Guys, I Want A Castle UPD 6/9 Trip Report Started

[creativeamanda]

If you have no idea where the title is from, Please rent and watch Tangled, post haste!

Honestly, since my first sight in life of Cinderella's Castle in 2007, all I've wanted was a castle. And not just any castle.

This one:

Walt's Kingdom for that castle!

A pretty reflection​

Yeah, Guys, I want THAT castle.

This past year, the entire family took a trip to Disney and we stayed at my dream resort: The Beach Club. We had a garden view, and it was spectacular.

Unfortunately, fundage is not where it was last year. See, last year, dh and I were newly "crowned" National Board Certified Teachers, and since we teach in South Carolina, we got 6 months worth of certification pay at one time. Half went to Disney.

Then there is the fact that Dan does not even want to think of going to Disney this year until maybe Christmas. But we hatched an idea.

A wonderful idea. Our eldest child, whom we will call Sweetie, turns 13 this year. She and I love to stay up late at Magic Kingdom together while everyone else sleeps in. Why not a mother daughter trip, while she still likes her mom?

So, our trip details:
Dates: May 31-June 7, 2012
Resort: Pop Century Resort followed by a package at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort; then Quality Suites
Tickets: 6 day Magic Your Way Park Hoppers with WPM option
Dining Plan: Disney Deluxe Dining Plan

We're driving down in my truck, which is gonna be different for us--I had a car that got 34 mpg, the truck gets 18 mpg. But for those of you who love my packing the car pictures, I have good news--I am determined nothing will be in the back of the truck! Everything must be in the cab, so it can be locked!

She has no name yet. Gas guzzler seems harsh.​

But I guess I should introduce us:

The obligatory picture of the two of us at Magic Kingdom during one of our EMH forays.​

Me, Amanda
Age: 37
Occupation: Special Education Administrator (Low Incidence Specialist/National Board Certified Teacher)
Favorite Disney Park: Animal Kingdom
Favorite Disney Music: Adventureland Loop and Anything from The Princess and the Frog
Favorite Disney Character: Minnie Mouse
Favorite Disney CS Location: Tie between Earl of Sandwich and Flame Tree BBQ
Favorite Disney TS Location: Crystal Palace Breakfast
Favorite Disney Resort: Beach Club
Favorite Disney Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Sweetie:
Age: 13
Occupation: 8th grade student
Favorite Disney Park: Animal Kingdom
Favorite Disney Music: Anything from The Princess and the Frog
Favorite Disney Character: Pluto
Favorite Disney CS Location: Riverside Mill Food Court
Favorite Disney TS Location: Cape May Cafe Buffet Dinner
Favorite Disney Resort: Beach Club
Favorite Disney Movie: Princess and the Frog

So, join us, as we live our dream--if we can't have that castle, maybe we'll be fine if we just visit it every year!

Days Left:
155!

 

[creativeamanda]

Introductions (above)

I need to go to work before I change Something Else

A New Resort Already?

Some of our Dining Plans. . .Counter Service Ideas

Everywhere Change!

Nom, nom, nom. . .

Nom, nom, nom. . .take 2

Personal Update

Packing Up 2012

Serious Mickey Mail

My Kingdom for Some COFFEE!

Planning the Trip Report

Two Teenagers. . .I can't believe it

Park Plans, AKA, NonPlans

It would all happen the two weeks before vacation. . .

Sweetie's Trip Binder

 

[Corrine 1973]

If you get the castle can I move in with you?

I love the idea of taking a mother/daughter trip to WDW. So much so that I am planning one with my DD about a year after yours.

Can't wait to read all about your plans.

 

[creativeamanda]

If you get the castle can I move in with you?

I love the idea of taking a mother/daughter trip to WDW. So much so that I am planning one with my DD about a year after yours.

Can't wait to read all about your plans.

Of course, you can move in with me! There would be plenty of room in there!

Have fun planning a trip for you and your daughter. Sweetie has been up for almost anything, but I still can't talk her into the Tower of Terror.

 

[creativeamanda]

POP Century-POR-POFQ-WL-CSR-POP Century. . . .

Ah, the humanity of it all!

If I don't go back to work soon (tomorrow), I am going to end up calling DIsney again. Here I will sit with time on my hands and what do I do with it?

Call Disney to make another change to the resort.

And don't even get me started on dining reservations.

