Kelleigh710
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2010
- Messages
- 182
The title of this trip report says it all! I have been to Disney quite a bit and I must profess to you all right now…this will be the BEST TRIP EVER! I know, I know we all say that but I can genuinely say will be a more memorable trip for me. We are going to Disney from October 4th to October 13th. Before I get into itinerary’s, activities, ADR’s, etc, let me first introduce the cast of my very first trip report!
Kelly and Trevor
My name is Kelly and my DH is Trevor. We got married October 12th, 2011 at the Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Studios, Orlando. What can I say? Mickey will always have my loyalty, but we just could not afford the Disney wedding we wanted, so we did the next best thing. We had a Disney themed wedding at Universal! It was perfect and had many Disney touches. Here are some pics:
I work full-time as a Senior Admissions Advisor at a local technical college and I am also finishing my degree in Extension Studies from Harvard University. So needless to say, I am one busy woman! However, I always seem to be able to make time to plan our yearly Disney trip. Of course when I say plan, I can be a little extreme. Extreme as in…I get my typed itineraries, flight confirmations, ADR’s, crowd levels, etc bound into a spiral book at Staples. I can’t get down to Orlando as often as my other Disney-fanatical friends, so my once a year trip is always as well planned as possible!
Trevor works full time in customer service. I can fully admit, I converted him into a Disney lover. Before meeting me, Trevor had never been to Disney World and now every year when I ask where he wants to go on vacation, the answer is always the same…Disney I’m so happy to share this with him. Aside from his job, Trevor is really into music. He spends every waking moment on his Ipad creating new beats to go with the notebooks upon notebooks of lyrics he’s written. He’s very creative! So being in Disney, he gets inspired pretty quickly and I love that.
Lynette and Steven
Lynette is my mother-in-law and Steven is my brother-in-law. When they came to the wedding last year, they really loved the Portofino and Universal. Of course my response was, “Well if you loved this, you’re going to LOVE Disney. Why don’t you come with us?” So it came to be. Lynette and Steven decided to join us for a few days on this trip. Lynette works full time in the healthcare industry and Steven is a full time student at a university here in Boston. I love going to Disney with people who have never been, it’s so fun to see their reactions to everything. Lynette and Steven will have a blast!
Itinerary So by now, you are all probably wondering what our exciting itinerary looks like. Keep In mind, Trevor and I will be alone from 10/4 until 10/7. Lynette and Steven will be there from 10/7 to 10/11. Then Trevor and I are on our own again from 10/11-10/13. Well strap in and here we go!!!
October 3rd: We live in Boston, MA and primarily use JetBlue as our go-to airline. Seeing as how we were leaving on Columbus Day weekend, the prices were astronomical. Instead, we opted for Southwest. Unfortunately, Southwest did not offer direct flights to Orlando for the times we needed. Instead, we decided to leave from Providence, RI. Providence is only a 35 minute drive from where we live, so it made sense. However, with a 6 a.m. flight, I was not about to make that drive so early in the morning. Instead, we went on Hotwire and bought a “mystery room” for only $60.00! It turned out to be the Radisson which is directly in front of the airport. I called the Radisson ahead of time and they threw in 2 weeks of airport parking for only an additional $25.00. Score!
October 4th: Trevor and I are flying out at 6:00 a.m. and arriving at 9:28 a.m. We will be using town car service with Florida Tours. Even though we stay on property, we prefer a town car over DME simply because it is quicker and to be honest, taking a town car truly makes me feel like I am on vacation! Not to mention it’s so quiet! This leg of the trip we are staying at the Walt Disney World Swan. I am a Sheraton Gold preferred guest and I got a really good deal. We have secured a Boardwalk view room with a balcony so we can watch the fireworks from Illuminations. We have stayed at the Dolphin previously and we loved it. Unfortunately, they had no balcony rooms available for the time we were going to be there. I am excited to stay at the sister property though!
After we check in, we are headed to Saratoga Springs for a quick service lunch and more importantly, A 90 MINUTE COUPLES MASSAGE. Ahhhhh, I can already feel the relaxation! We did this on our honeymoon and it was simply amazing. The spa at Saratoga Springs is in one word, exquisite. The facilities, the staff, just everything is QUALITY! I can’t think of a better way to kick off a Disney vacation with my husband.
In the evening we have dinner reservations at Il Mulino at the Swan. Trevor and I ate here back in 2009 and it was amazing. So we are hoping for the same experience and then heading to the room to watch the fireworks.
