Summer and Serendipity ~ July PTR ~ LINK TO TRIP REPORT!!!

[annmarieda]

Sorry I am a bit late to the party.

So BC it is? I so want to stay there!! When we stayed at YC the pool was amazing... the BEST pool. I love the sandy bottom. When we were there though, it was super cold and we only got to play one day. Also, the slide was under refurbishment...so didn't use that at all. You are going to have an awesome time! That walk to Epcot is worth any added expense!!!

 

[tinacaplan]

Hooray for Beach Club, really can not wait to see pictures from all over the resort and rooms. I'm so excited for you.

Thank you! I'm really excited, too. I can't believe that we're going to be able to walk to EPCOT.

Sorry I am a bit late to the party.

So BC it is? I so want to stay there!! When we stayed at YC the pool was amazing... the BEST pool. I love the sandy bottom. When we were there though, it was super cold and we only got to play one day. Also, the slide was under refurbishment...so didn't use that at all. You are going to have an awesome time! That walk to Epcot is worth any added expense!!!

Congratulations, Ann! You have a married daughter now! So, you have a FANTASTIC excuse for not being around here very much.

Yeah, we're super excited about the pool. And walking to EPCOT is going to be amazing, especially for me.

 

[eandesmom]

so are you in the hotel or a studio villa? I'm assuming the hotel for the white heavenly linens but I have to tell you, I really liked the theming in the studio villa a LOT more than I thought I would!

You will LOVE it, especially in the July heat.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Congrats on the Beach Club!!!!

I was hoping you would chose that resort. It seems so perfect for your family!

I hope you get to stay at the CR one day, I feel the same way about the GF.

 

[tinacaplan]

so are you in the hotel or a studio villa? I'm assuming the hotel for the white heavenly linens but I have to tell you, I really liked the theming in the studio villa a LOT more than I thought I would!

You will LOVE it, especially in the July heat.

Its funny you mention that, actually. When I was first looking the only thing that came up at the BC with the special rate were studio villas and I didn't like the bedspreads. I think if this had been an option from the very beginning I probably would not have looked elsewhere, at least not for this trip. So, yes, we are staying in the hotel.

Congrats on the Beach Club!!!!

I was hoping you would chose that resort. It seems so perfect for your family!

I hope you get to stay at the CR one day, I feel the same way about the GF.

Thank you! The GF is beautiful and I'm sure that our Disney dreams will come true someday!

 

[PirateKate]

Beach Club sounds perfect! I'm sure Max will spend many happy hours at SAB. And this way, you're giving AKL a chance to change out the bedspreads for white fluffy linen. Oh and the flights sound good, too.

 

[All7OfUs]

I know it took me a few days to get over here and give you a big, fat HIP, HIP HOORAY on choosing the Beach Club! So many great things going for it. Someday you'll get to AKL, and will enjoy it immensely, but this time calls for a different strategy and plan.

I think you did a great job analyzing all the pros and cons, and went with the best option. Good for you!!!

SAB, here y'all come!!!

 

[tinacaplan]

Beach Club sounds perfect! I'm sure Max will spend many happy hours at SAB. And this way, you're giving AKL a chance to change out the bedspreads for white fluffy linen. Oh and the flights sound good, too.

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with how things are turning out!

I know it took me a few days to get over here and give you a big, fat HIP, HIP HOORAY on choosing the Beach Club! So many great things going for it. Someday you'll get to AKL, and will enjoy it immensely, but this time calls for a different strategy and plan.

I think you did a great job analyzing all the pros and cons, and went with the best option. Good for you!!!

SAB, here y'all come!!!

Thank you, Liesa. I can't wait!

