In Loving Memory... We’re Going Deluxe! - A Jan 2013 PTR (TR Link 01/28)

[PhoenixStrength]

OMG, thank you for telling me! I had NO idea that there was a specific entrance to see the Osborne lights, let alone a line to wait in! I'm so glad you told me and I didn't have to find out there the day of.

There is NOT a line to wait to enter Osborne Lights!!! There are to see Santa Goofy or the PP at the large tree in the middle, but you don't have to wait in any line to see the lights themselves. You just go in the Streets of America and walk around looking at everything, no lines for that. And if you get there before they turn on you just stand around wherever you find a spot and wait til the announcement. Mulch, Sweat and Shears sings before it starts too

 

[ronnmel]

Epcot MUST DOs​

Unlike our last trip, we don't have any full days planned at Epcot. Instead, since we'll be staying within walking distance, we'll just head there for a few hours on some mornings and some evenings. We obviously won't be able to do all our must-do in one day.

Before I start, I just want to make something clear. Otaku has been to Disney twice before (possibly three times, no one remembers. ) She came with us in 2009 when she was 10, and she went with her grandparents when she was 6 or 7. When I say something will be new to her, I mean she has not done it in 2009 with us. I don't know what she did on her first trip, and she barely remembers it herself. Plus she's not here so I can't ask her.

Test Track : I know some people are disappointed with the new theming of Test Track, but I for one am really excited about it. The first time I rode TT I was actually underwhelmed. I grew to love it more during our Disneymoon, but I think the futuristic/Tron look will be way more up my alley. Also, I still want to ride it at night. Will I ever get to do that?
Soarin' : I just hope we won't wait forever for it, even with FP.
Spaceship Earth : One of Ron and I's favorite. What can I say, we love the relaxing feeling of the ride, and the funny video at the end. We want to try to hold up Claudia close to our face and create a two-head "monsters" for that video.
The Seas : Like I mentioned in my ADR update, Peanut loves aquariums. We do too, so this will be a great place to hang out all together. We'll start with the Nemo ride, and we want to catch Turtle Talk with Crush as well. Such a funny show! Plus, Otaku has never seen it.
Living with the Land and the Gran Fiesta : I put these together as they are two boat rides that we can all go together and that we love.
Agent P Mission : We did all the Kim Possible missions during our Disneymoon. Hopefully they have changed enough that things will be new to us. It doesn't matter much though, I'm sure we'll enjoy them anyway. Plus, Otaku only did three countries back in 2009 and I know she wants to do the rest.
Mission Space : Otaku and Ron both love this, though I'm not sure if Otaku will be brave enough to try the orange side. I, for one, will be shopping in Mousegears. I am NOT going to go make myself sick in that thing.
World Showcase : Obviously we'll be spending lots of time strolling the countries. Morocco is a must for me as it's so pretty, and Otaku will kill us if we skip Japan.
Illumination : Last time I wanted to watch it twice, but it didn't work out. This time I'm hoping it will, especially since we'll be so close. We can just come watch it after coming back from another park. Both times we watched it (2009 & 2011) was from the same spot in Italy, so I want to make it a point to see it from somewhere new this time. Any suggestions?

These following things would be nice to do, but it's okay if we skip.
Journey Into Imagination : It's cute, rarely has a line, and Peanut can go on it, so I'm guesing we'll do it.
Sum of All Thrills : Ron thought it was okay last time. Otaku will probably want to try it.
Innoventions : I'm sure we'll make it in there at some point. At the very least, Otaku needs to try the one where you star in your own video game. We'll probably do the Piggy Bank Adventure again too.
World Showcase Movies : I put them here because I don't know which one we'll watch, or if we'll make it to all three. We do love the movies though! If I had to choose, I'd probably choose France because of the soundtrack and the fact that there are seats.
Maelstrom : Maybe only one of us will ride this with Otaku?
Characters : Like for AK, I want to see characters, but I don't really care which ones. I take that back, I absolutely want to see Aladdin and Jasmine, but it can either be here or at MK. Otaku might want to meet Mulan.