October 5th: We decided to take this day to fully indulge in the Food and Wine Festival. As Trevor downs glasses of Moet and Chandon, I will happily be sampling some pot stickers from China and Swedish meatballs from Scandinavia! I can’t fill up too much because we have 3:00pm reservations at Tokyo Dining for a late lunch/early dinner. I have dined at Teppan Edo, but never Tokyo Dining so I am looking forward to this.
After we stuff ourselves we will be headed over to Port Orleans-Riverside for a romantic horse and carriage ride. We have never been to this property but want to consider staying here for a future trip. What better way to see it? The horse and carriage ride was easy to book and at only $35.00, it’s a Disney bargain!
October 6th: Today is the day we get to do something we have always wanted to do. We will be going on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour! A 5 hour behind the scenes look at the most iconic Disney park? Count me in! This tour seems to get mostly positive reviews and the cast member that helped me book it did tell me I would get more “bang for the buck”. Lunch from Columbia Harbor House is included in the price which is wonderful. I’m really looking forward to learning more about my favorite place.
How do you top that experience? Well, as an anniversary gift to my husband, I have booked a private dinner on the 3rd floor balcony of the Grand Floridian. Can I tell you how excited I am!? We have never done this experience, but those that have done it say it is incredibly romantic. I have finalized the menu with Pat Anderson at the Grand Floridian and the menu will consist of: lamb braised ravioli, garden salad with wine vinaigrette, tomato florentine soup, filet mignon with white truffled mashed potatoes and seasoned vegetables, and swans filled with chocolate mousse for dessert. I am looking forward to spending some true “us time” during this meal. Nothing like a private balcony, your own butler, and a lovely view of the electrical water pageant to really make your 1st anniversary as romantic as possible.
October 7th: We will be departing from the Swan and rolling on over to the Boardwalk Villa’s. I just got a standard view studio as opposed to preferred view because the points were so cheap! Really and truly, you can’t go wrong with any room at the Boardwalk. My balcony could overlook the parking lot and I would be just fine. LOL This is also the day Lynette and Steven will be flying in and checking into the Beach Club Villa’s. I secured a studio for them as well. They are on an early flight like us, so as soon as they come in and get settled, we will head directly to Animal Kingdom. I think 6 hours is plenty for AK (for us anyway). We can do a QS at Flame Tree BBQ. After AK we have ADR’s at Portabello at Downtown Disney. I ate here for lunch years ago, but I hear this restaurant is on the up and up, so I am anxious to try it again. I have ordered a cake ahead of time from Portabello (yes, they do cakes there!). I wanted to celebrate our first vacation as a family.
October 8th: Today we will be headed to Hollywood Studios. HS will be open until 11pm for extra magic hours, so we will have allll day! I plan to do a QS lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet. For dinner, we have ADR’s at 50’s Primetime Café. This place will always be one of my favorites solely for the pot roast! The theming, cast member interaction, fun atmosphere is all well and good too but c’mon…THE POT ROAST!! I’m also looking forward to one of Dad’s Brownie Sundaes!
October 9th: This will be our Magic Kingdom Day. We will doing a QS lunch at Cosmic Ray’s and we have ADR’s for Liberty Tree Tavern. This is another one of those “comfort food” type places and we love it! The theme is outstanding and the food, well two words: FAMILY STYLE. I love that you just get a huge platter for Thanksgiving-esq food. You can’t go wrong!
October 10th: This will be our day in Epcot with Steven and Lynette. The park is open until midnight and it will be so much fun to show Steven and Lynette the Food and Wine Festival. More importantly, Lynette is a HUGE and I mean HUGE Michael Jackson fan so I know she’s going to flip her lid when she gets to see Captain EO. She will be so excited! We will have brunch at Sunshine Seasons. Let’s face it, it has to be one of the best counter service places in all of Disney. Looking forward to that Strawberry Shortcake! We also have ADR’s for Via Napoli. On our honeymoon, this was our last meal of the trip and one of the best. The service was the best we had the whole trip and the food….well let’s just say I see some candele pasta and zeppoli’s with whipped cream are in my very near future.
October 11th: Steven and Lynette will be departing today. Trevor and I will say our goodbyes and head to the Captains Grille for breakfast. From what I hear, this is a hidden gem among Boardwalk area restaurants and I am anxious to try it. From there, we will check in to Bay Lake Tower for our final two nights. I splurged on this reservation because we have never stayed at this hotel before and also, because we always stay in studios so I wanted to see what a 1 bedroom would be like. Something tells me that after I have access to an in-room jacuzzi, full kitchen, and washer/dryer…I may never rent a studio again! I am excited to see.
