3 Generations! 2 Resorts! 10 Days! DxDp! 3000 Pictures! - Saying Good-Bye!

[Terkina]

I'm enjoying reading your trip report. It's great to see all the lovely pictures you have taken

 

[pas130]

I love the pic of the family, I like how Faith has her hand on her hip Like, mom really another pic ? You know how I adore the Grand

We have our sitter minding the nest, and Gramma will be checkin in on a regular basis. Our sitter is great, but she's never done an overnight here. The kiddos think it's a big party

Having 3 in school now is SO busy. HW, projects, back to school nights, PTO stuff Is it November yet?

 

[RGirl]

Good idea to get some GF pics! I think 1900 PF is there, right? So maybe that is even more incentive to try to keep that ADR.

Hmm, maybe I will attempt a TR. It will give me something fun to do while waiting for our DLR trip.

Check out my ticker! We started my DD's countdown calendar last night. Her first trip present was PotC.

 

[hstrickland]

Enjoyed your trip report. Beautiful pictures. Thanks for posting.

Thanks so much Dad and I truly enjoy capturing the moment with our cameras....hopefully one of my kiddos will follow the family tradition

Love all the pictures at Grand Floridian. Especially the family photos - very nice! I'm hoping on our trip next year that there will be a day where we can take some time to check out a few resorts (GF, BC & BW). Can't wait to hear how dinner was. I'm starting my dining research for next October - so I need all the info I can get!

Ok...what happened to your ticker?? Your mini vacation??

On your next trip, definitely take time to explore some of the resorts!! Especially the GF....love it! The Poly, too!! Those are both great resorts for family pics.

Great pictures as usual! I love the family shot that you got--love Faith's hand on her hip all sassy like!

Thanks! Faith is the child with the attitude...enough sass for the whole family And one would think that after 3000 pictures, we would have more than 1 family photo

I can't wait to see what you guys thought of Citricos, it's one of my favorites!

It quickly became one of my favorites, too! And by the way...I'll be checking out your TR once again...at least by the weekend. I'm very anxious to see what you thought...and look at some pictures

Do I see a GF stay in your future?

You all remind me of when Mickey used to say on the toiletry bottles, "Everybody neat and pretty?" You all look so ready for a lovely dinner. Looking forward to your review...

The GF??? Why would you think that?? We actually were there back in 2009. We have a problem though...Faith wants to go to the GF...Stephen wants the BC...DH wants AKL and I just want to go back, for heaven sakes!

So....DH looks over at the computer and says, "hmmmm....looks like KOOK jumped shipped on the CR....I see a WL avatar" I quickly reminded him that a pic of the CR still remains in your signature

Heather - I haven't told DH yet but I booked 1900 Park Fare for Breakfast, he loves buffets and I want to explore GF. Glad to see you say you would return.

Love your pictures of GF and I think the pic in the GF lobby would look fantastic as this years Christmas card.

Y'all will have a ball at 1900 for breakfast....we just loved it!! The Mad Hatter will steal the show for sure....good choice. Your DH will thank you

For some reason, Photobucket does weird things to pictures of peoples' faces...if you look at our "Christmas" picture, some of our eyes look a bit askew. I think it's the editing tools...who knows?!

I'm enjoying reading your trip report. It's great to see all the lovely pictures you have taken

we appreciate the kind words....I guess part of our vacation revolves around photos And I will admit...the kids do get a bit tired of it...every now and then

I love the pic of the family, I like how Faith has her hand on her hip Like, mom really another pic ? You know how I adore the Grand

We have our sitter minding the nest, and Gramma will be checkin in on a regular basis. Our sitter is great, but she's never done an overnight here. The kiddos think it's a big party

Having 3 in school now is SO busy. HW, projects, back to school nights, PTO stuff Is it November yet?

Not yet!! I believe your ticker will let you know when November is rolling around! School's crazy, isn't it?! On our way to karate we do homework...on our way home we do homework...when we get home we do homework! Just wait until all of yours are in school!

Glad to hear your kids think it's gonna be a party while y'all are away They'll be fine And gramma will be keeping close tabs...no worries! Our kids LOVE having baby sitters and LOVE spending the night off......guess we should be happy about that

 

[hstrickland]

Good idea to get some GF pics! I think 1900 PF is there, right? So maybe that is even more incentive to try to keep that ADR.

Hmm, maybe I will attempt a TR. It will give me something fun to do while waiting for our DLR trip.

Check out my ticker! We started my DD's countdown calendar last night. Her first trip present was PotC.

Yep...1900 is at the GF.

