Pluto: Son of Violet and Chernabog! Now with hipsters and grandparents! Jan 2015 PTR

[TillyMarigold]

I don't see how you could eat at Kouzzina with a fish phobia! That whole fish looks scary I think it might be a little out of our comfort zone, but I'm tempted to step outside of it and give it a try...

I'm totally jealous that you got to be a CM! How long ago was that?

Any opinions on the other restaurants we're wanting to try? Ohana for dinner, Mama Melrose for dinner, Garden Grove for the seafood buffet, and Tusker House for breakfast.

I did the college program in 1998, and I liked it so much I spent another summer being a regular temporary CM in 1999. It's an amazing job if you're willing to live like a starving student (and I was). It's really hard to support a family on, though.

I looked away when they brought the whole fish to the table next to us. Although mostly it's really big fish that freak me out.

I've only done 'Ohana for breakfast. I really loved the food and atmosphere at Mama Melrose, although our server was pretty bad. Are you doing the Fantasmic package? I think it's better than it used to be. I haven't been to Garden Grove or Tusker House.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I did the college program in 1998, and I liked it so much I spent another summer being a regular temporary CM in 1999. It's an amazing job if you're willing to live like a starving student (and I was). It's really hard to support a family on, though.

I looked away when they brought the whole fish to the table next to us. Although mostly it's really big fish that freak me out.

I've only done 'Ohana for breakfast. I really loved the food and atmosphere at Mama Melrose, although our server was pretty bad. Are you doing the Fantasmic package? I think it's better than it used to be. I haven't been to Garden Grove or Tusker House.

I know a few people who did the college program and they all had really good experiences, but none of them was able to stay on after the program ended.

We are planning to do the Fantasmic package. I hope it will still include the appetizer when we go.

 

[TillyMarigold]

I know a few people who did the college program and they all had really good experiences, but none of them was able to stay on after the program ended.

We are planning to do the Fantasmic package. I hope it will still include the appetizer when we go.

I hope so too (for you), the appetizers were good! I just meant that it's better because it used to be that the F! package seating was way off to one side of the theater. Now it's more in the middle.

A friend of mine from the College Program became a full-time employee after her CP was over and I stayed with her, and so I basically just called my former manager in the spring and said "hey, I'll be in Orlando for the summer, can you use me?"

 

[TillyMarigold]

So the restaurant survey is now done. We have 4 restaurants that scored 5/6 and a bunch that scored 4/6.

5/6:
'50s Prime Time Café
Sci-Fi Dine In
Boma breakfast
Whispering Canyon Café breakfast

4/6:
Crystal Palace
California Grill
Grand Floridian Café
Trails End
Hoop-de-Doo Revue
Biergarten
Coral Reef
Rose & Crown Pub
San Ángel Inn
Teppan Edo
Beaches & Cream
Captain's Grille
Sanaa
T-REX
Cape May Café breakfast
Kona Café breakfast

 

[JAMIESMITH]

So the restaurant survey is now done. We have 4 restaurants that scored 5/6 and a bunch that scored 4/6.

5/6:
'50s Prime Time Café
Sci-Fi Dine In
Boma breakfast
Whispering Canyon Café breakfast

4/6:
Crystal Palace
California Grill
Grand Floridian Café
Trails End
Hoop-de-Doo Revue
Biergarten
Coral Reef
Rose & Crown Pub
San Ángel Inn
Teppan Edo
Beaches & Cream
Captain's Grille
Sanaa
T-REX
Cape May Café breakfast
Kona Café breakfast

I really wanted to try Boma for breakfast, but I think we're going to substitute Tusker House so that we won't have to go through the trouble of getting to AKL before the parks open. I'm glad your family is going to Boma!

I can't recommend Coral Reef and Grand Floridian Café enough

 

[TillyMarigold]

So the restaurant survey is now done. We have 4 restaurants that scored 5/6 and a bunch that scored 4/6.

5/6:
'50s Prime Time Café
Sci-Fi Dine In
Boma breakfast
Whispering Canyon Café breakfast

4/6:
Crystal Palace
California Grill
Grand Floridian Café
Trails End
Hoop-de-Doo Revue
Biergarten
Coral Reef
Rose & Crown Pub
San Ángel Inn
Teppan Edo
Beaches & Cream
Captain's Grille
Sanaa
T-REX
Cape May Café breakfast
Kona Café breakfast

Oops, there's a mistake in the list above. The GF restaurant that made the cut is 1900 Park Fare, not Grand Floridian Café.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Results of the second dining survey are in.

