Pinkocto
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That'd would be lovely, we could chat over a meal. I can't remember if they need money upfront though?
Mince Pie In The Sky - A Hopeful Pre-trip Report
- Thread starter dolphingirl47
- Start date
That'd would be lovely, we could chat over a meal. I can't remember if they need money upfront though?
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
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No, you pay after your meal and they give you your sticker for the Candlelight Processional when you pay. At the moment there do not seem to be any reservations for the package available, but I keep my eyes open as this can change.
Corinna
dolphingirl47
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Meals
This is probably the part of the trip that will take the most getting used to and I have to admit, this makes me a little nervous. For the last 5 years we have mainly eaten onsite and for the most part this meant that I could tell where I would be eating on any given day months in advance. On our last two trips to Walt Disney World, we were also on the Disney Dining Plan so every meal was pre-planned. This time round will be very different. Most of our meals will be on International Drive and this is a kind of go with the flow place.
A lot of the restaurants that we used to love on International Drive have unfortunately disappeared. Chains like Bennigan's and Steak and Ale that used to be places that we would regularly eat at have gone under and some of the great individual restaurants like Bergamo's and Salt Island have unfortunately gone the way of the Dodo as well.
Some of our favourite chains are fortunately still there. Sweet Tomatoes has always been a firm favourite of ours and we were reminded just how much we like it when we had dinner at Souplantation during our May trip. So we will at least have one dinner there. I think I may also have a late lunch there on the day I will head to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Other chains that we really enjoy are Olive Garden and Chilis so I am pretty sure that they will feature at some stage. The last time we stayed on International Drive, we discovered a restaurant at Pointe Orlando that seems to specialize in good old fashioned comfort food. At the time it was called Red River Canyon Grill and the food was absolutely amazing. It has now been renamed to Copper Canyon Grill, but I hope the food is just as good as it was under the old name.
I am also sure that a breakfast at either Denny's or IHOP will feature the day we pick up the rental car and drive to Miami. There is one of both very close to the hotel where we will pick up the car. I prefer IHOP and although Graham likes this, too, he is also quite keen on Denny's. Either will set us up for our trip quite nicely.
Some Disney restaurants will still feature. As soon as the Candlelight Processional Dining packages were released, I managed to snag a lunch ADR for Biergarten. Biergarten is in the lowest price tier and when we had lunch there a few years ago, we really enjoyed it. I was both curious and a little suspicious at the time. As I am of German origin, I was not sure how Disney would do German food. I did not have to worry. The food was plentiful and tasty and even fairly authentic. So I am looking forward to going back.
At one point I thought that this would be the only ADR I would make, but the pull to add a character meal or two became too strong. So at the end of August I added two of them. On my first day in the parks, I booked lunch at Tusker House. I love Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Tusker House has a similar theme. I have wanted to try this for years. What made me decide to go for it this year is that I have pre-purchased Photopass + and a s part of this, I will get the photo package of the photo with Donald that is taken before you enter the restaurant.
The final ADR is something I have done before. I am going to have breakfast at 'Ohana before my full day at Magic Kingdom. I remember that most of the food was nothing to write home about, but I loved the tropical juice they had there and the pineapple bread. What I remember most though is the amazing interaction that I had with Stitch. As Stitch seems to have fallen out of favour in the parks and can be found less and less frequently, this alone if worth it. Apparently there is also some kind of photo package that I get at breakfast at 'Ohana with Photopass+. I don't remember this at all from our last visit, but if it is free, I will most certainly have it.
Fairly recently I added one night at the Beach Club Villas. We normally have a meal at a signature restaurant on our last night. So as soon as I had my reservation for Beach Club Villas, I checked if I could get an ADR for Yachtsman Steakhouse. We had a meal there last year and the steak I had that evening was one of the best ones I ever had. Fortunately I had no problem getting an ADR there.
Last year we also had dinner at Cape May and really enjoyed this. So I decided this year we would do the character breakfast. With us staying at the Beach Club, it would be a shame not to. It is also great to have a character breakfast the last morning. I have read some great reviews that the food is great and very fresh so we will see what our experience is like.
