Summer's over and I'm sad. So let's start a pre-trip report! Feb 2015 *update 1/7*

[Joyciemc]

I am not a huge fan of Fantasmic or Illuminations though do love Wishes. World of Color is totally different though. Really spectacular. I really think it would be worth planning to see - you could maybe get a dining reservation (Carthay Circle offers it) with the FP to see it, so you really don't need to invest much time in finding a spot to watch and all that. Or there are also FP kiosks in the park specifically for WoC.

During our DL trip this May, I was so glad we saw Fantasmic first and WoC second, because if it had been the other way around we would have been totally disappointed with Fantasmic. WoC was 100% worth the little bit of time we waited for the show to start.

My interest is officially piqued Considering the fact that we only get to DL very rarely, it seems like it would be a shame to miss World of Color. I'm thinking we'll try for that first day (Friday) so if we have trouble for some reason, we can see it on Sunday.

Just for a bit of clarification, I absolutely LOVED HalloWishes and thought the the Boo-To-You Parade was amazing (grave diggers and ballroom dancers, I'm looking at you!). That said, I thought the Christmas Party Wishes and parade were OK and not something I'd need to see again. We do try to see the regular Wishes and MMaY once a trip, but we don't necessarily spend a lot of time to get a good spot. I've only made the time to watch Illuminations once, and I've never seen Fantasmic and am not interested to invest the time waiting for it.

That said, I watched a few minutes of a YouTube video of WoC (from 2010) and thought it looked pretty good, so if it fits, I'm fine with checking it out

Sorry for under-valuing your love of nighttime spectaculars, Ben! Oh, BTW this may be a good time to let you know that I really want to see the new parade at MK. You've been warned.

As far behind as I am, I couldn't not pop over to join along in your plans. So here I am

Not caught up... I wanted to comment on your page 1 updates (yes, I think I may be just attempting a page at at time on all my subscriptions in order to not find that one or more have gone unread for months. )

Dis hiatis - I can really understand. I have a TR from January I am working on.. I swear I will finish. There are threads I mean to get read but never get to. Life has been busy and some days it is just hard enough to make my trip plans let alone document them on dis.

Expedition Everest Challenge - Yay! So did you fall in love with RunDisney events? Congrats on finishing that one. I have always wanted to do that one but to travel "just" for that one just hasn't happened.

PNW trip - I wish that I knew you had been up my way. Looks like you were here during some great weather. (that we do have often enough)

Mini WDW trip - That sounds like it was a challenging trip. Not only in having Gerry struggle so but in transportation. I think the THV look amazing but I fear the bus situation would be more than I could handle. We had to share with SSR for race transport from OKW and it was CRAZY.

Fantasmic - That was your first time? You certainly got great seats!!! I do agree though. The wait for the show and how much time you need to set aside just to be able to get a seat seems a bit ridiculous.

Ok, again... not caught up but at least that is a start and I have announced my presence.

Thanks for checking in, Ann! We loved the Expedition Everest Challenge, and I would like to do more RunDisney events. Unfortunately, I've let my physical fitness go... a lot... and the length of the other events scares me! I mean, I can handle a 5K, but anything more is I am SO impressed at all the running you've been doing!!

Ugh, I wish I had been active on the DIS before our PNW trip and could've checked in with you! We had such a blast, and the weather was AMAZING. Tell me the truth; is it often like that, despite what the rest of the country is led to believe?

The trip with Gerry was intense. It was really hard to be so limited when we had to leave without Mark, since he was the only one who could legally drive the rental. Buses from the THV are killer. That was my very first Fantasmic! Mark had booked the dinner package, so we had those passes. And the weather was very questionable, so they held everyone outside the theater and lines were not well formed. I'm not sure how he figured it out, but Mark managed to direct us very neatly to the right place and poof... we were seated in the Mickey section!

Yay for DL! We are so excited to be back there in just a few months from now! BUT...we are pretty much devastated that World of Color will be down for refurb while we are there. It's seriously the most amazing Disney nighttime show that has ever been created, and I would be doing you a disservice not to recommend that you at least try to fit it into your plans. It's incredible!!

