A Overplanner's Pre-Trip Report

[CatNipRules]

I do understand your DH's position to some extent. I have a crappy comute every morning and afternoon so its nice to take a week off from driving, but my DH is so afraid of being a Disney captive that he needs a car to bust out of the bubble. Plus, he always forgets something which leads us to at least one Walmart trip.

The plus side is that the car is so handy for early or late ADRs. Can I tell you how many times we have eaten at Beaches and Cream just to enter Epcot through the world showcase. Actually, we use that as our line to get into the parking lot. Works every time!

LOL! Okay, so I talked him into it. I just told him on the way home from work tonight that I wanted to rent a car. I explained why and the reasons why it is a good idea, it wore him down. Plus, I played a bit of dirty pool. My dad built a lamp and I need a new sea urchin to replace one that broke. Can't find one anywhere here. I told him I wanted to search for one in Orlando. I think it worked!! LOL!!

We are more Target people. LOL! Especially since DH works there. LOL! But i get what you mean. I figure that DH can pick up the car rental and DS and I can ride on DME. LOL!

 

[CatNipRules]

Well, I went ahead and reserved a rental car. I just feel better with having it in case we need it for the early morning ADR's that we have planned. I don't want to miss any of them and quite honestly, I know that Disney transportation can be a bit hectic at times.

I was asking my son if he wanted to go to Universal instead of Sea World. He said that he likes Universal, but that Sea World has more stuff to "do." When I asked him what he meant, he told me that there are more things to do rather than let the air go through your hair. LOL!!



My son makes me laugh sometimes. He definitely surprised me though.

I think I'm going to have to go back to my tattoo artist. Flounder has a definite pinkish tint to him. He's definitely not all yellow and blue like he's supposed to be. LOL! Of course my husband says that he can't see it. Are you kidding me? It's pinker than my skin and you tell me that you can't see it? Men! LOL!!

Oh and he will never get the whole ADR thing. I'm not sure if he was kidding me, but we went out for dinner the other night. He asked me if I made a reservation. I didn't understand him at first, but when I did I just rolled my eyes. Some people will just never understand....

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for a rental car!!! That definitely sounds like it'll make your plans easier!

 

[MEK]

Yeah for a rental car. That will make you resort ADRs SO much easier and with the DDXP you have to try some of the fabulous ADRs at the resorts!

Tip - If you book anything at the Contemporary I have always had great success parking there, eating, and then taking the monorail into MK. Then we walk back to the car when we are ready to leave. Contemporary and Poly have great self parking with plenty of spaces. Beach club has a great parking lot. Boardwalk and Grand Floridian have terrible self parking.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, my husband is absolutely driving me crazy. Okay, so we are renting a car now. Well, DH and DS want to do Universal and Sea World.

I'm okay with doing one of them, but checking out prices online I'm like shocked at how much a day pass costs. They want to do both IOA and US. I know that a day pass to Disney is just as much, but I'm not sure that I want to do both of them. I'm thinking if I had to choose I might pick IoA. Simply because of the Harry Potter stuff. I love that movie and could spend all day there. LOL!!

I will probably cave in and get the tickets, but I'm just shell shocked at how much money it costs.

Plus, on the Tuesday that we are going to be there I have 'Ohana scheduled for breakfast and I've heard really good things about it and don't want to cancel it. Maybe we could do Sea World that day. Because I honestly don't care if we make it for park opening. I do like to be at the gates for park opening at IoA and US.

Guess I have some more thinking to do. LOL!!

 

[CatNipRules]

So, since Buddy is such an important part of my family's life, I figured that I should post a picture of him for you guys to see. This is pre-surgery and pre losing weight, but it's the most recent one that i have.

When we took him for his last post op checkup, he had lost 2 pounds. The doctor was really happy about that. We have cut him down to one cup of food a day. I wish it was that easy for me to lose weight. LOL!!

Anyways, we had his shots scheduled for the first Saturday in august. Well, i don't really want to take him by myself. DH has to work early that day, so I called and rescheduled it for next weekend. Well, we use PetSmart for his shots. We are seriously considering changing to a regular vet after our Banfield plan expires. It's just too hard to get Buddy in and out of that place. he gets super hyper when we take him there.

Not much else going on trip wise. I'm just trying to figure out where we want to eat and if we want to go to IoA or Universal. I'm still not 100% sure.....

Thanks to all you guys for reading and following along. It's nice to know that I'm not talking to myself. LOL!!

 

[BearcatsFan]

I'm still reading!

What a cutie ... looks like he hates having his picture taken (our guy always did, too).

