The Lagoni's "We Do" Redo--A WDW Vow Renewal 2016

[Chicago Mo]

What an adorable way to include him!

Ya know i can follow you around and take pictures.. Just sayin.

 

[kclark9830]

Yay! I'm so glad it got booked. It sounds fabulous!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Glad you got it all booked and Rev Tim sounds wonderful. Boo to the no MK photo shoot, but I'm sure the photos at the GF a Resort will be beautiful!

I was so relieved to actually get it reserved...it still took forever to wait for the real contract to arrive and once we signed it, it still took 2 more weeks to process the first payment. Sheesh!! I thought they'd want my money faster than that I'm pretty happy with taking pictures around the Grand Floridian...since I didn't even think MK was an option til she mentioned it!

 

[missjackiemcg]

What an adorable way to include him!

Ya know i can follow you around and take pictures.. Just sayin.

I'm trying to think if there is anything else we should do to make him feel really special (because he is!)

YES! I bet you cost less, too!!!! Come on down

Yay! I'm so glad it got booked. It sounds fabulous!

I am really looking forward to getting my "planning kit" from them, but I guess that won't be for a few more weeks still. That's when I will get to pick the rest of the details for our package. Yay

 

[ariane37]

I think what you have planned so far for Jimmy sounds wonderful
Also, every time you write "Reverend Tim" I think of "The Middle" and whisper "Tom" to myself afterwards

 

[Chicago Mo]

YES! I bet you cost less, too!!!! Come on down

Nope i would do it for free...

I wish i could help with more ideas to get him involved. Wedding ideas are not my best ideas!!! LOL..
there isn't much to include?
Ring bearer. walking down the aisle. Normally it's about the two getting married? Maybe he can say KISS THE BRIDE? Hold hands all three of you?

 

[missjackiemcg]

I think what you have planned so far for Jimmy sounds wonderful
Also, every time you write "Reverend Tim" I think of "The Middle" and whisper "Tom" to myself afterwards

Thanks I hope he'll be excited to be included!

I LOVE The Middle!! Brick is hilarious!

Nope i would do it for free...
I wish I could afford to add you to our trip to do it for free!
I wish i could help with more ideas to get him involved. Wedding ideas are not my best ideas!!! LOL..
there isn't much to include?
Ring bearer. walking down the aisle. Normally it's about the two getting married? Maybe he can say KISS THE BRIDE? Hold hands all three of you?

I am in love with the idea of letting Jimmy say, Daddy, you can kiss the bride!!! Thanks!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Yay i hope he feels like he is part of it!

So what other details do you have so far?!?!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm here to apologize

​

I've totally abandoned you all here, but I swear I'm coming back!! Getting into a school routine is always crazy at the start of the year, but this year is taking me even longer!!! We came back on 8/15 and I'm still stressed to the max and pulled in 1,000 directions. This year, I may have mentioned, I have 35 students in Kindergarten, so let's just say...this could take awhile.

I promise I'll be back with an update this weekend on dining, other fun reservations we've made, and more! Including....I just may have found my dress!!!

Thanks for hanging in there ​

 

[Chicago Mo]

I laughed out loud on your Meme...

So get your stuff together.. I miss you and NEED to know all your plans! So excited for you!

 

[ArielSRL]

Believe me, as a first grade teacher, I get it. I've been back for a month and it's still crazy busy and I'm exhausted. I'm so behind on the Dis. And I'm down to like 1 update every week to 10 days on my TR. Hoping it gets better for us both soon!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I have returned...as promised!!!
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So, when I left you last time I promised we would talk about food!! Our 180 day mark came up in June. Our internet is unpredictable at home, so I stayed overnight at my parents' house to make sure I would have reliable internet promptly when the date opened up at 6 a.m. (7 FL time). I woke up at 5:30 and got two iPads, my phone and the desktop webpages opened up to Disney Dining. I had my list of desired reservations/dates in front of me. My Mom was in the shower, with orders to be out and ready to man one phone and iPad by our start time!! (Do I come off sounding a bit Type A here......that's besides the point!)

At 5:45, I tried typing in Be Our Guest, just to make sure the calendar would pop up as I anticipated....imagine my surprise when the system actually let me go all the way through with booking my reservation for NEW YEAR'S EVE!!! I couldn't believe my luck--I started typing my restaurants (which I had prioritized in order--Be Our Guest, Cinderella's Royal Table, Minnie's Holiday Dine, everything else) like crazy and by the time my Mom got out of the shower, I only had two left to book. I was shocked that the system had opened up early and absolutely thrilled that I was able to book everything on the days I wanted (with the exception of Hoop De Doo Revue...more on that in a minute).

