Grand Villas, Victoria & Albert's, Star Wars, & More! Anniversary PTR! NOW the TR!!!

[MidnightParade]

Wow V&A sounds like such an event, and thats just the main dining room! The chef's table sounds just out of this world! Very excited for you guys, what a way to spend your anniversary!

The D-Tech me sounds so cool! Have you guys decided what you are going to be?

 

[AAshleySEG]

Wow V&A sounds like such an event, and that's just the main dining room! The chef's table sounds just out of this world! Very excited for you guys, what a way to spend your anniversary!

The D-Tech me sounds so cool! Have you guys decided what you are going to be?

LOL Victoria & Albert's is an event...LOL no matter where you are sitting, it is almost like a food marathon.

I have not decided what I want to do yet, I know that I don't think I am going to be frozen in carbonite because I don't want a girl head on a Han body...lol I don't necessarily want to be the Princess though either. Which means either I am going to be a Stormtrooper or Pilot. As far as Jeremy, I don't think he has decided either, maybe as we get closer we will figure it out!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Today I wanted to show you another one of my dog family. Her name is Arya and she is 4 years old. The name came from a book my husband read and loved. She is the Princess, the leader of the pack, the Alpha! She may be the smallest but she always gets what she wants and puts all the other puppies in her place to get it! Coming in at a whopping 13 pounds! She is also a Miniature Schnauzer that happens to be all white. I had a Maltese growing up for 14 years until my little Prince (that really was his name) passed away, we got Arya shortly after, so little white dogs are very special to me. She is also spoiled just like Quorra, she is much more independent and only really comes over to me when she wants attention or to have a nice ear scratch. She loves to lay on her back everywhere, on the couch, in the floor, in the bed, in the yard...you will know who she is when you see her...you will find her sprawled out paws in the air.

 

[AAshleySEG]

I wanted to show everyone the standard Queen Victoria Room Menu from the last time we went. Keep in mind that you eat ALL of this...you don't choose from it. It is a 10-Course menu starting out with the Amuse Bouche and ending with 2 different desserts. Keep in mind that there are also 3 bread/butter pairings not listed as well as upgrades that you can get, also the Coffee, Tea and Friandises at the end of the meal, which is a selection of house-made chocolates and candies which are different each time you go. You can have those boxed up to take with you though

 

[MidnightParade]

Awww, she's adorable too! Yay new puppy post! Is she named after Arya Stark in the Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire books? (I've read them as well!)

Wow! That is quite a menu! Now I'm not sure if I could actually go to V&A, I don't like seafood

 

[BellesLibrary]

Hi! I'm a little late to the game, but I'm jumping in to join up with you PTR!

First of all, your dogs are adorable. Seriously!

Secondly, I'm a 29 year old Disney fanatic, too. It's always fun to meet another one!

Thirdly, I am notoriously cheap when it comes to food, so my eyes have been opened to the other (fancier) side of Disney dining. A couple of hundred dollars for a meal!? Wowzers! I can't wait to hear how delectable that's going to be!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Awww, she's adorable too! Yay new puppy post! Is she named after Arya Stark in the Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire books? (I've read them as well!)

Wow! That is quite a menu! Now I'm not sure if I could actually go to V&A, I don't like seafood

They call you a few days before your meal and ask if there is anything you have an aversion to eating or allergies, they will substitute other options for the things you do not like!! I will eat anything so I have never had to tell them anything, but it is very frequent that people have things they do not eat, so keep that in mind, if you don't want seafood, just tell them and they will arrange something else!

Arya is named after the elf in the book Eragon

Hi! I'm a little late to the game, but I'm jumping in to join up with you PTR!

First of all, your dogs are adorable. Seriously!

Secondly, I'm a 29 year old Disney fanatic, too. It's always fun to meet another one!

Thirdly, I am notoriously cheap when it comes to food, so my eyes have been opened to the other (fancier) side of Disney dining. A couple of hundred dollars for a meal!? Wowzers! I can't wait to hear how delectable that's going to be!

Welcome! Thanks for joining me or rather us!! I love my babies, there are still two more I have yet to puppy post about, but thank you!!!! I love meeting other Disney Fans my age! It is nice to know that there are a bunch of us out there!!

Yeah V&A is definitely an experience...LOL...Most of the time when we go to Disney we do Quick Service meals, it is only occasionally that we go all out and do the table services and Victoria & Albert's type stuff! I am definitely down with saving money on food when we don't go for special occasions

 

[MidnightParade]

They call you a few days before your meal and ask if there is anything you have an aversion to eating or allergies, they will substitute other options for the things you do not like!! I will eat anything so I have never had to tell them anything, but it is very frequent that people have things they do not eat, so keep that in mind, if you don't want seafood, just tell them and they will arrange something else!

Arya is named after the elf in the book Eragon

Ooooh, good to know! I'm definitely going to keep V&A for consideration then for future trips!

