Team Renfroe - Pre-Trip Report for May 15-22, 2009 **Final Chapter**

[SunnieRN]

Hi Alan and Renfroes'. Thank you for starting the other thread!! Hopefully other disers will see it and join in!!
Only this morning and tomorrow and I will have all of our ADR's!! Even scored an illuminations cruise for my daughter and son in laws anniversary. Now to figure out how to get a cake on board without them knowing!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Hi Brook! Wow...you were a few pages behind, but I am just now seeing in your siggie that you've started a new report from your January trip! Where have I been? I'll check it out for sure! I want to read all about your new DVC adventures at AKV.

Oh, we are excited about the DIS-meets. That should be a lot of fun! Think of what great pictures we'll have for our trip reports!

Ya, I've been having lots of trouble keeping up on all my subscriptions and my TR lately. Too many to read! But, I keep trying!

We actually stayed at SSR in January with our Developer Points. BUT, come December-AKV HERE WE COME!

That DIS meet looks like soooooooooo much fun! Wow! I can't wait to see the pics! I wish I could be there in May!

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Alan !!!

 

[SunnieRN]

Ya, I've been having lots of trouble keeping up on all my subscriptions and my TR lately. Too many to read! But, I keep trying!

We actually stayed at SSR in January with our Developer Points. BUT, come December-AKV HERE WE COME!

That DIS meet looks like soooooooooo much fun! Wow! I can't wait to see the pics! I wish I could be there in May!

Just curious when your Dec. trip is? We will be there Dec 2-9 and then at BayLake for the 9th and 10th.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hey Alan, since we will be meeting at the Dis meet I thought I should come check your PTR out. Looks like we have many days in common.

 

[stepdisney]

Wow Alan, love your ADR's. What time are you leaving on Friday? Just curious because your Kona is earlier than most of your dinners. Your ADR's make me want to try the Deluxe dining just so I can try some 2 TS meals. Fortunately we'll have a kitchen this time so we can make a quick breakfast. You'll love O'hana's! Ohana & Boma are our favorite places to eat. I vote for breakfast at Boma's. I remember your DD was ill the last time. I think you'll all enjoy it better this time. My, that 90 day mark came quickly for you! Too bad our vacation is the end of August .

 

[englishrose47]

Yes Alan Boma for breakfast !! I can't wait !!!!!!

 

[bwmmfan]

Thanks Alan,
Your info helped a lot. It doesn't look like we are able to be part of the Dis meet. Our plans just couldn't swin it.

Have a cold one a the pub for me! It looks like I am a day ahead of you at all of the parks. I'll keep my eye open for you.

Thanks again, have a safe and fun trip

 

[alan_renfroe]

I posted on the dismeet thread too. We have MK planned for that day for the EMH (no park hoppers for us) But maybe i'll look at my schedule again and change it around alittle bit for the meet! I'll let you know! It sounds like it's going to be really fun!

Hey! We'd love to meet you at Epcot....just let us know! It should be a lot of fun.

Hi Alan and Renfroes'. Thank you for starting the other thread!! Hopefully other disers will see it and join in!!
Only this morning and tomorrow and I will have all of our ADR's!! Even scored an illuminations cruise for my daughter and son in laws anniversary. Now to figure out how to get a cake on board without them knowing!!!

Hi SunnieRN! It looks like our list for the meet is steadily growing. Congrats on getting your ADRs! IF you are like me, you feel a lot better having those taken care of. That Illuminations cruise should be wonderful! That will be something they will never forget.

Ya, I've been having lots of trouble keeping up on all my subscriptions and my TR lately. Too many to read! But, I keep trying!

We actually stayed at SSR in January with our Developer Points. BUT, come December-AKV HERE WE COME!

That DIS meet looks like soooooooooo much fun! Wow! I can't wait to see the pics! I wish I could be there in May!

Hi Brook! Hope all is well with you and your family. I just LOVE reading your trip reports - you have a real gift for writing!

I had forgotten that the January trip was the "bonus" trip to SSR. I know you all are looking forward to AKV in December!

The meet will be a lot of fun! I can just imagine a big group picture of all of us in the France pavilion!

Hi Alan !!!

Hi Rosie! Thanks for popping by!

Hey Alan, since we will be meeting at the Dis meet I thought I should come check your PTR out. Looks like we have many days in common.

Hi Lessa! Welcome to our pre-trip report! Only 82 more days! We are looking forward to meeting you at Epcot! We may run into you all throughout the week as well.

