Peekaboo, I see Pluto! A 1st Birthday TR; Wrapping up PTR and TR 10/02!

[amazingact21]

Okay, I know I'm severely late to the party, and you're already on your last full day, but I just found your TR this morning and have read the entire thing. It's been great, and I loved reading it! You can count me in for the rest!

 

[Missyrose]

Okay, I know I'm severely late to the party, and you're already on your last full day, but I just found your TR this morning and have read the entire thing. It's been great, and I loved reading it! You can count me in for the rest!

Thanks for joining the party! There's no such thing as being late. Just think of yourself as being really early for my epic October TR that will start in another month and a half!

Wow, you read the whole thing this morning? I'm impressed! It may be the last full day of the trip, but there's still plenty of fun to share.​

 

[Missyrose]

Greetings everyone! Franklin edited a whole batch of photos, so it’s FINALLY time for an update. But first, a quick real-life update! I’ve started my new job at work, where I work 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and I love it! I love what I’m doing at work, I love getting to have a life outside of work and best of all, I love getting to have dinner every night with Franklin (something that practically never happened when I worked nights). Now, if I can just get through the chaotic first few weeks of football season at work, I’ve got a glorious 10-day Disney trip waiting for me (just 34 days from now!). I’m so excited about the October trip. For those of you who followed along on my last PTR, I’ve decided to do some similar countdown stuff for the October trip here on this TR. And now, back to the next chapter of the March trip you have all been waiting so patiently for...

We last left off with the adorable Pixar parade at DHS. It was really warm sitting in the Florida sun. And we had a bit of time before the afternoon performance of Beauty and the Beast. So we decided to pick up some refreshments for the show.

The skies had begun to cloud up, so we headed for the theater before it started to rain.

They have ramps down to the handicap seating, so Kotkham could ride her ECV all the way down to the stage level. We got settled into our seats in the second row.
Time to drink everyone!

And soon it was showtime!

Now, there are going to be a lot of pictures because I just couldn’t pick from all of Franklin’s amazing shots. And also, with the rumors heating up that Beauty and the Beast will be changed to another show sooner rather than later, I wanted to give Dee the experience of the show since her boys never let her see it!

Be our guest! Speaking of which, I braved the Disney Dining line to get a BOG ADR for our January trip. I am so excited to see this restaurant.

Now here’s the part I was worried about. With us sitting so close, I was scared Tanner might get spooked by the Beast when he’s screaming and thrashing around.

Let’s check on Tanner and see how he’s handling it.

That’s right, he giggled and clapped the whole time. In fact, when Beast would come toward us on stage, Tanner would reach out for a hug!

True love wins out in the end.

I love that dress, it’s so gorgeous! The show was amazing, as always. I love the music from BatB so much. Though it saddens me to think the show may not be there sometime in the near future, I’m excited to see what Disney could offer instead. The rumors of a Tangled show seem especially intriguing.
And in case you were wondering, yes, it POURED while we were in the show.

That’s where we’ll end for now, we’ll finish up at DHS and head to the Poly for dinner in the next installment.
For now, I want to know which Disney show you love most at the parks?​

 

[marDgreen88]

That popcorn looks AMAZING. Wow. Now I really want popcorn! I had no idea they had the R2D2 buckets in March!

Tanner is such a brave soul! Hahaha so precious! "I ain't 'fraid of no beasts."

HAHAAHAH that picture. THE HAND! What on Earth!!!

BAH TANGLED OMG. I would die. Is this legit?!?! I want those rumors to be true!!!

...And to answer your question... FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING!!! Bam.

 

[amazingact21]

Wait, what? There's rumors that BatB will be replaced?? Have I been living under a rock? This makes me really sad, because I have yet to see the show, and it's always on my "Need to Do" list, but unfortunately, my DH is not a fan. Really hope I will get to see it at least once before it is taken away.
However, a Tangled show?! That'd be awesome! And I also think it'd be a lot more versatile. Where Beauty and the Beast doesn't appeal to 80% of the boys, I believe Tangled does. I know both my DH and my younger brother (who is very anti-princess) both love the film. It could be a really successful choice, if it does happen.

Sorry to rant....I'm glad to see the Beast didn't scare Tanner. That's one brave little boy!
Looking forward to hearing how your dinner at the Poly went!

 

[teekathepony]

Oops! I missed an update so I'm a bit behind. Catching up!
Glad you like the new job! The hours sound great!

I love the Pixar parade so much!