 

[tinacaplan]

As of this afternoon, we are officially
PAID IN FULL!!! ​

 

[tinacaplan]

As if fuzzy Disney math regarding resorts isn’t bad enough, we also have fuzzy Disney math about various dining plans. Regular? Deluxe? No dining plan at all? Hmmm... I think we were at Disney in February for only a few days when decided to forgo any dining plan for our future trips. We did deluxe in February and it was just wrong, for so many reasons. For one thing, its too much food. We don’t need a three course meal every time we sit down. Which isn’t to say that I don’t love TS places. I definitely do. What I don’t love is feeling forced to order things I probably wouldn’t otherwise. Dessert, in particular. We often found ourselves so stuffed from two appetizers and two entrees that the last thing we wanted was more food, right away! Ideally, I like dessert a while after my main meal. There are also a lot of places I’d be very happy only getting an appetizer at, or an appetizer and a salad.

I now realize that touring with a three year old really demands flexibility. You never know what kind of mood your kid will be in, what kind of mood you’ll be in, and what you’re going to want to do for dinner on any given night. Or breakfast. Or lunch. From what I personally saw on our last trip and what I’ve seen on people’s recent TRs, it seems there are a lot of good CS options all around the world (with the possible exception of DHS) and the snacks...oh, the snacks. You could definitely make a meal out of any number of those. I can’t wait to get back to AK just for the frozen lemonade/jalapeno pretzel combo! Oh, and I’ve yet to have a Dolewhip... or school bread. Or a number of things that people on the boards are always raving about.

This does not, of course, mean that we haven’t made ADRs. I have. But not having to worry about wasting credits means that I can cancel things at will! How liberating! Plus, another FABULOUS thing about staying at the Beach Club? We’re in walking distance of all those amazing options in World Showcase.

Our Itinerary...

For a trip that I wasn’t going to “plan” so much for...I’ve started to really map things out. Here’s the short version of our line-up, for now:

THURSDAY-JULY 14
Arrival Day -- Land at MCO @ 9:30 a.m.
Explore the resort
Check out Storm Along Bay
Check-in and unpack
6:45 ADR at Rose and Crown

I was originally going to stay at the resort on this night...but World Showcase and all that EPCOT has to offer was calling my name. The menu at Rose and Crown looks pretty good (I love bangers and mash) and when you’re planning without a dining plan, you actually have to pay attention to prices! I’m hoping to make Illuminations this night.

FRIDAY -- JULY 15
Make rope drop at DHS
Possibly have lunch here, or head back to the resort, depending on Max’s mood
Storm Along Bay
Naps
7:00 ADR at Cape May Cafe

I’ve heard great things about this buffet and as much as I don’t love them, buffets are great with a little kid. Instant food! If we don’t make Illuminations the night before, perhaps this will be the night.


SATURDAY -- JULY 16
8 a.m. ADR at Tusker House

It is quite likely that I’ll cancel this, and we’ll just go to AK for rope drop. I really liked the food here...breading pudding at breakfast? YUM! But... is it worth the twenty dollars per that they charge? Hmmm... not sure!

SAB in the afternoon

Evening at the MK

I know what you’re thinking...no MK till the third day? I’ll explain the logic (and logistics) my touring plans in a later post).

ADR for the Wishes! Dessert Party

This one we’re absolutely keeping! Max is unsure about fireworks and has never seen them in person before. I’m hopeful he’ll see some over the fourth, so he’ll know what to expect. My thought with this was that I’ll just tell him we’re going to a dessert buffet, which he’ll LOVE. What kid wouldn’t? And....oh...SUPRISE....fireworks! And Tinkerbell! Woo-hoo.

SUNDAY -- JULY 17
Rope drop at MK

Stay at MK until Max fizzles...

7 p.m. ADR at Yak and Yeti

This is an ADR leftover from the plan I had in place when we were staying at AKL. But, Max loves Asian food and I thought we might able to see Finding Nemo in the late afternoon before this. There is also a good chance this one will get cancelled, though. Any thoughts on Nine Dragons?











MONDAY -- JULY 18
Rope drop at EPCOT

Early lunch at CS in World Showcase. Seem like a lot of delicious options...just depends on what we’re in the mood for.

