PTR: Because We're Insane: Driving & Triple Split Stay!

[ShesAPirate]

I don't want to see normal stores or restaurants or highway stuff - I just want Disney.

Exactly how I feel!

I've just spent the past hour or so making ADRs... and jeez, Disney's website reaaaaallllly sucks! What's up with that?! How can such big company have such a flaky website? (I guess Disney isn't the only guilty party, though... Facebook is almost as bad!)

Here's what I have booked. BTW, my boyfriend has never been to WDW! So I'm doing all the planning. I think I know his taste in food well enough to know what he'll like

Chefs de France dinner
Jiko dinner
Boma breakfast
Artist's Point dinner
Crystal Palace dinner
Coral Reef dinner

I've never been to any of these places, despite my many trips, except for Crystal Palace. And let's face it, I put that one on the list for Eeyore more than anything else I might drag him to Sci Fi for lunch one day, too, and just pay OOP for that -- just so he can see how neat it is. So what do y'all think?

*Jen, I promise I'm not hijacking your thread hahahah. I'll start my own PTR once I'm officially booked! Just want opinions on restaurants from anyone who has been there. Thanks!

 

[JenSop]

Right now I'm planning on doing Epcot on a Wednesday...I'm hoping to avoid some of the crowds for F&W that I've read about. Do you think that will work? Also that is EEMH for Epcot too, so I can just concentrate on F&W during regular hours and see everything else later! Any cracks in my plan?

I think you should be fine, but bear in mind that it might get a little more crowded during EMH. But I'm sure it won't be anything like the weekends. (Perhaps a more seasoned F&W visitor would have more insight.) The thing about weekends, is that's when all the locals are doing F&W - a LOT of locals! Also keep in mind that World Showcase opens two hours later than Future World. (Future World opens at 9am and WS opens at 11am. Of course on EMH mornings, FW would be open at 8am.) So you can do your Future World stuff in the morning (Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space) before World Showcase even opens. And I wouldn't do Soarin' without a Fast Pass. The stand by line gets SO long and it's one of the most hideous queues in all of Disney - FP it only!

My other advice (which you might get to in my October TR) is not to eat a big meal on your F&W day. Ugh. What a mistake!

Exactly how I feel!

I've just spent the past hour or so making ADRs... and jeez, Disney's website reaaaaallllly sucks! What's up with that?! How can such big company have such a flaky website? (I guess Disney isn't the only guilty party, though... Facebook is almost as bad!)

Here's what I have booked. BTW, my boyfriend has never been to WDW! So I'm doing all the planning. I think I know his taste in food well enough to know what he'll like

Chefs de France dinner
Jiko dinner
Boma breakfast
Artist's Point dinner
Crystal Palace dinner
Coral Reef dinner

I've never been to any of these places, despite my many trips, except for Crystal Palace. And let's face it, I put that one on the list for Eeyore more than anything else I might drag him to Sci Fi for lunch one day, too, and just pay OOP for that -- just so he can see how neat it is. So what do y'all think?

*Jen, I promise I'm not hijacking your thread hahahah. I'll start my own PTR once I'm officially booked! Just want opinions on restaurants from anyone who has been there. Thanks!

Haha! No worries! (You're posting on the PTR of someone who LOVES to give opinions on restaurants - )

Jiko - LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quite possibly the best restaurant ever! So good!!!!!!!!!

Chefs - we've only done it for lunch, and have had some really good meals there. The french onion soup is the best we've ever tasted - seriously amazing.

Boma - I haven't done any TS breakfasts at Disney. (Not a big breakfast eater.) I've only done Boma for dinners - and those have always been really good.

Coral Reef - food was fine, but nothing memorable. It's more a place for atmosphere than anything else. We had really good service last time we went!

Artist Point dinner is great. We ate there on our anniversary two years ago and really liked it. Excellent service and really good food. (And since it was our anniversary, we ended up with lots of free booze.....)