Wow Alan, love your ADR's. What time are you leaving on Friday? Just curious because your Kona is earlier than most of your dinners. Your ADR's make me want to try the Deluxe dining just so I can try some 2 TS meals. Fortunately we'll have a kitchen this time so we can make a quick breakfast. You'll love O'hana's! Ohana & Boma are our favorite places to eat. I vote for breakfast at Boma's. I remember your DD was ill the last time. I think you'll all enjoy it better this time. My, that 90 day mark came quickly for you! Too bad our vacation is the end of August .

Thanks - We are all thrilled with our ADRs for this trip! I still would like to try Artist Point, but the rest of the family wanted to go back to Narcoossee's. (Especially DS! He wants to have another one of those Whole Maine Lobsters again! I can't argue with that!)

Yes, you are right about the early ADR on Friday at Kona. We made an early dinner ADR so that we can get on the road. We live in North Alabama, so after dinner we will drive as far as we can before finding a roadside hotel for the night. The further can drive that night, the closer we'll be to home when we wake up on Saturday.

It is those 2TS credits that ultimately made us decide to do the Deluxe Dining Plan again. Is it too much food? Well.....yeah....it really is...but it is VACATION!! Having the Deluxe Dining Plan is like combining the concept of cruise dining or an all-inclusive resort package with being at Disneyworld! You feel like such a VIP!!

Actually, Ohana is one of the dinners I am most looking forward to. I love salad, love wings, love ribs, those dipping sauces look terrific, that welcome bread sounds wonderful, and top it all off with the bread pudding -are you kidding me? Sounds like a feast!

DD is still convinced that our breakfast at Boma is what caused her to be sick in the first place. (We are still trying to convince her otherwise.)

Yes Alan Boma for breakfast !! I can't wait !!!!!!

Be sure to ask for plenty of that yummy juice! Also, be sure to try some of those dishes that are a little different from your normal quisine. The Boboti is really good!

Thanks Alan,
Your info helped a lot. It doesn't look like we are able to be part of the Dis meet. Our plans just couldn't swin it.

Have a cold one a the pub for me! It looks like I am a day ahead of you at all of the parks. I'll keep my eye open for you.

Thanks again, have a safe and fun trip

Hey! Glad you found my info helpful. Too bad you'll be unable to meet up with us at Epcot, but of course we understand. I promise to have a cold one in your honor!!

 

[englishrose47]

Alan I just head that Star Wars weekend is definately May 22nd - 24th Of course there are other weekends too !! I got this from Mom's Panel Jo !! So I'm pretty confident it is correct !! Is DS a Star Was Fan???

 

[colinsdad]

Subscribing.

Just trying to catch up on this great (and lengthy PTR ). Since we're coming to the meet, I'm reading all the links in everyone's signatures. Hopefully I'll finish by May.

You noted in the other post that we may be the same person. Well great minds definately think alike. We're doing some hopping, but a lot of our days are similar and we may bump into you (especially after we meet on Sunday).

Sunday 17th - The the DIS Meet at Epcot of course, which sounds like its going to be.......wait for it...........Legendary!

Monday 18th - Morning/Afternoon AK. We're doing the EMH in AK, and I'm determined to make it to the Jamin' Jungle Parade. I've been to Disney umpteen times, get to AK early for the opening, get done or need a break before the 3:45 parade, and leave. I can't believe I've never seen this parade. That's just wrong.

Tuesday 19th - Evening MK. My DS is officially over 40 inches. He was close in September but there were many rides he couldn't do. I told him when we returned that he needed to eat his vegatables and vitamins so he could go on the "big boy" rides next time with Dad. It's amazing now that he hit the mark (what a big day that was for him ) that I can now say, "hey buddy, you need to eat those veggies so you don't shink and stay taller than 40 inches". It works, but is that mean? This trip he'll be able to go on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder at MK! It's going to be an entirely different trip this time.

Friday 22nd - DHS possibly all day. After all its Star Wars Weekend!! I love opening the park to the Stormtroopers guarding the gates. The Force is strong with my little padawan, so the Jedi Training Acadamy awaits.

Your ADR's are awesome btw. I'd love to do DxDP sometime. We'll be on the regular DDP and you can kind of tell that its catered to a DIS dad with a DS4. We're doing:
5/16 - Tony's Town Square 6:05
5/17 - 1900 Park Fare Cinderella's Gala Feast 5:55
5/18 - Whispering Canyon Cafe 6:15
5/19 - Crystal Palace 6:25
5/20 - Ohana BF 8:25am (OOP) Tutto Italia 6:30
5/21 - F! Mama Melrose 4:10
5/22 - Sci-Fi Dine In 12:50
5/23 - 1900 Park Fare Supercalifragilistic BF 8:30am (OOP)

I can't wait to read more of your PTR as well as those others who will be at the DIS meet. I did a DIS meet on my last trip in September and met some great people one evening at Beaches and Cream for some sundaes. If you ever make it or have been to B&C, I have 3 words....NO....WAY....JOSE!!!!