Out of the 15 reservations I made on my booking day, I still have 1 of them.

One,

Uno

And how many dining reservations in total do I have?

15.

Someday I will share those reservations. After I finish with them.

Someone really should take away my computer and telephone.

Either way, where are we staying? Final call?

The place where our love of Disney World began.

Days Left:


151!

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

I love Tangled!

I thought it was bad that after seeing the Jedi Training Academy I wanted a light saber! haha

I am possibly hatching a mother daughter trip myself. Well, I am considering it. I turn 40 this year, and I have become a runner. I want to do a race at Disney, but its costly to book airfare for four of us when we wouldn't be able to hang out anyway. I am thinking I should take my mom for the weekend. She can lounge poolside while I run, and we can have a nice meal or two together.

I know my girls will be upset not to come...how does your other daughter feel about it?

 

[creativeamanda]

I love Tangled!

I thought it was bad that after seeing the Jedi Training Academy I wanted a light saber! haha

I am possibly hatching a mother daughter trip myself. Well, I am considering it. I turn 40 this year, and I have become a runner. I want to do a race at Disney, but its costly to book airfare for four of us when we wouldn't be able to hang out anyway. I am thinking I should take my mom for the weekend. She can lounge poolside while I run, and we can have a nice meal or two together.

I know my girls will be upset not to come...how does your other daughter feel about it?

I've promised each of my kids a trip for their 13th birthday, so the youngest is fine with it. You know, I would love to do a race at Disney. I think that's a great idea for you to do with your mom!

 

[creativeamanda]

Yep, that's right. A new resort. Already. So, which one?

Well, it was Coronado Springs yet again, but we changed our minds.

We ant to save for a Christmas trip and a missions trip this summer. So CSR is out. But POP Century is a great resort and we can't wait to go back to our first ever resort!

Coming soon, Dining plans Version 2.0. (Which is interesting you all never saw Versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 (you get the idea, lol)

Days left:
143

 

[creativeamanda]

One of the pleasures we seem to all have in life is food. I think it was Julie in the movie Julie and Julia who said that it was a comfort to know that in a world where everything changes that you can whip certain ingredients together and they will come out the same. It wasn't those words, but you get the picture. When we go to DIsney, we think of how certain places have been a comfort to us, and others a new experience to come. That's the case in this trip. Sweetie and I are going to some old favorites, yet trying new places along with it.

This week, I'm looking at our Counter Service locations, because I am (not surprisingly) still tweaking park locations daily and our Table Service ADRs. I am sharing not only the locations, but If I have had a past review of that location in my December 2009 trip, I am also sharing that. After all, it's nice to look back, is it not?

First up, on our first day, we are pretty sure we will start off in Magic Kingdom. Except for one year, we have always started there, and even the year we did not start there, we rode the monorail there for a peak first. My favorite CS location there is Cosmic Ray's. It is a solid meal, and a great location in the park between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.

And as for a review?

So, when it comes to the Magic Kingdom, I have one favorite CS restaurant--Cosmic Ray's. The major reason why I like this place is the 1/2 rotisserie chicken that they serve--similar to the chicken that used to be at Tusker House before they defiled it into a TS restaurant. Yeah, yeah, yeah--Animal Kingdom needed another TS location, but why take away the one great item in the park?

So, before the party started, I stopped into Cosmic Ray's for dinner. Of course, I got:

1/2 Rotisserie Chicken - with Mashed Potatoes and a seasonal vegetable $9.49

Now the potatoes--very flavorful.

The green beans? Yummy.

The Chicken? Not as good as I remembered, but cooked thoroughly (a definite must).

I had the carrot cake, and it, too, was drier than I remembered. I washed it down with a Coca-Cola.

I am also thinking that I really wasn't that hungry after lunch, but knew I needed to eat before the party.

Believe it or not, this place was not a madhouse (as can happen here), I had little to no wait, and the service was great!

Overall:
Atmosphere: 4 out of 5: I'm not really fond of the feel of Tomorrowland as a whole and spend little time here at the Magic Kingdom.
Service: 5 out of 5
Wait Time: 5 out of 5
Food Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Overall: 4.375 out of 5

It's interesting that I've really changed my mind about Tomorrowland since that review and now spend an equal amount of time in all of the lands in Magic Kingdom! That really struck me reading back.

