Mommy's Magical Memories (Update 7.12.2012)

[PopArtGal]

I'd go for Dec. 5 to 19. It falls in the dates I once was there and it was lovely. But who knows, I might have just been lucky.

 

[stephielela]

Dec 5-9 should be pretty decent. Crowds are typically low up until the week before Christmas. The only drawback to me is the weather. You really have no idea what to expect, I've been when it was warm enough to swim and when it's cold enough for coats and hats... all in the same trip

 

[photographymom517]

Yeah, if your family wouldn't appreciate your not being there for Thanksgiving, I'd definitely eliminate it. I think the second option sounds good.

As for driving through PA and going to Ohio - we unfortunately never have dates until, like, a month before. If it works out, I will totally ask to drive through PA to meet you! I am also very tentatively roadtripping with my BFF in May, so that might be an option, too. I would loveeee to meet you!

Yes I agree! I know that everyone would completely freak out if we missed Thanksgiving dinner! And since it will also be Tyler's first Thanksgiving, I highly doubt that would go over well! Right after I posted my update, I eliminated that week!

Why did they change the smileys?? I guess I am one of those people who doesn't like change -- although sometimes change is great! LOL I just am so used to the smileys being in a certain place & now I have to actually search for them! It must have happened during their last server update. Oh well...guess I'll eventually get used to it!

I definitely would to meet you!!! The only reasons that I wouldn't be able to are: family birthday parties, baby/bridal showers, my mom's health issues, and summer sports. But even with those things, I may be able to work something out for a morning or later in the day depending on when you guys drive through!!! Other than that, I am usually free ANYTIME!!! Definitely keep me updated once you find out anything & we can hopefully work something out!!! Yay!!! I'm excited already!!!

Thanks for your kind words on the name Claudia.

I'd go for Dec. 5 to 19. It falls in the dates I once was there and it was lovely. But who knows, I might have just been lucky.

How was the weather on your trip during that time? And how were the crowds? I looked at a few weather forecasts and also ones that show past weather patterns. It looks like highs in the 70's and lows in the 60's...but I know it fluctuates A LOT in December. It can get down near 50, although I know Florida 50 is a lot warmer than PA 50 so it may not be quite so bad

I was really leaning towards mid-November until I read a bunch of people completely freaking out over Jersey Week! They said they'd rather go during mid-Spring Break than Jersey Week -- that really worries me! So no mid-November!

Dec 5-19 should be pretty decent. Crowds are typically low up until the week before Christmas. The only drawback to me is the weather. You really have no idea what to expect, I've been when it was warm enough to swim and when it's cold enough for coats and hats... all in the same trip

I'm glad to see both of you choose the 5th-19th!!! I'm actually thinking the 8th-22nd now but its subject to change give or take a few days! Most likely, in the end it will come down to resort prices and also flight times/prices.

We also still don't know if we're going for 7, 10, or 14 days. It depends on a lot of things (mainly family stuff going on which you already know about). Most likely, depending on what's going on here & what deals are released, I think we'll go for 10 days again...maybe 12 at the most. If we end up going 14, I will be shocked -- but it is still an option.

Yikes! I hate being so indecisive!!! Did you ever notice how easy it is to help other people plan their trips & give them advice, yet it stinks to plan your own trip & finalize details?!

I'm worried about the weather too! That's mostly why I was initially leaning towards mid-November. There's pretty much a guarantee that the weather will still be warm enough to wear tshirts at least (and hopefully not need the winter hats, gloves, scarves, etc!) I know there's more of a chance in December for the winter clothes. I'm already an overpacker & was hoping to get away from that this year -- especially since Tyler is an infant. He won't get a luggage allowance since he isn't a paying customer AND I wanted to have less luggage since we now have more people.

Someone said Southwest allows 2 free bags per person now, do you know if that's true? If so, that's good & bad news!!! Good news because I def will need the extra luggage -- but bad news because I have no idea how all of this will fit into my car on the way to/from the airport OR how we'll lug it around the airport!

The only detail I actually have worked out already -- and that I'm really, really happy about is my grocery shopping is already lined up!!! Traveling with a baby, that's a huge burden off of me! Now I can worry about all the other details!

 

[photographymom517]

I've been debating a lot recently over choosing a resort. We have a set budget and that has to include the resort, park tickets, dining, tips for TS restaurants, souvenir money, tickets for MVMCP, and other expenses (can't give away all the details of the trip yet so I'll call it "other expenses" for now!)

My first instinct was to stay at

We stayed there on Luke's first trip and LOVED it! My husband even mentioned it the other day & suggested that we stay there again. We talked before about trying to stay at all of the resorts before "repeating" one we've previously stayed at. So when he suggested AKL, I was thrilled!

