "last" for me.

See, I'm about to go off to college. This trip is my last time going to Disney World as a kid living with my family. The next time I go, I could be going (and paying!) all by myself. It's my bittersweet final vacation before becoming "an adult". Of course, I'm still very young But I have no doubt things are going to change in September, and I'm glad I have one little family vacation in Walt Disney World to look forward to before they do.

With all that being said, this is certainly going to be a magical and wild ride, and I'm very glad I can share it with you all!

I now present to you-

THE 5 "W"s OF A PTR
Who: Kaitlyn, Grace, Mom, and Dad!
What: Our 3rd Walt Disney World Vacation
When: August 1st-9th, 2015
Where: Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Why: To celebrate my high school graduation!
Let the pre-trip reporting BEGIN!​

 

[Newsies]

Table of Contents:
1. Some Formal Introductions (3/1/15)
2. A Perfectly Princess-riffic Set of ADRs (3/2/15)
3. Snow BOG lunch... but snow much Disneybounding! (3/5/15)
4. Breakfast is served! (3/8/15)
5. Mickey Mail! (3/10/15)
6. It's T-Shirt Time! (3/15/15)
7. REAL LIFE UPDATE #1 (3/23/15)
8. Travel/Arrival Day Plans (3/28/15)
9. Magic Kingdom Plans- Day #1 (4/2/15)
10. Let's Go to the Mall! (4/5/15)
11. Epcot Plans- Day #2 (4/10/15)
12. Good News on Top of More Good News! (4/13/15)
13. Hollywood Studios Plans- Day #3 (4/18/15)
14. Animal Kingdom Plans- Day #4 (4/20/15)
15. Mini-Update: 101 Dalmatians Movie Night! (4/22/15)
16. The Double Digit Dance! (4/24/15)
17. I'm Celebrating Cute Buttons! (4/26/15)
18. Meet ALL the Princesses... in One Day? (4/30/15)
19. Mini-Update: Pinterest Plugging! (5/7/15)
20. Yay, New Clothes! (5/9/15)
21. A Delay in the Action (5/16/15)
22. A Little Mermaid Themed Birthday Party! (5/22/15)
23 A. Gigi Review/My New "Baby" (5/25/15)
23 B. DHS/MK Day #6 Plans (5/25/15)
25. FP+ Planning (5/31/15)
26. OUR FP+ / A Small Debacle (6/2/15)
27. Pins & Needles & Mostly PINS! (6/9/15)
28. Animal Kingdom Excitement! (6/12/15)
29 A. iPhone Apps... and All That Jazz! (Part One) (6/15/15)
29 B. iPhone Apps... and All That Jazz! (Part Two) (6/15/15)
30. Adventure is Out There! (6/19/15)
31. The Tale of the Lime Green Mickey Head (6/26/15)
32. Accio Stress! (6/30/15)
33. Magic Kingdom Day #7 Plans (7/4/15)
34. Magicbands!!! (7/8/15)
35. BRB, Off to Hogwarts (7/9/15)
36. I'M BACK! (7/18/15)
37. Final Day/Travel Home Plans (7/20/15)
38. The Single Digit Dance Playlist! (7/23/15)
39. The Packing Party (7/24/15)
40. Plan Changes and Notebooks (7/27/15)

 

[PlutosRHM55]

OMG YAY! So excited that you get to go for your graduation! You're going to have the best time ever. I can't wait to hear about all your plans!

 

[Newsies]

OMG YAY! So excited that you get to go for your graduation! You're going to have the best time ever. I can't wait to hear about all your plans!

THANK YOU TIMMY!!!!

