Taking time to Smell the Roses- A June 2012 PTR

[BridgetR3]

YAY!!! We are going back to Disney!!! Our first trip ever last year was very similar to a full fledged marathon thanks to my commando style of touring. DH did not appreciate it very much and decided that we can only go back if I can learn to relax. Frankly I'm not quite sure what he's talking about!!!

WHO - So our cast of characters are -

Me - I am an elementary school teacher with a passion for Disney movies.

DH - He is a great guy who is semi-tolerant of my Disney obsession. He does have moments where he lets me know that he does indeed think I'm addicted and that I may need some DA meetings as in Disney Anonymous. I personally think it's an o.k. addiction to have!

And now for the real reasons for our trips.....our boys!

DS10 - He will turn 10 about two weeks before our trip to Disney, which officially makes him an adult!!! Scary thought! Glad he's not yet an adult in the "real world". He's a great kid who loves all Lego games.....Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, Lego Pirates. He has not moved up to watching the actual Star Wars movie and collects the figures. He also LOVES pin and vinylmation trading.

DS5 - He will turn 6 the week we return home. This is a combined birthday trip for both of them but I am not sure that we will actually get pins that say Happy Birthday at Disney since it really isn't their actual birthday. DS5 is also into anything Lego and loves Jack Sparrow. He would be a pirate when he grows up if mom would just let him! He is a ladies man and LOVES seeing the princesses because they are beautiful. According to him, he has 18 girlfriends.

Also joining us on this trip are DH's parents, our Nanna and Poppa.

Won't you join us for a trip where we try NOT to make rope drop every morning, where we don't run from ride to ride trying to do them all, where we take time to actually see the swimming pool at our resort, and HOPEFULLY DH will love it enough that he will say, "Yes we can go back soon."

Up next - Where are we staying!??!

 

[BridgetR3]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Where are we staying?
2. Dining Plan.....what dining plan???
3. Taking time to smell the roses in Magic Kingdom
4. Our Itinerary
5. Stopping to smell the roses in Epcot
6. Our Countdown

 

[BridgetR3]

A picture hint about where we are staying on our next Disney trip -

Now I know that SOMEONE knows what resort this is so please take a guess. I won't even stone you if you get it wrong. I'm just trying to get some kind of crowd participation!!!

Ready set go - first one who guesses it wins a magical imaginary trip to DisneyWorld with us! But then again would you really want to join us?

 

[glennbo123]

Okay, I'll take a stab at it. Would it be Port Orleans - French Quarter? I suppose it would go with you sons' Saints t-shirts in the first post. We were rooting for the Saints yesterday, but they unfortunately came out on the short-end of the score in a very exciting game.

 

[Deesknee]

Hate to admit it but with the playground picture I thought it was SSR. OOPS! Now as far as being Saints fans goes.....
Well, perhaps we should leave football and politics out of this thread.

When are you going. I think it is really nice you are bring the childrens grand parents. My Mom came with us for a few trips. She is gone now, so believe me when I say, it is SO worth any of the little differences that MAY come up during the trip. Some of our BEST WDW memories were with my Mom. DH & our kids agree.

 

[BridgetR3]

Okay, I'll take a stab at it. Would it be Port Orleans - French Quarter? I suppose it would go with you sons' Saints t-shirts in the first post. We were rooting for the Saints yesterday, but they unfortunately came out on the short-end of the score in a very exciting game.

Yep it is Port Orleans - French Quarter. We chose not to stay there on our first trip because it reminded us too much of New Orleans and we wanted something different/unique. However, after trying out Carribean Beach Resort and realizing just how large it was, we were ready for something a bit smaller. With the smaller setup and the queen beds, Port Orleans French Quarter is the one for us on this trip!!

Wasn't that such an excting game!?!??! We really thought we had won on the last touchdown and obviously our defense did too since they stopped playing after that. Maybe next year!

Hate to admit it but with the playground picture I thought it was SSR. OOPS! Now as far as being Saints fans goes.....
Well, perhaps we should leave football and politics out of this thread.

When are you going. I think it is really nice you are bring the childrens grand parents. My Mom came with us for a few trips. She is gone now, so believe me when I say, it is SO worth any of the little differences that MAY come up during the trip. Some of our BEST WDW memories were with my Mom. DH & our kids agree.

Uh oh - does being from MA mean you are a Patriots fan?!?!?! Just when I thought we could be friends....GEEZ!!! J/k ....as long as we don't talk football we should be o.k.!! Let's stick to Disney only!

We are going to DW from June 8-15 but since we have to drive our vacation is from June 7-16. We are very excited about having the boys' grandparents along for the trip. They just went to DW in September with the other grandchildren so they are also excited about all things Disney!

Here are some photos I took of Port Orleans French Quarter when we were at DW in March 2011 on our resort touring day.....

This guy was the friendliest CM we met all week. He gave the kids Mardi Gras beads and a doubloon. He was nice enough to step inside and take our picture by the fountain.

Boy do we look tired.....

Thanks for looking at my pics!!!