I've never eaten at Crystal Palace. I haven't done any of the character meals since I was a kid. But I know lots of people like it.

 

[ShesAPirate]

Okay, this will probably change about a billion times, considering I've got like 5 months to play with it but I just replaced Artist's Point with Citricos, got rid of Boma breakfast (might replace with Kona breakfast, or just stick to QS for breakfast the whole time).

Coral Reef is on the bubble. Really, aside from the atmosphere, I booked it because they have rainbow trout (my BF's favorite fish), and butterscotch creme brulee (that's alllll me! ) BUT we're going to be there during F&W, so maybe I shouldn't plan any meals at Epcot at all? Can we make an entire meal out of F&W?

 

[JenSop]

Okay, this will probably change about a billion times, considering I've got like 3 months to play with it but I just replaced Artist's Point with Citricos, got rid of Boma breakfast (might replace with Kona breakfast, or just stick to QS for breakfast the whole time).

Coral Reef is on the bubble. Really, aside from the atmosphere, I booked it because they have rainbow trout (my BF's favorite fish), and butterscotch creme brulee (that's alllll me! ) BUT we're going to be there during F&W, so maybe I shouldn't plan any meals at Epcot at all? Can we make an entire meal out of F&W?

You can TOTALLY just eat the F&W stuff all day without actually doing a TS meal. Save all your snack credits and just use them for F&W - it'll be plenty of food!

 

[Kathymford]

You can TOTALLY just eat the F&W stuff all day without actually doing a TS meal. Save all your snack credits and just use them for F&W - it'll be plenty of food!

I was about to ask this same thing! I didn't have ANY meals planned for F&W day... other than all that food and wine!! HA. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one thinking along those lines!

 

[WDWnovice1]

Welcome aboard my PTR! Thanks for joining! I tell ya, there's lots of us PA-ers out there who love goin' to Disney!

How awesome is it that you get to stay for so many nights?!!?!? I can't wait until our trip is only 5 days away - not too much longer!

So, do you guys do off-site alot? I haven't stayed off-site since i was a kid, and now with DVC, it's not really an issue. But I've always been curious on what people's thoughts are when it comes to staying outside Disney. And I can definitely see how you're saving a ton of money, having to only pay for four nights. We like getting the dining plan, and the meals are such a huge part of our trip.

Are you going to do a TR? I'd love to read it if you do one!

Wasn't really planning on doing a TR, but will certainly think about it when we get back! We're hoping to go "computer-free" for the 2 weeks we're there (except for the wait time apps on the phone of course!), but realistically, that ain't gonna happen.

I can understand what everbody is saying about staying on site, but we really couldn't pass up staying 13 nights and only paying for 4! We're only about 10 minutes away from the resorts, so actually it may be better for us transportation wise. Many people feel it's much easier and quicker to drive yourself around Disney than it is to take Disney's transportation. We really don't have any "non-Disney" time scheduled, just some downtime on a few days. Last time we were there (10 years ago) we stayed the whole time at the Swan. I'll let you all know how it turns out this year!

 

[ShesAPirate]

You can TOTALLY just eat the F&W stuff all day without actually doing a TS meal. Save all your snack credits and just use them for F&W - it'll be plenty of food!

I'm going to keep my ADRs for now. When we're actually there, I'll cancel them if need be... but I do tend to be kind of a PITA with food sometimes (I have texture issues) so I want to have a back-up plan.

I've added Grand Floridian Afternoon Tea to the list, Kona breakfast, and changed Crystal Palace from dinner to lunch. We'll pay OOP for all of those, and use the DDP for the rest. I think I'm happy with those plans. Again, I have months and months to play with them, but for now, I'm all set. Now to make spreadsheets

OH, and I'm officially booked! And look -- I have a ticker!!! I haven't had one in 4 years! So nice to see that at the bottom of my posts!!!

 

[JenSop]

I was about to ask this same thing! I didn't have ANY meals planned for F&W day... other than all that food and wine!! HA. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one thinking along those lines!

