In Our Family, "Ohana", Means No Teenager is Left Behind - August PTR - Updated 4/11

[Riles_and_Gabe]

to my 3rd attempt at a PTR! The last time I got really close to finishing but I fizzled out at the end. I like to make bold statements so this time I vow to not only finish the PTR but I am going to write a TR. Let see if I can make it through this time .

I always enjoy reading everyone's reports and I am so impressed with how put together they are with an actual flow. I never know where to start. Should I tell you who we are? Maybe I should give you the backstory of how the trip came to be? But than again it won't make sense if you don't know who we are. Maybe I should just jump into the nitty gritty details of the trip. I think I will try to combine them all and see if it makes sense.

What I do know is that I have gone entirely too long without sharing a picture! And apparently I am going super big. I have now wasted 30 minutes trying to get this smaller and it is just not happening. I resized it in photo bucket but it isn't make any difference when I preview the picture. Hopefully I get better at this!



This is Gabrian. He is my youngest Son and will be turning 5 in June! This picture was taken last September when we went on our Mommy and Me trip. My older Son (who you will be meeting shortly) went to Disney the week before us on a trip with his Dad and his Dad's family. I felt so bad for Gabrian that I just had to make a trip work out for us. It was quite the experience because I had never traveled alone with a 4-year old before. Not even when my older son was younger. I always had another adult along with me.

This was our first time staying onsite and we were hooked. That is not completely true because I did stay onsite about 10 years ago but that was only for 2 nights with my best friend. I had no idea what I was doing at the time and I don't remember much of it. So I am not going to count that one. It is my PTR and I don't have to count it if I don't want to!

While Gabrian and I were on the trip, I had daily calls to my Mom. Yes I like to call my Mom daily (actually way more than once a day...but we are not here to analyze my Mommy issues). She was a Saint and had come to stay at my house and stay with my Older Son while we were on vacation. So my poor Mom was the only one of the 4 of us that didn't get to go to Disney. Sorry, let me reign this in before I get completely off topic . Anyway, I was calling my Mom and letting her know how awesome the trip was and how much we enjoyed having the Dining Plan. We started talking about how Great the trip would be if everyone was there.

We had heard about Bounce Back offers and we decided I should give them a call to check it out. It turns out that they did have a Bounce Back offer for us and it was for Free Dining!!! . We could go between August - September. Our preference would have been to go in the end of September but Riley (my oldest) has a pesky thing called school that was getting in our way. We finally accepted that we were going to have to go in Hot and Humid August .



This is a picture from a couple of Weekends ago. We went to Boston for the Flower Show. I know I have better pictures of Riley but I will have to dig them out for you guys...I need to save something for future reports! You will notice that Gabrian manages to sneak his way into most pictures. Anyway, from left to right it is Riley, Gabrian, and my Mom (Tina...but will referred to as My Mom for most of the report).

We had originally picked the dates of August 24th - August 30th. It was a Sunday to a Saturday and we would have the following Monday off from School/Work for Labor day. I would say we are fairly well traveled people and I can't believe we made such a rookie mistake. We were going to attempt to purchase two of the most expensive days of the week to fly. After stalking airfare for awhile we realized we were going to need to switch to a middle of the week day. We called and were able to switch our dates to August 20th - August 27th which is Wednesday to a Wednesday. For anyone that is counting that means we went from having 6 measly nights to having 7 nights. Why yes, I will take an extra night in Disney with free food!!

Now the trip title will come into play. Riley came to us a couple of months ago with a request that he never thought would go anywhere. He wanted to know if my Mom and I would consider letting his Girlfriend, Olivia, come with us on the trip. They even came up with a plan on how they would save up for her portion of the trip. My Mom and I thought it over and decided it would just make it such an awesome trip for Riley to have someone his age come along. So we decided there was no way we could leave a teenager behind. I spoke with Olivia's Mom and she gave the go ahead to add Olivia to our gang. I don't have any pictures of Olivia because she is super shy but I will try to get one on the sly next time she is over.

While we are super excited about Olivia coming it meant we had to change our Resort. Last year Gabrian and I had stayed at the All Stars Resort Movies and we absolutely loved it. We stayed in the Toy Story section and I think that played a lot into our love of it because of our location. I believe we were in the Preferred Section (without paying for it). We were so close to the pool and the food court. We discovered because so many Disney Adults would be in the room with Free Dining, that it was cheaper to stay in a moderate resort.

