Shhh! Let's sneak off to Disney - Nov 2012 PTR Updated 11/19/12

[katt789]

Ah! I'd be surprised if we don't run into each other at some point on the 25th! Depending how long you guys are at Le Cellier, I'll be pulling in around 3, and then headed back over to DHS afterwards for Fantasmic and Osbourne! Yay!

 

[Pluto0809]

If you go in August (depending on when in August), you might see us.

LOL...

Are you all sick of me changing my dates yet?????

Aug 19-30 is the current plan... at Shade of Green.

D~

August 15 - 22 for us.

D~

DH is only willing to take vacation four months out of the year, January, April, July and October. His workplace does things quarterly so he's always busy for the last month and 1/2 of the quarter. I'm trying to talk him into the first week of August but he is saying no way due to the heat. So I'm looking at April which stinks because ADR's are already started for then. I thought about pushing it out to January 2014 but that is when my next family trip to WDW is going to be. This was supposed to be a romantic getaway for our Anniversary, not a trip with 15 other people.

I'm really mad at my boss right now to the point of wanting to look for another job. I've been here for 10 years and love what I do but this is kind of ridiculous as I had already discussed it verbally with her and was just looking for confirmation. I work for County government and am in charge of the budget process. She is telling me that I can't take time off during the budget season but that lasts from May till Mid November (we are on a Oct-Sept calendar)! I just sent her an e-mail asking her when I am permitted to take vaction so we'll see what she says. She's out of the office the next two days so maybe by Friday I will have calmed down enough to talk rationally to her. I rarely get fired up about stuff but she's messing with my Disney time!

Sorry about the long rant but it's been a rough day.

 

[Pluto0809]

Ah! I'd be surprised if we don't run into each other at some point on the 25th! Depending how long you guys are at Le Cellier, I'll be pulling in around 3, and then headed back over to DHS afterwards for Fantasmic and Osbourne! Yay!

Oh wow, you're going to be at Le Cellier at 3 pm? We should definitely run into each other then as I doubt we will be done eating before then!

 

[Pluto0809]

Thanks for listening to my rant yesterday. I'm in a much better place today because my October trip is tentatively back on. The boss has agreed to start the budget process two months early so we can actually have it approved before we start fiscal year 2014 (October 1st). What can I say, she likes me.

That being said, I am still moving forward with some plans for April 2013. She still has to get the new schedule approved by the County Manager so I'm not counting on the October trip just yet. So if we go in April, it will be 13th - 20th. I am going to put together a schedule today and start making some ADRs just incase I need to switch to April. I did some quick searches yesterday and was surprised to see a lot of options still available. Probably won't get some of the more popular places but at least we will be able to eat!

Now, back to the regularly schedule PTR! I will be posting the next update shortly.

 

[Pluto0809]

Today we will be headed to Animal Kingdom.

This is the day I’ve been most looking forward to sharing and I have lots of pictures! Three things to know about this day:

1. Mom and I both love animals. We can spend hours in any zoo. One time we went to New York City in December and ended up visiting the Central Park Zoo despite the fact that it was freezing and snowy!

2. When I was riding the Safari in 2011, I saw a group of people hanging out above the Hippos and immediately thought “I need to do that”! So even before Mom added onto the trip I was planning on doing the Wild Africa Trek.

3. Mom’s birthday was in September so there was no better gift than a tour at Disney that involves animals.

Since we weren’t going till November, I took the description of the WAT off of the Disney web site and built a scrapbook around it. Here are the pages I did:

Cover:

First page:

General Description:

Hanging with Hippos:

Crossing over Crocs:

Jeeping with Giraffes:

Snacking on the Savanna:

Fun & Photos:

Happy Birthday!

Needless to say, Mom was totally thrilled with the gift and is very excited to do the tour. Here is our conversation (via text as I was at work) when she opened the scrapbook:

Mom: Aaaaaaaaaaaah! That’s my scream!

Me: Excited?

Mom: You bet!

Me: I think they designed that tour just for us! That should get us our animal fix.

Mom: Oh, yeah!

