Have pity on us, Elsa!! An August 2016 PTR - Poly, Preschoolers, & DxDP! (UPDATED 7/28!)

[nimbuscat]

And just a quick note about the above...as I have done some more reading, I've learned that the Nickelodeon Suites is transitioning over to a Holiday Inn in April. They are still keeping the water park and all that...which is actually fine by me! I am not a huge fan of Dora, SpongeBob, etc....I just wanted the water park for the girls!

I am currently holding a reservation at the new Holiday Inn property, as well as the Springhill Suites at Seaworld...which is much cheaper, but only has a standard hotel pool area. So, we'll see. I need to figure out flight changes if we decide to go 3 days early! Eeeek!

 

[nimbuscat]

And more changes!

So, after pondering things over for awhile, I decided that we'd be dumb not to take advantage of the two extra days in the weekend, and get to Disney on August 13 instead of August 15. (I just couldn't make flights work out reasonably well to arrive on the evening of the 12th...) I went back and forth for a bit, trying to decide what to do, and ended up doing this...

Yep, that's right, we are arriving two days earlier than planned and staying those two nights at All-Star Movies! I scrapped the idea of Sea World or staying off-site, because I wanted to be in the "Disney bubble" for transportation and resort-changing purposes. And yes, I know that Pop Century or Art of Animation are much more highly recommended than the AS resorts, but AS was significantly cheaper this time, and it's only 2 nights. We will be fine! More than fine, actually--we'll be at Disney!

Our flights still arrive into Sanford Airport, just a little later in the evening, so we will probably not get to the resort until 7 pm-ish. Since I used this reservation to buy our park tickets for the entire trip, I was able to add on 2 extra days of dining plan, as well! I just did the standard dining plan instead of deluxe for the 2 extra days.

Here are the plans for our "bonus" days:

Saturday, August 13
Fly to Orlando
Transfer from Sanford with Florida Magical Tours & Transportation (Gammy to arrive via Orlando Carriers shuttle since her flight is even later...)
Dinner at AS Movies food court

Sunday, August 14
Brunch at Raglan Road
Shop/explore Disney Springs
Swim at AS Movies pool, go to pool party, etc.
Dinner at AS Movies food court

Monday, August 15
Pack up and send our luggage with Disney's luggage transfer service
Breakfast (snack credits) at AS Movies food court or Starbucks in MK
Head to Magic Kingdom - this gives us an extra day in the park - I think we will start with Tomorrowland!
Lunch at The Plaza at 12:15
Head to the Poly when our room should be ready and check in to start the second part of our vacation!

 

[allysetraskos]

Hello! Just started following along.. We are a foodie family as well. I cook in a corporate kitchen setting so food is a big part of my life that I like to enjoy! DxDp worked out amazing for us on our last trip... Yes it is alot of food but its worth it to get to try everything and get the option to sit down and relax in the A/C. PLUS we did EVERY character dining across the parks / resorts.. It works out amazing that way to knock out meeting characters by having them come to you vs. you waiting a hour or more in line to meet them.
We also did Nickelodeon hotel, it was awesome.. however I wish we would of just planned a trip to stay at their resort as there is SO much to do between the pools / activities & then character meets ever 2 hours. The hotel rooms and staff aren't quite Disney quality I must admit but we still had a great time.

 

[nimbuscat]

Hello! Just started following along.. We are a foodie family as well. I cook in a corporate kitchen setting so food is a big part of my life that I like to enjoy! DxDp worked out amazing for us on our last trip... Yes it is alot of food but its worth it to get to try everything and get the option to sit down and relax in the A/C. PLUS we did EVERY character dining across the parks / resorts.. It works out amazing that way to knock out meeting characters by having them come to you vs. you waiting a hour or more in line to meet them.
We also did Nickelodeon hotel, it was awesome.. however I wish we would of just planned a trip to stay at their resort as there is SO much to do between the pools / activities & then character meets ever 2 hours. The hotel rooms and staff aren't quite Disney quality I must admit but we still had a great time.