We were able to get a reservation for the French Quarters. I was so excited and I couldn't wait to stay there. The pictures look so pretty and the map made it look so walkable. When we added Olivia to the reservation, we had to switch reservations to Riverside because they could sleep 5. It stinks that so few rooms can handle 5 people. Riverside was the only one we could afford. No matter how I crunched the numbers, I knew that Riverside was our only option. As beautiful as the resort is, I am having trouble getting excited about all the walking we are going to have to do.

I have started a walking routine on my lunch hour hoping to get myself prepared. I have a significant amount of weight to lose and have been doing Weight Watchers for a little over 2 months now. Hopefully, the combination of less weight and getting in better shape will make the trip more enjoyable.

In fact Riley and I are going to start training for a half Marathon. I just started reading Twoboysnmygirl's TR about her experience doing the Princess Marathon. I am completely in love with her picture of her in the marathon and everyone dressed as Princesses. I made the decision right there and than that Riley and I were going to run it. I am hoping for next year. We are going to start with the Couch-to-5k in a couple of weeks (we will start with walking leading up to that) and once completed we will work on training for the half marathon. Sorry, didn't mean to go off on that tangent...hey you got 2 PTR's in one!

I guess the last thing I have to do is, is introduce you to me!



This is Gabrian and Me (Megan) at Sci-Fi last year for lunch.

I have lots of other decisions to share coming up but I think I will call it a night. Be prepared to listen to every itty bitty detail of my trip planning!

 

[teekathepony]

Hello! I'll be the first to join in!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

...I fizzled out at the end.

You know the same thing happens to me when I eat Thai food.

I like to make bold statements so this time I vow to not only finish the PTR but I am going to write a TR. Let see if I can make it through this time .

You do realize that you are now contractually obligated to see it through to completion under the Sacred and Indelible Laws of DISdom, right?

...I am not going to count that one. It is my PTR and I don't have to count it if I don't want to!

In accordance with the afore mentioned laws, you are hereby granted an official stay-count exclusion.

Why yes, I will take an extra night in Disney with free food!!

A most logical and practical policy.

As beautiful as the resort is, I am having trouble getting excited about all the walking we are going to have to do.

I can only perorate as a third party peruser of postings, but I have perceive most patrons are particularly pleased by this particular purlieu. I would specifically recommend reading this one.

Sorry, didn't mean to go off on that tangent...hey you got 2 PTR's in one!

2 for 1 is always nifty.

I guess the last thing I have to do is, is introduce you to me!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Hello! I'll be the first to join in!

Yay, I am so glad you are here!!

You know the same thing happens to me when I eat Thai food.

You do realize that you are now contractually obligated to see it through to completion under the Sacred and Indelible Laws of DISdom, right?

In accordance with the afore mentioned laws, you are hereby granted an official stay-count exclusion.

A most logical and practical policy.

I can only perorate as a third party peruser of postings, but I have perceive most patrons are particularly pleased by this particular purlieu. I would specifically recommend reading this one.

2 for 1 is always nifty.

Thanks Great Biscuit! I feel like you will be able to keep me on the straight and arrow of my contractual agreement with the DisBoards.

Thanks for the TR link...I now know what I will be doing for the rest of the evening!!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

I am watching Survivor tonight. I realize this has nothing to do with my Trip Report but I just want to make sure you guys are fully kept abreast of anything that happens before my trip (a true definition of a PTR).

In other exciting news in my house. I think this weekend I will be trading in my trusty Ford Focus and getting a van. My Focus has been a great car for me especially for the years that I was commuting from RI to Boston every day for over a year. I never pictured myself as a van person but my family has outgrown my car. Both boys looks so pathetic in the car as they sit with their knees to their chin because there is no room for their legs. It is not a done deal yet so I am trying to not get too excited until it actually happens.

I made another payment towards my balance for Disney today. I paid $45.69 and brought our balance down to $1891. I know this amount is super impressive and you probably want to know how I could pony up so much money at one time. It takes real practice to be this broke. I find it is best if I throw money at the balance any time I have it because otherwise I can kiss it good buy. It is amazing the amount of things I could think of to spend that $45.69 on.

At my job we get points as rewards when we go above and beyond. We can redeem those points for prizes or gift cards. I just cashed mine out a couple of days ago for a $25 Disney Gift Card. I received it in the mail today and after this post I am going to apply it to our balance.

