The Family That Runs Together...Vacations Together-A May 2012 PTR *5/12

[MHTeacher]

I have one must-buy at this park (I’ve also seen that it’s in MK, so I’m not going to cry if it’s not here) and that would be a certain coffee cup that I have seen on both Nermel9’s and RinkyTinkyTinky’s TR:

I think that one can never have enough Disney coffee mugs!

When we went as kids, my parents left the park in the evenings.

Why??

Because all 3 of us kids wanted to play in the pool…

I'm laughing just reading this, because I posted last week on another PTR about how when I was growing up, my family always left around dinner so we could eat dinner off-site, and then swim at our off site hotel, and then head to bed! Before I went to Disney as an adult, I didn't even know there was a night-time parade and a firework show!

 

[wakica]

Sounds like a perfect first girlsday

I LOVE the mug!!! A mug is on my list as well b/c I'm a tea drinker so I'll be on the lookout to see which mug will be coming home with me too I cant wait to see all the different kinds and I'm sure it's going to be hard to pick just one. I'd be tempted to do a few but I always hate the thought of packing a bunch of breakable things in my suitcase So one will have to do and I will make sure it's SUPER DUPER padded in my suitcase.

I love FOTLK too! That last time DD saw it she was 5 and then we didn't see it after that so I can't wait to see it again this time. I'm sure she'll love it too - it's such a great show!!

 

[20thingamabobs]

I'm loving your plans so far! Especially a relaxing day in Animal Kingdom! Can't go wrong there! It's making me sad though... You're getting so much Disney time and somehow, I let DF talk me into not spending any time in the parks... that's right, NONE!! Oh, well... I guess I get to go often enough that it's not a huge deal.

 

[teekathepony]

woo hoo! Only 28 days!!
Love the AK plans. That mug is awesome. I had a giraffe patterned mug I just had to have from AK. Having the right mug matters!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Woohoo Animal Kingdom and then Magic Kingdom...sounds like the perfect day and to be able to share it with your mum =

Hope you enjoy FOTLK and have a successful safari.

I've seen that cup a few times and wouldn't min getting one myself!

OMG can't believe your mum has never seen any of the entertainment shows at MK...hope you get to share them with her on your upcoming trip.

 

[amazingact21]

I think that one can never have enough Disney coffee mugs!


I'm laughing just reading this, because I posted last week on another PTR about how when I was growing up, my family always left around dinner so we could eat dinner off-site, and then swim at our off site hotel, and then head to bed! Before I went to Disney as an adult, I didn't even know there was a night-time parade and a firework show!

That's a very true statement....I might use it if I run across a second coffee cup I like.

I don't know what it is about kids and swimming, but they just love going to the pool....
My mom said that for us kids, it was the first time we'd ever stayed somewhere where there was a pool, so the whole concept was amazing to us.

Sounds like a perfect first girlsday

I LOVE the mug!!! A mug is on my list as well b/c I'm a tea drinker so I'll be on the lookout to see which mug will be coming home with me too I cant wait to see all the different kinds and I'm sure it's going to be hard to pick just one. I'd be tempted to do a few but I always hate the thought of packing a bunch of breakable things in my suitcase So one will have to do and I will make sure it's SUPER DUPER padded in my suitcase.

I love FOTLK too! That last time DD saw it she was 5 and then we didn't see it after that so I can't wait to see it again this time. I'm sure she'll love it too - it's such a great show!!

I think mugs make a great souvenir, because it's something you can actually use frequently after your trip, but I can definitely see where you're coming from. If I had to fly and had to pack it in a suitcase, I'd be a little hesitant to buy a lot.

I'm loving your plans so far! Especially a relaxing day in Animal Kingdom! Can't go wrong there! It's making me sad though... You're getting so much Disney time and somehow, I let DF talk me into not spending any time in the parks... that's right, NONE!! Oh, well... I guess I get to go often enough that it's not a huge deal.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to this trip. This will be my longest trip to Disney yet. The most I've done is 5 days, so I'm not sure how to handle a whole week.
I can't imagine not going into ANY parks! But at least you can enjoy AK for the night.... Silver lining...

woo hoo! Only 28 days!!
Love the AK plans. That mug is awesome. I had a giraffe patterned mug I just had to have from AK. Having the right mug matters!