Great to have you following along! Welcome!

 

[nimbuscat]

I am just getting so excited now that plans are getting so concrete!

I heard back from the shuttle company for Gammy--the one I mentioned above (Orlando Carriers) was recommended on the Sanford Airport website, but they came back with higher prices than advertised. I found another one (Better Deal Transport--aptly named!), that was reasonable for a one-way, one-passenger transfer. I'm still waiting to hear back from FL Magical for the girls' and I. Since we're transferring separately now, I am really trying to find the best deal, which is why I canceled my original towncar reservation I mentioned way back when in this PTR. The complicating factor is needing to find a company that readily provides car seats for the kiddos! There are several, but there are also several that don't, so that limits our search a bit.

I also tweaked our dining reservations (yes, again!). We are going to try Sanaa and Portobello for dinner during our stay. Actually, I'm on the fence between Olivia's and Sanaa. Right now, Sanaa is winning, but we shall see who comes out ahead 5 months from now! The only other ADR I reaaallllllly want, but don't think I'll be able to work in, is lunch--and it has to be lunch, not breakfast or dinner--at Trail's End. We had one of our best meals ever with their dinner buffet last trip, but their lunch menu is TO DIE FOR. The complicating factor is that we'd want apps, so I'd have to visit there during the "deluxe dining" part of our stay (Day 3 onwards). I'll think about how I might can work it in, but I might just have to save that for next time.

 

[nimbuscat]

Annnnd because I can't leave well enough alone. Remember that "just a little bit more" Disney math that gets you (me) into trouble?? Well, I figured out for "just a little bit more", we could do DxDP for our 2 bonus days, and I could work in, not only Trail's End lunch (yessss!), but also the new waterfront brunch at Narcoossee's on Sunday morning. Heck yessss! It also means we can use our 12 snack credits for the 3 of us from the 2 bonus days and stock up on bottled water for the room for the second part of our stay, as long as we spend them in time. It will be little bit of a delicate balance to make sure we spend out our first credits before we check in for the second set!

Now, of course this doesn't come without complication...for some reason, Narcoossee's Sunday brunch isn't loaded into the online booking system beyond July 24...but the California Grill Sunday brunch is. Soooo...either there is just some random programming delay (which is not completely uncommon!), or the brunch won't be continued into August at Narcoossee's. I am holding a Cali Grill reservation just in case, but much prefer the menu at Narcoossee's. Crossing fingers it gets loaded eventually! And with that...I (think) I promise that I am finished making any significant changes. Whew!

Revised ADRs/Dining Plans:

Saturday, August 13 (Arrival PM)
World Premiere Food Court dinner - QS

Sunday, August 14 - Resort day
Narcoossee's brunch - 10:30 am (holding Cali Grill reservation for this time, just in case...)
Raglan Road dinner - 6:00 pm

Monday, August 15 - MK/switch resorts day
World Premiere Food Court breakfast - QS
Trail's End lunch - 12:35 pm
Contempo Cafe dinner - QS

Tuesday, August 16 - MK
Crystal Palace breakfast - 8:10 am
Pecos Bill's lunch - QS
1900 Park Fare Dinner - 6:45 pm

Wednesday, August 17 - DHS
Hollywood & Vine breakfast - 8:00 am
50s Prime Time lunch - 1:15 pm
Earl of Sandwich dinner - QS

Thursday, August 18 - Epcot
Garden Grill breakfast - 8:30 am
Liberty Inn lunch - QS
Akershus dinner - 7:05 pm

Friday, August 19 - Animal Kingdom
Rainforest Cafe breakfast - 8:30 am
QS park lunch (Restaurantosaurus or Pizzafari?)
Sanaa dinner - 5:50 pm

Saturday, August 20 - rest day
Kona breakfast/brunch - 9:30 am
Mickey's Backyard BBQ - 5:30 pm

Sunday, August 21 - MK
Be Our Guest breakfast - 8:00 am
Cinderella's Royal Table lunch - 1:00 pm
Liberty Tree Tavern dinner - 6:45 pm

Monday, August 22 - travel home
Ohana breakfast - 7:30 am

 

[nimbuscat]

Update!

