Prelude to a WDW Dream...Sept. 08 *NEW 9/9 Post 350*

[jaycns]

TABLE OF CONTENTS-
Post 1- The who's who of the vacation crew
Post 2-Where to go? Where to go?
Post 19- Plans for Arrival Day
Post 20- Anniversary Celebration....What to do?!
Post 40-Plans for Day 3. DAK...what to do for lunch and dinner?
Post 46-Day 4 Soarin' and crusin'! A fun combination. Boardwalk dining ideas??
Post 56-The Fifth Day aka The Most Perfect Day
Post 69-The Sixth Day To Magic Kingdom We Go!
Post 90-The Menu (tentative)
Post 111-The Seventh Day...DOWNTIME!!!
Post 123-The Entertainment
Post 167-A Planning Update
Post 174-Day 8...to the Studios we go!!
Post 177-Narrowing down the planning choices.
Post 204-New Cruise Itinerary
Post 212-Castaway Cay Shore Excursion Choices
Post 214Shore excursion choice for Grand Cayman
Post 218Booked Cruise Plans
Post 241In Room Surprises...
Post 242Grand 1 Dessert Party
Post 276Anniversary Doings Update
Post 333Problems with the best laid plans
Post 338A Skip Down Memory Lane
Post 350A Mini Update
Why write a pretrip report? My husband has NO concept of why I would "waste" my time doing this. Heck, he doesn't even understand the joy I get out of writing post trip reports. But in answer to him or anyone else who wonders why a busy mom of four would take the time to sit down and write a pretrip report, I offer five simple answers.

First off, I am addicted to WDW, the DIS, trip reports, pre trip reports, planning. The whole sha-bang (is that really a word?!). There, the big elephant in the room has now been painted florescent green and we can all call my obsessive planning and discussing of all things Disney what it truly is, an addiction. BUT...what a great addiction to have!!

Second, I am doing it because I can. By planning, I get that many more hours of enjoyment out of our upcoming trip. That being true, I am gonna squeeze out every drop of joyful excitement, every giddy wave of anticipation and every happy day dream that I can out of this trip.

Third, I need a place to be organized. I am not an organized person by nature. Without a thread to put my many thoughts, wishes and dreams into some semblance of order, I might seem easily confused and forget to arrange something that turns out to not be so trivial once we arrive.

Fourth, I need help! Try as I might to learn every single thing there is to know about WDW planning, I am always learning many amazing, interesting and helpful tidbits here on the DIS. That being true, this is a pretrip report where feedback and suggestions are not only allowed, they are encouraged! Thank you in advance!!

And finally, I can talk WDW trip plans for longer then most people have any trace of wanting to listen. The DIS provides me an outlet for all of that pent up "vacation planning energy".

Now that you know a bit about the reasons I chose to write the pretrip report let me introduce myself.

Hello pre trip readers, my name is Jay. I am the mother of four truly amazing little guys and the wife of one totally amazing big guy as well. I love all things Disney. The movies, the parks, the characters, the music, the store, the cruise line, the magic. I even love the Disney channel (no laughing, you know you watch it too! ). This will be my twelfth Disney trip, yet the pixie dust has not started to lose it's sparkle. For me, WDW is still a wonderland.

Some of the characters I like are Stitch, Abu, Donald Duck, Figment, Beast. The sassy, attitude having characters who really do have hearts of gold (under the sparking sass of course). If I were to be any character, I would chose Belle. She is smart, independent, loyal and not at all frumpy or girly girl. Everything I hope to grow up to be.

Here is a recent picture so that you can put a face to the DISer.

Also joining us on the adventure is my wonderful dh,aka the Disney Grump. He is not the biggest Disney fan you could ever find...but he's mine and I will continue to love him despite that glaring character flaw.

Here is a recent picture of the Disney Grump (aka dh).

Next up, the cream of the vacationing crop, our four boys.

First up is Aladdin. He is our 11 year old, soccer playing, Disney fan. Lucky for me, the Disney bug did bite him (and how!). He loves all things Disney, including WDW. When it comes to a partner in crime, he's my man, always helping me to convince dh that another Disney trip is "required". His favorite characters are Jack Sparrow, Mickey Mouse, Aladdin and Will Turner.

