PTR: 6 adults, 2 kids, 3 states, 1 holiday, and a lot of Disney Dining!- Updtd 11/11

[Judgey Judgerson]

Jahni's Day One Travel Plans

Ok, I hope you all can bear with me as I learn the intricacies of posting. I'm still learning a few of the tricks of replies and reminding myself to spell check, spell check, spell check (especially after catching a very embarrassing typo in my very first post...thank goodness for the edit button! ).

Emily has done a great job of posting our ADR's and setting the scene, so to speak, so I'll try to add a little color where I can!

On Day 1, November 15th, my day will begin at abooouuuut 4:00am, as I wake up and get ready for the 3 hour drive to beautiful Love Field in downtown Dallas. Which brings me to my projected first meal of the trip...

(photo courtesy of 5 hour energy website)

Nothing like a little heart palpitation to get the trip started off right! I prefer the orange flavor, it feels healthier.

Fortunately Love Field has excellent food choices, so I'll probably have a bite of Campisi's Breakfast Pizza when I arrive. If any of you fly out of Love or live in the Dallas area, I cannot recommend Campisi's enough. They have locations outside of the airport, and their pizza is AMAZING, especially if you love thin crust. I'm not a big fan of breakfast pizzas, but the crust and cheese is so good at Campisi's that I'm able to overlook the breakfasty of it all...Here is a pic of one of their regular pizzas (maybe canadian bacon?) and some other menu items, courtesy of their website

Hopefully breakfast pizza, pretzels and peanuts will be able to hold me over until I land in MCO...but considering I'm flying Southwest and don't land until 3:30pm I'm sure there will be some airport snacks mixed in there somewhere (I'm looking at you St. Louis Airport!)

I will be arriving about 6 or 7 hours before the rest of the group, so at the moment I'm planning on heading over to DTD to walk around, shop, and of course EAT! And here is my first question of many...where to eat? I am still undecided at this point. I've only eaten at WPE, and have LOOOVED it both times. I would be completely satisfied going back again, but am open to other suggestions, so how about it? What is your favorite restaurant in DTD?

And because I'm celebrating reaching my 10th post, which allows me to post pictures, here is a shot of Rick and Me immediately following my first WDW ride, Kilimanjaro Safari!

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

Joining In!!

Welcome! Thanks for following along!

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Joining In!!

Thanks for joining us!

 

[Minnie_Mom]

I thought I'd better give the rest of the group some respite from the 26 year old kid I'm traveling with he can be a little high maintenance at meal time

And we all appreciate it, especially, Porter and Audrey Anne. They expect that a certain level of maturity be maintained while they enjoy their meals.

My Hero!!

I've gotta quote this so you can't delete it later if everything goes awry!

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Jahni's Day One Travel Plans

Ok, I hope you all can bear with me as I learn the intricacies of posting. I'm still learning a few of the tricks of replies and reminding myself to spell check, spell check, spell check (especially after catching a very embarrassing typo in my very first post...thank goodness for the edit button! ).

Emily has done a great job of posting our ADR's and setting the scene, so to speak, so I'll try to add a little color where I can!

On Day 1, November 15th, my day will begin at abooouuuut 4:00am, as I wake up and get ready for the 3 hour drive to beautiful Love Field in downtown Dallas. Which brings me to my projected first meal of the trip...

(photo courtesy of 5 hour energy website)

Nothing like a little heart palpitation to get the trip started off right! I prefer the orange flavor, it feels healthier.

Fortunately Love Field has excellent food choices, so I'll probably have a bite of Campisi's Breakfast Pizza when I arrive. If any of you fly out of Love or live in the Dallas area, I cannot recommend Campisi's enough. They have locations outside of the airport, and their pizza is AMAZING, especially if you love thin crust. I'm not a big fan of breakfast pizzas, but the crust and cheese is so good at Campisi's that I'm able to overlook the breakfasty of it all...Here is a pic of one of their regular pizzas (maybe canadian bacon?) and some other menu items, courtesy of their website

Hopefully breakfast pizza, pretzels and peanuts will be able to hold me over until I land in MCO...but considering I'm flying Southwest and don't land until 3:30pm I'm sure there will be some airport snacks mixed in there somewhere (I'm looking at you St. Louis Airport!)