Did I forget anything?

 

[ronnmel]

There is NOT a line to wait to enter Osborne Lights!!! There are to see Santa Goofy or the PP at the large tree in the middle, but you don't have to wait in any line to see the lights themselves. You just go in the Streets of America and walk around looking at everything, no lines for that. And if you get there before they turn on you just stand around wherever you find a spot and wait til the announcement. Mulch, Sweat and Shears sings before it starts too

Oh, thanks for clearing that up!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

You're welcome!

I like to watch Illuminations from Showcase Plaza, which is the area between the 2 shops by the entrance to WS from FW, one shop by either side (Mexico or Canada.) I hope that makes sense. It is labelled as Showcase Plaza on the map of Epcot. It is the reserved spot for those that see Candlelight Processional right now, but that will be over when you go so you should be able to go there. It is a great viewpoint!

 

[ronnmel]

You're welcome!

I like to watch Illuminations from Showcase Plaza, which is the area between the 2 shops by the entrance to WS from FW, one shop by either side (Mexico or Canada.) I hope that makes sense. It is labelled as Showcase Plaza on the map of Epcot. It is the reserved spot for those that see Candlelight Processional right now, but that will be over when you go so you should be able to go there. It is a great viewpoint!

Thanks! I know what area you are talking about. Should be interesting if I watch from there, as it's almost the exact opposite of Italy.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Thanks! I know what area you are talking about. Should be interesting if I watch from there, as it's almost the exact opposite of Italy.

It is almost exactly across from Italy. I might get the update showing my pictures of Illuminations from that spot up before you leave, since it's the next day on my TR, but I'm not sure with how I'll be working and having family stuff over the holiday.

 

[ronnmel]

It is almost exactly across from Italy. I might get the update showing my pictures of Illuminations from that spot up before you leave, since it's the next day on my TR, but I'm not sure with how I'll be working and having family stuff over the holiday.

It's okay even if I see the pictures after my trip. It's always different in person anyway.

 

[ronnmel]

SINGLE DIGIT DANCE!!!!!

 

[Queila]

Hey Mel,

How I came to miss the link for your PTR is beyond my understanding but I am so glad I got here in time to read about your plans. Loving everything so far!

I am so sorry about your mother. That must be tough but I am glad you will do the trip in her "honor". I am sure she would have liked that.

Beatriz was only 14 months when we brought her for the first time and we were able to accomplish a lot in spite of her being so young. We kept our expectations low but at that age they take naps and she spent a lot of time in my mei- tai too.

I am sure you will have a lovely time.

What are your plans for the night of the 31st? Oh... maybe I should just keep reading...

The Beach Club is a dream resort for us too. Even more than the Polynesian. My ultimate dream right now is the Bay Lake Tower though. One day I want to be able to walk to Magic Kingdom. I am sure you guys are going to love it!!

And Beatriz would DIE in that room at Art of Animation!! Please take lots of pictures.

FOOD - Table-service: Our ADRs​

That way, I’ll have no choice but to eat only half of the pizza (I may not be able to stop myself otherwise...), which will leave plenty of room for the beauty that is called Zeppole di Ricotta. I have read about this little piece of heaven on at least two different TRs lately (Queila and can’t remember who else) and I. Want. It. Now. We will be having a late lunch here.

Hey!!! That's me.

The zeppole was very good. Even Joey who has an Italian mama and this "rule" about not eating at Italian restaurants gave it a two thumbs up!

Since you are into desserts check the chocolate wave at Coral reef. It is reeeeally good. We also went for lunch and I remember thoroughly enjoying my mahi-mahi

Breakfast at Kouzzina is on the absolute top of my list of things to do on my next trip. EVERYTHING in the menu sounds amazing. Cannot wait to see what you thought about it.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Congrats on single digits Mel!!

