Sara & Ryan's Wishes PJ & TR ~ 8/17/10 WP/GF/Marina ~ 1/22 Thank you!

[weedee]

Can't wait to hear about your PS and makeup/hair trials!

 

[pezaddict231]

Can't wait to hear about your PS

I'm so excited to hear all about your PS

Can't wait to hear about your PS and makeup/hair trials!

Thanks girls! Hoping to have an update soon... if these pictures ever load....

I am so happy you are having such a wonderful time!

It is all part of the experience! Enjoy it to the last bit

Can't wait to see all the pics when you return.

DH was taking sooo many during our site visit it was hilarious! I am sure it will be pic overload by the time we do our PS. I am so looking forward to it

Thanks! We really did enjoy it!

Lol, at first it was a little weird with all the pictures, but after doing a few dining reviews I'm used to the weird looks when you take pictures of things. And besides, I wouldn't remember later on if I didn't take pictures. You will have so much fun, even DF really enjoyed it and he is not really the most into wedding planning things.

 

[pezaddict231]

Lol, okay my pictures finally loaded on photobucket so I'm ready to start! I'm going to be doing a separate dining report for our ADRs so we won't have too much detail about those in here.

Allright...let's go!

So of course DF and I are horrible about packing and didn't pack until the night before. Which meant we were up way to late and woke up pretty late the next day. DFMIL kept stressing about us not getting to the airport in time...which was really stressing me out! We finally get there and it was so crazy and disorganized. I'm not sure what was going on but there were tons of crazy lines and the Delta staff was not doing a great job at explaining anything so there was a lot of confusion. We finally got through security and down to the gate - after an Usher sighting! - to find our flight was delayed. DF got us some bagels for breakfast and by the time we got back, the flight was delayed another hour. Our bagels were hard as rocks and really stale. Now I don't really expect much from airport food, but being in NY, I really don't get why the bagels in JFK or LGA are so horrendous. I mean we live in the bagel capital of the world! These did seem like real bagels, unlike the Lender type ones they sometimes have, but they were clearly a few days old.

We finally boarded our flight and I think we took off around 10:00 am, our flight was supposed to leave at 8:20 am. We later found out it's because there are three runways at JFK, one was being renovated and another was closed due to the wind, so that left only one which was causing huge back-ups. But we were finally on our way.

Now for a mini-rant. The flight itself was fine but we were seated by a group of two families traveling together only they decided they'd have a much better time not sitting with their children. So two of these children, both around the age of 6 or 7, were seated right behind us and the boy proceeded to bang on and kick my seat the ENTIRE flight . The parents didn't even bother to look over.

We finally arrived at MCO and went down to pick up our rental car. We had rented a car for the day to visit our florist. Since we did the online check-in so just had to stop off at the kiosk. We used Magical express for our luggage, so no need to stop at baggage check. Now I'm usually not a fan of renting a car but Alamo made it super easy and I would definitely use them again.

At this point we were both starving so we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a quick lunch before going to see Lee. It was delicious!

Lee's shop was probably about 15-20 minutes away. The GPS did a great job getting us there. We went through the proposal again and made a few minor updates. Basically everything is the same as what I posted earlier.

We decided on these centerpiece holders:

there will also be crystals swagged from arm to arm of the candelabra. We picked out a footed crystal bowl for the low centerpieces, but we'll need to see how many tables we'll have. If there aren't that many we might just do all high.

We had a great time meeting with Lee, he's such a nice guy and I think he will do an amazing job with the flowers. He said he'll be doing a mock-up of the centerpiece in July and send the pictures to us. This way we'll have the same type of flowers and can really get an idea of what it will look like.

Afterwards we checked in at CBR. I was a little nervous since we never really stayed at a moderate resort before but it was really nice. The CM's were so friendly and really made us feel at home. We had a corner room in Aruba right near the quiet pool and only a short walk from the main area.

Here are some of the room, I really liked the Nemo theme and it was fun and bright. The room size was pretty similar to the rooms at AKL or WL.

Even DF, who is a resort snob, agreed that it was nice and he enjoyed staying there too. Although we do still prefer the Deluxe resorts, I think you really do get a lot for your money at the Moderates and we definitely wouldn't have a problem staying there again.

Since we didn't have any dinner plans for this night, DF called Disney dining and managed to get us an ADR at Fulton's. It seems like this is a likely contender for our Rehearsal Dinner so DF wanted to check it out. It was really nice. I love the riverboat theme of it and the food was amazing!

