2 or 3 TRIPS in 2012! Celebrating my bday DISNEY STYLE - 3/12 & 11/12 and ?? PTRs!

[kittylady1972]

I'm here and anxious to hear all about it!!!! Hope you arrived home safely!!!!

We did arrive home safely...thanks! I can't wait to tell you all about it. I've started the trip report...link below. Hopefully I'll get my photos in order soon so I can begin the bulk of it this weekend. I promise you it will be interesting!

 

[Lidian]

We did arrive home safely...thanks! I can't wait to tell you all about it. I've started the trip report...link below. Hopefully I'll get my photos in order soon so I can begin the bulk of it this weekend. I promise you it will be interesting!

Headed to your TR now!

 

[kittylady1972]

So we are now less than four months away from our next Disney trip...and of course I'm still making changes. I'll get to those in a minute, mostly with regards to dining and such. The BIGGEST change is that we will now be joined by more family members!!! The reason behind the change is not relevant right now, but my SIL and nephew will now be joining us for the final few days of our trip and I'm VERY excited about that for them. I just know they are going to LOVE seeing the parks all decorated for the holidays, especially my nephew (age 7) since he's never seen the parks all decorated! So they will actually fly down on Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving, they will stay one night at the new Art of Animation Resort (how cool is THAT??) and then they will join us Wednesday and we'll all stay in a Treehouse at Saratoga Springs until Saturday.

Since I JUST made this change last weekend (got them their flights and resort booked) it also meant moving around some of my dining. Of course, I had already made some changes anyway, but having them join us means squeezing in a few more things. So far I managed to get almost all of our dining reservations changes with the exception of one of them...but I'll keep trying or might give it up. That's okay though. Perhaps Tusker House is just NOT meant to be for me!

So the old plans are shown here and in RED I'll add my changes:



Fri Nov. 16th: Arrival day. I think this will be a MK day for us, at least until they close at 7pm for the party which right now I do NOT plan to attend. I have decided we would try lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. Dinner will be at Whispering Canyon Cafe, convenient since that's where we are staying for this leg of our trip. These are new for all of us, though I think DH and I ate at WCC many, many years ago...maybe Nicolas' first trip? It's been at least 11 years is what I'm saying!

Only real change here is that I've also added a 6:40pm ressie at Rose & Crown Pub. The reason? Dessert! My DH wants Sticky Toffee Pudding! However with a 5pm ressie a Whispering Canyon, I'm really not sure we can swing that as well. So we may have to give something up here.

Sat Nov. 17th: Focus will be on Hollywood Studios for this day. Lunch will be at 50s Prime Time Cafe and dinner at Mama Melrose. I'm hoping to try to get in on the 6:30pm Fantasmic! this evening, but might be tough with our Mama Melrose reservation at 5pm since there is ALWAYS a wait there. We shall see.

No changes here.

Sun Nov. 18th: I managed to squeeze in a 7:15am Chef Mickey's Breakfast. We have to check out this morning and head over to Port Canaveral for our cruise anyway, so this should be fine.

Sun - Wed: CRUISING!

Wed. Nov. 21st: Lunch at Coral Reef at 12:45pm. Focus will be on EPCOT for this day. I hope we have this late enough since not sure of travel time from Port Canaveral to here. I also have dinner at 5:45pm at Via Napoli since I'd really like to try this place. These are two very close reservations, so one might just be dessert or appetizers. Possibly spend our evening at MK.

This is where the plans are still hazy and crazy! I have a lunch at Coral Reef at 1pm that includes 9 of us instead of 7 now. However I also have dinner at The Plaza at MK at 4pm and then dinner at Turf Club at 5pm. Obviously we won't do both. The question here is WHAT park will we do this day. Since we'll be meeting up with my SIL and nephew who will have just arrived the night before, I'm just not sure. The dinner at Turf Club is convenient because we have to checkin at Saratoga this afternoon anyway. The other unknown here is that I'd like to TRY to make a reservation for all of us for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert party this same night. I just don't know what time they will be having that, if any, so if we have to be in MK anyway, then we should just do dinner the Plaza.

Thur. Nov. 22nd: We are going to heed the advice and visit the LEAST crowded park this day: Animal Kingdom! I have a 10:15am breakfast at Tusker House and this will be our first time here. We will spend the day at AK and then return that evening to our Treehouse where the plan is to order a pre-made Thanksgiving Feast from a local grocery store and eat in our room! If we feel adventurous after our meal, we may try to catch a showing of Fantasmic! this evening if we missed it earlier in our trip!

My only issue here right now is that I CANNOT add two more people to my Tusker House reservation. I could, however, maybe give them their own reservation for two and then just try to get seated near each other OR I could just show up with our two extras and see if they can take us. I'm not sure what we'll do yet. I still think the plan for this evening will be at Hollywood Studios so SIL and nephew can see the Osborne Lights and maybe Fantasmic! as well.

Fri. Nov. 23rd: Magic Kingdom Day for us! Breakfast at the Main Street Bakery, then lunch at The Plaza! We will get our fill of MK this day and leave if the park gets too crowded. Maybe hit AK that evening or just hang out at our resort.

Ok so we'll make the most of the last full day now and probably still do MK in the morning, but then maybe head to EPCOT in the afternoon. It is the least recommended park this day but it's the last day for us. We have two meals planned right now. One is at Marrakesh and the other is Rose and Crown again. The R&C is part of the Candlelight Processional package. I'm not sure if SIL wants to see it so I figured I'd book it just in case. We'll see what happens.

Sat. Nov. 24th: Check-out day. If we have time for a park this morning, it will be EPCOT for a few hours. Then we have to head over to the train station later to catch our train back home!

This remains the same. Most likely a few hours in a park before heading out to the train, and traditionally we spend our last day at EPCOT since it's just easy to get there and out.


