MT and AZ take on WDW! – A September PTR

[trickiwoo]

Oh, that rant reminds me a lot of the rants my boyfriend goes on! Though I don't think he has anything against Ariel... (but he does go on similar rants about how Prince Eric is the most useless character)

 

[oboedm]

Haha, I always loved the Little Mermaid, but when you put it like that...
The original Hans Christian Anderson story is too creepy for words-- Disney WAY tamed it down.

I haven't read that version-- I have heard all the original fairy tales are rather creepy... I need to get an anthology of all the original tales. That would be so great... going to amazon right now...

Hi Paula!
Definitely subbing to your PTR!! You and your DH are sooo cute! Looks like we'll be in WDW at the same time and at POFQ too! I am really looking forward to the lack of crowds in Sept. I wonder if Free Dining will change that? It looks like it didn't last year from your pic!

Wow 9 nights at the World? Lucky!

Your analogy about how Ariel is the Paris Hilton of the princesses is hilarious. I can totally see that now. She is rather spoiled right? LOL

Looking forward to more!!!

Glad you liked the Ariel thing! My DH just goes off sometimes-- he is always making me laugh... except in the mornings when I just get annoyed because I'm not a morning person!

Yes, 9 nights. Free dining made the restaurants busy, but not the parks. As it gets closer I am getting worried about the length... We were only gone for 6 nights last time, and I remember being ready to get home.

That being said, we wanted to make the trip "worth it" for BIL and SIL since they probably won't have the chance to do something like this for several years. We even upgraded to DxDDP so we could get tons of character meals. More about that in another post.

Oh, that rant reminds me a lot of the rants my boyfriend goes on! Though I don't think he has anything against Ariel... (but he does go on similar rants about how Prince Eric is the most useless character)

I told me DH about your BF's issue with Eric. He says something to the effect of, "he's RIGHT! Eric is the most worthless prince ever. He doesn't even fight for her-- and take the upgrade-- the girl with the voice-- as soon as it comes his way. He's the Don Draper of the Little Mermaid-- goes after any piece of action he can get".

 

[oboedm]

Chapter 4: Why POFQ?

Sorry for the absence-- I had a mountain of grading to do this week, but I finished this morning. Hooray! Onto the next installment of my PTR!

Before we talked about taking BIL’s family with us, DH and I decided that if free dining was offered we would upgrade to a moderate and get the deluxe dining plan.

Evan grabbing a soda refill at Pop Century, 2009.

When the inspiration hit regarding BIL’s family, I calculated the different costs and decided that Moderate/Deluxe with our family would be essentially the same cost as Value/Quick Service plan with both families. Taking BIL’s family with us would only be $125 more (hotel/food wise). He quickly agreed to the plan.

What I didn’t tell him was that tickets (plane and park) for BIL’s family weren’t added into that amount. I figure that since I handle the finances, make more money (I work two jobs), and knew that we could swing the cost, I was justified in telling this half truth. To this day, I don’t think he knows how much we spent!

Me waiting for a boat at POR, 2009.

Anyway, the plan was in place. DH and BIL’s family agreed to the plan… but I still wanted to stay in a moderate resort, and I didn’t care about the cost! I sent a bunch of options to the family—both moderate and value options were listed. We essentially narrowed them down to three: POP, CSR, and POFQ.

Pulling into Pop Century on the Magical Express, 2009.

Hayden really liked POP (with the oversized Mr. Potato Head and bowling pins). But who cares what the kid thinks? The adults wanted CSR or POFQ, but SIL was worried about the cost. So I lied again and told her that I could get a deal to make it almost the same cost. I didn’t want the cost to be a factor in her vote. I wanted them to have the best vacation ever. Besides, the extra room in the Moderate rooms would be nice for Ginny’s crib.

Our view at POP. We were on the "backside" of the resort, it was quiet and nice! We loved the location, 2009.


It was between CSR and POFQ. Ultimately it came down to the size of the resort. POFQ is much smaller than CSR, and that was important to us. We don’t want to walk too far from the main building to our rooms. Hayden liked the sea serpent slide and we can use the one at POR as well.

