MagicBands + Margaritas + Muggles + Minions = TRP. New TR link is up! 10/31

[mickeystoontown]

Whew! Glad that they let ya'll in Be Our Guest! Isn't the restaurant's theming amazing? It sounds like the food was really good too. I know that our lunch there was a good use of our counter service credits.

The pictures of you guys in front of the castle are fantastic!

 

[KatMark]

First, let me say I'm so glad the trip is on. Mark and I are willing to meet you anywhere you say on Friday night since that is your only available night (we have AP's...so we can pop into any park, etc.).

I am so happy that you enjoyed Be Our Guest. I read so many bad reviews of it, but yet we have had 3 very good meals there.

I love the pictures of you and Jeff with the Beast, and the photopass pics of all of you are just priceless. You can see how happy you all are to be together. What a special last night at the MK!

 

[elphie101]

I'm glad you had such a lovely time at Be Our Guest! So many people give it a mediocre to just plain bad review that it makes me nervous. We'll be trying it on the Disneymoon - actually it'll be our first reservation as a married couple

I'm glad you had such a lovely final evening in MK. As much as I like to rave about Halloween time vs Christmas time at WDW, those dream lights really are a sight to behold.

I can't WAIT to hear the latest cruise news!

 

[Leshaface]

Oh no, i'm so sorry to hear about your dad. He must have fallen really hard to cause that much damage.


Congratulations on a new niece to love on!

Treehouse Recovery!

I really like the E's 'sweater' shirts. Those are so cool and hip!

Do they hand you Lumiere when you walk in?? Is this only for dinner? I don't remember them doing this for lunch. I lucked out and scored us a pretty early dinner ADR here for our January trip, so i'm super excited! And you're right. The west wing is so incredibly dark. That's where we ate back in October because there was hardly anyone in that dining room..now I know why


Love the photopass shots!

Your last paragraph makes me sad. I know one day, when we're done having kids, that those types of family trips will be done. I know i'm just getting started, but i'm really going to dread when that time comes. Until then, i'll continue to enjoy the time I do have with my little family

 

[MEK]

I'm so glad your cruise is still on. I knew it would work out! YAY!

Adorable PP pictures and great pictures of you and Jeff with the Beast. Denny and I never posed with the Beast. I wish we had, but ...*sigh*

Glad you got seated without incident.

I am sure you hated to see your family go, but there was probably a whole new sense of .....not sure what the word is I'm looking for .....calmness maybe. Like one big collective sigh of relief because it was time for immediate family time. Nice! What a great pic for a meal.

Yay for Space and BTMMR and nice castle pics! Love it!

 

[glennbo123]

I'm glad Be Our Guest was a big hit. (And that they let you in!) We'll definitely have to try that one when we go back.

Nice holiday photopass pictures.

It looked like a really enjoyable night!

 

[Chilly]

Sounds like a wonderful family meal. Very pleased to hear the cruise is on.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Yep, they let you in! I was expecting you would get some Seems like there was a lot of that going on during your trip!

I agree about it being really dark in BoG, but it is still a wonderful experience. Probably a little more bothersome how close the tables are together over the low lighting, but the food was good. Not sure how quickly I would want to return, but it is worth experiencing at least once for sure!

BTMRR is just so much fun at night, and a completely different ride! How cool the pictures with the reflection of the castle in the water!

What a great Photopass Castle Pic! Yes, that one.......I mean THAT one! No wait, that one..........

 

[Poolrat]

Abby was great and warned me that it was a vegetable broth based French Onion soup (versus the normal beef) as it does make a difference in flavor. I wanted it anyway.

Hmmm I had the French onion and was not told about a vegetable broth. For me that I need to know. Being that I got into something allergy wise both in Oct and Dec I wonder .....

Actually I really love Belle's green dress here. I've thought of it as an idea for PHM but don’t think anyone would have a clue what it is.

Ah but people knew we were April, May and June.....

 

[eandesmom]

Hooray for that CM and getting into dinner!!! Love all the pictures, the details are awesome. How wonderful you had such a great meal

We really did!

