Gas up the car & point it towards Florida! Road Trip, July 2012!...UPDATE 8/5/12

[franandaj]

Nice updates. That Wagyu beef sounds awesome.

I'm so glad that the surgery worked and you are all better!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Nice updates. That Wagyu beef sounds awesome.

I'm so glad that the surgery worked and you are all better!

Yay, thanks!!

 

[Leshaface]

Oh my, both meat dishes sound and look delicious! I would have a hard time choosing between the two, that's for sure.

As I was looking at the dessert menu, I noticed the Pumpkin Latte and thought that sounded wonderful but knew FOR SURE you would not be ordering that (since I know you're a chocolate girl, like me ) and was completely surprised that you ordered that!

Wow about Via Napoli! This leaves me even more excited to eventually make an ADR there. It would have been between Tutto and Via, now I know which one to pick. I believe Alison is going there too, so it will be great to hear both of your opinions of the place in case we go in January.

On our very first trip to WDW, we went to Hollywood & Vine for lunch or maybe dinner, and just remember not being very impressed. In fact, i'm not even sure why we chose that place, considering Sci-fi, Mamas, and 50's was there. Hopefully it's changed over the last 4 years (geez, can't believe it's been that long ago!)

 

[bangzoom6877]

Oh my, both meat dishes sound and look delicious! I would have a hard time choosing between the two, that's for sure.

As I was looking at the dessert menu, I noticed the Pumpkin Latte and thought that sounded wonderful but knew FOR SURE you would not be ordering that (since I know you're a chocolate girl, like me ) and was completely surprised that you ordered that!

Wow about Via Napoli! This leaves me even more excited to eventually make an ADR there. It would have been between Tutto and Via, now I know which one to pick. I believe Alison is going there too, so it will be great to hear both of your opinions of the place in case we go in January.

On our very first trip to WDW, we went to Hollywood & Vine for lunch or maybe dinner, and just remember not being very impressed. In fact, i'm not even sure why we chose that place, considering Sci-fi, Mamas, and 50's was there. Hopefully it's changed over the last 4 years (geez, can't believe it's been that long ago!)

That's so funny that you didn't think I would want the pumpkin dessert...you are right though, I LOVE my chocolate!! But, it just seemed so unique and different than what I usually have, so when DH left it up to me to choose, I couldn't resist! I think the fact that the coffee chocolate mousse was one of the desserts in it sold me though!

I'm excited for Via Napoli too! I never had a truly bad meal at WDW, even though there were some we enjoyed more than others, so I figured it would be fine. DH is not as much of a pizza snob as I am, although he can't stand most chains.

I'm sure the boys will love Hollywood & Vine. The main reason we're going there is because they are into the characters that are there, and I know it is a lively restaurant where there is a lot of dancing and partying with the characters. This is just what the boys LOVE about character meals most! I remember that from when we went to breakfast there back in 2008. From reviews I have read lately, it is still as lively as ever there. I'm sure we will find something to eat for lunch...if I can make up a nice plate from the various salads for lunch I will be plenty happy. Eric will be fine too...he seems to enjoy the Disney character buffets. Plus, they have an ice cream sundae bar so that sounds fantastic of course! And oh yeah, the boys will enjoy that part too.

Part of me would love to include Flying Fish as one of our dinners, especially since it is right on the Boardwalk, but there are 2 things holding me back. One...we REALLY want to go to Yachtsman (the boys both love steak), and also to California Grill (how could we not?!), and since this is the first time we are taking the boys to signatures, we feel like 2 are manageable. Two...and this shouldn't be too much of an issue because they don't serve a whole lot of shellfish...I am nervous about DS7's shellfish allergy because of what happened last time at Cape May (allergic reaction when we walked in, from the steam coming from the crab legs steaming on the buffet). From what I have read, Flying Fish has an open kitchen where they prepare everything, so I am afraid that he might have a reaction. Then part of me thinks he will be just fine. But, either way, we will wait on this one. Maybe when he gets older he will outgrow the allergy anyway. The allergist recommended that we get him retested when he is around 10 years old, so that is what we are going to do. Then, if he tests negative we still have to be very careful but at least we would know we could go to certain places with him again. Can't help it, I'm a worrysome protective mom who wants him to enjoy his vacation and I feel like he shouldn't have to worry about his allergy!