Here is a picture of Aladdin with his newest little brother.

Getting the newest PotC for Christmas.

With two of his younger brothers.

Next up is Goofy. He will celebrate his 9th birthday while on vacation. He just flat out loves Disney. He is a bit shy with new people, but considers all Disney characters to be old friends. He has a big smile, but an even bigger heart. His favorite characters are Pluto, Lucky (from 101 Dalmatians), Goofy, Dale and Squirt.

Here is a picture of Goofy decorating some Christmas cookies this year.

Showing off a Christmas gift.

Just a sweet smile.

Next let me do the honor of introducing you to my very own Experiment 626. Stitch is 6 years old and shares many traits with the original 626...he's sweet, loyal, loving and can wreck havoc with the best of them. He shares my love of the Disney "naughty makers". His favorite characters are Chip, Stitch, Crush, Figment and Donald Duck.

Here is a recent picture of Stitch.

Getting a Christmas gift.

Outside in our yard with his two big brothers.

And proudly introducing the newest addition to our family. Our sweet little prince. He may be too young to have any of his own favorite characters yet, but he is defiantly as cute and cuddly as they come. Maybe his very own Disney character "totem" will make itself known on his first trip to WDW! I am so excited to share my favorite place with him! This trip might not be one he will remember...but I know that I will not forget a moment!

Here is our little prince. He will be 8 and 1/2 months old when we take our trip.
The first one is of him and his big brother, "Stitch".

His first time in his exersaucer.

And his first St. Patrick's Day.

If you are interested in hearing about two of our previous Disney vacations, I invite you to follow the links below to my previous trip reports.

TRIP REPORT 2006- http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1246511



TRIP REPORT 2007- http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1585715

So there you have it. A brief run down of the cast of characters who will be taking part in this Disney-vacation-to-be.

UP NEXT...Where to stay?! Where to stay?!

 

[jaycns]

Being as it will be our little prince's first trip, I wanted to take him to one of our two favorite resorts. AKL or the CR. When I first called in to make reservations, the Contemporary won out because we had just stayed at AKL this past September. So I booked us a standard concierge room, requested a Magic Kingdom view and started to dream of the many wonderful nights we had in store for us there.

And then came the doubt, what about construction? Did I really want to be at a resort where construction was going on right outside the building with an almost 9 month old? Did I want to see construction going on as I looked out toward the Magic Kingdom? A big NO on both those counts...so I started to debate where to go. What to do.

I asked dh and the boys for some input as to where they would like to go if we skipped the CR this trip and did it next time. The answers I got? One and a half votes for WL, one and a half votes to go back to AKL and me (AKL, BWI, stay at the CR, GF in the main building...in other words, I was NO HELP at all).

Aladdin was up for any resort but he said his top four choices were BWI, AKL, BC or WL (if we weren't going to go to the CR or the GF). Goofy split his vote. He couldn't decide between the two lodges. Stitch was in favor of returning to AKL (it would be our third stay there). Dh was voting to try out WL which we had stopped to see on our last vacation and dh really clicked with the national park style. Since I was totally confused, I just let our reservation at the CR and mulled it over a bit...fished for information on the internet, priced rooms over and over again, spent hours reading threads here on the DIS and read tons of articles over at Tour Guide Mike.

Finally I narrowed it down to the two lodges (ha ha ha, I should have just listened to my menfolk from the start) or one of the monorail resorts. The CR had the construction so we would be skipping that. The Poly, while beautiful, is not our favorite resort and although we will give it another try in the future, I didn't want our baby's first WDW stay to be somewhere we already knew was not one of our top favorites. As far as the GF, we had just stayed there this past year and the main building concierge was not coming up as available during our trip period and that is the place we want to stay next time we stay at the GF. Basically, we eliminated all of the monorail resorts (for this vacation at least). That left the two lodges. Being as we had just stayed at AKL this past year and we could all have a "first time there" together at the WL...we chose The Wilderness Lodge.

