Bay in TN
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2005
- Messages
- 88
I can't do just a straight outline. I'm too wordy for that sort of thing. When I make my plans, I'm taking into account several things. One, I want to stay away from whichever park has Morning EMH. Two, we've never done Evening EMH. (Don't ask my how we managed that!) And three, I want to see fireworks. It's necessary to my sanity. So before I make a touring plan or a dining plan, I have to know when the parks are closing, and therefore, when and where the fireworks are most likely going to be. LOL!
Our group is:
- Me, age 39. This will be my 11th trip to WDW. I vacation for food. And for fireworks. And for someone other than me making the beds.
- DH, age 45. Wesley actually dragged me to WDW in '89 and '96. And I'm so glad he did! Wesley has Type I diabetes and also vacations mostly for the dining.
- DD, age 17. Emily is turning out so well, but that doesn't mean she doesn't occasionally act like a teenager and fight with her younger brother sometimes. She's great for shopping, and she's a major Japanophile. She just wants sushi all the time.
- DS, age 13, turning 14 at WDW this year. Woodrow is still the squeaky wheel in our well-oiled machine. He's going to be my little Bill Gates when he grows up, but he's a guy and loves beef.
Our WDW dates are 9/26 to 10/03. I started making ADR's on Saturday, April 15th, and finished on Monday, April 17th. Oh, and we haven't bought the Disney Dining Plan yet. We might; we might not; I'm still trying to figure out a cost analysis of it.
We'll be staying at the Beach Club. WOO HOO!!!!!
Here's the plan and my reasoning:
Tues. 9/26 - MK, MGM - Crystal Palace lunch (1:00 pm)
We *have* to have a character meal on the first day, and this one is one of my favorites, especially for lunch. Tigger!!! Eeyore!!! Chocolate-and-pecan tarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note: I could have gotten a late breakfast at CRT, but Wesley and the kids both voted in favor of CP. Then I realized how much more expensive CRT is now with the photo package. Um, no, thank you. I would rather save the money and get a chocolate-and-pecan tart thingie, anyway.
Wed. 9/27 - AK, Epcot - Biergarten dinner (6:15 pm)
I'm not crazy about Biergarten. Sure, the polka band is fun, as long as you're not eating during their break. Sure, the Bavarian theming is fun. And we've always enjoyed being seated with strangers. But the German food always seems to be meat, meat, meat, sausages, and more meat. I could have done without this reservation -- I would prefer Marrakesh or we've never eaten at Alfredo's -- but Wesley begged for Biergarten. Gotta throw the carnivores a bone once in a while. (Tee hee.)
Thurs. 9/28 - MGM, MK - Tony's Town Square dinner (6:20 pm)
Tonyyyyyyyyyyyy's. We all love this place. Well, Wesley, Emily, and I do. Not sure how Woodrow feels about it, but he loves Italian food so maybe this year he'll actually *remember* his meal.
Fri. 9/29 - off - Yachtsman Steakhouse dinner (6:00 pm)
September 29th is Woodrow's 14th birthday, and we asked him where he wanted to eat. He perused the lists of restaurants, and then he narrowed the choices down to a few places and read the menus. He picked the Yachtsman Steakhouse, which is darned close to as expensive as the California Grill. I, personally, think he picked it because the word "steak" is in the name, and it's right there at our resort, so he just wants "nearby beef." Wesley -- the carnivore -- is thrilled and proud that his progeny is also carnivorous.
I'm excited because it's going to be a special birthday dinner for a boy who deserves it, and we've never eaten there before. I'm a little worried about the dress code. AllEars and the Unofficial Guide say the dress is "casual," but the wonderful CM who made most of my ADR's said there's a dress code. Now Wesley wants to wear shorts. I'm thinkin', "Can't we get dressed up once? It's a birthday, for heaven's sake, a special occasion!!!" We'll see what happens.
Oh, also! Because it's a "day off," we really might go to Epcot that night for the Evening EMH. I have no idea what to expect from that. It isn't as if Soarin' or Mission:SPACE is open, but hey, I love Epcot. If all I do is sit on a bench and watch some twinkly sidewalks and a fountain while eating the chocolate glace from France, I'm a happy girl.
Sat. 9/30 - Epcot, MGM - Rose & Crown lunch (1:00 pm)
Can't do WDW without some serious Rose & Crown time. While I'm sure I'll hit the Yorkshire fish & chips counter at some point, there's nothing like dining inside the R&C. We just love that place. It's Wesley's favorite restaurant. Unfortunately, the Ploughman's Lunch is no longer on the menu, having been replaced by a Ploughman's Salad. The salad doesn't appeal to Wesley at all, but he's relieved to see Bangers & Mash on the lunch menu. Even Emily requested the R&C for this trip. We're hooked. Please, lord, please let the Rose & Crown never change!