So, where will we be dining?? (PS I only own the pictures that feature my family members. All others were found through the wonder that is Google images search!)

On our first park day, we will be joining Donald and friends on Safari at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom for a late breakfast. On our trip in 2013, we were able to enjoy items from both the breakfast and lunch menu because our reservation was later in the morning. Hopefully we'll get lucky this time around, too!
wdw201335631335971_6909305524 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Day 2, is Vow Renewal Day!!!! I really wanted to do Hoop De Doo Revue for dinner, but ran into two road blocks. #1 when our 180 day opened up, the packages at HDDR weren't available yet. I called and they couldn't give me a certain date when they would be open, just told me to keep calling. I really didn't want to keep doing that and chancing missing it or not being able to get it at all, so I started thinking about other options. #2 the times were adding up to scrambling to get there in time after our photo session or having too many hours in between. So, I remembered back when Jimmy was turning 2 and we were planning our first WDW trip with him. We almost went to Mickey's Backyard BBQ but cancelled last minute because I was afraid he would be too scared of the characters to enjoy it, and since it was a prepaid dinner I didn't want to waste all that money. Well, of course he ended up loving the characters and my fear was for nothing, so I looked into it again. While this definitely wouldn't be a typical choice for celebrating a vow renewal, it really feels like our speed All you can eat BBQ buffet style food and all you can eat Mickey bars for dessert?! Plus character dance party....SOLD!! I'm excited for the experience and have made everyone agree that next time we go to WDW, we most definitely are going to HDDR. After reading Arianna and Mo's experience there in November, how can anyone BEAR to stay away?!! (see what I did there??)
DSC03470-d@d by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Christmas Eve, Sir Jimmy has big plans to relive his "knighting" from 2013. His curls are hard to tame, but the fairy Godmother in training tried her very best!! Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique can sure be pricey for your little Princess, but the parents of boys get off pretty easy. The knight package is only $14.95 and includes a princely makeover, sword and shield. He took an oath to protect all the princesses of the Magic Kingdom, too!
BibbidiBobbidiBotiqueKnightsPackage by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
wdw201335631493739_6909305408 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

After Sir Jimmy gets back in action, we will head over to our first experience ever at The Crystal Palace. I have always wanted to eat there and read about so many fantastic character interactions from other people's TRs, so I'm really excited!! I love how beautiful the restaurant looks at night all lit up and think it will be a pretty magical place to celebrate Christmas Eve together.
DSC_5850-M by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

When our family travels to Disney for Christmas, it has become a tradition to enjoy a Christmas cheeseburger and fries at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. In 2013, we ate lunch at 50's Primetime Cafe, where DH discovered that once a year they offer a full Christmas dinner. He was in love and thus another tradition was born. Today we'll be eating at Primetime. Being from Chicago, we always had Ed Debevic's to go to for a diner themed experience however, from the first meal we ate at Primetime we were hooked!! The interaction with and commitment to character from the servers here is top notch!! Not to mention the food is DELISH. I'll just leave you with two words. Pot. Roast. OK, I'll leave you with a few more words. Dad's Liquor Cabinet. Peanut Butter and Jelly shakes. Mmmmmmm.
50s-prime-time-table-andy by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

On Monday, DH and my Dad will enjoy a round of Sunrise Golf (They haven't picked their course yet, but it's a great deal which includes a cart for 9 holes, breakfast sandwich before your round and a beverage of your choice--it'll be a beer, I'm sure!--upon your return to the clubhouse for only $35!) Disney even provides complimentary taxi service to any of their golf courses from any Disney resort hotel and club rental for only $20.
disney-world-magnolia by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

While the big boys are golfing, my Mom, Jimmy and I have an important breakfast date with Jimmy's best girl--'ella. When he was just starting to talk, Jimmy would constantly say 'ella, 'ella, 'ella, and we had no idea why. Til one day he brought me a board book from his Disney set and said, "'ella, Mommy"--yep, you guessed it, it was the story of Cinderella. He's been crazy about her ever since. I always think maybe he's grown out of it, but this meal was reserved upon his request! "Don't forget we have to go eat in Cinderella's castle!"
cinderella-royal-table-00 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

After golfing, Rob and my Dad have a lunch reservation of their own to get to! Jimmy thought it would be "too scary" for him (though I know he'd be fine!) but the big boys really wanted to check it out, so Sci Fi diner it is!
sci-fi-dine-in-theater-00 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