There's a giraffe mug at AK?!?!?!??!!! Let's hope I don't spot that one first, because if so then that's my purchase. (For the record, giraffes are my favorite animal. Alex proposed to me in front of them, so they hold a special place in my heart.)

Woohoo Animal Kingdom and then Magic Kingdom...sounds like the perfect day and to be able to share it with your mum =

Hope you enjoy FOTLK and have a successful safari.

I've seen that cup a few times and wouldn't min getting one myself!

OMG can't believe your mum has never seen any of the entertainment shows at MK...hope you get to share them with her on your upcoming trip.

I think it's going to be a fun day. Will give my mom and I a chance to relax and just enjoy hanging out with each other.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Love the plans! NEVER seen the fireworks??I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you have a beautiful evening to enjoy them!

I feel the same way you do about how quickly the time is passing! So much to do in so little time! I kept thinking this morning as I was doing a post that I should be finalizing my index cards and seeing what I still need to buy (I plan on getting that out of the way tomorrow) then throw that in the suitcases! But instead I'm on here

 

[Elleshoodat]

for mother-daughter time. I love that y'all aren't going to be frantic, too ... just knocking out your must-dos and taking your time with everything else.

I've never seen that mug before, but it is super cute. A new coffee mug (or two -- maybe one for home, one for work) is on my wish list this trip, too. You can never have too many of them!

 

[teekathepony]

There's a giraffe mug at AK?!?!?!??!!! Let's hope I don't spot that one first, because if so then that's my purchase. (For the record, giraffes are my favorite animal. Alex proposed to me in front of them, so they hold a special place in my heart.)

Haha it was a while ago, my 2007 trip I think and I can't recall seeing them since. I believe I got it at Animal Kingdom Lodge actually... It's lime green inside and large giraffe pattern outside. I hope you can find it though, it's a pretty awesome mug!

 

[amazingact21]

Love the plans! NEVER seen the fireworks??I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you have a beautiful evening to enjoy them!

I feel the same way you do about how quickly the time is passing! So much to do in so little time! I kept thinking this morning as I was doing a post that I should be finalizing my index cards and seeing what I still need to buy (I plan on getting that out of the way tomorrow) then throw that in the suitcases! But instead I'm on here

I feel so unorganized right now it's frightening. I still want to buy some new clothes, but I just don't think I have the time. I'm sure the 1st of May, I am going to be running around the house scrambling!

for mother-daughter time. I love that y'all aren't going to be frantic, too ... just knocking out your must-dos and taking your time with everything else.

I've never seen that mug before, but it is super cute. A new coffee mug (or two -- maybe one for home, one for work) is on my wish list this trip, too. You can never have too many of them!

Alex and I hit Disney pretty hard, never taking too long to rest, so I wanted to make sure we kept our same system on the days that he's with us. But once it's just my mom and I, we are going to stop and enjoy ourselves.

Haha it was a while ago, my 2007 trip I think and I can't recall seeing them since. I believe I got it at Animal Kingdom Lodge actually... It's lime green inside and large giraffe pattern outside. I hope you can find it though, it's a pretty awesome mug!

Hmmm, rats....maybe I can find a few seconds to sneak over to AKL and just look and see. Alex and I have never been there before, maybe this is the opening I need to look at a new resort.

 

[cinderella crazy]

I saw this and I immediately turned to my DH and said "I must have this!" Thank you for posting the picture! I have way too many mugs but one more won't hurt...right?

 

[amazingact21]

I saw this and I immediately turned to my DH and said "I must have this!" Thank you for posting the picture! I have way too many mugs but one more won't hurt...right?

I can't blame you, it's a really cute mug! And you can never have too many coffee cups.

 

[amazingact21]

Day 6 Plans/May 9th:


By this point we’ll be on the downhill slide of our trip, not counting down the days we have left but rather how many until we have to leave.


Kinda makes me sad just thinking about it.


But this day should be a really fun day for us girls.


We have 2 things to do this day.


TWO!


Yep, that it. Two teensy tiny things that aren’t even that difficult.


They’re food reservations!