TR!!Yeah!! Do one! I'll certainly follow along....and yes, it will give you something to do between trips!!! Just PM me so I'll know where to find it

Pirates of the Carr!!!! Awesome!!! Let me know what she thinks...hopefully she'll love it. If not...blame me

 

[RGirl]

Yep...1900 is at the GF.

TR!!Yeah!! Do one! I'll certainly follow along....and yes, it will give you something to do between trips!!! Just PM me so I'll know where to find it

Pirates of the Carr!!!! Awesome!!! Let me know what she thinks...hopefully she'll love it. If not...blame me

I will definitely let you know about a TR - I will need my one reader!

We have watched a little of it last night and tonight. I don't think she has a clue what it is about. But she is definitely interested in the pirates and the "princess."

 

[amandaw]

Ok...what happened to your ticker?? Your mini vacation??

I have a confession to make....I have done the unthinkable to most here on the DIS....I cancelled our December trip to Disney. I know, I know! But, the more I thought about it, the more I felt it wasn't worth it. It will take a full day for us to get there & get back. And those 2 days in the parks will be rushed & it's supposed to be very crowded that weekend. So, I cancelled it & used my funds to book us for one full week in a 1 bedroom suite right on the beach in Panama City Beach (FL) for the last week of April. I think Ed is happy that we'll be taking a relaxing vacation before hitting Disney World for a week in October. And Reid is such a little fish - he LOVES the beach - so I know he'll be excited about the trip. And the best part? A whole week right on the beach...and I will be spending about $300 LESS than I would've spent on our Disney weekend get-away! Crazy, huh?

On your next trip, definitely take time to explore some of the resorts!! Especially the GF....love it! The Poly, too!! Those are both great resorts for family pics.

We're definitely going to try & find some time to explore resorts. Even Ed said he would like to do that. On our May trip, we explored a good bit of Poly. On my list for our next trip will be: GF, BC, BW & maybe AKL (if we can make it out there).

 

[pas130]

I have a confession to make....I have done the unthinkable to most here on the DIS....I cancelled our December trip to Disney. I know, I know! But, the more I thought about it, the more I felt it wasn't worth it. It will take a full day for us to get there & get back. And those 2 days in the parks will be rushed & it's supposed to be very crowded that weekend. So, I cancelled it & used my funds to book us for one full week in a 1 bedroom suite right on the beach in Panama City Beach (FL) for the last week of April. I think Ed is happy that we'll be taking a relaxing vacation before hitting Disney World for a week in October. And Reid is such a little fish - he LOVES the beach - so I know he'll be excited about the trip. And the best part? A whole week right on the beach...and I will be spending about $300 LESS than I would've spent on our Disney weekend get-away! Crazy, huh?

That sounds lovely Amanda. Let me know all about your beach stay. Our kiddos love the beach. I don't think it's crazy at all

Thanks! Faith is the child with the attitude...enough sass for the whole family And one would think that after 3000 pictures, we would have more than 1 family photo

Doesn't surprise me...We rarely get all of us in the pic.....like never, ummmm well one from TuskerHouse breakfast, and Askerhus


Not yet!! I believe your ticker will let you know when November is rolling around! School's crazy, isn't it?! On our way to karate we do homework...on our way home we do homework...when we get home we do homework! Just wait until all of yours are in school!

Glad to hear your kids think it's gonna be a party while y'all are away They'll be fine And gramma will be keeping close tabs...no worries! Our kids LOVE having baby sitters and LOVE spending the night off......guess we should be happy about that

I don't know what I'll do when they are all in school....Not enough of me to go around...Just the 3 is sooooo much, and it's just K,2nd, and 5th grade

Heather - I haven't told DH yet but I booked 1900 Park Fare for Breakfast, he loves buffets and I want to explore GF Glad to see you say you would return.

You both will love it. just exploring GF in the morning We went awhile ago, at that time I never even thought to check out GF....I didn't even look around the lobby

And my DH is a breakfast buffet guy too(that's why Chef Mickeys), so I think you'll both be happy

 

[amandaw]

That sounds lovely Amanda. Let me know all about your beach stay. Our kiddos love the beach. I don't think it's crazy at all

Thanks! I'll definitely let y'all know how it is. I'm actually excited about it. We usually go to Sandestin Beach Resort but we're giving Panama City Beach a try for the first time. I think we're going to have lots of fun!

 

[hstrickland]

I will definitely let you know about a TR - I will need my one reader!

We have watched a little of it last night and tonight. I don't think she has a clue what it is about. But she is definitely interested in the pirates and the "princess."