So that's our new plan based on our extra people joining us. As always, it's subject to change but we'll see what happens.

 

[kittylady1972]

Hard to believe but we are already about three months away from our next trip! Wow!

I'm still having a hard time believing summer is almost over. The kids start school a week from this coming Monday and I start my new job on Monday. Time just flew by this summer!

So my FIL called me tonight with a request. He wanted to try to get a Chef Mickey's reservation for one of the days that my SIL and nephew will be with us in November. Did I mention they arrive the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? Yeah anyone want to guess how that is going to go?

I pretty much told him it would not be happening. I barely managed to snag our Chef Mickey reservation for the Sunday BEFORE Thanksgiving and that one is early in the morning! So just for grins I even tried to find a table for a party of two for the three days they will be with us for the most part. No such luck of course.

Anyway it did make me revisit my current reservations and look into other options. In the end, I did end up adding in two more dining reservations, both for breakfast. One will be Cape May Cafe on Thanksgiving day. We have never had breakfast there but I'm reading great things about it.

The other one is O'Hana for breakfast on Friday. We have eaten there but it's been a while. I think it will be a fun way to begin our last full day at Walt Disney World.

I also added one more ADR to our ever-expanding list. Apparently my DH has decided it would be okay to eat out on Thanksgiving day so we now have a dinner reservation at the Turf Club for Thanksgiving. We just LOVED our meal there back in June...mostly because they had an awesome prime rib. I'm not sure I'll be able to choose turkey over prime rib for Thanksgiving but we'll see.

So I did manage to cancel one or two other reservations and I'm still contemplating a few other cancellations. It will really depend on whether or not I'm lucky enough to snag a reservation at the Be Our Guest restaurant during our trip as well as a Wishes Dessert Party reservation. I should know this pretty soon!

 

[Lidian]

Check the Dining thread for a cancellation thread for November. It's how I snagged my CM rez for March! Plus, if you check frequently, you might get lucky, too!

 

[kittylady1972]

Well stalking the DISboards paid off tonight. November dates opened up for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert party and I snagged a Tessie for our party of nine! So now I don't have too much to change but I am still squeezing in too many dining ressies I think for our last few days there. Can't decide what to give up. Might have to take a vote. My FIL really wanted Sanaa so I even booked a lunch ressie there. However it might take up some previous AK park time but we will see.

Now down to about 11 weeks before our trip and I know it will pass quickly. Tuesday I meet my new boss and coworkers at my new job and I will have to mention this vacay since it is pre-planned. It will be a busy few weeks for sure but maybe just maybe I can get my June trip report completed before we leave for this one!

 

[kittylady1972]

NINE weeks to go...and yes I'm still making changes of course!

The only good news is that I do NOT have outside internet access during the day at work any longer, so that really cuts back on my Disney changes! I have a new job which so far is great, plus we have a new kitten in our house which means things are CRAZY and my husband is out of town this week which means even more changing of schedules. There is just no chance at life settling down into a routine yet.

So let's see if I can give a quick update at where we are right now. Here was my last schedule:

Fri Nov. 16th: Arrival day. I think this will be a MK day for us, at least until they close at 7pm for the party which right now I do NOT plan to attend. I have decided we would try lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. Dinner will be at Whispering Canyon Cafe, convenient since that's where we are staying for this leg of our trip. These are new for all of us, though I think DH and I ate at WCC many, many years ago...maybe Nicolas' first trip? It's been at least 11 years is what I'm saying!

Only real change here is that I've also added a 6:40pm ressie at Rose & Crown Pub. The reason? Dessert! My DH wants Sticky Toffee Pudding! However with a 5pm ressie a Whispering Canyon, I'm really not sure we can swing that as well. So we may have to give something up here.

Sat Nov. 17th: Focus will be on Hollywood Studios for this day. Lunch will be at 50s Prime Time Cafe and dinner at Mama Melrose. I'm hoping to try to get in on the 6:30pm Fantasmic! this evening, but might be tough with our Mama Melrose reservation at 5pm since there is ALWAYS a wait there. We shall see.

Sun Nov. 18th: I managed to squeeze in a 7:15am Chef Mickey's Breakfast. We have to check out this morning and head over to Port Canaveral for our cruise anyway, so this should be fine.

Sun - Wed: CRUISING!

Wed. Nov. 21st: Lunch at Coral Reef at 12:45pm. Focus will be on EPCOT for this day. I hope we have this late enough since not sure of travel time from Port Canaveral to here. However I also have dinner at The Plaza at MK at 4pm and then dinner at Turf Club at 5pm. Obviously we won't do both. The question here is WHAT park will we do this day. Since we'll be meeting up with my SIL and nephew who will have just arrived the night before, I'm just not sure. The dinner at Turf Club is convenient because we have to checkin at Saratoga this afternoon anyway. The other unknown here is that I'd like to TRY to make a reservation for all of us for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert party this same night. I just don't know what time they will be having that, if any, so if we have to be in MK anyway, then we should just do dinner the Plaza.

Thur. Nov. 22nd: We are going to heed the advice and visit the LEAST crowded park this day: Animal Kingdom! I have a 10:15am breakfast at Tusker House and this will be our first time here. We will spend the day at AK and then return that evening to our Treehouse where the plan is to order a pre-made Thanksgiving Feast from a local grocery store and eat in our room! If we feel adventurous after our meal, we may try to catch a showing of Fantasmic! this evening if we missed it earlier in our trip! I still think the plan for this evening will be at Hollywood Studios so SIL and nephew can see the Osborne Lights and maybe Fantasmic! as well.

Fri. Nov. 23rd: Magic Kingdom Day for us! Breakfast at the Main Street Bakery, then lunch at The Plaza! We will get our fill of MK this day and leave if the park gets too crowded. Maybe hit AK that evening or just hang out at our resort.