I made all of my ADRs before even making this trip and let me just say, if they're an indicator of how fantastic this trip is going to be, I'm in for a great time

I knew you'd be my first comment. I'm so glad you're following. Thanks for jump starting this PTR and thanks for just being a good friend, bud

 

[xlsm]

So I just finished your TR from July. I'm basically bingeing (spellcheck says this is not a word, but I disagree. Mainly b/c spellcheck also says spellcheck is not a word. Liar.) on trip reports because I'm in major withdrawl and my own upcoming Disney visit is too. far. away. I too, am a fan of Gaston meet -n- greets

Anyway, I'm a self proclaimed Wilderness Lodge junkie...you will LOVE it there, it is miraculous.

Following along!!

 

[bradiblue27]

love it! congrats on graduating high school soon and joining the rest of us "hardworking" college kids! following along

 

[Newsies]

So I just finished your TR from July. I'm basically bingeing (spellcheck says this is not a word, but I disagree. Mainly b/c spellcheck also says spellcheck is not a word. Liar.) on trip reports because I'm in major withdrawl and my own upcoming Disney visit is too. far. away. I too, am a fan of Gaston meet -n- greets

Anyway, I'm a self proclaimed Wilderness Lodge junkie...you will LOVE it there, it is miraculous.

Following along!!

Welcome aboard!

Thanks for reading my other TR! I always find myself BINGEING on TRs as well they really are the best way to deal with WDW withdrawl!!!

Gaston meet and greets are honestly the only meet and greets that i can read about for hours and never go bored. He's great!!!

I was very anti-wilderness for a while (it's a funny story when I get to it, I promise ) but I fell in love with it about a year ago. It's so pretty!!!

love it! congrats on graduating high school soon and joining the rest of us "hardworking" college kids! following along

Welcome aboard!

Thank you so much! Can't wait to join the college crew

 

[Newsies]

Some Formal Introductions
153 days out​

I feel like I've known you all for quite some time now. It seems like only yesterday I posted this thread! I believe some proper introductions are in order.

Anyway, now that this thread is established, you should know who I am (and who my family is!)​

Prrrrresenting the royal family!

This is my token, go-to family photo.

We've been to WDW as a family 2 times. In 2010, we stayed at the Contemporary resort. Last year, we stayed at the Grand Floridian. When I was 5, I went on a day trip with my parents, but I don't remember much of it. We're a big family of Disney-lovers, but some of us show it differently than others.

First, meet my mom and dad.

This photo was taken at a New Years Eve party last year, where they ironically went home before midnight.

My mom works in real estate. She's a bit of a Disney snob- she only stays at the top resorts and she only goes to the parks in the evening. She likes to relax by the pool during the day and play for a couple of hours during the night. Staying at the Grand Floridian last year fulfilled her life-long dream. She's been going to WDW since she was very little, and she's been to Disneyland once, but she's never stayed on Disney property until 2010. It took a little time to get her onto #TeamWildernessLodge. But once she saw how pretty the resort was, and how much money we'd be saving if we went there, she agreed that it was the right place for our family vacation this year. Her favorite park is Magic Kingdom, her favorite movie is Dumbo, her favorite resort is the Grand Floridian, her favorite ride is the Haunted Mansion, and her favorite restaurant is Liberty Tree Tavern.

My dad works in public administration. My dad is also a volunteer firefighter- he's a bit obsessed with Chief Smokey Miller! He claims that he wants to be Main Street's beloved fire chief when he retires. He's a ton of fun... usually. He thinks my sister and I are getting "too old" to meet the characters. I completely disagree- but I did cut back on the amount of character meals we booked this trip. No worries! Two of the best ones made the cut He's a big fan of classic Disney stuff. What will he do when Pirates of the Caribbean is closed for our whole stay? We just don't know. His favorite park is Magic Kingdom, his favorite movie is The Jungle Book, his favorite resort is the Contemporary, his favorite ride is Pirates of the Caribbean, and his favorite restaurant is 50's Prime Time Cafe.

Now, I'd like you to meet Grace.

Two very important princesses in the same photo.

