POP Goes the DVC Couple! Single Digit Dance! Less than a week.

[dallastxcpa]

So this is my first attempt at writing a trip report here on the DIS.

First I will give you a little back story. In July 2003 I married my Prince at WDW. This was a second marriage for both of us:

We were very fortunate that just a year and a half later we were able to visit WDW at Christmas:

So we were Me, DH, DD 28 + Significant Other, DS 27, DD 12

My baby:

In between getting married and last year Dave and I have been fortunate to take a few couples trips. Unfortunately the last one was in January 2007 aboard the Disney Wonder.

 

[dallastxcpa]

So fast forward to July 2008. We booked the amazing GV at Old Key West and invited family to join. Well we had those that were invited and then some others that kind of invited themselves.

Oh another fact. Since our last family trip we added another member to our immediate family. My Neice has come to live with us. She is truly a blessing and life wouldn't be the same with out her.

Sometimes they act too much like sisters!

Me and my DH:

My DM and DS who were on the trip:

Now don't get me wrong we had a great time, but there was a lot of drama with those Who Shall Not Be Named. In fact sometimes I think some members of my family could put Jerry Springer guests to shame.

Some of the fun:

 

[dallastxcpa]

OKAY, OKAY I know I am on the third post and there is no mention of any pending vacation!


So here it is:

FIRST TRIP: Beach Disney Hilton Head Island Resort June 7 - 12

Me, DH, Coco 14, Sky 12, Lil Man 12, and GMa.

I am also trying to recruit this little cutie:

Her Mom is my Lil Sis who is in nursing school. Mom has some hesitations though as Dakota will only be 18 months and that would be a long week without her. However, Sis is in school 4 days a week during the summer and will have to find someone else to watch the baby due to the fact that I am taking her babysitter (aka Gma).

The kids had a couple of snow days and don't get out of school until Friday June 5th. They usually let them out at noon so I will bring them home and have them finish packing. We will go to bed early and get up and leave sometime around 3 or 4 AM on Saturday morning.

My plan is to drive at least 12 to 14 hours in order to get us within 4 hours of Hilton Head. We were going to rent a minivan so we could all travel in one car however the prices just seem to be unreasonable so I will keep checking and if nothing comes through we will take two cars.

I have no real plans yet other than laying at the pool or beach and reading a few good books. I would like to eat out a couple of times that week. That is the joy of the wonderful two bedrooms you have a full kitchen so you can grab a quick sandwich or make a pot of spaghetti.

I will rent everyone a bike but I want one of these:

I just think it looks like a lot of fun and the basket looks nice for transporting beach items.

I will post more tomorrow including information on the Couples trip. Can you guess which resort we are staying at?

 

[Cinderelly5507]

Those are gorgeous pictures! You had my dream wedding! I can't wait to see your plans for September!

 

[dallastxcpa]

I am a bad Dis’er I have completely abandoned my trip report, but with good reason.

First, one of our kids was married two weekends ago:

Bride and groom

DH and DD

A fun wedding picture

One of my favorite Country and Western singers

Okay so my second excuse is that my DH is a photographer and my job is photographers assistant, second camera, and marketing. So I have been in the process of learning all about Facebook, Twitter, and the world of blogging.

So since my Hilton Head trip is now less than two weeks away the next post will be an update of our plans for Hilton Head.

 

[dallastxcpa]

Cast of Characters:

Me – CPA who really needs a nice relaxing beach vacation
DH – my significant other – Dave – or as we like to call him Super Dave. He truly is a hero to me and I don’t know what I would do with out him.
DM – my mother also known as Gma
DD - Coco – 14 – actually my niece but she has lived with us for two years
DD – Sky – 12 – has gone through the Scene stage and we survived
DN – Jacob – 12 – a young man who loves fishing.
When we went to the wedding we had some time the next day Jacob went fishing and caught a rather large catfish. He was so disappointed when his Gma and I both said he had to put it back in the creek.

My youngest niece will not be accompanying us as her Mom worked out the child care issue while she goes to class.

The rates on minivans never came down so we will be taking two vehicles. The first is a Ford F150 extended cab and the second is my Honda Element. I love my car because the back seats recline completely and the kids tend to sleep and sleep and watch movies and sleep.