We booked a deluxe club room. In a deluxe room you have a sitting area with a queen size sofa sleeper. French doors lead to a bedroom with two queen size beds. The room also has a balcony. Having a room we could shut off for naps/nighttime sounded just right with having an infant along this time. The concierge service certainly does not qualify as a need...but we enjoy the snacks.

So far, I have only seen pictures of the deluxe rooms at the WL before the rehab. I am still looking for recent photos. I would be most appreciative if any were posted on this thread!!

I must now gather all of the info I can find about the Wilderness Lodge. ANY sort of hints, tips, reviews, etc are welcome!

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Jay, what a beautiful baby boy!!! You have this knack with your DH of creating the most handsome boys!!!!
I'm loving your pre-trippy!!

 

[RachelTori]

YAY Jay! Great start! Love, love, love the pictures! Your little prince is such a cutie and the older boys keep getting more and more handsome!

This will be fun! OK, I'm ready!

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

I'm here!!! Excellent start, as expected! You have become a seasoned TR writer and it shows. I love all of the pictures, too. Your boys always look so happy. OK, give an old woman a break and tell me what your vacation dates are - I'm trying to do the math with how old you said your little one will be - but I clearly need more coffee. Soooo, when are you going?! We'll be there Aug. 21st-24th. Don't tell me that we'll miss each other again?!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

What a great start. Your little prince is getting big. He is so cute. We stayed in the deluxe room at the WL. While I have voiced many complaints about the lodge but there were pluses too. Here are my pros/cons if interested. And I will search for pics of the room for you. I think our trip to WL was probably like your Poly trip just a comedy of errors but maybe another try some time in the future:

Pros:

Alot of space in the room and it was nice having the ability to shut the sitting room off from the main room.

Great restaurants and they did a fantastic job with my sisters 50th birthday celebration at WCC.

Very pretty lobby and decorations. Great gift shop. Theme was over the top and my husband loved it. I just never felt like I was in Florida. It is a man thing I think. LOL.

Boat ride to MK was fun for the kids.

We could see the end of the electric water parade from our balcony.

Cons:

Dirty room that really needed a good cleaning. Dust on every possible surface, left over chocolates (like 50 of them in the drawer eeewwwww), left over trash under one of the beds. The toilet and tub are not seperated so if someone was showering you couldnt use the toilet. It was a very far walk from the lounge and the lobby make sure you request a room close to the elevators.

Transportation was really bad but I understand that can be luck of the drawl so we rented a car; although you will probably have yours.

CL staff are just not on par with AKL. At AKL the staff engauged us and made us feel like "part of the family" we really just felt like guests at WL and never had contact with the staff short of them printing our airline passes.

In all said we did have a fun time afterall it was Disney World. It is just not a resort I am rushing to try again any time soon. I will go look for some pics for you now.

 

[buffy0214]

I'm subbin' in What a nice family. I wish I was deciding between all those great resorts.

 

[starrzone]

YAY! I'm on board on the first page! I love, LOVE the pics of your boys; they are getting SO big and growing up so fast (but you probably already knew that ). I have to comment especially on the pictures of Stitch; he has that glint in his eye that says "I have something up my sleeve; you won't know when or where it's coming, but you're going to like it"! I look forward to hearing more about your plans and your first trip as a party of 6.

(By the way, I love your choice as Belle for an "alter ego". She does have that "spunk" in her; one of my favorite parts of "Beauty and the Beast" was the village scene where she "spurned" the advances of Gaston. I am patiently waiting for when the DVD comes out of the "vault" again...)

 

[momoftriplets]

Here I am, again! Along for the ride.... Wahoo! You KNOW I live vicariously through you, right?

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pictures of your men. SO handsome... Those little guys just had me grinning from ear to ear. So sweet.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Here are some pics from our trip to the lodge. For some reason I have no pics of the room at all sorry.

Us (me dh and ds)

very cute towel animals that we got daily

view from our balcony

Those long hallways reminded me of the shining. We had to walk down this hallway turn left and walk down another hallway that size to get to our room or back and forth from the cl lounge. We were on the very edge of the U next to the villas. Although it did give us a view of the waterpagent from our balcony.