I wasn’t originally planning on taking a complete down day, but a few months after we decided to go to Disney I was editing some of my old photos from our Key West trip back in 2009. This was the all-girls trip that myself, my mother, my two aunts, and my cousins took together, and I remembered that our favorite day of the whole trip was when we all sat around by the pool.


See, here are just a few pictures:

I felt like that would be kind of fun to do again, even though 3 of the others won’t be with us.


So, the goal is to wake up around 7:30/8:00am and get ready. I’m going to drive us over to the TTC center, where we’ll take the monorail over to the Grand Floridian for our 9:40am ADR at:


1900 Park Fare!!!


I’ll be honest, the restaurant itself isn’t the big draw here. It’s the Grand Floridian.

For years, my mother has Oohed and Awwed over this resort. It’s her absolute favorite resort; she feels like it is beautiful and elegant and the perfect design for something so close to Magic Kingdom.


As soon as I began picking ADRs, I knew I had to pick a GF restaurant.


And I am still so glad that I did.


When I first told my mom that we were eating at 1900 Park Fare, she didn’t get it at first. Then, when realization dawned on her, she got excited. And after about five minutes, she just exclaimed, “I get to go inside the Grand Floridian?!”


That alone was more than worth it for me.


If we get to the GF early, we’ll look around for a bit; if not, I’ll take my mom on a tour of the resort after breakfast. Either way, we’ll both have a ton of fun looking around and feeling like princesses inside the resort.


Once the two of us have gotten our fill of the GF, we’ll head back to All Star Sports and spend the day lounging by the pool.


It’s going to be so incredibly nice to have a whole day of doing nothing. Well, we’ll most likely do some laundry, but that’s not hard.


Sometimes, I feel like I need a vacation after my Disney vacation, and I did NOT want that this time around. I don’t want my mom going back home exhausted and tired and overheated, so I think this down time is going to do wonders for us.


The day is open for anything until about 5:30, when we have to head to Epcot.


I made us a 6:20 ADR at Via Napoli for this night for three reasons.


1) I’ve read so many great reviews about this place, that I feel confident we’re going to really enjoy the food.

2) My mom lived in Italy for 3 ½ years, where she had my older brother, and May 9th is his birthday. It’ll be like we’re celebrating his 26th birthday, even though he’ll be all the way across the country. (Well, practically all the way, he’s in Nebraska right now.)

3) When my mom and I went to Epcot in 2004, we ate at Tutto Italia (I don’t care if I misspelled that, I’m not trying.) We had an absolute blast! Our server was named Luca and he was very charming, which made my 14 year old self practically fly through the roof. We split the Fettuccini Alfredo and Tiramisu and talked about everything under the sun and it was a great time. Living with my father and two brothers, my mom and I rarely got any time alone, let alone uninterrupted girl time, so I cherished that day for a long, long time. And I kind of wanted to re-live it at Via Napoli.


I don’t think I can say enough how much I’m looking forward to eating here. Even though Crystal Palace is what I’m most excited about, I figure it’s okay to give Via Napoli some attention since I’m eating dinner at one and breakfast at the other.


I wish I could say I already knew what I was ordering, but every time I glance at the menu, I think every single thing looks delicious, and I can’t decide. My mom is most likely going to get the pizza that comes with prosciutto and cantaloupe, because that is one of her favorite food combinations. I say Bleck, but to each their own…


I saw on QueenofallThings TR that she ordered Rosa Regale wine at the restaurant, and my mother and I already talked about getting a nice glass of wine with dinner. We both only like sweet wines, though (my mother used to only be able to get Moscato in Italy, and that’s her absolute favorite) so since I read this one is sweet, I’ll probably get that. I am like the lightweight of lightweights, though, and I don’t ever really drink so one glass will be more than enough for me.


For dessert, knowing my mother and I, we’ll both order the tiramisu. It’s such a wonderful treat, and my mom is sorta picky about tiramisus. I guess since she spent so many years eating the authentic kind, there’s not a lot of places where we live that make it “the right way,” as she says. But, we both figure she’ll be really happy with this particular one, so no complaints there.



This is going to be our last time in Epcot, so our plan is go on and/or see anything we want to one last time. Hopefully, we will have seen IllumiNations on our first night, so while that is going on, we can catch one last ride.


