Hi everyone, just checking in b/c I've been doing some more dining/itinerary thinking!! I've been thinking about Chef Mickey's - we did it for a "brunch" last year and loved that. I have it in the plans for dinner this year - as on our full MK day (when we did brunch last year), DD and I will likely be doing CRT lunch. I'm not a huge breakfast person, but I do LOVE breakfast FOODS (just not early eating) and I was already sad at the thought of missing a good brunch. So...now I'm thinking - what about a brunch on our very last day, right before we leave????? And I'm getting all excited!! Last time we visited MK in the AM, had CS lunch and then headed out for the drive home. I'm thinking - pack up in the AM, do MK 9-11 or so for one last "hurrah", then hop the monorail to CM for "brunch" at 11:30. Kids will get one last good visit in with the "big" characters, and then we'll take the monorail back to the Poly and leave right away. Would that be a good ending to the trip? We'd be plenty full and should be able to get a good 6 hours in before needing to stop for dinner. (We're thinking drive from 1pm-11pm, stop and sleep, and drive 9 hours the next day home). Only thing that worries me is that our CM brunch last time was mid-week. We didn't stand in any long park lines for those characters (though we did see Pluto with little wait) during the week, knowing that we'd be seeing them. Will I feel guilty not letting the kids see Mickey and Minnie sooner if lines are long? Or if I "plan" some character meets earlier (I didn't really pay attention to where they would be last time, again, knowing we would see them), will we get luckier?? We did see the biggies our last night - at the Epcot Character Connection - with next to no wait and it was great. Maybe I just need to find the times for that and get there when it starts on our Day 2?? Should I do CM's earlier in the week, not leave it for the end??? What do you all think???
Sorry for the rambling - I'm thinking as I type here!!
Here's what I'm thinking Itinerary-wise:
Friday, May 1 - arrive in Orlando probably evening and stay off-site
Saturday, May 2- Check in early at Poly and hit MK for opening. Back to Poly when room is ready for naps/swimming. Dinner at Kona and evening at the resort settling in. Wishes, EWP, etc.
Sunday, May 3- Epcot at opening until about 1, Poly for nap, swimming. Dinner at Crystal Palace and MK in evening. Spectro??
Monday, May 4 - Animal Kingdom at opening til 1, Poly for nap, swimming. Dinner at Mama Melrose's, DHS for evening, Fantasmic
Tuesday, May 5- MK at opening. DD and I do lunch at CRT (OOP), DH and DS do CS. Relax in the evening, do CS dinner OR depending on Wed. (see that), do a TS dinner - no idea where!! Probably hang out at Poly for evening. (This is where I was originally thinking CM dinner....)
Wednesday, May 6- Blizzard Beach (hopefully there will be EMH!) till 1 or so. Back to Poly. TS dinner in Downtown Disney. I'm waiting to hear more about T-Rex. Assuming it's open - I know DS would LOVE this! We'd likely pay have to pay OOP for that for dinner - and then could do a TS dinner on Tuesday. If for some reason it IS included on the
DDP, then Tues would be a CS dinner (which is FINE!! We'll have 2 CS to use, and DD and I eating the big lunch at CRT - probably could just use snack credits!) Evening shopping at DTD.
Thursday, May 7 - Open day - return to where we want to go!! More time at AK, DHS, or MK? Even Epcot. We could even split up 2/2 here depending on what the kids want! Poly for naps, swimming. Dinner at LeCellier, evening at Epcot, Illuminations.
Friday, May 8- check out at Poly, MK opening to 11, Brunch at CM???? On our way home by 1 PM or so.
***Of course all actual days are subject to change based on park hours, show times, EMH, and CRT availability!!!***
So, after all that... any thoughts or suggestions?? I'm open!!! And, if we end up paying OOP for both CRT (will definitely pay OOP) and T-rex, any thoughts for a 6th TS credit place?? I was strongly considering Ohana's - but not with the menu changes. Could really be anywhere as we don't have evening plans for Tuesday night.
I'm really liking having Thursday morning/early afternoon totally open to do whatever we want to return to or missed. Last year this was our AK day, but neither AK nor DHS were huge hits and with the kids getting older (staying up later, esp. if DS takes a nap!), I'm thinking we can get the "biggies" in at both on Monday. They are adding more stuff (Toy Story) and we'll be able to do more (heights), so I wouldn't be surprised if we head back to one on Thurs. Anyways....
Really so odd this CM idea came to me today - I haven't really been doing any planning!!
Thanks for any input!! This is the planning stuff I really love!!
We just came back from visiting my MIL and she told me that she cannot make it to WDW next year. So it will be just me, DD and DH.
)! I'm waiting not-so-patiently to book in August too - although I've decided to book room only instead of a package. I'm waiting until the AAA rates come out to book. Then I may switch to the AP rate if the discounts are good enough. My girlfriends and I are talking about a 40th birthday trip in fall of 2010 and I have them almost convinced to go to WDW. If that trip happens, I will definitely get an AP! 
So I can at least do a little shopping while I am there. So unless we get an awesome deal this fall that hubby and I can't pass up we will be there next June.
We've got an awesome trip planned. We're going June 6-13, 2009. We've currently got 24 people (children included) going. We've rented two houses in Windsor Hills (if anyone is looking for a great deal on either a 5BR or 6BR, I can suggest one!). 