 

[SoonerGirl]

YAY!!! The pre-trippie is here, the pre-trippie is here!!!

I agree with you on canceling your CR ressie - new baby and construction do NOT go well together. Speaking of the little guy, he is soooooo cute, and getting so big already! That is one handsome group of young men you have there missy!

 

[John's Mom]

Great PTR so far! Can't wait for more!

 

[BrittBritt]

Hey, if you really have a Vanilla Ice obsession, this PTR is sure to be interesting!

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

I am so looking forward to this pre trippie especially now that you're going to stay at WL , we stayed there Jun/July'07 and it so much. We stayed in a CV with bunkbeds and it was just heaven. We so loved the boat ride back "home" in the evening it seemed to relax us all after all the excitement of MK...sorry I could go on and on about the things that I loved about WL I think you've made an excellent choice Thank you for feeding my obsession

PS the pics of the boys are gorgeous, the little prince is so cute on St Paddy's day

 

[Squidrific]

Hi Jay! I found you again. The boys are still adorable. I know you will love the lodge. I loved it so much I bought DVC there!

Looking forward to your next report!

 

[CJsMom]

Yay, can't wait to hear more about this trip! I am considering a stay at WL in 2009 - so give us the whole scoop, ok?!

 

[jaycns]

Jay, what a beautiful baby boy!!! You have this knack with your DH of creating the most handsome boys!!!!
I'm loving your pre-trippy!!

Why thank you Mary! We don't find them hard on the eyes ourselves.

YAY Jay! Great start! Love, love, love the pictures! Your little prince is such a cutie and the older boys keep getting more and more handsome!

This will be fun! OK, I'm ready!

Thanks. Now that I have indeed started, I feel the need to get to making plans! Thanks for joining in on helping me!

I'm here!!! Excellent start, as expected! You have become a seasoned TR writer and it shows. I love all of the pictures, too. Your boys always look so happy. OK, give an old woman a break and tell me what your vacation dates are - I'm trying to do the math with how old you said your little one will be - but I clearly need more coffee. Soooo, when are you going?! We'll be there Aug. 21st-24th. Don't tell me that we'll miss each other again?!

YES NOT FAIR. We will be there one month after you. Our vacation is timed around the cruise we are going on afterward. We depart on Sept. 27 so we had to work around that. Didn't we do this the opposite way last year?! I went earlier and you followed up a short time afterward? AHHHH. I think I saw a post about an Indy zoo meet...we sometimes find ourselves traveling to Indy...PM me if you don't mind me maybe inviting myself along. Rude DISer that I am. Look at me beg. Anyway, I am glad you are here. I was going to PM you a trip report question...HELP!! *Please* I need a romantic, fun, amazing anniversary idea.

What a great start. Your little prince is getting big. He is so cute. We stayed in the deluxe room at the WL. While I have voiced many complaints about the lodge but there were pluses too. Here are my pros/cons if interested. And I will search for pics of the room for you. I think our trip to WL was probably like your Poly trip just a comedy of errors but maybe another try some time in the future:

Pros:

Alot of space in the room and it was nice having the ability to shut the sitting room off from the main room.

Great restaurants and they did a fantastic job with my sisters 50th birthday celebration at WCC.

Very pretty lobby and decorations. Great gift shop. Theme was over the top and my husband loved it. I just never felt like I was in Florida. It is a man thing I think. LOL.

Boat ride to MK was fun for the kids.

We could see the end of the electric water parade from our balcony.

Cons:

Dirty room that really needed a good cleaning. Dust on every possible surface, left over chocolates (like 50 of them in the drawer eeewwwww), left over trash under one of the beds. The toilet and tub are not seperated so if someone was showering you couldnt use the toilet. It was a very far walk from the lounge and the lobby make sure you request a room close to the elevators.

Transportation was really bad but I understand that can be luck of the drawl so we rented a car; although you will probably have yours.