Either way, we are looking at a couple of meals at Cosmic Rays. If we do any place else, it will be this place--Columbia Harbor House

Sweetie and I are both seafood lovers, but the only thing I am leary about is since we live near Myrtle Beach, we know what seafood is supposed to be like. I don't know if this place will live up to expectations.

Another choice, of course would be

I love some corn dog nuggets. And not just a little bit. I've been on a diet for over a year now and I rarely venture off. But when they have corn dog nuggets at school, I cheat. I know it's a strange food to cheat with, but we all have our guilty pleasures.

At Animal Kingdom, our Counter Service choice is none other than Flame Tree BBQ. It is truly my favorite CS location at Disney. The intentions are to get my meal at FTBBQ and some fires for Sweetie this day, while we use her meal to split a breakfast that morning. In December 2009, I went to FTBBQ two times:

For lunch today, I was heading to one of my favorite counter service places on property:

I love this place because of the outdoor seating, the ducks, the views, and the food.

I had my favorite item there, the pulled pork sandwich with backed beans. For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse, which is not on the allears website. It was delicious and I ate everything, despite my big breakfast.

I like this place because of the control you have over condiments, the atmosphere, and how quickly everything goes there.

Overall:
Atmosphere: 5 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5
Wait Time: 5 out of 5
Food Quality: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5

and

Dinner time tonight found me in Animal Kingdom. It was open until 7pm and I have to ride EE in the dark at least once on my trips. Seeing the Tree of Life lit up from there and looking across from the top at the lights from HS and Epcot is awesome!

So, being there at dinner time poses problems. There's only one place that appeals to me in Animal Kingdom, and that is Flame Tree BBQ. So, I had the same thing I had earlier in the week--the BBQ pulled pork sandwich.

The best part about the meal was my view where I sat. I had never gone down here before, and I am glad I did:

Again, Flame Tree is probably on the top 3 of my favorite CS locations in Disney, with them being:

Riverside Mill in POR
Flame Tree BBQ in AK
Earl of Sandwich DTD

Overall:
Atmosphere: 5 out of 5--Awesome View!
Service: 4 out of 5
Wait Time: 4 out of 5
Food Quality: 4 out of 5 It was a little less fresh--It was about 4pm in the afternoon.
Overall: 4.25 out of 5

Which leads us to some breakfast choices. From time to time, we will have a couple of meals at this place due to convenience:

I honestly remember little about Everything POP from our first trip. I know dh went there a couple of times and brought breakfast back to the room. Come to think of it. . .whatever did we do with the trays he brought back? HMMM. . . .Must've left them for Mousekeeping to retrieve.

Anywho. . .I understand it is a great place. I will have to try the tie dye cheesecake!

At Epcot, we intend to go to two different places: Sunshine Seasons and Katsuri.

In December 2009, I only went to Sunshine Seasons for a snack, but I love the atmosphere here around Soarin'!

It will be pretty fun to be around the magic of that place.

Since Katsuri is new, there are few pictures of it around. I intend to get my sushi fix there, and I am still contemplating Tokyo Dining for some sushi, but still trying to figure out what my daughter will eat. Perhaps I'll pay that one oop and order off of the kids' menu for her.

Besides that, we intend to have a couple of meals in Downtown Disney, with both being some place we have never been to--Wolfgang Puck Express and Ghiradelli's. I don't know what to try at either place, but I think we can manage!

So, that's our CS Plans. Coming up TS Plans 2 point something or another (I've lost count!)

And oh yeah,

Days Left:



136!!!!

 

[natebenma]

Hi Amanda- I don't know how I missed this!!!

I don't really hang out around the PTR boards much, but I'm so in for this trip. Almost literally...

I plan to be at Disney at the same time, with my 13 year old son. Maybe. And 99 other teenagers. Oh my! 200 eyes rolling simultaneously!

You are officially staying at Pop? Is it ever official until you get there? Kind of strange, the two resorts that interest me, other than the Beach Club, are Poly and Pop.

We will be at one of the All Stars (June 4-8). I hope.


Counter Service meals-

I want to encourage you to head over to Columbia Harbor House. That is our favorite CS at MK. The tuna sandwich is YUM! Even the hummus sandwich is good. But it is not the tuna. They even have a lobster roll now- I think it may be this New Englander's responsibility to try it out to make sure they are getting it right. The shrimp is ok. Stay away from the fish sticks.