I have also been doing mypoints trying to earn points for a Landry's Gift Card. On our last day in Disney we are going to T-Rex Café and we will not have any credits left at that point. I am determined to not have the meal cost me anything or at least very minimal so I have been trying to earn Gift Cards for the meal. My goal is to get $125 in gift cards to cover an appetizer, soda, meals, and the volcano dessert to split. I just cashed out for a $25 card so only $100 left to go .

Ok...there is a machete being used on Survivor. This looks too good to miss. Talk to you guys soon!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

This trip is so odd for me with Dining Reservations. Last year I was obsessed with them. I constantly changed my mind and was on the Disney Website several times a day to see what was available. I was the only one making decisions and I was driving myself crazy!

This year we all got to pick a restaurant for everyone to go to. Than we have a couple of meals where Riley and Olivia have a date night and the rest of us have our own meal. There is going to be a Character Breakfast for just Gabrian and myself. It is going to be his birthday present and I don't want to pay for everyone else since they will not be nearly as excited about the characters. It was difficult for me to give up the control but at the same time is so nice that I don't have to constantly worry that I am making the wrong decision. I am also getting to try places that I probably wouldn't have chosen for myself.

I will have to say on the day of reservations, my Mom happened to be visiting at my house and it was slighly annoying to have someone "help" me get the reservations. I had to accept that it was her trip too and she was just as excited and wanted to have input on the timing of our reservations. In the end I am happy with what we have.

So without further ado, here is our current line-up.

Wednesday - August 20th

Raglan Road

Thursday - August 21st

Biergarten (Dinner)

Friday - August 22nd

Kona Cafe (Riley & Olivia)
Boatwrights (Gabrian, Mom, and Me)

Saturday - August 23rd

Boma

Sunday - August 24th

Mama Melrose
Hollywood & Vine

**We have two Fantasmic Packages booked right now. We will have to give one up eventually. Mama Melrose would be our preference but we feel like the dinner time is way too early. We are currently debating. I also have a Hollywood & Vine Breakfast reservation for Gabrian and myself before Rope Drop. I am not sure if we are going to keep this one.**

Monday - August 25th

Planey Hollywood (Riley & Olivia)
California Grill (Gabrian, Mom, & Me)

Tuesday - August 26th

Crystal Palace (Before Rope Drop reservation for Gabrian & myself...not sure if we are keeping it)
'Ohana (very fitting for our trip title)

Wednesday - August 27th

T-Rex Cafe

**This was a lunch reservation requested by Gabrian. We will not have enough Dining Credits for this so I am trying my hardest to earn gift cards through websites like mypoints. So far I have earned a $25 card.**

So what are your thoughts and opinions? Does it look like a good line-up? Would you make any changes?

I am headed up to Central Maine after work today. I am going to hopefully get my new car if everything works out. It looks like a van isn't going to work out. My credit is beyond horrible and I am purchasing from a dealership that helped me with my last car. If everything goes right tomorrow I will be the proud owner of a 2011 Kia Sorento. I am trying to not get too excited in case it doesn't work out. I will talk to you guys soon!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

We debated quite a while on how we were going to get to Disney. We had tossed around Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Do you like how I got that movie title in?).

We considered driving down in my Mom's van. It is getting older and we just didn't feel comfortable taking it such a distance. We looked into renting a van to drive down but it was getting pricey after you figured in gas, tolls, hotels, and extra food. It just wasn't making sense.

It is kind of funny that if we had known I was going to get a new car before the trip we could have taken that comfortably. I really just want to brag about the new car I bought this weekend. I ended up getting a 2011 Kia Sorento and I absolutely love it.



I borrowed this Picture from Varney Ford in Newport, ME. If you live in the area and are searching for a car, I highly recommend Jim Nichols. This is the second car I have bought from him and he has been wonderful both times.

Sorry...I got side tracked about my new car . We also looked into the Auto Train because we thought my Mom's car could handle driving to VA. But after pricing it out it just wasn't that great of a deal.

The other thing is we really wanted to take advantage of Magical Express. Since it is part of the package it is a shame to give it up. Plus I love that you can drop your bags off at the airport and you don't see them again until they magically show up in your room.

We decided that flying was really the way for us to go. I started shopping around and monitoring the prices (when I say monitor, I really mean that I checked 4-5 times a day). After a few weeks of checking we realized our rookie mistake of thinking we should travel a Sunday - Saturday. The flights were just so expensive. We decided that we really should fly midweek on both ends. After checking several different combinations. It seemed that Wednesday to Wednesday was the best combo. So fun bonus...I scored an extra night at Disney.