CL staff are just not on par with AKL. At AKL the staff engauged us and made us feel like "part of the family" we really just felt like guests at WL and never had contact with the staff short of them printing our airline passes.

In all said we did have a fun time afterall it was Disney World. It is just not a resort I am rushing to try again any time soon. I will go look for some pics for you now.

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! I love honest reviews. The good, the bad and the hopefully not so ugly...I want to hear it all!

Did you think the walk was worth the view you had?
Did the staff seem "stand-offish"? When we were at the GF (Sugarloaf) the staff sometimes seemed that way. However, they were really helpful and friendly once they realized we "wanted" it that way. I hope the concierge members are a bit more "fun" and engaging when we go. Send some good thoughts our way!!
What was the birthday celebration at WCC like?

Thanks again for the feedback!

I'm subbin' in What a nice family. I wish I was deciding between all those great resorts.

Sometimes it's just too hard to make a decision with so many great options! I have the WL booked right now...but still in the back of my mind... It's a sickness, I must stop. I must concentrate on the next bit of planning. Meals, special surprises, park times...so much to get done...so little time (with the four little guys keeping me hopping).

YAY! I'm on board on the first page! I love, LOVE the pics of your boys; they are getting SO big and growing up so fast (but you probably already knew that ). I have to comment especially on the pictures of Stitch; he has that glint in his eye that says "I have something up my sleeve; you won't know when or where it's coming, but you're going to like it"! I look forward to hearing more about your plans and your first trip as a party of 6.

(By the way, I love your choice as Belle for an "alter ego". She does have that "spunk" in her; one of my favorite parts of "Beauty and the Beast" was the village scene where she "spurned" the advances of Gaston. I am patiently waiting for when the DVD comes out of the "vault" again...)

I know, Stitch totally does have that hint of troubled daredevil in his eye. His coming teen years scare me.

Here I am, again! Along for the ride.... Wahoo! You KNOW I live vicariously through you, right?

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pictures of your men. SO handsome... Those little guys just had me grinning from ear to ear. So sweet.

Don't live through me...plan a trip and enjoy it with me! We truly must do a DIS meet one of these trips!!

Here are some pics from our trip to the lodge. For some reason I have no pics of the room at all sorry.

Those long hallways reminded me of the shining. We had to walk down this hallway turn left and walk down another hallway that size to get to our room or back and forth from the cl lounge. We were on the very edge of the U next to the villas. Although it did give us a view of the waterpagent from our balcony.

Thank you so much for posting those pictures. Those are some of the cutest towel animals I have ever seen! The Shining . I will now not be able to look at those halls in person without thinking of that movie. HA HA HA.

Cute picture of your family!! Thank you again for taking the time to post those! Any more you run across are welcome and wanted!!

YAY!!! The pre-trippie is here, the pre-trippie is here!!!

I agree with you on canceling your CR ressie - new baby and construction do NOT go well together. Speaking of the little guy, he is soooooo cute, and getting so big already! That is one handsome group of young men you have there missy!

I thought not...however, I am still a bit up in the air over the final choice. Then again, I always feel this way. Questioning myself as to if I picked the "right" resort for each trip. However, it usually turns out even better then I had hoped for!

I will miss being at the CR, but that is just another excuse to return to WDW!!

Great PTR so far! Can't wait for more!

Thanks! I am glad you are along for the ride!

Hey, if you really have a Vanilla Ice obsession, this PTR is sure to be interesting!

Ha! I really do. When I was in high school I not only went to his concert but was lucky enough to wrangle a back stage pass and meet him. I am SO laughing at myself now...but for some reason, I even thought his shaved eyebrow was cute. I guess there's no accounting for taste in your youth...or at least mine!

To this day, I still crank up the XM radio if Ice, Ice Baby comes on. Yep, a thirty something year old mom of four, driving her minivan blasting Vanilla Ice. I seriously need help!