 

[Queila]

KONA CAFE
Having tried the steak there, I may just go the opposite direction and go mostly seafood. I plan on getting the tuna poke again, to share with Otaku, possibly along with some sticky chicken wings.
As for the main entrée..I was a bit disappointed to see that the Tuna Oscar doesnt seem to be available anymore. So, perhaps I may go with the Togarashi Spiced Ahi Tuna. I saw a pic of it, and it does look very enticing.

​

They removed the Oscar tuna from the menu? That is outrageous. It was there when we went in August and I loved it. I would ask the waiter if they can make a "special" just in case eve though I have to admit the Togarashi tuna looks amazing too.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Doing the single digit dance with you!

 

[Queila]

MORE BABY ADVICE PLEASE​

PARK BAG : What are your essentials to bring in the park bag for baby? What did you bring that you should have left in the room? What did you forget to bring that you wish you had?

Instead of having a "baby bag" to drag around in the park I packed her stuff in different ziplock bags (1 with diapers, wipes etc for the diaper change, 1 with clean clothes, 1 with baby formula, bottle etc.) I would throw the bags inside Joey's backpack and they were easy to find and everything was handy in case of need. I also brought a small thermo bag and ice packs to keep her milk and food fresh).

Hope it helps!

 

[monica23535]

Hi Mel,


Your Epcot plans sound great. On our last trip we spent the last 9 nights at The Beach Club and it was great just to head over to watch Illuminations whenever we felt like, I think we saw it 5 times.

Our favourite place to watch it is at the Showcase Plaza too, definitely a different perspective than Italy/USA/Japan.

I love the picture of the three of you with Santa Claus! Claudia is so adorable

 

[ronnmel]

Hey Mel,

How I came to miss the link for your PTR is beyond my understanding but I am so glad I got here in time to read about your plans. Loving everything so far!

I am so sorry about your mother. That must be tough but I am glad you will do the trip in her "honor". I am sure she would have liked that.

Beatriz was only 14 months when we brought her for the first time and we were able to accomplish a lot in spite of her being so young. We kept our expectations low but at that age they take naps and she spent a lot of time in my mei- tai too.

I am sure you will have a lovely time.

What are your plans for the night of the 31st? Oh... maybe I should just keep reading...

The Beach Club is a dream resort for us too. Even more than the Polynesian. My ultimate dream right now is the Bay Lake Tower though. One day I want to be able to walk to Magic Kingdom. I am sure you guys are going to love it!!

And Beatriz would DIE in that room at Art of Animation!! Please take lots of pictures.



Hey!!! That's me.

The zeppole was very good. Even Joey who has an Italian mama and this "rule" about not eating at Italian restaurants gave it a two thumbs up!

Since you are into desserts check the chocolate wave at Coral reef. It is reeeeally good. We also went for lunch and I remember thoroughly enjoying my mahi-mahi

Breakfast at Kouzzina is on the absolute top of my list of things to do on my next trip. EVERYTHING in the menu sounds amazing. Cannot wait to see what you thought about it.

Hi Queila! I'm glad you made it over. I saw on your TR how crazy your life is these days, no wonder you missed me starting this PTR!

Thank you. Some days are harder than others, but focusing on something positive like the Disney trip helps. Though she wasn't a Disney "fan", she loved seeing us (and her first grandchild!) happy.

I remember you showing me that picture of Beatriz in the Mei Tai. I love that thing and can't wait to use it in Disney. Having a stroller is great, but the Mei Tai gives so much more freedom!

LOL, yes you should keep reading, I detailed all our plans for the 31st in one of the updates. Those plans are ambitious, but it's NYE, we HAVE to make the most of it!

Walking to MK and walking to Epcot are basically equal in terms of awesomeness I think. Bay Lake is at the top of Ron's list. Maybe when I have a toddler (or two... ) would be the best time to stay at BLT.

I'll take lots and lots of Art of Animation photos. Our first afternoon after we arrive we have absolutely nothing planned besides exploring the resort. I'll post them here and on Facebook, so you can show them to Beatriz.

Yep, you're the one that made me want to try the Zeppole. I was already leaning forward going back to Via Napoli, but reading your review pushed me over the edge.