Of course, it would always be a crime to be at the Beach Club and not have a sundae at Beaches and Cream so we will probably do this while we are waiting for Disney's Magical Express. As I really love peanut butter, I think I will try the No Way, Jose. Graham can't have any chocolate, but the strawberry shortcake sounds right up his street.
There are also a couple of quick service locations that are on my to do list. I tried Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe at Magic Kingdom last year and rather enjoyed it. I recently saw a photo of the vegetarian version of their Taco Salad in a trip report and I just knew I have to try the beef version. Last year Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe was open during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party so I am planning to eat there that evening.
One quick service meal that really impressed me last year was lunch at Be Our Guest. I always planned to go back there on my full day at Magic Kingdom. Of course, now I have a breakfast ADR that day and won't want a full lunch, but I figured I can go towards the end of their lunch seating and just have some soup and a cupcake and still enjoy the atmosphere. I also want to take some photos with my new camera.
The last quick service meal that I really want to try is at Fairfax Fare at Hollywood Studios. They offer a Gourmet Hot Dog with Macaroni and Cheese and Truffle Oil. This sounds so off the wall that it has to be tried. I love Macaroni and Cheese, but I would never have tried to team it up with a hot dog. I can't wait to try this.
This is probably the part of the trip that will take the most getting used to and I have to admit, this makes me a little nervous. For the last 5 years we have mainly eaten onsite and for the most part this meant that I could tell where I would be eating on any given day months in advance. On our last two trips to Walt Disney World, we were also on the Disney Dining Plan so every meal was pre-planned. This time round will be very different. Most of our meals will be on International Drive and this is a kind of go with the flow place.
A lot of the restaurants that we used to love on International Drive have unfortunately disappeared. Chains like Bennigan's and Steak and Ale that used to be places that we would regularly eat at have gone under and some of the great individual restaurants like Bergamo's and Salt Island have unfortunately gone the way of the Dodo as well.
Some of our favourite chains are fortunately still there. Sweet Tomatoes has always been a firm favourite of ours and we were reminded just how much we like it when we had dinner at Souplantation during our May trip. So we will at least have one dinner there. I think I may also have a late lunch there on the day I will head to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Other chains that we really enjoy are Olive Garden and Chilis so I am pretty sure that they will feature at some stage. The last time we stayed on International Drive, we discovered a restaurant at Pointe Orlando that seems to specialize in good old fashioned comfort food. At the time it was called Red River Canyon Grill and the food was absolutely amazing. It has now been renamed to Copper Canyon Grill, but I hope the food is just as good as it was under the old name.
I am also sure that a breakfast at either Denny's or IHOP will feature the day we pick up the rental car and drive to Miami. There is one of both very close to the hotel where we will pick up the car. I prefer IHOP and although Graham likes this, too, he is also quite keen on Denny's. Either will set us up for our trip quite nicely.
Some Disney restaurants will still feature. As soon as the Candlelight Processional Dining packages were released, I managed to snag a lunch ADR for Biergarten. Biergarten is in the lowest price tier and when we had lunch there a few years ago, we really enjoyed it. I was both curious and a little suspicious at the time. As I am of German origin, I was not sure how Disney would do German food. I did not have to worry. The food was plentiful and tasty and even fairly authentic. So I am looking forward to going back.
At one point I thought that this would be the only ADR I would make, but the pull to add a character meal or two became too strong. So at the end of August I added two of them. On my first day in the parks, I booked lunch at Tusker House. I love Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Tusker House has a similar theme. I have wanted to try this for years. What made me decide to go for it this year is that I have pre-purchased Photopass + and a s part of this, I will get the photo package of the photo with Donald that is taken before you enter the restaurant.
The final ADR is something I have done before. I am going to have breakfast at 'Ohana before my full day at Magic Kingdom. I remember that most of the food was nothing to write home about, but I loved the tropical juice they had there and the pineapple bread. What I remember most though is the amazing interaction that I had with Stitch. As Stitch seems to have fallen out of favour in the parks and can be found less and less frequently, this alone if worth it. Apparently there is also some kind of photo package that I get at breakfast at 'Ohana with Photopass+. I don't remember this at all from our last visit, but if it is free, I will most certainly have it.