I also really wanted to stay at my dream resort (Photo from AllEars.net)

I had previously looked at these two resorts as well (these photos are also from AllEars.net)

When deciding on a resort, my main goal is to please the kids. I really want them to enjoy the vacation! So I had also considered

We were also talking about staying here

But in the end, after we considered all options, the winner is

Port Orleans Riverside!!!!

 

[photographymom517]

If you followed along with last year's PTR, you'll remember this isn't the first time we've considered POR! We had planned to stay there last September, but once the deals were released, we upgraded from a Mod to a Deluxe.

We ended up staying at the Beach Club and I have to admit, I will truly miss our evening walks to Epcot! Epcot is our FAVORITE park & we would walk over just to grab dessert and watch Illuminations! I think out of our 10 day trip, we did this at least 6 times! (Ok, I'm getting sad thinking about it, so let's move on! )

There are MANY reasons why I want to try POR, but one is

DOWNTOWN DISNEY!!!

I just walking around DTD. Luke really enjoys playing in the fountains & we'll definitely have more options for dining.



I don't want this update to be too word heavy so I'll keep it as short as I can...but here's a brief list of why we choose POR.

1) Coronado Springs -- While we love the Mexican theme, we weren't fans of the Beach Club being a Conference Resort. There were a few instances where the beach was closed due to private dinners/events and we didn't like seeing so much "business" going on during our vacation. We prefer a more family-centered atmosphere. We'll probably try CS eventually, but not for a few years.

2) Saratoga Springs and Old Key West -- I LOVE how beautiful both of these resorts look! Unfortunately, they just aren't in the budget! I even looked at renting someone's DVC points and the cost is just too much right now.

3) Animal Kingdom Lodge -- While we love this resort, we do want to try something new. If we were to repeat a resort, this would definitely be our first choice! The cost is also a factor with AKL. Just not in the budget for this particular trip (I dream of someday staying at Kidani Village!!!)

4) Polynesian -- Well, let's come back to reality & admit that I only put this on the list because it's my DREAM resort! I knew before adding it to the list that we couldn't afford it. But it's nice to have dreams! And we will probably visit the Poly this trip anyway (more on that later!)

5) All Star Movies -- When taking this off the list, I'm assuming that Free Dining will be extended. Now, I'm not counting on it & I'm not saying that it WILL be extended. I have no idea either way! But assuming free dining would be extended, we would have to pay to upgrade QSDP to the regular DP. The cost of doing this doesn't make sense -- we might as well just stay at a Mod and get the regular DP. I think Luke would either love the huge characters or be scared to death of them! I'm not sure I want to chance him being scared of our resort.

As I said, we almost stayed at Port Orleans Riverside last year! So I already have a few links & will post them here!

 

[photographymom517]

Here are some links with POR information!!!

http://www.portorleans.org

http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/Port-Orleans-F/index.htm

Port Orleans Map
http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/PortOrleansMap.pdf


Also, here are a few of my friend/coworker Nikki's (NikkiLovesWDW!) Trip Reports when she stayed at Port Orleans! (I hope you don't mind me sharing, but your reports are great & so full of pics!!!)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2506691

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2811693&page=7


I need to go back and review ALL of those links for my own knowledge! I hope you find them to be helpful as well!

Just a little side note -- completely off topic! When I just went back to search for all of these links, I reread portions of my PTR from last September's trip. Wow!!! How bittersweet!!!

I read some stories I had shared with everyone about Luke helping me to prepare for our trip last year. I read posts that some of you wrote. I read my plans for last year's trip. And all I can say is "wow"

I am just sitting here truly amazed at how much Luke has grown, how much he loves Disney, how I've become such good friends with so many of you over the past year when we just "met" last February/March, and how much I changed the plans after finding out I was pregnant with Tyler! I also noticed that I didn't do the majority of things I wrote on my PTR last time around!!! So, I'm going to go back & read my last PTR before posting again on this PTR. I think I need to "reinclude" some of those plans!!! (Yes, I have a tendency to make-up my own words which drives a lot of people crazy! )

Anyway, right now according to my app, I am 230 days away from my trip! I cannot wait until I make ADR's! My next update will definitely be about food!!! So, stay tuned!!!

 

[lbuzz52]

Hey Hope! didn't realize you had started this. i have to catch up on the TR, but i'm all caught up here!

We are staying at POR this trip too!! I'm so excited about it. Its a short trip, but i still have big plans for our resort activities.