Our boat from POR to DTD. This was the ride that made us want to stay at POFQ-- we saw it from the river and fell in love!

POFQ it is! The more I read about this resort, the more excited I am. I loved these blog posts on All Ears!

http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/07/port_orleans_french_quarter_pa.html
http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/07/port_orleans_french_quarter_pa_2.html

DH and I upgraded to a King Bed Room, and we all have standard views. We linked our reservations so that we get rooms near (or next to each other).

Evan sprawled on our Pop Century, King Bed. We will get a similar picture this year!

I wasn’t sure if we should put in a room request. Do you have any suggestions or insights for rooms? I think I may request at third floor room so no one is above us, but wasn’t sure if I should request a building.

Do I just call WDW to request the location? Do I call the resort directly? Can I do it now, or do I have to wait until a few days before?

Coming Up: Spending more money… upgrading to DxDDP.

 

[Joyciemc]

YAY for POFQ! I love that place so so much! We stayed there for 2 weeks when I was 11 years old and it just means 'Disney' to me.

I've never made a room request because I could never figure out how. I just don't think I'm smart enough to do it
But we've never had an awful room experience at any of the resorts, so it has always worked out for us.

Did you realize that it's almost August? That means it's almost September. We're practically there already!

 

[oboedm]

Chapter 5: Spending more money… upgrading to DxDDP

Last your at WDW, we chose to upgrade the dining plan instead of upgrading the resort. We had so much fun with the deluxe dining plan last year; I decided that we should do it again this year.

I liked having sit down meals. It was a nice break from the parks. We didn't have to worry about fighting the lines for the food, finding a table, etc. Plus, the restaurants are air conditioned. In the Florida September heat, this was definitely a plus. We loved it. As such, I didn't give BIL and SIL the option to say no.

Tonga Toast @ Kona

There were a few other considerations beyond my own selfishness:

Hayden: I don't want to "waste time" in the parks standing in line for character meet and greets. Yet, I want TONS of pictures of him with characters, especially if he is completely frightened by them. Character meals are great, especially for breakfasts buffets.

Me and Daisy at Tusker House

You get in and out relatively quickly and get a variety of foods. You can't screw up breakfast too horribly, therefore buffets for breakfast are a good choice.

Tusker House Offerings

BIL and SIL: This is their first time. There are so many cool restaurants! We can eat fast food every day of the week in MT and AZ. Where else can you sit in a "car table" and watch old cheesy sci fi movies while eating your meal?

Souvenirs: The snacks credits make great souvenirs for the family. A bag of Minnie Cookies, a sucker are perfect as they can be eaten. My family doesn't have to worry about finding a place for a WDW <insert overpriced product here> when they don't like Disney as much as we do. Heck, we don't have anything Disney related in our house besides a few Christmas ornaments.

Yak and Yeti Fried Wonton Dessert

That being said, DxDDP is A LOT of food. As such, there are a few things I would do differently.

1) Eat less: We went with a mentality of sampling. However, that is not how we finished the trip. I plan on eating half of everything (if that). Half of my appetizer, half of my entree, and half of my dessert. Yes, I can eat more if I am hungrier than usual, but I don't need to eat it because I want to "get my money's worth". We are going during free dining-- money isn't an issue-- the upgrade wasn't that much and we will "get our money's worth" with one of the meals each day. I don't need to eat 2 pieces of bread, a bowl of soup, an entire entree and a complete dessert.

Pot Roast @ Liberty Tree Tavern

2) Forget About Money: Once again, don't try to get my "money's worth". I don't need to order the most expensive thing on the menu to get my money's worth. Case in point. The lobster at Narcoossee's. I should have never ordered the lobster because it was $58. I should have remembered that the one other time I ate lobster, I became ill. The money issue clouded my judgment. Our trip to WDW in September is not an episode of "Man vs. Food".