Fairly recently I added one night at the Beach Club Villas. We normally have a meal at a signature restaurant on our last night. So as soon as I had my reservation for Beach Club Villas, I checked if I could get an ADR for Yachtsman Steakhouse. We had a meal there last year and the steak I had that evening was one of the best ones I ever had. Fortunately I had no problem getting an ADR there.
Last year we also had dinner at Cape May and really enjoyed this. So I decided this year we would do the character breakfast. With us staying at the Beach Club, it would be a shame not to. It is also great to have a character breakfast the last morning. I have read some great reviews that the food is great and very fresh so we will see what our experience is like.
Of course, it would always be a crime to be at the Beach Club and not have a sundae at Beaches and Cream so we will probably do this while we are waiting for Disney's Magical Express. As I really love peanut butter, I think I will try the No Way, Jose. Graham can't have any chocolate, but the strawberry shortcake sounds right up his street.
There are also a couple of quick service locations that are on my to do list. I tried Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe at Magic Kingdom last year and rather enjoyed it. I recently saw a photo of the vegetarian version of their Taco Salad in a trip report and I just knew I have to try the beef version. Last year Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe was open during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party so I am planning to eat there that evening.
One quick service meal that really impressed me last year was lunch at Be Our Guest. I always planned to go back there on my full day at Magic Kingdom. Of course, now I have a breakfast ADR that day and won't want a full lunch, but I figured I can go towards the end of their lunch seating and just have some soup and a cupcake and still enjoy the atmosphere. I also want to take some photos with my new camera.
The last quick service meal that I really want to try is at Fairfax Fare at Hollywood Studios. They offer a Gourmet Hot Dog with Macaroni and Cheese and Truffle Oil. This sounds so off the wall that it has to be tried. I love Macaroni and Cheese, but I would never have tried to team it up with a hot dog. I can't wait to try this.
franandaj
I'm so happy, I could BOUNCE!
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OK, I've been following along, but haven't had time to comment. Thanks for all the tips on the rumors of what will be leaving DHS and Epcot. While I'm here, I will definitely hit some of those places now! 
The dress is beautiful. I love the gold stitchwork.
I would stay at AKL over a value in a heartbeat!
Nice dining plans. We ate at a Brazilian Churrascaria when we stayed at Universal one time. I love when they bring all kinds of meat to your table!
The dress is beautiful. I love the gold stitchwork.
I would stay at AKL over a value in a heartbeat!
Nice dining plans. We ate at a Brazilian Churrascaria when we stayed at Universal one time. I love when they bring all kinds of meat to your table!
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
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You have lots of delicious meals planned.
That's to bad about the CP meal, thanks for checking
Would any of those work for your mom and you?
San Angel Inn Restaurante 12:50 PM or 1:50 PM
Tokyo Dining 1:10 PM; 1:30 PM or 1:50 PM
Restaurant Marrakesh 1:20 PM; 1:35 PM or 1:50 PM
Coral Reef Restaurant 1:30 PM
Nine Dragons Restaurant 12:30 PM or 2:00 PM
They must have done maintenance when I checked the other day. I would love to you two for company. As much as I am used to have meals by myself in the parks and loved the Candlelight Processional last year, I would love to share it with somebody.
OK, I've been following along, but haven't had time to comment. Thanks for all the tips on the rumors of what will be leaving DHS and Epcot. While I'm here, I will definitely hit some of those places now!
The dress is beautiful. I love the gold stitchwork.
I would stay at AKL over a value in a heartbeat!
Nice dining plans. We ate at a Brazilian Churrascaria when we stayed at Universal one time. I love when they bring all kinds of meat to your table!
I absolutely adore the dress and can't wait to wear it. I have now cancelled the value and it is AKL for me. We have a Brazilian Churrascaria that we love very close to our apartment here in Manchester.