It feels so awesome to have all of our plans basically finalized at this point! Yes, I'm sure I may tweak our ADRs a little, and heaven help us when FP+ selections are released...but the major stuff is all taken care of! My only ADR I am iffy on right now is Trail's End lunch versus the new Diamond Horseshoe at the same time. Trail's End has a much more enticing menu, but the fact that DH is right there in the park, where we will already be...is fairly tempting. I just need to keep reminding myself of the Trail's End menu--chicken fried steak and sticky bun sundae!! ::drool::

We have our transportation finalized (Florida Magical for the girls and I; Better Deal for Gammy). Our flights are all booked, our resorts are reserved. Whew! Now I need to work on ride plans more, especially now that I read that BTMRR is going to be down for reno while we are there. Never fails--Splash was down the last time, now BTM! Oh well...

I don't have a lot to share today, but didn't want to leave my PTR all alone for so long. Sooooo.....I will work on those ride plans and share as soon as I'm finished! Have a wonderful Monday!

 

[nimbuscat]

Revised Plans, Days 1-2

Okay! I've been doing some work on our park (and non-park) day plans, so here we go!

Day 1, August 13: Arrive in Florida!

As I mentioned before, we'll be flying into Sanford Airport, so we have about a 45-minute drive after we meet up with our driver in baggage claim. Our flight is supposed to land around 3 pm, if I recall, so I'm hoping we are on the road by 4 and at the resort by 5! We'll be pulling into this lovely sight...gosh, I hope they don't really have those balloons out at check-in, or my daughters will go absolutely ape. What is it with kids and balloons?!?

I will check us in, even though Gammy won't be arriving for another couple of hours (they will let me do that, right?? lol). The resort and everything is all in my name, so I'm thinking we should be good. I'll find our rental stroller and our Walmart shipment at the concierge desk, where they should both (hopefully!) be waiting on us. The girls and I will go check out our room, get situated a bit, and then Z-Zah, CarterBear, and I will head over to the World Premiere Food Court to break in our dining plan right.

This is totally over-thinking things, but I will have a 5-year-old and a 20-month-old by myself. The little one can be somewhat of a holy terror at times (just keeping it real, folks!), so I'm thinking I'll push her in the stroller to keep her contained while we order and such. But then...I'm not sure how I'm going to manage a tray or two, the stroller, drinks, you name it. We'll figure it out, right? Based on current cravings, I'm kind of leaning towards a chili cheese dog for dinner that night, though the chicken alfredo pasta looks pretty decent, as well! I'm sure once I get there, I'll be in the mood for something completely different! I plan to bribe Z-Zah into eating something relatively healthy (turkey sandwich and fruit/veggies) by letting her use one of our snack credits on some cotton candy for dessert. That girl can seriously be BOUGHT for cotton candy...she flipping loves that stuff!

If I time things just right, we'll be eating our dinner in the food court when Gammy arrives, and she can just join right in and eat with us! Depending upon time and energy levels and all that, we may need to let the girls expend some energy before trying to corral them to sleep for the night. If so, we may try to get in an evening swim. If not, maybe the outdoor movie? Options, we've got them!

Day 2, August 14: Resort Day!

Assuming Disney dining scheduling gets their act together and lets us book Narcoossee's Sunday brunch for this day, we'll be brunching it at 10:30 a.m.! (California Grill is my backup plan...) This is a picture of the dessert sampler they give you there...nom nom nom! I just love the white chocolate Minnie--she's almost too cute to eat!