We also activated our AP's and DF suggested that to really take advantage of the AP's we could come down to Disney every Friday night and leave on Sunday. I pointed out that it would cost us a fortune in air fare, but DF still thought it was a great idea.

Up Next: Day 2 - DHS

 

[shippedtosea]

yay! I'm glad you started already! You can help me procrastinate on my work some more! hahahaha

Why didn't you guys fly out of Islip? Its much more relaxing!

The centerpieces are awesome! They will look so pretty, can't wait to see it all done up!

I just watched the video on the this resort....when watching it I totally forgot you were staying there! its so pretty.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[pezaddict231]

yay! I'm glad you started already! You can help me procrastinate on my work some more! hahahaha

Why didn't you guys fly out of Islip? Its much more relaxing!

The centerpieces are awesome! They will look so pretty, can't wait to see it all done up!

I just watched the video on the this resort....when watching it I totally forgot you were staying there! its so pretty.

Can't wait to read more!

lol, anything I can do to help. I'm hoping to have most of the report done today but I have to run out to the Dr. for a little bit. I think I have a sinus infection.

We're a lot closer to JFK / LGA, so we always fly out of there. Even though they are probably the world's ugliest airports. DF and I joke about it all the time how every other airport is really nice and those two are like holes in the wall.

Thanks! I'm really excited about them! I can't wait to see them all done up either.

It was a really nice resort, very relaxed and every CM we met was really friendly. There were a lot of sports groups there but we weren't in the same section as they were so we didn't have any problems.

 

[shippedtosea]

oh no! I hope it didn't ruin your trip! Feel better hun

 

[princess22]

Great start to your TR! I can't wait to read more! Some passengers on airlines are so annoying, I had the opposite on my flight back from Hawaii, I swear the seat in front of me was broke and the guy had it back the entire time, I felt like he was right in my face!

Those centerpiece holders are going to look gorgeous! Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

I'm so excited you started! The centerpieces you picked out are so nice! It will definitely make your reception look so elegant!

CBR looks really nice. I am glad you enjoyed staying there

 

[MsEsty]

I'm so excited you started! The centerpieces you picked out are so nice! It will definitely make your reception look so elegant!

CBR looks really nice. I am glad you enjoyed staying there

I agree, great pictures!

 

[pezaddict231]

Great start to your TR! I can't wait to read more! Some passengers on airlines are so annoying, I had the opposite on my flight back from Hawaii, I swear the seat in front of me was broke and the guy had it back the entire time, I felt like he was right in my face!

Those centerpiece holders are going to look gorgeous! Can't wait to read more!!!

Thanks! We have the worst luck on flights. I feel like it's always something.

I'm so excited you started! The centerpieces you picked out are so nice! It will definitely make your reception look so elegant!

CBR looks really nice. I am glad you enjoyed staying there

It's sad to be back, but fun to relive it! Thanks! I can't wait to see the finished look.

I was really pleasantly surprised. It really did have a fun tropical feel.

I agree, great pictures!

Thanks so much!

 

[pezaddict231]

Normally when we're at Disney I'm a crazy park touring commando. We always have a plan and get there for park opening. While it is a pain to get up early we always manage to do everything we want with minimal lines, so it's totally worth it.

This trip though I wanted to take a more relaxed approach...so I actually let DF sleep in! I did set my alarm for 7 am, but it just wasn't happening. We finally got up around 10 am and had to drop the rental car off at the Dolphin. This was so easy and I never realized it but the Dolphin resort looks really nice! Definitely something to keep in mind for another stay.

We finally got to DHS

We were still able to get FPs for Toy Story Mania so we grabbed those but the waits were pretty long for Rock n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror, and thanks to our normal commando approach, DF will not wait in lines more than 30 minutes.

Since we were kinda hungry we decided to try to have lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe. This was our dinner plan for Friday but we didn't want to have to come back to DHS two days in a row. Luckily we were able to get a table. We were seated in Mom's section and it was so fun! Mom was very funny and very much in character! The food was good too and we changed our August ADR from Sci Fi to Prime Time. I think it will be a better meal for a group of people since at Sci Fi you basically sit in silence.

Funny thing, there was something very familiar at 50's Prime Time Cafe... the first house we put an offer on had the same countertops, only in neon yellow! I'm really glad we didn't get that house after all but I knew the countertops reminded me of Disney!

After lunch we headed back over to TOT and even got a photopass pic.