Corinna
Pinkocto
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I just looked a all the menus, San Angel, Tokyo Dining, and Restaurant Marrakesh have the best options for mom. I can find something everywhere. We would absolutely love to join you. Time and which one are totally up to you, we have a completely free schedule that day.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
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We are all set, but not before I nearly threw my beloved Macbook out of the window. After I saw your post, I went straight back online to book this, but something went wrong and the system crashed on me. Suddenly it showed no availability anymore at all. An hour later, the same availability that I had posted was back up and I tried again. This time I was successful.
We ended up with a 1:50 PM reservation at Restaurant Marrakesh. I love Middle Easter/ Arabic food, but unfortunately Graham does not love it. We went there for a meal on our honeymoon and I always wanted to go back. However, for some reason this would not be a restaurant that I would go to on my own.
I am so looking forward to meeting you and your mom.
Corinna
Pinkocto
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This will be fantastic! Thanks so much for booking it
I've told her all about your trips and show her your beautiful dresses. She asked me the other day if we were able to see you and I'm very happy to be able to say its all arranged I'm glad your Mac didn't suffer, how very bizarre about the website.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
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This will be fantastic! Thanks so much for booking it
I'm glad your Mac didn't suffer, how very bizarre about the website.
The website is an absolute pain in the neck. When I made the original reservation for the Candlelight Processional Package, I tried online for the best part of the week before I gave up and called. That would have been the next step if the availability had not opened up again.
Corinna
dolphingirl47
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dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
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Playing The Waiting Game
I know that patience is a virtue, but it is most certainly not one of my strength. Right now I have had my fill of waiting and I seem to do a lot of this. Indeed it feels that all I do is waiting.
I am waiting until the 60 day mark for the first Disney hotel stay of this trip rolls around so that I can do the online check in. I have never bothered with this before, but with time being at the essence when I check in, I thought this was a good idea this time round. Linked to this, I am also not so patiently waiting to see if I will be eligible for the Magic Band. There have been a bunch of reports on here recently that people are getting Magic Bands for check in dates at the end of November and the very beginning of December.
I am waiting for notification that my gown for Pirate Night has shipped. On the website it said that it would take 2 to 3 weeks to make and it has now been 4.5 weeks and I have not had an update. I know I don't need it until the beginning of December, but I so want to see this. I think I will wait until the end of the week and then send them a message.
Right at the beginning of the planning process, I saw a tiara that I instantly fell in love with. I just went perfectly with my vision for my formal night gown and now that I have seen the gown, this is even more perfect. Supposedly the flowers on the tiara are orchids, but they look like poinsettias to me. Anyway, this tiara has always been out of stock and still is. I was not too worried with 5 months to go, but now that I am down to two months, I am getting nervous. I have even been wondering if I should get a back up tiara just in case, but there is nothing out there that I love even half as much.
I made my reservation for Discovery Cove through a UK tour operator. They had a deal that with any ticket purchased or any reservation made through them during the month of September, you got a free 14 day ticket for Legoland and one free round trip per person. My schedule is full to the rafters, but this is something fun to do for Graham on one of the days I am heading for Disney. We have used this company a few times before and they have always been lightning quick shipping stuff out to us. They offer free delivery within 7 days, but so far it has been 9 days and still nothing. I think I may need to chase this up, too.
The biggest irritation and worry though is the cruise situation. I had thought that I had started to monitor availability for the cruise in late July/ early August. I looked at my notes yesterday and it was actually early July. Since then, the availability has not really shifted. I checked again yesterday and I could still pick an actual stateroom number for my preferred category, which is another sign that there is still plenty of availability. On Sunday, everybody booked on the cruise had to be paid in full and the cancellation period started on Monday. I would have sworn there would be some deals then, but nothing so far. I really don't understand DCL. If they were going to fill the ship at full price, I think they had done so by now. There is so much attached to this like organising car hire and also transfers from the airport to the hotel in Orlando that I can't do until the cruise is booked and this is making me antsy.
Still, there are loads of other areas where I have made progress. I managed to get my ticket for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and better still, it is a print at home ticket so I won't waste valuable park time getting my ticket. I also ordered Photopass+ and this has shipped. I finally got around to ordering the dresses for dinner and they have arrived. There has been another slight change of plan and for the final night I have now something in Christmas colours, which I also plan to wear for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The biggest thing that I could cross of my list though was booking Discovery Cove. This is a major relief as we left it so late last time round that we could then not get a reservation.