In October, it was a bit of a mistake to have our Le Cellier meal planned at the same time as F&W time. Ugh. We were SO full. We didn't even use all of our snack credits there!

Wasn't really planning on doing a TR, but will certainly think about it when we get back! We're hoping to go "computer-free" for the 2 weeks we're there (except for the wait time apps on the phone of course!), but realistically, that ain't gonna happen.

I can understand what everbody is saying about staying on site, but we really couldn't pass up staying 13 nights and only paying for 4! We're only about 10 minutes away from the resorts, so actually it may be better for us transportation wise. Many people feel it's much easier and quicker to drive yourself around Disney than it is to take Disney's transportation. We really don't have any "non-Disney" time scheduled, just some downtime on a few days. Last time we were there (10 years ago) we stayed the whole time at the Swan. I'll let you all know how it turns out this year!

Well, we're forced to be computer free in Disney, as we don't have a laptop. (We want one, but it's not a financial priority right now. And we're Mac people, so it's going to be a little pricier.) I keep all my notes for my TR's in a cute little Disney notepad!

I at least have my Blackberry with me to check emails and post Disney pics to Facebook!

Definitely let me know how your trip goes - and I don't blame you for staying off site with the great deal you got!

I'm going to keep my ADRs for now. When we're actually there, I'll cancel them if need be... but I do tend to be kind of a PITA with food sometimes (I have texture issues) so I want to have a back-up plan.

I've added Grand Floridian Afternoon Tea to the list, Kona breakfast, and changed Crystal Palace from dinner to lunch. We'll pay OOP for all of those, and use the DDP for the rest. I think I'm happy with those plans. Again, I have months and months to play with them, but for now, I'm all set. Now to make spreadsheets

OH, and I'm officially booked! And look -- I have a ticker!!! I haven't had one in 4 years! So nice to see that at the bottom of my posts!!!

Congrats on being booked - what a great feeling!

I'm sure all your ADR's will be great!

 

[obxlover]

[



I think our ADR is for 8pm? I'd have to pull up my file. I know I tried to make it late enough that maybe, just maybe, we'd be able to watch Illuminations during our dinner. *crossing fingers!*

For shoes, I have some really comfy walking sandals that I use for the day - usually alternate between my Keens (open toe), Eccos, and my prettier strappy sandals that I was wearing in the shot with my green skirt on. (Can't remember the brand off the top of my head.) I also wear my Reef flip flops A LOT! The traditional "Sandy" style. Best flip flops ever made.

Mole skin is like a very thin felt fabric with sticky stuff on one side. You can put it on your skin where you get hot spots. So if you have shoes that are really comfy, but they rub weird in one place, just put some moleskin there. You can buy it right near the band aids in any grocery or drug store.[/QUOTE]


Our ADR is for 8:00, hoping to catch Illuminations too!! We are celebrating my husband's graduation with his master's degree.

I'm thinking of a pair of Keen's, mu DH has a pair of Teva's he really likes. I don't think I can go wrong with either pair.

Thanks for the info on the Moleskin, I'll have to look for some of that to keep, sounds like it would come in handy.

 

[JenSop]

[




Our ADR is for 8:00, hoping to catch Illuminations too!! We are celebrating my husband's graduation with his master's degree.

I'm thinking of a pair of Keen's, mu DH has a pair of Teva's he really likes. I don't think I can go wrong with either pair.

Thanks for the info on the Moleskin, I'll have to look for some of that to keep, sounds like it would come in handy.

Wow - so maybe we'll see eachother there! Feel free to say hello! (The current plan is to where my fun yellow dress then, but you never know, I can be known to change my mind last minute. But I'm the short blonde - can't miss me! haha!

Keens and Tevas are great. As far as the moleskin, you might not need it. I don't want to jinx things, but I've never needed moleskin. Brian on the other hand ALWAYS needs it on our trips.

Congrats on your husband's degree!