The next morning, Mom and I will be up bright and early for the Marceline to Magic Kingdom tour at MK. We REALLY had our hearts set (and our $250 put aside!) for the Backstage Magic tour which is 7 hours and visits all 4 parks behind the scenes. Sadly that wasn't an option because of the busy Christmas season, and Keys to the Kingdom was a bust, too. So, we're settling on this one, but still very interested to see what our first Disney Tours experience holds!
partners-mickey-walt-close-up-1-9-800x400 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

After our tour, we decided to keep the Girl's Day going and enjoy a nice quiet lunch at The Plaza. After reading several TRs with stunning pics of the castle out the windows of The Plaza, we tried it on our trip in November and loved it!! Last time I ate too much to have room for dessert....I'll be wiser this time!!
plaza-restaurant-00 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

We'll be meeting up with the boys back at Pop Century for a swim/rest/break and then heading to Epcot for the evening. Mom and Dad have a dinner date at Biergarten, while my guys and I will be dining at Via Napoli for the first time. I feel like such a nerd that I am so excited to see the oven-faces After our dinner dates, Mom and Dad will take Jimmy on a romantic carriage ride at Port Orleans Riverside (not so romantic, I do realize, but it was THEIR request for him to join them, so who am I to argue?!)
81b4ac_99f0876b197d4eb58d008d504b23f52d by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
via-napoli_thumb_11441 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
Port Orleans Riverside, Magnolia Bend area by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

While the rest of the fam enjoys their carriage ride, Rob and I will get started on our own enjoyment!! We'll be Drinking Around the World Showcase with passports I purchased from www.adventures4funatics.com. You can follow them on FB, too The passports are personalized with our names and are sturdy plastic--no need to laminate!! I'm excited to use them and then have them as a keepsake. (I also bought their Monorail Drink-a-Thon passports, but haven't figured out when to schedule that fun into the plan yet)!
DAWSPassport by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

The next day is our non-park day (maybe----here's the dilemma...if we can, I'd like to head to a park after Mickey's backyard BBQ on Vow Renewal day. But it just depends on the park hours, which still seem screwy to me right now. Our non-park day might leave us some time to head to a park at night if we weren't able to do one on vow renewal day. We'll have to wait and see as we get closer!) We are renting a car and heading to Gatorland, the beach/ocean and of course, no rental car trip would be complete without locating the Disney Outlets!!! That night, whenever we return from our travels, we'll have dinner at the Food Trucks at Disney Springs. Mom and I stumbled onto them in November. There are 4 trucks, each themed for one of the parks. We ate "Star Wars Dueling Sliders" that were TO DIE FOR!! They also serve alcoholic beverages. Win. Win.
espaco-food-truck by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Another Epcot day is up next! We will have breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. This is another re-do from our previous Christmas trip in 2013. A family-style breakfast platter is brought out first (all you can eat, they'll refill as needed) and there is also a buffet of other favorites, fruit, etc. You get to see Belle in her Christmas dress (which I am the only one who gets excited for!) and the other Princesses visit your table and parade with the children a couple of times. Jimmy got so much attention last time and just loved every minute of it. He left with lots of lipstick kisses all over his little face!
wdw201335731646906_6909305270 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

After breakfast and our adventures in Epcot, which will hopefully include a ride on the new Soarin' and/or Frozen Ever After, Grandma and Jimmy will head back to the hotel for a swim break, and DH, Dad and I will go to Animal Kingdom for an adventure of our own. We'll be taking a Wild Africa Trek! I am not usually this adventurous, but Rob and my Dad have convinced me that I should join them.....I hope I make it back alive.
trek by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

The next day, Dad and Rob will go to another of Disney's gorgeous golf courses for a second round of Sunrise Golf. Much as I ask, they still have yet to provide me with a picture of a mouse-ear shaped sandtrap. I'm hoping this is the year!
index by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

We will be enjoying another holiday dinner, this time with Mickey and friends dressed to the nines!! I was really excited to snag this reservation at one of Rob's favorite restaurants!
minnies-holiday-dine-review-photo by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

On our last night of the trip, we will ring in the New Year!! We've only done NYE at Disney World once before and it was INSANE. You think you've seen Main Street crowded? I assure you, you haven't seen anything!! I always said once was enough and I'd never do it again......that was a lie. I extended this trip on purpose to celebrate New Year's Eve in the Magic Kingdom again. Call me crazy. I have totally earned it. BUT, as crazy as it is and as crowded as it is, you will never find a happier bunch of people, and when those fireworks literally create numbers in the sky and countdown clockwise all around you, you can't help but forget you're surrounded and feel like it's just you and your love and savor every second. We will be having dinner together at Be Our Guest before Mom, Dad and Jimmy head back to Pop century to celebrate. Rob and I will stay (wiser this time around!) somewhere off of Main Street to celebrate the start of 2017 and party the night away...because nobody throws a party like Disney!
be-our-guest-restaurant-00 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
NYE by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

And there you have it!!! All our dining plans in a nutshell.