Anyone else excited that the rumors of a Monsters Inc. door coaster have picked up again?​

Just gasped out loud. Monsters is my favourite Disney movie ever! I would go out of my mind on a doors coaster!!

Is anyone else a little freaked out that the Lotso they have in the park is all cuddly and happy? Last I checked, he was the villain of the movie.
​

Um yes! What the crap!? I mean, it's a teddy bear who smells like strawberries, so in a way he makes a great Disney character, but everyone seems to have forgotten he's the bad guy!

[...]with the rumors heating up that Beauty and the Beast will be changed to another show sooner rather than later, ​

Awww really? I hadn't heard that! I love that show... I have to admit that though I'm normally a fan of progress, I'll miss this one a lot.

Be our guest! Speaking of which, I braved the Disney Dining line to get a BOG ADR for our January trip. I am so excited to see this restaurant!​

No way! So jealous!!

 

[Missyrose]

Before I get to your comments, I wanted to share what came in the mail yesterday...

Our DME packet!!!!! You know what that means, right? Our trip is RAPIDLY approaching. I'm really starting to get excited. Oh, who am I kidding? I've been really excited all along.

The trip is exactly 32 days away. If any of you followed along on my last PTR, you'll remember I counted down to those trips in a couple of fun ways. First, we'll start with the "One month from now" series, where I'll clue you into what we have planned for each day of the trip.
That should start on Monday.

The second part of the countdown will be a fun countdown of our favorite Disney.... something. Can't tell you yet, it's a surprise. But I promise, you will love it!

And now onto your lovely comments...​

​

​

That popcorn looks AMAZING. Wow. Now I really want popcorn! I had no idea they had the R2D2 buckets in March!

Tanner is such a brave soul! Hahaha so precious! "I ain't 'fraid of no beasts."

HAHAAHAH that picture. THE HAND! What on Earth!!!

BAH TANGLED OMG. I would die. Is this legit?!?! I want those rumors to be true!!!

...And to answer your question... FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING!!! Bam.

Disney popcorn may be one of the world's most perfect foods. And getting a big helping of it in an R2-D2 tub, makes it that much better.
Gah! Now I'm hungry for it too.

Tanner is funny, he had no fear when it came to the characters. But there wasn't one thing about Disney birthday cupcakes that he trusted.

FotLK is my white whale at Disney. I've never seen it! Shameful, I know. We saw Nemo a couple of years ago and each time we've been back to AK, I've sworn I will see it. But something always seems to mess it up. In October, we have exactly TWO things to do at AK: Expedition Everest and FotLK. That's it, that's the list. It better happen in October because it's another show that's being shut down for a while.

Wait, what? There's rumors that BatB will be replaced?? Have I been living under a rock? This makes me really sad, because I have yet to see the show, and it's always on my "Need to Do" list, but unfortunately, my DH is not a fan. Really hope I will get to see it at least once before it is taken away.
However, a Tangled show?! That'd be awesome! And I also think it'd be a lot more versatile. Where Beauty and the Beast doesn't appeal to 80% of the boys, I believe Tangled does. I know both my DH and my younger brother (who is very anti-princess) both love the film. It could be a really successful choice, if it does happen.

Sorry to rant....I'm glad to see the Beast didn't scare Tanner. That's one brave little boy!
Looking forward to hearing how your dinner at the Poly went!

The BatB for Tangled rumors have been around for about a year and have heated up as more articles pop up about DHS's impending update blitz. I love BatB, but I wouldn't be terribly upset if they added a Tangled show instead.
I kinda wish they could have built a theater in new Fantasyland to house BatB permanently.

Oops! I missed an update so I'm a bit behind. Catching up!
Glad you like the new job! The hours sound great!

I love the Pixar parade so much!

Welcome back! I know you must be VERY busy with the planning for your own trip. You're only a couple of weeks away, right? How exciting!

Just gasped out loud. Monsters is my favourite Disney movie ever! I would go out of my mind on a doors coaster!!

It would be so cool for this rumor to finally become a reality. As much as I would love Carsland in DHS, I almost would rather them expand Pixar place and add a couple new attractions from different movies, including Monsters Inc. It would be awesome!

Um yes! What the crap!? I mean, it's a teddy bear who smells like strawberries, so in a way he makes a great Disney character, but everyone seems to have forgotten he's the bad guy!

The whole Lotso thing boggles my mind. I kinda wish they would include more villains in the parks (outside of just the MNSSHP appearances), but having the Toys Story villain happy and waving in the parade is just weird.

