I'm not sure I can wait! Dec 2010!

[jenseib]

Love the history update. I always like to read when and how many times others have gone

 

[stephielela]

loved the history too! so how old is Jack now? what a great story- your family sounds very close like mine. Even as adults, we still all vacation together. we just have a good time!

and yeah for the dessert party- what night did you book it? I was considering it, but would only be able to book on our MVMCP night of 12/9. heck, they are probably sold out by now anyhow. still waiting to figure out who is going on our trip- it is drama! lol

Jack is 2 and 1/4 he is a very big 2 year old, so sometimes I forget that he's still a toddler.

We are going to the dessert party during our MVMCP since that was our only real option, and it's 12/19... I can taste those desserts now...

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

OK, I am finally caught up on your PTR. Sorry I didn't get here sooner. I like the history entry, I may steal that idea from you . Of course, I've only been there a few times before. And two of them I was a teenager, so I didn't do any planning, just ran around and rode on rides. Nothing overly memorable.

 

[Tinker_Tam]

I love to read the history of how everyone's love for Disney came around. I am wondering if this is the trip to start the insanity for us!

 

[francis6306]

Nothing new to report, except I have found the water bottles I was looking for! They are called water bobbles, they are water bottles with filters attached, and they are only $10 each! We are going to order them so that we don't have to use our snack credits on bottles of water!

Tomorrow I will start with our Disney history, and how this trip came about!

I want those bottles!!!! I'll have to go to JC Penney's and look for them. Where are they?

Jack is 2 and 1/4 he is a very big 2 year old, so sometimes I forget that he's still a toddler.

We are going to the dessert party during our MVMCP since that was our only real option, and it's 12/19... I can taste those desserts now...

My Cortlyn is really tall. She's 36.5 inches, and I'm praying we get another 3.5 inches before Dec so she can ride more rides!!! I won't do anything to MAKE her tall enough, but I do hope she IS tall enough- you know?

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Found the water bobbles at JC Penney last week and bought them for our trip in December. Thanks for the tip!

 

[exwdwcm]

Jack is 2 and 1/4 he is a very big 2 year old, so sometimes I forget that he's still a toddler.

We are going to the dessert party during our MVMCP since that was our only real option, and it's 12/19... I can taste those desserts now...

yum!!! the desserts are delish!

lol- my Will is a big guy too at 2.5 he is over 38 inches! just weighed in at 38.5- he is just really tall!

 

[stephielela]

I haven't been paying enough attention to this PTR. It's so wierd, for my September trip I have been making changes left and right, but this plan seems to be staying untouched! I know part of the reason is that this trip is plenty long, while my September trip is just a quickie. I keep trying to squeeze more in The other difference is the price. While our budget is not unlimited for this trip, my parents are paying since it's a family trip, and their finances allow for more than mine obviously. That being said, there are a couple minor changes to this itinerary, so I am going to start with our day to day summaries, and any feed back is much appreciated!

December 16~ Thursday
Arrival Day

I don't have access to my flight info at the moment, but I believe our flight leaves around 10 am and arrives at MCO around 3. At this point we are not plannign on renting a car, so we will be taking the ME to the CR for our room only reservation.

Side note: Are we doing the right thing by not renting a car? My parents want the flexibility, but I am happy with resort transportation... I just don't see the reason to spend the money on a car, especially since we are only leaving property once to go to church.

I'm pretty sure our room will be ready by the time we get there, so our plan is to drop our carry on's and go exploring. We will probably grab a snack, and if it is warm enough, we will head to the pool. I also want DS to have a nap because I want him to be well behaved for our dinner ADR at 7:45 at California Grill We hope to finish uo in time to see the fireworks before crawling back upstairs to bed!

 

[stephielela]

Found the water bobbles at JC Penney last week and bought them for our trip in December. Thanks for the tip!

I'm glad you found them! I'm really excited about them, I am just so glad we won't be using snack credits for water anymore! My sister has decided to take hers with her to college, so we will just buy a replacement filter for when she gets to WDW. She really likes it. I haven't used mine yet, but i will be when we go in September!

 

[stephielela]

yum!!! the desserts are delish!

lol- my Will is a big guy too at 2.5 he is over 38 inches! just weighed in at 38.5- he is just really tall!

Yeah, I am hoping DS has hit the 38 inch mark by September. He has a Dr's appt on Friday, though I'm not sure they will measure him since it's not a check up really.

 

[stephielela]

My Cortlyn is really tall. She's 36.5 inches, and I'm praying we get another 3.5 inches before Dec so she can ride more rides!!! I won't do anything to MAKE her tall enough, but I do hope she IS tall enough- you know? [/QUOTE]

40 inches really does seem to be the big cutoff doesn't it? I am crossing my fingers for DS too, but I also know that even if he was super tall, like tall enough to ride roller coasters, he probably shouldn't just because it would be too scary. I really wish he was tall enough to ride Soarin though...

