Hi, my name is Elaine and I'm a thread killer

[suevee]

The Wave will be the new restaurant at CR. It is taking the place of the Steak Concourse. I don't know if it serves lunch. The Concourse had a great steak. You could walk to the CR from MK. Trails End Buffet at the Camp Ground is a boat ride away from MK.

You could also take the monorail from Epcot to any of the monorail resorts. But that would probably take more like 30 min one way. If you want to take a break from the heat and explore a resort it could be fun.

I would estimate around 15 -20 minutes to get to most restaurants from a park depending on the timing of the transportation.

You can take a boat to go to Beaches and Cream from either Epcot International Gate or DHS. I am not sure what other restaurants are available for lunch on the Boardwalk, but any are just a boat ride from Epcot or DHS. Beaches and Cream is closer to the Epcot International Gate than DHS and we have walked there. At the AK there is the Rain Forest Cafe. If you have their membership card you are guaranteed a spot.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Well today is a budget BUST!!! You know one of those days where you wish you could just crawl under the blanket and call it a day...

So I had a Dr's appt this AM. We only have one car so I am driving him to work and the breaks are making this funny noise. DH says ignore it! I hate when he does that. So I go to the DR. who says I am getting better but I have to do another round of the antibiotics ($75.00) and I get this funny feeling about the car. So I stop at the mechanic b4 going home. Tells me the front brakes do not sound good at all and recommends that I DO NOT drive it. So I get to walk home. (well at least that is a stress reliever) He still hasn't called if he can get to it today and I have no price and I will have to rent a car, which by the way I have never done b4! Then I find out that I calculated my Stimulus payment wrong and we will be getting $600.00 less because I am disabled and this only qualifies for 1/2 of the payment! Now I know that this is found money and I was grateful. I was paying off bills that I would have struggled to pay. (I was actually breathing for a while) and the rest was going for the plane tickets for Sept Trip. So I will still pay the bills first, but now I have to pray that the airfare doesn't go up while I save for it... Boy do I sound like a whiney brat! Oh well, hope everyone else is having a better day!

Diane

 

[suevee]

Tink - Sending some Just think of the problems you avoided by getting this fixed now!!

I am losing $240.....one of my clients is leaving me two weeks earlier than expected....so I will have to take $240 out of WDW budget for June...

BUT my middle daughter is up for a GS 13 position. She and her sister are also going to settlement on there first home next Thursday!!! Please send some pixie dust our way. So things have a way of balancing out!!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Okay, so I couldn't leave the post with such a gloomy topic..

I was thinking and was wondering if anyone has ever done this... I wonder if I should drop my tickets (8 day standard right now) to a 1 day standard. Then go to Undercover Tourist and purchase a 10 hopper/with water'n'extra's non expiring. I could buy one ticket each month.. May, June July, and August. We would use 5 days parks and 2 water'n'extra's this trip (disney quest and a water park - the kids have never been to a water park). Then I would have 5 days in the park w/4 extras for next year which could be one or two trips depending on our schedule. Has anyone tried this and is it economical or not?

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Tink - Sending some Just think of the problems you avoided by getting this fixed now!!

I am losing $240.....one of my clients is leaving me two weeks earlier than expected....so I will have to take $240 out of WDW budget for June...

BUT my middle daughter is up for a GS 13 position. She and her sister are also going to settlement on there first home next Thursday!!! Please send some pixie dust our way. So things have a way of balancing out!!!

Pixie Dust Granted.. and prayers being said. Diane!

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Tinker-
Were you able to open the doc I sent you? Was it at all helpful for your planning needs?

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Tinker-
Were you able to open the doc I sent you? Was it at all helpful for your planning needs?

Could you please send it again! I forgot to tell DH that it was coming. He is extremely E-mail paranoid as he let in a bad virus last year and I guess I wasn't very sympathetic at the time.. Sorry DH! I will look for it personally.... Thank you for being so considerate and helpful!

I guess I am the one who killed the thread...

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Could you please send it again! I forgot to tell DH that it was coming. He is extremely E-mail paranoid as he let in a bad virus last year and I guess I wasn't very sympathetic at the time.. Sorry DH! I will look for it personally.... Thank you for being so considerate and helpful!

I guess I am the one who killed the thread...

Nope, I think Spring Fever has hit and people just aren't on the computer as much. Hopefully, they aren't out spending money. I am still here and I searched and searched for this bad boy. Not gonna let you be the one Tinker...