We will use this day as a pool day to hang out and get to know this new resort of ours. We have ADR’s for 1900 Park Fare which is another first for us. I have heard the food is great and I am looking forward to interacting with Prince Charming (you know, the one other than my husband), and Cinderella’s step-sisters. It should be hilarious. From there, we will make our triumphant return to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Can I tell you how excited I am!? We went last year and had a ball. In my opinion, Hallowishes and the Boo To You parade are unparalleled. They bring the Disney experience to a whole new level. Trevor is looking forward to trick-or-treating and of course, people watching to see what everyone will be wearing!
October 12th: This morning we will be having breakfast at The Wave. From what I have read, the breakfast buffet is a good value and throws some innovative spins on traditional breakfast food. I’m looking forward to trying it out. Trevor will have his pick of the park for today. He hasn’t decided yet, but knowing Trevor, I would put my money on HS because of his absolute adoration for Toy Story Mania or Epcot for his absolute love of Soarin’. This one will be a toss up.
For our final evening (which is on our actual anniversary), I am really looking forward to going to the California Grill. This is another signature restaurant I have been looking forward to trying. We have ADR’s for 9:30pm and while I was initially disappointed we couldn’t get in earlier, I cheered right up when I realized Hallowishes will be at 9:30pm that night. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. Having a romantic dinner with Cinderella’s castle and fireworks as your backdrop? Sounds like the most perfect 1 year anniversary I could ever imagine.
October 13th: Our final day. Let’s pray I don’t get too emotional! We will put our luggage on the DME and hop on the monorail to the Polynesian. I really wanted to try Kona Café and it will be our last ADR of the trip. I hear the sticky wings and Kona Kone are to die for and I can’t wait to try them both!
From there, our town car driver will pick us up in front of the Poly to head back to the airport.
Well, that’s my pre-trip report. I will keep updating as time gets closer. Only 50 days left as of today! I hope you guys will tune in. I plan on taking pictures of absolutely everything and being the foodie that I am, I will be doing all dining reviews with pics. Can’t wait for October!
~Kells
Kelly and Trevor
My name is Kelly and my DH is Trevor. We got married October 12th, 2011 at the Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Studios, Orlando. What can I say? Mickey will always have my loyalty, but we just could not afford the Disney wedding we wanted, so we did the next best thing. We had a Disney themed wedding at Universal! It was perfect and had many Disney touches. Here are some pics:
I work full-time as a Senior Admissions Advisor at a local technical college and I am also finishing my degree in Extension Studies from Harvard University. So needless to say, I am one busy woman! However, I always seem to be able to make time to plan our yearly Disney trip. Of course when I say plan, I can be a little extreme. Extreme as in…I get my typed itineraries, flight confirmations, ADR’s, crowd levels, etc bound into a spiral book at Staples. I can’t get down to Orlando as often as my other Disney-fanatical friends, so my once a year trip is always as well planned as possible!
Trevor works full time in customer service. I can fully admit, I converted him into a Disney lover. Before meeting me, Trevor had never been to Disney World and now every year when I ask where he wants to go on vacation, the answer is always the same…Disney I’m so happy to share this with him. Aside from his job, Trevor is really into music. He spends every waking moment on his Ipad creating new beats to go with the notebooks upon notebooks of lyrics he’s written. He’s very creative! So being in Disney, he gets inspired pretty quickly and I love that.
Lynette and Steven
Lynette is my mother-in-law and Steven is my brother-in-law. When they came to the wedding last year, they really loved the Portofino and Universal. Of course my response was, “Well if you loved this, you’re going to LOVE Disney. Why don’t you come with us?” So it came to be. Lynette and Steven decided to join us for a few days on this trip. Lynette works full time in the healthcare industry and Steven is a full time student at a university here in Boston. I love going to Disney with people who have never been, it’s so fun to see their reactions to everything. Lynette and Steven will have a blast!
Itinerary So by now, you are all probably wondering what our exciting itinerary looks like. Keep In mind, Trevor and I will be alone from 10/4 until 10/7. Lynette and Steven will be there from 10/7 to 10/11. Then Trevor and I are on our own again from 10/11-10/13. Well strap in and here we go!!!