Like me, Grace is celebrating a graduation, too! She's graduating from middle school... into high school. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little worried about her being a freshman. She's got a little bit of social anxiety. She usually dislikes going out to eat at restaurants, and often leaves her food untouched. But when she's at Disney, she's a whole different person. She still hates being in the parks in the morning/afternoon, but when she's out at night, she has a blast! Her favorite part of going out on vacation in swimming in the pool, and she'd rather take a trip down a water slide than a trip on Splash Mountain any day. But she looooves meeting the characters, especially the princesses. Disney gives her a lot of confidence to branch out and try new things. Her favorite park is Magic Kingdom, her favorite movie is Peter Pan, her favorite resort is the Contemporary, her favorite ride is Peter Pan's Flight, and her favorite restaurant is Chef Mickey's.

Finally, meet the princess. That's me, Kaitlyn!

This was taken on one of the best days of my whole life.

Incoming freshman at Pace University in NYC, lover of all things musical theater, drinker of all things Starbucks. I'm completely, utterly obsessed with every aspect of Disney. I'm the most princessified, pixie-dusted girl I know. The kind that wants to wear a tiara to prom.

ADRs are very important to me- while my palate is simple, I consider myself a bit of a Disney foodie... just keep me away from any weird cheeses and sauces. I'm dreaming of the day I'm reunited with my humble Dole Whip and mighty Mickey Rice Krispie treat. I also LOVE pin trading and meeting the characters. In fact, meeting the characters would have to be my favorite part about going to WDW. My Disney touring style is not very practical. It's all day, every day- park open to park close. I'm a Gemini, so I move a lot based on whatever idea pops into my head at any given moment- that means I could be in Frontierland one minute, then Fantasyland the next, then Adventureland after that. This means that most of the time, I'm going to be on my own this trip. But hey! After the brief solo adventures I had last year, I'm looking forward to what I accomplish by myself this year. My favorite park is Magic Kingdom, my favorite movie is the Little Mermaid, my favorite resort is the Grand Floridian, my favorite ride is Splash Mountain, and my favorite restaurant is 1900 Park Fare.


As you've gathered, we're quite the cast of characters. Stick around and you'll find that when we come together, hilarity and love ensues



​

 

[Newsies]

A Perfectly Princess-riffic Set of ADRs
152 days out
​

We booked our trip out 154 days in advance. Which means we had to hustle for what we wanted. We knew Be Our Guest wouldn't be a possibility, but I still jumped as soon as my mother booked it. It was the first thing I did- before even writing this PTR. Well, actually, that's a big lie. The first thing I did was go dress shopping with my sister. Then we got lunch. But then I went straight home and made the ADRs!!!

We actually had trouble linking up our reservation number with our MDE/Disney vacation acc, which delayed the process even further. I was on the phone with Disney tech for 20 minutes.

It was not fun

BUT, an hour later, I was actually finished with all of my ADRs! I've had a pretty solid plan in my head of where I wanted to eat for, like... months. It's embarrassing, actually. You can ask anyone who's trip reports I've been following. This trip, which I dubbed "my currently hypothetical next trip" for months, has been in the works since I got home in July.

What was I saying? Right. ADRs. HERE is my fabulous list of ADRs that I have, complete with our first skeleton of a full plan!

Saturday, August 1st
Check-In

6:30 dinner at Trail's End Buffet

This day has been the most problematic so far. We've been going to DTD on our check-in night for all the trips we've had in the past 4 years (all two of them!), and after waiting 45 minutes for a bus at 9:00 in the evening last time, decided that this plan was not even an option this time around. So at first we just booked a dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe. But I wasn't crazy about the food options. But then my mother wondered about the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue because she's a fried chicken maniac. Well, Disney wouldn't let me book a HDDR res, so that wasn't happening. Then, today during English, my friend Molly informed me that Trail's End Buffet most likely shared a kitchen with HDDR, and definitely served the same ribs, chicken, etc. I've never been there, but after reading the disney dining blog review, I was immediately sold. And I was very easily able to switch into it! I booked it at 6:30 so we could have an hour and a half to eat before heading off to Chip and Dale's Campfire- something else my mother wanted to experience


