MAY 2013 - PTR....hooray!!!

[Busy Busy]

Exactly - nothing to lose, plus if it turns me a bit grey, we'll never know because I will have just had my hair done to my fabulous natural blonde for the holiday!!

Now for the next pouty moment - we need to pay our WDW money by the 4th of April, plus I want to ask a few questions, so I just sat on hold for 40 minutes and still didn't get to talk to anybody. FRUSTRATION!!!!

Now I'm off to bed to watch some Craig Ferguson - my future Scottish husband always makes me feel better!! . PS...my current English husband knows about my love for Craig and Bradley Cooper, etc, etc, etc!! He's happy to have me in the mean time!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hope you got to speak to Disney.

 

[Busy Busy]

Yep, I did get to speak to Disney....when the pouring rain woke me up at 6am this morning I decided to get straight onto the phone. DS15 was up watching the Champions League soccer (he and DH will watch the final at ESPN in Orlando!!)

So, we are all paid up, plus I booked the Garden View Tea Room for DD8 and I while the boys are watching the soccer final - we are all happy!!

I have also booked the Wishes Dessert Party, where I plan to hit the chocolate covered strawberry section! DH is now on eBay looking at travel "stuff" - he needs to save that money for Tiffany & Co!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Sounds great!

 

[Busy Busy]

Under 40 days!!!!!

I think that it's all finally done!! We booked an appointment at Drybar in NYC for fabulous hairdos for my SIL, DD8 and I, then we will fling our way down 5th Avenue to American Girl where we will buy the "Caroline" doll for our very own Caroline - I am beside myself over this!! (I also have another Drybar appointment for later in the week to kick off my alone day in NYC).

Travel insurance is sorted, we just have to work out the car hire and double check the visas. Ours are still in date from the last time we went, but DH will check just to be sure. I don't want any panic moments - "ain't nobody got time for that"!!

When my ex and his new wife (love her!!) traveled to NYC just after us in 2011, she was traveling on an Irish passport - it was still in date, but older so it didn't have a chip in it. They were stopped at customs here in Sydney and not allowed on the plane

24 hours later, after a trip to the Irish embassy then the US embassy, they had lost their seats and all of the frequent flyer points that they had used to buy the seats, they spent another $4000 and finally got to NYC. UGH!!

We were in Orlando by that stage and I remember my DH on the phone to the ex (yes, they are friends!), and all he was saying was "oh no", "oh no", "oh no"....nightmare!!

So.......it pays to TRIPLE CHECK (not that any of us have to - we are already perfect planners!!)

 

[PrincessInOz]

OUCH!


If I recall correctly, you need to have at least 6 months left on your passport to get to the US. Sorry it was such an expensive exercise for your ex.

 

[aussie shaz]

Ok, so I just checked mine (for the 13th time!). All's good

 

[Caroline NZ]

I too would love a Caroline doll from American Girl

PIO - I think certain countries (including Aus & NZ) don't have the 6 month minimum time on passport requirement. However I am not inclined to test this out so will make sure all ours have more than the 6 months left ( DH & DS need new ones )

 

[Busy Busy]

I noticed that over on the September/October thread everybody is popping up their ADRs. Since I am sitting here at work waiting for a long job to finish, I will pop ours up now too. In 2011 we had free dining - so we ate everywhere, this time no free dining so we don't have quite as many on-site plans. So here they are:

T-Rex dinner - we loved it so much last time that it's our first and last night's dinner (we are complete suckers for a theme)
Be Our Guest dinner
Akershus breakfast - another one that we loved last time
Sci-Fi lunch - another repeat
Raglan Road dinner - new
Sanaa dinner - new
ESPN (DH & DS15 watching the Champions League Final)
Garden View Tea Room (with DD8 as we don't want to watch the soccer!)
'Ohana dinner - DH would go every night if he could - a favourite from last time
Wishes Dessert Party - new - I can't think of any other way to have spent that $86 that was burning a hole in my pocket
Crystal Palace breakfast - DH's birthday request

We also will have a car for our second week and plan to head out of the "bubble" for a few breakfasts and dinners on our way here and there. Various people have recommended a few places: Texas de Brazil, Golden Corral, Keke's, Cheesecake Factory, Waffle House, we'll see how we go.

How are we going to eat all of this food? We also have the Riverside Mill Food Court at Port Orleans for when we get hungry

 

[aussie shaz]

Although the dining isn't quite as exciting at Disneyland, we've booked Minnie's for breakfast and Goofys for dinner, both with the friends. Then we'll book Surfs Up one morning in the 2nd week.
I've also got so many other places I want to eat, I don't think I'll fit them in.
One is definately The Cheesecake Factory. I also like the idea of Bubba Gumps.
I'm a bit jealous that you've got so many great ADR's but glad I didn't have to stress over it all!!

