'My Very Merry Xmas in November' (checking stuff of the bucket list) WDW Trip. (closed)

[MataHari22]

How exciting that it is almost time for you to get FP. I still have 211 days til then.

I feel like I had all this time, and I wasn't thinking about it, now it's like holy cow, I only have a week before I need to make my fp+.

I should probably give it some thought this week!


I think part of my issue, is that I am not happy that all the parks have gone back to doing rope drop. I don't like entering that way. I know for sure that I won't do re drop at HS now. I'll have to suck it up for AK, and MK & Epcot at least one day each.

 

[alrushton]

I feel like I had all this time, and I wasn't thinking about it, now it's like holy cow, I only have a week before I need to make my fp+.

I should probably give it some thought this week!

I already have a lot of our FP+ decided. I hope that is works out as nice at Disney as it has in my head.

 

[MataHari22]

I already have a lot of our FP+ decided. I hope that is works out as nice at Disney as it has in my head.

Yeah, see, I don't have all my days thought out yet. I really need to get on that.

 

[totebagg]

Love your mousekeeping envelopes! You can make FP this weekend! How exciting and can't wait to hear if you got what you wanted!

 

[MataHari22]

Love your mousekeeping envelopes! You can make FP this weekend! How exciting and can't wait to hear if you got what you wanted!

Thanks, they were actually fun to design. I keep forgetting glue when I go to the store. Lol They are folded, just need to glue the sides.

Anxious about having to make my FP+. Hope it all works out ok.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Good luck with your FPs this weekend! I hope you get everything you want right at the perfect times

 

[MataHari22]

T minus 13 minutes and counting to make my FP+

 

[alrushton]

How did the FP+ go? I have not experienced doing it this way before. Not looking forward to the midnight thing because I am an early bird and not night owl at all.

 

[ArwenMarie]

How did it go?

 

[MataHari22]

How did the FP+ go? I have not experienced doing it this way before. Not looking forward to the midnight thing because I am an early bird and not night owl at all.

How did it go?

Weeeeeeell, mostly went ok. I didn't get a lot of the times I wanted, but I did get mine train and I got a Wishes FP+, so I'm grateful for that. This is what I got:






ETA: seems my photos of my FP+ are missing. So, I guess I will type it out. This is what I got:

11/13 HS
ST 9:05-10:05
Frozen sing 1:35-1:50
TSMM 4:25 - 5:25

11/14 AK
KS 1pm - 2pm
Meet pals @ outpost 3:20-4:20
FotLK 4:30 - 4:50

11/15 MK
Meet Ariel 12:10 -1:10
ETWB 1:20 - 2:20
7DMT 3:45 - 4:45

11/16 Epcot
TT 9:55 - 10:55 am
MS 11-12
Char Spot 2-3

11/17 MK
JC 2:40-3:40
PPF 3:45 - 4:45
7DMT 4:50 - 5:50

11/18 MK
HM 12:10 1:10
7DMT 3:40 - 4:40
Wishes 7:35 - 7:55

11/19 Epcot
SSE 9:30 - 10:30
Character spot 2:00 - 3:00
Soarin' 3-4pm



On 11/16, all I really wanted was Test Track. Don't care about the other two, so I will end up canceling them. I am going to use both the TT FP+ myself, she says she doesn't want to ride it this year. Or who knows, she may change her mind. Oops, and I see when I took the screen shot, I got that date twice. Lol.

On 11/17, that's my MVMCP day, and I couldn't get the JC at a time I can use. It's fine. I plan on riding that, and PotC the night of the party. Shouldn't have a bad wait for those. I will try and change it again. It wasn't letting me get anything else at a time I could use, either.

So, I will have to rework some of my days around since I didn't get the times I wanted. It should be ok. I'll make it work. May end up walking more that I wanted to.

The reason I got 7DMT 3x, is because last year, I also had it 3x, and I only got to ride it once, because it was down a lot. And the SB lines were so long last year. Looks like they came down a little bit this year, but still more than I want to wait. I tried to get a later time for it on 11/18, but couldn't. Do they offer FP+ during EMH? I am guessing not, since I couldn't get a later time.

 

[alrushton]

Was the experience fairly easy?

 

[MataHari22]

Was the experience fairly easy?

Yes, it's not hard at all. (This will be my 3rd trip with FP+. ) Just make sure you prioritize your days and go after the hard to get items first. Then, realize as you get to the end of your days, that those days, will have less options and times available. So, I did my MK days first, because I wanted 7DMT and Wishes. I left my two Epcot days for last, because all I really cared about was getting TT on one day, and Soarin' on the other. I did HS fourth, and didn't have hardly any times to pick from for TSMM, but at least I got one. Going to try and get a fourth FP+ for F! Also, I am going to use both FP+ for ST, she will not ride that either. For AK, there was slim pickings for FotLK times by the time I got to that day, but that is fine. Don't really need a FP+ for it. I may end up going to an earlier show.

ETA: I was done booking in about 20-25 minutes, probably would have taken me only 15 minutes if I had a better internet connection on my iPad.

 

[vleeth]

Did you do yours at midnight?