I"m not sure how flexible your date choices are, but out of your options, i'd take #1 and move it up just a couple days. then you could go to MNSSHP & MVMCP! otherwise, i'd probably choose the option right after thanksgiving. I've always heard that the end of nov/ beginning of dec were low crowd weeks.

oh, we've also been from Oct 20something to Nov 3rd before. although it was just the very beginning of jersey week that year, i wouldn't say i noticed a large increase in crowds. a change in accents, sure, but not in crowds. It also was really cool to see them switch from halloween to christmas cups. i'm not sure why, but it just made me so happy

 

[Megablocks]

Port Orleans Riverside! We stayed there a bunch of times when I was younger, it's soooo pretty. We stayed in both the mansions and alligator bayou. I'm so excited for you! One of our favorite things to do there was rent the boats. I was never old enough to drive them but it's one of my favorite memories of staying there!

I'll definitely keep you updated on if we're going to be passing through PA over the summer. My BFF is still undecided but leaning towards NOT roadtripping, and flying instead, but chances are I'll still be going to Ohio with my family at some point. I'm excited thinking about it!

 

[stephielela]

I'm glad to see both of you choose the 5th-19th!!! I'm actually thinking the 8th-22nd now but its subject to change give or take a few days! Most likely, in the end it will come down to resort prices and also flight times/prices.

We also still don't know if we're going for 7, 10, or 14 days. It depends on a lot of things (mainly family stuff going on which you already know about). Most likely, depending on what's going on here & what deals are released, I think we'll go for 10 days again...maybe 12 at the most. If we end up going 14, I will be shocked -- but it is still an option.

Yikes! I hate being so indecisive!!! Did you ever notice how easy it is to help other people plan their trips & give them advice, yet it stinks to plan your own trip & finalize details?!

I'm worried about the weather too! That's mostly why I was initially leaning towards mid-November. There's pretty much a guarantee that the weather will still be warm enough to wear tshirts at least (and hopefully not need the winter hats, gloves, scarves, etc!) I know there's more of a chance in December for the winter clothes. I'm already an overpacker & was hoping to get away from that this year -- especially since Tyler is an infant. He won't get a luggage allowance since he isn't a paying customer AND I wanted to have less luggage since we now have more people.

Someone said Southwest allows 2 free bags per person now, do you know if that's true? If so, that's good & bad news!!! Good news because I def will need the extra luggage -- but bad news because I have no idea how all of this will fit into my car on the way to/from the airport OR how we'll lug it around the airport!

The only detail I actually have worked out already -- and that I'm really, really happy about is my grocery shopping is already lined up!!! Traveling with a baby, that's a huge burden off of me! Now I can worry about all the other details!

I know exactly what you mean about it being harder to plan our own trips! Yes, SW allows two bags per person and I think baby stuff counts as 1/2, like you can check a carseat and stroller and it's only 1 item. Either that or it doesn't count at all... I can't remember!

Yay for POR! I would love to try another resort, and I really thought we would be trying out AoA this time... maybe we still will but for now I'm just dreaming. If I for soem reason decide to upgrade, I want to try POR of POFQ. I feel the same way about Coronado Springs and we have already done CBR... we'll see! I wish you were considering earlier in Nov., then I would totally get our trips to overlap!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm here!

And....I know you have an update!

 

[parker6mom]

Great pictures, makes me excited for our upcoming trip!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

How do I always miss when people start their TRs/PTRs?!

But I'm here now and I can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[jenseib]

I'm here...and interested in what you decide.....for today at least. join the planning club.

 

[photographymom517]

Hey Hope! didn't realize you had started this. i have to catch up on the TR, but i'm all caught up here!

We are staying at POR this trip too!! I'm so excited about it. Its a short trip, but i still have big plans for our resort activities.

I"m not sure how flexible your date choices are, but out of your options, i'd take #1 and move it up just a couple days. then you could go to MNSSHP & MVMCP! otherwise, i'd probably choose the option right after thanksgiving. I've always heard that the end of nov/ beginning of dec were low crowd weeks.

oh, we've also been from Oct 20something to Nov 3rd before. although it was just the very beginning of jersey week that year, i wouldn't say i noticed a large increase in crowds. a change in accents, sure, but not in crowds. It also was really cool to see them switch from halloween to christmas cups. i'm not sure why, but it just made me so happy

Hey Lauren! Glad you are here & all caught up!!! I wish I could say I'm caught up on DIS but it seems that I may never be . . .!

Do you have a PTR for your POR trip? I'd love to read all about your plans!

Port Orleans Riverside! We stayed there a bunch of times when I was younger, it's soooo pretty. We stayed in both the mansions and alligator bayou. I'm so excited for you! One of our favorite things to do there was rent the boats. I was never old enough to drive them but it's one of my favorite memories of staying there!