I will be distracted from worrying about the things that just won't fall in place for the next few days. I have a very busy day at work tomorrow and then after work we are off to London for the weekend. There is a small Chihuly exhibition at a gallery near Hyde Park so that is me taken care off on Saturday. Sunday is Graham's birthday and I have treated him to half an hour in a Boeing 777 simulator at the Emirates Aviation Experience. Monday I have a training day followed by a team building evening and by the time my feet him the ground again on Tuesday evening, hopefully some of those things have been resolved.
I know that patience is a virtue, but it is most certainly not one of my strength. Right now I have had my fill of waiting and I seem to do a lot of this. Indeed it feels that all I do is waiting.
I am waiting until the 60 day mark for the first Disney hotel stay of this trip rolls around so that I can do the online check in. I have never bothered with this before, but with time being at the essence when I check in, I thought this was a good idea this time round. Linked to this, I am also not so patiently waiting to see if I will be eligible for the Magic Band. There have been a bunch of reports on here recently that people are getting Magic Bands for check in dates at the end of November and the very beginning of December.
I am waiting for notification that my gown for Pirate Night has shipped. On the website it said that it would take 2 to 3 weeks to make and it has now been 4.5 weeks and I have not had an update. I know I don't need it until the beginning of December, but I so want to see this. I think I will wait until the end of the week and then send them a message.
Right at the beginning of the planning process, I saw a tiara that I instantly fell in love with. I just went perfectly with my vision for my formal night gown and now that I have seen the gown, this is even more perfect. Supposedly the flowers on the tiara are orchids, but they look like poinsettias to me. Anyway, this tiara has always been out of stock and still is. I was not too worried with 5 months to go, but now that I am down to two months, I am getting nervous. I have even been wondering if I should get a back up tiara just in case, but there is nothing out there that I love even half as much.
I made my reservation for Discovery Cove through a UK tour operator. They had a deal that with any ticket purchased or any reservation made through them during the month of September, you got a free 14 day ticket for Legoland and one free round trip per person. My schedule is full to the rafters, but this is something fun to do for Graham on one of the days I am heading for Disney. We have used this company a few times before and they have always been lightning quick shipping stuff out to us. They offer free delivery within 7 days, but so far it has been 9 days and still nothing. I think I may need to chase this up, too.
The biggest irritation and worry though is the cruise situation. I had thought that I had started to monitor availability for the cruise in late July/ early August. I looked at my notes yesterday and it was actually early July. Since then, the availability has not really shifted. I checked again yesterday and I could still pick an actual stateroom number for my preferred category, which is another sign that there is still plenty of availability. On Sunday, everybody booked on the cruise had to be paid in full and the cancellation period started on Monday. I would have sworn there would be some deals then, but nothing so far. I really don't understand DCL. If they were going to fill the ship at full price, I think they had done so by now. There is so much attached to this like organising car hire and also transfers from the airport to the hotel in Orlando that I can't do until the cruise is booked and this is making me antsy.
Still, there are loads of other areas where I have made progress. I managed to get my ticket for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and better still, it is a print at home ticket so I won't waste valuable park time getting my ticket. I also ordered Photopass+ and this has shipped. I finally got around to ordering the dresses for dinner and they have arrived. There has been another slight change of plan and for the final night I have now something in Christmas colours, which I also plan to wear for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The biggest thing that I could cross of my list though was booking Discovery Cove. This is a major relief as we left it so late last time round that we could then not get a reservation.
I will be distracted from worrying about the things that just won't fall in place for the next few days. I have a very busy day at work tomorrow and then after work we are off to London for the weekend. There is a small Chihuly exhibition at a gallery near Hyde Park so that is me taken care off on Saturday. Sunday is Graham's birthday and I have treated him to half an hour in a Boeing 777 simulator at the Emirates Aviation Experience. Monday I have a training day followed by a team building evening and by the time my feet him the ground again on Tuesday evening, hopefully some of those things have been resolved.