My DH is back to talking about renting a car again, also. They're good at keeping things complicated, yeah? LOL Especially when they're not the ones doing the planning!

 

[MEK]

Buddy looks like a sweetie pie!

 

[lilmissie]

Just checking in - loving your report so far!

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so because I'm checking out every angle, I was checking out DH's Target incentives web site. They offer discounts on various things. Well, they have discounts on Universal Studios admission and the meal deal and cups. We would save about $15 if we go with them rather than through Universal. Ugh!! I really don't want to go off of Disney property, but my husband is really excited about it. He loves Universal Studios and all of the roller coasters. He's put up with all my talking about the ADR's and the like. I want to do this for him, but there I'm driving myself crazy with all the planning. I just need to go ahead and order the tickets. Oh and he wants to do the meal deal. My guys can eat. I mean, they eat a lot. My son is 15 and a typical teenager and my husband eats a lot also. So, I'll probably order the meal deal too.

Here's a picture of my Grumpy shoes. By popular request:

For our arrival night dinner i was thinking about eating at Boma. We've never eaten there and I've heard good things about it. Plus, we would get to check out the animals afterwards. LOL! Of course we could always eat at DTD or at Boatwrights.

I'm not sure if my guys would be interested in the more ecentric food here. We have a reservation for the next day at T-Rex, but since we are going to Universal, and we like to close down the park, we aren't sure we are going to keep that one. I've looked for another reservation that day and there's nothing available. So, do I cancel it and hope for another reservation that day. Do I just cancel it outright and eat someplace else?

DS has asked to eat there, but it's not his must do restaurant. That's Garden Grill. The kid loves that place. LOL!!

I'm not sure if I've posted an updated ADR list. DH only requested that we leave most of our lunches open. That way we have some flexibility and we like to eat breakfast early and we are a little bit of late night eaters.

So, here's what we have planned so far. Of course it's subject to change. LOL!!

Thursday 10/4: Boma 6:20p.m.

Friday 10/5: Nothing planned except for possibly T-Rex. That's at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday 10/06:
Breakfast: One of our favorite restaurants: Tusker House at 8:05 a.m.
Nothing planned for lunch
Dinner: 'Ohana- 8:15 p.m. This is a brand new one for us. Our TA recommended this one.

Sunday 10/07:
Breakfast: Chef Mickey's at 7:35 a.m. This is another first for us. We've always wanted to do this, but never found the chance.
Lunch: Nothing planned
Dinner: Crystal Palace at 7:30 p.m. We usually do this one for breakfast, but decided to do this one for dinner this time.

Monday 10/08:
Breakfast: nothing planned for breakfast.
Lunch: Mama Melrose at 12:05 p.m. We have eaten here before and we are doing the Fantasmic package this time.
Dinner: 50's Prime Time Cafe at 5:30 p.m. Eaten here before and we love it.

Tuesday 10/09=This is a non-park day and I'm still deciding what to do for this day.
Breakfast: 'Ohana at 7:45 a.m.
Lunch: Nothing planned for lunch
Dinner: Cape May Cafe at 7:25 p.m. This might change depending on what we decide to do during the day. I'm not 100% sure that we will be keeping this one. Mostly because I'm allergic to shellfish and my DH and DS aren't big on it either. I just thought that it would be interesting. So, this might be one that i'm cancelling.

Wednesday 10/10
Breakfast: Kona Cafe at 7:30 a.m. Another new one for us.
Lunch: Le Cellier. Another new one for us. I wanted to cancel this one after hearing some bad reviews about it. However, DH wouldn't let me cancel. He knows that I've wanted to eat there for years. We've just never had a chance.
Dinner: Garden Grill at 7:50 p.m. This is a regular for is. It's the first restaurant that we ate at with DS. He was 3 at the time and he has loved it ever since.

Thursday 10/11- This is our MNSSHP night. We are really looking forward to doing this again!
Breakfast: Boma at 8:00 am another new one for us.
Lunch: Liberty Tree Tavern at 11:30 a.m. I added this one on when i found out that we were going to the MNSSHP that night. I'm considering cancelling this one. Not 100% sure.
Dinner: Tony''s Town Square @ 6:50 p.m. Another new one for us.

Friday 10/12
Breakfast: The Crystal Palace at 8:10 a.m. am strongly considering cancelling this one. Simply because we are eating at EPCOT and i'm not sure we can make it on time.
Lunch: Biergarten at 12:45 p.m. Another new one. I've heard good things about this and want to try it for ourselves.
Dinner: San Angel Inn at 8:00 p.m. This is one of our favorites. DS loves it because of the ride and the water.