Me: Happy Birthday!

Mom: Thank you! Great gift! Love the scrapbook! I have not put it down.

Our tour is bright and early at 8 am so we will be up extra early this day. AK doesn’t even open till 9 am. I’m going to suggest we grab something from Centertown the night before for breakfast so we can eat quickly in the room. I would like to be at the bus stop by 7 am so we have plenty of time to get there. I’m a little worried about the bus situation and am considering getting a cab. Personally I’ve never had a problem with Disney buses but I’ve read about a few too many bad experiences on these boards.

The WAT should be over around 11 am and then it will be time to try to get in the rest of AK. We definitely want to ride EE and Dinosaur and catch the FOLK which is my favorite and FOW which Mom hasn’t seen. We saw Nemo in 2010 and have decided that we are not interested enough to catch it again this year. I don’t know if we will ride the Safari since we are going on the WAT. There are also the animal trails to consider and we will probably try to catch ITTBAB too. At this point I don’t really have a strategy to get it all in since I’m used to starting a rope drop, not two hours in! I guess we will just play it by ear and use the Disney Mobile Magic App to help.

We get a snack on the WAT although I’m not sure how much of it I will eat as it’s all a bit strange (well at least to me it is). If we are still hungry I’ll let Mom pick between Pizzafari and Flame Tree for lunch. I love them both and can’t decide!

AK closes at 5 pm that day so we are going to hop the first resort bus that comes to transfer to DTD. We have 7:30pm dinner reservations at Raglan Road.

I still haven’t decided what I’m getting here although it will probably be the fish and chips or the lamb chop. After dinner we will do some shopping and then head back to CBR for a good night’s sleep.

Next up: Magic Kingdom finally!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I'm so excited for you and your Mom, you will LOVE Wild Africa Trek!!!! I am a little picky about food too, and only ate about half of the snack, but parts of it were very good. That being said, the first thing I did when it was over was go eat!

 

[Pluto0809]

I'm so excited for you and your Mom, you will LOVE Wild Africa Trek!!!! I am a little picky about food too, and only ate about half of the snack, but parts of it were very good. That being said, the first thing I did when it was over was go eat!

I can't wait! I've been looking forward to doing the tour since I saw it in 2011. I did order a no fish meal for me. I do like fish but have a bit of a sensitive digestive system. Salmon for some reason is one of the foods that gives me some issues. Hopefully I will be able to eat a bit more that way. I read that they substitute Turkey for the Salmon which I do like.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Oh, that trek is on mine and DH's bucket list...we WILL do it someday! My vote for lunch would be Flametree!!!! I miss Disney FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pluto0809]

Oh, that trek is on mine and DH's bucket list...we WILL do it someday! My vote for lunch would be Flametree!!!! I miss Disney FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait till we do the WAT! As for lunch, I would probably lean towards Flametree, but Mom hasn't eaten at Pizzafarri and she likes to try new things. We'll see, maybe I can sway her towards Flametree!

 

[KatMark]

Your Animal Kingdom day plans sound fabulous. I sooooooooooooo want to do that tour at some point. If we decide not to do Discovery Cove next year for our 30th, maybe we'll do the Wild tour instead.

I vote for Flame Tree, and we LOVED Raglan Road both times we went.

 

[Pluto0809]

Oh, that trek is on mine and DH's bucket list...we WILL do it someday! My vote for lunch would be Flametree!!!! I miss Disney FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forgot to mention that I did open the Minnie nail polish. Nothing in the box but the four bottles of polish.

Your Animal Kingdom day plans sound fabulous. I sooooooooooooo want to do that tour at some point. If we decide not to do Discovery Cove next year for our 30th, maybe we'll do the Wild tour instead.

I vote for Flame Tree, and we LOVED Raglan Road both times we went.

Definitely excited for the WAT, I've been wanting to do it since 2011!

I am hoping Mom picks Flame Tree but she's not much of a meat eater. Veggie Pizza may appeal to her more. I am looking forward to trying Raglan Road as I've read a lot of good reviews.