October 3rd: We live in Boston, MA and primarily use JetBlue as our go-to airline. Seeing as how we were leaving on Columbus Day weekend, the prices were astronomical. Instead, we opted for Southwest. Unfortunately, Southwest did not offer direct flights to Orlando for the times we needed. Instead, we decided to leave from Providence, RI. Providence is only a 35 minute drive from where we live, so it made sense. However, with a 6 a.m. flight, I was not about to make that drive so early in the morning. Instead, we went on Hotwire and bought a “mystery room” for only $60.00! It turned out to be the Radisson which is directly in front of the airport. I called the Radisson ahead of time and they threw in 2 weeks of airport parking for only an additional $25.00. Score!
October 4th: Trevor and I are flying out at 6:00 a.m. and arriving at 9:28 a.m. We will be using town car service with Florida Tours. Even though we stay on property, we prefer a town car over DME simply because it is quicker and to be honest, taking a town car truly makes me feel like I am on vacation! Not to mention it’s so quiet! This leg of the trip we are staying at the Walt Disney World Swan. I am a Sheraton Gold preferred guest and I got a really good deal. We have secured a Boardwalk view room with a balcony so we can watch the fireworks from Illuminations. We have stayed at the Dolphin previously and we loved it. Unfortunately, they had no balcony rooms available for the time we were going to be there. I am excited to stay at the sister property though!
After we check in, we are headed to Saratoga Springs for a quick service lunch and more importantly, A 90 MINUTE COUPLES MASSAGE. Ahhhhh, I can already feel the relaxation! We did this on our honeymoon and it was simply amazing. The spa at Saratoga Springs is in one word, exquisite. The facilities, the staff, just everything is QUALITY! I can’t think of a better way to kick off a Disney vacation with my husband.
In the evening we have dinner reservations at Il Mulino at the Swan. Trevor and I ate here back in 2009 and it was amazing. So we are hoping for the same experience and then heading to the room to watch the fireworks.
October 5th: We decided to take this day to fully indulge in the Food and Wine Festival. As Trevor downs glasses of Moet and Chandon, I will happily be sampling some pot stickers from China and Swedish meatballs from Scandinavia! I can’t fill up too much because we have 3:00pm reservations at Tokyo Dining for a late lunch/early dinner. I have dined at Teppan Edo, but never Tokyo Dining so I am looking forward to this.
After we stuff ourselves we will be headed over to Port Orleans-Riverside for a romantic horse and carriage ride. We have never been to this property but want to consider staying here for a future trip. What better way to see it? The horse and carriage ride was easy to book and at only $35.00, it’s a Disney bargain!
October 6th: Today is the day we get to do something we have always wanted to do. We will be going on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour! A 5 hour behind the scenes look at the most iconic Disney park? Count me in! This tour seems to get mostly positive reviews and the cast member that helped me book it did tell me I would get more “bang for the buck”. Lunch from Columbia Harbor House is included in the price which is wonderful. I’m really looking forward to learning more about my favorite place.
How do you top that experience? Well, as an anniversary gift to my husband, I have booked a private dinner on the 3rd floor balcony of the Grand Floridian. Can I tell you how excited I am!? We have never done this experience, but those that have done it say it is incredibly romantic. I have finalized the menu with Pat Anderson at the Grand Floridian and the menu will consist of: lamb braised ravioli, garden salad with wine vinaigrette, tomato florentine soup, filet mignon with white truffled mashed potatoes and seasoned vegetables, and swans filled with chocolate mousse for dessert. I am looking forward to spending some true “us time” during this meal. Nothing like a private balcony, your own butler, and a lovely view of the electrical water pageant to really make your 1st anniversary as romantic as possible.
October 7th: We will be departing from the Swan and rolling on over to the Boardwalk Villa’s. I just got a standard view studio as opposed to preferred view because the points were so cheap! Really and truly, you can’t go wrong with any room at the Boardwalk. My balcony could overlook the parking lot and I would be just fine. LOL This is also the day Lynette and Steven will be flying in and checking into the Beach Club Villa’s. I secured a studio for them as well. They are on an early flight like us, so as soon as they come in and get settled, we will head directly to Animal Kingdom. I think 6 hours is plenty for AK (for us anyway). We can do a QS at Flame Tree BBQ. After AK we have ADR’s at Portabello at Downtown Disney. I ate here for lunch years ago, but I hear this restaurant is on the up and up, so I am anxious to try it again. I have ordered a cake ahead of time from Portabello (yes, they do cakes there!). I wanted to celebrate our first vacation as a family.