I can't believe our DL trip is coming up so quickly. You and Lauren have me convinced; we will see World of Color! Though I am bummed for you that you have to miss it

 

[Joyciemc]

I can't believe how much time has already gone by between posts! Things just never seem to quiet down around here!

You may remember that I mentioned a baby shower for friends of ours a few weeks ago. Well, this little dude appeared yesterday:

He was a planned homebirth who arrived safely and happily exactly on his due date and everyone is doing great! Ben and I got to meet him today and he is just the cutest! Seriously, he is fabulous and I can't wait to hang out with him more!

Other friends of ours (Jen and Eric, who we traveled to WDW with in that trip report I never finished) are also expecting and their shower is in a couple of weeks. Their little dude isn't due until January, but we are super excited to meet him, too!

On top of baby-ness, Ben and I have been spending our Saturdays in boat class. Which is taught by sexist old dudes in a town hall basement. But I guess we're learning stuff and will be that much more prepared to launch McFanci in the spring.

In Disney news, I have made my first change to our WDW trip... Le Chefs is gone and Rose & Crown is in! We decided that we don't really need French food, and it's been a while since Ben's eaten at R & C (I was just there in September).

As for our DL trip... that's coming up kinda quickly! I finally have all the park hours, and considering how long they are, I know it's going to be super crowded. But I think we'll be ok between FP, single rider line, and getting to the parks early. We will have 3 day hoppers which give us a Magic Morning on Saturday at DL, so we'll probably try to take advantage of that. No matter what, we'll be at DL and it will be glorious!

I think that's all I have to report!

 

[amazingact21]

Very cute baby photo. Love the smirk they've already got going on.


Glad to hear all the DL plans are coming together. You've got the right mindset going in. Even with potential large crowds, at least you know how to make the best of it.

 

[Imagineer5]

Aww congrats to your friend, he is so cute! And your other friends that are expecting!

LOL on the boat class. There are a LOTTTT of guys like that in the boating world, I have found. I don't like where our boat is docked for that reason.

DL is going to be a blast! Yes def take advantage of the early morning if you can but be prepared for way more crowds than a normal EMH at WDW brings in! Single rider lines should be very helpful though (esp on indy, which you will need to ride like 100 times... ) have a BLAST!! can't believe it's so close!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Hooray for the Rose and Crown - I highly recommend the Sticky Toffee Pudding!

It's so true that even if you're dealing with crowds, just being in a Disney park makes it a great day. I'm sure you'll do well at DL!

 

[Joyciemc]

Aww congrats to your friend, he is so cute! And your other friends that are expecting!

LOL on the boat class. There are a LOTTTT of guys like that in the boating world, I have found. I don't like where our boat is docked for that reason.

DL is going to be a blast! Yes def take advantage of the early morning if you can but be prepared for way more crowds than a normal EMH at WDW brings in! Single rider lines should be very helpful though (esp on indy, which you will need to ride like 100 times... ) have a BLAST!! can't believe it's so close!!

He really is super squishable!

It just hit me that DL is less than 3 weeks away! I am SO excited!!!

Very cute baby photo. Love the smirk they've already got going on.

Glad to hear all the DL plans are coming together. You've got the right mindset going in. Even with potential large crowds, at least you know how to make the best of it.

Yeah, his random face movements are pretty hysterical!

I just can't wait to soak up the Disney atmosphere... especially decorated for the holidays!

Hooray for the Rose and Crown - I highly recommend the Sticky Toffee Pudding!

It's so true that even if you're dealing with crowds, just being in a Disney park makes it a great day. I'm sure you'll do well at DL!

Definitely looking forward to the Rose and Crown, and of course soem Sticky Toffee Pudding!!Yum!

 

[Joyciemc]

I'm losing track of time like it's my job... seriously. Halloween has come and gone with a couple of parties, our boat class is over (I passed the test... no big acheivement, since they 'reviewed' by giving us all the answers to the questions right before the test), and it even snowed yesterday!

We leave for Disneyland in less than 3 weeks!