Saturday we have to check out and will probably do breakfast at the food court before we catch the bus to head to the airport.

So, there are a few things that I might change, but for the most part they are set in stone.

 

[BearcatsFan]

I am loving the Grumpy flip-flops! Too cute!

As far as T-Rex goes, did you try calling to see if they had other ADR times or just look online? I looked online ... nothing. I called, they had plenty of seating times available. Just a thought.

Also, you're doing an ADR 10 minutes before the party gets rolling on MNSSHP night. You sure you want to do that and miss at least an hour of the party at the restaurant? Just another thought ...

Don't worry about the bad reviews on Le Cellier. I'm sure if you do a search, you'll find bad reviews about every restaurant. It's like anything else - you may like it and someone else may not. Go and enjoy!

We're doing Biergarten for the first time this trip also! It was my DH's one specific restaurant request, so I pretty much had to say yes.

Great report so far!

 

[CatNipRules]

Also, you're doing an ADR 10 minutes before the party gets rolling on MNSSHP night. You sure you want to do that and miss at least an hour of the party at the restaurant? Just another thought ...

We had that ADR planned before the hours for the party came out. That might be one that we are going to cancel. I'm thinking that since we are doing breakfast and lunch that day, we can maybe grab a meal at Columbia Harbor house, one of DH's faves, instead. That way we won't miss the beginning of the party. LOL!! Might have to rethink these plans.

I hadn't noticed that it was only 10 minutes before the party. Would much rather go to the party than spend the time eating dinner. LOL!!

I love the flip flops. They aren't the most comfortable things, but they will work to get us through the checkpoint quicker. not that I think there's going to be a big line. Our airport has one terminal and it takes all of 45 seconds to drive through and that includes the hotel at the beginning. LOL!!

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so our plans have changed once again.

Well, I'm feeling homesick. It's been 5 years since I've been back home to Florida. 5 years since I moved from there to Alabama. 5 years since I worked at the best place that I'd ever worked at. 5 years of missing my best friends.

So, DH asked if I wanted to drive down to South Florida and have lunch with my friends. It took me about 5 seconds to agree to it.

So, we are going to go eat at my favorite Cuban restaurant. I've invited 3 of my friends from there. I can't wait! I know. It's totally different from going to a themepark. I was feeling very blue earlier this week. I had no idea what it was. No idea that I was homesick. All I knew was that I was feeling very sad.

I guess it was because I was going to be only a little over 2 plus hours away from home and not being able to see my friends.

I'm feeling much better about it now.

Oh and we were at Target today. Yeah, I know, shocker. LOL! Anyways, i found some of the most adorable socks. Well, actually DH showed them to me. I got 9 different pairs. Well, 10 if you include the long Grumpy socks that I got. LOL!! They were half off. Well, I get 10% off because of DH's employee discount. Well, we use the redcard, so we get another 5% off. Well, we got our pharmacy rewards card so we got another 5% off. I'm not even sure how much they were. They started off at $3.50. LOL! i think they ended up being 2.83 before tax. LOL!!

We also did back to school shopping for Chris. My son is very easy to please. He isn't into the name brand clothing. He'd much rather have a few simple t-shirts and pairs of jeans. He only wants black shoes. LOL! My son is rather weird. Most 15 year olds want the name brand clothes. Not my son. He's much happier with whatever's comfortable rather than what's in style or name brands. LOL!!

Went and had my tattoo touched up today. Flounder was looking rather red still. So, she put some more yellow on it. I have to say that it hurt quite a bit. I guess it's because it's just healed and she was going over the same spot.

Okay and I set up an appointment to get King Triton added to my leg. I'm addicted i tell you!!

I ordered him the new Kingdom Hearts game today. That's all that he can talk about. He was talking about it the entire time we were in the car today. He's so funny sometimes. He can go hours without talking to me, but if I ask him about something that he's interested in, he can talk for hours about it. LOL! I love my son! He asked me if they have the Kingdom Hearts characters in any of the meet and greets. I told him that I don't think so. He wished that they did. I love my son.

Not much else going on tonight. I'm just rambling at this point. LOL!

Oh and one other thing. Sometimes I can be very opinionated. I have a tendency to speak my mind. I might come across as nasty, but I just hate it when people are being picked on. Whether it be on here or in real life. I find that I'm very easy to get along with and wish that everyone was like me.Well, not just like me, but I think you know what I mean. LOL!