PJB71
DIS Veteran
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I hope you get everything booked ASAP Corinna 
I know how frustrating it is 
I'm like you I hate waiting
Phil couldn't care less & can't understand why I get so stressed 
mind you he's always oblivious as to what date we actually go which shows how much he organises 
I think he thinks the holiday fairy does it all
I hope you & Graham have a lovely weekend away (how funny its Phil's birthday today & was our 20th wedding anniversary yesterday )
Really hope we cross paths somewhere along the holiday
I know how frustrating it is I'm like you I hate waiting
Phil couldn't care less & can't understand why I get so stressed mind you he's always oblivious as to what date we actually go which shows how much he organises I think he thinks the holiday fairy does it all
I hope you & Graham have a lovely weekend away
(how funny its Phil's birthday today & was our 20th wedding anniversary yesterday ) Really hope we cross paths somewhere along the holiday
ForTheLoveOfDCL
A Dream is a wish your
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What is up with DCL...seriously, how am I to know I am cruising with ya again? LOL I have been watching myself cause I would give up my OBC and stateroom I picked just to save a few hundred. I am watching the Dolphin Royal Swim deals too. Which are u doing ? The swim or Royal? Cause last time we did them we had us 4 and 4 others. This time we have 6 and you and Graham would be 8. Wonder if we could do it together once we both book.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
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I hope you get everything booked ASAP Corinna
I'm like you I hate waiting
I think he thinks the holiday fairy does it all
I hope you & Graham have a lovely weekend away
Really hope we cross paths somewhere along the holiday
Graham is exactly the same. He does not understand at all why I am so stressed out by this all. The other day he came out with a real classic. He suggested that if a cruise is so important to me, maybe I should look at some of the other cruise lines. No, I want to sail on the Magic and I have a number of good reasons for doing so. I have now set myself a deadline. If there are still no discounts by my birthday, which is on 14th November, I will book it at whatever the price is then. I just call it my birthday present in this case. I hope I don't have to wait quite so long though.
Graham calls me his holiday planning department. He is usually in charge of flights, but everything else is my job. He keeps telling me to just tell him where and when to turn up.
We had an absolutely wonderful weekend.
Wow, I would be stressed too. Hopefully all the pieces fit together soon.
Happy birthday to Graham, have a great weekend!
Things have started to fall together. My tickets and confirmations for Discovery Cove, Seaworld and Aquatica have now arrived. I also got a shipping notice for my gown. There is still nothing about Magic Bands, but I have heard from different sources that this will be rolled out to every onsite hotel by the end of October so I will just have to be patient. I have however now done online check in for AKL and this proved to be a challenge, too. It kept giving me error messages, but I eventually succeeded.
If I go down the dolphin swim route, which is favourite at the moment, then it definitely will be the Royal Swim. Graham has no interest in this. He won't be doing the dolphin swim at Discovery either. Still, if they do a two for one, maybe I can talk him into it. I am sure we can coordinate this.
On a different note, I had a happy little squeal during my lunch break yesterday. We had the most amazing server during our 2009 cruise who also happens to be from our home town. He went to the Dream as part of the opening team, then went to the Fantasy and then back to the Dream. I recently linked up with him on Facebook. He posted yesterday that we was back home for a 6 week vacation and then was heading to the Magic. It does not take three guesses who I will request as our server.
Corinna
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
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Shopping
Shopping used to be a big part of my trips to the USA, but has become less so over the last few years. This has partly to do with the more restrictive baggage allowances. However, this time I have set aside half a day for shopping. I suppose with this trip being so close to Christmas, it would be a shame not to. I will go shopping on the morning of the day that I will attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I have decided on Orlando Premium Outlets International Drive. This is a bit further from the hotel then their Vineland Avenue location, but they have a few shops that are of interest to me that the other location has not got. With it being so close to Christmas, they open at 9:00 AM in the morning so this will give me plenty of time.
I have never actually been to this location or at least not under the current ownership. This is the same location where the old Belz Outlet Shopping Mall used to be. This was always dark and dingy, however at least during our first couple of visits to Orlando we got a few bargains there. As the years went by, there were more and more empty shops and most of what was left, was of dubious quality. For some reason we still persisted. After every visit we said that those were a couple of hours of our life that we would never get back, but for some reason we went back every visit.
