The Adventures of Miss Potts - PTR Fall 2013 UPDATE 9/25!!

Miss Potts

Miss Potts

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Hi Everyone!

I’m so looking forward to my upcoming trip in the Fall, that I thought what better way to fill my time than with a pre-trip report!

So join me over the next 150 days… I hope you’ll join me in the fun, learn about me in the process, have a few (or more than a few) laughs, and then be hooked so you’ll follow my trip report as well!!


Who

Amy



I’m the Disney fan in this couple… I have been for as long as I can remember. In 5th grade, after a trip to Disney, I came home and announced to my family that I was giving up on becoming a ballerina and now wanted to be a Hotel Manager in Disney when I grow up! I’m a former CP from Spring 2005 and I work as a Front Desk Manager.


My DH – Scott



He’s not a natural born Disney lover, but I think I’ve been winning him over trip by trip. I find him talking about Disney positively unprovoked now and then and I like to say that my DH “drank the juice”. He is a mason and loves golf and hunting. My DH loves to eat, so I can get him to agree to a Disney trip as long as it falls over Food and Wine. Easy enough!


When
September 29 through October 4

Where
As you can see in my signature, I have been very fortunate to have quite a few trips under my belt… where will we stay this time you ask?!

Welllllll… throughout our entire last trip, if my DH said it once… he must have said it a million times… “Next time I come, I’m staying at the Polynesian.” He’d announce it in this way that just incase he came without me, I’d know where to find him?!?!

I jumped quickly on this and took advantage of a bounceback offer with 35% off!



Why
Does there really need to be a why when it comes to Disney trips?! NO! But, there usually is…

For this trip, it’s mainly because we have an AP this year and I wanted to maximize it. As I mentioned above, we took advantage of the fantastic bounceback offer… so all the pieces fit into place.

Oh, did I mention I have airline miles too… so the flight is free?!?!!!! OHHHH glorious airline miles..

airline miles + AP + bounceback offer = HAPPY AMY

AND, last but not least - - it will be our 2nd Wedding Anniversary on October 1!!!

Here is a photo from our wedding day:


 
 


A little bit about me...

My disboards name "Miss Potts" comes from my love for Beauty and the Beast!!!




I love it so much that in college instead of choosing a more revealing and scandalous costume (as most college girls do) ..... I dressed like this:




My favorite part of the costume is that I made my own "Chip" and literally used it as my cup everywhere I went... like, even at the bars! It wasn’t easy either, I had to go through multiple versions of Chip. When I put cold beverages in the first edition of Chip, all the paint started sliding off... but then for the second edition, I learned my lesson and painted the mug then baked it in the oven. It was a success!


Favorites of Miss Potts:​

Favorite Park - Magic Kingdom


Favorite Ride - Tower of Terror

Favorite Attraction - Carousel of Progress


Favorite Hotel - Disney's Polynesian Resort


Favorite Restaurant - Le Cellier

Favorite Snack - Popcorn! I swear the popcorn in Disney is just amazing!!!


Favorite Character - hard to choose: Mickey, Mary Poppins, Belle, Mrs. Potts (obvi)


Favorite Disney Movie – again, hard to choose but Mary Poppins & Beauty and the Beast


I'll include my DH's favorites and trip details in the next post!
 
I'm in!!

Sounds like a pretty awesome trip so far!! We'll be down in Sept as well, but not at the same time! Just barely missing each other haha. Excited to read more!

 


Miss Potts said:
That's for joining in!!!



Welcome! Sept 21-25... are you going to do Free Dining?
Thanks for the compliment on the photo!!
Click to expand...

Yes, I am hoping. I was really wanting to wait until October but if free dining is coming, why not? LOL
 
katt789 said:
I'm in!!

Sounds like a pretty awesome trip so far!! We'll be down in Sept as well, but not at the same time! Just barely missing each other haha. Excited to read more!

Click to expand...

Thanks for joining in! I'm following along in your trip reports now!

disneymd33 said:
I'm in. This one sounds like it's going to be fun!
Click to expand...

It will be! (i hope!) Thanks for joining the fun!

Marsheliz said:
Yes, I am hoping. I was really wanting to wait until October but if free dining is coming, why not? LOL
Click to expand...

Hahaha, I hear ya... just when you think you can hold out, an offer comes out that you can't refuse!

tinkgurl said:
I'm sad they changed it from Mrs. Potts' Cupboard! :sad1:
Click to expand...

Oh gosh me too! I thought it might resurface in NFL... but no such luck. However, I do love Gaston's Tavern and Maurice's Popping Machine!
 

Favorites of DH

Favorite Park - Animal Kingdom



Favorite Ride - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

Favorite Attraction - Safari and Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular!!!

