Is it October yet? Rob and Stacy's Excellent Adventures!

[Stacybaeasm]

I had a dream about park food last night so I am in the mood to think about all things Disney dining today. MMMM...I could go for just about any Disney snack right now. Why am I always so hungry on Monday mornings??

Ok, the first decision that had to be made was dining plan or no dining plan. I discarded the idea of the DDP right away because Rob and I never eat that much table service. Those of you who plan all those ADR's and get on the phone for hours at a time witb Disney Dining, I bow to you . I don't think I have that kind of energy. Plus, we somehow never got hooked on sitting down for long periods of time. I think it comes from our commando park days back when we both lived in Florida.

You see, we were all AP holders back then, Rob, Christine (the girlfriend who I usually refer to as Xtine Warrior Princess) and I. We would decide kind of mid week to make a trip to Disney on Monday (theatre day off). We would leave my house at 6:30 am to make the drive from Sarasota to Disney. A quick stop at McDonalds and off we would go. Rob would ride shotgun and be in charge of Disney music. Xtine would sleep in the back seat. Here's the funny thing, she fell asleep the second she finished eating (sometimes while chewing that last bite of food ) She would sleep the entire way there which is a miracle because Rob and I were SCREAMING Disney songs at the top of our lungs and making fun of all the cars in rush hour on their way to work. Xtine had some kind of magic internal alarm clock and would wake up as we took the exit off I-4 to the park. She would put her contacts in, get her stuff together, and off we went. We usually hit 3 parks in one day (AK, MK, and DHS). We almost always skipped Epcot. Anyway, we NEVER slowed down for any kind of table service. We would snack on the run and maybe eat lunch at a counter service. Dinner was always eaten while waiting for whichever evening show we were seeing. Then, we would stop at the candy shop on the way out to by snacks for the drive home. Xtine would be asleep before we even left the parking lot and Rob and I would eat bad things and discuss the day on the drive home. We usually arrived back in Sarasota about 2:00am. Yep, hard core commando. But that's not what this vacation is about, right Rob??

Ok back to the now. So, no DDP. What about the new Quick Service? I thought about it, Rob and I talked about it, and in the end, we decided against it. Even that plan, as flexible as it is, doesn't really work with the way we eat at Disney. So, no dining plan. Where do we eat?

We know we are going to do a breakfast at Crystal Palace. I have never done a character meal before so it is on the list of must do's. Rob and I went back and forth between CP and Chef Mickey's. In the end, the idea of being in the MK really early, with very few people around, swayed us to the CP. So, one ADR to make so far.

We are also tossing around the thought of 50's Primetime and/or Sci-Fi. I have eaten at both and them both. However, I have had really good luck with morning walk ups for each of these. I usually stop by the little dining window by the tip board sometime during the morning in DHS and see what they have available. Since we will probably visit DHS a couple of times, we should manage to do one or both of these so no ADR there.

The rest of what I llike to refer to as "feed the Rob" times will probably be counter service and snacks. Here is the list of what I am dreaming about at this point:
Flame Tree BBQ for lunch - (pulled beef sandwich and a corn muffin for Rob)
Casey's (corn dog nuggets and some fries with cheese)
Cosmic Rays (burger and fries with several pounds of sauteed mushrooms for Rob even though they do bad things to his digestive track )
Dole Whip!!!
Tollhouse icecream cookie sandwich
Funnel cake
Nachos at Fantasmic
Cotton Candy
FUDGE!!!!!!!
Turkey leg (for Rob. You couldn't pay me to eat one of these)
Chili Dog (again, for Rob. AND at the same time as the turkey leg. )
Popcorn

And then, of course, there are the drinks that I need to try at Epcot:
Grand Mariner Slushie
Grey Goose Slushie
Welsh Dragon
Tangerine Daquiri

Ok, now that I am drooling on my desk, I guess I should get to work. I'm sure Rob will chime in sooner or later with his thoughts about food (and believe me, he has thoughts. The boy can EAT!)

Oh and hey lurkers? Come on in and join the fun. I don't bite and Rob is generally muzzled. I'd love to hear from some of you so it isn't just me talking to myself!