 

[franandaj]

I can't wait for Via Napoli. If you read that update on my PTR you'll know I can't wait to try the Arancini and the pizza. They have a restaurant at DTD run by the same people, and I've had the pizza it was very good. Patina group actually runs a lot of restaurants. They used to be mostly in LA, now they have some in NY, Vegas and Florida. They have been my favorite "chain" for many years!

 

[bangzoom6877]

It's been a loooooong time since I have been on this thread, I know. After April, things had gotten so busy. I helped out with the spring musical at my school (I was on the hair & makeup team). The students performed "Hairspray" and it was truly amazing!! That was in mid-May. Then there were all the celebrations in May as well...my little guy turned 5 already, my niece turned 11, DH turned 35, Mother's Day, Memorial Day. And we had something very sad happen...my great grand aunt passed away at the end of May. She was 87. She was the youngest sister of my great grandmother (who was one of 7 children), and the last one of that generation. For 11 solid years, we had 5 living generations in the family (since my oldest niece was born). We were very fortunate to spend so much time with her and to have her in our lives. She was a sweet, fun, strong, spunky and fierce woman. We all miss her so much and still expect to see her at family functions. At least she didn't suffer.

Then of course there was the June madness. There was my 35th birthday, the end of school year chaos like usual, Father's Day, my dad's birthday, I chaperoned prom, went to graduation, we celebrated my niece's graduation from elementary school, and finally on July 1st we celebrated my parents' 39th anniversary. Then there was the huge 4th of July BBQ at our house! So yes, my head spun, but most of these things were very good things and life should be busy with good things as much as possible.

So now I am back on the DIS, and my trip is just about here. We leave in 9 days for our road trip, and we arrive at WDW in 13 days!!

I have finally finalized our itinerary and ADRs, after moving some things around. I will post that in my next post!

 

[bangzoom6877]

OK, 9 days to go until we hit the road! I have finalized our trip plans, itinerary and ADRs included! I even researched the non-Disney theme parks we are hitting, and figured out the must-do's that the boys will love at those places. Here is our itinerary, complete with ADRs!!

7/19/12: Drive from Brooklyn, NY to Florence, SC (10 hours 40 minutes!); staying at the Comfort Suites.

7/20/12: Drive to Tampa, FL (staying at the Embassy Suites Tampa/Brandon). Planning to eat dinner at Po Folks, a restaurant (southern/comfort food) that used to be in Southern Florida when my grandparents lived there so has a lot of nostalgia!

7/21/12: Legoland Florida! Meeting up there with my cousin and his girlfriend. Dinner at Red Mesa (Mexican Restaurant) with my cousin, his girlfriend, an old friend of mine from college and his wife.

7/22/12: Busch Gardens Tampa! Not sure yet where we will have dinner, maybe at the hotel restaurant or some place nearby. Embassy Suites has a happy hour from 5:30-7:30 where they give you certain drinks for free at the bar! We did this 2 years ago at the one in Boca Raton, and it was wonderful!

7/23/12: Drive to WDW early in the morning (only an hour drive!!)! Check in at BWV, have them hold our luggage; head to the WDW Speedway so DH can enjoy his ride-along at the Richard Petty Driving Experience; lunch at Kona 1:05; dinner at Kouzzina 6:25.

7/24/12: Breakfast at Boma 7:30am; Drive to Sea World! Dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse 5:55pm.

7/25/12: No theme park; pool day!!! Dinner at Ohana 5:20pm.

7/26/12: EMH morning at MK!! Lunch at Plaza 12pm; dinner at California Grille 5:50pm.