I want to go back to Flame Tree. My family is stuck on Tamu Tamu. Our Flame Tree experience was not good. It was us, not them. It took us an hour to find the restaurant. Seriously! And then we were so hungry we just took a stinky view, not the Everest view. We need a redo.

HS- we don't really do CS here, but we are going to have to. Starring Rolls, I think. Giant sandwiches and Ginormous Decadent Cupcakes.

EPCOT-so many choices! Sunshine Seasons is the favorite. So many choices. But I never stray from the Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad.


Can't wait to hear more!!!

.

 

[creativeamanda]

Hi Amanda- I don't know how I missed this!!!

I don't really hang out around the PTR boards much, but I'm so in for this trip. Almost literally...

I plan to be at Disney at the same time, with my 13 year old son. Maybe. And 99 other teenagers. Oh my! 200 eyes rolling simultaneously!

You mentioned that. Yikes!

You are officially staying at Pop? Is it ever official until you get there? Kind of strange, the two resorts that interest me, other than the Beach Club, are Poly and Pop.

We will be at one of the All Stars (June 4-8). I hope.

Actually, no now. We finally settled on CSR. I was worried about dropping back from a Deluxe to a Value. Last year at BC was so great, I didn't want my expectations of POP ruin the trip.

Not that POP is not great. I really do like it there!

Counter Service meals-

I want to encourage you to head over to Columbia Harbor House. That is our favorite CS at MK. The tuna sandwich is YUM! Even the hummus sandwich is good. But it is not the tuna. They even have a lobster roll now- I think it may be this New Englander's responsibility to try it out to make sure they are getting it right. The shrimp is ok. Stay away from the fish sticks.

I will have to try it. We always go to Cosmic Rays, and while I think it's perfectly okay, it is always super hectic there.

I want to go back to Flame Tree. My family is stuck on Tamu Tamu. Our Flame Tree experience was not good. It was us, not them. It took us an hour to find the restaurant. Seriously! And then we were so hungry we just took a stinky view, not the Everest view. We need a redo.

Yes, do a redo. It really is a great place.

HS- we don't really do CS here, but we are going to have to. Starring Rolls, I think. Giant sandwiches and Ginormous Decadent Cupcakes.

I think we are going to end up doing something CS here, (of course some of my thoughts have changed), but I keep going back in my head to Starring Rolls.

EPCOT-so many choices! Sunshine Seasons is the favorite. So many choices. But I never stray from the Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad.

I see so many here mention it. I will have to try it someday.

Can't wait to hear more!!!

.

BTW--Welcome!

 

[natebenma]

I want to encourage you to head over to Columbia Harbor House. That is our favorite CS at MK. The tuna sandwich is YUM! Even the hummus sandwich is good. But it is not the tuna. They even have a lobster roll now- I think it may be this New Englander's responsibility to try it out to make sure they are getting it right. The shrimp is ok. Stay away from the fish sticks.

I will have to try it. We always go to Cosmic Rays, and while I think it's perfectly okay, it is always super hectic there.

BTW--Welcome!

Thanks for the quick welcome!

One of the things we love about CHH is that it is so not hectic. Make sure you go to the upstairs seating area. It has a real TS vibe. Very peaceful with some great nautical decoration. I don't think a lot of people know the seating is up there. I guess there are even tables at windows that overlook HM.

 

[natebenma]

BTW- I see you are headed to the Dark Side, too!!! We were there this past summer, so if you have any questions, ask away!

THAT'S the castle I want:

 

[creativeamanda]

We've been through a lot of changes on this reservation. I won't go through the changes before the beginning of this PTR. Just the changes since.

1. Pop Century 8 nights
2. Coronado Springs 7 nights
3. Pop Century 10 nights
4. Two nights at a Universal Partner Resort (The Point Orlando) followed by 6 nights at Coronado Springs.

So what about the Point Orlando, first of all? Although the one review here is less than glowing, tripadvisor lists the resort as #6 of the 343 reviewed hotels in the Orlando Area.

And for a couple of photos (courtesy of their website)

The outside of the resort.

The studio room Sweetie and I will be in.​

And then, there is the water view room at Coronado Springs we booked. I am clueless about what I should request now, but I decided not to be near the parking lots at all, so a water view room it was.

No more waterparks, so this will be used. A Lot.

Beautiful view!

I will spend time in this hammock

I hope this will be a new home for our partial family visits.​

So, like Dee said, with Universal, we have one new castle to visit. We are only going to Islands of Adventure. It's our trial tun with Universal.