The last time we were up there, it had changed ownership and was still a major building site. The two main buildings and half of the annexes had gone and were in the process of being replaced with an outdoor set up similar to that of the Orlando Premium Outlets at the bottom of International Drive. The new outlets were called Prime Outlets. We both agreed that this had potential and then never went back.
I am not even sure when the latest change of ownership happened. After 2009, International Drive had dropped off our radar. We did always enjoy Orlando Premium Outlets at Vineland Avenue so I can't wait to see what they have done with the location at the top of International Drive.
There are about half a dozen shops that I really want to visit. The Crocs outlet is one of the shops that I will definitely visit. I have kind of grown out of Crocs over the last couple of years, but I still like to have a look. I also know that they have lines in the USA that we can't get in the UK. I know that they also branched out into work shoes that have leather uppers and to my delight they even have a line for airline staff. They are aimed at cabin crew rather than landlubbers like me, but some of them are rather cute and also would work well for the office.
The next shop that I really want to visit is the Dooney and Bourke outlet. I have the feeling that this will be strictly for window shopping purposes as I am really only interested in their Disney styles and I doubt that they have any of those in the outlet, but I am curious what else there is around.
A shop where I fully expect to leave some money is the Kipling outlet. Apart from Graham, I have 5 people to buy Christmas presents for and I am hoping that three of them will be taken care of at Kipling. One of them actually was the person who originally introduced me to Kipling. Here in the UK the bags are quite expensive, but I have heard from various people that they got some real bargains at the outlet.
On the subject of Christmas presents, I will also make good use of the Bath and Bodyworks outlet. I have one of the PocketBac mini hand sanitizers attached to my backpack and two of my colleagues were always eyeing this. I brought them back one with a holder from Seattle and they both proclaimed that this is the best hand sanitizer that they ever used. They are now lamenting the fact that they have nearly run out. This gave me an idea for a Christmas present. With all the different scents that they have, I am planning to put together a box of 12 hand sanitizers for them, one for each month of the year.
Of course, I have to visit Disney's Character Warehouse. I am hoping to stock up on my trading pins as my trading lanyard is starting to look a little sorry for itself. I am also not opposed to the idea of a couple of new shirts. This may also be the place where I will find something to have signed by the characters on the ship. I have a few pillowcases that I had signed over the years, but I kind of got bored with this idea. The last two cruises I had a9" Vinylmation signed and I liked this idea much better. This time round I am thinking in terms of maybe a plate or a Christmas decoration of some sort.
The other two shops that call my name are the Yankee Candle Outlet and Le Gourmet Chef. At Yankee Candle, I am hoping to get a couple of new reed diffusers. I could spend all day at Le Gourmet Chef looking at all the dips, dressings, sauces and marinates and trying the samples. On my last visit, I got an amazing Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. If they still have this, a bottle will definitely follow me home. I think this would go amazingly well with our Christmas dinner instead of cranberry sauce.
Apart from my trip to Orlando Premium Outlets, I also intend to do a little bit of shopping at Walt Disney World. I have a tradition that I get a resort pin for each resort I am staying at so I have to get a new pin there. Last year the also had great resort specific holiday pins. If they do something like this again, I will need to get those, too. Last year they also had beautiful Holidays Around The World and Candlelight Processional pins. If they do those again, they will follow me home. I never thought to check last year if they had any pins for the Osborne Family Lights. If they do, this is something else that needs to join my collection. Last, but not least I wand to get a t shirt and a pin for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. With all this little lot, I may need to pay for a second bag to come back.
Shopping used to be a big part of my trips to the USA, but has become less so over the last few years. This has partly to do with the more restrictive baggage allowances. However, this time I have set aside half a day for shopping. I suppose with this trip being so close to Christmas, it would be a shame not to. I will go shopping on the morning of the day that I will attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I have decided on Orlando Premium Outlets International Drive. This is a bit further from the hotel then their Vineland Avenue location, but they have a few shops that are of interest to me that the other location has not got. With it being so close to Christmas, they open at 9:00 AM in the morning so this will give me plenty of time.