7/27/12: EMH morning at Epcot!! Lunch at Chefs de France 12pm; dinner at Via Napoli 5:45pm.

7/28/12: EMH morning at DHS!! Lunch at Hollywood & Vine 11am; dinner at The Wave 6:20pm; surprising the boys with the Pirates & Pals Fireworks Voyage which leaves from the Contemporary Resort!!

7/29/12: No theme park; late breakfast at Kona 10am; my parents, sister, her boyfriend and my nieces are coming to WDW to join us, but staying at the Dolphin; pool in the afternoon; Epcot in the evening; dinner at Garden Grill 5:30pm; explore World Showcase and do some shopping!

7/30/12: Epcot!! Lunch at San Angel Inn 12pm; dinner at Biergarten 6pm.

7/31/12: DHS!! Lunch at Sci-Fi 12:40pm; dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe 5:40pm.

8/1/12: MK!! Breakfast at Crystal Palace 8am (before park opening); dinner at 1900 Park Fare 4:55pm.

8/2/12: Breakfast at Chef Mickey's 8:05am; leave WDW and drive to Florence, SC; staying at Comfort Suites.

8/3/12: Drive to Williamsburg, VA; staying at Courtyard Marriott.

8/4/12: Busch Gardens Williamsburg! Special Fireworks dinner at 8:30pm...BBQ buffet and preferred seating for their IllumiNights Fireworks Show!

8/5/12: Drive home.

That is of course the condensed version! I have all the park plans with rides and times all set. I used Touring Plans this time to plan everything and I did a personalized plan.

One thing I really love now is that I no longer have to buy an annual pass in order to receive the Tables in Wonderland Card. Now they allow DVC members to purchase the TiW without an annual pass. So that means even more savings for us than last time because since we only go every other year, I am keeping my 7-day ticket and not upgrading it. I have to pay $100 instead of $75 for the TiW (AP holder price) but it still saves us over $100 since I don't have to do the AP upgrade. I'm so glad they did this, since we love the TiW card! It's wonderful ordering exactly what I want (sometimes it's just an app as my lunch entree for example) and get 20% off of everything, including the alcohol!

And so, that's our itinerary for our 17-night vacation, coming up in 9 days!! Felt so good to do the single digit dance this morning...OK, I didn't actually dance but in my head I was!

 

[Leshaface]

Hi Bonnie!

Glad to see you updated your thread

You have definitely had a busy past few months! Bet you're really looking forward to this vacation. Sorry about your great Aunt

Wow, with your plans all laid out, it looks like it's going to be a loooong but GREAT vacation!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hi Bonnie!

Glad to see you updated your thread

You have definitely had a busy past few months! Bet you're really looking forward to this vacation. Sorry about your great Aunt

Wow, with your plans all laid out, it looks like it's going to be a loooong but GREAT vacation!

Thank you so much! Today I put all the packing lists on my phone, categorized by person (except Eric because he likes to do his own thing...no list for him though ) and then a separate list for the toiletries bag. I am trying not to overpack this time, since last time I found doing laundry in the villa to be very useful and simple. Also, no stroller this time and no diapers! Going every 2 years is very interesting...the boys really are at different stages each time. We were watching our first WDW trip on DVD the other day, and my boys were only 1 and 3! Now they are 5 and 7. They are so different...my little one wasn't even walking yet, and my older one sounded sooooo different! So much more of a baby voice back then, but since it has changed gradually I couldn't tell until I saw the video again! Last time we used the stroller for my little one only and this time all of us will be walking. So this will be our first WDW trip without having to look for stroller parking, look for the stroller after we're done in case it was moved (we always put something bright on it to easily spot it), and no worrying about whether it is raining and soaking the stroller while we are inside an attraction. Been there, done that 4 years ago and learned our lesson...made us put a poncho over the stroller every time we parked it on our 2010 trip, just in case it rained all of a sudden.