The Infamous Lobster

3) Take Advantage: order something each meal that I haven't had before. Since we are on the deluxe plan, I can do this and not have to worry about wasting money or food. Do I like grits? I don't know. Maybe I will try some in September. If I don't like my appetizer, I can get something familiar for my entree. If I don't like my entree, I can go back my appetizer. Dessert will always be eaten, no matter what. Because well, it is dessert.

Creme Brulee @ Yachtsman Steakhouse

 

[oboedm]

YAY for POFQ! I love that place so so much! We stayed there for 2 weeks when I was 11 years old and it just means 'Disney' to me.

I've never made a room request because I could never figure out how. I just don't think I'm smart enough to do it
But we've never had an awful room experience at any of the resorts, so it has always worked out for us.

Did you realize that it's almost August? That means it's almost September. We're practically there already!

I can't figure it out either! It really isn't that important to us, even Pop Century wasn't "loud" in terms of people. I have heard POFQ is "quiet" and "relaxed", so wherever we stay we will be fine!

I am glad it means "Disney" to you-- I was worried that it wouldn't feel that way. Thanks for your endorsement!

I can't believe we are so close! 1 month and 8 days for us-- now it seems "too close" I need to start making lists of stuff I have to buy!

 

[klacey1]

POFQ is sooo pretty-- you won't be disappointed! I've heard the best way to get a room you'd like is to fax the resort a cheery letter a few days before arrival: "Hi, this is ___. We're so excited to stay with you from ____ to ___. Our confirmation code is _____. It is our dream to stay in ____ area (or rooms____ - ____). We understand that this may not be possible, but we'd really appreciate if you could try to make this happen for us! Can't wait to be at the most magical place on earth! Thanks, ___"
I'm sure your DH can definitely spruce that up, but I've heard the key is to be short (brevity is the soul of wit!), to the point, polite, and cheerful. I think your chance of getting what you want increases if you don't act like you're definitely going to get what you want. POFQ's fax number is 1-407-934-5353
We love using the DDP at Disney--we've never gone deluxe, but having things paid for in advance is sooo worth it.

 

[hpfan100]

Hi Neighbor

I will be at Disney over Labor Day too!!!! I'm on a budget and will be at POP.

Subbing to plan. It's fun to see what other people plan out on their trips.

 

[trickiwoo]

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.----..-0002995844444444444444444444444444444444444444478022222220211111119! ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffbnnnnnn <--- I went to respond to your PTR when the cat I'm sitting for jumped on my lap... and by lap I mean the laptop that is currently on my lap. Those are the keys she pressed. I was going to delete it, but I thought it was pretty cute!


Haha, in any case, I love that boat picture you posted! After we check into our hotel, the very first thing we're going to do is get on that boat and head to DTD! I cannot wait!

Oh wow, this is our first time doing the DDP and I'm already worried about it being too much food!!! I can't imagine doing DxDP!

Though I do think it's smart to use it to be more adventurous and try food you might otherwise not try because if you don't like the appetizer you know you'll like the entree or vice versa!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

We stayed at POFQ a few years ago and loved it. I think I like it better than POR.

Every year I've done the math on DXDP or OOP for everything not on the regular dining plan. For us it works out better to pay OOP but we tend to only do one 2 TS meal. If you are planning to do the shows and more than one meal that is 2 TS credits, it may work out better to go with DXDP.

 

[oboedm]

POFQ is sooo pretty-- you won't be disappointed! I've heard the best way to get a room you'd like is to fax the resort a cheery letter a few days before arrival: "Hi, this is ___. We're so excited to stay with you from ____ to ___. Our confirmation code is _____. It is our dream to stay in ____ area (or rooms____ - ____). We understand that this may not be possible, but we'd really appreciate if you could try to make this happen for us! Can't wait to be at the most magical place on earth! Thanks, ___"
I'm sure your DH can definitely spruce that up, but I've heard the key is to be short (brevity is the soul of wit!), to the point, polite, and cheerful. I think your chance of getting what you want increases if you don't act like you're definitely going to get what you want. POFQ's fax number is 1-407-934-5353
We love using the DDP at Disney--we've never gone deluxe, but having things paid for in advance is sooo worth it.