The wait for RnR wasn't too bad, but we still had 10 minutes until we could get our next FP so we decided to wait. Lol, well in that 10 minutes, over a hundred people came into that area and the wait went from 35 minutes to over an hour! It was for the best though because I think riding RnR so soon after eating would have made me sick!

We saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid, it was cute but that water was COLD! Then I wanted to meet the UP characters but they were on break and DF didn't want to wait. We met the Incredibles instead. DF didn't really want to do the flexed muscle pose because Mr. Incredible's muscles are way bigger.

DF wanted to go back to the hotel but I made him go to the Animation Studio instead. We learned how to draw Pluto. This was really fun and DF was glad we did this even though he was a little tired and cranky.
my drawing

and DF's

We're going to get some frames and hang them up somewhere in the house.

After a nap, we went back to DHS and hit up TSM, RnR and TOT. DF beat me again on TSM, but one day I'll beat him! We also saw the coolest hat while waiting in line at TSM. I wanted to find it so bad and make DF wear it, we always take funny hat pictures, but they were sold out everywhere. And yes, it comes with the hair!

And I still haven't achieved my dream of the DHS photo from the top of the TOT. It dropped us right away, but I did get this cool pic.

Afterwards we went to dinner at the Yachtsman and ate way too much food, which was a big mistake. Being there made me a little sad we didn't stay at the Yacht Club after all but we'll get there one day. Our favorite server Ricardo wasn't working that night either. The food was really good though and we had a nice time but when we got back to the hotel I was feeling a little sick. I had eaten way too much and was feeling the beginnings of a sinus infection.

Up next: Day 3: Planning Session, Tasting and Hair Trial, oh my!

 

[girli565]

I'm jealous, we didn't do any parks at all! We just drove up, did the weddings things we had to do and went home.

Looks like you had a blast!

 

[pezaddict231]

I'm jealous, we didn't do any parks at all! We just drove up, did the weddings things we had to do and went home.

Looks like you had a blast!

We did have a lot of fun. We just love it there. Aww, I know what you mean, I even wished we could have been there for longer and done more. But the good thing about living as close as you do is you can always plan a weekend trip there if a really good rate comes out.

 

[pezaddict231]

On Friday we got up nice and early and I was feeling a lot better. We just missed the MK bus and had to wait for the next one. Then we took the monorail to the GF. It was so cold this morning and the boat to GF was nowhere to be seen so we hopped on the monorail.

We arrived at the GF and DF was like: "Ah, my home away from home." I told him he wished it was his home away from home! Lol, DF does have expensive tastes, but I have to agree with him. I think the GF will always be our favorite.

It was beginning to warm up a lot though and we walked over to Francks.

It was so amazing to actually be here planning our wedding! DF was not always into the idea of a Disney wedding and there were so many times I thought I might never be able to change his mind, but here we were and planning our wedding. So for those brides out there that don't think they'll be able to convince their DF's keep hoping and don't give up. I think once I was able to show DF that he could have everything he wanted with a Disney wedding and not break the bank he was sold. It also helps that we both have a great love of Disney in general.

They told us to take a look around, so I took tons of pictures

love the things they have for beach themed weddings...

for the brides that like hot pink and damask....

various display cases

I also saw a variation on the Mickey fan, it was a Cinderella carriage fan. It looked really pretty and would be great for those fairy tale theme weddings.

We met with Karen for a few minutes and went over a few basic things like our vision for our wedding, guest count, etc. Then it was time to head over to the GF for our food tasting.

We drove over but Karen had forgotten her purse and ID and the lady at the gate was refusing to let us in! Karen showed her my id and then had to promise she would go back and get her DFTW id after dropping us off before the lady would agree to let us in. I realize security is important but this lady was taking it to the extreme.

We walked in and saw our name on the board, didn't get a picture of that and I was able to peek into the St. Augustine room, but there was a convention in there so we couldn't go in. Then we went back into the kitchen for our tasting.

 

[girli565]

You got to go into the kitchen. That's very cool. We were in a room.

 

[pezaddict231]

Karen brought us in and introduced us to the chef. They had a really cute set up for us. There were three director chairs at a kitchen island and they even decorated.

Right away our server Vu asked what we'd like to drink and he kept the refills coming. The chef was really nice and had prepared so many things for us. I liked that we were in the kitchen it was a really cool behind the scenes look.

Now everyone says there is a ton of food at the tasting and they are not lying! For most of these pictures, except the desert spread, what you see is only my serving. DF has his own plate. I really tried to pace myself but it was a lot of food and you feel a little bad only taking a bite or two.

