My Fourth Solo Trip - Just Believe and Your Dreams Will Come True

[TigerKat]

Here I thought I was the only one toting a notebook to dinner!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Here I thought I was the only one toting a notebook to dinner!

Nope, and I saw a review with pictures of the notebook even, in addition to the pictures of the food. It was a real cute Tinker Bell one too.

 

[TPCShauna]

I've been seriously pondering keeping a journal during the trip. I want one for the overall trip but I also want it to keep dining reviews. I was concerned about taking it with me to all my ADRs though since we'll be eating in park a fair amount.

What do y'all do to record everything for in park dining?

 

[TigerKat]

Nope, and I saw a review with pictures of the notebook even, in addition to the pictures of the food. It was a real cute Tinker Bell one too.

Yep, that was mine!!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Here I thought I was the only one toting a notebook to dinner!

Notebook nothing, DH told me I should bring a pocket tape recorder!

 

[TigerKat]

Notebook nothing, DH told me I should bring a pocket tape recorder!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've been seriously pondering keeping a journal during the trip. I want one for the overall trip but I also want it to keep dining reviews. I was concerned about taking it with me to all my ADRs though since we'll be eating in park a fair amount.

What do y'all do to record everything for in park dining?

I do have two journals, one for the whole trip, and one for meals. They both stay in the room all the time, and a take a small notebook to the parks with me, and take notes, then I write in the journal every night, when everything's still fresh in my mind, and write up the whole entry then.

Then when I come home all I have to go is type it up, and add the pictures.

Yep, that was mine!!!

Notebook nothing, DH told me I should bring a pocket tape recorder!

 

[jeminni]

I enjoy keeping a journal both of what I ate and another of what I spent on the trip. It's fun to read them back and see how my taste's have changed from when I first started taking my kids to the parks. Years ago it was all souveniers and CS. Now that they have gotten older its the DP. They both love being able order meals that they cant get in college and since they are both over 21 trying drinks around the world.

Side note: my DD who just turned 21 in June is really upset that PI will be closed when we go in December. I told her I'd take her to spoodle's for sangria and I'm sure we'll try a few drinks at Epcot.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Side note: my DD who just turned 21 in June is really upset that PI will be closed when we go in December. I told her I'd take her to spoodle's for sangria and I'm sure we'll try a few drinks at Epcot.

That's such a bummer now that she's finally old enough to drink. What bad timing for the clubs to be closing.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've finally managed to get my clothing down to a more managable pile, though I still have to eliminate a few tops. There's a couple that I'm pretty sure I won't wear, including a halter, that is cut very low in the back, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable wearing in public, since it is kind of small and tight on me, so I have no idea why I even put it in the "to take" pile, probably because of the Minnie Mouse screen art on it, which I really like, but I think that one will be staying home.

I like the clothes I have picked out though, and since I have tons of clothes, I could pack them today, and not worry about it again until I go, at least with the tops, since I have so many of them. I realize most people don't have that many clothes, but the Disney store seems to be always having sales for 15% off or so, already reduced prices, and I get a lot of tees for less then $5 and I always end up buying a lot.

I also have seventeen new pins that I'll be using as traders. I spent about $50 on them, but that's a reasonably good price for that many pins I think. I even have a limited edition pin of 100 that I plan to trade since I have two, and I only need one. Either that or maybe I'll just give it away to a little kid, and spread some Disney magic.

I also have my spending money set aside, which I've been saving up since I got home last year. During the last year I've been saving all of my change, as well as my birthday and Christmas money. I don't know the exact total, but I know I have around $500 saved. I know about $300 of that is from loose change, so it really does add up.

I've also started saving five dollar bills, since I read something on the budget board that you can save quite a bit that way. In the past few weeks I've already saved $150 in fives. That however, is not part of my spending budget, but I'll use it to pay off my next trip instead.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

My Magical Express documents and luggage tags came today.

On the topic of pictures, I'm planning on taking a lot this trip. At the suggestion of another DISer I'll be taking a memory card for each day, I mostly have 1 GB memory card, which should be enough, but I also have a few 2 GB cards as well. So you can all expect lots and lots of pictures when I come back, just not of me.

But there will be lots, of the food, the buildings, the rides, the shows, etc. I want to make a very nice photo album this time, as this may be my last trip for awhile, so I want to include everything.