1. Sci-Fi Dine-In
1. (tie) Boma breakfast
3. California Grill
4. Rose & Crown Pub
4. (tie) 1900 Park Fare
4. (tie) '50s Prime Time Café (tie)

So we're booking the first 3 for sure. The question is how many more meals we want to do all together. Personally, I'd like to have at least one meal separately. DH and I are thinking about doing Dine with an Imagineer (which wouldn't be a DDP credit) and personally, I could easily skip '50s and would like to do another character meal. Maybe 'Ohana, for (DS) Pluto, who absolutely adores Mickey, Pluto, and Stitch. So far, experience at Chuck E. Cheese suggests he'd like to at least see them from a safe distance.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Just want to share this. My little Pluto had a stomach bug and I had to pick him up from daycare. I stopped by Target (next to daycare) to get some Pedialyte, applesauce, etc. on the way home, and we passed by the toys. Pluto held out his little arms and said "Mimmy?" Well, how could I say no? So he's now the proud and very attached owner of a talking Mickey Mouse doll. It goes everywhere, including to bed--the first toy he's wanted to do that with.

He's almost big enough for a toddler bed, and I'd been debating getting him giraffe or puppy bedding, but after the last few days of carrying Mickey around, maybe we'll have to go that route instead.

I swear I didn't set out to make him obsessed with characters, but if he's going to latch on to a character group, Mickey and Pluto are good ones to choose.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Whew! I can't believe it's been 2.5 months since I posted, but we're getting close to our ADR date. I'm trying to juggle schedules and four people who won't tell me what they want to do. ("I'm sure I'll have fun whatever we do.") (This is not a problem for Daisy.)

So far, we have these plans:

Su - Epcot - all eat QS except Daisy & Crush eat at Coral Reef

M - Dinner @ Rose & Crown Pub

Tu - Mrs. Potts and Mr. Incredible's Anniversary - dinner at Big River Grille (or '50s Prime Time Café or Captain's Grille) and Cirque du Soleil show. Daisy and Crush have requested time alone with Pluto (T-REX?), so Chernabog and I are planning a second date night.

W - Mrs. Potts and Mr. Incredible do the Backstage Safari tour while Crush, Chernabog, and Pluto sleep in, and Daisy and I go to a spa. Meet up at AK for lunch at Tusker House.

Th - afternoon at Fort Wilderness for archery and pony rides. Chernabog and I have dinner at Flying Fish while everyone else takes Pluto to Trail's End and the Chip 'n' Dale Campfire Sing-a-long.

F - Daisy and Crush do the Backstage Safari tour while Mrs. Potts, Mr. Incredible, Chernabog and I take Pluto to Cape May Café for breakfast. Animal Kingdom morning. Magic Kingdom afternoon. Dinner at 1900 Park Fare (everyone) and back to MK for MSEP and Wishes.

Sa - Breakfast at Boma. Animal Kingdom morning.

Su - Studios, ending with lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Oh, also, we have a full-blown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse addiction going on at my house. Pluto is obsessed with Mick, Puppy, Minnie, Daisy, and Pete. (He isn't as excited by Boosie [Goofy], Don, or "What's that?" [Clarabelle].) His favorite is Daisy, hence the Tusker House lunch.

His second favorite is "Doc! Doc!" but I am still resisting taking him to Hollywood & Vine.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Sunday - arrival day - Epcot afternoon/evening

• 6:30-ish Coral Reef - Daisy & Crush date night

Monday - MK morning, Epcot evening

• 11:30-ish Be Our Guest early lunch (quick service)
• 7:45-ish Rose & Crown Pub dinner (late so we can see the fireworks again if we want) (all)

Tuesday - Animal Kingdom morning (?), DownTown Disney/DisneyQuest afternoon/evening

• 6:45-ish Fulton's Crab House - Mr. Incredible & Mrs. Potts anniversary date
• 6:00-ish T-REX - Daisy, Crush & Pluto
• 6:15-ish Paradiso 37 - Violet & Chernabog, and Pluto if T-REX is too scary
• 9:00 - Cirque du Soleil - Mrs. Potts & Mrs. Incredible

Wednesday - lazy morning, Animal Kingdom late morning, mini golf/Hollywood Studios afternoon

• 8:30-11:30 Mrs. Potts and Mr. Incredible on Backstage Safari Tour
• Violet & Daisy spa morning
• Chernabog, Crush, and (hopefully) Pluto sleep in
• 11:30 Tusker House lunch - Violet, Chernabog, Pluto, Daisy and Crush
• 7:00 Fantasmic!
• ~ 9:00 Mrs. Potts & Mr. Incredible watch Pluto while Violet, Chernabog, Daisy, and Crush go to Jellyrolls

Thursday - no solid plans until Fort Wildnerness afternoon (archery, pony rides)

• 6:30 Flying Fish - Violet & Chernabog date
• 6:00 Trail's End Barbecue - Mrs. Potts, Mr. Incredible, Daisy, Crush, and Pluto
• 7:45 Chip & Dale's Campfire Sing-Along

