The Graduate Takes on WDW - Again!

[Castillo Mom]

Where to begin......

I really should be hanging my head in shame. I mean, here I am starting a pre-trip report when I haven't even finished the TR from '07. I'm not making any promises but I'll try to finish it at some point but I'm not committing myself to a date!

But back to the subject at hand - our upcoming trip! Oh, wait. Maybe I should give a little history before getting into the details.

Our first trip to WDW was back in August of '04. It was a vacation that was two years in the making. In the early planning stages in '02 I had planned on staying off site. He he, I didn't even know the difference between off site vs on site. Until one day I came across the WDW official website and ordered the planning DVD. It was all downhill from there - I became hooked on the idea of staying at on property. We ended up staying at Beach Club and had a fabulous 10 day trip.

On the plane ride back home we were already talking about when we we would return. My eldest son Damian decided he'd like like to come back to WDW as a graduation present. As soon as we got home I went into planning mode.

In August '07 we enjoyed the trip of a lifetime in celebration of my son's graduation and were joined by extended family. We stayed at the Polynesian for 11 glorious days followed by a 7 day Disney cruise. A lot of time and energy was spent coordinating what with family arriving and departing on different day but the memories we created were well worth it!

Fast forward to August '08. I was lurking on the DIS and wandered on over to the DVC boards and learned of some sweet incentives for buying into DVC. I reasoned that being a Disneyland AP holder, it only made sense to do the tour just for fun. I mean, what would be the harm? I could ask a few questions, score a cold beverage and some fast passes and then think about it. Looking back, deep down inside I had every intention of buying. 5 minutes into the tour I was sold! AKV would be our new "home"!

My middle son David will be graduating this June. At first we were planning a grad trip to Hawaii with family but things just didn't pan out. What to do? I left it up to my son and he decided he'd like to go back to WDW. Circumstances being what they are, my other two sons won't be joining us so it'll be just David and I. At first I felt very guilty about them not going, but being the loving brothers that they are, they understood that this trip is about David. Damian had his trip and my youngest Daniel who will graduate the year after next, will have his too.

Ok, so now we're down to the fun details!

The Players:
Me - Lisa, lover of all things Disney and mom to three wonderful sons.

David - the graduate. My son has worked very hard these past 4 years and I'm sooo proud of him! He loves Disney as much as me and his brothers and is a huge Mickey fan. He's looking forward to having some one on one time with mom.

Here's a picture of us on the Disney Magic on Pirate Night:

Dates of Travel:
8/8/09 - 8/21/09. Yup, two weeks!

Resort:
We'll be staying in a studio room at SSR for 6 nights then moving over to AKV studio SV for 1 night and 1 bedroom SV for 6 nights.

We're so excited about staying at AKV with a view of the savannah. I figured this was the right choice since we'll be spending more down time at our resort now that we own DVC. No need go commando anymore, right?

As for SSR, at first I wasn't that thrilled about it but the idea of staying there is really starting to grow on me. It's super close to DTD and, and, and, they have a spa! I've always wanted to but never had time to get a spa treatment at WDW but darn it, this time I'm gonna do it. No excuses!

So what have I accomplished thus far with the planning? Airfare has been purchased. Yup, did that in October - talk about obsessive, right? Obviously our room reservations have been made.

Ooh, ooh! I bought Cirque tickets last week. Shhh, it's a surprise! David has been wanting to see that since our first trip, but no one else wanted to except me, so that'll be a special mother-son evening. I got tickets for the late show so that we can have a nice dinner at DTD. I'm thinking of Wolfgang Puck Cafe or Wolfgang Puck's "The Dining Room". Actually, if anyone can give me advice on these two restaurants, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm kind of confused as to the differences between them. Anyone?

There's not a whole lot else I can do right now planning-wise. With just the two of us going this time, there's a lot less coordinating to do as opposed to last trip when there were 9 of us. Can't really work on the itinerary too much yet now that Disney went back to the 90 day ADR window.

I pretty much decided we'll do the DP again but I'm not sure if I want to go with basic or deluxe, or maybe even a combination thereof since our reservations are split. We'll see.

May can't come soon enough! Can't wait for the reviews of Kidani Village. And I'm sooo looking forward to the 3:30 a.m. wake up call when my 90 day window hits. One of the disadvantages of living on the West Coast I guess, but the obsessive planner in me tells me it's something I gotta do. Hah, I know it sounds sick but I secretly get excited about it and can barely get any sleep the night before!