I only read the first book in the Eragon series and it was so long ago. Maybe I should give it another go now!

 

[AAshleySEG]

This is the final post on trip budgeting...I know you are happy about that... So I will just get on with it, so it will be over that much quicker!

Tuesday morning we will have to get up, pack our things, get them in the car and sadly get ready to go home...at least we have one more great stop before we officially have to leave the world! For breakfast we are dining at 'Ohana! Nothing like a fun character breakfast to take the sadness away right! Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch comes in at $29.99 per person and they take TiW discounts. With tax, gratuity and discount taken into consideration I am going to budget $70 for breakfast. When we have completed our breakfast it will be time to make our way back to NC. I usually have to stop and grab some popcorn before I leave for snack for on the way home. So we more than likely will ride the monorail over to the MK one last time, pop in under the train station and grab maybe 4 buckets o' popcorn, before we get back on the monorail over to GFV get in the car and head out. Popcorn budget $25. Misc snack budget another $25...hey what can I say, they have good rice crispie treats too!

Since we will have had a giant breakfast and popcorn as a snack in the car, we more than likely will grab some sort of late lunch/dinner at a "Quick Service" so will add $40 to the budget for that. The gas budget has already been factored in from the beginning so no need to add anymore on that front!

Once we get home, unload the car! Then I will get started on writing out the Trip Report! At the end of the TR, fingers crossed I will make some sort of trip recap film like I did with the Alaska Cruise! I just watched it again recently and it is fun to see all of things we did on that trip via recap video!

I guess the next section I will be doing is a Packing section. I am constantly also looking for the opening date of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so I can try and make a FP+ for it! I will keep my fingers, toes, eyes, and anything else I can cross for that one! I do still each day look for reservation times that someone may have canceled to see if I can get a time I like better than the one I currently possess. So if there are any updates on that front you guys will be the first to know...other than me of course! So stay tuned for Packing List! And don't forget I still have 2 more Puppy Posts!

 

[BellesLibrary]

I'm glad that you post your budgeting! Maybe that makes me dorky, but I'm okay with that. I like seeing how you allot your food money, and you've taught me all about the fancy dining at Disney...which I didn't even know EXISTED!

Also, you are maybe the most awesome person ever because you have a popcorn budget. EVER. My family looooooves that MK popcorn, too, and we always make sure there are a few dollars set aside just for the popcorn!

Can't wait to hear about your pups!

(And finally, I know this is ridiculous, but when I read the words about you leaving after you got popcorn at MK, I actually felt sad. Why do any of us ever have to leave WDW!?!?!)

 

[AAshleySEG]

I'm glad that you post your budgeting! Maybe that makes me dorky, but I'm okay with that. I like seeing how you allot your food money, and you've taught me all about the fancy dining at Disney...which I didn't even know EXISTED!

Also, you are maybe the most awesome person ever because you have a popcorn budget. EVER. My family looooooves that MK popcorn, too, and we always make sure there are a few dollars set aside just for the popcorn!

Can't wait to hear about your pups!

(And finally, I know this is ridiculous, but when I read the words about you leaving after you got popcorn at MK, I actually felt sad. Why do any of us ever have to leave WDW!?!?!)

I am glad that you like the budget posts. I feel like Disney, even though it is my favorite place in the world, is really expensive. Sometimes people go into it not really knowing how much it is actually going to cost them. I don't think I have read very many, if any at all, posts about people actually budgeting for their trip and I feel like it is nice to know. Luckily, there are only two of us, so it isn't nearly as bad as having multiple children and factoring in that cost yet.

Seriously, Magic Kingdom Popcorn is the best!!
I don't think there will ever be any popcorn better than it is there. Believe me, I have looked! Before we moved to our current home I had a popcorn bucket pile in a closet, when we stacked all of them up it reached the ceiling...that is a serious popcorn addiction problem I think...LOL If only they could refill popcorn buckets, that would be the best! So yeah, for a me adding in a popcorn budget is a MUST DO...That would be at the top of my Disney Must Do List...Eat Popcorn at Magic Kingdom!!

I know what you mean about being sad, we have not even gotten there yet and I was already sad too writing about the last day...

 

[martinmont]

Following! Reading all your budgeting posts! Not boring at all girl, that's realistic! I went to every restaurants menu on the disneyworld site I selected the most expensive food and drinks there and added it all up. I then double it up since it's DH and me, as our food budget. Now, obviously we probably would not order the most exp item but I always like a buffer, hey extra money is better than insufficient lol.

 

[AAshleySEG]

Following! Reading all your budgeting posts! Not boring at all girl, that's realistic! I went to every restaurants menu on the disneyworld site I selected the most expensive food and drinks there and added it all up. I then double it up since it's DH and me, as our food budget. Now, obviously we probably would not order the most exp item but I always like a buffer, hey extra money is better than insufficient lol.