Thanks for the information! Great idea about the fax. I think I am going to do it. I think I do want a 3rd floor room just so there are no kids above us. I would LOVE a king room that is a corner room as well. You get two windows!

I like having things paid in advance as well. BIL's family is going to pay the tips, so our portion of the trip is done (with the exception of HP souvenirs, of course).

Hi Neighbor

I will be at Disney over Labor Day too!!!! I'm on a budget and will be at POP.

Subbing to plan. It's fun to see what other people plan out on their trips.

I am so excited to see another Arizonian on the board! Disney for Labor day is the best, and we LOVED Pop Century last year.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\.----..-0002995844444444444444444444444444444444444444478022222220211111119! ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffbnnnnnn <--- I went to respond to your PTR when the cat I'm sitting for jumped on my lap... and by lap I mean the laptop that is currently on my lap. Those are the keys she pressed. I was going to delete it, but I thought it was pretty cute!

Oh wow, this is our first time doing the DDP and I'm already worried about it being too much food!!! I can't imagine doing DxDP!

Though I do think it's smart to use it to be more adventurous and try food you might otherwise not try because if you don't like the appetizer you know you'll like the entree or vice versa!

Too funny about the cat! That always happens with my sister and her one year old daughter!

We are excited for the plan, even though it is TONS of food. I figured that it was only $30 extra per day, and we would probably want to eat 2 TS each day because of character meals. Although we probably would have "eaten cheaper" and not done dessert or an appetizer if we did another TS OOP, I like it because everything is pre-paid and there is less worrying about money. I don't want to look at prices on my vacation

That and BIL and SIL never get to eat at nice places, so that was important to us. We want to treat them as much as possible! They are such great people who have been through some hard times.

We stayed at POFQ a few years ago and loved it. I think I like it better than POR.

Every year I've done the math on DXDP or OOP for everything not on the regular dining plan. For us it works out better to pay OOP but we tend to only do one 2 TS meal. If you are planning to do the shows and more than one meal that is 2 TS credits, it may work out better to go with DXDP.

YAY! I am glad to get another POFW endorsement! I don't think I would ever do DxDPP if it wasn't for free dining. It is a lot easier to stomach $30 a day-- as opposed to $72. I know I am paying a "rack rate" for the room, but for some reason the rack rate is easier to stomach than the dining prices. I don't know why that is...

 

[oboedm]

Chapter 6: ADR Roundup and Park Plans

One of the first things we did as a group was decide where we wanted to eat. ADRs are important, and we knew we wanted to do as many TS restaurants as possible.

1) The different themes of the different restaurants are fun to see.
2) We are paying extra for DxDDP, so why not use the credits for TS and “get our money’s worth”?
3) Air conditioning.
4) Time to relax. I tend to be a “park commando”, and CS can be eaten too quickly so I can run to the next place. I need time to get out of the hustle/bustle. Not that there is much “hustle and bustle” when you in September, but still…

We have 9 nights, but will really only be there 8 full days (one of which will be WWoHP), so most of the time we have 3 meals per day with the exception of day we are going to WWoHP and our last full day. I know-- TONS of food, but I don't plan on cleaning my plate and we like to eat. We generally eat like college kids because BIL is a college kid and I work two jobs (DH cooks like a college kid). Nice meals are a treat and we don't really "load up" on buffets or breakfast either.

We don’t have park hoppers, so that was a consideration. We needed to choose meals in the parks or easily accessible resorts. I consulted TouringPlans.com’s crowd calendar to choose parks for each day. I placed comments after the ressies.

9/3: Flying Into Orlando-- We get to the airport 2.5 hours before our ADR. Last year, we got to the hotel room about an hour after we got in line for the Magical Express—about 1.5 hours after we landed. Hopefully we will have time to get to POFQ, check in, and then leave right away for the ADR.

Dinner--- Cinderella's Royal Table. (How great will it be to eat in the castle on our first evening… especially on BIL and SIL’s first visit!)