Total miles this trip 1035 – estimated total drive time – 16 hours 39 minutes

I will attempt to get all my work done by Thursday so that I can take Friday off and spend the morning packing the truck up while the kids finish their last day of school. They get out at noon and we will pick them up from school and be on our way. We should be on the road by 1:00. We will drive from Lewisville Texas (a suburb of Dallas) to Jackson Mississippi. I am planning on booking a suite at the Homewood Suites. Estimated drive time 6 hours 42 minutes.

The plan is to get up and enjoy the continental breakfast at the hotel and then be on the road Saturday morning by 8 A.M. Next stop Savannah Georgia. We are planning on staying at the Holiday Inn – Historic District. Estimated drive time 9 hours 35 minutes. This should put us into Savannah in time to have a nice dinner. Any suggestions on dining are greatly appreciated.

Some extra items we plan on taking with us. Beach umbrella and chairs, sand buckets, spices for cooking, and fishing poles.

I have told everyone to pack light and this shouldn’t be a problem as we are going to the beach and only really plan on one evening out. Also, we will have a washer and dryer in our unit so we can do laundry at some point.

It looks like I will be reading my books on Facebook and Twitter during the trip but if anyone has any suggestions on good fiction books please let me know.

Next up the September couples trip.

 

[dallastxcpa]

So on to the couples trip:

Dates: September 22 through September 28

Cast:
Me – I was born less than two weeks before the opening of WDW
DH – a tad bit older than me but a true kid at heart

We are DVC members, but we used a boat load of points last year for the big family vacation when we stayed in the GV at OKW. That left just enough points for the Hilton Head vacation. So this trip was booked using airline points and cash. We will be staying at the POP Century hotel and enjoying the free dining.

We are traveling US Airways out of Dallas Fort Worth Airport. We will be leaving at 10:15 A.M. have a layover in Charlotte North Carolina and will arrive in Orlando at 4:07 P.M.

The plans are as follows:

Tuesday September 22:

We will be taking the Magical express to POP Century. I have requested a King room non-handicapped, top floor, lake view. In other words I would like a quieter room.

With the package we had to buy one day tickets. We will use these to upgrade to the DVC AP and also purchase the Tables In Wonderland card

We will head to DTD for dinner using QS credits at either Earl of Sandwich or Wolf Gang Puck Express. Depending on the park hours we may go to the EMH park and ride a few rides.

Wednesday September 23:

DH birthday. Plans DH gets to pick today since it is his birthday. We plan on going to AK. We are not rollercoaster enthusiasts so our goals our Kilamanjaro Safari, Festival of the Lion King, Nemo, the bird show, and generally just walking around and taking in all the details that we normally miss in this park. Lunch is planned for Flame Tree Barbeque and Dinner will be Boma at the AKL. I have heard about the way they put the Gorillas up each night and would like to be there at park closing to observe this. I had planned on doing this last summer, but there was a torrential down pour the night we were going to go so we just went to AKL and had Zebra Domes at the Mara and explored the lobby. Depending on what time the park closes we will either have an early dinner at Boma or a very late dinner (this would be our preference).

Thursday September 24:

My birthday. Plans: I would like to make rope drop at DHS in order to get a FP for TSM and then ride it once. We would then grab a quick bite at Starring Rolls and grab a bus to Fort Wilderness. I want to do the Segway tour this morning. We have done the Epcot tour twice and I would like to try the FW one now. Not sure about lunch as it will be a QS. Back to DHS. Things on our to do list are: TSM, Lights, Motors, Action, the Magic of Animation, Walt One Man’s Dream, Muppet Vision, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. I am going to try and book 50’s Prime Time for dinner.

Friday September 25:
Plans: Epcot for rope drop. To do list: Food and Wine Festival, Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, world showcase entertainment, Oh Canada, the France movie, the Grand Fiesta tour, Off Kilter. Basically we want to take in all the small details we have missed in the past. My DH doesn’t drink at all and I only have an occasional drink so this is more of the Food Festival for us. We will have a QS lunch in the World Showcase. Suggestions are greatly appreciated. Dinner is planned as either Ohana’s or Crystal Palace depending on the dining hours. In the evening we plan on attending MNSSHP. We will be dressing up as Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Next installment the plans for the last three days.

