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

[alan_renfroe]

Alan your plans look good. Is the 16th SWW also though? We were there last year for SWW sat and it was not pretty. I'm not sure what date it starts on though.
Anyway everything does look great and I know you guys will have an awesome time!

Hi Michelle! I think Star Wars Weekend starts on Friday, May 22nd. I'm sure it will be very crowded but DS12 is ALL ABOUT some Star Wars! (He and I share that together!) I'm getting excited!

Hi Alan and Renfroes! Loved your trip report last year and really enjoying your pre trip report also. Sounds like you have a lot of awesome plans!
We will be there also in May from the 13th until 6/1.
What time is the Sunday Boma meet scheduled?
Looking forward to hearing about your adr's!!

Hi SunnieRN! Thanks for the kind words. I think this trip is going to terrific, just like last year! Hopefully we can meet up while we're there. We've got a meet scheduled with several DISers on May 17th at 3pm at Epcot at the France Pavilion. Can you make it? If not, we'll try to schedule a Sunday Boma Breakfast! Let me know what you're schedule looks like!

I cannot believe you are 5 days away from your ADR window opening!! Where did the time go?? I am so looking forward to another Team Renfroe trip. All of your plans look terrific!!

HI Christine! Hope all is well with you. I know.....it has been 9 months since our last WDW trip, and now we are only 92 days away from the next one! DD9 got a new digital camera for Christmas, so hopefully she will take as many pictures as I do...and we'll have twice as many in this year's trip report!

Ala am definately in for a met on the17th!! I also wantto do Boma for a Breakfast! So either or both are fine by me I posted on Karas thread also that the 17th would be good !! I am just about ready for my final ADRs ,man have they changed over the months !!! Let me know !!!

Hi Rosie!! I think we are pretty much settled on a meet with several MAYers on May 17th at Epcot at 3pm in the France Pavilion. Does that sound like a plan?

Alan, looks like we will not be anywhere at the same time-hard to believe! My schedule is all dependent on ADRs of course. As soon as we both get those set we can see if there is a time. I may move Epcot to Sun since we are hopefully eating there for dinner. Hmmm

Hi Mary! I know what you mean about your schedule being dependent on ADRs. I can't wait to get our ADRs made! I will be making mine in about 36 hours!

I moved Epcot to Sunday on my schedule as well to accommodate the DISmeets. My family and I are looking forward to meeting other DISers at the France Pavilion at 3pm on May 17th!

Hi Alan,

I have just been catching up on your pre trip..you all have been busy!! Your plans look great. How do you eat all of that food!?!

You were in the world last year the same time correct? How were the crowds.? Three out of our seven days post a 9 on the crowd-o-meter. I wasn't expecting that. Should I be worried? Not that we are changing our plans.

Any one else who has been there the week before Memorial day I would appreciate any input.

Happy planning!!

Hey friend! How have YOU been? We've missed ya!

Oh, for us eating that much food is not that difficult! Actually, DW almost became a chef....and she and I both have a passion for great food. Whenever and wherever we go on vacation, eating out is a big part of the fun for us. I like to travel and eat all kinds of food. WDW offers a lot of different dining experiences....and we want to introduce our children to different dining options as well. We are HUGE fans of the Food Network, Top Chef, etc.

Yes, we were there at the same time last year - the week prior to Memorial Day week. The crowds were wonderful early in the week. On the Sunday BEFORE the Memorial Day weekend Sunday, MK was practically empty for the first four hours. (Of course, it rained some that day as well....which may have affected the crowds.) I would say as the week carried on, the crowds got bigger and bigger. Our last day was the Friday before Memorial Day - the beginning of Memorial Day weekend - and the crowds were getting pretty heavy. I'd rank the crowds each day like this: Sunday = 3, Monday = 5, Tuesday = 5, Wednesday = 6, Thursday = 7, Friday = 8. (That's just my observation.)

Hi Alan! I think the 17th meet sounds good!! I'll let you know soon....

Hi Ellen! I hope you, Pods, and the boys can meet up with us on the 17th at Epcot! If not, we'll work with your schedule - just let us know. I'll post my ADRs when they become finalized.

 

[SunnieRN]

Hi Alan and Renfroes!!! May 17 was going to be a day off for us, so the Epcot meet sounds fantastic!! Will meet you all there with or without the family!!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Hi Alan

Haven't posted for a while but been reading along! Plans look great! We made our ADRs last week and booked Cali Grill based on your reviews!

We have also changed from Pop ... Going to PO Riverside now and can't wait!!

 

[englishrose47]

Okay Alan the17th it is !! I still am gonna do Boma for breakfast but will be looking whether to do it Sunday or another day!!Ya know there is the Patisierre in France and I am drooling over a Raspberry Shuss !!

 

[Michelle_and_Aaron]

Hi Alan

Haven't posted for a while but been reading along! Plans look great! We made our ADRs last week and booked Cali Grill based on your reviews!

We have also changed from Pop ... Going to PO Riverside now and can't wait!!

Oooh good. I can't wait to see all yor lovely reviews again. What about the Pop cheese and chili dog. Isn't that why you guys wanted to stay there in the first place? And the yummy frozen coke in the food court. You guys will just have to go there for a meal or to so you can get the hotdogs your hubby loves!