Favorite Hotel - Bay Lake Tower.... he loves the smell of the Contemporary Lobby. We both love BLT and the walkway to the MK!



Favorite Restaurant - O'hana

Favorite Snack - He has 3...
1. Grilled Lamb Chop at F&W (a favorite in 2010 and 2012.. this photo is from 2010.... I hope they have a version this year, or I'm in BIG trouble!)


2. Pork Shank at Gaston's Tavern
(My LeFou's Brew is in the background... I loved it!)


3. Tukery Leg... okokok he doesn't actually like this, but the story behind this particular Turkey Leg is hilarious.
On our trip in 2010, it was DH's first trip since high school... throughout the planning process he was obsessed with getting a Turkey Leg. (I'm pretty sure purely because I think they are gross.) Anyways, on the trip he finally went to get a Turkey Leg... the nice CM assisting us asked if he wanted it for free. UM OF COURSE! So he said yes, and she said "I'll give it to you for free if you gobble like a turkey!" My DH is a big hunter and gave a ridiculously loud and ridiculously accurate turkey gobble. I was laughing, the CM's behind the counter were laughing, and just about everyone in MGM was laughing. In the end, the Turkey Leg wasn't as good as he hoped but it sure made for a great story!


Favorite Character - for a classic character, he loves Donald Duck... for more mainstream he really likes Woody and Buzz. And finally, Gus Gus... the beloved namesake to DH's childhood hamster!



Favorite Disney Movie - I recently asked because I didn't know what he'd say... at any given time, it is totally different. He listed all the typical "boy" Disney movies - Robin Hood, Hercules... then settled on Toy Story, Finding Nemo, AND the cutest answer of all time... The Brave Little Toaster. My sister and I LOVED that movie when we were little... like wear the tape out kind of love... but I didn't realize DH did too. Now I'm tempted to do this to our toaster:



Up next, our trip details!
 
Okay, what does LeFou's Brew taste like? It is non-alcoholic right? I'm so excited to try it next week!

These are fun updates!
 
I'm so glad I found your PTR again. I forgot to subscribe and I was just thinking of this the other day.. YAY!! Going to subscribe now.

OMG- I totally forgot about the Brave Little Toaster! Thanks for refreshing my memory!

I have a PTR going too.. Second Star to the Right.. And Straight On till Morning. :)
 
Hilarious turkey leg story!! I’d heard that rumour that if you gobbled they’d give you one for free, but they only have a certain amount they can give away, and I don’t like the turkey legs so I would never do it haha.

The brave little toaster was such an awesome movie! I definitely found it on dvd and freaked out, it’s great!!


 
As I mentioned above, our travel dates are September 29 through October 4.

We have decided after previous trips that we prefer to stay a minimum of 5 nights - otherwise we feel rushed to get it all in. So 5 is the number we are at for this trip. I'd love to stay a few more nights, but the budget just doesn't allow for it.

I am pretty OCD... but when it comes to vacations I *try* to kickback. So to avoid a "Danny Tanner rejected itinerary issue", I like to set basic guidelines for the day and let the day/lines/etc direct us. We are fortunate to have been to WDW a few times and we know it won't be our last trip, so we go with the flow. There are always a few must do's or new things we want to see, so we make sure to get those things in and the rest is icing on the on the very delicious Mickey Mouse cake pop.

With that being said... I'll actually never make the mistake of a "free day" again. On our last trip this February, there were 2 days that we were just going to wing it. At one point, my DH said "I don't like when you're not telling me what to do". As soon as it came out of his mouth, he immediately wanted it back! But it was TOO late! My ears cannot unhear something that great! Needless to say, those words will haunt him forever!

But honestly, I think we can all agree it's better to have a plan than no plan at all. It's one thing to waste a day at home, but to waste a day at Disney is just awful!


So here is our rough draft...


Saturday, Sept 28

Make our way down to Philadelphia... depending on plans we'll stay at an airport hotel or with DH's Aunt. We wish the Phillies would have consulted with us when setting their 2013 schedule because it would have been nice to catch a game, but they are away that day. Oh well. I used to work in Philadelphia, so we'll probably go to dinner at a one of the restaurants we used to love.


Sunday, Sept 29

Morning Flight to MCO

We love Earl of Sandwich and were very excited to have an EOS in the Philadelphia Airport. We got some sandwiches before our last trip but it was only so-so... not sure we'll get them again.

We'll get to Orlando, head to Magical Express, and it's off to the Polynesian!




We'll check into the Hawaii building... I love Club Level! I'm so excited to see the renovated rooms!!