I will not be telling my vegetarian mom that French onion soup is made with beef, she would be appalled! That's one of her favorite things.

yes, the traditional method is beef broth and red wine.

Double hooray for the cruise!!!!!!!

Double hooray is right!

Whew is right. I'm glad that they worked you in.

It would not have been fun to try to regroup and figure out an alternative that is for sure.

I love the effects of that window. We watched Beauty and the Beast with the kids last night, actually, and I was sitting there just thinking about BOG and how impressive the detail is in comparison to the movie.

They did a stunning job

You're really making me regret not grabbing an ADR now... Oh well, I know we'll enjoy lunch there. We'll get there for dinner eventually. Likely when the kids are older and will appreciate the food a little more.

At their ages I do think lunch is better. And more reasonable!

I've thought the same thing! I mean, I want to walk around that restaurant and check out all the detail, but I feel like I'm being rude to the people sitting there trying to enjoy their meal.

Exactly!

Is this considered to be a moment of bravery or a moment of stupidity?


Wow! It looks like you're going faster than 7 mph in this one!

Yep, Evan had the pedal to the metal. And still couldn't drive in a straight line.

It is a beautiful sight. I certainly hope it isn't your last time!


Well, that's kind of a downer. I hope that despite the added activities coming up over the next several years for the boys, you can still manage to find a way to get a few more trips in.

There will always be more trips and I know that as they become adults, they will still be part of it at times but yeah, it is kind of a downer isn't it!

I really hope we can get one more in before Evan graduates. There is also a possibility they will both go for a youth event through church (but only if they raise the money...it's the same year as their band trip to Ireland and no way can I swing both and they need to raise $$ for Ireland as it is).

Changes are to be expected, given the circumstances, but I'm glad you're at least going to get to make the trip!

I think they are good changes

What a great meal and evening at the MK. I love the icicle lights on the Castle. It's sad that the boys are growing up and there won't be many more chances for visits. Sniff.

It is sad but I am grateful that at their ages, they still love it and enjoy it.

Can't wait to hear about your cruise plans.

Jill in CO

Coming up soon!

Although I didn't officially register my guess, I knew you would get in. I am also the perpetrator of a late ADR arrival that ended well.

That you are! I can honestly say I have never "not" gotten in.

So glad you enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere at BOG.

Yeah for Space!

Double yays!

It has been forever since we have done the cars, too. I'm ok with that.

It was fun, big silly teen fun.

Big Thunder Big Thunder at Night

I love the photopass pictures with castle and Christmas sweaters!

One of my favorites of the trip! Both Big thunder at night and the picture

Got a little teary with your mention about the ever-decreasing window of opportunities to travel with the boys. Hits a little close to home.

I bet it does, I bet it does. Sigh.

That being said... that your couples cruise is still on!!!

Can't wait to read about the details!

Very grateful it is, I might have sunk into a major depression

First, let me say I'm so glad the trip is on. Mark and I are willing to meet you anywhere you say on Friday night since that is your only available night (we have AP's...so we can pop into any park, etc.).

Sounds good! I am fairly sure we will be at Epcot . Not only as it's the first day of F&W but we have FP+ there and a 3pm culinary seminar. Not sure we will stay all evening, could easily meet at Boardwalk versus in the park or just play it by ear.

I am so happy that you enjoyed Be Our Guest. I read so many bad reviews of it, but yet we have had 3 very good meals there.

I've read good, bad and indifferent and was worried but we absolutely loved it.

I love the pictures of you and Jeff with the Beast, and the photopass pics of all of you are just priceless. You can see how happy you all are to be together. What a special last night at the MK!

It was a very special night.

 

[eandesmom]

I'm glad you had such a lovely time at Be Our Guest! So many people give it a mediocre to just plain bad review that it makes me nervous. We'll be trying it on the Disneymoon - actually it'll be our first reservation as a married couple

Aw, what a lovely spot for your first dinner! I love that!!!!!!!!