I'm in the process of deciding which ones to get and I wasn't expecting to hear that some of your choices were limited with the times.

 

[MataHari22]

Did you do yours at midnight?

I'm in the process of deciding which ones to get and I wasn't expecting to hear that some of your choices were limited with the times.

Yep, I was on exactly at midnight. Stuff goes pretty quickly.

 

[totebagg]

Sorry you didn't get the times you wanted but looks like you got some good fast passes! On my FP night, I stayed up till 2 am continuing to rearrange the times! As long as I am there, I'll be happy.

 

[MataHari22]

Sorry you didn't get the times you wanted but looks like you got some good fast passes! On my FP night, I stayed up till 2 am continuing to rearrange the times! As long as I am there, I'll be happy.

I was pretty happy with what I got, especially that I wanted Wishes and mine train, and got them. The times, well, that will probably mean more walking than I would like, I'll see. I messed with it for about 20 minutes trying to change times, but didn't have much luck, and I was getting tired. I'll keep trying to tweak them every so often, maybe the times I wanted will open up. I am like you, as long as I'm there, I am happy and I'll make it work and have a good time.

 

[sullymom]

All caught up and following along. You and my eldest daughter share the same birthday

 

[MataHari22]

All caught up and following along. You and my eldest daughter share the same birthday

Thanks for following along.

Do you guys forget her birthday too when it falls on Thanksgiving? Lol.
Either that or they always thought it was funny to get me a Carvel turkey birthday cake. I hated that.

 

[ThistleMae]

ADRs and Food Musings.

So, being a head and neck cancer survivor can be challenging. Unfortunately, one of the (many) side effects that I have due to radiation damage, is dysphagia. Basically, I have a lot of trouble swallowing. There was a point where I was totally dependent on a peg-tube for nourishment. I literally ate nothing for ten months, couldn't even drink for about four of those months. It was pretty horrible. Eventually, after a couple of procedures, and time and work, I was able to get rid of my tube after 18 months of having it. So, now, I can eat and drink (with difficultly), but I need soft foods, and I do get a significant amount of my daily calories by drinking them. (I drink tons of milk) It is a good thing I was an excellent cook before all this crud, because if I didn't know how to cook, I'd've starved to death by now. I have learned to cook and eat in a totally different way. I really cannot swallow any meats. I can do a chicken thigh and a tiny little rack of lamb chop, but I have to cook them "my way" and they cannot be dry. I basically eat a lot of veggies, and they have to be mushy. Like mashable with a fork, soft. I eat a lot of soups, too. It takes me a very long time to eat a full plate of food. I'm never done under an hour, and sometimes, if it's something challenging, like chicken, it will be almost two hours. Basically, eating out is a nightmare. Which sucks, because I used to love to do it, and food is a passion of mine. (At one point in time I wanted to go to culinary school.) I was always the 'Live to eat." kinda girl. So, having to eat out for my entire vacation is pretty stressful for me. Despite it being noted on my ADRs and having the chef come out and speak to me, a lot of times, they just don't get it right. I don't know how much more specific to be when I say I need very mushy vegetables, like they need to be able to be mashed with a fork. Pasta needs to be over cooked. I think it's that they don't want to "ruin" the food. The veg comes out of the kitchen tender crisp, and the pasta, al dente.

Soooooo, after the last two trips, I am going to go back to the few of restaurants that I was able to actually eat something at. In fairness, Mama Melrose actually made me some good pasta last time, but I decided to try Hollywood Brown Derby this time. My otherwise decent diet of lots of veggies usually falls to the wayside at WDW. Pastries, ice cream, Crème Brûlée and shakes, are usually easier to swallow than anything else. So, if I have to make the sacrifice and eat a lot of dessert, I guess it's just what I'll have to do. Poor me. I'll have to suffer eating desserts. (Don't worry, I bring my gummy multi-vitamins along for nutrition.) As far as breakfast, it'll be at the resort unless otherwise noted. Probably a lot of yogurt for me. After reading every single WDW restaurant menu trying to figure out what I might be able to possibly eat, here are my TS:

Fri 11/13 12pm Brown Derby HS
Sat 11/14 10:30 am Tusker House AK
Sun 11/15 10:20 am Crystal Palace MK
Sun 11/15 6:55 pm Tony's MK
Mon 11/16 12 pm Chefs De France Ep
Tue 11/17 2pm Afternoon Tea GF
Wed 11/18 4:55 pm Be Our Guest MK
Thur 11/19 5:50pm Teppan Edo Ep

With The Brown Derby, I thought I would try the scallop appetizer, because I can usually swallow scallops and celery root purée is definitely mushy. Lol. Sometimes, fatty pork works for me. Depends on how it's cooked. We shall see. Meanwhile, I know I can swallow Crème Brûlée, so I will definitely get that for dessert, along with trying the flan. I will let my friend pick the third dessert, she can eat that one.
I haven't a clue what we will be doing at HS for a QS dinner. We will probably do what we did last year, find something on Sunset Blvd and take it over to F! and eat while we wait. Last year, didn't go well at all. I tried a veggie burger. Too dried out and too spicy. Couldn't swallow it. This time, I am hoping to find a banana, some fruit and some milk, maybe at the Anaheim Produce? Also, at some point, I may have some ice cream at Hollywood Scoops. I haven't a clue where my friend will end up eating.