Oh yeah...those movies can be a bit difficult to follow, especially the recent ones! However, for whatever reason, the kids love them. It must be Jack Sparrow and all the action. When your DD sees the pirates and Capt. Jack at WDW, she'll be able to put two n' two together

I have a confession to make....I have done the unthinkable to most here on the DIS....I cancelled our December trip to Disney. I know, I know! But, the more I thought about it, the more I felt it wasn't worth it. It will take a full day for us to get there & get back. And those 2 days in the parks will be rushed & it's supposed to be very crowded that weekend. So, I cancelled it & used my funds to book us for one full week in a 1 bedroom suite right on the beach in Panama City Beach (FL) for the last week of April. I think Ed is happy that we'll be taking a relaxing vacation before hitting Disney World for a week in October. And Reid is such a little fish - he LOVES the beach - so I know he'll be excited about the trip. And the best part? A whole week right on the beach...and I will be spending about $300 LESS than I would've spent on our Disney weekend get-away! Crazy, huh?

We're definitely going to try & find some time to explore resorts. Even Ed said he would like to do that. On our May trip, we explored a good bit of Poly. On my list for our next trip will be: GF, BC, BW & maybe AKL (if we can make it out there).

I completely agree with Pas...not crazy at all!!! I didn't realize it would take y'all 2 days of travel, and then you would only have 2 days in the parks. You're making the best decision Don't second guess yourself at all. Reid will have a blast at the beach for sure.

Definitely check out AKL...we've been over to eat at Boma, and strolled around a couple of times just looking at the animals and resort. We want to stay there, but not for an extended stay....long weekend maybe

That sounds lovely Amanda. Let me know all about your beach stay. Our kiddos love the beach. I don't think it's crazy at all

I don't know what I'll do when they are all in school....Not enough of me to go around...Just the 3 is sooooo much, and it's just K,2nd, and 5th grade
You both will love it. just exploring GF in the morning We went awhile ago, at that time I never even thought to check out GF....I didn't even look around the lobby

Your kids are around the same age as ours...PreK, K & 5th. I always thought it would be less to do the older they got! That's a joke!! Who was I kidding??!! We keep getting busier by the day!

 

[Missyrose]

I'm joining in extraordinarily late, but I just caught up on everything so far.

I'm so glad to hear you guys enjoyed the Contemporary and the DxDP, both of which I'll be trying for the first time in three weeks!

Can't wait to hear about your dinner at Citricos.

 

[amandaw]

I completely agree with Pas...not crazy at all!!! I didn't realize it would take y'all 2 days of travel, and then you would only have 2 days in the parks. You're making the best decision Don't second guess yourself at all. Reid will have a blast at the beach for sure.

Definitely check out AKL...we've been over to eat at Boma, and strolled around a couple of times just looking at the animals and resort. We want to stay there, but not for an extended stay....long weekend maybe

Thanks! The more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed to travel so much for 2 days at Disney. I know we would've had fun, but I do think I made the right decision.

I do hope we can get over to AKL so we can check it out. Ed has no interest whatsoever in staying there, but I would like to at least go see it.

 

[rustytss]

When my sister was in high school, she had the privilege to march, also. I didn't get to go because I was in college at the time.

Now that is a picture you need to post...me in my band uniform marching in the Electric Light Parade!!

 

[hstrickland]

I'm joining in extraordinarily late, but I just caught up on everything so far.

I'm so glad to hear you guys enjoyed the Contemporary and the DxDP, both of which I'll be trying for the first time in three weeks!

Can't wait to hear about your dinner at Citricos.

It's never too late to join in! You're going to love the CR!! Great beds...the best at Disney Have you made all of your ADRs? We have always been super pleased with the DxDP...probably because I'm such a planner (a little over the top perhaps) and because we really enjoy the TS restaurants, too. Hopefully y'all will have a fantastic experience as well. Do tell...what restaurants will you be visiting?

Thanks! The more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed to travel so much for 2 days at Disney. I know we would've had fun, but I do think I made the right decision.

I do hope we can get over to AKL so we can check it out. Ed has no interest whatsoever in staying there, but I would like to at least go see it.

You might be surprised....after Ed sees the AKL, he just might like it I can assure you that Reid will!!!

Now that is a picture you need to post...me in my band uniform marching in the Electric Light Parade!!

Hmmmmm..........don't tempt me! You know I have some more 'vintage' photos to share with the world...all the way back to 1983....stay tuned, little sister, for some good laughs

 

[RGirl]

Just had to pop in and let you know that my DD chose PotC for her Friday Night Movie Night movie. I guess it's a hit!