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I guess with being at home more than normal people, I tend to get antsy... I did try washing the floor today and well I will pay for that later... I guess I will stick to picking up stuff and the wash...

So since we are still alive.. Does anyone want to help debate the different options for tickets.. I am considering Nonexpiring option so I have for next trip, but not sure if this is really a good idea...

 

[suevee]

I think it depends on when you are planning your trips. We got Annual passes for my husband and myself because we went in March, going again in June with grandchildren, and finally we will go in Feb 09. We did not get our Darling Grandchildren AP because we wanted an excuse to get away without them!!! BAD GRAMMY!!!!!

 

[MNFootballMommy]

I wish we had gotten them on our last trip. We had one day left on our passes when we left and now it turns out we are headed back this Sept. DH is working, so DD and I will head over to the parks for, you guessed it, one day!! Now I will be out $130+ for the tickets instead of the cost of the upgrade when I bought last February (before the price hike!)

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Just checking in...trying NOT to spend money, but NOT being successful...

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

OH I have been trying to budget things.. See with the coupons for Airtran we can all fly for under 500.00 if I don't pick seats.. But I am such a worry wart. DH's paycheck goes in at Midnight and I know I have to book or lose it.. My stomach is flip-flopping... But on the other side of the coin I had and 8x10 printed for free at Walgreen's. Just have to pick up a frame and my mom is done for Mother's Day. (Me also since I get to buy my own, no-good kids)

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Well I am not totally committed to my September Disney Trip... I booked our airfare through Airtran during the night for under $500.00 round-trip for 4. Our flight home is Non-stop. I think that is a budget. Now I have to just figure out the tickets, pay for MNSSHP, and get both kids braces and a new couch this summer.... Boy have I screwed up my priorities...

Went to the Dr's today and he actually thought the vacation would be good. Keeping my stress level down keeps the disease a bit at bay. My mobility in my neck is decreasing a bit quicker than he wished and my bladder (yeah I know TMI) is still in spasm's. So I get a new drug! Yeah, cause I hate pills! He also threatened me and told me I had to start taking the pain meds... Oh we will see. I like living life without the haze, but the pain has been increasing and the kids think I am a bit "mean" lately.

The best part of this is that I do NOT feel guilty about the trip. I am so looking forward to it. I just have to get a reservation at O'hana's and all will be well. We will be trying new restaurants and parties this time. The kids are totally on-board and well to say it correctly with even missing 6 days of school they tell me they will miss "nothing". It scares me what they actually are doing, but both are so knowledgable and get good grades. Neither child has ever done more than 1 hour of homework...

Okay my life story again, someone else's turn. Diane

 

[suevee]

I often told my daughter than my new couch resided in her mouth.....

Have a great time planning your trip!!! Make those ADRs!!!! You can always change them later!!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Well this is what I have so far.....

Arrive
Thursday 9/18 around 11am. We will go to Magic Kingdom and use CS because we are always so happy just to be there and will not want to stop and eat much

Friday - Hollyood Studio's
Late Lunch/Dinner - Sci-Fi @3:45pm

Saturday - Epcot
Late Breakfast/Lunch Askerhaus @10:25
Dinner @ LeCellier if I can get it, if not open...

Sunday - Animal Kingdom
Breakfast/Lunch - Tusker House Donald Duck @ 10:30am
Hoop De Doo Review @ 7:15pm

Monday Open

Hop if we have Hopper passes, want to do dinner @ Ohana's and a photo shoot @ the Poly. Still desperately working on this...

Tuesday

Waterpark - am
MNSSHP @ MK - Dinner @ The Plaza @4pm

Wednesday
DTD
Lunch @ Earl of Sandwich
Dinner @ Rainforest Cafe

Thursday - Leave early, breakfast at the resort...

We will fill all other times in with CS's meals.. Any suggestions if I can not get Ohana's or LeCellier??

 

[suevee]

Tink, sounds like a great trip!

Will I be the ONE????

 

[MNFootballMommy]

Nah...all us loonies return during the week. It would die on a weekend, I think...and then I would go dig it up again!

Pretty good budget weekend, except for the eating out. MOM decided to take the entire WEEKEND off from cooking! Sure, that might have meant $5 footlongs from Subway, but it was still prepared by someone other than ME!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day Weekend!

Tink, the trip looks good. We loved the brunch at Askerhaus! I really wanted to take DD there during our next trip, but I have cut down my park pass days, so won't be able to do it.