 

[englishrose47]

Colins Dad I too have a ptr gong but no link in siggie !! It's on the PTR board (I know original!!) Rosies Notso Rivetting Review !!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Alan I just head that Star Wars weekend is definately May 22nd - 24th Of course there are other weekends too !! I got this from Mom's Panel Jo !! So I'm pretty confident it is correct !! Is DS a Star Was Fan???

Oh, absolutely! DS & I both love Star Wars. DS has really gotten into it within the last year. We own the 4th, 5th, and 6th trilogy on DVD, but we have just recently gone back and watched 1, 2, and 3. Also, DS has really, really gotten into The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. We record all of them, and then watch them together! Since we found out about May 22 being the first day of SWW, we have been checking out pictures on other threads from last year's event. DS (and ME!) are very excited about it!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Subscribing.

Just trying to catch up on this great (and lengthy PTR ). Since we're coming to the meet, I'm reading all the links in everyone's signatures. Hopefully I'll finish by May.

You noted in the other post that we may be the same person. Well great minds definately think alike. We're doing some hopping, but a lot of our days are similar and we may bump into you (especially after we meet on Sunday).

Sunday 17th - The the DIS Meet at Epcot of course, which sounds like its going to be.......wait for it...........Legendary!

Monday 18th - Morning/Afternoon AK. We're doing the EMH in AK, and I'm determined to make it to the Jamin' Jungle Parade. I've been to Disney umpteen times, get to AK early for the opening, get done or need a break before the 3:45 parade, and leave. I can't believe I've never seen this parade. That's just wrong.

Tuesday 19th - Evening MK. My DS is officially over 40 inches. He was close in September but there were many rides he couldn't do. I told him when we returned that he needed to eat his vegatables and vitamins so he could go on the "big boy" rides next time with Dad. It's amazing now that he hit the mark (what a big day that was for him ) that I can now say, "hey buddy, you need to eat those veggies so you don't shink and stay taller than 40 inches". It works, but is that mean? This trip he'll be able to go on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder at MK! It's going to be an entirely different trip this time.

Friday 22nd - DHS possibly all day. After all its Star Wars Weekend!! I love opening the park to the Stormtroopers guarding the gates. The Force is strong with my little padawan, so the Jedi Training Acadamy awaits.

Your ADR's are awesome btw. I'd love to do DxDP sometime. We'll be on the regular DDP and you can kind of tell that its catered to a DIS dad with a DS4. We're doing:
5/16 - Tony's Town Square 6:05
5/17 - 1900 Park Fare Cinderella's Gala Feast 5:55
5/18 - Whispering Canyon Cafe 6:15
5/19 - Crystal Palace 6:25
5/20 - Ohana BF 8:25am (OOP) Tutto Italia 6:30
5/21 - F! Mama Melrose 4:10
5/22 - Sci-Fi Dine In 12:50
5/23 - 1900 Park Fare Supercalifragilistic BF 8:30am (OOP)

I can't wait to read more of your PTR as well as those others who will be at the DIS meet. I did a DIS meet on my last trip in September and met some great people one evening at Beaches and Cream for some sundaes. If you ever make it or have been to B&C, I have 3 words....NO....WAY....JOSE!!!!

Welcome aboard, colinsdad! Glad to have you along for the ride, and I'm looking forward to our meet.

Your itinerary looks great! We are going to hit AK on May 18th also for the AM EMH. Last year, DD was 8, and a little too afraid to try EE. This year, she says she wants to try it....so, we will make the mad dash to EE hopefully at rope drop. The plan is to ride EE, get fastpasses to ride again later, then head over to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Last year when we were at AK, DD was really sick and we had to leave earlier than we wanted. We didn't get to do the Festival of the Lion King or Kali River Rapids - so we definitely want to do both of those this time. We also enjoyed Finding Nemo: The Musical. I hope we'll have time to do that again as well.

DS & I are going to see how long we can go on Tuesday at MK. DW & DD will be having a girls afternoon together - with DD getting her hair braided at the GF, and she & her mom going to the afternoon tea at 5pm. Meanwhile, DS & I started a tradition last year - we had a "guys night" at Tony's Town Square, followed by some serious riding! We plan to do that again. I am very disappointed that Space Mountain will be closed, however. We actually decided to only go to MK for one day instead of two because of Space Mountain being closed. I'd rather go to DHS for two days and catch Star Wars Weekend!