 

[Laurabearz]

The plan is to get up and enjoy the continental breakfast at the hotel and then be on the road Saturday morning by 8 A.M. Next stop Savannah Georgia. We are planning on staying at the Holiday Inn – Historic District. Estimated drive time 9 hours 35 minutes. This should put us into Savannah in time to have a nice dinner. Any suggestions on dining are greatly appreciated.

Savannah is a LOVELY city. I highly suggest just walking over to either the city market and grab some pizza while people watching, or head over to river street and pick a place that strikes your fancy.

I am not sure exactly where your hotel is, but If your within a few blocks of the above areas, it's so nice to just walk around and enjoy the feeling of the city.

The City Market is a wonderful place to explore with a huge homemade candy store, carriage rides, and friendly locals.

We are driving to Hilton Head too!! But Via a few days in Atlanta. (14 hours to Atlanta and then 6 hours to Hilton Head)

I am bummed we are missing each other by just a few days.

 

[Laurabearz]

Oh and I have to add... your daughter is a true blushing bride!! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[dallastxcpa]

Oh and I have to add... your daughter is a true blushing bride!! Thanks for sharing!!

Thank you so much! The wedding was so much fun and so many family members contributed to make it a very beautiful day.

 

[dallastxcpa]

Okay so I am one day away from packing up and hitting the road.

So we are planning on leaving the Dallas area Friday at noon as soon as the kids get out of school.

We will be stopping in Jackson Mississippi and staying overnight at the Staybridge Suites. We have never stayed at this hotel chain before so I am a little anxious.

We have decided to check in to the DVC HHI resort a night early. I got a DVC member rate of $342 a night for the two bedroom villa.

Today I reserved on of these:

I really loved the comfy looking seat and the basket between the wheels.

If you are going to Hilton Head you can rent one here: http://www.patriotbikerentals.com/

 

[dallastxcpa]

I have to get up bright and early this Wednesday to book my ADRS:

Here is a brief overview. POP September 22 - 28. I have booked more ADR's than I have credits because my DH and I are planning on getting AP's and the TIW card which we will use next July also.

Tuesday 9/22
Dinner: Ohana 7 PM - our flight gets in at 4. Alternate is to do CS at Wolf Gang Puck Express in DTD.

Wednesday 9/23 - DH Birthday
Lunch: Flame Tree BBQ
Dinner: Boma 7PM - Alternate Jiko

Thursday 9/24 - My Birthday
Breakfast: Crystal Palace 7:30AM or before park opening EMH
Lunch: Cosmic Rays
Dinner: California Grill 8 PM Alternate Narcoosee's

Friday 9/25
Lunch: CS at either DHS or Epcot
Dinner: Artist Point 5 PM Alternates Narcoosees or Cali Grill
We are planning on going to MNSSHP this evening

Saturday 9/26
Breakfast: Cape May 10 AM Alternate Princess Story Book
Lunch: CS at Epcot
Dinner: Yachtsman Steakhouse 7 PM

Sunday 9/27
Lunch: Undecided this will depend on what I am able to book early in the stay.
Dinner: Coral Reef 6 PM Alternate Biergarten

Monday 9/28
Lunch: 50's Prime Time Cafe 11 AM
Dinner: Sandwiches to go from Earl of Sandwich
Flight leaves at 8:45 PM

Okay please let me know what you think. My goal was to try and eat at as many new restaurants as possible. We do have a few reapeats Cali Grill and Yachtsmen.

Thanks - Lorrie

 

[dallastxcpa]

I book my ADR's in less than 24 hours. Any suggestions for meals? Would anyone make any changes to my plans?