I thought of you last weekend, I was wedding dress shopping with my sister.

I'm glad you had such a lovely final evening in MK. As much as I like to rave about Halloween time vs Christmas time at WDW, those dream lights really are a sight to behold.

I would have to agree with you, I just love the fall decorations at MK. Heck I just love fall everything. The food, the smells, the colors...but the castle in it's icicles...is pure magic.

I can't WAIT to hear the latest cruise news!

Very excited!

Oh no, i'm so sorry to hear about your dad. He must have fallen really hard to cause that much damage.

It's a horrific injury

Congratulations on a new niece to love on!

She is SOOOOO cute!

Treehouse Recovery!

It was the best!

I really like the E's 'sweater' shirts. Those are so cool and hip!

They are! Sadly, they are already getting a little short on those darn kids. They need to quit growing! I am not sure they will make it to the holidays and I made them both go a size up when we got them. I love that they are wearing them all summer. Though more often than not lately, to sleep in.

Do they hand you Lumiere when you walk in?? Is this only for dinner? I don't remember them doing this for lunch. I lucked out and scored us a pretty early dinner ADR here for our January trip, so i'm super excited! And you're right. The west wing is so incredibly dark. That's where we ate back in October because there was hardly anyone in that dining room..now I know why

Just at dinner when they call you to seat you. But hey, you get the Rose at lunch!

Love the photopass shots!

Me too!

Your last paragraph makes me sad. I know one day, when we're done having kids, that those types of family trips will be done. I know i'm just getting started, but i'm really going to dread when that time comes. Until then, i'll continue to enjoy the time I do have with my little family

It is sad. Exciting too but UGH!

I'm so glad your cruise is still on. I knew it would work out! YAY!

Very grateful. My mom wanted to do it but I'd have been a stressed out wreck adding that to her plate.

Adorable PP pictures and great pictures of you and Jeff with the Beast. Denny and I never posed with the Beast. I wish we had, but ...*sigh*

Glad you got seated without incident.

There is always next time! I am glad we got the picture, it was fun. Jeff almost always turns up his nose at character pics so it was cool.

I am sure you hated to see your family go, but there was probably a whole new sense of .....not sure what the word is I'm looking for .....calmness maybe. Like one big collective sigh of relief because it was time for immediate family time. Nice! What a great pic for a meal.

Yes, one big collective sigh. That turned into a bit of funk when the boys were all depressed about missing their cousins. BOG really turned it around, we had a magical night. I swear, I need to remember nights and days like that. I swear the 3 boys/men in the house are making me crazy pushing each others buttons like there is no tomorrow. Jeff is as bad as they are!

Yay for Space and BTMMR and nice castle pics! Love it!

I'm glad Be Our Guest was a big hit. (And that they let you in!) We'll definitely have to try that one when we go back.

We really enjoyed it

INice holiday photopass pictures.

It looked like a really enjoyable night!

Thanks, it was!

Sounds like a wonderful family meal. Very pleased to hear the cruise is on.

I am very pleased that it is on as well it was a great evening.

 

[franandaj]

As usual, I read the update without commenting.I new to just bite the bullet and update from my phone. Time will not be on my side for at least two more weeks.

I love the "sweaters". Fran got one of those, but she's saving it for Christmas in So Cal as that's about all you can wear here.

So glad they let you in. We had a great meal there too. So tasty!

Thats so difficult knowing that you may only have the one trip with the both of them before they start their new journeys in life. I love the castle in icicles. I never saw it last season.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

All caught up! I'm glad they let you into BoG...that could have been ugly! Even more glad you enjoyed it. The negative reviews I read around here almost scared me off. But the atmosphere there looks so cool!

 

[annmarieda]

I had a feeling it had to be BOG! I am so happy you had such a good meal. I have gone for lunch a couple times... ts just once and it was odd.( not sure if I posted about that yet on my TR?) Despite that though... I made another ADR for the fall. (only totally forgot about it and booked some food and wine stuff for the same time )

Love the holiday castle pics....

Love the pp pics of you and your beautiful family...

