It's MY Birthday!!!(Sooo, I wanna eat 'n eat,...until I die.) COMPLETED

[trennr]

...Turkey, Lobster, sweet potater pie
Pancakes piled up till they reach the sky.
Lots of starches, lots of greens
Fancy chocoloate-covered - Beans!?!?

Welcome to my 2nd Trip Report...8-nights at the Coranado Springs Resort (CSR) with FREE DINING (Sept4-12, 2010)...

My name is Nathan...or Nate...usually can find me over on the DIS Dad's Club found in the "Disney for Families" Forums. I also run the Caption Contest over on the Photography board...and Randomly pop in over the the Unofficial CSR FAQ Thread. Just a word of warning...I love to use elipses or elipsi "..." I cannot s-p-l worth a hoot. Spell checkers have been the ruin of me.

If your interested my 1st Trip report (for our July 2009 trip) can be found here..."Where did y'all get those shirts?" Fried, Tie-Dyed, and Places Mickey Hides

Cast:

Left to Right:
Chance "Tiny" (DS10)
Nate (me)
Melodie (DW)
Jayce "Boy" (DS15)

We are from the Oldest Town in Tennessee known as Jonesborough.

I'm and Electronics Tech. for an R&D Group for SIEMENS.
Melodie is a Domestic Engineer.
Jayce is a Sophamore.
Chance is in the 5th Grade.

Story:
Well I was pondering a Disney trip this Summer and was running the numbers and it just wasn't working out. Then Disney announced the dates for Free Dining. Boy did I get excited. Only problem was that School in our school district started on Aug 9. Free Dining dates Started on Aug 15.

Personally I had no problem yanking the kids out for a week and having a little fun...convincing the wife?

Well at first she was dead set against it...then I started showing her the numbers verses our 2009 trip. Working and whinning with her daily...she finally broke down and said..."You make the money...if you think we can do it...then who am I to say no."

So for the first time since Boy was in Kindergarten (that's 11 years) we were going to take the kids out of school for a trip.

I know that subject is touchy for some on this board...but my feelings have always been...do what you want with your kids...I'll do what I want. BTW...just last night both kids finished all of their make-up work...including a special report for Tiny on Rafiki's Planet Watch at Animal Kingdom (more on this later).

So thanks for joining...and I hope to have an update sometime next week.

 

[trennr]

Planning
Day1 (Sept 3) Get "Yaris" out of my way...
Day 2 (Sept. 4) My Birthday.
Day 3 (Sept. 5) Magic Kingdom non-stop!!!
Day 3 continued...
Day 4 (Sept. 6) DTD to Dining in a Castle.
Day 4 continued...
Day 5 (Sept. 7) Epcot and a Dis Dad Meet...
Day 5 continued...
Day 6 (Sept. 8) Crappiest Magic Moment ever...
Day 6 continued...
Day 7 (Sept. 9) A third helping of the MK...
Day 8 (Sept. 10) Epcot WS and finally food porn...
Day 9 (Sept. 11) A day to remember...a night to forget.
Day 10 (Sept. 12) Back to Reality...

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm in! But I'll have to catch up when I get back. Looking forward to it!

 

[Rental01]

I'm in!

 

[Wherem I Now]

First Page!

 

[patches07]

I'm in

 

[Emma's Dad]

OK... I'm in Now I have to start mine and beat you to the end! Muaahahahaha!

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I'm in... just as soon as I find my sunglasses.
Holy cow those shirts didn't fade in the wash, did they?

 

[Disneymoon09]

i'm in! I loved your 2009 TR!

 

[reelmom]

I read your last TR and certainly don't want to miss this one.

 

[afwdwfan]

Looking forward to the report and I'll be reading your 2009 report as we await more.

 

[trennr]

I'm in! But I'll have to catch up when I get back. Looking forward to it!

Safe Trip...you won't miss much.

I'm in!

Me too...can't wait to see what happens.

First Page!

Welcome abaord.

I'm in

wonder how many people we could squeeze into the Phone booths in England at Epcot???

OK... I'm in Now I have to start mine and beat you to the end! Muaahahahaha!

Seems I have yet one more Nemisis. Stopher may get jealous.

I'm in... just as soon as I find my sunglasses.
Holy cow those shirts didn't fade in the wash, did they?

Actually Tiny is the only one that wears his on a regular basis outside of our Trips...I noticed that the Philharmagic store had these little beauties on clearance this year. Still had multiple people ask us about where we had gotten them...cast members included.

i'm in! I loved your 2009 TR!

