Lard Wrestling and Sleep Deprivation – A Dec. 08 TR

[curlz2tite]

Sign me up! joining in.

In so many ways your ptr could be my ptr (if i were brave enough to write one) It will also be DH & I on our own. The only big difference is that DH is very involved in the planning & re planning & replanning again. Atleast Dh has control of the spread sheet & I just keep getting the updated version.

We were also "forced" to drop our extras on our tkts when they announced the closing of the AC. We figured the refund payed for our MVMCP tkts.

We are only doing the regular DDP , but did add a couple of breakfasts to pay oop. I looked at your tentative schedual & our paths don't look like they will cross at all. Otherwise I would have been sure to say HI.

 

[TPCShauna]

Yippety skippety! Visitors!!!!

No, I haven't seen any WL pics yet, but if I do, I'll let you know. We stayed out there a few weeks ago and it is beautiful but very different from BC. So just do both!

There are now some WL pics over on the "Breaking News Photo Shoots" thread. The locations are gorgeous. We may definitely be doing our shoot there if I can make a decision around the price thing.

Oh my word, your little Gracie may be the cutest puppy I have ever seen! How big do you expect her to get?

Love the PTR details, keep 'em coming!

Thank you! We think our baby girl is pretty darn cute too! She will be about 7 1/2 or 8 lbs. max in weight and around 10 1/2" at the shoulder. Still small but a total bundle of energy. Of course, she is quite the cuddler also.

Sign me up! joining in.

In so many ways your ptr could be my ptr (if i were brave enough to write one) It will also be DH & I on our own. The only big difference is that DH is very involved in the planning & re planning & replanning again. Atleast Dh has control of the spread sheet & I just keep getting the updated version.

We were also "forced" to drop our extras on our tkts when they announced the closing of the AC. We figured the refund payed for our MVMCP tkts.

We are only doing the regular DDP , but did add a couple of breakfasts to pay oop. I looked at your tentative schedual & our paths don't look like they will cross at all. Otherwise I would have been sure to say HI.

So funny that your DH is doing the planning! Mine definitely wants the say but none of the work. Who am I kidding? I LOVE the work!

It's so sad about the AC isn't it. DH loves that place and so do I. Have fun at MVMCP! We did that on our last December trip and decided it just wasn't worth the extra cost this time around. Maybe sometime down the road with kids.

 

[TPCShauna]

Is it just the photo shoots that are going up, or the photopass cd, too? I can't seem to find any info when I need it. If so, do you know when any price increase will take affect? Thanks...going back to read the PTR in a bit!

I am so sorry I missed this! So far, only the cost of the photo shoots has gone up - from $25 to $75 with pre-purchase, $50 to $150 without. The price increase went into effect on August 25 for all sessions scheduled from Sept. 25 on.

At this point, there has been no confirmation that the pre-purchase price of $99.95 OR post-trip purchase price of $125.95 for the Photopass CD will be increasing. I have read rumors that the pre-purchase price might be going away "soon" but no dates have been mentioned and the rumor has not been confirmed.

The "Breaking News Photo Shoots" thread on the Resort Photos board has a ton more info about the price increase.

 

[trixiequilts]

I am so sorry I missed this! So far, only the cost of the photo shoots has gone up - from $25 to $75 with pre-purchase, $50 to $150 without. The price increase went into effect on August 25 for all sessions scheduled from Sept. 25 on.

At this point, there has been no confirmation that the pre-purchase price of $99.95 OR post-trip purchase price of $125.95 for the Photopass CD will be increasing. I have read rumors that the pre-purchase price might be going away "soon" but no dates have been mentioned and the rumor has not been confirmed.

The "Breaking News Photo Shoots" thread on the Resort Photos board has a ton more info about the price increase.

Gosh, even $75 is a lot, let alone $150 without the pre-purchase. I'm going to need to re-consider, I think. That may just free up an afternoon for us!

 

[TPCShauna]

Today, we are officially 95 days out! I totally missed my slip into double digits because I stopped checking since it made me sad to see how far we had to go. Double digits means it's time to crack out the Passporter!

I'm doing a Photopass share on TourGuideMike and I'm the hostess. I pre-ordered our CD for that yesterday so we are all set there. We still haven't decided if we want to pay the extra to do the photo shoot. On the one hand, it's our 10th anniversary and you just can't do better than pictures at WDW to celebrate. On the other hand, DH is cheap and doesn't seem completely thrilled about the idea of paying the $75 with the reduced services. Honestly, I'm not terribly thrilled either. However, knowing Disney, there's a chance they'll change the whole thing at least twice before we have to book our session. In the meantime, I am keeping my eye on the main photo shoot thread to see what happens.