 

[ajf1007]

Thanks so much for joining in and reading! And thanks a bunch on the compliments - I really appreciate it.

What can I say - I love cute clothes. Working a part time retail job basically just pays for the shopping habit you develop while you work there.

Wow - it really is a small world! I'm always excited to "meet" new PA people here on the boards!

Now for the serious part (haha) - the driving. (cue scary music.)

I won't lie. Read my other TR that chronicled our driving trip two years ago. It's absolutely horrible. I hated it and swore we'd never do it again. But here we are getting ready to do it again. Yes, the drive down is just bearable, as you're on your way to Disney - yay! The drive back is like one of the circles of Hell.

But look at it this way - depending on your vehicle, you can save TONS of money. Two years ago, I think we spent a total of around $250 on gas. That's TOTAL! Granted, gas prices are a bit higher now, but even if we pay $100 more, that's like the price of ONE plane ticket for our dates. (I seriously couldn't find anything under $350 for our dates, and the better flights were closer to $400 each - yikes!)

And you have complete flexibility on when you leave to come home. For example, I was able to add that extra day to the end of our trip because we didn't have plane tickets locking us into an exact date. And we can leave anytime on that last day. Right now we're thinking it'll be sometime after lunch, but maybe we'll change our minds and leave after dinner

It is such a small world, like you, I love to meet new local Disney friends! And just for the record, I COMPLETELY agree, AT has the cutest clothes! So funny, your summary of the drive! Its probably something however, we won't do just because my DH's vacations are literally Saturdays to Saturdays so unless something drastically happens with the air fare, it's probably just not feasible due to time constraints. Plus, we have an SUV and its a lease, so mileage is probably a concern too. Hmmm.....
We're not doing WDW this year due to our blow out Disneyland trip in October, however, we are going to our 2nd favorite place which is St. Augustine. We're taking my mother-in-law and her best friend too so my DH and I are sneaking away for a night to get a quick WDW fix.
With that being said, in October I get to book our next trip for September 2012! It's a big blow out trip which will consist of my best friend and her family, my mom and my brother and his wife and my nieces, and of course my DH. My plan at this point is to book a 2 bedroom and a studio. My mom, DH and my brother and his family in the 2 bedroom and my BF in a studio. It will be the first time for my mom as well as my brother and his family. I can't wait to see the looks on my nieces face!!! So needless to say, I'm so excited and can't wait to really start the planning process. My plan too is to start a monthly newsletter for everyone to keep them excited, probably after Christmas.

My goodness, you have to be soo excited - I really can't wait to hear more about your trip, your dining experiences and of course, the outfits!
Ok, heading over to read your TR's!!! Soooo excited!

 

[JenSop]

It is such a small world, like you, I love to meet new local Disney friends! And just for the record, I COMPLETELY agree, AT has the cutest clothes! So funny, your summary of the drive! Its probably something however, we won't do just because my DH's vacations are literally Saturdays to Saturdays so unless something drastically happens with the air fare, it's probably just not feasible due to time constraints. Plus, we have an SUV and its a lease, so mileage is probably a concern too. Hmmm.....
We're not doing WDW this year due to our blow out Disneyland trip in October, however, we are going to our 2nd favorite place which is St. Augustine. We're taking my mother-in-law and her best friend too so my DH and I are sneaking away for a night to get a quick WDW fix.
With that being said, in October I get to book our next trip for September 2012! It's a big blow out trip which will consist of my best friend and her family, my mom and my brother and his wife and my nieces, and of course my DH. My plan at this point is to book a 2 bedroom and a studio. My mom, DH and my brother and his family in the 2 bedroom and my BF in a studio. It will be the first time for my mom as well as my brother and his family. I can't wait to see the looks on my nieces face!!! So needless to say, I'm so excited and can't wait to really start the planning process. My plan too is to start a monthly newsletter for everyone to keep them excited, probably after Christmas.

My goodness, you have to be soo excited - I really can't wait to hear more about your trip, your dining experiences and of course, the outfits!
Ok, heading over to read your TR's!!! Soooo excited!