Oh I will definitely be getting that chocolate wave at Coral Reef!

I'll be sure to let you know what we think of Kouzzina. It looks so yummy there!

Congrats on single digits Mel!!

Thanks!

They removed the Oscar tuna from the menu? That is outrageous. It was there when we went in August and I loved it. I would ask the waiter if they can make a "special" just in case eve though I have to admit the Togarashi tuna looks amazing too.

I told this to Ron, and he said he doesn't want to create extra work for the chef. I think he likes the sound of the new tuna anyway, so he's okay.

Doing the single digit dance with you!

Instead of having a "baby bag" to drag around in the park I packed her stuff in different ziplock bags (1 with diapers, wipes etc for the diaper change, 1 with clean clothes, 1 with baby formula, bottle etc.) I would throw the bags inside Joey's backpack and they were easy to find and everything was handy in case of need. I also brought a small thermo bag and ice packs to keep her milk and food fresh).

Hope it helps!

The ziploc bag is a great idea! We have a backpack diaper bag that has special pockets for diapers, but we're always looking for her clothes and stuff, so having everything separate will help a lot. Thanks!

I didn't think about an ice pack. Do I really need one? The food is sold on shelves at the store, we don't need to cool it down first before using it, no? Same with her milk, since she drinks formula, it's just powder. I guess if we wanted to reuse the baby food later, but she only eats once a day for now (well, cereals in the morning, puree at lunch. No dinner yet).

Hi Mel,


Your Epcot plans sound great. On our last trip we spent the last 9 nights at The Beach Club and it was great just to head over to watch Illuminations whenever we felt like, I think we saw it 5 times.

Our favourite place to watch it is at the Showcase Plaza too, definitely a different perspective than Italy/USA/Japan.

I love the picture of the three of you with Santa Claus! Claudia is so adorable

That's exactly what I'm hoping we'll do, just watch Illuminations whenever we feel like it. That will certainly make up for missing it twice out of three times last trip! Another vote for Showcase Plaza, cool.

Thanks! She is not-so-adorable when she's screaming in my ears, but I love her anyway.

 

[ronnmel]

With Christmas just around the corner, I better try to update as much as possible this weekend!

DAY 3 PLANS - Magic Kingdom​

January 3rd

Before I get to the details of our third full day, I have to say I don't like those particular plans. I have reasons for going to MK on this day, but it bugs me. Here's why:

First, I like our first two days and I don't want to change them. Going to Animal Kingdom on the first makes the most sense in terms of crowds AND I want to see the Christmas version of their parade. Going to Epcot and DHS on the 2nd makes the most sense due to checking in at the Beach Club. I don't want to wait too long to get to MK, plus I kinda don't want to do Epcot and DHS two days in a row, hence why we are going to MK on the third. There is one big problem though. Well more like two. Disney just changed their park hours for January and Magic Kingdom now opens at 8am every day until the 4th. And it just so happens that the one day I plan on us going there, they have morning extra magic hours. That means the park opens at 7am!!! How can we get there so early????? Plus, I really want to see the opening show (though somebody on the January 2013 thread said the don't always do the full show on EMH mornings), meaning we have to be there before 7am. Not to mention, the entire day will be more crowded. Why is it that my plans make us go to THREE parks with morning EMH our first three days? Epcot, MK, even AK has some on January 1st (not that we will attend those, but they do make the parks more crowded). Ugh!

Ok, enough with my little rant, let's get on with the day. Even though we have park hoppers, I prefer to try and stay at MK and just make it a full day. There are enough things to do to keep us busy, and I don't want to have to deal with the buses twice that day. So let's assume Peanut cooperates that morning and we make it there in time. I'm guessing our first order of business will be to check out the New Fantasyland and also the new Dumbo area. We'll do as much as we can there, then hit lots of attractions in other areas of the park for the remainder of the morning.