As tends to happen during all of my pre-trip reports, work has gone nutso. But it's in a good way! A couple of weeks ago, my shelter was contacted by Animal Planet to host a 'Road to the Puppy Bowl' event with the NFL. It's a pretty big deal and it's happening tomorrow! Patriots players and cheerleaders will be there and we're hoping to do lots and lots of adoptions. I don't know which players it'll be, but I'm so excited! And really nervous

]

Event details are here, on the off chance you're nearby and interested:

roadtopuppybowlnewengland.eventbrite.com


As far as Disney stuff goes, I had another weird dream. This one involved eating at Trail's End Buffet, where I was told I didn't have to pay extra for the previous night's leftovers. There was more, but nothing that I can make into a coherent thought/sentence.

It's not much of an update, cause there just isn't much planning happening. We still haven't purchased our APs, and I'm really anxious to get the taken care of. But that's up to Ben...

 

[annmarieda]

I know I should just get caught up here, but I am trying to little by little get caught up everywhere. I guess it just keeps me perpetually behind everywhere.

So...

OKW - This is where our main contract is. It has seriously grown on me for every single reason you mentioned. Now I can't imagine not owning there. I do think though... it is best if you have a car and stay there. Having a car else where is not the greatest though. There is nothing like parking right outside your villa!

Day Planning around ADR's - Yep, I do that too.

TS for lunch - If you have the TIW card it even makes it more of a no brainer. I far prefer having a sit down and not needing to fight for a table. With the card it takes the cost down enough to justify it.

Ohana - Had to laugh at the "local to me" Ohana pic. Also... I was waiting for you to add the bread story. It is one of my favorites I have read on dis!

Maya Grill - I think it is another gem. Actually, I think that a lot of restaurants at the hotels can be such a find. Boatwrights ranks up there for me as does Olivias.

ADR's in general - I love your picks! It is so hard to choose where to eat in WDW because there are so many good options.

Kittens - We are animal lovers here. We have too many cats ourselves. While we don't have any dogs here... we are the proud puppygrandparents to two, one of whom we puppy sit on occasion and who comes to visit often. So... your pictures definitely made me ooh and ahh...

 

[Joyciemc]

I know I should just get caught up here, but I am trying to little by little get caught up everywhere. I guess it just keeps me perpetually behind everywhere.

So...

OKW - This is where our main contract is. It has seriously grown on me for every single reason you mentioned. Now I can't imagine not owning there. I do think though... it is best if you have a car and stay there. Having a car else where is not the greatest though. There is nothing like parking right outside your villa!

Day Planning around ADR's - Yep, I do that too.

TS for lunch - If you have the TIW card it even makes it more of a no brainer. I far prefer having a sit down and not needing to fight for a table. With the card it takes the cost down enough to justify it.

Ohana - Had to laugh at the "local to me" Ohana pic. Also... I was waiting for you to add the bread story. It is one of my favorites I have read on dis!

Maya Grill - I think it is another gem. Actually, I think that a lot of restaurants at the hotels can be such a find. Boatwrights ranks up there for me as does Olivias.

ADR's in general - I love your picks! It is so hard to choose where to eat in WDW because there are so many good options.

Kittens - We are animal lovers here. We have too many cats ourselves. While we don't have any dogs here... we are the proud puppygrandparents to two, one of whom we puppy sit on occasion and who comes to visit often. So... your pictures definitely made me ooh and ahh...

I can't keep up with my own PTR, nevermind anyone elses! All I can say is THANK YOU for reading!!

I keep reading good things about Maya Grill, and I'm really glad we picked it! My ADRs have motsly stayed the same, though I did decide to add a new-to-us place after all...

 

[Joyciemc]

Oopsie... I have once again neglected the DIS. I'm still reading some TRs, and even remember to comment on those once in a while. My own PTR here, though... sadly neglected.

This week is a special one because of our weekend plans... you know, NBD just flying across the country. Everytime someone asks about my weekend plans, I get a kick out of being all cool and saying 'We're going to California'

Then it invariably comes out that we're going to Disneyland and we instantly loose whatever cool factor we almost had. Mostly we just hear: "of course you are"... Which is kind of annoying, because even though we absolutely do go to WDW a lot, we also travel other places. For instance, this year we were in the Bahamas and the Pacific Northwest. Our friends and family forget those trips and make it sound like we don't do anything else.