Thanks again for reading.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Awww ... so glad you're getting to go home and see your friends again!

Sounds like you got a great deal on the socks. Be glad your son wants simple things - I've known people who spent hundreds of dollars on school clothes for their kids, not including shoes.

 

[MHTeacher]

Glad you're going to be able to visit some of your friends!

I'm way jealous of all your ADRs! That sounds like a lot of great dining! Plus, you are getting to try a lot of new places. I enjoy 'Ohana for dinner and I love Kona for breakfast or dinner! I agree about having the reservation during MNSSHP-I'm not sure I'd want to use my party time to sit down and have a table-service meal.

 

[CatNipRules]

Okay, so I cancelled the ADR during the MNSSHP. I just couldn't see spending time in a restaurant when we could be out and having fun at the party. It just didn't make sense.

One other thing. I think we are going to need to change our plans on our luggage. Why? Well, I'm glad that you asked. Now, I shall tell you why.

I seem to forget that my son is no longer a little kid. As such, I guess I didn't realize that he needed a bigger suitcase. He is in adult size clothing. As a result, the suitcase set that I bought isn't going to work. Why? Because I realized that the suitcase that came in the set of three is way too small for him to use. It's the same size as the one that he used when he was about three. LOL!!

So, we have a few options. 1. Use one of our old suitcases. It's not bad and it can still be used, but I was wanting new ones for our trip.

2. Possibly but another one. This really isn't an option because my husband is ready to kill me for spending so much before we even get to Disney. LOL!

So, we will probably use one of our old ones. Again, Chris doesn't care. And i don't really care either. I mean, we are going to Disney and that's all that matters.

I've had some friends that tell me that I'm crazy for taking Chris out of school. Well, it's not really our fault. The darn state changed the rules after we booked our trip. If we were driving we could probably change the dates, but it's really the only good time for us. Plus the Superintendent of the school system here has said that they will make provisions for people that had the trip booked prior to the change. So, I told them not to judge me. LOL!

I can't wait to get our Mickey Mail!! I know that it's too early, but I'm still looking forward to it. LOL!!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Glad to read my DH isn't the only one ready to kill me for all my pre-trip spending. Sounds like you got the suitcase issue worked out, though.

Don't feel bad for taking your son out of school. If your plans were made, the school okayed it, and you're confident he can make up the work ... no harm, no foul, right?

I am anxiously awaiting Mickey Mail also! We'll be waiting until about 2 weeks out, though, according to our TA ... so I have a long ways to go.

Enjoy your weekend!

 

[MEK]

Not really sure how I got so many updates behind, but I do think all your ADRs are great choices. I think there is plenty for a picky eater to eat at both the Boma breakfast and dinner. You are on the DxDP, right? Have you used up all your entitlements? There are some wonderful signature restaurants you might want to check out. Since your men probably love a good steak, both Artist Point and Jiko come to mind. You would love with one of these. Just a thought.

Boma breakfast is very good too. I tried it for the first time in June and loved it. Ohana is great. Plenty of choices. I've never met anyone who doesn't like Ohana!

 

[MEK]

I forgot to tell you - I love the flip flops!

And, yeah for having lunch with your friends. That's awesome! We went to Daytona in June to spend the night with my DH's college roommate and we had a great time!

 

[CatNipRules]

Not really sure how I got so many updates behind, but I do think all your ADRs are great choices. I think there is plenty for a picky eater to eat at both the Boma breakfast and dinner. You are on the DxDP, right? Have you used up all your entitlements? There are some wonderful signature restaurants you might want to check out. Since your men probably love a good steak, both Artist Point and Jiko come to mind. You would love with one of these. Just a thought.

Boma breakfast is very good too. I tried it for the first time in June and loved it. Ohana is great. Plenty of choices. I've never met anyone who doesn't like Ohana!

It's okay! LOL!!

We are on the Deluxe plan. No, we haven't used up everything. I'm still looking for a few places to fill a few spots. I just don't want to overwhelm us.

Hah! My DH likes steak, but it makes him sick to his stomach. DS loves steak and has since he was little.

I had to laugh when you said that there isn't anyone that doesn't like Ohana.

My child is quite picky. My child doesn't like anything with sauce on it. Spaghetti? No sauce. Tortellinis? Nope, no sauce. Chicken nuggets? Nope, no sauce. About the only thing he will eat with any kind of sauce on it is when we go to Chick-fil-A and get a chicken sandwich. Then he piles on the hot sauce.

he has promised me that he will try new stuff while we are on vacation. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that it doesn't turn into something difficult. LOL!!