We'll do the (hopefully) simple trick of taking a bus from AS Movies to the Magic Kingdom, then hopping on the resort loop monorail to the Grand Floridian (or Contemporary, as the case may be...). After brunch, we shall waddle back to AS Movies (monorail to MK to bus again), and spend the afternoon at the pool, weather permitting. Whenever we are ready, we'll grab the bus to Disney Springs and explore around there for the evening. If my current plans hold, this will be our only evening at Disney Springs, so we'll want to do our shopping then. I really enjoy World of Disney, and letting Z-Zah (and Carter this time!) choose a souvenir for the trip. However, since we're visiting so early in the trip this time, if she's indecisive, I'll let her hold out for a park store or maybe a quick trip back if she can't find something elsewhere. Anyway, we have a 6pm dinner reservation at....

Yep, Raglan Road! (Also known as the one place I will gladly let my kid order mac & cheese--theirs is made with Dubliner cheddar and is freaking delicious!) I'm so excited--this was our absolute FAVORITE meal from our 2014 trip. Great food and entertainment--can't really go wrong! While I'm completely undecided on what I'll have for dinner (pretty much everything on the menu is fabulous!), I do know that I will be noshing on THIS fantastic little dessert known as "fluffy lemon clouds." My DH ordered it on our last trip, and I had total dessert envy--it was AMAZING!!

My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Dinner will pretty much conclude our evening, and we'll bus it back to the resort since we'll have an early start on our Magic Kingdom park day tomorrow!

 

[nimbuscat]

Revised Plans, Day 3!

Day 3, August 15: Magic Kingdom, Round 1!

Finally, a park day! But first...I figured out how I'm going to manage the kiddos alone in the food court on Saturday night! I'll have my Kinderpack, and if I wear CarterBear on my back, my hands will be free to do whatever I need. Problem solved! (I know, you guys are probably wondering if I ever go anywhere alone with them, ever, and I do, I promise! Haha. I just don't usually have to navigate a cafeteria-style setup with no free hands!)

To start our day, we'll have to pack up and call Bell Services to our room to take our luggage...because we're checking out of AS Movies and checking into the Poly on this day! I plan to send pretty much everything but a backpack and our stroller with them, so I'm hoping everything makes it just fine without getting lost!

We'll have breakfast at World Premiere Food Court...Mickey waffles for all! (In all seriousness, I'll probably get the standard Bounty Platter so I have plenty to share with CarterBear. I'm positive Z-Zah will want the kids Mickey Waffle platter, and Gammy will probably get the egg white omelet with spinach!) And coffee. Plenty of coffee.

After breakfast, we will bus it over to the Magic Kingdom. I'd like to time it so we get there just before park opening. I've never seen the opening show, but more importantly, I have a couple of rides I'd like to get to before lines get long and we start using our fastpasses!

We'll head into Tomorrowland (truly, my favorite!), and start out with Astro Orbiters. This is such a slow-loading ride, I want to knock it out first with no wait! While most of the pics I'm using in this PTR are not mine (unless they are pics of me/my family!), this one is...my DH took it on our last trip, and I just love it!

After Astro Orbiters, we'll hop over to Tomorrowland Speedway. If CarterBear is 32", and I thiiiiiink she will be (update on 3/25 after her 15-month well-check!), we're golden. If not, we'll do the kid swap pass thing, so Z-Zah can ride it twice, once with me, and once with Gammy. Then comes Stitch's Great Escape (I knowww...but we love Stitch!) , the PeopleMover, and Carousel of Progress. I've never ridden those! (Also, I know CarterBear won't be big enough to go on Stitch, so she and Gammy can browse around while Z-Zah and I get spat on by 626. )

Then, I'm thinking it should be somewhere between 10-11 a.m., which will be the time I hope to schedule our first FP+, for Buzz Lightyear. After that, we'll do a FP for Space Mountain, and do the child swap so Z-Zah can ride twice again. Depending on time, we'll do Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, then head out for a lunch break.

We have 12:35 lunch reservations at Trail's End!

I'm so happy I was able to work that in this trip! I mean, really, you can't beat a chicken fried steak and a sticky bun sundae, amiright? We'll take our time, have a leisurely lunch, then ride the boat back to MK. I plan to have one more FP+ for 7DMT from 2-3 (and we'll plan for child swap), then we'll hit up the carousel and Mickey's Philharmagic (another first for me!) before monorailing it over to the Poly for check-in!