Awww really? I hadn't heard that! I love that show... I have to admit that though I'm normally a fan of progress, I'll miss this one a lot.

I tend to give Disney the benefit of the doubt, the new show may be even better than the old. (Although Disney no longer gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Figment, their re-imagining of that ride just gets more ridiculous every time.)

No way! So jealous!!

I'm soooooooooooo excited to eat there. The video they have shown on the Disney Parks Blog make the ballroom look incredible. There will be a full report in the January TR! ​

 

[uscgmouse]

I love reading your updates! Amazing pictures and great info! I hope you enjoy your upcoming trip! Beach Club is my favorite!!!

 

[Missyrose]

I love reading your updates! Amazing pictures and great info! I hope you enjoy your upcoming trip! Beach Club is my favorite!!!

Thanks Ashley! I've been reading through your PTR, looks like you have an awesome trip planned. ​

 

[Missyrose]

Can you believe it? We’re just one month away from our epic, 10-day, Food and Wine Festival-MNSSHP-WWoHP extravaganza of a vacation. Franklin and I have only ever taken four-night/five-day trips so we’re going to have waaaaaaaaay more time for Disney fun this time around.

As part of the countdown until the trip, each day I will share with you what we will be doing one month from now. I can’t wait to hear what all you Disney lovers think of our plans, so even if you’ve just been lurking on this TR, feel free to chime in and share your experiences!

One month from now will be arrival day. We’ll be up bright and early (and will probably be a little bleary-eyed) so we can leave for the airport by 5:30 a.m.

Our flight leaves just before 8 a.m. and we’re flying JetBlue, hooray for in-flight TVs!

As the sun rises over D.C., we’ll be headed south to MCO.

We’ll arrive in Florida just before 10 a.m. and head straight to the faux-norail.

And we’ll climb aboard a Disney Magical Express bus.

Which will take us through those magical gates.

And to our destination... Beach Club!

We’ve been to Beach Club just once before, for dinner at Cape May Cafe during our March trip. I’m so excited to spend a few days here because there’s no better place to stay for the Food and Wine Festival than the Epcot resorts.

Our plan for the day is to have no real plans. Since our room probably won’t be ready when we arrive, we’ll bring our swimsuits in our carry-ons so we can change and head straight to Stormalong Bay!

Photo courtesy of Dee (aka Natbenma, the queen of the BC/YC thread!)

After hearing such wonderful things about this pool for years, we’re going to take advantage of every moment we can while we’re there.

Later that afternoon, after we shower and change in our hopefully now-ready villa, we’ll mosey on over to Epcot. With just a few things on the agenda:

Food and Wine Festival goodies, which will most-definitely include my beloved cosmo slushie.

Sugar Ray is performing an Eat to the Beat concert that evening, well, there will be three (but we’ll probably only see one.)

Ignore the members of Boyz II Men in this photo, they won’t show up until later in the week!

And our magical first day will be capped by the equally magical Disney Food Blog’s Snack Attack party and Illuminations viewing. Mickey bars, Zebra Domes and School Bread, oh my!

And after all that, my friends, we will likely stumble back to Beach Club and crash into bed.

So what do you think of our first day? Just 30 days to go... ​

 

[PrincessAmongPrinces]

Sounds like a wonderful arrival day! I'm so excited for you, Stormalong Bay looks amazing!

 

[Missyrose]

Sounds like a wonderful arrival day! I'm so excited for you, Stormalong Bay looks amazing!

Thanks Kel. We're definitely attempting to make this a "stop and smell the roses" kind of trip. No racing around, and we'll have plenty of time to enjoy the awesome resorts we're going to stay at.​

 

[natebenma]

Getting caught up!

Love that R2D2 popcorn bucket! I saw some of these in June. I think there may have been other snacks available in them too, but I can't remember what.

We haven't had a great experience with Disney popcorn. We got it just once, while waiting for Fantasmic to start, and it seemed to be stale. I need to try it again sometime.

What is that yummy orange drink Lala has?

Thanks for thinking of me as you posted all of those gorgeous Beauty and the Beast photos! I did see the show once. Solo, of course, while the guys watched Indy. Fortunately, the shows are scheduled at the same time.

Favorite show: Not LMA!!! Probably Lion King.

Loving your 30 days from now! Great start- early flight and a lazy day with a lazy river! Oh, and you have to pick up the Noodles!

The snack attack party sounds AWESOME!!!

I didn't see any solid plans for any meals, so will you mostly be grazing at EPCOT/F&W?

