The Tenth Trip is the Best Trip and Eleven is Nice Too- July and December 2019 PTR *UPDATED 12/5*

[ashw100]

ADRs

Normally planning our trips, dining is the part that excites me the most. I love to pick out new restaurants and peruse menus. I had originally booked a lot, but have trimmed it back some due to budget constraints. We still have a lot booked, but that may change. Unfortunately, our air conditioner decided to die on us this week and with an unexpected large purchase, we may have to limit it some more. For now, this is what we’ve got.

Ohana (dinner)

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Ohana is collectively our favorite Disney restaurant. I told Joe that we had to cut this one during round one of cuts. He was very sad, but I secretly kept it. The plan was to cut it, it is pretty pricey, plus we are going back four months later and it was the plan to do it then. However, after I saw how sad it made him, I never cancelled it and instead I will surprise him with it. This was actually a good plan, because we planned to do night one in December, as that is the only time we can fit it in, and it was booked 180 days out . I am still going to try and get us a reservation there, but for now I am at least happy he can enjoy it in July.



Kona (breakfast)

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Another one of our favorites, we haven’t eaten breakfast here since 2016, and it’s time we get back. I can’t wait to stuff my face with some Tonga Toast and Kona coffee.



Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian

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Since, other that celebrating Joe’s graduation, the point is to experience new things we wouldn’t do with the kids, this was high on my list. I have always wanted to do afternoon tea somewhere, and what better place that Disney World. However, it is pricey and won’t really be a meal for us, so if cuts have to be made, sadly this will be one of the first to go.

Sanaa (lunch)

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We love the food here so much. It is much different than what we eat in normal life, and it is fun to change it up. We may just go with the bread service this time around, so save some cash, but we’ll see. I am going really be sad to miss out on the tandoori chicken.

Restaurant Marrakesh (dinner)

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This is a completely new restaurant to us. We have been wanting to try it since Joe’s parents ate there and raved about it in 2014. It not some place I think the boys will enjoy though, so I am glad we are able to try it now.

Trattoria Al Forno (breakfast)

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I got to eat here with other agents on a training trip in 2017. I absolutely loved the food. Ariel and Rapunzel and their respective mates are my favorites. Again, it’s not a place the boys would particularly enjoy, so it’s a great time to go back. However, since Joe isn’t super excited to eat here and I already have, it may get the ax sadly.

Via Napoli (dinner)

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We love Via Napoli, probably some of my favorite pizza anywhere. Thankfully, its affordable, so this one should be staying. Can’t wait for some Carciofi Pizza.

While it is still a lot, it is much better than I had it before. It still gives us lots of opportunities to try some new QS as well. I’ve got my eye on a few places. Plus Joe and I have a list a mile long of snacks we need to try, so I don’t think we’ll go hungry.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I think you have some very nice choices! Via Napoli is always a must-do for us and I've heard such wonderful things about the Trattoria al Forno breakfast. It is really pricy with the packages (I miss the days when you could just do ala carte!), but the Garden View Tea Room is LOVELY. I know you're trying to reel it in, but I highly recommend keeping it if you can. It's been a highlight for me the last four trips!

 

[missangelalexis]

Good thing you held onto that Ohana res, especially if you don't end up getting it for December!

Your plans sound good! Hopefully you won't have to cut too many more.

 

[cindianne320]

Following along! We also go in Dec, but being a teacher, I had to opt for later in the month.. UGH!

 

[ashw100]

I think you have some very nice choices! Via Napoli is always a must-do for us and I've heard such wonderful things about the Trattoria al Forno breakfast. It is really pricy with the packages (I miss the days when you could just do ala carte!), but the Garden View Tea Room is LOVELY. I know you're trying to reel it in, but I highly recommend keeping it if you can. It's been a highlight for me the last four trips!

I really want to go to tea, so hopefully it won't have to go. I sounds so nice.

Good thing you held onto that Ohana res, especially if you don't end up getting it for December!

Your plans sound good! Hopefully you won't have to cut too many more.