The point here still stands: we're going to Disneyland in a few days and I am excited!
Even though I have a kinda plan, I still feel like I am unprepared. Though I did finally figure out what the difference between 'Extra Magic Hour' (which we don't qualify for) and 'Magic Morning' (which we do qualify for) is. So that's a relief. And I have taken in the wonderful advice you've given me and World of Color is on the agenda!

We had a little trip related stress last week when we learned that Ben's parents, our usual dog sitters, now have a horse living in their backyard. Not really trusting/wanting Penny to chill with a horse for several days, we aren't comfortable sending her to them. So that left us in a pet care pickle! Luckily, my brother agreed to house sit with a few extra visits from one of my co-workers to round out the weekend. Our animals should survive without us, now, so that's a win.

Now I just have to pack and clean the house... things that will happen at the extreme last minute on Wednesday night, I am sure.

As for the trip this report is supposed to be about... not much has changed. Except I am apparently going for a record with the number of changes to one single meal... what started as dinner at Le Chefs in Epcot became dinner at Rose & Crown. But then I read a couple of things about a place we had never been and made a change again... as of now, that dinner is happening at Yachtsman's Steakhouse. We're splurging a little there, but I like the idea of a new restaurant clsoe to Epcot, but not in Epcot. I'm not 100% sure, so we'll see if I change it again... hahaha.

One hesitation I have about it is our experience at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. I never wrote a TR for that vacation, but our meal there was weird, thanks mostly to a wacky server. She was really quiet and kept sneaking up on me. To the point that once during the meal Ben commented to me that "we should put a bell on her", which then made me crack up as she was of course, sneaking up on me again. I don't know if it was our guilty consciences for our silly behavior, but we felt like she disapproved. I don't remember the food being awful or great... just that we were very underwhwelmed by the meal. So now I'm a little hesitant about signature restaurants. But I think I'm ready to give Yachtsman's a try...

 

[Tracy161]

Yay for Disneyland!!! Will you be reporting on your trip here after you return? Would love to hear about it!!! Have a great time!!!

 

[Imagineer5]

I can't wait to hear all about your DL trip!!

Signatures are amazing! California Grill is still the one MUST DO restaurant, and for the boardwalk area I absolutely LOVE Flying Fish, Yachtsman has always been good but as I don't eat steak, it is kind of an odd choice for me.

Anyway, so glad you figured out your pet sitter situation. You reminded me that i need to go back to the drawing board and search for any more, as the 3 I contacted before who got back to me all turned out to be total flakes! So strange and really irritating.

 

[Joyciemc]

Yay for Disneyland!!! Will you be reporting on your trip here after you return? Would love to hear about it!!! Have a great time!!!

I'm planning to write about our Disneyland trip! I think it will be fun to write about going somewhere pretty new to us.

I can't wait to hear all about your DL trip!!

Signatures are amazing! California Grill is still the one MUST DO restaurant, and for the boardwalk area I absolutely LOVE Flying Fish, Yachtsman has always been good but as I don't eat steak, it is kind of an odd choice for me.

Anyway, so glad you figured out your pet sitter situation. You reminded me that i need to go back to the drawing board and search for any more, as the 3 I contacted before who got back to me all turned out to be total flakes! So strange and really irritating.

Yes- California Grill is AWESOME. That's a signature restaurant I love. Still haven't tried Flying Fish, so maybe that will be on the next next trip

Hope your pet sitting gets squared away... I'm not sure they'd be available, but two of my staff members (at the animal shelter) do some pet sitting if you wanted their info. I can't believe how flakey all of your leads have been so far!

 

[Joyciemc]

You guys!!!!!!!!!! We're leaving for California tomorrow!! Disneyland doesn't happen until Friday, but vacation has officially started!