 

[stephielela]

December 17th~ Friday

Originally we were going to be lazy this morning. After much discussion we have decided to make the most of our time and hit MK this morning at rope drop. Our original plan was lacking in MK time. I also was under the impression that some of us were going to have to haul oursleves all the way over to CBR to check into our package reservation in order to gte our park tickets, but I have recently discovered that is not the case! Evidently you can pick up park tickets up to 3 days prior to your package reservation!! This means we can all go to rope drop, then 2 of us can split off and check in at CBR and then we will all meet back up at Epcot.

We are waiting to get our CPP ressies made for this day, they start booking those on Thursday so once I get that done, we will be all set. We are trying for Via Napoli and the 2nd showing of CP. We are going to be flexible though, and if we can't get it for the 17th, we will try for the 21st, which is our second Epcot day. Currently we have reservations at Biergarten and Via Napoli for lunch and Le Cellier for dinner. Obviously one of the lunches will have to go. We are having a hard time deciding between the 2, but I think we are leanign towards Via Napoli. I'm almost inclined to do all 3, since we have an extra credit... but that's a lot of food in a 7 hour time span! We will be spending most of our Epcot time in the World Showcaase th is evening, maybe swinging by Future World if we have time. Also we will attempt to drink around at least 1/2 the world.

 

[exwdwcm]

Hi Steph---
parents paying is always nice! our parents paid for ours last December- treated all 15 of us and it was great- first class all the way.

we prefer renting a car, but that's just us- we do it almost every trip. we just like NOT having to wait on ME and having the option to stop at the store or go off property if we want (outlets!). we also typically visit DTD twice and like driving over (although parking is a nightmare). we just like driving- we rarely use the buses. We just like not waiting for a bus. in the end, it probably doens't save us much time (since we have to park, ride a tram or walk to the gate), but when we want to go, we want to go, so we don't like waiting around. it is a car all the way for us. But it isn't for everyone. We also like visiting the other resorts, so having a car is much easier for that.

 

[stephielela]

Hi Steph---
parents paying is always nice! our parents paid for ours last December- treated all 15 of us and it was great- first class all the way.

we prefer renting a car, but that's just us- we do it almost every trip. we just like NOT having to wait on ME and having the option to stop at the store or go off property if we want (outlets!). we also typically visit DTD twice and like driving over (although parking is a nightmare). we just like driving- we rarely use the buses. We just like not waiting for a bus. in the end, it probably doens't save us much time (since we have to park, ride a tram or walk to the gate), but when we want to go, we want to go, so we don't like waiting around. it is a car all the way for us. But it isn't for everyone. We also like visiting the other resorts, so having a car is much easier for that.

Wow! 15 people! At least we are only 5 people total!

You are probably right about the car. I know it would be more convenient, and I am sure that is the route they will go. If it was a slower time of year, I would be more opposed, but the idea of waiting to pack into a crowded bus is less than pleasant. Plus Jack and I will get to ride the ME anyways in September, and probably some of us will ride it in December as well, and some will take the car...

 

[jenseib]

I say skip the car. My DH always wants a car, and we have gotten one twice now. It sits for almost the while time. We do fly into Sandford, so we need it to get to Disney, but we could fly out of Detroit and not need one. He would rather have one for some dumb reason though. I think it's a totaly waste of money personally.

Can you tell me exactly how you get your tickets early. I read this too awhile back, but wasn't sure exactly how you go about it.

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

Subbing!!! Love your parents!!! That's an awesome Christmas gift! You and your son are precious!! God bless you both!

OAN - You forgot to put your CPP date on the CP Dis meet page! You can find the link in my signature!

 

[stephielela]

Subbing!!! Love your parents!!! That's an awesome Christmas gift! You and your son are precious!! God bless you both!

OAN - You forgot to put your CPP date on the CP Dis meet page! You can find the link in my signature!

Welcome! I edited my post, duh! I am so slow sometimes! Sorry!

 

[taramoz]

I just got all caught up on your PTR! So awesome! And FYI, I love your theme dinners, so creative!! I am just not that creative! I may steal he idea from you!

I cannot wait to hear more!

 

[stephielela]

I just got all caught up on your PTR! So awesome! And FYI, I love your theme dinners, so creative!! I am just not that creative! I may steal he idea from you!

I cannot wait to hear more!

Welcome!! Actually, I stole those ideas from someone else, who I am sure stole them from someone else so they are up for grabs!! There's actually a thread of them, if you google "post disney family theme nights" it shoudl come up!