One thing I keep doing now is checking everything over and over again. I get more neurotic as the trip gets closer...checking to see I know where I placed our theme park tickets, making sure I know where our Sesame Place season passes are (they also get us into Busch Gardens and Sea World), making sure I know where my DVC membership card is, DH's gift card for the Richard Petty Driving Experience, making sure all addresses are in the GPS and also making sure I have a printout of all the directions in case we don't get a signal somewhere on the road (which by the way has not happened to us yet). So, I make myself crazy but then I completely allow myself to relax and enjoy the vacation because I know all plans are in place. If I went without doing all of this, I would be too stressed out throughout the trip and need a vacation afterwards.

I also must mention that once the rest of the family joins us on the 29th, my 11-year-old niece and I are on a cupcake quest! We have been looking at pics of cupcakes for a long time now, and we decided which ones we would like to try if they are still there, and we are definitely paying quite a few visits to the Boardwalk Bakery since it happens to be right there! I am also looking forward to the caramel shop in Germany at Epcot, which opened shortly after our last trip. They have cupcakes too and I intend to try one!

 

[Alysa]

I've so enjoyed reading your pre-trip. Looking forward to hearing more, I love a good road trip.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I've so enjoyed reading your pre-trip. Looking forward to hearing more, I love a good road trip.

Thank you! I am going to do a trip report afterwards also. And also a dining review with pics.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We hit the road in one week from today!!!

We have so many ADRs and I want to write a dining review when we get back...OK right now I don't want to even think about when we get back, but being the crazy planner that I am, I need to be prepared to write my dining reviews!

Last time we went, in July 2010, I did my dining reviews as a countdown to our #1 TS restaurant on our trip. I was considering doing this again, but wondering if there is something else I could do. I was also thinking about coming up with a unique rating system, maybe based on a Disney movie. My favorite Disney movie is Cinderella, so maybe something with those characters...like Lady Tremaine for "horrible", Anastasia & Drizella for "mediocre", the mice for "good", Fairy Godmother for "very good" and Cinderella for "outstanding". I could also go with a non-Disney theme and go for a "Family Guy" theme (my #1 show to relax to at night and just laugh mindlessly)...Meg for "horrible", Chris for "mediocre", Quagmire for "Giggity-Giggity-good", Peter & Lois for "very good", and Brian & Stewie for "outstanding".

What do you think? Would you do one of these three, or something different? I don't like to do just plain reviews...I love reading them but I like to make mine more creative and unique. Also trying to come up with a title but I will leave that to surprise!

 

[franandaj]

Well first off, congrats on being in single digits! That sounds like quite a whirlwind of the last few months. Sorry about the loss of your aunt.

Wow!17 days, that's a long trip! We usually start to miss our pets after about a week! Your ADRs sound really good, a lot of restaurants that I really like.

I have no suggestions on your dining reviews other than I like things chronologically myself, but that's because I usually start my TRs live.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Well first off, congrats on being in single digits! That sounds like quite a whirlwind of the last few months. Sorry about the loss of your aunt.

Wow!17 days, that's a long trip! We usually start to miss our pets after about a week! Your ADRs sound really good, a lot of restaurants that I really like.

I have no suggestions on your dining reviews other than I like things chronologically myself, but that's because I usually start my TRs live.

Thank you, for everything you said...about my aunt, about being in single digits, about the restaurant choices.

I don't go onto the DIS on vacation so I will be starting my TR when we get back. Maybe chronological, to make it different than last time. We'll see!

 

[Disfan6]

Hope that your family has a magical time. Your itinerary is one of the best i've seen. My DS10 and I will actually be there at the same time July 24-31 at Port Orleans. Can't wait to read your completed report when you return home. Drive safe on the way.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hope that your family has a magical time. Your itinerary is one of the best i've seen. My DS10 and I will actually be there at the same time July 24-31 at Port Orleans. Can't wait to read your completed report when you return home. Drive safe on the way.

