Then there were 2 days to go: A September 2012 PRT Updated 9/18!!

[LowesChevy]

Day 65: Oh its time for a Pre Trip time baby!!
Let’s face it; the next best thing to going to WDW is planning your trip. If you find reading other Diser’s trip reports to be a great form of entertainment-you are not alone. Planning is half the fun when getting ready for a vacation in my book and with all of the offerings at WDW, it is a good idea to have a plan of action when you arrive. I am sure most of us here on the Dis can agree on that aspect.

So who’s with me?! We have visited WDW over 30 times-in the ballpark of 34 or so. I like to think of us as seasoned veterans, but what you have to love about Disney is that there is always a new type of experience that keeps you coming back each year. Unfortunately we will miss out on the major openings of the Fantasyland Expansion this fall and Test Track, going back in 2013 will be imperative!

The bits and pieces
September 21 & 22 at Hard Rock Resort & Universal: Check out my
Pre Trip report on that board
September 23-30th at Bay Lake Tower

The cast and crew include me “E” or “Erika”-master Disney planner , future pub owner, food junkie, soccer lover, and amateur photographer

Grandma Debbie-picky eater, reader, and habitual napper
Papa Steve- beer connoisseur, cheese board muncher and train hobbyist

We live in Erie, PA, which is about 1 hour 30 minutes from anywhere exciting.


And on Thursday the 27th we are going to have three more guests from Minneapolis
Chris (my brother) analyst, runner, and wine enthusiast
Stephanie (sister in law) analyst and nature lover
Nick (nephew) 2 years old

I call it You Plan A Few and Then You Wing a Few because the first part of the trip is planned well and last part of the trip will be…well slightly more improvised!


Coming up…the ADRs

 

[LowesChevy]

The ADRs

9/23 Citricos
9/24 Chefs De France L
9/24 Narcoossees
9/25 Mama Melrose L
9/25 Tutto Italia
9/26 Via Napoli
9/27 Sci Fi Dine In L
9/27 Teppan Edo
9/28 California Grill
9/29 Le Cellier
9/30 Liberty Tree L
9/30 The Plaza (4)
9/30 Narcoossees (2) Chris & Stephanie’s Anniversary

I have some old favorites Citricos, Mamas, Tutto, and Le Cellier. I loved Via Napoli last year, so I think we may actually try to get a walk in one night too-see how the crowds are. My nephew loves pizza, so a sure hit. Yes, double the Italian on 9/25-I can eat it all the time. Narcoossee’s was a swap out, I originally planned Cali Grill that night, but had to change it up a couple of months ago. Twice we have been there and both times the service was blah, so it better be good this time!

We will probably play it by ear on 9/27 as Chris & Nick will arrive around noon. I planned on that being a DHS day and having lunch at Sci Fi Dine In, but we will have to wait and see if their flight time is changed or when they plan to arrive at the resort because we will definitely want to be there to welcome them. California Grill is solid and it will definitely be a fun meal for all of us! I scored an early reservation, so I am hoping not to have to long of a wait to be seated. We have waited for over an hour on a number of occasions unfortunately. Teppan Edo is good time, but it may not work, so I may end up cancelling it depending on whether or not we head to Epcot or if we head to DTD. Plenty of places to try an early walk in around, so okay there.

I told my brother I would not budge on giving up Le Cellier lol. We planned this trip back in November and I made my adrs in April and it is totally booked all week. They just decided to join us in May, so tough beans hehe. He wasn’t mad or anything-two sit down dinners in a row for Nick would have been on the difficult side, plus this gives them a chance to do something as a family as well. Friday for lunch I left open. We are planning on being at the MK, so whether we grab something at CHH, my favorite cs, or we could head back to the Contempo Café, Captain Cooks, Kona Café or Grand Floridian Cafe too.

Saturday we plan on driving over to the AK. Afterwards we could head to DTD for lunch or grab something quick in the park as dinner is early at 5:45 PM. Made lunch and dinner for Sunday-we plan to be back at the MK. Lunch at the Liberty Tree and dinner for Nick and us at The Plaza, so Chris & Stephanie can see a few things on their own. They get anniversary dinner at Narcoossee’s, which I think they will really enjoy. Neither one of them has been there and the I think the seafood laden menu will be a hit for them.

If all fails, the walk in back ups we like Wolfgang Puck Café/Express, Portabello, Raglan Road or there is always TRex, Bongos or Paradiso 37 at DTD. I am sure things will all work out, but back up plans are always good!


Next up: the day to day plans!

 

[LowesChevy]

Day to Day

Sunday
Transition day-they are always tough. I know I will be itching to get to Disney, but technically you cannot check in till 4:00 PM at BLT. We still need to buy our passes and purchase our Tables in Wonderland Card. So perhaps we will stop at DTD to do some shopping and pick up the TIW Card, then head over to BLT and check in-get the luggage checked with bell services and head over to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours. I made our dinner reservation for a bit later, so we could enjoy the park a bit and get settled in the room as well.