I'm thrilled that this will be our home away from home for the next week! And truly, I'm a little excited about checking out AS Movies for the first two days. I haven't really considered staying at a value resort for a long period of time, so I'm curious to see how I feel about the prospect for future trips!

Hopefully our luggage made its way to our new room, and we will enjoy our studio! Did you know there are actually TWO bathrooms in there? I am ridiculously excited over that prospect...

We'll just spend a little time relaxing and unpacking for real this time, then hop on the monorail when we are ready for dinner and head over to Contempo Cafe for a QS meal.

No clue what we'll be eating for dinner, but I'm pretty sure I'll have one of those cupcakes for dessert, please!!

 

[nimbuscat]

Revised Plans, Day 4!

Day 4, August 16: Magic Kingdom, Round 2!

Now we're getting to the part of our trip that was in our "original" plans, when we had planned to not even arrive at WDW until the evening of the 15th. So how fun it will be to have already had 3 days of vacation under our belt...

We will start our day with an 8:10 am pre-park opening ADR at Crystal Palace. This is another first for me, and I know the girls will love the Winnie the Pooh characters!

I'm really looking forward to that breakfast lasagna!

After we eat, we will either do one of two things...

Option A: Use an early FP+ (9-10 am) to meet Anna & Elsa at Fairytale Hall. (This option will be used if we are unable to secure a FP+ to meet them at the new Royal Summerhuis in Epcot...)

Option B: Head into Adventureland to ride Aladdin's Carpets, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates, all without FPs.

If we do Option A, we'll still try to fit in Option B right after. If we go straight to Option B, we'll probably do a FP+ for Pirates just to avoid any waits. At 11:00 am, Z-Zah has a Pirate's League appointment. I'm so excited for her!

I truly don't know if she will want to do the mermaid or the pirate look, but I'm secretly pulling for mermaid, because I've planned a really cute Ariel t-shirt dress for her to wear on this day! She should be finished with Pirate's League around 11:45 or 12, and I'd like to hit up Pecos Bill's for a yummy Mexican lunch.

Columbia Harbour House would be my second choice, but everything that interests me there is fried, and I don't know how appetizing a plate of hot, fried shrimp or chicken nuggets sounds on a balmy August day in Florida!

After lunch, I'd like to use FP+s for Haunted Mansion and Splash (using child swap on Splash). Then, we'd like to watch the 3:00 Festival of Fantasy parade from somewhere near Splash in Frontierland.

After the parade, we'll hop on the train and ride it over to the Main Street Station, where we'll exit the park and have some resort/downtime, before a 6:45 pm princess dinner at...

1900 Park Fare! Both of my girls have adorable Cinderella dresses, and I cannot wait to meet the stepsisters--hopefully they are in rare form that night!

 

[nimbuscat]

Day 5!

Day 5, August 17 - Hollywood Studios!

Hey, look, a park day that isn't in the Magic Kingdom! We will start our day much like the previous, with an 8:00 am ADR at Hollywood & Vine for the Disney Junior breakfast!

The girls will be thrilled, and I'm sure the breakfast fare will be standard. We actually ate there for dinner (no characters) on our last trip, so we could get the Fantasmic dining package, and the food was pretty meh. I think breakfast will be better, though!

After breakfast, we'll race over to sign Z-Zah up for Jedi Training Academy (hoping for the 11:50 show)...then head over to the Launch Bay for all things Star Wars!

We'll look at everything there, and make sure the girls get to meet Kylo Ren, Chewie, and hopefully the Jawas! After perusing everything the Launch Bay has to offer, we'll hop on over under the sea for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I've seen postings with different showtimes, but assuming the latest list I saw was correct, we will shoot for the 10:25 show. As soon as that's over, we'll probably have to head over to get Z-Zah to Jedi Training and attend that show at 11:50. I think it is around 20 minutes or so, so I will try for our first FP+ to be in the 12-1 pm range, and that will be for Toy Story Midway Mania. After TSMM, we have a 1:15 pm lunch ADR at 50s Prime Time! I am looking forward to this--another new spot for me, and the food/interaction looks to be top-notch!