 

[stephielela]

Well, the 26th was a big day for a lot of us going in December! It was the day Candlelight processional packages were available for booking. It was RIDICULOUSLY difficult for me to get through, though my son was also having surgery that morning, so it was admitedly not the first thing on my mind. When I did eventually call and get through, I got what we needed, so life was good. Later that evening we reviewed our dining plans, and my mom seemed to be less than thrilled with some of our choices. I was ecstatic, it meant pulling out the Disney books and looking at new restaurant options, and since I have been pretty much done planning for a while... it gave me an unexpected plot twist. On that note, I am going to review our restaurants etc below!

December 16th- Arrival Day
~lunch: we will probably eat something in the QS area of the Contemporary. Since we are having a big dinner, we will hopefully eat light!
~dinner: California Grill! This is a new place for us!
We are actually paying for this meal OOP so I am not 100% sure what I am going to order, but I know it won't be an appy, entree and dessert, lol. I am actually considering ordering the Sweet Potato-Ricotta Tortelloni, but I don't know for certain. I might just order a flatbread and a salad... this is probably the restaurant I know the least about what to expect!

December 17th- Morning at MK, Afternoon at Epcot!
~breakfast: probably something quick in the room. I actually would LOVE to try a cinnimon bun at the MK bakery...
~lunch: CPP!! We are eating at Les Chefs at 1:50 (going to the 5pm showing) We have eaten here before, but for dinner, so this will be a little different. I think I am going to get the onion soup, Plat de Cote de boeuf au cabernet avec pates - beef short ribs briased in cabernet with pasta, pearl onions and mushrooms, and probably creme brulee for dessert! I will likely be STUFFED, maybe I won't eat breakfast after all...
~dinner: Le Cellier! This is another first for us! We really wanted to eat here last time, but the lady pretty muched laughed at us when we asked if they were taking walk ups... Here I think I will get cheese soup, mushroom filet, and chocolate moose!

December 18th- AK
~breakfast: We are having a before the park opens breakfast at Tusker House. This is a new choice as well, and really, our two biggest reasons for trying it are the positioning for rope drop, and the characters for Jack. I'm looking forward to the :frunch" but I don't really have a good idea of how good the food actually is...
~lunch: Yak and Yeti... I am looking forward to dessert here most! I am plannign on getting Thai chili chicken wings, chicken lo mein, and the fried wontons!
~dinner: Ohana! This is a new one for us! Looking forward to those drinks that come in pineapples...

December 19th- MK
~breakfast: Crystal Palace: New for us as far as breakfast goes! The reasoning behind this one is pretty much the same as Tusker House.
~lunch: probably just snacks, since we have a busy day ahead of us!
~dinner: CRT! we have a 5:15 ressie! I will probably go with the BLT salad and the prime rib. We haven't eaten here as a family for dinner before. Dessert isn't that important to me because...
~Wishes Dessert Party!! We are really cramming a lot in on this day, sinc ewe are doing the dessert party AND MVMCP, but it's the only way it would work for us, and I am super excited about both!

December 20th- DHS~breakfast: something quick in the room.
~lunch: this is a minor change. We are going to do 50's PTC for lunch instead of dinner. We have eaten here before. I am planning on getting soup, or maybe splitting onion rings if someone else wants it. I wanted pot roast for my entree, but I don't see it listed on the lunch menu, so perhaps I will get the chicken ceasar salad. For dessert, dad's brownie sundae.
~dinner: This is the change I am most excited about! We decided to squeeze in dinner at Jiko! (we dropped Pizza planet from this day and LTT from our last day) I really wanted to try dinner at Jiko, but couldn't make it fit before! I am planning on getting a flatbread for my app, the oak grilled filet, and the Jiko Trio for dessert, if it's still an option! (I think some of these menu items might have changed)

December 21st- Epcot
~breakfast: unknown
~lunch: Via Napoli which is obviously a new choice. I'm super excited to try some awesome pizzas! I wouldn't be surprised if we got the Fritto Misto (fried veggies) for an app. I'm looking to try the Carciofi - artichoke, pecorino, mozzarella, truffle oil, I super love artichokes! Zeppole di Catarina - ricotta cheese fritters with whipped cream and chocolate sauce sounds like an interesting desert, or I may just go for the Gelati E Sorbetto...
~dinner: another 1st for us, Rose and Crown! One of the big motivations was getting a time that would be condusive to viewing Illumintations. We are going to request a patio seat. I'm not a huge fan of British food... but if I had to guess I'd say I will be getting the potato and leek soup, Sunday roast, and chocolate scotch cake. I wonder what kind of meat the Sunday roast is...

December 22nd- 1/2 day MK, Departure day
~breakfast: I will insist on getting something from main st makery this morning. For lunch we will probably do CS since we will want to have as much park time as possible before we have to head home, which is why we traded in our LTT ressie. We all like Columbia Harbour House so we might end up there...