 

[Busy Busy]

Hi Shaz!

I actually thought that the Minnie's breakfast in Disneyland was better than any of the ones that we did in WDW. There were so many characters - Captain Hook, the Fairy Godmother, Chip and Dale, Rafiki, plus all of the Pooh characters and Minnie - and more that I can't remember off the top of my head. It was at that breakfast that my DH was absolutely bitten by the Disney bug - HOORAY!!!!

We didn't eat at Goofy's, but we stayed at the Paradise Pier and ate dinner in the PCH Grill which is where the surf's up breakfast is held - and the food was fab!!

We also ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Las Vegas (we ate too much and didn't have room for cheesecake ), and our dinner with friends at Bubba Gump in Times Square is a night that we will always remember - in fact we are taking SIL there for her birthday this time!! I know that it's touristy to eat at the chain places - but there is nothing here like them here and our whole family end up VERY happy.

PS - no dining is ever boring when you get to let somebody else clean up after you!!!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I noticed that over on the September/October thread everybody is popping up their ADRs. Since I am sitting here at work waiting for a long job to finish, I will pop ours up now too. In 2011 we had free dining - so we ate everywhere, this time no free dining so we don't have quite as many on-site plans. So here they are:

T-Rex dinner - we loved it so much last time that it's our first and last night's dinner (we are complete suckers for a theme)
Be Our Guest dinner
Akershus breakfast - another one that we loved last time
Sci-Fi lunch - another repeat
Raglan Road dinner - new
Sanaa dinner - new
ESPN (DH & DS15 watching the Champions League Final)
Garden View Tea Room (with DD8 as we don't want to watch the soccer!)
'Ohana dinner - DH would go every night if he could - a favourite from last time
Wishes Dessert Party - new - I can't think of any other way to have spent that $86 that was burning a hole in my pocket
Crystal Palace breakfast - DH's birthday request

We also will have a car for our second week and plan to head out of the "bubble" for a few breakfasts and dinners on our way here and there. Various people have recommended a few places: Texas de Brazil, Golden Corral, Keke's, Cheesecake Factory, Waffle House, we'll see how we go.

How are we going to eat all of this food? We also have the Riverside Mill Food Court at Port Orleans for when we get hungry

Those ADRs look great.

I think I must be far too preoccupied with food as I'm really enjoying reading about everyone's restaurant bookings.

 

[Minniemum]

Nice ADR's Busy Busy and Aussie Shaz.

 

[battymum]

Busy busy, I was at the hairdressers this morning , this made me think of you

http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/...A85FD44-1343-00000225BFFC39A7_zpsb3e455be.jpg

 

[battymum]

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic - I need a new phone!

 

[Busy Busy]

Hahaha, that is EXACTLY what I'm going to look like!!!

I hope that your hair turned out well, Battymum - look out Japan, who is that Wella woman strutting down the street? Wow - it's Battymum!!

 

[battymum]

Yep, that's me, tallest and blondest woman in Tokyo!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I noticed that over on the September/October thread everybody is popping up their ADRs. Since I am sitting here at work waiting for a long job to finish, I will pop ours up now too. In 2011 we had free dining - so we ate everywhere, this time no free dining so we don't have quite as many on-site plans. So here they are:

T-Rex dinner - we loved it so much last time that it's our first and last night's dinner (we are complete suckers for a theme)
Be Our Guest dinner
Akershus breakfast - another one that we loved last time
Sci-Fi lunch - another repeat
Raglan Road dinner - new
Sanaa dinner - new
ESPN (DH & DS15 watching the Champions League Final)
Garden View Tea Room (with DD8 as we don't want to watch the soccer!)
'Ohana dinner - DH would go every night if he could - a favourite from last time
Wishes Dessert Party - new - I can't think of any other way to have spent that $86 that was burning a hole in my pocket
Crystal Palace breakfast - DH's birthday request

We also will have a car for our second week and plan to head out of the "bubble" for a few breakfasts and dinners on our way here and there. Various people have recommended a few places: Texas de Brazil, Golden Corral, Keke's, Cheesecake Factory, Waffle House, we'll see how we go.

How are we going to eat all of this food? We also have the Riverside Mill Food Court at Port Orleans for when we get hungry

Nice set of ADRs. Between that, POR and offsite, I sure hope you're growing a second stomach!

 

[Busy Busy]

Self control, self control, self control......I say this as I am getting ready to go out to a cafe for Sunday breakfast!!!

 

[Busy Busy]

5 weeks from right now we will be zooming down the runway on our way to LA......hurry up 13th of May!!!