I have a fan!!!

I read your last TR and certainly don't want to miss this one.

2 fans!!!

Looking forward to the report and I'll be reading your 2009 report as we await more.

afwdwfan is unsubscribing in 5-4-3-...

 

[trennr]

Disclaimer...I know this is the sort of thing that people put into Pre-trip reports...but...I didn't do one of those...so here ya go.

OK...so after I got approval from the Spousal Unit...I proceeded to book this trip.

Booked the Coranado Springs Resort for 8 Nights Starting on Sept 4 (My Birthday) thru Sept 12.

Once I had it booked and knowing I had Free Standard Dining plan...it was time for ADR's...but before I could start this...it was "Spreadsheet from Heck" time. you know the Spreadsheet that has the Open/Close Times for each park on Each Day...plus which ones had EMH's..when the parades, Fireworks, etc. are. Second...polled the family about what resturants each might like to visit.

Melodie: Cinderella's; Crystal Palace
Boy: I don't know...Guess it would be neat to eat in the Castle.
Tiny: Crystal Palace, Garden Grill (That place in the Land the Rotates), Castle.
ME: LeCeillar, Boma, Roaring Fork.

So...being well within the 180 window...I knew that I had better get Started.

First off I neede to see when we could get into Cinderella's...I know 2 Boys + all those Princess...but it was something they all wanted to try...so...I worked on this one first. Ended up calling and getting a spot Monday night at 7pm...this was a planned "Off" day from my spreadsheet.

So from there I planned our other vivist online. and it looked like this.

Sat...9-4...nothing.
Sun...9-5...Crystal Palace...Breakfast.
Mon...9-6...Cinderella's...Dinner
Tue...9-7...Garden Grill...Dinner
Wed...9-8...Yak and Yeti...Dinner
Thu...9-9...Liberty Tavern...Dinner
Fri...9-10...Coral Reef...Dinner
Sat...9-11...Boma...Dinner

Well...after putting it all together and presenting it to the Family ADR's and what parks we would visit...everyone noticed no Hollywood Studios...

Well if you've read my othe TR you'd know that we as a family just do not like HS very much...sure there are a few things that each like...but as a whole...we could leave it. A few weeks past...and Melodie says...you know...I've always wanted to eat in that place at Hollywood Studios with the little cars.




Honey...what time is it when we can take the kids out of school...but it not count against them. 11:15 for Jayce andd 11:30 for Chance....OK may have to use that.

So I call up booking and have them add one more day worth of park tickets to my reservation...it was about $13 for all of us. Then I canceled the Booked the SciFi for our arrival day...while canceling the Yak and Yeti at AK for Wednesday...then amended the Spreadsheet. to include Sept 3 as a Travel Day with a stop in Daytona that night. 2 Fold Purpose...one we get one more day at a park...We get to visit the Daytona Flea market...plus we arrive at WDW semi-refreshed and not road weary travelers. Booked us a one night stay at the Comfort Suites right off of I-95 in Daytona.

Then I showed the family my new Master Plan...wife approved cause she was bummed about missing thr Flea Market this trip....and that she was going to get to go into the SciFi. I look like a Hero to here...I and I get to get into HS for a chance to ride a couple of my favorite rides (ToT, and RnR).

That was the only tweak I had to make.

So here is the plan.

Sept 3...Get off of work early...Pick up Kids at School...hit the road for Daytona.
Sept 4...Visit Daytona Flea Market...Check in...unpack...Goto HS.
Sept 5...Get to MK for Opening...Eat at Crystal Palace AM...probably Stay for some EMH's
Sept 6...Sleep in...visit DTD...Visit Monorail Resorts...MK...Cinderella's.
Sept 7...Get to Epcot ASAP...Meet Stopher...Eat at Garden Grill
Sept 8...AK ASAP...EMH
Sept 9...MK...Liberty Tavern for Dinner.
Sept 10...Epcot...Coral Reef for Dinner...pack up Luggage.
Sept 11...Visit DTD...Wilderness Lodge...Animal Kingdom Lodge...BOMA...pack van
Sept 12...Go Home.

 

[Rental01]

Booked the Coranado Springs Resort for 8 Nights Starting on Sept 4 (My Birthday) thru Sept 12.

Oh, SUUURE! You get into CSR on a whim. I've been planning our November vacation since April and it's been chock-full on our week this whole time.

RE: everything else...