Our flight to LA leaves Boston at 8am tomorrow, which is kind of an awkward time. Our 15 minute drive to Logan will be a lot longer in rush hour, so we're going to have to leave pretty early. Luckily for me, while Ben is flying to CA to work a half day, I'll just be checking in to a hotel to hang out and watch tv/sleep. That sounds amazing right now, especially since we're planning on early mornings all weekend at the parks.

Wish us luck with crowds!

 

[Tracy161]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you're having a great time! Cannot wait to hear about it!

 

[amazingact21]

I hope your trip to DL was fantastic!


I have read a lot of good reviews about Yachtsmen. So even if it a signature restaurant, maybe it won't be like Artist Point.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I hope you had (or are having? How long is this vacation?) a wonderful time at Disneyland! I hope you'll write a report for us, or at least give us a fun summary of your trip.

I thought Yachtsman was GREAT, so I think you made a good choice! Those onion rolls are TO DIE FOR. (And the great news is you can always change your mind again if the mood strikes you!)

 

[Joyciemc]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you're having a great time! Cannot wait to hear about it!

We had so much fun!! Ben is organizing photos now, so I should have a TR going soon!

I hope your trip to DL was fantastic!


I have read a lot of good reviews about Yachtsmen. So even if it a signature restaurant, maybe it won't be like Artist Point.

I keep telling myself that our Artist Point exerience was a one-of... I wish I could remember more details other than our server's quiteness and weirdness... I really think Yachtsmen's will be a good choice, though and I'm looking forward to it!

I hope you had (or are having? How long is this vacation?) a wonderful time at Disneyland! I hope you'll write a report for us, or at least give us a fun summary of your trip.

I thought Yachtsman was GREAT, so I think you made a good choice! Those onion rolls are TO DIE FOR. (And the great news is you can always change your mind again if the mood strikes you!)

We HAD a great time! Got back Monday afternoon, so a medium-sized trip. I can't wait to write a trip report about Disneyland... I think we did a pretty good job managing the crazy crowd levels and we got to experience a lot of new-to-us things.

I'm pretty sure Yachtsman is sticking around... and with that endorsement for onion rolls, who could say no?

 

[Joyciemc]

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! We ate lots of delicious food that Ben cooked (thanks, Ben!)

And as a bonus on the day after, we had a lovely just-the-right-amount of snow. Ben took this looking out across the street from our house:

r

What with the snow, the late Thanksgiving, and being surrounded by Christmas stuff last week at Disneyland, we are now full on in Christmas mode here. Ben managed to get the biggest tree that could possibly fit in our little house, so decorating that will be a challenge. It's pretty, though!

Yesterday, we finally purchased our WDW Annual Passes! I was anxious to have them ordered so the vouchers would get here soon to link our Magic Bands.

In celebration, Ben made some espresso art in my coffee:

Our FP day is December 26th and I wanted to have tickets squared away ahead of that since this is my first time planning with the whole FP+ craziness. Speaking of, I've been thinking about the new system...
Having spent last weekend at DL, using the old-timey FP was nice because it was familiar to us and we made great use of it to avoid pretty crazy crowds (I am writing a TR for that, just haven't made it too far yet!). But there are some things about the new FP+ that I think are improvements:
-Not having to walk all the way to an attraction to get a FP is a bonus
-Picking your time instead of waiting for the FP return times to tick up higher (something we did at DL more than once).

I just wish you could choose to schedule multiple FP for the same ride, not have to worry about 'teirs' in any of the parks, and not be making selections 60 days out. Once I use it more, I'm sure I'll have more to add to this list.

That was all just in case you care what I think about FP.

 

[Imagineer5]

I can't wait to hear all about your DL trip!! I hope you had an amazing time.

Your tree is so pretty, and glad you had a wonderful thanksgiving! Congrats on the AP's and good luck in a couple weeks with FP selections!! YAY!!

You do hit a lot of points good & bad about FP selections! One other REALLY GOOD one is having FP's already for a park you enter later in the day. I think if they did away with tiering, and added in the ability to always carry, say, 3 fast passes (i.e. after you use your first, you can go on your app and add in another one) I would be one happy camper for sure!