After lunch, we'll plan for a Frozen Sing-a-Long FP+ for the 2:45 show, then attempt the Great Movie Ride (if no long lines) for some more A/C, and then go to the 4:10 pm Disney Jr. show. We'll schedule our last FP+ of the day for the 4:30-5:30pm timeframe. I'll do one for me for Tower of Terror, and we can plan to do child swap for that--and then Gammy and Z-Zah can have a FP for Star Tours. We could totally do child swap, but I cannnnnnnnot do Star Tours. *barf* Not happening!

After our final rides, we will take a bus over to Port Orleans Riverside for dinner at Boatwright's! Note: this is new since our last ADR list. I read a recent review on Boatwright's, and it totally convinced me to work it in instead of another night at Disney Springs! We'll see if my love for this holds over the next 5 months, but as of now, this is our plan...

After dinner, we'll take a bus back to MK and monorail it back to the Poly for the night!

 

[nimbuscat]

I interrupt this regularly-scheduled post to bring you...

Snacks!

Just taking a little break between posting the daily plans to write about the ways we plan to use our 54 (yes, FIFTY FOUR!!) snack credits! (That would be 2 nights x 2 snacks x 3 people for the AS Movies part of our stay = 12 credits...plus 7 nights x 2 snacks x 3 people for the Poly part of our stay = 42 credits!) Holy moly!

Now, I am certain that we will use a huge chunk of them on water, lemonade, other drinks, etc., to stay cool and hydrated. Normally I wouldn't "waste" a snack credit on a beverage, but I think we'll be fine. Here are a few of the snicky-snackys I can't wait to try or have again on our trip!

Magic Kingdom

Chocolate-covered (or not) fruit kabob from Big Top Treats

Blue Raspberry Slush (more for Z-Zah than me) at Pinocchio Village Haus

Frozen Coca-Cola at The Lunching Pad

Smoothies at Auntie Gravity's (also for Z-Zah)

Citrus Swirl at Sunshine Tree Terrace (not to worry, I'll be getting Dole Whips galore at the Poly!)

Pineapple spear at Aloha Isle

Presidential Sweet at Sleepy Hollow:

Ice Cream Float at The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor or Sleepy Hollow

Epcot

American Dream slush at Fife & Drum (yes, this is basically the Presidential Sweet!)

The English Rose at Rose & Crown Pub (Yes, I know, not a snack credit...boo!)

Paletas (for Z-Zah) at La Cantina:

Chocolate Tart at Les Halles...and *everything* at L'Artisan des Glaces

Mango green tea slush at Joy of Tea:

Frozen Coca-Cola at Test Track Cool Wash:

Oh, and everything Starbucks in all the parks!! Bring on the peach green tea lemonade, frappuccinos, and white chocolate mochas!

 

[nimbuscat]

Uh oh, spaghetti o! What do you think I did today??

Does this give any hints???

What about this??

I may or may not have seen an ad for the "Awaken Summer" promo with the special BB8 magic band included...and I may or may not have been able to change my All-Star Movies reservation to a water- or pool-view (!!) room at Caribbean Beach for the same price I already had booked. (Spoiler alert: I did.)

This doesn't really change any of my plans except for which food court we eat at (duh...). So excited! The girls will LOVE the pool and splash area here. Of course, it foils my plans to check out the value resorts for potential longer-term stay, but it also gives me a taste of my first moderate, as well (which is more likely for a future stay). Yay!

 

[pigletgirl]

Hi!

Wow, your trip is just growing and growing! How fun!

Be sure to allow yourselves plenty of pool time and remember that Animal Kingdom is going to have night time entertainment so be sure to include that. The whole thing sounds amazing!

 

[nimbuscat]

Hi!

Wow, your trip is just growing and growing! How fun!

Be sure to allow yourselves plenty of pool time and remember that Animal Kingdom is going to have night time entertainment so be sure to include that. The whole thing sounds amazing!

