I finally found a way to get DH excited about Disney! - ADDED LINK TO TRIP REPORT

[amandaw]

Count me in !!!

Welcome and Thank you for joining in!

In case it is not too late - here are my thoughts on EPCOT ADRS and F&W (with and without children)

I have never tried via nappoli (I think I spelled that wrong...) but I have been to Chefs a few times and really enjoyed it (was several years ago, so no Remy... but I have been for both lunch and dinner and really enjoyed it, as did my dinning companions -- an eclectic assortment of tastes and preferences to say the least!

Food and Wine Fest is my all time favorite thing in the World. I have been as part of a three generation family experience, in a smaller family group, and with just my dear friend -- each and every time has been wonderful Even the year it did nothing but rain

As my son has grown up (17 now when did that happen!!! Just last week!) he has loved it too. When he was small he used to love to be pushed around in his Disney cart with his tray of his favorite meal in the world -- fries from McDonalds and the Salmon from Canada -- we would have to keep going back to the Canada cart over and over -- and then he would talk about it all year anyway -- love the carts, love the food, LOVE the drinks and we are always full to the brim from the experience. We stay in the boardwalk area and tend to good to EPCOT everyday of each trip -- we love to start in MK for a couple of hours when the park opens and then monorail over to EPCOT in time for the carts to open for lunch.

As for the grown-ups only version of F&W -- a lovely time -- and was so stress free my friend loved it and we are already planning to return -- I highly recommend it

I'm happy to hear you really enjoyed Chefs! It'll be exciting to experience F&W, even if we don't get to spend a ton of time there.

It will be great!!!!! Time flies on date nights though, doesn't it???? I worked 3p-11p last night, DH and I stayed up just chatting for 2 hours....it was wonderful!!

Yes indeed! Date night was great but went by incredibly fast. Isn't it nice when you can have a conversation without any interruptions?

Hi Deena!!! You know we loved H&V too for Breakfast!!!!

I'm so glad to hear of at least a few people who like H&V. I'm really nervous about this ADR but I know Reid will be so excited with the characters.

Parenting is tough , but in a good way right F&W without the kiddos was a whole new experience...a wonderful experience. Even with the crowds...it was relaxing!!!

You are right....tough but good!

I can only imagine what it would be like to do F&W without kids. One day I'll find out!

 

[amandaw]

Hello friends!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend! Ours was great but, of course, it went by way too fast!

Reid's joint birthday party with his best buddy was yesterday. We had their party at the local children's museum and it was fantastic. We had a great turnout and all of the kids really enjoyed themselves. Ok, here's just a few pictures of my big boy on the party day:

About to go to the party


Concentrating so hard on checking out his "groceries":


Making a bubble around himself:


Cake Time!


Last night, Ed & I were fortunate enough to have my mom come stay with Reid so that we could have a date. We went & saw the Hunger Games movie. We both loved the books & I have to say that we loved the movie, too! It's just very long! And after our movie, we stopped at a local Mexican restaurant for dinner & a drink. It was all very yummy....especially my pina colada! What can I say? The warm weather has me feeling summery!

Today, I got Ed to sit down with me & seriously talk about some ADR stuff. I think we finally hashed everything out & have the best possible plan. I'm all ready to wake up bright & early to try to get all of my ADRs.

So, since this is my first PTR, I didn't know if I should tell y'all everything I want/get or reveal it slowly. I've decided to go the mysteriously evil route & will reveal our ADRs as I unveil our daily plans. I've got more than 5 months to kill here after all!

I want to thank you all so much for the ADR advice! I took it all into serious consideration. But, alas, you'll have to stick around for the long haul to see what I decided on!

 

[pinkxray]

The birthday party looks like a great time Reid looks so handsome in the first picture

I can't wait to see Hunger Games. I finally read the book a few weeks ago and it was great. We were supposed to go this weekend, hmmm don't remember why we didn't


Can't wait to hear about what adrs you picked.

 

[marDgreen88]

Aww, such cute party pictures! It looks like a really fun time! I LOVE the big bubble picture, that's awesome!

I hope you were successful with your ADR making! Hahahh I totally understand going the mysteriously evil route, what can I say, I'm the same way. Can't wait to hear about your plans!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Happy ADR eve!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Hunger Games! Dh and I saw it on a rare date night also and really liked it! I hadn't read the book before seeing the movie (I know, bad me), so I'm reading it now!

Ok, I had another idea about Epcots 40th on the 1st. I know that last year the MK was slammed, but the first was a Saturday, right? I know a lot of my local Disney fan friends went down, because it was a weekend. I'm thinking that the crowds may have been inflated because it was a weekend day and no one had to worry about getting off work.

You might now have to worry as much about killer crowds on Oct 1st, because it is a Monday, and people will be at work.

Well good luck! I hope you get everything you wanted!

 

[amandaw]

The birthday party looks like a great time Reid looks so handsome in the first picture

Thank you! I can't believe how grown my baby is getting! They really had a great time at the party.

I can't wait to see Hunger Games. I finally read the book a few weeks ago and it was great. We were supposed to go this weekend, hmmm don't remember why we didn't

The movie was definitely very good & close to the book. Just be prepared because it is LONG! We went to a 5:40 feature & we got out around 8:10!