As the morning comes to an end and more people stream into the park, we will walk back to the beginning of Main Street for something I am super excited about : Claudia's first haircut at the Barber shop! Though she was born with lots of hair, she actually lost most of it in her first few months. Thankfully it has started growing back. Anyway, it's mostly just for the experience. Who knows when we will make it back to Disney? I just think it will be a cool thing to write in her baby book.

The rest of the afternoon is completely up in the air. Who knows, maybe we will make it back to the resort and relax for a few hours. What I do know is that we have to be back by the end of the afternoon. I have some pretty ambitious plans for that evening. One thing I would love to do is watch the castle lighting ceremony. All I know about that is that it's at dusk. Anyone knows what "dusk" means? Is it before the actual sunset time, after sunset? How long before/after?

I'm hoping that the timing of the castle lighting ceremony works in our favor to let us have time to see it AND get to our ADR, Kona Cafe. We'll either take the boat or monorail there to eat. Then we will (hopefully) make it BACK to Magic Kingdom in time to watch not only Wishes, but the new castle projection show that replaced Magic Memories and You. As a big fan of MMY, I'm looking forward to see what they came up with. After that I guess we will stay in MK as late as our bodies allow us. One of us will probably head back to the resort with Peanut while the other stays in the park with Otaku. When we told her the park closes at 1am, she showed interest in staying that late.

Phew, I'm tired just writing about our day!!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

The rest of the afternoon is completely up in the air. Who knows, maybe we will make it back to the resort and relax for a few hours. What I do know is that we have to be back by the end of the afternoon. I have some pretty ambitious plans for that evening. One thing I would love to do is watch the castle lighting ceremony. All I know about that is that it's at dusk. Anyone knows what "dusk" means? Is it before the actual sunset time, after sunset? How long before/after?

It was 6pm when I was there.

I'm hoping that the timing of the castle lighting ceremony works in our favor to let us have time to see it AND get to our ADR, Kona Cafe. We'll either take the boat or monorail there to eat. Then we will (hopefully) make it BACK to Magic Kingdom in time to watch not only Wishes, but the new castle projection show that replaced Magic Memories and You. As a big fan of MMY, I'm looking forward to see what they came up with. After that I guess we will stay in MK as late as our bodies allow us. One of us will probably head back to the resort with Peanut while the other stays in the park with Otaku. When we told her the park closes at 1am, she showed interest in staying that late.

The new show is incredible! I won't spoil it so you can enjoy it yourself, but I LOVED it! It is similar to MMY in some ways. I got a lot of great pictures of it, but I know those won't be up until after you are back!

Responses above

 

[ronnmel]

It was 6pm when I was there.

The new show is incredible! I won't spoil it so you can enjoy it yourself, but I LOVED it! It is similar to MMY in some ways. I got a lot of great pictures of it, but I know those won't be up until after you are back!

Ok, I checked the sunset times and our sunset will be about 10 minutes later than yours, which means the lighting ceremony might be around 6:15pm. Our ADR at KONA is as 6:25pm so we have to change that. If I make the ADR for 6:45, would we have enough time to get there or should I make it for 7pm? I just hope they are not running late so we can be back at MK for 8:30pm, in time to make our way to the hub and find a place to watch Celebrate the Magic. Can we watch the lighting ceremony from Town Square, or do we have to be close like for MMY?

Yay! I'm glad to hear you thought it was that good.

 

[KatMark]

Mel, I had to pop in and do the SINGLE DIGIT



So exciting...it will be here soon.

 

[lovethattink]

There is NOT a line to wait to enter Osborne Lights!!! There are to see Santa Goofy or the PP at the large tree in the middle, but you don't have to wait in any line to see the lights themselves. You just go in the Streets of America and walk around looking at everything, no lines for that. And if you get there before they turn on you just stand around wherever you find a spot and wait til the announcement. Mulch, Sweat and Shears sings before it starts too

We were there opening weekend this year and there very definately was only one way to enter and one direction for flow of traffic. It was insanely busy and we were sandwiched walking. Maybe they only enforce those rules during busy times?