I will be arriving about 6 or 7 hours before the rest of the group, so at the moment I'm planning on heading over to DTD to walk around, shop, and of course EAT! And here is my first question of many...where to eat? I am still undecided at this point. I've only eaten at WPE, and have LOOOVED it both times. I would be completely satisfied going back again, but am open to other suggestions, so how about it? What is your favorite restaurant in DTD?

And because I'm celebrating reaching my 10th post, which allows me to post pictures, here is a shot of Rick and Me immediately following my first WDW ride, Kilimanjaro Safari!

Yay for first day plans! Will you bring me some of that pizza? It sounds delicious. Why I have I never heard of it?

Seeing the poncho picture reminds me that I need to purchase full body rain gear... pants, jackets, hats. The whole nine yards. After last year and the enormous amounts of rain we endured, I am so not leaving home without an entire suitcase filled with rain gear! Do you think you could find me on one these?

I believe this model is available at Saks...

 

[teetee830]

Joining in! I'll live vicariously through your plans. I don't have a trip planned until next October!

Dining Plans... Revealed!

Day Five, November 19- Epcot/Epcot; FANTASYLAND EXPANSION PREVIEW OPENS!
Breakfast: In-room
Lunch: Boulangerie Patisserie
Dinner: La Hacendia; Tutto Italia*

Day Six, November 20- MK/MK; Porter: Pirates League; Audrey Anne: BBB; Jahni and Rick leave in afternoon... Boo!
Breakfast: In-room
Lunch: BE OUR GUEST CS... before Rick and Jahni leave!
Dinner: CRT
]

Our favorite meal of our last trip was La Hacenida! I'm a bit jealous. Make sure to try the corn. YUMMY! I can't wait to hear about Be Our Guest both the counter and TS.

Yay for first day plans! Will you bring me some of that pizza? It sounds delicious. Why I have I never heard of it?

Seeing the poncho picture reminds me that I need to purchase full body rain gear... pants, jackets, hats. The whole nine yards. After last year and the enormous amounts of rain we endured, I am so not leaving home without an entire suitcase filled with rain gear! Do you think you could find me on one these?

I believe this model is available at Saks...

You are both so funny! These pictures crack me up!

 

[JDailey]

We were in Disney last October as well....it rained on us everyday!! We went back down in June and low and behold it rained on us almost everyday again! I am starting to get a complex.

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

Yay for first day plans! Will you bring me some of that pizza? It sounds delicious. Why I have I never heard of it?

Seeing the poncho picture reminds me that I need to purchase full body rain gear... pants, jackets, hats. The whole nine yards. After last year and the enormous amounts of rain we endured, I am so not leaving home without an entire suitcase filled with rain gear! Do you think you could find me on one these?

I believe this model is available at Saks...

I don't know if Campisi's is just a Dallas area restaurant or not, we just happened upon it one day. I'll see if I can smuggle some on board.

Unfortunately I won't be able to smuggle either of those hats on board. I'm actually in Tulsa today and popped into Saks, and would you believe they were sold out...travesty, I know.

But as luck would have it, I was able to pick one of these up...

I know, I know, it was expensive, but timeless, classy, rain accessories are few and far between, so I jumped on it.

and I'm pretty sure this gal will let us borrow her suit...and possibly her hoe...

I hope people aren't too jealous of our accoutrement...

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

We were in Disney last October as well....it rained on us everyday!! We went back down in June and low and behold it rained on us almost everyday again! I am starting to get a complex.