Sunday, August 2nd
Magic Kingdom

8:30 dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table

I'm not a big fan of the dinner menu at CRT. But I am a big fan of princesses, character meals, flour less chocolate cake, and FINDING OUT WHAT THE NEWLY RENOVATED CASTLE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE!!! I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get a reservation at CRT this time around. I booked it at 8:30 so we'd be relatively close to Wishes. The last time I was at CRT, it was for breakfast in 2010. I seem to remember not being a huge fan of their breakfast. And the dinner menu doesn't really appeal to me much either. But like I said. I'm here for the experience, not necessarily the food


Monday, August 3rd
Epcot

6:30 dinner at Via Napoli

What better way to unwind after a long day at Epcot with some good old world showcase dining? The last time I was in WDW, we only ate breakfast in Epcot- Akershus, obviously. But when I got home and started reading reviews of VN, I knew I had to book it for this trip. Now, my family is from NJ- so we're big pizza snobs. And personally, we find Disney pizza downright repulsive (sorry Pizza Planet fans!!!). When I first saw the photos of pizza here, I was absolutely flabbergastered. When I heard that pizza in VN follows "Traditional Italian Pizza Law" (DID YOU KNOW IN FRANCE THERE ARE LEGITIMATE LAWS FOR MAKING CROISSANTS? IT'S TRUE) and imports water from Italy to make their crusts, I fell in love. I'm coming for you, Via Napoli. You and your strawberry frescas and margherita pies.


Tuesday, August 4th
Hollywood Studios

6:20 dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe

We've actually eaten at the 50PTC every time we've gone to Disney World ever. But can you blame us? The theming is fun, the food is delicious, and there aren't many options in DHS to begin with. I'm counting down the days until I see that brownie sundae with caramel corn again.



Wednesday, August 5th
Animal Kingdom

5:30 dinner at Yak and Yeti

Two years ago, I would have been elated to eat here. In fact, it was one of the first ADRs I booked for my 2014 trip... but then I had to cancel it to make way for a 1900PF dinner (which happens to be my current favorite restaurant, if you remember!). Now it's just a meal I'm going to have in order to fill and old dream of mine that I don't think was ever even really a real dream. I love Asian cuisine and I love the idea of pineapple wontons, though, so I'm sure I'll be happy. Also, have I ever mentioned how much I appreciate that the DDP includes dessert? I love the DDP.


Thursday, August 6th
TBD, probably DHS and MK

6:30 dinner at 1900 Park Fare

Anyone who's read my previous TR, or my bio, or the last paragraph, knows how I feel about 1900PF. The strawberry soup. The cute little desserts. Prince Charming. Enough has been said.


Friday, August 7th
Most likely MK, definitely Epcot

2:05 tea time at the Grand Floridian's Garden View Tea Room

I can honestly say that this is absolutely, without a doubt, my most anticipated ADR at this moment. I was ELATED when I snagged a reservation for three- just mom, Grace and I! It's going to be a very cute ladies tea. I'm already eyeing up that princess tea and trifle, guys. And it's going to be my first official tea time. Aww!!!

7:30 dinner at the Cape May Cafe

Okay, I was REALLY WORRIED that this would conflict with afternoon tea. Originally, I had to book afternoon tea for 3:40. But then recently (as in, while I was writing this post) I checked again and I was able to bump it down to 2:05 so it looks like it won't clash at all! This might change to River Grille. I really like Cape May, but I want to book a meal at River Grille instead so my dad can finally see the boardwalk like he's been asking to for a few years. So this will probably be changing soon.