Can't wait to hear how you got everything sorted out for your fall trip!

 

[rentayenta]

. Wow, BoG is gorgeous! Love the pic of you, Jeff, and Beast.

 

[eandesmom]

Yep, they let you in! I was expecting you would get some Seems like there was a lot of that going on during your trip!

there was a lot of pixie dust! Well except over on the dark side at times but that was mother nature and holiday crowds. LOL!

I agree about it being really dark in BoG, but it is still a wonderful experience. Probably a little more bothersome how close the tables are together over the low lighting, but the food was good. Not sure how quickly I would want to return, but it is worth experiencing at least once for sure!

We were really lucky in our table location, very private considering! It was perfect.

BTMRR is just so much fun at night, and a completely different ride! How cool the pictures with the reflection of the castle in the water!

I was thrilled with the reflection picture, thanks!

What a great Photopass Castle Pic! Yes, that one.......I mean THAT one! No wait, that one..........

Yeah...that same picture with 27 different borders and crops.

Hmmm I had the French onion and was not told about a vegetable broth. For me that I need to know. Being that I got into something allergy wise both in Oct and Dec I wonder .....

I bet that was the culprit! Carrots and Celery are both bad, aren't they?

BOO!

Ah but people knew we were April, May and June.....

Why yes they did! Still, I think people would get confused that it was a weird Tink, or Tiana. And on the red rose dress...unless I did the cloak I bet they'd think it was Aurora. Who is SO not my favorite princess. LOL.

As usual, I read the update without commenting.I new to just bite the bullet and update from my phone. Time will not be on my side for at least two more weeks.

Story of my life, I am more updated in general than my postings imply, very frustrating and makes me feel like a lurker.

I love the "sweaters". Fran got one of those, but she's saving it for Christmas in So Cal as that's about all you can wear here.

They will be super fun in the winter, I really hope the E's versions still fit by then! They are getting shorter...and I made them go up a size. Grr.

So glad they let you in. We had a great meal there too. So tasty!

I was so glad it didn't disappoint, it was just a wonderful evening.

Thats so difficult knowing that you may only have the one trip with the both of them before they start their new journeys in life. I love the castle in icicles. I never saw it last season.

It may well be my only time seeing it and I was SO happy to have that.

We will have Aulani next year I hope but for WDW, yeah, likely to only be one more time. SAD!

All caught up! I'm glad they let you into BoG...that could have been ugly! Even more glad you enjoyed it. The negative reviews I read around here almost scared me off. But the atmosphere there looks so cool!

I don't get all the negativity. I am not sure if it's the menu or the prices or bad food choices or what but I really liked it for both lunch and dinner.

I had a feeling it had to be BOG! I am so happy you had such a good meal. I have gone for lunch a couple times... ts just once and it was odd.( not sure if I posted about that yet on my TR?) Despite that though... I made another ADR for the fall. (only totally forgot about it and booked some food and wine stuff for the same time )

I think you did mention the TS being odd...although I can't recall why. I had lunch there in May and liked it.

Love the holiday castle pics....

Love the pp pics of you and your beautiful family...

Awww, thanks!

Can't wait to hear how you got everything sorted out for your fall trip!

. Wow, BoG is gorgeous! Love the pic of you, Jeff, and Beast.

 

[CarolynK]

We hardly ever go to MK after dark, and definitely have never ridden Autopia in the dark, but considering how hot it can be during the day in an open car, it's a great time to do it (though in January you're probably safe from the heat!).

I like your castle pictures, very nice catching the reflection off the water.

Yaay for being able to keep the cruise plans!!

 

[Millie12591]

I'm so happy to hear someone had a good dinner at BOG.

Sounds like a beautiful evening.

 

[eandesmom]

We hardly ever go to MK after dark, and definitely have never ridden Autopia in the dark, but considering how hot it can be during the day in an open car, it's a great time to do it (though in January you're probably safe from the heat!).

Yes, it is rather miserable there in the summer on that hot track! It was a ton of fun at night.