Of course, there is the chance that Disney will honor the $25 photo shoot offer on the bottom of the PP pre-purchase confirmation email. It says $25 session at the GF but some have reported that they could book the $25 session at other resorts. Ideally, we probably wouldn't select GF as our first choice (even though the resort is stunning at Christmas time), but we'll definitely suck it up and go there if we get it for $25 instead of $75.

So, now that we are down to 95 days, I need to kick my to-do list into high gear. I need to get these things done:

- Make trip journal (cover the outside of small journal with Disney scrapbook paper and die cuts or buy a Disney journal that isn't too "kiddie")

- Decide if I want to do a special order cake for DH for our anniversary. We are doing a really late breakfast at 1900 Park Fare and I'm thinking about changing Ohana to Narcoosee's for our last night so I will potentially have two ops for a cake from the GF bakery.

I've thought about just the mini castle cake like this:

but there is no guarantee that they will decorate it for our anniversary. The good part is that it is only $25. It is also a mini cake so we would be able to finish it quickly and easily which is a total plus if I wait until Narcoosee's. The other potential drawback is that cake flavors and fillings are limited.

I would LOVE something like this:

but it is $75 and I'm not sure I want to spend that much on a cake. It's a 6-inch so we would be able to finish it fairly quickly and easily if we get it at 1900 Park Fare but it would go to waste if we got it at Narcoosee's. The pluses are that it is fully customizable and they will personalize.

I can order either one through Linda at GF at the Cake Hotline: 407-827-2253.

- Gather together some pics and decide on wording for personalized menu and diver sign at CR. I want to surprise DH with this at our lunch there. The bonus is that it is free!

- Decide if we really want to change any of our ADRs. I would love to try out Narcoosee's and Raglan Road but I would have to do some serious altering in the schedule to make it work. Plus, I don't know if DH would like Narcoosee's since he doesn't like seafood. I just would like our last dinner to be very special.

So, now that I have all that down, I guess I can end this mammoth post. I need to get busy!

 

[askelton]

Yea for single digits!

It's your 10th, so I saw do the photo shoot! Of course, it's not my money. At an auction, my DH and I bought a GC for a photograph from our wedding photographer and it's the only nice picture together we have since our wedding. We would have never done it otherwise so that's just my two cents.

I love the wedding cake idea and again, it's not my money but I love the personalized one.

We also went to Narcoosee's for our anniversary and it was a lovely experience. They knew it was a special night for us and made it even more so. I highly recommend it if there's something on the menu your DH will eat. And you go out to the porch and watch the fireworks when your finished!

 

[TPCShauna]

Gosh, even $75 is a lot, let alone $150 without the pre-purchase. I'm going to need to re-consider, I think. That may just free up an afternoon for us!

I so know what you mean. We STILL haven't decided. The increase from $25 to $75 isn't that big of a deal for us. I'm more upset that they stopped allowing the Resort photo shoot pics to have enhancements. We're still on the fence with this.

Yea for single digits!

It's your 10th, so I saw do the photo shoot! Of course, it's not my money. At an auction, my DH and I bought a GC for a photograph from our wedding photographer and it's the only nice picture together we have since our wedding. We would have never done it otherwise so that's just my two cents.

I love the wedding cake idea and again, it's not my money but I love the personalized one.

We also went to Narcoosee's for our anniversary and it was a lovely experience. They knew it was a special night for us and made it even more so. I highly recommend it if there's something on the menu your DH will eat. And you go out to the porch and watch the fireworks when your finished!

Your point about the nice picture is exactly why I want to do the shoot. We've not had photos since our wedding and I'd LOVE some nice ones at WDW.

I did some shifting in our schedule so that we can fit Narcoosee's in. We will actually be dining there our first night so I'm thinking I'll do the anniversary cake. I'm just still wondering if DH will have a hissy if I pay $75 for a cake.

 

[askelton]

I'm just still wondering if DH will have a hissy if I pay $75 for a cake.

So, don't tell him. Because my DH would!

 

[TPCShauna]

Well, the Passporter has been cracked open again and planning is in full swing.