Up next - Our meal plan.....Disney Dining Plan? Quick Service Plan? Deluxe Dining Plan? No dining plan?? Which will it be?

 

[Deesknee]

We can still be friends. I am a Pats fan. But I appreciate a fellow football fan, regardless of who they are rooting for. And Disney can be the great neutrilizer!

I love the pictures of Port Orleans French Quarter. We've stayed at POR, but I really really wish we had stayed in the French Quarter. That looks awesome!

 

[BridgetR3]

We can still be friends. I am a Pats fan. But I appreciate a fellow football fan, regardless of who they are rooting for. And Disney can be the great neutrilizer!

I love the pictures of Port Orleans French Quarter. We've stayed at POR, but I really really wish we had stayed in the French Quarter. That looks awesome!

I'm glad we can still be friends!! Port Orleans French Quarter has LOTS of personality!! I can't wait to stay there! We will probably check out Port Orleans Riverside while we are there but it was way too large for my DH who wanted a small resort.

Tonight I will finish my TR and then I'll be around here to bug ya'll from now until the trip!

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Hey, I'm here. Planning a DW trip is always exciting.

Just add a celebration to your reservation and they will give you Birthday pins when you check in. If they don't just ask for them. My girls always celebrate their birthdays when we are there even though it is not their actual birthday.

 

[mommy2mb]

I'm here!! Can't wait to hear all the planning details

 

[Robinh]

Following! I love your pictures.

 

[BridgetR3]

Hey, I'm here. Planning a DW trip is always exciting.

Just add a celebration to your reservation and they will give you Birthday pins when you check in. If they don't just ask for them. My girls always celebrate their birthdays when we are there even though it is not their actual birthday.

Yeah I know it's possible. Actually they have it written on the reservation somewhere that we are celebrating birthdays and we've already received Mickey mail about celebrating their birthdays at Disney. BUT....my honest kids will be the first to tell you "My birthday was last week." after you tell them "Happy birthday!"

I just wanted to know if people really do it. Glad to know that your kids celebrate it too!

I'm here!! Can't wait to hear all the planning details

Thanks for joining us!!! I'll post more planning details this weekend!!

Following! I love your pictures.

Thank you!!! I love taking pictures! I'm definitely not the best photographer but I do enjoy it tremendously!

I just wanted to all of you to my PTR!!! I really appreciate all of you joining in and visiting with me to pass the time!!

 

[BridgetR3]

So I'm finally back after two crazy weeks at work...and I have the details on our dining experiences at Disney.

We will be paying OOP for all of our meals and will have no TS restaurants. We decided on our last trip that the reservations and meals took too long for our family. I know that lots of people love the TS restaurants but we just didn't find them worth the time and money for our family. Therefore, we will be visiting our favorite CS restaurants while we enjoy the parks.

Here are a few that we have on the "must do" list -

AK - Flame Tree
HS - Pizza Planet and ABC Commissary
DTD - Wolfgang Puck Express
BoardWalk - Beaches and Cream (yes I know it's sit down but there's no reservations) - we want a kitchen sink!
MK - Main Street Bakery

So where else should we eat?? My family is VERY picky. THey don't like ANYTHING "international" so Epcot is really tough for us to find a restaurant we all agree on.

 

[Deesknee]

So I'm finally back after two crazy weeks at work...and I have the details on our dining experiences at Disney.

We will be paying OOP for all of our meals and will have no TS restaurants. We decided on our last trip that the reservations and meals took too long for our family. I know that lots of people love the TS restaurants but we just didn't find them worth the time and money for our family. Therefore, we will be visiting our favorite CS restaurants while we enjoy the parks.

Here are a few that we have on the "must do" list -

AK - Flame Tree
HS - Pizza Planet and ABC Commissary
DTD - Wolfgang Puck Express
BoardWalk - Beaches and Cream (yes I know it's sit down but there's no reservations) - we want a kitchen sink!
MK - Main Street Bakery

So where else should we eat?? My family is VERY picky. THey don't like ANYTHING "international" so Epcot is really tough for us to find a restaurant we all agree on.

I'm not a hot dog fan, but the rest of my family LOVE Caseys. We too have a tough time at Epcot. We all love Capt Hooks (or may be Capt Cooks) at the Polynesian resort, if you happen to be in the mood for resort hopping. We strongly recommend the chicken strips.

 

[BridgetR3]

I'm not a hot dog fan, but the rest of my family LOVE Caseys. We too have a tough time at Epcot. We all love Capt Hooks (or may be Capt Cooks) at the Polynesian resort, if you happen to be in the mood for resort hopping. We strongly recommend the chicken strips.

Nope I couldn't do Caseys because I don't like hot dogs/corndogs either, but then again I could just let the other's do it. We like Cosmic Rays at MK but I think I want to try Harbor House to sit on the second floor. I'm telling you this trip is ALL about the special little things that I've found out about on the DIS. (I will make my DH love Disney. I will make my DH love Disney. I will.....)

We do plan on resort hopping on our free day and will more than likely end up doing the monorail loop just for fun. I think I have Capt. H(C)ooks on the list because I have the "order by touching the screen" restaurant on monorail loop. Is that the one? I read about it on someone else's TR but didn't know what it was called! Again I picked it because of the odd way that you order not the food....