I like your castle pictures, very nice catching the reflection off the water.

I was thrilled with that, not bad for a phone picture!

Yaay for being able to keep the cruise plans!!

YAAAAY is right!

I'm so happy to hear someone had a good dinner at BOG.

Sounds like a beautiful evening.

It was a beautiful evening and we really did love BOG, I know we would all go back.

 

[eandesmom]

Operation Grandma is complete. My Mother In Law will be coming out the day before our trip starts, and heading home the day after we get back. We have purchased her tickets, the last one just this past week. With those in hand, I feel I can breathe. We both feel we can actually make real plans now!

It will be just her, it was too complicated for her DH to come as well. I am hopeful my mom can keep her entertained. Possibly my dad too. Who will likely be "home". Wherever that is. Right now my folks have a few options. The could retrofit their house to work for my dad and put it up for sale. As they need to sell the house regardless, this is less than idea from a making it attractive standpoint. They may retrofit their house until he can use stairs again and then put it up for sale after doing a lot of work to make it more marketable, find a place to buy once they sell, or contingent upon the sale. They could also buy my sisters house. In that scenario, they could possibly move in their earlier and not need to retrofit their house. This has some very positive and negative aspects to it. My sister is moving regardless so either she sells it to them, or puts it on the market. Unfortunately her house is worth more than theirs and theirs needs a bunch of work to maximize the sale. Given the state it is in, which isn't awful but there are some issues, it may not sell quickly given the market. My sister needs $ out of her house so she can remodel her fiancés. Her house should go quickly if she were to put it on the open market. To make all that work, it would mean a bridge loan for my folks and ultimately, them having either a small mortgage or pulling retirement funds in to pay for her house since there will be a shortfall. I am not sure that makes sense financially. It is however, an easy move in many ways, can be timed to what works for them and is a house that they would like to keep in the family. It is a house my dad grew up in!

All I know is my dad doesn't want to move period and so all of this may be moot. He is also in disagreement with what needs to be done to their house and the value it came back at being. Sigh. Need to have a few heart to hearts with him and my mom. At the end of the day though, their call. In any event I am VERY relieved that watching the E's is not something I need to add to their plate during this. Dad will maybe be home for 2 weeks or so when we leave, possibly less.

We have done some number crunching and really looked at what we want to do. The reality is, between the half marathon trip, kids back to school fees and clothes, 1 private school college tuition and 1 out of state college tuition, this trip (and the added expense of flying my MIL out), September is a bit of an ugly month! Having our dryer die a couple of weeks ago didn't help. We have changed things around a little as a result. Some for financial reasons but most as well, we decided we needed and wanted to be a little bit lazier on this trip than the original plans called for. You will see a LOT more beach time as a result. We also decided that 3 early mornings in a row, on vacation sounded pretty yucky. We now only have one. There are still some items that may get cut but it is most likely those will be in the WDW dining options or things like wine packages on board or a nicer bottle of wine for our Palo dinner. We will eat, of that there is no doubt.

Without further ado I give you, the Verandah Junkies BFP.

9/17. Red eye to Orlando

9/18. WDW.
Arrive BWV, check in, eat something. FP+ for DHS. If F&W has soft opening we will likely do dinner there, if not probably the bar at Blue Zoo. Jellyrolls is an option this night.

9/19. WDW.
Morning run around the boardwalk! Breakfast at Boardwalk Bakery. FP+ at Epcot. Light lunch at F&W kiosks. Puerto Rico Culinary Seminar. (when I saw that on the agenda for the Festival, I had to book it!) Dinner at F&W Kiosks. We hope to meet up with Kathy and Mark at some point this evening. YAY!

9/20. San Juan.
Early flight to San Juan. Breakfast in Old San Juan, walking tour, lunch in Old San Juan, grocery shopping, board ship. At some point, find Jill! I am not sure if a larger meet time has been confirmed yet or not.

9/21. At Sea.
Mixology Seminar.

9/22. Antigua.
We originally booked the kayak, hike and snorkel. This has been changed to a Snorkel and Sail excursion. At 12:45.