 

[thegreggersmom]

Whew! I had to re-register (since I somehow registered myself as a minor last time and that, FYI, makes posting very difficult!) but I am now here and on the edge of my seat...

What, no Mickey bars on the menu?!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Whew! I had to re-register (since I somehow registered myself as a minor last time and that, FYI, makes posting very difficult!) but I am now here and on the edge of my seat...

What, no Mickey bars on the menu?!

Registered yourself as a minor - hmm...accident or wishful thinking?

MICKEY BARS!! I can't believe I forgot Mickey Bars. Monday mornings make my brain not function. Of course I will eat a mickey bar. Probably right after I eat nachos in Mexico. Love them, but they make my ulcers do bad things.
A Mickey Bar helps that all settle right down!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I just realized that tomorrow is the first day Katie can try to book us!! Keep your fingers crossed!

 

[AngVT]

Sounds like you're having a lot of fun planning!!! My daughter and I are going to enjoy a vacation to WDW the end of Oct. Hey, when you're there, can you have a drink for me (on the 17th)... my birthday (40 ~ EEEEEKKKKK!!!! ) DD and I will arrive on the 23rd, to take advantage of 2 MNSSHP's (one being on the 31st), and the F&W festival...mmmm!!!!

Have you thought of Tusker house (character breakfast?) for a table service? You get there at 8am, and enjoy a meal & Characters, and make it outside for rope drop! (and it's inexpensive!)... my son and I loved it!!! We got FP's to KS and took a leisurely walk to EE for a few rides (5 before the crowds arrived)... It's a great meal, buffet with Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.

DD and I are looking forward to Disney, cuz I LOVE everything Disney! (she is embarassed by me sometimes... skipping down Main St. )

I'm excited to hear about your plans!

 

[robwthomas]

I don't bite and Rob is generally muzzled. :

Not true on one account. I'll let you guess, but I'll give you a hint. I have scars in the shape of Stacy's mouth.

What, no Mickey bars on the menu?!

I prefer the chocolate covered banana's at DHS. I never pass them up. Against my religion.

DD and I are looking forward to Disney, cuz I LOVE everything Disney! (she is embarassed by me sometimes... skipping down Main St. )

You tell DD that nothing beats skipping down Main St.! Every single song is surprisingly skippable... is that a word?



As far as food goes, I've never met a counter service I haven't liked. EXCEPT the lands pavilion in Epcot. Everything costs as much as a buick and tastes like it's made of hay... I will be hitting up the Food and Wine Festival. I'll clean the place out.

Look how the little heads love each other.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

AngVT - Welcome!!!!! It's nice to have someone join the madness that is and will continue to be this trip report. You tell your DD not to be embarassed about ANYTHING at Disney. First, it's Disney so acting like a kid is required. Secondly, you don't know anyone else there and will probably never see them again so it doesn't matter!! I always stop dead and cry while looking at the castle for the first time every trip. And then I get really silly and just have a good time.

Rob, let's talk about your recent fascination with the smilies. I look forward to which one you will pick next.

Oh, and Katie just called to get my address to book the trip. She is, as I type this, on the phone with DVC member services booking our vacation!!!!! I can't wait!!!!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Hi!! Have you booked your room yet? Oh, I just saw where she was on the phone doing that. IDK, but it seems so official once the room is booked and the dates are set in stone. I am getting so excited as each day passes.

We are 7 months away now!!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

WE ARE BOOKED!!!! Katie, the super wonderful DVC dreamgal , booked the first 7 nights of our vacation for us today. Poor thing has to call back tomorrow to add the last day. I don't understand how DVC works and why she has to make 2 phone calls, but I don't have to know. All I know is Rob and I are all set for a stay at Old Key West from Oct. 10-17. Once we add the 18th, we are really and truly going to Disney in 7 months!!!! Big hugs to Katie We're going to Disney!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Ok, now that the hotel is booked (Yay Katie!! ) it's time to start thinking about what we are going to do each day. Of course, it's hard to plan this far out because the park hours aren't out yet, but will that stop me? Nope. Itineraries are meant to be changed anyway. Plus, Rob needs to chime in with what HE wants to do too. So, let's give our trip a basic outline that can and will change many, many, many times!