Ok so we'll make the most of the last full day now and probably still do MK in the morning, but then maybe head to EPCOT in the afternoon. It is the least recommended park this day but it's the last day for us. We have two meals planned right now. One is at Marrakesh and the other is Rose and Crown again. The R&C is part of the Candlelight Processional package. I'm not sure if SIL wants to see it so I figured I'd book it just in case. We'll see what happens.

Sat. Nov. 24th: Check-out day. If we have time for a park this morning, it will be EPCOT for a few hours. Then we have to head over to the train station later to catch our train back home!

This remains the same. Most likely a few hours in a park before heading out to the train, and traditionally we spend our last day at EPCOT since it's just easy to get there and out.


Ok, just reading that over I realized I have made QUITE a few changes since that last update! So it might be easier to just start over with our NEW schedule and let you know where I'm still a bit iffy on things!!

NEW PLAN (rev. 9/12/12)

Fri Nov. 16th: Arrival day. I think this will be a MK day for us, at least until they close at 7pm for the party which right now I do NOT plan to attend. I have decided we would try lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. Dinner will be at Whispering Canyon Cafe, convenient since that's where we are staying for this leg of our trip. I also have a 6:40pm ressie at Rose & Crown Pub. The reason? Dessert! My DH wants Sticky Toffee Pudding! However with a 5pm ressie a Whispering Canyon, I'm really not sure we can swing that as well. So we may have to give something up here. Right now I'm actually thinking that I'd like more park time at MK so we may give up BOTH of those sit down restaurants (LTT and WC) and just have counter service at MK instead. That gives us more time to explore the new stuff at the park and also get to our room and unpack when it's ready. I was also even considering doing Hoop de Doo instead since I could book a 4pm show for that. That would still make getting to R&C Pub for dessert a bit tough. I think DH would survive if we had to give that up though. I still think we may spend a few hours in EPCOT that evening since it's open late.


Sat Nov. 17th: Focus will be on Hollywood Studios for this day. Lunch will be at 50s Prime Time Cafe and dinner at Mama Melrose. Here again is where I changed things and made an earlier Mama Melrose reservation here, with the thought being we could hit EPCOT again after spending most of the day at Hollywood Studios, and I got a Rose & Crown reservation for that evening around 6pm. It's such an easy hope between those two parks via boat. So as much as I'd like to introduce the rest of the family to 50s Prime Time food (mmmm pot roast) I know my in-laws love Mama Melrose so we'll wait and see.


Sun Nov. 18th: I managed to squeeze in a 7:15am Chef Mickey's Breakfast. We have to check out this morning and head over to Port Canaveral for our cruise anyway, so this should be fine. We actually did our online cruise checkins last week and we have an 11:30am boarding on the cruise so this is just fine.

Sun - Wed: CRUISING! Last week I booked our excursions and meals. We have an adults only dinner on night one, and the kids will swim with the dolphins at Blue Lagoon at the Bahamas and Dh will go on a SCUBA dive.

Wed. Nov. 21st: Lunch at Coral Reef at noon and hoping we can make this one. Just don't know how long it will take us to get off the ship and get back to Disney, but we'll meet up with my SIL and nephew at some point on this day. At some point we will have to get to SSR to checkin to our Treehouse and then we have a 4pm dinner at the Plaza and 9pm Wishes Dessert Party. We may end up skipping the Plaza dinner for checking into our treehouse. We will see how long we can all stay upright and spend as much time as possible at MK that evening.

Thur. Nov. 22nd: We are going to heed the advice and visit the LEAST crowded park this day: Animal Kingdom! However I also have an early breakfast at O'Hana. My FIL wanted us to book a character meal for my SIL and nephew and this was one of the choices. We haven't done it in years...before it became Lilo and Stitch but Mickey is still there which is great.

So after breakfast we head to AK and spend some time there but I ALSO have lunch at Sanaa around 1pm...another request from FIL. We don't have to have a big meal there...but after breakfast it might not even sound like a good idea. Also we have dinner at Turf Club where HOPEFULLY they serve a Turkey dinner but if not I'm okay with prime rib for Thanksgiving! The evening will be spent at Hollywood Studios where we might do Fantasmic but we will at least view the Osborne lights.


Fri. Nov. 23rd: Our last full day and we plan to hit MK very early! I have also scheduled the O'Hana breakfast for this morning as well, which might be a better option since we don't have a late night planned the previous night.
We will spend most of the day at MK but maybe head to EPCOT in the afternoon. It is the least recommended park this day but it's the last day for us. I have a 3pm meal reserved at Chef de France so we may try to make that at least. We will then catch a boat over to Yacht Club only to get on another boat that evening...an Illuminations Cruise! Nobody knows about this surprise yet so hope they like it. We did one back in 2007 and it was really great!

Sat. Nov. 24th: Check-out day. If we have time for a park this morning, it will be EPCOT for a few hours. Then we have to head over to the train station later to catch our train back home!

This remains the same. Most likely a few hours in a park before heading out to the train, and traditionally we spend our last day at EPCOT since it's just easy to get there and out.



So that's the most current plan...and always subject to changes since I have nine more weeks to go!

 

[DMGeurts]

Hi!!! It's been a while!

You will LOVE LTT - it is one of our "must do every trip" places!

We have not eaten at WCC, yet, but it is in our ADRs for this next trip.

Sounds like the rest of your plans are awesome! We never splurge for park hoppers, so I sometimes don't understand how people do it? LOL I get so confused.

We are doing Ohana breakfast again this coming trip - We enjoyed it the last time we had it, but our server left a little to be desired. We are hoping for a bit better experience this time. Besides, we enjoy the breakfast food more than the dinner food.

I can't believe you're wrapping a cruise with a WDW trip on both sides - I still want to do a cruise someday. This is going to be such an awesome trip!

D~

 

[kittylady1972]

Hi!!! It's been a while!