Coming up: dining plans. . .table service and much, much more!

Days Left:
123!

 

[creativeamanda]

BTW- I see you are headed to the Dark Side, too!!! We were there this past summer, so if you have any questions, ask away!

THAT'S the castle I want:

I was thinking that I could also want that castle. I have to go over and read through your trip report to get some pointers, Dee. Since we have established that you and I have similar touring plans, I'm pretty sure I can learn a lot. We aren't staying at a Universal resort. I am driving in, and I think I'm going to purchase some Universal Express Pass Pluses. And possibly a meal ticket for one day for each of us. I'm still trying to research at this point.

 

[natebenma]

I was confused at your resort since everything you wrote said POP, but then I saw your ticker...

CSR looks beautiful! The pool theming is awesome. What do you get with a partner hotel? Early admission to WWoHP?

From what I have read, you can probably wait until you get to IoA to see if you need to purchase the Express passes. Florida and some of the schools in the south are out, but the northern schools are still in session, so I don't think the first week in June will be wickedly crowded.

And if you and Sweetie are comfortable, you should use the Single Rider Line to help cut down on wait times.

The only meal plan I am familiar with is the one where you get unlimited food at a limited number of places, and it is mostly stuff like pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. I can recommend a couple of CS and a TS at IoA if you want.

 

[natebenma]

I was confused at your resort since everything you wrote said POP, but then I saw your ticker...

CSR looks beautiful! The pool theming is awesome. What do you get with a partner hotel? Early admission to WWoHP?

From what I have read, you can probably wait until you get to IoA to see if you need to purchase the Express passes. Florida and some of the schools in the south are out, but the northern schools are still in session, so I don't think the first week in June will be wickedly crowded.

And if you and Sweetie are comfortable, you should use the Single Rider Line to help cut down on wait times.

The only meal plan I am familiar with is the one where you get unlimited food at a limited number of places, and it is mostly stuff like pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. I can recommend a couple of CS and a TS at IoA if you want.

 

[creativeamanda]

I was confused at your resort since everything you wrote said POP, but then I saw your ticker...

CSR looks beautiful! The pool theming is awesome. What do you get with a partner hotel? Early admission to WWoHP?

From what I have read, you can probably wait until you get to IoA to see if you need to purchase the Express passes. Florida and some of the schools in the south are out, but the northern schools are still in session, so I don't think the first week in June will be wickedly crowded.

And if you and Sweetie are comfortable, you should use the Single Rider Line to help cut down on wait times.

The only meal plan I am familiar with is the one where you get unlimited food at a limited number of places, and it is mostly stuff like pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. I can recommend a couple of CS and a TS at IoA if you want.

Yes, the partner hotels get us early admission into IOA, along with a City Walk pass. That's why I went ahead and booked a package with Universal.

I think also, after riding a couple of rides, we can probably do single rider as long as I get off first. She and I will both have our cell phones.

I don't know how we will handle food. Are there places in IOA we could split a meal to eat? I think perhaps we'd come out better doing that, because we will be going to City Walk that night to meet a fellow DISer at Bubba Gump's hopefully. Come to think of it, I might want to check out the menu for Bubba Gumps. I wonder if they accept a Universal gift card. . .

 

[natebenma]

Yes, the partner hotels get us early admission into IOA, along with a City Walk pass. That's why I went ahead and booked a package with Universal.

I think also, after riding a couple of rides, we can probably do single rider as long as I get off first. She and I will both have our cell phones.

I don't know how we will handle food. Are there places in IOA we could split a meal to eat? I think perhaps we'd come out better doing that, because we will be going to City Walk that night to meet a fellow DISer at Bubba Gump's hopefully. Come to think of it, I might want to check out the menu for Bubba Gumps. I wonder if they accept a Universal gift card. . .

We had a great meal at Bubba's!!! In fact, I was just looking at their menu this morning because I am finally working on my photo album from this summer's trip.

Yes, I think you two would definitely be able to split meals at some places in Universal. You may want to eat at 3 Broomsticks for some HP atmosphere.

 

[vikingdad]

Sounds like you guys will have a great trip.

Did you ever consider the brand new Royal Guest rooms at POR? Just mentioning because I noticed Sweetie liked Princess and the Frog. Boat access to DTD may be nice as well.

Good luck with your planning!