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

[creativeamanda]

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.

Thanks! I think that would be the best choice for us--splitting a meal at the Three Broomsticks.

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!

We did consider the Royal Guest rooms. Only problem was, they are not included in the room-only discount this spring and that was our discount. Plus, we've done POR many times. We wanted to try something we could not do with the family.

I would have loved having that boat to DTD again. It's one of the things that makes the Port Orleans resorts so great!

We will keep our eyes peeled for other discounts, though. If one comes open for those Royal Guest rooms, I don't think we would be able to deny them--regardless of our need to try something new.

 

[MHTeacher]

Enjoying reading about your plans! We have a family trip planned around the same time as you!

We have stayed at CSR-It is a really pretty resort, even prettier now with the refurbed rooms. My kids enjoyed the pool there.

Wherever you stay, you and your daughter should have a wonderful time together, celebrating her birthday. A few years ago, we took our oldest daughter to Disney to celebrate her 16th birthday. It is one of our favorite trips!

 

[creativeamanda]

Enjoying reading about your plans! We have a family trip planned around the same time as you!

We have stayed at CSR-It is a really pretty resort, even prettier now with the refurbed rooms. My kids enjoyed the pool there.

Wherever you stay, you and your daughter should have a wonderful time together, celebrating her birthday. A few years ago, we took our oldest daughter to Disney to celebrate her 16th birthday. It is one of our favorite trips!

Thanks! I am hoping she will enjoy herself.

 

[creativeamanda]

Although no one would ever believe it, I really don't like a great amount of physical change. Change that's all up in the air is okay. The thought of going somewhere new? It scares me.

With that thought in mind, Sweetie and I decided against the trip to Universal. We would be changing hotels three times, driving around Orlando, and honestly, I think I'd rather do that with my husband with me.

So no WWOHP. Boo.

Whew. That's the Oh No.

The good news? We are . . . . .







PAID IN FULL!

DAYS LEFT?

95!

 

[natebenma]

Sorry to hear about WWoHP. But totally understandable. That will probably be something best experienced with the whole family.

Yeah on being paid off!!!

And just a few more months to go...

 

[MHTeacher]

YAY for being paid in full! Such a good feeling!

 

[PirateKate]

Congratulations on being paid in full! I love that feeling. I think skipping WWoHP this time is a good call. It'll be easier to stay put once you get settled in. Sounds like a fun trip!

 

[creativeamanda]

Sorry to hear about WWoHP. But totally understandable. That will probably be something best experienced with the whole family.

Yeah on being paid off!!!

And just a few more months to go...

I know! I am so excited!

YAY for being paid in full! Such a good feeling!

It is!

Congratulations on being paid in full! I love that feeling. I think skipping WWoHP this time is a good call. It'll be easier to stay put once you get settled in. Sounds like a fun trip!

I think I made the right choice.

 

[creativeamanda]

One of the many things I change over and over each trip is my reservations. . .and if you are fluent in lolcatspeak, then noms.

I love making and revising my dining plans. I've probably made mention of them earlier, but as of today, this my most recent and correct listing:

Breakfasts:

Crystal Palace
This is one of our favorites. The puffed French Toast is definitely to-die for. We've done this for our last meal at DIsney the last two trips. We want to start with this one this trip.

Akershus--Princess Dining in Norway
We had breakfast here in 2008 with some friends. What I remember most here were the potatoes. Nice and cheesy, we got seconds of them and I could have eaten them all day long.

Cape May Cafe
We have never eaten here for breakfast. When we stayed at the Beach Club last summer, we walked downstairs and commented on how delicious breakfast smelled and wanted to eat there.

Grand Floridian Cafe
For lunch and dinner, the Grand Floridian Cafe is a family favorite. We have never had breakfast here, but I wanted a good low-key breakfast for our departure day. I think this is a good choice.