So far, I've:
- Verified that our flight seat requests went through (Yes)
- Confirmed car rental class and hours now that we have flights
- Printed out all existing confirmations and placed them in the Passporter
- Changed ADRs (again for the 10th time)
- Booked scooter rental for trip

I've not mentioned anything about that last one on my PTR. I had an accident in my driveway last November and hurt by knee pretty badly. I had surgery on it back in March and it is doing pretty well in the joint. The problem is that I still have nerve damage and two tendons/ligaments going pretty batty. It hurts really bad to stand AND to walk for even short distances. The doctor told me I should be fine after surgery so we went ahead and booked our WDW trip back in March. Surgery was early March and I am still having a lot of issues relating to the nerve damage and tendons so they are now saying next March.

My doctor told me the only way I would be able to go to WDW and actually enjoy myself would be to use a scooter. In fact, he told my husband I couldn't go unless I kept walking to a minimum. We all know that is impossible to do at WDW so I've been pricing electric scooters to rent for the whole week since I'm not even supposed to walk much at the RESORT or to and from the parks.

After pricing 6 companies, DH and chose one yesterday and they are booked. My "wheels" will be waiting at the luggage desk when we check in!

 

[TPCShauna]

So, don't tell him. Because my DH would!

That's probably what I will end up doing. If I do the mini-cake, I'll have to pay for it at the time of our dinner so it will show up on the hotel bill since we always charge everything back to the room.

If I go the other route, the cake is paid at time of order so it would show in the account which he doesn't watch too closely. However, there is always the chance he'll see it no matter what I do.

I love the pic of you in your siggie. Cute hat!

 

[TPCShauna]

Score!!! I finally got a ressie for Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House! Calling several times a week for months finally paid off! I also made a few other changes to our ADRs for our trip and am really, truly hoping that these will be the last ones (unless I can get an earlier Cali Grill ADR.)

Here's the latest line-up:

Sunday, Dec. 7
CS Lunch at Pizzafari or Flame Tree BBQ
8:35pm - Narcoosee's

Monday, Dec. 8
11:10am - 50's Prime Time
CS Dinner at Columbia Harbour House (yum!) and Pecos Bill's?

Tuesday, Dec. 9
12:05pm - The Wave
9:35pm - California Grill (still trying for an earlier time)

Wednesday, Dec. 10
11:40am - Coral Reef
6:45pm - San Angel Inn

Thursday, Dec. 11
10:20am - 1900 Park Fare
8:45pm - Jiko

Friday, Dec. 12
11:00am - Yak & Yeti
8:00pm - Hollywood Brown Derby

Saturday, Dec. 13
11:30am - Le Cellier
9:00pm - Le Chefs de France

Sunday, Dec. 14
10:00am - Tusker House
7:20pm - Boma

No, Boma is not quite the super-nice last night dinner I had originally wanted but I do want to eat there and I think the food will be better than Ohana. Also, eating at that time will allow us to high-tail it over to the Poly to catch the Electric Water Pageant and Holiday Wishes from the beach which IS a wonderful last night activity.

I'm pretty happy with this incarnation of our dining plan. Everything in RED is new to us so lots of new adventures and times/locales to suit our touring plan.

I'm fully expecting that we will be making some last minute changes to these on the fly while at WDW but I think it's a good jumping off point.

We will have our own car since we will need to transport the scooter around property (as there is NO WAY I'm going to wait five million years for an accessible bus) so we'll have no problem making all of these.

I'm so excited!

 

[askelton]

I love the pic of you in your siggie. Cute hat!

Thanks! I didn't end up buying it so I had to take a picture.

Sunday, Dec. 7
CS Lunch at Pizzafari or Flame Tree BBQ
8:35pm - Narcoosee's Love it!

Monday, Dec. 8
11:10am - 50's Prime Time
CS Dinner at Columbia Harbour House (yum!) and Pecos Bill's?

Tuesday, Dec. 9
12:05pm - The Wave I just heard someone say this was the best meal of their trip.
9:35pm - California Grill (still trying for an earlier time) Very good.

Wednesday, Dec. 10
11:40am - Coral Reef
6:45pm - San Angel Inn

Thursday, Dec. 11
10:20am - 1900 Park Fare
8:45pm - Jiko

Friday, Dec. 12
11:00am - Yak & Yeti
8:00pm - Hollywood Brown Derby Another favorite.

Saturday, Dec. 13
11:30am - Le Cellier
9:00pm - Le Chefs de France

Sunday, Dec. 14
10:00am - Tusker House
7:20pm - Boma

 

[TPCShauna]

I think I'm most excited about the Wave because of the wine list. DH wasn't terribly thrilled with the menu but I think it will be a nice break out of the park. That's our MK day and I know we'll be ready for a break by lunch time. We do Tour Guide Mike so we are almost always at rope drop unless we have another plan.