You will LOVE LTT - it is one of our "must do every trip" places!

We have not eaten at WCC, yet, but it is in our ADRs for this next trip.

Sounds like the rest of your plans are awesome! We never splurge for park hoppers, so I sometimes don't understand how people do it? LOL I get so confused.

We are doing Ohana breakfast again this coming trip - We enjoyed it the last time we had it, but our server left a little to be desired. We are hoping for a bit better experience this time. Besides, we enjoy the breakfast food more than the dinner food.

I can't believe you're wrapping a cruise with a WDW trip on both sides - I still want to do a cruise someday. This is going to be such an awesome trip!

D~

HI THERE! Thanks for stopping by...nice to know I'm not just typing to myself!

Ok so now you have me reconsidering LTT. I guess I am just thinking I could do Columbia Harbour House instead (LOVE IT) and then we could stop for some Dole Whips later. I'm really going to LTT for dessert since I saw some Toffee thing that looks like HEAVEN! But really I don't NEED to go just for dessert. I think I'm kinda gonna see how the weather pans out and keep the ressie in case weather makes us want to spend more time inside.

We actually have APs so that makes it easier to hop. I'm really hoping for a preview of NEW Fantasyland granted to us...even if it means leaving the in-laws behind for a bit since they do NOT have APs. Plus APs mean more incentive to return again earlier...and I'm already thinking about when we can swing that too and this trip isn't even done!

I'm looking forward to O'Hana since it has been a while since we've had breakfast there and all I can remember was some yummy warm pineapple bread for breakfast...hoping that's still there but honestly haven't checked. Our main goal is just to be able to have a character meal for our nephew otherwise truly it is SO much money for breakfast that I'd rather spend elsewhere.

We are definitely looking forward to the cruise. Can't WAIT to see how the kids enjoy the dolphin swim...oh and I get to do it with them. Ended up getting a good deal on a waterproof camera on Ebay this week too so hopefully will get some good photos and videos of that!

Can't believe we have less than 9 weeks left...and then we have to start planning the next trip which right now may be DisneyLAND in 2013!

 

[kittylady1972]

OK a quick update from my phone. It has been a rough week/month here. I really need my happy place right now. This week was so bad I was talking about going to Disney in October. Just because. We probably won't because we really don't need to spend the money. I was hoping to try the campground there. DD9 wants to camp for her bday in October and I thought we would go do that in FL. I know...crazy right?

So I had to put my 17 year old cat down this week. It was very hard even though I know it was the right thing to do. I have never been present for this procedure before, even though I made the same decision for two previous cats. I was glad I made myself do it despite being scared but my vet was awesome. I still miss my Micki cat though. He can't be replaced but we did adopt a new kitten two weeks ago as well. She is cute...and crazy.

And the next day after the above I learned the last of my immediate family is leaving the state of MD. My parents moved from MD to NC in 2007 and now my brother, his wife and my new baby nephew are also moving to NC. I barely see my parents for birthdays and holidays now, even though me and my brother are here in MD, and now I will probably see them even less. Why would they drive 8 hours here to see us when they can drive 4 hours and see my brother and his new baby?

So yes pity party for me this week. I will update for real soon and give some photos too. Disney take me away!!!

 

[kittylady1972]

40 days to go according to the Walt Disney World website. I am so in need of a vacation right now. I just need a happy place right now. Before the end of the month, probably while I am away, my brother and sister-in-law and my new nephew will be moving out of Maryland. That leaves just my here out of my immediate family on my mom's side. I will see even less of my family now and I was so looking forward to seeing more of my new nephew for a while.

At least we have our new little kitten her to focus on for now. She keeps us plenty busy. My husband even mentioned tonight that we should get a few more cats. This is so funny coming from a non-cat person! As much as I love cats, right now I just want to focus on our still remaining animals...2 cats and a dog. Plus after the enormous amount of money spent on our DOG at the vet tonight...mostly for a checkup but also for some bloodwork just to rule out any other issues with her...well I can't afford any more animals for now!


So....it shouldn't surprise anybody here that I've updated our November plans once again. It keeps me happy to focus on that more than anything. Nothing major...but here is the new plan:

Fri Nov. 16th: Arrival day and Magic Kingdom day. Lunch is going to be at Liberty Tree Tavern and then we'll spend the day exploring the MK, maybe up until they close at 7pm since it is a Christmas Party night. We won't spend money on the party. I am considering doing the 4pm Hoop-de-Doo which is still available. Evening will probably be spent at EPCOT since it is open until 1am. I cancelled a dinner at WCC just because I wasn't that impressed with the menu. We still have a Rose & Crown Pub ressie at 6:45pm just for dessert though.

Sat Nov. 17th: Focus will be on Hollywood Studios for this day. Lunch will be at 50s Prime Time Cafe OR we'll have an early dinner at Mama Melrose. After this I am torn between spending another evening at EPCOT, just in case we need to squeeze in that Rose and Crown dessert. Or we can head to MK and spend some time there until they close at 10pm.

Sun Nov. 18th: I managed to squeeze in a 7:15am Chef Mickey's Breakfast. We have to check out this morning and head over to Port Canaveral for our cruise anyway, so this should be fine. We will leave around 10am to drive out to Port Canaveral as we have an 11:30am boarding for our Disney Dream cruise.

Sun - Wed: CRUISING! We have an adults only dinner on night one, and the kids will swim with the dolphins at Blue Lagoon at the Bahamas and Dh will go on a SCUBA dive.

Wed. Nov. 21st: BACK to Walt Disney World. My SIL and nephew arrive the night before so we'll meet up with them probably at EPCOT for lunch at Coral Reef. At some point we will have to get to SSR to checkin to our Treehouse and then we have a 4pm dinner at the Plaza and 9pm Wishes Dessert Party. We may end up skipping the Plaza dinner for checking into our treehouse. We will see how long we can all stay upright and spend as much time as possible at MK that evening.