Oh my gosh, YES, I am so excited! Just over a week and a half to go!

It seems that so many people are planning super big trips for 2012! We'll be doing our Grand Gathering (seriously so excited about staying in a Grand Villa!) I know a few other people doing the same thing next year! 2012 is truly the Year of the Grand Gathering. Perhaps that could be Disney's catchy slogan for next year!

In your case, it totally doesn't seem like driving would be the way to go. We do it because of the 40+ mpg we get on the Honda Fit on the highway. I would think an SUV would cost a LOT more in gas money!

While you're in St. Augustine, you should check out the lighthouse! I know that Ghosthunters has investigated there and caught some really cool stuff on camera. (I'm really into ghosts and LOVE Ghosthunters!) Apparantly it's really haunted!

 

[ajf1007]

Oh my gosh, YES, I am so excited! Just over a week and a half to go!

It seems that so many people are planning super big trips for 2012! We'll be doing our Grand Gathering (seriously so excited about staying in a Grand Villa!) I know a few other people doing the same thing next year! 2012 is truly the Year of the Grand Gathering. Perhaps that could be Disney's catchy slogan for next year!

In your case, it totally doesn't seem like driving would be the way to go. We do it because of the 40+ mpg we get on the Honda Fit on the highway. I would think an SUV would cost a LOT more in gas money!

While you're in St. Augustine, you should check out the lighthouse! I know that Ghosthunters has investigated there and caught some really cool stuff on camera. (I'm really into ghosts and LOVE Ghosthunters!) Apparantly it's really haunted!

I am really excited about our 2012 trip, my only snag will be if there isn't a 2 bedroom available. A week and a 1/2 to go for you, so exciting! I love your adr's too, you are going to have a fantastic trip and then to be followed with your Mexico trip! AWESOME!!!!

I read your Girls Trip TR last night, awesome! I completely loved your costumes too, they were great! It looked like you had such a great time and your friends looked so happy too! A girls trip during F and W is the perfect scenario too, I'm gonna have to check that out.

We've been to the lighthouse in St. Augustine before and did the ghost tour thing too, my DH is a complete ghost fan and loves all of those shows too. I was actually looking into one for him and my mother-in-law that was in some prison from like 11pm to 1 or 2am, they kinda lock you in there. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of that stuff, it's not that I don't believe, hey - it could happen, but until I think it would happen to me personally, I'm a skeptic. This will actually be our 3rd trip to St. Augustine, we just love it there and to be honest, it's the only place I've ever seen my DH actually relax. He's pretty uptight usually, he has a pretty stressful job and it takes him so long to relax. The moment he steps foot in St. Augustine however, he becomes a relaxed blob, if you will.

So it looks like your DH's last school day won't effect your trip, I know it's cutting it so close too. You guys had to be sooo nervous! My Mom works in the Spring Ford school district and she also has a vacation planned so she was sweating it too because of all of the snow days. Crazy winter we had!

 

[Minnie824]

Are you getting excited to leave! Only 11 more days for us, and can't wait! The crowd calendar is says 5, 6 & 7s for the week which is good! I checked the 15 day weather and now its saying rain, hoping its just the quick afternoon showers!

 

[JenSop]

I am really excited about our 2012 trip, my only snag will be if there isn't a 2 bedroom available. A week and a 1/2 to go for you, so exciting! I love your adr's too, you are going to have a fantastic trip and then to be followed with your Mexico trip! AWESOME!!!!

I read your Girls Trip TR last night, awesome! I completely loved your costumes too, they were great! It looked like you had such a great time and your friends looked so happy too! A girls trip during F and W is the perfect scenario too, I'm gonna have to check that out.