9/4: Epcot
Breakfast--- Ohana (New, first of two reservations, like Stitch and Hayden can see Mickey right away)
Lunch--- Coral Reef (Never been, excited about the atmosphere)
Dinner--- Biergarten (Went last year for lunch, liked the food and fun music)

9/5: Animal Kingdom
Breakfast--- Tusker House (Went last year, liked the characters, seemed good for kids because of the parade around the restaurant)
Lunch--- Yak and Yeti (Went last year, rushed meal because we had to catch Magical Express, can’t wait for fried wonton dessert!)
Dinner--- Jiko (New, I heard the filet is good, and I think the trying Ostrich will be my “new thing” for that meal)

9/6: Epcot
Breakfast--- Akershus (Went last year, liked the characters and free pictures, MMM.. cheesy potatoes)
Lunch--- Teppan Edo (Never been, like the monorail boxes for kid meals, entertaining presentation)
Dinner--- Marrakesh (Never been, SIL wanted to see the belly dancers and try something new. Looks frightening. Any food recommendations?)

9/7: Magic Kingdom
Breakfast--- Kona (Went last year, liked the food, fast service)
Lunch--- Whispering Canyon Café (New, seemed entertaining for Hayden, can’t wait to order a Diet Coke here)
Dinner--- Yachtsman Steakhouse (Went last year, mashed potatoes were heavenly, couldn’t get Le Cellier for 6 people)

9/8: Magic Kingdom
Breakfast--- Crystal Palace (Never been, seems pretty inside, Pooh’s Stuffed French toast!)
Lunch--- Liberty Tree Tavern (Went last year, liked the food, especially the pot roast).
Dinner--- Ohana (New, DH and BIL are especially excited for the large skewers of meat, BIL lived for 2 years in Samoa—can’t wait to show him the Poly)

9/9: Universal, WWoHP!!
Breakfast--- Snacks for Breakfast (Leaving @ 7 for IoA)
Lunch--- Three Broomsticks? (I have heard the lines are long, though. We shall see if this is feasible)
Dinner--- Raglan Road (Went last year, loved the food and entertainment).

9/10: DHS
Breakfast--- Kouzzina (Went last year, can’t wait for the chicken sausage!)
Lunch--- Sci-Fi Dine In Theater (Went last year, DH was sick so we wanted to go and enjoy it this time)
Dinner--- Brown Derby (New! DH writes screenplays so the old Hollywood atmosphere will be fun).

9/11: Anything Day, Mini Golf Blizzard Beach
Breakfast--- 1900 Park Fare or Boma, undecided (depending on which part we go to that day, we can try and get a reservation there)
Lunch--- Snacks (as we don’t have plans this day, we won’t make a reservation)
Dinner--- California Grill (New to us, last dinner of the trip with a beautiful view—but no fireworks, as 9/11 is “Night of Joy”)

9/12: Fly Home—Magical Express will pick us up before 6 a.m.

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Great choices!

My vote for breakfast on 9/11 is Boma. YUMMY! I liked it much better than 1900 last year.

 

[oboedm]

Great choices!

My vote for breakfast on 9/11 is Boma. YUMMY! I liked it much better than 1900 last year.

I have heard such great things about Boma... that is my choice, but I think SIL may want to meet Mary Poppins. It may depend on whether we see her in the parks!

 

[Joyciemc]

The DxDDP sounds amazing- I really do like the idea of two TS meals a day for the reasons you listed, should make for a relaxing trip!

Glad to hear you've been to Beirgarten and enjoyed it. I think it looks like a fun meal, I just hope I enjoy the food!

I'll be looking for you at Raglan Road on the 9th. Not in a weirdo creepy way or anything- I'll play it real cool

 

[klacey1]

Whoa, sounds like sooo much food!! It'll be so fun to try a bunch of different things! I know what you mean about Marakesh looking "frightening!"

 

[hpfan100]

WOW that looks like an amazing dining experience. You will have so much fun with it. Check out some more info on Marrakesh (sp?) I know it gets bad reviews form veggies so I'm not sure if the same is true for meaties. I love middle eastern food and my favorite is falafel or hummus and everything.