Saturday, August 8th
Magic Kingdom

5:10 dinner at 'Ohanas

Sadly, this will be our last ADR for the trip look at me, getting all sad about a vacation ending 5 MONTHS FROM NOW. Still, there's something very melancholy about a good, last dinner at WDW and I felt 'Ohanas would be appropriate. Everyone always raves about 'Ohanas, and since it's such a cult classic, I'm giving it a try. Hopefully it will be the perfect send off for our Disney vacation.
​

 

[Silvermist20]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm so happy for you!

I will hopefully be going in August too, but sadly it won't be at the same time.

I love Wilderness Lodge, you'll probably (hopefully) love it too.

Via Napoli is amazing, my whole family likes it.

You'll also LOVE the Garden View Tea Room.

Well that's all for now. I'm following along.

 

[Newsies]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'm so happy for you!

I will hopefully be going in August too, but sadly it won't be at the same time.

I love Wilderness Lodge, you'll probably (hopefully) love it too.

Via Napoli is amazing, my whole family likes it.

You'll also LOVE the Garden View Tea Room.

Well that's all for now. I'm following along.

THANKS SILV!!! WELCOME ABOARD

I fell so hard in love with WL it's ridiculous. It still feels a litle surreal that I'm actually staying there. I can't wait!!!

Via Napoli looks so delicious. It's one of the restaurants I can't wait to try for the first time!

Don't even get me started on the Garden View Tea Room. I'll probably cry once I get there. It's so cute.

Thanks Silv! Enjoy x

 

[amberg93]

I can't believe I didn't see this sooner but of course I'll be following along for the ride

That's the sort of graduation present I would have wanted.

Wilderness Lodge?! Holy guacamole that is a beautiful resort (so I've seen through pictures and never in real life) I'm sure that your mom will love it even if it is no Grand Floridian.

I'm totally on board with all your dining options. No Be Our Guest? So what, those are super good choices for eating. I'm getting hungry just thinking about so many of those awesome options. Looks like it's all set up to be a pretty great trip.

 

[Newsies]

I can't believe I didn't see this sooner but of course I'll be following along for the ride

That's the sort of graduation present I would have wanted.

Wilderness Lodge?! Holy guacamole that is a beautiful resort (so I've seen through pictures and never in real life) I'm sure that your mom will love it even if it is no Grand Floridian.

I'm totally on board with all your dining options. No Be Our Guest? So what, those are super good choices for eating. I'm getting hungry just thinking about so many of those awesome options. Looks like it's all set up to be a pretty great trip.

Amber. I'm so happy to you're here. Welcome aboard!!!

I've come to consider this as less of a graduation present for my sister and I and more of a "way-of-my-mother-coping-with-her-oldest-child-no-longer-living-with-her-come-September" consolation prize for her she wanted me to pencil in a lot of quality family time this trip. It's going to be very sweet

The WL is very pretty. I'm going to enjoy the theming of the hotel a lot. And I'm sure my mother will too, once she stops longingly looking at photos of the GF

Yeah, after making the ADRs, I'm not sure where Be Our Guest would have even really fit in. I tried to fit in as many new places as possible (but I insisted on 1900PF again!). Everything looks great! (PS... I'm totally just saying, it was your TR that made me want to visit Via Napoli)

 

[amberg93]

Amber. I'm so happy to you're here. Welcome aboard!!!

I've come to consider this as less of a graduation present for my sister and I and more of a "way-of-my-mother-coping-with-her-oldest-child-no-longer-living-with-her-come-September" consolation prize for her she wanted me to pencil in a lot of quality family time this trip. It's going to be very sweet

The WL is very pretty. I'm going to enjoy the theming of the hotel a lot. And I'm sure my mother will too, once she stops longingly looking at photos of the GF

Yeah, after making the ADRs, I'm not sure where Be Our Guest would have even really fit in. I tried to fit in as many new places as possible (but I insisted on 1900PF again!). Everything looks great! (PS... I'm totally just saying, it was your TR that made me want to visit Via Napoli)

Thank you

Well hey, whatever it takes to get to go. Besides, quality family time will be great.