We were willing to fly out of several locations. We are in driving distance to Providence, RI; Boston, MA; & Manchester, NH. Our dream Airport to use is Portland, ME. We live about 4 minutes from it and it would kill us to not be able to use it. It is a pretty small airport so prices can get pretty high.

I had been monitoring Expedia for prices and it was looking like Portland was not in our future but our last hope was for Southwest. I was waiting for them to release the August - October flights. I had heard that if you book the first day they are released that the prices our the best (I have to say that I have continued monitoring and so far that has held out to be correct...the prices have gone crazy high).

I was up on March 3rd and ready to book first thing in the morning. I was able to score our dream city and the flights we wanted. We are leaving on Wednesday, August 20th at 6:00 AM and we will arrive at 12:00 PM. This will give us most of the day that we arrive. We will leave on August 27th at 6:45 PM and arrive at 11:45 PM. We are so excited that we will have most of our departure day in Disney as well.

It cost us $123 to fly down and $127 for our return flight. I hadn't realized it but those prices had included the taxes and fees as well. So our total for each ticket was $250. We couldn't be more happy and so happy to fly to Florida. Gabrian is beyond happy since the flight is part of the excitement for him.

The other thing I did was booked My Mom, Riley, and Olivia separately from Gabrian and myself. This allowed Gabrian and I to also book the Early Bird Check-in (EBC). I wanted to make sure that he and I would have seats together and I also wanted to have an aisle seat for myself. With my size I am just so much more comfortable in the aisle. The EBC gives me the piece of mind that I will get these and not have to worry about checking in. The other people in the party will be fine sitting by themselves if it came down to that.

So that was my very long-winded story of how we purchased our Plane Tickets!

Check-in with you guys soon!!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

On last years vacation I was exhausted by the middle of the trip. I would get about an hour into the day and felt like I was hobbling along. My feet were just killing me.

This year I am determined to get into shape as much as possible. I know that I will still be exhausted by the end of the trip but I don't want to be so much in pain. I have several plans in place to help achieve that goal.

A random picture to help keep your attention:



At the end of January, I joined Weight Watchers. Before I had Gabrian, I had joined and had lost over 100 lbs. Since his birth I have had several restarts and I just couldn't seem to stay with the program. This time around I seem to be in a better place and I am enjoying the process like when I was successful last time. I do a Weight Watchers Series in my Blog if you are interested in reading more about my journey.

I realize that I will not have lost 100 lbs. before we leave but it should give me a pretty good start. Now I will give you another random picture because otherwise this post would probably be way too boring!



In the last couple of weeks I am trying to increase my activity. I have started walking on my lunch breaks on days that are nice. Hopefully the weather is starting to turn and I will be able to actually do it more than twice a week. I have downloaded the App on my phone called Map my Walk. It tells you how fast you are walking, calories burned, distance, and with GPS shows your actual route. I used it for the first time last night while walking with the boys and it made a perfect oval since we were walking around the high school track.

Riley and I are going to start the Couch-to-5k this Sunday. We both want to run in the Princess Run (probably the 5k) in February and this will be the start of us preparing for it. I have no idea how I will pay for this trip in February but I guess that is for another PTR. My first walk was a 19.38 mile and unless I want to be picked up by the Bus of Shame on the Princess run, I better get that number down!

Overall, I am really please with my progress and look forward to seeing the changes as I progress.

 

[MidnightParade]

Hello hello! Joining in! If you haven't been before you guys are going to have a great time at Biergarten! Its such a fun place! And happy that you guys got your flights, nice to have that worked out and not constantly checking for it!

lol, totally random but Riley and Olivia are two my favorite names!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Hello hello! Joining in! If you haven't been before you guys are going to have a great time at Biergarten! Its such a fun place! And happy that you guys got your flights, nice to have that worked out and not constantly checking for it!

lol, totally random but Riley and Olivia are two my favorite names!

Looking forward to reading more!

I am so happy that you are here! Biergarten will be a first for us. I have heard so many good reviews about it but until now haven't been drawn to it. I am glad that my Mom chose it because now that it is picked I am excited to try something new.

I am so happy to have the flights. I have to admit I do keep checking the prices in case they come down. I would love to get a credit on them...it would really help towards plane tickets if Riley and I go to the Princess Run in February.