SAB

7:00 ADR at Flying Fish

Who am I to go to Disneyworld and not eat at a signature? I swear I can still taste that red snapper! As an added bonus, we can walk there and its a pretty loud restaraunt and there seemed to be a ton of kids there when we had dinner there on our anniversary trip. But...again...this might fall by the way side, as well.

TUESDAY -- JULY 19

RESORT DAY!!!

Oh, yes, I’m planning one this time.

8:00 ADR at ‘Ohana

Again, we have a good chance of cancelling this one, as well. We liked ‘Ohana. The food was very good. I felt that it was a great use of a TS credit...but...again is worth paying OOP for? Not sure. Thinking about California Grill, but am hesitant because of the credit card guarantee. It also, literally, just occurred to me that we could go to Kona, too. Thoughts?

WEDNESDAY -- July 20
DHS or MK

Vague notion of going to Beaches and Cream for dinner. This is a day I’m reserving to do whatever we feel like.

THURSDAY -- July 21
DEPARTURE DAY
10:00 ADR at Cape May

I thought it would be fun to surprise Max with a character breakfast on our last day and I also thought it might be nice to sleep in a bit.

Our departs MCO at 6:30 that evening...anyone know what’s available in the SW area at MCO, since that’s where we’ll be having dinner?

 

[annmarieda]

Oh, plans look fun. I think for the flexibility you need, no dp is probably good.

You mentioned going to both Ohana and Kona... I too plan to do this. I think they both offer something different so I really want my family to experience both.

 

[tinacaplan]

Oh, plans look fun. I think for the flexibility you need, no dp is probably good.

You mentioned going to both Ohana and Kona... I too plan to do this. I think they both offer something different so I really want my family to experience both.

I'm trying to decide which one, actually. Kona looks really good and again, I wonder if Ohana is worth it if you're paying for it OOP. Not sure. We really liked Ohana, so...

It will be interesting to compare what we end up spending on food vs. what we would have spent on the dining plan. I definitely wouldn't have gone deluxe this time, but it will be interesting to see if we would have come out ahead with the regular plan. Maybe I'll price that out now...since can't you add that right up until you check-in, basically? But again...what I keep coming back to is this the dining plan might look like it would work really well on paper, but what if we deviate from that original plan? Sigh.... these are the FUN problems to have!

 

[KatMark]

Congrats on the trip being paid off!

Your ADR's sound great. We LOVE Yak & Yeti and are going back in September.

The only other thing I will say is watch for Nicki's reviews.

 

[tinacaplan]

Congrats on the trip being paid off!

Your ADR's sound great. We LOVE Yak & Yeti and are going back in September.

The only other thing I will say is watch for Nicki's reviews.

Oh, I will be. I'm curious to know if they will end up going back to Via Napoli and what they think of it this time around. Mark and I were not thrilled with it in February. It was good, not great.

I think we'll love Yak and Yeti, too. I was looking at some of Nicki's old reviews and noticed she had good things to say about it, too, as did Karin.

And truly, the good part of not having a dining plan will be our ability to cancel things when we want and just do CS or some snacks.

 

[eandesmom]

you can add the DDP up to 3 days before.

I'll look forward to your Rose and Crown review. I keep trying to get excited about it as I love the location but the menu just never does anything for me, or my crew.

Kona and Ohana are TOTALLY different. The only thing that might sway me is that much as I love Ohana, it is a long meal and a small child's mood could make that really tough. Kona, while not super fast due to mediocre service, is still faster than Ohana.

I adored the food at Kona.

Congrats on PIF! that is a wonderful feeling.

 

[tinacaplan]

you can add the DDP up to 3 days before.

I'll look forward to your Rose and Crown review. I keep trying to get excited about it as I love the location but the menu just never does anything for me, or my crew.