After we get checked in, we'll head over to the MK. It's a first day tradition! I'd like to have lunch at BOG. We had dinner there in February and LOVED it! We were seated in the West Wing and it was just everything I expected it to be BUTTTT MORE!!!!

I have an ADR for Ohana but we might not keep it - our BOG lunch could end up being pretty late because of the long lines, so we might only need snacks later which the CL at the Poly would totally suffice for that. We'll see.

After dinner we'll watch Hallowishes! Another tradition...

During one trip, DH planned a perfect proposal during my favorite fireworks! Little did he realize that instead of Wishes, it was going to be Hallowishes. So we watches Hallowishes on the beach of the Polynesian... villians and all. Then afterwards, we took a walk up to Sunset Point where DH proposed!! So needless to say, it's a nice little moment to take in Hallowishes at the Polynesian. Back then - prior to DH popping the question, I showed him the Hawaii building and how the lounge overlooks the beach and you can watch the fireworks from inside. It's amazing how a few years later THAT'S where we'll be staying! I can't help but pinch myself!!

Here are photos from when we got engaged:




Monday, Sept 30

Park Day - I'm thinking rope drop at AK, we can get almost everything done in the morning with a good start. We'll have lunch at Yak & Yeti counter service - it was one of DH's favorites a few trips ago.




After lunch, we'll head back to the hotel for some pool time.

Then take a monorail ride over to the MK for some EMH. I'd like to watch MSEP - haven't seen it in YEARS... but no biggie if we don't.


Tuesday, Oct 1

2 Year Anniversary!

On our Disney cruise honeymoon!



Park Day - I've never done MK rope drop; being that we're so close this trip - I thought it was the perfect time to see the Welcome Show!

Before lunch time, take the monorail over to Epcot... then hit up the Food and Wine Festival!




ADR: Dinner at Teppan Edo... this will be something new for DH and I!

We'll stick around for Illuminations, then ride the monorail on home.


Wednesday, Oct 2

Park Day: MGM - rope drop! We're doing it! Thanks to the dis, I now know that they sometimes let people in early. We are SO going to be let in early. We're totally doing the TSMM dash - but we promise not to trample anyone! We'll probably ride TOT a few (10) times.... DH thinks it's ridiculous but I love riding over and over and over. It's a tradition my sister and I started years ago!

The photo below is from a "no parents" trip... I think this when our addiction started because there were no rules! Naturally - no parents, no rules = ride TOT over and over!!!!




I made a 12:45PM ADR for Via Napoli... I figure we'll take a leisurely boat ride or walk over to Epcot. Have lunch, then head back to the Studios.

I really want to catch the last show of the day for American Idol. I know I'm a dork.

Tonight I was thinking of heading to DTD for dinner at Earl's and some shopping. At this point in the trip, we will have mosied through enough gift shops to know the things we want. We'll condense the shopping into one trip. Every trip (Disney or anywhere else) I ALWAYS get an ornament to remember the trip by- I'll either get something at the Christmas store OR I'm hoping the new resort merch will mean there is an awesome Poly ornament. Also, I'm desperate to start a Vinylmation collection - I wonder if I'll have already purchased one by now.

We also have been tossing around the idea of La Nouba. Thoughts?!?!


Thursday, Oct 3

Spa/Pool Day

I haven't made appointments yet, but I think we'll go to The Spa at the Grand Floridian in the morning. I went on my last trip and it was just ok - it had just reopened and I think they were still working out the kinks. I'm looking forward to going again and taking DH along. Last trip, he went golfing while I was at the Spa.

After the Spa - we'll have lunch and relax by the pool.

Then decide if we have any last things to do in the parks. I imagine us going to MK... it's a party night, so we'll look at the costumes... and then maybe head to Epcot to revisit our favorite F&W booths.


Friday, Oct 4

Last Day

All great trips must come to an end.

Here's a little fact about my DH - he loves breakfast, specifically bacon. Like bacon is his Disney. Hahaha!

Anywho, we typically skimp on breakfasts while in Disney because we eat something quick and easy in the CL or we buy poptarts/bagels/fruit and have in our room. We'd rather put the money towards a great dinner than on breakfast. Well anyways, on our last trip DH mentioned that he'd go to a character meal if I wanted... so I suggested a character breakfast. I could eat with the characters and DH could well... eat breakfast! So we decided on 1900 Park Fare - Mary Poppins is one of my absolute favorite characters EVER so I can meet her!! And although the bacon at Disney is nothing to write home about, I'm hoping that the Eggs Benedict with Lobster hollandaise makes up for it. Another fact about DH - he also LOVES eggs benedict... it's a Christmas Day tradition for his family to have an eggs benedict eating contest! {This "contest" runs directly into my Disney Christmas Day Parade viewing - but thank god for DVR, saving one marriage at a time - but I could go on and on and on about that!}

After breakfast, we'll lounge around the lounge until the ME arrives...