 

[Pluto0809]

Today we will finally make it to the Magic Kingdom!

I had a hard time planning our MK time this trip. Mom and I decided almost immediately that the Christmas Party was not for us. We are not really into parades, fireworks or characters. We never stand in line for characters (except Mickey & Pluto), and we don’t go out of our way to catch the parades or fireworks. The Christmas Party just seemed like a waste of money to us as we would probably use the time to ride rides or shop.

So we have a lot to get in during this day.

When we were planning our meals for this trip we ended up picking 7 table service restaurants and were having an almost impossible time narrowing down to the 6 that we got with the Dining Plan. So this morning we are headed to an 8 am breakfast at the Wave and are paying out of pocket.

Mom read the Birmbaum guide and it said that the Wave was the best all around restaurant in WDW so she really wanted to try it. I was a bit hesitant as I haven’t read too much good or bad about it but pictures of the Breakfast Buffet that I have seen look really good.

So we will be at the bus stop bright and early to catch a bus to MK and then will either walk or catch the Monorail to the Contemporary.

After breakfast, we’ll head back to the MK where I’m hoping we will catch the Rope Drop show although it’s not a must do.

There is very little in MK that we don’t want to see/ride. We will probably head straight through the castle to Fantasyland and try to get in most of the rides there before the little ones/strollers start arriving. I’m really hoping to catch all of New Fantasyland if it is open and also want to ride Dumbo. We kept trying in catch it in 2010 but the line was always too long.

After Fantasyland our normal routine is to turn right and head into Adventureland. This year we are going to get a little crazy and turn left into Tomorrowland. This is mainly because we are planning lunch at Cosmic Rays. We normally hit Columbia Harbor House or Casey’s but wanted to try something new this time. Of course the new Be Our Guest Restaurant is very tempting too if it is open.

Tomorrowland must dos include SM, COP, TTA, Buzz Lightyear and the Laugh Floor. We will not be riding Stitch, I hate that ride and so does Mom. Last time I rode it, I ended up with bruises on my shoulders.

Next will be Adventureland (all rides/shows except the Magic Carpets) then Frontierland and Liberty Square. Splash Mountain is the only ride I’m iffy on in those sections because of the cooler weather. If it’s really hot then we’ll probably ride. We’ll probably skip Tom Sawyer Island too as we explored it pretty thoroughly in 2010.

Then of course there is all the shops on Main Street that need explored. I especially want to go into the Jewelry store. There are several things on my list that might be purchased there. Something from the bakery or confectionary is necessary. I would also like to see the Castle Lighting ceremony.

As you can see we have a full day at MK and will most likely not get everything in as the park closes at 8 pm. MSEP is at 7 pm and Wishes is at 8 that night. I would like to be heading out the gates a little before or right at 8 pm because we have dinner reservations at Whispering Canyon Café at 8:45pm. I would like to be on the boat and headed there while Wishes is going on.

At WCC I would like to get the Canyon Skillet to share but it will be up to Mom. She’s not a huge meat eater and that might be too much for her. I’m definitely going to ask for Ketchup! After dinner we will explore WL a bit and then make our way back to CBR. Unfortunately transportation is going to be dicey. There are no parks with EMH that night as of right now so we will have to go the DTD route or get a taxi. It would be a nice bit of Pixie Dust to get an empty bus and have the driver take us straight home!

Up next: Back to Epcot for a full day

 

[KatMark]

Your plans sound great for your MK day. I agree on Stitch ride--awful and I always get a sore shoulder too. We love Cosmic Rays...the pulled-pork sandwich is very good.

I can't wait to see the Christmas decorations at WL. I wish I could give you something positive on WCC, but we had a really bad experience there.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Sounds like a good day! I, too, hate the Stitch ride and won't do it again.

I've never eaten at Wave or WCC, though both sound interesting to me. Good luck with the transportation at the end of the night.

 

[DMGeurts]

WCC is one of my must dos this trip... I just want to try it out. I am not sure when we will get the chance though?

I have not heard much about the Wave either? I am curious to hear your review.