 

[trennr]

Oh, SUUURE! You get into CSR on a whim. I've been planning our November vacation since April and it's been chock-full on our week this whole time.

RE: everything else...

Not really on a whim...I had been eye-balling these dates even before free dining was announced...and I shut my eyes every day for week every time I'd plug in the info and prar that the CSR would still be there...

Pictures...IF you read my first TR you might remember that I often forget I have a camera...unless there a Hidden Mickey near by.

I've got some though.

My Day one installment...I may have to improvize. (I know I just mis-s-p-l-d that.)

 

[Rental01]

Yeah, yeah... I know, you forget about the camera... I'd sure like to see photographic proof of THAT! lol

Edit: Ownage!

 

[trennr]

OK here's a picture of me not using my camera...

 

[Rental01]

OK here's a picture of me not using my camera...

Finally! Proof!

 

[trennr]

OK here we go...

Typically when we goto WDW we travel on Saturday leaving somewhere in the wee hours of the Morning. Not this trip.

We will be leaving in the middle of the Day on a Friday. So Thursday Night I pack just about everything into the back of our 2008 Chrysler T&C

I'll have to borrow a Picture from my 2009 trip.

So we treat this like any other Thursday night...same bedtimes...same getting uptime.

I get up around 6:45am on Friday...well 7am after I hit the snooze a few times. Get dressed, Teeth, Hair...out the door by 7:30 to get DS15 to School by 7:45. We live only 3 Miles from David Crockett High School...aka Telford Tech...aka the "Crop Circle" (here is a sat image from google maps...to see why we call it that.)Map

Anyway drop off the Boy...and off to work...DW takes DS10 to his school Lamar (K-8)...we will be picking them up after 11:15 for Boy...11:30 for Tiny.

Me I get to work by 8am...I'll be leaving at 10:30...I've worked over during the week to make up the rest of the time 1:30 I needed for a half day.

So I get to work... (note that IS NOT coffee...sorry no Stump Water for me.) I do get myself a nice big Mt. Dew from the Pepsi Vending Machine though.

Only thing I really needed to accomplish was turn in my Timesheet for this week and next...it's all done on our intranet.

So in what seems like no time I'm back out the door...get home...DW has paked our remaining items...turned off/unplugged stuff...after I change into some shorts and T-shirt we go to pick up the Boy. DW Calls the school in route to the School to minimize our wait time.

While DW goes to the Office...I turn on my new "Toy." For my 15 year service anniversary with SIEMENS...I picked a new TomTom...and just to annoy the wife I downloaded Yoda's voice.

Evil I am.

So DW and DS15 get in and we make our way out to the road.
Left you should turn. ( I go right...cause I know these roads better than Yoda.)

After ignoring Yoda's next few directions...I get told..."Rebellious You Are"

We get to Lamar and Pick up Tiny...and from this school it's about 6 miles to pick up I-26 East. and we are on our way at about 11:45.

Boys are doing their assignments in the back...wife is reading a book and i'm listening to Yoda and the Radio.

FOr some reason or another there's this Toyota Yaris that keeps getting in front of me...happens all the way from Ashville, NC to almost Orangeburg, SC.

I'd pass her and not see her for miles then there she'd be in front of me again. Yes I used the very words in the title of this segment...several times.

I make a stop somewhere on I-95 for gas and the Loo. and the next stop is the Florida Welcome center...another "tradition"...except they closed at 5pm...it was now almost 7pm. oh well...no bathroom reading material.

When we get to Jacksonville I usually take I-295 the long way around...but I followed the advice of DisFed...and take Florida 9A. He told me of a surprise.

First thing I notice is some larger cooling towers...I'm like I didn't know Jacksonville was powered by Nuclear...later found out that this is actually a Coal power plant.

Then we get to the surpirse...Dames Point Bridge...

Very cool suspension bridge crossing St. Johns River...there a very impressive Ship headed out to sea here too...but could not get a picture...don't see how that thing floated...looked like a very large box.

Pretty un eventful from here on...we make Daytona by 9pm-ish...grab a bite from Chick-fil-A and check into our hotel...a Comfort Suites just off I-95 on hwy92.

You could tell this place had some age...but it was clean and comfortable...and wished my room at the CSR had been this big.

 

[tankgirl427]

Hi. I'm enjoying reading your trip. We were at Disney for part of the same time. I once made the mistake of driving from Boston to Miami. NEVER again!

Also, wasn't Jonesborough one of the stops on the Great Food Truck Race? Sorry I love all reality shows a little too much. Any