Maybe it'll take her actually being there to be won over, but on the DISUnplugged poll for best lobby Wilderness lodge won with something like 32% of the vote, so people tend to love it there with good reason.

You've got to have somewhere you visit just because you love it. And yay for Via Napoli! That pizza is to die for, I'm telling you, you won't regret it.

 

[ForeverDance]

I'm reading along. I have a "currently hypothetical next trip" that is planned out in my head for the end of August. My DD is graduating this year and moving away to University in September. I really want to take one big family vacation before that happens. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it will be feasible for us but that won't stop me from making hypothetical plans and living vicariously through others!

Have you considered a Be Our Guest reservation for lunch? Since they just opened recently you might be able to snag one of those.

 

[Newsies]

I'm reading along. I have a "currently hypothetical next trip" that is planned out in my head for the end of August. My DD is graduating this year and moving away to University in September. I really want to take one big family vacation before that happens. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it will be feasible for us but that won't stop me from making hypothetical plans and living vicariously through others!

Have you considered a Be Our Guest reservation for lunch? Since they just opened recently you might be able to snag one of those.

Welcome aboard

I wish your daughter luck and success in university and I wish you some pixie dust for a dream vacation in the future- it sounds like you really deserve one

Don't worry. We've all made hypothetical trip plans! It just makes the real ones even more special when you realize they're no longer in your head

I've considered a BoG lunch res, but it'd probably be only me since I'm the only one who really goes the parks for lunch... still, I wouldn't want my family to get mad that I made a lunch res without them. We'll have to see! Luckily we have 5 months to work out the nitty grittys

Thanks for joining me!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Again, your dad could TOTALLY be Chief Smokey Miller. And I love that photo of your parents, so cute. Your mom has fantastic taste in rides and I totally agree about characters being the best part of WDW. I fell in love with M&Gs on this past trip and I cannot wait until my DCP (whether that be this coming fall or the following) when I can go on character hunting days where I just go around the parks and meet characters. *sigh*

Great choices for ADRs! You'll LOVE Via Napoli and 'Ohanas. My friend and I both had great experiences, especially Via Napoli. The Italian ICPers are so sweet there and make sure to mention that you're graduating, they do something really fun for that (and it's DELICIOUS). Yak and Yeti is also awesome (went there on my first trip). It's not my favorite, even in terms of more exotic food fare (Sanaa at AKL is where it's at), but it was my mom's favorite so it definitely is a safe bet. Also, just a side recommendation, since I know you seem to be sacrificing "good food" for a great experience with your CRT meal, I highly recommend Garden Grill. No princesses or anything, but there are still characters (who are ALWAYS awesome) and the food is FANTASTIC! It's my family's favorite.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your plans!

 

[disneyjes]

Wow! Disney for your graduation is so awesome. What a sweet and special memory before you head off to college! I'm excited to join you on this PTR!

 

[Newsies]

Again, your dad could TOTALLY be Chief Smokey Miller. And I love that photo of your parents, so cute. Your mom has fantastic taste in rides and I totally agree about characters being the best part of WDW. I fell in love with M&Gs on this past trip and I cannot wait until my DCP (whether that be this coming fall or the following) when I can go on character hunting days where I just go around the parks and meet characters. *sigh*

Great choices for ADRs! You'll LOVE Via Napoli and 'Ohanas. My friend and I both had great experiences, especially Via Napoli. The Italian ICPers are so sweet there and make sure to mention that you're graduating, they do something really fun for that (and it's DELICIOUS). Yak and Yeti is also awesome (went there on my first trip). It's not my favorite, even in terms of more exotic food fare (Sanaa at AKL is where it's at), but it was my mom's favorite so it definitely is a safe bet. Also, just a side recommendation, since I know you seem to be sacrificing "good food" for a great experience with your CRT meal, I highly recommend Garden Grill. No princesses or anything, but there are still characters (who are ALWAYS awesome) and the food is FANTASTIC! It's my family's favorite.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your plans!