I am so looking forward to this pre trippie especially now that you're going to stay at WL , we stayed there Jun/July'07 and it so much. We stayed in a CV with bunkbeds and it was just heaven. We so loved the boat ride back "home" in the evening it seemed to relax us all after all the excitement of MK...sorry I could go on and on about the things that I loved about WL I think you've made an excellent choice Thank you for feeding my obsession

PS the pics of the boys are gorgeous, the little prince is so cute on St Paddy's day

How long did the boat ride take back from MK? Anything special about WL you would happen to be willing to share? I am totally clueless when it comes to this resort. It's just I have read so many great reviews (both on this site and elsewhere on the internet) that I am hoping to experience some of the special magic it seems to hold.

Hi Jay! I found you again. The boys are still adorable. I know you will love the lodge. I loved it so much I bought DVC there!

Looking forward to your next report!

Do they have any special activities in the DVC part of WL? Can anybody join in? Or would we have to be DVC members or renting points to be able to enjoy that part of the resort? I am glad you dropped in!!

 

[Squidrific]

I think I saw a post about an Indy zoo meet...we sometimes find ourselves traveling to Indy...PM me if you don't mind me maybe inviting myself along.

There is an Indy zoo meet and I wasn't invited????? Where is this thread?

Do they have any special activities in the DVC part of WL? Can anybody join in? Or would we have to be DVC members or renting points to be able to enjoy that part of the resort? I am glad you dropped in!!

They don't have any special activities because there isn't a community hall unfortunately. Anyone can go into the villas part of the lodge now, there isn't anyone to let only members in. There is the iron spike room which has pictures of Walt and some of the cars from his original train that was in the backyard. There is also checkers and some comfy chairs if you get a rainy day. It's just nice to be able to have a villa and stay at the lodge with the same setting and everything, but with bigger accommodations. WL and AKL are my very favorite resorts because they are sort of isolated and are much more restful.

 

[jaycns]

Okay...we will most likely arrive in Orlando the night before and spend one night "off site" for little more then a quick sleep before we get up and head over to the WL. So we are planning on getting to the WL at about lunch time.

I imagine that our first meal will be at Roaring Forks. A quick counter service meal seems like a good start. Without ressies for a certain time, we won't be quite so tied down to the notion of "we have to be there by this time or else". I don't want to start our relaxation with deadlines. We will have enough of those later in the week.

Then comes the rest of the afternoon. We spent DAYS exploring AKL and never ran out of stuff to do. We took part in all of the activities, watched the animals, visited with the staff and just enjoyed the lodge itself. We would like to do the same thing at WL. At least for this one afternoon. Sort of walk around taking in the special touches (ie Native American relics, geyser, wildflowers, the beach, the pool, the fireplace, what else am I missing?). Do they have a hidden Mickey search still? I heard you could ask for the sheet at the front desk. I would love to do that with the boys. I am thinking the three older ones would think that was one of the most fun scavenger hunts of all. I am also thinking that at the end of it, I would have the concierge staff place something in our room. Some little "Welcome to the WL" sort of something. Any ideas?!

I talked to the IPO for the first time yesterday and I was underwhelmed with their service. I am not paying all of the money to stay at the concierge level for the snacks. When I asked what she could suggest as far as some sort of surprise for the kids she just asked me which resort I was staying at again. Then she told me I could pick up something in the gift shop if I wanted and just place it on the bed before we left the room. YES...I could do this. And I will if I have to, but part of staying in a concierge room is the service. I am hoping I just got someone who lacks creative energy or who was super busy or new. When we asked the same thing at AKL I had a huge host of ideas given to me and ended up with a week full of special surprises. I was able to order a cake, a special edible AKL chocolate giraffe/zebra strawberries set up and they placed a book and some pins for Aladdin and a huge stuffed animal for each Stitch and Goofy. They did it without complaint and at their suggestion actually. The only thing I paid for was the merchandise itself and they did a grand job placing it in the room. Well, private dining placed the food but the CL staff helped me figure out what to order and placed the orders for me. They are also the ones who made me aware of the amazing Wanyama Safari and the Bush Camp for kids which our boys so highly enjoyed.

Anyway, long pointless interjection short, I just hope that I can have that same level of service at the WL.