I hope so too, I think we will be okay though.

Following along! We also go in Dec, but being a teacher, I had to opt for later in the month.. UGH!

My mom is a teacher and she tried to convince me to go later. I told her you couldn't pay me to go after school lets out. Thankfully, she has personal day to use how she likes, so she will use them to take an earlier December trip.

 

[cindianne320]

That's nice that your mom has that option. My district only gives us 2 personal days/year.

 

[afwdwfan]

Normally planning our trips, dining is the part that excites me the most. I love to pick out new restaurants and peruse menus. I had originally booked a lot, but have trimmed it back some due to budget constraints.

I'm right there with you. We always try to find something new and book something new but just can't get away from some of our old tried and true favorites and end up canceling some because we can't do it all.

We love Via Napoli, probably some of my favorite pizza anywhere. Thankfully, its affordable, so this one should be staying.

Love it!!!!

Looks like some good choices for you and with VN and Sanaa bread service you've got some good options to enjoy a good restaurant and be budget friendly. We love just going to VN and sharing a pizza or 2... that can be cheaper than a lot of QS options!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Your dining plans sound great!

Hope you can get the group plans sorted soon for December. It's frustrating to try to plan things so far out for so many people without knowing for sure who can come.

 

[ashw100]

That's nice that your mom has that option. My district only gives us 2 personal days/year.

That’s a bummer, my mom has worked in districts like that. She is lucky where she is now. Any Disney is better than no Disney though and I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

Looks like some good choices for you and with VN and Sanaa bread service you've got some good options to enjoy a good restaurant and be budget friendly. We love just going to VN and sharing a pizza or 2... that can be cheaper than a lot of QS options!

Who knew affordable and Disney could be used in the same sentence

Your dining plans sound great!

Hope you can get the group plans sorted soon for December. It's frustrating to try to plan things so far out for so many people without knowing for sure who can come.

It’s definitely not ideal, but I’m choosing not to stress about it until at least this trip is over

 

[ashw100]

So remember this is supposed to be a budget trip, but also a trip to celebrate Joe. I would have loved to do something like Backstage Magic or a fireworks cruise, however those aren’t budget friendly. Thankfully, believe it or not Disney does have some special things that don’t break the bank (and maybe we can sneak in one that does as well). Some of these I have mentioned to Joe, but he forgets and also I never actually told him I booked anything. So they will be little surprises sprinkled throughout the trip to make it extra special for him.

Surprise #1

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The first little surprise is Ohana. I had mentioned that in the other post, but I told Joe I had to cancel this one because of the cost. Even though we do this every trip and isn’t technically special, he is going to love it.

Surprise #2

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On our arrival day, we are going to go to Disney Springs. Joe will think we are going there for lunch and maybe a drink there, which we will do, but we’re also going to the VOID. This is a VR experience where you become immersed in the world of Star Wars. Other than that I don’t really know what to expect, but I know Joe is going to love this. He has talked about it for awhile now, he loves Star Wars and he loves VR, it’s a win-win.

Surprise #3

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This is actually something we talked about, but I never told him I booked, the Behind the Seed Tour. We both really love Living with the Land, and this is a cool behind the scenes tour that is not crazy expensive. Plus we get a small discount by using our Disney Chase debit card.

Surprise #4

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This one is another one I have talked to Joe about, but I haven’t actually booked and I don’t know if I will. My hope was always to do the MK After Hours event when booking this trip. Joe and I did one of the very first ones in 2016, and it was the best money I have spent at Disney to date. We had an absolutely amazing evening at MK, and I would love to do it again. Now when we did it, we had APs and the price was $75. When they announced the Villians AH, and new price I was pretty deflated. I honestly don’t care about the Villians stuff at all, and the $125 prices was already steep, and now it's $139. So there’s a couple things that have to happen to make this work. I have been working my butt off to save for this trip. Unfortunately, we had the week from H-E-L-L last week. The week started off with our A/C unit dying, and we were told that we needed a new outside unit as well as new coils, a $4800 setback. Then on Friday we found out that someone had used Joe's identity to open an account in his name and charged almost $900 to it. To round out our spectacular week, on Sunday we had a tornado which broke a massive tree branch off our tree, which landed on our neighbor's grandson's car. Legally, we are not responsible to pay, his insurance is, but his dad is threatening to sue us for not paying for his slightly dented hood on this teenager's powder blue, 20-year-old minivan . Thankfully, we had the money to pay for the a/c without taking from our trip, and I am hoping the other two issues resolve with no money lost. But this event, while totally amazing, seems like a lot after everything else. For this reason I probably won't make a decision about getting tickets until the last possible second. But if we can make it work, and it's not sold out, it will be an amazing time and another surprise for Joe.