Sun. 10/1 - sleep late, DQ, MK - Boma breakfast (10:00 am)
I initially had a very hard time trying to figure out where to eat on this day. We've eaten so many places, and not eaten at so many others. DisneyQuest doesn't open until 11:30 most mornings, which makes for a late start to the day. However, the MK has Extra Magic Evening Hours, and again, I've never done that. So it seems like a nice thing to try to do. At first I thought, "Perfect day to take the guys to the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemp," but it turns out that they've shortened their lunch hours permanently.
So then I started thinking, "Maybe we should do a breakfast." I didn't have any big breakfasts scheduled for the whole trip. The kids are big, and I guess I'm a little burnt out on character breakfasts.
I kept reading Boma recommendations here on the DIS Discussion Boards, so I finally looked up the menu and thought about it. We haven't gone back to the AKL since we stayed there. That was FIVE YEARS AGO!!!!! Where does the time go???? It seems like I was just there a few months ago! Besides, they serve African coffee at Boma. OH, that's IT, I'm THERE. I called today and made the Boma reservation for a late breakfast. If we get there early, bummer, we get to look at the animals on the savannah. Golly gee, ain't life rough?
Mon. 10/2 - AK, MGM - Mama Melrose's dinner (5:30 pm)
MGM is open until 7:30 that night, so I made the ressies early so we can eat dinner and still make it to Fantasmic! on time. The last time we saw Fantasmic!, we didn't get dinner beforehand due to poor planning on my part, and then Wesley's blood sugar dropped while we were waiting for the show to start. I beat people up to get him a pretzel with cheese and a Nesquik chocolate milk. Mmmmmm, that was the first pre-mixed Nesquik I ever tasted! But it was unnecessarily stressful, and I'm not doing that again. Ergo, ressies at Mama Melrose's. We haven't been there since the Big Honkin' Trip in 2000, and I sometimes dream about the chicken pesto pizza.
Tues. 10/3 - Epcot, MK - Chef Mickey's dinner (5:00)
Another early dinner, mostly so we can get it out of the way and finish up our last day at WDW with fireworks in the MK. Everyone in my family loves everything about Chef Mickey's. Donald Duck is there. 'Nuff said.
Now -- howzzat for planning? I have a sneaking suspicion Emily's gonna ditch us and just go to Tempura Kiku every chance she gets.....
--Bay
Our group is:
- Me, age 39. This will be my 11th trip to WDW. I vacation for food. And for fireworks. And for someone other than me making the beds.
- DH, age 45. Wesley actually dragged me to WDW in '89 and '96. And I'm so glad he did! Wesley has Type I diabetes and also vacations mostly for the dining.
- DD, age 17. Emily is turning out so well, but that doesn't mean she doesn't occasionally act like a teenager and fight with her younger brother sometimes. She's great for shopping, and she's a major Japanophile. She just wants sushi all the time.
- DS, age 13, turning 14 at WDW this year. Woodrow is still the squeaky wheel in our well-oiled machine. He's going to be my little Bill Gates when he grows up, but he's a guy and loves beef.
Our WDW dates are 9/26 to 10/03. I started making ADR's on Saturday, April 15th, and finished on Monday, April 17th. Oh, and we haven't bought the Disney Dining Plan yet. We might; we might not; I'm still trying to figure out a cost analysis of it.
We'll be staying at the Beach Club. WOO HOO!!!!!
Here's the plan and my reasoning:
Tues. 9/26 - MK, MGM - Crystal Palace lunch (1:00 pm)
We *have* to have a character meal on the first day, and this one is one of my favorites, especially for lunch. Tigger!!! Eeyore!!! Chocolate-and-pecan tarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note: I could have gotten a late breakfast at CRT, but Wesley and the kids both voted in favor of CP. Then I realized how much more expensive CRT is now with the photo package. Um, no, thank you. I would rather save the money and get a chocolate-and-pecan tart thingie, anyway.
Wed. 9/27 - AK, Epcot - Biergarten dinner (6:15 pm)
I'm not crazy about Biergarten. Sure, the polka band is fun, as long as you're not eating during their break. Sure, the Bavarian theming is fun. And we've always enjoyed being seated with strangers. But the German food always seems to be meat, meat, meat, sausages, and more meat. I could have done without this reservation -- I would prefer Marrakesh or we've never eaten at Alfredo's -- but Wesley begged for Biergarten. Gotta throw the carnivores a bone once in a while. (Tee hee.)