Back to our plans for day one. I have booked an early dinner (at opening) at Whispering Canyon Cafe. I am really looking forward to it. I have heard a lot of fun things about this place. Our meal is sure to be a blast!!

We plan on heading over to Fort Wilderness after dinner. I want to do a bit of exploring over there and tops on our list of fun things to do is also to attend the nightly campfire/sing-along with Chip and Dale and then to watch their movie-under-the-stars flick-of-the-night (that was sure a mouthful). I think it will be a lot of fun for all of us and it's something we have yet to experience. If we have time between dinner and the campfire/movie showing I would love to fit in a wagon ride.

I figure we did the safari fun stuff while staying at AKL and the harken back to the grand old days fun stuff while staying at GF so while at WL we will have a great time reveling in the down home, all American, great outdoors sort of fun. Day one will be all about living that fun to the fullest extent all day long.

FEEDBACK? Suggestions to add to this day? Suggestions to leave off?

Once again, I am honestly requesting critiquing. I figure I can only do a better job planning if I get some outside help. So help away if you are so inclined. Like I said, I have never stayed here before (and only stopped for a quick bite at the counter service place on our last trip) so any and all input from someone who has spent more time there is welcome!!


Arrival day in a nutshell.
-Arrive just before lunch.
-Grab a quick meal at Roaring Forks
-Explore the resort. See the geyser, the pools, the Native American artifacts, the fireplace, the little bridge with the brook in the lobby. ????
-Search for hidden Mickey heads. **Find out if they still do this.**
-Find out if they do lodge tours **If so take one with Aladdin some time during the week.**
-Eat at the Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner. **Find out about celebrating Goofy's birthday meal at this location. Can I order a special cake?**
-Head over to Fort Wilderness
-Take a wagon ride? Visit the petting zoo?
-Attend the campfire sing-along with Chip and Dale. Roast marshmellows...yum!
-Watch a movie on their outdoor screen.
-Head back for a good night's sleep. **Via the boat...how late do they run the boat between WL and FW?**

 

[jaycns]

What to do?! What to do?! I am drawing a huge blank.

Here is a run down of some of the previous things we have done to celebrate our anniversary while at WDW:

Discovery Cove. We have done this one twice as an anniversary gift to ourselves. While I would NOT hesitate to do it once again, this vacation will have plenty of tropical beach, ocean and snorkel time during the DCL part of the vacation. So, I am going to skip paying for a recreation when we will get to enjoy the real thing the next week. Also, dh and I are headed to St. Martin in May for a week long parent's only vacation. **Side note, I am so excited about this trip!! We never even went on a honeymoon...back when we were first married we didn't even have two pennies to rub together, let alone a stack of them big enough to pay for a honeymoon...so we plain and simple didn't have one. After that the pennies started to stack up, but so did the kids ...getting away alone together lost out to getting away together as a family (and I wouldn't have it any other way). We are being "forced" to go alone as dh "won" the trip through a recognition program at work. It's an annual event that from what I have heard from those who have gone previously is as amazingly decadent as vacations come . The only "problem" is that it's him and one guest... I feel so lucky to be getting to go! I will miss our boys more then I can even imagine...but I am hoping the spa and beaches give me the strength to handle that. After 13 years I am getting a "honeymoon". The point of that side note was just that we will already be having a load of beach time/ snorkel time this year so adding more might just be overkill.**

Dining in Cinderella's Castle with a specially arranged dessert and them presenting us with champagne flutes in honor of our anniversary. It was a dreamy/fun meal and I would love to do it again (and did just last year) as a regular meal...however, we have "been there, done that" as far as anniversaries go.

Diver at the Coral Reef holding up a sign and a personalized menu. One of the first surprises I ever pulled off for dh (I usually end up spilling the beans, I am a big mouth when it comes to holding in happy plans). It was a LOT of fun and very touching for dh. It was a moment I will never forget...yet one we have already experienced...so I would like to leave that treat available for others who have yet to feel the magic it creates.