So that's pretty much it for now. I'll be updating my PTR anytime I work on our plans or just for a Disney fix after a long day at work. TTFN!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Update alert!

Before I do my mini update, let me backtrack a little.

When I purchased my AKV points last September, I was given 160 matching developer points at SSR. When one makes a reservation using developer points, it can't be viewed online and they don't give you one over the phone, you have to actually wait for an email or the written confirmation from DVC. I booked us at SSR two months ago so it meant putting a hold on being able to make ME reservations.

The wait is over! I got my confirmation in the mail yesterday. First order of business today was to call Member Services. The CM was so sweet and quite chatty which I like. He commented on our two week length of stay and said that we must be very special people to want to stay in WDW that long. Hmm, what that a compliment or??? Well, I took it as a compliment - yes, we're big Disney geeks and proud of it!

Booking ME may seem like such a minor thing to get excited about. Actually, I had briefly thought about booking a limo but when I mentioned it to David he said, "Limo? I want to take the Disney Bus. Why spend the money on a limo, I like the Disney Bus." I was floored. Oh excuse me Mr. Man, been there done that, eh? It wouldn't have been his first limo ride, he has been there and done that but I thought he'd enjoy the star treatment since this is a special occasion. Oh well, I love ME and who doesn't want to save a few $$?

So here I am again, basking in the glow of making ground transportation arrangements and wondering what to do next? I've been very tempted to start clothes shopping but I've been trying to exercise some self control this time around. For those who aren't aware, I have the shopping gene. Yup, got it from my mom. My sister has it too. How bad do I have it? Let me just say that last trip was 17 days (11 days WDW, 7 day Disney cruise). Each of my 3 sons had 17 t-shirts, 4 polo shirts, 4 collared shirts. That didn't include their shorts, 2 pairs of jeans and suit formal night on the cruise. Wanna have a look see at our luggage?

Yup, eight bags between the four of us are shown here.

The eight bags didn't even include two carry-ons plus the boys' backpacks. I know, I know, I should hang my head in shame. Believe me, the bell hops and drivers got tipped well.

Seriously though, in the past I've hated the idea of having to do laundry on vacation because I can't stand laundromats. Now that we have DVC, I'm actually open to the idea now that we'll have a washer/dryer in our villa. How hard can it be to do a quick load while I sit out on the balcony with a glass of wine while watching the animals out on the savannah?

So anyway, no out of control shopping this time around, no siree. And I've been a good girl too. We've made numerous visits to Disneyland over the last few months and I've kept to my vow of waiting until at least June before I buy any of the cute tees I've been seeing at the World of Disney store.

I read somewhere on the DIS that June park hours were released. That means only two more months before August park hours, ADRs and TourGuide Mike's secret peals of wisdom. Woohoo!

 

[Castillo Mom]

So we still have 4 months, 4 weeks, 2 days before our trip according to my ticker. Sigh. Last week at work totally sucked lemons and today I have the Monday blues. This trip really can't come soon enough.

Last night to help get me out of my funk, I decided to start a list of restaurants we plan to eat at. For us, dining is an integral part of the trip. It gives us the opportunity to get out of the heat, relax and bond over a good meal.

On our last trip we had some wonderful meals. Two that stand out are Jiko and Narcoossee's. The short rib at Jiko was fabulous and the surf and turf at Narcoossee's was delish! The service at both was excellent. We also got the dining plan for "free" and appetizer and tip were included.

Well, apparently those days are gone. No more app and tip included. No more "free dining" for us since we're DVCers now. That's ok, I decided that the basic plan would still be a pretty good deal based on the places we like to dine at, the food we like. We tend to be on the picky side in terms of quality but are fairly adventurous diners.

So what's on the list?

Sit Down Meals:

'Ohana: We've decided to make this an arrival day tradition. On our two previous trips, we had dinner there our first night in WDW so it seemed fitting to make it tradition. We love 'Ohana. The food is pretty good, we get a view of the castle and the tranquility and atmosphere of the Polynesian is just what I need to unwind from those long, stressful hours at work. It's the perfect place for giving us that feeling that we've finally arrived!

Jiko: As I mentioned, the food here is excellent so I had to put it on our must do list.