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Hi, just found your PTR. I believe your trip to Hilton Head is over, how did it go? I'm sure it was beautiful there! You had such a beautiful wedding, it is in fact my dream wedding! You look absolutely gorgeous!! Oh and your daughter look beautiful as well, she looks so happy in that first pictures, it's wonderful!! Ok onto ADRs...I love Cali Grill, it has such a wonderful view of the castle and I loved the food, it was amazing. Are you staying to see Wishes from there? It is absolutely beautiful, one of my favorite meals. I enjoyed Artists Point as well, good choice. I've never been to Narcoosee's so I can't help you with that one, sorry. Haven't been to Coral Reef in quite a few years, but I remember the atmosphere to be really great. Have you thought about any places in World Showcase besides Biergarten? A lot of the restaurants are really nice. I like LeCellier and the Japan restaurant where they cook in front of you (sorry I can't remember the name), pretty much any of the restaurants in WS are good! I hope you get the ADRs you want!!

 

[dallastxcpa]

Hi, just found your PTR. I believe your trip to Hilton Head is over, how did it go? I'm sure it was beautiful there! You had such a beautiful wedding, it is in fact my dream wedding! You look absolutely gorgeous!! Oh and your daughter look beautiful as well, she looks so happy in that first pictures, it's wonderful!! Ok onto ADRs...I love Cali Grill, it has such a wonderful view of the castle and I loved the food, it was amazing. Are you staying to see Wishes from there? It is absolutely beautiful, one of my favorite meals. I enjoyed Artists Point as well, good choice. I've never been to Narcoosee's so I can't help you with that one, sorry. Haven't been to Coral Reef in quite a few years, but I remember the atmosphere to be really great. Have you thought about any places in World Showcase besides Biergarten? A lot of the restaurants are really nice. I like LeCellier and the Japan restaurant where they cook in front of you (sorry I can't remember the name), pretty much any of the restaurants in WS are good! I hope you get the ADRs you want!!

Hilton Head was wonderful. I am working on my trip report, but I took over 500 pictures so it will take a while to get started.

Thank you so much. Our wedding was a dream and I am so glad we decided on Disney. The funny thing is we didn't spend anymore money than we would have if we had stayed in our area to get married.

I am about to post the actual ADR's that we got. Tepan Edo was one of my alternatives.

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Ooo I'm excited to see the pictures from Hilton Head. I've never been but my family has been talking about going down there next summer if we don't do a disney cruise! I bet it's beautiful! I'm excited to see what ADRs you got as well!!

 

[dallastxcpa]

The online system did not work for me this morning. I did not call the dining reservation line until 2:30 PM CST. Here is what we wound up getting.




Tuesday 9/22
Dinner: Ohana 9:40 PM This is really late to be eating dinner and I may cancel this one.

Wednesday 9/23 - DH Birthday
Dinner: Boma 7:35PM

Thursday 9/24 - My Birthday
Breakfast: Could not get a good time for Crystal Palace. I will keep trying.
Dinner: California Grill 9:15 PM

Friday 9/25
Dinner: Artist Point 5:30 PM
We are planning on going to MNSSHP this evening

Saturday 9/26
Breakfast: Cape May 9:05 AM
Dinner: Yachtsman Steakhouse 7 PM

Sunday 9/27
Lunch: Biergarten 1PM
Dinner: Coral Reef 7:45 PM

Monday 9/28
Lunch: 50's Prime Time Cafe 11 AM

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Wow looks like you got pretty much what you wanted! Lucky you. Ohana is kinda late but hey it's up to you! And the Cali Grill one you'll be able to see Wishes from there (I'm assuming Wishes is at 10 it usually is), I loved seeing them from the Contemporary! Glad you got all of your ADRs!!!!

 

[dallastxcpa]

Wow looks like you got pretty much what you wanted! Lucky you. Ohana is kinda late but hey it's up to you! And the Cali Grill one you'll be able to see Wishes from there (I'm assuming Wishes is at 10 it usually is), I loved seeing them from the Contemporary! Glad you got all of your ADRs!!!!

Yes. I was very suprised that I got so close on the times on so many. However, I am going to keep trying for either a Crystal Palace breakfast before park opening or a better time for O'hana. We eat at O'hana almost every trip so if we can't get it no biggie.

 

[Laurabearz]

Well Now I am hungry!!!

Try popping on line every once in a while. I was just able to book Le Cellier in Canada for lunch for August. Just keep plugging in days and times.