Free Dining Here We Come - Pre-Trip Report!!! We're going back to Disney!!!

[CanadianWDWfan]

Well...how did you do?

I came over to see if you got all of your ADR's......

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Well...how did you do?

I came over to see if you got all of your ADR's......

Sorry!!! I meant to post them, but life took a priority!!! I know I should never let life get in front of Disney but in this case I couldn't help it.

I'll update in my next post!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Ok, I'm back! I've had to work this week, so that has slowed me down a bit.

I got up at 4:00 am to try and get my ADRs and the date doesn't roll over until 6:00 am (I found this out the hard way, by trying every hour!) Anyway at 6:05 am I had gotten all the ADRs I wanted within 15 minutes of my desired time, except for the 31st which is 50's Prime Time because that is day 11 and you can only make ADRs for 10. So then on Monday morning, I had to get up again at 6:00am to make the ADR, but I had to work on Monday too, so it wasn't all for Disney.

We are so excited we got all our ADRs, even with it being the 2nd week of Free Dining, but that hasn't been announced yet, the only ones with Free Dining are those like us who booked as a bounceback. I'm now so glad I did that. I don't have to sit and wonder if I can get Free Dining!!!

I still haven't book air yet, prices are still up. But I think I'm going to have to just bite the bullet and get them, I'm afraid the longer I wait the more the price will go up and that's definitely not going in the right direction.

Anyway have a good day tomorrow!!! I'm off, so I know I will. I'm getting the girls off to school and then I'm going back to bed!!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Oh Yay!!!! I got up this morning and logged into Airtran and my flights have gone back down to $64 both ways, so I went on and booked them. And DH got his vacation request back yesterday and he has to go to the class on the 21st, so we we'll be at WDW 8/22 until 8/31st!!! So, I booked airfaire accordingly.

We will fly out of Richmond Int'l on 8/22/10 at 7:00 am arrive at MCO at 8:56 am, so we should be at ME by 9:15 am and CBR by 11:00 am the latest!! That gives us all day to play in the pool!!!!

Then our return flight is 8/31/10 at 9:00 pm arrive at Richmond at 10:52 pm. We won't have to meet ME unitl 6:00 pm, that also gives us the whole day at DHS our last day there!!! Man, that really worked out to our favor. All I can hope is that Airtran doesn't change our flight times, and they are famous for that, but we have another airport around us, so if they change our times that are not suitable to me, I'll just make a change.

I am so excited!!!

DH's bonus is deposited on Fri. and I'll be able to pay the trip off too!!! Now, all I have to do is pack and wait!!!!! Oh gosh, it feels like forever now!!!!

 

[Arielssister]

Sounds like things are really coming together! It's so great you got all your ADR's!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Yesterday, I went into to sub in the Special Ed class, and one of the TAs in there is a friend and has wanted to go to Disney for some time, but she couldn't talk her husband into it. Well I worked up a few dates for her on WDW web site and told her if she plans to go around the same time as me, the likelihood of free dining is looking good. So, yesterday she went home and told the family about it at dinner and he said do it. So, she is coming over on Saturday and we are setting her trip up and she and I will actually be there for 4 days the same. Her daughter is the same age as Emily and they've actually been class together and they are friends so this is going to be so much fun!!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I made the ressies for my friend and her family tonight. They'll be there 8/19-26/10. We'll be there together at CBR for 4 days. Its going to be so much fun, even my DH who doesn't do vacations with other people has said this is going to be fun. So, she's looking at restaurants tonight and we'll do her ADRs tomorrow or Wednesday. I hope we can get a few close to each other. Anyway everyone have a good night.

 

[Madisonsmom45]

I love reading everyones pre trip reports. I love Disney. On our first day when I walk down mainstreet sad to say I get a tear in my eye. I'm not so sad about it, but some of my friends can't understand it. It's such a fun place. I know the crowds can get loud, noisy, pushy, etc, etc, etc. But when I am there I don't think about anything, but having fun and making memories for myself and my family. I know in crowded places time slows down.. Oh, can't wait to return.
When I retire I want to live in Florida in the winter and work part time at Disney.
Maybe I can be the fairy god mother..Now that would be a dream come true.
Bonnie

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I love reading everyones pre trip reports. I love Disney. On our first day when I walk down mainstreet sad to say I get a tear in my eye. I'm not so sad about it, but some of my friends can't understand it. It's such a fun place. I know the crowds can get loud, noisy, pushy, etc, etc, etc. But when I am there I don't think about anything, but having fun and making memories for myself and my family. I know in crowded places time slows down.. Oh, can't wait to return.
When I retire I want to live in Florida in the winter and work part time at Disney.
Maybe I can be the fairy god mother..Now that would be a dream come true.
Bonnie

Thanks for writing! I've been gone so long, I actually didn't think anyone had written on it in like forever. So, I'm really glad you hopped on.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Ok, so I've been gone from here for a really long time, and so much has gone on. My oldest daughter was inducted into the National Jr. Honor Society at her school. Her school is closing at the end of the school year and they have built a new one, redistricted the entire county and now all of her group of friends is being split up into 3 different Middle Schools, so a major crisis has occurred. She has the nicest boy as a boyfriend and now they are going to different schools and she is so upset. So, we have drama in our house!!! But thru it all she maintained her grades, she got straight A's in all of her classes including her intensified classes, and we are very proud of her.