I agree that I love the names Riley (I guess that was an obvious one ) & Olivia. We are fostering a cat right now and her name was Olivia. We ended up changing it while she is staying with us. It was too confusing to have two Olivia's in our lives. We went with the name Poppy Cat. We tried to get human Olivia to change her name, when she refused we assigned it to the cat!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Last year when Gabrian and I did our Mommy and Me trip, we had the most magical meal at the California Grill. Everything was perfect about it.

We had a 7:30 reservation and I think it was the perfect time for our meal. We arrived on time and only had to wait about 10 minutes before we were called to our table. We were a few rows back and had an amazing view of the Castle.

Our waiter was great and gave us some brief descriptions of favorites of his on the menu. I had already memorized the menu and pretty much knew what I was going to order .

I started off with the Cucumber Fizz.



I had thought about ordering sushi to start with but decided to try the Goat Cheese Ravioli. It was my first time trying goat cheese. I was a little worried I wouldn't like the taste but it was great. The cheese was very creamy and it complemented the tomato broth wonderfully.



Gabrian order the children's Steak. It cost $18 and I still can't get over the fact of a 4-year old eating an expensive meal like that . Since we were on the Dining Plan I got over it. I was allowed to try a bite and it was so good.



I went with one of my all time favorite foods. I had the Scallops that were served with Gnocchi and Brussel Sprouts (also one of my favorite vegetables!). The scallops were tender, sweet, and no sign of sand or grit (you know that ruins a perfect scallop). I can still remember how delicious those flavors were.



I ended my meal with the Apple Fall Sampler. This was the only slight miss of my meal. It was ok but not my favorite dessert of the trip.



Gabrian ordered the Cookies and Milk. They looked delicious!



I say they looked delicious because we never actually got to try any of them. That is because Gabrian looked like this:



That is right. He managed to pass out cold before dessert made it to the table. The worst part is that he missed the fireworks even though we could see them perfectly from our table. Oh well, at least it was a nice relaxing finish to my meal. The table next to us was a very nice younger couple that clearly were watching their money. The girl clearly wanted to order dessert but just didn't have the funds for it. I offered up Gabrian's dessert and she was so excited. It was nice to sprinkle a little Pixie Dust on someone else.

So you are probably wondering why I am reporting on a meal that happened about 6 months ago. Well, it is because I am left with a dilemma now.

For our trip in August, I have California Grill booked for Gabrian, my Mom, and Myself. I was able to score a 7:30 reservation again! But in order to do this, I am having to borrow credits from Olivia and Riley to finagle this two credit restaurant. This means I have to pay out of pocket for their meal at Planet Hollywood (minus the $15 voucher we get with the package).

As we get closer to the trip and I have a better idea of the budget. I don't want to put out that much money. I haven't given up my reservation to California Grill yet but I am seriously considering it.

What do you think I should do? What is your favorite 1 Credit Restaurant? Which one do you think I should try?

 

[MidnightParade]

Hmmm, I wouldn't cancel California Grill until you're 100% and even then I would wait until just before you leave to do it, just incase, cause things happen and you don't want to have cancelled and then suddenly wanting it back.

You could also start a change jar now to help cover the OOP meal. Of course in Canada we have loonies and twoonies which help build it up faster.

If its a must do for you and you would regret not doing it, then I would try to see what you can do now to keep it. But if your okay with trying something new(and if it helps to think "its hard to catch perfection twice") then you get the fun of deciding on a new restaurant!

Not sure if you're looking for a park or non park restaurant. If you're looking for something along the same lines, nice restaurant, you can't go wrong with something in the world showcase. The only place I did not enjoy was Askerhaus in Norway. If you are okay trying something else Scifi Drive in and 50's Prime Time in HS are both fun. Although I think Scifi is more about the atmosphere, which we are okay with since we are making an ADR there ourselves.

If you want non park restaurant, I was going to say Boma but thats already on your itinerary. Hmmmm... I'm not really sure. Oh!! Okay I haven't eaten there yet but I do want to. Beaches & Cream on the Boardwalk and then you get to explore the boardwalk which is fun too(although I don't believe they have the entertainers there on monday nights). Its nothing like the California Grill though

Good luck in deciding!

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Hmmm, I wouldn't cancel California Grill until you're 100% and even then I would wait until just before you leave to do it, just incase, cause things happen and you don't want to have cancelled and then suddenly wanting it back.

You could also start a change jar now to help cover the OOP meal. Of course in Canada we have loonies and twoonies which help build it up faster.

If its a must do for you and you would regret not doing it, then I would try to see what you can do now to keep it. But if your okay with trying something new(and if it helps to think "its hard to catch perfection twice") then you get the fun of deciding on a new restaurant!