Here's to hoping no more crap comes our way, because at this point I desperately need this vacation.

 

[cindianne320]

What fun surprises! I bet he's going to love each one- especially just the thought put into each one! <3

I'm so sorry about the added expenses- especially the tree- that is totally not your fault!

 

[missangelalexis]

The surprises sound great, Joe will love them!
I'm sorry about your bad week

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Some of these I have mentioned to Joe, but he forgets and also I never actually told him I booked anything

This is one of the best things about men- you can tell them all about something and still have it be a surprise to them lol!

Your surprises all sound great! Ohana is delicious.

We loved the Void! I’m not a fan of Star Wars and had never really done VR before and I still couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it was. We were supposed to try the Wreck-It Ralph one when we were just there but it was all booked up!

The Behind the Seeds tour looks great! I can’t wait to hear all about it, I want to try it one day.

Oy all those life events sound miserable. Hopefully they resolve quickly and easily. The Villains After hours is a lot more money than the regular ones which is crazy because I don’t feel they added that much more to it!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Your surprises sound great! I hope everything calms down so you can make everything happen without any additional worry.

I did the Behind the Seeds Tour in 2016 and REALLY enjoyed it! It's always fun to see highlights behind the attraction!

 

[ashw100]

What fun surprises! I bet he's going to love each one- especially just the thought put into each one! <3

I'm so sorry about the added expenses- especially the tree- that is totally not your fault!

I hope he doesn’t, but then again he is easy to please. Our neighbor seems to have backed down, a simple google search should tell him he is liable, so hopefully that is the end of that.

The surprises sound great, Joe will love them!
I'm sorry about your bad week

Thanks, I’m glad that week is behind me

This is one of the best things about men- you can tell them all about something and still have it be a surprise to them lol!

Your surprises all sound great! Ohana is delicious.

We loved the Void! I’m not a fan of Star Wars and had never really done VR before and I still couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it was. We were supposed to try the Wreck-It Ralph one when we were just there but it was all booked up!

The Behind the Seeds tour looks great! I can’t wait to hear all about it, I want to try it one day.

Oy all those life events sound miserable. Hopefully they resolve quickly and easily. The Villains After hours is a lot more money than the regular ones which is crazy because I don’t feel they added that much more to it!

Sometimes his bad memory works in my favor. I’m glad to hear you liked the VOID. I am apprehensive about VR, but hopefully I will enjoy it as much as Joe.

 

[afwdwfan]

On our arrival day, we are going to go to Disney Springs. Joe will think we are going there for lunch and maybe a drink there, which we will do, but we’re also going to the VOID.

Sounds like fun. I've heard great things about this. I'd like to see if DS and I can sneak off and try it at some point.

his is actually something we talked about, but I never told him I booked, the Behind the Seed Tour. We both really love Living with the Land, and this is a cool behind the scenes tour that is not crazy expensive. Plus we get a small discount by using our Disney Chase debit card.

That's definitely a tour that I'd like to do sometime too! It seems like a great value and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Here's to hoping no more crap comes our way, because at this point I desperately need this vacation.