Monday: Bfast at the Wave-Be at Epcot by opening. We are having lunch at Chefs De France then back to BLT for a little rest. Narcoossee’s then back to the MK for Spectromagic

Tuesday: Bfast at the Wave-drive to DHS for opening. Lunch is at Mama Melroses-head back to the resort, then off to Epcot for dinner at Tutto Italia

Wednesday: Bfast at the Wave-drive to Animal Kingdom and enjoy the park. Lunch is open so perhaps we will head to DTD for some lunch, dinner at Epcot later on-Via Napoli

Thursday: Bfast as the Wave-drive to DHS, lunch at Sci Fi then Chris and Nick should be arriving on property around 2, so we will head back to the resort to greet them and help them get settled-Nick may need a nap, so we will play it by ear. I am hoping to head over to Epcot, probably end up canceling the Teppan Edo ressie, and eat at Cantina de San Angel. Def take Nick on Nemo and Gran Fiesta Tour.

Friday: By midnight my sister in law will arrive, so we will see how lively she is in the morning. Really want to try to make rope drop so Nick can see the characters from afar, but gonna play it by ear. Grab some breakfast at the Wave and head to the MK. Lunch is open because we have an early dinner reservation at Cali Grill. I’m sure we will grab something at CHH or back at the Contemporary if we head back to swim. Plan on dinner and then cathing fireworks later on in the lounge.

Saturday: Bfast at the Wave-then drive over to AK. We will probably do attractions we don’t normally do, so pretty excited for that. Grab lunch somewhere and stay in the park for a while. The 3 of us have dinner at Le Cellier that night so they can go do something on their own. I wouldn’t give up my LC ressie for anything lol.

Sunday: Another day at the MK with lunch at Liberty Tree and dinner for us and Nick at the Plaza. I planned an anniversary dinner for Chris & Stephanie at Narcoossee’s later that evening.

Monday: departure

Next up: counting down the days

 

[LowesChevy]

Less than 30 days to go!

It is getting awfully difficult to focus at work! I am sure most of my fellow Diser’s can understand this. I have had very few slow days in the office and many of our employees have been taking vacation, so it gets frustrating being shorthanded sometimes. However there is the light at the end of the tunnel-WDW! I will say we are very thankful to have been busy all summer and in a few weeks our production will pick up for the fall season.

I have been keeping up with my walking and exercise program I began in May. I am feeling great and not as tired in the afternoon as I was before, so I am pretty stoked. I will have to make a good supply of organic beef jerky for the trip and bring along my favorite nuts too. I know I will have to have a few snacks in the park, but having some better choices on hand won’t hurt either.

Pa and I checked back over our reservations yesterday and planned our transition day from Uni to BLT. I played around with adrs at Epcot for Wednesday and Thursday. I was going to switch around Via Napoli a bit, but everything is booked solid apparently. This trip is during a free dining period I believe, so it makes sense. Still hoping to score an early walk in on Thursday night in Epcot rather than go to Teppan Edo, but the plans may change.

This weekend I will start gathering my things together for the trip. I made a Disney specific packing list to use as a guide. This way I can add or eliminate things each year simply and it definitely cuts down on things forgotten! Packing is one thing I do not like to wait till the last minute on, you always feel like you are going to forget something big like spare contacts or underpants haha.

Well I have to run, but I will check back in with you all real soon!

Cheers, Erika

 

[LowesChevy]

22 Days to go…an odd countdown benchmark, but I have a few minutes to write at least. Work has slowed down, way down this week. It seems like people are busy getting the kids back to school and getting back into their old schedules. I think it may pick up a bit around the holiday, but typically this is a slower time at work. There are always going to be some piles of work or problems to correct when we get back, but all in all a great time to be gone.

I never did begin my packing as I planned because we were busy cleaning and having the family over for a cookout this past weekend. This upcoming long weekend comes with perfect timing to get my things in gear. With the weather still so gorgeous up here you cannot pack too much ahead of time, but you won’t hear me complaining either!

Double checked the flight time and no major changes have been made. United/Continental are usually really good about not altering the flight times significantly. My brother flies Delta and they on the other hand tend to change the times drastically. We also booked our stay at the airport Sheraton for Thursday night since we fly out early Friday morning. We drive from Erie and stay overnight rather than getting connecting flights out of our airport. We try to take as many direct flights as possible when traveling because we certainly have experienced our fair share of lost luggage and missed connections. IMHO it’s is also a drag to wake up really early and drive that morning-one it is not that enjoyable being tired all day and two risking getting stuck in traffic and missing a flight is miserable.