 

[Missyrose]

Getting caught up!

Love that R2D2 popcorn bucket! I saw some of these in June. I think there may have been other snacks available in them too, but I can't remember what.

We haven't had a great experience with Disney popcorn. We got it just once, while waiting for Fantasmic to start, and it seemed to be stale. I need to try it again sometime.

You cannot judge Disney popcorn on the Fantasmic popcorn, I don't think it's the same popcorn as the rest of the park, that or it is stale because there's not a steady stream of people buying it. I would highly suggest trying the popcorn from one of the normal popcorn vendors, you'll see a HUGE difference.

What is that yummy orange drink Lala has?

It's a mango margarita, very yummy! They sell them at the stand near Fairfax Fare on Hollywood Boulevard.

Thanks for thinking of me as you posted all of those gorgeous Beauty and the Beast photos! I did see the show once. Solo, of course, while the guys watched Indy. Fortunately, the shows are scheduled at the same time.

Favorite show: Not LMA!!! Probably Lion King.

Another vote for Lion King, I really need to see this show already!

Loving your 30 days from now! Great start- early flight and a lazy day with a lazy river! Oh, and you have to pick up the Noodles!

The snack attack party sounds AWESOME!!!

I didn't see any solid plans for any meals, so will you mostly be grazing at EPCOT/F&W?

Can't wait to meet the Noodle family, we're going to spend lots of quality time with them those first few days of the trip!

I'm so excited for the Snack Attack party. It will awesome to finally meet AJ (who runs the Disney Food Blog) and it's such an amazing way to try lots of classic Disney snacks that we haven't had the chance to try yet. I'm going to make serious progress on my Disney Food Bucket List.

As for F&W, each of the past two years we've come home vowing to devote more time to the Festival the next year. And so I think we have finally have met our goal: Of the 10 days of our October trip, we'll visit the F&W booths on six of those days!

That first night will definitely be a graze-for-dinner kind of night. Especially with all those yummy snacks for dessert. My basic rule of thumb is that the F&W booths can substitute for one meal a day and we will typically have a TS meal as our other meal for the day. So much Disney food... I can't wait!
​

 

[Missyrose]

Our first full day at Disney! Is there any better feeling than waking up at Disney World with your entire trip still ahead of you?

Since we’ll be staying in DVC villas, we’ll have a fridge, microwave and toaster as part of the kitchenettes.
(For those of you wondering, the 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom villas have full kitchens.)

The kitchenette will come in handy so we can do quick and easy breakfasts in the villa before heading out for the day. We’ve placed an order with WeGoShop to fill our fridge.

On this first full Disney day, we’ll have a quick breakfast in the villa or even toast the bagels and eat them as we stroll over to Epcot, using our own private entrance to the park. Yes, I know it’s not technically my own private entrance, but it sure is going to feel like it!

There will be no Test Track on this trip (boo!).

It will still be undergoing it’s massive overhaul/redesign, but hopefully it will be up and running for our January trip.

Instead, our rope drop focus will be at

We’ll likely ride it once and grab a couple of FPs for later.

We’ll definitely go for spins on Mission Space.

Spaceship Earth.

Maybe a trip under the sea.

Or a Journey Into Imagination.

And we likely will moonwalk back to the 80s.

Lunch will be yet another graze-fest at Food and Wine.
On the to-do list? Potstickers from China.

An Aussie lamb chop.

And I’m sure there will be beer, lots of beer.

Once we’ve had our fill of food, we’ll head over to the Friendship Boats and hitch a ride to DHS.

Yes, yes, that’s the car entrance, but you get the idea.

We’ll check out the wait times and FP situation for the bigger rides, but with no concrete plans, we’ll do whatever strikes our fancy.

This might be the perfect afternoon to introduce Franklin to the Animation Academy.

My one must-do at DHS that afternoon is Character Palooza. I’ve seen lots of pictures of the unlisted event, but I’ve never experienced it for myself.
It sounds like meet and greet heaven!

My main goal for our afternoon and evening at DHS was to just enjoy the ambiance and details in the park, something we rarely do at DHS. I also wanted to give Franklin the chance to photograph DHS after dark, another first for us. We’ve never been in DHS after dark!

Once we’ve had our fill of the gorgeous, neon-lit buildings. We’ll hop back on the Friendship Boat and go to either Beaches and Cream or ESPN for dinner.

So that’s Day 2, what do you guys think? What’s your favorite spots to explore at DHS? I really want to see more of the off-the-beaten-path stuff.​

 

[marDgreen88]

I LOVE entering through the International Gateway because there is barely ever a crowd over there!

