Begging and Borrowing our way to WDW.

[skellingtonfreak]

Hello everyone,

This is my second attempt at a trip report, well a pre-trip report anyway. Since no one really read the first one my and DG wrote, I was kind of hesitant to write this one, but since I have been lurking on so many others, I figured it doens't matter if people post that they are reading or not...it is all about sharing the experiences of the mouse house.

So here is the deal...it is me E(38 - turning 39 while were are there) and DG (37). I have been wanting to go to WDW for my birthday as long as I have been going (5 trips in the last 2 years). I was bitten by the bug from the very first second I stepped foot in the MK in 2007. The problem with that is that DG works for a florist, so holidays are out, which sucks. This year was not going to stop me one bit. So the plan was to go Jan 16-20. We decided to add an extra day when we realized we could grab one more day from the bosses. So the final tally is Jan 15-20.

I started planning this trip the day we came back in October. I talked to DG's boss and bribed her with working every single holiday and V-Day so DG could have a long weekend for my birthday. She agreed. So this meant making some quick reservations to use some of our developer points from signing up for the AKV when we were there in September while they were having the special. Part one down.

Then the problem was trying to figure out which dining plan to use while we were there. We opted for the deluxe because the trip was essentially free for us this time around. We had the forethought to get APs while we were there in Sept/Oct too. Part two down.

ADR's were kind of a nightmare this time around...I have always made them at 180 days out, and here it was less than 100 and we had to make some decisions, fast. Since we were doing the deluxe, this meant a whole slew of credits to use in a few days...DG didn't want to dress up, so this meant no signature dining this trip. I looked at menus (DG is a picky eater) and figured out park schedules so we could spend the most time in the parks and eat our way around the world. We called and made reservations and had to move so many things around multiple times to get the restaurants we wanted and use all of our credits. I never knew it would be so difficult to do this, but in the end, it was done. Part three down.

Now since we decided to go in the middle of January, we thought, okay...we will use my Christmas bonus to pay for the flight and the dining. Well...with the economy being what it is...bonuses were about 1/8 of what they normally are. Kind of sucked...but whatcha gonna do? I can't exactly complain about free money, now can I? So I had the brilliant idea of borrowing against my 401K to make this plan happen. Now I know what some of you are saying...that was stupid. And maybe it was, but this is going to be the ONLY time I am going to be able to go for my birthday as long as I am with DG. I was going to go, come hell or high water. So I borrowed the max so I could make my Disney dream come true, no matter what the naysayers will. Part four down.

So this is what it is...we leave on Thursday the 15th and fly back home on Tuesday the 20th. Everything is paid for...all we have to do is show up and have some fun. I can't ask for anything more for my birthday, nor will I. With the amount of begging and borrowing I had to do for this trip...I have used up all of my favors from everyone. Oh well. I had to do what I had to do, right?

I hope everyone enjoys the report, as I am not the most charismatic writer, but I tell it like it is.

Coming next...dining plans and reasons why we picked what we did.

 

[briar rose 19]

I read your report! I love disney as much as the mext person...but you are crazy to touch your 401k! Could you have taken the train or driven to save some money? Anyway, enjoy every minute of it!! I'll be there in feb and can't wait!

 

[skellingtonfreak]

So here we are with the choice of dining plan options for my birthday trip. Part of our mission is to eat at every single TS and CS option Disney has to offer. We figured we have time and why the heck not? It is something to do that sounds like fun. And besides, how would you even know you liked a certain place unless you have been there? My only requirement for this trip was that we couldn't eat anyplace we have already been. The only exceptions were breakfast/dinner buffets, since they are so vastly different from each other, and from what I have been reading, some are infinitely better for breakfast than they are for dinner. So there ya go.

And away we go....

1. Chef Mickey's Breakfast - We loved this place for dinner in Sept. We had never been there for breakfast and figured why not start our trip there? Get some characters in...eat some breakfast...have some fun. This is our ONLY duplicate from other trips.
2. Rose and Crown Lunch - This was a place I wanted to go to last trip, but we cancelled when a friend met up with us and didn't want to eat there. I love British fod and nothing was stopping me from eating there this time around.
3. Biergarten Dinner - This choice was kind of funny because we used this restroom in Sept and had never thought of going here before until we looked at the buffet and saw some of the show. It looked like so much fun, and growing up in Michigan, I had German food all of the time, so it wouldn't have been a stretch for me to try it out. And besides...who doesn't like sausage?
4. O'hana Breakfast - We chose this one because we realized we had no pictures of Stitch or Lilo from any previous trips, and we have our own little mission of having our picture taken with every character we can find.
5. LeCellier Lunch - I have never heard of one horrible experience from this particular restaurant, so this was a no-brainer. Steak is one of the four food groups, right?
6. Brown Derby Dinner - This one was a tough choice for us. We weren't really going to DHS this day because it was closing early, but after much discussion, I was told to make the ADR because it wasn't like we weren't taking this trip to experience places we wouldn't normally try.
7. 1900 Park Fare Breakfast - I love Alice...she is my favorite girl character of all, and I had never had my picture done with Mary Poppins, so I figured this one would be great to go to. And from what I have been reading, it seems like it would be fun had by all.
8. Tutto Italia - I am Italian, so this was one of the places I was pretty excited to try. I know it won't be anything like my family's food, but all of the menu items sound so good.
9. Cinderella's Royal Table Dinner - I was torn about which meal to have in the castle. We decided on dinner, because the park was open late, and it has characters that aren't normally at the breakfast and since we were doing the Princess Breakfast, the only reason to go here for breakfast was to meet Cinderella. Since we get our picture taken with her before we eat, it made perfect sense to bite the bullet and use the 2TS credits.
10. Akershus Princess Breakfast - The start of my birthday festivities. This is every place I have wanted to go to since I first started going to WDW. This way, I could knock out a whole bunch of princesses all at once.
11. Chefs de France Lunch On my first trip to Epcot, I saw the restaurant when we went to the Boullangerie. I thought that it would be so good. After reading the menus, I had no choice but to make the ADR for my birthday.
12. Mama Melrose Dinner - I love the Muppets. DG doesn't understand this...I truly believe that she never experienced the Muppets and Sesame Street like some of the rest of us. How could I not go here at least once? And besides...this is the only TS restaurant in DHS that we would not have been to. One park down, yay!!!
13. Raglan Road Lunch - When I first went to DTD, I smelled the fabulous smells coming out of the doors of this place...I was in heaven. I have not been able to go since because none of my people are this adventurous when it come to food. Now I know that Irish food is not that adventurous, but for people who like Hot Pockets and Pizza, this is a stretch. My window of opportunity was open...I took it.

And so there you have it...the dining reservations. All done. I don't think I could have made this trip any more about the food even if I had tried. We will be experiencing some awesome cuisine, and while there are no signature dining restaurants this trip except for the BD, I think it will be an experience.

Until next time.

 

[skellingtonfreak]

I read your report! I love disney as much as the mext person...but you are crazy to touch your 401k! Could you have taken the train or driven to save some money? Anyway, enjoy every minute of it!! I'll be there in feb and can't wait!

Thanks for reading and responding! I didn't cash it out, I took a loan. Stupid, yes, but it was the most financially feasible option at the moment, and I have 6 months to save up for the next trip.