Friday - Animal Kingdom morning, Magic Kingdom afternoon (7:00 Main Street Electrical Parade, 8:00 Wishes)

• 7:45-ish Cape May Cafe breakfast - Mrs. Potts & Mr. Incredible take Pluto
• 8:30 Violet, Chernabog, Daisy, and Crush Backstage Safari Tour
• 5:00 1900 Park Fare early dinner (all)
• 7:00 MSEP
• 8:00 Wishes

Saturday - Animal Kingdom morning?, Typhoon Lagoon afternoon? MK Evening? all flexible

• 8:00 Boma breakfast (except Mr. Incredible)
• 8:00 Oak Trail Golf Course tee time (9 holes) - Mr. Incredible
• Afternoon - Violet, Chernabog & Pluto meet up with local friends

Sunday - departure day - Hollywood Studios

• 11:30 am Sci-Fi Dine-In early lunch (all)

 

[TillyMarigold]

Mini update: Southwest *finally* released their flights, and they've discontinued all their direct flights to Orlando. And also, no airline has an early flight there on Sundays.

So we're taking an afternoon/evening flight on Saturday, landing at midnight EST (only 10:00 our time, so it should be fine), and checking in a day early! We even got a Boardwalk view studio for the extra night, and it was *still* $100+ cheaper than the flights I was finding for Sunday. The plan will be to sleep in on Sunday and then go to the parks when my family gets there. Maybe a little bit before, but maybe not.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Mini update: Southwest *finally* released their flights, and they've discontinued all their direct flights to Orlando. And also, no airline has an early flight there on Sundays.

So we're taking an afternoon/evening flight on Saturday, landing at midnight EST (only 10:00 our time, so it should be fine), and checking in a day early! We even got a Boardwalk view studio for the extra night, and it was *still* $100+ cheaper than the flights I was finding for Sunday. The plan will be to sleep in on Sunday and then go to the parks when my family gets there. Maybe a little bit before, but maybe not.

No direct flights stinks! An extra night at Disney is always a plus

 

[TillyMarigold]

The rest of my family has booked their flights now too, and their flight lands at 9:15 on Sunday morning. So they should be getting to the resort about the time we check out of our 1st room. I just need my sister to send me flight info so I can reserve ME. She also bought the tickets, since I'd paid for the hotel rooms.

Also need to register for the Backstage Safari tour (I have the Disney Visa so it makes more sense for me to do it) and my parents' anniversary dinner (need to call Fulton's directly). I hate making phone calls so I've been putting it off. And we need to figure out spending money (both for meals and souvenirs)--planning to use the 5%/10% trick at Target for Disney gift cards. And buy Memory Maker. And book a tee time at Oak Trail for Mr. Incredible. And a spa day for me and Daisy. Whew! But the big stuff is ironed out.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Just back from a trip to the UK to visit Chernabog's family. Pluto was a superstar with the flights and time zone changes, and generally charmed everyone.

Also, he's now ridden his first rides--the carousel at the mall ("Horsies!") and the London Eye ("Whee! Agua down!"). And spent all of the turbulence on the airplane going "Whee!" I think he's going to be a roller coaster junkie. We'll see if he's tall enough for Barnstormer by the end of January. (He's a peanut. We would definitely have to ride first thing in the morning.)

 

[TillyMarigold]

I got Mickey Mail yesterday--the reminder that it's almost time to make my FastPasses! I'll be visiting my parents for Thanksgiving and can do them then. We don't want Anna & Elsa, fortunately, so only 7DMT is going to be tricky.

Pluto and I have been watching YouTube videos of character interactions and he's very excited about meeting Mickey Mouse. I asked him once "What are you going to say when you meet Mickey Mouse?" and he said, "Hi Mickey Mouse! I wuh oo!"

 

[TillyMarigold]

Can't believe it's now NEXT MONTH!!

FP+ selections made. Since I couldn't get MSEP, I made reservations for me, Mrs. Potts, Daisy, and Chernabog to take Pluto to meet Anna & Elsa, while Mr. Incredible and Crush ride Buzz Lightyear. Still not sure about that one, though.

 

[TillyMarigold]

And Chernabog's company just announced their end-of-year prizes. They're super cheap so they don't give bonuses, they just send 50 or so people on vacation. (It's an international company, they have hundreds of employees.) So because Chernabog is totally awesome, he won a FIVE DAY TRIP TO HAWAI'I!

Now we just need to see if my job will let me take the time so soon after Disney. It will take me down to only 1.5 hours of vacation time, although I have a couple weeks of sick leave banked.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Almost time! I was able to switch Anna & Elsa FP+ for MSEP. Working on my Garden Grocer order now.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Wow. I like the new layout but definitely miss my avatar. Maybe I have it on my computer at home?

Time to start on a TR, I suppose!