Thanks!! I totally agree about having extra funds on hand just in case. I am with you there, we probably won't be eating the most expensive thing on the menus, but it is definitely nice to know that if I want to I can because I planned for it...LOL Like I said in my posts I always want to make sure I account for gratuity as well because that is for people a 10-25% addition on meals that lots of people don't think about and can easily make some people go...wait...so where did that money go!

Thanks again for following along! I hope I will be able to keep it interesting!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

While budgeting might not be everyone's favourite thing to do, it is important, and I like to read about what others do in their budgeting to see if anything might work better for us and our trips.

That is quite a menu at V&A's! I love the atmosphere in there but I can't justify spending that much on a meal - I'm not a foodie at all and am (almost) vegetarian. I just don't enjoy eating enough to go there but I think it is awesome for those who do.

 

[AAshleySEG]

While budgeting might not be everyone's favourite thing to do, it is important, and I like to read about what others do in their budgeting to see if anything might work better for us and our trips.

That is quite a menu at V&A's! I love the atmosphere in there but I can't justify spending that much on a meal - I'm not a foodie at all and am (almost) vegetarian. I just don't enjoy eating enough to go there but I think it is awesome for those who do.

I completely understand. My mom is a cheeseburger and chicken tender kind of lady who would look at the V&A menu and not want a thing on it. I also have some friends one of whom wanted to start a show called "That's Not Food, I Don't Eat That" but did end up going to V&A for a Christmas Dinner with us, she then ate everything and wanted more...and she never eats anything out of the ordinary...LOL They do have a pretty amazing vegetarian menu though...LOL But it is a good point that V&A is not for everyone. It's what I tell my mom, you spend your money on what is important to you. She gets her nails/hair done every week and go's to Harrah's Cherokee Casino and plays Bingo every Friday night. I like to spend my money on a nice meal Everyone is different and that is perfectly ok!

But you are totally right!! If you don't enjoy eating, it definitely wouldn't be something you enjoy...haha! There is so much food it is crazy, even in the Main Dining Room, but the service is impeccable, and let me tell you..I Looooovvveee to eat

 

[MidnightParade]

Okay, I am blown away. When you mentioned your video I had to look it up and oh my goodness! It was amazing, you are a fantastic editor! I laugh, I cried(such sweet song choices). You guys are completely adorable! Love it!!

I very much hope you do one for this trip as well now!

 

[AAshleySEG]

Okay, I am blown away. When you mentioned your video I had to look it up and oh my goodness! It was amazing, you are a fantastic editor! I laugh, I cried(such sweet song choices). You guys are completely adorable! Love it!!

I very much hope you do one for this trip as well now!

Awww that is so kind of you to say! I am glad you enjoyed it so much! I am definitely contemplating making one for this trip...I have even actually already started choosing songs for it

So if all goes according to plan, I really hope to be able to make one this time!

 

[MidnightParade]

Awww that is so kind of you to say! I am glad you enjoyed it so much! I am definitely contemplating making one for this trip...I have even actually already started choosing songs for it

So if all goes according to plan, I really hope to be able to make one this time!

I hope you do too! It will be awesome with the parks and the GF!
My project is just going to be taking more pictures(especially of our meals) for a TR and I want to make a memory book through shutterfly. Maybe one day I'll graduate to vids!

 

[AAshleySEG]

I hope you do too! It will be awesome with the parks and the GF!
My project is just going to be taking more pictures(especially of our meals) for a TR and I want to make a memory book through shutterfly. Maybe one day I'll graduate to vids!

That sounds cool! I have never done a memory book! I did make a magazine one time though...LOL I do love to play around with PhotoShop I love having food photos to remember, I love me some food, it just makes my mouth water to go back over and look at the pics..

 

[AAshleySEG]

Alright, so I have a few updates for things that have changed today!

1. We made our Main Dining Room Res at Victoria & Albert's a later time, we decided we wanted to have some more time at Animal Kingdom Park on our frist day there!

2. We changed our reservation from Mama Melrose's to Hollywood Brown Derby. HBD had a better dining time about 25 minutes earlier, I wanted to make sure we are finished with dinner and will be able to fully enjoy the Star Wars Fireworks Dessert Party. I felt we may have been rushed if I would have kept the res at MM. MM only had later dining time options so the most logical choice was to change restaurants. Luckily, we have never been to HBD before, so it will still be a brand new Disney experience for us! We still have two more trips this year so hopefully we can get a res at MM for one of those 2.

3. I made our 'Ohana reservation on our last day earlier, so we could potentially get on the road sooner. I know that sounds awful, why would I want to leave Disney World Sooner!! Basically it is just going to be a really long drive and we would rather get home with a little bit of daytime left.

I think those are all of the updates as of the moment, still waiting and checking everyday to see if we will be able to secure some FP+ reservations for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, keeping my fingers crossed for that!