Hahaha.....love your reference to you DS as your "little padawan!" I think my DS thinks I'm HIS padawan!! Anyway, I want to get there at rope drop and see the Stormtroopers also. I think DS really wants to see Asoka from the Clone Wars more than anything! Anyone remotely resembling Natalie Portman would float my boat! We had planned to do a half day at DHS and a half day at DTD, but we may end of being at DHS for most of the day.

You have some great ADRs made! Nice lineup.

Look forward to meeting you and DS. Have a great one!

Alan

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Alan I will be at MK on Tuesday too!!I will be heading for Buzz first thing !!Tuesday is always my MK day as it is suposed to be low crowd day !!! Is there such a thing at WDW!!!

 

[Camster0307]

Hey Alan! Congrats on getting all the ADRs you wanted! Everything looks great! Be sure to tell The Yachtsman you're celebrating an anniversary (doesn't matter what kind of anniversary!) - they will make a fuss over it! So does your "guys only" dinner at Tony's also include PM EMH at MK? I hope so! You'll be proud to know that Lauren and I lasted until 2:15am at MK last week!(PM EMH went until 3am!) The park is so wonderfully empty at that time - you'll love it!

Okay, so as far as I know at this point, here is the list of who all is planning to meet. (Those who are reading, please confirm!)

- alan_renfroe (that's us, Team Renfroe)
- englishrose47
- podsnel
- kgle
- SunnieRN
- MaryAZ
- kaysmommie
- Lifelong_Dreamer
- askelton
- leasmom
- karajeboo

Are there others? If so, just let me know!! Just imagine what a great group picture we will have for our trip reports when we get back! My family and I are looking forward to meeting all of you.

Oh, and here's a sidebar for those who are interested. We have some beer connoiseurs in our midst, so some of us are planning to slide over to the Rose & Crown for a pint after our meet, if we can get in.

I'll say it again - I'm sooo incredibly jealous of this meet. Podsnel was texting me the other day, trying to convince to come down also while she was there. Oh, it's so tempting! Now if I could just find some extra cash lying around.....

Wow, only two days to go!!! I hope your daughter has a wonderful birthday and that you both enjoy your trip!!

Thanks so much - we did!

I've got my 555 pix downloaded to photobucket and should be starting my trip report real soon (hopefully today - coming up with a title is the hardest part! )

 

[alan_renfroe]

Hi Alan I will be at MK on Tuesday too!!I will be heading for Buzz first thing !!Tuesday is always my MK day as it is suposed to be low crowd day !!! Is there such a thing at WDW!!!

We were thinking it might be a low crowd day as well. We have ressies at Crystal Palace for breakfast at 8:05am. After breakfast, we are planning to head for Frontierland to do BTMRR and Splash Mountain, then head to Fantasyland.

Hey Alan! Congrats on getting all the ADRs you wanted! Everything looks great! Be sure to tell The Yachtsman you're celebrating an anniversary (doesn't matter what kind of anniversary!) - they will make a fuss over it! So does your "guys only" dinner at Tony's also include PM EMH at MK? I hope so! You'll be proud to know that Lauren and I lasted until 2:15am at MK last week!(PM EMH went until 3am!) The park is so wonderfully empty at that time - you'll love it!

I'll say it again - I'm sooo incredibly jealous of this meet. Podsnel was texting me the other day, trying to convince to come down also while she was there. Oh, it's so tempting! Now if I could just find some extra cash lying around.....

Thanks so much - we did!

I've got my 555 pix downloaded to photobucket and should be starting my trip report real soon (hopefully today - coming up with a title is the hardest part! )

Hi Cammie! TWWWWIIISSSST.....TWWWIISSTT....TWWWISSTTT.... (That's the sound of me twisting your arm about joining Ellen at Disney in May!!!) C'mon - you KNOW you don't wanna miss this DIS-meet!!! You KNOW you can make it happen. (say "uncle".....SAY "UNCLE"...or I'll keep twisting!)

Thanks for the congrats on the ADRs - we are excited about our choices! We have already told Disney about Yachtsman being our "official" anniversary, but we'll mention it again when we check in.

Does our "guys only" night at Tony's entail PM EMH? OF COURSE!! You and Lauren have inspired us to do it right!!! We are saving Tomorrowland for after dinner that night, and hope we can do Buzz about 10 times!