I also want to hit up Ghirardelli at DTD because I love their Christmas chocolate (chocolate peppermint) and I want to see if they have any of it there year around.

Oh yeah and my MIL still talks about her dole whip from Aloha Isle to this day so I"m thinking we should go by there!

So what else should I look for? Any other "unique/interesting" places to eat, whether meal or dessert?

 

[nannia53]

So excited to be going with ya'll. We are so looking forward to it. Love seeing the joy and excitement on all of your faces. Let the good times roll.

 

[Deesknee]

WELCOME NANNIA53! I hope you all have a wonderful trip filled with making super memories!

Nope I couldn't do Caseys because I don't like hot dogs/corndogs either, but then again I could just let the other's do it. We like Cosmic Rays at MK but I think I want to try Harbor House to sit on the second floor. I'm telling you this trip is ALL about the special little things that I've found out about on the DIS. (I will make my DH love Disney. I will make my DH love Disney. I will.....)

We do plan on resort hopping on our free day and will more than likely end up doing the monorail loop just for fun. I think I have Capt. H(C)ooks on the list because I have the "order by touching the screen" restaurant on monorail loop. Is that the one? I read about it on someone else's TR but didn't know what it was called! Again I picked it because of the odd way that you order not the food....

I also want to hit up Ghirardelli at DTD because I love their Christmas chocolate (chocolate peppermint) and I want to see if they have any of it there year around.

Oh yeah and my MIL still talks about her dole whip from Aloha Isle to this day so I"m thinking we should go by there!

So what else should I look for? Any other "unique/interesting" places to eat, whether meal or dessert?

So funny I was going to suggest cosmic rays, but couldn't remember the name of it. hahaha WE LOVE the Columbia Harbor house. I forgot that was not a TS. Being from NE we love their clam chowder, if you want to try "real" NE clam chowder that is the place to go. We all like their chicken strips and I think my oldest DD got a chix sandwich & was happy with it.
What I do about Caseys is while my family are getting their hot dogs, I go over to mainstreet bakery and get a delicious choc chip cookie ice cream sandwhich. yummy! I know not the most nutrious lunch, but hey I'm on vaca too!
I have another suggestion regarding getting DH to fall in love....with Disney of course. hehe Does he like to golf? My DH & son went golfing one time and loved it. Also, Fantasia mini golf is fun. My older kids were about 5 when we took them. It's a bit long for a 5 year old, but we had alot of fun.

 

[BridgetR3]

So excited to be going with ya'll. We are so looking forward to it. Love seeing the joy and excitement on all of your faces. Let the good times roll.

Hey hey, there's Nannia!!! She's as excited as I am about going to Disney this summer so I invited her to join us here!

to the Disboards Nannia!!! Be fairly warned though that they are VERY addictive!

 

[BridgetR3]

I would like to go through each park and find all of the out of the way, "stopping to smell the roses" things that make each park special. We will of course try to ride every ride and see all the shows but I want to know what you love about the parks.

Let's start off with Magic Kingdom!

Here's a few that I can think of from Magic Kingdom -

Main Street Bakery
Aloha Isle Dole Whip (for Nannia!)
Jack Sparrow's tutorial
Tom Sawyer's Island
Eat on second floor of Columbia Harbor House for great views
Dapper Dans
Ride in a Main Street Car
PUSH

Anything else we might not know about?? We want to enjoy the little things on this trip!

 

[BridgetR3]

WELCOME NANNIA53! I hope you all have a wonderful trip filled with making super memories!



So funny I was going to suggest cosmic rays, but couldn't remember the name of it. hahaha WE LOVE the Columbia Harbor house. I forgot that was not a TS. Being from NE we love their clam chowder, if you want to try "real" NE clam chowder that is the place to go. We all like their chicken strips and I think my oldest DD got a chix sandwich & was happy with it.
What I do about Caseys is while my family are getting their hot dogs, I go over to mainstreet bakery and get a delicious choc chip cookie ice cream sandwhich. yummy! I know not the most nutrious lunch, but hey I'm on vaca too!
I have another suggestion regarding getting DH to fall in love....with Disney of course. hehe Does he like to golf? My DH & son went golfing one time and loved it. Also, Fantasia mini golf is fun. My older kids were about 5 when we took them. It's a bit long for a 5 year old, but we had alot of fun.

Yep we ate at Cosmic Ray's a couple of times on the last trip and enjoyed it a lot but never saw the little animatronic "guy who sings". I've heard lots of people talk about the second floor seating at Columbia Harbor House and I would love to go enjoy it even if it's just to get a dessert and a coke. My in-laws aren't really picky but my DH and kids are VERY picky eaters. They would all like the chicken strips but I don't think I could get any of them to try clam chowder.

He does love golf and I may try that one time but he's really funny about playing at a nice course because he's awful at it!

I would LOVE to get him to do the Richard Petty driving experience because I know he would love it but if he would see the cost there is no way he would go for it. I would have to reserve that one and not tell him the cost!