Saturday, oct. 10 - Arrival day. The flight I am looking at will land at MCO about 11:30am. Hop on ME and hopefully get to OKW between 1:00 and 2:00. Meet Rob. (Rob, this means you need to leave SArasota around 11:00am. Can you handle that?) Get checked in and explore. Then, decision time. Park or DTD? If we go to a park, it HAS to be MK. There is NO WAY to start a vacation at any other park. So, if MK - head in, stop at Casey's for late lunch, then off to to ride rides, have snacks, and see Wishes (and Spectro if it's running). If DTD - I was thinking T-Rex for a late lunch, then some shopping, and then pick up Earl of Sandwich to take back for late dinner.

Sunday, Oct. 11 - Should we try for CP ressies this day? If so, early into MK for that then probably hop out to Magic Animals, oh sorry, Animal Kingdom. I forget not everyone speaks Rob. I really want to do the walking trails this year, having never done them. Really late lunch at Flame Tree then over to DHS for Fantasmic (if showing that night).

Monday, Oct 12 - We have MNSSHP this night so we will probably sleep a little late?? Maybe?? We didn't last year so maybe not. Maybe today should be a try Epcot day? I really, really don't get Epcot so Rob is going to try to get me to love it. However, that's a lot of walking, followed by the party so maybe not Epcot. Hmmm, this is really hard to figure out this far out. Maybe its a DHS day with a late lunch at 50's Prime Time so we don't need to eat again until snack at the party. MNSSHP is definate for this night.

Tuesday, Oct. 13 - Epcot today? Maybe this is the best plan. We can sleep a little late and then head to Epcot and spend the day (if Rob can keep me entertained here for that long.) Food and Wine is happening so that should be good. AND since it is another MNSSHP at MK that night, unless there is a Fantasmic, we can stay for Illuminations.

Wednesday, Oct. 14 - at this point, we "should" have hit each park once already. Now is when we really need to start using EMH and decide what we need to do again. Probably, we have concentrated on rides up to this point so now we can think about shows, ride repeats, and character meet and greets. I want to do the Fairies and the Princesses in Toon Town and I also want to explore the characters at Magic Animals. Plus, whoever else we happen to see out and about. I have never gotten a picture with STepmother, Drucilla, and Anastacia either so that's a goal.

Thursday,, Oct. 15 - this MAY be a solo day for me if Rob is a good boy and goes back to work.

Friday, Oct 16 - This also MAY be a solo day for me. Rob, are you seriously going back for 2 days???

Saturday, oct 17 - Last day in the parks. We need to finish everything, get the shopping done, and see whatever we haven't seen yet. Last year, I got to do Wishes 3 times and Fantasmic 3 times. I'm hoping for similar this year. Plus, all the parades and stuff.

Sunday, Oct 18 - Time to head home. My proposed flight leaves at 2:40 so ME would pick me up around 11:30 or so. At least Rob will be conscious this year when I leave. Last year, ME picked me up at like 5:00am. Rob wouldn't wake up enough to say goodbye. THEN he texted me at like 11:00am and yelled at me for not waking him up to say goodbye. Umm...I did everything except dump water on his head, up to and including jumping on the bed.

Ok, clearly I can't make any kind of plan until closer to the trip. I wish park hours came out sooner! Rob, thoughts, questions, emotional disturbances???

 

[Kmango]

Bear in mind that DVC check-in time is after 4pm. Now, if your room is ready before then, they'll give you access early, but they may not be able to. So just factor that into your arrival plans.

ALSO. Olivias. Breakfast. Delicious. I realize you're extremely opposed to sit-down, non-character dining, but I'm telling you, the sweet potato hash was clearly concocted by some sort of higher life-form.

ALSO. If you want, I can put in some sort of room request -- water view, top floor (but there aren't elevators!), ground floor, general area requests, etc. The one request I can't make is near Hospitality House, because that's its own booking category. But other than that, let me know and I'll add it to your reservation.