Thank you so much! I work very hard on our itineraries, but I really love all the planning. I am trying to enjoy these next few days of looking forward to going, even though I am now in my neurotic stage of "we have so much to do...clean the house like crazy so we return home to a nice clean house, laundry, last minute shopping...omg I know I will forget something..." etc., etc. And of course, we had originally made sure we had a few free days before the trip, but now we have some plans coming up. Good things though, which are the best kind of plans! My parents return from their Bermuda cruise on Sunday so I am making a BBQ for the family for dinner that night, Monday my little guy has a playdate with his best friend from his pre-k class, and Tuesday we are babysitting our friend's adorable 16-month-old daughter (while I am doing laundry and packing!). Wednesday will be reserved for last minute packing, DH will pack his things, and my mani/pedi!!! I am doing a gel manicure with Mickey ears on the ring fingers...haven't yet decided what to get as the base color but I will decide when I see all the choices...I'm thinking something neutral though. And a regular pedi with Mickey ears on the big toes...yes, I am Disney-fying my nails this time!

Wishing you a safe and magical trip too!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hi everyone! Well, I am officially out of my completely neurotic pre-trip stage. The other day, I cleaned the whole house, ahead of schedule! I also packed all the travel size toiletries, the "just in case" OTC meds (Motrin, Tylenol, etc.), all our vitamins for the trip, etc. That is the part of packing that stresses me out the most, since I always feel like I am going to forget one tiny little thing that would make a big difference. I also packed the bag with the snacks we are bringing (non-perishables like granola bars, those little squeezable applesauce snacks, little 100-calorie packs). Last night, DH brought the luggage up from the basement so we could air it out overnight.

I love crossing items off my list as I pack them, and crossing things off my to-do list as I complete them! Makes it feel even better!

Today I will be doing all the laundry and packing all the clothes for the kids and myself. DH always packs the day before so he will do that tomorrow when I am getting a mani/pedi. I feel so much better now that all the crazy things are done that I never look forward to doing in preparation, but it's all soooo worth it!

We have a tradition that we are of course continuing this year...every time we go on vacation, we order pizza the night before. We always miss Brooklyn pizza when we're away so we make sure to have some right before we go. So that means that tonight is the last time I have to cook dinner for 2 and a half weeks! And another tradition...we stop at the bagel store (open 24hrs) as soon as we leave the house before hitting the road (we just have a light snack to hold us over before leaving the house). We buy 4 bagels, and we stop about 3 hours into the trip (Baltimore area) to eat. I found a small pack of 4 individual containers of cream cheese at the supermarket...perfect! We will have a small cooler with us so I will keep it in there with an ice pack. Of course we head to Dunkin Donuts right after the bagel store so we can get a very necessary cup of coffee for the road! We are also bringing a case of water, have to go buy that today. And we replenish while we are down there.

So, we're almost there...the day after tomorrow we leave! We are waking up at 4am on Thursday to do everything, and hopefully leaving around 5am.

I am just so glad it's just about here...can't wait!!!

 

[bangzoom6877]

We leave tomorrow morning!!!!!

The boys and I are all packed, all electronics are charged except for our cell phones (tonight), I had my mani/pedi today (pink, with black Mickey ears on my ring fingers and big toes...plus I got the gel manicure so it will last the whole trip!), house is clean, and counting down the hours at this point! Oh yeah, and DH still hasn't packed his clothes. He is a last minute packer but always gets it done by the time he goes to bed the night before.

So, this might very well be my last post here on this pre-TR. Next will be my full TR but I don't even want to think about that yet because I want to enjoy these last few hours looking forward to the trip (love counting down, all the excitement!), and of course to enjoy every second of the trip itself. We are bracing ourselves for close to 11 hours of driving time tomorrow to make it down to Florence, SC...should be fine, only about an hour past where we usually stop the first night.

I am planning to do a TR and a dining review when we get back. The dining review will probably be much more detailed and longer than the TR .

So, farewell my friends, I will say hi to Mickey!

 

[franandaj]

Have a great trip!