DD and I have decided to do WDW over the course of three days, but only get one day park passes. We will do one afternoon/evening at DTD, one day at MK and MNSSHP one night. That will be plenty for just the two of us to do over a three day time period. Not doing any sit down meal, just CS. We aren't staying on-site (due to DH's business conference), so we are going to shuttle back and forth and just 'make it work.' It is much more 'budget' friendly to do it that way than to buy park passes for all three days and DD3 will be happy either way.

 

[LSchrow]

Will I be the ONE????

nope!

tinker ~ your week's menu is amazing! budgeting food as you did takes a lot of time & talent ~ i'm truly impressed

we came home from WDW late saturday night, so a short TR:
weather was absolutely incredible!! the best we've experienced in over 20 years of going to WDW with just one brief episode of rain, temps in the low to mid 80's with little humidity (exception being saturday, the day we left: it was in the mid-high 90's & wickedly humid!) crowds were comparitively low, with weekend days much more busy (soarin' had only a 20-30 minute wait at times )
love bugs were few, getting much more prevalent near the end of our stay.
we had rented a compact car from national at the dolphin for $79 total for week, & were extremelly surprised (read, ecstatic ) to get a free upgrade to a kia sportage SUV . wound up being more needed than we thought, as my back gave out entirely by our 2nd day (my doc overnighted a script so i could walk more than a few steps without falling ). getting into/out of a higher vehicle saved me from quite a bit of pain.
BWVs were great, as always (we love it there had a BW view studio). there was a problem with our ressie, as the days had not been linked. FD insisted we pay $379 additional for the DDP (5 nights, on top of the $530 for our 7 nights) as those nights showed up twice. i refused & finally got a manager to understand & fix it. but they charged my CC a few days later for it anyway (lesson learned: always request a printout of room chages midway thru your stay). took a few hours, insisting they use a calculator to get them to remove it again.
we ate at coral reef (had the diver & menus made for our 25th anniversary ~ DH was surprised & thrilled!!) ~ it was absolutely the best meal of our stay!! we both had steak (easily beating out any other we had ) & chocolate wave (imho, still the best dessert on property).
also ate at biergarten (we sat with a really nice, friendly extended family ~ lots of fun, potato/leek soup was yummy!), le cellier (delish mushroom risotta, nothing else was a standout tho ), jiko, chefs de france (food has improved & is very good, however waitstaff, though pleasant, appeared very inexperienced & confused ~ food order incorrect, dirty cutlery, no water/soda refills despite repeated requests ~ waitress "disappeared" for quite a while , etc), flying fish & WPC (both very good food & service, would def recommend).
best CS were pepper market at CS (also checked out the resort ~ really beautiful!! would definately consider staying there), & of course, WPE
the best snack was the almond crusted "pretzel" pastry in norway. i even brought a few home ~ just sooooooo good! to note: my usual favorite "snack", the iced mochacino at writers' stop in DHS, is no longer included in the DDP .
we had a great time playing mini-golf at fantasia gardens, visited the nearby premium outlets twice (bought a gorgeous dooney deep blue suede satchel & sig wristlet for under $150 total , and some goodies from character premiere), & the mousesurplus warehouse ~ a great place to visit if you have a car, about a 45min drive from WDW (purchased the matching drapes & some more pillow shams for our "grand floridian" bedroom , DH bought outdoor speakers from WDW ~ fyi, we had it all shipped home).
as you can probably tell, we don't spend much time in the parks, but did get to visit our favorite rides (POC, HM, buzz, IASM, spaceship earth, figment). a few of the rides at AK were not working the day we visited, so sadly, we missed kali river rapids. buses were generally uncrowded, however the ferries to/fro epcot & DHS were frequently SRO ~ first time we've seen them so full, it appears many more ppl are using them as trans between the 2 parks.
illuminations was stunning as usual, we only missed seeing it one night (a few nights we watched from our balcony). flower & garden at epcot was beautiful ~ the topiaries & minnie's butterfly garden are amazing
btw, i took about 300 pics since i got a much more compact camera for christmas. i hope to upload at least some to photobucket this week.
we would definately consider visiting this time of year again, but are looking foward to our sept/oct F&WF visit (APs are great!!!)

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

LSchrow Your trip sounds wonderful... I totally understand about back pain.. What a pain in the ... well BACK! When in Sept/October will you be there? Do our trips overlap at all... Thanks for the Disney fix, it helped this morning.