I'll definitely keep you updated on if we're going to be passing through PA over the summer. My BFF is still undecided but leaning towards NOT roadtripping, and flying instead, but chances are I'll still be going to Ohio with my family at some point. I'm excited thinking about it!

Which do you prefer -- Alligator Bayou or the mansions? It's so hard to choose! Right now I'm leaning towards one of the Royal Rooms with a Garden View. I've probably watched 5,000 videos on YouTube of the Royal Rooms! I think the one from AllEars finally has me convinced to stay in one of them!

...but you know me, always changing my plans around 5 gazillion times!

I really want to rent a boat! We wanted to last year and never had time. I also want to rent a surrey bike! Oh and go fishing!! I forgot about that! I told Luke about fishing and he is super excited!!!

 

[ronnmel]

Port Orleans looks like a beautiful resort! Great choice.

 

[photographymom517]

Hey everyone! I wanted to get an update written today, but it doesn't look like its going to happen. It's hard in the summer to DIS because of all the outdoor work & fun!!! We have been working on finishing our deck and planting our garden. I'll make a combined Disney/outdoors update very soon! We're supposed to get some nasty storms the next couple days so its a great reason to stay inside & DIS!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with your family & friends & remembered the true reason we were celebrating!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

I definitely know what you mean about updating!!!! Trying to get all caught up while I feel like it.

I have always wanted to stay at Port Orleans. It looks like so much fun. Can't wait to read all your plans.

 

[Megablocks]

Which do you prefer -- Alligator Bayou or the mansions? It's so hard to choose! Right now I'm leaning towards one of the Royal Rooms with a Garden View. I've probably watched 5,000 videos on YouTube of the Royal Rooms! I think the one from AllEars finally has me convinced to stay in one of them!

...but you know me, always changing my plans around 5 gazillion times!

I really want to rent a boat! We wanted to last year and never had time. I also want to rent a surrey bike! Oh and go fishing!! I forgot about that! I told Luke about fishing and he is super excited!!!

I think we preferred Alligator Bayou. It's been so long! The mansions ARE gorgeous, though, so either way, you really can't go wrong!

Wow, I totally forgot they have the fishing, too. And renting the boats was a lot of fun! I do remember, we had a couple of instances where we couldn't take them out due to "inclement weather"...and there was nothing. It was sunny and gorgeous. Maybe there was supposed to be bad weather? I have no idea! That only happened a couple times though. I am so excited for you!!

 

[Tink9721]

Hi Hope

I keep forgetting to check in here!

We were supposed to stay at POR in 2007, but they overbooked and offered to upgrade us to WL for no additional charge. We got hooked on WL and we've stayed there every year since then

 

[photographymom517]

I am so very sorry for the lack of updates! But don’t worry, I will be making up for it within the next few weeks because…my ADR date is quickly approaching!!!

I have to figure out my schedule and exactly which ADR’s I want before mid-June! I cannot believe tomorrow is June 1st already!!! Yikes! So much planning needs to be done as quickly as possible!!! I cannot figure out why, but I know a ton of my Travel Agent co-workers would agree…it is soooo much easier to help other people plan their trips! When it comes to your own, it is just so stressful & seems to constantly change!

While I do not yet have exact dates for each ADR, here is an overview of the restaurants we want to try this trip!


First our repeats!

Luke fell in love with the atmosphere at Garden Grill and we fell in love with the food! He calls Garden Grill “The Eating Ride” and constantly is talking about his buddy Farmer Mickey & how he will see him “when we go on the eating ride again.” It is too cute to listen to him talk about it! Pluto also became one of his favorite characters last trip & Tyler loves Chip & Dale! So this is a must for us!

We all enjoyed the overall experience, the character interactions (we saw each character at least twice), and definitely the food! I am not a huge fan of turkey or beef, but it was very good here! My personal favorites were the bread/butter, potatoes, veggies, and dessert! I am big on seafood & thought the fish was only so-so.

Another “must” for us is Sci-Fi Dine In! I know there are mixed reviews of this restaurant and it makes me soooo sad! If you’ve had a bad experience here, GO BACK! Trust me on this!

Of course I will be getting the famous onion rings! Wow!!! They are seriously the best I’ve ever had! I typically prefer thin onion rings because I don’t like huge chunks of onion. But these are just sooooo good!!! I don’t care how big they are, they are delicious!!!