Lunches:

Rainforest Cafe in Animal Kingdom
We have had a meal at the Rainforest Cafe in Maryland. I anticipate this being a good meal. Not great, but I am also thinking of Yak and Yeti in this spot. I am just worried about what my non-adventurous eating daughter would eat there.

Rose and Crown
We have never eaten here, but I know if nothing else, Sweetie would eat the fish and chips here. I am hoping for a great atmosphere.

Teppan Edo
Last year, we ate here for dinner. Our family enjoyed the meal there.

Dinner:

Narcoossee's
In 2009, I had dinner here by myself. I really enjoyed my meal here and I'm looking forward to returning.

Fulton's
We are seafood lovers. When we discovered that Fulton's was now on the Dining Plan, we knew we had to do this one!

California Grill
Another first for us, and I am ubber-excited about this meal! It's an early dinner, so no Wishes, but I am looking forward to a nice meal without the hustle of trying to see the fireworks from up there.

Cape May Cafe
Again, this is the obvious choice for a seafood-lover. This will be our third visit there as a family. My fourth. I know many people don't love it here, but it is about the same scale as seafood is in Myrtle Beach in my opinion.

Captain's Grill
Yes, I know Yachtsman is next door. And even though I sometimes think of giving them a second try, I decide against it. For now, I'm very happy with Captain's Grill. We ate here in June of 2009 and again last summer. Both times we were very pleased.

I'm excited--and if you can't tell--we are now doing the Deluxe Plan, which added a couple hundred dollars onto our previously paid off trip, but that's okay.

Oh, and

83 DAYS!

 

[natebenma]

Wow!!! Great dining plans!

LOL- as I was reading your selections, I'm thinking... she must be DxDP!

I have one picky eater too (my oldest) so I totally know what you mean. He has expensive tastes-He WILL eat steak and lobster.

The only meals we have done from your list are the Cape May (breakfast and clambake) and Captain's Grill. Loved all of them. The character interaction at Cape May is really fun and it is cute seeing them in beach attire.

Oh, and I guess Teppen Edo years ago, which we enjoyed, and Crystal Palace for lunch, not breakfast. Refresh my memory if you have already posted this- pre park entry breakfast, or later at CP?

 

[creativeamanda]

Wow!!! Great dining plans!

LOL- as I was reading your selections, I'm thinking... she must be DxDP!

Funny how that happened. I had made reservations for California Grill and Fultons. I was going to do them oop. When I added them up, it was only a few more dollars to do the DxDP. So I decided I'd go with the DxDP not to worry about food.

I have one picky eater too (my oldest) so I totally know what you mean. He has expensive tastes-He WILL eat steak and lobster.

Do we have the same kid?

The only meals we have done from your list are the Cape May (breakfast and clambake) and Captain's Grill. Loved all of them. The character interaction at Cape May is really fun and it is cute seeing them in beach attire.

I am really looking forward to this breakfast in particular. It seems weird we did not do this last year instead of Crystal Palace--that would have been a great way to end our trip. But we did not. I think I wanted to see the castle one more time and we weren't even seated in a good location for that!

Oh, and I guess Teppen Edo years ago, which we enjoyed, and Crystal Palace for lunch, not breakfast. Refresh my memory if you have already posted this- pre park entry breakfast, or later at CP?

We are doing later at CP. It's really a late breakfast (early lunch). Of cours,e this decision was made before the FP enforcement, and some of our plans involved pulling a fast pass, eating, and then riding. It's going to take a little more flexibility and checking the times guides on the iPhone to determine which one we should pull the fastpass for, but that's okay. With it just being the two of us, I think even if we do have a few waits, it will be more pleasant than with three kids and a husband in the heat.

 

[MHTeacher]

Love both CP and Akershus for breakfast. We've never done the breakfast at Cape May. When we were originally booked to stay at Beach Club for this trip, I did book Cape May, but when I changed to the Poly, I cancelled this breakfast.

We're having dinner at Teppan Edo again this trip. My family really enjoys it.