I hope you can go to Three Broomsticks. It is sooooooo magical Makes you feel like you really are a Potter person.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[annmarieda]

Welcome to my PTR! I am having so much fun reading other PTRs lately, so I thought I would start my own! More will be coming tomorrow, but I thought I would set up the new thread tonight in an attempt to avoid work (naturally).

Here is a picture of me and DH from last year.

Dates: 9/1/2010 to 9/12/2010
Resort: POFQ

Coming Up: How this trip came to be

I don't know how I missed your PTR. Joining in now though! What a great pic of you and your dh. We are going the same time, but we are only staying 7 nights. (and in looking through your plan, we will not be in any of the same parks on the same days) I wish I had chose to take more time off but even if I wanted to now, the change to our airfare would cost more than it would be worth. Now, if our flight were changed...and we got bumped to the next day...I would be all over that. Especially since our last day is the only day for EMH at AK.

How cool is it that you are taking your bil and sil. I am sure you will all have a great time. Especially on the deluxe ddp!

Good luck with the ttc as well. My heart goes out to you. If you notice on my PTR, there is quite a gap between my oldest dd and youngest dd. While I have 4 kids total, the first three came easily, but not my last. My youngest is 10 years younger than the next youngest. This was not an oops, or a choice. After many failed pregnancies we finally gave up thinking that it would happen again. That month...it did happen again and she was a sticky bean. So hang in there.....

Evan Destroys Your Childhood: Ariel Edition

Hello Everyone! I was able to get DH to write up why he hates the Little Mermaid! Please see his rant/story below. Read it in a"funny ranting voice", not in a voice like he wants to hunt down Ariel and kick her at Akershus. Sometimes he "goes off" and its pretty funny, but in order to know that this is meant to be funny, you have to know Evan. He is essentially a big teddy bear-- who hates Ariel...

I can already tell that some of you are rolling your eyes. You’re saying, “Evan, it’s just a little fairy tale about a princess from the ocean who falls in love with a man.” First off, listen to what you just said-- it's insane. Second, Ariel may be the worst Disney character ever created... next to Pocahontas. She is the Paris Hilton of the sea world. Let’s recap.

Ariel is the princess daughter of the King of the Sea. She is surrounded by loving sisters and humble servants. Anything in the kingdom can be hers, but what does she want? To quote the movie “I want more!”

Sure, we’re along for the ride. We see her little cave of wonders where she stocks away all of her found (stolen) objects, but let's just imagine this movie was told from someone else point of view.

What if we saw the movie from her father's point of view? Where does she go during the day? Why can't we just talk about what you're going through? Oh, you want more. Thanks, Ariel, I built a kingdom, I rule over everything in the sea, but I guess that's not enough. Glad I killed all of the other claims to the throne in order to give you a comfortable home. THEIR BLOOD IS ON YOU!

Then Ariel gets enamored with the Prince. After what? Uh... two seconds with his unconscious body! Kind of gross. In order to get the prince, Ariel makes a deal. She gives up the one thing that is truly special to her, her singing voice, for legs. Listen to what I am saying. SHE GIVES UP SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR PLASTIC SURGERY! What are we teaching our kids?

Just wait... in the end-- when she can’t fulfill the deal-- she gets her daddy to bail her out. AWFUL! Don’t come and tell me about the "purity" of her love for the prince. She barely knew him! Imagine your favorite niece, daughter, or cousin coming to you to tell you they were going to marry someone they saved from drowning.

Don't tell me Ursula is evil, either. She had a legitimate contract that Ariel entered into without any confusion and of her free will.

Well, there you have it. I hope you think of me the next time you watch this ridiculous cartoon. The end.

Naturally, when we met the princesses last year I had to take a picture of Evan with Ariel. I told him that he needed to make an angry face in the picture. However:

Evan says: This Ariel was as real as her wig. She kept asking us where we SWAM from, and wouldn’t step out of character at all. Then, when I was going to give an angry face in our picture this Ariel kept shaking like an addict in need of a fix. Suffice to say I couldn’t get an angry face.