Sanaa: I'm really looking forward to eating here. Even though the menu hasn't been published yet, what little I've read indicates that this should be a unique dining experience. Besides, our home will be Kidani Village, so it only makes sense to try it out.

Boma: I'm planning on another breakfast here. We've rated them as having the best breakfast buffet from the ones we've tried at Disney World. Delish! We're also having dinner here which, believe it or not, will be our first time. Nope, haven't ever had a zebra dome yet.

Wolfgang Puck's "The Dining Room": At first I didn't know the difference between this one and the Cafe. I took a good look at both menus and finally made a decision. "The Dining Room" has shrimp risotto on the menu and from the description sounds lovely. I'm going to make an ADR here for the night we see La Nouba. Can't wait!

Yachtsman's Steakhouse: We've never gotten the chance to eat here so we're really looking forward to it. I've seen pictures of the bread with butter and roasted garlic. Mmmm!

Yak and Yeti: I was a little torn about this one but we want to try it out. Haven't decided yet whether we're having lunch or dinner here.

California Grill: Another first for us. I'm hoping we can time it with Wishes.

Turf Club: I wasn't that enthusiastic about this place after looking at the menu but I've read a lot of good reviews so I've added it to the list. It makes sense to try it at least once since we'll be at SSR for the first half of the trip.

Citricos: I was really torn about whether to go to Narcoossee's again since we had such a fabulous time there before but I've been wanting to try Citricos. I'm thinking maybe the veal shank.

Sci-Fi Dine-In: We love it here! Perfect place to get out of the heat for a nice lunch. The food isn't anything to write home about but it's decent and the theme of the restaurant is so fun. This time I definitely want to try one of the shakes which I missed out on last time.

Kona Cafe: I'm thinking we're going to try breakfast here this time around. Last time we had dinner which was very good but I'm dying to try those macadamia nut pancakes I keep seeing pictures of!

Crystal Palace: Haven't decided whether we're having lunch or dinner here but there isn't a huge difference in the menu from what I can see. The highlight for me at this place is the flan. It's almost as good as the one I make at home.

Raglan Road: This one is a maybe for lunch. Depends on whether I can fit it into the itinerary. Would love to try the crab sandwich though.


Counter Service:

Wolfgang Puck Express: OMG, we love this place! I have a feeling we're going to eat here at least twice. There's so much to choose from one the menu and it all looks sooo good.

Earl of Sandwich: This one is a maybe. If we make it there, it'll be our first time.

Columbia Harbour House: This is our fav counter service at MK. This time I'm going to try the tuna sandwich which I hear is really good.

Tangierine Cafe: Another first for us. I've read the food there is very good and it seem like an excellent value for counter service.

Sunshine Seasons: One of my favs at Epcot. Tons of desserts to choose from to go with your meal. Another great value.

Yorkshire County Fish Shop: Because we love fish and chips!

Captain Cook's: Mmmm, tonga toast!

Flame Tree BBQ: Food here is pretty good. I like the pork sandwich from here.

Artist's Palette: Convenient counter service at SSR.

The Mara: Again, convenient. Although now that I think about it, we'll be in Kidani Village and The Mara is all the way over in Jambo House. Oh well, maybe we'll just hop on the bus to get there.

That's pretty much all I can think of for now. I'm one of those people that second guesses themselves when it comes to ADRs so the list is subject to change.

 

[Castillo Mom]

That's right I said it!

Why, you ask? Think about it, those of us who not only frequent the DIS but actually go so far as to write a TR or pre-TR are a in a very special class of Disney fans. And what does a Disney fan do when not on a Disney vacation? Talk about Disney, right? We'll tell anyone who'll listen about our love for the Mouse, our trips to WDW and/or DL.

That pretty much sums me up. My office at work is Disney-themed. You can ask anyone who knows me what my happy place is and they'll without a doubt tell you DL. I've convinced several people at my office including my boss to become AP holders and so far they love it. Another coworker took her first trip to WDW along with a Disney Cruise. I helped yet another coworker's daughter plan her first trip to WDW. My ultimate job would be planning people's Disney vacations.

Well guess what? My boss has asked me to help plan his first trip out there next year. I'm sooo excited and thrilled! The best part about it is that he wants to spend at least 10 days there and is intent on going deluxe. And he's totally on board with the whole itinerary planning aspect. Yes! He drank the Koolaid.

Now I have something constructive to do while I wait for August park hours and my 90 day ADR window. Yup, Disney owes me some serious commission.