Never tried Captains Grill, even though we've stayed at Beach Club and Yacht Club both. We did eat at the Yachtsman, and we were not impressed with it at all.

I would love to try the DxDP one trip.

 

[creativeamanda]

Love both CP and Akershus for breakfast. We've never done the breakfast at Cape May. When we were originally booked to stay at Beach Club for this trip, I did book Cape May, but when I changed to the Poly, I cancelled this breakfast.

We're having dinner at Teppan Edo again this trip. My family really enjoys it.

Never tried Captains Grill, even though we've stayed at Beach Club and Yacht Club both. We did eat at the Yachtsman, and we were not impressed with it at all.

I would love to try the DxDP one trip.

You know, I've done Yachtsman myself. I was not impressed, either.

I can see why you would cancel Cape May if you were at the Poly. The logistics of getting there are crazy. I'm using it on a day I'm driving to a waterpark, but I could see if you were just using Disney transport how crazy it would be to get there!

 

[natebenma]

We are doing later at CP. It's really a late breakfast (early lunch). Of cours,e this decision was made before the FP enforcement, and some of our plans involved pulling a fast pass, eating, and then riding. It's going to take a little more flexibility and checking the times guides on the iPhone to determine which one we should pull the fastpass for, but that's okay. With it just being the two of us, I think even if we do have a few waits, it will be more pleasant than with three kids and a husband in the heat.

We did our first late breakfast/early lunch in 2010 (Kona Cafe). It was an early EMH at MK. My trip report chapter from that morning was

"I promise the boys 3 mountains and an island. By 11. Do I deliver?"

I did, but we were about 15 minutes late for our reservation. No worries, there was nobody else there. Plus, had a pocket full of FP for our return after breakfast. #$@^%&&& new rules!!!

 

[PirateKate]

The deluxe dining plan sounds like a great decision. Those ADRs look really good!

 

[creativeamanda]

We did our first late breakfast/early lunch in 2010 (Kona Cafe). It was an early EMH at MK. My trip report chapter from that morning was

"I promise the boys 3 mountains and an island. By 11. Do I deliver?"

I did, but we were about 15 minutes late for our reservation. No worries, there was nobody else there. Plus, had a pocket full of FP for our return after breakfast. #$@^%&&& new rules!!!

Yeah--I don't really like the new rules, but that's beyond my control and I'll just deal with it. I like the idea of the late breakfast/early lunch.

The deluxe dining plan sounds like a great decision. Those ADRs look really good!

Thanks! I'm excited about them.

 

[creativeamanda]

So, I've made a few changes, and they are so definitely extensive, that I thought I'd make some comments about our choices (again). This time, I'll separate by day, along with what we think we will do for snack credits:

May 31, 2012

We are checking into POP Century for just one night, here and there are a couple of things swimming in my head, but I think this is the prevailing idea:

Beaches and CreamOddly, even though we stayed at the Beach Club last year, we never stopped by. We intended to step in and get the kitchen sink, but we just didn't. Not that we ran out of time--in 11 days you just can't do that. We just didn't have it way on our radar. The plan is to split a burger and fries and to split a Sundae here.

June 1, 2012

Breakfast: Cafe Rix at Coronado Springs: We have to check and make sure our dining credits work, don't we? We'll pick up our refillable mugs and grab a few pastries to eat on our way to the Magic Kingdom after I park my truck. I doubt the room will be ready--we just can't get that lucky two years in a row, but that's all right!

Lunch: Crystal Palace: This is actually a late breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace. CP is a favorite. Usually it's the last reservation we family members have together, but we want to start with it this time.

Dinner: Narcoossee's: Can you say, "Surf and Turf"? I love Narcoossee's. It was one of may favorites from December 2009!

June 2, 2012

Breakfast: Main Street Bakery: We'll pick up pastries the night before and refill our mugs.