And that's the story of Evan and Ariel.

This was too funny. I will never be able to look at Ariel the same way.

 

[oboedm]

The DxDDP sounds amazing- I really do like the idea of two TS meals a day for the reasons you listed, should make for a relaxing trip!

Glad to hear you've been to Beirgarten and enjoyed it. I think it looks like a fun meal, I just hope I enjoy the food!

I'll be looking for you at Raglan Road on the 9th. Not in a weirdo creepy way or anything- I'll play it real cool

Yes! I am sure we will see each other at RR! My husband is really going to think I am a freak if I interact with someone from the DIS! He should have known that I am crazy when he married me, though.

Whoa, sounds like sooo much food!! It'll be so fun to try a bunch of different things! I know what you mean about Marakesh looking "frightening!"

I know. We are going to be so full. We'll have to have wheelchairs to get on the plane! I need to lose a few pounds before we go. Now that it is monsoon season in AZ, I can start taking walks in the evening without becoming the Heat Miser!

WOW that looks like an amazing dining experience. You will have so much fun with it. Check out some more info on Marrakesh (sp?) I know it gets bad reviews form veggies so I'm not sure if the same is true for meaties. I love middle eastern food and my favorite is falafel or hummus and everything.

I hope you can go to Three Broomsticks. It is sooooooo magical Makes you feel like you really are a Potter person.

Can't wait to read more.

I will have to stick with anything labeled falafel and hummus! I am not an adventurous eater but SIL wanted to see the belly dancers! I think they have a sampler dish or something, so maybe I will get that.... I will have plenty of food throughout the week, so if I can barely eat a few bites of one meal, I won't go hungry! I am sure that I won't even need to eat at WWoHP because I will still be full from the previous days. However, I can't NOT try to get into the Three Broomsticks!

I don't know how I missed your PTR. Joining in now though! What a great pic of you and your dh. We are going the same time, but we are only staying 7 nights. (and in looking through your plan, we will not be in any of the same parks on the same days) I wish I had chose to take more time off but even if I wanted to now, the change to our airfare would cost more than it would be worth. Now, if our flight were changed...and we got bumped to the next day...I would be all over that. Especially since our last day is the only day for EMH at AK.

How cool is it that you are taking your bil and sil. I am sure you will all have a great time. Especially on the deluxe ddp!

Good luck with the ttc as well. My heart goes out to you. If you notice on my PTR, there is quite a gap between my oldest dd and youngest dd. While I have 4 kids total, the first three came easily, but not my last. My youngest is 10 years younger than the next youngest. This was not an oops, or a choice. After many failed pregnancies we finally gave up thinking that it would happen again. That month...it did happen again and she was a sticky bean. So hang in there.....

This was too funny. I will never be able to look at Ariel the same way.

thanks for coming on over and for your TTC encouragement. It is just a matter of when, not if (I think). In the meantime I will just enjoy the extra alone time with DH!

7 nights is plenty-- you will have so much fun with your daughters! The only reason we originally booked 8 nights is so we could have time for WWoHP... and then the flight change happened and it just ballooned into this extra long trip...

You will have so much fun.. I wish I was a creative as you with your cute calendars and such!

 

[annmarieda]

thanks for coming on over and for your TTC encouragement. It is just a matter of when, not if (I think). In the meantime I will just enjoy the extra alone time with DH!

Definitely enjoy that alone time... once the kids come it is never quite the same.

7 nights is plenty-- you will have so much fun with your daughters! The only reason we originally booked 8 nights is so we could have time for WWoHP... and then the flight change happened and it just ballooned into this extra long trip...

I know we will have a blast. On our last trip, we stayed 11 nights. It was one of those times that the trip ballooned unexpectedly. (we were not originally even planning to go) I did like how we had 2 full days in each park and then 3 in our favorites. (10 days total) It was almost too much time, but it was nice to be able to not feel rushed. I worry we might feel a bit rushed this time.[/QUOTE]

I wish I was a creative as you with your cute calendars and such!

Thank you, but really I am not doing anything that extravagant.