Can't wait to hear about what adrs you picked.

I'm going to put a post after this about getting my ADRs. But, I'm keeping my ADRs a secret for now....gotta reveal them slowly so y'all will stick around!

Aww, such cute party pictures! It looks like a really fun time! I LOVE the big bubble picture, that's awesome!

Thank you! All of the kids had a lot of fun! The bubble floor at the museum is so much fun. They have huge tubs of bubble solution with big metal things for you to make bubbles with....and they make really big bubbles. Of course, the kids love that thing where you can be put in the bubble!

I hope you were successful with your ADR making! Hahahh I totally understand going the mysteriously evil route, what can I say, I'm the same way. Can't wait to hear about your plans!

I'm about to put up a post about trying to get ADRs done this morning.

I'm glad you agree with me taking the mysterious evil route - at least I have one person on my side if nothing else!

Happy ADR eve!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Hunger Games! Dh and I saw it on a rare date night also and really liked it! I hadn't read the book before seeing the movie (I know, bad me), so I'm reading it now!

The books really are good. I will say that the 1st one was my favorite. The other 2 are good but they don't move as quickly. But, I still enjoyed the series. I even got Ed to read it and he never reads books! And he enjoyed them, too.

Ok, I had another idea about Epcots 40th on the 1st. I know that last year the MK was slammed, but the first was a Saturday, right? I know a lot of my local Disney fan friends went down, because it was a weekend. I'm thinking that the crowds may have been inflated because it was a weekend day and no one had to worry about getting off work.

You might now have to worry as much about killer crowds on Oct 1st, because it is a Monday, and people will be at work.

I like your train of thought there! And I hope you're right because that may end up being important to our plans.

Well good luck! I hope you get everything you wanted!

Thank you!

 

[amandaw]

Well, it's done - our ADRs are made for our trip!

I woke up bright & early (4:45am) to hop online to make our ADRs. I'm not a morning person (except when I'm in Disney) and I had only had about 3 1/2 hours of sleep. So, while I was happy to get to making ADRs, I wasn't exactly in a jolly mood. Well, my mood did not get any better when I got onto Disney's website & couldn't make my ADRs. I was able to pull up our reservation for Boardwalk. However, when I would go to make an ADR past our 180 day, it would tell me I had to pull up my reservation. I would put in the reservation information & it kept telling me it couldn't find my reservation. I had read on the boards that some people have been experiencing this problem. After trying for 30 minutes, I gave up & took a quick 25 minute nap. I woke back up right before 6am & started dialing into Disney Dining. At 5:59am, I actually got through & someone answered right away.

The CM was able to make my first 3 ADRs when she tells me that she can no longer hear me. She tells me that she's hanging up & will call me right back. Fortunately, she did just that. When she called me, the problem was resolved & she could hear me just fine. But, I was still wanting to hurry through the ADRs before any more problems arose.

Even though it started out rocky, I was able to get all of our ADRs. And, most importantly, I was able to get them on the days I wanted & at the times I wanted. Even the ones I couldn't get my exact time for, the times I got were only 5-10 minutes off from what I originally wanted.

I'm very happy with what I got for us & truly can't foresee me changing any of them. Famous last words, right?

And yes, I'm going to be completely evil & not tell y'all right now what exactly I was able to book. *insert evil laugh*

 

[tinacaplan]

How adorable is Reid? And how cool that he had his birthday party with a friend? The children's museum really looks like a lot of fun, too.

Glad you enjoyed the "Hunger Games." Being a middle school teacher, it was practically required reading! I went to see it the first weekend it was out. Really liked it. I would love to read a whole book about the Capital, actually. Fascinated by that. Incidentally, I read "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" at Disneyworld in February...interesting experience.

Can't wait to hear about your ADRs!

 

[tinacaplan]

Ha! Ninja post! for getting all of your ADRs!!! Doesn't it make it all feel more real now?

 

[amandaw]

How adorable is Reid? And how cool that he had his birthday party with a friend? The children's museum really looks like a lot of fun, too.

Awww, thank you! Him & his little buddy were so excited to have their party together. The children's museum here is great! It's not too big but still has plenty to keep the kids occupied!

Glad you enjoyed the "Hunger Games." Being a middle school teacher, it was practically required reading! I went to see it the first weekend it was out. Really liked it. I would love to read a whole book about the Capital, actually. Fascinated by that. Incidentally, I read "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" at Disneyworld in February...interesting experience.

I think they did a great job with the movie. I liked how close they kept it to the book & there were a few changes they made that I even enjoyed. The Capital is indeed fascinating. I'm truly scared of President Snow! Wow! I'm impressed that you were able to read both of those books while at Disney!

Can't wait to hear about your ADRs!

I'm excited to share all of my plans. But, I know I better detail our plans slowly or else this will be the quickest PTR ever!

Ha! Ninja post! for getting all of your ADRs!!! Doesn't it make it all feel more real now?

It is definitely feeling more real now! Even Ed told me tonight that he can tell I'm more excited now that I made our ADRs.