At first I was a little disappointed in the rain, but then i realized rain = shorter lines for Exp Everest! I think we rode 3 or 4 times in a row! But I have to admit by the end of the 2nd day, when every pair of shoes I brought were soaked, I was praying hard for sunshine!

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

Joining in! I'll live vicariously through your plans. I don't have a trip planned until next October!

Hi! Thank you for following along!! I had so much fun on our trip last October, it seems to be a great time to visit Florida.

You are both so funny! These pictures crack me up!

Emily and I are already taking bets on how long before actually begin to be annoyed by us (the over/under is at 5 days)..but I'm glad we're entertaining (at least momentarily) someone besides ourselves

 

[Roma]

What a fun PTR you have! It's awesome that you are all able to travel together as a family. Every time I do it with mine I worry that all of us aren't going to come out unharmed .

I will be arriving about 6 or 7 hours before the rest of the group, so at the moment I'm planning on heading over to DTD to walk around, shop, and of course EAT! And here is my first question of many...where to eat? I am still undecided at this point. I've only eaten at WPE, and have LOOOVED it both times. I would be completely satisfied going back again, but am open to other suggestions, so how about it? What is your favorite restaurant in DTD?

It's hard to turn down WPE but if you've never eaten at Earl of Sandwich you seriously should consider giving it a try! Even people I know who typically hate sandwiches love it there.

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Joining in! I'll live vicariously through your plans. I don't have a trip planned until next October!

Thanks for joining us!

Our favorite meal of our last trip was La Hacenida! I'm a bit jealous. Make sure to try the corn. YUMMY! I can't wait to hear about Be Our Guest both the counter and TS.

Jonathan and I ate there last year, but mom and dad have never been. I am really looking forward to it and just made a note to be sure to try the corn.

Yes, BOG... I can't wait!!

You are both so funny! These pictures crack me up!

Thanks, but I wasn't being funny. I really want, make that need, one of those hats.

We were in Disney last October as well....it rained on us everyday!! We went back down in June and low and behold it rained on us almost everyday again! I am starting to get a complex.

Oh, no! Please PM me your travel plans for the next 2-3 years. We'll need to make sure that we don't travel at the same time. The end result could be a complete catastrophe.

Unfortunately I won't be able to smuggle either of those hats on board. I'm actually in Tulsa today and popped into Saks, and would you believe they were sold out...travesty, I know.

Oh, no. I knew they would sell quickly. So glad you could think quickly and pick up the Elvis model. You know us Tennesseans love Elvis!

and I'm pretty sure this gal will let us borrow her suit...and possibly her hoe...

Do you think it comes in pink?

Emily and I are already taking bets on how long before actually begin to be annoyed by us (the over/under is at 5 days)..but I'm glad we're entertaining (at least momentarily) someone besides ourselves

Anyone else want in?

What a fun PTR you have! It's awesome that you are all able to travel together as a family. Every time I do it with mine I worry that all of us aren't going to come out unharmed .

Thanks and welcome! There are no promises that someone will not get harmed. But, I can promise that it won't be me or Jahni. The safe bet would be Jonathan or Rick.

It's hard to turn down WPE but if you've never eaten at Earl of Sandwich you seriously should consider giving it a try! Even people I know who typically hate sandwiches love it there.

Thanks for bringing use back to the food. I completely agree. We had always eaten at WPE but decided to give EOS a try. It was good, even great, but we haven't been back... only because we just like WPE so much more!

 

[jedijill]

This report is fun already! Along for the ride.

Jill in CO

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

This report is fun already! Along for the ride.

Jill in CO

Hi Jill! Love your username!

 

[jedijill]

Hi Jill! Love your username!

I love yours too.

Jill in CO

 

[Minnie_Mom]

Sorry it's been a little quiet for the past couple of days. My little princess turned THREE yesterday, so the weekend was super busy! Promise an update soon...