Walk from the ship and board a 62- or 66-foot catamaran for an approximate 30-minute motor cruise to an open-water reef full of fish for great snorkeling. Receive an orientation and snorkeling lesson from the staff and enter the water from the boat to enjoy the beauty “under the sea” for approximately 45 minutes. Reboard the vessel for an approximate 40-minute cruise to a nearby white-sand beach. Onboard, enjoy an open bar and finger sandwiches. Arrive at the beach and choose to swim, relax, walk the beach and make the most of your free time before the "all aboard" call. Conclude your 30 minutes at the beach and cruise approximately 40 minutes back to port, enjoying the sounds of Caribbean music.

9/23. St. Lucia.
Gros Piton Hike. You didn't think we'd change that one did you? I did do a fun elevation exercise comparing it to other hikes. It is a similar elevation gain to Koko head for about one mile. However it’s spread over 1 mile…Koko was in ½ a mile! So hey, should be easy compared to that right? The other 2 shown include a regular hike and then the one we did last week. We definitely feel it is doable in the time limit (you need to do it in a max of 4 hours). This is our earliest day with an 8:30 am start to the tour/hike.



9/24. Grenada.
We originally booked the adventure river tubing which was a 7:15 am start or something ugly like that. This has been changed to a Beach and Rum tour excursion which starts at 9:15 am. A little early in the day for rum but it was the best I could get and well, we may need it after the day before. Plus, it's vacation! The other one that looked good was also a 7:15am start. No thanks. We may check on board and switch but unlikely.

Board your air-conditioned motorcoach for an approximate 15-minute ride to Clark’s Court Rum Factory. Visit and tour Clark’s Court, a rum distillery unlike any other and one of the most historical distilleries on the island. In operation since 1937, the factory gives you the opportunity to see all the stages of making rum—from sugar cane-processing to syrup creation to rum production. Sample a selection of rum with recipes for mixing the rum, and discover the opportunities for drinks with rum.Reboard your coach for the approximately 15-minute trip to BBC beach, a secluded white-sand beach. Enjoy approximately 2 hours at the beach, an experience that includes a beach chair, changing rooms, showers and 2 complimentary beverages (sodas, water, fruit juice, rum punch). Return to your coach for a relaxing 15-minute trip back to the port.

9/25. Barbados.
We are still booked on the Barbados Beach escape. While we can do it on our own, for the $18 we save, neither of us are sure we want to bother doing it on our own. 11:45 am start.

Board your transportation and travel approximately 15 minutes through Bridgetown - with its many historic buildings - and arrive at Harbour Lights Beach Club. Relax on a beach chair under your shared umbrella and enjoy a welcome drink. Very popular with the locals, Harbour Lights sits on the best stretch of beach on the island and on the only sheltered bay. Enjoy a game of volleyball or just laze around and sun worship for approximately 3 hours. The view is as stunning as the water is inviting. Note: Food and beverage options are available at an additional cost. Reboard your transportation and travel back to the ship.

9/26. St. Kitts.
We cancelled the scenic railway. Too expensive and too short a port day to use it all up on that. We may try to do Brimstone Hill on our own, or just poke around town and hang on the ship. I would LOVE to get Palo brunch for this day but so far, have not been able to get it.

9/27. San Juan.
Fly to MCO, check in AKV. Dinner at Sanaa

9/28. WDW.
Brunch at Raglan Road, FP+ at MK. Could not get 7DMT FP. Boo.

9/29. WDW.
Breakfast at Boma. FP+ at AK. DME to MCO. Home. BOO!

I do not have a ton left to do for this trip. I still need to buy travel insurance for the cruise portion and make my FE's. I have been waiting to see how large the group ended up being before getting them. Got final totals last night so can move forward. I had lots of ideas but it’s a decent sized group and some of my ideas are well, a bit more than I want to spend! I have decided though, not I just need to get to it. I am excited about them however I will not be posting what I am doing so it won’t spoil it for Jill.