D~

 

[Pluto0809]

Your plans sound great for your MK day. I agree on Stitch ride--awful and I always get a sore shoulder too. We love Cosmic Rays...the pulled-pork sandwich is very good.

I can't wait to see the Christmas decorations at WL. I wish I could give you something positive on WCC, but we had a really bad experience there.

I have heard mixed reviews of WCC. Hopefully we will have a good time. I thought about switching to the new Be Our Guest restaurant but the menu there is a little fancy for me. I will probably eat there someday though!

Sounds like a good day! I, too, hate the Stitch ride and won't do it again.

I've never eaten at Wave or WCC, though both sound interesting to me. Good luck with the transportation at the end of the night.

I will definitely do a review of both restaurants in my TR. I do hope we have good luck with transportation. We have a long day and a long trip to CBR is not going to be fun.

WCC is one of my must dos this trip... I just want to try it out. I am not sure when we will get the chance though?

I have not heard much about the Wave either? I am curious to hear your review.

D~

WCC was actually the first restaurant I chose. I saw it in someone's TR and it looked interesting. It's hard to get to those restaurants outside of the parks, it seems to take up a lot of your park time with travel back and forth. Hopefully we will like both restaurants.

 

[Pluto0809]

Breakfast will again be a quick one at Centertown and then we will head to Epcot for rope drop.

(Look at me trying to be all sassy there!)

Since Test Track is still scheduled to be closed (athough there is now a possibility of a soft opening) we will be headed with the crowd to get fast passes for Soarin’ and maybe ride standby.

We always tend to neglect the World Showcase so our goal is to get through Future World by lunch time. We usually don’t end up in the World Showcase until about 3pm. That shouldn’t be too hard as we will hopefully catch a few things on our arrival day.

Nemo and the Seas Pavillion is a must do (remember our animal obsession). I have never seen Turtle Talk and want to catch it this trip. I also love the Figment ride and Spaceship Earth.

I don’t think we will even venture to the other side except to see if TT is open. Neither one of us like Ellen’s Energy Adventure. I rode the green side of Mission: Space in 2011 and was underwhelmed. I’m a little afraid to try orange with my motion sickness issues. Mom hasn’t ridden either side so if she wants to try it we might although I will be strongly suggesting the green side.

Lunch will be at Sunshine Seasons.

I love this food court since it has such variety and the food is really good. I’ll probably end up getting the Rotisserie Chicken. We’ll probably catch Living with the Land while we are there and use our Soarin' fastpasses.

Then it will be off to the World Showcase to thoroughly explore the countries. Since our dinner is in France, we will probably head to Mexico to start. I have a bunch of snacks on my list to try but probably way too many to eat in one day! I have never seen the movies in China or France and want to see them this time. I would also like to catch some of the Holiday Santas and maybe a bit of the Candlelight Processional. Neither of us was interested enough in it to pay for the dinner package.

Dinner is at Chefs De France at 7 pm.

Technically this is not a new restaurant for me or Mom. We ate there (or at least in that building I think it was called something different then) when I was 13. First and last time I ever had Escargot! I guess 26 years makes it new again! Surprisingly there are a few different items on the menu that I will eat so I’ll probably decide what I’m in the mood for when we get there.

After dinner we will probably head slowly towards the front and maybe stake out a place for Illuminations. Sorry for those that love the show but I honestly find it kind of boring so if we miss it, I won’t be sad! Maybe we will call it a night and head out before the bus lines get too bad.

Up next: Who knows??

 

[NiniMorris]

Latest scuttle-but about Test Track is November 27 ish (my oldest son's birthday and he is crazy about it!) Although I have seen reports of as early as November 19... same as Fantasy Land.

Nini

 

[oopsiDAISY]

MMMM~ you are eating at my two favorite Epcot restaurants!!!! Be sure to take food porn pictures for us all to drool over when you get back! I miss Disney food!!!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I LOVE Sunshine Seasons breakfast, it's the only breakfast I always eat at WDW, usually I just eat a granola bar before I leave my room.

Definitely explore WS, the details and shops are all so amazing