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

DAY TWO

So I've reached the point in my PTR writing where I have to ask for forgiveness for silently judging all of those TR and PTR writers who have ever began a new post with "I'm so sorry for the delay in updates..." or some variation of that statement... All of the "work has been crazy, life has been crazy, my crazy life has been crazy" clichés are soooo no longer clichés, they're TRUTH y'all. And I totally am sorry...and I am totally judging myself now.

So let's eat my Internet feelings and talk about some food!

Day Two will be our first full day at WDW. We are scheduled to be at DHS this morning. Sidebar: in my line of work I handle a lot of DHS cases (Dept of Human Services) and the subject matter is generally very sad, so every time I see "DHS" on these boards my brain does a double take. You can imagine how excited I will be on Friday morning to be going here

instead of here

Breakfast day one will be in the room. I'm not sure yet if we have an ice box in our room (that's a refrigerator for you fancy folks) but if we do I will probably be eating my regular yummy breakfast

plain (not strawberry or blueberry as pictured) Oikos Greek Yogurt mixed with

Nut-Trition Peanut Butter, Energy Mix.
And a little (a lot)

I don't drink coffee, but if I don't have a diet coke (or some form of caffeine) before 12:00...it's not pretty. You would probably find me lying in the middle of Main Street USA, wailing, gnashing teeth, possibly threatening the lives of the Dapper Dans or any other cheerful singing group that congregated around or near me. Don't make me be mean to the Dapper Dans y'all, just give me a Diet Coke.


If there is no ice box available I'll probably be going solo with my peanut butter. I love the Nut-Trition banana peanut butter, if you haven't tried it yet, go for it! But be warned, it has a lot of different textures to it. Lots of granola and dates mixed in. I love it, but I know the crunchy vs smooth PB is a controversial topic...it may even be a banned topic on Disboards, so I will quickly move on.

Did you guys happen to catch Minnie_Mom's lunch post for this day? You did? Great!! Because that is EXACTLY what I plan on eating. Cupcakes y'all. Cupcakes. I'm sure I'll throw a turkey sams in there too, considering the amount of sugar I plan on indulging in this day (this trip!) a little protein couldn't hurt. There's a good chance that Rick and I will split this meal. He doesn't generally like to eat a big meal during the day and claims he doesn't like sweets (yet he always seems to eat seconds of whatever dessert my mother has cooked...curious... g), so that means I will probably be able to enjoy a half a turkey sandwich and most of a cupcake, which will make me feel like I'm eating healthier . I've tried both the butterfinger and the peanut butter cupcake at Starring Rolls, but I'm considering branching out (but I will not be branching out to Red Velvet...I don't want to get too crazy here). Do any of you guys have a favorite SR cupcake? And while we're at it, what's your favorite meal in general at SR?

Dinner will actually be one of the first bittersweet moments of the trip. After we leave DHS and rest up, Rick and I will be getting ready for The Grand Floridian Cafe and MVMCP! While I'm VERY excited to be eating at GFC and cannot wait for the party, I'm sad the rest of our group won't be joining us tonight. Because Rick and I are only going to be in WDW for 5 days, our choices on party dates were limited...as in it was tonight or not at all. And while i wish the rest of our group were going to be with us, I certainly can't blame them for not wanting to brave the Christmas Party crowd on a Friday night. Don't get me wrong, I'd follow Emily into battle were she armed with her Maclaren stroller, a map, and show schedule for the Magic Kingdom. The woman has no fear.
And I have in fact followed her...wearing bunny ears, no less!

MNSSHP 2011 I love that Emily and Rick's family go all out to celebrate! Any guesses on who we went as?