Wait a minute, you're going to Disney in January too? DANG GIRL! I feel like I probably knew that... but I forgot.

I've always wanted to do character palooza as well! Hopefully you'll get a chance! Wait a minute... you've NEVER been to DHS at night? How is that even possible? I'm literally dumbfounded.

 

[Missyrose]

I LOVE entering through the International Gateway because there is barely ever a crowd over there!

Wait a minute, you're going to Disney in January too? DANG GIRL! I feel like I probably knew that... but I forgot.

I've always wanted to do character palooza as well! Hopefully you'll get a chance! Wait a minute... you've NEVER been to DHS at night? How is that even possible? I'm literally dumbfounded.

I love the International Gateway too! The only downside is you don't hear the Epcot entrance music that you hear at the front gate, that might be my absolute favorite Disney music of all time.

Yep, Franklin and I have a trip planned for his birthday week in January. It will be our first trip "home" to Boardwalk since we bought DVC. Oh, and for the record, we have another five-day trip planned for May with a bunch of friends (we're planning to stay at BLT for that trip). It's definitely our "Year of Disney," that's for sure.

Only time we've been at DHS into the evening was back in 2009 and we went to Fantasmic. This was back when they had cut Fantasmic back to two shows a week. So we lined up almost two hours before showtime. And once the show was over, we followed the crowd out of the theater and out to our car. We never really took the time to look around and enjoy how magical that park looks at night, so that's the plan for October!​

 

[Missyrose]

Another glorious Disney morning, another day with little to no actual plans (I swear, the plans will pick up once we move to Animal Kingdom Lodge). We’ll wake up, well, whenever we feel like it. And we’ll mosey over to...

Yacht Club. We have a breakfast ADR at Captain’s Grill. Its menu had Franklin at two little words: lobster omelette.

The rest of day will be devoted to getting our relaxation on. We’ve got nowhere to be except the lazy river at Stormalong Bay.

Yes, yes, I know there are parks out there to conquer, but commando touring just doesn’t stand up to a delightful day at a resort as gorgeous as this!

We have a couple of options for lunch. We could go to Beaches and Cream or we could wander over to the World Showcase for Food and Wine booths or CS lunch, or maybe a stroll over to the Boardwalk for corndogs. The Epcot area is our oyster!

Our evening plans include a lovely stroll through Epcot.

To the monorail.

Where we’ll take a bit of a monorail tour. First stop is the Grand Floridian.

In addition to taking in the lobby’s beauty,

I want to make a quick stop at Basin to get some yummy shower gel to use for the trip and to live in our Owner’s Locker.

We have two choices for our fireworks viewing, we can either head to the Top of the World Lounge at the top of Bay Lake Tower,

or we can head to the Poly and watch from the beach.

Hopefully we’ll be hungry because we have a 9:50 ADR at one of our favorite restaurants -- ‘Ohana!

That filling, delicious meal will bring an end this amazingly relaxing Disney day. What do you guys think? Do any of you plan pool days while you’re at Disney? Do you think we’re totally nutso for spending the whole day at the resort?​

 

[PrincessAmongPrinces]

These plans sound great! I think it's awesome that this will be a long enough trip to allow you to slow down and relax. You won't need to be commando bc you've got plenty of time, and anything you miss, you can hit when you go back in January!

I've heard great things about Basin... I will need to make it there at some point to try all the yummy bath goodness. And the GF is beautiful, I can't wait to see the pics that Frank-a-Lin will get!

 

[natebenma]

Days 4 (EPCOT/HS) and Day 5 (SAB, monorail tour, fireworks/Ohana) SOUND GREAT!!!

Try to catch the weather to see if you need some flexibility in your SAB day.

I've only had dinner at Captain's Grille, but I hear wonderful things about the breakfast! If you order the buffet, you can also get eggs made to order and even an omlette from your waiter or waitress.

Did you see these posts on the BC/YC forum?

I think I posted that. My step dad was able to order an omelet as part of his buffet. IN fact on menu the make your own omelet says choose one meat, one veggie and one cheese but they told him he could have any of the ingredtients that he wanted.

We were also told that any made to order eggs could be ordered as part of the buffet.

Hmmm.... is LOBSTER considered a MEAT!?

"Yes chef, I'll have the Lobster Omelet, with extra lobster, hold the egg, the veggie and the cheese. Oh, and can I have that with a side of melted butter?"

~NM