I'm usually off on Mondays, and we'll be on short hours Sunday, so maybe I'll come over Sunday night or Monday morning, do MNSSHP on Monday night, and then head back on Tuesday.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Right, right, I forget that DVC check in time is later. That's ok. We'll swing by and do paperwork and stuff. If our room is ready early, great! We'll go up, unpack, and head out. If not, we'll explore a little bit and make a plan. I can always leave my carry on with bell services or in Rob's car and we can head out to a park or whatever.

And Olivia's. Thank you for the reminder. Almost every review I've seen on OKW has mentioned the restaurant. I know that I will have breakfast there the day I fly back but we may also discover it for other meals. Oh I can't wait!

I had a dream last night that I was in Disney. Rob showed up and was sick as a dog with a cold. And he blamed you for it. Weird huh? I guess my brain is just working weirdly right now.

Ok, I am off to be the receptionist at the theatre today. Ours is out sick so I get to answer phones! Oh, and I get to surf the disney sites for work purposes. My bosses are taking their godchild to the World next month and have me doing their ADR's, park hour research, etc. Yep, getting paid to do what I like to do! Sometimes, I love my job.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I'm usually off on Mondays, and we'll be on short hours Sunday, so maybe I'll come over Sunday night or Monday morning, do MNSSHP on Monday night, and then head back on Tuesday.

Come on over!!!! The more the merrier! And the party is soooo much fun. but how are you on shortened hours? Isn't the season open at that point? it seems to me there should be 2 shows that day and if I remember, Sundays were the hard days to get through at the box office. Of course, what day isn't? Well, it doesn't matter. I would love it if you were at the party (and spent the day Monday) with us and so would Rob!

 

[Kmango]

Actually, I can also check you in online, so all you have to do is will-call your room keys when you get there.

The season's opening later -- way later -- next year, so we'll still be on shorter hours.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Actually, I can also check you in online, so all you have to do is will-call your room keys when you get there.

The season's opening later -- way later -- next year, so we'll still be on shorter hours.

Clearly we have things we need to discuss. Probably not on this forum though. Send me the details on facebook!

BUT that means you can come to Disney

 

[Stacybaeasm]

October is so, so, so far away. At the rate I'm going, I'm never going to make it to the trip. I keep trying to get "just one more thing" done for it. Pretty soon, I'll pack my suitcases and leave them sitting by the front door for months! Plus, it doesn't help that everytime I turn around right now, there's something about Disney on TV.

Recently I decided I needed a new bag for the trip. I started doing some research here on the Dis and found a couple of bags I was interested in getting. Then I wandered into disneyshopping.com and fell in love with the small messenger bag that could be personalized. I decided to get it for myself for my birthday next month. Ok, I am really not good at delayed gratification. I went back to disney shopping to get my niece a birthday present. Ahh...my darling niece - she is going to be seven but she thinks she is a teenager. For Christmas, she asked me for a cell phone and an ipod. Really, at 7??? I guess she is outgrowing the princesses for now. So, I caved and got her some Hannah Montana stuff. Of course, while I was there, I took a peek at my bag. I finally read some of the descriptions and noticed that it said it could take up to 10 days for the monogramming and then up to 10 more days for delivery. That was cutting it close to my birthday (if you apply fuzzy Disney math and only count business days) so I ordered the bag. And of course, it was here in 4 days! I'm so excited. Here are some pictures.

This is a close up of the monogram. You can choose from a variety of characters, fonts, and colors. I got my favorite princess Belle. My niece my be too "growed up" for princesses, but her aunt clearly isn't!

I love this bag. I was a little worried when they described it as "small" messenger bag, thinking it wouldn't be big enough. How wrong I was! This bag is huge!!! It's got a front zippered pocket big enough for my camera and wallet (easy access), a side mesh pocket for water (or in my case Diet Coke) bottle, an inside area for pens, pencils, cell phone, etc, AND a HUGE inside pocket that can hold all my other misc. stuff. Oh, and Rob's stuff too. Somehow, I end up carrying things for him. Oh well, fair trade off I guess.