 

[corkery719]

Just wanted you to know that we are reading. Great Start! But, try Decaf.
LMAO!!!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Just wanted you to know that we are reading. Great Start! But, try Decaf.
LMAO!!!

I kind of figured I had some readers, since I had 89 views, just no chatty readers, LOL. Thanks for the comment.

 

[myladyisatramp]

Where are you planning on Dining?????Don't keep us waiting

 

[Hedy]

I'm curious to hear about doing both comando touring and dxdp. I don't think I could do that combination.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Where are you planning on Dining?????Don't keep us waiting

Most of the signature restaurants, tons of character meals, and a bunch of one table service places for all the credits I have leftover. Every credit I have on the deluxe plan is alotted for a table service meal, I don't plan on using any of them for counter service.

I'm curious to hear about doing both comando touring and dxdp. I don't think I could do that combination.

My days, (with the exception of my "off" day, since my park ticket is one day less then my stay,) are all pretty much the same. They start with either rope drop or a pre-park opening character breakfast so I can eat and be out of the restaurant by rope drop, then lunch, (either early or late, depending on if I had a sit down breakfast that day,) then more park touring in the afternoon, (maybe a break, if I feel I need one,) then an early or late dinner depending on the time of my lunch, if my dinner is earlier in the evening, I plan to go back to the parks after dinner. It's a very full schedule. I also have a few meets planned as well.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I had the most horrible nightmare last night! (Probably a sign that I'm over-planning, and thinking about my trip too much, and will start stressing out about stuff that probably won't happen.)

Anyway, it was the morning I left for my trip, and I woke up to find that I only had fifteen minutes before I had to leave for the airport, and that I hadn't packed anything yet. I remember that when I was packing in that fifteen minutes I kept on checking the toiletries to make sure nothing in my carry on was over three ounces.

This is when I should have figured out I was having a nightmare and woken up, because in real life, if I ever had to pack that fast, the last thing I'd be worrying about is toiletries, and I'd just have an "I'll buy it when I'm there," attitude.

Then I sort of forget what happened, but I know I did get to the airport at some point, but only to find out I missed my flight. I woke as I was trying to get another flight.

This kind of reminds me of a dream I had in 2005. Then I dreamed, (or is it nightmared,) that I was in Disney World, but they had lost my dining reservation, and I had no place to eat dinner! I also remember riding a bike to get somewhere, though I have no idea how that fit into my whole missing ADR thing.

Now this is going really off topic, but it has something to do with Disney, so I'm including it. When I was little, like five or six years old, I had a nightmare when I was being chased by a monster. This was back in like the early nineties, way before Monsters Inc was a movie. Fast-foward to almost fifteen years later, and that same monster that chased me when I was little is now a major motion picture star! Luckily I wasn't still scared from a dream I had when I was little, even though I was initially shocked when I recognized him right away. It's Sulley by the way, and him and the monster that chased me when I was little look exactly the same, except for the purple dots that Sulley has. That's probably why I'm rational in not being scared of Sulley, because he has purple spots.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've sworn to myself so many times that I don't need to call Disney dining anymore, but now I'm debating wether or not to change a time of one of my dinners.

I have a late dinner one night, after park closing, at one of the resorts. I'm not worried about getting there, but I am worried about getting back to my resort. I'm sure I could always take a cab, but I'd rather take the free Disney transportation. I could always try to change my ADR time as well, but I made it late so I'd be able to see the park's evening entertainment that night.

I think I'll have to ask on the main restaurant board about this. . .

 

[Slapster]

Loving your pre-trip report - I'm a foodie too, and wish I could eat everywhere at WDW. Keep 'em coming!

 

[FirstMagic]

I'd recommend Wolfgang Puck Express for your arrival day lunch, we've always found the food there "a cut above", and they bring the food to your table, so there's no tray "juggling". They have great little pizzas and their bbq chicken quesadilla looks just like the one at the Puck Cafe (had it there and it was fabulous, haven't tried it at the Express so can't vouch for it 100%, just going by what I've seen in pictures).

Also, you can get a decent creme brulee for dessert on THE PLAN, or a lot of people have said the packaged cookies are good (and portable, if you don't have room for dessert right then and there).

Hope that helps! Good luck with your last minute dining decisions.

Planning is .5 of the fun, isn't it?