Then, sadly, we’ll say goodbye to Epcot and go back to our room to sleep. When we wake up it’ll be our last day at Disney.

 

[wakica]

ooooohhh, that sounds like a PERFECT day to me I am really hoping I can get DD and DH to have a down day like that. and even if I don't get them to I guess I can always send them off to be busy bodies while I have my own relaxing day but I TOTALLY know what you mean about needing a vacation from your vacation!!! We always feel like we need some time off when we get home to get over our exhaustion. LOL.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Aww I love the reaction that your mom had about being able to go inside the GF! That's awesome!

If you like a sweet wine, I am certain you will love the Rose Regale, I still dream about it and can't wait to hit Via Napoli next month and have a glass (I believe they sell it outside at a kiosk too....might have to grab one there and enjoy the scenery

 

[Nermel9]

I'm so jealous you got Mickey Mail already! Once I hit 30 days, I become a mailbox stalker and nothing yet! And I'm at 28 days today! Ughhhh!!!

Your plans are all looking great! I have that mug wit the different animal print Mickey heads on it, I LOVE it!

Eating at the GF will be nice, I've always wanted to try 1900 PF but I'm guessing Brandon won't really be to into it!

And that's awesome that your going to Via Napoli, and that it will be so special for you guys, you are going to love it, it's SO good!

 

[teekathepony]

Sounds like a lovely relaxing day. My father is the same way about the GF, he just loves it. Glad your mom is excited to go inside!

 

[amazingact21]

ooooohhh, that sounds like a PERFECT day to me I am really hoping I can get DD and DH to have a down day like that. and even if I don't get them to I guess I can always send them off to be busy bodies while I have my own relaxing day but I TOTALLY know what you mean about needing a vacation from your vacation!!! We always feel like we need some time off when we get home to get over our exhaustion. LOL.

I have to admit, I'm really looking forward to a down day at the pool. And hey, we will have ran a 5K earlier that week...we deserve some rest!

Aww I love the reaction that your mom had about being able to go inside the GF! That's awesome!

If you like a sweet wine, I am certain you will love the Rose Regale, I still dream about it and can't wait to hit Via Napoli next month and have a glass (I believe they sell it outside at a kiosk too....might have to grab one there and enjoy the scenery

Planning a WDW trip with someone else is fun, because you get to treat them to little surprises like eating at the GF. I think that's one of the reasons I'm having such a good time planning for next month.

I'm so jealous you got Mickey Mail already! Once I hit 30 days, I become a mailbox stalker and nothing yet! And I'm at 28 days today! Ughhhh!!!

Your plans are all looking great! I have that mug wit the different animal print Mickey heads on it, I LOVE it!

Eating at the GF will be nice, I've always wanted to try 1900 PF but I'm guessing Brandon won't really be to into it!

And that's awesome that your going to Via Napoli, and that it will be so special for you guys, you are going to love it, it's SO good!

Huh, that's weird that you haven't gotten your Mickey Mail yet? Maybe we got ours sooner because we live closer and it didn't take as long to get here. Hope you get it soon!

Sounds like a lovely relaxing day. My father is the same way about the GF, he just loves it. Glad your mom is excited to go inside!

I guess there are some people who just have a special place in their heart for the GF. I'm hoping that after I show my mom the Poly, her opinion of favorite deluxe will change, but that's just because I love the Polynesian.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Oh my, you have the perfect day planned!!!

I love that you have 1900 PF booked for breakfast as I'm interested to hear how it is. We loved it for dinner, and as you know are going back next month. I think the characters are different for breakfast though, right?

Relaxing by the pool sounds like a wonderful, wonderful idea!

And though I haven't eaten at Via Napoli, the pics I've seen from there look absolutely wonderful! And I have to comment on the wine--I don't really consider myself a wine drinker as I actually bought my first bottle a couple weeks ago--but my sister has turned me on to Moscato as well! We ate at Olive Garden for her birthday, so when she ordered a bottle, I tried it and really liked it! Anyway, just thought that was cool since I hardly ever see or hear anyone mention Moscato!

 

[MHTeacher]

I love those days where you can just relax and enjoy the pool at your resort. So glad your mom's going to get to enjoy visiting the GF!