Last year, Tusker House went well for me. I liked the Mealie Pap! I can usually do scrambled eggs. Oatmeal, yogurt, blintz... I remember all kinds of soft things to eat there.
Again, don't ask me what I'm going to do for QS dinner at this park. I'm thinking Pizzafari I guess. I had the kid's Mac and Cheese last year, it was the only thing that was soft. It's pretty terrible. I may end up eating ice cream or fruit for dinner....

Crystal Palace is one of only three places that I have had good luck at in MK. They will make me over easy eggs, and they work very well for me. I tried for a pre park open ADR for here, since making sure I eat breakfast here, is a priority, there's really not anything for lunch or dinner that works for me.

View attachment 109608
Author's rendition of our Crystal Palace breakfast.
Base photo of CP from Disney's CP page.

Tony's. Yes, I know, it gets bashed all the time. But they have consistently cooked good food for me that I have been able to eat and enjoy. They make a version of the Shrimp Scampi for me. My friend also enjoyed her food, so we will be going back. I always get the Pistachio Crème Brûlée for dessert. I had originally wanted a lunch here, because I was hoping for that pre park open breakfast, but I couldn't get a lunch either. All I got was 6:55 PM. And I was even on right when my 180 window opened. I have still been checking for an earlier time, but have not found one yet. It's a MVMCP, so I know they will be escorting me out when I'm (finally) done with my meal. I intend on getting there about 6:15, and hoping maybe they can get me in a bit earlier. That's all I can do.

View attachment 109609
Author's slight exaggeration of Tony's meal. Please Disney, don't sue me for using Lady & The Tramp.


We are trying Les Chefs de France this year. Usually, we have gone to The Rose & Crown, and last year, the chef was really nice and made me a special puréed veggie soup. I am thinking at Chefs, that I can do the Lobster Bisque and a cream puff for dessert.
Haven't a clue where I'm going to eat for dinner this night either, but I do know that I intend on hitting up that bakery in Norway before Illuminations to get a tasty treat and sit down an eat that for dessert whilst waiting for it to start.


Tuesday, we are going to MVMCP and last year, I really wanted to try the Afternoon Tea at GF, I wasn't able to get an ADR, and we ended up eating at The GF Café. This year, I was able to get an ADR for the tea, so that is what we're doing. We'll be going over to MK and hopefully will get in at 4pm.
We will just do QS, I forget what she ate for dinner, I don't think I had a proper dinner last year, I had ice cream, I remember that. I'll probably do that again.

View attachment 109611
Author's concept art of Afternoon Tea at the GF. OK, Minnie probably won't be serving us, and I doubt we'll have the hats on.


Wednesday, we have BOG for dinner. We ate there for lunch last year. I did the potato soup. Have no clue what to do for dinner. I guess I could do the soup again. IIRC, it wasn't that stellar, so I'd rather not. I saw there were two meat entrées where one had puréed cauliflower and the other, celery root...wonder if they could finagle something for me using those garnish, since I cannot eat the meat. I can eat mushrooms and I think I saw those on the menu, maybe they could just sauté me some of those. There are all kinds of desserts that look good on the menu.


Thursday is our last day. I do want to go to Les Halle's for lunch. Everything looks good there. Especially the pastries. Lmao. If you are what you eat, I may end up becoming a pastry after this trip! For dinner, we are going to Teppan Edo. This is the ADR that's making me most nervous, because there will be people seated at the same station as we are. I am hoping to be on the end and have Linda next to the strangers. I am just praying I don't have a total cough-gag-choke-fit while seated with other people. And not sure what I will order. Maybe the scallops, I can usually eat them. I am really hoping I can get plain white rice, because I read that the rice they serve has beef in it. Beef, is like impossible for me to swallow. So wish me lots of good vibes and pixie dust that I can get through these dinners eating out.


View attachment 109612
Author's rendition of what she hopes doesn't happen at Teppan Edo.


So, here concludes my ramblings about my food plans. Not sure what my next post will be about or if it will contain any illustrations. Lol.

It's wonderful to hear your positive attitude with everything you have been through. I am a cancer survivor as well. I still don't like to hear myself say it. I try not to think about it...all I have is today...really...one never knows. So it's great you are doing this trip! I'm going in November, first time seeing Christmas Decorations. I love crème Brule'! I have written down all my favorite desserts and where to get them...I will carry that list with me to each park...LOL! I'll send you good vibes for your dinners out...I'm sure you will find plenty to enjoy. I have a weight issue....can't stop eating junk once I start....I've lost 60 pounds this year and really have to be careful but not to the point that it ruins my trip. So planning is everything. Enjoy the heck out of your vacation!

 

[alrushton]

I have written down all my favorite desserts and where to get them...I will carry that list with me to eac

This sounds like me. I find myself looking up pictures of Disney desserts.