Lunch: Akershus:This is the latest breakfast reservation--11:00. We love this meal, but have not been since 2008. The potatoes are awesome, and the character interaction great. I know Sweetie is 13, but she still likes the princesses.

Dinner: Fulton's Crab House:I am a definite seafood lover. When this place appeared on the dining plan, I was so excited!

June 3, 2012

Breakfast: Boma: Sweetie has not done this one, but it is, in my opinion, the best breakfast buffet on property. I also have been here and I was quickly finished--in plenty of time to drive over to Animal Kingdom. This will be one of the few times we drive to the parks.

Lunch: Kusafiri in Animal Kingdom: I've been eyeing the cupcakes here for some time. We'll use snack credits to have cupcakes for lunch (yes, you read that right)

Dinner: California Grill: I've added and deleted this reservation over and over throughout the years, but with it just being myself and Sweetie, I think it will stay this time around. We are unsure of the choices for our nonadventurous eater, but I understand them to be very accommodating, and think we can pull something together. Sweetie is thinking flatbread app, the filet (hopefully she can sub fries or regular mashed potatoes), and cake. I'm thinking tuna three ways, bison, and something light for desert.

June 4, 2012

Breakfast: Cafe Rixagain, snack credits for pastries along with the use of the mugs

Lunch: Yak and YetiTHis is an add-on recently, and although Sweetie is not greatly adventurous, a friend recommended this one. We can try it once, since there's not much choice in Animal Kingdom

Dinner: Cape May Cafe: Sweetie's absolute favorite. No danger here. Great Location, as well.

June 5, 2012

Breakfast: Starring Rolls:Yes, cupcakes for breakfast, too. Why not?!?

Lunch: Teppan Edo: We have no Hibachi-style grills where we live, so this became a family favorite last year (bad jokes included). We're excited about this one!

Dinner: Chefs de France This is a choice that at one time, I wouldn't think of. I had a bad experience, but I gave them another try. We've been there ever since. This reservation is for an Extra Magic Hour, and after the fireworks. I know this is late, and we may not get many rides in, but it's an exciting thought for us to be some of the last in Epcot.

June 6, 2012 (Last day )

Breakfast: Starring Rolls: Again, cupcakes for breakfast!

Lunch: Mama Melrose's: This restaurant often gets a bad rap, but we have had nothing but good experiences here. There aren't many choices in Hollywood Studios. The Brown Derby, in my opinion, is not worth two credits, Hollywood and Vine was horrible when we went, Sci Fi doesn't interest us, and we don't like the idea of the antics at 50s Prime Time

Dinner: Kona Cafe: A trip of opposites--this is usually our first meal. So we switch CP and Kona. We love this restaurant, especially the low key nature of it.

So, there we have our newest locations. You will find this same information in a Dining PTR, as soon as I can figure out a title for it, lol!

 

[MHTeacher]

Cupcakes for breakfast sound wonderfully delicious!

 

[PirateKate]

I'm glad to hear you all like Narcoossees! We're going there in May and I keep reading bad reviews and wondering if we should change to something else.

Cupcakes for lunch and breakfast sounds wonderful!

 

[natebenma]

So, I've made a few changes, and they are so definitely extensive, that I thought I'd make some comments about our choices (again). This time, I'll separate by day, along with what we think we will do for snack credits:

May 31, 2012

We are checking into POP Century for just one night, here and there are a couple of things swimming in my head, but I think this is the prevailing idea:

Beaches and CreamOddly, even though we stayed at the Beach Club last year, we never stopped by. We intended to step in and get the kitchen sink, but we just didn't. Not that we ran out of time--in 11 days you just can't do that. We just didn't have it way on our radar. The plan is to split a burger and fries and to split a Sundae here.

June 1, 2012

Breakfast: Cafe Rix at Coronado Springs: We have to check and make sure our dining credits work, don't we? We'll pick up our refillable mugs and grab a few pastries to eat on our way to the Magic Kingdom after I park my truck. I doubt the room will be ready--we just can't get that lucky two years in a row, but that's all right!