 

[bangzoom6877]

We're home. We had a wonderful time at Disney World!!! However, we had to cut our trip home on the road short one day. We were supposed to spend the whole weekend in Williamsburg, VA but we left yesterday morning instead. My 5-year-old son Jonathan was sick on Thursday after we left WDW. We had breakfast at Chef Mickey's, he was fine, but then about an hour and a half into the trip, he threw up. We had to pull over on the side of the road to clean up, since there was no place in sight. When we hit the road again, he fell asleep. He slept an hour and then was fine, playful and cheerful as usual. Then we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch about 3 hours later. I allowed him to drink some water. He was hungry so I allowed him to eat a few saltine crackers. He said he felt fine. We hit the road again, and about 2 hours later he got sick again. He was fine right before, playful and everything. He said he was fine again. We hit the road and he fell asleep.

We checked into the hotel about 4 hours later in South Carolina. Jonathan said he was fine, and very hungry. I had him drink some water, and he was OK. DH went to K-Mart to pick up some upholstery cleaner for the car, and he also got some Gatorade. They were expecting a bad storm where we were staying so we decided to order dinner rather than go out. The only thing was pizza (not crazy about it outside NYC, but it was fine for the night). I asked the pizza place if they could give us a side of plain pasta but they said the pasta is already baked with sauce. So I told DH to pick up some Easy mac for Jonathan and we would just give him the macaroni without the cheese in it.

Jonathan drank some Gatorade and was fine. He ate his plain macaroni and said he felt great. He watched some TV and was joking around with his brother and my nieces. Then, about an hour after he ate, he threw up again. I was frantic, thinking something serious was wrong (I am a huge worry wart). I called the pediatrician and he said it sounded like it could be a nasty stomach virus. He said only to give him liquids the following day, and then the morning after that to try a piece of toast or a few crackers. So the following day on the drive to Virginia, I gave him little sips of Gatorade and he did great with that. He did not get sick once.

The plan for yesterday was for DH to stay at the hotel with Jonathan and take it easy while I was going to take Philip (my 7-year-old) to Busch Gardens with the rest of the family. We went to breakfast in the hotel and Jonathan said he was very very hungry. When he woke up I gave him some Gatorade and he did great with that. So at breakfast I did what the doctor has said and gave him a piece of toast, plain. He ate only 3 bites and said he wanted other things to eat but I knew I couldn't give him those things. He drank a little more Gatorade. When we left breakfast and were walking back to the room, he threw up in the hallway. That was when I decided we needed to come home, and I got very scared. I called the pediatrician to see if he thought I should bring him to an emergency room right away or come home. I had already made an appointment for tomorrow morning to see what is going on. He said that as long as he has no signs of dehydration, we should just leave to come home. He said only liquids the rest of the day and then I can try some light food in the evening.

I had him drinking Gatorade on the trip home and he was fine the whole time. I gave him some plain white rice last night and he tolerated it fine. No problem at all. He went to bed about 3 hours later and slept through the night. This morning I gave him a little amount of Rice Krispies and some water. He was fine. About an hour ago I gave him 5 saltine crackers and some more water. So far so good.

I did read that there had been a nasty stomach virus at WDW in June and July, that several people on a special safari tour at Animal Kingdom had contracted. We did not go to Animal Kingdom, but you never know, it could be the same bug. I am hoping it is not an allergy to wheat or soy, since he did fine with the rice products. I am waiting now to see if he has a reaction to the crackers in the next couple of hours (wheat flour).

The weird thing too, is that a week before we ate at Chef Mickey's and hit the road, we had eaten dinner at California Grill and he threw up 3 times that night. He was fine after that and for the whole week until the incident began in the car. Those were the only 2 restaurants we ate in at the Contemporary...I am wondering if somehow there is a connection there, or just coincidence. I don't know...we still had a wonderful trip but we are sure happy to be home after the last couple of days!

I have a ton of unpacking to still do, but I will start a trip report and also a dining review as soon as I can...hopefully by tomorrow!