Kona and Ohana are TOTALLY different. The only thing that might sway me is that much as I love Ohana, it is a long meal and a small child's mood could make that really tough. Kona, while not super fast due to mediocre service, is still faster than Ohana.

I adored the food at Kona.

Congrats on PIF! that is a wonderful feeling.

I actually really like plain English food, so we'll see what its like. Can't beat that location, especially relative to where we're staying. We'll see if we actually keep the ADR, or not. Plus, we had a couple of fun meals there way back in the 80's, during our first two trips to the World. Back then there were so many things served at WS that really seemd "exotic." The world has gotten considerably smaller since then.

We did 'Ohana this past trip and it was fun, but was the food so wonderful? I don't know... I'm kind of "meh" about it. Its all good, just not great. So I might try and switch to Kona, which looks good. Incidentally, I want to be somewhere on the monorail loop that night and then (fingers crossed) we'll head to MK afterwards. Quick question...can your order sushi from the Kona Sushi Bar at the restaurant itself?

And, yes, you're right...PIF means the trip is really, really, really happening.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Here! I still need to read though!

 

[tinacaplan]

Here! I still need to read though!

Oh, please do! Max and Henry are so close in age, I love to hear your thoughts. Although it seems that Henry is a much more seasoned traveller than Max. I'm hoping Max will feel more comfortable there this time. I cannot believe you're so close to your SOLO trip.

 

[tinacaplan]

Let's see...one of the biggest frustrations (if you can believe it) was my lack of a halfway decent camera. I have a tendency to break cameras. Don't ask me...it just seems to happen. In the past few years I've had a Cannon (which I LOVED, it seemed to always take good pictures and all I had to do was point and shoot) and then I had a something else and killed that one, too. Now, I'm on to a cheap ($99 cheap ) that took lousy pictures at night and seemed to take a long time between shots. Basically, I'd like to spend no more than $150 and am seriously considering the new $139 Nikon Coolpix. It retails for around $139. I can also get in a color that my husband wouldn't recognize as a new camera (the current one is a dark purple). He has forbidden me from buying yet another camera. In a way, I can't blame him, but I'd like to come home from Disney with some decent shots this time, especially since I'm so unsure about when we'll be back again. Thoughts???

Not sure that any of you would remember this, but our February trip started as a sort of grand gathering with my parents. Only my mom ended up coming for a few days, as my dad was still too sick to even think about making the trip. He's about to have surgery to fix the blockages in the veins in his legs and hips and this may very well seriously reduce the pain he currently experiences. And...guess who's considering a trip to Disney??? I think he would genuinely love to see Max there and if we don't do it soon-ish, the moment may pass us by. I know from travelling with my mom (who I do love dearly, I swear) that travelling with your family is not easy, but I think I'd go into the whole thing with different expectations that I had for our trip last February, so it might be OK. I'm hopeful. We'll see... next February is a long way off and there's quite a bit that is up in the air between now and then, frankly.

As much as I love my job, and I truly do...the days we have until summer break are quickly dwindling. We're down to about five weeks! Which also means we're that much close to our trip!

Oh, yes...and I've made my first ADR adjustment after some serious thought...for the Tuesday of our trip I wanted to be at a resort restaurant on the monorail loop, as I'd love to head back to MK afterwards. I originally had an ADR at 'Ohana, but upon closer inspection, not to mention our not being on the dining plan, I had some doubts. I really wanted to head back to California Grill, but they require a credit card hold, which didn't thrill me, as its likely we'll cancel. But for now...I've settled on Kona! Everyone who eats there, regardless of the meal, seems to have nothing but great things to say about it and it offers the kind of Asian fusion-y food that we really love and SUSHI! It sounds like it will be quite good in the heat of the summer!

Have a great week everybody!

 

[glennbo123]

Hey, I found you!

Beach Club ought to be great.....I think Max'll love Storm-Along Bay.

We had a great meal at Kona when we ate there in 2009.