I know, right? I'm lowkey hoping he takes another photo with the Chief in August because the resemblence is so uncanny. They could be brothers. D'awww, thanks, if you think they're cute, you should see their children LOL!

Yessss character meets are so fun. I hate that nobody our age gets that, you know? I feel like there are a lot of non-Disney people who are very anti-character meet. Makes me sad. Oh well! More for us!

GOOD LUCK on your DCP!!!

YOUR trip report was what made me book 'Ohanas. I had seen reviews of it, but YOU were the TR that made me try lo-mein so I decided to go with 'Ohanas because YOU seem to know what you're doing!

I thought about Garden Grill for this trip, actually. It came down to that and Cape May Cafe and I decided to go for Cape May Cafe because the dinner buffet doesn't have characters and includes a seafood buffet that my dad would love- it's a meal for him, you know? But Garden Grill is probably gonna be accomplished at some point in another future trip.

Can't wait to share them with you!!!

Wow! Disney for your graduation is so awesome. What a sweet and special memory before you head off to college! I'm excited to join you on this PTR!

Welcome aboard!

It's definitely going to be a fun and special experience and I feel absolutely blessed that it's going to be a reality very soon.

Thanks for stopping in! I hope you enjoy

 

[Newsies]

Snow BOG lunch... but snow much Disneybounding!
149 days out
​

As the puns may have clued you in, today is a SNOW DAY here in NJ!

Which means I have plenty of time on my hands to fill you in on things I don't have much time to update right now, and probably won't for a couple of weeks. We're now entering the final two weeks before the curtain on my school musical goes up, which means I'll be at my school from 7:45 in the morning to 9:30 in the evening 5 days a week. Yikes.

I looked into all of your advice and I tried to book a lunch ADR at BOG. The good news is that there were tons of times! The bad news is, until the end of May, I'm not 18 and I can't book a lunch ADR for just me. Does anyone know a way to get around this loophole risk-free? If so, I'd appreciate your advice.

I've been thinking a lot about Disneybounding lately. I tried to be Elsa on my last trip, but that didn't go over well since I didn't feel like wearing a dress to MK. Today, I came up with a few conceptual ideas for Disneybounding on Polyvore. They're not that pretty. They're just plain T-Shirts and shorts and the likes. But here they are:

Maleficent

I used my Disney Movie Reward points for a the Maleficent horn headband. It's modeled after Jolie's Maleficent, not the original cartoon version. I really want to put them to use! I think it could be really cute to take a photo with Aurora as movie maleficent. Red lipstick and all-black clothes is pretty much all I need to pull it off.

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Cruella

I actually don't know if I really want to bound as Cruella, but I made a set anyway. All I would need are spotted shirts, red accessories, black shorts, and blueish-green jewelry.​

Esmeralda

I've wanted to bound as Esmeralda for some time now. I think she's super pretty and we pretty much have the same hair, so what's not to love? I could totally rock the hot pink headband.

Marie

I know I said I didn't want to bound in a dress, but I literally have to wear this and take a photo with Marie on main street. It's not optional. It has to happen. I don't care if I have to go back to WL and change immediately after, but I have to do it.

Wendy Darling

Out of all the bounding I want to do, I want to bound as Wendy the most. If I wore something like this, and brought a Peter Pan doll with me, my meet and greet photos with Tink and Peter could be "potentially lethal"-level cute.

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That's really all I wanted to share with you guys today. It's a snow day!!! I had to update you on something. Once the weather gets warmer, I'll start seriously looking for clothes to bound in. Until then, I'll be using Polyvore to come up with other ideas for bounding.

Now, as I've mentioned before, it's a snow day. It's cold, and I'm dreaming of the day where I arrive at the Wilderness lodge in 93-degree heat. Sadly, today is not the day my dreams come true. So I'm going to go... uh... make some soup. Or something.