The three of us are ready for the break even though it means summer is just about over. I am not too sad about it because we had a lovely summer and quite frankly I love fall. By the time we get back the holiday season will be right around the corner!

We are really excited to see my nephew’s reaction to everything when he arrives. I am pretty sure that what Grandma Debbie cares about most, but rightfully so. I think he is going to have a great time whereas my brother and sister in law are rather apprehensive about the whole experience. They worry about him having a meltdown or being afraid of the characters. We plan on touring slowly and not running around the parks. We aren’t doing any character dining, so no need to worry about that. If he wants to check out the characters or if he doesn’t want to see them, no big deal. Yawn….my parents have been taking my brother and I since we were just starting to walk. I think we are going to have a wonderful time regardless!

Well that’s all for now, I hope everyone has a lovely holiday!

Cheers,

Erika

 

[LowesChevy]

10 days to go!! Well technically after today. It is really 11 to go I suppose, but it just depends on how you look at it! By early Friday afternoon, we will be packing up the rental car and heading over to Universal. Disney Sunday!!

We leave Thursday the 20th in the afternoon to head to Cleveland. The plan is to pack up and leave around 2:30 PM and get on the road. We will hopefully do a little shopping at the Strongsville Mall and have dinner before heading to the airport Sheraton. As I mentioned previously, we fly out of CLE to take advantage of direct flights. It is also a fun way to kick off a vacation plus the suitcases are all packed up and double checked-less stress about packing. However my mother (Grandma Debbie) still manages to forget one or two things or needs to dig into the bigger suitcases for another outfit. She is a stress magnet lol.

I did not get to the bulk of the packing, but have no fear my friends. With the exception of this weekend, the weather is warm and I still need some of my shorts and shirts. I gathered up socks and laid out a dressier shirt and some capris though. I have been double checking my toiletry supplies and making note of what I will need. I did get my camera battery charged and my new back pack Disnefied with LGMH, keychain Vinylmations, and my embossed Mickey head from Canada.

I kept busy over the weekend. I did a lot of cleaning in the house to get transitioned for fall. This weekend will be busy as well-getting the pool closed for the season. So far the weather looks like rain, but it will probably change.

Work has been crazy since Friday, I am just buried in paperwork! Hoping this means things will calm down while I am gone or my poor little fill in will be going nuts too. I am really in need of a vacation now! Catch up with you all soon. Tomorrow begins single digit dancing-oh the joy!!

Cheers,
Erika

 

[LowesChevy]

The countdown is now at 2 days!

The weekend was very productive-I managed to get the fall decorations up around the house and the majority of my clothes laid out for the trip. I am going to pack up most of my bathroom bag gear tonight. I will probably pack up my carry-on bag as much as I can too. My glasses, prescriptions, contacts and glucose meter will be packed last of course. I somehow lost sight of my video camera charger, but via Amazon I will have a new one tomorrow! I love Amazon, they usually have everything I need. I wasn’t planning on bringing it, but Grandma Debbie will definitely want video of Nick’s first trip. For $21 with shipping I didn’t think that was too bad a deal.

Last night I made goulash, which actually would have been more appropriate today since it is cold and yucky up here in the northeast. We invited my cousins-my father’s nephew and wife and their kids. They love Disney as much as we do, so it’s always fun to get together. They are heading down at the beginning of November this year. I am preparing chicken Caesar salad tonight for dinner. I wanted make something that relatively quick so I can pack a few things then head to soccer at 8:00 PM. I play in a coed league and it is a lot of fun, even at my age. Tomorrow I am having my friends over for pasta dinner and game night. We are sending them home with any food that will not last the 10 day trip lol.

Yesterday my father and I did the online check in and confirmed the rental car reservation and got that out of the way. I brushed up on the day to day schedule and printed out the Contemporary restaurant menus for my brother and sister in law, plus the menu for Narcoossee’s where they will eat their anniversary dinner. We can do the airline check in on Thursday morning before we head to Cleveland. We have never really experienced a big logjam at the airline check in at CLE, but it is nice to at least have the boarding passes. Sometimes the security line can be long, especially on Friday with business travelers, but we always give ourselves plenty of time.

Work has slowed to a grinding halt for me, which is perfect. This really must be transition time for most businesses. I am just making sure I have all of my major projects completed by Thursday morning. My co workers can fill in for most of the spreadsheets and emails-I feel like I can go on a trip and know the work is being done correctly. When I was younger and the business was still growing and budding, my dad would call in every day, but now he has people he can trust to complete the daily tasks. There are always a few issues to sort out when we return, but it is nice to know we can step away when we need to.

Well I am not sure if I will write again till I return. Be on the lookout for my dining and trip reports in a couple of weeks! Bye now
Erika