 

[shan23877]

I'm so glad that you got all the ADRs you wanted! The dining portion of Disney's website has been a real thorn in my side for the last few months. I wonder how long it's going to take for them to finish "updating" it?! You must have been so relieved that the CM really did call back!

Reid looks very cute in his birthday pictures. I hope everyone had a great time!

 

[amandaw]

I'm so glad that you got all the ADRs you wanted! The dining portion of Disney's website has been a real thorn in my side for the last few months. I wonder how long it's going to take for them to finish "updating" it?! You must have been so relieved that the CM really did call back!

Thank you! It's really ridiculous that the problem has been going on for so long with their dining website. You would think a company as large as Disney & with their resources that they would be able to get something like that fixed in a relatively timely manner. I was relieved when I went online later in the day & was able to pull up each ADR by the confirmation number. I was so relieved when the CM called me right back! I was so stressed out & aggravated this morning.

Reid looks very cute in his birthday pictures. I hope everyone had a great time!

Thank you so much! I really think everyone had a great time!

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh man, that sounds so frustrating! I wonder what was going on? Yesterday I did the ADR shuffle for my trip and everything worked just fine... but, I guess it might be because I'm closer to the 120 day mark than the 180?? Who knows? Either way, I'm very glad you were able to get what you wanted! That's always so exciting and satisfying.

 

[amandaw]

Oh man, that sounds so frustrating! I wonder what was going on? Yesterday I did the ADR shuffle for my trip and everything worked just fine... but, I guess it might be because I'm closer to the 120 day mark than the 180?? Who knows? Either way, I'm very glad you were able to get what you wanted! That's always so exciting and satisfying.

I was so aggravated this morning! And let's just say it set the tone for my day! I'm glad you were able to get your ADRs without any problems. It does indeed seem like the problem for some people is when they're trying to do their +10 day ADRs. I could've booked my 180 day online (Sept. 29th) but it wouldn't let me book anything after that. It's so crazy!

Thank you....I'm feel much better knowing that our ADRs are set & that they're what I wanted.

 

[pas130]

Well, it's done - our ADRs are made for our trip!

I'm very happy with what I got for us & truly can't foresee me changing any of them. Famous last words, right?

And yes, I'm going to be completely evil & not tell y'all right now what exactly I was able to book. *insert evil laugh*

Yay for all you wonderful ADRs that you are making us wait to find out about

Reid's party pix are great! He is getting so big Glad you and Ed actually went to a movie


staying tuned to hear more

 

[leshunlenese]

IM a little late joining in! Ried's party looks so much fun and you have given me the idea to check out the children's museum here for a party. They grow up so fast i wanna freeze devyn too! I completely agree with you about not being a morning person except in disney! I have no problem waking up earlier than usual while there!

 

[CandleontheWater]

You got up at 4:45!

Girl- you've got more dedication that me! I keep thinking that maybe I should make some ADRs for our Sept trip, and then I get distracted and forget. Maybe I should go do that now.... or I could spend more time surfing the DIS

Glad you got everything you were looking for!

 

[amandaw]

Yay for all you wonderful ADRs that you are making us wait to find out about

I'm so evil, aren't I?

Reid's party pix are great! He is getting so big Glad you and Ed actually went to a movie

Thank you! I can't believe how big he's getting - both size & personality.

It was so nice to go to the movies!

staying tuned to hear more

Yes, stay tuned! I will reveal our ADRs........................................................

eventually!

IM a little late joining in! Ried's party looks so much fun and you have given me the idea to check out the children's museum here for a party. They grow up so fast i wanna freeze devyn too! I completely agree with you about not being a morning person except in disney! I have no problem waking up earlier than usual while there!

Better late than never! Glad to have you along! The children's museum was really a great place for a young kid's party. Reid & his friends had so much fun running around & playing. And it was nice to have the cake, party bags, cleaning, etc. all taken care of by the staff.

Isn't it funny how Disney can turn people into happy morning people?

You got up at 4:45!

Girl- you've got more dedication that me! I keep thinking that maybe I should make some ADRs for our Sept trip, and then I get distracted and forget. Maybe I should go do that now.... or I could spend more time surfing the DIS

Glad you got everything you were looking for!

I am serious about my ADRs!

When I got off the phone with the Dining CM (about 6:15am), Reid walked into the den with this grumpy look on his face & said, "Mommy! It's too early, get back to bed!" I never thought I would hear my child utter those words.

 

[pas130]

Girl- you've got more dedication that me! I keep thinking that maybe I should make some ADRs for our Sept trip, and then I get distracted and forget. Maybe I should go do that now.... or I could spend more time surfing the DIS

This is SO ME

When I got off the phone with the Dining CM (about 6:15am), Reid walked into the den with this grumpy look on his face & said, "Mommy! It's too early, get back to bed!" I never thought I would hear my child utter those words.

That is hilarious.....would a sticker from HRH inspire you to open up some secrets...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...here it is

 

[amandaw]

That is hilarious.....would a sticker from HRH inspire you to open up some secrets...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...here it is

Tell HRH that I love the sticker! That's one of my favorites here! As for a secret......hmmmmmmm.......nope, you still have to wait!