Thanks!! We are super excited. I have been anxiously tracking the release of times and dining options for AK at night. Right now, I am thinking about a dinner at Yak & Yeti (instead of Sanaa) when they extend the park hours. I am hoping for the possibility of a Rivers of Light package with that, but I have read that it may be only Tusker House and Tiffin's (also an option). We'll see! Thanks for following along!

 

[abarriger]

I'm following along! We take trips in August too... I'm a teacher and I go to school at night so it's my only break!

My tips-- don't worry too much, at the end of the (100 degree) day, you're at Disney! The heat is insane when you're in direct sunlight, but it's more manageable than you think. A lot of the waiting is actually in covered or AC areas, and the ice water is free (I always get water and soda each time we stop for snacks, and we finish it all!). The only truly awful time I found was waiting for FOF. Why is that parade at the absolute worst part of the day, sun wise? There isn't a lot of shade, and you have to camp out a bit. But otherwise... We do fine.

As soon as I saw you posting the magic band you wanted to buy I was going to ask if you saw the new promotion with he Bb8 band! But then you got to it! We had a trip booked for AOA and with that promotion last night I actually got a $20 refund when I switched to Coronodo Springs! Kind of a no brainier for me (though I don't want a BB 8 band.)

Also-- Z's dresses are just stunning do you make them? Can't wait to see the wardrobes for this trip!

 

[nimbuscat]

I'm following along! We take trips in August too... I'm a teacher and I go to school at night so it's my only break!

My tips-- don't worry too much, at the end of the (100 degree) day, you're at Disney! The heat is insane when you're in direct sunlight, but it's more manageable than you think. A lot of the waiting is actually in covered or AC areas, and the ice water is free (I always get water and soda each time we stop for snacks, and we finish it all!). The only truly awful time I found was waiting for FOF. Why is that parade at the absolute worst part of the day, sun wise? There isn't a lot of shade, and you have to camp out a bit. But otherwise... We do fine.

As soon as I saw you posting the magic band you wanted to buy I was going to ask if you saw the new promotion with he Bb8 band! But then you got to it! We had a trip booked for AOA and with that promotion last night I actually got a $20 refund when I switched to Coronodo Springs! Kind of a no brainier for me (though I don't want a BB 8 band.)

Also-- Z's dresses are just stunning do you make them? Can't wait to see the wardrobes for this trip!

Thanks for following along!! I am dreading the heat...hoping I can at least sweat off some pounds, lol.

Gammy made Z's Disney dresses last trip! She is super talented. This time, Carter will wear some of the ones she's grown into, and Z has a bunch I've picked up on clearance at the Disney store here and there. I'm sure gammy will make her at least one more, though.

 

[nimbuscat]

I'm back for a quick update...I've been a bit distracted, because....I got a new job! Woohoo! I'll be totally changing fields, from higher ed to healthcare, but I'll finally get to use my master's degree, which makes me happy. The sticky thing is, I haven't asked my new boss for time off for my Disney trip yet, but it's well after my 90-day probation period (when I'm not supposed to use leave time), so I'm not concerned. I'll ask permission once I actually start the new job later next month...but eeeek, exciting times!

And of course, it wouldn't be a "nimbuscat" update without a change in my Disney plans...right??

I ended up switching from Caribbean Beach to Yacht Club to Saratoga Springs to POFQ in the last week, for those first 2 days of our split stay. (Seriously?!??!) Yes, seriously. Here was my thought process... (and, uhh, thank goodness I can do this all online myself without bugging a travel agent...)