First up were the pre-reception items:
bacon crusted beef and blue cheese meatballs in a sweet and sour sauce, gruyere cheese puffs and mint lamb lollichops.

OMG the bacon crusted beef and blue cheese things were amazing! DF ate all of his and a few of mine. He wasn't sure about the sauce at first but it grew on him. I just loved them. These are a definite!

The Gruyere cheese puffs were pretty blah. They were bland and the texture was strange. It was kind of like bread on the outside but gummy in the middle. We decided to do a cheese display instead of these for those that don't eat meat.

The lamb lollichops were really tasty. And the chef said they could do them as an action station grilled to order. We have them down for now but we may change this. I love lamb but I'm not sure how many of our guests will enjoy it.

Then Vu brought these over.

This was one of the best vanilla shakes I've ever had. Now I had requested to try an after hours menu that involved sliders and milkshakes, so now I knew we were going to get to try those! I was really excited.

Next was the California Grill Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli - three types of goat cheese in the ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms in a fennel creme sauce.

I liked this. DF didn't. He'd had one at California Grill in some type of light tomato sauce so this wasn't what he was imagining. The CG changes it's menu periodically, so this is what they are currently serving. I thought it was really good but really rich and heavy. Too heavy for a summer wedding. The Chef said we could do a lighter sauce, but we decided to skip this and just start with salad since there is so much food anyway.

Next up was salad: Caesar salad (no anchovies) on a parmesan tuille with a rosemary focaccia breadstick. To garnish the salad there were shredded edible flowers on top to add some color.

This was really tasty and we both enjoyed it. If you've had a caesar salad at the GF, this is basically exactly what it tastes like. We decided to do the plating table side and to use purple flowers for the garnish. DF wants just shredded parm and croutons instead of the Tuille and breadstick. There are fancier salads, but caesar is a crowd pleaser so that's what we decided to go with.

I know a lot of bride's try the slipper sorbet, but I knew at $22 a person I would never add it, so I didn't even want to be tempted. So I requested the mango sorbet with macerated fruits in a martini glass.

I thought this was really tasty for what is basically a palate cleanser, but DF wanted raspberry instead. So we're going to do purple sugar around the rim and a raspberry champagne sorbet.

Time for the entrees!

First we tasted the Jiko Beef Filet with Red Wine demi and four cheese mac and cheese. The Chef explained how the recipe came from Jiko and they do try to recreate things but sometimes the other chefs don't want to give away their secrets.

We thought the flavor of this was right on. The steak was so tender and cooked perfectly! The sauce was great and the mac and cheese was very tasty. This will definitely be on the menu. DF was also happy to learn that our guests will be served a nice large 8 oz steak. At some of the wedding venues here, the entree portions are a little skimpy, so he was happy to see a nice piece of steak on the plate!

Then we tried an airline chicken breast with blackberry demi and belle passe cheese risotto and seasonal veggies.

This was sooo tasty! The sauce really has just a hint of blackberry flavor and the chicken was so moist. The risotto was nice and cheesy. I always thought I would get the steak but I may end up ordering this for myself at the wedding!

The chef explained how they like to do an airline breast because it really keeps the meat moist and flavorful. DF normally does not like bones in his meat but it's really such a small bone and is not in the way at all, even he didn't mind. They even said they could do the chicken off the bone for guests like my dad that don't like to see the bones in things. Lol, I told them he could just deal with it. But it really did amaze me how willing the kitchen is to accommodate these type of requests.

We talked about adding another dish, possibly a fish or vegetarian dish. Karen said we could add a fish and then for vegetarian's the kitchen will make something to accommodate them and said normally the kitchen will just ask them what they want. At DF's sister's wedding the veggie option was just a plate of steamed veggies so I was glad to hear Disney is much more accommodating. We will probably offer a fish since we have a lot of fish eaters and ask DF's brother and SIL what they want.

And if that weren't enough food, next were the sliders from the after hours menu. She brought out a slider for each of us along with a bunch of toppings. Frisee, blue cheese, chedder, different sauces...

here is the slider without toppings...and a purple edible flower

with toppings

Did I mention how much I love sliders? These had some veggies and seasonings in them so DF requested just plain beef burgers. We also decided to do these at the welcome party instead of just burgers and hot dogs. So the welcome party will be various sliders and milkshakes in shooter glasses, french fries in paper cones, and a fruit display. The chef mentioned adding pork patties, veggie burgers and crab cakes to the regular beef sliders. We'll have different toppings to go with each. I'm so excited about this! We also discussed adding a cold soup option with strawberry soup, gazpacho and a chilled cucumber soup...we'll see how much that ends up costing... but I am so excited about the welcome party now!