Overall, I'm really pleased with our dining plan. DH doesn't do breaks at the resort so I have to find other ways to work in some down time. TS meals seem to be the way to go for that.

 

[trixiequilts]

Here's the latest line-up:

Sunday, Dec. 7
CS Lunch at Pizzafari or Flame Tree BBQ
8:35pm - Narcoosee's

Monday, Dec. 8
11:10am - 50's Prime Time
CS Dinner at Columbia Harbour House (yum!) and Pecos Bill's?

Tuesday, Dec. 9
12:05pm - The Wave
9:35pm - California Grill (still trying for an earlier time)

Wednesday, Dec. 10
11:40am - Coral Reef
6:45pm - San Angel Inn

Thursday, Dec. 11
10:20am - 1900 Park Fare
8:45pm - Jiko

Friday, Dec. 12
11:00am - Yak & Yeti
8:00pm - Hollywood Brown Derby

Saturday, Dec. 13
11:30am - Le Cellier
9:00pm - Le Chefs de France

Sunday, Dec. 14
10:00am - Tusker House
7:20pm - Boma

It must feel so good to have the plans all set (for now at least)! What do you like at Columbia Harbour House?

 

[TPCShauna]

I'm pretty pleased with the dining plans. At this point, I'm truly not planning to shift anything else before we get there. We'll see what happens once we get onsite.

CHH is my fave CS at WDW. I like the location and the lovely upstairs dining room as much as the food. I usually get the fish basket but I also really like the tuna sandwich. DH doesn't eat fish so he will either get the chicken planks there or head over to Pecos Bill's for a burger. He'll be the one picking up all of the food either way. I really want to watch Spectro and the Wishes from the Hub so I plan to park myself around 5:45. He'll then wander over for dinner around 6:45ish and we'll eat while we are waiting.

I know there are less crowded places to see both of these things but this is the only MK night we have planned during our trip and I want a really awesome view. My view last time was only so-so so I'm making up for it.

 

[New England Eeyore]

Hi Shauna!

I love hearing about other people's dining plans. When I travel with my Dad, it's all about the food with us, and I think your choices look great.

Boma is our favorite restaurant ever (my Dad has a fantasy of moving to Orlando so he could eat there every day!) so I think you will really enjoy it!

We're trying Tusker House and Yak and Yeti for the first time in October - I'll let you know what we think!

 

[TPCShauna]

Hi Shauna!

I love hearing about other people's dining plans. When I travel with my Dad, it's all about the food with us, and I think your choices look great.

Boma is our favorite restaurant ever (my Dad has a fantasy of moving to Orlando so he could eat there every day!) so I think you will really enjoy it!

We're trying Tusker House and Yak and Yeti for the first time in October - I'll let you know what we think!

I'd love to hear your reviews! Tusker House is 100% for Daisy but Yak & Yeti just sounds good to me.

Glad to hear that you both regard Boma so highly. We are hoping it will be a nice last night dinner for us. I've heard so much about it that I can't wait to try it!

Thanks for visiting!

 

[TPCShauna]

I've been fiddling with the budget and I can't get over how much the DxDP is saving us. We paid almost $600 OOP on our last trip on dining alone. By dropping the (sadly unnecessary - bye AC) WP&M option on our tickets and upgrading to DxDP, we are now paying $250 for all the extra food rather than paying OOP at the parks. We won't be paying for valet since I have a handicap placard so the only expenses now are meal tips, adult beverages, mousekeeping, tips for other service personnel and souvies. The first three averaged out to less than $600 so we are looking good!

I'm only budgeting $1,500 for spending money for the whole trip. This will cover a few meals we will have to buy on the Tallahassee portion of our excursion, two tanks of gas for the Escape Hybrid (although we will supposedly only need one), tolls and the above Disney expenses. Compared to our last WDW trip, this one is turning out to be a bargain!

 

[TPCShauna]

I have some new puppy pics. These are of Gracie at around 5 months. She's getting tired of the camera!

 

[xoktenox]

heyy just joining in now but loving your PTR! I started one for my trip which isn't until April and realized I started way too early..so its going on a hiatus just like yours did lol I'm going with my DBF and hes the same way as your DH, excited to go and will have a great time when we get there but the planning is mostly on me. oh well and your puppy is just adorable too. can't wait to read more!!