Last year, I got the Mushroom Swiss burger. I do not eat burgers & fries…but if I’m going to have a burger, the only one I eat is Mushroom Swiss. I’ve had this burger at pretty much every restaurant chain and have to say that this one reminds me of one of my favorites, Chili’s! Of course I think Sci Fi’s is much, much better but the texture of the bread & the way they cook the mushrooms just reminds me of Chili’s! (which is def a good thing!) I believe my DH got a regular cheeseburger with fries and Luke had the pizza. I’m guessing Luke will choose a hamburger next trip!

We LOVE the atmosphere at Sci Fi!!! I honestly think even if we hated the food, we’d eat here just for the experience! It’s a favorite for Luke as well & one he often talks about at home.


The only breakfast I’ve experienced on property that I have actually enjoyed so far was Hollywood & Vine’s Play & Dine breakfast. We will be eating here again in December! This year’s characters are Handy Manny, June from Little Einsteins, Secret Agent Oso, and Jake from Jake & the Neverland Pirates.

They have recently replaced JoJo, Goliath the Lion, and Leo from Little Einsteins. I have absolutely nothing to back this up & I am honestly NOT at all trying to start a rumor…but a part of me just thinks they will soon replace June and Manny as well.

I’ve noticed with the Disney Junior programming, it’s near impossible to find Handy Manny on and I rarely see Little Einsteins. I feel like a few months ago, every time I turned on Disney Channel, Little Einsteins was on. But that’s not the case anymore. This makes me very sad because Handy Manny was one of Luke’s very first favorite tv shows & characters!!! I can remember him watching it while driving around the house in his walker! He was only 6-8 months old at the time. We have ALL of the Manny toys and movies and while he may be outgrowing Manny, he still holds a special place in mommy’s heart!!!

BUT as I said, please please please do NOT spread a rumor because I said this…I have absolutely NOTHING to back it up…it is entirely my personal opinion!

We ate at the Play & Dine breakfast back in 2010 & skipped it last year. Luke only ate watermelon, bananas, and boiled eggs! Since then, he has started to eat more breakfast meats (mostly bacon) and cereal. He also loves scrambled eggs, toast with butter, and fruit. I’m hoping he eats more of a variety this year! We will see!

And now, my two personal favorites (so far) on property!!! Coral Reef and Les Chefs de France! Hopefully we will be eating at BOTH but it just depends on what deals Disney releases for the Winter Holiday season! It also depends on the black-out dates. I had planned to move our trip up a couple days to stay on property for a total of 14 days. Well Disney has thrown a little wrench into my plans because as of this moment, everyone who has gotten a PIN code for December has blackout dates & Free Dining doesn’t begin again until December 10th. So as of now, that is our new arrival day. We’ll see what’s released! I’m hoping they at least release FD to Visa card holders soon. I call almost daily & ask about PIN codes & so far, nothing!

Enough about that – back to ADR’s!!! My two personal favorites are Coral Reef and Les Chefs! I’m really hoping we’ll be able to do both! However, if we can’t, we will definitely be eating at Les Chefs and we will drop Coral Reef for this trip.

Background – we ate at Coral Reef in both 2009 and 2010 and loved it both times! We also attempted a walk-up and calling for a reservation last September, but nothing was available until the day we were leaving (of course!)

The atmosphere is wonderful there! We sat on the “second tier” both times but on opposite sides of the restaurant. Both locations were equally beautiful! We had amazing servers both times & the food was delicious. I was slightly disappointed in 2010 that they changed the chutney sauce on the Mahi Mahi (which I always get there!) but my meal was still delicious!

This was Luke’s dinner in 2009 (he ordered the same in 2010 as well). My DH and I still talk about this experience to this day!!! He was 10 ½ months old on our trip in 2009 and he ate some of his very first foods at Disney! This was his first time trying Salmon and he loooooved it! He ate it quicker than my DH could cut it up for him!

My favorite food!!! My favorite country!!! My favorite restaurant!!! This is a MUST! No if’s about it…we WILL be eating here in December!!!

I LOVE their French Onion Soup!!! It is one of the only foods that I can talk about constantly and TASTE it!!! I swear I can taste it just thinking about it! It’s THAT good!!! I’ve found many recipes for French Onion Soup & tried to make it at home, but nothing will ever come close to the deliciousness of Les Chefs!!! YUM!!!

Moving onto our list of new restaurants for this trip!

First is Boatwright’s a very convenient location since we are staying at Port Orleans Riverside!

I think I’ll probably try the Tenderloin with mac & cheese

And you know I’ll try this!

Another first for us is a very popular restaurant!!! Ohana!!!

I will be strategically planning the timing of this meal because it will either be on the day we explore the resorts or we will stay after dinner to watch the fireworks from the Poly beach. I haven’t decided which is the better option, so opinions are definitely appreciated on this one!