Caribbean Beach - good price, nicely-refurbed rooms, but I didn't know much about the resort before booking. Looked more into it and didn't want to be in a resort that was so spread out. Also wasn't thrilled about Shutters, the TS option there. Decided that for "just a little bit more" (there I go again...), that we could stay at Yacht Club. The resort is small, walkable, and we could have dinner at Beaches & Cream, which I've always wanted to do! Truly, there was nothing wrong with it, but I decided the theming of YC was a little less than magical for my itty bitty kiddos, and although Stormalong Bay is a HUGE selling point for most people, it wasn't for me, because it's so spread out. We would be pressed pretty thin to keep both girls happy and well-supervised in the water there (Z-Zah likes the "big" stuff, and CarterBear would need to be in the splash area). So then, I was able to save some bucks and move us to Saratoga. My reasoning for that was its proximity to Disney Springs--we could plan most of our meals the first 2 days there--and the really great pools/water parks that are awesome but more compact, especially in The Paddock area. Well, well...I was a little hesitant on SSR from the get-go. One, I'm not guaranteed to be in The Paddock. Two, there are approximately 8 zillion bus stops at SSR (that irrationally annoys me for some reason), and three, I saw the recently-debuted aqautic play area at POFQ. But, but, but...the horse theming at SSR. Z-Zah would DIE (she loves horses!)... but I decided the new splash park area at POFQ wins out this time. I was able to save even more bucks by "downgrading" back to POFQ. Unfortunately, it was excluded from the Awaken Summer deal, which technically means we are not supposed to get the BB-8 magicbands...but, they are still appearing in my account even after switching resorts, so I am hopeful we will get them! (If not, it is certainly not the end of the world!)

So, that's where we are...

POFQ. And I *promise* I am staying there!! (No, really!!) Promise! We booked a pool view room, which guarantees us to be in one of two buildings, so we will be near the pool/aquatic play area, no matter what.

The girls (and Gammy!) will be thrilled. We have modified our first two days of plans a little bit because of this...upon arrival, the girls and I will take the boat or bus over to Disney Springs and have a QS dinner at either Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck Express. When Gammy gets there, depending on time, we'll either have her meet us at DS or we will meet her at the POFQ food court and get her dinner there. (Oh! When I "downgraded" resorts, I also downgraded back to the regular Disney Dining Plan for those two days, because we are doing a few QS meals and it made more sense...) Instead of Sunday brunch at Narcoossee's or Cali Grill (which I still really want to do someday!), we are going to do the gospel brunch at House of Blues at DS. I've been to the one in Vegas at Mandalay Bay, and it was FANTASTIC. Gammy will love the entertainment, the food is great, and the girls will be occupied by waffles and dessert, if nothing else. That meal is OOP since gospel brunch isn't on the dining plan, but paying for that OOP plus regular Dining Plan was cheaper than DxDP for 2 days, so it worked out well!

You can't really tell all that well, but we reserved seats at a table that would be just up those 4 steps off the concert floor on the back left of the picture, above. (It's Table 61, for anyone who is into the nitty-gritty details of such things...) So excited!

That is all I have for updates today, but I will be back soon, I am sure!

 

[nimbuscat]

Oh! I do have another small update... I was browsing the aisles at Target the other day, and came across this dress for Z-Zah. I had to get it for her Easter basket (and Disney trip...)! (It's Disney's Descendants, for those of you without young girls...lol.)

She loves all things villain, so she will love this. This reminds me that I'm still kinda-sorta hoping for Club Villain to be extended into the summer months so I can take her! It would be on Saturday, August 20, if we got to go, and we'd plan on the late (9 pm) show. That way, we can still do Mickey's Backyard BBQ at 5:30 with Gammy and CarterBear. Crossing my fingers--hopefully she will get to wear this there!

 

[nimbuscat]

I don't have a whole lot to add today....but just don't want my poor PTR to get bumped to the third page!

I need to not read Disney Dining reviews, because without fail, someone will have a FANTASTIC experience at a restaurant I hadn't previously considered...complete with beautiful pictures and descriptions and all that jazz...and I'll start trying to re-work my ADRs to accommodate this one new restaurant. Anyone else?? Or is it just me??

Currently, it's Splitsville. It had vaguely been on my radar, but I thought, meh, it's all the way over on the west side of DS, and it's just a bowling alley, bla bla bla. But the food is consistently getting FAB reviews, and it looks so fun! Decisions, decisions....