Yeah... definitely a craptastic week. Sorry for everything you've been dealing with. Never good to have that added stress. I'd be tempted to tell the neighbor to shove it. I can't see him getting anywhere with any legal action, but then you'd have the added stress of dealing with it. Probably easier to just pay a few hundred bucks, not have to hire a lawyer or deal with any of that crap... which I'm sure is exactly what the neighbor is banking on. And then if he doesn't go through insurance he can just pocket the money and not fix it...

This is one of the best things about men- you can tell them all about something and still have it be a surprise to them lol!

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[ashw100]

Your surprises sound great! I hope everything calms down so you can make everything happen without any additional worry.

Thanks, I hope so too. One thing is for sure though, we'll definitely need a vacation now.

I did the Behind the Seeds Tour in 2016 and REALLY enjoyed it! It's always fun to see highlights behind the attraction!

That makes me so excited, I truly can't wait to do this one.

Sounds like fun. I've heard great things about this. I'd like to see if DS and I can sneak off and try it at some point.

I think it is under an hour, so I think that shouldn't be too difficult to sneak away a do.

Yeah... definitely a craptastic week. Sorry for everything you've been dealing with. Never good to have that added stress. I'd be tempted to tell the neighbor to shove it. I can't see him getting anywhere with any legal action, but then you'd have the added stress of dealing with it. Probably easier to just pay a few hundred bucks, not have to hire a lawyer or deal with any of that crap... which I'm sure is exactly what the neighbor is banking on. And then if he doesn't go through insurance he can just pocket the money and not fix it...

Thankfully he has since backed down. A simple Google search should have informed him that he has no legal recourse, and therefore would be a waste of everyone's time and money. Thankfully he was dealing with DH and not me (I can be a hothead ) It's a crappy situation all around, but that is what insurance is for.

 

[ashw100]

Mickey Mail

It has been a very exciting week here. On Tuesday, we got the very exciting letter that contained our Magical Express info and tags.

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This will only be my second time to take Magical Express, and the first time that I am able to use the luggage service. This is Joe’s first time EVER! He is not thrilled . We have always rented a car. I started doing it because I am a control freak, who didn’t want to rely on someone else to get us from point A to point B. And that it still pretty much how I feel about using Disney transportation. However, over the years I have used the buses from time to time and it’s not awful. The biggest factor this time around is money. In 2014, we got a week-long rental of a minivan for under $300. Now, I am lucky to get an economy car for that price. This is on top of Disney’s parking fees, and it just doesn’t make sense to rent a car anymore. I figure if we really don’t want to deal with the buses on occasion, we can just get an Uber and we’ll still come out way ahead.

We also received our Magic Bands today. I was very disappointed with the initial roll out of the upgraded Magic Bands. I got online that day and selected the pink dole whip one, but I wanted to wait for Joe to get home so he could pick his. If you’re on these boards, then I assume you know what a debacle this turned out to be. We didn’t get to pick out the special ones, and I selected the plain ones. Then last Thursday, I found out they had added more stock, but every time I tried to complete the order, it wouldn’t work. I don’t understand why Disney works so hard to part you and your money, but still manages to mess it up. Well Friday, I heard positive reports that Magic Bands were getting purchased. I hopped on and was able to the select one for each of us.

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One last exciting thing acquired for this trip is this little beauty.

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I have not gotten a new phone in four years. And while there is nothing technically wrong with my old phone, it has terrible battery life. I am talking I am at 50% by 10 most mornings, and I barely touch it. This is just not going to work when I am in the parks. Also, I want to travel a little lighter this trip, and I will be leaving my DLSR at home. If I am only going to rely on a cell phone, I want it to take better pictures than my current one. So far I am loving the iPhone XR, but I only got it yesterday, so we'll see.

In other exciting news, our countdown is now 30 days!!!

 

[cindianne320]

Whoo hoo for Mickey Mail!

I recently got the XR and love it!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Glad you scored the magicbands! I don’t know why they made that such a disaster lol.

I think you made a good call not renting a car! The magical express is pretty good and lyft and Uber are pretty cheap around the parks if you aren’t in the mood to deal with Disney transport.

I got the XR right before we went to Disney also! I’m very happy with the picture quality