 

[Camster0307]

OMG- I am sooooo jealous of this mega-DIS meet that seems to be happening; so many cool DISers involved. I think I have to figure out a way to get my butt down to Disney in May!

Alan - if my calculations are right, you'll be trying for those ADRs tomorrow? Good luck! Hope you get everything you want!

 

[SunnieRN]

OMG- I am sooooo jealous of this mega-DIS meet that seems to be happening; so many cool DISers involved. I think I have to figure out a way to get my butt down to Disney in May!

Alan - if my calculations are right, you'll be trying for those ADRs tomorrow? Good luck! Hope you get everything you want!

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

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Oooh good. I can't wait to see all yor lovely reviews again. What about the Pop cheese and chili dog. Isn't that why you guys wanted to stay there in the first place? And the yummy frozen coke in the food court. You guys will just have to go there for a meal or to so you can get the hotdogs your hubby loves!

Ah thank you!! Yes he seems to have forgotton about them for now, and I havent gone out of my way to remind him while I was working on the upgrade !!! We will have to head there once though so I finally get some of that tye-die cheese cake!!

 

[alan_renfroe]

Hi Alan and Renfroes!!! May 17 was going to be a day off for us, so the Epcot meet sounds fantastic!! Will meet you all there with or without the family!!

Hi SunnieRN! That's awesome!! I think it will be great to have a meet with several of us DISers....and get a group picture, of course! We are very excited about meeting everyone. The only thing that could make a great vacation at WDW any better would be to meet some new friends as well!

Hi Alan

Haven't posted for a while but been reading along! Plans look great! We made our ADRs last week and booked Cali Grill based on your reviews!

We have also changed from Pop ... Going to PO Riverside now and can't wait!!

Hi! I sure hope you love Cali Grill as much as we did. I promise you, of all our experiences at Disney on our last trip, the most "magical" was having dinner on the 15th floor of the Contemporary, and following that exquisite dinner with a viewing of the fireworks show from the observation deck in which you literally seem to be looking down on the fireworks from above!

Check out this thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1331459 This DISer, ehagerty, has eaten at Cali Grill about 10 times over the last two years and has his own thread of pictures he's made of the food he has ordered. If this thread doesn't excite you, I don't know what will!!

Congrats on your upgrade to POR! We've never stayed there, but we have friends who absolutely love it. We almost stayed there on our last trip, but decided to try CSR instead. (Of course now we are CSR people!)

Okay Alan the17th it is !! I still am gonna do Boma for breakfast but will be looking whether to do it Sunday or another day!!Ya know there is the Patisierre in France and I am drooling over a Raspberry Shuss !!

We are considering doing Boma for breakfast that morning also, but haven't made that determination yet. I am greatly looking forward to our meet!

Oooh good. I can't wait to see all yor lovely reviews again. What about the Pop cheese and chili dog. Isn't that why you guys wanted to stay there in the first place? And the yummy frozen coke in the food court. You guys will just have to go there for a meal or to so you can get the hotdogs your hubby loves!

Hi Michelle! I think we are going to make a half hour or so in our schedule to just drop by the Pop and check it out for next time. I'm thinking we may have to go inside the food court and sample the tye-dye cheesecake?

OMG- I am sooooo jealous of this mega-DIS meet that seems to be happening; so many cool DISers involved. I think I have to figure out a way to get my butt down to Disney in May!

Alan - if my calculations are right, you'll be trying for those ADRs tomorrow? Good luck! Hope you get everything you want!

Hi Cammie!! No pressure or anything, but all the cool kids are doing it!!! C'mon....what are you waiting for? I know you can find a way to justify it...somehow!

More about your calculations concerning ADRs in my next post.

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

Yeah, Cammie. Best wishes to you and Lauren on your trip. Let her know that the Renfroes wish her a Happy Birthday!

We will have to head there once though so I finally get some of that tye-die cheese cake!!

Yep, ditto!

 

[alan_renfroe]

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

 

[shannon47142]

your plans look great--I'm excited to read about your adventures! How much more time is left????

 

[Lady Lallie]

Your ADRs look great, Alan. I am so glad you were able to get everything you wanted!! I hope I have the same luck next Saturday.

 

[MaryAz]

Wow, those look great. All that you wanted and the times too, awesome!! Makes me hungry just looking at it!! Congrats!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Alan - I haven't posted in a while, but I just got all caught up! Congrats on the CSR upgrade and all of your ADRs! I know I feel better having my ADRs made.

Not much longer now!!

 

[TigerKat]

I'm so happy you were able to get everything you wanted!

 

[kgle]

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

Alan!! I have ressies at Le Cellier on the 17th at 12:30!!

 

[bertegirl]

Yumm-o-!!! Thats all I can say. I am counting the days until we can try this food I keep staring at photos of...

 

[pmama]

I'm jealous What fun!!! Can't wait to hear how they all go. Great choices.

 

[UsNew2Disney2008]

Just stopping by to say hi. I don't know if you remember - but you helped me a lot while I was planning on taking my son to WDW last year. We're now planning our family trip - and will be there (at CSR) a week before you this year! Enjoying your planning!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Eek! I was pages behind!

First, CONGRATULATIONS on the upgrade!! The bit of extra money I think will well be worth it in the bed alone.

The DIS meet sounds awesome! How much fun will that be?!

And on getting all your ADRs! All the meals sound GREAT! I've always wanted to try the Pepper Market, but we've never made it over there.