October 8th: Today we will be headed to Hollywood Studios. HS will be open until 11pm for extra magic hours, so we will have allll day! I plan to do a QS lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet. For dinner, we have ADR’s at 50’s Primetime Café. This place will always be one of my favorites solely for the pot roast! The theming, cast member interaction, fun atmosphere is all well and good too but c’mon…THE POT ROAST!! I’m also looking forward to one of Dad’s Brownie Sundaes!
October 9th: This will be our Magic Kingdom Day. We will doing a QS lunch at Cosmic Ray’s and we have ADR’s for Liberty Tree Tavern. This is another one of those “comfort food” type places and we love it! The theme is outstanding and the food, well two words: FAMILY STYLE. I love that you just get a huge platter for Thanksgiving-esq food. You can’t go wrong!
October 10th: This will be our day in Epcot with Steven and Lynette. The park is open until midnight and it will be so much fun to show Steven and Lynette the Food and Wine Festival. More importantly, Lynette is a HUGE and I mean HUGE Michael Jackson fan so I know she’s going to flip her lid when she gets to see Captain EO. She will be so excited! We will have brunch at Sunshine Seasons. Let’s face it, it has to be one of the best counter service places in all of Disney. Looking forward to that Strawberry Shortcake! We also have ADR’s for Via Napoli. On our honeymoon, this was our last meal of the trip and one of the best. The service was the best we had the whole trip and the food….well let’s just say I see some candele pasta and zeppoli’s with whipped cream are in my very near future.
October 11th: Steven and Lynette will be departing today. Trevor and I will say our goodbyes and head to the Captains Grille for breakfast. From what I hear, this is a hidden gem among Boardwalk area restaurants and I am anxious to try it. From there, we will check in to Bay Lake Tower for our final two nights. I splurged on this reservation because we have never stayed at this hotel before and also, because we always stay in studios so I wanted to see what a 1 bedroom would be like. Something tells me that after I have access to an in-room jacuzzi, full kitchen, and washer/dryer…I may never rent a studio again! I am excited to see.
We will use this day as a pool day to hang out and get to know this new resort of ours. We have ADR’s for 1900 Park Fare which is another first for us. I have heard the food is great and I am looking forward to interacting with Prince Charming (you know, the one other than my husband), and Cinderella’s step-sisters. It should be hilarious. From there, we will make our triumphant return to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Can I tell you how excited I am!? We went last year and had a ball. In my opinion, Hallowishes and the Boo To You parade are unparalleled. They bring the Disney experience to a whole new level. Trevor is looking forward to trick-or-treating and of course, people watching to see what everyone will be wearing!
October 12th: This morning we will be having breakfast at The Wave. From what I have read, the breakfast buffet is a good value and throws some innovative spins on traditional breakfast food. I’m looking forward to trying it out. Trevor will have his pick of the park for today. He hasn’t decided yet, but knowing Trevor, I would put my money on HS because of his absolute adoration for Toy Story Mania or Epcot for his absolute love of Soarin’. This one will be a toss up.
For our final evening (which is on our actual anniversary), I am really looking forward to going to the California Grill. This is another signature restaurant I have been looking forward to trying. We have ADR’s for 9:30pm and while I was initially disappointed we couldn’t get in earlier, I cheered right up when I realized Hallowishes will be at 9:30pm that night. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly. Having a romantic dinner with Cinderella’s castle and fireworks as your backdrop? Sounds like the most perfect 1 year anniversary I could ever imagine.
October 13th: Our final day. Let’s pray I don’t get too emotional! We will put our luggage on the DME and hop on the monorail to the Polynesian. I really wanted to try Kona Café and it will be our last ADR of the trip. I hear the sticky wings and Kona Kone are to die for and I can’t wait to try them both!
From there, our town car driver will pick us up in front of the Poly to head back to the airport.
Well, that’s my pre-trip report. I will keep updating as time gets closer. Only 50 days left as of today! I hope you guys will tune in. I plan on taking pictures of absolutely everything and being the foodie that I am, I will be doing all dining reviews with pics. Can’t wait for October!
~Kells
All that food...mmmm....sounds om nom nom 
I absolutely LOVE the sounds of that private dinner in the GF, your DH will be thrilled!! Looking forward to hearing more. We've never been to 