Thur. Nov. 22nd: We are going to heed the advice and visit the LEAST crowded park this day: Animal Kingdom! However I also have an early breakfast at O'Hana. My FIL wanted us to book a character meal for my SIL and nephew and this was one of the choices. We haven't done it in years...before it became Lilo and Stitch but Mickey is still there which is great. After breakfast we head to AK and spend some time there. We'll stay until close to 2:30pm or so and then head out of the park and back so SSR. We will have our Thanksgiving Dinner at Turf Club where HOPEFULLY they serve a Turkey dinner but if not I'm okay with prime rib for Thanksgiving! The evening will be spent at Hollywood Studios where we might do Fantasmic but we will at least view the Osborne lights.


Fri. Nov. 23rd: Our last full day and we plan to hit MK very early! We'll have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. We will spend most of the day at MK but maybe head to EPCOT in the afternoon. It is the least recommended park this day but it's the last day for us. I have a 3pm meal reserved at Chef de France so we may try to make that at least. We will then catch a boat over to Yacht Club only to get on another boat that evening...an Illuminations Cruise! Nobody knows about this surprise yet so hope they like it. We did one back in 2007 and it was really great!

Sat. Nov. 24th: Check-out day. I have a lunch reservation at 11am at 50s Prime Time so we'll probably hit Hollywood Studios. Our other park option will be EPCOT. Then we have to head over to the train station around 1pm to catch our train back home!

So that's the plan and I can't see my changing anything else at this point. I still have to order our Photopass Plus card but other than that I think we are all set.

The real question is, when do I start planning my next Disney trip. Once this one is over I have to have another one in the works. Right now at the very least it might be an adults only trip in October 2013 for for my 15th wedding anniversary. I LOVE the parks at Halloween time too!

 

[DMGeurts]

I am sorry I have missed several updates...

I am so sorry about your cat, our animals are just like family. We had to put our dog of 11 years down last spring - and it was just the most devistating things. (((Hugs)))

Congratulations on your kitten - I love kittens, they are so playful and cute!

Look at all those changes!!! But it looks like an amazing trip!

So....it shouldn't surprise anybody here that I've updated our November plans once again. It keeps me happy to focus on that more than anything. Nothing major...but here is the new plan:

Fri Nov. 16th: Arrival day and Magic Kingdom day. Lunch is going to be at Liberty Tree Tavern and then we'll spend the day exploring the MK, maybe up until they close at 7pm since it is a Christmas Party night. We won't spend money on the party. I am considering doing the 4pm Hoop-de-Doo which is still available. Evening will probably be spent at EPCOT since it is open until 1am. I cancelled a dinner at WCC just because I wasn't that impressed with the menu. We still have a Rose & Crown Pub ressie at 6:45pm just for dessert though.

I am very happy that you are planning to do LTT... It is always one of our best meals (I know I've told you that before). Sounds like a great day!

Sat Nov. 17th: Focus will be on Hollywood Studios for this day. Lunch will be at 50s Prime Time Cafe OR we'll have an early dinner at Mama Melrose. After this I am torn between spending another evening at EPCOT, just in case we need to squeeze in that Rose and Crown dessert. Or we can head to MK and spend some time there until they close at 10pm.

I soooo badly want to plan a Christmas trip... For me, it won't happen next year (going Oct 2013) and it won't happen the following year (going Oct 14)... So, hopefully in 2015.

Sun Nov. 18th: I managed to squeeze in a 7:15am Chef Mickey's Breakfast. We have to check out this morning and head over to Port Canaveral for our cruise anyway, so this should be fine. We will leave around 10am to drive out to Port Canaveral as we have an 11:30am boarding for our Disney Dream cruise.

Whoot on CM... It it one of those places that we have yet to fit into our plans. It is at the top of our list for the next trip.

Sun - Wed: CRUISING! We have an adults only dinner on night one, and the kids will swim with the dolphins at Blue Lagoon at the Bahamas and Dh will go on a SCUBA dive.

This sounds awesome!

Wed. Nov. 21st: BACK to Walt Disney World. My SIL and nephew arrive the night before so we'll meet up with them probably at EPCOT for lunch at Coral Reef. At some point we will have to get to SSR to checkin to our Treehouse and then we have a 4pm dinner at the Plaza and 9pm Wishes Dessert Party. We may end up skipping the Plaza dinner for checking into our treehouse. We will see how long we can all stay upright and spend as much time as possible at MK that evening.

How awesome that you are doing the ultimate vacation!!! And how fun that family is joining you!

Thur. Nov. 22nd: We are going to heed the advice and visit the LEAST crowded park this day: Animal Kingdom! However I also have an early breakfast at O'Hana. My FIL wanted us to book a character meal for my SIL and nephew and this was one of the choices. We haven't done it in years...before it became Lilo and Stitch but Mickey is still there which is great. After breakfast we head to AK and spend some time there. We'll stay until close to 2:30pm or so and then head out of the park and back so SSR. We will have our Thanksgiving Dinner at Turf Club where HOPEFULLY they serve a Turkey dinner but if not I'm okay with prime rib for Thanksgiving! The evening will be spent at Hollywood Studios where we might do Fantasmic but we will at least view the Osborne lights.

I can't even imagine being in WDW this day!

Fri. Nov. 23rd: Our last full day and we plan to hit MK very early! We'll have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. We will spend most of the day at MK but maybe head to EPCOT in the afternoon. It is the least recommended park this day but it's the last day for us. I have a 3pm meal reserved at Chef de France so we may try to make that at least. We will then catch a boat over to Yacht Club only to get on another boat that evening...an Illuminations Cruise! Nobody knows about this surprise yet so hope they like it. We did one back in 2007 and it was really great!