The Wanyama Safari at AKL. Being taken right out on to the savannas of AKL with the animals roaming freely all around us was a spectacular way to celebrate our anniversary. They stopped the safari vehicle at one point and set up an open air "sun downer" experience right on the vehicle. They served us figs, dates, beef jerky, delicious juices and let us sit there and watch the sun go down. As we sat there a curious giraffe came and looked right over our shoulders. The kind safari guides even snapped a picture so that dh and I would never forget the special moment when we sat watching the sunset, sipping sweet refreshments as a giraffe peeked over our shoulders. The experience also includes a special meal at Jiko where you get to sample almost everything on the menu and even a few treats that are not listed. This meal was one of the best we have ever had. The chef who brought us our different courses and explained each one to us, the server who kept our drinks filled and made sure we had everything else we needed, the good company of the other couple who had also booked the safari (you eat as a group after the ride out on the savannas), the amazing food. It was a night I often dream about!

La Nouba. We actually saw La Nouba right after that amazing safari/meal at Jiko. It was a surreal and wonderful way to top off an already outstanding night.

Dinner at Narcoosee's. We had a personalized menu here and a postcard perfect view of the Magic Kingdom across the lake. We took our time and enjoyed a meal alone. We really enjoyed the food and really dragged this meal out with coffee and tea afterward. It was a very nice way to celebrate our marriage.

SO...that is what we have already done to celebrate our last few anniversaries....I am now sort of clueless on what to do this time.

My rough idea is to eat at Artist's Point and then go on a carriage ride. HOWEVER, we will have to hire an in room babysitting service in order to go out (our Little Prince will be way too young for a Disney kid's club) and those services require a minimum amount of time to be booked (I think it's four hours). When you look at what it will cost have them come out, I want to take advantage of it to the fullest extent. We could do the Artist Point meal another time if need be. Or the carriage ride another time. It sounds like a "nice" evening...but I don't know that it sounds spectacular. We could also use the childcare service during the day and cap off our celebration with dinner instead of starting with dinner. I just don't really know what I am looking to do. Any suggestions are very welcome!! In fact, I am counting on my fellow DISers to help me plan for an amazing anniversary celebration that will be worthy of appearing on our "Anniversary Celebration List" this time next year. I have left the entire day open in order to leave myself room in planning something amazing. I just need a little pixie dust by way of ideas.

I was given a GREAT suggestion by MOUSETRIPER. She suggested that we do a vow renewal ceremony at WDW. I cannot wait to do that, however, upon investigating it...I think I want more time to plan to do that one "up right" and maybe convince a few family members/friends to join us. This year we will be celebrating our 13th anniversary. After looking at all of the amazing things you can do with a vow renewal at WDW, I pretty much have my heart set in stone with doing the vow renewal for our 15th anniversary. THANK YOU MOUSETRIPER FOR THE GREAT SUGGESTION!! So...I have my anniversary plans decided (woo hoo...I am looking forward to planning that out) for 2010. Now I just need a bit of help putting together something for 2008.

Will any of you take pity on a clueless DISer and help me out?!

Oh I should mention the things we just aren't interested in doing and others that would be fun if they were available-
We are not into dance clubs. Well, I would be, but dh would find it torture. We would love to do some sort of dinner or even a lunch if that would fit in better. For sure we want our celebration to encompass a meal together. Dh loves comedy clubs. I enjoy them also. Does Disney have one of those? No anniversary cruise as we are planning on doing a special Illuminations cruise later in the week with the entire family. Does Disney have any other shows (other then La Nouba)? Has anyone seen the Blue Man Group show? Does that sound worth the time/money? We will have a car so travel would there would not be an issue. Is there anything else romantic to do in the Orlando area?

I am willing to keep it simple and sweet or go extravagant if I can find the right idea to amaze dh. I love our anniversary celebrations. They are something I really look forward to each and every year. I want this year's celebration to be just as good as last years (I don't know that I could top that). I didn't even bother asking the concierge planner for celebration suggestions after her lack of surprise ideas earlier in our conversation. Come on DISers...help a DISer out! Let your creative juices flow and help me find the perfect way to celebrate another year with the man I am still so happy to have married!!