We've been to the lighthouse in St. Augustine before and did the ghost tour thing too, my DH is a complete ghost fan and loves all of those shows too. I was actually looking into one for him and my mother-in-law that was in some prison from like 11pm to 1 or 2am, they kinda lock you in there. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of that stuff, it's not that I don't believe, hey - it could happen, but until I think it would happen to me personally, I'm a skeptic. This will actually be our 3rd trip to St. Augustine, we just love it there and to be honest, it's the only place I've ever seen my DH actually relax. He's pretty uptight usually, he has a pretty stressful job and it takes him so long to relax. The moment he steps foot in St. Augustine however, he becomes a relaxed blob, if you will.

So it looks like your DH's last school day won't effect your trip, I know it's cutting it so close too. You guys had to be sooo nervous! My Mom works in the Spring Ford school district and she also has a vacation planned so she was sweating it too because of all of the snow days. Crazy winter we had!

Being locked in the haunted prison sounds awesome! Some friends of mine have been talking about going to Fort Mifflin, as that's also supposed to be really haunted. Apparantely one of the ghosts in the one room likes to pull the hair of blonds, so they want to use me as bait.

Thanks for reading my Girls' Trip TR! What a great time we had! Just loved it.

And I AM getting a little spoiled this summer. In July I go on a Danube River cruise with my parents and sister. (Our husbands are staying at home, as my parents couldn't pay for them too and there was no way we could afford for Brian to go.) We'll be going through Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Can't wait! Then in August, we'll try to do the Mexico trip that I won at the tradeshow. See, the trip part is free, but the airfare is not. So we've been putting off booking it to see if air gets better, but we haven't had much luck. I need to wait for June to get really underway to get some of my commissions in, so I'm just not ready to pick out those exact dates. It'll be a short trip, but should be lots of fun. And I have to take it by October 1st, or I forfeit the prize.

Are you getting excited to leave! Only 11 more days for us, and can't wait! The crowd calendar is says 5, 6 & 7s for the week which is good! I checked the 15 day weather and now its saying rain, hoping its just the quick afternoon showers!

11 days for us too! Crowds look good! But even in bad crowds, we don't stress it, as we know how to work our way around them. I'm not even going to THINK about the weather yet. Hopefully it will be great! *knock on wood.*

 

[JenSop]

So tonight I'm actually trying on my outfits to see which ones make the cut. Part of the process is figuring out which bras to take for each outfit. (Men really have it easy in this respect.) I have more cute outfits than nice dinners out at Disney, so decisions must be made!

I also need to decide what to take for my park days. Certain outfits work better in different parks. For example, quick dry fabrics are best for Animal Kingdom if we're planning on riding Kali River rapids. Since Epcot doesn't have any water rides, I can wear dresses or skirts more easily.

And if I'm wearing a strappy top, I like my bra strap to match as closely with my outfit as possible. (If the straps are gonna show, they might as well look like part of the outfit.)

And I've got my fashion tape ready just in case I need it for certain outfits.

And today, I got this cute dress at Old Navy. I couldn't help it - it's adorable.

Plus, on the whole, I'm trying to have as much pink as possible - it's the official color for my travel agency. So even though I won't be wearing pink ALL the time, I do want to have a good deal of it with me for when I do the videos.

 

[JenSop]

Ugh - I am having such a hard time picking out clothes! Like I said, I'm trying to stick to a lot of pink, but even still, I can't figure out what to put with what. Argh!

And then I remembered that I also had to do my hair color tonight. My natural color is a dark dirty blonde that I don't like on me at all. So I do all over color in a medium blonde and then do light blonde highlights on top. Takes awhile. Got the stuff on my head right now.

 

[ShesAPirate]

You're not alone, Jen -- I'm leaving for Montreal at the crack of dawn Thursday... so I too will have my hair color goop on my head in a few minutes. I also haven't packed a thing.

Woohoo, procrastination!

 

[Kathymford]

You two are crazy. I will not attempt to color my own hair. Although I do have the luxury of a brother for a hair dresser!

 

[ShesAPirate]

I've been coloring my own hair since I was like... probably 14? 24 years of experience hahaha... maybe I should put it on my resume