I have never actually been to this location or at least not under the current ownership. This is the same location where the old Belz Outlet Shopping Mall used to be. This was always dark and dingy, however at least during our first couple of visits to Orlando we got a few bargains there. As the years went by, there were more and more empty shops and most of what was left, was of dubious quality. For some reason we still persisted. After every visit we said that those were a couple of hours of our life that we would never get back, but for some reason we went back every visit.
The last time we were up there, it had changed ownership and was still a major building site. The two main buildings and half of the annexes had gone and were in the process of being replaced with an outdoor set up similar to that of the Orlando Premium Outlets at the bottom of International Drive. The new outlets were called Prime Outlets. We both agreed that this had potential and then never went back.
I am not even sure when the latest change of ownership happened. After 2009, International Drive had dropped off our radar. We did always enjoy Orlando Premium Outlets at Vineland Avenue so I can't wait to see what they have done with the location at the top of International Drive.
There are about half a dozen shops that I really want to visit. The Crocs outlet is one of the shops that I will definitely visit. I have kind of grown out of Crocs over the last couple of years, but I still like to have a look. I also know that they have lines in the USA that we can't get in the UK. I know that they also branched out into work shoes that have leather uppers and to my delight they even have a line for airline staff. They are aimed at cabin crew rather than landlubbers like me, but some of them are rather cute and also would work well for the office.
The next shop that I really want to visit is the Dooney and Bourke outlet. I have the feeling that this will be strictly for window shopping purposes as I am really only interested in their Disney styles and I doubt that they have any of those in the outlet, but I am curious what else there is around.
A shop where I fully expect to leave some money is the Kipling outlet. Apart from Graham, I have 5 people to buy Christmas presents for and I am hoping that three of them will be taken care of at Kipling. One of them actually was the person who originally introduced me to Kipling. Here in the UK the bags are quite expensive, but I have heard from various people that they got some real bargains at the outlet.
On the subject of Christmas presents, I will also make good use of the Bath and Bodyworks outlet. I have one of the PocketBac mini hand sanitizers attached to my backpack and two of my colleagues were always eyeing this. I brought them back one with a holder from Seattle and they both proclaimed that this is the best hand sanitizer that they ever used. They are now lamenting the fact that they have nearly run out. This gave me an idea for a Christmas present. With all the different scents that they have, I am planning to put together a box of 12 hand sanitizers for them, one for each month of the year.
Of course, I have to visit Disney's Character Warehouse. I am hoping to stock up on my trading pins as my trading lanyard is starting to look a little sorry for itself. I am also not opposed to the idea of a couple of new shirts. This may also be the place where I will find something to have signed by the characters on the ship. I have a few pillowcases that I had signed over the years, but I kind of got bored with this idea. The last two cruises I had a9" Vinylmation signed and I liked this idea much better. This time round I am thinking in terms of maybe a plate or a Christmas decoration of some sort.
The other two shops that call my name are the Yankee Candle Outlet and Le Gourmet Chef. At Yankee Candle, I am hoping to get a couple of new reed diffusers. I could spend all day at Le Gourmet Chef looking at all the dips, dressings, sauces and marinates and trying the samples. On my last visit, I got an amazing Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. If they still have this, a bottle will definitely follow me home. I think this would go amazingly well with our Christmas dinner instead of cranberry sauce.
Apart from my trip to Orlando Premium Outlets, I also intend to do a little bit of shopping at Walt Disney World. I have a tradition that I get a resort pin for each resort I am staying at so I have to get a new pin there. Last year the also had great resort specific holiday pins. If they do something like this again, I will need to get those, too. Last year they also had beautiful Holidays Around The World and Candlelight Processional pins. If they do those again, they will follow me home. I never thought to check last year if they had any pins for the Osborne Family Lights. If they do, this is something else that needs to join my collection. Last, but not least I wand to get a t shirt and a pin for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. With all this little lot, I may need to pay for a second bag to come back.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
- Messages
- 31,283
An extra bag definitely might be needed
It will still be worth it. To start off with, even with the extra luggage fees this will save me money and I will be able to get things that I could not get back home.
Corinna
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