Oooh - FUN!!!

Sat. Nov. 24th: Check-out day. I have a lunch reservation at 11am at 50s Prime Time so we'll probably hit Hollywood Studios. Our other park option will be EPCOT. Then we have to head over to the train station around 1pm to catch our train back home!

]/quote]

Sounds like a great plan!

So that's the plan and I can't see my changing anything else at this point. I still have to order our Photopass Plus card but other than that I think we are all set.

The real question is, when do I start planning my next Disney trip. Once this one is over I have to have another one in the works. Right now at the very least it might be an adults only trip in October 2013 for for my 15th wedding anniversary. I LOVE the parks at Halloween time too!

Oooh, oooh, oooh... FYI... I am planning Oct 2013 right now... Unofficially, our dates are Oct 12-19th. Make sure you let me know if you plan to go for sure at that time... We'll have to try for a Dismeet!

D~

 

[kittylady1972]

Thanks D for your post. Yes losing a cat, especially after 17 years, is tough. We put our last doggie down back in 2009 after 11 years with him too. It is never easy. This was my first experience with being present for this procedure and while it wasn't easy I was at peace with it and am glad I could hold my Kitty as he left this world.

As for October it will most likely be earlier than your trip. Our anniversary is Oct 3rd. Otherwise I'd happily meet you there. I really want to take the kids to Disney for Halloween one year too. Maybe 2014? Who knows!!

 

[DMGeurts]

Yes, I agree, it's never easy letting them go. I am glad we were there for Rufus too, it was very hard, but I would never have wanted him to be alone. I am sending you big hugs.

Bummer that it will be earlier in October... Oh well.. Let me know if that changes though.

D~

 

[kittylady1972]

OK quick Nook update before I head to bed. We are here in MD waiting for Sandy to arrive. Kids just got an unexpected day off from school tomorrow...which my daughter is thrilled about since it is her birthday! She turns 10 just after midnight tonight. Most businesses have closed too but as of now my employer has a liberal leave policy and since I don't have leave to spare it means I'll be heading to work tomorrow in the storm.

So today I ordered our Photopass Plus card. In the last two weeks I have made many more changes to our plans of course and even worked out a food budget. I'll have to post my updates later as I am sure at this point I have the plan committed to memory. We leave in just over two weeks!!
Basically I have decided we will do HoopdeDoo on day two, probably stick to counter service that whole day and head to MK that night. Most of the other dining plans are the same. I am looking forward to this trip and still don't know what I'll do when it's over since I have no other trip in the works.

Hope anybody else who might be reading this and is also in the path of the hurricane stays safe!!

 

[DMGeurts]

OK quick Nook update before I head to bed. We are here in MD waiting for Sandy to arrive. Kids just got an unexpected day off from school tomorrow...which my daughter is thrilled about since it is her birthday! She turns 10 just after midnight tonight. Most businesses have closed too but as of now my employer has a liberal leave policy and since I don't have leave to spare it means I'll be heading to work tomorrow in the storm.

So today I ordered our Photopass Plus card. In the last two weeks I have made many more changes to our plans of course and even worked out a food budget. I'll have to post my updates later as I am sure at this point I have the plan committed to memory. We leave in just over two weeks!!
Basically I have decided we will do HoopdeDoo on day two, probably stick to counter service that whole day and head to MK that night. Most of the other dining plans are the same. I am looking forward to this trip and still don't know what I'll do when it's over since I have no other trip in the works.

Hope anybody else who might be reading this and is also in the path of the hurricane stays safe!!

I hope everything went OK for you during the storm. Please check in and let us know how you are doing.

I am seriously debating on PHotopass +... I really want to do it.

Your plans sound perfect.

Well... What you do, when you come home, is start a TR, and drag that out as long as possible until you have another PTR to write about. That's what I do.

I can't believe your trip is so close!

Oh - and Happy Halloween!!!

D~

 

[kittylady1972]

I hope everything went OK for you during the storm. Please check in and let us know how you are doing.

I am seriously debating on PHotopass +... I really want to do it.

Your plans sound perfect.

Well... What you do, when you come home, is start a TR, and drag that out as long as possible until you have another PTR to write about. That's what I do.

I can't believe your trip is so close!

Oh - and Happy Halloween!!!

D~

Hey D! Sorry for the late response...but thanks for thinking of us! All is well here in Maryland. The worst of our damage was a leak in our basement. Thankfully it was discovered very early and it was in a small unfinished area so we were able to keep it contained with lots of towels...thanks to my husband. I figured it would be a simple and somewhat inexpensive fix...and that's where I got the shock of my life when the first company we had out on Thursday want to charge us about $25000 to do the work!

Thankfully we had two other companies lined up to give estimates and opinions, and I think one of them is due out today. I ended up contacting two additional companies on my own and one guy showed up on Friday. His estimate? About $1200. Yes that's a pretty significant difference!

Now the work they are suggesting is VERY different obviously. Company number one wants to basically excavate around our entire foundation, seal it again, and put in a new drainage system and two new sump pumps. Let me tell you our house is pretty well built and it is only ELEVEN years old! So I think perhaps that's a bit of overkill.

Contractor number two agreed...and said while the best way would be to excavate and fix from the outside, the inside quick fix was not a bad solution either. He even found a second crack. My husband said he seemed much more knowledgable than the poor schmuck salesperson from company #1 who met with us on Thursday night, wasted way too much time, and I learned later isn't even BBB certfied...and guy #2 has an A+ rating.

So we will hopefully be getting that fixed, just want to get two more opinions just to have the best knowledge and decision. That's a relief because after company #1 estimate I was ready to CANCEL all of my dining reservations and still take the trip just do it on a REALLY tight budget, make our own food and take it in the park every day, really be strict about stuff. That would not have been as much fun obviously!