My youngest has graduated from Elementary School and will also be going to the new Middle School with the oldest DD. We are really proud of her accomplishments, she has really overcome some pretty intense adversities in school. She had her first diagnosed Gran Mal seizure in her class in Kindergarden, then the same year like 2 months later she had the tip of her middle finger severed during a fire drill and lost use of her right hand for 4 months. Then she had a minor seizure on the school bus and cut her head in the eyebrow area and had to have stitches put in. Then when she got to 1st grade, the medication she took for her seizures caused a huge deficit in her cognitive developement in school. She just wasn't getting the material. She had a teacher tell her that only stupid kids couldn't understand a concept that most the kids in her class had mastered. She just started to hate school, and that was so frustrating for us. She still doesn't love it, but her current medication doesn't fog her head as much and she can keep up with the class, so much so, her final report card was all A's and 1 B+. We are very proud of her and her success in school. So, for her to "graduate" was a big deal in our house!!!!

We've changed our ADRs a bit. We are still staying at CBR in a Preferred Room, we are still going Aug. 22 thru 31, and we are still on Free Dining Bounceback. We are really excited and now counting down the days. It is getting so close, but that isn't all we are doing this summer. I hoping I can keep up with this as the trip gets closer.

The first leg of our summer is for DD Taylor to go to Camp, so we drove her to Summer Camp today and she'll be there until Friday evening. It is a Christian Camp and I hope she grows some this week. She has been having issues with drama that I mentioned earlier and taking out on everyone at home. It may be normal teenage drama but I'm just about over it, so we are hoping to see a change, no matter how small, when she returns home. Our second leg of the summer will be a trip to Maine to visit my brother and then on the way home, we are planning to stop in NY so I can go visit my best friend from High School. I grew up in Long Island and haven't been back in 20 years, so I'm almost as excited about this as I am going to Disney!!! Our 3rd leg of the summer will be both DDs serving as teen leaders in VBS at our church for a week. We go to a mega church so they need all the help that they can get. Then the 4th leg will be Emily going to the same summer camp that her sister is at now, but she will be the oldest kids in her age bracket this year, next year she'll go with her sister. She's very excited about it. Then the final leg of our summer is our trip to WDW!!!!! Both girls play competitive volleyball and have open gym practice twice a week in the evenings on the weeks we will be home. Also, DH's neice and husband and their 2 DDs will be visiting for a week, their DDs are the same ages as my girls, so it will be fun. I can't belive how quickly my quiet summer got so busy!!! But it will help the time pass until its time to go to Disney!!!

Tomorrow, I'll update our ADRs. I dropped a few, added a few and tweeked my schedule. I hope I didn't mess it up and that maybe somehow I made it better for us. Anyway, if you jump on and join me for the rest of the summer, Howdy and enjoy the ride!!!!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

So, here are the ADRs we decided on for our trip:

Aug. 22, Sunday Arrival Day: (we should arrive at CBR around 10:30 am)
Lunch: OPR
Dinner: Earl of Sandwich / Ghiradelli

Aug. 23 Animal Kingdom
Breakfast: OPR
Lunch: Late lunch at Beaches & Cream when we leave park
Dinner: OPR

Aug. 24 Epcot
Breakfast: 1900 Park Faire
Lunch: CS / Snack
Dinner: Teppan Edo

Aug. 25 DHS
Breakfast: Starring Rolls
Lunch: Fairfax Faire
Dinner: Cape May

Aug. 26 MK
Breakfast: Main Street Bakery
Lunch: Maybe Pecos Bill or Columbia Harbor House
Dinner: Crystal Palace

Aug. 27 Down Day
Breakfast: OPR
Lunch: Earl of Sandwich
Dinner: Biergarden

Aug. 28 Epcot
Breakfast: OPR
Lunch: Something CS
Dinner: Tutoo Italia

Aug. 29 MK
Breakfast: Capt. Cooks
Lunch: Cosmic Rays
Dinner: Grand Floridian Cafe

Aug. 30 Down Day
Breakfast: OPR
Lunch: OPR / or DTD CS
Dinner: Kona

Aug. 31 DHS / Departure Day at 8:30 pm
Breakfast: Starring Rolls
Lunch: Late Lunch at 50's Prime Time

Thats the plan in a nutshell, let me know if you have any suggestion for changes. Thanks!!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I sent Taylor off to camp on Sunday. I miss her like crazy!!!

 

[nessz79]

I'm here! We will be at CBR for Free Dining as well, but in December! Looking forward to your review!

 

[Madisonsmom45]

Here we come...Just a few weeks to go until we are back at the world.
Can't wait....The kids are counting down...

http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/grouphug.gif

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I'm here! We will be at CBR for Free Dining as well, but in December! Looking forward to your review!

Thanks for joining! December is wonderful and to get Free Dining makes it even better. We had Free Dining last Dec. as well and had a wonderful time!!!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Here we come...Just a few weeks to go until we are back at the world.
Can't wait....The kids are counting down...

http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/grouphug.gif

Thanks!!! Maybe we'll see you there!!!! My kids are so excited, we only have 30 days left today!!!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

I like your dining plans!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I like your dining plans!

Thanks so much!! I've worked on them, changed them, and then changed them again and I'm still trying to get another one that we've never tried, but if we can't get it, oh well. But my fingers are crossed. I'm trying to add Captain Jacks in DTD to our schedule; we really like the menu.

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Thanks so much!! I've worked on them, changed them, and then changed them again and I'm still trying to get another one that we've never tried, but if we can't get it, oh well. But my fingers are crossed. I'm trying to add Captain Jacks in DTD to our schedule; we really like the menu.

We've not tried Captain Jack's yet either. I'd love to try it some day.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

We've not tried Captain Jack's yet either. I'd love to try it some day.

I try every day with Disney on line Dining Resv. but so far nothing yet...