 

[Missyrose]

It's never too late to join in! You're going to love the CR!! Great beds...the best at Disney Have you made all of your ADRs? We have always been super pleased with the DxDP...probably because I'm such a planner (a little over the top perhaps) and because we really enjoy the TS restaurants, too. Hopefully y'all will have a fantastic experience as well. Do tell...what restaurants will you be visiting?

Thanks for the wonderful ! I'm super excited about my trip (and CR! It's my dream resort ).

I kind of went about the DxDP a little backwards. I had crunched the numbers and decided that I would save money going OOP with a TIW card instead of the regular dining plan. But as I kept adding ADRs, it dawned on me that I should probably crunch the numbers on DxDP and found out that plan would save us quite a chunk of money (before I even factored in all those snack credits that would take a bite out of our Food and Wine Festival budget!). Armed with my credits, I went back and did some re-arranging and even added a second Signature dinner. So, without further ado, here's my ADR line-up:
Le Cellier -- lunch (OOP, our dining plan starts with our second room reservation the next day)
Sci-Fi Dine-In -- lunch
'Ohana -- dinner
The Wave -- breakfast
Citricos -- dinner
Kona Cafe -- breakfast
California Grill -- dinner (9:15 on a night with HalloWishes! )

I'm really, really excited. All of these restaurants will be new for us (we ate at Kona for dinner a couple of years ago for dinner, so breakfast is still new). And this is my first onsite Disney vacation (seventh trip to WDW overall). I hope I have as much fun as you guys clearly did!

 

[hstrickland]

Just had to pop in and let you know that my DD chose PotC for her Friday Night Movie Night movie. I guess it's a hit!

She's definitley ready for the Pirates League now!! Hope y'all had a nice evening together!

Thanks for the wonderful ! I'm super excited about my trip (and CR! It's my dream resort ).

I kind of went about the DxDP a little backwards. I had crunched the numbers and decided that I would save money going OOP with a TIW card instead of the regular dining plan. But as I kept adding ADRs, it dawned on me that I should probably crunch the numbers on DxDP and found out that plan would save us quite a chunk of money (before I even factored in all those snack credits that would take a bite out of our Food and Wine Festival budget!). Armed with my credits, I went back and did some re-arranging and even added a second Signature dinner. So, without further ado, here's my ADR line-up:
Le Cellier -- lunch (OOP, our dining plan starts with our second room reservation the next day)
Sci-Fi Dine-In -- lunch
'Ohana -- dinner
The Wave -- breakfast
Citricos -- dinner
Kona Cafe -- breakfast
California Grill -- dinner (9:15 on a night with HalloWishes! )

I'm really, really excited. All of these restaurants will be new for us (we ate at Kona for dinner a couple of years ago for dinner, so breakfast is still new). And this is my first onsite Disney vacation (seventh trip to WDW overall). I hope I have as much fun as you guys clearly did!

We love all of those restaurants!!! Great choices for sure. And I didn't realize that you could use snack credits at the F&W...someone at school mentioned that yesterday. Ok...just realized that 5 of your ADRs are super convenient since you're at the CR....how awesome is that??!!! Y'all are gonna love, love, love the monorail I know you are sooooo ready to go....the Fall time is wonderful at WDW...not too hot...not too cold. Are you going to do a TR when you get back?

Ok...had to go back and edit....I saw your PTR after I posted! Guess you ARE doing a TR

 

[katt789]

Finally all caught up!! It looks like you guys had an amazing trip, I'm looking forward to reading more!

 

[hstrickland]

Finally all caught up!! It looks like you guys had an amazing trip, I'm looking forward to reading more!

We did have an awesome vacation!!! I need to finish my Citricos installment so I can get it posted. Never enough time in the day

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Hi Heather - all caught up - whew - when did life get so busy that my 'dis' time had to take the back burner! LOVED the pics of 1983 retro - we are the same age, I had a perm and mullet in the day as well, LOL!!! I showed my kids your pics of River County and the current ones, still amazing! The rest of your updates are bringing me a little 'magic' this evening, thanks!

My DS and I had a great mom-son trip in August for a week at Coronado. Super hot, but we took a little break each day to cool down. We liked the resort, very quiet and convenient, however we are spoiled with deluxes. Seriously considering tower view at CR for next trip, but not sure if I can get the family away from the Poly!

Just booked 2 nights for the end of March while we are arriving in FL at MCO for a week at Ft. Myers beach. Staying on property for 2 nights at Port Orleans Riverside and doing Blizzard Beach. Dinner at Ohana one night so we can pig out and watch fireworks too!

Have you been getting into the cruise boards? It's time to start thinking cruise for both of us!
Have a great week at school - time to get ready for tomorrow!
Erin