Found your trip report!!! YAY!!! I've got something to read for the next couple of weeks to get me excited!! Be sure to explain in detail about Lauren getting her hair braided. We want to do DD's hair this time as well.

You've seriously got to consider joining us for our meet! No pressure or anything....but all the cool kids are doing it!

 

[podsnel]

We were thinking it might be a low crowd day as well. We have ressies at Crystal Palace for breakfast at 8:05am. After breakfast, we are planning to head for Frontierland to do BTMRR and Splash Mountain, then head to Fantasyland.



Hi Cammie! TWWWWIIISSSST.....TWWWIISSTT....TWWWISSTTT.... (That's the sound of me twisting your arm about joining Ellen at Disney in May!!!) C'mon - you KNOW you don't wanna miss this DIS-meet!!! You KNOW you can make it happen. (say "uncle".....SAY "UNCLE"...or I'll keep twisting!)

Thanks for the congrats on the ADRs - we are excited about our choices! We have already told Disney about Yachtsman being our "official" anniversary, but we'll mention it again when we check in.

Does our "guys only" night at Tony's entail PM EMH? OF COURSE!! You and Lauren have inspired us to do it right!!! We are saving Tomorrowland for after dinner that night, and hope we can do Buzz about 10 times!

Found your trip report!!! YAY!!! I've got something to read for the next couple of weeks to get me excited!! Be sure to explain in detail about Lauren getting her hair braided. We want to do DD's hair this time as well.

You've seriously got to consider joining us for our meet! No pressure or anything....but all the cool kids are doing it!

Keep twisting!!!! Don't give up!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Just curious when your Dec. trip is? We will be there Dec 2-9 and then at BayLake for the 9th and 10th.

We are checking in on December 8 and staying through the 15th! Were you planning on going down for Mouse Fest at all? We chose our dates to be around Mouse Fest and the scheduled shuttle launch at KSC. Mouse Fest has since been canceled for this year, but the DIS may do some sort of event. (I HOPE SO!)

I can't wait to read reviews of AKV and BLT!

Oh, absolutely! DS & I both love Star Wars. DS has really gotten into it within the last year. We own the 4th, 5th, and 6th trilogy on DVD, but we have just recently gone back and watched 1, 2, and 3. Also, DS has really, really gotten into The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. We record all of them, and then watch them together! Since we found out about May 22 being the first day of SWW, we have been checking out pictures on other threads from last year's event. DS (and ME!) are very excited about it!

It would be SO MUCH FUN to be there during Star Wars Weekend! I can't wait to read about it Alan!!

 

[inkedupmomma]

Today was our 90-day window for making dining reservations. I am happy to report that we got EVERY single ressie we were hoping for!! Not only that, but we got everything within 15 minutes of our ideal time for each place. This is going to be an awesome trip! The Deluxe Dining Plan, DISmeets, CSR....Yep, I'm getting excited!!

Here are our ADRs:

Saturday, May 16 -
Sci-Fi @ 12:15pm
Flying Fish @ 7:05pm

Sunday, May 17 -
Le Cellier @ 12:45pm
'Ohana @ 6:35pm

Monday, May 18 -
Yak & Yeti @ noon
Narcoossee's @ 7:30pm

Tuesday, May 19 -
Crystal Palace @ 8:05am
The Wave @ noon
Garden View Tea Room @ 5:00pm (girls only)
Tony's Town Square @ 6:00pm (guys only)

Wednesday, May 20 -
Chef Mickey's @ 8:05am
Raglan Road @ 2:15pm
California Grill @ 7:55pm

Thursday, May 21 -
Coral Reef @ 1:00pm
Yachtsman Steakhouse @ 7:15pm (We will be celebrating our 15-yr anniversary of when we first met!)

Friday, May 22 -
Mama Melrose @ noon
Kona Cafe @ 5:00pm

Some caveats:
- We would still have 6 dining credits left among the four of us. We are considering adding breakfast at Boma on May 17th, which would use four of them, or we may possibly hang on to them for the sake of spontenaity.
- Even if we use the four credits at Boma, that would still leave us with two credits. We intend to eat at the Pepper Market at least once. (Two credits at PM is enough to feed all four of us at breakfast.) If we do not do Boma, we could do PM three times using two credits per time.

Well....there you have it!! What do you think?

Alan

Hey there!! Thanks for all the awesome comments on my PTRA!! and KUDOS on your awesome PTR!! Also, hooray for getting all the adr's you wanted!! great choices! I also will be on the dxdp at csr, and could not be more thrilled! Can't wait to hear your tr, to see how you liked it!!