Not sure if you're looking for a park or non park restaurant. If you're looking for something along the same lines, nice restaurant, you can't go wrong with something in the world showcase. The only place I did not enjoy was Askerhaus in Norway. If you are okay trying something else Scifi Drive in and 50's Prime Time in HS are both fun. Although I think Scifi is more about the atmosphere, which we are okay with since we are making an ADR there ourselves.

If you want non park restaurant, I was going to say Boma but thats already on your itinerary. Hmmmm... I'm not really sure. Oh!! Okay I haven't eaten there yet but I do want to. Beaches & Cream on the Boardwalk and then you get to explore the boardwalk which is fun too(although I don't believe they have the entertainers there on monday nights). Its nothing like the California Grill though

Good luck in deciding!

I am definitely holding off on canceling until the last second. I think it is a lost cause though. I get the distinct impression that my Mom is not that crazy about going to the California Grill. She doesn't like the idea of spending 2 credits at a restuarant. I would feel weird if I knew she was really enjoying the place.

I have been toying around with choosing a restaurant that had characters at the meal. That way I could cancel the breakfast reservations I had for Gabrian and myself and save the money on that meal too.

So many choices...it gets overwhelming sometimes.

 

[Li Li]

Hi, I'm joining in! If California Grill cannot work out, maybe just move downstairs to Chef Mickey's? That would give you a character meal and only be 1 TS credit.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Hi, I'm joining in! If California Grill cannot work out, maybe just move downstairs to Chef Mickey's? That would give you a character meal and only be 1 TS credit.

Welcome...I am so glad you are here. Chef Mickey's is definitely on the list!!

 

[MidnightParade]

I would feel weird if I knew she was really enjoying the place.

Buhahahaha!!

Ooooh character dining! Chef's Mickey's is nice but I also really like the Tusker house for Donalds Safari Breakfast, I think they do lunch as well(not 100% sure). Great atmosphere and characters in safari outfits! Although you might like 1900 Park Fare as well. (lol, two completely different atmospheres!)

I guess it depends on the characters you want to see.

 

[Riles_and_Gabe]

Buhahahaha!!

Ooooh character dining! Chef's Mickey's is nice but I also really like the Tusker house for Donalds Safari Breakfast, I think they do lunch as well(not 100% sure). Great atmosphere and characters in safari outfits! Although you might like 1900 Park Fare as well. (lol, two completely different atmospheres!)

I guess it depends on the characters you want to see.

It is amazing what a difference a little n & t make. I meant I would feel weird if she wasn't enjoying herself. It would be really weird if I felt weird about her enjoying herself .

Gabrian and I did Tusker House for breakfast last year and really enjoyed ourselves. There are just so many good options. I am really interested in 1900 Fare Park. I heard the Step Sisters are hilarious! Than there is Garden Grill. Too many choices!!

 

[teekathepony]

Somehow my subscription to your thread didn't stick. Sorry! I'm back and caught up again.

I haven't eaten at Cali Grill, so I don't want to say too much about it, but I do think that if you loved it that much last time, it would be awfully nice to go back. I am kind of like your Mom though, in that I always hesitate to spend two meal credits at a restaurant. I'd have to be really sure it was worth it!

My own personal favourite 1 credit restaurant... hmm... at the moment Via Napoli is coming up first in my mind.

If I had to offer an opinion, I'd say if you're not sure about it, keep Cali Grill in your back pocket for a special meal on a future trip and find a nice 1 credit to replace it.

 

[crazydaisy00]

Hello! Joining in, I don't normally read TR but the title caught my attention so here I am!
Love California Grill but understand the 2 credits! Agree with^ Via Napoli is a favorite for my family. We also enjoy Whispering Canyon, Teppan Edo, Rainforest cafe and your title winner...Ohana! Lol
I also see your flying Southwest and wondering if total cost includes luggage. Price shopping for our Dec trip myself DH, DS14, DS12, DS2 (1st trip for his 3rd bday) and my mom. All previous trips we drove but DS2 will never make it so no choice. Don't like the idea of everyone split up and read Southwest will split up if not small child not sure if we can avoid this or not!

 

[DMGeurts]

Sadly... I have only read your first post... I will be back to read the rest later... But I did get to read enough to know that our trips will be over-lapping ANNNNND... We are at the same resort.

Also... Your title caught my eye... I will be traveling with 3 (Yikes... THREE) teen-girls...

Looking forward to following along.

D~