And as promised, I have found my dress and figured out the boys' outfits, too, for the vow renewal. Jimmy still needs a white shirt and Mickey bowtie (working on that with a little help from my DIS friends!) and Rob won't actually be wearing those ears for the renewal, but I will make him get a couple cute pics during our photo session

20160905_155908 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr
20160905_104520 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

I'd love to have any opinions, recommended dishes, thoughts, etc. on our dining plans, tours, golf, etc. if you have any experiences or feedback to share!! Our Be Our Guest reservation is currently for 9:30 p.m. which is pretty late for our crew that will be leaving the parks, so I'm checking daily for opportunities to make that a little earlier.
Thanks again to all of you for sticking with me while I started school and was completely absent from this TR!!! You're the best

Love & Smooches,
Jackie​

 

[ArielSRL]

Yay! You're back! Hope the holiday weekend was restful and the school year settles soon.

As far as ADRs, I'm fairly certain online starts at 6am EST (phone is 7am EST) so that's why you were able to go ahead and book. The plans look great! Glad you were able to get almost everything you wanted minus HDDR.

I actually have been at MK on NYE but it was probably over 20 years ago! Don't have too many memories about it except watching the fireworks from Fantasyland as I'm sure Main Street was mobbed, even back then.

Love the dress and the boys' outfits! Can't wait to read about anymore plans you have!

 

[ariane37]

Holy crap I didn't realize the food trucks in DS were themed to each park! Jeez, just when you think you know everything you learn something new!
Tours are great, that's awesome you get to do 2. DH and I did KTTK last year and just did Undiscovered Futureworld last week. It's our plan to do a tour every trip we do without the kids until they're old enough to join us
Love your dress!

 

[missjackiemcg]

s far as ADRs, I'm fairly certain online starts at 6am EST (phone is 7am EST) so that's why you were able to go ahead and book.

I think you're right As I was typing it, I was thinking 'it seemed so much earlier when I was doing the reservations!' Now that you mention it, I WAS waiting on 6 a.m. so it must've been 5:45-ish that it opened up and surprised me!! I actually tried to get on right away just in case I could sneak in and nothing had happened, so when I tried again and suddenly Be Our Guest went through, I totally freaked out!

oly crap I didn't realize the food trucks in DS were themed to each park!

I know, right?! I knew they would be there, but had no clue they were themed or how DELICIOUS food truck food would actually sound....and TASTE. It was seriously SO crowded at Disney Springs the night my Mom and I stumbled onto the food trucks. We just kept walking looking for a shorter wait and probably would've eaten just about anywhere. There was zero wait at any of the trucks and there were lots of tables nearby to eat at. Win. Win!

 

[Elevationist]

I love love love your dress! That is SUPER pretty and adorable!!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I love love love your dress! That is SUPER pretty and adorable!!!

Thanks, Billie! I should have elaborated that I spotted a white dress sticking out of a sale rack as I walked past a store I would NEVER in a million years have even walked into!!! I thought, let me just take a peek....it just happened to be this dress...in MY size....and it was priced at only $10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best. Deal. Ever.

 

[kclark9830]

I totally get the back-to-school rush! But I'm glad to read a new update, and I love that dress!

 

[missjackiemcg]

100 Days by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

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[Chicago Mo]

After reading Arianna and Mo's experience there in November, how can anyone BEAR to stay away?!!

Awww shucks!

His curls are hard to tame, but the fairy Godmother in training tried her very best!! Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique can sure be pricey for your little Princess, but the parents of boys get off pretty easy. The knight package is only $14.95 and includes a princely makeover, sword and shield. He took an oath to protect all the princesses of the Magic Kingdom, too!

He looks so adorable!!! They did a great job!
When the boys wanted my head on a platter for making them do this-- they didn't have the hair color which was the main reason for them going with buzz cuts. eh well they got swords and shields.

eing from Chicago, we always had Ed Debevic's to go to for a diner themed experience however, from the first meal we ate at Primetime we were hooked!!

you know they closed?

Peanut Butter and Jelly shakes. Mmmmmmm.

Still never had one and they scare me.

Disney even provides complimentary taxi service to any of their golf courses from any Disney resort hotel and club rental for only $20.

I am confused with the word in here.. COMPLIMENTARY.. which means free...
not 20.00?!?

I have found my dress

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
This is beautiful!!!!
Cannot wait for your trip and all the pictures!!!!!!!!
Yes he must wear the top hat with ears.