At this point DF had just eaten way too much and was feeling really sick. He later told us he almost threw up from all the food.

Luckily there were only a few things left to taste and they were Desserts which DF doesn't like anyway. We tried the "A Kiss Goodnight" dessert party menu.

Mini tiramisu, banana passion cups, linzer tarts, fruit tarts, chocolate covered strawberries, and cheese cake lollipops.

I loved the tiramisu, it was so yummy. If you've had tiramisu at the GF it tastes just like that but smaller. The fruit tarts were the same ones they serve in the Gardenview tea room. The Linzer tarts were okay and I didn't really care for the banana passion cups. The banana flavor was a little too strong for me. So I will probably substitute those two things. The strawberries were really yummy. And OMG I loved the cheesecake lollipops. We had regular cheesecake covered in chocolate - our favorite! and a key lime cheesecake covered in white chocolate. The key lime flavor was really subtle and I don't normally like key lime flavored things but these were tasty.

We also tried the warm white chocolate and amaretto shot which was really tasty! The chef said we could do a variety of cordials like dark chocolate and orange liquor and milk chocolate with hazelnut liquor. So we added those for now too.

At this point I thought we might die from food overload! Karen did mention it was one of the largest tasting menu's they've had, but she said it was for three events though.

We headed back over to Francks and popped into the Wedding Pavilion - there weren't any weddings this day and met with the organist. We hadn't really picked out any music yet so he played a few things for us and it was really great to hear some examples. The organ really did sound very pretty.

Afterwards we discussed some more wedding details, we had gone through things during the tasting too, such as the overall budget, types of entertainment we wanted, transportation options, etc. I liked how we really only had to make the fun decisions and we could rely on Disney to figure out the logistics.

Then she didn't really want to do it to us, but it was time for cake....

I thought DF was going to freak out, especially when she mentioned the additional flavors I requested. I told DF it was really only one other type of cake and two fillings.

We were only able to try a very little bit of cake, but everything was delicious!

So we choose for our three tier cake:
Bottom Layer - red velvet with buttercream (DF's favorite)
middle - almond with amaretto mousse (my Favorite)
top - marble with bavarian creme and fresh strawberries. (simple but tasty)

We'll be serving all three layers. I really wish we could have packed up the extra cake, that would have made a tasty snack for later on!

 

[ChocoKat]

Oh my!
So much food!!! It sounds like you guys made some amazing choices!
I am so looking forward to our PS
Thank you so much for sharing all the pics!

I so want the cheesecake lollipops for our DP

I am sorry about the sinus infection! What a bummer!
The mad hatter hat, they had just put those out when we were there in February, DH and I loved them, they were flying off the shelves though, a CM at the emporium got talking to DH and he had the last one they had in display, we thought about buying it, but it was a bit on the pricier side, maybe we should have ?

There's always next trip

Your goofys look so cute!!! I always drag DH into the animators class we ended up doing it twice in a row last time and we FINALLY got to draw Stitch!! I was elated, I go every single trip and I beg and plead with the instructor and finally this time he did it without even asking

I am a bit obsessed with that class, what can I say.

*Sigh* your pictures made me so hungry... now I have a massive craving for sliders and milkshakes!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Hey Sara!
Wow your PS looks so awesome!! I cant believe all that food, it all looks amazing! Your cake choices sound delicious too. It looks like such a fun experience, and to get so much done in the wedding planning all in one day is amazing! Only at Disney right? I really love those centerpiece holders you chose too, they are so elegant. Your wedding is going to be absolutely gorgeous! One question, do you remember how it took you to get from your hotel to the GF? For our e-pics we are planning to take a bus from POFQ to MK, and then monorail to GF like you did, do you think an hour is enough time? Im excited to read your dining reviews too, I love food porn! Haha. Looks like you guys had an amzing trip!
Marissa

 

[Brit_Jude]

Food looks lovely - I wish my meager dinner would hurry up and cook my mouth is watering

 

[shippedtosea]

wow! Looks like you got a lot done! I love how many pictures you took! I love that your going to have milk shakes! My DF would LOVE that hahaha. I love your Pluto drawings! they are great.

I also have a dumb question? I have noticed this on a few peoples TR and it sounded like you did the same. Did you use your FP after the time slots? (I haven't read anywhere that you Def can do that....but I figured because you took a nap that it might have been past the times. We always go during the time slot so I wasn't sure