Thurs. 9/28 - MGM, MK - Tony's Town Square dinner (6:20 pm)
Tonyyyyyyyyyyyy's. We all love this place. Well, Wesley, Emily, and I do. Not sure how Woodrow feels about it, but he loves Italian food so maybe this year he'll actually *remember* his meal.
Fri. 9/29 - off - Yachtsman Steakhouse dinner (6:00 pm)
September 29th is Woodrow's 14th birthday, and we asked him where he wanted to eat. He perused the lists of restaurants, and then he narrowed the choices down to a few places and read the menus. He picked the Yachtsman Steakhouse, which is darned close to as expensive as the California Grill. I, personally, think he picked it because the word "steak" is in the name, and it's right there at our resort, so he just wants "nearby beef." Wesley -- the carnivore -- is thrilled and proud that his progeny is also carnivorous.
I'm excited because it's going to be a special birthday dinner for a boy who deserves it, and we've never eaten there before. I'm a little worried about the dress code. AllEars and the Unofficial Guide say the dress is "casual," but the wonderful CM who made most of my ADR's said there's a dress code. Now Wesley wants to wear shorts. I'm thinkin', "Can't we get dressed up once? It's a birthday, for heaven's sake, a special occasion!!!" We'll see what happens.
Oh, also! Because it's a "day off," we really might go to Epcot that night for the Evening EMH. I have no idea what to expect from that. It isn't as if Soarin' or Mission:SPACE is open, but hey, I love Epcot. If all I do is sit on a bench and watch some twinkly sidewalks and a fountain while eating the chocolate glace from France, I'm a happy girl.
Sat. 9/30 - Epcot, MGM - Rose & Crown lunch (1:00 pm)
Can't do WDW without some serious Rose & Crown time. While I'm sure I'll hit the Yorkshire fish & chips counter at some point, there's nothing like dining inside the R&C. We just love that place. It's Wesley's favorite restaurant. Unfortunately, the Ploughman's Lunch is no longer on the menu, having been replaced by a Ploughman's Salad. The salad doesn't appeal to Wesley at all, but he's relieved to see Bangers & Mash on the lunch menu. Even Emily requested the R&C for this trip. We're hooked. Please, lord, please let the Rose & Crown never change!
Sun. 10/1 - sleep late, DQ, MK - Boma breakfast (10:00 am)
I initially had a very hard time trying to figure out where to eat on this day. We've eaten so many places, and not eaten at so many others. DisneyQuest doesn't open until 11:30 most mornings, which makes for a late start to the day. However, the MK has Extra Magic Evening Hours, and again, I've never done that. So it seems like a nice thing to try to do. At first I thought, "Perfect day to take the guys to the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemp," but it turns out that they've shortened their lunch hours permanently.
So then I started thinking, "Maybe we should do a breakfast." I didn't have any big breakfasts scheduled for the whole trip. The kids are big, and I guess I'm a little burnt out on character breakfasts.
I kept reading Boma recommendations here on the DIS Discussion Boards, so I finally looked up the menu and thought about it. We haven't gone back to the AKL since we stayed there. That was FIVE YEARS AGO!!!!! Where does the time go???? It seems like I was just there a few months ago! Besides, they serve African coffee at Boma. OH, that's IT, I'm THERE. I called today and made the Boma reservation for a late breakfast. If we get there early, bummer, we get to look at the animals on the savannah. Golly gee, ain't life rough?
Mon. 10/2 - AK, MGM - Mama Melrose's dinner (5:30 pm)
MGM is open until 7:30 that night, so I made the ressies early so we can eat dinner and still make it to Fantasmic! on time. The last time we saw Fantasmic!, we didn't get dinner beforehand due to poor planning on my part, and then Wesley's blood sugar dropped while we were waiting for the show to start. I beat people up to get him a pretzel with cheese and a Nesquik chocolate milk. Mmmmmm, that was the first pre-mixed Nesquik I ever tasted! But it was unnecessarily stressful, and I'm not doing that again. Ergo, ressies at Mama Melrose's. We haven't been there since the Big Honkin' Trip in 2000, and I sometimes dream about the chicken pesto pizza.
Tues. 10/3 - Epcot, MK - Chef Mickey's dinner (5:00)
Another early dinner, mostly so we can get it out of the way and finish up our last day at WDW with fireworks in the MK. Everyone in my family loves everything about Chef Mickey's. Donald Duck is there. 'Nuff said.
Now -- howzzat for planning? I have a sneaking suspicion Emily's gonna ditch us and just go to Tempura Kiku every chance she gets.....
--Bay
Now I'll finish reading...