Let's see then. Checklist for vacation:
Hotel booked - check
Fl,ights picked - check
Flights booked - not quite. I'm waiting to see if the price comes down a bit.
Preliminary Itinerary - check. Just waiting on park hours now.
ADR's picked - check. Just waiting on 90 days. And THAT's not until the middle of July.
Bag for parks - check

What do I do for the next few months to kill time???

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Lisa!! A fellow Disney princess, co-worker, and good friend. Lisa is the musical director for the theatre I work for. Thanks to a lot of time together in the booth and the fact that our offices are right across from each other, we have discovered a mutual love fest of all things Disney. She shares in my trip planning excitement (or pretends to because she can't avoid having to listen to me) and I share in her excitement when she goes. She was feeling a little down because she didn't think she was going to get to WDW this year. However, thanks to a little Disney magic...

She is joining us for part of the vacation!!! She isn't sure for how long, but it looks like she will go down a day early to "take pictures" and then stay until Tuesday so she can go to the party.

So, right now we have Rob and I for 8 days, Lisa joining for 3 or 4 days AND MNSSHP, and Katie joining for a day or two AND MNSSHP!!! Party in the parks my friends. Who else wants to join???

Oh, and by the way Lisa, it is now in print and on the Dis, you can't back out now!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Cindy and Amber!!! Wow. This trip has gone from a solo adventure in it's very early pre-planning days to a cast of thousands (or 10's I don't do math. )

Cindy and Amber are a mother/daughter team from way back in my past, even further back than Rob. Cindy was the department secretary for the theatre back when I was in undergrad. We quickly hit it off and became fast friends. Amber was only 8 years old back then and she became my little sister. Everything she knows, she learned from me (or her mom or some combination there of.) I almost never get to see them anymore because I rarely go home and they are too busy traveling to Ireland to come to me.

Anyway, I got a message from Amber today confirming the dates because they are joining us. They will be staying off-site and also trying to do Sea World and Universal. It will be great fun! And now, more planning must happen to make sure everyone gets what they want out of their vacations.

Oh, and just in case there was any confusion - THEY will be doing Sea World and Universal. I will be staying at Disney the entire time. Yep, Disney snob that I am, I won't leave the property once I get there. But, we'll still have lots of time for adventures together. I am quite sure the Mouse is not ready for this gang to arrive.

 

[robwthomas]

Sorry, I've been elusive.

In response to STACY:

I can and will leave Sarasota at 11AM. I'll probably leave at 10AM because I'll be so excited and I'll need McDonalds breakfast.

I want MK the first day! We need to start it off right, none of that DTD stuff. They don't even have fireworks or Space Mountain.

I agree that we shouldn't do Epcot before MNSSHP. If Epcot manages to marsh your disney mellow, which it won't because I'll be with you, I don't want it effecting MNSSHP. Have you thought of a costume, yet?

We will have fun at Epcot. Remember, there's a country called Norway and the pavillion is like Little Minnesota. It'll remind you of home. Plus... Soarin... I'm just saying.

PS: The same rules apply to having too much fun at disney as do when having too much fun drinking. If I don't remember it, it didn't happen. So, even though you did, in my book you never said goodbye!


Response to KATIE:

YES! You need to come! It is imparative that you come! We will have so much fun! Start thinking of a costume.


Response to AMBER and CINDY coming. NO WAY! I can't wait! This blows my mind!

Response to LISA coming... Lisa, I have no clue who you are... but, HECK YES! This will be the best vacation you've ever had!

Is this hippie doing a butterfly mating ritual?!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Rob - even MK doesn't have Space Mountain while we are there. It is closed for refurbishment, remember???? And it needs it. Remember last year when we rode it the first night? I'm still trying to get my liver back to the correct place.

Maybe Monday is Magic Animals in the morning. That's what we did last year and it worked well. Plus, we had that delicious lunch at Flame Tree that kept us until the party. Speaking of, David is almost done in the Nemo show. Yesterday he said he only had 4 shows left as Marlin. Poor Nemo. He will have a new dad looking for him.

So, now we need to coordinate arrivals and where we will meet up on Saturday, get tickets for MNSSHP, and figure out where and when we want ADR's. Now that our party is bigger than 2, I don't know that we can count on walkups for 50's prime time or Sci Fi. So people, start discussing!