Lunch: Crystal Palace: This is actually a late breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace. CP is a favorite. Usually it's the last reservation we family members have together, but we want to start with it this time.

Dinner: Narcoossee's: Can you say, "Surf and Turf"? I love Narcoossee's. It was one of may favorites from December 2009!

June 2, 2012

Breakfast: Main Street Bakery: We'll pick up pastries the night before and refill our mugs.

Lunch: Akershus:This is the latest breakfast reservation--11:00. We love this meal, but have not been since 2008. The potatoes are awesome, and the character interaction great. I know Sweetie is 13, but she still likes the princesses.

Dinner: Fulton's Crab House:I am a definite seafood lover. When this place appeared on the dining plan, I was so excited!

June 3, 2012

Breakfast: Boma: Sweetie has not done this one, but it is, in my opinion, the best breakfast buffet on property. I also have been here and I was quickly finished--in plenty of time to drive over to Animal Kingdom. This will be one of the few times we drive to the parks.

Lunch: Kusafiri in Animal Kingdom: I've been eyeing the cupcakes here for some time. We'll use snack credits to have cupcakes for lunch (yes, you read that right)

Dinner: California Grill: I've added and deleted this reservation over and over throughout the years, but with it just being myself and Sweetie, I think it will stay this time around. We are unsure of the choices for our nonadventurous eater, but I understand them to be very accommodating, and think we can pull something together. Sweetie is thinking flatbread app, the filet (hopefully she can sub fries or regular mashed potatoes), and cake. I'm thinking tuna three ways, bison, and something light for desert.

June 4, 2012

Breakfast: Cafe Rixagain, snack credits for pastries along with the use of the mugs

Lunch: Yak and YetiTHis is an add-on recently, and although Sweetie is not greatly adventurous, a friend recommended this one. We can try it once, since there's not much choice in Animal Kingdom

Dinner: Cape May Cafe: Sweetie's absolute favorite. No danger here. Great Location, as well.

June 5, 2012

Breakfast: Starring Rolls:Yes, cupcakes for breakfast, too. Why not?!?

Lunch: Teppan Edo: We have no Hibachi-style grills where we live, so this became a family favorite last year (bad jokes included). We're excited about this one!

Dinner: Chefs de France This is a choice that at one time, I wouldn't think of. I had a bad experience, but I gave them another try. We've been there ever since. This reservation is for an Extra Magic Hour, and after the fireworks. I know this is late, and we may not get many rides in, but it's an exciting thought for us to be some of the last in Epcot.

June 6, 2012 (Last day )

Breakfast: Starring Rolls: Again, cupcakes for breakfast!

Lunch: Mama Melrose's: This restaurant often gets a bad rap, but we have had nothing but good experiences here. There aren't many choices in Hollywood Studios. The Brown Derby, in my opinion, is not worth two credits, Hollywood and Vine was horrible when we went, Sci Fi doesn't interest us, and we don't like the idea of the antics at 50s Prime Time

Dinner: Kona Cafe: A trip of opposites--this is usually our first meal. So we switch CP and Kona. We love this restaurant, especially the low key nature of it.

So, there we have our newest locations. You will find this same information in a Dining PTR, as soon as I can figure out a title for it, lol!

Love your dining plans! I haven't been to Starring Rolls yet, but it is on the radar for the teen trip in June. I believe we have vouchers for CS meals, so I plan on luring them with cupcakes to get them there for lunch when we are at HS.

Beaches & Cream. I haven't been there for burgers or ice cream *ducks as an entire can of whipped cream is thrown* The only time I have eaten there was when they were testing out a CS breakfast there in July 2009. I can't believe it didn't stick! That is the one thing seriously missing at the Y&BC.

on the Boma breakfast, Cape May, Kona and Teppan Edo- all favorites! Haven't tried the other places on your list so I look forward to hearing about them!