That was a lot! Thanks for reading all of it - I look forward to your comments & suggestions!

Up next - Planning Our Disney Food!
 
tinkgurl said:
Okay, what does LeFou's Brew taste like? It is non-alcoholic right? I'm so excited to try it next week!

These are fun updates!
Click to expand...

It tasted like a sweetened Apple Juice! I'm sorry I respond sooner! Hope you tried it and liked it!


Marsheliz said:
I'm so glad I found your PTR again. I forgot to subscribe and I was just thinking of this the other day.. YAY!! Going to subscribe now.

OMG- I totally forgot about the Brave Little Toaster! Thanks for refreshing my memory!

I have a PTR going too.. Second Star to the Right.. And Straight On till Morning. :)
Click to expand...

I subscribed to your PTR!!!! Cute title!


katt789 said:
Hilarious turkey leg story!! I’d heard that rumour that if you gobbled they’d give you one for free, but they only have a certain amount they can give away, and I don’t like the turkey legs so I would never do it haha.

The brave little toaster was such an awesome movie! I definitely found it on dvd and freaked out, it’s great!!


Click to expand...


Yeah, I don't like them either!!

I never even thought to look for it on DVD - I found it on amazon and am going to order as a little gift for DH for his birthday! He'll definitely think I'm a cornball but he'll love it! Thanks!

I'm reading along on your current TR!!
 
One of our favorite trip planning sessions is laying out our wishlist of restaurant and snacks. Fitting them together is a fun puzzle that can monopolize a lot of time! I love it!

This e-card is very fitting during "planning" mode:




All Ears is a great site for the menu's and I love The Disney Food Blog.

So for DH's first 2 trips with me, we were on the DDP - it was a great value and we liked the ease of the plan. I love not paying attention to the prices and just ordering what I wanted.

But, I am a number cruncher by heart. If I can make an excel spreadsheet for something, I relish the opportunity to do so. For our personal finances this works out well, I set a budget and we stick to it. Anyways, when it comes to the DDP - I love pulling together the cost analysis data. It's like an end of trip reward to spend time finding out if we saved money or not.

After careful calculations, I feel the cost effectiveness of it for us no longer works since this year we have a PAP and a TiW card. I just have to remember we can eat away without guilt of spending too much - because I know regardless we are saving money.

Coupled with our TiW card, we are also staying CL. Gosh, I love those lounges! I could easily make a meal out of the evening offerings - DH not so much! Our last trip in February was DH's first time staying CL. We were at the Wilderness Lodge and he LOVED it - just wait until he sees the Poly!!

Our plan is to make good use of the lounge for breakfast and the evening offerings.

Below is the rest of our dining plan. I'm sure a lot will change before now and then, but we are going to try to stick to trying new places and things.

ADR's
  1. Teppan Edo for Dinner - new!
  2. Via Napoli for Lunch - new!
  3. 1900 Park Fare for Character Breakfast - new for DH and I haven't been since I was a kid
  4. Ohana for Dinner - may still be cut, we are going to invite DH's aunt & uncle that live in FL to join us - but just because we have to book 180 days out, doesn't mean normal people plan that far! I'm holding the ADR until we get closer to determine what we really want to do.

Snacks
  1. Red Velvet Cupcake at Starring Role - new (I can't believe I haven't tried this yet!)
  2. Dole Whip Float - new for DH
  3. School Bread - new, everyone on the DIS has me hooked to try this
  4. Popcorn - of course!
  5. The American Dream drink - new!
  6. Gaston’s Tavern - pork shank for DH, LeFou's brew for me!
  7. Mickey Pretzel - has anyone else noticed that Mickey pretzels taste better than regular ones?
  8. F&W booths - haven't seen the menus yet to make a preliminary list

Counter Service
  1. Yak and Yeti for Lunch - DH loves this and it's a huge amount of food, we'll probably split a meal here
  2. Be Our Guest for Lunch - new!
  3. Earl of Sandwich - I always get a Full Montague but my goal is to try something new, we'll see...

Missing the cut:
  1. Le Cellier - I can't believe we're not going as it's my #1 restaurant on this planet - but I'm hoping to hit Canada's F&W booth and get a taste of the steak and soup again! Last year at F&W we bought the cookbook - we now make the soup at home! Yum-o!
  2. Sci Fi Dine-In - DH has wanted to go there for a while, but it just doesn't fit this trip


Up next... Magic Kingdom Must Do's!


 
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