So I love your idea of making another PTR but honestly don't know when we'll take our next trip. At this point we are hoping to do Disneyland and Cali Adventure NEXT January and we'll start looking into that in December probably. I guess we'll see because that also won't be cheap and after this week's nightmare scare we are determined to tighten up our budget after this trip and the holidays and really start knocking out some debts.

 

[kittylady1972]

SINGLE DIGIT DANCE COMMENCE!!! NINE DAYS TO GO!

So my final final most likely plan goes like this:

Fri Nov. 16th: Arrival day and Magic Kingdom day. Lunch is going to be at Liberty Tree Tavern and then we'll spend the day exploring the MK. We'll leave sometime around dinnertime to go check into our resort at Wilderness Lodge. Did I mention my in-laws still don't know we are staying there? It's my little secret...and it's driving my FIL nuts but I just love surprising people. Anyway we may do counter service at our resort and then hit EPCOT, or we'll go to EPCOT and do counter service there. I did make a LATE reservation for Mama Melrose at Hollywood Studios so we could boat from EPCOT to Studios for that, but that's probably not going to happen. I'd like to maximize our park time here.

Sat Nov. 17th: Focus will be on Hollywood Studios for this day. Lunch will be at 50s Prime Time Cafe or a counter service. It will be a LITE lunch...maybe just appetizers and milkshakes BECAUSE we have reservations for the 4pm Hoop de Doo Show. Then I think we'll head back to MK for the evening. It closes at 10pm and I'm hoping we have a chance at seeing some new Fantasyland stuff there.

Sun Nov. 18th: I managed to squeeze in a 7:15am Chef Mickey's Breakfast. We have to check out this morning and head over to Port Canaveral for our cruise anyway, so this should be fine. We will leave around 10am to drive out to Port Canaveral as we have an 11:30am boarding for our Disney Dream cruise.

Sun - Wed: CRUISING! We have an adults only dinner on night one, and the kids will swim with the dolphins at Blue Lagoon at the Bahamas and Dh will go on a SCUBA dive.

Wed. Nov. 21st: BACK to Walt Disney World. My SIL and nephew arrive the night before so we'll meet up with them probably at EPCOT for lunch at Coral Reef. At some point we will have to get to SSR to checkin to our Treehouse. Dinner is snacking or counter service somewhere, either at SSR or MK. We will then head to MK for the evening and 9pm Wishes Dessert Party. We will see how long we can all stay upright and spend as much time as possible at MK that evening.

Thur. Nov. 22nd: We are going to heed the advice and visit the LEAST crowded park this day: Animal Kingdom! However I also have an early breakfast at O'Hana. My FIL wanted us to book a character meal for my SIL and nephew and this was one of the choices. We haven't done it in years...before it became Lilo and Stitch but Mickey is still there which is great. After breakfast we head to AK and spend some time there. We'll stay until close to 2:30pm or so and then head out of the park and back so SSR. We will have our Thanksgiving Dinner at Turf Club where HOPEFULLY they serve a Turkey dinner but if not I'm okay with prime rib for Thanksgiving! The evening will be spent at Hollywood Studios where we might do Fantasmic but we will at least view the Osborne lights.


Fri. Nov. 23rd: Our last full day and we plan to hit MK very early! We'll have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. We will spend most of the day at MK but maybe head to EPCOT in the afternoon. It is the least recommended park this day but it's the last day for us. I have a 3pm meal reserved at Chef de France so we may try to make that at least. We will then catch a boat over to Yacht Club only to get on another boat that evening...an Illuminations Cruise! Nobody knows about this surprise yet so hope they like it. We did one back in 2007 and it was really great!

Sat. Nov. 24th: Check-out day. I'm torn here between Hollywood Studios or EPCOT. It might be our only chance at Soarin' if we do EPCOT early. However Hollywood Studios has early entry and my nephew may want to do TSM there. Then we have to head over to the train station around 1pm to catch our train back home!



So I've worked out a budget and am hoping to stick with it. After our recent nightmare home improvement scare here, where I was sure we'd have to cancel all of our eating plans. Thankfully I think we finally have decided on who to contract for our work and while the price is not IDEAL it's certainly not as ugly as our first estimate. So I've order our Photopass Plus card and have that at home. This weekend I'll probably start the packing process and get all of our stuff together for the most part. I can't wait until this trip!!

 

[DMGeurts]

Hey D! Sorry for the late response...but thanks for thinking of us! All is well here in Maryland. The worst of our damage was a leak in our basement. Thankfully it was discovered very early and it was in a small unfinished area so we were able to keep it contained with lots of towels...thanks to my husband. I figured it would be a simple and somewhat inexpensive fix...and that's where I got the shock of my life when the first company we had out on Thursday want to charge us about $25000 to do the work!

Thankfully we had two other companies lined up to give estimates and opinions, and I think one of them is due out today. I ended up contacting two additional companies on my own and one guy showed up on Friday. His estimate? About $1200. Yes that's a pretty significant difference!

Now the work they are suggesting is VERY different obviously. Company number one wants to basically excavate around our entire foundation, seal it again, and put in a new drainage system and two new sump pumps. Let me tell you our house is pretty well built and it is only ELEVEN years old! So I think perhaps that's a bit of overkill.

Contractor number two agreed...and said while the best way would be to excavate and fix from the outside, the inside quick fix was not a bad solution either. He even found a second crack. My husband said he seemed much more knowledgable than the poor schmuck salesperson from company #1 who met with us on Thursday night, wasted way too much time, and I learned later isn't even BBB certfied...and guy #2 has an A+ rating.

So we will hopefully be getting that fixed, just want to get two more opinions just to have the best knowledge and decision. That's a relief because after company #1 estimate I was ready to CANCEL all of my dining reservations and still take the trip just do it on a REALLY tight budget, make our own food and take it in the park every day, really be strict about stuff. That would not have been as much fun obviously!