But with two smaller kids, I think they've made the very wise choice to wait for a less crowded night for the Christmas Party.
So instead I will focus on the Sweet (and savory) side of the night

ADR's for this night have changed about 274 times (or maybe 3 times), but after talking it through with Emily Cricket, we decided that GFC would be a great option. It's on the monorail, so getting to the Christmas Party will hopefully be easy, the menu looks to be slightly more upscale than most non signature TS, and most importantly it's at The Grand Floridian! Sidebar: I. Love. Florida. I love the beach, I love the food, I love the shopping. My family vacations on the gulf coast and it's almost like a second home. What's that you say? You want to see a gratuitous picture of my niece enjoying the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast? Well, ok, since you asked...

And maybe one more from a girls trip with Mom and sisters...but again, only because you asked...

Needless to say, I've been wanting to tour the GF since before my first trip to WDW because it seems to be the ultimate ode to Florida. I can't imagine a better time to see it than when it's decorated for Christmas!

Neither Rick or myself have eaten at GFC, so we're excited to try out the menu. Rick loves steak, and I don't know that any of our other ADR's will have a steak on the menu, so I'm not sure he'll be able to resist the NY Strip. I have to admit it looks pretty good

But as for me, I'm at a loss as to what to order... I'm not a huge fan of hamburgers, but I LOOOVE lobster, so the GF Burger is very tempting. Has anyone tried it? How was it?

For dessert, I'm trying to decide between the chocolate fondue

Or "sweet" talking Rick into splitting this with me

Which have y'all liked better? Any other suggestions?

After what I'm sure will be a great meal, we will jump on the monorail and head over MVMCP! We were able to attend MNSSHP in 2011, so I have an idea of what to expect in general, as far as shorter ride lines, etc. But I've heard a sneaky little rumor that they serve Cookies and Hot Chocolate at the Christmas Party...(Yay!!) Does anyone have any pictures of cookies or any other Christmas party treats? What are some of your favorite MVMCP activities?

I think that will pretty much wrap up Day 2. Up next, MVMCP one night, early morning ADR's the next morning...

I'm posting this update from my iPhone so fingers crossed everything comes out ok!

 

[teetee830]

DAY TWO
Do any of you guys have a favorite SR cupcake? [/B] And while we're at it, what's your favorite meal in general at SR?

I've only been to SR once we only had pastries. Big mistake, we were still full from breakfast at lunch time and had early ADR's for dinner so decided to just try a snack. My 5 year old DS wanted a Turkey sandwich and the mean mommy (that would be me) wouldn't let him, I ended up dragging the crying child out of the place. Yep we were that family. Learned a lesson the hard way if he wants the sandwhich give it to him. Anyway I digress. We had the Butterfinger Cupcake, Fresh Fruit Tart and Strawberry Parfait between 3 of us and shared, all were amazing (after the crying was over).

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

What a fun PTR you have! It's awesome that you are all able to travel together as a family. Every time I do it with mine I worry that all of us aren't going to come out unharmed .

haha..I've been there! Travelling with my family is always an (ahem) adventure...So far, traveling with Emily's family (for me) has been a great experience...they may tell a whole different story about travelling with me though

It's hard to turn down WPE but if you've never eaten at Earl of Sandwich you seriously should consider giving it a try! Even people I know who typically hate sandwiches love it there.

EOS is on my short list. I'm not a big sandwhich person (thick bread intimidates me... ) but it has such great reviews that I think I'm going to have to try it!

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

. My 5 year old DS wanted a Turkey sandwich and the mean mommy (that would be me) wouldn't let him, I ended up dragging the crying child out of the place. Yep we were that family. Learned a lesson the hard way if he wants the sandwhich give it to him.

OHHH I totally know exactly what you mean. I recently hauled my kicking, screaming, fit throwing 3 yr old nephew out of the grocery store because I wouldn't let him have a toy truck that had candy in it (he had 2 of them at the house). I had to hold him hostage in the back of the car because he kept trying to escape and run back in and grab the truck while my Mom finished paying for the groceries. I'm pretty sure people thought I was beating and torturing him he was screaming so loudly. I'm still telling myself that it was the principle of the thing, but really, I probably should have just paid the $1.99 for the truck.