So I love your idea of making another PTR but honestly don't know when we'll take our next trip. At this point we are hoping to do Disneyland and Cali Adventure NEXT January and we'll start looking into that in December probably. I guess we'll see because that also won't be cheap and after this week's nightmare scare we are determined to tighten up our budget after this trip and the holidays and really start knocking out some debts.

WOW!!! I am so glad you got a 2nd and 3rd opinion!

SINGLE DIGIT DANCE COMMENCE!!! NINE DAYS TO GO!

So my final final most likely plan goes like this:

Fri Nov. 16th: Arrival day and Magic Kingdom day. Lunch is going to be at Liberty Tree Tavern and then we'll spend the day exploring the MK. We'll leave sometime around dinnertime to go check into our resort at Wilderness Lodge. Did I mention my in-laws still don't know we are staying there? It's my little secret...and it's driving my FIL nuts but I just love surprising people. Anyway we may do counter service at our resort and then hit EPCOT, or we'll go to EPCOT and do counter service there. I did make a LATE reservation for Mama Melrose at Hollywood Studios so we could boat from EPCOT to Studios for that, but that's probably not going to happen. I'd like to maximize our park time here.

WOW - I can't believe your ILs still don't know where you are staying! WTG pulling off the surprise! I wish I could do that!

Sat Nov. 17th: Focus will be on Hollywood Studios for this day. Lunch will be at 50s Prime Time Cafe or a counter service. It will be a LITE lunch...maybe just appetizers and milkshakes BECAUSE we have reservations for the 4pm Hoop de Doo Show. Then I think we'll head back to MK for the evening. It closes at 10pm and I'm hoping we have a chance at seeing some new Fantasyland stuff there.

This is a great idea - and I love going back into the parks at night... I just love it when all the lights are on - it looks so pretty.

Sun Nov. 18th: I managed to squeeze in a 7:15am Chef Mickey's Breakfast. We have to check out this morning and head over to Port Canaveral for our cruise anyway, so this should be fine. We will leave around 10am to drive out to Port Canaveral as we have an 11:30am boarding for our Disney Dream cruise.

I still hope to take a DCL cruise one day.

Sun - Wed: CRUISING! We have an adults only dinner on night one, and the kids will swim with the dolphins at Blue Lagoon at the Bahamas and Dh will go on a SCUBA dive.

Wed. Nov. 21st: BACK to Walt Disney World. My SIL and nephew arrive the night before so we'll meet up with them probably at EPCOT for lunch at Coral Reef. At some point we will have to get to SSR to checkin to our Treehouse. Dinner is snacking or counter service somewhere, either at SSR or MK. We will then head to MK for the evening and 9pm Wishes Dessert Party. We will see how long we can all stay upright and spend as much time as possible at MK that evening.

I can't wait to see your treehouse villas photos!

Thur. Nov. 22nd: We are going to heed the advice and visit the LEAST crowded park this day: Animal Kingdom! However I also have an early breakfast at O'Hana. My FIL wanted us to book a character meal for my SIL and nephew and this was one of the choices. We haven't done it in years...before it became Lilo and Stitch but Mickey is still there which is great. After breakfast we head to AK and spend some time there. We'll stay until close to 2:30pm or so and then head out of the park and back so SSR. We will have our Thanksgiving Dinner at Turf Club where HOPEFULLY they serve a Turkey dinner but if not I'm okay with prime rib for Thanksgiving! The evening will be spent at Hollywood Studios where we might do Fantasmic but we will at least view the Osborne lights.

This sounds awesome!

Fri. Nov. 23rd: Our last full day and we plan to hit MK very early! We'll have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. We will spend most of the day at MK but maybe head to EPCOT in the afternoon. It is the least recommended park this day but it's the last day for us. I have a 3pm meal reserved at Chef de France so we may try to make that at least. We will then catch a boat over to Yacht Club only to get on another boat that evening...an Illuminations Cruise! Nobody knows about this surprise yet so hope they like it. We did one back in 2007 and it was really great!

Awesome!

Sat. Nov. 24th: Check-out day. I'm torn here between Hollywood Studios or EPCOT. It might be our only chance at Soarin' if we do EPCOT early. However Hollywood Studios has early entry and my nephew may want to do TSM there. Then we have to head over to the train station around 1pm to catch our train back home!

So I've worked out a budget and am hoping to stick with it. After our recent nightmare home improvement scare here, where I was sure we'd have to cancel all of our eating plans. Thankfully I think we finally have decided on who to contract for our work and while the price is not IDEAL it's certainly not as ugly as our first estimate. So I've order our Photopass Plus card and have that at home. This weekend I'll probably start the packing process and get all of our stuff together for the most part. I can't wait until this trip!!

Yay!!! I am also interested to hear how you like Photopass plus - I am debating for our next trip.

I think all of your plans so far are great!

D~

 

[kittylady1972]

OK D sorry I don't know how to reply with quotes using the Android app but thanks for your response as always. Yeah that 1st quote for our repair STILL has me seeing red! I soooo hope that company calls back to see what we decide so I can LAUGH OUT LOUD at them! On the bright side we got one more opinion last night (that makes four) and we agreed we will probably choose them. Not the cheapest but we like their solution the best.

So our countdown continues to shrink and this means I need to start thinking at least about packing soon! Tonight the kids and I were talking at dinner about the trip. We are all sooooo excited.

I must say there is a small part of me that thinks we really should consider scaling back on a few plans to save some money in light of our upcoming repair. Specifically I am thinking of the Illuminations cruise which is about $300 and we were going to treat everybody to as a surprise. I just don't know. I think perhaps I will at least try to track our spending to stay under a budget but we are not that great at that. We need to get better though.

Christmas can also be light this year. This trip is really all I wanted and the dolphin swim the kids are doing will be their early gift for sure!